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Choose your battles!
First and foremost, this is your wedding. It is not the Bridesmaids, musicians,
relatives and, especially, not the Officiants. You are deserving to have what you want. After all you, or your family, is
paying for all of it. But chose your battles, be flexible enough to give up something in order to get what really means
the most to you. If you think that you must have an invitation of lesser quality in order to have a Social Hour with an open
bar, then, by all means, do so.
Cost Savings
Have you ever wondered if their are ways to save money on your Wedding expenses and still have the
wedding you have always dreamt of? The following are ways to do just that:
- A couple can get a Marriage license anywhere in Massachusetts and be married anywhere in Massachusetts. Call the
various City/Town Clerks office and ask what the fee is. (i.e. - Springfield will charge $40.00 for the Marriage license and
$15.00 for a copy of the license, whereas Ludlow charges $10.00 for the license and $5.00 for a copy)
- The fees for the services of a Justice of the Peace to solemnize a marriage are set by the state. They are, normally,
not negotiable. The fee is set at $75.00 to solemnize a wedding within the Justices Home Community, or $125.00 of the ceremony
is performed in any other municipality in the Commonwealth.
- While the fees for the Justice of the Peace are set by the state, their fees for rehearsals and/or consultations can
vary greatly. Always ask what is included in the price quoted by anyone, not only the Officiant. Is a Justice really needed
for the rehearsal? If you have a Wedding Co-ordinator or Banquet Manager, they can manage the rehearsal nicely. However if
you have a large, almost uncontrollable group, the fee the Justice charges may be well spent.
- The Commonwealth of Massachusetts requires a three (3) day waiting period from the time you file for your Marriage
license until it is issued. You may petition the court for a waiver of the waiting period. The fee you pay depends upon which
type of court you have to go to. Probate Court is less expensive than Superior Court. Try to use the Probate Courts if possible.
Other Tips
Murphy's Law states that "Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong!" Don't let yourselves become another statistic
to Murphy (who is he anyway?). Try these suggestions, they may just save your wedding day.
- Have a spare car available to get to the wedding site and reception. Livery services can make mistakes or overbook.
A parent or spouse of one of your attendants can easily be available.
- Make sure that all the attendants know where and when to meet.
- Allow yourself plenty of time for prep time. Make a Champagne Breakfast out of it and relax. Do not arrive intoxicated
however.
- Send yourself an arrangement of long-stem roses from a Florist who is not responsible for you Wedding
flowers. Should something happen to your scheduled flowers you will then have single roses that can fill in for the Bride,
the attendants, even Boutonnieres for the men.
- Plan your wedding rehearsal well after your bridal party is out of work for the day. If everyone leaves work at
5:00 PM a 5:15 PM rehearsal does not make sense. Plan a reasonable 6:00 PM or later. Everyone will then be able to arrive
relaxed and ready to start the evenings festivities.
- Relax - If Mr. Murphy launches his attack, whatever goes wrong was meant to go wrong. No wedding is perfect. It
will be those things that make your wedding day memorable.
- Do not try to demand that things be corrected. Take time after the wedding day to go back and argue your point.
It may generate a re-imbursement of your monies. Again, remember to choose your battles. If the correction is needed immediately,
have it fixed immediately but delegate the duties to your best man.
Bridezilla
Do they exists? They sure do!
Do not become one yourself. Not only do you make it difficult for everyone else, you deny yourself the opportunity
to enjoy your own wedding.
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