Wedding plans – What is the difference between a summer bride and that of the woman who weds in autumn spring or winter? Aside from weather conditions none whatsoever. If we talk in monetary units, then weddings can differ greatly regardless of whether the sun shines. Wedding plans will nearly always consist of traditional items like the wedding gown, wedding cake, wedding flowers, flower girls etc. Wedding necessities as such leave no room for originality because most future brides will have a list like this too.

All four seasons create beautiful brides; however you have to plan accordingly so it stays that way. Summer brides will forever blossom as long their wedding plans cater for sweat stains appearing under the arms or the fringe sticking to the forehead. Not all June July brides are fortunate enough to have the sun beaming down on the day hence the importance of planning for this. Weddings incur major expense which is sad because every woman wants it to be special but special comes at a price. Special weddings come with a difference; if you decide to ignore tradition then your summer wedding will be remembered not only by you but for all in attendance on the day

Let us look at some options to help reduce cost

1 The bridal cosmetic content will have to be prioritized in the wedding plans. Sun protection is important. Photo shoots in the midday sun is a major health risk if the skin is not protected. Running mascara and melting lip gloss will not have the bride looking her best. Check for beauty products that can withstand climate changes. Some women tend to overlook the seriousness (not intentionally) of the suns harmful UV rays due to being busy with other matters.

2 Its quick its cheap its easy to send wedding invites via email, invitations can be prettied up with font change, colours and clip art. You have more chance of receiving a reply using this method.

3 A sit down meal is more expensive than a running buffet. Your guest likes to have the option to eat when he/she feels like in contrast to that of being prompted to eat at a specific time. Open garden parties at this time of year are very popular. Have a marquee on standby. Download music from the internet for the wedding venue, this will save money.

4 Does the wedding gown have to include layer after layer of satin, you can save money with less material. Also encrustation of pearls/ sequins can up the price. Buy your own pearl necklace/ earrings, this will save a considerable amount of cash and you can always wear them for other occasions. However if the dress of your dreams consist of gems then you can remove them at a later date and make use of them in many ways.

5 Save more money by wearing a plain off the shoulder figure hugging dress, ankle or knee length. A lace, fur (imitation) shoulder wrap/ shawl will set the dress off as well as give you protection from the sun or the rain if the weather goes against you. If you carry a little weight then have the dress not so tight.

6 Wedding flowers do not come cheap so why not grow from seed your own summer flowers for button holes and wedding bouquet. This is unique and will give you something to talk about or pass onto your kids when they marry. If your choice of wedding gown is short then a small hand held posy is ideal, if longer then carry long stemmed fresh blooms, after use place in a vase on the reception table. Have your flowers dried out and treated, add to wedding memorabilia scrapbook. Consider carrying a clutch bag. Bags and shoes can be decorated with finery to match whatever accessories you have hanging around your neck or on your head. Pearls can be worn long short to suit the style of dress.

7 Another expensive item is head wear. Have a dummy run and make your own; a hair band is easy and ideal for decorating. Why else have we the option to buy loose gems and glue? Remove a shoulder pad from an old item of clothing and cover with material of your dress. Add a little scrunched up lace and tack it to the pad. Sequins or pearls glued and shaped like teardrops can be tacked or glued to pad. The pad can be secured with pins onto the top/side or back of the head. A good imagination will have you see what I mean. If you cannot visualize fret not, the outcome will result in either a breathtaking awesome way or damn it way, if this be the latter then a beret or skull cap can be purchased for this purpose.

All those pennies saved can be put to a better cause like paying the gas bill, electric, water rates, telephone, council tax, food bill, car insurance, I could go on and on the list is endless. It makes sense to not overspend on wedding essentials that only last a day when you have a lifetime of the above.

Popularity: 2% [?]

The wedding planner’s best compainion is the wedding planning folders. Be it the bride or the bride’s mother or for that matter anyone who in the process of planning a wedding this kit folders it’s a necessity. Wedding planning folders can also prove to be a nice wedding gift. The bride’s mother or the maid of honor or friend, anyone basically can gift this folder to her. She can store all her memories from the event in it.

Let’s brief ourselves as what is a wedding planning folder. You have a folder of your don’t you? Pick a bunch of double pouch folders, clean page protectors, zippered purse, divider tabs & pages. Place a bookmark at the top of each section. You can name the section like printers, flowers, wedding planners, caterers, videographers, photographers, DJ’s and music, reception halls, jewelers and bridal shops.

There is also chained opening where in you can keep note pads, pencils, markers and pens. Attach a sheet that has all the phone numbers & email address of friends and relatives. Finally there should be a calendar in which important dates for visiting the beautician, meetings, tasting, date confirmations, deposits due dates can be jotted down.

Once you have set the folder and named the sections and got all fillers in place, then starts the time where you will place important information in the folder. Wedding planning folder should have all important information pertaining from afore mentioned vendors. Get well versed as to who shall be the maid/matron doing the honor.

Till the wedding arrives this person shall act as being your mentor as her guidance will shape you for the bid day. Many vendors would be lining up to sell their business to you. Collect all such information & literature and then read it thoroughly when free. Do not subscribe to any offer instantly. This will help you take the right decision that’s in your interest with a free mind. Slash those who you deem are not suitable and shrink them to make a small list.

Keep the information of all vendors as you might have to consult them at a later stage.

These wedding planning folders shall keep things organized for you. You can refer them, add info and then store it in the PDA you own and do all sorts of things with it. Open it once a day, peep into it so that you never miss on anything. It will remember your meetings, schedules, timings, things to do etc. Also at what time you are required to meet the caterer to finalize the menu, contact the beautician and so on.

Many sites offer such planners for free in printable form and if you have something specific in mind then you can purchase it from the place you found it. These are nicely and elaborately printed. Or then create one as per requirements yourself.

To sum up things here, a wedding planning folder shall keep updated with things. It will ease the pressures of wedding planning for you considerably so that you can concentrate on things in hand in a proper manner. So you can also do this favor to a friend when they are getting married. Surely they too will appreciate this wonderful present.

Popularity: 3% [?]

The promises and making vows at the time of the marriage is a cherished setting and under the springtime foliage can be a wistful inspiration for the brides to be, however for the homeowners who are hosting the wedding it can be a nightmare for them.

Every person wish to marry and marriage is held once in a life time, so they desire to make it great so that it is remembered forever. The wedding ceremony should be perfect. It should be like a fairytale with few aspects of the glittery celebration. The perfect wedding should be open and welcoming to every member of your family and other guests. But a wedding in few words is actually a large bundle of stress.

A lot of times, the grooms and brides experience many kinds of mental and physical stress that takes away the fun of wedding. The brides are normally emotional for the wedding plans whereas the grooms are more concerned about the marriage budget. Whether you are a groom or a bride, it is an occasion where all types of the stress can manifest itself.

Planning and organizing a perfect wedding is very challenging. In order to make it just right and easier you need to follow few tips. Some of the great tips that can help you are:

Set a date: The most important thing in the wedding is to set a date first. Once you set the wedding date, you know exactly how much time you have and by what time everything should be organized.

Plan in advance: You have to plan in advance as where you want to hold the wedding party. If the wedding organizer wants to book a certain venue, then they should do well in advance and give them a date in order to eliminate the last minute rush.

Hire an event planner: If you hire an event planner, your half work is done. The event planner organizes everything and the entire burden lies on his shoulders. You just need to take care that every things goes according to your choice. The wedding planner takes up all the responsibilities from the decoration to the food to the music and other exciting ways that makes the wedding ceremony more exciting.

Get help from family: The family members can be of great help to you. You can assign work to each member of your family who can working for you and help you. It helps in distributing the burden and you don’t feel over burdened. Assign work may eliminate the possibility of forgetting things which may be important for the wedding.

Enjoy the process: The most important thing when you organize or attend a wedding is to enjoy the whole process. You should do everything that you have wished for as the process of wedding happens only once. You should enjoy every part of the wedding so that you have loads of memories to be cherished forever especially for the bride and groom.

So, plan your wedding in such a way that it leaves a mark on everybody mind and they speak about it for years!

Popularity: 2% [?]

The first thing you must do before meeting with ANY potential clients is to set your fees. You may charge a flat rate, a fee based on a percentage of the total wedding or charge hourly for your services. Wedding planners might offer a variety of packages priced based on the services you provide. You might even work for free, and receive commission from vendors.

Flat Rates

Your customers might want to know up front how much your services will cost. If you choose to price your services this way, set a dollar amount for your time. Figure out how much time you expect it to take you to complete all of the services your clients have requested. Don’t forget to include the time you will actually spend at the rehearsal, wedding, and reception. Multiply your hourly rate by the amount of time you anticipate to spend and you’ll have a fee.

A word of caution: If you calculate that it will take you 75 hours to do the work and set your fee accordingly, you will not get paid for any additional time. Experience will teach you to how to estimate the time required for each task.

A flat rate works well for day-of wedding coordination services. In this case, you know exactly how much time you will spend at the wedding. Your fee should be set accordingly.

Percentages

A percentage-based fee works best with larger wedding budgets. Wedding planners typically charge 10 to 15% of the wedding budget. If the clients plan to only spend $10,000 on their wedding and you charge 10%, you will only earn $1,000. Even a small wedding requires a lot of planning, so in this instance you would be doing a lot of work for little money. If you choose to set your pricing this way, you must establish the client’s budget beforehand. While turning away a customer might seem foolish, make sure that it will be profitable for you to plan the wedding.

Hourly Wages

Wedding planners often charge hourly fees for partial wedding planning services. Fees can range from $25 to $150 an hour, although somewhere between $40 and $60 is standard.

A word to the wise: if you choose to charge an hourly fee, do NOT set your prices to low. If your prices are far below your competitor’s, you might actually drive customers away. Set an appropriate, competitive price early on.

Changing Things Up

Your fees are not set in stone. As you work with different customers and get involved in planning multiple weddings, your pricing should become a little clearer. You will get a better idea of the work that wedding planning entails and how much time you need to get things in order. If you begin charging a flat fee, you may choose to switch to a percentage-based system as you begin to work with bigger wedding budgets. You are the boss, and you create your own salary.

Popularity: 2% [?]

Tying the knot is one of those unique occasions that is planned out to the finest detail, from the flavor of icing on the cake to number of flower petals in each bridesmaid’s hair.  Okay, some folks plan a little too many details, but regardless, weddings are typically one of the most highly coordinated events in human nature.

Thus, it would come to no surprise that the Age of Information has prompted brides & grooms to hop online to plan what could be the biggest day of their entire lives. Particularly in the United States, where individualism & independence run strong, calling on a wedding planner or an agency to take care of all the details has fallen on the wayside.   Thanks to the web, planning a wedding doesn’t have to be an outsourced job anymore.

These days, the wealth of information available on the Internet has brides-to-be eagerly surfing for their wedding planning needs.  Every vendor is out there trying to reach out to potential customers, but with the resources so vast, it can be really difficult to find the ideal wedding vendor for your needs.

That’s where Strictly Weddings, a new site for Dallas weddings, takes a different approach to online wedding planning, by simplifying the search.  At Strictly Weddings they use a long list of specific criteria and tap into local wedding experts to pick the top three vendors for each of the 21 categories on the site.  The end result is an easier site to navigate and pick vendors, a vast difference from competitors like TheKnot.com & MyWedding.com, which feature hundreds of vendors all dying for your attention.   Strictly Weddings will soon open in Chicago, New York and LA, bringing its unique approach to a national scale.

Being that approximately $75 billion dollars are spent on weddings alone each year in the States, this is an industry that is certainly alive and well.  Plus, with the 21st century’s total embrace with social marketing, sharing ideas and advice has never been easier.  Wedding planning is no exception, and sites like Strictly Weddings show through their blog and “ask us” section that the online discussion between brides is a highly valued resource for coordinating a wedding.  After all, the best way to plan an event as important as a wedding is to learn from other’s mistakes, and hope for the best.

Popularity: 2% [?]