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Many couples these days are having weddings in venues other than a church. If you do not know a minister, the internet is a starting place. Do a search for wedding officiants or wedding ministers in your area. You will most likely find several sources with a variety of names. After reading the information about a number of officiants, call several and do a phone interview prior to scheduling a meeting. Ask yourself these questions: Read the rest of this entry »

Not all songs are created equal. The type of wedding ceremony music that you choose will be quite different from the wedding reception music. There is also the consideration on the type of wedding you will be having - whether it is a traditional religious ceremony or a less formal occasion, such as a garden wedding or beach wedding. In this article, we are going to be looking at music choices that would fit into a more formal and religious atmosphere.

Read the rest of this entry »

When planning your wedding you consider the colors for your gowns, tuxedos, and the decorations including flowers. You decide upon the ceremony you desire and if you choose to use the Unity Ceremony, you will need three candles.

The Unity Ceremony begins as your guests arrive. Two small candles are lit in the ceremony area with one larger candle remaining unlit between the smaller candles. Normally the unlit and larger candle is placed higher than the others.

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A wedding takes an enormous amount of time and money.  From the hall to the dress, the flowers, the cake, invitations, food etc., it is wise to save where you can.  You may not want to cut corners with your dress but you can save a lot of money doing your own flowers.

A florist needs to make money and in order for them to this they need to spike up cost Read the rest of this entry »

Congratulations! You have found the man of your dreams and are getting married. What a wonderful time in your life – full of promise, hope, and happiness. Can you think of a better way to express these emotions than through flowers? A wedding would just not be the same without wedding flowers. Read the rest of this entry »

In this series of articles we’re going to cover one of the most difficult and time consuming things a person can do, planning a wedding.

Many people wonder why when planning a wedding you’re told to start a year in advance.  Well, after reading this series of articles you’ll realize just why that much time is needed.  Planning a wedding, for the person who has never done it before, can be an overwhelming and daunting task.  Just making the checklist of things to do can take days or weeks.  Hopefully, this article series will make some of the work a little easier.

The first thing you need to do when planning your wedding is to pick a date.  If you think this is easy, think again.  There are many variables that factor into the date you pick and what obstacles you may run into on that date.  For example.  Want a February 14 wedding for Valentine’s Day because you think it’s romantic?  Try not to forget that if you’re living in a severe cold weather climate that you may very well end up having your Read the rest of this entry »

Wedding tents can be a blessing in disguise and are designed to give you options that you thought were not possible…

You are about to embark on the planning and preparation of a wedding and my guess is that it will be a Spring/Summer wedding, and you are thinking about the idea of renting a wedding tent.  The idea to host a wedding, or at least the reception in the garden, or on a beach, is an idea that appeals to many brides-to-be.

However, the more you have considered hosting your wedding outside, the more you will Read the rest of this entry »

The reception alone will bust your wedding budget if you’re not
careful. Of course, the most obvious way to save money on the
reception is to keep it small. Where you host this grand
occasion could make or break you.

Your low budget wedding remedy? Find a reception location Read the rest of this entry »

Top Wedding Decoration Themes - Easily Make Your Own Decorations for Cheap!

Are you planning your wedding on your own?  This scan be a huge undertaking but also a lot of fun.  It will allow you to customize and create every tiny detail for that special day.  One of the most difficult parts of planning a wedding is the wedding decorations.  If you are planning out your wedding already then you are probably the do it yourself type of person and will want to find ways to make your own wedding decorations for cheap.  Read the rest of this entry »

We often talk about wedding receptions once the receptions are over. The people at the wedding, the wedding site, the food, the drink, the music, the pleasantries exchanged, the bonhomie and the steady trickle of joy of being part of a social event reminds us later that it was the greatest wedding reception that we ever attended. Whom you danced with, did your favorite band entertain. Was the location beside a lake or on a yacht – every detail is embedded in your memory. Later the memories come rushing in to make you feel mushy. Read the rest of this entry »

One thing that you are going to need to think about when you are planning a wedding is the flower girl dresses.  Some people are going to have the flower girls dresses the same as their wedding dress.  That way the two of them are going to look the same for your big day.  You know that when you a little flower girl wearing a dress that looks like the brides you are going to just love how they look in it.  Read the rest of this entry »

How you wear your hair at your wedding is important. Above all else you Wedding Hairstyle has to be comfortable.  It should compliment not only your face but your dress as well.

It does no harm to have your regular hairdresser practise on you a few times. By doing this you may decide that the particular Wedding Hairstyle you have dreamt about having since you were a small child actually does nothing for the shape of your face! Read the rest of this entry »

Digital cameras offer the amateur photographer a great opportunity in wedding photography. The quality of photos made possible by digital photography is astounding. Though it is a good idea to leave the professional photos to the hired wedding photographer, you can still make the best of your opportunity. After all, when are all your friends and relatives going to again be all dressed up and gathered in one place? Read the rest of this entry »

A wedding cake is customarily served to guests following the wedding ceremony. It is traditionally large, and comes tiered or multi-layered. The wedding cake is heavily adorned, generally with icing over a coating of marzipan, with the figures of the bride and groom on top. Other commonly used designs include horseshoes(which stand for good luck), gold rings and doves. The ideal wedding cake has to be strong enough to support the decorations; at the same time it has to be fit for consumption. Read the rest of this entry »

Weddings are a sacred convention that flow from the past, are renewed in the present and bequeathed to the future-a momentous rite of passage, to be acknowledged with the finest human spirit. A popular move from singledom to companions-for-life. Gifts for this occasion highlight joy, good luck, happiness, fertility and success. Read the rest of this entry »

Making a Wedding Speech can be a very stressful event for those involved. To stand up and make a speech in front of any group can be nerve racking but when you consider that those about to make a Wedding Speech are about to stand up before friends and family then it can bring on a whole new set of nerves!! Read the rest of this entry »

A wedding is a ceremony to celebrate the union of two hearts in an eternal bond of love. The words marriage and wedding are synonymous, and signify the fusion of two souls. The word wedding, however, radiates a different feeling. A marriage becomes a wedding when, along with the emotional and sacred overtones, the occasion is commemorated by merrymaking and the environment is charged with revelry. Weddings are therefore occasions where the invited parties (mainly the near and dear ones) come together to express their love and joy for the bride and the groom. Read the rest of this entry »

Bridal showers are one of many pre-wedding parties and are great fun.  They are known as parties with a purpose. The purpose of a shower is to assist the couple in equipping their new home or for the bride to assemble a trousseau. Not only that, but they are a good excuse for the bride to get together with her friends and family to play hilarious games and to enjoy the food and wine.

Did you know that a trend has started for ‘couples showers’? This is sometimes termed as the ‘Jack’ and ‘Jill’ shower where you shower both the bride and groom with gifts and good wishes.   Either way, if you are having a traditional shower party for just the bride, or decide to have a couples shower, then the planning and the checklist will invariably be the same.

Here is an outline of a wedding shower checklist to get you on your way to organising a great shower party.

Who should host the shower?

Traditionally the maid of honour tends to plan the shower party.  But today, anything goes and it is perfectly acceptable for both family and friends to work together to organize, host and share the cost of the wedding shower.  It doesn’t really matter who actually hosts the party as long as it is planned well in advance and normally in consultation with the bride.  If the shower is planned to be in someone’s home, then it’s always a good idea to choose the person with the largest home or garden.

When to have your party

Because of the busy schedule the bride and her family will have in the lead up to her wedding, it is best to hold the shower about four to six weeks before the wedding.  A growing trend is that more wedding showers are no longer a surprise and statistics show that 4 out of 5 brides are employed, therefore it is necessary to include the bride in the planning when it comes to setting a date and time.  A traditional ’girl-only’ party could be a Sunday brunch, a midweek lunch or an afternoon tea garden party.

Couples showers are best held on a weekend day or evening.  The majority of people tend to work between 9-5 Monday-Friday, therefore a weekend is a safe bet in that most of the couples’ friends and relatives can attend.  If you are having a shower party with work colleagues, then the ideal time would be in your lunch hour or straight after work.

Who to invite

Apart from your family members, the host should invite people you know well whether it be friends, relatives or work colleagues.  You don’t want to invite too many people, as a large group tends to split off in small separate groups.  You want everyone to interact with each other and be a manageable size for everybody to play the hilarious shower games and not feel left out.  Taking all this into consideration, a comfortable shower should involve about 10-20 people.

You don’t necessarily need to buy expensive shower invitations.  Another growing trend is that many brides are doing their wedding research on the Internet.  The internet has opened up many ‘cheaper’ avenues and you can now get some great printable-wedding-shower-invitations.  These invitations are customized with your own wording and design, and are printed directly from your own printer.

What’s your Theme?

As with the actual wedding, it is wise to choose a theme before sending out the invitations.  The theme can then be used throughout the shower and incorporated in with the invitations, decorations, favors and refreshments.

There are literally dozens of topics for a shower party theme. The most popular is the ‘kitchen’ theme as there are endless pieces of equipment and accessories you can buy for the kitchen.  The host knows the bride well and will surely fit a theme around either what the bride and groom need, or their lifestyle.  For example if the happy couple are both into health and fitness, then a fitness theme could be an option.

One good idea for a couples shower is a wine tasting theme.  This is ideal for a Saturday night party and I am sure the men will enjoy this one and easily get into the swing of things!

Food, Favors and Games

Food: It depends on the theme and location for which type of food to prepare.  For example, if you are holding a ‘wine tasting theme’, then a finger buffet with crackers, nuts and other nibbles goes down well with wine.  If you are holding a garden shower party, consider light finger food - cheeses, crackers, fresh fruit, mini-quiches, blueberry cream puffs, crab dip and a bacon, egg and cheese casserole and salads.

Favors: Some people choose not to give shower favors.  It really depends on where you live and if it is a tradition in your area or not.  If you do, you don’t have to go overboard with favors if you want to keep the expense down.  Give something small and useful like a scented candle.  Most people like scented candles and they are practical.   A potpourri satchel is another welcome and practical idea.

Games: Everyone should be included in the shower games.  Shower party games are a great ice-breaker for people to get to know each other.  Games can include bridal shower bingo as this is always a big hit as is ‘what’s in the bag (memory game).  Trivia questions about the bride and groom or making a wedding dress with toilet paper are all fun games to be had.

Thank You Cards: Normally a simple ‘thank-you’ was enough, but today, with showers being larger and guests busier, a personal note is the only way to make sure that sincere appreciation is expressed.

Summary

Bridal showers are meant to be fun.  They do need a lot of planning and organization in advance, but they are worth it.  The bride and groom receive practical gifts for their home, and shower party’s are a great excuse to get together with friends and family to have one whale of a time!

About The Author

Claire Bowes is a freelance writer and owner of the Wedding Planning Guide website.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Claire_Bowes

So you are engaged to get married but don’t have a lot of extra money to spend for the wedding?  No problem you can still have a beautiful wedding for nearly half the cost.  The key ingredient to have is a budget worksheet and budget plan before doing anything.  By spending the time to plan ahead and budget your major expenses you will ensure success in saving money.  You will not be caught on a whim and spend over the amount planned.  Not having a plan is a recipe for disaster because this often means you are searching for crucial items last minute which can really add up.

Below are some of the more common categories that comprise a standard wedding budget form.  You will want to at first include all of these categories and then latter you can easily go in and delete any categories that are not needed.

We have given some estimates of the percent a particular cost should be in relation to the total budget.  For most items we provided a range of costs.  If the item is very important to you then you should plan on the higher end of the range and if it is not important much at all use the lower range.  Just make sure that it all totals only 100% in the end.

Location, Location, Location

This is one of the most important keys in Real Estate and in Weddings alike is location.  It is important to leave a category of your budget for the location of the wedding and the reception.

Wedding Site:

There are so many places to get married that the list is endless.  The cost can vary greatly from a simple backyard wedding to an incredibly expensive formal church wedding. Typical costs for the wedding site will run from 3% to 5%.

Reception

The Reception is one of your biggest expenses and should be planned for carefully.  Again the price and percent of your total wedding budget will vary depending on the site.  Plan ahead, do some comparison shopping and visit the a few sites first.  Typically costs will run around 48% for the reception.  This includes the food, site rental, drinks, cake and favors.

Other Important Details

Along with the site rental and reception costs there are things that need to be planned for ahead of time.  These are all included below.  Keep a careful eye out for the things that you think are important to your wedding in particular and things that don’t matter so much.

Attire

The attire for the wedding includes such things as the wedding dress, viel, tuxedoes and bridesmaid dresses.  Depending on your own style preferences and choices this category of items can run between 8 to 12%.

Rings

Rings are such an important symbolic part of the wedding.  You do not want to forget the cost associated with them.  Typical costs will run between 2 to 5%.  The main differences here will be between the metal used and the diamond chosen for the ring.  Design rings and signature pieces can often run 2 to 3 times more then a custom made ring.  Many jewelers are happy to custom make a ring for you.

Flowers / Decorations

There are a variety of expenses in this category which include everything from flowers to reception decorations.  Typical costs will run between 6 to 10% of the total budget.

Outside Sources of Help

Often Deejays and photographers are important to the wedding and reception and a cost that should be figured in.  The prices can vary widely depending on their experience level and other factors.

Photographers

Photographers are important as the wedding pictures will be one of the lasting memories of the wedding ceremony and reception.  It is important to choose a photographer carefully and to find one that you can work well with.  Typical costs for a photographer will run between 9 to 14%

Deejays

Again there is a wide amount o differences in the prices charged by different Deejays.  It is important as always to do some comparison shopping on the phone before going out to interview the select few.  Typically costs associate with Deejays are between 6 and 10%.

Gifts and Stationary

These are important ways to interact with your guests.  Stationary includes everything from wedding invitations to thank you cards.  While the gifts will include the more traditional gifts like the Bridesmaid and groomsmen gifts.  Typical costs in this category run between 4 to 8%.

It is important to work up a and develop a budget breakdown and to know where your costs are going to come from.  Before adding any numbers to your wedding budget checklist you will want to prioritize the budget and develop a worksheet.  Then you can go and start adding in numbers and fleshing out the wedding budget plan.

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Wedding Planning email course. check it out now before the offer is gone. Learn more about
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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chris_Ryerson

There are of course lots of times to host the perfect wedding, but the summer months continue to be among the most popular times for weddings to take place.

The summer months have a great many advantages, and many brides to be would never dream of having their wedding at any other time of year.

Summer Wedding Invitations Are Among The Most Popular

One of the best things about the world of summer weddings is the ready availability of summer weddings invitations.

These invitations can be among the most beautiful of all wedding invitations, and it is easy to understand why they are so popular just by doing a bit of shopping around.

Matching The Invitations To The Type Of Wedding

There are of course many different kinds of summer wedding invitations, and they run the gamut from the most elaborate and elegant to the simplest and most casual.

It is important, of course, to choose a style of wedding invitation that best suits both your needs and the nature of the ceremony itself.

It is important to match the type of wedding to the type of ceremony, and to start shopping around as early as possible in order to get the best possible choice of invitations for your own wedding.

Using A Post Card For Destination Wedding Is Becoming More Popular

There are certainly some unique summer wedding invitations on the market, and one of the most unique are the resort postcards that can be used as wedding invitations for those great destination weddings.

Many of those who decide to embark on a wedding at a destination resort will get postcards from that resort and use the pictures on those postcards for the wedding invitations.

These great summer wedding invitations are a great way to show your guests the beauty of the wedding location, while at the same time giving them all the information they need to attend your special day.

Ideas For Making Your Summer Wedding Invitations More Popular

Another great way to make those wedding invitations even more unique and beautiful is to include personal touches on those invitations.

Including special things like a favorite song verse, a favorite poem or a favorite photograph is a great way to make those wedding invitations even more special and to make them into a cherished keepsake for your invited guests.

Shaunta Pleasant is a professional writer and editor on wedding topics. Visit my site to learn more about planning the perfect wedding at http://www.best-wedding-plan.com/summer_wedding_theme.html.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Shaunta_Pleasant