It's a well-known fact that weddings definitely aren’t cheap! With so many things to plan, some couples who aren't constrained by a limited budget choose to hire a wedding planner to take the stresses and strains out of the planning. A Wedding planner will plan the wedding with you to the last detail ensuring that the bride and groom get exactly what they want for their special day and will tackle all the stressful planning on their behalf to make sure the day runs smoothly. 

The "To do" list for any wedding is almost endless. With so many things needed it's no wonder the happy couple can become overwhelmed by the planning process. There is a whole host of unavoidable expenditures and purchases, everything from cakes to transport, drinks to decorations and photography has to be considered. 

Cakes:  When it comes to Wedding Cakes, sizes, flavour, style and decorations can vary hugely and like with much of your Wedding, it is important to consider your guests when making selections. It is of course important to have a cake that will be big enough to feed all of your guests at least one portion (around 250 - 300 servings). Couples who use cake designers usually spend between $200 and $800, but while this may seem a lot, it's important to remember that the cake is a big spectacle of a Wedding and is often considered to be the centrepiece. Wedding cake designers will work with you to design something unique and personal for your big day. If a Wedding Cake designer isn't something available to you, there are many craft and florist shops where you can buy all you need to decorate a cake. By doing this you can save money and still create something unique and special for your big day. 

Transport:  From limousines to horse drawn carts, the transport for your wedding is generally very important. The bride has the opportunity to arrive in style to her big day and it is a fantastic opportunity for pictures to be taken. Transport can be expensive and depending on what you choose it is often upwards of $500. Many options are available ranging from a standard limousine to a vintage Rolls Royce, to horse drawn carriage.  Prices vary respectability. Whilst these are relatively common means of transport for a wedding, those with almost unlimited budgets could try a boat or even a helicopter - if you're feeling really adventurous! 

Entertainment:  No Wedding is complete without a band or DJ to entertain the guests during the reception. Budgets make a big difference when choosing the right entertainment for your wedding and it's always important to remember your guests, in particular their age, musical tastes and how many you have attending. Live bands are a popular choice for wedding entertainment, playing a range of songs from the 60s to contemporary pop hits. Other popular choices for reception entertainment are 1920s style 'big bands'. These bands include brass instruments, double bassists and can give contemporary songs an exciting twist. Your choice of band should depend on what kind of atmosphere you're trying to create and what style of music you want to listen to on your big day. Prices for bands can vary dramatically depending on the size, where they're coming from, how long they're playing for and the songs you want them to play. Some couples (those will considerably larger budgets!) choose to have live musicians during the ceremony and dinners in the form of string quartets or jazz pianists. 

About the author: Adam Bennett is a Music Advisor for LastMinuteMusicians

County Clerk Office
600 Eighth Street 
Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 874-6131

Hours:8:00 a.m. - 4:20 p.m. / M - F; appointments preferred
Fee:$68 (cash, check, or money order)
Age:18
ID requirements:Valid, government-issued photo ID
Residency:None
Blood test:None
Other:None
Who must be present:Both bride and groom together
Who must sign:Bride and groom
Waiting period:None
Valid for:90 days
Valid out of city:Yes, but not out of state.
If previously married:Divorce decree and death certificate required (if within 90 days).

Online option is also available at the link on the banner below.

Chauffer driven cars can be a great way to travel in many situations. From a simple ride to the airport, to a dinner reservation or to a particularly important meeting, arriving by chauffer ensures style and that you arrive to your destination stress free and with plenty to time to spare.

For those who value style and panache, a chauffer driven vehicle is the ultimate in transportation.  A chauffer is guaranteed to be well presented, courteous and have an extensive knowledge of the area, as well as receiving regular traffic updates to get you there on time. Cars used for business vary greatly in prices, usually dependent on the number of passengers and how far the journey is. 

Chauffer driven cars are extremely popular for Weddings or parties. From a luxurious Bentley to a Rolls Royce, the transport for a bride and groom, or any of the Wedding party comes in different shapes, sizes and prices!  A chauffeur driven vintage car gives the bride the opportunity to arrive in style on her big day and it is also fantastic opportunity for pictures to be taken.

Traditional cars, such as a vintage 1920s Rolls Royce are often used to transport the Bride and Groom separately. Traveling in this way can also be a great way to get the entire wedding party from A to B, or simply a nice way to travel on the stag or hen do, making friends and family feel like a special part of the day too!

Prices of the cars vary depending on the Wedding Season. The low season, running from October – February, whilst high season running during March – September where prices can rise greatly. It’s important to consider where the car is coming from when choosing the car for your big day. The price will change depending on how much fuel is used during the journey.

The moment when the bride gets out of the car is a classic photo opportunity for any Wedding photographer and having a classic car or even a horse and cart in the background complements the picture ensuring its place in every family photo album. If needed, the chauffeur will also drive the happily married couple from the ceremony to the reception – creating even more photo opportunities and happy memories.

About the Author:  Adam Bennett is a Music Advisor for LastMinuteMusicians

LastMinuteMusicians is a London based entertainment agency supplying entertainment for private and public events. We have supplied companies such as The BBC, Bloomberg, John Lewis, Marks & Spencer and Selfridges.

How many times have you thought about your perfect wedding gown? Every time women start looking for their wedding outfits they have in mind two things: price and style.

From the very classic models to the most sophisticated ones, discount wedding dresses are the ideal acquisition. Every woman wants to look dazzling on her big day, and thus impress all guests with a proper attitude and a knockout dress. For this matter it is important to think smart and combine low cost with quality. 

Discount wedding dresses are the best choice a smart woman can make. Thereby, the best gown will be glamorous and stylish, yet affordable and inexpensive. 

Make your wedding day memorable and dress to impress. From pure white colors to light beige, from glamorous accessories to the perfect shoes, now you can put together the ideal outfit for a fair price.

Choose quality discount wedding dresses and invest more money in your other elements of your wedding outfit. Make the right choices and purchase the perfect gown. Think about your taste and style and make your wedding day the happiest event of your life. Ask for advice, make an appointment and top tailors will handmade your dream dress. 

All in all, discount wedding dresses are top quality gowns to help you make the right decision regarding the perfect model, color and style for a reasonable price. 

Choose to combine comfort with style and glamour on your wedding day. Be happy and feel happy; thus, discountwedding dresses can definitely make your day. From simple models to fashionable ones, now you can have the one that suits your personality. Have a look at one of the best gowns, try on various models and enjoy the quality and style. 

Talk to an expert about an ideal, flawless gown, suitable for your silhouette and figure. Choose to feel the quality of top discount wedding dresses and save important amounts of money. 

Use the website to make an appointment before coming to fitting and experienced tailors will create your dream dress. Ask for advice in case you have any doubts about your gown and trust the professionals to decide for you. 

Purchase affordable, discount wedding dresses from top designers and choose to spend less. Now you can have the quality and style you’ve always wanted. Make your wedding day unforgettable, and dress to impress your guests. 

Highlight your silhouette and make the right acquisition regarding your dream gown. Choose to feel comfortable and still maintain a stylish and fashionable figure. 

Discount wedding dresses are definitely the best bargain. Moreover, you will combine low cost with high quality and build the most glamorous and elegant gown, perfect for your walk on the aisle. 

Think smart and decide what’s best for your wedding day. Choose high quality, discount wedding dresses and make an outstanding impression on your friends and family. Enjoy your moment, feel comfortable and look elegant in the most important day of your life. Forget about stress, release your tension and decide to be happy, look happy and feel happy.

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Hiring a live band for the first time can be daunting!  In the following article I will go through what I consider to be the main things to bear in mind when booking live music.

Bands for hire Here at Last Minute Musicians we have a huge range of live bands to hire for all sorts of occasions including:
 
       Wedding, Parties, Family functions, Corporate events

Tribute bands Tribute bands are always popular at events –everyone enjoys dancing to covers.  Make sure you think about the range of guests that will be at your event.  You might not want to book a Bon Jovi tribute band at an event with your grandma present!

Function bands Function bands are simply live bands that perform at functions.  The function could be an awards ceremony, party, dinner, conference – pretty much any event that requires live music... As there is quite a wide range of styles and standards, shop around a bit and you will find the right function band for you.

Wedding bands Good live wedding bands are versatile in terms of style and usually try to cater for the wide range of tastes your guests are likely to have. Wedding band Please see our wedding music page for more information about wedding band hire.

Live music regulations If live music is performed at in a public setting you may need to think about the regulations that govern live music in the UK. Music licensing is a hot topic at the moment and is likely to be changed soon under the new government according to this article. It’s best to check with your venue to make sure live music is permitted.

Equipment Most live bands for hire are self-contained so will provide their own instruments and sound equipment. Some have lighting systems, but most will charge extra for this or recommend a third party supplier for you to use. If you are booking live music abroad it is more common for the larger equipment (like drums, keyboards, PA system etc.) to be supplied by a local hire company.

Transport & parking Live bands tend to have their own transport by car, van or tour bus. They normally require parking close to the venue and will need to get as close as possible to load in their equipment.

Riders Lots of bands will have a rider that they can send to you before you book to check their exact requirements. They will probably ask for soft drinks and a meal (depending on the event times). Musicians often have a long journey to and from events so a good meal is always appreciated – remember a hungry musician is not a happy musician so won’t give their best performance!

Further reading If you are looking for wedding bands or corporate event entertainment, you might find the following articles useful:

•    How to choose music for your wedding reception
•    Choosing the right music for your corporate event

About the author Adam Hughes is a pianist and joint founder of www.LastMinuteMusicians.com 

A wedding is supposed to be one of the best moments of a couple's life. However, planning one can give you much stress – physically and mentally. Aside from these worries, there is also another thing that most couples worry about... money. If money is short then you should not consider postponing your marriage at all. 

There are ways by which a very memorable wedding can be realized without the usual price tag. Now, with lots of planning and a little help, you can get various wedding ideas that can help trim down the budget. Budget wedding ideas are not just useful for those who have limited funds but also great for those who want to put in their savings for future use. To help you out, we have put together some great wedding ideas that can help you save money on your wedding day.Budget Wedding Ideas for the Wedding Dress 

Any bride would want to look her best on the special day. But wearing a beautiful wedding dress does not require you to spend something that you cannot afford. If you want to save on your wedding dress budget, then you can always try these budget wedding ideas. There are wedding dress stores that put their items on sale at specific times of each year. You can take advantage of this kind of offer if you set your wedding date early. You can also consider clearance sales and discount racks. The main idea is to explore various shops and try on dresses within the budget. The price tag of the dress does not really matter. What matters most is that you look great in it. 

Budget Wedding Ideas for the Ceremony and Reception Venues
The venue can a big chunk of your budget so if you want to save money on it, you should start your search early. If you plan to get married in church, then you can rave in the fact that some churches only ask for donations especially if you are a member of that church. You can also have the ceremony at someone's garden, on the beach or even on a friend's vineyard. All these are cheaper than renting an expensive hall or hotel. The key is to scout around for possible free or cheap venues. Be sure to ask friends, family and neighbors for ideas as most would gladly help out in giving you your dream wedding. 

Budget Wedding Ideas for the Decorations 
The decorations can take up a big part of your budget especially if you only have flowers in mind. To save on venue decorations, you can maximize the surroundings of your chosen venue (the greenery in a farm or vineyard and the scenic view of the beach and sand). You can even choose to get married in a friend's garden during spring so you have flowers ready. Instead of buying too many flowers, you can spruce up the venue with more candles, ribbons and fabrics. 

Budget Wedding Ideas for Wedding Giveaways 
You can always choose to mobilize friends and family members to make cute wedding favors and giveaways for you. If not, you can go to a crafts store and order them by bulk. Buying from a crafts store is more economical than ordering from a wedding favors store.

Toptableplanner is an online tool that easily helps to create wedding table plans. You can even print your own place cards too. See the website for your free trial.

Creating wedding table plans can be a deceptively stressful experience. During the early, halcyon days of planning a wedding you can be quite blasé about the whole idea of creating a wedding table plan. It's just something that happens, or which you'll be able to sketch out whilst you're having your hair done on the morning of the day itself. 

As the days and weeks roll by you might start to look more closely at the blossoming list of guests, and further down the line you may start to visualise clashes and issues regarding where you place people. 

You realise with horror what could happen if you seat Uncle Tim and his partner, Uncle Peter, on the same wife as Uncle Tim's ex-wife and her partner. Never mind, you think, how hard can it be scribbling out a few notes for wedding table plans? 

As the big day dawns you begin to make real progress, until you realise the awful truth – that creating a wedding table plan is a bit like playing half a dozen games of chess at the same time, with the added bonus that if you lose any of them your wedding day is at risk of resembling one of the more dramatic scenes from a soap opera that's desperate for a ratings boost. 

Perhaps you then decide that the easiest thing to do is to forget the tables for a moment and concentrate on just the top table. So you place the Bride and Groom in the middle, then the Best Man, the Ushers, the Maid of Honour and the Bridesmaids. Then you add the Bride's parents, but realise that you have a problem – do you add the Groom's mother and stepfather, or his real father, who's there too? Then you realise that his real father will be coming with his new wife, so you feel you have to add both of them. 

Eventually you realise that your top table will be about 800 yards long, and the only people sitting in the main area of the room on one rather solitary looking table is your Great Aunt Gladys and Great Uncle George. 

So you tear your wedding table plan up and start again, perhaps with the idea of abandoning a top table entirely and instead having the Bride and Groom on a romantic table for two, with all of your various family combinations divided up in appropriate groups on tables around you. 

At last it's all looking as though it could actually work. Until Cousin Violet rings to cancel. She's very sorry but she's just been offered an interview for a job in Australia. So you look at your wedding table plan and realise that Cousin Violet was essential in helping to balance out one of the tables, so you scratch that plan out and start hurling people about with great abandon. 

Essentially wedding table plans can easily become one of the most stressful and time-consuming elements of a wedding, yet why doesn't anyone tell you this beforehand? 

The simplest solution is to use a computer based wedding table plan designer which does most of the hard work for you, and can allow for last minute changes without causing a riot. Wedding table plans really shouldn't be causing you more stress than the wedding itself!

There is so much planning and preparation that goes on for a wedding that a backdrop for the head table is usually the least of a bride's worry.  Setting up a backdrop makes a big impact to the front or the head of the room and there are a lot of options available to choose from.  The backdrop does not necessarily have to be for a wedding it can also be for a Quinceanera, Bat Mitzvah, Anniversary, or other events or functions.

Look at the backdrop as a blank canvas and decide what you want to put there.  Check the dimensions both vertical and horizontal.  Also look for obstacles that may be in the way and figure out how to work around it.  For example this picture has two wall mounted televisions that cannot be removed.  

Some of the things that can be used for backdrop set up are ballons, plants, statues, columns, urns, large vases, french doors, lattice fences, pipe and drape.  With a little creativity a fantastic look can be achieved that will transform the venue.  Start with keeping the center plain and setting up items around the edges to achieve that effect.   The set-up above includes pipe and drape that are ivory and eggplant in color and manzanita trees as decorations.  

Pipe and drape is very common for a backdrop and it creates an elegance look and feel.  To get started first you need to get pipe, drape support, and base.  How many you need will depend on how tall and wide you want your backdrop to look.  Standard pipe height is 8 foot however with an adjustable pipe you can go as high as 18 feet to cover most of the height.  

Here is the drape support for the pipe and drape system and this is needed for the drape to hang on.  This is adjustable up to 10 foot in width however the more it's extended the less stable it may become.  Secondly, what type of drape would you like to have hanging as your backdrop. Pick a neutral color that will match your decor, however make sure its not too heavy as it may not hold up and not too light or sheer because you may be able to see right through it.

This is what the base looks like for the pipe and drape system.  You will need to have as many of these as the number of pipes that you will be getting.  Once you get them the pipe will slide into the base.  The taller the pipe the more weight you want at the bottom to prevent pipes from falling over. 

You can even get a custom backdrop or banner that has bride and groom's name on it by ordering it online.  Click on the banner below to check it out.  Many designs are available plus you can rent LED lights to emphasize the banner.   

A whole room can be transformed by the right backdrops and there are so many options to choose from.  

Each month Wedding & Event Solutions will donate a portion of the proceeds sold to any given charity. There are a number of causes out there that are meaningful to all of us and we will be selecting one at random to donate to.  If there is one in particular that interests you feel free to contact us and tell us why.  We would be more than happy to help out our local community. In addition, we also have a donate button on our home page on the Wibyia bar or you can click on the link here.