By Jo Gartin
Author of Jo Gartin's Weddings: An Inspiring Guide for the Stylish Bride

Getting Started:

Take a moment to prioritize each element of your wedding in order of importance to you. This will help you to distribute your budget accordingly.

Start a wedding scrapbook filled with magazine clippings that catch your eye to serve as a visual reference for your vendors.

Stationery:

Even a simple sheet of card stock can make a lasting impression if you simply play around with wording, font combinations, and layouts. Also, incorporating a sense of the setting into the text of the invitation adds a nice personal touch (At sunset on the island of Jamaica . . . Under the willow tree . . . This autumn in the family garden . . . ).

Be sure to visit your local post office in advance with a sample of your save the date and invitation to ensure they will be approved to travel through the mail and to see if additional postage is required.

All Dressed Up:

Wedding dress designers often have up to two sample sales a year. Call your local boutique to find out the dates and you may just get to walk down the aisle in your dream gown for a fraction of the price.

Use your wedding shoes as house slippers for a week or two so you can get used to them before the big day. Having a pair of ballet flats with you at your wedding can also come in handy for tired toes.

Blissful Blooms:

If you are trying to save a little money on the cost of flowers, here’s a tip: avoid planning your wedding just before Mother’s Day or Valentine’s Day.

Personalize your bouquet by wrapping it in a photocopied love letter or note written during your courtship. Attaching a family heirloom is also a great personal touch.

Cocktails:

Bring an intimacy to your cocktail hour by scattering cushions, placing art books from home on coffee tables, and displaying little photo frames housing fun trivia about your relationship . . . how many days you have been together, who said “I love you” first for example.

Add a twist to your cocktails by adding a skewer of frozen cranberries as a garnish.

Let's Celebrate:

Include the story of how you met into your ceremony. It allows guests to experience part of your love story.

Spray your favorite room spray about the dining room just before guests enter for a scented welcome.

Offer guests a midnight snack of donut holes and chocolate milk at their good byes.

Ask your music company or musicians to compile a CD for you of all the songs they played at your wedding. It makes a great keepsake.

Copyright © 2006 Jo Gartin

Author
Jo Gartin is the author of Jo Gartin's Weddings: An Inspiring Guide for the Stylish Bride (January 2006; $22.95US/$30.95CAN; 1-59486-261-3). She founded her event-planning company, Love Luck and Angels, in 2002, after discovering her talents while planning her own wedding. She is a regular contributor to InStyle and InStyle Weddings. Her work has been featured in many magazines, including Self, Lucky, and Women's Wear Daily. Vogue named her their most-recommended wedding coordinator in 2004. She currently lives in Los Angeles with her husband and daughter.

For more information, please visit www.loveluckandangels.com