Planning the Perfect Wedding: Week Six, The Final Week

The final week in planning a wedding is ultra exciting, because the big day is only a week away! In this week it is imperative to make sure all the plans and last minute decorations/entertainment are ready to go! It is important to make a timeline of what will exactly happen during the day of the ceremony, and also the night of the reception. Having a timeline will let everyone know what they have to do when they have to do it.

This week will lead up to the actual day of the wedding so it is vital to have the wedding planners (or whoever is helping with the event) start setting up, and have everyone ready for their part in the ceremony and reception. Taking it step by step and not getting ahead of oneself is very important. Giving an itinerary out with phone numbers of people that can help with any last minute questions, or can help with any possible problems is a good idea to help ease any tension and stress.

Once the ceremony starts it is time for the bride to...HAVE FUN! She can finally relax and look forward to her reception and her honeymoon. All the planning is over and everything is ready for her to walk down the aisle!

Not every wedding is planned in six weeks, so all of the plans that were necessary to finish each week can be stretched out to give the bride and the planners more time. But whether it is planning a wedding in a year, or six months or six weeks organizing and having Princeton as the soure for all the necessities for planning will make the brides big day her best day!

Planning The Perfect Wedding: Week Five

The fifith week of planning a wedding is very important. In this week it is crucial to make sure that all the plans that have been made in the previous weeks, can actually be followed through. Planning a wedding can be hectic and overwhelming, and the scariest part of it is the possibility of a mistake occuring or people not knowing what to do on the day of the wedding.

For this week it is time to have the rehearsel dinner and the wedding rehearsel as well. It is important to have everyone in the bridal party knowing what they have to do, and having the people that will be making the speeches know when they are supposed to. It is also important to call everyone that is involved in planning the wedding so that any lose ends can be tied up.

This is also the time when the bride can make appointments to have her hair and make-up done if that is something that she wants to do. She can also schedule appointments for her bridesmaids and maid of honor. There are great salons located in princeton, such as, La Jolie, a great place to get the perfect hair style and Blue Mercury, which is a wonderful beauty store that sells make-up and offers services such as applying make-up and massages. Getting a massage a few weeks before the big day is a very good idea. It is a chance for the bride to feel realxed and pampered. Princeton is a great place for that, after getting a massage the bride can go over to Starbucks, or Small World Coffee and indulge in a nice latte.

Planning The Perfect Wedding: Week Four

Once the third week of planning a wedding is complete there are a lot of new plans that have to be accomplished. The fourth week should be even more fun than the previous weeks, because it lets the bride know that her big day is just around the corner!

During the fourth week it is appropriate for the bride to have a bridal shower, a bachelorette party and a bachelor party for her husband-to-be. Those are not tasks that the bride would have to plan, because her friends and or family would most likely surprise her with them!

What the bride has to do during this week is look for a gift for her future husband. It is traditional for most brides to buy their husbands a gift that they would give them during the rehearsal dinner, and the groom would also buy something for his bride. The bride should also look for jewelry for her bridesmaid and maid of honor that they can wear on the day of the wedding, and also keep as a gift afterward. The groom should also pick up gifts for his groomsmen, something that they can have to remember the day.

Princeton offers so many wonderful jewelry places, such as Hamilton Jewelers, Forest Jewelers, and Dandelion Jewelry, which offers unique fashion jewlery.

Q and A with Erin Poles

Details of I Do is a Princeton based Wedding Planning Company and Erin Poles is the Wedding Coordinator that works with them. In this Q&A she gives some of her insights on what it is like to plan a wedding and work with the bride and the wedding team to make the events complete.

Q: What made you want to get into the field of Wedding Planning?

A: I had been involved in catering and events for a number of years and then freshman year of college I had the realization that I wanted to be a wedding planning. I love working with a couple to make one of the most important days of their life a memorable and successful event.

Q: How did you learn how to make each event run smoothly? Did you learn by doing or actually take classes where they prepared you for the unexpected?

A: I have taken a few classes on event planning but I would say the best experience you get is when you are actually in the event. Every wedding is a learning experience with its own obstacles that you have to overcome.

Q: Is it helpful that you have your office located in Princeton since there are so many places for wedding receptions, and ceremonies in the area?

A: Princeton is a great town with many picturesque locations for both ceremony and reception. We find our Princeton location is convenient for many of our clients who are not only in Princeton but spread all over the state. Many of our clients are Princeton alum who come back to the University to say their I do’s.

Q: How would you describe your experience while you are planning weddings? Is it rewarding or do you find yourself stressed out a lot of the time?

A: Planning a successful wedding is very rewarding. Each event is unique and different and you are able to play an intimate role with the couple. My favorite moment with the bride is right before she is about to walk down the aisle. Many times it is just you, the bride and her father waiting for the doors of the church to open and her to walk down the aisle to her future husband. This is a very powerful moment full of so many emotions.

Q: Is it ever too overwhelming trying to finish everything on time? Do you ever worry that something might happen that you can’t control?

A: Of course you always worry that there will be something that may go wrong. But that is why there is so much time, energy, and planning going into this one day. You make sure you are prepared and have the tools necessary to make sure everything runs smoothly.

Q: Being a wedding planner you probably work a lot even when you’re not in office, does it take over your personal life? Do you feel that you are constantly working?

A: You want to make yourself available to your clients as much as possible and it may mean that you are working both in and out of the office. But it is still important to take time off and make sure you have at least one day off a week.

Q: How do you make the bride-to-be feel confident that you will make her special day perfect? Does it scare you to know that everything is left up to you?

A: We make sure that we go over everything with the bride prior to her big day so that when it comes to the wedding day she can relax and enjoy herself. We usually have a review meeting with her 2-4 weeks before her wedding where we go over the timeline, vendors, décor, etc to make sure that we are both fully aware of how the day will flow.

Q: How has being a wedding planner made you feel about weddings?

A: Being a wedding planner, I have broken the planning and day into a process. Every wedding is unique with the same basic format behind it. It is important to remember that this is the first and hopefully the only time your client will be having a wedding. They are coming to you for your expertise in the area. We try to stay fresh and on top of the trends that our clients are looking for.

Planning The Perfect Wedding: Week Three

When the third week to planning a wedding begins you get to look back at the past two weeks and be proud of the work that has been accomplished. In this third week more detailed planning may begin, such as the appetizer, main course, and desert as well as picking out the wedding cake. It is also time to pick out linens, tables, chairs, decorations, china patterns, stemware and beverage service.

An easy way to do this is to find a rental company to get all the the important equiptment and furniture. Princeton offers Goto Event Planning and Friendly Rental Center which offer restaurant and catering services as well as any party supply necessary.

In order to pick out appetizers, main courses, and deserts now is the time to refer to the catering company you decided on and sit down with them to discuss these details, as well as the florist to discuss all the decorations.

Picking out the wedding cake is one of the more exciting parts, and once again Princeton offers great bakeries to be able to find that perfect cake! Chez Alice, and The Little Chef Pastry Shop are a just a couple that offer spectacular wedding cakes!

Planning The Perfect Wedding: Week Two

When the first week of planning a wedding is complete, a sense of accomplishment is bestowed upon the wedding planner and the bride. The event has been started and the second week of planning has begun.

At the start of the second week it can be hard not to get ahead of oneself. Instead of thinking about specific details such as centerpieces, china patterns, table linens and the food that will be served, start contacting places that will offer easy access to all of those necessities. The first thing to do is to rent a tux for the groom, the best man and the groomsmen. Next pick out bridesmaids dresses and a dress for the maid of honor. Than book a transportation service, a caterer, a florist, a photographer and the choice of a DJ or live band.

Chazzmatazz Formalwear is a tuxedo rental in princeton that has the latest style and accessories for the groom to choose from as well as the best man and the groomsmen.

Princeton offers so many wonderful boutiques for the bridesmaids and the maid of honor to pick out their wonderful dresses. Kiki D's is just one of the many that has a dress for any occassion, whether it is a laid back wedding outside, a ceremony on a beach or a formal event in a church.

Finding transportation for a wedding is very important, they have to be reliable and be able to fit the brides certain expectations. A 1 Limousine is very well known, and they have locations in many different areas, princeton being one of them.

Booking a caterer, a florist, a photographer, and a band or DJ all go hand in hand. They are the bride and grooms form of entertainment and way of making their special day visuably appealing to them as well as their guests. The Wooden Spoon Catering Company, Princeton Avenue Flowers and Gifts, Ted Nghiem's Photography, Best of Both Worlds DJ company and Gig Masters are just a few of the wonderful entertainment and decorating companies available in Princeton.

How to Plan the Percect Wedding in Princeton in Six Weeks

Whether it is getting help from a wedding planner or putting the event together yourself Princeton makes wedding planning a piece of cake. Princeton has a variety of banquet halls, churches and the best stores to pick out those perfect invitations.

The first week of planning a wedding can be overwhelming, but dividing the tasks that need to be done into different weeks can help out a lot. For the first week it is important to remember that booking a banquet hall, a church, sending out invitations and picking out the perfect wedding gown are the most important things.

The first step is booking the church. Princeton offers so many, such as the St. Paul Roman Catholic Church, the Princeton United Methodist Church, the Westerly Road Church and many more.

The second step would be booking a banquet hall for the reception. Princeton offers a lot of extravagant banquet halls as well, such as the Hyatt Regency-Princeton, the Main Street Bistro & Bar, the Salt Creek Grille and many more.

The third step would be picking out those lovely invitations and sending them to friends and family. Princeton offers such a wonderful store to help the bride to be, at the Papery in Princeton you can find everything from ordinary to extraordinary. They carry many different companies for invitations such as Kate Spade, Vera Wang and William Arthur.

The fourth step is finding that perfect wedding gown, Princeton offers many amazing boutiques such as, Exquisite Bride and Thurin Atelier.