Posts Tagged ‘wedding ceremony’

Choosing your wedding officiant is one of the most important decisions you have to make regarding your wedding, as this will set the tone of your wedding. No matter if you want to have a religious ceremony, an interfaith wedding or a civil ceremony, you have to make sure that you have chosen the right officiant for your wedding style.

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Minister, judge or a friend? Usually, if the couple shares a common religious background they decide to have their wedding officiated by a minister (priest, rabbi) in a church that has some emotional meaning to the couple, or jut to the bride or groom. If neither of the partners is religious, usually they choose to have a civil wedding, officiated by a judge or by a justice of the peace. This wedding is only sanctioned by the state, but it does give the couple all of the legal rights enjoyed by couples married in traditional religious weddings.  If you want your wedding to have a more personal meaning, you can choose one of your friends to officiate de ceremony. In this case, you have to make sure that your friend has the legal right to officiate a ceremony, so you will be legally married after de ceremony.

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Budget. In the past, ministers would perform these services for a donation, but that becomes confusing for couples not familiar with church practices. This is why in nowadays officiants have a set fee that can start, which can be negotiated, depending on the responsibilities, the relationship with the couple or other factors. The professional you hire to conduct your wedding ceremony should offer you a contract for services that spells out exactly what he/she will be doing for you on your  wedding day and several methods of payment should be available for your convenience, including credit card, check or cash.

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Experience. Your officiant should have experience to be able to handle any unexpected or embarrassing moments that could develop during the wedding ceremony. A professionally-trained wedding officiant will be poised and calm no matter what happens and be able to quickly and efficiently handle any situation with dignity and be able to finally declare that the bride and groom are husband and wife!

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Wedding location. There are situations in which a couple gets married in a different location but wants a certain wedding officiant to officiate their wedding ceremony. In this cases you have to make sure that your offciant is willing to travel, and that the cost of this travel isn’t too high. If the officiant is a family friend, he/she might travel for free, but if he/she is not she might want you to make sure he has the transportation arranged.

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Rules. There are officiant that have certain rules regarding photographing, filming, or music on your wedding day. Before you hire an officiant, you have to make sure that he agreed on your wishes, regarding the way your ceremony will take place.

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Counseling. Some couples want counseling, and others do not feel it is necessary. Counseling programs are only as good as your willingness to deeply participate. If you are simply fulfilling an obligation by attending premarital sessions, you will most likely not gain from them. Most of the ministers either offer premarital counseling or will suggest going through a marriage enrichment program. No matter what your decision is, your officiant should support your decision.

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Rehearsal ceremony. A few officiants have only one ceremony they offer. If that is the case, be sure you get to read their ceremony and make sure it harmonizes with what you want said at your wedding. Others have a few simple choices (with the option of you adding some of your own ideas) so you can create the ceremony that most speaks to you. Always ask how long they think the ceremony itself will take; this is critically important information for your facility, photographer, caterer, etc.

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Elope? Some couples decide they want to skip the stress of planning their wedding so they take a few close friends and elope. No matter if you are going to Vegas, or you just show in front of a judge, make sure that the officiant has the legal power to declare you married.

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Wedding table runners are a premier way to add style and class to a wedding reception. Linens are used to visually amplify the style and design aspects of the reception itself. Similar to most important decisions we face choosing the color and style for the wedding linens can be a difficult one. These color and style of the linens can make or break the entire design of the reception since they are an integral part of the look and feel of the reception.

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Where to use? The first thing you must do is decide where you are going to have tables that need to be covered and what kind of tables you are going to have. Are some going to be round and others rectangle? Are you going to have the guest book at the actual wedding sitting on a table that needs covered? What about the dining tables at the reception or the cake table and even the table that the DJ will have his radio equipment on. Do you want all those covered in table linens? Do you want your chairs covered in fabric or maybe a sash around the backs of the chairs? If you do, you need to plan for those entire items to be covered with fabric in your budget.

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Color. Most probably your wedding currently has a color theme, so it’s a good option to choose something that suits that. If the single color available is a white table cover, then you have to use a mat on top or a table runner to make extra color.

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Style. Choosing table runners that have a great pattern or using a custom table runner might be a very good idea. This may be tone on tone so it won’t spoil the color theme you have going. For instance, a pastel yellow table cover could have beautiful, a bit darker yellow swirls or flowers on it.

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Material. The material for your table settings should also be a consideration. For weddings, again, satin is the traditional choice. There has always been something romantic about satin. The texture of satin just screams elegance so, if you are trying to create an elegant ambience, you may want to order satin table settings. You should also consider using polyester table settings. Polyester holds up in weather and also stands well against wear and tear. It is also easy to clean with a damp sponge. A nice middle-ground for a medium-sized domestic gathering is linen. Linen is a very high-quality fabric. It looks classy but is also very sturdy.

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Size. There is a very simple formula you can employ to ensure that you order the correct sized table settings. The first thing you will want to do is grab a tape measurer. Now, measure your table at its longest part; both the width and length. If the number is uneven, round to the nearest inch. Next, decide how much you want your tablecloth to hang over the sides. Once you have both length and width measurements, take both measurements and add the length of the drop, multiplied by two. Add this doubled drop measurements to both the length and width and you will have the correct measurement for your tablecloth.

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Wedding aisle runner is a strip of material which is of aisle’s length on which bride walks to reach alter and these wedding runners are made with various materials like polyester, Vinyl, etc. Wedding runner serves for both functionality and decorative purposes and it makes the bride fell as a princess on her wedding day.

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Rent or buy. In many cases, your wedding planner or decorator will have access to an aisle runner and you could very easily include it as one of the services he/she will provide for you. If it is cost efficient, this might be the most convenient option. As you get to the aisle runner only once, it is high recommended to just rent it. If you want it to be personalized, to have your names on it, than the preferred option is to buy it.

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Fabric. Polyester fabric aisle runners are literally made from polyester poplin fabric and come in an array of colors (74 to be exact). These quality aisle runners have surged edges (so no fraying) and are available in either 36″ or 45″ widths. Nonslip aisle runners are the best runners on the market. Made from a cotton fabric with foam adhered to the underside, these aisle runners will not move when walked upon. They’re lightweight too, meaning they’re easy to roll down the aisle. These aisle runners measure approximately 42″ in width and are available only in white. Burlap aisle runners are perfect for beach weddings and measure 36″ wide. They can be painted with any of our Basic or Artistic logo designs and looks. Echo friendly aisle runners are made from recycled plastic bottles that are melted down to form fibers that are woven together. Eco-runners are available in 36″ widths and six colors. Each Eco-Runner is painted with special water based paints that are free from chemicals.

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Color. Whether for an indoor or outdoor wedding, you can choose from a standard white aisle runner or one that matches the color of your wedding. You can also have things written on the aisle runner, which is a nice detail for those couples who want to keep their aisle runners for years to come.

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Design. The edges of aisle runners may be accented with potted flowers, clusters or lines of flower petals, or even seashells or river stones to suit the location’s natural décor and the wedding theme. Or keep it simple with a pretty border embedded in the design of the runner.

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Inside or outside wedding. Aisle runners are sturdier for outdoors and more delicate indoors. For an outdoor wedding, aisle runners will keep your shoes from getting dirt and grass stains as well as the bottom of your dress. You will just have to decide how long it needs to be as the lengths vary so it’s up to you. You will also need to decide how wide it needs to be as well.

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Placement. Aisle runners often are pre-placed at the ceremony site for optimal beauty and to avoid a bumpy, wavering placement done by the ushers during the processional. The aisle runner professional or your wedding coordinator will place the runner perfectly. With your aisle runner in place, drape a garland of flowers across the back row of seats so that guests do not walk on the runner on the way to their seats.

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After the ceremony. After the ceremony role the aisle runner and use it at the reception as the bridal party is being announced. It makes a great photo opportunity.

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