Planning Your Wedding–Stress Free

There are few events in life that are as stressful as putting together your own wedding. If you have been a bride or are planning an impending wedding, then you know exactly the kind of time, money, energy, effort and stress goes into all the ceremonies, parties, social gatherings. It is not uncommon to start preparing months in advance, especially if you are getting married in a super busy month. Most of the popular venues, makeup artists, photographers, etc. are overbooked during the wedding season. An organized bride is definitely one that can actually do everything that needs to be done without looking exhausted from the planning on her main day. Most of the time, the honeymoon becomes more of a relaxing getaway instead of a romantic one. So can everything be done on schedule without stressing – the bridal lehenga fitting, the trousseau packing and the bridal facial?

Here is how you can do-it-all without going nuts:

1. Hiring a consultant or a wedding planner, especially if you have a lot going around the wedding, is a very good investment. Whether it is a destination wedding, a theme wedding, a wedding with thousands of guests or wedding spanning across six functions; a wedding planner with the right experience can totally plan everything for you (with your approval of course).
2. During the wedding planning, try not to get too influenced by every opinion you hear. Some people may have something to say about your outfit, while others may not like your choice of hairdresser. But as long as you are happy and comfortable, try not to please everyone and get everyone on board with your choices.
3. Think of all the amazing beauty treatments that you are doing and how much money you are investing in them. Now think what will be the state of your skin, hair and face if you stress out all the time and don’t get enough sleep. So accept that some things may not go as per schedule and some last minute delays may totally be totally inevitable and just go with the flow instead of being a control freak.
4. It is very easy to go overboard on a budget while planning a lavish wedding. Everything from orchids and candles and personalized napkins seem like necessities when you are viewing your world through rose tinted glasses. Yes, it’s true that this is a super big deal and a very important day, but it is also true that you need to draw a line somewhere, especially if it is all about the froufrou beyond a point.
5. Wedding shows, bridal magazines, online communities, etc. are all great places to get inspiration for your bridal attire. If you are going with a ready-made lehenga, then you can see the end product when you pay for it; however, if you are choosing to go with a custom-made outfit, make sure that you explain exactly what you have in mind to the designer, so that you are not disappointed with the final product. Designer outfits and custom-made wedding clothes should be chosen by people who have the time and patience to explain their ideas and go for fittings without getting frustrated.

Your bridal attire is something you will cherish forever and your wedding photos will be etched in your memory forever, so choose your clothes and photographers wisely. The idea is to look, confident, comfortable and drop dead gorgeous – all at once. And that requires the combination of the right outfit, makeup, accessories and most importantly, the right attitude. Make your wedding day a fun, memorable event.

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Wedding Planners in Delhi

How to Select Your Wedding Planner?

Finding someone to plan and coordinate your Indian wedding can be a big headache. After all, finding the right wedding planner who will be compatible with you besides being reliable, professional and exactly-what-you-need is not that easy. Here’s a complete guide on how to select your Indian wedding planner which will save you from getting buried under the weird checklists.

Referrals

Nothing like getting references straight from a couple that has been there and done that. Ask your colleagues, friends, family and relatives who might have hired wedding planners to manage their wedding. Also, ask for the contacts of good caterers, DJs and other departments you would need for your wedding.

Do Some Background Research

Hit the search engines and search for the best Indian wedding planners. You may also narrow down your search query by cities, towns or by specialities. Also, social media can be a great place to find reliable planners and wedding vendors. Visit our site  Wedding Planners in Delhi for further details.

Ask Questions

This is, by far, the best way of selecting the perfect wedding planner in India. So, what are the questions you must ask the wedding planners? Here’s a questionnaire summary-

1. Are you available on our wedding date?
2. Do you have a business license?
3. How many weddings have you covered till date?
4. What are the biggest challenges you have faced?
5. Are you up for destination weddings as well?
6. What if there’s a rain or storm? What’s your backup plan?
7. Will you handle the logistics, too?
8. What are the parts you won’t cover?
9. Can we have a complete floor plan of the wedding?
10. What does your package include and exclude?
11. Do you have a contract to sign?
12. Does the package include any hidden costs?
13. What discounts are we getting?
14. How many meetings and phone calls do your plan include?
15. What about the parts you won’t cover? Do you have some referrals for that? Or else, would you be okay to work with other vendors?
16. Can we talk to your a few of your past clients?
17. Can you customize your plans according to our needs?
18. What if the output does not meet our expectations?
19. What if something goes wrong from your end? How much refund can we expect?
20. Do you promise punctuality?
21. Do you guarantee that the final cost won’t exceed our budget?
22. Can you provide us with a complete list of items you’d want us to buy for the wedding?
23. What about the payment policy? How much advance do we need to pay and when to clear the final dues?

Questions to Ask Yourself

1. Yes, after every interview is over, ask yourself these simple questions-
2. Do I feel heard and understood?
3. Does the planner and its team look convincing and professional enough?
4. Does its work history sound good?
5. Am I already feeling apprehensive about working with this team?
6. Do the referred past clients sound too plastic and phony?
7. What other choices do we have?

And, when all the answers will sound good and convincing enough, you know which Indian wedding planner you should go for. Just don’t forget to listen to your gut; usually, it never misleads or deceives.

Small Indian Wedding

How To Plan A Small Indian Wedding

A huge guest list is synonymous with an Indian wedding. It doesn’t matter if you have actually met the person just twice in your life, but even then there’s a good chance that his or her name will also be added to a growing guest list. But what if you don’t want a huge Indian wedding and you’re happy to host just a small ceremony but one that is very meaningful and close to your heart? Is it possible to have a small gathering come together to celebrate a real Indian wedding? What if we told you yes? Here’s what you need to do:

Think about a destination wedding

Would it surprise you if we told you that many Indian couples are considering getting married on foreign shores just so that they can cut down their guest list almost by 70%? That’s one of the best things about having a destination wedding- that only the ones who really matter will actually make and take time to be there for you and with you as you say your vows. And no, nobody will make any snide comments about not being invited either!

A small venue is worth considering

In countries like Europe, getting married at home is often considered a very sweet gesture especially because a bride will be leaving her parental home for her new one. In India, however, having an Indian wedding at home isn’t a trend that has actually caught on. But if you are certain that you don’t just want anybody to be there at your wedding, then considering a small venue like a city hall, a relative’s house or even your own will be worth it. Think of the expenses you can save on besides the intimacy of the ceremony itself.

Call only your relatives

Sure, you may be very keen on calling your friends too but exactly how do you decide which friend is more important than the other? If your girl group meet often and you feel that this could lead to friction within the group, it makes sense to either call all of them or not to at all. This way, nobody gets offended and the same rule should apply to your husband’s gang of boys too. How about inviting only family members over for the wedding ceremony instead? That way, all those who matter will be there and since it is a small gathering anyways, it makes room for better conversation and longer lasting memories.

Go DIY

Don’t be scared of having a DIY wedding because you think that there is so much of work that you will need to do. A DIY wedding becomes a more serious responsibility to undertake when the guest list is a huge one too. On the other hand, planning a small wedding is plenty of fun because you truly get to put your dreams into action. From deciding the overall colours of the theme to the flowers and the food, going DIY gives you greater control over every aspect of wedding planning.

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https://www.weddingeye.in/

Wedding Planners in Delhi

How To Choose The Right Event Planner

ONLY great event planners produce great events. Whether you are planning a corporate event or any social event, large and elaborate or even small and intimate event, the greatest favor you can do yourself is to have a great event planner organize the event for you.

Event planners are both planners and producers of events. Whether or not you know what type of event you are trying to produce, that is the theme, venue, guests, entertainment and the overall atmosphere, a great event planner has what it takes to create the perfect mood and atmosphere and to make a lasting positive impression in your guests’ minds.

Here are a few quick guides to choosing the right event planner for your next event.

Service: If you know what type of event you want to hold, you should first list out your event needs, all the vital components to your event’s end result before starting the search for an event planner. A good event planner will work closely with you, listening to your specific needs and helping to create a clear vision for your event. A great event planner builds confidence in you similar to that which you have in your doctor or lawyer.

Friendship: A great event planner is one who is genuinely interested in you and in helping you solve your event problems. He/she displays a great sense of commitment toward you and delivers nothing short of high quality services to you. So when selecting an event planner, please find the one that shows you that care and that you can have fun with, not one who is only out to make as much money as possible from your event. Your event planner should be one you always look forward to working with.

Reputation: Any event planner that you choose to manage your event must have a great reputation and a level of experience. To find out about these, visit their official website. If they can create an organized, engaging and exciting website, chances are that they are capable of producing a great event as well.

Creativity: To make your special event a really memorable one, your event planner must be able to come up with ideas that will constantly “wow” the attendees. Your event planner’s creativity comes to play in putting together an eye pleasing and classy event with a superlative ambience that both you and your guests could never have imagined. You therefore need to be on the lookout for such when next you are hiring an event planner.

Strength of Character: It is not only important to pick a creative event planner but also one that has a reputation of being honest, straightforward and trustworthy. Trust me, your event does better with one who can keep to his word and deliver exactly what he/she has said to do.

Fund Management: A great event producer knows how to deal with money responsibly and understands how to spend wisely too. Your best choice for an event planner therefore is the one who can deliver the best possible event within the confines of your budget.

Wedding Planners in Delhi - Please note that whenever you need to hire an event planner to help you with an event, it is your comfort level that is most important. Be sure to hire someone who understands what you want out of the event, instills confidence and can go all the way to produce a successful event that will be enjoyed by all in attendance and remembered for years to come.

Need Of Wedding Planners in India

These days, almost every couple is planning budget; however, everyone seems to think they can do all the preparatory work all by themselves to save money. Therefore, they invest in a great photographer to capture the moment, floral designer hired to make everything look nice and money spent ages. However, when it comes to getting a professional wedding planner India together will all the details, generally, the couple decided to hold back on this point. A lot of money in the plan, but to the wedding day, everything is executed is a family friend, an aunt, catering manager, or bridesmaid.

One should not forget that they get what they pay for and the wedding planner is no exception. The actual bride wedding planning service as a business, rather than as a hobby is essential, you will not be charged an amount which can not afford. And their interactive services and provide them with Indian wedding planners; do wedding planning services highly sought after.

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Wedding Planners in Delhi

Planning Your Wedding? Ask Questions First

 

On the exterior wall of the elementary school that I attended (many years ago) was an engraved sign that read, ‘Knowledge Is Power.’  I remember that message even today as I research the wedding industry trends, hear of successful wedding events coordinated by other peers and focus on my client’s sophisticated, creative and memorable weddings.  The recent article written by Danielle Rothweiler, contributing writer at  The Huffington Post, was delivered to me via email this morning.  Her article, ‘What To (Really) Ask Your Potential Wedding Planner,’ reminded me of the sign that I saw every weekday for 5 years.

Danielle’s topic is timely, informative and insightful for those couples looking for help (professionals) as they plan their wedding celebration.  Her ten frequently asked ‘questions & answers’ range from wedding packages to finding the right wedding planner for your day.  The three topics that hit home for myself are #3 – venue, #4 – receive a commission, #5 – experience.

In your search to find businesses, I suggest:  find a wedding planner that is willing to research venues within the county of where you want your ceremony.  Having knowledge of the venues with current pictures and the activities happening before, during and after your wedding date, will be an asset to yourself and your guests.  My Preferred Vendor List reflects local businesses that provide exceptional service, arrive on-time and respond to emails and phone calls in a timely fashion.  I don’t accept referral payments or kick-backs when I refer a client. But, I do ask those professionals on my list to work with me to provide a calm, relaxed, non-drama day.  Finding a wedding planner that sees and understands your vision will not only save you time and stress, they will focus on you.

Like these ideas?? Let me know by “Liking” this post and or leaving a comment. I’d love to hear from you!

For more ideas and tips, follow me on my Facebook page! Lisa Kenward Events

Want to copy my post in your newsletter, blog or website? You can as long as you include: “Hilton Head Island, South Carolina (and surrounding areas) Professional Wedding Planner, Lisa Kenward, writes the “Southern Weddings Blog” with her perspective on current topics for weddings and special events. 

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Wedding Planners in Delhi

MY BEST FRIEND’S WEDDING

I can’t believe in two days time my best friend will be married. After 26 years of friendship, the day has come for me to play my role as Maid of Honour.

On the 2nd April 2015, James popped the question to Becky over a champagne picnic in the lakes.  I was at work when my phone started ringing… and I know that when Becs calls me during the day its a call I need to answer!

Becs: “I’M ENGAGED”

Me: “OH MY GOD! WAHHHH, how did he propose? whats the ring like? where are you? OH MY GOD. I knew it. I’m so excited!!! I’ll call you after work and tell me ALL!!!”

We always knew between us that we’d be each others Maid of Honours due to our long standing friendship.  The countless sleepovers we’ve had growing up are good memories of dreaming up our ‘dream man‘…

… he needs to be tall, dark hair, nice eyes, nice teeth, slim, funny, romantic, caring, loving, faithful, good dress sense, sporty… (the list went on…)

But now, I can faithfully say that we have both found our ‘dream’ men and I can’t wait to be by her side on her big day.

It’s thanks to Becky and James that I have found my other half Scott and also found new wonderful friendships.  It’s such a lovely thought to think that between us both, things have worked out so perfectly and we have such an amazing friendship group. I know that our friendship will never ever fade.

I haven’t attended many weddings and so being MOH was a bit of a daunting thought at first but with my passion to organise I’ve enjoyed every minute!  Planning Becky’s hen party in London was like a dream come true and I wish we could do it all over again!

The way I see the role of MOH is just to be there every step of the way.  Be a sounding board, be available, be honest and be a true friend.  In my eyes it’s nothing you would do different from just being a best friend.  When Becky asked me to be Maid of Honour, I stopped to think, do I actually know what I need to do?? And so google came into hand and so here is my advice…

Listening to the bride, making her laugh, and offering emotional and logistical support are all part of your MOH package. Here’s what’s expected:

• Plan the hen party
• Help the bride find her dress and attend all the dress shopping trips
• Help select the bridesmaid dresses
• Attend the fittings
• Help the bride choose her accessories
• Be the bride’s right-hand woman throughout the wedding planning and on the day
• Be a sounding board for whenever the bride needs you to listen
• Be honest and provide help and support
• Coordinate the bridesmaids on the day
• Ensure the bride has the most stress-free morning
• Help arrange her something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue

Wedding planning up until the big day can be stressful.  There’s so much to organise and so its important not to forget that the morning of the wedding is probably going to be when everything comes to a head. So its the MOH’s role to make sure the bride has a stress free morning and soaks in the moment.  Add these to your wedding morning to do list:

• Keep everyone on track – the MOH should receive a copy of the timeline and familiarise herself with the morning protocol, including hair and makeup appointments. That way, she can keep everyone on schedule and get them to the ceremony on time.
• Act as the point of contact – The MOH should give out her phone number to all of the key individuals in advance so she can help field any questions for the bride that morning. This will ensure that the bride remains relaxed and stress-free on her big day and that everything goes smoothly.
• Feed the bride (okay, not literally) – The morning of the wedding can be a fast and frantic experience and some brides simply forget to eat, the day has to start with good health and nutrition, as blood sugar levels can run low, resulting in irritability and the bride feeling tired.
• Be on drunk patrol – If you plan on enjoying some bubbly with the girls while you get glam, it’s your duty to try and keep the bride and bridesmaids to a one to two glass. It’s never a good idea to let the champagne flow without a good amount of getting ready munchies around.
• Help her get dressed – Getting a nervous woman into possibly the most expensive, elaborate dress she’ll wear in her life is no small task. You’ll want to be certain everything is laid out in advance, from undergarments to shoes to jewelry, so there’s no last minute scrambling.
• Be at her beck and call – While your BFF sits for hours getting gorgeous, she’ll need your help fetching things, dealing with her phone and generally calming her nerves the whole time
• Act as a gatekeeper – If there are family members or friends that are known to seriously stress out the bride, it’s your job to keep them away from her, as best you can.
• Make sure the bridal suite is spick and span – Technically, this will happen later on in the afternoon. Once all of the bridesmaids are done getting ready though, it’s the maid of honor’s job to make sure they clear their stuff out of the bridal suite so that the bride and groom don’t return to a messy room at the end of the night.
• Carry her essentials – The bride doesn’t usually carry a handbag so make sure she has a bag on hand that has any essentials she’ll need throughout the day such as make up, tissues, her mobile phone (and in Becky’s case, a supply of mini eggs).

If you’ve been asked to be Maid of Honour, you’re considered as one of her closest friends and so you’ll know her inside out.  You’ll know how to be there for her in the best way you can.

Becky to me is the most kind hearted person and the most wonderful friend I could ever wish for.  I’m glad I met the girl in the red polka dot dress in nursery and we’ll continue to have years and years of friendship between us. I can’t wait for the day we grow old together and our children become BBF’s!

I’m so happy she has found her perfect match and I am so incredibly excited to see them become husband and wife.

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MY TRUE BEST FRIEND

There’s been so many times when I needed you as my friend, no matter what the reason is you’ll be there till the end.

Every time I need to talk or I’m sad and feeling blue, you understand, you’re honest and you’ll give your point of view.

You always put me first if I need you to be there, I appreciate you doing this it shows how much you really care. 

Your unconditional friendship showed me the person I am inside, and just to be myself is something I never have to hide. 

If you ever need anything, anytime day or night, I promise I will be there to try and make it right. 

I hope I can do for you all the things you’ve done for me, a true friend is what you forever will always be. 

Kimberley Anne 

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Wedding Planners in Delhi

Ten Tips For a D.I.Y Wedding

Weddings can be expensive. While planning our wedding I noticed as soon as the word “wedding” was mentioned, the price of things seemed to double. We had never wanted to spend a lot of money on our wedding, we just didn’t see the sense in it for one day. However, the costs soon add up. We have received a lot of comments about how wonderful our wedding looked on a budget so I thought I’d share my tips with others in the same boat.

1. Use Pinterest for inspiration to choose your theme 
   
   and colours. It was an excellent resource which I used a lot during planning. We had decided on a country/vintage theme, which seemed to work well for our budget. By using Pinterest, we were sure of the look we wanted and what we would need to purchase to achieve it. Make sure you love your theme and colours before you start buying anything. Changing your mind with themes and colours can end up costing you a lot of money! Someone I know changed their colour scheme mid-planning and spent a lot more money than they had budgeted for.

2. Make your own Save the Date cards and invitations. I spent many hours designing ours on Photoshop, then we printed them ourselves. We hand delivered as many invitations as we could to save on the cost of postage (apart from the interstate ones, of course!). The cost of our invitations worked out to be about $3.50 each. If you aren’t any good with Photoshop or designing, Vista Print also have a great range of invitations ready to personalise and order.

3. Book everything and pay early. This will help with your budget. We booked everything in the beginning of our planning phase. Make sure you have the money for any deposits businesses need before booking as they usually only give two weeks to pay a deposit. By doing this we knew how much money we needed to put away every week to pay for the necessities. Things were paid off early which left more money in the final week leading up to the wedding – you just never know when an extra expense is going to pop up!

4. Enter competitions. You have nothing to lose and every little bit of help you can get will save you money! I entered a lot of competitions and was lucky enough to win one! It was a $100 voucher to get personalised glasses for our bridal party. Instead of costing us a fortune, we paid $6.50 for five personalised glasses.

5. Hire a community hall. Just as long as it suits your theme. We hired our local community hall, costing us $150. We had the hall for the entire week leading up to the wedding which meant we had ample time to set everything up ourselves. The hall had tables and glassware that we used which meant we didn’t have to hire. We saved a lot of money by hiring the hall and it suited our theme perfectly.

6. Ask guests to pay for their own meals. We have lived together for a long time and had everything we needed so we asked guests to pay for their own meals in lieu of gifts. We supplied the alcohol, soft drink and punch so our guests were not up for an expensive weekend to celebrate our special day with us. By asking the guests to pay for their meals we saved ourselves $1500 and guests didn’t need to stress about what they were going to get us as a gift!

7. Use recycled goods. Our centrepieces consisted of old books and glass jars. The great thing about doing the vintage/country theme is that most of what you need can be purchased from a tip shop, as some of our old books were. The glass jars we used were recycled jam and sauce jars which were decorated with hessian, twine, lace curtain material and ribbon. Other purchases from the tip shop included apple crates and doors as extra decorative pieces.

8. Hire the extras. We hired table cloths for every table for $6.50 each, chairs for every guest for $5.50 each and a wine barrel as a cake stand for $55. It works out to be a lot cheaper than having to buy it all yourself. And the added bonus at the end is that you don’t need to store it or sell it!

9. Have a lolly buffet. Our lolly buffet was our thank you gift to our guests. We purchased glass jars and utensils for serving from discount stores and Kmart and the paper bags and lollies were bought in bulk. It ended up costing under $10 per guest with the cost of everything included.

10. Get others involved. We are very blessed to have the friends and family that we do. They were all willing to help out in whatever way they could. A few family members grew roses for us for our centrepieces and other decorations. I can’t even imagine how much money this saved us as my bridal bouquet, the maid of honour’s bouquet and four roses for my hair cost $250 from a florist! We also done a lot of crafting of decorations with family so not only did we save time with more hands, it turned a job into fun!

We achieved the look we wanted and my expectations for how I envisioned our wedding day were exceeded. Our day could not have been more perfect and it was all done on a budget!

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Wedding Planners in Delhi