If you haven’t already decided on a florist you may want to ask the advice of family and friends. Pay close attention to the recommendations of those who have recently been married. The newly married will be able to offer you good advice. You can also talk to the people who are in charge of the ceremony and reception sites. These folks often have great ideas for the best florists.

You may want to make a few visits to the florists that you are considering. When you are actually in the business you will see how the customers are treated and if the shop is clean and organized. Take a good look at the flower bouquets and arrangements and notice the design and freshness of the flowers.

Figure out how many arrangements, bouquets, boutonnieres and corsages that you will need. Take this information with you any time you talk to a florist about the wedding flowers.

Before you decide on your wedding flowers, talk to more than one florist. You might want to bring pictures of bouquets and arrangements that you like. Also bring pictures of your dress and the bridesmaid’s dresses. All these things will be instrumental in assuring the most beautiful wedding flowers possible.

Make sure you have samples of the colors you plan to use in the wedding. This will be very helpful in choosing the colors of the flowers.

You might want to ask the florist for some photos of wedding flowers they have designed. Many florists keep a book of wedding flower photos exactly for this purpose.

Talk to your florist about using flowers that match the style of your wedding. If you are having a casual wedding you may want to use different flowers than if you are planning a traditional wedding.

You also might want to consider using wedding flowers that are specific to your region and to the season in which you are getting married. This will not only keep the cost down but you will not have to worry about the flowers being available.

Choose your wedding flowers carefully and they will be a wonderful part of your wedding.

Here’s how. Make sure your wedding photographer offers you these five things. Then you can relax and feel confident the love, special moments and important details of your wedding day will be captured in beautiful images for a lifetime of memories.

1. Do you like the photographer’s work? Look at a fairly good selection of the photographers wedding images, not just a few photos on a web site. It’s best if you can see at least an album or two and a proof book of a complete wedding. The albums probably represent the best of the photographer’s work, and the proof book shows all the typical images he or she captures during a wedding day. How do the images look to you? Are they pleasing to look at? Does the lighting and the color look good to you? Is the photographer’s style what you are looking for? Most of our bridal couples are looking for a mix of photojournalistic images and classic posed traditional ones. Make sure your photographer is capable of, and comfortable with, taking the style of images you want for your wedding. If you don’t like the photographer’s work, there is no need to consider them further. Also, make sure the work you see was done by the photographer who will photograph your wedding. Some studios will show you a lot of good work from various photographers, but will not guarantee you will get the photographer whose work you like the best. Sometimes, a husband and wife team like ours is the best way to be sure the photographer’s work you see is the work you will get.

2. Do you like the photographer’s personality and mannerisms? Is the photographer confident, easy going and not a nervous ninny? Does the photographer have a good sense of humor? Remember, the photographer will be present through most of your wedding day, interacting with you, your wedding party, your family, and your guests. A demanding, inflexible, and uptight photographer can make your day unpleasant. I know you don’t want that! Make sure you and your spouse-to-be get along well with the photographer you choose. If the photographer is going to have a second photographer help at your wedding, meet the assistant photographer and make sure you feel comfortable with them also. To get to know your photographer before you choose them, it is really important you meet with them personally. If it is physically impossible to meet with the photographer, you should make sure some of their testimonials from previous clients make you feel comfortable with the photographer’s personality.

3. Does the photographer have a strong sense of commitment to photographing your wedding and a professional work ethic? Does the photographer use professional cameras, lenses and flash systems? Does he or she have at least some lenses that will produce good images in low light situations (f2.8 aperture)? Does the photographer use a soft box over the flash and keep the flash above the lens on both horizontal and vertical photos to minimize shadows in their images? Does he or she always bring a complete set of backup equipment, or bring a second photographer with another set of equipment, to every wedding? How will the photographer and their assistant be dressed on your wedding day? Ask them. Hopefully, they will professional enough to arrive dressed in a tux, suit, or dressy dress. Although, if your photographer is a man and he says he’s coming in a dressy dress, you might worry a little about that . You should get the feeling that your photographer is dedicated to making sure your wedding day is wonderful, and that all of the love, emotions and important details will be captured in images you will be able to enjoy for the rest of your life.

4. Does your photographer have the experience to anticipate all the good things that will happen on your wedding day, and the experience to deal with the bad things that could happen also? An experienced photographer will have photographed enough weddings to anticipate and capture special moments during your day, and the important details that may easily be missed by a “newbie”. An experienced photographer also knows that things do go wrong sometimes and will be able to anticipate and deal with them, often without you even knowing that something went wrong. That’s why a complete set of backup equipment is necessary. My little kit of duct tape, extra cables, pen knife with scissors, and band-aids has been a life saver several times.

5. Does your photographer offer you the right value? Not the right price, but, the right value. If your photographer doesn’t have all of the above four characteristics, it may not matter what their prices are. If the photographer has all four, that’s a big part of the value they offer you. In this case, the price should be less important. Just make sure your photographer will provide what is really important to you and is upfront with you about costs for everything you want. Someone who offers a “low” price up front may sound attractive. But, things change when you find they charge extra for every location stop, for the digital image files, for a studio set up at the reception, and so on. A photographer who charges twice as much, but includes almost everything, can often be a better value for you.

So, there you have it. Choose your wedding photographer based on the above five factors and you will go a long way toward having the wedding of your dreams. Good luck and congratulations again.

A short list of wedding-related tasks as well as a rough estimate of when the activities should be done follows. It presents tips and guidelines to keep you organized and help you think of all the matters that you must take into consideration in the course of planning for your big day. Of course, these are mere suggestions. All activities and schedule are still up to the couple to decide on depending on their priorities.

At the Time of the Engagement
- You must tell your parents the happy news as soon as possible that is if they don’t already know. If you were having an engagement party, it would be good to keep your close friends and relatives in the know, too.

- An organizer would be best to have in handy. This will help you keep track of all the appointments, payments and other wedding-related activities that you must attend to.
- Have your engagement photo taken. This would be nice to have as a keepsake of this wonderful occasion.

6 to 12 Months In Advance Before the Big Day

- The couple should have already picked and decided on the wedding date. Do the reservation for the venue where the ceremony and reception is to be held.
- Set an appointment with the wedding officiant.
- Establish a budget for the wedding, and try as much as possible to stick to it.
- Prepare a wedding guest list. You wouldn’t want to leave somebody uninvited unintentionally.

- Look around for a photographer, florists, musicians, and a caterer. Obtain estimates for these services.

- Register at the bridal gift registry.
- Pick a wedding dress and accessories to go with it. If you are having a seamstress make you one, this is the time to have it arranged. Several fittings may be required for this.
- For the bride, select your bridesmaids. Set a date for ordering dresses for them.

4 to 6 Months In Advance Before the Big Day
- Have the invitations, stationeries, and thank you notes ordered.
- The photographer, florist, musician, and caterer should have already been chosen. Go over details with each of these services to make sure that everything is as agreed upon.
- For the groom, select attire.
- Honeymoon reservations should be made already at this point.
- Confirm the delivery of the bridal gown.

2 Months In Advance Before the Big Day
- Plan your rehearsal dinner.
- If you are having out-of-town attendants, arrange for their lodging.
- Make an appointment with your chosen photographer for the shooting of the bridal portrait.

- Order the wedding cake.

1 Month In Advance Before the Big Day
- The couple should decide on a wedding band set.
- Mail the invitations.
- Check the apparel for the wedding party.
- The couple attends showers.

2 Weeks Before the Wedding.
- It is time to apply for marriage license and attend to other legal matters, especially for the bride – name and address changes on bank accounts and other official documents.
- Plan a wedding hairstyle and make-up with your stylist.
- Check with the caterer and the reception venue for last minute changes.

1 Week Before the Wedding
- Do your honeymoon packing.
- Wrap gifts for the groom and attendants.
- Schedule the wedding rehearsal.
- Remind the wedding party of the exact time and place for the occasion.

On Wedding Day
- Take breakfast! Fainting on the aisle wouldn’t be cool.
- Have your hair and make-up done.
- Shake off all your wedding details worries and enjoy your day.

Do a check list of all your wedding plans and be sure that choosing a perfect wedding ring is one of your top priorities besides turning up on the day?

Choosing a wedding ring is not as simple as you think, much thought is needed behind your chosen design. What you have to remember the wedding band binds the happy couple together forever. This ornate piece of Jewelry with so much meaning will be worn every day so we need to choose something pretty special.

Back to your budget which will play an important role when making your choice, because of the penny shortage does not mean that you can not have that piece of warm gold or cool silver, if precious stones were to be embedded or mounted in your actual design then dont expect to many diamonds with just a fist full of dollars.

Jewelry materials like what is used in wedding rings have evolved over the years.
Popular is the 14K/18 yellow gold which you will find more of a favourable option worldwide. Close on its heels is the white gold gaining more popularity by the day.

Why not consider platinum, known to be one of the hardest metals and once again a fine choice in a wedding ring. Platinum is a durable material and therefore able to hold up to any wear and tear. Platinum wedding rings look very similar to rings made of white gold which many can be excused for the mix up but at the end of the day both look stylish and elegant. However, platinum wedding rings are more expensive.

For the man it has to be Titanium which is becoming a favourite among the male species. It is light and long lasting and far less expensive as platinum. Once again Titanium wedding rings can be mistaken for the white gold in appearance.

Styles and what to choose is where you come in, only you know what you are looking for therefore it is wise to shop around before making the final decision, you would never forgive yourself if you see a cheaper ring around the corner and more beautiful. There are so many designs and styles to choose from. You have traditional plain bands to more up market exquisite ones.

Modern society designs are worth checking out. Why not opt for a two-tone wedding band. Celtic wedding rings are famous these days with couples where they bond their marriage with highly carved and engraved work of a craftsman.

In some cases the bride matches her wedding ring with the design of her engagement ring. This also has to be taken into consideration when mixing and matching especially when both rings are worn on the same finger.
It is best to know the ring size if shopping out of a catalogue or online.

By going into a jewellers for the wedding bands will cause you less stress where if the rings are ordered they may not be the right size or wrong design when delivered therefore all the heartache of having to send them back. Now we dont want more heartache than necessary as you have that to come with married life (Only joking)

Online shopping is an easy option just be sure to have the right measurements etc and all should be hunky dory just like the hunk you are about to marry.

Most couples choose to have their names and wedding dates printed on personalised ribbon for favour boxes, although some brides do have the guests names also printed on ribbon – a great idea for a place setting too.

Another way of providing guests with a personalised wedding favour is by attaching a tag. This personalised wedding favour tag may state the names of the bride and groom along with their wedding date or the wedding venue name or a short message from the happy couple to the guests.

A unique wedding favour such as this is well received by the guests and once the contents have been consumed, there is something left to have as a keepsake. In essence, all brides try to offer unique wedding favours to their guests but there is nothing worse than receiving a gift similar to one you have previously received at a wedding. Bear this in mind when you are deciding which wedding favours to offer your guests at your wedding because people do remember a unique wedding favour or a personalised wedding favour more than one which is non specific and seemingly not very well thought out.

Of course, not all unique wedding favours are edible. There are many gifts that can be given to wedding guests that are inedible such as wedding favour coasters, photo album favours, picture frame wedding favours and candle wedding favours. These are just as easy to present as personalised wedding favours, again with the addition of personalised ribbon or a personalised tag. Your guests may well be equally impressed with your innovative and novel ideas as you provide them with a quality alternative to edible wedding favours.

Instead of spending out on wedding favours, some brides choose to offer guests a piece of wedding cake beautifully presented in a personalised wedding favour box or a pretty organza bag. For brides who choose to give their guests some cake in a bag, they can attach a personalised wedding favour tag or tie the top with personalised ribbon. Either way, it is a lovely way of being a bit different and really offering your guests a unique wedding favour exclusive to you.

Keep it Short:

The worst part of any wedding celebration is when some long winded buffoon drones on and on during his opportunity to make a wedding speech. No one wants to listen to your ramblings for forty minutes, no matter how interesting you may think they are. People are at the wedding to share in the couple’s joy and have a good time. No one will be able to do either if you talk for too great a length of time. Try to keep your speech under five minutes long if possible.

Save the jokes for Henny Youngman:

Public speakers often like to try and break the ice with a joke, have you ever noticed that? Have you also noticed that the jokes are usually bad? These people have professional speech writers working for them. You do not. Unless you are truly a funny person (your name is Robin Williams, for example), steer clear of the jokes. If you do have to make jokes during your wedding speech, try to make them appropriate for the occasion. Jokes about weddings in general or the people in attendance will always work better than jokes of the “a guy walks into a bar” variety. Also remember that jokes at the groom’s expense are funny while those at the bride’s expense are not. That’s just the way it is.

Sentimentality Works:

People get all warm, fuzzy, and gushy at weddings. Sharing sentimental stories about the couple and how in love they are, about your own wedding, or any other appropriately smarmy topic will have them eating out of your hand. Make the focus of your wedding speech the subject of love and roses and good feelings and puppies and you can’t go wrong.

This Day is Not About You:

This is perhaps the most important thing to keep in mind when preparing and making a wedding speech. No matter how popular you are, no one is there to see you. The wedding day is all about the bride and groom. This is their day in the sun, so to speak. Keep your stories and anecdotes focused on the happy couple so that they can stay that way while you are speaking.

Keeping these topics in mind will help you be successful when making a wedding speech. With the right ideas and a minimal amount of preparation, even the most tongue tangled individual can come off like The Great Orator at least for five minutes or so when speaking at a wedding.

1. Use all the resources available in choosing ideas and design on your wedding gown.

Before, wedding magazines are the only resources where the bride-to-be can get some useful ideas on her wedding gown. However, with the advent of the Internet, she can now browse for more ideas and concepts of wedding gowns online.

There are web sites that will provide you with full details regarding a particular wedding gown, complete with prices, different styles, and fashion sense.

2. Make a budget and strictly conform to it.

Budget will never be absent in any wedding plans. However, the most common problem that arises concerning budgeting is the fact that people do not stick to it.

Hence, if you have a budget for your wedding gown, it would be better to stick to it and not be enticed with all the promotions of whoever will make your wedding gown. Otherwise, you will fall short on the other aspects of your wedding plans.

3. Be sure to have your wedding gown looking good in all angles.

Usually, the most neglected part of the wedding gown is the back. So, when ordering a wedding gown, be sure that you will also look good from behind. Most of the time, the guests will have a look at your back so you definitely have to look good from behind.

4. Be practical with the designs that you want to use.

Like any traditional wedding gowns, large skirts and long gowns are the typical styles of yesteryears. But in today’s modern world, there are cases wherein wedding gowns like these are not at all practical especially if the venue is just small.

Moreover, it can be burdensome for the bride to carry such a heavy dress throughout the wedding celebration. What matters most is to make the bride comfortable to what she is wearing.

5. Take into account the environmental condition of the venue of the wedding.

When choosing a wedding gown, it is best to consider the weather and the venue. This will have a great effect on the kind of material that should be worn by the bride.

For example, if the wedding will take place during summer, then, it is best to choose the materials for the wedding gown that will not make the bride sweat and perspire throughout the celebration.

Indeed, deliberating on the details of the wedding gown can be a daunting task. That is why it is important to provide a hefty amount of time in preparing, designing, and ordering the wedding gown. In this manner, there will be plenty of time for any changes and modifications without the tendency to come up with a rushed work.

More importantly, the bride should always consider her comfort when choosing a wedding gown. Looks and designs will only be put to waste if the bride is not comfortable wearing it.

As the old cliché goes, you are what you wear. Therefore, it would be better to wear a wedding gown that would reflect the happiness and love that is within the bride. In turn, the wedding gown will appear before the audience as the most beautiful centerpiece of the ceremony.

For many people a wedding dress should be a traditional full length white gown, symbolizing the bride’s pure heart and innocence, complete with veil and train first popularized by Queen Victoria when she broke with the royal custom of marrying in silver and chose a white gown for her marriage to Prince Albert. This started a craze which continues today with many brides choosing white or a variation of white such as cream, eggshell or ivory.

Today however we see two major shifts taking place when it comes to weddings.

The first is a return to pre-Victorian days when brides married in simpler dresses of just about any color that took their fancy, except for black which was associated with mourning and red which was worn only by “ladies of the night”. This also means often dispensing with the veil, which is said to symbolize virginity, and the train which is very much a trapping of royal weddings and emulates the peacock, which was formerly seen an a royal bird.

The second is a move away from the church wedding towards weddings held in a wide variety of venues, including the increasingly popular beach wedding.

As a result not only do brides now have a much wider choice of color for their wedding dress but, more importantly, dispensing with the veil and train and the need for a full length dress now means that brides can choose from a range of far more simple wedding dresses. For the cost conscious this is great as informal wedding dresses are also considerably cheaper than the full traditional white wedding outfit.

One other important point here is that the move away from the full white wedding gown also means that it is no longer necessary to purchase your dress from a specialist bridal outfitter who, not surprisingly, will charge a premium simply for the service that is provided or for the name or brand that you are buying. It’s a bit like a pair of running shoes – you can buy two virtually identical pairs of shoes and pay ten times more for one pair than for the other simply because it carries a brand name.

There has never been a better time to shop for your wedding dress and the choice available to you today in terms of color, style and supplier is vast. It’s no longer that difficult to find reasonably cheap wedding dresses and still end up looking like a million dollars in the dress of your dreams.

Also called wedding consultants or coordinators, wedding planners are the bride’s right hand down to every detail in the ceremony and reception. She can be there the moment after the ring is on the finger to the last guest at the reception. The bride has the choice to give as much or as little responsibility to the planner as she desires.

But how do you know if you should hire a wedding planner? Here are a few examples where a wedding planner can help:

1. The first and probably most important aim of a wedding planner is to relieve as much stress for the bride as possible while still making her feel in control of the event.

2. If you are planning on a budget, your wedding planner will be sensitive and also be capable to balance the expenses. A good planner will prioritize what needs more or less monetary attention. Also, you will more likely go over your budget if you plan alone. Your wedding planner will not only make you stick to your prearranged budget, but also knows many vendors and can find special deals you would otherwise not be able to attain.

3. A wedding planner will be flexible enough to accommodate your dreams for your perfect wedding, they should have the creativity to both encourage and execute your unique ideas. This is your wedding. You know what will make it memorable, and your planner should help make this dream come true. However, these professionals know what is and is not acceptable for a wedding ceremony. A good wedding planner will be honest about your not so great ideas such as the best man’s beer funneling contest.

4. If the ceremony is planned out of state, a planner in that area will be familiar with geography and will know the best vendors for that area.

5. One of the most important qualities of your perfect wedding planner is a shared sense of taste. Ask her what type of weddings she likes and ask to see samples of her past events. The right planner can narrow down choices in a certain category depending on your taste. Instead of thousands of invitations, a wedding planner will weed out the obviously unsatisfactory ones and let you choose from the top three.

6. Finally, wedding planners know all the questions everyone else forgets to ask. If the ceremony is outside, she will remember where the bathrooms are or if portable ones need to be rented. It is the wedding planner’s job to leave no corner untouched.

There are many online resources you can use to search for the closest planners in your area. Remember to interview each applicant to see if they are qualified and if you both see eye to eye. Once your perfect wedding planner is hired, relax and know your big day is in good hands.

Some of the biggest expenses will arise from the cost of the wedding attire with the bridal outfit accounting for a substantial sum of money. On top of that will be the costs of bridesmaid dresses, flowers, corsages and suit hire or purchase for the groom and best man. The wedding rings for the bride and groom will also be costly purchases as will the gifts for the bridesmaids and mums. The gifts given to the bridesmaid are usually pieces of jewellery and mums usually get lovely big bouquets of flowers.

Decide on how many people you are going to invite and then look at potential venues and catering costs and explore the alternatives. You don’t have to have a costly formal sit down meal when a more relaxed buffet style function may better suit your needs. If you do opt for formal you may choose to limit the number of people at the formal sit down meal to limit costs and then invite more guests to an evening buffet disco.

If you are getting married in church you will need to arrange some form of transport and there are many options such as Rolls Royces or maybe a horse drawn carriage.
The time of year that you are getting married may dictate many of the above, for instance you may not want arrive at a marquee in the middle of winter with the real likelihood of bad weather affecting your arrangements.

These days you can just about get married anywhere you choose and it doesn’t have to be in a church so you may be able to get married in the same venue where you are holding the reception. This will cut down on transport costs and you may get a better deal all round with an all inclusive package. Whether you choose a romantic castle in the Highlands of Scotland, a magnificent stately home or something more modest, remember stick to your budget and don’t be tempted to overspend.

Of course you and you future spouse may just decide to go abroad either alone or with a few friends and family and get married on a beach, up a mountain of even Las Vegas in Elvis Presley style. Tour operators will be very helpful in providing you with the correct advice and information about getting married abroad.

When choosing your exotic destination remember that some of the destinations we normally associate with glorious sunshine and beautiful beaches and scenery may have seasons where the weather may not be so predictable or kind. Beware of monsoon and hurricane seasons in particular.

Organising a wedding can be a very stressful affair but there are usually plenty of people that will be willing to help such as friends and family as well as wedding organisers if you want to leave everything to a professional. There are also many ways that you can get the information that you need to ensure your wedding day goes smoothly and to plan.
Whatever you decide, good luck, have fun, enjoy and make you wedding day a very special day.