Settling on a particular wedding dress is not a cakewalk as people may think it to be. There is a lot of effort that goes into making a perfect choice. Right from choosing the style of the dress, the colour, the comfort, to the price, there is a lot that goes into making the right pick. You are likely to come across numerous stores in your vicinity, online stores, designer houses, etc. that showcase the best designs and making a choice amongst them can be a difficult task.

For several brides, online shopping has become a boon where they no longer have to spend hours hopping around different shops and getting confused on the one that fits them rightly. For those brides who look out for unique designs are often seen paying visits to online boutiques where they get to put their hands on exclusive designs. If you too are one of those brides who have an inclination towards boutique dresses, here are a few tips to take you through.

• Do not stick to a particular label – Boutiques may contain a single label that are creations of a particular designer and at times contain multiple other labels. If you are used to wearing a particular brand, it isn’t necessary that you will have to pick the same for your wedding dress. A boutique would contain other labels as well which may fit you just as perfectly.

• Be realistic with the price – Just because you love a particular design or a style of a wedding gown that you set your eyes on, it may not be worth the price tag attached to it. If you have a particular amount of money set aside to splurge on your wedding couture, stick to it and not go about spending anything more.

• Do not feel discouraged – You may visit a particular website and come across hundreds of designs and styles on wedding gowns. You may like several, but not all would be according to your preference. A few may have sizes that wouldn’t fit you well or may have a price that us higher than your budget. This is when you are advised not to get discouraged with the effort that is to be put from your end as eventually, you would get to the one that is made for you after rigorous searches.

• Get to know the delivery time – Even if the online stores guarantee you with a fixed delivery date, it is advisable not to take risks and order it way before the wedding date. There can be problems with the logistic or other issues such as exchanges or alterations that is likely to be time-consuming. Therefore, to avoid such risks, you are to know the delivery time and plan things accordingly that would avoid problems on your wedding day.

• Stop further browsing after you have finalised one – Well, it is the human psychology to be in doubt all the time. After you have finalised the one that you would be wearing for your wedding, ensure the fact that you do not browse or look around further. This would confuse you further and thus make you feel tempted to buy something better.

As we start talking about a perfect wedding, the immediate picture that comes to our mind is the bride with a subtle makeup walking down the aisle. However, weddings are not only about the bride. It’s a big day for the bride’s mother too as she is the one who will be standing beside her daughter extending her support for the next milestone. Therefore, the bride’s mother needs to carry out a vintage yet classy look for the entire day.

However, the makeup of bride’s mother will not be same as that of the bride’s. Hiring a professional artist, who specialises in wedding makeup, will prove to be a wise idea in case of taking care of the bride’s mothers look. Here are some expert tips for the bride’s mother that will help them in achieving a stunning look for the day.

Stick to your personal taste: As the bride’s mother, you are not required to quit your styling sense and look unnatural. Consult with your makeup artist along with the fashion designer to keep your style subtle yet fabulous, as always.

Take inspiration: It will be a wise decision on your part to do a bit of research regarding the bride’s mother’s looks. There is nothing bad in getting inspired by the works done by other artists. You can also show some examples to your makeup artist asking him/her to create the similar look you found out either from the Internet or magazines that you have browsed.

Go for a trial run: Trial runs are not only for the brides or grooms but as the bride’s mother you can also go for a trial run with your makeup artist and outfit designer. Tell them about your plan and disclose the inspirational looks on the trial run. Coming with a concrete plan will surely help you to look your best on the big day.

Nurture your skin: It is essential for you to provide your skin with the essential nourishment before the makeup artist starts applying makeup on you. Having a beauty session with the professional makeup artist will let you experiment with several skin care products beforehand. The skin care tips will further help in making your skin compatible with the makeup on your big day. Moreover, as you are ageing, your skin is going through exfoliation. The professionals will also assist you to get rid of the problem early on the big day.

Experiment with your eyes and lips: You need to remember that you will also be the centre of attraction on your daughter’s wedding day. Therefore, overdoing the makeup may spoil your classic appeal. To keep a minimal approach, try avoiding something too gawdy and glittery. Rather, ask your makeup artist to give you a matte shade on both the eyes and lips. However, adding a little bit of shimmer would enhance your beauty. Try to cover up the appearance of face wrinkles by using light or medium coverage foundation.

Whatever makeup you put on your face, if you don’t know how to carry out, your expectations will not be fruitful. Make sure you wear water resistant makeup so that sweat, water or tears cannot spoil your beauty. You will find a wide array of makeup artists who will pamper you with their special beauty treatments so that your gracious appearance can amaze the onlookers.

We shall explore the ways you can give something special to the people who make your day special, but for that there are some clarifications you need to be on par with. Essentially, to do something unique you will have to accept that your costs might shoot up, so if your budget does not allow you that luxury you will have to be honest to yourself and cut out on some of the extravagancies. For your convenience, all the ideas portrayed here will be as adjusted to economical needs as possible.

Without further ado, check out our pick of great ways to make your wedding favour box a sign everyone looks at to remember a great day.

Wedding Favour Tags

The tag is the introduction to this little surprise you have packed for each guest of yours, so it is a good idea to start making it as incredible as you can. Wedding favour tags usually have a very thankful tone and start off with the words “Accept our gratitude” or “Thank you for attending”, and yes it is a nice feeling when someone says he/she appreciates your presence, but why not say the same thing in a more interesting fashion?

For instance, instead of words, each tag can have a small picture of the bride and groom standing with thumbs up showing that they are pleased with your presence. Or if you have an attachment to words, then you can use some mild humor that relates to the wedding or the people involved, something everyone will understand. Prepare your tag according to this guide and you will certainly see a wave of smiles as soon as the distribution is complete.

Components

Oh look! Chocolates and candies; my favorite wedding favour surprise, except that I always get these because they have transformed from a choice to a norm.

It is not important for the box to contain something that everyone necessarily has to eat; you can use it as your way of wowing the audience with not your wealth, but your creativity.

For example, how about you place a card inside the box, and people with matching cards are supposed to sit together for at least 20 minutes in the wedding to break the ice and form new companionships. Or, alongside the mandatory sweets, it can have a small decoration piece related to the wedding that the attendees can keep with them, and remember the date by. Again, the possibilities are limitless, and you can play as smart as you want because it is your day.

Box Design

The wedding favour tags are not the only things that need to be designed; the box (or the pouch) has to be of a color and style that synchronizes with the tag and the theme of the wedding (if any). That being said, the design does not have to be the kind of graffiti or specific designs in various colours you see in weddings all around you, it can be as different as you like.

Most of the times people are so curious to open the box to unveil what is inside that they ignore the pattern you chose, so it is up to you to spice things up in a fashion that makes them wait and admire the uniqueness, if not beauty, of the box.

For example, the design on the box can be such that it states thank you in a language that is not native among the guests in the wedding; they will keep wondering what it is and some curious souls might even come to you and ask. It is certain to make the environment much livelier, which is essentially what you aim to do with wedding favour boxes.

Many of the things organized for the wedding day will be quite short-lived, such as the flowers, the cake, and the music, but the photographs can be kept as a treasured memory for the long-term. For this reason, you want to put in the effort to get the best possible wedding photos. Here are a few tips for finding the perfect photographer:

Start early

The process of finding a wedding photographer should start early. If planning to use one of the best photographers you may need to start the search about 12 months before the special day. A search can start by asking for recommendations from friends or relatives, or browsing online sources like blogs and websites. Make sure to take a careful look at the portfolio of each photographer to get a complete idea of the style and quality offered. Also, when short listing the potential candidates, it is useful to see a greater selection of photos from multiple weddings to get a real sense of the service.

Think critically

When it comes to reviewing the portfolios it is useful to think critically. You want to make sure the photographer is able to capture your wedding in a style that matches your personal preference. The photos should have guests looking relaxed and not spooked, the people and images should all be in focus, and the portfolio should include the type of shots you want.

Organize a meeting

It isn’t practical to decide on a photographer by looking at their online presence only. Once you have been able to shortlist the most promising two or three candidates who are within your price range, you want to look at organizing a video-chat or in-person meeting. In addition to the quality of service offered, you also want to find someone who you are comfortable with because they will be there on your wedding day and mixing with your guests.

Compare packages

A typical question to ask the potential photographer is details of the standard package to make it easier to compare the different options. The number of hours worked can vary significantly with the different packages. The preferred working time is in the region of eight hours, which is enough to take shots throughout the day, from the morning getting ready to the reception at the end. It is worth investing in the right package from the outset to avoid the risk of needing overtime, which a likely to be charged at double the normal rate.

Yes, in 47 of our 50 states. Online ordinations are widely recognized, with Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Tennessee being notable holdouts. Check your local law. Some states require your ordination credential to be filed, so be sure to check with your county. What about other countries? At the time of this writing, online ordinations have been recognized in Australia, Canada, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand and the UK.

Many couples are now having their ceremonies officiated by a close friend or family member, assuming their ceremony will be nonreligious. Maybe you’ve seen the ads in the back of a Rolling Stone magazine offering online or mail-in ordinations? There are plenty of celebrity wedding officiants out there.

Many times the ceremony is officiated by someone who barely knows the couple, whether clergyman or justice of the peace, and so the words are often generic and lame. Officiating a wedding is no small thing. Hopefully you’re comfortable speaking in front of a crowd, and will be able to rise to the importance of the occasion. My advice is to be careful with sarcasm during the ceremony and anything that might offend.

You may be wondering how you should dress to officiate a wedding. Men should normally be wearing a suit. I always ask the couple what their colors flowers, dresses and ties are, so I can coordinate with my tie/suit combo.

A female officiant should probably wear something a fairly conservative guest might be wearing. No hot pink or anything that shows too much skin. You don’t want to take attention away from the bride. A dark dress, accented with tasteful jewelry is a great choice. If the groomsmen are wearing tuxedos, match their vibe and dress for a charity gala. If it’s a morning or early afternoon ceremony and the groomsmen aren’t wearing jackets or ties, dress down too. If you’re appearance is markedly different from the couple and their bridal party, you’ll distract from the couple and potentially hurt your confidence and stage presence.

Officiating a wedding ceremony as a personal friend of the couple’s can be a wonderfully memorable experience. You can help make their big day even more special.

Get ordained online and become a wedding officiant at any one of these three sites, The Universal Life Church, American Marriage Ministries, or GetOrdained.org.

You might not have to buy your ordination credential after becoming ordained. Call your county clerk’s office to see if your municipality requires you to file anything. Many counties do not, so you can save a few bucks by not buying the card that says you’re an ordained minister.

Most people who get ordained online have no idea how to officiate a wedding and this outline and process is an excellent guide.

The main elements of a contemporary ceremony are:
1) Welcoming Guests (thank everyone for coming and let them know how important they are)
2) Opening Commentary (speak to the couple about their relationship and marriage)
3) Reading #1 (can come from anywhere)
4) Imagery (unity candle, blending sand, letter box, champagne toast, etc)
5) Reading #2
6) Exchange of Vows (only around 10-15% of couples write their own)
7) Exchange of Rings (find a tradition that’s meaningful to the couple)
8) Reading #3
9) Pronouncement (send them off smiling!)

There’s no right or wrong way to officiate a wedding, but this outline works well and naturally flows from one part of the ceremony into the next.

Couples are welcome to add or remove readings to play with their ceremonies length, and sometimes have more than one piece of imagery. Interfaith Jewish and Christian couples often light the unity candle and also stomp the glass at the very end of their ceremony. Couples have even jumped the broom (African tradition) and then both stomped on a glass as their guests yelled, “Mozel Tov!” It can be great fun.

If the ceremony is not a religious ritual, there’s no right or wrong way. Weddings don’t have to be somber or follow any ancient format. If the couple wants their dog to escort their rings down the aisle, let them! If they’d like one of their grandpas to be their flower girl, awesome! People love it and it makes for great photos. If they’d like to have friends or family members come up to read during their ceremony, that’s okay too.

The fewer rules officiants have, the more fun couples have. I dressed up as Julius Cesar and wore a laurel and toga for one wedding and have been asked to dress like Elvis. You got it! Those are amazing life experiences to put on a resume and life is short so I try not to take myself too seriously. I encourage you to do the same. Have fun!

Very few people get to officiate a wedding so enjoy it. I do it for a living because it’s so rewarding. Where else can someone consistently get ‘high fives’ and be told how great they are each day at work?

Doing a great job is a sober high for me and I truly hope you have the same experience.

A wedding plan is something that encompasses everything you wish to happen in your wedding event and it avoids all those things that you don’t want to happen. A marriage ceremony or wedding event requires to consider a thousand of things. From deciding the color theme of the wedding, to accommodation arrangement for guests and relatives, to decoration of the event venue, to arrange refreshment, food as well as beverage for inviting guests & contacts, a wedding event includes numerous tasks.

Some of the grooms take pleasure to make arrangements of their own and smart ones hire professionals to make arrangements that they can enjoy the ceremonial activities to the fullest. Experts or agencies that offer professional services to organize events such as wedding, engagement or corporate gathering, eliminates all the hassle that occur during a wedding event.

An event manager knows well what actually requires making an event successful, also, they are equipped with the appropriate tools and manpower to organize an event smoothly. Apart from this, they are aware with all the probable issues that might occur during a wedding, and they come up with an expert solution for every existing issue instantly.

Hiring experts or a professional wedding event management agency is just not enough to ensure success of an event. You have to check out the proceedings your own. In order to ensure that things are going well or not, you can prepare a checklist of the tasks which are going to be done. Thus, you would be cleared that you are not missing anything. As you find that tasks are getting done, mark them progressively.

Remain close and connected with the event management professionals to get updated with what’s going on and what is required to be done. Moreover, you need to prepare a list of guests, relatives and contacts, you wish to invite on this special day of your life, to make certain that no significant person is left.

Have a conversation with the caterer on estimated budget. Tell him frankly about your financial capacity and insist him the get the things done within your budget. Suggest him the whole sellers, who can provide uncooked food material and other essential things at reasonable rates. Do the same concerning decorator, photographer, and videographer.

Find a travel agency that can deliver affordable travelling packages in bulk that you can ensure that all the outsider guests can reach to their destination after the event with no hassle. Considering these tips and precautions, one can efficiently plan his/her wedding event, ensuring that he or she is going to enjoy this cherished day to the maximum.

You have seen just the place for your dream wedding. No, it’s nowhere close to home but who cares? You just have to be married there.

You have dreamed of getting married on the beach at a tropical destination but you live in a city nowhere near a beach.

The solution? A destination wedding. While many think this means a wedding where you and a selection of friends and family hop on a plane to a tropical island, there are also destination weddings that happen closer to home, just not at home.

Getting married elsewhere may mean that tropical beach, but it may also mean an apple orchard hours from home, a quaint town nestled in the mountains, a historic location that you just fell in love with. Whatever the ‘destination’ there are a few things to remember before booking.

If you are planning to get married in the country that you live in, that’s one less thing to worry about. If, however your ideal place is outside of the country there will be paperwork and licenses that have to be obtained. Most places known for their weddings will have a pre-packaged deal that will be stress free and simple, they’ve done it before and they’ve perfected what they need to do.

If, however your dream wedding is in a place not known for weddings, you’ll have to do a lot of the legwork and planning on your own. (or with a professional planner of course)

Going out of town to get married is a lot more simple, you take who you want to be part of your big day and you save money on a huge reception since you only have a selection of friends and family in attendance. You can spend more time with your guests since there won’t be as many, and you will find the whole thing just a bit more relaxed than a large wedding with a large reception and everyone you have ever known in attendance.

If, however you have close friends and family who can’t travel or you just can’t leave out certain people no matter the numbers, then choosing a destination closer to home may be your ideal way to go. No one says it has to be a church and traditional, but having something within an hour of home helps everyone get there with not much hassle. Beach? Mountains? Historical site? Garden at home? Whatever you choose it’ll be beautiful.

It can be a very simple or very complex task to choose the bridesmaids. Would you like to know how to get it right? Today I will talk about some keys. I think they will be beneficial for you to do right things. Take note of what is good for you.

Before you choose your bridesmaids, you should consider it well. It is not something you can improvise. Of course, they will play an important role on the wedding day, especially, they will support you and do something helpful for you through the preparations. When you choose your gorgeous lace wedding dresses, your bridesmaids will company you and give you some guidance. They will also give their advice to choose bridal shoes, or provide some creative ideas until you find a wonderful bridal bouquet. So it is not so easy to find the ideal bridesmaids, How to deal with it? Please see the following advice.

1. Be trendy

Its origin goes back to ancient Rome, when the bridesmaids accompanied the bride to the place of the wedding. Their main function was to protect her during the trip, reason why they dressed in similar costumes is the objective of confusing to possible kidnappers. In the Anglo-Saxon weddings, they were called flower girls, because they threw petals at the bride’s step to wish her good luck.

2. What functions do they play?

Before deciding them between candidates, you have to think about the functions that your bridesmaids will perform: this way you will know who to choose. Not everyone serves, as they should work as a team, be patient and always be at your disposal. Remember that the role of the maid of honor is not just to precede you on your way to the altar or to put on the tail of your dress. In the same way that you have spent time thinking about original wedding details or have consulted several catalogs until you find those perfect wedding shoes, you also have to make an effort to find the ideal bridesmaids. These will be your main tasks:

Before the wedding:

Traditionally, bridesmaids should help you with all the wedding preparations and support you unconditionally so you won’t feel too nervous. They will advise you on the choice of your bridal look, the bouquet… And they will also help you look for ideas for wedding details, to think about the music for the banquet, to decide on the bridal cake or even to look at hairstyles for loose hair. And, of course, they will organize an unforgettable party.

The wedding day:

They have to help you from the first thing in the morning, taking care of you and make sure that you are perfect. They will also accompany you to the church, ensuring that your nice ball gown wedding dress and the tail are always where they should be.

3. Who should I choose?

Traditionally the bridesmaids are single and young. They must also be willing and able to solve any problem that may happen. It is advisable that all of you live in the same city or nearby to organize fun meetings or informal meals to go and organize everything with peace of mind. Think that you should choose funny, organized, responsible and interested girls in your well-being.