Sunday, May 29, 2016

20 Tips for Planning a Public Garden Wedding

Thinking of a public garden for your wedding day? 

Here are some things to consider before going ahead. 

1. Walk around the gardens and look at the nooks and crannies as well as those areas specifically designated as wedding lawns. 

2. Look for suitable, decorative settings such as flowers in bloom, ponds, waterfalls, trees or trellises to use as decorations or background. 

3. Consider how much privacy you want and will get for your wedding ceremony in that particular area. 

4. Is there much noise from passing traffic, or water features, which might make your wedding ceremony difficult to hear? 

5. Will there be any shade for the bridal party as well as the guests? 

6. Will the area be difficult to find?  

7. Will you need to include a map with your wedding invitations? 

8. Are there any restrictions as to what you can and can’t do? 

9. Can you decorate the area with ribbons or balloons? 

10. How close to the wedding site will the bridal party and the guests be able to park? 

11. Is the wedding area be flat, uphill, downhill? 

12. Will the wedding party and guests have difficulty in walking in high heels? 

13. Is there are any undercover areas for you to have your wedding ceremony in case of rain? 

14. If not, have you decided on a substitute venue? 

15. How do you intend to contact your guests if you need to change the venue, and how close t the time will you decide? 

16. Find out if you need to book the area, and who to get in touch with to do so. 

17. Find out also what conditions apply. 

18. Are there any restrictions on the time you spend? 

19. Will you be allowed to use confetti, glitter, rice or rose petals in your wedding ceremony? 

20. Can you pitch a tent and have your wedding reception there as well.

Check out other wedding planning tips. 
WEDDING AT WOODY POINT



Based on
Wedding Your Way



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Saturday, May 14, 2016

20 Tips to pack like a Pro for your Honeymoon

1.When packing, keep the creases in your clothes vertical instead of horizontal. The creases will be much less noticeable when you begin to unpack.

2. To cushion each layer of clothing use either plastic bags which you might later use as laundry or garbage bags.

3. Use tissue or scented sheets of paper that will keep your clothes fragrant while minimizing the creases.

4. To keep wrinkles to a minimum, lay out your clothes in layers on the bed, one on top of each other, and fold to fit in the bag.

5. Specific items like shirts or blouses can be packed in layers in plastic bags before being placed in the suitcase.

6. Underwear, socks and other uncrushables can be placed into the crook and crannies of your suitcase to save on space.

7. Instead of rolling up belts, place them inside the wall of the bag, running around its circumference.

8. Casual clothes like tee shirts will take up less room if packed rolled up. Cushion them with tissue paper to keep them wrinkle free.

9. In the case of ties, if you’re travelling formal, pack each one separately by rolling tightly around two fingers, starting from the narrow end and finishing with the wide.

10. Before placing them in the suitcase, roll a sock around each individual tie. It should arrive flat and creaseless.

11. Heavier items to be packed should be placed at the bottom of the case, together with your shoes.

12. Make use of the cavities of the shoe by placing inside them the smaller items you’re taking on your honeymoon.

13. To ensure that the shoes don’t dirty the clothes on top of them, place them inside old socks or shoe mittens.

14. To ensure that shoes don’t spread any odor to the rest of your clothes, zip them up in a plastic bag.

15. Have a trial run with your packing, even though you might need to unpack and use the clothes before you leave for your honeymoon.

16. On this your rehearsal packing, pack whatever you’ve selected as the items you’re going to take. Having done this once, repack, and this time include only those things you think you will definitely use. Ideally your suitcase should still have room for those things you’re bound to pick up at your honeymoon destination. 

17. As far as toiletries are concerned, check with the hotel you’ll be staying at to see if they provide many of the essentials you’ll be using such as shampoo, conditioner and soap or body wash. Even though these will be in tiny sizes, it will be enough for you not to need to bring your own.

18. While you’re checking out the toiletries being provided, find out also if they provide any other items such as hairdryer, iron, CD player etc, so you don’t need to bring your own.

19. If you do need to bring such appliances, make sure you have the right adapters and convertors for the country you’re heading to. 

20. If you decide to use a backpack place the lighter items at the bottom, with the heavier items on top. As the pack rests on your lower back, your bag will feel lighter. As with the ordinary bag, place those things that you use the most on the top, while those items which you have already worn, and not as yet had a chance to wash, are best placed at the very bottom.

Based on 'Honeymoon! A Sizzle or a Fizzle' by Vlady M Peters. Find it on Amazon and Smashwords.


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Thursday, April 28, 2016

Ceremony Programs

Should a celebrant provide everyone with a ceremony program so that friends and relatives can follow the ceremony proceedings? 

Although paper and printing of programs is expensive, providing each guest with a ceremony program is worth considering. Especially in the case of ceremonies that are strange to the people concerned, the ceremony program allows them to participate in a way which just listening to the ceremony won’t do.  It is also a way of educating these same people who are being exposed to the ceremony for the first time. Today they are onlookers, tomorrow they might be your clients. 

The other reason for providing everyone with a ceremony program is more self-serving. In printing out the ceremony program, your name, as the presiding celebrant, will figure prominently on the cover and throughout the ceremony itself. It is one way of advertising yourself without seeming to do so. 

This, of course, presupposes that you have a computer and a printer and intend compiling and printing the programs yourself. Some clients, who are computer literate, will be happy to set out the ceremony, and even provide you with appropriate graphics. For the most part, though, you’ll be on your own. You can start off with a few templates to show your client, adding to these as your business expands.  

Needless to say, if you can’t provide this service yourself, the most you should do, by way of self promotion, is compile one program for the clients themselves. You can do this by either having the copy prepared by someone with a computer and a printer, or ask a professional to do it for you. Make this a highly decorative copy that the recipients will want to keep as a memento of the occasion.  You might even like to provide a presentation folder and include in this not only the program of the ceremony, but also the appropriate certificate. 

In the matter of how many programs you need to prepare for the individual ceremony, on the one hand you will want to make sure that you have enough. On the other, you don’t want to have them running out of your ears. Just remember that when you ask clients how many guests will be present at the ceremony, they are more than likely to give you the maximum number of people whom they’ve invited or who they think will attend.  

The actual number that attends might be significantly smaller. The other thing to remember is that many of those attending will be couples and children. Supplying about two thirds of the number the client quotes, will probably cover all those people who really want to keep the program. The rule of thumb is, that if guest number is small, you should have enough for everyone. If the number of guests is large, a substantial number will not want one, or will be happy to share with a partner.
Extract from 'How to be a Profitable Celebrant'
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Amazon Author, Vlady Peters


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Wednesday, April 27, 2016

12 Things to avoid on your honeymoon


1. Don’t start your honeymoon revisiting all your wedding day disasters. 

2. Don’t leave for your honeymoon straight after the wedding. 

3. Don’t buy the most expensive luggage you can afford. You’ll be noticed as a tourist – and perhaps as a rich tourist. What you want is to be part of the crowd. 

4. Don’t bring jewelry on your honeymoon. Especially the expensive kind which you need to place in a safe. 

5. As a mature bride decrease the amount of jewelry you wear. It can be ageing. 

6. If you’re on a strict budget splurge right at the end rather than the beginning if your honeymoon, whether this is on luxury accommodation or first class traveling. This will be your most immediate memory. 

7. If you’re honeymooning in those far-away places don’t wear clothes that are considered immodest or offensive to the natives. It’s their country and their culture. Respect it. 

8. Don’t be too demonstratively affectionate in public. It’s tacky whatever country you’re honeymooning in. 

9. If your honeymoon will be short don’t try to see and do too many things in too short a time. 

10. Don’t start taking photographs inside a church or any religious establishment unless you’ve been told that this is an acceptable practice. 

11. Don’t bring your child or children on your honeymoon unless you can control them at home. Their behavior won’t improve on the plane, train or bus just because you’re on your honeymoon. 

12. If it’s your second, third or fourth honeymoon don’t go to the same place as one of your previous honeymoons because you had so much fun there last time. It’s in bad taste, although Henry V111 did it. But then look at his success ratio as a husband.


Based on the book 'Honeymoon! A Sizzle or a Fizzle
Find it on Amazon and Smashwords

Connect with Me

Amazon Author, Vlady Peters




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Wednesday, April 20, 2016

15 Tips for a Perfect Honeymoon

1. Start thinking about your honeymoon on the day you get engaged.

2. Think and plan big, plenty of time to slim down your honeymoon plans when the time comes to make the hard decisions.

3. Spread the news far and wide that you’re planning your honeymoon. People love helping newly-weds both with advice and in a more substantial way.

4. Let each of you make up your own honeymoon preferences list in the early stages of honeymoon planning.

5. When the time comes compare your honeymoon lists.

6. Keep those honeymoon plans you both agree on.

7. Negotiate those honeymoon plans that appeal to one of you more than the other.

8. Discuss those honeymoon plans that one of you has never thought of. You never know, they might grow on you.

 9. Read reviews about the location, accommodation, and other facilities you're looking for in your honeymoon.

 10. If travelling will be extensive make sure you give yourself enough time for the honeymoon itself. 

 11. Travel as light as you can. 

 12. Put aside a percentage of your earnings for the honeymoon. Unless you actually make a firm commitment, it will never happen.

 13. Save for your honeymoon however you can. Do you really need to have your wedding reception at the most expensive venue? What about some local spot at half the price. Or how about holding it in your aunt’s beautiful gardens.

14. The same goes for your wedding dress. Do your really need to spend a fortune on something you’ll wear once? Think of acceptable alternatives.

15. Whatever type of honeymoon you decide on start a regime of exercise and eating right so you have all the energy you need for whatever type of honeymoon you decide on.

You'll find more Honeymoon Tips

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Sunday, April 17, 2016

The Well-dressed Bride

In the past, lingerie was not something a woman took lightly. And by the time the big day arrived she was very well supplied. Being part of what is called a trousseau, and which had to be sown by hand, putting it together was an ongoing life-long labor of love. 

Back in the nineteenth century the brides were advised by the experts that in preparing for their married life they should be aiming for a wardrobe for at least two years in underclothes and one year in dresses. 

The underclothing included a dozen chemises trimmed with embroidery or lace, a dozen night dresses, a dozen drawers, a few less petticoats, and one beautifully embroidered special-occasion petticoat. As for the corsets and crinolines, apparently two of each would do. 

However, to keep the few highly expensive corsets free from dirt and soil, the wearer was advised to carry at least half a dozen camisoles. Apart from keeping the corsets clean, camisoles were used also to hide corset bones and give a smoother look to the bodice. A bride-to be with time on her hands, would enhance this highly practical item with lace and ribbon trims. 

To finish off the trousseau the bride would be required to have half a dozen vests, two dressing gowns, three bed jackets, a dozen pairs of fine-quality Lisle stockings, three pairs of silk stockings and two dozen handkerchiefs. 

One fashion expert suggested that if practicable, three dozens of everything would be a good way to start your married life. For the woman who didn’t have to count the cost, twelve dozen of each would be even better. 

Included in the trousseau would be the wedding dress itself with all its accessories such as the undergarments, the veil and the jewellery, as well as the going away outfit. 

According to gossip, both Eva Longoria, star of ‘Desperate Housewives’ and Katie Holmes spent a small fortune in pretty lace lingerie sets, glamorous sleepwear, cute bikinis and baby-doll nightwear. 

Sending the bride off in style was so important, that when Catherine de' Medici married into the French royal family in 1547, the Pope Clement, her uncle, decided that spending money for all those silks and laces was more important than spending it on the fortification of Florence. In all, Catherine’s trousseau included 3 pounds of gold and 2 pounds of silver which went towards the embroidery of gowns. Her underwear is said to have been made from lace, gold and silver cloth, while the sheets were made from silk. 

Today’s woman always complains about the cost of those little numbers that she wears close to her body, that nobody sees and costs the earth. She feels almost guilty buying them. However, if there ever was a time to let yourself go it’s your honeymoon. For if you think those bits and pieces are too expensive for you now, you’ll find them doubly so after you get married. After all, there are much more urgent matters to consider - like electricity bills, rates, etc., So spend. Buy attractive, even if it is expensive. (Excerpt from 'Honeymoon! A Sizzle or a Fizzle)

For all things bridal check out my wedding and honeymoon books.

 on Amazon and Smashwords






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