Planning Your Wedding

Planning Your Wedding

There are many decisions to make when planning your own wedding. Some may have to be changed on the fly. For example, you set the date for June 12th, and plan to be married in your Grandma's church. But the church is already booked for that date. So do you change the date or the location?

 

Once you've set the date and the location, the real fun begins. One way to make the whole planning process easier is to decide on a theme. For example, if you've always wanted a "fairytale princess" wedding, that suggests pastel colors (everything from dresses to flowers to décor), and perhaps a romantic horse-and-carriage ride from ceremony to reception and beyond. Your dress will be traditional, full, and elegant.

 

Or perhaps you choose an outdoor Western theme. Colors can be red-and-white checks, denim blues, or buckskin with turquoise and silver. Reception food can include barbecue alongside the traditional cake.

 

There are dozens of books or online checklists to follow when planning your wedding. Some things need to be decided earlier than others. For example, popular caterers may not be available if not booked well in advance. The caterer can help you choose the menu for the reception, and may or may not be able to arrange for the cake as well.

 

Music for the ceremony and the reception is another detail you need to plan in advance. Will you have live music for the ceremony? Organist, vocalist, or both? Will you have live music or a DJ for the reception? Check out the DJ before hiring, and make sure he understands your requirements. (To a twenty-something DJ, "oldies" might mean 80s music; to a guest list of baby boomers "oldies" might mean 50s or 60s music.)

 

Your photographer or videographer will be in charge of preserving the memories of your special day, so you want to make sure you choose one who's reliable. It's also a good idea to provide disposable cameras at reception tables and encourage guests to take candid shots to round out your wedding scrapbook.

 

For a coordinated overall effect, choose invitations that complement the theme you've chosen.

 

Finally, flowers and reception décor are a lot easier to choose when you've picked a theme that may help suggest colors.

 

The theme can even help you set the style of the wedding dress you choose. Formal, informal, tailored, fussy—you have so many choices.

 

But when all of the choices are done, and your wedding day arrives, this once-in-a-lifetime event is your day to shine.