Before we get into Tip #5, here’s a recap of the previous tips:

• Tip #1: Determine what kind of wedding you want.
• Tip #2: Prioritize.
• Tip #3: Tackle the guest list.
• Tip #4: Set your budget.

In just one week all 9 planning tips will be posted and you’ll be able to enter our lucky + in love contest!

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Tip #5: When and where?

When to Get Married – Considerations

1. Season: Do you love the idea of a cozy winter wedding, or is the freshness of spring more appealing? If you have no preference for a particular wedding date, nail down a window of 1 or 2 months and go from there.
2. Day of the Week: Most weddings are held on Saturday but if you are open to a Friday, Sunday or even a weekday wedding you will have a lot more flexibility with your choices of venues and wedding professionals.
3. Length of Engagement: Some couples like to take their time during the wedding planning process and are happy to stretch out their engagement for 12-18 months – or longer! Others want to tie the knot as soon as possible. Shorter planning timelines are absolutely doable, but be prepared to make decisions quickly.
4. Popularity: July and August are extremely busy months for weddings in Canada and especially in Alberta where the warm weather is so short-lived. If you are set on a July wedding be prepared to begin planning at least 12 months in advance. Many of the popular venues and wedding professionals are booked up quite early for the busy summer months.
5. V.I.P. Guest Attendance: Once you have an idea of when you’d like to get married, you may wish to run the timing by your closest family members and friends to ensure they can attend.

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Where to Get Married – Considerations

1. Ceremony Venue: Are you having a religious ceremony in a church? Would you like to hold your ceremony at the same place as your reception? If you have your heart set on an outdoor ceremony don’t forget to make a ‘plan B’ in case of inclement weather.
2. Reception Venue: When searching for the perfect reception venue, consider formality, atmosphere and style. Select a location that fits the look and feel that you would like to convey on your big day. As the reception costs will likely eat up about half of your budget, do some serious number-crunching before signing a contract.
3. Location: Are a lot of guests travelling to your wedding from out-of-town? If so, consider holding your reception at or nearby a hotel. Likewise, if most of your guests won’t have transportation it’s thoughtful to hold the ceremony and reception in the same place or arrange for shuttle service.
4. Capacities: Only look at venues that are suited to your wedding size. A venue may advertise that their location can hold up to 200 guests but that capacity may not be meant for a wedding layout. Ask your wedding planner or the venue coordinator for floorplans from weddings previously held in the space to ensure that it can accommodate a dance floor, a head table and any other special requirements (ie. a dessert table, a guestbook table, etc.).
5. Revisit Your Wedding Priorities: Look back at what you listed as your wedding priorities and keep them top of mind on your venue hunt. For example, if an awesome party is really important to you ask about noise restrictions and when guests must vacate the reception room. Some hotels dictate that music must be turned off after a certain time due to guest room proximity.

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Until the next tip…

Jennifer

Tip #4: Set your budget.

Setting your wedding budget can be a daunting task, but if you put some thought into it during the early stages of your planning you will save yourselves from experiencing budget blues down the road. Here are some key considerations:

1. Determine where the funds are coming from. Are you and your fiancé footing the entire bill, or are your families contributing? Financial involvement usually means input and opinions from the source(s) of the funds. It is your wedding, but if you aren’t paying for it be prepared to make compromises.
2. Discuss your resources. Are you working with a maximum figure that cannot be exceeded, or do you have a more flexible budget range? It’s important to know what you can spend, but you and your fiancé should also discuss and agree upon what you are comfortable spending. Money matters can be a huge source of tension and conflict between couples and stressing over wedding expenses is no way to begin a marriage.
3. Do your research. You’ve likely never planned a wedding before and you may not have the faintest idea how much things like photography, flowers and limos cost. If you don’t know what wedding vendors charge this is a great time to consult a wedding planner. Most planners offer hourly consultations and a variety of planning packages, so it’s a great idea to meet with one soon after you get engaged to see how s/he can help.
4. Bring it all together. Now that you have determined what you’re working with, it’s time to revisit the kind of wedding you want, your wedding priorities and the guest list. If your budget and wedding vision don’t jive, something has to give. Above all, be realistic!

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When you’re ready to put pen to paper, remember these helpful pointers:

• As a rule of thumb, expect to allocate about 50% of your budget to the reception costs (food, alcohol and room rental). This does not include any other expenses related to the reception, such as flowers, décor, entertainment, etc.
• Decide if your budget will include costs associated with the wedding such as your honeymoon or wedding bands. These costs can add up to thousands of dollars so if they are coming out of your budget you need to allocate accordingly.
• Don’t forget to account for tips and taxes!
• Add a buffer to your budget for unexpected or miscellaneous costs (approximately 5-10% of the total).

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Have you heard about our lucky + in love contest? We are giving away FREE planning consultations to three couples! The contest entry form will be available on January 21st after all 9 planning tips have been posted. Click here for all the details and stay tuned for more helpful wedding planning tips.

Happy Planning!

Jennifer

Tip #3: Tackle the guest list.

The guest list is an unavoidable part of the wedding planning process, and sadly it often causes the most headaches. If you’re recently engaged you’ve probably taken a stab at the first draft – this is a great start. But it’s important to consider the constraints that may affect your target guest number: venue capacity, overall budget, where the budget is coming from and desired atmosphere.

To limit the list-making madness, involve all “stakeholders” from the beginning. Your wedding stakeholders include anyone who has an emotional and/or financial interest in your wedding. If your parents are contributing financially to the wedding or if they’ll have any say at all as to who is invited, consult them from the get-go! More often than you’d imagine couples begin the venue hunt or even book a venue only to realize later that mom and dad are inviting 25 of their work colleagues to the wedding. Get it all on the table during the early stages so you don’t run into issues later.

Generally, you can expect anywhere from 10-30% of your guests to decline. Some factors that influence the decline rate include:

• Time of year / when the wedding is being held (eg. busy summer weekends may see a higher decline rate as guests have booked family holidays or have other weddings to attend)
• The proportion of your guest list who must travel to the wedding versus the number who are local
• Length of notice provided to guests – sending save-the-date cards 8-12 months in advance gives guests ample time to make arrangements to attend

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Have you heard about our lucky + in love contest? We are giving away FREE Planning consultations to three couples! The contest entry form will be available on January 21st after all 9 planning tips have been posted. Click here for all the details.

Happy planning!

Jennifer

Photo Credit: Sam Ng Photography.

Tip #2: Prioritize.

After you have determined what kind of wedding you’d like to have (Tip #1), sit down with your fiancé and discuss your wedding priorities. Since most of us don’t have an unlimited budget, it’s essential to think about the areas of your wedding that mean the most to you and allocate your budget accordingly.

First, identify the top 3-5 components of your wedding that are very important to both of you. If you can’t agree on the entire list, compromise. (It’s good practice for the marriage to follow!) Some examples to get you thinking: the venue(s), top notch food and wine, an open bar, the ceremony, photography, the wedding dress, gorgeous flowers, stunning décor, the wedding transportation, a live band, a killer party, a jaw-dropping cake, etc.

At the same time, consider the wedding components that are not very important to you. If you could care less about a wedding cake – don’t have one! If a limo isn’t a “must-have” and your bridal party is on the smaller side, why not rent stylish SUVs for the day? For the average wedding, limos typically cost around $1,000, so renting vehicles will allow you to shift some budget to areas that carry more significance for you.

Remember, what’s important to some couples may be at the bottom of the list for others. Once you’ve determined your wedding priorities, be sure to refer back to the list throughout the planning process to ensure you stay on track.

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Have you heard about our lucky + in love contest? We are giving away FREE planning consultations to three couples! The contest entry form will be available on January 21st after all 9 planning tips have been posted. Click here for all the details.

Happy planning!

Jennifer

Last post we introduced our lucky + in love contest where we are giving away FREE consultation sessions to three couples! Click here for the contest details and be sure to check back soon to enter!

Now, on to the wedding planning tips!

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Tip #1: Determine what kind of wedding you want.

This sounds fairly broad, I know, so let’s break it down…

• First things first – what wedding format do you have in mind? Is a traditional dinner and dance important to you, or would you prefer a mid-morning ceremony followed by brunch? Perhaps you like the idea of a trendy cocktail reception with sunset vows?
• Once you have the wedding format nailed down, consider your wedding size. The decision to hold a small, intimate wedding or a huge event with all your family, friends and co-workers in attendance will largely impact how your budget is allocated. Budget and the guest list are separate topics of their own, so stay tuned for specific tips on those areas.
• Wedding atmosphere and formality should also be considered early on in your planning. A formal wedding in a grand hotel ballroom requires different consideration from a casual soirée on your parents’ farm.
• Do you have a particular wedding theme in mind? For instance, if you’re envisioning a lush, “enchanted forest” at your reception a LOT of décor will be required and an appropriate venue must be considered from the get-go.

It is imperative to determine what kind of wedding you desire before making any major decisions, so discuss with your fiancé and consider all options carefully.

Check back soon for Tip #2!

Jennifer

Congratulations to all you recently engaged couples out there! This is an exciting time in your lives that can also be overwhelming. To help alleviate some of the planning pressure, we are giving away FREE planning consultations to three lucky + in love couples!

The prizes:

The three winning couples will receive their choice of one of the following packages:

• A complimentary She Said Yes! consultation session with Jennifer. This two-hour session will help you get your planning underway with vendor recommendations to match your wedding style and budget, a personalized planning checklist and budget worksheet, as well as the opportunity to discuss your questions and concerns {$250 value}.

…OR

• A complimentary two-hour Décor Consultation with Jennifer to discuss the theme and design of your wedding vision! Included in this session are creative design suggestions suited to your wedding vision, venue(s) and budget, plus vendor recommendations for rental and décor items to save you time and frustration {$350 value}.

How it works:

• Complete and submit the lucky + in love contest entry form before January 28, 2011 and you will be entered to win one of the three free consultation sessions!

The fine print:

• Contest entries will be accepted from January 21st to January 28th, 2011.
• Winners will receive their free consultation session in person in the Edmonton area or via phone / Internet if they reside elsewhere.
• This contest is not applicable to couples who are already working with another wedding planning company.
• Winners will be randomly drawn from all correctly completed contest entries received by the contest deadline: Friday, January 28, 2011 at 11:59 PM MST. The winning couples will be announced on Monday, January 31st, 2011.

Enter the Jennifer Bergman Weddings lucky + in love contest now!

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Wishing you lots of love (and a little luck) in 2011!

Jennifer + Team

If you’re in the market for bridesmaid dresses, you have to check out Twobirds!

Designer Ariane Goldman was fed up with spending too much money on bridesmaid dresses that she never wore again, so she created Twobirds Bridesmaid. Her unique dress design allows you to achieve a sophisticated, consistent look suited to various body types – plus, the dress is so versatile your ‘maids can wear it again (really)!

The Twobirds dress is offered in three collections (classic, rosette and two-toned) and comes in a variety of styles, colours and lengths. And the best part – no alterations required!

Happy Shopping!

Jennifer
Edmonton Wedding Planner

Photo Credits: Wedding Chicks, Twobirds, Twobirds.

Megan + Derek were married in September at Convocation Hall on the University of Alberta campus. They chose to take photos before the ceremony with the fabulous Shaun and Stephanie from Scade Photography. Doing photos first is a great idea for a lot of reasons!

After the ceremony, guests made their way over to the U of A Faculty Club for cocktails, dinner and dancing. Megan + Derek incorporated some really unique touches into their reception to personalize the day:

• Instead of a traditional guestbook, friends and family shared their well wishes and advice with the newlyweds using a vintage typewriter!
• The guest favours were wrapped in mini Chinese take-out boxes and contained a fortune cookie and a Big Foot gummy candy to represent the couple (Derek used to play volleyball for the U of A Golden Bears and as you can see from the photos below, he was a pretty good blocker)!
• Megan + Derek made two wardrobe changes throughout the night…first, traditional Chinese attire; then Megan sported a shorter white dress so she could dance the night away!

Special thanks to Krista and Gayeung for doing an awesome job coordinating the day!

A stunning ring on a pair of stunning shoes – can’t get better than this!

The “first look” reveal at the Hotel Macdonald – I just love their reactions!

Megan is adorable. I think Derek agrees!

Megan + Derek grew their own wheatgrass for the centrepieces!

Check out more amazing images from Megan + Derek’s day on the Scade Photography blog.

All the best, you two!

Jennifer, Krista and Gayeung
Edmonton Wedding Planners

Photo Credit: Scade Photography