Every bride pictures a dream day wedding. However, this dream is probably different for every bride. Brides and grooms each choose a special theme for their wedding. This can vary from a simple theme such as specific colors or be as varied as a beach theme, seasonal theme, or even a carnival theme. Regardless of the theme, every bride has that dream day wedding vision in her mind and every bride deserves to have her dream come true.
A dream day wedding does not need to be difficult to plan and should not cause undue stress on the bride, groom, or wedding party. It is up to the bride and groom to make sure that they plan efficiently and makes proper use of time and money.
Plan Ahead
The most important part of ensuring a dream day wedding is to make sure that all vendors and sites are available. This means planning well in advance.
Wedding planning can be a very stressful time. There are too many things to plan, too many people to accommodate, and too much money being spent. It is a time when many brides and grooms feel overwhelmed and it is only but natural to feel this stress. Not a single bride or groom has even momentarily considered eloping to escape the pressures of wedding planning. Luckily, there are ways to reduce the stress!
The first thing to reduce wedding planning stress is to stop taking advice from everyone else. The wedding is about the bride and groom and they should be making the decisions and choosing the vendors. If someone else is paying for the wedding, then it is only fair to include his or her input into the planning, but otherwise it is unnecessary to accommodate anyone else as far as the actual planning of the event is concerned. However, it is still proper to accommodate the special needs of some guests and out of town guests.
Brides are never heard to complain that they wish they had done less for their wedding. When hit with the prospect of planning a wedding many couples begin to question the need for a traditional American wedding and often even feel like eloping.
A wedding does take a lot of time, energy and money to plan. There are many frustrations and arguments that will occur during the planning but when the wedding day arrives there is nothing more beautiful and memorable than a traditional American wedding. The bride and groom will always be happy they made the effort for the most important day of their life.
Planning a Traditional American Wedding
The most basic way to simplify planning an American wedding is to find a professional wedding planner. The couple should interview several wedding planners and find one that they communicate well with, understands their wants and desires, and has great references.
After the groom and the groomsmen have taken their place near the altar the other cast of characters enter the room. There is the flower girl, ringbearer, bridesmaids, and maid of honor. Once everyone has taken their place, the strains of the Wedding March begin to play. This ultimate moment is the entrance of the bride who is about to exchange vows with her beloved. She is radiant and all eyes are affixed on her.
However, this moment doesn´t just happen. There are a long hours of planning, coordination, compiling of the guest list and other items to fret over to ensure that everything is perfect. One additional critical item is the selection of the perfect wedding gown.
When considering what wedding gown to select it is important to take into account a number of considerations. Those considerations include research and shopping for that perfect wedding gown.
A woman’s wedding day is one of the most important days of her life. A woman will often look to a trusted friend or family member for help with all of her wedding decisions. The person (or people) chosen for this honor should be honest, listen to the bride-to-be, and remember that this is the most important day of her life thus far.
Deciding on a Style
A wedding dress is a big decision; the friend of choice should help the bride-to-be select a dress by starting with the general shape of the dress. It is a good idea to start with some of the basic styles. She should try a ball gown, a princess style, an empire waist, and perhaps a ballerina or cocktail type dress.
Trying one of each basic dress type can help the friend tell the bride which wedding dress best suits her shape. Once the best shape has been selected she can choose the other important features such as material, neck line, embellishments, and color.
More people are choosing their own wedding vows rather than leaving it to their priest, pastor, Rabbi, or other religious leader to decide which vows the bride and groom should make to one another. Many more people are taking an active role in this decision.
One way to choose wedding vows is by faith. For most people, getting marriage is a commitment of body, soul, and faith. Getting married means marrying the whole person and that person’s family as well. Therefore, making the wedding vows reflect their deep commitment to each other and the life they will build together is a good idea.
Common American Faiths
Christianity is the most predominant religion in the United States, and as a result many people prefer to vow to their future life partner in the name of God and their church. There are many faiths considered to be Christian and each individual branch may have somewhat different wording to their particular vows.
Wedding invitations are one of the most time consuming factors of a wedding. First a guest list has to be decided, and then the pattern of stationery must be selected. Next each invitation must be written, addressed, and mailed. Finally all the R.S.V.P’s must be sorted so a final guest list can be compiled.
The guest list can be decidedly hard to make because most people want to share their special day with everyone they know. A large guest list can really eat up a wedding budget and can make the entire ceremony feel less personal. Once a wedding list has been decided upon, choosing the wedding invitations is the next task. Some people choose to choose a font style and color that coordinates with the wedding theme or colors. It is common to choose good quality card stock in a shade between true white and ivory.
Some wedding invitation companies offer borders or pictures on their invitations.
The first thing people see when entering a reception hall is usually the wedding cake. Traditionally the cake will consist of three or more layers with a decorative topper. The cake would be frosted in white with tasteful decorations, and taste even better than it looks.
For a bride and groom choosing the right wedding cake can seem difficult; there are so many sizes, styles, flavors and toppers that it can be difficult to decide. Luckily bakers can make the task of choosing a cake much easier. Many bakers have a portfolio of cakes they have made in the past as well as catalogs of wedding toppers and even more design ideas.
The best part is that many bakers will allow the bride and groom (or the bride and some close chosen friends or family members) to taste each flavor of cake and icing to be able to pick the flavors they enjoy the most.
Wedding Cake Styles
Traditional wedding cakes will be iced in white or light cream colored butter cream frosting.
At the reception it is traditional for the father of the bride, the groom, and the best man to give a small wedding speech before the cake is sliced and dessert is served. These speeches are usually given in good humor and intended to get both sides of the newly formed family laughing and talking together.
If the wedding is being hosted by a master of ceremonies, he or she should be informed exactly who would like to speak and in which order they would like to be introduced. If there is no master of ceremonies, the people giving speeches will have to introduce each other in the order of which they are speaking.
Father of the Bride
The father of the bride will traditionally give the first wedding speech. This is because the bride’s family will have traditionally paid for the wedding and also because the father of the bride is often given the chance to welcome the groom and his family into his family.
A wedding ceremony is a celebration of love where a couple exchange their marital vows and express their undying love for each other. In addition, witnessing the marriage ceremony are wedding guests and the wedding party. The ceremony is often officiated by a member of the clergy.
Associated with the wedding ceremony are many traditions. Some of those traditions include the exchanging of rings, the tossing of the bridal bouquet, the tossing of the bride’s garter, wedding cake, etc.
In addition to the ceremonial traditions are various decorations that typically add to the occasion. Some of those decorations include a unity candle, candles, appropriate wedding attire, etc.
Another popular decoration that adds to the wedding ceremony are wedding flowers. The importance of wedding flowers can be seen as they contribute to the theme of the wedding and the various wedding flowers that are needed.