Archive for February, 2010

We have just passed the 3rd of the top three most popular days to get engaged, Valentines Day and with that, the wedding season officially kicks off. Brides everywhere are working on creating that special day that they will remember for the rest of their lives. Here are some interesting facts:

• The average U.S. Bride will spend $27,134 on her wedding. That does not include the engagement ring or honeymoon.

• 85% of Brides will plan some or all of their wedding on the Internet

• The average age of today’s Bride is 27

• 80% of U.S. Brides are getting married for the first time

Of the 2.5 million weddings (Which makes the Wedding Industry an almost $68 Billion Dollar industry in the U.S. alone), the average Bride is faced with making large dollar decisions and purchases which she has never made before. In fact she is usually spending someone else’s (Her Mom & Dad’s, fiancé’s, or other close relative’s) money. This can unnerve most of us. (can you think back to the time when you had to buy a dress that cost around $2-4,000 that you would only wear one day, or when you spent a similar amount of money on photography for just you or your family?)

Here are some tips and pointers to help out that Bride and keep her “Wedding Planning Stress” to a minimum:

1. Decide what is important and what is not up front. By doing this, you will not waste time on the trivial and spend you efforts where they are most needed.

2. Communicate up front with your fiancé and those closest to you that you are facing one of the 5 most stressful events in your life and if you snap at them, or have a breakdown, it’s the stress, not them.

3. Set down and understand up front what your wedding budget is. This step will help you to Budget the important to the top of the list as well as help you to not create further stress in anyone who is helping fund your wedding.

4. Plan for “time-outs” during the engagement. Have a couple of week ends off or plan a quick get away where you decompress. Plan on not planning for a period of two or more days. This will help to relaxing your “wedding planning” muscles and get you to be able to focus better.

5. Use the internet as much as you can to save travel time, communication time as well as finding the best vendors possible. Emails spend less time than phone calls and are not as urgent.

Keep your eye on the prize-you are marrying the person you love and want to spend the rest of your life together. The most important thing is having the two of you show up and say “I Do”. Everything else is icing on the cake!

Rick Brewer
http://www.articlesbase.com/weddings-articles/the-2007-wedding-season-has-officially-begun-112271.html

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I am getting married in a year and a half and would appreciate any advice on where to cut expense on the wedding. We don’t want to go cheap but we can’t afford lavish either. Looking to spend under $10,000 if at all possible.
Hell will freeze over before I elope.
Thanks for all of the advice, I found a little of everybody helpful! Luckily we have our church secured (free because my fiance plays guitar in the youth band), I am also looking into some other connections to cut costs.

Wedding can be held for under 10 grand mine will be.But you have to be very crafty and it will take time.Find a location that will let you have both the ceremony and reception at the same place .Silk flower look just a good as real. You can get invitations you can do at home for about 15 to 20 bucks. Michael’s has tons of thing like that. Centerpieces are cheap and easy to make. Some people will not do favors to save money. If you want to do favors the do some thing edible. Some people will not take the favors unless they are food or alcohol. EBay is a nice place ti get favors and some of the other thing you need to to a wedding. If where you ;lie has a technical school you could all ways get a photography student to do the wedding pictures.do you know any one that can do hair and make up? Davids bridal is a great place to get a wedding dress. They have a 99 dollar sale about three times a year.
Good luck with your wedding

Technorati Tags: 20 Bucks, advice, Alcohol, Davids Bridal, Dollar, Ebay, Fiance, Good Luck, Hell, Invitations, Money, Photography Student, Planning A Wedding, Planning A Wedding On A Small Budget, Silk Flower, Technical School, Three Times, wedding budget, wedding dress, Wedding Pictures

I just watched an episode of Platinum Weddings were the brides budget was $500,00.00

That’s right – half a million dollars!!

Even if I had that sort of money – and mind you I had an elaborate destination wedding to Maui, HI theres no way in heck that I could justify that budget -

Could you?
Poppet – A house hell yeah thats "forever" but a one day affair?

Ridiculous -

Invisible Pink,never! I got married 23 years ago down in Key West FL.at city hall,I was 30 years old then and I was married in a tank top and shorts,so many people so throw so much money away on weddings,to me it’s ridiculous,the wedding doesn’t guarantee that the marriage will last,I think it’s fine to have a small celebration but this is going way over board to me.The money can be used for other important things,Tomb Raider.

Technorati Tags: 23 Years, Brides, Budget, Celebration, City Hall, Destination Wedding, Half A Million, Heck, Important Things, Key West Fl, Marriage, Maui Hi, Million Dollars, Much Money, Platinum Weddings, Tank Top, Tomb Raider

10% of your wedding budget sounds like a lot of money when you hear it, but would you consider the extra help for you, your family and guests if they were willing to bring down the price and work within your budget?

It’s great to have family and friends help, but wouldn’t it be nice to have the extra help so they can enjoy themselves?

I am a wedding planner, florist, and our shop caters. Our shop is hired mostly because alot of brides want their Mothers, Grandmothers and other members of their families to enjoy the day with them than it being a big stress ordeal.
We also are hired by brides to keep alot of Mothers, Grandmothers and well meaning family members from taking control of their wedding.
For instance this past weekend we did a beautiful wedding for a Bride. The Mother of the Bride paid for the flowers for a wedding gift. The friday before the wedding she decided not to ware what her daughter had ask her to and she bought a dress in a salmon color. Which didnt go with any of the colors the bride had pick out. On top of this she wanted to change the Brides bouquets. To enhance "Her" dress! ( I know your mouth just hit the desktop) We wouldnt budge. No salmon color went into the bouquets even with threats of her not paying for the arrangments. Flowers were delivered as the Bride intended. Mother bought a dress the bride had ask for and the wedding went on as plan.
Nothing was ever said to the Bride about the Mothers intentions which kept everything in the family on the topic at hand and that was her daughters wedding.
Thats just part of what we do. We are the ones if your having an out door wedding you have always dream of and you have nothing but high winds and it pours rain. Were your back up plan. We are so much more than 10% of your wedding plan. We are the ones that see to it that you dont colapse but get to enjoy your day with your new husband and the new beginning of your life. We take your dream of a perfect wedding and turn it into reality. For this our Brides have rated us 5 stars. We are still a small business but an award winning business. God Bless You and Your Groom and we wish all the Brides a Beautiful Wedding Day.

Technorati Tags: Alot, Bouquets, Brides, Budget Wedding, Colors, Family And Friends, Family Members, Flowers Gift, Flowers Wedding, Grandmothers, High Winds, Mother Of The Bride, Ordeal, Salmon, Salmon Color, wedding budget, Wedding Florist, Wedding Gift, Wedding Plan, Wedding Planner

I plan on taking a course online.I’m willing to work for free, for real life expeience.Do you know if catering halls woul consider this? or is it best to find private planners? etc.

Any experience have would be great.

Try first working with a nonprofit- they are more likely to have a place for you to actually learn a few skills.

Now are these just courses or are you working toward a license?

Technorati Tags: Catering Halls, Internships, Nonprofit, Planners, Real World, Wedding Plan, Wedding Planner, World Experience