Not many brides would initially dream of allowing anyone else to help them organize their wedding, but after the initial excitement dies down and the enormity of the task ahead hits home, many do!  Planning your wedding means you need to be organized, creative and willing to delegate where necessary.  Here are some tips on what to delegate and to whom.

Your Groom:

Many grooms never really get involved in the whole wedding planning process.  Most think they simply have to turn on the day in a smart suit, say ‘I do’ and gaze adoringly at their new wife!  Of course they do have to do this, but they can do a whole lot more besides, after all it is their wedding too!  They need to be involved in tasks such as choosing the wedding date, the ceremony type, ceremony and reception venues and the catering.

Other tasks they can take on are:

• Booking the honeymoon
• Booking the wedding transport
• Booking the entertainment
• Choosing the wedding music
• Choosing his and the groomsmen suits

Your Maid of Honor:

She already has an important role to play in supporting you throughout the wedding planning process and on the day itself, but there are other things she can take on too:

• Organizing the other bridesmaids for dress fittings
• Double checking the bookings for hair and make-up
• Organizing the bridal shower
• Organizing the bachelorette party

Your Mother:

She will no doubt want to be involved from the start but it can be difficult to find her tasks you are completely comfortable with her doing on her own.  Try to keep her included as much as possible, after all this is an emotional time for her too.  Involve her with the following:

• Choosing your dress and accessories
• Choosing the wedding flowers
• Choosing the wedding cake
• Buying and making the wedding favors
• The wedding stationery

She will probably take on the role of organizing all the wedding guests and keeping them informed of anything they want to know about the wedding day.  Leave her in charge of sending out information sheets and the wedding gift list.  Traditionally the bride’s mother would also write out the wedding invitations.

Your Father:

He may not be too concerned about being involved at all in planning your wedding and will simply watch from the sidelines as you and your mother busy yourselves with the preparations.  But don’t let him of the hook entirely:

• Choosing the reception wine and champagne
• Choosing the wedding music (along with the groom and his father)

His Mother:

Traditionally the groom’s parents would organize the wedding ceremony, but these days that is not observed so finding something to keep your prospective mother-in-law involved can be tricky.  Try delegating the following to her:

• Dealing with guests from his side of the family
• Organizing the rehearsal dinner

His Father:

This one can be really difficult, but I wouldn’t loose too much sleep over it if you cannot find anyway for him to be involved.  You could try asking him to get involved with choosing the wedding music along with the groom and your father.

The Best Man:

His role is to support the groom, but he too can take on more tasks if necessary:

• Organizing the groomsmen for their suit fittings
• Collecting the wedding cake
• Collecting the wedding flowers
• Double checking the wedding transport arrangements
• Double checking the wedding entertainment, caterers etc

A beach wedding location can require some extra thought when it comes to accessories than say, a garden-marquee wedding.  But whether you are getting married on a beach close to home or on some far flung shore be sure to add the following beach wedding accessories to your shopping list to make sure your do runs smoothly.

Check out your location around the time of day when your wedding will take place.  This will give you some idea of the temperature, whether the tide is in or out and what is going around the area i.e. other people using the beach, local businesses etc.  Collecting this information will help you to determine which accessories are necessary for your day.

Beach weddings tend to be hot affairs so you need to provide some form or forms of shade so you and your guests can remain cool and comfortable.  You may want to think about large free-standing parasols around the ceremony and reception areas or providing one to each table to keep your guests cool.  Alternatively a marquee pitched nearby can provide the perfect escape for those guests suffering in the heat!

Double up your wedding favors with some useful accessories which will help to keep your guests cool.  Here are a few suggestions:

• Sun hats
• Bottles of water
• Bottles of sunscreen
• Fans
• Parasols

Make up wedding favor goody bags containing at least three of the above items along with some edible goodies too.  Include fans for the girls and baseball hats for the boys!  Many favor stores provide nice tote bags or simple straw bags which make nice vessels to present them in.  Alternatively put them in sandcastle buckets along with the spades and include a note challenging them to a sandcastle competition later on! 

Make sure your reception area is well stocked with bottled water and not just alcohol!  Sunscreen is another important factor and you could have some bottles on standby for anyone who needs it, oh and don’t forget to apply some yourself – you do not want to start married life with severe sunburn!

Have your wedding program printed on silk fans and place them on your guests chairs, not only will they know what is happening during the ceremony but they can keep cool too!  Flip-flops are good idea for anyone stepping onto the beach and your guests may welcome some alternative footwear so as not to ruin their expensive dress shoes!  Wholesalers can provide you with a range of sizes fairly inexpensively and you can place them in buckets at the entrance.

Parasols in silk, fabric or paper are great beach wedding accessories for you and your bridesmaids.  Choose bold, bright colors or hand painted parasols to create extra interest to your wedding photographs.  You can also have several standing in buckets around the site for those who want to use them.

Deciding on what to put in your wedding ceremony programs can be difficult and much will depend upon the style of programs you have chosen and how much space you have available.  Traditionally a wedding ceremony program would simply list the order of events during the ceremony, but modern programs go much further and have become true keepsakes of the day for many guests.

Here are a few ideas on things you can include in your wedding ceremony programs:

The Front Cover:

Include your names, wedding date and the ceremony location on the front.  Many couples choose to include a photograph of themselves or use graphics that were used on their wedding invitations so the two will coordinate.  You may also want to put the wording ‘Order of Service’ or ‘Ceremony Program’.

Inside Pages:

This is where the fun begins!  The first page should have a breakdown of the different elements of the ceremony, including the hymns/song titles, readings and the traditional elements such as exchanging vows and rings.

You can also reproduce the words to your chosen hymns or songs as long as this does not violate copyright laws, check with your officiant if this is possible first.  Include copies of the readings in your programs and who gave them.

Let your guests know who the members of the wedding party are – best man, maid of honor, bridesmaids, groomsmen, flower girl, page boy etc, along with the name of the officiant.  You may also want to include the names of those people who gave readings (if different) and witnesses if applicable.

Some couples like to add a narrative towards the back of their ceremony programs telling of how they met, fell in love and came to get engaged.  Keep this to one page only; most of your guests will probably already know your story!  You can also add additional pages to remember loved ones no longer with you and to thank anyone who has helped you with the wedding preparations.

Your budget will no doubt dictate how far you go with your wedding ceremony programs as creating mini-booklets can be expensive, particularly if you have a lot of guests.  For something simpler keep your programs to a flat card printed with the order of service or a folded card printed to the front and inside.  You should also try to coordinate them with your wedding invitations by using the same colors, motifs and graphics.  Most wedding stationers will provide a complete suite of stationery which coordinates.

Planning a wedding is never an easy task even for the most organized bride, and whether you are have a large traditional wedding or something small and intimate, it pays to stay on top of your plans and keep control of your budget.  The following wedding planning tips should help you to achieve your perfect wedding day, overcome any problems and ensure all runs smoothly on the day!

Lists, lists and more lists!

Lists will become your new best friend! Every thing will revolve some kind of list whether it is for shopping or a planning checklist.  By writing lists for every element of your wedding day, large or small, you can make sure you leave nothing out.

Knowing what you want

It may sound obvious but this is one of the best tips I can give you.  So many brides do not know what they want and become side tracked by details they see in magazines or online.  Try to keep a clear focus on what your wedding day means to you both and how you want it to look.  Remember it should say everything about you as couple and not be a direct replica of the latest celebrity wedding!

Contingencies

Something will go wrong, it always does and whether it is a major or a minor crisis it is a good idea to have a contingency plan up your sleeve.  Pick out two suppliers/vendors/service providers for everything, from catering to flowers, just in case someone lets you down.  Pick out alternative choices for details such as wedding favors, flowers and entertainment too.

Check and double check

This is one of those tips that always seems to go unnoticed until it is too late! Double checking all your bookings, particularly in the final weeks leading up to the wedding is vitally important.  Don’t worry about annoying them with endless phone calls to check they have the right date, time or location etc, as long as you are satisfied that they will be there when required.

Go back through your wedding planning lists too and check that you have ticked off everything and that you have everything in place that should be in place at that point in your planning.  Try to do this at regular intervals, say every three months initially, moving to every week as you get closer to the day. 

Don’t leave it till the last minute

The most important of all wedding planning tips! Leave booking your photographer, catering or transport until the final week then you risk disaster.  Weddings can be planned and successfully pulled off in a relatively short space of time, but even then compromises have to be made on who is booked and for what.

One of your biggest expenses on your wedding budget will be your wedding stationery, especially if you are having a big traditional wedding with an extensive guest list.  And whilst there are plenty of budget busting options out there to save you money, creating your own unique wedding invitations can bring about a sense of satisfaction of having created something so individual, whilst still saving you a few bucks too!

Even if you are not the crafty type you can still create stunning invitations and complementing stationery with little effort.  As with so many elements of your wedding day your wedding invitations need to reflect the style and colors of the day, they are after all the first glimpse your guests will get into what your wedding will look and feel like.

Creating unique wedding invitations can be done at the kitchen table by means of scissors and glue or printed from your home computer using a desk top publishing program and a color printer.  My best advice though would be not to overwhelm yourself with the task and stick within your crafting limits!

Finding Inspiration

Leaf through your wedding magazines for some ideas and cut out pictures of designs you like, even if they are not in your chosen wedding colors.  Go online too and look at what other people are creating.  Wedding invitation websites, craft sites and other websites provide a wealth of resources and picture galleries for inspiration in creating your own unique wedding stationery.

Deciding on Style

Aside from choosing stationery which coordinates with the style of your wedding, you need to pick a style of card which is easy for you to work with and is within your capabilities.  Flat cards are the easiest as they are easily run through a printer, stationers and craft stores also stock a range of blank cards, some pre-printed with wording such as ‘wedding invitation’ and ‘order of service’, these just require further embellishment to make them unique.

If you are adept at using desk top publishing software you can set the software and your printer up to print wherever you want on a card, meaning you can run folded cards through your printer to create designs on the front and your wording inside.  If you choose the fancy pocket style invitations you will need to print your wording onto separate flat cards which then need to be stuck inside.

Creating the Finished Invitation

You can print designs directly onto your invitations using your computer or you can apply embellishments such as paper cutouts, ribbons, flowers etc.  You could also do a combination of both, for instance a printed floral design could be further enhanced with tiny stick on crystals.

Above all have a trial run of designs first in different styles and colors before deciding on your finished design.  Always order more than you need, around 10 – 15% extra in case of mistakes and because there will always be extra people invited at the last minute!  And if you decide that making your own from scratch, be they printed or hand embellished, you can always visit one of the many online printing sites which allow you to design your own invitations and then print them for you.

The wedding shower is just one of many pre-wedding parties which you could have and is traditionally a gift giving party by friends and family to the bride as she is about to embark on married life.  The origins of the bridal or wedding shower go back around 100 years when women who did not have a dowry would receive gifts suitable for her role as a wife and homemaker to help her on her way.  The term ‘shower’ refers to the Victorian tradition of placing small wrapped in gifts inside a parasol or umbrella, which when opened would literally ‘shower’ the recipient.

Today wedding showers have become far more sophisticated and are often seen as a precursor to the bachelorette party.  Traditionally the shower would not be organized by a family member, but a close friend instead.  This was because of the gift giving nature of the party and it was seen as inappropriate for family members to ask others to give gifts.  Coming up with fun wedding shower ideas can be tricky, but here are a few ideas to get you thinking!

Intimate Surroundings

Holding the wedding shower at the bride’s home or that of her parents, is the most traditional venue.  You can choose an informal lunch party or an evening cocktail party, depending on when everyone can come together.  Other ideas for ‘at home’ bridal showers include having a girls night of movies and take-away; spa evening where you can all pamper yourselves silly; or simply a dinner party for friends.

Restaurants & Hotels

Book a table at your favorite restaurant or the bride’s for that matter!  Just make sure they know it is for a bridal shower so they can put you somewhere out of the way of other diners who may want a more intimate evening!  Booking a hotel suite for the bridal shower is another option and you could choose a hotel with plenty of facilities such as a spa, pool and beauty salon.

Take Her Shopping

For something rather more unique and unusual why not take her shopping around the local department store or mall.  That way she can pick out gifts that she really likes or wants and you can purchase them there and then.  Include a light lunch and later retire to her place to look over all the great things you have bought!

The Weekend Shower

Ok so as wedding shower ideas go this one maybe rather extravagant but you could combine the wedding shower with the bachelorette party and have a weekend away in some far flung retreat.  Fun, relaxation and plenty of gifts are the order of the day here.

Wedding invitation cards are wide and varied in style and design these days, which can leave many brides confused about which style to choose.  Of course budget plays a big part in the final decision with the average wedding invitation costing around $4 each and that is before the addition of extras such as RSVP cards and even the envelope!  Here is a quick guide to wedding invitation cards and different wedding styles.

Traditional:

Traditional wedding invitations will closely follow traditional wedding etiquette in that they are usually very simple and will tell the invited guest only the bare minimum information – names of the couple, time, date and location.  Generally they are flat one sided cards with a classical style such as rounded corners and gold edging.  Different print types can be applied depending on your budget.  It is not traditional to include an RSVP card but many couples do as it does speed up responses from guests! 

These types of invitation cards are usually ordered for very traditional and formal weddings and are commonly only available in two colors – white or ivory/cream with envelopes to match.  Cardstock is usually heavyweight to add to the feel of quality and sophistication.

Classic:

Similar in many ways to the traditional wedding invitation, but often these tend to be folded cards, printed to the front and on the inside.  The front can include decorations, printed or hand embellished and usually includes the words ‘wedding invitation’ ‘evening invitation’ or ‘you are invited’.  Inside will be printed the basic information as before. 

These types of wedding invitation cards can suit any style of wedding and are popular because they are budget friendly.  They will come in just about any color you could wish for and the quality of the card used can be adjusted to suit your budget.

Modern:

Modern invitations come in a range of shapes and sizes with one of the most popular being the pocket style which has space for extra ‘information cards’ such as maps, menu’s and RSVP cards.  These types of invitations are pricy but do allow couples to send their invited a lot of information pertaining to the wedding in one go, thus saving themselves time answering phone calls and emails about directions, dietary requirements and gift lists! 

Modern cards suit any style of wedding from traditional to informal making them very versatile. Depending on your budget and the design of your invitation you will have a wide and varied choice when it comes to color and card choices.  Various types of printing can be applied and custom designs are common where couples can choose their own design elements and ink colors.

Ready Made:

Many stationers will stock packs of ready printed wedding invitations in simple designs which you simply need to fill in by hand at home.  For some this can throw up the dilemma of who should fill them in, for instance who has the best handwriting! But they are probably the least expensive choice and can tell your guests everything they need to know.  Use them in conjunction with a wedding website where you publish all other information such as travel directions, locations, dress code, gift list etc.  You may also find coordinating RSVP cards, order of service and place cards are available.

Vintage and so called shabby chic are still popular and unique wedding ideas for creating a romantic theme to your day.  But many brides can get overwhelmed with the smaller details and end up with an eclectic mix of styles and patterns that clash and compete with each other.  Here are a few ideas about creating that unique style with a vintage touch.

The trick really is not to go overboard, keep it simple.  Vintage can encompass many things from Art Deco to chintzy flowers, elegant creams and off whites to retro patterns.  You need to think about what vintage style it is that suits you best and which you like the most.  Art Deco generally lends itself to a themed wedding and you may wish to forgo this era if you do not want an Art Deco theme.

When it comes to unique wedding ideas it is all about the finishing touches and the way in which you present them to your guests.  For example, visit charity and thrift stores, yard sales and boot sales for vintage china, you can even go online to sites like EBay for some inexpensive pieces.  You can go the whole hog and buy enough china to create a dinner service to serve your wedding breakfast on or just choose one or two pieces to coordinate with the existing chinaware offered by your venue or caterers.  They don’t need to match, but they should coordinate so don’t mix contrasting era’s such as 1940’s chintz with 1970’s stoneware pieces.

Add in decorative touches such as large teapots for your centerpieces, which create unique vessels in which to display your flowers, you can even give them away as gifts afterwards.  Or create individual floral displays in tea cups.  Vintage tea cups and saucers also make great presentation ideas for wedding favors and you can fill them with tea leaves, flower seeds or candies and chocolates.

Glassware is another great vintage look, although this can be more expensive.  Look at for auctions with sets of vintage wine glasses for a cost effective alternative.  Again glassware doesn’t have to match and you can distinguish your tables by using different sets of glasses on each, a nice alternative to table numbers perhaps?  Glass vessels such as vases and candlesticks make a nice centerpiece arrangement and look particularly effective when placed on mirrored table mats.

Think about fabrics too.  Silk dupion table cloths can be made fairly inexpensively at home, but look amazing.  Check out websites like Etsy and Ebay for bolts of vintage fabrics, trimmings and ribbons to add an extra decadent touch to your tables or to make decorations such as bunting.  Lace adds a particular bridal touch and can be nice when used on wedding stationery, favors and decorations.

Spring sunshine presents a wonderful time of year for a wedding, however the temperatures in spring at somewhat cooler than those later on in the summer months, so when choosing spring wedding dresses you need to bear this in mind.  Whilst your choice of style and design is not compromised by having a wedding earlier in the year (compared to winter weddings that is) keeping warm and comfortable presents a few dilemmas for the spring bride.

Firstly you need to think about fabrics.  You don’t need to opt for the heavier winter fabrics such as heavy satins, silks and velvets, but neither should you look at lightweight chiffons, tulles or silk.  For a spring wedding I would recommend choosing dresses in mid-weight fabrics such as duchesse silk or satin, with a lining of an equal weight fabric.  Alternatively you can look a dresses layered with a sheer overdress or skirt in fabrics such as chiffon, organdy or tulle.

When it comes to style, spring wedding dresses do not really limit you.  Strapless wedding dresses continue to be popular although sleeves have been making a come back with some designers.  If you want a dress with sleeves then consider full length versions in sheer fabric or lace which will cover your arms and shoulders but which are not too heavy.  You can also look at any style of dress from sheath and mermaid to ballgown and A-line.  Hot temperatures in the summer months can make larger dresses difficult, hot and uncomfortable to wear, but suit spring time temperatures very well.

If you are having your wedding reception outside, with the addition of a marquee perhaps for the cooler evening party, then you need to think about how you will keep warm as the temperatures drop through the day.  Look at accessories and separates such as stoles, wraps, bolero’s and shrugs which will cover your shoulders and top half and can keep you warm throughout the day.  A good alternative would be to look for wedding dresses which incorporate a separate full length coat into the design.  You can remove the coat when you are too warm and put it back on later, without compromising your look.

If you are having your reception inside then you probably have the most choice when it comes to spring wedding dresses, but do remember that a large portion of your wedding photographs may well be taken outdoors, especially if your venue has beautiful grounds and gardens.  Consider adding in a wrap, bolero or shrug, as mentioned above for when you are outdoors, you can then take it off inside when you begin to get warm!

Most bridal wear designers offer a range of accessories such as wraps etc to coordinate with most of their designs and in the same fabrics, so finding one to match shouldn’t be difficult.  Alternatively you can often purchase matching fabric by the meter and have something made for you.  Think about having your shrug or wrap made in a color to match your wedding colors to add an extra touch to your outfit.

A spring time wedding is a wonderfully romantic time of year to get married as nature wakes from its winter slumber.  Planning a wedding with a spring wedding theme means taking your inspiration from nature itself to create a pretty and understated wedding that is sure to wow your guests.

When it comes to choosing colors you can choose to keep them soft and subtle or loud and vibrant.  For something soft and understated choose subtle color combinations such as palest pink or blue, soft greens and champagne’s.  If you want something more vibrant then take inspiration from the first flowers of the season such as the bright purple’s, yellows and reds of daffodils, crocus and tulips.  Don’t try to mix the two though as the resulting clash of colors will look messy and overpowering.

Floral patterns can feature but keep them in line with your color choices, for instance blossoms and roses for a subtle color scheme; tulips and daffodils for a bright scheme.  And of course your floral arrangements should match too!  You can also use other patterns such as subtle damasks, gingham checks and spring motifs.

Motifs for a spring themed wedding should also take their influence from nature.  Think about birds, bees and butterflies.  You may want to avoid traditional Easter emblems of chicks and bunny rabbits, but birds egg decorations can add a nice touch of spring to the theme.  Think about giving wedding favors consisting of miniature bird’s nests filled with chocolate eggs or how about spring bulbs or flower seeds to match those flowers in your displays.

Keep the same motifs running throughout every element of your wedding, so if you choose a pattern of cherry blossom, birds and butterflies use it for your wedding invitations, stationery and favors.  Use the same color scheme throughout too including stationery, table linens and your bridesmaid’s dresses.  Talk with your wedding cake designer about using the same motifs on your wedding cake too.

Your venue will help to dictate how you plan your spring wedding theme.  You may want to choose a venue with pretty gardens, but with an indoor room or marquee for when the cooler evening draws in.  Gardens filled with cherry blossom trees in full bloom create a romantic backdrop, whilst woodlands awash with bluebells have a more natural feel.  If you opt for an all-indoors affair them make your own floral decorations such as wreaths and garlands to hang on walls and doors.  You can make them from fresh, dried or faux flowers and a simple decoration idea is to make garlands of petals simply threaded onto fishing line.

For your centerpieces you can choose seasonal flowers such as branches of cherry blossom in tall vases or arrangements of tulips and daffodils in terracotta pots.  If you choose a seasonal wedding theme then you need to keep every element of it just that – seasonal, including the menu so make sure you give equal attention to that too and let your caterer know you want a spring themed menu.