Brides Guide: Wedding Book

When we got married in October 2007, we put together a big binder of everything wedding. It helped us stay very organized. We purchased folder dividers for our binder and labeled each one the following:

Brides Needs (ie hair and makeup)
Photo/Video
Music
Florist
Caterer/Venue
Transportation
Ceremony
Reception
Rehearsal Dinner
Honeymoon
Ideas (for dress ideas, any other ideas we saw in magazines)
Other

Then every time we had correspondence or signed a contract or saw something we liked in a magazine, we put it in our binder. It actually helped us at the reception too. We had copies of everything, including our music CD's since we had a small problem arise at the reception. We asked the band to play music from a CD for our entrances and they misplaced the one we gave them a week before! No problem, we just had them use ours.

We brought the binder with us for all wedding related activities. From food tastings to picking our floral designs, etc. It was very helpful to have all the information in one place so that we can show our vendors what we were looking for.

If you decide to make up a binder, don't forget to name your wedding or have a theme. Ours was "The Castle Wedding" since we were married at Lyndhurst Castle in Tarrytown, NY. :) We designed out invitations, programs and menus around our themed name too. Have fun with it and really enjoy the planning time. It can be very stressful but it's very rewarding when it's over. We just wish it didn't go by so quickly on the day of the wedding!

ADVICE: Bride's Guide

You spent the last 6, 12, 18 or even 24+ months planning and preparing for your wedding day and it's almost here! Congratulations on surviving the planning of your wedding. It's no small task!

The Brides Guide is designed to help you understand what to expect on the day of your wedding while trying to save you money at the same time. Included in every wedding is our beautiful Bridal Elegance Film. We film you, your family and your friends preparing for the wedding day. When you are getting ready in the morning, everything will feel as if it is flying by. Anything you can do to make the day go smoother will help. One of our favorite bits of advice is handing your cellphone to your maid/matron of honor and have them answer any questions that come up or be your secretary for the day! It helps!!

To help you prepare for your big day, we suggest you have the following items out and available when we arrive. Your photographer and videographer will thank you for having these items available to them early so they don't have to ask you while you are busy.

Things You Should Have Available Are:

- The Bride's Dress (Hung Up on Display)
- Your Wedding Invitation
- Wedding Jewelry
- Bridal Shoes
- Bridal Veil
- Any Special Memorable Items
- Family Heirloom's

Don't forget your something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue too!

This is your wedding day and these are your memories that you will have for a lifetime. Your photographer and videographer are there to capture and preserve every detail possible. I hope you enjoyed the suggestions. Please let us know if you have any questions or comments.

Michelle DiChiaro

ADVICE: Brides Guide Part One

Michael and I have filmed a lot of weddings over the years. Bride's don't usually think to ask their videographer for wedding day advice either. For all the wonderful weddings we have been privileged to be a part of, we have also seen the many mistakes couples make in preparing for the day. We were married last year ourselves and went through the same planning process too. We made many mistakes on our own even knowing what to expect!

We are starting a new blog column entitled ADVICE: Brides Guide. This being our first in a series of advice columns to help you plan your wedding day to perfection. We'll start with the Brides Survival Kit.

Michael and I begin our day filming the bride, her family, bridesmaids and friends preparing for the wedding day. We make a beautiful film called Bridal Elegance. This time of the day is always very exciting and filled with anticipation. Everyone is nervous and they tend to forget things easily. The same theme of questions from either the bride, the moms, or the bridal party comes up often. Fortunately, we are there to help them answer as many questions as possible.

I wanted to share some of the common questions we answer during this part of the day and also show you some ways to cut costs. Let's face it, getting married is something that almost every girl has dreamed about when she was growing up. Even your parents have dreamed of this day. You spend your time and money finding the very best vendors to guide you through your day so there is no reason to buy something that you may not need. Hopefully this guide will help you with your planning and save you money at the same time.

Our Favorite is the Brides Survival Kit.......

** There is NO need to "BUY" a Brides Survival kit. I know they are online and seem to have everything you need, and it does have EVERYTHING. But I think it has way too much in it. The essentials we see often are:

**Double sided tape**
It will save you and your bridesmaids a lot of stress. After all the fittings that you have, you would expect that your bridesmaid dresses will fit perfectly. However, they don't! I carry this tape in my bag during weddings to help out the girls often!

** Tissues

** Hair Spray

** Clear Nail polish

** Straws
No bride should be having a drink without a straw it will ruin her lipstick

** Tide stick for your bridesmaids

** Spray deodorant

** Advil or Tylenol

The things that are listed above are the most important items from these kits! Some people try to over pack but these are the necessities and what I see that we need every time we do a wedding. This will also save you some money because a Survival kit is between $50-$60 and you don't even need half of the stuff in there.

I hope this helps!! Part two coming soon. If you need anything you can always feel free to ask us.

Michelle