By Georgina Clatworthy

Without a date  the rest of your wedding planning can be an impossible task.  But choosing a wedding date can be an equally impossible & difficult undertaking.  Your choice of date will invariably depend on a number of factors.

Wedding Planning Time  Setting a date within one month, will not leave much time (if any) to plan a big wedding, in fact it may barely leave you enough time to plan a small one!  Your first consideration should be to how much time you think you will need for your wedding planning &  to put together the wedding of your dreams.  Are the organized type who knows exactly what they want & how to get it? Or are the type who needs time to deliberate & decide on every detail?  As a guide the average time between engagements & wedding day is 12 – 18 months.

Commitments  Check your diary & make sure your choice of date doesn’t conflict with any other important day.  You may want to check for birthdays, anniversaries, graduations or any other event which may conflict with your wedding. It is also a good idea to discuss any potential dates with close family & friends.

Holidays  Whilst holidays can be a good time to have a wedding, they are also times when people will travel to be with family & loved ones or will take a much needed vacation at that particular time.  It may be asking a lot to invite them to forgo this to attend your wedding.  Another aspect about weddings during holiday dates is that you may find it difficult to book vendors, locations & other services.  Factor into your wedding planning florists are usually very busy around Valentines Day & hotels may be fully booked at Christmas.

Weekend or Weekday  Saturdays are the most popular day of the week to get married, which means you will be competing with every other couple in the area for a Saturday date.  Weekdays can be a good choice as they are often cheaper days to book with venues & you are more likely to get a date within your month of choice.  If you want a weekend date then be prepared to have to wait a year or more for one that is available.

Wedding Day Expense  As mentioned above, vendors will put a premium on popular wedding days, particularly those in the wedding high season – May to September.  A date in fall or early spring can be a cheaper option & you may get a better deal than having a date in the summer.

How to Save Enough Money for your Wedding

By Georgina Clatworthy

You’ve probably already realized it – weddings aren’t cheap!  Traditionally the parents of the bride would have paid for the whole shebang, but in modern times that isn’t the case.  The majority of engaged couples now opt to pay for the wedding themselves in it’s entirety or share the costs with their parents.  With the cost of the average wedding now over $25,000 it is important that you start saving & budgeting as early as possible.

If your dream wedding is a big, traditional affair with all the bells & whistles, then you should sit down & work how long it will take you to save up enough money to afford it.  Take some time to research prices for the larger expenses such as the ceremony, reception & honeymoon.  This will give you some idea of the total cost of your wedding.  Make sure you include everything you want, from horse drawn carriages to fresh rose petals for the flowergirls to scatter, that way if you find the total figure way out of reach you can trim it down by eliminating some of the non-essential items from your list.  Once you have got your list, work out your budget & how much you save every month towards it.  Divide the wedding budget by the amount you can save each month to discover how many months it will take you to save up for it.

If you want your wedding on a certain day in the year rather than an extravagent wedding, then base your budget around that date.  Add up the months until that day & then work out your monthly budget.  Once you have a figure for the amount you can set aside each month multiply it by the number of months you have available.  This will give you a wedding budget to work for.

If you are concerned by your wedding budget then it is a good idea to prioritize each wedding expense.  Doing this will help you decide if something should be dropped from the wedding or done cheaper.  For example, you wanted a six tier cake but are quite happy to go for two tiers & some plain cutting cakes to make up the difference, or you will happily serve champagne for the toasts but serve sparkling wine as a welcome drink.

It will always pay to shop around for the best deals, even if your budget is large.  Finding the best deals can save you money & allow to include things that you may have originally discounted because of cost.  Look around local vendors & bridal shops as well as researching online for good deals & best prices.  Try to compare all offers as the cheapest may not necessarily be the best.  Paying a little bit more may actually give you more for your money.

Good financial planning is an essential part of the wedding planning process.  Whether you plan your wedding around your budget or wait until you have saved enough money for everything you want, drawing up a strategy for your budget is important to avoid any disappointment or unnecessary stress.

How to Avoid the Biggest Mistakes People Make When Planning Their Wedding

By Georgina Clatworthy

• 1. A Lack of Personality
  This is the biggest mistake because so many couples fail to put their own personalities into their weddings. This doesn’t mean your wedding has to have a theme but simply that it should be about you, your tastes & your styles. Use a color scheme that appeals to you, choose music that is a reflection of your own tastes & add in a little of your own humor.
• 2. Wasting Money
  People aren’t kidding when they refer to the ‘wedding industry’. In my opinion the most expensive occasions in life are weddings & babies (house purchase excluded!). There are companies, businesses & vendors out there who are solely in business for weddings. This is great, but it is also a case of buyer beware, as specialist wedding retailers (with the exception of bridal shops) are notoriously expensive. Take advice where offered but don’t be talked into spending more money than you can afford or than necessary.
• 3. Forgetting What a Wedding Really Is
  Your wedding is about the two of you declaring your love for each & pledging to stay together for the rest of your lives – that’s it, pure & simple. You are not getting married for the sake of other people’s happiness, which is simply a by-product of your own happiness. Make it memorable but for all the right reasons.
• 4. Not Knowing the Master of Ceremonies
  When it comes to the wedding day proper, there are two people who should know you & you know them, very well. These two are the MC of the ceremony or officiant & the DJ or band leader (or whoever is providing your entertainment) Your officiant needs to add warmth & sentiment to your ceremony & be able to talk about both in such a way that it appears they have known you all their lives. Your DJ should be able to lead a party without being cheesy & should play the kinds of music that you like & that will appeal to your guests. Having a good relationship with these people is important & you should make sure you like them & are comfortable with them.
• 5. Thinking “It Could Never Rain on MY Wedding Day”
  With all the stress & anxiety that goes into planning a wedding, it is surprising that so many never make an kind of contingency plan should anything go wrong. So what will you do if it is raining & you reception is outdoors? Make sure you have a back up plan for any potential events, such as bad weather, which could spoil your day. Organize an alternative venue for the reception if it is raining & make sure you contact all your vendors so they know where to go.
• 6. Forgetting the Meaning of the Word “Budget”
  When you begin your wedding planning you probably start off with the best of intentions & at first stick well to your budget. But it is too easy to get swept up in wedding emotion & before you know it you have blown twice as much on your dress & ordered six courses for the reception when you only budgeted for three. It is easy to be seduced by glossy bridal magazines showing you the last celebrity weddings & your must haves for this year. Whilst your wedding is a special moment in your lives it is only one day & is not worth starting your married life thousands of dollars in debt.
• 7. Getting Trashed the Night Before the Wedding
  It used to be traditional to have the bachelor/bachelorette parties the night before the wedding. But we’ve all seen the TV programs where the stag wakes up hundreds of miles away from the wedding site, stark naked & in the middle of nowhere. Whilst we probably howled with laughter & watched as he desperately tried to get back in time, it is the last thing you want for your real wedding. Even a few drinks the night before could have an adverse effect the next day such as headaches, nausea or upset stomach. Skip the drinking & have an early night instead. Tomorrow will be a very long day.
• 8. Being Inconsiderate
  It may well be your special day, but there are other people involved. You are the hosts when all is said & done, no matter who the invitations were from. Be considerate with your wedding party & in particular the duties you are asking them to carry out. Be clear about your expectations & the commitment you expect. Provide something for your guests to do whilst you take your photographs rather than having them standing around waiting for over an hour. It is a good idea to have your photos taken during the cocktail hour so your guests can relax & have a drink whilst mingling together. Other considerations could be the time of year, provide some bottles of water, fans or parasols for a hot summers day or wraps & umbrellas for a mild fall wedding.
• 9. Not Involving Your Better Half
  Whilst traditionally the domain of the bride, in this modern age all wedding decisions should be taken together. It is his day as much as it is yours & you should include him on major decisions such as venue, menu & entertainment. He is probably more than happy to leave color schemes, flowers & favors to you, but make sure you ask his opinion.
• 10. Losing Perspective
  Don’t loose sight of what is important to you both. At the end of the day as long as you have a ring on your finger & a marriage certificate nothing else really matters. Don’t let yourself get bogged down with minor details that really aren’t important & make sure you delegate some of the tasks to others, you don’t have to do it all yourself. Stay cool, calm & in control. And above all don’t loose your sense of humor!

How to Get Started on Creating a Wedding Budget You Can Afford

By Georgina Clatworthy

Once you have got over all the excitement of your engagement, it is time to get to work & plan the wedding.  Your first task should be to draw up your wedding budget, without one you will find it very difficult to accomplish anything.  A carefully though out budget will help you determine how much you can afford to spend & how much you can allot to different aspects of your day.  Here are some tips on drawing up a sensible budget you can afford.

Who’s Paying for the Wedding?

Traditionally the bride’s parents would pay for the whole wedding, however in modern time’s couple’s have either pay for their wedding themselves or split the cost between themselves & the parents.  If you can pay for the whole wedding yourselves then you are in a great position, but if you need to ask your families to help out then you will need to approach it diligently & sit down with them to discuss it.  Be prepared to be asked how much you think it will cost & how much you want (or expect) them to chip in.  Don’t base your wedding budget on the average amount for a wedding (around $25,000) but on what you can afford.  
There are several options:

• Your parents decide on the amount they are prepared to contribute, you then set your budget & make up the difference yourselves.
• Your parents pay for specific items such as the flowers or catering. You will then have to decide how to pay for everything else.
• You set your budget & split it evenly. This is a good compromise & good if you have a divided family. For instance, you, the mother of the bride, the father of the bride, & the groom’s parents will each contribute $5000, for a total of a $20,000 wedding budget.

How Much Do You Really Need?

This does depend on your budget, but a good starting point is to work on an amount per guest such as $100 per head.  From this you can allow $50 per head for catering with the remainder going towards everything else.  However, where this fails is if you are having only a small intimate affair with say 10 guests, here you may find $500 does not go very far!  As a starting point this does however, work for a large wedding & can allow you to have a lavish do & a lot of guests.   You can of course throw a wedding on a shoestring, but be prepared to compromise on a lot of the details.

Figuring Out a Basic Wedding Budget

Use the wedding budget planning worksheet to set out the basic figures.  If you already some of your costs put them in & adjust your other figures till the budget works for you.  If you know anyone who has recently got married ask them for the prices the paid to local vendors or ask if you can borrow their planning notes to help you.  Remember to keep figures realistic or your whole budget could go through the roof.

Making Room for What Matters in Your Wedding Budget

Think about the most important aspects of your wedding day to you.  Spend more on your ceremony & photographer than on flowers & favors.  If you wedding is small then your catering bill won’t be so high as a big wedding, so you can allocate more money to other things.

Ways to Save on Your Wedding Budget

If, after you have drawn up your budget, you discover that the final figure is way above what you can afford then it is time to make some compromises.  Go through the budget & take out anything that isn’t really necessary or that you are prepared to do without.  Things like the number of bridesmaids – do you really need 12 attendants? Think about how much twelve dresses, 12 pairs of shoes, 12 set of accessories & 12 bouquets will cost.  Keep attendants to a minimum, if they are really good friends they will understand.  Look at having your ceremony & reception in one place, which will save on transport costs & you will get a better rate at the one venue than paying for two.  If after doing that the numbers are still too high, then it is time to go back & look at what is really important to you on your wedding day.  Maybe consider a small wedding now & renewing your vows in 5 or 10 years time, when you could afford a bigger party.

Once the figures add up, set your budget & stick to it.  This is easier said than done, but it is vital to achieving the best wedding you can afford.

By Georgina Clatworthy

Essential to your planning process is your wedding budget.  It is central to everything you want for your wedding day & is the first thing you should set out when you start to make your plans.  Here is a handy budget planner worksheet for you to use.  It will help you determine what you need to pay for & how much of the budget you should allocate to each item.

Print this worksheet out & keep it in your wedding planning notebook so it is easy to reference.

Your Wedding Budget Worksheet

My Total Budget ___________

How to Figure Out Who Pays for a Wedding

By Georgina Clatworthy

Many bride’s will already have an idea of the kind of wedding they want & possibly some groom’s too! But do you know who is going to pay for your dream day?  Traditionally it was the bride’s family who picked up the bill but as the average wedding budget is now way beyond the reach of most families & more couples marrying later in life, it has become more normal these days for the cost to be shared or for the couple to pay for it themselves.  If you not sure who to ask or are confused as to who might pay for what, here are some typical scenarios for you to consider.

Traditional Responsiblities

• The bride’s family pays for:
  - Reception costs, including food, music, decorations, rental fees & entertainment
  - Ceremony Costs including rental fees, decorations
  - Flowers for Ceremony & Reception
  - The bride’s wedding dress & accessories
  - All stationery & mailing costs
  - Favors
  - Photography
  - Transportation
  - Their own attire & travel expenses
• The groom’s family pays for:
  - The rehearsal dinner, including food, invitations, decorations & entertainment
  - Their own attire & travel expenses
  - A wedding present
• The bride pays for:
  - The groom’s wedding ring
  - A wedding gift for the groom
  - Her hair, makeup, beauty treatments
  - Gifts for her attendants
  - Sometimes accommodation for any out-of-town bridesmaids
• The groom pays for:
  - The marriage license
  - The bride’s engagement ring & wedding ring
  - The honeymoon
  - A wedding gift for the bride
  - The bride’s bouquet
  - Gifts for his attendants
  - Corsages for the mothers & grandmothers
  - Boutonnières for men in the wedding party
  - Sometimes accommodation for any out-of-town groomsmen
  - Fee for the officiant 

When the bride & groom are older, or whose parents don’t have resources

The bride and groom pay for all wedding costs themselves

A modern take on who pays for what at a wedding:

When the couple has announced their engagement, their next step is to sit down & work out their budget; they may have already found suitable venues & have decided on the general theme/style of the day.  Once they have produced a final figure for the cost of the wedding, they will then approach their parents with a view to them sharing the cost.

Both sets of parents may then consider the budget & the elements contained within & make a decision to purchase the flowers or wedding cake (perhaps as a wedding present).  If the parents simply cannot afford to contribute or their offer is too small to make any difference to the overall costs then it is polite to decline & revise the budget or be creative when it comes to saving money. 

Split the budget three ways

To split the budget three ways means that the bride & groom & both sets of parents will each contribute a third of the cost of the wedding.  In this scenario it is typical for each to invite a third of the guests to the wedding.

How to Estimate How Many People Will Accept Your Wedding Invitation

By Georgina Clatworthy

Estimating how many of your invited guests will attend is a common question couples ask themselves.  There is also the question of how many of those that has accepted will actually show up on the day? Working out how many guests will attend your wedding is not scientific process & really comes down to some clever guess work.  Here are some hints & tips to help you try & work it out.

Firstly, after you have drawn up your guest list separate the names into those who are local to you & those who live out of town.

Those that live locally are more likely to attend, if you have sent your wedding invitations out in plenty of time (6-8 weeks) you can estimate that 85% of them will come.

For those that live out-of-town the numbers that will come can really depend on their relative wealth.  If most of them are fairly wealthy then you can estimate that 85% of them will attend.  However, if the majority of them are old friends that you haven’t seen in years, the acceptance rate could drop to around 40%.  As a safe estimate, go with an acceptance rate of 55% for your out-of-town guests.

Remember to allow for the absolute maximum number of people you can get into any one of your venues, for example, if the church where you are holding your ceremony cannot hold anymore than 60 people then you will need to be conservative with the estimates given above.

As soon as you have your number of declines, add them together:

(# of out-of-town guests *65%) + (# of local guests * 90%) = total # estimated to attend.

Example: 200 guests; 150 local, 50 out-of-towners.

(50*65%) + (150*90%) = 167.5 So assume 168 people will attend.

Remember this is not an exact science so the best advice is to divide your guest list into an A-list & a B-list.  Send out you A-list guest invites first, then as your receive your acceptances & declines you can start inviting guests from the B-list to make up the numbers.

By Jason Hennessey

It seems to be every woman’s dream to have the perfect wedding; and central to the ceremony would be an eye-catching wedding dress that would not be complete without a veil.  As we shall see, the veil has a long and varied history that is still shrouded in mystery.

Just as civilization has moved from east to west, the origins of the bridal veil can also be traced to the near east, where the veils served the practical purpose of protecting the bride from burning sun and dust in the Middle Eastern desert. In those early days, there was also the very real possibility of women being kidnapped or snatched because of their beauty – just as Abraham feared in the Bible – it was therefore prudent for a woman to wear a veil in order to protect both herself and her husband from harm.

As the veils crossed over into Europe, it maintained some of its old functions while acquiring other practical or symbolic functions. One trait that marriages in the East and those in the West had in common was that they were negotiated or arranged with the parents or the father. The lucky couple would often meet for the very first time on their wedding day. It is therefore easy to see how the notion that it was bad luck for the groom to see the bride before wedding could have come about. And so we find that in ancient Greece and again in Rome the veil was worn to protect against ill luck, or to drive away evil spirits or evil eyes harboring evil designs.

Though Europe and Middle East were often at odds, cultural exchange continued unabated, and the rise of Islam strengthened Arab influence in Europe. Europe’s crusading armies also brought back Arab culture from the east as part of their war booty. It was in those days that the veil became an article of fashion, and perhaps was even worn to entice men. But just as veils tend to consecrate objects and spaces – such as the legal “corporate veil” or the veils worn by Muslim women and Christian nuns -, the bridal veil also came to symbolize such virtues as chastity and modesty.

Weddings or marriages have always been thought of as religious enterprises, but as the West moved through the “renaissance” and the “age of reason” they tended to drop, more or less, the traditional religious significance associated with the bridal veil – though shades of these still linger – but much symbolism has been retained but with different meanings. For example, the lifting of the veil still symbolizes the taking of possession of the bride by the groom just as the girl is “given away” by her father or other relative. But even this may be under threat as some brides now prefer to lift their own veils as a sign of equality with the men.

In the present era, as social and kinship ties have tended to weaken as people become more individualistic; the bridal veil seems to be rapidly losing its significance. Everybody now seems to be more concerned with its fashionable aspects.

Crucial Questions You Should Ask Before Signing on the Dotted Line

By Georgina Clatworthy

Your choice of wedding reception venue will the one of the most important factors of your wedding day.  This is where a large portion of your budget will be spent & so particular importance is placed on getting the right location.

Before you book any of your suppliers prepare a list of questions to ask them.  Separate your questions into those that are most important to you & those that you can be flexible on.  If your first choice of venue doesn’t tick all the boxes for your important questions then you should think about looking elsewhere.

Here is a list of ten questions to help you get started.

• 1. Can we supply our own wine & drink? What is your corkage charge?
• 2. Are there disabled facilities?
• 3. Can you cater for any specific dietary requirements?
• 4. Will there be any other weddings on the same day?
• 5. Can we have a firework display?
• 6. What time can we hold the evening reception till? Can we have a late bar?
• 7. Will we be allowed lit candles?
• 8. For hotels – what time can our guests check in at on the day of the wedding & check out the day after?
• 9. Are there any noise restrictions, can we have live music?
• 10. Will you require us to use your preferred list of suppliers or can we hire our own?

By Jason Hennessey

Planning a wedding can be a complex and time consuming experience. For this reasons, mistakes are easily made which affect the normal smooth flow of the wedding plan and the following five most common problems should be avoided as much as possible.

Overstretching the Budget

This mistake happens in almost all poorly planned weddings and even in some of the well planned ones when great care is not taken. One follows the budget only to realize at some point that certain things not in the budget are needed. This results to impulse buying which gives the budget a big blow and repercussions show up later when the couple is back to normal life. Since it costs a fortune to plan and execute a successful wedding, it’s good to involve and consult everyone so that their needs and expectations are catered for in the one budget.

Breaking laws, rules and regulations

The marriage license has laws that have to be followed before it is awarded. In most cases, the couple is expected to do a blood test before marriage. The waiting time of the license should also be considered so that you don’t end up carrying out a wedding ceremony without a marriage license as it may be unlawful in some states. If your wedding is taking place in church, it’s advisable to know the rules and regulations of that religion so as to avoid getting into a conflict with the clergy. Spend some time with him or her after your engagement so as to get enough information on issues such as church dressing code, type of music allowed, customizing your vows and days of the week in which you are allowed to hold a wedding ceremony.

Doing it on your own

No one can plan and execute the various activities that are found in weddings on his or her own. It therefore calls for a lot of help from family and friends in sorting out various issues. The good thing about such help is that it is on voluntary basis hence no extra costs are incurred. Try to delegates various duties and responsibilities to you mom or dad, brothers and sisters, cousins and willing friends and family members. Such things as sending invitations, collecting purchases or looking for suppliers can be done by these people. Remember to appreciate their support as this will boost their morale.

Engaging in new experiments

Trying out a new diet so as to cut some of that extra weight is no good idea. This, coupled with other eleventh hour beauty boosting procedures can backfire and cause undesired outcomes. Avoid trying out new products a day or two before your wedding and instead maintain your normal beauty routine. Eat right and drink lots of water to assist in eliminating toxins from your body.

Late ordering and booking

Everything that is of need during the wedding day should be ready and available at least twenty four hours before the main event. Avoid booking transportation, venue or even the honeymoon gateway too late to avoid embarrassment. Ensure that all purchases are delivered in time and in a good condition.