According to a 2005 survey by The Fairchild Bridal Group, the average cost of a wedding is $26,327. And no, that’s not a typo, and yes that is the average!!!

The good news is that you can do it for a lot less and still have the wedding of your dreams. You don’t need to pare down your guest list and no it doesn’t have to be BYOB.

Before you begin number crunching and cutting budgets, make a list of which elements of your wedding are the most important. Start with a list of the major bridal expenditures (cake, ceremony/reception location, flowers, food, formal wear, honeymoon, invitations, music, photographer, and videographer) and rate them in numerical order. Once you’ve put it down on paper, you’ll have a better understanding of your expectations for your wedding.

To discover how you can have the wedding of your dreams and stay under budget, read the rest of the article…

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Your wedding day is one of the most important days of your life. Here are some helpful guidelines to get you through choosing the right hairstyle. For more wedding planning tips visit ArteWeddings.com.

A fun way to decide on the right hairstyle for you is with the Hairstyler, just upload a photo of yourself and view yourself with over 6,000 hairstyles at TheHairStyler.com

1. Be yourself.
Choose a wedding hairstyle that makes you feel like yourself. Brides are often pressured into certain styles because of tradition, current fashions or celebrity do’s. If a particular style makes you feel uneasy, choose something else. What really matters is YOU - it is your special day.

2. Develop a clear idea of what you want.
Before going to your hairstylist, try to develop a good idea of what type of style you would like. Try to be specific - use words like ‘romantic, soft, sulpted’ to describe a look as well as a style. Collect pictures of the hairstyle you are hoping to wear, and bring them to your first consultation with the stylist.

3. A practice run.
It’s a good idea to book a practice run with the hairstylist well in advance of your wedding day. Bring your headpiece and pictures of your dress to the stylist, so she/he can evaluate the best style for you. This is the time to make the necessary changes and adjustments to be sure that you are getting the look you want.

4. Is the hairstyle comfortable?
Wear the hairstyle, and headpiece for several hours to make sure it’s comfortable enough for you to eat and dance in. The last thing you would want isto have a style that is either not secure and is falling out or is so stiff that it gives you a headache.

5. Take pictures.
At the “practice run”, bring a Polaroid or digital camera to take instant pictures. Ask the stylist to take pictures from the back and other angles. These pictures will give you a better idea how the style would look to others (as opposed to just looking in the mirror).

6. Compliment your wedding dress.
Your hairstyle should compliment - not overshadow your wedding dress and headpiece.

7. Colors and chemical work should be done in advance. Don’t have any coloring or chemical treatments done right before the wedding - there is achance that something can go wrong, and there won’t be time to fix it! If you need a color, book at least 2 weeks in advance.

8. Give your guests what they are expecting.
Don’t make drastic changes. Your wedding day is not the time to color your hair in a completely different color or cut off long locks. After all, you would still want people to recognize you at your own wedding!

9. Beware of your height.
Be aware that updos will make you look taller. Depending on your situation, it might work for you or against you. If you are already taller than the groom or are the same height, and you are wearing a shoe with a heel, choose an updo that sits back on your head rather than ontop. If you are short, use the updo to your advantage.

10. Keep it sensible.
The hairstyle you wear on a daily basis is probably the one that suits you best. Ask your stylist to dress it up a little, don’t go too different.

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It’s that time of year again when the little green leprechauns cast their spell over unsuspecting Irish lovers.

If you have a little of the Irish blood running through your veins and would love to incorporate some of the traditions and superstitions of the old country into a Celtic wedding, we may have just what you are looking for.

Visit our site at www.arteweddings.com to discover wedding dress suggestions, traditions and even wedding vows to add a touch of the green to your Celtic Wedding Day.

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We have just added number of pages for those of you who are looking for ideas on having a Disney style fairytale wedding.

While the real thing can cost thousands of dollars and would satisfy even the fussiest princesses, the idea of spending $32,000 on your wedding day, for most brides-to-be is out of the question.

We have compiled a photo gallery of extra special wedding dresses at extra special prices - all under $1000 and I do mean well under!

We have lots of ideas for pulling off a fantasy wedding including fairytale wedding invitations, cake toppers and favors.

Visit our special feature on Disney Weddings and discover if a fairytale wedding is in your future.

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With so much talk these days about making ethical choices, has anyone given any thought to having an ethical wedding? Can a few smart choices make a significant difference?

Here are just a few ideas to get your creative juices flowing - not only is it ethical to go green for your wedding day - think of the money you will be saving!
It could start with the engagement ring- traditionally the diamond means ‘forever’, but with thoughts of the ‘Blood Diamond’ can you really wear that diamond ring with a clear conscience? Until measures are taken to ensure that the diamonds on the market today are harvested in an ethical fashion - without brutality, perhaps another stone or a plain band would be more suitable.

Another alternative is the Polar Bear Diamond. From a diamond mine located in the Northwest Territories, all Polar Bear diamonds are Government certified 100% Canadian in origin. Each Polar Bear diamond is inscribed with the image of a polar bear.

Wedding Invitations - Use email instead of printed paper invitations.

Bridal Attire - Save the landfills from another once only worn wedding dress, consider an heirloom or antique dress, scour second hand stores for gently used dresses, and then return it to be reused again. Better yet - rent one!

Let the bridesmaids wear a favorite dress of their own, at least you will know that it is one they like and will wear again.

So how come the guys have it right? The groom, the best man and the ushers have always rented their attire, right down to their shoes!

Post your ideas and I will keep looking into this alternative wedding idea.

Technorati Tags: ethical wedding, engagement ring, Polar Bear Diamond, Wedding Invitations, wedding dress, bridesmaids

Wedding webstes are one of the best planning tools for the bride and groom who want to stay connected to friends and family.

If you are familiar with web page design, then building your own wedding website will be limited by your creativity.

If you are like many and only use your computer to collect email, then a wedding website service is for you. This type of service is easy to use, very inexpensive and offers a good seletion of templates to choose from.

For our favorite Wedding Website Designer Templates. Click Here.

For lots more information on creating your weding website, read the rest of our article here…

How to get started:

1. Decide what pages and features you want to include in your wedding website. Look at different wedding websites to get an idea of the features you need.

2. Select the wedding website company that best fits your style, your needs, and most important - your budget. Our favorite is less than $3. per month!

3. Organize your website content.

• Write your biographies and a short one for each member of the wedding party.
• Special announcements - Info for out of town guests, parking, location, maps, etc.
• This is where you ca let your guests know where where you have registered.
• RSVP - save money on postage by allowing your guests to RSVP directly.

4: Prepare your content for the web.

Most automated websites allow you to enter information directly in a form. A better ideas is to write out your info in a word processing progam and then copy/paste the text into the form.

5: Prepare your photos for the web.

Choose photos that are well lit, free of dark shadows and are of digital format.

Create Your Own Personal Wedding Website

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Bridal showers are special events designed to give the soon-to-be bride and groom the things they will need to establish their new home. Many of today’s bridal showers are themed, and can be anything from a recipe shower to a wine shower even couples showers, helping the newly weds stock the cupboards.

If you are looking theme ideas and for games for your shower, this is definately the easiest way to get over 60 fun party games, and they are just a click away. Order the Bridal Shower Planning and Game Kit. It’s easy to download the entire shower planning and games kit for just $17.95 In additio you get easy-to-print worksheets, checklists, planning forms, guestlists, and more! Everything prints from your own computer. Start printing as soon as you order!

The bridal shower should be held a few weeks before the wedding date and only those guests who have been invited to the wedding should be invited. Some lucky brides end up having more than one bridal shower, hosted by someone other than the bridesmaids, such as co-workers, family friends etc.

Read more about the bridal shower and get lots of great ideas.

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When it comes to wedding flowers and decorations, the key to pulling off a great look that looks like it cost a fortune, but stays within the budget is in the planning.

There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to wedding flowers, it is really what the bride wants and can afford.

Decorating options are limited only by the imagination and can be reworked to fit practically any budget. If you’re willing to do some legwork there are many options and ideas out there.

From do-it-yourself arrangements to renting silk floral arrangements, planning your wedding flowers should be lots of fun. Involving your bridal party will help generate ideas you might not have thought possible and you just might find that one of the bridesmaids is very creative.

Read the entire article…

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Planning your wedding without a budget is almost guaranteed to land you into serious financial debt. While a wedding budget doesn’t sound all that glamorous, it doesn’t have to be a bad thing.
It’s so important to begin the planning wedding by devising a realistic budget. Wedding costs can rapidly escalate out of control which is why once you’ve got the numbers crunched, it’s equally important that you both stick to your budget.

What’s the key to a successful wedding budget?
Newly-engaged couples must talk about how each envisions his and her special day and open, honest, two-way communication is an absolute must. Brides work on the assumption that guys don’t care about the details but that’s not always true. After all, it’s the groom’s big day too and he has a family to please as well.
Getting Started
It is important to talk openly about what’s important to each of you when you envision your wedding day. First, make a list of what you both want - arrive in a horse-drawn carriage, 5 course dinner, beach theme, color scheme, etc.

Now create a second list of what are absolute necessities - ie photographer, caterer, rings, flowers etc. You’re going to use this list when it’s time to allocate your budget.
Once you both have established an idea of what’s important, it’s time to crunch the numbers. You’ve got to determine how much money is available now - for example; savings accounts, stocks/bonds, cash on hand and how much you’ll be able to save from your regular income, and how much you can realistically expect others to contibute (parents and in-laws).
When you know where the money’s coming from and how much is coming, you’ll know how much you’ll be able to spend. Now make another list of all wedding-related expenses and allocate a dollar amount or the percentage you’re willing to spend next to each item. This will help when you’re actually shopping for these services.

Remember that if you exceed your allocated amount in one area, you’ll have to scale back in another so your budget will stay balanced. Because budgeting is so very important for most couples, you’ll find that books on budgeting for your wedding are plentiful.

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Probably the worst part of the day for the Groom, the Best Man and the Maid of Honor is giving the wedding toasts. Faced with a room full of friends, acquaintances and strangers is no easy task when trying to be cool, calm and witty.

We have all been to weddings when the speeches start and you can’t help but feel pity for the poor guy up there, squirming in his monkey suit, beads of sweat building up trying to sound both sincere and funny.

The best wedding speeches combine, humor, affection and eloquence. Need help with this daunting task? Help is here:
Create a memorable heartfelt wedding speech just by filling in a few simple blanks!
That means in about 5 painless minutes, you’ll have a wedding speech ready to go…
without writing!

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