Rain on your Wedding Day

You may picture a perfect day of blue skies and sunshine, but what if it rains on your wedding day?

If you are planning to host your wedding outdoors, you need to have a solid Plan B. You certainly don't want to be in a situation where you are scrambling to come up with options for a second location an hour before your ceremony!

• Your alternate location should be: Within easy distance from your outdoor location so you can move the decorations and furniture from your original location without fuss.

• Easy for your guests to access - remember parking, cover to and from the car park etc.
  
• Easy for you to let your guests know about. Ideally, you should be able to use good signage to redirect your guests, but if you have time, you could have one of your groomsmen or a favourite uncle who is sitting around aimlessly before the event ring your guests to let them know about the change. (And have that favourite uncle mind the family phone for you during your preparations, as guests are sure to ring to see if the location has changed).
  
• Most importantly, it should be a place where you feel comfortable conducting your wedding. You don't want to look back and be disappointed. Also, do remember that you're getting married to the man (or woman) you love, so it's less about the decor and more about committing yourself to this person in front of the people you love.

You should always discuss Plan B with your family, wedding party, venue, wedding planner and other vendors. It's important that your florist and decorator, for example, know what Plan B is in case there are changes to be made to the arrangements and decorations if you do move sites.

Most importantly, try not to be disappointed with the weather. In many cultures, rain on a wedding day is considered good luck and symbolic of a fresh start. In the Hindu tradition, for instance, rain on a wedding day signals a strong marriage, as a wet knot is harder to untie. Or as the old Italian saying goes: "Sposa bagnata, sposa fortunate" - a wet bride is a lucky bride.

And believe it or not, some couples are hoping for rainy day weddings. Why? A warm, summer rain can provide a beautiful backdrop to a unique wedding ceremony. And with wedding favours such as pretty weatherproof parasols, guests can enjoy the fun and festivities without getting soaked!

Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti

Music. It's fantastic isn't it. There is so much music out there that i absolutely love. So picking wedding music shouldn't be a problem, right?

Wrong.

How on earth do i narrow the list down to just a couple of songs? I don't know how i'm going to do it. This might help though............

Selecting Your Wedding Ceremony Music

What music should you choose as you walk down the aisle? Remember, you don't have to stick with "Here comes the bride!" A quartet is a popular choice for your wedding ceremony but there are many others which can add to the ambience of your wedding day. These include:

• A string trio
• A woodwind instrument
• A soloist
• Traditional organ
• A harpist
• Piano
• A band
• Personal music player (such as an iPod)

You’re not limited to one option either - you may choose a quartet for your ceremony, a pianist for your cocktail hour and a band for your reception.

You can find wedding musicians on most wedding directories or in magazines. However you may have some talented friends, a talented local musician, or may even consider asking a university or college if their musicians are available to play at weddings.

Here’s a rundown of the ‘types’ of music chosen for your wedding ceremony.

Prelude

Typically you should choose 4-5 songs for when guests are entering the ceremony location. These provide background music and can set the tone for your event. A light-hearted celebratory tune will get guests into the mood. These songs are also known as the prelude and usually start about 20 minutes before the stated ceremony start time.

• Jesu, Joy Of Man’s Desiring - Bach
• Can’t Help Falling In Love - Elvis
• Air On The G String - Bach
• Heaven (Candlelight mix) - DJ Sammy

Processional

Next up is choosing a song for your walk down the aisle, otherwise known as the processional. Some weddings may have a different song for the bridesmaids to the bride, signalling the importance of the bride’s entry and giving her a dramatic moment.

• Only Time - Enya
• Wedding March - Wagner
• Canon In D - Pachelbel
• Kissing You - Des’ree
• Wedding Processional From The Sound Of Music - Rodgers & Hammerstein
• Trumpet Voluntary - Jeremiah Clarke/Purcell

Interlude

During the ceremony, you might choose to have special songs play. Perhaps during the signing of the registry or during a special ceremony, such as the sand ceremony. You may even choose to have a close family member of friend sing a song that’s special to you. Known as the interlude, this part of the ceremony can be a great place to put more of your special songs that are personal to you.

• Ava Maria
• The Rose - Bette Midler
• Songbird - Eva Cassidy
• Sheep May Safetly Graze - Bach
• Clare De Lune - Claude Debussy
• Your Song - Elton John

Recessional

Walking back down the aisle is one of the happiest parts of a wedding day - the music should be upbeat, vibrant and celebratory! This is known as the recessional.

• Trumpet Voluntary - Clarke
• All You Need Is Love - The Beatles
• In My Life - The Beatles
• How Sweet It Is - Michael Buble
• Signed, Sealed, Delivered - Stevie Wonder
• A Wonderful World - Louis Armstrong

Prolude

As the guests leave the church or ceremony venue and gather outside, more music plays. This is known as the prolude. The songs picked for this should be joyous and with a happy beat.

• Love & Marriage - Frank Sinatra
• So Happy Together - The Turtles
• Better Together - Jack Johnson
• For Once In My Life - Stevie Wonder
• My Baby Just Cares For Me - Nina Simone

Extra tips

Couples should keep in mind the tempo and length of the song as well as the length of your aisle. Have a backup plan if you’re using a CD or portable music player in case these fail. And listen to the lyrics of your chosen songs. Some just don’t work for a wedding! If you can’t do without a piece of music but the lyrics are inappropriate, consider using an instrumental version instead.

I dare you to deny it..........

Although Luke might have something to say about it ;)

Bridesmaids Pre-nup??

How far would you go to ensure that your wedding day was nothing less than perfect?

I was surfing the internet a while ago and i stumbled across something very interesting.... to be specific a Bridesmaid Pre-Nup!

They were saying how some brides actually setup a contract for their bridesmaids (mainly in the UK but I can see this taking off in alot more places) and can be drawn up and used as a legal document!

So here it is..........

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BRIDESMAID CONTRACT

I, .......... bridesmaid for ............., hereby swear that I will adhere to all of the following and all other unspoken duties as bridesmaid on and leading up to the wedding day, .......................

-- I will not gain more than 3 kilos between now and the wedding

-- I will not change my hair dramatically in colour, length or style without prior consultation with the bride

-- I will take extra care of my hair, skin and nails in the run up to the wedding

-- I will attend all pre-wedding events including bridal shower, hen night, dress fittings and makeup appointments

-- I will agree to wear a dress of the brides choosing, regardless of my own opinions about style or colour

-- I will not wear any extra accessories, items of clothing or jewellery at the wedding unless pre-approved by the bride

-- I will not intentionally fall pregnant before the wedding

-- I will do my best to support the bride in an eventuality

-- I will not consume more than 10 units of alcohol during the reception

-- I will not bring an inappropriate date to the wedding or reception

-- I will not make advances towards any inappropriate male guests attending the reception

-- I will not remove any item of my Bridesmaid outfit during the reception

-- I will keep my hair and makeup fresh at all times

-- I will be happy and positive at all times during the wedding and reception

-- I will not attempt to out-do the bride in any way



.......................................... (Bridesmaid)
(sign, print and date)



.......................................... (Bride)
(sign, print and date)


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Wasn't that interesting. I couldn't stop laughing when i read it. And i just had to show my bridesmaids. They also though it was hilarious. Luckily I'm not some crazed bridezilla, i won't be asking my girls to sign this, but i can imagine that some people would.


Crazy

What was she thinking?

Some brides have a mentality that it's their wedding day and they are going to be the most attractive woman there on the day. I'm realistic, i know there are prettier women out there, but i would never go to the extent of putting my bridesmaids in horrendous dresses just to make myself feel and look better.

Here's some examples from brides who felt differently..... (I have tried to avoid the obvious era related shockers....)

I thought i'd start with one that's not too bad, but it's still pretty off.

The next one is one of those recent fashions that don't look good on anyone, but high end fashionistas seem to think it's the best thing anyone ever came up with

This one is the wrong colour, the wrong style....just gross.......

Bride: "What kind of dress would you like to wear"

Bridesmaid: "Something nice and simple, maybe something i could wear again"

Bride: "Nah, i think i'll get you to wear an accordian. Yeah, that'll look great!"

Bridesmaid: *smacks the bride in the head after the wedding*

Bride: I wonder what kind of look i want my bridesmaids to have......I know......TRAMPY!!!

I thought i'd sneak this last one in, it's another horrendous bridal gown......well gown is a bit of a stretch.....you'll see......

See what i mean about it being a stretch??

My Bad

I haven't posted in a while. Been hectic busy. A new post is coming soon, i promise. Brace yourselves for horrendous bridesmaids dresses :P