Planning Your Wedding Tips

Begin Looking Early! -- Even when you buy your dress, it is best to allow four to six months for your dress to be delivered to you. Don't forget all bridal gowns will need to be altered. You'll also need to allow time to have your Bridal Portrait. Most stores are at the mercy of the dress manufacturer. 99.9% of the time the manufacturers are able to meet shipping deadline. But, if you're going to be cutting it tight on time, go with the dress that has a delivery time well in advance of your deadline.

If you're in a rush, select from the selection of "Special Savings" gowns as the designer on the Gown Search. You will find a variety of styles, ready to ship. Most of these styles are limited quantities, so if you see "the" gown, don't wait! All of othe Special Savings gowns are brand-new, never worn, never altered, designer original gowns with all the labels and hang-tags intact. Magazines – A Great Place to Start -- Buy 2 to 3 bridal magazines. You really don't need more (they're expensive!). More than 3 and you'll just keep seeing the same styles over and over. Tear out pictures of the dresses you like and write on the picture the magazine name and page number it came from! As an authorized retailer of many lines, we can tell you exactly which dress is in their ad. You'll start to notice you are drawn to certain skirt or bodice styles. Maybe you're drawn to beadwork or sweetheart necklines.
The Engagement Ring -- The "rule," so-to-speak, might say your fiancé "should" spend the equivalent amount of 2 months of his salary on your ring, but think about it. How important is the ring to you? It doesn't make you more engaged. Hey, if you want a ring and he wants to buy you a ring, then by all means, get the ring you want. Just remember, he probably isn't going to be paying cash. He'll probably charge it. What may be "his" money (and debts) before you're married become "your" money (and debts) after your married. And it's tough to save for that new house or new furniture when you're still trying to pay off your big ol' ring. Just something to keep in mind.

Some couples decide to budget the engagement ring money other ways. I've even heard of an "Engagement Grandfather Clock!" Some couples even decide to wait until they can more easily afford the ring they dream of. The Wedding Rings -- The "rule" here is that you each spend three weeks' salary, or 6% of your annual income, on the ring you buy for your betrothed. The most popular metals are Platinum, Yellow Gold and White Gold. Your wedding rings may be identical or not.
Some engagement rings feature a coordinating, often shaped wedding band. If you did not get an engagement ring, you may want to consider an Eternity band. An Eternity band consists of gemstones, often diamonds, sapphires or rubies, wrapping around the entire band. Narrower bands and simpler rings suit small hands well. Wider bands and more elaborate settings look best on larger hands or on longer fingers. Keep in mind the width of the band of your engagement ring.

After you are married, the wedding band is worn closest to the base of the finger. The engagement ring is worn on the outside of the wedding band. The reasoning here is that you will never take off your wedding band and you will take off your engagement ring to bathe, garden, have it cleaned, etc. Guest List Tips You've just gotten engaged and your mind is racing. You've got to pick a date, find a dress, find a caterer, book a photographer, choose flowers,… Hold on! Before you can do anything you've got to do two things first. One - decide on your guest list. Two - set your budget. You can actually do either first. Why? Your reception will take about 37% of your wedding budget. Since reception costs are usually calculated on a "per person" basis, if you don't know how many guests there will be, you can't figure out how much food you'll need, how much drink, even how many tables, chairs, centerpieces, knives, forks or how much cake to buy. The guest list can definitely cause some disagreements, even some straight out arguing. Exerting yourself at this early point can also go a long way toward avoiding future planning problems with parents, in-laws and others. Can disagreements completely be avoided? Well, maybe… If you follow our guidelines, you can start your planning on a sure footing.