If you're planning on
getting married, Efi Condovrakis has this very useful calendar to help brides organise the big day.
You've been a guest at many memorable weddings, where the bride looked gorgeous, her flowers were beautiful, and the reception venue and music were spectacular. Now it's your turn to organise the biggest day of your life - so where do you begin?
Decide on a date, it's best to give yourself plenty of time, and let the planning begin!
Twelve months to go
* Book the reception venue. Remember you need to take into consideration the style, size and budget.
* Book the ceremony.
Ten months to go
* Choose colour scheme and theme.
* Start looking for your wedding dress.
* Make a preliminary guest list
* Choose maid of honour, best man, bridesmaids and groomsmen.
* Choose master of ceremonies, band or disc jockey.
Six months to go
* Shop for bridesmaid's dresses, shoes and accessories.
* Book a photographer. Make an appointment to visit their studio to meet them and have a look at their work and choose a package that suits your taste and budget.
* Consider a videographer.
* Select a florist and order your bouquets, buttonholes, church decorations and reception table arrangments.
* Order invitations and stationery - acceptance cards, thank you cards, table place cards, hymn books, etc.
* Choose a location for photos and remember many public gardens require a permit.
Four months to go
* Choose the suits for the groom and groomsmen.
* Make travel arrangements for the honeymoon and organise passports and visas.
* Select cars.
* Choose wedding rings.
* Choose a wedding cake.
* Organise gift registry. Department stores, individual stores and online retailers offer this service.
* Send invitations to overseas guests so they have plenty of time to make travel arrangements.
* Book a hairdresser and make-up artist.
Two months to go
* Post wedding invitations.
* Make hotel reservation for the wedding night.
* Meet with the priest or celebrant to discuss and finalise ceremony formalities.
* Meet with your reception venue organiser to finalise menus and running details.
* Have dancing lessons if you think you both need them!
One month to go
* Lodge 'Notification of Intention to Marry' with The Department of Deaths and Marriages.
* Have hair and make-up trials. Don't forget to take your veil if you're wearing one.
* Finalise details with the master of ceremonies.
* Have your final fitting for wedding dress and bridesmaid's dresses.
* Finalise living arrangements and tie up financial and legal matters.
* Purchase ceremony accessories such as ring pillow and guest books.
* Purchase garter, toasting goblets etc.
* Organise lingerie.
* Choose wedding vows.
* Organise church programs.
* Select songs for bridal waltz.
* Reconfirm everything: flowers, cake, cars, band etc.
Two weeks to go
* Have bridal showers, hen's night and buck's night.
* Finalise guest numbers with the reception venue.
* Organise table seating for your guests. Write place cards and give them to the reception venue.
* Wear in wedding shoes.
* Pack overnight bag for the hotel and honeymoon.
* Write thank you speeches.
* Pick up wedding dress and bridesmaids dresses. Try everything on again.
* Shop for thank you gifts for your bridal party.
One week to go
* Pick up groom and groomsmen suits - check for proper fit.
* Pick up wedding bands.
* Have wedding rehearsal.
* Have a manicure.
* Spoil yourself and your bridal party with a relaxation massage.
* Reconfirm your honeymoon details.
Wedding day
Relax and enjoy, as this day, which has consumed you for so long, is over very quickly.
And don't forget to eat!
Some good advice
* Don't feel you have to invite everyone you know to the wedding. It's okay to invite your guests to the service only.
* Don't say no to help. There's a lot to organise and if your friends and family are offering help, let them help!
* Don't do any running around on the day. Have your flowers delivered to you and your hairdresser come to you etc.
* Bridesmaids usually pay for their own dressers and shoes.
* Don't expect parents to pay for the wedding. However many do contribute.
* Remember both sets of parents would like to be involved in the decision making, especially if they're paying towards the wedding.
* Many couples are choosing wedding bubbles instead of confetti as they look great in photos.
* Signature bears are fun instead of guest books.
* Try not to consume too much alcohol untill after the formalities.
* Place a few disposable cameras on each table and have your guests take photos of each other and the wedding couple. It's great looking back at these informal pictures.
* Make sure there are plenty of spare pantyhose for yourself and the bridal party.
* Make sure you pack tissues, lipstick, band-aids, etc, in your bag.
You plan it for months (or years), but there'll always be things you can't predict on your
wedding day. Here,
brides who've been there tell you how to prepare for the unexpected.
"Stage fright happens to brides, too" "I'm a shy, quiet person and, normally, the idea of standing in front of 100 people would terrify me. Somehow, I thought it would be different on my
wedding day. It wasn't. To my horror, straight after the 'I dos', a blotchy, red rash crept over my neck and face. Reassuringly, the celebrant told me it happens quite a lot."
Georgina, 33, Melbourne, Vic
"What's more important: wedding or marriage?"
"My family and friends were constantly asking about my wedding, but never questioned me about the fact that I was about to start sharing my life with another human being, which seemed much more important than, 'Are you wearing a band/veil?' I felt relieved when the pressure to have a perfect wedding day was finally over."
Gabrielle, 32, Perth, WA
"Don't make big plans for your wedding night"
"I had amazing plans for my wedding night - after the reception we wanted to kick on to a bar with our friends, and then have a romantic night in our candlelit wedding suite. But by midnight, I was exhausted. I'd been up for 19 hours and experienced a roller-coaster of emotions. So, instead, my husband spent his wedding night picking bobby pins from my hair."
Sharon, 34, Ashfield, NSW
"Parents will probably complicate things"
"Both my parents and my husband's are divorced and all have new partners. Trying to please all of them was incredibly difficult. But how can you ignore their demands when they're contributing money? Eventually, my husband and I decided we had to be firm and do what we wanted - after all, it was our day."
Kellie, 25, Cabarita, NSW
"Your dream dress will be over your budget"
"Before my wedding, I imagined getting married wearing a $500 classic, cream suit. But I ended up splurging on an antique lace dress, which cost thousands in fabric alone. We went so over budget for the wedding in general that we gave up and spent what we liked. So don't beat yourself up if you blow your budget."
Emily, 27, Perth, WA
"Some of your closest friends won't make it"
"I had this romantic notion that everyone I invited to the
wedding would attend. But in reality, some people won't be able to - especially if you get married overseas, as I did. It's easy to feel upset, but ultimately - like most wedding details - it won't matter on the day. Your wedding will still be incredible."
Fiona, 31, Rose Bay, NSW
"Even 'ideal' bridesmaids can cause headaches"
"I'd heard horror stories about lazy bridesmaids, so I thought my super-organised friend would be perfect. But Kate, who had a list - and an opinion - for everything, was so organised I started to feel I had lost control of my own wedding. Although Kate had good intentions, I wish I had picked someone more on my wavelength."
Michelle, 29, Prahan, Vic
"You're not the only one who might cry""At the weddings I've attended, the bride cried, so I thought I might, too. But as soon as I arrived at the church I felt calm. As I walked down the aisle, my husband-to-be was looking at me in a serious, but tender way I'd only seen once before - when he proposed. Then, during the vows, he cried. I squeezed his hand, and at that moment I knew we had made the right decision."
Planning a Christmas wedding can be a great way to combine your special day with the magic of the holidays. For brides planning their wedding around the holidays, here are a few suggestions to have you walking in your own winter wonderland.
Montreal Flowers:If you’re getting married in the winter around Christmas time, why not embrace the season? “There’s something magical about the winter season – bring those elements in. Lots of red, especially the darkest crimson blooms such as black magic roses, create bold, stunning arrangements. A traditional
red rose is a safe way to play it and then pick other elements to jazz it up a bit. Add to those roses some additional details: chocolate cosmos, hypericum berries, pepper berries, and winter berries.
For a good pop of color, submerging cranberries in the vases of water. If red is not in your wedding pallet, another option awaits. There is nothing more beautiful than a traditional white wedding. Not only does the cold air prevent white petals from browning around the edges, but your blooms will also reflect winter’s snowy ambiance. Pair white roses with green berries, combine dramatic amaryllis with white gazer lilies, or couple green and white cymbidium orchids.
With all of the romance your blooms will exude, make sure you’re not the only ones enjoying kissing throughout the evening. Hang mistletoe in entryways or any other place guests might want to share a smooch. This romantic seasonal green also works well as an accent to all floral arrangements, including corsages and boutonnier
Catering:
To keep your guests warm on the inside with the cold winter chill outside, add a hot chocolate and wassail cider bar to your reception beverage station. Spicing up your hot drinks with cinnamon sticks for stirring and cinnamon & nutmeg for toppings. Keep that chocolate coming. Give that favorite chocolate fountain a twist of flavor – peppermint flavor. Cinnamon bears reign as the popular dipping item for chocolate fountains this winter, and not only for peppermint-flavored fountains. Milk and dark chocolate please the pallet as well with this spicy snack.
In addition to the chocolate fountains, serve hot bread pudding and pumpkin pie as desserts for your reception. Or select pumpkin spice and cream cheese filling for your wedding cake to stay true to the season. However simple or lavish you’re planning your big day, utilize the winter season to your advantage. Give your guests those extra details that will have them remembering your wedding whenever winter season rolls in.
Decorative details:Use Christmas ornaments in place of traditional guest cards. Simply attach a small card and ribbon with their name imprinted on the ornament. Or hand paint each name on the individual ornaments. Your guests will remember your wedding for years to come each time they place their ornament on their Christmas tree.
Dip candy canes in white or dark chocolate and wrap them in plastic bags tied with a simple red or white ribbon. Give away these treats as your favor at the end of your wedding reception. Display gifts in a sleigh or under an evergreen decorated with pictures of the couple. Instead of a star or angel as the tree topper, use a bride and groom in its place. Before you walk down the aisle, have your flower girl toss imitation snow or miniature snowflakes in place of flower petals.
Replace the wedding march with a slow-paced, instrumental holiday tune. Fill your reception with sweet winter aromas. Boil apple cider with floating oranges and cinnamon sticks in various hidden corners of the room. Or light deeply scented evergreen candles to bring the outdoors in.
There's no denying the romance of the winter season: gently falling snow, softly glimmering lights and sweetly scented evergreens.
