Bride's Intricate Roles

The bride's role in her own wedding is very crucial, if not, utterly important. It can make or break her wedding celebration and can ruin everything with just one blink if she is not careful with the preparation. It won't take a genius to plan an orderly, stylish and classy wedding, all it takes is a sensible creativity of the bride.

The groom, traditionally never stick fingers on the preparation nor check every detail of the organizing process, men in general cringed the idea of being consulted with everything, they hate walking on details, they are more interested on the destination rather than on the journey, so the roles eventually fall on the shoulder of the bride.

As you don't want to be surprised in your own wedding, avoid assigning the planning entirely to other people, if possible, put a hand on it and handle its delicate process.

So how it would go? Here are some important pointers to consider according to several sources online.

Create a Tracking Sheet

What is a tracking sheet? This is a customized journal of a wedding budget, list of appointments and schedules, bookings and other important notes. The purpose of having a wedding tracking sheet is to make the preparation more orderly and systematic without missing a point. For sample of how to make a wedding tracking sheet, CLICK HERE

Check with the vendors

After accomplishing all the important church documents and licenses, you are now ready to make bookings with the vendors, this includes photography, video, make-up artist, stationary, couture house, hairstylist, florist, etcetera.

Before deciding on one vendor, compare rates and services and your preferences. If one matches go with it. Make sure you stay with your budget. Wedding elements and essentials should be based on your choice, style and preferences and not because it is suggested by your friends and relatives.

Your creativity

The success of your wedding relies on your creativity. Make the celebration memorable and stylish by creating a different ceremony away from tradition and that of your friends. A solemn and dignified wedding celebration is defined as something that follows what is appropriate, proper and decent, not merely on tradition. As long as you are not hurting someone, then your choice of the kind of wedding is what matters most.

Create a theme and choose a different reception venue which you and your guests can relax and relish the moment of fun and excitement. Talk with your future husband if he would like the idea of having a reception at the backyard or at the garden with a beautiful landscape. The site of nature and green environment can help ease the tension and stress you are feeling.

Make everything simple

If you are marrying under a tight purse, keep everything simple, from choosing the attendants, sponsors, motif, invitation down to the manner of the ceremony and the reception. Do not dream a pompous ceremony if your budget cannot afford it. It is always a bad idea to start your married life in debt. 

Coordination

A month before the ceremony, make a script on how the ceremony would run all the way to the reception. Meet all the people concerned, from the attendants to the vendors. Give instruction to each, as if you are directing a stage presentation. Specify the roles of your attendants, ushers, etcetera, on the big day. Book one day to meet them and other people directly involve with the preparation.

Follow the Schedule

Make a schedule and hand it down to the people concerned during your wedding so that the time schedule can be followed. If you hire a host for the ceremony, sit down and talk on how the program will go, do not simply rely on the host to make the program if you don't want to be surprised with so many glitches and bad jokes on your wedding day.

Getting Personal

Personalized everything as much as possible to have a memorable and meaningful wedding celebration. Check the wording on the invitation, wedding cake, program, speeches and liturgy and make sure it goes with what you like, do not simply rely on the expertise of other people. Their style and taste might be different from yours and what you would like to happen on your big day.

Necessary Checklist

Checklist:

Things to prepare on your big day

By now, while throwing yourself in the most stressful process of your wedding preparation, you have already prepared a tracking sheet to practically list every detail and schedule of your planning, but it is more practical if you write down the most important wedding essentials in a separate journal to avoid missing other elements.

For the Bride:

Bridal Gown – Depending on your choice of a gown, it is ideal to go to a couture house for fitting two months before your big day to allow enough time to choose the perfect design and fabric. This is also absolutely practical because by this time you already come up with the most ideal trim and it is remotely impossible to lose several pounds for the succeeding weeks.

Shoes – Choose a style that will enable you to walk and stand comfortably. Pumps and Stilleto are perfect choices if you are petite but not too high as it might create a trouble when gliding down the aisle.

Earrings – Choose simple studs if you are planning to wear a tiara. It is messy to look if you have to pick dangling earrings and don tiara at the same time.

Stocking/Garter to wear – If there’s throwing of the garter portion in your wedding program, you may buy a garter but if not, then do not mind having it.

The old rhyme – Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. If you still believe the significance of this old, mythical rhyme, then include the elements in your wedding, but if not, then leave it there.

Fan (optional) – If you think you will be marrying under the summer heat or if the temperature around the reception venue is quite unsettling, you may prefer to buy one.

Purse (optional) – Normally most brides never bring purse at the church but if you want some important thing to stuff on, then bring one that match your gown.

Tiara/Flowers – Most brides wear tiara, though some culture reputed its significance in the wedding day, a tiara traditionally reserves to a bride marrying into society men, but it is now part of the wedding fashion. If you are not into tiara, you can choose flowers instead to adorn your head especially around the bun.

Veil – Normally used to cover the face of the bride when walking down the aisle. Veil can be either plain tulle or lace.

For the Groom:

Groom’s Attire – previously viewed as anything that pleases the groom, now a groom’s attire should be fitted with the occasion. It is silly to see a groom wears something more like that of a school boy uniform beside his stunning bride. He must be dressed appropriately for the occasion.

Types of Groom’s attire:

Barong – A typical Filipino groom get-up, normally in an ivory-embroidered ensemble.

Suit – If the wedding happens in the morning or afternoon before 6:00 pm, you should pick a suit, either pinstripe or plain with matching tie. You may choose a tail-coat or double-breasted button style.

Tuxedo – Normally called a dinner suit, naturally no groom in his correct senses would wear a tuxedo before 6:00 pm, so this get-up should be worn if the wedding occurs after 6:00pm.

Boutonnieres – Definitely the only set of flowers you will ever wear in your entire life. These refer to flowers pinned in the breast of the groom, normally composed of flowers found in his bride’s bouquet. Though you hate the idea of wearing it, well, this is not the right time to argue since it is your big day.

Shoes – Choose the most comfortable shoes which enable you to stand and walk without fidgeting your toes inside.

Attendants:

Flower girls’ outfit

Page Boys’ outfit

Bride’s Maids’ outfit

Groom’s men’ outfit

Maid of honour

Best Man

Essentials/Elements:

Arrhae and coin holder

Bridal bouquet

Bouquet for female attendants

Boutonnieres for male attendants

Cord

Candle (offertory)

Choir/soloist/orchestra

Church’s decorations (fabric, flowers)

Church venue

Confetti (at the reception venue)

Corsages (Parents, witnesses, secondary sponsors)

Flower baskets for flower girls

Flowers (offertory)

Gifts (offertory)

Guests’ book

Headpieces for female attendants/flower girls

Wedding invitation

Menu card

Music selection

Photographer/Video services

Prenuptial venues (it is okay to suggest to photographers)

Reception venue

Reception venue decorations (chair and table covers, fabric, flowers, table cards and center pieces)

Registry

Thank You card

Unity Candles

Veil

Wedding Favours

Wedding Cake

Wedding Rings

First Essentials to prepare/schedule

City/Local registry for marriage license

NSO

Church appointments

Church venue

Reception venue

With each culture, belief, tradition and practices vary in every country, Wedding Essentials/Elements probably differ also depends on the couple’s concept of a joyous wedding celebration.