Wedding gifts are given as a token of that love and support. The purpose of wedding gifts is to communicate happiness at the union in a perceptible physical form to newlyweds, and delight in their exhilaration. Traditionally, gift giving was a way to help the newlyweds set up their new household.

The value of a gift should never be judged in monetary terms. A wedding gift should reflect the thought behind it. The belief that the value of a wedding gift should at least be equivalent to the money expended per person at a party is a gross misnomer. In a monetary sense, the kind of relation a guest shares with the couple is a determinant of the gift value. All the same, a handmade gift like a scrapbook ranks high in personal value, although it has little monetary value.

There are various rules of wedding gift-giving etiquette which should be followed. All invited guests who attend the wedding should bring gifts. While giving gifts, one should ideally keep the couple’s individual taste in mind. Giving away a golf set to one interested only in active sports is a thoughtless gift and erodes the very purpose of the tradition.

A gift should always be packed carefully and tastefully, and labeled with a handwritten note bearing the giver’s name. A gift can be also sent to the couple’s new house or to the parents who are hosting the wedding beforehand. This is convenient for the couple, as they don’t have to keep track of the gifts during the function, or worry about the transportation of gifts after the function. In some cultures, a guest is supposed to carry the gift to the wedding reception. More recently, invitees have the option of getting gifts from the bridal registries that a lot of couples register for.

There are different categories of gift giving. Gift exchanges among the newlyweds, gifts given by parents to the bride and bridegroom, and thank-you gifts for guests are the other categories of gift giving. Personalized gifts, handmade and creative gifts, classic gifts, gift certificates and wedding mementos are all suitable gifts, and the gift market, both online and offline, is full of ideas.

For weddings with bigger budgets the bride and groom usually opt to give favors that hopefully everyone will like and can use. Candles make wonderful gifts. They are fragrant, and can come molded in just about any shape that one can think of. Picture frames complete with pictures of the bride and groom will provide the guests with memories that they can look at for years to come. Wedding favors for the children attending can be simple coloring books and boxes of crayons. You can have some coloring books printed up with a wedding theme at local print shops.

If you are looking to create a really memorable wedding favor, try making them up yourself. Hopefully you have plenty of time before the wedding to do this. Many like to sew small gift bags and fill them with goodies for the guests. The gift bag is a fun idea, simple to make and guests can continue to use them to hold other stuff after the wedding if they like. More likely though they’ll probably take them home and put them away in some memory album, which is good too because you made the gift bag just the right size to still fit easily into an album, right?

Mrs. Party… Gail Leino is the internet’s leading authority on selecting the best possible party supplies, using proper etiquette and manners while also teaching organizational skills and fun facts. More ideas, wedding shower party favors, decorations and Wedding Favors.

Some of the things you need to plan are what kind of dress, make up, your hairstyle, what kind of jewelry, and other things that you want included in your special day. There are lots of helpful resources available to help you with the planning stage of your wedding, especially online, plus you can pick up some wedding and bridal magazines.

When you are choosing a wedding dress don’t just choose it because it looks pretty on the model. Your wedding dress should be something that you really like, but it should also go with your body type as well. Choose a wedding dress that accentuates the positive aspects and minimizes any negatives. Look at a lot of different styles before making a choice. Take a friend along, or better yet make it a fun event and take several friends or your sisters and go make a day of it. When you find a dress you like, try it on and make sure it isn’t too tight. You want it to fit well and still be comfortable and be able to move around so that you will be able to dance and have fun at the reception afterwards!

After you have chosen a dress that you are happy with you have to find a pair of shoes that will look good with it. If you are going with the traditional look of a white wedding dress then you will want some sort of white shoe. The exact type of shoe is a personal preference. You can choose everything from a shoe that is like a ballet slipper to sandals, to a pump. I do recommend however that if you are very tall, not to wear a heel. The length of the dress you have chosen will have a lot to do with the decision of shoes as well.

Now that you have covered the main parts of your wedding day wardrobe, you may want to add some customization to your apparel to personalize it a bit. One excellent way of doing this is by accessorizing with jewelry. The jewelry should accentuate your wedding dress and not draw attention away from it as the dress should be the focal point. A nice necklace and earrings and possibly something woven into your hair will do nicely. Remember not to wear any rings at all other than your wedding ring that you will receive on your big day.

2. Come prepared. Never make something up on the spot! Even the very best of speakers write and prepare their speeches and so should you!

3. Write the wedding speech 2-4 weeks prior to the happy wedding event

4. It you are unsure of your writing abilities contact a wedding speech writer. There are lots of willing writers. You can often find their adds in the local papers. Make sure you give the writer some personal elements to add in the speech.

5. If you are one of the parents of the bride/groom you might want to mentions your remembering`s from the birth, childhood events, your son or daughters special sports and hobbies, the feelings for his/her spouse and last your future hopes for the couple and family.

6. Being the Best man it is common to mention events from your friendship and how you became friends with the groom. Your first meeting with the bride would also be interesting to mention. Finally you add some thoughts about the couples future.

7. The bride and groom often start the speech with their first meeting story. Then it is common to thank their parents in laws and all the attending guests. In the end the bride and groom declare their love for one another and add their thoughts and hopes for their future.

8. Rehearse till you know the speech wordings by heart. You probably will not know it by heart at the wedding - nervousness makes strange things to a person…Don’t worry about it as long as the speech floats naturally. The prior rehearsing will help you.

9. According to normal wedding etiquette the father of the bride make the first speech. After him the groom make a wedding speech. The best man sums the whole thing up with the final wedding speech. Other speeches can be but in between.

10. This is the suggested official wedding toast speech list. Still remember that you don’t HAVE to follow it. Do what you find best for your wedding.

The author has been fascinated by weddings and beach weddings for many years.

There are few things as romantic as an outdoor wedding witnessing two happy people unite.

Wedding Invitation’s Design.

There are thousands of ready-made wedding invitations to choose from; simply select a design, send the details, and the printer can have it ready within weeks. With such a wide selection, it may be difficult to pick which one is best. Here are the things to consider:

Formal or casual. You want a wedding invitation to complement the overall theme and mood of the wedding. Is your wedding formal or casual? A formal wedding may need classic script fonts, formal wording, and the traditional double envelope. A more casual invitation may use more modern fonts and more natural wording (i.e., instead of “we cordially invite you”, say “please join us…”), but care must be taken to retain the solemnity of the occasion. Let’s say you want to enclose a photo of you and your fiancé—not typically done for traditional invitations. Wear appropriate clothes to the photo shoot: shorts and tank tops simply don’t work.

Color. You should always choose a subdued color. If you are using a rather bright color for your motif, like turquoise, opt for a delicate ribbon trim or small accents at the sides or corners rather than applying it to the whole invitation. This makes the invitation look more classy, and again, is in keeping with the nature of the event. It’s a wedding, not a night dancing at a trendy club.

Personal Touches. You can add a short poem, a photo of the couple, or a song lyric from the wedding ceremony.

Wedding Invitation Inserts

Most wedding invitation companies can provide a selection of templates where you just have to fill in the specific names, places and dates. However, many couples prefer to make their own, to make the invitation less stiff and more personalized. If so, here are a few guidelines:

It is not necessary to put the entourage in the invitation. However, you can have a separate piece of paper listing the members that can be inserted in select invitations—specifically those that go to the entourage themselves, and to the more immediate family and friends. They would appreciate the souvenir; plus, it is a way of thanking them for their participation.

You’d never forget to put the date and the venue, but many couples forget to put a map to the church and/.or reception area. A map would be very helpful, and would save many guests any inconvenience especially if the wedding is located in a place they are unfamiliar with.

* If you are trying to control the number of guests, insert a small card that says, “We have reserved __ seats for you.” This is a subtle and polite way of minimizing the headcount.

* If you are moving to a new home after the wedding, you can include another small insert announcing your new address.

2. Have your invitations printed in black ink which is already included in the cost. There will be an additional charge for each type of item printed in colored ink or foil. When ordering invitations, reception cards, response cards, informals, etc. you can easily save $30 to $50 or more on the total cost.

3. Print your reception information at the bottom of the invitation. Center the reception location and address below the invitation wording for no extra cost. Put the information in one or both of the lower corners as a “corner copy” for an extra $10 to $25. This is a huge savings over ordering separate reception cards as invitation inserts.

4. Order your informals (thank-yous) when ordering your invitations. Choose informals which match your invitations and have your names printed in one line on the front of the card leaving the inside blank for your personal notes to gift givers. For even greater savings, order blank thank-yous from the invitation company in quantities to match the number of your invitations (or more). Compare prices and you’ll often find ordering thank-yous from the invitation companies less expensive than purchasing the packaged notes from the big discount stores.

5. Calculate the number of invitations you’ll need very carefully. The most expensive invitations are the first 25-50. The price falls drastically for each additional 25. If in doubt order an extra 25. When ordering additional invitations later, you’ll also incur additional shipping charges and colored ink charges if not using black ink. Not to mention the extra days you will have to wait for delivery which may delay the mailing of your invitations to your guests.

6. Save the cost of a calligrapher by having someone with pretty penmanship address your invitations or have the envelopes printed using your computer. Order extra envelopes (both inner and outer) with your invitations so you will have plenty in case of handwritten or printer mistakes.

7. Have an “invitation party” and ask friends and family to help you assemble your invitations. Hiring someone for this purpose might be an expense you can easily avoid.

We have come up with some of the greatest ways to find wedding vendors in your area. Remember that each suggestion in itself is not meant to stand alone. A Bride should really take advantage of all of the resources that exist in finding the right Florist, photographer, caterer etc.

1) Friends and Family: Your Friends and Family are an extremely valuable planning resource. They extend your reach of wedding knowledge more than you know. Each has attended, planned or been to a wedding more recently than you think. So even if they only have a few bits of information, it all adds up to more than you had before. They can provide you with numbers, names and references before ever having to speak with a vendor. Ask Ask Ask!

2) Wedding Websites: Many Wedding sites allow you to search by wedding location to find recommended vendors. Many offer pages of choices for you to sift through- some with pictures and websites to look at. Please keep in mind however that many of these spots are purchased ads. Therefore, while a great place to get vendor leads - make sure to do your own research. You can also find sites like weddingaalacarte.net which allow brides to give honest reviews of vendors which they have used, visited with, or seen at another wedding which will give you honest (and not paid) reviews.

3) Wedding Discussion Boards and Blogs: The Internet has become an amazing place to look for wedding vendors. Many wedding websites have bridal Blogs and discussion boards that allow brides to chat about their experiences and share details about the vendors they have spoken to or used. Don’t be shy to ask questions!

4) Wedding Magazines: There are many Magazines now that are created for specific geographic locations. Many feature local weddings, therefore if you flip through and find centerpieces you really like for instance - look in the picture credits. You might find that the florist featured is around the block.

a resource. Please ask your hotel, hall etc if they have a list of preferred vendors.

Most places will have this. These vendors all have established relationships with your chosen location which is very important. For example, a preferred photographer will be lighting prepared and know the best shots to take in a specific location. Please keep in mind however that this should only be one component of your choice. Often there can be other contributing factors (politics) as to why they have been added to this list. But all in all, this is a good list to have and use.

While the above suggestions help in the direction of finding vendors, it is once you actually sit down with each that you will really get a true opinion on them. Look at their pictures, hear demo tapes, and call references- remember no bride is ever bothered to speak about their wedding!!!