The Ultimate Guide to Having the Ultimate Wedding

February, 02 2017

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Everything you need to know to create the wedding of your dreams

Your wedding day will be one of the most important and special days of your life, so it’s natural that you want to make sure that every single little detail is spot on. Because there are so many facets to a successful wedding, it can be easy to lose track of bits and pieces.

This article is designed to help point you in the right direction when it comes to ensuring that all the different parts of your wedding are just how you hope they’d be. So scroll down the page until you find something that interests you, then follow the links to more specific resources and you’ll be well on your way to having the wedding of your dreams.

Wedding Planning

There are very few things as anxiety inducing as planning your wedding. Perhaps only public speaking and moving house have the ability to put as much stress on you. When it comes to planning your wedding there are several big decisions that need to be made and they should be made at the start of the process before any other decisions are made.

The first decision is whether you should plan the wedding yourself or hire a professional wedding planner. In the past, this was a pretty simple decision to make since only the rich and famous would hire a professional. But times have changed and nowadays it’s not just the glitterati, but all sorts of people who hire a wedding planner of their own. One of the main factors in making this decision is the budget you have set aside for your wedding.

If money is no object and you are the type of person who only will settle for the best, then a wedding planner could be handy since they’ll be experienced at creating this type of wedding. The same thing goes for if you have a decent sized budget but little time; a wedding planner can work on your wedding if you just don’t have the time. If you are after a smaller, simpler wedding on more limited budget on the other hand, then perhaps a wedding planner isn’t for you.

If hiring a wedding planner is something you’d like to explore, then you need to put some effort and time into choosing the right wedding planner for you. Not all wedding planners are right for you, so it’s important to find one who you feel can bring your dreams and ideas into reality. It’s a day you’ll only have once so you probably don’t want to cut corners here and end up with someone you’ll later regret.

Wedding Locations & Venues

Of all the factors that will make or break your wedding day, few are more important than where you actually hold your wedding. In the future, when you look back on your special day, where you hold your wedding is going to be in the middle of all those memories. When you look at photographs, again the location is going to be part of each and every one of them. So choosing the location & venue for your wedding isn’t a decision to take lightly.

There’s no wrong or right place to hold your wedding since everyone is different. Some people are going to feel that a traditional church wedding is the way to go, while others prefer something more modern and casual, like a beach wedding. Some people are even going overseas for their weddings, so you’re certainly not limited with options. In fact, having so many options can make this a harder decision because of a concept known as the paradox of choice.

Wedding Dresses

While there are lots of important parts of a wedding, for some brides it’s all about the wedding dress. If you are asked to think about a wedding, the thing that is most likely to pop into your head is the image of a bride in a white wedding dress. So because the dress is so important it’s something that you need to think about. There are several decisions you have to make in order to get to the dress of your dreams.

What style of dress do you want to wear? Are there any particular designers you like? Have you gone to any popular dress shops in your city to see what sort of dresses are out there? Is this something you want to buy, or are you happier renting the dress? What sort of budget do you have for the dress? And is the budget realistic for what you’re after? What happens with the dress after the wedding? How do you store it properly for the long run?

Wedding Rings & Bands

While the wedding dress might be the most common image associated with weddings, when it comes to marriage, there is no greater symbol than a wedding ring. Because it’s going to be on your and your spouse’s finger for the rest of your lives, it’s not something to choose willy-nilly. You have to decide on the design of the ring, the type of metal it is made out of, how much you want to spend on rings, where to buy them and whether to get them engraved or not.

Wedding Cakes

While the wedding cake might not be as important to the wedding as your dress or ring, it’s still an important piece of the puzzle. It’s something that is literally shared with the rest of your guests, so if you want to make an impression on your friends and family, having a memorable and delicious cake is one way to do this. Once again the paradox of choice raises it’s head; when it comes to choosing your cake, there are many options. There are huge numbers of cake shops for all different budgets and flavours, so whether you’re after something small and simple or large and gaudy, you can get it done.

Wedding Attire

What you wear to a wedding is important. For many people it’s a rare chance to get out your best suit and knock the socks off the other guests. For others it’s more about fitting in, but whatever your style, you’ll probably agree that knowing what to wear to a wedding has gotten more confusing in recent years. There are various dress codes, some of which are scarily ambiguous, so it can be hard to decipher exactly what the wording on the invitations mean and dress codes can even vary by location; you probably wouldn’t wear the same thing to a beach wedding as you would to a church wedding. So getting a handle on what to wear to a wedding is definitely something everyone needs to learn a little more about.

Wedding Shoes

Probably not the most important decisions you’ll have to make when it comes to the large list of decisions you’ll have to make regarding your wedding, but it’s still something to keep in mind. There are lots of different styles of shoes to wear and just as with dresses, there are no right or wrong answers. What is right for you may not be right for someone else, so you need to think about who you are and how best to express this when you’re thinking about what shoes to wear to your wedding.

Wedding Accessories & Jewellery

You won’t get many people arguing with you if you claim that the wedding dress is the most important outfit to wear at your wedding, but the right accessories & jewellery can make a big impact as well. Once again what suits you may not suit others, so it’s a great way to express who you are and let other guests at the wedding know a little more about you without saying a word. There’s no shortage of accessories to get these days, so look for a comprehensive list of bits and bobs and find things you like.

Wedding Photography

Of all the facets of wedding planning, your wedding photos are one of the biggest causes of anxiety. After all, these are the things that are going to be remembered forever. In the distant future when your actual memories are fading, you’ll rely more and more on the photos that were taken this day, so it’s perfectly normal to want them to be as professional as possible. This isn’t as easy as you might think; in the olden days it wasn’t easy to become a wedding photographer, so anyone you came across would probably have done a good job. But these days, with digital cameras cheaper than ever before, amateurs abound. Because of this it pays to do your research when looking to hire a professional. Don’t just choose one on price, dig a little deeper, look at their portfolio, get a feel for their style of photos and go from there.

Wedding Makeup & Hair

Every woman wants to look like a princess on their wedding day; what will probably be your biggest day in your life up to that point, so it’s normal to want the best makeup and hair that you can find. When you’re starting to think about this, it’s helpful to find some inspiration for coming up with some of your own ideas for what you’d like to wear for your special day. Once you’ve got your ideas at the ready, it’s time to find someone you like and trust to be given the responsibility of handing your makeup & hair on the big day.

Wedding Flowers

It’s possible to have a wedding without flowers in the same way you can have a cake without icing; it’s still nice, but it doesn’t look quite as good as it could. For as long as people have been getting married, flowers have been an integral part of weddings, so chances are you’re looking for some flowers of your own for your big day. When you’re at the start of the process, go wide, think about the varied types of flowers that you could use to add some spice to your wedding.

Wedding Cars

The car you use to transport the bridal party around in for the wedding is an important part of your day. It might not be up there with your wedding dress or even the person you’re marrying, but the car you arrive in says a little something about you. Do you prefer a sleek, dark stretch limousine or a loud, bright red hot rod? As with many things you’ll read here, there’s no definitive answer; you’re free to choose whatever you feel like. There are lots of considerations to choose from here, starting from what sort of car you want to hire, where to hire them from or whether to use a friend, and what your budget allows.

Wedding Songs & Music

What music is played at a wedding can have a major impact on the mood of the guests. Classical music is great if you want your guests to be relaxed and mellow, but if you want something livelier, then you’ll want to make sure that your music can do the job. While many of the decisions you have to make regarding your wedding can be labourious, choosing what music will be played is often one of the more fun tasks. You can sit down with your spouse-to-be and write down all the songs you’d like played and imagine how people are going to party when they hear them!

Wedding Vows

An often overlooked part of the wedding, choosing the right vows is definitely something you want to put some thought into. While they may not be flashy in the same way a nice dress or fancy car is, if done right, your vows will make a deep impact with your spouse and, after all, your spouse is why you’re there on that particular day. When coming up with your own personal vows, think about your own values and what really matters to you and your spouse. You can choose to write some funny vows that reveal your sense of humour, some traditional ones that reflects the gravitas of the day, or just about anything in between.

Wedding Invitations

If there’s something you need to make a decision on that is going to set the tone for the actual wedding it’s your invitations. They’re really all that most of your guests will see with regards to the wedding before the actual day, so they’re an item that you want to use wisely. You’ll always want to gather some ideas for what you’re after and then spend some time finding the right printer for the job.

Wedding Speeches & Toasts

When you look back on some of the weddings you’ve been to previously, there are usually a few memories that stick out. One is how the bride looks, but a well delivered speech is often up there with the strongest memories. So if you are one of those called on to give a speech, you’ll want to make sure that it’s as memorable as possible. It’s not an easy thing to; on one hand you need to be respectful and tell stories that paint a positive picture, but on the other hand, guests do expect that the speeches are honest and hilarious.

Honeymoons

After all the planning, all the time and effort that goes into your big day, it’s nice to know that at the end of it all is a nice relaxing time that you can use to begin your new life with your spouse. Honeymoons are only limited by your imagination; you can go somewhere near to home or far away. You can choose to travel somewhere tropical or you can spend your honeymoon somewhere a little cooler. At the end of the day, wherever you go, the most important thing is that you’re spending it with your spouse, so as long as you don’t end up somewhere terrible you should be in for a great time.

Wedding Traditions

When it comes to traditions, there aren’t many institutions that have more than weddings. In virtually all cultures, weddings have certain traditions that those partaking in it tend to keep. Even though times are changing and more people are eschewing traditions to forge their own paths, it’s still nice to know what they are so you can pick and choose based on your own choices and desires. We all know the “something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue” tradition, but unless you’re a real wedding expert, there are probably plenty more traditions that you’ve never heard of. Some of them you may not want to keep, but learn about what else is out there and you may just want to include them in your own ceremony.