Art or decorative piece

If you know the couple’s style, choose a piece of art or a pretty vase that can decorate their new home. It has a personal touch that says you really know them and is something they will look at for years to come and fondly remember, “– gave us that for our wedding”.

Money

As the most popular of wedding gift ideas, you can never go wrong giving money. New couples are usually saving for a home, paying student loans or wedding debt, or any number of things. This will help them and take some pressure off of you to shop around for the “perfect” thing. If it doesn’t feel like enough, attach it to a photo frame or kitchen gadget.

Gift an activity

Help the happy couple start building memories right after the wedding. If you know their honeymoon venue, you can choose an activity or gift card for that time. You can also give gift cards to their favorite restaurant, a couples gym membership, or a day activity like whitewater rafting if they like the outdoors. A season pass to the local state, national, or theme park or a couples massage- use your imagination and choose something that will suit your friends’ interests.

Antique, handmade or vintage items

Choosing an antique or handmade item is a great way to make sure they don’t get anything else like it. Vintage art or decorations, a monogrammed or photo quilt/throw, or a beautiful antique end table are all things that will be unique to them. Browse flea markets, Etsy.com, or yard sales for something that will be just right for their home.

New technology or gadget

Try a subscription for streaming videos or a new gizmo. For a one-time fee, AppilyWed enables the bride, groom, and all their guests to post pictures from wedding events in one online album. It generates an online photo album for the couple that can be accessed via iPhone, android, and desktop. This unique wedding gift idea is a great way for everyone to share their memories and make sure the bride and groom don’t miss any great shots from the time she says yes to after the honeymoon.

Growing things

Plants or small trees are great decorative items for their home and great for their health, as plants naturally filter and cleanse the air. Ask someone at the nearest nursery for something easy to maintain so it won’t die on the couple if they’re new to plant care. You could also get them started with their own herb garden for healthy cooking with a basket of seeds, small pots, a how-to book, and recipe book for using the herbs. Attach a nice note about a long and healthy life or growing as a couple and you’ve got a unique and thoughtful gift that can last them for a long time. You might even introduce them into a new hobby they can share.

Great wedding gift ideas are as unique as you can make them. Be creative. Just remember to make it personal for them and their interests and you’ll give something great that they’ll love and really remember through the years.

Wedding hairstyles for 2013 are revolving around two main looks, soft and feminine or edgy and chic.

The first step is looking at your ensemble. Does it have a particular style that you need to match or is open to a variety of hairstyles? Once that’s decided, you’re ready to start looking. Each of the following style components can really go either way- soft or edgy- so keep that in mind while you’re brainstorming.

Braids

Braids are a carryover from last year that haven’t run out of steam. You can use small braids woven through the hair or large ones, like the waterfall or fishtail braid.

Chignons

Chignons and buns are versatile and work for most everyone. You can do it high or low, centered or to the side, soft and wavy or slightly mussed and imperfect.

Straight

This doesn’t work for everyone, but if you have the right look and hair, a sleek straight look can be a pretty and understated.

Retro

Classy, old-school looks are never wrong when you’re looking at wedding hair styles. Soft, wavy, and feminine or the right amount of height and body can make your look really sophisticated. Look through photos of the old-school starlets or pop in your favorite classic flick for some ideas.

Edgy

There is a lot of this look on the catwalks and red carpet. Like I mentioned, most any of the previous components can accommodate this style, the key to remember is it shouldn’t be perfect. A smoothed bed-head style with lots of body, or curls, braids, buns- you want it a little messy. A slightly disheveled appearance adds charm, like in this chignon to the right.

The right hair accessory can add a lot to your look as well. Flowers, tiaras, jeweled or metallic bands or barrettes- all are good so long as they work with you and your outfit. Be wary of too much. An elaborate dress might favor more simple wedding hairstyles, while a more simple design might want a little more decoration in the hair. It’s all about the right balance in your look. If you need more inspiration, peruse runway photos and celebrity pics from the red carpet for more ideas.

Remember, just because you like the look on someone else, it doesn’t mean it will work for you. All styles are not created equally. Whether you’re doing your hair yourself, with the help of a friend, or at a shop, try out whatever wedding hairstyles you favor ahead of time. Picking two or three you like then trying on each will help you decide which look is ‘you’ and will help avoid disasters on the actual day. With the right style, you’ll be confident and ready to face the wedding cameras.

Sources:

http://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/beauty-and-hair/hair-trends/2012/02/wedding-hairstyles-2012#!image-number=4

http://www.elle.com/beauty/hair/the-best-wedding-hairstyles-656362#slide-12

http://girlywedding.com/wedding-blog/2012/8/28/10-trend-setting-wedding-hairstyles-for-2013.html

A wedding should be a time for all of your friends and family to come together in celebration of your love.  If the wedding is the symbol of your love, than the reception should be the celebration.  The usual questions come up when planning a wedding reception. Should you use a DJ or live band? Open bar or cash bar? But the real question you should be asking yourself is what kind of games are you going to play? Wedding Games are becoming a very popular way of breaking up the normal monotony of receptions. After dinner, drinks and dancing there is still some fun to be had. So sit back and let’s look at a few of the best games to be played at weddings.

The Shoe Game

The shoe game is topping our list of the most popular wedding games in the last few years. This game is played by the happy couple but is fun for the whole party. Two chairs are placed back to back in the middle of the dance floor so everyone can see them. The couple takes off their shoes and each person passes one of their shoes to the other person, so each person is holding one of their own shoes and one of their spouse’s shoes. Then members of the audience yell out questions (who will be doing the dishes? Who will be cooking? Who will be mowing the yard?) and each person holds up the shoe of the person they believe will be doing the task. This game can get very interesting when each person thinks the other should be doing the dishes.

The Song Game

The best wedding games have always been the games that make the reception guests have the most fun. If you really want to make the party to be fun leave the name of different songs on every table in the room. Then make it known that every time one of the songs begins to play everybody at that table needs to get up and dance. Nothing is more fun than watching grandma doing the twist.

The Bag Game

If forcing elderly members of your family to dance isn’t your thing, then maybe mocking your new husband is more up your alley. The bag game is sure to be a wedding game that everyone will love. Have the DJ explain to the groomsmen that they will be having a dance off but they will have to put bags over their heads so no one will know who is winning. The twist is that once the music starts all of the groomsmen take off their bags and leave the groom dancing by himself. The crowds will cheer and the groom will groove. This game is sure to get your guests in the mood for a celebration.

Wedding games can take the same old reception and turn it into a night that people will be talking about for years to come. So pick out a few great games and have the night of your life.

Caterers, flowers, location, guests…when there are so many other things to coordinate, it’s easy to see how the wedding vows can be overlooked or left to the last minute. But they are an important part of your ceremony and deserve a little time and attention. So, what are your plans for your vows?

Can you do your own vows? Are your vows already determined for you by religion, location, or officiant? Some places are strict about sticking with traditional, established vows, and that’s okay. Just be sure to check and make sure that’s the case or if you have the freedom to do your own vows. If you are reciting traditional wedding vows, get a copy early and practice saying them. Think about tone and pacing. They’re your promises to your future spouse and you don’t want to stumble over them, especially not in front of a room full of guests.

If you have the freedom and desire to write your own wedding vows, great! Here are a few pointers to help you along:

Don’t wait. Give yourself about a month to put this together. You don’t want to get to the altar with hastily scribbled lines that may embarrass you in hindsight. And your significant other probably wouldn’t appreciate it, either. Give it some time and thought.

Coordinate with your fiance. Does he/she want to write their own vows or do they prefer traditional? Will you be writing them together or separate? Will they be a surprise you’re saving for the actual ceremony or do you want to share them with each other in advance? You need to talk and decide how you want to do it so you’re both on the same page and no one is left at the altar with nothing to say.

Talk about your relationship. Plan some one on one time with your fiance discussing your expectations for marriage, favorite qualities about each other, good memories you share, etc. Listen closely to their language- is companionship and trust important to him/her? Are they looking forward to children? This will give you a starting point for your vows and may reveal something you want to reference in them. And you’ll both appreciate a night away from the planning frenzy to just focus on each other.

Brainstorm. Try a little research. Ask married friends about their vows and look up vows online to see what’s out there. You may be inspired by someone else. Then, choose some quiet time on your own to jot down all of your ideas of what you might like to say. Also, think about the tone you want- humorous, poetic, romantic, a combination? Play to your strengths because you want this to be real and sincere, so if it’s not you, don’t try it now.

Write a draft.

Sit down with your notes and write out exactly what you think you will say in the ceremony. Then reread it, read it aloud, and maybe ask a friend how it sounds. Tweak it until you’re happy with what you’re saying. Remember, this is about you as much as it is your future spouse. You want something of meaning to both of you. And don’t forget you’re saying these vows in front of a crowd of family and friends. Too personal, too humorous, private references… this may not be the time. You’re making a promise to your significant other and that deserves some levity, but be yourself as well. Find a good balance.

Practice. Once your vows are written, practice saying them so you get the tone you want, pause in the places you want, etc. You don’t want to be bumbling and out of breath during this special moment. It may be nerve-racking, so being familiar with your vows will help smooth your delivery.

This is a special time. You’re getting married! Having the right wedding vows is important and can create a truly special moment for you, your significant other, and your guests. Put some thought and time into it and you’ll have something meaningful to start your new life.

Sources:

http://wedding.theknot.com/wedding-planning/wedding-ceremony/articles/20-tips-for-writing-your-own-wedding-vows.aspx

http://www.unique-titanium-wedding-rings.com/page/how-to-write-your-own-wedding-vows

For those who practice Christianity,  having a wedding that is Christian themed is very important.  The ceremony usually consists of multiple steps that are important for the religion.  If you do not follow the Christian faith, it may be a little confusing during the ceremony.  If you are planning on attending a Christian wedding ceremony, you’ll want to prepare yourself with what you should expect.  Here are a few important steps that happen during a Christian wedding.

The Processional

The processional is probably the most well known part of a Christian wedding.  The processional introduces the wedding party and afterwards,  the bride and groom to the wedding ceremony.

The Prayer

Following the processional, a prayer will be said during the ceremony.  Depending on the wishes of the bride and groom, the prayer will be different for all weddings.  This will usually be said out load to the entire group.

The Pledge and the Wedding Vows

The bride and groom will then pledge to the congregation that they are willfully going through the wedding ceremony. They will then exchange wedding vows. Depending on what the bride and groom chooses, they can recite the standard wedding vows, or recite their own vows that they have written.

Unity Candle

Not all Christian weddings will have a unity candle as part of the ceremony.  Some will choose to light a candle before their ceremony finishes.  This symbolizes the unity of the couple as they start their new journey together.

Prayer and Presentation

The final stage of the ceremony, the priest will say a final prayer to bless the newly wed couple.  They are then presented as a couple for the first time.

A Christian wedding ceremony involves many steps.  While some are typical of a christian wedding ceremony, others may differ depending on the bride and groom’s choices.

Planning a wedding can be an extremely tiring and stressful situation.  There are so many minor details that could easily turn this into a chore. Many of the issues that cause this frustration could be avoided with just a few simple steps.  Here are a few tips to help you find the balance, and plan a wedding.

Select a Theme Early

Choosing the theme early on in your planning process will help you immensely later on.  As you being to make more and more decisions on how the wedding will be, having a theme already decided will help save time when deciding on other aspects of the wedding.

Emphasize RSVPs

Knowing the number of guests that will be coming to your wedding will make planning much easier.  Having your guests RSVP early will give you an accurate idea of how many people will be attending, and will help you with things such as how much food to order, table sizes, etc.  Make sure to emphasize the importance of RSVPs with your guests.

Have a budget, And Stick To It

If you’re like the rest of us 99%, weddings will be an expensive affair, and you may not have an unlimited budget.  When trying to plan a wedding, you need to set a budget.  Make sure to set this as early as possible, and talk to others that have planned a wedding.  Try to get a general idea of how much your wedding will cost.  Once you have the budget in mind, make sure to stick with it.  It’s extremely easy to get carried away when shopping for your wedding, and overspend on decorations, wedding favours, etc., but try to stay within budget.

Involve the Groom

While trying to plan a wedding is usually done by the bride, it’s very important to also include the groom in this process.  It’s so easy to get carried away and for the bride to take control over everything.  The groom will have his own opinions on things, and it’s important to take them into consideration.  A wedding is an event that involves 2 people, so make sure you begin that connection by respecting each other’s opinions. As you could probably tell by now, one of the most important aspects when you’re trying to plan a wedding is to plan as much as possible.  It’s hard to make decisions on your wedding when you don’t know how it will affect other parts of your wedding.  Having a detailed and concise plan will make these decisions easier down the road.

Once you’ve decided on a budget, picked a theme, and included your groom on decisions, the rest should fall into place.  Just remember that trying to plan a wedding should be an enjoyable process.  These tips are meant to help remove the frustrations that may arise when you’re trying to plan a wedding.

A wedding reception is typically viewed as a large event, but for couples with a smaller budget, or if you just enjoy the gathering of only close friends and families, a small wedding reception would be just as great as a large one.  Just because you decide to have a small wedding reception, does not mean you need to cut back on fun.  Here are a few tips to help you make sure that your wedding reception will still be a memorable one.

Skip the Preplanned Seating Arrangement

Planning out where everybody will sit during a wedding is always an awkward situation.  You never know whether one relative will enjoy spending the night sitting next to a certain friend, or vice versa.  It’s best to just skip this completely, and allow all your guests to sit where they want.  Doing so will allow you to have smaller tables, and with everybody sitting where they please, people will have a much better time mingling with their friends, and not notice the smaller tables.

Serve “Hors d’ Oeuvres”

Consider serving small finger foods (Hors d’ Oeuvres), rather than full sized meals.  They’re a perfect way to serve a variety of food, without needing to plan for RSVP dinners.  Hors d’ Oeurves will cost less than a fully catered dinner as well.

It’s All In The Details

Just because you’re planning a small wedding reception, does not mean you should ignore the finer details.  You still need to make sure you’re paying attention to the small details of a typical wedding reception.  Plan the table settings and decorations as if you were for a large reception, but try to scale it down where you can.  This will help you maintain the quality of a larger reception.

Wedding Favors Are a Must

The problem with planning a small wedding reception is the fear of it not being memorable.  This is where having wedding favors will help.  You may think that cutting down on  wedding favors will help lower your budget, but because the number of guests will be smaller, this will help with the cost of wedding favors as well.  Make sure you don’t skimp out on wedding favors to make sure your guests walk away with something to remember your reception with.

The key to a small wedding reception is to treat it as if it’s a large reception, and just scale it down to fit your needs.  This will help guarantee your reception become a memorable one.

By now you’ll probably realize that the most important aspect of  your small wedding reception is in the planning.  Even with a small budget, or smaller number of guests, you still need it to seem like no expense was spared in creating your wedding reception.  In order to do this, major planning is necessary in order to ensure that your small wedding reception is a memorable one.

A wedding dress is one of, if not, the most important aspect to a wedding.  It’s the first thing that everybody sees when the bride makes her entrance   Brides could spend months trying to find the perfect dress for their wedding.  You may go through hundreds of dresses, from many different designers trying to choose a wedding dress.  With all that time spent, there are a few tips that could help you simplify your search.  Here are a few tips to help make it easier for you to find the perfect dress for that special day.

Price Range

When looking for a dress, one of the easiest ways to narrow down your selection is to look at a specific price range.  Different designers will  have different price ranges for their dresses.  You will be able to find the designers you can afford by calculating an average price from your research.  Once you find that average, you can easily sift through all the different dresses of many designers within your price range.  This should help you cut down on the amount of time you would have otherwise spent on dresses out of your price range.

Designer’s History of Work

 An easy way to for you to choose a wedding dress is to first, choose a dress you like. Once you find one you like the look of, find out who the  designer is. You can then go through their collection to find a dress that suits you.  While this might  not always work, it could lead you to some of the dresses that match the look that you enjoy.

Famous Designers

Another easy way to choose a wedding dress is to go with a famous designer.  There are designers that are known to create more affordable wedding dresses, and then there are designers that create wedding dresses that are more expensive.  These designers are well known because they’re consistent with what they produce.  So if you have something specific in mind, it may help to look at a specific designer that is known to provide what you need.

Custom Wedding Dresses

If you’ve exhausted your search, and still haven’t found a dress you like, why not look into having a custom made wedding dress.  You can find a designer dress that you could use for inspiration, and ask a designer to create a new wedding dress from your specifications.  For many brides, this is really the only way to find the perfect wedding dress. Each bride will have different requirements when it comes to their wedding dress.  It’s for a special day, and will require lots of work to find the perfect dress.  With these tips, you can cut down on the amount of time and effort spent looking for that special dress, and spend more time experiencing other aspects of your wedding.

When it comes to a wedding cake, most people will go out and look for a baker to create one for them.  While this is the norm, if you’re the adventurous type, and a bit of a “do-it-yourself-er”, you could try to design and make your wedding cake.

Making your own cake will help you lower your wedding costs, and give you a great sense of accomplishment.  If you do, here are a few tips to help you as you learn how to make your wedding cake.  These tips will help to give you the best wedding cake possible for your wedding.

Strong Foundation

The base of a wedding cake

So you’ve decided to create your cake, the first thing you need to keep in mind is  you need to make sure that your cake foundation, and the supports for that foundation, is strong.  Make sure you know what the weight limits are to your foundation, and make a general guess to the weight of your cake.  If you think you’ll need more supports for the cake, do not hesitate to use them. This is one aspect of the cake that you do not want to skimp on, as it may cause the cake to fall apart on your wedding day.

Test It Out

Multiple wedding cakes

You will want to make sure that your cake actually tastes good.  Make multiple batches to test out all the different flavors.  You’ll be able to find out which flavor tastes best for your wedding cake.  Not doing this could result in a beautiful, but terrible tasting wedding cake.

Learn From Professionals

Wedding Cake Professional

If you’re going down this D.I.Y route, you’ll want to make sure you have all the knowledge needed in making the perfect cake.  Spend some time and learn from professionals before diving in.  Try taking a class from a local wedding cake maker.  You could also go online to find tips and instructions from professionals.  Youtube is another great place to find great tips and instructions.

Pick your Design

Wedding Cake Design

Before you start purchasing your materials and make your wedding cake, you need to make sure you’ve decided on a design.  The design will dictate what your materials will be, and how you’ll go about creating the cake.  If you try to start without a plan, you could end up with a mediocre cake.  Try researching online by searching for images of wedding cakes.  Pinterest is a great place to find such images as well.  For a quick start, check out our Pinterest page

While these tips may not teach you how to make your wedding cake, it should serve as a good starting point.  Before long, you’ll be able to enjoy the fruits of your labor.  Once you see and taste your final product, there’ll be one more thing to be proud of on your wedding day.

With the proliferation of social networks, many couples are utilizing many of it’s features for their weddings.  They may use a Facebook wedding page to collect and share the wedding photos their guests had taken.  Others may be using Flickr as a wedding photo album.  The problem with these sites is that bride and grooms are using them without realizing these sites may not be suitable for weddings.  While they may be great for everyday use, such as posting holiday photos, or a quick snap on your mobile phone, a wedding album requires more customization.  If you’re thinking of using a Facebook wedding photo album, here are some common situations that you may not have considered:

Not Everyone is registered on Facebook

You may consider telling all your wedding guests to upload their photos onto Facebook would be a quick and easy solution to collecting your wedding photos, but the main issue with that is not everyone is registered onto Facebook.  To further that point, not everybody would want to register for an account, if asked to by you.  Having a central location, where all of your wedding guests can access, without creating a new account, and for the sole purpose of your wedding is a much easier task.

Downloading all your photos may not be that easy

Facebook, and many of the other social media sites do not allow you to download all your photos in an easy manner.  The best solution right now, would be to download each photo individually, which could be a massive job if your photos span into the thousands.  Even then, your photos may not be in the highest quality, as Facebook compresses the quality of the photos.

Privacy is not guaranteed

Facebook was created as a social platform, to easily share posts with your friends, but what if you don’t want a photo to be shared without your knowledge.  While Facebook allows for photos to be shared only to your friends, it’s not an easy task.  It involves setting up your permissions correctly, and then creating a sub-group of friends you allow to view your photo.  All this could be avoided by using an app that is custom designed for the purpose of sharing your wedding photos.

Specific app for a specific task

While Facebook has made “social sharing” much easier, a wedding is a very personal and private matter.  Most of the requirements from a wedding can not satisfied by Facebook, and would require a more targeted app, such as AppilyWed.