Calgon! TAKE ME AWAY!

I'm new to this whole wedding planning thing and I am beginning to feel extremely overwhelmed. I am trying to be very organized about this and I figured that if I did one aspect at a time it would go smoothly. This doesn't seem to be the case, especially now that I went to a bridal center and left almost in tears. The guy there was really friendly, and it seems too helpful, because I almost drowned in the different PACKAGES he offered for EVERYTHING.(The word package gives me nightmares now)

Calgon! TAKE ME AWAY!

Tatiana, I can relate to how you're feeling. I was so overwhelmed that we didn't go looking at places for six months, we didn't know where to start. My suggestion to you would be to start looking at reception sites. A lot of those places include the site, catering, flowers, & cake. Which makes things a little easier. If you got a good feeling from the wedding center, post on this board, people may have had experiences with them they're willing to share. Just remember to take things slowly and not stress out too much. My fiancé is very mellow and at first it drove me crazy, but now I've adopted some of his attitude. Things will get done whether you stress or not, so try not to stress too much. Easier said than done, I know. ;-)

I'm new to this whole wedding planning thing and I am beginning to feel extremely overwhelmed. I am trying to be very organized about this and I figured that if I did one aspect at a time it would go smoothly. This doesn't seem to be the case, especially now that I went to a bridal center and left almost in tears. The guy there was really friendly, and it seems too helpful, because I almost drowned in the different PACKAGES he offered for EVERYTHING.(The word package gives me nightmares now)

This vendor,that vendor,or Wedding center?OH, my!

Karen thanks. I have the reception site booked and got some useful info about them on this chat site. My problem is everything else.

This vendor,that vendor,or Wedding center?OH,

I'll tell you about my experience. I happened to go to a bridal expo - this is one thing you should try to do at least once. No pressure, you pick which vendors to stop at (and you could win money off of these "packages"). I went to the Great Bridal Expo and found my dj. Turns out he is the house dj. Worked out in my favor.

Went to another expo at my hall (showing of all house vendors). We had heard of the limo company they use and were going to use them anyway, so that was another vendor down. This is not to say that everyone has the same experience. But, in this case, it worked.

Now, we get to the photographer. I've seen three now as of last night. Two I've gotten from recommendations off of this board, and they were really good. The one I went to last night was the house photographer, and I couldn't wait to leave. We were there for 30 minutes and I wanted to get out fast. He was (in my opinion) a horrible salesman, and the work wasn't up to the standard we were looking for. I might go with one of the other two that were recommended to me from girls on this site.

This vendor,that vendor,or Wedding center?OH,

Tatiana: I LOVE YOUR NAME!

I also became so over-whelmed and I still am with my wedding 2 months away. Karen is totally together. I'll be freaking.

This vendor,that vendor,or Wedding center?OH,

Tatiana, I just wanted to share my experience: I too went to a wedding center and felt very overwhelmed. I also thought it was hard to figure out exactly what you were being charged for each service..It seemed if you tried to eliminate any thing from the package the price went up. I also went to vendors and compared the centers price with the sum of all the vendors prices, and found it was comparable (except the centers price with flowers included was better than if I added in my own florist....their prices for flowers seemed very good). ANOTHER thing that made me uncomfortable was that you did not start meeting with the service providers (photographer, video, DJ) until after the contract was signed. You didn't even get to pick your photographer until that point which I did not like at all. BUT it did seem like it wouldve been very convenient to go with them.

I ended up go with my own vendors...Ive been planning since August and I will be married next weekend. (!) I recommend taking the time to shop around, even if it is only a little time. I did not want to male the wedding planning into a full-time, life consuming job. I wanted to enjoy the experience and plan a beautiful wedding….not change my life for the engagement period! I saw very few vendors. The Internet was a great resource for comparison shopping with little effort. In making my decisions I went mostly on instinct, and so far it has worked out. Go with someone whose work you like AND gives you a good feeling and doesn't make you feel uncomfortable.

Calgon! TAKE ME AWAY!

OH I hear you!!!. I found that with packages and wedding centers I left with migraine needing a big marguerita. Not for me. I wanted to meet each person and develop some sought of a relationship with them especially if they are going to be with me all day.

I made appointments on my lunch and at night. Most vendors are very flexible with their hours to accomodate yours. I searched the internet and this website for yipees or bewares on certain vendors.

Calgon! TAKE ME AWAY!

Bridal expos are a great way to meet vendors. It is a no pressure situation as Jennifer had said and it gives you a chance to meet different vendors and get a feel for their work in person. I think the most important thing is to develop a comfortable relationship with your vendor...and not to feel pressured into any decisions that you may not feel comfortable with.

It is also true that many wedding vendors have evening and weekend hours so that you can meet with them when you and your fiance have the time.

Ultimately, getting recommendations from other brides is also a great way to learn about vendors.

Calgon! TAKE ME AWAY!

Tatiana,

You don't know how many times I've said the very same thing ("Calgon, take me away!")! I don't have too much to add to what the other brides have said, and I agree with their advice. The only things I would emphasize (perhaps again) are:

1. Take your time! Many vendors make it seem as if you must make your decision RIGHT NOW or else you will lose the opportunity of a lifetime. If you look at any of these bridal "timelines," they all seem to suggest that if you don't do everything a year in advance, you are way behind. This is NOT true. I think that if you do not feel rushed, you can make your decisions more rationally.

THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO RESPONDED

I am so glad I found this message board. Just talking people who understand things from the brides perspective is turning out to be invaluable. THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO RESPONDED.

Of course you can change the wording to make it however you would like but the parents names should be on seperate lines if they are divorced rather than on one line like the grooms parents, which shows a married couple.