congratulations! so many things to consider. what time of year? ballroom or smaller?
so many dresses, i like the first one also, lots more 2010 designs in bride magazine....
these are priced out of sight, so when you pic your dress, find a dressmaker and show them the pic and have them make it for you. close enough. you can make your own design also. start checking out fabric stores, so you can find fabric when they have sales, look in the phone book for coupons for fabric also. pick a style and color that looks well on you. and be sure it's comfortable. if you're getting married at home, you may even want to be more casual and comfortable. there are dress designs for every occassion.
the only advice i'll give is to have your hair, make up, and nails professionally done, splurge. i love the eye makeup here. start saving your money!! my fav is sat. night country club wedding, black and white. if it's spring or fall, you may want to do something different. i've seen it all. from cream and chocolate dresses, to valentine's day red, to punk/goth, to sweet pastels, back to traditional black and white. you can find cheap deals at some places, ask around, try not to pay per person or plate, have a buffet, theme it, like italian or mexican. save lots of money on food. or, you can splurge and do prime rib, that's pricy. if you're doing it at home, outside, check out tent rentals, and find a live band if you can who can play everything. very expensive, if not, dj is fine, but dj is one of the most important features at a reception, i've seen good and bad. bad ones will ruin your whole reception. ask around, it's not how much you pay, it's how much fun they are, and organized, making your reception flow from one thing to the next. you want everyone to dance and have fun. alcohol shouldn't be a factor there, either. i've done tons of mormon wedding receptions and when the family is close, they have the most fun of all. just simply showing the love. dancing and engaging in conversation with one another. if in summer, rent canopies if it's in a pretty spot. you can dress them up with fabric and flowers. don't waste too much money on flowers. you can do elegant table settings without a ton of flowers and tall vases. email me when you start planning for details, i do weddings at a country club here in arizona! I'll send you pics of some of the table arrangements we've done and give you ideas with other things. smart people go to kohl's or big lots to get pieces for their table settings, besides michaels. kohl's on sale is great. find something you love and talk to the manager to see if you can get them by the case. or dozen, depending on how many tables you have. let me know if you're catering or doing it yourself so to speak. you'd do well to hire a few people to do the food and serve and clean up, just so your family doesn't have to do it all. it's worth the few hundred dollars you'll spend. trust me. just make it your wedding, personalize it with pics of you both, black and white, or brown and white, blow them up and frame them, display them everywhere. some people do slide shows with computers. i'm so happy for you. it's a special day.
