Feb 20

First of all, for the uninitiated to the minutia of wedding planning: the escort card is the card that tells guests at which table they are seated. It is an alternative to the use of a large seating chart. The escort cards are another part of the wedding that you can personalize to complement your wedding theme or style.

The classic escort card is a small rectangular tent card in heavy white or cream stock, with or without a border. The name of the guest or guests is written on the front of the card in black calligraphy with the appropriate table number. Married couples are done on one card. This is the traditional form of escort card, and there is certainly nothing wrong with it if you are having a very traditional wedding. These days, though, many couples want to add their own unique flair to every detail of their weddings, and the escort cards are no exception.

The general look of the card will often tie in with the wedding invitation. For instance, if your invitations were pale pink with dark brown lettering, then your escort cards should be done in the same colors. It is also nice to dress up your escort cards with any motif or monogram that you may be using in other parts of the wedding.

Embellishments are also a very popular way to create unique escort cards. At one wedding I attended, the bride had painstakingly crafted her invitations, and across the top of each one was a handbeaded row of tiny crystals and pearls to match the bridal jewelry sets worn by the bride and her attendants. In keeping with the idea of being inspired by their beautiful sets of bridal jewelry, the bride also stitched a few crystals and tiny pearls on the top of each escort card. It is that impeccable attention to detail that really makes a wedding stand out.

Brides are not only getting creative with the design of their escort cards; the manner in which they are displayed are another area that can be personalized. For a beach wedding, you can tie your escort cards to little shells. Winter brides can use a snowflake motif to display their cards. You could kill two birds with one stone by tying the cards to silver snowflake ornaments that would also serve as the favors for guests to take home. (In that case, you would do one for each guest, and not combine couples on one card.)

There are many other fun ways to set out your escort cards. You can “plant” them in a bed of wheatgrass or nestle them into a shallow box of sand. Escort cards can be hung with clothespins on a line or ribbon (a very popular trend) or delicately suspended from the branches of a small potted tree.

For a very modern wedding, lay out flat cards (instead of the classic tented ones) on a brightly colored background.

When you are dreaming up ways to personalize your escort cards, don’t forget about your table numbers. Sure, you could just do the basic “table 1, table 2″, etc.”, but it is much more fun to come up with your own names for tables. They can be anything that is meaningful to the bride and groom: names of your favorite places, songs, or words that tie in with your theme. You can be as clever and creative as you like.

Have fun designing escort cards that will add style to your wedding. If you personalize your escort cards, they can go beyond simply serving a function, and add to the overall design of your wedding. It is the little details that make your wedding feel unique.

Guy writes on many subjects including travel,customs and society. SilverlandJewelry.com Bridal jewelry sets are the perfect finishing touch for the bride.

Author: Guy Antonelli
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Gadget reviews

Feb 7

Choosing the Gown

Choosing the bridal gown is probably the most time-consuming and difficult task of wedding planning. For one, the bride needs to choose the style and fabrics of her gown at least seven months ahead. This will provide the bridal shop enough time to put together the gown and make necessary size alterations. Bridal gowns are also outrageously expensive and it would not be a good start for the marriage to spend half or more of the wedding budget just for the bridal gown. If you are planning a wedding with a tight budget, then you need to know ways on how to save money on the bridal gown. Here are some suggestions.

Money-Saving Tips

The best way to save a lot of money in buying a bridal gown is to borrow one from your family or from a friend. Your grandmother will feel honored if you choose to wear her wedding gown. Another way to save a lot of money is to choose a dress that is not labeled as a wedding gown. It can be any formal white dress that can be fixed and jazzed up at home so that it will turn into a unique bridal gown. And still another way to save is to buy a bridal gown off the rack. There are many stores that offer huge discounts for bridal gowns. If you don’t have the time to shop for bargains, try online auctions of formal dresses. Finally, if you really, really wanted a designer bridal dress, choose one with simpler designs and with less fabric.

Staying in Style

Saving money on the bridal gown does not mean that you will wear something that is out of style. But how, indeed, will you choose style? There are many things to consider.

  • Comfort – you must make sure that you are comfortable in wearing this gown as you stand, dance, kneel, and even run. You don’t want to trip over your train or have large beads of sweat running down your face.
  • Theme – your bridal gown must reflect the wedding theme. For example, in a beach wedding, you may consider a hi-low gown.
  • Colors – You can choose colors. Most brides wear white, but some women won’t look their best when wearing white. The bride should be the most beautiful woman during her wedding day. She should choose colors that will flatter her best. Consider taupe, beige, cream, and other pastel colors.
  • Fabric – Choose the right fabric for your bridal organza. If it is a summer wedding, the sheerness and simplicity of chiffon is best. If your wedding involves a lot of dancing, you would enjoy the volume of tulle. If the wedding is extremely formal, consider organza. If informal, satin would be great. If you wanted some stiffness to the outer part of the gown (great for pictures) include taffeta. Lastly, don’t forget to buy lace.
  • Length – You need to decide, early on, the length of the bridal gown. This will greatly reduce the confusion in choosing gowns. Some gowns are street length, which is perfect for sporty and adventurous brides. Some have intermission lengths, which is ideal for informal weddings. Some bridal gowns have hi-low lengths, which is ideal for outdoor weddings. Some gowns are ballet length, which is great for brides who love to dance. And some gowns are floor length, which is required in formal weddings.
  • Train – Together with the length of the gown, you should also choose the train. Sweep trains go well in outdoor weddings. The court train is great for an activity-filled wedding reception. The chapel train, which is about four feet long, is expected in formal weddings. And if the wedding is in a church, the bride should choose the eight-foot long cathedral train.

Author: Paul Jones
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Canada duty rates

Feb 1

Live music is a very good option for your wedding. Whether it is a quartet, a trio with flute or a music band.

Wedding bands can evoke more of the subtle emotions and expressions that are not as easily detected in recorded music.

If your prefer live music than having a DJ, you must have already been inspired by a band you heard in a restaurant or a club, a bar or at a friends wedding. If this is the case, wedding band selection will not be a difficult task for you. However if you want to move on to other possibilities, here are suggestions on finding a good wedding band.

The Internet. Brides today are selecting wedding bands from the net because of the range of choices that it offers. Pick a good website that contains lots of information about wedding bands. You can select from their array of bands to suit your wedding theme. A point to remember though is that your guests’ ages vary and the band, even if a particular theme is catered, should also be able to play variety. A wedding band that can play the Top 40 will be a safe ground to start your selection.

Bands post on the net their music selections. Read through these and find out. A good wedding band must be able to play various music genres. Drop bands, no matter how good they are that play only one type of music. They will not be much use in wedding occasions. You have to ensure that the band will play wedding music that will fill the dance floor up.

Next listen to the bands’ audio samples. Listen carefully and ask yourself if you like what you are hearing. If the band has a video sample, that will make your selection even easier. Narrow down your selection to the bands that you like most.

Talk with the band leader for prices and other arrangements. Remember that wedding bands are usually booked for several months in advance. Make your selection and booking early.

The size of the wedding band that you select should be appropriate with the numbers of guest on your list. A smaller group can be served better by a smaller band and vice versa.

Once you have talked to the band leader (who should satisfy all your questions in a very professional manner), ask the band to mail you a sample of their demo recording. This should allow you to evaluate the wedding band even better, in your car, at home with your friends and with your fianc.

Find out if the band will be playing near your area. If it is a regular public venue like restaurants or clubs that would give you an even better evaluation of how the wedding band will perform live. Imagine the band playing at your wedding. Can they fill the floor, are the people dancing, check the level of their volume (guest must be able to hear each other even when dancing) do they look good on stage. Do you think they are the band that you are looking for? Do not be pressured when drawing your selection from your list. Wedding bands can make or break your party.

You can introduce yourself to the band leader during the break so that there is someone in the group that you can be comfortable coordinating the details of the program at your wedding party.

Again, book a wedding band early. There is no substitute for a well-planned wedding.

You could have the best of everything on your important event, but if the wedding band does not live up to what it is expected to do, the best wedding event can fail.

Author: Dean Shainin
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: US Dollar credit card

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