Are you one of those brides who are not sure what the next step in the planning process is or want one place where all of your wedding information can be organized?  If so, a wedding planning website is an important tool you should consider using.  There are a ton of wedding planning websites out there that offer a lot of useful information.  Some of the more common wedding planning websites are The Knott, , Wedding Wire and our personal favorite and one we use, My Wedding Workbook,  that is available for all our planning clients.

Here are the top 5 reasons a bride should use a wedding planning website:

1. Organization-Wedding planning websites are useful because you can organize all of your information in one spot.  You can do things like put pictures up for wedding ideas, manage your budget, upload your guest list, and track your RSVP’s.  One thing I really like about myweddingworkbook.com is that there are different categories for different events of your wedding.  This way you do not mix up budgets or ideas for the different events.  You can do things like have a guest list for your bridal shower and a separate guest list for you wedding reception or have your vendors listed for different events.  You do not have to go through your list and figure out which item is for what event.

2. Communication-A wedding planning website is useful because you can use it to communicate with your guests.  When you sign up on a wedding planning website, they give you your own website for free that you can put important wedding details on for your guest.  This is a central spot for everyone and is especially helpful for out of town guests.  When you send out your Save the Dates, you can put your wedding website address on there and guests can get all of the updated wedding information.  With My Wedding Workbook, there is an option to password protect a page on your personal website.  This can be a good option because if you are just communicating with your bridal party about something then not all of your guests can see it.

3. Budget- Many wedding planning websites offer a budget tool.  This is a nice option because you are able to update your budget online and can see how much you still owe and where money is going.  With My Wedding Workbook, you can make your own categories and can choose to designate how much you want to spend per category.  You set your budget total and then decide how much you want to spend per category.  You can do this two ways; either choose how much you want to spend dollar wise per category or you can put in a percent per category that you want to spend.  If you choose dollar wise it will subtract that amount from your total budget but if you do percent wise, it tells you how much you should spend per category and then takes it out of your budget.

4. Track RSVP’s- Tracking your RSVP’s online makes it easy to keep track of who has RSVP’d and who hasn’t.  Most wedding planning websites offer the option to have your guests RSVP on your personal wedding website.  This makes it easier for the bride because it is one less thing you have to do.  Guests just go on the website and let you know if they are coming or not and if you have a dinner option, they can let you know what they select.  This also saves you money because you do not have to buy stamps for your RSVP’s or have RSVP cards printed.  Just put your wedding website on the invitation and tell guest to RSVP that way.  Make sure to put an alternative option for those guests who do not have access to the Internet, such as a phone number to call and RSVP.  Another option would be to have RSVP cards printed for those that you know do not have Internet access.

5. Helpful Hints- Wedding planning websites are useful because they give you helpful hints for your wedding.  The knot.com is helpful because it has pictures of real weddings so you can get idea of what you like for your wedding.  My Wedding Workbook  has a calendar that you can put all of your important dates on and there is also a task calendar that you can use to make sure you are doing wedding stuff on time.  It also has a whole bunch of worksheets that you can use for your vendors and other wedding projects.

Make sure to take a look at different wedding planning websites.  They might offer most of the same things but some wedding websites offer different options and can be more helpful than others.   You need to find the one best meets your needs.

photo courtesy of Borrowed & Bleu

Who doesn’t love a floral centerpiece adorning the center of their Thanksgiving table? With the holiday season fast approaching, our team here at EOE have decided to host a workshop to teach those who would like to learn simple design and take home something gorgeous for their Thanksgiving table. Our EOE team will provide all the flowers and floral supplies that are needed along with simple directions and assistance with your design needs. All you need to do is show up and have a great time! The class will be limited to 15 participates.

Date: Wednesday November 23rd
Time: 4pm to 8pm
Place: Dee’s home Studio
2576 Vanhorn Court
Allegan, Michigan 49010
Price: $40.00 per person

Please email us at info@elementofelegance.com for further information and to reserve your spot!

I have to admit when the Fall season approaches, I do tend to get a little sad because it means that Summer is coming to an end. But that also means that there is going to be lots of beautiful dahlias to choose from at my favorite little farm, Hamilton Dalhias. When I first sat down with Erin, she bought with her an inspirational picture that she had fallen in love with. Her inspirational bouquet was filled with lots of dahlias, dark purple calla lilies, with pops of green berries and willow. It was a something that was right up our teams’ alley. Then she shared that they were planning a “Garden Gnome” theme to their wedding, you can only imagine my excitement. I have a love for these little guys and rumor has it there might be even a couple in my gardens! Please enjoy the lovely imagines from my dear friend Lynell from Lizzie’s Photo. And a huge thank you for introducing me to Erin and Aaron!

Erin and Aaron, thank you so much for allowing us to be part of your special day!  Best wishes for amazing life together!

He drops to his knee and looks deep into your eyes and asks you to be his wife; a moment we all dream of. But after the proposal many people wonder what to do next. And the one question you are going to be asked over and over, “So when is the big day?!?” Choosing a date is very important but not the most important task in the wedding planning process; setting a budget is.

When setting a budget, you need to make sure it’s realistic and attainable for both you the couple and anyone that is contributing to the wedding. Talk with your families and find out how much they will be assisting you with. Once that has been determined you need to think about what is the best way to keep track of these gifts along with the money that you as the couple would be contributing. Would you be putting your money in a shared account with the contributors or in individual accounts? Shared accounts are sometimes better because it is easier to keep track of all the expense. If all of the money goes in and out from one account and all parties can see how much is in there at any given time. Also if you are contributing to your own wedding, you need to make sure you are able to put a certain amount of money away each month and by the time your wedding comes around you are able to pay for everything with ease.

Once you have a budget set it will help you determine in setting your actual wedding date. Summer months can be more expensive than winter months at certain venues. Some vendors also tend to have different prices for different seasons so make sure you keep this in mind when picking the date. You may want a summer wedding but winter pricing may be more in your budget range. Also make sure everyone agrees on what area of vendor selections are most important in the budget and then allocate the rest of the budget to the remaining vendor. Tracking your budget is also very important. I personally like the budget tracking tool that our online planning gives our planning clients. It gives them the access to look at what areas they have decide to allocate their budget to. And then they are able to input their payments and also set up reminders for upcoming payments. It really makes life a bit easier for a busy couple.

Once a budget is set, then you can pick your date and be able to figure out how long you have to plan your wedding. A year engagement is the average amount of time for couples to be engaged. This gives you time to plan everything and you don’t feel rushed. The popular wedding venues tend to be booked at least a year in advance so having a long engagement allows for you to be able to get what you want. Once you figure out those two crucial items, budget and date, you are ready to start the fun stuff such as choosing colors and visiting locations.

Holly~