Tuesday Tips, Tricks & Tidbits

FREE SPECIAL REPORT:

THE TOP SEVEN MISTAKES BRIDES MAKE WHEN PLANNING THEIR WEDDINGS…

… AND HOW TO AVOID THEM!

1. NOT HAVING A CLEAR UNDERSTANDING OF YOUR OWN EXPECTATIONS REGARDING YOUR WEDDING

Many problems are caused by conflicting expectations. Until you've planned a wedding, you have no idea of the number of choices and decisions you will need to make, and the great emotional turmoil that can be attached to many of them. Attempting to separate fantasy from reality will help minimize the source of many problems and is the key to defining your own expectations.

Before you begin making specific wedding plans decide what is truly important to you. Do your reading early on. Buy a wedding book and some bridal magazines, and then attempt to separate fantasy from what is reality for you and your situation. Decide what your priorities are, what potential compromises are, and what is not worth your time and energy. Doing this will help you in establishing the formality of your wedding and your budget. It will also help you in communicating more effectively with your family and wedding vendors, ultimately, saving you the time, stress, and money.

2. ASSUMING YOUR WEDDING PARTY KNOWS WHAT

IS EXPECTED OF THEM

Some of your friends may have been in numerous weddings and think they know the "routine". However, never assume anyone in your wedding party knows what is expected of them. When you first get engaged and are bubbling over with joy, resist the urge to ask your 25 closest girlfriends to be your bridesmaids. Just as you need to give some thought to your budget and the formality of your wedding, thoughtful consideration should be given in choosing your wedding party.

Choosing your wedding party among close friends, family, and now your new family can be tricky. Even though it is an honor and a privilege to be a part of someone's wedding, it is also a responsibility, financially and otherwise. This is an instance where following your heart, can hopefully serve you well. Remember to be considerate of you wedding party, and mindful of your expectations of them; however, at the same time, consider their dependability, especially that of your maid of honor.

A list of wedding responsibilities is a good starting place in determining your own expectations of your wedding party. You can usually find this in any bridal magazine.

The least you should know about traditional bridesmaids responsibilities are: Assist the maid/matron of honor in planning a bridal shower, Assist bride with errands and addressing invitations, Participate in all pre-wedding parties, Arrive dressed one hour before the wedding for photos, Stand to the left of, and slightly behind the maid/matron of honor, Dance with ushers and other important guests, Encourage single women to participate in bouquet toss, Stand to the left of the maid of honor in the receiving line (receiving line optional). Sit next to ushers at the reception.

The least you should know about traditional groomsmen responsibilities are:

Arrive dressed one hour before wedding for the pre-ceremony photos and to seat guest, Seat brides guest in left pew, seat grooms guests on right, if possible, try to keep the pews balanced, Stand to right of, and slightly behind best man, facing officiate, Check for any items left in pews, Dance with bridesmaids and other important guests, Encourage single men to participate in garter toss.

3. NOT HAVING AN ASSIGNED OVERSEER OR CONSULTANT

FOR YOUR WEDDING DAY

The least you should have is one person to see that all services and details proceed as planned. (i.e.., the tent is set up correctly, the flowers are the ones ordered, the cake has arrived and is set up, etc). You and your immediate family should not have to worry about details on your special day. A dependable friend, or preferably a wedding day consultant, can relieve much from you and your family, so that you may enjoy your wedding day.

A wedding consultant can help you as much or as little as you think necessary. A consultant can help you plan the whole wedding from beginning to end, or just help you for your rehearsal and/or wedding day. A good consultant can actually save you money by suggesting less expensive alternatives that still enhance your wedding. However, the biggest advantage of a consultant can be your savings in time and stress. Also a good venue or catering manager can be of great help to you. But the person who is worth his weight in gold to you is the full service DJ Entertainer who will lead, coordinate, and sequence your entire event.

4. NOT SETTING A REALISTIC BUDGET

Issues relating to money usually cause more stress than anything else in the wedding planning process. Probably the most important thing you can do in planning a wedding is to a set a realistic budget and stick with it.

Many brides and parents get so stressed out over the cost of the wedding that they completely lose sight of the joy and excitement of the time. Don't let the almighty dollar ruin what should be one of the most enjoyable experiences for you and your family. Set a budget and follow it.

A budget would have been helpful to one overly generous bride who offered to pay for all of her bridesmaids dresses, then did not have enough money to pay for the necessary alterations for her own bridal gown. When you set a budget, you set a plan of action that will save you untold stress and that gives you the freedom to be flexible in the areas that are most important to you.

Most people do not have a clue what a wedding will cost, so in order to set a budget you should first do an overview of all expected expenses. You need to budget for the wedding, reception, clothes, gifts, honeymoon, etc. Make some calls to gather your information. Most wedding professionals will be happy to give you some estimates by phone. Be mindful that you do not take advantage of their time and goodwill.

After gathering your information, decide what's most important to you about your wedding and reception. Then it's time to meet with those who will be helping financially. Discuss and decide on the formality of your wedding, a budget, and who is responsible for what. This will help avoid misunderstandings later, which leads us to the next most common mistake.

5. NOT BEING FLEXIBLE

To remain sane while planning a wedding you must decide what is important to you, think positive, and then be willing to go with the flow. Compromise is the key in planning a wedding. Be willing to give and take. If you want a dinner reception for 800 of your closest friends, and can't seem to figure out how to afford it, see where you can cut costs to make up the difference or... cut the guest list.

Do express your desires and what is important to you, but don't get hung up on all the details. Be open to other people’s ideas. Nurture spontaneity, it's a great way to avoid stress. If your personality tends toward having to be in control, do yourself a favor and choose only one or two things to obsess over, and let the rest go. Obsessive brides tend to squeeze all the life and joy from wedding planning and their own wedding.

Hire wedding professionals you trust, give them direction, and then trust them to do their job.

To save you untold time and stress, never second guess yourself. Be positive about your choices. Once you've selected a site, stop thinking about other better locations. Once you've chosen the florist, photographer, etc. don't continue to do research. Trust yourself to make the right choices think positive about them, and then move forward. You have a lot of other things to do.

Also, don't try to do everything yourself. Delegate responsibility to your family, fiancée, and members of your wedding party.

6. LOSING YOUR SENSE OF HUMOR

Planning the biggest party you will probably ever give in your entire life, is an awesome task. However, if you are clear on your expectations, choose true wedding professionals you can trust, stay close to your budget, break large areas into smaller more manageable ones, and look for the humor in challenging situations, you will be a winner. One way to keep your sense of humor is to work with only those you like. Hire wedding vendors only if you respect their skills and find them congenial. This occasion is too important and stressful to be spending time with those that are difficult.

Having a sense of humor is really an asset in wedding planning. Use it. Look for humor in every situation. Take a deep breath and smile. If you find yourself becoming too stressed out, take some time off by yourself and regroup. Remember what your wedding is really all about. On your wedding day, if something goes wrong, remember you are probably the only one who will notice. Relax and let it go!

Set aside family conflicts on your wedding day. Even if your brother-in-law is a big jerk, give him a hug anyway. Have a good time at your wedding. Surround yourself with people that you care about, good food, beautiful flowers, and music that makes you happy!

7. NOT HIRING WEDDING PROFESSIONALS

This is the one time that it is certainly true; there is no substitute for experience and expertise. Experience relates to the training and the number of years of practice of a wedding professional. Expertise is how well the wedding professional has exercised that experience. References are important here, but that gut feeling of "woman's intuition" can serve you well. If it feels right, it probably is. If you have lots of doubts or unanswered questions, you would probably best be doing some more shopping!

If you want a smooth and relatively worry free planning process, wedding, and reception... rely on the experts. No one knows their business better than they do. They've seen it all, making them the best source of creative ideas, and experts at handling any challenge.

Many a bride has thought she was saving money and expected a professional job, only to be disappointed on both counts. Susan asked her good friend, Cathy, to take care of the floral arrangements. When Cathy arrived with the flowers, not only was the colors all wrong, but the arrangements looked nothing like the picture that was provided. In addition, she also forgot the centerpiece for the head table. Not only was Susan's friend not up to the task, but it placed a severe strain on their friendship.

Think twice before you ask friends or accept offers from relatives for major responsibilities for your wedding. There are literally thousands of stories of relationships being stretched to their limit, due to well intentioned friends and relatives causing wedding catastrophes that range from major to minor. From the dry wedding cake that was noticeably being held together by toothpicks, to 36 important pictures being missed by the bride’s amateur photographer friend, whose camera was not loaded correctly. It has been said, "It's better to make a friend out of a wedding vendor, than try to make a wedding vendor out of a friend."

There are wedding professionals to fit every budget. Check references so you feel confident that you are choosing a professional that you can count on. With weddings, you don't get a second chance to get it right!

Important note: don't wait until the last minute to hire your wedding professionals; the good ones are often booked six months to over a year in advance.

This Free Report is Courtesy of:

900 Tamiami Trail  •  Port Charlotte, Florida  33953  •  941.627.2236  •  theportcharlotteflorist@hotmail.com       www.portcharlotteflorist.net


FYI- That's the awesome company I work for.  ;)