Archive for the Category ◊ Weddings ◊

Toasting The Happy Couple With The Perfect Best Man Speech
Tuesday, June 09th, 2009 | Author: Beamer

You and your buddy have been best friends since grade school. You’ve seen each other through thick and thin, ups and downs and agonies and defeats. And now you must take on one of the most difficult tasks of your life – the Best Man Speech! AAaggghhh!

The Best Man Speech, also known as a toast, is a traditional and important part of nearly every wedding ceremony and will be remembered by all long after the day is over. The speech traditionally honors the Groom, with a brief nod toward the Bride, and congratulates the happy couple.

Delivering a successful speech requires some planning. Most of us are not experienced at public speaking. And few of us look forward to it. Even The President has his speeches prepared in advance and then practices them beforehand.

Consider these basic public speaking tips while preparing your Best Man Speech.

  • Ignore the fact that there may be a few hundred people hanging on your every word. Imagine you are speaking to one, single person. Pick one face out of the crowd if you have to, to concentrate your attention on.
  • Speak in your normal tone of voice. Don’t use this speech to try out your British Accent.
  • Use your own words. If you wouldn’t ordinarily say, “Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen”, then don’t start now. You’ll just trip yourself up. Being yourself will help you feel more at ease and you’ll deliver a much better speech.
  • Speak clearly and enunciate. That means, don’t drop the Ds and Ts and such from the end of your words.
  • Leave out those irritating phrases like, “That being said” and “Ya know” and like, “Like”. Speak like the mature adult you know you can be.

A successful Best Man speech should be respectful and include some humorous anecdotes about the groom. Your comments should be personal and sincere, although appropriate for the general audience, too. Appropriate in that they are not only NOT X rated, but also easily understood by the various age groups present at the reception.Start off by introducing yourself and then maybe include an amusing little story about how you and the groom met or when you first realized you were destined to be best friends forever. Maybe offer up a few humorous stories about the planning of the wedding or your observations on the groom’s choice of wedding attire.

Make sure to compliment the Bride and her attendants, also. And even if you despise your best friends choice of mates, you must behave as if you wish you had found her first! This is HER day and even though you’re speaking for the Groom, she is still the star.

End you speech by toasting the happy couple and wishing them a lifetime of happiness!

Best Man Speeches can vary in length, but 5 to 10 minutes is best. Any shorter and people will wonder about what you DIDN’T say. Any longer, and people will get bored.

One more very important tip: Be sure to remain sober until AFTER you deliver your speech. Nothing looks worse than a sloppy, slurry Best Man trying to remove his own foot from his mouth!

Delivering a good Best Man Speech is just one of the many duties of the Best Man. And what about the Maid of Honor? And the Bridesmaids and Groomsmen? There are so many things to consider when planning your wedding. From where to hold the reception to what song to chose for your first dance. For tips on Planning Your Wedding and Your Wedding Budget, visit For Love Birds Only!

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Save Money – Make Your Own Wedding Invitations
Tuesday, June 09th, 2009 | Author: Beamer

The Wedding Invitation is the first impression your guests receive about your wedding.  The style of your invitation conveys the message of just how formal your affair will be.

If you’ve priced wedding invitations lately, you’ve found they can be a huge drain on the budget.  You can end up spending hundreds of dollars on invitations, RSVP cards, save the date cards, envelopes and postage – for just an average sized guest list!

And while looking through all those catalogs, did you notice that eventually all the invitations looked the same?  With the same fonts and the same phrases?  Even the same picture of a bouquet of roses or the wedding rings.

To save money and have a unique style that’s all your own, consider making your own wedding invitations.  For a fraction of the cost of store bought invites you can turn out invitations that speak specifically to YOUR guests about YOUR wedding!

Use Your Computer

A quick trip to your nearby office supply store will reveal a variety of papers suitable for creating your own invitations.  These papers are designed to be used with your printer, so you won’t have to worry about destroying any of your hardware.  A lot of these papers also come with a template to help you design the layout of your invitation.  Do you want 2 to a page?  Do you want one fold or two?  Check the back of the package for details and to make sure your computer has the necessary program, if any.

A quick Google search will turn up loads of free fonts that you can download to use in your design.  Type in “Free Fonts” or get more specific and try “Free Wedding Fonts”.  Most sites that offer free font downloads will also tell you how to use them.

If you’d like to have a picture on your invitation, do another search for “Free Wedding Clipart”.  A lot of wedding sites offer this as a freebie to attract to in.  Or take a look at some of your recent home pictures.  Maybe you’d like to have a picture of you and your fiance on the front of the invitation.  Your computer probably already has an image program that will work fine for this application.  You won’t need to download or buy one of those fancier programs.

Get Crafty With It!

Not confident enough about your computer skills?  Take a trip to your local craft store and check out all the scrapbooking supplies!  There is an amazing selection of wedding materials.  Instead of using all those cute little doodads and beautiful papers to make a scrapbook, create your own unique invitations.  The possibilities are endless!

Every bride has a dream for her wedding. But, in today’s economy, it’s tough to make that dream come true. Making Your Own Wedding Invitations is just one of the many ways you can save money and extend your wedding budget. Find out some other ways you can save up to 80% on your wedding budget by visiting For Love Birds Only!

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Save A Mint – Make Your Own Wedding Mints
Tuesday, June 09th, 2009 | Author: Beamer

It seems to be a tradition to serve mints along with your wedding cake at the reception. And I’m not talking about those little rock hard, pillowed shaped mints that you get at the grocery store. The mints I’ve seen lately have been handmade in a bakery and are quite beautiful and tasty, too. However…
bdr-flower01

Depending on where you live, one of the most expensive additions to your wedding reception could be those fancy mints!

These are often molded into the shape of a heart or a flower, or the shape might have special meaning to the bride and groom. They are sweet, smooth confections that are labor-intensive and, as such, may come with a hefty price tag.

If you’ve got the time to devote to creating your own wedding mints, you can freeze them, leaving plenty of time to devote to other wedding-related tasks without having to worry about the mints at the last minute.

First, you’ll need to obtain the mint molds. This type of mint needs to be formed using soft, flexible plastic molds. Keep in mind that candy molds are not the same thing and you won’t have the same results. Candy molds are made from a stiffer plastic, which does not allow the mint to pop out like the flexible molds.

I found this site, SugarCraft.com, and they carry the types of molds you need for this project.  I’m including the link here so you can see what the molds look like.  I have not ever purchased anything from this company so I don’t know how they are to deal with.  I’ve also seen these molds in the wedding section of my local craft store.  They are almost always made of a yellowish colored rubber material.

Flexible molds are easy to find online and they are available in many forms. You might choose an initial mold to represent the bride and groom’s last name. Other options to consider would be roses, calla lilies, swirls, hearts, cupid, bells, bride and groom silhouettes or doves. If the wedding has a western theme or the bride and groom share a love of all things equine, choose a boot or cowboy hat mold. If he proposed at the beach, choose a sea shell mold. An ultra-religious couple might choose praying hands or a cross. The possibilities are endless.

You’ll only need one mold of each shape, since you’ll be pressing the dough for each individual mint into the mold and popping them out. If you plan to have helpers, go ahead and order an extra mold or two for them to use and you’ll get done much faster.  If you buy a sheet of molds, it’s usually less expensive and you can cut them apart.

To make the mints, follow the recipe to make the dough (below).  Once the mints have dried, pack them in freezer-safe containers, with wax paper separating each layer. They may be refrigerated for up to six months or frozen for up to a year. If frozen, take them out of the freezer the morning of the wedding, remove the lid, and allow to thaw.

cream-cheese-mint-recipe

This is a fun activitiy for you and your bridesmaids!  Put on some good dance music and mix up a pitcher of margaritas and have a ball making your own wedding mints!

Be sure to make extra for your bridal shower, too!

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The Best Man – What Are His Duties
Tuesday, June 09th, 2009 | Author: Beamer

You’ve been there for your buddy through thick and thin. You’ve shared the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. Now it’s time to help him get through the most important day of his life!  Just what, exactly, are your duties as Best Man?
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The Best Man is not just a glorified groomsman.  You’re not just the guy who escorts the Maid of Honor and holds the ring.  The Best Man has specific responsibilities to attend to.

boy-bird

  • Serve as the Groom’s Personal Aide before and during the wedding.
    • This includes helping him with his tux and helping him pack for the honeymoon.
  • Help the Groom chose and rent (or buy) formalwear.
    • This includes coordinating the other groomsmen as well.  Make sure you all match and that everyone attends fittings and picks up tuxes.
  • Organize the Bachelor Party.
    • No need to worry about finances here, as the cost should be split among everyone who attends.
  • Attend the Rehearsal with the Bride and Groom and other members of the Wedding Party.
    • Make sure you know what YOU are supposed to do, as well as the other groomsmen.
  • Stand beside the Groom and HOLD THE RING!
    • Do NOT lose the ring or, heaven forbid, drop it and watch it roll off into oblivion!
  • Sign the Marriage License as a Witness, along with the Maid Of Honor.
  • Give the officiant a sealed envelope with his fee (provided by the Groom)
  • Give the First Toast to the Bride and Groom at the reception.
  • Collect any gift envelopes guests bring to the wedding.
    • Along with the Maid of Honor, you will be responsible for the safe keeping of any cash gifts the wedding couple receives.
  • Decorate the getaway car! Grab the other members of the wedding party to help you with this and have some fun!
  • Drive the couple to the wedding night hotel or airport after the reception.
    • In order to do this, you’ll have to stay sober.  If you don’t think this is possible, it’s your responsibility to make sure proper – and reliable – arrangements have been made.
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