Happy Wedding Planning: Every Bride is a Luxury Bride!

Every Bride is a luxury bride, despite her wedding budget. Because every bride has one, two, maybe three items that are very important to her… and that is were she will SPLURGE and become that luxury bride.

These things are different for every bride, but we have a few suggestions that will give your event that luxurious touch.

Along with more bang for your buck; because after you have purchased catering for 141 guests, pay the florist for 14 guest tables centerpieces & 1 head table centerpiece there isn’t a lot of funds left over for extras….

5 great things to splurge on:

1. Professional lighting- great way to dress up a room, can cost less then other decor.

2. More Music time- for between your band’s sets or an after party for you & your friends

3. More Service- extra waitstaff can really make a great difference to your guests & your reception timeline…

4. Extra Time to Capture Memories-  adding additional time to your photography to capture all those moments & your grand exit!

5. Guest Entertainment- renting a photo booth is a great way to keep the guest going all night, and double as guest favors… more bang for your buck!

There are many great ways to splurge for your wedding day but remember not to break the bank doing it…. Happy Wedding Planning!

www.sweetdreamsweddings.com

Happy Wedding Planning: Best 5 Ways to Save!

When you start planning your wedding you will soon see that there are many options to choose from in each area of your wedding. So many cool little details you can add to personalize your wedding day experience. Again, every couple has to make decisions about their priorities. A good way to gauge how essential things are: Ask yourself ” Will any of your guests notice if we don’t have…”.

The best 5 ways to save!

There are many ways to d this but knowledge is the key… knowing where to spend & where to save!

1.Trim the guest list: the food & beverage costs per person in the largest wedding expense.

2.Have the wedding earlier in the day: a heavy hors d’ oeuvres reception cost less then a plated dinner, guest may drink less, lowering the liquor cost.

3.Skip expensive favors: write them a personal” Thank You” notes instead, or make a donation to a charity close to your heart on behalf of your wedding guests.

4.Cut out the full bar: offer wine, beer & a signature drink. Punch & lemonade are a cost effective non- alcohol options as well.

5.Have a Sunday wedding: Sunday or a weekday wedding really lowers the cost for venues & some vendors.

Hope these 5 tips save you money as we hopefully saved you time! Our next post is all about the best “Splurges”! Happy Wedding Planning!

Visit our website to see more tips and learn what your next step is in planning your wedding..

www.sweetdreamsweddings.com

Happy Wedding Planning: Creating the Budget!

Budgeting is always a sensitive topic! It’s not about your math skills or professionals charging on a percentage basis for their services… It’s about setting up a budget & keeping track of expenses.

This is important to stick to your budget but it is also good to have the room to allow around 10% over for a few splurges. Because every bride is a luxury bride, it just depends on what is important to her.

Now the budget should include contributions from everyone who wants to help with possibly the most expensive party of your life… not about who should pay for what part! But no matter who is footing what bill, everyone should feel included in the planning process… This is a family affair!

So set your wedding budget number & separate that amount by the percentage for each category of your event. Get your proposals & bids so if you do have family who wants to pay for a certain part and not a set amount, they can see what options are available. So if you have your favorite Aunt Sally call you and say she wants to pay for your flowers, you then have that budgeted 5% you can move to another category or move to your honeymoon… or even better save for something else that is important to you both!

So pick your “Top 3” most important category on your wedding day, like catering or wedding gown or maybe wedding entertainment! You can ask the others to do the same that are contributing to your wedding budget! This way you can help to curve over spending & not take on more debt then everyone can afford. We don’t ever want bridal couples starting their lives together in major debt!

When making the decisions about your priorities keep in mind the comfort of your guests, don’t skimp in the  areas that your guests leave your wedding complaining they are hungry, cold or waiting in long lines for the restrooms.

A Guideline to help with setting your budget. Each Wedding is different so you can change the percentages based on your priorities but remember to stay within your maximum budget!

42% Reception (site, food, drink)

8% Wedding Rings

8% Photography

6% Flowers

6% Rehearsal Dinner

5% Wedding Gown

5% Videography

4% Reception music

3% Grooms Attire

2% Hair & Makeup for bride & bridal party

2% Invites & Announcements

2% Ceremony music

2% Church/ Chapel/ Synagogue

2% Wedding Cake

2% Transportation

1% Favors

This will get you started

This will get you started… Come back next Thursday for best ways to cut costs!

www.sweetdreamsweddings.com

Happy Wedding Planning: Getting Started!

Wedding planning used to simple… Typically the mother of the bride would orchestrate the wedding. The bride was allowed some input, but pretty much she went with the flow. And the groom, he just showed up.

Today all the decisions on how to style & design the wedding rest largely with the Bride & Groom. Plus there are many choices to be made, so many it is easy to get overwhelmed. Wedding celebrations have gotten bigger, more lavish & it is normal for a perfectly normal bride to go a little nuts.

A quick Wedding Coordintor plug: It can be difficult to balance the planning of the wedding, work, family, friends, school & entwining your life with someone else. So that is what every bridal couple should stay focused on everyday leading up to the wedding. So hiring a professional wedding coordinator helps to keep these balanced. The main challenge is paying attention to details & not getting overwhelmed. Planning a wedding is supposed to be fun & if you are very organized, detailed orientated it can be done. Remembering that things can go wrong at the last minute, it is how they are handled… That no one will notice, being prepared for anything & that is why you need to hire that wedding coordinator you have that connection with.

So let’s help you get started on your planning with a simple task, but a very important one. Find a good time for you two to sit down to prioritize your wedding.

Wedding Tip: Taking one step at a time, makes it so much easier to manage the tasks & your time.

First task should be identify your dream wedding…. When this task is complete you should only walk away with the big picture not specific details. Like barefoot on a beach with the cool breeze through your hair or dancing in a ballroom surrounded by amazing lighting, eating your first meal as husband & wife on fine china or serving your favorite bottled microbrew from an old rustic claw-foot tub. For each bridal couple your dream vision may include attire or music or even a ski lift… that is what makes it you!

This might not be as simple as it sounds if you & your fiance’ have a different vision, so it may be your first experience in marital compromise. So if that is the case then both of you should write down your top 3 most important peices of the wedding. Than compare to find the common ground…

Then you can write down your wedding day vision base… to have when you start describing the vision to family & wedding professionals. This makes communicating a lot easier, when you start shaping your day’s vision.

Wedding Tip: Always allow room in your heart for change about your vision… sometimes things can change and focusing on a solution and not the disappointment is what really makes a good wedding planning experience.

So take a deep breath and before you start picking colors for dresses or textured linen for your reception tables, you have to create your wedding budget spread sheet!

So visit us again on Wedding Tip Thursday! For great tips about wedding budgets….

Happy Wedding Planning! from Sweet Dreams Weddings & Event

www.sweetdreamsweddings.com

It is Bridal Show Season!

Portland’s 2011-2012 bridal show season begins, so all those bridal couples that are just beginning the planning process for your upcoming wedding this is where you need to start.

First, here is are a few things you will need to make it through all the fantastic bridal shows this season;

Water bottles, energy bars, tissues & patience.

Most shows you can purchase tickets on their websites, this is a good way to avoid standing in the long ticket lines.

Tip: contact the wedding and event planners in the shows for possible free passes.

Also, when your on the shows website look for a floor plan to see where the professionals are located that you are most interested in. Planning your route will make it easier on you and all your friends & family that are joining you.

All these shows are full of amazing wedding professionals that will have plenty of marketing materials for you to take home to look at afterwards, so bring a sturdy bag.

Tip: Try to spend 3-5 minutes per booth to really get the true connection with the fabulous people.

While you are looking at flowers..

Flowers by Event Floral/ Photo by Alyssa Jul Photography

Cakes…

Cake by Ja Civa’s/ Photo by Alyssa Jul Photography

Decor…

All the wedding professionals want you t0 sign up f0r their promotional specials, so bring a few sheets of printed adhesive labels with your contact information.

Full name

Wedding Date

Address

Email

Best contact number

You want to make sure they all have your information so you don’t miss out on any opportunity to save on your big day. Most importantly, ask the wedding professionals you feel are a good match for you and your event for an after show follow up appointment. This way you can sit down and have more personal time to tell them all about your wedding day!

We will see you at the shows, Happy Wedding Planning!

Sweet Dreams Weddings & Events

Oregon Bridal Shows Dates for 2012

Attention all Bride & Grooms to-be! Now that we told you how to get through a bridal show, here is a list of the upcoming shows in the Portland & Vancouver Area…

(* we are featuring a booth in these shows)

Sept. 11th- Tour d’Brides

*Sept. 25th- Very Engaging Bridal Event

*Oct. 8th & 9th- Rose City Bridal Showcase

*Oct. 21st- Committed! Portland’s Alternative Bridal Event

Oct. 29th- Association of Bridal Consultants, The Wedding Event

* Nov. 6th- Bravo Wedding Affair

Jan. 7th to 8th 2012- The Original Portland Bridal Show

*Jan. 19th 2012- The Art of Weddings

*Jan. 22nd 2012- Bravo Wedding Affair

Jan. 28th to 29th 2012- Oregon Wedding Showcase

Jan. 29th 2012- Greater Vancouver Showcase

Mar. 8th 2012- Luxe Bridal Event

Mar. 10th to 11th 2012- NW Wedding Scoop

If you missed our post on bridal shows tips “It’s Bridal Show Season” check it out before you attend your first bridal show… We will see you there, Happy Wedding Planning!