Your wedding is a wonderful opportunity to express your joy and share it with those you love. The following tips will help you make sure that your wedding is a wonderful event that you will remember fondly.

Realize that religion is going to play a major role on your actual wedding day and moving forward in your marriage. Speak about religion with the person you’re engaged to and the close family members on each side so that everyone feels comfortable at the ceremony.

Practice your walk for your wedding day. Do it at the venue in which you are getting married, and wear the footwear you’re going to wear on the big day. This makes sure you’re comfortable during the big day.

For a more affordable wedding, consider setting a date outside the traditional season for weddings. The wedding season is traditionally from May through September. Wedding venues can be pricier at this time. If it is imperative that your wedding be at this time, be sure to make your reservations far ahead of the date.

You save large amounts of money by purchasing your wedding dress online. However, it is crucial that you do it far in advance, should it need any alterations. You may only spend $100 on the gown when buying it online, but it may cost another $200 for the alterations. Be sure to add the additional cost of alterations in your budget.

The pictures that are taken at your wedding are very important as you will look at these for the rest of your life. Hire a professional to take your photographs even if it costs a little more as you’ll be able to rely on the fact that your entire day will be captured properly.

Use the property of someone you know. Instead of booking a ballroom, try holding your wedding in a backyard or field instead. Offer to pay a person to do the clean-up before and after the wedding, which would be the only cost for you.

Try talking to local and specialty boutiques and bakeries about individual-sized portion cakes if you don’t want a fatty and expensive cake. Some bakeries are able to make healthier cupcakes that contain less than 100 calories in each serving providing you with healthier options such as fruit- fillings in replacement to frosting, calorie-free sweeteners and gluten-free ingredients.

When talking to your DJ, let him know the songs you like as well as the song you don’t like. Make the list of music to be avoided with your partner. No matter what it is, make sure the DJ knows so that you don’t have any unpleasant surprises playing at the wedding.

Ever wonder what you will look like gliding up the aisle at your wedding? Set up a large mirror and practice walking toward it. If you plan to wear high heels with your dress, this is especially important. Find attractive flats if you find the walk difficult. This will help you to feel comfortable on the big day.

If you are having a destination wedding, a good gift to get your guests is a basket filled with vacation goodies sent to their room. Fill the basket with useful, fun items like a map, camera, sunblock and brochures from local attractions. Furthermore, a Zagat guide or other culinary guide is useful for any gift basket of this theme!

Receptions are best held in the early afternoon. Most people will make plans after the reception, which minimizes the amount your guests may drink. Furthermore, lunch receptions are often less expensive than dinner receptions. This allows you to add more to your menu or use the savings elsewhere.

If possible, see if your reception venue offers lighting choices. This may seem like a minor factor, but many couples like dimming the lights for a first dance, and switching to brighter lights for the remainder of the event. Be sure to find out about these details before you decide for sure.

You can ask a cherished friend or family member to loan you a special jewelry piece for your wedding, which can be your “something borrowed”. When you do this you save money, you can make yourself look way better and even form a closer bond with people who become more involved with the wedding.

Silk flowers offer great alternative for many of the flowers that you would include in your wedding anyways. These can be bought and arranged well ahead of time, leaving you with one less thing to worry about at the last minute.

If you decide to give a wedding speech, be sure to plan and practice sufficiently. If you are unprepared for the speech, this can become very obvious very quickly, and leave you feeling humiliated in front of the other guests.

Plan group fun times on your special day. This is a wonderful change to having your guests simply loitering around between the nuptials and reception. Include a variety of activities, like contests, photobooths, karaoke or miniature golf. The wedding will be memorable in proportion to the amount of fun.

Make sure to interview a handful of videographers and review their work before hiring one. Note the editing and sound quality that the videographer provides. Make sure you will be receiving a digital video or DVD. Use these things, along with your gut, to make the final decision of whom to hire.

Wedding music providers should be researched prior to hiring. Tell them you would like references prior to hiring anyone. Once a decision has been made, you need to ensure the person signs a written contract for confirmation. That way, you will not have any bumps in the road when it comes to the all-important music.

Plan ahead of time, as early as you are able. You may need even more than a year. The sooner you start planning, the more choices you will have.

Without the proper planning, it is all too easy for a wedding to become a comedy of errors. Hopefully, these tips can help you plan a wedding that will be filled with joy and frees of excess stress.

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