Gina and David (not their real names) had a traditional Catholic wedding. That was important to them. But they also wanted a way to create a memorable wedding celebration.

They succeeded - big time.

You see, I was a guest in that wedding. I sat in the congregation and watched all of the pageantry of their tradition with the interest of a friend to whom their tradition meant little.

To this day I remember very little of the traditional part of their ceremony. I could not tell you what the priest looked like or what he wore. I do not know if the church was full or empty. I do not remember the wedding favors or the wedding cake topper. I remember a beautiful dress on a gorgeous bride standing next to her tall, dark, husband-to-be in his tuxedo as essentially the same nuptial ceremony I had seen in every wedding droned on.

I do remember, though, this one thing they did to set their wedding apart from every other wedding: They had taken the time to put together a slide show and narrative of their own personal love story which ended as David sang a song that he had written for the occasion.

That slide show, complete with music that was meaningful to them, did more to draw me into the moment than anything else at that wedding. It drew the congregation in and allowed the couple to savor the moment.

When I think back on that day several years ago, I think first of the bride and groom standing in the front of the church with pictures they chose to share with their friends and family on that day projected on the screen behind them. Some of the pictures were hilarious. Some were tender, but they all shared a little more of the couple than any of us beyond the family had known before.

You don’t have to use a slide show to accomplish this same objective at your wedding.

In my own wedding, my sister wrote a story about the development of our relationship which was read at our reception - but she wrote it in the vein of the old ways of our own family traditions, as if it had been written a hundred or more years ago. It was hilarious, and it has spawned many more similar events.

Consider your situation. Is there some way that you can share the story of your romance that will draw your friends and family into the story?

Perhaps for you it’s making a U-tube style video to play at your wedding.

If one of you is an accomplished musician you could write and perform a special song for your wedding ceremony and / or reception just as David did.

Maybe you have some talented friends you want to engage to put together a sketch to entertain your wedding guests and share your story at the same time.

Maybe you want to hire a minstrel to write a witty song about your story and entertain your guests at the reception.

Maybe you have an even more creative idea to personalize your wedding…

The possibilities are really only as limited as your imagination and the dividends in creating a memorable wedding celebration can be great.

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Wedding Planning should be one of the most enjoyable “works” in your life. However, many couples find that it can also be the most stressful job they have even been encountered. In fact there are a lot of tips on what you should consider when you are planning your wedding. You can just find these tips in different wedding magazines. However, how should you start this planning work?

The first thing you need to do is to involve your fiance to plan the wedding with you. Most brides-to-be will have a perception that their fiances do not really want to be involved in this job. There are even tips to get your fiance involved in the wedding planning. However, most of the time this can be just because of different attitudes of the bride and the groom towards wedding.

I have a friend who is going to marry very soon. He once told me that it is not true that he does not want to be involved in wedding planning. It is just because he wants to plan it slowly, item by item and the bride thinks that he does not really care about the wedding.

You should always discuss with your fiance about your thought. As in the above example, the bride may even need to discuss with my friend about the pace of the wedding plan. Communication is always the best way to involve your fiance in the wedding planning.

After you have a mutually consensus with your fiance, you can start get into the planning stage. As what everyone will do, you should have a brainstorming with your fiance first. You should never put any of your personal preference in this stage since it may affect all your later decisions. You may want to take reference to the idea of six thinking hats by Edward de Bono so that you can make the decision making process smoother.

After the brainstorming, you should have a list of different options for your wedding. You will have different options for your wedding theme, wedding day etc. At this stage, you need to check if your checklist misses any important item. You may take reference to different wedding magazines in order to check your checklist.

When you are sure that your checklist does not miss anything, you can start discussing with your fiance of these options and spot out the options that both of you will prefer. Of course there may be different thoughts between you and your fiance. You may want a beach wedding while he may prefer a winter wedding theme. Again, the key here is discussion and communication so that you can make a proposal on the plan that both of you will agree with.

After you make your initial decisions you can start sourcing for different wedding vendors that may help for your wedding. You will need to adjust your plan from time to time. You should always discuss with your fiance for any adjustment. With all these in mind, you will probably find the wedding planning less stressful and at the same time more enjoyable.

Brides and grooms have a lot of difficult decisions to make. Where should we get married, what colors will we choose, who will be the best man? It’s no wonder that so many couples leave the honeymoon planning until the last minute. And the later you decide, the more expensive it will be. Plus, most couples don’t realize the number of decisions they have to make in regard to their honeymoon vacation. Where would you like to go, how soon after the wedding do you want to leave, and what kind of vacation do you want are all important questions to seriously ask yourselves before you move forward in the booking. Here are some helpful tips to make it easier on you and your travel agent!

His and Her Expectations

The two of you need to sit down and have an honest discussion about what each of you expect in your honeymoon vacation package. Maybe she thinks of the ultimate in classic romance, and wants to stay in a luxurious European villa so that the two of you can explore the art of the Renaissance. Perhaps he wants to laze on the beach all day and become active in the Cancun nightlife. These are two unique flavors, and if you do not compromise, then you will both be unhappy. If you can get to this point and don’t know what honeymoon destination will meet both of your requirements, call a travel agent for suggestions. Before you call, you should also have a budget of how much you want to spend!

How Far?

Once you know what each of you want in your honeymoon vacation package, and you have a budget, you need to think of how far you want to go? Are you both willing to travel by plane, and what is the longest time you wish to spend in the air? If you are seasoned travelers, don’t hesitate to be flexible with travel time. Chances are, you both know that the best destinations take a little bit longer to get to. If you are not big travelers, then a six to eight hour flight is probably what would be best.

What Kind of Honeymoon?

There are a number of different kinds of honeymoon to consider, and there are a number of factors to decide in choosing. The most common type of honeymoon package is a hotel, air and car package. This is perfect for seasoned travelers who do not need the benefit of a tour guide, or for honeymooners who just want to relax and not do too much sight seeing. When you book your hotel, air and car package together, you will get the best deals, so its best to call your local travel agents for the best package. For those honeymoon couples looking for a lot of sightseeing and are not comfortable with being left to their own devices, consider a tour package. True, you will be with a group, but there are a number of tours that are structured to have lots of private time and limit the time spent with the group. You could also consider a cruise. This is great for couples who want a little bit of both worlds. You can stay on the boat and relax, or add guided shore excursions for those interested in sight seeing. You can also leave the ship and explore on your own. In addition, all your food is included, making the price of a cruise more inclusive than a tour of a hotel/air package. All inclusive resorts offer a similar experience for those who are not interested in staying on a cruise boat!

Once you and your intended have discussed these major points, you can move on seeking a travel agent’s advice. To check prices, you should have tentative travel dates and a budget. Your travel agent should be able to fill in the blanks. Your travel agent is really your best resource! With so much work to do, let an experienced travel professional help out with your honeymoon arrangements. But it is important to know the answer to these questions to get the honeymoon package of your dreams!

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It is certain that you will have some kind of decorations for your wedding venue. In fact the wedding decorations can cost you quite a large amount of money. You may want to have your decorations done in budget. The following are some tips for you to achieve this goal.

First of all you need to make a checklist of all the items for your wedding decorations. Then you should decide which of them are the essential items. This is very important since from this checklist you will have a rough idea how much you need to do and how much money you will probably spend. For example, you will certainly have centerpieces for the tables. They are something so essential that you cannot have your decorations done without them. On the contrary, you may try to eliminate minor items so the you can cut your cost.

After you have your checklist, you should now try to think of different ways of saving money on each of the essential items. DIY is always the best way of saving money. In fact this is also true for your wedding invitation and wedding favors. And for your wedding decoration, it is especially true for the centerpieces. You will have a centerpiece for each table and this will certainly cost something. By choosing cheaper materials you can save a considerable amount of money on the centerpieces.

Besides, you will probably need to get some flowers for your wedding venue. Using artificial flowers will save you a lot. You may think that fresh flowers deliver a quality that artificial flowers cannot be replaced with. This is always true that fresh flowers should be a lot better than artificial flowers. However, there is a trade-off between the budget and the flowers. I will still suggest you to use artificial flowers if you are determined to save money.

You may also collected some unused materials for your decorations. Empty bottles can be a brilliant idea. You can use empty bottles to make a wedding sculpture yourself. This on one hand can help you to save money. On the other hand it should be very impressive to your guests since it is an art piece created by you. It will be even more interesting and romantic if you and your fiance work on this sculpture together. It can be sure that the process will be as romantic as the moment when you two cut the wedding cake.

Apart from the items for decorations, you can also save money on the actual decoration work. Again, DIY is the best way in order to save money. You may want to use petals to create a heart shape on the floor of the wedding venue. A wedding decoration company will certainly charge you some money for this job. You may also ask your friends to help in this case. Since it is your wedding they should be more than happy to help you. And of course you will also need to do other decoration work yourself such as putting the centerpieces on each table.

After you decided to get married, a lot of decisions have to be made. You have to choose a wedding date and a perfect wedding venue. You have to find a suitable wedding photographer who delivers high quality wedding photos. You have to find a beautiful gown. One of these decisions is to choose your wedding invitations.

Every couple would like to make their wedding cards as special as possible. There are quite a number of print shops or web sites that offer personalized wedding card designs. However, couples may generally find it difficult to come up with a design cidea for their wedding cards.

If you try to search in Google, you can find tons of tips and ideas on designing special wedding invitations. However, some of these tips can be too general that it can help you to design a special and elegant card but not a highly personalized card. In this article, I will stick to the notion of personalization. You can try to start thinking about your invitations by considering the following ideas.

Place you first met

The very first thing you can think of in order to generate you wedding invitation design concept is the place you met your partner at the first time. For example, if you two met in China during, you can go for a design with Chinese style. You can put elements such as a dragon on your wedding card.

If you two met in Japan at the first time, you can even think of putting a few Japanese words on your card. If you can visit the place you first met again and take a photo there, you can then put this photo onto your wedding invitation. The design will be working very well.

Your occupation

You can also try to get a design concept from the occupations of you and your partner. You can design a wedding invitation in the form of a t-shirt if you are a fashion designer. If your occupation is related to buildings, an structural engineer for example, you can make your wedding card with architectural drawings on it. You can also think of making your wedding invitation by using steel, if you are “crazy” enough.

The only drawback of such designs is that it will not be something formal. And it may not suit you if you consider etiquette something very important and want to make the wedding more formal.

Your hobbies

You may also design your card from your hobbies. You can draw portraits of you and your partner if you love drawing very much. It will be something highly personalized and certainly very unique because it is your drawing.

If both of you and your partner like surfing, you can start the design by considering the sea. Will your wedding invitation be a glass bottle with some water in it? From this you may even think that you can have a beach wedding so that the wedding theme is also reflecting your hobby.

Giving wedding favors to your guests at your wedding is a wonderful way that you can thank them for taking the time to attend your wedding. While you do not have to spend a huge amount of money on wedding favors, you definitely want to give your guests something that they will enjoy and not something that will just be thrown or packed away. Now days, many couples are beginning to go with a variety of unique wedding favors that stand out from the rest. If you want to pick out favors that are unique and that will definitely be a hit with your guests, you may want to consider picture frames, plants, or even charitable donations.

Picture Frames

A great choice when it comes to wedding favors is picture frames. Now, you probably do not just want to give each of your guests an empty picture frame, but you can make the gift unique by placing a picture of you and your new spouse in the frame. This will provide your wedding guests with a picture to keep of you and the groom so they can remember your nuptials for years to come.

Plants

Plants are becoming more and more popular as a unique type of wedding favor as well. Some types of favors, such as edible ones, do not last very long but if you give your guests a small potted plant they may be able to have it for years. This is also a great choice for the bride and groom that is concerned about the environment as well.

Charitable Donations

Some couples are beginning to give charitable donations on behalf of their guests instead of giving out actual wedding favors. This is a great choice for a couple that loves to help others, and many people will appreciate the gesture. Why spend money on a gift that may not be appreciated or used when you can give a donation to a great charity. If you do decide to go this route, do make sure that the charity of choice is a legitimate one.

While there are many choices of wedding favors to choose from, why not pick something unique for your wedding. Make your wedding stand out to your guests and provide them with unique wedding favors they are sure to remember.

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Your wedding reception is to be a great time filled with fun. One of the important parts of the reception is having good music too. The music you choose for the wedding reception is very important, and it will set the mood for the entire party. Make sure that you pick out the perfect music that will make your reception a party that everyone is sure to remember.

Your Very First Dance

One of the important music choices you are going to have to make for the wedding reception is the song for the very first dance. This will be your first dance as husband and wife, and you want to be sure that you pick a perfect one. The song for the first dance should be a slow ballad that you can slow dance to. You will probably want to pick out a song that has special meaning to both you and your groom. Then you can dance around the floor lost in each other’s eyes.

The Father/Daughter Dance

Another important dance at your nuptials is the father/daughter dance. You will want to pick the perfect song for this dance as well. Think about the relationship that you have with your father and try to find a song that puts that relationship and love into words. There are many great choices out there to choose from, so pick the one that best fits your relationship.

Cake Cutting Music

More than likely you will also want some music to be playing while you are cutting your wedding cake with your groom. This can be a more upbeat type of song, and while there are some traditional songs that are played during this time, you do not have to be held to tradition. Pick something fun that you can enjoy while you are cutting the cake together.

Dancing Music

Once the sentimental dances are over, you are going to need some party dance music. Now you can all start having some fun, so pick out some upbeat dance music that will really get the party started.

Remember, your wedding reception is really a huge party, and you want to have great music that will make the party a great one. Take a bit of time and carefully consider your music so that everyone will have a rockin’ time at your reception.

Have you ever thrown a party for someone? If you have, then you know how difficult it can be to choose the right date, find the best location, decide on the right decorations, pick the perfect refreshments, etc. In fact, without planning organization and a checklist, a party can fall apart quite quickly.

A wedding is the biggest party you will probably ever throw in your life.

So it’s time to set your wedding planning checklist and you get your wedding arranged so your special day will be just as you have always imagined.

In order to ensure that your wedding plans come together seemingly, I would like to share with you my top 7 reasons why it is crucial to have a wedding planning checklist.

1. You Must Get Organized - Organization allows you to decide what you need so you don’t end up spending money for things that won’t be necessary to the wedding. Organization allows you to plan out everything to the last detail so there is less chance that something will go wrong. Organization allows you to plan your wedding with as little stress as possible because you know what needs to be done by when, so there should be minimal last minute running around to tie up loose ends.

2. Do Your Homework - From the moment you get engaged, you should start researching the type of wedding you want.

3. Set A Date and Time - While this may seem obvious, it sometimes gets left out in all the excitement. Many people don’t realize how crucial this decision is to your wedding planning checklist. Not only does the date dictate how long you have to prepare, it will also effect the type of dress you purchase, the location of your ceremony and reception, and what type of flowers you will use and more.

4. Set Your Budget - Now that you know how long you have to plan, you can make decisions on how much money you are going to spend. Setting a budget is important. Your wedding should be a happy occasion, but it should not start your marriage in debt or cause your family to mortgage their home.

5. Pick Themes - Determine the look you want to achieve with your wedding. To do this you need to pick your theme. The theme should relate to your personality, which traits define who you are. Think about the type of wedding you have always imagined having.

6. Select Your Bridal Party - Once you know when you are getting married and how much you are going to spend, you can then decide who else will be sharing your special day with you as part of the bridal party.

7. The Guest List - Agree on a number of guests that you think is suitable. Start of by writing a list that includes everyone you both want to invite and then narrow it down by removing guests, especially the ones that you haven’t had contact with for years. Remember not all guests will be able to attend so a good idea is to invite 10 percent more and you should end up with the correct amount of guests attending.

These are my Top 7 Reasons On Why You Need A Wedding Planning Checklist and always remember, to achieve your “Fairytale Wedding”, all that is needed is commitment and the right planning.

Good Luck and best wishes on your Wedding Day and for all the days thereafter.