August 10, 2011

I dreamed of a wedding of elaborate elegance,
A church filled with family and friends.
I asked him what kind of a wedding he wished for,
He said one that would make me his wife.

Wedding day is the most beautiful and eagerly looked forward to day in the life of every man and Woman.  Once a marriage is fixed and the date is confirmed there will be butterflies in the stomach when the D Day is nearing.   Needless to say everyone wants to make their wedding a memorable and a grand affair. I have few ideas that are fresh in my mind as I recently got married and I hope this article will be useful to everyone who are planning to get married.

Based on the time you have to prepare for your wedding, plan accordingly. Assuming you have at least 6 months time to prepare for your wedding, the following tips may help.

• The first thing  one has to keep in mind  while  planning the wedding is to decide before hand how much money you are going to spend and make a budget likewise.  Remember to have 20 to 25% extra budget than the actual cost of the budge  so as to deal with the unexpected expenditure arising out of those expenses  not taken into consideration in the actual budget.
  
• Discuss and choose the wedding day carefully which is suitable for both the families.  Plan for the roce also accordingly.  I think it is preferable to have the wedding on a Saturday evening or Sunday afternoon so that relatives and guests of both the parties have enough time to relax after the hectic wedding celebrations and get adequate rest before they resume for their work on Monday morning. 
  
•  Get the invitation cards printed at least 3 to 4 months in advance.   Prepare a list of the guests to be invited for the wedding.  Relatives,   important guests and neighbours can be invited with invitation cards while colleagues and friends can be given e-invites. Sending e-invites saves lot of time and also cuts down on the cost factor.
  
• Invites need to be mailed four to six weeks in advance to distant relatives. Priests who will be celebrating the nuptials mass also need to be informed in advance so that they can block their calendars for your special day.
  
• With the consent of both the families a convenient and comfortable venue for the nuptials should be chosen.  The venue should be large enough to accommodate the invitees of the both the parties.  A few churches have halls in their premises whereas there are many halls which are independently available.  It is preferable to have an immediate relatives house closer to the venue if need arises so that  any  favors can be sought from them in case you have forgotten to take something important with you while going to the nuptials and to the reception.
  
• Talk to the church choir group to select songs for the nuptials mass in case you have to print hymnals for the mass celebration.
  
• Talk to a decorator who can give you the best deal for the wedding day decorations. Choose a theme colour and discuss with the decorator on how well the theme can go with the given designs. Remember the decorator has an important role to play in the sense that he can add sophistication to your wedding day. From the bridal car to the church flower arrangement, from the bridal bouquet to the flower girl baskets and from the backdrop for the reception to the souvenirs, the decorator does it all. While choosing flowers for the wedding bouquet try to choose fresh flowers than artificial ones since they add to the beauty of the bride in the photographs. Do not add too many golden ribbons and other decorations to it.  It would look elegant if kept simple.  Flower girl basket should contain either small flowers or rose petals. Have your flower girl spread petals for the bride and the groom to walk on them when coming down the aisle, which should not be done in the church.  It is better to be done while entering the hall for the wedding reception. Keep an extra small bouquet in case you are planning to have the tossing of the bouquet to the bridesmaids. You may want to preserve your wedding bouquet and may not want your bridesmaid to preserve it.
  
• Guest sign-in book and pen should be placed on a well decorated table in a prominent place at the reception hall and have a person appointed from either side of the family to help the guests. This can be one during the arrival of the guests or at the time of wishing the bridal couple.
  
• Talk to a good caterer with a good reputation and decide on the menu. If possible try to sample their food before hiring them.
  
• Discuss your wedding ceremony plans with the master of ceremony who will be competent to conduct all the events of the wedding reception. Inform each and every event you want to have on the day of the wedding so that the Emcee is prepared well in advance to discharge his duties in a professional way. 
  
• If you have any particular or your favourite first waltz number in mind inform the music band to play it as your first waltz number.   Choose a lively and enthusiastic band which will be able to do a good job to compliment the events of the  most important day of your life. 
  .
  To the bride
  
  Decide on what you want to wear for the nuptials. If you want to rent a gown check out a few boutiques and select a gown of your choice well in advance, may be by paying an advance amount to keep the gown reserved for you. If you are going to stitch it choose a good tailor who can implement your ideas to the minutest details.  Plan a good color combination and pattern for the bridesmaids and the flower girls. They add to the beauty of the bridal party. Go to a good beautician a week before the wedding to get a good face massage and have enough sleep before the wedding so that you do not look tired on the day of the wedding. Have a light make up on your face and choose a good hairstylist depending on how well it suits your face. Remember you are the bride you will be the cynosure of all eyes on that day.  Naturally, you have to be at your best for that special day.
  
  To the Groom
  
  Choose a good tuxedo and choose a tie matching the outfit of your bride.  Plan accordingly for the best man and the pageboy.
  Jewellery
  
  For the Sado, the bride will have to wear gold but keep in mind not to wear too many pieces of gold.  This is because in the clutter, the exclusivity of the gold or the necklaces and chains you were will go unnoticed.
  
  Prepare a checklist for everything so that you do not forget anything at the last minute or on the day of the wedding. Write down everything whenever you remember that had to be taken to the wedding venue or anything that has to be done on that day and keep it at a prominent place where you can see it often.
  
  This article is dedicated to all the beautiful brides and the handsome grooms who are planning for their wedding and to all those families who are preparing for their children’s wedding.
  
  Hope you have a dream wedding that will remain as the most memorable event in yours and the guest’s lives.

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