Wedding Arch Decorations: Januari 2013

Kamis, 31 Januari 2013

Bali Weddings

Bali, Indonesia is a romantic getaway with its wide expanse of white sandy beaches and crystal clear blue water. This gorgeous place boasts some beautiful landscapes and even more beautiful hotels to retreat to. In Bali you will be enthralled by the warm Indonesian hospitality and grace. This is a great vacation spot and today many people are even choosing it as a wedding venue. Getting married with the blue water as a backdrop makes for some memorable photos and an even more memorable wedding.

Weddings

Even though we have said it can be time consuming and stressful, we by no means imply that it cannot be done. A destination wedding is great idea, as your family and friends get a chance to relax and unwind whilst enjoying and joining in your fun. What better way to say thanks to all those who you love than to take them for a vacation for your wedding? Having said this, there are a few things you should take care of when planning your wedding. The most important being the destination. There are many gorgeous locations, but we are going to discuss Bali, Indonesia in detail.

Why Bali?

Bali is a small island in the middle of Indonesia and it is known for its exotic and beautiful landscapes and locations. You can have your wedding at one of the following locations that offer you the best of Bali.

Dreamland Beach

You could get married on the Dreamland Beach, which has the most beautiful expanse of sand and surf. This makes for a beautiful sunset wedding if you are planning one.

The Mangrove

This area is perfect, as the foliage makes a beautiful background and getting married in the open garden will truly be enjoyable for all. You can have beautiful white canopies with white candles... all the trimmings of a "white wedding".

Choosing a Location For Your Wedding in Spain

Spain is the second most visited country in the world. History oozes from every corner and in southern Spain you are practically guaranteed warm weather year-round. Spain gives you the opportunity to have an outdoor wedding surrounded by beautiful landscapes as well as a chance for all your guests to holiday, take some time out and have fun!!

With so much choice across the country, here is a review of the most outstanding spots for me. The location you choose will pretty much depend on the kind of destination wedding you have in mind, although if you still haven't decided, this mini guide may help you get some ideas.

Seville

Seville used to be the capital of Spain until, for strategic reasons, it was moved further inland to Madrid. This is the city where Columbus set sail from, scene to the romantic Carmen opera, and is in my opinion the most Spanish of all the Andalucian capitals. Surrounded by monuments dating back thousands of years, gigantic parks and a stunning river, it will give your guests (and yourselves) the chance to enjoy Spain in all its splendor. Culture and folklore emanate from every corner; Seville has the highest quality flamenco shows.

The city is very near Malaga, where there is a denser population of English speakers, therefore having a blessing in English or any other language will be no problem at all.

Ideas

Holding the wedding at a Spanish "Cortijo" or "hacienda". "Cortijos" are the typical farmhouses of southern Spain. This may not sound very glamorous at first but these are in fact the most refined and noble of all. Families became rich over centuries breading horses and bulls.

Many of these "Cortijos" specialize in celebrating weddings. This could be a great option as you can have the blessing, the banquet and the reception all in one place. Some have even been turned into hotels and have accommodation with a suite for the bride and groom, spas, additional restaurants...

Having your destination Spanish wedding in a "Cortijo" sets the scene and theme easily. You and your guests will be in out-of-the-ordinary surroundings, making it a magical and memorable experience.

Adding your touch

Having your destination wedding with a Spanish theme does not mean you have to miss out on adding your personal touch. Quite the opposite, use the theme as a canvas and make the wedding truly yours. I think a wedding should reflect the personalities of the bride and groom. Live music and entertainment can help you a great deal here

A Gospel choir or even a classical guitarist, playing during your outdoor ceremony ... Once the ceremony has finished a great way to greet all your guests is over a "cocktail". You can have it very close to the blessing grounds and have the waiters serve appetizers and drinks. With a jazz and swing band playing in the background, you will keep your guests from getting bored until you arrive back from taking photos, and what more can you ask for: sipping on champagne, outdoors in the sun, while you listen to Sinatra's "LOVE" played live!

A wedding in Spain does not have to mean flamenco dancers and Spanish songs. Some live music agencies provide all styles of party entertainment, with professional musicians from all over the world. Have a look at some videos so you can start getting an idea of what atmosphere you want to create during the reception.

Top Reasons Why You Should Hire a Wedding Photographer

So why should you get a professional photographer for your wedding day?

Worst case scenario - you will be taking your own photos at the wedding. Obviously this really should not happen. You, the host of the event, the main reason people are there, are busy taking snap shots of your wedding party. You will simply have your hands to full to capture the whole essence of your wedding day.

Okay, so that first example may not be a really practical example. A real example would be if you knew someone, someone who isn't really a professional photographer, but someone who was enthusiastic with a camera, who did it as a hobby?

Well sure, you can assign Cousin Al or Uncle Harry to do the honors and be the official photographer for your engagement. Sure they can pull off an event like yours: 150 guests minimum, reception, the ceremony at the church, some casual shots at the beach or by the bay with the sunset in the background. Perhaps.

Consider this: what kind of photography do they do in their spare time? They may do still-life photography. Or studio photography. Or portrait photography. Or maybe only landscape photography and maybe even shoot the occasional social party. Do you know what I'm getting at?

You have to check and know what they do. Ask if they are up to the challenge. Weddings are a whole different ball game.

Wedding photographers are a whole different breed to your usual hobbyist, glamour, still-life, studio, commercial and landscape photographer. They even speak a different language.

So what is the difference then?

The difference is in the equipment they carry, the planning needed to carry out your mission (your wedding) and their attitude and enthusiasm about the job.

Weddings offer a dynamic environment to which the wedding photographer must conquer and evolve within a short period of time. They have to make the best of different locations and different lighting conditions as well as weather concerns. A good successful wedding photographer can do all these (and more!)

Different locations and lighting conditions - that's simple, you say, just whip out the camera and press the button.

No it isn't. Photography is all about lighting. Photography is lighting. Photography comes from a root word that means 'light painting.' Wedding photographers must be the masters of light in all different situations at different locations. It's not simply point and shoot.

Ideas For A Winter Wedding

Traditionally weddings are held in summer or spring, seasons of renewal and growth, where a bride in her beautiful white gown can be warm under the warmth of the sun. However, a winter wedding can be a just as beautiful background to a wedding as the summer. Imagine, white snow, the bright white icy sky and the romantics white fluffy clouds - it's just as picturesque as a summer's day.

Winter Venues

When opting for an Xmas wedding, look for a venue that is warm and inviting. Churches can be cold and drafty, so make sure they are heated well beforehand. For the reception and/or wedding, look for a roomy Inn or country house with a large fire place - it will certainly look the part for a winter wedding - not to mention keep your guests warm. Alternatively, look for a venue to hire that will incorporate a Christmas theme into your wedding day venue, such as adding icy whites, with the contrasting greens and reds of the season.

Winter Wedding Décor

The beauty of winter is the contrasting colours, such as the deep green of the holly and the bright red of the berries. Bring the beauty of the season into your wedding by adding décor, such as holly, berries, candles, reefs and even a Christmas tree. You could further incorporate the 'winter' look into your bouquet or your hair accessories.

Winter Wedding Food

In the cold winter months, warm winter soups, smoked meats and roasted meats are a must have for a Christmas wedding. Use vegetables and meats of the season to evoke the feeling of the Christmas season in your wedding.

Winter Wedding's Transport

The common vehicle for a wedding is a limousine or car, yet, in winter a horse and carriage can just picturesque as you travel along the wintry landscape. Combined with chauffeur and ribbons, your transport will look far more glamorous and traditional than any modern vehicle can.

Great Ideas for a Perfect Wedding in Suffolk

Suffolk is a picturesque county with ancient harbour towns and idyllic countryside dotted with thatched cottages. Your wedding guests will find Suffolk easily reached from London - yet it feels an entire world away. The weather is always a consideration for a wedding too - so it's good to know that Suffolk is one of the sunniest counties in England.

A Traditional Suffolk Church Wedding

One of the most characteristic features of the idyllic Suffolk landscape is the myriad towers and spires that appear on every horizon. There's great choice, therefore, if you're considering a traditional church wedding. Simon Jenkins' book, England's Thousand Best Churches, includes as many as 41 churches in Suffolk, with ones in places such as Lavenham and Long Melford being awarded four and five star ratings, respectively. A church wedding undoubtedly lends solemnity to the occasion as well as providing the perfect backdrop for a traditional English rural wedding.

A Wedding Venue on the Glorious Suffolk Coast

The Suffolk coast is one of the most picturesque corners of Britain. It is known for its many ancient fishing villages, long shingle strands, fishermen's huts and secretive labyrinth of estuaries and creeks. Holding your wedding in Aldeburgh, home to the famous music festival, could add a whole new dimension to your wedding day. Equally the row of colourful beach huts in Southwold make for a fabulous wedding photo opportunity.

Suffolk Wedding Reception Food Ideas

With Suffolk being both a rural and coastal county there's an abundance of fine local produce that can add plenty of local flavour to your wedding feast. Seafood dishes such as potted shrimp make for a delicious starter. Offering your wedding guests a Suffolk cheese board during the evening reception adds a nice touch - as does serving mini wafer cones filled with local Suffolk ice cream. If you really want your wedding to be filled with Suffolk traditions then consider asking your venue, or caterers, to come up with a modern twist on the Suffolk Roly-Poly for your wedding breakfast dessert.

Fall Wedding Ideas

The fall weddings captures the beautiful autumn or fall season. Mother Nature turns the color of the leaves from green to orange. The landscape and foliage add warm and rich color accents to the wedding.

The red, orange, browns, and yellow are the color of the season. Using the color of season, you make a warm and fabulous wedding theme that matches the season. Think of oak, maple, aspen, pumpkin, lantern, fireplace, candle, wheat, corn, squash, potato, home-made craft, and fall leaves.

The wedding flowers for the fall can be mums, daisies, roses, and sunflowers. Line up the flowers on the wedding aisle with lighted candles. It provides warm and cozy entrance for the groom, bride, and sponsors.

An old orchards, 18th century churches, huge gardens, old barns, vineyards, and old castles that overlook the landscape are perfect for wedding. The wedding captures the romance from the majestic autumn landscape.

In the summer, the summer heat may be too hot and uncomfortable for the bride and groom. At the end of summer, the heat starts to dissipate. The weather temperature is just right. So, many bride and groom choose to wed in the fall season.

Fall Wedding can show the bountiful harvest. Farmers harvest a bountiful of fruits, vegetables, berries, and nuts. An assortment of jams, jellies, nuts and fruits on the reception table give a bountiful harvest accent.

Wedding Favors with bountiful harvest accent work as well. Wedding boxes are perfect for an assortment for fruit and maple candies which melt in your mouth. Organza bags perfectly hold candles with maple fall leaves, or twig branches. Wedding favors that you can eat adds a strong bountiful harvest accent. For example, leaf shaped chocolates, maple syrups, pear shaped chocolates, apple ciders, chocolate-coated apple popsicles, honey jars, fruit jellies, and maple cookies are just awesome for wedding favors.

There are also elegant wedding favors that you cannot eat. For example, apple shaped lamps, leaf ornaments, pine scented cones, wood picture frame, and leaf shaped soap are an elegant wedding favors. It is an uneatable wedding favors, but it still reflects the bountiful harvests and autumn season.

As for wedding tosses, the wheat, barley, seeds, and nuts can be use to show bountiful harvest too. Depending on the region, you can choose whichever is bountiful in the region. The wedding tosses mean fertility and good luck.

The cream colored wedding dresses blend and contrast well to the autumn colors. The dark brown colored suit and tie works well for the groom, best man, and groomsmen. The traditional black suit can also work.

For the wedding cake, the chocolate wedding cake looks fabulously deliciously on the wedding reception. The white wedding cake can be overwhelming. To add contrast on wedding cake, you can give the wedding cake a cream color icing. Alternatively, the wedding cake can be pumpkin, apple, nuts, caramel, cinnamon, and pecan flavored wedding cake with cream color icing. If you really like the white wedding cake, you can play with the lighting. The wedding cake can still work.

Ideal Wedding Venues Throughout Arizona

Can you imagine a better place to get married than Arizona? If you like sunshine and warm weather, this is the place for you, no matter what time of year it is. If you like all of that combined with a dramatic landscape, then this is by far the best state for you to get married in. Let's talk about a few of the wedding venues throughout Arizona that might appeal to your love of the desert, love of the city, or even love of mountains.

There are so many choices. We're here to help you narrow them all down. The goal is for you to find a place that fits in with your idea of the perfect wedding. From city life to cowboy life, there is literally a landscape or cityscape to serve as the backdrop for your wedding day.

Culture, the arts, museums and galleries all thrive in Phoenix, AZ. This is the cosmopolitan center of Arizona. Beyond the art scene, there is beautiful architecture, which could perfectly compliment your big day. Imagine a Tuscan Villa for your wedding venue where every detail reminds you of life in Europe. Gardens, including those filled with ponds, cactus, grasses and more can be had for outdoor weddings. Even hardscapes are available where fountains cascade and arches hold court for a stolen kiss.

If you're looking for a more rugged landscape that includes towering mountains, then Flagstaff is worth considering. The highest point in Arizona is only a few miles out of town. Other massive peaks fill the landscape. Flagstaff is also home to one of the largest pine forests in the country.

Feeling a little country? Put on your spurs and cowboy hat and head to Prescott. It's a world of times gone past mingled with a new culture, a climbing culture. Prescott has some of the best bouldering in Arizona. With options like this, you could be married after a challenging climb, or you could have a huge bonfire where people have a drink and tell stories about your past.

If the mystical and spiritual are more your style, then Sedona is a perfect match for you. People who visit always talk about the good energy that comes from there. Artists flock there for creativity and expression. Set against glowing red rocks, it's a world of beauty and of extremes. The dryness of the desert mingles with snow, with shapes carved out of the rocks.

If you like descending into the earth, or standing above a world of mazes and canyons, then the Grand Canyon is a natural fit. Give tourists that warm feeling of possibilities as you walk to the edge of the world in a beautiful gown that's blowing in the breeze.

Talking about Arizona wouldn't be complete without mentioning Tucson. Tucson is an epicenter of mountain ranges. No matter which direction you look, there are mountains surrounding you.

3 Unique Northern California Wedding Locations

There are many trendy destination wedding locations throughout the State of California, but Northern California is home to some very unique venues that are worth exploring. Surroundings of beauty and magnificent landscape with an ambiance of romance in a private, secluded area are appealing attributes for many couples planning their wedding day. If such characteristics are the necessary ingredients for your special once in a lifetime event, three exclusive venues offering this type of setting are quite prominent in the northern part of California.

The White House

Located on the Churn Creek Golf Course in Shasta County, this historic home is one of Redding's most elegant wedding and event venues. The White House is a combination of modern and historic architecture, and the columns and portico make am imposing ceremonial background. Beautiful lofty trees surround the event area and the luminous night lighting of the landscape and woodland-style paths create a dramatic effect.

The White House has an abundance of amenities including separate bride and groom's dressing suites, a kitchen with a prep area for the caterer, a beautiful garden setting and a large dance floor to name a few. Attractive flower gardens and flawless, well-groomed landscaping in addition to having access to the golf course present excellent backdrops for traditionally posed and candid photographic opportunities.

Suitable for formal or informal weddings and easily accommodating large parties of 200 or more guests, The White House at Churn Creek Golf Course is a laudable wedding venue.

Lazy Z Resort

This unusual wedding and event venue is located in the Sierra Gold Country near the downtown area of Twain Harte. The Lazy Z Resort is in the midst of the Sierras and is a great little hideaway that's perfect for almost any special occasion. Since the 1950's, this entrancing 40 acre private estate has been family owned and operated, which accounts for the warm, personal service experienced at the Lazy Z Resort.

Indoor and outdoor ceremony options are available. The outdoor location is situated on the lawn beneath a large Cedar tree near the pool. The natural landscaping that surrounds the ceremonial area is an illustrious attraction that creates much of the beauty and serenity of this venue. The reception area is just as picturesque, bounded by rocks and waterfalls. Other amenities include a thatch-roofed cabana bar, an inimitable rock bottom pool, tiki torches for romantic night lighting and overnight accommodations for guests.

A spacious area coupled with an amiable setting consisting of impressive views in addition to uncompromised service makes the Lazy Z Resort an exemplary wedding venue deserving of attention.

Emerald Bay

Emerald Bay is another popular wedding location that is nestled in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The bluff over the bay is a highly recognized venue by couples who wish to unite in marriage and vacationing tourists who travel from around the globe to visit this historic site. Emerald Bay is situated at the southwest edge of Lake Tahoe in close proximity to the state line of Nevada. It has been a destination wedding hotspot for decades, and the natural surrounding beauty and serene environment are Emerald Bay's main features. Towering 300 feet over the water, this locale provides dazzling panoramic views of Lake Tahoe and the majestic Sierras.

Adding to its attractiveness is the simplicity of an Emerald Bay wedding. A great deal of pre-planning is not necessary largely due to the area being open to the public, which means couples can marry on the bluff at anytime without the need to acquire reservations. Such ease of accessibility makes Emerald Bay perfect for eloping or for those spontaneous couples looking for an adventure on their wedding day.

California contains many notable wedding venues throughout, and the northern part of the state inarguably has its share of exceptional sites. The White House at Churn Creek Golf Course, The Lazy Z Resort and Emerald Bay are only three of what the North has to offer, but each entails a wedding day experience of inconceivable beauty and romance. With each having their own characteristics of uniqueness, all three of these venues are worthy of further exploration for their suitability if you're anticipating a Northern California wedding.

How to Organize a Great Outdoor Wedding

If you are planning a wedding, you probably already know how much work is involved in making sure the event goes off as you plan. Brides who want to get married outdoors have a variety of extra concerns. However, marrying in the warm sunshine and celebrating beneath the evening stars is often worth the added effort during the planning stages. If you are planning an outdoor wedding, consider a few of the following important factors. Start with landscape lighting so you can be sure that your guests can move safely throughout the outdoor wedding space day or night. Landscape lights are subtle but they offer illuminated pathways and mood enhancement that will improve most events.

Your next concern should be protecting your guests and your décor from the elements. The most common way to handle this is by creating a tented area around your wedding and reception. Many brides take a risk with the ceremony because it only lasts a few minutes. When the time comes for the reception, they cover the areas for eating, mingling, and dancing. This means that over the course of several hours of partying, you will not need to worry about rain or inclement conditions. Having a tent ensures your guests will be comfortable, and even if the temperatures are uncomfortable, you can create heating and cooling within the tented area.

The décor of your outdoor wedding is important because it sets the tone for the event. To ensure you feel like you want to feel, make sure your décor fits the mood. You can choose the same variety of elements for an outdoor wedding as you would for an indoor event, and in some cases you can even incorporate your surroundings in an elegant way. Many brides enjoy having natural elements in their wedding and having the wedding outdoors is a great way to do this in a cost-effective manner.

Another important part of the reception is the music. This sets the tone just as much as the décor and in some cases, it may mean the difference between a mediocre party and a great night for everyone. Be sure to choose a mix of music that appeals to a wide variety of people and include a few songs that are special to the bride and groom. Lastly, to ensure a successful outdoor party, be sure the sound system is protected from the elements and that the music can be heard in all parts of the outdoor space.

Finally, serve food that is just as delicious as what you would offer at an indoor wedding. Most importantly, make sure the food is protected and served in a way that keeps it safe from the outdoors. If possible, put a buffet in a temperature controlled indoor space and allow guests to go indoors to fill their plates. You can also have food served by a wait-staff so it is only outside while the guests are actually dining. If food must sit outside, choose items that will not spoil in warmer temperatures and cover the items so they are not exposed to insects.