Esquire Photography

Good morning from my wee little office in Huntington Beach located behind the “curtain” in Orange County, California everyone!  I have a fantastic wedding day tip from my good friends at About.com that I really wanted to share with you this week.

So let’s say you’re an Orange County bride, you’re newly engaged and looking for some direction on what to do next.  If you saw my Wedding Tip last week, it gave you some ideas on “what’s next” and this week’s Wedding Tip should help you get things moving.  Having been to my share of weddings in Orange County, Los Angeles, and around the country (and planning my own wedding), I think that this list is awesome and will help you get the most out of the beginning stages of planning your wedding.

If you’re an Orange County or Los Angeles County bride or groom that has some questions about how to make your guests have the time of their lives during your wedding day or other aspects that you’d like to be incredible, feel free to Contact Me through the website or email me directly at david@esquirephotography.com – cheers!

You can also stay in touch with me in “real time” on Twitter, Facebook and my Facebook Fan Page too.

So without further ado, here is the bit on how to get things going for your wedding day & have a terrific “Baby Friday” – cheers!

Congratulations! You’re about to embark on two amazing adventures – the first, of course, being your life as a wedded couple and the second being the exciting, yet often overwhelming process of planning a wedding. A wedding will probably be the biggest and most involved party or ritual either of you have ever put together. Before you get overwhelmed, take a deep breath, then do these ten things.

Enjoy being engaged
Kiss each other a thousand times. Jump up and down saying “We’re engaged!” Stare at the engagement ring. Take the time to write down in detail how you got engaged. Contemplate the wonderful things ahead of you. Take pictures of yourselves with the engagement ring. Kiss each other a thousand more times.

Tell your parents
You should tell your parents of your impending nuptials before anyone else. (Unless of course, you are estranged.) Both of you should be present and ideally you will tell them in person – they’ll have a chance to see your happiness up close, look at the rock, and start talking about the wedding. Traditionally the bride’s parents know before the groom’s do, but any order is really fine. Then share the news with a few close friends – the ones who are likely candidates for maid/matron of honor and best man, or definite attendants in some capacity.

Purchase a journal if you don’t already have one
This will be a time of ten thousand moments you won’t want to forget, as well as some frustrating times that you’ll need to vent about, and not necessarily to your partner. The journal you keep while planning your wedding will not only help you through this time, but it will be something you cherish for the rest of your life. If you’re internet savvy kinds of folks, you may also consider doing this journaling online at a site such as Livejournal.

Announce Your Engagement
Tell everyone the good news! There are many ways of doing this, and no way is more correct or better than another.

Consider:
* Announcing your engagement in print publications

* Mailing announcements to your family and friends

* Creating a wedding website

Set the Date
One of the most important decisions you will make as you plan your wedding. Not only will it be the first question everyone will ask you, but you’d be surprised how difficult it will be to make any progress on planning your wedding without knowing the date.

Set the Tone of Your Event
This is the time to decide if you’re having a formal wedding, a casual affair, or a theme wedding. It’s also the time to decide on having a religious or secular ceremony. In short, you need to decide what you want your wedding to feel like. A good way to begin is to sit down with your partner and do some free writing about your ideal wedding. Look at the adjectives that each of you write and use them as a starting point.

Set the Budget
Start off by using a printable wedding budget worksheet. Look at your finances and figure out how much you already have in savings, and how much you can save each month. Talk to each of your parents and ask them if they’d like to contribute to your wedding, and either how much they’d like to give you, or what specific things they’d like to pay for. Lastly, decide how much you feel comfortable going into debt. I strongly advise couples to avoid debt as much as possible. Since married couples fight about money more than anything else, why start marriage with debt on your backs? At this time you may consider opening a new credit card just for the wedding that will earn you airline miles, cash back, or other incentives. It’s a good way for you to keep track of wedding expenses, and can help you pay for your honeymoon. Just try to pay it off in full each month.

Choose Your Attendants
As your attendants do a lot more than just stand next to you on the day of the wedding, now is the time to get them involved. While some couples opt not to have any attendants at all, especially if they’re having a casual event, most choose between 2 and 12 members of the bridal party. Look over these lists of responsibilities for bridesmaids and groomsmen before you make your final choices. If they live nearby, its nice to ask someone in person, but a phone call is fine for those who live far away.

Start Looking for Venues for Ceremony and Reception
Many venues are booked a year in advance, so the further in advance you start looking, the more likely you are to get the time, date, and cost that you’ve planned for.

Get Support
The successful bride and groom do not plan their wedding alone – they get help! This may be from professionals, respected publications, or trusted friends who’ve planned their own weddings.
* Consider hiring a wedding planner or consultant. Especially if you are a busy person, or just feel a little lost, a professional can be invaluable in putting together your ideal day, and can often save you money.
* Visit our forum to chat with other engaged couples, the marriage forum to get advice from couples who’ve already walked down the aisle, and the honeymoons forum to plan that trip of a lifetime.
* Use online checklists – they’re free, and especially helpful if you’re planning with your mother or future spouse in another state. The most important of these forms is the overall wedding checklist which will help you stay on top of all of your important todos.

If you’re like most couples, you’ll come home from the bookstore with a few thousand pounds of wedding magazines – why not throw in a wedding planning book as well? While the internet offers many useful tools, a book is portable when you visit vendors and can accommodate the many brochures, swatches and other items you’ll be collecting. If you are budget conscious, purchase a three ring binder, and build your own planner with printouts from the internet.

Good afternoon to you In Orange County from Esquire Photography HQ in Huntington Beach, California!  I received a note that has a fantastic wedding day tip from my good friends at Elegala.com and I really wanted to share with you this week.

So let’s say you’re an Orange County bride (or groom!) and you’re really excited & wondering “what’s next” now that you’ve gotten engaged over the holidays.  Having planned my own wedding and been to my share of weddings in Orange County, Los Angeles, and around the country, I think that this list is really creative and will help you enjoy the fruits of being newly engaged.

But before I present you with this week’s wedding tip and you’re thinking… Hey – I’d really like to get to know this Orange County Wedding Photographer in Huntington Beach, California, feel free to Contact Me on the Website or send me an email direct at david@esquirephotography.com.  You can also stay in touch with me in “real time” on Twitter, Facebook and my Facebook Fan Page too.

And without further ado, here is the list from Elegala.com & have a super Baby Friday – cheers!

Getting Engaged – What to Expect During the First Weeks

Congratulations – you said yes, now what?
Unfortunately, for many newly engaged women, the euphoria of finding “the one” is slightly dampened by a dose of anxiety. Engagement is one of the most significant transitions in our lives. And let’s face it, most brides-to-be have never faced such a milestone and are unsure what to expect from those first few weeks. Here are the first three emotional milestones during the early stages of engagement.

Bask and Reflect
Long before the craziness of wedding planning ensues, you should take some personal time to reflect on the significance of this milestone and mentally prepare for what’s ahead. Now’s the time to bask in the glow of newly engaged bliss, and it’s also the time to ponder any emotional anxieties about getting engaged.  You need to be prepared to shed your single self and embrace your new life as an engaged and eventually a married woman.

Prepare for the Onslaught of Questions
He just popped the question – and you’re still on “engagement high.” But the questions will start to trickle in, usually beginning with the moms. They’ll want to know dates, times, color schemes, seating charts…all while your tongue’s still tripping over the word “fiancé.”

Don’t let others stress you out just yet. When the questions begin, just let the inquiring know that you’re going to enjoy your engagement for awhile before you begin making plans. Take this time to adjust to your new status, and relish these last few weeks free from the pressures of wedding planning. You’ll know when the time is right to start planning. (just don’t wait too long – some venues book over a year in advance).  Once you’re ready, you can dive into the wedding details.

Make it a Family Affair
If your parents haven’t met yet, they should meet or at least talk soon after the engagement. Tradition dictates that the groom’s family calls and introduces themselves to the bride’s family and arranges a meeting. If the groom’s parents do not make the first introduction, then the bride’s parents should. Nowadays, who makes the first call is irrelevant; all that really matters is that the parents meet. If meeting face to face is impossible, a letter or phone call will suffice.

Now’s also the time to address any potential family issues or concerns (i.e. your family doesn’t like him, his mother and step-mom can’t stand to be in the same room…). Handle any misgivings or bad blood early on, and avert potential planning – and relationship – disasters down the road.

Above all – enjoy the first few weeks of engagement, while mentally and emotionally preparing for the exciting, albeit a bit nerve-wracking, roller coaster that lies ahead.