When you start looking at invitations, one of the first things that you should consider is the type of stationery that is going to be used. Many wedding invitations appear either on standard card stock or on a more parchment-like paper, and each of these options carries with it a distinct look.

Stop to think about exactly how you want your invitations to look and feel, using this to guide your choices when it comes to the type of paper that you are using for your wedding invitations. You can extend this consideration further to the envelopes that you are going to be mailing them in as well, deciding on exactly what you want the recipient’s first reaction to be when they see the envelope sitting in their mailbox.

Once you have decided on the type of paper that you want, stop to consider the font and ink colors that you want to use. The font that you choose is important, as you want to make sure that it is readable while still conveying a message of style to all who see it. If possible, you should also reuse the same font on any placeholders or other paperwork that is associated with your wedding to create a link between all of these components. The same goes with your ink colors; try to use colors that will appear elsewhere in your wedding, tying everything together through the simple use of color to accent the invitations that you send out.

A number of wording templates are available for you to use inside of your invitations, with each presenting the basic information about the wedding in a slightly different way. The use of wording templates lets you save time by not having to come up with all of the wording on your own, and by comparing different templates you can make sure that everything is going to look and sound exactly like you want it to sound. It also gives you a basis to try out the look of the fonts that you are considering, since many invitation manufacturers let you see a preview of your invitation (including the wording template) in the font and colors that you choose.

The use of motifs in your wedding invitations can add more customization to them while giving you opportunities to once again tie your invitations in with a larger theme in your wedding. Motifs can vary greatly and can range from simple designs like a single swirl to more complex designs like Celtic knots and ribbons of love carried by doves. Motifs that are used in your wedding invitations can then be extended to the decorations at your wedding and reception, letting the same imagery be used repeatedly to help make your marriage even more memorable for your guests.

To customize your wedding invitations so that they make the largest impact on the people that you send them to, you might consider adding a few additional touches such as custom envelopes with colorful liners and ribbons that are tied around or attached to the invitations themselves.

The use of lined envelopes can not only help to add another instance of your wedding colors to the invitation without it overpowering the invitation itself, but the liners can also help to ensure privacy by preventing the invitation from being read through the envelope. Ribbons can add that extra bit of flourish (and another dash of color) while making sure that your wedding invitation is memorable. Even if the ribbon is just looped around the invitation, it can still make quite the impression when the envelope is opened and the ribbon-wrapped invitation is removed.

Making a good impression with your wedding invitations might seem like a lot of work, but the payoff of knowing that you have sent out exactly the sort of invitation that you want makes it worth it. It is a great way to share your joy with friends and loved ones while getting them in a festive mood for when they actually attend the wedding.

Consider the following when deciding on your summer wedding dress:

As with any consideration for your big day, the best advice is always to be as prepared as possible – and then to relax and enjoy!

TIP: For those who don’t already their hands on the HOT TIPS found in the Amazing Wedding Planning guide, check out Wedding Planning Makes Perfect, and learn how to save both time and money on your wedding planning. Enjoy!

Executing a good wedding with a limited budget always requires a lot of enterprise and planning, be it asking for a discount from your designer or getting a special deal from your caterer in order to get more for less. Wedding party favors are no exception to the rule, and you will only be able to provide favors that are cheap without looking it only after you spend some time and effort in planning your favors.

A smart bride can get away with giving away wedding party favors that look classy and cute for the same budget that a dumber bride will spend on getting tacky and cheap favors; the key here is to plan well in advance and determine your budget. When planning your wedding, list out all your expenses ranging from the wedding dress to the caterers and decorator’s fee in order to get the amount that is left for wedding favors. If you do not have an idea about how much everything will cost, then setting a budget of one to two dollars per guest for wedding party favors should be able to provide for gifts that look good without being expensive.

You can be the smart bride who manages to give classy wedding party favors without over exceeding your budget by considering the options given below:

Personalized Chocolates And Candies:  Giving out chocolate with custom printed wrappers is not just costly, it is also passé. Instead of getting your names printed on chocolate wrappers, buy small sized candy and chocolate like Kisses or MnMs in bulk and wrap them up nicely in cute looking gift packs. Use either gold or silver tulle, ribbons and wrapping paper for a classic wedding or use colors from the wedding theme to wrap up your chocolates in style. Creating these self wrapped chocolate wedding party favors will cost you somewhere around $1 including the packing, but your guests will still love them as much as professionally packed costly chocolate selections.

Plants and Flowers:  A potted plant or herb has no monetary value attached to it because it can last for years and years if it is taken care of. You can buy potted flowering plants or herbs like lavender, rosemary and sage etcetera for less than two dollars each from your local nursery or plant wholesaler. If the pots are not good looking enough, wrap them up in foil or tulle or hand paint them in colors from the wedding theme. You can also stencil in a design or a quote with your names and the date of your wedding on the pots to give them a personal touch.

Candles:  Good quality candles, big or small always come across as being classy wedding party favors. The best part about these candles is that you can also use them as table centerpieces at your wedding reception. In order to get good candles for less, buy them wholesale. If they do not come with nice wrappers, then wrap them up yourself neatly in tulle and ribbon to make them look costlier than they actually are.

Keychains:  Personalized keychains with the names of the bride and groom and the date of the wedding embossed or printed on them not only make for useful wedding party favors, they are also economical to boot. You can buy keychains that suit the theme of your wedding, for example, buy autumn leaf designs if you have an autumn wedding and get them engraved with the details. If you buy and get these key chains printed in bulk, you will not only have a good looking wedding party favor for less; you will also be giving your guests something that is practical and useful.

DIY Wedding Party Favors:  These could include making anything that you are good at, ranging from handmade candles to home made cookies. Making things yourself with favor supplies not only ensures that your wedding party favors cost less, they also make them unique from everything else. If you are good in the kitchen then you can consider making home made jams and preserves and presenting them in nicely wrapped jars. Cookies and cakes wrapped in silver foil and tulle also make for tasty and classy wedding party favors.  

Theme Based Wedding Favors:  Wedding party favors that go well with your theme never look tacky. Instead they always seem well thought of and classy. You can buy nice theme based wedding party favors by jogging your mind a little. For e.g. if you are having a beach themed party, giving away small bags of sea shells or shell shaped chocolates always looks good. A fairy tale themed wedding can have small poly-stone prince and princess figurines as wedding party favors while potted plants and flowers are perfect for garden weddings.

Other ways in which you can save money on party favors is by giving away one wedding party favor per couple instead of giving favors per person. This would help you give out costlier items without looking cheap. Some gifts that you can give out to couples are potted plants like orchids and small board game sets etcetera. Just make sure that you also buy something equally good for your single guests.

Another thing that you should definitely do in order to get your wedding party favors cheap is to buy them only from wholesalers and at sales. If you already have your wedding planned six months ahead, then you might be able to find good sales at craft and gift stores. Otherwise, it is also a good idea to collect gift store coupons and then buy your wedding party favors in bulk at discounted rates.

It doesn`t matter how precise you are you can bet something will go belly up on the day. Even the wedding experts can get it wrong sometimes. It only takes the slightest little thing to spoil what may have taken you a year or two to plan, if not longer. Typical mishaps like forgetting to inform the chauffeur where the church service is to be held or mislaying the wedding rings are a couple to mention. If you finalize particular wedding tasks early enough then you`re half way there in having a mishap carefree day.

Drawing up a wedding-to-do-list should be your top priority. Put a date in your diary to meet up with them who you have allotted a particular wedding duty to carry out. Keep these meetings regular so you know where you`re up to with the wedding tasks. What`s been accomplished can be ticked off your wedding-to-do-list. The more ticks there is the fewer headaches. Duties for wedding helpers might include ordering the flowers, baking the wedding cake, sending out invitations down to booking the minister for the wedding ceremony. Let the happiest day of your life stay that way by planning ahead.

The content bride will always look the prettiest on the day more than that of a miserable looking bride.

By highlighting some vital wedding issues will help you get yourself in order to achieve the perfect wedding. If you experience difficulty in planning your wedding, then in all due respect it maybe down to you that is making it difficult. You need to relax and take time out to think and not rush.

There are a lot of steps you will need to take when planning a wedding but taking one step at a time is the answer. Taking too much on at once can cause problems and cause you unnecessary stress. When planning a wedding, you need to make detail planning of the program. Let us begin with the wedding reception, some couples dedicate more of their time to this part of their wedding than any other part of the wedding events. You need to make sure that the venue hall is an ideal size for accommodating all your guests. Estimating the number of guests coming at this stage is not good, it is best to have exact numbers if it is a sit down meal because you could end up spending over the odds. Planning the reception should have you include and allow for the catering, decorations and entertainment.

Involve yourself with the catering and by doing this you get to check the menu with your caterer and change things as you go along. Wedding entertainment like hiring a disco DJ or live band is fabulous for getting people in the mood for dancing.

If you have to much on your plate and have no time to involve yourself with the catering then you will need to get a final head count for any meals to be served concerning your wedding to your caterer. This count should include the wedding photographer and coordinator as well as your wedding entertainment members, such as the DJ, muscians or singers.

When planning a wedding it is favourable to have wedding favors. The more unique the wedding favour the more it excites the guest. Send wedding invitations early so your guest will have time to prepare themselves for your special day. Your guest may have book a day off work, buy a new outfit or arrange for a baby sitter so it is important to send wedding invites at least 12 weeks in advance.

Wedding tips

1 Whether your hair stylist is calling to your home or you are to visit the hair salon, remember to wear loose clothing especially round the neck. After your hair has be styled in the fashion you want you don`t want to spoil it when removing any garments. A blouse is more ideal with a button down front.

2 If the bridal gown is designed for going over the head then place a pillow case or petticoat over first to prevent any lipstick/mascara smudges getting on the dress. It will also allow the dress to glide over the head without tossing your hair.

3 Don`t forget to remove the price tags from the soles off the shoes. This is easily overlooked and can go unnoticed; however not by the people in the church.

4 We all know children are easily bored and “will” get up to mischief at the drop of hat so if possible for the bridal dressing have a separate room for the kiddies to play and an adult to keep them in check. If the flower girls/bridesmaids are of toddler age – dress them last.

5 Keep beverages (coffee tea blackcurrant juice) at a distance if the wedding dress is fitted. Assist young children when thirsty by guiding the drinking cup to their mouth. Spillage is a spoiler.

6 Call the best man on the morning of your wedding day to make sure the groom did arrived home safe from the night before (stag do,) and at the same time ask him if he has the wedding bands. Men have been known to walk up the aisle without socks so keep this in mind.

7 The man`s buttonhole is traditionally worn on the left lapel, of course personal preference prevails. Have someone help the men pin their buttonholes because it is nothing new to see a beautiful displayed corsage – displayed upside down.

8 Don`t write your speech down on a scrap of paper because it`s easy to think it rubbish and gets thrown out. Nerves can have you say things that people may not want to hear so be careful with choice of words. Read your speech back as many times as it takes for you to be satisfied.

Wedding reminders for the to-do-list

Wedding ceremony location

Wedding programs, pew bows, chapel flowers, unity and taper candles

Marriage license and the officiate fees.

Useful pieces to have at your side – scotch tape for the gift table, a guest book and pen.

Have a basket for placing money envelopes in.

Don`t forget the silver knife for cutting the wedding cake

Glasses for the wedding toast.

Have a medical/emergency kit close by which should contain, make up and hair spray along with personal feminine items if needed. Other bits are Q-tips, facial tissues, aspirin or Tylenol. The list is endless so you could find yourself packing a case instead of a box. You need to know when to stop, mind you what about a nail file and clear nail polish, a stapler and safety pins, “see what I mean,” oh and spare panty hose.

Why not make your special day special for everyone else too. You can do this by giving your guests a unique wedding favor.

Wedding favors are given as a way to say “Thank You” to the wedding guests, – and if the perfect favor is given then you will have very thankful guests.

Wedding favors Ideas

Cookies and Chocolates

Crystal

Guest books

Glass coasters

Photo Album

Silver Items

Bath sets

Unity candles

Check on your wedding plans regular to avoid last minute hiccups.

Should a problem rise on your wedding day then meet it head on with plan B.? You do have one don`t you. It is in your best interest to have back up. For instance if the photographer gets stuck in a traffic jam, then have a camcorder in the car. If the caterer has faulted and burnt the wedding breakfast, then have a pizza house number on your personal, or if the groom doesn`t turn up then settle for the better man i.e. “best” man. All joking aside it is important to have your standby props.

Weddings may be officiated at any San Antonio location. Outdoor and backyard wedding make for a real cozy setting. We have served people from all areas of San Antonio, New Braunfels, Gruene, and Universal City. Churches available for rent if you require a Church Wedding.

Military Weddings for members of all Bracnches of the United States Military. We have officiated weddings at the Fort Sam Houston Chapel, and the Lackland Air Force Base Chapel. Father Louis Bernhardt is a Member of the United States Chaplain’s Service, and serves as State Commander. Father Louis also serves as a Member of the Board of Govenors for the Texas Association of Wedding Officiates for 2009.

There are many options for your Riverwalk Wedding. You may charter a Riverboat for the Wedding Meal. Live Musicians available to play your favorite songs. You may have a friend or family member read a poem! You may write your own vows that you speak to each other during the celebration.

Children from previous marriages may be included in the ceremony. The Minister would present each child a ring or other memento that the couple furnishes. This officially makes the child a part of the celebration and a member of the new family.

Rules for Military Weddings at Militarty Chapels & West Point.

Every wedding requires special planning, but a military wedding calls for some specific traditions that may be unfamiliar to a civilian bride whose mother or mother-in-law did not have to consider such a ceremony.

Marilyn Sharp, wife of Colonel Dan Sharp (retired), gives this advice on how to smooth the way to a perfect military wedding. “The most important thing to do is to plan as soon as you becone engaged, and don’t feel silly checking two or three times with the caterer or florist.” Mrs. Sharp said that it was not uncommon to have the wrong flowers and wedding cake end up at the wrong wedding. Part of the problem with simple services, like hotels, caterers, and florists at the academies, is that there are so few of them. West Point, for example, has only one hotel in the nearby town. Many people come each year to West Point for graduation and weddings in June, so hotel reservations must be made as early as February.Mrs. Sharp’s husband graduated from West Point in 1951 and retired from the service as the deputy commandant at West Point. Being the wife of the deputy commandant, she helped the cadets plan their weddings and recalls having attended eight military weddings in one day! Any enlisted man or officer can have a military wedding in full-dress uniform. Like anything having to do with the military, there are certain guidelines that pertain to all military weddings, regardless of wether they are held at one of the academy chapels or in a civilian church.A military wedding is a formal affair. Your fiance and his military friends wear their dress uniforms and white gloves. Boutonnieres cannot be worn on a military uniform. If there are any civilian ushers, they should wear cut-aways, strollers, black or dark-colored suites. Your father, if he is not in the military, should do the same.Invitations to a military wedding read almost the same as those for a civilian wedding. However, you should include your fiance’s rank and branch. For instance, instead of John Smith, you would put, Lieutenant John Smith, U.S. Army.The saber arch is one of the things that makes the military wedding so special. During the recessional, the bridge and groom walk under an arch made by the ushers or designated saberbearers. This is also the most photographed part of a military wedding. A good rule of thumb is to have four to six saberbearers in your wedding party: they can serve as ushers or can be separated from the ushers. It looks nice to have the same number of bridesmaids as saberbearers, but this is up to you.Commanding officers should always be seated according to their ranks. Your ushers will probably, if they are in the service, know how to do this. Other officers may sit anywhere. The chaplains at each of the military academies have provided a summary of their own specific rules.United States Naval Academy: Annapolis, Maryland. The following people can be married at the U.S. Naval Academy Chapel: Naval Academy graduates, active or retired, and their children; military personnel assigned to Annapolis, andtheir children; Academy faculty, active or retired, and their children; and military personnel retired with pay, and their children who regularly attend the Academy Chapel.Weddings are scheduled through the senior chaplain’s office, which can be found in the wedding handbook. Weddings can be held Monday through Saturday from noon to 4:00 P.M. except for the week of commissioning. After the application has been received, you will be issued a time for the rehearsal and wedding.During commissioning week, the Chapel is reserved for the graduating midshipmen only. The scheduling for their weddings is usually different from weddings at other times. For information on commissioning week weddings, you should contact the office of the senior chaplain.Only Naval Academy chaplains will peform weddings in the Naval Academy Chapel, and the Academy chaplains advice premarital counseling before a couple are married in the Chapel. If you live far away from the Academy, the chaplainswill suggest a counselor.The arch of swords, as it is called in the Navy, takes place in the Chapel steps. Since the Chapel does not supply swords, your party must furnish them.Music for the wedding is the responsibility of the director of musical activities at the Naval Academy. Only appropriate sacred music can be used. Soloists and guest instrumentalists are not encouraged at the Chapel.Pictures can be taken in the Bride’s Room, in the sacristy, and outside the Chapel before the ceremony. A flash may be used during the processional and the recessional. Pictures may be taken in the new nave during the ceremony, including the balconies, without flash. No pictures may be taken in the Chapel after the ceremony unless the weather is inclement.Flowers for the Chapel are provided by the Chapel Altar Guild. These flowers cannot be removed from the Chapel after the wedding. Flowers for the members of the wedding party are the responsibility of those getting married.Rice cannot be thrown inside or outside the Chapel. Be sure to inform your guests of this restriction.There are rooms for last-minute preparations at the Chapel, but at the beginning of the ceremony everything should be removed from these rooms.A mininum contribution should be made to the Protestant or Catholic Chapel. This is to be paid when you submit your application: it helps to defray the cost of marriage books, candles, flowers, and music.United States Air Force Academy: Colorado Springs, Colorado. The Academy has two different chapels and a different booklet for each.The Protestant Chapel can be used only by graduates of any military academy and active-duty military personnel assigned to the U.S. Air Force Academy, and their dependents. This is an Academy regulation. Chaplains that are assigned to the Academy normally preside over the wedding, but in special circumstances other clergy may officiate. Premarital counseling is mandatory for all marriages, beginning at least thirty days before the ceremony.

Rehearsals should be scheduled with the chaplain. Flowers are to be provided by the wedding party, and should be delivered to the Chapel. White runners are not allowed because of the highly polished floor.The Chapel provides candles and kneeling cushions for the bride and groom. Sabers and baldrics (holders for the sabers) are available at the Chapel, too. However, they cannot be removed.Pictures may be taken with a flash only during the processional and following the benediction. Pictures of the religious portion of your wedding may be taken from the balcony only. Flashbulbs are not allowed at that time.  Flashbulbs may be used during the arch of sabers. There will be time after the wedding for pictures.In the interest of time, a reception line cannot be formed at the end of your wedding. Weddings at the Chapel must also begin and end on schedule.Nothing–rice, confetti, or flower  petals–can be thrown either inside or outside the Chapel (mainly for safely reasons).Military chaplains do not receive fees for their services. Donations can be given, but there is no charge for the use of the Chapel.The Catholic ceremony is relatively the same. However, there are a few differences.Catholics need a copy of their record of baptism from the church where it was performed. This needs to be issued six months prior to the ceremony. A questionnaire must be filled out in the presence of a priest. If the marriage is interfaith, special counseling on the responsibilities of being Catholic is required before the ceremony. For all couples marrying in the Catholic Church, attendance at premarital sessions is required. You must also obtain permission from your pastor to be married in any church other than your own parish. Sabers are not permitted inside the Catholic Church.United States Military Academy: West point, New York. West Point does not have a bride’s handbook, but Chaplain Louis Bernhardt offers some tips for brides who want to be married at West Point.According to Chaplain Louis Bernhardt, the bride must bring to West Point everything that the party will need. If you are marrying a graduating cadet, he will draw lots several months before the event to determine what time your wedding will take place during June week. Weddings begin one hour after graduation and run continuously throughout the week. There are three chapels at the Academy and one Jewish Synagogue.Chaplain Louis Bernhardt said that the hardest thing about having your wedding during June week is finding a place to stay. There is one hotel in Highland Falls; and it is booked early in February because of all the wedding parties and all of the parents and relatives who plan to attend graduation. You should makereservations at the hotel for your entire wedding party as soon as you know the date. Follow this immediately with a call to the officer’s club about the reception. It is very important that you include a “reception following” card with an R.S.V.P. on it so that you know the number of guests to expect.Order the flowers from the florist early and recheck to make sure that there is no mix-up as to the time and place.  Photographs depend on the church–you will have to ask the chaplain of the chapel you have chosen. Rehearsals are set by appointment. First, you should check on any special rules that your church might have on the drawing of sabers.Planning a military wedding is basically no different from planning any other type of wedding, until the conclusion. The recessional proceeds like this: The bride and groom leave the church first, followed by the bridesmaids and seaberbears. When the bride and groom reach the back of the church, they step aside to let the wedding party and congregation leave. After everyone is out of the church, the saberbears form two lines facing each other to form an arch of sabers. According to officers who have had military weddings, the saber arch should be practiced before the wedding. Make sure that officers participating in the saber arch leave enough room between them so the bride and groom can go under side by side.The commands for the arch are as follows: Sabers are carried in the “carry draw” position. At the command of “draw sabers,” the arch is formed. Each bearer raises his right arm with saber in hand rotating the arm until the blade is on top. If the saberbears bend their wrists, they should have a true arch. At the command, “return sabers,” the saberberars return their sabers to the “carry draw” position. Your saberbears should know what the “carry draw” position is: if the are unsure, it is partially in the baldric and partially out.Only the bride and groom may walk under the saber arch.One special tradition at a military wedding reception is that the bride and groom cut the first piece of cake with the groom’s saber. The groom places his hand on the hilt of the saber (the handle) and the bride guides the blade.A military wedding can be as modern or as traditional as you want to make it. Concluding with the arch of sabers adds an especially memorable touch for you and your officer husband.

For the last 15 years Father Louis has been know as the “Riverwalk Pastor” and he continues to this date! Father Louis is Ordained by:

The Anglican Rite Old Catholic Church * Consecrated Bishop 1996 *

Call Father Louis at 832-549-4696.