Wedding Planning 101: Create a Wedding Planner

Did your wonderful husband-to-be recently “pop the question” and now you are wondering what on earth you have gotten yourself into with trying to plan a wedding? Don’t panic! I was there once and I remember the first few weeks of having no idea what to do or where to start. Our wedding date was only five months away and I was completely clueless as to what type of ceremony I wanted, what colors I liked, who would officiate, where the wedding would take place, and on and on the endless unknowns went. There seemed to be an enormous amount of details to figure out, and time was running out.

Before you do anything, make up a “wedding planner.” This was literally the best thing I did and it saved me so much hassle and allowed me to have a beautiful, stress-free wedding day. There are all sorts of lovely pre-made wedding planners available, but I recommend you make your own. Get a 3-ring binder and notebook paper. Title a separate sheet of paper for each month until the wedding. For the last month, make a separate page for each week. For the last week, make a separate page for each day.

As you are thinking of the 1001 things which need to be done before the big day, instead of letting them overwhelm you, write it down in your wedding planner on the appropriate page when you would like to have that item figured out, done, or taken care of. Use these monthly, weekly, and daily lists to help keep you on track. As items are finished, cross them off your list. If something doesn't get done one month, move it to the next month.

In my wedding planner, I not only had a whole section with these lists, but I kept everything else needed for the big day. There was a section for receipts (I put some clear plastic pockets to hold these in), a section which listed everyone who was involved in the wedding (so no one would be overlooked on the program), and fabric swatches (so we could match the dresses, the flowers, and the decorations). Another section listed all the out-of-town guests, where they were staying, when they were coming in, and if they needed transportation. There was a section for wedding and shower gifts and wedding invitation cards and thank you cards which still needed to be written. As we met with various individuals (florists, wedding coordinator, and so on), I took notes and kept these notes in my wedding planner for future reference. There was also a section which listed all the contact information for the key people/businesses involved in our wedding (from cake decorator to officiator).

Your wedding planner will be different than mine, because no two weddings are the same. Customize your planner to fit your exact needs for your special day.

As you plan your wedding, make sure and take time to enjoy preparing and looking forward to it. Don’t get so caught up in all the details that you drive yourself and everyone around you crazy! In the end, everything will work out and it will be a beautiful day!

Crystal Paine is the owner of Covenant Wedding Source, LLC, an online retail bridal business specializing in custom-made gowns and other unique wedding products. She lives with her husband in Kansas. For more information on her business, visit her website: www.covenantweddingsource.com

How to Choose a Pearl Necklace for Your Wedding Day

The elegant beauty of a strand of pearls has fascinated brides for centuries. People believe that wearing pearls on their wedding day will bring bliss to their marriage.
Pearls are classic wedding jewelry. How do you choose that perfect pearl necklace?

Here are some tips:

There are four types of pearls:Akoya pearls, Tahitian pearls, SouthSea pearls, and freshwater pearls. Akoya, Tahitian and South Sea pearls grow in oceans. They are more valuable than freshwater pearls for their rarity and high luster.

Akoya pearls are the most popular. These pearls are valued for their rich color, mirror-like finish,and appealing roundness.

As with any other gemstones, the value of pearls is determined by their quality.

A pearl’s quality can be A, AA, AA+, AAA, AAA+. The last two, AAA and AAA+ pearls, have the best quality and they are most valuable. For pearls of the same size, an ‘A’ quality pearl necklace costs only a small fraction of AAA quality pearl necklace.

The quality and value of pearls are based upon six criteria: luster, nacre, surface, color, shape, size and matching. The educated buyer uses his or her preferences to decide which criteria are most important.

Nacre: Most buyers of pearl jewelry pay most attention to the pearls' nacre thickness. Nacre is the coating that a pearl oyster produces to cover the pearl’s nucleus; it is the key to how long pearls last. You should look for pearls with nacre thickness over 0.4mm.

Luster and Surface: Luster is the amount of light reflected from the pearl's surface. A strand of pearls with high luster, mirror finish and clean surfaces is most desirable and valuable.

Color: It is a personal choice. Consider buying a pearl necklace whose color will complement your clothing and your skin tone.

Size: The price of pearls that are larger than 7mm varies greatly. People usually buy the largest pearls they can afford.

Shape: Round pearls are most desirable and valuable.

Matching: For a pearl necklace or bracelet, matching refers to the ways in which all of the pearls are similar. It is difficult to find enough identical pearls to make a well-matched pearl necklace; therefore such a necklace commands a top price.

After you have decided the type, color, size and quality of pearls that you want, think about your budget. Take your time to shop around and find that perfect pearl necklace for your unique wedding day!

Provided by Premiumpearl.com.
About www.PremiumPearl.com:
PremiumPearl.com specializes in quality cultured pearl jewelry including pearl necklaces, pearl earrings, pearl bracelets and Tahitian pearl pendants.

Ten Ways to Have an Irish Wedding

Honor your Emerald Isle heritage with traditions that are romantic, clever, and a couple that are downright strange. Uncover here how to fill your wedding with all things Irish save the Blarney Stone.

Harvest Knots

According to history, Irish men declared their intentions of marriage by giving their fiancee harvest knots of straw decorated with flowers or bells to wear in their hair or around their neck. Make a harvest knot to wear on your wedding day, or place one in your bouquet to symbolize your Irish heritage.

Ceilidh

The steps of Irish folkdances are called ceilidh. Treat your attendants to an Irish dancing lesson, and then "perform" a jig to traditional Irish music at the reception.

Lace!

A way to incorporate Celtic pride into your wedding attire (besides hand-beading four leaf clovers all over your gown) is to adorn yourself with beautiful Irish lace. Known for its intricate patterns and zenith quality, wear a veil or carry a handkerchief made of this intricate Irish decoration.

Playin' o' the Pipes

Infuse your ceremony with the strains of the Irish pipes. Although bagpipes have Celtic roots, they are traditionally Scottish. For a truly Emerald Isle affair, locate an Irish uillean piper to lead the processional or recessional.

Irish Wedding Feast

The customary wedding feast in Ireland was a potluck hosted at the bride's family's home. Each guest brought traditional Irish dishes such as soda bread, coddle, and stew. Even if you're having a more formal reception, you can still celebrate this Irish tradition by having a "feast" for your bridal shower or rehearsal dinner.

The Wedding Cake

Old custom dictates that the Irish wedding cake (usually a dense fruit cake with white icing) was cut by one of the bride's sisters or bridesmaids. Where would they cut it? Over her head, of course. The bride remained seated while the groomsmen held the cake over her head while her sister or best friend did the honors. Our only concern: this tradition works best and safest when the cake is NOT a four-tiered confectionary concoction. Eeeek!

Noise Makers

A noisy way to ring in your nuptials with the luck o' the Irish is to have a recessional like those in Celtic history: instead of throwing rice upon exiting the church, men would fire rifles or other firearms into the air to signal that a couple is wed. Not your traditional exit (most churches would frown upon guns in the parking lot), if the men use blanks in their guns, and if you are getting married in an area without noise ordinances, then fire away, Irish style.

Giving the Claddagh

Two hands holding a heart underneath a crown is the Irish symbol for "Let Love and Friendship Reign". Share your Irish heritage with your attendants by giving them Celtic-inspired gifts marked with the claddagh. Give your maid of honor a candle gift engraved with the "faith ring", or jewelry made of claddagh. Buy claddagh wedding rings, or wear the Irish symbol around your neck on your wedding day as a reminder of your heritage.

Tokens of Hair

A more unusual Irish tradition is for the man to give the woman he loves a bracelet woven of human hair. Symbolic of acceptance, when the woman wears the circle of hair, she is linking herself to him for life. There's no mention of exactly who's hair it is, however, so if wearing hair jewelry gives you the heevies, see "Harvest Knots" for the same idea, using straw instead.

Lucky Dates

The traditionally superstitious Irish believed that the last day of the year is especially lucky, since the couple would wake up on the first day of their new life on the first day of the new year. Plan your wedding for December 31, the luckiest of Celtic days.

Jackie Duescher provides the customer service for Keepsake Favors as well as inspiration for many of the favor creations on the site. Jackie has a special knack for finding Irish themed favors for weddings other occasions, and she firmly believes that a favor doesn't have to be expensive to impress your guests.

Wedding Speeches Made Easy: Wedding Speech or Best Man's Speech Tips

Have you ever had to give a wedding speech? As the groom or best man?

Do you remember that feeling? A knot in the stomach, sweaty palms and a panic attack!

Not a very pleasant experience. And yet, I'm sure your wedding speech has the potential to be a great success because 90 % of a typical audience want the speaker to succeed.

Yet according to the Book of Lists, speaking in public is one of our greatest fears.

Much of this anxiety is due to a lack of confidence in writing and preparing a speech rather than in the delivery.

What are the secrets of giving a great wedding speech?

Here are 10 tips for giving a great wedding speech:

1. Have a plan and set some objectives & outcomes. There is nothing worse than not knowing what you want to achieve. Do you want to be funny, thank the caterers or touch the emotions of your guests? Before anything work out what you want to achieve.

2. Have a formal structure - beginning, middle and end. Audiences love structure and the best speeches stick to this tried and true rule. Have a welcome (especially acknowledging those who have travelled a long way to be at the wedding), have three personal stories (eg how you met your wife) in the middle and an end (eg thanking and toasting the bridesmaids).

For Example:

· Greeting/Welcome (acknowledge special guests)

· Personal Story #1 – how we met

· Personal Story #2 – most memorable moment together and why

· Personal Story #3 – funny habits and why I love her

· Something nice about the future

· Call to action: Toast Bridesmaids

3. Avoid having too much to say. Hands up those that are guilty of this sin. I know I am. Keep your speech short at a wedding, between 5 and 7 minutes.

4. Keep it Positive. Keep the content of your speech positive, avoid negative comments about previous wives or girlfriends or other ‘black sheep’ family members. Remember it is a celebration.

5. Research your speech using personal stories. Personal stories help connect with an audience. From your deep well of life reflect on three events that demonstrate how much your care for and love your wife.

6. Keep the personal stories short. Keep these very short and use them to demonstrate a point. Try and take people to that moment in time by describing the place, situation and even what time of day and what the weather was like. Paint the picture and take people back to that moment.

7. Have a strong opening and closing. People remember the opening - first impressions count! The closing is important as it should reinforce the key message you want the audience to go away with in their head after they have heard the presentation. Ending with a 'call to action' can be a powerful way to get your audience to act on your message. In the wedding speech the call to action is easy, ask people to stand, then charge their glasses and toast the bridesmaids.

8. Avoid alcohol until after the speech. You need to be on the ball. Save the celebrations until after your speech.

9. Keep eye contact and use simple notes. Use hand cards with key points. Avoid reading a speech and keep eye contact with your audience.

10.Practice and Rehearse. Practice the speech or at least get some feedback from someone you trust. Recording and listening back to a presentation is the fastest way to improve your skills.

Thomas Murrell, MBA is an international business speaker, marketing consultant and award-winning broadcaster. To receive your free online media, marketing and management newsletter Media Motivators sign up at http://www.8mmedia.com . Thomas can be contacted directly at (08) 9388 6888. Visit Tom’s blog at http://www.8mmedia.blogspot.com/

A Tale of Two Weddings

In the next six months, my son, daughter, and grandson are all getting married. Our family is spread across Ontario and the United States, so I'm thankful to be living in the computer generation. Wedding plans without the advantage of the Internet and email would be a long, difficult process.

To get my point across, let's visit the homes of Miss Modern and Miss Pre-Computer as they prepare for their special days:

Miss Modern has an idea of the venue she would like for her wedding and spends an evening researching on the Internet. She looks at pictures of different halls, along with prices, menus, and features included. After deciding on three possibilities, she emails to ask if they would be available on the wedding date. One hall is booked, so Miss M. and her fiance will go to see both halls and make a final decision. Communication and menu changes are done by email.

Miss M. designs a database for her guest list. Additions and changes are easily made. Invitations are created using special wedding software and elegant wedding invitations. Easy, attractive and inexpensive.

Again using the database and a signature font, Miss M. creates mailing labels (using transparent labels) for 200 people in less than an hour. To create personalized reply cards, she uses mail merge and the computer inserts names on each card.

A relative in another country would like photos of the couple for a special wedding gift. Using a digital camera, the photos are taken and emailed in plenty of time for the gift to be made.

There are constant questions from the guests about accommodation nearby, what is everyone wearing, what do the young couple need? Emails answer many of the questions and guests are given a website for the bridal registry. Items still needed are listed here, can be purchased without leaving home and will be delivered to the reception. This is a big help to people coming from a distance.

Miss Modern relaxes while she and her future husband look at honeymoon spots - on the Internet of course!

Miss Pre- Computer, on the other hand, has had a headache for days. Too many things to do and not enough time. After weekends spent looking at various halls, she and her fiance can't take it any longer and book the next one they visit.

The guest list has been typed out, but some important people were missed and there are duplicates on the list. Miss Pre-C is not a fast typist when she's stressed, so has to re-do the 200 guest list a number of times before it's right.

Her days are constantly interrupted by phone calls from guests with questions about the wedding. The long distance bill is growing every day.

A friend recommends a good printer for invitations, but he is out of town, and another search begins. The wedding invitations are beautiful, so Miss Pre-C begins addressing the 200 envelopes. Never praised for her handwriting, the last of the envelopes is barely readable. She decides to try again tomorrow.

Relatives need pictures of the couple for a special gift. The photos are mailed and after frantic calls to the post office, are finally delivered, too late to use.

More long distance calls so gifts aren't duplicated.

A frantic call from Gramma at the border. Customs officials are questioning her and are taking apart the gifts. Through her tears, Gramma explains that the 50 items had been individually wrapped.

Miss Pre-C takes a deep breath and considers eloping.

P.S. If you still need convincing, my son met his future bride on the Internet!

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