WEDDING SPEECHES

Wow! Just when you thought you were stressed enough with all this wedding preparation, you remember (gulp!) you have to give a wedding speech. For most of us, the thought of giving a speech is pretty nerve wracking. Actually, according to statistics, public speaking ranks in the top 3 phobias for Americans, and that means that the average American is more afraid of public speaking than they are of dying.

And what’s worse, wedding speeches are considered by many to be the most terrifying form of public speaking. Just imagine this from the bride’s perspective. Not only do you need to cater to an immensely diverse audience, but there is an expectation that your wedding speech will provide a meaningful and personal summation of your special event.

Sally Samuels, a professional speech-writer, has written a book that caters to the speech-making needs of the bride and is definitely worth checking out. In her book, Bride Speeches: Beautiful Words for a Beautiful Occasion, you will find all the tools required to write the perfect wedding speech and it can be instantly downloaded at www.weddingspeech4u.com.

Sally’s book not only supplies you with an amazing selection of sample wedding speeches, but also teaches you how to write your own unique speech as well. And while the main focus of the book is the wedding speech, this book covers pretty much every aspect of being the bride that you will need to know.

WHAT YOU GET IN THE BOOK:

* 20 top quality, professionally written speeches for the bride

* Over 100 sample toasts that are both witty and entertaining for you to include in your speech

* In-depth information on reducing stage fright and fear of public speaking

* Practical advice and tips on delivering a speech like a professional

* A complete guide to bridal etiquette

* Bridal roles and responsibilities

* Tips on planning and preparing your speech so you can pull it off flawlessly and with minimum stress

* A ton of jokes and one-liners designed to make your speech memorable for all the right reasons

* Wedding quotes and poetry for adding real emotion and meaning to your speech

* Pages and pages of detailed, specific, relevant information to save you time, aggravation, and worry

BONUS MATERIALS:

In addition to everything listed above, you also get 2 free bonus instant download books and a free downloadable audio track:

* Bridal Showers to Remember Ebook: packed with original themes and ideas to help your Maid of Honor throw you the best bridal shower ever

* The Bachelorette Party Ebook: loads of themes, cocktail and party ideas, as well as some harmless pranks to keep everyone on their toes and having fun

* The Unstoppable Confidence Audio Program : developed by a professional hypnotherapist to assist you in having the utmost confidence on your big day

BRIDE SPEECHES SUMMARIZED:

I highly recommend this book to anyone with a fear of public speaking, as well as to those who could benefit from expert help with the design, writing and delivery of an unforgettable wedding speech. After all, you have enough on your plate as it is without the added stress of blindly trying to deliver a fun yet touching speech in front of the most important people in your life.

You have decided that a destination wedding is right for you, but if you want to leave the country to get married, there are a few things you should consider.

1. Find a reputable wedding consultant. You don’t want to handle this one yourself. Wedding consultants who have handled weddings abroad work closely with travel agents and can provide better deals for their clients and guests. If you know where you are going, check with the resort as many include an onsite wedding planner in the cost of your wedding package. Make sure to ask as many questions as you need to in order to pick the wedding consultant that is the right fit for you.

2. Plan ahead and save. Typically, the earlier you plan anything, the better the savings will be. It is important when plannning a wedding abroad, to get planning as soon as possible in order to manage all the particulars. While it is usually not feasible to visit the location to check on things, it is not a good idea to leave anything to chance and you should start planning at least a year in advance for a foreign wedding.

3. Who is coming? Destination weddings are usually much smaller venues considering that guests are required to incur the cost of the trip in order to attend. Understand that some guests may not be willing or able to attend for this reason.  Before spending money on a Costa Rica wedding, check to see how many people can afford to make it. Look for package deals that include airfare for your guests or all-inclusive resorts that provide activities, food and drinks for even more savings.

4. What are their wedding laws? Things typically do not operate the same way in tropical destinations. If the wedding takes place at a resort, you’ll have to schedule well in advance for the ceremony and make sure to investigate their policies regarding marriage licenses, the wedding officiate and any fees the locals charge. Your wedding consultant should be able to answer these questions for you.

5. Be open to change. You can picture in your mind the perfect winter getaway wedding but despite the romantic notions you conjure up, you may need to be a little more practical. Choosing a popular travel time means hordes of people populating the resorts and higher prices. Choosing an off-season time such as April will result in a less populated resort as well as less money from your bank account (as well as your guest’s). These changes won’t affect your nuptials but it will save your pocketbook.

Destination weddings can be quite exciting. Just be sure to know what you need to do beforehand so there are no surprises on your special day.

You’re  getting married and you want to share your special day with those people close to you. But if your friends and family are like most people, they are busy, and the last thing you want is to choose a wedding date and have those special people not show up. Save the date cards are an easy and inexpensive way you can avoid that.

What Are Save The Date Cards

Save-the-date cards are relatively new and are a nifty way to let others know that you are getting married and have chosen a date. It is best to get your wedding date on everyone’s calendar as soon as possible and save-the-date cards are a cost effective way to let people know about your wedding.

Types of Save the Date Cards

Cards and magnets are the most popular types of save the date cards on the market today. The wording tends to be the same regardless of the type you choose and typically consists of the bride and groom’s names and date of the wedding as well as its location. Magnetic save the date cards are popular because they can be kept on the refrigerator and therefore less likely to be lost or filed amongst other papers.

Sending Your Wedding Save the Date Cards

Many couples send out their save the date cards as soon as they have confirmed their wedding date, however they are typically mailed out three to five months before the wedding date. Weddings that will take place during popular travel times or special holidays should mail their cards as far in advance as possible so that their guests can plan travel and purchase flights early. And don`t forget to use a footnote to let your guests know that their wedding invitation and directions will follow.

It may seem like an extra, and frivolous expense, but save-the-date cards are an inexpensive way to get the word out to your family and friends of your upcoming nuptuals, and you can always do them yourself to avoid the added expense of paying someone else.

Let’s face it, a wedding is expensive, and there is no doubt that prices for everything will continue to rise. When it comes to wedding planning, your goal is to make your day memorable without depleting all of your life savings. While it is important to save money on your wedding, you do not want to do this at the expense of your special day. The following are 5 important wedding arrangements that you should consider hiring a professional for:

1. Wedding Cake. While it might seem like a great idea to ask your mother, or you may feel obligated to say yes to your favourite aunt who has offered to make your cake, unless she is a professional baker, choose someone who is. After all, the wedding cake will be the center of attention at the reception (second to you, of course). Not only must it look fabulous, but you want a cake that tastes heavenly as well. Professional wedding bakers use high quality ingredients and will provide a cake that will impress. Make sure that you taste test a number of baker`s products before committing to one baker for your special day.

2. Wedding Flowers. Even though you may have a green thumb, it just might not be green enough for your wedding day. There is a lot more to it than just buying the flowers. Until they are ready to be displayed on reception tables, in your bouquet, and for boutonnieres and corsages, your wedding flowers will need to be maintained in temperature-controlled storage. Unless you can live with droopy flowers losing petals all over the guest tables, hire a professional equipped with the proper storage facilities to provide you with the perfect wedding flowers for your special day.

3. Wedding Coordinator. You don’t need more headaches than you will already have with the wedding preparations. A wedding coordinator keeps everyone in their place and makes sure that each segment of the wedding festivities goes off without a hitch. They are used to working under pressure and have a contingency plan for everything from a ripped dress to an AWOL member of the wedding party. You are making the important decisions for the day. Let someone else execute them.

4. Reception Food. While it is not necessary to hire a full catering service, there are advantages to consider. Number one is service and food quality. It is also less of a headache considering that a catering company is paid to provide the food, serve your guests, and for the necessary cleanup after wards.

5. Wedding Photographer. Providing wedding cameras on each table can provide a wonderful and intimate addition to your wedding photo memories, but nothing will compare to the skill in capturing those special moments like a professional photographer. No one will know who you are in the photos if all the heads are cut off.

While there will be some additional cost involved, there are some wedding arrangements that are worth the extra expense.

Your wedding cake is the centerpiece of your reception, and as such, should be a reflection of your personal style as well as your overall theme for the day. Whether your style is modern, classic, traditional or contemporary, a professional wedding baker can design the perfect cake for your special day. Since the wedding cake is a big expense, take your time in selecting the right baker to meet your needs.

1. Choosing a baker. The good news is, the “interview” process involves sampling piece after piece of wedding cake since you want to ensure that your cake will taste just as good as it looks. The last thing you want to do is leave it up to chance.

2. Ask questions. Don’t be afraid to ask lots of questions.  What ingredients will he use; marzipan, fondant or ganache?  Whatever you want to know, don’t be afraid to voice it. Its better to ask questions up front rather than be surprised later. The baker should also be able to ask you a few questions to better understand your vision and therefore come up with suggestions for you from the information that you provide.

3. How much? You need to get this question out of the way early in order to set a budget. As you can imagine, a cake for a service of 200 with a few embellishments can become quite expensive. If money is an issue, you might wish to scale down your cake and purchase a couple of sheet cakes with the same icing with which to serve your guests.

4. Do they have a design book? You may not be the creative type, or may not have any idea of the styles of cakes available to can choose from. Your wedding colors may in fact be the only thing you know at that point. A good baker has a book of past and signature creations for you to browse through to aid in the selection process. He may have suggestions for the design but don’t accept them out of hand unless you really agree.

5. Do they deliver? You know about Murphy’s Law, right? It is for this very reason that it is worth the cost to have the baker deliver and set up the cake at the reception. That way if anything goes wrong on their part, you can get a refund.
Whether you are budgeting for a simple three-tier yellow cake with butter cream icing or an elaborate five-tier cake with decorative sugar flowers, you want the cake for your wedding to meet all of your expectations and then some.

You have invited your guests to witness a testament of love for each other, and the wedding program tells the story of your nuptuals, so why not write that story yourself? Well-made wedding programs don’t require a professional. You can do them yourself. The following 5 steps will illustrate just how easy it is to create professional looking wedding programs for your special day.

1. Choose a color. You may choose your wedding colors as the colors for the program, or any other colour combination. Two contrasting colors or shades of one color make the words pop off the page. You can purchase the paper at your local stationery store, so go have a look at what they offer and see what inspires you.

2. Create a sample program. Create your cover design, choose your lettering, and write up a sample program on plain paper. Proofread the spelling of names and ensure that all fonts and centering are correct before printing the final copy on your program paper.

3. Include all relevant information. Since you are doing the programs yourself, you are creating a beautiful wedding keepsake booklet for your guests. The wedding program lists the couple’s names, the date, time of the nuptials and location on the front. Inside, you have a chance to show your appreciation for everyone that helped. Of course you will have the order of the ceremony including names of those participating and the names of the songs being played or sung. If this is a multicultural wedding or different rituals are taking place from the traditional, you may wish to include a bit of history about the traditions for guests to read. Don’t forget to note the details of the reception as well, including the location and time, and if you want to whet their appetite, why not provide the menu for the evening, as well as the name of caterers and bakers.

4. Have a wedding program party. Gather friends and family together to help put the programs together. You can start a line where each station adds another page to the programs. Alternatively, for a small fee you can take them to a print and copy store and have them bind them together for you to hand out to your guests. Furthermore, if you are not the handy type, you can purchase reasonably priced  online and save yourself the hassle.

5. Present your programs to your guests. How you choose to deliver the completed programs is up to you. An usher or two can hand them out or you can place them in decorated baskets and allow your guests to help themselves.
With little time and effort you can provide those who are sharing in your special day with something to treasure; a keepsake program hand created by you.

A wedding is a memorable event and one that you will want to do right, but memories don’t need to come with a hefty price tag. A wedding budget allows you to enjoy your special day while keeping some money in the bank.

The wedding budget is not meant to keep you from getting what you want out of your special day. Their purpose, in fact, is just the opposite. A budget allows you to consider alternatives, and provides a guideline that allows you to have what you want on your big day.

The following 5 tips will help you set a wedding budget to get the most for your money:

1. Budget categories.

You will need to make a list of everything you need to spend money on. For example, there is the rehersal dinner, the ceremony, the flowers, the music, the reception and so on. Each category is then assigned a certain percentage of the total budget. There are many great available to help you every step of the way.

2. Budget amount.

The budget amount is made up of all the sources of income you want to devote to your wedding ie. your savings, money your parents and/or future in-laws will be contributing, etc. Nowadays, parents don’t foot the bill like they used to. Weddings have become more elaborate and more expensive, so it is not uncommon for couples to have to contribute a considerable portion of the budget in order to have the wedding of their dreams.

3. Discretionary fund.

Make sure that you devote at least three percent of the budget for those inevitable last minute expenses, after all you don’t want to receive a large bill at the last minute that you can’t pay.

4. Imagination is key.

Decide on what your priorities are when making your budget. Is a beautifully decorated hall a must for you? While it is great to decorate and have party favors, how much money are you willing to devote to them? If the church or venue is beautiful as is, why not consider spending less of your budget on decorating it? And party favors don’t need to be expensive to show your appreciation to your guests. There are plenty of bulk wedding favors available online at discounted prices, all you need to do is spend some time shopping around. Prioritizing your expenses according to their level of importance will allow you to devote a little more of your budget to those items that are more important to you (perhaps the cake or your dress) while less is spent on other areas.

5. Enlist the help of friends.

Do you have any friends who are professionals? Perhaps a florist, or a printer? It never hurts to see if they will give you a discount or even do your flowers or programs as a wedding gift.

Don’t think of your wedding budget as a constraint, but rather a means to narrow your focus. After all, even if you can afford an extravagant wedding, you don’t have to spend an extravagant amount of money to get what you want.