Wedding Invitations

You’ve done it! You’re married! All your hard work and
preparation has been worth it all. I hope that your day was glorious!

• Now just enjoy your
  honeymoon!
• Contact a Flower Preservation
  Vendor to preserve your Bouquet.
• Contact a Gown Preservation
  Vendor to hand clean, press and preserve your bridal gown.
• Finish writing your thank you
  notes.
• Take care of any legal
  concerns you didn’t get to before the wedding such as name and address
  changes.

• If no one has already done something like this for you as a wedding gift, take
  one of your left over wedding invitations and preserve it in some way either by
  framing it in some way or have it applied to a plaque or waxed onto a large
  display candle.

• Start your new life as husband and wife. There will definitely be some
  adjustments to be made. New issues will develop - many good, some not so
  good.  One thing to keep in mind is the importance of focusing on the
  positive and good things about your spouse and being willing to forgive. As
  good as your intentions are, there will be times that you will disappoint one
  another, and it is very important to be able to forgive and move on. Have fun!

Calm down and take a deep breath. There still is a lot to do
but it is manageable if you have been following our wedding planning checklist
all along.

• Verify final details with all
  service providers.  Inform them of any changes.
• Finalize the guest count,
  making necessary changes to seating chart.
• Confirm transportation for
  the wedding party.
• Confirm that the photographer
  understands the list of pictures you have requested.
• Confirm that the videographer
  understands your specific requests.
• Verify that all wedding
  attire has been picked up and fits.
• Confirm that all attendants
  know when to arrive at the rehearsal, rehearsal dinner, and wedding
  ceremony. Confirm that all attendants have a copy of the wedding schedule
  you created.
• Pack for your honeymoon.
• Pay bills that will be due
  while you are away.
• Continue to write thank you
  notes, if possible.
• Pick up your marriage license.

You’re almost there! Only two weeks to go and a few more
details to wrap up:

• Confirm final details with
  all wedding professionals you have hired. Confirm wedding night hotel
  reservation.
• Give caterer your guest count
• Finalize seating chart for
  reception.
• Submit names for place cards
  to calligrapher or write out yourself.
• Give a wedding day schedule
  to all attendants.
• Finish addressing your
  wedding announcements.
• Pick up your wedding dress.
• Have your bridal portrait
  taken.
• Break in your wedding shoes.
• Fill out a change-of-address
  form at the post office.

Be sure to keep an eye out for any wedding invitations that
may have been returned due to a bad address.

Well, your wedding day is fast approaching and there are
still a lot of things to take care of, but if you continue to follow our list
and guidelines, you’ll have everything covered.

• AT this point you should mail
  your wedding invitations. (6 weeks is customary, but 8 is becoming more
  common). It is not uncommon for guests to mail their responses without
  writing their name. Here is a trick to help you identify them even if they
  have forgotten to include their name. Assign each guest a number Write
  this number very small on the back of their response card before you
  enclose it with your wedding invitations. An incomplete response card can
  now be matched with a guest.
• There are a couple of ways
  that you can track your guests’ responses. One is to take index cards (one
  for each guest) and track it that way. We recommend using our "Guest
  List Spreadsheet" that we have created just for that and offer it as
  a free gift to you. Just click on this link and it will take you to a
  download page for that spreadsheet as well as our "Free Bride’s
  Planning Guide" which we have created for you complete with weekly
  checklists to help you get through all this planning.
• Order wedding programs and
  reception accessories such as napkins, cake boxes, etc. if you haven’t
  already done so.
• Make final menu decisions.
• Set rehearsal time and verify
  will all participants.
• Continue to write thank you
  notes.

More next time

Listed below are some of the
most important decisions you will have to make at this point in your wedding
planning:

• Start making final decisions
  and arrangements for the ceremony and reception, including food, music,
  flowers and any rental equipment.
• Sign contracts and place
  deposits with caterer, photographer, videographer, florist, musicians and
  other service providers if you have not already done so.
• Plan rehearsal dinner: time,
  menu and guest list.
• Arrange for wedding day
  transportation for important guests and wedding party.
• Reserve a block of hotel
  rooms for out of town members of the wedding party and guests. IT is nice
  to provide a list of local restaurants and attractions.
• Have both mothers select
  their wedding attire.
• Confirm the delivery date for
  the wedding gown and bridesmaids dresses. Schedule fittings.
• Choose and order formal wear
  for the groom and groomsmen. Remind men to submit their measurements to
  your formal wear provider.
• Finalize your honeymoon
  plans.
• Shop for trousseau and special
  attire for parties, showers and honeymoon.
  

As
mentioned it the previous post, you need to be sure to select and order your
wedding invitations during this time frame. It also would be very advantageous
if you even got your wedding invitations and announcements addressed so they
will be ready to mail when the time comes.

During these preliminary months there are at least 8 more
things to try to get accomplished and they are as follows:

• Interview caterers, florists,
  photographers, videographers, musicians, etc. Be sure to taste food
  options, see the work of florists, photographers and videographers. Listen
  to or watch recordings of musicians or DJs. Ask for references and discuss
  deposit requirements and the cancellation policy. Hire as soon as
  possible.
• Create a preliminary guest
  list, including addresses. Ask all parents to do the same. Include the
  relationship (friend, uncle). This helps if the list needs to be
  shortened.
• Begin planning the wedding
  ceremony and reception.
• Write out directions and or a
  map to be included on a separate card with your wedding invitations.
• Shop for a wedding gown and
  accessories. If at all possible, order your dress at least 6-8 months in
  advance.
• Choose and order attire and
  accessories for bridesmaids. Keep in mind the time of year and style of
  wedding.
• Start planning the honeymoon.
  If you are leaving the country, make sure your passport is up to date and
  verify any visa requirements.
• Register for wedding gifts.
  Develop a system for recording gifts as they arrive and for recording when
  you wrote the thank-you note. Our free guest list spreadsheet was created
  just for that purpose.

Be sure to start checking out our unique wedding invitations
online so that when it is time to order, you have a pretty good idea of which
of our affordable wedding invitations you will want to buy.

Over the next several weeks we will discuss all the various tasks associated with planning your wedding pretty much the A-Z variety of
elements that are important to consider. The next couple of posts will list
things you should try to accomplish during the first 6-12 months.

• After announcing your
  engagement you will need to select a wedding date and time
• Decide what size and style of
  wedding you want (formal, informal, special theme).
• Set a preliminary budget
• Schedule a meeting with both
  sets of parents (if they are going to be involved) to openly discuss
  wedding expectations, costs and responsibilities.
• Hire a wedding coordinator at
  this time if you are going to use one.
• Buy a wedding planner or
  notebook, or use our free brides planning manual to remain organized and
  record decisions.
• Invite attendants to be in
  your wedding.
• Reserve the church or
  facility location for the wedding.
• Choose the officiant for the
  ceremony.

• Reserve the reception site
  and find out what services are available.

More next time. These are some of the most important things
to handle first in planning your wedding. Next time we will include more 6-12
month items to tackle. In the meantime be sure to check out our unique wedding
invitations at www.BeautifulWeddingInvitations.com

The function of a wedding coordinator is to give you and
your family members peace of mind and help you handle all the details of your wedding
and reception. Some wedding coordinators charge a certain percentage of
the spending budget. Some charge by the hour and some a simply paid a flat
rate.

They tend to be rather expensive, but if your budget will allow it, they can
prove to be invaluable. They also could save you some money in the long run, in
the fact that they know where to go to get good value among the local vendors
available, and maybe even know how and where to get you discounts.

Stretching the dollar, while staying within a budget, a consultant will
alleviate financial anxieties. An established consultant will have a wide
selection of vendors and valuable connections. She/he will assist the bride by
knowing who to book and when, providing price comparisons, overseeing vendor
contracts, avoiding overtime charges, saving on services when guests don’t
show, all which will collectively result in considerable saving you money.

A good wedding planner has developed relationships with many vendors, and
because of the harmony that has developed, vendors may provide certain perks
without charge. You benefit by getting the feeling of a more elaborate wedding.

It says in your guarantee that you don’t charge our credit card
until we have received our wedding invitation cards. Is that true and why is that? And if
that is true, why do you need my credit card information up front?

Yes
is it true, that we want to be sure that you are totally satisfied with
your wedding invitations before we charge you for them. We are confident that
you will be more than pleased. It’s rare but occasionally something
might go wrong with your order and we want to be sure that feel that we
have given you the best service possible even if it means redoing your wedding invitations for you. We want you to feel that we have been completely
fair and that we are taking care of you.

The reason we like to get the
payment information up front is that #1 it is easier for you just to
take care of that all at once, and sometimes we have found it difficult
to get hold of our clients after the fact to get the information.
Sometimes with spam filters and all, emails are lost and with busy
schedules, we often get voicemail when we call. It’s just much easier
this way. As you might understand, we also like to authorize a credit
card from an overseas address ahead of time just to make sure that it
is valid. We do this for our own protection.

What shipping method do you use for your wedding invitations?

By default we
use UPS to ship our Wedding Invitations. You get to choose which method you prefer. We offer anything
from ground to overnight shipping. Upon request, we can also ship
FedEX, however they pick up rather early in the day and sometimes
orders are not ready until later in the day which would delay your
order by a day going out.

Do you accept international orders?

Yes,to most
places, if you pay by credit card but we will have to determine the
cost after we receive your order so we know your shipping address and
the weight of all the items you need. We will not process anything
until you have selected and approved the shipping method and cost. When
shipping overseas, we usually ship UPS with a couple of choices or
global express. You, the customer are responsible for any customs,
taxes or brokerage fees when your wedding invitations arrive in customs.