Your upcoming Adirondack wedding ceremony, reception, and honeymoon requires careful planning, patience and time! There are countless joyful details to be addressed, from finding your dream wedding dress, to designing the invitations and deciding on the guest list.

Getting Started
One of the most important first steps for the happy couple is to decide on a budget, and stick to it! Having a clear and realistic financial outline will make your decision-making easier, as well as avoid problems down the road.

Size: What will be your limit for a guest list? Are you thinking about a large celebration that includes family, friends, co-workers and a large wedding party? Perhaps a smaller, more intimate affair, with just close family and friends?

Style: Are you looking toward a traditional wedding, or something more unique? Theme weddings can be memorable and fun, as can non-traditional ceremony sites such as a hot-air balloon, cruise boat, or any number of outdoor locations.

Ceremony: Are you intending on having a civil or religious ceremony? Will there be military honors? What legal and civil requirements are there?

Spend some time with each other and your family members regarding the degree to which they will be involved, both in the wedding planning and in providing financial support if appropriate. Start making some preliminary site visits to churches and reception halls to gather information on what it's really going to cost.

If you have out-of-town guests you will need to make lodging arrangements for them. Upstate NY has an extensive choice of lovely Adirondack lodging for any size wedding.

Consider a honeymoon in the Adirondacks: romance, excitement, and relaxation can be found in many luxury resorts, hotels, inns and other types of Adirondack lodging.

Choosing a Theme
Your wedding in the Adirondacks of Upstate NY will reflect own personality and style. Tailoring your ceremony and reception includes determining the design, color and tone of your invitations, your wedding attire, even the favors you choose for your reception tables. Some other personal choices will include:

Time of day: This may help determine whether the degree of formality, whether it will be traditional or more dramatic.

Location: Opting for a wedding away from home can be a distinctive choice. Many couples find that planning a smaller event at another location allows them to limit their guest list and their financial responsibilities, while still realizing the wedding of their dreams.

Setting: Indoors or outdoors, under a tent or in a posh resort location? Remember that outdoor weddings often include rentals for tents, chairs, tables, etc.

Setting a Budget
Planning and maintaining your budget is an important step in staying focused and keeping your sanity! Once you have an idea of the size and type of wedding you're going to have you can begin to shop around for prices for your ceremony site, reception venue, flowers, music, and catering.

These costs can be adjusted according to the type of wedding and reception you choose, but more guests you invite, the higher the percentage of your budget goes toward your reception.

Choosing a Site
Once you have an idea of the type of wedding you will have, you can begin shopping for your site. Reserve your ceremony location as soon as possible, whether it's a church, hotel, or public park. For park or outdoor Adirondack wedding locations, be sure you have the appropriate permissions and understand any regulations that it may involve.

*Note: If you are considering a more non-traditional setting for the exchanging of your vows, there are several things you should consider. When including family, friends, and co-workers, be thoughtful of the demands upon your guests who may be very young, elderly or handicapped. The idea of a hill-top wedding ceremony in October may be romantic, but your favorite and aged Aunt Agnes may balk at having to walk across the uneven terrain and endure chilly conditions.

Bridal Consultants & Wedding Planners
Bridal consultants and wedding planners can be a huge help in ensuring that you have taken care of all the details. They can be responsible for the planning from start to finish, or simply act as a consultant to help you along the way. They have the tools and experience to save you time, money, and a great deal of stress.

Their costs range from a flat fee to a percentage of the total wedding cost. Shop around and be sure to ask each of them the same questions so that you can compare their services fairly.

Timing Is Everything
In today's busy world, trying to plan your Adirondack wedding and honeymoon in between jobs, vacations, and family commitments can be trying. If you are trying to plan your wedding during the off-season or resort down-times, the choices may become even more difficult.

Take some time to think about whom you are inviting and whether or not they would be available to attend at that time. For instance, if your future mother-in-law manages the holiday decoration department in a large department store at the mall, a Christmas wedding may cause her a great deal of anxiety.

Although weekdays, Fridays and Sundays are less expensive to book your reception, those times can be difficult for many of your guests. Remember to consider school vacations and holidays, when some of your guests may be planning a getaway of their own.

Catering/Selecting a Menu
Whether your Adirondack wedding reception is an outdoor barbeque or a formal sit-down affair, you will need to select a menu. There are many decisions to be made when it comes to the food you'll serve your guests.

Cost: Make sure that you receive a detailed estimate in writing from a few caterers or banquet facilities. Ask for references, and call them.

Environment: if you are outside on a hot summer day, serving salads or meats over a certain length of time can be tricky.

Wedding Style: If your affair is formal, this may not be an appropriate environment for serving chicken wings or pasta with red sauce!

Time of day: An evening wedding may not call for the same type of menu that a mid-morning or afternoon event may.

If you are choosing an independent caterer, make a checklist of questions to ask. What is included in their price? Do they offer linens, candles, wedding cakes? Try to sample their food if possible, and be sure to have a signed contract with all the details clearly spelled out to everyone's satisfaction.

Making the Marriage Legal
Every state has its own rules for obtaining a marriage license. Be sure you check with the city or county where your marriage will take place. There is often a waiting period that may or may not include the completion of blood tests or other physical examinations prior to the granting of a license.