Todays engaged couples are constantly on the lookout for that something “different” and this new trend is no exception.
These unique couples are combining their ceremony, wedding reception and honeymoon all in the one location, a it's becoming more and more popular, referring to themselves as marrymoons or marrimoons.
Marrymoons are typically smaller weddings shared only between the couples family & closest friends. With a very personal & intimate feel.
Because the guest list is generally smaller, it becomes more cost effective and to the newly married couple, nothing beats spending a holiday with their nearest & dearest.
Don't be fooled though, organising an event like this isn't without it's challenges and a lot of work. Particularly when you have to arrange many different suppliers that need to come together at the same place and at the one time.
If you're up for an aditional challenge and are wanting that point of difference, maybe a Marrymoon is the thing for you?
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Monday, September 19, 2011
Friday, March 25, 2011
When it comes to your processional practice makes perfect!
When it comes to your wedding ceremony practice makes perfect!
Who does what - Who stands where - Who walks first - Who leaves last. It can all be VERY confusing.
Except for the Bride and Groom, most wedding attendants like to know how to walk and stand when it comes to a wedding ceremony. No-one wants to look out of place and you can ease lots of nerves by conducting a brief rehearsal with your wedding party, either at the site of the ceremony or at another location.
The following is typically what's expected of a formal ceremony and you can certainly put your own personal touches on it to make it your own.
Who does what - Who stands where - Who walks first - Who leaves last. It can all be VERY confusing.
Except for the Bride and Groom, most wedding attendants like to know how to walk and stand when it comes to a wedding ceremony. No-one wants to look out of place and you can ease lots of nerves by conducting a brief rehearsal with your wedding party, either at the site of the ceremony or at another location.
The following is typically what's expected of a formal ceremony and you can certainly put your own personal touches on it to make it your own.
If there are children in your wedding party it can be helpful for them to do the rehersal at the wedding site if you can, unless offcourse it's not feasible. In which case a rehearsal can be done in someone's family room or living room.
Start by calling the entire wedding party together and line them up in the order they will stand during the wedding ceremony.
If you are missing one or several members of the wedding party at the rehearsal, don't be overly concerned. Be sure as you line people up that you leave a space for each missing attendant. Ask those who are on either side of the missing attendant to clue him or her in on the day of the wedding.
Those present will pay extra attention; those missing will get the word and you won't have to worry about it.
The Attendants
stand on either side of the Officiant, facing the Bride and Groom.
stand on either side of the Officiant, facing the Bride and Groom.
Bride and Groom
stand in front of Officiant / Minister.
stand in front of Officiant / Minister.
Ring bearers and/or Flower Girls
stand in front of the adult attendants.
stand in front of the adult attendants.
If 1 Flower Girl:
She stands in front of Maid/Matron of Honor
She stands in front of Maid/Matron of Honor
If 2 Flower Girls:
They stand in front of Maid of Honor and 1st Bridesmaid; etc.
They stand in front of Maid of Honor and 1st Bridesmaid; etc.
Ring bearer
stands in front of Best Man.
stands in front of Best Man.
REHEARSE THE RECESSIONAL FIRST
Once everyone knows where they are to stand during the ceremony, practice the Recessional. Bride and Groom leave first, followed by any children in the wedding party (first flower girls, then ring bearers) then, Maid/Matron of Honor & Best Man, followed by pairs of Bridesmaids and Groomsmen. The "outside" pair would leave last.
After the wedding party has "recessed," the immediate families should follow them:
Bride's parents first, then Groom's parents, then Bride's grandparents, then Groom's grandparents.
Bride's parents first, then Groom's parents, then Bride's grandparents, then Groom's grandparents.
REHEARSING THE PROCESSIONAL
After practicing the Recessional, regroup to practice the Processional. By this time everyone knows where they are to stand, who they stand next to, etc.
Before the Processional, immediate family members are seated (usually parents and grandparents). If you are going to do formal seating, those family members to be especially ushered in at the last minute should remain in the "staging area" until everything and everyone is ready and all the other guests have been settled or seated.
Assign specific ushers to escort specific family members. Introduce the usher/escorts to the family members each will be seating, to be sure the ushers know who each of them will be seating, and vice versa.
The Order Of Seating Is Usually:The Officiant / Minister will go in first.
The men follow, in order, with the Groom either first or last in the lineup.
They go to their places and stand as you have already rehearsed. Be sure the music people can see the men and Officiant / Minister at the site of the ceremony.
When the men are in place, the Groom's attendants are facing the Groom and the guests.
The Groom should have his back to the Officiant / Minister, watching the aisle where the Bridesmaid(s) and Bride will enter.
At this point the Processional music begins.
The Bride's party will need to be ready and listening for their "cue" when the Officiant / Minister and the Groom and his party go to their places. When the Bride's party hear the Processional music, they should begin the Processional.
The last (outside) Bridesmaid enters first, followed by the other Bridesmaids, if any, at intervals of perhaps 20 feet; then the Maid of Honor.
The Bride's party should notice the placement of the Groomsmen, and "mirror" them.
Ring bearer(s) and Flower Girl(s) come in next, and go to their places.
Then the Bride comes in with her escort on her left. The Bride should wait until all the other members of the wedding party are in their places before even thinking about starting down the aisle.
If you have arranged with the musicians to play a different processional piece for the Bride, wait for the music to change.
As the Bride approaches the front, the Groom may take several steps toward her and her escort and offer her his arm. The Groom is on the Bride's right.
The two of you then approach the Officiant / Minister, leaving the escort standing next to the row in which he will be seated; usually on the Bride's side; front row.
If the escort is to answer some question posed by the Officiant / Minister, he should remain standing until that question is asked, answer the question and be seated. The usual options for his reply are "I do" or "Her Mother and I do" or "On behalf of her family, I do."
If the escort is not to answer a question from the Officiant / Minister, he should be seated as soon as the Bride and Groom are standing before the Officiant / Minister.
REHEARSING THE CEREMONY
During the ceremony, attendants stand there.
The rings should be either on the Ring bearer's pillow or in the custody of the Best Man and Maid/Matron of Honor. If carried by the two "best people," the Best Man should carry the Bride's ring on his little finger, and the Maid of Honor should carry the Groom's ring on her index finger or thumb.
Don't let the Best Man put the ring in any pocket. Don't have either one of them carry the ring in a bag or box. Pockets, bags & boxes increase the chances for dropping and/or losing the ring. Of every 10 rings misplaced or lost at wedding time, 8 have been lost by the Maid of Honor. She has a big ring you have asked her to put on her relatively small finger.
For Maid of Honor and Best Man, have them put the ring on a finger, and then curl their fingers. Then the ring isn't going anywhere.
If rings are on the Ring bearer's pillow, the Best Man will remove them and give them to the Officiant / Minister one at a time with the Bride's ring first; or deliver both at the same time, at the option of the Officiant / Minister.
The Bride and Groom face the Officiant / Minister for the initial portion of the ceremony, then face each other and join both hands for the vows and rings. If the Bride has not already given her flowers to her Maid/Matron of Honor, do it now before joining hands.
You will have worked out with the Officiant / Minister what you are to say during the wedding ceremony. Hopefully the Officiant / Minister will review this with you before the wedding starts. At the point of the Vows, you may simply respond to a question, or you may have decided to do a "repeat-after-me" statement with prompts from the Officiant / Minister.
For the exchange of rings, stop holding both hands, and change to holding each other's left hand. Each will be asked to repeat after the Officiant / Minister as they place the ring on their partner's hand. Rings never fit!! Don't make too much of a struggle out of it. No one can see whether the ring has cleared the last knuckle or not. Don't use oil or lotion, either. By the time you have to deal with the rings, it will just make things more difficult.
As you face the Officiant / Minister again, you can wiggle the ring on your own finger more easily than your partner could.
After the exchange of rings, Bride and Groom continue to face the Officiant / Minister until the end of the ceremony. Then face each other for the kiss.
The Bride then gets her flowers back from her Maid/Matron of Honor, and you both turn to face the guests. Before the Recessional music starts, however, the Officiant / Minister may formally present to the two of you to your guests if you have arranged for him or her to do this.
Then the recessional music begins and the couple heads back up the aisle as husband and wife.
How to deal with those difficult situations
We all want our wedding day to be the happiest day of our lives and while it usually is - The getting there can be a whole different thing!
Planning a wedding can become a major source of stress for a number of reasons - By tackling these situation head-on, you can end the chaos and enjoy the planning stages of your wedding and of course, the day itself. Here’s how.
Controlling Parents Taking Over
Generally parents have the best intentions and when such an important celebration involves their little girl they may become overly enthusiastic and can unintentionally cause more harm than good. This situation becomes overwhelming and is difficult to know how to handle.
When dealing with parents and future in-laws who disagree on guest lists, budgets and style issues, it’s important that you and your fiancé present a united front. In getting married, you’re establishing yourselves as a family unit so confront these things together and stand strong.
Some parents may even use their financial contribution as weight in influencing decisions. While you should always be grateful for their contributions if they don't quite fit in with your vision explain how you appreciate what they are doing and discuss what an alternative would mean to you. In the end your parents will only want to do what makes you happy.
If your parents are paying for the wedding, make sure the in-laws are aware of your budget. If they then want to increase the guest list beyond what’s budgeted, you can diplomatically request that they contribute the difference in cost.
on the topic of in-laws - If your mother-in-law tends to be the sort to offer unsolicited advice, let her know you appreciate her genuine interest in your day and find ways for her to contribute in areas that are non-crucial to your vision.
Remember this can be a great opportunity to build relationships with your fiancé’s family.
Above all be honest with your family; it’s your day, and it's ok to remind them of that. While compromise is often important, so is standing your ground on the issues that matter most to you.
Sibling Rivalry
Sadly sibling rivalry doesn’t disappear........read more
Planning a wedding can become a major source of stress for a number of reasons - By tackling these situation head-on, you can end the chaos and enjoy the planning stages of your wedding and of course, the day itself. Here’s how.
Controlling Parents Taking Over
Generally parents have the best intentions and when such an important celebration involves their little girl they may become overly enthusiastic and can unintentionally cause more harm than good. This situation becomes overwhelming and is difficult to know how to handle.
When dealing with parents and future in-laws who disagree on guest lists, budgets and style issues, it’s important that you and your fiancé present a united front. In getting married, you’re establishing yourselves as a family unit so confront these things together and stand strong.
Some parents may even use their financial contribution as weight in influencing decisions. While you should always be grateful for their contributions if they don't quite fit in with your vision explain how you appreciate what they are doing and discuss what an alternative would mean to you. In the end your parents will only want to do what makes you happy.
If your parents are paying for the wedding, make sure the in-laws are aware of your budget. If they then want to increase the guest list beyond what’s budgeted, you can diplomatically request that they contribute the difference in cost.
on the topic of in-laws - If your mother-in-law tends to be the sort to offer unsolicited advice, let her know you appreciate her genuine interest in your day and find ways for her to contribute in areas that are non-crucial to your vision.
Remember this can be a great opportunity to build relationships with your fiancé’s family.
Above all be honest with your family; it’s your day, and it's ok to remind them of that. While compromise is often important, so is standing your ground on the issues that matter most to you.
Sibling Rivalry
Sadly sibling rivalry doesn’t disappear........read more
Thursday, March 24, 2011
BDB now has a B- L- O- G!
Well it seems everyone is doing it so why shouldn't we?
Therefore in the name of blogers everywhere we add ourselves amongst your words of wisdom and hope this will be the first of many more posts to come!
What better way to start off our blog than with an introduction to our first annual Bride of the Year Competition!
Yes, it's hard to believe that come this April Bridal Discount Book will be 1 year old!! Where has the time gone?
We've had the pleasure to be involved with MANY member weddings over that time - Even been invited to a few which was a real thrill.
Nothing gives us more satisfaction to know that we've given brides & grooms the opportunity to not only find amazing services but that they have helped to save them money along the way.
With that we'd like to take this opportunity to thank the many married couples that have sent us lovely emails & thank you cards.
It really makes our day to read how successful your day was & receive your lovely kind words - so thank you!
Without further ado for all our past bride & groom members over the last 12 months we hope to see you register for our Bride of The Year competition and wish you all the very best of luck!
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