#1 - This is your wedding and you know what you want and what is affordable to you and your family. Try not to get blind sided by what others might think or by trying to go bigger and better than a friend, relative or co-worker. Personalize it, make it yours and remember, always remember, right up to the moment of saying "I do", "If you're doing this for the lifetime and not for the moment your day will be perfect no matter what!" (Barb Krousey) #2 - Things may go wrong and there's not much you can do about that. Just remain calm and say a prayer, things always have a way of working themselves out. Let others do what needs to be done, let yourself just do what you're there to do, Get Married. #3 - Resource, Resource, Resource. If you have friends and family who want to help and are reliable, let them do it. Save "$" when you can. #4 - Keep records and documents. 3 ring binders with dividers work great. #5 - Your dollar is as green as the next. You are paying the retailers bills. You should be treated with respect. Customer service should be priority in all business. #6 - Have a budget. Know what you can afford. Everything is so costly in a wedding and it adds up fast, so if you at least have an idea of what you can spend you will then have a place to start and end. Decide on the necessities first and then add those items you can't live without. #7 - Etiquette in my opinion is good old fashioned common sense. If it's legal, moral and not going to offend someone close to you then it's acceptable. #8 - SHOP SHOP SHOP around. Price things out, ask questions. If you don't have time because you work days and the shops are closed nights then in the evenings go through the phone book and make a list of various retailers and call them on your lunch and coffee breaks. Look to others for their opinions. If someone had a bad experience with a retailer, first consider the source and ask what the retailer did to correct the problem. (There are always two sides to every story). #9 - We are in no way perfect. In fact we are still growing, adding and changing. But we do put our customers first and if we make an error we fix it no questions asked, we always take care of our customers. #10 - My staff is highly trained and will find the answer if they do not have it first hand. I trust that my staff will take very good care of all my customers. I am confident that when you are working with my staff, you are working with me.