Wedding Registry Direct Blog

Just because you want to be a princess for a day on your wedding doesn’t mean you have the funding to back up the notion. Just like Cinderella, you may find yourself having to get by with a little improvisation. While you won’t need to turn a pumpkin into a coach, chances are your budget can benefit from a few do-it-yourself projects.

• The pre-wedding festivities – Do you really need to book an expensive restaurant for your rehearsal dinner? Why not have a potluck dinner or a barbecue at home or at a relative’s instead? You will save a bundle on food expenses and chances are you and your guests will have a lot more fun in a less formal setting.
• The invitations – Thanks to laser printers, you can make some incredible invitations at home. Buy a kit and go to town.
• The favors – Handmade favors can be incredible. From homemade soaps to candy collections, the options are limitless. There’s no reason to dole out a fortune on each place setting when you can do this yourself and have fun in the process. Even enlist a little help from friends to make the project more enjoyable.

You and your sweetheart have finally set the date! Your wedding is still months down the road. This gives you plenty of time to kick back and relax before you start planning things out, right?

• Hiring a wedding planner – If you intend to hire a wedding planner, the sooner you start interviewing the better. Once you have a planner in place, a lot of the little details will fall off your plate on onto his or hers. It’s a good idea to pick a candidate as early as possible.
• Selecting the venue – Whether you have a planner helping you with this or not, getting your venue lined up early is smart. If you wait until a few months before the big day, you could find your dream location has long since been booked.
• Picking out the dress – It’s a good idea to have your dress picked out and ordered at least six months in advance. While you can speed up the clock on this, giving yourself time can help you land the perfect gown.
• Getting a ballpark on the guest list – You might not have to start collecting addresses a year out from the day, but having a ballpark estimate on the guest list is smart. The figure you arrive at will help you in a number of other planning areas.

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.