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Wedding -
Wedding Planning
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Written by DP-Quin
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Wednesday, 06 May 2009 21:24 |
So he (or she) finally popped the question! Now is the time to start planning the big day! You're about to embark on two amazing journey's, the first of couse being married and the second the sometimes daunting task of planning out your perfect day. This will probably be the biggest and most involved party or ritual either of you have ever put together. Before you start to panic do these steps:
- Enjoy the engagement
Kiss each other hundreds of times. Tell the world how you got engaged. Jump up and down saying "We're engaged!" Stare at the engagement ring, show it off to everyone. Take pictures of yourselves with the engagement ring. Kiss each other a hundred more times.
- Tell the rents
You should probably tell your parents either before you get engaged or at the least make sure you tell them after. (Unless of course, you are estranged.) Both of you should be present and ideally you will tell them in person, if your not living close by you should at least get on the phone together and tell them how excitied you both are. Try and include your parents first then share the news with a few close friends - the ones who are likely candidates for maid/matron of honor and best man, or definite attendants in some capacity.
- Announce Your Engagement
Tell everyone the good news! There are many ways of doing this, and no way
is more correct or better than another. Click here to read about engagement announcement etiquette and see samples of engagement announcements. Consider:
- Tell the world by sharing your engagement story. You can visit our forum and share your story or via our sister site.
- Mailing announcements to your family and friends. Visit PublicationsPlus for printed items. Make sure you tell them about us for a good deal on printed items.
- Creating a wedding website, there are many sites out there just do a search.
- Setting the Date
This might be ther hardest decision. You'll need to make a date and stick to it not only will everyone ask you when they find out the news but this will also help you with planning the event.
- Set the Tone of Your Event
This is the time to decide if you're having a formal wedding, a casual affair, or a theme wedding. It's also the time to decide on having a religious or secular ceremony. In short, you need to decide what you want your wedding to feel like.
- Set the Budget
Start off by using a printable wedding budget worksheet you can find these throughout the internet. Look at your finances and figure out how much you already have in savings, and how much you can save each month. Everyone can save something each month. even a small amount will add up to something so if you can't save as much as you'd like you may need an extra month or two to save to have that perfect day. Talk to each of your parents and ask them if they'd like to contribute to your wedding, and either how much they'd like to give you, or what specific things they'd like to pay for. Lastly, decide how much you feel comfortable going into debt. We strongly advise couples to avoid debt as much as possible. Since married couples fight about money more than anything else, why start marriage with debt on your backs? At this time you may consider opening a new credit card just for the wedding that will earn you airline miles, cash back, or other incentives. It's a good way for you to keep track of wedding expenses, and can help you pay for your honeymoon. Just try to pay it off in full each month.
- Choose Your Wedding Party
Your attendants do alot more than just stand next to you on the day of the wedding, get them involved as soon as you can! If they live nearby, its nice to ask someone in person, but a phone call is fine for those who live far away. You may also want to read How many bridesmaids and groomsmen should you have? or How many bridesmaids and groomsmen is too many?
- Find the Venue
Many venues are booked a year in advance, so the further in advance you start looking, the more likely you are to get the time, date, and cost that you've planned for.
- Get Support
The successful bride and groom do not plan their wedding alone - they get help! This may be from professionals, respected publications, or friends who've planned their own weddings.
- Consider hiring a wedding planner or consultant. Especially if you are a busy person, or just feel a little lost, a professional can be invaluable in putting together your ideal day, and can often save you money.
- Visit our forum to chat with other engaged couples, the marriage forum to get advice from couples who've already walked down the aisle, and the honeymoons forum to plan that trip of a lifetime.
- Use online checklists - they're free, and especially helpful if you're planning with your mother or future spouse in another state. The most important of these forms is the overall wedding checklist which will help you stay on top of all of your important todos.
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Last Updated on Tuesday, 09 June 2009 16:58 |
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