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Wedding Planning Tips - Initial Steps

Announcing Your Engagement

You may like to do things your own way, and that's fine - but where your wedding is concerned, it's fairly likely that ignoring too many wedding traditions will irritate or upset someone in your families. Put your own style to work in other areas; when you announce your wedding, follow some basic rules of thumb to make sure you don't accidentally upset anyone you care about.

Choosing a Jeweler and Engagement Ring

Jewelers and Engagement Rings

Many brides have their engagement ring before they announce their wedding, especially if their fiancee has chosen the traditional route of asking for their hand in marriage accompanied by a ring. Other couples plan to get married and get engaged long before they choose a ring. In case that's you, here's some advice about choosing a jeweler and choosing an engagement ring.

Choosing Your Diamond

The quality - and expense - of a diamond is based on four criteria: cut, clarity, carat, and color. Deficiencies in any of these areas cause the diamond to be less expensive. Very few diamonds are "perfect" in all four categories. You should choose the diamond with the best combination of the categories you feel are important.

Setting a Wedding Date and Time

It's hard to plan your wedding without a date. As much as you'd probably like to wait to decide, you can't choose a location, caterer, photographer, ask your wedding party to participate, invite your family, plan your honeymoon, or pretty much make any plans without choosing a date.

Expenses - Who Pays for What?

While your parents are paying for your entire wedding, you'll still have a budget to work within. Often couples and their families have the most conflict over the wedding budget and individual expenses, so do your best to set an overall budget amount first, and then work from that number when you make choices about the type of wedding and reception you'll have.

Guidelines for Tipping

Tipping, and especially how much to tip, is awkward. Some providers expect a tip, others don't... and tips can add up to a significant amount of money. Some providers include a tip in their contract and then expect - or hope for - an additional tip at the reception.

Choosing Your Wedding Party

You'll be seeing your wedding party in your wedding photos for the rest of your lives, so choose the people you love and you can count on to make your day incredibly special.

Traditional Wedding Party Duties

Hopefully your wedding party won't just show up on the day of your wedding - traditionally the members of your wedding party have specific duties before and after the wedding.

Types of Wedding Ceremonies

Before you pick a location for your ceremony, decide what type of service you want. There are two basic types of wedding ceremony: A religious ceremony, or a civil ceremony.

Theme Weddings

Theme weddings have become more popular in recent years; this summer we photographed a "camping" wedding, where many of the guest brought tents and stayed overnight. (Luckily it didn't rain.) The theme you choose is limited only by your imagination (and willingness to be different.)

Create Your Guest List

You have two basic choices when you develop your guest list: Create your list first, then pick an appropriate venue, or choose the venue and let it (and your budget) determine the size of your guest list.