Congratulations! After the exhilaration and excitement of falling in love, proposing and announcing your intention to marry, the plans for the wedding must be made.  Unless you run off to Vegas for a drive-through wedding, there will be many deadlines, duties and decisions to make before the big day. Don’t worry, take a deep breath and read on for some useful Wedding Planning Tips.

GET ON THE SAME PAGE

Wedding plans often seem like a doubles match in tennis; two sets of parents and the bride and groom. Unless your parents are footing the entire bill for the big day, the first wedding tip to share is to make it your special day. Often the parents of the couple want to become the wedding planners, consultants and honeymoon guide. Make the decision that your fiancé and you will stay united on your desires and stick to your plans. Wedding couples must continually seek common ground and co-operation in their wedding plans and preparations. Will it be a large wedding or small?  Who will be your groomsmen and bridesmaids?  Who will be the best man or the maid of honor?  Where will the wedding take place and who will perform the ceremony?  You both need to agree on a wedding budget, number of guests you will invite, and the type of reception and ceremony you want. Planning a wedding is great practice for learning to compromise, communicate and learn to resolve conflict, and you will learn a great deal about your marriage partner.

SETTING UP A TIMELINE FOR MARRIAGE

There are many resources in bookstores, magazines and online to help you determine the best plan. Many churches have wedding consultants who are willing to help you get things started and give you direction. If you do decide on using a wedding consultant, do not pick blindly from the yellow pages or the internet. Traditionally speaking, the first few duties on your timeline is setting a wedding date, deciding the time and place for your wedding and reception, the people in your wedding party, and the person performing the ceremony. Over the next couple of months you will check out various vendors and eventually choose a florist, musicians, photographer, wedding colors and styles of dresses and tuxedos. Additionally, you will build the guest list and choose the honeymoon location.

WEDDING BELL WARNINGS AND WHAT-NOT-TO-DO!

Do not decide you will out-do your sister Bertha’s wedding cost and proceed to go into great debt for your wedding or bankrupt your parents. Also, do not look for the cheapest vendor in order to save money on your wedding. Alas, you will sadly find out why the flowers were so inexpensive when the dying daffodils make their debut on your big day. The same is true with photographers, caterers and musicians. If something is unusually cheap, there is usually a reason. Do not allow your parents to take over your big day. They may want the wedding in a certain church with a certain minister, in a certain city – but do you?

BUDGET WEDDING TIPS

In case you did not know, approximately 35 – 50 percent of the wedding cost is from the reception costs you have for your wedding. This does not mean buying ‘Top Ramen’ packets to hand out as your guests leave the church, but take some time to set your priorities for your wedding. Some of the items that take much of the budget are exotic locations, designer wedding attire, florists and the ‘baling’ in your ring. Do not find the cheapest photographer, florist or soloist. Usually you get what you pay for. There are some expenses, however, that go into a wedding that would go largely unnoticed by your guests. With some proper planning and preparation, you can make the biggest day of your life…truly special!

Many brides love flowers and delight in planning the flowers for their wedding ceremony and reception. Fresh and healthy flowers really create a beautiful and polished atmosphere both for the wedding ceremony and reception. All those brides and grooms who have gardening and horticultural knowledge will be able to utilize their experiences when it comes to deciding upon which flowers and floral designs you would like for your special day.

I myself have been gardening for fifteen years and have experience working in a flower shop, so I will share my own tips for selecting bridal flowers.

1) Consider the bride and the groom’s favorite flowers and colors.

2) Consider the appearance, size, shape, color and fragrance of the flowers.

3) Consider buying flowers in season and locally grown, as this is cheaper and better for the environment as the flowers don’t have to be imported from another country or state.

4) It is recommended that the bride and groom make a consultation with florists at two or three different flower shops. Come prepared with your questions, your price range, and a list of your favorite flowers.

5) Select flowers with shapes and colors that compliment the bride’s complexion, hair color, overall appearance and wedding gown.

6) Choose flowers that flatter bridesmaids and their dresses, and the groom, groomsmen and their tuxedos.

7) Think about the style your want to achieve:

a) traditional
b) contemporary/modern

8) Think about the time of day of wedding ceremony, wedding photographs and wedding reception. The goal is to have the flowers remain fresh and healthy for the ceremony, photographs and reception. Flowers like roses need water picks to hold water and Gerbera daisies require a lot of water to remain healthy.

9) Keep in mind the location of your ceremony and purchase flowers to decorate that flatter the colors and lighting of the church or hall.

10) Think about the location of your reception and purchase flowers to decorate that flatter the colors, furniture and lighting of the reception site.

11) Get recommendations from family and friends on the flowers that they had at their own weddings.

12) Discover ideas for floral designs in wedding magazines and on bridal websites.

13) Remember to keep in mind the cost of each flower. Flowers that are readily available are cheaper than more exotic and hard-to-find flowers.

14) Reflect on all of your wedding floral needs:

• for ceremony; flowers for church pews, altar, registry table, front platform, outside church doors, church foyer
• for reception; floral centerpiece for each dinner table, special centerpieces for wedding party’s table
• bridal bouquet
• bridesmaids bouquets
• groom’s boutonniere
• mother-of-the-bride and mother-of-the-groom corsages
• groomsmen’s boutonniere
• boutonniere for father-of-the-bride and father-of-the-groom
• bride’s bouquet for bouquet toss
• flower girl’s flowers
• ring bearer’s boutonniere

Enjoy planning your wedding. Take time to smell the roses!

You have finally discovered the woman that fills your heart’s desires and you are planning your romantic proposal. A man often has various questions, concerns and insecurities when it comes to presenting his girlfriend with her engagement ring.

Let’s first offer you some basic education about shopping for engagement rings. Consider the following decisions:

1) Select the metal of the ring:

• platinum – strongest, most pure metal – more expensive
• white/yellow gold – most common for engagement rings – less expensive

2) Decide on the setting style:

• Solitaire Settings – most popular for engagement rings
• Settings with Side Stones – diamonds or gems along the sides of the ring to add more sparkle and color
• Three Stone Settings – ring carries diamond to represent the past, diamond to represent the present and diamond to represent the future

3) Select the diamond shape:

• Round
• Princess
• Emerald
• Asscher
• Marquise
• Oval
• Pear
• Radiant
• Heart
• Cushion

4) Decide on your diamond size. Remember, quality matters more than quantity!

• 0.25 carat
• 0.5 carat
• 0.75 carat
• 1.0 carat
• 1.5 carat

5) Remember the Four C’s.

• CUT
• COLOR
• CLARITY
• CARAT WEIGHT

Tips for selecting the special ring that girlfriend will love and making it a surprise:

1) Consider her lifestyle and her personal tastes.

2) Carefully examine the colors of the jewelry your lady wears. Does she wear platinum or white gold or yellow gold?

3) Ask your girlfriend’s mother or friends if she talked about liking a specific type or style of ring.

4) The other option is shopping for an engagement ring together with your girlfriend. Then she can show you the exact rings that she likes and you can find the style that flatters her the most.
Remember to focus on making your relationship with your girlfriend as loving, strong and mutually-fulfilling as possible so that she will be so happy to accept your wedding proposal and she will not be envious of other women’s engagement rings because she is marrying you, the man of her dreams.