CONSULTANTS: Most Brides have never planned a wedding before, so if you can fit it into your budget, you should try to find a wedding consultant to help you. They can save you time, money, energy, and a lot of stress. There is a difference between a Bridal Consultant and a Wedding Consultant. A Bridal Consultant has expertise in only one area, such as flowers, or gowns, or tuxedos. A Wedding Consultant has expertise in all of the areas necessary for a wedding. They coordinate the overall wedding planning, rehearsal, ceremony, and reception.

A good wedding consultant will have a list of vendors that they have worked with, who can provide the services you need within a specific budget range. You can usually save more money than their fee since they have had a long standing relationship with their vendors. They can also show you ways to save money in certain categories, that you wouldn't normally know about. The most valuable asset of a wedding consultant is that they are there to coordinate your rehearsal, ceremony and reception. They can make sure that everyone knows what to do and when to do it. They can check to make sure the flowers arrive, the photographer knows who should be in the pictures, the band or DJ keeps the music to a low roar, and handle any emergencies that arise. They act as an extra mother of the Bride when it comes to checking on everything. If you find a good consultant, they will become like one of the family, and make your wedding a dream come true.

Like any wedding specialist, be sure to check out their references, possibly attend a wedding they are handling before hiring them.

DUTIES OF THE WEDDING ATTENDANTS: Best Man, Maid/Matron of Honour, Bridesmaids, Groomsmen, Ushers, Flower Girl, Ring Bearer and Guest Book Attendant.
For a listing of their duties, Click Here.

FAVORS: Favors are a very important part of your reception. They can add decoration to your tables, provide an excellent chance for the Bride and Groom to circulate to all of the tables and hand out a wedding keepsake to each of your guests, and provide a beautiful memento of your wedding day for your family and friends.

Favors can be anything from a miniature picture frame, tulle-wrapped mints, almonds or candies, ceramic angles, glass figurines, name-engraved chocolate candy bars, miniature western boots with lace, or just cocktail napkins with your names and date on them. You can save a lot of money on favors, if you make them yourself. As soon as you start planning your wedding, you should stop by a large craft store to get ideas. You can ask your Maid/Matron of Honour and Bridesmaids to come over one afternoon and set up an assembly line to produce the favors.

A simple, yet decorative favor, would be mylar-wrapped chocolates. Buy some white or milk chocolate truffles in a candy store, then take mylar wrapping paper and cut it into 10" x 10" squares. This comes in many different colors, and is cheaper if you buy it by the roll, like wrapping paper, instead of buying the circles or squares already cut. Place the piece of chocolate in the middle, then tie it up with a colored thin cord, or ribbon. You could also add a small silk or dried flower for accent. Have the caterer place these in front of each place setting on the reception tables. They really highlight any style guest table, and can dress up simpler centerpieces such as votive candles, to save you money.

FIRST DANCE: Your positioning for the first dance is similar to the first kiss...elbows down for better pictures. Usually the bride begins the first dance with her new husband, then the parents join them on the dance floor. After a few minutes, the bride and groom exchange partners with the parents of the bride. After a few minutes for pictures, they exchange back to original partners, then they exchange with the parents of the groom, take some pictures, then back to original partners. Next, the wedding party joins the couples on the dance floor. Now the bride and groom exchange partners with the best man and maid of honor/matron of honor, take some pictures, and exchange back to original partners. Now the emcee should announce for everyone to join the bride and groom on the dance floor. It is important to choose a very long First Dance song or a romantic medley in order to have time for the exchanges and pictures.

In some religions or ethnic customs, the bride begins the First Dance with her father and then exchanges to her groom, etc.

Right before you cut the cake, it is a nice touch for the bride and her father to dance alone to the song "Daddy's Little Girl", which can be followed by a special dance for the Groom and his mother.

Go to our Links Page for suggested Songs.

FIRST KISS: This is the most emotional point in the ceremony, and everyone has a tendency to do a big bear hug. The problem with this is that the photographer cannot get a picture of your faces. The bride should place her hands on the groom's shoulders, keeping her elbows down, tilt your heads and kiss. The groom should place his hands on the back of the bride's waist, not any lower !

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