Step 2
Make a list of what you’ll need: a wedding consultant if you’re using one, a ceremony location, a reception venue, food, beverages, cake, flowers, photography, entertainment, attire, invitations and so forth.

Step 3
Prioritize this list. What means the most to you? Is the cake more important than the music? Where can you pinch pennies without sacrificing your vision?

Step 4
Meet with both sets of parents to find out how much money, if any, they are willing to contribute. Be gracious, grateful and understanding, no matter what their responses.

Step 5
Calculate how much money you currently have available, how much you think you’ll need and how much you will have to save. Keep in mind that the average wedding in the United States costs about $15,000 to $20,000.

Step 6
Make a plan to save what you need, using a savings account or certificate of deposit. Consider selling stocks or mutual funds if necessary.

Step 7
Divide your budget according to your priorities. For example, if your top priority is the dress and your second priority is the venue, you might plan to spend 20 percent of your budget on the dress and 15 percent on the venue.

Step 8
Visit at least four vendors or suppliers in each category (florists, photographers, caterers, consultants, etc.) and compare prices.

Step 9
Use a checklist to make sure you ask all of the vendors the same questions. Note their answers in your budget notebook and review your notes before making a decision.

Step 10
Keep a record of the estimated and actual costs of each item in your notebook.

Step 11
Keep all contracts, agreements, receipts and vouchers in the notebook.

Step 12
Review your budget after each purchase to make sure you’re on track. Good Luck!

Having a Flawless Party Can be Easier than you think—

How would you feel if you could be a guest at your own party, to relax and have all of your family and friends tell you what a wonderful time that they had and how did you pull it all together? At Your Service Events Planner had the opportunity recently to plan and coordinate a 16th birthday party at a home in Forest, and it was flawless! The following are 5 Ways to Make Any Party Flawless:

1. Plan Ahead Early

– Give yourself at least 3 months!

2. Develop a Budget

3. Hire an Excellent Lynchburg Events Planner

– One who will be on time

– Stay below budget

– Who can handle all the many details to your satisfaction

– Who has a directory of many vendors that they work with and

– Is personable

4. Have a Theme

– Be creative and make it fun for everyone!

5. Have a Color Scheme

When you look at your pictures and DVDs afterwards, you’ll be glad that you took the time to plan ahead and hire a Lynchburg Events Planner. At Your Service Events Planner adheres to a Code of Ethics. We will be fair, honest, on time and under budget. We will bring your Event to Life!

When planning an event, Don’t Stress, Call the Best–At Your Service Events Planner!

(434) 525-1805 – LDP6@aol.com – www.lynchburgeventplanner.com

It’s no secret, weddings are notoriously expensive and brides are infamously frivolous. Most women dream of their perfect wedding for years. Though pockets may be tight as couples look for ways to make smart, long-term financial decisions, it doesn’t mean the happy bride and groom-to-be have to sacrifice on their big day. It’s easier than ever to have a budget-friendly dream wedding.

Follow these five simple ways to keep it frugal and fabulous:

Be thoughtful and unique.

Apply the simple law of supply and demand to your advantage. Seasons, times and locations that are “hot” for weddings will inevitably break the bank because they can. Avoid paying a premium for your “day” by considering options like a cozy mid-winter Sunday brunch or an outdoor Thursday evening cocktail reception in early fall. Think about choosing a time of year or location that is unique and special to you for an unforgettable wedding that gives an extra boost to your budget. You will find that it pays to be different.

Be crafty and do it yourself.

They say time is money, but that is not always true, as small investments of your time can save hundreds of dollars in wedding planning. From invitations to seating cards, programs and ceremony or reception decorations, an abundance of beautiful do-it-yourself wedding project kits are available on-line and at popular retailers. Also consider saving money by purchasing flowers from an online wholesaler and then assembling bouquets yourself. If you’re not set on floral centerpieces, try buying ornate glass bowls from an antique shop to fill with beautiful items (rose petals, sea shells, floating candles, etc.) that coincide with your theme.

Not the craftiest of sorts? Tap into the creativity of close friends or family members and recruit them for a wine and cheese night accompanied by invitation, favor or centerpiece assembly.

Be beauty conscious, early on.

When it comes to bridal beauty, timing is everything. It’s an easy element to put off until last minute, but recognizing your beauty needs at the beginning of your planning can save you a lot of money. If a bright white smile is on your checklist, prep a couple months before your wedding and take advantage of less expensive tools versus more expensive, last minute teeth whitening. Celebrity dentist Dr. Debra Glassman recommends brushing with Starbrite toothpaste and chewing two pieces of sugar-free Orbit White gum after meals and drinks like coffee or red wine as an affordable way to keep smiles white and wedding ready.

Also, a few months before the big day, consider consulting a make-up specialist about your wedding day make-up and then keep an eye out for major department stores sales to stock-up on the necessary beauty essentials.

Be your own disc jockey.

Bands and DJs can be expensive. Instead, use your MP3 player. Handle your wedding day music needs the “no hassle” way by loading your player with everyone’s favorite tunes and renting speakers from a local party store.

Choose your music-obsessed teen cousin or a juke box-loving friend to be in charge of the music during the reception in case the system freezes or you need to accommodate a special song request. Keep your mix upbeat and include classics as well as modern songs, so you’re sure to appeal to all crowds.

Be thrifty and do your research — online.

It pays to be tech savvy when you’re planning on a dime. Virtually everything found in stores can be bought online and often for less. Coupon Web sites provide discount codes to online merchants and can be easily found by typing the retailer’s name and “coupon code” in your search engine. Deals range from major price cuts to free shipping, so think beyond the ceremony — a rehearsal dinner dress, bridesmaids gifts, even centerpieces can all be found online.

Using the Internet also allows you to research wedding vendors from the convenience of your laptop. Free online resources like www.OneWed.com, the Web site with the largest searchable online database of local wedding vendors, let you easily browse thousands of vendor profiles, with ratings and reviews from brides across the country. Save time and money by taking advantage of previous brides’ feedback when choosing your preferred vendors.

Cheers to your big (affordable) day.

Congratulations! You’re about to embark on two amazing adventures – the first, of course, being your life as a wedded couple and the second being the exciting, yet often overwhelming process of planning a wedding. A wedding will probably be the biggest and most involved party or ritual either of you have ever put together. Before you get overwhelmed, take a deep breath, then do these ten things.

Enjoy being engaged

Kiss each other a thousand times. Jump up and down saying “We’re engaged!” Stare at the engagement ring. Take the time to write down in detail how you got engaged. Contemplate the wonderful things ahead of you. Take pictures of yourselves with the engagement ring. Kiss each other a thousand more times. Read more about making your engagement special

Tell your parents

You should tell your parents of your impending nuptials before anyone else. (Unless of course, you are estranged.) Both of you should be present and ideally you will tell them in person – they’ll have a chance to see your happiness up close, look at the rock, and start talking about the wedding. Traditionally the bride’s parents know before the groom’s do, but any order is really fine. Then share the news with a few close friends – the ones who are likely candidates for maid/matron of honor and best man, or definite attendants in some capacity.

Purchase a journal if you don’t already have one

This will be a time of ten thousand moments you won’t want to forget, as well as some frustrating times that you’ll need to vent about, and not necessarily to your partner. The journal you keep while planning your wedding will not only help you through this time, but it will be something you cherish for the rest of your life. If you’re internet savvy kinds of folks, you may also consider doing this journaling online at a site such as Livejournal.

Announce Your Engagement

Tell everyone the good news! There are many ways of doing this, and no way is more correct or better than another.

Consider:

Announcing your engagement on MyHeartofVA.com

Mailing announcements to your family and friends

Creating a wedding website

Set the Date

One of the most important decisions you will make as you plan your wedding. Not only will it be the first question everyone will ask you, but you’d be surprised how difficult it will be to make any progress on planning your wedding without knowing the date. How to Set Your Wedding Date

Set the Tone of Your Event

This is the time to decide if you’re having a formal wedding, a casual affair, or a theme wedding. It’s also the time to decide on having a religious or secular ceremony. In short, you need to decide what you want your wedding to feel like. A good way to begin is to sit down with your partner and do some free writing about your ideal wedding. Look at the adjectives that each of you write and use them as a starting point. You should also check out my wedding style pages and Should You Have a Religious Wedding? for some helpful hints.

Set the Budget

Start off by using a printable wedding budget worksheet. Look at your finances and figure out how much you already have in savings, and how much you can save each month. Talk to each of your parents and ask them if they’d like to contribute to your wedding, and either how much they’d like to give you, or what specific things they’d like to pay for. Lastly, decide how much you feel comfortable going into debt. I strongly advise couples to avoid debt as much as possible. Since married couples fight about money more than anything else, why start marriage with debt on your backs? At this time you may consider opening a new credit card just for the wedding that will earn you airline miles, cash back, or other incentives. It’s a good way for you to keep track of wedding expenses, and can help you pay for your honeymoon. Just try to pay it off in full each month.

Choose Your Attendants

As your attendants do a lot more than just stand next to you on the day of the wedding, now is the time to get them involved. While some couples opt not to have any attendants at all, especially if they’re having a casual event, most choose between 2 and 12 members of the bridal party. Look over these lists of responsibilities for bridesmaids and groomsmen before you make your final choices. If they live nearby, its nice to ask someone in person, but a phone call is fine for those who live far away. You may also want to read How many bridesmaids and groomsmen should you have? or How many bridesmaids and groomsmen is too many?

Start Looking for Venues for Ceremony and Reception

Many venues are booked a year in advance, so the further in advance you start looking, the more likely you are to get the time, date, and cost that you’ve planned for. Read more about finding your venue.

Get Support

The successful bride and groom do not plan their wedding alone – they get help! This may be from professionals, respected publications, or trusted friends who’ve planned their own weddings.

Consider hiring a wedding planner or consultant. Especially if you are a busy person, or just feel a little lost, a professional can be invaluable in putting together your ideal day, and can often save you money.

Visit our forum to chat with other engaged couples, the marriage forum to get advice from couples who’ve already walked down the aisle, and the honeymoons forum to plan that trip of a lifetime.

Use online checklists – they’re free, and especially helpful if you’re planning with your mother or future spouse in another state. The most important of these forms is the overall wedding checklist which will help you stay on top of all of your important todos.

If you’re like most couples, you’ll come home from the bookstore with a few thousand pounds of wedding magazines – why not throw in a wedding planning book as well? While the internet offers many useful tools, a book is portable when you visit vendors and can accommodate the many brochures, swatches and other items you’ll be collecting. If you are budget conscious, purchase a three ring binder, and build your own planner with printouts from the internet.

Now that you’ve made all these decisions, you have a solid foundation for your wedding! It’s now time for the fun stuff – dresses, tuxes, flowers, music, favors and more! Remember to use a checklist to help yourself stay organized and on top of it all.