Friday, December 18, 2009

Weddings 101 - The Do's and Don'ts

Now that he or she has popped the big question and the answer is yes, here are a few do’s and don’ts that may help you on your wedding day.

These suggestions are just a few helpful hints to aid you on your wedding planning journey: You get what you pay for; Hire a professional wedding planner; Know what you are really getting; Plan ‘A’ is only as good as plan ‘B’; and, most importantly, Keep it simple.

Sometimes a bargain is not a bargain at all. For example, ordering products off the internet can be risky. Give yourself enough time to return and reorder a different choice in case the physical product is not what you expected. If possible, try to get a sample before you place an entire order.

Typically, the wedding venue you fall in love with is equally as impressive as the resident coordinator. It is not likely the wedding venue will change much, but coordinators do. If you want a coordinator that will know you and what you want on your wedding day, it is better to hire one.

A good day-of wedding planner will handle the obvious details as well as the unexpected ones. Your day is much more likely to be enjoyable if you have a devoted wedding professional on your side. Large venues have one person that sells the venue, a different person or persons who will be documenting your choices, and a third employee hoping to get it all right on your wedding day. If you want one familiar face who you can trust from beginning to end, hire a day-of or month-of wedding professional.

Some wedding sites have a list of service professionals that they recommend. Be wary, however; some of those vendors pay a fee to the facility for the recommendation. Find out if the venue receives a percentage of what the vendor is charging you. Trust the recommendations from your friends and independent vendors.

When you are choosing your vendors, think about what you want. Find the vendors that you connect with. Having a great rapport with these service professionals will make your planning experience and wedding day much more enjoyable.

They say that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. This also rings true in the wedding business. A month before your wedding day is the wrong time to find out that the chairs in the beautiful photographs that sold you on the venue were a $2,000 upgrade. Make sure you understand exactly what is included and what is not. If there is something you really want, make sure it is on the contract. This is especially important when planning an outdoor event. Know all the contingent plans for inclement weather, what they will provide and what you will be your responsibility. Last minute tent rentals can be a costly surprise.

Your plan ‘A’ is only as good as your plan ’B’. Plan ‘A’ may be a lovely garden wedding and outdoor reception. Even in Southern California during a ten-year drought, it can and will rain in August regardless of your wedding plans. Have a second choice you can live with. Remember Plan ‘B’ isn’t bad, it’s just different.

Try to keep the details as simple as possible. The more complicated the plans, the more stress you are likely to put on yourself and your loved ones. Do not depend on well-meaning but novice family members to replace professionals. Hire the best person possible to make sure you get exactly what you want.

Your wedding is the celebration of a commitment between you and your soulmate. A celebration you choose to share with your friends and family. The only person you should want to impress is your new spouse. Your guests will love all the choices you make. Remember they are there not to critique, but to enjoy.

The lessons learned planning a wedding are the recipes that will help you enjoy a long and happy marriage. You will learn to care about something just because it is important to the person you love. You learn to compromise. You will learn just how important a sense of humor is. You will learn how to manage money and time.

Knowing those simple pragmatic lessons can help a couple stay happy and in love for an entire lifetime. At the end of the wedding day, some things may be different than you originally planned, and, oftentimes, even more beautiful than you could have dreamed. When that happens, and it probably will, that will be the icing on the cake, the wedding cake that is.

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