Wedding Ideas

You’ve found the perfect venue: old oaks, a stone wall, a gazebo, acres of fragrant jasmine and honeysuckle, and even a small, clear pond. Now it’s time to take the garden wedding of your dreams a little further. Let’s start with invitations.

**Garden Theme Invitations

The right invitation says “old world” and “hand made.” Artistic? Hand-paint a flower design, scan it in to your computer and fade it into the background of your invitations. Or collect and press wildflowers and violets to include.

Accent your invitations with small brass buttons or charms. Seal the envelope with sealing wax and a seal that ties into your wedding: a seashell, a flower, a swan.

Raised lettering on your vellum overlays makes for a beautiful antique look. And no, you don’t have to purchase invitations to achieve it. You can do it yourself with a printer (ideally a laser printer), embossing powder and a heat gun (or hair dryer). Learn more about this technique:
http://www.paperzone.com/Crafter_Corner/cornerwedding5/print

**Garden Theme Decorations

Look for cozy round tables, and set a large outdoor umbrella over each one. Use several layers of linens; the bottom one a solid color (not necessarily ivory or white), and the top, a coordinating print reminiscent of chintz or calico.

Use unbleached muslin and tulle to set the stage, and avoid bridal white. Choose peach, sand and mushroom tones instead — anything that complements the sepia photographs of forebears you’ll want to set on the tables. Use tea to safely dye anything you have on hand that’s just too white.

For mood lighting, you’ll want pillar candles, but not the ordinary sort — the kind that’s trimmed with small lampshades. Decorate the shades to suit the mood, with silk fringes and braids.

Comb thrift stores for colorful floral china (we routinely find full services there for cheap). Stack a larger, contrasting plate under a smaller. Use the most vivacious color combinations you can get away with.

**Garden Theme Centerpieces

For a simple, one-minute centerpiece, gather a handful of old-fashioned spiral lollipops. Arrange loosely in mason jars.

To get a rise out of your guests, make or buy breadsticks redolent of thyme or rosemary, and display on end in a pitcher or galvanized bucket.

You’ll be in good “chair” when you make these adorable centerpieces: use wrought-iron doll-sized chairs from garden stores. Lay moss or wheat grass on the seat, and twine ivy or flower garlands through the back and arms.

**Great Garden Theme Eats

Concentrate on light, portable finger foods. We suggest:

- Cherry, peach or lavender lemonade
- Chai tea
- A light, sweet wine, like Gewurstraminer

- Prosciutto and melons
- Deviled eggs with sundried tomatoes
- Stuffed mushrooms with feta, spinach and bacon

- Prosciutto/tomato panini
- Curry cucumber sandwiches
- Gazpacho

- Strawberry cream puffs
- Mini cheesecakes

**Express the Inexpressible

For music at your garden wedding, almost anything goes — as long as it’s live. Call your local college for some inexpensive combos. Harps and violins or flutes and guitars — it hardly matters, as long as your musicians can breathe and eat lunch.

Blake Kritzberg is owner and proprieter of FavorIdeas.com. Stop by http://www.favorideas.com for a huge selection of wedding favors, Bridezilla’s weekly adventures, and free resources for brides. For more on planning your garden theme wedding, see: http://www.favorideas.com/wedding-favor-garden-theme.htm

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Gone are the days when all wedding ceremonies were conducted in religious surroundings and required the blessing of God. Whilst the majority of people still opt for a traditional ceremony, more and more people are looking at new and innovative ways to get married.

When planning wedding ceremonies, it is important to think carefully about what you hope to achieve, what sort of atmosphere are you going to create and, indeed, what your guests would enjoy. The wedding day, itself, should be planned with the bride and groom in mind; however, it is always wise to consider your guests. Just think about it, getting married whilst descending white water rapids may not be such a good idea if few of your guests can swim!

Although wedding ceremonies can take place in almost any type of environment, you should ensure that the individual conducting your ceremony is licensed, so that you can be certain that your wedding is legally valid.

People are becoming more and more imaginative when it comes to wedding ceremonies, in an attempt to be different from the rest. Of course, if both bride and groom enjoy a similar hobby, a theme may be very obvious. For example, if you are both divers, getting married under water or maybe bungee jumping if you both enjoy throwing yourselves off bridges!

Not all wedding ceremonies are as dramatic as these, non-religious options; but simple ceremonies, in general, are becoming increasingly popular. Not only are people opting for simplicity, because it tends to work out cheaper, but also because of the increase in the number of second weddings taking place. Couples, especially second time round, are generally keen to ensure that they opt for smaller, elite gatherings of close friends and family, with a stronger emphasis on quality rather than quantity.

Many venues now offer the complete service and it is well worth looking at your favorite hotels to see if they have a license to perform wedding ceremonies. By keeping everything in one venue it will be easier to control the flow of the day and to ensure that guests are not concerned with transport, throughout the day.

Even the vows taken during wedding ceremonies are becoming more modern and tailored to an individuals desire. Those getting married can now write their own vows so that they really mean something special for their individual circumstances.

Arguably, the trend towards creating your own wedding ceremonies allows individuals to really put their own stamp on their special day. After all, it is your day so why shouldnt you have it all your own way?

Elsie Gilbert offers great insights to all different types of wedding ceremonies, wedding styles, wedding accessories. From traditional to the exotic she makes it easy for the bride and groom to review and choose. For more details on all types of wedding ideas visit this site now www.weddingceremonyhelp.com

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These tips assume that you are going to be using your regular hairdresser to plan your style and on your wedding day. However if you plan to style your hair yourself, you can easily follow the same timetable and I have added some extra tips for you.

1. Plan! Plan! Plan! The earlier you start to plan the better. This gives you the chance to get your hair into the best condition possible and to have practice runs with your hairdresser trying out different styles and colors as well as trying out veils, tiaras and flowers. Ideally start this process 6 months before.

2. Collect pictures of possible hairstyles from all different magazines not just wedding magazines and discuss them with your hairdresser at least 4 months before your big day.

3. Each time you go to the hairdressers to try out a potential wedding day style take photos to help you remember what you liked about it for future reference and take someone with you whose opinion you can trust.

4. Make the most of what youve already got, maximize your good points rather than going for a look that isnt really you.

5. Start weekly conditioning treatments at least 3 months before your wedding.

6. Give you hair a break from harsh styling methods and equipment; this will help with getting your hair in tip-top condition.

7. If you are having flowers in your hair have a trial run with your hairdresser a couple of months before and make sure you have your appointment booked for the wedding day.

8. One month before have a trial run with your veil/ tiara and finalize with your hairdresser the style you have decided upon.

9. If you are having an updo on the day, wash your hair the night before as just-washed hair can be harder to manage.

10. Make sure you have an SOS kit on your big day, which you can give to the bridesmaid with the biggest handbag! - Plenty of hairgrips and pins in a matt color in a shade similar to your hair, hairbrush, tail comb, hairspray and shine spray.

Extra tips if you are doing your hairstyling yourself

1. As well as planning your style in the months before your wedding you need to try out various styling products so that you can be confident that the ones you are using on the day will make your hair look its best.

2. To avoid your hair being flat use most styling product on the roots.

3. Hair products from the same range are designed to work together.

4. Have a trial run with your veil and tiara on the style you have chosen. To fix them into your hair, use clear combs and matt grips in a similar shade to your hair. If its practical, keep them in your hair for a few hours to make sure they have staying power and to avoid having a slipping veil and tiara on the day.

Last but not least relax and enjoy your day )

Copyright Skye Irwin, Haircare-made-easy.com, 2005

This article is copyrighted. Please feel free to use it in it’s entirety including copyright information and information about the publisher. Skye Irwin operates the website HairCare Made Easy, you can get her Hair Care Made Easy book from http://www.haircaremade-easy.com/spage.html

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