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While every ceremony is unique, wedding accessories you need tend to be universal. In other words, even if you’re having a cowboy/cowgirl theme, you’ll still need to plan for certain services and supplies. Here’s a quick guide to the ones you’ll need most.

The first thing you want to look into is consultancy services. Planning a wedding is an extensive project that is so much easier when you have a wedding consultant. Also, having a wedding consultant will save you more than just headaches; a good one will save you money.

Another service you’ll want to add to your list of wedding accessories is a florist. You want an excellent, professional florist who specializes in weddings. You can find a list of Florist in our Virtual Directory or the local Yellow Pages. You can also find many of them online and through recommendations of friends and family members.

You definitely want to put photographers on your list of wedding accessories. Find a good photographer early so you can have your portrait done and behind you before the real madness begins. You’ll also feel a lot better knowing your photography is taken care of. If you want to have a video done, you also want to add videographers to your list.

Other services, products, and supplies you’ll need on your wedding accessories list so that you can plan for them are:

The earlier you have a list of contacts for these accessory providers, the easier your planning will be. So don’t waste another minute. Get started now!

5 Tips to Choosing Your Cake

Selecting wedding cakes should be great fun. All those tastings, yum! But before you pick up the first fork, it’s a good idea to have an idea of what you want—especially if you’re thinking of something outside of the traditional layer cake with a bride and groom on top!

Think cost. It’s so beautiful and tastes so good. That’s great if its price tag fits within your budget and style. However, if it doesn’t fit both of these categories, keep looking. There’s a baker out there with the perfect wedding cake for you, at exactly the right price.
Beware of amateur bakers. Not that they aren’t fabulous, but you want a baker whose main expertise is wedding cakes. Because really, the absolute last thing you should have to stress out about is your wedding cake. Bakers with experience and who have great reputations for making fabulous wedding cakes is the way to go here.
Size does matter. At least when it comes to wedding cakes. Know how many people you will be serving, and be sure the cake you choose will be large enough for everyone to have a least one slice.
Presentation is everything. Your wedding cake should have its own table. After all, it’s the centerpiece of the reception. Decide what sort of decorations you want on the table with your wedding cake. Remember, though, that they shouldn’t detract from the cake, but enhance its display. Ask your baker if a cake knife is provided with his or her service. If not, make other arrangements.
ETA. Make sure you know when the baker is going to deliver the cake, its estimated time of arrival, and have someone available to meet them. This is an excellent way to include a friend or cousin who might otherwise feel left out if she or he isn’t a member of your wedding party.

Since your fiancé slid that ring on your hand, you’ve probably been walking around with strains of Mendelssohn’s famous Wedding March drifting in and out of your brain.

Which is great, but you also need to think about other choices and purposes for your wedding music and songs. This quick guide will help.

First of all, you’ll need to plan for music to be played during 3 phases of your wedding. You’ll need wedding songs for the:

The most commonly used instrument used for traditional wedding music is the organ. Many brides today, though, are choosing guitars, pianos, harps and violins. Some are also using recordings and small music ensembles. Any one of these or a combination of them is fine. One of the most important things here is to have the proper equipment for and approvals from the ceremony site well in advance of the wedding, say three months at least. Above all, your music should reflect your own personal style.
Some of the most popular traditional wedding music choices are:

Whether you stay with the classics or go with something entirely unique and distinctive for your wedding music, know what, if anything, you’ll need to have in place for everyone involved. Also, if you plan to have your ceremony outside, you might want to consider an amplifier, and you’ll have to plan for any electrical needs.

Be sure to ask the musicians you’re using what they charge, as well as about any equipment rental fees that aren’t included in their rates. Have a payment plan set up in advance so you aren’t rushing around after your ceremony, trying to find your checkbook!

For the reception music, the first decision is whether there will be dancing or not, then plan for a range of dance songs to please your guests’ different abilities and tastes. Above all, remember that music and songs set the tone for the reception. If serving a sit down dinner, you may want to choose jazz standards being played on a piano followed by a dance band. To save money, try hiring a duo/trio band with background tracks. You will save money and still have the full band sound. Which ever you decide, make sure your pianist, band or DJ has a variety of music to choice from. Many bands/DJ’s will have a list of songs for you to choose from in advance and have a demo CD that can be mailed to you.

Yes, you have a lot of decisions to make about your songs. With a little forethought and planning, your song choices are sure to strike just the right cord with you and your guests.