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How Do I Start My Wedding Planning? – Ask The Wedding Expert Answer

July 1, 2009 By

Question from Melisa:

What are the first steps I should take in making the wedding plans.  Wedding is December 19, 2009.  The colours I want is burgundy and peach for an outside setting.

Answer from Bridal Expert Angela:

Hi Melissa, and congratulations on  your upcoming wedding.  There are a lot of details to arrange, and you don’t have much time.  The average wedding takes 250 hours to plan—so budget your time accordingly.  This wedding planning checklist will help get you started.  There are also some great wedding planning books that can help you get there.

In addition, most bridal magazines carry some sort of checklist or timeline.  The number one thing is to book your ceremony and reception sites, and get your wedding dress as soon as possible.  It can take months to get a custom ordered dress, so the sooner the better for the dress.

Once you have your ceremony and reception booked (and there are a lot of choices in those decisions) utilize the ceremony and reception representative’s expertise to get all the details just right.

Good luck, and congratulations!

Angela Fiebelkorn, Ask The Wedding Expert

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What Should We Do To Plan Our Wedding? – Ask The Expert Answer

March 8, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Question from Sherif/Nourhan:

Our wedding is arranged to be 15 july 2009, please advice on what should we be doing in order to get ready for this day.  Please note that it will be my birthday too.

Answer from Bridal Expert Angela:

Hi, and congratulations on your upcoming wedding.  The first thing you should do is get a good wedding planner.  These checklists are found in most bridal magazines.  There are many great wedding planning books for sale in your local book store, and also online. 

This article covers the first things to start with in planning your wedding.

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Planning Weddings Take Time, So Give Yourself Plenty Of Time

February 16, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Question from Pam:

The wedding date for my daughter is 9/9/2009. Send any and all advice you want and can to start to prepare. Thank you.

Answer from Wedding Expert Angela:

Hi Pam.  Since you have only 7 months left before the wedding, the most important things to be done first are to book the ceremony and reception sites, clergy, caterer, florist, music, photographer, and videographer.  These places and people get booked up quickly, so this need to be done immediately.  Usually this is done 9 to 12 months, or earlier before a wedding.  Check out these wedding planning books.

The tasks that are usually completed 6 to 9 months before the wedding are to order the wedding gown and accessories (bridal shoes, headpiece, wedding night lingerie, wedding handbags, etc.), order bridesmaids dresses, and men’s attire.  The wedding colour scheme and decor should be decided so planning of decorations can start.  The guest list should be finalized, invitations ordered, and save-the-date cards sent to out-of-town guests.  The bride should register at the bridal registries by the sixth month.

Anything not confirmed with the caterers, musicians, ceremony or reception sites, rental of tables, chairs, tents, fountains, arches, etc., should be completed by the sixth month.  A system to track guest invitation responses, gifts received, and thank you notes sent is needed.  The bride should help the mother of the bride and groom choose their dresses so it fits the decor/wedding colours chosen.

Some other things to be done by the sixth month are for the engaged couple to start dance lessons if needed, and start beauty treatments like teeth whitening, facials, brow shaping, etc.

The more complex and larger the wedding, the longer the details take to plan.  If you are planning a smaller wedding, it will be easier.  I have received many a sad story from brides who did not get their wedding gown in time for the wedding, or have things not turn out the way they wanted because everything took so much longer than they thought it would.  I suggest that the planning process steadily move forward every week, or there will be more stress before the wedding.  Many a bride and groom have shared how exhausted they were by time the wedding came that they barely remember it.  Good planning will alleviate this problem.

All the bridal magazines have a wedding planning checklist, and there are many on-line that are available to you if you “google” it.  If you have any other questions, feel free to email me again.

Angela Fiebelkorn, The Wedding Expert

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How Do I Find A Wedding Planner? – Ask The Wedding Expert Answer

January 3, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Question from Carra:

Hello, I live in Victoria, BC and I am planning on getting married next year, and a friend of mine gave me her planner from 2006 and I was wondering where we can get one for 2009.

Answer from The Wedding Expert:

Hi Carra, and congratulations on your upcoming wedding.  There are many wedding planners available on the market, but they usually come in four styles.  First, you can find wedding planning checklists all over the internet if you search for them.  I suggest looking at more than one list, because each list is slightly different and this will give you more ideas for your wedding.  You can print the list(s) and keep everything organized in a binder for yourself.

The second type of wedding planner that I have regularly seen is the kind often available at bridal shows.  These are usually created locally and have suggestions for local vendors who specialize in weddings.  I suggest you attend your local bridal shows to see what is available in your area.

The third type of wedding planner is commercial style books/albums/keepsakes that are available in all the major bookstores, and of course, can be found on-line with a ‘wedding planner book’ search.  These planners are often quite different from each other, each giving information in a different way.  Some of these planners become a keepsake book for you at the end of the wedding process.

The fourth type of wedding planner is to hire a wedding planner to look after all the details for you.  Many brides discount this option as being too expensive, but consider hiring a wedding planner to do only part of your wedding process.  For example, the most common problem brides have is deciding how to decorate their reception space to create the feeling that they want.  By hiring a wedding planner to only ‘decorate the reception space’ you will get the best of both worlds—cost savings by doing most of the planning yourself, and wisely spending money on the part of the wedding planning process that is too much for you.

I suggest you check to see who published the wedding planner that was lent to you.  There might be a phone number or contact information if it is locally produced, or if it is a commercial style, you can ask at a bookstore to see if that publisher has a 2009 version of the wedding planner. 

The wedding planning process should be a joyful time, but can get stressful.  Your bridal party is there to help you, your family and friends can help out, and you can hire people to do all or part of the work.  You have many options.  Enjoy the memories you are creating!

Angela Fiebelkorn, The Wedding Expert

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