My Memorable Day

Although it is often overlooked in wedding planning, the first dance wedding song is an important aspect of the big day. After all, this will be your first time dancing together as husband and wife. Long after you have forgotten the name of your caterer or the exact stitch of the bridesmaids’ dresses, you will still remember the magic of that first dance.

Choosing a First Dance Wedding Song
If you and your future husband already have your song, then this will be easy. Your first dance together will evoke countless memories of shared moments involving your special song. What if you don’t have a special song? If you dig a little deeper in your memory, you will probably find several songs appropriate for your first dance wedding song. Here are a few questions to help:

•What song was playing the first time you met?
•What song was playing the first time you danced?
•What song was playing when he proposed?
•What song was playing the first time you kissed?
•What was the theme song for the first movie you watched together?
•What is a special song from the first concert you attended as a couple?
•What song was playing the first time you realized you were in love?
•What song always makes you think of each other?
After answering these questions and reminiscing, chances are you will have several first dance wedding song candidates.

Popular First Dance Wedding
If you are still having trouble picking a song for that first special dance, it might help to see what others have chosen. Here are several of the most popular first dance songs:

Country Wedding Songs
•”I Do (Cherish You),” by Mark Wills
•”Forever and Ever, Amen,” by Randy Travis
•”I Cross My Heart,” by George Strait
•”From This Moment,” by Shania Twain and Bryan White
•”My Best Friend,” by Tim McGraw
•”I Love the Way You Love Me,” by John Michael Montgomery
•”It’s Your Love,” by Faith Hill and Tim McGraw
•”Me and You,” by Kenny Chesney
•”When You Say Nothing At All,” by Allison Krause
•”Keeper of the Stars,” by Tracy Byrd
•”Lady,” by Kenny Rogers
Jazz Wedding Songs
•”It Had to Be You,” by Harry Connick, Jr.
•”We Are in Love,” by Harry Connick, Jr.
•”Love and Marriage,” by Frank Sinatra
•”When I Fall in Love,” by Nat King Cole
•”Unforgettable,” by Nat King Cole
•”Since I Fell For You,” by Al Jarreau
•”We’re in This Love Together,” by Al Jarreau
R&B and Soul Wedding Songs
•”At Last,” by Etta James
•”When a Man Loves a Woman,” by Percy Sledge
•”Here and Now,” by Luther Vandross
•”Don’t Know Much,” by Aaron Neville and Linda Ronstadt
•”I Swear,” by All 4 One
•”Tonight I Celebrate My Love for You,” by Roberta Flack and Peabo Bryson
•”One Moment in Time,” by Whitney Houston
•”Still,” by the Commodores
•”On Bended Knee,” by Boyz II Men
•”Stand By Me,” by Ben E. King
•”You are My Lady,” by Freddie Jackson
•”You are So Beautiful,” by Babyface
Rock and Pop Wedding Songs
•”I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing,” by Aerosmith
•”Truly, Madly, Deeply,” by Savage Garden
•”Can You Feel the Love Tonight,” by Elton John
•”Unchained Melody,” by the Righteous Brothers
•”After All,” by Peter Cetera and Cher
•”Power of Love,” by Celine Dion
•”Eternal Flame,” by the Bangles
•”Groovy Kind of Love,” by Phil Collins
•”I’ll Be,” by Edwin McCain
•”Love of a Lifetime,” by Firehouse
•”Never Tear Us Apart,” by INXS
•”She’s Got a Way,” by Billy Joel
•”Wonderful Tonight,” by Eric Clapton
•”You’re the Inspiration,” by Chicago
Planning the First Dance
Now that you’ve chosen your first dance wedding song, you need to think about the dance itself. It’s romantic to think you will glide effortlessly across the floor, but if one or both of you are hopeless on the dance floor, marriage won’t change that. To avoid embarrassment at your reception, it is a good idea to practice your first dance. Don’t worry that this will take away from the magic of the moment. It will still be your first time dancing together as husband and wife, and that in itself will be pure magic. The fairytale can only be improved by knowing how to dance.
From LoveToKnow Weddings: © 2006-2009 LoveToKnow Corp.Weddings Categories

The wedding vows are one of the best parts of a marriage ceremony. The bride and groom have the chance to express their love and commitment to the other person out loud. Many couple’s are really starting to write their own wedding vows, and it increase every year. If you really want to write your own vows, this article will help you out. Writing your own vow doesn’t have to as extremely hard as everyone thinks it is.

First, congrats for choosing to write your vows and making them personal. Your special someone will most definitely appreciate this. Many couples get afraid about finding their own words to express their love for each other. Do not let this stop you. There is nothing more romantic than hearing a loved ones feelings about the other. Who else is better to create your vows filled with your love than you?

As long as you are comfortable doing so, there isn’t a reason why you shouldn’t write your very own wedding vows. An important thing to remember is make sure that both you and your fiancé are comfortable with it. It won’t have the same effect if one of you doesn’t want to write their own vows. You have to be willing to write your feelings down and say them in front of everyone you know. It can seem daunting, but when the moment comes all you will see is the person before you.

If you are planning on getting married inside of a church, make sure that the church allows you to say your own wedding vows. Some churches don’t allow this to happen, so check before you start.

Next, both of you need to choose whether to work on the wedding vows together or individually. There are good and bad reasons to do both, but it is all up to what works for you. Some bride’s and groom’s decide to keep it a surprise; while others like to know what their fiancé thinks. It doesn’t matter which one you choose as long as you both are happy with the decision.

Most wedding vows are broken into three main parts, which can make them a little easier to write. These parts include the declaration, description, and then the vows themselves

Most people find that the declaration is the easiest to write. The declaration is just declaring your love for the other person to your guests and that you do intend to say “I do”. This part can be as fancy or simple depending on what you want to say.

The description is and should be easy. All you are doing is describing why you love the other person. If you are having a really hard time writing this part, you should definitely question getting married. You can place a little poem or a few lyrics from a song that makes you think of the other.

The wedding vows themselves are difficult for most people. They also happen to be the most important part of the whole thing. All a vow is, is a promise of your commitment to your significant other. In the vows you will tell them your promise to be faithful and/or protect them for the rest of the days of your life. Your wedding vows bind your relationship and shows your commitment to get married.

Wedding cakes are the main attraction in any wedding reception. More than something that you can feast on, wedding cakes has become an essential decoration in the wedding venue. The first thing guests would buzz about is how magnificent your wedding cake is. Choosing the right cake should be meticulously done. With a little patience and the quick tips below, picking the best cake should as easy as walking down the aisle.

Choose the right bakeshop
If you have an idea on where the best bakery is in your city, then head to that place immediately. You can ask suggestions from your friends or family members also. Get a reservation at once. Do not procrastinate. The availability of cake decorators might be restricted. Be sure to drop by the bakeshop to talk about the designs, flavors and other things you wanted to add to your cake. Be sure to give a detailed description of exactly what you want your cake to be. Give the vendor ample time to prepare, approximately six months ahead of your big day would do.  You may need to pay a deposit fee for reservation.

The right taste
Aside from the look of the cake, keep in mind that cakes are made primarily for eating. They should taste good as well as they look good. The texture and flavor of the cake itself is important. When scouting for a bakeshop, donít hesitate to ask for cake samples of the flavors you want. If they do not allow this, jump to the next store.

Check on your budget
Cost primarily depends on the cake design you want. You have to pay for the cake decoratorís fee on top of the cost of the cake itself. Know what your budget is ahead of time. Some shops may give you free delivery too.  Most bakeshop has a standard number of servings for each cake type. Know how many guests would attend your wedding so you would know more or less how much money you would allocate for the cake.

Flowers as decorations
Flowers have been a traditional thing on weddings. You can well put them in cakes too. You can either choose from fresh flowers or artificial ones. Fresh flowers are beautiful addition to your cakes. But it is very important that you choose fresh flowers wisely. Be sure that they are free from chemicals. Just to be on the safe side, sugar flowers are safer. These are edible gum paste decorations that have wire or toothpicks on them.

Where to place the cake
Most cakes, especially on summer, might end up melted under the heat of the sun. They can also cause flowers and flavored curls to dry up. Not to mention the possibility of flies gathering on your priced cake. Just be sure, always have a back up site where you can store your cakes to preserve its look and taste. Never place your wedding cake near the dance floor or where there is a heavy flow of traffic. You might just see your cake fall down. Thatís not a good sight at all! Be sure to check the sturdiness of the table you would place your cake.

Buying wedding cakes can be fun and hassle-free. Remember that your wedding cakes needs to be presentable, most of the photo opts are done beside the cake. Itís always nice to give out that bright smile beside youíre well decorated cake that brings out your personal statement.

Youíre sitting in your couch watching TV on a Saturday night, minding your own business and then your Best friend calls you up, tells you he’s getting hitched and wants you to be his best man. You sweat, but can’t decline, so you end up agreeing on a toast at the wedding. After you hang up the phone, you go straight to the net and search for Free Wedding speeches.

Get the picture? Statistics have shown that more people are afraid of public speaking then they are of more common fears, and it is indeed a very fearful act, speaking in public, anything you say cannot be taken back, and if you say something bad, you’ll get foot ‘in’mouth disease.

But does looking for free speeches on the net really help? Most of the time you’ll find some cheap tips on how to make the perfect, speech or how to say it. Or maybe you’ll be lucky enough to find one that is already made, and you’ll just have to print it. But these speeches tend to be rather, impersonal and very general, and if you’re the best man, you’ll probably just end up boring your friends and family.

When making speeches, the simpler the better, you wonít have to depend on free wedding speeches off the net if you have memories of your friends.

What you are asked to do on a wedding toast is to tell the people something about your friends, the ones getting married, how they were meant for each other and how you wish them happiness for the rest of their lives. You don’t need a factory made, winding speech, all you need is memories, and your genuine care for your loved ones.

If you’re still having the jiggly stomach about giving your speech you can follow these free wedding speech tips, they may not be ready made but they’ll surely help.

- Forget the preaching go on with the memories

Most people give winding speeches because they tend to give ‘unasked advice’leave that to the marriage counselor or the pastor, just give ëem memories. Most couples appreciate the nostalgia of a few well chosen memories. Find a funny or a touching memory you have of the couple and share it with the room, plus a few well wishes and you’re done.

- go for short but effective, rather than long and winding

Many of us know that a long speech is very boring; you donít want to dull the night with your talks of your childhood, and your games, with your friend. A biography is for a book, one or two memories are for a wedding.

- Write a Poem

You may say that poems are for sissies but that depends on every person point of view. But a Wedding Is a very emotional moment and itís sure that everyone is in the mood for a little emotion and tears and what more to provoke those dams to flow than a few well said lines in the form of a poem?

- Donít forget to introduce yourself

A simple ‘Jade has been my friend since high school and Iíve never seen her gaga over any guy other than Andrew’ Make a basis for what youíre saying, especially if you’re talking about moments in the newlywedís life. If it was a trial, you’re the witness, and you’ll need credibility. Just imagine would people ‘feel’ your speech if they’re don’t know who the heck you are?

Almost every girl has a picture of her ideal wedding in her mind.  She may dream up something that she can visualize when reading fairy tales that end with “…and they live happily ever after.”  She sees flowers, ribbons and laces.

However, when her wedding day comes, she may have other considerations on her mind.  She still dreams of her ideal wedding but she starts incorporating other subjects that represent her and her groom.  Not to mention that the bride also considers the current trends in wedding fashion and decoration.  And the most important subject to talk about when choosing decorations – the cost.

Nobody wants to spend the first few months of being married paying of debts made during the wedding preparations.  Therefore, the groom-to-be and bride-to-be should be very careful what to spend on.  Here are a few things to consider.

* Personalize the decorations.  Not only does this add a personal touch to the celebration but this also cuts down on the cost.  For example, if the bride or the groom is a photographer, they may choose having photos from their collection made the main subjects for the reception design.  The photos may also be used for invitations and keepsakes,

* Consider renting.  Most of the items that will be used for decorations will not be used again.  These include the centerpieces, the vases, the arc ways and the artificial flower arrangements.  So ask your wedding decorator for options to rent these pieces.

* Kids can get bored during the wedding reception.  So instead of having kids seated at the same table with the adults, you can have an area where kids can be more casual and can have a small party of their own.

* Marriage is a union of families.  During the wedding rites, if possible, you may alter some of the practices to include the children of the bride or groom from previous marriage or the parents and families of the couple.  Having them perform a special union rite will signify that the wedding is not just a union of two people but also of two families.

* For the food during the reception, you may inquire with cooking or culinary arts schools.  They may agree to cater for the reception for just the price of the food, or perhaps, a little more.  You may also have a pot luck by asking family members and close friends to cook a dish.

* If you wanted to cut down on the cost for the wedding party, you can just invite more people to the engagement party.  Usually, only cocktails and hors d’oeuvres are served, which cost less than the full set of meals for the wedding reception guests.

* For the music, you can look for a local college band or DJ.  You can also have your favorite songs just downloaded from the Internet and saved to an mp3 player or CD to be played over the speakers during the reception.

* When considering the cost of  decorations, check if there will be another couple that will get married on the same day.  They may want to coordinate what decorations can be used for both wedding ceremonies to lessen the need to change decorations before or after the wedding and to split the cost.

Getting married should not be expensive.  After all, the essence of marriage is in the union and not in the celebration.  You shouldn’t also try too hard to please the guests.  Your family and friends are there to rejoice this wonderful event with you and not to criticize your wedding.

You have finally said, “Yes.”  This is the start of your life as a couple.  And prior to that much-awaited big day, you, both the bride and groom have so many decisions to make and wedding-related tasks to complete.

Preparing for your wedding day need not be stressful.  On the other had, it should be fun and memorable.  And to do this, start off by putting together a wedding timetable.

A short list of wedding-related tasks as well as a rough estimate of when the activities should be done follows. It presents tips and guidelines to keep you organized and help you think of all the matters that you must take into consideration in the course of planning for your big day.  Of course, these are mere suggestions.  All activities and schedule are still up to the couple to decide on depending on their priorities.

At the Time of the Engagement
- You must tell your parents the happy news as soon as possible that is if they don’t already know.  If you were having an engagement party, it would be good to keep your close friends and relatives in the know, too.<br>
- An organizer would be best to have in handy.  This will help you keep track of all the appointments, payments and other wedding-related activities that you must attend to.
- Have your engagement photo taken.  This would be nice to have as a keepsake of this wonderful occasion.

6 to 12 Months In Advance Before the Big Day

- The couple should have already picked and decided on the wedding date.  Do the reservation for the venue where the ceremony and reception is to be held.
- Set an appointment with the wedding officiant.
- Establish a budget for the wedding, and try as much as possible to stick to it.
- Prepare a wedding guest list.  You wouldn’t want to leave somebody uninvited unintentionally.<br>
- Look around for a photographer, florists, musicians, and a caterer.  Obtain estimates for these services.<br>
- Register at the bridal gift registry.
- Pick a wedding dress and accessories to go with it.  If you are having a seamstress make you one, this is the time to have it arranged.  Several fittings may be required for this.
- For the bride, select your bridesmaids.  Set a date for ordering dresses for them.

4 to 6 Months In Advance Before the Big Day
- Have the invitations, stationeries, and thank you notes ordered.
- The photographer, florist, musician, and caterer should have already been chosen. Go over details with each of these services to make sure that everything is as agreed upon.
- For the groom, select attire.
- Honeymoon reservations should be made already at this point.
- Confirm the delivery of the bridal gown.

2 Months In Advance Before the Big Day
- Plan your rehearsal dinner.
- If you are having out-of-town attendants, arrange for their lodging.
- Make an appointment with your chosen photographer for the shooting of the bridal portrait.<br>
- Order the wedding cake.

1 Month In Advance Before the Big Day
- The couple should decide on a wedding band set.
- Mail the invitations.
- Check the apparel for the wedding party.
- The couple attends showers.

2 Weeks Before the Wedding.
- It is time to apply for marriage license and attend to other legal matters, especially for the bride – name and address changes on bank accounts and other official documents.
- Plan a wedding hairstyle and make-up with your stylist.
- Check with the caterer and the reception venue for last minute changes.

1 Week Before the Wedding
- Do your honeymoon packing.
- Wrap gifts for the groom and attendants.
- Schedule the wedding rehearsal.
- Remind the wedding party of the exact time and place for the occasion.

On Wedding Day
- Take breakfast!  Fainting on the aisle wouldn’t be cool.
- Have your hair and make-up done.
- Shake off all your wedding details worries and enjoy your day.