After the Wedding?

You’ve been so busy rushing back and forth between vendors and work and other responsibilities that you may have forgotten to plan what happens after. Don’t forget that marriage isn’t about the wedding ceremony and reception. You need to prepare for the real thing as well.

The first thing that you need to plan is your honeymoon. Think about where you want to go. How will you get there? When you do arrive at your destination, what do you plan to do? Any particular activities in mind?

After the honeymoon, the question now becomes where will you live? Will you be getting a new apartment? Buying a new home? Moving into his place or are you moving to hers?

Wherever you choose to live, you’ll need to prepare your new home. You need to ensure that you’ve made the necessary payments so that you have somewhere to call home together when you return. It also means going over and cleaning up the place so that you can relax when you get home instead of having to move all your furniture then.

Bet your first thought was of furniture and other furnishings. How about the structure of your new home? Will you need any carpentry work done? Have you checked the plumbing? It would be best if the bathrooms are working when you move in.

You don’t need to get the whole place in order if your budget is tight. Do make sure that you have somewhere to sleep and the necessary units for personal comfort. You may want to include the kitchen as well.

RSVP Means Please Respond

Have you ever seen these letters at the bottom of any of the invitations sent to you? Most people see it, but don’t really understand what it means. This is why they ignore it and just show up at events bringing the whole family plus the old family friend, Uncle Barney. You remember him; he always came over for afternoon tea. There goes your budget and seating arrangement.

RSVP literally translates to please respond or please reply. It asks your guests to be considerate and let you know if they can make it or not and exactly how many of them there’ll be. Doing this means you can plan where to seat them. It allows you to ensure that they are at a table with family or friends they may want to chat with. It also means that they can be seated together.

Knowing though that most won’t call to confirm, here are some ways that you can find out if the people you want present will be at your nuptials:

• Instead of RSVP write a short request in your language. For example you can say, “Please call Emily (coordinator’s name) at (specify the number) and confirm that you will be able to join us for our celebration. It’ feels more personal than just seeing the letters RSVP followed by a name and number.
• If you don’t mind the slight addition to your budget, have reply cards made. If they are already stamped and self addressed it will really be inconsiderate of them not to let you know if they can make it or not.
• Set a date and assign someone (maybe the maid of honor and best man) to call everyone on your guestlist who has not confirmed their attendance. Most actually prefer this since they get instant confirmation and can quickly compile the list.

Bride Gift, Groom Gift

An old tradition has come back into fashion. It is the giving of a bride gift or groom gift to each other. Though it can be given before or after the wedding, most couples opt to give each other the gift before the nuptials with the gift being something their fiance or fiancee will use for the wedding itself.

You’re probably thinking, “what? another expense? No way!” and who can blame you. You are spending quite a bit on this very special day. The good news is that your gifts to each other do not need to be expensive. They just need to be well thought out and very personal gifts to your mate.

If you want to give your groom a gift to use for the wedding, practical and inexpensive suggestions would be a money clip or cuff links. You can even have them engraved if you order them ahead of time. How about a Cross pen for signing his name on your marriage contract? It’s beautiful yet not too expensive and it will look elegant in your wedding pictures.

Of course you have more options if you don’t mind the expense. How about a dress watch that he can wear on your wedding day? Get him a watch that he can use for those special occasions. He’ll remember you every time he looks at his watch.

Guys, you have it easier. Generally, brides love it when you give them a gift that shows how much you appreciate the time you’ve been together. A gift such as a photo album or scrapbook of all your dates will be pleasing especially if you placed love notes to tell her why each moment is special.

If you’d like it to be for the wedding, a traditional gift is a piece of jewelry that she will wear at the wedding. Pendants have always been a favorite gift. You may want to give her a set that matches the wedding ring you’ll be slipping onto her finger during your nuptials.

Hot Wheels

The couple says, “I do”, kiss, run down the aisle and get showered with rice and petals before they hop into their chariot. They wave goodbye to their family to the clanking of cans and other noise makers as accompaniment. The focus then goes to the just married sign at the back of the car and the scene fades. Does that sound like your exit scene?

No matter how you plan to depart from your church or reception, you’ll need a proper getaway car. After all, you don’t want to be late for your wedding night or honeymoon. Not to mention that the bride and her family will need it to get to the church on time.

Limousines are great and are absolutely luxurious. Your bride will feel like absolute royalty driving up in this kind of a vehicle. They do however cost quite a bit, so think hard if you want to spend on this. Grooms, note that you are definitely paying for this.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with either renting a car or eve borrowing the car from one of your family members or friends. You can actually use any vehicle that will suit your both your tastes and get you where you need to go (golf cart, anyone?). The most important things to remember are:

• have the car cleaned the day before the wedding and make sure it stays that way
• make sure the tank has more than enough gas to get the happy couple to and from the places they need to be. The last thing they need is to get stranded and have to walk to a gas station.
• make sure the car is in perfect working condition when you get it. Again, it’ll be a headache if it breaks down in the middle of the trip.

Just keep in mind that the bride must be able to get in and out easily of the vehicle, even wearing her gown and veil. She’ll love you for thinking of that.

Summer Bronze For Your Wedding?

The arrival of summer means outings to the beach. You and your friends will probably take a day or two to relax and unwind. It’s a great idea to get out and enjoy the warmth of the season. It’s great to have the natural glow of health.

Before you go for your beach fun though, here are some things you and your entourage may want to remember if the wedding isn’t that far off:

Check the color of the gowns. The gowns may look good on you if you stay your normal creamy pink skin. It may not look good with your new tan. Sunblock will be a big help to keep you from darkening too much.

Strap marks are an absolute no-no. They are an eyesore! They make you look like you’re wearing straps even when there are none. It ruins the look of the gown. It is so easy to avoid this problem. Simply use sunblock (the highest available strength and regular application will go a long way to keeping you from having built in strips.

If you really want to have a little tan, choose a swimsuit that is strapless so that you’ll be an even shade all over; at least where the skin is exposed. If you must have straps, the thinner they are the better. If you’ll sunbathe, make sure that the straps are lowered. Just slip them back on before you sit up.

Don’t forget to take extra steps to protect your hair from sun and water damage. A little care is all you need to keep your hair soft and smooth. Of course modern science can help you but that will raise your expenses at the salon.

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