Beach weddings are some of the most romantic weddings there are. This is also great, because beach weddings can be quite inexpensive if you go about it right. There are a number of things you can do to keep your beach wedding as inexpensive, yet elegant as possible. Here are a few ideas to get you started in the right direction:
Look In Unusual Spots: Many of the beaches that rent their land out, and are hotspots for weddings are going to be very overpriced. Try looking around in classified ads, and even put your own ad out looking for a beach to rent for your wedding. In some states, where private beaches are common, those individuals who own those beaches may be interested in renting their beach out for a fraction of the price. If you look in the right places, you should be able to find a beach that is just as suitable for your wedding at a fraction of the price.
Keep It Simple: You are not in a giant cathedral with marble floors; there is no reason to over-do the dress for the wedding. You and your significant other should discuss what the appropriate attire for your wedding is. Remember, the trick is to keep it simple, but still remain elegant enough.
Outdoor Receptions: Many individuals who have beach and outdoor weddings have their reception right outdoors afterwards. Barring bad weather, you could consider having an outdoor reception. It may be a pain to drag a few tables over some sand to set the food on, but it is probably better than spending hundreds of dollars to use a building for a few hours if you are on a tight budget.
Let the Natural Beauty Be Your Decoration: There is no need to over-do it with decorations if you are having a beach or other outdoor wedding. Your surroundings should be beautiful enough to where you will not have to put up a ton of decorations to make everything look nice. Put enough effort into decorating to show that you cared, but not enough to take the focus off of the beautiful setting around you.
Remember to calm down, and have a good time. You will remember this day for the rest of your life, and you would not want to be worried the entire day about how much you spent or what went wrong. A beach wedding is an elegant, inexpensive way to share your feelings with your significant other in front of your whole family.
By Beth Fowler
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Inexpensive Beach Weddings
Have Your Perfect Wedding Gown Made For Your Perfect Wedding
There are many reasons to have your wedding gown made for you and quite a few ways to accomplish this.
You may be hard to fit. Not every bride is going to look like a runway model. But every bride is going to want to look fabulous. Rather than having someone remake a bridal gown, have someone make it from scratch if you can find the fabrics and the right person to make it.
You may want something different. I look fabulous in black. I was being married in the middle of the winter in Pennsylvania. I was 55. White wasn't going to cut it! I was also being married in a big ol' drafty building. I wanted to be comfortable. Black Velvet was perfect for me. (a few borrowed diamonds? Whew!)
You may not be interested in current styles: If you have an era that is perfect for you, but you don't want, can't find, a vintage dress. Have it made!
Who's going to make it for you?
You can make it: if you know how to do this AND you're willing to start far enough in advance that you're not going to be sewing the night before the wedding, go ahead. I don't advise brides to do this if they're procrastinators. And you might not want to do this as your first sewing project.
You can make it with a friend: but only a very good friend who is going to both put up with and call you on the carpet for the hysterical "it's ruined, it'll never be what I want" rantings that move you toward a wedding gown.
A friend or family member can make it for you: If they're confident about doing it and willing to undertake it, it's great. A dear friend made mine. She was astonishing and so was my dress. Turns out she's a couture level seamstress and I have a dress to prove it.
A seamstress or tailor: There are still people who make clothing. This may not be the cheapest way to have a dress sewn, but it will still probably be cheaper than buying and it will be yours and yours alone! HINT: check references on lots of things. You don't want people who sew well if they're not timely. You sort of need your wedding dress before you waltz down the aisle at your wedding ceremony and make the wedding vows that will create your marriage!
It's not always easy finding someone who sews. Now, it's true, I know a lot of people so my odds are greater of knowing someone. But if I could find someone in nowhere Pennsylvania who did not just sewing, but design, my guess is you might too! And with a little work on Google or even a (gasp) phonebook, you could find someone. The woman who did my dress was a casual friend who became a very dear friend over the course of making my dress. It was a thoroughly wonderful experience! But once you've found someone to sew:
Find out what level of sewing they're comfortable with
Go pick a pattern. You may want to go together for this.
Get very good instructions about fabric. Either fabric determines pattern or pattern fabric, so decide which you'll choose first. (I was fabric first!)
Get all the necessities at once: lining, underlining, zipper, buttons, thread, trim. Whatever you're going to use, gather them at once. This is one more way to keep track of your budget. (Lining and underlining mean fewer uncomfortable undergarments!
Get this started early so it's finished early and hanging in your closet. It's always fun to be able to peek into a closet and say, "I'm getting married!" And then go on planning your wedding and your wonderful life with your sweetie beloved!
By Ann Keeler Evans
Monday, January 5, 2009
Top Ten Money Saving Wedding Tips
1. Plan your wedding ceremony and reception in the morning, on a Friday or Sunday night and consider the winter months for all these times and dates will be less expensive.
2. Try to keep your guest list minimal.
3. Make your own veil. You’ll find that most craft stores sell how-to books and even supplies on designing your own veil, which can save you hundreds of dollars.
4. Shop online for your wedding dress. Go to a nearby bridal shop and try on dresses so you know they fit, and once you find some you like, search for them online, you’ll most likely find them, and for much less.
5. Supply your own alcohol for the wedding if you can, you’ll be sure to save.
6. Opt to not have a dinner reception. Choose to have a brunch, cocktail or dessert party instead.
7. Use silk flowers. Silk flowers are beautiful, look real, and are always less than real flowers. Better yet, you can even rent them.
8. When decorating, use more greenery and baby’s breath, with fewer flowers to cut costs but still make the setting look fulfilled.
9. Create your own invitations. You can easily create a design with use of a computer and software programs available for this task, as well as purchasing your own wedding desktop publishing paper.
10. Consider using local universities qualified but inexpensive musicians, photographers, and videographers. Professors can point you in the right direction to finding the best students in the program..
Sunday, January 4, 2009
How to be Creative Wedding Invitations
Wedding invitations are one of the few pieces of mail that people enjoy receiving. It’s fun to open up that envelope knowing there’s a custom invitation inside. But amidst all of today’s junk mail, how can you make your envelope stand out to get your guests’ attention?
There are actually several ways you can make your mailing envelope as unique as your wedding invitation.
- With so many wedding invitation designs available today, you could easily select a uniquely shaped style such as square or tea length. The mailing envelope will then reflect that same distinctive size to fit the invitation.
- Another option is to select a Seal and Send wedding invitation style. This all-in-one invitation is designed to be folded into a self-mailing piece eliminating the need for a mailing envelope. The response card is attached to the invitation so it can be easily detached by your wedding guest along the perforation. This also eliminates the response card return mailing envelope and saves on your postage cost as it only requires a postcard stamp.
- How about using color for emphasis? Some wedding invitations now come with colored mailing envelopes. In particular, self-mailer invitations often include a colored envelopment. The envelopment holds your invitation card and has a built-in pocket for keeping any extra enclosures. It is then folded up wrapping around all your invitation pieces to become your mailing envelope.
- Adding a seal to your wedding invitation envelope could be that extra touch you’ve been looking for. Even though your envelope is sealed, you can choose to place a special seal on the back so it gives the illusion that the seal is actually holding the flap down. There are many seal design choices, from monograms to first names to specific themes. Their appearance can be clear, white, silver, gold, embossed, etc.
Custom Wedding Stamps
- There are now websites that offer you the option of creating your own personalized postage stamps using an uploaded photo or choosing from ready-to-use wedding designs. This is a great way to dress up your wedding invitation envelopes to reflect your personal style.
You want to be sure your wedding invitation gets the attention of your guests as soon as it arrives in their mail and that it doesn’t get lost in their sea of junk mail and bills. Using any of the above suggestions will surely accomplish this and will start building their excitement even before they see your actual invitation.
How To Get Your Wedding Guests to Save The Date
You are engaged - congratulations! Undoubtedly, immediately after your friends and family squeal with delight over your news, the first question they will ask is, "So when is the date?" It can be somewhat annoying, especially if you are very recently engaged, but really all your loved ones are asking so they can mentally save the date.
So begins your wedding planning. Obviously the first thing you need to do is start viewing places for your ceremony and reception, because without those there is no wedding.
Once you have nailed down your wedding's place and date - then its time to get the word out. This is especially important if you are having your wedding during peak wedding season (usually the spring, early summer) or over any holiday weekend. Keep in mind, that while surely your guests are looking forward to celebrating with you, they can have conflicts. Wedding season unfortunately conflicts with graduation season, and long weekends are usually booked up with vacation plans way in advance.
If possible, you want to send your save the date cards out 6-9 months in advance. Lean toward the longer end of that spectrum if you have guests coming long distance or if you have a popular wedding date booked.
Now comes the fun part.
What should they look like? Do they have to match? Who should I send them to? What should my save the dates say? How much information do I need to include? The answer to all those questions is easy. Its entirely up to you and your fiancee. As long as the most important information is on there - your names and your date all the rest is gravy. However, to help guide you through the decision making we offer these words of advice.
What should they look like?
Save the dates are your opportunity to get the word out about your approaching wedding in fun, expressive way. Save the date announcements can be more casual than your more formal wedding invitation. However, keep in mind this is your chance to create a first impression. Your guests will receive your save the date and start forming impressions on what kind of event it will be. So we suggest you be unique, but use high quality materials. Nothing sends the wrong message like flimsy materials.
Do they have to match?
Nope. They don't have to match the rest of your wedding, but they can. If you are the kind of person who has been dreaming of what your wedding would look like even before you were engaged then perhaps you have some ideas already for color themes, design styles, etc. If that's the case, great! Work with it! However, often times those types of wedding decisions are not solidified so early in the game so don't sweat it. The priority is to get those save the dates in the mail so you get on your guests' calendars. Another consideration, if you are the type A personality with your wedding plans all mapped out, you are going to be seeing a lot of those colors or design decisions over the upcoming months. So much so that you might get a little sick of your chosen colors (gasp! Say it isn't so!) The save the date offers the opportunity to use your second choice color ideas, just to mix it up a bit. The point is, if you see something completely unrelated to your wedding ideas that you absolutely love - go for it!
Who do I send them to?
Lose the notion that the save the date has to be sent to everyone on your list - because it doesn't. In fact, (and you didn't hear this from us) if there are people on your list that are what we like to call "obligatory invites" = people you really have to invite due to family ties, or professional connections, this would be a good time to hold off. We aren't saying to disinvite them, but if they only receive the formal invitation then no harm done. The reality is if you are inviting your boss to the wedding simply because it's the politically correct thing to do, then you are probably secretly hoping he/she doesn't come. Having said all this, we do recommend you make sure you send your save the date to people who might interact with eachother. Say you have a distant Great Aunt Matilda who you are inviting purely out of family obligation. Normally you would not send her a save the date. However, if your Great Aunt Matilda has dinner over your cousin Amy's house and sees your save
the date hanging on her refrigerator there might be feelings hurt.
What should my save the dates say? How much information do I need to include? The way to think of save the dates is almost like directions. You are instructing your guests to save the date, and beyond that you are giving them all the most important information in order to make arrangements to attend. For a local wedding with not many long distance guests you could get away with just your names, the date of your wedding and the town where you will be holding the event. However, that is rarely the case. Usually planning couples have information they would like to communicate. Here are the various ways to do so and things you can include:
The date:
Obviously!
Your names:
You can keep it casual and just use your first names or if you are concerned this might confuse your guests you can use both of your full names. However, the point can be made if your guests don't know you by your first names, why are they being invited?
The place:
You really don't need to give them the exact GPS location of you wedding but just a general region would be a good idea. For example, "New York City."
Everything beyond those first three elements is optional.
Hotel information:
Chances are you are going to reserving some hotel blocks for your guests. If you know that information it would very helpful to your guests to have it early with your save the date. However if haven't gotten to your blocks yet, don't worry. You can include that information with your formal invitation. If you aren't doing blocks for your guests, its still not a bad idea to recommend places to stay to your guests.
Website URL:
Wedding websites are a great idea. It gives you a place to communicate all the information you have unlimited. It also can be updated as decisions are made - which should be a great comfort to you.
Airport information:
If a lot of your guests are flying to your wedding, then you might want to include how far your ceremony and reception location is from the airport. Also to note, several of the major airlines will offer a discount that you can pass onto your guests. You simply need to call the airlines in advance and explain that you are planning a large event.
Car rental information:
Car rental company will do the same. They will offer a discount that you can pass onto your guests. Again, call the car rental companies in advance and explain that you are planning a large event.
Things to do/Places to eat:
This type of information is totally optional but can be a nice touch for your guests especially if they are coming long distance to attend your wedding. It could convince your guests to make an extended weekend of your wedding if you suggest some fun activities for everyone before and after your wedding. Also, if you have favorite restaurant recommendations that can be a nice personal touch for your guests to enjoy.
Lastly, be sure to include the text "Formal Invitation to Follow"
If you don't you will be surprised at how many people will call you thinking your save the date is your wedding invitation. Your great Aunt Matilda (assuming you sent her that save the date after all) is going to ask, "Where is the rsvp card?"
-written by Lauren Franklin
7 Ways To Celebrate Your Wedding Anniversary
Your wedding anniversary is a major event. Prepare for your wedding anniversary celebration in advance so that everything goes smoothly.
1. Start off right. Get up before she does to prepare a quick breakfast. Serve her breakfast in bed. You might want to plan out the menu and buy the necessary things you need to cook a great breakfast the day before your anniversary. Take a shower after that and return to her side. On the other hand, if you are the sort who makes a major mess of the kitchen whenever you cook anything or even when you make a cup of tea, then skip the breakfast in bed part. She might have a fit when she sees the kitchen after that.
2. Present her with a bouquet of roses. Order the roses a day or more in advance and have them delivered right to the doorstep. She might chide you for wasting money, but she would be secretly very pleased with that romantic gesture.
3. If your kids are still young, book a babysitter in advance. You don't want your night to be ruined by crying babies at your table in the restaurant when you are trying to have a romantic candle lit dinner for two. Do go for a candle light dinner. Just the 2 of you in a favourite restaurant.
4. Relax together and take a break from your regular routine. If you both can, take a day's leave from work. Make your arrangements in the office in advance. If you can't try to go home early for a change, so you can spend more time together.
5. Don't forget the anniversary gifts. There is a different gift for each year or marriage. You might want to go with the traditional or modern gift this anniversary.
6. Each year, give your loved one a wedding anniversary ring to signify that year of marriage you have just shared together. You can find that perfect anniversary ring at http://www.anniversary-rings.net
7. On your 10th wedding anniversary, have a party. Invite those who are dear to both of you to attend. In the presence of everyone, renew your wedding vows and exchange a pair of wedding anniversary rings, to commemorate the event. Here is more information about the 10th wedding anniversary.
Guide to the Greek Orthodox Wedding Ceremony
The wedding service in the Greek Orthodox faith is an ancient and beautiful ceremony, which has been celebrated in its current form for centuries. The wedding ceremony is full of symbolism and is a great experience if you have never attended one before, because it is likely to be quite different from other weddings you have attended in Western Europe. The service is also rather unique because the bride and groom do not make vows to each other – their presence together in the church is taken to mean that they are serious about getting married.
The Beginning of the Wedding
In most cases the wedding guests will wait with the groom outside the church until the bride arrives (a few sneaky wedding pros will go into the church early to secure a good seat). In the Summer, when most weddings take place, it is not unusual for ceremonies to be arranged back to back, so the guests attending a marriage will often stand around with those who have just attended the previous wedding as they prepare to leave. Wedding dress commentators among the crowd will get to consider and discuss at least two brides and maybe even a third as they leave the church – bargain! Meanwhile, the nervous groom waits for the bride at the entrance to the church, often holding her floral bouquet. He hands it to her as they meet and they then go inside together followed by the guests. There is no separation of the guests into guests of the bride and guests of the groom – everyone sits together and in the case of small churches, many people prefer to stand in a spot where they can get a good view of the proceedings.
Service of Betrothal
The wedding ceremony itself is in two parts: the Service of Betrothal and the Ceremony of the Sacrament of Marriage. The exchanging of rings is the focus of the Service of Betrothal. The priest blesses the rings by holding them in his right hand and making the sign of the cross over the heads of the bride and groom. The rings are then placed on the third fingers of their right hands. The “Koumbaro”, the couple’s religious sponsor, then swaps the rings over between the bride and groom’s fingers, three times. A number of rituals in the ceremony are repeated three times and this symbolises the Holy Trinity: God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Ceremony of the Sacrament of Marriage
This Ceremony consists of several key parts. First, several prayers are said and then as they come to an end, the priest joins the right hands of the bride and groom. Their hands remain joined until the end of the wedding ceremony, which symbolises the couple’s union.
The Crowning
The bride and groom are crowned with thin crowns, or “stefana”, which are joined by a white ribbon and have been blessed by the priest. The crowns symbolise the glory and honour that is being bestowed on them by God, and the the ribbon symbolises their unity. The “Koumbaro” then exchanges the crowns between the heads of the couple, three times.
The Common Cup
The crowning is followed by a reading of the Gospel, which tells of the marriage of Cana at Galilee. It was at this wedding that Jesus performed his first miracle, changing water into wine, which was then given to the married couple. Wine is given to the couple and they each drink from it three times.
The Ceremonial Walk
The priest the leads the couple, who are still wearing their “stefana”, three times around the altar on their first steps as a married couple. The “Koumbaro” follows close behind the couple holding the “stefana” place. At this point the couple (and anyone standing nearby) is usually showered with rice, which was earlier handed out to the wedding guests. The priest will often make use of the bible he is holding to give himself some protection!
The Removal of the Crowns
When the Ceremonial Walk has ended, the priest blesses the couple, the crowns are removed and he then separates their previously joined hands with the bible, reminding them that only God can break the union which they have just entered into.
Wedding traditions
Much of the information available on Greek Orthodox wedding traditions is a little outdated and contains generalisations that give the impression that certain traditions are followed by everyone who gets married. Some of these traditions are set out below
- Rolling a baby on the marital bed to encourage fertility.
- The throwing of money onto the marital bed.
- The pinning of money onto the bride (and sometimes also the groom) at the wedding reception.
Although these rituals are seen as traditional, fewer and fewer young people marrying today are following them, because they are seen as old-fashioned. Many people do not wish to put their guests through the ordeal of other people being able to see how much money they pin on the bride, for example. Although money is still a very common, as well as practical, wedding present it is often given to the couple before the wedding day or to a third person at the wedding reception, for safe-keeping. Greeks living in the more remote parts of Greece and abroad, who will naturally feel more strongly about doing things the traditional way, are more likely to follow these traditions than those living in Athens, for example. Like weddings everywhere, Greek weddings are changing. At the time of writing, there is a growing fashion to go and get married on an island and I recently heard someone say that he was looking into getting married in a ski resort. He was wisely advised by a friend “You had better first ask the priest if he wants to perform a marriage up a mountain”!
Are Wedding Decorations waiting in Your future?
If there are wedding bells in your future, then surely there are wedding decorations as well. Or, maybe you are looking for Easter decorations, baby shower decorations, or even prom decorations? For some good ideas on any party decorations, just check online!
When you are planning a party, no matter how big or small you will want to use decorations to make the atmosphere what you want it to be. Table decorations are one thing most parties have. You may wish to cover your tables with brightly colored table clothes with a fresh flower centerpiece. Or maybe you are crafty and wish to make personalized place-mats for your guests. Whatever you choose, the decoration will make the party a blast!
But, not all of us are crafty and need some extra help in this area. You can take a trip to your local craft store where you will find aisles and aisles of ideas. But, more then likely, you will still need some idea of what you can do yourself. Another option is to check out the online retailers and their vast amount of options. If you need help finding what you are looking for online, try searching for it using a major search engine.
Decorations will make your party a hit. Walking into a balloon filled room with decorated tables and chairs, streamers, and festive colored banners will set the mood for your party! So, liven up your wedding decorations by visiting a local craft store, doing some design work yourself, or even just browse the online aisles and make it a great party!
7 Quick Ideas Anybody Can Use to Make Beautiful Scrapbooks
1. Vellum
Vellum is a transparent, translucent material. Vellum can be used to create a slight shadow or shade change to background or embellishment colors. This can be used as a softening agent for baby scrapbooks, as a touch of elegance to gift scrapbooks, or to create dimension in a boring flat page.
To reduce the cloudiness effect caused by gluing, apply only a thin line of glue along the edges of the vellum. In this way, you will see a slight shadow only along the very edge. This will look like a border to the vellum. Vellum is available in both acidic and non acidic forms.
2. Shadow Boxes
A great way to add depth to your scrapbook page is to add shadow boxes. Basically shadow boxes add a shadow to your images. Shadow boxes are also a great way to make your most important photographs or text boxes stand out form the rest of the page. Shadow boxes can also be to emphasis dedications.
To make a shadow box, simply cut a box shape out of paper. Next, put your embellishment on a larger square of cardstock. Then, add glue to all four sides of the cardstock square and attach it to the back of your paper. The embellishment will show through, adding greater dimension to your page.
3. Patterned Paper
Patterned paper can be used for backgrounds, borders, and embellishments. Often plain white backgrounds look rather boring and dull. Patterned backgrounds add a touch of excitement to your page. The right pattern tailored to your theme and purpose can also increase that professional look.
Colors and patterns can be used to coordinate with your photographs or to add dramatic effects. Paper with various themes and patterns is widely available. For instance, a birthday scrapbook could have a background made of your favorite gift wrap. This could add a touch of elegance or a touch of humor depending upon the patterned paper you choose.
4. Textured Paper
Textured paper can add extra dimension to your scrapbooking page. Textured paper can be used to highlight focus items on your scrapbook page. Textured paper can also be used as a backgrounds or border to give your page an interesting fresh look.
Textured paper is available in a variety of textures and colors and is available in most craft and office supply stores.
5. Book Jacket Backgrounds
For an added personal touch and artist flair use a book jacket as a background. This scrapbook technique looks especially nice when the book jacket is the reader's favorite book or author, adding a wonderful personalized touch.
Be aware, however, that the glossy coating on the book jacket creates an added challenge to sticking objects to this background. Alternative attachment methods include sewing and eyelets.
6. Adding Dimension
One good way to add dimension to images is to use double stick foam tape. Double stick foam tape literally allows items to pop out at your reader adding realism to items. This technique is especially useful in children's art and educational scrapbooks.
Simply, cut the foam tape into whatever shape and size you want. Then, attach to shape onto your scrapbook page. Double stick foam tape is available at most craft stores in various colors and thicknesses.
7. Ribbons and Lace
Ribbon and lace are by far the most common, and most beautiful, border embellishment. The flowing nature of both materials encourages a touch of softness and elegance. Ribbon and lace are especially popular in gift and memory scrapbooks.
Moreover, ribbon is easy to glue and attach. Lace requires a bit more patience.
For an interesting change from ribbon and lace, try using jute or raffia.
