Free entrance to the Weddings & Debuts Bridal Fair 2012 at SM Megamall

One of the most crucial things couples do when preparing for a wedding is scouring for suppliers. That would either entail searching the web or the phone book, and making cold calls to photographers, florists, caterers, cake makers, and the like. But there's an easier way to do it, and it's attending a bridal fair.

A bridal fair is a big event wherein various wedding suppliers converge in one venue to offer their services to brides- and grooms-to-be. Participants range from wedding venues to event planners, from couturiers to make-up artists, from event stylists to invitation makers. Since they are gathered in just one place, searching for the perfect wedding supplier becomes an easy task.

Here in the Philippines, bridal fairs are aplenty. And one bridal fair you should not miss is the Weddings & Debuts Bridal Fair 2012 to be held at SM Megatrade Hall on February 17, 18, and 19.

Weddings & Debuts Bridal Fair 2012

Organized by The Wedding Library, it will feature more than 300 exhibitors of the country's best wedding suppliers. What's great about this event is that it will be raffling off a lot of prizes, including PHP25,000 cash for an on-the-spot booker and PHP10,000 each for 3 couples who book on-the-spot during the first day of the event. And most of the time, the exhibitors give great discounts on their services when couples book during the bridal fair.

Entrance is free for those who pre-register, so best to head to their website to register today. Who knows, you just might find the ideal wedding supplier at this event.

A simple guide on whom to invite on your wedding

A wedding is truly a big occasion, and sometimes you can't help but invite everyone to your big day. But costs are high nowadays, and one solution to stay within the budget is to trim down the number of guests. So how do you determine who are the people in your guest list's priority?

Let this simple flowchart I found over at Tumblr help you:

Hope this makes it easier for you to create your guest list for your wedding day!

To hire or not to hire a wedding coordinator

One question every couple should ask at the onset of their wedding preparations is: Should we get a wedding coordinator? Let's face it, brides- and grooms-to-be are much busier nowadays, even before they start planning the wedding. And there are only a few couples who actually know the ins and outs of wedding planning.

Hiring a professional wedding planner/wedding coordinator/bridal consultant is not exactly a requirement to all couples -- it's a choice. Before getting one, ask yourself if 1) you can handle the preps, and 2) if you have someone, like a family member or friend, to help you out. To tell you the truth, we did not hire a professional wedding coordinator during our big day. I guess it helped that our families and friends actively participated from preparation to execution. And because we had more than a year to prepare and having experienced being guests at other people's weddings, we knew more or less what we should do. In the end, everyone enjoyed the party.

But for couples who are really in the dark and would like to get a fresh perspective of the planning stage, hiring a wedding coordinator is a must. Wedding coordinators help you with the nitty-gritty, from thinking of a theme to hiring suppliers to managing your budget to organizing the flow of the wedding program. They're there from Day 1 of the preparations until the last minute of your reception.

One of the advantages of getting a wedding planner is that they usually have a huge list of contact suppliers. This eases the process of scouring and researching for venues, caterers, gown makers, photographers, and the like. Sometimes they could even haggle prices for you, if they can, so you could stick to your budget.

Another advantage is that wedding coordinators helps in keeping the program flowing smoothly, especially on the day itself. They would carry a checklist of things you'd need for the ceremony and reception -- some of them even have a sort-of wedding first aid kit for those small snags that might happen.

Some wedding coordinators also take note of your guest list and RSVP. If it's part of their service, they would be the ones to do the follow-up, removing the stress from the bride and groom.

Bottomline, wedding coordinators help make your big day as organized as possible so you get to enjoy the wedding more and worry about the little things less.

Wedding coordinators have varied services catering to your needs. You can hire them solely for consultation, or get the full package (from preparations to wedding day itself) or the on-the-day coordination (you have your suppliers already, you just need the organization).

Of course, there are a few things to remember about getting a wedding coordinator. First, do your research: How long have they been in the business? Who have been their past clients? What are their services and how much are they going to charge you? How many times should you meet during the preps? What will be the terms stated in the contract?

I've heard of horror stories regarding a few wedding coordinators, and it's best to do a background check on the ones you're eyeing first. The best way to check their credibility, aside from asking them directly (that's also to check if you have rapport with your potential coordinator), is to ask their past clients how they fared during their wedding. Online forums are a big help to determining the names to be short-listed in your mind. Actual brides who have availed of their service would be more than willing to recommend their wedding planners to you.

So now that you have an idea, ask yourself if it's important that you hire a wedding coordinator. If you think you won't be able to handle it on your own, remember there's always someone willing to help you out during your preparations. Work hand in hand with your wedding coordinator and your big day will be truly memorable.

Asking for cash instead of traditional gifts

Is it taboo to ask for cash as a wedding gift? While it may be frowned upon by some, more couples are now doing this. Plenty of reasons come to mind: they probably have enough stuff for the household that giving another blender would just occupy space, or the couple plans to live in another country, or they may just want you to help them start their married life.

But how should you ask your guests that you'd prefer a monetary gift over a traditional one? A relative or a friend might take it the wrong way if you tell them outright.

When my husband and I were still halfway through the planning stage, we wanted to give hints to our guests that we would like to receive such gifts. My mom helped me out on this -- she spread the word to my relatives. "Gift is good, but they need cash." It came as a joke (half-meant, I would say) but it kinda worked: as 3/4 of the guests were my relatives, the total amount we received would have covered half of our wedding expenditures.

Another idea is to tell them through a poem, which you can write on the invitation. One such poem can be found over at TheFizz.co.uk:

If you were thinking of giving a gift, to help us on our way
A gift of cash towards our house, would really make our day.
However, if you prefer to purchase a gift, feel free to surprise us in your own way.

What I liked about this poem is that it sounded more of a request; it didn't require guests to give just cash. They can surprise the couple with anything they think the bride and groom would like.

There's also the wedding wishing well where guests can put in their monetary gifts as they enter the reception hall. You can tell your guests about it also via your invitation. Here's an example of a wedding wishing well poem from Mag.WeddingCentral.com.au:

To save you looking, shopping or buying
Here is an idea, we hope you like trying.
Come to our wedding, to wish us both well
And bring this small sack, to throw in our wishing well.
Fill it with paper all colours will do, gold is our favorite but silver will do.
Now that we have saved you, all of the fuss
We hope you will come, and celebrate with us.

It doesn't sound rude, right? Plus, it tells them that their presence matters, not because of the gift they would give, but because they are important to you.

Here are a few ideas you could use if you want to receive cash as wedding gifts. Not only is it beneficial to you, but it also helps remove the stress from your guests in searching for a great wedding gift for you. Just remember to ask nicely so it won't ruin your big day.

Intimate weddings

A colleague's sister is getting married this April. The catch? She and her fiance announced it just after New Year's. That means they have less than 4 months to prepare for the big day.

There are two other catches: first, they only have a budget of Php50,000 (around US$1,000), and second, they don't know where to start.

Weddings can cost so much today, and working on such a tight budget can be difficult. But it actually is possible to work around that budget if they go for an intimate wedding.

True, here in the Philippines having an intimate wedding is nearly impossible, with every second and third-degree relative, and even nosy neighbors, wanting to be witnesses to your union (or maybe just have a free meal). But you can, as long as the couple's decision is firm about limiting the guests to immediate family members only.

Some may get offended for not being invited, said my friend. And in our country, this may get tongues wagging. But do you have to care about it, really? It is your wedding, and the most important people there are the two of you and your families. So don't be hesitant in holding an intimate wedding, especially if you have a limited budget. It's the meaning of the union, and not the spectacle, that counts.

Photo credit: Stock Photo: Wedding Day 4 by bjearwicke from sxc.hu.

Planning a Wedding on a Tight Budget

In these times when money is hard to come by, couples have to be extra careful when planning their wedding. I remember reading brides-to-be saying that their budget for the wedding day alone costs around US$20,000 -- and that does not include those they have to spend for after the wedding, like apartment rentals and other stuff. To be honest, you can really do a lot with that big an amount, but are you willing to spend that much just for one day?

Me and my husband, we didn't have that much money, so we crammed all the wedding stuff in a very small budget: about US$4,000. Besides, we didn't want to end up in debt. And believe it or not, we managed to fit everything in that amount. Suppliers for church, venue, food, dresses, photography -- all of it. And even after our wedding, guests raved at how much they enjoyed that day.

Here's what we did:

1. Chose a place where the church and reception place were near each other. Actually, we found a church with a multi-purpose hall that they also rent out as a reception venue. We saved costs for that, and also for the guests' transportation.

2. Chose a ceremony and reception venue within the city, where more than 70% of our relatives and friends were located. Again, saves on transportation and lodging costs.

3. Prioritized what we needed versus what we wanted. Having a tight budget doesn't mean going cheap -- it's all about designating the budget, how to partition the amount at hand. Our main priority was food because, as they say, guests will forget almost everything about the wedding -- except how the food tasted. Half of our budget went to the catering, the rest were divided into photography, the dresses, flowers, and others.

4. Chose cost-effective suppliers. Our caterer, for one, already offered a free cake, bridal car, and guest table arrangements in their package. I also found a dressmaker who could do the bridal and entourage dresses all together. Many suppliers have packaged offerings ready, but of course, we were careful enough to choose which of them would be affordable but still give the highest quality of service.

5. Did DIY's. Invitations, souvenirs, misalettes -- all labors of love. It also helps to have a creative partner and very eager family members and friends to help out.

6. Asked friends to lend their talents. Our wedding had friends as back-up photographers and reception program hosts. My brother also played the piano during the ceremony.

7. Limited the number of guests. More guests meant more plates for the meal. Caterers (at least here in the Philippines) charge per plate, so limiting our guests to 160 saved us some money. Also, we invited only immediate family members, first-degree relatives, and the closest friends we've had individually and as a couple. We did not invite those we didn't know.

8. Always looked at the budget list. Since I was in charge of handling the budget, I kept a close look at what we have spent and what we still need to get for the wedding. To make sure we didn't go overboard with the budget, we saved more than the expected amount to make room for extra expenses.

When you have a tight budget, it doesn't mean you'll end up with a wedding disaster. Research and keeping within the budget is the key. That's what we did, and I'm proud to say our wedding was a success -- a very beautiful day we'd want to remember always.

Your special day could be wonderful, too, even with a small budget. Take note of these few tips and you'll truly have a fun and worry-free wedding.

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Photo credit: Kiss by Atroszko from sxc.hu.

Organize your wedding planning with My Wedding Workbook

Wedding planning can be a tedious task for every brides and grooms-to-be. You can ask help from friends and family, or even your wedding coordinator, but most of the time you (and your partner) are always on your own -- searching and selecting vendors, scheduling ocular inspections, dress fitting and other things. At this point in the pre-wedding process, you'd need someone or something to help organize everything that needs to be done.

Enter My Wedding Workbook, a free online wedding planner designed to assist you in the nitty-gritty of the wedding details. Actually, this was introduced to me by blogger, owner and groom-to-be Jeff whose web programmer friend, Steve, created this tool while he and his then-fiancee were going through with the wedding preparations.

Through Jeff's invitation, I had a chance to browse through their site and check out the sample account.

The main website gives you a comprehensive overview of what you can expect from this online wedding planner. It gives you a brief background and some screenshots of the tools you can use: from the budget breakdown to the guest list to a calendar which lists all important dates prior to your big day. And with just a click of a mouse, you can easily register for an account at My Wedding Workbook -- at no cost!

I also perused through their dummy account (I thought of making my own, but since it's been 9 months since my wedding, I just chose to access the sample account) to see how all the info is presented. Upon logging into your account, you will be taken to the Overview Page where you can see your total expenses and guest details. From there, you can access all the other integrated tools by selecting the tabs on the upper screen.

The Guest List tab shows you, obviously, the names of the attendees you're expecting. It also helps you track if they have responded to your RSVPs, or where they will be staying if they're coming from out of town. When you click the "Add a NEW Family/Guest" button, you can put all the details of the family (who from their brood are invited, etc.) or the guest (and probably companion) and the events you would like for them to attend (engagement party, rehearsal dinner or just ceremony/reception).

One of the most important tools in this online wedding planner (and perhaps the priority of every wedding preparation) is the Budget tool found in the next tab. Here, you can track all the expenses you have incurred during this time. A detailed budget breakdown is presented when you click on the menu on the left side of the screen. With this, you can easily track how much you would have to spend for your engagement party, rehearsals and wedding suppliers, who would spend for them, and when the balance is due. What I find nice about this part is that it calculates the total budget instantly when you put in the amount information in any of the subcategories, so you can immediately see how much you've already incurred up to this time.

The Events tab helps you organize all pre-wedding and actual wedding day details. You can input location and date details, who your officiant will be on the day of your wedding, and other things. Details of your wedding vendors and and their contact numbers may also be entered here for archiving. If you're planning to get a gift registry, you can also put their information here, as well as the items included in the registry. Also in this tab, you will find helpful hints which offers tips on topics such as bridal showers and the like.

Lastly, there's a calendar that helps you be reminded of all the important dates of the wedding preparation. What's nifty about it is that you can opt to be reminded of these appointments automatically through email, making sure you won't forget when you'll have to go to the tailor or reserve your ceremony venue.

This online wedding planner also has checklists and worksheets that can help you choose the best suppliers for your wedding day. They also come in PDF form which you can save in your computer or print out.

My Wedding Workbook is such a helpful tool for all couples out there, especially those who are too much into the details of everything or those who are unable to have their own wedding planner oversee things for them. What's more, it's easy to use and navigate through, and you will find everything you need all in one place. No more worrying about missing the small details; you'll find everything is easy to organize. The layout is even commendable -- simple and not busy on the eyes. And did I mention that it's free? So if you're looking for a great wedding tool online, My Wedding Workbook is one you should get.

It's never too late to start early

I had a chance last night to ask my sister if she and her boyfriend had plans of getting hitched.

"Well, yes," she told me.

"When?"

"Um, I don't know. Maybe this year?" I sense the uncertainty in her voice.

"Well, you have to start preparing now," I told her.

They're not the first couple I know to make rushed wedding preparations. But knowing my sister, who's very obsessive-compulsive about the nitty-gritty of details and stuff, she might encounter a lot of obstacles along the way, especially when they're working with a pretty tight deadline.

My hubby and I took one year and two months to prepare for everything. And we weren't that OC.

One thing I learned about wedding preparations is that the earlier, the better.

After he asked my parents for my hand in marriage, we began working on it on June 2007. By the end of the year, we already had a ceremony and reception venue, caterer and photographer. We were fortunate to have reserved these suppliers because, by the beginning of 2008, they increased their prices. Our price packages weren't affected, because they had a price-lock for clients who reserved the year before. That eliminated additional expenditure we had to incur (price-lock depends on the supplier; they may or may not give you a price-lock so better ask them about it prior to booking). Booking suppliers early also serves as an advantage, especially if you're eying those in-demand ones during peak wedding months. As the saying goes, the early bird catches the first (and often sought-after) worm.

It also gave us a chance to canvass more supplier options that we had enough time to choose which would meet our budget but offer the best value. We also had a chance to visit bridal fairs where potential suppliers could showcase their craft, giving us a sample of what they can do and helping us in decision-making.

Preparing early made it easier for us to iron out kinks. We had a very erratic entourage list with a bridesmaid getting pregnant (and getting married months before we did) and her replacement having to go out of the country on the month of our wedding. Guest list problems were also worked out during the whole time (but not without a fight).

This is not to say that short wedding preparations result in wedding disasters. That is not always the case. I've seen couples have amazing weddings which were prepared in such a short time. But there's always an advantage in starting early. So if you could begin your wedding preparations as soon as you can, do so.

Handling the Guest List

One of the challenges we encountered during our wedding preparations was making the guest list -- and limiting the number.

It was quite a challenge in the sense that on my part, the bride, my families from both parents are particularly close. At the onset, hubby and I wanted only 100 guests -- that's like 50/50. But when I did a tally of relatives to invite, my list went to about 40, not counting friends. His? It was just above 10, as most of his relatives are in the province and couldn't make it.

We looked at our (relatively small) budget and saw that we could extend up to 150 max. That would count some of my friends and colleagues, as well as his (well, 50 spots were enough for him to fill). Then my dad invited his friends from high school. People whom I don't even know! What the --?!

So here are a few things we've learned about handling the guest list:

1. Invite only those close to you. So that's family and a handful of friends. Kids could be left with the babysitter. But of course you should include those who have a particular role in the ceremony -- flower girls, bridesmaids and the lot. If you could also do away with colleagues then do so (in hubby's case, he just invited his boss, no other office mates). And if you could do away with exes, then that's fine. Unless of course you want them to see you in full, blushing regalia...

2. Don't invite those who live far and would have to make time and spend money to go to the wedding. But this one is a case-to-case basis. For us, if they don't have any participation in the ceremony, we decided not to send an invite. Moreso if it had been a long time since we had communicated with each other.

3. Be firm in your decisions. This was the hardest for me, especially with my dad because he was the one who wanted to invite the whole neighborhood to our wedding (well, being the first to wed in the brood didn't help). There is the right time to say "NO." But if you couldn't say it, well you could enlist the help of another family member to do it for you, in this case my mom.

4. Make a worksheet of your guest list. You can use the MS Excel program in your computer or make a table and list all the names of your guests. Indicate also whether you will invite them during the ceremony, reception, or both. And don't lose the list. ;)

These are just some of the things we've learned through experience. I'm pretty sure you will have some of your own learnings, too, as you go through your preparations. If you have a clannish family like mine, better brace yourself for some rough waves with planning the guest list.

Photo credit: Write1 by woodsy, from sxc.hu

Where to start?

He's popped the question, you said "yes."

Now let the preparations begin!

But, wait... where do you begin?

I remember when my hubby gave me the engagement ring. After letting our families know that we were getting married, the first thing that came to our heads was, "What now?"

At the onset of planning our wedding, the initial thing we did, after determining our wedding date, was to plan a budget. Getting inspiration from friends' weddings, we more or less had an idea of how much to save. The first stage was purely forming the discipline of setting a portion of our income for the wedding budget. And because we had a year to go, and chances are prices were going to increase sometime during the preparations (which it did), we thought of saving double of what we initially planned.

During the "saving period," we were also planning about our ceremony and reception: when and where. Hubby and I are both Catholics, so it was an automatic Church wedding (here in the Philippines). The question now was, "Which church?" I think it took us three trips and numerous phone calls before we decided on the one.

At the same time, we also looked for reception areas that are near the ceremony venue. The church we wanted had a reception hall near it -- a convenient walking distance. A plus to us and our guests, which led us to reserving both ceremony and reception venues in one go.

After that came the photographers, caterers, invitations, dress and flowers and all other stuff, in no particular order. I guess after the church and reception venue we reserved what we thought was priority among the wedding suppliers. You could always prioritize one over the other, depending on how you allocate your budget. But what's important is that you know your budget early on, so you could avoid overspending.

Photo credit: diamante by lifan, sxc.hu