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. ;)
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