Designer Dresses

It's your wedding day! Naturally, you want nothing but the best - the best bridesmaid dresses, wedding invitations, wedding favours, and of course, the perfect wedding dress for you! You've been anticipating this day all your life and now that it's here, you can't wait to shop for your dream gown. All along, you've wanted to try on those designer wedding dresses but were too afraid to do so. Now that you finally have a valid reason to do so, you can joyfully prance into bridal shops.

But from the many choices of designer wedding dresses, how do you know which one to choose? How do you know which style to pick? Here are a few pointers so you will continue to be the blushing bride:

Take a Look at Your Budget

Face it, designer wedding dresses are nothing but cheap. Thus, the moment that you decide to get one, you must already have a specific budged allotted for it. Work on your budget. The last thing that you want to happen is to spend all your money in your wedding gown and leave the other aspects of the wedding ceremony budget-stricken.

Find your Designer
Now this is the most interesting part when shopping for designer wedding dresses. You get to choose your very own designer. Are you a Monique Lhuillier fan or a Vera Wang advocate? If you choose their designer wedding dresses, then you will be putting yourself in the same level as Britney Spears, Victoria Beckham, Sharon Stone and Mariah Carey. Isn't that wonderful?

Find your Style

Designer gown or not, your wedding dress must exude a classic style. It doesn't matter whether you are searching for wedding dresses in Mississauga or in New York, the important thing is, you go for a style that will last a lifetime. Your wedding photos will still be alive after 50 years and when that time comes, you don't want your friends to guess the exact season and time that you've had your wedding. If that happens, it means that you've chosen a very season-specific style and unlike some mothers, you won't be able to pass on our designer wedding gown to your daughter.

Don't Panic

Designer wedding dresses - including yours - take about 5 to 10 months to be special ordered. If you don't have that much time -probably because the wedding plans came abruptly - don't panic. You can always find other designers. But if you don't want to change designers, you could always shop for designer wedding dresses off-the-rack.

Your wedding gown is the highlight of your wedding. After all, you are the bride, and you must be the most beautiful woman in the room. Therefore, it's but proper that you take a considerable amount of time - and money - looking for the dress that will not only flaunt your timeless beauty but one that will express love and romance as well. Nobody will blame you if you fret and worry about not finding the gown of your dreams. It is for this very reason that designer wedding dresses came into being.

See also: Wedding Bride

Cheap Wedding

The fact is that you can plan a cheap wedding that won't be inferior to an expensive one. If you and your partner have been living together for many years or if you simply have a small budget - a cheap wedding is a way to go.

A list of the things to save on with cheap wedding planning:

1. Have your wedding in your backyard.

If you have your wedding at any kind of a restaurant, whether it's a large posh place or a small casual one, you will have to "pay the hidden fees" to that restaurant, including a portion of their rent, a portion of their employees' salary, and so on. If you choose to have your wedding in your own backyard, you'll be able to avoid all these extras.

2. Invite only close family and friends.

The fact is that sometimes there are so many people invited to a wedding, that the bride or the groom might not even know some of them. A wedding is a day for you and your partner. If you simply "weed out" unnecessary names from your guest list, you'll be able to achieve both - to save money and to be surrounded only by the people you really want at your wedding.

3. Make your invitations on your own computer and print them out, instead of purchasing paper invites.

Invitations are commercial merchandise, which means that they are marked up. Furthermore, this merchandise is meant for an "emotional" event and that's why they are marked up even more than many other items. Thus, you can save additionally if you make invitations on your own computer and then just print them out.

4. Have a simple menu for your party.

You can organize something tasty but very simple for your wedding. The selection of courses for your wedding does not have to be exotic and expensive. You can have some common meals, like salads, sausages and potatoes etc.

5. Find a cheap wedding dress.

You can find a cheap dress online, at a local consignment shop, or on a sale rack at your favorite department store. Your wedding dress will serve you for just one day, and thus it does not have to be brand new or expensive. Second-hand wedding dresses are generally not worn out and look like new.

Those are just 5 things to consider, and any of them will help you save money with your cheap wedding planning. A wedding does not have to be expensive, and a homey wedding with a special touch will also make everybody feel great, including you and your guests.

See also: Wedding Reception Themes

Planner Wedding

By using articles and expert advice, you can handle the wedding preliminaries yourself, but it is still wise to use event planners to help keep your wedding day organized. A coordinator can smooth the wedding day's progression and so help provide the relaxed and enjoyable day you desire. A relative or close friend may be able to do the wedding day coordinating for you. Many churches have wedding hostesses who know about church facilities and policies.

How to Tips for Wedding Coordinators

• Acquaint yourself with the ceremony site.

• Discuss with the bride and groom any wedding policies of the ceremony site.

• Be available to assist the bride and groom by answering questions, offering suggestions, and having names of available resources for services.

• Be as organized as possible, with all wedding day information in one place.

• As you assist the bridal couple in planning their big day, know the following;

(1) Who will be giving the bride away?

(2) Will the bridal couple be having a double-ring ceremony? Who will have the rings?

(3) Will the officiant provide the wording for the vows, or will the bride and groom be writing their own?

(4) Will communion (the Eucharist) be observed? Who will participate?

(5) Will the lighting of the unity candle be included?

(6) What other special observances will be a part of the outdoor Michigan ceremony?

(7) Who will have the marriage license? When and where will it be signed?

(8) Will the bridal couple have a receiving line? If so, where? Who will be involved?

(9) Who will be responsible for cleaning out the bride's dressing room? The grooms dressing room?

(10) Who will be responsible for audio and/or videotapes of the ceremony? of the reception?

(11) If a pre-ceremony buffet is to be served at the ceremony site, who will be responsible for setup? Serving? Cleanup?

(12) Where will the reception be? How soon will it follow the ceremony?

(13) Who will be responsible for taking the guest book to the reception? To whose home afterward?

(14) Who will be responsible for transporting the gifts from the ceremony site? from the reception site? To whose house?

• Confirm your arrival time for both the rehearsal and ceremony with the custodian of the facility (or other designated person). This time should be early enough to accomplish any necessary advance preparations: unlocking doors, setting up equipment and accessories, turning on lights, heating or air conditioning, etc.

• Confirm with the bride the arrival times of the bridal party, the brides and grooms parents, and grandparents, special others, the officiants, musicians, florist, photographer, DJ, etc. On the wedding day be available to greet each one, to answer any questions, and to give any last-minute instructions.

• At the rehearsal, review the wedding day arrival times with the participants who's to be where and when - and indicate to them the importance of being on time.

• If possible, have all the decisions concerning the ceremony made prior to the rehearsal. If any unexpected changes do occur, they should quickly be addressed to the bride.

• Make certain that each of the ushers receives a list of his responsibilities at the ceremony site. Also, take time at the rehearsal to demonstrate exactly how they are to usher, and allow them to practice. Don't assume they already know what to do.

• As the wedding coordinator you will probably be responsible for collecting any fees or honorariums from the bride and groom. These may be disbursed either at the rehearsal, before the ceremony, or after the reception, as previously indicated by the recipients.

• Determine how many seats (or pews) need to be reserved for special seating, and who will be sitting where.

• Before the florist leaves the premises on the wedding day, count the bouquets, boutonnières, and corsages to make certain all the needed flowers are there.

• Know when and where the photographer will be taking pictures.

• When an aisle runner is being used, make certain it has been firmly pinned and taped in place. Tape the end of the runner down once it has been pulled up the aisle to keep it taut.

• If the facility is not equipped with a signaling system, a small flashlight may be used to cue the musicians for the start of the processional and for any other special timing needs.

• Be prepared for possible emergencies with a special bag that includes these items: aspirin, breath mints, clear nail polish, emery boards, facial tissues, hair spray, iron, sanitary napkins, scissors, sewing kit, spot remover, static spray, and straight and safety pins.

• Another bag may contain: pins (for flowers and for pinning the aisle runner in place), small flashlight (for signaling musicians), hair dryer (for hair needs and candle wax removal), masking tape (for marking the positions of the bridal party), matches or lighter (for lighting candles or candle lighters), measuring tape (for locating positions of the bridal party), scotch tape (for taping gift cards to packages), black ink pens (for signing the marriage license).

See also: Band Wedding