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Questions to Ask Before Booking a Venue

Choosing a venue for the wedding and reception is a big part of the wedding planning. The most popular locations fill up quickly. The couple may feel rushed to choose a wedding venue quickly. Before you make a decision, consider some of the possible problems that can occur with wedding venues. If you rush booking a venue before investigating their rules, you may find that their rules prohibit you from doing some of the things you definitely want at your wedding.

Are the rates different for different days and times? When are deposits and payments due? The couple needs to make sure that the wedding venue fits well within their budget. If the wedding date needs to be changed or cancelled, is there a cancellation policy? Make sure you have a clear understanding of any associated costs and fees that may be added such as cleaning and parking fees.

Must your vendors be used? Venues may have a list of vendors that are their “approved vendors.” You may be required to use their florist, caterer, or photographer. Since these professionals know they are the only approved vendors for that venue, they might charge higher prices.

What happens if it rains? If you are looking at outdoor venues, you will want to know what the plans are for rainy days. A venue may have tents that they set up for the ceremony and reception. They might only set up one tent to be used for both the ceremony and reception.

Is alcohol consumption permitted? Some venues will not allow any alcohol on the premises. That champagne toast that you had your heart set on will not be permitted at a venue prohibiting alcohol. Make sure that the rules of the venue don’t contradict with the plans that you had for the reception. Other venues may provide alcohol. If that is the case, you may want to ask about the prices of alcohol.

Are candles allowed? Are there restrictions on decorations? Who is responsible for removing the decorations and cleaning up after the wedding and reception? The couple will need to know who has the responsibility for restoring the room to its pre-reception condition.

What times would my wedding guests be allowed to arrive and when must they leave? Some venues book more than one wedding in a single day. An AM wedding may leave the guests feeling rushed to leave. The PM wedding may mean that your florist or others helping with decorations may feel rushed to get everything ready before the wedding.

The couple may want to ask about the availability of parking, restrooms, and whether or not the venue is handicap accessible. Couples who plan to have dancing and music at the reception may want to ask about the space and any noise restrictions.

Couples should feel comfortable asking the questions and not feel rushed or scrutinized for inquiring. It’s important that you know exactly what is expected before agreeing to the wedding venue. For more tips about wedding planning, browse the Best for Bride blog for helpful advice.

Posted on by Olga Pomeransky — 4 Comments

Renewing your Vows – A guide to making it perfect

Mignon McLaughlin said, “A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person.”

Is there a better way to fall in love all over again, than by renewing your vows and saying “I still do”? It gives you an opportunity to celebrate your love and togetherness in the best way you can imagine.

The rules of a traditional wedding do not confine you on this occasion. Whether you choose to have an elaborate ceremony, celebrate it at an exotic location abroad, or have a party with just your close family and friends, it is entirely up to you. All that matters is that you enjoy the occasion, and renew your promise of continuing on the journey of life together.

Here are some tips to help you plan and make the most, of this special day in your life.

Traditional or contemporary, choose to have fun

Unlike your wedding day, there are no rules to conducting this ceremony. You can choose to have an officiant to preside over it, or just be creative and find an interesting alternative.

You could exchange your original vows, or even make up new ones that are more apt in your current situation.

Discuss how you would like to celebrate the occasion with your spouse, and plan a ceremony that the two of you would equally enjoy.

Plan the perfect attire

There are no rules here. You could always use this opportunity to bring out your wedding gown once again, as long as it fits!

However, wouldn’t it be more fun, to dress up in a dress that’s different from a wedding gown? Think cocktail dresses, evening dresses or even a casual frock for a chic, fun ceremony. Match your attire to the formality of the event. When the bride and the groom complement each other, it is a pleasant sight. This is your chance to look romantic, fashionable and gorgeous, so make the most of it.

Ideas to make it enjoyable

Unless you decide to go all out and have a grand celebration, renewing vows are normally intimate occasions that involve just your close friends and family. Make it more fun by involving them too. Choose an interesting theme and have your children be your bridesmaids and groomsmen. The young children of the family could be flower girls, ushers or accompany the bride down the aisle.

Being married for so long is a real accomplishment, so you can symbolize it by exchanging engraved rings to honor your love. Bring back the memories of your wedding day, by decorating your venue with photographs of your wedding day. Display before and after pictures of yourselves, have a slideshow of the various milestones in your married life and let the guests join you as you remember these fond memories.

This is the day when you are free to enjoy all that you wanted to the first time, but couldn’t. Dance together to favorite tunes, and wiggle to some fun music too. Make the most of this occasion to pause and reflect on what your life together has been all about.

Best for Bride has the perfect choice of dresses that can help you look just as beautiful when you renew your vows, as you did on your wedding day. Visit us online and take a look at what we have to offer.

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How to Have a Surprise Wedding

Typically, there is quite a bit of planning that goes into a wedding and it can take months to get it just right. It can also be quite stressful, especially when couples are dealing with issues with their family. However, one way to avoid these many stresses is to plan a surprise wedding instead. If this is something that you would like to tackle, here are a few tips to get you started.

Be Secretive

One of the most important things that you can focus on is making sure that you avoid telling as many people about the surprise wedding as possible. While it may be a good idea to fill your parents in on the secret, it is best if you try to keep everyone else out of the loop. You should also make sure that vendors are aware that you are planning a surprise wedding so that someone is not accidentally provided information that can spill the beans.

Getting People to the Event

This is probably the hardest part of having a surprise wedding. You will still need to send out invitations, but will need to disguise the true reason for the gathering. You may also need to discuss with your fiancé what to do if an important guest informs you that they will not be attending. You may need to let them in on the secret if you cannot convince them otherwise.

When it comes to decorating, you will need to set up so that it is not as obvious that you are having a wedding. Instead of traditional seating, you may find it helpful to sit up picnic tables with an aisle in between instead. You can also consider simply using flowers on the tables that are in season so that you do not give away the idea that you are decorating for a wedding.

Think about the downsides

Keep in mind that there are some downsides to having a surprise wedding. For example, it is less likely that you will receive as many wedding gifts as you would with a traditional wedding. You will also miss out on the events that you would attend, like a bachelorette party or bridal shower before your wedding. These are some things that you should think about carefully before planning a surprise wedding.

Conclusion

A surprise wedding can be something fun and exciting for everyone involved. Not only will it help cut down on some of the drama that goes along with some wedding planning, but you may be able to cut down on costs as well. However, this is something that should be thought through carefully before you decide to go this route. Because of the nature of this type of wedding, you may find that you miss out on some of the other joys of having a traditional wedding.

If you are planning a surprise wedding, there is no other place better to get you started than Best for Bride. They will help you plan a wedding that will have her saying ‘yes’ in a heartbeat.

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How to Choose a Venue for your Wedding

One of the most important factors to consider when you are planning your wedding is the venue that you will be holding it in. You will find that there are many to choose from in your location and it is one of the first decisions that you should make. It is possible that you select the venue before you select the date of your wedding depending on how popular the venue is.

Below you will find some tips on how to choose your venue as well as the things that you should consider while you are going through the decision making process.

Discuss and Negotiate

The first thing that you should do is to talk it over with your spouse to be. It is a good idea to choose a location that you both will love and can agree on. This is also a great time to begin discussing the number of people who will be invited from both sides of the family as well.

Consider your Budget

Many popular wedding venues cost quite a bit of money in order to book. This is definitely something that can prevent you from selecting certain venues that fall out of your budget. Before making the final choice as to which venue would work best for your wedding, it is a good idea to know how much money that you have to spend.

The Guests

The size of the venue can also be important. For example, if you choose a small venue that only holds 50 people, but you plan to invite 200, you may have a slight problem. On the flip side, a venue that is meant for thousands of people may be overkill if you will only have a hundred guests or so. Consider the people that you expect to attend and choose a venue that suits that number of guests.

The Date

As mention above, you may find that it is difficult to book certain venues on the actual date of your wedding. For this reason, it is best to see what your options are for the date of your wedding first. Or, better yet, select the venue first and then decide on the date. If you are a bit flexible on the date that you choose, you may find that you have more options to choose from.

Conclusion

When you are selecting your venue, there are many things that you should consider. It is also a good idea to consider where you plan to have the reception at this time as well. Since many people have the reception at a location separate from the wedding venue, this is something that you may want to think about when planning your wedding.

Best for Bride

Best for Bride is a bridal boutique that can help plan your wedding from start to finish. They offer a wide range of wedding gowns as well as many other things that are necessary for your big day. With their help, you will be able to have the best wedding possible, regardless of the venue that you ultimately choose.