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Wedding Know-How: Getting Started
By Holly Burr
Planning a wedding can feel like a gargantuan task. All the
little details that you never thought important can stack up to monumental
heights if you let them. Break your wedding concerns down to smaller jobs and
let the stress roll away. Here’s how:
Budget—your overall finances and the amount you
legitimately feel you can devote to your “big day” needs to be on the forefront
of your thoughts as you get started. You must be, above all things, honest with
yourself about what you can afford. However, don’t let skimpy finances rule
every decision so much so that you lose the romantic side of getting married.
For now, decide how much money you will be able to spend. Consider if you have
parents that will be contributing to the bill and how much money you can put
aside each month toward the overall expense.
Time and Place—Before you can really get a handle on
most details of your special day, you have to know time and place—pick a date,
time, and site. This should make sense for many reasons. Longer engagements
will allow you to take your time with some other decisions. Shorter
engagements will require you to make quick decisions and might even make you
feel overwhelmed. Afternoon weddings traditionally are less formal than
evening ceremonies.
Remember, where you want to be wed can play a big role in
the date you choose. Popular sites often become booked many months in
advance. For that reason, it is best to decide two or three dates that will
work best for you and your families’ needs. Then, choose two or three sites
that you prefer. Call or email your sites and find out which dates they have
available. Be sure to ask about possible restrictions in decorating. Once you
know the dates for each site, you and your fiancé can make a final decision and
book it! Be prepared. Many places ask for a holding fee or down payment on
renting the site.
Attendants and Guests—Now, it is time to make a
decision on who will be invited and who you would like to serve in the
ceremony. All of these details will affect the size of the wedding.
Hopefully, as you chose a site you made an estimate of how many people you
mostly likely would invite—think in increments of fifty—50 people, 50-100
people, 100-150 people and so on.
The more people at the wedding the higher costs will climb
for refreshments, attendants, ushers, flowers, etc. Typically, a small wedding
(50 guests and under) will have one attendant for the bride—a maid or matron of
honor—and the best man for the groom. Ceremonies with 50-100 guests may
consider two attendants and a best man with a groomsman and so on.
Remember, that whom you ask to be an attendant may or may
not be able to participate. Financial reasons, other obligations, and personal
issues can keep friends from being involved. Make a list. If you want two
attendants, then be prepared with three of four people ladies you can ask—one
at a time, of course.
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