Amidst dresses, tuxedos, guest lists, invitations, receptions, and locations for the actual ceremony, choosing the right wedding flowers can be one of the most important decisions. With a little work, and the help of a good wedding florist, it’s easy to get flowers that will be both memorable and reflect the personality of those in the wedding.

While the process of selecting flowers can seem a bit overwhelming, if you keep a few things in mind it can help to save you time and, more importantly, money.

Keep the date in mind

Keeping the date of your wedding in mind is key to selecting your flowers. This goes beyond the growing trend of weddings being on a Friday or Sunday as opposed to Saturday.

Spring and summer are ideal for using flowers like orchids, hydrangeas, roses, and lilies, while autumn and winter are better suited to roses, lilies, narcissus, gardenia, mums and poinsettias .Just remember, you won’t be able to find all the flowers you want year round.

Set your budget early

Figure out your budget, be upfront with your florist, and from there you can figure out what flowers you like the most and what is available during the time of the year you’re getting married.

Don’t wait until the last minute to order your flowers. It is usually a good idea to schedule a consultation about 6 to 8 months in advance. By this time you will have a good idea of how many people will be attending, who will be in the bridal party, what they will be wearing and where the ceremony and reception are being held. Ordering well ahead will ensure that you get what you want, and can often save you money.

Match your colors

“White is always most popular for brides. I don’t think there’s one color that’s more popular than the others for the bridesmaids.” Sharon Mayer of Vogue Flowers in Richmond, Virginia said when asked about the current trends in flower colors.

Blues, reds, oranges, yellows, and purples are gaining popularity for bouquets, centerpieces, corsages, and boutonni�res. Picking out the right color really depends on the themes and colors you’ve picked out for your invitations, cake, etc. and whether you want to match the dominant color or accent it with something else. A few color swatches and a visit to your florist can help you to decide which you prefer.

Location is important

When picking the flowers that are right for your wedding, it’s a good idea to keep in mind where the wedding will be held. If the wedding is going to be outside, floral arches, columns, blooming plants and garden flowers are a great way to add a nice touch to the wedding. Beach weddings can be enhanced by simple flowers with bright colors or exotic and unique flowers that really complement the beach setting.

Pick the type that’s right for you

A rose by any other name may smell as sweet, but that doesn’t mean you have to use roses for your wedding any more. Orchids, tulips, hydrangeas, daffodils, and even more exotic and unique flowers are making their way into weddings everywhere. With a variety of colors and shapes, orchids have quickly become a highly popular flower for everything from centerpieces and bridal bouquets to the corsages and boutonnieres.

Using a unique flower is an easy and often affordable way to put your own stamp on your wedding, as well as match the setting that you’ve chosen for your special day. There’s nothing wrong with trading out the white rose for a purple orchid if it matches your wedding better.

It’s ok to ask for help

The best way to get the flower arrangements that are best for you is to work with a qualified wedding florist. They’ll be able to let you know about the current trends, what’s available during what time of the year, and help you order far enough in advance so that you can get the flowers that you want at a far more reasonable price. Make your special day a bit more memorable with flowers that will stand out and add a personal touch to your wedding.

About the Author

Steve Papoulakos is the president of Vogue Flowers and has been in the floral industry for over 22 years. Vogue Flowers is a locally owned and operated company in Richmond, Virginia. We have been the Richmond wedding florist of choice, with a large selection of quality flowers and incomparable floral designs at incredible prices. Our superior customer service and expertise will make your wedding day free of problems at least with the flower part.

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Weddings. What a fun time of your life. Today I am really focusing on the food that you should be serving at your Wedding. The food is such an important part of your Wedding that everything about the food should be considered very carefully.

First, let us focus on the season that the Wedding will be played out in. What if your Wedding day is in New York City in November? We�ll that�s easy. Here is the list of my suggested foods that are appropriate for that time of year. For your main plate, Steaks is what first comes to mind. Its cold outside and people want some good meat to warm them up. Filet Minion or any kind of steak that fits your fancy as well as your checkbook. For side dishes, pastas sound best, steamed vegetables, especially broccoli and cauliflower with a bit of melted cheese over it. Or you can have baked potatoes with a bar for lots of different toppings for your potatoes. Garlic and French breads should always accompany a dinner like this as well as a salad. When having Steak, both of these items should not be disregarded. And with a splendid dinner like this, just having cake for dessert is not enough. Top it off with some awesome homemade shakes by getting a Vendor that will help make those shakes. People would really love to have a frosty shake after their Steak dinner. Yum!

Ok, so that�s a Winter Wedding menu. How about a Summer time Wedding in Boston? Easy. Have some type of beautiful seafood as your main dish. Lobster or Mahi Mahi would be my pick. Make sure that the caterers you get make the dish look beautiful. With seafood you always have to make the dish beautiful because unlike steak where it takes up the whole plate, seafood leaves you room to decorate. For the side dishes, rolls, cold pasta salads, cold fruit salads and coleslaw. Those fit nicely with the seafood main dish. And while you�re at it making everything fit together so nicely, have a nice lemonade serve people with their meal, it will add the finishing touch.

What about an Arizona Spring Wedding? I�ve seen so many ideas for this one. I think an awesome main dish would be white and brown rice with Swedish Meatballs on top. Swedish Meatballs are very different and still light but heavy enough to make a meal. Serve with lots of fresh fruit and vegetables. And as a sidekick to either the main dish or the side dishes, Crepes are a huge house favorite. Get a professional Crepe maker to make crepes all night with all different kinds of different tastes to wrap it in. Make sure you have a Professional Crepe maker to wrap all your things like meats and heavier items as well as whipped creams and fruits for a more of dessert food. Crepes are always a hit.

So whenever you may be and whenever you may be, make sure that you cater to the season and state where you Wedding will be held. If the food matches the season, then everything at your Wedding will come together beautifully. Happy planning to all of you planning your wonderful Wedding day!

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There are horror stories about how ugly bridesmaid dresses are, so brides need to pay attention and not become a statistic.

Though it’s true that the dress may never be worn again, you also want to factor in that your friends are going to be photographed for posterity. And that you want them to still be your friends at the end of the wedding day.

Make it comfortable

Nothing is worse that a dress that doesn’t fit the person. Just because the bride has a certain style in mind for her wedding party, she may want to think of the various shapes as well. Most dresses can be altered to fit most women, but plunging necklines or short skirts may not always be flattering.

One of the ways to avoid this is to ask your bridesmaids for their input on the dress that you choose. You can all go to a bridal store to try on different kinds of dresses. This can be a fun way to start off the bridal excitement—usually this takes place well before the ceremony.

Or you can give everyone some options as to what they would like to wear. Of course, this may mean that one person’s choice does not win the vote.

Another option is to let everyone select their own dress, so long as it is a particular color that you want. This actually looks quite classy and each dress will reflect he individual’s personality. A lot of brides will buy their wedding party coordinating jewelry to help everyone ‘match.’

Choosing the color

There’s a lot to be said for the basic colors that are available. Even if you are decorating the entire reception in lilac, you may not want to choose that color for your bridesmaid dresses. Pastels in general can be tricky.

Here’s some advice.

Try to dress your bridesmaids for the season. If it’s cooler, then select a deeper shade for the dresses, if it’s warm, something lighter might be an option. Try a champagne color or a nearly white option. Not only will this look clean and classy, but you will also avoid the trap of looking like Easter eggs.

When it comes to the bridesmaids dresses, you want to remember that these are people that you love in the party. Talk to them about what they like or what they might like to wear. And although in the end, it will be your decision, you’ll have a much better time when the bridesmaids are happy.

Article Source: http://www.articleset.com

About the Author

Amy Spade is an expert on planning weddings, and she has written an amazing totally free minicourse on how to make sure that you have the day of your dreams, and avoid wedding day disaster!


Get the free course "Your Special Day from Start to Finish" now at at http://www.weddingdata.com.
» Read more articles by Amy Spade

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If you think that a wedding planner is a luxury reserved for the wealthy, you may be surprised. Hiring a pro to assist with your plans can actually be a wise economic decision. Need convincing? Here are the top reasons a wedding planner can help you save some serious headaches - and cash:

Time is Money

Oh so clich� - but oh so true. As a bride to be, you don’t need to be told twice your time is valuable, so why waste it when it counts the most? Planning a wedding is essentially a full time job, and if you’re already a busy professional, guess what? Your work week doubled the moment you said “yes.” Your career, your wedding or your sanity may suffer if you don’t get some help.

Set Your Budget…And Stick To It!

Once you set your wedding budget, your planner will help you stick to it. Be open about any budgetary constraints during planning sessions. Once you’re on the same page, your planner can help you determine what’s most important to you and make spending choices accordingly.

A Friend Indeed

A good wedding planner will get the most for your money by choosing the best vendors. As industry insiders, wedding consultants have built a network of reliable professionals and can make recommendations based on your style and budget. These vendor recs. save countless hours of research and can potentially avert costly mistakes (you can rest assured knowing Johnny Photographer isn't going to skip town with your photography deposit).

Prime Negotiator

Your wedding planner will review all vendor contracts before you sign on the dotted line, catching any hidden fees and ensuring your needs are covered. As repeat clients, planners may even score you some vendor discounts.

Go Part Time

Still think your wedding budget's too maxed out for hired help? While many wedding planners orchestrate entire affairs (which can be pricey), most can be hired on an hourly basis for services tailored to your needs. So if you find yourself stumped on invitations - a pro can come to the rescue. Another option is a week-of or day-of planner, a great alternative for the bride who plans everything herself but would like to have a professional on hand to attend to last minute details.

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Find out more about the types of services offered by wedding planners.

Cori Russell is editor for Elegala.com and Gala Weddings Magazine. Elegala.com is a comprehensive wedding planning resource with a national directory of wedding venues and services, along with articles, expert advice, checklists and photo galleries to lead brides through every step of the planning process.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Cori_Russell

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Author: Sharon Vaz

A lot of couples dream of having a Hawaii beach wedding. And why not? The golden coasts, lush vegetation, and a populace known for its warmth and sense of jubilation all make for a vivid and stimulating destination wedding.

But like every great beach wedding idea, a Hawaii destination wedding needs careful thought and planning. Probably the best way to research your Hawaii beach wedding would be to use the internet. The beach theme wedding is so popular there are many websites devoted to Hawaiian ceremonies. You can also find info on a Caribbean beach wedding, Florida beach wedding, and other places that can offer you similarly stimulating venues for your ceremony.

The key word here is planning. The more you know what you want and the better you can visualize it, the more successful and memorable your big day will be.

The following steps will help you envision, plan, and organize a breathtaking Hawaii beach wedding.

Hawaii Beach Wedding Tip #1 - Create Your Invitations

Create invitations that reflect the theme of your ceremony. Traditional card invitations that come in light sandy colors are great; alternatively, how about non traditional invites like small bottles with sand and a rolled sheet of paper inside (with your ceremony details printed on it)?

Hawaii Beach Wedding Tip #2 - Book Your Destination Wedding

Be sure to settle your venue quick; remember, you’re not the only couple that wants to get married in Hawaii! Check places through travel agencies or online. Research the location, amenities, view, and other details of your Hawaii destination wedding. Also book your minister around this time as well as the all-important reception area.

Hawaii Beach Wedding Tip #3 - Make Travel Arrangements

If you’re not from Hawaii, book all plane tickets, island rides, and hotel accommodations well in advance so you don’t have to worry about them later. Make sure your hotel is near the venue. The success of a destination wedding hinges on this crucial plan element.

Hawaii Beach Wedding Tip #4 - Apply for a Marriage License

The application fee for a Hawaiian marriage license is $50. You have 30 days from the issuance of the license to get married in Hawaii. If it expires, your destination wedding will have to wait. It’s easy enough to reapply but you’ll have to spend $50 again!

Hawaii Beach Wedding Tip #5 - Choose Your Attire Well

The traditional garb is as follows: a white holoku (Hawaiian bridal dress) for the bride and a white shirt and pants with a colored sash for the groom. If it's going to be a full outdoor wedding, your attire shouldn’t be too stifling. Arrange maile leis - woven garlands made out of fragrant green leaves - for the two of you to wear. As for a veil - most Hawaiian ceremonies do not require brides to wear veils. She might want to wear a special wreath of flowers on her head instead.

Hawaii Beach Wedding Tip #6 - Decide On Ceremony Elements

After the ceremony, some couples follow the Chinese practice of lighting fireworks to scare off evil spirits and bestow good luck on the newlyweds; others engage in a Pandango, a Filipino tradition where guests use pins to attach money to the couple as they dance. You can do something similar or you can simply put on a new twist on old practices. For example, instead of a unity candle ceremony, you can try the unity SAND ceremony where the bride and groom mix two different shades of sand into a large glass, signifying their union in a fun and unique way.

Hawaii Beach Wedding Tip #7 - Pick the Right Decorations

Select decor that go hand in hand with your overall theme and beach wedding elements. There’s no need to go overboard with set pieces; minimalism is good as the venue itself is already quite a joy to the senses. But don’t be too barren; just make sure to liven the place up with décor that befits your beach wedding ceremony and theme.

Hawaii Beach Wedding Tip #8 - Book Catering

Be sure your menu properly caters to your palette and those of your guests. If you know of any vegetarian guests, be sure to arrange some vegetarian dishes. Also, choose a menu that best reflects your ocean theme wedding - seafood is always great and heightens the ocean-side mood.

If you plan your destination wedding well and arrange many of these things in advance, your union will definitely be spectacular and memorable.

About the Author:
Sharon Vaz is founder of http://www.unitysandceremony.net, an authority website dedicated to providing brides resources on planning a spectacular Unity Sand Ceremony.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/women’s-issues-articles/a-hawaii-beach-wedding-makes-for-a-picture-perfect-celebration-172430.html

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Truth is, there are precious few ideas floating around out there for brides who want a little character in their weddings. Here, Sarah Stephens, a jewelry designer in San Francisco (where different is actually the norm), offers up 5 tips for creative accessories for unique ladies looking to tie the knot.

1. Color is Creative

At a traditional wedding, the word “bride” is really a synonym for “white.” Non-traditional brides will, therefore, want to push the envelope on color. Look for jewelry replete with gemstones. Gemstones come in all colors, shapes and sizes. Pick bold blue turquoise, sapphire or apatite stones to match blue eyes; jade, peridot or emerald for red hair; and ruby, garnet or coral to match red or pink flower bouquets. Color is probably the most essential part of the non-traditional bride’s accessories, as it is the most obvious display of her own personal style.

2. Big is Better

Classic brides typically choose very feminine, delicate accessories. Distinguish yourself with chunkier, bold jewelry that screams fun and personality. Long, muli-layered necklaces punctuated by colorful gemstones add character while still appearing graceful. Cuff bracelets and single strand bracelets that boast bigger gemstones can be flashy and fun, and offer the opportunity to tie in a color theme without going overboard. With earrings, forgo the traditional pearl stud and decorate your lobes with a long hoop; these designs can be decorated with petite gemstones for a truly original shape and style.

3. Earrings are Everything

There are so many earring styles to choose from, I thought this needed a bit more attention. I recommend hoops at a wedding only if they are decorated with a bit of feminine flare, as with cascading chains or dangling gemstones. Otherwise, this style has too much of a “clubby” look. I like cascade style, which is one of those timeless designs open to modern interpretation. Pick a length that complements you - long faces need longer jewelry - and wear your hair up so it doesn’t get tangled. Keep in mind the color tips above, as these earrings tend to be full of gemstones that can make or break your eye color. In general I would say stay away from big, heavy studs. They weigh your earlobes down, making you appear klutzy, rather than funky.

4. No Two Rings are Alike

There are no rules that say the engagement ring has to be a diamond and the wedding band has to be as plain as possible. Choose a ring you’ll truly love to wear every day of your life - one that screams personality and sentimentality all at once. One look I like is a multi-wrap in gold or silver, with a small gemstone nestled at the top, like this one. The stone allows for sentimental value - pick either your anniversary month or birthstone - or if you are getting cold feet about this whole “nontraditional” approach, you can always make it a diamond.

5. Let Your Bridesmaids Choose

If anyone has a problem with your non-traditional style of things, I’m sure it won't be the bridesmaids. Let your ladies choose their jewelry, or at least their preferred style of jewelry, from a custom-made jewelry boutique. You choose the style of earring and necklace and let them select their favorite stone and metal, or vice versa. Either way, we bet they’ll wear the jewelry later and vote you Best Bride of all time!

Sarah Stephens is the Fashion Director for Dasha Boutique. Visit our online shop today, featuring hundreds of handmade jewelry designs. Customize orders ship in 3 business days. Dasha Boutique is featured in Lucky, InStyle, People, Bridal Guide and Brides.

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There are a few specific details, which symbolize the traditional wedding customs and traditions, and one such tradition is the wedding cake. Owing to the advances in the baking and decorating techniques it is possible to have a wide variety of cake designs for weddings. Here is some more information about wedding cakes and cake designs for weddings:

Wedding Cakes

A wedding cake is a traditional cake, which is served at a wedding reception after the wedding. Today a wedding cake is usually a large cake, which is either multi-layered or single layered, with icing decorations and a cake topping representing the bride and the groom. The tradition of the wedding cake started in the medieval times, when all the guests at a wedding were supposed to bring small cakes, which would then be stacked on the table in layers. It was believed that if the bride and groom were able to kiss each other over the top of the stack it was a sign of good luck for the couple. Also, not many people know that the tiered wedding cake design originated from the tiered spire of a popular medieval church in London called St Bride’s Church.

Cake Designs for Wedding

In case you are looking for the perfect wedding cake, here are a few things that you need to keep in mind while going through cake designs for you wedding�

Cake Designs for Wedding: Wedding Cake Size

First of all you need to decide the size of the cake that you want at your wedding. This depends on the number of guests you plan to have at your wedding reception. If it is too difficult for you to figure out what quantity would be perfect for your guest list, then it is always better to consult with the bakers and take their advice on it. If you want to be extra sure, you can also talk to some couples who�ve recently tied the knot.

Cake Designs for Wedding: Wedding Cake Shapes

If you are planning for an elegant and traditional wedding then it is advisable to stick to conventional shapes like round and square. However in case you are looking for more contemporary and modern cake designs there is absolutely no end to the kind of varieties of designs and shapes that you can incorporate in your wedding cake. Triangles, figurines, or any other shape � you name it and the bakers will make it for you.

Cake Designs for Wedding: Wedding Cake Variations

The Danish have their Kransekage, while the French have their Croquembouche at their weddings, there are so many different wedding cake traditions for weddings. Another interesting variation to the variation to the wedding cake, which is a very contemporary trend, is replacing the big cake layers by layers of cup cakes, which are merely arranged in different tiers in order to resemble a tiered wedding cake.

Cake Designs for Wedding: Wedding Cake Decorations

Wedding cake decorations are no longer restricted to icing sugar flowers and the traditional wedding topper with the happy couple. Make way for a whole new variety of wedding cake toppers and other decorations. No matter what theme you pick, be it something as rare as a Harley Davidson bike or an Elvis guitar, you can have your wedding cake make to suit the exact theme and mood of your wedding. Although most of the couples prefer traditional colors like white, pink and other soft hues, today there are wedding cakes, which come in the brightest of colors.

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