Wedding Ceremony

DIY do it yourself wedding

Filed under Wedding Planning

May 1

A DIY Wedding, or “Do it Yourself Wedding” is a phrase that refers to weddings in which some or all of the tasks typically outsourced to vendors are taken on by the bride and groom to be. Opting for a DIY wedding is becoming an increasingly popular decision amongst couples today, due to the potential cost-savings and greater creative freedom afforded by a DIY wedding.

One of the most popular components of a DIY wedding is homemade wedding invitations and the wider spectrum of wedding stationary, which includes save-the-date cards, maps, RSVP cards, thank you notes, and more. Many stationary companies that carry wedding invitations now also offer DIY wedding invitations which come partially assembled in varying degrees. Depending on what type of DIY package they ordered, the bride and groom may have to prepare the wedding invitations in any number of ways, including printing them from a CD template, or attaching tags, ribbons, and other accessories. DIY wedding invitations and other stationary are not always cheaper than pre-assembled packages. Therefore, couples who are mainly motivated by cost-savings should compare pricing between the particular DIY wedding stationary package they’re considering and pre-assembled invitations.

DIY wedding favors are another popular component to a DIY wedding. Like DIY wedding invitations, DIY wedding favors may also come partially assembled by a wedding vendor. For example, flat paper cartons which must be folded and stuffed with chocolates or other candies that are purchased separately. DIY wedding favors offer the most flexibility than other DIY wedding options as they can often be purchased by non-wedding vendors. For example, the couple can choose small tokens in bulk which can be purchased anywhere – such as fans or candles – and then attach their names and wedding date to the token with a small tag, creating a keepsake for guests.

When it comes to the wedding banquet or meal, couples often find that there is less room for DIY options. For many couples planning a wedding, the reception meal accounts for a large portion of their wedding budget. However, due to the scale and work associated with preparing and serving a meal to potentially hundreds of guests, most wedding receptions are catered rather than DIY. Some couples will attempt to incorporate DIY elements into their reception, however, by opting for a cash bar which they stock themselves, or purchasing pre-made hors d’oeuvres and snack trays for a standing reception in lieu of a sit-down meal.

Tagged as: DIY wedding, Wedding Ceremony
Wedding Etiquette Advice

Filed under Etiquette

Apr 30

There are many different forms which a wedding can take. It can be as formal as one desires or as casual as one may like. The truth of the matter is that whether the wedding is formal or casual, wedding etiquette still applies. It is important that couples who are getting married follow specific wedding etiquette tips so that the affair is as perfect as possible.

If Invited to the Shower, Must Be Invited to the Wedding

There are certain individuals who feel that it is okay to invite as many people as possible to their bridal shower yet exclude them from the wedding list for one reason or another. This is not the case with respect to proper etiquette. If the individual is going to ask someone to attend their bridal shower and bring a gift as well, it is pertinent to include them on the wedding guest list. If they are close enough to the bride and groom to be invited to the pre-wedding parties, they should be invited to the main event as well.

Write Thank You Notes for Every Gift Received

It is also good manners and proper wedding etiquette to write thank you notes for every gift received along the way up until the wedding and thereafter. This means that if an individual gives a gift for the bridal shower and a gift for the wedding, they should receive two thank you notes. In addition, the thank you note for the bridal shower gift should be sent shortly after the shower and the thank you note for the wedding should be mailed out shortly after the wedding ceremony.

Another piece of wedding etiquette with regard to thank you notes is that these notes should be handwritten and mailed out to each individual who has sent a gift. Although email is a frequent mode of correspondence which many individuals use in their daily lives, it is not good etiquette to send thank you emails to gift givers.

Paying for the Wedding

Frequently issues will arise with regard to who pays for what portion of the wedding. In general, the bride’s family will pay for the wedding ceremony and reception and the groom’s family will pay for the rehearsal dinner but modern times have seen changes. The best way to determine who pays for what is to sit down and discuss the options available. This will ensure that everyone is able to pay for their share of the wedding and no disagreements will ensue throughout the process with regard to payment issues. The main piece of wedding etiquette to consider when paying for the wedding is to be considerate of other’s financial abilities and restrictions.

These are just a few of the many often-mentioned wedding etiquette questions which arise when planning a wedding. No matter what type of wedding is being planned, it is important that the future bride and groom take wedding etiquette into consideration to ensure that their wedding goes as smoothly as possible.

Tagged as: bridal shower, Wedding Ceremony, wedding etiquette
Planning Your Wedding Ceremony

Filed under Wedding Planning

Apr 30

Wedding ceremonies can be performed by both religious and civil officials, and generally follow a similar format as set out below:

• Entrance of the bride, introduction and welcome by the official

• Music, literature, poetry or readings from the Bible

• Wedding Vows are spoken aloud and agreed by both the bride and groom

• Exchange of rings

• The official sanctions the marriage and offers a blessing or expressing of good wishes

• The first kiss as a married couple

• Witnesses sign the wedding certificate or marriage license.

• All guests stand whilst the newly married couple exit the ceremony

Although the main format of weddings is standard, many couples like to change some aspects to personalise the ceremony, and the presiding official should be able to give you some guidance on this matter. Some people like to write their own vows, but remember that there may be some words or sentences you cannot deviate from, so check with the official before attempting this. You can make your wedding vows romantic or even humorous, as long as you both agree!

A good way of personalising your wedding is to ask some guests to read out special passages for you. These may be personal poems or writings, specially created for the day, or quotes from existing literature that have some special meaning. If you are having a religious wedding, passages from appropriate text such as the Bible are popular. Some of your guests may be musically gifted and would be willing to perform a small piece of music, either vocals or instrumental. Remember to ask about the duration of the ceremony before you plan any readings, as some officials perform more than one ceremony a day and may be only able to allocate you a certain amount of time.

It might be a nice idea to do some research into different types of wedding ceremonies around the world. There are many touching traditions that you could incorporate into your own wedding ceremony such as a candle blessing. This is a lovely way to involve all of the guests in the ceremony. In a candle blessing, each guest is given a small, unlit candle as they enter the room. Once the rings have been exchanged and the official has sanctioned the marriage the bride and groom light their own candle, and then turn and lit the next candle with their own. This passes round the room, and then the person with the last candle to be lit walks to the front and lights a central candle to complete the circle. If this is not practical with the venue you have chosen because of safety issues, then you could incorporate the ‘exchange of love and peace’ tradition instead. This involves each guest turning to the person sitting next to them, shaking hands and saying “Peace and love”, or something along those lines.

Other nice touches to your ceremony include giving a rose to everyone as they enter the room, which could be in the form of a button hole/corsage, or a Hawaiian tradition of giving everyone a garland of flowers, called a leis, which they can then exchange with the person next to them to symbolize love, unity and giving.

Tagged as: Wedding Ceremony