Today the term white wedding means that the event is going to be traditional or semi-formal. The term is actually speaking in terms of the color of the gown, white, which has come to symbolize purity of heart and body.

The Influences of World War I On The World Of Weddings

Prior to World War I, most women wore formal style dresses during their wedding that were useful and could be worn later for special occasions. The modern bridal gown as part of a formal wedding began post World War I when mothers began to plan large events for the marriages of their daughters. In many cases, young women of today begin planning their dream marriage long before they ever meet the man of their dreams.

Bride’s Magazine, a popular bridal magazine created in 1934, began as an advertising leaflet that created the idea of formal weddings. Their competitor, Modern Bride came into existence in 1949. These two magazines significantly affected the white wedding as it is known today. With the influence of these two magazines, the small family event once known as a wedding is now a multi-billion dollar industry.

The White Wedding Of Today

Today, a traditional white wedding is an event that includes a formal wedding service at a church or religious facility. Only guests that received formal wedding invitations attend the event. The guest list is made up of family, friends and business associates. The ceremony is followed by a reception that usually includes a meal, an elaborate wedding cake and champagne toasts to the newlyweds. The reception provides an opportunity for guests to meet the bride and groom and to celebrate the wedded union. In addition to the meal, there is usually a first dance between the bride and groom, the cutting of the wedding cake and the throwing of the bouquet and garter.

Today brides in a traditional white wedding, usually follow an age old tradition found in a wedding poem, something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. It is considered good luck for newlyweds if the bride carries something from each of the stanzas of the poem or if she is able to find one item that fills all the categories. Often times she will receive a gift from a family member that completes the poem and provides a special memento from this special day.

For some, it might seem like getting a wedding planner takes away the fun of working out all the details of a wedding, but in fact, these people can put the fun back into the process. If you’re not sure about whether you should get a wedding planner, you should know about the benefits they provide.

Consultant Services

Wedding planners are consultants, skilled in working out the details of a wedding, calculating costs, and executing the final plan. This does not, however, mean that they will make all the decisions for you. On the contrary, a good wedding planner will keep you involved in the process, helping to point you in the right direction for options to consider and suggesting things that might work well with your own idea of a perfect wedding. Using a wedding planner to help with your wedding doesn’t take you out of the unique experience of planning your wedding, but simply makes it more efficient.

Bringing Savings to You

While some people might balk at the idea of getting a wedding planner because it costs money to hire a consultant, you should consider the fact that a wedding planner can save you money on your wedding. As a planner develops their business, they learn where to get better products, such as your wedding flowers, dresses, and reception locations, for less money. Furthermore, wedding planners learn to be skilled in negotiation, both through dealing with demanding customers and in trying to purchase products and services, so they might be able to talk service providers down to a good deal for you.

Experience

Ultimately, what a wedding planner will bring to your wedding plans is experience. No matter how great your ideas are, no matter how enthusiastic you are about the process of planning a wedding, a wedding planner still brings experience in planning many more weddings than most have planned in their lifetimes. By utilizing the experience that these consultants have, you’ll find that the process of planning your wedding comes with fewer mishaps, fewer mistakes, and a greater focus on the relationship of you and your future spouse. And ultimately, that’s what really matters.

Everyone, however, has stories of the cousin who received an awful wedding gift, or the couple that hinted a little too much at what they wanted. A bad experience with wedding gifts on either end can sour a person’s experience at a wedding. As the host of a wedding, you have little control over what wedding gifts are given, but you are in a good position to make the gift-giving process go smoothly and without hard feelings on both sides.

Can You Control the Gifts You Get?

The short answer to the above question is no. You have little to no control over the wedding gifts you receive from your attendees. In fact, suggesting a gift directly to someone is a serious breach of etiquette; after all, how would you like to have a friend tell you to buy something for them? If you want some say in your wedding gifts, the best bet is to make a list in a bridal registry. This gives your gift-givers an idea of what you want or need, but makes it indirect, allowing your guests to pick what they feel most comfortable buying.

Being Thankful

Even if you do register with a store, sometimes someone will decide to get creative with wedding gifts and get something different, and sometimes that gift isn’t a good one. Regardless of whether you liked the gift or not, you must send a thank-you note. You should note at the wedding which gift came from which person, not so much so you know who to feel most grateful to or who to feel offended by when the gift is rotten, but because you have an obligation to write a thank-you note after the wedding.

Writing thank-you notes should be handled as soon as possible after the wedding. Although some stores sell pre-made thank-you cards, it’s most polite to write out your notes by hand; your friends and family will appreciate the personal touch. Keep in mind that you should do this whether or not you keep the gift, exchange it at the store, or plan to rewrap and send as a gift to someone else’s wedding.

If you follow these simple bits of gift-receiving etiquette and accept that the choice of gifts is beyond your control, you will have less stress over your wedding gifts and will ultimately stress your wedding guests less as well.

Of those, wedding bouquets can make a statement, good or bad, and require a little though when you purchase them. By narrowing your choices in wedding bouquets to a few simple questions to consider, then you will find it easier to narrow down the field of wedding bouquets to choose from.

Silk or Real Flowers

One consideration that you’ll need to make when selecting wedding bouquets is whether to use real or silk flowers. Both have distinct advantages and disadvantages. Real flowers, for instance, have a wonderful fragrance and look great too. Real flowers have a soft texture, and are the more traditional choice.

On the other hand, silk flowers weigh less, which means you’ll have less tired arms at the end of your ceremony. Silk flowers do not require refrigeration and can be purchased well before the wedding, preventing last-moment mishaps from causing trouble. Which benefits are important to you is a matter of personal choice.

Bouquet Design

There are plenty of different designs for wedding bouquets out there, and any good bouquet designer will work with you to find the one that works best for your wedding and your dress. Some designs, such as nosegays are compact; featuring tight clusters of flowers, making for a pretty presentation and clean lines for what is essentially a work of art. Other designs, such as a traditional cascade bouquet are larger and make a bigger statement as part of the entire wedding ensemble.

Choosing the design that works for you depends on the style of your wedding as well as the style of your dress. If you’re planning a very traditional wedding, then you want to look for wedding bouquets that are just as traditional. On the other hand, if you’re planning a wedding that is more contemporary, wedding bouquets that add a little more flair will work well for you. Some wedding bouquets even feature a single, large flower, thus making a bold statement.

Remember, it’s your special day, so you should choose from wedding bouquets that appeal to you and fit the style that you’ve set for your wedding. Hopefully, it wont be long before you find something that will fit perfectly.

One of these little details is the centerpiece for each table at the reception. While seemingly a small detail, wedding centerpieces can help to bring beauty to the social event after your wedding. If you’re stuck for ideas for your wedding centerpieces, here are a few to get you brainstorming.

Flowers
One of the simplest and most elegant ideas is the use of flowers to provide the core of your wedding centerpieces. It’s hard to go wrong with a bouquet of flowers as a centerpiece, since flowers can offer both color and fragrance to a table. Once you have flowers and a vase, you have a base to create any number of decorative centerpieces using feathers, non-flowering plants, and other embellishments. This choice is simple and should be easy to pull off.
Candles
Another common and popular choice for wedding centerpieces is the use of candles to fill the same niche that a bouquet of flowers would. From scented candles to small candles floating in a wide-mouthed vase, candles add light to give an extra dimension to color and fragrance. Candles also make traditional centerpieces at many restaurants, and since most receptions offer some sort of food, this would make it appropriate.
Food and Drink
Sometimes the best wedding centerpieces are the sort that can be consumed, such as edible wedding favors, bottles of wine, or decorative cakes. A candy bouquet, for instance, can be just as brightly colored as a flower bouquet, but offer something for the taste buds instead of for the nose. Rather than a vase filled with brightly-colored stones to make a centerpiece, you can have a vase with brightly-wrapped chocolates and give your guests something to snack on.
Combinations
If you combine the wedding centerpieces with your wedding favors, you create a way to personalize each table for your guests. Little bags of candies or other favors can surround a single centerpiece, creating something that looks great with the favors there and still looks beautiful once your guests have taken their wedding favors. By adding the favors to your wedding centerpieces, the centerpiece can work with your place settings for each guest. With a little brainstorming, though, you can take these little gems of ideas and flesh them out into ideas for wedding centerpieces that work for you.

For instance, the wording on your wedding invitation follows a specific formula that should be followed if you are sending out traditional wedding invitations. Most formal wedding invitations should follow wording that conforms to rules of etiquette. Here are some of the things to keep in mind:

British or American Spelling

One thing to consider on wording for wedding invitations is whether or not to use American or British English on your invitation. Traditionally, it is considered appropriate to use the British English, using ‘honour’ instead of ‘honor’ and ‘favour’ instead of ‘favor.’ The rules on this have relaxed a little bit, but it is still probably best to use the British English unless you strongly prefer the American spellings.

Wording for Different Locations

One of the things that will change the proper wedding invitation wording that you should use is the location of your wedding. If your wedding is in a house of worship, then the proper wording on your wedding invitation is use the phrase ‘request the honour of your presence.’ If you are having your wedding outside of a house of worship, such as in a community hall, the proper choice of words is ‘request the pleasure of your company.’

Wording for Who Hosts the Wedding

There is also specific wording for how to request that someone attends a wedding, but who makes the request? The wording of the wedding invitation should indicate who hosts the wedding. So if the bride’s parents are the ones paying for the wedding, the wording on the wedding invitation should list that they’re the ones making the request, and then afterwards, when listing that the event is, the name of the bride and groom should be listed.

Unfortunately, the wording on wedding invitations for this is not a simple thing to determine. These days, there are many alternate family situations, from divorces to widowed parents, to weddings where both families are hosting the wedding. However, you are in luck, since any company that handles wedding invitations should have someone there well-versed in etiquette for proper wedding invitation wording. So, when in doubt, trust the experts, and you’ll have a properly worded invitation for your special day.

Although you certainly do not need to have wedding programs at your wedding, there are several benefits in doing so. However, if you still cannot decide whether you should or not, then there are several factors that can help you in making your decision.

Style and Size of Wedding

For instance, a program is helpful if you are having a religious or more traditional wedding or if you are having a large wedding where guests are unlikely to be able to know the wedding party. It also comes in handy if you have many people to thank or an elaborate sequence of events.

What to Include in a Wedding Program

There are many different elements which go into the average wedding program, and one of the first things that you are going to have to think about here is the cover. You can of course make it as classic or funky as you want, but you should try to stick to the theme of your wedding, so that everything ties in well. There is also the order of events which you have to include, and here is where you want to show the guests what is going to be happening and when. This is so they can be aware and prepared for each separate event in the wedding.

If you have not already included the names, wedding date, location, and time on the front cover, then you are going to want to make sure that this information is in accordance to the order of events. Then you want to list what is going to happen during the ceremony, including music, greetings, readings, prayers, exchanges of vows, and so on. Some people may have to arrive late or leave early and having the exact sequence of events in front of them, may make it easier for them to stay for the most important part.

Such a wedding program will not only help to keep the guests aware and notified of what is going to take place within the wedding itself, but will help to keep the entire day more organized and understandable. This alone is obviously incredibly beneficial for everyone involved.

Starting on a Positive Note

When it comes to the actual planning of your wedding night, there are several factors in particular that you are going to want to take into consideration. First, you want to make sure that you keep all of your expectations realistic, so that you are not disappointed if everything does not turn out exactly how you wanted it to. Instead of crying over the wrong cake flavor or the wrong music played, it is more important to start your life as husband and wife on a more positive note.

No Cell Phones and Laptops Please!

Also when you are planning your wedding night, you want to make sure that both you and your husband are going to be relaxed, and this means making sure that there is nothing that either of you has to take care of. You may even want to figure out what you are going to want to bring along on the wedding night before it comes around, so that you will be prepared with the right clothes and overnight bag in case you’re staying at a hotel or leaving for your honeymoon.

Intimacy

Overall you can really plan whatever you want for this night, depending on what the two of you are interested in doing. However, make sure that you take each other’s wishes and concerns into consideration, so that one does not end up having a fight the very first day. Long gone are those days when the couple used to consummate their marriage on the wedding night, but it does still happen in several cultures and countries across the globe. Even if it is for traditions sake, think of some intimate times with your spouse rather than plopping in to bed exhausted and sleeping like a log!

Take your time to decide on the factors that are involved with something like this, because you want to make absolutely sure that you are both going to have the best night of your lives. Whether its champagne and chocolates, a Jacuzzi or something even more elaborate, celebrate your first night as Mr. and Mrs.

When it comes to finding wedding shoes, you absolutely have to consider your dress as being the biggest factor. After all, the wedding shoes are going to have to go with the dress or the outfit will be entirely thrown off.

Complements Your Dress

Therefore, you need to first consider what type of dress you have chosen: is it romantic, classic, traditional, or more modern? Once you have figured this out, then you can really start looking for the proper wedding shoes.

Heel

You are also going to want to think about how well you can walk in heels. If you are not able to walk that well in them, then you are going to want to make sure that you find wedding shoes that have either a very low heel or no heel at all. This is because the last thing that you want is for you to end up tripping or stumbling down the aisle on your big day.

Comfort

Make sure that the wedding shoes fit your feet comfortably, you may even want to go up a half size, as when you are stressed – which you surely will be when the wedding day finally comes – your feet could swell and you don’t want to find out the day of your wedding that your shoes are too small. Going with a slightly bigger shoe will prevent this, and so will be one less catastrophe that you will have to worry about on your special day.

You also want to make sure that you do not end up spending more than you want to on your shoes. Therefore, make sure that you take some time and effort and browse through different stores. This way, not only can you check out the different selections of shoes, but you can also find out which places have the best prices.

Just remember to take your time with a process such as this, because if you do, you will end up finding the perfect shoes – and it will have all been worth it.

Children

One of the most important things to learn about wedding etiquette is that regarding children. If you are planning on bringing children to someone’s wedding, then make sure that they are specifically invited and are old enough that they are going to be okay the entire time and not cause a scene. If not, find a sitter to watch them while you go.

Some couples even make it a standard and write on the wedding invitation that you cannot bring children. However even if they do not, it is just proper etiquette to realize that children can be trouble and you certainly do not want them ruining someone’s wedding.

After all, think how you would feel if while the bride and groom were saying their vows – in complete silence – and your child started screaming or crying. They only have one wedding day, and you do not want to be the one to ruin it for them.

RSVP

When you receive an invitation to a wedding, you should always respond whether you are going to attend and if you have a main course preference as stated on the card. This is because the bride and groom are depending on your RSVP in order to be able to plan their wedding. So regardless of whether you are planning on going or not, you need to let them know because they have to arrange for party favors, food, and so on, and so not knowing is going to make it that much more difficult for them.

Gifts

Yet another important issue that is included within this is the fact of how you should bring a gift when you go to the wedding. Even if you have already bought the couple a gift from their registry or presented it to them at the shower, you will still want to bring another one, even if it is not that expensive, because it is considered proper wedding etiquette.

Remembering all these things is going to make you a great wedding attendee, and you will also feel great because you know that you are being as good a guest as you can be.