Photo by AMP PHOTO

No matter what the party is, everyone wants to have a good time and this holds especially true for weddings. Consider your guests when planning and they’ll look back on your wedding as one of the best they’ve been to.

Invitations

Just like everything else it seems, keeping your guests happy starts with an invite. It’s nice to include “and guest”, especially if someone doesn’t know many of the other guests. It gives them someone to spend their time with and will make them feel welcome. Don’t include and guest if you know your guests partner well or if they have been together for a long time. To avoid offence, use their name. For married couples address the invite to “Mr. and Mrs. ______”.

Short Waiting Times

Make your guests wait six hours between ceremony and reception and they won’t remember it fondly. While time is needed to take photos, touch up your hair and makeup and put the finishing touches to the reception hall, keep it to a maximum of two hours. Make people wait too long and they’ll loose their celebratory high.

Location, Location, Location

Make the instructions on how to get to your ceremony and reception clear. You don’t want your guests driving all over town trying to find their way around. It will just leave them grumpy. Try to hold your ceremony and reception in close proximity to each other to make matters easier.

Food

If you are holding your reception around a mealtime, expect to serve food. People will assume that they are eating at the reception if it’s right in the middle of lunch or dinner and if they come hungry and are not fed, it will cause problems. Be careful about the food you serve. Take your own preferences into consideration, but remember if you’re a fan of wildly exotic or rare foods, your guests might not fully appreciate it if they can’t recognize what’s on their plate.

Seating Arrangements

Seating charts can be a big stress factor when planning your wedding reception. There will always be people that don’t want to sit anywhere near other people. Try to be accommodating and separate those that you know will have issues. Guests that do not know many people can be sat together as conversation will be easier than if they were sat amongst a group of good friends.

Receiving Lines

Consider only having the bride, groom, and parents in the receiving line. This way, everyone will be able to offer their congratulations to the only people that need it and the reception can get underway quicker.

Keep Speeches Short and Sweet

Let your wedding party know you would like to keep the speeches short. Ask them to say a few kind words about you and your partner but leave out what you did each year since they met you in kindergarten. Explain to them that the guests will be more appreciative of this. There aren’t many people who like to speak in front of crowd so if they can get away with giving a brief speech, they will appreciate it too. Make the speeches early in the evening. People will drink more as the evening goes on and the more they drink the looser their tongues will be.

The Bar

Your guests will remember if they had to pay for their own drinks or not, guaranteed. Many people assume their drinks will be paid for. But it can be very costly to pay for one or two hundred people to drink all night. An alternative to having an open or cash bar is to have an open limited bar. Choose just a few beverages and pay for the guests to drink those.

Photo by flickr-rickr

Although traditionally seen as “the bride’s day” your wedding is a day for both of you. Your groom has just as much right to offer input and voice his opinion. Here are a few tips on how to make wedding planning a truly mutual endeavor.

Create a Vision Together

Sit down with each other and talk about your individual vision of the wedding. Are you thinking that you’re going to invite two hundred and fifty of your friends to a grand ballroom and party all night? Does he, at the same time, imagine a more intimate affair with only immediate family? Decide what type of wedding will make you both happy and start your planning with that foundation.

Invitations

Invitations are one of the first tasks to take care of when planning a wedding and are also one of the biggest areas of discord. You may not like some of his friends and he might not like some of yours. He’s obviously only going to invite people who are important to him and because it is his wedding too, it’s important that those people are there. The same applies for you. However, it is appropriate to stand firm when ex-girlfriends or ex-boyfriends are involved. If one of you doesn’t feel comfortable with an ex in attendance, they should not be invited.

Compromise

If there are things that don’t appeal to him at all, be willing to listen and prepare yourself, you may have to give in on this one. Small details can be easily worked out. If the issues are bigger however things can be more complicated. Say you have always imagined getting married in a church and he’s completely against the idea, the two of you will need to really talk it out. Employ a little tact. Look at how strong you both feel about your choice and listen to each other’s reasoning. By doing this, both of you will be able to better understand the other’s way of thinking and be closer to an agreement.

Know Your Strengths and Your Weaknesses

Divide up wedding tasks by deciding who is better at specific jobs. If one of you is really good at organization then put that person in charge of receipts, contracts, and other important papers. If the other person has a real eye for décor and how things should look, they should take care of decorations. It’s important to remember that just because someone may be “in charge” doesn’t mean that the other has waived all rights to input.

Eat, Drink and Be Merry

Make wedding chores such as cake and food tasting a fun event. Plan one entire day around this task and spend the day drinking champagne, testing dozens of cakes, and sampling some of the food that your caterer can provide. This is a great way to get both of you involved in the planning and have fun at the same time!

Get Something You Both Want

While you will probably be ready to fill your registry up with linen, china, and kitchen appliances (the sensible things), there may be some things he wants on there as well. If there are entertainment items such as DVD players or a new gaming system, include those in your registry too. The gifts that you receive for your wedding are to be owned and enjoyed by both of you so there’s no reason to have them tailored to one specific interest.

Be Entertained Together

Whether you are having a live band or a DJ, choosing the entertainment for your wedding can be made into a fun date for the two of you. If you are having a band, pick a week where you can go out and listen to all kinds of different music from local acts. If you’re having a DJ, have them audition for you together.

Make Time for Quality Time

While wedding planning can be a fun experience for both of you, it can also be very stressful and have you clambering down each other’s throats at times. Take a break and go out on a date, just the two of you, where there’s no talk of the wedding. There was more to your relationship before the engagement and there’s still more to your lives now. Reconnect and rejuvenate by taking a breather and spending some time just being together.

Photo by ToastyKen

Weddings are full of traditions. While some have their place, many are in need of a shakeup. Can you have a chic wedding that incorporates old customs? Here are seven wedding traditions with a modern twist.

Wearing White

Brides traditionally wore white to symbolize purity. Purity is infrequently an issue in today’s modern world and many brides look for something different. Wedding dresses are now available in every color. If you choose not to go with a different color entirely, you can always wear a bold-colored sash or tie a colored ribbon in your hair.

Wearing a Veil

Back in the day, wearing a veil came from the belief a bride should keep her face covered at all times until she is married. Many brides today feel that although this may still be practiced in some parts of the world, in the west, it’s not necessary. Tiaras, headbands, and flowers are excellent alternatives.

Matching Bridesmaids Dresses

The act of bridesmaids wearing the same dress that closely matched the brides was a ritual designed at confusing evil spirits who would not know which individual was the bride. Nowadays you can let your maids to choose their own dress in a certain color if you want. Another twist on this tradition is to select the same dress but in different shades of the same color.

The Walk Down the Aisle

Tradition states the bride’s father walks her down the aisle. This is rooted in the old belief that when a woman marries, the father gives her away as property. Today it is more a sign of love and the bond between you. Some women have both parents walk her down the aisle, or another person that is very important. Others are walked only halfway down the aisle, at which point the groom will come and take her to the altar.

Throwing Rice

Throwing rice as you exit the ceremony site used to symbolize that the guests wished for the couple’s happiness and that they would never go hungry. Then we found the rice was eaten by birds, which lead to their death. Not the best sentiment to start your marriage on! Confetti is a standard romantic alternative but you can also throw birdseed, blow bubbles, or even release butterflies.

Receiving Line

Receiving lines first came into existence as it was thought that newlywed couples gave luck to everyone they touched. That is no longer the belief and receiving lines can sometimes be awfully long. Many couples opt instead to visit each table separately during the reception and have a more meaningful conversation with their guests than simply shaking their hand or getting a peck on the cheek.

Bouquet Toss

Traditionally the single woman to catch the bouquet is the next one to marry. That of course, is not true but it can add a little extra fun to the wedding. It can also make single guests feel uncomfortable and as a result many brides forego the toss. Instead, you could give your bouquet to grandparents in the family that are about to celebrate an anniversary, or have celebrated one recently.

Photo by Yves Lorson

There is an easy way to make sure that you have everything done on time so that your wedding day will be spent with you enjoying your guests and your new groom. You just have to have a plan and be organized. Keeping a checklist of all the items to be taken care of during the last week can help a lot. Here is the basic list of what you will need.

o Confirm the final head count with the ceremony and reception venues, caterer, and bartending service, if using one.

o Ensure that the groomsmen and father of the bride and groom will be picking up their tuxes, if renting and to make sure that they are a good fit.

o Write the toasts that you will be saying at the reception to thank your friends and family.

o Create an itinerary of how events will be played out the day of the ceremony and give one to every member of the wedding party.

o Confirm honeymoon reservations and pack for the wonderful vacation you’re about to have with your new groom!

o Wrap the thank you gifts for the parents and mail them so they will arrive promptly after the wedding.

o The groom will probably want to get his hair cut.

o Book a day at the spa for just yourself or for you and your bridesmaids, depending on which you would prefer. Spend a day the week before the wedding de-stressing, relaxing, and not thinking about your wedding plans (but do think about how much fun you’ll have at your wedding!)

When it comes down to the last day or two, you will want to make sure that you are extra organized. Not only will you not have enough time to be worrying about the small details, but your nerves will probably already start to become frazzled around this time as the big day approaches. The day or two days before your wedding, you will want to make sure that you have these tasks accomplished.

o Go to the rehearsal with your officiant and the wedding party.

o Spend some quality time with your family and friends at the rehearsal dinner.

o Plan a date with your soon-to-be spouse where there is no talk of wedding plans, except to exchange any gifts that you bought for each other!

o The night before, take a long hot bath to try to calm your nerves down and try to go to bed early. You have a big day the next day!

The day of your wedding, there’s no question that you will be a bundle of nervousness, anxiety, and a lot of excitement! This is the most important day to take your checklist with you everywhere because you won’t have a chance to do it again!

o Start the day off with a very good breakfast. If you have a ceremony that’s later in the day, it’s often nice for the bride and her bridesmaids to have breakfast together, either at someone’s house or at a restaurant, before they all go together to the hair appointments. Make sure you get nutritious food that will last with you for several hours. Your next meal may not be until dinner and you have a lot happening in between!

o Put money or checks in envelopes and give to a trusted friend of family member to distribute to the appropriate people (officiant, caterer, etc.)

o Make sure you have everything you need to go to your hair appointment, such as your headpiece or veil.

o Give yourself lots of time to get your makeup done.

o Make sure that you are ready in your dress forty-five minutes to an hour before pictures are taken.

o Pack a small makeup bag and bring it to the wedding. Also be sure to include anything you will need for your hair, such as bobby pins.

o Give the marriage license to the best man and ask him to bring it to the ceremony.

o Ask the photographer and videographer to capture the two witnesses signing the marriage license.

o Relax and enjoy your day! All of the planning is over and it’s time to sit back and enjoy all of the hard work that you’ve been doing for the past several months!

Photo by Emery Co Photo

Many brides-to-be are overwhelmed at the thought of planning a wedding. This is because most of them have never had to plan such a grand affair before and there is so much to do and it seems in such little time.

However, it’s important not give in to the pressures and keep cool from the first day that the planning starts through to the honeymoon. This is a time of love and new beginnings. No one wants to start that off on a platform of anger and anxiety. Keep wedding planning simple with these tips.

The Vision

Before you start to pull out planners and call around to different venues to get price quotes, you first need to have a vision for your wedding. Sit down with your fiancé and openly discuss what kind of wedding you both want. Every decision you make from here on in will come back to this vision so it’s extremely important that you have a clear idea of what you both want. Brainstorm together about ways that you can keep your wedding simple.

The Guest List

Once you have decided on the vision, you will need to decide who is going to be there for your big day. Invite close friends and family but don’t go all out invite the girl you worked with four years ago but have rarely spoken to since. Keeping the guest list on the small side will greatly help relieve a lot of the stress that comes from wedding planning.

The Venue

Once you know how many people you are going to invite you can begin to look at venues. Keeping with the theme of simplicity, choose venues that can help you obtain this. Remember that choosing a large venue will require lots of decorating, and you could run into challenges with sound and lighting. Keep it small and you will have much fewer problems. One great way to Zen your day is to hold your wedding outside. There’s nothing more peaceful than choosing a serene setting where you can your betrothed can exchange vows.

Invitations

When it’s time to start sending out invitations, give yourself plenty of time so that you are not in a huge rush to get them out and get the RSVPs back. This will bring a calmer energy to the whole business of invitations, which can often leave brides feeling very frazzled.

Flowers

Flowers are another area of weddings that cause brides major stress. The entire process of choosing a florist, choosing your flowers, and then paying a whole lot of money for them is enough to have brides pulling out their hair. But one of the easiest ways to keep your wedding simple is through flowers. Instead of a huge bouquet in front of yourself and every bridesmaid, choose to have just one or two flowers that are tied simply with a ribbon that is the same color as the wedding colors. You can alternate ribbon colors between the bridesmaids and have the bridal bouquet consist of a few flowers that are the same color as the wedding colors, and have them tied with a white ribbon. Not only are these beautifully simple but you can also just buy the flowers and put them together yourself. This will save you a lot of stress and will allow you to save some money at the same time!

Decorations

When it comes to decorating a venue and making sure that no detail goes untouched, it can be a tricky task even for brides that have a flair for décor. The great thing about keeping things simple is that you can, and in fact should, leave things untouched. This is very easy to do if you are having your wedding in a location where you are surrounded by beauty. Holding your wedding in a garden or elsewhere outdoors will allow Mother Nature to do her fine work, leaving less for you to do.

If you are having centerpieces on the tables, skip the traditional grand flower arrangements and instead place some votive candles or tea lights that are placed in a circle around a slightly larger (but not too large) candle. Choose candles that are the same color as your wedding colors or have white candles with holders in the same shade as the wedding theme. Another great way to signify simplicity is to have water centerpieces.

Destination Weddings

Perhaps one of the best ways to have a stress-free wedding is to have a destination wedding. These weddings are becoming increasingly popular as couples are finding out that all they need to do is choose the location and there is usually a wedding coordinator that will take care of the rest after finding out what your vision is. Usually a handful of people that you know and love attend the wedding and you are already at your honeymoon destination once the ceremony is over! Simple, romantic, and fun!

The Basics

Prepare your budget first. Sit down with your partner and anybody that is going to help you pay. Decide what is available to spend on the wedding and jot down a few ideas about where you want to spend the most. There are no rights and wrongs for your priorities, as long as you can identify them now and have an idea on how much you’re willing to spend. As you plan your wedding, there will be slight changes to the budget. That is okay, but stick to it as much as possible otherwise your expenses can spiral out of control.

Next book a location for your ceremony and reception. This is where it’s all going to happen so every other decision is related to this.

After these preliminary tasks are taken care of you can get down to the details. Stay organized so that the details don’t become overwhelming. The first place to start with is a Wedding Binder.

The Wedding Binder

This is a bride-to-be’s best friend when wedding planning. Here’s where you should keep everything wedding related in one place as a quick access reference. Got to any office supply store and buy a large binder, divider tabs that you can write directly on, large envelopes that will fit into the binder, and a punch. Begin by labeling each section. Obvious labels include Dress, Bridesmaids, Guest List, Food, Flowers, Music, Ceremony, and Invitations. Less-obvious ones may include: Out-of-Town Guests, Rental Vendors, and Honeymoon. Always buy more dividers than you think you need so you can add to the binder later.

Keep your time frame, your wedding checklist, and a telephone and address directory in your Wedding Binder. On this list you can include vendors, the wedding party, anyone who you don’t always want to be running around looking for their telephone number. Add a list of wedding gifts. You can add to this list as you receive them include what the gift was and who sent them. This will make life much easier when it’s time to send out thank-you notes.

Make a calendar with large spaces for each date, starting from the date you put your binder together and ending one month after your honeymoon. There are many different meetings and events that you will need to attend in over the next several months and this calendar will help you coordinate them.

The Timeframe

Having a reasonable timeframe written down will make you feel as though you are more in control and help you achieve your wedding planning goals. Here is a basic timeframe:

12 Months Before:

• Decide on possible dates and times for your wedding.

• Decide the size and style of wedding you will have.

• Create your budget.

• Book the venues for the ceremony and reception.

• Decide on who will be officiating your ceremony and book them.

• Decide who you want in your wedding party and ask them if they would do you the honors.

• Pick out your wedding rings.

• Draft a guest list.

• Plan your engagement party.

9 Months Before:

• Order wedding gown and bridesmaids dresses as well as groom’s and groomsmen tuxedos.

• Book the photographer and videographer.

• Book a caterer.

• Book rentals or order decorations, linen, and seat covers.

• Book live entertainment or DJ.

• Book florist.

• Order wedding cake.

• Prepare wedding registry.

• Look at accommodation options for out-of-town guests.

• Plan honeymoon.

6 Months Before:

• Plan the menu.

• Book musicians for the ceremony.

• Book wedding transportation.

• Order wedding stationery, including invitations.

• Research what information is needed for the marriage license.

3 Months Before:

• Decide on final guest list.

• Confirm final order with the florist.

• Reserve men’s wedding attire, if needed.

• Book your hairdresser for the wedding day.

2 Months Before:

• Mail the invitations.

• Choose your wedding vows.

• Confirm final reception menus.

• Finalize ceremony details with musicians, readers, and officiate.

• Print the programs.

• Buy gifts for the parents and the attendants

• Book nail and makeup appointments for the big day (you may have done this when you booked your hair appointment.)

• Schedule the final fitting for your dress.

1 Month Before:

• Apply for a marriage license.

• Organize the rehearsal dinner.

• Meet with the photographer and videographer.

2 Weeks Before:

• Host a party for the wedding party.

• Write speeches.

• Confirm reception details.

• Call to guests that have not sent RSVP.

• Consult with hairstylist and makeup and nail artists.

• Take song lists to DJ or live band.

• Confirm honeymoon details.

1 Week Before:

• Finalize seating chart.

• Hold rehearsal.

• Decide order of attendants.

• Confirm wedding night reservations.

• Deliver final numbers to the caterer.

• Confirm wedding transportation.

• Ask someone to deliver rental items for the day after the wedding.

• Write out checks that need to be handed out on the day of the wedding.

• Pack for the honeymoon.

The Big Day

• Give wedding bands to the best man and maid of honor.

• Give checks to the best man that need to be handed out that day.

• Give parents and attendants their gifts.

After the Wedding:

• Send out thank-you notes to guests.

• Send vendors thank-you letters.

• Arrange for dress to be cleaned and preserved.

Although you want your wedding day to be perfect, you don’t want to start off your new life with your new spouse deeply in debt from one day. Take these steps to avoid wedding debt.

Open a Wedding Savings Account

If you have money sitting in your checking account you will be more likely to spend it than if you have it in an account earmarked for your wedding. When you spend money from your everyday account, you rarely look at the bigger picture. You’ll be less likely to dip into the wedding account for everyday things when you know the money should be spent on your wedding.

Pay Yourself First

There’s no point having a wedding account if there’s no money being deposited into it. Take ten percent of every pay check and put it in the wedding account. No matter what else you think you may want to buy, pay yourself first. Not only is this a great help when paying for your wedding, it also serves as good practice for marriage and future retirement plans.

Have Dates at Home

Is it the really fancy restaurant that you love when you’re out on a date with your fiancé or is it the company? It’s extremely important that you make a date night once a week with your fiancé while you are going through the craziness of wedding planning. Ironically, you will have very little time to spend together so you need to set aside some alone time. However, this does not mean that you need to go and blow all the cash that you have in your wallet. Make a nice dinner at your house and spend the time really enjoying each other, instead of being annoyed that the waiter forgot your salad dressing. Calculate the money you saved in a month of dating at home and put that money directly into your wedding account.

Save Big on Entertainment

You will need to blow off steam during the months and months of stressful wedding planning. You may be tempted to go out with the girls and blow that steam off with the help of some cocktails. Although hanging out with the girls will definitely help you feel better and relieve some of your stress, there’s no reason you need to do this at the local bar. You and your girls will probably have more fun hanging out at someone’s house and enjoying the same cocktails. It will save you a lot of money in the long run and you won’t have to fight to be heard over loud music or have drink spilled on you as a stranger runs past you. Meet once a month or once a week, however often you need to. Relax even more by doing spa nights and chatting and laughing while you soak your feet or give each other facials. At the end of the month, calculate how much money you saved and put that money right into your wedding account.

Forego the Joe

A lot of people can’t get through the first hour of their day, never mind the entire day, without a cup of coffee. You don’t need to give coffee up completely but you can buy a travel mug that costs approximately seven dollars and brew a pot when you first get up in the morning. Using your new travel cup, take one to work with you instead of making your regular stop at your local coffee shop. Because making your own cup of coffee at home costs approximately five to ten cents a cup, compared to the two dollars plus you’ll spend retail, you’ll save about two dollars every day. And that’s if you only have one cup! Keep track of how much your making versus buying and at the end of the month, put that money into your wedding account. At the end of two or three months of doing this, you may have enough money in your account to pay for your reception DJ.

Eat Better, Save More

Wedding planning will have you rushing from here to there and trying to cram a thousand errands into twenty-four hours. All of that running around can make you hungry and you may be tempted to stop at the nearest drive-thru along the way. Consider how much take-out food costs and start making your own food at home instead. This has so many benefits besides saving money. There really is no reason you shouldn’t do it.

We all know that fast food is full of empty calories and severely deficient in anything nutritious. When you are stressed out and exhausted from wedding planning, your body needs the proper food to refuel. It simply can’t get this from a fast food burger and would be much better served having a sandwich on whole wheat at home. Not only that but all brides want to look phenomenal in their wedding dress and so eating healthier at home will also help you achieve this. Buying food and bringing it home to cook is so much cheaper than having someone prepare it for you. Even if you’re buying hamburgers to take back home to the grill, the way you prepare it will be healthier and you’ll spend approximately eight dollars on a twelve pack of burgers rather than five dollars on one burger. Again, keep track of how many times you opt to dine at home instead of eating out and at the end of the month, put all of that money into your wedding account.

Make Money on What You Own

Go through your entire house and make piles of clothes, appliances, and anything else that you do not want or no longer need. Look around on online auction sites, such as eBay or visit your local consignment shops to see if you can sell it. You will be amazed at how much money you have laying around your house and anything you make off your old clutter of course goes into your wedding account.

Save Like You’re About to Get Married

Saving only makes sense when you’re well, trying to save money. But in this case, saving refers to really thinking about something before you buy it. Do you need it or do you want it? Would you rather have the item you’re about to purchase or would you rather add one more person to your guest list? Whenever you’re about to purchase something, think about what it means for your wedding. Spending one hundred dollars at the spa or on an outfit might not mean that much to you but consider that saving that money could mean the difference between settling for something average or getting what you really want!

Photo by Kat…

Keep the cost of your wedding down by mastering the art of negotiation. Anyone can do it, here are the basics.

Become a Comparison Shopper

Speak to a variety of vendors and tell them your budget. Find out what they are willing to give you for the price you are willing to pay. You can then go back to your dream venue, florist, or whoever you are negotiating with and tell them what you have been offered. This will often sway them into giving you a better price. You have to be able to say a polite, “Thank you for your time,” and walk away to let the vendor know that you have other options and will take your business elsewhere. If you have your heart set on one particular vendor, just act like you are going to walk away and they will usually be not too far behind telling you everything they can do for you.

Know What You’re Paying For

When meeting with vendors, ask to see a sample contract. Carefully look over everything that you will be charged for. Is the caterer charging a certain price for unopened bottles of alcohol? Has the DJ included a price for an assistant that will act as emcee for the evening? Is the photographer preparing albums that you could make yourself? Speak to the vendor about any costs and fees that you deem unnecessary and ask if there is any way to drop those from the package.

Know Your Budget

Know what your budget is for a particular vendor before even meeting with them. Stick to it as much as possible. While you may find yourself paying a little bit extra here and there remember if you do that with every vendor, it can add up to be hundreds of dollars more than you were prepared to spend. As a rule any extra expenses mean you have to negotiate a discount on another aspect of your wedding.

Give a “Pretend” Budget

No matter what you tell wedding vendors your wedding budget is, it will not be enough. The art of negotiation involves breaking the other person’s limit. If the vendor feels at the end of the negotiation that you gave up something as well, they will feel much better about the whole thing and be willing to give you a better price. For that reason, you must not tell them what your actual budget is! Give them a budget number that is slightly less than what you actually have in mind. This way, when they tell you that you need to go a little bit higher, you can hem and haw about if for awhile but eventually agree because you won’t really be losing any money.

Buy in Bulk

A lot of vendors will also give you a better deal if you purchase something in addition. A photographer may give you a better deal on your wedding package if you agree to have them do your engagement photos. Caterers may give a better price per head if you agree to let them make your wedding cake as well. Add up these additional costs to see if you are really saving money in the end.

Be Firm But Friendly

“You’ll catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.” If you are pleasant vendors are much more likely to try and work with you to find an arrangement to suit everyone. If you are demanding and aggressive from the very beginning, they most likely won’t give you a deal. However, know what you want and don’t take anything less. You can still maintain a friendly demeanor while making them understand what is important to you and that you will not be distracted from that. Say something such as, “I understand your position as well. I’m sorry we couldn’t come to a suitable arrangement and if something changes, I will keep you in mind,” if it’s really not going to work out. This will leave things friendly and may even have that vendor chasing after you offering a better deal.

Do Walk Away

Let your vendor know that you need time to think about it and you also need to run it by your future husband, as it is a budget issue. This plants the seed in the vendor’s head that you may not be coming back. It will encourage them to work with you a little bit more to give you a better deal. Besides that, running financial issues past your groom isn’t a bad idea as you have a lifetime of doing just that ahead of you.

Pay in Cash

Cash talks and that’s no different when it comes to wedding vendors. Tell them that you are willing to pay cash on the spot if they can give you a discount on some items. This can go a long way to getting you a better price just be sure you still have a contract signed by both parties and get a receipt.

Consider Off Season

The prime wedding season is from May – September and the most popular day of the week to have a wedding is on Saturday. Florists, photographers, venues, and DJs will all be busier during at these times. This makes it harder to get deals because they are taking in so much business. Consider having your wedding off-season or on a different day of the week. Tell the vendors that you realize they probably have some free time and ask if that could go towards a discount?

Know What You Can Give

If you can do anything to make a vendor’s job easier, they are going to be much more likely to work with you. Does the venue have an entrance close to the kitchen so the caterer can easily bring the food in? Do you have microphones, speakers, or anything else that the DJ can use? Scout out the areas where the vendor will be working and know what will be available to them during your wedding. Time is money. If you are saving them time, you should be saving money. The little extras mean a lot to vendors, which can help get a discount.

Expect to Win the Negotiation

Don’t go into the negotiation wondering if you can pull it off. If you expect to win and have no other option in your mind, you are more likely to get what you want. Be confident and visualize yourself winning. It will go a lot further than you think.

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Once upon a time, tradition stated that marriage was a commitment that needed to be made before God. While nowadays you can tie the knot almost anywhere, for many people tradition is still important. Here’s a comparison of ten of the most traditional wedding locations.

1. The Church

Perhaps the most traditional place to get married and still one of the most popular. The main benefit of getting married in a church (or synagogue/mosque/insert place of worship here) is if you or your fiancé has particular religious beliefs you feel are important to include in your wedding. Other benefits may be the inclusion of an organist or other musician in with the price of the ceremony and the fact that those that the officiant will generally have a vast experience of weddings.

Some people choose not to marry in a church due to strict religious rules. Roman Catholic churches for example, often won’t marry a couple unless both the bride and groom are Roman Catholics. They may also have restrictions on the type and volume of decorations that can be placed around the venue.

2. The Wedding Chapel

If you want to keep the ceremony formal but don’t want to have religion attached, a non-denominational wedding chapel may be the choice for you. These chapels provide the minister, decorations, and in some cases, a degree of wedding planning.

Chapels do tend to book fairly quickly though so give yourselves plenty of time before your wedding date.

3. The Great Outdoors

Getting married outdoors has many benefits. A public area, such as a gazebo in a park, may only carry a small nominal fee or have no cost at all. In addition many outdoor locations are already very attractive so the need for decorations will be limited.

However, tying the knot outdoors can have its disadvantages. Depending on where you choose to get married, bugs and pests could be a problem, but of course the biggest and most obvious downside is that you are dependent on weather. Check on weather.com to see the weather predictions in your area for your chosen date.

4. Your Home

While you will still have to tie the knot at a venue where you are legally allowed to, a home reception can be great for those that are on a budget and wish to have a small, intimate gathering with vast scope to truly personalize the space with whichever decorations you choose.

A disadvantage to being married at home is that you will be limited to the number of people that can attend by the amount of space you have. You will also be responsible for organizing everything yourself and making sure that all arrive when they are scheduled to. Weddings in a home can also quickly become very expensive as you may need to rent furniture, sound systems, or lighting.

5. The Hotel

A wedding in a hotel can provide much of the elegance and formality of a church wedding without the religious restrictions. Many hotels also have wedding coordinators on-site that can help you plan aspects of your wedding.

The biggest disadvantage of getting married in a hotel is the price. Hotels are often among the more expensive venues.

6. Fabulous Las Vegas

While unconventional, Vegas has developed a tradition of its own. The midnight elopement to the casino chapel has been exchanged for a classier affair and every year couples flock to Las Vegas tie the knot. The city has much to offer and your guests will never be bored with a huge array of stellar acts on show to provide entertainment before the main event, your wedding.

If you’re looking for a quiet, secluded ceremony, the busy lights of Las Vegas may not be the right choice for you.

7. The Beach

A newer tradition, this is becoming a very popular choice. An excellent location to view some of the most romantic scenery available while you feel the sand beneath your toes as you say your vows.

The biggest disadvantage again is the weather and the seating arrangements. Be prepared to pay for chairs to be brought in and have a tarp or tent covering the ceremony area.

8. The Conservatory

Conservatories are wonderful places to get married. The lush greenery and blooms around you will provide all the decorations you need and as it’s indoors, you won’t need to worry about weather while still keeping a natural atmosphere.

9. The Place You Love

Many couples choose to put their personalities on display when choosing a venue for their wedding. This often means hosting the event at a place they love to spend their time. For example, golf courses are great places to get married and after the ceremony, you can always take the reception to the clubhouse.

The downside to these venues is they may not allow wedding ceremonies and can often be expensive.

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Your guest list is a major stepping-stone for your other wedding planning decisions and it is important to get organized from the start. Here are five no-fuss rules to follow when creating your ideal guest list.

1. Decide What Type of Wedding You Want

You and your fiancé have to be in agreement. Maybe you have always dreamed of a huge wedding with all the trimmings while he has always planned on a smaller more intimate affair. Compromise is the key. You both need to make a united vision for the day. This will be a huge deciding factor in how big your guest list is and will provide you with a great start for jotting names down.

2. Include Must-Haves First

These include your close family and friends. Any person that means a lot to you and you speak to on a regular basis and anyone you absolutely cannot imagine getting married without. Although these are the people that seem the most obvious to you, make sure to get those names in writing so no one gets forgotten.

3. Create a Must-Not-Have List

Just as it sounds, this list is comprised of those people that are absolutely not welcome at your wedding. You don’t need to write these names down but you must discuss it with your fiancé.

The list could include ex-boyfriends or girlfriends, people that one of you is no longer speaking to or anyone who you know will act obnoxiously at the wedding or at the reception.

You need to be in mutual agreement. Compromises should be made where there are any areas of conflict. Remember, your wedding is one of the many joint ventures you as a couple will take together. Now is a good time to begin the fine art of working through issues as they arise.

4. Speak to Those Who Are Paying

If you are not paying for the wedding yourselves, you need to sit down with whoever is (for example your parents) and discuss how many people you want to invite. Give them your full attention and respect if they say that the guest list is a little longer than they had planned or can budget for.

It’s also a time for them to mention who they want to invite. Just as they have the right to add to the guest list, they also have the right to nix people. If your side of the guest list is too long for them and you can’t bear to cross anyone off, consider paying for those people to attend yourself.

5. Start Typing!

Collect all the names you have gathered and start organizing them. Keep all the addresses in one place to make your life much easier when the time comes to send out invitations.