When dreaming about their wedding day, most brides think about such things as their flowers, the first time their groom sees them in their gown, and all of their friends and relatives who are sharing in their joy. What they might not think about are the million question they might have in planning their wedding and all of the final details that need to be taken care of in the days, hours and minutes leading up to the ceremony.

Enter the wedding consultant. A good wedding consultant should not be looked at as an expense but as an investment in your perfect wedding. A good consultant can help you stay within your budget and actually save you time and money. With their talents and resources, a consultant can help prevent you from making costly mistakes and give you the freedom to more fully enjoy your wedding.

A wedding consultant can help you in many different ways. They can be an advisor in helping you plan your perfect wedding. They can be your wedding day coordinator to make sure your day flows smoothly. They can be a mediator between you, vendors and family. They can be your wedding's financial planner to help you stay on budget. And they can be your friend and a "shoulder to cry on" during the hectic days before your wedding.

Over the past couple of years I have had the pleasure of working with some of the finest wedding consultants in both Milwaukee and Chicago. Every time I work with one of them I am amazed at how well organized they are, how hard they work, how smoothly the wedding day flows and how much more the bride seems to enjoy herself knowing that some one is there taking care of all of the details of her wedding.

Besides good photography (of course), I believe a good consultant can be one of the best investments you can make to insure memories of a perfect wedding day. If you would like some help in finding a consultant, please feel free to call me or contact the Association of Bridal Consultants at (860) 355-0464, www.bridalnet.com/abc or e-mail them at BridalAssn@aol.com.