Pictures are an integral part of any wedding. Newlyweds are usually thrilled to get their pictures back from the photographer so they can relive their special day. But there are many special activities you can build into a wedding that involve photos.

One fun idea that many brides employ is to take photos of everyone as they arrive at the wedding, almost like you do at a high school prom or company Christmas party. You can provide a backdrop and couples can pose either for a paid photographer or for whoever happens to pick up the camera. These pictures can be taken with a Polaroid camera for instant fun or with a disposable camera. If you want slightly higher quality photos, go for a digital camera.

This can be an excellent way to keep guests busy and happy until the “official” reception begins with the arrival of the bride and groom.

As an extension of that idea, you can take instant photos and create scrapbook pages or memory book pages with the photos. There can be supplies on hand so guests can create pages on site, or pages can be pre-made and photos simply placed into the prepared spaces. If guests don’t want to create pages on site, or the bride doesn’t want this particular activity going on, the photos can be saved for later. As a gift for the bride and groom, someone can create memory books with these photos.

If Polaroid cameras are used, another option is to have the people in the photo sign the Polaroid photo and place that in a basket somewhere. The bride and groom will enjoy looking at the photos later.

While it’s not a particularly unique idea, many brides like to provide disposable cameras on each table at the reception so guests can capture candid shots of the reception and the table guests. These photos can be added to the newlyweds’ wedding album or they can be placed into a separate album showing the wedding from the guests’ perspective.

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Another fun activity sure to be entertaining is to create a “silent photo guess” area. Here’s how this works: before the wedding, someone close to the bride and groom collects pictures of the bride and groom at various stages in life. The photos should depict the bride and groom doing things, not at Christmas or with their first birthday cake. In other words, the photos should include some action, but it shouldn’t be obvious in the picture what has taken place or where the person is.

Much like a silent auction, people will come along and look at the photos, then take a silent guess as to what the photos show. They can write their guess on a piece of paper and put it in a numbered basket that corresponds with the number on the photo. Reading these guesses during the reception is entertaining and sure to be amusing. The bride or groom can provide the real answers. This is a particularly fun activity at a relatively small, family wedding where the participants know the bride and groom very well.

If you want to provide an area for guests to have their photos taken but aren’t thrilled with the “prom night” idea, how about having a photo corner set up somewhere in the reception hall or facility. Here, the wedding photographer will take candid shots of wedding guests. They might be couples, but could also be entire families, friends having a good time, or the groom being carried on the shoulders of the best man. Whatever the pictures end up being, they provide a fun, “let it all hang out” area for the wedding guests and a surprise for the bride and groom. Since they will likely be busy with all the reception details and having the time of THEIR lives, they might appreciate knowing their guests had a pretty good time too, as evidenced in the photos.

Simple Wedding

Dresses

More than anybody else, the bride is the most stressed person during a wedding. This is because she is somehow pressured to look her very best in this special ceremony. To avoid being stressed too much on their memorable day, more and more brides are opting for simple wedding dresses to ensure that they can carry the dress no matter what happens.

Because of the demand, more and more stores, bridal shops, and designer stores are now offering simple wedding dresses in their racks for their customers. This is because they know that simple wedding dresses are surefire hits not only for future brides but also to those who are looking for elegant yet simple formal and evening wears.

Unraveling the beauty of simple wedding dresses

Because informal weddings are now in the trend, many brides are choosing simple wedding dresses for their weddings to avoid the hassle of shopping and buying a very expensive wedding dress only to be used for one day.

The idea of wearing simple wedding dresses might raise some eyebrows out there because this gives the notion that the bride doesn’t have so much to spend. But, if they really think about it, wearing simple wedding dresses have so much advantage compared to the traditional ones.

The following are some of the hidden beauty of simple wedding dresses:

1. These are less expensive. Since they are sewn simply, you can expect that simple wedding dresses would cost much lower compared to those that are displayed in various bridal salons. Since they are less expensive, simple wedding dresses can be a great help to brides especially those who are tight on budget because they can save a lot more when they choose to wear these on their very special day.

2. These are very elegant. If you have chosen simple wedding dresses with elegant cuts and design that match your body type and personality, then you would truly be a knock out beauty on your wedding day. Modern brides who want to look elegant prefer simple wedding dresses because these are more chic and stylish to carry. When paired with proper jewelry and accessories, simple wedding dresses would make any bride stunning in this momentous occasion.

3. These are easy to carry. Since they are cut and designed simply, simple wedding dresses can be easier to carry—literally and figuratively—for most women. Compared to traditional wedding dresses that have petticoats, layers of fabric, and heavy embellishments, simple wedding dresses can bring the bride ultimate comfort during the event.

4. These can be embellished easily. Simple wedding dresses would work perfectly for brides who want to customize their own wedding attire. Since most of them come it plain cuts and design, the bride can easily put any embellishment if she wants to. The best embellishments for simple wedding dresses might include sequins, pearls, plated silk, embroidery and so much more depending on the theme of the wedding and the personality of the bride.

5. You can easily create your own fashion statement by accessorising these. If you want to show your creativity and uniqueness, simple wedding dresses are perfect for you because you can wear almost any kind of accessories with it. Although these are plain and simple, simple wedding dresses can make you look truly elegant if you know how to match them with proper accessories.

Insider Tricks to

Create

a Great Wedding

Video.

If you have been hired to create a video of someone’s wedding and reception, it can be a really fun job. Not only is there a lot of joy, laughing and fun moments during a wedding celebration but it is really gratifying to know that the video you are creating will be part of family celebrations of these people for decades to come.

Naturally, you want to do a good job. But whether you are just getting started or have been shooting video for years, you know things can sneak up on you and make your job more difficult. So there are some “insider tricks” that you should keep in mind especially on the big day so the wedding goes off like clockwork and you get that great video without disturbing the joy and fun of the family.

The first few precautions actually happen long before you drive up to the church and that is a thorough equipment check. Check and double check your equipment and then check it again. It can’t hurt to be a bit compulsive about this. Also, check that all of your supplies are new, in good shape and that you have back ups of batteries, bulbs, tapes or whatever recording media you are using. If you know your equipment is in good shape, you can walk in there like the professional you are.

Next, be everywhere early and well prepared. In fact, it can’t hurt to scope out the church and reception hall the day before to check the lighting and do some planning on where you might plan to get your best video from. If Martin Scorsese can preplan all of his shoots, so can you.

Now be sure everybody knows who you are. Meet the bride, groom, the wedding party and others close to the planning. If there are security people, be sure they know who you are as well. If there is a need for passes or badges of any kind, be sure you have one well ahead of the wedding day.

Part of networking with the key players includes getting some face time with others who may be supporting the wedding. Many weddings have a wedding planner who must know everything that is going to happen. Be sure he or she knows who you are and what you are going to do before you start disturbing their domain.

It is also a great idea to meet the other photographers and do a bit of preliminary choreography so everybody can get their shots. Be aware that you really don’t want to do such a great job of videotaping the wedding that you damage the experience of the wedding guests. This all takes lots of planning.

If they rehearse, you rehearse. The rehearsal is one of the great missed opportunities that wedding photographers and videographers have to step through the wedding with the party and plan where you are going to be. Now secure permission to be there as you never want to surprise a nervous bride or her mother.

But if they know you are working as hard as they are to get ready, they will be thrilled and you may find them giving you directions on shots they want included in the video and where they want (and don’t want) you to be at strategic moments during the wedding. This information is gold on producing a high quality video for your customers.

Once everything is ready, jump in there and enjoy the wedding right along with everyone else. You know you are ready and you like what you do so you can celebrate this big day and produce a top-notch video that will be a treasured memory for this bride and groom for many years to come.

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How Hard Can it Be

to Take Our

Own Wedding

Pictures?

Your wedding is fast approaching and as the anxiety grows in everyone associated with the big day, two big concerns weigh on everybody’s mind. Those are…

(1) How can we reduce the stress of this big day?
(2) How can we cut the costs?

These two questions are in conflict with each other too because in order to reduce stress, you have to increase the work that someone has to do. Sometime during the preparation time frame, the idea will come up, why don’t we let “John Jones” do our wedding pictures? John Jones may be someone’s brother who is “really good at photography” or just a friend of the family. The appeal is that they will save you a pile of money and probably do just as good a job as the expensive photographers.

While you certainly want to watch out before you turn over this important job, maybe you or someone in the wedding party can take the photos as well as a professional. After all, how many wedding nightmares have you heard about a professional photographer who either damaged the romantic nature of the ceremony by butting in too often, aggravated the guests by blotting out their view of the wedding to get an action shot or charged an arm and a leg only to deliver poor quality photos.

In truth, it is entirely possible for an “amateur” photographer to do a terrific job taking pictures at the wedding. But there are some guidelines you should follow if that job has fallen to you. If you are reading this as the bride, groom or anxious mother and you are considering using a friend for these photos, spend an hour going over these guidelines and not only will you get better pictures, your anxiety level will go down too.

1. Know your equipment inside and out. Whether you are using a run of the mill digital camera or an expensive set up that has taken you years to work up, make sure everything is in top-notch working order and that you are thoroughly familiar with every nuance of the machine. Remember Murphy’s Law. If anything can go wrong, it will. So keep Murphy out of the wedding by checking and double checking your camera and related equipment.

2. Have spares of everything possible. If there are batteries involved with the operation of the camera, have several spare sets on hand and know where they are. If the batteries go out as the bride and party are posed at the alter, you don’t want an hour delay why you run to the 7-11 to get more. The same goes for flash bulbs and even the camera itself. Have spares of everything possible so Murphy just goes to the next wedding down the road to make his mess.

3. The photo is about more than the bride and groom. If you are used to “staging” your pictures, you may not worry that often with activity in the room. After all, if everybody is posing, the environment is controlled. This will not be the case during an action shot like during the wedding or reception. So keep a keen awareness of the room, the activity around the subjects, the lighting and background props. You don’t want to produce the perfect shot of bride and groom kissing only to have Cousin Ned gagging on the cake in the background.

4. Be aware of glare from windows, lights and eyeglasses. These can sneak up on you.

As a rule, someone who is part of the event can get great shots because they know the people and can be mixing as those wonderful “little moments” occur. So it’s worth a try if you feel good about the skills of your photographer and they follow these little guidelines.

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Free Wedding Advice

Guides.

If you would like to either read through or download our Free wedding guides designed to help you with your wedding or wedding planning

please feel free to do so. All of these wedding guides are available free of charge in pdf. format

Selecting Flowers

for a Wedding.

One of the biggest parts of a wedding is the flowers that are included. There are flowers for the bouquets, flowers for the church, and flowers for the mothers, grandmothers, groom, and ushers, as well as centerpieces for the reception.

Something that should be taken into consideration when selecting the flowers to use in a wedding is that sometimes there are people who have allergies and may be affected by the scent of the flowers.

When you are choosing the type of flowers for your wedding, think about yourself and your attendants especially. Are there any sensitive noses The last thing that you will need on your wedding day Is to have yourself or one of your attendants having a sneezing fit in the middle of the ceremony.

Once you have chosen what type of flower you want to have for your wedding, the next thing is to decide on the colors. Usually the colors for bridesmaids and groomsmen will correspond to the colors of the bridesmaids’ dresses for the bouquets. But when it comes to the grandmothers and mothers flowers it may be a good idea to find out what color their dresses will be so their flowers will match.

So that there aren’t a lot of flowers left over from the reception, it’s not a bad idea to mark a chair and whoever sits in that chair gets to take home the centerpiece. This way the flowers can be enjoyed for longer than a day and you don’t have to worry about what to do with them.

Bridal Wedding

Jewellery
 

Things to

Keep in Mind

Wedding jewellery is a special element because like everything else, it has to look good on the bride and complement the dress at its utmost. Having the perfect dress and perfect jewellery is like the magical thing that could ever happen to a bride because they want to look their best for the special occasion and everything should blend in and give the best possible outcomes.

Bridal jewellery comes in all shapes, sizes and patterns and you should know that this is meant to enhance your beauty and make you look gorgeous and not overshadow it. If you are going to get something really shiny and glittery, your dress and your own personality would differ than imagine. Your bridal wedding jewellery selection should be done keeping these things in mind at all times.

Go with the wedding dress and decide what you actually want to go for. If you’re wedding dress has ensemble and beadwork all over it, you wouldn’t want to wear something that would uptown the dress even more. Wear something that actually complements the gown and find that absolute balance between everything that you are carrying. If your gown is too fancy with embroided work and laces, keep the jewellery simple and subtle.

Wedding bridal jewellery selection should also be done keeping the hairstyle in mind and the kind of design you are going to make with it. If you are wearing your hair down go for smaller earrings and miniature hoops but if the hairstyle is going to be traditional for instance a wedding up-do you can glam it all up with dangling earnings and bigger hoops.

You don’t always have to go for silver and gold though it seems to be the only option most of the brides go for. You can also choose between different ranges of metal and copper or even pearls that look totally gorgeous. Pearl jewellery is going to enhance the wedding dress most magnificently. You wouldn’t just look really modern with it but it would also complement the beauty of your dress even if it heavily patterned with different things.

Beaded jewellery is always an option once you are considering the bridal wedding jewellery because it would always give you that special edge over everything. You can sparkle in crystals or wear those glass beads with salt water pearls to complete the look of the special day.

How to Prepare

Yourself for a Perfect

Wedding Speech?

People that are supposed to give wedding speeches and say a few words are usually really nervous and they tend to have sweaty palms and dry throat and general symptoms that anybody would get being in the spotlight. They should know however that it is really easy pulling these things off with minor details and considering a few of the dos and don’ts. If you know what you have to say and if you have practiced it out well, you would be really glad and comfortable up at that microphone instead of panicking and making the moment all tensed and hassled.

If you are the father of the bride, you should be very welcoming and generous towards your thoughts and you should congratulate the couple for their new, happy life. Welcome your new son-in-law to the family and his parents. As the host of all the guests, you should thank them for being there and most of all you should thank them for all the happy and cheerful times you have spent with them as an individual or a relative.

Propose a toast to the happy couple and try not making fun of the emotional aspect of your daughter and son in law as a couple. As a groom’s father you can do all the same things and talk about the couple in a positive manner and what all do they have to give you as a relationship and new addition to the family.

If you are a groom, you should prepare yourself for a perfect wedding speech by adding thankful notes to what you would be saying in advance so you don’t leave out anything. You can talk about the moments and feelings better than anyone else. Set a goal for delivering the speech and think of the things that would people like to appreciate and consider humble and cheerful. You can always remember your own parents into whatever you are including in the speech.

You should have a clear picture to what you are going to mention about the whole thing and it doesn’t have to be lengthy. If it is difficult for you, imagine your own sentences and how you would feel about them yourself if someone will say those to you. Don’t feel like you are going to forget the lines and if you actually write things considering the true emotions, everything would balance out in the end.

Summer Wedding

Dresses

Unlike before when societies are so strict about the sanctity of weddings, today this ceremony has mellowed and became informal. This is because more and more couple wouldn’t want to be stressed out on their wedding day. Aside from beach wedding dresses, one of the most sought-after wedding attires for informal weddings out there are the summer wedding dresses.

More and more brides are opting for summer wedding dresses during their weddings because these are comfortable. These also exude the impression of being free and unspoiled happiness because of the season itself.

Just like everything else in the world of fashion, summer wedding dresses have evolved through the years. From plain white dresses to more revealing cuts and playful tones, summer wedding dresses never cease to tickle the fancy of modern brides and bride-to-be. This is because summer wedding dresses provide seemingly limitless possibilities to brides all over the world no matter what their personal preference and budget may be.

Perfect summer wedding dresses

Since summer is synonymous to fresh and new beginnings, now is the time to redefine your style by choosing the best summer wedding dress there is for your wedding. Here is your simple guide in finding that perfect summer dress:

- Summer wedding dresses should be short. This means that there is no need for long trains and full skirts in this type of wedding dress. Since summer season tends to be hotter than the usual, shorter skirts will provide the bride ultimate comfort while walking down the aisle.

- Summer wedding dresses should be made of light fabric. This is very important because it will ensure your comfort during and after the ceremony. When looking for summer wedding dresses, consider those that are made from materials such as cotton eyelet, chiffon, cotton organdy, crepe, georgette, voile, or organza because these are light enough to let the air pass through when the sun’s heat is scorching. (TIP: Perfect summer wedding dresses are made from the combination of one or two of each material mentioned.)

- Summer wedding dresses should be styled in season. Since summer means heat, dress style for your wedding dress should also be in season. This is not the time to wear long and puff sleeves compared to the traditional weddings in most churches. Instead, your summer wedding dress should reveal some flesh to make it “in” for the season. Ideal dress styles include sleeveless gowns or bodice, spaghetti straps, strapless or tube dresses, and off the shoulder would really make you look sexy and stunning. Opt for tea-length gowns that have hems hanging just below the knees, an asymmetrical length skirt for style and comfort, column style summer wedding dresses because they are simple yet elegant, and a princess style summer wedding dress which can truly flatter the contours of your body.

Tips in shopping for summer wedding dresses

1. Start early. It is always best to start early when shopping for summer wedding dresses to ensure that you have enough time to find your dream style. If your wedding is in summer next year, if possible, shop around as early as now so you can canvass some items that you may use. Before you shop, make sure that you have a certain image in mind so you wont get confused.

2. Set your budget. Before shopping, it is best to set your budget so you won’t be having problems in financing the other aspects of the wedding.

3. Ask for places where you can but beautiful summer wedding dresses. Some of these places may include specialty bridal salons, wedding areas in various department stores, and various boutiques. But if you to save some money try visiting auction sites in the Internet, bridal warehouses and other consignment shops that offer discount in their items.

Wedding Rings

a Gift For A Lifetime.

When you purchase a wedding ring it is for a lifetime with that special someone. There is plenty that must go into that decision of not only the wedding ring but also this once in a lifetime decision.

‘With this ring, I thee wed’. The most beautiful words ever spoken. The words that bring a man and woman together in a bond of eternity. This is done by slipping a ring on the bride’s and groom’s fingers by each other. The wedding ring plays a most important role in bringing two hearts together in love for a lifetime.

There is no wonder that wedding rings are chosen with extreme care, because they are for a lifetime. Men’s wedding rings are usually made in plain metal and women’s wedding rings made with precious stones, like diamonds and other gemstones. These days, of course, even men prefer wearing rings set with precious stones. There are gold wedding rings, white gold wedding rings, platinum wedding rings, and many more.

Wedding rings come in different styles, like the plain ones and ones that are engraved. The wedding rings should match the personality of the bride and groom. There are wedding ring sets available for the couple, that are made with the same metal and set with the same precious stones. This makes it all the more exciting actually. Imagine both of you wearing similarly styled rings. I am sure that gives a nice feeling of being part of each other of being one.

The wedding ring is a symbolism for love that has no end and goes in circles. Did you know that in certain communities, it is considered bad luck to buy the wedding rings along with the engagement rings.

The wedding ring is worn on the ring finger. The hand on which it is worn depends on the tradition of each country. In the Western World, it is worn on the left hand and in some other countries, on the right hand. The reason why it is worn on the ring finger is because in ancient times, the ring finger was considered to be the love finger and that is how this tradition of wearing the ring on this finger came into being.

There is a custom in Europe to engrave the spouse’s name and wedding date inside the wedding ring. Depending on the culture, it is either the ring bearer, who is usually a small kid bringing the rings on a pillow, or the best man that is in charge of the wedding rings and he presents them at the time they are needed.

If you are making arrangements for your wedding day and buying wedding rings, it would be nice to keep in mind the traditions and meanings of the wedding rings. Although many people are opting not to follow a traditional wedding, it makes it more fun to include some of these traditions and make it a memorable day for you, with memories flashing in front of your eyes for years to come, whenever you look at your wedding rings. Let your wedding ring tell a tale of love.