Mr. and Mrs (bride’s parent’s name)
request the honour of your presence
at the marraige of their daughter
name of the bride
to
name of the groom

Our joy will be more complete
if you can share in the marriage
of our daughter
name of the bride
to
name of the groom

You are planning the day you have dreamed of since you were a child. Everything has to be perfect from the very start, including the weeddig invitationsinvitations. From handcrafted specialty invitations to formal, engraved styles or cards with raised letting, there are beautiful wedding invitations available to help make planning your special day an enjoyable process. Whether you choose stock invitations or decide to have them custom made, invitations an important part of setting the mood for your big day.

Ready to pop the question? In a recent poll, 85% of women stated they were disappointed in the way they were proposed to. Keep in mind as you plan your approach; this will be one of the most significant moments in both your lives, so make it a day she will remember and treasure. 

Be Romantic.  Be Creative. Plan ahead. Unique… Be Original… Personalize.  Here are some great proposal ideas. Best of luck to you and yours from Shaadi Guru

1. Take her to the place where you first met her
2. Have a banner hanging over the garage with Will You Marry Me and be waiting in the garage with the ring.
3. During a romantic movie(where the actor asks the actress to marry him) you pop the question the same time
4. At someone’s wedding.  Whisper on her ears, ask her to marry you
5. Make a video; talk about the day you met her and how your life change.
6. Cook and set an elaborate candlelight table.  Quiet romantic dinner for two at home. Serve her a glass of champagne with the diamond ring in the bottom or ribboned to the stem.
7. Invite her for some games at home. Use Scrabble letters and spell out “Will you marry me?” Have the diamond close by.
8. Bring home an enthusiastic new pet with a ribbon for a collar. Have the ring in the bow for her to find as she cheerfully greets the new pet.
9. Radio dedication –  If you know she listens to the radio at a certain time everyday, making a dedication will work charms with her. Except that this one will have the disc jockey asking your girlfriend to marry you. A good follow-up is to call her while the question is being asked.
10. Create a personal Web page with her name and your proposal with a picture of the diamond in its velvet presentation box, and send her the Web address. Or sit down together to surf for good vacation sites, and visit a site or two before you type in the site address.
11. You’ve got love mail.  The Internet era is upon us, driving us to adapt to the technology. So why not send her a love note by email along with the big question?
12. Have a plane sky-write your proposal. Plan it for the day of a family picnic, boat ride or other outing; so she is sure to see it. Have the ring ready when she sees your proposal.
13. Take her for a surprise picnic at the beach or in the woods. At the picnic spot, spell out “Marry Me” with stones, flowers or seashells. Put the diamond in her hand when she says yes.
14. place the ring box inside several different size boxes.  She’ll think she’s opening up a large item, but she’ll keep opening successively smaller boxes until she gets to the one box that matters.  Be ready with your engagement at just the right moment.
15. make an ornament for your Christmas tree with your engagement ring in it.
16. Decorate a Christmas tree with lights and only one ornament — a ribbon or bow tied around a velvet ring box. Ask her over for a Christmas celebration for just the two or you.
17. Arrange to have dinner together at your favorite Chinese restaurant. Have the waiter give her a special fortune cookie with “Will you marry me?” in it. Or you could have it say, “You will receive a diamond in the very near future.” And present the diamond in a box.
18. During dinner at your favorite restaurant, arrange with the waiter to have the diamond in a box as one of the choices on the dessert tray. Tell her she is the sweetest thing you know and you can’t resist her any longer.

Round Brilliant: This shape has resigned as the most popular for engagement rings. More than 75% of engaged women wear this style.  It appeal is due in no small part to the way light bounces off of its facets, creating a particularly brilliant sparkle.

Oval: An oval traditionally a more common shape for other precious stones, namely rubies and sapphires, but since  the last century, when diamond-cutting techniques improved; ovals have also graced diamond engagement rings. They look particularly pretty when ringed with tiny diamonds.

Emerald: Developed in the art deco period.  This rectangular shape has long glamorous line with lean facets extending down the sides. No shape more aptly fits the diamond nickname “ice” than the emerald.  The large “table”, flat surface on the top, shows off stones’s clarity better than any other shape, though this means that any flaws will appear more magnified.

Marquise:  Legend has it that the elegantly tapered marquise with its rounded sides and points at each end.  Contemporary versions have a hexagonal surface with faced on top and bottom to reflect light.  It’s the perfect ring for women who like to make a statement.

Pear:  This sensual teardrop shape is one of the most femine and also one of the most flattering.  It tapered silhouette gives the illusion of elongating the finger.  It’s also one of the most difficult cuts to excute, so pears while quite sparkly, thanks to thier brillant cut facets are fairly rare.

Always check out online stores as well as retail stores to see what you want. Great online jewelers:
Ice.com (http://www.ice.com)
Mondera.com (http://www.mondera.com)
E-Wedding Bands (http://www.e-weddingbands.com)
Zales (http://www.zales.com)

Who will plan: Typically, the host of the party is the bride’s maid. The bride’s maid and bride work the details together. If it is a surprise shower, then the bride’s family helps out.

Budget: The bride’s maid is traditionally responsible the expenses. The bride’s family often helps by providing the location and/or invitations. Determine how much the shower can cost.

Guest List: Organize your guest list by asking the bride and groom who they would like to have at the shower. Usually the bride and groom’s mother will have a list of who they would like to invite. Get address, phone numbers and email addresses. Decide if it will be a “girl’s only” shower or “couples”.

Invitations: Invitations  can range from the casual (a phone call) to the most formal (printed invitations). You decide what will work for your shower. Be sure to include all necessary information on the invitation.

Theme &  Decorations:While you may feel intimidated about choosing a theme, just consider the couple. If they have lived together, they may not need a kitchen shower, but the bride would love pretty lingerie. If they are moving right after the wedding, cash will allow them to choose what they need.

Selecting the menu:Although your menu should reflect your theme, the time of day is as important, as well as the number of guests. Do not try to outdo the last shower you attended. Make this a day of relaxation for the bride, her guests, and yourself. Consider the amount of time and room available for the shower, as well as any special dietary needs of the bride and her guests.

Location:Choose a location that is easy to get to and will accommodate the needs of the party. If you are planning a theme, consider matching the location. Have an idea of how many people you expect before arranging any final details.

Select the date:The bridal shower is normally around eight weeks before the wedding. Showers are held on weekends and during the week. Try to make the time and day convenient for everyone including any out-of-town guests.
Folklore:”marry in July…”

Selecting the time:If most of the guests attending the shower work, then an evening or weekend shower will probably work best. Consider a weeknight for a change of pace. This will give everyone a night out, rather than a weekend day away from their spouses or boyfriends. If the weekend is the only time that will work for you, try to plan your shower early enough in the day for all who must travel to attend.

Games:Every fun bridal shower includes at least one game. And don’t forget the prize!

Entertainment:Make sure as guests arrive, they are introduced to one another. One way to break the ice is to provide name tags with a small note, such as, “I attended grammar school with Susie”. This is a sure way to start conversations. Make sure to offer your guests liquid refreshments and whatever else you have provided. Set the mood with lighted candles, flowers, and decorations. You want your guests to enjoy the day (or evening) as much as the guest of honor.

source: http://www.bridalshower.com/planning/quicktips.html

Wedding Charades: Have each guest come up with a song or movie related to weddings and write them down on a piece of paper. All of the entries will go into a bowl and guests will be divided into two teams. The host will then pick a piece of paper out of the bowl and let one member from each team read it. These two guests will then have to act out the song or movie title to their team and the team that guesses the correct answer first gets a point (The host will keep track of the points). The game will continue until all of the entries have been acted out. At the end of the game, the team with the highest amount of correct answers wins a prize!

Who/What am I?:  Have a theme.  For example for a  black and white theme, use old movie stars, but this game is very versatile so you could use kitchen appliances etc. and fit it to your theme. For the game you print out a picture of the person/object and the name and pin it to your guests back. Then they have to mingle and ask questions to try and guess who/what they are. Its a great game to get people mingling and talking especially if they do not know each other its a great ice breaker.

Showers are usually coordinated by the bridesmaids, who invite guests to offer gifts for the home of the bride and groom. Traditionally, hosting the bridal shower falls on the Maid of honor. Because gifts are required of those who attend the shower, some communities consider it rude for a relative of the bride to host it, but relative-hosted showers are a common and accepted occurrence in other communities. The shower normally takes place four to six weeks before the wedding.

The number of guests and their relationship to the bride varies widely. In Canada among some immigrant communities parties in community halls with upwards of 300 guests were normal, while other cultures emphasized intimate parties with only close friends and relatives.

Many different customs have developed in different regions and social groups. But the basic format has been relatively unchanged for generations, and emphasizes traditional gender roles. Sociologists like Beth Montemurro note that the ritual of the bridal shower “socializes women into the hyper-feminized traditional wife role”, with its emphasis on the future role of the bride-to-be as family cook, homemaker and sexual partner. But this role is more of a homage to the mothers and grandmothers than a reflection of how the bride-to-be will actually behave in the marriage.

Weddings are lavish affairs which call for perfection in everything, thereby demanding proper planning at every stage. It’s a well-known fact that when guests are invited for wedding, they are presented beautifully designed invitation cards with sweets. So, selection of suitable card is essential so as to leave good impression upon the guests to be invited. They are highly delighted if called with apposite presentation.
The Indian Wedding Invitation Cards are available in wide variety in market, where careful selection for beautiful and attractive design can be made. In ancient times, kings used to attend marriages only when they were invited with good-looking invitation cards having good quotation styles. At that time, invitation cards were made at home. However, new trend emerged with the passage of time. Indian Wedding Invitation Cards are given a lot of significance in modern era. Now cards can be obtained on order. People with different religion follow their own culture. Similarly, style of their wedding cards is also different. Beautifully designed wedding cards look presentable. Moreover, they become gracious when good quotations are written in them. They are also considered important in making a wedding memorable.
Wedding Invitation Cards also have several types of their own. They are distinguished on the basis of their language and design. At the same time, they also differ because of the type of marriage for which they are chosen. The various types of wedding cards are Muslim Wedding Invitations, Sikh Wedding Invitations, Jain Wedding Invitations, Parsi Wedding Invitations, and Hindu Wedding Invitations. Whatsoever the kind of wedding card is, its presentation reflects the personality and culture of families of both, bride and groom. Huge range in all the kinds of wedding cards is available in market. Some families prefer simply designed cards while some prefer royal style designed cards. It means that according to budget, people make selection of wedding cards.
Due to an increase in demand for gracefully designed wedding cards, the growth of wedding cards industry has been immense. Creative designers and thinkers have captured the market of wedding cards industry and are ruling it with their experience. In modern world, people need everything modern and perfect. Some families still go for simple cards while some families desire striking cards giving a royal look. When everything is done gracefully to fulfill wedding needs then role of wedding invitations also plays a crucial part. Everything required to plan a wedding should move in a coordinated way to provide this wonderful occasion a good base.

This article is free for republishing
Source: http://www.articlealley.com/article_510408_41.html

www.everythingaboutweddings.net  - I like this site because it seems to have everything covered. Ideas and links to other sites for flowers, cakes, rings, photographers, venues,  even ideas for wedding speeches

www.bridalandbeyond.com   – This site is good for wedding dresses, for the bride, the flower girl, bridesmaids, and tuxes for grooms. It is also a good site for party favours and other wedding accessories.

www.weddingbells.ca - I like this website because it basically helps you plan your agenda/budget for your wedding aside from giving you the usual wedding idea’s having to do with cakes, dresses, honeymoon getaways, invitations, etc. You can also have your own blog and ask questions and read other people’s blogs and communicate with other brides/grooms.

Q: Give us a little introduction about you. How long you’ve been in the business? Where did you learn? How did you start about designing wedding cakes?
A: My name is Clera Gerard. I’ve been doing this for last 5 years. I’ve learned to this from one of the leading cake designing company in town. I wanted to something, which I really like to do. I took a risk by quitting my job and starting this business. But, I’m really glad I did this.

Q: How many cakes do you design each year?
A: I design about 100 to 125 cakes in average each year.

Q: What wedding cake specialties are you known for?
A: I make unique and clean cakes with fabulous flavors.

Q: What is the price range on a wedding cake?
A: The price ranges from$ 300 to $700, depends on the size and pattern of the cake.

Q: What do you find challenging about this business?
A: Cakes are very delicate. Dealing with them is very challenging.

Q: What advice would you give to brides ready to look at cakes?
A: All the brides should have a budget. Then they can some design which they like and match the budget.

Q: To you, what is the perfect wedding cake?
A: A cake, which is elegant, is a perfect wedding cake for me.

Q: Do you mould all the flowers out of icing or do you use real or silk flowers?
A: I use all kinds of flowers. Some times I mould them, use fresh or dried flowers too.

Q: What do you love most about being a cake designer?
A: I’m so proud to make the centerpiece of the wedding ceremony.