Wedding Breeze

As you plan your wedding this year, chances are many of your friends and family members are planning their weddings as well.  Approximately 3 million weddings take place every year in the United States.  How can you make your wedding stand out from the rest?  Here are some ideas:

Idea #1: Wedding Logos

Brand your wedding in a sophisticated and unique way.  Forget the boring initialed monograms of the past, instead incorporate wedding logos creatively into your wedding.  Similar to company logos, your logo will represent your wedding.  Have a graphics designer sketch one out for you with symbols of the place and time your wedding will take place. For example, you can put the sun and beach in your logo if you are having a beach wedding, or you can have autumn leaves if your wedding is taking place in the fall.  Then add your wedding date, initials, name or whatever you’d like.  You can have your logo professionally stenciled onto an aisle runner, spotlighted unto the dance floor/wall using a gobo projector, or even have it carved on a pumpkin.  And by imprinting them on all your wedding stationery (such as the program cover, menu, wine bottle label, thank you card, etc.), you can tie all the elements of your wedding together with your wedding logo.

Idea #2: Concert Tickets

Announce your special event with customized concert tickets! There are many specialty printers on the internet that print tickets using an actual thermal printer like the ones used to create authentic concert tickets. Have them customize the tickets to create cool save-the-date announcements. Or use the tickets as creative invitations to your wedding, engagement party, rehearsal dinner, “day after” brunch, bachelorette party, or bachelor party just to name a few.

Numbers can be handwritten on the back or on the perforated side. That way you can use the personalized concert tickets as your RSVP cards by having the guests tear the right side of the ticket and mailing it back to you!  Or have your guests hand them in when they arrive at the bridal shower or wedding reception at which point their tickets become lottery tickets for special door prizes.

Idea #3: Wedding Labels and Hang Tags

Packaging for wedding favors is usually bland and blank.  Make them pop with custom wedding labels and hang tags.  Available at many stationery stores or even office supply stores, personalized labels are available in many styles.  Pick one that closely matches your style and wedding color palette, then personalize further with your names, wedding date, a personal message or even the previously mentioned wedding logo.

Depending on the size of your wedding the budget for your wedding favors can be very important. Whatever you decide to do, if you are having a large number of guests it may greatly impact the amount you can afford to spend on each favor. However, if you are having a large number of guests on a limited budget you should consider searching for cheap wedding favor ideas.

One of the simplest of ideas for cheap wedding favors is candles. Wedding favor candles are a great gift. You might even consider purchasing personalized ribbons to tie pretty bows around the candles. Arranging this is not as difficult or as expensive as you might think and there are many companies that specialize in this type of work that could provide the ribbon on a reel with all the wedding details so each piece can be cut to length. A simple taper candle tied with your personalized ribbon can be placed at each place setting to create a really inexpensive wedding favor.

Of course if nothing else springs to mind why not just use the most popular, candy as it is easy to arrange and won’t break the bank. Placing a number of pieces of candy into a presentation carton or tin can give a better impression and because it has all been purchased in bulk, it will also save you money. People like things that are personalized and there is no reason why candy bars cannot have this done to them for a wedding. You can easily expand upon this idea, without costing too much more by adding special wrappers especially for the wedding. Usually things like details of the big day and an image of the bride and groom are all that is needed but it is very effective. Because the wrappers are the same for every wedding guest, the cost will come down dramatically and proves to be a cheap but not gaudy wedding favor.

If you would prefer to give something a little more practical but still within your budget then why not give the guests plant seeds in a box. These are inexpensive and cheap wedding favors. There is no reason why you cannot expand upon this and buy some small pots to put the seeds in. The pots only have to be large enough to carry the largest seeds you have as they won’t be used to grow the seeds in, merely for effect only. This is important because small pots can be purchased rather inexpensively while larger pots will be significantly more expensive.

Another great idea for a wedding favor which is also very affordable is a pen with the names of the bride and groom as well as the wedding date inscribed on the pen. These can often be purchased for very little and can be paired with stationery and it is something your guests can really use. These are cheap wedding favors that keeps on giving because the stationery can be used to stay in touch with the married couple. If you really want to show them you are serious, why not also leave a stamped addressed envelope just to show the guests how serious you are about hearing their thoughts about your happy day.

Save the date cards are a great way to announce the exciting news of your upcoming wedding date to your family and friends.  Since this is going to be one of the happiest days of your life, have some fun spreading the news.   Save the dates come in many light-hearted designs to reflect the excitement you feel about your engagement.

With so many save the date designs to choose from, you could easily select one that reflects your personalities whether you choose a magnet or a card style.

You can create a keepsake for your guests by including your favorite photo or photos on save the date magnets which they can conveniently display on their refrigerator. 

Another unique design is a save the date card that includes a sticker for guests to place on their calendar as a reminder of your wedding date.

Other save the date cards can come in specific themes or even creative shapes to set the tone for your wedding.  Destination or beach weddings inspire many unique shapes and designs such as flip flops, luggage tags, beach scenes, etc.  Vegas themed weddings have also inspired unique designs.

Consider giving your guests a pleasant surprise by sending them a card where they must scratch off an area to reveal your wedding date similar to a lottery ticket.

A calendar save the date magnet will show the days of your wedding month with your specific date circled.  Again, the magnet can easily be displayed as a reminder.

Have some fun by presenting your guests with admission tickets that ask them to save the date for your  ’special’ event.

If you are looking to complement your wedding colors, save the dates are available in a wide range of colors.

Hopefully the above suggestions have given you some good ideas to consider for your save the dates.  Since you are announcing one of the most joyous days of your life, why not have some fun with your save the date cards.  Your wedding invitations can play a more formal role later in your wedding planning. 

Funny Wedding Speeches

Although a great many brides, bridegrooms and their households are much more conventional than others, and prefer to hear genuine and refined speeches, many other individuals favor listening to funny wedding speeches. If your family and invitees are these sorts of individuals, an interesting wedding address is completely worthy provided you don’t judge, humiliate, or employ rude language. Remember, not important how you are linked to or related to the bride or bridegroom, or if you are the bride or bridegroom and intend to make entertaining statements, as long as your are discreet about it.

Before you prepare your speech, attempt to consider those RSVP’s that were retuned and the age group of your guests. If they are mostly mature with just a small amount of young individuals, don’t seek to say funny jokes or anecdotes an older group might not understand. Try to keep from hurting any person in your address as this person will never forget or may never even forgive you for embarrassing them at your wedding. It’s also a great idea not to blend inside jokes with interesting or funny tales. If you are the best man and you know the groom threw up at the fraternity party every last weekend, the wedding party and guests don’t have to be made aware this, so stear clear from affairs that you and only the other person know about.

If you intend to provide a funny wedding speech, seek to employ some one-liners to open your words. A suitable gag for a man such as the dad of the bridegroom, best man or other male family member might be “supporting every productive man, there is a woman, and supporting every unsuccessful man, there are 2!” An absorbing gag for the mom of the bridegroom might be, “congratulations to my son, I’ve always said he had his father’s wits because I still have my own!” Do some study on amusing wedding jokes for your words and you’ll find there are many. If you’ve attended a wedding reception lately and enjoyed some of the jokes employed there, make a mental note and try to duplicate them with a twist of your own.

Remember funny times that everyone knows about is another respectable idea for a wedding speech to bring laughs. If almost everyone at your wedding reception attended last year’s family get-together and the individual you are speaking about went to sleep next to the dog and everyone took photographs of that, tell everyone there about that for some smiles. Even guests who weren’t at your family reunion will find this humorous as long as you stay away from personal stories that only you and someone else knows, you’ll be OK.

Engage a family member or friend if you intend on supplying a funny wedding speech because they can in all likelihood assist you to have some good themes that won’t shock anyone. Your goal is to make people laugh softly, not become humiliated, so don’t rush when looking into your funny wedding speech and you will probably have quite afew good themes that people will remember and laugh about.

If you need to be absolutely sure of getting your wedding speech perfect, no matter what kind of speech you had in mind, you should check out our guide to wedding speeches.

Wedding invitations are probably one of the most important items on your wedding checklist so you want to be well prepared.  With so many things to remember when planning, preparing and mailing your wedding invitations, here is a list of some tips to help keep you on track.

1.  Prepare your master guest list once you have gathered everyone’s list of guests.  This will provide you with the correct number of wedding invitations you need.  Be sure to include bridal party attendants, parents, the officiant, etc.  Remember, your invitation count will not exactly match the number of guests on your list since you will only mail one invitation to each married couple.

2.  Avoid paying for faster shipping methods and last-minute rushing by shopping and ordering early.

3.  When placing your order, be prepared with all the dates, times, names (correct spellings) and location addresses that will be printed on your invitations.

4.  Order a few extras to prevent running out and having to order only a few more later.  If the option is given, order a few extra mailing envelopes to accommodate any addressing mistakes.

5.  To ensure the return of any undeliverable invitations by the Post Office, handwrite or have pre-printed a return address on the back flap of your mailing envelopes.

6.  Enclose a response card if you need an accurate guest count for food and seating arrangements.  Remember to place a postage stamp on your response card envelopes as a courtesy to your guests.  If you happen to be using a respond postcard, there will be no envelope so the stamp will go directly on the postcard (postcard postage is cheaper).  Be sure to keep a copy of your guest list so you can check off guest names as their replies arrive. 

7.  To acquaint out-of-town guests with your wedding location, be sure to insert a map or direction card as a courtesy.

8.  Save on shipping costs by ordering your thank you or informal note cards along with your stationery instead of at a later date.

9.  Carefully proof all information that will be printed on your wedding invitations AND have another person also proof before your order is finalized.

10. Address your mailing envelopes before inserting your invitations so you have a smooth flat area to write on.

11. Take one ready-to-mail wedding invitation to the Post Office to have it weighed to make sure you affix the correct amount of postage.

12. Send your invites at least 4-6 weeks before your wedding – even sooner if you are having a destination wedding that requires guests to travel or if your wedding date is near a holiday.

13. Mail all of your wedding invitations at a Post Office rather than at a drop box.

These tips emphasize just some of your invitation process and preparations.  To be organized and efficient, you might want to consider following the steps of a wedding invitation checklist.  This can be used as a guide when you select, order, prepare and mail your wedding invitations.

You have the guy, you have the ring on your finger, you said “Yes”, now you can start looking for great ideas for the wedding you have always dreamt of.  A wedding inspiration board is a great way to brainstorm, gather, and display the many ideas you may have for your wedding vision or theme.

Brides search the web, save clippings from magazines, and share ideas with friends for months sometimes years before their big day.   These are all components for creating your personal Wedding Inspiration Board.   For a french wedding google google images for wedding in France, castle wedding and chateau wedding.

Wedding inspiration boards (also called a story or mood board, but let’s be honest - it’s a collage. Sheesh!) are a growing trend. Wedding boards are presentable to wedding vendors.  Displaying it on your office wall, for example, will undoubtedly invite suggestions from your work colleagues.

You may miss the overall effect when you get down to the nitty-gritty of every fine detail. If you include pictures of everything from food to flowers to dresses to lighting, you’ll have a better idea of what your guests will see on your wedding day, when all of a sudden they walk in and see it all put together. And, as you will know how all of your different wedding elements come together ahead of time thanks to your inspiration board, it will be fabulous on your wedding day.

As you are making decisions it really helps to have a visual reminder of all your thoughts right in front of you. It can be a bulletin board, a piece of foam core, or you can create it on the computer in Photoshop or a layout program. Swatches, photos, even notes you’ve jotted down can be displayed all in one place, and changed around as you change your mind.

They can consist of dresses, bouquets, shoes, favours, placecards, receptions, programs, invitations. Create your board using pictures from magazines, websites or personal photographs. You name it, you can include it. Wedding Inspiration boards are also a great way to express your wedding ideas and vision to the many vendors who will participate in your wedding.   Google images for inspiration.  Any wedding vendor you deal with will be delighted to see that you have an inspiration board. 

Providing your vendors with your wedding inspiration board will allow them to understand the look you want to accomplish, and even motivate them to create unique ideas along the same theme.

 You could always download a free program or website or even work it up in Microsoft Word!

Do not be intimidated into thinking you need a fancy program like Photoshop to make an inspiration board.

Wedding inspiration boards are particularly helpful if you have selected a destination wedding with a language that you are not fluent in.  Remember pictures speak a thousand words.  Our bilingual french wedding planner says most brides having a destination wedding have an inspiration board.

You have been waiting for some time and when your girl finally gets wed, for nearly all moms it is the special occasion they have been expecting and a few of us can easily overdo the mother of the bride wedding speech if we’re mindful of the occasion. It is preferable to try to prepare your address prior to the reception and practice it with your spouse, better half, or your own mother to see the kind of response you get. Be sure to be open to trusted criticism if you get any because it does not mean your speech is unintresting, it just might mean some things should be taken out or others made. A good thought is to take some time and think of how you were when she picked out her wedding dress, her face, her character, and any other thing you love about her as these will be good points when composing your speech. Here you can find lots of really useful hints and pre-prepared wedding speeches

Respectable subjects for your mother of the bride wedding speech are how you feel about your girl and her groom as a pair and what you feel the future will be like for them. If you are aware they desire to have babies, speak about how you can’t wait to be a grandparent. You can also speak a little about your daughter during her years of growing up, how glorious she appears on her wedding day and hw she was before she finally met her groom. You can easily talk about how other relatives such as her dad or stepdad have influenced her life and why she is a better person because of it. It’s also good to give the bridegroom a toast and thank his mom and dad (or stepparents) and tell them how fortunate you feel to take him as a son-in-law.

Broadly speaking, because the mother of the bride is considered to be the wedding hostess, it’s also okay to speak about and give thanks to the individuals in the room who made her day special, such as close pals or other relatives. Your speech should be elegant, thankful, and supportive to the bride and bridegroom so don’t forget that when you are preparing your speech or thinking about what you would like to speak about, although amusing addresses are respectable, the mother of the bride speech is an honor and it’s your chance to glow and boast some about your special girl whose all grown up.

Reckoning on what time in the reception your speech is slated to begin, be mindful not to drink too much alcohol before you talk. This will not only embarrass you but also your daughter, the groom, and a great deal of other individuals in the room will ponder what you were thinking of. Other than providing that honest address, it is fine if some tears run, after all, the pair of you have anticipated and prepared for this event for a long while and if you have a good relationship with your girl, she’ll value the tears of pleasure. A great mother of the bride wedding speech ought to be stylish and sincere so try to remember that and you’ll do well.

If you are worried you should let the experts sort it out for you , read our review of the most well known wedding speech providers.

There is not much point in choosing your partners wedding ring unless it is able to complement the engagement ring she has. There is a temptation to look for elaborate platinum wedding bands but this is to be avoided if the engagement ring is to remain the focus of attention. The purpose of the wedding ring remains unchanged as a way for two people to express their love and devotion for each other. In some places and traditions, the rings are the final gift the two people present to each other.

Often these days this older tradition is replaced by the giving of an ‘eternity’ ring to show that the vows taken are forever. It is now becoming more popular to have them engraved, so if you and your partner are buying matching examples, why not have them both engraved with a message personal to you both just to give them that unique feel. Some people bored with plain bands, have their platinum wedding rings engraved around the edges just to give them that individual touch. To be honest it is difficult to go wrong if you both decide on the rings you like because ultimately it is your choice.

Try never to remove them from your hands as many people consider this bad luck for the future. Irrespective of the design you finally decide on, do not accept anything but the highest quality. Never make the mistake of thinking that wedding rings can be bought for a discount price when they are something special that will be worn for many years; you will only regret it. You will, I believe, spend a large sum of money if you are buying platinum wedding rings (by definition it is an expensive metal) so the least you can do is ensure they fit well.

The only way you can be sure the rings will fit is by having them measured at the jewelers you are buying them from. By doing this simple thing you can ensure that the situation where the wedding ring either doesn’t fit or so loose it starts to slip off, doesn’t happen. Adjustments aren’t usually done ‘over the counter’ so allow plenty of time for them to be adjusted before the big day. So don’t waste any time, as soon as you know when you are to be married, choose your platinum wedding rings and allow as much time as possible (at least a couple of months) to have any adjustments or other work to be carried out.

Choosing the right platinum wedding band can also quite some  time with the huge choice of styles you now have available, unless you already have a design in mind. Choosing your platinum wedding rings should be a combination of what is comfortable to wear on a daily basis and what looks good to you both, but remember that your instinct should play a big part in the decision. Your rings will be a reminder of this statement and you should both feel pleasure in wearing them every day.

Through out your daily movements your engagement ring gets soiled and smudged.Your jewels collect dust, when you are not wearing them.  Lotions, soaps, our natural skin oils, can cause film and grime on diamonds and inhibit their brilliance. 

Want to keep that Brilliance and Shine?  Diamonds require cleaning so that maximum
Amounts of light will refract fiery brilliance. To keep your diamond as fiery as when you first saw it, all it takes is a few minutes and a little care.

You should use a a soft brush like an eyebrow or lip stick brush and mild soap and
water to cleanse your jewels.  Simply make a bowl of warm sudsy water with a mild
cleaner and put your pieces into the mixture.Brush the jewels with the
soft brush bristles while they are still in the suds.After you clean them you must make sure you rinse them until the suds are gone.  You can use a small kitchen strainer such as a tea strainer to contain them while rinsing under warm water.Get a lint free cloth, or find a jewelry polishing cloth and pat your jewels dry.

If your diamonds are in need of a stronger cleansing, you may want to soak them for 30
minutes in a solution of half water and half ammonia.  Once they have soaked for 30 minutes, remove them and gently brush the mountings with a small brush.Replace the pieces into the solution then swish the around in the liquid then remove them to rinse them then pat them dry.  

If you find your self too busy to be mixing soaps and ammonias, many department
stores will sell several types of liquid jewelry cleaners.  Most are kits, with everything you need included.Read the label to decide which one is right for your diamonds and other valuable jewels. Read the complete directions and follow all the precautions.

If you find you are more of the high-tech type, even when cleaning your diamonds, you can find several ultrasonic cleaners on the market.These systems
use high frequency to ensure a cleaning motion.  All machines are not the same, so please read the instructions before using.

Only you can choose the cleaning method right for your engagement ring.It is critical to clean your jewelry in order to keep it sparkling and brilliant.  Between cleaning, try not to touch your clean diamonds with your fingers or handle your engagement ring by its edges. This will assist in maintaining the shine and brilliance for a longer time period.

If you choose to have an outdoor wedding the outdoor wedding decor ought to integrate a variety of elements of your surroundings. It makes sense as it is probably why you decided to have your wedding outdoors. By adding small touches, from the centerpieces to the chairs you will create a more natual feel and include a common theme at the same time.

The important idea to remember about outdoor wedding decor is that it is better if it is kept uncomplicated and informal. An outdoor wedding is more laid back than one taking place indoors at a hotel or restaurant and is should reflect a personal touch. This can be a cost effective approach to having a wedding as you don’t have to decorate too much, hopefully your location accomplishes quite a bit of the work for you.

Because you want a informal feel you really don’t want the normal arrangement that is likely at a wedding. Centerpieces quite often can be extremely pricey; with an outdoor wedding you can make your wedding more affordable with this section of the decorations. If you really want it to feel casual think about selecting mason containers filled with flowers as your centerpieces. With the correct flowers this can be a straighforward and highly attractive part of your outdoor wedding decor.

An additional choice would be to use fish bowls and float flowers and candles on them for an elegant touch An additional centerpiece idea is to have a small watering can filled with flowers. You can buy little watering cans from a inexpensive department store – nothing too fancy. This is a inexpensive and fun way to decorate.

If you are getting married underbeneath a gazebo or arch then the outdoor wedding decor will most likely be concentrated on this vicinity as this is the focal point of the wedding. If the bride is coming into the garden from a house then be certain to make sure that the decorations extend to outdoor patio decor to maintain the theme. Flower arrangements on these areas ought to be kept smooth and natural as something too structured looks stiff and out of place in outdoor wedding decor.

If a ceremony or reception goes into the evening and lights are required then make sure it goes with your specific theme. Paper and fabric lanterns are striking and low priced and give certain classiness. Another option , though probably slightly more difficult to do, is to place lights in bird cages around the area and in trees where the wedding is being held. This is an additional extra addition that can add to your general outdoor wedding decor. If insects could likely be a problem then citronella candles are an option to keep your guests happy.

For additional information and details on outdoor wedding decor visit www.decoradviser.com