Five Things Every Bride Must Have
Getting married is a big step for anyone who decides to take the plunge. It is a path full of adventure and change that will turn your world upside down. Be prepared for good times, tough times, and some of the best moments of your life; but before you say your I do, here are a few things that every bride must have.

A wedding shower with some of your closest friends and family is one of the best ways to kick off your wedding event. This is the perfect time for you to gather with these special people and thank them for the wonderful times you have been able to share with them. Let them celebrate this eventful time of your life and laugh about the good times you have been able to share up to this point. Listen to advice and enjoy the time preparing for you big day.

Some say that the wedding is all about the dress. This is your time to shine so shop until you drop for the perfect wedding dress, one that makes you feel as beautiful as you really are. Don’t stress about finding the right one, but enjoy the ride. The search can be just as fulfilling as finding that dream wedding dress you have in mind, so have fun with it.

The right pair of shoes can make any girl feel like a princess, so as you are out there trying to find the right dress for your wedding, remember the shoes. They don’t have to be tall heels or pointed toes; maybe your best look is a white pair of sneakers. After all, it’s you who will be standing in them all night long. Find something that will make you feel beautiful because this is your moment in the spot light.

Part of looking beautiful is feeling that way, and nothing will rid the stresses of planning a wedding event away like a day at the spa. Go get a massage and relax as you are pampered before your bid day. A manicure and pedicure will not only help you stay calm, but will have you walking away feeling your best. This day should be all about you, so take some time to visit the spa prior to your wedding.

Finally, the perfect hair day on your wedding day is exactly what the doctor ordered. Bring in a stylist and let them pamper you with the best style you have had in a long time. This will leave your hair looking at its best for all of those wonderful pictures you are guaranteed to be in on your wedding day. It won’t matter because you will be feeling and looking just the way you have always planned it. Congratulations on being engaged and the best of luck on your wedding day!

Tags: Bride, married, Wedding Articles, wedding day

The reception is traditionally one of the most expensive aspects of a wedding. However, by combining personal creativity and ingenuity with inexpensive, ready-made items available at discount retailers, brides-to-be and cash-strapped parents can host a beautiful wedding reception without blowing through the entire bridal budget.

“Creating a beautiful wedding environment on a budget is simple”. By putting a personal touch on everything from table centerpieces to wedding favors, brides and grooms can save while creating memories for years to come.

While June is still the most popular month for weddings, according to a recent study by Hallmark.com, September and October are quickly gaining in popularity. Here are some great last-minute planning tips this fall for brides and grooms-to-be:

* If renting a reception tent, create a romantic environment by purchasing sheering fabric and 2-inch ribbon from a local discount retailer to drape around the canopy. Create billows of fabric and hang from the ceiling, wrap around poles, and swag in the entryway.

* Whether throwing an indoor or outdoor reception, flowers help set the tone but can quickly add up. A typical flower budget is 15 percent of the overall cost of a wedding. Consider using some of the beautiful and realistic-looking silk flowers available today intermingled with arrangements of fresh flowers to keep the romance high and the costs low. The bride and groom can use the silk flowers in the home for years to come.

* Every bride wants to do something unique at her wedding. Create a dramatic, sweet-smelling entrance for guests by lining a walkway to the reception venue or reception tent with fresh rose petals. Also consider renting a bubble machine, available at retailers such as Wal-Mart, for some added ambiance and fun.

* Renting both table settings and white linen tablecloths can get expensive. Instead, consider purchasing clear glass plates from a discount retailer. Stack the salad plate on top of the dinner plate and place a large leaf between the two for a very pretty place setting. Buying plates is often less expensive than renting and the bride and groom can keep them for the years (and dinner parties) ahead.

* Remember to keep centerpieces either low enough or high enough so guests can see each other from across the table. A simple cake pedestal adorned with sugared fruits and a candle makes a beautiful and an inexpensive centerpiece. Add to the sugary sparkle by placing candles in votive candle holders to illuminate the centerpieces from underneath. Remember to place approximately half an inch of water in each candle holder or glass for easy removal of melted wax.

* For more formal wedding receptions, assigning guests to tables is considered proper etiquette but that doesn’t mean it has to be stuffy. Purchase large sugar cookies and pipe romantic words like “joy,” “hope,” “love,” and “forever” on each cookie. Place one cookie in each centerpiece to replace traditional numbered tables and have your place cards direct your guests to these romantically identified tables.

* Wedding favors that double as place cards can be made by purchasing sugar cookies from a local bakery that are iced in white. Pipe each guest’s names on the cookies in colored icing a day or two before the wedding. Place in cellophane bags, tied with a ribbon, and set at each guest’s place setting so guests know where to sit.

* Handmade keepsakes given out during the wedding reception are an easy and thoughtful way to thank the wedding party. Create beautiful, unique cards for the bridesmaids by purchasing simple white note cards, decorated with the wedding’s theme colors embellished with different fabrics or small trinkets purchased from a craft department. Write a cherished memory or personal note inside the card, which bridesmaids can keep for the years to come.

* And don’t forget the wedding cake, which can be very expensive, depending on the number of guests attending. Consider purchasing a decorated sheet cake from a local bakery in addition to a smaller tiered cake. Then marry them together as one elaborate cake with piping and rose petals. Brides and grooms may find that bakeries like those at a Wal-Mart Supercenter can make unique and cost-conscious tiered wedding cakes that are beautiful as well as delicious. Remember, all cakes are created equal — flour, sugar, and butter — so there’s no need to spend a fortune on one.

Tags: Budget, Wedding Reception, wedding tips

“What is the most interesting wedding you have ever performed?” This is the most commonly asked question I hear after revealing that I perform weddings. Quite often I leave a wedding with a good story to tell. There is such an array of people in this world, thus there is a variety of ways to enact that sacred ritual: the wedding ceremony. Stories range from heartwarming to humorous. Qualifying one wedding as the “most interesting” would be impossible, but I can share some of my more memorable stories.

Starting with the humorous…once I had a groom who was especially emotional. In actuality, grooms are far more emotional than brides. I suspect there is something to the way the whole formal procedure is designed, in that the groom waits in suspense as his beautiful bride is presented to him. This particular groom was crying so profusely during the ceremony that his nose started running, making quite a mess. Being an efficient minister, I come to weddings prepared with tissue. In the middle of the ceremony, I offered him a kleenex and said, “You might need to blow”. Looking back I realize that might not have been the best choice of words, for then the bride stated, “That’s my job!” The shocked, wide-eyed groom exclaimed, “my grandmother is in the audience!!” Of course this was all on the microphone, which had the entire audience in stitches.

Weddings on a tight budget are usually more out of the ordinary. Once I was way out in the country somewhere waiting for a ceremony to begin. Trying to be sociable as I waited, I commented on the beauty of the cow that was about 6 feet from the archway under which the marriage was to be held. The person next to me said, “Oh yeah, we are having her (the cow’s) mother for the reception dinner, will you be staying?” That was a little too real for a city girl such as myself. Then just before the procession was to begin, I asked if they had music for the bride to walk down the isle to. One of her brother’s ran to an old rusty pick up truck, started it up, screeched up to the isle, opened the car door and turned on the radio. The bride, then proceeded to walk down the isle. She was as lovely as could be! It always amazes me that every bride I have ever seen is astonishingly beautiful. This I cannot say for grooms, however.

Though nearly every groom I have encountered has been very handsome and gracious, there are a couple who have made me cringe. One particularly elegant wedding, I came to my favorite part of the ceremony, in which I get to say, “You may now kiss the bride!!” The groom proceeded to lift her veil, lean back and say, “Ugh, do I have to?” Although it was meant to be a humorous remark, I believe as a bride, I would have said, “No, you don’t” and walked away from that one. Another groom was so hung over on the day of his wedding, that when I came to the part that he had to repeat after me, I had to say one word at a time so he could follow me.

I’ve performed over 1,000 weddings, however, and every one of them has touched my heart. Some move me profoundly, when love between a couple is so strong and their souls are wide open to one another. There is a vulnerability present that is indescribably beautiful. Being present to that, is like looking into the face of God. In every story, seeing couples through all the foibles and fun to the touching and heartwarming moments of their wedding ceremony, there is a sacredness to every one.

Author: Lisa Holeman

Tags: wedding, wedding ceremony, wedding party