Archive for the ‘Groom’ Category

The Best Man’s Wedding Toast

Saturday, January 9th, 2010

So, you’re expected to make a toast at your best friend’s wedding, but you don’t know what to say. Honoring the big day and the new couple without either embarrassing yourself and them or coming across dry and wooden can be pretty tricky. You’ll want to put some thought into what you’re going to say and do. Let’s take a look at a few ideas that can help you get started.

First, think about who you are going to be toasting. There are a few conventions in formal or traditional weddings you should be aware of. For instance, as the best man, you’ll be expected to toast the bride. You may be permitted to toast others as well, depending on how formal the wedding is, so pay attention to the circumstances and feel of the wedding.

Start by letting everyone know who you are and how you know the couple. Remember that some guests just won’t know who you are. It’s best to make this clear from the start to prevent confusion. Next, you’ll want to show gratitude to the hosts of the wedding, whether it’s the happy couple, their parents or someone else. Thank them for welcoming you to the occasion.

Most wedding toasts also have a bit of an anecdote, including how you met various parties or how they met, stories you want to tell their children some day, and important elements in your friendship. Don’t go for clichés if you can avoid it, and remember to think about the audience. It’s important to cater to the highest common denominator, if there is such a thing, and avoid offending anyone, especially the parents of the bride and groom.

Learn about the cultures involved in a wedding when more than one culture is involved, and avoid inside jokes or adult humor. Nudity, inappropriate behavior, and sex are all topics left out of most toasts, and you probably shouldn’t talk about politics or religion unless you’re really sure of the audience. If you’re not sure the story is appropriate, avoid it. It’s better to be safe than sorry if you’re the best man giving a toast. Another good rule of thumb is to go easy on the alcoholic beverages before you give the toast.

Remember to offer a compliment about the bride and anyone else you’re giving a toast to. Don’t go on and on about how wonderful they are, however. That could end up boring your audience, and no one wants that. Instead, use just a few adjectives to tell the audience what you think is best about him or her. In addition, remember to end your toast on a positive note. A traditional toast quote, a blessing, or good wishes are common choices. Remember to use your head and think in advance, and you’ll come up with a great wedding toast that everyone will appreciate.

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Five Winter Wedding Ideas

Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009

Unless a couple is eloping in Las Vegas by themselves, a wedding should have some unique planning and twists to it in order to make the wedding memorable. Inventing a winter wedding theme is one such concept, and in order to properly design a winter wedding, a few simple ideas could be put forth.

1. Probably the easiest winter wedding idea is also one of the simplest, which is providing simple twists on common wedding conventions. For example, the wedding cake could be made in the shape of a snowman or a snowflake. While this is not the most elaborate of ideas, providing simple twists on common conventions is sometimes all that is required to present the appearance of a novel idea.

2. The wedding attire of the bride, groom, and bridesmaids can also be designed so as to embody the theme of winter. This is another winter wedding idea that can be easily put in motion so as to create a wonderful winter wedding theme. The use of silver, white, and blue colored formal wear can provide an excellent evocation of winter and is highly suggested for those planning a wedding that is to follow a winter theme.

3. Selecting the food for the wedding should involve selecting food that closely follows a winter theme. This would involve “hot” items such as hot chocolate and “cold” items such as eggnog. There does need to be a bit of careful planning involved, as one should not cross the line into territory where the wedding theme becomes murky and a Christmas or holiday theme becomes too pronounced.

4. The decor of the wedding should also follow themes that are consistent with the winter. This does not mean that the decor should embody specific winter conventions, but should at least emanate a certain color scheme that is more closely associated with winter than anything else. That would mean using colors such as silver, light blue, white, etc. To use other colors not associated with winter would distract away from the theme and undermine the idea of having a winter wedding and turning the entire wedding into a generic theme instead.

5. For the actual wedding itself, sometimes the theme can be proactive as opposed to being passive. One of the biggest myths about weddings is that they are passive and dull events. Well, the reality of the matter is that a wedding can be boring and dull. There have been some enterprising individuals who can put a unique, active spin on the traditional wedding. For example, there have been those fun minded individuals who will have their weddings performed underwater in scuba gear or even falling to earth while skydiving! Now, for winter loving people, a wedding at a skiing or snowboarding resort can provide the same theme of active fun to coincide with the wedding, while remaining much more sane than holding the wedding underwater!

Ultimately, having a winter wedding is simply taking traditional wedding ideas and putting a minor winter spin on them.

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Posted in Bride, Bride and Groom, Groom, Themed Weddings, bridesmaids, unique weddings, wedding decorations, wedding dresses, wedding planning, wedding plans, wedding preparation | 1 Comment »

Add Some Flair With Wedding Favors

Tuesday, August 18th, 2009

Celebrating the unity of two people for eternity is the foremost purpose of a Wedding Ceremony. It has been this way and will continue to be this way for as long as the tradition lives. Wedding Guests are invited to share not only in the joyous occasion but also to bear witness to the union. There is something spiritual about standing before all those who are special to you and make a lifelong commitment to someone for others to hear, which is what really transforms two people into a married couple.

To show an appreciation for their guests, for the time they have taken out of their busy lives to be part of the Wedding, the bride and groom shower their guests with Wedding Favors. These Wedding Gifts or Wedding Favors have been the tradition to thank the wedding guests for their thoughtfulness, their gifts and help in any way given to the couple in making the wedding a special occasion.

Wedding favors traditionally are given to all of the guests that have been invited to the wedding reception, of course, more expensive wedding favors are available and there are many weddings for which these higher-priced wedding favors are appropriate. These are typically inexpensive gifts, averaging in the $1 – $2 price range. Numerous wedding favors are available in just about any category one could imagine, from sterling silver picture frames, to personalized edible chocolates, and even fragrant bath soaps.

Selecting wedding favors is not that difficult at all, nor is it necessary to purchase these well in advance of the wedding date. Most are readily available at online and retail outlets that specialize in these kind of wedding accessories. You don’t want to wait until the last minute however, as that is a particularly hectic time. You will need to allow ample time for personalization, or if you select an item that requires special ordering, for example, an unusually large quantity, or an exclusive item.

To be on the safe side, two to three months prior to the wedding date is a good time to make your wedding favor selections. Once you have them in your possession, the only other thing you need to worry about is getting them to the reception before the guests arrive and presenting them in a unique and beautiful manner appropriate for the occasion

Online shopping has made finding appropriate wedding favors very easy. Type ‘wedding favors’ into your search engine and you’ll get pages of web sites offering every type of wedding favor you could ever want. So where do you begin? It’s definitely a good idea to consult your budget worksheet first so you know the price range to focus on.

From there, think about what makes you and your partner unique. Do you both love golf? Are you wine connoisseurs? What about a theme? If your wedding has one, there’s sure to be a favor to complement that theme. Do you want the favor to be the place holder? If so, select one that allows you to write the person’s name and table number. Creating your own wedding favors is another option and can end up being the most unique wedding favor of all and one that your guests are sure to treasure!

Wedding Favors most suited to the occasion are the ones that reflect your personal style and personality. So select something that you personally enjoy and that your guests will appreciate and remember your wedding and you for a long time to come.

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Posted in Bride, Bride and Groom, Gifts, Groom, Internet, checklists, computer, gift ideas, wedding favors, wedding theme | 1 Comment »

10 Must Have Gifts Ideas For The Wedding Party

Wednesday, August 20th, 2008

It is traditional for the bride to give the groom a gift on the wedding day. Although the wedding rings that the couple exchanges can be considered gifts, many brides choose to honor their groom with an additional gift that suits his personality.

One unique gift ideas for your bridesmaids is an evening bag to be used as an accessory on the wedding day. This gift can be a lovely gesture and will serve the purpose of keeping the accessories of the bridesmaids’ uniform and will free your bridesmaid from the burden of searching for an evening bag that matches the dress. In this case you may choose to give the bridesmaids their gifts early in the wedding planning so that they don’t purchase a bag specifically for the occasion of your wedding.

A photo album complete with a picture of you and the bridesmaid or the entire wedding party can be another unique gift idea for the bridesmaids. You could purchase photo albums with the date of your wedding engraved on the front cover and start the photo album with a picture of you and the bridesmaid. This is a wonderful gift idea because the bridesmaid can place her photos from the wedding day in the album and will always have a precious souvenir from your wedding day.

Gift certificates to a spa or a salon also make unique gift ideas for your bridesmaids. Your bridesmaids most likely spent a great deal of time and energy in helping you to plan your wedding. The week prior to your wedding was also probably especially hectic with a great deal of last minute details to attend to and errands to run. While you will have your honeymoon to relax and renew your energy your bridesmaids do not have this luxury so by honoring them by presenting them with a gift certificate to a spa or salon you are giving them the gift or being pampered and the gift of relaxation.

A few more unique gift ideas for your bridesmaids’ gifts include handcrafted or homemade gifts. For example you could put together a CD of some of your bridesmaids’ favorite songs. You could make the CDs different for each bridesmaid and include a photo of the two of you on the cover and include a heartfelt poem on the inside of the CD cover. You could also create a scrapbook for each of your bridesmaids. You could either make the scrapbook a memory of your entire friendship together and include photos and other items from your various adventures throughout the years or if you plan ahead and take many photos documenting your wedding preparations, you could create scrapbooks as a remembrance of the wedding planning that you shared.

Personalized cosmetics bags can also be used as unique bridesmaids gifts. You could purchase attractive cosmetic bags and have them embroidered with your bridesmaids’ initials and the date of your wedding. Another nice touch with this gift is to include a few items such as lipstick or nail polish that complement each of your bridesmaids’ style and complexion.

Another unique gift idea for a bride to give to her bridesmaids is a gift certificate to a local restaurant. Assisting in your wedding preparations was probably extremely stressful and time consuming for the bridesmaids and they certainly deserve a night on the town and the opportunity to not have to cook for a night. This simple gift lets your bridesmaids know that you appreciate their efforts and that you want to thank them for all that they have done to support you.

Unique gift ideas for the bridesmaids can also stem from the wedding theme. For example if you are having a beach themed wedding you might want to give your bridesmaids a gift of a tote bag, a beach towel and a novel to enjoy on the beach. This unique gift idea ensures that your bridesmaids will remember your wedding fondly the next time they are at the beach.

Although the tradition of the bride and groom exchanging gifts on their wedding day is beginning to fade, many couples still wish to honor this tradition. Many couples spend so much money on their wedding and reception that they feel as though they cannot afford the additional expense of buying gifts for each other. While it may be true that the couple cannot afford one more extravagant gift it is also true that a truly thoughtful gift for the groom does not have to be overly expensive. If the couple is partaking in this tradition it is advisable that they exchange gifts that truly reflect the personality of their spouse.

Posted in Bride, Gifts, Groom, bridesmaids, couples, getting married, gift ideas, wedding party | 1 Comment »

Selecting Wedding Favors

Thursday, February 21st, 2008

When selecting favors for your wedding there are a number of factors you should consider before making your final decision. Some couples do not give enough consideration to their wedding favors and this is quite unfortunate because the wedding favor is the one part of the wedding which your guests will take home as a reminder of your wedding.  A well chosen wedding favor can result in your friends and family members remembering your wedding day more fondly than they remember other weddings they have attended simply because they see or use your favor often and it automatically triggers memories of your wedding day. However, couples who do not put much thought or effort into the favors they distribute at the wedding may find their guests discarded their favors soon after the wedding.

This article will discuss some of the factors to be considered when selecting wedding favors. These factors should include price, usefulness of the favor and appropriateness of the favor. Considering each of these elements carefully will help the couple to make a wise choice when selecting wedding favors. Price is one of the most important factors a couple must consider when selecting wedding favors. This is so important because the price will often dictate the quality of the favors. While you can purchase some great favors at a very inexpensive price, there will likely be a great deal of comparison shopping involved to find the best deal on the favor. There will also likely be a great deal of research involved.  

For example you may find that items such as picture frames are out of your budget range but you may find other great items such as candles are well within your budget. You may also be pleasantly surprised to find out that although picture frames available from one distributor are too expensive, another distributor has enough picture frames in their closeout stock for you to purchase favors for your wedding. It is just important to remember to not be too disappointed about the items you cannot afford and to instead focus on finding the best favor you can afford.   Another factor to consider when selecting wedding favors is whether or not the favor will be useful to your guests. This is very important because favors which are useful are often much better received than favors which the guest cannot use. For example many guests will find items such as picture frames and candles to be useful but will be less impressed with favors such as figurines of a bride and groom. These may be very pretty but many of your friends and family member likely have a collection of similar items from other weddings they have been too and may simply not have room to display these favors. As a result the favor may wind up in a box in the attic or may be thrown out shortly after the wedding.  Finally, a couple should carefully consider the appropriateness of a wedding favor when making their final decision. This is very important because you do not want to give your guests a favor which they will think is inappropriate. Fortunately, when it comes to wedding favors just about anything is considered appropriate. From candy to office supplies and from statues to books just about anything is appropriate for the wedding as long as it reflects the theme of the wedding, reflects the underlying theme of love or is even just something which the guests can use and will appreciate. For example you can certainly give out dictionaries as wedding favors. Your guests will not likely be offended by this favor but some of them may think it is a little strange. However, if you give each of your guests a copy of a book filled with love poems no one will think it is a strange idea for a wedding favor at all. Perhaps the best way to determine whether or not a wedding favor is appropriate is to think about what you would feel if you were given that same item as a favor at another wedding. 

Posted in Bride, Bride and Groom, Gifts, Groom, The Wedding Day, wedding favors, wedding party, wedding photographers | 1 Comment »