Will You Be My Bridesmaid?

When it comes to a bride choosing her special ladies in waiting it is often an easy task. You may be a bride that can rattle off 5 names at the drop of a hat. Other brides are not so lucky, debating and deliberating over who these special picks will be. Some worry that family members feelings will be hurt and friends will see how "unimportant" they are, which isn't true. A bride must remember a few things when making a big decision like this.

1. How many people do you want in your bridal party and is this number flexible? You have to see how many attendants you an afford to have in your wedding and make sure the groom can match that number.
   
2. Have you promised a spot to someone before making your final decision? Sometimes in the excitement of taking about weddings, brides want all of their girlfriends to be their bridesmaids until they make out the list and want to import a few family members as well.
   
3. Will the people you are choosing be reliable and supportive of your wedding? This is an important question because you need your bridesmaids to assist you when you need them to, show for fittings and meetings and support you and you future husband in making your day special.


4. Will your bridesmaids be accommodating but also know when to give an opinion? You will want your bridesmaids to wear a dress of your choosing so to help the process be as painless a possible you will want to have maids that are accommodating to your requests, as long as they are outlandish. It's also good to have maids that will give you opinions on things and be able to give them with tact and compassion.


5. Make sure that your special girls are available to be your bridesmaid. This not only includes the actual day of the wedding but also let them know that they will have fittings, rehearsals, showers and monetary obligations that they will be agreeing to.

So what's the big deal about choosing your bridesmaids?
If you wind up choosing a mismatched group of people they may not get along or work well together, leaving you to hear about the arguments and catty comments. This is a special time for you as a bride and should be a happy occasion so really consider personalities, personal situations, and lifestyles when choosing your bridesmaids.

How Much Is It?

Ah yes! That pertinent question that always seems to cause red faces, stressed nerves, and eventually empty pockets. Setting and creating a budget for your event or wedding can be a difficult thing. If you are like me you have an amount that you'd like the event to cost but if you go over budget oh well and if it comes in under budget, kudos to you!

When I initially sit down with clients to discuss their budget we often have to give them harsh realitites of how much things will actually cost them in the end. It seems that while they are throwing out ideas and fantasizing about their day they are completly shutting out the fact that they have to pay for all of the glamour and probably have a bill or two to pay on the side. What many clients don't remember is that once you make the budget, you have to stick with it until the actual event. When it gets nearer to the date many couples come up short with funds and that is the time when the largest and most important aspects you can't skimp on need to be paid (i.e. the final venue payment, transportation, flowers, etc.).

Before you dive into purchasing things and committing to every cute and spectacular idea you see, take a moment to write out all of the things you may need for the event. Once you have made the list estimate how much you want to spend on each line item. Don't forget to do your research on prices in your area or in the area that your event is being held. Always remember to include shipping, tax and gratuity where needed, most people leave these things out and get stressed when they go over budget due to miscalculations.

Wedding Bell Blues?

A frazzled bride is very easy to find especially if it is the month of her wedding! Last minute changes, non responsive guests, family fiascoes and paying the final deposits to almost every vendor you have recruited can be a hassle, heartache and make you break the bank. If you are a bride and you have hit the point of no return on the stress meter here are a few ways that you can decompress without your fiancee and friends thinking you should be committed.

Sleep Tight
Create a firm stop time when all wedding talk ceases for the day. This will allow you to step away from the details that can be a pain and keep you up all hours of the night. A suggestion would be to stop at least 2 hours before your bedtime so that you can unwind, breathe and calm yourself for some much needed sleep. Many times when stress is piled on sleep is the first thing that is avoided. Try some calming tunes like jazz or a babbling brook to help you unwind and slip into dreamland.

Work Those Maids
From time to time we all feel that if we want something done right we need to do it ourselves, but in the case of impending nuptials and a rapidly depleting time schedule we could be our own worst enemy. Many brides find that within weeks of their big day the to-do list that they have gets longer rather than shorter. This is a good time to enlist your arsenal of bridesmaids. Yes they did commit to being your bridesmaid and support you through this special time so why not include them on a few tasks to complete too. Simple things such as picking up the guestbook or grabbing the flower girls shoes from the store shouldn't put them out too much.

Work It Out!
Hitting the gym for some cardio, taking a kickboxing class or even running can take the edge of and reduce your stress level. In addition to kicking stresses but you can also get yours into shape for the big day while you're at it. Working out releases endorphins and boost your mood, it is also a great way to leave some of that aggression behind before facing families or fiancees.

Keep Dating and Dining
Even though he is your soon to be husband don't forget that he is the cutie pie you swooned over before he put the ring on your finger. Don't forget to spend time with your soon-to-be by having a date night or do an activity that is totally non-wedding related. Make these times with your finacee completely void of wedding talk and just enjoy each others company. Another way to de-stress call your friends (throw in some that have nothing to do with your wedding too) and go out, it would be fabulous to get a group of friends together for dinner and a movie, shopping and brunch, or drinks and Sex and the City DVD's.