Make a Wedding Budget and Stick to it

Before you can begin making wedding plans you need to make a budget. While planning your wedding it could be very easy to spend thousands upon thousands of dollars. If you have this money to spend, great. Most likely you will need to keep your wedding costs down. Making a budget will help you know exactly how much you cans pend on each item for your wedding.

When making a budget for your wedding you will need to consider several factors. You don't want any last minute expenses right before it's time to walk down the isle. Here is a list of things that need to be included in your budget.

Invitations and Thank you notes
Wedding gown
Hair and makeup for bride
Groom's attire
Photographer
Music at wedding and reception
Caterer
Location of reception and wedding
Gifts for wedding party
Wedding rings
Transportation to wedding and reception for couple if using Limo
Marriage license
Flowers
Wedding favors
Rehearsal dinner
Drinks
Wedding cake
Once you set your wedding budget you have to stick to it the best you can. There will always be something extra that pops up. Allow a certain amount for unexpected expenses. This will help you from going over your budget.

Photo created by Andrew C.

Plan a Fall Wedding

Fall is a great time to have a wedding. The stunning colors, the crisp cool air, and the fall aroma will make a wedding to remember. There can be many benefits to having a fall wedding as well.

* Cooler weather- Most bride-to-be's are looking for a warm sunny day to tie the knot. While the air is cooler in the fall it is still perfect for a wedding. You won't have to worry about your make-up running from the humidity. You will be able to wear that dream wedding gown with the long sleeves without worrying about sweating the entire time.

* Wedding season is over- Most couples choose to marry late spring to early summer. by the time fall rolls around a large amount of the weddings are through. You might be able to find better deals since most places dealing with wedding supplies are not as busy. You can also have a better chance at booking locations and vendors. You will find a much better chance of everyone being available in the fall versus the spring.

* Colors- Fall colors are absolutely stunning. The vibrant oranges, yellows, reds, and browns will give you a beautiful wedding. An autumn background will be wonderful for pictures. You can use things like pumpkins and fall mums for decorations. There are also all types of great fall wedding favors available.

While you may have had your heart set on a spring wedding don't count out a fall ceremony. There are many benefits to having an autumn wedding.

Photo created by Bryan Craddock

Gorgeous Wedding Program Poem

As I was paging around online the other day I stumbled across this gorgeous wedding program poem by Joanna Fuchs. Finding great poems for your programs can be hard, so it's nice to know there are still people out there who are trying to make it easy.

Program/Thank You

Today we begin the rest of our life

Together forever as husband and wife.

Our dreams came true, with love and more

Adventures to have and the world to explore.
We’ll share our joys, we’ll share our sorrows;

We can already see many bright tomorrows.

We’ll share our friends and family, too,

And you are part of that special crew.
Thank you for celebrating our wedding day.

As we share our vows, we just want to say:

These wedding memories will become a treasure,

And seeing you here is part of the pleasure.

By Joanna Fuchs

(This can also be used for invitations as well.)

**Photo found at Project Wedding http://www.projectwedding.com/**

Strange Holidays to Celebrate Your Wedding (or, some of the strangest wedding themes you've ever seen!)

Did you know that today is Elephant Appreciation Day? Or that tomorrow is going to be Checkers and Dogs in Politics Day? Yes, someone took the time to establish a zany holiday for every day of the year, and if you're looking for a one of a kind gem in a world of classic pink, red and gold wedding themes why not consider designing your wedding around one of these one of a kind days? Hey, no one will ever be able to call you a copycat!

No, that doesn't mean you have to dress your bridesmaids in gray or put an elephant in your processional (although it might be cool if you did!). What about fun, elephant printed napkins? Or small elephant favors for your guests? Rearing elephants framing the bride and groom on the top tier of your cake? There are no limits to where your imagination can go when you're talking about wedding themes, so why not check out these fabulous and fun ideas for the biggest day of your life?

FREE Printable Wedding Checklist

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Planning a wedding is a lot of work. There are literally hundreds of minute details that you may or may not think of off the top of your head, which is why I usually suggest to my new brides that they take a few minutes when they start the wedding planning process to go online and find a preliminary wedding checklist to get them started.

If you're looking for a good wedding checklist I found a great, easy to print one online created and available for FREE from Vertex42. Print yours off here!

PRESS RELEASE: Lee Center, NY Wedding Planner Strives to Make Her Services Available to All Brides

An excellent resource for the budget strapped bride:

Lee Center, NY Wedding Planner Strives to Make Her Services Available to All Brides

Seana Taylor of Wedding Belle Blues Consulting is pleased to announce the Rich Bride Poor Bride program. This program was created to allow wedding planning services to be available to all brides regardless of budget. Running for the rest of the 2009 year and all of 2010, the Rich Bride Poor Bride program opens up Taylor's services to all brides.

Lee Center, NY (PRWEB) September 12, 2009 -- Seana Taylor, certified wedding planner and owner of Wedding Belle Blues Consulting is pleased to announce the Rich Bride Poor Bride program, which will allow brides of all budgets to have a wedding planner for her special day.

Beginning September 20, 2009 and running until December 31, 2010, Taylor will choose one lucky bride every other month for a free, full wedding planning package. "Every bride deserves a little extra help to create that beautiful day," says Taylor, "but with the average wedding costing between $15,000 and $30,000, the idea of a wedding planner is one of the first things to go." With the Rich Bride Poor Bride program, Taylor strives to make her services available to everyone.

The full wedding planner package offered, also known as "The Wedding Planner", includes many different services, "but none," says Taylor, "are written in stone. All of the packages that I offer are customizable. After the initial consultation, I take the basic package and mold it to fit the bride's needs."

The new program doesn't just benefit that one bride every other month, all brides are offered packages at greatly reduced fees and Taylor also benefits. "All I ask of my clients is a professional photograph of the couple and written testimony of my services to be used on my website and in my portfolio. It's a win-win situation."

Wedding Belle Blues Consulting already offers four unique packages, all which are customizable to any bride's wishes. The mission of the company is to make a wedding planner available to every bride. To learn more about the company or about the Rich Bride Poor Bride program, please visit http://www.weddingbellebluesconsulting.com, write to Seana at 6455 Stokes Westernville Road, Lee Center NY 13363, or call 315-264-5268 Monday-Friday 9am-5pm EST.

**PR found online at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2009/09/prweb2862674.htm

Remember those that went before, celebrate those yet to come: Remembering 9-11

Today, we look back and remember the day that changed a nation and made an impact on our nation and its people that won't soon be forgotten. Take the time today to remember the men and women who lost their lives in the 9-11 attacks, the rescue workers who gave their lives to save the ones they could and the future, free of fear, that we're determined to give our children.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDh_pvv1tUM

We will not be made idle with despair. They had no understanding of who, and what, they were dealing with when they sent those planes crashing down. They do now.

The Most Popular Wedding Songs of 2009

Butterfly Kisses. Pachelbel's Canon. The Love Theme from Titanic. Hundreds of songs have made their way onto "Weddings Most Wanted" over the years! Here's a sneak peek at the most popular wedding songs of 2009:

1. At Last, by Etta James
2. The Way You Look Tonight, by Frank Sinatra
3. It Had to be You, by Harry Connick, Jr. (I guess the classics never die!)
4. Unforgettable, by Natalie Cole
5. Let's Stay Together, by Al Green
6. You are My First, My Last, My Everything, by Barry White
7. Better Together, by Jack Johnson (This is one of my favorites.)
8. Lucky, by Jason Mraz
9. Everything, by Michael Bubble
10. From this Moment, by Shania Twain
11. A Moment Like This, by Kelly Clarkson
12. All My Life, by K-Ci and Jo-Jo

Time Management Techniques for Your Wedding Planning

Have you ever looked-really looked-at the sheer quantity of "stuff" you have to do before you can say your "I do's"? Seriously? It's longer than my college Spanish Vocab list! It's terrifying! Trying to swallow that all in one gulp is going to make you choke, so learning how to apply effective time management techniques to your wedding planning process is a must if you're going to come through with your sanity intact!

First and foremost, make a list for yourself. The lists they provide in those planning books are for huge society weddings and tend to cover just about anything you could ever have, hope to have or think about having at your wedding. If that's not for you, that's fine! Make a to-do list for yourself ranging from today until the end of your honeymoon, and if it's three to five pages long don't worry about it!

Once you have the list in hand, make due dates for yourself. Most places like reservations ten months to a year in advance, so booking the location early makes sense. On the other hand, bridal shops don't do your final fitting until a week or so before the big day anyway, so you technically have until two to three weeks before the big day to find the perfect dress. (Not that you shouldn't be looking anyway, when you have time. We're just talking about crunch time here!)

With (realistic) due dates in mind make yourself a month-by-month "calendar" showing you what you need to have done when. This breaks the wedding into manageable pieces and lets you relax because you're not trying to plan a wedding in one fell swoop! With bits and pieces done each month you're guaranteed to have everything ready to go once the big day rolls around!

Wedding dress: Jewel, from Priscilla of Boston. Found at www.PriscillaofBoston.com

In my last post I mentioned the need for practicality in shopping for a bridesmaids dresses, which led to a slew of e-mails on how, exactly, brides could cut their costs to keep the price of their bridesmaids dresses reasonable. Here's what the experts have to say about how to save money on bridesmaids dresses:

1) Choose a color and let your bridesmaids find their own dresses in that color in their price range.
2) Shop at department stores that carry formal wear and order multiples when they're on sale instead of custom ordering a dress.
3) Pick a designer and style and let your bridesmaids pick their own dress out.
4) Have a friend make your dresses instead of buying them off the rack.

Those fairy tale weddings with your perfectly gowned, matching attendants are nice in principle, but the price tags can be atrocious! Remember, your wedding is one day out of your life. Friends are forever-and if you want them to continue speaking to you that long, it pays to keep their budgets in mind when it comes to your bridesmaids dresses!

Should Your Bridesmaids Buy Their Own Dresses?

Okay, here's a question for all the brides and bridesmaids out there. Should you ask your bridesmaids to buy their own dresses, or is that a cost the bride should pick up? This has actually been a huge topic of debate between some of my brides lately. Some of them were firmly in the camp that said that their bridesmaids didn't ask for the extra expense, so it wasn't fair to drop it on them. Others said that since their bridesmaids were keeping the dresses, they should be the ones to buy them.

Traditionally, bridesmaids have paid for their own dresses, shoes and wedding attire. If you're going to ask your bridesmaids to buy their own dresses, however, make sure you're keeping the cost of the dress in mind. Asking your friends to pay for a $400 bridesmaid gown out of pocket that looks like it should be worn to a high school prom (and will probably never be worn again) isn't the best move you could make in terms of future friendly relations.

Not to mention the payback they're going to dish out when it's their turn at the altar!