Wedding Planning Checklist - 12 Months Before

When it comes time to plan your wedding, you can find your head spinning.  Flowers, dresses, venue, etc.  There is a lot to do when it comes to planning a wedding and knowing what to start with can be a task in itself.  Instead of guessing which task to do first or diving in rather haphazardly, a wedding planning checklist may be just what you need.  This guide will give you the first essential steps that you should begin at least a year prior to the wedding date.

One Place For It All!

The first step is to find a binder or empty folder and designate it as your “Wedding Planning Folder”.  Only information, paperwork, contracts, etc regarding the wedding will ever go in this folder.  You can start browsing online, magazines, etc for ideas for your wedding and place those ideas in the folder to keep them all in one handy place. The more you are organized the better it will pan out later.

Budget!

Wedding planning will always revolve around a budget.  So this is the first step that should be on your wedding planning checklist.  If you do not have a budget, then how do you know how much to spend on flowers or the caterer?  Designate funds based on the amount of money your family, yourself, or even the groom will be contributing.

Select the Wedding Party

Before you pick out dresses, a venue, etc, you need to know the wedding party.  Yourself and your groom should sit down and select how many will be on each side and ask your friends if they will be your bridesmaids or groomsmen to ensure they are actually in.

Know Who To Invite

The next important step in wedding planning is the guest list.  Now that you have a budget, you have a general idea of how many people you can afford to entertain at the wedding.  Sit down with your family and the groom and go over who you want to invite.  If your budget is rather limited, then cut whomever you can.  Make a spreadsheet with the guests you are inviting and another column for whether or not they are really attending when it comes time for RSVPs. 

Get Some Help

Not all of us can afford a wedding planner, but if you can, they can be useful to have around.  Wedding planners do this stuff for a living and therefore are rather knowledgeable about what to do and when to do it.  If you cannot afford one, do not worry.  Many brides plan their weddings solo just fine with the support of their family and friends.

Start the Research Process and Book the Location

Research takes time and if you wait until the last minute you are going to realize there is not enough time to do it right.  Research venues, photographers, florists, cake artists and more.  Get a good idea of who is good, who has great reviews, which is available for the date you are thinking and their general pricing.  At this point you are only researching, not purchasing.  That way you will be informed enough that when it comes time to hire, you have selected the right person for the job.

Lastly, at least a year prior to your reception you should select and reserve your venue.  Many venues, especially between April and August, will be booked well over a year out.  To get the date you actually want, your best bet is to book early enough to get it.

Knowing what to do a year before the wedding is essential to making the wedding planning a lot less stressful.  Though these are little tasks, by completing them you will be that much closer to ending the planning process and that saner when it is over.

Creating the Perfect Backyard Wedding

In today's economy, selecting a lavish venue for your wedding is not always within the budget.  Even though you cannot host your wedding at the grand ballroom of your city, you can still have an elegant and classic wedding by using a backyard.  The backyard wedding is certainly limited by the amount of space there is to use, but the amount of money you can save by hosting your wedding in your backyard or that of a friend or family member can go towards your honeymoon or even a down payment on your house.

Space
Space is the most important factor for that backyard wedding. Consider the amount of space you have to work with first as part of the planning.  There should be enough space for people to maneuver between chairs, tables and other people.  Utilize deck and patio spaces if you can as well.

Weather
Let's face it - the weather man is notorious for being wrong when it comes to determining the weather. When planning a backyard wedding the weather will certainly be a factor in the success (or failure) of the event's outcome. Though you should research the weather and the almanac, you should also have a back up plan in the event the weather does act up.  Remember that if planning a wedding in the summer you need to plan for hot weather as well.  Have cold drinks and covered areas where your guests can sit without being exposed to too much heat or sunlight.  You will need to have covered areas for food and especially for your wedding cake to ensure that everything is safe to eat throughout the ceremony and reception.

Use a Theme
Backyard weddings do not have to be considered "casual".  A backyard wedding can still be planned out to be elegant and very romantic.  Try introducing a theme such as garden party, tea party or rose garden romance for themes to make your wedding feel a little less casual.  Of course, you can still have a casual wedding and even do a fun picnic theme or summer party theme.

Planning is Key
When you are hosting a backyard wedding you are usually doing all of the planning that a wedding planner will normally do for a venue.  Purchase wedding planning books and look up online for wedding planning checklists so that you ensure you cover every aspect of the planning and in a timely manner.

Budget for Improvements
Not everyone's backyard is ready to be a host of a wedding.  Set aside some money for your backyard wedding planning to improve your backyard and even hire a professional landscape artists to come in and update the area if needed. Not only does this improve the overall look of your backyard, but will increase your property value as well.

Plants and Flowers
The entire point of a backyard wedding is to be engulfed in nature.  Order plants and flowers that you can actually plant in your backyard so that you can keep them forever, but try to keep everything in theme with the wedding.

Music and Lighting
Unlike a normal venue, music and lighting are something you will have to plan out.  From a wedding supply store you can order paper lamps and electrical kits so that you can light up your backyard just like a professional venue. Hire a professional DJ or artist to come in and explain to them that the wedding will be in an open backyard so that they can plan.  Most musicians will need some hard and clear surface for their equipment as well as some form of covering.  You can order a tent from a party supply store or try to put your musicians on a covered porch.

Be Cost Effective
Many brides that use a backyard for a wedding assume that they are saving so much they go crazy with the decor.  You can actually save more money by borrowing vases and decorations from family and friends and at the end of the wedding donate decorations or food to local charities as part of a tax write-off at the end of the year.  The more you save, the more effective your backyard wedding will be.

Getting a Wedding Cake on a Budget

Wedding cakes are expensive. Most of us have never realized this until we start to shop for one. Many range anywhere from $50.00 - $1,000.00+! Of course, pricing depends on where you live as well. If  you live in a busy area such as Los Angeles or New York City you will pay more than someone who lives in Utah.  Economy is everything. However, that doesn't mean you can't find a great tasting and amazing looking cake within your budget.

1. Know Your Budget - This is, after all, the bottom line. If you do not want to spend more than $200.00 for a cake, it doesn't matter how big, how many servings, etc. $200.00 is the bottom line. Your decorator needs to know this. This helps them not design you a cake for $500.00 when you cannot afford it. It also helps them actually design you a cake within that budget. 

With knowing your budget, you have to realize you can only go so far with so much. Wedding cakes are EXTREMELY difficult to make. They take talent, expertise, and a lot of time. They cost a lot of money for a reason and you have to respect what a baker charges. I would be weary of bakers that are willing to low ball. If it's a valued product, great tasting, and good looking, no one should low ball their product.

2. Know Your Style - Look through Bridal magazines, internet searches, blogs, etc. Find samples of cakes and styles you like. Know your colors and theme. If you are doing a fun party wedding, then look for a more modern and fun cake. If you are doing a very elegant wedding, you want a sophisticated cake. Realize, also, that your budget will limit you on designs. Do not pick an extremely elaborate design with a very small budget. Also realize that the more detail work, the more money.

3. Know Your Guest Count - Not everyone you invite will show, not everyone that shows will stay late for the cake cutting, and not everyone will even eat cake that actually stays. I say only plan on 65-75% of your guests eating the cake. If you plan on saving your top tier, the decorator needs to know this. This will affect the size of your cake when it comes to servings. 

4. Sheet Cakes and Cupcakes - If you are on a limited budget, cupcakes and sheet cakes are life savers...or should I say wallet savers. You can get a smaller wedding cake and serve sheet cakes or serve regular and mini cupcakes.  Many people will just have all cupcakes on a cupcake tower with the top tier being the real cake for the Bride and Groom to cut. Cupcakes are young and fun, but can be very elegant when decorated right. You can also have a dummy cake. Where the tiers of your wedding cake are fake and give you the look of an elegant cake, but you actually serve sheet cakes and cupcakes to your guests.

5. Choosing Flavors - When choosing flavors of your cake, cupcakes, and sheet cakes, be sure you choose flavors that the majority will eat. Just remember if you pick something like Key Lime, you may not get a lot of people eating that cake. The worst thing if you are on a tight budget is to spend a lot of money on a cake that does not get eaten. Stick to the classic flavors: Vanilla, Chocolate, Strawberry, Raspberry, Lemon, etc. Ask your cake decorator for popular flavors and fillings. Some cake decorators will give you a discount if the entire cake is the same flavor. Also be aware that some decorators will actually charge you more for certain flavors. So always be sure to ask what costs what in the end.

6. Buttercream or Fondant - Without a doubt, buttercream cakes are much cheaper in cost. Fondant cakes usually cost 25-50% more than a buttercream cake. Though this is a tempting route, you must also think of venue. If your cake is going to be outdoors or if the room in which your reception is held will be warmer than 75F, you may want to stick to fondant. Though buttercream is cheaper and tastes better, a cake that sinks and melts at your reception defeats the purpose of paying all that money and saving a buck.

7. Delivery Fees - Many cake decorators can charge a range of $25.00 - $100.00+ to actually deliver your wedding cake. If you are on a tight budget you can always pick up your cake yourself. If delivery is free, then take advantage. Ask your decorator how much they charge for delivery. Just remember that transporting a cake and putting it together is not easy. So ask yourself if it is worth saving the delivery fee.

8. Shop Around - You should always shop around for a cake decorator. Never go with the first one and do not always just go with the cheaper one. Sometimes there are decorators that are cheap for a reason. Not all cheaper decorators are horrible, but just something to watch out for. Many decorators will offer to beat another competitors pricing as well. Go visit Bridal Expos and Shows. Many will have discounts just for visiting their booth and some even have drawings for free wedding cakes.

9. Making Your Own Wedding Cake - Though this is tempting, wedding cakes are extremely difficult to make. If you absolutely wish to make your own cake, realize that many take up to three days to bake, fill, frost and design.  They are very extensive and require a lot of hours in order to complete.  Instead of making the cake yourself, you can always order a cake that is baked, tiered, and frosted and then you do the decorations yourself. There are a lot of companies that sell gumpaste flowers and decorations that you can buy to place on your cake and have the professional look without the cost while you do all the baking and frosting.

10. It's Just a Cake - The wedding cake is important, but just a cake. If you are on a limited budget you can always scrap the cake and serve sheet cakes or do cupcakes. When you are looking at 350+ people, it is usually cheaper to serve sheet cakes with a smaller tiered cake than try to get a wedding cake that will actually feed 350 people.

Always ask your cake decorator for ways to save costs. There are a lot of bakeries and cake decorators that offer "Budget Cakes". Usually they are a generic flavor and very basic decorations. However if you are on a tight budget, it is the way to go. Just remember that if you are on a super tight budget, you may not be able to get the bells and whistles of a grand cake without being willing to increase the budget. In the end, there are so many things to worry about for your wedding that you should never spend all the money on just a wedding cake. Know your budget and just stick within it. No one is going to think any different of a smaller wedding cake out there on that table.

Hiring a Wedding Caterer: What Every Couple Should Know

After catering for over seven years, I have compiled a list of things that brides and grooms should always note and take into consideration when meeting and hiring a caterer. There are a lot of things caterers will not tell you.  Not because they are trying to cheat you out of your money, but simply because this is their industry and many caterers assume you know their industry when you actually don't.


1. Venue - You should always have your venue selected before hiring a caterer. The venue not only determines your guest count (some venues hold more than others), but the type of kitchen/accommodations for the caterer. Also some venues do not allow outside caterers. If they only allow you to choose from their list, you can still use this guide, but just realize some aspects are different.

If your venue does allow you to use outside caterers, sky is the limit. If you can only choose from their list, then you have to stick to those caterers as well as the prices they charge. Always let your caterer know the venue and if there is a kitchen. When there is no kitchen equipment, the caterer is required to bring additional equipment and usually there is a charge for this. Also, know if your venue does clean-up or if the caterer needs to bring additional staff. Often times caterers will charge you an additional 5% if they need to bus tables.


2. Guest Count - You need to know a guest count when meeting with the caterer. How do you determine guest count? Well, first you add up the total amount of invitations you are sending out. Deduct any guests that are out of town or that you know for a fact will not show. With the number you are left I usually say add 20%. Why 20%? Well, though you may have 100 invitations out there with people that will come, remember that people do not typically show to a wedding alone. Therefore for each invitation you send out, you are possibly getting two to even three people (especially those going to families) showing. Do not rely on RSVP's. I have noticed that many people do not send them in. If you are doing a formal sit-down dinner, then RSVP is important and you should require it on all invitations. 


All catering menus are priced per person. Many charge different prices for different guest count brackets. So having an accurate amount of guests when you meet will get you accurate pricing. Also, remember that when you order food for 100 guests, when 200 guests show your caterer will not have the food on hand to actually feed the additional guests.


3. Type of Service - When it comes to catering you can have a formal sit-down service, buffet service, or even just passed hors d'oeuvres. It all depends on the setting, guest count, and your budget. Sit-down dinners cost considerably more than a buffet. Many caterers will charge to do tray passed hors d'oeuvres. Tray passed simply means that servers go around with trays to offer to your guests. It is very similar to a cocktail party. Buffets tend to be easier on your pocket book, but also your sanity. You do not have to worry about guests sending in the RSVP's with what dishes they want, because you just order the array and they eat what they want. Buffets, however, are only as good as the guest count you provide. They can run out very quickly if the caterer is not given the right guest count.

4. Selecting Your Menu Items - When it comes to selecting menu items, I typically tell my brides to realize that there are others eating this menu. Do not select or pass over items that only cater to your personal tastes. Honestly, the Bride and Groom RARELY even get to eat at their own wedding. You are feeding the majority. So if you do not like fruit or cheese platters, realize that others may. If you order 200 servings of spicy kabobs, realize that not everyone likes spicy. Also, always try to have at least one vegetarian item. Even if it's just a vegetable tray.

When selecting your menu, many caterers already have packages that include your choice of entrée, sides, trays, etc. If your budget allows, try to get at least two different entrees, two different sides, one or two salads, and platters of fruits, crackers, cheeses, and vegetables. If you cannot afford two entrees, then select one that you know a vast majority will eat. Not sure? Ask the caterer. They do this stuff for a living. They should be able to tell you what people will and will not eat. 


Also realize that if you order an entire catering package (i.e. appetizers, entrees, sides, and platters) do know that you do not actually get 100 servings of each. If you order 100 servings of a catering package, the caterer will split up the servings how they see/know fit.   If you have three different appetizers, there will not be 100 servings of each one. There may be 100 of the most popular, 70 of another, 50 of another, or they may just split it evenly three ways. Many do not realize this and must tell their caterer if they want a certain amount of servings of an item.


Base your menu around your style of wedding. If you are doing a casual, fun wedding, serve appetizers. Why do a full meal when most people are going to be up and dancing? It will save you money and still feed your guests. Or do a dessert bar! It's the new fad. Cupcakes, candy bars, chocolate dipped strawberries, etc. If you are doing an elegant reception, then select more elegant and sophisticated menu items. Remember, food sets the tone just as much as décor.

5. Catering Yourself or Having a Friend Cater - Just don't do it. Catering is a lot of work. The last thing you should do as a bride or groom is have yourself or even immediate family cater your wedding. It's best to leave it to the professionals. They do this daily. I, myself, am a caterer and I would not cater my own wedding (if that helps put it in perspective). You have so much going on, that it's impossible to focus on cooking food for people as well. Having friends cater can be stressful. Unless your friend is a professional caterer, I would still leave it to the pros.

6. Wedding Cakes - Many caterers will offer wedding cakes with their catering packages. Be careful. Majority of the time you are not getting a deal and majority of caterers do not have in-house pastry chefs. They actually outsource and purchase your wedding cake from a vendor. Meaning, they do not even make the cake you just paid them for. If they are paying someone else to make it, and you are paying the caterer, they need to profit. Therefore they charge you more than the person who made the cake for them. Ask your caterer if they actually make the cakes in-house or if they purchase them. If the caterer makes the cake, ask if they have an actual pastry chef making the cake. Sometimes it is just a service member using a boxed mix. Sometimes it is better to get your cake from a professional. There are companies that do both perfectly. My catering company makes our own cakes (from scratch) as well as the actual meal. It's always important to ask.


7. Drinks and Bartending - Before hiring a bartender, be sure your venue allows alcohol to be served within their venue. Many do not. There are some that will allow bartending, but only with their bartenders or a fee for an outside vendor.  If you are having a bar service from a separate company, do not pay your caterer to also provide beverages. Usually you can reduce your catering bill. Or just have your caterer supply the water.

8. Shopping Around - Do not hire the first caterer you meet. Many will try to reel you in during your consultation, but be sure to shop around. Get price comparisons and most importantly battle between your caterers. No local caterer wants to be beat by another. Usually they will beat a competitors pricing. Go to the local Bridal Shows and Expos. Usually there are many caterers there who actually showcase their work. Many offer discounts at the Expos. If you can only use a list of preferred vendors at your venue, then still shop around between those vendors. Many vendors offer discounts for mid-week weddings and off-season weddings (November - February).

9. References, Tastings, and Reviews - Always make sure your caterer has references. If they are a first-time caterer it doesn't mean they will be awful. Everyone has to start somewhere, but perhaps you should not use someone who is just starting out on your wedding. Order tastings! Many people do not order tastings from their caterers, and then do not like spices, combinations, etc that are in their menu items. If you do not taste it, you do not know what you are getting.

10. The Bottom Line and Fees - Know the fees. Many caterers will post pricing on their websites, but that is not the final cost. There is a sales tax, but also Service Fees. This will range anywhere from10% - 35% on top of the total bill. Some caterers will charge additional fees for having to bus tables, china service, linens, additional equipment required, bookings over three hours, etc. Know all the fees before you sign. Some caterers will add the fees at the end and some can increase your bill by $500.00+. Ask for all fees and ask for an estimate including any fee they can/will be charging you. Upfront pricing without even having to ask is a sign of a good caterer. Be sure your caterer does not charge you to cut the cake. Many charge a fee of $50.00 to just cut and serve the wedding cake.

Every caterer has their own style and menu options. Many caterers can add custom menu items if it is not on their current menu. Shop around, know what to look for, but more so go in there with the knowledge of catering and the ability to work the price to what you can and want to pay. Just remember that the wedding is just one day. The food is just the event. Don't break the bank feeding 200 people, but also realize that your budget may limit you, but does not mean you have to get bad quality either.