Part 3 of wedding planning is here
Wedding Dress
If you are getting it made you will need to have it organized early. Some dressmakers and companies will tell you 7 months are not long enough so a lot depends on how long the engagement is. Or you might decide to buy one ready made. I did this when I married. I saw a dress I loved that was a bit different. I tried it on. It needed only minor alterations. It wasn’t expensive. I lay-byed it – the first dress I tried on.
A friend hired her wedding dress. My mother borrowed hers from a friend and it was gorgeous. Our daughter had hers made after falling in love with one after she tried on the sample. It was so obviously the right dress for her. She didn’t want what she and I call ‘a meringue dress,’ but something simple and elegant. It was.
Be prepared to find that something that looks great on the model, might not suit you and something that doesn’t strike you that much on the hanger might suit you perfectly.
Invitations
These can be hand made which is fine if you have plenty of time, enjoy craft activities and have a few helpers. They can be a lot of fussing though, so you might decide it is not worth the time and effort but would rather put your energy into other things.
Bridesmaid gifts
Instead of buying a gift, one bride I know made earrings for each of her bridesmaids as a gift. They loved them.
Flowers
You’ll need to have decided on a color scheme for the bridesmaids before tackling this one unless you planning on having all white. Also what flowers are in season. Flowers can be quite expensive, so you might decide to simply have a bouquet of wildflowers. One bride I know carried a single red rose and the bridesmaids had a single white rose.
Friends or ladies in your church if you are having the wedding there, might help with flower decorating. Of course you’ll need to be specific about what you want. Otherwise you could end up with something you’re not happy with. It dispends how important these details are to you.
Bridal shower or kitchen tea
When I was getting married, I specifically said I did not want one. And I meant it. I personally don’t agree with the whole bridal shower thing. I had a night out with my bridesmaids and close friends instead. You might have other ideas.
Someone I know got everyone coming along to a kitchen tea to bring a favorite recipe instead of a gift. Another one each person was asked for a helpful piece of advice.
Photographer
Decide whether you want a professional or a friend to take photos, or both. And whether you want a DVD of the wedding. Some photographers will give you the photo negatives, so later on you can get more photos made up. When we got married years ago that wasn’t an option. Consequently we only have black and white photos because we couldn’t afford color. Years later, it would be good to have the negatives to get them done. But sadly it cannot be.
Of course there are other things to think about when planning a wedding and I might come back to them another time but these are some of the main ones.
Please visit these related blogs
Planning a Wedding – Things to Consider
A Novel Approach to Marital Advice
Frugal Ideas for Wedding Flowers
Planning a Wedding – More Things to Consider