Wedding Bouquet: Think Different

A simple and elegant wedding bouquet is the perfect accessory to compliment your gorgeous gown and smiling face. We say ‘simple' because you want your wedding bouquet to highlight your dress, not detract from it. If your bouquet is too ‘flashy,' your dress may not receive the attention it deserves.

Nevertheless, this is not to say that your bridal bouquet should be plain, white, and boring. That's not the case at all. Just keep the flashiness in check! As a matter of fact, it's become very popular for the modern bride to use pastel colors in their bridal bouquets. Soft pink's and blue's can add a magnificent touch to any wedding dress. The hue's are very uplifting and pleasant.

Believe it or not, not everyone prefers a bouquet of fresh flowers. Many women have allergies, which prevent them from enjoying the subtle scent a fresh flower can bring. To accommodate these brides, many florists make bouquets of silk flowers. Instead of frowning at this idea, consider the advantage of silk flowers: like your love, silk flowers will never wither. They're a keepsake that will last for years! In addition, silk flowers require less maintenance during the course of the evening, and they're usually less costly.

However, if you have your heart set on a bouquet of real wedding flowers, have you considered wild flowers? This is a wonderful idea if you're having a garden-style or country wedding in the outdoors. The colors and scents are spectacular and very pleasing to the senses. They will look magnificent with any dress in the spring or summer. Unfortunately, wildflowers do not really go with the ‘theme' of a winter wedding.

If you haven't decided what type of flowers to use for your wedding bouquet, mull these options over. Use your resources (such as the internet) to look at different varieties of silk flowers and real wild flowers. Several wildflowers that are suggested are: Queen Anne's lace, poppies, Canada Lily, European Columbine, New England Aster, true forget-me-not, Indian blanket, and Carolina Spring Beauty.

Don't be afraid to ask your local florist for quotes on bouquets of such flowers in comparison to other fresh flowers. You might discover that you'll save a bundle going the route of wildflowers as opposed to a bouquet of roses and another variety. While you're at the florist, ask to see pictures of different wildflower bouquets and silk bouquets (which they may have arranged). They say a picture says a thousand words! You might be blown away by a bouquet arrangement that you may not have considered before.

By : Jen Carter

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com

Trend of Wedding Music

Music has been an integral part of every wedding ceremony since several decades. Originally just the church hymns and other religious music were the only part of wedding celebrations But with the trend of more destination marriages, music has become quite popular. Secular music is being chosen by most of the couples these days for their weddings as it suits their taste and personality. For a perfect religious touch and belief, the religious music is still preferred. A bit of contemporary touch in the wedding music works great for more interest and enjoyment of the guests.

The music plays a vital role in every marriage ceremony and helps the guests to make them comfortable in the environment. In order to avoid the guests getting bored, and shun away the irritating sounds of babbling allover the marriage venue, it becomes your duty and a necessity to entertain your guests with some music.

The wedding processional music is another form of music; it mainly depends upon the size of your wedding party. The music and the songs should be dedicated to the bride on receiving the news of her arrival.

Next is the mid ceremony music. You can either hire some professionals or your friends can participate in this musical service. This is carried out when the candle ceremony takes place or while signing the registry.

Then is the recessional music which mostly engages some upbeat or celebratory music for setting the mood of the guests for a dance. When the guests start bestowing blessings on the couple and begin congratulating both the families, then the atmosphere should be filled with either a soft jazz or some love songs. At this point of time, the couple can perceive a few solitary moments before marching to the reception hall.

The reception carried out at the last is traditionally the time for acknowledging your family members and friends. Music of different styles is usually woven with dance steps at this time. The soft romantic tones with various dance numbers get hold of the mood of the guests during the whole wedding ceremony.

By : Aakash Shah

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com

15 Steps to Your Perfect Wedding

Congratulations! You're getting ready for the happiest day of your life. Unfortunately, the year or so leading up to that day might be filled with stress, confusion, and exhaustion. Don't worry. Planning the perfect wedding doesn't have to be that bad. I recently planned a wedding myself. The seemingly endless little details may drive you crazy, but I found that there are just 15 things you need to concentrate on in order to have a perfect wedding.

Step 1: Budget. Whether you are spending $30,000 or $3,000 you can have a beautiful, meaningful wedding. Decide what is most important to you and then be creative. When planning your budget you will need to decide which of these items you want to include in your wedding and how much money to spend on each:

Clothing:

Wedding dress
Undergarments-special bra, crinoline, garter
Veil/Hair Jewelry
Shoes
Tux

Church Rental/Fees

Reception Rental/Fees

Catering Fees

Alcohol, Drinks

Flowers:

Church
Bridal Bouquet
Bouquets for the Bridesmaids & Maid of Honor
Bouquets for the Mothers of the Bride and Groom
Boutonnieres for the Groom and Groomsmen
Reception Tables

Photographer

Videographer

Music:

Wedding
Cocktail Hour
Reception

Wedding Cake

Cake Topper

Wedding Favors

Gifts for Wedding Party Attendants

Gifts for the Parents of the Bride and Groom

Hair and Makeup

Stationary Items:

Save the Date
Invitations
Wedding Programs
Place Cards
Menu Cards
Thank you Cards

Other:

Serving Set
Toasting Flutes
Ring Bearer Pillow
Flower Girl Basket
Flower Petals or other item to toss on Bride and Groom

Tips:

Pastor
Maitre d'
Photographer
Limo Driver
Musicians

You do not need to include or buy every item. Wearing your mother's wedding dress or using your parents' cake topper will save money and add meaning to your day. There are also things that you can make; such as the ring pillow or wedding favors. Some items you can exclude all together. My husband and I decided to hire a photographer but no videographer.

Step 2: Size. The size of your guest list will depend on personal preference and budget. Some brides dream of a huge wedding with 300 guests, while others prefer an intimate ceremony with only close friends and family. We settled on 100 guests--large enough to invite who we really wanted to come and small enough that it still felt personal.

Step 3: Planning and Scheduling. Planning and follow-up are the most important factors in getting the wedding you want. That beautiful atrium in the park is probably booked years in advance as are many beautiful, old churches. Even if you are planning to get married in your own church and use its reception hall, you'll need to find out about fees and availability. Research reception locations by looking in local bridal magazines, newspaper bridal sections and online. If a friend or family member has a beautiful back yard, you may want to have your wedding there. It would make an excellent wedding present. Choosing the locations of your ceremony and reception should be the first thing you do after settling on a budget. You can not plan or schedule anything until you know when and where everything will happen.

Step 4: Food and Alcohol. The food you give your guests does not have to be expensive. They are there to witness your marriage and celebrate with you. If you serve Chicken Francaise instead of Filet Mignon they will not enjoy themselves less. For drinks, you have many options. You may decide not to serve alcohol. Or, you may serve one or two special drinks-you can even name one after yourself and your groom. You may also decide to offer an open bar. Remember that alcohol can eat up a large portion of your budget. Talk to the caterer about your options.

Step 5: Wedding Party. The size of your wedding party should match the size of your wedding. If you have 300 guests, 10 bridesmaids and 10 groomsmen will fit right in. But, if you have 80 guests in a small church, it may look comical trying to fit those 20 attendants on the small church alter.

Step 6: Music. If you are having a church wedding, ask the priest or pastor if he can recommend someone to play the ceremony music. Or, you may know someone who could play at your wedding as a wedding gift. For your reception, should you choose a band or a DJ? Having a live band at your reception can be special, but expensive. We chose to have a DJ, not just for the savings but because he could play any song and it would sound great. Whatever you choose, go over what is required. Are there any songs you DO NOT want played? Do you want the DJ or musician to introduce the wedding party, start off the first dance, and announce when it is time to cut the cake? Often this is included, if not-speak to whoever is in charge of your reception location and find out if they offer this service.

Step 7: Traditions. Some couples disregard traditions. Other couples want to include them or even start their own. The biggest tradition is probably the bride carrying "something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue." But, there are many other traditions you can incorporate. If you don't wear your mother's wedding dress, you may want to pin a piece of its lace onto your slip or tie it around your bouquet. You can wrap a family locket around your bouquet with pictures of you and your groom. I attached my mother's antique brooch, which had been handed down from my grandmother, to a chain and wore it as a necklace. It made me feel as if they were with me on my wedding day and it meant a lot.

Step 8: Invitations. Invitations are another item that can be surprisingly expensive. They don't have to be. I knew exactly what type of invitation I wanted, but at a stationer, it would have cost $800 to $1000. I did a lot of searching online and was able to order two less expensive sets of invitations, put them together how I wanted and ended up spending less than $400. Places like Staples and Michael's also have nice invitations that you can print yourself at home for less than $100.

Step 9: Photographer. This is where we spent a bigger portion of our budget (Only the reception location, with food included, cost more). Even if our wedding was the best wedding in the world, it would only last for a few hours. With good pictures, we could relive it over and over. When you look for a photographer, ask questions. Who will be the photographer? What if he is sick? If you hire a company that has several photographers you may be shown sample wedding photographs from the best photographer. You sign up. Then on your wedding day "your" photographer can't make it and someone else shows up-someone probably much less talented. Also, ask if the photographer will shoot in color, black and white, or both. Will he shoot traditional shots, photojournalism, or both? Will you be able to keep the proofs? Can you buy the negatives? How much time will the photographer spend at your wedding? Will he also take photos of the bride and groom preparing for the wedding?

Step 10: Dress. Some brides feel they need to spend a lot of money on "the dress." My husband thought my dress would be the biggest expense, but it was one of the smallest. The dress I fell in love with happened to be on sale because it was discontinued. It was just my size! I didn't even need alterations. How often does that happen?! Even if you are not that lucky, there are thousands of beautiful wedding dresses between $150 and $850. Check out the large bridal stores as well as your local bridal shops. If you like tradition, you can wear your mother's wedding dress and have it altered to fit your style. You want to love your wedding dress, but remember-you will only wear it one time for about 8 hours.

Step 11: Flowers. Choose flowers that match your wedding colors. Your local florist can make suggestions and tell which flowers will be in season (they will be less expensive). The flower arrangements were one thing I should have followed-up on with a second meeting. I told the florist exactly what I wanted for my bridal bouquet-deep red roses, no greenery, long matching ribbons (which I provided), and how I wanted the roses gathered. I even gave her a picture. We also discussed the attendants' bouquets and flowers for the reception tables. The day of the wedding, the attendants' flowers were more beautiful than I imagined and the table flowers were gorgeous. My bridal bouquet was almost nothing like what I had asked for. I had red roses, but also plenty of greenery, no ribbons, and an ugly plastic piece that held the flowers. The wedding was in an hour and there was nothing I could do. I tried to put it out of my mind and concentrated on everything else that was wonderful about that day. Remember-follow up is one of the most important factors in getting the wedding you want.

Step 12: Hair & Makeup. Many brides go to a salon and have their hair and makeup done. If you do, have a trial run so you know you will be happy with the results on your wedding day. Going to a salon is not a necessity. You may decide to do your own hair and makeup or have a friend do it. You can schedule practice sessions and try several hairstyles to get it perfect.

Step 13: Cake. Many reception halls provide the wedding cake. Mine did. However, I was not happy with my choices. They agreed to make the red velvet cake I requested, but not the decoration I wanted. I had seen exactly what I wanted in a wedding magazine so I called the bakery listed in the back. The baker was able to make the decoration (without the cake) and ship it to my reception hall. The nice people at the hall, accepted the shipment and put the decoration on the cake. It was perfect! If you plan to do something like this, make sure everyone involved is willing to do their part. Then follow through and make sure the shipment is sent, that it arrives, and that the cake maker knows how to arrange the decorations (give her a picture).

Step 14: Favors. These little mementos are small tokens of appreciation to your guests for sharing in your special day. There are many options to choose from. You can give something that matches the theme of your wedding, such as starfish wine stoppers if you are having a beach wedding. Or, you can give something that symbolizes the love you share with your new husband such as a scented candle with the monogram you share as a couple. You can give something edible such as the traditional chocolate covered almonds, or you can make your own favors. Just try to give something your guests will appreciate and use. A wine glass with your and your groom's name and wedding date may be pretty, but not very practical to a guest.

Step 15: Relax! You've done the research. You've done the planning. You've done the shopping and creating. And, you've done the follow-up. It's now time to relax and enjoy the day. Don't worry about the little things that go wrong-because something will go wrong (remember my wedding bouquet?). The important thing is that at the end of the day-after the ceremony that is witnessed by your friends and family, after the dancing and laughing and partying-you will be married. You and your groom are starting your new life together. That's the most important thing.

By : Diane Farley

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com