Well, the proposal has been made, the sparkling ring is on your ring finger, the emotions have subsided - it’s time to start preparing for the wedding.
Preparations for a wedding event are always accompanied by pleasant chores. Finding a suitable celebration hall, procession, outfits, invitations, organizers, photographers and other people involved in this important event.
The wedding of your dreams is in your hands!
But how to organize and plan everything correctly? How not to forget all the moments of preparation and make the wedding the most beautiful, unforgettable and fun? More on this below in order.
Preparing for a wedding: where to start?
Determine the time frame for preparing for the wedding
First, let's decide when to start preparing for the wedding. To organize a wonderful wedding, you can limit yourself to 2-3 months, but in order to think through all the little things and not encounter unforeseen situations during the celebration, preparations should begin 5-6 months in advance.
Choose a wedding style
Now you should ask yourself the question: “What kind of wedding do you want?” You need to choose the style of the wedding event and think about the main points. You may have started imagining your dream wedding as a child.
Make wedding lists
A properly drawn up wedding preparation plan will be very effective, since it eliminates the possibility of forgetting something important. Remember, the more responsible you are in preparing your wedding and the more carefully you think through all the details, the fewer unforeseen situations await you.
Traditional wedding decoration
Before you start choosing designs and materials, you need to decide what additional accessories you will need for your wedding. The choice depends entirely on the scenario and format of the wedding; the preferences of the newlyweds are also taken into account, since there are no uniform requirements in this matter. Traditionally, the following accessories are prepared for a modern wedding:
- wedding invitations;
- landing cards and plan, if necessary (usually practiced for crowded wedding celebrations);
- flower and lighting garlands, bouquets;
- a bouquet for the bride and a boutonniere for the groom, which are sometimes complemented by flowers for the mother-in-law;
- candles for table and altar decoration;
- wedding glasses and the first bottle of champagne;
- container for collecting money.
All things should be made in the same style, so as not to introduce dissonance, but at the same time not look uniform. As decoration, you can choose a specific pattern, motif or set of materials, and repeat it with a variety of additional elements.
DIY invitations
If you create wedding decor according to your own taste, then you should make invitations for guests and relatives yourself. Usually they are sent at least 1-2 months before the appointed date to give the invitees the opportunity to decide on their plans, prepare a gift and outfit, and notify the newlyweds of their refusal or consent. Invitations are usually presented at a personal meeting. But it can be sent by couriers or mail, in a regular envelope.
The text can be printed on a printer, or a beautiful inscription can be made if there is a person in the family with good, legible handwriting. Another option is to use a stencil. They paste it onto a base made of a suitable material: a photograph of the newlyweds, thick fabric, a cut of wood, cardboard, a plank, plastic, etc., whatever the lovers’ imagination is enough for. They are decorated in approximately the same style with feathers, ribbons, beads and rhinestones, lace, and painted with patterns.
Cover for Marriage Certificate
The newlyweds go to the registry office to receive an official Marriage Certificate. A valuable document needs a hard cover so as not to wrinkle or tear it. Typically, institution employees offer to purchase folders produced in the printing house on site. You can also buy them at any office supply store. But, you can do it yourself.
For the basis take:
- binding or beer cardboard 1.5-2 mm thick;
- a suitable piece of fabric - guipure, satin, cotton, linen;
- satin or guipure ribbons;
- thin cardboard;
- patterned paper for scrapbooking;
- decoration elements - flowers, foil parts, chipboard, paints, glue.
You can look for a suitable design on the Internet, or come up with it yourself.
Seating plan
If you are planning a crowded wedding, you cannot do without seating cards and a written plan. The procedure for seating guests left to its own devices is fraught with conflicts, awkward situations, and quarrels. Therefore, the list of guests is carefully worked out: who communicates well with whom, is familiar and friendly, in what environment the guest will be more comfortable. The plan, which indicates who should sit and with whom, is made on a large sheet of whatman paper or cardboard, decorated with cut-out paper figures, photos, flowers, branches.
Place cards with the names of the guests must be placed on the tables. To do this, just choose a beautiful font, a few curls or decorative elements for decoration. This can be a regular rectangle of thick paper, folded in half for stability. Or a flag on a stand, a miniature sign on a skewer stuck into a cake, gingerbread or candy. You can use a napkin clip, a tall glass with colored beads, or a flower bud as a card stand.
Decorating glasses for a wedding
The tradition of breaking dishes at a wedding is centuries old. Even the ancient Greeks believed that a broken valuable object would protect one from envious people and the wrath of the gods. And the Slavs beat the pots as a sign of the girl’s innocence given to her husband, and they also said: how many pieces, so many sons.
If previously the newlyweds broke clay pots and jugs, then at a modern wedding it is customary to break crystal glasses. You can approach the process creatively: not just buy a new pair or take existing glasses, but also decorate them with rhinestones, drawings, gold or silver plating, beads, and flowers. Openwork white lace made of fabric or paper, ordinary white or colored paint are suitable for decoration. The edges of the glasses can be smeared with glue and dipped in sugar, broken Christmas tree decorations - this will create an interesting snowy frost effect.
Cushion for rings
For wedding rings, a special bed is prepared, on which they are served to the newlyweds during the wedding ceremony. The registry office staff provides a standard small tray or saucer, but it is still better to design the substrate to your own taste. It could be:
- a cushion made of velvet, satin or silk, embroidered with floss, beads, with sewn lace, ribbons and roses made of light fabric. Its shape can be different - square, round, in the shape of a heart, shell or bowl;
- a box made of wood, paper, metal, decorated with paintings, ribbons, beautiful beads, stones, rhinestones;
- an ordinary tea saucer turned into a work of art using glue, scrap materials, and paints;
- a wicker miniature basket, lined with beautiful fabric, decorated along the rim with flowers, beads, beads.
An original backing for rings will add individuality to a standard marriage ceremony and create an atmosphere of romance and warmth. This could be a surprise for lovers, made through the efforts of friends or relatives.
Arm garters
At modern weddings, witnesses, traditional for Slavic peoples, are often replaced by bridesmaids and friends of the groom. This custom came to us from the West and has successfully taken root. To stand out from the crowd of guests and relatives, girls and boys dress up in identical dresses and suits, similar in style to the outfits of the bride and groom. In addition, the girlfriends wear identical jewelry on their wrists - garters. They are created from the following materials:
- satin and guipure ribbons;
- lace and pieces of tulle;
- decor from artificial large and small flower buds, leaves, berries;
- beads, pearls, brooches and beads;
- bows, small beads, pendants.
The garters should be held securely on the arms, not falling off, but also not pinching the blood vessels. You can use an elastic band for fastening, hiding it in the fabric.
Money box
It is no secret that most modern guests prefer, instead of a tedious search for a suitable and original gift, to present the newlyweds with a certain amount of money with the wish of many years of marriage. And for young people such a gift is also desirable, because they can later spend it on acquiring really necessary things. Therefore, you need to prepare in advance for collecting cash gifts. What can be used as a temporary “bank”?
- a large box made of wood, metal, plastic;
- plastic or cardboard box;
- medium sized chest;
- a three-liter or five-liter cylinder with a humorous inscription on the theme of money in the bank;
- wicker basket or basket;
- wooden or plastic barrel;
- bucket.
The selected container must be decorated in the style chosen for the wedding, using paint and glue, paper and fabrics, and improvised decorative elements.
How to choose a wedding date
Wedding date and time
Determining the date and time is a very important point, since uncertainty in it can significantly slow down the entire process of preparing for the special event. Preparations for the wedding will go much faster if the date of the celebration is precisely set.
Wedding by season
If you are planning a wedding in the cold season, then you can submit an application to the registry office a month in advance. If you want to celebrate a wedding in the summer or in another warm period, it is better to submit an application no later than six months in advance, since during the “hot season” there may be many people who want to organize a celebration on your intended date of marriage registration.
Outdoor ceremony
This problem will not arise if you choose an outdoor ceremony. You can officially sign on any day of the week, and the wedding itself can take place on another day and time convenient for you.
A very important point is choosing the date of marriage registration
Wedding signs
The advice of astrologers can help you choose a date; ask what the stars promise your couple. If you are planning a wedding, you should refer to the church calendar, since this action is prohibited during the period of fasting. Someone believes in folk wedding omens, then clarify what to believe.
Wedding decorations
What kind of wedding decorations can you make with your own hands? Here are some great ideas to help you make your choice:
- for a colored wedding, ribbons and draperies made of heavy, glossy or velvet fabrics, light gauze of certain shades are perfect for decoration;
- Summer and spring weddings are a great opportunity for floral decoration. You can use affordable, charming wildflowers or purchase more lush, solemn decorative types;
- In autumn and winter, natural and weather motifs can be used in decoration: snowflakes, glass beads reminiscent of ice, bright, ripe bunches of rowan and viburnum, pine paws, bright autumn leaves;
- paper is a versatile decoration tool. You can use it to make flags, garlands with congratulatory inscriptions, lanterns and pom-poms;
- no less interesting are small decorations in the form of oblong or spherical glass flasks with candles or flower buds, hung around the banquet hall;
- You can use a variety of beads as decoration, collecting them in garlands and beads, scattering them on tables and creating interesting color effects in transparent vases;
- figurines made of fabric, paper, painted clay and salt dough are perfect for a wedding - hearts, angels, doves and swans, cupids with arrows of love, and similar characters symbolizing love and fidelity;
- Antique items that are given a second life by skillful hands are great for wedding decor: chests and caskets, lamps and vases, forged and ceramic items.
Jewelry created thanks to the imagination of lovers reflects their inner world and fits perfectly into the ambiance and general atmosphere of the wedding.
Wedding guest list: who to invite?
And so, the wedding date has been chosen. Now you should begin to compile a list of guests and select witnesses and, if necessary, matchmakers.
When creating your guest list, keep in mind that about 5-15% will not be able to attend. In order to save a little on your wedding banquet, it is better to order a slightly smaller number of seats, rather than strictly according to the list. In any case, you can add places later, when you confirm the arrival of all guests for the celebration.
You should also think about guests from other cities; you need to provide them with a place to stay for the days of the event. At this stage, you can already draw up an approximate wedding budget.
Decoration of the bride's home
If you are planning an exciting and exciting ceremony of ransoming the bride from her father's house, it is necessary to arrange the location of the action. It is usually held in front of the registry office, and, according to the rules, the groom sees his beautiful bride for the first time in magnificent wedding attire. But, before this long-awaited moment comes, the groom must prove his right to the hand and heart of his beautiful chosen one, and also demonstrate all his advantages. How is the scene decorated?
- The design begins with the entrance or yard. Balloons in the form of garlands, flowers, and hearts are hung. The railings are draped with gauze fabric, artificial or fresh flowers. You can hang posters and colorful drawings, paper or foil figures on the walls. The path is lined with carpet, hearts and stars cut out of cardboard.
- Many garlands of snow-white doves, gold or scarlet hearts, and flowers are hung in the house. Hang pompoms and balls, arrange candles. In the most prominent place, symbolic rings, connected hearts, framed with gauze and ribbons are created from balls or flowers.
- The initials of the young, congratulatory or humorous inscriptions on banners, posters, or collected from colored letters on a strong thread, branches with leaves and climbing plants are also often used. Butterflies made of paper or fabric attached between flower buds, on walls, mirrors, and glass will not spoil the festive mood.
Favorite soft toys dressed as the bride and groom look charming, as well as paper flags with wedding symbols and lush fans.
Where to celebrate a wedding: order a room for the celebration
Based on the number of people, you need to start looking for a venue for your wedding event.
Where to celebrate your wedding? This is one of the most important wedding issues, since many organizational issues are determined based on the location of the celebration.
When choosing a restaurant or cafe, don’t be too lazy to find some reviews on the Internet. Visit a potential premises, talk to the staff, compare prices with similar establishments, evaluate the spaciousness and convenience of the location.
Wedding venues must be booked in advance.
Remember, the height of the wedding season falls from May to October, so you need to book your date at least 4 months in advance.
Making your own coffee cup as a gift
If you are thinking about what gift you can give a man, then first answer the question: how does he feel about coffee? If the answer is yes, then a cup decorated with coffee beans will be an original gift.
What will you need to create a gift?
- Any cup;
- Coffee beans;
- Cotton pads;
- White thread;
- Chocolate-colored acrylic paint;
- Super glue.
So, a master class on handmade gifts.
- Glue all the prepared cotton pads directly to the cup. It is important to cover the entire surface with them so that there is not a single gap left.
- Wrap the thread around the cup.
- On top of the thread and cotton pads, you need to apply the prepared paint over the entire area of the cup.
- Carefully glue the coffee beans. To ensure that there are no gaps left in the end, you can paste the mug in two layers at once.
- Additionally, for beauty, you can decorate the gift with beautiful lace or colored ribbon.
How to set up a photo zone
Not a single modern wedding is complete without professional photography, videography, and amateur photographs. To make wedding photos and scenes look amazing, you need to take care of creating a photo zone. This could be decorations in the style of:
- historical or fantasy plot;
- a romantic corner for two lovers;
- a cozy, homely environment, with rocking chairs or a sofa-couch, a fireplace and colored decorative pillows;
- charming natural landscape.
A free-standing tent, photo wallpaper in the form of an original painting, an elegant table with a tea set and a pair of armchairs decorated with fabric and flowers are perfect for these purposes. Three-dimensional figures can be made from foam plastic, wire, and then painted or decorated with fabric, paper, and other materials. Live birds in a cage, kittens, dogs and other pets who will agree to pose with the newlyweds and their guests will also be useful.
DIY wedding decorations are a fun, creative challenge. Jointly thinking through decorative details, searching for the most suitable design solutions and calmly working with your hands brings people together and helps the bride, groom and their relatives get to know each other better. By decorating a wedding celebration with their own hands, the newlyweds not only save money, they get a unique opportunity to surprise their loved one, create an original interior to their own taste and rightfully be proud of the results of their work and imagination.
