Won Me

Catch that bouquet of flowers! It is always a joy lining up in a pool of bachelorettes swarming to catch those bouquets thrown by the bride. Just being one of the audiences can be just as exciting. Tradition says that anyone who catches the bouquet would be the next bride.

Flowers play an integral part in any wedding ceremonies. They have been a symbol of new hope and a good future ahead. The bride and the groom would surely feel like heaven with flowers blooming everywhere on their reception. More than a decoration, wedding flowers have now been a tradition. A wedding will be quite incomplete without these fragrant gifts of mother earth.

Hiring a wedding coordinator or a florist so that your bouquet will be professionally done can be considered as an option. But if you are on a strict budget, and have some creativity hidden deep inside you, there is no hurt in making them on your own. They can still look elegant and stunning as long as you know what color and kind of flowers to use. The tips below will help you in customizing your wedding flowers.

1. Choosing Flowers

In picking what flowers to choose, keep in mind the theme and the color premise of the wedding. It should match and blend well with the entourage and the bride’s gown too. Another point to consider is the availability of the flower type. Depending on the season, you can order the freshest, the most available and the cheapest kind of flowers. Flowers like babys breath, orchids, gardenia and roses are readily obtainable no matter what time of the year.

2. Preparing The Materials

The bouquet that the bride carries on the aisle is where the flowers play a major part. It is very easy to create your own. First, gather up your materials. You will need about three dozens of your chosen flower, a sharp scissor, florist tape, and ribbons.

3. Making A Bouquet

It is advisable to order your flowers on the day of the event and get the freshest pick possible. Start by choosing three roses that you would use as the centerpiece of your arrangement. Puff air into the center of each flower to give it a fuller look. Put them together, creating a triangle. Stack each flower unevenly; each one should have a slightly different level of height. This technique adds dimension to your arrangement. Just continue adding up two to three flowers at a time until they form a dome. After which, you can tie them up with a florist tape at least 8 inches below the flowers.

Be sure to ask some help taping the stem, you might have a difficulty holding all 36 flowers and tying them together at the same time. Finally finish out with a suitable ribbon that matches the color of the flowers and your wedding dress. You can tie them up in a bow. Be sure to cover all the florist tape with ribbons. Carefully cut the excess stems with a sharp scissor approximately an inch below the ribbon. Place the bouquet on a plastic container or a vase with a quarter inch of water or you can store them inside a fridge covered by a loose plastic bag. Finally, spray the flowers with water avoiding the ribbons.

That’s it! That’s how you can customize your bouquet. Remember to check your arrangement in a mirror with you holding it so you would picture how it would look like to someone else’s view. Wedding flowers can still look stunning without sacrificing your budget. Now you are ready to walk down the aisle with that pretty and personalized bouquet of flowers in your hand.

Yellow Diamonds are cherished gem stones for their gorgeous color, exotic appearance and mystic power. Which diamond rings look best with yellow diamonds? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. If you haven’t seen fancy yellow diamond rings lately, you’re in for a treat. The new diamond rings designs with fancy yellow diamonds are fashionable and alluring.

Mellow Diamonds - Yellow Diamonds

Want to impress people at a party? Wear yell diamond jewelry such as elegant yellow diamond earrings or a yellow diamond pendant, or earrings, etc. . Yellow diamonds are more versatile than other colored diamonds. Compared to other fancy colored diamonds, yellow diamonds are mellow jewelry… they don’t shout “Look at me!” like other fancy colored diamonds and are loyal to their owners. Whereas a fancy green diamond is green with envy over your lover, a fancy yellow diamond will dazzle with delight at your happiness. One thing though, yellow diamonds like to party all night. Is that ok with you? Cool, then wear your favorite yellow diamond ring and to party till dawn (of later)

Buying Tips - Yellow diamonds

Yellow diamonds are judged and sold on the same was as other colored diamonds, on the basis of the four C’s - cut, clarity, color and carat weight. Of these four, the most important is the yellow diamond’s color. Why? Because that’s why you are buying a yellow diamond - for it’s amazing, heart pounding beauty and the magic it bestows on the luck lady (or man) that wears it. Of course, you should take into consideration diamond quality and buy a certified diamond out of common sense. Is owning a fancy yellow diamond about common sense? Of course not! So stop worrying and let your intuition lead you to the yellow diamond in your life.

Good luck and Yellow Diamonds!

Resource Box Diamond USA is a leading yellow diamonds wholesaler with its own cutting facilities in-house. All Diamond USA yellow diamonds are certified by EGL or GIA. For more info, visit Diamonds USA .

Kew’s - Yellow Diamond, Diamond Rings, Fancy Yellow Diamond, Colored Diamond

There’s no doubt about it, weddings can be expensive. The average cost of a wedding today is $20,000 - $25,000, and weddings are estimated to be a $25.3 billion industry. But don’t worry if your budget cannot stretch for the most expensive custom-made gown, elegant invitation cards, or the top photographer, it doesn’t mean that your wedding will be any less unique or special than anyone else’s.

You just need a bit of guidance and a few tips to help you achieve the dream of your big day. Here are a few suggestions with tips on how to save on some of the more expensive aspects of a wedding.

Wedding Gowns

Do you really need a hand-made wedding dress with beads and diamantes? This is where the big cost is and there are several options in cutting the cost. Why not opt for a second-hand wedding dress? It’s probably only been worn once anyway and you can get a once expensive dress for half the price. Consider buying an evening gown/cocktail dress from a department store or look into renting your wedding dress for the day.

The Reception

This is where the cost of a wedding can get out of hand. The wedding reception is normally the biggest expense, but one of the easiest to cut down on costs. Statistics show that an average of 189 guests attend a wedding, this is a lot. Try and keep your guest list to a minimum, do you really need to invite family members who you have never seen for years? Instead of a three-course meal why not opt for a hot and cold buffet (even cater for yourself)? Instead of holding the reception in an expensive hotel suite or wedding reception, why not consider having it at someone’s home or a club, or even book a restaurant. Keep an open bar to a minimal and only serve beer, wine and soft drinks.

Photography

The obvious choice is to shop around for the best rates, but consider hiring a photographer for the ceremony only and ask a family member or friend to take snap photos of the reception. Or you could go one step further and ask them to take the photographs for the whole day and not bother with the expense of a photographer at all.

Invitations / Stationery

If you’re on a budget and looking for cheaper wedding stationery items, then you might like to consider print-at-home http://www.1st-for-greeting-cards.com/invitation-cards.html There are many online stationer’s that will offer this service free of charge. You pay for the paper and envelopes, then use their software to print directly from your own PC. With sophisticated customization tools you’ll be able to enter your own text and preview it before you print so as not to make any costly mistakes. Alternatively, you can buy software and do-it-yourself from your PC.

Miscellaneous

Flowers can be another great expense, but also an unnecessary one. Why not buy wholesale flowers, or pick flowers from your garden (or a friends or relatives). Buy plain gold or white gold wedding bands as these are the cheapest. Get a friend to make your wedding cake for you and opt for a smaller tier cake and it doesn’t have to be a fruit cake - try a sponge, chocolate or carrot cake! Make your favors and center-peices yourself. Accessories for these can be found at little outlet stores or online. Lastly, instead of a limousine why not rent a car or borrow a luxury car from a friend or relative?

Summary

Weddings are expensive if you want them to be. But if you want to keep money aside for a deposit on a house or a honeymoon to remember, then there are many cost cutting ideas. All you need is a little imagination, and some help from friends and family and you too can have a luxury wedding with all the trimmings.

About The Author

Claire Bowes is a freelance write and owner of http://www.1st-for-greeting-cards.com where you will find further tips and advice on invitation cards ( http://www.1st-for-greeting-cards.com/invitation-cards.html ) and personalized stationery ( http://www.1st-for-greeting-cards.com/personalized-stationery.html ).

Did your wonderful husband-to-be recently “pop the question” and now you are wondering what on earth you have gotten yourself into with trying to plan a wedding? Don’t panic! I was there once and I remember the first few weeks of having no idea what to do or where to start. Our wedding date was only five months away and I was completely clueless as to what type of ceremony I wanted, what colors I liked, who would officiate, where the wedding would take place, and on and on the endless unknowns went. There seemed to be an enormous amount of details to figure out, and time was running out.

Before you do anything, make up a “wedding planner.” This was literally the best thing I did and it saved me so much hassle and allowed me to have a beautiful, stress-free wedding day. There are all sorts of lovely pre-made wedding planners available, but I recommend you make your own. Get a 3-ring binder and notebook paper. Title a separate sheet of paper for each month until the wedding. For the last month, make a separate page for each week. For the last week, make a separate page for each day.

As you are thinking of the 1001 things which need to be done before the big day, instead of letting them overwhelm you, write it down in your wedding planner on the appropriate page when you would like to have that item figured out, done, or taken care of. Use these monthly, weekly, and daily lists to help keep you on track. As items are finished, cross them off your list. If something doesn’t get done one month, move it to the next month.

In my wedding planner, I not only had a whole section with these lists, but I kept everything else needed for the big day. There was a section for receipts (I put some clear plastic pockets to hold these in), a section which listed everyone who was involved in the wedding (so no one would be overlooked on the program), and fabric swatches (so we could match the dresses, the flowers, and the decorations). Another section listed all the out-of-town guests, where they were staying, when they were coming in, and if they needed transportation. There was a section for wedding and shower gifts and thank you cards which still needed to be written. As we met with various individuals (florists, wedding coordinator, and so on), I took notes and kept these notes in my wedding planner for future reference. There was also a section which listed all the contact information for the key people/businesses involved in our wedding (from cake decorator to officiator).

Your wedding planner will be different than mine, because no two weddings are the same. Customize your planner to fit your exact needs for your special day.

As you plan your wedding, make sure and take time to enjoy preparing and looking forward to it. Don’t get so caught up in all the details that you drive yourself and everyone around you crazy! In the end, everything will work out and it will be a beautiful day!

Crystal Paine is the owner of Covenant Wedding Source, LLC, an online retail bridal business specializing in custom-made gowns and other unique wedding products. She lives with her husband in Kansas. For more information on her business, visit her website: http://www.covenantweddingsource.com

Styles and choices in wedding bands have changed drastically over the past few years. Because everyone seems to be looking for something that is unique and different, jewelers are offering more choices than ever before. This leads to a small dilemma, however. With so many different styles now being offered, how do you know whether the band you choose is truly unique? People don’t want something that is just a non-traditional style anymore. People want something that no one else has anywhere. This can be a tall order to fill. Still, even if you can’t manage something completely unique, at least you can find a wedding band that is different enough it will get attention and possibly turn a few heads.

Custom Ordering

This is perhaps the best way to find a truly unique wedding band. It is also one of the most expensive. Although the Internet makes custom ordering much more accessible than it ever was before, you can still expect to pay more for your custom ordered band than you would for any other type of wedding ring. If you are completely set on having a truly unique wedding band, however, this is the way to go.

Tension Set bands:

A very interesting style of wedding band that has started becoming popular is the tension set wedding band. These rings are not a traditional solid circle but instead have a split in the design. In this split a stone is set so that it is held in place by the tension of the opposing ends of the ring. There are positive and negative aspects to choosing a ring with a tension setting, but it is a design that gets noticed. Tension set wedding bands can be custom ordered as well, so the opportunity is still there for something truly unique.

Celtic Wedding Bands:

Wedding bands with attractive Celtic design patterns have been rising in popularity, but are still far from the norm. With so many different Celtic braid and weave designs available, it is easy to have a ring that at least appears to be unique. There are a lot of companies that can do Celtic designs according to custom specifications as well and, because these companies specialize in this type of work, a custom ordered Celtic wedding band is often less costly than other types of custom bands. When looking for a unique wedding band, a Celtic design may be the way to go.

It is often said that there is nothing new under the sun. This old adage may be true, but there are at least options in every situation. The search for a unique wedding band need not be fruitless. Even if you can’t find or afford a true one-of-a-kind ring, the options and differences in styles available will at least help you find something that is unique to you. And isn’t that really all you could ask for? If your wedding band is consistently admired and you hear the question “Where’d you get that” quite often, you can feel satisfied that you’ve found a unique wedding band.

Kirsten Hawkins is an event planner from Nashville, TN. Visit www.wedding411.net/ for more event planning tips, strategies, and resources.

Lifestyle coaching is a term that has become increasingly used over the last 10 years. The term performance coaching first became popular in the United States of America where, together with NLP aka Neuro Linguistic Programming, it became part of a redesigned superb wave of incredibly proactive therapy modalities. Easily Achieve offers coaching to help you Boost Confidence.

In many ways both Lifestyle Coaching and NLP are an answer against certain factors of the person-centred therapy movement, in particular Humanistic and Person Centred Counselling. A problem of the person-centred therapy approach is that it is very reactive and not exceedingly proactive. Although all that works great with some people, with other customers long periods of impasse or low return for time and effort occur. Success coaching and Neuro Linguistic Programming are both human-centred therapy in stance, spending effort on improving a customers happiness rather than jumping into the depths of childhood, as in traditional psychology. Life coachings emphasis is, however, deliberately proactive and resolve issues.

Life coaching is not about telling the client what to do. This is a common misconception. Some life coaches are quite successful in their business careers and then make the cross over to success coaching, thinking that they will merely be required to divulge their pearls of sensational wisdom with the client. Sharing pearls of wisdom is more like mentoring an apprentice in a specific environment. Personal coaching is instead about life as a whole.

Original wedding vows are words you put together to make your feelings known for your spouse. Wedding vows are statements of love, that you are willing to spend your life together, and these words are your own to express how you feel about spending the rest of your days helping each other through life. Writing your own vows can be a little difficult if you are nervous about what to say, but you will find that you can write your vows if you concentrate from your heart.

Where will you come up with the ideas to write your vows? You need to sit down with a sheet of paper or at your computer when you are feeling most loved, after making love, or after spending the day together with the person you will be marrying. This is when your feelings are fresh, and expressing them with words will seem easiest.

Writing words to express your feelings will be original additions for your wedding day. In using vows that you write yourself, you are telling the other person just how special they are, because you took the time to write down exactly what your hopes, dreams, and feelings are when talking about your lives together.

Your true emotions will be expressed in words you want to say to the other person. Don’t try to impress those who are in the church or those who are watching the ceremony but only think about talking to your spouse and the entire process will be easier for you.

How should you get started in writing your own wedding vows? Original words of love are points you want to include in what you will be saying. Remember whispering sweet things in your love’s ear about how you want to hold him/her all night long? Take that feeling and express it in ways that tell your spouse this. Write words that are not taken from other weddings. Using words that are every thing, you have ever wanted to tell him/her but you have never found the time to say aloud.

Write original words that are letters from your heart. I love you, I need you, I want to spend the rest of my life with you, and I want to share everything in my life with you. I will be there in the good times and in the bad times, I want to be your crutch through life just as I need you to be the shoulder I cry on at the end of the day.

Make your vows words that express just how you hurt when you aren’t near the one you love, but that you hurt because you love this person that much. Original wedding vows are expressions of yourself and you can say it plainly in words that you have said time and again, or you can surprise your loved one by creating stories about how much you love them, and how you are going to spend the rest of your life showing them how much you love them.

Amy Lee Johnson regularly contributes to Wedding-Vows-4u.com a site dedicated to helping you with information about everything wedding related. We feature article directories on many topics such as Wedding Vows and Wedding Gowns to help you get the information you need - check them out!

Planning a successful wedding requires careful planning. We have created timeline for some of the most important elements of your wedding planning process.

1 year before your wedding day (or anytime after your engagement)

Announce your engagement
Determine the wedding date
The bride and groom should introduce the parents, if they haven’t already met
Set your budget
Hire the wedding planner
Research possible reception sites
Make a rough draft of the guest list
Join a fitness club if you aren’t already a member at one. Planning and going through your wedding is going to be a lot of fun, but you will need to be in good shape to handle the demands of the wedding planning process.
Research your bridal shower favors and wedding favors

6-9 months before

Decide on your caterer
Hunt for your wedding gown
Select your wedding party
Book a DJ or a band
Sign up with a bridal gift registry
Shop for the bridal attendants’ dresses
Choose a florist
Hire a photographer and a videographer

4-6 months before

Finalize your wedding guest list
Search for a hotel for your out of town guests
Order your wedding invitations
Purchase your wedding gown
Call the bakeries or cake decorators in your area to check for date availability.
Make travel arrangements for your honeymoon

2-4 months before

Order your wedding favors
Shop for your wedding bands
Find out about your state’s marriage license procedures
Reserve or purchase the tuxedos for the groom and groomsmen
If required by your state, get a blood test
Finalize your wedding reception menu with your caterer
Order you wedding cake
Contact your ceremony site about your ceremony music
Make arrangements about your reception music (DJ or band)
Organize the rehearsal dinner
Reserve tables and other necessary items with a party rental company

1-2 months before

Run a complete test of your wedding makeup and hairdo. Invite some friends with you.
Mail or deliver the wedding invitations

1-3 weeks before

Complete the final seating chart for the wedding reception
Contact photographer with the details of the ceremony and reception sites
Provide your reception venue with a final head count based on the RSVPs received
If necessary, make final adjustments to your wedding gown
Facials should be booked for the bride, groom and bridesmaids
Get your luggage ready for the honeymoon
Your bridesmaid or a reliable friend should make sure the following items are promptly delivered: Toasting glasses, Band-Aids, Nail clippers, Cake knife, Emergency sewing kit

Last minute

Most importantly, relax. This is supposed to be a fun experience.
You are about to experience one of the best days of your life.
Welcome your out-of-town guests
To help you relax, do some light physical exercise
Have your hairstylist and makeup artist do their magic on you
Keep smiling, it’s your special day!

George Meszaros www.sweet-reflections.com

It is a Saturday afternoon. In the NY Public Library there is a nicely dressed young lady in her late twenties absorbed in reading Stephen Covey’s
“7 Habits of Highly Effective People”.
On her right at the same table sits a young man of about 30 reading a self-improvement title. The man glanced at the title of the book she was reading and said curiously: “you are
interested in such things. I give instruction in goal setting”. Lady: “yes, I am”.

This meeting can lead to an acquaintance and a social contact very important to both.
But here are the future implications:

The cycle operating on the day of the first meeting is the foundation upon which a relationship is built. If the cycle is negative, the foundation will not be sound and the building will be crooked. The outcome of the first meeting in a negative cycle will always be negative. It cannot bring happiness, harmony, peace and prosperity to both parties in a relationship.

That’s why timing is so important. The farmers wait patiently until the new moon before sowing any seeds. The new moon gives out energy that yields a better crop and no wastage. If the cycle is positive for Alice and negative for Bob, then Alice will benefit and Bob will not. The strong rule the weak. Life operates on the principle of weakness and strength. A relationship is a very big investment of time, money, energy in hopes, wishes, desires and dreams that may be realized.

The moon’s cycle lasts 29 days from new to full. Likewise all the planets have their orbits measured in time. The meeting of two people sets in motion positive and negative events that can be mathematically calculated in advance. A haphazard approach to the first meeting is very risky for it can totally ruin both lives, physically, mentally, materially and spiritually.

If a relationship was built on a shaky foundation and breaks up because of one or both parties’ impulse, it will leave both disappointed, unhappy and disgusted. The result will be a big, indelible blemish on the self-image of one party or the other, very hard to fix by any psychological means.

In the USA, about 50 % marriages are entered into on impulse and end in divorce in the first two years. In India, where a dowry system exists, a girl is considered a burden to be disposed of. The horoscopes of the boy and the girl are astrologically compared. If they do not match, a few extra dollars will coax an astrologer to move the planets till they match. The parents of both parties are thus happy. The arranged marriages are mostly a failure, but the women remain married for procreation and mentally suffer in silence under the social pressure of a joint family system.

In the West, the baptizing of all major ships is considered an important event and carried out by a very important person. The laying of the foundation stone of a building (a presidential library for example) is considered an historical event attended by the most prominent people of the country, as are events like the signing of the American Constitution, the swearing-in ceremony of a new president or the coronation of a king upon ascension to the throne.

In nature nothing happens by chance. The movement of all the planets can be and has been precisely calculated by the astronomers since times immemorial.

The cycles operating in the lives of two people at the time of first contact determine the foundation and the degree of their happiness and prosperity in the future. The starting date of any major undertaking or event determines its future success.

First meeting - important points:

1. The timing when the first meeting takes place.

2. The environment (the location: a restaurant, a party, a hike, a function, etc).

3. The social circumstances of both persons will determine the outcome; i.e. whether one is lonelier than the other.

4. The health of both parties. If one is sick, looking to be nursed by someone.

5. If one is the Casanova type or adventurous then the encounter is a game, an experiment and an exploration on a sexual and emotional level.

6. If one is a religious fanatic and the other is a non-conformist.

7. If one is morally (mentally) weak or sexually starved, then the partner an open target.

8. The basis of a first meeting: sex, exchange of ideas for intellectual stimulation, long- term goal like marriage or just pastime.

One night stands

Many people don’t bother about the moral values of a sex partner and shut out the moral questions in favor of the sensual pleasures for one night. When this is done, a battle between the mind and body follows and gives rise to guilt. This guilt builds up over a period of time and eventually damages both parties. The result is a tarnished self-image very hard to fix by normal means. The limitations thus placed upon the person will give rise to a lack of self-confidence, reduced courage and bad job performance. Living with guilt is like living with an enemy at all times who may attack you without any warning when you are least prepared to handle such an attack.

Dark secrets that no one should know

Don’t tell anyone, I mean no one, about mistakes and blunders made in your youth or impulsive actions that were immoral, illegal or not acceptable to society. If you do, it can lead to psychological blackmail for as long as you live. Not even the marriage partner should know these. Every soul’s personal deeds are no one’s business for only God can judge us. Knowledge of mistakes we made gives an edge to another person. When the relationship goes bad, those secrets may be used against you to silence you, dominate you or suppress you. It can also lead to blackmail involving large sums of money.

Examples are plentiful: Jennifer Flowers and Linda Tripp extorted large sums of money from former President
Bill Clinton. Many people live in constant fear of being exposed and thus blackmailed. Famous people, especially, have to be on guard at all times. Even the slightest mistakes become news. There are people who live off the misery of others. What’s why people buy newspapers. Reading about other people’s problems makes them forget their own misery. It is sadistic, but true.

Copyright 2006 by Ostaro

Ostaro is the author of “The Art & Craft of Success: 10 Steps”, producer of the movie “Cobra’s Wish”, a Metaphysician, Hindu Astrologer and Cabbalist.

Have you heard of Great Lover’s Day? It falls on April 2nd every year. Every body knows about Valentine’s Day, but few seem to be aware of Great Lover’s Day. I sometimes wonder that lovers need a day everyday to celebrate. Because when one falls in romantic love, one wants love at every moment. One wants to be with his/her darling at every moment. Since celebrating such days with flowers is becoming common, I was thinking about how lovers can celebrate such days with something from the Internet. And I thought, why not desktop wallpapers that are designed around the theme of love?

Here are my reasons. What does a lover want from his/her darling? A message of love and an assurance that love is being reciprocated in. What else? Something that can remind the lover at all times of his/her darling, and feel the love. Enjoy the romantic moments and the bliss of love. What can be better than desktop wallpaper on love?

A Desktop Wallpaper sent by the beloved will always remain on the screen. The lover will get to look at it whenever he/she works on the computer. The wallpaper will remind the lover of his/her darling and the care they have shown in selecting beautiful desktop wallpaper and sent it. The lovers would enjoy working on their computers, and would not like to stop the work mid way. The desktop wallpaper is after all on the screen.

Lovers are called crazy, because they defy all logic and conventions. Lovers live for love and to love. A lover is different than other mortals. Because love is the greatest emotion - positive and most enchanting. How about celebrating Great lovers Day with desktop wallpapers?

CD Mohatta writes for ecards and online greetings, screensavers and desktop wallpapers. He also writes his blog on holidays - http://www.holidaystocelebrate.blogspot.com/ The topics of his writings include love, inspiration, holidays, birthdays, nature, religion and spirituality, success etc. You can have his writings on your desktop with free desktop wallpapers. These are static wallpapers which can be your computer desktop background all the time. Read the messages and get inspired all day. He also writes on Love, Marriage and Dating. This website is a guide on dating, love, relationship, romance, marriage, and break ups.