How to Look for Wedding Ideas

Gather wedding ideas from a variety of sources such as magazines, websites and stores.

Planning a wedding can be an overwhelming task. Since you want to create a wedding that is perfect for your special day, every decision is important. You likely want to have a unique wedding, which is personal to you as a couple, but it can be hard to know how to achieve that result. Starting early by gathering ideas from various sources is one way to get off on the right foot.

Instructions

Dress

1. Pick a color scheme and theme. Dresses, flowers and decor all come down to colors and a theme. As wedding dress retailers will tell you, dresses come in several shades of white. When considering these ideas, ask yourself what time of year do you want the wedding, what time of day and what locations come to mind, such as a Church, beach or garden.

2. Set a wedding dress limit for yourself. When shopping for a dress, you see halters, tube, high neckline, low neckline, trains and various styles. All of them have a price tag, so set a limit that you cannot go over while shopping, no matter how much lace and beading a dress may have.

3. Clip photos of dresses you like from bridal magazine or print them off from wedding websites. You want to see several styles and compare your body shape and skin tone to the models in the photos. This helps you get an ideas of the types of dresses you are drawn to, and you know what to look for when you go to the dress shop.

4. Visit wedding dress shops to get a better idea of what dresses are available. Browse for dresses at wedding boutiques, department stores, designer dress shops, consignment shops or vintage clothing stores.

Location

1. Search for wedding ceremony and reception locations by visiting wedding websites and reading local wedding magazines. These sources typically provide an abundance of ceremony and reception site ideas. Ask a friend who recently got married about places that she looked and what is available for the season during your wedding event.

2. Visit local spots that you enjoy, such as a local garden, scenic hill, church, park or nature spot. Things to consider are space, weather, indoor or outdoor and religion. Larger weddings need banquet halls and outdoor areas for multiple chairs to seat everyone.

3. Speak to a local wedding planner about recommendations for locations. They have ideas on the best spots available for weddings and even help you plan decor for the space available.

4. Book the location three months in advance of the wedding date. Scheduling is very important to facilities, so if you know where you want to have a wedding, then make the reservation as early as possible so you know nothing falls through.

Flowers

1. Seek out garden magazines and florist catalogs, online and in print. Look for bouquets and flower arrangements that catch your eye. Browse wedding flower photo galleries from wedding websites ideas, as well. Wedding magazines also have specific floral sections with all types of flowers.

2. Pick flowers according to the wedding color and theme. Search the internet or consult a flower book for all of the flowers that bloom in those colors during the season of your wedding.

3. Visit a local craft store and browse the artificial flowers. These flowers give an idea of what the fresh flowers look like, or you might opt for artificial silk flowers. Hold a few different artificial flowers together in your hand like a bouquet to test out flower colors and combinations.

4. Walk around flower gardens, local nurseries, an arboretum or even a nearby botanist's greenhouse. See if any of the blooms catch your attention. Smell the flowers, as well, for an idea of the fragrance the bouquets have on the wedding day.

5. Consult with a florist at a local floral shop for more ideas. The florist likely has a book of wedding floral photographs for you to peruse, as well as several flowers to show you in the store.

6. Purchase flowers wholesale online, whether artificial or real, to receive major discounts on bouquets and centerpieces. FiftyFlowers.com and American Floral Distributors are two wholesale flower sellers online that market to weddings.

Tips & Warnings

• Select a date and a budget before you look for wedding day details. That way, you will narrow down the possibilities, and you will make your shopping easier.

References

• Loveimac: Where to Find Wedding Ideas
• Dream Wedding Planner: Where Can You Find Wedding Ideas?
• Martha Stewart Weddings: Finding a Wedding Dress

Resources

• Best Wedding Sites: Wedding Magazines
• Wedding Channel
• Association for Wedding Professionals
• The Knot
• FiftyFlowers.com
• American Floral Distributors