Mar 8

Some might find this hard to believe, but planning a cheap wedding is quite easy to do. It’s also great fun and can be really unique and creative too! So if you’re planning a cheap wedding in the future, here are some great tips and ideas for you…

1. Cheap Wedding Locations. Planning a cheap wedding location is not impossible. In fact, you can have wedding ceremonies in a variety of places that are completely free. The local park is a great example. There’s usually no cost to go to a public park, and planning a cheap wedding ceremony there doesn’t usually require any permits or other fees either. Double check with your local city authorities just to be sure first of course.

The Beach is another free place to have a wedding ceremony, as is many churches for that matter. Other ideas include: Having your ceremony at a family member’s home, or having the ceremony in your own back yard. If the wedding couple loves nature, it may be free or very inexpensive to have the wedding ceremony at a local zoo, nature reserve, or flower conservatory too.

2. Cheap Wedding Receptions. Planning a low cost wedding reception is not too difficult either. One way to keep the reception super cheap is to make it a pot luck meal. You can have the guests each bring their own dish, and this could be requested in place of having them buy you wedding presents if you’d like.

If you’d rather not ask guests to bring food for your wedding reception, then ask a few family members to get together and cook the food as a wedding gift to you.

Planning a cheap wedding reception should also involve choosing cheap or free locations for the reception too. Try to make the wedding reception co-incide with the ceremony in some way. If you plan to have your wedding ceremony in the gazebo at the park for instance, then plan for the reception to be a barbecue or picnic style event in that same park.

Another easy and cheap example of course, is if you have the wedding ceremony in your home. Then you can plan to have the reception in your home as well, or out in the backyard if the weather is nice. If you’re planning a cheap wedding on the beach, an excellent reception idea is to have a beach party afterwards… bonfire and all.

3. Cheap Wedding Decorations. When planning a cheap wedding you’ll of course need to keep the cost of decorations down as much as possible. You don’t have to go without them completely though, you just need to improvise.

Instead of buying expensive flowers for instance, try decorating with balloons and streamers instead. Go to a local craft or fabric store and buy a few spools of pretty ribbon, then tie the balloons together with strips of the ribbon done up in a bow. Also tie the ribbons into bows themselves, then tape the ribbon bows around for decorations by themselves.

Another idea for creating inexpensive table decorations is to simply collect some pretty rocks. Wash them clean, then arrange them creatively on tables or other surfaces. You could even paint the rocks to match your desired wedding color theme.

Here’s a great idea if you’re planning a low cost wedding that will have an outdoor, picnic or barbecue style reception: buy pretty paper plates and napkins instead of using expensive china dishes.

As you can see with just these few ideas, planning a cheap wedding can actually be a lot of fun!

Read on for even more tips on inexpensive wedding centerpieces.

Author: Diane Crawford
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Gadget reviews

Feb 28

During the course of wedding preparation there are many important decisions that will be made in a very short period of time. In reference to plating or floral choices most of these decisions are easy. Although some of these quick decisions will hold great importance such as wedding location or choosing the Best man.

Handling many crucial responsibilities for the couple who is planning their own wedding, the selection of a Best man is imperative. In relation to making decisions the Best man can been seen as a wedding cherub whereas this man will always put the desires and needs of the wedding couple first and foremost. Also the Best man represents a pillar of support for the Groom, helping him maintain focus during the wedding preparation and assuring him when the inevitable thoughts of doubt begin to surface. Consider the Best man as the captain in that support formation, as both the bride and groom need their own fears alleviated.

The Best man also stands in as a free wedding planner that the couple should recruit to assist during the planning in addition to encouraging the groom in this extremely stressful time. No one knows you more than friends or family and frequently the Best man is a family member or the best buddy of the groom. In many instances using the Best man as a free wedding planner will assist the couple to see things they may have missed due to the stress they are under. This can be seen in something as small as a hated color in the floral arrangements to something as crucial as seating arrangements to make sure peace is maintained during the reception.

The Best man has a unique perspective into your lives and into your preferences and they are not under the stress the couple may be under in planning their own wedding. When you combine the Best man with the Maid of Honor you have a potent pair of weapons who can do great things when you utilize them as free wedding planners.

One of the most vital roles of the Best man comes on the wedding day itself pertaining to wedding preparation. Regardless of all the preparation you do all wedding preparation comes down to one day and usually occurs in a very short period of time. The bride and groom at this point have done all they can in regards to wedding preparation and it is now time for the Best man and wedding party to step up.

Coordination in wedding preparation is vital so it would be wise for the Best man to utilize his supporting wedding cast and delegate specific tasks to individuals. What this division of wedding preparation will accomplish is having a large group of individuals reporting to one person so that the Best man can delegate over all events and have his influence in more than one place at once. The Best man is an important feature in wedding preparation as they act as your free wedding planner.

Dreaming of having the perfect wedding, but don’t think you have the knowledge or time to plan it properly? At http://www.planningmyweddingday.com you will find information that you won’t find in any other free wedding planner. Log on to the site and save yourself time, frustration and money; and have a wonderful, fun-filled wedding day!

Author: Robert R Friend
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Canada duty rate

Feb 4

Whenever you think of wedding music, you automatically think of the wedding march and other traditional types of wedding music accompaniments. Whilst a large majority of people still opt for the traditional wedding music ideas, there is a new breed of weddings that is enjoying the power of music.

Traditional Wedding Music for the Ceremony

Wedding music is an absolute essential part of a wedding ceremony. Traditionally, music is played before the bride arrives and whilst the bride walks down the aisle. This music depends largely on the type of ceremony; with a traditional church based ceremony, the music is likely to be from an organ or keyboard.

With a more modern style ceremony, brides often favor popular music that holds some special memories for the wedding couple. Popular music also allows guests to have something to listen to (or even sing along with) whilst they are waiting for the actual ceremony.

Wedding Music Enhancing Your Day

Wedding music should be an enhancement of your day and not simply something that has to be in the background. Consider your theme and try to select wedding music that will go along with this theme.

Go for shock tactics. Wedding music can really help you to make certain parts of your day stand out. Use light background music for the calmer times, with louder more jazzy wedding music for the times that you want to grab your guests attention.

Wedding Music Ideas Out of the Ordinary

The latest trend in wedding music is to have live performances. Bands playing in a wedding reception are not really a novel idea, however live music during the ceremony and during the meal is both new and innovative. If you select live wedding music, then it is worth opting for something such as a harpist so that the volume is not distractingly loud.

During the wedding reception, it is quite normal to see a traditional disco, but many brides are now keen to avoid the standard disco offerings and look for new and different ideas for entertaining their wedding guests. Why not have a disco that moves through the years of the couples relationship, from the song that was playing when they first met to the song that was playing the night before the wedding, this is a great way of maintaining interest in the wedding music, throughout the evening.

Wedding music can also be participatory, such as line dancing or karaoke. However, make sure that your guests will appreciate your efforts, there is nothing worse than a karaoke with no-one taking part!

Wedding music is a real opportunity to stamp your own mark on your wedding day, so pay careful attention to this important part of your big day!

Author: Elsie Gilbert
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Bumper guardian

Jan 27

Choosing your wedding photographer is one of the key decisions you will make
in preparing for your wedding. In your preparation, it is important to find a
photographer that is providing the package that will best meet your own
personal requirements. It is useful to focus on 4 key areas in your selection:-

  1. Quality and Styles of Photography
  2. The Photographer’s own Style and Rapport
  3. Any Additional Services required
  4. Your Budget and the Photographer’s Price and Package Details

By working through the following questions and options, we believe you will be
better prepared to make the right choice.

1. Quality & Style of Photography

What type of photographs do you want?

Formal Photos.
Most couples want some formal family and group shots of their wedding. They
are often the “set pieces” of the day (Best man and bridesmaids, Brides family,
Grooms family, Confetti shot, Cutting the wedding cake etc). These, if you like,
are the historical record. For some couples this may all that may be required.
For others these shots may be a small part of the photography, and the couple
may want to keep them to a minimum.

Candid, Reportage, Informal Photos.
These are much more relaxed shots, catching the bride and groom and their
guests during the day. The shots aim to build a story of the day, and to get
pictures of the wedding couple and their guests as themselves and enjoying the
day.

Creative, Artistic shots.
The wedding couple may want to hire a photographer who can also add an
artistic, contemporary style to some or all of the pictures. This may include
fashion magazine type shots, or adjustments to colour and contrast.

How much coverage do you want?
Do you want your photographer to be with you from the moment you rise until
the last dance or do you only want them at the ceremony or until the first
dance? Most photographers will have a range of packages to suit your needs,
ranging from ceremony only to full day coverage (and some will even go
beyond that if required and join you on the stag night or include some studio
or on location engagement shots in the package).

Check photographer capabilities.
The internet gives you a great opportunity to view the work of a wide range of
photographers and help you to build a shortlist of the photographers you
would like to go to see. Most photographers will have an on-line gallery which
will give you a good indication of the type of photography they like to do. When
you meet with a photographer, ask to see further samples of their work, and
look for examples of a full wedding rather than a “Best of..” compilation culled
from a number of weddings. (If you want a candid photographer, do the
example pictures tell the story of the day? As a quality test, do the photos show
the subtle details of the wedding dress). Does the photographer have
Professional qualifications (not just memberships)? Has the photographer won
any awards for their wedding photography, or do they have testimonials from
previous weddings?

Does the photographer’s style match your ideas?
Does the style of photography match your own ideas on the resiults you want
to see in your wedding photographs?

Time, Location and Advice.
Has the photographer worked at the Church/Reception you are using? Does the
photographer have ideas on good location shots either at the Church/Reception
or close by to get the best results? Do your wedding timings(season/time of
day) enable the photographer to get the results you are looking for? If the
photographer is pro-actively giving you sound advice on how to get the
pictures you want, or offering options you have not considered, it is a good
sign that you will end up with good results.

2. Photographer Style & Rapport

Meet the Photographer.
It is fundamentally important to meet the photographer that would actually do
your wedding. You need this to be confirmed to you. Check that the work you
see is the individual photographer’s work, and not examples from the company
he/she works for.

Do you like the photographer?
If you like the photographer (and he/she has met your criteria for the quality
and style of work you want done), you will have a much better wedding day,
and get much better results if you enjoy being with the person who will take
the pictures.

Will the photographer take time to build a rapport?
What pre-wedding activities does the photographer offer to provide? For
example: Pre wedding run-through, Site visits together, Studio portrait
session.

3. Additional Services.

Do you need any additional services?
If not, then it is important to make sure that these, if stripped out of a package,
are not included in the price. If you do want additional services, identify those
that are important to you and test the photographers capabilities in these
areas. For instance:-

  • Advice and range of Wedding Albums
  • Advice and range of picture frames
  • Uploading images to the Web
  • Providing pictures on CD
  • Providing pictures on DVD with/without music.
  • Digital manipulation/compilation.

4. Package and Price

Decide your budget for photography.
There is a wide range of cost and levels of service in Wedding Photography and
you need to have a clear budget in mind before establishing your photographer
shortlist.

Check what is in the package and what is not. It is important to spend time to
understand what exactly is in the package you are signing up for. This can
avoid dis-satisfaction from misunderstandings later. Some points to consider:-

  • How many prints (and what size) are included in the package?
  • What is the cost of extra prints and reprints?
  • Is a wedding album and/or folder mounts included?
  • Who has the copyright to the pictures?
  • Are additional services (e.g Web upload) and miscellaneous expenses
    (e.g.postage, travel costs) included or not.
  • Back up and Insurance. What happens if your photographer is ill and is
    unable to photograph the wedding? What happens if the images are lost or
    destroyed during processing?
  • Does the photographer have professional indemnity insurance?

The photographer is an important part of your wedding in that they not only
provide a lasting record of the people, events and emotions but thay are also
an integral part of the structure and organisation of the day. A photographer
who can work quickly and easily and who you feel is someone you can rely on,
can make a big impact on your enjoyment of your wedding day. It usually pays,
therefore, to invest in a photographer who has the experience to deliver the
pictures you want and to work with you to make the day a success.

Good luck with your search and have a great wedding day!

Author: Tony Eatough
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Canada duty tariff

Jan 18

If you have experience with project planning in a professional sense at your employment then you should treat the planning of your wedding no different. Wedding Planning is a must for small or big weddings perhaps its more critical to plan out your wedding for the large weddings for everything to run smoothly on the day.

A Big or Small Wedding?

First of all, you should have a general number of guests you would like to invite. This will determine everything else you do in your wedding planning. Do you want a small cozy wedding or a large wedding gathering? Is it what you want or what your parents or in-laws want? Is it within your budget? Once you answer these questions your wedding planning has now been kick started.

Assign Tasks

In a project situation, it is important to delegate tasks and so in your wedding planning you need to determine who will be responsible for certain aspects of your wedding. For example you may want to designate responsibility of handling of catering for yourself while delegating the responsibility of the wedding music or entertainment to your partner.

Wedding Budget

A commercial project always has a profit and loss statement and a budget. A wedding plan profits when you succeed and you lose when everything falls apart you dont want the latter to happen. One of the more important aspects of wedding planning is your wedding budget. You should have a general number in your head of how much you want to spend on your wedding and from that starting number you can allocate money to the sub-projects of your wedding such as the catering, the reception hall, etc. Watch carefully how you spend your wedding budget and always keep a look out for ways to save money on weddings.

Wedding Research

Keep note of what works and what doesnt when you attend other weddings, talk to the caterers and the musicians or the DJ if you like their service. Talk to the wedding couple or other recently wedded couples to ask them what worked in their wedding and what didnt and what other advice they could offer. A part of your research would take you to wedding expos and shows around the country in your city or local area. At the wedding show you can take into account the latest trends and products that are popular in the wedding industry. You will be able to talk to reception services, caterers and bakers for your wedding cake. You will able to see their showcase of wedding dresses and possibly catch a catwalk display of the dresses. Remember your purpose at these shows that you are there as research for your wedding plan and not be tempted by the other extras that arent really a part of what you want for a wedding. Your purpose is to get an idea of how much everything you want at your wedding would cost as well as your options in the variety of wedding areas.

Wedding Ceremony and Reception Location

Finally, a major element to your wedding project plan is to arrange the ceremony and the locations of the ceremony and reception. If you are religious it would probably be assumed that you would be wedded in a church or other religious building. If arent religious and are looking for a civil celebrant you will also need to plan around that. Planning your reception location would probably take into consideration the research you have done previously. Shop around for prices; ask around for testimonials of good service to find the perfect location to suit what you want and your budget.

Good luck in your wedding planning!

Author: Janey McKenzie
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Make PCB Assembly