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chargeback, for the uninitiated, is a simple procedure by which someone calls his/her bank and requires a credit card transaction to be refunded. The bank is usually very flexible and refunds the transaction on the spot. This unusual generosity from the bank comes at the expense the merchant, who will not only lose the value of the original transaction, but will also be charged a fee for this chargeback. The aim of this article is to help online stores understand the reason of chargebacks, and how to avoid them.

Usually online transactions are more likely to be chargebacked than their offline peers. There are many reasons for this, but the main reasons are the following:

1. Unsatisfied customer: Since the customer is not physically present to examine the product, he/she might feel misled in case the product received does not match his/her expectations. Delays in shipping can also lead to disgruntled customers and might potentially lead to chargebacks.

2. Billing Problems: It is very easy to mistakenly double-charge customers over the Internet. Clicking the “Checkout” button twice on the majority of websites might lead to double-charging a customer. Slow websites or websites using slow payment gateways can expect a lot of those double charges.

3. Customer forgetting about the transaction: Going to a shop and buying a product off the shelf is a memorable thing, as it involves dealing with other persons (usually sales people) and usually requires a fair share of the person’s time. On the other hand, buying something off the Internet is not so memorable, as it is normally a fast process that does not involve dealing with others. Customers not recognizing transactions on their credit card statement tend to call their bank and chargeback on the spot.

4. Fraud: If you have been long enough in the online business, then for sure you have experienced some fraudulent transactions on your system. The majority people notice that their credit card was stolen at a later stage, so what they do is that they call their bank, and they cancel all fraudulent transactions. Unfortunately, almost all of these cancelled transactions, however, were processed on legal online stores, like yours.

5. Customer not feeling obliged to honor the transaction: Some customers usually do not feel being bound to honor online transactions the same way they honor the offline ones, as the traditional form of approval, which is the signature, is not required. Now even though such customers are rare, they do exist, and they do chargeback, especially if the transaction was for a service or a non-physical product.

Now that we know the main reasons of chargebacks, let us examine the ways to prevent them:

1. Have a smooth refund policy: In a normal store, if an unsatisfied customer walks in and complains, he/she is usually given a refund. This should be the case in an online store. Issuing a refund not only makes your disgruntled customers satisfied, but it’ll also make them trust you, and thus willing to make more transactions with you and forget about this one bad experience. Keep in mind however, that your refunds should be swift; delays in refunds will make you lose your customers’ trust forever, and will risk you being chargebacked after issuing the refund.

2. Avoid duplicate transactions: Most online companies, warn their shoppers against clicking the “Submit” button twice on their checkout page, at the risk of being double charged. This technique, in my opinion, not only makes the customer scared, but it’ll also make the company look unprofessional. What you should do is to create a JavaScript that will disable the “Submit” or “Checkout” button once clicked. Additionally, you should have a server side script to process only the first transaction in this case. You can easily know that a transaction is a duplicate one if it occurs at a very short interval from another transaction that is from the same client and for the same product(s).

3. Include your phone number: You should ask your billing gateway to include your company’s customer support number next to your transactions on your customer’s credit card statement. In most cases, if the customer sees a transaction that he/she can’t remember, then he/she will look for a phone number to contact the company where the transaction in question was processed. If there is no phone number next to the transaction, then the customer will immediately call the bank to chargeback. Note however, that some customers can be patient, and can lookup your phone number on the Internet based on the name of your company.

4. Prevent fraud: First and foremost you should use CVV (Credit Verification Value) for credit card authentication. AVS (Address Verification System) will potentially reduce the number of legitimate transactions that you can have because the customer can easily make mistakes when typing his/her address. Additionally, AVS only works in the US. The best thing to do is to ask for the address but not validate against it. You should also check if the shipping address is the same as the address on the credit card, if it’s not, then you should investigate the transactions. Finally, locate the country where the transaction originated from, and if this country is different than the one on the credit card, then most likely it’s a fraud.

5. Explain the legal obligation of an online transaction: You should, in your checkout page as well as in the order confirmation email, mention clearly that an online transaction has the same legal obligation as its offline peer, and it has to be honored.

Chargebacks are and will always remain a nuisance that will never go, and since challenging a chargeback is nearly always useless (as usually it costs more to recoup the money than the original’s transaction value), you should start thinking about implementing the above techniques to avoid your transactions from being chargebacked in the first place. Failing to do that may risk getting your business blacklisted and your merchant account suspended, as there is a limit on how many chargebacks you can have/month.

http://www.itoctopus.com/

Fadi El-Eter is currently a project manager in Montreal, Canada. He has a practical and solid experience in both the Internet and the Telecom industries.

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Adults can have an argument without seeming passionate, or having a punch-up. Does that mean we should all become unresponsive? Is that maturity? Mankind’s uncaring nature has led to global warming, overcrowded prisons, more accessible illegal drugs …. So why should we “laugh off” the important concept of communication. It’s what puts us above monkeys. If we can solve the problems with communication, anything’s possible.

The world would be a better place if people told each other when they’d been offended, because then at least people have the chance to learn what’s appropriate. Often it would only take a facial expression to show the comment wasn’t appropriate, but that doesn’t usually happen, because people’s insecurities lead them to suppress a feeling of discomfort. That’s a problem. A teenager being forced into appearing unsusceptible to pain is inevitably going to add to their hostility and aggression. Just “laughing it off” isn’t resolving anything. These troubles build up until released in a nervous breakdown, or backlash at somebody else - therefore fuelling a vicious circle of undying cruelty, and mental illness. Some poor sod halfway through the day will get in your way in the common room and be shoved into their coffee, who will then argue with his girlfriend in a mood, who will then scream at her dad, who’ll then get depressed and drain the wife’s empathetic energy, who’ll lash out at work when tired…… and get fired.

Ideally, no-one would ever say anything offensive. But this idea creates more problems. In places where there isn’t freedom of speech, in Zimbabwe, in Saddam’s Iraq, persecution and oppression is rife. Britain is a more diverse and democratic society because of an open-mindedness, moulded by a multitude of opinions.

So if we have to listen, we must be critical of what we hear. We have to stop suppressing our feelings. Today, it’s become trendy to be carefree, laid back, cool. Tomorrow, people must speak out if they notice somebody’s being offensive, because the victim might be unable to. But make sure the receiver is genuinely upset before making allegations, because false accusation is a forthright and unrectifiable insult. If the insulter is arrogantly defensive over their statement, we’ve taken a step in the right direction, because at least they’re not suppressing that annoyance. They might even learn from it.

Well, it’s tax time again. As I try to make some sense of the seemingly bottomless pile of papers required to balance my account with the federal government, it strikes me that now, more than ever, is the perfect time to implement a flat tax.

Let’s face it. Our current tax system is broken. It is extremely complicated, with nearly 900 different tax forms in all. It is easily manipulated by those who know how to do so in order to take advantage of the bureaucratic mess and inefficiency that is the tax code. And it stifles growth by penalizing productive behavior, savings and investment. Everyone hates it, and everyone complains about it. It is a system in desperate need of reform, or better yet replacement.

A flat tax is the perfect alternative to what we have today. Implementing a flat tax system would be simple and, more importantly, fair to American taxpayers. Establishing a single, low rate, regardless of income, would treat all taxpayers fairly and equally. If the rate were, for example, 20 percent, then all income would be taxed at 20 cents on the dollar one time and one time only: when it was earned. I don’t know what the actual rate should be, but many of the former Soviet republics have adopted flat taxes that range anywhere from just over 10 percent to over 30 percent. Right now, though, it is not the number, but the principle, that is important.

If taxpayer A has 50 times more taxable income than taxpayer B, then taxpayer A pays 50 times more in taxes. What could be fairer than that? Those who argue that the rich should be required to pay a greater percentage in taxes ignore the economic realities of penalizing some of the most productive contributors to the nation’s wealth.

Now, I know that some will argue that those at the bottom of the income range suffer more by paying x-percent than those at the top of the income range. This may be true, but it is fundamentally fair. Taxes are the cost of citizenship in a country where people demand services like police and fire protection, roads to drive on, and schools for their children. The costs associated with these citizen demands should be borne equally, with each taxpayer remitting the same percentage of their pay to the government.

A flat tax would also eliminate deductions, credits, exemptions, and all the other items that make the current code so difficult to understand. By simply taxing citizens a single rate on what they earn, there is no need for tax provisions that attempt to dictate behavior. Many flat tax advocates include a set deduction based on family size. Low-income families that have taxable incomes less than the deduction would pay no taxes. I disagree with this approach, as stated before, because I believe that anyone who takes advantage of government services should contribute to the costs associated with those services.

A flat tax would also put an end to the practice of double taxation. By taxing income only once, at the time it is earned, there is no need for the imposition of taxes like the estate tax (or death tax, if you prefer). If the money earned has already been taxed once, why should it be taxed again? Doing so penalizes those who engage in wealth accumulation by saving and investing.

Finally, a flat tax would treat all businesses equally. Corporations or companies would pay taxes to the U.S. government on all income earned within the United States, minus necessary expenses such as labor and investment. Simplifying the tax system for businesses would make the United States more attractive to corporations from around the world.

There is no disputing that our current tax system is in desperate need of help. Implementing a flat tax would simplify the process of collecting revenues for the federal government, eliminate unfair tax practices, and encourage business operations within the United States. But perhaps most importantly, it would level the playing field for all Americans by treating all taxpayers equally and encouraging savings and investment without fear of penalty. The time for a flat tax has come, before our current system drags us deeper into the abyss of government inefficiency and waste.

‘Back-in-the-day’, as they say, when I was a young lad in my early twenties, I was given some fundamental advice on getting all I could out of life. It didn’t make a whole lot of sense to me then, since it actually went against everything I’d experienced up until that time. ‘Debt’, as I was told, was now the preferred means of rapid asset acquisition and even good credit, no less, which meant approval for even more debt. The experts were preaching ‘the more debt, the better’. It provided the opportunity to acquire and new home, a new car, new furniture, new appliances, and exotic vacations, to name just a few. It didn’t make sense to me, simply because I knew it had taken my father and grandfather nearly a lifetime to purchase some of those things, since they had to save nearly all of the cost before even considering the purchase. So I’m thinking, “what is going on with this new approach to financial freedom?” And, exactly what kind of ‘leverage’ is it that I’m creating with this ownership of massive debt?

Frankly, I never totally bought into that revolutionary new philosophy. I settled instead for a much less stressful lifestyle, where paying off my credit card each year, utilizing my long awaited federal tax refund, was challenging enough. I simply never understood the life of constant worry over debt service that so many were willing to sign up for, just to have a few bigger and more expensive things.

The revolution may have started with my generation in the 1960s, but it gained enough momentum to become what had to be considered a national crisis. With debt and bankruptcy reaching all-time highs, and savings virtually non-existent, it became quite obvious to me that this so-called ‘debt leverage’ needed some rethinking. The truth is that using debt to create prosperity was a myth aimed at the working class. The fact is that the ‘wealthy’ had a much better understanding of the risks and never used that method nearly as much as we were led to believe.

According to a recent USA Today article about debt, 78% of Baby Boomers (my generation) have mortgage debt, 59% have credit card debt, and 56% have car payments. Financial expert, Dave Ramsey recently offered this observation: “Debt is dumb. Most normal people are just plain broke because they are in debt up to their eyeballs with no hope of help. If you’re in debt, then you’re a slave because you do not have the freedom to use your money to help change your family tree. It takes a lot of will, discipline, courage and help to slay the debt monster. But it can be done. Imagine how much you could put toward retirement if you just didn’t have a stinking car payment.”

The myth was that we should use OPM (other people’s money) to gain prosperity. While that style may work for some, the average John Doe simply doesn’t have the expertise, discipline or patience to make it a viable strategy. Ideally, when exposed to debt-promoting hype, one should always consider the risk. It’s seldom that the advantages of newly acquired assets outweigh the risks associated with the additional debt.

So, what happens when the debt is so out of control that it’s turned your life into a living nightmare? The unfortunate reality is that stress and anxiety can ruin your health, devastate your job, destroy your marriage and steal your peace of mind. Not withstanding personal loans from family or friends, there are generally only two remaining options available to those who want to continue breathing: Bankruptcy or professional debt counseling.

One should not be fooled with the notion that bankruptcy is just a simple way to start over. The fact is that it’s a life-changing event that can cause life-long damage. Very few who have been through the process would report that it’s a painless wiping-clean of the slate. In fact, it’s listed in the top five life-altering negative events that we can go through, along with divorce, severe illness, disability, and loss of a loved one. It’s an event that can leave very deep wounds both to the psyche and the credit report.

Chapter 7 is total bankruptcy, and involves liquidating all assets that are not exempt. Exempt property may include cars, work-related tools and basic household furnishings. It stays on your credit report for 10 years. Chapter 13 is more like a payment plan, and allows you, if you have a regular income and limited debt, to keep property, such as a mortgaged house or car, that you otherwise might lose. However, it still stays on your credit report for seven years. Bankruptcy, regardless of the type, is for life. Loan applications and many job applications ask if you have ever filed for bankruptcy. Ever! If you lie to get a loan because your bankruptcy is very old, technically you have committed criminal fraud.

Fortunately, most bankruptcy cases can be avoided with proper help, such as certified professional counselors, and in the end will help to get your feet back on solid, credit worthy ground. The process will be painful, but bankruptcy, foreclosure, and lawsuits are much more painful.

Harry Monell maintains a content website http://www.thresholdthree.com/bankruptcy/index.html featuring a collection of articles from several writers, on a wide variety of topics including bankruptcy, debt consolidation, credit card debt, business and finance.

Harry Monell maintains several affiliate and content websites. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from Old Dominion University. Following formal retirement in 2000, he spent five years working as a special projects consultant and now spends time with what he considers his most challenging, yet most rewarding endeavor - developing his writing skills.

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The most interesting thing about life is that it is ever changing. In other words, no two days or the same, neither is your level of conviction.

Once you become convicted and or buy into that which you choose to pursue in life, nothing on God’s green earth will stop you. This reminds me of the time my high school guidance counselor told me I did not have what it takes to be a good college student.

Where my guidance counselor got her conclusion from, I will never know. But I did know this, I was not going to allow anyone to tell me what I could or could not do in life.

I became convicted to the idea, yes it all starts with an idea, that I will be successful in life and nothing was going to stop me. I studied hard during high school and I was fully persuaded to prove to myself, not my guidance counselor that I had what it took to be a successful college student.

I visited numerous colleges and universities in North Carolina and Virginia in my pursuit of higher education. I was accepted at various colleges and while crossing the stage I thought about the importance of proving to myself I could be convicted and accomplish anything I wanted to in life.

Fast forward four years later and I am crossing the stage to accept my bachelors degree with academic honors. That is not all, I was a distinguished graduate of Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps and accepted a commission into the United States Air Force as a second lieutenant.

Today I am living my best life possible all because someone doubt my gifts, talents, and abilities. I encourage you to be convicted to that which you are passionate about and you will live your best life possible.

Will it be something someone says to you? Perhaps you will be self motivated to propel yourself to the next level of your greatness?

Whatever it is, I know you can do it. You were born for greatness and will not fall short of the mark established for your life.

Paul Lawrence Vann is a motivationall speaker and author of the book, Living on Higher Ground. He leads Fortune 500 companies, associations, government agencies, and eudcational institutions to achieve higher levels of excellence through his leadership and diversity strategies. Hos clients include MasterCard International, United States Air Force Academy, USEPA, National Military Family Association, Toastmasters International, John Hopkins University, and numerous other organizations.
http://www.paullawrencevann.com, http://www.livingonhigherground.com, http://pvann.blogspot.com, (800) 476-8976.

I can only judge where I stayed, at Fitzwilliam College, just one of the 29 colleges. Fitz is a modern extension, one of the smaller and less affluent colleges, with the last estimated value at forty seven million pounds, only. Everybody I spoke to felt their college was the best, and expressed a strong sense of identity and fraternal security. There is a pecking order between students, but based on age, campus and subject, as at any university anyway.
I was worried I wouldn’t fit in at Cambridge, but I found the university has so many colleges to cater for such diversity, that anybody can fit in. The only people who, unsurprisingly, seem out of place are those who aren’t eager to learn.

It’s crucial that people considering Cambridge need to understand that applying around October time is one thing, then applying yourself to get the grades (at least) is quite another. Cambridge students work hard. If you want to become a Cambridge student, you have to be prepared to work hard. I accompanied an English undergraduate at my time there, who explained that English students are reputed for idleness, and are consequently demeaned by the medics, the theologists, the engineers, (who only rest thanks to Sabbath). He did little to dispel this status: he arrived late to breakfast, excused himself from lectures due to pint related duties, and consistently opted for daytime television. But I realised by the closing stages of my trip that beyond the disjointed farce was a diligent student. The pub appointments were to discuss future articles for TCS (’The Cambridge Student’ magazine); the rough mornings due to through-the-night reading. Under the scattered clothing and CDs in his bedroom were stacks of pre 19th century literature. On the second day I attended his supervision, a one-to-one discussion about the students work and progress, taking place once a week. I was inspired by the energy of student-tutor debate, lulled by the sweet scent of incense in the tutor’s digs.

As well as strong academic and sensitive personal support, Cambridge has something else. I was overwhelmed the moment I stepped inside the central library, (which happens to hold every book ever published in the UK). I’m sure the same would happen to others when they step inside Kings College chapel, an extravagant expanse of intricate architecture, or Emmanuel College gardens, where the gentle chirping of birds echoed harmoniously around medieval walls. Overkill? I know, but being there and embracing the surroundings impels this upright posture. This must be why so many discover their aspiration in life at Cambridge University.

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Recently, one of my consulting clients asked me why a potential customer will select one photographer over another.

"Is it price?" they wondered?

Well - yes and no.

Selecting a photographer is like selecting any other professional service…Money is clearly a factor to be considered in almost everything we do in life - to pretend otherwise would be totally irrational and downright delusional. But, in the hierarchy of the decision making process, it is way down on the list.

Consider first, why do they need a photographer? Whether we’re talking portraiture, wedding, product, magazines, the person doing the selecting is doing so for one reason…to get some photos created.

So the first thing that goes into the decision process is; quality of work. After all, it would be silly to set out trying to find a photographer that will provide BAD work. So, in their quest to find a good photographer, they consider;

Who have they worked with before?

Have they previously worked with a photographer they liked? And that did a good job for them? -Generally, we select someone we’ve worked with before if at all possible. This is why you should keep in constant contact with your client base. They are the easiest to sell. If they strike out on step one - they go to…

Who do they know?

In their circle of friends, family and acquaintances - have any of them worked with a photographer they liked and will feel comfortable referring? -A huge part of your business will come as a result of referrals. Ask EVERYONE for referrals, repeatedly. Give them a reason to want to refer to you. You should also belong to networking organizations like the Chamber of Commerce or Business Networking International - BNI. If they still can’t get the name of a good photographer they go to…

Ads.

If all else fails, they will go to the phone book, internet, newspapers or watch for mailers to hit the mailbox. -Although these are all valid promotion avenues, they’re last on the list and should be treated accordingly. Unfortunately, most photographers spend all their time, efforts and money here instead of in the two areas above. (Go to my website if you want to launch - or further - your photo career with virtually no ad budget - it’s easy.)

Finally, using one or a combination of the methods above, they will have a name or two. They meet with them and look at their work.

-By the way, when they call, the first question will be how much is an 8 x 10? They don’t really care about price at this point - but they don’t know any other question with which to open the discussion.

If all the photographers they call are approximately equal in quality, they will generally select the one they like and feel most comfortable with. People buy from those they like and trust.

NOW is when price comes into the picture but consider this - generally, if the prices are within logical reason, and sometimes even if they are not - they will stick with their prior selection! People Buy From Those They Like And Trust!

So, I’ve tried to outline the steps a person would take to find professional services in any field, not just photography. Obviously, price is a factor - but if they are legitimate customers, price is the absolute last consideration.

If you find yourself dealing with customers on a price only basis, your business is in trouble. There is ALWAYS someone that will come along and undercut you. Get away from prices and promote your business in the order listed above. Don’t focus on price - your customers aren’t.

Publishers - you may reprint this article as long as you leave the entire article - including bio and links - intact

Dan Eitreim has been a professional photographer in southern California for over 16 years. His data base exceeds 6000 past clients, and he says that selling YOUR photography is easy - if you know a couple tried and true marketing strategies. He’s created a multimedia presentation that can teach ANYONE how to sell their own photography and generate freelance income in as little as two weeks. To learn more and enroll in a FREE photo marketing course, go to: http://www.PartTimePhotography.com

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Wheelchair vans are freely available in the United States, either for outright purchase or for rental in all cities and towns. Mini and full-size commercial utility vehicles come with converted wheelchair accommodation facilities. These vehicles are fitted with either a ramp or a lift, or both, according to the wishes of the client. They are available in raised roof or lowered floor models. These wheelchair vans are designed to provide safe, reliable, affordable and convenient alternatives for disabled persons and patients for improved mobility.

Wheelchair accessible vans offer several other features for the convenience of persons using wheelchairs. These vans have the capacity for one or two wheelchairs. On specific request, they could be converted to accommodate mobile scooters also. Front and rear air conditioning is optional. They are also equipped with 4-point or 5-point tie downs for the wheelchairs, along with seal belts. Total hand controls, 6-way power seat in driver position, power steering, and outside entry controls are also available as other optional features.

Wheelchair vans come in two models of conversion. They are side entry wheelchair vans and rear entry wheelchair vans. Commercial vans are converted with a ramp or a lift or both for the transportation of disabled persons or patients. Side entry wheelchair vans are suitable for wheelchair persons who wish to drive on their own. Rear entry wheelchair vans are meant for people who can not drive or those who want to avoid driving.

Commercial wheelchair vans are normally Ford Windstar, Ford Freestar, Ford Mercury Monterey and Dodge Grand Caravan, converted to suit persons using wheelchairs. Several dealers also offer Chevrolet, GM, Plymouth, Honda and Toyota vans in wheelchair converted models. Both new and used vans are available for outright purchase or for lease or rent. These commercial wheelchair vans are used for non-emergency medical transportation, airport/city taxi services, community transport, paratransit service, etc.

There are several dealers in all the cities that buy and sell new and used commercial wheelchair vans at affordable prices. Further, several travel operators either rent or lease such commercial wheelchair vans at reasonable rates for the convenience of disabled persons and patients. These vans could also be fitted with extra accessories to suit disabled sports persons for carrying their sports accessories.

The ramps of commercial wheelchair vans are normally spring counter-balanced, bi-fold manual ramp types, with magnetic anti-rattle provisions. Some van dealers also provide electronic or hydraulic operated ramps. However, the manual types are more dependable and easy to maintain.

The foot plates are removable foot plate types or flip-forward hinged foot plate type. The lowered floor or raised roof conversions further facilitate travel convenience for wheelchair persons. The floor is of fiberglass, supported by steel frames, with anti-slip rolling surface incorporated.

Toyota Sienna and Toyota Tundra models are normally converted as Toyota wheelchair vans. Toyota Sienna wheelchair vans are priced in the range of $30,000 to $40,000. Toyota Sienna wheelchair vans are available with prices ranging from $20,000 to $35,000. These price ranges are applicable to the latest models, models not older than 2-3 years. Older models are priced even cheaper. These Toyota wheelchair vans are converted in such a way that nobody would be able to identify them easily as wheelchair vans.

Eric Comforth is a consultant who writes on many consumer topics. There is more wheelchair information at
Wheelchairs For You.

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There may be a number of signs to indicate the presence of malware on your computer. Things to look out for include:

The computer takes a long time to start up, shut down or run programs. This may be because other, unauthorised software has been set to run at these times.

The computer may crash more often than usual. This may be because malware is conflicting with other programs or has made the system less stable.

The Internet responds slowly. This may be because a malware program is using your Internet connection to send or receive data.

There is unusual Internet activity. For instance even when you are not using your browser. Again, this may be because a malware program is using your Internet connection to send or receive data.

Changes have been made to your data without your consent. For instance the home page your browser automatically opens when it starts may have been changed.

Programs behave differently. For instance you are directed to a strange web site whenever you use a search engine.

Some tools or utilities no longer work. For instance Windows Task Manager no longer appears when you press Alt+Control+Delete. Some malware prevents access to these tools in order to make it harder to detect and remove the program.

If you are using security software of any kind, it closes down by itself. This is because some malware can automatically close down firewalls, antivirus programs, etc.

The presence of any of these symptoms is not a definite indication that malware has infected your computer. To be more certain, it will be necessary to carry out a scan with an online tool or dedicated scanner.

Paul Edwards is the psudonym of one of the UK’s best-selling authors in the area of ICT. He earns his living as a freelance writer and consultant, specialising in cybercrime and computer security. More information on protecting your computer from viruses, spyware, hackers and other threats can be found at http://www.protect-your-pc.co.uk

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A tropical themed wedding is a great idea on many levels.

Say you are eloping to the tropics or you are having a small intimate destination wedding in Hawaii. When you get back home, you could then invite your friends and family to a local reception with that same tropical theme. You can also set up a projection system to show your guests photos or videos of your ceremony. The island decor at your reception will give just the right context to make your reception guests feel as if they were there.

Or, perhaps you really want a tropical Hawaiian style wedding but can’t afford the time or money to make the long-distance arrangements.

Here are some ideas to bring the tropics home:

Whether your reception is indoors or in an outdoor garden setting, there are many decorative accessories that can be rented or purchased to give that Hawaiian feel. Consider bringing in potted real or artificial palm trees, old surf boards, bamboo screens, Hawaiian tikis (statues) or tiki torches. Get some bouncy dashboard hula girls (the original bobble heads) for table decor and weave palm fronds through chair backs.

Have your florist outfit the wedding party with bouquets and boutonnières in tropical flora such as hibiscus, plumeria, orchids or birds of paradise. You can also give flower leis or lace bags of macadamia nuts as party favors.

Cater your reception as a luau with Hawaiian favorites like sweet chicken dishes, beef teriyaki, poi, pineapple, kalua pig and other exotic fare. Did you know that Hawaiian food is a mix of many ethnicities from all over Asia and elsewhere? So, there should be something offered to accommodate all tastes. And then serve cocktails such as mai tais, pina coladas, blue hawaiis or lava flows.

If you can, hire a ukulele player or at least have your DJ play some traditional Hawaiian melodies. Though not quite authentic, you can also mix in some Elvis or Beach Boys beach tunes.

To complete the theme, everyone should dress as if for an actual island/beach wedding. Consider a light weight wedding dress without a train and hold your reception at a venue where you can walk barefoot. Dress the brides’ maids in similar style. Have the groom and his attendants wear white slacks and flowery Hawaiian shirts. And to top it off, instead of a veil and tiara, wear a lei on your head that is woven with flowers and ferns. This is traditionally worn by brides at Hawaiian weddings. Finally, be sure to let the guests know the theme so that they can attend in character.

The bride and groom and all their guests will thoroughly enjoy this Hawaiian island tropical themed wedding. And, the real Hawaii still awaits for a romantic honeymoon or first anniversary!

Copyright 2007 by Mindy Makuta. Mindy and her husband own a small resort in Lyons, Colorado where they host outdoor weddings and family reunions. For more ideas, see Theme Wedding Favors on her web-site which covers topics of concern for before, during and after the wedding. They also publish http://www.168colorado.com, a site that helps plan Colorado vacations, including referrals for where to stay and what to do when you get there.