Wedding advice: Be open to ideas and expertise

He asked. She said yes.

Now what?

Once you announce your plans to get married, there's a good chance that people close to you will be ready and willing to dispense their share of advice. Some words of wisdom will be priceless, while others you can store away for another day.

When polling married couples, you will likely find they would change "this" or "that" about their weddings if given the chance to do it all over again. Here is some advice that you can choose to follow for your wedding day.

Tip #1: Trust your vendors

Couples often have unique ideas for their wedding day. It may seem tempting to spell out what you want in minute detail and insist on wedding vendors carrying out your wishes to a T. But the smarter idea may be to give vendors a little more free reign -- after all, they are the professionals.

"I had a vision in my head of what I wanted my centerpieces to look like," offers Jean M., Connecticut. "I gave the florist my suggestions and the 'feel' of what I was trying to create, but ultimately Ileft the finished product up to her. When I walked into the reception hall and saw my centerpiece baskets overflowing with fall-hued flowers, berries and twinkling candles, I was so excited I had left it up to the expert."

When deciding on particular aspects of the wedding, you can give your general ideas, but leave the finished product to the professionals. Don't list every song you want the deejay to play or micromanage all of the poses the photographer should take. After all, experienced pros have likely done this dozens of times in the past and could produce results you never dreamed possible.

Tip #2: Scale down

Unless you are planning on auditioning for the show "Over-the-Top Weddings," it might pay to make your wedding more about being personal and less about wowing the crowd with special effects and expensive treats. It's easy to be lured into extra dinner courses or be persuaded to release doves at the ceremony, but will these extras impact your relationship or the life you will be building together?

"If Ihad to do it all again, I would skip the dessert bar I had at my wedding," says Alice C., Ohio. "The spread of pies, pastries, cookies, and chocolates certainly looked impressive, but it cost me a small fortune. Also, people filled up on the dessert bar so much, they no longer had room to taste my special-ordered wedding cake."

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Tip #3: Don't overextend

Your wedding will hopefully be a once-in-a-lifetime event. Therefore, couples often plan to spend a good deal of money to ensure their special day is perfect. Weddings are still viewed as a high-priority expense and most couples save for a long period of time despite sluggish consumer spending reports. According to the market research and analysis firm IBISWorld, nearly 60 percent of couples go over their budgets when getting married. Some do so at the risk of being in debt afterward.

"It can be easy to get carried away in wedding spending," shares Deirdre H., Michigan. "I went way over budget when getting my wedding gown and a few other components of my wedding. My husband and I struggled the first year of our marriage trying to fix our finances and battling a bad case of money-related stress."

Try to stick to a budget as much as possible so that you can enjoy yourself not only on the wedding day, but also long after the honeymoon has ended.

Tip #4: Keep it in the family

Selecting members of your wedding party can be challenging because there may be so many special people in your lives right now that you want to honor. Choosing a best man and a maid/matron of honor is a large responsibility because these people stand out in the wedding. Although couples struggle with their choices and want to please everyone, your safest bet is to choose a family member.

"I ended up choosing my best friend over my sister as maid of honor," says Clara T., Arizona. "Although we were very close at the time, we've since grown apart due to work relocation. My sister and I, however, talk and hang out frequently. I regret not having asked my sister to be my maid of honor, considering hers is a friendship I know will last a long time."

Unless you don't have close family members or your relationship with your siblings or cousins is strained, choose a family member to serve as best man or maid of honor.

It is easy to be overwhelmed when planning a wedding, and couples can expect to be bombarded with advice. However, it could pay to heed the advice of couples who have already lived and learned from their wedding choices. SB127285

          

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Keep Moving Forward

Michael Walter, a noted contributor to the DJ industry, recently posted on the Disc Jockey News Writers Facebook page: “I just read my copy of the October issue cover to cover and I wanted to say Kudos. The content and advice in all the articles is superb. John and Lori Young (publishers) you both do an amazing job each and every month.”

It says something that Michael Walter, the guy who has written a book on how to successfully run a large multi-op DJ business (RunningYour Multi-Op), the guy who has been a keynote speaker at every major disc jockey convention and seminar in the country, is still reading publications from cover to cover in search of that one bit of advice or nugget that will help him continue to improve.

Likewise, Peter Merry, who may be regarded as the closest thing to a celebrity that exists in the Mobile DJ industry, is also a regular reader. Like Michael, he has written a book (The Best Wedding Reception Ever), has spoken at every major DJ convention in the country, and has appeared at many other wedding professional-related seminars. He has been interviewed on radio and television shows, been the president of the American Disc Jockey Association, toured the country presenting for that group, and, probably most notably, is paid a hefty figure for his DJ services. Yet last year, Peter was sitting cross-legged  on the floor with a group of us at the 2011 Disc Jockey Conclave the night before making his presentation. Not only did he attend the presentations, but he also took part in the interactive games and even joined us all the following evening for a Juicy Lucy. As successful and accomplished as Peter Merry is, he is not too proud to try and learn something new. He still considers himself one of the guys.

You’re probably catching the theme here: Michael and Peter are an example of many other industry leaders. They don’t simply rest on their past successes. Instead, they continue to look for ways to improve. They live by the code that the biggest room in the world is the room for improvement.  It’s a code I try to follow as well. In the past I have been to countless seminars on sales, customer service, social media and technology, both on the local level and the national stage. In addition, I am eagerly anticipating my first trip to the nationally acclaimed Mobile Beat Las Vegas DJ Show in February. The way I see it, even after 21 years, I still don’t know everything there is to know about being a small business owner  - or even a DJ. The truth is, I probably never will. However, one thing I do know is that when I’ve given up the quest to learn more and keep improving, then I’ve given up the opportunity to create a better business and a better lifestyle for myself and my family.

Seventeenth-century political leader Oliver Cromwell once said that “he who stops being better, stops being good.” Amen to that. Many professions, from teaching to nursing, regularly need to update their training to stay current in their chosen fields. If I aim to be considered a true professional in my field shouldn’t I do the same?

Unti next time,
~ Mike ~

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Dubuque / Galena

www.alexxus.com  |  563.590.5815