CHOOSING YOUR WEDDING DATE

The following article was submitted by Beverly Clark / Wedding Location

As you are considering the style of your wedding, you may find yourself imagining the scene in each different season. The mood and weather of the month you choose have an undeniable impact on the tone of the occasion.

Rites of Spring

Weddings that take place in March, April, or May have the advantage of being first on the year's wedding dance card. Depending on where you live, March may be an unpredictable month, often bringing winds and rain. April and May are unpredictable, too, but less so. April is an unabashedly romantic month, with many of the year's loveliest flowers. May weddings offer all the benefits of these held in April, plus the likelihood of better weather.

Summer Weddings

June, of course, is the most popular month in which to marry. The tradition began centuries ago with the ancient Romans. The month of June was named Juno, goddess of women and marriage, who vowed to protect those who married in her month. In may areas June is also the first month of predictable fair weather. Another June offering: roses, the quintessential romantic flowers that bloom profusely during this month. And school ends in June, freeing guests to travel and college-age newly weds to take their honeymoons. But getting married in June has challenges, too. Wedding locations, musicians, florists, caterers, and clergy are in high demand during this month. Being a June bride is worth the extra planning, if you've had that particular dream since adolescence, and the month does carry undeniable joyousness. Just be sure to allow enough time to make arrangements for services you need and want.

For couples who want a summer wedding but are not emotionally bound to the month of June, July is a fine choice. It's the height of summer, nights are long, and outdoor weddings run little risk of bad weather (although humidity can be a formidable problem in some places). Family members who live far away may be more able to get time off from work to travel in summer months, and children are out of school. The same goes for August. It is such a popular vacation month that if you don't send your invitations out well in advance, you might receive a higher number of regrets.

Fall is for Lovers

There are numerous good reasons to consider getting married in September or October. The weather is mild and crisp, and the tide of summer travelers has ebbed a bit. In many parts of the country, the scenery is spectacular in the fall, making it easier to lure far-flung family and friends to your celebration. Some couples make the autumn foilage a key part of their wedding design using wreaths, harvest motifs, and a warm, firery palette in their decorating schemes.

Another advantage to autumn weddings: honeymoon destinations are less crowded, since most schools start in September.

Winter Weddings

Fewer people get married in November than in summer or fall, which allows popular wedding locations to be available then. The same holds true for musicians, florists and caterers, all of whom are eager to spend extra time with you in the slow month before the Christmas holidays.

December is an age-old favorite for nuptials. What is more romantic than exchanging vows in a candlelit chapel, with snow falling outside? The scent of pine in the air, the yuletide spirit, and the notorious holiday feasting all lend themselves perfectly to a wedding celebration. Many hotels and restaurants are lavishly decorated for the season, so you may be able to save on decorations and still have a festive affair. Families and friends traditionally get together for the holidays, anotherbenefit to planning your wedding at this time. According to Irish folktales, the last day of the year is an especially lucky one on which to wed.

Scottish lore, meanwhile, has it that January 1 is the most fortuitous day for a wedding. Tying the knot in January or February has the same advantages as doing so in November, with many sites and services more readily available to you. These months are also a perfect time for a honeymoon wedding. In quiet winter months, family and friends will welcome an invitation to travel to a ski village or an exotic ( and possibly warmer ) locale. If you're considering a winter wedding, remember that February has the most romantic wedding date of all- Valentine's Day.

Wedding Insurance – A Good Idea or a Waste of Money?

You insure your car, your home, your health, and your life. Now you can insure your wedding too. Insurance for your wedding is one of the newest products on the market. But do you really need it, or is it a waste of money?

Wedding insurance has been popular in Great Britain for a few years. Today, a number of companies in the U.S. are also offering wedding insurance. Most policies offer varying amounts of coverage for varying fees with the most expensive policy costing less than $400 for a wedding held in this country. If you are planning a destination wedding, coverage can be obtained at a slightly higher fee.

Most insurance policies will insure you against:

• Unforeseen weather problems (are you planning a wedding in Florida or the Bahamas during hurricane season?). This must be a major problem that will prevent you from holding the wedding as scheduled or that will prevent a majority of your guests from attending, not an afternoon thunder storm.

• Cancellation or postponement of the wedding. If you or the groom is in the military and is called to active duty, you might need to postpone the wedding. One of you or a close family member could be injured in an accident, have a sudden illness, or even die, necessitating a change in wedding plans. Insurance would cover the lost deposits.

• Failure of merchants to perform their contracted services. This might include a caterer who goes bankrupt just before the wedding or an event center that closes just before your event. Or perhaps the florist takes your money, then skips the country (all of these things have actually happened to unsuspecting clients). If you have paid a deposit or the full fee to such merchants, you will be reimbursed. Some policies will also cover the cost of legal fees to collect from errant merchants.

• Damage to the wedding attire. If the bridal salon catches fire and your gown or your attendants' gowns are ruined, or the airline sends your gown to Timbuktu, you can be reimbursed.

• Photographs and video. If the photographer fails to show up or he neglects to put film in his camera, his equipment is defective, or the video camera doesn't work, you may be able to recreate the wedding photos at a later date and receive payment for the recreation.

• Theft of the wedding gifts or the wedding rings. If you leave your gifts in another room while your ceremony is occurring and they are stolen, or someone breaks into the car in which the gifts are being transported, you can be reimbursed. You can also be reimbursed for loss or theft of the wedding rings, but not the bride's engagement ring.

• Professional counseling. Some policies will pay a limited amount toward counseling if you are left standing at the altar and you need therapy to work through it.
Most policies will not cover the lost deposits if either the bride or groom changes their mind and breaks the engagement.

Before you purchase wedding insurance, check with the company that writes your homeowner's or renter's insurance policy and find out exactly what is covered under that policy. Also check the liability insurance policy at the venue where your wedding will be held. Depending on your coverage, you may not need a separate insurance policy, or your current insurer may be able to add a rider to your existing policy to cover the wedding.

Whether wedding insurance is right for you will depend on your circumstances, but it may be worth the cost, particularly if you are planning a destination wedding.

Copyright © 2004: Glenna Tooman, all rights reserved
Memory Makers Event Planning LLC www.memorable-events.com

What You Need To Know Before Decorating for Your Wedding Ceremony

By Stephanie Smith

Wedding planning can be fun and sometimes a little overwhelming, especially when it comes to decorating. There are a lot of little things that can have a huge impact without taking a lot of time. While many facilities will take care of the decorating for you, most ceremony locations don't. They just don't have the staff or the demand to provide that kind of service, although they can sometimes offer advice as to what other couples have done in the past. Ask lots of questions and keep an open mind. The ceremony location, whether it be a church, park, or backyard, will likely be where you spend the least amount of time on your wedding day, but it's where the most important thing happens! You don't want to spend your entire decorating budget here, but you do want everything to be perfect.

There are a few different areas you can focus your attention on and some areas you may not want to get too caught up with. With some advanced planning and a little help from friends on the big day, your ceremony location can look almost as fantastic as you do.

Altar - A couple of well-placed flower arrangements close to the altar will have a huge impact to the atmosphere of your ceremony. The flowers can either match the bridal bouquets or be all white, or even an assortment of colors that complement your bridal party. When choosing these arrangements consider reusing the bouquets at the reception location after the ceremony, and what kind of arrangement will suit both venues. Also consider whether you want to use real or silk flowers. Silk arrangements can be a great fuss-free alternative and can be prepared well in advance of the wedding to minimize last minute stress. All you need on the wedding day is someone to set them up at the ceremony location and then bring them to the reception.

Entrance - A great way to welcome your guests to your ceremony is to add a special touch to the door or entrance so the mood is set as soon as they walk in. You could hang a wreath or two on the doors, put a planter with some potted flowers on either side of the door, or even put a sign on or near the door welcoming your guests with a love poem. Many couples use wedding programs as a way to introduce their bridal party to guests and to add special messages they may not have an opportunity to say out loud. Extra programs can be arranged in a decorated basket, or on a small table just as people enter. Plain baskets can be decorated with silk flowers or vines, which can also be prepared well before the wedding day.

Pews - You're likely to find conflicting advise about pew decorations. I personally think they're overrated and are often more hassle than they're worth. The traditional pew decoration is to tie or tape a tulle bow to the end of the pew. I've seen many weddings where the bows start to fall off as guests walk past and are seated, not to mention when the bride walks down the aisle with her fancy dress and train! If not secured carefully, pew bows can look more messy than festive, and no bride wants to be wearing pew bows an an extra accessory. An alternative to is to have a spray of fresh or silk flowers (securely) attached to the pew.

Those are the basics covered off. If you want to go all out with decorating, consider using an archway at the entrance or beginning of the aisle. The arch can be decorated with tulle, flowers, ribbons and/or garlands. Just make sure you and your escort can fit through it with ease.

You can also decorate the table where you and your honey will be signing the record of marriage. Try using some ribbons around the edge of the table, or a bouquet that complements any flowers you have closer to the altar.

A word about candles... they can be a great addition to a wedding ceremony, especially during evening celebrations, but think ahead before getting your heart set on them. During outdoor weddings, the slightest breeze can blow them out if they aren't properly protected. For indoor ceremonies, make sure you have the appropriate holders for them. I once attended a wedding where most of the guests paid more attention to the wax dripping onto the carpeted church floor than they did to the exchanging of vows. The couple had dozens of candles in fancy candelabras which looked great at the start of their sunset ceremony, but had melted into a big mess by the end. If you intend to use candles, check with the facility to make sure they will allow it, then ensure that the candles and the hot wax will be well-contained.

Make sure you visit the ceremony location often to make your decorating plans. You don't need to have any decorating surprises on your wedding day, so measure areas you want to decorate and plan accordingly. Also bring with you the person who will be setting up your decorations so they are comfortable with the arrangements and may notice if furniture has been unexpectedly moved. You won't likely have time to do the decorating yourself, and your sweetie will be too nervous to remember where things go and what they're supposed to look like, no matter how early he gets there.

For more tips on how to decorate for your big day, visit http://www.decoratefor.com