Posts Tagged ‘weddings’

Wedding Checklists : The Basics Explained

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

Planning your wedding can be one of the most stressful times of your life. Of course, you are excited, but it is stressful nonetheless. As there are so many issues to consider, it is worthwhile to create a wedding checklist to ensure that you do not forget or overlook anything. Everyone will have an opinion as to what is important and what is not important, but there are some major items that most people would agree are critical. These are items which, being potential showstoppers, need to be given careful consideration. Working out your budget should be the first item on your wedding checklist, as it will have an effect on everything else on it. Be clear on how much can you spend in total and how much you want to spend on each aspect of your wedding. Then, you need to decide on who will be fulfilling the major roles for your wedding. Who will be the best man? Who will be the maid of honor? Who will carry out the other, still important, roles? The earlier this is decided on the more help you can for the rest of the planning process. Finding venues for the wedding itself and the wedding reception should be your next considerations. You need to not only find suitable venues, but also book them up as if you leave it too long to make a booking then they might not be available on the dates that you want them for. Having got venues, you need to think about decorations for them. For the wedding reception, there is also food and entertainment to arrange. Other things to consider include the rings, invitations, flowers, photography and honeymoon reservations. There are others too, but the ones mentioned are the absolute essentials. Unfortunately, you will encounter unexpected delays with one thing or another, so leaving any of these until a week or two before the day of your wedding can cause real problems. Deal with them as soon as you have the time and money to do so. All in all, a wedding checklist should have 20+ items on it. The more detailed it is, the better. If you are worried that you might miss something off of ours then you should browse some sample wedding checklists (which can be found online and downloaded for free) before creating your own. Just type ‘wedding checklist’ into Google and you will find that lots of wedding related websites provide them.

Find Out More – Wedding Directory

For more wedding tips and advice, as well as a full directory of wedding suppliers in Surrey, visit Surrey Weddings

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Hiring A Good Wedding Photographer

Monday, June 28th, 2010

Wedding photography is just as an important part of your big day as the wedding outfits and the wedding cake. You wouldn’t cut corners on either of those two things and neither should you when it comes to arranging who will take the photographs. Quite simply, you need to a professional wedding photographer. There are lots of them advertising their services, so finding one won’t be a problem, but finding a good one will take a bit of time and effort.

The level of experience that a wedding photographer has should be your biggest concern. Note that whilst experience of photography in general is important, what you really want to know about is their experience of photographing weddings. Photographing models, animals and landscapes requires different skills and equipment than are needed for photographing weddings. So, specifically ask how many weddings they have worked at before. Make sure that you get a specific number rather than a timeframe, as someone who says that they have been a wedding photographer for two years might have only worked at a few weddings in that time.

As well as finding out about their experience, you should ask about their qualifications and whether they are affiliated with any photographic organizations. Those who are members of a well-known photographic organization (check out the websites of the name or names that they give you) are usually a safe bet because they’ll have had to pass a test to become a member and will have to adhere to certain guidelines and practices. Photographers with both experience and who are members of reputable organizations can certainly be found, but they’ll have been booked up by other couples well in advance, so you need to make sure that you do the same and not leave things until the last minute. Whatever you do, you should avoid taking the ‘easy’ option by asking a friend or relative to take the photographs at your wedding. If someone you know is a keen photographer they may well offer their services, but you shouldn’t let sentiment get in the way. Just think how disappointed you would be if you have a great day but only have poor photographs to remember it by. To lessen the pain of saying ‘no’ to someone you like, you could say that you would love them to take some photographs and that you will be very grateful for them, but that you will also be hiring a professional too. Effectively, they would be a supplementary photographer rather than the primary one.

So, if you want wedding photographs that will make you smile for years to come then take the professional option and start making arrangements as soon as possible.

Find Out More – Wedding Photographers Leeds

For more wedding tips and advice, as well as a full directory of wedding suppliers in Surrey, visit Surrey Weddings

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Choosing A Wedding Reception Venue – Advice From An Expert

Saturday, June 19th, 2010

Your ideal location for your wedding reception should continue with the theme and style that you have chosen for your wedding. If you are lucky, and can have the reception at the same place where you get married, you will have a head start on creating a day where one part of the day flows seamlessly into the next. If you are getting married at a church, however, this may not be an option.

Start searching for locations as soon as you have completed the final guest list, the number of guests who will attend will determine the size of the space you will need. Take into account the locations of your various guests as well. For couples whose friends and family are scattered across the country, it may be advisable to select a location that is central to all of them and easily reached by public transportation, plane, or train. If your guests are traveling in, be certain that there is enough affordable lodging and other amenities in the area to accommodate them all.

No one should plan a stunning wedding reception in a castle, on a cliff, or a sandy beach if they dwell in the city and are working on a smaller budget. You have to settle on a wedding reception place for which you are able to afford the cost; be real. You have to come to grips with making wedding dreams which work together with your budget, with what you realistically can afford to spend. In such a way, you will avoid a great number of arguments while putting the wedding itself together, as well as a great mountain of debts once you have been married! This is not to say that you are not able to have a dream wedding. Wonderful locations for wedding receptions are available to fit every particular taste, as well as every budget.

For most couples, one partner will generally have the final say on things having to do with the reception. But if both parties would like to be involved with the decision making process, it might be helpful for each partner to make a list of all the things that they want to see in a venue as well as a list of things they would rather not see. Group your requirements according to importance and compare lists. If both partners can make some compromises, they should both be able come up with a plan that contains elements that both of them are happy with.

Lastly, waiting to search for your wedding reception venue until after you have booked your wedding ceremony venue may lead to disappointment if the venue you want is booked for that day. The best time to start looking for your reception venue is when you begin searching for the place to hold the ceremony. You can always make a provisional booking with the reception venue and then confirm the date with them when the ceremony venue and wedding date are set.

Find Out More – Lancashire Weddings

For more wedding tips and advice, as well as a full directory of wedding suppliers in Surrey, visit Surrey Weddings

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Unique Wedding Ideas & Creative Wedding Tips

Monday, May 24th, 2010

A few unique wedding ideas can turn a good wedding into a great one, and you do not have to spend a fortune to implement them. There are lots of things that you can do to make your wedding day more memorable, with these ideas being a good place to start…

- Choose A Special Location And / Or Venue

The place that you choose to get married at will have a huge effect on how fondly you remember your big day. The location and / or venue can really make or break the event. Consider having the ceremony at a place that holds special memories for you, such as where you were enjoyed fun holidays as a child, or where your parents or grandparents got married. If you feel that it is not essential to get married in a church, then you have some great options available to you. How about getting married on the beach or in a castle? Licenses are granted for marriages to take place pretty much anywhere, so the only restriction is your imagination.

- Choose A Theme For The Wedding Reception

Parties are soon forgotten, but themed parties tend to be remembered long after the event. Why? Because they are different, and different equals memorable. You do not have to deviate too far from the status quo, though it is perfectly fine if you want to, as theming and coordinating just the colors, decorations, food and music works well enough. If you need ideas, then look online, browse through a wedding directory and talk with wedding suppliers. After a couple of hours of research, and having seen pictures of how a themed wedding reception looks, you will see why it is such a great idea.

- Get Family And Friends Involved

You can give your wedding a much more personal feel by asking family and friends do to the jobs that you would normally hire other people to do. Rather than this being an inconvenience to them, it is a way for them to show just how much they love you. You would be pleased to be asked by someone you know to help at their wedding, right? And, likewise, they would be please to help at yours. Taking photographs, driving wedding cars, singing at the reception, etc. all things that you can ask people to do for you in lieu of giving a gift.

- Great Music

Music sounds much better when played live, and so you should have as much live music, both at the ceremony itself and the wedding reception, as possible. Imagine how great a harpist or violinist would sound playing at your wedding ceremony. And, how about a small orchestra or a folk band at your wedding reception? Having live music is, of course, more expensive that hiring a DJ, but it is great value for money. You can cut costs if you want to though by hiring music students from a local club or university.

If you liked this, try : Wedding Suppliers

For more wedding tips and advice, as well as a full directory of wedding suppliers in Surrey, visit Surrey Weddings

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How The Ambiance Of Wedding Venues Can Influence Your Special Day

Wednesday, May 12th, 2010

Wedding planners should pick their Wedding Venues exceptionally cautiously lately. Wedding Venues might appear lovely but there can be unimportant things that can ruin your day. First of all, your wedding venue needs to possess enough chairs in the chapel and function venues; secondly, the ambiance of the wedding venue should compliment your wedding style; thirdly, the wedding venue needs to comprise all the required conveniences and it has to be in decent working order; fourthly, guests with special needs ought to be able to move around comfortably; fifthly, the outside section should be well maintained; and last of all, there should be adequate lighting in the evening. These aspects might not look exceptionally vital when you make Wedding Venue decision, although it is good to bear in mind.

Seating Capacity
Venues normally have a set limit of people that they can fit into their church and wedding venues. They understand that it is better to have pleased guests in stead of squeezing guests in to earn additional funds. It is sometimes very challenging to host a larger wedding as the number of workable Wedding Venues are very limited. Anything above 200 wedding guests, are regarded as a big wedding these days.

Wedding Venue Theme
Several brides simply favor a unique venue theme and as soon as their mind is set on it, it is very difficult to change it. Various partners will have exclusive inclination for wedding venues in natural surroundings, for example the bushveld or at the beach. Exclusive wedding venues that are situated in an extraordinary area usually have a exact theme that complement their surroundings.

The state of wedding facilities
Wedding venues frequently put a lot of energy in improving and fixing their facilities to ensure that potential users will use their venue. On the other hand, brides can frequently come across Wedding Venues that are really in bad state. The stuff that frustrate wedding couples the most are curtains that are not hanged properly. There are plenty of other things that we can add to the list such as dirty carpets, skew portraits, soap boxes without fluid soap and soaked, soiled towels. Some brides might be so ‘in love’ with one of these wedding venues, that they don’t even notice all the warning signs.

Access of Wedding Venues
There are several weddings that have wedding guests in wheelchairs. Make sure that you know if the wedding venue is wheelchair approachable and inform the applicable wedding guests regarding these facilities.

The grounds and outdoors
Make sure that the grounds and gardens are in fine condition and preserved. Brides occasionally are excited to get married in a forest like settings but this might be a nightmare for the photographer. If the venue is located in a dark sheltered place, it might decline the quality of the wedding photos.

Lights
Lights are regularly forgotten as brides check wedding venues in daylight hours. Lights aren’t an essential facet of Wedding Venues until guests can’t get their way in the dark or stumble over terrace decorations. Make a special memo in your contract that all lights needs to be in functioning order and that there should be adequate lightning in the garden path ways.

Arranging a wedding is a big event and there is lots of aspects to keep in mind. Obviously it is essential to look at the finances, locality and the suitability of the Wedding Venue though, it is the unimportant things that will make your special day a success. From all of the above described factors, the state of the amenities is the most significant. If their conveniences are not enough or well maintained it may have a destructive effect on your wedding day. Be sure to visit http://www.exectravel-venues.co.za if you need more suggestions on choosing the perfect wedding venue. We’ll in addition assist you with finding suitable wedding venues for your special day.

For more wedding tips and advice, as well as a full directory of wedding suppliers in Surrey, visit Surrey Weddings

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Theme Weddings Ideas

Friday, January 29th, 2010

Some engaged couples don’t want to have a traditional wedding; they want something a little different.  Perhaps you don’t like to do what everyone else is doing… or you want your wedding to reflect your unique personalities and interests.  Whatever the reason, theme weddings can be as different from traditional weddings as you want, and lots of fun too!

Here are a few theme wedding ideas:

Motorcycle Wedding

Invitations should be motorcycle-related and programs can feature a picture of the happy pair on their motorcycle.
Have a Harley Davidson cake topper on your cake.
Table decorations or party favors can be temporary biker tattoos, tire gauges, toy motorcycles tied with biker ribbon, biker-shaped chocolate, etc.
Wear leather motorcycle jackets over the white dress and in place of the tux jacket.
The wedding reception can be at your favorite biker bar.
The food can be more casual.
Leave the wedding or reception on a motorcycle – complete with a tin can train.
If you’re getting married in Las Vegas they have a total motorcycle wedding package!

Beach or Tropical Wedding

Use invitations with a sunset over the ocean background or in the shape of a beach ball or palm tree. There are many choices available.
Party favors can be small seashells and polished rocks, or leis. The table can be decorated with small fish bowls with sand and shells.
Have plenty of drink umbrellas available for the reception beverages.
Slip in several Beach Boys, Jimmy Buffett, or IZ to the music line up.
The wedding cake can have tropical flowers on top, or even artfully carved tropical fruit.
Instead of the usual attire, the bridal party might wear tropical sun dresses and the men can wear matching (or not) tropical shirts.  Appropriate footwear would be sandals.

Sports Wedding

Whether you participate in a sport or are ardent fans, choose your sport and you’ll find many props to go along with it.
Wedding cake toppers – They come in just about any sport you might want.
Include your team’s uniform by wearing it at the reception.
The reception decorations should be in your team’s colors including the tablecloths and  napkins.
Try decorating the tables with a piece from your sport, such as an upside down small football helmet, filled with flowers.
Wedding favors can be posters, shot glasses, balls (such as tennis balls if your theme is tennis) or anything you can buy in bulk from your favorite fan shop.

Mardi Gras Wedding

Use colors that symbolize Mardi Gras – like green, gold, and purple in your reception decorations.  Don’t forget the balloons and confetti too.
Even if the bride wears a white wedding gown, she can be playful and wear the symbolic beaded necklaces.  The groom’s party can wear vests in Mardi Gras colors as part of their formal tux attire.
Masks for party favors would be a big hit, as well as bead necklaces and gold coins too.
Go all-out with the food and offer gumbo, jambalaya, crawfish, or beignets.
For the music – New Orleans jazz, of course!

These are just a few ideas for themed weddings.  There are as many themes as there are interests so choose whatever theme you want and start thinking creatively.

For more wedding tips and advice, as well as a full directory of wedding suppliers in Surrey, visit Surrey Weddings

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Making Wedding Memories Come Alive With Scrapbooks

Thursday, December 10th, 2009

Your wedding day is undeniably one of the most special and memorable days of your life. Because of this, you will definitely want to keep all the mementos and souvenirs of that unforgettable day. You want to have a way of looking back at that day and be able to smile as you remember how it was and how it felt. One great way of going back in time, is through a scrapbook, and creating one for your wedding day is a good way of remembering that day and preserving all those memories.

To get started on your wedding day scrapbook, it’s a good idea to first organize your thoughts and plan what kind of results you want for your scrapbook. Think about the timeline – what periods are you planning to cover? Are you going to focus on your relationship from the courtship, to engagement, to the wedding day, and until the honeymoon? Or are you going to focus on just the ceremony and reception? After deciding on that, you can then think about what you want your scrapbook to look like. It’s time to come up with a theme or color scheme that can really reflect not only you but the two of you as a couple.

The paper boards you use for your scrapbook can be anything you like, although creams and whites are usually used to echo the elegance and simplicity of the wedding. Some, though, use black boards in order to make the neutral wedding colors pop out.

Making a wedding scrapbook isn’t limited to the photos from the ceremony and those taken professionally. Sometimes, the most candid and amateur shots carry the most emotion. It’s good to include these because they can give you a real sense of what your wedding was like. You can also include memorabilia from the wedding like flower petals, a swatch of cloth from your wedding dress material, confetti, place cards, the invitation, ribbons – practically anything that catches your fancy. Add decorative scrapbooking materials such as beads, paper flowers, and borders to give more life to your pictures and mementos. You’ll easily find other decorative materials in book stores, craft stores, and specialty scrapbook stores. Also, don’t limit yourself to the smooth borders and rectangular shape that photos usually come in. Play it up by using specialty scissors to create fun and fancy borders. You can also add more to your memories by journaling straight onto your scrapbook; telling a story, sharing a good quote, or including a caption. Try to include the most memorable details; this way, you’re getting a most vivid a flashback as possible.

Remember, though, that scrapbooking is supposed to be fun and not meant to stress you in any way at all. Take your time, let your inner artist take the wheel, and create your scrapbook as you feel it. This way, you’ll create the most genuine collection you can ever make.

For more wedding tips and advice, as well as a full directory of wedding suppliers in Surrey, visit Surrey Weddings

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Don’t Neglect These 3 Wedding Tips

Friday, November 20th, 2009

Wedding days are certainly a very specially day for both the bride and groom. Lots of time and effort go into making this celebration of love run smoothly and insure everyone has a great time. It is all too easy however to get yourself in a muddle over the whole event and end up overlook some very important aspects. Here are 3 very important things to bear in mind at every stage of the planning process.

Plan early. This might sound a little obvious, but you would be surprised just how many people leave things until the last minute and then panic when something goes wrong. You should ideally plan for every possible problem you can, and do it early on, asking lots of people to double check stuff for you, just so you don’t overlook something important.

Budget carefully. It is so very easy to get carried away with the wedding planning and blow vast amounts of cash. You need to step back and take stock of the fact that money and luxury is not what it is all about, as long you are surrounded by the right people. If you have the money then by all means you can book the most amazing wedding castles to get married, but don’t blow money that you will spend years paying back.

Involve the family. Although weddings are largely about two people showing their love and commitment for one another, they are also important events for friends and family. It is easy to forget about them in the planning stages, but if you involve them and even ask for their help when you need it, they will really appreciate it and will feel more involved in the whole occasion. You could ask them to book the wedding hotel for you, or just organize the flowers. It really doesn’t matter what it is, as long as the people important to you feel connected to the big day

For more wedding tips and advice, as well as a full directory of wedding suppliers in Surrey, visit Surrey Weddings

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