Six Tips to Remember when Searching for Your Wedding Dress

When choosing a wedding dress there are many things to consider. So before you rush out to begin your search, make sure you have your plan of action in place. Here are some guidelines to help reduce the stress level in finding your perfect wedding dress:

1. The first and foremost thing to do is to set up a budget. It is imperative that you set up a budget for the whole wedding, not just for the dress. You may be surprised at the number of things you have to plan for and it is better not to be surprised after you have already spent a large part of the budget. You can find wedding check lists in many places online or in wedding planning books. A word of caution here that will also reduce your stress level is that once the budget has been made do not try on dresses that are outside of your budget. If you do than you should be prepared to save in another area of your wedding planning.

However, having a smaller budget doesn't necessarily mean that you will have to settle for less than you want. It just means that you must shop wisely and possibly a little longer. Today it is much easier in comparison to years ago to find a designer dress at a discount. Be sure to make a list of all the places to look and you should be ready to buy, or to put a deposit down, when you start trying on dresses. It would be very sad to find your perfect dress and not be in a position to purchase it. The unfortunate fact is that many discounted dresses as well as original designer dresses have only one in stock with no hope of getting another. This is especially true of designer dresses like Vera Wang wedding dresses, both new and used.

2. The second consideration is to make sure you leave yourself enough time to find the dress you want. A good rule of thumb is a minimum of 6 months and perhaps much longer if you have no idea what style you are interested in. Of course, you if you don't have that much time, you may still be able to find something but it may not be exactly what you want.

3. The next thing you will need to figure out will be the style of dress you want. You may have dreamed about finding your perfect wedding dress since you were a little girl and now that the time is here, you may find that don't want to settle for anything less than what you have been imagining or that your tastes have changed somewhat. Either way there are a few things to consider when you are making this decision. The type of ceremony you are planning, such as if it will be a traditional wedding or perhaps an outdoor wedding or beach wedding may weigh in heavily upon your decision. The time of year plays a big factor in many places. You would not want a heavy long sleeve dress for a summer wedding in Florida!

4. A big factor to consider is the comfort of the dress when you put it on. I'm not talking about something that can be altered, a tuck here or letting another part out a little, although a great fit is very important too. I am talking about how you feel when you put the dress on. On the practical side, keep in mind that you will more than likely be wearing your bridal gown for most of the day of your wedding, or at least several hours and you don't want to deal with a dress that doesn't fit right. On the less practical but not less important side, keep in mind that your wedding day will bring a huge amount of emotions and stress. While these emotions and stress are all part of the excitement, you can reduce some of that stress by feeling beautiful in your wedding gown.

5. With those things in mind your body shape plays a part in the type of gown that will look great on you. You do not want to waste time looking for a dress that does not flatter your figure. For instance, my stomach has a little paunch, so I would not want to accent that area. It would be better for me to wear something that draws the eye away from that area, perhaps some beading or lace on the bodice or on the lower part of the skirt. It will help you to figure out what type of dress best flatters your figure, not only for choosing your wedding dress but also when making other fashion decisions. Don't forget to make sure the wedding dress looks good from the back as well as the front. Your guests may be seeing more of the back of your dress during the ceremony and it should be just as flattering.

6. To insure you do not get overwhelmed when looking for your wedding dress, you could break down the number of gowns you are considering to a few at a time. For example, choose 4 or 5 dresses and from them, choose the top two. Pick out 2 or 3 more and choose from those 4 or 5 wedding gowns. Continue doing this until you are down to only 2 wedding gowns and then make your final decision. Don't forget to have fun, perhaps trying on something totally outrageous just to break up all the decisions you are trying to make.

The Words on the Wedding Invitation

Choosing words carefully and using them correctly is crucial when creating wedding invitation wording. The first impression of the wonderful celebration you are planning is made by the wedding invitations.

The words on the wedding invitation should be clearly written to avoid confusion and misunderstandings. There are times when a word may have several meanings depending on how it is used in a sentence. Verses must accurately define the details of the wedding for instance the date, the exact time, and the place where the wedding ceremony will take place. These things should be clearly stated because most guests assume that if they are invited, it means that they are asked to go to both the wedding ceremony and the reception.

However, there are some times when couples want to invite the guests only for the reception. Perhaps the couple has decided to make the wedding very private and they only want their immediate family present during the ceremony and invite other guests to attend the reception only. To avoid confusion and embarrassment, it is best to carefully and clearly state in the purpose of the invitation.

On the other hand, wedding invitation verses may also vary depending on certain circumstances. For instance, it is best to choose words that pay respect to the party who is paying for the wedding but also pay consideration to the feelings of the other parties involved in the wedding.

An example could be when the bride’s parents are the ones who paid for the wedding, then, the wedding invitation words should state that it is the bride’s parents who are requesting the presence of the guests.

The setting of the wedding should also be considered when establishing the wedding invitation verses. If the wedding and reception are informal and will take place in a home, then it is best to replace the usual verses being used in formal invitations with a more casual tone but still with respect. However, if the wedding is formal, then the invitations should also be formal.

The words in the wedding invitation verses should clearly state the intention of the invitation, the details of the date, time and place of the wedding and/or reception with the appropriate respect to whomever is paying for the wedding and should be stated in a tone matching of the type of ceremony taking place.

Tips for the Wedding Toasts

The wedding toast started from the belief that creating some noise, such as ringing a bell, or in this case, the clinking of a glass, could cast away evil spirits. Today, wedding toasts perform an essential role during the wedding celebration. The wedding toast serves as a link between the formal wedding ceremonies and the less formal atmosphere of the wedding reception. It is usually given after the meal has been served and before the cake is cut. The wedding toast allows members of the family, relatives and closest friends to express their feelings and to wish the couple well.

The wedding toast may follow a traditional or a non-traditional order.

In the traditional order, the first toast is made to the bride or to the bride and groom. This is done by the best man, a relative or a friend. The groom then responds with a message to his bride, the person who made the toast, the couple's parents and a toast to the bridesmaids. The best man then responds to thank the groom on behalf of the bridesmaids. A close friend or relative may then follow with another toast. After this, the father of the bride thanks the guests on behalf of his wife and himself, and announces that they may begin the celebration.

In the non-traditional toast the order can be changed to suit the guests and the occasion such as follows: the Master of Ceremonies or emcee may propose the first toast for the couple. The groom then thanks the emcee and the guests and toasts to his bride. The bride thanks her groom and the guests and proposes a toast to her parents and her in-laws.

The father of the bride thanks the bride for the toast, thanks the guests for attending and announces that the celebration may begin. Or sometimes the emcee may propose a toast to the bridesmaids, after which the maid of honor may respond with thanks or propose another toast. The emcee may introduce guests who will propose their toasts, and announce the beginning of the celebration.

Here are some tips when proposing a toast.

* The bride should be served the beverage first, followed by the groom, the maid of honor, the parents and then the best man.

* The toast can be done with a sip of wine, champagne or a non-alcoholic drink except coffee, tea and water.

* If you will propose the first toast, make sure that not only your glass, but also all the other glasses are filled before you start speaking.

* When proposing a toast, raise your glass with your right hand. The glass should be held in a straight line from the shoulder.

* It is better to compose your own wedding toast. However, if you cannot write a good one, you can try a traditional wedding toast but make sure to personalize it to include your feelings and thoughts about the bride and groom. You can find a great resource here with ideas to help you make sure your toast is special.

* Always remember to end a toast with an invitation to the guests to join you in your well wishes.
These are some things that one should remember when proposing a wedding toast. On the other hand, if you are on the receiving end of a toast, do not raise your glass, stand, nor sip your drink. You then thank the toasters and although you are not required, you may propose another toast.

Here you have some tips to get you started when preparing to give a wedding toast. Please check back for future additional tips for wedding preparations.

Odd Wedding Traditions

Doesn't it sound romantic for the man and the woman to leave their families to come together as one and create a new family? It has been like this since ancient times. Throughout the millennia, the concept of family and marriage has been so closely knotted together that it is sometimes impossible to separate one from the other.

Marriage is present in every culture in some form. Although the laws, norms and cultures may differ, they all still recognize the union of man and woman under one roof.

Marriage has evolved in so many ways from different cultures all over the world throughout the ages. For each culture, there are diverse ways of celebrating something like marriage but there has always been one thing that has remained the same. In every culture, and every tribe, marriage has always been something to be celebrated with singing, eating and the utmost of festivities.

Along with these festivities, a growing and evolving number of traditions filled with meaning and - believe it or not- shocking origins exist.

The Wedding Cake

Today's tall, elaborate, and delicately crafted wedding cakes evolved from the simple grooms-cakes made by family members for the bride-to-be. Before the wedding day, one of these cakes was put under the pillow of the bride. The bride would then sleep and 'dream' of the groom, and yes, squish the cake into oblivion.

Cakes during weddings are usually stacked up in large layers, the higher the stack, the more 'glamorous' the cake. Today, people regard these arrangements merely as style. However, they were done so in the past as a symbol of fertility. Layers would be stacked and the number of layers that the couple could reach to kiss over would symbolize how many children they would have.

The real wedding cake was a pound cake that would be 'pounded' and crumbled then tossed at the couple as a sign of fertility. That is where we get today's custom of sprinkling the couple with rice after the wedding.


Tying the knot

'Tying the knot' did not exactly have the same meaning it has today. During Roman times a bride would wear a girdle with knots and the groom would untie the knots on his wedding night. Or, similarly, in ancient tribal times, the bride would usually be wrapped in a sheet with a knot in front. "Untying the knot" was the groom's privilege on the wedding night. In both cases, the practice was to symbolize virginity.


Best Man

The best man used to play a much different role than he plays today. During tribal times, it was the best man's duty to abduct potential brides from other tribes. Just like the cartoons of the men clubbing the woman over the head and dragging her away, that was typically how the best man performed the abduction. He would also ward off the angry relatives of the bride, if they were to try to interfere. Later in Europe, the best man would stand to the right of the groom, with his sword ready to fight off unhappy clan members.

Today

We are a little less barbaric than earlier times but there are still many wedding traditions that are observed during the wedding and reception. Some of these traditions are filled with meaning for us still today but there are many that have long lost their original meanings but we continue to use.

You may want to think about which traditions to plan into your wedding preparations that would give extra special meaning for you. These could be as simple as having something borrowed, something blue and something new, or something as elaborate some religious traditional wedding ceremonies. By adding traditions, you can add to the memories of your wedding day.