’Tis the Season to be Bridal - Upcoming Bridal Shows and Wedding Season Kicks Off This Week in Cincinnati, Dayton and Southwest Ohio

FRANKLIN, OH (PRWEB) January 5, 2005

January is the start of what wedding vendors across the Tri-State area call “wedding season.” During the next few months, brides-to-be from all over Southwest Ohio will attend bridal shows, meet with countless wedding vendors and ultimately walk down the aisle. According to The Knot, the nation’s top wedding resource, their average bride is 27 years old and Eighty-six percent of those brides, engaged for roughly 13 months, are getting married for the first time.

Kathy Piech-Lukas, a certified wedding consultant and owner of Your Dream Day LLC, says that November and December are the most popular months of the year for couples to get engaged. She adds that wedding planning is a stressful and detail-oriented process and that it is extremely important to get everything in writing. While some brides think that having a bridal consultant is a luxury, Piech-Lukas stresses that it’s a necessity that is more affordable that people think.

“Having a wedding consultant is part of your wedding budget”, said Piech-Lukas, who opened Your Dream Day after spending nearly eight years planning events in the public relations and marketing industry. “A wedding consultant saves you headaches, money, and above all, stress. The last thing any wedding guest wants to see is a bride carrying around a clipboard instead of her bouquet,” says Piech-Lukas.

Piech-Lukas recommends that you get a contract from any wedding vendor and take the time to review the contract before handing over any money. Using a credit card, rather than a check, will help you recoup some of your wedding budget if the wedding business were to close before your wedding day.

The Internet is also playing a huge role in researching wedding vendors. According to Modern Bride, nearly 88 percent of brides will now research their wedding vendors on the internet before booking them. Brides can log into online chat rooms, like the one at http://www.theknot.com, and chat with other Cincinnati, Dayton and Ohio brides, get the scoop on local vendors, create a wedding budget and task list, and research cost-saving tips for their upcoming wedding. Websites like Ebay offer tremendous discounts on bridal attire for budget-conscious brides. In addition, new technology plays a role in the invitations – literally – through wedding favor CDs and wedding invitation CDs. Custom websites, included free with most packages from Your Dream Day, also offer brides the opportunity for guests to RSVP online and to update guests on the latest logistics.

Your Dream Day, LLC, is a full service wedding planning and consulting firm that offers a variety of wedding consulting packages, such as the “Procrastinator’s Package” and day-of consulting, to brides and couples in Southwest Ohio that are celebrating the gift of marriage. For more information or to set up a free consultation, call toll free at 866-698-7841 or visit our website at http://www.yourdreamday.com.

Upcoming Bridal Shows

Bridal shows are a great way for brides to showcase catering and wedding cake samples, meet vendors and view the latest styles in bridal fashion. The first bridal show of the season kicks off this weekend in Sharonville at the Cincinnati Wedding Showcase at the Sharonville Convention Center. In addition, wedding classes, like the ones offered by Your Dream Day and listed at http://www.yourdreamday.com, offer brides the opportunity to learn exactly how to go about planning a wedding.

Cincinnati Wedding Showcase, January 8&9, Sharonville Convention Center - http://www.cincinnatiweddingshow.com/

Bridalrama, February 12-13 - http://www.bridalrama.net/

Receptions Bridal Showcase, January 30, Fairfield - http://www.receptionsinc.com/bridalshow2005.html

Dayton Bridal Expo, January 30, Dayton Marriott

http://www.claiborneproductions.com/ohiobridalexpos/daytonbridalexpo/index.html

Keep Your Wedding Planning on Track

Your Dream Day suggests the following timeline be followed by all couples planning a wedding:

· Twelve months before wedding: Announce your engagement, decide on a budget and who is contributing, choose a wedding date and begin interviewing wedding consultants.

· Nine to 11 months before wedding: Book your reception hall, choose your color schemes, bridal party and officiant, finalize the guest list, decide on a caterer and wedding consultant and begin shopping for your gown. Start getting prices from photographers, videographers, florist, rental places, bands and DJs.

· Six to 8 months before wedding: Create your wedding registry, book your cake, choose bridesmaid dresses, order your gown, reserve hotel block, and start planning the rehearsal dinner. Send a “save the date” card or email to guests and start finalizing the verbiage and design for your wedding invitations.

· Four to six months before wedding: Choose tuxedos, book DJ and rehearsal dinner site, reserve any rentals for the wedding day, plan the honeymoon, order your invitations and book your florist.

· Two to three months before wedding: Get measurements from the wedding party, begin wedding dress fittings, choose bridal accessories and décor, purchase wedding rings, sit for engagement photo, send announcements to local papers, address and mail invitations, book limousine, assign wedding ceremony duties (like readings), and provide the bridal shower list to bridesmaids. Brides may also consider taking better care of their skin or making alterations to their hair color around this time.

· Five to six weeks before the wedding: Write ceremony program, write vows, finalize readings and ceremony details, confirm RSVP list, schedule a stylist and makeup artist, and purchase the guest book and gifts for your wedding party. As wedding gifts start to arrive, write thank you notes and mail promptly. It’s also suggested that you start your thank you notes around this time by addressing the envelopes. This will help you save time and energy writing the thank you cards after the wedding.

· Three to four weeks before the wedding: Send rehearsal dinner invitations, print programs, do trial run of hair (with veil) and makeup, apply for marriage license, finalize song list and music, pick up wedding rings, make sure your homeowner’s insurance policy covers your rings, pick up your gown, decide on your “something old, something new,” confirm headcount, and inform the wedding party of the logistical details.

· One to two weeks before the wedding: Organize seating chart for guests and give to caterer and/or reception hall, finalize RSVP list and arrival/departure list of guests. Grooms should try on their tuxedo and get their final haircut during this time. Designate someone to manage the gifts and the leftover cake, confirm all of the details with your wedding vendors and make final payments if you do not have a wedding planner.

· Day before the wedding: Confirm honeymoon arrangements (like flights), drop off favors, guest book, programs and confirm who will make any toasts or announcements at the wedding. During the rehearsal dinner, take time to write a special note for your spouse-to-be and have a loved one give them the note 15 minutes before the wedding. Arrange for someone to collect the tuxedos and return them after the wedding.

· Day after the wedding: Freeze the top layer of your wedding cake, develop any disposable camera film, have your dress and floral bouquet cleaned and preserved, and make sure all wedding vendors have been paid in full. Return any rented tuxedos to the vendor.

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