Perhaps one of the most popular and best loved wedding traditions is the pre-wedding celebrations like the wedding shower and bachelor parties.
Usually these parties are supplied by the mother of the bride or the best man etc. Some couples find that they would rather host their own either out of necessity or desire.
Really, it does not matter who throws the party because in the end, it should still be affordable. There are ways to make this happen.
1. Throw a jack and Jill party which combines the bachelor and bachelor party together. If it is hosted at a home, your guests can bring their own alcoholic beverages.
2. Have your bridal shower at your own home providing home cooked food.
3. At your bridal shower purchase decorations that can also be used as parting gifts such as personalized candles etc.
4. Celebrate your wedding at a local pub or tavern.
This will give you the benefits of having all of your friends with you and none of the financial responsibility. Basically this night is no different than spending an evening with friends to celebrate a promotion, only the focus is on your wedding instead. Many couples will do this together instead of a bachelor/bachelorette party.
5. If you or a family member have memberships at a local legion, you can often convince them to let you use their halls for you bridal shower.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
5 Tips for Affordable Pre-Wedding Celebrations
How To Have A Fairytale Wedding On A Sensible Budget
Congratulations! So now that you both have agreed to take the big step and get married – the excitement of a long and happy life together lays ahead for you both.
So now comes the fun of planning the wedding, the big day, the main event! The most important part of the planning is setting the budget.
Did you know the average wedding costs $19,000? So you need to set your budget carefully and stuck to it. If you overrun, even a little, it could cost you thousands of dollars.
Set your budget very carefully – nobody wants to spend every last nickel they have on their wedding yet every couple dreams of the perfect wedding.
Gone are the days of parents footing the bill for the wedding, in fact 4 out of 5 couples today pay for their own weddings. So that probably means you are
Fortunately there are many things you can do to have your dream wedding without breaking the bank.
But be prepared for the hard sell! Every vendor out there just loves it when a newly engaged girl walks into their store – they start seeing the dollar signs! Make sure you shop around and get at least 3 quotes for each service – you will be surprised how much they vary.
Also do not be afraid to negotiate with the vendors. If you find a florist you just love but they are $1000 more expensive - then talk them. Maybe tell them you just adore their work but they are a little too expensive – ask them what they could do to make the price fit within your budget.
Additionally be very careful when telling any vendor the budget you have for their service. Somehow all the photographers will quote you $1500 when you tell them your budget is $1500! Ask them their price first. If they try to tell you they have many packages ask them what their most popular price point is. It also doesn’t hurt to let it slip that you will be visiting some of their competitors as well!
Finally don’t forget this is supposed to be FUN! Your wedding day WILL be wonderful, sure there will be some hiccups, but trust me, in the end it will go off wonderfully if you just apply a little planning and commonsense.
Enjoy your life together!
About the author:
Wedding Budget Planner < http://www.wedding-budget-planner.com>
Maid of Honor Duties
Being chosen as a maid of honor is a great privilege, but it also requires a large number of responsibilities in the wedding planning process.
The maid of honor will likely be spending a great deal of time with the best man, since their duties are often the same and require them to work hand-in-hand in order for the wedding to be a success.
Once you have dealt with the excitement of being part of the wedding party and of wearing a great dress, it's time to start planning immediately.
Here is a list of common duties the maid of honor must fulfill:
1. It is the maid of honor's responsibility to shop with the bride and attend all dress fittings. The maid of honor may want to help the bridesmaids shop for their dresses as well.
2. The maid of honor will be required to help with wedding invitations, wedding favors, flower arrangements, centerpieces or anything else at the bride's request.
3. A large part of the maid of honor's duties requires her to throw the bridal shower and bachelorette parties. The maid of honor will be responsible for planning and hosting all of these parties. If the couple decides they want a stag and doe (as opposed to bachelor and bachelorette parties) the maid of honor and best man will work together to plan and host the event.
4. It's the maid of honor's duty to record the names of the guests at the bridal party as well as their gifts. It is also her job to send out thank you cards to all guests.
5. During the wedding ceremony, it's the maid of honor's responsibility to hold onto the groom's ring (the best man is required to hold onto the bride's ring).
6. It's the maid of honor's responsibility (as well as the best man's) to sign the wedding license as a witness.
7. Finally, it is tradition for the maid of honor and best man to dance together at the reception.
If you are a first-time maid of honor and need help planning there are many people who would be eager to help out starting with the bride's mom or the bridesmaids. There are also a number of Internet resources to assist you with bridal planning and ideas.
The maid of honor has many responsibilities, but it's important to remember that the bride would not have chosen you if she didn't think you were capable of fulfilling these obligations.
About the author:
Samantha Taylor spent several years working in the weddings industry as a wedding planner. When she isn't being a mom of two wonderful children, she works as a freelance writer for http://www.yourwedding101.com
Capturing Your Wedding On Video
Today professional videographers have become as natural a part of the wedding as the photographer. Because your wedding day goes by so quickly, recording all of the activities on video will preserve the precious moments for you and your family to enjoy for years to come.
Unlike photographs, a video camera records sounds, action and more of the overall atmosphere of the event. Rather than focusing on just a few people like photographs, video can easily record a little bit of all of your guests.
The typical wedding video package costs anywhere between $500 and $1500, depending on the quality of the equipment, the number of hours of coverage, the number of cameras, the amount of editing, and other factors. As always, remember what's most important to you, determine what you can afford, and go from there.
Recording Your Wedding on a Tight Budget
If you don't have money in the budget for a professional videographer, you have other options. You could ask a close friend or family member with a video camera to record your wedding. Of course don't expect the same quality and coverage that you would get from a professional videographer. Remember, is an awful lot to ask friend or family member to tape the bulk of the wedding day. So, the best way to ensure that your most precious moments get recorded is to make a list. Pick out only a handful of moments that you definitely want on tape, such as the bride walking down the aisle, exchanging vows and rings during the ceremony, the best man's toast, the bride and groom's first dance, etc. Then anything extra that gets on film is a bonus, but you have the important stuff covered.
Special Touches for the Video
A nice touch for your wedding video is to have your videographer or a friend wielding a video camera pull your guests aside throughout the night to record a personal message to the bride and groom.
This is something that a friend did for us at our wedding, and it was absolutely wonderful to watch. This is a lovely way to record all of your friends and family who attended your wedding and adds a personal touch to the video.
Another nice idea for the wedding video is to record a short message from the bride and groom to each other. Arrange for the videographer to meet with the bride and groom separately right before the wedding ceremony.
Each can talk to the camera as if they were talking to their soon-to-be other half.
These messages truly capture all of the love and emotion of the couple on their wedding day. And they are so much fun to watch after the wedding and many years down the road!
About the author:
Find more articles at www.media43.com
Undercover Las Vegas Wedding Invitations Operation Unveiled
VegasWedlock is an online magazine dedicated to Las Vegas brides that provides Las Vegas wedding tips and tricks, but recently, they have revealed a secret kept undercover for months.
VegasWedlock recently unveiled an additional Web site to sell massive amounts of Las Vegas themed wedding invitations designed exclusively by professional graphic designers for the Las Vegas bride.
The Web site will now be the largest retailer of Las Vegas themed wedding invitations in the world.
The invitations were secretly designed by professional graphic designers who were told not to leak the information about the new Las Vegas invitations to anyone.
The new site, www.VegasWedlockInvitations.com, is easy to navigate and a user can quickly see the wide variety that VegasWedlock has available.
With over 50 exclusive Las Vegas wedding invitations designed already, VegasWedlock’s designers are creating more each month and will continue until they reach well over a thousand.
Within the Las Vegas wedding invitations already designed, VegasWedlock has styles to satisfy any bride and groom’s taste.
They have informal, formal and contemporary invitations along with new collections that they call “holiday” and “location.”
The “location” collection includes places that couples often get married in Las Vegas like the Bellagio, Mandalay Bay, the Venetian, and more. The “holiday” collection has holiday dressed invitations with a Las Vegas touch as well.
While VegasWedlock is the only organization in the world to sell these Las Vegas wedding invitations, they are willing to work with affiliates and help spread the Las Vegas themed wedding invitations to other sites as well.
“We have seen a high demand for Las Vegas themed wedding invitations and want the brides and grooms getting married in Las Vegas to find these invitations easily, without a lot of hassle,” the publisher of VegasWedlock said.
About the author:
Renae earned her journalism degree from the University of Nevada Las Vegas. She is currently a wedding consultant for http://www.vegaswedlock.com
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Should You Send Save the Date Notices to Your Guests?
You’ve probably heard about Save the Dates since they have become quite popular with brides but you might not know exactly what purpose they serve.
People’s lives are getting increasingly busier and more tightly scheduled so that’s 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, you’ll want to consider sending out Save the Date notices shortly after you have set your wedding date, especially if it’s several months in the future or around a holiday.
Proper etiquette doesn’t dictate that these advance notices have to be sent but in today’s 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 you’ll 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.
It’s 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 won’t assume that this is the actual wedding invitation. This is also why it’s 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 today’s 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.
About the author:
Sara Haese is the owner of Printed Creations Wedding Store where you'll find a fantastic selection of wedding invitations
It's the Heart (and heat) of the Wedding Season - Sun Heat Protection during an Outdoor Wedding
So, you decided to opt for an outdoor wedding under the sun amidst the lake, ocean or beach. Are you sure you have considered all the aspects of an outdoor wedding? Did you consider the fact that you and your guests are going to be outside for many hours throughout the day in the beating hot sun? Some people worry so much that it's going to rain or be cold that they completely forget to prepare themselves for the sun and the heat. The last thing you want is for you or your guests to be burnt for pictures and leave the wedding early because they are sun-fried.
So here are some sun protection tips to keep in mind whether you're the bride, groom or guest at an outdoor wedding:
1. Do not tan in a salon or outdoor prior to the wedding. Tanning of any sort is bad for your skin and can cause peeling right before the wedding.
2. If you want to get the outdoor tanned look, opt for self-tanning products that will give you the same effect without harming your skin. There are many lotions and foams that work wonders on the skin.
3. Make sure you apply sunscreen numerous times throughout the day. Encourage your guests to do so as well. Indicate on the invitation that the wedding is outdoors and remind them to bring sunscreen. Here's an idea - hand out small decorative bottles of sunscreen as an early wedding favor for your guests.
4. Try and avoid the sun as much as possible between the hours of 10am and 4pm. The sun's rays are strongest at these times. Perhaps it's a good idea to get pictures closer to the morning or early afternoon, before anyone is too tired (or burnt) from the sun.
5. Pack (and tell your guests to pack) cover-ups, shawls, wraps and hats for protection against the heat of the sun. Shawls are perfect for covering up your shoulders since they are a prime area for burns.
6. The coordinator of the wedding should ensure there are tents and umbrellas for shade. This is very important because spending the entire day in the sun with no shade can cause heat exhaustion and be harmful to your health.
7. Finally, make sure there is plenty of water for you and your guests. There's nothing worse than being hot and thirsty. Lack of water can cause dehydration which can be very dangerous for you and your guests. Have water coolers setup in different areas so they are easily accessible for everyone.
Keep in mind the precautions listed above. It will ensure that your wedding goes smoothly for you and your guests. After all, it is the most important day of your life and you don't want to take any chances of something ruining your special day!
About the author:
Samantha Taylor spent several years working in the weddings industry as a wedding planner. When she isn't being a mom of two wonderful children, she works as a freelance writer for http://www.yourwedding101.com
