Archive for August, 2009

The wedding industry is a multimillion dollar industry and just when you think that they can’t get any more money out of brides, a new trend pops up that is quickly sweeping receptions all over America. The new trend of custom wedding cake toppers is almost a must for any bride at her reception. Years and years ago, there were not very many selections for what to put on top of your wedding cake at your reception. The choices were two figurines or flowers of your choice. Eventually, designers realized that there was a market for customized cake figurines. You were able to have your figurines have the same hair color as the couple. Now, there is no limit to what you can have on top of your wedding cake. With so many different options, you will be able to find the perfect topper for your wedding cake.

A Google search on the topic of cake toppers can be mind-blowing as there are thousands of difference websites with staggering selections. There is a site for the Harley Davidson minded couple that has two figurines on any number of Harley models. If you and your husband-to-be are sports fans, there are many sites that have sports-themed cake toppers. Through this particular site, you can order your couples in different team jerseys or in any type of sporting gear. Some of the selections you can order are football, soccer, golf, fishing, baseball, and even rugby.

See also: unique wedding cake toppers

Another specialty site that was very popular was the armed services figurines. These are becoming more popular with so many men and women in the armed services now. You can honor your husband’s or your own military service by choosing a cake topper in a formal uniform. There were many comments on this site from customers that purchased their cake toppers for their wedding and had gotten so many great comments on their cake.

Finally, there were also sites that offered more whimsical and humorous cake topper. For the whimsical side, they offered Mickey and Minnie mouse cake toppers and even a bride and groom PEZ dispenser cake topper. The more funny ones were figurines of the bride dragging the groom up to the alter and even the bride pinching the groom’s behind. At last, brides all over the world can really make their cake as special and unique as they are for their special day that they’ve been dreaming about for years.

Wedding invitation planning…you may not realize just how many steps there really are to organizing and preparing your invitations. From creating your guest list to finalizing all your ceremony and reception details, many things affect your wedding invitation preparations.

There really are no absolute deadlines for many of the steps in your wedding invitation process. With so many other things on your mind, there are some general timeframes to keep in mind to avoid last-minute rushing.

Here is a basic timeline to simply use as a guideline for your invitation planning:

9 months – 1 year

  • Begin working on your guest list so you will know how many wedding invites (and maybe save the dates) to eventually order (one per single adult, couple or family invited).
  • Start your wedding invitation shopping so you can narrow your choices down to only your favorites. Be sure to order samples, which are usually blank, so you can personally see the paper and design.
  • If you are planning to mail out save the date cards to guests, begin searching for your preferred design of them as well.

7 to 8 months

  • If you will be sending save the dates, place your order based on the number of guests to whom you will be mailing them as they are optional.
  • Review sample wedding invitation verses and give some thought as to how your wording will read.

6 months

  • If sending save the dates, prepare and mail them.
  • Select your wedding invitation design and gather all the details that will be printed on them such as date, times, name and address of location(s), etc.
  • Determine if you will also be ordering any invitation enclosures or added options – response cards, reception cards, direction/map cards, pre-printed return address on envelopes, decorative envelope seals, colored lining for inner envelopes, matching thank you or informal cards. Some of these options may not be available depending on your chosen style. You may also be able to order matching menu, table and place cards for your design. You will save on separate shipping costs by purchasing as many items as you can all in the same order.
  • If you are including response cards, check with your dinner location to see how far in advance they need your final guest count so you can select the RSPV date that will be printed on them (typically 2-3 weeks before wedding). You also need to decide whose address will be printed on the response envelope or postcard meaning they will receive the replies.

4-5 months

  • Finalize your wording and place your wedding invitation order. Remember to order some extras now so you won’t run out if there are last-minute guests to invite and so you also have a few as souvenirs. If the option is available, order some extra envelopes just to be safe.
  • Check your guest list making sure you have complete addresses for everyone.
  • Consider mailing your wedding invites using custom wedding stamps. Many online retailers give you the option of choosing from pre-designed wedding postage or simply uploading a photo to create your own stamp design. NOTE – Be sure to have one of your ready-to-mail invitations weighed at a Post Office BEFORE you purchase any postage stamps to make sure you are using the correct amount for each invitation.

3-4 months

  • Fold and/or assemble your wedding invitations, if necessary.
  • Hand address mailing envelopes and write guest names on inside envelopes, if they are included.
  • Purchase and apply postage stamps to the response card envelopes or response postcards, if they will be included.
  • Assemble all wedding invitation pieces and insert them into already addressed envelopes.
  • Take one fully assembled and sealed invitation to the Post Office to have it weighed to determine the correct amount of postage needed.
  • Purchase your stamps or order custom wedding stamps with appropriate postage amount required for mailing.

6-8 weeks

  • Seal the envelopes, apply postage stamps and mail them all at the same time directly at a Post Office location.

3-4 weeks

  • Prepare and mail any other related wedding invitations…rehearsal dinner, post-wedding brunch, etc.
  • Keep track of the response cards as they are returned by checking off their names from your guest list.

2-3 weeks

  • Contact any guests who didn’t mail back their response cards.
  • Provide final guest count to reception/dinner location.

That pretty much takes care of everything related to your invitations prior to your wedding. The only thing left to do is to write and mail out your wedding thank you cards, especially if you ordered them with your wedding invitations. They should be written and mailed out to guests about a month after the wedding and no longer than months later.

Again, this is just a guideline for your wedding invitations process but hopefully it will help you stay organized which is the key for all of your wedding planning. 

India is known for its rich cultural heritage and diversity. Likewise, Indian weddings draw a lot of attention by virtue of being a long lasting lavish affair. Stated below are some fun facts about Indian ‘Hindu’ weddings, the most elaborate of all Indian weddings:

1. Indian Hindu weddings can take place only on the days that are declared auspicious according to the astrologers. The families are required to consult with the priest, in order to determine the best date for the wedding ceremony.

2. In most Hindu families, it is important to determine the horoscope compatibility of the bride and the groom, before they can actually tie the knot. The families want to know whether the two people getting into matrimony will have a harmonious and long lasting marriage. The horoscopes also supposedly forecast if there is any possibility that the groom’s stars jeopardize the life of the bride in the course of marriage, or vice versa.

3. An Indian Hindu wedding is a long affair. The wedding can take place days or months after the actual engagement, or ring ceremony, that takes place in the presence of all important family members.

4. Before the wedding, numerous other ceremonies and events can be observed by the Indian families, according to their social and financial status. In a lavish affair, the ‘mehendi’ or henna evening and bridal shower precede the wedding ceremony.

5. The traditional ‘mehendi’ event is held at the bride’s place, where all the female relatives and friends of the bride team up to paint her hands with mehendi or henna. They make beautiful designs on the bride’s hands and feet, and often include the groom’s name in their art.

6. Since most Indian weddings take place overnight, and the rituals last for hours, the entire day of the wedding is spent in beautifying the bride and the groom. Turmeric paste, which has herbal healing and cleansing properties according to Ayurveda, is rubbed all over the bodies of the couple. Turmeric lightens the skin and brings a golden glow to it. These efforts are essential as the Indian people are always expected to look their very best and most radiant during their wedding.

7. Both the bride and the groom are not allowed to meet each other or even leave the house after the turmeric application ritual.

8. The family of the groom arrives at the bride’s house, amidst a blaze of dancing and singing. The procession, which is called the ‘Baraat’, is welcomed lavishly by the bride’s family with gifts flowers and garlands.

9. The wedding takes place in two parts. The onstage event pertains with the bride and the groom exchanging garlands in front of friends and families. This event is followed by a reception and photo sessions. Later, after dinner, the families go ahead to perform the actual ceremony, where the groom and the bride walk around the fire seven times, and each round corresponds to a marriage vow, which they promise to abide by.

10. Towards the end of the ceremony, the groom sprinkles ‘Sindoor’, which is a red holy powder, in the bride’s hair parting. Being a symbol of marriage, the ‘Sindoor’ is supposed to adorn the bride’s head as long as she remains married.

Find out more facts and quizzes or dive into world of fun general knowledge!

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/weddings-articles/interesting-facts-about-indian-hindu-weddings-1177668.html

Although a wedding bridal bouquet is the most common choice for brides, it does not have to be the only choice in the flower arrangement that she carries down the aisle.  In some cases the bride will choose to carry only a single flower that has a ribbon tied to it.  In other cases, she may choose to have a wrist corsage instead of a wedding bridal bouquet.  However, the most common flowers that the bride uses to accent her wedding gown is a wedding bridal bouquet made up of flowers of her choice to match the occasion.  There are wedding bridal bouquets to match every season of the year.Traditionally we have seasonal flowers which grow in different months of the year among them rose is the only common flower that can be used at any time of year.  There are also tropical wedding bouquets that create an exotic look for the summer season of the year.  Whatever the choice, the bride wants her wedding bridal bouquet to be a beautiful highlight to her dress and entire look for the day.

Shapes Of Wedding Bridal Bouquet

There are many different shapes that the wedding bridal bouquet can come in.  One of these shapes is the fan shape.  In this arrangement, as the name suggests, the flowers are arranged on a plastic fan so that they take on the appearance of the fan itself.  There is also a teardrop bouquet that is actually formed in the shape of a teardrop.  This bouquet is similar to the cascading bouquet, but it ends in a point at the bottom rather than the waterfall look of the cascading bouquet.  Another unique choice in a wedding bridal bouquet is a pomander.  The pomander is not seen very often, but it is a fun way to carry a bouquet.  The pomander is made up of a ball of flowers where there is not a stem showing.In front of the bride there is a ribbon attached to the bouquet that waves in her hand.

There are other types of wedding bridal bouquets that are a mix of different shapes and flowers.It looks like while on excursion, wildflowers were picked to prepare a bouquet.  There are others that are worn on the wrist so that the bride’s hands are free at all times, rather than being taken up by the bouquet.  Since wedding bridal bouquets can be very expensive, an option to save money is to use a silk wedding bridal bouquet.  These bouquets will last forever and are significantly less expensive than using live flowers.  In addition, these bouquets, when made well, are often hard to tell the difference between the real flowers and the fake.

Swarovski Crystal Wedding Jewelry

If you talk to just about any bride she will tell you that her wedding dress was beautiful the first time she tried it on, but when she tried it on with her wedding jewelry it was breathtaking.A stunning combination is the tieing together of the perfect wedding gown with matching jewelry that makes everything come together so that the bride sees the picture she has thought about all her life.  Many brides-to-be know that jewelry is important but they downplay it because they don’t have the funds to buy the items that they want, or at least that is what they think.
Many brides and grooms plan their wedding and they lose sight of one thing and that is the fact that their wedding day is just that, one day.If you will remember this as you go to seach for your wedding jewelry you will be confident that you can economically purchase wedding jewelry.  Instead, you can shop for affordable pieces, which if they were worn every day wouldn’t look good but would look beautiful just once. Lacking special pieces of jewelry that you can borrow from friends or members of your family, and lacking a veryy large amount of money to spend on jewelry just for the wedding, you should not get hysterical;instead, just take the time to look at a variety of stores.
If you are really stretched with the finances and it is not possible to borrow jewelry from close friends or family you will will be able to find enough jewelry to meet your needs for less than $75.While sounding cheap, you may want to spend time looking at super stores that are local to see what bridal jewelry they offer being confident that no one will will really know.just take time to look for the kinds of jewelry that you think is great and that will also look great with your gown and nothing else matters.  You don’t need to spend thousands.  If you find a pair of inexpensive Swarovski crystal wedding earrings that you love and you think will look great, then go for it! When you are buying your wedding jewelry it shouldn’t be about cost but about what you are comfortable with both where price and style are concerned.It is eye opening how much you can get with only a few dollars if you just look these days.   
You do not have to let a frugal budget prevent you from having the wedding jewelry you would like to have on your wedding day.The man made crystals from Swarovski and others are as stunning as the ones found in nature and unless you let your friends know they would not know the difference!

New York City is one of the most populated places in the USA. It is the principal centre which deals in finance, business, commerce and trade. It is among the most recognized and well liked tourist hotspots on the globe. It has a superb record of witnessing the inflow of billions of tourist every year to this place which includes corporate executives, professional and businessmen too every year.

Donning a very elegant white dress with a beaming smile on her beautiful face, the bride, standing at the front of her loved and dear ones, says “I do”. This paranormal instant of love is completely full of delight and pleasure and it truly feels superb to observe this holy representation of love and care. A wedding is one of the most significant days in the entire life of any couple. It is always cherished and remembered by them and everyone present as long as they exist. There is not anything more exceptional to them then their memoirs. NYC is the wedding capital. The City is cool and fun and there are numerous things for your guests and families to do at the City. It is a stunning city with some remarkable scenery and it is filled with a great romance and enthusiasm. Not merely the people of New York City, but the people from all over the world visit this place to get married as it is truly a heaven to celebrate your biggest day of life.

Thousands of weddings take place in New York City each year. The wedding planning in NYC is done with utmost efficiency. It has always delivered the finest weddings which are remembered for the lifetime. As a matter of fact, a lot of big celebrities personally choose the venues in NYC as the wedding planning which is done here is simply amazing and hassle free. Thus, if you are looking for a place to get married; move to NYC and cherish your entire life with its sweet memories.

For more information about event planning, please visit our website.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/weddings-articles/plan-your-wedding-in-nyc-to-make-it-a-memorable-day-1160370.html

Your wedding invitation is truly a one-of-a-kind remembrance of your special day since it provides a record of some of the most important details.  It is always recommended that a few extra invitations be ordered to save as souvenirs of your wedding, but chances are they will be placed in your wedding album and eventually packed away. 

Why not create a memento of your wedding invitation that is more permanent and can be easily displayed in your home as a special remembrance.  Especially because your invitation text includes all the formal details of your wedding day – day and date, time of ceremony, time of reception, name and address of ceremony location, name and address of reception location – as well as possibly a special verse or quote chosen by you and your fiance.  The invitation design itself may also be symbolic of the colors or theme of your wedding.

Having your invitation wording permanently imprinted on a keepsake item is a wonderful way to uniquely commemorate your wedding day.  Here are some suggested items that can be engraved with your wedding invitation verse:

·  Photo Album – A great way to personalize a wedding album is to have your invitation wording elegantly engraved on the front cover.  This way every time you look through your cherished wedding pictures you will be able to see your invitation verse too.

·  Wedding Invitation Frame – Create a lasting symbol by using a beautiful glass frame to display your favorite wedding photo as well as feature your delicately etched invitation verse.              

·  Glass Block – A simple, but elegant, glass or lucite sculpture piece can be engraved with your wedding invitation text creating an exquisite symbol of your special day.

·  Commemorative Plate – Easily hung on a wall or placed on an easel for table-top display, a decorative plate engraved or etched with your invitation verse will make a wonderful memento for years to come.

With all of your planning and preparations, creating a wedding invitation keepsake may not be a high priority before your wedding, but this is easily something you can have designed later since you may even receive one of these personalized items as a wedding gift. 

Your wedding is without a doubt one of the most important days of your life so give some thought to creating a lasting souvenir of your wedding invitation to preserve all the details of your special day.  As the years go by, you will undoubtedly be glad you did.

The choice in a wedding florist is an important one.  The wedding flowers can be very expensive and can take up much more than the traditional seven percent of the wedding budget if the bride and groom are not careful.  There are some rose wedding bouquets that can be used for the bride only and can take up that much of the budget, depending on the type of arrangement and the time of the year that the wedding will take place.  There are other rose wedding bouquets that are not as expensive because they are made from silk flowers.  Even though they are silk, if the florist is good, the silk rose wedding bouquet will be hard to distinguish from a live arrangement.

Styles Of Rose Wedding Bouquet

Rose wedding bouquets can be found in a variety of different colors.  Since roses come in an assortment of colors, the rose wedding bouquet can be made in any color available.  Often the roses are the primary flower in the bouquet and other flowers will accent it along with the greenery.  Sometimes the roses will be placed in a pattern so that one color of rose is in the center surrounded by another color of rose in a circle around it.Around that circle rose is the first color here or again a completely different color.This arrangement can be very costly since it is composed mainly of the flowers rather than being filled with the greenery to help offset some of the expense.

There are rose wedding bouquets that are arm bouquets.These bouquets are also called presentation bouquets since it appears that bride is presenting the bouquet to the audience.  These bouquets lay across the bride’s arm as she carries them and are made with the stems of the roses cut long so that the bouquet drapes properly.  There is usually a ribbon that keeps the flowers all together as the bride cradles it in her arms as she goes to meet her groom.  It is usually recommended that the dress that the bride wears to go with this type of rose wedding bouquet is form fitting rather than having a full skirt.

A bride that will have a full skirt on her wedding gown should usually carry a crescent rose wedding bouquet.  This bouquet is wide and is in the shape of a crescent moon as its name implies.  The flowers in the bouquet and the greenery that is used will arch from side to side, often with one side slightly longer than the other.  This type of bouquet should be carried just below the waist line, about at the hips so that it properly accents the dress and highlights the colors in the bouquet.

Courtship is a period when someone is trying to win love of another person. Courtship can be regarded as a period when two people who have agreed to marry get acquainted with each other. In this case, approval or consent has been given by the one being courted to the one courting, that is, they are already engaged.

It is better to court before marriage. This is because:

1. Both of you are from different background. There is need to spend time, some months before your wedding to know some things about each other.

2. Courtship allows for adjustments to some of each other’s likes and dislikes or tribal differences that will help your marriage to succeed in future.

3. It is the foundation on which every marriage is built. The way most couples live after wedding reflects the way they courted.

4. It affords you an opportunity to further confirm your conviction about the person you want to marry. You may discover that you were not led by God after all but were carried away by mere infatuation or charm. A broken engagement is better than a broken marriage.

5. Lack of proper courtship has made a lot of couples who were brought together by God to be unhappy in their homes.

6. It is approved by God. The case of Mary and Joseph was stated in the Holy Bible to show us that courtship is biblical.

It is therefore good to court before marriage because a fruitful courtship is the one that leads to wedding and followed by a fruitful and happy marriage.

Joseph Ene owns and operates http://www.joyfulcouple.blogspot.com – A site that has been highly acclaimed for preparing youths and couples for a fulfilled and lasting relationship. Visit http://www.joyfulcouple.blogspot.com to learn how to be successful in your relationships or marriage.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/weddings-articles/is-courtship-necessary-1144538.html

The bridal bouquet is one of the more important flower arrangements in a wedding. The wedding flower bouquet design should complement the bride’s dress and not clash with it. Many people believe that a simple wedding dress warrants a lavish wedding flower bouquet while an ornate wedding dress should have a simple bouquet. Most people want perfect match of both ornate and lavish designs of the dress and the wedding flower bouquet so the bride attracts one and all. Contemporary wedding flower bouquets are the most recent addition to bouquets and these are random designs that can be of any shape and flower.

Cascade Wedding Flower Bouquet

This wedding flower bouquet design has been around for centuries. It is actually not so popular these days and may be considered quite old fashioned. This design consists of a rounded bunch of flowers at the hand of the bride with a cascade of similar flowers and leaves falling off the main bunch. The trail that falls off the main bouquet of blooms may be made up of trailing ribbons, smaller blooms of the original flowers at the top and other foliage that are similar to ivy. This kind of wedding flower bouquet design can actually help to make a bride look slimmer and taller. This design is suitable for a formal wedding which is usually held indoors or in a church.

Round Bouquet

This wedding flower bouquet design consists of a bunch of flower created to look like a ball. A wedding bouquet consists of a similar flowers that are tightly packed. Roses and tulips are great for this wedding flower bouquet design. There may be additions of complementing flowers but these are usually kept to a minimum as well as foliage which are used to fill out the bouquet. This kind of wedding flower bouquet may not be so complimentary on brides with rounded body features since the roundness of the bouquet may also emphasize the rounded hips of the bride as well as her other rounded features.

The Posy

The posy wedding flower bouquet design is probably the closest to informal that a wedding bouquet can get. This is a hand tied bouquet that has the look of the flowers being just picked from the garden and then put together. The wedding flower bouquet may look disorganized and random but florists who make these are sure to have a certain style in mind when making them. Different types of flowers can be used for this bouquet and fillers and foliage an also be abundant.

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