Summer Weddings

Summer is fast approaching and many brides are putting the finishing touches on their weddings. Summer weddings can be great.

Almost always you are guaranteed great weather and its perfect for outdoor and evening weddings as balmy nights add to the atmosphere. Summer weddings can also be a bit of a disaster with heatwaves, insects and natural disasters and even the unlikely event of rain and storms!

Here are our recommendations to keep your summer wedding a success....
The Bride and Bridesmaids
Dresses

Keep them light and floaty. Having a full skirt in heavy silk will add weight and bulk to your gown and on a hot day. Opt for fabrics such as lace, organza, chiffon and tulle.
Hair and Make Up

Keep your hair up and off your shoulders and neck as this will keep you cooler. Having natural, light make up will ensure you don't have it melting off your face as you say “i do”
Accessories

If you are going to be in full sun all day have a few parasols or cute umbrellas handy for the bridesmaids to shelter under. Make sure you have a shady area (either a tree or marquee) for you to take refuge under after the formalities are done. Having open toes shoes or even better, sandals is a good idea, your feet will thank you for it later on.
Flowers

Choose a hearty and long lasting flower for your bouquets that wont wilt in the heat.Some flowers that are in season in the summer months are: Calla Lily, Christmas Bells, Dahlia, Delphinium, Frangipani, Freesia, Garden Roses, Gardenia, Jasmine, Lavender, Lisianthus, Pansy, Peony, Pineapple Lilies, Privet Berries, Queen Anne's Lace, Sweet Pea, Tuberose, Water Lilies.
The Groom and Groomsmen

Light weight suits and cotton shirts in light colours are going to help the guys feel more comfortable in the hot weather - try linen. If the wedding is informal, get the guys matching flip flops. If they are wearing shoes, offer them light silk socks rather than heavy cotton or wool.
The Guests

If the ceremony and reception is outdoors consider having a more relaxed dress code. Make sure you have lots of seats for those that may need it and have a shady area for people to congregate prior to the ceremony. Have plenty of water on hand if the weather is hot to make sure your guests stay hydrated. Keep some tropical scented Sunscreen on hand for guest who need to slip, slop and slap!
Food and beverage

Having “frozen” or cold canapes is a great way to get the reception started. Think colourful shaved ice cones and icy cocktails (think mojitos, margaritas and crushed ice drinks) Keep the menu light (think seafood, salad and fruit) will mean your guests will feel satisfied.
The Ceremony and Reception

Keep the ceremony as short as possible if guests are standing in direct sunlight. If possible have large fans circulating. Some reception venues also have “misters” that they are able to turn on to keep guests cool. Take advantage of the season and decorate your venue with splashes of colour using lanterns, garlands or torches and candles.

Learn to resolve conflict, before your big day!

Research suggests that two people in love, and about to get married, have just under a 50 percent chance of getting divorced in the future and of those who remain married , only 50 percent claim to be happy.

Fortunately, Pre Marital Education is reported to reduce the chances of participating couples divorcing, by 30 percent, and enrich their relationships.

Communication And Conflict resolution

There have been many good books written about the importance of communication, conflict resolution, and gender differences, in maintaining happy marriages and relationships, such as “Men are from Mars, and Women are from Venus.” and “Why Men Don’t listen and Women Don’t Read Maps.”
These books are based on some very solid research on marriages and relationships. Based on this research, Pre-Marriage Education teaches couples how to communicate and resolve conflict more effectively. In addition, couples are taught how to manage important differences between themselves such as culture, religion, morals, values and expectations, which have been found to cause marital problems.

Concerns about Pre-Marriage Counselling

Some people don’t wish to participate in Pre-Marriage Education, due to fears that the course may damage their happy relationship, due to exposing difficulties, and extreme differences between themselves. Nothing could be further from the truth. Pre-Marriage Education, helps couples to deal with these issues, so the issues don’t damage the relationship in the future.
It is a positive learning experience, which is about strengthening, and building, happy, loving relationships.

Conflicting family events

When you get married you gain a whole new family. This usually means you have two families, which is absolutely wonderful. Most of the time. Sometimes, however, it can lead to conflict. For example, it can mean having to choose which family to spend time with. Which family gets to see the grandkids, etc. Conflict in relationships, particularly with families is something that ought to be avoided. So, consider the following tips for dealing with conflicting family events.

1. Anticipate them. It is true that you can't always help it when a family event conflicts with a separate family event, but it does not mean you have to be ignorant about them. For example, most families are going to have a get together of some kind for Christmas. Most families get together near the holidays, birthdays, and other big events. Most families also have annual or regular get togethers such as reunions, etc. So, if you know that both sides of the family are going to have a Thanksgiving dinner, and you are going to have to choose between them, try to come up with a system that makes it easier for everyone. For example, you can tell your family that since you spent the last holiday with them, this one is with the other side.
2. Switch off. There are two ways to employ this technique in order to avoid getting in trouble over conflicting family events. The first option is to switch off every other for the specific holidays. So, this means having Christmas this year with your family, and Christmas next year with your spouse's family. Just be sure to keep careful track so that no one feels shafted because you went with the same family two years running. The other option is to switch off every other holiday regardless of the holiday. So, let's say you get married in October, and spend Halloween with your family, that would mean Thanksgiving is with your spouse's family, Christmas with yours, New Year's with your spouse's, you get the picture!
3. Do both the best you can. In this, usually both sides feel contented, and you are the one that semi-misses-out. So, for example, on Thanksgiving, make sure that one family does an afternoon lunch, and the other an evening, that way you can go to both. Of course, in order to do this, you have to live within close proximity of both families. This can get tiring, and can wear you out, but it usually means everyone is happy.
4. Do neither. If you have conflicting family events, one of the ways to avoid anyone thinking you are playing favorites, is to not attend either event. Instead, do something on your own, with your spouse and children if you have them. This is kind of the everyone loses option, but it does prevent anyone from accusing you of favoritism.
Whatever you choose to do, just be conscious of the feelings of those involved. It can be difficult for a parent to see their child constantly choose their spouse's family over theirs. It can create rifts, frustration, and irritation.

Gifts and Registries

Deciding what to put on your wedding registry can be an exciting task, but it is also one that must be done properly to avoid disappointment. Here are a few tips to help you on making the most of your bridal registry.

As you begin to compose your wedding list it is important to think ahead to your new future together with your partner. What type of place will you be living in? Will it be an apartment, townhouse, unit, house etc.? What kind of colours and themes do you intend to decorate the house with? Will you be entertaining?

You also need to decide whether to place the list at one or more department stores, use an online registry (which may be convenient for interstate or international guests) or arrange to do it yourself.

There are essentials items that you may need like toasters and kettles but you can also put a variety of different items on the list such as dvd’s or cd’s or tools for the home and garden. It is a good idea to give guests a list, which contains inexpensive items, and more expensive items that guests can band together and purchase together. It is also a good idea to put quite a few more items on the list even if you don’t anticipate getting all of them. This gives your guests a good choice when it comes time to buy a gift for you.

When including items on the registry be sure to be specific if you have your heart set on a particular product or item. Include:

    The brand name
    The model number or name
    The colour
    The size
    The quantity required
    And if necessary
    Where it can be found

However if you aren’t too fussed on the brand or model you can help the guests by being a little more descriptive. Instead of putting ‘toaster’ why not put ‘toaster – 4 slice’ and minimize your chance of receiving something you don’t want or need.

Be sure to keep a record of what gifts you receive and from whom so that you can write thank you letters afterwards.

Having the right registry can ensure that the start of your new life together can be a smooth and enjoyable transition into wedded bliss!

Insider's Guide to wedding planners

The excitement and euphoria of a marriage proposal is often soon replaced by panic and confusion when the time comes for wedding planning and coordination!

That’s why hiring an event coordinator is more than just a good idea. You can hope for the best, but make sure you plan for the worst!

It's not easy turning your dream wedding into a reality. Some brides want a fairytale wedding with a horse-drawn carriage and a Cinderella-like ball; others want a freaky event with a three ring circus and a white tiger by their feet. Either way, wedding planners have the experience of knowing exactly which florists, musicians, lighting and décor designers need to be called upon to create that vision whilst ensuring your wedding remains tasteful rather than tacky.

Wedding planners have some advantages; they can save you time by doing all the planning legwork for you, scouting potential reception venues and wedding service providers to make you a list of feasible options within your budget, saving you an enormous amount of time and effort.

Wedding planners can also save you money. Some are able to obtain trade discounts unavailable to the general public and their experience in negotiating with service providers means that they know how much a vendor's services are worth and will be able to secure the best deal for you. They also know how to avoid paying the hidden costs that some vendors try to charge. They also know how to ensure that your wedding runs to schedule so you're not billed overtime and how to avoid being charged for things such as guest no-shows.

We have heard of some wedding planner disaster stories but these are generally few and far between. These days we tend to find that wedding planners are reserved for couples who not only can afford them, but also cannot afford the time to arrange their own weddings. With the advent of more and more online wedding planning tools, it's worth thinking carefully about what you would like to achieve for your wedding and assessing whether or not you actually need the help of a wedding planner.

That being said, what ever you decide to do, we recommend contacting a few wedding planners just to chat about what they can offer you, what they charge for their time and if it would be worth while employing their services.

Remember, we at brideonline.com.au are always keen to learn about your experiences, so when you're ready feel free to contact us and let us know what your experience was like with wedding planners.

The Basics of Wedding Invitations

Wedding invitations set the theme of the entire wedding with the style and design of your invitations indicating to your guests what to expect on the day. The wording of the wedding invitations is extremely important as it will convey to your guests the dates and times and the type of wedding you are having. It is therefore important to ensure that your invitations reflect who you are.

Begin by shopping around for invitations. This may include looking at wedding invitations online, comparing wedding invitations you have received or visiting several invitation stores for ideas. Keep in mind what colours, fonts, sizes and media you wish to use.

Determine what the trends are or what kind of style you are after. Will your wedding invitations be contemporary, romantic or informal? What colours will be used in your wedding? Your colour palette will depend largely on what you have in mind for the wedding. The wedding invitations should compliment your decorative plans for the day and the same or similar design should be used for envelopes, reply cards, name cards, wedding programs and all stationery that will be used on the day.

As a general rule of thumb wedding invitations should make up 2-5% of the wedding budget. Prices range enormously depending on the type of invitation you want, the type of paper you are using and the quantity in which you require it, however there are many cheaper alternatives which are just as effective and look as stunning. So whatever your budget, there is an invitation to suit!

In addition to the wedding invitation you may also want to send your guests a map of how to get there and accommodation in the area. Reply cards and Wedding gift registry information cards can also be included.

Multiple parents on father's and mother's day

Having multiple parents on any holiday can be especially challenging for any child. Even those who have grown up in a multi-parent situation continue to struggle with the logistic and emotional issues associated with having more than one mom or dad. Mother's day and father's day are especially challenging as these two holidays are specifically dedicated to parents. So what do you do? Well, every situation has different dynamics and so there is no one answer that we all can dictate our actions from. However, relationship and family experts have provided some guidelines that can help to give you some direction as you decide how to best honor the parents in your life.

One of the best things that you can do to best deal with the issue of having multiple parents on mother's and father's day is to be fair. One thing that must be clarified right off the bat is that fair does not always mean equal. Determining how to fairly allocate your time can be determined by a number of factors, many of which are geographical. In today's world mobility is much more convenient than it once was. For many families who live relatively close to each other, getting in the car and visiting each parent on their special day presents little conflict. Of course there are situations where both parents are not in the same geographical area. In these cases, parents and children may have to search for more creative ways to make sure that parents get fair visitation on their special days. In the most amicable of situations, both parents can come together to share their special day with the child or children. Having both mothers or both fathers together and with the child on mother's or father's day, not only minimizes scheduling conflicts, but it also provides a unified front for the child which is undeniably beneficial.
When time or travel does not make it possible for a child to physically visit each parent, alternate solutions include alternating years for mother's or father's day (much like many married couples deal with holiday situations in a situation where there are two sets of parents). If one parent must be chosen over another for special attention, experts generally suggest that the child discuss plans with the biological parents first. It is understood that there are some situations where the biological nature of the relationship is not as important as the emotional connection between parent and child, and in cases like these it is best to put the emotions of the child first. Be gracious and think of what will make the child happiest in what could be an uncomfortable situation. It is recommended that children be spared from the emotional baggage that may be associated with situations where there are multiple parents. As the child grows and matures, they will be better able to have a part in the decision making process.
While there are some awkward and uncomfortable feelings that may be associated with having multiple parents on mother's or father's day, it is beneficial to see the positive in the situation. It can be a great blessing to have multiple parents. While logistically scheduling holidays may be stressful, the bottom line is that the child is able to benefit from that many more caring and loving parents who only wish the best for them. Looking at the situation from this angle may make choosing how to spend your mother's and father's day a little less stressful and the overall experience a bit more enjoyable for everyone who is involved.