Expert Advice from wedding guru, Sharon Naylor

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Question:

Hi there. I am stuck!!! I have my dress and the groom! and my colors picked out (champainge and brown) and then I am stuck. Now we are getting married on July 17, 2010. and I want an out side wedding and I dont want to pay a fortune of it. I keep telling my self i am not a million dollor family I dont need a million dollar wedding. Do you think I can get some pointers on what to do next. Cause I aint got a clue. Thanks

Answer:

So many brides and grooms are getting wedding coordinators to guide them and help them find the perfect venue and vendors! It's not very expensive, and you often wind up saving money through the unique spots they find and their great partnerships with the best-priced vendors in the area. They can help you create a timeline for planning, too. Visit www.bridalassn.com to get a list of area wedding coordinators you can interview, or ask the WeddingMapper couples here who they hired and loved.

If you don't want to get a wedding coordinator, get my book The Busy Bride's Essential Wedding Checklists, which offers you that timeline so that you have a solid, easy to follow plan, and can get rid of the sense of overwhelm that it sounds like you have right now.

It seems like you're ready to figure out your budget and guest list so that you know the size of your wedding, which is important to know before you book a venue and start looking for vendors. So start now with your beginner guest list, and limit parents' friends and such. Once you have a final guest list, then you can move into checking out potential sites for the ceremony and reception. For an outdoor wedding, you'll need to make sure the sites you're checking out allow a tent, if that's what you have in mind [some places don't allow tents, so ask first!!] and find vendors who do outdoor weddings. Some caterers and musicians, for instance, have a rule that they only do indoor events to save their equipment and staff from the elements. So there's a lot of research and checking to do -- start by asking all of your friends and nearby relatives where they looked [some might have the perfect outdoor site for you that didn't work for their wedding, but it was awesome!] and who they hired. Personal references are a great way to line up the perfect team!

Any other questions, just let me know!