wedding-dreamThe moment you have been waiting for literally all your life has finally arrived – your spouse has popped up the question “will you marry me?” and you have happily replied, got an engagement ring and now the wedding date is somewhere around the corner. Perhaps you’re asking yourself how you’ll afford all the things you have always dream of in a dream wedding. Fortunately with the right duration of time, you can plan your wedding in a way that it will be affordable and wouldn’t cost a fortune.

Just like in any other money-saving venture, the first rule of thumb is to do comparison shopping religiously. Never settle for the first offer that comes your way. You should start comparing on all component parts of the wedding from the florists to the caterer, photographer, venue etc. The results of your legwork and patience might be you saving a lot of your hard earned cash in the end.

Its highly advisable that you set your wedding date way in advance so that you will not only avoid last minute rush but will also have enough time to select the best services. Setting the wedding date early will mean that you wouldn’t be desperate for any of the wedding services when the time will come. Normally, the wedding service providers get booked up very fast when it comes to certain times such as the ‘wedding season’ and around other social functions like graduations or special holidays such as New Year’s Eve. Booking and planning your wedding in advance will mean that you aren’t desperate at the time of negotiating with the agency hence you wouldn’t be stuck with an expensive option after having waited for last minute planning and booking.

Another way that you can cost-cut and save some money is to do some of the tasks yourself with the help of your family members, bridal party and friends. Thanks to the increase in popularity of a number of crafts and craft stores, a lot of people are today making most of their wedding paraphernalia such as favors, invitations, thank you notes, decorations etc. The best thing about taking this task personally is that you not only get to save a huge chunk of money but you also get to add a unique personalized touch to your wedding paraphernalia.

For you to save money on your special occasion, you will also have to pay attention to your close friend’s network. A lot of people amongst your friends and family will know someone – a family, friend, colleague, acquaintance etc who has a knack when it comes to a special skill which can be invaluable on your wedding. Having a friend who knows what they are required to do can considerably reduce the costs when it comes to catering, decorating etc. Thanks to advancement in technology and the cheap price of video cameras, family and friends can even do the wedding videography for you, although photography is normally best left to the professionals just in case something goes wrong.

There are a lot of ways to ensure your dream wedding becomes a success without having to mortgage your entire future. With the right time at hand, good planning, do-it-yourself and the right network of friends, your wedding can cost you half of what it would have cost you.

Wording a Wedding Invitation

Posted December 18th, 2009 by cloud

wedding-invitation-cardsEthics is thought to be an art. Nonetheless, there are some forms of art that aren’t similar to those considered to be ethical. It is for that reason that some actions from man have to be in line with the ethical standards as dictated by the innate dignity of man. A perfect example is how to use words in a variety of functions and occasions such as words for a wedding invitation. The main thing is to use words carefully and to establish them correctly in your wedding invitation. The meaning is very simple; a wedding invitation is the first-hand indication of the event that lies ahead.

An abused, unethical or abused choice of words can result to a misinterpretation or misunderstanding amongst the guests. Perfect wedding should define the wedding details accurately such as the date, venue, time, etc. Such things should be  indicated as in some cases guests tend to assume that once they get an invitation to a wedding, they are asked to attend both the official ceremony and reception.

In some cases however, you’ll find that the couple wish to have a very private wedding ceremony that involves only close family members and friends, hence guests are invited for the reception. To avoid any confusion, it’s advisable to state in writing in the wedding invitation the purpose, venue and time. Note that at other times, the wordings can vary based on particular circumstances that you as the wedding couple have no control over. Take an example of a paid for wedding.

In such a case, it’s only good manners to select words that will honor and acknowledge the concerned party. The words however should conform to the ethical standards whereby the feelings of all parties present should be put into consideration while coming up with the wordings. For example, if the bride’s parents are the ones who sponsored the wedding, the wordings on the invitation should clearly state that the brides parents wish to invite the guests to the said wedding.

Equally, the setting of the wedding ought to be factored in when coming up with wordings for wedding invitation. An informal wedding taking place at a home setting calls for an informal casual tone in the wordings. When all is said and done, all types of wordings will be ideal when coming up with wedding invitations as long as the words selected will conform to the standards that the society expects and of course as patterned by the inherent dignity of man. All in all, state the nitty gritty details of a wedding clearly lest the wedding invitation ends up losing its entire meaning.

Symbolism of Wedding Rings

Posted December 10th, 2009 by cloud

wedding-ringsWedding bands, commonly known as wedding rings are a sign of love between two partners who wish to be unified together in holy matrimony. A lot of weddings, if not all, would need rings to be exchanged before the marrying couple are pronounced husband and wife and presented to the witnessing congregation. The ring, due to its circular shape, is said to be a symbol of unending love. The ring finger on the other hand is traditionally believed to be home to a vein that goes directly into the heart, which depicts the intense emotional bond that may develop between the couple. Note however that there are many similar stories around the world surrounding wedding rings.

The history of wedding rings and how they came to be part of the Christian way of life trace back to the 13th century. The pope at that time requested couples who claimed to be in love to wear rings – one during engagement, the other during the main marriage ceremony. The pope also requested the couples to have a sort of window period between engagement and the final leg of marriage. These standards dictates gradually grew into a colorful and accepted way of life, as Christianity spread throughout the world after many centuries.

In UK, USA, France, and Sweden, wedding rings will be seen worn on the left ring fingers while in India, Spain, Chile, and Germany; they would be placed on the right ring fingers. Jews on the other hand would be seen placing the rings on their left ring fingers during the ceremony, after which they would transfer into the right ring fingers. Wedding rings are manufactured using Bismuth, Copper, Tin, sometimes Nickel, Platinum, Titanium and of course Gold. When white gold is used together with platinum, it would make very spectacular platinum engagement rings , same case with Tungsten carbide and Titanium which will make durable, affordable rings of varying shades and textures.

Cheap metals such as copper, Brass, and silver are used scarcely because of their corrosive nature. Aluminum, as famous as it is, is never used alongside other known toxic metals. Surprisingly, the world’s known cheapest allow, stainless steel, seems to be gaining ground of late in the manufacturing of wedding rings and related ornaments because of its durability that can only be equaled to that of Titanium, Platinum,

Even though there are wedding rings valued at $650 and more, one can still find affordable ones from online virtual stores. Browsing through different websites of these virtual stores would shed some light on the varying price ranges available.

Selecting a Good Wedding Photographer

Posted November 29th, 2009 by cloud

wedding-photographerThe big day is finally here and all your efforts of planning your wedding over the past months will be put to test on this great day. Memories of the day ought to last forever, which can be made possible by capturing each moment of the day on the wedding photographs. Selecting a good wedding photographer service is the only guaranteed way to ensure that the memories are captured to last a lifetime.

Inform your preferred photographer on time and furnish them with all the details regarding the wedding i.e. the theme, venue, etc. Telling him the theme will help him prepare camera paraphernalia while giving correct timing and venue of both the ceremony and reception will help him create time for both sections of the day. With a short interval between the ceremony and reception, outstanding snapshots of the events can be taken.

Before you consider a particular wedding photographer for your occasion, ensure that the candidate shows you pictures of a previous wedding that they had taken. This will be proof to you that the photographer is really professional and qualified to be part of your wedding. Never accept selected snapshots of the best photos of different weddings, ensure you look at a complete set, or at least ¾ of a complete wedding set of snaps. A good wedding photographer will pride in his work hence will proudly display to you.

Always be cautious of photography companies that hire people to pose as professional wedding photographers. You should also be hesitant of salespeople who would pose as photographers only to win your project and leave you with poor quality photos or no photos at all. To save yourself money and a great deal of heartache, go for photographers who shoot the wedding pictures themselves for a living. You can ask friends and family for any referrals that they may have of some wedding photography work done to their satisfaction and contact these companies or people.

Before you fully book a particular photographer, ask all questions that you might be having, for instance what the entire package entails, whether they’ll be available the whole day, whether the photos will come out black and white or colored and whether they charge extra on top of the cost of black and white photos for colored pictures. Let your interest be known, whether you want digital coloring and if there is any extra charge that it may cost you. Note that the quality of a picture will develop when the colors of the photo are not connected hence will improve once they are printed.

If you aren’t familiar with the world of photography such as the best type of camera to be used in a wedding –whether it has focal plane or leaf shutter – you can always take a family member with you or a trusted friend with some background knowledge on photography. Request to be shown some of the effects that should be expected from the camera he is planning to use at your wedding and then select exactly what you feel is right for you.

The Best Bridesmaid Dresses

Posted November 24th, 2009 by cloud

wedding-dressCasual marriages are superb for tons of reasons-you’re not stuck sticking to stuffy practices, for one. This could be particularly liberating when you’re dressing your bridal party. It used to be that many girls dreaded being named bridesmaids, mostly because they were asked to purchase an intensely pricey dress that a lot of them would never wear again. Bridesmaid dresses are famous for looking good on a particularly limited audience, typically girls that ladies with tangible curves would feel no guilt about sitting them down and force feeding them potato fries and icecream till they no longer resemble sticks. These ladies can wear just about anything, but girls of the human variety have for ages been pretty luckless when it comes to intricate satin and taffeta monstrosities that we call bridesmaid dresses. The best part of picking out dresses for an off-the-cuff marriage is that your pals will probably be able to wear them again, since they are not sometimes going to be so fancy that your bridesmaids where them once, and the dresses spend the remainder of their lonely existences crumbling in a closet. you need the dresses to be lovely and help create the feel you try to achieve on your wedding day. These are one or two pieces of recommendation from a bride ( me ) who plans a casual marriage ( and yes, my bridesmaids, to my understanding, are pretty chuffed ).

One. LOSE THE LENGTH Your bridesmaid’s dresses do not have to be floor-length.

Tea length dresses are particularly in style now, and they add a fun, light hearted feel to your marriage. Bridesmaids will be cheerful since they can wear them later to semi-formal events. And , most girls like to show a little leg. Two.

TRY MIX AND MATCH SEPERATES Gone are the times when bridesmaids had to appear like back-up vocalists, with matching dresses, hair styles, shoes, and even fingernail polish. Give your girls liberty to choose a style that flatters their bodies, and they will love you forever. So long as you go for one colour family, letting your bridesmaids experiment with seperate tops is a good way to take ritual down a nick and let each girl express herself. You desire your nearest and dearest to feel assured and sexy if you are asking them to parade down an aisle and stand up in front of a whole room. Three. EXPERIMENT WITH FABRIC Lighter fabrics work the best for casual marriages. If your marriage is outside Cor on the beach, as many casual marriages are, you do not need your bridal party to be sweating the whole time. Select a light fabric like silk or cotton. Dress for comfort as well as style. Four. Select a FUN COLOR Classic black or the highly favored chocolate brown are great selections for formal marriages, except for an off-the-cuff marriage, try something bright and fun, like fuschia, orange, or green. If you are not bold enough to go bright, select a pretty pastel , for example light yellow or soft aqua, which can also paint a pretty but casual picture. Five. Keep away FROM Intricate DETAILS The bows, the beads, and the lace have all got to go. To keep your look clean and casual, do not get too wrapped up in details. Intricate decorations are better suited for formal weddings. Besides, you do not need your bridesmaid’s dresses to take away from your own dress, so make it simple. If you are in love with a style with a bow at the hip or a ribbon across the waist, go for it ; simply do not mix bows ( or any accent ) with other unwarranted adornments. Following this advice should help you in achieving a polished but fun look excellent for your casual marriage day.

Not merely will everybody look good, they will many thanks for letting them express themselves and avoiding “One Time Only”