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The Economy

Everyone is feeling the pinch.

From the bride and groom, to their parents, to many of the vendors, the economy is affecting everyone.

So what are some ways to still have a great wedding, but cut down on some of your costs? I have 5 ideas to get you started on trimming costs on your wedding.

1. Prioritize. Talk with your future spouse and decide what you both feel is very important. Is it flowers, the photographer, the cake? Establish what your priorities are- then take a look at what could be trimmed down or eliminated.

2. Look at your guest list. The largest cost for most weddings is at the reception. If you trim two or three tables from the guest list- that is less money on food, centerpieces, table cloths, drinks, etc.

3. Have a smaller bridal Party. If you have already called your friends to be in your wedding, it's probably a bit late for this. But if you have not put together your bridal party, consider lowering the number. This means less money at the rehearsal dinner, for bridal party gifts and you could downsize your mode of transportation from the ceremony to the reception.

4. Have your ceremony and reception at the same venue. You can save big on transportation and other costs by having your ceremony and reception at the same place. Not all reception halls can accommodate a ceremony- so be sure to look into this before you book your venue.

5. Look beyond Saturdays. Saturday is the most popular day for weddings- and many venues and vendors will give discounts for weddings that are not on a Saturday. You can also find discounts for booking a wedding during a non-peak month (November - April).

We have a lot more tips for planning your wedding on our Web site, http://www.idoido.org

Happy wedding planning!

Grandview Lodge

It's not too often I get to attend a wedding- and not have to worry about working at it. That was the case over the weekend as I spent Saturday night near Nisswa, MN at Grandview Lodge. My wife's friend, Julie, got married to her best friend, Brandon. There was family coming from North Dakota and the Twin Cities- so Nisswa was the middle point to have the wedding.

We did not make it to the ceremony portion of the day, because I was taping a wedding at the Basillica in Minneapolis. From what I was told, it was a beautiful outdoor wedding on a perfect day in October.

At the reception, I must admit, it was a little weird not having a camera in my hand. I think this is the only wedding in the past year that I have not worked at. I usually end up doing something for family and friends- but I did not for this one, since I knew I would be running late from the wedding in Minneapolis.

Ok, funny story. When we arrived, my wife said she would get the keys to our room- since she made the reservation and I would find our seats at the reception- and we would meet. As I walked from the car, I could see a wedding reception happening outside- so I went to the outdoor bar and grabbed a beer. I walked inside- and looked around, and the room wasn't decorated in the way I thought it would be for Julie and Brandon. I walked over to the gift table and saw all sorts of gifts for Brian and Katie. Wrong wedding. I found my wife a few minutes later and we found the correct reception hall. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Brian and Katie for the complimentary beverage.

The fall colors were awesome- and it was neat to get away and attend a wedding as a guest, not a vendor.

Wisconsin Wedding

I have a great job. As a wedding videographer and vice-president of the Central Minnesota Wedding Association, I get to spend many of my days when people are at their best. I get to enjoy months, and sometimes years worth of preparation on the day when family and friends come together to celebrate the union of two becoming one.

This past weekend, I was part of a very intimate wedding. I was the only person who was not a friend or family member. There was no photographer, no florist, no decorator. Just twelve people plus the bride and groom at the family cabin to celebrate marriage.

The atmosphere was fun and very laid back. We were at a beautiful cabin near Balsam Lake, Wisconsin. The weather was absolutely perfect, it was a great day for a wedding.

The wedding started around 6 p.m. on the deck. You could hear the birds chirping and the squirrels jumping from branch to branch. The ceremony lasted only 10 minutes but included music from the groom's brother-in-law playing guitar- and a candle-lighting ceremony that included everyone (all 10 people) lighting each other's candles.

A champagne toast followed the ceremony- with everyone giving words of encouragement to the newlyweds. Everyone was going to a local restaurant to celebrate some more.

I feel lucky to be able to be a part of different families each weekend. It is neat to have the opportunity to document these special events that many people will treasure for a lifetime.

The video from the wedding will be shown this weekend at the reception that will be held at Windows of Minnesota (top of the IDS tower). Hopefully everyone will be able to feel like they were able to attend the ceremony from the video I will edit together.

New Munich Wedding

I love fall weddings. There is something about the feeling of the bright sun hitting you at the same time the crisp autumn air cools you off.

I videotaped a wedding on Saturday, September 27th in New Munich, MN - and the entire day was perfect. The weather was great, the people were great and the footage I captured looks great as well.

The wedding was at the Catholic church in New Munich. It was gorgeous. You can tell the building holds a lot of history. We took a lot of photos outside the church doors- on the cement stairs that lead up to the church. I used my fisheye lens quite a bit and am excited to see how all of the images look when they are edited together.

The reception was just up the road in Sauk Center. The room was decorated beautifully with lots of earth tone colors with large flower centerpieces and some accent lighting. You could tell the bride had spent a lot of time putting all of the details together.

Bride Guide

Long time...no blog.

We have been feverishly working on producing the most comprehensive bridal guide Central Minnesota has ever seen! Alas, it has been printed!

We have created quite the "buzz" with this publication. We distributed outside the St. Cloud Bridal Expo on September 14th- and had many compliments from brides and vendors about its design and content.


We were not able to reach an agreement with the organizers of the St. Cloud Wedding Expo before the September show...so you can see CMWA President Adam Welz got a little wet handing out the guides outside the St. Cloud Civic Center.

The CMWA is committed to raising the bar for wedding in Central Minnesota. We want to connect brides with the best vendors the area has to offer. So far, we have been very successful.

We are looking forward to expanding our presence in the area and bringing fresh ideas to vendors and brides.

The "Bride Guide" is available in the stores of all of our members - and we will be distributing the guide at a number of upcoming wedding fairs. Shoot us an email if you want us to mail you a copy!

Getting Started

"So, I'm engaged. I'm so excited for the wedding, but I don't even know where to begin!"

Is that you? Let this entry help you get started. Also, don't forget to check out CMWA's Virtual Mall to begin your vendor research.

But wait: get organized! Start a file or notebook where you can keep track of everything related to your wedding in one place!

What are the first things you need to get figured out? Of course,  the first question you'll be asked is "when's the wedding?" so set a date. You could go at this two ways. First,  you could choose a date and then find your sites that are available that date. You could do this if the date is more important to you than the place. Or,  you could choose sites that you love & then set your date based on their availability. This includes your ceremony and reception sites, if they will be different.

Next, start calling photographers, videographers, DJs, and any other musicians right away. Especially if you're planning a spring or summer wedding, these vendors can get booked quickly. Find out how long they will hold your date if you're not sure if you're going to use them.

Another thing to jump on is the formal wear for the wedding party. Most of the time, bridesmaids dresses aren't made until they're ordered. This can take several months to get them in to your bridesmaids. Then they will need to be altered for each girl. Remember: always take into account the body shapes of your bridesmaids & pick a dress style that you like, but that will also flatter everyone. 

And of course, your dress is important, too! Depending on how you get your dress, you may need to order and wait for this as well. Don't forget that you'll need to have several fittings in order to make it perfect for you.

It's never too early to start compiling your guest list. You will need to have this finalized early enough to order your invitations, wait for them to come in, address & send them no later than 6 weeks before the wedding. You may be surprised how long deciding your guest list can take. Especially since you need to coordinate with your fiancé's side, too.

Things that can wait until closer to the wedding include:

• registering for gifts: this should be done about 3 months before the wedding
• gifts for your wedding party & those involved if not getting paid
• Cake - most bakers prefer to meet with you 1-2 months ahead
• Rehearsal dinner location
• Honeymoon plans

Don't forget to apply for your marriage license several months in advance. Also look into what you'll do about insurance, name changes and everything else you'll need to have done once you're married. 

Good luck!