Tuesday, June 22, 2010

It all starts here..






INVITE


A envelope is delivered to one of your guests-to-be. The guest opens the envelope, takes out your wedding invitation and the excitement begins to build.


Your wedding invitation says more to your guests than merely the words printed on it. It is your guest's first introduction to your wedding, setting the tone for whats to come, establishing a theme for your wedding and giving a glimpse into your personal style.





Perfect Match


You want an invitation that's unique and special, but you don't know where to begin. To help with the selection process, think about the formality of your wedding. If your wedding will be formal, a simple card with an embossed & design is elegant, stylish and classic. For an informal wedding, let's say an affair in your parent's garden, your invitation can be less formal as well. Try using embossed flowers, green ink or ribbon to give your invitation a country, garden feel.



Theme Me Up


Your invitation can boldly announce your wedding's theme. Having a Autumn wedding? How about a card with an embossed or designed leaves?




Colour Crazy


Coloured inks can add pizzazz to your wedding invitations. You can echo a colour that you will be using throughout your wedding. An array of greens from hunter to sage work well, as does chocolate brown. Gold is particularly elegant. If you want to add a note of colour, but aren't ready to do your whole invitation in coloured ink, you can go with a coloured motif on the top of the card and the text in black. Another way to inject colour is to use a colourful insert.




Personally ...


Consider using a motif that expresses something about you. One bride who's nickname since early childhood was Bumble, had a small bee embossed on the top of her invitations.




Paper Chase


Many couples are choosing different types of paper. There are may different papers to match the feel of your wedding.




Tied Up


Ribbons are another way to jazz up your invitations. Coloured organza ribbons, tied in a simple knot or bow, can top the card. A ribbon can tie a folding card together, so guests can open the bow and then the invitation like a present.




Size Matters


Size is another way to set your invitations apart. DL size can be elegant, or a single square can give a more classical look to your card. Our wedding invitations are designed and printed in a very professional way, and we have a wealth of experience you can benefit from.


I look forward to hearing from you, if you have an idea or you have a question or even if you want me to do a blog about anything, just join my page on facebook and let me know.





References: Google

Sunday, June 6, 2010

Suggestions on who pays what



Although the bride is the most important person on the day of the wedding, many other people are involved at every stage of the planning. Some of these may not even be acquainted and it is possible that friction may arise. Wedding etiquette helps to smooth over these difficulties by defining the roles of each person before and on the day of the wedding. Fortunately for parents blessed with daughters, the modern trend is for the families of the bride and groom to share the expenses involved in a wedding, so that the bride's parents are not lumbered with the full amount. The following outlines the usual payment arrangements, but do keep in mind that families need to be flexible.


Suggestions of accounts payable by whom:


..Brides Parents

  • Wedding announcements in the press

  • Invitations and stationery

  • Photographer & videographer

  • Brides and bridesmaids clothing & accessories

  • Flowers for the church and reception

  • Transport for the bride to the church

  • The reception excluding drinks, barmen and related expenses

  • The wedding cake

  • Own outfits

..The Bride

  • Wedding ring for the groom

  • Hairdresser, cosmetician and manicurist

  • Going away outfit

  • Gift to bridegroom

  • Gifts to those who helped with the wedding preparations

..The Groom


  • Bride's engagement and wedding ring

  • Legal expenses: anti-nuptial agreement etc

  • Expenses of the ceremony: marriage officers fee, organist, choir, soloist, tips, etc

  • The bride and bridesmaid's bouquets

  • Buttonholes and corsages for the wedding party

  • Groom and best man's outfit

  • Gifts for bridesmaids, best man (and younger attendants)

  • Gift to the bride

  • Stag party

  • Transport for himself and the bride from the church to the reception

  • Drinks at the reception and related expenses (barmen, hiring of glasses etc)

  • Accommodation on the wedding night & the honeymoon

..Attendants

  • Best man and/or ushers host the bachelor party

  • Maid of Honour and/or bridesmaids host a bridal shower and/or girls night out

  • Best man and/or ushers should pay for the rental of their formalwear

  • Maid of Honour and/or bridesmaids should pay their dresses & accessories

..Options to share


  • Bride or grooms family may offer heirloom rings

  • Bride or her family may pay for bridesmaids dresses & accessories

  • Groom or his family may pay for attendants rentals

  • Bouquets may be purchased by the brides family

  • Couple may cover all ceremony costs

  • One family may pay for photography, the other for videography. The grooms parents or the couple may pay for any extra prints

  • Grooms family may offer to share reception costs or cover specific services (liquor, musicians etc)

  • Split the wedding costs equally among the wedding couple and both sets of parents

  • Contributing families pledge whatever amount they would like/are able to contribute. The couple can then work within this budget, or cover additional expenses themselves

The other thing to be aware of:


Traditionally, the bride's family is considered the "hosts" of the wedding reception, and the groom's family hosts the rehearsal dinner. If you are breaking from this tradition, you may need to adjust accordingly, such as including the groom's parents names on the invitation if they are contributing significantly to the ceremony or reception costs.

Also, often when people are helping to pay for the party, they want to have more influence over the planning. You must decide how much of your autonomy you are willing to give up if the people financing your wedding are trying to take it in a different direction than what you want.

You may need to have very clear conversations with all involved about what you want, and where you are willing to compromise. If it comes down to receiving the money only with strings attached, you may want to consider paring your plans down to an event you can afford without their help.




Ref: Internet (various)