Planning YOUR Wedding

Weddings are a lot of work and require so much planning. If you are not hiring a wedding planner and are doing it all by yourself, more power to you! Make the day all about you and your partner, being as traditional or unconventional as you like. Add personal touches to your wedding to really make it yours while being thoughtful and budget-friendly too.

Include Your Dog

Who says that your maid of honor needs to be your human best friend? If your dog is a good boy or good girl who will behave itself walking down the aisle, why not include them? Your dog has always been your best and most loyal friend. Shop with vet products direct for dog toys and reward them for a job well done.

• Have your dog wear a bandana or special collar in your wedding colors, and don’t forget to decorate their leash! As part of the wedding party, they need to be dressed up too.
• Be sure that whoever escorts your dog down the aisle is comfortable with them, and vice versa. You don’t want your dog to be baring their teeth in all the photos, and you certainly don’t want the person at the other end of the leash to be concerned about their own safety.

Decide if You Want Alcohol or Not

Despite popular opinion, a wedding can be completely dry and still be a lot of fun! There are pros and cons of serving alcohol at your wedding. Weigh both and decide which option works better for you and your partner.

• Pro: Alcohol is traditional and can help guests loosen up.
• Con: Guests might get a little too loosened up and start acting inappropriately.
• Pro: You can do a signature cocktail and be creative.
• Con: Alcohol is expensive! The cost adds up quickly.

Pick a Dress — But Be Realistic

As stunning as you want to look on your wedding day rocking your perfect dress, remember that your wedding gown is only going to be worn once. Yes, it is an important garment, probably the most important one you will wear in your life but bear in mind that you don’t need to spend big money on a beautiful wedding gown.

• Shop secondhand for a dress. Look in all the shops you can think of, from Goodwill to the Salvation Army to that weird little antique store on Main Street. You can often find name-brand dresses in these shops and get them professionally cleaned at a dry cleaning shop.
• Look at bargain stores that aren’t necessarily bridal shops, especially during the prom and homecoming seasons. You might find the perfect wedding dress right there in the prom dress section!
• Be wary of ordering dresses online. We’ve all seen those fail compilations of women who ordered their dream dress online and what was sent to them turned out to be a nightmare! Carefully read the website’s return policy in case there’s a mishap.

Will Your Wedding Have a Theme?

It seems like themed weddings are on the rise these days, so decide if that’s one train that you want to jump on. Many couples use pop culture icons like Harry Potter or Star Wars as inspiration for their wedding day, and some of the ideas can be seriously creative. If that’s something that sounds like fun to you, start thinking of ways to work your theme into the wedding. Some small but effective ideas might include:

• The wedding cake
• Bouquets and boutonnieres
• Your vows
• Table centerpieces

It can be stressful to plan the day you get married, especially if you’re opting for a cheaper route and are doing the planning yourself. Use your partner as a sounding board to bounce ideas off of one another. This day is about the two of you, so plan it together and make it uniquely yours.