Planning a wedding can be one of the most stressful activities one will take part in with a future spouse, but it can also be one of the most fun parts of planning the wedding. Selections can set the tone for the entire celebration, and will often leave the most
memorable impression on guests.

There are several different styles of meals and service to choose from, depending on what venues are willing to offer.

Basic Serving Styles :

Buffet
A buffet-style meal usually means that all of the food will be placed on a long table or countertop at the reception venue. Arrange to hire buffet attendants who will help serve the food to guests. The meal, when appropriate, is usually kept hot inside chaffing dishes. The advantage to this more casual style of wedding dining is that guests will have the freedom to select the portion size of each dish, often with the freedom to have “seconds.”

Family Style
With family-style dining, platters of food are served to each table, where guests will serve themselves a portion of each dish before passing it on to the guest seated beside him or her. This style of dining is less formal than serving a plated meal, but guests will enjoy sharing with one another and getting to know one another as they pass the food around the table.

Plated Dinner
Usually the most expensive style of wedding reception dining, serving a plated dinner is also the most elegant choice. Reception guests will each be served their own plate of hot food by a server. The drawback to this style is that if the service is not well co-ordinated or quick enough, some guests may finish their meal before others have even been served.
Considering Guests’ Needs

When considering which style of dining to provide for wedding guests, consider:

* The number of guests who will be attending the reception. A very large guest list will not make buffet-style dining easy to accomplish, for example.
* The amount of money to be spent. Consider also unexpected costs such as rental fees for dishes, silverware, labour costs for servers, if necessary.
* Special dietary needs of guests. Consider providing a vegetarian option for guests who do not eat meat. Children may also need a different menu.
* The mobility of the guests. Will older guests be able to reach the buffet comfortably? Will there be servers available to assist less mobile guests?
* The kinds of foods that will be served. Avoid serving messy foods in a buffet-style meal.

When planning a wedding dinner, remember also to plan for any appetizers or desserts, other than wedding cake, that will be served to guests. Don’t be afraid to shop around and ask potential venues about the kind of table and food service they are able to provide for the celebration.

In this modern era many times your friends and relatives you wish to ask to be bridesmaids are scattered across the country if not the world. It may be difficult for you to go and ask in person and you want something warmer, more unique than just a simple phone call. What are some ideas for you to make your request special? Read on and decide if one of the ways presented is a way for you to ask the special people in your life to be part of your wedding day.

Asking Those Who Are Dear and Near
Having lunch with one or more of your intended bridesmaids may be a good setting in which to ask if they will be part of your wedding party. You can make a special toast and incorporate your request in the speech. Think of the surprise on your girlfriend’s faces when you ask for their participation.

You can also present them with a gift wrapped book such as “The Bridesmaids Guide” as a way to request that they be a bridesmaid in your wedding. The book contains all the information your attendants will need to know to be of the utmost help to you on such a hectic day. It also lists the responsibilities of the attendants for before, during and after the wedding ceremony.

Requesting the Participation of Those Who Live Away
Your request can make more of an impact if you send a flower that you will use for your wedding accompanied by a note explaining what the flower is for and if they will carry it in their bouquet when they walk down the aisle before you. You can find a favorite photo of the two of you and on the back you can remember the special time you spent that day and ask if she will be in your pictures as one of your attendants on your wedding day.

You can really be unique and ask all the girls you would like as your bridesmaids to rent the movie “My Best Friend’s Wedding” and ask that you all watch it wherever you are at the same time. You can then text, email or IM your friends that this can be you and ask them to be in your wedding party in this way.

The guest list
For every person that gets invited to the wedding, the cost of the invitations and food rises. Create a master guest list. Then sit down and go through the list eliminating guests one by one. Some couples may have to do to this a few times over the course of several days until the guest list has been trimmed down to a reasonable and affordable number.

Invitations
Keep the invitations simple. The more detail that is on the invitation, the higher the price will be. Consider printing the invitations using a home printer, purchasing them through a stationary store, party store, or an online retailer. Instead of including a reply card, have guests reply online or the telephone.

Wedding attire
Consider purchasing a used wedding gown, renting a gown and bridesmaid’s dresses, shop in thrift stores, in department stores that sell designer dresses and gowns, or take advantage of sample sales.

Flowers
Flowers are one expense that can add up quickly. Choose flowers that are in season and consider using more greens than flowers wherever possible.

Day of the week & time of year
Saturday is the most popular day of the week to get married. As a result, many churches, house of worship, and reception venues charge top dollar for a Saturday wedding. To save money, some couples choose to get married during the week or on a Sunday.

The months of June through August are very popular months for marriages. Couples can save a considerable amount of money if they choose to get married in the fall, winter, and early spring months.

Decorations
Many wedding decorations can be purchased at craft stores, party supply outlets, and after holiday sales for a fraction of the cost of ordering through traditional wedding supply stores.

If a couple chooses to get married around a holiday, such as Christmas, many churches and reception venues are already decorated for the holiday, which will greatly reduce the amount of decorations that need to be purchased.

When purchasing wedding decorations, choose decorations that can later be used at the reception.

Cake
Wedding cakes can be rather expensive. The more layers and detail that goes into a cake, the more expensive the cake becomes. What many couples choose to do is serve their guests sheet cake. The wedding cake is made with the top layer being the actual cake and the bottom layers are just forms. The wedding cake will look just like a real elaborate wedding cake, but without the added expense.

Wearing pearls: this myth has both bad luck and good luck meanings. The not so lucky version of this myth: pearls represent future tears; therefor wearing them will bring many tears and heartache in the marriage. The much luckier version of this myth: the pearls take the place of the bride’s real tears. Result: she’ll have a happy, tear-free wedding.

Time of day to get married: the couple should exchange vows as the clock’s minute hand is moving upwards, any time half past the hour, for example 3:30 or 5:45. The upward movement is said to bring blessings upon the couple as the minute hand is “ascending towards heaven.”

Surname of the same first letter: it is considered unlucky for the bride to marry a man with a surname that begins with the same first letter as hers. This wedding myth is summarized in the following Victorian rhyme: “To change the name and not the letter; is to change for the worst and not the better.”

Wedding Viel: The wedding viel hides the brides beauty, and blocks evil spirits. Another explanations is that during the day of arranged marraiges, the brides face would be covered until the groom commited to the marraige.

Where to stand: The bride stands on the left of the groom during the marriage ceremony to allow his sword arm to be free, ready to fight off other men who may want her as their bride.

Wedding Rings: The wedding ring is considered sacred and should not be lent to others to try on, it will bring bad luck and even the possibility of unfaithfulness. If ever the wedding rings are removed by a bride, it must be the groom who returns them to her fingers to continue the good luck. (I like this one)

Below are some key elements that you will want to get right so that you can send the highest quality wedding invitations possible for your event:

Handmade Unique Wedding Stationery vs. MassMarket

When ordering a mass produced wedding invitation you are often confined to the designs on hand. The people that produce these stationery sets usually produce large quantities in advance and simply print your event information on them. This means there is often little flexibility in how your order can be customized (and changed altogether if need be).

Handmade invitations which are made to order by a designer allow you to be very specific about which design elements you can use such as paper stocks, ribbons and accents. These types of unique wedding invitations can also be worked on and changed until you have the right design for you. Be sure you are aware of this before you hit the “approved” button on a mass produced set of wedding stationery.

Choosing a Paper Stock – The All Important Ingredient

If there is one thing you make sure of, make sure that the paper stock you are getting is of a very high and superior quality. These stationery papers provide a very specific feel and quality when they are touched and handled. Poor grade and cheap card stock can make the wrong impression when opened and can capsize your unique wedding invitation’s impression of quality very quickly. Some heavy card stock can be used to make a premium invitation but the stocks that are made from cotton and other blending processes tend to have a softer feel and texture. These stocks also have visually appealing qualities and can instantly give the impression of quality - something that should not be overlooked.

The Right Match Up

A surefire BIG mistake is to have your unique wedding invitation made on one type of paper stock and have your envelope made with another (usually lower quality) paper. Don’t laugh, it happens quite frequently. Any thorough designer is going to make sure that you have a matching set. If your unique wedding invitations are in fact handmade, this is usually never a problem. The same principle goes for your envelope seals, save the date cards, wedding announcements and all other stationery you will be sending out with regards to your wedding.

Quality Costs More, But The Extra Cost Is Worth It

If you truly want to make a grand impression by sending unique wedding invitations, custom announcements and save the date cards, it is definitely worth it to spend the extra money. Weddings are not cheap and it can always be a challenge to cut costs where you need to. But since your wedding invitations are the types of keepsake’s that many people will keep in order to remember your event, which do you think is going to leave the better lasting impression: multi-layered unique wedding invitations on Fabriano paper or plain old 80lb card stock?

In The End, It’s All About Satisfying YOU, You’re The One Who Has To Be Satisfied

It is safe to say that anyone tying the knot is going to want to have the perfect and most memorable occasion. There are many things to prepare, choose, keep track of and finalize before your wedding is planned exactly how you want. It is important to make sure that your first contact with your guests and loved ones makes the right impression about your event and how important it is to you. It is easy to do this with handmade unique wedding invitations and paying attention to the guidelines offered here.

As with all wedding details, wedding centerpieces come in a wide range of choices. From expensive and over the top to cheap and modest, you will have to search for the option that is right for you and your wedding celebration.

Set your budget and start thinking of wedding centerpiece ideas. As the saying goes, sometimes less is more, and centerpieces are no exception.

If you are having a simple, elegant wedding you would not want to have lavish, obnoxious centerpieces that excessively stand out. On the other hand if you are having an elaborate wedding affair an extremely simple centerpiece may look out of place.

Here are four tips for finding the perfect wedding centerpiece:

Look For Unique Vases or Items For Flowers

Flowers are the most popular choice for centerpieces, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be creative. Try finding unique vases instead of ordinary clear glass vases. There are many options including different color glass vases and unique shapes.

Instead of vases you can also choose other items to hold your flowers like birdcages or fishbowls. Try adding items to the containers like stones, pearls or other objects that match your theme.

Think Seasonal For Centerpiece Ideas

The season that you are getting married can spark some great, creative ideas for wedding centerpieces.

For a Fall wedding consider incorporating pumpkins into your centerpieces. Options include small carved pumpkins that can double as wedding favors and pumpkins filled with flowers or candles.

Summer weddings have many items that can be used for centerpieces. These include seashells, lighthouses and other nautical items.

For a Winter wedding, add pine cones or holiday items.

Get Creative

Think outside of the box and come up with something unique. If you have an overall theme to your wedding, try incorporating something from that theme into your centerpieces.

For example, if you are getting married in a city like New York or Chicago, try tying in something unique from that city. New York is called The Big Apple, so you could somehow incorporate apples into your centerpieces.

Ask a Professional

Having trouble coming up with unique ideas for your centerpieces? Ask your vendors for help.

Florists, caterers and wedding planners are great resources for centerpiece ideas. They have a lot of experience and have seen a lot of things, so bounce your ideas off of them.

Source : wedalert.com

For many people a wedding dress should be a traditional full length white gown, symbolizing the bride’s pure heart and innocence, complete with veil and train first popularized by Queen Victoria when she broke with the royal custom of marrying in silver and chose a white gown for her marriage to Prince Albert. This started a craze which has continued until today with a large number of brides choosing a white wedding dress or a dress in a variation of white such as cream, eggshell or ivory.

Today however we are seeing two major shifts taking place when it comes to weddings.

In the first place we are seeing a return to pre-Victorian days when brides married in simpler dresses of just about any color that took their fancy, except for black which was associated with mourning and red which was worn only by “ladies of the night”. This also means often dispensing with the veil, which is said to symbolize virginity, and the train which is very much a trapping of royal weddings and emulates the peacock, which was formerly seen an a royal bird.

In the second place we are also seeing a move away from the church wedding towards weddings held in a wide variety of venues, including the increasingly popular beach wedding.

As a result not only do brides now have a much wider choice of color for their wedding dress but, more importantly, dispensing with the veil and train and the need for a full length dress now means that brides can choose from a range of far more simple wedding dresses. For the cost conscious this is great as informal wedding dresses are also considerably cheaper than the full traditional white wedding outfit.

One other important point here is that the move away from the full white wedding gown also means that it is no longer necessary to purchase your dress from a specialist bridal outfitter who, not surprisingly, will charge a premium simply for the service that is provided or for the name or brand that you are buying. It’s a bit like a pair of running shoes – you can buy two virtually identical pairs of shoes and pay ten times more for one pair than for the other simply because it carries a brand name.

There has never been a better time to shop for your wedding dress and the choice available to you today in terms of color, style and supplier is vast. It’s no longer that difficult to find reasonably cheap wedding dresses and still end up looking like a million dollars in the dress of your dreams.

In the U.K., the cost of raising a child to the age of 21 outside of costly London is estimated to be about £166,000 (about US$286,000), according to a survey by the Liverpool Victoria Society. The financial dilemma, thus, is similar to many developed countries. If household incomes were limitless, the decision to raise children might be a strictly personal option. In reality, however, the decision to have children is also a financial one. In this article, we’ll provide some food for thought from the financial side of the equation.

No Kids? Why Get Married?
Love and affection aside, marriage provides greater financial stability than going it alone. When both spouses work, all but the most foolhardy of married couples enjoy significantly greater financial benefits than other families. Smart couples leverage marriage to increase income and decrease expenses. Instead of making two rent or mortgage payments, these couples make one. Likewise, most utility bills have a nominal payment that would be higher if the couple was living apart than the incremental increase in living together. The most financially savvy couples live on one income and save the rest. They usually have two employers from which to choose health plans and won’t have to worry about bankruptcy if one income earner is temporarily unemployed.

Economically speaking, the absence of children results in lower fixed expenses. It also results in more money to spend. Regardless of your feelings about children, the bottom line is that you can do a lot of nice things for yourself, your spouse and your finances with the quarter of a million dollars that it takes to raise a child to age 18.

Conclusion - Kids or No Kids?
Economic reality forces tough choices. The decision to have children is a politically sensitive topic; those who have children abhor the cold economic reality that DINKS factor into their equation, while some DINKS maintain the view that unchecked population growth contributes to environmental strain. In the end, having children is still a deeply personal and challenging choice - just remember to add the financial implications of raising children into the equation. You need to review your personal situation and make the choices that are right for you and your family, whether it will consist of two people or 10.

The first, most basic way to make your guests feel welcome is to have rooms reserved for them that are near the wedding reception, and preferably near other wedding attendees. This way, people from out of town will have a network of friends and family nearby to lend a helping hand in times of need. For example, Aunt Milly from Denver may be able to get Uncle Fred from Fargo to help her carry her wedding gift. It also means that little Timmy can go back to the hotel with cousin Sarah and her mother, while Timmy’s mom and dad stay at your reception.

A really great way to make your guests feel welcome is to place a gift basket or favor for them in their hotel room before they check in. These gifts can be personalized for each attendee, or somewhat generic in nature. You could include items to help them relax and unwind after a long day of traveling; anything from a simple bag of chocolates to an extravagant bottle of wine. You could also include games and activities for any children so they remain occupied while mom and dad get things settled. Along the same lines as the gift basket idea, you could assemble an emergency basket for them as well. Stock this emergency kit with simple items like a tooth brush, tooth paste, deodorant, thread, needles, or other items that come in handy in a pinch.

If you’ve blown most of your wedding budget and are short on cash, you could leave a collection of pamphlets on area attractions that you particularly enjoy. Make a list of your favorite restaurants with a map showing how to get there from the hotel. Your map could also include areas of interest like nearby shopping malls, playgrounds, dog parks, museums, or other local attractions. Customizing each map for each family will be a sure sign that it was personally prepared with their enjoyment and comfort in mind.

If you do find you have some spare time before your wedding day, you could make a quick trip to the hotel just to drop of a thank you card for each family. Nothing will make them feel more welcome than having a small item hand delivered by the bride. Even if you don’t have time to drive all the way to the hotel, you could make a few phone calls in between errands to make sure your wedding guests have everything they need. Make sure to set a strict time limit on the amount of time you spend however so you don’t chat the night away!

Greeting your guests doesn’t have to be difficult, and with just a small amount of preparation, you can ensure they’ll remember your big day fondly. Following through with even one of these ideas will make your wedding something to be talked about, and can fill you with the pride of a job welll done.

1. Get personal referrals
Find photographers that your friends and family recommend. This is much easier than just looking in the yellow pages for ads that look appealing. If you can’t find any personal referrals but are still interested in a specific photographer, be sure to ask for and call the referrals they give you.

2. Look at websites
Scrutinize a photographer’s website and pictures. Ignore flashy website designs and focus on the quality and style of the pictures. Do you like the style of their photographs? Which styles does the photographer use- photojournalism, formal, classic candid? Do the people look natural in the photographs? Do they use a variety of photos such as color and black and white? Determine what you want and like from the photographs so you can narrow your choices down.

3. Conduct a phone interview
This will allow you to ask general questions relating to their experience and package costs. This gives you a general idea of their personality as well.

4. Set appointments
After narrowing you list down to a select few, set up appointments with the photographers. Ask specific questions so you understand what you will be getting in your contract. Although there are set prices for packages, consider asking for a discount without losing anything. Discuss the packages, as well as the costs of reprints and albums. Also, find out what type of film they will use or what type of digital camera they use. Ask for a wedding portfolio so you can closely analyze their pictures. Perhaps ask them to analyze your face, if you feel comfortable, to determine if they can catch you at your best. Be sure to ask if can keep the negatives and if the proofs are marked. Determine if they do their own printing or send it out. Sometimes it is better if they do their own printing, or at least print them in state (particularly for timely deliveries). Determine exactly what photographer you will be getting so you can talk to them. (Some studios switch photographers and don’t tell you). A Ask if they will help you choose your pictures and how long it will take to prepare them after the wedding. Determine if they use an assistant as well. It may cost more, but it can be worth it because it frees up your photographer to focus on other things than changing film, etc. Read the contract carefully and determine payment. Be prepared to give a deposit at the appointment if you decide to work with them. Also, be aware of their policies on cancellation or if you have to change your date.

Once you have talked with several photographers, you can choose the one that fits your budget and that you work well with. Be sure to be professional in your decision and make sure they are professional as well in dress and manners. After you choose your Utah wedding photographer you can rest easier that you made the right decision and focus on other important considerations.