Planning a wedding is one of those huge life events that you'll most likely only do once unless of course you help a friend or family member with theirs or happen to be a wedding coordinator. You won't have the luxury of learning from your mistakes for the next time.
You can, however, learn from the past experiences of other brides and grooms. Every couple has at least one thing that they wish they had done differently "if only we had known!" Well, today WhereBridesGo.com is here to clue you in on a few wedding tips and tricks that will help to make some of the planning process easier for you.
#1 - Set up a Wedding Email Address
You'll be getting a lot of emails from various vendors for the wedding and you don't want to lose them among all the other emails in your inbox. A temporary email address specifically for this special event lets you keep emails separated. You can then delete that email after the wedding to avoid future solicitations from vendors you no longer need to hear from.
#2 - Sign Up for Vendor Emails
Since you have a "disposable" email address set up, go ahead and sign up to be on the email lists of your preferred wedding vendors. This is a great way to learn about special sales and receive discount codes to use on items and services you will need. You can sign up for the WhereBridesGo.com newsletter at the bottom of our website pages. It is filled with all kinds of helpful wedding planning tips and inspiration.
#3 - Take Advantage of "FREE"
As long as you stick to your budget and pay off the bills before interest starts adding up, using a rewards credit card to pay for the big-ticket items for your wedding can earn you free cash back, special perks, and airline miles for a honeymoon trip.
Also, save money where you can by taking advantage of free shipping on items for your wedding like we offer at WhereBridesGo.com. Order nearly everything you need to plan the perfect wedding and get free standard ground shipping on all orders delivered within the Continental USA!
#4 - Create a Wedding Website
In most cases, this is another freebie you can take advantage of. There are lots of places online that let you set up a wedding website at no cost! This is an excellent way to keep your guests informed by providing updated wedding details. You can also share directions, hotel information, gift registries, engagement photos, and all kinds of useful information in one place. You can even collect the RSVPs digitally, simplifying one more planning step!
#5 - Number the RSVPs
If you will be collecting paper RSVPs through the mail, discreetly number each one in a corner or on the back in case your guest forgets to put their name on it. This happens more often than you would think, leaving you to try to figure out who mailed it back!
#6 - Buy a Return Address Stamp
A personalized return address rubber stamp to use on your wedding invitations will save you a lot of writing, plus if you are using the address where you and your fiance will be living after the wedding, it can be reused for many years to come. Another easy alternative is to print out sticker labels.
#7 - Avoid Paper Cuts
Even if you make a wedding website, you will most likely still be mailing out paper invitations. The best way to seal all of those wedding invitations is to use a wet foam brush to moisten the glue instead of your tongue, or you can even use a glue stick to do the trick.
#8 - Break in Your Shoes
You will both probably buy a fancy, brand new pair of shoes to walk down the aisle in. Don't set them aside for the special day. Wear them around the house occasionally to break them in so they are comfortable to wear at the wedding. If the shoes are slick on the bottom, you can rough the soles up a little with sandpaper for better traction.
#9 - Duplicate Wedding Info
You have kept your trusty wedding binder close to you at all times during the planning process. Even if you have kept track of everything digitally online, consider printing the important stuff out (vendor & wedding party contact info, wedding day schedule, names of special dance songs, etc...) for the wedding day.
Have a couple of copies made in case yours gets lost. Give one copy to the groom, one to your maid of honor, and a copy to anyone else that's responsible enough to help you keep things running smoothly.
#10 - Hire a Coordinator
One of the biggest "I wish I had..." statements from past brides is that they would have hired a wedding coordinator, if not for the entire planning process then at least for day-of coordination. You don't want to be so busy worrying about the little details on your wedding day that you look back and realize you missed experiencing the fun side of everything. That alone makes hiring help worthy of a spot in your budget.
Well, now that we have those 10 tips written down, we've thought of even more! Be sure to check back next week for 10 More Wedding Tips & Tricks to Simplify Your Life!
In the meantime, go ahead and get some of your wedding planning underway by browsing our online wedding store. There you will find page after page of incredible inspiration and fantastic items for your very special day.
~The WhereBridesGo.com Team
Post by Deanna Powell, Certified Bridal Consultant