The First Steps in Planning Your Wedding

Congratulations on getting engaged. Are you happy or stressing out already about the wedding planning that has to take place? Take a deep breath. You may feel confused and out of control, but here are some tips of how to handle the first few weeks after you get engaged.

Stop and Look at the Diamond Sparkle

Take a moment and look at the sparkle of the ring on your finger. You’re engaged! While you may be married for the rest of your life, you only get that short engagement period. Enjoy it. Take some time to just bask in the glow of your engagement before you start getting stressed about your wedding planning.

Tell Family and Friends

Call your mom, dad, grandparents, and more. Let them share in your happy moment. Let them enjoy the ring and begin sharing ideas about the wedding. Give them a chance to catch their breath with your engagement. Remember, though, to tell your family first. Then you can tell your friends. Tradition dictates that you tell the parents of the bride first, but it is up to you as to the order of whom you tell.

Put Together an Engagement Announcement

One way to be sure you are focusing on your engagement and not worrying too much yet about the wedding planning ahead is to put an announcement in the paper, telling the world that you are engaged. If you are not into putting an announcement in the newspaper, then you may want to just send out formal announcements to family and friends.

Start Buying Organization and Idea Resources

Before you jump head first into your wedding planning, try buying a wedding journal, bridal magazines, and a wedding planner. This way you can start writing down how you’re feeling, cutting out ideas, and keeping things organized. Allow yourself to revel in the dream wedding before you start getting into the actual planning. Don’t just focus on the wedding day, but the entire marriage. That’s what being engaged is all about.

Looking forward to your wedding day in 2009?  While all of the planning and leading up to the big day may be a bit stressful, at least you can rest assured that when it’s all said and done, you can head off to a relaxing honeymoon with your special someone.

Picking the right honeymoon can be a difficult choice, so to help you start your search, we offer the top 3 honeymoon destinations in Playa Del Carmen, St. Barths, & Punta Mita on our Dallas wedding site.

A honeymoon is supposed to be a stress-free romantic vacation, and the last thing you need is to deal with cumbersome luggage to and from the airport.  We recommend this great luggage site, which allows you to ship your luggage in advance to any destination, so that it’s waiting for you safe and sound at your dream destination!

Tags: Honeymoon Destinations, Honeymoons, Playa Del Carmen

New Year’s Eve is one of the best times of the year to pop the big question, and it can be an even better time to plan a wedding you’ll never forget.  Here are our suggestions on how to plan the perfect New Year’s Eve wedding:

Step 1

Reserve your ceremony and reception locations. Be aware many venues may be reserved for New Year’s Eve parties. Try to make reservations more than a year in advance, if possible. Schedule the times for night, starting your reception at around 8:00 so your guests will be there at midnight to ring in the new year.  If you’re still trying to decide on a venue, take a look at our Dallas wedding reception venues.

Step 2

Inform guests well in advance with a save the date notification before sending invitations. Because it’s a holiday, many people may have standing plans or reservations they’ll need to cancel. Do this as soon as you have officially determined the date, aiming for at least 6 months in advance. If you’re looking for help sending out these save the dates, try our Dallas wedding invitation partners.

Step 3

Plan your food and drinks. Since guests will be eating later, it’s a good idea to just stick with hors devours and dessert for food. Mention in the invitation that guests should eat something beforehand and you’ll be serving snacks and appetizers since they’ll be eating later than usual. (Our catering partners can help you plan out all of the details.)  Make sure you include lots of champagne on your drink list, as well as coffee.

Step 4

Decide on wedding colors and attire. Having a wedding on New Year’s Eve is a good opportunity to do a black tie event. Everyone will enjoy the chance to dress up to ring in the year. Black, gold and silver are the colors typically associated with New Year’s, so use those if you can.

Step 5

Send invitations to your guests. Do this around 3 months in advance instead of the usual 2 month timeframe used for wedding invitations. Our wedding invitation partners can help you send out the ideal invitations.

Step 6
Plan your decorations and flowers for the wedding. When doing a black tie theme, red and white roses are a great choice for flowers. Include noise-makers, confetti and party  hats. Have a big clock or TV for the countdown.

Step 7

Purchase party accessories and favors to go with the New Year’s Eve theme. Good examples are personal champagne bottles, fortune cookies, a CD with the songs which were a hit during the past year, bells which say ring in the new year with (your names) or personalized calendars for the year to come (do it yourself or use the local copy shop).

Tags: New Year's Wedding, weddings

While it may be “the most wonderful time of the year”, it can also be the most stressful!  Sometimes, all we need is to take a time out and recharge our batteries.  We’ve got the perfect cure for the stresses of the holiday season - a full-service spa treatment!  As Christmas is just around the corner, isn’t it about time you rewarded yourself or another with a rejuvenation of mind and soul?

On our Dallas wedding site, we feature the top spas in Dallas, including The Greenhouse, Corinthian Wellness Spa, The Spa at Willow Bend, and the Rosewood Crescent Hotel Spa.  Whether it’s a Christmas gift or a jump-start to the New Year, we’re confident that these unique spas will allow you to relax, unwind, and completely revitalize your energy and spirit.

Tags: spa treatments, Spas

Selecting your music is something that the two of you (bride and groom) can do together and one of the few tasks that a groom may actually enjoy! Music sets the tone - before the wedding, during the ceremony and at the reception. Plus it adds an elegance to your wedding and liveliness to your reception.

If you have hired musicians for your ceremony to provide the perfect sounds and you are having your wedding and reception at the same location then you will be able to use them for both, but if you have paid them for the ceremony and your budget won’t allow for additional entertainment, consider having CD’s made that can be played at your reception to enhance the excitement of the event. (If you are using the church organist meet with them in advance to hear and select music from their repertoire).

Having CD’s made also allows you to be creative and personalize the songs you choose as a couple and if the music is close to your heart then you could create a copy of the CD that your guests could take with them in memory of your big day.

If you choose pre-recorded music, just make sure to double check that your wedding and reception locations have adequate sound systems to accommodate the sound you are trying to provide.

As your research for your musicians or DJ’s, the first place to turn for recommendations would be your close friends and family. However, at StrictlyWeddings.com, our partners have been uniquely selected to provide you with beautiful music.

Whatever your choice, make it uniquely yours … it’s what memories are made of.

Tags: Ceremony, Entertainment, music, Reception, wedding entertainment, wedding music