Wedding Insurance.

On your wedding day the last thing you want to think about is a sudden disaster , but it happens. In the event that you have any type of disaster on your big day you can assure that you’re covered by securing wedding insurance.

Wedding insurance protects a couples investment from things beyond their control and reimburses them for their expenses.

For example, What if the limo driver doesn’t show up the morning of your wedding and you have to book another company at an inflated price right away? Or what happens if the reception hall you booked went bankrupt weeks before your big day and your not able to get back your deposit back? These are things that your insurance will help you take care of. 

Wedding Insurance also takes care of more tragic events like your dress catching on fire, the loss of your wedding bands, and even the costs of having to postpone your wedding all together for events you couldn’t control. Wedding insurance However, does not cover a change of heart , watches , jewelry (outside of your bands) or semi-precious gemstones, and your engagement ring.

A basic policy that covers loss of photos , videos, attire, presents, rings, and deposits usually costs anywhere between $155-$550, depending on the amount of coverage you want. General liability insurance , which covers up to 1million dollars for accidents, costs around $185.However, before you buy wedding insurance , check with each of your vendors because they may have an insurance policy of their own in the event that they can’t deliver their services.

Do not wait up until the last minute to insure your wedding because their may be certain time restrictions on any given policy or claim.

In all , wedding insurance is great to have, even if you never have to use it.
ENJOY!!!!

Personalize civil ceremonies

Civil ceremonies are gaining popularity over church weddings recently and this is happening for many reasons. A civil ceremony is highly customizable and is not bound by any rules and regulations. This allows the couple to blend many religions, traditions, and cultural rituals into one ceremony. Civil ceremonies are highly recommended for couples with children in order to symbolize the blending of your families.

There are no rules that say how elaborate your marriage ceremony must be, or where it must take place, therefore your imagination is your only limit. The most basic of civil ceremonies include a legal authorization by your marriage celebrant and a simple exchange of vows. You can include a special greeting to welcome your guests if you wish, you can even add the reading of a poem, or an introduction of the couple by a close friend . In order to make your ceremony even more personal you may choose to write your own vows.Civil marriage ceremonies can range from small and intimate gatherings to more lavish affairs; they allow for the utmost flexibility and can be adapted to your liking. Many couples make their ceremonies unique by incorporating both traditional and nontraditional elements.

Represent Your Union with Unity Candles , its exclusivity of religious significance makes it suitable for any couple. Two candles, representing the couple as individuals, are lit. They are then used to light a third, central candle that represents the unification of the couple and their commitment to both the marriage and each other. The many potential variations insure a perfect fit into your specific ceremony. For instance, the individual candles may be lit prior to the ceremony, or during the ceremony by the bride and groom, or by the couple’s parents. There may be more candles added to represent your children.  The tradition of a unity candle offers a meaningful way to involve family members in your ceremony, and can be personalised further according to your liking.

The endless freedom of civil ceremonies allows you to create the wedding of your dreams. You can incorporate your family and friends in any part. Honor the beloved memory of someone special. Blend ancient rites with modern customs. Start a new family wedding tradition as a gift to the brides and grooms of future generations. Your civil ceremony will blend carefully chosen elements that convey the essence of your personalities, the strength of your commitment to one another, and the unbounded love you share.

That’s the overall purpose of a wedding anyway isn’t it?

ENJOY!!!

Etiquette ~ requesting monetary gifts instead of toasters.

Asking for money from your guests is definitely an uneasy task for many couples. However, many of these couples prefer to receive cash over the everyday household item that they may already possess. So how do you do this without being completely rude to your guests or making them feel that they absolutely have to get you a gift? That is exactly the question we’re here to answer.

The easiest way to ask your guests for money is to have your close family and friends put the word out for you. No this does not mean that you will have your parents and your bridal party walking around the reception with a collection hat. This just simply means that you should express these feelings of wanting cash instead of gifts to them, this way when someone asks them what to get you they can express your feelings to that particular guest. This gives you guests the option to decide whether they will follow through with your wishes and give you cash or buy  you a traditional gift.

Though word of mouth this an effective tool in spreading the word it may also be effective to express your feelings to your guests. How? Use your wedding website to its fullest extent, instead of adding a link to a  gift registry in the “registry” portion of your site you can ask your guests to help contribute money towards a home, car, or even your honeymoon. And of course no one wants to come off as completely vulgar when asking for money from their guests so you can get creative and say it through a poem:

“If you were thinking of giving a gift, to help us on our way.

A gift of cash towards our house, would really make our day.

However, if you prefer to purchase a gift, feel free to surprise us in your own way.”

If you still feel a little wary about asking for hard cash it’s ok, I know of some other ways to ask. You could incorporate a wedding wishing well into your reception space, this allows your guests to give you money without handing you a wad of cash in your hand. However, for your wishing well to be successful the word should have been spread that this wishing well would be present at the reception. Of course your wishing well would also require some form of creativity. This will mean that it should be decorated to match your entire wedding decor, but it should NOT have a sign next to it that says ” cash here please” , a poem would also be great for you wishing well.

More than just kisses so far we’ve shared,

Our home has been made with Love and Care,

Most things we need we’ve already got,

And in our home we can’t fit a lot!

A wishing well we thought would be great,

(But only if you wish to participate),

A gift of money is placed in the well,

Then make a wish …. but shhh don’t tell!

Once we’ve replaced the old with the new,

We can look back and say it was thanks to you!

And in return for your kindness, we’re sure

That one day soon you will get what you wished for.

Though some guests may love your approach and may be more than willing to fund your new beginnings some guests may remain wary of handing over cold hard cash. For the comfort of these guests there are sites that will allow you to register for cash, yes that’s right you can register for cash, How Perfect! On these sites you can register for cash and your guests can choose to give you whatever amount they would like, the check is usually sent out on or after the wedding day. You can also find banks like suntrust that have bridal registry and your guests can go on the site and contribute to a down payment on a new house for the two of you. There are also many sites that will allow your guests to do similar things while also leaving the option for a traditional gift open to them.

Uncomfortable doesn’t have to mean stressful, so remember the best way to ask your guests is to just be honest, it is up to them to get you two a gift or to hand you cash. Either way I’m sure you’d greatly appreciate both, or at least you should.

ENJOY!!!

 

Wedding Gifts ~ Charitable Donations

Deciding where you should register takes a lot of time and effort and can be stressful at times, However it doesn’t always have to be so labor intensive. If you’re a couple that has already began sharing a home together, then you already have a toaster, blender , and plenty of other household items that you two already own. So what do you register for if you already have everything? How about a charitable donation ?

Yes it may sound strange to some people, but think about it, instead of just asking for a new comforter set that you don’t need or set of pricey china that you’ll never use you can ask your guests to donate to a charity of your choice. A strange concept to some is now becoming the “norm” in the modern wedding society. But some aren’t quit sure how to ask such a thing of their guests without being too presumptuous.

It’s fairly simple actually, instead of going to register at your favorite department store there are sites that you can register for that have a list of charities that they cater to(Idofoundation.org) . Once you’ve registered and chosen a charity or a list of charities you can then provide the link to the page on your wedding website in place of an actual gift registry. If you have guests that are not too keen to the idea of donating in your name then you should also leave it open for them to buy a gift if they must. Charitable donations over gifts is a great way for you two as a couple to symbolize your love for one another while sharing it with any given charity or special cause.

If you would like more information on the specific charities you can choose from or in what ways your donations will help any given charity you should get in direct contact with this charity, especially if you feel you’d like to donate more than money.

As always keep giving in the memory and thoughts of others.

ENJOY!!!

Jewish Wedding Traditions

Jewish wedding are full of traditions and a beauty, If you’ve never been to one but were invited to one recently ,  there’s a few things you should expect.

However, if you’re looking to incorporate a portion of Jewish traditions into your wedding here’s some of the most important elements of a jewish wedding.

The Procession:

Unlike the christian wedding , both the bride and groom walk down the aisle with both parents. Traditionally, the rabbi walks out first, followed by the groom and his parents, the grandparents, the groomsmen, the bridesmaids, the flower girl and ring bearer, and the bride and her parents. However, this specific order is not always followed. In some wedding the bride and her parents circle the chupah seven times, there are several different religious reasons why this occurs.

The Chupah:

 

The wedding ceremony takes place under the chupah, which is a canopy on four poles that is sometimes decorated. The chupah symbolizes that the bride and groom are creating a home together and that it will always be open to guests. This tradition originates from the Biblical wedding of Abraham and Sarah.

Traditional Jewish wedding ceremonies have two parts. During the first part, the bride and groom become betrothed and a blessing is recited over a cup of wine that the bride and groom drink. Traditionally, the groom puts a ring on the bride at this point, although this has become mutual at many modern weddings. Later, the Sheva Brachot, or seven blessings, are recited over another glass of wine. Relatives and close friends are sometimes asked to recite this blessing to honor them.

The Ketubah:

 

The ketubah is a Jewish wedding contract. The rabbi reads it under the chupah after the ring ceremony. Many couples frame their ketubah and display it in their home. Traditionally, the ketubah was written in Aramaic, but today many Jews use Hebrew instead.

The breaking of the glass:

At the conclusion of the ceremony, the groom smashes a glass with his foot.  The meaning of this act is disputed, one interpretation is that the marriage will last as long as the glass is broken– forever.After the breaking of the glass, the guests yell, “Mazel Tov!” which means good luck.

The Hora:

No Jewish wedding is complete without the Hora, or chair dance, most likely derived from the tradition of carrying royalty on chairs. A few strong guests hoist the bride and groom high above the crowd on chairs to the song “Hava Nagila”. Friends and family dance around in a circle as the couple tries not to look  down.

The Jewish wedding is surrounded in a great deal of tradition which is rare in many modern-day weddings. If you are planning to incorporate these traditions into your own wedding or if you were curious as to how these traditions were carried out,  you now know a little bit more about the Traditional Jewish wedding.

Enjoy!!!

Table Settings!

“Table settings are one of the most basic yet understated elements of wedding decor, often playing a big role in the overall look and feel of the event. Just as a well-set table can set the perfect mood, one that’s hastily designed can ruin an otherwise perfect gathering.”

It goes without saying that every wedding will require different types of table decor. Though table settings are very formal it is ok if you do not go entirely formal with your settings. A modern but casual feel has been popular within the last few years, therefore you will not be odd if you decide to dress a stiff setting down.

Though you may see the setting up of a table to be rather complicated , it really isn’t they are designed to help people eat with ease, not confuse them. For a basic dinner , each place should include a dinner plate, glasses and/or goblets (depending on your drinks), and flatware such as spoons, forks and knives. More formal settings would include salad forks, soup spoons and butter knives. Place all the utensils on either side of the plate from the outside going in, in the order that they will be used. That way, even if guests aren’t familiar with the setting, they’ll know instinctively which ones to reach for.

Though you would like your tables to fit perfectly into your theme it is great for them to also add something to the overall decor. After all, your guests will be looking at the tables for the rest of the night, it’d be nice for them to find something new each time.You can add a few fresh flowers in a different color then your basic color scheme or in different shades of a color your using. You can also find ways to add little pops of color with the napkin holders or the trimming of your menus.

Adding a touch of romance and creativity to your table settings can do nothing but multiply the love and beauty in the room. The soft glow from candle light always makes you and the room you’re in feel romantic, use candles that match your color scheme to add to your tables. The candles will work best for your decor if the lights are low and the candle glow can dominate. Being creative when it comes to your table settings is always a great thing, you will never see any two table settings that are exactly alike and this is due to the many different and creative ways your table can be used.

Take a look at a few galleries to decide what looks you like the best and how you will utilize the different elements to design the table of your dreams.

Enjoy!!!

Fall wedding trends

Planning your wedding is always difficult when your changing seasons because you have to think ahead to the next season. The many elements of your wedding must in some way tie into the current season. Now that fall is approaching it’s time to consider what you can do to incorporate the 2011 fall trends.

Higher hems are big for the fall season , because of the higher dress hems you need to make sure you have the perfect shoes. The perfect shoes for everyone is of course very different and may be that perfect high-end designer shoe or a shoe that simply match your color scheme.

In order to match the higher hem of your dress, you should pair it with a shorter veil. What type of short veil you will use is solely up to you, just make sure that it compliments your dress perfectly.

Sheer layers are also a great trend for the fall. You can incorporate these sheer layers into your wedding through your invitations and other wedding stationary. You can also incorporate the sheer layers into your wedding decor by adding “clear” chairs and accents, Sheer fabrics and linens, crystals and beaded bouquets, and even transparent tents draped in sheer fabric.

Texture is also a popular fall trend,it is something that we’re around everyday, so finding ways to incorporate touches of texture into your wedding is fairly simple. Choosing a cake that matches the texture of your dress is a very easy way to incorporate texture.

There are plenty of other ways to add texture to your wedding if you’re not too interested in the idea of a textured cake. Adding textured stationary, linens, flowers and branches, and paper accessories are a great way to add texture to any ceremony.

In order to assure that your wedding is chic for the fall you can add some or all these elements. However, too much of anything is never good.

Enjoy!!!