A wedding is an incredibly special day. The amount of planning and preparation that goes into a wedding pays off in memories that last a lifetime. Of the many decisions that have to be made when planning a wedding, choosing what color to design a theme around is high on the list. In many instances, the color theme chosen is also represented in the wedding invitations.

There are of course many colors to choose from. While the number of color choices may make it easier to personalize the particulars of your wedding, it can also seem overwhelming when you are sorting out all of the details in the initial planning stage. Finding the right color for your wedding invitations should be something that you enjoy. Still the question remains, how can this task become a smoother process?

Choose a color theme for the wedding



Before you choose a color or colors for your invitations, choose the overall color theme for the wedding. There is no rule that states that you must use your wedding colors on your invitations, but if you do decide to, you will already know what color to use.

There are many different ways to settle on a color theme for your wedding. Some brides have known since they were little girls what colors they wanted to use in their wedding. Some grooms have a strong opinion about one color or another. Still, other couples choose seasonal color and some choose colors which will coordinate with their wedding flowers. There is no rule for how to choose a color theme, or how many colors to choose.



Extend the color theme to your invitations



Some people want every part of their wedding to be color coordinated. Others are less sure. For some people, the traditional ivory paper is what they always imagined as part of their wedding day, while others want their invitations to be as unique as their relationship with their future spouse.

For many people who are planning a contemporary wedding, implementing the wedding colors into the invitations is more straightforward. A popular invitation style for contemporary weddings is with a solid, vibrant color for the invitation, with the ink in a lighter color. Pink, green and yellow cards come in a variety of shades, and make gorgeous contemporary invitations.

If you are planning a casual wedding, you can still add color to your invitations. Pastel paper, accent ribbons and colored ink are all popular ways to add color to wedding invitations. If you stray far from the traditional ivories and whites, you may want to use the colors from your wedding, to maintain a coordinated look.

Other color choices



If you do not want to use your wedding colors on your invitation, you will probably want to stick with the more traditional ivory or white paper, with black or, for a more formal wedding, metallic ink. You can use these colors on your invitation and be perfectly proper, whether your wedding colors are bold or pastel, traditional or contemporary.

If you want the look of a traditional wedding invitation, but would like to implement your wedding colors, consider using one of your colors as the lining color for the envelopes. This is a subtle and attractive way to customize the appearance of your invitations. Other places to add accent colors are on envelope seals, monograms and motifs. Careful use of color can add drama or whimsy to your invitations without adding much to the price.

Combining ideas



Some couples choose a neutral color for the invitation itself, and compliment it with ink in one of their wedding colors. You can also add a bow to many invitations. If your invitations have a bow, you can choose a color that coordinates with your ink color or matches it. No couple is beholden to extending their wedding color theme into their invitations, many do, but there are many other alternatives.

Making the right choice



There is also no “right” choice when designing your wedding invitation. There is no one color that will look acceptable. Many people choose colors from their wedding theme to help coordinate the look of their wedding, but that is not necessary. It is more important that you choose a look that you love. The wedding invitation is a lifelong keepsake of your special day.

If you choose to use colors other than those which are your wedding colors in your invitations, consider how you will choose reception place cards. These are often chosen to coordinate with your invitation. If the reception hall will be decorated in different colors than the invitation, consider how the place cards will look on the tables before committing to a particular color. Paying attention to these small details can help ensure that your wedding and reception commences without any missteps.



By: Arianna Jordan

Arianna Jordan is a freelance writer who writes about weddings and other family events. Ms. Jordan specializes in writing about specific aspects of a weeding such as the wedding invitations.

gaofulei asked:

impressive wedding
i love to be loved by u

Selecting the right wedding dress is one of the most important decisions you will make in planning your wedding. It can be more than a little daunting, as you know all eyes are going to be on you – and your dress – on the big day and you want to make sure that you are looking your best. It’s enough to drive some brides to despair. But with a little pre-planning it’s easy to get organized and on the right track to finding “the one”. Here are 6 top tips to help you find the perfect wedding dress for you:

1. Look for what you like – Some of us girls even have pictures of dresses saved from before we got our proposal! Looking in wedding magazines is always the useful first step to getting an idea of what you want – it’s fun too. Also use the internet as a resource. Keep these clippings and bookmark sites in your web browser. Top Tip: Use Google’s Image Search function to quickly browse through pictures of dresses (go to the Google homepage and click on the text that says ‘Images’ in the top left hand corner. Then search as normal for ‘wedding dresses’ – the results will be images instead of text).

2. Look early – This means looking at around 9 months ahead if possible. Say you have a proposal, set a date – ideally you can start looking then. If you are ordering a custom dress then this can take months to make and if you need alterations – as the majority of women do – this will also take time. A good seamstress is often booked up far in advance, so getting in early is essential.

3. Set a budget – Why does there have to be a budget?! Well, it’s way too easy to go overboard with the dress – but it is unfair to spend a huge proportion of the budget on a dress if it means your guests have to eat bread rolls all night! It’s important to strike a balance and setting a budget in advance can help you focus. And remember you can find stunning gowns for a few hundred pounds if you know where to look (check out our site below for more on this). Also remember alterations could cost a few hundred pounds, although some boutiques will do the alterations in store for you, if you negotiate with them.

4. How to pay – Instead of using a cash deposit, use a credit card. Why? To protect your purchase in case something goes wrong. This happened to my sister-in-Law… the dress shop went out of business a few weeks before her wedding day. Thankfully it was covered by the credit card company.

5. Set deadlines – From the point you buy your dress you need to give the seamstress specific deadlines for delivering the required alterations. It’s probably a good idea to allow for a bit of leeway and set deadlines that have a 1 – 2 week contingency built in.

6. Take a friend – Or someone you trust. Someone who has a style you like – this may not be your mum and it may not be your best friend. As much as you may like the look of a dress, a good second opinion is an essential sanity check. Remember to keep things appropriate – a grand wedding probably calls for a classic wedding dress and not a short white number. A semi-formal ceremony means you can wear a coloured dress or even something more modern and funky.



By: Karen White

Karen White got married on 5th October 2007. She’s now on a mission to help couples planning their wedding to maximize their wedding budget and have the wedding of their dreams at an affordable price. Visit her website for more great tips for saving money on Wedding Dresses

Gibbycrampton asked:

beatufifull

With all of the celebration surrounding your wedding, it is easy to get a little sidetracked. Choosing your favorite flowers, favorite songs and favorite foods can create a self centered mindset. When it comes time to choose the wedding favors it is time to shift your mindset to the guests. Many brides strive to find that perfect “something” that will be both impressive and memorable. This can be a tall order, but choosing a unique and different wedding favor helps to ensure that your guests will remember your wedding day for some time to come. So, how to choose wedding favors that will make you stand out?

Coordinate with your theme - One way to pick wedding favors that stand out is to choose something which ties in with your wedding theme. If you are hosting a spring wedding, consider flower bulbs; a winter affair? Holiday ornaments. By complementing your theme and choosing a gift that goes along with the wedding, you show creativity, thoughtfulness and a sense of style. The favors can even serve as part of your reception decorations or table centerpieces.

Shop early; do not wait until the last minute – If you put off shopping for favors until right before your wedding, you may be disappointed with what you find. Finding the perfect favor is just as important as choosing the right flowers or food, and you should allocate time to find exactly what you want. By starting early, you will also leave yourself enough time to personalize your favors if that is an available option. Some favor ideas require assembly, so be sure to leave enough time (or get enough help!) to have all the favors ready by your wedding day.

Consider all your options - It is not so much what you choose as how the item is finished and presented. For example, you may want the most unusual and fantastic wedding favor ever, but with a budget that really can only afford “mints”, you might have to get creative. Do not take any option off the table. Chocolates, mints and other edibles can be great favors especially if you dress them up in colorful gift boxes or sheer gift bags with ribbons and personalized tags. It is easy to get sidetracked when you are planning a wedding. With so many things to concentrate on, the perfect favor may be far down on your list. But you can find special and personal wedding favors in all price ranges if you take the time to look.

Ask for advice - With all of the planning and stress surrounding a wedding, it can be difficult to make any decisions, let alone a good decision. In fact, you may be tired of being constantly asked to make choices about every detail of the wedding. Because it is easy to be overwhelmed by the decision making process, it makes sense to solicit advice. Whether you ask your fiancé, your mom, your bridesmaids, or a trusted wedding consultant, seek out an opinion on the wedding favors that you are considering. After you have looked at so many choices, it may be hard to remain objective when determining what is actually a special or unique idea versus what is just another trinket. Once you have narrowed down your list of potential favors, ask someone you trust to help make the final decision.

Set a realistic budget – When you finally find something that you love, and want to give as your wedding favor, it is important that you make sure it fits into your budget. The price of these wedding favors adds up quickly depending on how many people you are expecting. Set a total dollar amount before you begin shopping for wedding favors, and divide that number by the number of favors you plan to buy. Be sure to subtract on any charges for personalization, taxes and shipping from your total budget, or you may be in for an unpleasant surprise when you place your final order. This lets you know how much you can spend on each favor. Once you have this number, stick to it. It is difficult to do when you see the perfect gift, and it is only 75 cents more than your set price. But multiply that 75 cents by 250 guests and you will see how quickly you can blow your budget. Once you have determined what your maximum price per favor is, do not shop outside of that price range.

The last step, finally, is to relax. Shopping for the perfect wedding favors can be extremely stressful. Of course we want the people we care about to like what we give them, it is human nature. But in the big picture, the wedding favors are only one part of a special day. Do not let a tight budget or other set back keep you from enjoying your wedding day. You can stand out with personalized wedding favors no matter your budget.



By: Arianna Jordan

Arianna Jordan writes about topics pertaining to weddings and other family events. Ms. Jordan offers suggestions for ways to make an event standout such as offering personalized wedding favors.