Friday, November 12, 2010

Great Green Tips For a Green Wedding

Dressed in white can have a green twist. There are a number of ways to make your perfect day as environmentally friendly as possible. Here are some important ideas to consider:

Invitations - everyone knows that the right paper stock is one of the most important decisions you can make when it comes to pre wedding day planning. But instead of going for a heavy card stock with environmentally damaging gloss or matte, consider if you need to have paper invitations at all!

Many wedding websites have sprung up to allow couples to plan their day and give guests all the information they need in paper saving electronic format. Couples can upload photos, tell their special story and direct guests to their registry on line. Many also have an RSVP feature so you can manage your list with a few clicks of the mouse. You and your mother can argue over background colours and menu patterns to your hearts 'content!

Dress - The right dress makes the memories. That doesn't mean you need to spend a small fortune (not to mention create a heavy environmental cost) with a tailor made piece that will just sit in your wardrobe for years to come. Consider vintage pieces or family pieces, there is nothing more sentimental to your mother, than walking down the aisle in same dress she wore back in the day. (You can tailor and amend it to suit your own taste and fashion of course!) Meanwhile, some companies create beautiful custom made pieces from sustainable fabrics , such as hemp, bamboo or organic cotton. Some even "up cycle" older gowns.

Gifts - Do you really want to face the possibility of ending up with two chip dippers or a variety of toasters that you'll have some trouble returning? You can use your special day to promote some well deserving charities and eco causes. Ask your guests to make a donation to your favourite in lieu of presents, then you can be sure you're getting the exact model of kettle you want!

Flowers - Consider the season when picking your flower arrangements. Out of season arrangements are often shipped from overseas adding to miles and emissions. There are also a number of issues regarding the ethics of the cut flower industry, with many sources citing cheap labour and unfair work conditions. Australia is abundant with beautiful species of wattles and colourful kangaroo paws for a truly unique look. Better yet, go organic!

Food - Organic caterers are all the rage. They provide some of the best food that you know is pesticide free and delightfully delicious. Look for a baker that uses organic eggs and flour and other sustainable ingredients.

Venue and transport - Pick a venue that's easy to get to and encourage your guests to carpool, or better yet, provide some shuttle bus transport yourself. Having the reception in the same place as the ceremony also cuts down on travel and emissions.

Rings - Eco is a girls best friend. Lots of great companies "up cycle" jewellery from older pieces. Take in an old family heirloom and have it re-crafted to create your own one of a kind piece.

Catering Your Own Wedding Easily

It is essential for wedding organizers to have a comprehensive planning with regards to the reception. They should choose the finest caterer ahead of time. The company must be proficient and reliable enough to fulfill their clients' needs. Since excellent food preparation is an important feature in the reception, wedding organizers must make sure that the food menu is planned accordingly. In addition, some of the reception venue policies do not allow outside caterers while others allow their clients to choose their preferred catering service.

Moreover, wedding organizers should consider these tips on how to choose the appropriate help.

First tip:

One of the practical ways to research for good catering service is by attending wedding celebrations. Through this, you will be able to observe various catering services and how well they perform their tasks.

Second tip:

If you have no available time to attend weddings and observe their catering services, you can always have the option to ask your friends, married or unmarried, who had attended several wedding receptions. In addition, you can seek advices from professional wedding planners which provide excellent ideas in deciding on what catering service to choose.

Third tip:

You can also request for a caterer interview. Before going to the interview, you should be equipped with writing materials and key questions. Here are some important questions to be asked from a caterer:

  • Do you have a catering license?
  • How long have you been working in the catering business?
  • How would you decide on the quantity and quality of food to be served?
  • Do you provide the plates, silverware, tables, chairs, and many more for the reception?
  • How can you assure us that you observe proper hygiene during food preparation?
  • Do you accommodate individual dietary needs?
  • Can we request for a specific menu?
  • Are the foods served on each table or it is much more like a buffet type?
  • How will you handle a guest who is complaining about the food?
  • How much is the total payment? Do does the payment transaction works?
  • If for any reasons, do we have the option to cancel?

Fourth tip:

Make sure to request for a sample food testing to assess how the foods are presented and how they taste like. If it passes your taste level, you can make certain that wedding guests will enjoy the food.

Fifth tip:

Be sure to validate your references to ensure accurate information of the caterer that you have researched.

Sixth tip:

Be sure that all agreements made between you and the company is in contract to ensure that there are no illegal transactions going on.

Furthermore, providing high-quality food preparation in the reception is vital in a wedding occasion to permit excellent comfort and fun for the newly-weds and the guests.

Thus, wedding organizers should choose for the best catering service to attain a memorable and unforgettable wedding reception.


Wedding day is a serious day in your life. Maybe you & other couples confuse to afford a wedding organizer or not to organize the wedding day. Which one is the right choice? Of course it depends on the condition such us:
  • Budget that you have. Anticipate many factor such us, the number of guests you will be invited, cost of hall that you want to use, wedding organizer cost, etc. If you have limited budget, it's better for you to handle your wedding day by yourself. You can prepare your wedding day economically if you understand on how to do it. If you don't understand & cannot prepare your wedding day, you can afford a low priced wedding planner.
  • Time that you have before the wedding day. It's too difficult prepare & décor your wedding day in strict time. If you have enough time, you can do it.

Whether you can afford a wedding organizer or not, you should consider the following guidance to decor your wedding day:

  1. Choose the right theme. Theme is the key factor in your decoration. The others should follow the theme. If your wedding day has a specific theme & your guests have known about it, it's a great deal for you. Because your guests commonly will pay attention on your theme & anything related to your theme. They won't to find everything on your wedding day.
  2. Mixing in local & import flowers in decoration can reduce your budget till 30%. Be careful on choosing flowers. Choosing the correct flowers can affect the final 'look' to your wedding.
  3. Choose seasonable flowers. Flowers cost will be high if you choose unseasonable flowers. Certain dates make flowers cost climb dramatically. For example, roses cost will climb dramatically near valentine moment.
  4. Before deal with the decorator/vendor, make sure that you have surveyed that decorator. Make sure with visiting your vendor's showroom/workshop. Avoid deal with a decorator in public place, except you are familiar with the decorator. Make sure the portfolio is their work. Make sure the decorator style is suitable for you. Personal recommendations maybe are best thing when choosing a decorator.
  5. Don't too push your decorator to apply your idea. An experienced decorator usually has better understanding on how to realize client's idea.
  6. Be critical about the finer details like ornaments used on the overall presentation. If it looks too gaudy or unsightly, you can ask your decorator to remove or replace it.
  7. If you want to provide a more intimate and romantic atmosphere, you can hold a candle light party in your ceremony.
  8. Don't think music is an insignificant part of your wedding decoration. Music has a great function to make your wedding decoration match the theme. Choose the music that represents your wedding theme.

Overall, avoid affording many organizers. The more people you choose to be a part of your wedding day decoration, the more factors you will have to consider. You should focus on your sacred wedding day. There is no perfect decoration in the world. Don't sweat the small things. Don't waste time and energy worrying about insignificant details of your wedding decoration.


Unique Wedding Ideas: Everything Old is New Again - 5 Fun Tips for a Retro Wedding

Magazines and websites are bursting with the latest trends in wedding ideas and themes - and just trying to sift through them can be as overwhelming as actually planning an entire wedding! So take a deep breath, relax and consider this: some of the most unique wedding ideas can be found by looking back to fashions and trends of days gone by.

If you're considering going the black-tie route, how about an Art Deco 1930s look? It was an era that is reminiscent of elegant Hollywood-style glamour, and you'd be surprised at how much you can accomplish on any budget, large or small.

And for something completely different: what could be more fun than a wedding that evokes the spirit of the groovy 1960s, a time of "peace, love and understanding" - could there be a better theme to start off your married life?

Whether you're going for funky or formal, here are some suggestions to help plan your idea of a retro wedding:

Polaroid Instant Photo Guest Books

Capture every moment of your wedding day with Polaroid instant pictures and hand-written sentiments from your guests! Polaroid instant photo guest books buck the digital trend and are all the rage among brides today.

Polaroid cameras and photos are definitely retro, and they're making a 'new age' come back because unlike digital or 35mm photos, the Polaroids develop instantly. When they're combined with notes from all your friends and family the instant photo guest book becomes a memento filled with memories that will last forever!

Hint: Put a couple of outgoing friends in charge of taking the photos and making sure that all your guests write something in your instant photo guest book. They can either circulate during the reception taking the pictures and getting the notes or you can set up a table for guests to visit. And be sure to have a back up camera and plenty of film for "do-overs"!

The Honor of Your Presence is Requested ... Retro Wedding Invitations

Set the tone you're trying to create from the start with wedding invitations that reveal the theme you've chosen for your wedding. Custom designs can be easily accomplished with just a few keyboard strokes! Display 1930s-era sophistication with heavy, cream-colored paper stock and deco-style type fonts which can be further accented with period clip art. For your 60s-style invitations, use paper stock in the pastel colors that were popular then - or go all-out and have tie dyed invitations! Think about including flowers in the design as well. These can be printed on the invitation itself - or how about adding some dried wildflowers inside the invitation envelope?

Hint: You can order custom-designed stamps from the Post Office that will reflect the mood you're trying to convey before your guests even open the invitation envelope! (Some suggested examples: New York's Deco Rockefeller Center or Empire State Building, vintage cars, a yellow happy face icon, even a Grateful Dead logo)

Dressing the Part ... Retro Bridal Ware

There's no need to wear a bandana or headband or go barefoot on your big day, but a lace dress (mini in length if you dare!) will evoke the hippie era nicely, as will a floral headpiece and bridesmaid dresses in pastels or bright floral prints. If you want an early 60s look, consider a cocktail dress or Jackie Kennedy-style sheath with a white pillbox hat and a netted veil. For a Deco glamour wedding idea, sleek and satiny 1930s-era dresses can be found in vintage dress shops or even at flea markets or thrift shops (there are vintage clothes and used clothing boutiques all over!) They can also be custom made using new or vintage fabric and old patterns - these are often reissued by pattern manufacturers or easily found on eBay.

Hint: When planning your retro wedding, eBay and other shopping websites are terrific resources for all sorts of period bridal ware, decorations and inspirational wedding ideas.

Flour Power ... Wedding Day Cup Cakes

Nothing says retro like a tasty, frosting-topped cupcake. You loved them as a kid, and now they're back in vogue as the height of food fashion. Delicious, colorful cupcakes can be served as the main wedding dessert attraction, substituted for the traditional wedding cake or in addition to a conventional wedding cake. Stack them like a skyscraper or arrange them in a circle to make a peace sign. Cupcakes can easily be decorated in day-glo icing colors for your 1960s look or with silvery accents for a Deco finish.

Hint: Make sure there are enough cupcakes so that your guests can take one home to enjoy later!

A Few of my Favor-ite Things ... Retro Wedding Favors

Since your wedding is the start of your own personal love-in, treat your guests to some retro style wedding favors like love beads or peace sign jewelry. Or how about putting together a custom-made CD of classic rock tunes? For the 1930s wedding theme idea, linen handkerchiefs for both men and women will add a nice vintage touch. Or DVD copies of your favorite old comedy movie are sure to delight your guests - and the cover can feature you and your groom in place of Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn for a fun reminder of your own classic romance!


Christian Wedding Songs - A Must-Have for Wedding Organizers

Weddings are a picture of perfect and memorable event with no room for mistakes. This special event would make anybody think about exquisite flowers, delicate decorations, a romantic fairy tale that came to life. In other words, everything would describe it as perfect and romantic. But do you know who these people responsible for this event are? Although the groom and bride are the most important people when it comes to this event, you can never discount the fact that wedding organizers play a big role in making the whole event very special, perfect, and stress-free for the couples.

Yes, you got it right. The fantastic job that wedding organizers undertake are brought about by careful planning from the most important part of the occasion to the smallest detail. You can just imagine the stress they have to go through to make the groom and bride very happy and satisfied on one of the most important day of their lives.

When it comes to choosing the appropriate songs to be used for the wedding, compiling a list of any romantic song would not be a problem as there are literally thousands of love song that a couple can use on their wedding ceremony. However, there are couples that prefer to use only Christian wedding songs throughout the whole event. This is where the limitation comes in, because though there are thousands of love songs out there, there are only a few selection of Christian wedding music compared to the number of non-christian love songs.

Wedding organizers should have a list of these songs and as much as possible and be familiar with the lyrics of the songs so that they can recommend it to their clients. The easiest place to do a research is the internet, as it houses thousands of songs of every genre and you can get the lyrics with a few clicks of the mouse. What's more, wedding organizers can listen to some song samples online free of charge.

So to all the wedding organizers out there, start building your list now to make wedding organizing a less stressful event for you. Try it and you'll be glad you did.


Wedding Organizers For Your Wedding

Marriage is an event where the couple can apply their concept and their wedding ideas into reality. Especially for the bride who usually already has a wedding of her dream in her imagination and ready to bring them into reality.

I know a couple who set their wedding on the beach near the ocean and then finally hold their wedding vow in the sea, not on the sea but in the sea depth. They use oxygen support and dive into the sea depth to be recorded on camera while they are exchanging vows. This is what I called a passionate couple who meet and finally married each other with their love and passion.

For some couples who can not determine just yet what they really want as a theme in their wedding can use the help of wedding organizers. They have all kinds of ideas to meet the desire of the married couple and they have the experience to make it happen.

Wedding organizers can help you set the things needed. They will hep you with the decoration, the food catering, the wedding cake, the wedding ceremony, the wedding place and organize them to meet your budget, that is why they are called wedding organizers. They will make sure everything goes as planned. They can get you the finest wedding singers with the most friendly and affordable prices. You can rest assure when the band entertain your wedding that they will make the guest comfortable and enjoy the party.

They sometimes know some people working in the wedding industry enabling you to get discounts on some wedding items. Things like wedding dress, wedding make ups, wedding cakes, wedding accessories are important and can be pretty expensive. A reference can get you a cut off the regular price and for some tight budget couples, it is very helpful.