Survive the Heat During Your Summer Wedding!

Baby, it’s hot outside! From coast to coast, people are sweltering in the summer heat and looking for ways to stay cool. What about if you have a wedding that is going to take place during a heat wave? Check out these practical ideas for surviving the heat during your summer wedding.

Hopefully anyone getting married on a 100 degree day is doing so in air-conditioned comfort somewhere. But for those who booked an outdoor wedding ages ago and now have to deal with the crazy high heat and humidity, there are some steps you can take to make your wedding more pleasant. When temperatures soar, shade is essential. If you did not book a tent for your outdoor ceremony or reception, do so a.s.ap. For the reception tent, it is possible to have the rental company install ceiling fans to move the air around. An even more effective solution is to close the sides of the tent and use air conditioners. It might obscure the view, but at least your guests will not melt into puddles, leaving nothing behind but their nice outfits and wedding jewelry!

A very practical thing you can do for your guests is to provide fans they can use during the wedding ceremony. Have your wedding program printed on pretty paper fans to kill two birds with one stone. Or you can have the fans printed as wedding favors. Your guests will definitely be glad to have them! They will come in handy even for an indoor wedding, because when the mercury soars, even churches with air conditioning can get pretty stuffy.

It is important for everyone to stay well hydrated when the weather is brutally hot. Alcohol is dehydrating, so be sure to provide your guests with many non-alcoholic options. Provide chilled bottles of water before the ceremony so guests can sip while they wait for the bride to appear in her spectacular bridal gown and dazzling wedding jewelry. For a country wedding, it would be really cute to set up a lemonade stand. Display fresh squeezed lemonade served from large glass jugs with spigots so guests can grab a refreshing drink on their way into the ceremony or cocktail hour. A melon fruit salad would be a nice addition to the cocktail hour selection because it is also refreshing. Serve it in a watermelon carved to look like a basket for a charming detail.

Fall 2011 Wedding Dress Trends and Ideas

Romance is huge for Fall 2011 wedding gowns. Soft layers of tulle are a very popular trend across all price points and bridal gown designers. Many of the tulle wedding dresses are strapless, but it is not the straight across neckline which has dominated for the last several years. Gently shaped sweetheart strapless necklines are softer and more feminine than the straight ones, and they also tie in beautifully with the 1950′s flavor that many of the tulle gowns have. The tulle skirts are often artfully layered for a modern update to a classic style.

Natural waistlines will be another key trend for Fall 2011 weddings. To bring emphasis to the waist, designers often accent the area with a special belt or sash. Beaded or jeweled sashes are a very big design trend, particularly on bridal gowns which are otherwise fairly simple. These gowns look wonderful when accessorized with crystal wedding jewelry and a dainty tiara or jeweled headband. Colored belts are also a popular way to emphasize the natural waistline on a wedding dress. Pastels like blue and pink will be frequently seen, and black at the waist will also remain in style.

In the wake of this spring’s royal wedding, expect to see a lot of princess style wedding gowns for Fall 2011. These gowns are more sophisticated than poufy, perhaps inspired by the elegant and chic style of royal bride Princess Catherine. We aren’t talking puff sleeves and cathedral length trains as much as silk ballgowns with flat box pleats and fine lace trim. Delicate crystal beading or silver embroidery are other lovely accents for regal style bridal gowns. Small tiaras have made a roaring comeback since the royal wedding, especially when worn with gorgeous sparkling wedding jewelry like Princess Catherine’s now-famous drop earrings.

Speaking of the royal wedding, look for lace sleeves to be seen all over the place for Fall 2011 weddings. Brides who have tired of strapless gowns will be delighted to find many dresses available with sheer fitted lace sleeves. Even before the royal wedding, designers had started to feature these gowns in their collections, and now the number of options is sure to expand even more. How nice to finally have choices for fall wedding gowns that are not sleeveless! If you still like the look of strapless or are concerned about how long sleeves will limit your arm movement (they definitely do), consider adding a fitted lace shrug over your bridal gown to get the look for the ceremony. You can always remove it for dancing at the reception, giving you the best of both worlds.

Bi-Lingual Marriage Ceremonies

Cross-cultural weddings have become increasingly common in our interconnected world. They can be a marvelous way to introduce the customs and culture of your partner’s heritage to your family, and vice versa. At the same time, it can be confusing to plan a service in two languages, especially when it comes to ensuring that all of your wedding guests can follow along. These are some tips on how to plan a beautiful bi-lingual marriage ceremony.

The first decision to make is in which language the marriage ceremony will be primarily conducted. A practical way to make the choice is based on what language the majority of the guests will understand. So if the bride speaks French, and the groom comes from a Spanish speaking family, think about which family will have more people attending the wedding. If it is pretty equal, opt for either the language that the bride and groom mostly use for conversation.

Wedding programs are a necessity for a bi-lingual ceremony. They should contain the order of the service in both languages to help guests follow along with what is happening. This will be especially useful for those guests who will not understand much of what is being said, as it will prevent them from getting bored or feeling excluded. Another option is to project a written translation onto the wall behind the altar for key parts of the service like the readings and vows.

One part of a wedding ceremony that everyone really wants to hear is when the bride and groom exchange their vows. The best solution may be to have the bride and groom recite their vows in both languages. The bi-lingual vows could be repeated in their entirety first in one language, and then in the other. If the vows are short and standard, it might work just as well to have each line repeated after the officiant in both languages. When done well, a bi-lingual marriage ceremony will be a very memorable experience that all of your guests will enjoy tremendously.

Eco-Friendly Wedding Transportation

If you are planning a “green” wedding, it would not really be appropriate to rent a stretch Hummer for your wedding transportation! There are, however, some easy ways to make your wedding more earth friendly while still getting where you need to go in style. These are some great ideas for eco-friendly wedding transportation.

It is customary in small European towns for the entire bridal party to walk from the church to the reception site. Why not adapt this traditional wedding processional for your own wedding? Onlookers will delight in seeing the bride pass by in her beautiful gown and wedding jewelry, and you will not be using any resources for the trip. Make it more fun by passing out noisemakers and streamers to the wedding party, to give the processional a real parade feeling. You can even have the walk led by a musician, if you really want to make an event of it.

A bicycle built for two is a romantic way for the newlyweds to get around. It is also a good option when you need to cover a distance that is a bit too far to walk with ease. Renting a tandem bicycle is pretty easy in most cities if you don’t happen to own one. Make it extra special by decorating the bike with garlands of flowers. Hang a “Just Married” sign on the basket in front or on the back of the tandem cycle. The bride will want to keep the bicycle trip in mind when she shops for her wedding gown; a soft A-line skirt will be easier to wear on a bike than either a fitted sheath or a bridal gown with a very full skirt and petticoats. Be sure to get lots of pictures of your romantic tandem bicycle ride.

All of these ideas are wonderful, but sometimes a car is the only practical form of transportation. If that is the case for your wedding, the best you can do is to use as eco-friendly a vehicle as possible. Rent a hybrid or even an electric car instead of a big stretch limo or Town Car. It will still look festive when decorated with a “Just Married” sign and streamers. If you really want to cut down on the carbon footprint caused by your wedding, rent hybrid or biodiesel vans to shuttle your guests to the wedding location. It will be more convenient for them, and will reduce the wasted fuel caused by many cars traveling with only a few occupants.

Planning an Inter-faith Wedding Ceremony

Open and frank discussion has to be the first step in planning an inter-faith wedding. The bride and groom need to be comfortable enough to talk about which aspects of their religion are the most important to them to include in the marriage service. If one person’s voice is not heard or their wishes respected, it is a sure breeding ground for resentment and conflict down the road. A spirit of compromise is also important, as the bride and groom will both have to let go of some of their own customs to make room for the other person’s religious traditions.

An inter-faith wedding can be used as a great opportunity to learn more about your future mate, their heritage, and their customs. A Presbyterian marrying a Jewish spouse will enjoy the breaking of the glass at the end of the ceremony more if the reasons behind the custom are understood. The Methodist marrying the Greek Orthodox bride should take the time to get educated on the importance of the stefana (wedding jewelry crowns) and the role of the Koumbaros (the male sponsor, sort of like a best man). Once you begin to learn about the symbolism of your future mate’s religious customs, you will likely discover that they are very beautiful and you will be glad to fold them into your own traditions.

Of course, every wedding ceremony requires an officiant. The ideal for an inter-faith wedding is to have a clergyman from each of the religious denominations. Each religion has its own rules about this, so consult with your religious leaders. There will also be situations in which the bride or groom’s minister or other clergyman is not willing to preside over a mixed-faith service. Other restrictions may also crop up; for instance, a Catholic marriage ceremony cannot be held outdoors. Sometimes couples have to look beyond their neighborhood house of worship to find an officiant who is willing to participate in an inter-faith ceremony and share the role of officiant. This is where a spirit of compromise will be very beneficial.

Parental objections can be a major stumbling block when planning an inter-faith ceremony. It may be that they object to their child being wed outside of their church or synagogue, while in other cases, parents disapprove of the inter-religious match altogether. This is a very challenging situation, and must be handled with great tact and sensitivity. The bride and groom must present a united front, and show their parents that they are dedicated to the inter-faith wedding. At the same time, it will go a long way towards smoothing ruffled parents if the hurt feelings of the parents are acknowledged. It can also help to point out the many similarities which occur across  faiths.

Wedding Invitation FAQs

What is the Difference Between “The Pleasure of Your Company” and “The Honour of Your Presence”? This is actually a very easy one: use the phrase “The honour of your presence” on an invitation to a wedding in a house of worship, and use “The pleasure of your company” for a wedding ceremony held anywhere else. It is customary to use the British spelling of the word “honour”, particularly for a formal wedding invitation. Be sure to be consistent, so if you spell honor as “honour”, also use the British spelling “favour” for favor, as in “The favour of a reply is requested”.

When Should Invitations Be Mailed? You need to give your guests adequate notice, so that they have sufficient time to buy plane tickets, find the perfect dress and wedding jewelry, and schedule time off from work. Six to eight weeks before the wedding is the usual time frame for mailing out invitations. That also allows guests enough time to send in their R.s.v.p., so that you can get an accurate head count. If you feel the need to notify guests about your upcoming nuptials more than two months in advance, do so with a save the date card.

What is the Difference Between Engraving and Thermography? Engraving is the most traditional form of printing a wedding invitation. A copper plate is etched with the invitation wording, and then the paper is run through a press over the copper plate. The result is that the words are raised on the surface of the paper in a very elegant fashion. Thermography is a far less expensive process in which powder is combined with ink to print letters which are slightly raised. While thermography is popular because of its lower price point, there are some who find it to be in poor taste; it is often called “fake engraving”.

How Should the Invitation Be Worded When the Bride’s Parents Are Divorced? The names of the bride’s parents should be on two separate lines, starting with her mother’s name. Step-parents are sometimes, but not always, included on the invitation, depending on family dynamics. If the parents’ names are to appear alone, the invitation would be worded: Mrs. Margaret Smith Green / Mr. Richard John Green. The format for the bride’s mother’s name is: First, Maiden, Last (assuming she still uses her former married name; if she has reverted to her maiden name, the format would be Mrs. First, Middle, Maiden). Note that the correct title for a divorced mother of the bride is still “Mrs.”. The form “Ms.” is not used on formal social occasions, and once married, a woman can never revert to being a “Miss”.

How to Make Travel Easy for Your Wedding Guests

Send Save the Date Cards. One of the best things you can do to make travel easy for your out-of-town guests is to give them as much advance notice as possible. Wedding invitations are traditionally mailed six to eight weeks before the event, and that might not be enough time for some people to schedule time off from work, shop for a dress and wedding jewelry, get the best price on plane tickets, book a hotel room, and so on. This goes double if your wedding will be over a holiday weekend like Memorial Day or Labor Day.

Book a Block of Hotel Rooms. This is one of the most helpful things that the hosts of a wedding can do for their guests. You can do all the legwork researching which hotels will be the most convenient to the wedding venue, saving your guests the hassle. Another excellent reason to book a block of hotel rooms is to get a group rate for your family and friends. It also ensures that everyone will actually be able to get a hotel room, which can be a problem at popular times of the year. You may need to book earlier than you expect, in some cases up to a year before your wedding!

Arrange for Transportation From the Airport. While some of your guests will surely rent cars, it is very thoughtful to arrange for transportation from the airport to the hotel whenever possible. This is especially true for elderly guests like grandparents. Enlist a few local friends to run a shuttle service between the airport and the hotel where most of your guests will be staying. If this is impractical, find out about hotel shuttle vans and airport limo services and post the information on your wedding website.

Offer a Shuttle to the Wedding. When most of your guests are staying at one hotel, it is a fairly easy thing to hire a bus or several vans to take them to your wedding venue. It is a marvelous convenience, especially if you are having your wedding in a big city that can be hard to navigate. A shuttle van can also be a more eco-friendly means of transportation than every couple driving their own car, especially if you hire a biodiesel bus. Last, but definitely not least, a shuttle drastically reduces the risk of guests drinking and driving at your wedding. Everyone will be able to relax and enjoy your wedding, knowing that their considerate hosts have made all the transportation arrangements.

Tips for a Successful Wedding Cocktail Hour

Almost every wedding has a cocktail hour between the ceremony and the start of the main part of the reception. A great cocktail hour can help put your guests in a festive mood that will carry over into the reception, while a cocktail hour which does not go smoothly will give guests a poor first impression of your reception. These tips will make sure that your cocktail hour is a grand success…

Plentiful Food. Just because you are serving dinner afterward does not mean you can skimp on the food at the cocktail hour. Guests know to come to a wedding hungry, and if they get to your cocktail hour and find nothing but cheese, crackers, veggies, and dip, they are not going to be happy. Be sure to have a nice variety of hot and cold appetizers, both on stations and passed. And always be certain to allow enough quantity for guests to get their fill of their favorite appetizers. There is nothing worse than running out of food at your cocktail hour, and this is doubly true if you are serving alcohol, because you do not want guests to be downing signature drinks without eating.

A Well-Stocked Bar. It is called a “cocktail” hour, after all, and people will expect to have a good selection of drinks available to them. At the minimum, this means beer, wine, a signature drink, and mixers for standard orders like gin, vodka, tonic, etc. You should also have a good selection of non-alcoholic drinks available for those who prefer not to imbibe. A trend these days is to feature a signature non-alcoholic drink that is enticing enough to encourage guests to pace themselves at the bar. A few other tips: no cash bar, and if you plan to have non-alcoholic drinks only, make a note on the wedding invitations that guests are invited to join you for “mocktail hour” and the reception to follow. This way, no one will be surprised to find themselves at a “dry” wedding reception.

Enough Space. Far too many reception venues try to cram the cocktail hour into a tiny space like a hallway or a side room while they turn over the main room for dinner. This never works! Your guests in their fancy clothing and wedding jewelry do not want to spend an hour packed in like a bunch of fabulously dressed sardines. The space needs to be large enough for guests to comfortably move around and mingle for the cocktail hour to be a success. There should also be enough room to put in some seating and small tables so that people do not have stand and balance their plates the entire time they are eating. Also be sure to space out food stations so that lines are kept short, and everyone will be happy.

Wedding Invitation Wording Basics

The standard wedding invitation for a church goes as follows:

Mr. and Mrs. Howard James

Request the honour of your presence

at the marriage of their daughter

Caroline Anne

to

Mr. Charles Young

Saturday, the fifth of June

Two thousand and eleven

at one o’clock in the afternoon

St. Andrew Church

Stamford, Connecticut

A separate smaller card about half the size of the invitation is included which states:

Reception immediately following the ceremony

Green Gables Country Club

Stamford, Connecticut

R.s.v.p.

If the wedding ceremony is to be held in a secular location, replace “the honour of your presence” with “the pleasure of your company”. Please note that the names of the bride’s parents on the invitations indicate that they are the hosts, not that they are paying for every last item, from soup to nuts to wedding jewelry. In these times when the groom’s parents take a more active role in the wedding (financial or not), the couple may wish to include their names as well. This is done in the European fashion, with the lines added under the groom’s name: Mr. Charles Young / son of / Mr. and Mrs. Davis Young.

If there are too many assorted sets of parents to fit one one invitation, the bride and groom are the hosts, or it is the bride’s second wedding, the names of the hosts are omitted. The invitation is issued in the third person like this: The pleasure of your company / is requested at / the marriage of / etc. etc. The rest remains the same. Also note that the R.s.v.p. is tied to the reception invitation, not the ceremony invitation. The form “R.s.v.p. tends to be more popular in the North, and in the South, the term “The favour of a reply is requested” tends to be preferred, but both are equally correct.

These are all the basics you need to know about traditional wedding invitation wording. Non-traditional invitations are not covered, because they tend not to follow custom and etiquette. Whether your wedding is formal or casual, the classic wedding invitation wording will always be appropriate and in good taste.

How to Design Your Own Wedding Invitations

These days, there is so many design tools available for the computer that almost anyone can create their own wedding invitations. It can be a great way to save money while creating wedding stationery which is unique and personal. These are the steps to follow if you wish to design your own wedding invitations.

The very first step is to think about the style of your wedding. If you are having a very formal wedding and wearing a ballgown with opulent wedding jewelry, you will need equally grand invitations. Do keep in mind that when going the DIY route, you will not be able to make engraved or letterpress stationery on your home printer. You could, however, make a design that a professional printer could then translate into letterpress or engraving (for a price, of course). Another idea for formal DIY invitations is to purchase stationery stock with a pre-engraved or letterpress motif and then add your own flat printing with the invitation wording at home.

Then think about the layout of your invitations. Do you prefer to follow a fairly standard format, perhaps with a customized border? That could very easily be created using a program like Photoshop. Or maybe you like the ultra-modern look of sans-serif fonts in a variety of sizes; that would be something that you could play around with in a basic word document before printing on your invitations. Creative use of color will add style to minimalist invitations. Remember to experiment with paper color as well as ink color. How would your wording look printed in espresso and red on pale blue? Or maybe you want to try charcoal lettering on yellow paper. Just keep in mind that if you want white lettering on dark paper, that will be an effect best created in letterpress, thermography, or engraving.

Once you have the basic layout and motif decided, the next step in designing your own invitations is to consider the extras. Do you want to layer a printed vellum over a paper textured with flower petals? Maybe you want to make your wedding invitations several pages long and bind them like an art book? Or perhaps you would like to glitter the edges, add a bow to the top, or make a tri-fold invitation. You can also create very unique wedding invitations made to look like theater tickets, maps, or whatever else strikes your fancy.