Unity Candles Ideas

If you are planning a wedding and plan to have a unity candle as part of the ceremony, you might want to think outside the box.

Traditionally, the unity candle involves three candles. The bride has one, the groom the other, and their two lighted candles light the third candle. This is done to represent the coming together of the two people to make one unit. In some alternate methods, family members are invited to participate in the unity candle lighting, often the mothers of the bride and groom, or other close members of the family. Each family then lights a candle, and together they light the unity candle to symbolize of the coming together of the families.

Now, there are a few twists you can add to this fairly conventional aspect of a wedding ceremony. You can provide each guest with an unlit candle when they arrive at the ceremony. After the couple lights the unity candle, they can ask the guests to move to the front of the church (or wherever the ceremony is being held) and light their candles with the lighted unity candle. This can take a bit of time and might be best with a smaller guest list. But it is a meaningful way to not only get your guests involved in the ceremony itself, but also symbolize the union of family and friends with the marriage.

If there is a large guest list and it would be a prohibitive waste of time to do a candle lighting involving everyone at the ceremony, some brides and grooms like to bring the unity candle to the reception. Light the candle again and provide each guest with a small votive candle (the candle holder will be on the tables at individual table settings). As guests come into the reception area or hall, they can light their votive and take it to their table to place into the votive holder. This small votive candle can double as a wedding favor, particularly if you decorate or enhance a plain votive candleholder in some way to coordinate with your wedding.

Of course, you can forget having a unity candle at the ceremony altogether. Many brides these days are trying to reduce the length of the ceremony and spend more time planning the reception. In that light, some choose to do away with a unity candle altogether. You can certainly do this, or you can cut it out of the ceremony and make it part of the reception.

To do this, you can use the votive candle option suggested above, or you can simply incorporate the unity candle lighting into the reception activities themselves. For example, you might choose a quiet moment in the reception to have a lighting of the unity candle. It might be during a short prayer prior to the serving of the meal, or right before the cake is cut. In this case, the unity candle can then be used as decoration on the cake table. As the bride and groom cut the cake and pieces are served to guests, the candle can also serve as a reminder of the couple’s new bond and that the bond is shared with all the guests as well.

Although having a unity candle at the wedding or reception isn’t necessary, it is certainly an option that many brides and grooms opt to include. But it’s important to remember that as with so much surrounding wedding planning there are ways to make it unique and interesting and special to the couple getting married.

North American Wedding Practices

Living in North America makes one feel free – free to do anything, free to live, free to love, free from traditions.  While this is true, there are still many practices done during wedding that renders this memorable event with a distinct American touch.  Here are some:

Starting from the engagement, people can think of unique ways to personalize their wedding.  As there really isn’t any engagement tradition, the more unique the marriage proposal is done, the better.

For most wedding preparations, the engaged couple visits their parents to inform them of their recent engagement.

At times, the engaged couple hosts an engagement party.  The engagement party costs less than a wedding reception since most of the time, the menu will only include cocktails and hors d’oeuvres.  Therefore, if the couple is on a tight budget, they can just invite more guests to the engagement party if they plan to limit the number of guests during the wedding.

Most wedding preparations have a bridal shower given by the maid of honor and the bridesmaids.  The groom may also have a bachelor party the night before the wedding but he has to be careful not to drink too much.

Wedding invitations should include response cards to quickly inform the couple whether the person has accepted or declined the invitation.  The wedding invitations should also be sent within four to six weeks before the event.

Usually, there is a rehearsal dinner in which the wedding party and guests came from far places to be present at the wedding attend.  It was practiced that parents pay for this dinner.

A bridal luncheon may be hosted for the bride’s attendants during the wedding day.  However, time constraints may not permit this to be part of the schedule for the wedding day.  Likewise, the groom may also host a groom’s dinner for his groomsmen.

Interestingly, even if the couple is not very religious, they still prefer a religious ceremony.  However, this may pose a problem since people of different faiths and religious backgrounds get married to each other.

Even if there are few people who believe in bad luck, some couples still make sure that the groom does not see his bride until she starts waking on the aisle.

It is still practiced that the groom and his groomsmen enter the church through a side door.  The bride will then walk down the aisle with her father.  In some cases when both her father and stepfather brought up the bride, she may ask them both to escort her.

During a formal reception, there is usually a bridal table where the couple and the attendants sit.  Also, food and drinks should be served as the guests appear at the reception.

Before, gift giving used to depend on what the guest will feel useful for the couple.  Now, it is better to register for gifts so the guests will know what to bring that the couple will need.  Monetary gifts are always helpful.

Upon receiving an engagement or wedding gift, it is better to send a thank you note apart from saying “thank you” to the giver.  This should be sent within two weeks upon receipt of the gift.  Make a personalized thank you note, instead of using an impersonal generic thank you note.

These are just some North American practices during weddings.  Whether one chooses to this or prefers to have a very different wedding, what’s more important is that American’s still believe in the wedding vow, “For better or worse, ’til death do us part.”

We would love to hear your thoughts . Please comment below, stop by and check out http://www.djxtc.net and follow us on twitter @weddingdj1

Wedding Music

North American weddings have come a long way over the years. In a society that is made up of people from so many different cultures, lifestyles, religions, and backgrounds, it is no surprise that the traditions in the wedding ceremony are as vastly different as well. Wedding music is no exception. From the ceremony itself to the party atmosphere of the reception, the wedding music sets the tone for the event.

Traditional Wedding Music

At most weddings we can expect to hear selections that have come to be known as traditional wedding music. Titles like Ave Maria, the Minuet from Don Giovanni, and, of course, The Bridal Chorus and The Wedding March have long been the standard music for a wedding. Particularly religious ceremonies may include hymns like Amazing Grace and a Jewish wedding almost always includes a hora danced to a medley of tunes like Hava Nagila, and Siman Tov U Mazeltov.

The traditional wedding music holds a special place in our hearts and many think that a wedding ceremony is incomplete without it. The couple must decide whether or not to use traditional wedding music in the ceremony, as well as how much of it to use. If this part of the wedding tradition is important to you, then traditional wedding music is the way to go.

Modern Wedding Music

Often couples will forgo the traditional wedding music selections and instead include modern or popular music in the wedding ceremony. This practice is so common that some titles are becoming traditional wedding song selections themselves. It is not unusual to hear When a Man Loves a Woman, Always and Forever, or  Marry Me sung, performed, or played at weddings today. Often more modern titles like these will appear in a ceremony along with the more traditional wedding music.

Avant-Garde Wedding Music

As people’s attitudes change and varying forms of wedding ceremonies take place, the choice of wedding music often changes right along with them. Occasionally couples will choose music for their wedding that reflects the stark difference in their personalities and makes a unique and bold statement. While your wedding ceremony is primarily for the couple getting married, it is important to remember that it is an event attended by your family members as well. While you may wish to make an impression on your guests with your choice of music, you should still be cautious not to offend your respective grandmothers. As such, a selection by an artist like Marilyn Manson may never be appropriate for a wedding ceremony. This does not mean that your wedding music choices are restricted to traditional classics or sappy love songs. Just take into account these are memories for you and your guest that you would fondly like to reflect on decades from now… Just Saying .

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So You Want To Plan A Bridal Shower ?

Historically, brides have been showered with love and gifts on their bridal shower party. Although the maid of honour normally organizes the bridal shower, showers can be organized by anyone close to the bride. To be more politically correct, couples may decide to opt for a couple shower. It is the same concept as a bridal shower, but it is not exclusive to female friends and family. A couple shower enables friends and family to celebrate both bride and groom. Whether it’s a bridal shower or a couple shower, planning the event takes considerable effort. So, read on to learn some fun and helpful bridal shower planning tips.

Planning the shower is the responsibility of the honour attendant or honour attendants. It is quite possible for the bride to choose more than one honour attendant. So, it is quite possible that planning the shower would be a team effort. If there is only one maid of honour, she shouldn’t hesitate to ask for help from the other bridesmaids, friends, and family.

Hint. Several people involved in the planning process can help, but it can also create conflict.

Choosing the right date for the bridal shower is of paramount importance. There is no rule about how much time before the wedding a shower needs to take place. It can take place several months or a couple of weeks prior the wedding day. Often, bridal showers are planned in the form of a surprise party. Regardless of the date of the shower, guest should be notified well in advance. Make sure that the date doesn’t conflict with holidays or other events that would prevent the guests from attending the party.

A bridal shower doesn’t need to be an expensive party, but it certainly can be. Be sure that your budget is set early in the planning process. Once your budget has been determined, be sure the required funds are set aside. Don’t be a hero and ask for help. Just because you plan the shower, it doesn’t mean you have to pay for the whole thing. Unless you are independently wealthy, ask all the bridesmaids to help out.

A bridal shower can be a discreet get together or an extravagant party with some great bridal shower favours. The sky is the limit, and, of course, your budget. If you organize the party, you should know enough about the bride to determine what kind of shower she would enjoy the most. Would she enjoy a relaxed shower at somebody’s house, or is she expecting a more formal party in a hotel ballroom? Does she have specific hobbies or interests that would provide an interesting theme for the party?

You should only invite guest to the bridal shower who will also be invited to the wedding. If you are unsure about who should be on the guest list, feel free to ask the bride to help out. If you are organizing a surprise shower, ask the bride’s mother or someone who would know about the wedding reception guest list.

It is very smart to include information about where guests can purchase presents in the shower invitations. The guests will appreciate your guidance. After all, it makes it easier for them purchase the proper gifts.

The bridal shower invitations can be traditional cards or even e-cards. Most people have an e-mail address, so an electronic invitation might be a feasible option for your shower. E-cards are not only freely offered on many Web sites, but they are also fast. You send them our one-minute and they are delivered the next. If you have a larger budget, you might be interested in sending out personalized chocolate bars as bridal shower invitations. Regardless of what form of invitations you decide to use, make sure they are sent out well in advance. The bridal shower invitations should be sent out about two months prior to the bridal shower party.

Food is an important aspect of the planning process, and it is very much influenced by where the bridal shower is held. If you’re planning an at-home bridal shower, you may prepare the food yourself or you have a catered party. If you’re having the shower in a restaurant or a hotel, make sure they prepare one of the bride’s favourite meals.

Remember: Bridal showers are supposed to be fun, so don’t stress too much. After all, you are planning a party.

We would love to hear your thoughts . Please comment below, stop by and check out http://www.djxtc.net and follow us on twitter @weddingdj1

My Top 5 Destinations For A Wedding

If you’re getting married, or know someone who is, weddings can be quite complicated and expensive. Even if it’s a common wedding held in a church followed by a reception and honeymoon, there is a lot of planning and cost involved. Couples can cut those costs in half and save on all the time and frustration of planning a wedding by seeking out a travel agent to plan a dream destination wedding.

Weddings that are held in a vacation location, typically away from the betrothed couples home town, are called destination weddings. In the recent years, these destination weddings have been rapidly increasing in popularity. Some destination weddings involve couples eloping to an adventurous and exciting location, while others choose to invite a few close family and friends to celebrate with them. Many couples even find themselves saving money by planning a destination wedding.

There are so many beautiful locations in different parts of the world with great accommodations and beautiful sightseeing adventures. Narrowing all of these locations down to five dream destination wedding locations was a difficult but necessary task. Creating the perfect wedding is not easy; the hardest part of getting married is choosing the location. Listed below are MY top five locations for dream destination weddings:

1. Mexico. Two of the most beautiful locations to hold a destination wedding reside in Mexico. Cancun is paradise for the romantics and the white powdery beaches and blue water make for a perfect setting for wedding on the beach. The Cancun Hotel Zone and the Bahia de Mujeres is known for the best swimming areas. Cozumel is just off of Mexicoís Yucatan Peninsula has some of the worlds best diving. Cozumel has attractive resorts that contrast with the empty stretch of beaches with a tropical atmosphere. Mexico is great for those betrothed couples who enjoy water sports and sun washed beaches.

2. Hawaii. As the fun in the sun capital of the Hawaiian Islands, Oahu is such a rich and rewarding experience far beyond the pristine turquoise water, the long sandy beaches and the harsh mountains. Here lies a legacy of royalty, luxury and relaxation. Maui is the perfect place to create memories to last a lifetime. Get married and enjoy your honeymoon in Maui and embrace what the entire Hawaiian Islands have to offer. The perfect weather all year round, uncrowded beaches and wonderful accommodations, Maui is the perfect place to tie the knot and embark on new adventures with your loved one.

3. Jamaica. Come to Jamaica to be embraced in the rich culture, the tropical climate and easy lifestyle. Enjoy a beautiful wedding surrounded by an island of natural beauty. Waterfalls, jungle mountain tops and pristine white sand beaches like the Negril, Montego Bay and Ocho Rios are waiting for you to indulge yourself in their beauty. Don’t forget the fine cuisine and local entertainment to complete the Jamaican experience. What ís more beautiful than a Jamaican wedding on a white sand beach or near a majestic waterfall in the perfect climate?

4. Bermuda. An island paradise and considered one of the worlds most beautiful islands, Bermuda is embellished with lush gardens, attractive pink sand beaches, coral reefs and a strong tradition of hospitality towards the islands guests. The island offers wonderful hotels, resorts and other accommodations that is sure to make your stay as wonderful as it can possibly be. Bermuda is an island you will want to come back to, again and again.

5. Las Vegas. The marriage capital of the world with well over 100,000 couples obtaining marriage licenses every year and the only place you can get legally married by a rhinestone studded Elvis impersonator. As one of the hottest wedding and honeymoon destinations, Las Vegas, is the place to go to elope or for a planned dream destination wedding. No matter how many times you have been to Las Vegas, there is always something new to experience every time you return. Despite its reputation, there is more than just gambling in this city. A new trend of ultra hip nightclubs and resorts are developing to join the already established nightclubs.

We would love to hear your thoughts . Please comment below, stop by and check us out on Facebook www.djxtc.net and follow us on twitter @weddingdj1

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Personal Touches To Set Your Wedding Apart

A perfect wedding isn’t only beautiful, it’s personal. It’s got carefully selected details that are meaningful to you and your fiancé.  Here are some very simple ways to add your own subtle, unique touches to your ceremony and reception:

Write your own wedding vows. It doesn’t have to read like poetry; the important thing is that it comes from your own heart. Print it out on an index card and keep it handy during the ceremony.
Compile a CD with songs that symbolize your relationship or how it evolved. Play this during your reception or even burn a copy and distribute as souvenirs. Insert a small piece of paper explaining why you chose those songs.

Instead of tossing your bouquet, present it to your mother (or a dear friend or mentor) during your reception. You can also have an additional bouquet made for your groom to present his mother at the same time.

 Compile in a scrapbook. Guests often have free time on their hands during their reception. In the centre of the table, place several pens and small pieces of paper in a pretty basket. Ask them to write their wishes, prayers, or advice for you and your fiancé.


Most wedding reception programs revolve around the couple: friends give speeches. Do something for the guests. Make a video of you and your fiancé talking about the people who’ve taught you what true love means. Mention friends who’ve demonstrated real loyalty, or family members who made great sacrifices for you. Intersperse your video with their photos. This is your chance to say thank you to all of them.

If you have a close friend or family member who passed away, make him or her part of the occasion by inserting a small photo in your bouquet, or lighting a tribute candle at the church ceremony.

If you have ethnic roots, incorporate a marriage ritual from your culture into your ceremony or perform it during your reception.

Wear an heirloom. For example, you can use your grandmother ís veil, or wear a locket that belongs to your mother. This is an excellent way of creating a sense of continuity between generations, celebrating your own family even as you go on to begin your own.

Prepare an audio-video presentation that will be played during the last dance of the bride with the father. This can be just a simple montage of childhood photos. A guaranteed tear-jerker!

If you have kids, help them feel like they’re part of the new family by asking them to stand next to you as you say your vows.

Add little elements that say something about your relationship as a couple. For example, if you’re giving away picture frames, insert a poem that you wrote or a copy of your wedding vows. If you met at a beach (and would rather not have a beach-themed wedding) incorporate shells into your table centrepiece.

We would love to hear your thoughts . Please comment below, stop by and check out http://www.djxtc.net and follow us on twitter @weddingdj1 

Wedding Favours

For many couples one of the most tedious aspects of planning a wedding is wrapping the wedding favours. This is especially true if you are planning to have a large wedding reception with many guests in attendance. Wrapping wedding favours for hundreds of guests can be very time consuming. Therefore couples should plan on purchasing their wedding favours well in advance to avoid having to wrap the favours at the last minute. In general you would ideally want your favours to arrive 2-3 weeks before your wedding date to give you plenty of time to get them wrapped without feeling stressed. Orders involving personalization should be ordered even early because these will take significantly longer to arrive. This article will offer a wide range of advice on wrapping wedding favours including advice on how to wrap favours and tips for making wrapping wedding favours a lot more fun.
 
The first tip for wrapping wedding favours is to make sure you factor the cost of wrapping the gifts into your overall budget for wedding favours. This is important because it can add a significant amount to the cost of the favours. Most wedding favour distributors can ship the favours to you already wrapped but there is likely to be a costly fee for this service. It is far less expensive for the couple to wrap the gifts themselves. The most common theme for wrapping wedding favours includes wrapping the gifts in white and using ribbons the colour of the bridesmaids’ dresses to adorn the wrapped packages. However, some couples opt for white ribbons for a more monochromatic appearance. Whichever way you decide to wrap your favours you should try to estimate of wrapping supplies such as paper, tape and ribbons before you purchase the favours to ensure these costs will not put you over budget. This may influence the wedding favours you select because you may be more inclined to select favours which are smaller because they will require fewer additional resources to wrap.
 
Another tip for wrapping wedding favours is to not avoid this project until the night before the wedding. In the opening paragraph I stressed the importance of ordering your wedding favours early to avoid having to wrap them at the last minute. This is incredibly important because wrapping wedding favours can be very time consuming. If you leave it until the last minute you may find yourself staying up all night to try to get all of the favours wrapped and unfortunately may run out of time and not be able to wrap them all. We cannot urge you enough to purchase your favours ahead of time and wrap them as soon as they arrive. This way you can simply set them aside and will not have to worry about them again until it is time to get them to the reception location so they can be placed at each place setting.
 
Wrapping wedding favours is definitely not a fun project. It can be very time consuming and can also be incredibly tedious. One way to make the project easier is to enlist the help of friends or family members to help you. If you get together a group of 3-4 of your friends you will find the task of wrapping the wedding favours is accomplished in much less time than it would take you to wrap them yourself. You will also have a great deal more fun because you will be spending time with your friends as you wrap the wedding favours. 
 
The last tip for wrapping wedding favours is to keep the wrapping very simple. You may have ideas about complex wrapping techniques and elaborate ribbons but this can make the task of wrapping the wedding favours take considerably longer than it has to take. Plus it can make storing the wedding favours very difficult. If you spend a great deal of time tying elaborate ribbons it would not make sense to stack the wrapped favours in a box where the ribbons will become crushed. You would have to find a space big enough to lay each favour out flat. This can be very difficult and even if you are able to do it, it will likely cause some inconvenience. Therefore I recommend simpler methods of wrapping and decorating your wedding favours.


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Engagement Party Games

The engagement party is a time when the families of the couple will get to know one another. In some cases, this might be the first meeting between the two families or groups of friends and any icebreaker activity will be a welcome event.

In that light, whoever plans the engagement party (likely the bride’s family, but it can be the engaged couple or anyone else who wants to plan the party) should plan a few games and activities designed to help everyone get to know everyone else.

First up is a trivia game. Create a “Trivial Pursuit” type game with questions about the bride and groom’s lives. You might contain the questions to just facts and events relating to both the bride and groom (such as how long did it take her to say “yes” when he asked, where did he propose, where did they meet, etc), or you can include questions pertaining to their lives outside of each other and before they met each other. Not only can this be fun, but also it’s an entertaining way for people to get to know each other and the engaged couple better.

One popular icebreaker that’s used at corporate functions and company parties can also work really well at engagement parties. Tape a card to each person’s back and encourage him or her to work the room, mingle with everyone and particularly try to get to know someone they have never met before. Before moving on to someone else, be sure to make a comment about the person on the card on his or her back. Partiers write an impression of that person, such as “she seems sweet” or “he knows a lot about the weather”.

OMG where is my “What to do now checklist” ?

First things first, a bit of an obvious one but if you haven’t got the engagement ring then get it now!

If you have no idea, what kind of look you like, then there are various sites around that show you what rings will look like, and although this may not be as good as putting it on your finger and trying it on, they do give you an idea.

I will be providing information regarding romantic proposals and ideas soon, but if you’re reading this, hopefully that parts been taken care of!  For you we will provide places where the rings are really good both in quality and price, we will aim to provide the places based on feedback from you our site visitors and e-book readers.

Make yourself a good checklist, I will help you build this over time, and you will find one on our website soon.  This checklist should be broken down into time zones (when things should be done by) and tasks.

Another essential tool is a Wedding Diary, this compliments the checklist and it is to record anything and everything that needs to be done, the steps needed to achieve them, when they should be completed by. It is vital that you set realistic deadlines for everything. Try to distribute tasks by when they’re required and their importance, by doing this you will alleviate unnecessary stress.

The diary should also note the specifics and when the action was completed ñ we used a colour coding system .We cannot stress the importance of it enough!  Some of you will be visual people and you’ll find things well organized simply because of the colour coding.

During the organization process you will meet a lot of people about lots of things and receive lots of information.  You must keep absolutely everything you never know you might need it later on.  You need to ensure that you build good relationships with each and every person you speak to.You never know you might actually need them, and remember, by being nice you might be able to get more out of people, that could come in the form of a price reduction or even a service improvement.

We would love to hear your thoughts . Please comment below, stop by and check out http://www.djxtc.net and follow us on twitter @weddingdj1

Why is a wedding checklist important

Is a wedding checklist important? Why do you need it? Do you think everything you have on your mind will be ready on your big day? Don’t you think of the opportunities of missing something? If you don’t have a wedding checklist you’re asking for trouble. No matter how good your memory is you’d be very unwise to rely on it for every little detail you have to remember concerning your wedding.

In such an important day for you, it would be a crying shame if it was spoiled simply because you failed to plan properly in the first place – and a properly constructed checklist is the very best way you can ensure that all of your wedding plans come to fruition.

Creating a wedding checklist tailored to your specific needs and desires will certainly help to relieve the inevitable stress, particularly as the special day gets closer. Having a well thought out wedding checklist will ensure that you don’t forget anything and will enable you to relax, safe in this knowledge, and enjoy the day itself.

Here are some of the things you should put on your checklist are setting the wedding date and time, reserving the date with a florist, photographer and DJ; reserving the church and reception location. These are the first things that should be done in the planning stages six to twelve months before the wedding day itself.

Other important things for your checklist include planning a budget, choosing the wedding party and ordering the invitations. You also need to make arrangements for a wedding dress, hairdressing and makeup. Not forgetting that you also need to arrange for co-coordinated clothing for your wedding attendants and, of course, you need to arrange the all-important wedding rings with a jeweller.

It is necessary that all of the above major things should be arranged as early as possible so that you have plenty of time for the small details later.

Reminders are helpful. Don’t forget to ensure that you put reminders on your list for closer to the date. Reminders for ordering your wedding flowers, the wedding cake, addressing and sending invitations, a final fitting for the wedding dress and groom’s outfit and placing a wedding announcement in the local press etc.

About a month to six weeks before your big day you should go over your wedding checklist to make absolutely sure you haven’t forgotten anything. There are, of course, many more things than those listed above that you will need to put on your specific wedding planning checklist that are personal to your wedding, but the above will give you an idea of the things you need to include.

Being well-organized with your checklist will help you having plenty of time to complete each task. With this checklist, your wedding will be as what you have dreamed!

We would love to hear your thoughts . Please comment below, stop by and check out http://www.djxtc.net and follow us on twitter @weddingdj1