Planning Your Wedding - Made Easy!

Congratulations on your future wedding... for most couples, planning your wedding is an enjoyable and fun adventure. For some couples in can be a difficult and stressful event. Our goal is to make planning your wedding easier.

We will help you get organized and plan ahead by using a wedding planner checklist and timeline. Knowing what you need to do and when to do it is very helpful. When do send out wedding invitations? When do you order wedding flowers? What needs to be done the day before the wedding? All of these are common questions that can dealt with by using a simple to follow wedding checklist.

Weddings can be expensive, in fact the average cost of a wedding in the United States averages about $24,000, with most couples spending between $18,000 and $30,000. That doesn't include the cost of the engagement ring or the honeymoon! Now you can see another reason why it pays to use a checklist and plan your wedding carefully.

In addition to the wedding checklist, we provide you with articles and links to the wedding topics most couples are searching for.

In alphabetical order, the top wedding searches are:

Wedding Cakes

Selecting your wedding cake should be a lot of fun! You need to remember that this is your wedding day, so you should have the wedding cake that you and your groom want. You will get lots of different suggestions from friends and relatives about the flavor, color, size, and cake decorations. You can listen to their suggestions, but in the end, make your own decision. More wedding cake information and tips!

Wedding Dresses

One of the most important decisions that a bride needs to make, is what am I going to wear for a wedding dress? Is your wedding going to be a big formal wedding with a traditional wedding gown, a casual family wedding, or a quick Las Vegas wedding?

You have a lot of options, and the type of wedding that you want to have will influence the style of wedding dress you will select. Fortunately for you, the Internet provides a great way to shop for your wedding dress. We provide you with articles and links to some of the largest online wedding stores to make it easy for you to search for, select, and order your perfect wedding dress!

In addition to selecting a wedding dress, you will also need to select your bridesmaids dresses and flower girl dress. Of course you can't forget your mother's dress and the attire for the groom and his groomsmen. You can do all of your wedding shopping online to determine the wedding apparel that will fit the theme of your wedding perfectly!

Brides want to look their best on their wedding day, so if you need a little toning up to look good in your wedding dress, take a look the "Get Into Your Dream Wedding Gown" article for a few helpful tips.

Wedding Favors

A great way to show your appreciation to your guests is to provide them with unique wedding favors. There are literally hundreds of ideas for wedding favors. Many of them can be personalized for your own wedding. Most wedding favors are inexpensive, but depending on how many guests you invite, even the wedding favors that cost $1.00 a piece can add up quickly! Read "Extras for The Reception" for helpful suggestions regarding wedding favors.

The Knot Wedding Shop has the best selection of wedding favors. Make them unique for your wedding with free personalization.

Wedding Flowers

Wedding flowers and decorations can really add to the look and feel of your wedding. In fact, besides the wedding party, the flowers will be the most photographed aspect of your wedding. You will want to make sure your wedding bouquets and centerpieces really fit the style of your wedding. If you are not familiar with the different kinds of flowers, spend time looking through wedding websites that have a nice photo gallery of wedding flowers. That way you can find the type of flowers, colors, and arrangements that you really want for your wedding.

Wedding Gifts

The giving of wedding gifts by the married couple is usually for your bridesmaids, flower girl, ring bearer, groomsmen, and family of the bride and groom. Your selection of wedding gifts are very personal and can be generalized for everyone, or personally selected for each individual. The personalized wedding gifts are preferred, because they show that you gave thought in selecting the individual gift for that special person.

Wedding Hairstyles

The hairstyle that you select for your wedding should compliment you. You will also need to take into consideration if you are wearing a bridal veil or other headpiece. Will the hairstyle hold up during the wedding preparations and still look good during and after the wedding. Look at lots of different hairstyles and get the opinions of your family and friends. Ultimately, you should select the wedding hairstyle that will make you feel comfortable, confident, and beautiful on your special day.

Wedding Ideas

There are an unlimited number of wedding ideas that you can use when planning your wedding. Talk to your fiance, your relatives, friends, and clergy to get their wedding ideas. If you want some outside help, you can always enlist the services of a professional wedding planner. They can provide you with a lot of different ideas and provide suggestions that fit your taste. If you do use the services of a wedding planner, make sure that you have the final decision on the style and theme of your wedding. We can't emphasize this enough... it is your wedding, as a couple you should make the final decisions. We have provided you with some additional wedding ideas in the articles "A Toast to the Bride", "Beyond Just Floral", and "Make Some New Traditions".

Wedding Insurance

Wedding insurance is something that most couples don't think about, but perhaps you should. Wedding insurance is a policy that protects you against mishap and misfortune. Wedding insurance will basically give you peace of mind that if something goes wrong, like your wedding gown gets lost in the mail, or the photographer doesn't show up, or the weather postpones your wedding, you will be able to recover the cost of your losses. Basic wedding insurance policies usually cost less than $500, so it might be worth the extra money. Be sure to read the fine print to understand what is covered, and what isn't.

Wedding Invitations

The wedding invitations and stationary you select are the first items your wedding guests will see involving your wedding. The style, formality, and writing will give your guests and insight into the style and theme of your wedding. It is important that you take the time to review the hundreds of wedding invitation styles and designs to select the right invitation for your wedding.

Wedding Photographers

Planning ahead and selecting the right photographer and/or videographer is a very important of your wedding. The images the photographer captures will go into your wedding album and be looked at over and over. You want the wedding photographs to be high quality and to include formal and informal wedding photos. The age of digital photography has really changed the way wedding photographers operate. In the past, photographers had to be concerned about the amount of film they used, because that added to the cost of the photos. With digital images, the cost of developing all of the "unwanted photos" has been eliminated.

Wedding photography isn't cheap, and you will get what you paid for. You might get several offers from friends and relatives that own a camera offer to do your wedding photos. Unless they are highly skilled, you should politely ask them to take photos but that you are going to rely on the services of a professional. There is nothing worse then trying to watch an out-of-focus, shaky video of a wedding ceremony. You deserve to preserve the best images of your special day... hire a professional.

Wedding Receptions

Your wedding reception will typically follow through with the theme of your wedding. Although that is totally up for you to decide. Traditionally, formal weddings tend to have formal receptions and casual weddings have casual receptions. Depending on the time of day for your wedding, your wedding reception may be at dinner time, or it might be at a time when a light snack is more appropriate. For many, the reception is when everyone can relax, have a good time, and celebrate your marriage! You will need to decide what type of enterainment and music you want and how long the reception will last.

Wedding Rings

In most cases, couples select the wedding rings together. Do you want your wedding ring to match your engagement ring? What color of gold do you prefer, yellow or white? Selecting the proper ring is a highly personal choice. Remember, unlike your wedding dress or wedding hairstyle, you will be wearing your wedding ring for the rest of your life... hopefully! Take a look at "Its A Ring Thing" to learn more about wedding rings.

Wedding Songs

There is such a great selection of traditional and non-traditional wedding songs. It really comes down to your preferences and choice. Your budget, and perhaps the artistic level of your friends will dictate not only the songs at your wedding, but whether the music will be live or will be taped. As a couple, you should listen to a selection of songs that reflect you as a couple and your wedding as a whole.

Wedding Venues

Where you have your wedding will typically dictate the type of wedding and theme that you will follow. A formal church wedding in a cathederal is definitely different than an outdoor wedding in a mountain setting. The wedding venue helps define your style and your personality. Of course, selecting a venue can be difficult, especially if your parents have very strong feelings about where you should get married. It is important to talk with your family about your ideas and desires, and while respecting their wishes, ultimately, this is your wedding and you need to make the decisions that are best for you.

Wedding Vows

When selecting your wedding vows, you can either go with the traditional religious vows of your faith, you can write your own vows, or you can combine the traditional with your original vows. Marriage vows are an extremely personal and important part of your wedding ceremony. Be sure to give your wedding vows a lot of thought. The words of your wedding vows should be a reflection of you as a couple.

Last but not least... Your Honeymoon