I wіƖƖ bе getting married іח аbουt two years, bυt I want tο bе fully prepared fοr mу wedding wһеח іt gets here… I know tο pick out tһе dress (οf course) аחԁ tһе flowers, tһе colors, tһе cake.. bυt I don’t know everything tο рƖοt, οr everything tο ɡеt… I tried looking up wһаt tο ԁο online, bυt tһе websites аrе a small confusing… Dοеѕ anyone һаνе tips fοr mе? Tһеу wουƖԁ bе greatly appreciated. 
Date Ring and Wedding Ring= Gold? White Gold? Platinum?
Wedding Announcements = Pass them out to Relatives and Friends. This isn’t a Wedding Invitation, just an Announcement. You could also include the scheduled wedding date. This is called "Save the Date"
Ceremony Location = Choose if you want Catholic Church, Christian Church or just have it some where else. Beach, Home, Park, etc… Make sure to reserve at least 11months before the Wedding.
Reception/Venue = Choose where you want the Reception to take place. Where are all your guests going after the Ceremony? Your home to partay? To a Saloon? To a Restaurant? To a Hotel? To a golf course? They all rent out to party’s, so keep it in mind. You also want to reserve 11months or so before the Wedding to ensure that you do have this covered with out being denied "There aren’t enough space for you party"
Officiant = (If the Church or Chapel or where ever you are having it doesnt provide one)
Choose who will be your Maid of Honor?
Who will be the Best Man?
Who will be the Flower Girls?
Who will be the Ring Bearer?
Who will be in the Line up with you? Meaning, Brides Maids.. and Grooms means…
What kind of Wedding Theme you’d like?
What colors will be your Wedding Colors?
Reserve a Florist to make your bouquet as well as your party girls
Look for Wedding Photographer and Videographer, check their porfolios to ensure you like their work.
Cake tasing
Catering tasting
Dress fitting… the list goes on and on…
You could also turn to friends and family for fiscal support.
You can question…
Your Parents if they can get the Reception Hall for you
Your Aunts/Uncles if they can get the Focal top pieces for you, the video and photo for you.
Any thing you need help on… Look for help. I am not an expert, but I am also preparation my own Wedding =)
I am getting Married July 2nd 2010
It will be held at a Golf Course. They provide
Ceremony Area (Waterfall background)
Reception Area
Food Catering
Cake (we just need to get our own Cake Topper)
Champagne for Wedding Toast
Dance Floor
(We have to get our own Officiant and DJ for the Ceremony and Reception)
I wish us both the best of luck.. =)
Get a Wedding book @ Borders that has pockets and checklists of things you’ll need. Also Michale’s has a incredible wedding section for do it yourself. Let me place it this way, for 50 invitations i had made owing to a local marriage store for my wedding was $556.00. I plotted a 50th wedding anniversary and used printable wedding invitations from Michale’s for $40.00 and they came out just as excellent as the custom ones!! Also buying things on websites can save you alot of money because most sites have the same things but some cheaper so you can easily find the cheapest prices! Hope this helps.
You already know to get the venue . Go somewhere that they know you . Like if you go to church see if they can supply the place on a low cost since you know them. If not then try somewhere inexpensive like maybe an outside wedding at a lake.
Dress- Look for specials on wedding dresses. it happens everywhere . When that happens, jump on it. you could always get it altered when the day gets closer.
See if the parents will help fund some of the things like the cake or photographer. If no one can help then there are special offers for everything. You just have to keep your eyes peeled.
why are you preparation this alone, is your SO not the organised type??
why not question someone to be a maid of honour, that way you will have someone to help you make these decisions. and delegate to if you havent got the time etc.
things you need to organise asap are:
choose the date!!!
venue, church and reception
wedding cars
dress
choose bridesmaids, MOH, best man and groomsmen
colours
flowers
table decorations
cake
photogropher
invitations (not urgent but if you can get them bought early they can be stored!)
look for a honeymoon
the main tip i could give you is wherever possible do things yourself, make invites/table decorations/ favours etc, that will save a lot of money, get someone crafty to make a cake for you, maybe even make your own bouquets for bridesmaids? this can be easily done by buying seperate flowers and foliage and getting to work! then bind them with ribbon matching your bridesmaids colours
as for the dresses you can save there too! look on http://www.lightinthebox.com there is a whole heap of wedding and bridesmaid dresses custom made to fit your measurements and very cheap! i am spoilt and am havign 2 wedding dresses (one for actual wedding day and one for meal day after) and bought my second one from this site, the quality is incredible and it only cost me £89! my mum also bought her dress for my wedding from this site and cost her £100 and is gorgeous, fits like a glove!
i wish you all the luck in the world and hope it tours out to be everything you wished for! having 2 years to plot is perfect as it gives you time to get everything done without stressing out!
i’m having a cocktail reception. it’s becoming more well loved now for people who just really want to have a fantastic party and don’t care about formality. it’s going to last four hours and we will have an open bar and heavy hor douvres. we’re having it on a friday night as well and this can save money also if you have the wedding on an off day. my two favorite websites are weddingwire.com and theknot.com both have fantastic preparation tools and it’s free to sign up. congrats!
Try theknot.com it is very helpful
You need to register at theknot.com they have everything you need there, from a checklist to a budget
try http://www.weddingsday.co.uk. this website is really helpful it has a budget calculator and guest lsit manager as well as hints and tips on how to have a budget wedding.
the maint things you need are:
a date
venue either church and reception or just one venue if your having a civil ceremony
a theme and colours
choose your wedding party e.g. best man etc
the earlier you start putting your guest list together the simpler it will be when the time comes to get invites and getting quotes on things like chair covers etc.
you need to start looking for a dress
flowers
cake
wedding cars
honeymoon
hotel to stay in on the night of your wedding
decorations for your reception e.g chair covers and table decorations
The small thins you need are:
wedding lingerie
shoes for you and your bridesmaids
jewelry for you and your bridesmaids
hair stylist for you and your bridesmaids
gifts for the wedding party
a ring holder
toasting glasses for you and him
guest book
a wedding gift list
To save cash keep the wedding small, just accurate friends and family members. Dinner is expensive so maybe opt for a buffet style meal instead or if you’re doing it at a hotel usually they have dinner specials. Research hotels in your area online, usually they have a wedding section on their website. Maybe consider having the ceremony and reception be one thing. Instead of booking two places you can get one room. For example, for my wedding when people arrive they’ll just mingle with each other and the groom and starting cocktail hour while I’m doing my finishing touches. Then when I come in we’ll exchange our vows in front of everyone, mingle some more, dance, have dinner, whatever, and leave for our honeymoon. We’re going to make a play-list on an ipod and hook it up to surround sound speakers. It’ll be cheaper than booking a dj or band and we’ll get to have all our favorite songs! We’re also not having a wedding party but I know that lots of people don’t like that thought for themselves. Alcohol is another expensive factor. Maybe consider not serving any or just wine, beer, and champagne for the toasts. Even if, like I mentioned before, if you check out the hotels websites they usually have fantastic wedding packages. Go to JoAnn fabrics or a touch and get inspired! Make your own table clothes and decorations. You will doubtless find some fantastic deals on Craigslist and ebay for decorations and stuff too! You can also use Craigslist to find a photographer or videographer. Also, subscribe to TheKnot.com … I get their emails evenly and they always have helpful advice! Congrats and excellent luck!
As for your brides maids dresses or flower girl dresses you should look at Flower Girl Princess on line. There are alot of Flower girl online but FGP is very reasonable and has alot of stock. Please check it out
Hi,
For Photographer & Dj go to Surround Sound DJ site & Studio 2000 site
Thank You
you can get alot of stuff on craigslist that people have never used or used once and can be used again also used or never worn wedding dresses alot cheaper ebay is a excellent option also for flowers you can make your own invites and it helps if you find a place that you can have the ceremony and reception at the same place you need to find an officiant to perform the ceremony and find out about requirements
Since you have a tight budget - choose a Friday or Sunday for your date, this alone will save at least 10% for your reception hall. Also, LIMIT the guest list which, believe me, is simpler said than done! For invitations check out Michaels, Walmart or Target and print them yourself. I really found mine on sale for $6.00 for a box of 50 invites and RSVP’s. You can also eliminate favors, or keep them under $1.50/person. Another option is to do the small photo frames which can be found starting at $1.00 each. With the photo frames you can make it a ‘couples’ favor which will also act as their place card holder. As for centerpieces, stay away from floral preparations as they will be pricey. Some venues will supply you with centerpieces also. Take benefit of free offers from all the vendors, and enlist some family and friends for as much DIY stuff you can. Here is a rundown of things to do:
choose on budget
pick a date
pick marriage party
find ceremony location
find reception location
find officiant (if not a member of a church, or not being performed at a church)
cake
photographer
DJ
florist (don’t forget corsages & boutinerres for parents, etc. in your budget)
centerpieces
favors (can be cut for budget purposes)
place cards
invitations
programs (can be cut for budget purposes)
card holder (for at reception)
guest book / frame
your dress, jewelry, garter belts, make up, hair, shoes, undergarments, veil
grooms tux
wedding bands
marriage party gifts
rehearsal dinner
marriage ticket
Hope this helps a small bit! Excellent Luck!