Every girl dreams of looking exquisitely beautiful on her wedding day. This of course means a lot of hard work on the part of the girl as well as her hair and make-up artiste! After all, how many of us look our best without any sort of make-up at all? We need someone to help us cover our flaws and hey, there’s nothing to be ashamed about! No one, I repeat, no one is perfect!

Must Asks!

So how do you go about selecting the correct hair and make-up artiste for the big day? While you can’t tell for sure whether the make up artiste you’ve chosen is going to transform you into Miss (soon to be Mrs.) Universe, you can ask a few questions!

1. “How many brides have you worked on”? This is the all-important question. You need to know about the experience that your make-up artiste has, in order to gauge the level of expertise that the make-up artiste will bring to your table.

2. “How much time will it take to apply the bridal make-up”? Again a very important question. No matter how well prepared you are in advance, you always end up running short on time on your wedding day, so it is important to know just how much time you have to spare for the wedding make-up.

3. “What will the cost be like”? This is a very, very important question. You need to know how much you have to pay for the services of your hair and make-up artiste. Testimonials from recently married friends and acquaintances may just prove that your make-up is well worth the steep price you may have to pay for it!

4. “How can I be sure that my hair and make-up will last”? Not only is looking beautiful important, staying beautiful throughout the ceremony is equally important! So it is important to find out whether the make-up artiste you have hired uses a make-up setting spray and a hair-setting spray to avoid embarrassment!

5. “What happens if you don’t show up on D-day”? You need to find out whether, in the last minute, your make-up artist has a second in command who is as good and can stand in for him or her, in case they are unable to make it due to unavoidable circumstances! This last question, in my opinion, is the most important one!

Every girl dreams of riding off into the sunset with the man of her dreams….or at least riding off to her honeymoon. It’s going to be very disappointing indeed if the aforementioned honeymoon does not live up to the expectations right? So it is very important to plan your honeymoon carefully. After all, sullen faces and heated arguments are generally not desired in a honeymoon!

Don’t Forget to….

Here are 7 important considerations which you absolutely cannot skip out on, while planning your honeymoon

1. Pick a place which suits both of you. This is especially significant if one of you is doing the planning. You need to decide on a place which both of you will enjoy equally, not just a place where there’s loads of golf (this is for the grooms!).

2. Next comes the all important consideration –money. You need to chalk out a budget and stick to it. It won’t do to plan an extravagant honeymoon and fall short of cash during shopping now will it? Moreover, it’s not exactly wise to splurge uselessly. Why not consider an all-inclusive while on your honeymoon?

3. Travel agents follow! To go with them or not to go with them, that is the question! Travel agents make things a whole lot easier for you, while you’re on your trip. Unfortunately, they also demand a steep fee. But sometimes it is well worth it. If you’re in a position to, I highly recommend that you enlist the services of a travel agent.

4. Often, the hotel makes the entire trip. It’s not really going to help if you live in an inner-city hotel if you’re planning a honeymoon by the beach will it? Moreover, what about those romantic walks in the middle of the night? So the location of the hotel is a very important consideration.

5. Food is another important consideration. Of course, the hotel’s restaurant will provide you a hassle-free meal or two, but that’s way too expensive in my opinion. Try out the local cuisine in small, unassuming diners!

6. Don’t forget clothes! If it’s cold where you’re going, be sure to be adequately armed with warm garments!

7. Lastly, in your haste to explore the area, don’t forget to spend loads of quality time with each other! Quite funny, yes, but sometimes people are too busy for each other on their own honeymoon!

It’s all well to decide to get married and live happily ever after. In fact, it’s better than just “well”. But, there is a lot of paper work involved when you want to get married. Moreover, it is vital that you understand all the legal requisites of marriage. You don’t want to be led away from the altar in handcuffs now do you?

Some Marriage Laws

While the consequences might not be that extreme, it might seriously threaten your relationship with your to-be spouse or partner. So you can never be too careful. In the United States, the Marriage License Laws for a couple vary from state to state. So it’s a good idea to thoroughly research the laws applicable in your state.

Of course, there are the usual rules and regulations which you are probably already familiar with…right? Maybe not, here are some of the rules. The license needs to be issued by a country clerk or a clerk of the court. Both parties must be above the age of eighteen, if not, they must have the consent of a parent or a judge. So if you kids are planning to elope, don’t even think about it! Grow up some!

You need to also have proof of immunity or a vaccination from certain diseases; in many states you might have to go through with a few blood tests as well. You must also have proof that you are legally single and any previous marriages have been terminated.

You also need to have the proper mental abilities required to fully understand what marriage is. Marriage happens between two consenting individuals, so both of you must fully understand the concept of it. Lastly, the two of you must not be close blood relatives, though, in certain states, first cousins are allowed to marry (gross!)!

Here’s some additional information. Same sex marriages have been legalized in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont, Maine and New Hampshire! So if you’re in a same-sex relationship, moving to any of the states mentioned might be a stroke of genius!

Brawling guests, punching and shouting and a whole lot of chaos is probably not what every girl thinks of while she’s day-dreaming about her marriage. But quite unfortunately, a lot of wedding days are ruined because of this. In retrospect people wonder if it was the seating plan that did it! Yes! Something as simple as that can be the root cause of all your problems.

You don’t want to be one of those people who say “If only I hadn’t seated so-and-so next to so-and-so” do you? Well here are a few guidelines for your wedding seating plan! Follow them to the “T” for a perfect wedding; otherwise, risk a drunken brawl or two!

For the Top Table

Ok, for the top table, we all know what tradition and custom dictates. The bride and the groom are to be seated at the top table with their respective parents and the best man and the maid of honor right? This works well if both sets of parents get along reasonably well with each other and with their respective partners.

But, if, suppose one set of parents are divorced and want to attend the wedding with their new partner, it could lead to major trouble!

So break away from convention!

Why not form a seating plan wherein the bride and groom host a table of family and near-and-dear ones and each set of parents also do the same? There is no problem if there is intermixing of generations; the object of the exercise is to ensure that everyone has a good time!

Other Tables

For other tables, do ensure that you don’t seat warring relatives next to each other or even within screaming distance of one another! Often, the best people to come up with a seating plan are the bride and groom themselves, so why not enlist their help if they’re up to the task?

A happy tummy means a happy person! So, it is pretty obvious that food is the most important aspect of the wedding where your guests are concerned. After all, you don’t want a bunch of wedding guests grimacing and bravely telling you that “The food was excellent”! To avoid uncomfortable situations like that, you need to hire a caterer who not only makes delicious food, but also uses top class ingredients! Making the stomach upset the day after the wedding doesn’t quite cut a nice picture!

While, it’s not desirable to subject the caterers to the third degree, it is important to ask them a few basic questions regarding their approach to their work. You need to ensure that your wedding caterers understand exactly what you want and are willing to deliver, to avoid any unpleasantness on the final day.

1. “Do you specialize in _____ type of cuisine”? Fill in the blank with the type of cuisine you have planned for your wedding. If so, ask them to provide you with a sample menu which you can review.

2. “Will you be able to provide us with a testing session of specific foods”? Nothing is better than tasting, first hand, the food you will be serving up on your wedding day. If you like it, then chances are, you’re guests won’t be too averse to it! If, on the other hand, it doesn’t appeal to you, then it’s time to move down along the list of prospective caterers you’ve drawn up!

3. “What will be the total expenditure like”? It’s all well to be planning an elaborate menu complete with foods which taste like heaven on earth, but the fat check you have to write for it, might just not be worth it! After all, you have to draw the line somewhere!

The best plans tend to go awry, and wedding budget plans which, are definitely a long way off from “the best” most definitely tend to go wrong. Horribly wrong in fact! So really, what is one to do? Torn between something that their child (now getting married) absolutely must have, or is bravely pretending they don’t want and the purse strings, it sounds like something out of a movie doesn’t it?

Well, here’s the thing, remember that old saying, “where there is a will, there is a way”? There are ways aplenty here, my friend! I’m hoping you’re going to know at least a few months before your child decides to tie the knot? In that case, put aside 20-30% of your income every month for wedding expenditure. Making a few sacrifices here and there really should not be a problem!

Also, weddings are steeped in tradition. So why not save the expenditure of an expensive dress for the bride? She can wear the dress that her mother and probably her grandmother also wore on their wedding days. Few dresses can make a girl look as beautiful as a family heirloom. Or, do your shopping in advance, during the discount season!

Another thing you can do is organize the wedding reception at home. This helps you save up on a substantial amount of money which you can put to other use. Get relatives to help out! This makes it a fun and enjoyable experience. An experience with meaning and bonding and that makes for a truly amazing wedding.

Next come the invitation cards. You should most definitely send them in a single envelope instead of two; it’s not the 20th century any more where the post is unreliable! Wake up people, it’s time to break away from tradition and conserve paper! Also, get your guests to send you RSVPs via telephone or the internet, this saves up on your invitation expenditure considerably.

Even after you take all these measures, chances are, your expenses will exceed your budget by a whole lot, but trust me, it’s worth it!

It’s a common phrase to hear from youngsters when they say that they would like to become either a doctor or lawyer or PR Professional. But it takes most of us by surprise when we hear someone say that they would like to become a wedding planner. The raised eyebrows on your face almost make you blurt out, ‘when did planning a wedding become a profession?’

Well, the answer to that perturbed question would be long time ago. And if think that a wedding planner’s job is easy then you are wrong. A wedding planner’s job is as exciting as tough and as challenging as any other job in this world is.

A sharp mind and people management skills

Primarily, a wedding planner is someone who can conceptualize, make all the arrangements, put the vital things in order and execute your wedding day without any flaws. However, this is not the only requirement from a wedding planner.

From having a good deal of knowledge about contracts to wedding manners to dealing with vendors, a wedding planner must know every aspect of the wedding industry like the back of their hand.

A typical day for a wedding planner starts with making telephone calls to vendors and clients. Then, comes the task of scheduling the appointments of various vendors with the clients.

Because a wedding planner plays such an integral role in planning the most important day in a couple’s life it becomes important for the wedding planner to know what is the couple’s vision of their perfect day.

Keep track of the industry

Once that is known a wedding planner must assist his/her client in wedding gown / attire selection. The wedding planner must have excellent knowledge on both traditional and contemporary wedding customs as the couples can opt for either of the two as per their liking.

Hence it would only be great if they keep a regular track of the most recent magazines on wedding gown / attire styles and books on pre and post wedding parties and so on. A wedding planner should also be competent enough to come up with solutions in times of adversity.

A wedding planner will remain in vogue as brides and grooms to be would like to have a professional see through their entire wedding process. The good news for youngsters is that there are many schools offering certified courses on wedding planning.

Now this is another aspect of wedding that if not planned can really take a toll on your pocket. And this is also a factor in weddings that probably takes the longest to fix and cannot simply be left to be finalized at the last moment.

What’s your budget like

Wedding catering services are not very affordable these days. But they can be if you start planning well in advance and have your menu for the big day finalized. Before you fix on the caterer remember to do your research.

Talk to those people whose catering service at the wedding really impressed you. Or see over the net and find out those caterers who offer quality service and come within your budget.

Tips that will be of help

However you too can make a difference. How? Read on. If you have a budget constraints then do not go to a professional caterer. They are already an established brand, have fixed prices and will not in the least likelihood bring down their prices because you can’t afford it.

Instead go with a small restaurant or a small catering service. And then you would experience on your own to believe that all good things come in small packages.

You can give up on extras like salads, soups and breads from your catering service. Instead you can get them on your own. Try to avoid all the special services that your caterer forces on you as exclusive offers.

And you thought cutting costs was difficult!

Pick up the food on your own from the catering service centre instead of having it dropped by them. This will help in saving additional costs. You can convince your mother or cook the desert on your own to skip the extra cost on desert.

You can also avoid the transportation costs by booking the caterers in the off season. This is where the role of planning will come into play. The best way to avail the services of an affordable catering service would be to hire a caterer from the family or merely take the task of cooking on your shoulders.

These are some of the ways through which you can avoid the burden of wedding catering. However if you are a foodie and you really want people to enjoy the food more than anything else then maybe you could cut your other expenses like keep the decoration of the wedding menu minimal or buy affordable wedding attire.

You could also cancel attendants gifts in case you were planning to give your guests presents. There are plenty of ways that will help reduce your burden but the one thing that you must not lessen is the fun factor.