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Most Important Wedding Etiquette Questions

guests and audience

A wedding is surrounded with traditions and customs that are usually followed throughout the planning process. If you are recently engaged and are just beginning to plan your big day, it is likely that you have many questions to go along with the planning process. Below, you will find answers to some of the most commonly asked questions when it comes to the etiquette involved with the wedding planning process.

Who hosts the engagement party?

Traditionally, the engagement party planning was left up to the parents of the bride. However, this is not always the case and in recent times other family members have taken on this task as have friends of the bride and groom. It is always best to give a small token of your appreciation to whoever hosts your engagement party.

What should I buy for my attendants?

Purchasing gifts for attendants is common and you can offer something small as a gift. Many people choose gifts that can be personalized with their name or a special message. Some of the most popular items are jewelry boxes or jewelry.

How many attendants is normal?

Sometimes it can be difficult to include every important person in your wedding planning process. When you are faced with this dilemma, focus on your top four options for attendants and ask them first. If you have extra names on your list, you can always select them for other important areas of your wedding instead.

Should I put a registration slip in with my invitation?

Typically, this information will be provided in the invitation that goes along with your bridal shower. It is not considered proper to place registration information in with the invitation to the wedding itself.

How much should we pay the pastor?

If your pastor does not require a certain amount of money to perform the ceremony, it is standard to give him $100 to $200. This will help provide them with the money that they need to clean up after the wedding and a little extra due to your appreciation.

How do I handle the meal response cards?

Many people place these cards in with the RSVP cards that are placed in the wedding invitation. While this is acceptable, you may also choose to make the decision yourself. There are likely to be some people who fail to turn their cards back in and you may find yourself scrambling for an answer as the wedding approaches.

When should I send thank you notes?

It is customary to send thank you cards about four to six weeks after a wedding. It is best if the thank you notes are hand-written and personal. This will make your guests feel as though you truly appreciated their presence at your wedding.

Conclusion

When you begin planning your wedding, you are likely to run into many different questions and concerns along the way. Some of the most common questions have been listed above and are a good starting point for planning your wedding.

Best for Bride

Best for Bride can answer all your questions when it comes to planning and implementing your wedding. They are a full service wedding superstore that has everything that an anxious bride needs to make her special day even better. With four locations to choose from, someone is always available to help answer your questions.

 

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Types of Wedding Veils

wedding veils

For upcoming brides, the focus during wedding planning often is centered around the wedding dress, bridesmaid dresses, the ceremony details, and wedding decor. The wedding veil may be forgotten completely until the bride starts planning her hairstyle for her special day. Then, the temptation is to either forgo the veil or grab a plain veil from the nearest bridal shop. There are so many choices for wedding veils. Brides can find the perfect wedding veils to complement any style of wedding dress.

The mention of “wedding veils may invoke the image of plain nettings of nothingness. However, veils have come a long way. The perfect veil can be an extraordinary finishing touch for the bride’s look. Recently, many celebrity brides have worn creative and stylish veils during their weddings. For those who are not familiar with all that a wedding veil can be, here are some examples of types of wedding veils.

A birdcage veil is the shortest type of veil. These veils are just long enough to cover the eyes. Some are worn with a slanting edge that may cover the nose and end to the side of the chin. Two other common types of veils are the shoulder-length, also called the flyaway, and elbow-length wedding veils. A fingertip-length veil is an elegant, classic choice for a traditional bridal look. This is the type of veil that was worn by Kate Middleton.

Ballerina or ballet-length veils are slightly longer than the fingertip-length veil. Many brides who like long veils opt for the ballet length since they are long while being very manageable and not likely to become burdensome. The chapel-length veil extends onto the floor behind the bride. The longest type of veil is the cathedral-length veil. While the chapel-length may extend to the floor a couple inches past the bridal gown, the cathedral-length extends much farther. If the bride is wearing a long gown with a train, the cathedral veil might sweep across the floor beyond the train.

The bride is not limited to choosing a veil based on length. There are unique styles that cannot be described in terms of length. The mantilla is a circular piece of fine netting that has a bold lace edge. A mantilla is held in place with the help of combs. The bride’s face should be framed with the lace edging. A juliet cap is a lace headpiece to with a veil is attached. The juliet cap was a traditional style that is making a comeback.

A bouffant veil is a section of tulle that is gathered at the back of the head to create a retro poufy look. In addition to choosing the best wedding veil length to complement her dress, the bride may have some gorgeous options such as satin or lace edging or double or even triple tiered looks. When choosing the color of the veil, try to select one that is the same exact color as the wedding dress or a shade lighter.

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Your wedding invitation checklist

wedding invitations
via Best for Bride

You have endless options to choose from when creating your wedding invitation. While you can be creative with words and make a remarkable invitation that allows your guests a sneak peek into what to expect, it is also necessary that it conveys all the essential information about your wedding. After all, this card is their go-to reference for everything related to the wedding; and you have to do it right.

To make things easy, we have created this checklist to help you make sure you haven’t left out any necessary details that your guests may seek.

Focus on the Four W’s

The basic idea of any invitation is to answer the four questions – Who, What, When and Where. Before you set off choosing stationery or making an impact with words, ensure that you explicitly answer all four of these questions, and the major portion of your invitation checklist is already covered!

Who: It is a good idea to start your invitation with the names of who is hosting the wedding (either your names or your parents names). Include the last names of both bride and groom in the card, so the guests clearly know whose wedding they’ve been invited to.

What: Next, inform them that the event is a “wedding,” using your choice of words.

When: To answer this question, cite the day, date and time of the event. You should either use a.m / p.m or in the morning / evening, to avoid any possible confusion.

Where: Provide the complete address of the location, including name of venue and street address, so your guests have no trouble locating it even when they are from out-of-town. You can add a location map as an insert, but since this can get lost it is ideal to have the address in the body of the invitation itself. If both the wedding and the reception are at the same venue, you can use a single invitation. Else, a separate card for each event, which clearly lists the specific venue address would be the sensible approach.

Guide to the Type of Ceremony

Specifying this will allow your guests to know whether they are to attend a formal ceremony in a house of worship, or an informal one. Leave no scope for confusion on whether they are invited to the wedding ceremony, or only to the reception. It also helps if you indicate whether it is a black-tie event or a casual ceremony, so they can dress appropriately.

Reply Request

It is a good idea to encourage your guests to confirm attendance, by clearly asking them on your invitation card. For this, include an R.S.V.P line on the lower left corner of the card, with the correspondence address, email or phone number cited clearly. Specify the month and date by which they should respond, so you have time to plan the rest of the arrangements.

Once you’ve accounted for all these details in your wedding invitation, enjoy selecting fancy stationery and spurning words to create a charming invitation. Best for Bride is your one-stop destination for the perfect selection of invitation cards to help you with this. Visit us to find invitation cards, and everything else you need for your wedding.

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Hot Cocktails for Your Winter Reception

It’s cold outside, but that doesn’t mean your guests need to be. A fantastic wrap-up to a hearty and delicious reception meal is a nice hot drink from the bar with a touch of whipped cream, shaved chocolate or even a slice of apple as a garnish. Check out some of our favorite hot cocktails.

Hot Caramel Apple Cocktail

1 quart + 1 1/2 cups apple cider
1 1/2 cups Apple liqueur
1 cup spiced rum
1/2 cup caramel-flavored syrup
3 apples, chopped
4 cinnamon sticks

Place everything in the slow cooker. Cook on the low setting for 1-2 hours. Serve warm.

Tipsy Mochacchino

1 1/2 cups Milk
4 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon Instant Espresso or Coffee
4 ounces Irish Whiskey
Chocolate Sprinkles

Chocolate Whipped Cream

1 pint Heavy Cream
1/4 cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder (or to taste)
1 tablespoon Instant Espresso or Coffee
Sweetner to taste

Whisk milk, sugar, cocoa powder, espresso in a saucepan. Bring to a gentle boil. Add whiskey last. Pour into mugs. Top with mocha whipped cream & sprinkles.

Chocolate Whipped Cream

Add cream, cocoa, coffee powder & sweetener to a stand mixer bowl. Whisk on low for a few minutes until the cream starts to thicken. As it thickens increase the speed slightly, and then to maximum speed. Whip until you have nice peaks. Sweeten more to taste if necessary.

Mulled Wine

4 cups apple cider
1 (750-ml) bottle red wine, such as Cabernet Sauvignon
¼ cup honey
2 cinnamon sticks
Zest and juice of one orange
4 whole cloves
3 star anise
Peel of 4 oranges, for garnish

Combine the cider, wine, honey, cinnamon sticks, zest, juice, cloves and star anise in a large saucepan, bring to a boil and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. Pour into mugs, add an orange peel and serve.

Maple-Fig Bourbon Hot Toddy

2 oz Bourbon
1 oz Fig-Infused Maple Syrup
1 oz Lemon Juice
6 oz Hot Water

To infuse the syrup, combine a cup of chopped figs, with the stems removed, and a cup of maple syrup in a sauce pan and simmer over low heat for 15-20 minutes. Remove from the heat and cover. Let the syrup sit for about an hour, then strain out the figs and bottle the syrup. Combine the bourbon, maple, and lemon in a mug and add boiling water. Top with freshly grated nutmeg and garnish with a whole cinnamon stick.

Want your drinks to look even more beautiful? Check out the accessories at Best for Bride for something to add as a decoration to the bar, or even for the type of glass you’d like the drink served in!