An Asian Wedding Theme

The trend towards Asian weddings has attracted a dynamic and most interesting demographic because many non-Asians are opting for this theme to sanctify their wedding vows. For lovers of all things oriental, this is completely acceptable; after all, it's your wedding party and you can laugh (or cry, as the old song says) if you want to. Asian weddings usually break down into two main types: Japanese "Zen" style Shoji lanterns and river stones, and the bolder Chinese use of colorful fans and red satin cheongsam (traditional gown). But the range of choices are so much wider than Japanese or Chinese, and you might want to consider other options for your customized Asian wedding ceremony.

A Japanese pearl theme might well be your perfect Asian wedding venue and can be accomplished fairly easily. To enhance the atmosphere of your Asian wedding, drape centerpiece vases in strands of costume pearls (or real if you have access to royal coffers) and stuff with white ostrich feathers. Fill the room with iridescent balloons in ivory, pearl gray and pale pink and select pearl hair-combs and necklaces for the bride and bridesmaids and a pearl tiara for the bride. To drip in pearls is, as Martha Stewart says, "a good thing" (to drip in). The groom need not drip in anything as long as he behaves himself in the company of all this jewelry.

An Asian Pacific theme has nothing at all to do with time zones and provides another beautiful vehicle for an Asian wedding ceremony. Bedeck the room, not with boughs of holly (even if you have some on hand since last Christmas), but rather with fishing nets and swirling glass flotation balls. Hot-glue faux pearls into large mother-of-pearl oyster shells and scatter them all about the Asian wedding reception room. Name your tables for famous tree varieties (Chrysanthemum, Cherry, Weeping Cherry, Yoshino Cherry), but whatever you do, don't get them mixed up with the names of your guests! Serve traditional foods and beverages such as sweet dumplings (dango) and sakura blossom tea. You might even want to consider hiring a sushi chef to put a very special flourish on your Asian wedding.

Asian wedding favors can take many forms. One very popular choice are fortune cookie wedding favors. Other ideas for Asian wedding favors might include: bamboo place card frames, incense sets, gifts of tea, fortune cookie key-rings, jeweled votive candles, almond cookies, lucky bamboo plants, paper or sandalwood fans, sake cups in different materials and shapes and porcelain tea cups with the double happiness symbol.

For bridesmaids at Asian weddings, popular wedding favors can include: gold-tone hair combs, decorative chopsticks (hair adornments) jeweled flip-flop sandals and a feminine shirt with each bridesmaid's name custom-embroidered upon it and tucked into a large-size fortune cookie box.

The old saying that "the world is your oyster" can be true on your Asian wedding day. If you decide on such a theme, there are sure to be many beautiful pearls of wisdom, beauty and countless other things inside.

Find this and many more original articles provided by Truly Wedding by visiting our database at Truly Wedding Favors. Find more wedding tips, stories, news and humor all at the Truly Wedding Blog.

Planning Your Perfect, Hot Summer Wedding on a Budget - Have an Old-Fashioned Picnic in a Park

You'll need a caterer with a sense of humor to pull this off. Of course, you always need a caterer with a sense of humor! After all, you want the food to be surprising and whimsical! So you want someone who can laugh to make it for you! If your friends want to contribute they could easily, but that would take a lot of organization!

But since everything old is new again, why not have your wedding in a park? I grew up in a small town eating picnics from the most casual sandwiches to the most elaborate grills at our wonderful park along the placid river. No matter how hot it was, it was always cooler at the park. This would probably work better for a wedding for under 150 people.

Big Caveat: Unless you've got a really big pavilion, you're going to need a rain space. Sometimes churches will rent their halls out, or schools that aren't used on weekends in the summer. Often you can reserve those places on a contingency plan for just a bit of money.

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  Reserve a spot in the park: Parks may or may not have a rental fee, but the fee is almost always less than other venues. Rent a pavilion or (if you think you can trust the weather) set up a bunch of tables under the trees. Personally, I never like picnic tables, they're just not comfortable and I always get splinters. I'd always rather rent the tables and chairs from a local church, school or other organization. They never charge much and can always use the donation!


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  Set up the drink tables: Do this before the wedding ceremony, because it's going to be hot. Many parks won't allow alcohol, so you'll want the iced tea, lemonade, water and sodas to be really special. You'll want to make sure that you have enough of everything. No matter how hot it is, some people will want coffee.


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  Set up early for recycling and trash. Even if the park has vessels, you're going to want things right there to make everything convenient.


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  Find a shady spot and set up chairs for the wedding ceremony: Say your wedding vows in a beautiful and relaxed setting in front of your friends.


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  Pass hors d'oeuvres: Why not have your hors d'oeuvres be good old-fashioned picnic foods? Pass deviled eggs, small cups of gazpacho and cucumber or tomato sandwiches.


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  Table assignments. This will work best if you assign seating, which seems odd for an informal picnic. But you're going to have things arranged in 8s or 10s, depending upon the table size. So you're going to want a table where people can pick up their table assignments. This isn't always easy, but it's fun to think about getting your friends and families to mingle and come to know one another.


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  Table set-up: You're going to need to have the chairs retrieved from the wedding ceremony site.


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  Picnic Baskets: Set out the correct number of baskets (boxes). You want each box to be a complete picnic for 8 (or 10!). Dishes, cutlery, glasses, tablecloth, serving pieces, food, table decoration and identification. Give people some clue why they're seated together!


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  Food: Serve cold chicken or fish (or both), marinated asparagus, potato salad and a big bowl of summer fruit. Make it simple, fabulous food. Not lots of variety, and not too much. (You may want to have a table with some extras of all things for the tables who run through!)


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  Dessert: Serve a local favorite. Here in Central Pennsylvania, there is only one cake to be had: a chocolate cake with peanut butter icing. Make it a sheet cake. Make it great. People will be thrilled.


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  Staff: You can do something like this with far fewer staff than most weddings because the tables will be setting up their food and serving one another. But you do want people organizing and making sure the liquids are kept up. You want someone to serve the cake. You want someone cleaning up, even if you ask people to help, it's great to have staff to direct everyone!


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  Clean-up: People will love to help you leave the park cleaner than they found it!


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  Linger: if there's time, have a bonfire. Don't forget the makings for s'mores!

This is one of those lovely, easy weddings to have and to organize that people will have a lot of fun at. Make sure you let people know how casual it's going to be. The bride and groom can be as casual or formal as they'd like for the wedding ceremony. It's not that you CAN'T make your wedding vows in shorts, but it's nice to be in dressy shorts. Then go change and get ready for volleyball or your community's lazy summer activity of choice! This doesn't cost a lot of money, but everyone will have a great time. Every summer picnic you have from that day forward will remind you of the one you had on the day you promised to love one another forever. That's a great way to keep a marriage alive!

Bottom Line?: Give your relationship the chance it deserves to succeed wildly, against all odds! After all, you deserve it. Your relationship deserves it! And now I'd like to invite you to sign up to receive 2 free templates for creating the wedding ceremony of your dreams, the wedding vows of your heart and the marriage of a lifetime: http://annkeelerevans.org/weddings/free

The Rev. Ann Keeler Evans - helping you move from "I do" to happily and healthily ever after!

Preparing for Wedding Day Hairstyles

Think of your hair as your greatest accessory for your big day. Whether you plan to wear your hair in an updo style, long and silky, or short and tousled, it is important to plan ahead in order to make sure that everything goes off without a hitch as far as your wedding day hair is concerned. In the perfect world, brides-to-be would begin thinking about their hair care routine about six to nine months before the big day.

About six months prior to your wedding day plan a visit to see your hair dresser. You will want to discuss your plans and set up all of your appointments. Start a scrap book full of collections of ideas and hairstyles to share with your hair dresser. Take with you pictures of your wedding dress and veil. Your hair dresser will be able to look at these and help you come up with ideas to make your day knock-out perfect.

About five months before your big day begin experimenting with color treatments to be sure to achieve just the right look for that all-so-special walk down the isle. Giving yourself five months will allow time to try different options and time to wear them around to see what you really love.

This six to nine month time frame will allow time to consider the condition of your hair. If your hair is in poor condition due to chemical over-processing, it may be a good time to consult your hair specialist on how to go about treating it. Diet is a very important factor when it comes to the health of your hair. Making diet changes now can help the shine and manageability of those locks in time for the big wedding day. The following nutrients are important for hair health: protein, B-complex vitamins, vitamins A and C, and omega-3 fatty acids. Make sure to start a diet that includes adequate amounts of these nutrients. Make sure to include lots of fresh fruits and vegetables in your diet as you can never go wrong with these.

About 3 months prior to the big day begin a weekly schedule of conditioning treatments. Consult your hair professional regarding the best choice of conditioning treatments specific to your hair's condition.

When there is about 2 months to go consider ordering the flowers for your hair and have a trial run at the salon. About 1 month prior consider another trial run with the veil or tiara and confirm your final haircut and hair color.

Good luck with your final wedding day hair.

Rachael Taylor

http://www.hairstylejunction.com/bridalhairstyles/ and http://www.hairstylejunction.com/weddinghairstyles/ For more information about hairstyles and hair health please visit our webiste at http://www.hairstylejunction.com

Hair Extensions! Your Dream Wedding Hair Style Secret?

Every girl dreams of her wedding day! How absolutely fun it is to plan! You can express your personal style in everything for this special day.

After the engagement, the plans start becoming reality.  The hurdle most parents and bride have to get over is the cost. The bride and parents budget for all of the normal wedding costs.  These are a few of the normal wedding costs.

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  Invitations


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  Engagement photos


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  Ceremony location


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  Minister to marry them


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  Ceremony music


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  Ceremony flowers


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  Ceremony candles and decorations


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  Photographer


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  Videographer


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  Wedding dress


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  Tuxedos


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  Reception


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  Dinner costs


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  Beverages


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  Wedding cake


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  Party favors


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  Rental equipment


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  Transportation


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  Honeymoon

After spending so much time and effort in planning for the wedding, many brides do not consider the cost of other personal services when they budget their wedding.  Every bride wants to look her absolute best for her day.  However, many brides forget about the extra costs of hair styling, makeup, manicure, and other personal services.

Some brides have found a way to express their own style and flair in their hair and beauty in an economical way.  What's their secret?  They are turning to clip-on hair extensions to help them look their best for this special occasion.  This is the "hottest" beauty item today!  Whether they want a glamorous updo or long beautiful flowing locks, hair extensions can give them this in an instant. 

Why would a bride need hair extensions?  For women with thin or fine hair, extensions can give them length, volume and thickness.  These would allow them to try new hair styles without a professional.   The more hair they have the more dramatic styles that can be created.  Women want to look and be special!  Imagine transforming your short to medium hair styles into long free-flowing locks or a fabulous updo just for this special occasion! 

What types of clip-on hair extensions are there?  A couple types of hair extensions are natural human hair or synthetic. Natural hair extensions are considerably more expensive. The advantages with these is that they can be colored, curled, set, or treated. Applying natural hair extensions should be done by a licensed cosmetologist. They can be weaved or glued onto one's hair. You could easily spend up to $2,000 on this type of extension. Synthetic hair extensions are less expensive but you cannot use a hair dryer on them, set them or color them. They are attached with a small clip. They can be put in and out in an instant.  Most extensions come in a variety of colors to match your own hair.  The extensions blend many color tones to give a highlighting effect. 

Brides have fallen in love with these hair extensions not only for their wedding day but also for the ease of changing their hair look for their honeymoon.  They can change their hair style to match their trendy fashions.  Maybe they want ponytail curls or a long and sleek style!  The extensions can be removed one day and clipped back in again for another event.  How fun!

As my daughter and I are planning her special wedding day, we are experimenting with hair extensions for that perfect hair style for her veil and dress.  Her dream wedding is right around the corner.  Hope your wedding day is as you dreamed it would be! When planning your dream wedding remember this little hair styling secret.  You will look gorgeous without going over budget.  The possibilities are endless!

Mary Bertsch,
Independent Avon Sales Representative,
Unit Leader
http://www.beautywithmary.com

Hair Accessories for Girls

It is a natural occurrence that girls are conscious about their hair, and what they put on it, since the hair speaks voluminously of them. It is common for us to dress our hair as per our personalities, and this applies to accessorizing for girls too.

Short hair styles are ideal with bows, headbands and clips while elastic holders of ponytails like scrunchies are lovely on long hair. Scrunchies are also a good choice for sports as they deliver hair control, and maintain neatness.

In as much as there are different styles for different sizes, it isn't a taboo to experiment across the line. Young girls generally love bright colors and decors on their hair, but you can try it too for a playful feeling.

Moms usually buy plain hair accessories for girls, and use them to decorate their daughters' hair as appropriate. This also serves as an opportunity for the two of them to catch up on each other's lives. Mothers are so particular about their daughters' appearance that they would go any length to make sure they look well-dressed.

The girls must also be taught proper hair maintenance so that they can look chic in the right accessories placed on hair that is properly combed. Headbands can also assist in keeping the hair away from the face. There are bands and elastics that can secure a ponytail or a braid.

Girls should be cultured into the world of hair products at a young age, so that they are aware of what is best for their hair. They should also be taught how to combine them for the best glamorous appearance and which ones to avoid since there are those that destroy beautiful hair. Good hair gels and conditioners are the best way to maintain the perfect hair for your daughter.

Make sure you spend some time discussing hair accessories with your teenage daughter before buying anything for her. Girls tend to develop very strong preferences in terms of both style and fashion at a very young age so do not buy something without consulting her first! Doing so may mean a waste of money in that you might end up buying something that your daughter will never wear.

Once you have decided what type of hair accessory to buy, take a look online. Often you will find the very best prices online, so it may be a good idea to shop over the internet.

Read more about hair accessories for girls and womens black leather jacket.

How to Make Your Wedding Hairstyle Stand Out

For you lucky girls about to get married, this is probably the biggest party like event that you will ever attend and one of the biggest moments of your life. With this in mind we all want our weddings to be memorable and to achieve that, everything has to be perfect, including the wedding hairstyle that you have selected. With so many people attending the wedding looking their best, it is essential for the bride to look just as radiant if not more than her guests.

If you have not selected a wedding hairstyle to match your dress two months from the actual wedding date, than I suggest that you quickly read my guide on where to find wedding hairstyles. For those who are prepared and have selected a hairstyle to match a lovely dress, let see how we can optimize the hairstyle with some accessories to make the bride stand out among the crowd of people, besides a beautiful white dress of course.

When considering accessories to spruce up your wedding hairstyle, there are quite a few selection of items ranging from small to large that fit different hairstyles including flow downs and updos. There are a wide selection of beads and small jewelry which make small yet noticeable changes. There are also a variety of hairpins that come attached with jewelry or formed in beautiful patterns. There are bun wraps and tiaras in a variety of beautiful designs made from everything from glass to pearls to even diamonds. As you can see there is quite a selection.

Beads and jewelry are good additions without making too much of a splash. These come in glass, crystal, diamonds, and other material as well and can be added in different areas around the hair to provide an elegant look. Hairpins will also contain beads or jewelry, sometimes in beautiful arrangement like floral patterns. These accessories usually come in sets and are the cheapest items available.

Tiaras and bun wraps are hair accessories that make more of an impact on the whole look. Bun wraps are great items to attach to updos. They come in designs which include different jewels including pearls and some are designed in very beautiful floral patterns that can create a fairy tale look when everything fits. Tiaras are probably the most expensive hair accessories that you can get and can make the most impact, not only on the hairstyle but the overall look. There are a variety of tiaras to chose from ranging from cheap to extremely expensive. From floral designs to pure diamond studded ones, the wedding tiara is a very beautiful add-on for some wedding hairstyles. However I do suggest going small with the tiara as a bigger one just takes too much attention away.

For brides or bridesmaids looking for an extra addition to their hairstyle that makes for a unique beautiful look, add fresh flowers. Adding fresh, silken roses that match your dress to your hair can make for a very appealing look. Just purchase a few fresh flowers that match your dress color, cut the stems down to about the size of a hair pin and you have a natural hair accessory that provides a great look.

So have a fun and memorable time at your weddings ladies and always remember that it's your day.

Read more about wedding hairstyles from Cindy Marcus, the editor of Latest-Hairstyles.com, which provides advice on all types of hairstyles for every occasion.

Hot New (Old) Wedding Trend - The Groom's Cake

There is an old saying that what is old is new again, and this certainly holds true when it comes to wedding trends. One of the hottest things going for weddings these days is the groom's cake,which is actually a longstanding Southern tradition. If you are new to the concept of a groom's cake, here is what you need to know...

The groom's cake is a second cake, separate from the big wedding cake. The design of the cake usually comes about in one of two ways: either the groom himself will design it with the baker, or the bride will custom order the cake as a wedding surprise for her intended. Either way, the whole point of the groom's cake is to inject some of the groom's personality into a wedding day that, let's face it, is really all about the bride.

The groom's cake is a medium sized cake that is designed to showcase the interests or hobbies of the groom. They are also often a nod to his bachelorhood that is about to be finished. For instance, perhaps one of the groom's favorite activities was to hand out and play poker with his buddies on Wednesday and Friday nights. This is not to say that once he is married that his card playing days will be coming to an end, but in all likelihood, they will not be what they once were. A fun idea for this groom would be to design a poker themed cake to serve at the reception.

Some passions of the groom that are popular themes for his cake include things like sports, fraternities, cars, and dogs. If the groom is the one deciding on the design of the cake, he might even decide to tie in his groomsmen gifts with his theme. For example, if your cake will be a mini-replica of the stadium of your favorite NFL team, then you could give your groomsmen gifts such as a personalized mug or silver can holder with the logo of the team.

In parts of the country where groom's cakes are not traditional, brides are seizing on the idea as a way to do something special for their grooms. This is especially nice if your groom has been complaining that the wedding is all about the bride. Imagine how happy he will be to find a small cake made to look exactly like his beloved black lab prominently displayed at the reception. This is a very thoughtful way to show the groom that he is indeed more than just a formality at the wedding, and that the bride has been thinking of him all along.

As a counterpoint to the traditional wedding cake, the groom's cake is usually done in a rich dark cake, such as a chocolate or spice cake. This is a nice balance to the classic white cake typically used for the main wedding cake. Since the groom's cake is going to be covered in heavy colored frosting to create the desired scene, there is virtually no limit to what type of cake you can use as a base. It should definitely be whatever flavor the groom loves most.

The great thing about the groom's cake is that it is almost like a tiny sculpture, only done in cake and frosting. This means that you can be as creative as the skills of your baker allow. The only rule is to have fun with it. The groom's cake is a nice way to add some levity to a wedding that is otherwise formal and serious.

Guy writes on many subjects including travel,customs and society. http://www.SilverlandJewelry.com

Groomsmen gifts are the perfect way for the groom to thank his friends for being a part of his wedding.