Hey Tinka,
My boyfriend proposed to me in Feb..we have set a date for July 4,2010. How soon should we start planning. I don’t want all our conversations to be about the wedding day you know.
Gloria

Gloria,

Congratulations! Well, it is never too early to start looking for sales, coupons, and other deals! I would work out your budget between now and July of this year and start looking for venues. Then, I would recommend beginning the wedding planning a year in advance. Check out our ultimate wedding planning checklist!

Before your engagement…

• Make sure you are ready to get married! Take the quiz now.

After you are engaged…

• Take engagement pictures.
• Send out engagement announcements; announce your wedding in the newspaper if you’d like.
• Have your engagement party.

12 months before your wedding day…

• Pick a date and time for your wedding.
• Buy a planner with a calendar, to-do list, and place to put all your ideas, coupons, etc.
• Begin to discuss your wedding budget with your fiance and family. Look at the average costs of some wedding vendors to get an idea of your budget.
• Research local wedding vendors and write down their contact information.
• Start looking for sales and deals for wedding dresses & other wedding-related items.
• Make sure you don’t start off on the wrong foot by making these common wedding planning mistakes.

11 months before your wedding day…

• Start interviewing wedding planners if you are going to hire one.
• Begin a guest list draft.
• Enlist your groom to help. If he’s not interested, read these tips for getting the groom involved.
• Pick out your wedding colors.
• Begin looking at ceremony & reception sites.

10 months before your wedding day…

• Finalize your wedding budget with your groom and your families. Need tips for saving money? Read about money-smart wedding planning.
• Decide on your wedding party. Need help deciding who should be included?
• Sit down with your family to work on the guestlist.
• Choose a wedding planner.
• Decide on a wedding theme if you are going to have one. (Ideas: Romance, Going Green, Winter Wonderland) 
• Meet with different wedding vendors to discuss pricing options, etc. Read about little known ways to receive wedding discounts!

9 months before your wedding day…

• Decide on your ceremony & reception sites and reserve them for your wedding day.
• Decide on a wedding officiant, a florist, and caterer.
• Decide on a DJ or musician. Read about how to choose a DJ that is right for you!
• Create a wedding website so your guests can find all the information they need in one place.
• Decide on what style wedding dress you want to wear. Not sure? Read about wedding dress styles or take the quiz: Which style wedding dress flatters your figure?

8 months before your wedding day…

• Plan your honeymoon and have your groom reserve the hotel rooms, etc. Having trouble deciding where to go? Take the quiz: Where should I go on my honeymoon?
• Finalize your guestlist
• Go with your bridesmaids to look at their dresses and get ideas
• Meet with wedding cake designers and go to tastings
• Decide on and hire a photographer. Read about what to look for in a photographer!
• Decide on and hire a videographer. Read about why you should hire a videographer!
• Rent any equipment like chairs and tables that you may need

7 months before your wedding day…

• Order save-the-date cards or magnets
• Get all your guests’ addresses
• Order bridesmaids dresses & accessories
• Decide on a baker and order your wedding cake. Need help deciding what kind? Take our quiz: What type of wedding cake fits your personality? 
• Think about what your groom and groomsmen will wear. Suits or Tuxes?
• Shop around for invitations and work on the invitation wording

6 months before your wedding day…

• Make a final selection for a wedding dress
• Choose your veil and accessories to match your dress
• Decide what your parents will wear
• Finalize your honeymoon details
• Request off work if you need to
• Send out save the date cards
• Purchase or rent groom’s and groomsmen’s suits or tuxes
• Finalize the menu with the caterer
• Register! All your wedding registry questions are answered here.

5 months before your wedding day…

• Order or make your wedding favors. Here are some unique ideas.
• Reserve hotel rooms and make accomodations for out-of-town guests
• Start thinking about your make-up and hair
• Order your wedding invitations
• Create a wedding day timeline
• Make your wedding night plans & reservations
• Begin thinking about the rehearsal dinner

4 months before your wedding day…

• Plan your rehearsal dinner; decide on a location, menu, etc.
• Reserve a car, limo, or your desired wedding transportation
• Think about your wedding music (first dance song, father/daughter dance song, etc.)
• Book a hair dresser and make-up artist
• Help your maid of honor make a bridal shower guestlist
• Shop for your wedding bands

3 months before your wedding day…

• Have your wedding shower
• Make sure your dress is tailored
• Finalize your wedding music
• Address the envelopes for your invitations
• Buy your wedding rings
• Have the maid of honor and best man make sure the wedding party has purchased their outfits and accessories
• Designate people to give toasts at the reception
• Make sure you have started an exercise routine and diet if you need to lose a few inches before getting into your dress! Here are some tips to tighten your tummy before your wedding day.

2 months before your wedding day…

• Buy your wedding party their gifts. Check out some cool wedding party gift ideas.
• Write your wedding vows if you so desire. Read about the secret to writing great vows!
• Send your wedding invitation 6-8 weeks before the wedding
• Start making a final guestlist as you begin to hear back from guests
• Fill out any documents needed to change your name
• If you are going to have your rings engraved, do so
• Fill out any documents needed to change your insurance information after married
• Create and print wedding programs
• Buy lingerie or undergarments before final dress fitting
• Send thank you notes for gifts received at your shower

1 month before your wedding day…

• Work on your seating chart
• Make or buy placeholder cards
• Get anything you need before your honeymoon (passport, shots, etc.)
• Do a final fitting for your dress; begin a diet and exercise routine if necessary
• Confirm all the details (arrival time, cost, etc.) with your wedding vendors
• Get a marriage license
• Send rehearsal dinner invitations
• Order alcohol
• Buy a guestbook

2 weeks before your wedding day…

• Take care of all the details like what you will use to cut the cake, toasting glasses, etc.
• Prepare welcome baskets for out-of-town guests
• Purchase thank you notes
• Finalize the menu, etc. for the rehearsal dinner.
• Finalize your seating chart.
• Give final headcount to caterer, etc.
• Do a hair and make-up trial run.
• Plan the activities for the night before your wedding.
• Help your wedding party plan the bachelor and bachelorette parties if they need it.

1 week before your wedding day…

• Get checks ready to give your wedding vendors.
• Make sure you have something old, something new, something borrowed, and (most importantly to us) something blue.
• Make sure you have a garter.
• Get a manicure, pedicure, hair cut, eye-brow wax, etc.
• Pick up your wedding dress and the bridesmaids dresses
• Confirm all the details with your florist.
• Give the members of your wedding party their tasks for your special day.
• Pack for your honeymoon!

The day before your wedding day…

• Go to the spa to get a massage!
• Hold the rehearsal dinner.
• Give your wedding party and parents their gifts.
• Attend the bachelor or bacheloretter party.

After your wedding day…

• Have someone take your wedding dress and keepsakes if you are going straight on your honeymoon.
• Keep the top layer of your cake for your 1st wedding anniversary.
• Go on your honeymoon.
• 6-8 weeks after: send thank you cards. Not feeling motivated? Read the lazy bride’s guide to sending thank you cards.p
• Start your life with the one you love!

Some say “thank you” cards shouldn’t be typed… but we don’t think there is anything wrong with it! In fact, handwritten cards are so time consuming that many brides put them off for months and months after the wedding is over… and we think a timely, typed card is less rude than a late, handwritten card.

Here’s the catch. EACH CARD STILL HAS TO BE PERSONALIZED FOR EACH GUEST! So here’s what you do to save time. Type the following message:

Dear ___________,
Thank you so much for the ____________. (Write a sentence or 2 specifically about the present). Your thoughtfulness and generosity are very much appreciated!
If they attended the wedding: We enjoyed seeing you on our special day and want to thank you for sharing it with us.
If they did not attend the wedding: We truly missed you on our special day and hope we can get together soon.

With love OR Sincerely yours,
(Your names)

See! It can be personalized and sincere without taking up too much of your time! Shhh… it will be our little secret

by Guest bloggers Gary Latimer (www.shoreshotphoto.com) and Maria Sharron (www.mariasharron.com)

1. Experience:  With photography, there is no substitute for experience.  Photography is more than picking up any camera, pointing, aiming and shooting!  Hours upon hours, years upon years go into the training, trial-and-error and perfection of photographic art!  A photographer who has limited experience may be able to capture images in one particular setting, however, a photographer with true experience will be able to evaluate nearly any scenario and be able to properly expose and/or light the subject or setting. Continue Reading »

If you don’t have a wedding planner, get yourself a wedding planner! That is, an organizer like the one above.

Step 1: Buy a planner with an area for notes, a to-do list, and a calendar to dedicate SOLELY to wedding planning.

Step 2: In the notes section, put all of your ideas… what flowers you want, your colors, dress ideas.

Step 3: On your to-do list, list everything you still have to do before the big day.

Step 4: Mark important meetings, deadlines, and other days on your calendar.

Step 5: Go through bridal magazines and begin ripping out pages that give you ideas or that include discounts. Stick them in your planner.

Step 6: Start collecting coupons for bridal shops and wedding vendors and put them in your planner as well. (Check out our previous article: 8 Little Known Ways to Get Wedding Discounts).

Step 7: Keep up with it! Make sure to look at your calendar everyday and cross items off your to-do list as you complete them.

Want to know whether or not you and your significant other are ready to tie the knot? Take this quiz to find out! Just remember to be HONEST with yourself as you take the quiz!

Continue Reading »

We received this question after our post called ”All of Your Wedding Registry Questions Answered.”

In your article you said to register for items that vary in price…….My boyfriend and me are registered for some luggage that costs over $300…..is that too high?? Should we take it off of the registry?? We don’t want to be rude but we really want it!!

Thanks,
Jessie
Continue Reading »

Northern California wedding photographer and award winning photojournalist John Decker is known for his ability to capture the special moments of a wedding day. His images are genuine, natural and contain no artificial additives.

If you are planning a Northern California wedding in San Francisco, Napa, Sonoma, Marin, Monterey, Lake Tahoe or elsewhere in Northern California then you have come to the right place. Travel to destinations for Northern California wedding photography is included in all of John’s wedding packages of eight hours and above.

John is passionate about his photography and has been working as a professional photographer and photojournalist for over 20 years. Most recently he was the personal photographer for California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and First Lady Maria Shriver. He has been a staff member of some of the most prestigious news organizations in the country including The Sacramento Bee, The New York Times, The Detroit Free Press and The Record of Bergen County, NJ. John doesn’t just take photographs in a photojournalistic style, he is a photojournalist with years of experience, training and education. Visit JohnDeckerPhotography.com to see some of the award winning photojournalism that John has produced over the years.

Don’t take a chance with some unknown or untested photographer, hire an experienced professional for your Northern California wedding photography needs. Remember, your wedding happens only once, there are no re-shoots. When the wedding is over, the flowers are dead, the food has been eaten, the caterer is off to another event and the venue is hosting another party. If you hire John, your wedding photos will be there to remember this special day for years and generations to come.

website: http://www.northern-california-wedding-photographer.com
photojournalism work: http://www.johndeckerphoto
contact:
me@johndeckerphotography.com
916-616-0110
Service area is throughout Northern California
graphy.com

Check Out These Wedding Gifts For Your Wedding Party!

For the maid of honor, we suggest the “Personalized Candy Striped Tote Bag!” It is adorable, personalized, and can be used for years to come.
Secret bride-to-be benefit:
Your MOH can use Continue Reading »

Wedding etiquette has changed so much over the years that we often receive questions about proper manners for a modern wedding. A lot of these questions are on the subject of wedding registries. Do you have questions about registering for your wedding? Well, you came to the right place! Continue Reading »