Economy Effecting Your Wedding Plans?

* Recession Proof Your Wedding - Don't go deeply into debt to have your wedding. Right now with the markets being the way that they are, that's a little more than scary.

Don't take a line of credit out against your house to pay for your wedding right now. The best way to recession proof your wedding is to figure out what you can realistically spend on your wedding (chat with your parents about this too) and then stick to it. Cut down your guest list. A smaller guest list will not only save you money but will give you more room to spread out on the dance floor.

* Buyer Beware - Yes you want a good deal but now is not the time to be booking with anyone who hangs up a sign. You need to pick people who are well established and have financially secure companies that have been around for awhile. How horrible would it be to give someone a big deposit and then not be able to get a hold of them again?

* Be Smart With Your Wedding AND Lifestyle Budget - It's important that you make a budget for both your wedding AND your life and then stick to it. This will help you feel in control and confident with all your decisions.

Wedding Albums - Secure Your Purchase!

There is something very important that we wanted to share with brides and grooms that are purchasing wedding albums or considering one. The inside scoop from our photography groups is that a lot of photographers have difficulty completing the album for their client because of the time it takes for the client to pick out their photos or go to the studio to review and approve the album before it is printed. We have heard of some clients not coming in at all even though they paid for their album up front. Life does get in the way but your precious memories that are creatively designed for an album by your photographer is something that should not be overlooked or delayed and here is why.....Be warned that if you choose not to get that album done shortly after your honeymoon the following unpredictable scenarios may happen.
The photography company or photographer goes out of business.
The photographer passes away.
The photography studio has a fire and nothing was put in a safe.
The album gets mailed to the wrong person and never returned.
The album was not done correctly and the lab that produced it doesn't carry the type you chose any longer.
The list can go on and on. You can't rely on your albums being securely stored as some studios may not make that their priority. You truly need to follow up on the album design as soon as possible for your own peace of mind. We offer videography in addition to photography and have experienced working closely with another photographer who was independent and worked alone. This person passed unexpectantly and we are still getting phone calls (because they knew we referred each other often) asking if we know how they can get a hold of their photos. We assume this person had no plan of action in the case of their death. A few of this person's clients have paid in full for their albums and we are contributing our time and resources to help them out as best we can. Our AdviceThis is a very good question to ask your photographer....."who is responsible for your studio should anything happen to you?". This will give you peace of mind and a resource to go to in case something happens.A lot of studios including us are offering all images at high resolution to our clients in lieu of albums. You can actually make your own wedding album online these days at a more economical price. To have your images on a disc shortly after your wedding gives you the security that you need knowing your photos are in your hands and not the studios.We offer wedding albums but encourage the sale be made after the wedding so that our clients don't feel the pressure of additional costs and decisions before the wedding. We wish you the best in your adventure and a happy life together!

This article was submitted by one of our preferred vendors - ZonCom Productions Inc.,

They are a one stop shop providing services for Photography, Videography & DJ they specialize in weddings and special events as well as business venues. To contact ZonCom visit them at http://www.zoncom.com/ or call them at 815-439-9750

Love To Promote is proud to have ZonCom Productions Inc., as well as our other Preferred Vendors contributing to our Blog and we hope that if you enjoyed this month's articles that you will pass our Blog on to your friends.

Honeymoon Ideas

Planning your honeymoon is often the highlight of every wedding -

Here are a few links to get you started:

www.Tripology.com/Honeymoon
www.sandals.com
http://www.yellowstone-area-guide.com/yellowstone-honeymoon-vacation.html

Some things to avoid as mentioned on About.com

For the most romantic vacation, avoid the tourist-packed months of July and
August.

Avoid the touristy Cancun, and instead head for surfer hotspots like Puerto
Escondido, Puerto Vallarta or Tulum.

Here are some other helpful tips re: your honeymoon day:

Not realizing that most tours and cruises depart on SaturdaysAt least the
7-day cruises that is, and with Saturday being the most popular day to marry…
hmmm…..you can see the conflict, can’t you? Most of the 3-day sailings depart on
Fridays, most 4-day sailings depart on Mondays, and there are even 10- and
11-day sailings and longer! So if you’ve always dreamed of taking a cruise
honeymoon, be sure to book your cruise first, and take the departure date into
account when choosing the wedding date and location. And unless you live within
driving distance of the port of departure, you’ll have a flight too (normally
booked at the time you book your cruise), so keep in mind that you’ll need extra
time to get to the port city, allowing for a leisurely (not rushed!)
embarkation.

Traveling out of the country? Be sure you have a current Passport. It can
take 6 to 8 weeks (including mailing time) to get a new or renewed Passport,
or
2 to 3 weeks if you pay hefty additional fees for expedited service. For
information on fees, passport office locations, and to download application
forms and instructions, visit the U.S. Department of States website at http://www.travel.state.gov/passport_services.html.

It’s not just a commercial, it’s true – not everywhere takes American
Express, or VISA or MasterCard for that matter (although many places do). But
it’s best to have some small-denomination traveler’s checks stashed in your
security-style money belt for that little souvenir you just can’t live without.
Small-denomination because in many foreign countries they won't want to give you
change in US Dollars. And you’ll want to have some cash (again in small
bills) on hand to tip those hard working folks who carry your bags, bring you
drinks, etc.

If you have some great advice feel free to comment on this site!

Wedding Speech Tips

The two key elements to a great speech are preparation and delivery.

Speech Preparation

Make sure your speech includes the following:
1. Introduction, a body, and a conclusion.
2. Keep it short and simple
3. If you don't know most of the audience, it's a good idea to identify yourself, for example, "Hi, my name is Joe and I met Craig at football."
4. Include great memories of the bride and groom from your own past. If you'd like to make the speech funny then include some of the funny moments in your past.
5. DO NOT sabotage the groom or bride by mentioning past relationships or truly embarressing moments noone likes to be totally humiliated by a friend
6. The wedding speech should be concluded with joyful, heartfelt words. Speak sincerely and from the heart.

Have fun with your speech and prepare atleast 2 weeks prior to the big day. Write it down a few times so that it is in your memory and practice it in front of your friend or loved one. Make sure before you say your speech that you take a deep breath and if you start to get nervous just look directly into the eyes of the bride or groom while speaking. Know you are there because they asked you and trust you with this special speech anything you say will be meaningful to them.

Good luck-