Wedding Themes

When a bride comes to us here at Smart Wedding Planning, the first question out of our mouths is usually "What's your wedding theme?" If they answer that they haven't chosen a wedding theme (or a wedding color scheme) we usually let out a collective sign.

Wedding themes and wedding color schemes are so much more important than most brides imagine! Unless you've been envisioning the perfect wedding since you were a little girl, you're probably going to need something to guide you as you choose wedding invitations, wedding favors, a wedding gown, a reception venue, and all of the other elements of a modern wedding.

If you don't have a wedding theme, you may just find yourself with five different unrelated things in your wedding, which can look messy and uncoordinated. So pick a wedding theme! A wedding theme doesn't have to be big or overt -- look at who you and your fiancé are. What are your hobbies? What do you do for a living? How about these wedding themes: Golden Age of Hollywood, Mardi Gras Masquerade, Country, Mediterranean, etc.

The possibilities are endless! And just to simplify things, your wedding colors can be your wedding theme. However, you must be consistent. If your "theme" is going to be green and pink, decide on shades and stick to them. Don't have forest, chartreuse, lime, and mint all over the place. Also, try to pick a maximum of three wedding colors and make sure that they complement each other. Try to pick "in-season" colors as well -- pastel pink at a November/December wedding is a bit off.

Remember, your wedding theme will pull your whole event together, from food to favors to flowers.


Click to read more about choosing a wedding theme

Wedding Blogs and Wedding Websites

Getting a little bored reading the usual wedding websites? We feel your pain, and we'd like to suggest a novel solution: Make your own! A personal wedding blog or wedding website is a great way to make wedding planning a lot more fun and accessible to the important people in your wedding, like mothers, bridesmaids, and groomsmen. Oh, and your future spouse, too!

There are plenty of free wedding website hosting services online, or you can use a free blog program like Blogger to set up a simple collaborative wedding blog. We like both options, having tried each, though both have different utilities.

A wedding website is great if you're looking to share wedding information with your wedding guests. For example, you can put directions to the ceremony and reception on your wedding website, as well as links to the stores you're registered at. You can share the story of your courtship and pictures of you and your fiance on your wedding web site, and pretty much anything else you want to show people.

A wedding blog, on the other hand, can be a place where you share your wedding ideas (like we do) or a place for you to communicate with your bridesmaids. You can make both a wedding website and a wedding blog that link back to each other so wedding guests and wedding VIPs can keep track of your wedding planning progress.


Connect with other brides-to-be on our awesome wedding forum -- it's free!

Avoiding Wedding Risk

How can you protect yourself from unknowns like sick vendors, really bad weather, and fire damage when planning a wedding? You, bride, need some wedding insurance.

Wedding insurance (also known as event insurance) is a type of property and causality policy that originated in Great Britain in 1988, but has only been available in the U.S. since the mid 90s. It typically covers cancellation or postponement of a wedding if a member of the bridal party dies or gets sick. Keep in mind that if the wedding party member becomes sick or dies because of a pre-existing medical condition your wedding insurance probably won't cover it.

Wedding insurance also covers a bridal party member's failure to show because they are injured or are called up to active military duty or there is a shutdown of commercial transportation. Additionally, it will help pay for the reassembling of the bridal party in the event another photo session is necessary because the photographer lost the film or it's damaged at the lab. Finally, it will provide money for new wedding rings if the originals are lost and the replacement of damaged, stolen, or lost wedding gifts.

What isn't covered? Changes of heart! If you or the groom gets cold feet, your wedding insurance will not reimburse your expenses.

The typical cost for a basic policy is between $125 and $350 (with a $25 deductible). Like any other insurance coverage, the premium varies depending on the amount of coverage needed. But unlike other coverages, the premium is a one-time payment even if the policy is purchased well in advance of your wedding date. In most instances, a policy can be purchased from two weeks to two years prior to the event.

Wedding Blog Roundup for 12/22/08

It's time for the Monday morning wedding blog round-up where we find the coolest, cutest, and best wedding blog posts from around the Internet. If you're planning a wedding right now, wedding blogs are a great (and underused) resource... particularly for those who are planning their own weddings or paying for a wedding.

We here at Smart Wedding Planning try to follow all the great wedding blogs out there. It's not always easy to read all of them every day, but we read as many as we can. Here are four blog posts from some of our favorite wedding bloggers:

Beautiful (but faux) bridal jewelry
Every Thursday, Never teh Bride of Manolo for the Brides writes a post asking brides and wedding enthusiasts to tell her whether they love or hate certain nuptial accessories. Last week, she asked brides whether they love or hate rhinestone wedding jewelry. Personally? We love it! Bring on the sparkle!

Bergdorf Goodman’s holiday windows 2008
Luzel of iDiY posted her very own pictures of the Bergdorf Goodman's holiday windows. The dresses are gorgeous, and the French macarons are just as tasty looking as you might imagine. The old school glamour is practically flying through the air, and we are jealous that we won't have the chance to go look at the windows.

The biggest love?
Lisa of Bridal Party recently wrote a post describing all of the wonderful ways brides and grooms can give back while planning their weddings. She worked with her maid-of-honor to plan a charity bridal shower, and her wedding favors benefited charity. Talk about sharing the love -- go, Lisa!

Gorgeous and green
Emily of Eco-Chic Weddings posted a wonderful recap of the Martha Stewart Weddings Special on the Style channel, "Gorgeous and Green." She offers up amazing green tips like "Skip petroleum based, toxic parrafin candles. Everytime you light them, you're basically breathing in burning petroleum. Yuck! Soy and beeswax candles are readily available, so make the switch." Will do!


Click to read more about planning a wedding and wedding blogs

Wedding Planning Books

Planning a wedding isn't easy and, let's face it, those magazines with all the pretty pictures don't do much to actually help you plan your wedding from start to finish. Wedding planning books, on the other hand, are a lot more useful...especially the ones that take you through the entire process from start to finish or help you put a unique touch on your wedding.

Here are four of our favorites:

In Style: Weddings (In Style)helps you create your unique expression of what is a timeless ritual. A world of inspiring options is shown in exquisite detail, from invitations to dresses to flowers to music to cakes. Tips from today's top wedding planners on how to make it all come together in a way that's personal, meaningful, and just right tie everything together. If you're looking for inspiration, this is the book for you.

Offbeat Bride: Taffeta-Free Alternatives for Independent Bridesserves as inspiration for those who are interested in a vegan buffet, avoiding bouquet tossing, doing away with the elitist guest list and being a control freak without becoming a Bridezilla. Filled with sidebars, tips, tricks and planner encouragement (all taffeta-free) to help you figure out your special day, this book is perfect for those who think the traditional wedding is a little bit tired.


iDo: Planning Your Wedding with Nothing But 'Net is great. From venues to videographers, from bouquets to boutonnières, author Christa Terry has put together a treasure trove of resources that give you the freedom to plan a wedding from anywhere, at any time, using your computer. This guide is much more than a list of links, though -- it will help you plan your entire wedding, it addresses issues of wedding etiquette, and it offers reassurance to eclectic brides-to-be.

The Everything Wedding Organizer; Checklists, calendars, and worksheets for planning the perfect wedding features everything a frazzled bride-or groom-needs to get organized. Complete with dozens of worksheets, checklists, pockets, and loads of helpful hints, this handy planner can help you develop a working strategy to create the wedding of your dreams. This wedding planning book is especially good for less organized brides-to-be!


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Daily Wedding Tips

I don't know about you, but I love getting the info I need delivered directly to my e-mail inbox so I can read it at work without looking like I'm slacking. We at Smart Wedding Planning know how important it is that brides-to-be can think and read about wedding planning whenever they have a spare moment. Thus, we have a little gift for all the future brides out there.

The Daily Wedding Tip is a series of free newsletters designed to help you become the best bride you can be. These info-rich newsletters will help you plan the wedding of your dreams by giving you the expert wedding planning advice and information you need to help you create a guest list, put together wedding budget, find a wedding gown you love, choose your bridesmaids, choose decorations, find a local wedding photographer, find a wedding caterer, select the right wedding reception site, save money...and more.

In case you're wondering, the whole system is secure -- we don't share your name, info, or e-mail address with anyone, ever. That's because we hate junk mail as much as you do.

Click to sign up for free wedding planning advice!

Wedding Scams

Let's face it -- wedding vendors, like any other businesspeople, are in it to make money. Even though we tend to associate weddings with romance, weddings are a business like any other. That means that there are trustworthy vendors and shady vendors. It would be great if you could identify shady wedding vendors by their shifty eyes or handlebar mustaches, but the fact is that you can't tell whether your vendors are trustworthy just by looking at them.

It's up to you to avoid getting burned by wedding scammers. Sometimes, wedding scams are easy to spot and avoid -- be wary of any wedding vendor who wants you to hand over money without providing you with a detailed contract to sign first. In other cases, it's not as easy to tell whether the deal you're looking at is on the up and up. Here are some things to look out so you can protect yourself when dealing with vendors.

Don't beg or whine
This only makes you appear desperate -- and gullible. You say (subconsciously) that you are more than willing to pay any price and give up perks to get what you want. Don't make the mistake of settling for less than you paid for just to secure one detail. If your reception site isn't available on the day you want, either change your date or venue. Don't agree to take a smaller space! If your florist has strict policies against using certain pieces in his arrangements, find a new florist or compromise on new arrangements. Don't pay outlandish prices when another florist will likely give you what you want for less money.

Don't let impatience drive your decisions
If a vendor says to you, "This is a popular date or month so you need to sign soon," they are probably telling you the truth. However, resist the temptation to sign a contract immediately unless you're sure it's what you want. Unless you have done your research, are knowledgeable on comparable pricing or are satisfied with the level of service you will receive, think it over. When you're in a rush, you're more apt to make a decision you'll regret later...or to end up locked into a product or service that is sub par.

Read the fine print
Contracts exist to protect you and your vendors, but sneaky vendors can slip shady clauses into wedding contracts without your realizing it if you're not careful. Pay attention to all of the clauses. Do they sound fair? Does it outline all of the important details surrounding your event? Does something in the contract make you uncomfortable? Ask that it be removed and never, ever sign anything that might bite you in the rear later.

Don't be a pushover
If your vendor refuses to negotiate with you or makes you feel inferior for even asking for their business, thank them for their time and exit stage left. Remember, this is your wedding, and you hold the checkbook. While they have the professional experience to meet your needs, you hold the purse. Your vendor should not be trying to force you to accept products or services you don't want or can't afford, and you should be willing to walk away if they do. If you feel pressured by a particular vendor, run!

Protect yourself
Surround yourself with great vendors, and do your research. Ask someone to look over your contracts -- your wedding planner will be able to decipher which clauses will protect you and which could be to your detriment. Always take someone with you on vendor visits, whether that is your wedding planner, your mother, your maid of honor, or someone else. They may catch a detail that might be crucial to your decision-making process.

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Wedding Planning Countdown

Wedding Planning Countdown Planning

Weddings take a lot of planning and you will likely spend over 100 hours on the phone, visiting with vendors, planning, and chasing after details. To help you get off to a good start, we've put together a complete outline of the things you'll need to do for your wedding and the approximate timeline for getting those things done! Here's a helpful wedding planning countdown timetable.