As a bride to be, it is very exciting to hear that you are getting married to the man of your dreams. However, as brides go into the planning of their wedding, they become frustrated and sometimes stressed out since they do not know where to begin. So here I have listed some of the ideas that might help brides-to-be and couples-to-be in order to achieve a stress-free wedding planning.
1. Set the theme/ mood and date for your wedding.
If you intend to have a garden wedding or beach wedding, the best time of the year here in the Philippines is during the months of December to June since stormy days are over. For the months of July to November, it is best to have the wedding indoors to avoid having to deal with unpredictable weather conditions. Here in the Philippines, with regard to history, before, weddings are tied up with their culture and traditions. In the Cordillera for example, every tribe have their own wedding ceremony to follow before couples get married. They held canao’s for how many days of celebration. But I will be discussing further the ethnic wedding practices later on my blog. Among these days though, most weddings are now customized or weddings are planned depending on the theme/mood that reflects the togetherness and character of the couples. Nowadays, many also go for infusing culture and modern style of wedding. So it is important for a bride to be able to talk with his groom on what theme they like to have for their wedding. It can be an out-of-town wedding, beach wedding, garden wedding, masquerade ball wedding, victorian style wedding, foreign wedding like jewish or greek style, fairy tale wedding, gypsy wedding and many more.
2. Decide on your budget.
It is imperative to make a list of the things needed for your wedding day. Avoid placing too much budget on things that are not necessary like expensive accessories or shoes that can be hidden under the dress, unless you can afford it. Since these are sometimes left unnoticed on your wedding day. What is important is the guests are full of good memories for them to bring home and to remember your wedding day. Food for example plays a very important role since this is the first thing that guests noticed aside from the flowers and styling. Second is the cake where guests are very eager see along with the program and souvenirs that they will get. But if you are a budgeterian, you may opt to remove the souvenirs or if not make your own souvenirs, invitations among others. Attend free seminars on bead jewelry making, floral arrangements, wedding planning so you can make it on your own most of all if you are very good at designing or you are very particular with detail.
3. Join Wedding Bazaars.
I also recommend joining wedding bazaars in your area so you have plenty options for suppliers to choose from. Some even offer discounts for those who are joining bazaars so it is recommended to canvass your suppliers there, ask around from your friends or family members who got married, and research through the internet or wedding books and magazines.
4. Ask for help from your family members and close friends.
Perhaps, your family members or friends would like to shoulder or give as gifts to you. some things needed for your wedding like bridal car, sound system, emcee, choir, caterer or floral arrangements. I got married 6 years ago and I only spend P50,000 for my wedding since my caterer is my mom and my relatives, I only bought the food to be cooked, tables, linens and chairs were borrowed from my aunt who has her own catering and canteen business, the reception was held in our house since there is a big space for the reception. I also asked my siblings and cousins to do the decoration and my aunties were the ones who made the program. My sister’s gift is the floral arrangement, bouquet and coordination in the church while my cousin’s boyfriend offered his car to be our bridal car. I bought floral arranged pots in the market for only P35 each and the guests can’t wait to bring them home after the wedding. My mother-in-law bought our wedding rings. So basically, what we have just spend was the rentals for wedding entourage gowns and barongs, our shoes, accessories, photography and food (our video cam got destroyed the day before the wedding, so it was quite frustrating though. So I suggest that you better hire a photographer and videographer to avoid relatives asking for money for them to develop the films they used during the ceremony and reception. If you can ask your photographer to picture each guests so they can also buy it or give it away after the wedding as souvenirs). They’ll surely love it. Invitations were also made by my husband since he’s very good in layouting. So we just bought the materials for it and I did the finishing touches.
5. Consult or hire a Wedding Planner or Wedding Consultant.
If both of you are too busy to handle the preparations or if both of you are working abroad and have no time to plan ahead, it is best to hire or consult a wedding planner. Since most wedding planners have special discounts with suppliers, it can be very helpful for you especially if you will be having an out-of-town wedding or beach wedding. They can offer a lot of ideas that you can also choose from and be able to help you out by giving guides depending on your motif or them and helping you in budgeting in order to minimize expenses but yet have the dream wedding you ever wanted.
6. Choose from 2 options only.
Trim down your options in order not to stress yourself too much. Especially in choosing your suppliers, take the list of suppliers you have and cut down your options to 2 then choose from there. Avoid moving back and forth with your decisions since this will stress you a lot. Stick with what you and your partner have chosen once you have decided on it.
7. Make it simple yet elegant.
Some of your guests may not like to come to your wedding in fear of being out of place. So it is best to make the wedding simple yet elegant. According to survey, many Filipinos are now into live-in since most couples are scared to wed because of the financial side of it. So if you can not afford a grand wedding, just make it simple. Perhaps, a simple dinner with the family after the ceremony will do. As long as the people whom you love are there to witness your bonding together, it would be a site to behold!
Lastly, don’t expect too much since expectations can make your day dry. Just seize the moment (Carpe diem!) and enjoy every minute of your wedding day. Remember, if you have surpassed all trials and challenges during your wedding planning, then I assure you, you will survive a lifetime with your partner!
Happy planning!
No comments:
Post a Comment