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Planning your own wedding: easy!

1 - I can do better 2 - Jury's out 3 - Pretty darn good 4 - Splendiferous 5 - Awesometastic (by 6 people)   Your rating: 1 - I can do better 2 - Jury's out 3 - Pretty darn good 4 - Splendiferous 5 - Awesometastic

Ranked #4262 in How-To, #42031 overall

Rated G. (Control what you see)

 

There's no need to put yourself, and/or your parents, in the poorhouse just because you finally got that ring on your finger, ladies! Heck, the man alone should be impressive enough to make your friends jealous. But to plan the party of your life, you need to be resourceful.

1. Websites to help you plan a great wedding 

Start here - with a timeline and a checklist.

It used to be that you needed a binder full of checklists, or even a wedding planner, to start planning your wedding. But now you can log on and start clicking away!

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The Knot.com

Weddings and wedding planning. Everything from a b more...1 point

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Cheap Las Vegas Wedding

A great resource you are planning on going to Las more...1 point

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Wedding Channel

Featuring wedding gowns, bridal gift registry, wed more...0 points

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Brides.com

Wedding dresses and planning advice0 points

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WeddingWire.com

Wedding venues, cakes, dresses, invitations & more...0 points

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Online wedding planning ideas tools photos BridalInsider.com

Plan your wedding online at Bridalinsider.com wedd more...0 points

2. Magazines for ideas and inspiration 

Form a picture of your dreams

You have probably dreamt of this day for years. How did you picture it? That vague idea we had as children is not something you can easily go shopping for. Get some magazines (a 1-year subscription will help you with ideas along the way.) Cut out some pictures and start making a list of suppliers.
Martha Stewart Weddings

Martha Stewart Weddings

Amazon Price: $16.00 (as of 10/06/2008)

Modern Bride (1-year)

Modern Bride (1-year)

Amazon Price: $11.97 (as of 10/06/2008)

Brides (1-year)

Brides (1-year)

Amazon Price: $11.97 (as of 10/06/2008)

3. An etiquette book will come in handy 

One of these books will come in handy as you plan your wedding. Etiquette rules help you:
1 - Figure out who should be invited.
2 - Come up with wording for your invitation.
3 - Figure out how to politely say someone isn't invited.
4 - Decide what time of day is best to have your wedding.
5 - Figure out what kind of attire and reception will be expected at your wedding.
6 - Determine when to send invitations and thank you cards.
7 - Decide who should sit with whom at the reception dinner.
8 - Schedule when toasts and dances take place.
..and of course, there is more.
If you don't invest in one of these books, at least check one out at the library. My personal recommendation is to go ahead and buy one - you will probably want one to refer to later, to deal with in-laws and other events in married life!

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CRANE'S WEDDING BLUE BOOK: STYLES & ETIQUETTE OF ANNOUNCEMENTS, INVITATIONS & OTHER CORRESPONDENCES by Steven, L Feinberg

CRANE'S WEDDING BLUE BOOK: STYLES & ETIQUETTE OF ANNOUNCEMENTS, INVITATIONS & OTHER CORRESPONDENCES by Steven, L Feinberg

Great advice on wording for invitations, especiall more...1 point

4. Places to register 

Brides - vote on which ones you like best, or add more!

Do this before anyone gives you a bridal shower, and before invitations are sent out.
Don't go overboard and register at tons of places - it'll be too hard to manage.
Pick one department store, and 2 others at most.
Be sure to consider geographic locations of your guests & store locations.
Finally, select at least 2 items per guest, in a range of prices.

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Bed Bath & Beyond

Bed, Bath and Beyond0 points

5. Invitation suppliers 

Back in the day, all wedding invitations were engraved; this is the most expensive form of printing, and is distinguished by the raised letters and the 'bruise' left on the back of the paper. Today's brides tend to go with thermography, which resembles engraving but costs less, or flat printing, (because a lot of people don't really notice these days), or letterpress, which can be expensive but is in fashion now and looks pretty cool.
All are available at your local stationer.
Marsupial Papers
I got some gorgeous invitations here.
William Arthur
William Arthur makes some of the best quality invitations around.
Crane & Co.
Crane papers are known world over for their quality, especially if you are looking for a traditional invitation.
Greetings and Salutations
A great stationery shop in Old Town Alexandria, VA
Of The Earth - earth-friendly invitations
Going for a green wedding? Wedding invitations custom designed from handmade paper for pressed flower, flower seed and recycled wedding invitations.

6. Photography resources 

Your memory will likely be a blur, so get a photographer you can trust.

Make sure to give your photographer a checklist of the photos that you must have in your wedding album when all is said and done. And if you don't want your stepmother in all the photos, make sure the photographer knows that. It will be easier for him to say "Okay, just the bride and her dad, now," and it will all flow very naturally. Also, if you don't want the photographer in the middle of your church service, they can go back to the church and have you pose at the altar for another kiss, so your guests can enjoy the moment without paparazzi.
The Pros Photos
The Pros will hook you up with a photographer in your area - and if you ask, they'll even offer a package that DOESN'T include one of their albums. This is hard to find. They also offer videography and DJs. I'm using them myself.
Photoworks
If you can get the digital files for your photos, upload them to a website like this and print your own for MUCH less than the professional photographer may charge you.

7. Dress your wedding 

Your groom, your bridesmaids, his groomsmen, and your parents all want to look sharp for the big day. Not to mention - THE BRIDE - and attire can get out of hand if you let it, but there's no need.

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Men's Wearhouse - Wedding Tuxedo Rentals

Yes, Men's Wearhouse rents tuxedos!1 point

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Aria Bridesmaids

You pick the fabric and the style, they make dress more...1 point

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David's Bridal

Wedding dresses, bridesmaid gowns, tuxedos and acc more...0 points

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J. Crew Bridal Shop

The bride and the groom and the rest of the bridal more...0 points

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I Do-I Do Wedding Gowns

Try a pre-owned wedding gown, you could save money more...0 points

8. Flower resources 

Flowers will cost less if you select a bouquet centered around flowers that are in season. Here are some resources to help you choose something that you'll like. There's a book below with some good info on substituting less expensive flowers that look like some of the pricey ones, too.
The Flowers & Plants Association
Click on Flowers and Seasons for a choice of several color palettes under each season. This Association can help you custom-design a bouquet exactly to your wedding's color scheme!

9. Top tips for planning your wedding 

If it worked for you, or you wish you'd known, please share with the rest of us. If you have found one of these lessons to be paramount, vote it up!

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Just say no

To another addition to the invite list, to the chi more...1 point

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Don't settle

If things aren't the way you want them, or if you more...1 point

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Ask again

When you get a price list, menu or list of service more...0 points

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Write it down

If you're waking up in the middle of the night wit more...0 points

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Make expectations & duties clear

It may seem obvious to you, but what a maid of hon more...0 points

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Love your calendar

Payments due, dress fittings, deadlines for tuxedo more...0 points

Other links for inspiration and wedding fun 

When you're done with the business of planning, surf a bit and enjoy.

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Weather.com - My Wedding Weather

Stop worrying! This lets you to track the weather more...1 point

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Offbeat Bride - Wedding blog

Advice, photos and links for alternative brides - more...0 points

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Carbonfund.org | Green wedding calculator

Offset your carbon footprint and go carbon neutral more...0 points

Other lenses with wedding information 

Wedding Presents
A guide to giving - and getting - great wedding gifts. Including places to register.
Wedding Traditions
The history of wedding fashion and traditions: interesting!
Wedding Planning Guide
a comprehensive list of tips and links
Planning Your Wedding
Another great Squidoo lens on wedding plans
Plan a Wedding in the DC Metro Area
We spent a good chunk of our last year planning for our wedding in the DC area. We live in Maryland and got married in Virginia

Have fun! 

Don't forget, your wedding is a celebration!


best first dance brubaker

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Share your ideas with other brides here! 

The most important way to save money, and save yourself from making mistakes, is to share information. Don't be stingy with ideas. No two weddings will EVER be alike.

stemcells

Thank you for this Excellent Information

To Get tips and Ideas about Wedding Dress please visit my Blog

Posted May 04, 2008
UMT

The sound of anything cheap makes my ears go up, not me fault though. This is a great way to make money saty in the pocket.

Posted March 19, 2008
rsmith17

Great lens! 5 stars. I've added you to my lensroll at http://www.squidoo.com/cocktail-weddings/

Posted August 08, 2007
Janet21

Welcome to the Let's Party! Group :)

Posted July 26, 2007

Related topics: Planning your own wedding,  bridal,  bride,  How-To & Education,  more

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dcgrrl

About dcgrrl

A Washington, D.C. native, I love music, film, theater and traveling. I hope my lenses will help you find the info you want, faster!

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