Be honest - the minute you got engaged you were so excited that you went out and bought like twelve wedding magazines and put yourself on Martha Stewart Weddings.com mailing list. Now you spend your days daydreaming, but you have no idea what to do with all your wonderful ideas and a wedding planner just isn't going to fit into your budget. The best way to get all you ideas into one place, so that you can have them when you start picking things like your dress, cake, bridesmaid's dresses, and themes is to create a wedding binder. A wedding binder is a place for you to put pictures, color swatches, and informative articles (such as this one!). Don't know where to start? Here are some helpful tips to getting your wedding binder started!
1.) The fist thing you should do, is divide your binder up into several sections. You can use binder dividers or folders, whatever is easiest for storing your ideas.
2.) The first section of your binder should be dedicated to your dress. You can clip some pictures from your magazines and ones you found online. Maybe pick out four or five and place them in order of love it down to like it. You can also find some fabric samples and include those, especially if you want your dress to have color. You should find a swatch of the exact color you want and include, that way you can find a great match. You should show this part of your binder to the different dress boutiques you visit. This will help them assist you in selecting the perfect gown.
3.) The next section of your binder should be dedicated to bridesmaids dress and tuxedos from your groom and groomsmen. You can do something similar to what you did with you dress portion, by collecting color swatches, material samples, and pictures. Whatever you need to make sure the people helping you select these things are presenting you with exactly what you want.
4.) You should reserve a section of your binder to your cake. Collect pictures and jot down thoughts you have about what flavor of cake or icing you want, as well as how many servings you will need.
5.) Your theme and wedding colors should have another section of your binder. Jot down ideas you have for centerpieces, pew hangers, and any other ideas you might have that represent your theme. You should also include pictures to help jog your memory when you finally start picking these items out.
6.) The flowers for your wedding should also have their own section. Make a list of flowers that are in season, because these will help you create more cost efficient bouquets. You should gather pictures and make sure to include your flower budget, that way you can show your florist your ideas and they can help you stay within your budget.
7.) Another interesting section, which a lot of bride's don't think of, is a photography section. You can do some research online of different photographers and maybe get some ideas for some poses, lighting, or Photoshop effects you may want to have done to your wedding pictures. You should try to print copies of the pictures to show your photographer, or maybe just jot down the site and location of the pictures so your photographer can go to the different sites and get an idea of what you are wanting.
8.) Last, but not least you should include a checklist in your binder. This is a list of things you need to do such as making your guest list, selecting a ceremony venue, choose wedding invitations, or make pre-wedding hair trial appointment. By getting all of these things out on paper, you are less likely to forget to do something.
Remember, your binder is about your wedding and you should include whatever you want or need to help you get the job done and stay organized. You will be amazed how much stress this will relieve, and how much easier it will be to explain that specific shade of pink to the lady whose helping you pick out your bridesmaids dresses.
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