How to Save Yourself the 10 Most Common Wedding Mistakes that Costs Brides Thousands by Heels Above Event Planning, LLC

Your parents, friends and family all know about your engagement. Now it is time for the fun part. It’s time to start planning your wedding! You may be wondering what to do, where to start. You have an end in mind, but no beginning. You may already be overwhelmed and you haven’t even started yet. Take a deep breath and relax. The information that I am sharing with you today will help you to avoid some common mistakes make that costs brides thousands of dollars. Let’s get started so we can save you some money!

Common Mistake #1: Procrastination With all that needs to be decided and done, your first response may be to just do nothing at all. Sometimes we have a tendency when we feel overwhelmed to do nothing at all because we just don’t know what to do. Maybe you feel that someone or something will give you inspiration or that someone will magically tell you when and where to begin. One thing that I can say is, please; please don’t bury your head in the sand. The saying that time is money is very true, especially when it comes to weddings. The early bird really does catch the worm. Decide what it is that you want early. Don’t know what you want? Begin looking for inspiration, look at magazines, websites, and talk to friends about their wedding, read blogs. Get the wheels in your mind turning now. Starting early gives the opportunity to be able to make good, informed decisions. You should never feel forced or pressured into making a decision. When you are, a lot of times the wrong decision is made because you feel you have no choice. Remember that you always have a choice. This is your day. Not your Mother’s, your friends, or your cousins. Make sure you get what you want (staying within budget of course!) ☺ There are many brides that because they wait until the last minute have to make a choice of using a vendor or venue because they are not available; many are booked a year or more in advance.

Yes, your wedding is all about you, but

remembers, you are not the only one getting married. brides looking for the services that you are too.

There are lots of other

You can make time can be a wonderful friend, not an enemy.

Common Mistake #2: #2: When is the Big Day? Couples choose their month and day to get married on for various reasons; some choose the day because it is the anniversary of the day they met, or maybe the month is chosen because it is the Groomâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s birthday. When choosing when to get married, remember that will influence your budget as well. A Saturday evening in June is premium. June is the most popular and busiest month for weddings. Everyone wants to be a June bride. I will say it again. Everyone wants to be a June bride. So what does that mean? The law of supply and demand kicks in pretty heavily, meaning that the supply is great; therefore, so is the price! The same holds for having an evening wedding. Many couples want to dance the night away and have a formal sit down dinner. Do you really have to get married on a Saturday evening? If you really want an evening wedding, why not Friday night? Just making that one small change has a GREAT impact on your wedding budget. Sometimes as much as 30% or even more! Now you can use that money on your fabulous wedding dress or wherever else you want to. If you still want a Saturday wedding, why not a fabulous breakfast buffet or brunch? It would be a wonderful change for your guests and think of the wonderful party favors you could have or great would it look for your bridesmaids to walk down the aisle with pink parasols at an outside morning wedding?

Depending on where you live, a winter wedding is so beautiful. A winter wonderland is very beautiful as well, but remember that beauty does not have to put a big dent in your pocket either.

Common Common Mistake #3: Not Prioritizing There are several components to a wedding, and where you have to spread your dollars. A wedding of course as we know is a very personal event. What may be wonderful and fabulous to you may be awful to another bride. Because there are so many components to a wedding, it can be difficult to not want to have EVERYTHING and have the BEST of everything. Best does not always mean most expensive, but often times it does. You need to decide one or two things that are very important to you and then stick with those one or two things. For example, photographs, which will be with you from now until your 50th wedding anniversary and beyond. So you choose to go with the award winning photographer that will eat up 30% of your budget so you choose to spend the morning with your wedding guests and have an early morning reception. Or your priority may be that your guests have a really good time, that the reception be one BIG fabulous party so you choose to splurge on liquor and you have a dessert reception. Know that you will have to make some choices and stick to those choices. Unless you have an unlimited budget, you are not going to be able to have the David Tutera dress, the award winning Photographer, and splurge on liquor for your reception.

#4:: Where are We Going to Get Married? Common Mistake #4 Deciding where to get married goes hand in hand with not procrastinating and choosing when to get married. Why a venue is chosen is a personal decision, ÂŠ2010 Heels Above Event Planning, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

but that decision doesn’t have to cost a lot. There are several ways to save money when it comes to your venues. You can choose to have two separate venues or have your ceremony and reception in the same location. Of course the latter is going to save you the most money. You will only have one reception fee; you cut down on transportation costs because you no longer need to transport the bridal party and it will also save on transportation costs. You also won’t have to worry about your out of town guests getting lost because they are unfamiliar with the area. If you are going to have two separate venues, make sure that they are no matter than thirty minutes apart or even better yet, why not take a bridal walk to your reception site? As with choosing your wedding date, many venues price their rental fees based on what time of day the wedding is. Remember, a morning and afternoon is a lot less expensive! If your venue has a breathtaking view or is already ornate, you will not have to worry about decorations. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Have you always wanted to get married in the big cathedral like church downtown that your Aunt is a member of, but the site fee is way more than you can afford? Ask your Aunt to talk to the church to see if they would extend the discounted fee along to you since she is a member. You would be amazed what possibilities are available if you ask.

#5:: The Guest List Common Mistake #5 The guest list is sometimes a tug-of-war between the bride and groom and both sets of parents. Everyone wants to make sure that their friends are invited and that family is not forgotten because you do not want anyone to have hurt feelings or feel as if you do not want them to be a part of your special day.

Yes, you would like to invite everyone you know to watch you marry the one you have chosen to spend your life with, but unless you have an unlimited budget, this is not feasible. Start with four guest lists. Yes. I said four. That was not a misprint. The bride, groom, parents of the bride, and parents of the groom should all have their own lists. The bride and groom should sit down together to compare their lists. Many times you all have mutual friends so your lists will have a lot of duplicates. Once you have combined your lists, you should sit down with each set of parents to remove any duplicates as well. You need to be able to categorize your guest list. Category #1: Immediate family (brothers, sisters, grandparents, aunts, and first cousins), category #2: Not so immediate family, category #3: close family friends, category #4: co-workers. Is this a difficult task? Yes, but it is essential if you want to make sure that you stay within your budget. Once you can place everyone into a category, it will make things easier. Think about who you really and truly want to share your day with, who is important that they be there? It is important to say to yourself: “If ______ was not there, I would really miss them.” Everyone on your list does not need an invitation. Ask yourself, “Is this person being sent an invitation just because I want them to know that I am getting married?” If the answer to this question is “yes,” then send an announcement, which would be sent after you have gotten married. So take a look at your guest list; and think, look over, think and look over again. How important is it that you invite a childhood friend that you have not seen since 6th grade and talk to twice a year?

Common Mistake #6: #6: Your Wedding Attire All brides think about searching for THAT dress. The one that when you try it on, makes you feel like no other. This is the dress that you will walk down

the aisle with your escort (Dad, brother, uncle) and all eyes will be on you. When you think about walking down the aisle, you want to see your husband-to-be to think “wow!” This means different things to different brides; is it the Vera Wang gown? There is a Vera Wang dress that you must have but you also know you cannot afford to spend $1,000 on a dress. So how can you save and still have the dress of your dreams? You can rent one. Renting gowns is increasingly becoming popular. It gives you the dream dress without the dream price. So go ahead and get your Vera Wang! Another way to save on your wedding dress is to purchase a previously owned dress. Think about it. It most likely has only been worn once and for a few hours. So why not? One site to try is: http://www.preownedweddingdresses.com. Sample sales are also a great way to go when purchasing a dress. You can get a dress at a fraction of the cost.

Your Alterations Many times an independent tailor is less expensive that the alterations where you purchased your gown. Don’t know where to go? Check out the many bridal forums that are out there. You can definitely find someone there. That is the great thing about bridal forums; you can find out where to go and where not to go!

Common Mistake #7: #7: Not Asking Since I was a kid, my Mom has always said: “You never know until you ask.” I cannot tell you how true that is, especially when it comes to planning your wedding. If it would mean the world to you and your grandmother if you had the special cookies that the two of you made together when you were a little girl as a dessert at the reception, why not ask the Caterer if they can make them?

Have you decided that you wanted a headpiece after all, but you are almost at your budget? Ask if the headpiece can be thrown in with the purchase of your dress and veil. Did you go to a bridal show and tasted some amazing dishes from one of the Caterers, but figure there is no way that you could afford them based on the price of the sample menu you saw? Why not call and see what they can serve based on your budget? Bottom line, you will never know what can happen, what can be done, what provisions can be made unless you ask. Don’t accept something less just because you were afraid to ask if what you want can be done. This is your special day. Regardless if your budget is $10,000 or $100,000, you can still have a beautiful wedding, the one that you dreamed of, the one that you envision.

Common Wedding Mistake #8: #8: Trying to Keep Up with Kelly/Having Someone Else’s Wedding I’m sure you have heard of the phrase “keeping up with the Jones’?” For weddings I call it, “keeping up with Kelly.” Who is Kelly you ask? Kelly is the friend that just had the $100,000 wedding because her father is the CEO of a large corporation. Kelly is the cousin who took out a second mortgage on her home to have fresh flowers flown in from Hawaii. Kelly is the co-worker who just made partner and had premium top shelf liquor at her wedding. Kelly is your mother who never had the big 200 guest plated dinner with lobster wedding that she always wanted.

“Kelly” is the person that you are trying to match, keep up with, and have a wedding just like her. “Kelly” is the mother that you are trying to let live vicariously through you because she never got the wedding she wanted. Do not let others dictate your wedding, your thoughts, ideas, and visions that you have for your wedding. The keywords in this sentence are…”your wedding.” If you prefer a small and intimate wedding of 50, then that is what you should have. Even if you have the money to have the 200 guest plated dinner with lobster wedding that your mother wanted, don’t. That is the wedding that she wanted; not you.

Don’t let friends or family make you believe and think that the $800 wedding dress that you fell in love with when you saw it is not good enough, but that you should have and deserve the $5,5000 wedding dress. Many brides have gone over budget because they either did not know what they wanted so therefore did not prioritize and any and everyone was able to show and “prove” why what she wanted was not appropriate or that she deserved better. If it is good enough for you and the one you will marry, then it’s good enough.

Common Mistake #9: #9: Everything Must Go with your Invitation You have to let guests know the when and where of your wedding, but a common mistake is that there has to be several inserts or that everything must be included when mailing your invitations. Wedding websites are a great way to let your guests know all that is happening during the wedding planning process as well as the when, where, and activities surrounding your wedding. Your mailing can consist of the invitation and the response cards; maps, timelines, accommodation information, etc., can all be placed on your wedding website.

Postage is often a forgotten cost. The postage to mail invitations is often forgotten, but can become very costly. Remember that postage is based on weight and size. The weight can be reduced as stated above; don’t include a lot of inserts with the invitation. Also, as much as you may love those large oversized invitations, they cost money; the more folds, the higher the cost; and oversized invitations require more postage. Square invitations require additional postage as well. Take an envelope, completely assembled to the post office to determine how much it will cost to mail. Order your extra invitations when you place your original order, most companies sell them in additional 25’s; if extras are needed, you will already have them. It is much cheaper to order them now, then to order them on their own. Rather than having guests send back reply cards (which will require another stamp on an envelope…another .44) include a reply postcard. Postcard postage starts at .28 for a standard size post card. That is almost half!

Common Mistake #10: #10: You Can’t Afford a Wedding Planner Do you have the time to plan the wedding of your dreams? Do you know what vendors are able reliable and can work with you and your budget? You would really, really love to hire a wedding planner, but you know you can’t afford it. Wedding planners are only for those with large wedding budgets. No they aren’t. Any bride can have a wedding planner. A wedding planner can offer you the experience and knowledge to make sure that all aspects of your wedding are as you want. She can plan as much or as little of your wedding as you would like. One thing that I will say is that make sure you LIKE your wedding planner. You are going to be spending a lot of time together. Regardless of if they have the knowledge, if you don’t like them or it is not a good fit, things will not go well. You want things to go well right? After all, this is your wedding day! You should not have to be stressed about the relationship

between you and your planner. She is about to be your new best friend, your problem solver, your mediator at times, and speaking to people on your behalf! Heels Above Weddings already has a rolodex of venues and vendors that we work with that fall into various budgets so you don’t have to spend the countless hours on the phone and figuring out who will be a good fit for you. We have a variety of packages at www.heelsaboveweddings.com depending on what stage of planning you are in and your budget. If you are a do-it-yourself bride and just need a little help and guidance, then take a look our Personal Bridal Assistant Packages; it was created just for you. We also have payment plans so you don’t have to worry about paying for our services up front or all at once! Still not sure? That is okay. I understand that you may not be ready to make a decision about this investment for your wedding. Because of this, I am offering you a complimentary get acquainted consultation on the phone or in person. During out meeting, we can discuss your wedding in detail and any concerns and apprehensions that you may have. Then you can decide what will work best for you, which in the end, is all that matters. No obligation is required from you. It is just as important for me to mesh and connect with you as it is for you to mesh and connect with me to make sure that you receive the best possible service and the wedding of your dreams. To learn more about our services, or if you’d like to schedule your complimentary consultation, email us today at congratulations@heelsaboveplanning.com. I can’t WAIT to hear from you to discuss your wedding!

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Congratulations on your engagement and on behalf of Heels Above Weddings, we wish you many, many years of happiness!

Lynn White, MBA Certified Wedding Planner Heels Above Weddings congratulations@heelsaboveplanning.com www.heelsaboveweddings.com ****************************************************************************** ****************************************************************************** ABOUT LYNN WHITE, WHITE, MBA Event Planning entrepreneur, Lynn White, MBA, owner of Heels Above Weddings, a division of Heels Above Event Planning, LLC realized her true passion after planning weddings and events for friends, family, co-workers, and past positions. She has held positions in various industries, but these positions did not give her the joy and fulfillment she has when planning. Lynn has a Masters in business Administration and at the encouragement of friends; she started her own event planning firm. She received her event and wedding planner certifications from US Event Guide. She has been featured on News Channel 8’s “Let’s Talk Live” for her creative decorating ideas. Having seen countless friends and family not receive the wedding of their dreams for various reasons, she believes that every Bride’s wedding day should be filled with magic and surrounded by loved ones. Regardless of the budget, Lynn makes sure that every Bride she works with has a unique wedding; one that is her very own. She works with all Brides. Busy Brides that feel stressed from the thought of planning their wedding and have no idea where to begin, the Bride that is overwhelmed because she has started planning her day and realizes the countless hours involved in planning her special day and needs help and the Do-It- Yourself Bride that wants to make sure that her family and friends are not working on her wedding day. Lynn lives in the Washington DC Metro area and when not planning weddings for Brides, she enjoys reading and spending time with friends and family.

Here are just a few testimonials from some of our past clients... “A friend of mine referred me to Lynn as my search for a well-rounded wedding planner left me frustrated and unsatisfied. Lynn was super responsive from the beginning and has continued to impress me with her eagerness to please me. She goes above and beyond to offer ideas and advice that is usually spot on to what I’m looking for at my wedding. Lynn has a great work ethic and stays in close contact with me even though my wedding is still months away. I would say that Lynn is an expert in the field because of how many resources she has to offer. If you have had any trouble finding the right wedding vendor for you, call Lynn! She has endless amounts of knowledge and loads of contacts in the wedding industry. I can honestly say that I am a picky bride, but Lynn has exceeded my expectations. My only complaint is that I hadn’t found her sooner!” ~Desiree, VA

“Heels Above is a wonderful business. professional and friendly.” ~Renee, MD

Would highly recommend her. Very

“Thorough, punctual and very attentive makes Lynn one of the best Event Planners in the Washington, DC area. I will recommend her to everyone I know.” ~Eric, MD