Everything you need to know about preparing and hosting the perfect wedding

A wedding is a significant event that should be in the life of a man and a woman only once, and it will forever remain in the memory. And how vivid and pleasant these memories will be depends on a competent approach to the preparation of this event.

There are different versions of what the word "wedding" means. Some believe that the roots of its origin must be sought in the ancient Indian language, where there was a word that sounded in a similar way and meant "our". It turns out that the bride and groom, after passing the wedding ceremony, became close to each other.

According to another version, the word "reduction" originally existed. During an event with this name, the spouses were "brought together" into one family.

If you look at history, initially the marriage of two people was not their will, but, first of all, the will of their parents. Often, sons were married and their daughters were given in marriage as early as possible, so that young people would not embark on erotic adventures outside the framework allotted by society, while the groom's family also received a worker in the house.

The wedding day was preceded by matchmaking, then a wedding was organized, and then a feast that lasted three days.

This situation changed somewhat when Peter I came to power. Then it became possible to marry people from different classes and very different in age. Also, the practice of getting married with representatives of foreign states and those who got divorced has appeared.

Marriage of their own free will began to be approved, although the fundamental influence of parents on this issue remained significant for a very long time.

Many different traditions were associated with a wedding celebration at any time. Among them are:

• parental blessing;
• redemption of the bride by the groom;
• ring exchange;
• showering young people with grain and coins as a sign of family and financial well-being;
• fortune-telling on a festive loaf (which of the spouses breaks off the most piece, he will lead the family).

There are also relatively recent traditions, some of which are described below.

• Release white doves into the sky with pink and blue ribbons on their paws. If a bird with a pink ribbon flies higher, then a girl will be born first in the family. A blue ribbon means that a boy will be born first.
• To break the glasses for luck, from which the newlyweds took the first sip of champagne.
• Dancing young immediately after the wedding ceremony.
• The bride is dancing with her father.
• Throwing a bridal bouquet over your head in the company of unmarried girlfriends.

For example, today the most expensive is the wedding celebration of the Indians Vanishi Mittal and Amita Bhatia. The cost was $ 78 million. It happened back in 1981. Since then, no one has succeeded in surpassing the wedding organizers in terms of financial costs.

An ancient castle on the outskirts of the French capital and the parks of the Louvre were chosen for the celebration. At this wedding, champagne alone cost one and a half million dollars.

The funniest and at the same time the most budgetary wedding is considered to be the wedding of two lovers of walking naked. This is a couple from Germany: Emmy Bartonny and Philip Handikol. The young did not even spend on outfits, just like their invitees.

The bride and groom were registered in the nude in full view of one and a half hundred guests, who were also not covered by anything. Of the accessories, the newlyweds had rings, the groom also had a hat, and the bride had a veil and a bouquet that she held in her hands.

There have been times when people got married in a shark aquarium or on an airplane. The wedding nowadays becomes an occasion for experimentation.

For many, it does not end even after decades. It is no coincidence that every new year of cohabitation of the spouses some kind of wedding is celebrated: chintz, paper, leather, linen, wood and others. One hundred years from the date of marriage, a platinum wedding is celebrated, but there are very few of those who have survived to this day.

Organizing such a significant event as a wedding is not an easy and responsible business. Often, it is for the bride and her parents that the organization of this event becomes the most important concern. So that preparation for the wedding day does not turn into a fussy, exhausting and ineffective running around, you need to act according to a plan that provides for all the steps towards achieving the goal.

First of all, you can draw up a table in which you can write down everything you need to remember to do, point by point.

The to-do list might look like the one shown in the table.

Knowledgeable people advise not to neglect the use of a diary, which should always be at hand if you thoroughly prepare for such an important event as your daughter's wedding. It should record the contacts of specialists who will help to solve all the issues step by step.

Considering the fact that any event begins with an idea, it needs to be endured and formulated. This applies to the theme, style, location of the celebration, as well as details such as the outfits of the bride and groom, the menu and the number of guests. And for this, the future heroes of the occasion themselves and their parents must discuss all these important points and decide who will be responsible for each direction.

• Distribution of the budget. How much the wishes of the newlyweds are feasible on the wedding day depends on such a parameter as money, therefore, even the smallest expenses should be initially foreseen, which will affect the final amount, starting from the state duty on the wedding and ending with catering.

You need to understand that there will be expenses for clothes, and for a bouquet, and for decorating the holiday in general, as well as for the services of a toastmaster, photographer, hairdresser, transportation costs, and so on. To the resulting amount, it is necessary to add another 20% for unforeseen expenses - only then it is possible to understand the approximate cost of desires for organizing a holiday and assess the extent to which the conceived is feasible.

• Site selection. You also need to decide on the options for the place of marriage registration. Today this is done not only in wedding palaces and in the halls of the registry offices - outdoor events are in fashion. And if your own daughter and her chosen one have a desire to marry on the seashore, in the forest or, for example, in an old mansion, then all this requires elaboration.

• Search for contractors. The performers of one or another part of the plan can play a key role in the event. Searching for reliable companies and good specialists is a responsible business. You need to pay maximum attention to this issue. You need to start solving the problem as early as possible, so that there is an alternative choice.
• Buying outfits. The bride must decide what dress she needs for the wedding, because this is her holiday, so the outfit must exactly match the girl's fantasies, so that she does not experience disappointment or annoyance on a crucial day. You also need to plan what kind of veil will go with the dress, and whether it is needed in a particular case.

Despite the fact that the groom should not see the bride's dress before the wedding, the style of his suit must be determined in such a way that it matches the dress of the future wife in style.

• Choice of rings. It is also important to think over the image of the rings in advance, because in the future it will become an everyday decoration for the spouses. Young people may be inclined to choose jewelry in yellow or white gold, with or without stones, with or without engraving. Thinking about the choice, you need to think ahead, because even the brightest and most beautiful ring becomes familiar.

The bride and her parents can prepare for the holiday both independently and with the assistance of professionals.

All stages of preparation must be carried out step by step, focusing on the plan prepared at the very beginning.

It is advisable to agree on the date of the celebration with the invited guests, or at least with those without whom this holiday is impossible. Usually Saturday is chosen for the wedding, since most people rest on this day.

It is important to make sure that the number on the calendar itself does not bother the future spouses, because this date will be celebrated in the family every year. And if you do not like a number, for example, 13 or 4, then you should not let it into your life - it is better to postpone the wedding to a later date.

The time of the year for a wedding is of particular importance. The most color-rich photographs are obtained in summer and during the golden autumn. If this fact is important, then when choosing a date for the wedding, emphasis should be placed on this.

When compiling a guest list, you should be guided by the wishes of the bride and groom. Usually, the most important people are included in it first, and then the rest, whose presence is not so important. If the number of guests has to be limited for some reason, then cleaning the list will be easier with this approach.

When sending invitations, it is better to address friends and relatives by name - this will make it clear to people that their presence at the wedding is very significant for the heroes of the occasion.

The event needs to be held in a place that will accommodate the required number of invitees and provide an opportunity for everyone to comfortably accommodate. It is necessary to decide in advance on the check for one guest and the possibility of purchasing alcoholic beverages on their own, since they are cheaper in the store than in the restaurants or cafes themselves.

Usually the toastmaster is trusted to hold the wedding. When choosing a leader, the bride and groom must come to a common opinion on who to entrust this side of the matter - a man or a woman. This should be followed by several interviews with candidates for this role. It so happens that you have to choose from 4-5 people - there is no need to rush in such a matter.

A professional photographer is a specialist whose choice should not be taken lightly. Only a person who has a special look and knows how to correctly handle the camera will be able to capture everything that happens at the wedding in the best possible way and effectively conduct a photo session with the newlyweds. It is this person who creates that memory of the holiday, for the sake of which he starts.

More and more often, a videographer is invited to a wedding - this allows you to get a really high-quality video report about the event, which can then be edited into a full-fledged film or clip.

For the comfortable movement of the newlyweds, you can order a limousine or several spacious cars. It all depends on who else, besides the young spouses themselves, should be in the cortege. You also need to ask how the guests will solve the transport issue.It is possible that someone will need to organize the opportunity to safely get home after the holiday.

Taking care of the choice of a wedding cake in time is part of organizing your own celebration. Before placing an order, you should visit several pastry shops, talk to their specialists and understand what they have to offer and at what price.

An alternative may be to contact a pastry chef who works independently. And in one, and in another case, you need to make sure that the quality of the cake will be at a high level.

For the dance, which should take place immediately after registration, the bride and groom need to choose simple movements so that they can be easily rehearsed using video tutorials or under the guidance of a specialist. The dance should make a good impression on the guests and replenish the piggy bank of photos and videos from the wedding, to which it will be just as pleasant to return after years.

Composing the bride's bouquet, like other flower arrangements for the holiday, should be entrusted to a florist who has experience in this matter and knows how to create bouquets of one form or another that will harmonize well, for example, with a dress or a girl's height. This issue will also have to be worked out with a specialist in advance.

Considering the sheer amount of things to be done in preparation for a wedding, sometimes it makes sense to hire a wedding planner as an assistant. He will take the lion's share of the worries on himself, which will allow the bride's parents and the young people themselves not to be distracted from their own work and other obligatory activities in their lives once again.

The organizer will not only find suitable specialists, without whom the event is impossible, but will also advise on how best to distribute the funds allocated for the preparation for the wedding in order to avoid unnecessary expenses and mistakes.

It is easier for him, as a specialist, to choose a place for a wedding in accordance with the requests of the bride and groom - they do not have to spend a long time on the Internet and "hang" on the phone, contacting the administration of various institutions and finding out the conditions and prices.

Typically, wedding planner services are 10% of the budgetthat only at first glance seems like an expensive pleasure. If you calculate how much of your own strength, nerves and time you will have to spend on preparation, it may turn out that trusting such a person is much more profitable. In the case when it comes to preparing a large-scale event, and not a modest buffet table for a narrow circle of relatives, such expenses are fully justified.

The desire to organize a dream wedding is understandable. And in this endeavor, people often make annoying mistakes, capable of disrupting the entire course of preparation for an important event in the life of their children, as well as the scenario of the event.

• You should not choose a dress for a wedding or plan a venue for it, as well as make other grandiose plans, before an approximate budget for the cost of the holiday has been drawn up.
• When planning a holiday in an open area, do not forget about possible precipitation. You can not save on such elements as tents or awnings, without which it is impossible to do without a sudden bad weather on a crucial day. Their absence can ruin everything.
• You cannot choose a venue for an event in the expectation that some of the guests will not come. Even a fancy restaurant can be inconvenient if the number of those who gathered for the celebration exceeds the number of seats. Optimal would be a site that will accommodate guests ten percent less of the maximum number provided for in a restaurant or cafe.

• The holiday program should be clearly timed. Long pauses between plot important fragments of the wedding will tire everyone who is going to it, just like long toasts and speeches. Holiday impressions can be ruined.
• The wedding ceremony should not be scheduled for a time close to noon - it is better to choose the afternoon hours. And when it comes to a photo shoot, there will be the best light that will allow you to take great photos.
• Getting to the wedding venue can be a challenge for many guests, as it can be distant and unfamiliar. Some sometimes start to wander along the way. It is safer to use the services of professional drivers who will definitely take you where you need to and along the optimal route.

• The bride and groom should not concentrate on the little things on their wedding day. The holiday should be a holiday, not a series of problems. It makes no sense to be upset that the shade of flowers is not the one you expected, or your girlfriend is late.
• If a daughter wants to hold a wedding ceremony in an open area, under an arch of flowers or in some other romantic setting, then she should not deny herself this pleasure due to formal or technical difficulties.
• You should not skimp on the services of a printing house, whose specialists should help make the design of invitation cards, because future guests will judge the upcoming wedding from them.
• You should not impose on the newlyweds the observance of wedding traditions that annoy them or cause misunderstanding. It is better to introduce into the celebration details that are truly interesting and close to them.

To make the guests really interesting and fun, and remember the holiday, you need to fill it with interesting details that will affect the overall perception of the celebration.

• At the entrance to the banquet hall, you can put up a stand with different boutonnieres that guests can take apart and decorate their clothes with. These will be not only souvenirs, but also beautiful additions to the general atmosphere of the wedding, which will become the connecting elements between all those gathered.
• For seating guests, instead of ordinary cards, you can use, for example, cookies on which the names of specific people are indicated. You can either bake it yourself or order it at a pastry shop.
• If the heroes of the occasion have a well-mannered dog, then you can entrust him with taking out a sign to the guests indicating the bride's exit to the groom. It looks very nice.
• Guests who are tired of dancing, and especially those who have spent the whole evening in high heels, can be encouraged to use slippers so that they can relax. People can take these shoes home as a souvenir.

• Guests can be invited to sign on a decorative plate depicting a joint portrait of the bride and groom. After the end of the holiday, the newlyweds will be able to hang it on the wall as an interior decoration.
• At the wedding venue, you can install a special camera that allows you to take snapshots, so guests will have photographs to remember the wonderful and fun event.
• You can invite an artist with good taste and a sense of humor to the holiday. He will make funny cartoons for the guests, which will always remind of the past event.

A wedding is one of the most important events in the life of any girl. How difficult is it to organize and conduct a beautiful wedding ceremony for your daughter? Where to start preparing? When is it better to use the services of a wedding planner?

For wedding planner tips, watch the video below.