Archive for the ‘Ceremony’ Category

How To Do Things has a great article on helping you write your wedding vows. For some, this can be a grueling tasks so following these steps will help jog your brain and get the creative energy flowing.

1. Separate or individual vows. You can write the same wedding vow or personalize your own to each other. There are definitely pros and cons of each angle. Open the dialogue with your other half to determine comfort levels. Your fiancé may not share your enthusiasm for individual vows, possibly out of fear or just lack of creativity. Get to the heart of the matter before making the decision and don’t put pressure on her if she is just not comfortable. Public speaking is after all one of the most nerve-wracking experiences!

2. Get ideas. There is no harm in researching wedding vows on the Internet or via other means. It may increase your comfort with the task at hand. Just don’t copy them! It is important to make wedding vows your own.

3. Brainstorm. Think about why you fell in love with your other half and all of the wonderful things about your life together. Wedding vows should express what is unique about your spouse-to-be and your relationship. What do you love best? How does he add value to your life and how will you add it to his when married?

4. Record your thoughts. Start by writing down your brainstormed thoughts, then move on to the vows. Recording them will help you to hear what they may really sound like at the wedding. Speaking it will make it more natural and help you to avoid awkward pauses. You can then transcribe the words and rehearse from there.

5. Draft an outline. It’s like writing a term paper. There has to be a beginning, middle and end.

• Beginning. Start of with a salutation of some sort, whether it be “My Dearest Love,” or just their name. Remember, make it natural. You will be far more comfortable. Then lead into an introduction like, “We first met,” or, “When I first realized I was in love…”

• Middle. The body of the vow could be a couple sentences or a couple paragraphs. Tell her what she means to you and how your life has been better with her in it. Describe the moment you first realized you were in love with her. Describe the meaning of marriage in your own words.

• End. Wrap it up! End by looking to the future and your happy life together.

6. Practice! Don’t arrive on wedding day unrehearsed! This special occasion deserves time, dedication and practice. You should anticipate the duration of your vows and what your voice level should be for a large event, but don’t plan to rely only on your memory. Some people just buckle under the pressure. Writing your vows on paper and reading them doesn’t make them any less meaningful — after all, you are still the author and mean every word.

7. Show the officiant. Believe or not, you should get permission from your officiant. Since he is providing the service, the substance of your vows is also a reflection of his values. It is important that he knows what to expect. It can also help him to learn more about you as a couple.

Memorials are moments and items we use for remembering our loved ones who have passed from this earth yet continue to touch our lives. Contrary to what many believe, this type of remembrance doesn’t just happen once a year. While it gets easier with time, you still feel the physical absence of a loved one more deeply on momentous occasions, like your wedding day. As such, a great way to shift the sadness to warm remembrance on such a day is to work a special moment of observance into the day’s events.

Candle Lighting
Light is a powerful reminder that dark times do not last forever. The Olympic Torch, the infamous light at the end of the tunnel, candle-light vigils–all of these symbols work to keep our hope, faith, and love alive. Therefore, using the symbolic light can be the perfect way to remember a loved one. Light a candle during the ceremony; incorporate a moment of silence as you light it in respect to departed. If your venue has special regulations against fires, use a lantern or one of those battery-operated tealights. The flame doesn’t have to be real in order for the remembrance to be true.

Photos in Remembrance
Using photos to remember your loved ones is an excellent way to keep the mood light while showing your guests just who miss so much. You can create a special remembrance table and place all of the photos there. You can bring your surviving family members into the moment by having each of them place a complimentary flower on the table, either during a scripted portion of the event or throughout the day. Depending on the number of tables you have, you could use photos (marriage photos would be best) as centerpieces for the event. It’s a great way to show the continuity of love while giving a place of honor to those who came before.

Seat of Honor
A “Seat of Honor” at your wedding ceremony is a very direct way of letting everyone know that while this loved one is no longer with us physically, they are still present in spirit. The honorary chair may be decorated with flowers or any other appropriate item and is placed near the altar. Either the couple or the officiant can explain the meaning of the chairs during the ceremony.

Wedding Program Acknowledgment
If you don’t want an added physical or ceremonial element to remember your loved ones, then a simple acknowledgement in your wedding program should be the perfect solution. Simply insert a page of names you wish your guests to know, or have a running script of names boarder your program. Both options give you the opportunity to acknowledge your loved ones seamlessly and practically.

Play a Special Song
Mine is a family of music lovers. If a beloved song comes on the radio, chances are we know where we were, what we were doing, and who we were with when we first heard it. If your family is anything like mine, then a special song is probably the perfect way to bring your absent loved ones into the celebration. Whether poignant or vibrant, wistful or fun, choose a song that reflects how you remember those who are no longer here. If you wish to make them the center of the moment, incorporate a slide show to play with the song. If you want to make it a celebratory moment, ask your family to join you on the floor to dance in your loved one’s honor.

There are many ways to honor your loved ones on your special day. Just remember, if it is a true reflection of who they were to you, then it is probably the best way to remember them on the big day. And if you have some great ways to remember those you love, we’d love to hear them!

Happy Memorial Day to you and yours!

Personalizing your walk to wedded bliss is popular trend. Couples are incorporating their initials, logos or symbols with meaning. Using your colors and the same fonts from your invitations can tie your theme together beautifully.  Here are a few well done aisle runners:

Aisle runner not your thing? If your budget permits, consider walking on roses. Lay down a thick bed of rose petals in 2 – 3 of your wedding colors or go monochrome and pick just one.

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In today’s world, you’d be hard-pressed to find more than a handful of people who traveled from childhood to adulthood in the 2 parent, ideally classic American home. In fact, such a situation is so rare that anyone touting it would be the exception and not the rule. As such, family ties tend to be a little more extended and unique than is typically defined. After giving this situation much thought, here are a few suggestions I’ve come up with to help your big day reflect an extended/single parent family situation without loosing any of the event’s warmth.

Down the Aisle:
I often joked with my mom about how stressful my wedding would be simply because I had 3 fathers, none of whom were as monumental to my life as she was. This is often the case when kids are raised by one parent after a divorce or separation. As such, the decision about who is to escort the bride during her trek down the aisle may not be an easy one to make. So I say, why not forego that choice. If your mom is the one you feel deserves the honor, then give it to her. If you have 3 fathers like I do, have them all escort you down the aisle. If you have a friend or family member who is more suited for the task, then let him/her complete it. The aisle walk is no longer about “giving away” a daughter to a man’s family. It’s symbolic for the journey of two houses, two families coming together, and the person or people most important to you shouldn’t be excluded from that moment.

Family Dance:
Traditionally, the father/daughter dance and the more modern mother/son dance are the next biggest dances after the newlyweds’ first dance. As with the walk down the aisle, such moments can be awkward or difficult when familial bonds aren’t so cut and dry. So, why not nix both dances and have a single dance in which all family members converge upon the dance floor for a massive groove session? This will ensure a good time without leaving any person in particular feeling snubbed.

Honorary/Family Table:
Seating at the reception is a big deal. Typically, 2 tables are reserved close to the head table for parents, grandparents and other close family members. This can be trouble if you have feuding parents, grandparents, and/or step-parents. There are two ways that you can possibly pull-off a harmonious event in this situation. The first is to completely do away with the honorary tables. Organize the tables so that the head table is center and equal distance to all of them. Leave seating unarranged so that individuals who do not wish to sit together do not have to, and individuals who desire to sit together may do so. The second option is to either have one huge family table for parents, grandparents, step-parents, and others or have 3 or more tables close to the head table. Other family members can act as buffers between warring factions of your family, or the extra tables can help them steer clear of each other while maintaining their honorary position.

Weddings are supposed to be about unity, family, and above all love. When you feel a traditional practice takes away from either of those key elements, it is a good sign that you should break with that tradition. Your bond and your big day will be all the more special because of it.

When I think tents, circuses and outdoor festivals immediately come to mind. I’m so use to seeing tents in such informal and half-hazard set-ups that the idea alone is blocked from my mind when contemplating possible event tools. However, through my work with Showersblog, I’m pleasantly surprised to have discovered tents have come a LONG way! I’m astounded by the fact that not only are there some pretty gorgeous tent set-ups available, but that they are also reasonably priced. Who would have guessed?

When it comes to renting a tent, it’s best to do a bit of homework before contacting a vendor. It’s good to have the closest estimate for the number of people in attendance and a sample layout so that you can ascertain the best size and number of tents for your party. Once you have that worked out, browse the net a little to get an idea of the general pricing for your tent needs. You should do this even if you are working with a local vendor, because it will give you an idea of what’s reasonable and what’s robbery. Plus, it will let your vendor know you are knowledgeable about the product and service, so s/he will be less likely to try to get away with tacking on a bit ‘extra’.

Our own research found that a basic, frame or pole 40 x 40tent (≈150 people) averages about 600.00. Keep in mind that the cost does not include the drapery, lighting or other décor items you may wish to have tacked on to the tent. You can save money by purchasing whatever items you desire (paper lanterns, light fixtures, material, ect.) instead of renting them through the company. This is an especially good idea should you have the people and equipment handy for decorating.

With enough planning and know-how, you can pull off a wedding in an elegant tent with the same beauty and ease as you would in any ballroom or event venue.

A few rental sites:Mahaffey Tent Rental, A-Tent-4-Rent, U-New Tent Retnal, and Acclaimed Events If you’d like to rent from a local company, try All Wedding Companies to search vendors by area.