If you are planning on writing your own vows it is a good idea to practice it and try to memorize them. There is nothing more romantic than being able to look into the eyes of your loved one instead of at a piece of paper.

This will give you time to creatively wrap them and to write to each member of the wedding party a personal note.

If your shoes are feeling tight but looking great it is a good idea to have a comfy pair waiting under your chair at the reception.

Plan your wedding thoroughly down to the last detail, the best way to do this is to follow a wedding plan. If you don’t have a wedding planner, give yourself a “timeline” in which you need to get bookings made or fittings are done by. But remember one very important thing, plan your day for yourself and not for others.

A lot of today’s gowns are designed with a very full skirt. You don’t want to get caught on anything while walking down the aisle that could have been moved earlier.

You don’t always have to spend a lot of money to have a beautiful wedding. Sometimes, less is more, if done correctly. It can be really easy to overspend without even knowing that you are overspending. The best way to do this is to have a wedding budget for everything and try to stick to it.

Invite your parents over to talk about wedding plans, if they live in separate cities, setup a conference call so everyone can be together to share the excitement! This will help everyone feel as though they’re a part of making this wedding very special.

Prepare an emergency wedding kit that includes :

For Clothing
1. Sewing kit with needles, thread, buttons, and safety pins
2. Toupee tape (for keeping clothes in place)
3. Scissors
4. Stick-on instant hemming tape
5. Clear nail polish (for runs)
6. White chalk (for masking stains)

From the Pharmacy
1. Breath Mints
2. Bandages
3. Blister protection
4. Antacid
5. Pain reliever

For Touch-Ups
1. Blotting papers
2. Cotton swabs
3. Tweezers
4. Emery board
5. Lip balm
6. Tissues
7. Hand lotion
8. Bobby pins
9. Comb
10. Lipstick
11. Powder
12. Small mirror
13. Nail polish in the shade you’re wearing

It is very important to use your wedding planning guide to coordinate everything that you do. This will insure that everything that needs to be done, is done and when it needs to be done by.

This is the time to learn how to bustle the back of your dress and strap you in. You’ll need an extra pair of hand for this task.

Make a room in the house romantic by dimming the lights and lighting some candles. When the magical moment arrives at the wedding you’ll remember the romantic time spent practicing together.

Take advantage of Internet sites, search engines, wedding magazines to do your research on what is available in the market.

This will make your first dance together as Mr. and Mrs. Very special.

With all the excitement of the wedding day, this can be overlooked and important items may be left out of your suitcase.

It is always advisable to have a practice run before the big day. Make sure you take pictures of your front, side and back of your new do.

There is nothing worse than a fidgety bride.

Hold your bouquet slightly below your waist with your arms slightly opened out (but not too much) this allows for your waist to show and in turn look very shapely in photos.

Sometimes the groomsmen will take off their jackets while waiting for the ceremony and crush the flowers or if you forget an important aunt/ uncle who insists on a corsage.

You can get your license as early as one year in advance. For couples that wait until the last minute, don’t forget that registration requires a 21-days waiting period.

Often the bride is the center of attention. Send him love notes or even a little wedding gift. Let him know you are counting the days until you are husband and wife.

Stay calm, each problem has a solution. Your calmness will spread to others and everything will work out.

Order your current size, your dress can always be taken in.

On the day of your wedding… Time stands still!

Test the mascara first so there are no reactions.

You may be allergic to certain cosmetics. Make sure you use cosmetics that you are familiar with in order to avoid any unwanted breakouts right before your big day.

If there is no way of convincing your flower girl or ring bearer to walk down the aisle just give up. There is nothing worse than hearing a screaming child right before the bride walks out.

Some deep colored flowers bleed and can stain a wedding dress.

Don’t rush into making any fast decisions. Take your time and make sure that the decisions you make are good ones, especially when it comes to choosing professionals/vendors.

Try your best, but remember this is YOU and YOUR FIANCE’S big day.

Hiring cheap professionals/vendors may not always be the right decision. Something’s are worth paying that little bit extra for. Remembers, a good picture can bring back amazing thoughts and memories, and a bad one will bring back nothing.

Well, we all know what they say about assumption. Always get everything in writing. This will only make things easier for you if anything should go awry.

You don’t have to invite every single person you have ever known to your wedding. Remember that this is your special day. Spend it with those people who mean the most to you and your fiancé, and will make your wedding special for the two of you.

Some scents are ultra sensitive to sweat glands. This can make the fragrance become stronger. You don’t want to experience any headaches – and you want your groom to smell the familiar scent of his bride.

This week should be devoted to pampering yourself. Nothing is better than an organized bride who can relax days before her big moment. Last minute changes will not seem so drastic if that is all you have to deal with.

It is a good idea that they talk to one another to coordinate what they are wearing, there will be plenty of family photos and you don’t want the mothers to stick out like a sore thumb.

Everyone has them and they never come true!

The groom’s first quest on the wedding day is to fetch the bride from her house. He does this on the morning of the wedding, accompanied by his band of brothers or Heng Dai. This is what’s referred to as the “morning gate‐crashing”.

Before the groom can see and fetch his bride, he and his brothers have the face the Bridesmaids’ challenges.

The bride’s group of bridesmaids is also called the sisters’ troop or Chi Mui They will test the groom’s sincerity and love for her with a series of wedding games.

He has to complete all the challenges to their satisfaction before they let him fetch the bride. This tradition of blocking the door demonstrates their unwillingness to marry off the bride because of their love for her.

Wedding games are played when well wishes in ancient Chinese wedding gatecrashed the bridal chamber to tease the bride and groom

Some believed this tradition originated with good intentions. The groom’s relatives and friends wanted to frighten off any evil spirits lurking nearby.

In the past when marriage was arranged, the bride and groom were strangers meeting for the first time on the wedding night. These gatecrashers played a crucial role in helping the couple break the ice with cheeky wedding games.

Before choosing the wedding date, consult with both sets of parents to make sure there are no conflicting engagements. You might want to have everyone involved get together for dinner or lunch at the same time to hash it out. Ask parents to bring along their social calendars, so there’s no double booking.

This is especially important if you’re marrying someone who is of another culture or religion. The Chinese believe that the wedding day has to be carefully chosen in avoiding all the unforeseen bad luck in life.

For the traditionalist, a feng shui master maybe consulted to get the “right” date.

Invitation cards reflect the couple, not the wedding. Invitation cards are unique because they represent the couple. There are various options for choosing the right design for your stationery such as color, style and price range. If you are interested in the D-I-Y route, ensure that you have enough help, time, creativity and energy. Also look at the quantity of the cards before embarking on such a major project.

YES! A theme whether as simple as a standardized color or a flower type helps reflects the style and mood that you want on your wedding day! Do you prefer a casual, sophisticated or romantic wedding? Have you ever thought of a traditional wedding ceremony yet having fun at the reception? Considering the atmosphere of a garden, romantic or relaxed wedding compared to a Fifties-style wedding held at a local nightclub.

Second, set your budget. This gives you an idea of how many themes you can reasonably incorporate. You may want to choose a reception site to match your theme or vice versa. Either way, careful planning is necessary to avoid costly mistakes. If budget is a major issue, choose two or three ideas from a theme that really add visual impact.

Themes can incorporate any or all of the following areas:

Color Scheme
Transportation
Site/Location
Attire
Flowers
Centerpieces
Favors
Guestbook
Food/Cake
Time of Year
Family Traditions
Location
Altar/Pews
Invitations
Gift/Cake Tables

The secret to a beautiful wedding is to decide what will make you both happy. By selecting a theme, you will be surprised how easy it is to celebrate a unique day that you’ll both remember for a lifetime.

Regardless of the type of wedding you choose to have, your wedding dress should be something you love and feel good in wearing. Consult a wedding dress designer when choosing your wedding dress to ensure that it is the best fitting, structured and designed for your big day.

Remember that the latest catwalk fashion may or may not suit your body type, listen to the professionals.

Get detailed quotes from your caterer/ hotel in regards to specific food items if you’re planning your wedding that is more than six months ahead and make sure you get full details.

Don’t forget to count in your DJ/band members, photographer/videographer and wedding consultant when you finalize the total number of guests for meals. A happy vendor will be happier at work. Sometimes the caterer will give you a discount for vendor meals.

When you’re making arrangement for alcohol at your reception, be sure to nail down the complete details. They may seem trivial but the differences can add up to a big bill or big savings. It’s recommended that you purchase approximately 1/3 more of the total of alcohol than you think you need. It is advised to purchase from a distributor that will allow you to return unopened bottles.

Questioning is an essential key to select a wedding photographer or videographer, and also the concept of wedding photo and video shoots which you want to capture the moment of your wedding. While dealing with vendors, individual photographers or venues, always request to view albums of their past wedding photo shoots and seek feedback from friends who were their clients.

Budget is not always the key deciding factor, the photographer’s personality, his style and the overall photos that he has captured before plays a very important role in helping you decide.

Yet one of the smaller details of a wedding – favors for guests – has its own set of challenges. In order to choose wedding favors that fit the theme of your wedding, you need to recognize what your wedding’s theme is. Without acknowledging what elements are making a statement in your special ceremony, you will not be able to choose favors that are memorable and tasteful accents to your wedding.

Music is a very important aspect to make your wedding complete. It walks with you down the aisle for the marriage ceremony, accompanies you when you leave the ceremony as husband and wife, entertains your guests while you are being photographed and throughout the reception.

Tips for choosing the wedding musicians for your reception.

For a formal atmosphere, you may consider a singer, a singing group, a string quartet, a jazz band, a classical ensemble, guitar(s) and – or a harp.

For fun and loud or just something different atmosphere you may consider: DJ entertainment groups, rock or swing live bands, popular music bands, Latin or other ethnic bands or best yet, a world music ensemble or a barbershop quartet. This atmosphere is natural for games, entertainment, and contests.

For a sophisticated atmosphere you may consider: a jazz band, a classical ensemble, a piano, a piano and a violin, a piano and a saxophone and – or a harp.

For background music you may consider: a string quartet, a jazz band, a piano, a piano and a violin, a piano and a saxophone, a classical ensemble, a solo singer or a classical guitar.