As you prepare for your wedding day and honeymoon, here are some helpful tips to make each as stress free and effortless as possible:
The most important thing to keep in mind while getting ready for a wedding is doing your best to keep things under budget. Finding yourself in debt just because you hope to have the most ideal wedding of your dreams is not realistic and can make things a little more difficult especially during the last few weeks to the big day. Take for instance your reception site. These can be extremely expensive especially when you add the costs for getting a DJ or live band, the food, beverages, flowers and so on. Decide on a location that’s most beneficial for you. Remember this is your special day and not the guests. Their role is to share in your joy and not spend the time critiquing you.
Other ideas include having the reception earlier in the day so you do not have to serve dinner to the guests. You can settle for finger foods and hor d’oeuvres in addition to the wedding cake. Consider eliminating the serving of alcohol and have the basic champagne toast and shots for the dollar dance. How does this work? Guests get to pay to dance with you if they want to get some alcohol. This turns out working in your favor. You can also choose to have a cash bar where the guests get to pay for their beverages while you serve tea, coffee, punch or soft drinks.
For the food and catering, you might want to give your local culinary schools or colleges that have such classes for caterers and chefs, a call. Most of them are willing to work for weddings at a much cheaper price. Try cutting down on the fancy expensive linen and be more creative by color coordinating the linens you can purchase from stores like Walmart with matching plates, cutlery or flower centerpieces. These are guaranteed to be eye-pleasing without breaking the bank.
When getting ready for your honeymoon make sure you do your research on your places of choice. This includes knowing about the best places to visit, the local currency and exchange rate, learning the local lingo even if it’s just a few phrases like ‘thank you’ or ‘hello’, as well as knowing the place’s local customs. It’s a great way to make friends quickly wherever you’re going. Do tell everyone, but not to the point of ad nauseum, that you are on your honeymoon! Many people are receptive to lovers and most hotels, travel agents, airlines or tour group leaders are willing to offer discounts just because you disclosed that information.
Before you travel, make photocopies of every travel documentation you might have, which includes passports, insurance policy, credit cards and travelers’ checks. Keep a copy at home and keep another copy in your luggage or at the hotel’s safe. That way if your documents are stolen, you always have backup or proof they even existed.
Traveling can be frustrating especially when you find yourself in a new place, but remember to be friendly, welcoming, accommodating and most importantly have fun!
