| Planning
a wedding is very exciting. The
months preceding your special day are
a joyous time when family comes
together and friendships are
rekindled. Much time is spent trying
to ensure that your event goes off
"without a hitch".
Unfortunately, life just does not
always cooperate with your great plan.
Unforeseen events and circumstances
can alter your plan, leading to
frustration and stress. The following
are a few points to consider during
your planning. These are drawn from
many years of experience with regard
to weddings.
Decide What You Want
Start by prioritizing the elements
of your event by importance. Remember
that there is no "statistically
or socially correct" format for
your wedding. Your day can be
beautiful and tasteful with a great
parameter of choices. Organizing your
thoughts will help to make your
planning easier.
Know Your Budget
This element should almost go
without saying. Confusion in this area
will most certainly bring stress.
Regardless of the size of your event,
clear discussion with parents, your
significant other, or whomever has a
financial role in your event is
essential in order eliminate the added
strife resulting from
misunderstandings with regard to set
financial parameters. Successful
budgeting will help to ensure a clear
path to a balanced event.
Know What You Can Handle
Some people are great at multitasking
and are naturally great coordinators
while others are better at making
their choices from a selection of
options. For the latter, a wedding
planner may be an option that offers
direction and choices with an array of
services to choose from. This option
is subject to your budget constraints,
of course, as there can be notable
fees attached to this service. Even
great facilitators who choose to be
their own "general
contractors" may find it much
easier to clearly delegate a few of
the research and planning tasks to
close friends or family. No one is
superhuman and even a bit of help from
others can help reduce some of the
planning stresses.
Ask Questions
Don’t shy away from asking
pertinent questions when interviewing
your professionals for hire. Whether
you are consulting about your venue,
florist, baker, caterer, photographer,
or musical entertainment, you owe it
to yourself to gather as much
information as possible. Most
professionals in these services have
years of experience to offer and are
happy to share their knowledge with
you. Remember that people who are
successful in their business usually
truly enjoy what they do; this
enjoyment breeds proficiency and pride
in what they can offer you and they
will want to share it with you.
Be Comfortable With Your Choices
After gathering and sorting your
information, it is important to be
comfortable with the individuals and
businesses that you contract for hire.
Most of these services require several
or more discussions and/or meetings
that will flow more smoothly when you
have an enhanced sense of comfort with
the professionals that you’ve chosen
to do business with.
Be Clear
Make sure to clearly communicate your
specific needs and expectations to
your professional. When possible,
clarify and document specific
information such as dates, times, etc.
in contract form. Review your
contracts carefully for errors and
make sure to meet deposit and payment
terms in a timely fashion.
Have Confidence
Trust in your good decisions and
in your professionals. While this may
be your first planned wedding, many
professionals have many events under
their belt and will take good care of
you.
Be Understanding
Even the most careful planning
cannot guarantee against unforeseen
events. Mishaps do, in fact, sometimes
happen without warning even on the day
of the event. Remember that your
surrounding professionals are there to
help you. Try to be kind in tone and
actions during this heightened
emotional time. Sometimes mild
modifications are necessary and just
the answer to right things again. Also
remember that the mishap is almost
never as bad as the stress it creates
and that an open mind is truly the
best antidote.
Have Fun!
Hey, that’s what it’s all
about. Long after the cake has been
cut and the Last Dance has played you’ll
find that the laughter, joyful tears,
hugs, and smiles among family and
friends are what you’ll both
remember and cherish the most.
Share Your Experience
Now that you’ve had a successful
event, share your success with others.
If you’ve received great service
from your professionals, refer them.
Take the time to fill out feedback
questionnaires from your service
providers where applicable and
consider being placed on a reference
list if asked. These simple things
will help the next individual in
planning for their Special Day. |
