The first thing to consider is the scent. You may not want flowers that are too fragrant, as some people may have allergies. It may also take away from other parts of your wedding.

You should ask the people in the bridal party if they have any allergies, or flowers that they just can’t stand to smell. It would not be good if somone had a sneezing fit during your wedding.

The color of your flowers is very important. If you already have a color scheme set, you will be some what limited. You will want to colors to flow with the bridal party’s clothing. You may also want to alert the mothers and grandmothers. They will want their flowers to match their outfits. Sometimes you may be able to make a couple of small changes to accommodate people. Like maybe a piece of colored ribbon. That may make the flowers blend better.

You will also want to have a plan for what will happen to the flowers after the wedding. Perhaps some could be donated to the church. You may want to have a way to give some friends the centerpieces from the reception. Perhaps mark a chair or place setting, draw a name from a hat, or put a number on the centerpiece and have a number guessing game at each table.

In our book, Wedding Savings Revealed , we cover the meaning of over 300 flowers. Please take a look at it. You want to make sure that you know all the choices before you make your final selection.

Writing your own vows gives you a chance to incorporate your inner most feelings and intimate messages. It will surely make your wedding more memorable, dramatic, and touching. Of course without the proper planning it could turn your wedding into a comedy of errors.

Talk with whoever is officiating your wedding ahead of time. He or she will let give you some guidelines to get you started, and any pointers needed to keep it legal. You will also want to review the final vows with them.

Make sure that you keep it brief. You will have to memorize the vows. And your memory may be a little shorter on the big day because of your nerves!

Make sure that you practice before the big day. I would not recommend reading your vows. So practice until you have them down cold. It would also be a good idea to practice in front of a close friend.

In the sidebar of this site you will find a link to a very good book on wedding vows entitled: Instant Vows. It will give you a big head start. Also take a look at some wedding vow videos. The link to the video site is at the top. Click on “Wedding Vows” in the tag cloud.

You will only get one shot at this. Some make sure that you put a lot of thought into it and look at what other people have done. Practice hard and commit them to memory. Make sure they are are something that you will want to remember and live up to for the rest of your life!

The two most important keys to planning a wedding on a budget are planning and organization. You can not save money if you start planning your wedding a month before the event!

I recommend that you get a 3 ring binder, some dividers, and paper. This will be your wedding “bible”. Make a section for EVERY aspect of your wedding. Every time you see something that you like or that will save you money, put it in the binder. You will use this for brainstorming. Review each section periodically and add ideas.

Using friends and relatives to help with various tasks can save a bundle. Just make sure that they are trustworthy and that you have a clear understanding about your expectations. Just because someone is nice and owns a camera, does not mean that they can photograph your wedding! If you make a bad call on this you could easily ruin your whole wedding day!

Do your research. There are many resources such as books and software programs that are inexpensive and easily accessible to help you. Planning a wedding on a budget has never been easier! Just make sure that you do your homework!

Whether a wedding gown is expensive or not has nothing to do with how it makes you feel. This is the most important and why I think that you should spend a lot of time looking for your perfect wedding gown.

There are a lot of choices when buying your wedding gown. From a custom made wedding gown, to one off the rack, to a second hand wedding gown. You could buy on line or from a local store in your town ( Click on the photo to see our gowns).

If you are on a budget you may certainly consider a second hand wedding gown. After all, it was only worn once. And that is all you will wear it! You could be wearing a designer wedding gown at a very small portion of the original price. And no one will ever know. And when the wedding is over you may sell the wedding gown, and get part of your money back.

Some things to think about. Does the wedding gown fit the theme and time of day and season? Do you look good from ALL angles. Make sure that you have a friend or look in a mirror that shows all sides. I would not count on a sales person’s opinion. After all, they want you to BUY something.

Make sure that you feel good in your wedding gown. You must be comfortable while feeling that you look good in it.

Try sitting in the wedding gown. Think about all of the things that you will be doing at your wedding and reception. Will you have to kneel? Get in and out of a car? Dance? Make sure that you are flexible in your wedding gown.

Again, this is YOUR big day. Make sure that YOU feel good in your wedding gown. Do some early shopping to insure that you have “The Perfect Wedding Gown” for you.

Don’t wait until the day of the wedding to try your hair style. Have it done at least a week before the wedding. Take some pictures of your wedding hair style. That way you can look at your wedding hair style from all angles. You can make any notes of changes. That way you will be prepared on your wedding day.

Let your hairdresser in on all of the details of your wedding so that she can help you create your “perfect wedding hair style”! Show her pictures of the dress. Let her know if there is a theme. Tell her what kind of flowers you will have. You may even decide to incorporate some flowers into your wedding hair style. If so, make sure that they are delivered early enough to your hairdresser.

Another thing that you may want to consider is a backup. Who will do your hair if something goes wrong with your regular hairdresser? Be prepared with notes and pictures of your wedding hair style in case you have to go this route.

One last note. You may want to follow up with your hairdresser a few days before the wedding to insure that everything is in order.

I put some new videos up that show wedding hair styles being done. Be sure to check them out! The link is at the top of the web site, in case you have not found it yet.

Mostly you will be inviting friends, family, and coworkers, and this will add a personal touch to your wedding invitation. This will make it a part of you and put your personality into it.

Sit down with your future spouse and discuss how you would like for it to be worded. Keep it light. Reflect the mood that you are in.

Add a little humor to it, if that is the way that you are. It will make people smile and enjoy your wedding invitation. It will make them look forward to attending the wedding.

It is YOUR wedding and the invitations should reflect your personality. I would not get hung up on trying to be formal, or something that is not you.

Once you have the wording, bounce it off of some close friends. Put it away and review it a week later. Does it still look great, or have you been thinking of some changes?

Again, planning ahead is the key. Give yourself plenty of time for rewrites. Make sure that you are satisfied before you go to the printer!

This will be the first glimpse of your wedding for everyone, so this is the chance for you to show what is to come! Give them something to get excited about!

If you are on a tight budget, consider the time of day. If it is an earlier wedding your guests will not be expecting a big meal. I have been to weddings where a brunch was served and they were quite impressive!

Also, if you have friends who are willing to help (and able), that could save you some money. And close friends are usually more than willing to help. Also you may look for someone who is starting out and may work for a lower cost. Just make sure that they have some references.

Catering is a big business and the competition is good for you. If you have the money, you can really make your big day impressive. There are many areas that they can shine. Taste, uniforms and food presentation to name a few.

Also, if you have your reception location picked, they may offer a food service. If not, they have probably worked with caterers and can help with recommendations.

Make sure that you have an idea of about how many guests you will have and a general idea of what type of meal you will be looking for before you start getting quotes. I would also have a backup plan, just in case you get sticker shock!

And of course if you are having a theme wedding, you should stay with the theme, which will reduce your choices. It could also eliminate some caterers, depending upon your theme.

Here again, you must do the proper planning to make your wedding day “The Best Day of Your Life!”

You should of course choose a song or songs that have special meaning to you and your new spouse. And of course you may place the song or songs in several different places in the schedule.

Now if you have chosen to go with a theme wedding, you should keep your music in line with the theme. It will need to blend well. That will put some limitations on your choice. But as I have said before, it is your wedding and you can do whatever you like. It is your special day!

You will need to decide how the music will be presented. DJ, live person with instruments or recorded music, or simply a recording of the songs.

Your choice will be affected by the cost and the look and feel that you are after.

A word of caution. Make sure that if you have someone live, that you hear them in advance.

It is hard to turn down a friend who offers to sing at your wedding. Everyone can not sing. Some people think that they sound good, when in reality they sound like they are in pain! Better to take a chance on hurting someones feelings than to have everyone remember you wedding as having lousy music. And I have seen it happen!

Bob

A beach wedding could be cheaper for you. A lot of things that you need for a church wedding simply are not needed for a beach wedding. You may not want to use formal wear for the bridal party. Almost anything goes at the beach!

I would like to review some issues that you will need to address. First is the location. Pick a section of beach that is not crowded, and is plenty wide. You also have to know how the tide affects your spot.

Some elderly guest may not be able to travel in the sand. You may want a spot that is not to far to walk in the sand. It would be nice if there were benches for the elderly, or you may want to consider bringing a few chairs.

Check with the local authorities and make sure that you will not be violating any rules, laws, or local ordinances. Keep the name or names of the people that you talk with, just in case there are any problems later.

The weather is a big factor. You need to have a back up plan just in case the weather is bad. This is one of the biggest drawbacks to having any outside wedding.

Make sure that you alert the guests on your invitation as to what attire you would like to see them in. The last beach wedding I went to, I and the people with me, were in suits. There were others at the wedding in shorts and sandals! And yes, I was wishing I was in shorts, because it was hot.

So yes, “Your Perfect Wedding” could be at the beach. But just like any wedding, planning and preparation will make the difference. Make sure that you do the leg work.

Bob

As we age, it is hard to remember what life was like before the internet and computers. If you were planning a perfect wedding, you would be hand writing everything and doing research at the library!

Now you can have a program on your computer that makes sure you don’t miss any details. Keeps track of all of the details. How much money have you spent. Who is coming. Who is staying where, if they are from out of town. Contacts for all of your vendors.

Most software companies offer a no risk money back guarantee, so you really have nothing to lose.

Smart Wedding offers one of the best. You really have nothing to lose. They have won many awards and are consistently improving their software.

So if you want to insure that you have a “PERFECT WEDDING” give yourself the extra edge. Get a helper in a box!

Bob