Wedding Layers

Most women look forward to the day that they will begin wearing a wedding ring. Not only do women enjoy showing off the beautiful ring, but the ring itself brings on new feelings. For example, a woman may begin to experience stability and comfort when she sees the ring on her finger, because the ring symbolizes that she is in a committed relationship. Although women in general have a lot of positive views about wearing a wedding ring, men do not always share the same feelings when it comes to male wedding rings.

Since women are typically the ones that wear jewelry, rings have often been stigmatized as being feminine in the Western society. Men often think that by wearing a ring, you are reducing yourself as a man. Much of this idea is the result of male wedding rings being very new in the Western society. Previously, this Western culture did not make use of jewelry for men.

Around the time of World War II, male wedding rings became much more popular. This was due to soldiers using them as a comforting symbol of what they were fighting for. Knowing that a loved one was back home waiting for them made it much easier for the men to survive the harsh conditions of the war.

Seeing soldiers wearing male wedding rings allowed men to feel much more comfortable with the idea of wedding rings for men. Suddenly there was less stigmatization about the rings being feminine. Now men could be proud to wear the rings and proud of what the male wedding rings symbolized.

Another reason that many men have had difficulty with the idea of wearing male wedding rings is because of what the ring symbolizes. Men typically have a hard time with making a commitment in a relationship. The ring is a constant reminder to the men that they must be committed to their marriage. It is not so much that men are afraid of cheating on their wives, but rather commitment in general is often a scary concept to them.

Some men have a fear of wearing a wedding band ring because they are concerned about it causing a danger. For example, in carpentry and other work, the ring can begin to hurt your finger if you will be using your hands quite a bit. In jobs where the man is at high risk for injury, there have been situations where rings have been smashed on the finger and the only way to remove them has been to cut the ring. Since there is much danger in losing the finger, it may be better not to wear a ring during this type of work.

No matter what your fears may be about wearing male wedding rings, consider sharing them with your spouse or future-spouse. You may be able to come up with a compromise in only wearing the ring at certain times, or you may lose your fears all-together just by talking about them.

Author: Diane Winter
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Careful research and advance planning can result in wonderful photographs of your wedding celebration. Although it is a terrific idea to provide single-use cameras at each table for guests to take candid shots of the reception, avoid allowing a well-meaning amateur photographer to take the official photographs.

When selecting and meeting with the photographer, there are critical questions that need to be asked. Chances are that you will look at your wedding photos many times during your lifetime and hiring a good photographer is one of the most important choices you will make.

PRE-PLANNING – Before meeting with the photographer, find out if your church or synagogue has any restrictions involving photographing the ceremony itself. Prepare a list of “must have” shots. The photographer should be given a list of the members of the wedding party and out-of-town guests. Make sure your photographer understands the rules and regulations of your church or synagogue before planning the ceremony shots.

PORTFOLIO – When interviewing photographers, make sure you hire a photographer that specializes in weddings. Make sure the photographer you interview is the one who will actually be photographing your wedding. Many large companies have several photographers and you need to hire the one you interview. Ask to see their work. Most are happy to provide references and it is very important to ask for recent weddings the photographer has performed. When checking the references, be sure to ask if the photographer was prompt, cordial, properly dressed and whether he/she performed the duties expected. Personal rapport is very important when selecting a photographer. It is recommended to interview at least three different photographers. Comfort and compatibility with your photographer can make or break your wedding day and your photos.

FORMAL PORTRAITS – Many brides have the bridal portrait taken before the wedding day. Others are setting aside the tradition of the groom not seeing the bride before the wedding and having their formal pictures taken at this time, too. Couples whose ceremony and reception are being held at the same location often have these photographs taken before their guests arrive. If your posed photos will take place at the reception, decide on a time with your photographer and make sure everyone in the wedding party knows where and when they should assemble for them. An engagement photograph, usually in black and white, was traditionally only of the bride, but today it is usually of the engaged couple. These photos are sent to local newspapers, along with information announcing your engagement to the public. Decide if you want a casual setting or a formal background for these photographs. To save on studio costs, you can wait until the day of your wedding for your formal portrait, avoiding the hassle of bringing your gown, headpiece and accessories to the photography studio.

CANDID PHOTOS – The trend today in wedding photography is to fewer posed shots and more candid pictures. It is important to get an idea of how many candid shots the photographer will be shooting and how much time he will be spending at the reception shooting these pictures. As mentioned before, it is also a great idea to provide single-use cameras for these photographs, with the guests at the reception.

COLOR OR BLACK & WHITE – Black and white wedding photography has come back into vogue. Your photographer will need to know whether you want just color, just black and white, or a combination.

PROOFS AND NEGATIVES – Proofs are the preliminary prints from which the bride and groom will select the pictures for their albums. Be sure to ask the photographer how many proofs will be taken, what size of prints are offered, and how soon after the wedding the proofs will be available, and get this in writing. Also, request to see the proofs before your final payment. The more proofs, the larger the selection you have to choose from. Depending on the number of photographs you would like in your photo album, make sure the photographer will be taking two to three times the number of prints. Ask the photographer how long he or she keeps the negatives and if you can purchase them. If you buy the negatives, be prepared to pay a large sum of money for them, because wedding photographers make a profit on the sale of additional prints. It is becoming more common to have the photographer put your wedding photos on a CD that you can make reprints from. Because of the competition in the business, there are more and more photographers willing to sell you a complete package. Shop around.

ALBUMS – Usually three albums are ordered: one for the bride and groom, one for his parents and one for her parents. There are a large variety of albums that very in material, construction, size and price. Decide on what you would like that fits into your budget. Look at albums ready to be delivered or proofs of weddings the photographer has recently done to decide on your personal style. When comparing prices, consider the type of album, the number, size, and finish on the photographs that will be in the album. The bride and groom take care of supplying prints to members of their wedding party. If they are very busy, one set of parents can take over the job. Usually the bride’s family gives each member of the bridal party a color photograph of the group. The attendants should pay for any additional photos they order.

CONTRACT – The contract should specify the number and type of pictures to be taken, the time the photographer is to arrive, how long he or she will stay, the timetable for delivering the contact sheets or proofs to you, the timetable for delivering the finished prints that you order, the type of albums provided, and the cost.

Author: Jay Byerly
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Mobile device news

We might as well get it out in the open. Planning a wedding is not a big job. It is a huge job somewhat akin to staging a Broadway musical, minus the cast of experienced participants. To make matters worse, the more guests that are invited, the more formal the event, the more complex the plans, the bigger the job is. That means stress. Lots of it. There is no way to get around it, but there are ways to neutralize wedding planning stress.

Moreover, since the female mind tends to place more value on the festivities of the day than the male mind does, chances are the groom is not going to take the lead planning the day. This means that the stress of wedding planning is generally felt more acutely by the bride.

Indeed, many brides feel like their groom does not care, thus increasing their stress. Whether or not their perception is true, the reality of the perception is enough to leave most brides pulling their hair out.

The secret to maintaining sanity during the wedding planning process is to maintain a bag of tricks that will allow the bride to minimize the stress, whether by strategically recruiting others to do some of the work or by scheduling events designed specifically to help her unwind before she unravels.

Take a Trip to the Spa: Often brides will plan a trip to the spa with their bridesmaids in the week just before the wedding. That can be good, but it might not be enough. There is nothing that will release stress faster than being pampered while you lay on a warm table immersed in a soothing fragrance and surrounded by relaxing music. Can’t afford trips to the spa? Not a problem. A bride with a limited budget can recruit a good friend to help her create her own spa experience with aromatic touches, soft music, and a homemade facial mask or body peel.

Hire a Wedding Planner: A wedding planner who has been around the block a time or two offers something very few brides have… experience. They know people in the business, they know how to deal with wedding professionals, they have handled the problems that inevitably come up with planning a wedding, they have handled drunk relatives, etc. Most of all they know what to expect and what is a problem and what is not so the bride does not have to waste stress over situations that are not really a problem.

Have the Groom Break out the Digital Camera, Camcorder, and Laptop: Guys love their toys… and most guys love anything high tech. So recruit them to set up a wedding website – through which you can have them post wedding registry information, track RSVP’s share engagement photo’s and videos – even send out invitations, or at least have them use the computer to print the invitations and create address labels. You get the idea. Getting rid of such a huge amount of work in a way that he will embrace gladly will reduce any bride’s stress level.

Go Out to Dinner: Take the time to sit and enjoy a good, high quality meal. Eat something healthy. This is as much about good nutrition as it is about a change of pace. Our bodies needs the change of pace that sitting down to a good meal will provide and it also needs nutrition rich foods to help deal with the stress planning a wedding can bring. Going out and having someone wait on us for a change is part of the therapy. Who the bride chooses for company is her decision, as long as it takes her away from wedding planning activities during the meal.

Take a Bath: There is nothing like soaking in a hot tub treated with scented bath salts, while reading a good book by the light of the candles ringing the tub. Add a glass of a favorite sipping drink and watch the stress melt.

Pray / Meditate: One of the main initial benefits of prayer and meditation is that it helps to put everything into perspective. Set against the vast nature of God and creation our problems look rather tiny. When we see the things that are causing our stress in this light it should be easy to let the stress go.

Take in a Chic Flick: Sometimes girls have to be girls. A wise bride will choose some time to send the guys off to be a guy and then grab a girlfriend with whom she can let down her hair and be a girl. Laugh, cry, enjoy.

Go to the Gym: Scientist tell us that working out is a great way to vent stress from our systems. In part, at least, this is because exercise triggers the body to release endorphins – a chemical our bodies put out that is far more potent than morphine. Furthermore, working out has the added benefit of toning our bodies – so we are further along in the process of avoiding stress about fitting into that dress!

Get Active: Anything active that has nothing to do with wedding planning. Learn to wind surf. Go for a hike, ride horses, go for a walk on the beach. This will provide some of the same benefits as going to the gym, but more importantly it will provide the body with a change of pace. The change of pace will not only go a long way to purging the wedding planning stress but it is likely to provide an answer to a question the bride did not even know she was pondering.

Put Together a Wedding Survival Kit for Both the Bride and the Groom: We’ve all heard the nightmare stories about the bride who flipped out because no one thought to bring extra nail polish remover, or a bobby pin, or a band aid, or stain remover. There are so many little things that could go wrong that could be prevented by compiling or buying a kit with all those incidentals that we all need on occasion and might otherwise require a special trip to the local corner market just when the photographer needs to start the photographs.

Get Away as a Couple: Take time away from the wedding planning to work on the relationship. It is, after all, what the wedding celebration is all about. Unfortunately, wedding planning has a way of driving wedges between couples due to the busy nature of the time period. Reinforcing the love relationship is an efficient way of minimizing the stress since a team is always stronger than the two individuals.

Taking the time to purge the stress is worth the investment though often it seems too much effort. The rewards in sanity, physical health, and most importantly strengthened relationships can only serve to make the celebration better. If it means simplifying some wedding plans due to the time a bride took to neutralize her wedding planning stress, the exchange will be well worth it.

Author: Jeanette Shinn
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Netbook, Tablets and Mobile Computing