Professional Vendors
This video offers great advice for brides for professional vendors. Thanks to Natalie Bradley of Bride Attraction for sharing it!
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Your Honeymoon – Tips for Planning the Trip of a Lifetime
Honeymoons are a wonderful way to continue the celebration of your marriage and start your lives together as a couple! It’s the vacation you’ve been looking forward to, after months of wedding planning and preparation. While some couples choose to delay their honeymoon, I encourage couples to start planning it as soon as they start planning their weddings, and to take their honeymoon right after the wedding.
Where do you want to go on your honeymoon?
The number of honeymoon destinations is endless! What kind of locale do you want to visit? Does an exotic island suit your fancy, or is a week skiing in the mountains more your cup of tea? Or how about a cruise to the Caribbean? Write down the places you’ve always wanted to go and determine where you and your future spouse’s lists match! When considering locations, keep in mind time of year….you may want to re-think a Caribbean getaway during the peak of hurricane season! I found a great quiz from Bridal Guide called “What’s Your Honeymoon Style?” that may help you narrow down the type of vacation that fits you. Check it out at http://www.bridalguide.com/honeymoon-travel/article.cfm?aID=20262
What do you want to do on your honeymoon?
Do you want a week filled with fun and adventure, or a quiet, relaxing and rejuvenating vacation? Or a little bit of both? Once you’ve narrowed down your destinations, find out what activities are available to you there.
When I should start planning?
The Honeymoon Guide provides an excellent timeline for planning your honeymoon. This timeline should be incorporated with your wedding planning timeline. http://www.bridalguide.com/honeymoon-travel/honeymoon-countdown-calendar/
What is a Honeymoon Registry?
TheHoneymoon.com says that a honeymoon registry is “a wedding registry for your honeymoon” and “has become the registry of choice for couples that have enough household ‘stuff’”. This company offers a fully automated honeymoon registry online for guests to easily give toward your dream vacation. Check out their website at http://www.thehoneymoon.com/info/aboutregistries
Practical Tips
• Decide on a honeymoon budget. This should be incorporated into your overall wedding budget.
• If you are traveling internationally and do not have a passport, work on getting it now! For details on how to apply for a passport, visit http://travel.state.gov/passport/passport_1738.html
• Consider purchasing travel insurance. Packages can cover such things as trip cancellation and baggage delay. Just like wedding insurance, travel insurance can give you peace of mind and protect you from the unexpected.
• If you plan to use frequent flyer miles for your travel, start planning early. Be mindful of any blackout dates that may apply.
• Use a reputable travel agency to plan your honeymoon. Travel agents that specialize in honeymoons are the best, as they have built relationships with resorts and destinations, and can sometimes offer you special tips and even nice extras (such as champagne in your room upon arrival or breakfast in bed your first morning there).
Putting thought and effort into your honeymoon will make all the difference in the world, and will help make this the trip of a lifetime! Happy planning!!
Where do you want to go on your honeymoon?
The number of honeymoon destinations is endless! What kind of locale do you want to visit? Does an exotic island suit your fancy, or is a week skiing in the mountains more your cup of tea? Or how about a cruise to the Caribbean? Write down the places you’ve always wanted to go and determine where you and your future spouse’s lists match! When considering locations, keep in mind time of year….you may want to re-think a Caribbean getaway during the peak of hurricane season! I found a great quiz from Bridal Guide called “What’s Your Honeymoon Style?” that may help you narrow down the type of vacation that fits you. Check it out at http://www.bridalguide.com/honeymoon-travel/article.cfm?aID=20262
What do you want to do on your honeymoon?
Do you want a week filled with fun and adventure, or a quiet, relaxing and rejuvenating vacation? Or a little bit of both? Once you’ve narrowed down your destinations, find out what activities are available to you there.
When I should start planning?
The Honeymoon Guide provides an excellent timeline for planning your honeymoon. This timeline should be incorporated with your wedding planning timeline. http://www.bridalguide.com/honeymoon-travel/honeymoon-countdown-calendar/
What is a Honeymoon Registry?
TheHoneymoon.com says that a honeymoon registry is “a wedding registry for your honeymoon” and “has become the registry of choice for couples that have enough household ‘stuff’”. This company offers a fully automated honeymoon registry online for guests to easily give toward your dream vacation. Check out their website at http://www.thehoneymoon.com/info/aboutregistries
Practical Tips
• Decide on a honeymoon budget. This should be incorporated into your overall wedding budget.
• If you are traveling internationally and do not have a passport, work on getting it now! For details on how to apply for a passport, visit http://travel.state.gov/passport/passport_1738.html
• Consider purchasing travel insurance. Packages can cover such things as trip cancellation and baggage delay. Just like wedding insurance, travel insurance can give you peace of mind and protect you from the unexpected.
• If you plan to use frequent flyer miles for your travel, start planning early. Be mindful of any blackout dates that may apply.
• Use a reputable travel agency to plan your honeymoon. Travel agents that specialize in honeymoons are the best, as they have built relationships with resorts and destinations, and can sometimes offer you special tips and even nice extras (such as champagne in your room upon arrival or breakfast in bed your first morning there).
Putting thought and effort into your honeymoon will make all the difference in the world, and will help make this the trip of a lifetime! Happy planning!!
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
The Value of Pre-Marital Education: Why It Should Be a Prerequisite of Marriage!
In the hustle and bustle of wedding planning, sometimes we forget to focus on the fact that after the wedding there’s a MARRIAGE! Once you return from your honeymoon, your life will settle into its normal routine, and each couple has to deal with the day-to-day affairs and concerns of everyday life. So how do couples handle all of the varied issues that may arise?
Premarital education is an excellent way to discover tools and techniques that can assist you, as a couple, to navigate the sea of marriage. Maybe you’d like to communicate better than you do now? Or maybe you fight too much? The time for you to face these issues is now—not later in divorce court. If you can spend months to plan a wedding, then you can make the time and put a little effort into planning your marriage.
To further the case about the value of premarital education, take a look at this statistic posted at http://www.articlesbase.com/ (February 2009) entitled, Why You Need Premarital Counseling, “Recent studies have shown that good, premarital counseling can reduce the risk of divorce by up to 30%.” This is a significant statistic. It means that if you take the time and make the effort to participate in a good premarital educational program, you cut your chances of divorce by one-third. Who wouldn’t want to participate?
If you are getting married in a church or synagogue, your clergy may require that you complete premarital counseling .If you are interested in secular counseling, seek the help of a licensed marriage and/or family therapist to work with you.
Take note that some states offer discounts on marriage licenses for couples that complete premarital counseling. Check your individual state’s requirements for details.
I encourage all couples to make time for premarital counseling/education. It’s an investment that will pay off for years to come!
Premarital education is an excellent way to discover tools and techniques that can assist you, as a couple, to navigate the sea of marriage. Maybe you’d like to communicate better than you do now? Or maybe you fight too much? The time for you to face these issues is now—not later in divorce court. If you can spend months to plan a wedding, then you can make the time and put a little effort into planning your marriage.
To further the case about the value of premarital education, take a look at this statistic posted at http://www.articlesbase.com/ (February 2009) entitled, Why You Need Premarital Counseling, “Recent studies have shown that good, premarital counseling can reduce the risk of divorce by up to 30%.” This is a significant statistic. It means that if you take the time and make the effort to participate in a good premarital educational program, you cut your chances of divorce by one-third. Who wouldn’t want to participate?
If you are getting married in a church or synagogue, your clergy may require that you complete premarital counseling .If you are interested in secular counseling, seek the help of a licensed marriage and/or family therapist to work with you.
Take note that some states offer discounts on marriage licenses for couples that complete premarital counseling. Check your individual state’s requirements for details.
I encourage all couples to make time for premarital counseling/education. It’s an investment that will pay off for years to come!
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Great Article on MOB (Mother of the Bride)
I ran across a GREAT article for Mothers of the Bride. Thanks to Maureen of Lyssabeth's Wedding Officiants for sharing the article!
http://memorableceremonies.blogspot.com/2010/01/dozen-ways-to-be-best-mob-mother-of.html
http://memorableceremonies.blogspot.com/2010/01/dozen-ways-to-be-best-mob-mother-of.html
Friday, February 26, 2010
Wedding Insurance – Do I Really Need It?
As you begin planning your wedding day, the ‘what if’ questions will probably start coming to mind….What if a hurricane comes through my city on my wedding day? What if the bridal salon goes out of business after I’ve paid for my dress? What if my caterer is a no-show? Every bride hopes to not have to deal with these situations, but the fact of the matter is….things can happen! These ‘what ifs’ can cause anxiety and stress, but there is a solution to help you prepare for these possibilities! Wedding insurance policies are available to help plan for these and other unforeseen circumstances.
The concept of wedding insurance originated in London in 1988 and has been available in the United States since 1993. Wedding insurance is becoming increasingly more popular, particularly in light of businesses closing due to the economic downturn.
Policies can be purchased to cover such things as: refunding non-recoverable expenses if there is a last minute postponement, replacing damaged wedding gifts, recreating ruined wedding photos, or providing liability insurance if your venue requires it. In 2009, USA Today presented some interesting statistics on the most common causes of wedding insurance claims (statistics courtesy of The Travelers Companies). Forty-three percent of claims were due to problems with caterers, photographers or other vendors. And other claims were for such things as broken items and weather issues. Please click on the link below for more details on the report,.
http://www.pancommunications.com/_docs/32609USAToday.pdf
Wedding insurance, as with any other type of insurance, is an excellent way to protect the financial investment you’ve made in your wedding. Before making a decision on a policy, be sure to closely read and understand the limits of liability (those items that are not covered by your policy). You should be absolutely clear on what your policy covers. In addition, you should review your current insurance policies (your agent can assist with this) to make sure you are not buying duplicate coverage.
Check out the following links to learn more about wedding insurance coverage.
www.nasep.org
www.protectmywedding.com
www.weddinginsurance.com
Although you may never need it, wedding insurance is a smart move to prepare you for the unexpected!
The concept of wedding insurance originated in London in 1988 and has been available in the United States since 1993. Wedding insurance is becoming increasingly more popular, particularly in light of businesses closing due to the economic downturn.
Policies can be purchased to cover such things as: refunding non-recoverable expenses if there is a last minute postponement, replacing damaged wedding gifts, recreating ruined wedding photos, or providing liability insurance if your venue requires it. In 2009, USA Today presented some interesting statistics on the most common causes of wedding insurance claims (statistics courtesy of The Travelers Companies). Forty-three percent of claims were due to problems with caterers, photographers or other vendors. And other claims were for such things as broken items and weather issues. Please click on the link below for more details on the report,.
http://www.pancommunications.com/_docs/32609USAToday.pdf
Wedding insurance, as with any other type of insurance, is an excellent way to protect the financial investment you’ve made in your wedding. Before making a decision on a policy, be sure to closely read and understand the limits of liability (those items that are not covered by your policy). You should be absolutely clear on what your policy covers. In addition, you should review your current insurance policies (your agent can assist with this) to make sure you are not buying duplicate coverage.
Check out the following links to learn more about wedding insurance coverage.
www.nasep.org
www.protectmywedding.com
www.weddinginsurance.com
Although you may never need it, wedding insurance is a smart move to prepare you for the unexpected!
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Wedding Cakes 101: Getting Started
I’ve written this article to help brides to start thinking about their wedding cakes. It’s more than just dessert…it’s an integral part of a wedding!
Why Wedding Cakes Are Important
The wedding cake or bridal cake should be the centerpiece of your reception! It should be displayed where everyone can see it, but out of the way of foot traffic. The cake table is an excellent location for photo ops (and not just for the cake cutting part of the reception), so where the cake is displayed becomes important. It also serves as dessert for your guests, so you want it to be delicious and memorable (there’s nothing worse than guests being served a mediocre dessert after having enjoyed a fabulous meal)!
How To Decide on a Wedding Cake
You should start shopping for your cake about 4 months before your wedding, keeping in mind that very reputable bakers and designers may be booked a year in advance. You should plan your cake around the décor and set up of your wedding reception venue. If your venue has high ceilings, you should consider a taller cake. You should also consider the colors of the venue, so that your cake colors can coordinate.
The cost of the cake is based on several factors, including: number of guests; number of tiers and layers; level of detail in the decoration; and types of flavors, filling and icing you desire. An intricately designed cake will be more expensive than a simpler one, and specialized cake flavors will also increase the overall price.
Standard vs. Specialty Flavors and Fillings
Bakeries offer a range of flavors for the cake and filling. Some standard cake flavors may include vanilla, lemon, chocolate, almond and coconut, while some specialty flavors may include red velvet, banana nut, and carrot cake. Fillings can range from lemon mousse and chocolate cream to white chocolate mousse and cream cheese. Bakeries specializing in wedding cakes should be able to customize flavors to suit your tastes!
Buttercream vs Fondant Icing
Buttercream icing is very rich in flavor. It is a smooth, creamy icing that is typically used for decorating. Fondant is a smooth, malleable icing that dries hard. It gives the cake a very smooth and professional finish and helps keep the cake moist longer. Fondant is also used to make detailed cake decoration, such as flowers and bows.
When considering the type of icing, consider where your reception will be held. If you are having an outdoor reception and it’s the middle of summer, a cake with buttercream icing will not hold up as nicely as one with fondant.
Educate Yourself
There are several excellent websites that can help you learn more about wedding cakes. One of my favorites is http://www.weddingchannel.com, where articles focus on glossaries of terms, hiring a cake designer, using flowers to decorate your cake, and many other topics. This site was extremely helpful to me when I planned my own wedding!
Happy Cake Shopping!
Why Wedding Cakes Are Important
The wedding cake or bridal cake should be the centerpiece of your reception! It should be displayed where everyone can see it, but out of the way of foot traffic. The cake table is an excellent location for photo ops (and not just for the cake cutting part of the reception), so where the cake is displayed becomes important. It also serves as dessert for your guests, so you want it to be delicious and memorable (there’s nothing worse than guests being served a mediocre dessert after having enjoyed a fabulous meal)!
How To Decide on a Wedding Cake
You should start shopping for your cake about 4 months before your wedding, keeping in mind that very reputable bakers and designers may be booked a year in advance. You should plan your cake around the décor and set up of your wedding reception venue. If your venue has high ceilings, you should consider a taller cake. You should also consider the colors of the venue, so that your cake colors can coordinate.
The cost of the cake is based on several factors, including: number of guests; number of tiers and layers; level of detail in the decoration; and types of flavors, filling and icing you desire. An intricately designed cake will be more expensive than a simpler one, and specialized cake flavors will also increase the overall price.
Standard vs. Specialty Flavors and Fillings
Bakeries offer a range of flavors for the cake and filling. Some standard cake flavors may include vanilla, lemon, chocolate, almond and coconut, while some specialty flavors may include red velvet, banana nut, and carrot cake. Fillings can range from lemon mousse and chocolate cream to white chocolate mousse and cream cheese. Bakeries specializing in wedding cakes should be able to customize flavors to suit your tastes!
Buttercream vs Fondant Icing
Buttercream icing is very rich in flavor. It is a smooth, creamy icing that is typically used for decorating. Fondant is a smooth, malleable icing that dries hard. It gives the cake a very smooth and professional finish and helps keep the cake moist longer. Fondant is also used to make detailed cake decoration, such as flowers and bows.
When considering the type of icing, consider where your reception will be held. If you are having an outdoor reception and it’s the middle of summer, a cake with buttercream icing will not hold up as nicely as one with fondant.
Educate Yourself
There are several excellent websites that can help you learn more about wedding cakes. One of my favorites is http://www.weddingchannel.com, where articles focus on glossaries of terms, hiring a cake designer, using flowers to decorate your cake, and many other topics. This site was extremely helpful to me when I planned my own wedding!
Happy Cake Shopping!
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