Many brides hire a wedding planner to help them take care of everything that needs to get done before their big day. However, this service can be very pricey as it usually includes an hourly rate plus a commission on every purchase that is made. If you want to save money on your wedding then you will want to be your own wedding planner. The following tips will help you to keep your planning activities manageable and under control.
Tip #1 – Keep Things Simple
If you don’t have a lot of time to spend on your wedding plans, then you need to keep things as simple as possible. This doesn’t mean you can’t plan an extravagant wedding, but what it does mean is that you don’t want to overstress yourself with taking on more than you can afford and that you can deal with.
Tip #2 – Keep Things Organized
It is very important to keep everything well organized. It is a good idea to create a wedding planning folder that will keep everything related to you wedding in one place. A large three ring binder is a great option. You can add section dividers and envelopes to the binder to help organize your receipts, plans and to-do lists.
Tip #3 – Don’t Procrastinate
When you are planning a wedding you do not want to procrastinate. To help you get everything that needs to get done, done, you will need to create a schedule. This schedule can be adjusted as things change, but having it will help you to see when plans need to be finalized, when things need to be ordered and when things need to be paid for.
Tip #4 – Pay With a Credit Card
To help you track all of your wedding expenses you can use a specific credit card to make all of your purchases. This credit card should be used exclusively for your wedding purchases. Try to find one that offers a cash back reward or a travel reward so you can earn things for your wedding or honeymoon. By using a credit card to pay for your wedding expenses you will get a monthly statement that itemizes all of your payments. This will help you to manage your receipts and it will provide you with proof that you made a payment. Also, if a vendor fails to deliver their product or service, or if an item that you purchased for your wedding is lost, stolen or damaged, you may be covered by purchase protection offered by your credit card.
Anytime that you make a contract with someone to provide a service or product to your wedding that is prepaid and then delivered later you need to get your agreement down on paper. The contract needs to explain what is to be delivered, when it is to be delivered, who is responsible for insuring the item or the service and how payment is to be made. You will also want to include remedies in the contract that outline what will happen if one party fails to hold up their end of the deal. This will simplify the resolution process if something goes wrong.
