Tag: Wedding

Dealing in Destination Weddings

Destination weddings aren’t for everyone, but if you’re considering one, it could be the right choice for you. There are some very important issues to consider if you do want to have a destination wedding. It’s your wedding day, so you want to make it as magical as possible. But because it’s a destination wedding, it’s likely to last more than a day, and there are a lot of practical things to sort out too. More so than for a wedding at home. You want your wedding to be perfect, and you might have to navigate a foreign country or at least a different city or region than you’re used to. Get your destination wedding right by thinking about these big issues.

Carefully Consider Your Reasons

Whether you’ve already settled on a destination wedding or you’re still mulling it over, you should be clear about your reasons for having a destination wedding. One could be, of course, that you love the beauty of the destination you’re considering. However, you might not even have thought about a destination yet. It could be the fact that you’ll be away from home at all that appeals to you. Some people choose a destination wedding precisely because they want to limit their guest list. It’s a great way to keep numbers down, either by inviting fewer people with the excuse of your budget or discouraging people you don’t really want there from coming (but who you can’t exactly not invite). Maybe you like the idea of combining your wedding and honeymoon, or you want to feel like you’re on vacation with your whole family.

From Pixabay

Choose a Destination That’s Convenient and Cool

You might already have the perfect destination in mind. And possibly you’re willing to do what it takes to get married there and have all your essential guests there too. However, you might not have settled on a destination just yet. Perhaps you have a certain type of location in mind, from a beach wedding to a mountain retreat. When you’re thinking about possible locations to get married, think about both the beauty of the place and the convenience of getting married there. You need to consider a range of issues, such as legalities, weather, and how easy it might be to communicate with local vendors and services. And don’t forget about your guests. How easy will it be for them to get there? How affordable?

Think About Your Guests and How to Help Them Be There

If you’ve picked a destination, you can think more about how you’re going to make sure that your most important people can make it to your wedding. You might take a few different views to helping your guests to attend. Perhaps you have a handful of very important guests who you can pay for or help to pay for. Anyone else you invite might be people you would love to have attend, but only if they can afford to at least partially pay for themselves. An invitation to a destination wedding can be a big ask because you are basically asking someone to use their vacation time for your event. But maybe if you have a bit more cash to spend, you might offer to pay for or subsidize some of your guests for travel, accommodation, and other necessities. If you can’t help out in terms of money, you could do things like helping to reserve accommodation and transport.

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Look for Local Vendors Who Understand Your Needs

Organizing a destination wedding often means you’ll be dealing with local wedding vendors. While you might have someone to work with at home, you often need to be in touch with people who could be hundreds or even thousands of miles away. Sometimes there might be a language barrier to deal with too, but you can often find someone who speaks your language. If not, you can use an interpreter or translator to make communicating easier.

You need to choose vendors who can meet your needs. One way of doing this is choosing those who specialize in destination weddings. Vittore Buzzi Photographer is based in Italy, offering photography in Venice, Tuscany, and several other destinations. You can easily tell from the website that the photographer has plenty of experience with destination weddings. You can read stories of couples they have worked with before and view their portfolio too.

Don’t Just Turn Up

While it might seem exciting to turn up at your destination just before you’re due to get married, it’s not ideal. If you want to make sure you’re not going to suffer a shock when you arrive, visiting the destination at least once is essential. You might choose to do this to scope out possible locations and venues. Or if you’ve been to the destination before, maybe you’ll go just to take a look at the venue you want to confirm that it’s for you or to get the ball rolling with arrangements. Ideally, being able to visit two or three times is even better. However, that can be tough if it’s expensive to get there.

Plan Carefully for the Right Weather

You might be familiar with the weather at home, but you might not know it so well where you’re going. Some destinations can have extreme conditions, while others can struggle to get ten sunny days a year. It’s important to think about the right time of year for your wedding and other problems adverse weather could bring up. Hot weather can mean having to keep your guests cool and hydrated. Snow might make for a beautiful winter wedding, but be aware of any transport issues it could create. It’s especially important to consider the possibility of any natural disasters, such as hurricanes and, although they’re not exactly weather, earthquakes. You should have a good understanding of local conditions so you can choose the best time and location, as well as prepare for looking after your guests.

Destination weddings can be incredible, but they are a lot of work. If you’re prepared to take on the task, consider the practicalities carefully.

Big Day, Big Crowd: Wedding Plan Tips For Couples With Large Guest Lists

As exciting as it, planning your wedding is never easy. However, it can be an even more daunting prospect when you know that the guest list will include vast numbers. With more people attending, it’s only natural to fear that more could go wrong. In truth, though, ensuring that the big day goes ahead without a hitch is no harder for 500 guests than 50. It’s simply a case of making smart decisions.

Here are five simple tips to ensure that the big day surpasses even your wildest expectations.

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Make The Venue A Priority

The perfect wedding venue should be one of the main focus points for any happy couple. However, it arguably takes on an even greater importance when you have many guests attending as the size will be another key factor. There are still plenty of other aspects to consider before making your final decision. Nevertheless, getting the choice of venue provides a platform to build upon. If that doesn’t help make this the happiest day of your life, what will?

Take The Numbers Into Account

If you have a large number of guests turning up, there’s a good chance that you’ll have several people completing key duties too. Brides with big families and friend groups may boast many bridesmaids. The thought of splitting them up ahead of the big arrival just doesn’t sound right. Visit http://www.fl-limousine.com/limo-service-fort-lauderdale to find out about bigger vehicle options. Meanwhile, the groom may want to spread duties across each of the best men so that they all feel valued on the big day.

Split The Wedding Into Two

In an ideal world, you’d love to invite everyone for the whole day. Sadly, the costs involved mean that feeding and hosting the entire party could ruin other parts of the day. Split the wedding into two, and only have the key members attend the first part. Other guests can turn up later for the big evening party. This enables everybody to play a part in your big day without reducing the enjoyment. Meanwhile, another trick to remove some of the financial stress is to ask guests to provide help rather than a gift. Whether it’s baking the cake or buying their own outfits, every little helps.

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Create Memories

The big day will fly by regardless of how many people are invited. When there are many guests to consider, though, you might not get to spend that much time with each of them. So, you should provide guests with disposable cameras or a unique guest book as a way to record those magical memories from everyone’s perspective. Meanwhile, photographers like https://cingraham.com/ can capture the big group moments to perfection too. When this combination is in place, you’ll be able to reminisce about that perfect day for many years to come.

Think About The Guests

Keeping everyone happy is easily one of the hardest challenges on the wedding day with big guest lists. Arguably the most important issue to consider for the main guests is dietary needs. Vegan or gluten-free dishes may be essential additions. You should also prepare entertainment for the children as sitting through the speeches can be a little tiresome for young minds. As long as you take the needs of all guests into account, you will be just fine.

 

I Do: Important Wedding Dos and Don’ts

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Planning your special day? Whilst a wedding shouldn’t have to come with rules, there are a few important dos and don’ts that could be worth considering to help your wedding go smoothly.

Do make a checklist

There’s nothing worse than getting to the wedding day and realising you forgot something. A checklist can help you to keep on track of organising your wedding. Make a list of everyone you wish to invite. Then make a list of everyone you need to hire. Will there be live music? Do you need a photographer? On top of this list out all other expenses such as venue, dress, rings etc. You may be able to save the stress by hiring a wedding planner.

Do have a budget

It’s easy to let costs spiral out of control in pursuit of the perfect wedding. Have a tight budget and keep to it to avoid overspending. This will allow you to negotiate prices and shop around more effectively. If you’re taking out a loan, make sure that it’s a loan that the two of you can comfortably afford to pay back – you don’t want to be resenting your wedding afterwards.

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Don’t drink too much too early

You’re likely to drink a lot on your wedding day, but be careful of drinking too much early on. You want to remember the day after all. People will buy you drinks throughout the night but don’t feel you have to drink them all. Be careful of having drinks before the ceremony to calm the nerves and go easy during the toasts.

Don’t be afraid to put a time limit on speeches

Talking of toasts, nobody wants the speeches to drag on. If you’ve got the type of family that will all want to contribute, don’t be afraid to put a time limit on this section of the day. Speeches that trail on for hours will eat into your party time. You may have guests that you haven’t invited to the meal, but who you’ve invited to the reception party and you don’t want them to be waiting around for you to finish your meal.

 

You Said Yes But You Don’t Like The Ring: What Next?

You’ve dreamt of this moment since you were a small girl: your engagement. The love of your life getting down on one knee, and asking you to spend the rest of your lives together. And it’s a beautiful moment, one that you’ll treasure forever. But what happens if you don’t like the ring? It’s a tough one. You don’t want to offend your beloved, as he or she has put a lot of effort into choosing it for you. But if you really don’t like it, how can you be expected to wear it for the next seven or eight decades?

Well, here’s your guide to coping with a ring you don’t want to wear.

Try being honest

Image by https://www.flickr.com/photos/jdickert/2372131488/

You probably feel awful about having to say that you don’t like the ring, but it’s better to be honest than to pretend you love it. You’re going to have to show it off to lots of people, and you don’t want to lie or look fake. However, this doesn’t apply if your partner has proposed with an antique family heirloom – in this case, you might just have to put up with it, and love it for the fact it’s been in your soon-to-be family’s history for centuries.

Approach the subject when you’re both relaxed and happy. You know your partner well enough to know how well he’ll take it, so choose your time and and place carefully. It’s a good idea to write down what you want to say first, so you don’t end up stumbling over your words later on.

Give valid reasons

Image credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/manikrathee/8523125189/

Not liking how big the diamond is, or wanting a different precious stone isn’t good enough. It’s time to explain the real reason behind not wanting to wear it. Perhaps the stone sticks out, and you’re worried about catching it and breaking it? Or what about the ethical reasons. You might have wanted a stone that’s guaranteed not to be a blood diamond. Some brands, like Brilliant Earth, promise that they sell ethical rocks, but it’s worth reading this Brilliant Earth review before buying. Giving well justified reasons should be enough to help change your partner’s mind. They won’t mind practical reasons – but if you’re being a snob about how expensive it is, it might be time to reconsider your priorities.

Change how you wear

Image source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/atkinson000/5287129852/

If you don’t want to tell your partner that you don’t like it, but you don’t want to wear it because of practical reasons, why not try hanging it on a chain and wearing it around your neck? That way you can still show off your ring, but you don’t need to worry about the rocks snapping off or it slipping off. Some people have different shaped fingers, and it might be that the ring design is just always going to be slightly too big or too small. If this is the case, then wearing it on a chain during your day to day business is a safe way to ensure that you don’t lose it. Then, when you’re at home or going out, you can put it back on.

 

Legit Ways To Make Your Wedding The Most Magical Day

Weddings are important, they are a symbol of two lives and two families joining together. That is why they should be as magical as possible. But if your wedding is on the horizon, you may be wondering about how you can achieve this. Keep reading to find out.

Actually, have magic at the wedding

One way to ensure that your wedding is as magical as possible is to have some stage magic at the reception. This a very popular entertainment to have at weddings as it can keep the guest from getting bored in the down times.

You could choose a table magical that goes from group to group, getting them involved and amazing them with their tricks. Or for larger scale weddings why not hire someone to do a full magic show for the kids?

Employ some special effects

Although If stage magic isn’t your thing, you can still inject a little sparkle into the day’s proceedings in other ways. One way to do this is to have a butterfly release instead of confetti at the service.

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This is when each guest is presented with a box containing a butterfly, which they all release together for a dazzling display.

Fireworks are another popular way of making wedding days magical. These can be set up by professional pyrotechnicians, and then set off once it gets dark. Imagine how much your guests and your partner will enjoy a vibrant display like this to celebrate your union.

Get the right venue

Obviously, your wedding day isn’t going to be magical if you don’t get the right wedding venue. You need to pick one that suits your theme, that seats all of your guests, and that you can decorate perfectly.

Remember to visit several different venues before you make your financial decision though. As this is not a choice, you want to make on the fly.

Also, you should have a list of question to hand to ask the venue staff. Such as what is included in the price? What catering facilities the venue has? Whether they can provide accommodation for the bride and groom, and what time the celebration has to stop by?

Make everyone feel special

Also, don’t forget that sometimes it’s the little things that can be the most magical. For example, things that allow everyone to get involved in the day like dancing, guest books, and photos can definitely help to keep the atmosphere going.

Keep you dress a secret

With everyone having access to social media, it’s all too easy for a picture of your dress or other details of your wedding day to leak back to your guests and your groom. But it’s really the surprise that helps the big reveal on the day to be magical.

That is why it’s best to steer clear of sending a picture to anyone and keep your outfit under wraps as best you can. Then you will get that magical feeling when you arrive looking your very best in front of all of your friends and family.

 

 

On The Other Side: Gift Ideas For Wedding Guests

A wedding is an exciting time. Even as a guest, you get to enjoy the greatest day of a couple’s lives. And, this is a special thing indeed. Of course, a lot of people struggle with weddings. Knowing what to wear and how to act is hard enough. But, on top of this, you have to think of a suitable gift for the happy couple. In most cases, people will put out a list of things they would like. It doesn’t always hurt to stray from this list, especially if you can think of something they may have missed. To help you out with this, this post will be going through some of the different situations newlyweds could be in, and how you can find a gift to match. So, now, you just have to get out there and find the best example.

When getting married, people often make other key life choices. And, for the majority of people, becoming parents follows soon after getting married. In this sort of situation, people have a lot of new things they have to buy. And, you can help them out by taking some of the load. Prams, cribs, clothing, and toys are all very expensive together. But, buying one or two options could be enough to make a real difference. When doing this, it can be best to gender neutral items. This will avoid any complications if they baby turns out to be different to your expectations.

For some, having kids may still be in the future. But, there could still be a big change coming in their life. Often, people will move in together soon after they get married. Like having a child, moving to a new house comes with a time of great spending. So, helping them out with this could also be a great idea. Kitchen items are some of the best options to go for. These won’t be chosen for their looks. But, rather, you will choose them for their functions. This will avoid clashing with the styles they choose for themselves. A microwave or nice plate set could be perfect.

Some won’t have anything big on their horizon. Instead, they may have already moved in with one another and started their family. And, in this case, you will need to think of something else. Most people like to eat. Food is a traditional gift amongst many cultures. But, to get something like this right, you have to be prepared to do some research. Finding out which foods someone likes the most will take talking to their other friends and relatives. For example, talking to someone’s brother may help you to learn that they love cheese. In this case, you could look at some luxury cheese hampers for them. This sort of gift is quick and easy but will appear to be incredibly thoughtful. This is the sort of gift which can always be used. Everyone has a little something they love.

Choosing a gift for a newly married couple can be hard. But, with the right time and energy, you can find the perfect option for your friends. A lot of people simply buy something from the list. But, this is unimaginative and bland. Instead, you should be going for something which they will remember.

Wedding Season Is Here! Are You Ready?

It’s that time of year again when everyone decides to get hitched. After all, it’s the best weather during this season. And brides to be want glorious weather so they can get beautiful photos on their big day! Not only this but they want great weather so that guests can enjoy the day. And now that wedding season is upon us, it’s time to get ready to see your beloved friends and family members get hitched. It takes much more planning than just picking out an outfit on the big day! After all, you want to ensure you stand out from the crowd when it comes to the pictures. And you need to ensure you have a great gift which will wow the newlyweds. Therefore, you need to ensure you start putting your planning head on at least a couple of weeks before the weddings arrive. In fact, here are some ways you can ensure you are ready for wedding season!

Take a look at trends for wedding guest outfits

It’s always tricky picking out an outfit to wear as a wedding guest. After all, you want to stand out against other guests attending the wedding. You don’t want to fall into the shadows when it comes to your outfit. And you don’t want to make a fashion mistake. After all, you might be surprised how many people look back with horror at the outfit they wore to their friend or family member’s wedding. They either chose something in a color which just didn’t suit them, or they pick something which was too inappropriate for the big day. Therefore, to help you pick out a good wedding guest outfit, the first thing you should do is look at the current trends. After all, it can help you ensure you pick something on-trend for the big day. As you can see on http://www.elle.com/fashion/, floaty dresses with a floral print are definitely on trend this season. In fact, the longer, the better to ensure you look fabulous at your friend or family member’s big day. Also, another popular trend for wedding guest outfits this year is off the shoulder dresses. They are perfect for helping you to show off your beautiful arms and teamed up with a gorgeous necklace, you will certainly look the part. Also, summer dresses are not the only option if you want to be bang on trend. Suits for women are also popular and will make a breathtaking choice at a wedding! You can even go short sleeved to ensure you stay cool at the weddings this season!

Now it’s time to buy the outfit

Now you have had a good look at what’s on trend this season for weddings, it’s time to hit the shops to find the perfect outfit. You should aim to go at least a month before the big day, so you have plenty of choice to find the best wedding guest outfit. After all, you might need to try on a few dresses before you find something perfect for the big day. And take a fashion conscious friend or family member with you shopping to help find the perfect outfit. After all, it will be much easier to hunt down an outfit with another person helping you. If you need some extra advice, it might be worth spending time with a personal shopper at your favorite store. After all, they can help guide you to dresses which will not only be perfect for the big day but will also look good on your figure. After all, you want to be comfortable during the long wedding day! And don’t forget to look online for great wedding guest outfits too. After all, you can see the full range a store has if you look on a site. And you might be able to get a discount voucher from a site like CouponSherpa.com if you head online. After all, weddings are expensive enough without having to spend a ton of money on a wedding guest outfit. Therefore, get a coupon and then you can reduce the cost of your beautiful new wedding guest outfit. And once you have bought your outfit, you can then work on helping finding your partner and your kid’s clothes. After all, they can take even longer than you picking out a new outfit!

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Have you sorted out a gift?

Another thing which can take a while when it comes to getting ready for weddings is picking a gift. After all, you want to ensure you find something that the newlyweds will love for their big day. But it can be difficult to find a gift that stands out when there will be dozens of other guests picking similar items. Therefore, you should make sure you think of a unique gift which the bride and groom will love. It might be the case you decide to make something by hand which will be a unique present they can keep forever. For example, you might want to create an ornament they could put in their humble abode. Or you might want to bake them something they can consume after the wedding day. After all, it will show them how much effort you have gone to if you provide them with a creative present. And if you want to buy them a useful gift, don’t just go for another toaster. Ask the bride and groom if there is anything they could do with for their new humble abode. And it will stop you buying another item that the bride and groom already have! Remember to always keep the receipt for whatever gift you choose for the wedding. That way, they can take it back if they don’t like the present.

You need to consider your hair

A lot of people sort out their clothes for the wedding day, but they forget about their hair. But if your hair is not looking fantastic, it can bring down your outfit. In fact, it can take your glamorous outfit down to a shabby look. Therefore, you need to consider what you are planning to do with your hair now wedding season is upon us. It might be the case you might want to book in for a hair appointment a week before the wedding. After all, they will ensure any dead hair is cut away before the big day. And it can ensure you get a cute style before the wedding. Just make sure you don’t go for anything outrageous. After all, you might struggle to get it back to its original state before the wedding day arrives. And if you would rather not go for a cut, you might want to just curl or straighten your hair on the big day. After all, it can ensure your hair looks fabulous, despite the condition of your locks. And whatever you do, make sure you put some hairspray on before you leave the house. After all, as soon as there is a bit of wind, it could send your hair out of control if you have put on no spray. And remember to cover up your hair, you could always go for a fascinator. These can give your whole outfit some instant glam. And it’s great if your hair isn’t looking it’s best on the big day!

What will you do about makeup?

You also need to make sure you work on your beauty before the big day arrives. After all, you will want to pull off a great look on the big day. And makeup can make all the difference when it comes to how you look at the wedding. Therefore, you should work out which makeup you plan to use on the big day. You might want to practice with different looks a week or so before the wedding. After all, you might have a brilliant idea in your head which just doesn’t look right when you get it on your skin. And you don’t want to end up finding this out on the wedding day when you are meant to be leaving for the ceremony! Therefore, try out different looks before the big day so you can find out what will suit your look. Remember it’s best to go quite natural with your makeup at the wedding. After all, you don’t want something that is too OTT compared to everyone else’s look. And if you are a crier at ceremonies, make sure you opt for waterproof makeup. After all, you don’t want to spend ages in the toilet sorting out your makeup due to crying at the ceremony! And if you have space in your bag, put your lipstick and concealer so you can keep applying the makeup throughout the day.

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A lot of people buy new shoes for wedding season. But they often make an error of not trying them on before the big day. But this can lead them to feel uncomfortable when walking around at the wedding. And it might lead to blisters aplenty by the end of the day. Therefore, make sure you get some practice in before the wedding. Wearing them in will ensure they are much more comfortable on the big day!

For Those About To Pop The Question…

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…we salute you! Every woman has a few moments in their life that they will remember forever, and the day we get engaged is one of them. While we’ve all dreamt about our perfect wedding day, the moment we get engaged is the key event that sets the wheels in motion, so it’s important to not mess it up! This is for all those who are thinking about saying those four simple words, what to do, what not to do, and why it’s never a good idea to do it in front of a huge crowd…

The Best Time…

You’ll know when it’s the best time. You know her well enough that you will be able to navigate through a stressful period in life, or do you? Be sure to cater to her tastes. If she is coy and reserved, it’s unlikely she’ll appreciate being asked in front of 16,000 people at a ball game. Likewise, popping the question in front of family and friends can be a bit too clichéd for many people. A nice, quiet walk along the beach is an understated option, and besides, if she wants to share it with the world, social media is merely a click away.

The Ring…

This can be a massive struggle for a lot of people. You need the ring to match their personality, so if she is a classical and demure type of person, you should go for something understated and elegant. While you have your choice of diamond engagement rings to choose from, you can always go for something personalized, and the best way to really find out is to look at the jewelry your bride to be has. Are they showy, or are they mainly plain bands? As a rule, the ring should cost around three months’ salary, so make of that what you will. But, if you are one of the lucky ones, the ring has already been picked out for you, and numerous hints have been dropped!

Congratulations! Now What?

This is where life gets really interesting! It’s either time for a long engagement, and a lot of people don’t really see the point in that. Unless you are really struggling with your finances, you may wish to start saving up money before doing any wedding planning, but if you’re able to do it in a short timeframe, it is possible. That special someone in your life will have so many ideas on their perfect wedding day you could very easily sit back and let the plans form themselves! But if you have close family, they will be willing to help in whatever way they can. So you could be very lucky and get a lot of financial help from the in-laws!

If the proposal is perfect, it will make the rest of the preparation so much easier. And while it’s so stressful to get right, the moment she says “yes” will make it all so worthwhile. And you will be the happiest, albeit broke, person in the world.