It goes without saying that you must first ask your close family members to attend to your needs because they know you well and you have no secrets from them. If choosing friends, choose the ones you are most comfortable with. You will have to explain to the ones you don’t choose that you cannot possibly have all of them at the altar with you. If you had been the bridesmaid or best man for a particular cousin or friend, it is not mandatory that they must be yours too. Feel free to choose anyone you wish and there is no need to go by formality or protocol. Be practical and clearly express what kind of help you will require. Do you just need somebody by your side on the big day or would you require help with the invitation or bridal clothes. Remember that a very busy friend or someone who lives in another city may not be able to help much.

There may be someone who decides to play the role of bridal attendant without being asked to do so. There will be polite brides who will allow this and there will be firm ones who will not compromise and allow just anyone to be attendant. It is best to leave the decision to the bride and groom.
How many attendants you need depends on your budget and the number of guests expected. Attendants usually bear the cost of their own clothes and traveling expenses if any. But it is courteous to give a gift to the attendants as a token of appreciation. It would be appropriate to have 2 bridesmaids and 2 groomsmen for every 100 guests. But you can relax the rules to suit you. You can keep the wedding as small and intimate as you wish with few attendants or you can have 12 attendants and a lavish wedding. Usually there are 2 to 6 attendants and also a flower girl and a ring bearer. The attendants can be of either sex for the bride or groom. Don’t worry if you have 3 bridesmaids and 4 groomsmen, the number can vary.

You can delegate one of these tasks to each attendant or one may perform more than one of them. Ask one of the attendants to stand at the entrance to welcome the guests. Another can handle the guest book and gift table. There are other tasks such as program distribution, candle lighting, favor distribution, rice or confetti distribution. The eloquent one can read out the poem. The ones with a flair for singing or the piano are always wanted at every wedding. Little girls are always delighted to play junior bridesmaid. Do not forget older members of the family. Honor them with a flower or salutation.

When you are selecting attendants remember that less is more. It is easier to co-ordinate with few attendants.

In our culture, a wedding band is a symbol of marriage. It stands for commitment by both the bride and groom to the marriage, to be faithful to each other. This custom has now spread to almost all countries. Usually, the best man presents the ring at the symbolic moment when they pledge commitment to each other. People who stand on ceremony may have a ring bearer who parades the rings into the wedding hall on a special cushion.

There are engagement rings, wedding bands and also eternity bands which are usually given sometime after the marriage. The engagement is a sign of betrothal. The wedding ring symbolizes fidelity. Choosing the ring is a happy occasion for most couples but it could get a bit stressful if they have no idea what to look for. They may be taken aback with the variety of metals, stones and designs. It helps if they are better informed about rings before they set out to choose an engagement or wedding ring.

Material

Earlier wedding bands were plain bands of yellow gold. Now platinum is gaining popularity. You can also buy rings made of white gold or rose gold. In each metal, the purity of metal can vary. The metal can be polished to give a shiny appearance or brushed to give a matte look. You could give the ring a textured finish or even mix two colors for a two toned look.

Pattern

Traditionally, both men and women wore a plain yellow band because it could be kept clean. Women wore narrow bands that looked delicate and men wore broader bands. Now most of the rings are in platinum or white gold and have some decorative element added to it. In France, brides opt for three interwoven rings which represent faith, hope and love. Russians wear three interlocking rings of rose, white and yellow on the right hand. Nowadays men are also wearing bolder and stylish patterns.

Stones

Diamonds remain a girl’s best friend.  Solitaires remain the favorite stone for engagement rings. You could even consider the two man made alternatives, Cubic Zirconia and, Moissanite, which will give you the luster of diamonds at a lesser price.
If you have a stone from a piece of family jewelry you could reset it. If you have a preference for a particular color or maybe your birthstone, use it. It will give you a unique piece suitable for your personality.
Price
Individuals purchasing their wedding band should also have a set price range in mind when choosing their jewelry. This will help them to narrow down the options as well as keep them from purchasing any items which may be out of their price range. Therefore, it is always wise to have a set price in mind for wedding ring purchases.
Should Rings Match
There are some couples who like to have matching rings. But these days each person wants to wear a ring that matches with his or her own personality. Since you are unique, let your ring be unique too.
Whatever the type of ring you desire, be it gold or platinum, plain or with stones, discuss it with your spouse-to-be, fix a budget and then hit the stores with excitement and turn it into a experience you would like to recall with joy.

In the search for wedding rings for the bride and the groom, the biggest question that is going to rise is if you should go with individual styles or matching wedding rings. There are really good arguments for either option you choose:

The idea of matching wedding rings it basically a symbol of the joining together of two partners. There are a lot of couples that make the decision to go with matching rings because most of the designs that are now available in wedding rings are appropriate for both women and men.

When it comes to individual styles, there are some couples that find it a lot more important to just choose wedding rings that are capable of reflecting their own individual style than to just go with matching wedding rings. What this means, is that the bride will be able to find a wedding ring that matches the engagement ring she has and the groom will be able to go with a more masculine design or a bigger band.

At the current moment, you may not have been able to decide yet whether you want individual or matching wedding rings. However, there is such a variety of weddings rings on the market, that it makes a lot of sense to take a really good look at what is available to you and then talk to one another about the different wedding rings that attract your attention. In the end, you may find that your tastes are completely different from one another. Once you know what is available, you will be able to decide how much money you have available to spend on your wedding rings and you will be able to find the designs that are going to better suit your needs.

All-in-all, it doesn’t matter what wedding rings you get but if you are truly interested in his and her wedding rings, there is a wide variety of his and her wedding rings on the market today that you are able to choose from. However, remember that it is always best to shop around in efforts to obtain the absolute best deal possible, even though you don’t want to seem like a cheap scrape, you always want to save as much money as you can. Overall, when selecting your wedding rings, get creative but within reason, after all, they are your wedding rings.

The day of your wedding or the night of your wedding is meant to be the very first day of the new life you share together with your spouse, so why are there so many people that are compelled to start off this new beginning in debt? Obviously, the reason that the cost of living is rising is because inflation however, it does seem to be spiraling completely out of control a little bit. Why aren’t couples satisfied with the less expensive weddings? The whole point of having a wedding is supposed to be about the marriage of two individuals that fall madly in love, having all of their friends and family there to celebrate and witness. If this is so, why it is considered to be so important to have a wedding that is expensive?

You know this may be the wrong thing to say but it appears that weddings have really become a status symbol for a lot of brides. The more lavish a wedding is, the more people that are going to go “ahh” and “ohh” and that seems to be the goal of wedding these days. Today, weddings are all about the “wow” factor. Even though this is all well and good for all the venture capitalists and movie stars out there, the average person isn’t able to handle the financial burden which could really strap the couple for cash for a couple of years.

Now, don’t get the wrong idea, having a very lavish wedding that has the finest venue and food is really great for all guests to attend, but is it considered to be all that important? The average cost of a wedding in the United States in 2005 was over 25,000 dollars. So, you can imagine what the cost of a wedding is today. The prices of weddings today will make a trip to Vegas feel like heaven. Seriously, the cost of having a wedding is probably over 30,000 dollars today on average. You can buy a car or a home for that amount of money. Why would you spend that type of money on a wedding and spend the rest of your life paying that money back?

If you are planning a wedding, really think about the money that you are investing in your wedding. Take the time to keep it at a minimum so that you don’t have to spend the first couple of years of your married life wondering where your money is going to come from.

It would be most improper to invite someone to the pre-wedding shower but not to the wedding. If you are not sure if you are inviting someone to the wedding, do not invite them to the shower. The guest will take offence and think that it is only his gift that you want and not his presence. There is only one exception to this rule, that is, if you throw a shower for a co-worker and invite all other co-workers, you need not invite all of them to the wedding.

It is most important to send a Thank You note for each and every gift you have received. Of late it has become almost mandatory to send warm hand written notes to thank every person who has given you a gift. It could be just a brief note mentioning the gift and how much you valued it. Printed notes with only a signature at the bottom or E-mails are not very appropriate. If someone gives you a gift for the shower and also for the wedding, each gift deserves a Thank You note. The note for the shower gift must be sent within 10 days of the shower and the note for the wedding gift must be sent within about 15 days after the honeymoon. You could add your new address to the note. It will help you keep in touch with your friends and relatives.

As soon as the wedding date is set, the budget for the wedding must be ascertained. The couple must specify if they want a formal, semi-formal or informal affair. A formal wedding means you need a larger budget. Fortunately, there is no formal rule regarding who has to pay for what. The bride’s father no longer bears the burden of the wedding ceremony alone, usually the groom’s family also contributes. With couples marrying late, many young people wish to bear the expenses of their own wedding. It would be ideal if the couple sit down with both their families and discuss the matter. It would not be in order to burden anyone with expenses beyond their financial capability. Traditionally, the bride’s family pays for her dress, head piece, accessories, groom’s gift and ring, bridesmaid’s gifts and bouquets, floral decorations, chairs and programs.

These are the important issues to deal with. Besides these there will be several do’s and dont’s which friends and relatives will keep reminding you about. Follow what you can. Remember, you must try to be polite and friendly with all, don’t hurt anyone and have a positive attitude, the wedding is going to be just perfect.

The smallest cake is kept for the first anniversary.  This must be preserved properly so that it is a tasty memory and not a tasteless one.  Wedding cakes are frozen for that first year and proper freezing procedures must be stringently followed for best results.  First, the cake must be well wrapped in plastic wrap, making sure there is a minimum of air trapped inside.  Use several layers.  Then wrap over the plastic with heavy duty aluminum foil to prevent frost damage.  Never use foil directly on the cake or the cake will taste metallic in addition to breaking in the freezer.  Store the cake in the freezer at the back, where temperatures are more stable.   The cake will maintain its flavor and transport you to that wonderful day.

There are several ways to preserve the wedding bouquet.  Frequently, the flowers are dried and made into potpourri or pressed and dried. Flowers must be preserved the same night and not left for after the honeymoon.  A friend or relative can help.  The whole bouquet can be preserved by hanging it upside down in a dark dry place for 2-3 weeks. 

Potpourri is made by removing the fresh petals and drying them in a bowl, in a dark dry room.  Adding some floral potpourri scent after drying will give them a wonderful perfume.

For drying whole flowers, the fresh flowers are cut close to the base and placed between waxed paper and pressed between glass or the pages of a heavy book. Maintain in a cool but dark and dry place and they should be ready in about two weeks.   It is important that they do not catch mold.  The pressed flowers and petals can be used to decorate the wedding album and framed wedding pictures.

The wedding gown must be taken to the dry cleaners as soon as possible to be able to remove stains.  After a month the stains get stubborn and trying to remove them can damage the fabric.  Check on handling and packing the dress.  The gown must be cleaned separately and reversed to prevent harming the embroidery and beading etc.  Stains must be hand treated as certain stains like sugar are not dissolved by cleaning fluids.

After cleaning, wedding gowns must be wrapped in acid-free tissue and kept in an acid free box to prevent discoloring of the fabric.  The box window must be acetate and not plastic.  The head-piece must be stored separately due to the glue, rubber parts and metal which will stain brown and discolor the dress if kept together.  Always check the gown before packing it away to make sure the cleaners have done a good job. If not professionally wrapped, detach padding from shoulders and bust and wrap in a piece of muslin or clean white sheet.

Gowns must be laid out flat and not hung in a cool dry place. Do not use attics and basements and always check the dress once each twelve months for any damage.

The other most important thing to do is to book your wedding venue, look around to see which one would suit your budget. Venue charges can be very exorbitant, and most venues fix their charges based on the number of guest that are going to be coming for your wedding, in this case you must first cut down on the number and only invite close friends and family.

If you are planning on a theme wedding then it becomes easier to choose your wedding dress, while doing so make sure to stay within your budget. If you are working on a small budget then you could opt for a casual look. Formal wedding dresses cost a lot. Shop at sales and special promotions this will help you stay within your budget without compromising on what you really want. You could check with your grand mom or mom to see if they have kept their wedding dresses and consider wearing them at your wedding.

If you are artistic then make all the articles of decoration and flowers by yourself, you could ask some friends or members of your family to help you. Flower arrangements and other articles of decoration can be very expensive; you can cut down on costs if you do it your self. Buying the material and putting it together will be far more satisfactory and cost you less.

You could also consider making the invitations your self. Design them on the computer; there are a lot of software like Photoshop and other imaging programs that will help in creating excellent wedding invitations. Use creative ideas and material from art shops to create attractive wedding invitations.

Favors may be purchased at very reasonable prices at special sales and discounts. Take enough time to plan your winter wedding; this will help you save a lot of money. There are a lot of options to choose from to make your wedding a memorable one at the same time not to spend more. Take enough time to look into all details and get enough information on each one of them in order to make your wedding an attractive and memorable one. You can have a fabulous wedding without going out of your budget.