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Staying Organized- The Timeline

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The Holiday Season is upon us and that means one thing…engagements are on the rise and new brides-to-be will be popping up everywhere. So where to start? How about Staying Organized with what we call, The Timeline.

 Staying Organized – The Timeline

Planning a wedding can take time, patience and organization. Keeping on top of your tasks is important so action items like making payments don’t fall between the cracks.

  1. First, we recommend buying a calendar and a wedding-specific binder. Make dividers for each section and keep all contracts, vendor information, and timelines in the binder so it’s easy to find. Mark up the calendar with days for when items need to be accomplished.
  2. Share duties with your partner. Make your groom feel like he has a part in the planning (remember this is his day too). By talking and sharing, you both will be able to foresee and avoid any future problems. Grooms come up with some of the best ideas too, so make sure to include him and let him add his personal touch to the big day too.
  3. Set aside specific days to accomplish tasks and enlist friends and family to help. It takes so much less time to stuff envelopes and assemble favors when you do it as a team and it’s an easy way to let people help. You will get a lot more done by using your specific wedding planning days and you will feel much more relaxed during your time off. It’s also important to be flexible when planning so you don’t get bogged down.
  4. Figure out a budget on paper. Find out who will be paying for the wedding and come up with numbers for each category, ie: food, music, flowers… and don’t forget tipping and misc. last minute items!
  5. Create a timeline for the week of the wedding. Make sure you allow enough time for all your tasks to be completed, ie: when to pick up tuxes, dropping off items to your venue, hair/makeup…
  6. Make decisions and then move on. There is so much information available to us these days that you can go crazy looking at websites and seeing new ideas. Once you have decided on your floral design, linen colors, table numbers, etc. then stop looking at those items online!
  7. Of course, hire a coordinator if you can afford one in your budget! If you have put this much time into your planning, leave it to the experts to execute it for you the day of the wedding.

 

planning your menu

Planning Your Wedding Menu

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Planning your wedding menu should be nothing short of delicious!
So…Eat, drink, and be married! Believe it or not, the food at your wedding is often just as important as the dress you wear! You and your guests will remember this delicious part of your wedding for years to come.
If the catering is provided by the venue, you should start talking specifics and having tastings about three months prior to your wedding date. This is important if you are having a seasonal menu and utilizing local ingredients. Create a signature menu that matches your season. Identify four or five key items that are easily identifiable as seasonal foods. For example, serve a strawberry and walnut salad during a springtime wedding or butternut squash soup in the fall. Ask your caterer for a list of fruits that are in season during your wedding.

On the other hand, if your venue does not provide catering in-house, you’ll want to start interviewing as soon as you have the location booked. Look for caterers who are familiar with and knowledgeable about your venue, or type of venue. Your venue may have a list of recommended or preferred vendors that they enjoy working with and there are no additional fees.
With a variety of guests and taste buds at the wedding, the menu needs to appeal to a wide range of people, so here are things to keep in mind:

• Avoid overly spicy food
• Consider allergies and dietary requests-such as shellfish, gluten, dairy, and nuts
• Consider Vegetarians – make sure the caterer can offer a vegetarian meal
• If you’re reception is outside, make sure the food you serve won’t spoil quickly
Enjoy the tasting; this is a part of the planning process that you and your fiancé can truly enjoy together and have fun with. Make sure to sample everything from the hors d’oeuvres to the wine (if you’re serving alcohol) when you interview caterers, and take notes!

Once you’ve finalized the menu, it has become a popular trend to print it out and place it on the table. This is a great décor addition, but is also a nice way of letting guests know what they will be eating. Some people even include a teaser in their invitations and/or on the wedding website. This can be handy especially if you are sensitive to your guest’s food allergies.
Planning the menu for your wedding can be loads of fun. It is your opportunity to be creative and personally expressive.

go to your neutral corner

Go to your Neutral Corner

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Ah, engaged life. Fancy parties in your honor, a legitimate excuse to plunk down thousands for one dress, and so many more sweet activities and planning. You never expected the downside: hissing at each other in bridal registry departments and screaming matches over the wedding guest list. The engagement period can be a minefield of hot topics that can trigger huge blowouts — sometimes  chiavari chairs are not JUST chairs. How about you try and go to your neutral corner for a minute and keep in mind some important tips!
Family
Unless you are both orphans, you must expect family issues to come to the fore during the pre-wedding planning. You have to keep in mind that not only will you be sharing a bed and a house with your future husband but you will also be sharing families! As old-fashioned as it sounds, you are marrying into a family. Whether it be invitation or food arguments, be firm with your family when expressing that this is a day for the bride and groom, and to not live vicariously through each of you.

Groom Involvement
Most men are clueless when it comes to design and decor. But, this doesn’t mean that you should give up on including him, however. Find out what he is interested in and encourage him to participate in that part. Sure, picking out flowers and invitations may not be on your man’s weekend fun list, but that doesn’t mean he can’t be involved in other ways. If he doesn’t know, explain to him what his options are regarding food, photography, music, etc. And remember: Don’t make the wedding the only interest you share.

Money
Sit down with him, like two adults, and work out the finances of the wedding together. After all, it’s both your money and whether it’s spent on a blow out honeymoon or the shoes of your dreams…it’s all coming from the same pocketbook.
Bridezilla Behavior
Drop the Martha act. Your guy may have a point. If the wedding has become more important than your relationship, that’s a warning sign. Yes, you want a lovely wedding, but not at the expense of your relationship. After all, what’s the point? Keep your future in mind.

7 Wedding Mistakes to Avoid

7 Wedding Mistakes to Avoid

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7 Wedding Mistakes to Avoid

Even the smartest, most on-top-of-things couple can make mistakes during wedding planning. Here are the things you should keep an eye on before saying I do.

1. Budget, what budget?
If you have started planning your wedding, you know it can cost a lot of money. Many excited brides start booking wedding professionals and making purchases without having a real budget, and then they’re shocked to discover they’ve spent all of their money (or their parents’ money) and still don’t have half the things they need. Planning a wedding is serious business. Make a wedding budget and keep track of your expenses.

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7 Wedding Mistakes to Avoid

2. Ordering the bridesmaid or wedding dress too late
If you are not going to buy your wedding dress “off the rack,” then you need to place your gown order six to eight months prior to your wedding. Most gowns are made to order. If you wait too long before your wedding date to make your selection, you may risk the gown not arriving on time. Bridesmaid dresses should also be decided upon during the same time period, but only after your gown has been selected. You want to make sure your ladies have enough time to get measured and find accessories.

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7 Wedding Mistakes to Avoidvia Wedding Dress Blog

3. Booking hotel rooms too late
Reserve rooms as early as possible for your out of town guests. Begin your research up to a year in advance, and make sure your block is booked at the eight-month mark. Be sure to include hotel information in your save-the-date cards or invitations.

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7 Wedding Mistakes to Avoid

4. Inviting too many wedding guests
Make sure your guest list and your reception site capacity match up numbers-wise. You can’t invite 500 people assuming only 350 will accept. Analyze your guest list from the get-go, assume 80% will respond yes, and limit your guest list accordingly.

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7 Wedding Mistakes to Avoid

5. Not hiring wedding professionals.
Would you have a friend fix a plumbing problem? Of course not. You would want a professional plumber to come in and do the job right. Same goes for your wedding. You want professionals who do this for a living – wedding photographers, DJs, videographers, florists, wedding coordinators, etc. They have the experience and skills to help you have the wedding of your dreams. There are wedding professionals that fit every style and budget. Rely on them to keep you stress-free.

7 Wedding Mistakes to AvoidThe Smitten Bride – Personal Wedding Coordination

6. Rain or shine? Don’t ignore weather warnings.
Brides marrying outdoors often test fate and just wish for the best when it comes to bad weather. Always have a backup plan, or else you may not have a place to marry at all — or your guests (and you) may be in misery at the hands of Mother Nature. A hurricane, flashflood, or gale force winds may visit on your wedding day; make sure you have an interior alternative or a tent as a back-up location.

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7 Wedding Mistakes to AvoidLoudbyte Cinematography

7. Forgetting to focus on what’s important.
Keep in mind that you are getting married and starting a life together, not just planning a wedding. Brides, be good to your grooms. And grooms, be good to your brides! Some tension between the two of you (and among members of your family) is inevitable due to the sticky topics that weddings stir up, but don’t ever let things get out of control. Remember why you decided to take this leap in the first place!

7 Wedding Mistakes to AvoidYazy Jo Photography