Temptations

There are so many little items that are cute but not necessary. It is tempting to blow a budget on stuff. You see a bracelet that would be a nice bridesmaid gift, so you buy six. Then a few weeks later you see shoes for the bridesmaids that are perfect, so you buy six. Oh my overstock.com just sent you a sales alert and you found the perfect earrings, so you buy six. See my point. At this rate you should have paid for the dress which would have been appreciated more by the bridesmaids than all the matching accessories. Keep your budget in focus and the big day will be more enjoyable, less stressful and you will be appreciated!

Timelines

We are planning a wedding that is on the other side of the country from where we live, so logistics can be a challenge. I have found the map quest tool very valuable. I put in all of the vendors we need to visit in one trip and then rearrange them to make travel sense. Most vendors will need 1.5 hours of your time and plan on 20 minutes to get to next location. The typical day will be 9am for your first appt. and 5pm will be your last. This allows for you to meet with about five vendors per day. In our case we squeezed a few more in by asking them to meet us on location one day. Make a list of the questions you have for them and email them in advance. This will save you time in the meeting and allow them to be prepared. An example would be, when meeting the photographer, do you want to see the equipment she will be using.