The average cost of a wedding in the U.S. is over $20,000, so financing your wedding requires a serious financial commitment. The sooner you start planning and saving for your wedding, the more time you have to come up with the necessary funds. The average time between the engagement and the wedding day is 12 to 18 months. Such time frame gives you an opportunity to plan and save for your wedding. The most important task you have is to determine the total amount you wish to spend on your wedding. Then, divide the amount by the number of months to determine how much money you need to put aside each month to meet your goal. If you estimate that your wedding will cost $25,000, and you have two years until your wedding, you need to save about $1042.00 per month. Realistically, not everyone can put aside a thousand dollars each month. If you are unable to save enough to cover all the costs, you may need to start cutting costs until you come up with a figure that you can meet. Aside from cost cutting, you can do a lot by saving one everything you do. You can save by taking your lunch instead of going out, spend less on clothes and entertainment. You could also, take on a part time job to help you with your budget. You have many options.

Opening a separate savings account for your wedding may help enforce the need to save. Even if you start with a modest amount a special wedding savings account should help you make the right spending and saving decisions.

You can find ways to save money by learning as much as you can about the products and services you need for your big day. The more educated you become about prices, the more you can bargain with vendors to make sure you get the best possible deals in town.

Wedding Favors Wedding favors, personalized wedding favors and bridal shower gifts.

Party favors are little gift items given to guests to retain as mementos of your wedding.
Popular party favors include white boxes engraved with the bride and grooms names and the wedding date; cocktail napkins similarly engraved and individually wrapped and marked chocolates, almonds, or candy.
Wine or champagne bottles marked with on a personalized label are another option worth considering. These are available in large or small bottles depending on your budget.

If expense is not a priority, you may also consider porcelain or ceramic party favors. These can be custom made your name and the wedding details on them.

A recent idea which is becoming popular among environmentally conscientious couples is to present guests with small trees or shrubs that can be planted in honor of the occasion.

The flowers are obviously an important part of the decorations at the reception. A small flower arrangement should be placed on each table. The arrangements should complement the table linen and be kept to a minimum height so as not to inhibit the guests eye contact during conversations .
Avoid highly fragrant flowers on tables as their fragrance may overpower the food aroma. To reduce costs, potted, silk or dried flowers can be utilised.

For a classical yet simple wedding centerpiece, flowers are the top choice, although I have seen attractive centerpieces in garden weddings which use nature as centerpieces with features such as tiny birdhouses and flower baskets. When choosing flowers, consider the color, style, and of course their availability at the time of the wedding.

There are numerous varieties of flowers from which you can choose. Just remember that they must complement both the setting and decor of the reception venue.

Many weddings that I have attended recently have had disposable cameras available on all tables at the reception.. These provide a perfect vehicle for guests to simply snap whatever shots take their fancy and always seem to be a big hit. The cameras are pre loaded with film, and easy to operate. Guests leave the cameras which you should arrange to be collected, and after developing, are sure to reveal some memorable and candid shots.

Remember to obtain disposable cameras with flash units if your reception is to be held indoors. If you have a large guest list, cameras with twelve exposures should be sufficient.

When you have decided on your wedding decorations, it is always a good idea to consult one of your closest friends to get that second opinion on what is likely to be one of the most memorable days of your life.

Author Antony Wilton maintains a site that is a “must see” for anyone arranging a wedding.
All you need is online at
Wedding Planning Online.

But what if you want to get married there and family or friends can’t make it? Technology and many Las Vegas wedding chapels have now made it possible for the important people in your life to see your wedding as it happens even if they are unable to attend the event in person. Many chapels now offer the option of adding a web broadcast of your big day to your wedding package. The event is shown on the internet as it happens so those that can’t be there with you can still witness it live. Some places even offer web cast packages that allow you to view the event on demand for months after it occurs.

So if you are contemplating having your wedding in Las Vegas, you no longer have to let the fact that not everyone will be able to attend influence your decision. Although they may not be able to physically be there, they will still be able to enjoy your big day from the comfort of their own home and will always be able to share the memories of that special day with you.

Rebecca Johnson is owner of Las Vegas Wedding Informer, a website about Las Vegas wedding locations. For more information about Las Vegas wedding locations and the services they offer, visit http://www.lasvegasweddinginformer.com

There are, however some very simple ways to keep your relationship positive and help you work your way through a lot of difficult situations.

Use these 7 tips to help you continue to nurture a positive relationship.

1. If you want your marriage healthy and positive, you have to really want to keep it that way. You have to decide that the marriage is important in your life and give it the time and attention it needs. Ask yourself daily, “Am I spending enough time and energy on the relationship?”

2. Focus on what you like and love about your spouse. Forget the negatives. We truly do get more of what we focus on. If you are having problems, begin focusing on the positive in your relationship and not the negative.

Most importantly, stop when you start to criticize your spouse. Turn your thinking to what you like about them and begin to see how your marriage gets better.

3. Kindness matters in marriages. Be kind. Very often, people in relationships treat the people closest to them worse than they treat acquaintances or even total strangers.

Go the extra step first. This week, do something kind for your spouse that you wouldn’t normally do and without expectation of anything in return.

4. Show appreciation for your spouse. Make a habit of expressing appreciation. If you do, you’ll find your marriage to be filled with much more happiness and joy. It might be something as simple as “I like your smile” or “Thank you for cooking dinner last night.”

5. Ask for what you want. Most people expect the people who are in relationship with them to be mind readers. If you’re expecting others to be psychics, you’re in for a painful ride if you’re in relationship with them. If you want your needs to be met, you have to tell people what these needs are.

6. Listen without judging or getting defensive. Be open to the possibility that someone else’s opinion or way of doing things may be just as valid or important as yours.

Just because their way is different, doesn’t make them or you wrong. If you’re constantly judging, being defensive and building walls, you’re not open to possibilities and to the love that is possible between two people.

7. Be willing to risk opening your heart and letting your spouse in. We can be in a relationship for many years and still not allow another person to penetrate our walls of protection. If you want to have a marriage that is alive and growing, being willing to risk is a prerequisite.

While these steps will not solve every issue they do lay the groundwork for a strong and healthy relationship.

JM Jackson is a relationship and marriage couselor in California. For more information see her website at Stop Your Divorce and Save Your Marriage.

Obviously, silk comes with some advantages — it’s tough and shelf stable, and the petals won’t come off at the worst possible moment. On the other hand, silk flowers don’t always look real, and they aren’t always a bargain, either.

The fact is, the silk versus real dilemma is more confusing than ever, thanks in part due to the increasing sophistication — and accompanying cost — of silk and latex flowers. To navigate this new terrain, we interviewed Paul Ajao, a professional florist and cofounder of Pure Botanics, a UK-based floral designer who specializes in weddings.

You keep hearing that silk flowers have gotten “better and better.” Yet when you go to the local craft store, they look just about as artificial as ever. Where are these super-realistic flowers, and how can a bride get her hands on them?

It’s true that artificial flowers have improved. But the quality varies widely from brand to brand. In addition to craft stores, take a look at which brands your local florists are using. After all, their reputation depends on delivering a beautiful result. Also, they might be able to order in artificial flowers for you — ones that you can’t get in the craft
stores.

One brand with a great reputation that florists use regularly is Sia, which you can find in the UK, US and Australia.

Is it true that artificial flowers photograph poorly? And does that include the high-end latex type?

When you take close-ups of artificial flowers, yes, it can be pretty obvious that the flowers aren’t real. But this depends a lot on the quality of the artificial flowers you’ve used.

Remember that any shiny surfaces may cause the camera flash to “bounce,” which looks pretty unnatural for flowers. The common off-the-shelf flowers can be pretty shiny.

One argument for silk flowers is that fresh flowers are seasonal, but some florists are suggesting that season isn’t so important these days — that almost everything can be imported all year round. Are you finding this to be true?

Well, some of the most common cut flowers, such as roses, gerberas (gerber daisies) and orchids, are available all year round. So you don’t have to worry about seasonality with these flowers.

But others, like peonies, lily of the valley and ranunculus, have a definite season. Expect to pay more if you buy out of season. And the quality may not be as good.

Just to illustrate how important season can be: a florist we know planned her whole wedding around the very brief time in spring when lily of the valley was in season, so she could use fresh!

What’s your personal feelings on silk vs. artificial flowers? As a professional florist, would you mix them in arrangements — for example, use silk for the super-pricy flowers like calla lilies or orchids?

Personally, we love working with real flowers. But it’s true that silk definitely comes with some advantages. For starters:

- They won’t wilt.
- They’re a lasting memento of your big day.
- They’re easy to transport if you’re getting married abroad.
- You can prepare them long in advance.

The last point’s important if you’re preparing flowers yourself. By their nature, you have to arrange fresh flowers the day before the wedding at the earliest — and usually the morning of. This doesn’t leave you much time to switch gears if you aren’t happy with the results. On the other hand, you can experiment with and arrange silk flowers weeks in advance. That leaves you plenty of time to relax and pamper yourself in the run up to your wedding!

And yes, you can mix artificial and real flowers with great results. A friend of ours loves ranunculus and wanted them in a mixed bouquet with roses and gerberas. Unfortunately, ranunculus was out of season for her wedding date, and would have cost a lot. So she opted to tuck artificial ranunculus into a fresh bouquet. The results, and the photos, were beautiful.

Anything else you want to add?

Contrary to popular opinion, don’t think that silk flowers are always going to be cheaper than real. Many of the quality ones are as expensive as the real thing — if not more.

Paul Ajao is co-founder of Pure Botanics, located in Coventry, central England, UK. Blake Kritzberg edits FavorIdeas.com. Stop by for garden wedding favors.

http://www.originalpoetry.com/stranger-in-the-night

First thing: take a calming breath. Relax, and then get a great wedding planner. They will help ensure that you have the wedding details from gown, shoes, car food and every little detail of your wedding goes off without a hitch (or else!). They truly are your best friend when it comes to getting your day to be as you want it.

Speaking of best friends, how about your own? While you may be close to your siblings, the question is: are they the person who you want to be by your side as either the best man or the maid of honor? The privilege and honor of bearing either of these two roles is given to the person to whom the bride and groom can rely on the most, usually the one who has been with them through most of their difficult life experiences.

Keep in mind the role isn’t just a decorative one. These two really will have to work to get the couple get through the ceremony, from helping calm the wedding jitters, planning the bachelor/bachelorette party, ensuring that the rings are ready to be given when called for and of course, giving the toasts.

Bottom line: choose the ones you want to stand up with you. If it makes you happy to have someone in your entourage, then that should be good enough for everyone. Oh, and yes! They can be your siblings.

Are bridesmaid dresses so really important anyway? After all, it is the bride who is the one who shines above everybody else on her big day anyway!

Bridesmaid dresses do play an important role in any wedding. Having bridesmaid gowns that fit in with the overall theme of your wedding is important, let me explain why.

A well-chosen bridesmaid gown should contrast perfectly with the wedding dress, flowers and invitations as this definitely helps with setting the tone of your overall wedding. However, another major function of the bridesmaid dress is to contrast with the bride’s gown in such a way that it makes the brides dress stand-out even more than it does on its own. Therefore, a bridesmaids dress is a means to truly compliment the bride’s gown in an elegant and eloquent manner.

However, there are several factors to take into consideration when deciding on what type of bridesmaid dress to get.

For example:

• Who will be your bridesmaids?

• Are they grown adults, small children, or both?

• Are they full-figured ladies or are they slim and petite?

• What color hair/skin have your bridesmaids? – a yellow dress would not necessarily suit a blond or a redhead

• Is the wedding in the summer or winter?

• Do the maid’s dresses need a warm wrap if for a winter wedding?

These things have to be thought out before you go off hunting for the perfect bridesmaid gowns as not all styles of dress suit everyone. The same bridesmaid dress for a child will probably not suit a more mature bridesmaid. Therefore, you may have to choose two different styles of gowns, one for the adult maids and another for the small maids.

If your bridesmaids have different hair and skin coloring, and you want them all to be in the same color dress, then you must try and pick a ‘neutral’ color that will suit all hair color and skin types. As in the example above, a yellow dress would not necessarily suit a blond or a redhead, but would be more suited to a brunette. An alternative to this scenario is to have a ‘rainbow’ wedding. Have a different colored dress to suit the individual bridesmaids depending on the color of their hair and skin. I have seen this type of wedding many times before, and it always looks so bright and colorful.

Even if the wedding is in the Spring or Summer and you have opted for an outdoor wedding, it still may be a good idea to purchase (or have made) some sort of wrap or material covering the shoulders of the bridesmaids as it still could be slightly chilly. Unfortunately, one can never predict the weather on such occasions!

To summarize, yes your bridesmaid dresses do play a very important role in your wedding and they should be totally suited to each bridesmaid individually. However, they should certainly not ‘out-do’ the bride and her wedding dress. The role of the bridesmaid dress is to compliment the bride in an eloquent manner, whilst also blending in with the overall theme and color-scheme of the wedding.

Claire Bowes is a successful freelance writer and owner of many websites. For futher information on Bridesmaid Dresses visit her site.

Marriage, however, is also an industry. The feature event, of course, is the wedding ceremony. Every tradition involved from the clothing, the bouquets, the cake and the jewelry can end up costing a small fortune. ‘Spare no expense’ seems to be the attitude of the parties involved as they begin their trek down the road of matrimony. But is the traditional part really important? After all, the ceremony itself is not required in the eyes of the law and certainly all of the pomp and circumstance is not necessarily required by the religious institutions. So why don’t we just pile into a church, temple or masque, say our ‘I do’s’ and get on with our lives? Opinions vary, from the idea that the ceremony is a symbol of the start of a presumably lasting bond and deserves to be celebrated as such, to the stricter view of an automated adherence to precedent in an attempt to honor and carry on the traditions of our ancestors. But there is another less intrinsic reason based solely on the financial health of the wedding industry.

Consider the engagement ring. It will put a dent in your wallet. Whatever you have to do, sell some of your belongings, get a loan, you’re going to get that ring. Why? Because it is as traditional as the recurring commercials for engagement rings reminding you both that a diamond ring is the very symbol of your marriage. Diamonds have cornered the market in the billion dollar wedding industry as far as engagement rings go. The diamond industry has created an atmosphere of pressure with their slick ads promoting the idea that a diamond ring is the means by which the true expression of love and sacrifice are delivered, materially. To be sure, the rise in the value of diamonds can be directly related to the commercialization of marriage. As divorce rates rise, the frivolousness with which marriage is being treated can be directly related to a grand marketing campaign which really should say, ‘Get married! So YOU can have a wedding too.’

Author: Derek Belay holds a BA in English Literature from Cal State Pomona. He writes part time primarily as a hobby. He currently works for Jewelry Payless.com as a marketing manager.

Using live fish in centerpieces is a unique idea for a wedding reception. Glass bowls can be used with a few glass marbles or beads along with some exotic and colorful fish. A person could even include a small amount of fish food at the table where children will be sitting with instructions on how to avoid hurting the fish. The kids will have fun and will be less distractive if there was a more traditional centerpiece on the table. This lively and interactive centerpiece is a sure fire hit idea with kids and will even keep adults occupied.

Another great centerpiece idea is to place board games at each table. The idea is very unique and usually the attendees choose to play the games; the games also provide the guests at the table the incentive to introduce and have conversations with those seated at the table if they don’t know them. This is a great option for people who do not like dancing because they will not perceive being left out of the wedding.

Pastries or cakes arranged on a tray and decorated with fresh flowers also make a lovely centerpiece. These sweets can be used to replace of the wedding cake. This often speeds up receptions and makes the logistics of large wedding parties getting a piece of cake simpler. Using several pastries as centerpieces is extremely unique but it also allows the guest to select from several different types of pasties and flavors. These centerpieces can be accompanied by traditional wait staff and the pastries and cakes prepared in the kitchen for desert or they can be sliced at the individual tables for additional esthetic value.

An attractive journal that accompanies the theme of the wedding along with several pens will also provide a unique centerpiece. This type of centerpiece will look lovely on the table and should be used by the guests to write messages of congratulations or advice for the couple in the future. The couple has a unique centerpiece and they also have a treasured souvenir of their wedding day in the kindred words recorded by their guests.

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