All-inclusive resorts are a favorite among honeymooners. All inclusive means you pay one upfront price for your honeymoon stay. This usually includes your hotel accommodations, meals, beverages, water sports, some sightseeing, gratuities, taxes and airport transportation.

Forget lugging around your purse or wallet! No need to worry about finding great restaurants in the area either; most all-inclusive resorts have multiple restaurants on site. All you need to decide is what time you want to eat. Is there a swim-up bar in the pool? You won’t have to worry about soggy cash—drinks are included!

Every resort is different, but each has fun activities or amenities included. Some will have group sports like beach volleyball or water polo. These are great ways to meet new people and possibly get to know other honeymooners. Some resorts offer free photo sessions where you just purchase the photos you want to take home. No matter where you are, an all-inclusive resort will have everything you need to create a perfect, stress-free honeymoon

Do you have any recommendations for an all-inclusive resort?

So, what kind of trip do you both want? A completely romantic and relaxing honeymoon vacation? Or an activity-rich trip? Discuss your honeymoon ideas early, start planning and make sure you’re both involved.

Take advantage of honeymoon packages that include your air, accommodations and rental car. Honeymoon packages can offer great savings and convenience. You will find that most honeymoon packages have exclusive benefits like champagne or spa treatments, too.

Pre-book tours, activities and shows to reserve the seats you want ahead of time. Check out travel sites like Expedia or Travelocity for some fantastic all-inclusive packages.

Be sure to use your maiden name when making honeymoon travel arrangements. While you are anxious to use your married name, leaving on your honeymoon  immediately after the reception means you won’t have time to change your legal documents, which can make traveling difficult.

You’ve spent so long worrying about everything– from flowers to cocktail napkins– so relax and forget about the absolute perfection you worked to achieve at the ceremony. If the plane is late or the weather poor, remember that this is your special time together. Patience and a great sense of humor will carry through into your marriage!

Amazon- For those seeking everything from books to electronics.

REI- For the outdoor enthusiast.

Hatchmyhouse.com- For those hoping to save for a down payment on a house, home improvements or furniture.

Italian Wine Merchants- For wine lovers!

Greenfeet- Trendy items made from recyclable or renewable materials for the eco-conscious.

Where are you registering for your wedding?

Providing Transportation. Providing a shuttle bus from your guest’s hotel will take all of the trouble and worry from their minds on the day of the wedding. Your mind will also be put at ease knowing your loved ones will be getting home safely.

Taking Precautions for Weather: You can always hope for nice weather on your wedding day, but unfortunately, we can’t control Mother Nature. There are many precautions you can take to make sure your guests are 100% comfortable. If it’s a little chilly, inexpensive shawls or scarfs are great for your guests to snuggle up in. Providing parasols for a summer wedding can keep your guests shaded and cool.

Children’s Activity Bags: If you are planning on inviting children to your wedding, an activity bag is a great idea to keep the little ones entertained during dinner service and through the night. Coloring books, mini puzzles and quiet toys will keep the children entertained for hours.

These are just a few ideas to make your guests feel well taken care of.

#1: Figure out who’s paying. Traditionally the bride’s parents foot the bill for the wedding, but this is slowly becoming a thing of the past. Nowadays, the couple and each of their families will contribute or the couple will pay for the entire wedding themselves. Asking your families about their contributions to your wedding early on in the planning process will allow you to create a realistic budget.

#2: Understand the basic breakdown of a budget. Now that you’ve selected a number for your budget, break it down– how much of my budget will go toward the venue? Floral? Cake? This is something that varies, but selecting a percentage range for these vendors will help you in the long run.

#3: Prioritize what’s important to you. We all have those “must-haves” we’ve dreamed of ever since we were young. Even though you may not have unlimited resources, you can still have those “must-haves” on your special day; it’s all about prioritizing! Choose two or three things that you absolutely can’t do without and make room for them in your budget. You may decide that you have to splurge on your dress but don’t mind going with a more simple cake design and/or centerpieces. Splurging is doable if kept in moderation.

All in all, setting a budget is one of the most important things to do when planning a wedding. Use your resources to make your wedding day the best day of your life, all while staying on budget. It will make for a happy future for you and your groom!

It is especially important to ask specific questions before signing a contract.  Don’t ever assume!

• Think It Through: Whether you’re trying to bring down the guest count or fear crying babies at the ceremony, not everyone will understand your reasoning when it comes to their own little ones. Be prepared for some guests to opt out of the festivities; there may be hurt feelings if you bend the rules for your adorable flower girls while your friend’s children are forced to stay with babysitters.

• Mind your manners: If one were to ask an etiquette expert about printing “no children” on the invitation they would gasp at what they see as a tacky gesture. However let’s be honest, how many of us read Emily Post these days? Modern brides have adapted to the times and are making their own rules. One suggestion is to state on the RSVP card that it will be an “adult reception.” Another is to print the following on the RSVP card: “We have reserved __seats in your honor” and hand write in the number of adults. This is also a great trick when trying to avoid your guests bringing dates!

• A good old-fashioned phone call:  Before the invitations have even been sent, pick up the phone and call your friends and family with children. Inform them that invitations are on the way and that after much thought you and your fiancé have decided to host a “no children wedding.” It is a personal touch that will make them appreciate you reaching out and will hopefully open them up to understanding your decision.

Whether you print it on the invite, tell them on the phone, or have a change of heart and decide to let the kiddos hang around, remember it is your wedding. You are the one that ultimately decides who will be there to share your special day.

By Bill Zaruka
Wedgewood President

One of the first things wedding experts will tell you to do when starting to plan your wedding is to set your budget. Couples have to start thinking about how much a venue is going to cost, how expensive plates per person will be, the deejay, floral arrangements, etc. Establishing a budget is difficult enough without hidden fees — charges that do not appear in the initial proposal — for things that can easily escape the mind of someone who is not a wedding professional.

Couples should know what hidden fees to watch out for, especially at smaller venues that require you to do a lot yourself. If you do not see these items in the information a venue provides, be sure to ask about them.

1. Cake cutting fee – Some venues charge as much as $4.00 per person

2. Bartender fee – While you get the price for alcohol up front, you could be unaware of the fee for the person pouring the drinks. This is usually a per hour or flat fee.

3. Insurance requirements – Some venues require significant forms of liability insurance. Who wants to pay for insurance or fill out the paperwork for it? Exactly! Most venues conveniently won’t mention it until after they have booked you.

4. Dance floor fees– It takes more than a deejay to dance at some venues, which require you to rent or supply your own dance floor.

5. Labor charges to supply the staff.

6. Set up or breakdown charges.

7. China, glassware, silverware, etc. – Seems ridiculous, right? But these items do get charged on occasion.

8. Wedding coordinators – Some venues will mandate the use of a wedding coordinator, preferably one supplied by the venue itself.

Wedgewood has a policy of no hidden fees, guaranteed, because your wedding should be hassle-free. Making sure you don’t get blindsided by them is the first step to making sure your budget remains as originally planned.

In order to choose the perfect setting, you’ll need to know her style- does she normally wear simple jewelry or does she prefer more luxurious accessories? Simple means she’ll most likely love a beautiful single diamond solitaire. If she prefers luxurious, she’ll most likely prefer something with diamond accents. If you’re not sure, a safe bet is to purchase a single solitaire setting. After your bride-to-be says “Yes!” the two of you can go together to choose her perfect setting.

Now, how do you choose the perfect diamond? Remember the 4 C’s:

Cut- How the diamond is cut contributes to the sparkle and brilliance of the diamond.  The scale ranges from Excellent to Poor. A diamond with a Good to Excellent cut is great for an engagement ring.

Clarity- As diamonds form deep in the Earth, pressure and heat sometimes cause blemishes or inclusions. These slight imperfections make your diamond unique, like birthmarks in humans. The scale ranges from Flawless (FL) to Included (I3). The closer the clarity is to I3, the more likely it is that the inclusions will affect the brilliance of the diamond. A good range to stay within is FL to VS2.

Color- When it comes to diamonds, the less color the better. The scale runs from D to Z. A diamond with a D rating is colorless. As the scale gets closer to Z, the color of the diamond starts to include yellows and browns. Overall, the closer to D it is, the better!

Carat- This refers to the weight or size of the diamond. Most diamonds used in jewelry weight 1 carat or less.

Quality and size both carry weight when purchasing a diamond. Rule of thumb: choose a diamond with the highest quality and weight that fits your budget.

Do a little homework first! No, it won’t be graded or handed in, but you will have to do it during your planning process, so why not start now? Here are some key points that will make your life… I mean planning, easier.

We ask that you review the packages and ‘a la carte’ services Wedgewood has made available to you and highlight things that you feel you need (or don’t need), and want (or don’t want). We will customize a package as you see fit. (Packages and services can be found on our website or in the nice email(s) that you received from our main office or directly from the location!).

Think of it like this: You go into Subway, knowing that you want a Veggie sandwich, but you don’t like tomatoes (even though it is a veggie and is on the menu for being in the veggie sandwich) – so you order a veggie sandwich, but tell them to hold the tomatoes. Same thing with Wedgewood! You go in liking the Emerald package which includes a fully hosted bar for the duration of the event, yet you feel like you only want to host beer and wine, so you tell the Sales Director that you want to take out the hard alcohol from the bar services. And there you have it – a proposal for the Emerald Package without the hosted hard alcohol! It’s that easy! Our packages can be customized in numerous ways and our Catering Sales Directors are here to help you plan a great wedding the way you see fit (this includes budget!).

Speaking of budget… here is another piece of homework for you. Discuss your budget with everyone who will be contributing for your big day. This can include friends and family members or just yourselves. Have a good idea of what you want to (or can) spend on certain services. Also keep in mind that Wedgewood is different! Our price points and packages cover more than what you might find at a location that only provides you with the room (at a fee) and food and beverage options. If you are planning on comparing our pricing to others…just be sure to compare apples to apples.

During your Wedgewood consultation, you will be provided with a Comparative Analysis which shows a breakdown of all the standard wedding services Wedgewood provides in the Gold Package vs. the costs associated with having your event outside of a Wedgewood property.

Our Sales Directors will provide you with tools that will help make your planning process easy. They’ll also be available to answer questions that come up along the way.

And yes, we can do multiple packages for you in order to match your wants/needs within your budget.

We look forward to meeting with you at your Personal Consultation and hope it is an experience you have never had before!