Wedding Planning for Dummies

by Blum, Marcy

• ISBN13: 9781118360354
• ISBN10: 1118360354
• Edition: 3rd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-11-28
• Publisher: For Dummies

Summary

The bestselling wedding planning guide-now updated! Congratulations, youre planning a wedding! Besides obtaining a fancy tuxedo and a stunning gown, organizing a wedding ceremony takes creativity, planning, and diplomacy. The whole ordeal can seem overwhelming at first, but with lots of guidance, youll plan a wedding people will remember for ages. Wedding Planning For Dummies demystifies and simplifies all the details that go into the Big Day, providing inspiration and innovative ideas to personalize your wedding celebration and, of course, make it fun for everyone--especially you! Expert wedding planner Marcy Blum walks you step-by-step through everything youll encounter as you plan your wedding, from choosing a reception site to picking a photographer-and everything in between. 20% new and updated content Keep track of expenses with a wedding budget Negotiate contracts and surf online for wedding deals Get those pesky financial technicalities out of the way Plan a weekend wedding, a themed wedding, same sex wedding, and other celebrations Plan for various wedding customs and rites Throw a great reception with music, food, drink, and cake The 4-1-1 on the latest and greatest trends in wedding registries, rings, photos, and the honeymoon Packed with tips for saving money and common kitsch you should avoid, this is the ultimate guide to satisfying everyone on the Big Day-while making all of your fairytale dreams come true.

Author Biography

Marcy Blum is a world-renowned wedding and event planner. She has been featured as an expert in several publications including USA Today, Brides, Town Country and The New York Times.

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. 1
First Things First	p. 7
First Steps to a Wedding to Remember	p. 9
The "Ize" Have It	p. 9
Familiarize: Spreading the news	p. 10
Fantasize: Envisioning your dream wedding	p. 10
Prioritize: Deciding what's really important	p. 12
Visualize: Making a reality checklist	p. 12
Organize: Breaking down the details without breaking down	p. 13
Synchronize: Dispelling the timetable myth	p. 16
Deputize: Choosing your team	p. 19
Working with a Wedding Planner	p. 19
Considering how much help you need	p. 20
Interviewing prospective wedding professionals	p. 21
Avoiding Those Wedding-Bill Blues	p. 23
Love Is a Money-Spender Thing	p. 24
"I Will" Make a Wedding Budget: Tracking Your Expenses	p. 25
Controlling Costs	p. 29
Comprehending Contracts	p. 30
Forking over a little at a time	p. 31
Covering your bash	p. 32
Take a Tip: Calculating Gratuities	p. 33
Catering staff	p. 33
Other vendors	p. 34
Officiants	p. 34
Other people you may want to tip	p. 35
Finding Bargains Online	p. 36
Making It All Legal	p. 39
License to Thrive	p. 39
Same-Sex Legalities	p. 42
Drawing Up a Pre-nup	p. 43
Playing the Name Game	p. 44
Deciding whether to change your name	p. 44
Updating your records	p. 45
Alerting the Media	p. 46
Announcing the engagement	p. 47
News of the wed	p. 47
Unplanning a Wedding	p. 49
Settling up	p. 49
Who keeps the ring?	p. 50
Be Our Guest	p. 51
Venue Victories: Finding the Ideal Location	p. 53
Looking for Love in All the Right Places	p. 53
Finding great spaces	p. 54
Getting more info by phone	p. 56
Do You Need More than One Space?	p. 57
The turning of the room	p. 57
Ceremony here, reception there	p. 58
Taking a Space Walk	p. 58
Asking the right questions	p. 59
Understanding square footage without spacing out	p. 63
When There's No Place Like Home	p. 64
Tents and pretense	p. 64
The flushing bride	p. 67
Planning a Destination Wedding	p. 68
Finding a faraway venue	p. 69
Taking care of foreign affairs and red tape	p. 71
By Invitation Only	p. 73
Preliminary Planning	p. 73
Formalities First	p. 75
Getting the wording just right	p. 75
Who's throwing this shindig?	p. 77
Following up with announcements	p. 83
When things don't go as planned	p. 84
How Else Can We Put This?	p. 85
Striking a less-formal tone	p. 86
RSVP remedies	p. 90
The nonprinted invitation	p. 91
Rehearsal Dinner Invitations	p. 92
Extracurricular Events	p. 92
Typefaces and Other Technicalities	p. 93
Printing methods	p. 94
Paper	p. 95
Fonts	p. 95
Ink color	p. 96
Envelopes	p. 96
Proof it all night	p. 97
Addressing Traditions	p. 97
Outies	p. 97
Innies	p. 98
Fit to be titled	p. 99
Printing Your Own Invitations	p. 102
It's a Mail Thing	p. 104
Or Maybe It's an E-Mail Thing	p. 105
The Weekend Wedding	p. 107
A Typical Timeline	p. 107
Asking Guests to Save the Weekend	p. 109
Telling Guests What They Need to Know	p. 111
Winning Welcomes for Weekend Weddings	p. 116
Creating a Foolproof Wedding-Day Schedule	p. 119
Putting Everyone on the Same Page with a Wedding-Day Schedule	p. 120
Addressing Transportation Plans	p. 121
Transporting the wedding party	p. 121
Arranging transportation for guests	p. 122
Directing traffic	p. 122
Creating the Master Schedule	p. 123
Taking a Closer Look at Receiving-Line Logistics	p. 127
Other Creative Celebrations	p. 129
Dream Themes	p. 129
Strategizing a Military Wedding	p. 131
Dressing to code	p. 131
Passing under the arch of sabers	p. 132
Surprising Your Spouse-to-Be	p. 133
Private Ceremony, Public Party	p. 133
Giving Marriage Another Try	p. 133
Say It Again Renewing Your Vows	p. 134
Partying Before and After the Wedding	p. 135
Opening rounds: Engagement parties	p. 135
Getting showered	p. 136
Reinventing the bachelor party	p. 137
Planning the bachelorette bash	p. 138
Doing lunch with the girls	p. 138
Revving up: The rehearsal dinner	p. 139
Wrapping up the day after	p. 140
Ceremony Survival Guide	p. 141
Attending to Your Attendants	p. 143
Choosing Your Entourage	p. 143
Understanding the job requirements	p. 144
Knowing what your friends expect of you	p. 146
Next Stop: Wardrobe	p. 146
Bridesmaids' dresses: The honest truth	p. 147
Outfitting the guys	p. 149
Making Mom look good	p. 156
Dapper dads	p. 156
Showing Your Appreciation	p. 157
Sensational Ceremonies	p. 159
Selecting Your Officiant	p. 159
Evaluating prospective officiants	p. 160
Choosing an officiant for a same-sex ceremony	p. 161
Getting Married in a House of Worship	p. 162
Deciding on the Order of Events	p. 163
Reviewing Religious Rites and Rules	p. 164
Buddhist	p. 164
Eastern Orthodox	p. 165
Hindu	p. 166
Jewish	p. 167
Mormon	p. 172
Muslim	p. 172
Protestant	p. 173
Quaker	p. 176
Roman Catholic	p. 178
Shinto	p. 179
Sikh	p. 180
Unitarian Universalist Society	p. 181
All Together, Vow!	p. 181
Creating the script	p. 181
Reading something meaningful	p. 183
Places, Everyone - Time to Rehearse	p. 184
Doing a quick run-through	p. 185
Going over the rules and expectations	p. 186
Getting with the Program	p. 187
Selecting the Perfect Florist and Arrangements	p. 191
Finding a Fab Floral Artiste	p. 192
Expressing Yourself: Decorating the Ceremony Site	p. 193
Gathering floral ideas and images	p. 193
Visualizing your floral design	p. 194
Decorating Your Reception Space with Redolent Arrangements	p. 196
Making centerpieces measure up	p. 196
Styling your centerpieces	p. 197
Cutting costs: Making alternative reception arrangements	p. 199
Putting the Bloom on You: Up Close and Personal Flowers	p. 200
Bride and attendants	p. 201
Mothers, stepmothers, father's girlfriends, and others	p. 204
Grooms, ushers, stepfathers, mothers' boyfriends, and others	p. 204
Little touches for little people	p. 205
Keeping the Bloom On	p. 206
Music to Get Married By	p. 207
They're Playing Our Song	p. 207
Music in five parts	p. 208
A soloist, a choir, or something in between	p. 209
Composing musical menus a la carte	p. 210
Choosing Ceremony Musicians	p. 214
A Rousing Reception	p. 215
Get Up and Dance	p. 217
Setting the Tone	p. 217
Cocktail reception	p. 217
As guests enter the main reception space	p. 218
First dance	p. 219
Second tune	p. 220
Dances with parents	p. 220
Special requests	p. 221
Background music	p. 221
Cake cutting	p. 222
Late night	p. 222
Booking the Band	p. 222
Finding a band	p. 223
Auditioning the band	p. 224
Getting in tune	p. 225
Spinning with a DJ	p. 228
What's on the Menu?	p. 231
Working with the Perfect Caterer	p. 231
Finding a caterer who shares your tastes	p. 231
Asking the right questions	p. 232
Building rapport with the chef	p. 234
A matter of tasting	p. 234
The Beauty of the Feast	p. 236
Postnuptial nibbles	p. 237
Variety shows: Buffet stations	p. 238
Playing with your food	p. 239
Serving with style	p. 239
Making Menus Memorable	p. 241
A seated wedding dinner	p. 241
A family-style wedding supper	p. 242
When Dinner is Not Served	p. 242
The cocktail reception	p. 242
Tea for two (hundred)	p. 244
Other ways to munch: Breakfast, brunch, or lunch	p. 245
Let's Drink to That	p. 247
Tending Bar	p. 247
Speaking in bar code	p. 248
On-premise pricing	p. 248
Off-premise options	p. 250
Chilling out	p. 252
Liquid logistics	p. 253
Avoiding Traffic Jams	p. 255
Bar Aesthetics: Set Up and Take Notice	p. 256
Specialty Bars: Blithe Spirits	p. 257
Selecting Wine, Beer, and Champagne	p. 260
Wining when dining	p. 260
Don't worry, beer hoppy	p. 261
Bring on the bubbly	p. 261
A Few Words about Toasts	p. 263
A Piece of Cake	p. 265
Baking Away	p. 266
Finding a baker	p. 266
Tiers of joy	p. 267
Confection selection	p. 268
Size matters	p. 270
Slicing and pricing	p. 270
Two Hearts, Two Cakes	p. 271
Cake on Display: No Drooling, Please	p. 271
Cutting the Cake	p. 273
Setting the Stage	p. 275
What to Contemplate before You Decorate	p. 275
Choosing a Wedding Designer	p. 278
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