Feed: Wedding Speeches - AggScore: 47.4

Pros and Cons of Having a Wedding at Home

Whenever I think about a bride getting married at her family home, it reminds me of the movie “Father of the Bride”. On the one hand, it is such a sentimental and meaningful place to tie the knot, and on the other hand, it is such an enormous undertaking! Take a look at the pros and cons of having a wedding at home to help you decide if it is right for you.

Pro: A Wedding at Home Is Personal and Unique. What place could mean more to you than the one where you live or where you grew up? Imagine yourself putting on your wedding gown and pearl bridal jewelry in your childhood bedroom and then having your father escort you down the aisle. If you are getting misty eyed just thinking about it, a home wedding could be perfect for you.

Con: A Wedding at Home Is Expensive. People often assume that getting married in their own backyard will be less costly than having a reception at a country club or a hotel, but rarely is that the case. While traditional wedding venues include a lot of your needs (tables, chairs, linens, dishes, etc.), when you have a reception at home, you have to rent every last thing you need, right down to spoons and salt shakers. And don’t forget the generators for the caterer and the band, the tent, the dance floor, and the portable restrooms. If you add in landscaping and possibly a fresh coat of paint for the exterior of the house, getting married at home will end up costing you more than going with a traditional reception site.

Pro: Any Date You Want Will Be Available. One of the great things about having your wedding on your own property is that you know that any date you want is available. You won’t be competing with half the brides in town to book the third Saturday in June at a popular reception site. And just think of all the time you will save inspecting different venues and trying to find one that you like.

Con: You Will Have to Deal With Permits and Ordinances. Do you know if your town has a noise ordinance? You had better find out, unless you want the police to show up at your door to pull the plug on your d.j. at 10:02 pm. Large gatherings may also require special permits from your town, and there will certainly be regulations about parking. The chances are slim that you can get away with having one hundred cars parked on the lawn in your suburban neighborhood! It is a really good idea to hire a wedding planner to make sure that you do not overlook any of the legal stuff involved in planning a home wedding.

Pro: You Will Not Be Limited By an Approved Vendor List. Did you know that a lot of wedding venues maintain lists of vendors from whom brides have to choose? If you chafe at the idea of being limited to the choices on an approved vendor list, you will enjoy the freedom of getting to pick whatever caterer, band, photographer, florist, and baker that you like.

Con: No Guidance on Wedding Vendors. On the one hand, the restrictions of an approved vendor list can be a pain, but on the other hand, it can be overwhelming to find all of the professionals you need with no guidance. A good place to begin is by asking for referrals from local businesses that work with a lot of brides. The chances are that your bridal salon or the specialty bridal jewelry shop will know which caterers or florist their brides have loved working with. Local chat boards can be another good starting point, as can bridal shows.

While planning a home wedding is definitely extra work, most brides who do it say that it was worth every bit of effort they put into it. As they say, there’s no place like home.

Article source: http://ezinearticles.com/6686612

Easy and Affordable Rehearsal Dinner Ideas

It is customary to have a dinner for your bridal party and immediate family following the wedding rehearsal. While sometimes rehearsal dinners are as lavish as the wedding reception, they definitely don’t have to be a big production. Check out these easy and affordable rehearsal dinner ideas.

There is a lot of wedding advice out there on how to save money on your reception, but less attention is paid to the rehearsal dinner. The great news is that you really can have a very affordable party that everyone will enjoy. Start by choosing your location. The best ones are free. You could reserve a pavilion in a local park, have it in your parents’ backyard, or use a private room in a family style restaurant. There is no need to spend extra money for a party site that charges a room rental fee.

Then there is the food to consider. You truly do not need to have fancy food at your pre-wedding dinner. There are really two main reasons why people have rehearsal dinners. The first is to show hospitality to your wedding party and out-of-town guests, and the second is to allow the bride and groom’s sides of the family to get to know one another a little bit. A casual gathering will definitely serve these purposes. You could have a cook out in the park, get barbeque from a local place, have a pasta buffet, or even just order pizzas. As long as you have plenty to eat and drink, everyone will be happy.

Another way to make your pre-wedding dinner easy and affordable is to choose inexpensive decorations. You really do not need to hire a florist to create grand centerpieces, rent custom table linens, or anything of the sort. A simple way to make the dinner tables pretty is with potted flowering plants. Stick with whatever is in season to keep the cost low. Flowers like potted geraniums, pansies, or mums are perfect. You can pop them in baskets or cover them with pretty fabric to hide the plastic pots they come in. For about $5 a table, you will have great colorful centerpieces. As for the tablecloths, if you are having the dinner at a restaurant, just use whatever they provide. No one will give it a second thought.

People get so crazy about weddings sometimes that they forget that it is not necessary to go overboard with entertainment and “wow” moments. This helpful wedding advice definitely pertains to the rehearsal dinner as well. Think of it like a big family holiday dinner, only with more people. You wouldn’t feel like you had to hire a band for Thanksgiving, would you? The same applies to your pre-wedding party. The entertainment is conversation and eating, just like at Thanksgiving. People will have plenty to talk about, especially with a wedding coming up the next day. You provide the food and drinks, and let the rest take care of itself.

A laid back rehearsal dinner is the perfect way to set the stage for your ceremony and reception the next day. Your families will have more fun at the wedding after getting to know one another a little the night before. So go ahead and plan a rehearsal dinner that is easy and inexpensive. You will have plenty of time to torture yourself and spend a fortune over planning the wedding itself!

Article source: http://ezinearticles.com/6686618

Helpful Tips for Couples Who Are Hosting Their Own Wedding

The days when the bride’s parents automatically paid for and hosted her wedding are long gone. These days it is not at all uncommon for the bride and groom to host their own wedding. With this decision comes a lot of freedom and also a lot of questions. These helpful tips for couples who are paying for their own wedding will give you the answers you need.

One of the first questions which arises when a couple is playing host to their own wedding is how to word the invitations. While there is certainly nothing wrong with using the traditional format with the bride’s parents’ names at the top, the most proper way is to list no host names. So the wording would be: “The pleasure of your company / is requested / at the marriage of / Miss Cynthia Jane Riley / to / Mr. Todd James Richards, etc…”. If the bride has been previously married, it is best to omit the titles before the bride and groom’s names. This is because she is no longer a Miss, Ms. is not technically correct to use on a formal social invitation, and listing the bride-to-be as Mrs. would just plain be weird. One of the really nice things about this third person wedding invitation format is that it eliminates the complications of blended families, remarried parents, and all the drama that can arise from figuring out how to list everyone on the invitation.

Another key bit of wedding planning advice for the couple who is hosting their own wedding is not to solicit opinions if you do not want to hear the answers. A lot of brides relish the freedom that comes with planning their own wedding without their mother holding the pursestrings and therefore the control. While it is certainly sweet to include your mom in your wedding in some way, do not ask for her opinion on the flowers, your wedding dress, the bridesmaid jewelry, and the wedding band if you think you won’t like her answers. You are not really doing her a service to ask for her opinion if you know that you are likely to go a different route anyway. Enjoy the freedom that comes with paying your own way, and don’t sabotage it by setting yourself up for conflict with your mother!

Sometimes brides wonder if certain wedding customs are appropriate to include when they are hosting their own wedding. For instance, is it still okay for the father of the bride to escort her down the aisle and “give her away” when he is not hosting the event? Absolutely! If you want to walk with your dad, you should. And if you prefer to walk alone or even arm-in-arm with your fiance, that is your prerogative too. As for the father-daughter dance at the reception, by all means keep that charming custom. No matter who is buying the bouquets and bridal jewelry, he is still your dad, after all.

A really terrific piece of wedding planning advice for those who plan to host their own wedding is to create a budget and stick with it. When you are paying your own way, you have to be the one with the self-restraint to resist splurging on things you cannot afford. This can be hard when you don’t have to seek approval for every expenditure, as you would if your parents were paying the bills. Before you book anything or buy anything, you and your fiance should sit down at the computer and make a spreadsheet to plan for and track your wedding expenses. It is a wonderful feeling to host your own wedding without going into debt or having to beg your family for money at the last minute. If you have the wedding which reflects your personal taste, it is sure to be beautiful, whatever your budget.

Article source: http://ezinearticles.com/6686624

Lake Tahoe Honeymoon Ideas

If you’re planning a wedding you’ll no doubt be looking for a fun and romantic place to begin the honeymoon once the vows have been consummated, and Lake Tahoe is an excellent honeymoon destination to consider when beginning your search. With the abundance of fun activities to engage in and the romantic setting the lake and mountainous region provides, having a Tahoe honeymoon is a great way to celebrate the beginning of your new marriage together.

Lodging will more than likely be your first consideration, and there are a lot of choices when it comes to classy resorts that are perfect for the newly married couple. There are major hotels on both the south and north shore of Tahoe that cater to newlyweds, including luxury rooms and themed bridal suites. Many accommodations also include spas, fitness centers, indoor or outdoor swimming pools and various shops to browse in. Additionally, many of the Nevada side resorts and hotels include casinos where you’ll enjoy fine dining, nightly showroom performances, slot machines and table games.

Depending on the time of year there are many different types of outdoor activities you can participate in and enjoy together. If you’re having a winter wedding and honeymoon in Tahoe, skiing and snow boarding are quite popular in wintertime months. There are over a dozen world-class ski resorts to choose from all around the lake. Heavenly Ski Resort on the south shore and Squaw Valley USA on the north are two of the larger and well-known ski resorts of Lake Tahoe. Other winter activities include snow shoeing, cross-country skiing, tobogganing, snowmobiling and a romantic wintertime cruise across the lake on either of the legendary paddle wheelers, the MS Dixie II or Tahoe Queen.

Summertime is just as romantic and exciting in Lake Tahoe as is the winter offering a host of fun things to do for the bride and groom. Activities range from casual hikes and horseback riding to jet skiing and parasailing. There are multitudes of hiking and mountain biking trails to choose from throughout the Sierras that vary in difficulty, and water sports and beach activities are available at many beach locations around the lake including boating, water skiing, canoeing, kayaking, volleyball, picnicking and barbecuing. If you’re a really adventurous couple, a daring whitewater rafting expedition on the Truckee River might be an activity you may want to consider.

Additional activities you can engage in and enjoy together are sightseeing tours. There are trolleys you can board that will take you to see the sights of Lake Tahoe and renowned Emerald Bay. Some bus tours involve day excursions to Carson City and the famous, well-preserved ghost town of Virginia City. Other day excursions available that depart from Tahoe go to the surrounding wine country such as Napa Valley.

Of course, twenty-four hour gaming is available year-round for the newly married couple in the Nevada casinos located on both the north and south shore along with loads of other entertainment provided for nighttime fun. You’ll also find a quantity of romantic, top-rated restaurants located around the lake for an intimate dining experience.

Ripened for new beginnings together, Lake Tahoe has been a wedding and honeymoon destination since its inception, providing a thrilling and romantic setting for newlyweds in celebration of their unity. From the consummation of the vows, Tahoe provides an endless adventure and a honeymoon the couple will never forget. If its romance and intimacy you want in a riveting place while celebrating your new marriage, Lake Tahoe is a destination honeymoon location worth considering.

Article source: http://ezinearticles.com/6486552

How To Make A Great Wedding Speech!

Speaking in public is often considered one of the greatest fears shared by all of humanity. Anytime that you are asked to speak at an important public event, those fears increase even more. So how can you prepare to speak at a friend’s wedding? Perhaps you have been asked to be the best man or the maid of honor. Perhaps you have been asked to be the master of ceremonies at a wedding. Either way, with proper planning you can be a great wedding speaker.

Here is the first secret – overcome your fear of public speaking. Of course, this is easier said than done. The best way to overcome a fear of speaking is to plan carefully so you feel completely prepared. What are you really most afraid of? Probably of making a mistake, right? As long as you planned out your speech and rehearse over and over again, you will feel prepared and comfortable. If you need even more help, there is a great section on overcoming public speaking fear at a wedding in the book Wedding Toasts Made Easy by Tom Haibeck.

Your next step is to find a way to grab the audience’s attention. A lot of people find that humor is the best way to start out a public speech. At a wedding, this is no different. Start out with a wedding joke to engage everyone in the audience. Try something like ‘Love is blind, but marriage can be a real eye opener!’ This will set a fun tone for the rest of your speech. Here’s a another great one, ‘If a married man is alone in the forest, with no women around to hear him speak… Is he still wrong?’

Next, you need to think about a theme for your speech. Even if you will be the master of ceremonies, you should think of some kind of theme that you’ll talk about throughout the night. Perhaps you will center around the fact that you and the bride or groom knew each other growing up and you can draw from your past experiences. Perhaps you have some insight into the future plans of the couple, draw off of that. Remember that encouragement and humor should always be balanced. You don’t want people rolling on the floor laughing throughout your entire speech, but you don’t want to put them to sleep either.

If you still need more help, which is completely normal, start doing a little bit of research. There are tons of books like Wedding Toasts Made Easy that can help you plan the perfect speech. As long as you take the time to prepare, the couple will remember your words for the rest of their lives!

Article source: http://ezinearticles.com/6367274

Why Purchasing Your Wedding Linens Can Cost You More Money and Time Then It’s Worth

Your wedding decor speaks volumes about who you are. It reflects your personality, your style and will often set the tone for your event and aid in your guests overall event experience. Linens can add color to an otherwise dull event space, add texture and depth to your tables and relay the overall formality to your guests however, the cost of renting linens can often seem like a waste when your budget is busting at the seams, so it’s not unreasonable to consider other options that can save your money. If you have ever considered purchasing your linens with the hopes of reselling them after your event to “save money”, you may want to reconsider and ask yourself is it really worth the time and hidden cost you will encounter? If purchasing your linens vs. renting your linens has ever crossed your mind, consider the following.

1. Quality – Often times people boast that they purchased their linens at the same price it cost to rent them. While that may often be true, the detail they usually leave out is it’s often a lesser quality. Online retailers often offer very affordable linen options but the linens they offer are nowhere near close to rental quality. The satin linens they sell are very thin, often see through when placed on tables and an iron’s worst nightmare due to the type of fabric used.

Their polyester linens are made from a different type of polyester which is often hard and lacks the ability to absorb spills, which is important in napkins. They are often offered in limited colors and sizes and will often only hold up to 1 or 2 washes which is not good if your plan is to resell. In addition specialty linens are very hard to come by so your options are often limited to polyester and satin in basic colors. Not to mention finding matching banquet linens, overlays and napkins maybe a challenge.

2. Your Time – Nothing looks more beautiful than a room full of crisp white chair covers and neatly pressed linens but keep in mind, those chair covers and linens didn’t press themselves. When you purchase chair covers and linens from online retailers, they come individually wrapped in packages and are folded time and time again to fit into that packaging. The result…a brand new, yet hard wrinkled chair cover and tablecloth that you, your wedding party, friends, and family will spend hours steaming and hanging. You do have a steamer and tons of hangers right?

3. Cleaning – All too often I hear brides say “I’m purchasing my linens and will sell them after my wedding”. While this sounds like a great idea and is possible, keep a few things in mind. No one wants to purchase dirty linens so they will all need to be cleaned prior to selling, and washing used table linens is unlike washing every day laundry. Think of the items served at a typical wedding. Red wine, coffee, chocolate, pasta sauce, and not to mention lipstick stains all over napkins. There will be grease stains, food stains and mystery stains and while Tide and Oxyclean are wonderful they do nothing in lifting stains like these. This requires industrial strength laundry products. Also, did you know that most stains need to be treated within 24 hours to avoid permanent staining? That means someone will need to wash all of your linens within 24-48 hours to avoid set in stains and I’m sure you have better things to do then slave over a washing machine…like Honeymoon!

4. Setup and Strike – People love weddings and are always willing to help so finding someone to help setup your linens, napkins, and even chair covers and sashes may be an easy task but all good things must come to an end and often times that end is at 12am. Imagine this…You have just spent the evening celebrating, you are dressed in your nicest formal attire, the party is winding down and midnight is approaching. You’re tired and ready to go home…but WAIT, what about the linens? Someone needs to stick around to remove all the linens off the tables, shake off the excess food, search for missing napkins, and place them in bags then drag them to the car. There is a reason venues and linen companies charge for this service…its hard work.

5. The Sale – So let’s see…You have spent hours steaming/pressing your linens, spent a few hours setting them up (or longer if you had chair covers and sashes), stayed late at your venue removing them from your tables, lugged them all the way home, purchased your cleaning materials, spent 2-3 hours washing and folding them only to sell them for 1/2 of what you paid for them…if you’re lucky. You can’t sell them for what you paid for them because after all, why would anyone pay full price for used linens when they can buy them brand new with free shipping from the same place you purchased yours from. So in the end you will probably only get about half of what you paid for them and that’s only if:

1. None of them were damaged and they are in excellent condition. If there are linens with stains you will receive much less.

2. You are able to find a buyer in your area who is willing to purchase used linens in the same colors you had for your wedding and need the same amount of linens you had. Sure you can sales them in smaller lots but that’s even more of a headache.

3. You know where to advertise your linens (Remember eBay and PayPal both charge fee’s that cut into your profit and there are shipping costs).

4. You can list them on Craigslist but be prepaid to negotiate.

So in the end you have to ask yourself. Was it worth it? Take the time to meet with your local rental company who can work with you to find linens within your budget. A professional linen rental company will have a larger selection then any online retailer and best of all, they will handle all the setup, pickup and cleaning so that on your wedding day you can do what you do best…look marvelous!

Article source: http://ezinearticles.com/6477546

Leading Wedding Venue in Maidstone Kent, Turkey Mill

Turkey Mill is one of the most beautiful wedding venues in Kent. With its huge and manicured gardens, the River Len, the waterfall, the bridges there really isn’t a lovelier place in Kent for your wedding. The Orangery, where the service takes place has recently been completely rebuilt to a very high standard. Services before were held outdoors, with the couple just inside the old orangery, walled gazebo. The new building provides much more comfort for your guests and if the weather turns bad they’re not going to get wet.

The bride approaches the venue along the main bridge, which makes not only for a great shot, but a grand and romantic entrance to the ceremony. After the wedding ceremony the newly married couple proceed down the garden and through the gated hedge to have their reception drinks on the lawn by the River Len. This area of the garden provides a nice backdrop for the group photos and the large group shot of all the guests is best shot from the opposite bank. You’ll get all your guests and the Orangery in the background, it’s a lovely shot.

After the group shots it’s a nice romantic walk around the grounds with your photographer for the more intimate wedding photographs. There are fantastic backgrounds at Turkey Mill. There’s a Mill Pond with a picturesque boathouse. A bridge over rushing waterfall that can be shot from both sides and makes for a lovely photograph. Over the bridge there’s an archway that’s great also and on the other side there’s an arched and natural gazebo that’s also great for some shots. Carrying on there are large lawns with mature tree with your guests and orangery as a background detail in the distance. then its back down to the River Len again and over the other bridge, that the bride made her entrance earlier. The grounds are simply, and possibly, the best in Kent and one can see why couples have to wait years in order to get a wedding on a Saturday in the summer. Like other wedding venues in Kent Turkey Mill caters for weddings for all

Turkey Mill is run very professionally and the wedding breakfast will start exactly when you specified it would. The room is large and very well appointed. There’s plenty of room too for all your guests and it’s not cramped in the slightest, which can’t be said for all wedding venues. Once the wedding breakfast is finished there’s very little to be done to the room to make it ready for the night time festivities. There’s a large bar at one end where you guests can move to temporarily while the room is prepared.

Simply one of Kent’s most stunning wedding venues by far.

Article source: http://ezinearticles.com/6190650

Wedding Planners

Your wedding is the biggest day of your life and you want it to be special, personal and romantic. You probably have lots of ideas about what you do want and what you don’t, but perhaps don’t quite know where to start, to make your dream wedding a reality. It may seem slightly impersonal to hand over the organization to professional wedding planners but as the time of your wedding draws near, your wedding planner will have become your new best friend, taking the stress out of all the last minute preparations and steering you calmly through all the decision making.

Here are six reasons why you should hire a wedding planner to organise your wedding for you.

1. Saving Valuable Time
Planning a wedding can take a huge amount of time, there are so many details to attend to, so many suppliers to co-ordinate. Some statistics estimate that a wedding takes over 250 hours to plan – that’s a whole month of 8 hour days! Most of us don’t have that much time free, however far ahead we start planning our wedding, which leads to late nights agonizing over details, lunch hours filled with phone calls and no time to relax at all in the run up to the wedding. So by the time the day arrives we are exhausted and probably a little on the grumpy side! Here’s the thing – the wedding planner will take most of the load off your shoulders. She’ll put in the time and you will just have to find the time to make the big decisions with her guidance.

2. Experience and Knowledge
Wedding planners have done this before. They know exactly what needs to be done and have efficient systems in place. They know the best suppliers in your local area and can quickly translate your ideas and dreams into a reality. Unless you have planned a wedding or two before, you are bound to make mistakes, forget an essential detail, or struggle to work out exactly what is needed. A wedding planner already knows and will make sure everything runs smoothly and nothing is forgotten.

3. Support
It is easy to get overwhelmed with all the decisions that need to be made, especially when your other half isn’t really interested in colour combinations or the details of the wedding favours and leaves it all up to you. Your wedding planner is a steadying and soothing support, who can guide you through all the decision making and tell you honestly what does and doesn’t work. By the end of the wedding preparation she will be your new best friend.

4. Keeping to The Budget
Weddings can be very expensive. You might think you are saving money by doing it all yourself and that hiring a wedding planner is an extra unnecessary expense. Think about it this way: a wedding planner is used to working to a budget, she can keep a strict eye on the budget for you, get discounts that you wouldn’t otherwise have access to, know where to save money and where to splash out. In the end wedding planners tend to save more money than they cost and get you far more value for money than you could manage alone.

5. The Details
It is the attention to detail that makes a wedding really memorable, all those little extras. Your wedding planner brings an experienced eye for detail to the job and will make sure that all the last minute touches are perfect, something that you would hardly have time for yourself on your wedding day, when you are busy dressing and preparing for the big moment.

6. Stress
Planning a wedding is one of the most stressful things you can do – not only are you orchestrating a major event but you are creating the most special day of your life – a lot of pressure to pile on yourself. Handing over the organisation to a wedding planner removes a huge amount of stress from your life, so that you can actually enjoy your engagement and be a relaxed and happy bride on the day itself.

Article source: http://ezinearticles.com/6189840

It Should Be Fun Choosing the Perfect Wedding Dress

Finding the perfect wedding dress for your body type may seem like a huge mountain that you are about to climb. To make that mountain smaller, you need to have an idea of what you want your wedding dress to look like. Look at what wedding attire stores have to offer, start on the internet. This will narrow your options down, making the search for the perfect dress more joyful.

With the very large variety of wedding dresses available, you will definitely find what you are looking for. Most stores cater for all types of styles and tastes. While other wedding attire stores specialise in a specific style of wedding gowns. You will find it useful that some of your wedding attire stores will cater to your whole wedding party. From the mother of the bride and the mother of the groom, right down to the flower girls in your wedding party. The store you will choose your wedding dress from will tailor your dress to perfection. So that the dress will accentuate every curve that you want it to accentuate. And you will be able to add your special touch to make your dress so much more special. Make your dress all that you want it to be.

Have fun while you are searching for the dress that makes you feel like a princess as soon as you have tried it on! Try on everything that catches your eye. You could even try on dresses that you have never ever pictured yourself in. Your bridesmaids could join in on the fun of trying on some bridesmaids dresses. The key to finding that special wedding dress is to try all your options on. While trying on all your options, you will discover that some of the styles of dresses that you liked before just do not suit your body type and your wedding planner can assist you here. This will be coupled with the discovery of the types of dresses that look breathtakingly beautiful on your figure. It is all about finding what suits your body and believe me you will know when you have found the perfect wedding dress!

Your wedding dress should be one that incorporates your unique style and it will be an expression of your personality. Choose a wedding dress that you have absolutely fallen in love with. You will look beautiful because your dress will be all you want it to be. So enjoy every aspect of finding your wedding dress, the end result will make it worth your while!

Article source: http://ezinearticles.com/6189842