When the right time and the right man come along and that special thing called love & passion hit you, you just know you’re in for the happiest ride of your life: your wedding. 
Fashion Editor at FashionTag
Photos: Sandra Rugina, freedigitalphotos.net
The thrills, happiness & excitement that come with a proposal are like the highest rush of adrenaline and butterflies, but as soon as the feeling settles (not yet in my case, still can’t get used to the thought) the chaos begins:
Planning your wedding.
Of course you can always go for the easy way out and hire a wedding planner, given money is not an issue, but that still requires you to have an idea of how you want your big day to be like.
So yes, I am getting married this summer and am so ecstatic about it! Well, when planning nerves & chaos are not taking over, that is. Brave as I am (and a bit of a control freak. There I said it), I have decided to organize the wedding myself. If you’re walking the same shoes... one advice for you my lovely ladies: don’t panic!
Of course weddings are so different depending on cultures, countries, traditions but there are a few general rules that remain true no matter where you’re from. And it all begins with setting a date (and establishing whether it’s a day or night event).
My wedding is in July, because I love a summer wedding (I am addicted to summer so that was a no brainer) and my boyfriend and I both have August birthdays, so I figured it would be amazing to have a lifetime of summer dates to celebrate by.
Party excuses, I know. When you talk dates you need to think at what type of wedding you love: spring (fresh, lots of flowers, cool climate), autumn (beautiful array of colours, more rustic) or winter (glacial elegance). And then comes the fun part – booking your venue.
Venue
When looking for a venue you either know or don’t know yet your wedding theme, or you may just have an idea of how you’d like it to be and play along on whatever you find, trying to adapt it. One other thing to have in mind at this point is the number of guests (so you can do an approximate list just to have an idea of how many people you’d like to invite). Take your boyfriend with you so that he loves the place too.
It’s one of the few things you both need to agree on when planning the wedding (I don’t think he’ll care too much for decorations or flowers for instance).
And off you go. Make as many venue viewings as possible and take into account the location as well. Start the viewings as in advance as you can (a year may sound so long, but it pays off, as you’ll have everything done and ready months before the event and avoid turning into a bridezilla weeks before the wedding).
The moment you step into a venue you know if it’s the right one or not. Much like with the dress. Sure you can compromise and go for a less fabulous place that you think you’ll decorate to make it look nice, but really?
Compromise on your wedding day? The truth is... the more you need to decorate the more money you’ll spend.
My tip is to go for a simple elegant place that has beautiful chairs, tables, table cloths, walls, entrance, enough room for dancing, good lightning, clean bathrooms and included menu.
Make that delicious included-in-the-price menu. Most venues work with catering companies or are restaurants themselves, so ask for a food & drinks offer & quote and pick your faves.
And if both of you love it start negotiating. Think of all the extra personal touch bits you want to give to the place and ask if they can help out & include them in the price, or offer a discount.
Try to sort out as many things as possible with the venue manager so that it leaves less fuss for you to worry about.
I used to panic at the very thought of having to do so much leg work in between the venue, catering, flowers & decorating agencies.
But thankfully I opted for a big restaurant, simple (all white: basic chairs, round tables with simple white table cloth, nude floor & walls and amazing diamond-looking curtains & huge candelabras).
So basically I don’t need to decorate it at all.
Huge tall flower table centerpieces for a splash of color are enough. And it perfectly fits my wedding idea: understated elegant glamor.
If you love it, book it! And tick it off your list.
Food & Drinks (Menu)
One of the most important things for your guests will definitely be the Menu: food & drinks. So make sure that whatever you choose (traditional or exotic) it tastes good and looks good.
And then, depending on how long the event will last you need to figure out the number of courses and the time interval of serving them.
Leave the cake for last as it will probably not even be included in that menu, but you’ll have to choose it and book it with a confectionery.
If you have vegetarian or special diet guests make sure to have separate dishes for them.
When it comes to drinks you must serve them all: water (still & sparkle), sodas, natural juice, coffees, teas, wine, beers & spirits. Cocktails are optional.
Some restaurants have opened bar. If however you do not have all alcoholic drinks included ask permission to bring some. That means you need to purchase them separately so start looking for affordable liquor shops who offer discounts for such occasions.
For dessert it's highly likely that the restaurant or catering company does not cover this as it's usually custom made, so brace yourselves and use the wedding excuse to indulge in sweets as you go to choose your wedding cake. They can also provide you with the sweet & candy buffet (which can be color coordinated) and with sweet gift packages for your guests when they leave home. Taste as many flavors as you can before sticking to one and pay attention to detail and presentation.
Decorations & Centerpieces
To have a complete venue full you must find a Wedding Decorations agency for the the table centerpieces, church flowers, bride’s bouquet and bride & groom table.
If you know nothing about flowers, do not despair and just talk color with the floweriest. They will most definitely know what goes best with your theme and best fits your wedding ideas.
What you can do here (that’s what I did and they found it most helpful) is show them photos of wedding arrangements & centerpieces that you find online and you love and work your theme around them.
For an elegant glamorous vibe go for dark voluminous high centerpieces (I love deep violet peonies & hydrangeas as they give an ultra imperial glam elegance against the sparking white).
Plus the high centerpieces will not crowd the table.
If however you opt for a more fun, laid back, spring-ish wedding theme, the low colorful centerpieces look amazing.
It is all a matter of taste.
However, regardless of the style you choose make sure the presentation is top-notch.
Ask the agency to decorate your table (bride & groom) as well, following the same color pattern and also help out with a subtle simple flower arrangement for church.
That just leaves the most important thing. The bride’s bouquet. You can do whatever you want as it’s your day, you need to shine, have fun, look the part and feel comfortable.
If you ask me it does not even need to match the centerpieces.
Go for colored fun bouquets or for simple ones or for extravagant, glam, tiny or big ones. The sky is the limit.
Put your personal touch on it, after all you’ll be the one holding it for so long.
My tip is stick to simple (white or light shades) small & round (as I’ve heard it can be pretty heavy) so that it’s easy to hold, put down and pick up in a second.
Besides... a small round white roses bouquet is way more feminine and cute than a big glamorous one.
If you have bridesmaids it is better to ask them if they’d prefer a bouquet or just corsages.
Now I know you’ve got your own ideas about how you want them to look, but remember it’s a party, they need to have fun, so don’t over do it and make them hold bouquets they hate and are utterly uncomfortable with.
Corsages can be more chic, easier to make & wear and more affordable.
When it comes to decorations you may also choose to have extra bits, especially if you need to glam up your venue. Or you may just want some personal things to pop up here and there that look fabulous: tiny boxes on tables, cute flowers, bows, custom made fashion & decoration bits that put a style together.
My personal tip on this one: don’t over do it. Less is more. Stick to flowers alone.
Read the rest in part 2.
xoxo
Dana Malaescu
Fashion Editor at FashionTag
Photos: Sandra Rugina, freedigitalphotos.net
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