Yes, these habits are also about how to help you keep close tabs on your wedding dollars!  Without proper planning and communication, you could easily find yourself stuck spending more than you wanted to. Make these 7 Effective Habits part of your Wedding Planning Process and the outcome is sure to be exactly what you wanted your wedding day to be!

1. Don’t Procrastinate

We certainly can’t stress this morsel of wisdom enough. You’ll enjoy your wedding far more if you’re not cramming everything into the last two months. It’s a tad bit difficult to write romantic wedding vows when you’ve waited until the night before the wedding to put pen to paper.

2. Find the right Wedding Planning Guide Book

Being organized is key, not only to getting things done but to saving money, and there is just too many parts to the planning of a wedding that it wouldn’t be smart or cost effective to try to think of all the the various details you need to handle by yourself. I highly recommend finding a Wedding Planning Guide Book to walk you through this! There are many good guides out there, but two specifically have passed our test of being a true value. Please see the review of our Top 2 Wedding Planning Guides at our online magazine YourWeddingDollars.com that we recommend to help you with this endeavor. Both these guides cover everything that needs to be planned and organized including timelines and budgets and they help you with ways to find the best deals.

3. Schedule Planning Time

Be sure to schedule meeting times with each other to discuss the details of the wedding: the schedule, the budget, the vendors, etc. Be diligent about keeping these appointments with each other. This is the beginning of another important marriage building skill-shared decision-making.

4. Communicate & Compromise

You’ll definitely have the opportunity to familiarize yourselves with the delicate arts of communication and compromise. You’re designing a wedding that suits the two of you, while taking into account the needs of your families and guests. Through this process of planning and compromise you will learn new ways of communicating with each other, as well as discover areas where it is difficult for you to express yourselves.

Establish a daily ritual to discuss your feelings and share your thoughts. Even if you only have time for a five-minute chat. It is the consistency, not the quantity of conversation that counts.

5. Share the Tasks & Delegate

Long gone are the days when the groom took a back seat and let his rosy-cheeked bride make all the decisions. Welcome to the 21st century. Couples are now splitting the list in half. Brides rejoice! Two people dividing the lengthy task list will not only reduce stress for you, it allows the groom, traditionally the most ignored person in the entire affair, to participate in his own wedding. A novel concept, we know.

Above and beyond the professional help you hire, create a wedding support network for yourself. Make a list with your fiancé of the various friends and family who might want to be involved with your wedding. Give each of them a task, stated as clearly and specifically as possible. Call them regularly to give them your appreciation and to check on how their project is coming along.

6. Be Assertive

Communicate your wishes clearly and tactfully to wedding professionals, friends and family members. Practice saying “no” and using phrases like, “we have discussed this and we feel that” It’s your wedding and don’t you forget it.

7. Take Care of Yourself

Pay attention to the essentials of good health. Avoid caffeine, sugar, alcohol and nicotine, which put unnecessary strain on both body and mind. Eat more vegetables, fruits, whole grains and fish. Get a full night’s sleep to revitalize. Dreaming releases the accumulated stress of the day and stabilizes the brain waves. Exercise is the best source of stress reduction known to man. The endorphins released in even a moderate amount of aerobic exercise can fight depression and elevate the mood.

To keep up with more ideas on how take care of yourself go to YourWeddingDollar.com’s Health & Beauty section.

Pricing most products is quite easy. Determine how much it costs to make the item, how much it costs to market that item, and then mark it up by 15 – 30% or more. Simple, right? Well, pricing diamonds isn’t quite that simple. There are many factors that are considered when diamonds are priced.

Diamond prices are determined first by adding the cost of the rough diamond, the cost of cutting the diamond, and all other costs necessary to turn the rough diamond into a marketable diamond. Depending on the importance of the diamond, an independent company may be called in to certify the grade of the diamond based on color, cut, clarity, and weight.

At this point, the diamond becomes more expensive each time it changes hands, until it finally reaches a retailer, where the price is raised a bit more. Before reaching the retailer, however, the diamond must travel from the mine, to the cutter and polisher, to the independent grading company, and then to the Primary market. Once it has reached the primary market, it will be purchased by diamond dealers and wholesalers, and from there it will be sold to retailers.

As you can see, the earlier you can purchase a diamond in the process, the lower the cost of the diamond will be – but not the value. The value is based on what the diamond will sell for in the market place – through a retailer.

If you own a diamond, and you have no idea how much it is worth, you can have it appraised, but the appraisal may not be accurate. You will be better off obtaining a certificate through GIA – Gemological Institute of America. With the information on this certificate, you can use a cutter’s guide to accurately determine what your diamond is worth.

There are also many diamond price calculators available. These can be found on the Internet, and many diamond dealers use these as well. You must realize, however, that before you can accurately price a diamond, without a Diamond Grade Report, you need to know quite a bit about diamonds, such as different cuts, clarity, color, and weight – and how each of those aspects adds to the value of a diamond, or decreases the value of the diamond as the case may be.

Again, you will be better off if you get a Diamond Grading Report on the diamond, and use that information to look up the price in one of the guides that the diamond cutting industry uses. This will give you the most accurate value of the diamond in your possession, or of the diamond you are considering purchasing.

Proposing marriage can be both a romantic and stressful time in one’s life. When most people think of a marriage proposal, they think of a romantic event that will be remembered forever. When considering making a marriage proposal, one important factor to consider is the best time that you should offer the proposal.
The following is a list of the best times to propose marriage:
Valentine’s Day: This day is always a popular time to propose marriage because it is considered one of the most romantic days of the year. You can pick any romantic place to propose on this day. This can include a romantic dinner, a walk on the beach, etc. A woman would love to receive a stunning engagement ring on Valentine’s Day because it will make the day even more romantic.
Christmas: This holiday is popular for marriage proposals. You can be very creative in how you offer the engagement ring. For instance, you could put the ring in a stocking or hang it as a Christmas ornament on the tree. You could also dress up as Santa Clause and have her sit on you lap and make the proposal. Since Christmas is all about giving, a diamond ring is one gift that will give your special lady some added Christmas cheer.
New Year’s Eve: This is a great day to make a marriage proposal. Presenting a ring will symbolize a start of a new year and a start of a new life together. A great time to get down one knee and present a beautiful diamond ring is right at the end of the New Year’s Eve countdown.
A Special Anniversary: A great place to propose is when you are celebrating an anniversary such as a first date or when you first met. It will mean even more to her that you remembered such a special time in your relationship. Along with a bouquet of flowers, a stunning diamond ring will cause her to be overwhelmed with joy.
Birthday: A birthday is a day full of surprises. Your special lady will be surprised to receive an engagement ring on a day that she is receiving other gifts. You can put the ring right in the middle of the cake and carry it out with lit candles
The Fourth of July: It would be a very romantic gesture to get down on one knee during the fireworks, surrounded by friends and family, and propose to the love of your life.
Easter: Because this holiday is not typical for a marriage proposal, it would certainly make for a wonderful Easter surprise. You can be creative by placing the ring in a basket of Easter eggs or dress up as the Easter Bunny and get down on one knee to make the proposal.
Where, when, and how one proposes is a matter of personal choice. It is important to make sure that your girlfriend will also find the proposal romantic. You will both know when the time is right to start a new life together.