Bridal Living

Because your wedding day is one of the most personal and cherished days of your life, your ceremony should be just as special! Every aspect of it – what you read and say, the music you play, the symbolism you portray - should all reflect you and the bond that you share. So make this day truly your own and rejoice in everything that makes your union unique. You can express yourself among family and friends through a personalized ceremony and set the tone of the ceremony for a wonderful celebration. There are many ways to make your ceremony unique and extraordinary.

Share the story of how you met and why you fell in love. What were the first words you said to each other? Where was your first date? How did the proposal happen? What actions of the other say I love you? What does your partner do that always makes you laugh? Have these words included in the introduction or somewhere else in the ceremony.

You can always customize your wedding favors, cake, and decorations to your personal taste and to match a personal theme. If one or both of you will be presented in marriage, take this time to reflect on what this relationship means to you. Include words of homage, amusing stories, and thanks.

Why not celebrate your heritage? Make a list of your respective ethnic, cultural, or religious backgrounds. Research wedding rituals, poets and music from these traditions and create a distinctive blend of words and symbols. Honor both your backgrounds and that way the ceremony can reflect your unique partnership! Go with something new -choose from the rich wedding customs around the world. You don’t need to belong to a particular culture or religion for the rituals to have meaning. Such rituals have been performed for hundreds or thousands of years because they resonate with universal truths about marriage. So be creative and make your special day truly yours and unique!

There are many details and efforts that go into planning a wedding reception. After you find a location for your reception, book the caterer, and hire the entertainment, your focus can turn towards other topics like wedding centerpieces.

As with most wedding niceties, wedding centerpieces come in a wide range of choices. From expensive and over the top to cheap and modest, you will need to search for the option that is right for you and your wedding. Develop a budget and start thinking of wedding centerpiece ideas. As the saying goes, sometimes less is more, and centerpieces are certainly no exception!

If you’re having a simple, elegant wedding you don’t want to have lavish, obnoxious centerpieces that are overbearing and stand out too much. On the other hand if you are having an elaborate wedding affair an extremely simple centerpiece may look out of place and completely lose all affect.

Flowers are a very popular choice for centerpieces, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be creative and different. Try finding unique vases instead of ordinary clear glass vases. There are many options including different colored glass vases and uniquely shaped ones.

The season in which you’re getting married can spark some great, creative ideas for wedding centerpieces. For a fall wedding, consider incorporating pumpkins into your centerpieces. Options include small carved pumpkins that can double as fall wedding favors and pumpkins filled with flowers or candles. Summer weddings have many items that can be used for centerpieces. These include seashells, lighthouses, and other nautical items. These options also go well with beach and outdoor weddings. For a winter wedding, add pine cones or holiday items.

The main thing is to get creative and think outside the box to come up with something unique. If you have an overall theme to your wedding, try incorporating something from that theme into your centerpieces. Of course if you’re having trouble coming up with unique ideas for your centerpieces, you can always ask a professional for help. Florists, caterers and wedding planners are great resources for centerpiece ideas! They have a lot of experience and have seen a lot of things, so bounce your ideas off of them.

Bouquet jewelry is a hot new bridal accessory that accentuates and personalizes bridal bouquets. They also are placed in bridesmaid’s flowers and centerpieces, and are even used for customizing the wedding cake. The jewelry is usually inserted into the bouquet by a six inch post, but can also be attached to stems and hand-tied ribbons.

A popular choice is Swarovski crystal monograms with the bride and groom’s initials. They may choose to use the initial for each of their first names as well as the initial for the groom’s last name. Faux diamonds can also be inserted into the center of each flower to give the bouquet a dazzling and sparkling look.

Besides monograms, most online vendors have a similar selection of jewels such as pearls, bows, snowflakes, bees, frogs, dragonflies, starfish, flip flop sandals, palm trees, butterflies, and crucifixes. The prices range from fairly cheap to very expensive.

The bouquet jewelry should be chosen to reflect the bride’s personal taste or reflect the theme of the wedding. For example, starfish, flip flop sandals, and palm trees would be perfect for a beach themed wedding or an outdoor wedding ceremony. The crystal crucifix would reflect a more solemn and spiritual wedding and could also be used if you’re getting married close to the holidays.

The bride and groom can continue to use the jewelry long after the wedding for holiday centerpieces and floral arrangements. These make perfect keepsakes and will be a beautiful way to remember your special day. You can even match the jewelry to your wedding favors and have a nice collection of themed souvenirs for yourself and your guests.

So get to decorating, not just your tables but your flowers too! Jewelry doesn’t have to be just for the bride and bridesmaids. Sparkle up some fun and beauty with fabulous bouquet jewelry and you’ll have memories and pictures you’ll want to keep for a lifetime!

The giving and receiving of wedding gifts is a long-standing tradition. It is also one of the areas where more etiquette rules are broken than perhaps in any other part of your wedding. There are tips to follow for having a lovely wedding without inadvertently offending your guests. Your guests are not obligated to give a gift, though most do. An invitation to your wedding is a request for guests to join you in celebrating a joyous occasion in your life and it should never be about gifts. If a guest is having financial difficulties or for some other reason is unable to give a gift, don’t worry about it!

So don’t include registry information in your invitation or mention gifts in any way in the invitation. The stores where you register encourage you to place their cards in your invitation because it is good for their business. However, it is not very proper to do so and it offends your guests who know that.

Don’t tell your guests that you want money or that you will have a money tree at the reception. You should not mention gifts, nor should you suggest that your guests give you a particular type of gift. Money trees are controversial and may offend rather than bring in a lot of money. Your guests are not obligated to help you pay for your wedding or honeymoon.

Guests will choose a gift based on their budget and on how well they know you. They are not obligated to cover the cost of their meal and they should not even know how much you paid for your reception. To give out that information is considered bragging and has no bearing on what your guests will give.

Take pleasure by giving to them - since coming to your wedding is a gift in itself. Give wedding favors as keepsakes and send thank-you notes within a few months of the wedding. When the bride and groom and their guests display courtesy and good manners concerning the giving and receiving of gifts, there are no hurt feelings and you can look back on your wedding with pleasant memories!

Using the services of a caterer is a convenient way to handle the food for your reception. If you’re holding your reception at a hotel or full-service event center, the catering service will be provided and you’ll have to use their services. But if you are holding your reception at a venue that doesn’t offer on-site catering, you’ll have the flexibility to choose the caterer of your choice. Caterers can provide everything from appetizers to a full sit-down meal. Some caterers specialize in a certain type of food, such as Mexican, Mediterranean, or vegetarian. So, you should talk with or check out several caterers and be sure that you like their style before hiring one.

Try to decide on the menu as early and soon as possible. Ask to taste samples of the foods that you are thinking about serving. Not all caterers will do this for you, and those that also own a restaurant may require you to purchase a meal. If possible, attend an event where the caterers are serving and, in addition to tasting the food, observe the demeanor of the employees and the table set-ups. Is everything clean and neat? Are the servers friendly and helpful? How are they dressed and is it appropriate? Are there enough servers for a buffet or sit down dinner?

You will need to provide the caterer with an accurate guest count at least a week before the wedding. You should determine if tax and gratuity are included in the price that you are quoted, or if it is extra. Ask what serving dishes the caterers provide. Most will have all the needed serving dishes and utensils.

If the caterer provides linens, ask to see what they look like and what colors are available. If you are using round tables and you want round table cloths, you may need to specify that. These are important tips to consider and remember when choosing your caterer. Menu and food presentation is a key part of your big day. So make your day delightful and delicious!

Your wedding photographer is (in a sense) a biographer who is meant to capture a very important part of your life for you and your family to enjoy for years to come. Therefore, choose him or her carefully! Some couples attempt to lower their expenses by deciding not to hire a professional photographer. They later realize that was a mistake when they have only a few or low quality snapshots as mementos of the big day.

Don’t agree to let a family member or friend photograph the wedding unless you are sure that the person has a good camera and knows how to use it. The camera should have an interchangeable lens that can be used in low light and it should take good pictures from a distance. A person who takes good close-up outdoor photos doesn’t necessarily have the ability or talent to take good in-door photos from a distance, especially with a standard flash camera. Most professional photographers use higher end cameras.

Beware of any photographer who offers a deal that is too good to be true; it probably is! First, ask to see their portfolio and ask for references, and then check them. And of course, make sure you fully know what you are paying for before you sign a contract. You should try to choose a photographer whose personality you like and whose style fits you. He or she will be “in your face” for several hours, so you’ll want to feel comfortable working together.

It takes several hours to catch and envelop all the important pictures at most weddings, particularly if the ceremony and reception will be held in different locations and travel time is involved. Ask the photographer to stay longer if you need the extra time and want the additional photos. You may have to pay overtime but for your big day it is well worth it! So don’t skimp when it comes to your photographer – don’t you want your picture perfect wedding?

The wedding veil is probably the oldest wedding tradition that is still seen in weddings today. Many people used to believe that wedding veils protected the bride from jealous spirits, such as enemies who might try to steal her the day of the wedding. Wedding veils also represented humility; it was not considered proper for women to display their beauty so openly. Even in the past, brides were still considered the most beautiful of all women. But times of course have changed. These days wedding veils are worn to complete the entire wedding ensemble for a bride. Choosing a wedding veil depends on the personal preference of the bride and the wedding dress she has chosen to wear.

For brides with extravagant gowns, it’s best to keep the veil as simple as possible. You don’t want your wedding veil and dress to be competing for attention. Plus, this could spoil the elegance of your wedding gown and you could end up looking too showy. If you want to add a little something to your veil, consider putting a simple ribbon or trim along the edges. If you have a simple dress, without a lot of beading or embroidery, the veil should add the drama. Go with a veil that adds that extra glamour to your wedding look.

It is important that wedding veils don’t hide anything on your dress. If the back of your gown is the center point, don’t get a long veil that covers your back and hides it. Just make sure when looking at veils, you picture your dress in your mind - you want your gown to compliment the veil and vice versa.

Antique veils have become very popular and are considered trendy according to the fashion industry. Vintage veils are also considered to be good luck. Some believe that borrowing a veil that your mom or grandmother wore at their weddings can bring luck to your new marriage. Just make sure that you borrow a veil from someone who is happily married!

A wedding shower is a fun and exciting time for a bride-to-be. The shower is a great excuse for the bride and her family and friends to get together and have a fun time. But planning a shower can take some time and entail many details, so make a checklist to ensure that the wedding shower will be a hit! Traditionally, the maid of honor usually planned and hosted the shower party. Today, it is okay for any friends and family together to organize and host the shower. This usually works for everyone since the bill is split and no one is stretching their wallet. It honestly doesn’t matter who hosts the party as long as the bride is okay with the date and it is planned out in advance. If it’s going to happen in someone’s house, make sure that there is plenty of space.

It’s a good idea to hold the wedding shower several weeks before the ceremony. The bride will most likely be extremely busy the last couple of weeks leading up to her wedding and won’t really want to have to worry about making it to her shower. Wedding showers work better when it isn’t much of a surprise. The bride usually likes to pick a good date and time that works for her. Sunday brunches or a midweek lunch shower parties are usually good times to have them.

Make sure that you only invite people that the bride knows well. A small group of family and friends works nicely. Also, everyone involved in planning should agree on a theme before sending out any invitations. The most used theme for a wedding shower is the “kitchen” theme. This is an easy theme for everyone to find gifts to give, as you can never do without too much of kitchen wear. Also, every bride could most definitely use it in her new home. And you can always match this theme with bridal shower favors and cute décor for a fabulous shower that’s a big hit!

We’ve all seen (or at least heard of) the television show Bridezilla. If not, then the word itself defines its own meaning. People dread her, vendors fear her, friends avoid her, and family members stay as far away as possible. Grooms wonder what happened to their sweet girlfriend, the one that disappeared shortly after the engagement. Replacing the love of their life is a larger than life – Bridezilla!

Watch out girls, this transformation from nice to nightmare can happen to you! Pressures from wedding planning can sneak up behind and take hold of you when you least expect it. Brides too often become overwhelmed and lose it all together. They forget the meaning and purpose of a wedding. Its significance is not about which wedding favors, style, theme, decorations, or flowers you choose – it’s about what comes after the wedding day. The life that you’ll share with your loved one begins once the ceremony ends, and this is so much more important than the wedding itself. A wedding is a huge deal - not because it takes a lot of planning to make it picture perfect for yourself and your guests, but because it is a major life-changing event, a huge first step, and a new stage in your life, where you promise to be together with one person forever, through thick and thin.

So let’s keep things in perspective and remember the purpose of a wedding. This can ease the stress from everything that needs to be arranged and planned for your big day. You should remember why you’re doing all this; don’t go crazy and take it out on those around you. Relax and realize that nothing is perfect - but it really doesn’t matter as long as in the end you exchange vows and end up with the one you love!

Living day to day as a control freak isn’t really hard to do. In fact it’s quite easy to control what you eat, where you go, and what you do. You may even be able to boss around your boyfriend rather easily and get him to do what you want.

But watching a control freak plan a wedding is like seeing how many jellybeans you can fit in your mouth – it’s amusing for a short while, but in the end it’s painful to see and can make you ill. Some women make themselves sick for months when planning their weddings. It starts with the date – everyone seems to think they have a right to an opinion. After much screaming, gnashing of teeth, and a few threats to call the whole thing off, a date is finally agreed upon. Okay, so the date’s set and now you need to move on to the next phase: choosing a reception venue.

Well, that sounds easy doesn’t it? After several trips to the wedding city and looking at various places to satisfy your curiosity (and the belief that the very one you wouldn’t look at would be the perfect one and at the right price) you need to eventually call it quits and make a decision. Then on to choosing all the other details - wedding favors, decorations, cake, menu, bridesmaid dresses, photographer, DJ - oh the list seems endless! And this is when the worrying peaks and becomes very profitable to the makers of heartburn relief medicine. Yes, you reach the worst stage of being a control freak: you literally make yourself sick.

So you need to get some help, and fast! Take a long look at yourself before you hit rock bottom, and admit to yourself that you’re a control freak. Some little known facts about control freaks. It’s not that they’re so self-confident that they believe they’re always right. Instead, they’re paranoid and are convinced that no one has their best interests at heart. So stop the madness and regroup, before you are friendless and lose your beloved from the unnecessary insanity of wedding planning!

If you’re getting married, and have a million things on your mind to make the day perfect, the last thing you want to worry about is what the guests are doing. But guests are the ones who will make your wedding day special! You invite them to witness the occasion, to remember the day for years to come, and most of all, to enjoy the party. The best thing about a wedding, from most guests’ point of view, is the reception. The ceremony is all nice and good; after all, it’s the point of having a wedding in the first place.

From choosing a venue and caterer, to hitting the milestones of toasts, gifts, congratulations, cake cutting, and wedding favors, a great reception is the way to go for the majority of newlyweds and their friends. The best receptions reflect the newly married couples’ personalities and preferences, and involve a key group of people in an organized way so that the bride and groom can spend the time enjoying themselves and their guests’ company, yet leave everyone feeling happy about their contribution to such a special occasion.

Most brides and grooms are far too busy as the wedding approaches to actually plan and coordinate the details of the reception. Traditionally, the primary party planning fell to the mother of the bride or groom, and the maid or matron of honor and the best man. But times have changed, and the people who traditionally planned the reception may or may not be up to the job. They may barely know one another, or live in cities far from the wedding and reception location.

Whatever the reason, there are many things you can do in advance to make sure your special day is still special after the last toast has been raised and the last guest has departed. Remind yourself constantly to dream your dreams and get them into action - you want to remember your wedding day for all the right reasons! As the song says, “Fairy tales do come true, they can happen to you…

Preparing a wedding can be as exciting as the wedding day itself. It all starts from the official engagement, and is followed by setting a tentative date, time, and place for the wedding ceremony and reception. All things should be done according to the plan - from organizing the ceremony to exchanging gifts between the couple and the participants. Children involved in the wedding, such as flower girls and ring bearers, play a very important role during the ceremony. However, the number of participating children is limited to the couple’s patience and resources, since sometimes there are not many kids in the family.

So how do you encourage children to participate in the ceremony? Offering a role as a flower girl or ring bearer to a child can be quite hard. Most brides are concerned about the children’s ages and where they have to walk during the wedding entourage. Generally, children under the age of six are ideal for the role, but of course any age would do; the most important thing is that they are willing and can perform the role well. After all, their age range can fit well in different roles, depending on the child’s desire to participate. But to truly encourage and motivate these children, think of sweet treats like candy canes, candy bars, or chocolates as an ideal present for them.

Sweet edible treats for these cute participants can be candy bars with attractive decorations. Or perhaps gifts that include candy canes and chocolate bars with toys. These are just several ideas that can encourage a child to participate. Edible gift ideas may also apply to make tasteful wedding favors and gifts for the wedding party and other events.

For older participants, fancy jewelries and personalized totes will do. Whether these young participants have different age ranges, their gift doesn’t need to be extravagant. Remember, everybody loves sweet edible treats – candy cane, chocolates, and candy bars are everyone’s favorite. Just add some colorful and fancy shapes on these flavorful treats and you’ll have a sweet handful of goodies for those little darlings!

Choosing the wedding flowers is a big decision for the bride and not an easy one. From the bouquet to the reception tables, flowers play a huge part in making your wedding day look beautiful. Flowers were first used in weddings to symbolize love, life, fertility, and purity of the bride and groom. The groom usually wears a flower that is in the bride’s bouquet to indicate his never-ending love for the bride. Bouquets most often have herbs and flowers in them. Sometimes dill is also present to help promote desire. Flowers are the perfect way to add your personal touch to your wedding day. One of the first things you should consider when looking at wedding flowers, is the color and greenery. The bridal bouquet should match the wedding dress and other decorations that are being used. You can use ribbon, beads, and other decorative items to help with the color. You should also decide before hand if you are going to use silk or real flowers. You also might want to think about the wedding flowers your mother or other female relatives used in their weddings. Family tradition is an important factor in some weddings. You can also decide to use flowers that show off both your and grooms family background. Your wedding bouquet should be something unique that represents you.

Some brides choose wedding flowers to use because of their meaning. The rose is the typical flower used at weddings, but with increasing choices available today, a variety of different flowers are being seen in the bouquet and for decoration.

Flowers play a significant role in any wedding. They can reflect many things such as heritage, personality, and the love of the couple. Choosing the right wedding flowers for your special day isn’t easy and takes some consideration. All the difficult decisions will be worth it when you see how beautiful everything looks on your wedding day.

Planning a wedding can seem like a nightmare, especially when you have to pick and choose over all the little things. Many brides and grooms are overwhelmed with all of the details that play into making the wedding day perfect. Wedding invitations are very important to any wedding, especially if you want people to be there! Of course you want to have family and friends come to your special day and a wedding invitation is vital for this to happen.

These invitations hold all of the important information needed to get your guest to the wedding and reception. Some invitations come with reply cards, so you can figure out how many people will be attending. Wedding invitations come in many forms - basic or intricate, depending on your taste.

Today, wedding invitations have become very elaborate, and require almost as much work as finding the perfect wedding dress. Invitations for weddings come in a variety of color and shapes. There are a number of custom designers available also. If you want something different than the basic invitation, a custom designer can help you come up with something unique to catch your guest’s attention.

Wedding invitations can be tied into the theme of your wedding, if you choose. Things such as borders, patterns, and colors on your wedding invitations can add the perfect touch to your wedding day. You can choose to have a picture of the bride and groom in the invitations or just an elegant script.

Many brides have looked at their bridal bouquet for inspiration for their wedding invitations. It has become very popular today, to include flowers from the bouquet somewhere in the wedding invitation. Some bride’s use a border of their bouquet flowers on the invitation or use their flowers as an elegant background. You can even just include a photo of the bouquet in your invitation.

You might choose the same colors in that are in your bouquet for font or border on your invitation. You can even press flowers into your invitation that match your bouquet. Whatever you decide will be perfect for your wedding day!

Everyone knows that you wedding day is one of the most special days in your entire life. That being so, it is important that everything looks great and goes as planned. Finding wedding favors should be no exception. It’s probably best to put all of the favors you are giving into a wedding favor box for each of the guests. So, how do you go about finding the right favor box? First, look at the sizes of your guest tables that will be used during the reception. Size does matter in this case. Also, look at how your tables are going to be decorated. It is not smart to get a huge box to put at every place setting, if the tables are relatively small. You want your guests to feel comfortable and have room to drink and eat.

Make sure that you choose favor boxes that match the décor used on the tables. Buy something that will complement the tables and not take away from them or the rest of your decorations! You want to consider what your wedding favors will be when deciding on a wedding gift box. The favors, first of all, need to fit inside the boxes. Secondly, if you are handing out chocolate then do not place them in a wedding gift box, because chances are they will melt.

It is easier to fit a few small wedding favors into a wedding gift box, then trying to fit one large favor in. If you are very creative and thrifty, you can try wrapping the boxes yourself. This tends to be more time-consuming than its worth though, so you might want to go ahead and pay for a professional to wrap them. Also, use ribbons to decorate the boxes rather than using bows. Sticky bows don’t look half as nice and always complete the challenge by falling off before they even make it to your reception tables.