Thursday, October 13, 2011

7 Uniquely Creative Things To Do With Your Wedding Photos




1. Photos on Canvas

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have your favourite wedding photo transformed into stunning photo art? By printing the image onto a hand-stretched canvas you can give an artistic, finished look to your most classic wedding photo.

2. Personalized Stamp

Turn your favourite wedding photo in a custom postage stamp. All you need to do is upload a photo and then customize it just the way you want. Each stamp is actual valid postage and can be used to decorate your thank you and holiday card envelopes or as creative wedding favours. Add a personal touch to everything you send by mail and create a timeless keepsake as well.


3. Custom Thank You Card

By featuring one of your wedding photos on the front of a custom note card you can create classy customized thank you cards for your guests and others who helped with your wedding planning. Each of your guests will now have a photo keepsake from your special day.


4. Create a Multimedia DVD Slide-Show

You can create a DVD slide-show presentation of your wedding photos that can be played on your TV. You can even select your first dance or other favourite song as your background music. A neat and interactive way to create a memory of your wedding day.


5. Online Scrap Book

Tell the story of your wedding by publishing an online scrapbook. Include photos from the events leading up to your big day including showers, stags, rehearsal parties as well as the ceremony and reception. Your scrapbook will be easy to share with all of your guests because it will be available via the internet.


6. Digital Photobook

Trendy coffee table style albums are becoming more and more popular with so many people looking for new ways to display their digital prints. These unique albums include hard cover options such as suede and canvas. The easy to use software helps you design your photobook just the way you want it with many choices for image sizes and layouts.

7. Wedding Caricature

A wedding caricature is cartoon version of you and your spouse on your wedding day. Each image is hand drawn by an artist and makes for the perfect first anniversary gift.

7 Key Skills to Becoming a Successful Wedding Planner


Becoming a wedding planner involves more than just planning a wedding. You must understand the business aspect of your service and learn to manage your time to earn the most profits. You will be the face of your business and your own public relations representative. Every day you will have the opportunity to build -- or damage -- your reputation as a businessperson.

As your business and your expertise grow, you will probably begin planning multiple weddings at once. It is essential that you strive to provide the best, personalized attention to each couple when planning their big day, without losing your sanity.

The 7 Key Skills

No one said that becoming a wedding planner was a job for the faint of heart. Not everyone can succeed as a wedding consultant. A good wedding planner is:

- Calm. You will be the bride’s (and the groom’s!) rock. From miscommunications with vendors to major meltdowns at the ceremony, you must be able to keep your cool in the wake of a calamity. A wedding planner should always have a Plan B ready for action in case of an emergency.

- Charming. You are the face of your business and your clients’ representative. Impeccable communication and social skills are imperative. Your reputation as a wedding consultant depends on your ability to network and maintain great working relationships with vendors and venues. Wedding planners must know how to communicate and work with all personality types. Not everyone you encounter will be pleasant and easy to please. You must be able to defuse any situation to get the results your client desires.

-  A Great Negotiator. The bride and groom will be counting on you to order flowers, hire the band and photographer, recommend a caterer, and help find venues for the ceremony and reception. You must be able to find the best service for the lowest price. This becomes easier as you create a reputation for yourself and develop professional relationships with vendors and venues. Your connections will get you better deals, which you can pass on to your customers.

- Good with Money. Starting a wedding planner business requires that you be able to manage your own expenses and stick to a budget, as well as be responsible for someone else’s money and budget. Previous experience with money management is vital -- even if your only experience consists of controlling the household finances.

- Organized. A wedding consultant might be responsible for almost every aspect of the big day: the venues, theme, flowers, food, refreshments, attire, photography, honeymoon, and other details of the wedding. Keeping track of all the nuances, contract dates, and deadlines requires an enormous amount of organization and attention to detail. Your calendar will be your new best friend.

- A Plethora of Knowledge. A good wedding planner has fashion sense, good taste in music, and an eye for color, flowers, and themes. You must be able to keep up with the latest bridal trends and fads, hot honeymoon destinations, and of course, traditional wedding etiquette. Many wedding consultants also learn about different religious ceremonies and traditions so that they can accommodate couples of any faith.

- Able to Maintain a Sense of Humor: From indecisive or emotional brides to controlling parents and absentee vendors, your work is cut out for you. When you are dealing in dreams, the ability to keep things in perspective is essential.

Beginning your own wedding planning business will be a learning experience. No one knows everything from day one, and as the old saying goes, practice makes perfect.


7 Advantages To Buying Plus Size Wedding Lingerie Online



Wedding lingerie is an important part of a bride's trousseau because it allows a bride to feel elegant, desirable and sexy.

However, plus size brides often face a challenge finding wedding lingerie that will fit properly and look alluring for their special day and honeymoon.

By shopping online, the full-figured bride can easily find affordable, flattering, stylish, sexy plus size wedding lingerie!

There are many online lingerie stores that carry a large selection of plus size wedding lingerie. Many of these merchants focus exclusively on providing plus size lingerie that enhances and flatters the sensuous curves of fuller figures.

These plus size lingerie stores strive to provide quality products that provide the same sexy feel as smaller sized intimates, with fuller coverage that many plus size women prefer. By shopping online at one of the top plus size lingerie stores, the full-figured bride can find a variety of wedding lingerie, including baby dolls, bustiers, corsets, teddies, fantasy costumes, leather, as well as tantalizing treats and accessories!

Many of these merchants offer super plus size lingerie in sizes up to 6x, to fit the fullest plus size figures.

There are many advantages to buying plus size wedding lingerie online. They include:

•     Free shipping

Many of the top online plus size lingerie stores offer free standard shipping for newsletter and email subscribers, for purchases shipped inside the continental U.S. or for lingerie purchases over a certain amount.

•     First time discounts and gifts

Many of the top online plus size lingerie stores offer discounts for first time shoppers.  The best lingerie merchants offer free gifts and frequent buyer rewards.

•     Easy return policies

The best online plus size lingerie stores allow unworn items to be returned for a refund, exchange or store credit.

•     Email lists and newsletters

The top online plus size lingerie merchants offer email and newsletter subscriptions that feature the latest plus size lingerie news, sales, specials and coupons.

•     Discreet packaging

The best online plus size lingerie stores will ship lingerie orders in plain packaging.  The words “plus size wedding lingerie” will not appear on the outside of the package.

•     Selection

The top online plus size lingerie stores offer a wide variety of plus size wedding lingerie in sizes and styles above and beyond what the full-figured bride could expect to find in retail stores.

•     Privacy

The full-figured woman can shop for plus size wedding lingerie in the comfort and privacy of her own home.

By shopping online, finding pretty plus size wedding lingerie can be a breeze!  The full-figured bride can find a great selection of sophisticated and flattering plus size wedding lingerie that will help make her look and feel sexy, confident, and beautiful on her wedding day!

5 Tips To Select The Best Wedding Reception Location


Being disc jockeys, we get the opportunity to evaluate many reception facilities while having little or no bias to "sell" one location over another. Most Brides and Grooms know where they will be holding the ceremony before they decide where to have the reception, so we have compiled five observations that can help you when selecting your venue.

Distance - If people have to drive a long way to get from the ceremony to the reception, some will get distracted or decide to do something else. Try to keep the reception within a 15 to 30 minute drive of your ceremony. If it is not possible to get a reception hall close to your ceremony, make a caravan. Have the Bride and Groom lead the parade, and people will follow you to your reception.

Time - Time is just like the distance issue. If your reception is several hours after the ceremony, people will get busy doing other things and not show up for the reception. Try to start the reception within an hour or two of the ceremony. If you don't want to start your wedding dance at 4 o'clock in the afternoon, have a Meet and Greet mixer before your reception. Serve some punch and get people to mingle. This will be one of the few times that both families will be together. Encourage family members to share stories about your childhoods.

Size - People like their personal space, and they have most likely spent an hour packed into a church for your ceremony. If you let them spread out, they will enjoy themselves more. Make sure your reception hall has plenty of room for your guests. The people renting the location might tell you it holds 200 people, but that doesn't necessarily mean it will hold 200 people comfortably! Make sure to visit the venue before booking.

Climate Control - Having a summer wedding? Is your reception hall air conditioned? If people sweat while just sitting, they won't dance. On the flip side, if they are cold they won't dance either (who wants to dance in a parka?). Also make sure you know who has control of the thermostat so the temperature can be adjusted if needed. Chances are your reception will be warm and stuffy while all the guest are there, but as they trickle out during the night the room will begin to cool down.

Smoking - This is a hot button issue, but if your reception hall is non-smoking, you can fully expect smoker's to leave your reception for 15-30 minutes every hour. If enough of them leave the reception area, you may find a large percentage of your guest just hanging out in the smoking area. This can be a big problem if you have many smokers in your wedding party. You don't have to allow smoking, but it is something you should consider, especially if anyone has any health problems like asthma or allergies that could be triggered by smoke. If you decide not to allow smoking in the reception area, how close is the nearest place for a smoker to go? Is it close enough that you will be able to get needed wedding party members during events like the bouquet toss or garter auction?

Facility coordinators will no doubt bring up several other factors for you to consider when you interview them for your booking, but these are often missed items, especially if they don't favor the potential venue. If you keep the overall picture in mind and work with your wedding planner or event coordinator on the decorating ideas, you will no doubt have an enjoyable and memorable wedding reception.

5 Steps to Finding a Memorable Wedding Favor


Your wedding is not just a celebration of your love; it is also a way to thank the special people in your life. Wedding favors, in particular, are the expression of that gratitude. It says “thank you for being there”—and also, is a token of affection.

That’s why couples should give as much thought to their wedding favors as they do to any other detail in the wedding. Why give something boring and generic, which will only end up gathering dust in the corner of a closet? Make it special, make it beautiful, and make it unique—something that, when seen, will make them remember you and your wedding.

You’ll find many unique ideas for wedding favors. Here are just things to consider as you choose from the selection:

* Follow your wedding theme. Did you have a beach wedding? A little glass jar with sand and shells can be used as a paperweight. Add a romantic quote or a verse from a poem with a sea theme, and you have something appropriate and practical. Dried flowers pinned against a refrigerator magnet make a lovely garden wedding favor, while a Medieval themed wedding can have chocolate coins in a velvet pouch.

* Be nostalgic. Dress up a photo frame with a couple portrait, or a CD with your favorite music. Even an ordinary box, useful for odds and ends like paperclips or jewellery, becomes a touching wedding favor if it’s filled with potpourri and a personal note from the couple thanking the guest for “sweet memories”.

* Give something useful, but dainty. What about a champagne charm with a heart (to “toast” your new life), with a note that says that you hope that your guest will have many days as happy as this wedding is for you? A sachet with potpourri, to put into the closet, can also carry the scent of the flowers in your bouquet. These are things that they won’t buy for themselves, but will definitely appreciate—while carrying the theme of your wedding.

* Think “sweets”. Chocolates and candies are always a welcome souvenir, and can be wrapped to reflect the theme of your wedding. If you have a very elegant evening wedding, try rum balls in a small gold box; or if you have a seaside wedding, give chocolates shaped like sea shells. You can even ask some suppliers to form your monogram into a chocolate, or have chocolate handpainted to look like little bouquets of flowers.

* Even “ordinary” wedding favors become extra special if they’re presented properly. Try grouping your wedding favors to become part of the table centerpiece. For example, little boxes of chocolate, arranged in a tier, can add to the beauty of the reception area. Or, you can have chocolate rosebuds inserted into your regular floral centerpiece—now that’s a “sweet” discovery!

There are so many unique wedding favors that the problem isn’t what to give, but which one to give. And with the large variety, there’s bound to be one that fits into your budget and theme.

4 Tips to Help Write Personal Wedding Vows


A person’s wedding is one of the most memorable, important, and high points in an individual’s life.  At a time when a man and a woman want to make the ultimate commitment to spend the rest of their lives together, the desire to have personalized vows is certainly understandable.  This is one of the most unique and special days in a person’s life, so if you want to speak your own personal wedding vows, than by all means, you should go for it!

Writing your own vows can be intimidating.  Wedding days always add pressure to even the most mundane of tasks, and certainly writing the vows you want to say to your significant other in front of all your friends and family is no small matter!  Still, don’t let fear cause you to go along with some basic commonly used wedding vows if you really want that personalized touch.  Just follow a few basic tips, and this will help you be on your way to writing the tips your future spouse deserves!

1. Write from the heart.  Your wedding day represents the epitome of love between you and your future spouse.  The two of you are together for a reason.  Anything you write should be honest and from your heart, because that is what will really make your words special.
2. You don’t have to be Robert Frost or Emily Dickinson.  If you are a poet, great.  Keep in mind, though, that in the end words are just words.  Your wedding vows do not have to be an amazing classic piece of literature—they need to be an honest display of your feelings for the other person.  Don’t use long poetical words if all it does is put distance between your words and your feelings.
3. It’s okay to brainstorm.  Before you set down to write everything, make a list of the things about your spouse that you absolutely love about your spouse, then make a list of the commitments you want to make.  Figure out what parts of those lists you really want to include (keep in mind the vows are read in front of families and friends) and keep those.
4. Short and Sweet.  It doesn’t take many words or a lot of time to make your heart known to everyone present.  A lot can be said in a really short time, so don’t feel like you have to make the vows any longer than they naturally come out.

Follow these four tips, and you’ll find yourself getting over your worries to write some great wedding vows that your spouse will love!

3 Things to Pay Attention to for Your Budget Wedding


Getting married is one of your most important day of our lives.  Some people tend to have a budget wedding as to save their money for some practical reasons.  What important to know is that a budget wedding does not mean a cheap wedding. It all depends on how smart you plan your budget wedding.

There are many aspects that you can cut cost of your wedding expenditures.  However, you should pay attentions on some aspects so that you will not sacrifice the quality of it.

First, Wedding Photography and/or Videography.  A professional wedding photography can charge you anywhere between $1000-$3000. You might think that you can just ask your friend or relative to take your wedding pictures. It is a No No.  Wedding pictures and videos are the only things that you can see or view to re-live your wedding moments in future.  If you really need to cut your budget, try asking around from some photography clubs.  There are some members out there who really have a hobby of photography and would not mind to give you lower prices. One good practice is to pay them first to do your pre-wedding picture or video.  If you satisfy with the results, you can contract him/her again for you wedding day.

Wedding venue.  If you think that you could save money by having your wedding money in your house for free of charge, make sure that your house if conformable enough for guest to gather around.  We would like the guest to be comfortable so that they would stay longer.  In the end, how could the wedding party be nice when guests are leaving early?  Try to find good venue that match your theme.  You would find that in some days or time, the price could be lower.

Flowers. Have you asked around how much it will cost you for arranging wedding ceremony flowers?  You get shocked when it could cost you above $700 right?  Some of the flower vendor could charge you very cheap.  But the be careful of vendor that will show you a good sample of flowers, and when it is time for your wedding day, he/she will arrange the flowers with some "not fresh" ones.  Well, you can always cut your cost here buy ordering the flowers that are in season. Or, you can have a garden wedding without adding more budgets to flower decorations.

There are other aspects to consider for your budget wedding.  Overall, the important thing is to have proper planning for your budget wedding.  You can cut cost up to 50% of what you have budgeted.

3 Famous Black Fridays



While the term “Black Friday” may often be used to describe any Friday the 13th, there are also a variety of things in history that happened on a Friday, which then became known as a “Black Friday.” Some of the events that later received this name include floods, fierce fires, and even a riot. The following are a few “Black Friday’s” that the world will not forget.

Friday Flood
On May 31, 1889, one of the worst and most well-known floods in history occurred, known as the Johnstown Flood. This flood occurred in Johnstown, Pennsylvania and was actually caused by a dam that gave way. This flood actually killed more than 2,000 people and the town was devastated by the flood waters. It was at this point in time that the Red Cross, which was led by nurse Clara Barton, actually responded to its first disaster and offered help and relief to hurting people. While it was a dark day, the Red Cross was born into a disaster relief organization like no other.

Friday Fires
Another “Black Friday” that many people will never forget occurred on January 13, 1939. On this day, wildfires broke out in the country of Australia, and to this day they are still known as the worst natural fires that ever occurred. Almost 5 million acres were burned by this fire and 72 people were killed as well. This fire was devastating, and the ecological and economical repercussions lasted for decades after the fires were extinguished.

Friday Fighting
February 9, 1945 brought about another “Black Friday,” which consisted of the fiercest air battle of the Second World War between the Germans and the British. This air battle took place over Norway. During this famous air fight, there were actually 15 airplanes that were shot down and 24 men died during this battle. Few have forgotten the bravery that was shown on this day.


"Note To Self" -- Creating A Wedding Time Capsule


One of the wedding trends that's really revving up brides today is the addition of a time capsule to the wedding prep proceedings. Yes, the wedding time capsule is a growing trend -- to the point where you can buy a pre-made kit from many web sites.


In kit form, your wedding time capsule takes the form of an attractive tin, in which you place various mementos -- photos, videos -- as well as predictions for the future; then, you seal it all up with some festive stickers, to help discourage premature peeking. You decide ahead of time how long you'll wait until you open it again -- your 10th anniversary? 25th anniversary? And then you write a stern directive to yourself on the tin to help you keep to the agreement.


Although most people equate "time capsule" with "something you bury in the ground," burying your wedding time capsule isn't a great idea. Not only does that subject the contents to extreme temperature variations, but with the US Census recently reporting that the average American moves every five years, chances of you leaving behind a buried capsule before the hoped-for anniversary rolls around are high indeed. Instead, keep yours out of the elements and somewhere relatively kind -- avoid damp attics, but a climate-controlled closet would be just perfect.


Some of us just like to do things our own way, and a wedding time capsule is no exception. Of course you can create your own! And a great way to do that is to get close friends and relatives in on the fun. Have them scribble up some predictions -- or perhaps marital advice. Take advantage of a pre-wedding party to snap photos of your intimates, and tuck the photos into the capsule. If you really want to motivate people to get involved, hold some kind of drawing for participants, such as a wedding raffle -- give away a box of fine cigars, a bottle of bubbly or even an afternoon at a spa.


While you're letting others in on the action, there are number of ways to go about it. One is to compose a list of predictions for everyone to guess at -- the whole experience is similar to filling out a junior high slam book, and just as fun. For example, ask participants to predict:


How many children you'll have,
what kind of household robots you'll have,
how many career changes you've gone through,
what major nation we're closest to, and which one we're mad at,
what animal is the trendiest pet,


... and so on.


Another is to ask your wedding party and close friends to compose short letters to you. Give them each envelopes, and instruct them to tell you on the outside when it's time to open the envelope. Some will simply say "fifth anniversary," "10th anniversary," or "when your first child is born." Others will get more creative -- and you'll probably find it's terrific fun to stretch out the time capsule concept in this inventive, unpredictable way.



Wednesday, August 3, 2011

our privacy policy


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