A Grooms Guide To Wedding Planning
October 4, 2009
Grooms can often feel a bit lost when it comes to wedding planning, but even if your help is not required with any of the details such as caterers and table settings there are a number of tasks such as choosing the best man and sorting out the stag do that the groom can be firmly in charge of.
Best Man
The best man is one of the most important people in the wedding party after the bride, groom and father of the bride, as traditionally they stand by the groom’s right hand at the altar and give one of the most eagerly awaited speeches at the wedding reception. Therefore it is important you think long and hard about who you are going to choose for your best man, as they should not only be one of your closest friends, but they should also be reasonably sensible and responsible, especially if you are having a formal wedding.
Guest List
Your bride will most likely need some input from you for the guest list, as you will know your family best and will be able to judge who you would like to attend your wedding, and also who you will need to invite to avoid upsetting anyone. You will have to keep an eye on numbers as the more people you invite the more expensive the wedding will be, so it is important to understand that in some cases compromises will need to be reached and you cannot please everyone.
Wedding List
Many couples have wedding lists with a specific store, which makes it easier to let people know what you would like for your wedding gifts. It is important to talk the wedding list over with your bride, to ensure you are both getting the gifts you need, especially if you are just moving into a new home. It is traditional to receive household items for wedding gifts, but if you are saving up for something special such as the deposit for a house or an extension, then you may prefer to ask close family members if they could contribute to this instead.
Stag Night
A large number of grooms are now enjoying stag weekends abroad, as cheap flights and competitive holiday packages are making foreign stag parties affordable and easy to organize, so start planning your stag do as soon as possible to make sure you have enough time to plan a really special event that you will remember for all of the right reasons. There are a number of options for stag parties from cheap ski weekends through to the more traditional night out on the town, which can be jazzed up by holding the night in one of the bustling, exciting European cities such as Barcelona or Prague.
Planning a Budget Wedding
June 25, 2009
Even the most basic wedding can cost as much as $10,000, and for many couples this can be a daunting figure, that may even put them off getting married in the near future. You shouldn’t have to compromise on having the wedding of your dreams though, and with a little clever planning and hard work can make your budget stretch a very long way Don’t forget that all the money in the world can’t buy you a happy day, and so the more you get actively involved in the planning of the wedding, the more you will be able to influence every aspect of your big day and make sure it is everything you dreamed of.
Guest List
If you are on a budget then the first thing to be absolutely ruthless over is the guest list. You may want to invite as many people as possible to share your big day, but remember the more people you invite the more the wedding is going to cost. Only invite your closest family and friends, and try not to feel too bad about missing people off of the list. This can be very difficult if you have a large circle of family and friends, but just explain to them you are only having a quiet wedding, and have been forced to keep the numbers small.
Invitations
Professionally printed wedding invitations can be very expensive, and you could save a lot of money if you create your own. This is also a much more personal touch, and most people have computers these days that can make short work of designing and printing an attractive set of invitations, or if you are creative you could buy the blank cards and envelopes and design them yourself by hand.
Wedding Party
Keep the wedding party small, and hire all of the suits and dresses rather than buying them outright. If you really are on a tight budget it is perfectly acceptable to ask the best man and bridesmaids to pay for their own clothing hire.
Photography
Professional wedding photographers cost a fortune, and tend to give you very formulaic photos for your albums, so ask a friend who is good with cameras to take your wedding photos/video for you, and give disposable cameras out to the guests so that they can capture a wide range of different photos for you to choose from.
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Wedding Planning Basics
April 15, 2009
Budget
The first step you need to do for any wedding is plan the budget. You may need to take out some extra financing to pay for the wedding, and it is important to have this all in place ready to use when you need to, which will avoid any hold ups and also so that you know exactly what you have to spend. Try to be realistic with your budget, and make sure you allocate enough money to each of your requirements such as catering, photography and clothing, and don’t forget to include the honeymoon.
Guest List
Get to work on the guest as soon as possible, as this will help you to plan what size venue you need, and what spending to allocate to the catering. Start with all of your closest friends and family first, and try to keep the numbers to a reasonable level, especially if you are on a tight budget. Send the invites at least 2-3 months before the date of the wedding, to allow people a chance to organize any travel and accommodation.
Venue
Popular wedding venues can get booked up months in advance, so make sure you start planning as soon as possible, and as soon as you have an idea of the date book the ceremony and the reception venues together. The availability of these two venues will dictate the date of your wedding, so be prepared to be a bit flexible, especially if you want to get married on a Saturday, which is the most popular day of the week for weddings.
Insurance
A lot of money is involved in planning a wedding, so it makes sense to get some insurance to cover you in case something goes wrong. Add up the costs of the wedding gowns, rings, venues, photography, flowers and catering, and find an insurance policy that will cover these against accident or damage, and also against the possibility that the wedding may have to be cancelled for any reason. Insurance is particularly important if you have borrowed money to pay for wedding, either from a bank or from your family.
Rings
If you are having your rings made for you, then it is important to sort them out as soon as possible, so that they are ready for the big day. Go ring shopping together so that you can both agree on a pair that suit you, and it is traditional to have matching rings, to symbolise your union.
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Wedding Invitation Tips
November 16, 2008
Wedding invitations may be the first official notification many of your guests receive regarding your wedding, so it is important that you may a good impression, and set the scene for the type of wedding you intend to have. Wedding invitations should also contain all of the key information about the wedding that guests will need to know such as:
- Name of happy couple
- Date, time and location of the wedding ceremony
- Details of the reception
- Additional invitations to the wedding breakfast (if you are having one)
- Dress code (formal, informal).
- Details of any wedding themes
- Basic directions to the wedding ceremony and reception
- Instructions regarding wedding presents (i.e. if you have a wedding list with a specific store, or you would prefer to receive donations to your favourite charity instead)
- Ask your guests to reply by a certain date so that you can book the catering and ensure you can fit everyone in
- Ask your guests to let you know if they have any particular requirements such as disabled access or special diets.
To give you guests a chance to organize themselves it is important to send the wedding invitations out at least 2-3 months before the wedding. If you leave it too late many people may already have plans in place, especially over the weekend, or they may not be able to get transport to the wedding or time off from their work. Even if you know someone will not be able to come to your wedding it is polite to send them an invitation anyway, as their plans could change in the future.
Whether you are having printable wedding invitations, or are writing them yourself, make sure you order extra ones so that you can invite any guests you remember later on, and you may also want to order thank you cards in the same stationary, so that you can write to the guests after the wedding and thank them for making the effect to help you celebrate your big day. 
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