Month: June 2018

Your Wedding Band – Important Questions To Ask Before Booking Them

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Your wedding band is the essential part of the evening and choosing the right band can mean the difference between everyone having a sensational time or quietly wishing they could leave early.

OK. You have heard about a great Wedding Band and you are thinking about booking them for your wedding. However, before you pay the deposit, here are some important questions you should ask the band first.

Have they played at weddings before – how many?
How do they dress for weddings?
Can you hear sound samples or see a video of the band?
Where can you see them playing live to see how they interact with a real audience?
Can they provide testimonials from other people that have hired them?
How long does the band play for and what breaks do the take?
Do they play recorded music during their breaks?
What floor space do they need?
How many power sockets do they need?
Do they need a changing room?
How long does it take for them to get in and set up?
Can they set up before the wedding meal, if required to?
Can they learn a new song for your first dance?
Can you request certain songs from their repertoire to be played?
What deposit do they require and when is the balance payable?
Do they provide a written contract to confirm your booking?
What is their cancellation fee if you have to cancel?
Do they have other musicians who can stand in for them if one is ill?
Does the band have public Liability Insurance?
Has their equipment passed an electrical safety check (PAT in the UK)?
Can the band provide the venue with a Risk Assessment, if required (UK)?

You may think of more questions that you want to ask. However, by asking these basic questions you will have a clearer idea of whether the band is suitable for you, your venue, and your wedding.

Good luck and have a lovely wedding!

Garhwali Wedding

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India is the land of 28 beautiful States and 7 Union Territories. Each state is different from another in many ways. Each state has its own language,

traditions, customs, rituals etc. In short and snappy terms, unity in diversity is one of the finest features of India. India is distinguished for its proud

culture and customs and one of them is Indian Wedding. Each state has its own style, own style even own wedding ways.

One of the beautiful states of India is Uttarakhand. This state has two regions Garhwal & Kumaon. Garhwal is a beautiful region surrounded by stunning hills,

picturesque vistas and scenic beauty on all sides. Furthermore, it is also well known for its superb wedding traditions as well as anti dowry approach. Today

the time has been changed but some customs are still the identical in the region such as pre-arranged marriages are preferred, matching the horoscopes of the

future bride and bridegroom, status of the family, rigid caste system etc.

After following all the above steps engagement ceremony is the next pivotal step of Garhwali wedding. By tradition, the marriage procession is led with a

white flag known as Nishan (representing the bridegroom) along with traditional band that are shehnai, piper, a pair of drummers and a nagara. The last man

of the marriage procession carries red flag that represents the bride. On arrival at the brides residence like any other Indian wedding food is served along

with flawless services and ethnic style. Nose ring ceremony also known as nath ceremony is one of the unique customs of Garhwali Wedding. In this ceremony

beautiful traditional Nath is presented to the bride.

After that the Phera ceremony takes place. In succinct, they have to complete the seven rounds of the sacred fire. While returning the marriage procession is

led with the red flag along with the red ‘Doli’ of the bride as well as Palki of the bridegroom. Now the last man of the marriage procession carries white

flag instead of red flag. Many rituals and ‘Puja’ takes place from beginning to last till the bride finally steps into bridegrooms house. Gauna system is

not the part of Garhwali Wedding.

In addition, Garhwali songs, dance, local cuisine, traditional dresses, jewellery all these are few other special features of Garhwali Wedding.

Do It Yourself – Wedding Gown Preservation

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The very first thing you may be asking yourself is: “Why would I ever want to try and clean my own wedding gown?” If you noticed the wear tag in the dress it says something like: “Dry Clean Only”. So if you’re thinking of doing your own gown cleaning isn’t that taking an awfully big risk. Do you want to take the chance of damaging or destroying your cherished gown?

Probably the reason you’re trying to clean your own wedding gown would be to save money. Everyone wants to save money….so let’s examine this situation a little further.

Go ahead and read your fabric labels carefully. If your wedding gown is silk or is a silk blend then don’t even attempt to clean it yourself. If your gown and the lining are polyester then it is actually possible to do your own gown cleaning.

Before you start the process you should consider: Does the dress have beads on it? Are the beads sewn on or glued on? Does the gown have sequins? Are they sewn on or glued on? You need to be extra careful if the wedding gown is beaded or has sequins.

Ok, you still want to proceed!

The dirtiest place is around the hem of the gown. You’ll need to use a detergent mix, or even “oxiclean” made into a paste. Gently scrub the dirty hem with your mixture. Next pay special attention to the neckline and “arm pits” of the wedding dress. These areas also become more soiled than other areas and tend to stain easily.

Examine the rest of the gown carefully for any other spots or stains. Some wines spots will not leave a stain but should be scrubbed as well. Cake, food or natural oils from your hands can also leave areas that need special attention.

If you are going to use a washing machine to clean your dress instead of hand washing, turn the wedding dress inside out before placing in the washer.

It’s best if you have a large capacity front loading washer. Then just place the wedding gown inside and wash on the gentle cycle.

If all you have is a top loading waster you’ll need to be extra careful. The washing action tends to twist your dress up considerably.
Something also to consider before you start this process: are you going to try and press the gown yourself or have it professionally steamed/pressed after you clean it. If you are planning on hand pressing with an iron it can be very tedious and can damage – even scorch the fabric and it can melt the sequins and some beads.

However, if you’re going to have your wedding dress professionally steamed/pressed check before and see what you will be charged. Sometimes your local dry cleaner will charge nearly as much for this gown steaming and pressing as they do for their whole preservation service. (see the article on local dry cleaning compared to professional Wedding Gown Preservation on our website).

Usually if you actually want to save money, time and stress you should consider having your wedding gown professionally cleaned and preserved.

Several companies provide a complete kit that they will send you to make it easy. The wedding gown preservation kit should contain everything you need. It should contain a shipping box, a customer invoice, and complete instructions.

You’ll place your dress in the box provided with the invoice. Seal up the box with the sealing tape and place the pre-paid shipping label on the box. Everything is pre-paid so all you need to do is take the completed package to any UPS/Fed Ex. Store.

Your dress will be shipped back to you (no extra cost) to any address in the US (whatever address you have placed on the invoice).

Go ahead and Google “Wedding Gown Preservation” and you’ll find several options. Look over the websites and prices and choose the best option for you.

Why Not Try Salwar Kameez As The Best Design In Your Wedding Dress

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Are you one planning to do a wedding and wondering the kind of wedding gown to purchase? Try Salwar Kameez which is among the best designed gowns for weddings. In Indian culture, this design of wedding sarees is preferably used and is made from special designers who have the right skills and expertise. If you are in India, visit a bazaar which stocks designer salwar kameez. Among the many Indian Saris you can get in many shops dealing with making and selling wedding gowns in India include; Anarkali Salwar Suit, Patiala Salwar Kameez, Churidar Salwar Kameez and many others. When orders have been made on the wedding dresses, delivery is done to the customers doorstep thus saving them a lot of transport and other expenses to be incurred.

On top of Salwar Kameez, other wedding saris one can get from the most retail outlets in India are;

1.Serene OffWhite Cotton Salwar: This is one of the exclusive collections of suits one can ever get from most shops and its demand is very high globally. It is made with a lot of modernity which is the many peoples choice more especially when it is worn. Usually come in the market with many colors, designs and texture thus leaving customers with a choice of selecting the best.

2.Yellow Cotton Churidar Kameez: It usually made with yellow colors which are brought about by its flowers, geometric print and patch work. With different designs, one can distinguish them through color and patch patti of which one can get them in various dimensions.

3.Black Faux Georgette Churidar: Black in color and it has different patch works, sequins, resham and colors. Mostly when sold; many accompaniments are provided where one has to buy so that they can match. This type of salwar kameez is made in various dimensions which are brought about by fabric limitations and one can differentiate various designs in terms of color and patch patti patterns.

4.Deep Green and Pink Cotton Frock Style: This is a type of churidar kameez with very nice designs of floral prints, resham and patch patti work. All these help in adding some extra class to the kameez designs and others one can get together with these are pink cotton and crush cotton which are available in large stocks.

5.Cream Cotton Salwar Kameez: This is nicely designed with floral and spiral prints. People can find many designs and styles which come along with this including blue salwar and dupatta designs. It usually unstitched made in various dimensions with different colors.

6.Beige and Blue Crepe Silk Salwar Kameez: This is one of the amazing offers you can ever get in many stocks and shops which are embroidered with resham, sequins, zari and patch work in form of floral and paisley designs. Many designs which accompany this are blue faux chiffon dupatta and shantoon salwar usually in various dimensions and styles. There are slight variations in color and patti pattern one can get from the outlets.

The types of Indian Sarees mentioned are just a few since there are so many of them you can get in many shops and manufacturers. Due to this and most of them look alike, it is vital for the customer to mention the designer of the Salwar Kameez when he or she wants to purchase them and other sarees online for easy identification and sorting.

How To Ask For Money Instead Of A Wedding Gift

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Asking for money instead of wedding gifts is a delicate matter. However, the marriage age is much higher nowadays than what it was a few decades ago. Most of the people are well settled with full fledged households when they get married. The original idea of presenting various articles as wedding gifts to help the newly married couple to easily set up their household has become totally redundant now. As such, many wedding couples ask How could we tell our guests that we would prefer money instead of various wedding gifts? It is natural for the newlyweds to have more expenses to meet immediately after the marriage. The honeymoon costs, the down payment for a new house, the purchase of a second automobile, the requirements which need hard cash are more at present than before. Further, nobody would like to have a second or a third bread toaster or four coffeemakers that are hard to use in a single house. Hence, it is not surprising that people feel money would be more useful than the conventional wedding gifts. Still, asking the guests to present money rather than the conventional wedding gifts is not an easy one. Is there a polite way of asking people for money instead of a wedding gift?

One method adopted by some brides and the bridegrooms in asking for money instead of wedding gifts is to mention explicitly in the wedding invitation itself. In the invitation, they clearly state that they prefer cash to gifts. However, this is normally considered rude and abrupt. Convention and etiquettes demand that money or wedding gifts are not mentioned at all in the wedding invitations. A wedding invitation is supposed to convey only your wish that the guests should be present at your wedding and treat it as a special occasion. Anything else in the wedding invitation, particularly the mention about money or wedding gifts is looked at as uncultured behavior.

In spite of the above tricky points, there are a few definite solutions to ask money instead of wedding gifts. At the first stage of the wedding planning, the bride and the bridegroom could prepare a checklist of the probable persons who would be able to contribute to the several portions of the wedding expenses. To do this, the various expenses have to be listed out initially like this.

Bride’s expenses

The wedding gown and accessories
The ring to be presented to the groom
Thank you gifts for the bridesmaids, maid of honor, and other hostesses
Items like ring bearer pillow, flower girl basket, etc.
Hotel accommodations for attendants and guests from brides side
Brides medical visit expenses

Bridegroom’s expenses

Bridegrooms marriage suit and accessories
The ring to be presented to the bride at engagement
The ring to be presented to the bride at the wedding
Thank you gifts for the groomsmen and the best man
The marriage license expenses
Flowers and bouquet to the bride
Items like ring bearer pillow, flower girl basket, etc.
Fees to be paid to the clergyman and officiate
Transportation expenses for the wedding and the reception
Hotel accommodations for attendants and guests from bridegrooms side
Bridegrooms medical visit expenses

Combines expenses for the bride and the bridegroom

Wedding invitations
Wedding pictures
Musician costs
Candle holders
Wedding reception hall fee
Wedding reception decorations
Wedding reception catering expenses, including wedding cake and table decor
Wedding favors and other miscellaneous items like napkins, goblets, etc.
Thank you cards for the wedding guests
Overnight hotel accommodations, if needed
Honeymoon arrangements and related expenses

It would be quite easy if the bride, bridegroom, parents of the bride and the groom and other relatives & friends are asked to bear one expense item of their choice. If fifteen to twenty persons share these expenses, then there would be no need to ask for money instead of wedding gifts. If both families and their friends plan together, the wedding costs could be split without straining the budget of any single person.

Another option is to keep a wedding register at the reception, which is a polite way of asking for money from the guests. Nowadays, several registry services operate that request guests to select and buy specific items for the honeymoon of the couple, as well as the other wedding expenses. As a last resort, the wedding invitation could contain a humble request for money instead of wedding gifts, if the bride and the groom are forced to bear all the expenses, with no assistance from anybody else.