Wedding Design Comp by EastWestPartners

With inspiring details, delightful cuisine and charismatic locations, every sight, sound, and flavor of your Westin Wedding is carefully selected to reflect your individuality. Your personal Westin Weddings Specialist will ensure that every nuance of your wedding is perfectly attended to, leaving you relaxed and energized to revel in the joy of your celebration.

Welcome to your beginning. Welcome to The Westin Riverfront Resort & Spa.

Photo by: Cheryl Ungar

wedding planning 15 expert tips 1. Guests Come First

Get a grip on the approximate number of guests you’ll invite

before settling on a venue.

wedding planning 15 expert tips

2. Check Your Credit Take advantage of the high cost of weddings and sign up for a credit card with a rewards program. Whether it gives you airline miles or great shopping deals, consolidating all wedding-related purchases to this card will help you accumulate thousands of rewards points (which could be used for your honeymoon). Starwood offers a great SPG Amican Express card that allows you to get points that you could use towards a honeymoon. 3. Pay It Forward Let one vendor lead you to another. Your wedding photographer can tell you which florist’s blooms really pop, and your reception manager should know which band packs the dance floor. 4. Lighten Your List

The easiest way to trim your wedding budget? Cut your guest list. Remember, half of your wedding expenses go to wining and dining your guests. If it’s costing you $100 per person, eliminating one table of 10 can save you $1,000.

5. Get Organizationally Focused

In a three-ring binder, compile all your correspondences with vendors, notes you make during meetings, and photos or tear sheets from magazines you want vendors to see. Set up a special email address dedicated to your wedding, and store important vendor numbers in your cell phone.

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Photo by: Matt Alberts

6. Leave Some Room in Your Wallet Your wedding budget should follow this formula: 48-50% of total budget to reception; 8-10% for flowers; 8-10% for attire; 8-10% for entertainment/music; 10-12% for photo/video; 2-3% for invites; 2-3% for gifts; and 8% for miscellaneous items like a wedding coordinator. It’s essential to allocate an extra 5-10% of your money for surprise expenses.

wedding planning 15 expert tips

7. Manage the Mail Of course you want the perfect stamps for your invitations. But not all stamps are available at every post office, especially in large quantities. Save yourself scouting time by ordering them online at USPS.com. And be sure to weigh your invitation and all the additional paper products before you send them out so you can attach the right amount of postage. Ask about the need for additional postage for odd-shaped envelopes. 8. Prepare for Rejection

Know that as a rule, about 30 percent of the people you invite won’t attend. Naturally, this depends on the location of your wedding, how many out-of-towners are on your list, and the timing of the event.

9. Make a Uniform Kids Policy

You have four choices: You can welcome children with open arms; you can decide to have an “adults only” wedding; you can include immediate family only; or, you can hire a child care service to provide day care. To prevent hurt feelings, avoid allowing some families to bring children while excluding others.

10. Take It One Step at a Time

Put together a wedding planning schedule and do things one by one, in a logical order, so you don’t take on too much too fast and end up with everything snowballing around you. Don’t hire any vendors before you’ve confirmed your date; don’t design your cake before you’ve envisioned your flowers; and don’t book a band before you’ve settled on a space.

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Photo by: Need Name

Photo by: Dreamtime Photography

Photo by: Todd Thiele

11. No Ring, No Bring

If your guest list is bursting at the seams, assess the plus-one scenario. Do a faux seating chart in your mind, and imagine whom your single pal would sit with. If it’s a table of singles that she knows pretty well, then you’re all set. If it’s a table of couples (making her the odd one out) or if it’s a table of singles where she won’t know anyone, consider bending the rules. If asked why you’re not allowing single friends to bring guests, size constraints or your parents’ never-ending guest list are always good fallback.

12. Keep a Paper Trail

wedding planning 15 expert tips

Get any nonstandard changes to your agreements in writing or send the vendor a confirmation email saying, “Hello, just confirming that you’ll keep the venue open until 2 a.m. versus midnight.” Don’t take anyone on his word — by the time the big day rolls around, your contact may no longer be working there to vouch for you.

13. Classify Your Cash

Start your budget planning by making a list of the crucial details, like your wedding gown, the invitations, the flowers, and the photographer, and assign a number to each — one being the most important and three being the least. Invest your money in all your number ones and cut corners on your number threes.

14. Help Guests Pay Attention

Make sure your guests can see — and hear. If people are seated farther than 15 rows back from your ceremony altar or podium, consider renting a mic and a riser.

15. Call the Fashion Police

Don’t go dress shopping on your own — all the gowns will start to look the same after a while and it will be harder to recall which style you really loved. But be careful about who you do bring. If your mom or sibling can’t make the trip, ask a friend who is truly honest. This is the time when you really need to know which dress looks best.

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Photo by: Cheryl Ungar

ultimate wedding planning check list Sixteen to Nine Months Before Start a wedding folder or binder. Begin leafing through bridal, lifestyle, fashion, gardening, design, and food magazines for inspiration.

ultimate wedding planning check list

Work out your budget. Determine how much you have to spend, based on your families’ contributions and your own. Pick your wedding party. As soon as you’re engaged, people will start wondering who’s in. Start the guest list. Make a head count database to use throughout your planning process Reserve your date and venues. Decide whether to have separate locations for the ceremony and the reception. Book your officiant. Research photographers, bands, florists, and caterers. Keep their contact information in your binder. Throw an engagement party, if you wish. But remember that your invitees should be on your wedding guest list as well.

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Photo by: Kent Pettit

ultimate wedding planning check list Eight Months Before Hire the photographer and the videographer. Book the entertainment. Attend gigs of potential acts to see how they perform in front of audiences, then reserve your favorite. ultimate wedding planning check list

Purchase a dress. Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll need to schedule time for at least three fittings. Reserve a block of hotel rooms for out-of-town guests. Pick three hotels at different price points close to the reception venue. Register. Sign up at a minimum of three retailers. Launch a wedding website.

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Photo by: Charlotte Geary

Seven to Six Months Before Select and purchase invitations. Hire a calligrapher, if desired. Addressing cards is timeconsuming, so you need to budget accordingly. Start planning a honeymoon. Make sure that your passports are up-to-date, and schedule doctors’ appointments for any shots you may need.

ultimate wedding planning check list

Shop for bridesmaids’ dresses. Allow at least six months for the dresses to be ordered and sized. Meet with the officiant. Map out the ceremony and confirm that you have all the official documents for the wedding (these vary by county and religion). Send save-the-date cards. Book a florist. Florists can serve multiple clients on one day, which is why you can wait a little longer to engage one. Plus, at this point, you’ll be firm on what your wedding palette will be. Arrange transportation. Consider limos, minibuses, trolleys, and town cars. (But know that low-to-the-ground limos can make entries and exists dicey if you’re wearing a fitted gown.) Start composing a day-of timeline. Draw up a schedule of the event and slot in each component (the cake-cutting, the first dance).

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Photo by: Cheryl Ungar

Five to Four Months Before Book the rehearsal and rehearsal-dinner venues. Negotiate the cost and the menu. If you’re planning to host a day-after brunch for guests, book that place as well. Check on the wedding invitations. Ask the stationer for samples of the finished invitations and revise them to suit your needs.

ultimate wedding planning check list

Purchase wedding shoes and start dress fittings. Bring the shoes along to your first fitting so the tailor can choose the appropriate length for your gown. Choose your music. What should be playing when the wedding party is announced? During dinner? To kick off the dancing? Keep a running list of what you want—and do not want—played.

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Photo by: Cheryl Ungar

Three Months Before Order favors, if desired. Make a list of the people giving toasts. Which loved ones would you like to have speak at the reception? Ask them now. Finalize the readings. Determine what you would like to have read at the ceremonyâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; and whom you wish to do the readings.

ultimate wedding planning check list

Purchase your undergarments. And schedule your second fitting. Finalize the order of the ceremony and the reception. Print programs. No need to go to a printer, if thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not in your budget: You can easily create these on your computer. Purchase the rings. This will give you time for resizing and engraving. Send your event schedule to the vendors. Giving them a first draft now allows ample time for tweaks and feedback.

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Photo by: Toni Axelrod

Photo by: Dreamtime Photography

Photo by: Toni Axelrod

Two Months Before Touch base again with all the vendors. Make sure any questions you or they had on your first draft have been answered. Review the playlist with the band or deejay. Though you probably won’t be able to dictate every single song played, you should come prepared with a wish list.

ultimate wedding planning check list

Send out the invitations. The rule of thumb: Mail invitations six to eight weeks before the ceremony, setting the RSVP cutoff at three weeks after the postmark date. One Month Before Enter RSVPs into your guest-list database. Phone people who have not yet responded. Mail the rehearsal-dinner invitations. Visit the dressmaker for (with luck!) your last dress fitting. For peace of mind, you may want to schedule a fitting the week of your wedding. Confirm times for hair and makeup and all vendors. Assign seating. Purchase bridesmaids’ gifts. You’ll present them at the rehearsal dinner. Write vows, if necessary. Get your hair cut and colored, if desired.

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Photo by: Need Name

Week of the Wedding Reconfirm arrival times with vendors. Delegate small wedding-day tasks. Choose someone to bustle your dress, someone to carry your things, someone to be in charge of gifts (especially the enveloped sort), someone to hand out tips, and someone to be the point person for each vendor.

ultimate wedding planning check list

Send a timeline to the bridal party. Include every memberâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s contact information, along with the point people youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve asked to deal with the vendors, if problems arise. Pick up your dress. Or make arrangements for a delivery. Check in one last time with the photographer. Supply him or her with a list of moments you want captured on film. Break in your shoes. Assemble and distribute the welcome baskets. Pack for your honeymoon.

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Photo by: Toni Axelrod

Photo by: Jared Wilson

westinriverfrontbeavercreek.com 970-000-0000

the westin riverfront resort & spa at beaver creek mountain 126 riverfront lane, po box 9690 avon, colorado 81620 t 866.949.1616 westinriverfrontbeavercreek.com

Photo by: Toni Axelrod