You’ve now taken the plunge and said you to his marriage proposal. You’re excited but have some trepidation about the next step. Embarking on wedding preparations can be a daunting experience. But don’t worry there is help at hand. This beginner’s guide to wedding planning will give you a good starting point for planning the biggest celebration of your life.

The First step is to consider the date. Do you want an autumn wedding or do you prefer the symbolism of a springtime celebration. Whichever you choose you need to allow yourself enough time to book your venues as most a booked months in advance.

The budget is the next step in planning your wedding. How much you are willing to spend will determine the type of wedding you’ll have. Big or small. Extravagant or simple. A fully catered event or a cocktail party. To put a budget together you should estimate the cost of everything and then try to keep to your budget. Make sure you expectations and budget are realistic.

Research suppliers and vendors you think you might use for your wedding. Below is a suggested checklist with timelines.

12 TO 24 MONTHS BEFORE WEDDING

- Announce your engagement to family, and then friends
- Decide upon a budget and list who will pay for what
- Determine wedding style and degree of formality of your wedding
- Meet with clergy. Arrange for pre-marital counselling or classes suggested by clergy
- Select ceremony site (have alternative plan if wedding is held outside)
- Select reception site (have alternative plan if wedding is held outside)
- Set date and time of wedding and reception

Note: You must coordinate your ceremony site, reception site, date and time of wedding, budget and size of the wedding before any other definite plans can be made

- Both families begin to compile guest lists. (Set a definite date for final lists.)
- Develop a record-keeping system for all wedding details, contracts, etc.
- Develop a record-keeping system for guests, invitations, gifts, and thank-you notes

6 TO 9 MONTHS BEFORE WEDDING

- Select colour scheme and wedding theme
- Select photographer/ videographer
- Select music for ceremony
- Select reception entertainment
- Select florist
- Select limousine service or other transportation
- Select caterer (if not provided by reception site)
- Select and order wedding cake
- Choose your attendants including bridesmaids and groomsmen.
- Shop for your gown, veil, headpiece, jewellery and accessories

Note: You should order your gown at least 7 months before your wedding date.

- Select bridesmaid’s gowns

Note: These gowns should also be ordered at approximately same time as your gown. Obtain a swatch of fabric to coordinate all other wedding colours.

- Select shoes for you and bridesmaids.
- Select formalwear
- Finalize honeymoon plans
- Apply for passport and arrange for inoculations (if necessary)
- Select beauty consultant
- Make arrangements for rehearsal dinner.
- Reserve wedding night hotel suite

4 TO 6 MONTHS BEFORE WEDDING

- Finalize guest list, eliminate duplicates
- Enter guests’ names, addresses, and phone numbers into appropriate record book.
- Delegate duties to the bridal party i.e planning bachelor/bucks party and brides party/hens night
- Select wedding rings
- Select bonbonniere. (If they are to be made, begin preparations.)
- Make appointments for hairdresser, nail salon, makeup, tanning salon
- Try new hairstyle now, rather than just before wedding.
- Order invitations, wedding stationery, personal stationery with your married name, etc.
- Reconfirm plans with ceremony and reception sites, clergy person, caterer, florist, Photographer, videographer, ceremony and reception musicians, baker, and travel agent for honeymoon plans.
- Check on status of attendants’ gowns.
- Write and review wedding vows, if appropriate.
- Ask special people to do reading at the ceremony.
- Design wedding program handout for ceremony and arrange to have wedding program printed.
- Make sure all deposits are paid, and contracts signed.

2 TO 4 MONTHS BEFORE WEDDING

- Address wedding invitations. (Invitations should be mailed six weeks before wedding date.)
- Select gifts for attendants
- Compile bridal shower guest lists.
- Purchase garter, cake top, knife, toasting glasses
- Set up a Bridal Registry

1 TO 2 MONTHS BEFORE WEDDING

- Have fittings for gown and attendants’ gowns
- Obtain marriage license. (30 days before wedding date)
- Purchase wedding gift for fiancé.
- Prepare seating list for reception and make place cards, if appropriate.
- Confirm ceremony details with officiate.
- Finalize wedding music
- Finalize music list for reception. Request special dances, songs, etc.
- Make an itinerary for your wedding day. Give to all wedding party members, parents, and wedding consultant.
- Make sure all transportation arrangements for wedding party have been finalized.
- Confirm that all men have been fitted for formalwear.

2 WEEKS BEFORE WEDDING

- Call guests who have not responded to invitations
- Confirm time and date of wedding rehearsal with all wedding party members.
- Obtain travel tickets, itineraries

1 WEEK BEFORE WEDDING

- Try on wedding gown to check fit and make sure it is pressed.
- Reconfirm all wedding plans: ceremony and reception site, florist, photographer, videographer, musicians, baker, and honeymoon plans.
- Give caterer/reception site final head count.
- Make final payment for any services that require prepayment.
- Verify that all attendants have wedding apparel.

1 DAY BEFORE WEDDING

- Set aside everything you will need at ceremony site: gown, headpiece, veil, accessories, shoes, stockings, slip, purse, brush and hairspray.
- Attend rehearsal
- Get a good nights sleep!

WEDDING DAY

- Forget any details that run amok.
- Eat a good breakfast.
- Take a relaxing bath.
- See hairdresser for wedding hairstyle.
- Have makeup applied.
- Don’t forget rings and wedding license.
- Thank everyone for their help.

Enjoy the day!

For more information visit http://www.nusuevents.com.au

Nariman Taweel is an accomplished Trainer and Entrepreneur. To view more articles on events and event planning visit http://www.nusuevents.com.au.

Wedding insurance is as essential to your wedding planning as the dress.  Consider how much you spent on your car, was it less than the sum you are about to invest in your wedding?  Would you even consider not having adequate car insurance?  No?  Then why wouldn’t you insure your wedding – when the average cost these days can fall between two and three times the cost of an average family saloon car?

A wedding insurance policy is comparatively cheap for insurance which covers a wide range of different parts of your wedding day.  Cover can be arranged that gives you reassurance about the largest disasters (cancellation) through to some parts that may give minor disruption but not devastating consequences (cars not arriving, for example).

Before deciding on the items that you need insurance cover for, and the value of cover that you will need, it will be worth investigating a couple of other sources of cover that may be available to you.  If you have sufficient limits on your household insurance policy, you may find that items such as the wedding gifts, rings and wedding dress/attire are covered whilst in your home.  A call to the insurance broker should be able to confirm this and/or give you a quote for the extension of cover required to the household insurance.

Items purchased or booked for your wedding and paid by credit card will often carry a level of insurance cover from the credit card provider.  In these cases, a wedding insurance policy may be duplicating cover that you already have.  For example, if the florist went out of business before your wedding day, your credit card supplier would most likely cover the refund of any deposit or payment made by the card.

When you have considered each of the alternative insurance options available to you, if you decide that a more comprehensive wedding insurance policy better serves your needs, start shopping for it as early as possible.  Most wedding insurances offer cover on a fixed scale of fees, providing cover until 24 hours after your wedding date.  The sooner you arrange insurance cover the more reassured you can be about issuing deposit payments to the various suppliers, etc., so make wedding insurance one of the priorities when you’re making the planning list of items.

When assessing the level of cover you may need, take into account the various items that come together to make your wedding day:

Wedding Cars / Transport Cover

If the transport fails to show or they go out of business before your wedding day, the wedding insurance will cover a refund of your costs, enabling you to make alternative arrangements without incurring additional costs on the budget.

Wedding Rings Cover

The age-old ‘joke’ of the best man losing the rings  – it can happen, and it’s not funny!  It’s also possible for theft or loss of the wedding rings to happen any time up to your marriage service.  Check that the amount specified in the wedding insurance policy is adequate to cover the total value of both the bride and groom’s wedding rings.

Wedding Flowers Cover

If the florist goes out of business before the wedding day or doesn’t arrive with the floral decorations or buttonholes on the day, although the wedding insurance won’t replace these, it should cover the cost that you have outlaid to the florist supplier.  It means that your last minute replacements won’t be an additional cost to your special day.

Wedding Dress / Attire Cover

Accidental damage to the wedding dress ranks amongst the highest of claims made against wedding insurance policies.  Imagine the loss and devastation that you would feel if a burst water pipe or fire or other unexpected event was to cause loss or damage to your beautiful gown.  Most wedding insurance policies will cover the wedding dress and the outfits of the main bridal party, but where suits, etc. are to be hired, check who’s responsibility it is for insurance, the supplier or the hirer (most will be the responsibility of the hirer, but some suppliers will offer their own additional insurance cover).

Wedding Caterer Cover

If the chosen caterer goes out of business or – even worse – fails to show up at your reception venue on the date, adequate wedding insurance will cover a refund of the large sum that you have paid to them, leaving you to be able to make emergency alternative arrangements without suffering the additional inconvenience of extra costs to your budget.

Wedding Reception Venue Insurance Cover

If a last minute disaster prevented you from using the reception venue that you had booked, fire or flood for example, wedding insurance would cover the last minute alternative that you had been forced to arrange.  If your chosen reception venue were to close or go out of business the wedding insurance policy would reimburse the payments you had make, allowing you to choose a different reception venue location without suffering a financial loss.

Wedding Cake Cover

The extravagant creation of your masterpiece wedding cake will be finished and then transported to the reception venue.  In almost every case this is done by experienced people and it is successful, but disasters can happen!  If your wedding cake isn’t delivered, or anything causes it to be damaged, the wedding insurance policy will cover the cost.

Wedding Photographer and Photography Insurance Cover

A lot of things can happen surrounding your plans and wedding day that are totally beyond the couple’s control; the photographer not turning up, the photographs not being able to be processed because of technical problems, etc.  Adequate protection from wedding insurance will help alleviate the cost should these difficulties occur.  If your photographs don’t turn out, then you have the opportunity to have the bridal party and many of the guests reassembled and have them re-taken, thanks to your wisdom of having your wedding day adequately insured against such mishaps.

Wedding Present Insurance

A good wedding insurance policy will reimburse the cost/value up to a specified sum for damage to, or theft of, wedding presents.  One of the higher number of claims relating to wedding insurance policies is the collapse of tables holding the gifts at the reception, or accidental damage of more delicate presents such as glass or crystal items.

Wedding Guest Liability Cover

Most wedding insurance policies give a level of liability insurance if someone is injured at your wedding.  The level of cover often has an option to increase the amount should you need to do so.  Some of your suppliers (marriage location, reception venue, etc.) will carry their own liability insurance, so it may be prudent to check this out before extending the level of inclusive cover.

Wedding Cancellation Cover

If the bride or groom change their mind or run for the hills, this won’t be covered by wedding insurance!  However, if an event beyond your control, such as the death of a close family member or illness in the family (or of the bride or groom), that causes your wedding to be canceled or postponed, then the insurance will cover a refund of your expenditure up to a stated amount.  If extreme weather conditions cause cancellation due to the guests being unable to attend, or the venue being adversely affected, then the wedding insurance will apply.  However, if you are unfortunate enough to have bad weather on the day it is unlikely that the insurance would cover such circumstances (you may wish to try a bookmaker!).

Marquee Cover 

Most wedding insurers offer marquee cover as an optional extra.  Not all weddings will need this and those using a marquee should check with the hire company if an additional level of insurance cover is needed before adding it to the policy.

The months before your wedding day can be quite stressful, while you’re trying to get everything organized and perfectly timed.  No one wants to think of things going wrong, but wedding insurance will give you the peace of mind that your deposits and outlay to the various suppliers are insured and will be refunded in the event that anything did go amiss in the period leading to your big day.  Wedding insurance will take away some of the worries that you may have and is a good investment to make.

Article by Steve Shaw, of wedding services and information. The website http://www.weddingservices.eclectic-choice.co.uk offers advice and information on organizing and arranging your wedding insurance.

Wedding plans: have you made yours yet? Are you to be a spring bride? If so then you need to get things rolling “now” to avoid any last minute hiccups that could spoil your wedding day. You need to be “organized,” if not, then “prepared” being the more appropriate word to use for the worst happening. When making wedding plans keep in mind that “two heads are better than one.” Having someone at your side along way can help tremendously in the way of coming up with ideas and to help lighten the load. This can be a stressful time for the future bride, however by knowing the things you want and how to go about getting them will have you avoid hours of bridal mayhem. Make sure to involve your future husband with all wedding plans so he has the opportunity to contribute or have his say.

It does not matter how precise you are you can bet something will go belly up on the day. Even the wedding experts can get it wrong sometimes. It only takes the slightest little thing to spoil what may have taken you a year or two to plan, if not longer. Typical mishaps like forgetting to inform the chauffeur where the church service is to be held or mislaying the wedding rings are a couple to mention. If you finalize particular wedding tasks early enough then you’re half way there in having a mishap carefree day.

Drawing up a wedding-to-do-list should be your top priority. Put a date in your diary to meet up with them who you have allotted a particular wedding duty to carry out. Keep these meetings regular so you know where you’re up to with the wedding tasks. What’s been accomplished can be ticked off your wedding-to-do-list. The more ticks there is the fewer headaches. Duties for wedding helpers might include ordering the flowers, baking the wedding cake, sending out invitations down to booking the minister for the wedding ceremony. Let the happiest day of your life stay that way by planning ahead.

The content bride will always look the prettiest on the day more than that of a miserable looking bride.

By highlighting some vital wedding issues will help you get yourself in order to achieve the perfect wedding. If you experience difficulty in planning your wedding, then in all due respect it maybe down to you that is making it difficult. You need to relax and take time out to think and not rush.

There are a lot of steps you will need to take when planning a wedding but taking one step at a time is the answer. Taking too much on at once can cause problems and cause you unnecessary stress. When planning a wedding, you need to make detail planning of the program. Let us begin with the wedding reception, some couples dedicate more of their time to this part of their wedding than any other part of the wedding events. You need to make sure that the venue hall is an ideal size for accommodating all your guests. Estimating the number of guests coming at this stage is not good, it is best to have exact numbers if it is a sit down meal because you could end up spending over the odds. Planning the reception should have you include and allow for the catering, decorations and entertainment.

Involve yourself with the catering and by doing this you get to check the menu with your caterer and change things as you go along. Wedding entertainment like hiring a disco DJ or live band is fabulous for getting people in the mood for dancing.

If you have to much on your plate and have no time to involve yourself with the catering then you will need to get a final head count for any meals to be served concerning your wedding to your caterer. This count should include the wedding photographer and coordinator as well as your wedding entertainment members, such as the DJ or singers.

When planning a wedding it is favourable to have wedding favors. The more unique the wedding favour the more it excites the guest. Send wedding invitations early so your guest will have time to prepare themselves for your special day. Your guest may have book a day off work, buy a new outfit or arrange for a baby sitter so it is important to send wedding invites at least 12 weeks in advance.

Wedding tips

1 Whether your hair stylist is calling to your home or you are to visit the hair salon, remember to wear loose clothing especially round the neck. After your hair has be styled in the fashion you want you don’t want to spoil it when removing any garments. A blouse is more ideal with a button down front.

2 If the bridal gown is designed for going over the head then place a pillow case or petticoat over first to prevent any lipstick/mascara smudges getting on the dress. It will also allow the dress to glide over the head without tossing your hair.

3 Don’t forget to remove the price tags from the soles off the shoes. This is easily overlooked and can go unnoticed; however not by the people in the church.

4 We all know children are easily bored and “will” get up to mischief at the drop of hat so if possible for the bridal dressing have a separate room for the kiddies to play and an adult to keep them in check. If the flower girls/bridesmaids are of toddler age – dress them last.

5 Keep beverages (coffee tea blackcurrant juice) at a distance if the wedding dress is fitted. Assist young children when thirsty by guiding the drinking cup to their mouth. Spillage is a spoiler.

6 Call the best man on the morning of your wedding day to make sure the groom did arrived home safe from the night before (stag do,) and at the same time ask him if he has the wedding bands. Men have been known to walk up the aisle without socks so keep this in mind.

7 The man’s buttonhole is traditionally worn on the left lapel, of course personal preference prevails. Have someone help the men pin their buttonholes because it is nothing new to see a beautiful displayed corsage – displayed upside down.

8 Don’t write your speech down on a scrap of paper because it’s easy to think it rubbish and gets thrown out. Nerves can have you say things that people may not want to hear so be careful with choice of words. Read your speech back as many times as it takes for you to be satisfied.

Wedding reminders for the to-do-list

Wedding ceremony location
Wedding programs, pew bows, chapel flowers, unity and taper candles
Marriage license and the officiate fees.
Useful pieces to have at your side – scotch tape for the gift table, a guest book and pen.
Have a basket for placing money envelopes in.
Don’t forget the silver knife for cutting the wedding cake
Glasses for the wedding toast.

Have a medical/emergency kit close by which should contain, make up and hair spray along with personal feminine items if needed. Other bits are Q-tips, facial tissues, aspirin or Tylenol. The list is endless so you could find yourself packing a case instead of a box. You need to know when to stop, mind you what about a nail file and clear nail polish, a stapler and safety pins, “see what I mean,” oh and spare panty hose.

Why not make your special day special for everyone else too. You can do this by giving your guests a unique wedding favor.

Wedding favors are given as a way to say “Thank You” to the wedding guests, – and if the perfect favor is given then you will have very thankful guests.

Wedding favors Ideas

Cookies and Chocolates
Crystal
Guest books
Glass coasters
Photo Album
Silver Items
Bath sets
Unity candles

Check on your wedding plans regular to avoid last minute hiccups.

Should a problem rise on your wedding day then meet it head on with plan B.? You do have one don’t you? It is in your best interest to have back up. For instance if the photographer gets stuck in a traffic jam, then have a camcorder in the car. If the caterer has faulted and burnt the wedding breakfast, then have a pizza house number on your personal, or if the groom does not turn up then settle for the better man i.e. “best” man. All joking aside it is important to have your standby props.

Rid Fat for your Wedding

Unique Bridal Skincare