Coordinating
Your Wedding Plans
Planning
a wedding is all about good coordination. You
have to manage the coordination of many elements, projects, people,
times, and styles in a symphony that comes together to make a
wedding that looks and feels the way you what
your wedding day to be. At times it can feel
a little overwhelming, but with a little organization and time
it will all come together. An organized Bride is a happy Bride.
Try to stay relaxed and calm when things feel hectic and attempt
to do one task at a time. We have our wedding
planning schedule to help
guide you through you wedding plans.
You can print our print
friendly version here.
Get
Organized and Reduce Stress
One
of the most important things you can do for yourself is to be
organized throughout the planning of your wedding.
It will save you time, money, moments of tension and may even
save someone from making a disastrous mistake. Always write down
the names, phone numbers, and addresses of all the contact people,
all your appointments, any ideas you have or like, important notes,
all payments and the total cost of everything you buy and order.
You may wish to print our contact
list form for easy reference of your professionals or our
events
at a glance page to help keep everyone that is involved with
the wedding informed of the upcoming events.
You will need
to have an organizing system to keep track of all your wedding
planning details. You may wish to keep a separate
file folder divided into each type of product or service you will
need for your wedding. Examples would be ceremony,
reception, music, cake, caterer, decorations,
etc. Keep all your receipts, business cards, brochures, advertisements,
contracts, magazine clippings, samples and pictures so they are
at your finger tips. A large zippered binder or accordion style
file folder are both great for holding everything. If you use
a binder to organize things, be sure to get some plastic pocket
inserts to hold small loose things. If you use a zip up binder
you will have even less chance of loosing things out of it. You
can also use a spreadsheet on your computer to help you keep track
of your budget, what's been paid for, how much is still due, when
it is due and who is responsible for the payment. If you use a
spreadsheet be sure to date it and every time you update it place
the new date on it and print a copy for your file to carry with
you. Use whatever method works best for you, just try to keep
things together and categorized for easy reference. You may wish
to keep a small calculator with your things for easy calculation
of payments and estimates.
Electronic
organizers are great for keeping track of the many tasks and appointments
you will be doing throughout the planning of
your 
wedding.
If you already have an organizer, use it to help you keep track
of things for your wedding.
Keep a calendar
with all your appointments on it so you can get an overall look
at how full your schedule is getting.
Keep a notebook
and pen or pocket voice recorder with you for times when thoughts
and ideas hit you. This way you can make note of it and not have
to stress about remembering it later.
Communicate
Your Wedding Budget
Don't be afraid to tell your professionals what your budget is.
Then they can show you what they can do for you within your budget.
Most of them are use to working with couples with a budget. If
they want your business they should do their best to accommodate
you.
Vendor
Deposits
When you're giving deposits and signing contracts always read
everything carefully. Know what you are getting, what's included,
and the policies for payments and refunds. Always get a copy of
the contract and receipt and file them promptly.
Have
Everything When Setting Up
You also need to be organized when it comes to the set up of your
wedding reception
and ceremony. To avoid delaying things because
you don't have the right tools, be sure to bring a bin with all
the things you will need for setting up and decorating including,
duct
tape, scotch tape, masking tape, string, ribbon, extension cords,
safety pins, glue gun with extra glue, plastic ties, ribbon, wash
cloth, all purpose cleaner, paper towels, a measuring tape, flame
starter, marker, hammer and trash bags.
Wedding
Invitation Tip
Sometimes your wedding guests will forget to
fill in the name portion of the reply card when sending it back
to you. It's frustrating to be faced with a blank card, not knowing
who it's from and how many wedding guests it
includes. A great trick is to make a list of the names of the
people you will be sending wedding invitations
to and number the list. Then mark a small coordinating number
on the back of each of their reply cards. This way if anyone sends
a blank reply card back to you, you will be able to know exactly
who it is from. Another option is to take the time to fill in
the names of the guests on the reply cards before you send them
out. This way all your wedding guests will have
to do is check off if they will be attending and fill in how many
people to expect to the wedding. These methods
may seem a little time consuming at first, but they will save
a lot more time later if you receive blank reply cards, and changes
are you will.
Making
Your Wedding Personal
The
more you do to make things special and personalized for your wedding
the better. All the imaginative and sentimental touches will make
your wedding day special, beautiful and memorable
to you and your love ones. It's all the small unusual touches
that create a wedding to remember. Using things
you already have, family heirlooms, photos, and anything special
to your heart can make them more sentimental to you by using them
in your wedding. Just make sure they are well
taken care of. With photos you can use colour copies instead of
the originals to make sure nothing happens to them. You can also
plan your wedding to include personal events.
These events, which may include a sentimental item, are usually
a part of your wedding that steps out of the
customary wedding plans and
that will have great meaning to you. These events are usually
as unique as you are as a couple. You can integrate things that
interest you like a hobby. Some couples include their children
in a part of their ceremony or even dedicating a moment at the
wedding reception to a special love one that has passed on. Think
about the things that make the two of you distinctive and about
the things that are closest to your heart and then let your imagination
run with it.
Invaluable
Wedding Shows
Find out if there are any wedding
shows going on in your area before
your wedding date. You can meet and ask questions
from many wedding professionals in one day. There
are usually many prizes to win, you can get some great ideas,
loads of information, see the latest fashions and have some fun
on your own, with your fiancé, friends and/or family. Also
see our
Wedding Show Tips page for great
ideas so you can get the most out of the bridal
show experience.
Email
We suggest creating an email address specifically for your wedding
plans. You can give this address to all your
wedding vendors and anyone involved in the wedding
plans that you don't feel it is important that
they have your permanent email address. This way, after the wedding,
when you are confident that you will not need to hear from these
people anymore, you can delete the email address. People really
don't need your home mailing address these days, if they need
to reach you they will have your phone number and email address.
Otherwise you may find that you get unwanted advertising mail
and email for a very long time after your wedding.
Some wedding couples choose not to invite children
to their wedding. Wedding guests
should realize this if the children are not 
included
on the invitation. You can make sure the word is spred out through
people like your parents so the cut off age is clearly understood.
A small warning though. Quite often people get a little offended
if their children are not invited. You can try to smooth things
out by calling everyone on your list that has children under the
age limit and explain to them directly what your reasons are for
your decision. Another thing you can do is, hire appropriate experienced
childcare for the time your wedding will be occurring and offer
free childcare. Make sure the number of children being care for
is within the childcare ratio guidelines for the number of caregivers
looking after them. Supply a place that is child friendly, safe,
have meals and snacks provided and make sure it has lots of things
to keep them occupied that are age appropriate. Confirm that emergency
phone numbers are posted and they have the contact name and number
of someone available to help out incase of emergency. Ensure that
the childcare providers are also aware of any special needs or
allergies the children have.
Recruiting
Help
Assign
little jobs to responsible people that want to help you
while planning your wedding.
It will save you a lot of time if you accept the assistance.
Sometimes it's hard to hand over the responsibility but
you will have less to remember, and less stress because
of it. Make clear, precise instructions and directions.
Make a list of who is doing what and when. Confirm that
they understand all the details involved. Here to the right
are some things you might be able to get others to do to
help you out and relieve some of the many stresses you will
be facing.
Delegating
Help
When delegating jobs to people, think about if they are
extra talented in something in particular or do they have
access to equipment you need. Make sure they are also both
punctual and dependable. Don't forget to follow up with
them to make sure things are done or to check on their progress.
Just do it in an appreciative and non-offensive way. |
- Picking
up or delivering things
- Taking
the marriage license to place of wedding
ceremony
-
Someone in charge of the lighting at the places of ceremony
and reception
-
Picking up and returning the tuxedos
-
Delivering flowers, the wedding cake
and/or transporting other items
-
Decorating the cars, places of wedding
ceremony and/or reception
-
Doing the pick up and returns of the rental items
- Lighting
candles just before the wedding ceremony
and/or reception
-
Distributing the ceremony programs to wedding
guests
-
Making favours for your wedding guests
-
Doing photocopying
-
Addressing envelopes
-
Making place cards
-
Making coffee, tea and/or punch for wedding
guests so they have something to drink while they wait
for you to arrive at the wedding reception
|
Other
Helpful Hints and Ideas
The internet can be a very useful tool when planning
your wedding. Not only is it a great source for
information, it is also an amazing communication tool. You can
use directories like this one to find your wedding
products and services and many wedding professionals
and businesses have web sites you can browse at any time. You
can contact them by email to ask questions. Then you can email
your parents and wedding party for their options,
giving them the web site links to check them out. This is an incredible
tool when you are planning a wedding
from a distance away from where it will be occurring.
Think
of your wedding guests when making your plans
for your wedding. How can you ensure that they
are comfortable, entertained and well taken care of every step
of the wedding day? Answer this question and
you will ensure that your wedding guests have
a wonderful time at your wedding.
Over the course
of your engagement take short breaks and agree not to talk about
the wedding plans if possible.
Take a break from the stress even if it's only for an evening
or a day. Just enjoy one another for that time. Things can easily
become overwhelming if you don't stop to take a breather and remember
why you are going through all the preparation and planning
in the first place.
When
shopping around scout around on the phone first. Save yourself
time running around to places you don't really need to go. Save
your time for when you have narrowed things down to a few good
possibilities. When you're on the phone always make notes including
the person's name you spoke to and their position. Also, things
like how informed they were, and how polite they were can also
give you little hints about the place of business.
You want to
be as well rested for your wedding day as possible.
It will be a very long and busy day. You want to be your best
physically, mentally, and emotionally. Get to bed early the night
before, doing something calming before bed. Try to relax your
body and your mind, or you may not be able to sleep well. You
might try a warm bath, reading, massage, or listening to soothing
music. What ever you find works best for you. Wind down from all
the preparations you have been doing. Try to reserve the partying
for the weeks before the big day, not the night before.
Tents
If you are planning an outdoor wedding
and you will be renting a tent, be aware that most municipal offices
require you to obtain a permit if the tent is over a specific
square footage. The municipal office's building department of
the city or town your wedding will be occurring
in will be able to tell you their requirements.
Some rented
tents have ceilings in them that hide unsightly poles some are
also made with white wooden poles that are more stylish to hold
the tent up. Be sure to ask about the tents appearance inside
and out, not just the size and costs.
There are
some advantages of using a tent for your wedding
reception. You can adjust the size of the tent
required to the number of wedding guests that
RSVP you. You can also use your favourite caterer instead of being
required to use the on location caterer of your place of wedding
reception. You can also save money when managing your own liquor
for your wedding. Keep in mind that you will
need to buy your liquor licence yourself. Also, some beautiful
historical places allow site weddings on their
grounds or in their gardens. Contact the administrative office
to find out if they can accommodate your wedding.
An
anti-panic Wedding 911 Bag is a bag packed and
brought along by someone else for emergency rips, runs in
nylons, chipped nails and/or just for freshening up. Just having
it with you will help you relax because you will be ready for
some of the unexpected problems that can take place. We've been
using this tool for almost 20 years and it has saved the day many
times. Personalize it to you and your wedding
party's needs. Here is a list of some of the things it could include.
Useful
Websites
