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Unique wedding ideas

Sun, 06 Dec 2009 17:28:00 -0500

Wedding Planning Stage: Gathering Ideas

Make a list of suitable dates

Decide on the type and style of wedding

Contact a number of hotel

Request wedding brochures and price lists

Attend local wedding fairs

Determine approximate guest numbers

Collect pictures of dress designs you like

Discuss honeymoon options with your fiance

Contact Church / Registry Office to check available dates

Gather photographs of hairstyles

Appoint Bridesmaids

Decide on the Groom / Groomsmen wedding attire and discuss with the Groom

Discuss who pays for what

Announce your engagement

Throw an engagement party

Make a list of any engagement gifts you receive and send thank you cards

Wedding Planning Stage: A Year In Advance

Book the Church / Registry Office

Discuss if pre-marriage course is required

Book the Hotel

Discuss menu options

Think about style of Invitations

Check with your clergyman to determine any pre-marital requirements

Contact Photographers to check prices and availability

Order wedding dress and accessories

Discuss music / entertainment

Wedding Planning Stage: Nine To Twelve Months Before

Decide on type of wedding cake you want and place the order

Place an announcement of your engagement in the newspaper

Book a photographer and video-grapher

Book musicians, soloists and review music selection for ceremony/reception

Book dancing lessons

Draw up a detailed guest list (family and friends of bride & Groom)

Arrange dress fittings

Plan the honeymoon

Discuss transport requirement

Wedding Planning Stage: Six to Nine Months

Discuss stationery requirements (invitations, service sheets etc) and theme

Order wedding stationery or purchase materials if you decide to DIY

Select and order bridesmaids dresses and schedule fittings

Arrange car hire

Book florist and discuss color scheme and availability of chosen flowers

Select wedding suits for the groom and male attendants

Order favors for guests

Wedding Planning Stage: Four to Six Months

Check legal requirements - marriage licences etc

Book appointment for vaccinations if travelling abroad

Select and order wedding rings

Finalise the guest list

Purchase gifts for wedding attendants

Purchase accessories (garter, ring pillow, candles, guest book etc.)

Decide on those extra special finishing touches and confirm availability (doves, balloons, harpist etc)

Book a calligrapher to address invitations etc.

Check you have complete address list

Finalise honeymoon

Apply for a visa or passport, if necessary( book tickets in passport name)

Confirm all orders placed to date

Book appointment with hairdresser to discuss style

Two to Three Months

Place wedding announcements in local newspaper

Reserve accommodations for out-of-town attendants and guests

Confirm men's wedding suits

Start addressing invitations

Post first batch of invitations eight weeks before the wedding

Arrange a meeting with the florist to co-ordinate colours and confirm availability

Confirm date and time of wedding rehearsals with all concerned

Arrange a meeting with photographer to discuss requirements in detail

Book an appointment with hairdresser for trial and wedding day

Book appointment with makeup artist for trial and wedding day

Shop for going away outfit and wedding night lingerie

Four to Six Weeks

Post final batch of Invitations six weeks before wedding

Mail thank-you notes for gifts receivedHave your final wedding dress fitting.

Confirm all legal issues have been attended to

Arrange final dress fittings for bridesmaids and other attendants

Purchase gifts for your future spouse, bridesmaids, attendants etc

Order bouguet of flowers for Mother of the Bride and Mother of the Groom

One Week Before

Post thank you notes for gifts received

Pack case for wedding day and night

Pack suitcase for honeymoon

Label envelopes with name of recipient, amount included and who will attend to the matter

Make sure you have all legal documents and wedding rings in a safe place

Wrap gifts for bridesmaids, groom and attendants

Write a thank you note to both sets of parents

Book a manicure

Two Days To Go

Attend wedding rehearsal and dinner

Distribute gifts to the wedding attendants

Issue envelopes to designated people

Pick up hired suits

Make a list of things you need to do the day before and on the wedding day

The Day Before

Have a manicure

Choose a responsible person to return suit rentals and collect deposits due

Give rings and legal documentation to a trustworthy person for safekeeping until rquired prior to the wedding ceremony

Relax and have a good nights sleep

Confirm a delivey time with the

Contact hotel and confirm arrangements; menu, time of arrival etc

Confirm details with muscians (list specific songs to be played)

Two to Three Weeks

Contact guests who have not forwarded an RSVP card

Arrange name change on documents for business, banking, insurance, etc.

Order foreign currency / travellers cheques for honeymoon

Collect wedding rings and check they fit

One to Two Weeks

Write or have calligrapher do the place cards or a reception seating chart.

Provide the caterer with the final guest count and seating arrangements.

Confirm honeymoon reservations

Collect foreign currency travellers cheques

Assign tasks for all attendants - write a list for each individual

Collect wedding dress, bridesmaids dresses, suits etc check everything fits

Confirm transportation

Arrange a dinner to follow wedding rehearsal

florist

Drop cake and table decorations off at the hotel

Two Days To Go

Attend wedding rehearsal and dinner

Distribute gifts to the wedding attendants

Issue envelopes to designated people

Pick up hired suits

Make a list of things you need to do the day before and on the wedding day

The Day Before

Have a manicure

Choose a responsible person to return rentals after the wedding and pick up the deposits

Relax and have good night's sleep

Give rings and legal documents to a trustworthyperson for safekeeping until required at the ceremony safekeeping untilrequired at the ceremony

Confirm delivery time with florist

The Wedding Day

Have a good breakfast, and try to relax

Have your hair and make-up done in good time

Don't drink too many fluids and remember to use the bathroom before you put on your dress

Put on your wedding dress an hour before you are due to leave for the church

Remember to have a wonderful day!

We would love to hear how you got on - contact us here

Article by: http://www.uniqueweddingideas.co.uk/main/page_step_by_step_guide.html

http://www.onedayinmylife.co.uk/wedding.htm

Wedding Ideas for you

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 10:42:00 -0400

Best and Worst Buys For Your Wedding BEST BUYSA vodka luge!?Our best buy would have to be the ice vodka luge that we had forthe evening reception. It cost around £200, and was a great talkingpoint on the day ? we had fantastic fun pouring the vodka down it!? -Tabatha.

Magic man?We paid around £250, including travel from London to Somerset, fora magician to entertain our guests while we had our photos taken.Everyone commented on what fun he was.? - Ann

Find a magician from the Magic Circle at Wedding Magicians UK ( 01903 211785, www.weddingmagicians.co.uk )

Picture perfect?Our best ?purchase? was our photographer, Tim Fisher. He was quiteexpensive, but our wedding pictures are beautiful ? a wonderfulreminder of our day. I wish I hadn?t bothered with the guest book we?dbought for everyone to write in ? I left it in the boot of the car bymistake, and it stayed there till we got back from honeymoon!? - Jo

Contact Tim Fisher on 01923 333373 or visit www.tfp.dircon.co.uk

Second time around?I really wanted a cathedral length veil scattered with pearls, butmy budget wouldn?t stretch to the £120-odd it would have cost to buyone brand new. Instead, I bought a second-hand one for £15, and a fewpackets of faux seed pearls from Hobbycraft for a couple of pounds.Handstitching the pearls to the veil meant getting up at 6am for awhole week, so my fiancé didn?t know what I was up to, but my veillooked great on the day and I saved a small fortune.? - Lucy

Find second-hand bargains in classified advertising papers like Loot ( www.loot.com ) or Trade-It ( www.trade-it.co.uk ). Find your nearest Hobbycraft at www.hobbycraft.co.uk

Egg-stremely good!?I was really pleased that we thought of buying Mini Eggs to use asfavours. We got married on Easter Sunday and everyone ate them, enjoyedthem and commented on them ? unlike sugared almonds, which, to myknowledge, no one eats!? - Louise

Potted plants?We hired potted bay trees from a local garden centre for £15 eachto decorate our reception venue. Draped with plain white fairy lights,they made the otherwise rather plain room look really atmospheric andspecial.? - Jayne

Ask your local garden centre if they have decorative plants for hire, or buy bay trees online for £29.99 at www.crocus.co.uk

Video memories?Our best buys were our photographer, Mike Dearden ? expensive butworth every penny ? and the videographer, Venus Video of Swansea. Ourvideo is incredible and we?re so glad we had it done ? I cry every timeI watch it.? - Jenny

Party bombs?We were really glad we bought party bombs, which were filled withparty poppers, games, bubbles, sweets and toys. They were a fantasticice breaker, and a fab talking point too. It was also well worthshelling out for a wedding organiser, Susie Richardson. She made thewhole day go so smoothly and seem very posh ? everyone was impressed!?- Suzie

Contact Susie Richardson at www.everythingorganised.com

?We had fortune cookie favours??Our best buys were the Chinese fortune cookies we bought to use asfavours. They had our wedding date inside them and were a bargain. Andour best bargain was the bar bill ? the hotel never sent it to us!? -Charlotte

Click the Cookie sells fortune cookies with personalised messages inside for weddings. Order online at www.clickthecookie.co.uk

Sensational venue?We paid above the odds (about £10 extra per guest) to get the venuewe really wanted ? a five-star hotel in amazing grounds. We just had 50guests, and that extra £500 was a bargain! It made our day feel soclassy and special, and we were treated wonderfully by the hotel.Everyone commented on it, and many people still say it was the bestwedding they?d ever attended. With a bit of creativity, we managed toincorporate everything we wanted for the day (like canapes, a pianistand a choice of dinner menu) for a reasonable price.? - Anna

Visit www.forbetterforworse.co.uk for a list of over 600 stunning wedding venues ? from Norman keeps to stately homes

?Flip flops kept me comfy??I was worried about wearing traditional bridal shoes because I?museless at walking in heels and was sure I?d be consciou of my achyfeet all the way through saying the vows. I searched for ages, then Ifound the perfect pair of white beaded flip flops ? I was on my feetall day and danced all night without a single blister.? - Sarah

Bridal shoe specialists Rainbow Club sell wedding flip flops and flats. Visit www.rainbow-club.co.uk

Fab fireworks?We had an amazing fireworks display at the end of the reception.We?d kept it a secret, so it was a real surprise for the guests when weshepherded them all outside. We paid £350 for the display, but it wenton so long we began to wonder whether they?d actually invoice us for£3,500! It meant the night ended on a bang instead of just fizzlingout.? - Kate

Find a fireworks display company in the Yellow Pages, or search under ?fireworks? at www.yell.com

WORST BUYSCamera catastrophes?Our worst purchase was the disposable cameras on the tables. Wenever did get round to developing the photos, and we ended up throwingthem away when we moved house three years later!? - Tabatha

?We wished we hadn?t bothered with table cameras as the pictureswere awful. If you buy them, make sure people know how to use theflash, and don?t let kids have them!? - Louise

Blow-the-budget buffets?We regretted spending so much on our evening buffet. The daytimeguests had already eaten a large meal, and the evening guests ate athome.? - Jayne

Online favours?We made a mistake ordering our favours online. The ribbon we wantedwas supposed to be in stock, but it took eight weeks for it to arrive ?just a week before the big day!? - Jenny

Sugar Boy offers bulk-buy sweets from jelly beans to Love Hearts for wedding favours, along with bags and boxes. Email \n shop@sugarboy.co.uk This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it for a quote. Alternatively, look at www.love2invite.com

Banner mad!?My only bad purchase was some tacky wedding banners ? luckily, we realised they were naff before we put them up!? - Suzie

Dress dilemmas?My worst buy would have to be my wedding dress. It looked brillianton the day, but it had a more wrinkled appearance in the photographswhich I wasn?t pleased with. I?m sure I could have spent half the £950it cost, and had something that looked as good, if not better, in thephotos.? - Anna

Car capers?My worst buy for my wedding was the hired wedding car. It lookedgreat, but wasn?t worth the £300 we paid for it, as it was less thantwo miles from our home to the church and then on to the receptionvenue.? - Mara

Three ways to be budget-savvy. Not sure whether it?s worth blowing the budget on your dress at theexpense of the luxury bridal carriage? Here are our three top ways tomake sure your wedding budget stays under control.

Draw up a spreadsheetUse a computer programme like Excel to plot your anticipated costsfor each wedding purchase against what you actually spend. It makes iteasy to see where you?re making savings ? and where costs arespiralling ? as well as how much you?ve actually spent. Have acontingency fund. The last thing you want is for money to run out justas you?re about to put the finishing touches to your big day. Make sureyou?ve got a contingency (10% of your total budget is ideal) to coverunexpected costs.

Talk to other brides. All?s fair in love and weddings, so profit from other newlyweds?experience ? ask where they found the best bargains, which suppliersgave good discounts and how they managed to cut corners. Considerhiring a wedding organiser The up-front cost may seem daunting, but shemay be able to save you a small fortune by negotiating discounts onyour behalf ? and will rein you in if your ideas get too big (andexpensive!).

Buy wedding insurance. A basic policy costs around £50 and covers anything from losing the rings to being let down by a photographer at short notice.

Find out more at http://www.weddingideasmagazine.co.uk

http://www.onedayinmylife.co.uk

Funny Cats

Mon, 24 Aug 2009 18:48:00 -0400

Funny video

Sat, 22 Aug 2009 19:24:00 -0400

Enjoy this clip...

Top 10 Wedding Songs

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 12:14:00 -0400

Are you looking for the perfect song for your wedding? Picking out theright music and words can be a challenge. Your first dance wedding songon that special day will be remembered for a long time. Here are someof the most popular wedding songs right now.

Top First Dance Songs

Choosing a song to use for the bride and groom's first dance is an importanttask. You'll want to make sure that the music you pick suits both ofyour interests and style. One source says that the most popular firstdance songs being used at the moment are:

1. Heaven ? Bryan Adams

2. Unchained Melody ? The Righteous Brothers

3. Forever ? Kiss

4. Love Me Tender ? Elvis Presley

5. I Can't Help Falling in Love with You ? Elvis Presley

6. When You Say Nothing at All ? Ronan Keating

7. From This Moment ? Shania Twain and Bryan White

8. Just the Way You Are ? Billy Joel

9. You Made Me Love You ? Al Jolson

10. Don't Know Much - Linda Ronstadt and Aaron Nevil

Another source features a different list for that all important first dance:

Amazed - Lonestar Angel Eyes - Jeff Healey Band Can You Feel the Love Tonight - Elton John Can't Help Falling in Love - Elvis Presley Cherish - Kool and the Gang Could I have this Dance - Ann Murray Dance Me to the End of Love - Leonard Cohen Don't Know Much - Linda Ronstadt & Aaron Nevil Dream Come True - Frozen Ghost Endless Love - Lionel Richie and Diana Ross

Top Wedding Dance Party Songs

Besideshaving the perfect song for the bride and groom, you'll want to have anappropriate song for the wedding party dance. You can choose somethingthat is fast and fun or slow and romantic, depending on your taste andwedding style. Here are ten of the top wedding dance party songs.

1. YMCA ? Village People

2. We are Family ? Sister Sledge

3. Be With You ? Enrique Iglesias

4. Celebration ? Kool and the Gang

5. That's What Friends are For ? Dionne Warwick

6. You've Got a Friend in Me ? Randy Newman

7. Respect ? Aretha Franklin

8. Rhythm Divine ? Enrique Iglesias

9. There You Go ? Pink

10. All My Life ? KC and Jojo

And to end the reception

Here are the top 10 songs to bid your guests farewell at the end of the reception:

1. Last Dance - Donna Summers

2. Time of Your Life - Green Day

3. Wonderful Tonight - David Kersh

4. Save the Best for Last - Vanessa Williams

5. From This Moment On - Shania Twain

6. Goodnight, Sweetheart - David Kersh

7. I've Had The Time of My Life - Bill Medly & Jennifer Warnes

8. Closing Time - Semisonic

9. Could I Have This Dance - Anne Murray

10. Never Let You Go - Third Eye Blind

Planning the Music

No matter what type of wedding that you have, planning ahead will make theday go much more smoothly. This includes music. If you are having aceremony with music, be sure to pick out appropriate songs well aheadof time. If you plan on having a wedding theme,you might want to match the music played with the theme of your choice.Meet with soloists and instrument players in several weeks in advance.If you are having a DJ at the wedding, make sure to go over the playlists with him or her. For live bands, also meet before the big day inorder to discuss the songs they will play.

If at all possible,it is advisable for both the bride and groom to meet with weddingmusicians ahead of time. This way both of them have an opportunity tooffer input on the music style. Having songs that fit the tastes ofboth the bride and groom will help make the day perfect.

Theselists of top 10 wedding songs are only a few of the choices available.While they are popular, they may or may not be right for your wedding.Listen to a variety of songs before choosing the one to be played onyour special day.

Whether you choose one of the top 10 weddingsongs listed here or opt for a different one, make sure that the lyricsreflect your personality and style. By carefully choosing your weddingsongs, you'll help enhance your big day. Enjoy the music for thewedding; then play your wedding songs again on each anniversary tobring back memeories of that magical moment when you two became one.

By Jean Sanders Info Guru, Catalogs.com

http://www.catalogs.com/info/weddings-invitations/top-10-wedding-songs.html

http://www.onedayinmylife.co.uk/

Budget your wedding day:

Tue, 11 Aug 2009 08:42:00 -0400

Why Budget?

Unless you have access to unlimited funds, chances are that you will have to financially plan your wedding very carefully. Whether you, your parents or a combination of you and your parents are paying for your wedding, there will probably be a financial ceiling on what each of you can afford.

An inherent danger with planning anything on the scale of a traditional wedding is that you can very easily overextend yourselves, especially if you commit yourselves to expenses on a one-by-one basis without keeping an eye on the overall picture.

With the average cost of a traditional wedding in the UK being about £11,000, overrunning by just 15 per cent out will mean having to find another £1,650. If your parents are paying for, or contributing to, your wedding, it is important that you don't end up having to go back to them asking for more money and thereby putting them under unwelcome financial pressure. If you are paying for your wedding, it may mean starting married life with an unplanned debt.

By preparing a budget, that is, a list of intended expenditure for each item, you will be in a much better position to control and monitor your costs. Most couples change their mind many times over exactly what they want and how much they are willing to allocate for any given item. By recording any changes on your budget, you will always be aware of the impact on the total cost and thereby giving you the opportunity to adjust your expenditure levels accordingly.

Unfortunately, dealing with the financial aspects of getting married can be the cause of much tension between those involved in organising your wedding. However, by carefully monitoring and controlling your expenditure with use of a budget, you will go a long way to reducing the stress that you will undoubtedly experience during your wedding preparations.

The Cost of an Average Wedding

It will be helpful at this stage to get a feel for the average cost of a wedding. However, estimates vary greatly since there are so many options to choose from. Furthermore, for each item there is a tremendous range of prices depending upon your tastes and priorities etc. Take for example, your wedding dress. You could buy a good quality second hand dress for just £100 or less or buy a top designer dress for £4,000 or more!

The number of guests you have and how well you want to cater for them will also has a tremendous impact on your budget. For example, if you had 100 guests and wanted to have a traditional full wedding breakfast, the cost per head could be £50. This would give a total of £5,000. A less lavish buffet may only cost £15 per head, bringing the total down to £1,500. On top of this there are drinks to consider and the evening party. Do you want to have free drinks or have your guests pay for their own? The difference between the two could be as much as £1,500.

From our experience and research, we have listed below the costs of what we would call an 'average wedding'' (excluding engagements costs). But remember, your wedding can cost a great deal more or a great deal less depending upon your budget, priorities and whether you use professionals or get family and friends to help out. In fact, our average costs take into account products and services that are sometimes provided free or at low cost by family and friends.

For example, your wedding cake may be made by a relative and given as a gift. Therefore, the cost to you will be nil. However, if you use a professional cakemaker, the cake may cost, say, £300. The average of these two examples is £150, which is the cost of neither. This is the problem with averages!

Article from www.weddingguideuk.com