For many couples shopping for and selecting wedding favors can seem like an overwhelming task. There are a number of reasons why couples might feel this way. One of the most significant reasons why a couple may feel overwhelmed about selecting their wedding favors is simply because they have so much to do while planning their wedding.

 

 

There are a number of important details such as selecting a location, choosing centerpieces, coordinating the catering and other details that couples may simply just have too much to do. For these couples it might be a good idea for the couple to delegate the responsibility of selecting the wedding favors to a trusted friend or family member. Of course this is only a viable option if the couple is willing to allow their friend or family member complete freedom to select the wedding favors. If they are constantly trying to oversee the effort it will cause additional stress.

 

 

This article will examine the concept of delegating the responsibility of selecting wedding favors to a friend or family member and will offer some advice on how to do this and still ensure you will be thrilled with the wedding favors your guests receive at your wedding.

 

 

The most important thing to remember when delegating the responsibility of selecting wedding favors to a friend or family member is that you have to carefully discuss your budget with the friend or family member beforehand. The person responsible for selecting the wedding favors should know exactly how much you can afford to spend on wedding favors so they do not exceed this amount. They should also have a good idea of how much you would like to spend on wedding favors is this number is less than the absolute most you are willing to spend. For example you may have $1000 available to spend on wedding favors but you may prefer to spend only $750 if possible.

 

 

Another factor to consider when delegating the responsibility of selecting wedding favors is your own personal taste and preferences. You should discuss your preferences for wedding favors with the person in charge of selecting them beforehand to ensure they will be seeking out wedding favors which you will like. One way to do this is to do a little research before delegating the responsibility. You can provide your friend or family member with a few favors which you like as examples of the type of favor you would like to give. This way they will have a good idea of the types of favors you are looking for and will likely select something you will think is appropriate.

 

 

Finally, your friend or family member will not only be selecting the wedding favors for you but also making the purchase, you should make sure they are well aware of how many guests you are expecting and how many favors you would like to purchase. This is very important because it will help to make sure you do not find yourself with too few favors or that your friend or family member doesn’t order too many favors.

 

 

The number of guests will also be important in the process of selecting wedding favors because this relates closely to your budget. However, if you do not want to give your friend or family member this information or are unsure of how many guests to expect you can give them a budget for the costs of each individual favor instead of an overall budget.

A successful wedding is mostly dependent on how well each person plays his or her part in the ceremony. It is much like a sports team whose main goal is to score points. One big player, the maid of honor, is at the center of everything in a wedding ceremony and could even extend beyond the reception.

Consequently, it is essential that you choose the maid of honor that is not only closest to your heart but is also somebody whom you know you can trust enough to facilitate the smooth flow of the wedding. Before you decide on a certain person, try to match her with the following responsibilities for a maid of honor:

1. Before the wedding, the maid of honor can assist you with organizing and mailing out your wedding invitations. This is usually a tedious and delicate process that needs counterchecking.

2. While it is not strictly considered a duty but more of an intimate bonding, the maid of honor should be with you when you start selecting your wedding dress. The designer’s opinion matters a lot but you will know you’ve got the right dress if your maid of honor approves of your choice.

3. One of the most exciting duties of the maid of honor is to plan and organize the bridal shower and bachelorette party. Since these two occasions are meant to be a tribute to the bride, it should be the maid of honor who should ensure that it will be a memorable experience for you.

4. On the wedding day, the maid of honor has to be the mediator between the bride and the rest of the people in the ceremony. This means that the maid of honor should relay your messages so you don’t have to be the one going back and forth in your wedding gown.

5. Once again, the maid of honor is the executive assistant during the wedding ceremonies. For instance, the wedding dress with it’s flowing train can be a lot to handle and the maid of honor will be right there to straighten the gown and arrange your train. She will also hold your bouquet at certain times during the ceremony.

6. Arranging a marriage is a huge undertaking and your maid of honor should be there to give you emotional support and encouragement. All these activities can be stressful and you need someone to be your “rock”.

7. Another important role for the maid of honor is to be there for the signing of the marriage license. She will be a primary witness that indeed the marriage is binding and legal.

8. At the reception, the maid of honor is usually expected to give a toast and will often invite other guests to give their dedication to the bride and the groom.

9. She also makes sure that the program during the reception is going smoothly from the presentation to the dances. If she encounters any issues, she points them out to the caterer, photographer, parents of the bride, etc., or handles them herself.

10. Finally, the maid of honor helps out the bride after the reception by bringing home any gifts brought to the reception and wrapping up any loose ends.

The maid of honor has many important duties in your wedding, so choose someone who is not only special to you but can handle these duties.

Technorati Tags: maid of honor, duties, wedding, ceremony, wedding ceremony, reception, witness

Deciding On The Wedding Party Members

When you are making the checklist for your wedding planning, it is important to decide on the composition of your wedding party. You need to plan out who will be your maid of honor or the matron (if married) of honor. The best man for the groom would also have to be finalized well in advance. The maid of honor and the best man are the two key figures in any wedding. You can make your choice from your relatives and friends.

Choosing The Wedding Party Members

The next step is to decide the number of bridesmaids that you would like to have. There is no hard and fast rule regarding this aspect, the traditional number of bridesmaids is four. You might even do away completely with the need for any bridesmaids if the wedding is a small, informal affair and manage with just the maid of honor.

There are many other members of the wedding party that have to be chosen such as ushers, junior members, flower girl, and ring bearer. The most important aspect that must be a part of the wedding planning is that each one of these designated members should be informed personally and requested to become a member of the wedding party. They’ll be thrilled to be your companions in this happy event.

Finding The Right Wedding Ring

Wedding rings are an important part of any wedding planning. You have to decide whether you want to have a double ring ceremony or simply a single wedding band to be given to the bride. You will also have to decide the type of the rings and the metal with which it is made. You could even opt for rings with diamonds embedded in them.

Ensuring Photographic Memories

You’d certainly like to have photographic memories of your wedding, both in the form of photo albums and in videos, so that you and your family members can view them with nostalgia. Obviously, you’d like good photographs that capture the important moments of the wedding. You should make inquiries from your friends and relatives about the selection of the photographer and then visit some of them and see samples of their previous works.

You should get complete information regarding prices, sizes of photographs, albums, the number of photographs and whatever else you’d like to know. The availability of the photographer on the particular days is also an important consideration. You will have to tread very carefully regarding signing up the photographer, as this is a costly aspect of the wedding, and you must take into consideration the amount allocated in the budget for your wedding planning.

You can easily pass on all your wedding planning worries to a professional wedding planner, who will do an excellent job, but this will mean extra expense. If you can’t afford it, you can do some research on the Internet and accomplish the task on your own. All that you’ll need is a sustained and systematic effort. 

The tradition of offering a specific gift on a specific anniversary is thought to have started back in the middle ages in Europe.  In the beginning, the only anniversaries with special gifts were the 25th anniversary and the 50th anniversary, where silver and gold wreaths were given by the husband to the wife – silver on the 25th and gold on the 50th.   I bet not that many couples made it to their 50th anniversary in the middle ages as life expectancy wasn’t all that long.  Making it to the 50th was probably cause for greater celebration than even today!

Eventually, gifts were associated with the 1st, 5th, 10th, 15th, 20th, 25th, 50th and 75th anniversaries, and in 1937 the American National Retail Jeweler Association tied in a gift with the in-between years that previously didn’t have gifts, plus “modernized” some of the old traditional gifts.

Here is a list of the traditional/modern gifts for each anniversary:

1st -  Paper/Clocks

2nd -  Cotton/China

3rd -  Leather/Crystal

4th -  Fruit or Flowers/Appliances

5th -  Wood/Silverware

6th -  Candy or Iron/Wood

7th -  Wool or Copper/Desk Sets (anything that goes on top of a desk)

8th -  Bronze or Pottery/Linens or Lace

9th -  Pottery and Willow/Leather

10th -  Tin or Aluminum/Diamond Jewelry

11th -  Steel/Fashion Jewelry

12th -  Silk or Linen/Pearls

13th -  Lace/Textiles or Fur

14th -  Ivory/Gold Jewelry

15th -  Crystal/Watches

16th -  –/Silver Holloware (teapot, shakers, goblets, pitchers, bowls)

17th -  –/Furniture

18th -  –/Porcelain

19th -  –/Bronze

20th -  China/Platinum

21st -  –/Brass or Nickel

22nd -  –/Copper

23rd -  –/Silver Plate

24th -  –/Musical Instruments

25th -  Silver/Silver

26th -  –/Original Pictures

27th -  –/Sculpture

28th -  –/Orchids

29th -  –/Furniture

30th -  Pearl/Diamond

31st -  –/Time Pieces

32nd -  –/Conveyances (bicycle, car)

33rd -  –/Amethyst

34th -  –/Opal

35th -  Coral/Jade

36th -  –/Bone China

37th -  –/Alabaster

38th -  –/Beryl or Tourmaline (gemstone)

39th -  –/Lace

40th -  Ruby/Ruby

41st -  –/Land

42nd -  –/Improved Real Estate

43rd -  –/Travel

44th -  –/Groceries

45th -  Sapphire/Sapphire

46th -  –/Original Poetry

47th -  –/Books

48th -  –/Optical Goods

49th -  –/Luxuries

50th -  Gold/Gold

 

I think you’ll agree that the modern anniversary gifts are sometimes a better idea, and sometimes not (like appliances, optical goods, or groceries).  Either way, it might make for some creative and tradition-setting anniversaries for the two of you for many years to come.  If you don’ like these ideas, try substituting your own gifts – like exotic travel, a spa weekend, or cosmetic surgery.