How to add safety measures to you honeymoon when traveling outside the U.S.

The weddings over and now its time for the two of you to relax and enjoy the beginning of married life together on your awesome honeymoon.  With many details planned for the wedding day, the honeymoon planning tends to lack a bit of details.  When traveling to parts of the world undiscovered by the two of you, once arriving to your lavish destination be sure to take some of these measures.

1)Check with concierge before leaving the resort, get directions, a cab or additional information like how's the neighborhood before leaving to sight see.  Ask for details to be safe such has high crime areas on the map. Ask for recommendations for restaurants and other sightseeing areas.

2) Always go in public in pairs, don't just one of you go into a store and leave the other standing there on the street.  A lot could happen in that short time.

3) Know where the U.S. embassy is if traveling abroad.

4) Google for scams or tourist traps for that area before you make your reservations and refresh them in your mind before arriving.

5) Call someone at home to check in daily.  It may seem motherly, but if parents know that they should expect a call, then if something happens such as a car accident or hotel fire, they know they should call/text you if they haven't heard from one of you. Don't rely on text messages or emails from smart phones if for some reason you were robbed then they could reply and your parents would think it was you.

6) Use traveler checks or Visa/MasterCard for secure purchases. Check to make sure you have them before and after you leave your room.

7) Keep some money on your person just not in your clothing or pursue in case you are robbed and don't know it until you reach for your wallet.

8)Call your credit card companies to let them know you are traveling and to where.  This will help so the card company will not freeze your card, thinking it is stolen.  You will be able to have full access in using your card without limitations.  If you run into a big purchase that is a must have you are able to buy it.

We hope that you find these tips helpful and have that fabulous honeymoon hassle free!

Wedding Collection Sale!

Save Now until September 30 on wedding collections.  Our collections come complete with the guest book, pen, flower girl basket, ring pillow and garter.  Some sets come with toasting glasses and cake servers. Choose your own cake topper while they are on sale too for even more savings. Below are some of our wonderful products that offer huge savings for today's bride.

 Seaside Allure Collection with Toasting Glasses with free personalization 

Sale Price $124.99 Save 23%

Scattered Pearls and Crystals Wedding Accessories Collection Sale Price $115.99 Save 15%

Cherry Blossom Wedding Accessories Collection Sale Price $92.84 Save 23%

 Basic Celtic Charm Wedding Accessories Collection Sale Price $139.99 Save 30%

Butterfly Dreams Wedding Accessories Collection Sale Price $124.99 Save 23%

 

 Basic Classic Double Heart Wedding Accessories Collection Sale Price $124.42 Save 25%

Basic Love Birds Wedding Accessories Collection Sale Price $101.99 Save 30%

Places Where You Can Reorganize Your Budget

The wedding budget has a lot of wants and desires but in an economy like today we normally cut some of those wants to obtain the objective of getting married on a certain day.  The budget can be one of the most time consuming and stressful task.  If you over spend in one area, then you cut from another area, its only natural.  But today we are going to focus on key areas where to reorganize the budget.

The rule of thumb for what the wedding budget is:

Reception Hall and Food 41%

Honeymoon 12% 

Wedding Attire 12%

Photography & Video 12%

Flowers 5%

Ceremony 4% 

Invitations 3%

Gifts 3%

Music 3%

Rings 3%

Transportation 2%

The above percentages is where majority of your money will normally go.   So where you can cut and how to trim your budget?

Reception:  Price compare venues see what is included in the price. Compare just using a catering and tent rental company and having the reception outside verses having it indoors. Consider a less elborate menu or paying a family member to make some of the if they are not in the wedding.

Honeymoon:  If you want a honeymoon start thinking and pricing out what airline tickets cost, hotel and food expense, along with what activities will cost.  Booking early will save you, then booking less than 21 days on airline tickets.  Check other airports near you for deals too.  See if hotel rates can be discounted with a longer stay or include food.  See if buying a package that includes air, lodging, car rental and meals is cheaper. If you are going some place that is tourist filled like a national park, think of renting a cabin and just shopping locally at the store for food.

Photography and Video: Look at purchasing package verses adding items after the wedding.  Money becomes tight after the wedding and honeymoon is over. Your normal routine will kick in and reality will set in.  You may not purchase that wedding album you wanted or your hi res image files.  Don't just shop for price.

Wedding Attire:  You can save usually on the Groom's tux if you have enough Groomsmen in your party.  Consider shopping at a discounted store for a suit instead of a tux.  Use payment plans at bridal shops if there's no fees instead of charging it on your credit card.

Flowers:  Consider using artificial flowers instead of real and buy them when they are 50% off.  You will also be able to use them as a keepsake.

Ceremony: To save consider using an officiant that charges a small fee and can come to you.  Look at ceremony sites outside at parks instead of indoors.

Invitations:  Consider buying a basic white or ivory invitation printed in the ink color of your wedding day color and just embellishing it with a ribbon or overlay to create a more unique look.  We offer sales where you can get 100 invites for under $100.

Gifts: Shop around for gifts for your wedding party.  Try to find a gift that is meaningful to each person in your party.  Consider buying a practical gift that can used in the wedding and again later when they get home.

Music: Today with technology, music for your reception has gotten easier.  Just bring your MP3 player and hook up to some speakers, then choose you music. Borrow a karaoke machine for the microphone to do the toast and have a groomsmen announce the cake cutting or garter toss. Open up the machine for guest to show off their talent for a few minutes.

Rings: Purchase wedding rings early and make payments so they will be paid for before the wedding day.

Transportation: Consider using a vintage car from a family friend and pay them a little something for their time then renting a party bus. 

We hope you find these tips helpful when planning your dream wedding.

August Savings at Dreamland Wedding Shoppe

Save on "A Kiss We're Off", "True Romance Couple" or "Showered with Love" Cake Toppers and many more popular styles.

Looking for Toasting Glasses, and Cake Servers save on a wide range of styles all month long.

Budgeting for the Wedding of your Dreams!

When you get the ring on your finger you immediately start planning for the big day even though you don't have a date set. While this is normal for most brides, the hardest part is figuring out how to get what you want at a price you can afford.  But some areas you should not try to skimp on as they will be remembered long after the big day has passed. Today we will discuss five areas not to skimp on and why.

First the top 5 items not to skimp on your wedding:

1) The Photographer

2) Reception Food

3) Venues (Church and Reception)

4) Wedding Gown

5) Your vision of the one must have thing you have to have.

So lets explain why we chose these items and ranked them as we did.

In First place we chose wedding photography. Long after the big day is over you will look back at your wedding.  What will you look at, the photos.  That is why we chose Photography at the number one spot.  When reminiscing about the past you reach for a photo or the wedding album.  When you have kids and they are getting married you reach for the wedding photos or wedding album again to talk about style, what was around then, pricing, etc. to give advice.

Choosing a professional wedding photographer should be based on the quality not pricing.  Most professional photographers are not cheap.  Why you ask - they have schooling, seminars, and participate in continuing education to keep on top of the latest trends.  Their lighting, technique, equipment all play a role to capture those moments you see on their website.  A professional will know how to flatter the lighting so you as the couple don't look washed out or blended into the background if you are in the church, outside or in a dark reception hall.  You should base your photographer on how vivid the colors are, the style, the emotion the pictures you see on their website create within you.  Then finally on price.  Chances are your first initial budget on what you thought you would spend is blown out of the water.  So we will look at other factors and options in coming blog post on where to save.

For Second place we chose reception food.  This is due in fact of the many guest you have attending the reception that are family, friends and co-workers.  You have a style and presence with each that are define differently.  You yourself, will want a memorable meal after a long day.  The last thing after a long day that you don't want is to be left with the feeling we should have done that instead of what you did.  That filling will stick with you for years to come.  Meanwhile, family, friends and co-workers will feel the same as you but may not say anything.

For Third place we chose Venue.  This encompasses the photos you will remember and the feeling you get when looking back at them.  If your church or reception hall is what you want then you should push your date back, save and go with the gut feeling if its more than you can afford or find a equally memorable venue that creates the same emotion as the first choice.

Fourth place is the wedding gown.  You want to feel like a princess and this is your day.  After trying on hundreds of gowns, go with the one you feel most comfortable in.  Its a long day, so after considering the weather and how you feel on this day in that gown, and how it looks on you, go with your favorite.  Most bridal shops have payments plans so you don't have to worry so much about not having the dress of your dreams.

For Fifth place we chose, that one must have item.  Be it a cake topper, garter, a favorite aunt attending your day or one of the above mentioned choices, having that one must have thing will make you feel your wedding is complete and you be more relaxed and able to enjoy your big day.

Check back with us as we discuss more tips to have a fabulous dream wedding.