When planning your wedding it can sometimes be a chore to plan and to organize as to what should come first. It can also be confusing as to what steps in which direction I need to go when organizing events of my wedding day. Here you will find helpful wedding tips that you will surely find beneficial. The first thing you should do when starting your plans to put together a wedding is to set your budget, this is extremely important. Before you make any decisions you must first check your finances and decide how much you are willing and can spend on your wedding.
To me the next thing that should come to mind is choosing a wedding date, this may sound silly but believe it or not he can make a difference for instance, time of year and season will determine not only your budget but also friends and family who can attend. With setting a date and time of year for the wedding comes choosing a theme is going to be at beach theme, fall theme, some are winter? All these decisions are equally important.
Another important factor that goes along with your budget would be deciding on the size of your wedding party and guess that you plan to invite. If you decide to have a large wedding bridal party this can sometimes lead to big expense with gifts and rehearsal dinners, you get the idea. Also you want to be careful about who exactly you are going to invite. This will help keep the costs down.
Once you have decided on a theme the size of your bridal party reception guests and your budget now we can move forward. Some things may be easy when planning a wedding such as the Church where you plan to wed. Next a good idea would be for the bride and groom to go out and purchase wedding rings, follow closely by picking and booking your photographer, DJ and someone to film the video.
Where almost home! You will need to schedule and participate in a premarital counseling classes, I have done it myself and actually it’s quite fun! From there you will need to decide on what food and refreshments you will have at your wedding reception hall and of course along with that would be choosing your wedding favor souvenirs for your special guest who attended your wedding reception celebration.
More on the home stretch now! From there it actually gets quite easy. At this point the bride and groom will get fitted for their gown and tuxedo, followed thereafter by choosing a wedding cake. Once you have all this in order to last thing would be to pick out your wedding invitations and prepare them for mailing.
As you can clearly see that wedding planning does take time and extreme effort, but if you give yourself enough time and careful thought putting together a big event, as well as a memorable event like a big wedding things can go rather smoothly.

The procedures of an ancient Chinese marriage are captured in the phrase “Three (3) Letters and Six (6) Etiquettes”.

What are the three letters?

The Three Letters are the engagement letter, the delivery of gifts letter and the taking of the bride letter.

In ancient times, if a man is interested in a woman, he will engage a middlemen (a middle-women actually) to explore the possibility and if appropriate to convey his intentions to the woman’s family. If the woman’s family finds him acceptable, they will notify him and he can make the official proposal by delivering the formal letter of engagement on an auspicious date.

At this stage the women’s family can still say no to the proposal. As you would expect there are still a lot of things to sort out and to negotiate over.

If the proposal is accepted, the next step is to deliver wedding gifts to the woman’s family. These wedding gifts which are normally expensive are accompanied by the ‘Delivery of Gift’ letter which is essentially a list of items and quantity much like a delivery order! By signing this letter and taking delivery of the gifts, it signifies the women’s family acceptance of the marriage.

The itemized ‘Delivery of Gift’ letter is also a safeguard against pilferage by the delivery team!

The third letter is known as the ‘Taking the Bride’ Letter as it is the letter that the groom produces when he arrives at the bride’s home on the wedding day. Upon acceptance of the letter, the bride is deemed to have joined the groom and become a member of the groom’s family.

It is no wonder why the bride mothers weep uncontrollably on wedding days. It is like losing a daughter!

What then are the Six Etiquettes?

It refers to the six main procedures in an ancient Chinese marriage. It includes the official proposal, the checking of Ba Zi (compatibility using a system of Chinese Astrology), selection of auspicious date for the wedding, delivery of gifts, confirmation of wedding dates and finally the wedding itself.

Once the man has set his eyes on the girl, he sends an official proposal to the woman’s family. Once the proposal is accepted, he will seek the services of an astrologer to determine if they are compatible. Research will also be done to ensure that there is no blood relationship between them. At this stage the engagement can be called off if they are not compatible or if their blood line are somewhat connected.

The next step is the selection of auspicious date for wedding followed by followed by the delivery of gifts.

After the gifts are accepted, the woman’s family will seek an astrologer to check the auspiciousness of the proposed wedding.

This followed by the six and final etiquette, the wedding itself!

Wedding plans – What is the difference between a summer bride and that of the woman who weds in autumn spring or winter? Aside from weather conditions none whatsoever. If we talk in monetary units, then weddings can differ greatly regardless of whether the sun shines. Wedding plans will nearly always consist of traditional items like the wedding gown, wedding cake, wedding flowers, flower girls etc. Wedding necessities as such leave no room for originality because most future brides will have a list like this too.

All four seasons create beautiful brides; however you have to plan accordingly so it stays that way. Summer brides will forever blossom as long their wedding plans cater for sweat stains appearing under the arms or the fringe sticking to the forehead. Not all June July brides are fortunate enough to have the sun beaming down on the day hence the importance of planning for this. Weddings incur major expense which is sad because every woman wants it to be special but special comes at a price. Special weddings come with a difference; if you decide to ignore tradition then your summer wedding will be remembered not only by you but for all in attendance on the day

Let us look at some options to help reduce cost

1 The bridal cosmetic content will have to be prioritized in the wedding plans. Sun protection is important. Photo shoots in the midday sun is a major health risk if the skin is not protected. Running mascara and melting lip gloss will not have the bride looking her best. Check for beauty products that can withstand climate changes. Some women tend to overlook the seriousness (not intentionally) of the suns harmful UV rays due to being busy with other matters.

2 Its quick its cheap its easy to send wedding invites via email, invitations can be prettied up with font change, colours and clip art. You have more chance of receiving a reply using this method.

3 A sit down meal is more expensive than a running buffet. Your guest likes to have the option to eat when he/she feels like in contrast to that of being prompted to eat at a specific time. Open garden parties at this time of year are very popular. Have a marquee on standby. Download music from the internet for the wedding venue, this will save money.

4 Does the wedding gown have to include layer after layer of satin, you can save money with less material. Also encrustation of pearls/ sequins can up the price. Buy your own pearl necklace/ earrings, this will save a considerable amount of cash and you can always wear them for other occasions. However if the dress of your dreams consist of gems then you can remove them at a later date and make use of them in many ways.

5 Save more money by wearing a plain off the shoulder figure hugging dress, ankle or knee length. A lace, fur (imitation) shoulder wrap/ shawl will set the dress off as well as give you protection from the sun or the rain if the weather goes against you. If you carry a little weight then have the dress not so tight.

6 Wedding flowers do not come cheap so why not grow from seed your own summer flowers for button holes and wedding bouquet. This is unique and will give you something to talk about or pass onto your kids when they marry. If your choice of wedding gown is short then a small hand held posy is ideal, if longer then carry long stemmed fresh blooms, after use place in a vase on the reception table. Have your flowers dried out and treated, add to wedding memorabilia scrapbook. Consider carrying a clutch bag. Bags and shoes can be decorated with finery to match whatever accessories you have hanging around your neck or on your head. Pearls can be worn long short to suit the style of dress.

7 Another expensive item is head wear. Have a dummy run and make your own; a hair band is easy and ideal for decorating. Why else have we the option to buy loose gems and glue? Remove a shoulder pad from an old item of clothing and cover with material of your dress. Add a little scrunched up lace and tack it to the pad. Sequins or pearls glued and shaped like teardrops can be tacked or glued to pad. The pad can be secured with pins onto the top/side or back of the head. A good imagination will have you see what I mean. If you cannot visualize fret not, the outcome will result in either a breathtaking awesome way or damn it way, if this be the latter then a beret or skull cap can be purchased for this purpose.

All those pennies saved can be put to a better cause like paying the gas bill, electric, water rates, telephone, council tax, food bill, car insurance, I could go on and on the list is endless. It makes sense to not overspend on wedding essentials that only last a day when you have a lifetime of the above.

This might be the single most important moment of your life. It’s all up to you to completely blow your partner’s mind. Where to propose? How should I ask the question? What do I say? Well here’s some tips for those that need some guidance and proposal ideas

You have quite a few options that you may choose but I would recommend one of the following:

Proposal Suggestion #1

Step 1: Take you partner to a remote location where you can spend quality time with them. Planning at this stage is very important as explained in my other articles. Make sure to pack cutlery, a formal type dress for her and a tux for you as well as some food that can be prepared with ease and a bottle of wine.

Step 2: Start by giving her the best day of her life. Treat her to a foot massage, a back massage or even bring along a gift. Treat her like a queen for the day and don’t let her lift a finger. Make sure that she feels really comfortable and do your best not to have a single fight.

Step 3: After this long fantastic day, go to bed and wait for her to fall asleep.

Step 4: Now it’s time to take action, set up a table with candles and wine with the finest cutlery that you possess. Prepare a meal that you feel would fit the occasion, if you’re not comfortable with the idea of preparing food, find a restaurant that would deliver to your location.

Step 5: Following all the arrangements you have made with dinner, it’s now time to get dressed.

Step 6: Go back to your partner and tell her that you have a surprise for her however it is required that she has to put on her finest dress. Remember to wake her gently as you don’t want her to be in a bad mood.

Step 7: Blindfold her and lead her to the dinner table. When you reveal the romantic dinner to her it would be a good idea to have some soft music coming from a car or any other music source and start off by asking her for a dance. Slowly dance with her and hold her close to you.

Step 8: After the dinner and some casual chat it’s time to “pop the question”. Make sure you prepare sufficiently before proposing. Tell her exactly what you feel and how much she means to you. Make sure you describe every detail as vivid as possible and as romantic as possible.

Step 9: Start making wedding arrangements and remember to read up on the ten crucial tips below.