Sat, May 19 2007 | |||||||||||
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Getting Married? Order Your Copy
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• Home Organization • Paper/Filing Systems • Time Management | |||||||||||
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Do's and Don'ts of 'I Do' By TEDDYE SNELL Northeastern State University graduate Maggy Pride may not be getting married until June 6, 2008, but she knows how important it is to make plans for the wedding early. Matter of fact, she’s already reserved the church and booked the minister. Does the cost of having the wedding of your dreams frighten you? Unless you’ve been saving more than linens in your hope chest, it probably should. Many couples are shocked to learn that today, the average wedding costs more than $27,500. But it doesn’t have to be that way. A thoughtful bride can have her ideal wedding for a fraction of the price, if she uses good organizational skills, ingenuity and flexibility, and enlists the help of friends and family. Next on the to-do list? The wedding dress. Pride and two of her bridesmaids perused the selection of dresses at Kimberly’s Boutique Wednesday afternoon. “We’re planning a big wedding as far as the guest list is concerned, but smaller expense-wise,” said Pride. “We’re planning an evening church wedding, and I know I want the bridesmaids’ dresses to be black.” Helping with the selection and fitting was Mandi Crosslin, wedding consultant for Kimberly’s.“My job is to help brides make the most important decision after deciding to get married which is what dress to wear,” said Crosslin. Most people would agree wedding party apparel is the most visible aspect of the event, and Crosslin recommends choosing a wedding dress at least six to eight months in advance. “Finding a gown is a lot more complicated than you think,” said Crosslin. “To get the best fit and selection, the earlier you start, the better.” According to Crosslin, wedding dresses at Kimberly’s cost anywhere from $399 on up. They have more than 100 gowns in stock, and offer ordering service, as well. After selecting a gown, the next step is outfitting the wedding party. Kimberly’s offers full-service wedding apparel, right down to the flower girl and ring bearer. “We have rental packages that run from $595 for six people to $895 which includes six people and all the decorations, including candelabras and arches,” Crosslin said. Many components go into planning a wedding day. Details need to be ironed out and intertwined to create not only a wedding, but a perfect wedding as the bride and groom pictured it. Today, about 70 percent of the marrying couples pay for their own weddings, so setting a realistic wedding budget and sticking to it is a must to stay within a budget. Once a budget is established, creating a planner - the bride’s bible - is key, according to Stacey Agin Murray, professional organizer and owner of Organized Artistry LLC. “Besides your future spouse, your wedding binder will be the closest thing to a best friend you’ll have during your engagement period,” said Murray. “The wedding binder is essentially a home for all wedding-related information. Each topic will have a specific area in the binder, allowing for quick referencing and retrieval.” Murray recommends buying two-sided pocket folders, extra-wide dividers and a zippered pocket for pens, pencils and paper clips. A two-sided pocket folder usually has enough room for the paperwork of one vendor. “One side of the pocket folder is for ideas and research, and the other side is for estimates and contracts,” said Murray. “Keeping these different types of information separate will allow you to locate them and retrieve at a moment’s notice.” Examples of categories for the pocket folders include catering, photography, bridal gown, transportation, ceremony, officiant and honeymoon. “Assemble the pocket folders in order of importance to you,” said Murray. “If you’re constantly making calls to your caterer, place that folder near the front.” Mary Kaye Jobe, owner of Mary Kaye’s Kitchen, has catered a number of events in Tahlequah, but is just getting her wings when it comes to weddings. “How many weddings have I done? Ask me at the end of July, and the answer will be five or six!” said Jobe. “I would recommend contacting the caterer six months in advance. In the bigger cities, I’m sure that estimate is probably closer to a year in advance, since you need to make sure the caterer is available.” Jobe recommends covering all the bases in the initial meeting with the caterer. “Get a basic plan and stick to it,” said Jobe. “Changing things at the last minute can be very costly and stressful for everyone involved, including changes to the menu, number of guests and location. Communication is a biggie.” Although some brides opt for large, elaborate weddings with hundreds of guests, others prefer to keep things simple. Heather Winn counts herself among the latter. “We were actually going to elope, but our parents told us they would be furious if we did,” said Winn. “So, we ‘kind of’ eloped. We went to Hot Springs, Ark., and got married in a wedding chapel across from Oaklawn Park. We had a great time with just a few family and friends.” Keeping to a schedule The following is a suggested timetable for wedding planning. It was drawn from various sources. It may be helpful not only as a guideline for when things need to be done, but also to help you think of all the things you might need to do. Nine to 12 months in advance • Determine what you and your families expect your wedding to be like. What religion, if any, will the service be performed in? How many guests do you want to have? Is it important to have dancing? A seated meal? Live music? An outdoor setting? Alcohol? • Decide how the wedding will be financed. • Determine the style and time of day of the wedding. If money is an issue, adjust the time of day so the reception will be more economical. If you do not have the reception during a common meal time, for example, you will not need to serve a meal. • Select a wedding date, and reserve ceremony/reception sites. • Find a wedding officiant, if one does not come with the site. Speak with your officiant to determine if there are any requirements for marrying you, and when these requirements need to be met. Discuss also when you should meet to discuss the ceremony. • Select attendants. It is OK not to single one out as the honor attendant at this early stage. • Secure a photographer/videographer for your chosen date. • Secure catering arrangements for your reception site, if the site does not come with a caterer. • Secure a florist. Six to nine months in advance • Select and order the bridal gown and accessories, or arrange for a seamstress to make it. • Make arrangements for music at your ceremony/reception. • Select and order bridesmaids’ dresses, or arrange for a seamstress to make them. • Start working on guest lists. Typically, there are four: The bride’s family’s list, the groom’s family’s list, the bride’s list, and the groom’s list. Four to six months in advance • Order invitations and any other stationery you will need (such as informal notes to use when writing thank-you’s). Remember that informals engraved with your married name cannot be used until after you are married, so you will also need some stationery to use for gifts that arrive before you are married. • Plan the honeymoon. (Often arranged by the groom.) • Help the mothers select their dresses. • Plan the rehearsal dinner. • Register for gifts. Two to four months in advance • Select attire for the men in the wedding party. • Purchase wedding rings and have them engraved. • Find out what the legal requirements are for marriage in your state; arrange for any necessary blood tests and decide when you will apply for the license. • Obtain any immunizations you will need for the honeymoon. • Make sure out-of-town guests will be appropriately lodged. You may want to reserve a block of rooms at a hotel; the hotel will usually give your guests a reduced rate. Six to eight weeks in advance • Mail the invitations • Consult relevant newspapers for requirements on wedding announcements. • Have a formal portrait taken in wedding gown for newspaper announcement. • Purchase gifts for each other and attendants. • Purchase going-away outfit, trousseau. • Consult hairstylist about wedding hairstyle and makeup person about wedding-day makeup. Four to six weeks in advance • Investigate legal details, such as naming fiancé as beneficiary in will and life insurance, obtaining insurance to cover joint property, consolidating auto insurance, opening joint bank accounts, etc. • If you will be changing your names, make a list of where you need to do this and when. • Decide on seating plan for reception. • If you will need foreign money for the honeymoon, make arrangements to obtain it. • Be sure attendants are kept informed of rehearsal plans, other commitments they have. One to two weeks in advance • Make final checks on everything: catering, honeymoon, photographer, videographer, florist, musicians, officiant, rehearsal, etc. • Make sure announcements are addressed, arrange for someone to mail them on wedding day. • Think about what you are going to take on the honeymoon, decide when you will pack. • Buy traveler’s checks for honeymoon. One to three days in advance • Make sure everyone arriving from out-of-town is met by someone, knows where everyone else is staying, etc. • Pack an “emergency kit” containing things like spare hose, sewing supplies, aspirin, etc. to take with you to the wedding. • Attend rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. You may choose to give gifts to attendants and each other at this event, or at a more private moment. Source: www.a-weddingday.com. | |||||||||||
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WHAT AREA OF YOUR LIFE NEEDS ORGANIZING? | |||||||||||
Organized Artistry LLC • PO Box 2682 Fair Lawn, NJ 07410 • 201.703.8438 stacey@organizedartistry.com | |||||||||||
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