For Brides 5 things to consider before planning your wedding

Whether it is a small or big wedding, planning is a must - perhaps it's more critical when it has to do with the large weddings for everything to run smoothly on the day.

Wedding planning requires careful consideration just like you would with project planning in a professional sense.

Whether it is a small or big wedding, planning is a must - perhaps it's more critical when it has to do with the large weddings for everything to run smoothly on the day.

Here are 5 things you must consider before planning your wedding:

1. A Big or Small Wedding? First of all, you should have a general number of guests you would like to invite. This will determine everything else you do in your wedding planning. Do you want a small cozy wedding or a large wedding gathering? Is it what you want or what your parents or in-laws want? Is it within your budget? Once you answer these questions your wedding planning has now been kick started.
   
   
2. Assign Tasks: In a project situation, it is important to delegate tasks and so in your wedding planning you need to determine who will be responsible for certain aspects of your wedding. For example you may want to designate responsibility of handling of catering for yourself while delegating the responsibility of the wedding music or entertainment to your partner.
   
   
3. Wedding Budget: A commercial project always has a profit and loss statement and a budget. A wedding plan profits when you succeed and you lose when everything falls apart - you don't want the latter to happen. One of the more important aspects of wedding planning is your wedding budget. You should have a general number in your head of how much you want to spend on your wedding and from that starting number you can allocate money to the 'sub-projects' of your wedding such as the catering, the reception hall, etc. Watch carefully how you spend your wedding budget and always keep a look out for ways to save money on weddings.
   
   
4. Wedding Research: Keep note of what works and what doesn't when you attend other weddings, talk to the caterers and the musicians or the DJ if you like their service. Talk to the wedding couple or other recently wedded couples to ask them what worked in their wedding and what didn't and what other advice they could offer. A part of your research would take you to wedding expos and shows around the country in your city or local area. At the wedding show you can take into account the latest trends and products that are popular in the wedding industry. You will be able to talk to reception services, caterers and bakers for your wedding cake. You will able to see their showcase of wedding dresses and possibly catch a catwalk display of the dresses. Remember your purpose at these shows - that you are there as research for your wedding plan and not be tempted by the other extras that aren't really a part of what you want for a wedding. Your purpose is to get an idea of how much everything you want at your wedding would cost as well as your options in the variety of wedding areas.
   
   
5. Wedding Ceremony and Reception Location: Finally, a major element to your wedding project plan is to arrange the ceremony and the locations of the ceremony and reception. If you are religious it would probably be assumed that you would be wedded in a church or other religious building. If aren't religious and are looking for a civil celebrant you will also need to plan around that. Planning your reception location would probably take into consideration the research you have done previously. Shop around for prices; ask around for testimonials of good service to find the perfect location to suit what you want and your budget.

Maid-of-Honour How to plan a bridal shower on a budget

From choosing a location, to gifts and favours, you can implement a number of money-saving tips and still throw a shower to be remembered.

Being a bridesmaid or the maid-of-honour at your friend's wedding costs a lot and requires a high level of commitment for everything to go smoothly.

Not only do you have to be beside the bride as she plans her wedding, you also get to play an important role in organizing the bridal shower which can cost an arm and a leg.

From choosing a location, to gifts and favours, you can implement a number of money-saving tips and still throw a shower to be remembered.

Location: First, consider your home. If you host the party yourself, you won't have to pay rental fees. However, there are circumstances where this simply won't work. If you find someone willing to share their home, you might decide to give an inexpensive "thank you" present, such as a bottle of wine. You'll most likely have to shell out some money if no homes are available, but the shower doesn't have to be at a fancy restaurant or hotel ballroom. Think outside of the norm and compare prices. Here are a few typical venues to check out:

• You, a friend, or a relative of the bride might live in an apartment complex with a community center. Many complexes rent these rooms to residents.
• A park. Make arrangements in case there's a storm!
• Townships, villages, and other local governments often have meeting rooms big enough for a bridal shower.
• A historic home or schoolhouse. These places might be run by a nonprofit and can be available for an affordable price.
• Many fraternal organizations, like the Rotary and the VFW, maintain meeting spaces with kitchens, tables, and anything else you need for a party.

Transportation: Traveling hundreds of miles is costly no matter which mode of transportation you choose. You can find other ways to save money on travel, depending on where you and the other co-hosts live and where the shower will be held. Schedule the shower so it falls within a few days of the bachelorette party or girls night out to save yourself a trip. Of course, you may want to have the bachelorette party a few days before the wedding to save time and money travelling to the nuptials. A shower within a week or so of the wedding might be too much for the bride, her friends, and family to handle.

• If you have to fly, find cheap flights to get the lowest fare possible.
• Carpool with other shower hosts or guests from your area and share the gas expenses.
• Even if you're a bridesmaid, you don't have to attend the shower if it doesn't make financial or logistical sense. If you simply can't make it to a bridal shower, any reasonable bride will understand. Plus, you can always ship your gift.

Invitations: Shower invitations don't have to cost anything. You can send an e-invite or create a Facebook event and invite everyone to the party for free. However, there is one small problem to this approach: Not everyone uses the Internet regularly, and the bride is likely to have a grandmother or other relative who doesn't use Facebook. An Internet search will display many companies that will make custom-printed invitations. Just don't order from a website if you can't find an active coupon code for it. Alternatively, you can stop into any card store and find affordable blank party invitations. Or you can make them yourself – even if you're not the crafty type, you can buy invitation kits at many office supply and stationery stores. Many are compatible with standard word processors. Use a festive font, add a couple of photos or pieces of clip art, and print them off on the printer in your home office.

Food: To save money, avoid hiring a caterer unless you're hosting a shower in a venue that requires it. It's much more cost-effective to make the food yourself. Check out these quick and easy appetizer recipes for parties, or peruse your cookbooks and the Internet for finger-food recipes that fit into your shower's theme. Also, spread around the costs for food by having each person who's helping with the shower bring a dish. For beverages, have one non-alcoholic beverage on hand and perhaps one alcoholic drink. You'll need dishes, but you or a co-host probably own dishes suitable for serving. If not, borrow them from someone who does. If you want to serve your guests using disposable plates and silverware, you can find them at a low price at a discount grocery store.

Decorations: Party supply stores sell a huge variety of centerpieces, balloons, garlands, streamers, confetti, and other items that you may want to consider, though they aren't necessary decorations for a shower. A more frugal option is to scour your belongings for things that fit into your shower's theme. If everyone helping with the shower contributes a few decorations, you'll have enough to work with.

Games: Silly bridal shower games are a staple of any shower. Here are a few that cost little or nothing:

• Prepare a list of questions regarding the groom (What’s his shoe size? What was his first car?). Pose them to the bride and see how many she gets right.
• Use Google Translate to make a list of how “love” is said in different languages. Make worksheets for your guests to match the translation to the right language.
• Stock up on cheap toilet paper. Divide the guests into teams and assign them to create the best toilet paper "wedding dress."

Favours and Prizes: Along with games come prizes, and it's customary for party guests to receive party favors. Search around and be creative – you might find inexpensive options for favours, like pretty soaps, candles, or candy. For game prizes, there's nothing wrong with re-gifting that bath scrub you got for Christmas but haven't used.

Spending a ton of money on a bridal shower won't guarantee a good time. These parties are fun for the bride because she gets to see friends and family, open a pile of presents, and be the center of attention. Focus on making the event enjoyable instead of extravagant. The guest of honour – and your wallet – will thank you.

What other ideas do you have for saving money on a bridal shower?