Wedding Planning

Is it really worth paying for a pro video for your wedding when friends or family can tape it with their camcorders? Absolutely! Even with access to today’s high-end camcorders, your friends and family are extremely unlikely to have the professional quality equipment of a professional videographer, not to mention his or her extensive training and experience. Professionals do this type of work on a full-time basis and are experts at taking into account subtle but extremely important items like camera angles, sound quality and lighting, in addition to content. Multiple cameras are also often used to capture all the angles of a wedding. However, the most important factor may be the professional, state-of-the-art editing techniques and equipment used to create a truly professional presentation.

So once you’ve decided to use a pro, how do you select the right one? After all, aren’t all wedding videos the same? Actually, no. It turns out that there are many different styles, both in use of the camera and also with regard to editing. You will need to make your selection based on their work, client references and their own unique style. Don’t let your choice be driven by price alone. Make it a point to meet with the videographer and discuss what your needs are.

Make certain to ask the videographer to see a demo video from a prior event. Many times you will be able to view demos on the provider’s website, like this sample wedding video page which I found on the website of Houston wedding videographer TLC Productions. In addition to style, also look for the overall professionalism and video quality. These are the essential qualities when hiring the videographer who will be preserving forever those once in a lifetime moments! It may seem like a fair amount of expense at first blush, but if you get the right one, I’m certain you will be very happy with the decision for years to come!

Many brides are choosing to get married in the fall instead of the peak of the wedding season in the summer months. Why? It is easier to get the church or hall that you want. It usually is nice during the day and much cooler than summer months and the beautiful fall colors are brilliant decorations provided by Mother Nature.

Getting your creativity flowing from the gorgeous and rich fall colors is a great place to start. The fall leaves turn all shades of red, orange and yellow which are perfect colors to decorate your wedding with starting at the church. Instead of the typical church pew bows, choose grape vine wreaths or other wreath base and decorate it with fall leaves, fall produce such as grapes or pears and add matching ribbon as the finishing touch.

Moving onto the reception, continue the theme you started in the church. Add fall silk leaves to the tiers on your wedding cake. Select table linens in rich fall colors and textures. Add matching seasonal napkins and at each place setting provide a fall party favor such as fall leaf guest soaps, fall leave place card holder that will double as a photo frame or personalized fall wedding favors such as cappuccino or chocolate personalized with fall leaves and names.

Gorgeous pillar candles surrounded by fall leaves, fall flowers such as mums and sunflowers accented by ribbons in matching colors make a stunning centerpiece at each table. This is also the perfect time of year for a new favorite chocolate brown color. Chocolate brown has become the new wedding neutral and looks fantastic when paired with pink or turquoise blue. Use brown table linens but consider selecting the napkins in a brilliant contrasting color.

For a personalized touch, add sugar cookies or chocolates in fall leaf shapes at each place setting. This touch along with a wow wedding favor will make your fall wedding memorable. BuyWeddingFavorsOnline.com carries an extensive selection of unique wedding favors and decorations for all themes and events.

If you’re looking honeymoon ideas, perhaps you should think about visiting San Francisco, California. This great city offers a little something for everyone in addition to some very romantic destinations. There have even been songs about how romantic San Francisco is. Tony Bennett left his heart there if memory serves me correctly and who could resist a view of the Golden Gate Bridge when there’s a full moon?

San Francisco has been designated one of the most romantic cities in America so don’t you think it’s time your found out why? It could have something to do with the climate, the beautiful Golden Gate Bridge, the many beaches around that are great for talking long walks at sunset or the many parks in the area where romantic couples can walk together, hike, bike, and simply enjoy being together. In addition to activities such as this, there are other ways in which to enjoy the great outdoors of San Francisco as a couple. You could take a sunset cruise in the San Francisco bay is you want to make a very romantic night of it.

If you want to have a truly romantic experience you could schedule a couples massage at one of the many day spas in the area. This is an experience that neither of you would be likely to forget anytime soon.

Another romantic thing to do while vacationing in San Francisco is to tour the various vineyards in the area. While San Francisco is not literally part of wine country, it is only a stone’s throw away from some of the most famous vineyards in America. Check with the wineries you want to visit ahead of time, as some require appointments for tours. Rest assured that visiting the beautiful countryside and enjoying the tasting of various wines will make for quite the romantic outing. Be sure to taste responsibly.

Still need some romantic activities? Try a picnic in Golden Gate Park. After your picnic, perhaps you can rent a rowboat and take a trip around the lake or bicycles. Use your imagination and let your sense of romance rule the day. Walk into a flower shop and buy every daisy in the store (that may be a little dramatic, but you get the picture). The most romantic things that have ever happened in my life, were not planned, they were spur of the moment gestures that touched me far more than any contrived venture ever could.

Take your loved one to the Equinox, which is a revolving restaurant and bar at the top of the Hyatt Regency Hotel. While the dining experience can be pricey, the spectacular view will take some of the sting out of the meal. Besides is there really a price that is too high to pay for romance?

If either of you have the slightest interest in art, San Francisco is full of museums and galleries that should appeal to your artistic nature and provide plenty of topics for discussion. Even if you aren’t a fan of traditional art, you may actually surprise yourself by liking the art you find in this diverse city.

Any trip to San Francisco would have to be determined to be a romantic dud if it didn’t include a trip to either Fisherman’s Wharf, China Town, or Little Italy. These areas provide great food, beautiful and interesting sites, as well as a taste of cultural diversity that is hard to find in this day and age. It would be like traveling to New Orleans and not visiting the French Quarter. I whole-heartedly recommend devoting one entire day of your trip to one of these places if not each of them. Fisherman’s Wharf is by far my favorite to visit for the sights and sounds, but both China Town and Little Italy have great things to offer as well. Plus, the food is too good to pass on without at least giving it serious thought.

Romance is a state of mind; it’s just much easier to get to that mental place in a city like San Francisco. Take a trip with your beloved and see what all the fuss is about.

Before you finalize your choice of MC for your wedding reception be sure to check out these articles
Wedding mc
How to mc a wedding
Wedding emcee

Writing your own wedding vows can become a terribly difficult task. You want to express your inner most feelings and the overwhelming love you have for your soul mate, all while trying not to embarrass yourself or say the wrong things. You may have even been forced into writing your own vows by your fiancé and may find it hard to convey your emotions verbally. Here are some useful tips that will hopefully make your vow writing experience less stressful and more in tune with what your heart feels.

First of all, it is important to know if your officiant will be willing to do personalized vows. Some religious practices will require you to recite certain parts of a traditional vow. Also the officiant will want to review your vows in advance. In general, it is up to your officiant to determine whether or not personalized vows are going to be acceptable. You should also know get on the same page as your fiancé in terms of how you want to go about reciting your wedding vows. Are your vows going to be kept secret from one another until the day of the ceremony or are you going to share your vows with one another and maybe even rehears them. You may even want to write your vows together to save yourself from any potentially awkward surprises.

Just like writing a high school essay, you want to start with an outline to help structure your vow. After you have completed making a rough outline of your vow, you want to find what kind of overall tone you would like to use throughout your vow. You can use a traditional poetic and mushy tone or if it fits your personality, go for a more humorous tone in your vows. The length of your vow should also be around a minute to help keep your guest from falling asleep.

Start from the beginning and describe what you felt when you two first met. Think about the time you fell and love and the feelings you had at that time. Another thing you can incorporate in your vows are describing the differences of the time before the two of you met to now and how your life has changed, hopefully for the better. Say what you expect out of the wedding and what you will do in order to make the marriage last and work for a lifetime. Just speak from you heart and your vows will turn out how you want them.

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Wedding cakes have been a part of weddings for just about as long as brides, grooms, and even wedding etiquette.  Did you know, for instance, that many hundreds of years ago, wedding guests each brought a small cake, which were stacked on the table in levels and layers.  This wasn’t just potluck dessert:  if the bride and groom were able to kiss over the top of the stack it was considered good luck.

Nowadays, it’s not unusual to find a second cake at a wedding reception: the groom’s cake.  The groom’s cake can serve many purposes, from dessert at the rehearsal dinner, to an alternative choice to the bride’s cake at the wedding. It’s customary for the groom’s cake to be displayed next to the bride’s cake, and later cut and put into boxes for guests to take home. Legend says that single women are supposed to sleep with a slice under their pillow the same night they receive it — and if they do, they will dream of their future husband. Boxed slices of groom’s cake can also serve as your wedding favors.  While etiquette doesn’t specify who may cut the groom’s cake, you and your groom may decide to honor the groom’s cake as they do the wedding cake, and cut the first piece together.
Don’t forget, there’s one time during wedding planning when you will have an abundance of volunteers offering to help make decisions:  cake-tasting time at the bakery.  Whether he likes chocolate, white, yellow, or red velvet cake for your wedding, your groom is almost guaranteed to be willing to go and have a taste of each choice that’s available.

Some couples ease smoothly into married life, while others stuggle with new issues of shared expenditures, living arrangements, and geographic issues. Remind yourselves why you got married in the first place.

Remember to laugh a lot.

Communicate often.

Cour each other again and again.

Say “I love you” or demonstrate your love daily.

Cherish each other.

Keep your sense of humor.

Don’t go to bed angry.

Try new things together.

Savor the passing moments.

Watch your wedding video whenever you need a glowing reminder of why you two got married in the first place.

You have survived one of the toughest, most emotional highs (or lows) of your relationship: getting married. Now enjoy building the future that lies ahead as husband and wife.

Send in all the necessary documents as soon as possible.

Make many photocopies of your marriage license so you can fax or mail your name change to the appropriate parties.

Notify all your credit card companies, your bank, the Social Security Administration, your health insurance provider, your alma mater, your employer, and any other necessary parties.

Obtain an extra original, notarized copy of your marriage license. It is easier to order an extra one now, when your original is being processed, than to reorder one later.

If you have children whose names will change as a result of your marriage, deal with this changeover promptly.

If you are opening or have opened a joint bank account with your husband, be sure the bank has your married names in its system so both of you will be able to access funds.

For fun, order new stationary with your married names on it and have things monogrammed such as sheets, towels, and robes to celebrate your new status as husband and wife.

Give gifts to your parents to thank them for their contributions to your wedding—whether fiscally, emotionally, or just generally.

Give a token of thanks as well as a nice note to anyone who organized a brunch, shower, bachelor or bachelorette party, or rehearsal dinner.

If the priest, caterer, florist, photographer, or musicians clearly exceeded your expectations or went beyond the call of duty at your wedding, consider sending them a token of thanks as well as a personal thank you note citing specific examples of how they assisted you.

Your hired help will be pleased to use your notes of thanks as references for future brides and grooms, so be sure to give credit where it is due.

Appropriate gifts, depending on what you want to spend, include a nice bottle of wine or champagne, a fruit basket, a ceramic or glass momento, a paperweight or piece of glass with your wedding date engraved or etched on it. A gift certificate, or flowers.

Inquire at bridal shops or wedding magazines about companies that specialize in invitation preservation. This is a wonderful souvenir that you two can give to each other to your parents as a thank you gift.

Hand-write thank you notes. Computer printing, emailing or calling will not suffice.

Have stationary printed with your new married names or, at a minimum, your and your husband’s first names. This is a very classy touch and your first opportunity to use your names together.

Try to hand-address your envelopes rather than use computer labels. It’s perfectly okay to order envelopes with preprinted return addresses, though, and you’ll save the time that you would have spent applying return address labels or writing the return addresses by hand.

Have a three-ring binder, index card, or computerized system in place where you keep a master list or each guest’s name, the gift you received from him or her, the date of receipt, and the date you wrote the thank you note for the gift.

Your gift record organizer will become and invaluable reference for your future gift giving, as well as a useful memory aid to help you personally acknowledge the gifts of guests you see in person after the wedding.

Don’t wait until after the wedding to write all the thank you notes. For gifts that arrive prior to the wedding, try to write notes before the big day.

Pace yourself when writing notes. Set a goal of ten notes per day or week depending on what you can handle, in order to preserve your sanity and keep the messages in your notes fresh. Don’t feel that you have to get through all of them in a few sittings.

Keep in mind that modern brides aren’t solely responsible for writing the thank you notes. Grooms should do their share, too.

At a minimum, if you write the majority of the thank you notes, assign your groom the tasks of licking and stamping envelopes, helping you come up with catchy thank you phrases, and mailing them (if you fully trust that he will!).

If there are certain guests that only one of you knows well (for instance, one of your bosses, a college roommate, or a childhood friend), that person should write the note.

For gifts that are solely monetary, it is nice to include in your thank you note what you plan to do with the money. For example, if you are putting it toward something big or using it to save for the future, indicate that in your note.

If a gift does not have a card attached, immediately contact the store where it was purchased (if that information is available.) They may have a record of the purchaser. If not, after you have recorded all of your other gifts and noted who gave them to you, see if you can figure out by process of elimination who gave you the mystery gift.

If you receive a gift and you are not certain of its use or even what it is, contact the store where it was purchased (if that is evident) to see if they can assist you.

If you aren’t able to determine what some gifts are, in your thank you notes, just thank the givers for their generous gifts, and use the remaining space to discuss the givers’ role in your wedding celebration—or, if they did not attend, cite some wedding highlights.

Etiquette states that guests have up to one year from the wedding date to purchase your gift. So don’t be surprised if gifts dribble in for months after your wedding.

Always write a thank you note for any gift received.

Any duplicate items you receive should be returned for a full refund or store credit immediately.

If you can get cash back for a gift, choose that option. Be sure to put the money into a bank account specifically designated for items you’ll need for your new life as husband and wife (unless, of course, you’ve both agreed to spend the money on tickets to an event or dinner out).

Check the store’s policy on spending unused credit. Some allow you only one year to spend it.

If your gift comes from a small boutique or non-chain store, in lieu of store credit, try to pick out an alternative gift in exchange. Smaller store may not stay in business forever, so it’s better to spend your credit on a gift now than to lost the credit later.

If your china, crystal, or silver registries have been completed, consider getting a few additional place settings to allow for future breakage, loss, or damage. For example, if you registered for twelve place settings of china, you may want to purchase two extra sets, since patterns can be discontinued and dishes may break through the years. You’ll keep yourself covered for a while by having some extra on reserve.

Just because you registered for something moths ago and received it as a wedding gift does not mean that you’ll necessarily like it today. Tastes and needs change. If you have doubts about something, by all means, return it and get something you really want.

Not that some gifts are not returnable. Artwork, special-order items, and personalized pieces are yours to keep.

If a gift is not your taste but the giver is special to you, tuck it away; if that guest ever comes to your home and expects to see it, pull it out of your closet to display.