Planning your wedding ......Part two

Okay, so here is part two (sorry for the delay, I have been out of town)

Now remember we are looking at the big picture here, this is based on the sort of discussion that you may have with your fiancé, shortly after he has proposed.

Choosing a wedding guest list

We have discussed the wedding budget, the theme, and the location, now comes the really tricky bit...The wedding guest list. Boy can this be difficult, not only do you have the budget to consider, (remember that every one you invite has an associated cost). But you will also find that family politics will come into play. Firstly there is the problem of what I call invitation by association; this is when you have to invite “bob” because you have invited “Bill”. My advice is to work backwards, remember your budget? make sure that this is considered at all times. Decide on a set number of people (before you start thinking of whom they are) and then do your best to stick to it.

Once you have a figure in mind, start from the top down, write down all the people that you really care about, these will be close family and friends, and then think about the important people in your life that you really respect or have been an inspiration to you. They may not be the people that you chat to on a regular basis but they do have a special place in your heart. When it comes to work colleagues, be careful that you don’t fall into the trap of inviting people because you feel you have to, think of it this way, if you left your job who would you keep in regular contact with?

Whatever you do don’t forget about the people that may have contributed to your wedding day. All hell will break loose if they don’t get an invite.

Choosing a wedding dress and other attire

Again this is very much dictated by budget, your dress is the most important item and i would suggest that an appropriate amount of the budget is allocated towards it. Then there are the suits and dresses for the bridesmaids and ushers, and let’s not forget the Grooms attire, believe me these can quickly add up, so make sure you shop around. Decide on a colour (remember your theme) my feeling is that the groom, ushers and bridesmaids should all follow the central colour of the bridal dress and integrate seamlessly with the overall wedding theme.

Choosing a Honeymoon destination

Now the fun bit, obviously this will have to conform to your budget, but you need to both agree on where you are going, just like regular holidays there are high and low seasons, so book early to avoid any disappointment, consider what activities you may want to do, are you both very active, or would you prefer to snuggle up in front of a fire for two weeks. One of the most important things to consider is the room; it should be comfortable and meet all your needs, after all that where you will both be spending a lot of time ;-)

Choosing wedding entertainment

There are a number of professionals that now have to be considered, firstly music, are you having a disco or a band. Remember that not all venues allow live music and don’t forget that the band normally starts charging from the time they arrive including setting up so make sure that they are not hanging around because the venue hasn’t cleared the room yet. When considering your choice of music think about your guests, will they be wanting to dance the night away to current music of the day or would quiet background music be more appropriate?
You may also consider a magician or caricaturists