Wedding Ceremony help

Planning a Budget Wedding

June 25, 2009

Even the most basic wedding can cost as much as $10,000, and for many couples this can be a daunting figure, that may even put them off getting married in the near future. You shouldn’t have to compromise on having the wedding of your dreams though, and with a little clever planning and hard work can make your budget stretch a very long way Don’t forget that all the money in the world can’t buy you a happy day, and so the more you get actively involved in the planning of the wedding, the more you will be able to influence every aspect of your big day and make sure it is everything you dreamed of.

Guest List

If you are on a budget then the first thing to be absolutely ruthless over is the guest list. You may want to invite as many people as possible to share your big day, but remember the more people you invite the more the wedding is going to cost. Only invite your closest family and friends, and try not to feel too bad about missing people off of the list. This can be very difficult if you have a large circle of family and friends, but just explain to them you are only having a quiet wedding, and have been forced to keep the numbers small.

Invitations

Professionally printed wedding invitations can be very expensive, and you could save a lot of money if you create your own. This is also a much more personal touch, and most people have computers these days that can make short work of designing and printing an attractive set of invitations, or if you are creative you could buy the blank cards and envelopes and design them yourself by hand.

Wedding Party

Keep the wedding party small, and hire all of the suits and dresses rather than buying them outright. If you really are on a tight budget it is perfectly acceptable to ask the best man and bridesmaids to pay for their own clothing hire.

Photography

Professional wedding photographers cost a fortune, and tend to give you very formulaic photos for your albums, so ask a friend who is good with cameras to take your wedding photos/video for you, and give disposable cameras out to the guests so that they can capture a wide range of different photos for you to choose from.

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Wedding Day Traditions

June 6, 2009

One of the best known wedding day traditions is for the bride, and is remembered by the saying ‘’something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue’. The rest of the rhyme has fallen out of favour in recent years and reads ‘and a silver sixpence in her shoe’, and the tradition dates back to Victorian times and means:
Something Old – this represents the brides family, and in particular her links to the matriarchs of her family and it is traditional for the something old to be a piece of jewellery that belongs to her mother or grandmother, that was once handed to them on their wedding day, or their mother’s wedding dress.
Something New – this represents the bride’s future with her new husband, and a new wedding dress is usually used to represent the ‘new’ part of the rhyme.
Something Borrowed – this is to represent the fact that even though the bride is entering a new stage of her life, she is still supported by all of her friends and family, and the borrowed object is normally something small and simple such as a piece of jewellery, a hair decoration or a lace handkerchief.
Something Blue – blue is the symbolic color of faithfulness and loyalty, and also the traditional color of purity. This is normally represented with a blue garter, or any other blue item such as a piece of jewellery or an embroidered handkerchief.
Silver sixpence – this is no longer part of the modern day tradition, but the silver sixpence was given to the bride to wish her and her new husband health, wealth and happiness.

Other wedding traditions include a wedding veil for the bride, which was thought to protect her from evil spirits as she made the vulnerable transition from the safety of one life with her family to the safety of a new life with her husband. Also it is traditional to throw confetti at weddings, and this has replaced throwing rice or grain, which symbolised good health and fertility.

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Tips for Choosing your Wedding Cake

May 21, 2009

The wedding cake is one of the main focuses for any traditional style wedding, and will appear in many of your photos. In fact the moment the bride and groom cut the cake together is very symbolic, and will be one of the main highlights of the wedding (almost as much as the exchanging of the rings), and this is one of the main photos that appears in the wedding album. Therefore it is important that you have the perfect cake to suit your wedding, whether it is the traditional tiered white iced fruit cake or a modern customized design.

Size
It is traditional to give a slice of the cake to every single guest at your wedding, which symbolises the happy couple sharing their joy with the guests, and thanking them for coming to the wedding. You should also send cake to those guests that were invited but unable to attend the wedding. Therefore size is a vital factor in a wedding cake, and you should make sure you have a cake large enough so that everyone gets a piece, and this is why tiered cakes as so popular as they combine a lot of cake into a compact and manageable space.

Design
This will be one of the most difficult choices, and you should spend some time looking at the portfolios available from confectioners and bakers in your local area. You could also order your cake from an online bakery, and although this is a quick, easy option it will give you little opportunity to be involved in the design process, and if you are unhappy with the cake there may be nothing you can do about it once it arrives.

Flavour
Not only should a wedding cake be a feast for the eyes, it should also taste good too and there are a lot of options for different flavours and textures, from traditional fruit cakes through to light sponges, rich tortes, delicious cheesecakes and even special dietary cakes free from gluten or dairy. Popular flavours include lemon, chocolate, coffee and summer berries, and you could use different flavoured layers if you want to give your guests a choice.

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Wedding Planning Basics

April 15, 2009

Budget
The first step you need to do for any wedding is plan the budget. You may need to take out some extra financing to pay for the wedding, and it is important to have this all in place ready to use when you need to, which will avoid any hold ups and also so that you know exactly what you have to spend. Try to be realistic with your budget, and make sure you allocate enough money to each of your requirements such as catering, photography and clothing, and don’t forget to include the honeymoon.

Guest List
Get to work on the guest as soon as possible, as this will help you to plan what size venue you need, and what spending to allocate to the catering. Start with all of your closest friends and family first, and try to keep the numbers to a reasonable level, especially if you are on a tight budget. Send the invites at least 2-3 months before the date of the wedding, to allow people a chance to organize any travel and accommodation.

Venue
Popular wedding venues can get booked up months in advance, so make sure you start planning as soon as possible, and as soon as you have an idea of the date book the ceremony and the reception venues together. The availability of these two venues will dictate the date of your wedding, so be prepared to be a bit flexible, especially if you want to get married on a Saturday, which is the most popular day of the week for weddings.

Insurance
A lot of money is involved in planning a wedding, so it makes sense to get some insurance to cover you in case something goes wrong. Add up the costs of the wedding gowns, rings, venues, photography, flowers and catering, and find an insurance policy that will cover these against accident or damage, and also against the possibility that the wedding may have to be cancelled for any reason. Insurance is particularly important if you have borrowed money to pay for wedding, either from a bank or from your family.

Rings
If you are having your rings made for you, then it is important to sort them out as soon as possible, so that they are ready for the big day. Go ring shopping together so that you can both agree on a pair that suit you, and it is traditional to have matching rings, to symbolise your union.

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Fun Wedding Themes

March 28, 2009

One way to have a wedding that you will remember and treasure for the rest of your life is to get creative, and think up a fun and unique theme. You can concentrate the theme on the reception party to keep things simple, and guests will be sure to appreciate all the extra effort you are putting in to inject some humour and originality into your big day.

Themed weddings are also a great way of getting everyone involved in planning the wedding, which can take a lot of pressure of the bride and also give everyone who has offered their help a chance to pitch in. Once you have thought of a theme draw up a plan of action, and make sure you distribute the jobs fairly between everyone involved, and don’t forget to make sure the groom does his bit too!

Here are some great ideas for fun wedding reception themes to get you started:
Classic Mediterranean – Mediterranean food is delicious and easy to prepare, and if you are getting married in the summer this cuisine if perfect for an outdoor garden party on a hot summers day, and you could opt for fresh Greek salads, grilled marinated souflaki (kebabs) and fresh olives, or a sophisticated Italian picnic with delicious Italian foccacia and pancetta breads straight out of the oven, pasta dishes, rotisserie chicken and refreshing Italian wines.
Fairyland – children will love this theme, as it gives them the chance to dress up as fairies, imps and goblins, and you can decorate the reception hall in beautiful gauzy fabrics, sprays of pretty flowers such as baby’s breath and carnations, and serve fizzy punch, canapés, fairy cakes and other light, colorful foods.
Mexican Party – the Mexican theme is bright and lively, and you can serve traditional dishes such as fajitas and also fiery tequila based cocktails such as mojitos. Kids will love a traditional Mexican party piece the piñata, and Latin American dance music or traditional guitar music will get everyone in the mood.
Arabian Nights – bring a taste of the exotic east to your wedding receptions with an Arabian Nights theme, and decorate your reception hall with gauzy fabrics, rugs and lounging pillows, and serve food on low tables so that guest can recline and relax. You could hire some traditional eastern musicians and dancers for the entertainment and serve tasty treats from all over the Arabian empire such as Moroccan tangines, spicy kebabs and chocolate covered dates.

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