Wedding Season

Wedding Season is fast approaching as February is coming to an end. Which means there will be a lot of stressed out Brides out their trying to make it to their Big Day without having a mental breakdown or killing their Husband to be, or his mother! By now you should have your Venue, Photographer, Caterer, DJ and all the important things worked out and booked. If not...then you are rightfully stressed! But we can help with the finer things...no we can't help you lose that 10 pounds, but perhaps a personal trainer or a couple Hot Yoga classes a week will help you. Not only will you lose the weight that has become your nemesis but you will also work out all that stress looming over your shoulders.


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If you've been wondering if a Brazilian Wax or a Spray Tan is the right thing for you on your Honeymoon than get one now to see how your body reacts to it. Our experts tell us to get one at least a month before your Big Day or Honeymoon to make sure it's right for you. You wouldn't want to spend your Wedding Day looking like a carrot and you don't want to spend your Honeymoon not showing off that hot bod and getting down with your new husband because of some terrible rash you may have gotten. Some of us are more sensitive than others and we need to know what our bodies will do under certain situations. And please remember that Stress can make your body do things it wouldn't naturally do, so try to keep it together, get a massage, go to a day spa, visit the Hot Springs, do whatever it is you need to do to feel less stressed, even if it's locking yourself in your bedroom for a weekend listening to Enya...just try to keep the Bon Bons and Ice cream at bay...that will inevitably stress you out more after your weekend retreat.

Check out our Body Care / Health Section to find the right thing for you at http://www.hitchedingj.com/vendors/body_care.html

Money Saving Tips

So you have that shiny rock on your finger and now you’re ready to start planning your special day. Maybe you've looked at wedding gowns and picked out some wedding colors. This is the fun stage of the wedding planning process. When you start looking at venues, and talking with caterers you realize you must be living below the poverty level because you just can’t afford the gorgeous center pieces and high dollar wedding decor you've seen in the magazines. Have you gotten to the point in planning where you realize you might have to serve pizza, use your cousins’ boom box for the entertainment and ask your mom to snap a few pics with her disposable? Great! You can benefit from a few money saving tips I picked up while planning my own wedding and a few I picked up on the World Wide Web.

The first thing you have to do is pick the elements of the wedding that matter most to you. If the cake is high on your list go to the best damn cake bakery in town! If you’re not big on cake (like me) go to Sam's Club and have a sheet cake made with you and Mr. Wonderful’s baby pics on them! Serving cupcakes is another trendy alternative to the elaborate and expensive wedding cake. If you really don’t care about the cake, mix all your ideas together in an affordable fashion. You will save hundreds of dollars and your guests probably won’t even notice!  If you must have a gorgeous, tasty wedding cake consider ordering it small and have another sheet cake in the back to feed the guests.  
               
If you are going to skinny down your budget a great place to start is with the wedding favors. Wedding favors are a cute way of saying “Thanks for coming to my wedding!” Do you really think the guests keep those little bags of candy almonds or the Frisbee with your wedding date on it? The answer is NO!  If you want to thank your guests send them a Thank You card.
               
The biggest way to cut down on the expenses is to shrink your guest list. When you have a big guest list, it translates to a bigger venue which means more flowers. More guests mean a bigger cake, more food and drink, more invitations, table and chair rentals. When making your guest list invite the people who you are actually close to in your daily life. DO NOT invite people because you are trying not to hurt their feelings. You have to provide food, shelter and entertainment for these people. It’s a nice gesture to invite your mom's best friend from high school but if you really can’t afford it most people will understand. 
               
One of the ways I saved money on my wedding was asking talented friends and family to help with some of the wedding duties. If you have a cousin who's a photographer or an aunt that can cook up a storm utilize their skills! Family members will be honored to take part in your special day and count their service as your wedding gift.
               
If all else fails remember K.I.S.S. Keep it simple stupid! There are a million little details involved in planning a wedding. By eliminating some of the wedding day extras you save money and headaches. Who needs a dove releasing? They just poop on the guests anyway! If some of the wedding day traditions don't appeal to you, get rid of them and add your own personal touches.
               
These are just a few ideas to get you started. Only you can decide where you want to splurge and where you want to save. Sit down with your fiancé, outline a budget and stick to it. Remember every penny you save on your wedding can be used for a down payment on a house and isn't it what happens after the wedding what really matters anyway?!