How to Plan a Wedding - Step by Step Guide

Planning a wedding can be a daunting and very stressful task. We highly recommend you take six months to a year to plan your wedding and will outline for you an easy-to-follow schedule.

Twelve months before the Wedding

Wedding

Get yourself a binder with paper and dividing tabs. Discuss with your fiancé and his/her families, plus your own, to determine a budget. Decide on your wedding theme e.g. Christmas, Fall, Snowflakes, Black and White, etc. Select a wedding date with your fiancé and families. Decide on your wedding attendants. Book a ceremony and reception location(s). Book your professional wedding photographer, florist, caterer, videographer, and DJ or wedding musicians.
Nine months before the Wedding

How to Plan a Wedding - Step by Step Guide

Make an appointment with your officiant. For most religious ceremonies, you may be required to attend pre-wedding counseling. For civil ceremonies, your officiant may require a meeting to discuss your wedding ceremony. Wedding gown shopping and first fittings should be looked after at this time. Shop for your wedding accessories, wedding veil or head piece, and wedding shoes. Begin preparation of the guest list. Be sure to include both sides of the family as guest lists are often a contentious issue. It will take time to decide on long lost cousins, work friends, neighbors, etc. Decide on gift registry locations and register. Begin your search for your honeymoon location. If you are getting married during a peak holiday season such as Christmas, you may need to book your honeymoon up to nine months in advance.
Six months before the Wedding

You need to meet with the wedding professionals who will assist you on your special day. The menu should be mapped out with your catering company, a review of requested wedding photos with your photographer, a discussion with your videographer on the amount of footage and locations for videos, and your preference for music with your DJ or wedding musicians. Limousines and/or other wedding transportation should be booked. Wedding carriages or winter horse drawn sleighs should be booked and pricing confirmed. If you are ordering wedding invitations and/or save the date cards and wedding announcements, you need to decide on a provider. If you are making your own wedding invitations and other wedding stationery, you should choose a wedding invitation kit template package. Announcements should be sent out to those friends and family who you have not included in the ceremony. Honeymoon trip should be booked and final budget plans for the honeymoon confirmed. Bridesmaids and Flower Girl dresses should be decided upon and ordered. Start shopping for wedding rings.
Three months before the Wedding

Guest list needs to be finalized by you and your fiancé and BOTH families. We can't emphasize enough that you need to have the blessing of all concerned when it comes to the guest list. Final decisions and ordering of wedding rings. Visit hairstylist for a consultation and have your first wedding day hair run through. Make wedding day appointment with hairstylist. Don't forget to include your bridesmaids if they are having their hair professionally styled for your wedding. Research and review state requirements for blood tests. Research, review and book hotel rooms for out of town guests who may require accommodation. Follow up on your wedding gown and confirmation of delivery dates for your gown and those of your attendants. Attend your first wedding gown fitting including all accessories and shoes.
Six to eight weeks before the Wedding

Prepare your wedding invitation kit templates for printing, including the Thank You cards. If you have ordered your invites from a commercial business, be sure they are ready for you. Address and mail the wedding invitations. Shop for and purchase any wedding gifts for your fiancé, attendants, parents and grandparents. Attend your final dress fitting including wedding accessories. Spend time wearing your wedding shoes so that you are not crippled before the wedding dance starts. Test a spray on tan if you plan to tan for your wedding. Make final decisions on your wedding hair style and any hair color changes should be made. Pick up your wedding rings from your jewelry shop. Print out your personalized Thank you cards from your wedding invitation kit templates or purchase generic Thank you cards. Send any Thank you cards for wedding or shower gifts received over the past weeks.
10 - 14 Days before the Wedding

Confirm with your caterer with one final review of the menu. Confirm with your officiant the venue and time of ceremony. Confirm with your photographer, videographer, DJ and/or wedding band. Confirm your honeymoon reservation and any special requests for the wedding night. Address any wedding announcements, stamp and set in preparation of mailing on your wedding day. Final visit to your hairstylist to review any last minute concerns or changes.
One Week before the Wedding

Attend any last minute parties or bridal showers in your honor. Write any Thank you cards for gifts received at these functions. Give the caterer your final number of guests expected to attend. Bridesmaids and Flower Girl confirmation of the time they are expected to arrive. Purchase travel insurance for the honeymoon if you are leaving the country. Purchase travelers checks for the honeymoon holiday. Double check to be sure that travelers checks are accepted and easily cashed at your final destination.
Wedding Day Peace of Mind - Priceless!

How to Plan a Wedding - Step by Step Guide

Hundreds of printable Wedding Invitation Kit templates are offered if you want to make your own wedding invitations. Wedding invitation verses are included throughout our site to help you with wording. Visit us and take a look at our extensive collection.

Kim Novak is a graphic designer with 17 years of experience helping brides save on their wedding invitations. Do it yourself wedding invitations have never been easier. Create elegant, professional wedding invitations at home. Let an expert help you get started today.

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Wedding Toasts

And you thought that wedding speeches are the ones that only counts when it comes to introducing the couple or wishing them well, wedding toasts are of importance, too, in wedding celebrations. Others think that wedding toasts and speeches are the same, they are not.

Difference of Wedding Toasts and Speeches

Wedding

A wedding toast is a short statement given by a guest that is full of well wishes for the newlyweds. It is given in honor of the bride and groom. The other guests then have to drink to show their support for the said statement. But unlike speeches, wedding toasts are unexpected. Anyone who volunteers on his own or have been volunteered by others can give a wedding toast.

Wedding Toasts

A speech, on the other hand, is much longer, and there is no need of drinking to show their support.

A Wedding Guest's Nightmare

Imagine eagerly clapping your hands right after the last person finished his speech, and as he sat down, the host conducting the program suddenly invites you to give a wedding toast for the newlyweds. You stared surprised at the host then shifted your sight to the newlyweds who are excited than ever to hear you and watch you do a wedding toast. An unwanted situation, right? Not only are you totally unprepared and have no idea what to say, but everybody is staring at you!

Preparing for the Wedding Toast

So as not to get caught unprepared in an embarrassing situation like that, be prepared. There is nothing wrong with making a little effort and not coming to a wedding empty handed. If you prepare now, you definitely would not regret it later.

Preparing for any surprising event such as an unexpected wedding toast invitation is easy. The information you need is all around you. You have the couple as subjects and from there you can make your wedding toast. Wishing them well will definitely come naturally because you do wish them lots of happiness and wealth. Just say what is in your heart, and you are good to go.

Still no idea what to say? Before you attend a wedding, it is best that you read up on making wedding toasts. There are books and wedding magazines with tips and ideas on what to say and how to deliver it.

But the largest source of all, of course, would be the internet. You can always log on to a search engine and look up wedding toasts ideas. There are millions and millions of choices and sources to help and guide you.

Movies can also be helpful. There are memorable wedding toasts in movies. If your memory is good, you can make use of this.

But the most important thing to remember in making wedding toasts is that it should be about wishing the newlyweds well. You can also share with them your favorite love quote, and if you know theirs, you can share it to the guests. Just remember though, wedding toasts should be from the heart and should show your love and support for the newlyweds.

Wedding Toasts

Mark Clayson is a professional, home business entrepreneur, mentor and speaker. Visit Start Work at Home for more information on starting or developing a home business or his official site to find out more.

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Top Reasons to Choose Uganda As Your Next Safari Destination

Known as the pearl of Africa, Uganda is a wealth of attraction that spoils any visitor for choice and a single visit is never enough to discover the wonders it offers. Being a destination untouched by mass tourism, you can sure experience an air of expectancy in the national parks teaming with wildlife and magic in the mountains. This makes Uganda one of the most thrilling African safari destinations!

The country is known for its fine sunny and rainy weather which often does not require the wearing of warm clothing except on some chilly nights in the mountainous areas in western and eastern Uganda. Uganda is on the sunny side most of the year, especially in the central region. Rainfall comes in torrents when delayed, especially when the expected patterns are delayed for some months.

Distinctive wet and dry seasons are typical of most Ugandan areas. For example in the southern, half of Uganda there is rainfall from March to May and in September to November. The rest of the periods are dry. There is a well-distributed rainfall pattern around the Lake Victoria Crescent, with storms and unpredictable rains falling during seasons when there is no rain elsewhere in Uganda.

Areas such as Karamoja in the northeast are dry possibly because of the dry winds blowing in from Somalia. There is very little mean variation in the weather in Uganda except for the mountain areas. The copious rains and bright sunshine are most responsible for successful rain-fed agriculture where grains, fruits and vegetables grow in abundance. Uganda's weather is most likely a major factor contributing to the fine taste of its foods and quality of cash crops like vanilla, coffee arabica (the finest in the world) and tea although Uganda's horticultural export industry has just started blooming.

Uganda offers a spectacular diversity of wildlife with the country hosting ten national parks and some of the wildlife found in some of these parks is unique only to this part of the world. The tree climbing lions of the Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National park found in south western Uganda. These rare lions can be seen during a mid morning game drive lying up on the tree branches having a nap. They have become a popular attraction for tourists transferring to Bwindi National park.

The Mountain Gorilla tracking is the major attraction for tourist travelling in this region and this activity is subject to Gorilla permit availability and only eight people can track each gorilla family per day. Currently there ten gorilla families available for tracking in Bwindi and you can get to the park either by road or by charter flights.

For bird lovers, Uganda is rated one of the top birding destination and you can bird Uganda all year round given the comfortable weather in Uganda. The Unique and Varied landscape makes birding experiences a wonder and unforgettable experience.

Trekking the mystic Ruwenzori Mountains National Park in Uganda is a truly fantastic and unique experience that the country offers, the wonder of the high glaciers, the beauty of the valley of nine lakes, the bearded lichen hanging from giant heathers with a backdrop of rocky cliffs, crags and snow capped peaks. The wide variety of flora and fauna with several biospheres as you ascend through different vegetation zones creates the ultimate experience for trekking. It is a World Heritage Site and offers the opportunity to see nature at its best. The plant life varies from heavy tropical rainforest, bamboo forests, montane cloud forests to alpine vegetation and the scenery is truly spectacular. Above 4,500 metres the snow and glaciers add that special dimension to the wondrous views throughout this pristine mountain range.

Margherita Peak at 5,109 metres on Mt Stanley in the Rwenzori Mountains is Africa's third highest mountain, however the real beauty is in the climb up the peak, the forests and valleys, the flora is diverse from giant heather trees and valleys of ferns. Climbing Margherita Peak is now technical due to the ever increasing number of crevasses. However scaling the actual peak is more of a hard scramble than a climb and when it snows it is difficult however the rewards and exhilaration of reaching the top is enormous as you look across Albert Peak to the DRC (Congo) then east across the spectra of the Rwenzori Mountains. While Ruwenzori trekking can be done from two up to ten days to Magherita peak, Mountain Elgon in Eastern Uganda offers a maximum of five days to wagagai peak.

Uganda is home to the second largest lake in the world and also the source of the river Nile the longest river in the world and also hosts other lakes Albert, George, Edward, Mburo, Kyoga among others and all these offer attractions from White water rafting for adventure lovers, boat cruises, Sport fishing, and the Islands on lake Victoria with white sand beaches offer some of the best beach holidays in this part of the world.

A Pure and Authentic culture unchanged by time.Uganda is a country of many cultural contrasts with over 17 different tribes with unique cultures. For example if you go west to Mbarara District, you will meet the Bahima, a race of Ankole. This is an egalitarian group of tall beautiful people who live on their cattle, milk and ghee. They move from place to place in search of grass for their herds. The men are agile, temperamental when confronted and wear the elaborate shuka, a long woven cloth of rich colours around the shoulder and a handy stick in hand to shoo cows or fight the enemy. Their fat wives who walk in the same graceful manner like the cows, live on milk and equally wear colourful clothes. The women are usually of ample girth with beautiful chocolate coloured gums and white teeth. The Bahima have strengthened their lives around cows and milk. Many of their long-horned, graceful cows are given names to which they respond when called. There is a rich folklore of songs and dance among the Bahima, including some elaborate poems and recitals which give praise to the best cows or narrate some long journeys. Owing to the increasing shortage of cows and land, they are slowly settling down to a more sedentary way of life. However visitors have a chance experience the Bahima Culture. Ugandans are also known to be the most hospital people in this part of the world!

Uganda is now a safe destination for any tourists who would wish to come and experience the Amazing beauty that the country offers. Its past history was marred by corrupt leaders which saw the country suffer for years in political turmoil; however it has come a long way from the ugly past to become one of the politically stable countries in Africa since 1986 when the current president Yoweri Museveni came to power. The country has seen developments in trade and commerce and Sustainable Tourism has become a priority as the country views it as tool for development from the grass root levels much effort is on Ecotourism and sustainable tourism.

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