Bachelorette Party Ideas
March 31, 2008
While bachelor parties are a tradition dating back to the 1800s, bachelorette parties have become popular only recently. Bachelorette parties seem to be more about the bride-to-be bonding with women friends than the male tradition of enjoying a final night of freedom before marriage.A New Tradition
Some brides choose a night of frivolity, such as male exotic dancers and lots of alcohol, much like the groom’s bachelor party. But the majority of women opt for other activities. The theme of most bachelorette parties is to tease the bride in a fun way, while sharing a memorable evening with her best friends.
The Nightclub Scene
This is 1 of the most popular bachelorette activities. Parties often start with dinner at an elegant restaurant, followed by drinks and dancing at popular nightclubs. Hiring a limousine to drive everyone together from destination to destination is a great idea. First, it allows all the women to travel together and party in transit. Second, it adds a touch of class to the evening. And perhaps the best reason is to ensure that everyone arrives safely at their destinations.
The women in the bachelorette party will often create a veil for the bride to wear on that night. The style of the veil isn’t important, so long as it is conspicuous and calls a great deal of attention to the bride. It’s also typical for this type of party to send the bride on a scavenger hunt. The other women get together ahead of time to create a list of activities for the bride to accomplish or objects to find. This type of bachelorette party is a great way for the bride to enjoy a night of dinner, dancing, drinks and fun with her best friends.
Retreat To A Spa
Spa retreats have become quite popular as bachelorette party ideas. The bride-to-be and her friends get together at a spa to enjoy relaxing massages, facials, manicures, pedicures and other treatments. A steam room, sauna and/or hot tub adds an extra element of relaxation.
Some spas provide great meals from a selection of healthy dishes. This type of bachelorette party lets the bride relax and connect with her friends while leaving behind the stress of planning a wedding. Many brides get so caught up in the details of wedding planning that they forget to enjoy the wedding. A spa retreat bachelorette party is a great solution.
Exotic Dance Lessons
A little more risque, but lots of fun, is exotic dancing lessons. These parties are becoming more common now that pole dancing classes are beginning to spring up in health clubs. For these parties the women gather at a private home or a dance studio, and a professional dancer comes in to teach them the art of exotic dance. This can be a great way for friends to let loose and have fun.
Night Of Feature Films
Another unique bachelorette party idea is for the maid of honor to host a movie night. The hostess rents plenty of movies to select from, and stocks up on movie theater style goodies or creates a menu of hors d’oeuvres. This could be the bride’s last chance to sit around with her friends watching “chick flicks” for a good long while. This is a fun, safe, and relaxing way for the women to get together to talk and have a good time.
Female Bonding
Although a new phenomenon, the bachelorette party is quickly catching on. It does not have the same feel as a bachelor party — instead of a last night of freedom, it a night to bond with women friends.
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Do You See Wedding Decorations In Your Future?
March 31, 2008
If there are wedding bells in your future, then surely there are wedding decorations as well. Or, maybe you are looking for Easter decorations, baby shower decorations, or even prom decorations? For some good ideas on any party decorations, just check online!When you are planning a party, no matter how big or small you will want to use decorations to make the atmosphere what you want it to be. Table decorations are one thing most parties have. You may wish to cover your tables with brightly colored table clothes with a fresh flower centerpiece. Or maybe you are crafty and wish to make personalized place-mats for your guests. Whatever you choose, the decoration will make the party a blast!
But, not all of us are crafty and need some extra help in this area. You can take a trip to your local craft store where you will find aisles and aisles of ideas. But, more then likely, you will still need some idea of what you can do yourself. Another option is to check out the online retailers and their vast amount of options. If you need help finding what you are looking for online, try searching for it using a major search engine.
Decorations will make your party a hit. Walking into a balloon filled room with decorated tables and chairs, streamers, and festive colored banners will set the mood for your party! So, liven up your wedding decorations by visiting a local craft store, doing some design work yourself, or even just browse the online aisles and make it a great party!
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Wedding reception Centerpieces
March 31, 2008
When it comes to decorating your reception tables, the centerpieces for each table play a major role in setting the tone and style of your wedding. They will be one of the major focal point for your guests while they are eating their meal, and spectacular or unique centerpieces can add an element of sophistication or surprise to your event.The most established kind of centerpiece is flowers and it is the most expected. There are literally hundreds of floral centerpiece designs, from tall lilies to tightly packed roses.
You should really shop around and check out different wedding supply shops and online specialists to see the different possibilities, and look at the varying prices. You must also remember that you will need a centerpiece for every table, so it could get expensive if you are planning to invite a large guest list.
For a cheaper option, buy the flowers yourself from a wholesaler, and produce simple displays such as six tulips in a glass vase. You could also use the bridesmaids’ bouquets as centerpieces to really get the best value out of them.
Believe it or not, this happens all the time. Instead of fresh cut flowers, consider using potted plants as centerpieces. You can decorate terracotta pots and pick plants that flower in co-coordinating colors to your scheme.
These centerpieces will last long after the day has finished, and provide a lovely gift for those you would like to give them to.
Popular alternatives to floral centerpieces include candles and fruit. Candles are a wonderful way of creating an air of romance and enchantment for your wedding, and look particularly effective if your venue is dimly lit. However, if you plan to hold your reception in the afternoon, with plenty of natural daylight, candles may not produce the appropriate dramatic effect.
You could purchase candelabras for each table for an elegant look, or consider the less formal appearance of floating candles in a large glass bowl.
You must ensure that any holders or bowls you use are heat-resistant, and also check with your venue for any restrictions they may have on the use of naked flames.
Fruit is a nice and decorative choice, and can also be eaten later in the evening! Other edible choices include candy, chocolate lollipops or Hershey’s Kisses. Use your imagination to display whatever treats you choose in an exciting way, using glitter, streamers or balloons.
You can be as original as you like when it comes to your centerpieces, and you could choose something really personal such as hand-written poems or family photographs in ornate picture frames.
If you are having a themed wedding, create a unique centerpiece that reflects the wedding motif. A wonderful centerpiece for an oriental themed wedding is a bonsai tree, or large origami creations. Anything that matches your theme is best.
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Wedding Jewelery That’s Affordable
March 31, 2008
Finding the right wedding jewelry is an extremely important aspect of the ceremony because the wedding bands in particular will be worn by the bride and groom forever. Wedding bands have gotten to be a great deal more ornate than they used to be. Diamond wedding bands have reached a peak in recent thanks to the celebrities who proudly display theirs.Wedding bands have even surpassed the usual gold and are now moving into platinum and titanium bands. It used to be that 10k gold rings were the “in” thing to buy and these days they are looked down upon by most couples who would prefer to buy their gold in 14k or higher.
Simple diamonds are still a popular buy, but colored diamonds are gaining momentum thanks to J-Lo’s pink princess cut diamond ring with Ben Affleck. Other popular diamond colors are yellow, blue and aquamarine.
With the ever growing popularity of platinum rings, many couples are looking to shining silver and white gold as a cheaper substitute. White gold has a similar look of platinum, but is a fraction of the price. It is a great alternative.
In the past, the men’s ring was often of little concern to either as long as the woman’s ring was attractive, but these days, men want a nice ring or diamond studded ring almost as much as the women do.
Beautiful ring sets can be found from nearly any source. If you can afford it, you can locate good deals on sets at jewelry stores.
For the most part, the entire wedding ceremony is completely symbolic and that symbolism reaches its peak the moment the rings are exchanged.
Knowing this, can it really be a wonder that the chosen rings are just as important as the chosen couple?
You can virtually choose to go with any type of ring from any source. These days even department stores are offering great knock offs to the popular celebrity rings at extreme discounts.
The popular ring worn by J-Lo; which was a platinum pink diamond ring with a princess cut and accented with two white diamonds on either side can now be purchased at Wal-Mart in a white gold setting with zirconia’s and pink topaz stones.
Wedding bands still look better in a plain band style, but some people might prefer to accent the bands with diamonds. Whatever your taste is, you can pretty much find the right bands for you and your spouse to be anywhere.
All you really need to do is decide what look you want; what style that you want; and how much money you can afford to pay and then go on your search.
In order to get the best overall deals, you should comparison shop online. If you do it soon enough, you can have the bands ready way before the ceremony.
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Winter Wedding
March 31, 2008
A Wedding in winter what a thought! As I write this article its just turning to fall and the wind is howling and the rain is battering. Not weather you would even consider having a wedding in!Don’t think of howling winds though, imagine snow covered mountain peaks rising majestically from fir tree covered foot hills! Close your eyes and breathe in the crisp, pine scented air. That is what a winter wedding is all about!
With the ski lodge in the distance with its welcoming real log fire, the winter sun sparkling off the crisp white snow and the sky as blue as can be you can be assured of a day of fairytale proportions.
When it come to your color scheme think red and green. Not Santa suit and holly leaves but rich burgundy or plum and a forest green that the pine trees would be proud of. Think fur hats and mufflers with black boots and long coats. Think traditional and old fashioned.
If you decide that traditional you are not, there are still options for a winter wedding. For a winter wedding of cosmic proportions think silvery blue and brilliant white, think glam and glitz, think modern and funky.
Whatever your choice I have to admit the draw of a winter wedding is strong. Should a snow storm occur at a most in-opportune moment then a fire side wedding ceremony must be one of the most romantic.
If the evening weather suits why not set out a bonfire and take your wedding outside, at least for part of the time. There can develop a great sense of camaraderie around a campfire, a la any camping trip you have ever been on! A sing song may even be called for!
There are many choices to be made on the run up to your wedding day and the choice of time of year is just one of them. Each season has its own attractions to offer and winter is no different. If you decide on a winter wedding enjoy and have fun, bring out the seasons special qualities and it wont let you down.
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Attractive Wedding Invitations
March 31, 2008
Wedding shower invitations should lay out all of the necessary information, yet still be attractive. One way to do this is to have a picture engraved on the invitation. Ask your engraver to add a small design on the inside of your invitation or wherever you have information about the reception. If, for example, an ice cream social is your theme see if there is an ice cream cone or Sundae dish they can emboss onto the paper without taking away from the main body of the invitation. Remember that subtlety is stylish; you don’t want to come across as overpowering with your theme. It may be difficult sometimes to know who to invite to the wedding shower. As a general rule, the wedding shower hostess or hostesses should invite all family members of both the bride and the groom. She should also invite close friends of the bride and the bride’s family. She may also want to invite some of the bride-to-be’s co-workers. She should be sure to consult with the bride when compiling the guest list. Try to organize the people invited so some will set up the wedding shower game, someone else will set up the wedding shower favor, and so on.What do I put on a wedding Shower Invitation?
The wedding shower invitation should include the name of the bride to be, the date and time of the shower, and the address and phone number of the hostess/hostesses. If you are concerned about the attendance at your wedding shower, consider including on the invitation a deadline date for the RSVP. (This is usually about two weeks prior to the shower date.) It may be difficult to make up a wedding shower invitation without prior experience. Because of this, it may be a good idea to have the same person who did your bridal shower invitation to also do your wedding shower invitation.
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Lasting Memories
March 31, 2008
Many couples decide that they would like to have their wedding day captured on video but many have fears that it will be too obtrusive. Providing that they take care to select the right video company, they will find that their fears were completely unfounded and that they didn’t notice their videographer at all.A professional videographer will be unobtrusive and will fit in with you and your guests - they won’t try to take-over your day.
Levels in videographers vary considerably; it is therefore essential that you request to see a show-reel of their work. This will give a good indication of the picture and sound quality, technical ability, editing and filming styles. However, make sure that the show-reel is the work of the videographer who will be filming your wedding. It is also a good idea to see letters of thanks/reference from previous customers, this will show you how they fitted in with the wedding party and guests.
Check if the videographer is a member of a registered trade association like the IOV (Institute of Videography) or the APV (Association of Professional Videomakers). Most trade associations request the member to pass an assessment, and they are only certified if they have reached the required standard in both filming and editing.
Good videographers are sought after. It is therefore advisable to book early (about one year in advance) to ensure that you get the videographer you want. To avoid any confusion, always get written confirmation of your booking confirming the date and time of your wedding.
A good wedding video will provide you with a treasured memory of your special day to be watched by generations to come.
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Useful Lasting Marriage Tips
March 31, 2008
My parents gave me this advice about marriage. They have been married since the 1960s and are still happily married to each other.In marriage, when an argument is about to blow up, remember that takes 2 hands to clap. When one party is angry, the other should be understanding and not argue back. The calmer party should try to listen the cry, the hurt behind the upset.
Marriage is a life long journey together. Not simply a boat you get on together and get off when it does not work out.
Look at the old couples who are still together after so many decades. Their love has matured from a passionate lust to a deep, lasting love. How did they do it?
Every relationship has its ups and downs. You have to work at your marriage.
As you go through life together, you are bound to irritate one another. Nothing is so smooth as the movies might want you to believe. Little things that never bothered you initially might start getting on your nerves. That is normal. Your spouse is not perfect. Neither are you.
Marriage is about love. Love is about acceptance. Forgiveness. A love that is deeper than a rush of passionate lust. Tolerance. Of adapting to one another.
All humans are tempted. Temptation is everywhere. Succumbing to temptation and having an affair could mean the end of a marriage, or at very least endangering it greatly. Always remember your spouse. Consciously stay faithful to protect your marriage.
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Engaged Couples Finance Tips
March 31, 2008
Engagement can be a hectic and overwhelming time for all parties involved. However, by setting a wedding budget and by creating a long-term money-management plan, you can ensure that you will start off on the right foot. Follow these steps for a good marriage preparation:1. Prepare to merge finances
Discuss your spending and saving habits, your debts and assets and your respective salaries. Be sure that you have a realistic idea of how marriage will affect you both as a couple and as individuals.
2. Plan your wedding
Make a realistic assessment of how much you can spend. While the average wedding cost is $15,000, with careful planning you may be able to go lower than that and create memories that will last forever.
3. Decide on whether to have a prenuptial agreement
Prenuptial agreements aren’t always necessary. However, if there is a considerable difference in your net assets, it would be foolish not to have one drafted by a lawyer and signed by the necessary parties.
4. Merge your money
In the eyes of the law (and creditors), a married couple is a single financial unit. This holds true, even for those couples who decide to open joint bank accounts.
5. Go over your taxes
A good accountant may help out in this area. Generally speaking, dual-income families get penalized by tax laws. Evaluate your tax situation and decide if it is worth it for both of you to work.
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Creating Attractive Bridal Shower Invitations
March 31, 2008
A bridal shower invitations should lay out all of the necessary information, yet still be attractive. One way to do this is to have a picture engraved on the invitation. Ask your engraver to add a small design on the inside of your invitation or wherever you have information about the reception. If, for example, an ice cream social is your theme see if there is an ice cream cone or Sundae dish they can emboss onto the paper without taking away from the main body of the invitation. Remember that subtlety is stylish; you don’t want to come across as overpowering with your theme. It may be difficult sometimes to know who to invite to the bridal shower. As a general rule, the bridal shower hostess or hostesses should invite female family members of both the bride and the groom. She should also invite close female friends of the bride and the bride’s family. She may also want to invite some of the bride-to-be’s co-workers. She should be sure to consult with the bride when compiling the guest list. Try to organize the people invited so some will set up the bridal shower game, someone else will set up the bridal shower favor, and so on. Not everyone invited to the wedding needs to be invited to the shower. However, those invited to the bridal shower are normally invited to the wedding.Information needed on a Bridal Shower Invitation
The bridal shower invitation should include the name of the bride to be, the date and time of the shower, and the address and phone number of the hostess/hostesses. If you are concerned about the attendance at your bridal shower, consider including on the invitation a deadline date for the RSVP; usually about two weeks prior to the shower date.
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