Loans for Wedding Receptions and Venues

 Everyone says it, but you won’t realize it until it happens. One year of planning and you’re wedding day will pass by in just a matter of hours (visit this post to find out how to make the most of your wedding day). Many couples try to save a few bucks by choosing not to use a Videographer. Although this may sounds like a great idea at first - “how many people actually watch their wedding video after the first year?” - trust me, you’ll regret it. Your wedding day will pass by faster than you can imagine. As the day progresses you’ll take a mental note of each milestone passed, “End of the first dance… wow!”, “The best man just did his toast.. this is moving too fast!”, “Oh boy, we just cut the cake.. ah!”. After that 5 hour reception is over, you’ll want to relive the memories, take things in, and see things that you missed. Do yourself a favor, if you haven’t already hired one, start shopping around for a wedding videographer.

When planning your wedding you must take into consideration the expected and unexpected events of the day that may occur.  To help you get started, here are some thing that you should have handy with you, or someone you trust on the day of your wedding.

• Descriptive vendor info with names & several contact numbers - Just in case someone doesn’t show, you have the information readily available.
• Alternate location if outdoor ceremony due to unforeseen weather - Weather isn’t permitting, know where to go / what to do.
• Timeline for events in order, delegate responsibility to multiple people
• Order of people in the ceremony (usually covered in the rehearsal)
• Song selection of Prelude, Processional, Recessional, & Unity Candle

Here are some things to consider when planning for your wedding:

• Names of those introduced and music for the grand entrance
• Vendor requirements (attire, timelines, final payments, meal)
• Music selection for the dinner/cocktail
• Possible seating arrangements
• Toast/Blessing times and names of individuals
• Meal and cake start end times
• Bouquet/Garter Execution
• Special Dances (First Dance, Father Daughter, Mother Son, Bridal)

We all use a wedding photographer to capture the memories of that big day. Wedding photographers are very effective in getting those important moments on film. However, often times, the memories of the grandparents doing funny stuff, Uncle Bob cutting it up on the floor, cousin Johnny passed out in the lobby all go uncaptured. This is where wedding cameras / disposable cameras come into play. They will capture those informal moments of your wedding, give unique shots of your friends and family and provide entertainment for your guests.

Here’s what to do when distributing Wedding Cameras

1. Go out to the local pharmacy or photo store and pick up at least one disposable camera for each table at your wedding reception. If you don’t want to use the average disposable camera, you can get customer wedding cameras made to match the decor or theme of your wedding. Trying searching Google below for some great sites.
2. Make sure to pick up 400 speed film cameras, this will ensure the best picture for indoor lighting.
3. Place a camera on each of the reception tables with a card explaining that you wish for your guests to make full use of the disposable camera and leave it on the reception table at the end of the night.
4. Make sure you pick up the cameras at the end of the night.

After all of the expenses and planning put toward a wedding, you may find that you don’t have the money or the time off from work to have a honeymoon. So why not have a mini honey moon, or a minimoon? Dependent upon the day of the week that your wedding falls, you may be able to arrive at a honeymoon destination during the weekend and only take a day one day off from work. There are a number of destinations that can be an inexpensive weekend honeymoon. Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic is a perfect example. I just googled the Apple Vacations website and found a $699.99 (per person) deal. You will get you a flight and 3 nights stay at the Natura Park Eco-Resort & Spa where all the food and drinks, including alcohol are paid for. Maybe you’ll have a honeymoon, I mean minimoon, after all?

Planning a Bachelor Part or Bachelorette Party can be quite a difficult task.  It’s tough to get everyone to agree on a date, location and the evenings events.  The more people involved, the more difficult it gets.  So, here’s a suggestion for planning a Bachelor / Bachelorette party.

1. Request a list of friends that the Bride or Groom wishes to have at their party.
2. Create an email distribution list of all of the friends invited to join in on the Bachelor / Bachelorette Party.
3. Send an initial email out to all of the invitees requesting their preference in order, for a date.  Remember to request that all of the replies are made to you, not all who are on the list.  Additionally, remember to remind the invitees that if they are aware of someone who didn’t make the list, to provide you with their contact information.
4. After receiving all of the emails, determine what date is best for all.  Remember, you can’t please everyone.  So, pick the date that’s best for the greater majority.
5. Next, solicit ideas from all of the attendees.  Maybe dinner and a night out on the town?  Maybe just a football game.  Ask for everyone’s suggestions.
6. Pick 3 suggestions and allow all of the invitees to state their preference in order.
7. Estimate the cost per attendee,  some things to keep in mind, transportation costs if you using a limo or cab, entrance fees, dinner, etc.
8. Collect money from all of the attendees before the actual event.  Otherwise, you’ll be hunting down the Groom’s cheap friends months after the wedding!

Envelope etiquette can be tricky when sending out wedding invitations. How do you formally address a Married Couple In Which the Woman is a Doctor? How do you Address an Unmarried Couple Living Together? Here are some common addressing situations that you will encounter and how they should be handled:

The most basic, Married Couple With the Same Last Name:

Mr. and Mrs. John Doe

10 Main St.

Beverly Hills, California 90210

Married Couple, Woman is a Doctor:

Doctor Jane Doe

and Mr. John Doe

10 Main St.

Beverly Hills, California 90210

Unmarried Couple Living Together

Miss Jane Thompson

Mr. John Doe

10 Main St.

Beverly Hills, California 90210

Married Couple, Woman Has Kept Maiden Name

Ms Jane Cleaver

and Mr. Bobby Brown

10 Main St.

Beverly Hills, California 90210

Wedding Paper Divas has a variety of wedding invitation themes to choose from that are very elegant and cost efficient. One of my favorite themes is the Cocoa Vine Wedding Invitation cards that have matching save the date cards, rsvp cards, direction cards and thank you cards. The unique thing about these invitations is that they invert the colors from a cocoa background with white font to a white background with cocoa font. The nice things about this is that the contrasting colors look beautiful when placing the cards in an wedding invitation envelope / packet.

A nice Cocoa themed Bridal Shower Invitation that goes along with the same colors as the Vine Wedding Theme and works well is the Sophisticated Silhouette Bridal Shower Invitations. These invitations also have matching Bridal Shower mints that taste excellent - they’re small, sugar glazed coated and taste yummy!

Euricase has developed the first Ring Box that combines classic engagement ring design with the latest LCD technology. “This classic ring box is unlike any other on the market today. This Euricase has a built-in LCD video screen that allows you to load a romantic video, favorite photos together or music that automatically plays when opened.” The euricase can hold up to 500 of your favorite photos of 30-60 minutes of video. “When opened, the Euricase has an illuminated light in front to set the mood and enhance the look of the ring. The LCD screen lights up to what ever recorded message you choose to personalize your ring box with. You can load a marriage proposal, your wedding photos, or any personalized message.” The boxes start at $198.95 and go up from there. If you’re interested in buying a ring box, visit Euricase’s website.

Hanah Kim won this year’s Disposable Wedding Gown Contest. Last year she fell just short of winning the contest. Here are some pictures of Hanah Kim’s second place wedding dress design. She does an excellent job designing dresses, especially considering that she can only use toilet paper, tape and glue!

Here’s a wedding savings idea that can save you at least $1,000 to $3,000, make you wedding dress out of Toilet Paper, tape and glue!  Hanah Kim did, and is getting a real wedding gown made out of her design, by a couture designer.  CheapChicWeddings held a contest to see who could design the best wedding gown out of toilet paper.  Hanah Kim below was the winner, but there were a number of honorable mentions from the 2007 Contest.