What Is A Wedding Checklist
and Why Do I Need One?

With everything a future bride and groom have on their minds getting ready for their big day, it is almost impossible to keep it all in order. To help you remember everything and minimize the headaches related to even the smallest of details, it is a good idea to prepare a wedding checklist.

Having a wedding checklist, which can be altered to fit your specific needs, will lessen the stress load each time you cross off a completed task. A wedding checklist will also ensure that when your big day comes, you haven't forgotten anything and you can relax and enjoy your day.

Some things that may be included on a wedding checklist are reserving the date with a florist, photographer and disk jockey; setting the time and date of the wedding, and reserving your church and reception location. These starter steps should be done about six to 12 months before your date.

More ideas to add to your wedding checklist include establishing a wedding budget, choosing the wedding party and ordering invitations and announcements. You may also want to consider picking out your dress and hairpiece, visiting a boutique to look at attire for the attendants and ordering your wedding rings. All of these things should be done as early as possible to save you time when the small details become a necessity.

Closer to your date, the wedding checklist you create should have reminders for you to order wedding flowers, address invitations, plan a rehearsal dinner with friends and family, select the music and order the wedding cake. These things should be done about four months prior to your big day.

About four to six weeks before your wedding, you will need to go over your wedding checklist and begin mailing invitations, do a final fitting for your gown, select your groom's gift, be sure that thank you notes have been written and sent out for any showers and receptions that were thrown in your honor, and place your announcement in your local newspaper.

As you continue crossing tasks off your wedding checklist, it will become smaller and you will have a feeling of satisfaction and organization. The final details come two weeks before your wedding when you will need to make a final appointment with your florist to approve your flowers, go to the courthouse for a marriage license, change names on accounts and official documents and begin a list of wedding gifts and senders so that you will be able to send them thank you cards later.

Although these are just a few things that should be included on your wedding checklist, it gives you an idea of how many details you will be covering throughout your planning. If you stay organized with a list and give yourself plenty of time to complete each task, you will reap the rewards of having a peaceful beginning to your new life.

Choosing the Right Wedding Package

Congratulations on your engagement! Now comes the hard part, actually planning the wedding. With so many things to consider, the details and costs involved with planning a wedding can be quite intimidating. Fortunately, there is help out there for those who want it. There are many companies across the country and probably several in your own city that specialize in putting together wedding packages. With the right wedding package, you can often find most, if not all, of your wedding needs met all at once. The perfect wedding package will save you time and money, relieving the stress involved in planning what is supposed to be the happiest day of your life.

Wedding packages are as diverse as the people who purchase them. With so many options available, how do you choose the right one? The best way to go about it is to have a plan before you even start looking at wedding packages. First of all, you need to know how many people you will invite to your wedding.

Since wedding package prices are largely designed around the number of people in attendance, this is information you must have before shopping around. Next, of those invited, how many will be invited to the reception? While it is traditional to invite everyone to both the ceremony and the reception, it is no longer a requirement.

Partially due to the advent of wedding packages, it is now quite common to invite a large number of people to the ceremony and just a percentage of those to the reception. The reasoning behind this is cost related in most cases. If you can afford it and would rather stick with tradition, you can certainly still invite everyone to the reception.

You'll also want to be sure of the number of people in your wedding party before you start looking at different wedding packages. The reason for this is the same as above. Wedding packages can often include tuxedo and dress rental for the entire party, so you'll certainly want to know exactly how many tuxedos and dresses are included in the wedding package you select.

Next, you'll want to look at practical issues like geographical locations. If you're getting married in your church and need only to select a reception hall, you probably want to make sure that the one you choose is not too far from the church.

Driving a long distance to and from the reception after the wedding ceremony is no fun for anyone involved. Choose a wedding package that includes a choice of locations or a location near where you want to have the ceremony. If you don't have a place for the ceremony already, you may find a wedding package that includes a chapel and reception hall together.

Now you're ready to start searching out your perfect wedding package. Your local telephone directory is a good place to start and the Internet is a wealth of information on this subject as well. With a little time and planning, you can find a wonderful wedding package that will save you time, planning, and money later on.

Choosing a Wedding Invitation

Choosing wedding invitations has become just as important as choosing your bridal gown, because it is your official announcement that will beautifully display your names together and the date of your upcoming union. An invitation could be cherished forever in a frame or scrapbook and will be seen for generations to come.

The most important detail to pay attention to when choosing a wedding invitation, is the company who will be making them. Is it a respectable company? Are they capable of doing good work and paying attention to even the smallest details? Do they have a good reputation of getting the invitations sent out at a reasonable time and are their fees acceptable? Once you have found a good stationery company to order your invitations through, they will be able to help you decide the wording to use and the etiquette to use in unusual situations.

Choosing a wedding invitation will be based on the tone you want set for your wedding. It should match the style and theme, whether it is casual and light or a more formal ceremony. You may also think about applying wedding colors to the ink of invitations. This will give guests the hint of your wedding colors when they want to buy you gifts that reflect your special day.

For unique styles when choosing your wedding invitation, think about having your stationery company put a black and white photo of you and your soon to be groom on the invitation. There are also many different types of clip art you can add. For a more formal wedding, add ribbons and bows to the invitation, which can be tied on by you after printing is done.

When choosing your wedding invitations, think about what information you will want to include. Be sure there will be ample room for what you want to say. A typical invitation includes the bride and groom's names, parent's names, date and time of wedding and the name and address of the church.

You may also want to include any plans of a reception with times and address. Response cards, which will ask the guests to send back an answer to whether they are attending and how many there will be in their party, can be added to the invitations for an additional fee.

Once you have chosen your wedding invitations, give yourself plenty of time to order them so you can proofread the writing and have them corrected if necessary. Be sure to have an accurate guest list so that you do not run short on invitations when sending them out.

They should be sent out no sooner than a month before the wedding and no later than two weeks before. If you send them out too soon, guests may lose the invitation and forget your big day. On the other hand, if you send them out too late, many people will have a hard time attending because of prior obligations.

When choosing invitations, remember to pick the one you feel fits your wedding and style, pay attention to wording, order early, and proofread. Always save an invitation back for yourself for you and your spouse to read in the years to come.

Choosing Your Wedding Dress

He has proposed and it is time to make a decision on the most important detail of every little girl's dream: the wedding dress. Should it be sleeveless, short, long, lacy, sequined or plain? So many questions to ask yourself, although you are sure of one thing, it needs to be perfect.

As soon as the planning begins for the big day, choosing your wedding dress becomes somewhat of an urgency for most brides, who do not want to wait until the last minute. While dealing with wedding stress and preparations, be sure to allow yourself plenty of time to try on different styles and find the one that says "you".

The theme of your wedding will be an important point when selecting that special dress. Are you getting married on the beach? If so, you might choose a light airy style. Have you decided on a formal affair? Then by all means, go all out and wear a white dress covered in silk and lace. Whatever type of occasion your wedding will be, your dress will play one of the most important roles in it!

It's also important to think about the month and season you are getting married in. If you are having a middle of summer wedding, then you probably shouldn't wear a wedding dress with double layers or long sleeves. After all, this is supposed to be the most memorable day of your beginning together. You don't want the biggest memory to be how much you perspired throughout the ceremony!

When choosing a wedding dress, try on comfortable styles. Walk around in them, if kneeling is part of your ceremony, then kneel in the dress and be sure you are not going to be uncomfortable in your choice. The beauty of the dress is only half of your decision - the other half is looking beautiful, happy and elegant. You cannot look happy if you are holding your breath so seams do not pop or you're itchy from the lace on your arms.

One mistake that a lot of brides tend to make when choosing a wedding dress is buying the wrong size. If you are planning on losing weight before your big day, do not buy a dress the size you think you may be come the wedding day. Instead, buy the size you are on the day you choose the dress. It will always be easier to take a dress in if it is too big, than to add material for a dress that ended up being too small.

With the expense of weddings, some couples try and cut back by making their own flowers, having a family member bake the wedding cake or hiring a friend to take wedding photos. Although it is okay to cut back and still have your dream wedding, don't skimp when choosing your wedding dress. If you cannot afford to hit a wedding boutique and pay their prices, try wedding consignment shops, that offer 'like new' dresses at an affordable price.

Whatever style, color or price range you decide on when choosing your wedding dress, remember that you are still "You" and that is who your fiancé fell in love with, not your dress, which will only add to the ambiance of your day.

After you have chosen your wedding dress, hang it in the bag it comes in and do not over show it. Give guests something to look forward to as they see you for the first time walking down the aisle. Unless it is unavoidable, do not let your future husband see your dress at all before the wedding. It's bad luck!

Be Nice When Choosing Your Bridesmaids' Dresses!

You have chosen your dream dress, you and your future husband have decided on the wedding party and the bridesmaids are anxious to see what their dresses are going to look like. When choosing your bridesmaid dresses, don't forget to keep their emotions and tastes in mind!

Remember that although this is your big day, your bridesmaids have decided to share in your joy and help you make lasting memories. One of the biggest ways that you can include them in the merriment is to ask them to help you with the decision. In other words, in addition to your own ideas, find out what their likes and dislikes are. After all, if they're not happy with your choice and they feel uncomfortable, it will show in your wedding photos.

Compliment your bridesmaids' figures, hair color and complexions when choosing their dresses. You can still be the center of attention while allowing your wedding party to glow and shine behind you. Be sure to have your bridesmaids try on several styles and colors and let them choose one or two of their favorites to help you make your decision.

As important as comfort is for you, it is just as important for your girls. So, when choosing the bridesmaids' dresses, look for comfort in the fit and the style. If you are a courteous bride, thinking of their needs while tending to your own, it will be appreciated by your wedding party and they will be more willing to help you.

If you've ever been a bridesmaid yourself, then you likely understand how important it is to consider cost when choosing the bridesmaids' dresses. While you may be working on a wedding budget, keep in mind that your wedding party also may be hoping for affordable attire. Talk to your bridesmaids and ask them how much they are willing to spend.

Be sure, while choosing bridesmaids dresses, you record everything in a notebook so that you won't forget or lose the valuable information. Through the chaos of planning the rest of the wedding, it could be all too easy to forget sizes, styles, alteration decisions, and how much is owed on the dresses. Keeping everything in a notebook will help you stay organized and feel less stress.

After the bridesmaids' dresses have been decided on, don't forget to ask about fittings. Find out how many fittings will be needed for each girl and exactly what the cost is for each one of them. Write down times and dates to help your wedding party remember and if possible, let the bridesmaids schedule the appointments themselves to ensure it is a good time for them.

Now you have chosen the bridesmaids' dresses, they are happy about the color, style and fit. Don't forget the shoes! Remember to tell your bridesmaids whether they are to wear flats or pumps. In addition, if you want them dyed to match their dresses, let them know and give them time to prepare. As long as you use respect and common courtesy, you will most likely have a happy wedding party thus giving you a beautiful, happy day to remember.