Planning Destination Weddings - Where to Begin

You have made the decision; you are going to have a destination wedding! It's all very exciting, the world is your oyster, but what do you do now? How do you start planning your destination
wedding?



...Many couples have successfully planned their own destination wedding and it is not as daunting as it may first seem.

There are a number of factors you need to take into consideration
before you begin planning your destination wedding. The most
important being why you have chosen to have a destination wedding
and not a wedding at home. What are the main factors motivating
your decision, for example, is it to save money, time, or eliminate
stress? Or do you simply want to put your personal stamp on the
occasion?

Once you've established this turn your thoughts to the type and
style of wedding you would like and how much involvement you would
like to have in its planning. Would you like a small intimate
affair or a grand occasion? Do you want it to be traditional or
adventurous?

Your answers to these questions will have a bearing on how you
should plan your destination wedding and whether you should use a
Tour Operator, Wedding Planner or plan your wedding yourself. Each
option caters for subtly different wants and needs and has both its
advantages and disadvantages.

If you are planning to have a small destination wedding and do not
want to spend your time worrying about the "little details" that go
hand in hand with planning a wedding at home, and value for money
and keeping costs low is one of your main priorities, then using a
Tour Operator may be the perfect choice for you.

If you would like to have a unique wedding that reflects your
individual style and personality or be involved in the decision
making processes but not the hands on planning then using a Wedding
Planner may be your best option.

Alternatively if you think you would enjoy the challenge of
planning a wedding in a foreign country or break into a cold sweat
at the mere thought of handing the responsibility over to someone
else, then planning your own destination wedding could be your
perfect choice. Many couples have successfully planned their own
destination wedding and it is not as daunting as it may first seem.

Once you have decided which option you wish to pursue be sure to
investigate a good selection of providers. Properly researching the
options and services available to you will provide you comfort in
the knowledge that you have chosen the right partner or partners to
work with, after all it is your wedding day and you shouldn't
settle for second best.

With careful research and planning you will be able to plan a
wedding that is unique, a wedding that is distinctive, a wedding
that surpasses all your expectations and is the talk of the town
for years to come.

About the Author

Natalie Wingrove successfully planned her own destination wedding. In order to share her experiences and offer valuable advice, hints & tips on having a destination wedding she has created the website www.weddings-abroad-guide.com.

© Copyright Natalie Wingrove

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A Wedding You Won't Forget!

Ah, the wedding. It is one of the most joyous, and torturous, events you will ever face. It absolutely amazes me what we humans put ourselves through just to create that perfect celebration of love.


...A slideshow video will leave your guests with a smile on their faces and tears in their eyes!


The planning of a typical wedding is very difficult. I should know because I am planning my own right now!

There is so much that needs to be done and there never seems to be enough time. I have talked with literally hundreds of people who have gone through the planning of a wedding and I have found that its the little things that cause all the stress. Its easy to plan for the obvious, but the minute details can drive you insane!

One of the most overlooked details of a wedding is what I think one of the most important details. It is making your wedding special for your guests. You see, its easy to forget that the wedding is not just for you and your future spouse. Its also for everyone who attends your wedding. Its very important you dont forget about all the people who are special to you and who will be traveling from all over to be with you on your special day.

Picture this.the lights dim. A hush falls over the crowd. A slideshow video starts playing on the screen at the front of the room and it tells a story. What is this story, you ask? Its a love story! It is the story of you. It is the story of your future partner. It is the story of both of you. It is pictures of you both from birth to present, arranged with text, your special music, and just about anything you want to use to entertain your guests. It will leave your guests with a smile on their faces and tears in their eyes!

Most engaged couples I have spoken with love the idea of having a slideshow video in their wedding. The problem is that they think its either very difficult or incredibly expensive. Neither of those assumptions is correct. Its actually very easy to have one made. As matter of fact there are several companies online that will make a video for you. Obviously Im biased because I think our company is the best but I will give you some things to look for when shopping for a slideshow video production company.

Price. You have to be very careful here. Many companies advertise great prices, but they dont tell you about all the hidden costs. For example, Company X may say that they only charge $99.00 for a video. But if you read the fine print they charge an additional $2.00 per photo for scanning and another $1.00 for each picture enhancement. Once the video is complete, they will charge you another $50.00 just to preview it. So this $99.00 video just turned into a $500.00 video.

Previewing. Most places will not let you preview the video or, if they do allow it, they will charge extra to preview it. Its absolutely critical that you preview any slideshow video before you buy it. Previewing the slideshow video allows you to make sure you like all the titling, screen transitions and photo arrangement. You want the video to be exactly the way you want it.

Montage. Montage videos are what I refer to as a tech heads video dream. They involve constant panning back and forth and zooming in and out. They also feature fancy looking screen transitions where the pictures will do flips and spins and all sorts of other cool things. Now, these montages may look high tech but they are completely inappropriate for a wedding. A wedding slideshow video needs to be classy and tasteful. It doesnt need spins and twist, flips and twirls. It needs to have clean, smooth transitions. They need to flow from one picture to the next with elegance and grace.

Remember, you want your wedding to be special. You want your guests to remember your wedding with fondness. You want it to be an unforgettable experience. What better way than with a slideshow video that features your life up to that point! I hope your wedding is the best that has ever occurred. (Besides mine, that is!) I hope you decide to engage your guests by showing a beautiful, romantic slideshow video at the beginning of your ceremony. May you have the best of weddings and dont forget to have fun!

Paul Merryman is the owner of http://www.Slideshow-Videos.com. His extensive experience in making wedding videos has brought pleasure to many wedding couples. He is also Vice-President of Higher Motivation, Inc. Their free http://www.front-porch-attitude.com newsletter has helped many people learn to live life as life was meant to be lived!

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Matrimony In The Digital Age: Wedding Web Sites

Theres a new method of keeping your wedding memories alive that is gaining popularity among the young couples of today: the wedding web site. Wedding web sites are an online collection of images and stories detailing every facet of a wedding.


...If you choose to create a wedding web site there are a number of ways you can go about it
Everything from choosing bridesmaids dresses to ordering the cake and hiring the band is recorded and included on the wedding web site. Many couples keep their wedding web sites up and running after the wedding to serve as a sort of interactive online wedding album, hosting pictures from the ceremony, reception, and honeymoon.

One of the nice things about creating a wedding web site for yourself is the flexibility that the process offers. You can include as much or as little information about your wedding as you like. The site can be used as an electronic go-between, keeping family and friends updated and informed about the tasks youre completing in preparation for your wedding day, informing your guests of any last minute changes in planning, and letting everyone know details such as where youre registered for wedding gifts. The site can include a blog that you can update as often as you like, allowing you to share every detail of your wedding experience if you so choose. You can also offer your guests the ability to R.S.V.P. online, put up guest lists so everyone knows whos coming to your special event, and post an interesting history that describes how the two of you met, how long you dated, how he popped the question, and any other amusing or romantic anecdotes you desire.

If you choose to create a wedding web site there are a number of ways you can go about it. There are web hosting sites online that specialize in setting up and hosting wedding web sites. Most of these offer easy to use do-it-yourself web site building tools. If youre proficient in web design or own web design software like Front Page or Dreamweaver, you can get even more flexibility by designing the site yourself. You can also hire a professional web designer to create your wedding web site for you.

The wedding web site concept is just one more way that weddings are stepping out of the realm of ancient traditionalism and into the information age. Modern technology has created a wonderful way for you to be able to share your wedding memories anytime, anywhere with anyone that has a computer and access to the Internet. Now you dont have to worry about whether Aunt Edna in Sioux City will ever be able to see your wedding photographs. You can just send her an email message and give her the URL of your beautiful wedding web site. Your wedding web site is timeless too. As long as you keep paying the hosting (prices for web hosting vary greatly, but can be very low for this type of site), your wedding web site will remain online forever, allowing you to look back many years from now and remember your wedding like it all just happened yesterday.

Kirsten Hawkins is an event planner from Nashville, TN. Visit http://www.wedding411.net/ for more event planning tips, strategies, and resources.

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Priceless Little Wedding Planning Details

...Successful planning the various details of your special day is crucial....

Your wedding should be the happiest day of your life, not a frightening remembrance of the past. The difference between a successful wedding and a disaster greatly depends on planning. Successful planning the various details of your special day is crucial. You should worry about not only the large details such as the wedding gown but about the smaller ones such as your wedding favors.

Once you determined what method you'd like to use to announce your engagement or wedding, you should start researching the details. For example, if you'd like to announce your wedding in a newspaper, you should find out about the procedure to submit your ad. It is usually best to call the newspaper or visit their Web site for more detailed information about wedding announcements. By the time you are ready to place your add you should have the following information available:

* your wedding date,

* wedding location,


* the bride's maiden name,

* your parents' names and where they live,

* where you will live when you are married.

Depending on how much space is allocated by the newspaper, you might include some additional information such as:

- names of your bridesmaids or made of honor and their cities of residence,

- your honeymoon destination,

- information about the bride's and groom's place of birth,

- education such as schools attended and place of employment or business.

Hopefully, your wedding day will be a smooth affair, but you should be prepared for emergencies on your special day. Your made of honor should be sure to have the following small but significant items available for emergencies:

- Band-Aids,

- clear nail polish,

- needle and thread,

- painkiller,

- a complete list of phone numbers of all the involved parties such as caterers and vendors.

Planning your wedding is a huge undertaking, and you deserve a break. When you feel stressed by planning your wedding, try to relax with some of your favorite music or read a good book. Put your feet up and just relax. Just closing your eyes, meditating can be a revitalizing experience. Clearing your mind can be a great stress reducer.

Your wedding reception is one of the most important components of your wedding day, so don't mess it up with a cash bar. Cash bars are a sure sign of bad taste. Don't do it. Inviting people to your wedding and then asking them to pay for their drinks is impolite. If cost is an issue, invite less people or make other arrangements. If you are on a budget, you might provide a limited selection of alcohol.

If wedding planning is not your favorite pass time or you just don't have time or afraid you might miss something important for your wedding day, you may want to consider hiring a professional wedding consultant. A wedding consultant can make the wedding planning process not only easier, but also perhaps more fun. After all, your wedding day should be the happiest day of your life.

George Meszaros is affiliated with Sweet Reflections; a leading provider of wedding favors http://www.sweet-reflections.com

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Writing Your Wedding Vows

...your wedding vows are the central purpose of the wedding....

Is your wedding going to be a very formal and traditional affair, or are you breaking a few rules to have an event that is uniquely your own? In either case, many brides and grooms are writing their own vows today, with varying levels of creativity. You can still do very traditional vows, or you can be very nontraditional. If you decide to try writing your own vows, there are a few things you should consider.



Traditional Vows Have Years of Meaning




There is history in traditional vows, and something moving about reciting the same vows as generations of men and women before you, promising a lifetime of love and commitment to each other. Many faiths have their own distinct version of the promises a couple makes to each other, and because they have been used for so long, they have depth of meaning already built in. Even if you decide to be very creative in writing your own vows, it would be wise to study traditional vows and consider what makes them so moving and incorporate some aspects of them into your own vows.



A Creative Expression of Commitment



Writing your own wedding vows allows you to be creative in the words you speak when promising your life to another. They allow you to create very personal and individualized expressions of marital commitment. Here are some ideas to help you put together the perfect wedding vows.



If you have any favorite love poems, stories, or songs, write down your favorite passages. Look through religious literature and select passages that are appropriate for your relationship or feelings. Consider how you really feel about this step in your life and about your soon-to-be spouse. After you've thought about all of this, begin writing it out on paper.



Do you best to verbalize how you feel, what you are willing to promise, and that this commitment is for a lifetime. Practice saying it out loud so you can make sure it's not too long, and that it is focused, not rambling all over the place. You may decide to write your vows together, write them separately but share them with each other ahead of time, or just surprise each other.



Whether you choose to use traditional vows, write your own creative expression of love and commitment, or use some combination, your wedding vows are the central purpose of the wedding. They deserve the time and attention it takes to make them a true expression of your hearts.



Christi Vega is the founder of http://www.CorpusChristiWeddings.com, the most complete online resource for planning a wedding in Corpus Christi, Texas. Includes information on wedding professionals, articles & checklists, planning calendars, wedding music, books, and more.

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What Is A Wedding Checklist and Why Do I Need One?

...included on a wedding checklist reserving the date with photographer...

With everything a future bride and groom have on their minds getting ready for their big day, it is almost impossible to keep it all in order. To help you remember everything and minimize the headaches related to even the smallest of details, it is a good idea to prepare a wedding checklist.



Having a wedding checklist, which can be altered to fit your specific needs, will lessen the stress load each time you cross off a completed task. A wedding checklist will also ensure that when your big day comes, you haven't forgotten anything and you can relax and enjoy your day.



Some things that may be included on a wedding checklist are reserving the date with a florist, photographer and disk jockey; set the time and date of the wedding, and reserve your church and reception location. These starter steps should be done about six to 12 months before your date.



More ideas to add to your wedding checklist include establishing a wedding budget, choosing the wedding party and ordering invitations and announcements. You may also want to consider picking out your dress and hair piece, visiting a boutique to look at attire for the attendants and ordering your wedding rings. All of these things should be done as early as possible to save you time when the small details become a necessity.



Closer to your date, the wedding checklist you create should have reminders for you to order wedding flowers, address invitations, plan a rehearsal dinner with friends and family, select the music and order the wedding cake. These things should be done about four months prior to your big day.




About four to six weeks before your wedding, you will need to go over your wedding checklist and began mailing invitations, do a final fitting for your gown, select your groom's gift, be sure that thank you notes have been written and sent out for any showers and receptions that were thrown in your honor, and place your announcement in your local newspaper.



As you continue crossing tasks off your wedding checklist, it will become smaller and you will have a feeling of satisfaction and organization. The final details come two weeks before your wedding when you will need to make a final appointment with your florist to approve your flowers, go to the courthouse for a marriage license, change names on accounts and official documents and begin a list of wedding gifts and senders so that you will be able to send them thank you cards later.



Although these are just a few things that should be included on your wedding checklist, it gives you an idea of how many details you will be covering throughout your planning. If you stay organized with a list and give yourself plenty of time to complete each task, you will reap the rewards of having a peaceful beginning to your new life.


About The Author:


Your Wedding Helper is here to help you make your Wedding Day Perfect. Visit us now to get started planning Your Perfect Wedding Day

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Wedding Gowns - Getting the Best Out of Your Photographs

...wedding gowns are made to make the bride look absolutely stunning...

One of the most important things to any bride is the wedding photography that captures the magical day, for years to come. Most wedding gowns are made to make the bride look absolutely stunning; however, not all wedding gowns photograph as well as they should, so it is important to consider what your short listed wedding gowns will actually look like, in the photographs.



Wedding Gowns and the Accessories that Make Photographs Special



The types of wedding gowns that will look best in your wedding photographs depend largely on the style of wedding photographs that you have chosen. If you are opting for the contemporary style of photographs that are not staged but actually follow the day, on a more informal basis, then you need to be aware that your choice of wedding gowns will be viewed from every angle.

On the other hand, if you are opting for a small selection of formal photographs purely from the front, then your choice of wedding gowns should focus on the detail at the front of the dress. If you have chosen to have only black and white photographs, it is worth considering what your chosen colors of wedding gowns will look like in monochrome.



Top Photography Hints for Wedding Gowns



Never forget how important the detail on the back of wedding gowns is. During the ceremony, your guests will have little to look at other than the back of your wedding gown. Therefore, it is important that all wedding gowns have some special detail and unique look; it is also a great opportunity for the wedding photographer and a picture from the back of the ceremony venue can be stunning!

Bear in mind that accessories can look a little strange in wedding photographs so it may be worth investing in accessories that are detachable from wedding gowns, so that you can choose whether to have them in a given photograph or not. This is a really good idea when the accessory is particularly detailed as it may be superb as part of a close-up picture, however, it may just look like a stain from a distance!

Another good idea is to have a cardigan or jacket as an accessory for your choice of wedding gowns. This way you can vary the photographs and the look that you present, throughout the day. Wedding photographs can appear a little repetitive; therefore it is a great idea to have a range of accessories and additions so that you can vary the photographs and make it look like you had several wedding gowns and not just the one!

Remember, your choice of wedding gown is going to be captured in your photographs for years to come. When you are choosing your perfect dress, consider its 'photograph ability' as well as what it will look like in the flesh - they are both equally important!

About the Author

Elsie Gilbert offers great insights to all different types of wedding ceremonies, wedding styles, wedding accessories. From traditional to the exotic she makes it easy for the bride and groom to review and choose. For more details on all types of wedding ideas visit this site now www.weddingfinery.com

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