Wedding Layers

Once you become engaged you will probably begin to plan your wedding almost immediately. Here is a timeline to help you establish when you should do what. From bridal showers to the honeymoon, this simple guide may help you have a stress-free wedding day.

When the engagement is official, you may send your announcement to your hometown newspaper. This will allow family and old acquaintances to share the happy news.

Six to Twelve Months Before: Yes, you can plan a wedding in a week, but you will not enjoy the stress!

- Your first and probably most important task will be to plan your budget. While parents may help with the cost of the wedding, it will be up to you to keep a close eye on your spending.
- Decide the location for your ceremony. You should let your fiancé take part in this decision as well. You may want to be married in a certain church. Planning well ahead and reserving the church for your wedding day will ensure that you are able to have the location of your dreams.
- Set the date. You may have a date in mind, but cannot reserve your dream location. By being flexible, you can have it all.
- Decide the type of ceremony you want. Do you want a civil ceremony or a religious ceremony? Once you have decided this, contact the officiate who will be performing your ceremony and reserve his/her services.
- If you are planning to use a wedding coordinator, schedule a meeting with him/her.
- Plan your reception. Choose your location and reserve it. Remember that your wedding location and reception location must be available on the same day so it is wise to book in advance.
- Select your dress, veil, and accessories.
- Schedule meetings with wedding photographer and videographer. Reserve them well in advance.
- Register with our favorite department store or specialty store.
- Both you and your fiancé should create your invitation list.
- Choose and reserve your florist.

Four to Six Months Before:

- Choose your attendants.
- Make a list of every item you will need to purchase. This will include everything from your guest book to your ring bearer’s pillow.
- Choose your wedding and reception music and reserve the DJ if you plan to use a DJ for the reception.
- Order your invitations, personalized stationary and notepaper.
- Plan your honeymoon. By booking ahead, you might save money.
- Choose your color scheme and meet with your bridesmaids to choose their dresses.
- It is a good idea to visit your physician for a complete physical examination.

Two to Four Months Before:

- Have mothers choose their dresses.
- Address wedding invitations.
- Buy wedding rings.
- Buy gifts for your attendants. Remember that everyone in your wedding party should receive a gift from you and your fiancé.
- Check with the Clerk of Court in the area you are to be married to see what the requirements are for your marriage license. Make a note of when to purchase your license.
- Plan your rehearsal dinner. Make reservations.
- Choose your hairstylist and make-up artist. Have a trial run to make sure that you love your hair and make-up the day of your wedding.
- Have dress altered if needed.
- Mail your invitations.
- Schedule a time for formal wedding portraits.
- Remember to record each gift and write a thank-you note in a timely manner.

Two to Three Weeks Before:

- Send your wedding announcement to the newspaper. If you choose to include a photograph from the wedding along with your announcement, appoint someone to hand-deliver the announcement and photograph to the newspaper in a timely manner.
- Draw up seating plan for your reception. Order and make cards for the bride’s table.
- Assemble an emergency kit for the wedding. Include safety pins, needle and thread, scissors, and any item you might need at the last moment.
- Make plans to change your name on your Social Security card, your driver’s license, bank accounts and credit cards.
- Confirm reservations for your honeymoon travel and accommodations.
- Pack personal belongings that you will be moving to your new home.

One Week Before:

- Create a timeline of your rehearsal and wedding day. E-mail or fax to all important members of the wedding: bridesmaids, groomsmen, both sides of the family.
- Have final consultation with your coordinator, florist, photographer and any other professional you have reserved.
- Give bridesmaids’ party.
- Confirm rehearsal plans with your officiate and attendants.

There will be other things that you may need to plan for. Invest in a wedding planning book from a local bookstore. It can be a wealth of information for those little details that you may not think about as your happy day approaches. It may also give you tips on how to stay within your budget, as well as ideas for choosing your wedding favors and bridesmaids’ gifts.

Remember that planning is the key to a stress-free wedding day!

Ashley Moran is the owner of Cherished Gifts & Favors, an online store specializing in the latest trends in elegant wedding favors, party favors, and personalized gifts for corporate events, bridal showers, and many other special gift giving occasions.

Author: Ashley Moran
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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By putting together a wedding planning checklist you will be able to stay on task and know what is next. Some people do not realise how important it is to plan certain things and end up later regretting something that they forgot. A wedding is a wonderful celebration and should not be stressful in any way at all for the bride and the groom. With the proper amount of planning you can make sure that your wedding is just how you want it with no stress put on yourself or your mate.

You need to figure out what your priorities are when you are planning your wedding. Your checklist needs to cover everything form the most minor thing to the most major thing. Take plenty of time to brainstorm and come up with every possible thing you can that you will need while planning your wedding. You should even go as far as to get outside help from friends or family members that have planned a wedding in their lives. They will be able to help you by giving you ideas that you might not have thought of.

You will also want to set up a reasonable budget so that you don’t spend more than you can afford. This needs to include every aspect of your wedding plan and needs to be very thorough. You will not want there to be any surprises when it comes to your budget because they can really ruin your plan or make you have to cut something out that you really wanted.

Make sure you allow yourself plenty of time to plan the wedding and get as much help as possible. This could include hiring a wedding coordinator to make sure everything happens the way you want it to. You will want to stay within your budget so as you are planning make sure you let everybody you deal with know how much you can afford. This includes letting the florist, baker, pastor or priest, reception hall, and all other expenses know what you can afford and the price range you are working within. This will help them give you what you are looking for and keep you within your budget.

Planning a wedding can be very stressful, but if you put together a wedding planning checklist along with a budget you will have less stress to deal with because you will have a plan to follow. There is a lot that goes into a great wedding so you need to make sure you cover all the bases and do not leave anything out.

Discover the top Trendy Wedding Planning Checklist online right here:

Wedding Planning Checklist

Author: Benjamin Robert Ehinger
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Destination weddings can be the most risky to plan since a couple who are engaged never know all of the variables involved. Here are ample tricks to reduce complications so all beach weddings and other destination weddings can run smoothly.

General Planning for Destination Weddings

With the advent of inexpensive air travel and the ease with which the internet allows contact with a multitude of more exotic venue suppliers, bride and grooms and grooms are increasingly considering variations of the traditional beautiful wedding day ceremonies. An online wedding is a destination wedding that is either conducted on the internet, or is an event that resembles a standard destination wedding when two people who wish their avatars, or characters, to be married. A flat fee may be charged, or a surcharge applied to the cost of various services are contracted on the destination wedding couples behalf. The primary question to be answered immediately is: what are the marriage law requirements?

Evaluate the amount of work required to be performed before the destination wedding, and how much personal time is available, and employ a wedding package coordinator as early as possible if one is needed. With thousands of excellent venues available, it is dangerous to consider any location where there is not a record of a substantial number of routine weddings of foreign nationals without administrative delays. Couples should talk to a few former clients and current vendors of the prospective coordinator, as well as verify their good business practices through a local organization such as (in the US) a local Better Business Bureau office. When hiring a wedding coordinator from afar, as with any new business relationship, references are a must. Those destination wedding couples who have been most successful and satisfied at destination weddings have tended to keep control of most of the detailed planning and arrangements, and have used foreign recommendations as assistance only.

Invitations – Beach Weddings

If you’d like to have beach beautiful wedding day invitations or photo wedding ceremony invitations, have them designed or create them on your own. Beach wedding ceremony invitations are the ideal choice for any bride and groom getting married on the beach or traveling to a beach destination for their honeymoon. If you’re designing your own invitations, you have a wide range of latitude for selecting colors, styles, fonts, and envelope inserts that will beach your beach theme. If you like, you can include confetti in the shapes of palm trees or other beach items to make your invitation stand out and sparkle.

Second to none Invitations – Destination Weddings

This is where you can get creative and either create your own unbeatable Las Vegas nuptials invitations or have them designed and printed for you by a professional. You’ll be much happier if you get the beautiful wedding day invitations you want instead of getting invitations that conform to traditions you are not really interested in adhering to. With a little imagination, you can come up with an invitation that expresses your creativity and interests to your invited guests. While there are traditions in place, remember that it’s your wedding ceremony.

Save Money – Beach Weddings

Planning a wedding ceremony is one of the most special times of life, but it can also be the most difficult because of the many details you need to take care of and the expense of many the arrangements. However, there are a few ways to save money on your marriage expenses and still have the beautiful wedding day of your dreams. Use these points and you’ll be able to sock away those extra dollars for your honeymoon or your new life as husband and wife. If you pay full price for everything you hope at your marriage, you may end up spending more than you bargained for. Saving money on weddings can direction you to save money for your honeymoon or put it away for a rainy day.

Suggestions for the Bride

Couples usually separate from the wedding party for a time for photos. In definite areas, a garter may be worn to be removed by the groom at a later time after the ceremony. Accent colors are making there way into wedding dresses, and couples are loving it. A new bride poses for the camera.

Perfect brides with perfect Beach Weddings have the perfect invitations from BeachWedlock. Perfect Las Vegas brides get their perfect Las Vegas wedding invitations from http://www.vegaswedlockinvitations.com

Author: Natasha Young
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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How Long Does It Take to Plan a Wedding?

Have you heard the expression that a task takes the time allotted to it? Wedding Planning is exactly like that. It can take weeks to years, depending on… well, that is what this article is about:

When Is Your Wedding?

Assuming you do not have a shotgun pointed at your head, you will take some time to plan your wedding – even if it is an elopement. Once you set a date, you can calculate how much time there is between now and then; alternatively, you can do it the other way – which is to decide how long you need to plan the wedding and then set a date.

Set Your Priorities

The closer the date, the fewer choices you get to control because fewer resources are available. Pick the most important item(s) to you and your future spouse to lock in first. It could be the date, the ceremony location, the reception, the attendance of someone who lives far away, the time required to obtain a specific wedding gown, or perhaps the availability of your favorite vendor: the officiant, florist, photographer, videographer, caterer, a wedding singer, band or DJ, or wedding coordinator.

What Is Your Style?

Planning a wedding is about creating several different events to happen in a short period of time.

• Are you a lone planner or do you work better as part of a team?
• How much can you do in a day with or without getting stressed?
• Can you make many decisions on the spot, do you need to have someone with you or do you need to “sleep on it” so that you do not change your mind?
• How much research do you want or need to do before you start planning?
• Will you rely on the experience of a family member or friend?
• Will you hire a wedding coordinator and use their experience to shorten your learning curve and use vendors with whom they have proven successes?

How Close Do You Live to Your Wedding Location?

If you do not live near the location of your wedding, how many trips to your wedding location will you make before the wedding? Are you depending on family members, friends, or local vendors and strangers to help make decisions? Will you have other events and responsibilities when visiting this location, i.e.: how much time will you have for wedding planning when you are there?

Enjoy the Process

You want a put together event. Hopefully, you only have to do this once. Create and use a team to help you. If you can afford it, do not reinvent the wheel and use experienced wedding professionals. (They have already made their mistakes on someone else’s event.)

Take a break and for some comedy and light entertainment [http://www.brideandgroomthankyougifts.com/romance-and-wedding-dvd-movies]. There is a nice list of wedding planning movies you can watch with your intended or planning team.

Summary

Wedding Planning is about research, preferences, priorities, trade-offs, budget, compromise and decisions.

• Who is on the planning team, who is on the implementation team, and what are their assignments?
• Who controls the budget and who is the final decision maker?

You can focus on your wedding planning and get it done it a short time or you can take the same amount of time or longer and stretch it out over weeks or months. How long will it take to plan your wedding? It is up to you.

Where to Shop

Go to [http://www.brideandgroomthankyougifts.com] for wedding presents, wedding gifts and wedding favors. We know what it takes to plan a wedding… Look around our website to find most wedding day accessories, wedding thank you gifts, and traditional wedding day items associated with events of a wedding. Find wedding bubbles, bridal party gifts or wedding thank you Gifts for All your wedding day guests.

We have been in this business for more than 15 years! You will find what you are looking for here, and if by chance you don’t, please let us know so we may find it for you! We have more helpful information and additional articles which may assist you as you plan for your special wedding day. Our expertise is providing you creative, tasteful and memorable gifts to thank everyone who is involved in your wedding. Sign up today for our exclusive offers.

Copyright 2007 – Marketing Good Stuff, Inc. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. Reprint Rights: You may reprint this article as long as you leave all of the links active, do not edit the article.

Author: Elizabeth Hamilton
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Destination weddings are surging in popularity with today’s wedding couples. Is it the allure of the tropical islands?  The excitement of a Las Vegas wedding?  Here are the top ten reasons couples choose a destination wedding over a traditional wedding.

Some couples just aren’t into wedding planning.  Destination weddings can be planned easily by booking the  destination resort and working with the on site wedding coordinator.  Your coordinator will arrange everything from your lodging, transportation, marriage licence, ceremony, flowers, music, reception and guest activities.

Second Marriages, couples want a meaningful wedding, but not all the hoopla that surrounded the first wedding. They also want to do things differently from the first wedding. They want the ceremony, but on a smaller scale.

Smaller intimate wedding.  Not every couple wants a big wedding shindig.  They want to have an intimate wedding surrounded by people who mean the most to them.  Some people are really nervous about being the center of attention in a large crowd and this is the answer.

Blended families, many couples have children from previous relationships and it gets sticky in social situations.  You have to deal with the former in laws and its not going to work on your wedding day.   A destination wedding takes away the akwardness from the situation.  A destination wedding is also a great place to bring the children being blended into the new family by having a family wedding ceremony.

The economy is a huge factor in the number of destination weddings.  Big weddings are expensive, destination weddings are less expensive and just as meaningful and lovely.

Its always been a dream to elope.  Some couples have always wanted to elope and come home married.  Whether they head to Las Vegas or the Caribbean, its the romance of eloping and honeymooning at an exotic location.

Family problems can hit any family at any time. Disagreements over the wedding planning lead many couples to plan a destination wedding.  Divorced parents, alcoholic relatives, family bickering, religious differences and  head butting with parents over the wedding are all valid reasons couples choose to have a destination wedding.

Differences in religion or cultures.  Some families give the wedding couple a lot of grief over the wedding plans.  Religious differences and cultural differences are sometimes too difficult to overcome.  One family insists on one thing, the other family vetoes the idea.  If the couple has different religious beliefs or their beliefs differ from the way they are raised, it also causes problems. 

The allure of the destination wedding location, whether its a Caribbean island, mountain resort or the glamor of Las Vegas.  Some couples get engaged on vacation and want to marry at the site of the proposal.  Some people are beach people and have always dreamed of marrying on the beach. 

You are automatically on your honeymoon! Say I Do, celebrate at your reception and you are on your honeymoon!   There is no packing and traveling after the wedding. You’ve done your traveling, you’ve done your packing, its time to relax and enjoy.

Rose Trifero is an internationally known expert in the field of weddings and bridal fashions. She has been involved in the industry for over 30 years and has written and been quoted in national bridal magazines including Vows, the magazine for bridal professionals. She is also the force behind Destination weddings in Paradise, http://www.beachbridetobe.com, a source of information for destination weddings and Your Wedding Coach, http://www.weddingloco.com

Author: Rose Trifero
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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While a traditional wedding in your hometown is wonderful for a multitude of reasons, many couples would rather opt for something more unique. One option is having a destination wedding. In recent years, these have become increasingly popular with some reports indicating that up to 20% of all weddings are now destination weddings.

A destination wedding is a wedding that takes place in an out-of-town location. Examples include a wedding on the beach in Mexico, a wedding aboard a luxury cruise ship or a wedding at a extravagant Caribbean resort. Virtually any place you can think of can host a wedding. Some couples have even decided to have their wedding underwater!

Destination weddings have many favorable aspects. You and your guests will never forget the experience of your wedding because it will be held in an exotic, out of the ordinary locale and serve as a vacation for everyone involved.

Because these have become so popular recently, many resorts now offer destination wedding packages, which include accommodations for the bride and groom, as well as all wedding ceremony and reception services, complete with a wedding coordinator. When you are planning a wedding, a wedding coordinator who is located in your destination is a necessity. Having someone who is familiar with the local vendors and resources in the area will make the wedding planning go much smoother than trying to handle the planning from a long distance.

Another great thing about a destination wedding is that it can help alleviate any family tensions that may exist in more traditional wedding planning. If the bride’s family wants the wedding to be in one location and the groom’s family wants the wedding to be at a different location, there is oftentimes family conflict and stress. With a destination wedding, you can offer both sides a unique compromise.

While a destination wedding can be an amazing experience, there is also a downside. With the average wedding cost in the United States estimated at over $30,000, certainly a wedding package will be considerably less for the bride and groom. However, there are still some monetary concerns.

If a couple decides to pay for the travel and accommodations for all their wedding guests, those costs can add up quickly. Because of this, the guest list for destination weddings tends to be much smaller than for other weddings. Also, if the couple cannot afford to contribute to the travel expenses for their wedding guests, many people may be forced to miss the wedding altogether if they do not having the funds necessary or time available to make the trip.

Another aspect about destination weddings that a bride may find difficult is her role in regards to the actual wedding planning will be significantly reduced. Because the bride does not live near the location of the wedding, she will have to have complete trust in the wedding coordinator to make the right decisions concerning vendors and other planning details. Some brides who love to micro-manage will find this situation impossible to deal with.

If you are getting married, consider all the positives and negatives of having a destination wedding. While a destination wedding isn’t right for many couples, it could be perfect for you.

Find this and many more original articles provided by Truly Wedding by visiting our database at Truly Wedding Favors. Find more wedding tips, stories, news and humor all at the Truly Wedding Blog.

Author: Melissa Ingram
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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You said yes and the wedding date is set. Now comes the challenging part — planning the wedding. Where and how do you start planning a wedding? Who do you go to for help? When the warm feeling of having been proposed to passes, you’ll likely feel the stress of having to plan for the wedding soon. The fact is that if you have no clue where or how to start planning your wedding, you are sure to experience days when you just want to pull your hair out or stay in bed all day.

However, planning a wedding need not be a cause for the wrinkle lines to start showing right away. If you absolutely have no clue about how to plan your wedding, the first thing you need to realize is that you don’t have to do it alone. Repeat that — You Don’t Have to Plan Your Wedding ALONE. You need help planning your wedding. All you need is to ask and be willing to accept help and advice from others.

Hiring a wedding coordinator is the easiest way to plan a wedding, especially if you have the budget. A wedding coordinator has experience planning weddings so if you have any questions or concerns, he or she is the best person to help you. However, not everyone can afford the services of a wedding coordinator. In this case, you can turn to your family or network of friends to help you plan your wedding. However, be careful when enlisting the help of family members. You want your wedding to be the wedding you and your future spouse want, not what your parents want.

You can also turn to the Internet for your wedding planning woes and concerns. There are thousands of websites, online forums and bulletin boards that can help and give advice on planning a wedding. In addition, take a day off and visit the libraries in your area. These libraries would have books about weddings and all the other aspects — from wedding flowers to wedding favors, wedding cakes to wedding dresses, and everything in between.

With some persistence and patience, you’ll have the wedding you want — with a lot of help from a wedding coordinator, family and friends, the Internet or wedding planning books.

If you’re still stuck trying to plan your perfect wedding then try visiting http://www.plan-the-perfect-wedding.info, a website that specializes in wedding planning, wedding rings, invitations and cheap wedding favor ideas.

Author: Christy Baker
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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After years of watching brides during the planning stages, I’ve concluded they don’t really mean to undervalue music, but often feel ignorant or intimidated. Don’t worry–I won’t go into a discourse on the Importance of Music here. Let me just say that well-chosen, well-played music keeps your guests entertained and moves everyone into place at the right time. It gets you in and out with an air of elegance and dignity. Even though it may seem fleeting and ephemeral, music is as concrete a presence at your ceremony as the candles and boutonnieres. When you play back your video for years to come, guess what’s in the background? A soundtrack! Make it as much a priority as planning the other details.

“But I don’t know anything about music!”

So what do you do when you don’t know Mozart from Beethoven, and find it easier to buy matching gloves for the bridesmaids than select your wedding march? This is where a knowledgeable wedding coordinator and/or a music planner will be of great assistance. As you shop around, beware of sites or vendors who only focus on reception music. There’s more to a wedding than the party afterwards! I know of one statewide association whose music page mentions nothing about the ceremony–only celebrating when it’s over. In a similar vein, don’t let a DJ talk you into doing your ceremony. Playing a CD in place of live music is like wearing blue jeans down the aisle.

“What can I expect from a musician?”

Some musicians place restrictions on what is considered proper for ceremonies. This is an injustice to the client. That’s why it’s so important to communicate with musicians before hiring. Find out if he’ll play “Evergreen” during the prelude. Ask if she can play the Widor “Toccata” for the postlude. View their websites. Contact their references. After you pick someone, you and your fiancee should have your musician audition pieces from their repertoire, or may listen to recordings and inform them of your choices by phone or email. Couples frequently elect to have me choose their music, but I feel it’s important for the music to have personal meaning. You can greatly assist the process prior to the consultation by listening to and identifying the style of music which most appeals to your tastes. Specific composers (like “Schubert”) and periods (like “Romantic”) and names of works (such as “Ave Maria”) will greatly aid the organist and make the consultation session more productive. Many wedding music sites list suggested pieces with sound samples, so a bride doesn’t have to take an Intro to Music course to make educated choices. In fact, you don’t have to know anything about what you’re listening to at all. The main criterion is that you like it! After all, it’s a matter of taste, and it’s your day. Visit websites like Amazon.com that sell CDs where you can search for wedding music and hear 30 second clips. I also encourage couples to bring sheet music of favorite songs, tapes, or programs from other weddings when we meet for a consultation.

“Can I have him play country?”

If you are having your ceremony in a church, use discretion when requesting love songs and other secular music, keeping in mind the sacred nature of the event and place. Your minister or wedding coordinator might offer guidance on this subject as well. Rules defining restrictions vary from church to church, so ultimately these decisions should be made in conjunction with the officiating minister. If your ceremony is at a mansion, country club, garden, or is simply less religious in tone, find musicians who are open to non-traditional styles of music. Plan ahead. There has to be time for your musicians to obtain sheet music for specially requested songs, to work out arrangements, and to practice

Communicate!

Stay in touch with your organist or music planner. If you have a wedding coordinator, make sure she keeps in contact with your musicians. One last word of advice: Take your rehearsal seriously. The walk-through of the bridesmaids’ processional, bridal march, and recessional should be done in real time to give the organist or other performers a sense of exactly how much is required to get people from point A to point B. It also alerts the bridal party to their cues so everything runs smoothly.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
James studied piano at private studios in Rochester NY including the Eastman School. After high school, he entered SUNY Fredonia as an organ major, transferring to Stetson University in Deland FL. While raising a young family, James entered Peabody Teacher’s College in Nashville. Later he trained as a Navy broadcast journalist, and once a civilian again, spent five years as a classical radio announcer & producer at WPLN in Nashville. In 1985, James completed a bachelor’s degree in church music at Belmont College (cum laude) and returned for a master’s in music education, conferred in 1991. His area of emphasis for the M.M.E. degree was Elementary/Primary Pedagogical Methodology. His internship was at Montessori Academy in Brentwood teaching pre-school through 6th grade. Now in his 7th year of teaching piano at Belmont Academy in Nashville, James has 40 students. He is organist-choirmaster at Holy Cross Anglican Church in Franklin TN and freelances as a wedding music contractor – see Organist on the Roof

Author: James Weinberg
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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A destination wedding is a great way to have a memorable wedding. Most people plan to have their purpose weddings in exotic surroundings like Hawaii, Caribbean on one of the Pacific islands. A destination wedding is a creative romantic way of celebrating with family and friends the start of a new life together. In effect, there are companies and wedding houses that have come up that cater for couples wishing to experience the delight of purpose weddings. The lure of tropical destinations in villa-like locations surrounded breathtaking mountain and ocean views make these paradise-like surroundings popular destinations. The options available for a destination wedding are many.

Since a destination wedding involves traveling a distance away from home for both the couple and the guests, they require enough time to plan. It will also mean doing a lot of research to ensure the destination is just right for all. Most exotic weddings also require one to do business in the local way as well as fulfilling the legal requirements of the country where the wedding is planned to take place. Formerly reserved for the ultra-rich and a domain of celebrities, target weddings have in recent years become more and more accessible to many couples. In fact, a properly planned destination wedding can save one upwards of $20,000 compared to a traditional wedding. Even at these prices, the options are many. These types of weddings are like mini-vacations for all invited guests. This is because the wedding usually takes a couple of days in a foreign exotic location. Usually, the wedding location is shaped by one’s personal taste and the cost to be incurred.

It is also important to consider the time of the year. It would be most unfortunate if a planned destination wedding were done during a hurricane season. One of the best ways to ensure that both the time and location are well catered for is to hire a wedding coordinator. A wedding coordinator will make sure all the long-distance arrangements are taken care of and will arrange activities to be enjoyed during the wedding stay. One of the best ways to have a destination wedding that is not only cost-effective but also exhilarating, is to hire a cruise ship. Cruise ships allow guests to avoid the extra expenses and time needed to have passports and government IDs. Traveling to destinations in Mexico, Caribbean or Canada will require all in attendance to have all these requirements, which may take some time to clear. With cruise ships and a good advance notice, one is not obligated to pay for these requirements. Cruise ships will even arrange to have the wedding take place while the ship is in port in a local restaurant or on deck.

To further cut down on requirements and paperwork from a foreign government expected of couples getting married, some couple decide to quietly get married while the United States and simply re-enact the ceremony in their planned destination. With careful planning and forethought, planning a destination wedding is both possible and exciting.

Author: Michael Marchese
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Make PCB Assembly

Planning a wedding can be an exciting, frightening, fun, stressful, happy, invigorating experience. Once you actually get to your wedding you just want to sit back, relax, and enjoy the fruits of your labor – but you’re not done yet! The many different fabulous vendors at your wedding ceremony and reception need tips. But how do you know how much to tip, and to whom? Read on for some basic wedding tipping tips that any bride can use.

Is tipping mandatory?

Short answer: no. Long answer: there are three different ways to look at it. Unlike a waitress or a bartender, who generally does not get an hourly wage and depends on your tips to earn a living, your vendors have already been paid for their services. Some couples think that they have paid their vendor the required fee, and that should be enough. Other couples decide to tip their vendors a set amount ahead of time, no matter what the service is like. The third type of couple will wait to see the type of service they receive, and then tip (or not tip) accordingly.

In general, although vendors are already being paid for their services, there is often a very small margin of profit, so they expect tips and depend on that money. Tipping is always recommended if your vendor has gone above and beyond what was expected or if they worked with your smaller budget or gave you discounts.

Delegate!

The only thing you want to do on your wedding day is sit back, relax, and enjoy the fruits of your labor. You’ve done lots of work leading up to this, so don’t worry about tipping – you’ll have plenty of other things taking up your time. Pick a member of your wedding party, your wedding coordinator or another trusted friend or family member to act as a designated tipper.

Give your designated tipper clear and concise rules or guidelines ahead of time on how much to tip each vendor, and provide the tipper with envelopes clearly marked with the vendor’s name (and possibly their service, i.e. John Smith – photographer, to avoid any confusion) to put the tip in, because no one wants to keep track of a handful of cash.

Tight Budget?

Tips should be included in your budget to avoid overspending, but if you are tight on money there are other ways to show your appreciation. Most vendors require a meal, and have it written into their contracts, but you could provide them with beverages as well (just take it easy on the alcoholic beverages when they still have to work). You should also include them in your thank you notes, and if your vendor did an exceptionally outstanding job, write a formal letter of reference that they can show to other brides and grooms interested in their services.

Last but not least, remember that this is your big day. Don’t sweat the small stuff – just enjoy your wedding. You deserve it! Vendors should be tipped the day of, but don’t worry if you forget. They can always be tipped afterward if everyone gets too caught up in the wedding celebration.

Author: Sarah Simmons
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Digital Camera News