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Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Wedding Routine of a Week- Part 4

There will no doubt that whatever you may have done is useless.

Wedding planning is about planning and re-planning. Marriage too works in this manner. There is no one planning that totally works.

I understand that most getting married couples may have to work. It is not easy to cope with the stress that comes from work, wedding planning and the family members.

Wedding planning is about both parties making decisions and taking the stand together.

I remember while we were planning our wedding, there would be multiple times that our parents interfered with some decisions we made out of our own good.

I have also heard of some stories that some parents manipulated their childrens decisions and they wanted their children to work accordingly to what parents had planned.

Many times, I wonder if the outcome will differ if the couples stand together and gracefully confront their parents, explaining why they had made the decisions. Moreover, they should also garner support from the parents and assure them that everything will turn out fine.

This important step marks the first step in making decisions and standing together as they progress into marriage life.

However, I seldom heard that couples use the second method. Instead, they wanted their spouses-to-be to give way and this normally angered them and made them lose confidence in their relationships.

The worst scenario is the wedding being called off as the couples felt that they were not ready for marriage.

What I find it useful for my relationship:

1. Hear each other out without making any judgment
2. Listen to the difficulties each other may be facing (e.g. unable to communicate with parents)
3. Any feeling such as feeling of insecurity, not supported?
4. What are the outcomes we wanted?
5. How can we come to a compromise?
6. Ask what we can do differently next time for a better outcome?

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Posted by lasd431281359 | 10:13 PM |

Bridal Shower Invitation Wordings - Verses

. Here is a list of things that are normally included. Necessary items are starred:

A cute romantic verse or quote

*type of event - brunch, shower luncheon

*bride and sometimes grooms names

*day, date

*place, address

*hosts

*RSVP to hostess - at phone number

bride is registered at XXXXX

If the shower is a surprise be sure to state that clearly so the guests will get there before the bride to be. Also be sure to mention the theme if there is one, such as a garden, kitchen, bath or linen shower.

When you choose to make bridal shower invitations you have free reign over the design, color scheme and wording. Have fun, pick a verse that either matches the brides personality, the them of the wedding and or shower.

If you are having a kitchen shower, ask each guest to bring a favorite recipe with their name on it to create a recipe book for the soon to be newlyweds. Then invitation might be worded like this:

You are invited to a kitchen shower

for Krista Hollenback
on day, date, time
please bring a favorite recipe
on the enclosed card
and a picture of yourself
to be added to a recipe/scrapbook
feel free to bring a gift for the kitchen
regrets only: to Harli at phone number

Look on line at sites that have shower invitations to get ideas for your invitation design. For a bath shower you could use clip art designs of a bath tub full of bubbles or his and hers towels hanging on a rack. For a kitchen shower a bag of groceries, a pot on a stove, a beautifully set table, or a couple in chefs hat, would all make delightful invitations. Choose the right bridal shower invitations wording - verses and you have a perfect unique invitation.

A growing trend in wedding showers is couple showers. These parties are held for both the bride and groom and gifts are usually suitable for both. Also the guests are both male and female.

Bridal showers before wedding flowers
Loren and James are getting married
lets shower them with love
and a few gifts
Join us for a barbecue
at the home of Kay Mulligan
address
day, date, time
RSVP by date
to: Kay at phone number

There is an almost endless number of themes you might use and reflect in the invitations you can create. Are you aware that you can download free templates to use at will? Then you can import graphics and use sample invitation wording as is or adapt to suit your invitation theme.

Another popular type of shower is an around the clock shower. Each guest is given an hour or part o a day and is asked to bring a gift appropriate for that time of day. For instance 7 to 10 am may suggest a coffee maker or alarm clock while 7 pm may bring to mind a set of wine glasses or a cd by the couples favorite artist. Such a bridal shower invitation wording - verses may be similar to this:

You are invited to an

around the clock shower

for Dominique

your time is _____

please bring a gift suitable to that

time of day

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Posted by lasd431281359 | 7:53 PM |

Wedding Gifts - Something Old, Nothing New!

The old tale about a bride and groom receiving half a dozen toasters from well-meaning relatives on their wedding day has passed into 70s history. But, what to buy the modern couple? It's a question that is guaranteed to drive their guests to near insanity.

Toasters, bed linen, TVs, pots, pans and all the rest of the boring household necessities are fine but... let's face it, they aren't fun to buy, they aren't fun to receive and they certainly aren't going to increase in value! So, why not think of the unconventional?

I've been involved in various businesses in Scotland over the years: weddings, restaurants, photography, writing, letting property are just a few. And this modern, multi-streaming lifestyle led me eventually to the simple world of buying and selling.

We had a problem. We owned a small Highlands restaurant which could not possibly bring in enough money even if we worked every hour available and filled the place to bursting point night after night. So we thought: let's sell things as well. We already had a good customer base, and so the challenge was to sell things to them in addition to the good quality food. We needed to 'add value' to their dining experience, and charge them for it.

These were the criteria we set:

1 We refused to load profit onto the wine. We knew the profit margins on wine and knew that it was a common tactic of restaurants to charge customers through the nose for drink. And we knew how customers felt about this. They simply don't like being ripped off! Neither do we.

2 The retail items would need to add to and improve the general ambience of the restaurant so 'tat' was out.

3 The items would have to sell themselves. We wouldn't have the time to give customers the 'hard sell' while preparing and serving food and, besides, hard sell is not our style. We don't feel comfortable with it.

4 The things would have to look good, feel good and be intrinsically interesting.

5 They would have to be accessible to customers, not locked away in drawers or cupboards.

6 They would be the type of thing that would encourage a dinner party atmosphere between diners rather than put up communication barriers. In short, they would encourage conversation.

7 There would need to be a range of items, from the cheap to the expensive so we could not rely on one supplier.

8 We needed a regular and reliable supply of these items.

9 They needed to be cheap to buy and yet give us a healthy profit margin.

10 And finally, they needed to be things that we liked. How could we live with things we hated and how could we sell them to others? Unthinkable!

And the answer to our problem after weeks and months of thinking? Second-hand books, antiques and collectables!

We lined the restaurant with bookshelves and filled them with hard back literature. We filled every nook and cranny with curios. We hung things from walls and from beams and from every spare vertical surface. We even cleared out an old shed and packed it to the gunnels with interesting things. And all of them carried a price tag.

And the result? Success beyond our wildest dreams! The customers loved it, they bought it by the barrowload (we sold barrows as well!) and we made handsome profits. And it was great fun.

So, where did we buy all these items? At local auctions, that's where. And we still go to them. They are addictive. And we still deal now and again even though we sold our restaurant last year. It's on a smaller scale than before, admittedly, but that means we can be more selective. Silver and glassware, jewellery and genuine antiques - they are all there to be had as potential wedding presents. Monart glass, silver napkin rings, antique silver-topped wine and vinegar bottles are much more fun than a toaster and, if you buy wisely, you will be giving the lucky couple something that is both beautiful and a sound financial investment.

Think valuable, think collectable! Don't think toaster!

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Posted by lasd431281359 | 7:34 PM |

Best Man Wedding Toast

A Wedding Toast is a universal staple for any wedding reception. Anyone who has been to a wedding knows that a wedding toast can be executed in a multitude of ways. The different methods of giving a wedding toast are what separate the speech giver between appearing to be a generously admired hero from an ill-considered fool with their foot in their mouth. With proper preparation and guidance, the later can be avoided with no problem at all.

I've been to many weddings. With that, I've also given many wedding speeches. By no means am I a confident public speaker. I dread public speaking occasions as most people do. Yet I've give successful, witty, crowd pleasing wedding speeches time and again through the use of a very simple system of rules. These rules are conveniently outlined below and are sure to turn your Wedding Speech into a crowd pleaser. Before you read The Toast Guidelines I would like to outline some important Prerequisites to think about.

Prerequisites:

1. If you're like the majority of people out there, you're probably terrified at the thought of giving a wedding speech. RELAX. Everyone at the wedding is there to have a good time. No one is out to get you. The most important part of any wedding speech is speaking from the heart. Don't be too concerned with entertaining a bunch of people you may never see after the affair. Enjoy yourself and most importantly, let the Bride and Groom enjoy themselves while you're giving the toast. Afterall, the toast is not about you. It's about the lovely couple on their most special day.

2. Be sure to check yourself in the restroom mirror prior to making your toast. All eyes will be on you for your five minutes of fame. Once you confirm that your fly is not unzipped or your dress isn't slipping down too far, you'll have one less thing to worry about - your appearance.

3. Prior to giving the speech, don't get drunk. If you'd prefer to have a drink or two to calm your nerves, by all means go for it. But there is a fine line between a buzzed confidence and drunken foolishness. Pace yourself. You'll want your words to carry across the room as eloquently as possible. That will be much easier to do without slurring or dry heaving.

The Toast Guidelines:

1. Just like any kind of essay or speech, your toast should be composed of an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. In other words, it should have a beginning, a middle and an end. Write down your toast on paper plenty of days (or weeks) before the affair and edit the toast to your liking. It's always a good idea to get a second opinion from a spouse, friend or family member. Some good ways to start off a toast are by commenting on what a beautiful affair it has been so far.

2. If you do not know most of the audience, it is always a good idea to identify yourself. "Hi, my name is Lisa and I've known Jen ever since we were kids..." Introducing yourself will make the speech much more enjoyable for strangers at the Wedding. They'll be able to see the moment through your eyes.

3. Feel free to insert fond memories of the bride and groom from your past. If you'd like to make the speech funny, by all means do so. However, if your jokes are facetious or shed a jokingly negative light on the bride or groom, make sure you start the middle of the speech with these jokes so you can conclude with more sincere and kind remarks. It's also not recommended to make jokes about the bride. She should get a free pass during the toast. The groom is open for teasing but try to tread lightly.

4. Some Don'ts: Don't mention previous relationships that the bride or groom may have had. Don't tell unflattering stories of their swinging single days. Don't jokingly insult the parents of the bride or groom (even if you know them very well). Don't make jokes about the bride and groom's sexual relationship. Don't talk about money or the cost of the wedding. Don't be drunk while giving the speech (I know I mentioned it above, but I stress this one).

5. Conclude the wedding toast with words from the heart. End the toast on the highest note. Express your fondest future wishes, the joy you've experienced in seeing this couple unite and how lucky everyone is to have shared in the moment. If you speak sincerely from the heart, you'll never sound contrived or corny. This is the part of the speech where you get to see how many tears you can jerk from the crowd. It's always my favorite.

Tips:

1. Keep the toast approximately 5 minutes.
2. Always rehearse the toast. Try to rehearse in front of people.
3. Always be aware of the crowd. The age of the attendants may range from 5 year olds to 90 year olds.
4. Feel free to read from Notes if you are very nervous. So long as you make eye contact with the Bride and Groom, you'll be a hit.
5. Don't forget to say at the end "Cheers, L'chaim, Congratulations or some kind of toast expression. You'll let the crowd know that the toast has ended with this gesture.
6. If you're nervous, practice. Don't worry, it'll all be over before you know it and if you follow my advice, you may even enjoy yourself along the way.
7. Have fun with it!

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Posted by lasd431281359 | 1:44 PM |

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