Wedding Tips

Start Early!

It’s never too early to make arrangements.  You will be surprised at the amount of money that can be saved by spreading your buying over time.  You can even start planning the day after the proposal!

Choosing A Wedding Date

Are you an incurable romantic?  When thinking about setting a wedding date, why not consider having it on the same date that you and your fiancé met, or became engaged, or had your first date.

Ideally you should also consult with both sets of parents to make sure there are no conflicting engagements for the date you are thinking about.  You might want to have everyone involved get together for dinner or lunch at the same time to hash it out.  Ask parents to bring along their social calendars, so there’s no double booking.  This is especially important if you’re marrying someone who is of another culture or religion.  The last thing you want to do is choose a day that is considered bad luck or in poor taste.

Buy A Pocket Wedding Planner

Keeping all of your wedding appointments and tasks organized isn’t always easy.  You should consider buying a pocket sized wedding planner to assist with all the information that you will be collecting over the coming months.  A pocket sized wedding planner easily fits in a handbag or briefcase so you’ll always have it with you and you’ll be able to see appointments and activities at a glance.

When you begin to plan your wedding you may also want to consider getting a big two or four ring binder and use it to organise and file all the paperwork for your big day: supplier contracts, photographs of wedding gowns, sample menus, florists, etc.  Keeping everything in one place and carrying it with you when making trips to bakeries, bridal salons, etc. will insure that you stay pretty much organised.

Assume Good Intentions

Planning a wedding can be very stressful business!  The first rule; assume good intentions is the most important.  Don’t assume that someone did something just to piss you off or upset you.  If you assume from the get go that they didn’t do it on purpose, you will find that there’s a lot more room for compromise, conversation and communication.

Don’t react if/when things go wrong.  Act.  Reacting means you do nothing except respond to the negative stimulus whether it’s a misunderstanding or a genuine fight.  Getting angry or responding to accusations with retaliatory remarks will only further inflame situations.  By making a pact to act on the information, to keep it cool and to avoid inciting a bad situation to worse is a great way to minimize and even avoid fights.

The Perfect Wedding: Civil or Religious

The perfect wedding exists in the minds and hearts of the bride and groom.  Planning a wedding requires the bride and groom to communicate their love, their expectations and the customs they want to embrace as part of their wedding perfection.  It’s important to understand that the style of ceremony will dictate different types of customs to be followed.  There are expectations associated with each one and it’s up to the bridal couple to help narrow the field down.

A religious ceremony is considered a very traditional wedding.  It usually takes place in a house of worship such as a church or synagogue.  It is officiated by a rabbi, a minister or member of the clergy.  Traditional religious ceremonies usually call for formal wear with a number of attendants and very traditional music.

Civil or non-traditional ceremonies can be held anywhere such as on board a yacht, on a cliff top, on a beach or even in a family backyard.  There is no set theme for a civil or non-traditional ceremony.  Bridal couples can wear beach clothing, renaissance faire garb or even get married on horseback.

The differences between the two are the rigidity of form associated with the first and the freedom with the second.  The bridal couple will determine what their priorities are and the type of ceremony they want to have.  Familiarity with traditional themes and ceremonies are important when dealing with religious weddings.  A sense of adventure and fun can be explored in civil and non-traditional weddings.  

The key to planning the perfect wedding is found in listening to each other.  Being open to hearing each other's thoughts, dreams and expectations.

Bridal Show Timing

When you attend a bridal show, plan to spend half the day there. Allow enough time for the fashion show, which will last about an hour, and time to view exhibits before and after the show.  When you arrive, go first to service providers who have what you need the most.

Wedding Dress Selection

There are many options for brides when it comes to choosing their wedding dress. Stages of planning a wedding include, but are not limited to, deciding on a wedding theme, a wedding tradition, a wedding venue, flowers, catering and finally the wedding dress.

Some brides may choose to wear their mother’s wedding dress. Some brides may choose to buy their wedding dress new.  Some brides may even elect to have their wedding dress designed for them.  While the traditional colour of the wedding dress is white, wedding dresses range in colour from stark white to black.  Why not take a look at our own selection of beautiful wedding dresses.

Whether you are planning a beach wedding at sunset or a Sunday morning church wedding with a 10 foot train, choosing your wedding dress is an important factor of the day.

Final on the Day Wedding Tips

When having your hair styled on your wedding day, wear a shirt.  Many brides wear a t-shirt then struggle to get it over their new hairstyle.  If you wear a shirt it can be unbuttoned and will not damage your hairstyle. 

If you have a dress that goes over your head, get a pillowcase or a silk underskirt to put over your head first.  This way your dress will slide on more easily without damaging your hair or getting any make-up on it. 

Remove labels on the underside of shoes – this is a very fiddly and time-consuming job that is best sorted in advance of your wedding day. 

If your dress has lace or buttons, ask a friend to come and help you dress.  Often a bridesmaid or family member will be there to assist with bridal preparations, but it is likely that they may also have false nails for the occasion.  If you have a friend present who isn’t in the bridal party they will be able to help you get dressed. 

The bride should be dressed first!  Lots of people dress the bride last so everyone is ready to help, but if plans start to run behind it will be the bride who is in a rush to get dressed.  If the bride is dressed first, friends and family can get ready at their own pace, feel relaxed and have time to make any adjustments to your wedding dress for maximum comfort, if needed.  It is not the bride’s job to dress the bridesmaids or any children – make sure you have plenty of helpers to do this for you so that you can enjoy your wedding day.