ReeHart - Blogging from the Heart

Archive for the ‘Weddings’ Category

Why wear your ring on your left hand? Why something old, new, borrowed and blue? Wedding traditions from across the globe don’t make a whole lot of sense for the uninformed. Lucky for you, we’ve got a list of wedding traditions unveiled, so you can explain your less-knowledgeable aunt why people are throwing rice as you leave the church (or blowing bubbles, for those concerned about birds).

The ring finger: Engagement and wedding rings are typically worn on the left hand because that finger was once thought to contain the “vein of love,” a vein that led directly to the heart. But did you know that in some countries, such as Spain, Germany, Greece and Russia, couples wear their wedding rings on their right hand?

Something old: You know the saying. But what does it mean? Let’s break it down: In wearing something old, the bride symbols continuity from the past. Something new symbolizes the birth of the marriage.

A bride should wear something borrowed from a woman in a happy marriage in hopes that the happiness will rub off on her, and then something blue because it symbolizes purity, fidelity and love. In some countries, including England, a sixpence is stuck in the bride’s shoe because it is said to bring luck to the couple.

Throwing rice: Rice symbolizes wealth and fertility. By throwing it at the newly married, the guests are showing their hopes of an abundance of blessings. Most people blow bubbles these days as to not hurt any wild animals (and less cleanup).

Why light a candle? A unity candle is often lit by either the bride and the groom or two members from their family, symbolizing the joining of the two families as one. Sometimes couples choose to instead have a sand ceremony, where they pour two different vials of sand into one container.

Tie the knot? This strange synonym for getting married is derived from the cultures of the world, including Hindu and Egyptian, that literally tie the hands of the bride and groom together to symbolize the binding marriage.

In the days leading up to your wedding day, you, as the bride, had help from some of your closest friends in the world. These ladies are so close to you that you decided to ask to be your bridesmaids. One, probably the one other woman in the world you can honestly say that you love like a sister even though she isn’t related to you, you asked to be your maid of honor. All of these ladies deserve a special gift from you to thank them for the work they put in to make your big day be everything you ever dreamed of. Your maid of honor deserves a little something extra for the work she does behind the scenes that goes above and beyond.

Many of the same places that offer wedding favors offer gifts for the bridesmaids and maid of honor. This is true of both local bridal shops and online websites. You will probably find a much better selection at far better prices if you shop online. There are several reasons for this, including the fact that websites have less overhead, no space limitations for storage, and a lot more competition compared to the local boutique. Therefore, it just makes sense to shop for your bridesmaid/maid of honor gifts on the internet.

Many of the same places that offer wedding favors offer gifts for the bridesmaids and maid of honor. This is true of both local bridal shops and online websites. You will probably find a much better selection at far better prices if you shop online. There are several reasons for this, including the fact that websites have less overhead, no space limitations for storage, and a lot more competition compared to the local boutique. Therefore, it just makes sense to shop for your bridesmaid/maid of honor gifts on the internet.

Choosing the items to give is the fun part. You could give all of them the same gift, except the maid of honor who gets a little something extra. Or you could really shop around and find something that is just perfect for each individual lady. This is the approach I recommend 9 times out of 10. This way, you show each of these important ladies that you appreciate what she has done to help you by giving her something that she will use or enjoy knowing that you thought of just her when you bought it. This level of individualized gift shows more thought and caring on your part and shows your feeling toward each of these special friends. You may even choose to have the items personalized with the name or initials of the lady intended to receive them to add a special touch that adds the “very much” to “Thank you.”

Of course the maid of honor is special and should receive something a little different or slightly more expensive that the gifts chosen for the other ladies. This is in special recognition of all the little extras she does to make everything as nearly perfect for you as humanly possible.

Ever heard of a wedding fashion? Of course there is! Just like fashion accessories, dresses updates its yearly ins and outs, wedding trends also changes fashion. It will be good to know whats hot and new for this years wedding trends if youre planning to marry this year. A line-up might freshened your taste and give you a whole new lot of ideas in preparing your wedding day.

Beliefs and practices affects a wedding that is why lifestyle magazines, fashion designers and wedding reception planners merged to create a new and fashionable of getting married in style this 2009!

There are different beliefs and practices when it comes to planning for a wedding ceremony. Lifestyle magazines, fashion designers and even wedding reception experts and planners have fused their ideas together to come up with something new for 2009.

Wedding tokens

Gone were the bells and couple figurines as a gift to friends and guests. What 2009 got is a much advanced way of giving gifts, say a small pot of plant, or even a delicious dessert with a card bearing its recipe.

Brides and grooms have ventured to a much more artistic level and theres no stopping to what you may think of for the designs.

Receptions

Before, brides and grooms prefer a wedding ceremony held at the church but not this year! Although its good, couples may now choose other places to held their wedding day. From the beach to a garden wedding, it will be more practical though to held your reception at the same location to save time and money as well.

This year, environment is the most favored theme for wedding, since the materials used are eco-friendly, and is much romantic than any other else.

Internet is in!

Internet surfing is now widely-used and is one of sources regarding any information that is needed. Eventually, it is also a good provider of tips when planning for your wedding. Internet is handy and a fast way to get ideas so it is advisable to get used surfing the internet.

Above all of these trends and creativity, the styles are going on and on and you might want yourself to be updated every time. But dont let the whole thing get to you, for your touch and personal ideas might come very handy. More importantly, do not be afraid to try new things and experiment its your day youre celebrating.

A wedding is one of the most important milestones a woman will experience in her life. It’s not surprising then that every detail must be perfect. A lot of planning goes into choosing the right decorations, invitations, a beautiful cake, party favours for guests, fabulous floral arrangements, but perhaps most important of all?the wedding dress. Every bride fantasizes about a flowing, elegant white gown crafted from beautiful fabrics to make her look like a princess on her special day.

The tradition of the wedding gown as we now know it began in the Victorian Era when flowing, white silk wedding gowns were popular. Prior to this time, women’s bridal gowns were shorter in length and often included colors like black and red. But soon after Queen Victoria wed Albert of Saxe-Coburg in 1840, many women paid homage to the Queen by emulating the style of dress she had chosen.

Most people associate white wedding gowns with a symbolic meaning. Usually, these meanings involve purity or the beginning of a new life. But, this was not Queen Victoria’s intention when she chose to wear a white gown. She simply wanted to use a white lace in her wedding gown, and chose an all-white gown for personal style and preference. Regardless of the origin of the tradition, white wedding gowns have been worn for centuries. For most women, they are an important part of creating the perfect wedding.

By the early twentieth century, wedding gowns become more elaborate with beautiful embroidery and delicate lace to provide a timeless and classical look. Long trains and veils also became popular. At that time, the more elaborate the gown, the more it reflected the wealth and status of the bride.

Nowadays, wedding gowns are no longer a measure of a woman’s social status. Regardless of a bride’s budget, there are beautiful gowns in all prices ranges so that every woman can feel beautiful on her wedding day.

As time evolved, wedding dresses have modified. But still, more women prefer wearing gowns that were commonly used in the olden times. For them, nothing beats the elegance and natural beauty of a perfect long white gown that truly makes the most special day of their lives more memorable.

Are you in need of an extravagant look for your wedding day? Would you like to change your look from a short layered hairstyles to a long curly hairstyle. There is now a software that can help you preview your hairstyle way before your big day.

To make sure that your are satisfied with your look on your big day whether it is from a long hairstyle to a short hairstyle or from a curly hairstyle to a straight hairstyle, you can now get a preview of your new look.

The capability to view yourself comes in handy in special events like your wedding because you only have one time to get it right. The most important moments in your life should not be left to chance when it comes to your appearance.

Could you imagine not putting your best foot forward while celebrating your big moment? Anything that goes wrong during a wedding ceremony is never a good thing, but not being satisfied with your hairstyle could really impact your special day. In addition to making sure you look good, you can also preview the look of your bridesmaids.

The software is not hard to use. After you upload your picture, you will have a choice of several hairstyles that you may choose from. There are choices of prom hairstyles, wedding hairstyles, or even celebrity hairstyles, to name a few.

In addition to the many different styles available for women, the software is not limited to just women’s haircuts. There are also styles available for men and children, so you can upload photos of your kids to view them in different looks. This can really come in handy when preparing to take a family portrait or a theme picture.

There are two things that cannot be compromised when planning a special day like your wedding. These two items are your shoes and your hair. You can get a good idea of what you shoes will look like, but what about your hair. Since your hair is more visible than your shoes, this makes it priority number one.

The use of the hairstyle software will place more power in your hands while planning something as special as your wedding day. The more things you get right while preparing for your big event will help you to avoid any surprises.

Having second thoughts? Better to cut your losses and bail. Sounds like a simple rule, but it covers practically everything we do in our lives. Youre involved with someone. Things are going great until you find yourself questioning their marriage history. Do yourself a favor and get the truth before committing to anything. If thats the case then searching public marriage records is the answer. Dont be overawed, its a lot simpler than you might think and youll be saving yourself a lot of potential trouble and worries.

Marriages break down for many reasons: money troubles, age differences, work related issues. Any number of reasons really. At the end of the day its all about people and personalities. The trend however is people who fail in marriage the first time round are more likely to fail the second time. Getting involved with someone with that kind of history? Do yourself a favor and look into searching public marriage records.

From these public marriage records you can search all the details about your partners track record. Previous marriages, how long they were married for, who to, where they were married and the license number. Its not really surprising that public marriage records are the most searched public documents. The information can be accessed in a variety of ways, but online searches are becoming increasingly popular.

Public Marriage Records Online has a number of benefits when compared to on-site searches or even via mail. Searches are simple and quick with immediate results. Highly cost effective and confidential. Thats one of the big pluses of searching public marriage records online. Everything is done from the privacy of your own home.

Like so many things, the internet is a treasure trove of records to choose from. Searches can be paid or even free, depending on your own requirements and urgency. If youre not too short of time, a reasonable compilation of free public marriage records can be assembled from various free sources. For more urgent requirements, paid searches are the best way to go. There are several such service providers and the search results are with you in minutes. Highly professional service and accurate results.

You might have been through the process of planning the wedding and that you already made and printed out copies of wedding invitations. The question is how you will distribute it so that your friends would know that you are going to be married. Here are some tips that you can use to make your distribution of wedding invitations right and proper.

Tips for acceptable wedding invitation etiquette:

If the wedding ceremony will be held in a different place from the wedding reception, the wedding invitation should include another paper for the reception in case the place of reception will be held in a place where the securities are strict with guests. The details should also be correct and precise, especially the address, date of the wedding, and the exact time.

During the wedding planning process of writing out your wedding invitations you should save very casual names to friends and family that are very close to you. While you will be using their formal names on the outer envelope, using terms of endearment such as Grandpa and Grandma and Aunt Mary while filling out the inner envelope will show you how much they mean to you even while you are in the midst of planning a very formal event in your life.

Some guests are residing at places far from you. If you want to invite them, your budget for the mailing costs should also be considered. To save on postal charges, have your wedding invitations ready to be mailed approximately two months before the wedding day so you do not have to mail it on special or urgent delivery which usually charges thrice the amount of regular delivery. Mailing it in advance may give your guests a couple of time to prepare themselves to witness your special day.

If you are planning to hold a very formal, black tie event for your wedding you should place the term Black tie at the lower right hand corner of the invitation. This will let your guest know that they need to dress accordingly for the event. .

Things you should do and avoid doing sending out wedding invitations:

You should not simply address an envelope to Mr. and Mrs. Howard Anderson. You need to be sure that kids that are under 18 years old are listed on the invitation as and Family and that children that are 18 years and older are sent their own invitations.

Do not use nicknames on wedding invitations. You should be using a first and a last name. You should even avoid using middle names and initials as this is something that a lot of people want left off any invitations that sent to them.

Titles and names of the guests should not be abbreviated except for Mr., Mrs. and Dr. It would be informal to do abbreviations for their names and titles.

Even the dates, time of the ceremony, and the address of the wedding venue should also be written completely and clearly so the guests would be properly guided.

Do not write the word ‘and’ by using the & symbol.

Wedding invitations, whether your plan for your own wedding is unique or traditional, should always come out formal or proper so they would know that your wedding day is something very special to you. This is your way of telling your invited guests that you want them to witness your most memorable day.

The wedding cake is a staple in anyone’s wedding and is usually the center piece during the reception. It may almost be universally agreed upon that every couple’s cake is slightly different according to their particular taste.

When making cakes, colors, flavors, and size are always a little different per couple, and this also means that the wedding cake toppers for each cake will be a little different too. This might even be more important to the couple than the color of the cake.

Some people like to have the standard bride and groom wedding cake toppers on their cake. This is most common and most popular. These arent really standard any longer, as they come in different designs, and the people on this type of topper can be any color or nationality, which fits in better with the world that we live in today.

There are toppers that can fit different themed weddings or match the exact skin color of the bride and groom. There are many types of wedding toppers available to specific needs.

There are wedding toppers such as doves or bells that can symbolize a special significance of the married couple to be. The possibilities are practically endless when choosing a wedding cake topper.

Flowers are also popular, and many cakes are being decorated with real flowers, and the topper is made with real flowers as well.

The best thing about finding the wedding cake toppers that you might like is that there are hundreds of different ones, and the prices range from cheap to very expensive. There is something out there for everyone.

If you cant find what you want at your baker or in a local store, it is easy enough to find them online. The selection of wedding cake toppers that can be found online is much larger than any local selection, and if you cant find something online, you probably cant find it anywhere.

For many couples, the wedding is not over once the reception is. Depending on the location of the wedding and the couple’s relationship with their families, often there are other activities that follow the main event. One of the most obvious is a breakfast the day following the wedding. This is a time for everyone to touch base with each other, check in on how everyone did and perhaps share memories of the night before. This breakfast activity can be as simple or elaborate as you like. Some people like to have this breakfast at a relative’s house because that is friendly and familiar and more conducive to everyone hanging out and enjoying themselves.

Many families like to have the bride and groom open presents the day after the wedding. There are many who believe the bride and groom are required to open presents in the presence of family for good luck. In that case, building in the opening of presents is essential. This can be a simple gathering of friends and family or you can turn the present opening into an all-out activity, where each item is opened, demonstrated or displayed and discussed in great detail.

Opening gifts doesn’t have to a dry activity. You can add some silly fun. How about starting with the smallest and moving to the largest gifts? Or working in the reverse order? You might even create a game. Everyone has to guess what’s in each gift prior to its being opened. (Of course, people can’t guess on their on gifts.) Someone can be in charge of keeping a tally and whoever gets the most right, wins a small prize. The women in the bride’s family might want to help her pack up her gown (or send it to the dry cleaners) and preserve her wedding bouquet. This can easily be done at home and the women (particularly those who are crafty) might want to get started on preserving the flowers as well.

In the crafty light, some brides might want to plan a scrapbook party for after the wedding. You won’t have photos back from the photographer, but you can scrapbook many other wedding events, such as pre-events like manicures, various parties and the candid photos take by wedding guests the night before. More than being focused on the photos, this activity gives the women a chance to reflect on the events of the wedding, laugh at all the fun ties and journal and preserve memories before some are lost. It will also help the bride feel as if she’s partly in control of all those photos before she leaves on her honeymoon and takes yet more photos.

Choose a design long before the wedding, perhaps even making a prototype as well. Then have all the supplies on hand and give everyone good ideas about how the cards should be made. Even the men can get on this act, helping to fold the cards, perhaps handling any computer work and even getting their fingers on glue and scissors. Send the bride and groom off with these homemade cards so when they get back from their honeymoon, all they have to do is jot off a quick note.

Some brides and grooms plan activities the day fter the wedding that are designed to help everyone calm down, relax and unwind after what has likely been a busy weekend. In this light, you can plan a picnic at the park and bring along games to play. You might pack a football, a volleyball net or items to play baseball. You might bring along water guns or a dartboard. Whatever it is, the intent here is to have some fun and blow off steam. Make your own rules when playing the games. It really doesn’t matter. Today is about relaxing, unwinding and spending some calibre time with friends and family before the special weekend is over.

Wedding favors are wonderful gifts to give to your guests as reminders of your wedding day. These keepsakes can be large or small, simple or equisite.

Wedding favors add a wonderful touch to your wedding but the cost of buying them can really add up and put a dent into your wedding budget-especially if it is a tight budget. You may want to consider making homemade wedding favors for your guests.

You may very well save hundreds of dollars by giving your guests your homemade wedding favors. Plus, they’ll be more memorable to your guests. In fact, depending upon what you make, they may be cherished for years!

Here’s a chance to use your creativity in a very special way! You may choose to make a very labor intensive, yet elaborate homemade wedding favor, or a simple, easy one. You can get your supplies at any craft or dollar store, or possibly even a thrift store.

I know you’re asking, “How in the world do I find time to make homemade wedding favors? Especially while trying to keep sane with all the other wedding details I have to keep on top of!” Well I guarantee you that if you will take some time out to do this, some of your stress level will diminish. Just being focused on a creative task for awhile will help you relax and do wonders for your stress level.

Plus, you’ll feel great afterwards for having created homemade wedding favors that will truly be memorable for your guests, and now you’ve got one more item checked off on your wedding to-do list!

Here’s a Wedding Favor That Is Very Quick & Simple:

If you simply do not have extra time to spare, this is a very quick homemade wedding favor which will take very little time, yet provide an enjoyable wedding favor.

Get a few different types of bulk candy at a place like Cosco’s. Then go to a dollar store and find some cute bowls, baskets or buckets. Also pick up some plastic scoops or big plastic spoons. Then go to a craft store and find some small cellophane bags, or any other type of cute bag. Set up a table in the recption area with the bowls or buckets filled each with a different kind of candy, and let the guests fill and make their own treat bags!