It’s wedding time and many of my clients that have hooked up at my events are getting married. This is a time to learn so much about how you and your mate will interact during your new life together. I can tell you this, no one ever can prepare you for the amount of work it takes to plan a wedding and you learn a lot about each other during the planning process. Since I run many huge events and I was a bridal consultant for many years, it was easier for me than most people to get ready for the sacred celebration.

I wanted to offers some a few tips if you are planning your wedding so it can be fun and you can eliminate some of the stresses by thinking ahead. We don’t want any run away bride or groom stories… So think ahead,  get a planning book and have some fun! This is a special celebration of your new life so make it magical.

*Pick the people in your wedding party wisely. Asking people to be in your wedding party with financial restrictions is not a great idea because it can be a stressful and emotional drain for both parties if you do not discuss expectations. I get calls from clients who ask me how to get out of  being in someone’s wedding without hurting the bride or groom’s feelings since they simply can’t afford it. Some people will say yes to your requests out of embarrassment, but then not be able to afford to purchase the clothing, shoes and fulfill their duties as a bride maid or grooms men. If you ask someone who can’t afford it, you may want to offer assistance with expenses. Be sensitive and if you sense a friend can’t afford to be in the wedding and you can’t help out financially, let it go and do not take it personally. You can let them know you understand and that you’d appreciate their support in other areas since you have lots of things to plan! Often having a friend help you with invites, shopping, and looking for favors, dresses is so fun and you will feel supported.

*Add some extra cash to your budget for all the unexpected things you’ll need to buy. Things crop up and it can cause stress. So expect a few extra expense you did not think of and plan ahead by socking away a few more dollars.

* Have photos or samples of things to show your groom so he can give you his opinion (invitation samples, gifts for the groomsmen, various  flowers options, tuxedo or photos of a nice suit.  Often grooms want to leave the smaller details to you and he will appreciate not having to run around looking for all these  items.  Most men want to make us happy and appreciate the assistance so they can be apart of the process and be able to be supportive without extra stress!

* Delegate a few things for him to do in advance and let him do it (photographer,  honeymoon travel plans, airline tickets, his calls to groomsmen…) Give him a short list, let him be and don’t nag him! If you know his strengths, delegate and let go! Men love to come back with a list of completed tasks so appreciate and thank him along the way.

* Save pictures of things you like when you see them and keep them in a file . (Gowns, flowers, hairstyles accessories) to save you time later. I had a file and when I was shopping, I’d show the assistants in stores my photos of flowers, hair items and jewelry and it saved me so much time. Often showing people what you need instead of a verbal description can speed up finding it. Most people were so helpful and if they did not have an item they often  knew where I could find it. The photos were so helpful many claimed

*Gather names, addresses and emails in advance for  your invitation list since you will need addresses from your in laws. These lists took me weeks to organize! I put them in an excel spread sheet and a dear friend took my data base and turned them into address labels for all my invites and thank you’s and saved me hours of time! She made a few sets of address labels in a beautiful scripted font and  was the most awesome gift. A must do on your list. You can also offer your addresses to help with your wedding shower list to save your attendant time too!

* Set important appointments ahead of time so you are not cranky! Important appointments  like dress fittings, hair appointments and ordering invites all take longer than you think! All the details rapidly catch up to you and can make you cranky! A cranky bride is no fun to be around and can scare a groom and friends away!

*You must ask for what you want and register or you’ll get things you don’t need or want. Ask and you shall receive… otherwise plan on getting some ugly vases and  weird frames and other scary items. People are busy to hunt for gifts and registering is easy.  Do not assume people will give you money unless you ask for it! I personally told close family members we were buying a house so money was the perfect gift and we received a nice sum of money from guests who heard it through the grapevine. You just need to know the family messenger to tell and you can get what you need!

*Ask friends for help and you can get things done more rapidly. You can’t assume friends know what you need and they will help just plan ahead. I had a friend help me make my wedding favor, which was a CD of 22 of our favorite love songs. We burned the Cds and created the art for the covers to match my “Dreams do come True” wedding theme. It was so much fun and we had many special moments doing this project. It was a great wedding favor I’d suggest!

*Wedding Vows… Plan wedding vows ahead of time. We wrote our own vows and had a few meetings with our minister in advance. She gave me the format for a shorter and longer service. This was very important to us to create our own vows and we spent hours writing them. This was what made our day so sacred. Look up  wedding vows on Google depending on your religion and type of wedding you want. Often rabbis and ministers will give you a few vow scripts to use.

* Info source! I used the wedding website www.weddingchannel.com to give out info about hotels, out of town info and registering gifts so I did not have to answer so many phone calls. The more info you give the less work for yourself later on.

*Look for bargains! The wedding world is Big business and you can get bargains if you know where to go! I designed my own dress and went downtown for my trim on my gown and all my accessories that they sell in most bridal salons. I save my clients and my wedding party hundreds of dollars.  All my bridesmaid wore what they wanted in a solid color and everyone was happy. No ugly bridesmaid dresses for my girls!

* If you can’t Dance go get some lessons one of our stresses was our first dance! We wanted to do a special dance for the family so we went to the best in town to prepare us 5 months in advance. It took hours of patience and a few tiffs but we felt like we were on “Dancing with the Stars” when we did our performance. We took private dance lessons from the amazing John Cassese, also known as The Dance Doctor in Santa Monica and everyone was blown away since Joe has never been a dancer, he has size 15 feet and is twice my size. Thank god for John or we might have been tripping on each other. We surprised our families and got a standing ovation.  I highly recommend The Dance Doctor but don’t wait until the last minute or you’ll be tripping on your wedding day!
 
*Enjoy each moment. The way you handle stress before a wedding shows how you’ll get along in marriage! The planning and preparation is the wedding not just the day itself. Every invite, every appointment is all apart of the fun.  Remember this is for a very important day and be present with it all or you’ll miss the magic!

*Thank people along the way! We were so grateful to every person who contributed to our special celebration and we let then know it every step of the way! All of our friends and families were happy to give to us and we appreciated it. That is what life is about appreciating life’s gifts!

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If you need help planning your wedding give me a call…I have so much knowledge and can save you a fortune! I am here to help.  Have a love or dating question? Need an Image Make Over? Email: Renee@LoveMechanics.com. Still Single? Suddenly Single? Want to liven up your love life? Join us at Rapid Dating Social Networking parties and for Business try RAPID Networking events, held in cities all over Southern California.  Call 310-827-1100 to get info and check out our new RapidDating.com site and check out my bi monthly radio show and lots of great info and advice on the site. 
 
© 2008 All contents of these articles are the sole property of Rapid Dating LLC and cannot be duplicated or copied without permission of the author.

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