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Sunday, July 27, 2008

Bouquet Jewelry is the Hottest New Wedding Accessory

Bouquet jewelry is a hot new bridal accessory that is being used to accentuate and personalize bridal bouquets. They are also turning up in bridesmaid’s flowers, boutonnieres, centerpieces, and even customizing the wedding cake. The jewelry is usually inserted into the bouquet by a six inch post, but may also be attached to stems and hand-tied ribbons.

A popular choice is Swarovski crystal monograms using 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. Six mm faux diamonds can also be inserted into the center of each flower to give the bouquet a dazzling new look.

Besides monograms, most online companies have the same selection of jewels: pearl clusters, bows, snowflake, bee, frog, dragonfly, starfish, flip flop sandal, palm tree, butterfly and crucifix. The bee only comes in clear crystal and the frog and palm tree come only in peridot crystals. The flip flop sandal comes in blue or pink. Pearls come in pink, yellow, white, blue, green, lavendar, peach, champagne and platinum. The bows come in a wide range of colors with gold or silver plating.

The prices range from $12.00 (snowflake) to $20.00 (dragonfly) each. Some are sold individually while others have a discount if you purchase in groups of ten. The crystal bee sells for $18.00 each and $153.00 for ten. That would be a savings of $27.00. The starfish sells for $13.00 each and $110.00 for ten. That would be a $20.00 discount.

The bouquet jewelry should be chosen to reflect the bride’s personal taste or reflect the theme of the wedding. Starfish, flip flop sandals and palm trees would be perfect for a beach theme wedding. The crystal crucifix would reflect a more solemn and spiritual wedding and could also be used around the holidays.

The bride and groom can continue to use the jewelry long after the wedding for holiday centerpieces and floral arrangements. They should choose the colors carefully, because many online companies advise they are non returnable and non refundable.

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Wedding Dresses

The excitement behind the wedding dress phenomenon is something most women undergo. It is the one special day of their life they have been waiting for and as such, when the time is right they go through great measures in order to be able to find wedding dresses that they have always pictured themselves in.

When it comes to choosing between wedding dresses, two things play an important part. One being, the visionary sense you have and what you have always imagined your wedding dress to be and the other being what suits your body type. This of course is the more realistic approach, and being able to combine your thoughts with what’s available will certainly ensure that your wedding dress is truly unique. The idea behind selecting a fine wedding dress is that it should make you feel, that this particular design and fit was meant specifically for you, let it be unique in every aspect.

Wedding dresses are available in varied colors, patterns and lengths. What you select is certainly a matter of personal opinion. One thing you should be attentive towards when it comes to selecting wedding dresses is that you shouldn’t always depend on a second or third opinion entirely. When selecting through wedding dresses ensure that you take along a really close friend or relative who understands just what you need, because eventually it’s your big day, so choose just as you please.

You can look for patterns from scores of wedding dress magazines or even online. There are zillions of pattern available and even cutting and stitching tips. You can use these tips to get yourself just the pattern you have been contemplating. If you are working with a renowned designer, you can let them know just what you have been thinking of and let them do the professional bit. The good part being, professionals know a lot more in this field and will be able to give you just the right advice.

Armed with your specific design, it’s truly like conquering the world. It’s not necessary that you need to go the traditional white wedding dress. Times have changed and there’s no stigma attached to wearing a colored wedding dress. It’s not like earlier wear specific shades of wedding dresses denoted an underlying meaning. This included pronouncing that it’s your second wedding, or a pregnancy status. If you are fond of the color pink, or lemon yellow, maybe even sky blue, you can happily wear your preference.

You can pick up your wedding dress from the numerous wedding dresses stores itself. Here you have an added advantage of actually trying out many dresses. There are so many designs and patterns on the racks, so you can take a good look at each of them and try the ones that you think are nice. This way you can finalize, just what you like and if you want make alterations to a particular design itself. The good thing about trying on the dresses gives you a real feel of the wedding dress rather than counting on wedding dress concepts.

Once you have picked and finalized a design, the store can create just what you need, and you’ll certainly need to make a few more trips in regards to alterations and last minute touch ups. Wearing sample-wedding dresses gives you a real picture of the weight of the dress too. This will help you determine how much layering and frills you would want because you surely don’t want to be weighed down by the dress.

Once you have finalized amongst the wedding dress at your disposal, you can start looking for a well matched, veil, gloves, shawls and tiara. All of these accessories are not an absolute necessary when it comes to wearing a wedding dress, but it certainly compliments your dress. You need not have to head to a wedding dresses store if you have a family member who is in the wedding business because they would surely be able to tailor your needs perfectly. If you choose to order your wedding dress from exquisite high end stores located at remote facilities, make sure you have adequate time in hand between the big day and the date you receive your dress on. This will give you enough time to make alterations if need be.

If you are not in the mind frame to buy a new wedding dress, then you can approach a wedding dress store regarding wedding dresses rentals. Along with the dress you can even rent jewellery and accessories. This is a great option because on a realistic note, your wedding dress is a onetime affair and it certainly costs money. Whatever your wishes are for this big day, you never have to compromise on your wedding dress needs, be it a new purchase or rental option. So go on and look like the pretty princess on your big day and feel the real happiness.

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

11 Things to Remember in Planning Your Wedding

Every woman dreams of her own wedding. May it be a small gathering in a picturesque orchard, a grand ball in a gigantic castle or a funky wedding along the coastline, she wants it planned and tailored to her wishes. Planning your wedding would take time, effort and energy but it's worth it. For brides out there, here are some things you can't forget to look into.

1. Payments
Of course, planning your wedding will need sufficient amount of cash. Establish who pays for what. This is usually worked out between the couple and their families.

2. Marriage License Requirements
There are different requirements for each state, so be sure to look into yours. Remember that you can't even start planning your wedding without a license so make it high priority.

3. Booking the ceremony and the reception.
Choose a place to hold your wedding. It'd be great if both parties talk about it. Also, planning your wedding means planning the reception well so that there won't be wrinkles in your wonderful day.

4. Reception Ideas
Planning your wedding by yourself might become tiring, so set up a brainstorming session with your friends and relatives to work out the details. List the ideas in a piece of paper and deliberate on them carefully. Properly laid out plans are wonderful to work with.

5. Invitations
The invitation should be simple yet elegant. An overly decorated invitation just turns people off. Remember to include all the people involved in the wedding itself and address them properly. Be sure to indicate if you're inviting the children of the family too because most parents don't take them to weddings if their presence is not specifically requested.

6. Catering
Oohh... the success of every party more often than not relies on its food. Make sure that what you serve is of good quality and that they taste good. Go over the menu with the head chef and ask him for suggestions. Not only that this will give you great ideas, it will form a bond between you and the chef. Keep in mind that when planning your wedding, it pays to be in good terms with most of the staff.

7. Photos and Videos
Talk to the personnel and clarify what you want done. Sometimes, they just do things their own way and the couple ends up with really crappy results. Professionals are your best bet and they understand the need of planning your wedding to perfection.

8. Attendants
List all the people you want to have as your attendants and notify them as soon as possible. Just because you're marrying doesn't mean that the world will stop spinning and watch you in all your splendor. Take into consideration that people may have to rearrange their schedules to make it to your big day. Yes, planning your wedding take tremendous effort not only on you but on your attendants too.

9. Showers
No wedding is complete without showers. Since the bride is busy planning her wedding, this duty might fall into the hands of the mothers or the maid of honor.

10. Wedding speeches
In the midst of planning your wedding, take time to stop and list all you want to say on the day of your wedding. An impromptu speech is sincere, yes, but you might feel put out that you neglected to put emphasis on some people that really helped you a lot.

11. Maps
If your venue is in an area that is not so widely known, a map will be very useful. It will lessen the guests' aggravation on not finding the place and asking for directions.

12. Nitty Gritty Details
These are often overlooked in the chaos that is called "Planning your wedding". These are the little things that you might forget like having your gown cleaned and pressed ( if it's an heirloom), wobbling in your high heeled wedding shoes, delivery of gifts, your honeymoon itinerary, gifts and thank you cards. Try listing all of them and have someone look into them for you.

A do-it-yourself wedding planner

It can be tempting to avoid the whole wedding planning fiasco by hiring a professional, but these individuals do not come cheaply, so taking charge yourself can be an excellent way to save a great deal of cash. Wedding planning is an art and a lot harder than it looks, so don’t underestimate the time and effort that you will need to put into even the most basic of weddings.

Wedding Planning – The Basics

The basics of wedding planning is to be organized and thorough; it is well worth having at least one extra person to help you with the arrangements, two heads are most certainly better than one when it comes to wedding planning.

A great way to start is to make a list of the dates and items that simply cannot change, for example the venue or the key guests. This is fundamental, as all other aspects can be altered and planned around the key items.

Secondly, when it comes to wedding planning, it is important to decide on the ‘feel’ that you want for your wedding. For example, do you want your wedding to have a relaxed or informal theme? Is there a common hobby or activity that you can draw on as an underlying idea for your wedding? For instance, do the bride and groom both love dogs or do they both enjoy water sports? A very simple lead can be just enough to get you started!

Wedding Planning – Behaving Like a Professional

Wedding planning professionals are generally individuals who are full of ideas, are organized and can get the most out of providers. Whilst a professional may have many ideas at their fingertips you will have to look around and think carefully about what you are hoping to achieve. Why not get ideas by asking friends and relatives what they have seen in recent weddings that worked particularly well (or indeed did not work at all), so that you can take the best ideas and ditch the worst!

Stay organized. Keep accurate records of everything that you see and do. Go overboard with your records as, at some point, you are almost certainly going to be in the position of not being able to remember where you saw that special item!

When it comes to wedding planning, communication is key. Make sure that all providers are fully aware of what you expect, when you expect it and what you expect to pay. Get everything in writing and ensure that you tell everyone if there is any change (no matter how small it may appear).

Be professional, be realistic and keep the suppliers informed; believe you me it will really help to ensure that everything runs smoothly.