WHAT KIND OF GIFT TO GIVE FOR A DESTINATION WEDDING

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Many couples are choosing to plan a destination wedding and save the money that a traditional wedding can cost. In addition to saving money, a destination wedding can be more intimate, romantic and provide less hassle than a traditional wedding. If you are traveling to be a part of a special ceremony, you might wonder what kind of gift to give for a destination wedding.
REGISTRY GIFT
Couples that decide to have a destination wedding still register for gifts at their favorite stores, and you can't go wrong when buying them something listed on their wedding registry. Send the gift to the couple immediately prior to or immediately after their wedding so the couple won't have to transport heavy gifts from the site of their wedding.
MONEY
Money is the easiest gift to give for a destination wedding. A card with cold, hard cash (or a check) in it is easy to transport and the bride and groom will always be able to use it. A suggested cash gift for a wedding gift is $50. If you are very close to the bride and groom, the amount of money that you give could be more.
GIFT CERTIFICATES
Some people prefer to give gifts that they know the bride and groom will use, such as a gift certificate or a gift card to the store where they are registered. Others prefer to buy gifts which the bride and groom would not buy themselves. Some examples are a gift card to an upscale restaurant, tickets for a hot air balloon ride or a gift certificate for cooking classes that they can take together.

TIPS TO DECORATING TABLES AT YOUR WEDDING

When it comes to decorating your wedding reception, there are things you need to consider to transform the venue into a different place. However, the decorations will largely depend on the type of wedding you have planned as well as the budget you have allocated for it. The decorations you choose will need to depict the theme that you have chosen for the wedding so you can make the event magical. If you are on a budget while decorating your wedding venue, it is important to know which key areas to concentrate on. Here are the areas to decorate:
REGISTRATION TABLE
The entrance of your wedding reception is a vital place that you should decorate carefully. You can simply decorate it with a few flowers, ice sculpture, or a statue. Make sure that you situate your registration table near the entrance so the guests can easily sign the guest book. If you have prepared a seating chart for your guests, have another table where they can get their place cards on. You can decorate these two tables with flowers or confetti.
SWEETHEART TABLE
In the center of the room, you should set up a sweetheart table where the newlywed couple can sit on. The best way to decorate this table is to surround it with draped organza fabric and adding candles and petals over it. The use of draped fabric and par lights as a backdrop behind the table can also add to its effect.
GUESTS TABLES
Each table should be covered with table linens. If you prefer a clean look, you can use white linens to make your tables look simple. Make sure you have placed a centerpiece on top of each table so that they are attractive to look at. However, see to it that the centerpiece you chose is just the right size.
CAKE TABLE
In some weddings, the cake serves as the centerpiece of the venue. Decorate it the way you would with the sweetheart table as it needs to be accentuated. When you’re planning your wedding, you will need all the help you can get from an expert. Call us today so we can get started!

A TRADITIONAL VIETNAMESE WEDDING: TRUNG & THU

Today we bring you a little bit of culture and colour with a traditional Vietnamese wedding! When Trung and Thu found us during their engagement, we were delighted at the thought of being the ones to document this special day for them. Since Jeff’s family is Vietnamese as well, we share a special connection! Of course we loved hanging out with Trung and Thu during their awesome engagement session a few months ago, after which we were even more excited for their big day. In a traditional Vietnamese wedding, the festivities begin with a procession to the bride’s home. Thu’s family had beautifully decorated their home for the occasion with lots of colourful, traditional and symbolic touches. The house was bustling despite the very early start to the day! Everyone was awake and excited. I loved capturing some of the colourful details that would be a part of the ceremony to come.
Buddhist wedding ceremony photography Thu was looking absolutely beautiful in her Áo Dài, the traditional Vietnamese dress.
Vietnamese bride getting dressed in Áo dài or qipao Bridal wedding dress, Sydney Australia But of course she also had several other dresses for later!
Trung was looking handsome as well! In the lead-up to the wedding, he had told us that all the last minute planning was like being a part of grand final week, preparing for the big game on Saturday. Haha! His groomsmen and friends watched with smiles as he got ready.
Trung and Thu were very excited about two special cars they had hired for the day. Is this one cool looking or what? Rolls Royce wedding car for Sydney Asian wedding Then it was time to get the vehicles packed up to make the procession over to Thu’s house for the ceremony. The boys carried eight special trays containing gifts for the brides family. The red cloth coverings, as well as the specific number of trays, are believed to bring the new couple good luck.
Meanwhile, at Thu’s house, the crowds were gathering in anticipation of the groom’s arrival. Trung and Thu had even managed to hire Lion Dancers and some pyrotechnics to annouce the start of the ceremony! Lion dancing costumes and firecrackers at Sydney Young lion dancers at Vietnamese/Chinese wedding in As the groom’s processional rounded the corner, the musicians began vigourously beating their drums and clanging symbols. The long strands of firecrackers were lit and went off with a wild crackling as the strands thrashed about in the air. The din echoed around the block, drawing out heaps of curious neighbors onto their patios to glimpse the festivities! The lion dancers went at it full throttle, jumping, lurching and bobbing around with tons of energy. In addition to the eight trays, the guests came bearing other gifts, including the traditional gift of a giant roast pig.
Vietnamese wedding procession of Groom
The little bit of rain coming down sure wasn’t going to stop this parade! Lion dancers at Asian wedding ceremony in Australia Trung looked so excited!
Lion dancers at Asian wedding ceremony in Australia Colourful lion dancers in cultural Asian-Australian Lion dancing at Sydney Vietnamese wedding As the two families greeted each other, they presented the bride’s family with some traditional lacquer boxes and gifts for the bride.
Serving tea at Vietnamese cultural wedding Bride The women now carried the eight trays inside, containing gifts of fruit, cakes, and other sweets.
Bride
Gifts and fruit at Vietnamese wedding tea ceremony Once inside, the tea ceremony began with the burning of incense. The bride and groom and family pray to their ancestors and ask for their blessing.
Gifts of jewellery for the bride are always essential!
The mothers lovingly presented Thu with her beautiful new pieces from Tiffany’s.
Sydney wedding photographers, Asian wedding Exchanging gifts and jewelry in Asian tea ceremony Exchanging rings in Asian/Vietnamese/Chinese wedding After exchanging rings, the bride and groom served tea to each of their family members. Traditionally, at this point in the tea ceremony each family member has the opportunity to give a bit of advice about marriage and family to the couple, or to simply express their well wishes. The bride and groom are presented with an envelope containing money, often in a lucky amount.
Photo-journalistic photography of Asian wedding Documentary style photography of Vietnamese tea Vietnamese-Australian wedding, offering tea Chinese wedding tea ceremony in Sydney Australia Photos of Asian wedding tea ceremony in Sydney Asian wedding photographers with photojournalistic style Offering tea and respect at Asian-Australian wedding Vietnamese tea ceremony in Sydney, Australia After the tea had been served, the women handed the lucky trays back to the men… so that the processional could begin again and proceed to the groom’s house for the second half of the ceremony!
Exchanging gifts during Vietnamese wedding ceremony Groom Rolls Royce wedding car in Sydney, Australia Trung and Thu were seen as officially married now, but the fun wasn’t over yet. Traditionally, after the tea ceremony at the bride’s house, the family members are invited to a reception at the groom’s house. Trung and Thu had a fancy reception planned at a local restaurant later that evening, but all the family were invited to the groom’s house for lunch and a second tea ceremony.
Once everyone had arrived, they formed a line down the block and proceeded inside, with parents first and other family members following in order of seniority.
Colourful bridal processional in Asian-Vietnamese Thu was looking so beautiful and happy! I loved the way her red roses matched her Áo Dài perfectly. Inside, the groom’s house was as beautifully decorated as the bride’s.
Creative and colourful Phoenix and Dragon fruit I couldn’t get over how cool these food sculptures were.
Can you tell they are a dragon and a phoenix? The dragon and phoenix are a yin and yang metaphor, representing male and female. These two mythic creatures are often seen as a part of Vietnamese and Chinese weddings, symbolic of blissful relations between husband and wife. These amazing creations were made out of pineapples, chili peppers, snake beans, cherry tomatoes and garlic cloves, and held together by tiny pins. They were truly works of art (and definitely too pretty to eat!). I was also quite partial to this succulent- looking green tree, made out of sweet sticky cakes.
Colourful fruit sculptures of Phoenix and Dragon for The groom’s parents lit more incense as they honoured the ancestors from Trung’s side of the family.
Incense and Buddhist altar during Vietnamese tea Trung and Thu exchanged tea cups and envelopes with a few more family members.
Serving tea to the Groom
With their marriage official, it was just about time to begin the celebrations! Stay tuned for part 2, where you’ll see what we got up to with the bridal party at Bicentennial Park, and what a blast everyone had at their fun-filled reception at Golden Harvest Restaurant.
Coming soon!
Friends and family of Trung and Thu, leave a comment below for the happy couple or let us know what you think of the photos! Leave your email address to be notified when the full gallery of images is online.

HOW TO DESIGN YOUR INDIAN WEDDING, MANDAP, RECEPTION, WEDDING STAGE DECORATION IN TUNE WITH YOUR THEME

Every wedding has a unique and interesting story to tell. Every wedding is special and should be planned and done in a way that it stays in the memory of your hearts till the rest of your lives.
This is the event which is ought to stay in your life, and should be done in a glorious way. The planning should be done in a special way, breaking from the monotony of having a conventional wedding. The Mandap Decoration, Reception Decoration, Wedding Decoration, Wedding Stage Decoration, all should be done in a planned, modern, exceptional and chic way. The approach to the planning should be fresh with an entirely new and unique perspective with innovative approach to wedding design, event planning and management, all merged with the classic traditional wedding etiquettes and panning.
The Indian wedding planner should turn your day into an unforgettable event and something that you will cherish for the rest of your coming life. All the important aspects of the wedding should be kept in mind while working as a team to make the wedding turn out perfect as envisioned by you.
The focus should be given to the preferences, likes and dislikes and customizing the entire wedding right from the initial preparation to the Wedding Gate Decoration, Wedding Tent Decoration, Tent Suppliers to the last detail of the guests who will be attending the grand event. The celebrations should be exceptional right from the wedding day itself.
The planning team should work on the individual detail providing you with the guidance at each and every step so that what you visualize for your wedding day becomes the reality. Whether it’s a small and intimate wedding you desire or the lavish grand extravaganza, the planning and the preparations all should be done according with the knowledge and the available resources to help you create the wedding of your dreams. All this while keeping the budget in mind and without compromising on the details.
The design and the theme chosen by you should be done with the new idea and new concept right from the decoration to the Mandap, Ceiling, Chairs, Clothing, and Stage. These days happen only once in life time and should be done in such a way that they not only stays in the guests and the bride and grooms mind for long but should also appeal the hearts of the ones who go after attending the whole event and relish it for days. Each and every aspect of the wedding is important and the proper management ensures that Groom and Bride has to just sit and relax and enjoy their wedding as the wedding planner takes all the responsibility to properly manage the whole event. The wedding is extension of your likes and dislikes, preferences and lifestyle. The planning should interpret your vision into an awe inspiring reality. The whole event management should offer you a consultation at every step so when you decide, you decide knowing all facts and the angles.

CHEAP WEDDING DECORATIONS – IDEAS FOR WEDDING DECORATIONS ON A BUDGET

If you want to cut cost on your wedding, then it's wise to go for cheap wedding decorations. If you want to hire a wedding decor to decorate the halls or venues for your wedding then you're looking at at least additional several tens of thousands of naira to your wedding cost.
In this article I want to share with you ideas for wedding decorations on a budget.
Cheap Wedding Decorations Ideas
Usually when average Nigerians are getting married they don't hire a wedding decor, they just buy the decoration accessories they want to use and give them to family and friends to use to decorate the cars that will take them to the wedding ceremonies and the wedding venues. And that's a good idea. Decide how you want to decorate, what and what you'll need for the decoration and get family and friends to work.
It's good to have a clear idea of how you want the place to look and make those who will decorate the place understand what you want so that they can work together to achieve what you want for you. And it makes them work faster too when they all understand the look they want to create.
Know if you're going for an inexpensive wedding décor before deciding on a wedding venue. It helps you to pick out a cheap but beautiful venue for your wedding. A place you wouldn't need to do much to make beautiful. If money really isn't a problem, there are halls you can use that are already beautiful enough to get married in without needing any decor. Many churches these days look good enough to get married in without any decoration. Usually your decoration concern is the venue for the wedding reception.
For decorations, little is always more especially for cheap wedding decorations. Keep decorations as simple as possible. Depending on the hall you're renting for use, you may be lucky to already have decorations in place. But if that's not the case with just a few decoration accessories, you can create a very romantic look for your wedding reception.
For example with some potted plants you can easily create a garden atmosphere whether you're using a hall or having an outside wedding reception.
To get a grand but simple look buy a lot of tulle. Tulle is a soft, fine silk, cotton, or nylon material like net, used for making veils and dresses. Use some of the tulle to create a canopy effect. To create a canopy effect you have to start from the center of the ceiling if it's a hall or it can even be attached to trees to create that effect depending on the venue you're using. There are different ways you can do this.
To complement the effect you already created with the tulle, you can then use some of the tulle to make bows on the back of the chairs.

BEYOND BRIDESMAIDS: HOW TO INCLUDE MORE FRIENDS AND FAMILY IN YOUR WEDDING PARTY

Bridesmaid selection can be one of the most daunting and potentially damaging tasks a bride can face during the course of her wedding planning. The fear of resentment or hurt feelings among friends and family who didn’t make the cut is certainly understandable; some brides decide to forgo a wedding party altogether, or only appoint a single friend or sibling to stand beside them on their big day. Others opt to include as many people as humanly possible a la Katherine Heigl in 27 Dresses. But one way to ultimately solve this bridesmaid conundrum is by finding creative alternative ways to include your nearest and dearest in the wedding ceremony, even if they aren’t toting matching bouquets. Here are a few ideas:
Witnesses: Two witnesses are required for a legal marriage ceremony in Canada. While filling out forms may not be the most romantic aspect of your wedding day, you can turn this bureaucratic procedure into a thoughtful gesture by appointing close friends or family members to the role.
By including their names in the program or having your officiates call them up when it comes time to sign the documents, these close friends and relatives who didn’t quite make the cut for your wedding party will be less likely to feel like B-listers on your big day.
Readers: You know that kind of loud friend who you love to death but have a tendency to always steal the show? Instead of banishing her to the back row, let your pal take centre stage with a reading role. Not only will she be in her element, she’ll be able to contribute a meaningful portion to your ceremony by delivering a poem, religious passage or even a line from your favourite movie, a famous speech or any of the other boundless options for ceremony readings.
Ring Warmers: A ring warming ceremony can be a touching addition to the usual wedding fare. Include your nearest and dearest who aren’t standing up as bridesmaids by asking them to bestow a quiet blessing or happy thought on your wedding rings before they’re exchanged. Attach the rings to a ribbon so they don’t get lost and then pass them around the first few rows of guests or, if you’re having a smaller wedding, the entire group of celebrants!
Pole Holders: Brides who are including a traditional Jewish wedding canopy or chuppah in their ceremony can honour friends and family by asking them to hold one of the four poles. Some pole bearers make a grand entrance by carrying the chuppah down the aisle and assembling it before the bride and groom arrive. House Party: Everything is bigger in Texas, and weddings are no exception. When Jenna Bush, daughter of former U.S. President George W. Bush, tied the knot, she nixed bridesmaids altogether in favors of a 14 member “house party” (in addition to the maid of honour, whose role was filled by her twin sister). Predominant below the Mason Dixon Line, house parties are “a Southern tradition through and through,” says Texas wedding blogger Clare Liguori of Belles, Bouquets and Galveston Bay. ”The main difference between a house party member and a bridesmaid is that the house party does not stand up with you at the altar in the church; they sit with your family in the front row. There are lots of other duties that the house party can help you with: reading during the ceremony, attending to the guest book and gift table, handing out programs, serving cake, and just helping you get through the day. Other than the whole altar thing, the house party is just as much a part of the wedding party as the bridesmaids.” Whether you decide to expand the roles of your ceremony participants or not, the biggest safeguard against hurt feelings is making sure your friends and family feel appreciated, even if they aren’t officially part of your wedding party. Pulling someone aside after the ceremony and personally thanking them for coming or including heartfelt welcome message in your program can go a long way.

A CANADIAN’S GUIDE TO GETTING MARRIED IN LAS VEGAS

Getting married in Las Vegas is both easy and inexpensive so it should come as no surprise that this mecca for excess and kitsch has become the Marriage Capital of the World. In fact, close to 100,000 couples flock to Sin City to tie the knot each year.
Most couples look to Las Vegas when it’s time to tie the knot because of the endless possibilities the city offers. The sky is the limit when it comes to planning a wedding in Las Vegas. Get married inside of a slot machine at the Casino Wedding Chapel, on board the Titanic, a 25,000-square-foot exhibit at the Luxor, atop a 50-story replica of the Eiffel Tower at Paris Las Vegas or in a Maverick helicopter reroute to the Grand Canyon. For a more traditional experience tie the knot at Aria’s serene onsite wedding chapel, which is outfitted with cameras so you can live-stream your nuptials.
Here we’ll give you all the facts you need to know about destination weddings in Las Vegas, from the laws and customs to the best time to plan a wedding and the costs involved with doing so.
THE BEST TIME TO GO:
Fall and spring are generally the best months to plan a Las Vegas wedding because temperatures tend to be mild (rather than cool or sweltering). That said, April through June and September through the end of October are also considered peak season in the city so look to November to avoid the crowds while scoring more reasonable hotel rates.
THE FLIGHT:
Westjet and Air Canada both currently operate direct flights between Las Vegas and Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver. Air Canada also offers a direct flight from Montreal while Westjet offers additional direct flights from Winnipeg and Edmonton. Flights from Alberta and B.C. take about three hours while the trip from Montreal and Toronto is about five hours.
THE LEGAL PAPERWORK:
The Clark County Court House is open 365 days a year and typically issues same day marriage licenses within 20 minutes for a cost of $60. To obtain your marriage license, both parties must appear in person before a clerk at a Clark County Marriage Bureau location. Identification to prove your name and age is required. Whoever performs your marriage ceremony has, by law, ten days to submit documentation to the Clark County Recorder’s Office for your marriage to be recorded. Once recorded, you can order a certified marriage certificate online from the Recorder’s Office website. There is no waiting period to get married after the marriage license has been issued. Marriage licenses are good for one year from date of issue.
THE LOCAL CUSTOMS:
There is nothing more classically Vegas than a wedding ceremony officiated by the king. Whether you choose the iconic Graceland Wedding Chapel or a more contemporary hotel venue, there are a number of ordained. This king of Kings (who was given the key to the city in 2011) will even pick you up in a pink 1955 Cadillac that used to belong to Lucille Ball! The budget: Las Vegas weddings can range anywhere from a few hundred dollars (for a simple private ceremony in your hotel suite) to tens of thousands of dollars for larger celebration at a hotel or private mansion. Basic wedding packages at hotels such as Aria, Wynn and Paris Las Vegas start at approximately $1,700.
THE VENUE:
With a costume shop on-site and a chapel complete with fog machines and entryway large enough to drive a Cadillac through yes, you can actually be driven partway down the aisle Viva Las Vegas is an especially popular choice for themed celebrations. For a more refined garden party celebration we recommend the Wynn’s idyllic Primrose Courtyard, the only private courtyard on The Strip.