By Georgina Clatworthy

Just as every couple is different, so is every wedding and it is important to remember that both of you are involved in the big day.  When planning a wedding finding the best way to work together can ensure you create a wedding day that is full of both your dreams.  Check out the following wedding management profiles and discover which is the right planning strategy for you.

The Big Boss:  this is the classic wedding planning arrangement where the bride will reign supreme and has complete control.  With you doing al the planning your groom will likely have just a few simple tasks assigned to him.  This arrangement is perhaps the smartest strategy as it lessens the probabilities of something going wrong and time spent arguing over things your groom may not care about anyway.  However, this strategy does mean you would shoulder all the responsibility and that can make planning a wedding very stressful.  It is best to discuss up front the things you both want from your wedding day and do delegate some of the planning tasks to him (but try not to make them all the boring ones).

The Merger: both your families are likely to want to get involved and this can result in all the major decisions being decided by some kind of family committee with you both becoming the major negotiators.  Whilst this arrangement does make your wedding planning a family affair there is a bigger risk of family arguments and even a division occurring.  There is also a big risk of the two of you deciding on things that you are not keen on just to avoid upsetting someone.  If you take this approach to your wedding planning try to present a united front from the start, make sure you stay in control by stating your wishes upfront and always hold your meetings on neutral territory!

The Equal Partners: simply a 50/50 split between the two of you meaning that you both share the planning tasks equally.  This turns you wedding day in to ‘your wedding day’ as opposed to ‘my wedding day’ and sharing the workload means less stress for you.  This does mean relinquishing some control and you both needing to work as a team.  There maybe disagreements and conflict along the way but as long as you are both prepared to compromise you should be able to pull it off.  Put together a clear plan of action at the very start and give each other some freedom over some decisions.

The Skills Based: this requires you to assign the various wedding planning tasks according to aptitude.  For instance if he is keen on his music then assign him the task of finding the wedding entertainment and choosing the music for the ceremony.  If you are creative then you take control over making the stationery, wedding favors and table centers.  This is an arrangement where everyone wins because you will both be putting your time and effort into things you love.  It is a great approach to wedding planning and one which you are likely to excel at because you are in charge.  However, on the downside the task allocation could end up a little uneven because one of you may excel at more things than the other and as the bride you could end up with more tasks because of the number of things that he would not be suited to (bridesmaids dresses, flowers etc), there could also be problems if your skills both lie in the same area!  The key to making this planning approach work is to ensure you are both happy with your assigned tasks including the boring ones and do consider working together on some tasks if you can both bring strengths to them.

By Georgina Clatworthy

Having spent many tedious hours meticulously putting together your wedding costs breakdown and finalizing your budget, I am about to put a spanner in the works by telling about 20 costs that you may not have even thought of let alone budgeted for – sorry!

1. Church Bells: if you fancy exiting your church ceremony to a full fanfare of bells then be aware that this is often at extra cost as bell ringers need to be brought in on the day.  You should also ask about additional costs for having a choir or organist too.
2. Civil Ceremonies: if you want to bring in an officiant for your civil ceremony to a venue other than the register office then find out if there is an additional charge for this.  In some cases couples can be charged more than three times the amount charged for marrying in a register office when they ask for the officiant to attend a different venue.
3. Official Paperwork: marriage licenses and certificates may not break your budget but costs can rise depending on when you order them.
4. Dress Alterations: when you find the wedding dress of your dreams do ask if the ticket price includes alterations.  Not all bridal stores include the costs of altering dresses in their retail pricing.
5. Delivery and Set-Up Fees: it can be easy to forget about things like shipping costs, set-up fees and local taxes when busy ordering things like flowers, stationery and wedding favors.  Find out what these additional costs are before you order.
6. Moving Flowers: a good way of saving money on your wedding flowers is to have your ceremony flowers transported to your reception, but do find out if your florist charges extra to do this for you.
7. Envelopes: it may sound unlikely but not all stationers include envelopes with their invitations, instead they may charge extra.
8. Custom Designs: if you want custom designs for your stationery or to change elements of an existing design be prepared to pay extra for the service.
9. Postage: it is easy to get carried away with your invitations but do remember to think about postage costs when ordering your invitations.  A single flat card will be cheaper to post than an invite with lots of enclosures.
10. Music Rights: it has been known for musicians to charge extra for you to feature them playing on your wedding DVD.
11. Minimum Prices: some wedding venues and suppliers have a minimum price policy which might be based on headcount or number of items ordered.  Get a breakdown of prices first to ensure you are not paying for empty tables or extra items you do not need.
12. Suppliers Needs: if you are hiring in caterers and waiting staff, photographers, wedding planning etc then they too will need food and drink.  Ask your venue to provide them with cheaper dishes rather than include them on the wedding menu.
13. Gratuity: ask your venue for a cost breakdown to see if gratuity or service charges are included, it may not be something you think about initially but could cost you when the bill comes in.
14. Hiring In: most brides will use the furniture and crockery etc that the venue supplies but if you are having your wedding reception in a marquee or barn then it can mean starting from scratch hiring in chairs, tables, crockery, cutlery and glassware.  This could cost you around $15 per head and on a wedding of 200 guests this means a cost of $3000! 
15. Marquee Erection: if you are having a marquee and need it to be erected a few days before the wedding day you may need to hire someone to look after it for you.
16. and Insuring it: if you do erect a marquee it is wise to make sure you have some insurance to cover damage.  Make sure your policy covers the fixtures and fittings, generator and anything else supplied by the marquee company to ensure you are not liable should something happen to it whilst on your property.
17. Corkage: bringing in your own drink for your wedding reception can be a good cost cutter but find out if the venue will charge you a corkage fee which could be quite hefty.  Don’t go ordering your own in until you have checked their policy first.
18. Lighting: clever lighting can really add to your reception atmosphere but it is often something which is overlooked.  If you are having a marquee it is nice to have additional lighting.
19. Cloakroom Services: if you are having a late fall or winter wedding then it is highly likely both you and your guests will be wearing outerwear like coats, shawls and wraps.  Find out if your venue provides coat check in services and if they are included on your bill.
20. Extras: there are numerous other items that you will need to purchase during the course of your wedding planning, for instance new socks for the groom and groomsmen, insoles for your wedding shoes and your emergency bridal kit and don’t forget thank you gifts either.  Set aside a contingency fund of 10% or more for all the added extras.

By Georgina Clatworthy

Struggling to come up with perfect wedding color schemes? Then consider these four schemes for colors, flowers and wedding details that coordinate perfectly with each other.

Grassy Green:

If you prefer natural looking wedding color schemes then use a scheme of bright green, soft white and earthy brown.  This scheme is perfect for a garden venue where you can use antique green hydrangeas, roses, geraniums, pittosporum and dahlias.  Decorate your tables with mini potted succulents and arrangements of cymbidium orchids and Maidenhair ferns.  Keep your wedding cake classically simple with plain white icing, brown ribbon bands and dot the tiers with button mum’s in green and white.

Sunny Yellow:

Create a color scheme of sunny yellow, grey and white for a wedding with an organic and vintage feel.  Create alternative vases from glass bottles tied with hemp and fill with yellow button chrysanthemum’s, ranunculus and grey eucalyptus leaves. Give your flower girl a pomander made up of yellow and white button mum’s and keep the reception décor clean with simple wooden furniture.

Perfectly Pink:

Go for soft and girly with shades of pink and white for country garden style wedding schemes.  Make arrangements of spray roses, snowberries, stocks, hydrangeas and garden roses set off by vintage chinaware like tea cups, tea pots and sugar bowls.  Add in some rustic details as well like natural twig wreaths and hand painted wooden signs.

Rainbow Riot:

If you are struggling to find any schemes that suit then why not go for all of them!  Choose a mixture of tropical orchids, lilies and succulents for a vibrant color scheme of hot pink, bright orange, yellow and green.  Team the colourful florals with some equally bright glassware and decorate your tables with small arrangements instead of big ones.  A perfect scheme for a wedding with Eastern influences or Morocco inspired details.

By Georgina Clatworthy

If you don’t fancy your mom tagging along on the bachelorette party then why not organize a mother of the bride party instead – and invite your new mother-in-law along too!  Here are some ideas for intimate parties especially for a little mother-daughter bonding.

Get Pampered: why not book a spa day for your two moms and maybe any other family members who can’t attend the bachelorette party?  An all day pampering party could be just the break you need from all that wedding planning and give you the chance to spend some one-on-one time together.

Afternoon Tea: book a table at a favourite hotel, restaurant or café for a special afternoon tea.  A stunning hotel venue provides plenty of atmosphere and the perfect way to relax after some retail therapy!  But do ban all wedding talk by both the mother of the bride and your fiancé’s mother and instead soak up the ambience of a traditional afternoon tea service.

Get Crafty: book workshops sessions for crafts like flower arranging, cake decorating or jewelry making – you never know you new found skills could come in handy for the wedding.  Not only do you get some time with your mother, but you can also boost at the wedding that flowers were arranged by your mother in law and the cake decorated by your mother!

Front Row Seats: book tickets to the theatre and take in a show together followed by a delicious meal at a nearby restaurant. 

Casino Royale: if your mom likes a night out with a lively atmosphere then why not treat her to a night at the casino?  Whether it is roulette or blackjack, as the bride you have the prerogative to keep the winnings (to go towards the wedding of course!).

At Home: arrange a re-run of your bachelorette party at home and put on a special dinner or buffet and invite your maid of honor and other bridesmaids as well.  You can indulge in some home spa treatments, make your own cocktails and watch some romantic movies.

By Georgina Clatworthy

One of the biggest trends for 2011 will be adding DIY wedding ideas to your day and whilst there are some obvious DIY ideas that spring to mind such as making your own stationery or wedding favors, there are so many more you could use.  Here are ten ideas you could apply to your wedding day that are easy to do but which will get your guests talking.

1. Wedding Cake: make your own wedding cake quickly and easily by purchasing three (or more) plain iced cakes in different sizes from your local grocery store or bakers and then decorate them yourself.  For instance wrap strings of beads or ribbon around each tier; or create some mini paper bunting from colored papers.
2. DIY Flowers: make your own bouquets for you and your attendants by making hand tied posies using your favourite flowers and tying them with ribbon or lace.  For DIY centrepieces collect together some interesting containers like vintage teapots or jugs, glass vases, bottles or tins and add a few colourful flower stems.
3. Confetti: making your own confetti to decorate your tables is possibly the easiest of all these ideas.  Use colourful tissue paper or patterned papers and small craft punches in cute shapes like hearts, flowers, birds and stars.
4. Stamped Stationery: rubber stamps come in a huge number of shapes and sizes so use them to personalize everything from your stationery to thank you notes and favour bags.  You can find nice sets including wedding themes in your local craft store or online.
5. Lanterns and Candles: use old glass jars for displaying tea lights in and wrap them with pieces of wide lace or paper doilies which will create pretty patterns when the candles are lit.
6. Lacy Decorations: the best decoration ideas are the simple ones such as folded paper doilies threaded with ribbon and used to hang around your reception venue.
7. Photo Gallery: create your own rogues gallery by hanging pictures of yourselves and your family and friends on some rustic twine using miniature pegs to create a washing line type display.
8. Pretty Wedding Favors: of all the DIY wedding ideas you are likely to employ it is your wedding favors that you are most likely to create yourself.  Create very simple favors for guests by purchasing large tins of candies or boxes of decorated biscuits and splitting them into individual gifts by wrapping them in cellophane bags and tying with ribbon.
9. Table Settings: if your napkins are plain in color add a vibrant splash of color by tying some ribbon around them to add impact to your tables and room.
10. Place Cards: collect old wine or Champagne corks and use them to display your name cards on your tables.  Simple place a slot in the top wide enough to slide your cards into.

By Georgina Clatworthy

They are popular amongst celebrities but would you consider having a pre nuptial agreement?  These legally binding documents, drawn up before the wedding, protect one or both parties and their assets should they later divorce.  They are popular with the rich and famous as they seek to protect their personal fortunes given that divorce settlements in recent times have reached record payouts.

No – You will not have a pre nuptial agreement:

Is there really any point in have a pre nuptial agreement to protect your collection of designer clothes or his vintage car?  Are you really going to enter into a legal battle over the uber expensive lounge suite you bought together or your pet goldfish?  Ok so you might consider it if one of you owned your own home or had considerable personal assets.  But then you are getting married because you love each other and because you want to spend the rest of our lives together.  If you want your marriage to work then is there really any need for a pre nuptial agreement?

Yes – You will have a pre nuptial agreement for security and protection:

How many couples have said to each other ‘but we will never get divorced, we love each other too much’ only to end up in the divorce courts a couple of years later, embroiled in a messy division of assets?  Having a pre nuptial agreement will provide protection and security over your assets should things change.  Fact is many couples find they have changed and simply grown apart, for them divorce can become very messy and a pre nuptial agreement helps to ensure things are dealt with quickly and fairly.

Deciding on whether or not to have a pre nuptial agreement is a difficult issue to broach.  You may not feel comfortable asking for one or even indignant that they have raised the subject, so it is important to talk it over and decide on what is best for your situation.  Pre nuptial agreements are designed to protect personal assets and wealth but what about the other party?  If you divorced would they be left with nothing?  If you think a pre nuptial agreement is right for you do seek legal advice before you proceed to have one drawn up and make sure you are both comfortable with it or your marriage could be in difficulty before it has even begun.

By Georgina Clatworthy

Getting engaged is the sort of news you will want to announce to the entire world, but before you begin adding the whole world to your wedding guest list you need to stop for a moment and consider just who you want to share your wedding day with.  Your guest list is a key component in your planning as it will govern the type of wedding you have, the size of budget and your venue.

So when it comes to sorting out your wedding guest list it is an idea to adopt a methodical approach and weigh up the pros and cons of different types of weddings first rather just writing names down on a list.

The Big White Wedding:

Having a wedding day with 200+ guests and a budget to match is a sure fire way to ensure the dancefloor is full all night long and that everyone you know makes your final list.  A big wedding also presents the opportunity to go for broke with big on trend gestures such as club areas in your venue which you reveal later on after your daytime reception. 

However, a big wedding comes with a big price tag and it also means less time with your guests as a wedding of 200 would require you to spend 7 hours just grabbing 2 minutes with each of them!  And once you start going over 200 people on your list then you will be limiting your choice of venues as well as increasing the costs.

The In-Between Wedding:

If it is important to you to balance the budget with the party atmosphere then try to trim your guest list to between 100 and 160 guests.  This will increase your venue options and the smaller guest list will mean more money for unique extras such as signature cocktails and luxury wedding favors.

The Less is More Wedding:

Over the last couple of years there has been a big trend towards small and intimate weddings with just 50 or less guests.  Having just a few select guests means you can splash out on luxury details like goody bag favors, a multitude of entertainers and a stylish venue with top notch catering.  If your budget is very tight then just invite your nearest and dearest and treat them to a decadent meal with wine and flowers.

By Georgina Clatworthy

Adopting wedding budget ideas to make your money work harder does not mean you need to scrimp on style. Here are ten ideas for saving money on your wedding whilst providing both style and elegance, and I promise your guests will not even notice!

1. Get a Free Wedding Website: If you are seduced by additional inserts in your invitations, telling your guests of accommodation, travel and the gift registry, but if your budget cannot afford them, then set up a wedding website instead.  Most of the big wedding websites offer these free with a range of templates and options to choose from.  This will allow you to provide all this information and more for free thus saving on postage and stationery costs.
2. Go Down on Campus: try recruiting some of your key wedding suppliers from the local college or university.  For instance student musicians are a great way to save money on hiring in a professional quartet for the cocktail hour or hire an art student to provide calligraphy on your wedding invitations.
3. Choose Fake Cake: a multi tiered wedding cake can cost a fortune so instead have some of the tiers made from dummy cakes and iced to match the real ones.  Just remember which tiers are the real ones when it comes to the cake cutting ceremony!
4. Rent a Diamond: if you want real bling for your wedding day but can’t afford the price tag then consider renting it instead.  There are several websites offering to rent out designer and high priced items like jewelry allowing you to live out your dreams whilst saving money.
5. Go Seasonal: try to maximise your flower budget by choosing seasonal blooms instead of expensive imported flowers.  Choosing seasonal flowers will also coordinate them to your wedding as they will always work with the time of year in which you are marrying.
6. Get Some Aisle Style: pew ends look wonderful but they also come at a price so save money by using colourful ribbon trails instead.  Or consider ideas like lining your aisle with different sized candles and real petal confetti which many florists will provide for free if you order all your wedding flowers with them.
7. Go Green: save on your flowers by using more greenery in your arrangements.  Foliage fills in spaces nicely and much cheaper than lots of flowers.
8. Prioritize Your Efforts: too many brides spread themselves too thinly trying to take on too many ideas for their wedding.  Try to pick just two or three ideas and concentrate on doing them well.  This does mean having to compromise on your wedding details, such as having beautiful centrepieces but simple menu cards or spend more on the cake but forgo the decorative frames for the name cards.
9. Multitask Your Details: try to make your details work doubly hard for instance, purchase wedding favors that can double as name card holders or cupcakes that can double as wedding cake and favors.
10. Limit The Drinks: your drinks bill is one area where your budget can get out of control so try to limit your choices to just two or three options.  Do think about your guests though especially your male guests who may not be keen on cocktails, so consider beers served in stylish glasses.  Purchase your wedding breakfast drinks from a wine wholesaler and instead of Champagne serve sparkling wine or Cava instead.

By Georgina Clatworthy

Since you announced your engagement you have probably thought about nothing else except that dream wedding dress.  But before you rush out to shop wedding dresses and accessories take on board the following tips to help make your wedding dress choice that bit easier!

1. Saturdays tend to be the busiest day for brides to shop wedding dresses so try to book your appointments on other days when you will get better service.
2. Take someone with you whose opinion you trust.  However, do limit the number of people you take to no more than four and definitely no children!
3. Try browsing the stores on your own for the first couple of trips and then taking someone with you when you have a shortlist of potential wedding dresses.
4. Do wear well fitting lingerie and take a strapless bra with you.  Also take along a pair of shoes with roughly the same heel height as you would wear on the wedding day.
5. Keep your budget firmly in mind and don’t be tempted to try on wedding dresses way out of your price range as it could just be depressing!
6. Try on as many dresses as possible in the shop.  Often dresses look less appealing on the hanger but fabulous once you put them on.
7. The shop assistant will know what they are talking about so do listen to them.  They are trained to advise you on style and fit as well as fabrics and accessories.
8. If you think you have found the perfect dress but it is not quite right ask if the designer has a similar style you could look at.  Many shops do not stock all the designs available but can order them in if you want to try something else.
9. It doesn’t matter how long you spend in a shop, you should not feel obliged to purchase anything.
10. Don’t buy your wedding dress on your first trip it is always worthwhile taking sometime to reflect on the dresses you have seen.  You can always return to the wedding dress shop if you were lucky enough to have found ‘the one’ first time out!

By Georgina Clatworthy

Before you head off down to the nearest wedding dress shops consider that wedding dresses can be bought from a number of different places.  This means that you can find stunning dresses from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand so there is plenty of choice whatever your budget. 

All the big name designers and manufacturers will sell their designs through a number of wedding dress shops.  These shops will often include a range of bridesmaid outfits as well as bridal accessories like veils, tiaras and shoes.  Having everything under one roof makes them a popular choice when it comes to buying a wedding dress.

Typically you would purchase your wedding dress to order so that it can be made to your exact size or altered by a professional seamstress through the shop.  You will usually need to make an appointment with dress shops if you want to try dresses on but this has the added benefit of giving you one-on-one attention by the store assistant who can advise you on the best dresses for your shape and size.

However, this is often the most expensive option as the dress you order will be made exactly to your measurements and requirements (fabrics, finishes etc) and you will also need to allow around six months for the dress to made and altered to fit you perfectly. Once you have chosen your dress you will need to leave a deposit and make further appointments for fitting and alterations.  Do make sure you know exactly what is included in the price on the ticket as some wedding stores will charge extra for alterations.

Another option for finding your dream wedding dress is to look on your local high street.  Many of the major department stores now stock a range of inexpensive bridal wear which you can take away the same day.  If it needs altering however, you will need to find someone locally who can do that for you, although some department stores do offer this service.  A word of caution though, cheaper dresses tend to be mass produced with cheaper fabrics and are cut to as small as possible meaning the seams do not always allow room for alterations to be carried out.

A local dressmaker is another option for your wedding dress as they can make a dress from scratch for you to a design of your choosing and in fabrics you pick.  Some may even be able to design a dress for you using pictures you supply.  Although this is not always the cheapest option it can be cheaper than designer dresses from a wedding dress shop.