Help is Here for Your Wedding Ceremony

When it comes to your wedding services, nobody wants to spend too much and yet have to foot the bill for the reception. Really it depends on where you want to your wedding to be and what type of service that you are hoping to have.

There is a way to satisfy all types of weddings as long as you know what your options are. Let’s take a look at the different types of ceremonies that you can choose from that can save you a great deal of money.

Church Ceremony:

When you want your ceremony to be in a church, you will often have to pay for the rental and the priest or minister to perform the ceremony.

Some churches will decorate for you while others will not. If this is an issue, be sure to ask first. How much money you will pay for the ceremony will vary and will depend on how the policies of the church.

Here are some tips on how you can save money on a church ceremony.

•  Look for a church that offers complete services or all inclusive packages rather than separate fees
• Try to bargain deals for outdoor weddings
• Rent the church alone and hire your own minister
• Have your services on a day where there are no church services because it may be cheaper
• Decorate the church yourself
• Offer to volunteer at the church for awhile in exchange for a discount
• You can save some money by hosting your ceremony in the church basement rather than in the worship center.
• Churches will often offer more inexpensive prices if you are a member of the church.

Outdoor Ceremony:

You can save a great deal of money by hosting your ceremony outside like in a beautiful park, at the beach, on a hilltop or even in your yard.

Of course, having the ceremony in your backyard is the cheapest. Here are some of the formalities that go with having an outdoor ceremony that can save you money all around.

• The best way is to have the service in your backyard
• Choose an open public forum that does not generally have a great deal of people trying to access it, and get the right permits etc. beforehand
• Opting for an ordained minister rather than a priest etc. is often cheaper. Just be sure to check that whoever you choose can legally perform wedding ceremonies in your area.
• You can forego the chairs and have the guests standing as long as you host a short ceremony. A nice white or themed linen on the ground for guests to stand on is an elegant touch
• When going with outdoor ceremony, people often opt for the portable arch because it is easy to transport and just as elegant
• Of course, you can always host your ceremony at city hall and save your money for the reception. Record the ceremony and host a viewing during the reception

Outdoor ceremonies open the door to many themes that can greatly reduce the cost of your wedding and reception. Hawaiian themes and beach themes can help you save money on formal wear, and decorations etc. because people having an outdoor wedding are often casually or island dressed.

It makes the ceremony more comfortable for the guests too because they are also dressed casually.

Outdoor ceremonies can immediately switch from ceremony to reception which saves some extra money on travel fees too, such as limos etc. The Hawaiian theme will be a great way to have a luau or pig roast reception.
You might want to consider a theme that lets you have a picnic for your reception party or a beach party or bonfire, but I will get into themes in more detail in a later section.

All of these tips were designed to help you find deals and discounts. You can also choose to have your ceremony at a courthouse or city hall building; record the services and play the recording during your reception instead. It is a nice way to share your vows with your friends and family without spending a fortune on the ceremony.

Wedding Chapel:

When most people think of wedding chapels they think of Las Vegas style chapels, but that is not all that chapels are. If you are a religious person, it is very easy to solve the question of a wedding chapel because you can choose to get married in your usual place of worship.

This may be a church, synagogue, mosque or other religious temple. However, if you have not had a religious upbringing, are marrying someone of a different religion or culture, or simply would rather select a different venue, it is important to discover what wedding chapel options are open to you.

If you would still like a ceremony in the style of a particular religion, most chapels have a host of different officiates who can provide the appropriate wedding ceremony to suit your own specific needs.

The majority of wedding chapels are designed in the style of churches. Most couples seek this traditional type of scene, even if they do want a non-denominational ceremony.

Chapels advertise features, such as stained glass windows, oak flooring, historical buildings, chandeliers and more. If you would prefer a modern building, it is possible to find chapels that are less traditional, such as those that are located in art galleries but you will need to research them well if you want to get a good deal.

Wedding chapels come in various sizes, and you must calculate how many guests will require seating at your wedding before committing to a particular chapel.

The majority of chapels seat between a hundred and a hundred and fifty guests, but there is one to suit every size of wedding. In Las Vegas, for example, there are chapels just large enough for the Bride, Groom, officiate and witness.

The location of your wedding chapel is key. There are numerous choices in cities and towns, but you may opt for a more natural or dramatic position. There are wedding chapels located anywhere from the Smoky Mountains to Hawaiian beaches, from Lake Tahoe to Disneyland!

If you have connections to the military, you could consider holding your wedding in a military chapel on a military base. There are long waiting lists for these facilities, but they are usually free (except a charitable donation).

Some facilities offer a choice of chapel depending on your religion, and it is possible to find Protestant, Catholic and Jewish chapels. However, there may be restrictions on decoration or numbers of guests.

There is also a vast array of novelty, or themed, wedding chapels springing up everywhere these days. The first themed chapels originated in Las Vegas, but it is now possible to find outlandish chapel designs anywhere.

Aside from the ubiquitous Elvis chapels, there are options such as a neon wedding at the luminous chapel in New Orleans, or a Cowboy chapel in Nevada. Try to incorporate the theme into other aspects of your wedding, such as your attire, the music and food. Some chapels even supply costumes for the guests which can really make your day a great deal of fun.
By Mia LeCron

How to Make Your Wedding Vows

If you’re going the increasingly popular route of personalizing your own wedding vows, you’re probably looking for some tips to make your vows as special, meaningful, and eloquent as you can. This is something that will take time beforehand so that you can prepare yourself and become completely comfortable with what you’re saying. Remember, you’re not just saying pretty words, you’re stating your wedding vows — words from the heart that aim to express if only a fraction of how important this bond of love is to you.

The most important thing you can do is to rehearse your vows until you know them like the back of your hand. Work towards making the words sound as though they are as natural as if you’d thought them up right there, and were speaking from that little touch of Shakespeare in your brain. This will diminish hesitancy and constant note-reading, and will give a much more heartfelt impression.

Here are some other tips:

* Come up with certain “landmarks” within your vows that will act as mental cues to help you to continue without pausing to remember what comes next.

* Rehearse your vows out loud, until you feel completely “conversationally comfortable” with them. This will make you feel secure in your words, and will help you to concentrate more on the way you are saying them, instead of just remembering what you are saying. Rehearsing your vows out loud will also help you to trust yourself more with the words you’ve chosen, and you will feel much less artificial when the time comes that you are saying them to your future spouse.

* Keep eye contact with your future spouse. This is not only romantic to watch for those attending the wedding, but it will be all the more meaningful to your true love. And what’s more, you’ll find yourself feeling the full emotional force of your words as you gaze adoringly into the eyes of the one who is gazing adoringly back at you.

* Speak clearly, and be sure of your pronunciation before you get up in front of everyone.

* Remember that you aren’t the only one who is nervous. Smile lovingly, hold hands if it is appropriate, and truly feel the words that you’re saying. Let your future spouse feel at ease because you love him or her just that much.

* Keep a good mental attitude. Don’t think to yourself, “How am I going to survive this?” Instead, think, “This is it; I’m joining with the person I love. This is the best day of my life.”

* Vary your voice tonality and speed as you say your vows. This helps you to convey energy when you need to, and when you slow down a bit, you’ll show true heart.

Practice your vows, be ready to say them, and you’ll find that you’ll be much less frightened, much more thrilling and, above all, a true romantic. You’ll enjoy yourself a great deal more and will remember this tremendous moment forever.

About Your Wedding Ceremony

It’s safe to say that of all the important events in your lifetime, your wedding day is certain to be right up there with those that are the most meaningful. And throughout the entire wedding day – the preparations, the ceremony, the reception, and the wedding night – the moment when you recite your wedding vows to each other is the most meaningful. It is a time that you will remember forever, exactly as it felt: a sublime, dreamlike fantastical moment, when everyone significant to you is watching as you join in wedlock with the most important individual in your life.

Conquering Your Fears

Since this is such a unique and central moment to your romantic life, you’re probably wondering how it is that you’ll make the experience better than that 10th grade public-speaking assignment where you blanked out halfway through and fainted in front of all of your peers. Begin by telling yourself that it is perfectly natural to feel nervous when speaking in public. Moreover, not everyone is born with perfect public-speaking skills that accurately demonstrate what they feel in their hearts. However, fortunately for the majority of us, these things can be learned.

Of course, being well-prepared and armed with wedding vows you know are the absolute best they could possibly be is one of the easiest ways to overcome these fears. How do I know? Because the home-study course I put together, The Ultimate Wedding Vow Toolkit, has helped hundreds of couples take the fear out of their wedding ceremony by giving them the tools they need to write truly amazing wedding vows.

But beyond that, when you think logically about each of these fears, you’ll realize there is nothing that cannot be overcome with a bit of care, technique, and practice. Let’s take a realistic look at these five incredibly common worries. In a few minutes, you’ll see that none of them are likely to spoil your ceremony.

Common Fear #1: Freezing Up

This is a direct result of being excessively nervous. Therefore, it’s important to come up with some calming techniques that will help you to keep cool. It’s only natural to be a bit nervous. In fact, the added rush from being a little on the anxious side can actually help you to speak better and with added feeling. The best technique that you can give yourself is breathing. Most often, when we are overly frightened, we either breathe much too quickly or we hold our breath. Therefore, as you’re keeping yourself calm, concentrate on breathing smoothly, neither too fast or too slow, but regularly, in through your nose and out through your mouth. Practice a few times in advance, especially in other situations that you’ve found a bit stressful in the past. You’ll be surprised at what an enormous difference something as simple as breathing can do for you.

Common Fear #2: Going Blank

This is another trick played by your overly-nervous brain. To stop yourself from becoming so nervous that you go blank, or even to remove any fear that you may go blank, bring a “backup” copy of your wedding vows on cue cards that you can slip into your pocket. Make sure they are very crisp and neat looking so that you won’t hesitate to use them if you have to, and write clearly on them so that you won’t get stuck due to sloppiness.

Common Fear #3: Blushing, Dry Mouth, and Shaking.

These are extremely common physical responses to being nervous and having to perform in front of others. However, even if they do begin to occur, you can bring yourself to a calmer state where these physical symptoms will begin to fade. Try to ignore blushing and shaking as much as possible and just concentrate on your vows and how much you love the person to whom you are making those vows. With regards to dry mouth, drink lots of water beforehand, and try not to think about it. As long as you concentrate on what you’re doing, instead of the fact that you are blushing, shaking, or have a dry mouth, they will actually begin to resolve themselves quite quickly.

Common Fear #4: Having Someone Heckle

This is a common fear, but it simply doesn’t happen at weddings. Remind yourself that everyone there with you is hoping the very best for you and your future spouse. They are all nervous right along with you and wouldn’t dream of saying anything but best wishes for your future together. The closest they will come to “heckling” is sending a mental prayer to provide you the strength and the courage to continue so that you may enjoy long and happy lives together.

Common Fear #5: Being Judged

The people attending your wedding are all people who know you, like or love you, and who wish you the very best. They know how much adrenaline is running through your system as you say your wedding vows, and wouldn’t judge you at a time like that; except to think about how well suited you are to the love of your life.

Icing Wedding Cakes

When you are choosing the look for your wedding cake, the first decision will be the type of icing you will have. This will be influenced by the type of finish you would like as well as the style of your wedding and cake. Here are three common types of icing:

1. Royal icing is made from pure icing sugar and egg whites, and it sets very hard so is generally the best option is you want intricate piping and delicate shapes. Royal icing tends to be used in icing wedding cakes for very formal occasions, and it is quite heavy so should be used on a dense cake such as a fruit cake. You will need a layer of marzipan or jam between the cake and the icing.

2. Fondant icing tastes similar to royal icing, but liquid glucose is added to the icing sugar and egg whites meaning that it never sets really hard. It can be used to make simple shapes, but is usually too soft for elaborate piping. Fondant icing gives a completely smooth and even finish. Fondant icing can be used on lighter sponge cakes, but still requires a base layer between the cake and the icing.

3. Butter cream icing is a delicious alternative to royal or fondant icing, and it is egg free. Made from icing sugar and butter, butter cream gives a textured finish, and is ideal for icing wedding cakes for informal occasions where the cake will all be eaten on the day. Butter cream can be applied directly to the cake without a base layer, and is often used for cupcakes. It can be piped to give a swirling effect, but this will be very soft so care should be taken in transportation.

3 Tips to Choosing The Perfect Wedding Cake

Choosing the perfect wedding cake is one of the most challenging aspects of your wedding, simply because not only does it have to look awesome, it has to taste just as great too. So here’s 3 tips for you brides-to-be on how to choose the perfect wedding cake that your guests will love.

 

1. Research
One enjoyable part about choosing a wedding cake is going through all the lovely cake pictures and choosing the type that you like. You can look through our gallery of wedding cake pictures so you are aware about the types of cakes available out there, in terms of design and taste. If you have a dream cake in mind, get pictures from the internet, think of color swatches cake decoration material before making your request for a custom cake. That way, your baker will have a better idea of what you want. Understanding some basic terms of wedding cakes. For example, there are two common edible cake decoration items, fondant and buttercream. Fondant is easy to mould into interesting shapes and neat designs can be created, but it does not taste very palpable. On the other hand, buttercream tastes awesome, but it cannot be as easily shaped as fondant. For a cake that looks stunning and tastes amazing, an experienced baker can place a thin layer of fondant over the buttercream frosting, so that the cake looks delectable and tastes just as great.

2. Save Some Cake For Yourselves!

On the wedding day, many couples do not get the opportunity to eat the cake that they painstakingly helped to create. Ask your family or caterer to save some for you, you deserve to eat the cake that you were involved in creating! Enjoy your little piece of heaven with your spouse as a night snack before heading to bed, it’ll be a sweet closure to all the months of wedding preparation!

3. Less is More

We understand it’s probably the first time you are getting a professional service for cake creation and design. However, be careful not to overdo the decorating. Fondant designs, flowers and ribbons are great additions to spruce up the cake, but be sure to leave some space to make it look not too cluttered. If you choose to opt for fresh flowers, select those which are more hardy, so that they look fresh throughout the evening. Some examples are calla lilies, dahlias and roses.

We hope you have enjoyed this post on how to choose your wedding cake. Stay tuned for more tips on planning your perfect wedding!