Why Pearls Are Perfect Bridal Accessories

July 22, 2011 by  
Filed under Wedding Jewelry

Many brides choose to wear pearl jewellery on their wedding day, with a tiara, pearl necklace, pendant or earrings being the perfect way to add elegance to the occasion.

It is a symbol that has continued for centuries, with the earliest record thought to be found as far back as at the beginning of Hindu civilization when Krishna is said to have decorated his daughter on her wedding day with a pearl that was drawn from the sea.

With pearls firmly in fashion today, white pearls that represent perfection, purity and love may be matched with another gemstone – the diamond.  Diamonds and pearls share a remarkable ability to reflect light with sparkles and iridescence that is remarkably flattering to the wearer.

There are several different types of white pearls that a bride can choose from today, including Freshwater, Akoya and South Sea pearls.

Freshwater pearls originate primarily from China. These pearls are readily available and are an attractive and accessible gem. Qualities can very, so be sure to look for a pearl that has a high lustre, a round shape and a surface with few imperfections.

Akoya pearls are saltwater pearls that have been cultured in oysters. They are renowned for their classic white colour, with subtle reflections of pink, and for their exquisite round shapes. Jewellery made with an Akoya pearl is probably the most iconic wedding pearl and an investment piece that should last a lifetime.

The largest and most luxurious white pearl is the South Sea pearl, originating from saltwater oysters in Australian coastal waters. These fabulous gems have a beautiful silvery white colour and, being difficult to culture successfully, are highly sought after and valuable.

The beauty and simplicity of a white pearl necklace, pendant or earrings, perhaps worn with diamonds, will complement any bride on her special day.

Finding the Right Wedding DJ

July 21, 2011 by  
Filed under Music & Dancing, Wedding Planning

Wedding DJ

You’ve already auditioned your brother’s rock band, and you know that Metallica covers are not what you had in mind for your wedding reception.  You’ve decided to hire a DJ, but don’t know where to start.  Just remember these simple rules and you’ll have a DJ that spins gold.

Interview before you book him or her

Don’t take it from your cousin’s boyfriend’s sister’s fiancé that Joe DJ is the best DJ around.  Interview Joe DJ first to make sure it’s a good fit.  Remember that this day is all about you, so if Joe DJ has his “wedding formula’ and refuses to deviate from that, he’s probably not the DJ for you.  Not only will you want to get a feel for the DJ’s commitment to your reception, but you’ll also want to check out their operation.  Here are a few things to remember: Read more

The Essential Traits for Becoming a Wedding Planner

July 17, 2011 by  
Filed under Wedding Planning

3658086172_5d16862c7fWedding planners have a very demanding job as they are responsible that everything goes according to plan on the most important day of a couple’s life; a day which they hope to remember and cherish forever. Therefore becoming a wedding planner is not an easy task but definitely a very rewarding job, which will bring you great satisfaction and monetary benefits.

Here are some of the requirements and points to ponder before you decide on becoming a wedding planner.

Your Personality and Qualifications

There is no specific qualification required by law in order to be a wedding planner. However, it is highly recommended to train with local wedding planners or wedding consultants before you decide on becoming one. Training with a local wedding consultant will cost you between $750 and $1500 depending on the company you are training with but it will be very helpful in your future activities and be a contributing factor in your success.

Becoming a wedding planner however requires a very strong character and the ability to work under pressure as there will be more than one occasion when things will not run as planned. You will need to make the right decisions fast without panicking and also without altering the wedding plans.

In order to become a successful wedding planner, you need tremendous organizing skills and coordinating abilities. You need to be able to foresee what may go wrong and most times have a back up plan for it. After all, you are dealing with the most important day of a couple’s life and if you ruin it there is absolutely no way to rectify your mistakes, and therefore, there is no place for error.

Things to Prepare as a Wedding Planner

Becoming a wedding planner will require you to let others know that you are offering these services and the only way to do it is to prepare a portfolio with the services you can provide and in due course the weddings that you have organized as well as references of the couples as well.

Advertising will in the end be key to your success and even though the word of mouth is what will get you the most amount of jobs it is important that you have a professional approach and provide as much data as possible to all those interested through a brochure and if possible a website too. The key to becoming a wedding planner that is successful and thus, in demand will require tremendous people’s skill, professionalism and ensuring that all jobs are done exactly as per the requirements of your clients.

photo by hulk4598

Benefits of a Celebrity Wedding Planner

July 13, 2011 by  
Filed under Wedding Planning

When you have decided that you would like to have a wedding planner, there are probably several things that you are thinking about. You are probably trying to make sure that you are going to be able to tell your wedding planner what you need, and you probably want to convey the wedding ideas that you already have to your planner.

One of the things that you might want to consider is hiring a celebrity wedding planner, who will be able to help you with every aspect of your wedding. For all kinds of reasons, a celebrity wedding planner might just be the very thing that you are considering hiring. A celebrity wedding planner is someone who is going to help you feel at ease during your wedding planning, and someone who is going to have many ideas for you.

Why Go With Celebrity?

You might be asking yourself why you should hire a celebrity wedding planner instead of just a regular wedding planner. Well, there are several reasons behind this. One of the most important reasons is that a celebrity wedding planner has to have been doing this for a long time before they were given the weddings of celebrities to plan. A celebrity wedding planner is someone who has been in the business for a long time, and will be very experienced.

Also, a celebrity wedding planner is used to dealing with all kinds of vendors, and should be able to get you everything you need. Because they are used to working with celebrities, they might be used to doing what the person says and going to great lengths to get them everything they need for a wedding. Therefore, if you want to plan something elaborate or unusual, and you think a regular wedding planner wouldn’t be able to handle it, you should hire a celebrity wedding planner because they are used to going to extremes.

Things to Keep in Mind

You should remember that your celebrity wedding planner is going to be very expensive. If they have done weddings of famous people, their rates will be quite high. However, if money is not a problem for you, a celebrity wedding planner might be the ticket to a perfect wedding because they will be used to planning lavish events with no expenses spared. Remember that you should book your celebrity wedding planner very far in advance to make sure they will be able to plan your wedding.

How to Plan a Culturally Themed Wedding

July 5, 2011 by  
Filed under Wedding Planning, Wedding Receptions

Planning your own wedding can be stressful, especially if you want your wedding ceremony and reception to be an experience your guests will never forget.

Because even the most unique weddings can seem redundant after awhile, one of the best ways to add a little spice to your ceremony and/or reception is to incorporate your cultural heritage into the design of the wedding.

MyWeddingIdeas Photo - Traditional_Japanese_wedding

Whether your heritage is Chinese, Indian, Greek, Irish, African-American or even American, there are numerous ways you could incorporate your own culture into the style of your wedding. Here are some things to keep in mind if you’re hoping to plan a cultural wedding:

The wedding music

celtic band

Finding a specific band and/or songs to play at your wedding is one of the easiest ways to incorporate your cultural heritage into your wedding.  If you are of Irish descent, for instance, you could find a Celtic group to perform at your reception, or if you are African-American you could look into some R&B performers or even traditional African drummers to perform on your special day.

If you’re lucky enough to find the right performer, you could hire them o perform a song in the language of your culture, or even dress up in a traditional outfit and dance out a routine as well.

Sometimes it’s as easy as a Google search in finding the right band to perform at your wedding, but if are struggling to find the right band and/or musician online you could always do some research into the various musicians and bands that are known for performing a certain genre or style of music, and then download their music off iTunes.

Bridesmaids dresses

geisha bridesmaid dresses

Incorporating your cultural heritage into the design of your bridesmaids dresses can be a little tricky, especially if you are on a strict budget. Not only that, some cultures (like the American Indian culture for example) believe that white is a color of mourning, so be sure to do the proper research beforehand before picking the colors for your bridesmaid dresses.

Sometimes it can be as easy and choosing a specific color for your dresses that will match the flag of your country, (for instance blue and red if you are English, or red if you are Chinese). You could also try shopping around for different designs, like a plaid design if you are of Scottish descent, or even traditional Geisha dresses if you are of Japanese descent.

Food and alcohol

Oyster

When it comes to incorporating your cultural heritage into the food that will be eaten at your wedding, the world is your oyster…literally.

All you have to do is do some background research into the most common and favourable dishes that are typically eaten in a specific country, and you could also look into alcohol and/or beverages as well.

If you are of Asian descent you could serve some Saki or even rice wine at your reception, or if you are of French descent you could have some classy red and white wine to leave out for your guests.

Flowers

flowers-little-india

When choosing the flower arrangements for your wedding or even the bouquet for the bride, try to research the various traditional flowers and plants that are prominent in your country of heritage.

If you are planning a traditional Indian wedding, try to pick flowers like the water or gloriosa lily, orchids, and musk rose. For traditional French weddings look for lilies or yellow and purple irises.

Superstitions and customs

wedding banner

If you truly want to pull off a cultural wedding, it is extremely important to look into the various superstitions and customs for each heritage and culture.

For instance, if you are planning a Russian wedding it is custom for the male guests to bring flowers, but not to give yellow flowers as they are considered to be bad luck. For a traditional Swedish wedding, the bride must wear three bands on her wedding finger, and for Spanish weddings the bride must carry twelve coins given to her by the groom in a small bag as a symbol of the groom’s passion and support.

For a traditional Korean wedding, apparently it is superstition to incorporate ducks and geese into the ceremony as they represent faithfulness, and in a traditional Greek wedding the bride must carry sugar on her wedding day to “ensure she has a sweet life.” Also, in Eastern European ceremonies, it is custom for the bride and groom to circle the altar three times to represent their “first steps together as husband and wife.”

Bio: Maria Rainier is a freelance writer and blog junkie. She is currently a resident blogger at First in Education where she’s written on online graphic arts programs along with a piece on English degree programs. In her spare time, she enjoys yoga, playing piano, and working with origami.