Men can be forgetful sometimes. That’s why in preparation for your wedding, it wouldn’t hurt to have a list of things to do – a groom checklist, so to speak. To help you make your list, check out the tasks you should be doing prior to your wedding.

Six Months

Discuss with your fiancee the expenses and budget.

Start writing down your guest list.

Pick your best man.

Determine how many ushers are needed (1 for every 50 guests) then select them.

Check with wedding officiant to discuss the ceremony.

Discuss with your fiancée your honeymoon plans.

If traveling outside the country, start making legal arrangements (passport, visas, etc).

Three Months

Place an order for wedding rings and engraving.

Complete the guest list and give it to your fiancee.

Arrange for the payment of the bride’s bouquet.

Consult with your fiancee about your wedding attire as well your wedding party’s.

Arrange transportation needs (limousines, etc.).

Finalize honeymoon plans: tickets, room reservations, etc.

Start ordering boutonnieres for the men and corsages for mothers

Complete marriage license requirements.

6-8 Weeks

Plan the rehearsal dinner with your parents.

Consult with your fiancee on the lodgings for out of town relatives and ushers.

Choose gifts for the best man and ushers

Buy a wedding gift for the bride.

Attend your bachelor party.

Pick up the wedding rings, make sure to check the engraving.

Help your fiancee in sending out wedding invitations.

Two Weeks

Get your marriage license.

Arrange transportation from the reception to the airport or train.

Check your honeymoon reservations and the hotel for wedding night.

One Week

Go through with the head usher any special seating arrangements .

Prepare the wedding officiant’s fee in a sealed envelope and hand it to the best man, to be given after the ceremony.

Organize your finances for your trip.

Start packing for the honeymoon.

Remind your best man and the ushers about the details of the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner.

Prepare your wedding toast

Prepare gifts for the attendants, to be given at the rehearsal dinner.

After you’re done with your checklist, don’t forget to plan for the things that must be completed after the wedding, like sending thank you notes to your bride’s parents and to other special people in your wedding.

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The wedding ceremony is special and meaningful to the bride and groom as this is where they exchange their vows of loving each other for the rest of their lives. The reception should be treated as special as well, since this is the part where the newlywed couple would celebrate with the guests.

If you are planning for your wedding reception, refer to this checklist as your guide:

Venue

• Should be somewhere near the ceremony site ___
• Rental fee and overtime charges must be within the budget ___
• Reasonable refund policy in the event of postponement/cancellation ___
• Allows time for decoration ___
• Can accommodate the number of guests ___
• Restroom facilities must be clean ___
• Secure and has available room for kids ___

Food and Drink

• Wedding cake ___
• Meal options (seated dinner or dessert only) ___
• Payment method ___
• Date for tasting menu ___
• Availability of wine and other beverages ___
• Open bar or Cocktail service ___

Basic Rentals

• China ___
• Glassware ___
• Linens ___
• Heaters/air conditioners ___
• Bar equipment ___
• Tables and chairs ___

Miscellaneous

• Florist ___
• DJ and musicians ___
• Food for the band ___
• Photographer/Videographer ___
• Cake knife ___
• Guest book ___
• Seat plan ___
• Decors ___

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Have you ever thought about becoming a wedding planner? Are you a romantic at heart? Do you love weddings? If you have said yes to these questions, and you possess excellent communication and organization skills, taking some wedding planner courses is your next step to launching your own business as a wedding planner.

Formal training in the field of wedding planning is crucial if you truly want your business to thrive. Brides and grooms are not going to entrust their wedding plans to just anyone. They will search for a professional wedding planner to organize and handle the most important day of their lives. They will want someone with knowledge and skills as well as a resume that includes wedding planner courses.

During the wedding planner courses, you will learn about running your own business, marketing and advertising. You will learn about how to deal with suppliers and contractors and how to build a good reputation with those contacts. Any wedding planner courses worth taking will show you the steps to take to build your portfolio as well, so you will have something to showcase to your clients.

Some of the things you will learn during the wedding planner courses:

1) How to organize and religious ceremony

2) How to organize a civil wedding ceremony

3) How to choose the location for the reception

4) Organizing everyone from the caterer, photographer, florist, and entertainers

5) How to organize both a bridal shower and a bachelor party

6) How to help the bride and groom choose their wedding rings, grooms men gifts, bridesmaids gifts, flowers, and decorations

7) How to stay within the budget set by the bride and groom, but still give them the wedding they have always wanted

Understand typical problems that may arise before, during and after the wedding day

9) How to put together a wedding planner emergency kit that may save the day

Most people have heard the expression, experience is the best teacher. Wedding planner courses are an essential part of your education. However, in order to best understand how things behind the scenes work, it would also be in your best interest to have first hand experience in several areas.

Take the opportunity to work side by side with a professional caterer who is working a wedding. Work with a florist to put together arrangements for a wedding. Spend a day with a wedding photographer. You will walk away with a working knowledge of how you can best serve your clients. You will also have some contacts made with people you will likely be calling on in the future to help you plan a wedding!

Of course, during or following your wedding planner courses, the most ideal experience you can gain is by working with a successful wedding planner. Find out if there is a way that a wedding planner, (preferably not one with whom you will be competing), willing to take on an apprentice as it were. Work out the details of your arrangement and then get to work! Take note of everything they do and say, and ask a lot of questions.

Once you have completed your wedding planner courses and have your diploma in hand, you are ready to get started with your business.

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Every woman’s dream is to meet the perfect partner and have a perfect wedding. With an average wedding costing approximately £20,000, planning a wedding now requires the professional expertise of a wedding planner. Brides and grooms are far too busy earning the money to be able to actually organize such a mega event. Hence the need for a professional wedding planner.

However, not any old event planner will do. No bride or groom is going to hand over the planning of the most important day of their life to just anybody.

Weddings are an emotional event that must be dealt with sensitively.

In addition to all the arrangements, meetings, schedules and finances to handle, there are also ruffled feathers to smooth.

The wedding planner is thus more than just a hired hand; they liaise between the bride and groom’s families. They must balance the flaring temper of the bride’s father with the unreasonable demands of the groom’s mother as well as the sensitive emotions of the bride’s mother.

If that wasn’t confusing enough, the wedding planner is often called upon to act as judge and jury on debates raging within the family itself, and has to guide them on the proper wedding etiquette.

Weddings are no longer the simple affairs they were in the past. They have become lavish events geared to celebrate the couple’s union.

Brides enjoy nothing more than the chance to plan and enjoy their fairytale wedding and spend the day being Cinderella.

Grooms who traditionally took a back seat when it came to wedding planning have now started seeing it as an opportunity to be the gracious host.

Is it any wonder then that weddings have taken on a larger than life dimension and require considerable time, effort and money to organize?

Any couple that approaches a wedding planner are looking to take away a lot of their worries away from them: a wedding planner can assist in the following ways:

- to prepare a Wedding Plan (schedule)

- step by step wedding planner list of all the tasks involved in planning a wedding

- picking the perfect wedding invitation cards

- Prepare a wedding budget

- provide advice for planning the wedding ceremony

- Selecting the wedding date

- Choosing where the wedding will take place

- Finding a wedding officiant

- Selecting wedding ceremony music

- obtaining the marriage licence

- The wedding ceremony rehearsal

- Planning the wedding reception

- Choosing the time of day

- Choosing a Theme and place

- working with the venue staff to create a fabulous

- Wedding reception activities (receiving line, speeches, first dance, bouquet toss, cake cutting, etc)

- arranging the details on the tables from name seating cards to favours and right down to cutlery placement.

On any first meeting, it is vital that the wedding planner comes across as being professional, in control and level-headed. Why not first present your business cards to them, containing all contact details, they just might keep it and hire your services.

In our busy society, an increasing number of couples need to hire a wedding planner to plan their special day.

According to the Association of Bridal Consultants, the percentage of couples using wedding planners has doubled in the past three years, from seven percent to 15 percent.

With more than 2.5 million weddings taking place in the US alone in 2006, there are more opportunities to become a wedding planner than ever before.

Whenever a couple marries someone is needed to oversee all the details to ensure the wedding is a success.

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A wedding ceremony involves more than simply marrying the person you love. The perfect wedding is an elegant ballet of order and chaos, and items such as wedding favours, wedding hairstyles, and wedding music must be kept in perfect order, or the entire wedding can be thrown off-kilter. Whether the bride is an environmentalist seeking a purely green wedding, or a society doyenne who must have simply the best of everything, the fact remains that planning a wedding can require help. The wedding flowers, wedding accessories, as well as the wedding invitations and the wedding ceremony itself, must all be to the couple’s liking; otherwise, they won’t enjoy themselves as much as possible. Some people enjoy a beach wedding, while others prefer a fall wedding. The fact remains that there are hotels that specialise in handling weddings and taking as much of the stress away from the wedding party as possible. Hotels that handle hundreds of such weddings annually are very good at ensuring that every aspect of the wedding is perfect, from the wedding centrepiece to the wedding announcements. They will bring in clergy to handle the wedding readings, and they’ll even hire the wedding band. The wedding bouquets are often prepared on site, and they’ll even have their staff work with the wedding party on their wedding vows. These hotels typically have wedding chapels on site, and they often have a wedding DJ or wedding band on retainer to provide the music. These groups, of course, know the wedding march, as well as a number of wedding waltz options. Regardless of the wedding song that the couple wants, the band can typically arrange it. First dance lessons are available for those who need them, and these destination wedding resorts often have a full time wedding planner. These resorts that handle a typical destination wedding even have a wide selection of wedding card options, and many of them are in warm destinations for those couples who want a winter wedding. They’ll assign staff to man the wedding book and ensure that guests make a record that they were at the wedding, and the wedding dress and wedding veils are stored to prevent damage.

There are a few destination wedding resorts that are wildly popular with UK residents, and they handle the entire wedding from start to finish. The Marriott hotels across the UK and Ireland can handle weddings of any size, and it all starts with the planning. Representatives from the resort will meet with the wedding party to determine the size of the wedding, and they’ll work out seating arrangements for both the rehearsal dinner and the post wedding reception. The Marriott hotel has a staff that will create menus that the guests will enjoy, and the qualified culinary staff at the hotel will go out of their way to prepare the best dishes for wedding guests. Menu tastings are provided, including samples of the various wedding cakes that the staff offers. The Marriott staff can offer ceremonies that satisfy most major religions, and certainly include same-sex ceremonies, as well. A honeymoon suite is provided for the bride and groom, and honeymoon packages can be booked at more than 2,500 resorts worldwide. A destination wedding can be arranged through Marriott even if the wedding party doesn’t want to use their local Marriott for the ceremony. The staff at the Marriott can handle any special requests, as well, including kosher menus and menus that satisfy most other major religious requirements. Wedding packages may include a champagne brunch, as well as a lunch buffet or a formal dinner. Regardless of the type of dining preferred, guests are guaranteed to enjoy the food and the atmosphere, and it frees up the wedding party and family to socialize with their guests.

Of course, there are other destination resorts that are popular with UK and Ireland residents, and perhaps the most popular of them all is the Hotel Phoenicia, on Malta. Formerly the Le Meridien, the Hotel Phoenicia is one of the most luxurious of all the hotels in Europe. The staff at the Phoenicia will spend weeks working with a wedding party to ensure that every aspect of the wedding is absolutely perfect. The hotel will fly in staff, if requested, in order to provide the best service possible. The Phoenicia can handle weddings of nearly any size, since the sprawling grounds are perfect for holding an outdoor wedding. The culinary staff at the hotel isn’t afraid to take requests, and they’ll go out of their way to ensure that special dietary requirements or requests are met with style and flair. The Hotel Phoenicia also offers rehearsal dinner services and brunch for guests of the wedding party, and blocks of rooms can be reserved so the guests can be close to one another.

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Indian weddings are elaborate affairs, full of various rituals and customs inherited over a long period of time. All these rituals have their own significance.  Most of the Indian marriages have three phases like pre, main-day and post-wedding ceremonies. Owing to its elaborate nature; the planning for this day needs great care and attention so that the couples and their families can enjoy the nuptials. To make marriage arrangements easy, there are various wedding planners in India to arrange everything as per your requirements to make your big day an amazing experience.

Indian marriage planners have expertise over all the things essential for tying the knots. From food to car rental, decorators to florist and DJ to photography; Indian marriage planners are able to arrange everything to make your big day talk of the town.

 As marriages are most auspicious moments of the life; every bride, groom and their families   nurture dreams for this day. It is easy to dream but hard to make your dreams a reality. It is here Indian wedding planners come into picture; planning, organizing and managing your big day to make it a memorable experience of your life.

 In recent times, the weddings also have changed, incorporating new trends. The couples of today are welcoming new trends in marriages to make it more enjoying. Marriage planners help you in all your queries, right from the selection of venues to arranging accommodation and transport for you. Indian wedding planners make every arrangement for you, that too within a reasonable price according to your whim and budget.

 India is a vast country with lots of amazing destinations. If you want to tie the nuptial knots at an exotic location, wedding planners in India can arrange the same for you as they have great expertise over all the segments of planning. Their services are impeccable; making your nuptials something to remember long after it is concluded. So embark on a new journey for life with your beloved and make your romance an ongoing process.

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Here you can avail different kinds of wedding packages that are presented by many travel agencies. As you finalize the wedding location is confirmed then everything can be set according to your desire. The colorful medallions and lot of customs make Mexican weddings a special occasion adding a new perspective to your wedding. A beach wedding or sunset wedding would be an ideal venue to have a Mexican wedding. Even if you wish to have an outdoor Mexican wedding, you can propose an atmosphere with creative decorations, flowers, and cakes etc.

A Mexico wedding ceremony cannot be complete without a high end professional wedding planner who takes care of different things like décor, music, food etc. The planner should help in each component, from finding the perfect location, first class food list and caterer, wedding cake designer, to color schemes, interior design, wedding flower designer, and photographer and video journalism. They also help in sorting bridal couture to select the perfect dress that compliments your unforgettable festivity.

The live music is presented by the Mariachi band is the traditional music in Mexico. As the music is festal and peppy, the guests would love the type of music. The numerous musicians with violin, guitar, trumpets, etc. form a band. Dressed in traditional attire, the band looks amazing with the colorful wedding. Another important feature of the wedding in Mexico is the wedding dress. The typical bridal dress has a ruffed flamenco dance dress worn with really extended lace mantilla veils and a customary Mexican groom is seen wearing a Guayabera shirt under a formal tuxedo. A wedding planner can suggest in selecting the best dress for the couple. Mexicans have been known as fun loving people who love eating and drinking. The wedding planner can recommend you for a list of Mexican food types like enchiladas, tacos and tamales that are liked by all. The Sangria wine, and popular Tequila shots Mexican drinks always found at these weddings. To capture all the celebrations, you need to hire a High End Destination Wedding Photographer. A Mexico photographer for wedding will be aware of the traditions of the ceremony and would be able to take the exact needed photos. As these photographers play an important role in capturing the best moments, a lot of attention should be paid while choosing the apt photographer.

When selecting the color for your cake, you may desire to choose Mexican traditionalistic color schemes or the highly contrasting vibrant colors. Mixing the flavors of your wedding cake would be the best idea to make all the guests happy. You can also have a conventional wedding cake-flavor for your wedding cake such as chocolate or lemon and decorate it with a full of life or romantic Mexican subject. Therefore, the cake design and its color and flavor would make a perfect wedding cake. The selected wedding flower designer or coordinator would help you in creating a specific bouquet that would meet your expectations and is within your budget. A wedding planner specialized in creating dream weddings can make your wedding a ceremony a remarkable moment.

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Part of your job as a wedding planner is to create an outstanding occasion that your guests will never forget. To create a seamless event, there needs to be a common thread linking all the components together. In its simplest form, this is done through the use of color. The bridesmaids dresses are the same shade of purple as the cupcake frosting and boom, you’ve got yourself a theme.

Colors Are Everywhere

More and more brides are looking for something unique to truly set their day apart from all the other weddings they’ve attended. Offering your client a monogram theme will help make the day truly distinctive. A monogram, from a business perspective, is a logo for the couple. Usually comprised of both the bride and grooms first initial and the groom’s last name, a monogram is a way to add an elegant personal touch to all aspects of the celebrations. You might also consider including the wedding date, location, and a special image such as a grapevine for a vineyard wedding.

Designing a Monogram

Many online companies offer monogram designing, but a local graphic designer can design one just as easily and perhaps give you more personal attention. Monograms can be casual, ornate, modern, or funky. If you’re good with computers, you might even be able to offer it as an add-on service to brides. The final design should reflect the personalities of the bride and groom, while indicating the general level of formality of the event.

Monogram Flourishes

The monogram theme can be as prominent or as subtle as the couple desires. The concept is to have continuity by displaying it before, during and after the event.

Before the wedding, guests will receive a taste of the event to come in the mail – the invitations. Adorned with the monogram, the invitations serve not only to give guests the pertinent details, but will also guide them in apparel decisions by indicating the formality of the wedding. The monogram emblem, like a logo, should be present on all written communications, such as invitations, reply cards, maps, signs and programs. The latest fashion trend is a personalized wedding tote featuring the bride or couple’s monogram. There are many other creative ideas, such as making personalized stamps.

During the wedding, the monogram can be used in as many different ways as you can imagine. It can be added to the cake in a variety of fashions – from a monogram on top of each cupcake to one large emblem on the side of the cake. Next, be creative: the monogram can be applied virtually anywhere, from balloons to lighting. The sky is truly the limit when you are creating a monogram themed event. The level of restraint will vary by couple since some prefer a more understated approach than others.

After the wedding, send guests home with one-of-a-kind gifts such as personalized bottles of wine, or monogrammed flip flops. The final statement? A monogrammed thank you note arriving in the mail a few weeks later, reminding them of what a wonderfully romantic wedding they attended.

Coordinating Monogram Uses

From the bakery to the printer, as the bridal consultant you will likely be the one making sure that everyone has what they need to execute their job. From the beginning, be sure to obtain the emblem in every possible format – most places will be able to work from a high resolution .eps file. Make sure all parties are clear on how the colors are defined and where they are used.

Artwork Efficiency Tip

Prepare CDs that contain the monogram, accompanied by color samples and your contact information to give to each vendor. Not only will they appreciate having everything they need, they’ll likely be so impressed with your commitment to quality that they’ll recommend you to future brides.

For the Stylish Couple

A monogram theme is very up-and-coming and will appeal to modern couples who want a contemporary twist on a classic wedding. Combined with a classic color scheme, the monogrammed wedding truly makes a statement. Aside from creating a wonderful backdrop for your clients’ nuptials, you’ll also add a smash hit to your portfolio to impress future clients.

Technorati Tags: Monograms, planners, Style, Theme, Wedding

Getting married in a simple style is common but tying the nuptial knot at a beautifully decked out cruise is worth creating a difference.  Cruise wedding is something which is coveted by people with a rich taste and belonging to an affluent class. A Cruise wedding planner can make your wedding affair highly luxurious and mirthful. From the selection of cruise to the arrangements for the wedding, a cruise wedding planner takes the responsibility of everything minute task.

The preparations for your wedding might get complicated and hectic. The pressure for giving a perfect looks to the entire event and putting the elements of entertainment and conviviality in the wedding is of ultimate importance. For the family of bride, arranging wedding favours, wedding décor, delectable cuisine, apparels and along with that satiating the demands of groom’s family is out and out obligatory. While planning a wedding, determining the budget is similarly crucial. The arrangements become more problematical and difficult when the wedding is at a cruise ship. Hiring a Cruise wedding planner will prove to be a decision worth the money as it takes away much of the tension.

The industry of wedding planners is at peak and there are many options available to choose from the different wedding planner offering different services in competitive prices. A god research on the wedding planners organizing cruise weddings facilitates the selection process of a suitable cruise wedding planner for your own ceremony. Wedding is just not an occasion but an accumulation of myriad dreams and hopes. Realizing all these dreams at a cruise sailing on the waves of crystal clear water is not less than living a life like a fairy tale.

The cruise wedding packages are also available at a very reasonable price with the help of which the married couple can onset their married lives in a princely manner without putting any load on their pockets. Tying a knot at cruise is an invitation to lots of rollicking good times.  A cruise not only crucifies the awful memories but it also gives a reason to bring a smile on the countenances of everyone on the ship.  Wedding on board is a good option to make your wedding affair lustrously lavish. Make sure that you choose only that ship which is legally authorised to carry out weddings. Many couple opt to get married on land and spend rest of time on cruise in order to get rid of all the fatigue acquired from the ceremonies of wedding and to have all the fun at a cruise in a liberal manner.

A cruise wedding planner not only makes your wedding ceremony unforgettable for every guest but gives it a beautiful appearance.  Getting married at a cruise make you feel special and, making the occasion ultimately royal.

Technorati Tags: Cruise, difference, Planner, Wedding

When a couple begins the wedding preparations that are associated with marriage a topic that does not often bring up pleasant feelings is found with the budget.   The reason there exists a kibosh on the idea of budget is since it often places limitations on what a bride and groom hope to accomplish or incorporate in their wedding day.   Although with the financial effects currently afflicting the market a wedding budget is more important than ever.   The idea of using wedding planners is a high expense that many wedding parties can manage without.   The idea that wedding planners are a necessary part of a wedding is an idea that wedding planners developed through marketing and stories of wedding horror.   This misperception has tricked many wedding parties into believing that wedding planners are necessary for a wedding, leading to many times an additional fifteen percent cost over the total party expenses.   Wedding planners are over glorified receptionists who typically only set appointments and make phone calls while you still do all the planning.

Having a wedding that has to work within the limitations of a budget is another problem with wedding planners since they do not like to be limited.   It is important to know that wedding planners often set their fee off of the percentage of the total of the wedding event.   So the expense of the wedding planner of ten to fifteen percent should already be deducted prior to making any plans for the wedding.   In addition, wedding planners are known to talk couples into regularly exceeding their budget under the claim that this event will only occur once in their lifetime.   The truth is that while this is a once in a life event you have set a budget for a reason and it would not be good to start your life as a married couple in debt as a result of your wedding.   Another con that wedding planners have in regards to a couples budget relates to their preexisting relationships.   This is done by wedding planners because they have established relationships with these vendors and to use someone else would be an inconvenience to their planning.   The problem is that many times a couple cannot afford these extravagant vendors or those vendors do not offer what you are looking for so why are you paying someone who is going to try and talk you into something you do not want.

For the budgeted couple the wedding planners is an expense that they do not need to incur. The smart wedding couple would make the intelligent move and rely on friends and family for support. A wedding day is special and on many occasions friend and family members would love to find a way to participate in the event. Use these individuals as free wedding planners and maximize the resources you have before seeking outside assistance. If you can assign a specific task to your free wedding planner then you will have an individual who is focused on one task. This focus helps your free wedding planner not be overwhelmed with their assistance and helps you get a wedding task out of your hands and into the hands of a reliable individual with your best intentions in mind.

Technorati Tags: Common, Concerns, planners, Wedding