But there is so much more to weddings then that!  Here are a few misc. ways your friends and family can get involved
in case your wedding party gets too busy:

Misc Task #1 Guest Book Attendant

Asking a friend to be a guest book attendent is great way to get someone involved in your wedding
without having to include them in your wedding party! This helper should stand by the guest book and encourage guests to sign the guest book and leave a special message.  Although small, this job can prove very helpful and
important for brides and grooms who have weddings with a big guest list.

Misc Task #2 Bird Seed Bag Attendants

This is a fancy name for standing around after the wedding and throwing bird seeds at the wedding couple. The best part of this misc. job is that anyone in the wedding can join in.  Have your wedding party hand out bags of bird seed right before you plan on walking out of the church or venu.  The involvement from your friends will make your day seem so much more cozy.

Misc Task #3 Scripture readings

If the wedding couple plans on incorporating into their ceremony several scripture readings, they can assign specific readings to friends and family. This can be a great idea to add that special custom touch to your wedding while involving friends and family at the same time!

Misc Task #4 Car decorating

This job is beneficial for 2 reasons. One, it is a job that is almost always needed (who doesn’t want to drive away in a overly decorated car!). Two, it is a job that can save your wedding party from having to ruin their tuxedos and gowns! Car decorating is also a great job for kids with huge creativity.

Have any impatient ushers?  Great!  Ask your impatient young friends to do the car decorating job, they’ll be happy to get out of the receiving line and into some action!

Wedding dresses are beautiful and make every bride look like a princess. The only problem is that most of the time, a dress is put away and stored after a wedding and never worn again. Saving money on the dress seems to be the best thing to do if your budget is tight and you want to spend more on caviar and wine for the guests. In fact, there are many ways that you can save money on a wedding dress.

Almost every town has a gently used store. Whether they are called a consignment shop or not, they are all based on the same principal. They sell items that have been worn by others. Most wedding dresses are only worn for a few hours and then they are taken off. Why not buy a used gown? You buy jeans and wear them for a whole day before you decide to take them back. Buying a gently used dress is perfect if you’re watching your money and trying to have a nice wedding.

You can try on the gently used dresses right there in the shop. If one is a little snug or a little loose, take it to a local tailor and they will happily alter it for you. You can often find silk and other designer dresses in consignment shops as well. Some people may not be as lucky as you in finding the right guy. They decided to sell their dress to a store instead of look at it in their closet for the next twenty years.

Other ways that you can save money on your wedding dress is to wait until the local bridal shop has a huge blow out sale. Some shops will have a sale once or twice a year and they will reduce their dress prices as much as fifty to seventy five percent. Most shops will advertise well in advance so you have plenty of time to save enough money to buy your dress. Once you make it through the crowd, take your time to find the gown that is right for you.
If you were unsuccessful in finding a dress at your local bridal salon, try looking through the newspaper. May women will sell their dresses in the paper or place ads for them at the local post office. If you are serious about saving money on a wedding dress, there are many ways to do it.

Try shopping online like everyone else does. Yes, they do sell wedding dresses on the Internet too. Some are actually runway samples from fashion shows. These are designer dresses for department store prices. Other dresses may be used a little due to being tried on so much, so the retailer cannot sell them at a new dress price. No one will know the wiser if you walk down that aisle with a used designer dress that you bought online. For all you know, you are starting your life with a dress that was worn by a model. Just hope that your marriage will be just as glamorous as the dress is.

There is much more to a wedding dress than just the dress. They say accessories make the woman. You need to decide what type of accessories you are going to have. It is important that you figure it out well before the wedding. Look at pictures on the Internet or look in bridal magazines to see what type of accessories others are wearing. Look at the type of dress you have and the neck line. This will help when deciding what kind of necklace you want to wear. Do you want to wear a simple pearl necklace, or do you want a luxurious diamond necklace? Do you want stud earrings or drop? There are a lot of decisions to be made when deciding on all the frills and trimmings of your dress. If you are planning on wearing your mother’s pearl necklace, you need to discuss this well in advance. In case she has misplaced it or planned on wearing it herself, you will need a back up plan. If your dress is very detailed, a simple necklace may be appropriate. Your husband to be may have bought you a heart shaped necklace at one time and it is the perfect wedding day accessory. The day he gave it to you, you knew it would be on your neck on your wedding day.

Make sure you decide on your earrings too. If you are planning on wearing your hair up, then everyone will see your ears. You may consider a matching earring and necklace set. What about a bracelet. Are you going to wear one? There are so many options for your wedding day. Making sure that you have all the little details in place at least a few days before your ceremony will make your day go a lot smoother.

Don’t forget the shoes. This is one of the biggest tasks that you will have to tackle besides buying your dress. If you can’t find shoes that will match your dress and the color scheme of your wedding, then you can buy shoes and have them dyed. All you have to do is take a piece of the fabric to the shoe store and they will have them sent off to be dyed. This can go for your bridesmaids as well. It may be hard to find bright purple shoes for them. Once your shoes are dyed and back to you, make sure that you wear them around the house a little bit to break them in. Hopefully you bought shoes that are similar in heel length that you normally wear. Now is not the time to try something different. You want to be comfortable all day.

The most important accessory that you should plan out well in advance is your undergarments. You do not want your girlfriends running to Dillard’s the day of your wedding because you bought a bright white pair of panties that everyone can see when you walk in the light. Your brassier is important to. Making sure that it doesn’t show, especially if you have a dress with a low back, is of the utmost importance. Again, comfort is the key factor for your wedding day. Once you have planned out all the little details, everything will run smoothly for you. Your wedding dress and your happy face will be the two things that everyone sees that day. Make sure they both shine.

The first thing you need to do when looking for a dress, is call your friends. Do not call your neighbor and the girl from work that always offers you chocolate candy even though you are trying to lose weight for your wedding. You need to round up your most trusted friends. The ones that will tell you the truth about how you look in each dress, and will help you pick one out that is not only beautiful, but affordable. Make sure that you let them know that this will be day trip.

Never expect to find a wedding dress in the first store you enter. In fact, expect to enter many stores, even ones that are not in your own town. You may need to travel to a city near you that has more of a selection. Let your friends all know this ahead of time so you can make the day of it. More importantly, make sure your fiancé has plenty to do for the day so he doesn’t get frustrated when you are not home by five o’clock. With all this being said, it is time to hit the stores.

When you are shopping for your wedding dress, it is very important to keep an open mind. The styles and trends change and you may run across some very interesting dresses. Making mental notes, or notes on paper before you shop may be a good idea. Since you know there are quite a few dresses out there, knowing what you are looking for will help narrow it down. Let your friends know to. This way they are not wasting your time pulling out dresses for you that looks like something someone would have worn if they got married on the Titanic.

You may also want someone to make notes for you about the dresses that you have found and what they cost. Don’t forget to write down what store you found them in. Going back to eight different dress shops will not be fun. Expect to go back to a few. If you go into your day thinking that you will bring home a dress that night, then you will be disappointed. Go into your day looking at dresses, knowing that you are not making a final decision right away. This way you can go home and review your notes. Then take a few of the friends back to make a final decision.

Never buy a dress before you have shopped around. The worst mistake you can make is trying a dress on, falling in love with it and then buying it right then and there. The reason this is a mistake is because you have not seen enough dresses. You may be in the mall the following week and wander into their bridal shop. Then there it is, that dress that makes your eyes water. It’s calling out for you and you already bought a non refundable dress in the heat of the moment. You went in one shop, tried on a dress and then bought it. Always try a dress on at least twice, once for your friends and once for yourself. After thoroughly looking around, then make your decision and go back and buy the one that you can’t stop dreaming about. You will be glad that you took your time. Your wedding day will be just as beautiful as you will be.

As you’ve probably already begun to notice, planning a wedding is all about making decisions.  Which awesome dress; how many guests; where will you walk down the aisle; what you will eat at the reception … the choices are never-ending.

Your wedding favors, although certainly not your biggest decision, are still important.  You want to put enough thought into them, so that they will be a meaningful and lasting reminder to your guests of the day they shared with you.  Luckily, saying ‘thank you’ to your guests can be fun!

When choosing your favors, you first need to decide if you are going buy wedding favors or make them yourself. There are many factors to consider when making this decision; such as the amount of time you have to dedicate to your favors, the amount of money you want to spend, the way you want them to look, and what exactly it is you want your wedding favors to say.

Remember that it’s okay to change your mind.  It just helps to have an idea before you throw yourself at the mercy of wedding retailers. Write all of your ideas down to help you keep track.  Now you’re ready to think about whether you want to buy wedding favors or create your own!

Here are a few pros and cons you should think about.

Pros and Cons of Buying Wedding Favors

If you choose to buy your wedding favors, there are many benefits. There are so many different favors to choose from; pretty much anything you can think of can be ordered from a wedding supplier or online retailer. Buying gives you access to a wide selection, almost limitless options, and hard-to-find or niche favors.

You can also choose favors that you can have been personalized or engraved, for an added special touch.

Buying also eliminates the stress of trying to paint four hundred flower pots by your wedding day, for example, by allowing you to place the order and essentially forget about it until they are delivered.

Open the box and hand out the favors. It doesn’t get any better than that!

As great as buying your favors may seem, there are drawbacks as well.

Buying can be very pricey! You need to pay special attention to the unit price as well as the shipping and handling fees. A $1.05 item can quickly turn your budget upside down when you need to order 500 of them and realize they will be shipped from overseas!

There’s also the fear that they will arrive late, or not be exactly what you were looking for. Ordering them to be delivered with about six weeks lead time before your day will help reduce those risks and allow time to re-order if necessary.

Make sure that you take your time when deciding, considering all factors before you signing or purchasing anything! Check out all of the policies, guarantees and fine print before you fork over the dough.

Pros and Cons of Making Your Own Wedding Favors

Making your own favors is a nice way to say thank you to your guests for being a part of your wedding day. It reflects a more personal gratitude than a pre-made favor.

There are many benefits to making your own favors; you can add your own style and flair to them, making them a unique reflection of you and your important day.

Sometimes making them yourself can also save you some money! It could end up being a great way to spend time with your fiancé and whoever else you can convince to pitch in.

The downside to making your own favors is that it may end up costing you more than you had budgeted for.

It could also end up being more time consuming than you had planned.

Another drawback is that you may work very hard on your favors and have them not turn out as you had hoped, leaving you with a big problem before the big day.

To avoid these dilemmas, allow yourself double the estimated time you think it will take; make a few prototypes before you invest in the materials to make all your favors; and double and triple check your material list, to be sure you’re not forgetting anything that needs to be factored into the cost (think glue and scissors, packaging, etc).

When deciding on your favors and the avenue you want to take, consider all of the factors involved and ask yourself, how much time do I have? What do I want people to think of my favors? How much money do I want to spend?

These questions will help you to decide on what’s best for you! Favors shouldn’t be the most stressful aspect of your wedding planning; in fact, they should be fun because you can get creative in the way you want to show your guests your appreciation!

When you send guests your beach wedding invitations, you’re not just announcing a ceremony—you’re asking them to take part in a tropical vacation! To allow plenty of time for everyone to make the necessary travel arrangements, send the invitations as early as possible.

Whether you buy, design, or make your beach wedding invitations, they should reflect the theme and personality of your event. Below are some tips for beach wedding invitations:

• If possible, the style of the invitation should coordinate with the location of your destination wedding. For instance, if you’ll be exchanging your vows along the North Carolina coastline, your invitations might include a drawing or photo of the Cape Hatteras lighthouse.

• Most beach wedding invitations use soft, muted colors reminiscent of beach tones. Light blues, pinks, and beiges echo the sand, sea, and striking ocean sunsets that will serve as the backdrop of your nuptials.

• Consider using one beach-related element as the focal point of the invitations. Popular choices include sand dollars, palm trees, flip-flops, waves, sea life, and treasure maps.

• To get guests excited about the event, you might incorporate a photo of the wedding locale as the background of the invitation.

• If time and budget allows, you can dress up your beach wedding invitations by adding accents like ribbon, tulle, small seashells, or sand dollars. (Keep in mind that the extra weight of these embellishments will result in higher mailing costs.)

• If you plan on having a Unity Sand Ceremony and would like some or all of the guests to participate, send a small packet or vial of sand along with the invitation. Also include a brief explanation of what the sand ceremony entails and what their role will be.

• Include any special notes that will impact how guests should pack and dress, such as whether the ceremony will take place in the sand and whether the attire will be casual or formal.

The number of guests attending your wedding is likely to have an effect on the location of your ceremony, so the first Las Vegas wedding planning task you should complete should  be preparing a guest list. It is safe to assume that not every single person you invite will attend, but you need to have a large enough venue for at least 80% of your list. There are many wedding chapels to choose from, as well as outdoor locations. Red Rock Canyon is a popular outdoor spot for weddings, because of their beautiful views used for fantastic photographs.

If the two of you are eloping and getting married without guests, the possibilities as to where to have your ceremony are endless. There is everything from a chapel wedding to a “helicopter” wedding available. Las Vegas is quite an experience in itself, and the wedding options available only add to the flair of the city. For those who don’t have much time to spend, there are even drive-thru chapels that can have you married in just a few minutes!

Maybe you have decided Las Vegas as your wedding destination, but you are not sure how to go about planning for the ceremony and/or reception. You basically have three options for planning your wedding.

• You can choose to go through a travel agency that specializes in Las Vegas weddings – This can be the best option if you want the least to do with your wedding planning.  Your travel agent should be able to explain all the different venues and the plus and minuses of each.

• You can purchase a wedding package online – This is another great option for couples that don’t want to spend time on organizing their Las Vegas Wedding.  Packages from travel sites usually include airfare, hotel and a set marriage time at the wedding location of your choice.  Just be sure to read up on the small print.  Often times, wedding packages online don’t include the miscellaneous fees associated with a Las Vegas wedding ceremony.

• You can choose to do all the research and reservations yourself - Although best suited for couples with a custom ceremony in mind, this option requires the most preparation.  Conducting research and making reservations can be hard especially if you’re doing this from hundreds miles away.  The best way to go about planning your own Las Vegas Wedding is to read up on others’ experiences.  Read through different blogs or forums and talk with other people who share your wedding vision.  Real people with actual Las Vegas wedding experience will give you the best service recommendations and time/money saving tips.

Las Vegas is becoming a popular wedding spot for those who do not want to get married in their hometown. With the abundance of hotels, chapels, and other wedding locations, you can have anything from a simple to an elaborate wedding at the drop of a dime. As with everyone else in Las Vegas, your wedding planning choices are yours to make, and in Vegas the options are endless!

1.) Put your food to work
Food plays such an important roll in a wedding. Besides having to feed your guests, you can use the food you serve as a way for your guests to get to know one another. You have to remember that the majority of your guests won’t know each other and the last thing you want is a room full of awkward silences. Because all your guests have to eat sooner or later, try serving your meals family style! If you don’t want to sacrifice a formal sit down dinner, try to offer snack stations around your venue. This will give your guests other places to socialize rather then feeling confined to their assigned seat.

2.) Keep the Fun going
It’s a big trend this year for people to treat their weddings as more of a vacation then a single night of fun. No, this doesn’t mean that you have to host a destination wedding. It means instead of having that one night of celebration, spread it out over the weekend. Create a list of activities your guests can all enjoy over a few days and make the grand finale your Wedding Ceremony! Some activities that have been popular are: pre-wedding dinners, golf outings and brunches.

3.) Think Comfortable Elegance.
The worse thing you can do to your wedding guests is make them feel uncomfortable and cramped.  Although every wedding has to have some type of assigned seating, you should try your best to offer a few informal gathering areas.  These areas should be away from their assigned seats and offer a place of comfort and relaxation.  Lounge type furniture like stools, ottomans and comfy cushions can really make this type of impression.

4.) Subtle Décor
It’s your wedding so why aren’t you taking center stage?  A huge wedding trend this summer has been moving back to simple, clean décor.  Instead of opting for expensive over the top floral arrangements, try using single flower stems in a contemporary vase.  The trick to this design is “making less more”.  Also, be creative and try hanging your decorations from the ceiling.  If tastefully done, it won’t matter how ornate the decorations are, it will keep your guests’ jaws on the floor the entire night.