Because there were so many great ideas, it was hard to pick and choose but here are just a few of the best, and most interesting, ideas, organized by topic.  Keep in mind that some tips fall into more than one category and the tips and ideas presented here are opinions and may not be the best course of action for everyone.  With this in mind, AtlanticCityWeddings.com would like to thank all our readers for a wonderful first five years! 

To plan ahead or not to plan ahead...

• Start planning early to get exactly what you want.  We started a year and a half in advance and still had a hard time coordinating the reception and church for the date we wanted but everything worked out perfectly by planning in advance. 
       - Carla, AtlanticCityWeddings Spotlight Apr. 2000
  
  

• Don't take so much time to plan the wedding.  Everybody is always saying start planning early.  I planned the wedding in about 6 months.  If you don't have so much time to plan, you won't have time to second guess yourself.  If you start planning years ahead you might see a prettier dress a year after you've already ordered your dress.
     -Jill, AtlanticCityWeddings Spotlight July 2001
  
  

• We planned the whole wedding in three months because of our full schedule.  
     -Rita, AtlanticCityWeddings Spotlight Oct. 2002
  
  
  

• We got engaged in mid-May and didn't start planning the wedding until June.  It all came together perfectly in three months.  I think the longer you have to plan the more confused you get.  You just have to go with your gut feeling about the services and wedding professionals you choose.  We had clear ideas about how we wanted our wedding day to proceed and even typed up a minute-by-minute itinerary for our vendors, so everything went very smooth. 
     -Erin, AtlanticCityWeddings Spotlight Jan. 2003
  
  

• Plan in advance.  Organization also helps.  I did the whole binder thing.  I bought business card holders and divided them into different sections and as I went to bridal shows I would narrow down the business cards & everything else. 
     -Kim, AtlanticCityWeddings Spotlight Oct. 2003  
  

Time Management, Organization & Planning

• Do EVERYTHING well in advance. 
     - Amie, AtlanticCityWeddings Spotlight Jan 2000
  
  
• Give yourself double or triple the amount of time you think you will need to do things.  I was late for EVERYTHING in the days leading up to the wedding!  In theory this sounds ridiculous, but trust me, you'll need all those extra minutes!
       - Ebeth, AtlanticCityWeddings Spotlight July 2000
  
  
• Do it your way - don't be afraid to stand your ground if something means a lot to you. 
         - Julie, AtlanticCityWeddings Spotlight Jan 2001 
  
  
• Plan early to get your choice of people (wedding professionals). 
       -Andrea, AtlanticCityWeddings Spotlight April 2001
  
  
• Don't sweat the small stuff - no one will know the difference.
       -Jill, AtlanticCityWeddings Spotlight July 2001
  
  
• Do what you (& your fiance) want.  My first wedding was a lot different.   At 23, what did I know about planning a wedding for 250 people.  My mother did most of the planning for me.  For this wedding - we kept it small.  We had a total of 70 guests including 10 kids - and my fiance and I did the planning together. 
       - Jill, AtlanticCityWeddings Spotlight July 2001
  
  
• Take off the week before the wedding and the week after you get back from the honeymoon.  You'll be less stressed out if you can take off time before and after. 
       - Jill, AtlanticCityWeddings Spotlight July 2001
  
  
• You'll get a lot of advice from everyone but just decide on what's really important to you.  Also, never think you're on-schedule with your planning. One of the best things we did was to have pictures taken on the beach.  It took 5 minutes and now we have a timeless photo that will last a lifetime. 
       - Denise, AtlanticCityWeddings Spotlight Jan. 2002
  
  

• My girlfriend and I were planning our weddings at the same time and we made up three-ring binders with separators.  The divisions were for the flowers, centerpieces, dress, contracts, receipts, etc.  It really helped me organize and it worked great for keeping all the vendors information at my fingertips.  
       - Darlene, AtlanticCityWeddings Spotlight July 2003
  
  

• Be very organized and try to stay on schedule.  We ran out of time for pictures at the church because we only had the church for a set time.  Then, at the end of the reception, it was a little hectic because we didn't plan who was going to take things back.  We didn't plan who was going to return the tuxes, take the wedding gifts back, return items we borrowed for our centerpieces, etc.  We should have planned that out in advance. 
       - Kelly, AtlanticCityWeddings Spotlight July 2004
  
  

Themes & Decorating Ideas

• We had a beach theme and had Palm trees shipped in.  We lit tiki torches at night and we had centerpieces made with candles, sand and seashells.  Our cake was also decorated with sand and seashells.  It was made with buttercream and chocolate shells.   We gave out bottles of wine with netting and seashells glued on as favors. The seating cards were little drink umbrellas with tags for each guest showing their assigned table.  Instead of giving the tables numbers the tables were named after islands I dreamed of visiting.
            - Julie, AtlanticCityWeddings Spotlight Jan 2001 

We incorporated the theme of  "A Perfect Pair" into some things like our wedding favors.  Eric and his roommates painted 150 terra cotta pots we used for favors by filling them with pear-shaped candies so it looked like a pear patch.      - Erin, AtlanticCityWeddings      Spotlight Jan. 2003
		Photo: Photos by Paula

• One of the most important things to us was choosing a wedding reception site on the water.  We even chose our wedding date to coincide with the full moon and high tide.  Both of us love the water, we're avid boaters and we spend lots of time on the water relaxing and fishing. 
            - Rita, AtlanticCityWeddings Spotlight Oct. 2002 
  
• We had a Disney theme.  The tables were all named after parks or rides in Disneyworld and our wedding cake top was Mickey & Minnie Mouse.  On the placecards everyone was assigned a table such as Epcot Center or Magic Kingdom.
            - Megan, AtlanticCityWeddings Spotlight Jan. 2004 
  
  
• Theme: Castles & Dragons 
  (see also their themed favor ideas in Saving Money category) 
  -Kim, AtlanticCityWeddings Spotlight Oct. 2003

 Photos: Foschi Studio & Finishing Touch Designs
Decorations: Finishing Touch Designs

• Theme: Romantic Victorian 
  
  
• We had a beach theme and made some of the decorations.  My Aunt painted seashells on wineglasses that we used for favors.  I made the centerpieces which were gel candles with sand and shells in large martini glasses.   I also made the chocolate seashells that went around our wedding cake.  
  Click Here to View Photo of Table Decorations 
       -Kelly, AtlanticCityWeddings Spotlight July 2004
  

Favors, Centerpieces & Bridal Party Gifts

• For centerpieces we filled a glass fishbowl with sand and added a candle inside.  We made smaller versions for the favors.  (Shown in cake photo above).  I got together with a bunch of family members and some of the girls from the bridal party and it went together pretty quickly with everyone working together.
       -Kathy, AtlanticCityWeddings Spotlight Oct. 2001
  
  
• Favors: Beach bottles filled with wild flower seeds from Eastgatedesigns.com .
       -Darlene, AtlanticCityWeddings Spotlight July 2003
  
  
• Wedding Favors: We tied a toile bow around a book of wedding quotes called From This Day Forward by Susan Wales & Ann Platz and had one book for each couple.
       -Megan, AtlanticCityWeddings Spotlight Jan. 2004
  
  
• We gave all our groomsmen football team flasks from NFL.com with their favorite team and their names engraved on the flasks. 
       -Kim, AtlanticCityWeddings Spotlight Oct. 2003
  
  
• For our wedding favors we made CD's for all the guests.  On the CD we put songs we really liked that were played at the wedding including "Sugar, Sugar" which is one of our favorite songs, almost like our theme song.  We also gave out goody bags with bath soaps and salts for our hotel guests.
       -Danielle, AtlanticCityWeddings Spotlight Apr. 2004
  
  
• Our favors were monogrammed keychain flashlights and Pom Pom Shakers in Gold & Black.  At the end of the ceremony the guests shook the pom poms (instead of throwing rice) as we exited the church.  We found the pom pom shakers on the internet on a cheerleading website.
       -Spring, AtlanticCityWeddings Spotlight Oct. 2004
   

Second Weddings  

• If you're planning a wedding, especially a second wedding, you have to work together.  I'm very lucky.  Rob took such an interest in the wedding planning.  He wanted a lot of the traditional stuff.  When your fiance voices their opinion on something - don't shut them out.  If you're paying for it together you need to plan it together.   It may be your second wedding but its your first wedding with him.
       - Jill, AtlanticCityWeddings Spotlight July 2001

Including Children in Your Ceremony

• After we were married, we did a "Family Marriage" uniting both families as one.  We  gave the girls a ruby ring similar to the one Bob gave me.  It was very special for all of us.
       - Rita, AtlanticCityWeddings Spotlight Oct. 2002

The Ceremony

• Don't feel you have to go for a religious ceremony if you aren't.  Although it's more tricky to arrange (or can be!!) and may not seem as traditional or "ceremonious" as getting married in a religious building, with a little thought and good coordination it can be arranged to great effect.  Mayor James McGeary (Egg Harbor) came out to the Renault Winery and married us.  It was very special and in no way felt odd or less official than a church wedding. 
       - Ebeth, AtlanticCityWeddings Spotlight July 2000
  
  
• Since Rob & I had both been married before and I am Catholic, we couldn't get married in the church but wanted to have a more traditional type ceremony and not just the mayor.  We found the Reverend Jim Belzer through rentapriest.com and were very happy with the ceremony.  After we exchanged our vows, he (the priest) had everyone get up and say vows to support us.  It was so nice because everybody was involved.   
       - Jill, AtlanticCityWeddings Spotlight July 2001
  

The Weekend Long Wedding Celebrations

• The best part about our wedding was the date we picked.  Because we chose the day after Thanksgiving we made it into a great 4 day event.  We had our rehearsal dinner the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.  Then on Thanksgiving we spent the day with family and it was nice not to have the rehearsal dinner the night before the wedding because there's so much to do that night anyway.  Friday was the wedding and then Saturday we had a brunch and watched our video with our family and a few friends before leaving Sunday for our honeymoon. 
       - Kathy, AtlanticCityWeddings Spotlight Oct. 2001
  
  
• We made a whole weekend of the wedding.  The wedding was on Sunday and because it was over the President's Day weekend we decided that would be okay.  Most people came Saturday and stayed through Monday.  On Monday we had breakfast for 140 right there in the Sheraton before the guests left.  We didn't leave for our honeymoon until Tuesday.
       - Danielle, AtlanticCityWeddings Spotlight Apr. 2004
  

Entertainment

• Make sure to get a good band as they set the whole tone and mood for the evening.  
       -Suzanne, AtlanticCityWeddings Spotlight Apr. 2003

Bachelor/Bachelorette Parties

• We had dinner & drinks at Tun Tavern and played scavenger hunt games for my bachelorette party.  It was great because there were guys there doing the same thing (doing similar things for their bachelor party).  
       -Kelly, AtlanticCityWeddings Spotlight July 2004
  
  
• Bachelorette Party:  Spirit of Philadelphia Dinner Cruise
       -Spring, AtlanticCityWeddings Spotlight Oct. 2004

Saving Money

• We chose to spend more on the honeymoon and saved money by making our own invitations.  We bought specialty papers from Pick-Quick Papers on the Cardiff Circle and then used the computer to make our own wedding invitations & programs and spent about $20 total on the printed items. 
     - Amie, AtlanticCityWeddings Spotlight Jan 2000
  
  
• Consider a Friday evening wedding vs. Saturday.  
  Some of the reception sites we had considered had a minimum number of people for a Saturday reception.  Since we were having a small guest list, approx. 45 people, we saved money by having the wedding on a Friday evening.  
       -Shannon, AtlanticCityWeddings Spotlight Oct. 2000
  
  
• We Saved Money By:   Making the centerpieces and favors.  
       -Kathy, AtlanticCityWeddings Spotlight Oct. 2001
  
  
• We Saved Money By: Making the programs for our wedding.
       -Tara, AtlanticCityWeddings Spotlight Apr. 2002
  
  
• We made a lot of things for the wedding, including our invitations, favors and programs.  I don't think we saved too much money by doing that, but we were able to get exactly what we wanted.  Both of our mothers deserve a lot of credit for making the invitations, which were actually three separate cards connected by ribbon.  We spent a ton of money on ribbon!
       -Erin, AtlanticCityWeddings Spotlight Jan. 2003
  
  
• We Saved Money By: We made our programs, favors & placecards.  For our favors I had a lady in Philly (a friend of my husband's family) make Italian Love Knott Cookies.  We put the cookies in boxes that had our name and date on them along with pictures of dragons and tied them with purple ribbon.  I also made our placecards using ivory paper with bows & charms.  The programs were made with ivory paper and a sheer purple overlay with purple tassles.
       -Kim, AtlanticCityWeddings Spotlight Oct. 2003
  
  
• We saved money by having our wedding on a Sunday and that worked out okay because it fell over President's Day weekend.  We also saved money by booking most of our honeymoon ourselves.  We booked 5-star resorts through Travelocity.  We also saved money by renting our centerpieces - (they were $20/Centerpiece) from a company in Canada called Victorian Keepsake Candles.  (Centerpiece closeup).  Another way I saved money - I didn't go crazy on cocktail hour food.  I chose a really nice entree instead of a lot of hors d'oeuvres.  
       -Danielle, AtlanticCityWeddings Spotlight Apr. 2004
  
  
• I did the program for our wedding myself with supplies from Staples.  It was also really nice that the decorations at Buena Vista Country Club were done by my colleagues from Roland Rogers Elementary School.  
       -Spring, AtlanticCityWeddings Spotlight Oct. 2004
  

Money Management

• Plan in advance to avoid having to pay all your deposit money at once - We started planning our wedding in November. (Wedding was Oct. of the following year) What was really nice is that our families all pitched in together to help with the wedding.  For the services and items that my husband & I  were paying for, though, we ended up having to come up with all the deposit money all at once to reserve the date we wanted.  It would have been better if we could have spaced out the deposits by planning a little sooner. "
       -Shannon, AtlanticCityWeddings Spotlight Oct. 2000

Fashion Tips - Bridesmaid Dresses, Headpiece, etc

• The headpiece was borrowed from a girlfriend and it looks like it was meant to go together. It had the same trim & beading as the dress by sheer coincidence.
       -Tara, AtlanticCityWeddings Spotlight Apr. 2002
  
  
• Make sure you have comfortable shoes!  My shoes were so comfortable!  
       -Kim, AtlanticCityWeddings Spotlight July 2002
  
  
• Make sure your bridesmaids try on their dresses when they pick them up.  Two of my bridesmaids went on the Atkins diet about 4-5 weeks before the wedding.  We had already had the final fitting and Marilyn at Something Old, Something New told everyone not to gain or lose any weight.  The dresses all fit perfectly.  Well, both bridesmaids lost about 20 lbs and neither realized how much they lost because they didn't get on a scale.  Two weeks before the wedding we picked up the dresses and they still didn't try on the dresses not realizing how much weight they lost.  The day of the wedding my mom had to pin the dresses because both bridesmaids lost so much weight.   So, make sure your bridesmaids try on the dresses when they pick them up. 
       -Megan, AtlanticCityWeddings Spotlight Jan. 2004

Photos

• Meet everyone you hire as services (e.g. - photographer, venue, wedding coordinator, etc.)  Sometimes the work people do is great, but if you don't see them face to face (especially with an accent like mine!) and discuss exactly what you are looking for, they won't necessarily manage to get the full emphasis.  In particular, it is ESSENTIAL that you get the right chemistry with your photographer.
       -Ebeth, AtlanticCityWeddings Spotlight July 2000
  
  
• If you are having a night reception I would recommend a sunset picture.  Rudy Foschi urged us to get one and that turned out to be my favorite picture. 
       -Suzanne, AtlanticCityWeddings Spotlight Apr. 2003
  
  
• Make a list of the type of photos you want the day of the wedding.
       - Darlene, AtlanticCityWeddings Spotlight July 2003
  
  
• Doing our pictures first was the best decision I ever made.  We started our pictures at 12:30.  The ceremony started at 4pm. After the ceremony (because most of the family, bridesmaid, groomsmen photos were taken) we got to have our own cocktail party.  By having the majority of photos taken ahead of time it added time on my day.  The photographer had time to sit down and eat and we had more time to spend with the guests.    
       - Danielle, AtlanticCityWeddings Spotlight Apr. 2004

Using the Internet 
(With our sincere gratitude to everyone who has found this site useful and for your wonderful compliments. Thank you, Thank You! )

• "I moved to the US from Scotland in March this year and used AtlanticCityWeddings.com for so much of my wedding planning.  In fact, it was my first and last ports of call in the lead up to my wedding on May 23.  So many contacts and tips all in one place." 
       -Ebeth, AtlanticCityWeddings Spotlight July 2000
  
  
• I used the internet to get ideas for hair styles and we got a lot of information from articles on different wedding websites like The Knot.  I also found my photographer from  AtlanticCityWeddings.com. 
       -Kim, AtlanticCityWeddings Spotlight July 2002
  
  

• I'm originally from North Jersey but my parents have been down here for a few years.  I did some planning in North Jersey and then the rest in South Jersey with the help of AtlanticCityWeddings.com.   I also ordered tons of stuff online - my unity candle, a lot of my accessories, gifts for the moms and gifts for the groomsmen.  We gave all our groomsmen football team flasks from NFL.com with their favorite team and their names engraved on the flasks.  We also got ideas for things to make from the internet.
       -Kim, AtlanticCityWeddings Spotlight Oct. 2003
  
  

• I used this site to find my reception site and decorations.  We also used the internet to book our Honeymoon and we found our centerpieces from a company in Canada.
       -Danielle, AtlanticCityWeddings Spotlight Apr. 2004
  
  

• We used the internet a lot, including this site and the knot.com.  We also got a lot of ideas from other brides for photo poses, hairdos, and decorations and we purchased some of our decorations and bridal party gifts on the internet.
       -Kelly, AtlanticCityWeddings Spotlight July. 2004
  
  

• We used the internet, including this site, to find vendors and get bridal show information.  We also found our bridal party gifts & favors on the internet - monogrammed light pens & keychain flashlights.  We also used the internet to post directions to the wedding for our guests and for our bridal registry.
       -Spring, AtlanticCityWeddings Spotlight Oct. 2004
  

Really, how fast does the wedding day go?  
Warp factor what?

• We had a pretty small wedding with 24 people total, including the bride and groom, one bridesmaid and a best man!  It was FANTASTIC having so few people, it meant that EVERY single person there was really special and we got the opportunity to talk to everyone properly, rather than fleetingly.
       -Ebeth, AtlanticCityWeddings Spotlight July 2000
  
  
• Make sure you dance & enjoy the day because it goes by so fast! Don't worry about anything!  
       -Andrea, AtlanticCityWeddings Spotlight April 2001
  
  
• Try to enjoy the whole day.  It went way, way too fast just like everyone said it would!
       -Kim, AtlanticCityWeddings Spotlight July 2002
  
  
• Don't stress and enjoy every minute of it because it goes by so quickly.  
       -Suzanne, AtlanticCityWeddings Spotlight Apr. 2003
  
  
• Enjoy every minute - it goes by so fast. 
       - Darlene, AtlanticCityWeddings Spotlight July 2003