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October 9, 2014December 5, 2015

Ways to Keep Your Romantic Wedding on a Budget

Once in a while, right in the midst of an ordinary life, a wedding day gives us a fairy tale. A fairy tale that one should be granted to have as much melodiousness as one can possibly want and embrace.

On the other hand, if you’re planning to undergo an ideal wedding, you have to line up your schedules for a good preparation in order for you to attain most memorable and idealistic wedding day.

No matter what type of wedding you are having, you will need food. Budgeting for a wedding may not be a simple task but of all the to-do on your wedding checklist, catering should be towards the top of your list. Of course, part of the event is to choose any wedding caterer where you have to save on your wedding catering budget and it’s all up to you. It’s important to stick to a budget and to keep your wishes realistic. While this is a very special day in your life, it’s not an excuse to be madly overstated with money you don’t have.

An eloquent nuptial requires good planning and preparation in order to achieve a creative effort that should be fixed by both partners and any family members and friends you’ve decided to include in the planning.

Wedding preparation can be a great part of life, but it can also be challenging and stressful. In fact, you can be ensured that some plans won’t turn as you would like them to, so plan for that possibility too! The secret is to stay organized, to stick to a budget and to give you lots of time to manage everything.

Given below are the possible ways to hold a romantic wedding practically and here are a few of the more important ones you will need to consider.

Identify Your Wedding Budget.

It’s better to have a checklist upon planning on “what to” and “not to” include in your wedding day. You have to remove those things that are not suitable in your wedding. Just focus into important details that are needed. Figure out how much you can afford to spend and stick to it.

There’s really a budget to every couple and make sure that out of it, you have to make good decisions even from the start of your plans in order for you not to find yourself disbursing off your big day for the upcoming years.

For you to accomplish a wonderful wedding, there are things you need and there are also things you want. But which is which? Perhaps, the challenging part is to find a balance among the two things that grant you to achieve the “wedding of your fantasies” and pay it off within a reasonable budget.

Think About Your Guest.

By this time, you have to limit the number of invitees that will attend to your wedding because it can possibly have utmost impact on the total cost. Always remember that if you are going to invite more guests, it means that you have to cater more foods and drinks for the visitors, a larger church or reception hall, larger wedding cake, and even more offers.

Mostly, the venues of weddings charge a minimum base of 100-200 and a high maximum amount if worthy enough. Just make sure that you have to invite important persons to you in order for you to have an enjoyable happier wedding day ever.

What about Invitations and Decorations?

Making your own invitations can be a good way to save money and that if you know how to manage. Just try to create something for your invitations at home with a little inspiration, creativity and time.

The same for decorating–if you are a type of person that enjoys doing crafts, all you have to do is to find most of the raw decoration materials at hobby or craft stores. If you can handle of the decorations yourself, you will not only save money, but you will have full control over how it views.

Completely, ponder your great ideas about what kind of flowers you want to use. Then you have to choose about what to decorate in the whole banquet hall whether real flowers or not and you may also consider buying the flowers in bulk and creating the arrangements yourself.

What’s Good for Dining?

Choosing the food and drink is kind of a bigger expense for the celebration of your wedding. Seemingly, having a formal dinner will be more expensive because of the additional staff required to plate and serve the meals; try to choose between formal sit-down meal and buffet style meal.

What’s Up for the Music and Photography?

It is also important to have music as part of your wedding that’s incredibly romantic. And what’s good about it is you can play your theme songs together with your partner and also have all the amusement at the reception. You can choose live entertainment or hire a DJ in order to make your visitors alive.

For the photography, you have to start searching for photographers even before the wedding. Embrace an opportunity to talk and sit down with photographers and view samples of their work, discuss package options, photo albums, and so on.

You can hire someone or get a friend to take photos at the event. Technology has made it easier to get great photos, so cut some of the costs here if you can.

It is really important to capture happy moments during your wedding day.

Bring to Mind

There are considerable million ways to cut wedding costs, but like any financial decision, it may involve a little settlement. The decision that you’ve made may be difficult for the two of you, but mind you that getting married is one of the most important day of our lives. Maybe some people tend to have a budget wedding as to save their money for some practical reasons, but what’s important to know is that a budget wedding does not mean a cheap wedding.

It all depends on how smart you plan your budget wedding.

Image credit: StyleByBravura.com | PerfectWeddingGuide.com | ModWedding.com | AtYourSidePlanning.com | HubPages.com

October 8, 2014December 9, 2015

Top 10 Small Details Most Brides (And Grooms-To-Be) Often Forget

You have been doing all the planning – hiring florists, choosing the right papers for save the dates, picking your wedding gown and shoes, signing a contract with a catering in Manila provider, etc. It is so hard to imagine that you are missing anything important up to the last detail. But trust us, there is always a to-do or two that escapes your list. We hear about them most of the time, and we are itching to share our list with you, dear brides-to-be.

1) Confirming schedules

Checking in with all the suppliers is your wedding coordinator’s job. However, better make sure that all the schedules are made and confirmed at least one week before your big day. Send out agendas early on so that your bridesmaids and groomsmen will know their responsibilities come the wedding day. Those who have key roles must be at the hotel or church earlier. If he or she is notorious for being late, consider scheduling the person half an hour early.

2) Post-wedding planning

No, not the honeymoon. Rather, what are you going to do immediately after leaving the reception? Where will you go? Of course, you may party until the wee hours at the reception and go straight to bed afterwards. If you are not very particular on privacy, you may book a room next to your guests’. If you are, book a new room elsewhere and do this in advance. Nonetheless, you may also want to go to a late-night spot inside or nearby the hotel where you are staying.

3) Day-after planning

Some newlyweds leave for their honeymoon when the party ends, heading straight to the airport, for instance. If you prefer honeymooning this way, make advance car service arrangements. If you stayed on the hotel room for the night, then both of you need to decide where to go when it is time to go home. Lucky you are both if you already have your own house. However, it is always a toss between whose parents’ house. Also, make sure that you know how the two of you are going to get there. Don’t expect a relative or friend to pick you up and bring you wherever you want to go. They may be as exhausted and wasted (hangover alert!) as the two of you. However, you may always designate one person to do this for you – one who is not very keen in partying and drinking. Optionally, have your car parked at the hotel’s parking area if this is allowed.

4) Bringing things

Most brides and grooms-to-be often forget to prepare an overnight bag and end up buying things before going to bed. If you cannot officially check in at the hotel, ask a bridesmaid or relative to bring your things with him or her when they do check in. Besides, the majority of the hotels allows early room check-in. Make sure that whoever will bring your bag will find and put it in the safest spot. If you are going to use the same car, you may simply put your overnight bag at the compartment or anywhere safe inside the car.

5) Planning for the entrance and exit

Generally, guests arrive at the reception first, waiting for the newlyweds. The newlyweds are often welcomed with enthusiastic loud cheers. That’s the usual. You can be creative and make the entryways based on your personality–for instance, highlighting your arrival. An example is to dance your way into the reception hall. Also, make the exit as stylish as the entrance. Pyrotechnics is common nowadays, but if the budget is limited, sparklers will do.

6) Decorating other important areas

During the wedding, the church and reception are both dressed up to suit the occasion. With all the effort that you are putting into your wedding, the very last thing you want is have a guest notice an area that seems out of place. Make sure that the bathrooms, for instance, are well-decorated as well. These areas also deserve some décors like candles or flowers. Don’t forget your wedding car. When heading to the ceremony, cars are frequently decorated with flowers at the front. Upon leaving the church, have someone put the ‘Just Married’ sign.

7) Preparing gifts for the entourage

Gifts will continually pour at your doorsteps even days before the big day. It is easy to forget to prepare and give your bridal party members with all these gifts. Don’t. Gifts need not be grand, but make sure you are going to hand those who play a key role at your wedding with simple tokens of appreciation. That includes both sets of parents.

8) Planning for gift gathering

Guests habitually hand their gifts while at the receiving line, during table hopping and before leaving the venue. Coordinators and perhaps, your caterer will set up a gifts table. However, not everyone will take notice. Some may even be too shy to put their gifts on the table. Designate one or two of the groomsmen to let the guests know where they can put the gifts. It is important that you let the boys do it because some of the guests will ask them directly to carry and put the gifts on the table on their behalf. Alternatively, you can have the Master of Ceremonies to announce where the guests can put their gifts.

9) Designating someone to take things home

After the reception, the mementos such as the guest book, cake topper, unity candle, and other paraphernalia must be taken home. The same goes with the leftover food and cake and the gifts! Choose one to three persons to do this for you, and please, let them know of their responsibilities. If you are going to change your wedding gown with a reception-appropriate dress, make sure that the gown will not be left behind. There should be a garment bag (or even a hanger) that a bridesmaid can store the gown for a while.

10) Putting directions and signage

Guests may get lost on their way to the church if they are not familiar with the place. Spell it for these guests so that they will be on time. Include a map on the invitation. If you have a wedding website, you might as well put the map with information about the routes, modes of transportation, and fares. Possibly, include a detailed map from the wedding ceremony to the reception complete with landmarks. At the reception, put signage for every spot that directs the guests where to go.

There could be minor details that never made their way into your to-do list. Nevertheless, remember that there are no perfect weddings. What makes a wedding perfect is the two of you tying the knot and celebrating love in front of those who love you both so deeply. And don’t forget there are people who are always willing and ready to lend a hand.

September 25, 2014December 5, 2015

Facing Guest List Woes? Follow These Steps

Knowing at least the estimate of the total number of guests for a wedding informs other important decisions like the choice of wedding packages most Philippine caterers offer. Practically, most caterers charge on a per pax basis. So that there won’t be any unnecessary excess, here’s how you solve guest list woes.

Interestingly, the guest list size is the most important variable that makes or breaks the wedding budget. Extra guests may mean certain compromises. Nevertheless, before we continue the discussion, let’s look at some of the most common guest list woes.

Inviting exes
Inviting questionable guests (alcoholic uncles, fault-finding aunties, cuss-loving and dirty joke-loving buddies, etc.)
Guilt invite (people who invited you to their wedding)
Definite attendees vs. possible attendees
Plus-ones
All or nothing
Too long a list

1) Discuss with your fiancé/fiancée

From the very beginning, sit down with your fiancé/fiancée to discuss whether you two want a small or big wedding. There are fewer guest list issues to deal with the latter. However, if both of you want a fairly small wedding, narrow down the list especially if the budget will not allow for a 150-guest reception.

Options are:

– inviting everyone you know

– inviting immediate family only (to avoid bruised feelings)

– inviting immediate family and those both of you know

Consider inviting only those people who know you as a couple or those who knew both of you decently well. Also, include those who both of you cared about immensely. With these options, you will come up with a guest list of the most important people in your lives.

2) Follow the rule of thirds

The approach is simple: she invites the first third of the guests; he invites the second third the guests and both invite the last third of the guests. The approach may not work neatly as it depends on the size of the family of each party as well as that of the bride and groom’s social circle.

Further, the approach also works if you are footing the bill. Complications come in if the one family foots 90% of the bill unless that family is the groom’s. More guests can be invited if the paying family is willing to shell out more money. This does not mean that the paying family can have 120 guests and the non-paying family with only 30 guests even if the groom’s family is shouldering all the expenses.

3) Skip the kids

This is an easy rule of thumb unless the kids are members of the immediate family and entourage. Also, unless there will be a children-only zone setup where kids can be kids, it would be better to indicate in the invitation that although regrettably, you prefer a no-child policy at your wedding. Kids can get rowdy, and this can ruin the momentum especially when one of them starts throwing tantrums in the middle of the program.

Also, never conclude that parent guests are willing to make their tots sit on their laps. Kids, who can sit on their own, must be given a seat beside their parents. Such situation incurs additional expenses. Kiddie tables are not always a good idea since you might have no idea how young or old the kid attendees are.

4) Limit the plus ones

This is considered the grayest area in creating a guest list. Usually, the plus ones are total strangers to you both. Consider putting a line on the RSVP card that plus ones must only be someone that one of you knows personally. RSVP cards are so important for practical reasons. Unquestionably, you don’t want to have a wedding with mostly unfamiliar faces.

A sample timeline is:

6 months prior – Work on the invitation layout

4 months prior – Work on the save the date cards

2 months prior – Work on the RSVP cards

This is just a sample; it can be 3, 2 and 1 month prior, respectively. The bottom line is there should be allowances for amendments, distributions and response times.

Typically, save the date cards are sent first so that the expected attendees can arrange their respective leaves and transports more so for out-of-town weddings. Optionally, the invitation along with the save the date card can be sent together in one envelope. Or, you can send the save the date card first and after a month or two, send the invitation along with the RSVP card. Whichever is convenient for you and your guests.

An RSVP card indicates whether the invitee is attending or not and if he or she attends, who will accompany him or her. Strive to get actual names for two reasons. First, it will help in assigning table numbers (who gets to seat with who). Second, it assists in confirming whether the person is already in the guest list or not.

According to tradition, not responding to RSP is impolite. Nonetheless, to minimize the hassle, you can indicate whether responding is for attending only or regrets only. The invitee should respond only if he or she is going to attend (RSVP attending only) or if he or she is not able to attend (RSVP regrets only). To further make the process easier, put your contact details where they can let you know if they are attending or not.

You would know if there is a need for extra allotments for original catering allotment or not since you know the estimate of attendees.

5) Involve both sets of parents

This is non-negotiable not because they are footing the bill (if they are) and tradition dictates so, but because you might be forgetting someone or anyone that should be on the guest list.

Understandably, they would want a distant relative or friend to be there at their daughter’s or son’s wedding. Might as well have a separate discussion with your parents. Politely remind them about the wedding budget. Consider giving them at least 10 to 15 seat allotments for each set of parents so that they can still invite who they want to invite. You can also politely tell them to invite people that you know personally as much as possible.

Stick to the guidelines discussed above for a more manageable guest list. No one will condemn you if you want to be practical even if it means inviting only those people who can genuinely share the joy and excitement with you. Anyhow, a wedding is a celebration of your union as husband and wife and must be witnessed by those who truly cares for you both. This is true even on a lavished budget!

September 17, 2014December 9, 2015

Weekday vs. Weekend Wedding: Which One’s For You?

Fairy tales do come true even on a Wednesday!

Newly-engaged couple Dingdong and Marian Rivera announced in August 15 that their grand wedding would be on December 30–a Tuesday! While Saturday is the norm, weekday weddings are becoming more common nowadays. While almost all wedding considers a catering service in Manila or anywhere the couple will marry, there are opportunities and compromises a weekday or weekend wedding presents. Read on.

Why Saturday?

Saturday is considered as the most popular day for several reasons. Most working people have Saturdays as their days off and Sundays as rest days. There will be plenty of time for traveling and staying at the venue even when the wedding is out-of-town. They can use their Sundays to recover from a hangover and sleepiness before they head back to work on Monday. Any other day will certainly create an issue for some guests.

Choice. With thousands of weddings occurring in the Philippines and with only 52 weeks on the calendar, you are unquestionably facing a tough competition. The most popular churches, venues, caterers, and other wedding suppliers especially those that accommodate one-event-per-day might have already been booked. If the caterer of choice is a non-negotiable, for instance, you are more likely to book the supplier for a non-weekend wedding.

Cost. Saturday is the most expensive wedding day, and Wednesday is the least expensive day. Majority of the venues are offered on discounted rates during weekdays. The same goes with other wedding suppliers who may be more willing to negotiate since weekdays are not as in demand as Saturdays and Sundays. On the other hand, be reminded that some venues are only available on weekends. Some wedding suppliers have day jobs as well, so they may not be able to accommodate a weekday wedding. In case you need to settle for another venue, having second and third choices is a welcome idea.

Booking on a weekday will endow you with lots of savings that you can devote to nice-haves of a wedding such as food bars and stations. If you are initially restricted by your budget, a weekday wedding is the most polite way of limiting the guest list. Not to mention, accommodations and travels are cheaper during weekdays so you can expect a sizable number of guests even when the wedding falls on a Monday.

Crowd. If you worry too much about privy onlookers and crashers, timing your wedding day on a Monday to a Thursday will limit the number of the crowd in and around the church and venue. There will be less traffic on the roads as well since majority of the urban dwellers are at work, so competing for road space won’t be necessary. The situation is laudable especially for those who need to travel 2 to 3 hours just to be with you on your special day. Both situations lead to a much better guest experience.

Celebration. If the wedding falls on a Thursday or Friday, your guests can extend their stay especially when the wedding is out of town. Even until Sunday! On the contrary, some guests will be hesitant to stay more so because of work or school the next day. Possibly, there are some people who surely want to be with you on your big day, but can’t come because the boss said so.

Be prepared as well since there will be empty seats on the ceremony (though this might work to your advantage depending on from which point of view you are going to look at it). Expectedly, they will go straight to the reception.

Program. Weekday weddings tend to have shorter programs, thinking that some have to wake up early the next day. It would be useless to have a cocktails bar so skip the cocktails. Very few people will drink anyway. Consider getting a coffee bar instead. Guests can grab a to-go cup they can contend with while on the road going home.

Essentially, the gains and compromises involved in weekday and weekend weddings will vary greatly for each couple. Decision-making typically boils down to answering these questions: Can I afford a weekend wedding that I really, really want? Can’t my guest be with me even if I choose a Tuesday wedding? Can we compromise to celebrate our anniversary? These are the questions that deserve long deliberations.

Importantly, both of you should be comfortable with your choice. Weekday weddings occur because the date is so special to the couple like first date, first kiss, or anniversary. Some chose a weekday wedding because of the meaning behind the date (i.e., 8-8-2008, 11-11-11, 12-13-14, September 8, December 8, etc.).

If you really cannot go with the norm, remember these pointers:

Send out Save-the-Date ASAP. Enough notice enables the guests to sync their calendars so they can join with you come your big day.
Opt for a late afternoon ceremony. Guests will have the option to take the afternoon off, not the entire working day.
Be reasonable with the dress code. Guests, who attended a pre-scheduled working commitment, may not have enough time to change clothes.
Appreciate their presence. Once the guest confirmed their attendance, offer help in arranging rides and other conveniences.
Expect questions. Surely, there will be unsolicited comments why you’ve chosen that day. Prepare a short, sweet, and polite spiel of the reason for choosing that day. A big no-no: Don’t justify your choice with the sole reason of savings!
Never argue. Don’t tell yourself that those who are unwilling to attend your wedding are not worth inviting in the first place. Remember they do want to attend, but fitting your big day to their lives is just impossible.

Come what may, respect other people’s decision not to attend your wedding given all the circumstances. Don’t let this ruin your big day. The bottom line is both of you are happy, and so are the people who are able to attend the wedding. Planning your wedding day carefully ensures that your guests will have a great time regardless of whether it falls on a Tuesday.

September 12, 2014December 9, 2015

How to Create Your Own Wedding Website

Got engaged? Now, how will you let your guests know that wedding rites will be held in Santuario de San Antonio and the reception follows at Kaisa Heritage Center? Of course, the details are in the wedding invitation complete with a map. Indeed, but there is a much clever way to present details to your would-be guests. A wedding website!

Why set up a wedding website?

Wedding websites can serve to-be-wed couples various purposes. First, it is the most convenient way to reach family members, relatives, and friends in distant places and letting them share in the excitement with you. Second, it can be the go-to place to see all the wedding details from the engagement story to the members of the bridal party to registry links to the menu, so phone calls won’t be that necessary. Third, it includes features that can make wedding planning easier such as checklists, countdowns, group email capabilities, RSVP tracking, registry links, and multi-media uploads. Fourth, it is a paper-less, eco-friendly solution that contributes to a guilt-free wedding planning.

Do we need a wedding website?

It depends. For small scale weddings with guests living near any of the couple’s residence and they are not really big on computers and is only a month away, then you can do without. However, for out-of-town weddings with guests hailing from different parts of the world and is at least four to six months away, then a wedding website will be a big help.

How do we get started?

It is always a wise idea to set up the website early in the process, perhaps before you distribute the save-the-date cards. Logically, you should put the website details in the cards, saying that your guests may visit the site for further details. The earlier you set up the site, the more it will be beneficial to you both. You can always point the people asking for details onto the website. Communicate all the vital details surrounding the wedding plans. Specifically, include information about weather, accommodation, attire, or anything that your guests will find useful.

How do we create a website?

Online is a plethora of services that can help any couple regardless of how less tech-savvy they are. Some of the Internet services that provide free wedding websites are TheKnot.com, MyWedding.com, Ewedding.com and MomentVille.com. These services offer hundreds of wedding website designs based with choices of themes (vintage, eco-friendly, beach, etc.) and customizable templates, backgrounds, and color schemes. You can personalize the website to suit your chosen wedding theme and motif. Some services allow couples to obtain their own domain names. Ultimately, there are also services that allows multi-screen testing or wherein your guests can view the website on their laptops, tablets and/or smartphones. Security will not be an issue because the services enables password-protecting the website, so only the family, relatives and friends can access the site. You can experiment until you find the perfect website for your wedding.

What should we include in the site?

All the relevant details! After figuring out how the site will be built, the next logical step is to determine what to put on it. Absolutely, it should include all the basic information such as your names, a picture of you together, the wedding date and church and reception locations and a brief greeting to the visitors of your website. Then, you can post other details including the bridal party with a photo of each member, the order of ceremony, the reception program, the directions–modes of transportation and fare (if necessary)–the suggested attire, the menus, the available accommodations, and the nearby attractions or restaurants. Optionally, you can include fun activities like polls and quizzes and contests.

How can we make it more personalized?

While any wedding website is personalized enough, you can make it more personal by going beyond the basics. Why don’t you share your love story? How you and your fiancée met? You can tell the story through a photo collage. Try recounting the proposal as well or how about uploading the proposal video? You may also create a galleries page where you can upload casual snapshots of the two of you vacationing together or doing your favorite sports.

Should we add a wedding registry page?

Gifts can be duplicated, and this is the main reason for having a registry or registries. Feel free to include a registry and gift ideas page. However, etiquette dictates that it must not be the very first thing that the visitor should see. Only the most interested visitors will click the page link as if asking ‘What do you want for a wedding gift?’

What else should we remember?

A lot! Here’s what…

1) Don’t get too link happy.

Sure, updates are welcome. However, make sure that you are announcing a change such as a sudden change in wedding location, hotel rooms, etc. These are the essentials, so you really need to announce these. Don’t bother sending a link about your fight with your mother about your choice of wedding gown, your complaints about the wedding gown designer, your objections with your future parents-in-laws wish, etc. Your guests need not know about this, and you need not publish these either.

2) Don’t get too upload-happy.

Pre-wedding events are inevitable. For example, not everyone will be invited to the engagement party. Some might get angry or offended by uploading pictures wherein they weren’t invited. With this, be mindful of the e-announcements. Leave these invite-only events off your wedding website, so no one will get hurt emotionally.

3) Don’t get too mushy.

Save the romantic blah blahs as your wedding vows. You need not publicly praise one another on the website. Everyone knows that you are getting married because you love one another. Not everyone will appreciate the e-public display of affection. Instead, write about how both of you are grateful to have the best parents in the world as well as the best bridal party especially the bridesmaids who make things easier for the both of you. They’d surely appreciate the gesture.

No matter which design you choose, the wedding website must be regarded as a fundamental tool in the wedding planning process. It cannot only save you a lot of time and energy, but also lots of money! Not that we are asking you to scrimp. But hey, if you can scrimp on other things and devote the extra money to other more important things like the wedding gown, why not, right?

Image credit: TheKnot.com

September 5, 2014December 7, 2015

How to Avoid Becoming a Bridezilla

Everyone knows it – planning a wedding is extremely stressful, from the invites to entourage to dresses and even to finding a catering in the Philippines. It is easy to turn into the woman we don’t want to become – a bridezilla!

Oxford Dictionaries defined bridezilla as a ‘woman whose behavior in planning her wedding is regarded as obsessive or intolerably demanding.’ Put simply, the focus of the bride-to-be is solely the wedding that she tends to become obnoxious and difficult. A portmanteau of bride and Godzilla, ‘bridezilla’ was first used around 1995. Discussed below are some practical tips so as not to stepped into the bridal epidemic of all time – Bridezilla Syndrome.

Wedding counselors said that there are specific scenarios leading to becoming a bridezilla. Unfortunately, majority of the brides-to-be are not aware of their bridezilla-esque attitudes and behaviors. These situations set a bad precedent for the wedding preparation itself and can ruin precious friendships.

1) Talking endlessly about the wedding

One of your friends ask, ‘So, how’s the planning going?’ and the next thing she knows, you are at the other side of the table telling your complaints about your coordinators, caterers, florists, makeup artist, etc. it is as if she is listening to a monologue. Indeed, a wedding can be a bit scary for the brides-to-be because of the crowd of confusing emotions surrounding the pending transition from being a single to a married woman. Give yourself time to let everything sink in. Allow for a gradual transition. Your fiancé will surely understand.

2) Becoming over-concerned about having a ‘perfect’ wedding

Wedding magazines are created for a reason. However, if you are going to duplicate everything you read about or saw on it, spending will only get way out of control. That is because you’d want everything to be bigger and better than what you have read about. Just remember–there is no such thing as ‘perfect’ wedding, not in this universe. Tell yourself that you are planning a wedding to be with the man you want to spend the rest of your life with. Welcome changes and mishaps along the way and even on the wedding day itself! These are inevitable.

3) Neglecting your fiancé

In the middle of the day, your fiancé calls you to invite you for a late lunch or coffee. What will you tell him? ‘Sorry honey, I can’t meet you later. I will be meeting our… and our…’ These are neglectful behaviors that may breed disconnection between you and your fiancé. Take the time off. Spend time together. Don’t forget that because he is a groom-to-be he doesn’t want to take part to the wedding planning. Most grooms do.

4) Becoming a diva

“I had you for a bridesmaid because I know you can do this, this, and this. And also…” The worst case is having your maid of honor resigned from her post. While it is a must to delegate tasks, your bridesmaids have personal lives, too. Being too demanding is a tell-tale that you are incompetent to handle the preparation. What more a wedded life? Understandably, you want your close friends as close as possible, but the situation only breeds rifts and resentments. Delegate tasks accordingly. When all tasks are done, organize a simple get-together to celebrate the friendship. Just make it a pure fun gathering that has nothing to do with your wedding.

5) Blowing off the wedding budget

Extra payment for the gown, dresses and suits, for the champagne, for the blooms, etc. add up quickly. Before you realized it, you are taking your credit card out to pay for them. Three months after the wedding day, both of you are still paying the debts that the wedding accumulated, putting off the honeymoon for a later date. Not really a good scenario. The simplest tip: make a budget then, stick to it. Maximize the available resources.

6) Failing to acknowledge the parents’ dilemma

Perhaps, you’ve heard your father telling your mother, ‘Is she really going to marry that douchebag?’ or ‘Believe me, your daughter will come back here begging after just a year or so.’ These are not signs of distrust or uninterest, but rather confusing emotions buried under your fiancée’s scrutiny. The same goes with silly fights with your mother. It happens. Don’t turn away though. Just do your best to understand what your parents feel. Hey, it is not easy to give away their baby, and that’s you bride-to-be.

7) Becoming a bride-orexia

Some brides-to-be more than triple their trip to the gym at least three months before the wedding day. There are brides who buy wedding gowns up to two size smaller for the ‘motivation.’ Some even crash diet. On her wedding day, some guests and onlookers would say ‘Why does she look so thin and tired?’ You achieved the thinner waist–okay–but at what expense? Who are you pleasing?

Eat no less than around 1,200 calories daily. Lose no more than two pounds weekly. If you must, hire a nutritionist for that healthy glow on your big day. There is no need to get ballistic over the wedding preps and the turn the wedding preps into fire-breathing moments. Consider these:

Give room to your parents’ whims
Rest your body and mind for at least a week
Welcome little compromises
Accept there is no perfect wedding
Stop comparing
Relax however you please (yoga, warm bath, etc.)
Listen and appreciate advices and opinions
Keep options open
Ask for help and use such to their best advantages
Connect with your fiancé despite pressures and stressors
Don’t sweat the petty things
Keep your fiancé busy, too
Know that being a control freak is no good
Allow other people to vent about your attitude and approach

Weddings can really bring the worst in every bride-to-be. Even the most down-to-earth bride-to-be can spit fire when things don’t go as planned. Whenever bridezilla attacks lurk in the corner, just think of happy thoughts. Being with the man you’ve always dreamed of is a happy thought enough. So, prep your wedding Elsa-style – just let it go! Trust that everything will be alright. Just do your part and everything will fall on their right places.

Source: Weddings at Work | Bridal Guide | Wedding the Knot | Savvy Miss | WikiHow

August 28, 2014December 7, 2015

An Evening Wedding (3/3)

An evening wedding timeline

Evening weddings are for the ‘night people’ or those who would rather not wake so early in the morning.

12:00 nn – Hair and makeup starts

2:00 pm – Snacks

2:30 pm – Groom pictorial (including family and ento)

3:00 pm – Bride pictorial (including family and ento)

4:30 pm – Groom leaves

5:00 pm – Bride leaves

5:30 pm – Arrival, assembly and march

6:00 pm – Actual ceremony (including pictorial)

7:30 pm – Recessional (from ceremony to reception)

8:00 pm – Cocktail

8:30/9:00 pm – Program starts

9:30 pm – Dinner starts

10:00 pm – Party stats

11:00/12:00 pm – Party ends

Response rates tend to be highest for evening weddings. While some of the guests cannot be on the ceremony, more people can attend the reception since it is after school or work. They won’t have any excuse not to join your wedding even when they need to go to school or work the next day.

Some of the guests might be surprised with the 9pm serving of dinner. Expect some guests to go home earlier after eating especially those who arrived early. This can be adjusted though so that the program and party will end at around 10 or 11 pm. It would be best to invite those who are willing to stay until the party is over. That means, people who will go home after your final speech.

Some of your guests may have eaten lunch haphazardly. Some may even forego snacks just to be there on your wedding on time. Like afternoon weddings, serve heavy cocktail. Open up the stations and bars at the earliest possible time. Perhaps, soon as your guests arrived at the venue. Coffee-flavored snacks and desserts are also good during evening weddings.

Pictorials should not take long. Even so, make sure that the photogs have complete equipment and accessories since they cannot take advantage of natural light.

Evening weddings are usually formal, black-tie events. Ento and guests can wear jewel-toned hues and blings. Long gowns are also called evening gowns, remember? With this, go for a sit-down catering service. Please your guests are formally dressed to have them lined up on the buffet table.

Everyone should be on-the-dot, so hire only the most efficient providers available. A sound system provider is a must, but you can skip a band. If you want, you may hire a DJ for the night. A fireworks display is also perfect to cap the night while incorporating same-day edits on the projector.

You can also have your catering provider to set up a cocktail or bubble bar. Alternatively, wines can be served along with the main course. Anyhow, if it is on a Sunday or weekdays (between Monday and Thursday), your guests may not be enthusiastic to drink the night away since they have to wake up early the next day.

Evening weddings might have the fewest considerations other than sticking to the schedule. Errors and delays are not welcome. Just the same though, the to-be-weds must not skimp on food and entertainment.

In sum, the time allotment can be adjusted based on the actual time of the ceremony. Morning weddings can be 7, 8 or 9 am. Afternoon weddings should be either 2, 3 or 4 pm. Evening weddings can be 6 or 7 pm. Plan ahead. Plan accordingly.

>> A Morning Wedding (1/3)

>> An Afternoon Wedding (2/3)

Source: Weddings at Work

August 28, 2014December 7, 2015

An Afternoon Wedding (2/3)

An afternoon wedding timeline

Afternoon is the most popular time slot for a wedding.

7:00 am – Wake up time

7:30 am – Bath time, breakfast

9:00 am – Hair and makeup starts

11:00 am – Lunch

11:30 am – Groom pictorial (including family and ento)

12:30 pm – Bride pictorial (including family and ento)

1:30 pm – Groom leaves

2:00 pm – Bride leaves

2:30 pm – Arrival, assembly and march

3:00 pm – Actual ceremony (including pictorial)

4:30 pm – Recessional (from ceremony to reception)

5:00 pm – Cocktail

5:30/6:00 pm – Program starts

6:30 pm – Dinner starts

8:00/8:30 pm – Party stats

9:00/10:00 pm – Party ends

Response rate of afternoon weddings even on Saturdays or Sundays tends to be unsurprisingly low. People expect to leave their places to unwind between 2 and 4pm. Especially true during the summertime, you cannot expect for them to go to your wedding because of the scorching heat outside. They won’t be willing to wear even semi-formal wear. Semi-casual is okay.

If you want a higher attendance rate, you may opt for an afternoon wedding falling on a weekday.

The same goes with morning weddings wherein your guests forego breakfast; your guests may forego lunch, too. Heavy cocktail is a must. The usual cocktail hour can be extended up to 1 ½ hours. Use this as an excuse for retouch, dress changes, and post-nuptial shoots. Open up the bars or stations and serve the appetizer.

Afternoon weddings must cover snack and dinner times; provide more food than necessary. Buffets are okay. A 3-viand lunch is acceptable, but this cannot be said for dinner. Aside from the basics (soup, salad, appetizer and dessert), there should be a minimum of 4 main courses.

Traditionally, dinner must be served by 7pm even when your guests arrived at the venue around 5pm unlike morning weddings where the guests expect the food soon as they arrived at the reception. This provides the newlyweds with more time for post-nup pictorials. Grab the opportunity. Anyhow, cocktails are provided to tidy up the guests until dinner. Cheese platters and taco bars can be set up.

People expect entertainment despite their high tolerance for the length of the program. Just don’t be draggy. Entertainment can be in the form of a light show or fireworks display; not necessarily a singer or band. A 3,000-ANSI projector is enough to view images even from a fair distance. Some would expect booze and bubble along with entertainment.

Further, full suits for male ento members and more elegant dresses for female ento members are expected. Jewel-toned hues are okay for afternoon weddings. Blings are also acceptable.

Only a handful of your guests may stay since the party might finish earlier than 10 pm. Some weddings end by 8pm particularly those weddings occurring on a Monday to Thursday. Be reasonable and think of your guests’ travel time from the reception to their respective homes.

Consider these:

Beach and garden weddings can only choose between 3 and 4 pm for the ceremony or the so-called late afternoon time slots.
Weekdays and Sunday weddings can only choose 2, 3 or 4pm for the ceremony so guests can still finish the program.
Regardless of the type and day of wedding, 1pm or 5pm slots are a big no-no since they cut through lunch and dinner, respectively
Lunch weddings mustn’t occur on open-air venues.
Plan ahead and book immediately since afternoon slots go quickly.

Compared to morning weddings, afternoon weddings have fewer considerations. However, to-be-weds might have to spend more on food.

>> A Morning Wedding (1/3)

>> An Evening Wedding (3/3)

August 28, 2014December 5, 2015

A Morning Wedding (1/3)

August 20, 2014December 7, 2015

Important Tips in Choosing the Right Wedding Venue

A wedding is a multi-decision event, and decisions are often divided into two major categories: wedding ceremony and wedding reception. Aside from the food that can be taken care of the catering in Philippines, choosing the best venue can often consume much of the couple’s time.

Further, there are hundreds of venues in the Philippines such as Blue Leaf Events Pavilion, Palacio de Maynila, Rockwell Tent, Baluarte de San Diego, Gazebo Royale, The Elements at Eton Centris, Blue Gardens, etc. However, you cannot just choose any venue without these important considerations.

Space

Apparently, the venue must have a roomy fit. The reception site must be large enough to accommodate the total number of guests. At first glance, a venue may look huge, but wedding essentials (chairs, tables, buffet setup, band setup, dance floor, etc.) consume a lot of space. Your guests will need some elbow room so take this into account.

Estimates are, sometimes, unreliable. A contingency is to take a peek at the venue when it is all setup, for another wedding that is. Just make sure that the size of the guest list is similar as yours so you can have a near-accurate estimate.

Areas

Eating, drinking, talking, and dancing are the four primary activities on any wedding reception. There must be logical areas for these activities.

When conducting a location inspection, stand in one corner and try to envision where do you think these activities would happen. If the place cannot be separated into sections accordingly, it will probably feel crowded on your wedding day.

Look at the ‘shape’ of the venue. If there are odd contours or blockages, the people at the back may not see what is happening at the front. These factors can compromise the actual flow of the wedding program.

Privacy

Most of the to-be-weds put an importance on privacy. Surely, they would appreciate an intimate and private reception by keeping wedding crashers at bay.

Unless you are okay with the idea of other people peeking on your wedding (true for public receptions), you might as well opt for venues that allow clients to buy out the place (guest-only basis). Ask about security availability.

As much as possible, the venue should accommodate one-event-per-day only. Ask if it is possible to schedule the event when there would not be another event in the next function fall. If not, you can always visit the venue when there is an event and see how the activities would affect other activities in the other halls.

Further, ask whether the halls or rooms are noise-proof or not. This is one way of keeping the wedding free from outside disturbances and uninvited guests.

Color

Weddings here in the Philippines often have color motifs. The color of the walls and ceilings and even the décors at the venue must not conflict or clash with your motif, or they will ruin the otherwise great impact of color coordination.

The location need not be in the exact colors as your motif, but the prominent hues at the venue must complement the motif somehow. Not just for visual interest, but contrasting colors may be an eyesore to look at. Make a request to the owner to use a specific color of curtains on your wedding day, if possible.

For brunch and day weddings, venues in light and pastel colors are perfect. For classic weddings, venues in darker hues or neutrals are ideal.

Lighting

Lights make or break the overall mood at the venue. For a day wedding, make sure that your chosen venue has lots of windows. For night weddings, make sure that the location is not too dim. Make sure that the lighting at the entryways and dining areas can be controlled. For a night wedding outdoors, you may determine whether setting up candles is possible.

Again, go to the venue and perform an inspect at the same time when it is your turn to use it. You will get to see how sunlight streams through the windows to the floor. Candlelight is romantic, but this may not be enough during the evening.

Certainly, you can always ask the owner the available lighting fixtures that you can use on your wedding day and whether these are inclusive of the fee or not.

Acoustics

During an event, you may try to inspect the sound quality of the setting. Make sure that it is not too echoey because it can let out weird reverbs when the band is playing. With this too, it would be difficult for your guest to hear other people when they talk.

On the contrary, you can choose to tailor the music based on the acoustic conditions of the venue. Remember that wood or tile floors amplify the sounds while thick carpets muffle them. Thus, if you opt for a small venue, you may choose a combo instead of an orchestra.

View

It’s always a plus to choose venues that offer a stunning view of the city skyline, lush greeneries, waves, etc. Nonetheless, if there are no views per se, perhaps the venues décors will do or its architectural details, artworks on the walls, period furniture pieces or crystal chandeliers.

Whatever it may be, the details can make the venue extra special. Not to mention, they can preoccupy the guests while waiting for the program to start. They are also great conversation pieces to break the ice between strangers.

Outlets

Perform a thorough inspection of the venue to determine if it has enough outlets to plug things that need plugging in. This is especially true if your chosen venue doesn’t regularly host a wedding. Take note of the exact places of the outlets.

If there aren’t enough outlets against your needs for them, make sure that the venue has several extension cords.

Parking

Most venues today have ample parking with uniformed security personnel. Nevertheless, if there aren’t any evident parking spaces, make sure there is an empty street where guests can park legally.

Alternatively, you may organize activities so everyone can get to the party without worrying too much with parking such shuttle vans or bus. Carpooling is another good option.

You can always go the other way around such as choosing a reception first before deciding for other wedding essentials like your guest list or choosing the venue before deciding for a wedding date so you’d ensure that the place is all yours. Whichever you choose, keep these helpful tips in mind when choosing the perfect venue.