All You Need to Know about Picking Top Wedding Dance Songs

June 18, 2013 by  
Filed under Wedding Planning

There are a lot of aspects to plan when it comes to your wedding, but the reception is one of the most important. Dancing is perhaps going to be a big part of your reception. After all, the cake has been cut, the ceremony is over, and it’s time that everyone gets the possibility to party. Of course, you’ll want to pick some awesome wedding dance songs to dance to during this part of the reception.

When it comes to wedding dance songs, you’ll want to choose a tune for the first dance with the groom. You also require a song for the father and daughter dance as well as a appropriate song for the dance between mom and son. These are all vital dances, but when they are finished, you may be wondering what you should play for your guests to dance to.

If you are going to select wedding dance songs, there are a number of different aspects that you need to hold in mind when picking the most appropriate songs to keep the party going. First of all, you should make sure that you pick out a lot of different music so the older guests as well as the younger guests will find something that they prefer. When you choose out a variety of different songs, everyone will probably find something to their taste.

You surely want to avoid songs about ex-partners, having your heart broken, or going with a breakup. Make sure that you do not pick out wedding dance songs that anyone will find offensive as well. You do not want to upset them, but you do want to select out some fun songs so everyone will get out there and have fun dancing.

Some brides are a little afraid of selecting cheesy wedding dance songs. Well, that’s all right. It’s your wedding, and it is totally all right to go with songs that may be a bit on the sappy side. Nobody will have a problem with these songs. Just don’t make them all cheesy.

It’s a great idea to pick some wedding dance songs that really make you get up and dance. You see, the tunes that no one can hear and sit still. There are a variety of great songs out there that are sure to get everyone dancing. Some examples are “Straight Up,” by Paula Abdul, “Footloose” by Kenny Loggins, “Crazy in Love” by Beyonce, “Get the Party Started” by Pink, and “Walk Like an Egyptian” by the Bangles.

For the older guests, you’ll want a few older wedding dance songs. Songs such as “Be My Baby” by the Ronettes, “Come Fly with Me” by Frank Sinatra, and “Twist” by Chubby Checker. Some cheesy and fun songs are perfect too, such as “Shake Your Booty,” “Who Let the Dogs Out,” “It’s Raining Men,” and “Whip It.”

As you can see, there are a lot of fantastic wedding dance songs out there that you can use at your wedding reception. Just ensure you pick music you like and pick music that will make your guests have a wonderful time out there on the dance floor.

 

Centerpieces for Weddings Ideas

June 15, 2013 by  
Filed under Wedding Planning

In any wedding reception party, wedding centerpieces play a very important role in determining the mood of the party and it is also a reflection of the taste of the couple. Before moving on to a final plan for centerpieces for weddings, you must consider the theme of the wedding and also your budget. You can also consult a florist or a wedding planner to get some innovative ideas. But your idea must go with the theme of the wedding. But you should not worry if you have a limited budget. There are really many cheap ideas available which can really make excellent centerpieces for your weddings. In addition, you must also consider what type of surroundings you are looking for and also what size of tables you are going to use in the reception.

Depending on your budget and theme you can have a lot of ideas for centerpieces in wedding reception. You can decorate it with flowers. Though many flowers are available in the market, before choosing a flower you must see that it is available in that season and it suits your budget. Many inexpensive flowers are available in the market that may suit your budget and also the theme of the wedding.

You can also make the centerpieces with fruits. You can decorate them with colorful fruits that may look great. If you can add fruits like citrus, it has got a beautiful smell and your guests will really feel charmed. The fruits can be kept as a whole or they can be cut and decorated in pieces. The chosen proper color combination of the fruits may present a very elegant atmosphere to the wedding.

You can also decorate the tables with vegetables in the same manner. You are able to make different designs using the vegetables and create many wonderful centerpieces for your wedding. This is really an inexpensive idea, but at the same time, will add beauty to your guest tables. For this purpose, you can choose asparagus, artichoke or even green beans.

Using candles is another wonderful idea of decorating the centerpieces of weddings. Candle is such a beautiful option that it goes along with any budget or any taste. It helps to create a very romantic atmosphere, if the wedding takes place in the evening. If the wedding hall is dimly lit and if you can add some flowers to the decoration, then using candles as centerpieces for weddings will have a long lasting impact on your guests.

But you can make great centerpieces if you are planning to get married in fall. The weather is cool and you can get a lot of beautiful flowers at that time. If you are planning a beach side reception party, the centerpiece colors have to be bright and vibrant. It is really wise to use sunflowers as the focus flower and can have some carnations and golden rod to add more colors. If you decide for a Mexican theme reception food, you can add some peppers that may go well with the centerpiece design.

The Meaning of Flowers

June 12, 2013 by  
Filed under Wedding Flowers

There are many factors to consider in choosing flowers for your wedding.    Of course you have to consider your budget, your colors, how well the flowers you choose will work with the décor of your venue, and whether or not the fragrance (or lack of fragrance) is pleasing.  All those things are important, but also important is the sentiment, or meaning behind your flower of choice.

photo by bcballard

photo by bcballard

One of the most popular wedding flowers is the calla lily.  The calla lily is available year-round in the United States, and has a larger variety for bouquets, centerpieces, and venue decoration, as well as a smaller variety for nosegays and boutonnières.   Calla lilies (also known as Zantedeschia) are native to Africa, and come in many colors.  The meaning attached to the calla lily is “magnificent beauty”, or “royalty.”  Legends about lilies in general say that the lily came from Hera’s body itself, and that upon her birth Venus was so jealous of the lily’s beauty that she “caused a huge and monstrous pistil” to sully the interior of the flower.  The calla lily is a classic wedding flower, and one that looks beautiful with almost any theme.

photo by Randy Son of Robert

photo by Randy Son of Robert

Another popular wedding flower is the rose.  A fragrant and beautiful flower, roses come in many different varieties.  The main type of rose used today is a Hybrid Tea Rose, which was cultivated around 1867.  Stories of roses in history, however, date back much further.  Roses are mentioned in Homer, Virgil (so back circa 2000 BC or earlier), and Nero was crazy about roses (so 202 AD).  Don’t let that give you a bad impression, as roses have been written about by brilliant poets, and have been the traditional gift of Valentines and Men Who Are In The Doghouse.  The rose is said to have different meaning depending on the color.  A red rose means “passionate love”, while a pink rose means only “friendship.”   A white rose means “purity,” while a yellow rose means “zealous.”

photo by Tony the Misfit

photo by Tony the Misfit

Daisies are a non-fragrant but very popular flower to use at weddings.  The most commonly used type of daisy is the “bellis perennis”, or common daisy.  The word daisy actually comes from the words “day’s” and “eye,” or, as Chaucer called it, “eye of the day.”  This is because it closes up completely at night and opens back up to show it’s “eye” during the day.  Daisies are a cheerful flower.  It is said that daisies mean “innocence.”

photo by ginnerobot

photo by ginnerobot

Daffodils are a beautiful early springtime flower with a very subtle fragrance and can have a vibrant yellow color, an orange center and white petals, and several other color combinations.  It is said that daffodils mean “chivalry,” and legend has it that the daffodil first appeared during The Last Supper.  Legends or no, the daffodil makes a striking, fresh, and happy impression on a wedding landscape, and also looks beautiful in bouquets or on lapels.

photo by Jun Acullador

photo by Jun Acullador

Carnations are a great “filler flower,” as well as a great bouquet flower.  The legendary origins of carnations date back even further than daffodils, though not as far back as roses or lilies.  Carnations are like roses in that the color of carnation dictates the supposed meaning.  A pink carnation stands for “gratitude,” while a white carnation stands for “remembrance.”

Choosing the flowers for your wedding can be one of the most enjoyable parts of wedding planning, and seeing your venue decorated, holding your bouquet, and appreciating the fruits of your planning labors

Unique Ideas for a Bridal Shower

June 9, 2013 by  
Filed under Bridal Parties

Every bride dreams of having a wonderful bridal shower and spending time with her female friends and family members. Not only is this a time to “shower” the bride with gifts, but a special time to shower her with love and to toast her new special life as a married woman. Why not give the bride a shower that is as unique as she is?

8935378_32737755fbWhen planning a bridal shower – you can’t go wrong when you start thinking of the bride herself. Every bride has characteristics that make her unique. Perhaps she’s always loved animals or made a great margarita. Or she has a great sense of humor. Or she’s a nature lover and very into living “green.” Each of these can give you great ideas for bridal showers – from hosting a margarita party to going to a comedy club or donating to an animal shelter as a gift to the bride.

Sometimes one special aspect is what makes a bridal shower unique. You don’t have to add tons of ideas to your bridal shower – remember that the guests are going to want to spend lots of time visiting with the bride and also with each other. Try having one or two special touches that make people go “ooh” and “ahh” and make your shower unique. Too many special touches can throw people off and confuse them.

Even if a bridal shower is “unique” it should still be welcoming. If the bride is a vegetarian – would throwing a vegetarian bridal shower be a great unique idea? It might be…depending on the guests coming. When 80% or more of your guests are also vegetarian, having a vegetarian bridal shower is a thoughtful thing to do. If the majority of your guests are not vegetarian then adding some vegetarian dishes and meat dishes to the menu may be the ideal choice – in order to best welcome guests. Remember that a bridal shower is not completely about the bride – but welcoming her to a new family and making everyone feel comfortable and enjoying time spent together.

Try these ideas for something unique and different!

  • A spa bridal shower – have facials, massages or manicures and pedicures
  • Get psychic – see a psychic or a tarot card reader as part of your bridal shower
  • Get physical – invite a bellydance teacher or pilates instructor to teach everyone some great new moves
  • Be thoughtful – give gifts to a charity instead of lots of loot to the bride. Perfect for the bride who has everything and has a big heart.

Give a Unique Personalized Wedding Gift – Wine Label

June 6, 2013 by  
Filed under Wedding Planning

I was just at a large wedding this past weekend (my roommate from college, in case you were wondering). The bride and groom gave a very thoughtful and unique gift – a bottle of wine. But that’s not the unique or thoughtful part in my opinion. The label was “From…” and it had their new married name and the date and location of their wedding. It also had a quote from the first song they danced to as man and wife. Perfect!

I saw that many people opened up their bottles of wine right at that event and I was reminded of how difficult it can be to find that perfect large-event gift. You want to get something thoughtful and personal yet please the whole crowd. I think a lot of the success of their gift was the beautiful custom wine label on the delicious wine. It gave the perfect message with the bottle of wine to celebrate their wedding and marriage. The fact that the wine was delicious certainly didn’t hurt!

Custom wine labels would be ideal for many occasions. A family reunion where you give a bottle of wine to every adult present. Or that milestone birthday – like the big 4-0 or 6-5 birthday party where you want to give the guests something special. It would also be great for the holidays, where you are looking for a gift you can give everyone on your list that will be sure to be a winner. Create a thoughtful and celebratory note on your customized wine label and give out wine for the holidays!

Wine can be a great gift for everyone’s hard work for that community fundraiser or event. Many times a charity or board wants to give a thank you gift they know will be appreciated. With a clever wine label design you have the opportunity to leave a special note on each bottle.

So enjoy a glass of wine – with our thanks!

P.S. Join the wine label design contest and win $100.

Creative Maid of Honor Speeches

June 3, 2013 by  
Filed under Speeches & Toasts, Wedding Planning

Looking for the perfect Maid of Honor Speeches, Click Here!

Wow.  What a time in life.  If you’ve been selected to give the Maid of Honor Speech at your friend’s wedding, you’re likely trying to get some ideas.  Allow me to attempt to provide you with the best of what I know from my years of experience as a professional speaking consultant.

Plan Your Maid of Honor Speech

Planning is important, and you’ve done a great thing by looking for information ahead of time.  You’d be surprised how many people ignore the fear they have about public speaking and tell themselves “I’ll figure it out the couple of days before,” “the night before,” or God forbid “in the car on the way there.  ” By the way, if you’re not feeling nervous, I’m worried.  What I’m trying to convey here is that it’s completely normal to feel anything from a tad jittery to utterly panicked at the idea of giving your maid of honor speech.  It’s totally normal.  I still get nervous every single time I prepare to speak, whether at a professional engagement, or even a casual dinner.  Okay, now that you are assured your nerves are normal, let’s take a look at the maid of honor speech itself.

The technical aspects of the Maid of Honor Speech

First, you might consider starting by telling the audience who you are, and thanking them for coming.  Then, think about a story or two.  Everyone on the planet loves to hear a story.  The first might be something about what you thought of the groom when you first met him.  This always seems to be a good topic, because it’s perfectly acceptable for you to just slightly poke fun at him, as if to say “I wasn’t really sure about Jim when he first started dating Laura.  He drove this old beat up car and had a slightly strange craving for French fries after midnight.”

Maid of Honor Speeches (Examples)

Hello!  Just in case I haven’t had the chance to meet you in person yet, I’m _________.  I’m the maid of honor today, and I’m so proud of _______ (the bride).  First, I want to say congrats ________(bride & groom).  Also, thanks to _______(the bride’s parents, who likely put on the wedding) and everyone who came from near and far to be here with ________(bride and groom) on their very special day.

Keep any jabs you might consider aiming at the groom in your maid of honor speech to a low level.  As you will probably be sensing just thinking about your past experience, at a wedding, people place the parts of themselves that might be frustrated about the “darker side” of humanity on hold .  They are there to experience feelings of love, joy and happiness.  They don’t want to be reminded about the nasty things that can come out in people, like lust, greed, pain, etc .  So keep from telling jokes that might hint at these things.  A tiny, ever-so-slightly negative comment about the groom is okay, but only once, and if you do, try to make it very light.

When I first ran across ____ (groom), I recall wondering whether everything would work out. I recall him coming to the door (or hearing about him knocking on her door if you weren’t living with the bride) one night at midnight calling for _____(bride).  He was wearing this old flannel shirt, and I think asked ____(bride) if she wanted to get some french fries.I had my second thoughts , but as I got to know him better, I began to see he was an easy person to talk to, he has a good sense of humor, and eventually I came to the conclusion he was a perfect match for ______(bride).  I want to be the second to welcome _______(groom) to the family. We hope we can show you the same outgoing and open spirit as you have shown us.

Looking for the perfect Maid of Honor Speeches, Click Here!

What’s Your Bridal Astrology Style?

May 31, 2013 by  
Filed under Wedding Planning

Every bride dreams about her wedding. Some have dreamed about their weddings since they were little girls playing with dolls. Every bride has their own distinct style – a bridal astrology style. Your astrology sign can tell you a lot about the type of wedding you’d like to have – not just what type of day the newspaper astrology column says you’re going to have. Whether you think astrology is to be believed, totally ridiculous or you’re kind of curious – we’re sure you’ll find this pretty interesting.

The Aries Bride

The Ram bride is one of the most confident brides you’ll see. Some brides get nervous or worry about flower arrangements – not your Aries bride! The Aries bride may prefer a traditional or unique setting for her wedding but one thing is for certain – it is HER day. Some might say…in the nicest possible way…that the Aries bride can be the teensiest bit er, controlling? But we’d prefer to say that she is well organized and really knows how to create the perfect wedding.

The Taurus Bride

The Bull bride loves to set the scene and atmosphere. The sign of Taurus is known for loving and collecting all types of objects and this adoration only continues with their wedding plans. Even the cocktail napkins need to be a luxurious texture and have the perfect monogram to be included in the wedding reception. A Taurus bride’s wedding is a sight to see. While a Taurus bride may delegate, don’t EVER take credit for planning or helping – this wedding was entirely the bride’s doing. The Taurus bride has a touch of possessiveness, and HER wedding was planned by her alone.

The Gemini Bride

The Twins bride is one of the most fun brides we’ve seen. Many like to call Geminis social butterflies and this is a very accurate portrayal. They have many friends and love to entertain. The biggest challenge the Gemini bride faces is being twins – of two minds – when she is planning the wedding she may have difficulty making decisions or focusing. A wedding planner or good friend who can help is so important. Everyone has a great time at a Gemini bride’s wedding – this is the wedding where everyone dances until dawn

The Cancer Bride

Nurturing, kind and caring, the Crab bride is known for her soft side. Family and friends always come #1. So planning a wedding is quite special for the Cancer bride, who will put care into every detail – not for herself but for her guests’ enjoyment. Do remember that every crab has claws – and compliment the lovely Cancer bride on her hard work. So often the Cancer bride works hard and does not get recognition, causing her to pout. No one should pout on their wedding day!

The Leo Bride

We’ll say it right from the start: the Leo bride loves to be the center of attention. But you probably know this, as Leos naturally shine as the center of attention. The Lion bride is proud and regal so you can expect a royal celebration and a feast, even if it is a small wedding. Every detail will be elegant and lovely, carefully thought out. Don’t forget to get a video of the wedding, especially for the Leo bride who will enjoy watching her special day again and again.

The Virgo Bride

The sign of Virgo is known for being meticulous and hardworking. So the Virgo bride’s wedding will be a well oiled machine. Virgo brides can confidently manage a dozen bridesmaids and other attendants where other astrological signs would go to pieces. This is the astrological sign that can put together a wedding in three months, making it look as if it had been planned for years. The Virgo bride has no doubt been a popular bridesmaid and has experience attending weddings – experience that has done her well as a bride today.

The Libra Bride

The Libra bride is lovely, graceful and thoughtful. Everyone is charmed by a Libra bride. There is so much attention today about brides throwing temper tantrums – you’ll never see that type of behavior with a Libra bride. The biggest challenge the Libra bride faces? As the sign of the scales, the Libra often weighs every decision carefully, making it hard to make even the smallest decisions. This is another sign that would do well with a wedding planner or good friend to help plan the wedding so details don’t overwhelm the lovely Libra bride.

The Scorpio Bride

There is no bride more passionate than the Scorpio bride. Expect to attend a very romantic wedding when you go to a Scorpio’s wedding. This is a wedding that will focus on love and romance – especially the intensity of love. Some Scorpio brides show this intensity with lavish displays. Whether a lavish display of affection or large flower displays on an enormous wedding cake – you’ll smile and know it’s a Scorpio’s wedding.

The Sagittarius Bride

The fun and good humored Sagittarius is just so happy about getting married. This is a happy bride. She’s happy through all of the wedding planning – even when it gets sticky, difficult or a bit boring. The Sagittarius bride is likely to choose the destination wedding as many Sags adore travel and nothing’s more fun than taking everyone with you to some exotic location for your wedding.

The Capricorn Bride

Some think Capricorn brides are cold and calculating but they just don’t understand them. The Capricorn bride is simply very logical. Most expect brides to always be this endless puddle of romantic goo – and you aren’t going to get that from the Capricorn bride. If she whips out the calculator to decide which bridal bouquet is “best,” don’t cringe – she’s just showing her practical and savvy ways. Yes, the Capricorn bride often does care a bit about money, they’re good at making and keeping it. Many Capricorn brides have lavish weddings – but they won’t throw money around with no sense to the matter.

The Aquarius Bride

The Water Bearer bride is often unique and original. It’s the Aquarius bride you’ll see doing something that people haven’t done for a wedding before or in awhile. The Aquarius bride tends to set trends without realizing it. Some Aquarius brides may choose very traditional themes but you’ll still see sparks of the unique and original there.

The Pisces Bride

The Pisces bride is sweet and dreamy, as all Pisces fish are. This is one of the most romantic signs of the Zodiac. Pisces brides are sensitive and sometimes moody. Did we say moody? Oh don’t get upset dear, we didn’t mean it. The Pisces bride may have some challenges managing every detail. A wedding planner or good friend can be very helpful. It’s not surprising that many Pisces prefer to get married near or on the water.

How to pick a gift for the Groom

May 28, 2013 by  
Filed under Guest Posts

Whether it may be for your brother, cousin, uncle, friend, or co-worker coming up with the right gift can be difficult and time consuming, but it shouldn’t be. This is a time to celebrate the joy and prosperity of a new family. Someone close and special in a persons life should not lack any great memories, and it shouldn’t be hard to recreate one as well. Recreating memories with a  great personalized gift is one of the greatest ways to express a great friendship and relationship.

The best way to start brainstorming for the grooms gift, is by thinking about things he’s passionate about, and build from there. The best personalized wedding gifts take time, but the smile in the recipients is all worth it. Narrow down specific subjects or things important to him, this will make finding the right present easier to search for.  From here you can make a list, and start scratching off subjects that don’t carry as much value to the recipient. Now that your list is condensed to more important memories or items, keep in mind that this gift should be something that his wife to be won’t mind displaying. If it’s something for his office or personal room it be a good idea to make a note of it on the gift, so he knows or has an idea were to place it.

Moving on to more traditional and keepsake gifts that have been a great last minute ideas for any groom. Grooms that like to host barbecue’s during the summer find that Grill Master BBQ gift sets are great accessory piece to their summer outings. These are great pieces which can usually be personalized to say a special message, it makes a great gift that can recreate a great memory, especially if you met the groom over a BBQ or if it’s a summer tradition. They make great gift sets that will come in handy as the grooms family grows over time.

For grooms that like tradition and style, a personalized men’s shaving kit gift is great, it captures the authenticate style and reliability that has been the standard of shaving for years. Many razors have kept the style and design that has been the standard of design for many centuries. Just like the BBQ set this can also be personalized to say something witty and fun. It’s a favorite amongst many because it’s sophisticated and it captures the essence of the Americana barbershop experience. This is a great gift for men that like to keep their appearances clean and sharp, a great gift for a man that keeps his man scape clean cut.

Picking a gift for the groom should not take more than a few days, but the initial concept and idea will come to mind quicker now. One last thing, it is important to keep in mind that this gift should be personalized to the recipient. Groomsmen should have no problem coming up with a great present now, since the groom will be putting in a lot of time into a great personalized groomsmen gifts, and  you should too! Grab a piece of paper and start jotting down memories, and in no time you’ll have a great present in time for the wedding!

About MemorableGifts.com
Here at MemorableGifts.com, we take pride in providing and creating personalized gifts for all occasions and events. The splendor behind personalized gifts is giving something thoughtful and one-of-a-kind for your loved ones. We specialize in personalized gifts for him, personalized gifts for her and everyone else for all occasions, including our wide selection of Personalized Birthday Gifts, Personalized Anniversary Gifts, Personalized Baby Gifts, and Wedding Gifts.

Stay Organized with a Wedding Invitation Timeline

May 25, 2013 by  
Filed under Wedding Invitations, Wedding Planning

Wedding invitation planning…you may not realize just how many steps there really are to organizing and preparing your invitations. From creating your guest list to finalizing all your ceremony and reception details, many things affect your wedding invitation preparations.

There really are no absolute deadlines for many of the steps in your wedding invitation process. Although there are some general timeframes that you may find helpful to avoid last-minute rushing since you have so many other things on your mind as well.

Here is a basic timeline to simply use as a guideline for your invitation planning:

9 months – 1 year

  • Begin working on your guest list so you will know how many wedding invites (and maybe save the dates) to eventually order (one per single adult, couple or family invited).
  • Start your wedding invitation shopping so you can narrow your choices down to only your favorites. Ordering samples, which are usually blank, will give you a chance to see the paper and design up close.
  • If you are planning to mail out save the date cards to guests, begin searching for your preferred design of them as well.

7 to 8 months

  • If you will be sending save the dates, place your order based on the number of guests to whom you will be mailing them as they are optional.
  • Give some thought to how your wording will read by browsing through sample wedding invitation verses.

6 months

  • If sending save the dates, prepare and mail them.
  • Select your wedding invitation design and gather all the details that will be printed on them such as date, times, name and address of location(s), etc.
  • Determine if you will also be ordering any invitation enclosures or added options – response cards, reception cards, direction/map cards, pre-printed return address on envelopes, decorative envelope seals, colored lining for inner envelopes, matching thank you or informal cards. Some of these options may not be available depending on your chosen style. You may also be able to order matching menu, table and place cards for your design. You will save on separate shipping costs by purchasing as many items as you can all in the same order.
  • If you are including response cards, check with your dinner location to see how far in advance they need your final guest count so you can select the RSPV date that will be printed on them (typically 2-3 weeks before wedding). You also need to decide whose address will be printed on the response envelope or postcard meaning they will receive the replies.

4-5 months

  • Finalize your wording and place your wedding invitation order. Remember to order some extras now so you won’t run out if there are last-minute guests to invite and so you also have a few as souvenirs. If the option is available, order some extra envelopes just to be safe.
  • Check your guest list making sure you have complete addresses for everyone.
  • Consider mailing your wedding invites using custom wedding stamps. Many online retailers provide you with the alternative of choosing from pre-designed wedding postage or simply uploading a photo to create your own stamp design. NOTE – Have one of your ready-to-mail invitations weighed at the Post Office BEFORE purchasing your postage stamps so you know you are using the correct amount for each one.

3-4 months

  • Fold and/or assemble your wedding invitations, if necessary.
  • Hand address mailing envelopes and write guest names on inside envelopes, if they are included.
  • Purchase and apply postage stamps to the response card envelopes or response postcards, if they will be included.
  • Assemble all wedding invitation pieces and insert them into already addressed envelopes.
  • Take one fully assembled and sealed invitation to the Post Office to have it weighed to determine the correct amount of postage needed.
  • Purchase your stamps or order custom wedding stamps with appropriate postage amount required for mailing.

6-8 weeks

  • Seal the envelopes, apply postage stamps and mail them all at the same time directly at a Post Office location.

3-4 weeks

  • Prepare and mail any other related wedding invitations…rehearsal dinner, post-wedding brunch, etc.
  • Keep track of the response cards as they are returned by checking off their names from your guest list.

2-3 weeks

  • Contact any guests who didn’t mail back their response cards.
  • Provide final guest count to reception/dinner location.

That pretty much takes care of everything related to your invitations prior to your wedding. The only thing left to do is to write and mail out your wedding thank you cards, especially if you ordered them with your wedding invitations. They should be sent out about a month after the wedding and no more than three months after.

Again, this is just a guideline for your wedding invitations process but hopefully it will help you stay organized which is the key for all of your wedding planning.

What Exactly Are Modern Wedding Invitations?

May 22, 2013 by  
Filed under Wedding Invitations, Wedding Planning

You often hear the phrase ‘modern wedding invitations’ but what really classifies them as modern.

We all know modern is the opposite of traditional.  When it comes to wedding invitations, traditional brings to mind a simple white or ecru invitation card, classic black ink, a standard font style and two envelopes for mailing.  Modern wedding invitations, on the other hand, let you be more creative and unique which seems to be quite appealing to today’s couples who tend to look for ways to truly personalize their weddings including their invites.

Here are some trends that you may feature on your modern wedding invitations depending on the design you choose and the options available:

·  Multiple Lettering Styles – A larger and sometimes fancier font style is used to emphasize the couple’s names on the invitation compared to the rest of the wording.

·  Contrasting Ink Colors – A second distinct ink color can be used to highlight certain details on your wedding invitation like your names.

·  Pockets – Becoming increasingly fashionable, this style has a pocket for holding the wedding invitation and possibly a separate pocket for any enclosure cards, depending on the specific design.

·  Self-mailing – So named since they turn into their own self-mailing piece eliminating separate mailing envelopes.  Some designs have an envelopment, which may be colored, that wraps around all the invitation pieces for easy mailing.  Another self-mailer design option are seal and send wedding invitations that actually fold and seal up into their own mailing piece.

·  Bright and Bold Colors – Today it is easier than ever to make a personal statement with your invitation colors either through your paper, design or ink choices.  You can also create a unique look by combining colors that you may not normally consider as complementary but really look stunning when paired together.

·  Distinctive Sizes & Shapes – You can easily select a wedding invitation design that has a unique shape such as being square or is an unusual size such as tea length.

·  Patterns – As part of the invitation design, patterns are becoming stylish including paisley and retro motifs.

·  Colored Papers or Envelopes - Make your wedding invitations eye-catching by choosing a design that has colored paper stock or colored envelopes.  Just be sure to choose an ink color that will look good on the colored paper.

·  Recycled Paper – For those striving to be more eco friendly, there are now many beautiful wedding invitation designs that are printed on recycled papers.

·  Embellishments – Ribbon has become quite popular as an added special touch to wedding invitations.

Everyone’s idea of what modern wedding invitations are may vary but the above trends are definitely options that will make invites look more contemporary.  Your invitations will surely reflect your own unique personal style using any of these options.

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