What most couples forget as they spend hours and hours and weeks and weeks on planning a wedding is that they must also plan a life after the wedding. Just as much time – or more – must be spent talking about the important things in life. Each one’s views on issues needs to be addressed.

Are you a creature of habit? Do you insist that your kitchen cupboards be arranged in a certain way? Do you have a fit if your toiletries are tucked away rather than cluttering up the bathroom counter? Does it matter to you which way the toilet paper is place on the roll? Must you have liquid soap rather than bar soap? Are you a Republican or Democrat? Do you get actively involved in politics, or just ignore everything until it’s time to vote? Do you always vote, or never?

While none of these things by and of themselves, will wreck most marriages, they could be the beginning point of arguments in the newlywed home. Being forewarned about and aware of your mate’s idiosyncrasies will help your future remain a bright one. Knowing what the “must have’s” and “boy would I like to have’s” of each individual is important.

After the wedding ceremony and honeymoon are over and the glow that go with them, couples are thrust back into the real world. While your mate may have known that you like to get up early to jog in the park each morning, she may not have realize how early. He may not have realized that her morning routine included thirty minutes just on fixing her hair.

Even couples who have lived together are often surprised at the difference a marriage makes. The courting rituals are finally over and the real selves are revealed. Sometimes that comes as quite a surprise.

One couple, married for two years now, recently relived one of their minor disagreements. It involved the preparing of federal income tax forms.

Her preference was to prepare the tax forms in January as soon as all the necessary information was available. In her mind, if money was owed, that gave them a few months to save the money for taxes or for a 401K.

His preference was to always wait until the last few days before taxes were due. He won on that issue.

When she was single, she always attacked the preparation of filing income tax papers in one sitting, even if that meant staying up late to get them done.

He, on the other hand, rarely ever went to bed late. If, after spending a few hours on tax preparation, the clock suddenly chimed 10:30 or 11 p.m., he set the work aside to be completed the next day after work. Even if only fifteen or twenty more minutes were required to complete the task, he was content in tucking them away until the next day.

That one difference came to light in the second year of their marriage – again – and was a bigger problem the second year than it had been the first. The first time they filed a joint tax return, they had only been married a few months and were still in the “newlywed” frame of mind. The second year, the masks had come off and the real selves had been revealed. The differences in how they attacked this or any similar task was now a contention, not just a hurdle.

Uncle Sam isn’t going to come between this couple. They have a lifetime commitment to each other and to their marriage. Still, they realized after this second attempt at working together to complete their tax forms that they should have addressed this issue before the second year came around again.

And that’s really what each couple should do. When something gets in the way of marital harmony, it may not always make sense to address the issue during the heat of the moment. But the disagreement should be documented and discussed at a later date, when both parties can be more rational about it.

Opposites do definitely attract. That’s proven over and over again, as people walk down the aisle or stand in front of a judge or justice of the peace to be married. But how, and if, we used those differences to our benefit in marriage and in life is what is important.

Have you discussed the important things with your intended spouse? Don’t you think it’s time that you did? How life will progress after the wedding is really more important than whether or not you have a flower girl in the wedding.

Marilyn Mackenzie has been writing about home, family, faith and nature for over 40 years.

This article has been submitted in affiliation with http://www.Prye.Com/ which is a site for Wedding Invitations.

What would a wedding be without our best friends and family there with us on our special day? They are witnesses and our confidants, the people we love to share our favorite butter pecan ice cream with. Usually our girlfriends from college or church stand in as our bridesmaids and because they are there to bolster us and share smiles with us on our day of promise we want to give them something extraordinary and unique. Bridesmaids gifts need not be expensive, as you ponder over what you wish to give, please take into account each lady’s personality and style. Is she effervescent or thoughtful and quiet? Does she like lace and antiques or is she a modern girl who is into kickboxing and bling?

My heavens, so many choices! You will love choosing gifts for your special friends especially when they are so dear to you and you have so many wonderful choices. Let’s make this a wedding you and they will never forget.

Everyone in your wedding party should receive a thankyou gift, so please don’t forget and leave someone out, each attendant has there own special place and responsibility for making this
occasion the most joyous day of your life. Now let’s look at some wonderful and appropriate gifts for your girls!

Bridesmaid and Maid of Honor Gifts
A lovely and infinite selection of gifts is at your disposal, these include bracelets.
necklaces, earrings, personalized compacts engraved with unique sayings or initials.
Fragrant sachets, perfume bottles or atomizers, jewelry boxes, are some lasting and
perennial classics, or you might enjoy giving an elegant beaded evening bag or exquisite
piece of crystal. Last but not least how about a purse or a disney compact for your adorable little flower girl? They deserve something equally a cute. There are so many endless possiblities for gifts, it’s just a matter of choosing the right one for each bridesmaid and of course an extra special one for your maid of honor.

My all time favorite gift for a bridesmaid is a compact or business card case. What girl dosen’t like to primp or need an elegant little case to put her business or credit cards in? There are so many styles and choices for compacts and cases and I’m going to offer you some ideas for truly adorable compacts.

First up is a unique selection of silver compacts with unique sayings, each compact has two mirrors with one of them being magnified. Cute sayings on these compacts are “Is it hot in here or is it just me?” “You’re Fabulous” ” A kiss maybe great but I’d rather have diamonds”, “Live, Laugh and Love”.

Moving right along we have some equally adorable credit card cases with priceless little sayings. Some of these include “Dare to Dream”, “If you can imagine it you can achieve it” and last but not least, “If you obey all the rules you miss all the fun.”You are going to have fun choosing from such a fabulous selection of compacts and business cases, guaranteed. Now let’s go shopping and have some fun!

Deborah Lewis is the owner of http://www.Loveyourwedding.com If you are looking for some truly unique wedding favors and bridesmaids gifts you are going to love our selection, guaranteed.

Weddings are magical, a day when two people commit there selves to each other in the agless tradition of marriage. As you get ready for your special event you have so many details to attend to, the wedding gown, tux, flowers, colors and theme, invitations, wedding favors, gifts and your nerves. Sometimes it can be a bit overwhelming, but never fear, with the right planner, your ideas and a bit of luck, pulling off the wedding of your dreams is in the bag.

Let’s start with your wedding theme, perhaps as a little girl your favorite game was to dress up in grandmother’s old hats and have tea parties with your dolls, then a garden or Victorian themed wedding complete with tea wedding favors is a tasteful choice you are going to love.

Let me begin by saying that tea wedding favors are far from boring and are available in a unique selection of styles. First up are tea cup candles, these are real porcelain tea cups adorned with a silver filligree design and look truly dazzing when lit and placed on reception tables. If you are truly an old fashioned bride who wants to make her own home made wedding favors then you might want to rummage through old antique or second hand shops and purchase some dainty, old china cups and make your own tea cup candle favors. Tea cups are elegant and come in an unlimited selection of designs and colors, you just add wax and wick and voila! You have a sensational wedding favor just waiting to be lit.

If perhaps you are a bride who wants the real thing then how about tea bag wedding favors. I said tea bags, I didn’t say they had to be boring, quite the contrary. Tea bag wedding favors come in a variety of designs and are quality teas. For beach brides the selection of tea bags artfully decorated with swaying palm trees, colorful beach balls or splashing dolphins is a sensational selection. If you are a seasonal bride then your tea bags might be decorated with snowflakes or red maple leaves. Garden and Victorian brides will spring for rose and floral designs. After your selection has been made, add you and your groom’s names and wedding date for a personal touch. Later after all the frivolities of the day are over your guests will love leaning back in their favorite comfy chair and sipping a delicious cup of brewed tea.

Last but not least, how about a tea infusor, this sophisticated little favor comes complete with a heart shaped design and when exquisitely packaged and presented this favor is truly unique and eye catching.

Tea wedding favors are delightful and for the more old fashioned bride who is looking for a bit of a by gone era or a more modern bride who just loves the elegance tea wedding favors bring, remember, you can make no better choice than tea wedding favors. Just sit back and enjoy.

Deborah Lewis is the owner of http://www.loveyourwedding.com/

If you are looking for some truly unique wedding favors and bridesmaids gifts you are going to love our selection, guaranteed.

The wedding quilt has had a long, significant role in America. It even appears that the oldest surviving North American quilt is a wedding quilt. According to “The History of the Patchwork Quilt: Origins, Traditions and Symbols of a Textile Art” by Schnuppe von Gwinner, that oldest example, as far as we know, is Anna Tuels’ wedding quilt, which was given to her by her mother in Maine on August 23, 1785.

In the 1800s, quiltings (now commonly known as quilting bees) were popular and were often held to mark special occasions, particularly engagements and weddings. Girls were expected to sew several quilt tops for their dowries; ultimately, quiltings were often equivalent to engagement announcements.

While we may not be so concerned with dowries these days, the making of a wedding quilt is still a valued tradition. Whether you want to make a wedding quilt yourself or have it made by The Frances Burks Decorative Arts Studios, here are some unique suggestions for creating a quilt that will be cherished for years to come:

Bring the quilting bee into the 21st century and host an online “bee” to create a wedding signature quilt. Simply have well wishers send their names and/or short messages to your e-mail address. Take all the names and messages you receive and transfer them to fabric, then use the “signed” fabric to create the wedding quilt. There are several products available for transferring images and inscriptions to fabric. You can even print images and words on fabric using a computer Inkjet printer. Many craft, fabric, and office-supply stores carry such products.

If you want to transfer photos and inscriptions to fabric to create a wedding quilt, consider using photos that will not only preserve wedding memories, but also enhance home decor. For example, use honeymoon photos of a beautiful sunset or ocean scene. Preserve the bridal bouquet by incorporating a close-up photo of it into the quilt design. As for inscriptions, consider incorporating the wedding vows, newlyweds’ names, or a favorite poem into the quilt design.

Instead of having wedding guests sign a guest book, have them sign fabric squares that will later be sewn together to make a wedding quilt. For best results, have the guests sign with a permanent fabric marker. Additionally, make sure a quarter-inch space is left blank around all sides of the squares so that when the squares are sewn together, names and messages won’t be lost in the quarter-inch seam. To determine the best method for this, practice the technique on a few fabric squares before the wedding day. Alternatively, have wedding-shower guests sign fabric squares and incorporate those into the wedding quilt.

Create a central-medallion quilt in which the center of the quilt is a monogram using the initials of the bride and groom. The medallion can then be surrounded by quilt borders that incorporate the wedding flower and/or wedding colors.

For a more casual look, consider a wedding quilt made with T-shirts commemorating the honeymoon spot or other places that are special to the newlyweds.

Essentially, there is no wrong way to design a wedding quilt. Whether you make the quilt yourself or have it made, the making of the wedding quilt is one tradition that will never be out of style.

Copyright © 2006 by The Frances Burks Decorative Arts Studios

Frances Burks has been participating in the decorative arts trade for more than 15 years. Through the Frances Burks Decorative Arts Studios, Burks seeks to continue the tradition of preserving cherished memories with her unique, custom-made, wedding and memory quilts. See examples of her designs at http://www.francesburksstudios.com

From the classic Technicolor dance scenes of An American in Paris to more recent films like Moulin Rouge and Amelie Poulain- for many Americans, Paris is the epitome of romance. And what could be a more romantic place to get married? For most couples, after deciding to get married in Paris, the first thing they do is make a giddy, “so crazy this just might work” phone call to their local French consulate, where they are instantly yanked backed down to earth by their first official French “Non”: “Mais, mademoiselle! C’est impossible! You must live in France for 40 days before you can marry in France. Impossible! Why are you calling me? Au revoir!!” Click…. And for some couples, that will be that. In a flash they’re swept directly to Plan B, their local country club with a Paris themed reception, do not pass Go, do not collect 200€…

Some couples, though, will want to see the dream through- they may choose to have a legal ceremony in their own country, and then come to Paris for a symbolic ceremony. Symbolic ceremonies aren’t legally binding, but are as
romantic and as meaningful as you’d imagine them to be.

This article, though, is for the hard-liners- those couples that are ready to dance with the big boys, to run the gauntlet, fight the fight… Getting legally married in France as a foreigner will be one of the strongest tests to your “coupledom” as you’ve probably gone through so far. Forget about Couples Fear Factor- If you can survive this, you can survive anything

The Nitty Gritty on Getting Married in France

What the curt civil servant at the embassy told you is true. In order to be legally wed in France, one of the couple needs to have lived in France, in the district around the city hall in which they plan to marry, for a minimum of 40 consecutive days before the wedding. Some sources say 30 days, but you have to add on an additional 10 days for the city hall to publish the Banns - a public announcement that is put up in City Hall for 10 days preceding your marriage that lists your names and your impending marriage date so that any estranged husbands or wives have one last chance to find you before you’re married off.

Before asking for that sabbatical from work, though, you should know that this one little detail is actually a big one. You must show 2 proofs of domicile (“justificatifs de domicile”), for instance- a gas or electricity bill (a cell phone bill doesn’t count), a rent receipt, a lease, a French social security card, etc. If you are planning on renting an apartment here on a short-term lease in order to meet this marriage requirement, know that it could take several months before you receive any of the above documents. Another option is to live with a friend or relative, and have that person sign an attestation d’hébergement sur l’honneur. This is a statement swearing that you have been living at that person’s residence, and that they take responsibility for you if you happen to be a drug trafficker or illegally downloading “Desperate Housewives” or something. There is a ton of small print on this one, including a huge fine and a short trip to the guillotine if it’s ever found out that you were not, in fact, living with them.

If you are able to meet the 40-day requirement, the first thing you want to do is to get the most recent list of required documents from the city hall (mairie) in which you plan to marry. Most of these documents have specific time frames in which they must be dated before being submitted, so it’s important to get the list as soon as you can. Here is a general list of the documents that you will need to be legally wed in France. It’s important, though (and I can’t stress this enough) that you get the official, most up-to-date list from the mairie in the district (arrondisement) that you are planning to marry.

1. A valid passport or a French residence permit (“carte de sejour”)

2. A birth certificate (”extrait d’acte de naissance“): Most city halls require that you present an original copy of a complete birth certificate (with full details of your parents) issued within 3 months of your wedding date along with a sworn translation. You have to get the translation from a sworn translator (”traducteur assermenté“). Sworn translators are listed at every “mairie”.

3. A certificate of celibacy (”attestation tenant lieu de declaration en vue de mariage ou de non-remariage“) less than 3 months old.

4. An Affidavit of law (”certificat de coutume“) Many mairies request an Affidavit of Law (”Certificat de Coutume”) in addition to the Affidavit of Marital Status from foreigners. The Affidavit of Law certifies that the American citizen is free to get married in France and that the marriage will be recognized in the United States. Only an attorney licensed to practice in both France and the United States may execute this document.

5. A medical certificate (“certificat médical prénuptial”): You both must get a pre-nuptial medical certificate, which says that you were examined by a doctor “en vue de mariage.” (Don’t get nervous, girls- it’s just a standard check-up plus a couple of blood tests: blood type, syphilis, rubella and toxoplasmosis…) The marriage banns cannot be published until medical certificates have been submitted to the mairie. The certificates must be dated no earlier than two months before the publication of banns. Any qualified doctor can perform the medical examination (the Embassy publishes a list of English-speaking doctors).

6. Proof of domicile (”justificatifs de domicile“) (see above)

7. A “certificat du notaire“: If you are planning on having a pre-nuptial agreement, you must go through a lawyer (a notaire) who will provide a “certificat du notaire” which must be submitted to the mairie as well. It must have been drawn up no more than 2 months prior to the marriage.
If there are no pre-nuptial contracts, then you will be married under the communauté réduite aux acquets. This means that what each of you owned personally before the marriage, or whatever comes to you afterwards through inheritance, remains your own, individual property. Only that which is acquired during the marriage is owned equally by both parties. (If you’ve ever seen or read Le Divorce, this scenario may look very familiar to you…)

If either of you were previously married, you must provide a certified copy of the death certificate of the deceased spouse or a certified copy of the final divorce decree.

8. In addition to all of the above, you will also have to choose and provide information on your witnesses (”temoins”)- 2 to 4 people who will act as sort of your Best Men and/or Maid of Honor, and sign the registry after the marriage ceremony. You will need to provide their names, addresses, their professions and photocopies of their passports with your dossier.

All of this needs to be presented to the Mairie in time for them to check and approve your documents before posting the Banns- they typically ask for your completed marriage file 10 days before their publication, but I usually suggest that my clients submit their dossier sooner than that- the curt civil servants will almost always insist that there is a document missing, sending you into yet another frenzy of frantic phone calls and emails.

When all has been accepted and approved, you will receive word from the Mairie of your wedding date and time (you can request a specific date and time ahead of time, but they will assure you that nothing is confirmed until the dossier has been approved). Keep in mind that you must be legally married in a civil ceremony before you will be allowed to have a Catholic Church ceremony in France. After your civil ceremony, you will receive a “Livret de Famille” (Family Book) a sort of wedding certificate that also has pages for all of your future children. This little blue book is the Holy Grail. If you live in France, this book will make your administrative life here a lot easier pretty much until the day you die (in which your death will be noted in said little blue book). If you don’t plan on staying in France, think of it as the ultimate wedding present.

Getting married in a foreign country is rarely easy. A Parisian wedding is just a bit more difficult than that. But if you are willing and able, the lasting memory of exchanging your vows beneath the shadow of the Eiffel Tower, or in the cobbled halls of a centuries-old château is worth the few months of frustration.

Like I said, if you can survive all of the above, your marriage will be built to last.

©2007, Kimberley Petyt. Kimberley Petyt is the Founder and Managing Director of http://www.parisianevents.com With a decade of experience in planning corporate and social events both in the U.S. and in France, she has been coordinating weddings professionally since she created Parisian events in 2005.

Every bride wants the perfect wedding cake design. But how without a background in design and at least a general familiarity with the baking business how do you know what is possible and what is not? Indeed, there are probably more wedding cake designs than wedding themes. So if you’ve been wondering how to find ideas for my wedding cake design, here are some tips for you.

Fortunately, while “How do I get ideas for my wedding cake design?” is one of the most asked questions among brides, the answer is that there really are several outlets for wedding cake design ideas.

There are an abundance of wedding cake galleries on the Internet. Do a search for “wedding cake pictures” or “wedding cake designs” then take some time to browse and picture each design as a part of your celebration. Then if you find one that really strikes your fancy, you can print out a picture and file it to show your pastry chef when it comes time to find a bakery to create you masterpiece. Note: Doing the same search with your city and state included might find you a skilled wedding cake provider that you are unfamiliar with.

Another option is a wedding planner; they will often have pictures of wedding cakes that you can adapt to meet your needs.

Go to weddings, when you can get an invitation an look at the wedding cake - this will give you the opportunity to to taste it as well which could lead you to - and / or away from certain bakeries as well as giving you design ideas.

Ask to look at your friends and family’s wedding photographs. It’s a rare individual that won’t jump at the chance to show them off and the picture of the cake they commissioned might inspire you.

If you are talented at design, you could even sit down and draft your own design for a wedding cake that reflects your wedding only.

Most bakeries have a book that contains a picture gallery of wedding cakes but save your visit to any pastry chef (regardless of whether they are in a formal bakery or are employed by the hotel that is hosting your reception)until after you have a pretty good idea of what you want. Why? Simply because an experienced pastry chef will be able to help you adapt an idea to fit your budget, but he or she can only do that if you have an idea for your wedding cake design in the first place.

Wedding cakes come in all colors and shapes and can be adapted to what you want. From the traditional designs with garlands and icing flowers to a cake that looks like a stack of wedding presents, to a stack of crowns, to a tower of pastry, pillars, and flowers complete with butterflies - your options are endless so don’t wear yourself out worrying about how to get an idea for you wedding cake design. There are plenty of sources out there.

Jeanette Shinn is a wedding professional with over a dozen years experience making dreams come alive. Find tips and accessories from cake jewelry to cake knife & server sets at http://www.ExcitingWeddingFavors.com.

With all of the talk today of global warming and environmental impact the question looms: “How do we create a environmentally friendly wedding? How do we put together a ceremony and celebration that will linger in our memories but leave little to no impact on the environment? Or better yet… an environmentally friendly wedding.

The answer is simplicity. Create a simple wedding with your own personal touch to make your wedding memorable rather than trying to out stage last year’s big wedding productions - a simple environmentally friendly wedding can save you lots of money! And the good news is that you can do it in such a way that your wedding can be a unique event that people will talk about for years to come.

Now there is no way to cover every possible situation but consider these possible scenario’s as inspiration for your green wedding:

Urban Setting for Your Environmentally Friendly Wedding:

Plan a period themed wedding from your own city’s history. For example, 19th century wedding theme. Design your dress based around the theme - not a problem, wedding dresses are special order anyway - and remember, you don’t have to choose to emulate the rich of that period, just something representative or suggestive of the period. Choose a local hall with lots of windows within walking distance of your borough or neighborhood to hold your ceremony and reception and ask your guests to walk or take public transportation to and from the celebration. Schedule the event for midday or early afternoon so you can use as much natural lighting as possible. Hire local musicians to provide background music that might have been played in that time period. Use live plants for decor instead of cut flowers. And arrive and depart from your wedding via horse drawn carriage or on foot.

Suburban Setting for Your Environmentally Friendly Wedding:

Find a garden setting, such as your own backyard, that you and your personal community can cultivate to create a memorable setting for your wedding and a garden setting that you and your friends and neighbors can enjoy for years to come. Put your effort and resources into creating this garden oasis full of live plants and natural beauty instead of worrying about all the normal trappings of a wedding ceremony. Choose to have a tea reception with the finger food that fits whatever theme you have decided upon.

Rural Setting for Your Environmentally Friendly Wedding:

If you live in a small town, chances are good there’s an old chapel sitting in a weed strewn field somewhere around town. These old treasures are a great opportunity for you to build your green wedding and help the community as well. The idea is to rent the use of the grounds for a daylight wedding (perhaps you want to theme your celebration around the styles of your town’s founding fathers) and either in preparation for the ceremony pull your wedding party together to landscape the grounds in advance (see above) or to simply make the planting of trees and bushes a part of your celebration. Ask your guests to bring a live plant in lieu of a gift and make planting them a part of the fun!

In such a setting an ideal way to begin the festivities is by having your groom on horseback (or at least a horse drawn carriage) lead your guests in a procession through town toward your ceremony. Afterwards, with the new plants all in the ground enjoy the warmth of a summer evening to celebrate around a bond fire with local music with your friends and family.

Notice that none of the above suggestions involved going out and renting the biggest and the best facility available. None were held in fancy hotels. Rather they were all focused on improving your own community - the part of the world you can positively impact. You can have a cake if you want, or do without it. Likewise, photography is entirely optional depending on your own convictions about the impact of the use of the computer and printer or film processing lab.

Yes, a environmentally friendly wedding celebration might not be as elegant or sparkling clean as the wedding celebrations we have come to be familiar with, but with a little bit of effort it can save you money and really do something to improve the life of the community you are in.

Of course, your green wedding theme should extend to your wedding favors as well. Plantable Wildflower Favors are an obvious choice. Imagine seeing patches of wild flowers all over your community as a direct result of your wedding and the favors you expressed your gratitude with. Other choices might be hand painted ceramic pots, or even “magic” beans (bean seeds that when planted will sprout with the word ‘love’ imprinted on the sprout - these are great favors for the children), or any number of soap favors might be appropriate as well.

Your options are really only limited by your imagination. Look around for ideas for ways to celebrate your new marriage. They don’t have to be traditional, but they do have to reflect you and your values. That is what you will look back on with fondness when you think about your environmentally friendly wedding.

Jeanette Shinn is a wedding professional with over a dozen years experience making dreams come alive. Find tips and accessories from unity candles to bath favors at http://www.ExcitingWeddingFavors.com.

There are so many popular and stunning wedding table ideas you really will be spoilt for choice. Most wedding table ideas are based around a certain theme and colour scheme to match your overall wedding style.

Weddings can be extremely expensive so one way of cutting costs it’s to think of some wedding table ideas you could possibly make yourself. Using silk flowers instead of real ones can cut cost considerably can you can keep them after the wedding as a reminder or hand them out as gifts to your guests.

Silk flowers were never one of the most popular wedding table ideas as they were considered to look less effective as real flowers, however these days they are made to an extremely high standard and are just as visually attractive as real flowers.

During a wedding your guests will admire and study the wedding table ideas you have created, this is why this part of the wedding is so important. Remember to base your wedding table ideas on seasonal availability so that you can get hold of the materials easily generally if the materials, flowers or what ever you need to use are in season they will cost less.

If you want your wedding table ideas to stand out and look stunning it is very important to get the colors right, the best wedding table ideas will adhere to the color scheme of your wedding, if the bridesmaids dresses are pink it is advisable to go for the same shade of pink in what ever wedding table ideas you choose to use.

Try to incorporate wedding table ideas with favors, these are usually found on all the guests tables and are seen as a little gift. The most popular wedding favors are chocolates, this can be as simple or as extravagant as you like but always keeping in theme with everything else.

If you have a larger budget and can afford to get someone to make your wedding favors, flower arrangements and other wedding table ideas then it is worth investing some time to find the best quality. If you find something you like do not feel like you cannot change it slightly, most wedding suppliers will be happy to accommodate your ideas.

Ask your friends and family if they can recommend someone they may have used at their wedding so you know that the work was of a high standard and you can trust them.

When it comes to wedding table ideas you really can let your mind go wild, do not be afraid to be bold or different, remember this is your wedding and if your ideas are a little different to others it does not matter, it is your day to choose and have what ever you desire.

Vicki Churchill is the owner of Wedding Table Ideas, a site that specializes in Wedding Table Ideas, Wedding Decorations, Seating Plans & all your wedding needs. And also Wedding Gift Ideas

Planning a wedding can be one of the most exhilarating, yet stressful times of a woman’s life. Whether you are going extravagant, or just keeping it simple, there are many details that must be addressed, and often, little time to do them. This time constraint is often the source of many common mistakes made by brides before a wedding. Lack of research is another contributing factor. This, however, is often due to the fact that most brides have never planned a wedding before, so the process can prove a bit daunting. Below are the top ten mistakes commonly made by many brides-to-be, and how to avoid them.

Not sticking to your budget. Often times, couples will set a wedding budget, then make further plans without keeping it in mind. This can be a big mistake. While it’s easy to get caught up in the excitement and frenzy of planning a wedding, it is important to follow your budget. Failure to do so can either result in spending more money than what you have, or being disappointed when you can’t pay for something you are set on doing.

Messing up the marriage license. There are a number of rules and regulations surrounding this process that it is easy for couples to make a mistake. Because the bride often plans the wedding, the groom usually takes care of this detail, but it is always something the couple should do together. It is a good idea for the bride-to-be to get involved in this one so both parties know what is needed and when to do it.

Ordering the wedding gown too late. If you have your heart set on a specific gown, you will want to take care of this early on in the planning process. Even if this detail is not as important to you as it is other brides, it is a good idea to have this one taken care of early. Most times, the gown must be altered, sometimes even more than once, so attention should definitely be given to this major detail.

Waiting to book hotel rooms. A common mistake made by many brides is waiting too late to book hotel rooms for wedding guests. This is especially important if you are getting married during a busy time of the year, or would like your guests to stay in a particularly busy hotel. This detail should be taken care of soon after the wedding date is set. It’s much easier to re-book a room in advance than it is to find a room at the last minute.

Inviting too many guests. When choosing a place for the wedding and reception, make sure these sites can accommodate the number of guests you would like to invite. This is crucial because you often take care of this detail well in advance, certainly long before you have received notice of who is and isn’t coming to the wedding.

Indulging in last-minute beauty treatments or crash diets. Getting a facial the day before the wedding can be a bad idea. Instead of rejuvenating your skin, it can actually lead to break-outs, especially if you have never before used the products included in the facial. Because of this, you have no idea what they may or may not do to your skin, so take precautions. The same goes for crash diets. You want your dress to still fit the day of the wedding, and going on a crash diet could result in its being too big.

Failure to understand invitation postage. Many brides are not aware the invitations often require additional postage, therefore, these items are often sent out without it. If this happens, the postal service will return your invitations to you, and you will be responsible for including the proper postage and sending them again. This, of course, can significantly delay the entire process, not to mention add stress to your wedding planning.

Ignoring religious restrictions. Skipping pre-marital classes or failing to wear the appropriate wedding attire can result in your wedding officiate refusing to marry you when the big day arrives. To avoid this, make sure you understand what will be required of you and your husband-to-be prior to the actual wedding. This is especially important if you do not practice the same religion.

Trying it on your own. If you are lucky enough to have been offered help by friends and family members, take it. There are so many details to attend to that it can easily become overwhelming and you may find you will need all the help you can get.

Forgetting to focus on what it all means instead of just the actual event. Yes, the wedding is important, but you should always keep in mind that you are getting married and starting a life together. Brides be good to your grooms and grooms to the same to your brides.

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It’s the time of the year to be planning your nuptials by the sea. The winter storms are winding down in preparation for the day they give way to those days of glorious sunshine that we all love so much. Fortunately, it perfectly aligns with the traditional wedding seasons making a beach wedding a natural choice. Fortunately the prevalence of beach related materials available means that nearly anyone can put together a beach wedding. This is true even if they have no access to an actual beach at all!

The trick to planning any kind of themed wedding is to narrow your focus. Far too often brides decide they want a beach wedding and that’s where they stop their planning efforts and begin gathering decor items. As a result they pick up anything that;
1. captures their fancy, and
2. reminds them in any way of the ocean.
As a result, pretty soon their budget is spent and they don’t really have anything more than a box full of sea shells, some plastic flower leis, and a few Frisbees.

Instead they should choose an aspect of beach life that stirs their imagination and look for ways to make every item in your wedding lend to your beach theme. For example, if you chose a lighthouse themed wedding, you might want to choose a restaurant on a bluff with lots of windows looking out over the ocean. Or, if you are not able to have the celebration near the ocean, you could play the sounds of waves crashing on the rocks and hold your event at night with a slowly rotating light mounted high above your dance floor to give the illusion that your wedding is being held in a large lighthouse.

Now continue the lighthouse theme. What elements are characteristic of lighthouse scenes? Light? Fog? The sound of waves crashing on the beach? Lighthouses? Raincoats? Umbrellas? Rocks? Ships? Sailboats? The list goes on.

Choose one or two and build your beach theme wedding around them. For example, if you chose the sailboats aspect of a lighthouse theme you could borrow a sail to hang as a tapestry on the wall and perhaps a small dingy or standing in the corner. Then do an internet search for sailboat or lighthouse themed favors to adorn your reception tables and express your gratitude to your wedding guests.

The advantage of such a tact is that if you choose your accessories and favors well, you won’t have to spend as much on decor because those favors and accessories will go a long way to creating your theme.

But don’t stop there! Starting with your dress, consider how every element of your wedding serves or detracts from your theme. For a beach wedding a dress with a long train, for example, might not be the right choice. There are, however, a number of beautiful styles that have been designed with beach weddings in mind, or under the inspiration of mermaids.

Once you found your gown, then you might want to choose barefoot sandals with shells and pearls instead of high heels.

Then it’s on to the wedding cake, flowers, music, and all the other details that we have come to expect in a wedding. Evaluate each element in terms of how it can advance the theme. The days of importing the standard Victorian theme wedding into every setting are over. Trying to do so runs the risk of spending more money than necessary and getting a less memorable wedding.

Instead, the key to building a beach wedding theme (or any theme) is focus on that theme. Don’t worry so much about building a wedding, build the theme. It will be a wedding when the bride and groom are there exchanging vows and celebrating their new life together with their loved ones at their side.

Remember, the beach wedding theme is entirely too broad. But by zeroing in on a specific aspect like sea animals, or surfing, or mariner, you can create a wedding theme that will be remembered for years to come.

Jeanette Shinn is a wedding professional with over a dozen years experience making dreams come alive. Find tips and accessories from href="http://www.excitingweddingfavors.com/cake-jewelry.php">cake jewelry to href="http://www.excitingweddingfavors.com/beach-favors.php">beach themed wedding favors options at http://www.ExcitingWeddingFavors.com.