My fiancé and I wanted a romantic summer wedding and are trying to pull it off with just six months of planning. It shouldn’t be exceptionally challenging, but we’re both media professionals with erratic work hours. We do have an arsenal of family members to help us along, but last night, as our band cancelled, our menu changed (for the sixteenth time) and our guest list threatened to expand even more, we realised that sometimes even help in numbers isn’t necessarily a good thing. In an unexpected gesture of good faith, and hoping the resulting karma will bring us a swing band in time for the big day, I’ve decided to list the ten great ways this wedding has come together. Perhaps it will help a bride tomorrow, and hopefully by the time I finish, the menu will have finally been fixed.

From theme and personalization ideas to attire and décor, the wedding world is full of inspiration loveliness! So many incredible ideas… it almost makes me want to get married all over again! *sigh*

Newly engaged? If so, are you swimming in a sea of wedding magazines? Is your Google Reader overflowing with amazing wedding blogs? Are you feeling joyous yet overwhelmed with all the possibilities? Perhaps it’s a good time to get down to basics {I’ll explain soon}.

Your wedding invitations are the most important communication tool for your guests- reflecting the tone of your wedding as well as your colors, theme and style.  With all of today’s wedding inspiration goodness, a challenge lies in staying focused and keeping a cohesive look. Of course, it can be done~ hopefully, by the time you order your invites. 

Back to wedding planning basics. This simply involves deciphering your style and knowing what you want for your wedding day. If you stay true to your personalities and style, wedding planning will be a joy {as it should be}! You’ll have a much easier time making decisions while staying focused, consistent and true to yourselves.

Talk Amongst Yourselves

• Dream over your vision. How do you see your wedding day?
• What’s your style? Are you modern, traditional, destination, non-traditional…
• Which colors and season are you naturally drawn to?
• Is there a theme that effortlessly captures your personality and style?
• Where do you lean… rustic or metropolitan? Somewhere in between?
• What are the most important elements? {Great food. Great music. Dream dress…}
• What is your budget?

Thoughts? What other questions are worth asking?

 I’d love to hear from you,

Heidi

Save the Date image via MagnetStreet Weddings

Planning the perfect wedding is like trying to make dreams come true – very difficult to pull off or just plain impossible. For many couples, the ideal wedding is in an exotic location – perhaps it’s somewhere you’ve been hankering to visit for ages and at last you have the excuse, or maybe it’s somewhere that played a key role in your relationship.  The pressure on this once-in-a-lifetime occasion coupled with the distant location can make the process of planning it very stressful.

Here are some handy hints to take the stress out of planning a long-distance wedding:

1. Research is the key: you think you finished hitting the books in school? Far from it! The key to a successful long-distance wedding is in the preparation. Start your search by asking around for referrals. These can be from local family or family members, the Chamber of Commerce, the phonebook or online references. You won’t have easy access to potential wedding vendors, so it’s essential to make the most of your time and use an appointment system.
2. Take care of the logistical details as early as possible. This includes choosing the location and date, local caterers, the reception venue, salons and a hotel for your out-of-town guests. An inexpensive (or free) hotel shuttle service is also a big advantage. It’s essential to check with the city about local marriage requirements – there’s no greater dampener on wedding plans than delayed residency requirements and waiting periods.
3. Accept any offers of a helping hand. If it is at all possible, hire a wedding planner in your chosen destination. Their knowledge of the city will be invaluable, and they will be an indispensable resource for sourcing venues and vendors. When meeting local wedding planners for the first time, it’s important to ascertain if they share your vision for the wedding. It’s also helpful if you’re able to get in contact with any of their previous long-distance clients.
4. Try and make at least two visits to your wedding destination in the lead up to the big day. Compile a schedule of wedding vendors, venues and planners to visit – as you won’t have a minute to spare! Visiting the destination in advance will help keep the stress levels under control, and will also help make sure you’re getting exactly what you want for your wedding.
5. Choose a place that is special for you and your partner. Don’t plan a long-distance wedding to make friends or family happy! It’s your big day, and yourchoice of dream location, whether it’s the other side of the world or in your home town. With more and more couples meeting over the internet through online dating, picking a location for the wedding day can be even trickier, but ultimately it’s a decision you will have to make together. There is always the option of having a second, informal reception on your return, which allows a compromise between cities or even countries.

So, whether you’ve been dating in your home town and wish to sample more exotic climates for your special occasion, or you’ve maintained a long-distance relationship where you’ve been separated by borders and just want to simplify the whole thing by finally getting hitched to start your life together, or if you’re an international couple that have met and been dating in Bristol, Boston, Berlin and want to take it that one step further – a long-distance wedding could be on the cards. Just get planning soon!

Everyone wants their wedding to have a unique look and feel to it~ something that is truly special and memorable. Sounds good right… but how? The key…is to create a signature style~ a look that’s all your own. It’s achieved by personalizing your wedding in such a way that it leaves an indelible impression on your guests. Let’s start at the beginning.

Lead with your wedding colors! A palette of 2-4 colors will be the tie that binds your wedding look. Then, incorporate design and accent elements that support the look and feel you’re going for. Sprinkle them throughout your wedding~ from the Save the Dates, to your wedding website and Invitations, to your attire and decor. Your goal is to create a look that is consistent and cohesive and that melds with your personal style.

Consider the mood you want to create… For instance, a vintage feel is enhanced by wearing an heirloom gown and decorating the venue to resemble a different era or perhaps a love of roses would be the perfect theme to center a whimsical garden wedding around. In other words, marry the mood you want to achieve with stylish elements specific to your wedding theme. Carry those elements throughout each aspect of your wedding. Your thoughtful and consistent attention to the details will communicate your style and leave an experience for your guests! {I get inspired just thinking about the possibilities and know that each wedding can truly be unique.}

 Cheers to Creating Your Signature Style!

~Heidi

For the wedding flowers, consider growing your own or ask your friends and family members that have a green thumb to contribute some blooms from their own personal backyard gardens.  For spring time weddings, lilacs are a fragrant and lovely choice.  In the summer, many gardeners have extra large hydrangea blooms that make perfect centerpieces for the reception area. At a minimum, consider using a local garden center or florist that grows their own flowers locally.

When it comes to eco-friendly green wedding favors, choose items constructed from bamboo or give growable items such as wildflower seed favor kits, herbs (like the rosemary shown in the photo) or small trees that the guest can take home and plant in their own yard.

Create invitations, wedding programs, table number and place cards from recycled paper.  And finally if you are going green, then by all means go organic too.  Finding locally grown organic beef or chicken and vegetable selections has gotten much easier.  Just consult with your caterer and request an organic meal for your reception.

Even if you only incorporate a few of these ideas, you are taking a step in the right direction!

Photo courtesy of the 2009 Weddingstar Catalog.