Make a Program

Your guests will be able to enjoy the features of your wedding much more if they can follow them in a program. Programs not only enlighten and inform; they remove the restlessness that comes from being confused or lost during an unfamiliar service. This does not mean that every word of the service must be transcribed, but it would for example, be helpful to have an outline of the order or a brief description of an unusual custom which you have included. Wtih the right font, stationary and attention to detail, your program can also be a lasting keepsake for a memorable day.

Save the Date Cards

He asked you to marry him and the ring is on your finger. Planning is now underway and time to let you future wedding guests in on the exciting news. Your first step may be to send out save the date cards. This pre-invitation announces your wedding date and lets guests know that they will be invited to your upcoming celebration.

Save the date cards are especially important if guests will need to travel during a high travel holiday weekend or to a particularly popular resort area. Save the date cards are a courtesy and although you don't have to send them, they may increase the chances of your guests attending your wedding.

Rehearsal Dinner Invitations

Unless your rehearsal dinner guest list is ten or less, you should send out dinner invitations. Your guests will appreciate knowing where to be and when. These invites, however, should not just be added to the wedding invitation envelope. Rehearsal invites should be sent out separately from the formal invitations. Otherwise, your guests could miss them. The rehearsal dinner invitations don't have to be letterpress creations on glitzy card stock but there are some very fun and creative ideas on Etsy.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/EdenWeddingStudio?ref=seller_info

Share the jobs

At the end of the night, there are a few things that must be taken care of before everyone can leave. There will be gifts, personal items, decorations, etc., that need to find they way back to your home. Parents and siblings are often the ones left with this responsibility. Why not ask an Aunt, Uncle, or Cousin to help at the end of the night Your parents will be very grateful for the break and you will make another family member feel like they are contributing to your special day.

Go Green

A new year often means new trends in weddings. The brides of 2012 are choosing to Go Green. Choosing a venue is usually the first major decision the couple needs to make. When making this decision, keep in mind that traditional spaces, such as hotel ballrooms and resorts tend to use a great deal of electricity, water and many other unfriendly earth items to host a wedding. Consider getting married outdoors. Check out a local botanical garden, gazebo, farm, garden, greenhouse, inside or outside a cave (check out Ash Cave in Hocking Hills, Ohio), or waterfall. Outdoor weddings are not only romantic and scenic—they are earth friendly! Selecting a venue that is close to where the majority of your guests live will also save on gas.

Almost anything can be found locally. Brides are choosing locally grown flowers, organically grown food, recycled invitations and repurposing items to become centerpieces.

Reusable cloth tote bags, natural soaps, soy or beeswax candles make wonderful environmentally friendly wedding favors. Some couples are deciding not to give favors at all but rather to make a small charitable donation in each guest name.

Brides are also looking for ways to be environmentally responsible when selecting the perfect dress for their special day. Do your research—avoid artificial fabrics that were produced under unsafe or unjust working conditions. Consider updating your mother or grandmother’s dress with the help of a local seamstress. If this isn’t an option, consider looking for a vintage dress at a local store. If your heart is absolutely set on having a new dress, look for a bridal designer who uses eco-friendly, natural fabrics.

I won!

{Avon,OH} – January 23, 2012 – WeddingWire, the nation's leading wedding Marketplace, is excited to announce Celebrations by Shari has been selected to receive the prestigious WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2012 for Officiant!

The esteemed annual awards program recognizes the top local wedding vendors from the WeddingWire Network who demonstrate excellence in quality, service, responsiveness and professionalism within the wedding industry. While many industry awards are selected by the organization, Celebrations by Shari was selected based on its stellar reviews from past newlywed clients.

Celebrations by Shari is recognized as part of the top five percent of wedding professionals in the WeddingWire local vendor community, comprised of over 200,000 wedding professionals throughout the United States and Canada. The Bride’s Choice Award recognizes the best local wedding vendors across 20 service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers, based on their overall professional achievements throughout the past year.

“WeddingWire is thrilled to honor the success of the top-rated wedding professionals within the WeddingWire Community,” said Timothy Chi, CEO, WeddingWire. “Since the launch of the Bride’s Choice Awards™ program four years ago, thousands of outstanding wedding professionals have been recognized by the bridal community for their supreme service and dedication to the wedding industry. It is with great pleasure that we congratulate Celebrations by Shari for their continued professionalism and commitment to enriching the wedding planning experience for engaged couples.”

We are happy to announce that Celebrations by Shari is one of the very best Officiants within the WeddingWire Network, which includes leading wedding planning sites WeddingWire, Project Wedding, Brides.com, Martha Stewart Weddings, and Weddingbee. We would like to thank our past clients for taking the time to review our business on WeddingWire. Thanks to their positive feedback we were able to receive the WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™ for 2012.

For more information, please visit our WeddingWire Storefront today at http://www.weddingwire.com/biz/celebrations-by-shari-avon/040080da2f09088a.html.

To learn more about the Bride's Choice Awards™, please visit www.WeddingWire.com.

Giving Away the Bride

The father who "gives away" his daughter at her wedding ceremony is following an ancient tradition that has evolved over hundreds, if not thousands, of years. The custom dates back to the time when a daughter was considered property, and the groom had to pay a price to her family before he could be permitted to marry his intended.

Another theory is that it symbolized the transition of authority from the bride's father to her husband as she moved from the parental home to the conjugal home. Today, many brides follow this custom, but its meaning has emerged as an outward approval of the groom by the parents or family of the bride.

Brides who consider this tradition archaic, or who have lived independently for years before their wedding, can eliminate this custom entirely or revise it to include their mother, brother, stepfather or any other significant member of the family. Some brides even elect to walk down the aisle alone.