WEDDING PREPARATION

There are many preparations that need to be done before a wedding. Learn what to consider when ordering invitations, thank-you cards and place cards. Also read about flowers for the party, bridal bouquet and what different flowers have meaning. We also have articles on wedding photography and different types of transport from the church. Birthstones and their meanings

Here is a list over the that explains the meaning of the diffrent birthstones: January: garnet = perseverance, truth February: amethyst = sincerity March: aquamarine = courage April: diamond = innocent May: emerald = happiness June: pearl = beauty July: ruby = love August: peridot = joy September: sapphire = affection October: opal = hope November: topaz = faithfulness December: turquoise = success Gifts for your attendants It is a nice gesture to give your attendants a thank-you gift. You can choose something that fits the attendant’s style and taste. Wrap it up with a beautiful paper and tie satin bows around it. Below, some ideas: Bride of Honour and Bridesmaids Silk pyjamas Monogrammed bath towels Beauty gift package Jewellery CD’s Gift certificate to a luxury spa Candles Books or subscriptions Tickets to a musical, dinner theatre or sporting event Best man Beer mug Game or concert tickets Travelling set Monogrammed golf-balls Present card to the favourite restaurant Cocktail shaker CD’s Pen set Subscription on magazine Swiss Army knife Junior bridesmaids and flower girls Barbie doll Jewellery Hair accessories Sleepwear Monogrammed gym bag A mirror and comb set Books Pages and ring-bearers (boys) Watch Gamble animals CD’s Video films Subscription on magazine Swiss Army knife Photo and video When will the wedding photo be shot? Who will do that? Give cameras to the wedding guests? To select a photographer to document your wedding day is one of the most important hire you will make. Ask your friends who have recently gotten married for references. It is important that you like the photographer and that you feel very comfortable with her/him. When and where shall the wedding photo be shot – before or after the wedding, indoors or outdoors or perhaps a studio? It is most common to shoot the wedding photo afterwards. Hopefully the bridal couple has calm down and the nervousness is not so high. The disadvantage can be that the bridal couple is stressed then the wedding guests waits. A simple way to get many photos of the bridal couple, guests and site, is to set the dinner table with cameras. Then the guests can use them during the dinner and the rest of the party. If you want to shoot your wedding with a video camera, the cost will of course increase. Hire a professional videographer. Here again, it is important that you feel comfortable with her/him. How many cameras do you want? With the video camera you can shoot the father and daughter dance, the best man’s speech, the wedding waltz etc Reception cards What will happen at the wedding party? Look it up in the reception card! A reception card is a nice way to present what will happen at the reception. This card is sent together with the wedding invitation to inform the date, place and time of the reception. It is also an aid for the toastmaster, who will conduct the wedding reception. In the reception card it is also suitable to mention: - Transportation from the church - Parking lots - Time for dinner - Cake cutting - First dance and party time - Last dance - Farewell It is helpful to establish a thread of consistency, with colour, theme or motif and apply it to all your stationery. The bridal bouquet Traditionally, the entire wedding party carry or wear flowers on the wedding day. Small or big, round or shaped like a drop – today nearly anything goes. Consider the season. All flowers are not available year round. Your florist may be able to find the flower you want, but the price will perhaps increase a lot. Bring a photo of your wedding gowns to the florist. Most florist’s have folders with proposals on different bridal bouquets. The bridal bouquet should fit your figure, colour and type. Perhaps you have a favourite flower or a flower that means something special for you. If you have decided a theme on your wedding, it is appropriate that the bouquet fits to this theme. Of course, you do not need to buy the flowers. You can make your own bridal bouquet if you have a garden full of wonderful flowers like roses, lily of the valley, freesia, gardenia, orchid etc. Roses are still the most beloved flower in the bridal bouquet and a universal symbol of love and beauty. Are you planning an autumn wedding?  Rowanberries, rosehips, beautiful red, yellow and green blades can be included in the bouquet. There are no musts for the bridal bouquet. It is your big day and you decide. Flowers If you have decided a theme for your wedding, it is important that the flowers fit in. The bridal bouquet should also go along with the wedding gown and the bridesmaid’s, best man’s and page’s flower. Flowers are important in order to create a delicate atmosphere around the wedding. It is not always easy to know which flowers fit the best. An advice is to take help of a florist. The flowers in the church are decided on the basis of the church year, but you can always add some more flowers if you want. Of course you arrange with flowers on the dinner table and round about in the party site. At the table of honour you can build a flower arc over the bridal couple. The wedding bouquet, according to tradition, is a gift to the bride from the bridegroom. However, nowadays the bride wants to decide the bridal bouquet so it fits to her clothing and shoes. Invitation cards The invitation cards should reflect the theme and style of your wedding. The invitation card reflects the tone of your wedding. A beautiful and exclusive invitation card gives a signal of a generous wedding-to-be. Send the cards six weeks before the wedding. If the wedding will take place during high seasons, it is better to send the cards earlier. Important information should be mentioned in the invitation cards, such as: - Rightly spelled and complete names. - Dress code. Black tie, tuxedo etc - Place, date, time and a map to the wedding site. - Place, date, time and a map to the wedding reception. - Reply cards. These cards can be sent with your invitations with a self-addressed stamped envelope.  -Toastmaster. Contact info. - Hotel. Rooms can be booked for overnight-staying guests. - Present list. Where you can find the present list. Traditionally, the host of the wedding send the invitation cards. Place cards Place cards inform guests which chair to sit in Not only have you made place cards for your wedding guests, there are also picture frames with their name and table number at the entrance table. There are a huge number of different kinds of cards on the market. Before you go buying first pretty card in sight, first determine your wedding style, colour and theme. It is not necessary to buy the cards perhaps you would like to make them yourselves. Below some tips: Different themes – Fold a thick paper so it stands on the table. Glue shells, beads, everlasting flowers etc on the card. Handwrite the quest name on the card. On the inside of the card you write the bridal couple’s name, date and place. Nature – Paint the guest’s name on a beautiful pebble or on a little piece of wood. After the painting you enamel the item. Flower – Give each guest a single flower, with a tag of info attached. Thank you cards Your wedding quests look forward to receive a thank you card with your wedding photo enclosed. These handwritten notes – from both of you – should thank your guests for their gifts and/or presence at your wedding. Do not forget those who did not attend, but sent you a telegram. Send your thank you card not later than one month after your honeymoon, for gifts received the day of your wedding. Preferably you should send out thank-you notes immediately for any gift received before the wedding day. It is a very nice gesture if you also remember to give your thanks for the wedding gift. (Make a list of your wedding gifts, and who gave it to you.). Below some suggestions how to write a thank-you card: - Dear Anna and Charles! Thank you very much for attending our wedding and many thanks for the espresso-machine, which we use every day! Transportation How do you get yourselves (and the wedding party) to the wedding site? There are many different transportation arrangements to choose among. The most common ways to get to the wedding site are, limos, sport cars, veteran cars, horse-drawn carriages, sleigh rides etc. If you are planning to get to the wedding site by a horse-drawn carriage or a sleigh ride, you have better to check that there is no restriction against this. Furthermore, a rainy day can really destroy the whole event. Look into hiring a bus or a couple of minivans for your wedding guests.  For those who are driving make sure that there are enough with parking lots.  Also, make sure that everyone has a copy of the directions and an emergency contact number in case they get lost.