Wedding Budget Basics

It can be hard to set aside the romance of your wedding to think carefully about dollars and cents. After all, picking out a wedding gown and a bridal bouquet is fun... writing up a list of wedding expenses and figuring out how much you have to spend is not. Still, creating a wedding budget is an important part of planning a wedding, so make it a priority and get it over with!

To create a wedding budget, you need to ask yourself a few questions. Who will pay for the wedding? How much money do you have to spend? And what are the elements of your dream wedding that are most important to you. Answer these three questions and you're haldway toward planning a beautiful wedding.

The traditional rule of the bride's family paying for the entire wedding is fast becoming history. Today, the bride's family, the groom's family, and the bride and groom themselves usually share the cost of the wedding ceremony and wedding reception. Many couples are getting married later in life and are well established with their own careers, thus they feel inclined to pay for some or all of their own weddings.

Once you know who pays for the wedding, the bride and groom should discuss which elements of the wedding are most important to them. For instance, is it the reception venue, the bridal gown, or the entertainment that is most important? Maybe it's the wedding cake! You should choose roughly three or four items that are your top priorities and set the rest of your budget from there.


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Wedding Dress of the Week (2/6/09)

Today's wedding gown of the week is a combination of delicate ruffles and beautiful tailored structuring that adds drama to an otherwise traditional look. This wedding gown is for the bride who wants to put forth a demure image without giving up her ability to flirt. The just-low-enough plunging V-neckline features a double ruffle of organza that is designed to stand up behind the neck, giving a definite designer touch of elegance. We think this wedding gown looks like it costs a whole lot more than it actually does for that very reason! Finally, the cross-over bodice ends at the natural waistline with a pleated sash and a handmade organza flower. The best part? The pockets! Because no bride should be without lip balm and a breath mint on her wedding day.

Click to read more about choosing a wedding gown or to shop for wedding dresses

Choosing Wedding Shoes

We're going to guess that you haven't spent all that much time thinking about you wedding shoes. That's okay -- unless your wedding gown is so distinctive and unusual that it screams out for a certain kind of wedding shoe, why would you think about something that should be as simple as choosing wedding shoes. Well, if only it were that simple. Wedding shoes come in every possible color and configuration these days. If you were picturing plain white pumps in the same fabric as your wedding gown, you can probably find them. But don't limit yourself to the most basic option! Here are some tips to help you when you're choosing wedding shoes:

Some brides feel the shoes are the least important of the wedding day attire, and they choose to wear decorated tennis shoes. If that's too much shoe for you, think about bridal flip flops!

Other brides hardly think of wedding shoes at all except as something to cover their tired feet and so they choose pretty, dainty ballet slippers.

Still others want the most ornate wedding shoe with the highest heel ever, making them feel more regal and more elegant. If this sounds like you, just be sure to break them in well!

One of the most important things a bride-to-be must realize is that their wedding shoes are important when the altering the wedding dress. Once you've established the height of the heel, you must have the shoes in order to have your wedding gown fitted properly. Changing the height will change the hem of the dress.

We recommend that once you've found your wedding dress you start looking for the right wedding shoes immediately. You should have your shoes by the time your gown is delivered and ready to be altered because you will need to bring them to every fitting.


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Wedding Accessories

One of the most overlooked bridal accessories is the bridal tiara. Most brides-to-be picture themselves wearing a veil and not a tiara on their wedding days. What they don't know is that when they are choosing their wedding accessories (e.g., bridal jewelry sets, wedding shoes, and bridal hairstyles) they don't have to limit themselves! You can wear a veil that clips into a bridal tiara. That way, if you're so inclined, you can wear a traditional wedding veil to your wedding ceremony and remove it before the wedding reception so it isn't in the way.

How do you choose your wedding tiara? Here are some tips to get you started:

The tiara should flatter your face by framing it, not draw attention to dominant aspects of your face's shape. When you choose your tiara, follow these simple guidelines:

For a round face, select a tiara that has height and will draw the eye upward, giving the illusion that your face is longer.

For a long face, use a tiara that is flat and sits close to the top of your head. It should also extend over the sides of your head to draw the eye horizontally, rather than vertically. This will make a long, thin face appear fuller.

For an oval face, try a headpiece that either sits on the forehead, or an ornamentation that sits on the back of your head to make your face appear less oval.

For a full face, wear a tiara that has height and forms a "V' shape to draw the eye up for the illusion of length and out for the illusion of a thinner face.

Your hairstyle will also dictate how "heavy" a tiara you will wear. Short hairstyles look best with a light tiara that has subtle ornamentation, while a large amount of hair can carry a bigger tiara that is amply encrusted with gemstones.


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Choosing a Wedding Dress

We've talked about choosing a wedding dress in the past, but it's definitely a topic that never gets old. Let's say you already have the wedding gown you'll wear as you walk down the aisle... congratulations! That doesn't mean, however, that you can't keep collecting wedding dress tips for your engaged girlfriends. There's always someone who needs help choosing a wedding gown, so we try never to be without a few helpful tips up our sleeves. For those brides-to-be who know absolutely nothing about choosing a gown, here are some basics:

• If you're going to be trying on wedding dresses, wear undergarments that are close to those you imagine you'll be wearing on your wedding day.

• Let bridal salon employees make suggestions -- they deal with brides of all shapes and sizes, and they usually have a good idea of what will look good on you.

• That said, don't let any salespeople (or loved ones) bully you into choosing a wedding gown you don't like. It's your dress, and you're the one who has to wear it!

• Explore colors other than white. There are lots of shades of this traditional matrimonial color, but colored wedding gowns are also popular right now.

• Read those bridal magazines. Even if you're just checking them out at the library, scanning the ads will give you an idea of what wedding gowns are in stores right now.

• Finally, if you don't buy your accessories at the bridal shop, take home a fabric swatch to match your accessories.

Click to shop for the perfect wedding gown

Cheap Wedding Gift Ideas

With the economy being what it is, it's no wonder that everyone from brides and grooms to wedding guests are scaling back when it comes to spending money. That means that newlyweds can't expect to get as many wedding gifts as they might have gotten in days past, and wedding guests won't be spending as much as wedding gifts as they did, say, ten years ago. But as we all know, money isn't everything! You can get great inexpensive wedding gifts that are useful and beautiful.

Here are three wonderful, meaningful wedding gift ideas that are based on wedding gifts employees at Smart Wedding Planning received:

A Simple Note
Kim said: "After all of the adrenaline from the day faded, I truly enjoyed the lovely thoughts that people had imparted in their cards to me and my husband. Some offered tried and true advice on marriage. Others related some inside jokes from high school and college which I am sure will completely perplex us 10 years from now, but which reminded us of our special bonds with these particular guests."

An Invitation to My Own Wedding
Jackie said: "One guest who gave us our invitation back. Only she had matted it and painted a beautiful design around it that meshed so well with the invitation's colors." If you are not skilled with a framing kit, you can always take the invitation to a framer who will do the trick for you.

Lend Me a Tenor or a Calligrapher
Mike said: "We had a DIY wedding, and most of our wedding vendors were our friends and relatives! My mom cooked all the food for our rehearsal dinner, and my dad's college friends who get together to jam were our wedding reception band. A bunch of my wife's girlfriends created the bridal bouquets and floral arrangements. It was all beautiful, and I swear you wouldn't know that we didn't hire professionals. All that help was the best gift we could have gotten."


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Wedding Reception Checklist

Once you've said your "I dos," it's time to party! While there are many ways you can format your wedding reception, most wedding receptions involve certain must-have elements. You can't, after all, have a wedding reception without a reception venue, and it is the obligation of every bride and groom to feed and entertain their wedding guests. Most wedding receptions are somewhat formal, but yours can be anything from pizza and beer at the bowling ally where you met your spouse-to-be to a English-style garden party complete with finger sandwiches.

No matter what kind of wedding reception you choose to have, you'll need to be familiar with certain elements of reception planning. Here's a helpful (albeit short) checklist to get you started:

__ Book your wedding reception venue at least six months in advance. Ask for discounts if you feel like it -- the worst the site manager can say is no.

__ Ask about special wedding packages before you book your wedding date or sign any contracts. Many venues will give you freebies or perks because you're the bride.

__ If you don't understand the fees you're paying, a second pair of eyes (your intended, your mom, etc.) can ensure you don't get scammed or overcharged.

__ Make sure your preferred venue will accommodate all your guests.

__ Don't forget that your reception venue will have its own color scheme. Consider whether your wedding colors will clash with the walls, the carpets, or the linens.

__ Ask the reception site manager whether you can use your own caterer or are obligated to use the house service providers. If you can, make sure your baker and caterer are familiar with the site.


Click to see our complete wedding reception checklist

Bridal Weight Loss

Most brides-to-be want to lose a few pounds before the wedding, even if they don't really need to. It's just a fact of life for brides -- everything they look at, from movies to bridal magazines to wedding web sites is encouraging them to be (or become) a certain size. Losing weight or toning up requires aerobic exercise, but you shouldn't neglect your diet! After all, working out doesn't mean you can go nuts at the buffer table.

Here are five bridal diet tips that you can use for the rest of your life. Remember, you should always think of pre-wedding diets in terms of simple lifestyle changes instead of excessive changes that could be unhealthy. To clarify, we don't want to see you starving yourself or exercising four hours a day!

1. Drink plenty of water. Sometimes we feel hungry when we're actually thirsty. When we don't address that thirst, we keep feeling unfulfilled even after having a snack. Hint: Brides should be drinking water anyway, so their skin looks beautiful on the wedding day.

2. Up your fruit and veggie intake. It seems simple enough, but most of us still do not get enough produce. Why? It spoils quickly, it can be boring, and it costs money. Makes sense to me! So look for ways to sneak more veggies and fruit into your diet. Roasted Brussels sprouts are awesome. Make a pumpkin pie without crust and omit some of the sugar. Yum!

3. Focus on health. Even if you are looking forward to your wedding, dieting sucks. If you're obsessed with depriving yourself, you're going to fall off the wagon. Think about healthy choices you can make now and keep making after the wedding, like cutting out trans fats or eating less processed food.

4. Join a farm share (if you can). Supermarket produce gets boring. Apples and oranges, apples and oranges, right? A farm share will introduce you to foods you wouldn't try otherwise. Burdock root, anyone? How about kale? Expanding your horizons can shrink your waistline!

5. Get supportive to get support. Join a weight loss group. Ask your sister, mom, or best friend if she wants to diet with you. That way, when you're jonesing for a chocolate chip cookie you know you aren't actually hungry for, you can call your weight loss buddies and they'll talk you down from the fridge.


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Wedding Blogs and Wedding Websites

Getting a little bored reading the usual wedding websites? We feel your pain, and we'd like to suggest a novel solution: Make your own! A personal wedding blog or wedding website is a great way to make wedding planning a lot more fun and accessible to the important people in your wedding, like mothers, bridesmaids, and groomsmen. Oh, and your future spouse, too!

There are plenty of free wedding website hosting services online, or you can use a free blog program like Blogger to set up a simple collaborative wedding blog. We like both options, having tried each, though both have different utilities.

A wedding website is great if you're looking to share wedding information with your wedding guests. For example, you can put directions to the ceremony and reception on your wedding website, as well as links to the stores you're registered at. You can share the story of your courtship and pictures of you and your fiance on your wedding web site, and pretty much anything else you want to show people.

A wedding blog, on the other hand, can be a place where you share your wedding ideas (like we do) or a place for you to communicate with your bridesmaids. You can make both a wedding website and a wedding blog that link back to each other so wedding guests and wedding VIPs can keep track of your wedding planning progress.


Connect with other brides-to-be on our awesome wedding forum -- it's free!

Avoiding Wedding Risk

How can you protect yourself from unknowns like sick vendors, really bad weather, and fire damage when planning a wedding? You, bride, need some wedding insurance.

Wedding insurance (also known as event insurance) is a type of property and causality policy that originated in Great Britain in 1988, but has only been available in the U.S. since the mid 90s. It typically covers cancellation or postponement of a wedding if a member of the bridal party dies or gets sick. Keep in mind that if the wedding party member becomes sick or dies because of a pre-existing medical condition your wedding insurance probably won't cover it.

Wedding insurance also covers a bridal party member's failure to show because they are injured or are called up to active military duty or there is a shutdown of commercial transportation. Additionally, it will help pay for the reassembling of the bridal party in the event another photo session is necessary because the photographer lost the film or it's damaged at the lab. Finally, it will provide money for new wedding rings if the originals are lost and the replacement of damaged, stolen, or lost wedding gifts.

What isn't covered? Changes of heart! If you or the groom gets cold feet, your wedding insurance will not reimburse your expenses.

The typical cost for a basic policy is between $125 and $350 (with a $25 deductible). Like any other insurance coverage, the premium varies depending on the amount of coverage needed. But unlike other coverages, the premium is a one-time payment even if the policy is purchased well in advance of your wedding date. In most instances, a policy can be purchased from two weeks to two years prior to the event.