Archive for February, 2007

Wedding invitations are often the first indication of the style or theme of the event. Your friends and family should be able to get an idea about how formal the wedding will be, or, in the case of a destination wedding, where the event will be held. Often overlooked, wedding invitations are a crucial part of the wedding planning process and finding the best ones available should be a top priority.

Choosing the best wedding invitations means more than just picking top of the line cards and papers. It means choosing wedding invitations that reflect your style and the style of your wedding, as well as choosing wedding invitations that give your guests all the information they need in order to attend your wedding.

It is important to remember that the purpose of your wedding invitations is to give your prospective guests important information. That is why wedding invitations often contain so many parts. A full wedding invitation suite would include everything from Save the Date cards to Thank You cards, preferably all in the same style. One of the things you should consider when deciding on the best invitations for your wedding is whether there are coordinating pieces of stationery for all of your wedding stationery needs.

Of course, there are other factors to consider when choosing wedding invitations for your special event. Here’s how to pick the best wedding invitations to reflect the special style of your wedding day.

<i><b>Choose wedding invitations that reflect the formality of your wedding</i></b>

How formal is your wedding? If you are planning a formal wedding, you might want to choose wedding invitations that follow the “rules” of etiquette for wedding invitations. That means engraved wedding invitations in white or cream with black text, but it does not mean that you are confined to invitations that look like every other wedding invitation.

Even if you are choosing formal invitations, there is a surprising variety of styles in embossing, fonts and designs from which to choose. Whether you choose a timeless classic like Ivory Elegance or the more subtle beauty of Refined Grace, your wedding invitations will be a unique reflection of your formal, traditional wedding.

Semiformal and casual weddings open up an entire range of wedding invitations styles from which you can choose, or even design your own wedding invitations entirely. The invitations that you choose can use color, images and even photographs of the bride and groom. You may choose gatefold invitations with a photo of the bride and groom on the cover that open to reveal the printed text of the invitation itself, or pick a brightly accented invitation with matching foil liners for the invitation envelope.

<i><b>Reflect your chosen colors in your wedding invitations</i></b>

No matter what colors you have chosen for your wedding, you can find wedding invitations that reflect those colors. You have your choice of standard wedding invitations in cream or white with just a touch of your wedding colors in the form of ribbons or borders, or pick wedding invitations that make fuller use of your chosen colors in background papers, print or overall design. You can find colorful invitations that reflect your wedding colors when you choose a line of wedding invitations designed in house by the same designers that created your wedding dresses and other wedding stationery.

<i><b>Find wedding invitations that suit the theme of your wedding</i></b>

Theme weddings have never been more popular than they are now. Many couples choose to be married in a beach or island setting, in a medieval castle or in a garden that pays homage to Mother Nature. If you have decided to build your wedding around a theme, the best wedding invitations for you may be those that fit right into theme. For a beach wedding, you may choose invitations embossed with delicate shells and fronds, while the best wedding invitations for your fabulous Great Gatsby Roaring 20s wedding may feature art deco styling and bright colors.

<i><b>Pick wedding invitations created by your favorite designers</i></b>

Many designers of fabulous wedding dresses have opened their design lines to include a full line of bridal designs – not only wedding gowns and bridesmaid dresses, but wedding stationery, invitations and table décor. Let designers help you coordinate your wedding invitations with your wedding style by choosing a line of invitations inspired by your favorite designer.

<i><b>Pick wedding invitations that are part of the season</i></b>

If you are having a summer wedding, choose invitations that are light and breezy with lots of floral accents. The winter bride might choose a snowflake theme for her wedding invitations. You can find plenty of wedding invitations that are seasonal, reflecting the mood for both the time of year and traditional holidays when you shop online bridal shops.

Of course, the most important part of finding the best wedding invitations is to find wedding invitations that you love, and that reflect your style as a couple. The very best way to ensure that your wedding invitations are a perfect match for your wedding is to design them yourself. Many wedding designers now offer you the option to create your own wedding invitations right online.

      Here is a wedding planning count down checklist. This is a general checklist and it will help with your planning of your beach theme wedding, but you will want to flesh it out a bit by adding the extra items pertinent to a beach or destination wedding. You will get the extra needed information from purchasing one of the wedding planners that I mentioned in my last article about  wedding planning where they mention added things you need to know about planning a beach theme wedding.  You can add these items to your planning checklist so that you will not forget important things to do.  You’ll definitely want to include what to do about the marriage license if you will be having an out of the country wedding. This will make planning a beach theme or destination wedding so much easier!  So then, here is the basic wedding planning checklist.

 9-12 months before the wedding:
   Announce your engagement to friends and family.
   Pick your wedding date.( If you will be having your wedding at your local beach, make sure of all the rules and reserve and if you want a out of country destination wedding , check and reserve before setting your wedding date in stone.)
      Arrange for parents to get together and meet each other if they haven’t already.
   Discuss what your budget will be and who’ll be contributing what to the event.
   Interview wedding planners if you’re using one. (Or use one of my recommendations from my previous post on wedding planning like Amazing Wedding planning- great for info on destination and beach theme weddings.)
   Meet with the officiant.
   Work on the guest list to get a rough head count.
   Visit reception sites and reserve one. (This will be hard to do if this will be an out of the country destination wedding. You might want to actually go visit the island of choice and take care of some of these things at this time, then the rest can be done from home.)
   Begin shopping for your wedding gown. If you want to drop a few pounds this would be the time to start.
   For an out of country destination wedding this is the time to start checking into the details of your marriage license.

 6-9 months before the wedding:
   Choose the members of your wedding party.
   Select a caterer. (This might be included in your destination site, so check)
   Enroll in a bridal registry.
   Order your wedding gown.
   Shop for bridesmaids dresses.
   Pick a photographer and videographer.
   Hire a florist (or look into do-it-yourself flower arranging DVDs on my site and practice also wholesale flowers)
   Start thinking about where you’d like to go for your honeymoon.
   Send out save-the-date cards, especially if your wedding is on a holiday weekend. (check my post on wedding invitations for some great beach theme wedding invitations and save the dates.)

4-6 months before the wedding:
   Order wedding stationary (place cards, thank you cards, etc.).
   Shop for the perfect wedding cake. (this could be tricky if you want a special wedding cake and you will be having a beach theme or especially an out of country destination wedding, so check out Amazing Wedding Planning for help with this)
   Hire your wedding-day transportation (carriage, limousine, etc.)
   Book your favorite hair stylist and makeup artist. (special planning for a destination wedding)
   Check on hotels for any out-of-town guests.
   Finalize the guest list.
   Get definite plans for your honeymoon, make airline and hotel arrangements.
   Plan the rehearsal dinner. (Special planning for a out of country destination wedding)
      Compile a list of all your wedding vendors, their phone numbers, the details and keep a list with you at all times for reference.(I would make two lists and give one to someone else like mother or maid of honor-someone who can help with the details if needed and so that if you were to loose your list, there will be another one handy.)

 2-4 months before the wedding:
   Purchase the marriage license from your cities county clerk.( I already commented on this earlier, you’ll need to plan this much earlier for an out of country wedding, making sure that it will all be legal)
   Order tuxedos for the groom and groomsmen.
   Meet with the caterer to go over menus, wine selections, etc. (or for a destination wedding, you’ll need to communicate by email)
   Order the wedding cake.
   Select wedding ceremony and reception music.
   If you plan on writing your own vows start writing them now.

 4-8 weeks before the wedding:
   Mail wedding invitations 6 to 8 weeks ahead of your wedding date.( probably more time needed to give guests extra time to plan or make special note of it in your save the dates)
   Do a hair and make up run through with your wedding veil on.

2-4 weeks before the wedding:
   Work on the seating arrangements for the reception.
   Confirm details with the photographer, florist, and other vendors.
   Have your final wedding dress fitting.
   Write your rehearsal-dinner toast.
   Purchase gifts for the wedding attendants.
  
 1 week before the wedding:
   Place any amounts due on the wedding day in envelopes for easy distribution.
   Give the caterer a final head count.
   Find a trustworthy person to take the cake knife, toasting glasses, etc. to the reception.
   Get final beauty treatments (manicure, facial, massage, waxing, brow shaping, etc.).
   Pack for the honeymoon.
 

 The day before the wedding:
   Get something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue, and a silver sixpence in the shoe(a penny will do).                       
    

 The day of the wedding:
   Relax and remain calm.
   Remember to eat something. You may be so busy with things that you forget or just not get the time once you are in the midst of your reception.
   Allow yourself at least two hours to get dressed.
   Enjoy your dream beach theme or destination wedding.

      So as you can see, this is a general checklist and there are many extra things to be considered for a beach theme or destination wedding, especially if it will be out of the country. My you have many wonderful experiences on planning your dream beach wedding.

The wedding is the most important day in a woman’s life. She should look very stunning. Being overweight can create worries. A particular regime can assist wedding weight loss if adopted to the T. There are several who starve or break all the good eating habits they have in a bid to drop weight. This does not generate the preferred results and the bride looks worried on the special day. Discussed below are a few tips which will help weight loss before the marriage.

Remaining hydrated by consuming water is very good and has to be made a part of our daily routine.  It is very important to keep oneself well hydrated. Having hot water will lower body fat, better digestion and flush cellulite. You will also be able to get rid of dark circles under your eyeballs. Having 10 cups of water daily is perfect for wedding weight loss. You can start your day with a cupful of warm water and also always keep a bottleful of water with you whether at home or at work. Walking is equally significant. It is a great method to give the metabolic process a boost. You can start by walking for ten minutes and then increase it slowly. An early morning walk will also make your skin gleam.

You can consume at regular intervals in small proportions. Or else eating too often will increment your weight. And you will look heavy.  Your digestive system will be able to manage small meals taken at small time intervals rather that big meals after long gaps. The proportion of food whether meat, carbs or veggies must not be larger than your palm and not thicker than it either. Eat healthy meals even when you get involved in wedding weight loss programs. A typical meal must consist of helpings of a protein, a carbohydrate, a vegetable and a fruit.  

You can have your beloved food once in a fortnight to reward yourself for working too hard for wedding weight loss. Eat in quality not amount. This way you will not starve for your beloved food and will not feel impoverished either. This way you can reward yourself.

Hiring a personal trainer or participating in a bridal boot camp which is frequently conducted by celebrities of yesteryears for <a rel=”nofollow” onclick=”javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackPageview', '/outgoing/article_exit_link']);” href=”http://www.quickweddingweightloss.com/”>wedding weight loss</a> is a good idea. Resorting to quick weight loss programs and fad diets will not give you any long term results as they are challenging to uphold. This will also set up a base for yo yo dieting. There will be no enduring weight loss. There are many cases where brides have lost 5 to 8 pounds before their marriage and gained most of it back after a week of cruising for honeymoon.