Wedding costs are a major concern for most, as well they should be. How much to spend for food, gown and tux's, location, photographer and, of course, entertainment.

All of these expenses can be reduced, but which ones should be and why?
If you get your food from McDonalds, you'll never hear the end of it, but if you provide steak and lobster, how many will remember? Quite a few, for no other reason than it's out of the ordinary. But if your having chicken, roast beef or fish (standard dinners) how many people will remember what they ate 6 months later?

If you buy the fanciest dress and the best Tuxedos, you will look FABULOUS in all your pictures, but many people now rent not only the Tuxedo's, but also the gowns! It saves them money and, let's face it, it's unlikely that you will ever wear that gown again.

When it comes to photographers, you will want to spend a large portion of your budget on getting one of the best! After all, those pictures will last a lifetime. If you don't have a great photographer, you're not going to get great pictures. So you don't really want to skimp too much there. That wedding album is something you will keep out on your coffee table for a long time and guests from your wedding will want to see those pictures of you and them. As far as videographers go, most couples watch their wedding video an average of 5-10 times with family and friends, so this can be an expensive cost for 5-10 viewings.

Locations can have a wide variety of costs, ranging from free into the thousands. You need to balance this out also because saving money by having it outdoors at a park could also mean losing guests early on because of the weather and temperature. You don't want them to leave early do you?

Finally, we come to entertainment. It's almost always the last thing thought about and to many it's the place where couples try to find a bargain. There is just one problem with that theory: Up to 80% of the success of your event will depend on the entertainment!

That's right. Think about it! If you don't have any entertainment, then most of your guests will leave right after they eat. Conversely, if you didn't have any food, but still had entertainment, most would probably stay for a while. You need both, but what kind of balance? Can your guests be happy with hors d'oeuvres and/or veggie platters? Actually most can! They will also be happy with just about any decent meal, which is why so much chicken is served at weddings. They won't care that much what the meal is as long as it tastes good and is filling.

You and your guests are there to CELEBRATE your marriage. To participate in it, to share that special day for you. Which is where entertainment plays a MAJOR role in providing you and your guests a happy, festive and fun time! I have been to (and performed at) many weddings, and believe me, some have had some awful food, but with good entertainment they turned what could have been a bad meal into a fun time!

So why do so many couples want to spend such a small amount on entertainment? After all, that is what will ultimately make or break your event, right? We think nothing of spending $35-50 per person for food, but then we want to 'shop around' for the cheapest entertainment we can find, often spending less than 5% of the events costs.

Don't you think it's worth spending 10-20% on Entertainment if it makes up 80% of the time and, more importantly, the SUCCESS of your event? Of course it is.

Entertainment usually comes in two forms: Live bands or Disc Jockeys
Which should you choose? Well, that depends on you, some people like the 'live' sound, others prefer the sound of original artists (DJ music). There are advantages and disadvantages to both, and although I am a DJ/MC myself, I won't address those issues here.

In either case, it's important to keep in mind that there are good bands and bad bands, and there are good DJs and bad DJs. We have all heard the horror stories of having a bad DJ/Band and nobody wants bad entertainment. But like food, the quality often depends on the price! You can spend lots of money (10-20%) to hire DJ 'Mercedes', or skimp (1-5%) and get DJ 'Yugo'. But remember, this is a once-in-a-lifetime event for most, and so you only get once chance. Which one would YOU want? Besides, you don't want your guests leaving 2 hours early do you? You paid good money for that room.

So when trying to decide how much you can afford for entertainment, think about how much you can LOSE if your entertainment is poor or mediocre. Look for professionals and pay them what they are worth. After all, if you want the best, it will (and should) cost more, in the long run, they will provide more than a mediocre entertainer would.

Remember: "They'll forget the food, but not the fun!"
 

Are you looking for a way to make plans with your Wilmington Wedding wedding party run smoothly? Do you want to make your wedding party aware of all important dates and responsibilities without making dozens of phone calls?

The best way to get your wedding party informed and up to date on your wedding plans is by creating a wedding newsletter. Wedding newsletters can be an inexpensive and efficient way to let your wedding party know what exactly is going on for the big day, especially if members of your wedding party live all over the country. It can reduce telephone calls, long distance costs, and become a black and white reminder to your party members of the different tasks that need to be completed.

If mailing your newsletter, send it anywhere from 4-6 months prior to your wedding. You should have most of your important dates finalized by then.

Include a list of all bridal party members and their phone numbers so that they can all get in touch with one another. This will make planning your bachelor/bachelorette party easier for them, among other tasks. Also, don't forget to include both sets of paren'ts on the phone list, as they will need to be contacted as well. Include email addresses also, if applicable.

Make a timeline with important dates, times and places so that party members can have a reference for their calendar. Also, this helps them settle time off from work and school in a timely manner.

Include dates for the rehearsal dinner, wedding, showers, parties, fittings, and other important information for your wedding party.

Include registry information, if any, on your newsletter, so that your bridal party will be aware and able to pass the word along to your guests.

Include directions to your church, reception, etc. in case party members are unsure of how to get there.

If you have a wedding website, list the web address to it on your newsletter. This can also serve as a communication medium between your wedding party.
Furthermore, put your wedding newsletter on your wedding website. This will
allow your bridal party the opportunity to look it up just in case it gets lost. Or-
only do your newsletter on line, and email the link to your wedding party members.

Also, put a special message of thanks to your wedding party, so that everyone knows how much your appreciate them participating in your big day.

Making a wedding newsletter can be easy just by using a standard word processing program like Microsoft Word or a desktop publishing program like Microsoft Publisher. With a few clicks of a mouse and a little typing, your wedding party can be current on all the happenings of your wedding!
 

There’s no bride-to-be out there who hasn't felt some stress leading up to the big day. But, in any wedding, held in Wilmington or anywhere, there's a difference between the occasional break down and an all out melt down. No one wants to remember the time leading up to their wedding as painful and anxiety ridden, so here are a few simple tips to help keep some of the stress at bay.

1. Remember that it's normal to feel overwhelmed sometimes.
This is probably the biggest event youve ever planned, and whether you're doing it alone or with the help of a coordinator you're still going to have moments of profound anxiety. Just knowing that it's normal not to be glowing with happiness every minute will help relieve some of the stress you may be feeling.

2. Delegate, delegate, delegate.
You can't do it all yourself. Even Martha Stewart has assistants. If you take on too much by yourself you'll just find yourself drowning in tasks as the wedding draws near. You may even become angry at people for not helping, even though they offered time and again in the beginning (before things got insane). Bottom line: Let people help you.

3. Take a wedding planning break.
I know it seems like there's too much to do to take a break at times, but you and your fiance both need some non-wedding time. Take a drive together that doesn't involve meeting with vendors. Take a walk and make a point of NOT commenting on every flower and it's bouquet potential along the way. Especially as the wedding day approaches it's important to maintain some perspective. If every conversation youve had in the past month has started with "Now, about the wedding" you may be ready for a break.

4. Allow yourself one breakdown a week. Just one.
Have your fiance help you keep track. That way when you're tempted to yell at the florist for not understanding that you wanted ALL WHITE calla lilies you'll have to stop and think, "do I want to use up my one meltdown on this, or would I rather save it for something bigger later in the week?" Just thinking that can lighten the mood and relieve some of the tension of a situation. After all, you have to keep things in perspective. Which brings us to

5. Keep it in perspective.
No one will ever notice that the flowers aren't exactly what you had in mind. They will however, notice the ranting, raving, screaming bride yelling about the flowers. So just try to keep it all in check. This is about you and the love of your life making vows to one another. It really isn't about the white calla lilies. At least it shouldn’t be.

6. If you begin to exhibit real signs of depression don't hesitate to see a doctor.
The signs will probably be harder to recognize in a bride-to-be, since sleeplessness and anxiety pretty much come with the territory of getting married. But, if you find yourself crying considerably more than you normally do, or if you're having any feelings of hopelessness (suicidal thoughts, the feeling that it's all worthless) then it really is time to consult a professional. Some stress during this hectic time is unavoidable, but too much stress can ruin what should be one of the best days of your life.

Just remember, it will all be over before you know it. So try to step back and enjoy the process, because as they say, "The joy is in the journey."

May your wedding plans go smoothly.