Nail Care

To make sure you have great nails for your wedding, begin to take care of them as soon as possible. There is more to nail care than just filing and painting your nails. The sooner you have your nails done by a professional, the better they will look for your wedding day.

For years I’ve had small ridges in my nails that I didn’t pay much attention to and thought was normal. Apparently my nail beds needed some serious attention and that is what was causing the ridges. There are several tools that come in a manicure set that I have never pulled out of their holder. A lot of these tools are used to push back and away your nail beds from your fingernails. Nails growing under nail beds is what causes the ridges in fingernails. With proper nail care, those ridges will disappear as the nails grow out. Without those ridges, a manicure looks a lot better.

For your wedding, you want the best nails possible since wedding photos will be taken. There is also the almost mandatory wedding photo of the wedding rings on the couple’s hands. That will be a close up of your nails, so it’s best to make sure they look their best.

So, add a trip to get a manicure to your wedding to do list at least six months before your wedding and get a nail checkup. This way it will give your nails plenty of time to grow and look great for your wedding.

Wedding Resources

It’s no surprise that you can spend thousands of dollars on a wedding. While getting ready for the wedding, you will buy magazines and books that you will use for a short time then sit on a shelf. Save money and just visit your local library to find wedding resources.

You will probably buy a wedding planner or make one just to keep all of your notes organized. Get inspiration for wedding ideas from wedding books at the library. The library also has a bunch of bridal magazines. Some libraries even allow non-current magazines to be checked out or will sell their surplus supply. Check with your local library for their policy.

After checking out a book, if you need it longer than the checked out time, you can just re-check it out. In fact, a lot of libraries have an online service, so you can just go online and re-check it out from the comfort of home.

Finding books at the library on wedding ideas will help you save money. You will also find a wide selection of books and possibly other resources like DVDs that you wouldn’t have expected. Everything from cookbooks to fashion books can be a good resource to find ideas for your wedding.

Getting Married at the Ren Faire

Many couples who seek a unique wedding experience will choose to get married at a Ren Faire, or Renaissance Faire. The Ren Faire is a celebration of medieval life with many people coming in period costumes. For a themed wedding, it can make a perfect backdrop and save you money.

Having a medieval themed wedding can be tricky since finding decorations can be a tough job. By getting married at the Ren Faire, you alleviate having to decorate as much for your wedding but also get to enjoy the medieval setting that you dream about. Some organizations like the SCA - Society for Creative Anachronism - are all about re-enacting the middle ages in very true fashion from clothing to lifestyle. Most members have their normal lives but at SCA events get to bring their medieval persona to life. Contacting the organization for guidance and help in planning a medieval themed wedding might be a good way to find sources for items you will need.

Ren Faires are held all over the country. The Ren Faire directory lists Ren Faires by state and has contact information. So, if you are seriously interested in exploring the option, contact the people in charge to find out exactly what you need to get married at the Ren Faire.

The Emergency Wedding Kit

Just prepare yourself now for at least one small crisis on your wedding day. These small problems will be easily taken care of if you prepare an emergency wedding kit. Having a few everyday items on hand will help to ensure smooth sailing.

Pack a small bag with these items and anything else you feel you might need. First of all, include a small first aid kit with items like band-aids and antiseptic wipes. Pack some aspirin and/or ibuprofen as well. Wardrobe malfunctions might happen, so bring some safety pins of different sizes. An extra pair of knee-highs or panty hose would be a good thing to pack in an emergency kit. A manicure set with fingernail clippers and a file to take care of hangnails or other nail problems. A small sewing kit will be useful in a situation where a safety pin just won’t do.

Include in your kit anything you might need to get ready like hairdryer and extra bobby pins. Clear nail polish, a lint brush, and hair spray might also be good items to help with any small emergencies.

Being well prepared for small emergencies will ensure that these small wedding day bumps do not disrupt the flow or memories to your special day.

Choosing a Video Photographer

Besides your pictures, the wedding video will be a cherished memory of your wedding that you will want done right. You will want to watch the video of your wedding for years to come and share it with friends who weren’t able to attend. It’s important to choose the right video photographer for the job.

Ask your married friends if they would recommend who videoed their wedding. Most people will give you an honest review of the service they receive and if they were happy with the end product. This will be a good starting point in finding the first video photographer.

Once you have a list, start calling to find out more information. The first thing to ask is if they are available the date of your wedding. That may knock out a few choices. Then set up an interview where you can view a resume reel of their work. Viewing how they have filmed previous weddings will give a good indication as to what to expect quality-wise if they film your wedding. Some videographers might have more editing options than others and make a more interesting video. This will most likely add to the cost of the wedding video but could be worth it especially if their other work shows a real eye for detail. When it comes to your wedding memories, get exactly what you want even if it will cost a little more.

If you need to cut expenses and go with a cheaper inexperienced video photographer, still ask to see some samples of his or her work. What you really want to see are works that are unedited from their original presentation. If he/she shot a 15 minute documentary, then you want to view the whole thing and not just a one minute clip. This will give you a better view as to how he will shoot the “big picture” of a project, which can be hard to judge by looking at the best clips.

Besides the photos, the wedding video will be treasured for years to come. Make sure that you get the best video results you can by taking time to research your video photographer.

The Honeymoon

Once you’ve said “I do,” it will be time to relax and have fun on your honeymoon. Some couples have a very simple honeymoon or even take their honeymoon later in the year. A nice honeymoon doesn’t mean you have to travel far or spend a lot of money. Some couples opt for a nice weekend getaway to a spot close to their home while others will spend their honeymoon thousands of miles away in another country.

You may want to decide the honeymoon details before setting an actual wedding date. Choosing your honeymoon destination before the wedding date will help to ensure finding good deals as well as planning for the weather as much as possible.

If you do plan to go somewhere, you can find great deals online during the off-season for tourists. This will be different seasons depending upon where you want to honeymoon. You can locate good deals during the off season and be able to do more with your honeymoon budget.

Decide what is important on your honeymoon. Is it more important to have a room at a 5-star hotel or more important to eat at a 5-star restaurant? How many tourist attractions do you plan on visiting? Once you have an idea of what will make up the most important aspects of your honeymoon, you can really begin to get into the details.

Websites like Travelocity or Hotels.com can help you find good deals on hotels. You can even find all inclusive resorts that include your meals and other amenities for one price. And never forget the resource of friends who have been brides. They’ve done their research and will be more than glad to share their findings on great honeymoon deals.

A Wedding Planner

A nice wedding planner will help to keep you organized and relieve some of the stress of getting married. When choosing a wedding planner book, consider how you will use it to get the most use from it.

Some planners are merely checklists with spots for minimal notes to be made. Some times a checklist might just be what you need to keep it all together. The Everyday Wedding Planner has a slim line version that is for the most part a checklist of what to do. It will list what tasks need to be done and when they should be done like when to order invitations.

If you need more, then a wedding planner with more function is what you want. There are some wedding planners that come in a three ring binder, so you can add your own notes to the pages. This type of planner also has plastic pockets to hold items like business cards or other paper that you pick up from vendors and need to keep.

If after searching the local bookstore for the right wedding planner and nothing sparks your interest, you can always create your own. Buy your own three ring binder and get to searching the Internet for wedding checklists and any other wedding notes you want to have at your fingertips. You can also buy wedding planning software to keep track of all those important wedding details right on your PC. You are planning your dream wedding, so you want to make sure to have all the information you need readily available and that is just the job of a wedding planner.

Rain on your Wedding Day

While rain on your wedding day is a suppose to be a sign of good luck, most brides do not feel cheerful when they see dark clouds rolling in on their big day. I think the good luck meaning was invented to make brides feel better about the less-than-perfect wedding weather conditions.

Rain can be especially troubling for an outdoor wedding. Consulting with the farmer’s almanac might give some insight into what the weather will be like for your wedding date. It seems some months are just prone to afternoon showers. I think it has rained nearly everyday this July. Some factors like which months are normally dry will help set a date for an outdoor wedding. If you have an outdoor wedding planned, have a backup plan in case of rain.

Even rain for an indoor wedding can be stressful. Usually the bride and the wedding party march in from the back of the venue, sometimes even standing outside waiting for their cue. Rain can really put a damper on that plan. Some venues like churches have places in the back that the party can hide out in away from the guests. Big golf umbrellas will keep a lot of the rain away if you just have to travel outdoors for any reason. A portable canopy would be another choice if you must wait outside. They are inexpensive and are usually pretty easy to assemble. Chances are that someone may already have one and be willing to let you borrow it in case of a rainy forecast.

While some brides might not think the rain on their wedding day is good luck, the rain doesn’t have to deter from your special day. A little extra planning for the wet stuff will keep those rainy day blues away, and your wedding party dry and happy.

A Simple Affair

Congratulations! You are getting married. Now it’s time to make at least 100 different decisions on a weekly basis until the Big Day. One decision to make early on is how elaborate a wedding you will be planning. Some brides opt for a simple affair with fewer than 100 guests and a more casual setting. Some brides want more and that is OK, too. It is your day after all. For a simple wedding, there might not be as many details to iron out, but there still is much to do. One order of business will be food.

For a simple wedding, a caterer may seem like overkill. If you are just having a few close friends and family at your wedding, save the money for the honeymoon. There are some simple food solutions that can be done for small weddings. First you will need to decide the menu. The menu will depend upon the time of day. If your wedding will fall during a normal eating time, then a meal should be served. If it’s more of an afternoon or morning affair, then appetizers should fit the bill.

Serving a meal doesn’t have to equate to a lot of money. Chances are you will be asked by family if there is anything they can do for your wedding. Take them up on their offer and ask them to bring something. Maybe an aunt has a great chicken recipe that would go great for your reception. Most family members will be more than happy for the chance to have a part in your wedding day.

Snack foods like cheese and crackers make a nice spread for a wedding reception. A fruit and vegetable tray will help to balance all of the cake eating that guests will be doing. The food doesn’t have to be fancy to be good. Simple foods will be a huge hit since everyone will know what it is and eat up.

Meal planning for a simple wedding will depend upon budget and time of wedding. Once those two details are hammered out, the possibilities are seemingly endless even on a tight budget.

Lucky Date

Today is July 7th, 2007. By the numbers, it’s 7/7/07, what some are calling a very lucky day. So, how do you plan to spend this lucky day in history? Many couples will get married and hope the their anniversary date will bring them good luck.

A local couple chose 7/7 because it is the Saturday closest to the day that they first met, July 9th. The special date didn’t go unnoticed as they plan to exchange vows at 7pm. Seven is considered a lucky number, so does more sevens really mean better luck? I guess only time will tell for couples who get married today.

The groom-to-be likes that they are getting married on 7/7/07 since it should be an easy date to remember. He won’t be able to say he forgot the date since it’s so memorable.

When choosing a date, this couple chose a date close to a special event in their lives. Other factors to consider when choosing a wedding date are the season you would like to get married in. Getting married in an off season could mean better deals for the honeymoon.

There will be many weddings today with probably many couples choosing the day because of the lucky date. Hopefully there lucky day will be the beginning of many wonderful days to come.

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