A wedding only really needs a groom, a bride, love, and a minister. If you focus on the other aspects that other people have insisted are important to having a successful wedding, you are just putting yourself through unnecessary stress. Follow the advice in this article, so you can focus on what is truly important on your wedding day.

Faith and religion mark one of the most important topics in marriage. To really comprehend their religion, talk with your fiance, as well as their family.

Wedding dresses are one of the most expensive things to be purchased when planning a wedding. To save money, consider looking at dresses that have the same appeal as a wedding gown, but aren’t categorized as such. A bridesmaid dress may fit the bill and be much cheaper than a wedding dress. You can choose to alter the dress and add your own flair, while still saving plenty of money.

Internet bridal shops have wedding dresses for bargain basement prices, but make sure to order well in advance so that you can get your dress altered before the big day. A certain person claims to have spent only $100 or her gown, but had to spend another $200 to get it altered. Make sure the additional costs are allowed for in the budget.

If you are assigning any guest to give a speech at your wedding, have him rehearse the speech with you beforehand to ensure that it is appropriate. Remember that you’ll have people there from all generations, so keep the jokes appropriate.

Instead of one large, expensive wedding cake, consider serving cupcakes or several small cakes. There are many bakeries that will prepare low-calorie cupcakes for you, or can find ways to cut the calories from a cake. Whether they use gluten-free ingredients, a healthy fruit filling, a calorie free frosting, or something else, it’s sure to be better for you than the alternative.

Flowers look beautiful as centerpieces on the dinner tables, but don’t overdo it. Frequently, these flowers are a nuisance to your guests, since they get in the way. Also, some of your guests may have allergies to the flowers. As an alternative to flowers, place non-scented candles on the tables. This will also help to create a romantic ambiance.

Consider how many people will be dancing at your reception when you look at the dance floors of your possible reception venues. Forgetting this can end with a cramped reception, so don’t forget this important detail. You can always move chairs and tables to have more space for dancing.

If you are having a destination wedding, a good gift to get your guests is a basket filled with vacation goodies sent to their room. Have items in them like disposable cameras, hats, sunglasses and tourist maps of the exciting places that they can visit. You could also include flyers and coupons for local restaurants.

The lighting at the wedding reception venue should be able to be dimmed. This may seem like a trivial detail, but this will allow a romantic, low-light setting for your first dance, while still retaining the bright lights you desire for the remainder of the evening. Talk to the venue owner about the light settings. Don’t rent a venue that doesn’t have the settings you want.

When planning table seating arrangements, try to assign your guests so that there are an even number at each table. Use age and relationship models to help group your tables, as this will help people locate good company.

Everyone knows that a wedding only has a handful of things that are truly essential. Everything else you have is a bonus, taking you from a great wedding to an awesome one. Extraneous features can lend a fancier atmosphere, but also tend to foster stressful situations capable of diminishing your enjoyment of the occasion. If you employ the suggestions of this article, you should be able to pull of the wedding of a lifetime, that still satisfies all involved parties.