Running a wedding car business

Running a wedding car business can be, although stressful, interesting and exciting. You are among beautiful cars, you often meet new people and you have the feeling that you help them have a perfect wedding day.

You have to always think how to fulfil and extend your clients' wishes, while remaining competitive and increasing your income. There are some tips that you can follow.

Firstly, you should have your auto park kept in best possible conditions. Enlarge the number of the cars according to the clients wishes. Most of them want limousines or old cars for their wedding day. But a lot of other cars are required for the guests. Be flexible and accept to decorate the cars according to their wishes (flowers, traditional white or colored ribbons).

Secondly, make sure that you have hired the best personnel. A fully trained chauffeur is not only a must, but can add a plus to your firm's image. They have to be professional, persuasive, but friendly.

Then it would be better to have different offer packages (for example transports from the bride's house to the church, from here to the restaurant and from there to the chosen hotel or the airport / railway station).

It will be also a plus for your business if you assure the exclusivity of the car on the wedding day (everybody will be more relaxed and it will be plenty of time for photographs).

The wedding transport plays an important part of the celebration. You and your firm have the possibility to help making the wedding day a day to remember!
North East Wedding Cars.

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.

Making A Wedding Speech

Sooner or later, at some point in your life, you may be called upon to speak at someone’s wedding. Perhaps you’ll be the proud father of the bride or someone’s best man. Whatever the case may be, it can be a good idea to know how to make the appropriate wedding speech. Some people may think these points are obvious, but they’re not the ones that are giving the speech. If you’re not much for public speaking, you may find these tips helpful if you ever have to speak at someone’s wedding.

Keep it Short: 

The worst part of any wedding celebration is when some long winded buffoon drones on and on during his opportunity to make a wedding speech. No one wants to listen to your ramblings for forty minutes, no matter how interesting you may think they are. People are at the wedding to share in the couple’s joy and have a good time. No one will be able to do either if you talk for too great a length of time. Try to keep your speech under five minutes long if possible.

Save the jokes for Henny Youngman: 

Public speakers often like to try and break the ice with a joke, have you ever noticed that? Have you also noticed that the jokes are usually bad? These people have professional speech writers working for them. You do not. Unless you are truly a funny person (your name is Robin Williams, for example), steer clear of the jokes. If you do have to make jokes during your wedding speech, try to make them appropriate for the occasion. Jokes about weddings in general or the people in attendance will always work better than jokes of the “a guy walks into a bar” variety. Also remember that jokes at the groom’s expense are funny while those at the bride’s expense are not. That’s just the way it is.

Sentimentality Works: 

People get all warm, fuzzy, and gushy at weddings. Sharing sentimental stories about the couple and how in love they are, about your own wedding, or any other appropriately smarmy topic will have them eating out of your hand. Make the focus of your wedding speech the subject of love and roses and good feelings and puppies and you can’t go wrong.

This Day is Not About You: 

This is perhaps the most important thing to keep in mind when preparing and making a wedding speech. No matter how popular you are, no one is there to see you. The wedding day is all about the bride and groom. This is their day in the sun, so to speak. Keep your stories and anecdotes focused on the happy couple so that they can stay that way while you are speaking.

Keeping these topics in mind will help you be successful when making a wedding speech. With the right ideas and a minimal amount of preparation, even the most tongue tangled individual can come off like The Great Orator at least for five minutes or so when speaking at a wedding.

Make Your Wedding Special With These Bridesmaids Tips

It is customary to honor your bridesmaids for their participation in your wedding with a gift of appreciation.  Traditional gifts include a piece of jewelry such as earrings or a necklace that complements their bridesmaids dress and can be worn on the wedding day but many bridesmaids will truly appreciate a more unique gift idea.  With careful consideration you may be able to give your bridesmaids gifts that show your appreciation for their assistance and also demonstrate that you understand their personality as well.

Camping is one alternative to the traditional bachelor party.  You may choose to either rough it by backpacking to a location with only the gear on your back to help you survive the elements for a few days or you could choose to drive to a spa facility that offers well appointed cabins and five star gourmet meals.  Whichever option you choose, you are bound to have a great deal of time relaxing and enjoying the company of the rest of the participants in your bachelor party.  A camping trip offers the groom a quiet atmosphere to reflect with his friends on the journey he is about to take.

Sporting events are another great alternative to the usual bachelor party ideas.  You may find that married life does not offer you as much free time to spend with your friends as you used to have so take this chance to enjoy a little bit of fun with your friends.  Whether you choose to partake in a sport of your choice or purchase tickets to see your favorite professional athletes it is sure to be a great opportunity to bond with your male friends in the last few days before your wedding.

It is wise to try choosing a sport that all of your guests will be able to participate in especially if you plan to include very young or very old guests.  In this situation playing a game of football may not be the best idea but taking everyone to play a round of golf might be an activity that all of the guest can enjoy.

Personalized cosmetics bags can also be used as unique bridesmaids gifts.  You could purchase attractive cosmetic bags and have them embroidered with your bridesmaids’ initials and the date of your wedding.  Another nice touch with this gift is to include a few items such as lipstick or nail polish that complement each of your bridesmaids’ style and complexion.

Co-ed bachelor parties that coincide with the bachelorette party are becoming increasingly popular as well.  One common practice involving these adjunct parties is to have the bachelors and bachelorettes meet at separate restaurants for dinner and then join each other at a nightclub to cap off the night with some dancing and a few drinks.  These types of parties can be a great deal of fun because they allow both the bride and the groom some time apart to spend time with their friends and then they reunite the couple at the end of the night in a chance for them to spend time with all of their friends without the pomp and circumstance that is likely to accompany their wedding reception.

Unique gift ideas for the bridesmaids can also stem from the wedding theme.  For example if you are having a beach themed wedding you might want to give your bridesmaids a gift of a tote bag, a beach towel and a novel to enjoy on the beach.  This unique gift idea ensures that your bridesmaids will remember your wedding fondly the next time they are at the beach.  Traditional bridesmaid’s gifts such as jewelry and jewelry boxes are always welcomed but if you have a large group of friends and most of them will be bridesmaids several more times as more of your friends get married it might be nice to give your bridesmaids a gift that is unique.  Unique gift ideas convey your message of appreciation but also let the bridesmaids know that you put a great deal of effort into choosing their gift.

Make Money Creating Wedding/Memorial Scrapbooks

If you're familiar with creating scrapbooks then you have a work at home business waiting to be opened in your lap. Scrapbooks are a wonderful way to treasure wedding memories or the memories of a lost loved one.

To create a wedding scrapbook for a client you will need to attend the wedding or reception in order to gather photographs and quotes from family and friends of the happy couple. For this you will need a digital camera and a small tape recorder or notepad.

If the scrapbook is meant to be a memorial for someone you will need to gather photographs of the person from his or her relatives. Try to get photos from all phases of the person's life. Ask the friends and family of the person to recall their memories of their loved one.

It would be best to use a tape recorder for this for accuracy. You don't want entire chapters about the person, just words he or she said or funny events that occurred in their life.

Use the wedding's theme for the wedding scrapbook. Use items from the wedding in the scrapbook, pressed flowers, ribbons, and lace from the veil, the couple's vows, and even the groom's tie. This scrapbook will become a family treasure. You want the scrapbook to bring the wedding to life each time someone opens it.

For the memorial scrapbook try to base the theme on the person being honored. What is the one personality trait or hobby or quirk of his or hers that the person's relatives remember best? Was the person a comedian, an avid fisher, or the scholarly type? Was the person a proud veteran? Maybe he or she was a community activist.

Try to use small objects from the person's life in the scrapbook to personalize it, a bit of cloth from a favorite dress, favorite flowers, awards, the ugly tie a child bought for a dad's birthday or for Father's Day, school drawings made by the person's children.

While performing either scrapbook service you must remember that discretion is of utmost importance. For example, leave out the embarrassing remark the bride's aunt made no matter how funny you may think it. Don't include an ugly quote or memory in the memorial scrapbook. Your clients won't appreciate it.

To advertise your wedding scrapbook service create eye-catching business cards and brochures on your computer and leave them at bridal shops, at stores with wedding registries, and place ads in your local newspaper. You might try church bulletins boards as well, as long as the powers that be don't mind.

For your memorial scrapbook service leave brochures at funeral homes, place newspaper ads, and leave your card with the ministers and priests in your town. Act with respect and discretion. In other words, don't hand out brochures at the funeral.

When a client asks about your service it would be wise to have a scrapbook you've already made on hand that you can show the client to demonstrate your skill. Your client wants to know what he or she is getting in exchange for their hard-earned money.

But how much should you charge?

People are willing to pay well for a truly beautiful scrapbook of their memories. $50 to $100 isn't unreasonable for the work and time you put into the scrapbook. You could charge more for a really detailed wedding scrapbook.

Charging more for a detailed memorial album would be up to you. But it might be wise to set a fixed price for memorial albums, for example $50 for a small album and $75 for a large album.

You don't want to seem as if you're trying to gouge the mourning family as doing so could harm your business reputation. Treat the family with respect and do the finest job possible on their scrapbook. Soon word of your skill will spread to other people interested in having a memorial album created.

Put your love for creating scrapbooks to work, and one day you can create a scrapbook about your successful business that you created one memory at a time.

Las Vegas Wedding Invitation Wording - Help is Here

Wedding invitation wording can be found all over the Internet, but what about Las Vegas wedding invitation wording? This is where brides getting married in Las Vegas or brides having a Las Vegas themed wedding need help.

Most brides getting married in Las Vegas or who are having a Las Vegas themed wedding, don’t want the traditional wedding invitation wording. They want Las Vegas invitation wording, or wording for their invitations specific to Las Vegas.

Have no fear, help is here!

As the owner of the largest Las Vegas wedding invitation store in the world, VegasWedlockInvitations.com, I have dealt with many brides looking for traditional Las Vegas wedding invitation wording, cheesy Las Vegas wedding invitation wording and eloping Las Vegas wedding invitation wording.

The only thing to know about Las Vegas wedding invitation wording is that there are absolutely no rules!

While hundreds of thousands of traditional wedding invitation companies have wedding albums and catalogs with traditional wedding invitation wording, a wedding invitation album or catalog has yet to be created on Las Vegas wedding invitation wording. Traditional Las Vegas wedding invitation wording simply doesn’t exist. Though, I would like to give a few examples of Las Vegas themed wedding invitation wording that I have helped with.

-Las Vegas wedding invitation wording example one:
We’ve rolled the dice and hit lucky number 7
So we’re being married in Las Vegas.
Bride
and
Groom
Date
Venetian
Las Vegas, NV

-Las Vegas wedding invitation wording example two:
What happens in Las Vegas … Stays in our hearts
Join us in Las Vegas!
Bride
Daughter of Bride’s parents
and
Groom
Date
The Paris
Las Vegas, NV

-Las Vegas wedding invitation wording example three:
It could have been the time

Maybe it was the place

We thought you should
Know in any case

We,

Bride

and

Groom

were married

Date

in Las Vegas, Nevada

More good news about Las Vegas wedding invitation wording is that if a couple can’t find a unique way to announce their Vegas vows, they can always go with traditional wedding invitation wording on an outstanding Las Vegas wedding invitation.

Kids Wedding Reception Activities

Not all brides and grooms want to exclude children from their wedding. Many are happy to welcome children into their wedding both as members of the wedding party and as guests.

Having children at a wedding, however, poses a myriad of problems. Do you leave the children to their own devices and hope they behave and don't get in the way? Do you provide a room with childcare so they are "present" but not too much under foot? Perhaps the best solution is a simple mix of both, with a smattering of fun built in.

First of all, if children are invited to the wedding, take into consideration the ages of the children. Babies will have to stay with mom and/or dad, for a variety of reasons. So planning to have all the children in another room might not be feasible. But if the children are toddlers up to about age 12, you can provide a separate room for them with childcare and a make a number of activities available to them.

If the children will be in a separate room at the reception, you can provide a coloring table, perhaps a TV with an appropriate movie ready to roll, and some board games. That could probably be enough for the duration of the wedding reception. Be aware of a few things: there should be a ratio of at least 1 adult for every 5 children if the children are toddlers, or 1 adult to every 10 children if the kids are older. Don't expect the kids to take up the activities on their own, but rather tell the childcare provider to get the kids involved in the activities by doing them him or herself.

What if the children will be part of the reception festivities? What activities can be geared specifically to children at the reception? There are plenty of things you can do, really. You can certainly plan a coloring table at the back of the reception hall or room. There, you can provide loads of paper, coloring books, markers and crayons. Paints are not recommended, for obvious reasons, and moms will thank you if you remember to supply the kids with washable markers and crayons only.

The art table can be more than just coloring, however. Buy a huge bag of pipe cleaners. Kids can amuse themselves for long periods of time, making animals, odd figures and the like. Make sure you have at least 20 or more pipe cleaners for each child, however, as children can go through these quickly. Think about "clean" clay, the new products that don't stick to anything and don't leave a trace on furniture. With a few different colors, kids can create a variety of figures, faces or forms.

Many brides like to plan more formally for their small guests. There are several options if this is the route you want to take. One popular option is to have paid entertainment on hand just for the children. This can take place in a separate room or toward the back of the reception room or hall if it's large and the guest list is big. You can hire a clown or a balloon artist. You can have someone braid the children's hair and provide temporary tattoos. If there is a separate room available, you can even hire a children's musician to come and entertain the kids. The options are endless.

If no plans are made for the children, but they arrive at the wedding expecting entertainment, you'll have to make some plans. One option is a "child only" dance, which allows only the children on the dance floor. This is not only cute to watch, and could be entertaining as well, but it will bring a smile to the face of every grandma and grandpa present.

Jazz Wedding Music, Perfect for Every Wedding Day Event

Whether a bride wants to walk down the aisle to a touching melody or dance to a swinging tune, jazz musicians can deliver both and more.

“Jazz musicians are unique because they can adapt jazz music to every wedding ceremony, wedding reception, cocktail hour, luncheon, dinner and more,” Chandler Judkins, owner of Las Vegas Wedding Music in Las Vegas, said. “This also saves money for couples because they can use the same band throughout the day so they don’t have to hire other musicians for different aspects such as a string quartet for the ceremony. The jazz musicians can do the wedding ceremony too.”

Las Vegas Wedding Music is the number one music contracting company in Las Vegas and their jazz music package is one of their least expensive.

Ceremony:

String quartets are the number one requested music group for weddings and especially wedding ceremonies, according to Judkins. However, Judkins believes that a jazz quartet can perform just as beautifully for a wedding ceremony and can add an extra dimension because of the variety of instruments to choose from.

“A string quartet will have the same instruments forever, two violins, a viola and a cello,” Judkins said. “But jazz quartets can be varied with a trumpet or a saxophone or even a flute or clarinet.”

Receptions

Jazz bands can have as little as three musicians and go up to a 17 piece big band.

No matter the size though, jazz bands can be flexible to what a bride and groom want for the reception music and their first dance whether it be swing music or a romantic song.

“Las Vegas Wedding Music makes a point to publish a song list on our Web site so couples can see the wide variety that our wedding musicians can play,” Judkins said. “If a couple requests a song, that is never a problem as long as we know ahead of time.”

Judkins went on to say, “It’s harder for string quartets and other music combinations to play such a variety. Requests are harder to accept, and dance music is harder to come by.”

Cocktail Hour

Another feature of a jazz band or jazz quartet is that a singer can be added easily and usually at a minimal cost.

“Las Vegas Wedding Music has singers on hand at all times ready to be added to any jazz band, big or small,” Judkins said. “Our wedding singers are the best in Las Vegas too.”

Luncheons or Dinners

Jazz musicians are amazing featured performers, but they are also amazing in the background. When playing for wedding luncheons or dinners, Las Vegas Wedding Music’s jazz musicians play loud enough to be heard but soft enough so that conversation can continue without straining.

“Any horns have mutes on them and all Las Vegas Wedding Music’s musicians have experience in playing softly, but with quality,” Judkins said.

No matter your wedding event, whether it be a wedding ceremony, wedding reception, cocktail hour, luncheon or dinner, jazz music is no doubt an amazing choice for brides and grooms.

Japanese Wedding Theme

Japanese weddings, although very expensive are very elegant and serene. If you are choosing a Japanese theme for your wedding, think about ways to achieve the authentic look at a fraction of the price.

For a Japanese wedding theme begin with the bride’s attire. Traditionally, a bride in Japan wears a white silk kimono, which can cost up to twenty five thousand dollars to purchase. With a good seamstress, a kimono can be made from white silk. A groom wears a haori on the top and a hakama on the bottom, all in black. The bride will usually change into different kimonos up to five times during the wedding day. Although not required, some Japanese brides wear wigs as part of the tradition of the kimono wedding dress. The wig is heavily decorated in artificial flowers, gold combs and pearls. The wedding party will also dress in kimono’s, usually in a color chosen by the bride.

At the ceremony of a Japanese themed wedding, the bride and groom traditionally enter the ceremony from different sides of the room while drum and flute music are being played. A sacred tree, made from paper streamers is then waved over the couple in belief that it will keep evil spirits away and unite purification. After vows are said, the couple then drinks wine, or sake, and exchanges their glasses nine times to symbolize their bonding.

Some accessories to look for when uniting in a Japanese themed wedding include white fans for the bride and bridesmaids to hold during the ceremony, bonsai trees to display as centerpieces on the reception tables, a decorated parasol for the flower girl to carry, and bowls of bamboo to set around the reception to give a more authentic look of Japanese culture.

When deciding on lighting for a Japanese themed wedding, look for paper lantern lights, which can also be made. Hang them at the reception location and use for lighting rather than candles. You may also think about buying miniature fans to use as place settings for guests to take home as souvenirs. Chop sticks are another great item to add to the theme of the wedding. Whether your guests know how to use them or not, they will have fun trying and taking them home.

In a new modern era, couples are beginning to incorporate the traditional Japanese wedding with more of a modern Western culture, which makes the wedding more understood by those who are not familiar with Japan’s culture.

When planning your Japanese wedding theme, read up on the cultures and traditions of Japan and include all or a few of them in your wedding, using your own style. If you pay attention to the detail of your attire, reception decorations, music and flowers, you will have a beautiful wedding with the feel of Japanese culture.

Interesting Wedding Night Rituals from Around The World

Weddings are occasions of lasting traditions and rituals. All over the world, people’s beliefs, culture and history has affected this memorable event. It is common knowledge that wedding ceremonies are different all over the world, but did you know that the diversity extends even on the wedding night? Read this to know the interesting activities that couples, families and friends do before letting the newlyweds reach a night of wedding bliss!

It is customary in an American wedding for the bride and groom to hop into a get-away car with tin cans attached to the rear of the car, off to their secret honeymoon, immediately after the wedding. Did you know that this rooted from escaping a Celtic wedding night tradition?

In Gaelic cultures, it was a tradition for friends and family of the couple to mess with the couple’s wedding night. In the olden days, when couples spend their wedding night in a barn, girl friends of the bride would dress her for bed and ask each of the male guests to kiss her good night. The friends would do other things to prevent the groom from seeing her new wife. Even if the couple finally comes together, they would disturb the union by making noise outside the barn and even peep into the couple, while drinking the night away. The couple waits for everyone to get too drunk to eventually leave them alone. This kind of prank is something that newly weds want to get away from, thus, they keep their honeymoon destination a secret and speed away after the wedding.
More Celtic wedding night ritual come from Scotland: sleeping in the barn on the first night, sprinkling water on the marriage bed for luck and staying for a week with the bride's parents before moving into the newlywed’s home.

The Germans and the French do a similar tradition of “disturbing” the wedding night, called Chiverie, known in the US as Shivaree. They make noise outside the place where the couple spends their first night together. Some even play around with the room where they will stay, like put plenty of balloons, spread food all over the bed, and hide alarm clock everywhere, just for fun.
The Romans believed that it was bad fortune when the bride stumbles when entering the newlywed’s house for the first time. Thus, after the wedding, male friends of the couple would carry her over the doorstep. At present, the groom is expected to do the job himself.

In Benin, western Africa, they value virginity. The bride’s mother rewards her with cash if she’s a virgin at their wedding night! In the morning, the sheets that the couples used are inspected for bloodstains. Some mothers even fly the flag out the window, showing off their daughter's bloodstained nightgown. Seriously!

For the Chinese, at the night of the wedding, candles designed with a phoenix and a dragon is lit to drive the evil spirit away. The newlyweds will drink wine from goblets tied together with a red ribbon, while arms intertwined. Then the bride will be given half-raw dumplings, which symbolize prosperity.

Marquesasian (from Polynesia) brides have a notable wedding night ritual: they are expected to have sex with all the male guests and then saving the groom for last. Now that can make your wedding night … extremely unforgettable!