Small Wedding Ideas For A Small Intimate Wedding

By Anna Sher 

Why on earth would anyone want to throw a smaller wedding? In these days of over-the-top celebrity weddings and spending enough on a wedding to put you in debt for years to come, you don't hear much about small weddings. But they are making a comeback, particularly for those brides who prefer a more personal, intimate atmosphere. That's why I wanted to share some small wedding ideas with you in this article.
First, though, let me clarify a few things. A small wedding does not mean an informal wedding, or a simple wedding, or a cheap wedding (though obviously, because the guest list is dramatically reduced, there can be significant savings). It simply refers to the size of the guest list. Instead of inviting your best friend's great aunt from Pittsburgh, the guest list and wedding party are confined to a small circle of close relatives and friends. How small? Often as small as only ten to fifteen people.
Beyond sharing the most important day of your life with a small, intimate group of friends, a small wedding allows you the freedom to focus on those areas of the wedding that are most important to you and might otherwise have been out of your reach.
For instance, a smaller wedding makes a destination wedding far more practical than a large wedding. A destination wedding is exactly as it sounds ... the wedding is held out of town, at a setting that meets the interests of the bride and groom. Las Vegas is a destination wedding. A theme park, such as Disney World, is a destination wedding. There really are few limitations ... a mountain lodge, a beach house, a bed and breakfast, a ski trip, etc. When the wedding party and guest list are small, a destination wedding becomes much easier to achieve.
But what if you'd like to keep things simple?
The reception for a small wedding can be held in the intimate, comfortable setting of a family member's home. It can be held at the favorite restaurant of the bride and groom. It can be held out doors at a favorite park, or in the backyard of your best friend. With these more intimate weddings, your options are nearly unlimited.
You also have more leeway in your food choices. If this is an important area for the wedding of your dreams, then catering or dining out at a fine restaurant are far more likely to fit within your budget. But you may equally enjoy a potluck or a buffet or even an afternoon of hors d'ourves. A smaller wedding allows you the freedom to pursue the wedding you really want for yourself.
Small Wedding Ideas
Here are several unique small wedding ideas that can make your wedding day memorable for the rest of your life:
1. Since the whole idea behind an intimate wedding is to share the day with close family and friends, consider making your own wedding favors. For instance, a homemade goodie basket of cookies, breads, and candies. Or personalized CDs created with the music that you and your loved ones enjoy. The point here is to make your wedding favors as personal as possible.
2. How about having your guests sign and write a personal sentiment on a tablecloth? Then, at a later date, you can have the signatures and sentiments permanently embroidered into the tablecloth as a family keepsake.
3. Make your own wedding invitations, personalizing each one with a special sentiment. You can design them completely from scratch, choosing the paper you want, adding dried flowers or bows, or even adding your own background image if you're talented in this area (or know someone who's talented).
4. Instead of the usual reception activities, try activities that you know your guests enjoy. For instance, if your family and friends enjoy board games, run a tournament with the winner taking home a gift basket of games. Or try a scavenger hunt, or a softball game, or a trip to a local movie theater.
The idea behind a smaller wedding is to share your special day with only a few special people. Since the size of the wedding party and guests is easily manageable, small weddings ideas often allow you to pursue the wedding of your dreams when otherwise it wouldn't be possible. Whether it's a fancy, elegant wedding or a few close friends sharing a common interest, the choice is yours. Make your intimate wedding a wedding that you'll never forget.

If you're considering a small wedding and looking for low cost wedding ideas, I've discovered an excellent resource with several solutions. Discover great ideas for throwing the wedding of your dreams while saving money: Budget Wedding Ideas.

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How About Designing Your Own Wedding Dress?

By Richard Keir 

As you probably have begun to realize, planning a wedding is both exciting and often more than a little nerve-wracking. Preparing for a ceremony as special as a wedding is plenty of cause for excitement and anticipation. However, there is so much to do and, most likely, since you'll want it to all go perfectly that's plenty of cause for anxiety and stressed nerves. And when you consider that it isn't the kind of thing we do on a regular basis, nor something that we normally have any training for, you need to ease up a little on the quest for perfection and try to focus on the excitement.
Your wedding dress is likely to be the most significant component of the wedding ceremony. Everyone's eyes will be on the bride. Whatever style of wedding you settle on, you'll find that there's a lot of traditions that relate to the wedding ceremony - even with some of the more unusual themed weddings. Still, there is room for you to add your own special touches - to make your wedding uniquely your own.
If you've never thought about actually designing your own wedding dress, you should give it some thought. If you've priced wedding dresses, you'll be aware that even low-end brands may cost over 5 or 6 hundred dollars. Dresses sold by bridal shops tend to include a lot of overhead and additional costs which you can avoid by designing your own wedding dress. If you have a friend or relative who is well-skilled in sewing, you can save even more money. One of the greatest benefits of designing your own wedding dress is that you will end up with a true one of a kind, a wedding dress no one else owns.
One caution - before you start designing be certain that you have or can find a person with the needed skills to actually create your wedding dress from your designs and ideas. This is not something you can wait until the last minute to do. You'll need to spend some significant time working with this person - well in advance of the wedding - so make sure of both the person's skills and availability.
A good place to start generating ideas for your wedding dress design is to consider the theme of the wedding and when and where it'll be held. Is it going to be a summer wedding? A winter wedding? Will it be outdoors or indoors? Will the reception be indoors or outdoors? What special characteristics does the location have? This is particularly important for an outdoor wedding since the answers can have a significant bearing on the style of wedding dress you design. As an example, an outdoor wedding in Texas in the month of August requires a wedding dress design that will not leave you soaked in perspiration. You should also consider how formal or informal the wedding ceremony itself will be.
If you don't already have some ideas for a design, a good place to start may be with bridal magazines, wedding dress catalogs and even on-line bridal shops. All these can be good sources for ideas to use in designing your own wedding dress.
While you are always free to design your wedding dress to reflect your personal style, most likely you'll want to follow one of the standard shapes generally used for wedding dresses:
A-line - Empire - Straight - Ball Gown - Mermaid - Strapless.
The shape of your body is an important factor in choosing a wedding dress shape that is most appropriate for you. If you have a full figure, or what is considered a "pear" shape, an A-line style dress may work best for you. A dress with this style accents the top-half of the body which is smaller while concealing a larger bottom half.
Not many women tend to opt for a straight wedding dress, including women with coke-bottle figures for whom this style of wedding dress was designed.
If neither of these styles seems to suit you, then a ball gown may be a good choice. This style of wedding dress has a snugger fit at the waist with a somewhat exaggerated full skirt.
A strapless style can be integrated with several shapes. The so-called mermaid style tends to be somewhat uncomfortable and not particularly popular. If you feel uncertain about what shape may work best for you, you can always visit a bridal shop and try on several styles to find the one that appeals most to you.
Once you have chosen the shape, design and style for your wedding dress, you are ready to consider the type of material. Silk and linen are both commonly used in creating wedding dresses. Both can be fairly costly and linen, in particular, tends to be quite delicate and require considerable care when putting the wedding dress together. There are also blended materials which use silk or linen along with other man-made materials allowing the creation of a fabric which is both beautiful and substantially easier to work with.
Once you've decided on the shape and design, and chosen the fabric, it's time to get together with the individual who will be making the wedding dress for and begin bringing the wedding dress of your dreams out of your dreams and into reality.
Copyright 2006 Richard Keir

You can visit Elena's Completely Weddings at http://Completely-Weddings.com for more on weddings and wedding dresses.

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Wedding Hair Accessories - Q&A

By Bobette Kyle-Wagner

Hair accessories are an important part of a perfect wedding hairdo. Yet, many brides are at a loss when it comes to understanding their choices and what will actually look good on them. Here, we answer some common questions related to bridal hair accessories.
Q: I don't quite get it. I have read a lot about veils and have an idea of what type of hairstyle I want. But what else should I do with my hair? Why would I even want more than a veil?
A: Headpieces and hair jewelry are ways to pull a look together if wearing only a veil leaves you wanting more, or if you plan to remove the veil at the reception. Tiaras, crowns, decorative combs, backpieces, barrettes, wreaths, bun wraps, headbands, caps or hats, and hair jewelry can each complete the bridal look in a different way. A bun ring or tiara, for example, can add a regal touch.
Q: I want an extra something, but don't want my hair to be the center of attention (I'm hoping my gown will "steal the show"). How can I accessorize my hair without distracting from my beautiful dress?
A: Think understated. Choose a subtle headpiece that complements the detailing in your gown, or works with the rest of your jewelry ensemble. Consider a headband wrapped in fabric to match your dress. Or choose a comb decorated with pearls or other subtle embellishments. You could also twist a strand of small crystals or pearls through your hair, to match a necklace or earrings.
Q: I've always adored hats and would love to wear one when I walk down the aisle. Is that okay?
A: Of course! It is your day and your personal style should shine through. For a sleek, close-to-the-head look you can wear a Juliet cap (which looks like a bridal skullcap) to anchor your veil. You could wear a birdcage veil under a hat, or go the Jackie Kennedy look with a pillbox. Bridal hats range from very small to floppy and large-rimmed. It's a matter of your personal taste and which will look best with your gown.
Q: This is my second wedding. Let's say I'm "getting up there" in years and would feel silly wearing a veil. I don't like hats, either. I feel like those are my only options, that I'm destined to be a boring hair bride. Any ideas?
A: Hair jewelry is a perfect option for you. Try corkscrew-like twists decorated with pearls, rhinestones, or crystals. Twist them into your hair to add interest to an otherwise ordinary hairstyle. The previously mentioned method of weaving a strand of pearls or gems through the hair would work for you as well. You could even get children and grandchildren involved by making the jewelry. Create the jewelry as a family (with supplies bought at an online or local jewelry supply store), and then pass it down to them as a keepsake after the wedding.
Hair accessories can add a finished look to your bridal ensemble. Remember to keep your own style in mind and choose hair accessories that create a balanced look. You will be gorgeous!

Bobette Kyle-Wagner is publisher at http://www.MyOnlineWeddingHelp.com -- a Website helping engaged couples get the most use from Internet wedding resources. The site includes online wedding tips, original articles, and tutorials. Read more about wedding headpieces at: http://www.MyOnlineWeddingHelp.com/headpieces

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