Wedding Layers

When did it become a trend to have formal engagement pics? I am in my forties, and as far back as I can remember people only had formal pics for the wedding. Does this seem like an extra expense, and that couples are having more and more activities, like multiple parties, etc, and two or three dresses? Is the wedding industry going too far?

My boyfriend and I are 19, and he is going into the Marines soon. I am not rushing for a marriage! not at least for another 4 years, but engaged would be nice I hear a lot of military couples get married young, just wanted to know what everyone thought! and also girls (or guys), if you want to add in how a military or marines relationship is feel free!
thanks

I’m not rushing since we’ve only been engaged a couple of months. I just don’t want to be one of those couples that’s still engaged after like 5 years. That just seems too long to me. We have talked about it a little bit and he says we will just know when it’s a good time. I want our finances and careers in order first also. Maybe I love him so much that I’m just being impatient.

Wedding band purchases are ones which should be made after some diligent shopping and thoughtful consideration. After all, the sentimental meaning behind such a purchase as well as the lasting characteristic associated with buying wedding bands is one which deserves some serious thought. There are a few factors which the engaged couple should consider prior to buying their wedding bands for the big day.

Style of Wedding Bands

These days one is able to find wedding bands in a variety of styles. This relates not only to the type of metal which the band is comprised of but the detailing on the ring as well. As for the metal composition of the wedding band, one can choose from yellow gold, white gold, platinum and titanium, to name a few. The style of the ring as it refers to detailing can range anywhere from a plain gold band to an ornate, inscribed ring. The couple should decide which type of ring is best for them as doing so will narrow down the search for the perfect set of rings.

Similar Rings or Unique Bands for the Bride and Groom

Couples who are about to walk down the aisle also have another option when it comes to the rings. Certain jewelry producers will offer similar style rings for bride and groom and this is a nice option to consider. Choosing wedding bands which match one another is a wonderful added touch with regard to the rings. However, if the engaged couple decides that they would both like different styles of rings and are fine with not having matching wedding bands, purchasing these types of rings is fine also. There really are no set rules when it comes to wedding bands as it is the future married couple which needs to be pleased with their ring selection.

Monetary Considerations

Those who are about to embark on the wedding band shopping trip should consult their bank account to determine how much they are able to spend on their rings. Since most couples will have to put money aside for other wedding expenses, it is a good idea to know how much money is allotted for wedding bands and limit one’s search to that price range in order to find the perfect rings.

Where to Buy the Rings

Lastly, the couple should decide where they are going to purchase their wedding bands. Many jewelry stores, both large and small, sell these pieces of jewelry and have a wide selection of such items in stock. By visiting a physical store location the couple will be able to browse the selection, try on rings and purchase rings which are the perfect size. However, if one likes to buy most of their items online, knows their ring size and is fine purchasing wedding bands in this manner, then considering a purchase of wedding bands through an online retailer works as well.

To learn more about the many facets of a diamond engagement ring visit James Greene at http://www.diamondmarketwatch.com where you’ll find this and much more about diamond rings and other fine jewelry.

Author: James Greene
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Smiling shark

Your wedding rings represent the bond that is being created and completed between you and your significant other. The ring can be thought of as a representation of a never ending circle of love. Wedded couples keep their rings on their fingers to show everyone else that they are a part of a bond, a ring of love so deep that it cannot be broken. Since you will be wearing your wedding rings pretty much every hour of every day, it should be attractive to both you and your significant other. When selecting your wedding rings, you must consider cost, value, and style.

Don’t Go Cheap

Pick a store that is well-known for selling good quality jewelry to purchase your wedding rings. There are many jewelry stores that sell wedding rings that are a good price, but of low quality. Some wedding rings are so low quality that the diamonds will loosen and fall out of their settings. This is a more common occurrence than you think.

These stores will offer you a warranty for their wedding rings, which is great, but do you want to spend the rest of your life going back to the same jewelry store to replace lost diamonds? I don’t think so!

Choose a wedding jewelry store that will provide you with a wedding ring that will stay intact for long periods of time, and only need maintenance once in a blue moon. They will cost you more, but it is worth the money.

Let’s say you went the cheap route and purchased a ring from an inexpensive jewelry store. If you calculate the gas it will take you to travel back and forth from that jewelry store every month for ten or more years, it will all balance out. Add that to the aggravation you’ll experience, and the number of weeks you won’t have your rings because they are being serviced, you will actually lose money compared to the cost of selecting the right wedding rings from a reputable store.

Have the Ring Appraised by a Professional

Many wedding rings will have a higher price than what they are actually worth. This is how unscrupulous jewelry stores stay in business.

Don’t be afraid to bring your own jewelry appraiser into a store before making that purchase. You will pay for his time, but again, selecting the right wedding rings is well worth the cost involved.

Pick Rings that Go with Your Personal Style

When selecting the right wedding rings for you and your significant other, make your choice based on your personal styles and preferences. If you prefer simple and to the point, a basic silver or gold band will do. If you are more extravagant in your tastes, choose wedding rings with more accents, diamonds, and special engravings.

Selecting the right wedding rings takes time and good sense. Remember that these items will stay with you and your significant others for years to come, so be sure that you are getting the quality and style of wedding rings that you really want.

Ashley Rader is the owner of Moments of Elegance, an online wedding boutique specializing in wedding rings, summer wedding favors and a huge collection of unique wedding favor ideas that will say thank you with style and will truly make your event unforgettable. Event planners can receive 10% off their order with coupon code: saveonfavors10.

Author: Ashley Rader
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Cellphone news

There are always a small percentage of engaged couples that don’t appreciate or understand the use of an expensive wedding photographer on their wedding day. They might be self-conscious or just don’t believe that an expensive professional wedding photographer will deliver better photos than a cheaper photographer.

Wedding photography is not just about taking a few pictures of the happy couple cutting the cake and family and friends catching the bouquet. Wedding photos will be the most important keepsake of this happy day which you will have for years to come.

Wedding photos should capture the mood, the love, the magic and the detail of your special day. An average wedding Photographer will take pictures of your day, but a good wedding Photographer will be able to capture every special moment as though you are reliving it over and over.

When you have a small budget for your wedding, you will try and cut the costs on every single detail. But ask yourself this question: Is it really worth cutting a few hundred dollars to save on your live long memories? The one expense that will be the difference between having photos you want to hide from family and friends or having individual original photos you would want to treasure for all of your live to come. There is a good chance that an inexperienced Photographer will not deliver the quality of photos that is to be expected from a wedding Photographer. That photos might not be the right exposure or composition, the Photographer might have missed irreplaceable moments or the photos might not reflect anything about your personality or style.

For the couple that is self-conscious or doesn’t enjoy having their photo taken, it is very important to have an experienced wedding Photographer. Good wedding Photography is an art that can only be perfected with time, experience and knowledge. An experienced wedding Photographer will deliver relaxed, unposed photos and will not let you stand in awkward poses or take too long with the photo shoot.

You want a Photographer that does his job quick and efficient and knows what to do and when to do it. You want someone that can disappear in the crowd but still get the most beautiful natural pictures from you as couple and your guests. Apart from the obvious quality in exposure and composition, a good wedding Photographer will concentrate on detail and story telling.

As soon as you get back from honeymoon, family and friends will want to see the photos of your special day. If you are not completely satisfied with your photos, it will be very disappointing if you have spend a lot of money to ensure that very detail of your wedding is perfect and then not have the quality photos to show for it

The best way to see the differences between an average Photographer and the best wedding Photographer is to meet with them, see their work and compare the prize. Once you have seen more than one Photographer in different prize ranges, you will get a good idea on their quality and differences. To make sure that you get the best photos for the amount you are willing to pay, there are a few things you can do:

Make an appointment to see a few wedding Photographers and compare the following critical details:

Prize of the package: What is the total amount that it will cost to hire this particular photographer. Costs should include the amount for the photos as well as transport costs, accommodation costs (if the photographer lives far from the venue and needs to sleep over)

What do you get for your money: Compare the quantity photos, the size of photos, and any extras such as an album and compact disc with photos.

Copyright: If a compact disc is included in your package, are you allowed to reproduce more photos and submit it to things like magazines and newspapers?

Duration: How long will it take the Photographer to edit and print your photos before you receive them? The popular photographers won’t necessarily take longer with your photos, because they have people working for them to ensure a speedy end product. I know people who used a cheaper photographer and ended up waiting 8 months for their photos.

Do you get along well with the Photographer: Does he understand what is important to you regarding your photos? This is important, because you have to let this person get close to you and follow you on the most special day of your live.

The fact of the matter is, we can not all afford the best and expensive wedding Photographers if we’re having a budget wedding. You do however have to do your homework and compare a few photographers to get the best deal.

We know how it feels to dream about a big, expensive & romantic wedding and not being able to have the budget for it. There are a lot of great ideas and products out there that can help you plan the wedding of your dreams. For more Budget tips and advise for your wedding day, visit http://bellsandbrides.com

Author: Estie Higgs
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Digital Camera Times

It’s wedding season and with the economy in a slump it’s hard to justify spending a large amount of money on an elaborate ceremony. The best option for many engaged couples is finding affordable destination weddings that offer everything a traditional wedding does, but at a far off, tropical location.

People save for many years to be able to afford the wedding of their dreams. Nowadays, it’s hard to even find a local venue to host your wedding on the day you choose. Some places are reserved for years in advance and due to their popularity, cost a fortune. All for the same old wedding in the same old place that everyone else has been to.

Couples are taking a different route these days by choosing destination weddings that are far from ordinary. These weddings are beautiful ceremonies that include everything that your local wedding would include and much more.

The main appeal of a destination wedding is the affordability. The price of a wedding is largely determined by the number of people who will attend. By choosing wedding destinations that take a little more effort to get to, it will cut down the number of people attending by more than half. It’s simply more difficult for everyone to adjust their schedules around a wedding that is away from home.

With this reduction in the number of attendees comes the reduction in food and beverage costs, which are known to be very expensive. And even though there will be a lot of people missing that you would have hoped were there, you know your close family and friends will go anywhere they need to be to make sure they are part of your special day.

Another main area of savings with affordable destination weddings are the money you will save for a wedding planner and photographer. A wedding planner can cost thousands of dollars, but destination wedding packages will have everything included that a wedding planner would normally take care of. Food, flowers and the reception will be of the highest quality and will cost much less in places like Thailand or Jamaica.

A wedding photographer is a must have at any wedding. They are a professional service and can be quite expensive. This is yet another expense that you won’t have to worry about when taking your wedding abroad.

With any destination wedding package there will be a destination wedding photographer included in the price. This will be a local photographer that is highly skilled and will have a lot of experience shooting weddings. They will provide you with enough photos for you and your family to enjoy, a wedding album of the best pictures and a copy of the negatives for you make as many duplicates as you choose.

It’s not hard to find affordable destination weddings that well exceed expectations. With so many different locations to choose from, you’re guaranteed to find the place that is perfect for you. Take the time and work with a travel expert that has put together an amazing destination wedding package that matches your style. It’s an easy process that will save you a lot of money during these hard times.

Romance Travel Concierge offers everything from Destination Weddings to Babymoons. With a variety of exotic destinations to choose from, you can be sure that your romantic travel adventure will be one to remember for the rest of your lives.

Author: Jake Wilson
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: DIY Wind Power

With the seemingly unending ways to customize wedding invitations, it can be difficult to decide what you want. By looking at some of the popular choices, you can see what others have done, and decide if those styles are ones which would suit your taste.

Popular styles

If you are interested in a classic look, you may choose a single panel card. The invitation information is printed on the front. Some people choose to accent these invitations with an organza bow in a complimentary color. A classic wedding invitation is timeless, and is sure not to draw much criticism, but it will also not stand out very much.

Choosing a contemporary wedding invitation opens up many design options for the bride and groom. Many contemporary invitations are in nontraditional shapes. They may be long and narrow or square. They often open up rather than having all of the information printed on the front panel. Furthermore, contemporary wedding invitations can be in bright fun colors, such as turquoise, red and green. Striped invitations are also common, and very pleasant to the eye.

For the couple who considers religion an important part of their life together, and a focal point for their wedding, a religious themed card can make a wonderful choice. Many of the religious cards feature a bible, church scene or other religious drawing as part of the design of the card.

The couple who cannot control themselves and want to share their love with the world may choose one of the many heart invitations which are available. Wedding invitations decorated with hearts are available in whimsical designs as well as more traditional patterns. This can extend to the overall theme of the event, such as a beach wedding. A perfect wedding invitation for this occasion would be an invitation showing a beach scene with two hearts made from seashells in the sand.

Many couples choose an invitation decorated with flowers for their wedding. Floral invitations are a beautiful and subtle way to show your romantic side. Flowers can be incorporated into a wedding invitation in many ways, such as in a floral border or as a backdrop for the inscription on the invitation itself.

Popular paper choices

The choice of paper for your invitations can seem daunting. Cotton, linen, parchment, are all common selections. Fortunately some invitations are only available in certain types of paper, narrowing your choices. Another thing to keep in mind is that a casual wedding often uses recycled paper or cotton paper, while a more formal wedding may use linen or parchment. Vellum paper, which is opaque, gives a romantic feel to your invitations. Deckle edged paper makes the paper look like it was hand torn.

Popular inks

For the traditionalist, black or dark gray ink is one of the most common choices. Some brides choose to integrate their wedding colors into the invitation by using one of the colors as the ink color. Formal weddings often call for a metallic ink, such as silver, gold or copper. Regardless of what color you choose, make sure that it coordinated with the color of your paper, and is easy to read.

Popular add-ins

What are the most common additions to the invitation? In everything but the most casual, open church type of wedding a response card will be included. If you include a response, or RSVP, card in the invitation, you should also include a self addressed envelope with postage included. The return address is traditionally printed on the envelopes by the printer. This is different than the invitation envelopes, which are traditionally addressed by hand.

If you are having guests from out of town, you may want to add accommodations cards. These cards, typically printed on the multi-use cards that match your invitations, provide out of town guests with information on where they can stay while they are in town for your wedding. You can provide the names of several hotels as well as contact information, or, if you have made arrangements for a special rate at a specific hotel, the name of that hotel, and what they should do to receive the special rate.

You may also want to include a reception card in your invitations. The reception card provides information about where the reception is held and at what time. This is helpful for those who may not make it to the ceremony but would like to join you later.

While these are some popular ideas for what many people choose for their invitations, it is not an inclusive guide. Your wedding is one of the most important days of your life, and you should let your own desires guide your choices. If you want to make your own invitations, use nontraditional colors or styles or do anything else that others may not do, that is your choice. Your invitations are a chance to express your and your fiancé’s personalities. They will also be a keepsake for years to come.

Arianna Jordan is a freelance writer who writes about weddings and other family events. Ms. Jordan specializes in writing about specific aspects of a weeding such as the wedding invitations.

Author: Arianna Jordan
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Get my ex back

Most couple will prepare some music for the wedding. They will consider the music for both the ceremony and the reception. If you would like to make your wedding more perfect, you should also plan the wedding music in advance.

When the bride is walking down the aisle, one of the most popular music to be play is probably “Here comes the bride”. Of course this is only a popular choice. It does not mean that you have to follow what others usually do. In fact, the wedding music can be any kind of music you feel appropriate. As a matter of fact, some couples even choose to play rock music in the big day!

Although there is virtually no limit for you to choose the music, you should consider the issue of etiquette. Traditionally, music is only allowed at the beginning of the ceremony. It has to be a total silence when exchanging the vow. This is not difficult to understand since wedding should be something serious at the end of the day. Of course you may choose to play the music again when the guests leave the venue. The music can also act as a guide for the guests to go to the reception.

Nowadays, music is a must during the reception. Some couples will choose to hire a live band while some others may choose to hire a DJ to play the music. No matter how you make the choice, the whole idea is to heat up the atmosphere and entertain the guests. The music is even more important if you want your guests to stand up and dance!

You will need to discuss with the band or DJ on the music to be played. In fact, this will mainly depend on your wedding theme. If you are going to have a beach wedding, playing some Filipino music will be excellent. Playing pop songs in the reception can also be a good idea if you do not want the wedding to be too formal. Of course you should choose the music based on your preference. There is nothing wrong to choose to play your favorite music during the reception!

Music can certainly make your guests feel good. It can be a catalyst to make the guests to start the dance and enjoy the reception. Remember, the music does not only make your guest feel great, but also make you and your spouse, as well as your family members, feel happy.

Jerry Leung designs Double Happiness Wedding Invitations with Dragon and Phoenix Art. He runs a website on Spanish and Costa Rica Wedding Customs. Be sure to check Unique Wedding Favor Ideas and Tips.

Author: Jerry Leung
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: US Dollar credit card

A destination wedding is a wonderful and unique event. With that comes a special set of questions that would not arise with a hometown marriage. These are the answers to your questions about the etiquette for destination weddings.

The first question to arise is usually who to invite. Certainly you will want to ask your immediate family and closest friends. Many couples choose to have a destination wedding in part because it does allow for a smaller guest list limited to only those that mean the most to you. However, some brides and grooms would like to invite a more extended group of friends, and the question becomes whether or not you should invite someone to a destination wedding that you believe will not be able to attend.

The answer is yes. If you hope that the guest in question will join you in Hawaii or Italy or wherever your destination wedding is being held, by all means extend the invitation. As the host, it is not up to you to answer the invitation (or to withhold an invitation based on an anticipated response), only to offer it sincerely. Besides, you may be surprised at who decides that a trip to a fabulous spot is well worth the time and expense. When you are inviting a large number of guests who are unlikely to be able to make it to your wedding, you may also want to think about holding a reception for them back in your hometown. It is nice to mention the second reception on the original invitation, so that those who are not able to attend your destination wedding will not feel badly, knowing that they will have another chance to celebrate with you.

A related etiquette question is whether or not the bride and groom are required to cover the airfare and hotel accommodations for their wedding party. As with any other type of wedding, the answer is no. The usual way to thank your bridesmaids for being in your wedding is with gifts, such as bridesmaid jewelry. For a destination wedding, it would be fun to select bridesmaid jewelry gifts with a theme that relates to the locale, such as a beach motif.

However, you should take the cost of participating in a destination wedding into account. Definitely mention the location of your wedding when asking someone to be in your bridal party. This gives them a chance to graciously decline if they know that they will be unable to afford the travel. Although it is not strictly required, many brides and grooms will choose to help out one or more of their attendants with travel costs, if it means the difference between a dear friend attending the wedding or staying home. You can also be considerate by keeping costs as low as possible for your wedding party. Booking blocks of hotel rooms or pairing up bridesmaids in a room can help to keep their expenses more reasonable.

One final and very important piece of etiquette for a destination wedding is to take your guests into consideration when booking the site. For instance, if all of your siblings have young children that they would plan to bring to your wedding, it would be very rude to choose an adults-only resort. Likewise, if you know that most of your guests will be stretching their budget just to cover the airfare for your nuptials, don’t block rooms only at the most expensive hotel in the area. Be sure to reserve rooms in a few price ranges so that everyone has an affordable place to stay.

With these tips in mind, you will find it easier to plan a destination wedding that will not result in any hard feelings. Be keeping your guests’ needs in the forefront of your planning, you will be able to plan a wedding that is as much fun for them as it is for you. Then all that is left to do is relax, have fun, and get married in a fabulous destination.

Look to Bridget for advice on planning your wedding. Check out how we can help with your bridesmaids jewelry at SilverlandJewelry.com. Unique bridesmaid jewelry gifts are a wonderful way to thank your attendants for being in your wedding.

Author: Bridget Mora
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Cellphone news