If you are going to the wedding and reception of a friend or family member,
there are many factors of etiquette that you need to keep in mind. For example,
you should buy a gift that you know they would like (most couples have wedding
registries for this very purpose), sign the wedding guestbook, and make sure to
speak to the couple and offer your personal congratulations. Although this may
seem like a lot of effort, you should keep in mind what the couple is doing to
ensure that you enjoy their wedding. They are likely paying for expensive foods,
drinks, and venues; many couples also give out wedding favors to each of their guests. After all, keep in mind that the
people who are getting married on this day are likely friends or family members
whom you care about, and you want to give them something to celebrate their big
day. It is not only about etiquette, but about showing your affection and
happiness for the couple on one of the biggest days of their lives.

If you think about the value of our signature and how it represents our verbal
honor it will bring your attention to your script the next time you write it. We
sign out names on checks dictating that we promise to stand behind them as they
are cashed in. The taker of the check has to count on our signature as
honorable. Then there are the times we sign contracts. Our signature represents
our honor and intent to bind by the contracts we sign. When we sign a wedding
guest book we are essentially signing our names letting the couple getting
married that we were there and honored to be there. Our signatures are
definitely a sign of honor. You should spend time on making certain you have a
legible signature that is indicative to the design you want it to be. You then
need to use the same signature always. Many people have the same signature from
the time they are young to their senior years.

It is a good idea to always plan ahead. We know this from lessons learned
throughout our lives. When planning a wedding this is also a great strategy.
Planning ahead on everything can make a wedding that much more fun. There is no
last minute hassle and hustle. The person that is in charge of the wedding
favors will benefit greatly from the extra time because they can plan not only
the favors but also the packaging. They will have plenty of time to get the
favors and package them in a way that enhances your wedding design. Some couples
use their favors within their reception designs. We have seen some creative ways
to present favors to guests. The favors themselves do not have to be elaborate
to make an impact. They can in fact be somewhat simple in design but linked to
the wedding theme in some way. Meaningful and creative gift items can go a long
way when given as favors.

We were spending some time one afternoon surfing online. You can learn so many interesting and useful things by simply looking around online. In the one search we were doing we found some really interesting things. For one thing we found a website that was a one stop shopping website for anyone that is planning to get married. If you are planning your own wedding or if you are a wedding planner yourself there is a website that is fully designed to handle it all. They had items like wedding invitations. The invites they had were not of a single type there were of a variety of styles and themes. No matter your chosen design or the style that you intend to design your wedding event with they had the invites to showcase it. Of course they did not just have a multitude of invites they also had everything else a couple could be needing to plan their perfect wedding event. The idea that you could plan your entire wedding online is a really great thing for busy couples or couples with unique themes.

I went to a country wedding a few years back that I totally enjoyed. It was set outdoors in the meadow and everyone was so laid back. All the decorations were simple but were still perfect for setting the scene for the wedding ceremony. There were about 100 guests milling about in their summer attire. A gentle breeze was blowing so no one was too warm. The altar area had a beautiful archway covered in grapevines with summer wildflowers scattered through it mingled with ivy. There were bleached white wooden chairs separated into two sections for the bride and groom’s side lined up for the guests. Each row had a large white bow with green and yellow checks mounted on the exterior of the row. To the inside of the row there were four foot shepherd’s hooks with hanging canning jars filled with various wildflowers which matched the ones on the bridal arch. The reception tables were at a distance and covered with white tablecloths. Each table had another version of the same floral arrangement. As you can imagine, simple but extremely appropriate for this type of wedding. I was so proud of the bride for following through with her rustic theme. The cake was another great surprise. It was sitting on top of a tree stump. That may sound a little back woods for many of you. But it was exactly what set off the reception. Everyone commented on it and the stump was more of a conversation piece than the cake. The wedding favors were on a separate table set to the side. There were bushels of fresh fruit with take home baskets for each of us to fill with whatever our hearts desired. I left the wedding with a wonderfully fresh and relaxed feeling. My day was complete, my heart and stomach were full and I had some beautiful, home grown fruit to end my weekend with. I would say this wedding was a complete success.