WANT TO KEEP YOUR BRIDESMAIDS AND MAID OF HONOUR HAPPY?

 Then follow these simple steps to a stress free bridal party….

Balance the responsibilities

For the bride arranging a wedding will be a full-time occupation, but that doesn’t mean your maid of honour and bridesmaid will have to do the same.  You must keep in the forefront of your mind that they are your friends so you must make sure the relationships stay strong throughout the wedding planning.  Remember they will have a life outside your wedding so do not try and burden them with a list to do of jobs, you will have your family and fiancé to help you with the jobs too.

Ensure they are comfortable

You must remember that your maid of honour and bridesmaid will have all different figures, so some dress may not suit them all.  The best thing you could is inform them of the colour and length of the dress which you would like and let them pick there own dresses.  Yes okay they may not all be matching designs, however they will all look stunning together and most importantly they will beautiful and comfortable on the day.  (plus if the dresses don’t match designs it will show each individuals personality, and this will remind you why you loved them)

Keep count on the pennies

Your maid of honour and bridesmaids will be forking out a lot of money behind the scenes leading up to your wedding day… there will be hair, nails, hen weekend, travel expenses possibly hotel expenses.  Its best to bear all this in mind during your wedding planning and if you can afford it, why not treat them now and again to a lunch or pedicure, something nice to let them know that you really appreciate there time, effort, and expenses they have put into your wedding.

Keep the to-do list simple

This section really relates to the top section of this article you really need to make a simple to-do list which can be managed leading up and on the day.  You need to ask yourself “would I do this for her?” and then this will put things into perspective.  Don’t forget you have all your family members available who would love to help with the little arrangements and be involved in the day.

Be thankful

When it comes to your hen weekend you may not get what you expected, but don’t let this damper your mood.  You must remember that although its not what you wanted, a lot of thought and effort has gone into the weekend planning and all they wanted was to make you happy, so be appreciative.  Give them gifts to say thank you and you really appreciate the love and attention they have gone into the weekend.

Be her friend

This may seem really simple but you can get so caught up in planning the wedding that your friendship may be pushed to the side.  Ensure that when you meet up with your friend that you give her time to talk about her and what’s been going on in her life.  She will really appreciate the time to talk to you about what’s going on in her life and how she is feeling.  It has always got to be about your wedding, you need some time out too and listening to her will give you the break you may just need to switch off.

HOW TO MAKE YOUR FLOWER GIRL COMFORTABLE

Apart from being the gorgeous little flower girl that she will be it can be a very daunting task and she may become a little overwhelmed.  Follow these simple steps to make her feel comfortable so she can enjoy the day as much as you.

Practice

If you are walking down an aisle for your wedding why not give the flower girl plenty of practice leading up to the wedding.  You can practice at home or outdoors, you must remember to keep it fun at all times.  Practice the walk in the shop, in a park, out on the street… the more you do it in a public place the less likely it will be daunting to do it in the church as she will be used to people watching her (and you).

Involvement

Depending on how old your flower girl, get her involved in the preparations.  Invite your flower girl round to help with decorations of the invites, take your flower girl shopping with you when you sample wedding cakes.  If you keep your flower girl involved in the wedding process come the big day she will be familiarised with the décor and surroundings.

Beauty

Again depending on how old your flower girl will be why not get her involved in the morning of the wedding day, give your flower girl a little pamper, let her have her hair done and a bit of make up if she wishes.  This way she will not feel left out of the party.  If your flower girl has never had her hair or make up done before why not treat her a few times leading up the wedding, take her a manicure or have her hair done as a special treat for being your flower girl.

Most of all you want your flower girl to be relaxed on the day so ensure she meets all your bridesmaids and maid of honour, get her involved in the decorations, ensure that she feels completely comfortable in her surroundings and she will give you the best performance on the day.

GUIDE FOR YOUR FLOWER GIRL

Preparation in the morning

Ensure your flower girl has had her breakfast, showered, and done any messy tasks before putting her in her dress.  (if you can do not put her in the dress until the last minute)

Flowers

Is your flower girl carrying a basket of petals to throw down the aisle?  If so it might a suggestion to get someone to scatter some petals down the aisle beforehand so then if the flower girl does throw burst of petals it will still look equal down the aisle.

Photos

Chances are the photographer will be at the brides house/room in the morning so she will be introduced to the photographer there.  Ensure your flower girl feels comfortable around the photographer and maybe get the photographer to take a few “dummy” shots of the flower girl so she get settled with the camera before the day starts.

Walk up the aisle

If you have practised the walk leading up the wedding day then your flower girl should be fine with the walk.  However another trick to help her up the aisle would be to have her favourite teddy at the top of the aisle with one of your family members.  Or to give her a treat when she reaches the top of the aisle, this will help to coax her to the end.

Standing for a long period of time

If you feel your flower girl may have a short attention span during the wedding ceremony it might be a suggestion to bring her a colouring book and cranons into the venue so she can draw whilst the ceremony goes on.  The other suggestion is to have a designated person to take the flower girl outside if she gets fidgety so the ceremony will not be spoilt.  Always remember to congratulate the flower girl on a job well done.www.weddingxtras.co.uk/bridesmaid-91-c.asp

TIPS ON PICKING THE BRIDESMAIDS AND FLOWER GIRL ATTIRE

Choosing your colour theme
You need to pick the colour theme before you are able to go dress shopping with your bridesmaids and flower girl, this decision needs to made between you and your fiancé.

Will she wear it again?
If you splashing the cash to pay for your bridesmaids and flower girl dresses you would like to think they would wear it again to get the most out of the cost, so its best to bear this in mind when you are out choosing the dresses with your bridesmaids and flower girl.

Footwear
You need to keep in your mind when purchasing footwear for your bridesmaids and flower girl that they will not all be the same size and shape.  Some of your bridesmaids maybe tall so will not want big heels, whereas your flower girl and your bridesmaids may be short so therefore will want to wear heels.  As long as you ensure all the footwear is the same colour then you should leave them to choose their own style and design.
 
Jewellery
It is traditional for the bride to purchase the bridesmaids and flower girls jewellery as a gift to say thank you for being part of her special day.  It may nice to get the same jewellery for all as if the shoes and dresses are not the same style as list they will all be bonded by the same jewellery.
Flowers
Have you considered having each bridesmaid carry a bouquet of different flowers, all within your wedding colours? For example if your colours are pink and green, one bridesmaid could hold a bouquet of pale pink roses, another of fuchsia peonies, and another of green hydrangeas. Your flower girl can then carry a basket of all 3 coloured petals to scatter up the aisle and this will leave your bouquet to consist of one or two flowers from each of theirs, bringing the look together.

ENGRAVED CUFFLINKS - THE PERFECT GIFT FOR DIFFICULT TO BUY FOR MEN

If you are looking to buy the man in your life a special gift but have run out of ideas, engraved cufflinks are the perfect gift solution.  After most gifts have been long forgotten, a pair of beautifully engraved cufflinks will be worn and remembered with affection.

Engrabed cufflinks can be personalised with names, initials, nicknames, images and even short messages making them the ideal personalised men’s gift. All men have at least one pair of cufflinks in their drawer often more if they are worn to work. Cufflinks say a lot about the person who wears them; they can be traditional, fashionable, expensive or inexpensive. They are available in a variety of shapes for example, engraved oval cufflinks, engraved oblong cufflinks, engraved square cufflinks and even with precious stones.  There are engraved cufflinks to suit all budgets and styles.  A large range of engraved cufflinks are available to buy on line including a large selection for the wedding cufflinks market engraved with the names of the grooms attendants, such as Best Man, Usher etc

Many engraved cufflinks have presentation cases that will also accept engraved personalisation so it is possible to engrave a special message to the recipient.  If you seeking the perfect personalised gifts for the man in your life then, engraved cufflinks are the perfect gift solution.

ENGRAVED CUFFLINKS – A MEN’S FASHION STATEMENT

Some of the most bedazzling varieties of cufflinks can be found online.  Even today, men wear a specific style of cufflink to compliment their unique individuality.  In times gone by only the upper classes wore elegant adornments on their sleeves.  This would help distinguish them from common men and even today the rich and famous wear their signature cufflinks.  The technology that creates engraved cufflinks today has undergone a dramatic change and this gives them a more visually appealing finish. It is easier, these days, to look like royalty if you have the personality to match.  An individual’s uniqueness does not just mean that cufflinks have to be engraved with their initials.  Advances in engraving techniques means it is now possible to engrave photographs on to the face of the cufflinks.

Cufflinks have a special place in men’s fashion and have become an essential part of the grooms wedding outfit.  Wedding cufflinks distinguish themselves from other varieties and since weddings are formal occasions that happen once in a lifetime, cufflinks or any wedding adornment will be considered wedding memorabilia.  Although wedding cufflinks are not as important as the wedding ring, they still have a place of honour in the wedding nuptials.  For weddings, engraved cufflinks are very most popular and are available in many shapes and metals, including precious metals

Only when you have chosen your wedding outfit can you decide what best engraved cufflinks will compliment your attire.  It takes approximately 1 week to engrave cufflinks so to be sure to order them in advance to ensure they satisfy the quality and styles of your order.

It may not always be the heraldic wedding bells that are calling you to the cufflinks store and for this reason there are many different styles of wedding cufflink for the occasion.  There are sports designs, humorous designs, cartoon designs and many more.  Whatever the occasion calls for you can be sure you will find engraved cufflinks to suit your requirements by purchasing online.

WEDDING CUFFLINKS MAKE A GRAND ENTRANCE

The wedding reception will be the biggest event of the day for the bride and the groom after the wedding ceremony itself.  It is the time for the couple to enjoy their first celebration as husband and wife and to be introduced to their family and friends as Mr and Mrs for the first time.

This is a part of the wedding day that they will want to remember and it is important for both the bride and groom to choose the kind of celebration they want to have.  A simple elegant event of talking to friends and relatives, or an all night dance party flowing with champagne.  Each wedding reception will differ according to the wishes of the bride and groom but there are still rituals that will be performed such as the cutting of the cake, bouquet throwing and of course the speeches.

During the wedding reception guests will want to take photographs as a memento of the event and if a professional photographer is employed then it is likely that photographs will be taken for the official wedding album.  This is a time for the bride and groom to officially meet and greet family and friends and to maintain their elegance and composure.  The bride and groom will want to look at their best at this time and to achieve this the accessories used to compliment the wedding outfits will never be more noticeable. 

For the groom a nice pair of wedding cufflinks are sure to be noticed and help give an air of stylish confidence.   For the bride and bridesmaids, well chosen and stylish necklaces or bracelets will add to the overall effect of their dresses.

Compliments directed to the bride, the groom and the bridesmaids will be gratefully received and help greatly with the confidence and surety with which the bride and groom conduct themselves as the wedding reception often puts a great deal of pressure on the couple. This is also true of the Father of the Bride and groom as they perform their duties on the day.