Planning Tips

1. Prepare a guest list. Before choosing a venue it's very important that you know how many guests you will have. Take into consideration that every guest needs about 25 sq. ft. for the entire venue to provide enough space for the guests, tables, waiters, dance floor, etc.

2. Beware of functions taking place the same day of your wedding.

3. Make a back up plan for weather problems.

3. Listen to Mother Nature

4. Have meetings with various vendors before choosing one so that you can have varying personalities and price points to choose from.

5. Staying close to your budget can be done by actually shortening your guest list. Every $10 people lowers costs significantly!

6. Try to ask for as many freebies as possible! If you ask for them before signing contracts you will most likely get them.

7. Remember that the vendors need to eat, and some of them put this in their contract so be aware of it when you sign on with them and when coordinating catering. You can make a special menu for them consisting of a hot meal so that they can have enough energy to work all night long, and it not cost you a fortune.

8. Stay really organized! Keep a binder with dividers for each vendor. Also, keep floorplans, contact numbers, and budgets in their as well. Don't leave home without it!

9. Order the stamps for invitations on usps.com so you can have prettier ones than those at your local post office.

10. Make a wedding planning schedule that runs in chronological and logical order.

11. Lastly, prepare a "B" guest list because as a rule of thumb about 30% of people invited to the wedding will not attend.

The gown

Every woman knows, that looks aren't everything, but the way you look does affect the way you feel and carry yourself. The bridal gown is very important in ensuring that the bride feels confident and beautiful the day of her wedding.

The gown isn't just a dress, it is a transformational garment that turns a woman into a bride. And yes, when you try the right one on, you know it's the right one for you. Basically, once you have the dress you shouldn't really be worrying about anything else because you are already going to look fabulous-- everything else should just be fun and easy.

Trends:

There are many different trends in weddings, long or short, white or creme, beading or lace, but in the end, the one that you choose should be a reflection of your inner most energy of femininity and style.

These are the latest trends:

Feminine in florals



Lace



Beading and Embroidery

What to do when the parents are too involved (or if you're one of those parents)

The Bride and Groom always greatly appreciate the help offered to them by family, but sometimes too much help is un-welcomed help.

Families need to keep in mind that this wedding is not a production that they must keep control of every second, but instead it's the very important union of two individuals whom they love. Inevitably, families get carried away with the importance of the actual wedding day because there are a lot of emotions involved, and of course a lot of money involved.

What needs to be in the forefront of everyone's mind that is taking part in the planning process is that the wedding is for these two unique and loved people and there needs and wants should be held as sacred. This day is nerve wrecking enough as it is, not to mention having to add on the grief and concerns of all members involved.

In the end everyone needs to ask themselves:

1. Is what we are arguing about really that important? If it is, then it deserves to have more attention brought to it, but with the basis of "is this really important for both the bride and groom?". If it's not, just let it go- let differences be differences and accept them.

2. What do I want for this wedding and this couple, and not for myself? Sometimes people feel so emotionally attached to the idea of what they envision their loved one's special day to look like, that they don't envision what they would ideally envision, truly, for the bride and groom based on those things that the couple like, dislike, and really love.

What to do after you say "Yes"

Most women would agree with me that getting engaged is the easy part of the planning process; the real challenges arise afterwards.

Once the ring is on it is not uncommon to just go about your business and enjoy your engagement without having to worry about dates and cards, anything having to do with the actual wedding. All of this is true until your families start to ask the question "So, when's the date?".

This is not so difficult to answer as long as you have clear communication in your relationship. So here are a few things to discuss once you get engaged:

1. Decide on the desired length of your engagement. There is no right or wrong regarding the length of an engagement, as long as you are both on the same page. Things to consider are career goals, economic standards, and plainly, when you both want to. This will facilitate answering the question "so when's the date?" and remove any confusion between you and your fiance.

2. Figure out how much you want to spend on your wedding. This is paramount when planning a wedding because there are many variables that must be accounted for like housing, honeymoon plans, and creating a savings plan. Once you have made a list of priorities it's much easier to allocate dollar amounts to each variable.

3. Based on your price point for the wedding, set a bar for the wedding. What I mean by bar is that you both need to be able to agree on the level or scale of the actual event. Do you both want a small intimate affair of 25 where quality is paramount and quantity is of less importance? Or, do you want a lavish affair of 250 where the quality is high and the quantity is even higher? This is important so that both of your visions can be met and neither of you feels like an outsider at your own wedding. Also, don't forget to include your family in these discussions because they may want to contribute, monetarily, to the wedding, and can help you decide on what and what not to include the day of your wedding.

4. Start looking for vendors. This is the last step because you should already know, by this point, how much you want to spend. There are many different price points when planning a wedding and knowing your price point will prevent you from wasting time visiting locations and vendors that are out of your price point (whether too modest or too extravagant).

Welcome to Just Breathe... it's only a wedding

I want to take a second to thank you for visiting my site. I hope that this blog can be a great resource for future brides, bridesmaids, MOH's, MOB, and MILS (Maid of Honor, Mother of the Bride, and Mother in law, respectively).

My hope for this 'wedding resource' blog is for brides not to feel as if they have no help or ideas, and so that they can have their own personal concierge at their beckon call.

A little bit about the creator ( that's me (; ):

I live in South Florida, and use to be a wedding planner(sometimes doing what you love isn't fun when you’re getting paid to do it).

I think I fell in love with weddings, and everything to do with them, from a very young age. Parties, in general, are a way of uniting people and MAKING them have fun--hopefully. Some of the most memorable times in my life have been at some sort of social gathering where the music was loud, the people even louder, and the emotions running high.

Weddings are a completely different ball game. Yes, there is music and food, emotions and people, but there is so much more. The wedding day is not just 'a day', but years of preparation, and a lifetime of fantasy coming alive. Everything must go just the way the Bride (and Groom- let's not forget) wants and NEEDS it to go. This day will be the turning point in the rest of two people's lives, and I love being a part of it.

So there you have it, I am doing this because I love it and I hope to be able to show readers the ins and outs, as well as the ups and downs of a planning and executing a wedding. And remember, Just Breathe... It's only a wedding.