More Post-Engagement Mistakes You'll Want to Avoid

Assuming the wedding will just work itself out and not scheduling enough time to work on your wedding details.

Many brides find it very helpful to set up a specific day of the week when they'll focus on their wedding plans. If your engagement is not as long, you may want to spend a couple of days each week or plan several weekends where you can focus on what needs to be done. Staying organized and communicating effectively are essential to staying sane and getting it all done.

Forgetting how many people you can accomodate at your reception site.

As you put together your guest list, think about how many people you'll be able to accomodate for your ceremony and reception site. Your food and beverage budget may also be a factor in who you invite since more guests often means more money.

Waiting too long to choose bridesmaids and groomsmen.

The earlier you decide and ask, the more time you'll have to let them help you plan the details of your wedding. Think through and pick who you will choose to honor as your attendants. Choose individuals who have been your friends through thick and thin and who you'll enjoy spending time with as you plan and prepare. It is a good idea to let them know what will be involved and expected since many of them will be contributing their precious time (helping to plan the details) and hard-earned money (purchasing gowns or renting tuxedos, etc.). They'll be honored by your request and your friendship will grow deeper as they participate in your special day.

Forgetting to take time to relax.

If you find yourself getting stressed out, take some time to recuperate. Spend a day completely away from the planning. Have fun. Relax. Enjoy spending time with your fiance. Create special moments that will deepen and enhance your relationship. Forgetting to focus on what is important will cause you a lot more stress than it is worth. Don't feel like you have to do everything in one day. Pace yourself. Keep things in perspective. Don't forget the excitement that led you to your decision to get married in the first place. Make sure you spend time together and take care of each other in the process of planning your wedding.

Jim and Heather Butler

2 More Common Mistakes Following Engagement and How You Can Prevent Them

Here are two more common mistakes recently engaged couples make and how you can avoid them:

Forgetting to create a wedding timeline and take action on the details.

Another common mistake made by many couples is that they wait too long before taking action on important details for their wedding. Don't be afraid to make decisions after weighing your options. Much of the stress of weddings can be eliminated or minimized simply by taking time to plan and act on the details. Get or create your own calendar or date book so you can set specific dates by which you want to get things accomplished. Most bridal magazines have a wedding timeline in them or you can ask the wedding vendors you've got in mind when things need to be set in order to be ready for your wedding day.

Trying to do it alone. Instead, divide up the planning and assign tasks that need to be completed.
Once you have completed your timeline, you should split up the tasks that need to be completed. Both of you should be involved in the planning of the wedding. This will help eliminate a lot of stress and the feeling that you need to do it all yourself. Your mother and bridesmaids can also offer invaluable assistance in the planning details. If you do divide up the tasks, be sure to communicate about what each of you will do. Once it has been completed, check it off together so you don't end up doing the same thing twice!

In our next post, we'll share two more common mistakes and what you can do to avoid them.

Jim and Heather Butler

Common Mistakes Following Engagement and How You Can Avoid Them

If you've just recently gotten engaged, congratulations! As you're enjoying the glow and excitement of your new commitment to one another, take a minute to read about two common mistakes recently engaged couples make so that you can avoid them as you plan for your perfect wedding. Doing so will help you minimize your stress, frustration and disappointment as you plan for your big day.

1. Not taking the time to envision the details of your wedding.
Planning a wedding takes a lot of time and often involves quite a few people. If you're not sure exactly what you want, it may turn out a lot differently than you originally anticipated. It is your wedding so take time now to think through the details and envision how you've always imagined it would be. Take time to really think through the following questions:

• When will the big day happen?
• Where should it be?
• Who will be there?
• How formal will the event be?

Neglecting to think through how much time it is going to take to plan all of the details of their wedding, many couples can quickly get overwhelmed, especially in the area of finances (which can cause some disagreements).

2. Neglecting to decide on a budget and failingto keep track of all of your expenditures.
Very few people like budgets or budgeting but not having one (especially now) can add a significant burden to your present and future financial situation. There are literally endless option to a wedding and unfortunately, how elaborate many of the details are comes down to how much money you are willing to spend. Many brides are so excited to finally be planning their wedding that they start booking vendors and spending money without having a budget in place. Very quickly they realize that all of their money (or their parent's money) is spent and they don't even have half of what is going to be needed.

Don't let this happen to you. Your wedding will likely be the most elaborate event that you've ever planned to this point in your life. If you haven't already discovered, weddings can be quite expensive. Your budget may fluctuate as you decide on the actual venue and find out who has committed to help you cover the costs but it is critical that you begin with a dollar amount in mind. Many couples are choosing to scale back their wedding today since in many cases they are paying for it themselves. Other couples choose to have a longer engagement so they can save, plan, and have the wedding they really want. Decide together on what is most practical for you. There are likely some things you both won't want to compromise on - but there are other areas where you can cut back and still have a stunning and wonderful wedding.

Tomorrow, we'll post two more common mistakes couples make when they get engaged and how you can avoid the stress that comes with them. Stay tuned....

Jim and Heather Butler
Arizona's Bridal & Formal

A Brief Introduction to Arizona's Bridal & Formal

Check out this video introduction to our store:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijA3X0FOp1M

We look forward to seeing you in our store soon.

Jim and Heather Butler

New Video Featuring Our Gowns

Check out this video of a few of our wedding gowns:

http://animoto.com/play/pTvfd6CdVzMRBauGITzLnA

You can view more of our dresses at www.arizonabridal.com. New dresses are arriving every day so come into our store to find your perfect dress. We look forward to seeing you soon.

Jim and Heather Butler

Why Buying a Dress Online Won't Save You Money

Many brides today opt to buy their dress online after visiting numerous bridal stores. Since you may be considering this, here are several things you should consider that will likely cost you more money than originally anticipated and cause the savings you thought you were getting to completely vanish. We could tell you that you are making a mistake by choosing to buy online, but we won't. You'll realize it as soon as you open the box.

Here's what you'll notice:

• The dress will have wrinkles all over it which you will have to pay extra to have pressed out. Many bridal salons offer a free service to have this done with the purchase of a wedding gown. You may pay $60 to $80 or more to have this same service done at a dry cleaner or bridal salon.
• There may be loose beading or missing beading as a result of shipping which you will have to pay to have fixed (most shipping companies aren't as kind to your box as you would like to think they are).
• There may be spots or stains on the dress that you likely won't be able to properly remove without damaging the delicate fabric and beadwork on the dress.
• The dress may come in the wrong size (and you may not be able to alter it to fit your figure).
• And lastly, you may order the dress and even if you get it, it may look completely different than the picture you saw online. Many brides have experienced this much to their shock and horror and then come to us in tears hoping we can fix the problem. Many times repairs can be made, but often at a great expense.

We recently had a bride come into our store who had purchased a wedding dress online. She was in tears because the dress she received looked completely different than the picture she saw online. The lace was different, the seams were loose and crooked, there was no boning or support, and the dress bulged in certain areas. The company she purchased the dress from wouldn't refund her money and she was left to either fix what she had (which didn't give her a lot of options) or buy a new dress. She ended up buying a new dress at our store and wished she had done that in the first place.

When you buy a dress from a full service bridal salon, you'll notice that:

• Your dress will be perfectly altered to your figure and pressed so that it is wrinkle-free and looks absolutely stunning on your wedding day.
• Any beads that may have come loose during shipping or the alterations process will be tightened at no charge.
• You can be assured that there won't be any spots or stains on your dress when you pick it up.
• Your dress will be perfectly altered to fit your figure and you'll know that it will come in the right size.
  
• Lastly, your dress will look like the sample you ordered it from and you won't have to worry about any of the details.

With all that you have to worry about with planning the wedding of your dreams, you really don't need the extra stress and hassle of worrying that your dress may not come in correctly or be perfect for your wedding day. Why take the risk? When you order your gown from a full service bridal salon, you can be assured that we'll take care of all of the details. You'll be glad you did because you won't have to stress about the mess that could have happened with your dress.

Jim and Heather Butler