Tips for Planning a Dream Wedding

Planning a wedding, or any major social event, can be stressful. It can also be very expensive if you don’t start with a plan and know exactly what you want your event to look and feel like. We would like to offer you some helpful tips that will guide you as you plan your special occasion.

If it could all be condensed down to four simple rules it would be this:

	The details are dictated by the location. Finding a location that you feel comfortable with and that you don’t feel like you have to fight will save you an enormous amount of time, money and stress.
	Stick to the season. Use the season as inspiration and you won’t find yourself wasting time, energy and money hunting down hard-to-find items.
	Invite fewer guests. This is an incredibly personal occasion so don’t fill it with people you hardly know.
	Make it personal. This is the time to celebrate your common interests and those things that are uniquely “you.” Think about the things you love- you favorite food, color, song, your cultural background or how you met. By incorporating these aspects into your wedding the result will be a memory that is distinctly yours.

Establishing Your Budget

There are a lot of things to consider when figuring out your budget. How much money you will have and where it will come from is the first step. That may change a little along the way, but being realistic in how much you can spend and how you will be able to raise that money is probably the most important thing you can do in the beginning.

You can use these percentages as a rough guideline in helping you start the budgeting process.

Planning  Your Ceremony

	Once you have set your date, it is important to secure the ceremony and reception site. Location affects every decision- the number of musicians you can accommodate if you opt for live music at your ceremony, what you’ll have to rent and whether or not you will need any special permits. Don’t assume that getting married at home will be your least expensive option because you could end up incurring expenses that you hadn’t thought of. As a general rule of thumb, you will save money and time if you have your ceremony and reception at the same place.
	You will first need to choose your venue. Do you want an indoor or outdoor site for the ceremony? If it will be a religious ceremony, many of your choices will be dictated by that. You will need to know approximately how many people will attend to make sure that the site can accommodate that number of people. You can also take into account that not everyone you invite will attend both the ceremony and reception. A common rule of thumb is that anywhere from 50% to 65% might come to the ceremony. The percentage is higher for those attending the reception.
	Some locations have an inherent beauty that will allow you to minimize some of your expenses. The money you save here can be used somewhere else. Conversely, if a venue requires a lot of decoration to compensate for a less desirable appearance you will have to decide if that will fit into your overall budget.
	Since the average length of time for a ceremony ranges from 20 minutes for a Protestant ceremony to an hour for a Catholic ceremony, you might want to put a bigger proportion of your decorating budget to the reception site since you and your guests will be spending more time there. Simple ceremony decorations such as a simple focal point of an arch and floral baskets on either side and white satin or tulle pew bows can create the feel of a beautiful ceremony without creating a major strain on your budget. These same decorations can be transported to your reception site and used there giving you twice the bang for your buck.
	When selecting flowers for any aspect of your wedding there are some ways that you can save money as well. First, choose flowers that are in season or locally grown. Secondly, keep bouquets simple and elegant. You might also consider using tasteful silk flowers in altar arrangements and splurge on fresh flowers for your bouquets.
	Music for the ceremony has become much simpler over the past few years. What you really need is a song to walk into and a song to walk out with. This helps to establish the mood of your ceremony, gives your guests a cue that the ceremony is about to begin and provides a tempo for your wedding party to walk to. You might choose music that has special meaning for you and your fiancé or you might choose something more traditional to meet your needs. Sometimes the DJ is willing to provide music for the ceremony as well for an additional fee. Whichever way you go, it is important to designate a reliable person to be in charge of the music so the correct song is played at the appropriate time.
	If you don’t want to spend a fortune on a photographer but you don’t want to take any chances with amateurs, you could hire a photographer but limit their hours to covering the most important aspects and then rely on family and friends for all the candid shots. If you choose to go with a non-wedding photographer, such as a fashion or newspaper photographer, give them a list of key moments to shoot. You can also save by using one camera instead of multiple cameras.

Planning  Your Reception

Since the bulk of your budget will go to the reception, some thought and planning could save you a lot of money. The majority of you and your guests time will be spent at the reception so you have an opportunity to make a bigger impact with the choices you make.

	If you are going to have a large wedding or if there are personal reasons that you might want to assign seating then there are some tips to help you. First, do not begin assigning seats until RSVP’s start to come in and you have contacted people who have not responded. Otherwise, you will just end up shuffling names around and there is a chance that someone could lost in the shuffle.
	Start off by using your master guest list to divide into logical groups such as parents, family, friends, c-o-workers etc. People enjoy sitting with those they know and have something in common with so don’t try to force them to do otherwise.
	If you have people that don’t fit into a specific group then seat them with people who they are likely to be compatible with such as by age, similar fields or interests.
	If you have a group that is larger than what one table can hold try splitting them up evenly and putting them at adjoining tables. You can use any unused seats at the table with other guests to provide for lively conversation.
	It is not necessary to use anything other than a first and last name on place cards unless your reception is extremely formal that would dictate using titles.
	Put the table numbers directly on the place cards and set them on a table in the entry that is easy to get to. Arrange them alphabetically so guests can find their names quickly and avoid a bottleneck at the table.
	Don’t forget to account for anyone you have hired for your reception that you will also be feeding. This would include the DJ and/or band members, photographer, videographer, the minister and their spouse etc. They can be placed at random tables or even in another room if necessary.
	The food and alcohol will obviously play an important part of the celebration. Brunch and lunch are less expensive than dinner. Chicken and pasta are less expensive than steak and lobster.
	Set a time limit on your reception.
	Do not serve “Top Shelf” brands. Instead of a full bar you can opt for just a beer and wine bar or even a specialty drink such as a margarita, martini or Cosmopolitan bar.
	When ordering your cake, you can choose a smaller wedding cake for pictures and have sheet cakes in the kitchen for the wait staff to cut and serve.
	Serve kid-friendly food like hot-dogs, macaroni and cheese or chicken tenders.
	When decorating the room, choose focal points to concentrate your decorating dollars. The head table, cake table and guest book table are such focal points. A uniform look between these focal points will also add impact and help you create a really put-together look.
	Centerpieces on the guest tables can be beautiful without being expensive. Potted plants such as orchids, pillar candles and loose fresh cut flowers can add color and beauty while still being affordable. Our hotel also offers decorating packages that include beautiful centerpieces you can use without the expense of buying them. The addition of candles and white twinkle lights will top off the ambiance of the room. back to top