Recent data shows that Jewelry stores nationwide report a sharp decline in sales across all categories except one, Engagement rings. Engagement rings have held steady over several years. This is because this is not a luxury purchase but a necessary and purposeful purchase. The number of engagement rings sold in 2008 has held steady with past years sales but the size of the diamonds has shrunk. People are still getting married, as in better economic times, but they are doing it on a budget. Florists, caterers, and many ancillary wedding vendors are reporting that couples tying the knot are opting to do many of these services themselves or sharply curtail their spending on such services. Couples are deciding to make their own centerpieces and have cold cuts over a sit down surf and turf dinner. In a related side note: Divorce attorneys are reporting a decline in divorces being filed for.
With money issues being one of the leading causes for divorce one would think that hard economic times would lead to a rise in splits among couples. The opposite is holding true. Couples are choosing ( many times out of sheer necessity) to stay together. The added costs of divorce and maintaining two separate households is proving impossible in the face of recession. The lack of money and credit that is facing couples today are forcing them to work out their differences instead of giving up on the marriage. It just goes to show that adversity can many times show you what is really important in life.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Monday, January 5, 2009
Where Can I Find the Wedding Dresses from Bride Wars
Are you looking for the wedding dresses from the movie Bride Wars starring Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway? If you are then you are probably like every women who is getting married who wants to find that perfect wedding dress.
The reality is for most of us even if we find the right wedding dress from Bride Wars can we afford it? The budget for a movie wedding and an average person on a budget lets face it are not the same.
Bride and Groom Blog has learned that discount high end wedding dress store Bridal Online Store will have available the same looks and styles from the movie at prices you can afford. You will have to check the store or check back to this blog for photos and the actual gowns.
Bridal Online Store understands your need for getting the perfect dress that you can afford. Bride and Groom Blog will be excited to show you the dresses as soon as they are available.
The reality is for most of us even if we find the right wedding dress from Bride Wars can we afford it? The budget for a movie wedding and an average person on a budget lets face it are not the same.
Bride and Groom Blog has learned that discount high end wedding dress store Bridal Online Store will have available the same looks and styles from the movie at prices you can afford. You will have to check the store or check back to this blog for photos and the actual gowns.
Bridal Online Store understands your need for getting the perfect dress that you can afford. Bride and Groom Blog will be excited to show you the dresses as soon as they are available.
Friday, January 2, 2009
A Few Tips for Your Wedding
Don’t have a Cash Bar
When it comes to the alcohol being served at your reception, it is entirely up to you. Whether you want to have full bar, limited cocktails, or no alcohol at all will be based on different factors including the budget. The one option that is not recommended is a Cash Bar. The guests should be gracious enough to accept what is being offered to them.
Wear Flats
A large number of brides have feedback after the reception that they wish they had worn flats instead. As a bride you should expect to stand for 8-12 hours on your wedding day. Be sure to break in your shoes in advance. Unexpected blisters can form after a few hours on your feet, even with wearing flats.
Have faith in your D.J.
D.J.'s are usually the wedding vendor most closely managed by couples. Too many song requests may actually impede the flow of your party. You hire your D.J. to judge when to play what music. You wouldn't instruct your Caterer step by step on how to prepare food, or your Photographer on what angles and lenses to use. Limit your D.J. request list to a few favorites and a do-not-play list of only the songs you cannot stand. Do not get carried away and have some trust.
Prioritize
What really matters most to you, the photographer, the music and dancing, the food and wine, the decorations, or being able to accommodate a large guest list? Put your money towards what you care about. You will have regrets if you skimp on what really counts. When you, the Bride and Groom are not footing the bill yourselves however, you may have to forfeit some financial decision-making. If this is the case you will need to compromise on certain priorities or if you really want that pricey photographer offer to pay for one yourself.
Have a Wedding Coordinator
With no Director there are too many details left to too many people at your ceremony. Having a Wedding Coordinator allows for one person to coordinate your wedding party processional, music, minister, seating guests and to resolve any unexpected last minute complications. A Coordinator will ease the stress level of everyone, including you, tremendously on your wedding day. So if your location does not include a Wedding Day Coordinator who also directs your rehearsal, hire your own. A Wedding Coordinator may be much more affordable than you think.
Be Smart about your Bachelor or Bachelorette party
DO NOT hold your Bachelor or Bachelorette party the night before your wedding! This may seem like a no-brainer but many brides and grooms still practice the archaic ritual of drinking all night on that fatal evening. It is simply not worth it, as the Bride/Groom and your attendants will no doubt feel tired, look tired, have a hangover, or worse be sick walking down the aisle. If necessary, request that any out of town attendants arrive a day earlier to help you to prepare and celebrate a different night.
When it comes to the alcohol being served at your reception, it is entirely up to you. Whether you want to have full bar, limited cocktails, or no alcohol at all will be based on different factors including the budget. The one option that is not recommended is a Cash Bar. The guests should be gracious enough to accept what is being offered to them.
Wear Flats
A large number of brides have feedback after the reception that they wish they had worn flats instead. As a bride you should expect to stand for 8-12 hours on your wedding day. Be sure to break in your shoes in advance. Unexpected blisters can form after a few hours on your feet, even with wearing flats.
Have faith in your D.J.
D.J.'s are usually the wedding vendor most closely managed by couples. Too many song requests may actually impede the flow of your party. You hire your D.J. to judge when to play what music. You wouldn't instruct your Caterer step by step on how to prepare food, or your Photographer on what angles and lenses to use. Limit your D.J. request list to a few favorites and a do-not-play list of only the songs you cannot stand. Do not get carried away and have some trust.
Prioritize
What really matters most to you, the photographer, the music and dancing, the food and wine, the decorations, or being able to accommodate a large guest list? Put your money towards what you care about. You will have regrets if you skimp on what really counts. When you, the Bride and Groom are not footing the bill yourselves however, you may have to forfeit some financial decision-making. If this is the case you will need to compromise on certain priorities or if you really want that pricey photographer offer to pay for one yourself.
Have a Wedding Coordinator
With no Director there are too many details left to too many people at your ceremony. Having a Wedding Coordinator allows for one person to coordinate your wedding party processional, music, minister, seating guests and to resolve any unexpected last minute complications. A Coordinator will ease the stress level of everyone, including you, tremendously on your wedding day. So if your location does not include a Wedding Day Coordinator who also directs your rehearsal, hire your own. A Wedding Coordinator may be much more affordable than you think.
Be Smart about your Bachelor or Bachelorette party
DO NOT hold your Bachelor or Bachelorette party the night before your wedding! This may seem like a no-brainer but many brides and grooms still practice the archaic ritual of drinking all night on that fatal evening. It is simply not worth it, as the Bride/Groom and your attendants will no doubt feel tired, look tired, have a hangover, or worse be sick walking down the aisle. If necessary, request that any out of town attendants arrive a day earlier to help you to prepare and celebrate a different night.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Risky Wedding Dresses from Chinese Bridal Online Stores
Are you looking for a wedding dress and with today’s economy you need to find a deal? You may feel to get a high end look that you may have to go with a Chinese dress online store? Before you make that jump I want to share real work issues that have arose from people who have attempted to buy from these websites. Don’t confuse American online wedding stores with the ones from China.
6 Tips on Why Buying Wedding Dress from China is a bad idea
Bridal gowns from China may take a long time to come in. With all the plans that go into your wedding, worrying if your dress will ever arrive is not one of them. Most people don’t even start looking for a wedding dress in a long enough time for a Chinese wedding dress online stores item to arrive.
Chinese bridal gown sites often steal the photos from American based online bridal stores. When women open the dress that arrives they find that the dress is nothing like the photo.
So there is an issue with your dress, good luck attempting to return your bride’s dress back to China. Unfortunately you take the risk. Even if they do decide to take it back they often want you to pay the return international shipping and new shipping to send a new dress back. You could buy a new dress for what it costs to ship something to China.
There is a something still for American made. Many women complain that dresses from China are not the quality they are looking for. Many dresses are not made to be able to handle simple stresses from just wearing it on your wedding day. Alterations start to add up which you have to take into account with the total price.
The worst of all is people have actually never even gotten there dress. There is also no way to get your money back as rules for American businesses don’t apply to sales online from China. You do take all the risk when you buy dresses from China.
The last issue is the obvious issue of language. Almost all women have specific alterations or questions as it relates to your bridal gown. The language barrier can bake it impossible to get the wedding dress the way you want it.
United States bases online bridal stores are your best option for discount wedding dresses and other wedding supplies that you can trust you are getting the quality and the price you need.
6 Tips on Why Buying Wedding Dress from China is a bad idea
Bridal gowns from China may take a long time to come in. With all the plans that go into your wedding, worrying if your dress will ever arrive is not one of them. Most people don’t even start looking for a wedding dress in a long enough time for a Chinese wedding dress online stores item to arrive.
Chinese bridal gown sites often steal the photos from American based online bridal stores. When women open the dress that arrives they find that the dress is nothing like the photo.
So there is an issue with your dress, good luck attempting to return your bride’s dress back to China. Unfortunately you take the risk. Even if they do decide to take it back they often want you to pay the return international shipping and new shipping to send a new dress back. You could buy a new dress for what it costs to ship something to China.
There is a something still for American made. Many women complain that dresses from China are not the quality they are looking for. Many dresses are not made to be able to handle simple stresses from just wearing it on your wedding day. Alterations start to add up which you have to take into account with the total price.
The worst of all is people have actually never even gotten there dress. There is also no way to get your money back as rules for American businesses don’t apply to sales online from China. You do take all the risk when you buy dresses from China.
The last issue is the obvious issue of language. Almost all women have specific alterations or questions as it relates to your bridal gown. The language barrier can bake it impossible to get the wedding dress the way you want it.
United States bases online bridal stores are your best option for discount wedding dresses and other wedding supplies that you can trust you are getting the quality and the price you need.
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Thursday, December 18, 2008
Wedding Planner Career - Tips on Preparing the Wedding Budget
Once you have gotten a basic idea of what the couple is imagining, you can begin to figure out how much the couple's dream wedding will cost, and how much money the bride and groom (or their families) are planning to spend.
Obviously, not every couple has unlimited funds to plan their nuptials. A good wedding planner will be able to take the couple's picture perfect wedding and scale it down to size as necessary to fit their budget. However, the budget will definitely influence many of the couple's decisions about the wedding. There are two ways to determine the cost of the wedding. The couple's first option is to set the budget and plan the wedding accordingly. The second option is to plan the couple's dream wedding and figure out how to fund the affair later.
Factors that will affect the cost of the wedding:
- Date and Time
- Formality
- Number of Guests
- Food
- Flowers, Music, and Photography
- Ceremony and Reception Venues
- Location
You will quickly learn ways to manipulate these factors to cut costs as necessary. The bride and groom must be able to prioritize their wish list. If the couple's dream wedding is a black-tie affair in June with a catered, sit-down meal for 500 people in an expensive hotel ballroom, the couple better have a lot of cash or be ready to make some compromises. A good budget will take into account every aspect of the wedding. Your role is to help the bride and groom find ways to choose the most important elements and downscale in 30 other ways as necessary. The black-tie affair in the fancy hotel ballroom could cost significantly less if the couple chooses to have the wedding during an off-season month or day (think a Friday night in April or November) or has a late-evening reception with drinks and dessert. An open bar, designer gown, live music, or elaborate floral arrangements are all expensive options that can be scaled back to cut costs -- unless the couple is set on that specific detail. Odds are the bride and groom are not the only ones with big ideas for their big day. Parents and families on both sides will likely have their own idea of what the wedding should entail. If the couple's parents are footing a large portion of the bill, remind the bride and groom that their parent's opinions should be taken into consideration.
------------------------
For more information on how you can become a wedding planner and get paid to plan weddings, visit http://www.mommyempire.com/
Obviously, not every couple has unlimited funds to plan their nuptials. A good wedding planner will be able to take the couple's picture perfect wedding and scale it down to size as necessary to fit their budget. However, the budget will definitely influence many of the couple's decisions about the wedding. There are two ways to determine the cost of the wedding. The couple's first option is to set the budget and plan the wedding accordingly. The second option is to plan the couple's dream wedding and figure out how to fund the affair later.
Factors that will affect the cost of the wedding:
- Date and Time
- Formality
- Number of Guests
- Food
- Flowers, Music, and Photography
- Ceremony and Reception Venues
- Location
You will quickly learn ways to manipulate these factors to cut costs as necessary. The bride and groom must be able to prioritize their wish list. If the couple's dream wedding is a black-tie affair in June with a catered, sit-down meal for 500 people in an expensive hotel ballroom, the couple better have a lot of cash or be ready to make some compromises. A good budget will take into account every aspect of the wedding. Your role is to help the bride and groom find ways to choose the most important elements and downscale in 30 other ways as necessary. The black-tie affair in the fancy hotel ballroom could cost significantly less if the couple chooses to have the wedding during an off-season month or day (think a Friday night in April or November) or has a late-evening reception with drinks and dessert. An open bar, designer gown, live music, or elaborate floral arrangements are all expensive options that can be scaled back to cut costs -- unless the couple is set on that specific detail. Odds are the bride and groom are not the only ones with big ideas for their big day. Parents and families on both sides will likely have their own idea of what the wedding should entail. If the couple's parents are footing a large portion of the bill, remind the bride and groom that their parent's opinions should be taken into consideration.
------------------------
For more information on how you can become a wedding planner and get paid to plan weddings, visit http://www.mommyempire.com/
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
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