Wedding Registry Direct Blog

The first thing you need to do is set a budget. Sit down with whoever is helping finance the wedding and set up a well-planned and thorough budget. You need to establish what is most important to you and allocate the funds accordingly. There are many, free online sites to help with your budget and planning. For example, marthastewart.com/weddings has many useful tools for budget, timeline, checklists and much more.

The next two important things are finding a place and getting a dress. These are the two most time sensitive things. Be sure to research online or take some time to visit your local visitors center to pick up brochures for possible venues in your area. They often have a wide selection of brochures for museums, art galleries, parks, outdoor spaces and historical sites depending on your location. They have a lot of information. A quick perusal might give you some ideas on possible venues.

Once you have established a budget and venue, start looking for a caterer, music, photographer, florist, baker, and stationer. Often venues will offer catering or have a list of preferred vendors they have worked with in the past and will not allow you to use other vendors. If you already have a caterer in mind, be sure to ask if they will allow you to choose the caterer of your choice.

When calling or meeting with possible vendors be sure to take a list of questions. With the excitement and wide array of information being provided, you might forget to ask some of your questions that were not answered. Possible questions include: date availability, how far will they travel, discounts for Sunday weddings, payment plans and deposits.

When sitting down to discuss food and alcohol, determine your options. For example, do they offer a formal dinner, buffet style, cocktail style, etc. Also, ask if you are allowed to bring in your own alcohol. This can be a big money saver. Call around to your local grocery or specialty stores and get prices and shop around. You also need to decide how to allocate your alcohol: pay for one drink per person, pay for example $1000 worth of drinks and then when that's gone guests pay the rest, or you pay all or guests pay all, or you provide wine and guests pay for hard drinks. Remember that this is your wedding and your budget and do whatever you and your budget can handle!

Finally and most importantly, remember to enjoy the day to its fullest. Everything bad will seem to disappear when the time comes.