Wedding Ideas

With all the stress that can accompany wedding planning, its a wonder that so many couples decide to even have a ceremony. A significant amount of trouble that many people experience when planning their wedding is staying within a set budget, if they have one at all. Many people will hire a wedding planner, someone skilled at making sure wedding ceremonies go without a hitch. Hiring such a professional doesnt come by cheap. Although many people consider wedding planning a daunting experience, by focusing on a few important issues related to your wedding you will be able to enjoy a less stressful time preparing for your special ceremony.

Youre probably wondering how you can focus on only a few aspects of your wedding ceremony. After all, the entire ceremony is special, right? While it is true that all aspects of a wedding are important, by focusing on those tasks that involve the most stress you can save time and ease your mind. By tending to the following wedding planning tasks no later than six months before your wedding date, you can avoid some of the stress associated with planning a wedding.

Keeping All Eyes on You
Its a daydream of most young girlswhat they will wear on their wedding day. Bridal gowns are a huge market and you will undoubtedly spend a considerable amount of time selecting the right dress for your special day. Many women already have some idea of the style of dress they want to wear. This can make things easier for you. If you have no idea what you want to wear, you will need to start shopping as early as possible. Before you hit the bridal stores, its a good idea to get a feel for the styles that interest you. You can start by flipping through bridal magazines, browsing the Internet, or attending bridal shows. When you actually visit a bridal store you will be able to tell the sales clerk what interests you. You can select your shoes and accessories the same way.

Performing Paper Detail
Wedding couples often wait to the last minute to consider wedding stationary such as invitations, thank you cards, and name cards. Your wedding day is a special day and your wedding stationary gives people a glimpse into what they can expect when they attend your wedding ceremony. You will need to have your guest list written so that you can have an idea of the amount of stationary you will need to order. As a rule, you should order 25 extra invitations and envelopes just in case you later decide to invite more guests.

Homemade stationary is becoming more popular. You can save money going this route. There are plenty of software programs available to make designing customized invitations a snap. You will probably have to provide the paper. Invest in the best quality paper that you can afford so that the ink from your printer doesnt run. You can send invitations to your wedding three months before the wedding date. If you are inviting out-of-town guests, you should send your invitations at least six months in advance of the wedding date so that your guests will have adequate time to make travel arrangements.

Planning the Spread
Food is a big deal at weddings. Catering is a booming business and can be costly, depending the number of guests and the type of meal you want. If you are planning a wedding during the spring and winter months you will need to take care of catering arrangements early since these are popular times that people plan to have a wedding ceremony and your choices for catering companies may become limited. You should take time to review the people on your guest list and determine if you will need to order special meals. Are any guests on a special diet for health reasons? Any vegetarians? Low-carb dieters? A good variety of foods is always a good idea. Try to find a caterer who is highly recommended.

Once you have these tasks completed, you can continue with the other tasks on your wedding planning list. You can find tips about other wedding planning tasks at yourweddingplanning.com.

yourweddingplanning.com concentrates on planning weddings, budgeting, and providing good ideas to help with your special day!

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Some of the first things youll spend money on when you decide to get married (besides the ring) are the wedding invitations. While you want your invitations to be classy, unique and of good quality, youll probably also want to find ways to save on wedding invitations as well. Here are the top ways to send out invitations that you can affordand that your friends and family will be impressed with.

Keep your guest list small.

The more people you invite to your wedding, the more invitations youre going to have to send out, so take a little time to create a guest list that you and your spouse will be satisfied withand one that will fit your budget. Let your friends and family know when youll be getting married as soon as you can, so that they can tell you if theyll be able to make it. For those who wont be able to attend, you can send alternate invitations on different paper that may be a little less expensive, so that your loved ones can still keep a reminder of your special day. Now is not the time to be extremely politethis is your day, and you deserve to have the people you love at your ceremony. Just because people know that youre getting married, doesnt mean they all have to come to wedding. Remember, the more invitations you send out, the more people that will show up, the more reception dinners youll have to pay forand the list goes on. Keeping your guest list small will help you to save on other wedding costs as well, so choose wisely.

Make your own invitations.

If youre especially crafty or know exactly how you want your invitations to look (and havent seen this look in stores or online) you may want to consider making your invitations yourself. This way, you can save money, and add your own special touches to make an invitation that really is unique to your ceremony and your relationship. Of course, you may still have to ask for help, but if you need friends and family to give you pointers on the invitation design or provide supplies for you to use, you wont have to pay for labor. You can also be sure that no one will have your invitations, and this will be another way to give guests the impression that your wedding will be an event to remember. You can also look online for wedding invitation templates to follow if you want to keep things a little more traditional, or arent quite ready to try your hand at such a crafty task. Here are some sites that may help: www.southworth.com, www.yourinvitationplace.com, and www.theweddingplace.com.

Use less paper.

Your invitation doesnt have to be two or three pages; you can save the story of how you met for the wedding video or the wedding programs in order to cut costs. A single sheet invitation will usually save you money, and looks very classy and sophisticated. If you want to add photos to your wedding invitations, you may want to use a photo of wedding rings, or a picture of you and your fianc as a backdrop, and include all the information about the ceremony on the same sheet. Using one ink color and a smaller border can also help to save money. The key is to make your wedding invitations look interesting and tasteful enough for people to want to attend the ceremony, and you can definitely do this without spending a whole lot of money. After all, you want to save for that fabulous dress and great receptionthese are the things that will keep your guests remembering your day for years to come.

Michael Ferrell is the owner and operator of PerfectLoveLetters.com - Discover how you can quickly and easily create a romantic love letter in only 3 minutes guaranteed to swept your lover off their feet- without writing!

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Youve probably heard about Save the Dates since they have
become quite popular with brides but you might not know
exactly what purpose they serve.

Peoples lives are getting increasingly busier and more
tightly scheduled so thats where Save the Date
announcements come in handy. You want to make sure that
your guests, especially family and close friends, keep the
date of your wedding open when planning their schedules. To
ensure this, youll want to consider sending out Save the
Date notices shortly after you have set your wedding date,
especially if its several months in the future or around a
holiday.

Proper etiquette doesnt dictate that these advance notices
have to be sent but in todays world it helps your guests in
their planning so they can be sure to be with you sharing in
the celebration of one of the most important days of your
life. If you do decide to send them out, you are not
required to send them to every one of your guests but youll
probably want to at least include close family members and
friends. Guests who will have to travel to be in attendance
will find them especially helpful for giving them plenty of
travel preparation time particularly if you are having a
destination wedding.

Its easy to be creative when sending out your Save the
Dates since there are so many different varieties and
designs available.

Magnets have become a favorite selection and why not since
your guests can easily stick them onto their refrigerator as
their reminder. Some magnets have the option of including a
photo and some actually show a calendar of your wedding date
month with your date circled for easy reference.

Scratch Off Cards are a fun, unique way of announcing your
wedding date. Your date will only be visible to guests
after they have scratched off the appropriate area on the
card similar to lottery tickets. They come in great playful
designs sure to make your guests smile.

Announcement Cards can be as creative or as simple as you
like. They come in varying designs, colors and themes from
whimsical to more traditional. Some of them even come in
creative shapes.

All designs are printed with your wedding date and names and
some even give the option of including the wedding location.
Blank white mailing envelopes are usually included in the
price no matter which design you choose. Be sure to list at
the bottom of your Save the Date the added line, invitation
to follow, so guests wont assume that this is the actual
wedding invitation. This is also why its imperative that
everyone who receives your Save the Date will also receive
your wedding invitation.

Wedding invitations play an important role in planning your
wedding, and in todays society, Save the Dates are becoming
increasingly popular because of your guests busy schedules.
You want to do everything you can to make sure family and
friends will be able to share in the joy of your wedding
day.

Sara Haese owns http://www.PrintedCreationsWeddingStore.com where you’ll find a fantastic selection of wedding invitations as well as save the dates and wedding accessories. Sign up to receive the FREE Wedding Invitation Guide.

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Everybody talks about wedding invitations, but what about
all the other terms and items that are associated with them.
Below are explanations of some of the more common terms and
items that youll probably encounter while shopping for your
invitations.

Seal n Send Invitations: This type of invitation is mailed
to guests as a single-folded piece (without an envelope)
having the respond postcard attached to the invitation by a
perforation for easy removal. Since the respond piece is a
postcard, you will save on postage for the return mailing.
Prices for this product normally include seals along with a
printed return address on both the back flap when initially
mailing the invitation and on the perforated respond
postcard.

Announcements: For those who wont be invited to your
wedding but you would still like them to know about your
marriage, you can mail them an announcement card. They can
be printed on the same paper as your invitation but mailed
on your wedding day or immediately after with the wording
stating that your wedding has already taken place.

Reception Cards: If there isnt enough room on your
invitation for listing the details of your reception or if
not all guests will be invited to attend the reception,
reception cards can be ordered to match your invitations and
then be included as a separate insert. Please keep in mind
that this card could possibly add to your mailing cost since
postage is based on weight.

Respond Cards: These cards are essential to planning for
your dinner/reception since an accurate guest attendance
count will be needed for food and seating preparations. The
respond card along with its mailing envelope will be
inserted with your invitation. Remember to include a
postage stamp on this small envelope which will also have a
mailing address already printed on it so all your guests
have to do is fill out the card and mail it back by the date
you have printed on it.

Map Cards:

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The invitation is the first impression of the type of wedding you have planned. Your invitation may be custom made, sophisticated, eloquent or a do it yourself creation. With all the styles and colors to choose from, it should not be too difficult to find the perfect invitation.

Whether your invitation is traditional or casual, you will need to include a RSVP (response card) and a reception information card. Other items you could put in with the invitation are directions to the church and reception hall.

With today’s blended families it is increasingly difficult to find the proper wording for the wedding invitation. Here are some examples of traditional wording for your invitation.

Wording when Hosted by the Brides Family:

Mr. and Mrs. John Snow
request the honor of your presence
at the marriage of their daughter
Nadine Ellen
To
Eugene Everett Banks
on Saturday, the 5th of May
two thousand and five
at two o’clock
St. Paul’s Church
Bellingham, Washington

Wording when Hosted by the Grooms Family:

Mr. and Mrs. Gilford James Banks
request the honor of your presence
at the marriage of
Ms. Nadine Ellen Snow
to their son
Eugene Everett Banks
on Saturday, the fifth of May
two thousand five
at two o’clock
St. Paul’s Church
Bellingham, Washington

Wording when Hosted by the Bride and Groom:

Ms. Nadine Ellen Snow
and
Mr. Eugene Everett Banks
request the honor of your presence
at their marriage
on Saturday, the fifth of May
two thousand five
at two o’clock
St. Paul’s Church
Bellingham, Washington

Listed below are more resources to help you design your wedding invitation.

For more information, visit these sites:
www.WeddingInvitationsInfo.com
www.WeddingPlanningInfoCenter.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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By: Colin Smith

Roses are a sign of love and friendship and by giving someone a rose you are telling them how truly special they are. There are a number of colors of roses available and each one represents a different meaning to the receiver. If you are looking to purchase roses for that special someone, but arent quite sure which color would best suit your relationship, keep reading to find out what each color represents.

Red Red roses are a sign of love, beauty, courage and respect. This color represents romantic, sincere and passionate love. If you want to show your loved one that they are the love of your life, red roses are the ones to choose. Giving a single red rose to someone is a simple way to say I love you.

White White roses are a sign of purity, innocence, silence and youthfulness. They are given to individuals who are shy about love and are used to tell the person how special they are. White roses can also be used in weddings as an indication of new love which is just beginning.

Pink Pink roses are a sign of appreciation and are often given as a thank you. Pink flowers also represent happiness and admiration and are given to someone you love whether it be a significant other or a best friend.

Yellow Yellow roses are a sign of friendship, happiness, joy and promise. Yellow roses are often given to show happiness for loved ones who are returning from a long trip or leave of absence.

Orange Orange roses signify desire and enthusiasm. They can be given at a graduation or a commencement to celebrate the ending and beginning of two different phases in life.

Lavender/Purple Lavender or purple roses are a sign of love at first sight. If you just meet someone and have fallen head over heals for them, show them how you feel by giving them lavender roses.

Regardless of the color of roses, they represent love and friendship among many other wonderful things. Roses can be planted in your garden or kept in vases throughout your home. If you are growing roses in your garden follow this gardening tip to ensure you receive the best results possible:

Pruning Your Roses Using pruning shears, trim your roses around the edges and remove any dead leaves from the plant. Cut out any dead wood, twigs or stems which are cross-growing over one another. Pruning should be done twice a year (once in the spring and once in the fall) to ensure your roses are kept in top condition.

Where you decide to plant your roses and the kind you choose will affect the overall appearance of your garden. Roses are quite possibly the most popular flower to show love and happiness and anyone who receives a rose for any reason should consider themselves a very lucky person.

Colin Smith is a freelance write for http://www.gardenequipment101.com a site that features information about garden ponds, Toro lawn mowers, barbecue pits and more.

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By: David Chandler

The wedding gown is most important choice for a bride during her wedding. Every bride dreams of an enchanted wedding and a beautiful gown is what can make the bride look like a princess.

Choosing a wedding gown that flatters your figure and body type is something that should be remembered. Make sure that the dress matches your personality. Your selection of wedding gown should be based on what looks good on you and not necessarily, what the current fashion is.

Your wedding gown should be in theme with your wedding. If you are having a traditional and formal wedding, you should choose a very formal and full-length wedding gown. If you are having a casual wedding, such as a garden wedding or a teatime reception, then your wedding gown should be less formal. This would include a trendy wedding gown, that is less formal and more fun.

Here are some bridal gown words that you will want to know before hitting the bridal stores, knowing these words will allow you to choose a dress that is right for you.

A-line: a fitted bodice that flares out to the hem creating an A shape.

Ballroom: This is the classic Cinderella type gown, full skirt, off -the-shoulder and a natural waistline. This type of gown is great for the full-figured bride.

Basque waist- the waistline begins below the waist, forming a U or V shape: slenderizing: a good choice for brides with wide hips.

Empire: Cropped body, high waist, slightly flared skirt: not a good choice for brides that are large busted, along with clingy fabrics and heavily decorated body.

Miniskirt- The hem is above the knee, and typically has a train either short or long.

Princess: Slim fitting body with emphasis on the waist. Typically worn by people to give the appearance that they are smaller than what they are.

Sheath: Fabric continues down the body from the shoulders to the ankles for a close-fitting look, with no waistline.

Picking up your dress: It is actually very smart to leave the dress at the bridal shop even if the dress is ready far in advance of the wedding day. The bridal shop should be better equipped to store and keep the dress fresh and pressed.

For more information, go to: www.WeddingGownsInfo.com

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By: Mark Jackson

Just the thought of all the expenses that come with a wedding, can really put a damper on the most important day of your life, especially when you need to work within a financial frame of X dollars. To avoid the stress of facing too many decisions all at once, try making a budget for your wedding.

Start out with an idea of what you have to spend. Keep in mind that you will have other expenses starting out on a new life together, and come to a mutual agreement of what kind of wedding to have. Then list the elements that your wedding will include, and decide that if it comes to a crunch, what items will take precedence over others.

Things to consider when making a budget for your wedding, may include but are not limited to:

Honorarium for church, or fee for other location of the ceremony

Fees for reception hall

Bridal dress

Groom’s tuxedo

Flowers

Wedding cake

Catering

Invitations

Thank You notes

Postage

Photographer

Gifts for bridesmaids and groomsmen

Number of guests

Remember that while tradition used to hold that a bride’s parents sponsored the reception, and the groom’s parents the rehearsal dinner, many couples now choose to pay the majority of expenses themselves.

Settling on a ballpark number of guests will help you determine what size hall is needed for the reception, and how many there will be for the dinner. You can cut costs on a formal wedding by renting the groom a morning suit instead of buying one. Flowers for the church and reception can be rented silk arrangements that will also save you money.

Your wedding should be special, and everything you dreamed of. Making a budget will help you achieve that dream, while eliminating the stress of worrying over costs.

For more free information on planning a wedding that doesn’t cost a fortune, visit http://www.saveonweddingtips.com

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By: Blake Kritzberg

Monograms are a huge trend in weddings, to the point where they feature strongly in some, and in others, provide the actual theme. And whats not to like about monograms? Theyre elegant, understated, versatile, and a dramatic visual reminder of your new life together.

Ways to include monograms

Youll find them popping up in more and more places throughout the reception, and sometimes even prior to it. Here are some ways that brides include monograms:

- embossed, stamped or printed bridal stationary
- custom postage stamps (see www.funstamps.com)
- stationary seals or stickers

- painted aisle runners
- printed bridal bouquet ribbons
- bridal underwear or garter
- bridal handkerchief
- accent to bridal train, veil or gown
- ring bearers pillow

- stamped or printed out-of-town bags
- bridesmaids totes

- guestbook
- engraved guestbook pen
- tablecloths
- chair covers
- place cards and menus
- cocktail napkins
- coasters
- centerpieces
- engraved cake server set
- cake embellishment
- wood, wire, metal, chocolate or acrylic monogram cake topper - monogram wreaths of silk or real flowers
- fabric wall or door banners
- champagne flutes
- bottled water labels
- tears of joy packs
- monogrammed wedding favors: cookies, ornaments, shot glasses, votive candles, chocolates, petit fours, notepads, favor boxes - dance floor gobo projections

How do I get a monogram?

You make it! Many brides find they can roll their own using a readily-available software program such as Microsoft Word or PowerPoint. If youre a graphic designer or have access to high-end tools, youd probably prefer Adobe Illustrator, but Word or PowerPoint are also fine. If youve played around but dont like the results, call on an arty friend.

To design your monogram in Microsoft Word:

Choose Insert -> Textbox. Type and format the letter the way you like it. Do this three times. Now click on all textboxes and choose Format->Textbox. Choose Color: No Fill (so you can overlap letters) and Line: No Line. Select all letters, right click, and choose Group to lock in the arrangement. You can now copy your image into Microsoft Paint and save in several formats, such as JPEG.

To design your monogram in PowerPoint:

Youll want to use Word Art to create your letters. Click on the blue tilted A on the bottom toolbar for each letter. Format them to your liking. When youre done designing, select all the letters, right-click, and choose Grouping->Group. Now you can click on your image and right-click for Save as Image. PowerPoint lets you save directly in formats like JPEG, PNG and TIFF.

Some more design tips:

The brides initial goes first in a monogram. When the bride takes the grooms last name, the order is: brides first initial, shared last initial (usually larger), grooms first initial.

If the bride keeps her own last name, one option is four-initial monogram (brides first, brides last, grooms last, grooms first). Or just join the couples first names with an ampersand (Jenny & Mike).

Some etiquette tips:

Its somewhat frowned upon to use your couples monogram before youre actually married. So, your receptions clearly a green light, but you might want to skip using it on your invites. The ceremony itself is sort of a Ms. Manners gray area. Some brides uphold the spirit (if not the letter) of the law by including the monogram in a not-so-public ceremonial spot, such as a garter, or inside the dress.

Of course, these being modern times, some brides just include the monogram wherever and whenever they want!

Great places to get the fancy fonts brides crave, for free: www.dafont.com/en/
www.chank.com/freefonts.php
www.abstractfonts.com/fonts/
instant.coffeecup.com/content/fonts/
www.1001freefonts.com

An easy project: the DIY monogrammed aisle runner
Its not hard to create your own monogrammed aisle runner, and it makes a big splash. If you have a sewing machine, you can buy and hem the fabric for next to nothing. Now you just need some fabric paint in black or your wedding colors, a pencil, an exacto knife and some cardstock. You also need to decide where you want to place the monogram. Some aisle runners feature a monogram at the bottom, where the procession begins; the top, where the couple stands; and in the middle.

Print out your monogram and blow it up to your desired size on a copying machine. (If your aisle fabric is on the sheer side, you can now trace your monogram directly onto the fabric with pencil. Fill in with fabric paint, and youre done.) Otherwise, tape the enlarged monogram onto the cardstock and cut out the shape with an exacto knife. Trace inside your new template lightly with pencil. Fill in with fabric paint. Follow the same procedure to make your own monogrammed table runners or even chair covers.

The dance floor monogram

A dramatic and memorable way to include your monogram is to project it onto the dance floor during the reception. As fun as this is, though, its not cheap and sometimes not easy. To project a monogram, you need to buy a custom metal plate, called a gobo. Custom gobo manufacturers are easily found online. The gobo itself usually costs over $100, but once made, you then need specific lights equipped with a pattern holder to use the gobo. Its possible that your venue, or your DJ, will be able to provide these lights or help you locate a place from which to rent them.

A final tip

Now that you have some ideas for incorporating monograms in your wedding, remember the essence of elegance is restraint. Its easy to overdo monograms, so mix them up contrasting touches, such as soft and romantic floral arrangements, to warm up the monograms cool and classic feel.

About the Author

Blake Kritzberg is editor at “FavorIdeas.com.” Stop by for a huge selection of wedding favors, Bridezilla’s weekly adventures, and free resources for brides: save-the-date eCards, screensaver, wallpaper and web site templates.
http://www.favorideas.com

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