In part 1 last week of How to Plan the Perfect Indian Wedding, Planning Elegance featured information about Pooja and Suraj, how & when to book a wedding coordinator and Pooja & Suraj’s Mehndi Party day. Part 2 of this article includes the next three days of this perfect Indian wedding weekend including their Sangeet Music Party, Ceremony, and Reception!

Indian Wedding Day 2: Sangeet Music Party

The goals of the Sangeet Music Party were to have live traditional Indian musicians, lots of dancing, and a simpler event than the ceremony and reception to come in the next couple days. This event was more casual, yet traditional and so much fun! It was perfectly planned so that during the day the families would stay at their respective homes with relatives relaxing and carrying-out any other small, intimate ceremonies that had not been performed the day before. In the evening, guests came in casually and enjoyed the music, appetizers, and bar. About one hour after the event started was the entrance of the bride and her family, this was followed by a very grand entrance of the groom and his family and close friends following behind them. The laughter continued throughout the night with a unique Indian food buffet outdoors, casual seating inside, and dancing in the center of the hall.

Venue: Yorba Linda Community Center because they wanted a more casual venue, lots of parking, a central location for all their local guests, and all the rentals provided by the venue (chairs, tables, bar, etc.).
Traditional Touches: The live musicians were amazing! At the beginning of the even they sang romantic Bollywood songs, than ramped up to more upbeat dancing Indian music and even a little garba.
Unique Twists: The live Indian musicians had a DRUMMER! That was amazing and added a grand twist of energy to the music. The buffet was outdoors and the caterers prepared food out there for guests to view and ask questions. Although the buffet was set outdoors, there was seating available indoors, this was a nice touch for the guests to be able to choose where they preferred to eat.

Advice to future brides:

• Not all of your events have to be fancy and formal with arranged seating and pricey centerpieces. Having an Indian wedding with several events can become costly very quickly, so choose which events you want to be simpler, less expensive, and still fun! Guests will enjoy the change of pace and appreciate at least one less formal event.
• Differentiate all your events. Think about how to best diversify the décor, caterers, type of food, and venues.

Indian Wedding Day 3: Traditional Hindu Wedding Ceremony

Pooja and Suraj purposely chose a long weekend for their wedding because of the early decision (made by Pooja, Suraj, and both sets of parents) to split up the ceremony and reception into different days. This was advantageous because the groom’s side was able to make many major decisions for the ceremony, while the bride’s side could do so for the reception day. They had a traditional Hindu wedding ceremony with beautiful outdoor weather, the baraat, all the small ceremonies within the marriage, all guests blessing the newlyweds, family pictures after the ceremony on the mandap, a traditional Patel-style wedding dinner, and the viddai. The ceremony day was from approximately 2:00 pm to 8:00 pm, it was advantageous for the couple, family, and guests to have a relatively early night at this event. The following morning, just as tradition follows, the newlywed couple went to Suraj’s parent’s home for breakfast and all the newlywed games.

Venue: The Hyatt in Newport Beach because there was an outdoor amphitheater large enough to accommodate more than enough guests for this large Hindu wedding ceremony.
Traditional Touches: The colors of this Indian Wedding were traditional shades of reds, oranges, and yellows. The ceremony encompassed so many wonderful traditional aspects that many Indian weddings in the United States no longer include in order to shorten the ceremony. Since these traditions were especially important to the groom’s side and since there was plenty of time without having a wedding reception on the same day, traditions such as the first garland exchange, each guest blessing the newlyweds, and extensive family pictures after the ceremony were able to be incorporated.
Unique Twists: The mandap for this ceremony was amazing because it incorporated the existing wooden structure at the front of the Hyatt’s amphitheater. The wooden structure was draped with beautiful fabrics and enclosed with subtle pipe and drape to match the festive canopy that kept the guests comfortably shaded during the ceremony.

Advice to future brides:

• When you have several events for your wedding, keep in mind that you, your family, and your guests need a break. Having your events on a long weekend and spreading the celebrations out over the course of a few days is a great way to incorporate everything you want without over-exhausting everyone on your wedding weekend.
• Keep your guests’ comfort in mind during longer events. If your ceremony is going to be lengthy, ensure your guests have plenty of water available and that they will be comfortable with the temperature, also consider providing refreshments during the ceremony. If your cocktail hour is going to be longer than an hour, ensure that your guests have several sources of entertainment during the cocktail hour.

Indian Wedding Day 4: Wedding Reception

The perfect Indian Wedding Reception was amazing! With several well-planned events, each person involved in the wedding planning had the opportunity to be able to incorporate some of their own ideas, personality, and desires into each event. For this event the bride got her wonderful idea of late-night french fry and donuts for the guests to snack on and well as a unique reception layout with rectangular tables. Everyone’s wonderful collaborations lead to a gorgeous outdoor and indoor cocktail hour, an amuse-bouche for the guests to clean their palates upon entering the reception hall, a flash-dance performance that was a surprise for the bride and groom, fresh naan served to the guests’ tables during dinner, and a night complete with on-going dancing!

Venue: The Fairmont in Newport Beach because of their beautiful ballroom, extensive experience with Indian weddings, and flexibility to accommodate our unique requests.
Traditional Touches: The beautiful two-dimensional floral Ganesh from the wedding ceremony was incorporated into the cocktail hour to carry-out the color theme and tie the events together.
Unique Twists: EVERYTHING from the grand centerpieces to the surprise flash dance to the non-traditional reception hall layout to the cucumber-avocado soup amuse-bouche served in shot glasses. This Indian wedding reception was far from textbook and definitely expressed Pooja and Suraj’s fun and loving personalities.

Advice to future brides:

• Making your reception unique doesn’t HAVE to be expensive, you just have to be creative and work with your wedding coordinator to make those ideas a reality. For example, simply fluctuating the layout of your reception hall doesn’t add any additional cost to your event, but it makes a big impact in the eyes of your guests.
• Diversify the entertainment for your guests to include not only speeches and great food, but performances, centerpieces that evoke conversation, and interactive things like a photobooth guestbook as well.  Some additional ideas are a thank you video that guests record throughout the evening, fun food trucks, a projected slideshow, a program for guests to read at each setting, or table numbers with fun facts about the couple on them.

Planning Elegance hopes you enjoyed and learned from this unique two-part article on How to Plan the Perfect Indian Wedding featuring one of our most successful and anticipated weddings from 2011. We would like to thank Pooja, Suraj, their families, and all the vendors we worked with to make this wedding weekend absolutely perfect, memorable, and breath-taking!

All images by AAcreation Photography.

Pooja and Suraj’s Indian wedding weekend vendors:

Wedding Coordinator – Planning Elegance
Ceremony Caterers – Jay Bharat
Ceremony Musician – Anis Chandani
Decorator/Designer – Shawna Yamamoto Event Design
DJ and Lighting – Special Occasions
Hair, Makeup and Dressing – Farah Manekia, My Fair Bride
Late Night Reception Snacks – The Fry Girl, Inc.
Limo for Baraat – Taj Limousines
Mehndi/Henna Artist – Minal Chaudhary, Mehndi-Henna
Mehndi Party Caterers – Lucy’s Tacos
Mehndi Party Musicians – Adrian Tapia’s Jazz Band
Photography and Videography – AAcreation Photography
Priest/Pandit – Mahesh Bhatt
Reception Caterers – Rasraj
Sangeet Caterers – Manohar’s Dehli Palace
Sangeet Musicians – Jayshree and Suresh

As we all know, Indian Weddings involve several days of celebration, weeks of relatives in town, and months of planning. Planning Elegance would like to bring you a special two-part feature about how to plan the perfect Hindu Wedding just as our clients Pooja and Suraj did earlier this year. Part 1 involves information on the couple, how & when to book a wedding coordinator and Pooja & Suraj’s Mehndi Party day.  Part 2 of How to Plan the Perfect Indian Wedding with the next three days of Pooja and Suraj’s perfect Indian wedding weekend including their Sangeet Music Party, Ceremony, and Reception! We will walk you through the various ways they selected venues, set their traditional events apart and brought unique twists to each event.

During wedding planning time, Pooja Mapara was doing her medical doctor residency working long hours with a very supportive family behind her. Suraj Akotia Patel is a licensed lawyer practicing law in Anaheim, CA with a family that holds in high regard cultural and family wedding traditions. They were high school sweethearts and were very excited to start the next chapter of their lives together. Pooja and Suraj are both very smart and knew that they had a challenge ahead of them in trying to balance so many wedding events into a few days. They chose to get married during Memorial Weekend 2011, which gave provided an extra day off for their guests, but a race to book a venue and good vendors for this high-demand wedding weekend.

How to Start the Indian Wedding Planning Process

This was going to be the first wedding in both Pooja and Suraj’s families, therefore the couple and their parents all quickly agreed to hire a wedding coordinator very early in the planning process. Suraj’s father contacted Planning Elegance first just for wedding and event venue selection advice. Upon a long phone consultation, he realized the value of hiring a coordinator prior to selecting the venues for their various events so that professionals could help negotiate pricing, review the contracts, make suggestions on which events to have where, and work with both families to educate everyone on the top priorities when selecting each venue.

A couple weeks later it was exactly 12 months prior to the upcoming wedding, Planning Elegance got a phone call from Pooja’s mother requesting an in-person consultation, explaining that they’d like to hire a coordinator immediately to assist with venue selection, lay out suggested deadlines for the planning process, and make vendor recommendations with detailed explanations of the pros and cons of each vendor option.

After the complimentary in person consultation at Planning Elegance’s office in Orange, CA, the couple and parents all agreed that hiring Planning Elegance was the right fit for their personalities and their needs. We went through the Planning Elegance booking contract thoroughly, answered all their questions, and got started with their venue search, to-do list, and vendor recommendations immediately. From there on out the parents were all definitely more relaxed knowing that they had a point-person to go to with every question and the bride and groom were happy knowing that all the planning pressure wasn’t on them, however that they would always get the opportunity to make the final decision on every detail.

Advice to future brides:

• Begin contacting wedding coordinators very early to be educated on what you need and where you need to go next
• Know WHY you want to hire a wedding coordinator
• Know what you want from a coordinator and tell them so that they can deliver
• Choose a coordinator who you feel very comfortable with and do not find annoying, you will be talking to them a LOT throughout the entire planning process

Indian Wedding Day 1: Pithi (Haldi) Ceremony, Ganesh Pooja, and Mehndi Party

Both families wanted to keep many of the traditional small ceremonies that go with a Hindu wedding, however had the challenge of having enough time to be able to accommodate all their events. After many discussions involving balancing pros and cons, everyone came to the consensus that the first wedding day would be a long one involving the traditional Pithi (Haldi Ceremony) at each family’s respective homes almost immediately followed by the traditional Gujarati Ganesh Pooja and Mandap Murath Pooja. After a few hour break, both families and more guests would celebrate a fun mehndi night full of entertainment and food to kick-off the wedding celebrations with smiles and laughter.

Venue: The Mapara Residence in Anaheim, CA because they wanted one event to have a personal and welcoming touch. With enough space and great themed décor, the best place to have the welcoming first event is the bride’s home.
Traditional Touches: Although the traditional Gujarati ceremonies held during the day were slightly shortened to be able to accommodate everything in one day, everyone was very happy to be able to keep those cultural and religious wedding traditions.
Unique Twists: The mehndi party in the evening was one of the most eventful parties that Planning Elegance has ever seen! With an outdoor poolside event, top-notch ambient lighting, Moroccan themed décor, 5 piece jazz band, and fresh Mexican food buffet, there was definitely something for everyone.

Advice to future brides:

• The mehndi event should be fun for you too. Take Pooja’s advice and get your mehndi done before all the fun starts so that you have time to mingle, dance, and eat comfortably.
• Personalize it! The tradition of henna on brides will last forever, however the actual mehndi party is a unique event that you should make your own. There are no set “rules” or boundaries for this event, it’s one that you can twist and turn to showcase your personality.
• Having an event at your home is great, but you have to do it right. It worked for Pooja and Suraj because they had a coordinator managing everything in the behind the scenes, plenty of décor to turn the Mapara home into a venue, ambient lighting to set the mood of the event, and a service staff to set-up, clean-up, serve food, tend bar, and stay throughout the end of the night to ensure that the family all enjoyed themselves.

Tune in to Planning Elegance’s blog next week for Part 2 of this article with the next three days of Pooja and Suraj’s perfect Indian wedding weekend including their Sangeet Music Party, Ceremony, and Reception! Keep up to date with our blog for new wedding ideas, trends & tips! Also, don’t forget to check out Advice for Indian Brides and Indian Wedding Fashion Tips.

All images by AAcreation Photography.

Interracial marriages are when two people from different racial groups get married. The racial rituals and ceremonies are divided and incorporated into one wedding which is also called a fusion wedding.

Banned Background

Interracial weddings are unique in their own special way due to the different aspects of each type of background, culture, and/or religion. When one wedding holds two cultures there are so many interesting details and ceremonies that come together. Interracial marriages at first were not of law and were looked down upon in various cultures. Women who chose to marry someone outside of their religion were banned from getting married. This took place in countries such as Germany, South Africa, and the Arab Nations. Today, fusion weddings and interracial marriages are seen as normal weddings just with a small twist, they are generally exciting and very common in melting pot countries like the United States, England, and Canada.

Two Races, One Fusion Wedding

Two racial groups coming together can make for a beautiful wedding. Fusion weddings include all religious types such as Jewish, Hindu, Christian, Catholic, Muslim, Greek Orthodox, Sikh, and many more. Interracial weddings have been seen as a new trend in the United States. Statistics show that one out of seven weddings are now fusion weddings. It is more common and natural that people with different religions decide to get married. Polls have been taken by interracial couples who have been married over a year and they state, “We get the best of both worlds”.

When these fusion weddings are performed it is carefully decided which aspects of the different traditional ceremonies to incorporate into the fusion wedding ceremony and reception. In a Hindu wedding, there is a ceremony called the Baraat where a groom and his side of the family make their way towards the brides family dancing and celebrating. The groom is then welcomed by the bride’s side of the family by the bride’s mother. In an interracial marriage even if the groom is Jewish, it is common for him and his family to partake in this ceremony and it brings the family together to celebrate. Many people of the Jewish background enjoy this newly learned wedding celebration.

With the Jewish groom incorporating the Indian culture into the wedding ceremony, his side of the family might have their Jewish wedding traditions incorporated into the reception, such as the traditional chair dance which is called the “Hora” and is celebrated with the traditional “Hava Nagillah” song. This is a ceremony which almost all Jewish weddings include and it comes from royalty being held on chairs in any type of joyous celebration. The bride and the groom are held by guests who hoist them up onto chairs with handles and all the guests dance around them in a circle while they enjoy their time celebrating in the chairs. This is also a tradition just like a baraat that brings all the guests together from the bride and grooms side to come celebration their love together.

The Beauty of Fusion Weddings

There are many different types of fusion weddings where Jewish and Hindu are just an example. These weddings bring out each special quality that the bride and the groom’s ethnicity holds. It also is a great way for the family to be able to learn and accept each other’s different religions and traditions while celebrating the special day of their loved ones.

Simoina and Dave’s Romantic Sikh and Jewish Wedding Same-Day-Edit from Imagique

- Trendy Blogger

Image 1 via AAcreation Photography and Maharani Weddings

Image 2 via Mathew May Photography

Today’s guest blogger is Adam Gropman, the owner and head writer for The Funny Business. This company specializes in creating speeches for weddings guests such as the best man, maid of honor, or family members of the bride or groom. They pride themselves in creating customized speeches/roasts according to details of the bride/groom and their worlds.

The near-perfect wedding can become an unforgettably outstanding wedding with the addition of a fantastic, custom-written speech—be it words from the best man, an involved toast by a family member, a tasteful roast by a long-time friend, or any other number of speech-giving options involving any number of attendees. Although a wedding is a rather serious celebration of a major life commitment, the best weddings are laced with joy, vitality and a light, uplifting spirit. And nothing makes people feel more loose, relaxed, joyous, happy and connected to others than appropriate, well-written humor.

A perfect humorous wedding speech or roast includes many “inside” references, mentions of personalities, events, anecdotes and specific places and things that at least a good percentage of the audience is familiar with. This kind of connection guarantees an even higher level of response and laughter on the part of your audience. While generic references and punchlines are good to have for a portion of the speech, the inclusion of very specific people, places, events and characteristics related to the honoree(s) is what will take a funny wedding speech to astronomical heights and leave the crowd holding their sides from the sweet pain of repetitive belly laughter.

The perfect knockout roast-speech can either strictly focus on the groom (or bride), or can equally include both, or can span far wider and include a sampling of close friends and family. This latter approach, if accomplished with just the right touch of brevity and appropriateness, can further heighten the sense of inclusion and the disclosure of colorful details that will cause the wedding participants to feel more actively involved in the proceedings.

Take care, when creating your roast-speech, to make the majority of the content about the groom and/or bride—or at least make them the subject of the largest portion—and to deftly connect any funny anecdotes or mentions regarding others in attendance with the groom and bride themselves, whenever possible. So, while it is not categorically out of the question to poke fun at Uncle Fred’s golfing hyjinx or muscle car collecting as isolated funny elements in and of themselves, it is better to connect those references by mentioning as time the groom went golfing with Uncle Fred, or was forced to ride along with him in his car as he screeched at eighty- five miles an hour around every turn.

Also make sure, when creating your wedding speech, to gauge and adhere to the tastes and sensibility of your audience. Some crowds generally favor or at least can easily tolerate more risque and edgy material, while crowds at the opposite end of the spectrum, feel comfortable only with squeaky clean “church-friendly” material. Nonetheless, if a crowd is so serious and reverent as to have just about NO sense of humor, then a funny speech may be a waste of time. Luckily, most people, and most crowds, are won over by good, intelligent, thought-out, pertinent humor and will be thankful for the levity break and the opportunity to share moments of group bonding over the facts and foibles, the odd, random eccentricities of human existence. After all, isn’t that what life is really about?

It has been established that a funny wedding speech or roast is your most powerful and cost-effective tool in ensuring a joyous, successful celebration that no one will forget and everyone will look back upon with the happiest and most heartfelt emotions. But since most people do not possess the comedic writing talents and abilities to correctly pull off such a job—especially not at the high level required to knock the assemble crowd out of their seats, it is highly recommended to hire a professional comedy speech writer who specializes in such things. The Funny Business is such a business, comprised of seasoned, proven Los Angeles comedy writers, with experience writing for TV, radio, internet, magazines and the live stage. Contact them at inquiry@thefunnybiz.biz or go to The Funny Biz and have a look. For much less than the cost of the swan ice sculpture or the chocolate fountain or a few plates of sushi, you can have an absolute top-quality, Comedy Central/HBO-level custom-written funny speech or roast that will connect with your audience personally and powerfully and leave your attendees gasping for air and talking about it for years afterward. And that is priceless.

Planning Elegance would like to thank Adam Gropman, for providing our readers and clients with such a unique article on a great idea for humorous wedding speeches!

Adam Gropman

Image 1 via Rendez-vous

Image 2 via Matt Andrews Photography

Image 3 via Amigram Blog

Image 4 via The Funny Biz

Shaadi Vendors is a one-stop shop for all of your wedding needs. We are a group of wedding professionals dedicated to making your planning process easier and more organized. Shaadi Vendors was developed by a team of vendors you all specialize in different aspects of a wedding production. By loving what we do and always thinking of new ways to help our clients, we came up with the idea to create one company that offers all of the necessary services for an Indian Wedding.

We offer five core services through one strong team. These services include DJ, lighting, photography, videography, and coordination. We cater our services towards modern Indian brides and grooms seeking a memorable and organized occasion that their entire family can enjoy. We pride ourselves on our well-known professionalism, organization, and experience to produce successful events.

This video identifies the teamwork, expertise, and hard work that Shaadi Vendors puts into each one of our events.

Picking a song to have your first dance as husband and wife may not be the easiest task. Not every couple has a song that they can call ‘their song.’ You may not even have a song that means something to both of you. Take some of these helpful tips to begin in the process of picking a first dance song from the millions of songs that are out there.

I first suggest to think of what type of personality you both have as a couple. What do others see you like as a couple? Personality is very important when it comes to picking a song. This can help you narrow down the many different categories to choose from. Do you want to stick to the safe & classic side or do you want to be unique and crazy with your first dance? These are definite questions that any couple can begin with when choosing a song to enter into a new life together.

Soft But Romantic

If you are looking for a romantic love song that has a smooth & slow rhythm, these may be good options for you:

• Robin Thicke – “Angel”
• KC & Jojo – “All My Life”
• Lou Reed – “Perfect Day”
• Celine Deon – “All the Way
• Bryan Adams – “Everything I Do”

Fun But Loving

These songs may be for couples that have a more fun & outgoing personality, and of course, for the bride to show off her beautiful wedding gown. These songs are definitely good starters to help get some people onto the dance floor after an exciting first dance!

• The Jackson Five – “Especially for Me”
• Plain White T’s – “1234”
• Vanessa Carlton – “A Thousand Miles”
• The Beatles – “All My Loving”
• Lionel Richie – “Angel

Oldies But Goodies

You can never go wrong with a classic oldies song in any situation. These are common songs that will always stick with all of us in many moments of our lives!

• Marvin Gaye – “Let’s Get it On”
• Frank Sinatra – “The Way You Look Tonight”
• Etta James – “At Last”
• Seal – “Kiss From a Rose”
• Billy Joel – “Just the Way You Are”

The first dance that a couple shares as newly pronounced husband and wife should be a meaningful experience for both. The first dance captures a very special moment for you both as well as an endearing experience for your guests. This should be on your wedding planning check-off list as something you should both decide on together. Whether you go with the traditional route or try something new, it’ll be a moment that everyone at your wedding will remember.

-Blogger for the Groom

Image 1 via: Bride O Rama
Image 2 via: Wedding Professionals
Image 3 via: AAcreation Photography
Image 4 via: Cultural Explosion

There are so many programs, applications and tools out there on the web aimed at helping brides stay organized that often it’s overwhelming trying to pick out the useful ones. Evernote and Pinterest are great tools for wedding planning.  They cancouples stay organized when compiling lists of ideas, inspirations and tasks.  In fact, it’s great for newlywed life as well!

Evernote

If you love making quick notes or taking pictures, Evernote is perfect for you. For example, if you finds the perfect venue and wants to make a note of it, simply take a picture or write a note about it in Evernote.  Your fiance can immediately look at that note when he is logged into the same Evernote account from any device.  No need to email back and forth!  Your fiance can also update the note with ideas for you to see. Another really helpful feature is that Evernote syncs on all your devices.  If you have a personal computer, a smart phone and a tablet, just install Evernote on all devices and then anything you update from any of those will automatically be synced to all devices.

Other ways to use Evernote:

• Take pictures of vendor business cards and store them in Evernote.
• Make notes of possible honeymoon destinations and prices.
• Keep ongoing lists of potential guests to be invited so that both you and your fiance can add/remove guests.
• Make voice recordings to remind yourself of songs to include in your playlist.
• Keep a checklist of things that need to be done for the wedding, and anyone with access to your Evernote can check off things as they get done (family members, wedding planners, bridal party guests).

Pinterest

Pinterest describes itself as a virtual pinboard, like a corkboard.  It lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find online for your wedding as well as browse pinboards created by others.  If you search on Pinterst for a themed wedding you may be interested in, you can see what others have collected on the theme and create your own ideas.  You can get inspiration and discover new ideas based on others with a similar interest as you.

Here are some other cool features of Pinterest:

• People can leave comments on your ideas or interests.  For example, if you pin up an idea for a wedding dress, your bridesmaids can comment with their opinions on color and length.
• Keep a picture board of photo styles you like for your engagement photo session
• Search for particular ideas such as honeymoon destinations or DIY gifts.

Check out these two free tools and leave us a comment if you have any other great, free wedding planning tools!

Been-there-bride Blogger

Image 1 via Randyelrod

Image 2 via Crunch Base

Imabe 3 via In Space Between

As the Maid of Honor, you have one of the biggest roles to play in the wedding. The wedding planning process is hectic and full of details, so it’s your responsibility to aid the bride through all the ruckus and ensure that her big day goes as smoothly as possible.

To help you out, we’ve put together a checklist of responsibilities that you should be aware of.

Act As Head bridesmaid

The Maid of Honor is bridesmaid numero uno and is in charge of making sure all the other bridesmaids are organized, show up for events, and get everything they need. All the bridesmaids will turn to you in time of crisis, so be prepared!

Host a Bridal Shower And/Or Bachelorette Party

With the help of the other bridesmaids, host, plan, and set up a bridal shower or bachelorette party (possibly both). Typically, the costs are split between the bridesmaids, but the Maid of Honor is usually in charge of making sure everything gets done.

Buy Your Wedding Day Outfit

Being a Maid of Honor or bridesmaid is pretty costly, since you have to buy a dress and often shoes and jewelry, too. Some generous brides will offer to foot the cost, but that’s pretty rare.

Go Shopping With The Bride

Finding the perfect wedding dress is at the top of the list for most brides, so she’s going to need your help! Go with her as moral support and be the voice of confidence she needs.

Play a Huge Part in the Pre-Wedding Tasks

There’s a billion things to do before the wedding, and your bride will thank you profusely if you are there to help.

Play Hostess During The Reception

Help guide wedding guests to their seats, restrooms, and answer their questions. Make sure the caterers, DJ, etc. are all doing their job properly.

Give a Speech

As the Maid of Honor, you are probably very important in the bride’s life. The highlight of her big day would be to hear about how special she is to you.

Most Important of All: Have Fun!

It is a wedding, after all. So, after all your duties are done, kick off those stilettos and dance your butt off!

- Cultural Blogger

Image 1 via Handi Points

Image 2 via Bachelorette Superstore

Image 3 via Stylelist.com Weddings

When planning your wedding, throw in details that show off both you and your significant other’s personalities. It’s your day and people are celebrating your love for one another with you so why not show them what makes the two of you “you”? It can be anything from what you wear on your wedding day to the colors and design you pick for your wedding linens. Country singers Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton definitely did it their way by adding each of their personalities into their wedding details.

A Country-fied Wedding

Miranda and Blake got married on May 14th at the 125-acre Don Strange Ranch in San Antonio, Texas. The couple stated that they wanted their wedding to reflect their personalities of being old-fashioned, laid back, and fun. They had many unforgettable accents for their special day. At the Don Strange Ranch, the couple chose to exchange their vows in a lantern lit barn. They both stood on a cowhide rug underneath an arch made of antlers, and Lambert wore her mother’s wedding dress with custom-made cowboy boots to fit her style. Being a country girl, she said that wearing anything other than boots on her wedding day just wouldn’t feel right. Miranda wore her mother’s wedding dress as a good luck charm as her parents have been married for thirty three years.

Their reception hall was decked out with hunting and fishing gear to reflect Blake Shelton’s favorite hobby. Blake Shelton and his family are big on fishing and hunting so he thought it would be a good way to include something that he is passionate about. Other intimate details that reflected the couple’s personalities were included in their wedding cake. They picked a brown cake that was made to look like worn leather and for the icing they chose hot pink because it’s one of Miranda Lambert’s favorite colors.

Your Wedding, Your Style

With the bride and groom both being country singers, the choice of music for the wedding was quite easy. But Miranda decided she didn’t want to walk down the aisle to the traditional wedding song like every other bride so instead she threw in something that showed a huge piece of who they are, and also represented their love for country music. Miranda walked down the aisle to her bridesmaid, Ashley Monroe (who is also a fellow country singer), singing “Makin Plans”. This song came out in 2009 and Miranda Lambert wrote it for Blake Shelton herself. The song is so touching that even her own lyrics made her cry during her walk down the aisle. This idea was something that showed her personality as well as her feelings for Blake.

Putting your personalities into your wedding details is easy and is an innovative way to add a unique twist to the ceremony and reception. For Miranda and Blake, it was a country-style wedding, but for you, it can be anything. Even if it’s just by including your favorite colors on your save-the-dates or showing off a favorite hobby you share with your significant other ; make it something that represents the two of you. It’s your wedding so go crazy and make everything your style!

- The Trendy Blogger

Image 1, 2 & 3  via Us Weekly

If  you want to see another amazing celebrity wedding, check out Kate Middleton and Prince William’s royal affair!

The following article is a continuation of our last guest blogger post by AAcreation: The Art of Wedding Video Editing, On-Site Coverage. These two articles will help your understand the process of video editing and ensure that you have all the best information when booking your wedding videographer and preparing for your final wedding video edit.

Continuing from our last article, we’d like to re-emphasize that video editing is both a technical and artistic process. The off-site work where we log, load and edit the massive amount of footage is where all the behind-the-scenes magic happens. So, on average 10 hours of footage (including on and off-site) takes approximately 50-60 hours to produce, here’s why…

Off-Site Video Editing After Event

First, we log and load the video footage onto our computers – ten hours of footage takes ten hours to digitize onto the computer plus it takes an additional two hours to format the video files into our video editing software and prepare the files for first pass editing.

First Pass Video Editing
First pass video editing is where we sync footage together from both Camera 1 and Camera 2, while removing all the bad footage. This process requires the longest amount of time since every hour of footage takes us at least two hours of edit time. So, ten hours of footage takes approximately 20 hours to edit, set-up and clean. In the end, the original amount of 5 hours of footage is cut down to 2.5 hours of usable footage.

Next we e-mail the clients as we simultaneously set-up our excel file to find out their song preferences and video editing style, typical questions include…

• Should we use original audio or songs?
• Who picks the songs – the couple or the editors?
• Is the video length going to be quick and short or detailed and long?
• Should we keep original audio for key moments like Speeches, Performances and Free dancing? This is followed by us searching for the songs in our database, having the clients e-mail us the .mp3 files, or we ask our DJ contacts to provide us with a song list.

If we (the editors) pick the songs, then we can move forward and keep the editing process flowing. However, if the clients pick the songs, (based on experience) we sometimes have to wait up to 3 months on average depending on the client. If we both work together it takes approximately 1 month to put together a song list and get it approved.

Second Pass Video Editing
Second pass video editing involves tuning all the good footage and editing it to match the lyrics and beats of the songs. This process requires approximately ten hours. Most weddings have eight to ten songs, and each song takes about one hour to edit.

Third Pass Video Editing
This stage of video editing involves polishing and marks the completion of 90% of the video editing process. Here, we add all the graphics, effects, and titles while tying the whole project together. This can take a total of five hours. It is a must that the video is previewed numerous times in order to ensure there are no blank spots or faulty audio.

We are now able to set-up a preview meeting with the client, where we discuss the video and note feedback, which usually takes around three hours. After that, an additional one to two hours are spent to make any updates the client has requested and to prepare the project for exporting. Exporting the video footage and setting it up to create a DVD occupies the computers for approximately 10 to 18 hours, during which time they cannot be used for any other function.

This is followed by DVD production where we transfer the DVD footage into another program which makes the menu, chapters, and puts everything together to be burnt into a DVD. Each DVD takes 20 to 30 minutes to make. Most weddings have three DVDs each for both the ceremony and the reception. So, a total of 3 hours is spent burning DVDs. The final step is to watch the video one more time and make sure there are no technical errors that have been implemented while converting into the DVD format. If we have spelled something wrong or if the CPU had a glitch while rendering and exporting the project then we have to re-export the entire project.

In the end, its takes 50 to 60 hours to edit and perfect each and every minute of detail of a 10 hour project. However, we understand how this video will become an important part of your journey together. With that, we promise to try our very best to capture every emotion, reaction, and important memory of family, friends, and most importantly the couple.

Norwalk Doubletree Indian Gujarati Wedding Video Highlights – Rashmi & Chirag from AAcreation on Vimeo.

Rashmi and Chirag’s Indian Wedding Ceremony and Reception was held at the Norwalk Doubletree in Norwalk California. We shot pictures and video for both of her events. The highlights video was shot with a Sony HDV video camera, Canon 7D and two cameramen.

Planning Elegance would like to thank Saher Khan of AAcreation, for providing our readers and clients with such a detailed and educational article about the entire process of wedding video editing.

Today’s guest blogger is Saher Khan from AAcreation. This company strongly believes in the importance of capturing your special day to tell a story through their photography and videography. Ahmed and Mehreen Ahad created this company to specialize in capturing the different South Asian Cultures through their photography and videography.

Video editing is both a technical and artistic process that involves the selection and combination of shots into sequences, which are eventually compiled into a finished motion picture. It is an art of storytelling. Referred to by some as an ‘invisible art’ the editor works with layers of images, storytelling, actors’ performances and audio (dialogue and music) to ensure that the viewer is so engaged that he/she doesn’t even notice the work of the editor. This however is not an easy process. The editor has to decide on which elements to retain, delete, or combine from various sources in order for them to come together in a logical, organized and visually pleasing manner. On-site work including pre-shoot, actual coverage and post-production usually require a smaller percentage of work in comparison to off-site work where we log, load and edit the massive amount of footage. So, on average 10 hours of footage (including on and off-site) takes approximately 50-60 hours to produce.

Below is an sample timeline demonstrating how much time is required in producing and editing an average South Asian wedding event.

On-Site Wedding Day Video Coverage

Pre-Shoot (Before Wedding Ceremony)

• The previous night, we spend approximately four hours charging the equipment, loading all the gear, cleaning the lenses, and labeling tapes
• At the event, we arrive 2 hours ahead of time in order to setup the lighting and audio equipment

Ready, Set, Action! (Wedding Ceremony)

• We spend one hour filming the bride while she is getting ready, while simultaneously the second camera spends 30 minutes with the groom while he is getting ready
• 30 minutes are spent getting detailed shots of the location including both the inside and the outside of the venue
• Next we spend approximately 30 minutes focusing on the family and guests as they arrive
• This is followed by the Baraat (Groom’s Procession in a South Asian Wedding), which is covered for the next 30 minutes
• The coverage of a South Asian ceremony ranges from one to three hours
• After the ceremony, we spend a little time capturing key moments during family pictures

Post-Production (After Wedding Ceremony)

• Taking down and packing up the gear

Total time required: 6-7 hours

Pre-Shoot (Before Wedding Reception):

• Before the event, we spend 2 hours to setup, and handle all the details

Ready, Set, Action! (Wedding Reception):

• We spend 30 minutes covering the set-up of the reception hall and the social hour or cocktail hour
• The next 30 minutes are spent on the arrival of the guests
• The reception program and entertainment requires approximately two hours of coverage
• This is followed by one hour of planned and free dancing

Post-Production:

• Taking down and packing up the gear

Total time required: 5-6 hours

Our next article will be published on Thursday, June 23rd and will feature Part 2 of this article with The Art of Off-Site Wedding Video Editing details from AAcreation. Keep up to date with our blog for new wedding ideas, trends & tips! Also, don’t forget to check out How to Get Perfect Pictures on your Wedding Day.

If you’ve been a bride, or are soon to be one, then you have surely had someone tell you “Make sure you enjoy your wedding day, because it will go by so fast”. And sure enough, you plan for months, the day comes and goes, and before you know it, you are looking at your wedding pictures and videos trying to remember what it felt like.

Although the wedding outfits, the food, the décor and the guests are vital to any wedding, what truly makes lasting memories for the couple is how the bride and groom shared their wedding day together. Often though, this is lost in the day because of all the rush and fuss going on around them.

One of the best things any couple can do is plan ahead and pick a time in the wedding where just the two of them (no cameras, no family, no vendors) can connect, even just for a moment, to take in the day, the joyous feelings and of course, the love between the two of them. Here are some ideas to create that moment.

• During Dinner: When everyone is enjoying their dinner, and the photographer and videographer are filming the guests, this is the perfect time to sneak away with your spouse for a private moment. Walk around the hotel and enjoy the beautiful venue you have chosen, take a quick walk outside and enjoy the starry night hand-in-hand. Don’t stay away too long though, the great food, and table-visiting await you.
• During Photo Shoots: There is likely a brief period during the wedding photo shoot where the photographers will take pictures of the bridal party individually, or the venue and you may not be needed. Take this time to re-connect with your loved one about how much you are both enjoying being with each other on this day. If it suites you both, write vows to say to just each other privately during this time.
• During the Drive Time: If you are holding your event in multiple locations, then plan on being alone with your bride/groom during this time. Enjoy the quiet peace of the ride together and talk about how much fun you are having and how special the day has already been.

• During Dancing: Although you don’t want to miss out on too much of the fun and letting loose, sneak away for 5-10 minutes. Listen to the music from afar with your new spouse and laugh as everyone else gets crazy on the dance floor.
• During a Special Song: Ask the DJ to play a special song of yours at some point through the night. Meet at the desert table and enjoy your favorite desert together while the song is playing. Or meet in the photo booth you rented and take some cute pictures together.

Although the idea of spending quality time alone with your partner during your wedding sounds very simple to do, it requires careful planning. The bride and the groom are the celebrities that day and everyone wants to congratulate and take pictures with them. If you don’t make specific plans to take a moment together, you may end the night realizing you hardly remember seeing each other!

Don’t forget that you will have many pictures to remember what the event looked like, but no picture or video can remind you of those special moments that only you and your spouse know about.

- Been-There-Bride Blogger

Image 1 via Lucero Photography

Image 2 via Josef Isayo Photography

Image 3 via AJ Studios

Today’s guest blogger is Jennifer Reid aka Mrs. Foodie Registry, who is from The Foodie Registry. This company is based on two simple ideas: first, most couples already own many of the items found on a traditional registry and secondly, people love good food. Put that together and what do you get? A restaurant gift registry. For foodies. A Foodie Registry.

Traditional wedding registry etiquette is often unspoken of, which is why it seems to generate a lot of debate, as well as confusion. Here we offer some simple Do’s and Don’ts for the modern bride who is navigating the tricky waters of wedding registry etiquette.

DO provide a variety of options for guests. Diversity is golden! That includes a variety of price points (consider the gift budgets of your guests) as well as a variety of items and registries.

DON’T wait until the last minute to register. Registering for your wedding gifts 6 months in advance of the wedding date is generally a good time frame to give guests to choose and purchase their gift. Just make sure to check your registries regularly, as sometimes items get discontinued.

DO register online. Online wedding registries are infinitely more convenient for both guests and receivers. Even if older guests prefer a brick and mortar registry, the vast majority of your guests will prefer to purchase their gift online. Online registries offer flexibility for more traditional-minded guests, and convenience for everyone else.

DON’T include your registries on your invitations. While we’re not ones who advocate following tradition to a tee, we think this rule of etiquette has good reason behind it. You don’t want to take any emphasis away from the primary purpose of the invitation – to ask that your friends and loved ones be present at one of the most specials moments in your life. Instead, include the web address for your wedding webpage, which we highly encourage you to create.

DO make your wedding registry easily accessible. Word of mouth may be the traditional way of letting guests know where you are registered, but in the modern, busy era of instant communication, it is a bit impractical. The best way to let your guests know where you’re registered, of course, is to link to your registries on your wedding webpage.

DON’T be afraid to register for what you want. Now we’re not saying go register for that Porsche you’ve always dreamed of having, but often times, couples feel pressured to register for items that they think are “appropriate” to ask for, even if they don’t need or particularly want those items. These days you’re not limited to traditional houseware items and registries – and in fact, many modern couples who are marrying later or who lived together prior, are eschewing unnecessary housewares in exchange for non-traditional items that reflect their interests. This can be anything from registering for camping gear to rock climbing classes to a dinner at an upscale restaurant.

Finally, DO what’s best for you – it’s your special day – and DON’T worry too much about following rules and etiquette. Modern weddings are less about following tradition, and more about following your heart.

Planning Elegance would like to thank Mrs. Foodie Registry, for providing our readers and clients with such a unique article on a great idea for wedding gifts!

Image 1 via Classic Candy Buffet

Image 2 via Fancy Pants Weddings

The long standing tradition of a cute little bride and groom statue on top of a gorgeous wedding cake still continues on today. Through the years, many variations of the traditional cake toppers have taken place and many couples have come up with their own unique twist on what to put on top of their fabulous wedding cakes. Below we have laid out some popular and unique ideas for your wedding cake topper.

Bobble Head Cake Topper

A popular new option is the bobble head dolls of the bride and groom. This is much more personal than a generic couple topper since these bobble heads actually look like the bride and groom. However, this option is a lot more expensive. You can also buy generic bobble heads with a spot for a picture on the face; this is a much cheaper way to go.



Monogram Cake Topper

A classy new trend is monogram letters of the couple. Initials of the bride and groom’s first name or the new last name of the couple are the most popular options. Depending on your budget, you can always add a little (or a lot!) of bling to really make it stand out.

Hobby Cake Topper

A fun trend is to pick a favorite activity of the bride or groom and find a wedding topper to match that. A favorite sports team, a certain pet, or a favorite alcohol are all great examples that’s can be made into a wedding topper.

The wedding cake topper (or whatever wedding dessert you may be choosing) is a relatively inexpensive way to make your wedding more personal and unique. If you are a having a very traditional wedding but want something to stand out as “totally us” in the wedding, the cake topper is the perfect way to do this. Many couples will save their cake topper as their favorite souvenir from the wedding.

- Been-there-Bride Blogger

Image 1 via The Caldwells Photography

Image 2 via Ali Express

Image 3 via Bonanza

Today’s guest blogger is Simran Chawla, who is the author and creator of the book Indian Weddings.  This book is a mix of approachable text and scintillating photography to serve as a great a visual guide to Indian American weddings today!

A critical part of Indian culture, Indian weddings — defined by rich cultural traditions, song and dance, and, like all weddings, fun and love — are becoming more and more a part of American culture. The weddings of the more than 2.5 million Indian Americans are increasingly an occasion not only for families and friends to celebrate but for cultures to meet and embrace.

Following in the footsteps of tradition, Indian American couples are marking their impressions on an inherited culture. The new book Indian Weddings is a visual guide to Indian American weddings today. Resources include bridal beauty and shopping tips, creating a wedding budget, and wedding schedules to help anyone who is planning an Indian wedding. But beyond that, this book will inspire couples to recreate the beauty of the rich Indian culture that is famous worldwide for its wedding celebrations.

At the heart of it all, under the weighted layers of color and custom, whether the essence of Indian weddings reflects tradition or trend, there’s no doubt that today’s ceremonies pay tribute to family and illuminate a cultural respect for relationships.  Families come together because everyone has a role to play, whether it’s the sister of the groom or the brother of the bride’s mother.

While they are a celebration of sacred commitment, joining two lives and merging two families, they are also a time to reunite, bringing relatives that are scattered all over the world to come together again as a family.

Planning Elegance would like to thank Simran Chawla, the author and creator or Indian Weddings Book for providing our readers and clients with a great resource for inspiration about Indian Weddings!

The Indian Weddings Book is on sale now!

Marriage is one of the most intimate and valued unions a couple can enter into.  It is legally binding and taken very seriously.  While getting engaged is one of the most exciting times for any couple, it is also a great opportunity to make sure you and your spouse-to-be have talked about all the major issues that may come up.

Although there are a million questions and situations that can arise in the future, having a couple big ones already discussed and agreed upon will surely ensure that you are both on the same page right now.  Here are some questions to think about on 3 of the most important topics any married couple will encounter

Children and Family

1. Do you want children? If so, how many?
2. Do you want to own any pets? If so, what kind?
3. When our parents get older, how will we take care of them?
4. If families live close by, how often will be seeing them?
5. If our families live far away, how often will we go visit them?

Home and Location

1. Do we want to own a home or rent?
2. Where do we want to raise a family?
3. Where do we see yourself retiring?
4. What type of home do we want to live in?
5. How will we take care of the home and divide up the chores?

Jobs and Finances

1. Are we both happy in our careers or do we have other future plans?
2. What if one of us gets laid off, what will be our options?
3. Is a wedding budget necessary/important to us and what are the expenses we should allocate for (new car, student loans, vacation, family)?
4. How much have you been saving and how much do you hope to continue saving?
5. What current bank and credit cards do you use and should we combine accounts?

Hopefully reading this, you know many (or all!) of the answers already.  However, if you don’t, now is a great time to start with a couple questions and see where the discussion leads you both.  As intimidating as many of these topics are, they are necessary.  Remember that communication and honesty are the basis of any good relationship, legal or not!

Image 1 via AAcreation Photography

Image 2 via Inside Real Estate

Spring is a popular time for weddings, especially with the weather getting warmer and flowers in season. With Spring 2011 coming up there’s many new ideas and trends that can help you with planning your own spring wedding.

Spring Colors and Flowers

Almost any color will do when it comes to a spring wedding. For the 2011 Spring we are expecting to see more vibrant colors that match well with the sunny outdoors. Colors such as an apple green or bright blue would go great with an outdoor ceremony. Even colors like a bright yellow or pink would nicely compliment a spring color theme. When deciding on colors, you might want to stay away from the deep colors such as dark red and blue because they might not go as well with the theme of a spring wedding. After choosing your wedding colors it makes it easier to compliment it with bold and bright flowers to make a beautiful wedding ceremony.

What’s great about having your wedding in spring is that so many types of flowers are in season and match great with spring wedding colors. Some spring flowers are lilies, cherry blossoms, bird of paradise, roses, tulips, and more. All these types of flowers would go great with any bright color. Whether its your bouqet, your bridesmaid’s flowers, or flowers a long the aisle go with what you enjoy most. Go with a flower that you think is unique to you and that you think goes well with your wedding color. You can’t go too wrong with matching flowers to your wedding color. Spring brings a burst of colors and flowers so don’t be afraid to take advantage of  it. Add some flowers to the bridesmaid’s hair or maybe even to yours!

The Advantages of Spring Time

Spring time comes with the perfect wedding weather. It allows you to choose almost any venue to have your wedding and reception because whether you decide to have it indoors or outdoors the weather is perfect for both. Spring time for weddings brings an optimistic views for almost anything. Since the weather is so nice you can have the wedding outdoors, choose a dress that is light and comfortable fitting, and add lots of colors and decor. For venues, you can decide anywhere from an intimate backyard wedding to a wedding right on the beach with the ocean breeze. Anywhere you decide can make for a beautiful wedding in the spring with just a little bit of color, some fresh flowers, and the outdoors.

The year 2011 is going to be a great year for weddings especially in the spring. It’s a time of renewal and brings a lot of great ideas to incorporate into your wedding. A tip for planning your own wedding whether it’s for this spring or next make sure to take advantage of every possibility. Have your wedding ceremony or reception outdoors and enjoy the beautiful, sunny weather. Add bright colors to the wedding with decor, bridesmaid’s dresses, or hair styles, and make your wedding an eye-catching and unique wedding from the rest.

-Trendy Blogger

Image 1 via: Chez Wedd
Image 2 via: Associated Content
Image 3 via: Sapphire Event Group

Once the thrill of the engagement passes for a soon-to-be-bride, the reality of a ton of people staring at her as she walks down the isle hits.  Every bride is terrified and excited by the idea of the being the center of attention on this special day.  That means one thing for every woman, looking her absolute best.  Dropping a few pounds (or more) is on many brides agenda and should be done in a healthy and smart way.  Diet, water, vitamins, stress management, and exercise are all key components in achieving the look every bride strives for.

When to start

NOW!  The more time a bride has to begin her new routine, the better.  Loosing weight, whether it be for health reasons or to look good on a single day, is all about a life style change. The more planning and time that is spent on this new routine, the better the results will be.  Seeking professional advice from doctors, personal trainers, and nutritionists is always recommended before starting any new change in diet and exercise. Once you have made the commitment to your new Wedding Workout, it’s time to start the FUN!

Vitamins

Every healthy lifestyle begins with a multivitamin.  Vitamins provide the extra nutrients your diet may be lacking. In addition, it provides energy, efficiency, and mental alertness, all crucial assets any bride planning a wedding needs!   There are a variety of multivitamins out there and it depends on the individual needs of the person.

Diet

Diet is the key in any weight loss plan.  Good eating habits are the biggest factor in weight loss but are also the hardest aspect to achieve.  Balancing the right amount of fruits, vegetables, lean protein and carbohydrates will give you the energy you need to make the most out of your wedding workouts.  There are many websites out there to help you analyze your food intake and find deficiencies in your diet.   Daily Plate from Livestrong.com (http://www.livestrong.com/thedailyplate/) is a free food tracker with a data base filled with records of various foods.  By tracking your food intake, better decisions about what you consume can be made

Water

Water is a must for everyone.  Although eight glasses is recommended daily, more water is required when working out.  Water can help curb hunger, improve skin (a wedding must!) and clear your internal systems.  Coffee and Diet sodas do not count in water consumption and in fact dehydrate you more due to the caffeine.

Exercise

The amount and type of exercise needed to look your best on your wedding day is different for everyone. If you already exercise consistently, more time and intensity will need to be added to your workouts. If it’s been awhile since you have exercised, then start off slow and aim for three 30-mintue workouts a week.  Remember that every day activities such as walking the dog, using stairs, and cleaning can be great ways to sneak in some extra exercise.

One of the most common mistakes is to “cram” workouts in right before the wedding.  This can lead to unwanted stress, injury, and you may end up with a dress that doesn’t fit!

Stress Management

The downfall to any good weight loss plan is stress, and we all know planning a wedding involves plenty of stress!  Stress can lead to over-eating, not having time for workouts, and loss of energy.  Planning your meals and workout times at the beginning of the week will help ensure you stay on track.  Staying healthy with diet and exercise will help lower the stress level of wedding planning.

Staying Motivated

Throughout the process of looking and feeling better, there will be ups and downs.  Some people see results immediately; others see results in the long term.  Staying motivated is often difficult but remember that exercising and healthy eating doesn’t have to be a chore.  It can be a great opportunity to bond with your future spouse by learning to cook healthy together.  Or plan a weekly outing such as a jog, dance class, or nature hike to get some time alone together, as well as exercise in!  The more enjoyable and convenient working out and eating healthy become, the more likely you are to stay on track.

Remember that no matter your size or look, there are plenty of options out there for you.  Whether you are a full figured bride or on the thinner side, you can find the perfect look.  The most important thing is to feel beautiful and healthy on your wedding day, inside and out!

-Been-There-Bride Blogger

Image 1 via: Bridal Wave
Image 2 via: Harley Anti-Aging
Image 3 via: Getty Images
Image 4 via: Wedding Dates

You’re honored that you were just asked to give a speech at a wedding. A minute later, you realize that an entire room of guests will be staring at you (along with all the cameras) waiting for you to give a speech filled with love, emotion, and of course, humor.

Speeches play a significant role in the entertainment of guests at weddings. They are often the highlight of the reception program and guests look forward to hearing from the honored family and friends chosen to speak. Whether you are the father of the bride, or a bridesmaid, your speech can make a lasting impression. Here are some tips to help deliver a crowd-pleasing speech.

Length

Wedding etiquette says that a speech should be approximately 3-5 minutes but you can cater your speech length to the needs of the bride and groom. If there is a long list of speeches on the program, then the couple may request shorter speeches to accommodate everyone. Or if the couple has just chosen a few special people to talk, then a longer speech may be expected. A good rule of thumb is talk long enough to say what’s important, but short enough to keep the audience engaged. The etiquette on toasts differs, so here is more information specifically on wedding toasts.

How to Prepare

No matter how close you are to the couple or how good you are at public speaking, it never hurts to devote time to planning a good speech. Start by thinking of your favorite memories and stories of the couples. Keep these ideas written down somewhere handy so if you randomly think of a quote, story or wish you would like to include, you can jot it down. Write a rough draft of your speech and have someone you trust read it over.

What to Say

Every speech is unique and special in its own way. As long as the speech is genuine and heartfelt, it will show. Here a couple ideas to help guide you in the right direction.

Beginning

- Introduce yourself and your relationship to the couple
- Welcome the guests to the wedding
- Thank the couple and family for the beautiful occasion to celebrate

Middle

- Include a couple personal stories or memories of the bride and groom separately depending on how you know them. These can be funny, or sweet, just make it personal.
- It is important to acknowledge both the bride and the groom even if you do not know one as well.
- Give your positive thoughts on love and marriage, followed by an example of how this couple fits those thoughts.

Conclusion

- A famous quote on love or marriage
- A toast or wish to the happy couple and a happy life together

Be Careful

Remember that your speech is not only a reflection of you, but also of the couple since they trusted you with this important part of their wedding. Be careful with the stories you choose, you don’t want to offend anyone in the audience, especially the couple and their family. If you are not sure if you should tell a story, ask the couple, or chose a different story. Humor is a great addition to any speech but remember there will be a variety of ages and personalities in the audience, try to include humor that appeals to a general audience. Many people believe that alcohol will help calm them down before a speech. Remember that alcohol impairs your judgment so be sure not to drink too much so you can keep your thoughts and speech clear.

In the end, what truly matters it that your words come from the heart. Have fun writing the speech and cherish the moment of spotlight on this very important day of a loved one!

-Been-there-bride Blogger

Image 1 via: Lucero Photography
Image 2 via: AA Creation Photography
Image 3 via: Josef Isayo Photography

The proposal is done and in the midst of all the excitement you realize you have an entire wedding to plan!! It can seem overwhelming and you’re worried some details might get lost in the process.  Here’s where I come in as the Fine Print Blogger, I’m here to help out with all those random questions that might come up in the planning process.  Whether it’s questions about bridal party etiquette or deciphering a vendor contract, we’ll work through all those miscellaneous details together.
- The Fine Print Blogger

The Necessities In A Contract

Many times when planning your special day, you get so excited when you find something you like that you might sign a contract without fully understanding what you are getting yourself into. A vendor contract is just as important for you as it is for the vendor because it outlines the exact agreement between both parties. Never sign a contract without getting a chance to read through the entire document. Ask the vendor to give you at least a couple days so you can review it without any pressure and you understand everything outlined in it. Many times it helps to make a list of exactly what you want from the vendor before meeting them. This will help address any unclear terms or issues that may not be addressed in the contract. Remember, every contract can be negotiated as long as long as everyone agrees, so don’t be afraid to ask questions!

Payment Information

Payment tends to be the topic people are most concerned about. Your wedding can be a major expense so it’s only fair that you want to know how much you’ll be dishing out in order to stick to your wedding budget. Important elements include the base cost for the product or service is, what the payment schedule will be (when will you be paying each installment), who you will be paying (who do you make your check out to and where to send it), by method you can pay (cash, check, credit card), what happens if you are late with your payment, and if any portion of your deposit is refundable if you need to terminate the contract.

There are also other cost issues to be considered. Find out how many assistants, security guards, valet, or staff are required to be at the event and if they are included in your price. If not, then ask the cost for any additional staff. Accessories and equipment are other expenses that can sneak up on you. The hair stylist may not provide hair accessories you want to include, the make-up artist may not provide fake eyelashes, the photographer may have an extra cost for additional albums, or the limo chauffer may charge extra for champagne. Even if you provide your own accessories, find out if they will still charge a service fee for these additional items. For service contracts, you will want to know exactly what services will be provided. For example, find out how many touch-ups are included from any stylists and make sure you let them know if they will assisting more than just you. For photographers, some things the contract should outline are how many hours they will be taking pictures, how many pictures you can expect, how many albums you will get, and how many cameras they will bring.

Terms of Services

The date and timings for services is another major consideration when signing vendor contracts. You will want to know how many hours you will be paying for the vendor, how many hours of actual services you expect, what exactly is included in their services, and if needed, set-up and clean-up time is included in the price. Make sure you specify timings with the venue first as the timings for all other vendors will center around this. With vendors such as photographers and videographers, determine when you can expect to receive the final albums and/or DVDs.

Contact Information

It is very important to get contact information for everyone working on your wedding, you want to make sure you are able to get a hold of them when needed.  Having everyone’s phone numbers and e-mails are essential.  Also, make sure you know exactly who will be providing the services at your wedding. You may go check out the DJ services of one DJ but end up with one of his/her associates if a name is not specified in the contract.

The most important thing to remember is to get everything that is important to you in writing in the contract. Make sure that both you and the vendor have a copy of the contract with both signatures on it. Any changes or modifications made on the contract should also be on both copies.

These are just a few of the issues you need to consider before signing any vendor contracts. There are specifics that vary with each vendor and also depend on what you are looking for. If you are unsure about a contract or whether it encompasses everything you want, I encourage you to consult a lawyer or get advice from your wedding planner. Your wedding planner has seen hundreds of these contracts and knows what to look for based on your needs.

- The Fine Print Blogger

Image 1 via: Photo Concept
Image 2 via: Rustes
Image 3 via: Elly G
Image 4 via: Limo