It’s easy to get what you want  if you follow some simple guide lines:

THE GROUND RULES

• Ask to see several examples of their recent work
• Set a budget at the beginning and stick to it
• Devise three lists, must have; would like to have; nice to have; place the things like bands, horse and carriage, dove release etc… in the lists you want and this will become your priority list to assist you with your budget and planning requirements. Stick to it.
• Get detailed quotes to enable you to make comparisons
• Expect to pay 50% deposits in advance to secure your booking and ensure you get a detailed contract in return.
• Keep your supplies local to you ceremony venue.

VENUE CHECKLIST

• Is it available  on your date? And are will there be any other weddings taking place on that date?
• Will it accommodate the number of guests you are inviting?
• Is the price within your allocated Budget?
• What do you get as part of the cost, catering? Flowers? Bedrooms?Decoration?
• Can you change décor or move pictures or furniture?
• Is there accommodation for guests? If so, will you get discounted rates?
• Are you able to have a marquee/band/candles/fireworks?
• Does the price include VAT and service charge?

CATERING

• Find out from your caterer if you can mix and match the menus?
• Find out what their service includes. Do they provide waiting staff? Table linen, crockery and cutlery?
• What happens if breakages occur?
• Do they provide alcohol? Can you provide you own alcohol, if so will there be a corkage charge?
• Ask for a tasting menu so you know the quality you are getting?

CAKES

• Size of the Cake: The size of the wedding cake will depend on the number of guests that you are expecting. If you are planning to save some cake for guests who could not accept your invitation and will be unable to attend, and are also planning to send your wedding cake to out-of-town invitees, then you should keep this in mind while determining the exact number of people.
• Design: Go through the cake sample pictures from different confectioners and bakers. Looking through wedding magazines is also a good way to find a wedding cake design. If you do not find something that you like, you can always design your own cake.
• Flavour: While it is important that a wedding cake appeal to the visual senses, it is even more important that it taste good. Else you may be left with a whole lot of inedible wedding cake. Choose from the regular vanilla or chocolate, fruit cake or sponge cake, cheesecakes, and even wedding cakes with a mousse filling. If you are tempted by different flavours and can't make up your mind, you can have different tiers in different flavours!
• Ask for a tasting of some cakes to help you decide.
• Will the cake supplier deliver and set up the cake at the venue? How much is this service?
• Are there any additional costs, like ribbons/columns / cake stands?

PHOTOGRAPHY

• Check out the photographers website to see their work before you meet them
• Think bout the style you are after, traditional or reportage style. Ask the photographer to show you different styles of their work.
• Find out what you get for the fee, this will depend larger on the length you want the photographer and the number of shots and the album you choose?
• Do they do videoing as well?
• On the day will the photography have an assistant and will they need feeding?
• Your photographer will retain the copyright of your pictures, so budget for the cost of reprints?

FLOWERS

• Yours flowers should reflect the theme and mood of the day.
• Take your florists advice, they will assist you  in the right seasonal blooms and will try to save you money where possible, they are experts in the field and it is there work on show all day, so they want the very best as well as you do.
• Main flowers to look at;
• Brides bouquet / Posies for bridesmaids / buttonholes / corsages / for the bridal party / perhaps taller pedestal and aisle flowers for pew ends if a church wedding. For a civil ceremony – think about arrangement for the register table and maybe larger arrangements beside entrances and doorways. For the reception, table centre pieces.

ENTERTAINMENT

• The type of entertainment you choose will set the entire tone of the reception.
• When do you want entertainment; Music can be nice with reception drinks, do you employ children’s entertainers during the day, If you have a gap between the wedding breakfast ending and the evening reception starting do you bring in some entertainment then, what type of of entertainment for the evening, singer, live band, disco.
• Think about catering for everyones needs so don’t pick an extreme  music style, that non of your guest will dance too.
• Live bands encompass everything from blues, jazz and tribute bands. Ask how long they will play for? As you may need a filler like a DJ if there set will only be two hours long.
• Other entertainment can inclue string quartets, sololists, magicians, casinos .
• A CD is a cheaper alternative.