After the excitement of your engagement settles down, thoughts will turn to the venue – maybe you want to eat, drink and dance your wedding day away at a luxury hotel near to your home, or maybe you want to go further afield. There are a number of key decisions to make – how many guests will you need to cater for, do you need a hotel with a chapel or are you getting married in a church and if you are is the church close enough to be practical? These are just some of the questions you need to ask yourself before you start looking for your perfect hotel venue.

You wedding day is one of the most important days of your life, and no matter how much your husband to be moans about how many reception venues you are dragging him around, it’s important to be sure you are picking the correct deluxe hotel for your day. Make sure you book an appointment with the wedding coordinator who will take you on a guided tour of the premises – most luxury hotels have a dedicated wedding planner on hand to help you with the arrangements – don’t just assume you can turn up and look around. Try to book an appointment for a friday or a saturday when the hotel is likely to be setting up for a wedding, as you can see how it is likely to look for your wedding day.

You may walk into a luxurious hotel and fall in love with it straight away, but make sure you keep your practical head on before your heart runs off with the decision. Ask to see the honeymoon suite if you plan on staying at the hotel the night of the wedding, and if you can, negotiate a tasting session into the package – even the most opulent hotel may not serve exactly the cuisine you are looking for and it’s vital to taste the wine you will be offering your guests.

It’s all too easy to panic and jump in feet first when booking your wedding venue, as you hear stories of brides having to wait years to get that perfect mid-summers day. However, with so many luxury hotels to choose from it’s definitely worth taking some time to visit as many as possible. You will look back on the photo’s in years to come and be grateful you researched and found the perfect venue.

Where Do We Start?

Planning your wedding is definitely a tall task compared to organising other events. One reason why would-be brides get stressed over wedding plans is that they intend to do this only once. Since weddings can only be done so many times, couples try to build the most memorable event ever.

The first thing a bride would ask is – where do we start? This is an easy question with a lot of answers. Planning a wedding can easily be overwhelming if you do not start at the right places. A wedding planner will tell you that a wedding is just like any other event, and if you have managed a party before, you should draw on that experience to help you start your wedding plans.

The first thing that you should do is hire a wedding planner. Some would-be brides prefer to plan on their own, thinking that by hiring a wedding planner, they will have less to do with the wedding. In fact, a good wedding planner should allow you to be involved in the process as much as possible.

Describing A Wedding Planner

Planning a wedding is no easy task. If it was easy, then wedding planners would be out of work. Even simple decisions like the theme of the wedding, the flower selection, and the number of guests can be excruciating without the right guidance.

Their job is to put all your ideas and implement them feasibly. The key in wedding plans is that it should be your idea, and that your wedding planner is only there to guide you to the right direction. Trustworthy wedding planners always seek your opinion, and they rarely make big decisions without your final word. With a wedding planner, your input and ideas will be organized, so everything can come together nicely on your wedding day.

Planning Tips

A wedding planner is not enough to throw a great wedding party. You and your close friends should lead the planning and visualise what you really want out of your wedding. The easiest advice for engaged couples is to schedule the wedding smartly. The agreed wedding date should give you enough time to plan everything. If you want a large wedding, it is best to plan six months to a year in advance. For simpler weddings, three months is a good time frame.

Once you establish a date, start enlisting friends and loved ones that are committed to throwing a perfect wedding. Some friends may share your enthusiasm, but they might not be committed enough to spend time organising the party. If your friends lend you their time, show your appreciation with a nice gesture.

After enlisting your friends, it is time to hire the right professionals to help plan your wedding. Of course, first in the list is the wedding planner. You also need to hire a wedding photographer, a band for the reception, a chef, venue finders, wedding tailors, and designers. Your first priority above all else is to hire an excellent wedding planner. You can then ask the planner to hire the professionals for you, or give you a list of contacts, so you can decide for yourself. Assemble the best team at the right price. As much as you want to do all the planning, learn to delegate and give them room to work.

The most important aspect of all wedding plans is the budget. There is only so much you can do with the budget that you have. New couples are surprised when they realize how much it costs to run a wedding. It is very crucial to sit down with your partner to talk about the financial cost of the wedding. Have your wedding planner explain what kind of wedding is possible with the budget that you have. Settle with a definite budget as early as possible. Even if you feel that you have more than enough savings to spend on a wedding, you have to consider if the savings could be more useful if you invest it for the future.

The real wedding experience starts with laying out your wedding plans. Consult with your wedding planner for guidance. It also helps if you become a student of the craft. A good relationship with your wedding planner will lead to a great wedding finale and a nice start to your marriage.

Choosing a photographer

Your first task is naturally to select a wedding photographer. Most expensive doesn’t always translate into “best”, so it can pay off doubly to check out several companies and photographers. Also, you should be aware of that some photographers only offer the traditional wedding photography style, or strictly a photojournalistic style. It is best to find a versatile photographer that can do both.

When visiting the photo company you should inquire who will actually be taking the pictures. Salespersons often pose as actual photographers and try to woo customers. If at all possible you should speak directly with the photographer and make sure companies deal openly. You should also ask them to show several complete weddings from each of the photographers they offer you, so you can choose. Make sure the one chosen is the one that will cover your wedding. Otherwise, it is better to find a photographer that personally shoots weddings. A two-person team is an even better package because two points of view of the wedding can be taken.

In any case, the photographer should be able to show more than one complete set of wedding photos. Couples should not accept someone who shows only selected prints of their best photographs from different weddings. A photographer who can exhibit three or four complete sets of good quality pictures, all from different weddings, will probably be a very good choice for your special occasion.

Do not be afraid to come across as “too picky”. Because asking intelligent questions will encourage photographers to deal openly with customers. Remember, it’s your special day, and you should make sure that the wedding photography is something that will help you and your loved ones relive those wonderful memories.

The big day – one big photo-op

Once a great photographer has been appointed to the task, most of your job is already done. However, there are a few things to keep in mind in order to make your wedding as good a photo opportunity as possible.

The first thing to do is to give the most opportunities for the photographer when scheduling activities during the wedding day. When planning the time of the wedding ceremony and of the reception, couples should incorporate the time that the photographer requires to capture all of the couple’s special moments. There should be a gap between the end of the ceremony and beginning of the reception, to allow for more photographs for the bride, groom and wedding entourage, especially if they are in two different locations. The photographers and subjects will have a more relaxed shoot and will enjoy all the parts of the wedding if the events are well spaced out.

Selecting a photographer that will provide unlimited coverage for the whole day is also a good way to ensure that none of the photography will be rushed.

The check list

As you see, the most important part with successful wedding photography lies in selecting the right photographer. So, to conclude this article, here is a short check list of things you should ask all potential photographers.

- What kinds of cameras does he use? Does he use medium format equipment and have a back up? Does have a “leaf” shutter or “focal plane”?

- What lenses does he use? Does he use only one, or will he change lenses? Make him show you photo effects that he is able to achieve with different lenses and choose the ones which you like to appear with your photographs.

- Will he provide photographs in both color and black and white, or would he charge extra for B/W? Dramatic effects can be made with black and white photographs, so ask if this is a premium.

- Are hand and digital coloring or digital color separation included in the package or would he charge extra for these? Better pictures are developed when the photograph colors are separated first, improved, and then printed.

- Is he willing to customize a package that is within your budget?

The list of wedding stationary

Contrary to popular belief, wedding stationary do not just comprise the wedding invitation. These pieces of parchments also stand for different things. Here is a Short list of the pieces of wedding stationary:

>Invitations

Who would ever forget the most popular, if not the most important, piece of wedding stationary? The wedding invitation is the one of the crucial things in weddings. It symbolizes that the would-be newlyweds would like to share their special moment with the people they want to invite.

>Programme or order of the service

A programme or order of service lists down the activities in a wedding ceremony and reception. Aiming to guide the guests of what is going on in the ceremony, this type of wedding stationary is often included in wedding invitations. There are also those who prefer placing it on tables and venue entrance points.

>RSVP cards

Equipped with a form and stamp, RSVP cards are used to confirm a guest’s attendance to the ceremony. This gives the wedding planners a concrete idea of the expected number of guests. However, one should still remember that some people do not reply to RSVPs. In this case, it will always be better to save spare seats.

>Table cards

As their name suggest, table cards are placed atop tables to guide guests where they would seat. Remember that arranging seating plans for guests is a tricky task. So you’re table cards must be clear and easy to notice.

>Menu cards

Menu cards make or break the guests’ food choices. This piece of parchment must be simple and easy to understand. However, there should also be little creativity in the description of the food choices to tempt the guests.

>Thank you cards

Of course, the newlyweds should not forget to show their appreciation. They must send a thank yo notice to the people who shared their important moment.

The ways to create a good wedding stationary

Given the range of this wedding must-have, it might really be tricky to keep things in shape. Here are some factors to consider in creating the best wedding stationary of all time:

>Budget

Allot a decent budget for your wedding stationary. As much as possible, plan out different styles by which you can have designs that will fit your budget.

>Theme

Remember that your wedding stationary must always jive your wedding theme. Do not drift away as it will only confuse your guests.

>Number of pieces

Remember that the number of invitations will not constitute the number of the other wedding stationary you will use. Have your wedding planner count the people who have replied to your RSVP. You might also ask him or her to have an estimate of the number of people that were there in your wedding.

The web has become the dominant way to shop for electronics, travel, cars, housing, even education.  But you can just as easily use the web to find caterers, event halls, dressmakers, DJs, photographers, videographers–even a wedding planner if you decide to take a break from doing it all yourself.

Here’s how the web helps you plan a wedding:

Local search.  No, you don’t have to sort through vendors from here to Timbuktu.  Local search technology now makes finding someone downtown as easy as finding someone anywhere.  If you use Google, you only have to enter a place name along with your keyword to get a list of local businesses.  Try “wedding planner fargo” (without the quotes) and see for yourself.Real people.  The people you are buying from online aren’t “virtual.”  They’re as real as the people you’d meet in person.  In fact, especially with local business, the website is just a first contact.  You can always call them up or arrange to meet in person.Dedicated wedding information websites.  There are now websites solely devoted not just to planning a wedding, but to catering, wedding cakes, even dying shoes for weddings.  These same websites often have directories of wedding vendors arranged by location.Message boards and customer reviews.  You wouldn’t buy a book on Amazon without reading a review a customer had left.  Now you don’t have to buy decorations that way, either.Web Wedding Planning AlternativesThe web has a lot of advantages over most other ways of discovering and evaluating wedding vendors.  Just look at what your other options are:

In short, the web makes it much easier to get a perfect wedding.