Wedding Layers

Selecting a wedding ring isnt as easy as it looks. You are going to wear your ring for the rest of your life, so it should be something you wont get tired of in a couple years. You will have to look at and try on many different rings before you come to a final decision and, being an intelligent consumer, you should know what your options are.

First, you will have to decide how much you can afford to spend. Then, with your budget in mind, choose the material you want your ring made of.

Wedding ring materials can be:

• 14K or 18K yellow gold, classic and still very popular for wedding and engagement rings
• white gold, which is gaining popularity because it looks stylish and very modern. Also white gold can be worn with silver or platinum jewelry and it goes with most fabrics
• platinum is one of the hardest metals, which in itself makes platinum a suitable symbol for enduring love. It is also very pure: while 18 K gold contains only 75% gold, most platinum jewelry is 95% platinum.

Platinum rings look similar to white gold, are very elegant and stylish, dont scratch and dont loose their look with the passing years. Platinum rings are the most expensive but, considering that you will wear your ring for the rest of your life, that doesnt really matter for many couples

• titanium is long lasting, light and not very expensive, so it has recently became a very popular material for wedding rings. Titanium rings are similar in appearance to white gold rings but they are so light that you can hardly feel one on your finger. Titanium is a particularly popular material for mens wedding rings

When choosing the material, think of what would work best with your clothes and the other jewelry you usually wear. Is your jewelry box filled with gold or silver? If your favorite pieces are silver, it is a good idea to get a white gold, titanium or platinum wedding ring. Alternatively, you could get two tone ring – usually made from white and yellow gold. This type of ring would match silver jewelry as well as gold.

Some women also want to match their wedding rings with their engagement rings. This is certainly something to take into consideration, if you plan to wear both rings on the same hand. Another option is to wear your wedding ring on the left hand and your engagement ring on your right hand – in which case they should probably still be the same color, but dont have to match so closely.

Which wedding ring style to choose?

There are many styles available, so everybody can find a ring to suit their tastes. When it comes to style, though, the first thing you have to decide is if you both will wear similar rings or if each will select one that expresses his or her personality. The most popular styles are:

• Traditional plain bands – even though they are plain, they will always be stylish and fashionable. These are also best suited for men who arent accustomed to wearing jewelry
• Bands with beaded edges are a little more elaborate
• Two-tone bands which can be worn with either gold or silver jewelry
• Celtic wedding rings are really hot how. Covered with ancient knotwork designs, they look really stylish
• Solitaire rings with a single precious stone
• Solitaries with accents – rings with a large stone and several smaller stones around it
• Channel diamond rings

The best gem stones for wedding rings

Diamonds are unbeatable favorites for wedding rings and with good reason – not only are diamonds the most beautiful and expensive of all precious stones, but they are also the hardest. Other hard stones are rubies and sapphires. Gemstones like amethyst or aquamarine are too soft, which makes them unsuitable for a wedding ring that you are going to wear every day.

No matter which style and material you chose, you want a ring that would be comfortable on your finger. For this reason it is always best to go with a ring that is smooth around the edges.

Author: Tanya Turner
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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When it comes to planning your wedding there are certainly plenty
of things to consider. From large details like where to find the perfect dress
to smaller issues like where Aunt Bertha will sit, there are no shortage of
details that must be worked out.

Leaving out even a small detail could create big problems for
your big day, and it is important to give planning your wedding the care and
consideration it deserves.

A Well Planned
Wedding

Even though a wedding ceremony lasts only a single day, the
memories will last a lifetime, and this makes planning your wedding one of the
most important jobs you will ever have.

Doing that important job while juggling work, family obligations
and other issues can be a challenge, but a well planned wedding will be a
wonderful reward in the end.

Using Available
Resources Online

Fortunately you do not have to go it alone, and there are plenty
of resources out there to make planning your wedding much easier and a great
deal less stressful.

One of the best places to turn for advice on planning your
wedding is the internet, and there are a wealth of websites devoted to all
aspects of wedding planning.

Many of these websites also sell wedding supplies and decorations
at competitive prices, making it even easier to plan a great wadding no matter
what the budget.

Using Available
Resources Offline

In addition to the power of the internet, there are many powerful
resources in the offline world as well. When it comes to planning your wedding
you could do much worse than the many bridal magazines dotting the shelves of
the local newsstand.

From traditional weddings to the more contemporary versions,
these magazines and periodicals are a great way to make planning your wedding
easier. Whether you long for a traditional church wedding or a more modern
wedding on the beach, complete with sand and surf, chances are you will find
lots of advice here.

First Hand
Knowledge From People You Know

Of course some of the best advice when it comes to planning your
wedding will come not from books and magazines but from those who have first
hand experience in the subject.

When it comes to planning your wedding there is simply no
substitute for first hand knowledge, and soliciting the advice of family
members, friends and coworkers is perhaps the best way to take the stress out of
planning your wedding celebration.

Those who have gone through their own wedding planning process
can fill you in on what to do, and just as importantly what not to do, so be
sure to factor these valuable resources into planning your wedding.

Author: Shaunta Pleasant
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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When setting up a budget for a wedding, many couples forget to include a line item for tips and gratuities. Sure, you could bypass this area completely, but that really wouldn’t be very nice, now would it? It would also go against accepted wedding etiquette.

Maybe you think a quick $100 will cover tips to everyone? Well, it may have 50 years ago, but in current times, it’s not uncommon for this area to run into the hundreds of dollars. This is why it’s important to include them in the budget. Tips & Gratuities are known for being budget busters of many a wedding.

You will want to be sure to check contracts out because some have a gratuity included. In these cases, there is no need to tip those associated with these particular contracts, unless of course you feel that one of the staff goes way above and beyond. If that’s the case, you may want to slip that person an extra tips.

Now, as far as wedding etiquette goes, the following people should be (and expect to be) tipped:

Altar boys / girls – $10 to $15 a piece

Bartenders – 10% of the total bill (unless a cash bar)

Chauffeurs – 10 to 15% of the total bill

Coat Check / Restroom Attendants – 50 cents to $1 per guest

DJ – $50 to $100

Hair Stylist / Makeup Artist – 10 to 15% of the total bill

Valet Parking Attendants – 50 cents to $1.00 per car (on top of what guests give them)

Waitstaff – 15% of the catering bill

There are also some optional folks you may want to tip as well. You’ll need to know about how these type of folks operate and make the call from there. For example, if you are doing business with the business owner directly for a particular service – say a florist – they may be doing the work themselves and have been compensated fairly in the contract you have with them. In this case, a nice thank you note may suffice and would be most appreciated. However, if you are dealing with an employee of the florist, a tip would likely be appropriate.

Here are the folks that tipping is optional with:

Baker / Cake Designer – $10 or $20

Catering / Reception Manager – $50 to $100

Musicians – $5 to $10 per hour, per musician

Florist – $10 to $20 per staff member

Officiant: $75 to $200 – This can also be paid as a donation to the church

Photographer / Videographer – $50 to $100

On site Wedding Coordinator – $50

Wedding Planner – 10% of their total bill

Tips should be paid in cash and should be placed in envelopes. Plan on them being paid just as the vendor and staff are leaving. By doing this in this fashion, you’ll be able to judge how much of a tip they have actually earned. Don’t be afraid to make adjustments on the fly if necessary. The best man – or trusted person – will generally be in charge of taking care of this for you.

You may not have considered tips and gratuities to be an item worthy of being in your wedding budget. Hopefully, this article has shown you otherwise. You may want to set up a second account for expenses that may be overlooked so that you aren’t shocked by them. Consider funding this account to the tune of 10 to 15% of your total wedding budget. This is something that could save you from pulling your hair out trying to redo your budget so that it comes in where you need it to.

Be sure to keep these extra funds separate from your main wedding account. Don’t use these funds unless you run into unexpected expenses. This extra fund could go a long way to ensuring your wedding comes in at or under budget.

Author: Becky McLaurin
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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A little help goes a long way

Some simple things to help your wedding photographer…

Let’s be friends

First and foremost, understand that even the most professional photographer can only capture that which you portray. They may be able to get great angles and a fairytale setting, but how you feel and what you think will most certainly be evident in you facial expression and level of comfort in front of the camera. It is, therefore, of utmost value to be comfortable with your photographer and their camera. A very good idea would be to get to know your photographer before the wedding in order to achieve this. Many photographers will be more than happy to arrange a pre-shoot to help you and your fiance become more comfortable with the lens and it truly is advisable to grab the opportunity with both hands. Not only will it help you and your fiance to become more comfortable, but it should also be a time in which your photographer will couch you in the little things that really matter on the day of your wedding like “chin up, elbows away from your sides, breath” and so on. All in an effort to capture your most precious memories in the best possible way. Remember that your photographer is the one person who will be there ALL THE TIME. They are probably going to be the one calming you when table settings aren’t right or the correct accessories to your dress have not arrived (I’m speaking from experience of-course). Yes, they will be the one standing by with that glass of wine, the cigarette or the calming tablet, whilst still capturing every moment in eternity. In getting to know your photographer, it will offer the photographer a glimpse into your personality and give them the opportunity of capturing YOU in your photos.

A great way of allowing your photographer to get to know you is to invite your photographer to your bridal shower to capture a few shots there. It will also offer your photographer a chance to get acquainted with some of your key guests. Most photographers would love to get to know the couple before the wedding. Make the photographer a friend.

Lighting

Now, most photographers will be able to deal with any lighting condition, but the best photos are usually achieved using natural light. Please keep this in mind when planning the time of your wedding. Remember that if the ceremony is scheduled for just before sunset and the ceremony is an hour long, there won’t be much light left for your photographer to work with. Also keep in mind that once you step outside the ceremony venue, there will be a stampede of guests who will want to congratulate you. This is very time consuming and can take an hour or more. You may not expect that it will be so time consuming, but experience has taught me that it always does, so please be sure to cater for this in your schedule. If you are planning a late or evening wedding, your photographer will probably ask to take photos of you and your fiance before the ceremony or the next day, or they may take a more photojournalistic approach and have no formal shoot with the bride and groom at all.

Also keep your photographer in mind at the reception. Dimming the lights to almost complete darkness when opening the dance floor or cutting the cake, may add to the romantic atmosphere, but may leave your photographer in complete disaster, especially if he/she does not even have enough light to see you through the camera’s view finder.

Event Schedule

Please ensure that your photographer knows what will be happening at approximately what time. Remember that your photographer needs to be aware of important moments at your wedding in order to capture them e.g. Speeches, opening dance, throwing of the bouquet and so on. There is nothing worse for a photographer than sitting down to that well deserved meal, taking a big bite of that lovely food, and being caught completely off-guard by the announcement of the wedding cake being cut, and having jump up, mouth full of food, hands full of gravy – need I say more?

Event guide

An event guide is someone who knows the rest of the guests at the wedding, who can help the photographer to get the right people together for the photos of friends and family that you have requested. You have many other things to concentrate on and will probably not have the time to help your photographer co-ordinate this. Besides, you will probably be in most of those photographs and will have to stay put while the rest of the crowd is being gathered. Remember that your photographer is great at what they do, but unfortunately, probably not clairvoyant, and will not know who Uncle Frank and Aunt Sally are. Having an event guide will help to ensure that the process is quick and efficient and that all those special guests get photographed.

Guests and Guest photography

Usually, most photographers will be more than happy to allow your guests to take photos here and there. I even joke around with the guests who are taking photos and call them my fellow paparazzi and give them some pointers to help them achieve better shots. Unfortunately, time on your special day is precious and rather pricey when it comes to a professional photographer. Try to limit the amount of guest photography during vital moments of your wedding. Keep in mind that your photographer may be using a special lens for low lighting conditions during the ceremony, if it is indoors, to avoid using a flash, and a flash from a guest’s camera may cost you and your photography that great photo of “You may kiss the bride”. It is also very time consuming during the photo shoot of friends, family and the bridal couple if the photographer has to wait for the 10 other people who want to take that same shot and has to fight for your attention while you are looking at the 10 other camera’s clicking away. It may mean that the photographer may not have enough time to get all the desired photos and it may prove to be very disappointing for you.

When it comes to guests, it is rather unfortunate that you will have one or two who will refuse to co-operate with your photographer and who may even be extremely rude. Now, some people will just persist in their behavior no matter what you do or say, but for the rest of the friendly folk, it may be a good idea to add a little sentence to your invitation like “Watch out for the paparazzi. When in there presence, look straight into the lens, be quiet and smile, and no-one gets hurt” or have your master of ceremony just make a short announcement to encourage guest co-operation. I am always friendly with the guests and find that 9 times out of 10 a little courtesy from my side and a bit of encouragement from the couple’s side goes a long way in creating great and fun photos.

Enjoy it

Enjoy the experience. Take that bottle of wine along. Have fun. Chat to your beloved. Laugh. Relax. Remember your photographs can only reflect what you are feeling. Many a bride and groom have said that their photo session was one of the most wonderful, fun highlights of their day, and some have said that it was exhausting and frustrating. You photo shoot will greatly depend on what you make of it. The photographer will do the rest.

Author: Roberta Strydom
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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It’s true, destination weddings are all the rage today.

What exactly is a destination wedding? In simple terms, it’s a wedding away from your hometown, either just the two of you, or with family and friends. It can be as simple or elaborate, inexpensive or lavish as you desire.

Okay, so it’s the wedding trend of the day, but, is it any simpler to plan? Or, is planning a wedding far from home even harder than planning one in your own hometown? The answer to that, of course, is up to you, and how lavish or unique you want your wedding to be. Here are the steps in planning that destination “I Do.”

Step One: Who’s Going to Attend?

Before you can plan your wedding destination, you really have to decide who you’re going to invite, as your guest list can sometimes narrow your choices of destinations.

Is your destination wedding going to be for just the two of you? Then the whole world is your oyster.

Are you going to invite a few close friends or family members? If so, are you going to pick up the tab for their travel, or are travel expenses to be paid by each individual? If you can’t afford to pick up the tab for travel to your wedding, and the friends and family members would have a hard time coming up the money, then you might want to pick some special place closer to home. For example, if you live in Phoenix and want a destination wedding where family and friends could easily travel to, you might want to pick Sedona rather than Hawaii.

There might also be time restrictions for your guests as well. Some people just can’t take time off of work to attend your wedding on some tropical island, whereas they might be able to attend a wedding which is a few-hours drive away.

Step Two: When is the Wedding?

If the two of you are planning your wedding around vacation time at work, then that too may dictate where you will have your destination wedding. If your vacation time is during hurricane season, you may want to skip Cancun and opt for the beaches of Southern California instead.

Step Three: Draw up a Wedding Budget

Face it; some locations are just more traditionally affordable than others. Your heart may be screaming the beaches of Costa Rica, but your budget is screaming Las Vegas. Yes, we all want to answer our heart’s call, but your budget should have the last word.

But, don’t let that keep you from choosing a great, unique wedding destination. You’d be surprised how many wonderful, unique wedding destinations there are which may fit your budget. B&Bs all over the United States, in such romantic destinations as California, New England, Florida and Virginia, offer inexpensive wedding packages for either just the two of your, or several guests.

When considering your budget, you have to consider travel expenses (flying or driving) as well as the wedding related expenses. In addition, you should also plan on the costs for accommodations, meals during your stay and even the things that you would like to do there.

Step Four: Consider the Marriage Laws

Some locations in the United States as well as some countries make having a wedding very difficult. You may have to deal with specific requirements before you can actually wed. Before you select a location at which to be married, make sure you know what the laws in that location actually are.

Step Five: Hire a Wedding Planner or DIY

Once you’ve narrowed in on your wedding location, you need to decide if you will be planning your wedding yourself or if you will need to hire a wedding planner. If you are having a larger destination wedding with numerous family and friends attending, you may want to hire a wedding planner to help coordinate everything.

If it’s just the two of you, you can probably handle the planning yourself. Often you can hire a wedding officiant who has packages available which include picking a location, performing the ceremony, as well as transportation, cake and champagne. Resorts and even B&Bs also offer packages which make the planning extra simple.

Step Six: Enjoy Your Honeymoon

Here’s the best part of having a destination wedding. The honeymoon starts right after the “I Do.”

With destination weddings continuing to grow in popularity, and more B&Bs, resorts and wedding planners offering wedding packages, planning a destination wedding can be as simple as planning a vacation. No more renting a hall, hiring a band, sending invitations to an ever-growing list of guests. It’s time to take the stress out of your wedding planning and make it fun. A destination wedding allows you to do just that.

Author: Shari Hearn
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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