Whether large or small, simple or elaborate, planning is necessary to ensure that your wedding day goes smoothly, is memorable, and allows both you and your guests to enjoy the festivities. Not only is planning crucial for wedding-day logistics, but it can also be a vehicle through which a couple expresses their personal taste and style to truly make the day their own. But where to start?
The best place to begin, and on which all other decisions will be based, is the date. Once a date has been set, all other planning decisions can then be scheduled. A good planner notebook can help with organizing and scheduling. Schedule tasks based on a timetable: six to 12 months, four to six months, two months prior, and day of the wedding.
Using the traditional pen-and-paper method to keep track of planning is one way to handle it. There are, however, planning notebook software packages specifically designed for weddings that can make wedding planning easier and much less frustrating, as change is inevitable. Perfect Day: The Wedding Planning Suite 1.04 costs $34.95 and Perfect Day: The Deluxe Wedding Planner 1.01 is free. Both feature a guest list planner, budget planner, seating planner, music planner, local supplier locator, order-of-service creator, vows planner, and wedding party planner.
If keeping up with planning details adds to the stress level, consider hiring a wedding planner who can help make planning the wedding one less thing to worry about. Generally, a wedding planner can assist with most if not every aspect of the wedding. Most work with a variety of vendors and can recommend a plan to best suit the needs and budget for any size and type of wedding.
Once the date has been set, a decision about where to hold the wedding and reception should be made. Possibilities range from a traditional church wedding to an outdoor ceremony. Will the wedding be held in either the bride or groom’s hometown, or will it be a destination wedding at an exotic locale?
As many sites are often booked over a year in advance, Tina Player at TP Events recommends that one of the first decisions that should be made is selecting the wedding venue. She notes that wedding size, including guests and wedding party, will be one of the determining factors in the wedding location. Depending on where the wedding will be held, the sooner the site is reserved, the better chance there is of scheduling the ceremony at the preferred venue and time. Also, keep in mind that the choice of a wedding venue might necessitate changing the date if the original date is not available.
Once the date and venue have been decided, it is a good idea to go ahead and choose the officiant (minister, rabbi, priest, or other celebratory officiant) and schedule to meet with him or her to plan the order of the service and discuss vows.
With the date and place set, the very unromantic task of setting a budget must be tackled. Budget discussions should center on the bottom line, how much can you spend on the wedding, and who will pay for what. Budget decisions will include: cost and/or rental of wedding attire, invitations and other stationery, flowers/decorations (ceremony and reception), music/entertainment, food/catering (reception, rehearsal dinner), rental fees, venue fees (keep in mind, even church venues can charge fees), gifts for the wedding party, and photographer/videographer. Select those budgetary items that are most important and those that are less important . Then allocate resources to those items that are most important to you and will make the wedding day reflective of your personal style and taste.
In regards to style and taste, decide on a personal theme for the wedding. Most couples have an idea of the kind of wedding they want, but don’t know how to incorporate a theme into their wedding. Possibilities include celebrating with colors, flowers, and motifs appropriate for the time of year such as spring, summer, fall, winter and the holidays. The following are some ideas that can serve as a springboard for your own ideas and creativity:
• Do you like boating, golf, tennis, bright fresh color combinations? Try a county club theme/site.
• Do you prefer a formal wedding worthy of royalty? Plan a formal church wedding.
• Are you more relaxed and prefer something similar to a family reunion? Try a more casual wedding centered around a picnic theme.
• Do you like hip art galleries and cocktail parties? Consider a sophisticated venue such as an art gallery, restaurant, or museum.
• Do you love nature and being outdoors? Plan a country, botanical garden, beach, or environmentally friendly wedding.
• Other possibilities include historical or period themes such as a wedding planned around a particular color scheme; a sports-themed wedding; a whimsical wedding centered around a particular TV show, movie or era; or a cultural wedding centered around religious or heritage themes.
Choosing the size of the wedding party and who will serve as bridesmaids, matron of honor, groomsmen, best man, ushers and other honored roles, is something that should be discussed by the bride and groom. Remember, a dream wedding for one may not be for the other. Once the size of the wedding party has been agreed upon, you can then begin the task of selecting dresses for bridesmaids and tuxedos or suits for groomsmen, keeping in mind the chosen theme and color scheme.
One decision that belongs to the bride and the bride only is choosing the dress. Chances are the bride has already decided on a style of dress, if not the actual dress, even before becoming engaged! Choosing the wedding gown is one of the most important decisions a bride will make. As with other decisions, the theme of the wedding will be one of the determining factors in the choice of style and type of wedding gown. Depending on the store, local bridal salons offer a complete line of wedding gowns, bridesmaid’s gowns, mother of the bride gowns, and informal gowns, as well as tuxedo rentals. Destination weddings are popular and most also offer sophisticated gowns for those occasions.
The majority of wedding gowns are special ordered. Dolores Murphy, co-owner of Monica’s on North Market Street recommends that brides-to-be allow 12 to14 weeks for ordering and one month for alterations. She also notes that the months of May and June are still two of the most popular months for weddings.
A guest list should be drawn up as soon as possible, as this will impact ceremony and reception costs and number of invitations to send. Shadow Box Paperie on East Main Street offers a variety of invitations from which to choose, including traditional and contemporary, custom and preset. They offer engraving, letterpress, thermograph, or offset techniques, for which the turnaround time will vary. Some options take two to three weeks, others as long as three to four months. The time is based on the complexity of the job. Mariah Mayfield at Shadow Box says their services are geared toward the client and that their goal is to provide the customer with the perfect invitation ensemble. Other wedding stationary services they offer are save-the-date announcements, rehearsal dinner invites, place-cards, menus, napkins, cups, printed ribbon, seating charts, favors, programs, gifts for the wedding party, photo albums, thank you notes, and personal stationery.
With date and place reserved, budget planned, and number of invited guests determined, attention can be focused on planning for the ceremony and reception, specifically flowers and decorations, food and entertainment, and photography - all of which are important to make the wedding day memorable.
Wedding coordinator, florist, caterer, musicians, photographer/videographer, and entertainment should be booked as soon as possible after the wedding date and time have been set. Each should be made aware of your budget so they can be prepared to plan within your allotment for their respective services. Also, let them know where the ceremony and reception will be held and the wedding theme, as those are also important for their planning.
It is a good idea to plan to meet with the florist and any musicians where the ceremony will be held to let them know your wishes. If you do not know which music selections you want to incorporate into the ceremony, ask the musicians to bring along a list of titles or sheet music that they have in their repertoire.
Talk with the florist about seasonal flowers that will be available, your color scheme, and placement of flowers and candles, if used. Ask to see pictures of their designs. Working with the florist, also decide on the type of bouquet for bridesmaids, the bridal bouquet, boutonnieres for groomsmen, and corsages for honored family members and reception servers. Another good idea is to bring along pictures of arrangements and types of flowers that you are considering for review with the florist.
Meet with photographers/videographers to determine if their work reflects your personal taste. Ask to see their portfolios and discuss the type of photos you want to capture moments and people on the special day. Do you want color or black and white or a combination of both? Chattanooga offers professionals in every price-range, so budget monies for a professional photographer and don’t leave the wedding photos to your uncle!
Once decisions have been made about the wedding ceremony itself, attention can be turned to planning the reception. Are you going to offer a formal seated dinner, buffet, or finger food and hot hors d’oeuvres? As with the ceremony venue, it is recommended that you meet with the professionals who will be handling the reception at the venue. Talk with the florist about size, type and amount of floral arrangements that you want at the reception. He or she will need to know how many tables will be used for food and guests. If there will be live entertainment (band/singer/DJ), meet with those involved to discuss where they will be placed and decide on a list of songs and music.
Another important professional to speak with is the site manager. You will need to know if they provide tables, chairs, dishes, silverware, cutlery, serving dishes, linens, and candelabra. If not, some or all of those items will need to be rented, which means contacting a local rental service to provide for those items, especially if the reception will be held outdoors. Companies like The White Table or The Meeting Company provide specialty table and chair linens including chair coverings and sashes, tablecloths and runners, napkins, specialty overlays and underlays. Most will deliver and install linen coverings, or simply deliver as needed.
In planning for food and beverage catering, it is a good idea to meet with a variety of caterers to see examples of their cakes and menu offerings. Before deciding on a cake, ask to do a taste test. Patti Taylor of The Cake Boutique and Catering talks with her customers about the reception site and budget, number of guests, and time of day of the reception, as those factors will influence the choice of food and cake(s). Regarding the wedding cake or cakes, things to consider are the type of filling, icing, decorations and specialty flavors.
One last item to consider is whether or not to offer bar service at the reception, which will add considerably to the reception cost.
Planning for a wedding as far in advance as possible will help alleviate stress levels, which are a natural part of any wedding, large or small. The key to successful wedding planning is choosing wedding professionals who provide services that reflect your taste and style and can work within your budget. Proper planning will ensure that all parties involved enjoy the special day with minimal worries and that the celebration will be everything that
the bride and groom dreamed it would be.