Now that the Christmas decorations are packed away and the New Year's Resolutions have been made the 2009 Wedding season is beginning!  Yeah!!! 

For those Brides planning on getting married in 2009 if you haven't booked your ceremony and reception locations and wedding vendors yet, I would urge you to do so very quickly.  Myself and  other local vendors that I have spoken too have suddenly seen a huge increase in emails and phone calls from Brides for 2009 and 2010 weddings.

If you haven't decided on a wedding location for a Smith Mountain Lake Wedding feel free to send us an e-mail at kerry@smlweddings.com with your wedding details such as date, budget, how many guests and what type of location you are looking for and I will contact you back ASAP with locations available in our area.  If you are looking for a specific type of vendor such as photographer, caterer, florist, etc. for your wedding be sure to visit our website at www.SMLWeddings.com to find a list of local wedding vendors.  Of course you can also find more information about Smith Mountain Lake Wedding services at www.kerrykeeney.com as well.

Here are a few quick tips when planning your wedding:
1.  Decide on a wedding venue but be flexible on your dates.  It's much easier to change your wedding date rather than find a wedding location so if you have fell in love with a wedding location and they aren't available for your date see if you can get married on a different weekend or possibly even having a Friday evening or a Sunday morning wedding, both can be beautiful times at the lake.  Friday and Sunday weddings are typically at a lower rate as well.

2.  If you are not familiar with the Smith Mountain Lake area but plan on getting married here contact a wedding coordinator.  I'm not just saying this because it's my business but because you can get lots of free information from wedding coordinators so it doesn't hurt to schedule an appointment or give us a call.  All Brides should have a wedding coordinator because we are professionals and have done many more weddings than a Bride has so we can help in ways that you have never imagined.

3.  If you have found a wedding vendor that you love but they are slightly out of your budget ask for other options.  Wedding professionals want their customers to be happy and get what they want so it never hurts to ask on ways to save money. There may be things that they can do to save you money but they need to know that you are in a tight budget situation. 

4.  Use local wedding vendors.  I have done quite a few weddings where a Bride has hired a photographer, DJ or other vendor from out of the state or a few hundred miles away.  Typically the couple then has to pay for overnight costs as well as travel expenses - Shop Locally!!!  We have excellent wedding professionals here in our area so if you are thinking of hiring an out of state vendor give me a call and I will help you get a list of excellent local wedding professionals.

I want to close by saying Happy 2009 Planning!!!  Don't get stressed, stay calm, get organized and enjoy the wedding planning process - it is supposed to be FUN!!!