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Somewhere beyond the stacks of
bridal magazines, the piles of invita
tions and a receipt for gold rings lies
the wedding — a fact that sends a lot
of couples into a panic.
Hie level of planning required for
the big day means tense arguments and
anxiety for many brides- and grooms
to-be, said Mary Wherwein, a Lincoln
wedding coordinator for Occasions by
Design.
“Hie stress on the couple is just
unbelievable,” she said. “When it gets
down to the nitty-gritty, they will need
help.”
Ana mat s wnere w nerwem steps
in. As a full-time wedding coordina
tor, she can be hired to help plan any
detail of a wedding, including reser
vations and catering, decorating, invi
tations arid consulting on proper wed
ding etkgpette.
No detail is too jsupll to handle and
reduce the stress
said. She can even be there1
ding day to ensure
smoothly. 9_
“I make sure the csdbp knife from
Great Aunt Gertie didn’t get left at
home,” Wherweinsaid.
Wherwein can be hired for $15 an
hour, but never charges for just talking
to tire couple, she said. In fact, sire
sometimes feels like a counselor as
“Those last two months right be
fore the wedding, they have their moth
I make sum the cake
r? y''^ | ff09 fof wywjgt ^f» -
&m/e /rom Grea£
Aim£ Gertie didn't
get left at home ”
Mary Wherwein
wedding, coordinator
mothers-in-law asking questions, and
they're like, ‘Talk to these people, will
you!’” Wherwein said.
« “1 kind of become their best buddy
for a few months.”
And Amy Stuart, a part-time wed
ding coordinator for Elegance with
Flair, said cost should not prevent a
couple from seeking her help.
Wedding coordinators can be hired
for just a couple of hours, she said, just
to help with smaller details such as in
vitations. Coordinators also may help
-couples save money because they can
get discounts from wedding supply
stores not available to the general pub
lic, Stuart said.
Stuart said the average price for
weddings she handles in Lincoln is
between $3,000 and $7,000. But some
people pull out all the stops, she said.
One “fairytale” wedding she is cur
rently planning should cost $20,000 to
$30,000 — complete with flowers
hanging from the ceilings and extrava
maids.
For those who think a few thousand
dollars sounds like a fortune to spend
on a wedding, there are many books
available that could help take die place
of a wedding coordinator and help
couples save a few bucks. /,r.
Popular tides at Barnes & Noble
Booksellers in Lincoln include “The
Working Woman’s Wedding Planner”
by Susan Tatsui-D’Arcy and “Martha
Stewart Weddings” by Martha Stewart
Also available is “Bridal Bargains:
Secrets to throwing a fantastic wedding
on a realistic budget” by Denise and
Alan Fields. >
Whether the wedding is planned
with books or a consultant, couples
should be prepared to reserve a place
for the reception long before the cer
emony, Wherwein said. In Lincoln, the
demand for rental halls is high, espe
cially in the popular wedding months
of April, May and June.
Halls that can accommodate more
than 200 or 300 people are usually
booked the fastest, and only a few
places can handle crowds of more than
500, she said.
Wherwein said she’d seen reserva
tions made two years in advance for
prime spots, but the average was 10 to
18 months in advance.
Regardless of the wedding’s date,
place or size, Wherwein said couples
should remember to avoid prenuptial
arguments and tension by finding
someone to help with wedding plans.
A helping sister, friend or wedding
consultant could save a lot of time and
worry for the future bride and groom,
.. ' '" Jpd