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Maria & Jose: Posted on Friday, March 08, 2013 1:49 PM
We're pretty sure you are excited and terrified as the idea of planning your perfect day dominates your thoughts. We know this because we have been there ourselves planning our own big day. Sit back, take a breath, and know it doesn't have to be as stressful as you may think. Here are 5 helpful tips to get you on your way: Tip #1 - Set Your budget This is a tip that seems simple enough. Yet many times, brides will start making purchases and reserving vendors without a clue as to what she has to spend. This can lead to major disappointment in the event that there are just not enough funds to have your day the way you originally envisioned it. Sit down with all of the parties that will be financing your big day, and set the maximum amount you will spend first. This way, you always know where you stand financially as you start planning out the details of the most important day of your life. Tip #2 - Decide Who is Making Decisions If you and your fiance will be footing the bill, it's ok to gently explain to your parents that while their opinions are valued, the two of you will be making the decisions solely together. If your parents are helping pay for your big day, it's still ok to gently explain to them that you and your fiance want to have final say on your wedding day preparations. Does this mean that your parents will stop giving their opinions? No, absolutely not, as this day is almost as special to them as it is to you. However, it is you and your fiance's day!!! So in the end, only you two really know what will make it perfect for you. Tip #3 - Include Your Fiance in the Planning Process As a bride, it is very easy to get caught up in your vision for the perfect day. But remember, you are not marrying yourself!!! The idea that a wedding is for the bride is inaccurate and outdated. Many grooms want to have their opinions heard and even enjoy being part of the planning process. The trick is to find out what aspect of the wedding he wants to be most involved with. Does this mean your fiance will want to attend every florist appointment? Probably not. However, this doesn't mean he doesn't have an opinion or care. Remember, you are marrying your fiance, not your girlfriends or mom. Tip #4 - Know What's Important to You Do you dislike flowers? Does your fiance hate traditional tuxedos? These are the types of questions you both need to ask yourselves once you've set your budget. This important because your budget should be allocated based on the importance of the area of your wedding. For example, if entertainment is critical to you, but you dislike flowers, than you should have more of your budget allocated to the entertainment than the flowers. This aspect of your planning can be a balancing act. However, as long as you and your fiance work through this together, you will be fine. Tip #5 - Hire a Professional Wedding shows, Do It Yourself websites and blogs are great. However, none of these replace the value you get from having a professional wedding consultant there to ensure your day goes off without a hitch. And guess what? Most are more affordable than you think! Look for planners in your area that offer a variety of packages and services. Good ones will be able to offer you the services you need the most within almost any budget. Don't look back and regret putting the most important day of your life in the hands of friends or family members that mean well, but simply don't have the expertise. For more tips and help, feel free to visit our website ( www.sylevents.com) or our social media pages! Happy Planning!!! Jose & Maria SYL Event Planners |
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Maria: Posted on Wednesday, May 02, 2012 12:32 PM
I often find myself speaking to brides that want to have a wedding that's different, and fitted to their personalities. These brides, and many others, have given a rise to a whole genre of DIY (Do It Yourself) blogs and websites. Daily, you can find more and more fun and quirky projects to make your wedding uniquely your own. But here is the million dollar question - are you crafty enough to actually make any of these projects come to life? This is a question that I found my bridesmaids asking me when I was planning my own wedding. As a bride on a pretty tight budget, I knew I had to find ways to make my wedding uniquely my own without breaking the bank. I had tons of ideas of things that I liked, but no idea of how to make them a reality. The more I looked on sites like DiyBride.com and www.diywedding.org, the more anxiety I felt. I barely passed art class in high school, how was I going to incorporate craft projects successfully into the most important day of my life? Doing your first DIY wedding project is like trying to get in a cold pool - you just have to jump right in! I finally decided that it could be put off no longer and embarked on my first DIY project about 3 months before my wedding. I really disliked pew bows, so I decided to create flower pew wreaths made of tissue paper (a great idea I found on www.marthastewartweddings.com). And while using a glue gun was definitely intimidating at first, the wreaths came out exactly how I envisioned them, and I saved a ton of money! So there are a couple of things I can share with you to help you on your own crafting adventure: Try to find as many variations of the same DIY project before you choose the one you will use. Trust me, if you go with the first idea you find, you will find yourself second guessing that decision sooner rather than later. And while many projects may look the same, the supplies necessary may be very different. You want to spend your time actually working on the project and not running back and forth to the craft store to exchange things because you've swapped ideas. Complete one full version of the craft before buying supplies to make the full quantity needed. For example, if you are making centerpieces you want to initially purchase enough supplies to create one centerpiece. Once you've created the first one, you can show it to friends and family whose opinions matter to you. And once you've gotten all the feedback you need, then you can purchase the supplies necessary to complete all of them. Why do this, you ask? Because nothing will raise your stress and anxiety level like completing a project to the quantity you need, only to realize that you or those who matter in the decision making process hate it. This little tip avoids time, energy, and money wasted. Always print off the pictures and instructions for your DIY project. While this tip may seem trivial and not very green, remember that electronics can power down at the most inopportune moments! Also printed instructions lend themselves to being easily shared (in the event that you are working with a group of friends). Use the DIY project as a way to get your groom involved. Many grooms are relatively out of the loop on the "smaller" details of your big day. However, you'll be surprised at how much he may enjoy actually making something with you. Use the project as an opportunity to let him get a little more involved in the details. Besides, you may find out he's got a couple of great ideas of his own. Lastly, I think that if you are just embarking on the DIY journey, you may find the sites below (as well as the one cited in the article) very useful: As always ladies, HAPPY PLANNING!
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Maria: Posted on Friday, April 06, 2012 3:37 PM
So you're engaged. This is an exciting time in any bride's life. There are so many things to consider, and they are all spinning in your head at once. Where do you begin? The very first thing every bride should determine is what the budget will be for her big day. How much do you have to spend on your wedding? Will family members be contributing to the costs? Will you be using other means (like 401K disbursements or bank loans) to supplement the cost? What is the most you want to spend? All of these questions need to be answered before you book your first consultation or appointment. Unfortunately, far too many brides miss this key step and find themselves heartbroken when the "wedding of their dreams" is fiscally out of their reach. Knowing where you stand financially will help you keep a realistic view of what your wedding day will be. Now, this is not to say that your wedding day still can't be absolutely fabulous, BUT you have to recognize early on what is important to you. Once you know how much you can afford to spend, the very next question is how do you plan to spend it? You may love flowers, but not have a passion for stationary. You're biggest desire could be having a designer wedding gown, but you're not as concerned about the decorations at the wedding site. Knowing what elements of your big day are most important to you will help you better distribute your finances and resources. Every bride should consider sitting down with her fiancé and going through a list of the following elements of their wedding day to determine which ones are most important to each of them: - Fashion
- Transportation
- Flowers
- Music for the Ceremony
- Ceremony Location
- Ceremony Decór
- Reception Location
- Reception Entertainment
- Food & Liquor
- Stationary
- Favors
A great idea is to look at the entire wedding budget and, at a high level, try to agree upon what percentage of the budget you would like to spend on each. You may be surprised to learn that you and your beloved place the same level of importance on the same things. Likewise, you may realize that you both have totally different ideas about what you expect your wedding to be. Either way, this is a wonderful way to get your groom engaged in the planning process from the start. But most importantly, it starts you down the right path of being a savvy bride! Happy Planning!!! |
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Maria: Posted on Tuesday, April 03, 2012 3:31 PM
Everyone dreams of a fairytale wedding. The beautiful dresses, big church, and a reception to remember. Unfortunately for most of us, our financial limitations seem to keep us from making this dream a reality. We quickly realize that in order to a have wedding we can remember, we have to do a lot of it ourselves. Now this can be a very frightening thought for most. But believe it or not, there is a reason that there has been such an increase in "do it yourself" bridal websites. Nowadays, it is becoming extremely popular for brides to handle all of the planning of that special day by themselves. Many resources exist, but all of them may not necessarily have a professional at the helm. We here at SYL Event Planners recognize the need that brides on a budget have. While we offer a host of services that will fit any budget, we would also like to extend some free advice that may help you along the way. So check back frequently, as we will try to post a bit of advice every week to help you along. Hopefully, our tips will help Simplify Your Life! |
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