Centuries or decades ago, husbands and wives are stuck to each other for life, in sickness and in health. But nowadays, everything has changed. Most of the parents now are divorced by the time the marriage reaches its tenth year.

That is why modern weddings are further complicated with the emergence of stepmothers. Yes, almost every bride or groom in town has a stepmother.

But the problem is, how are stepmothers dealt with during weddings. From this cue, let us focus on stepmothers.

Stepmothers are usually portrayed as wicked and evil, just in the case of Snow White and Cinderella. But in reality, stepmothers are also human. Most of them are really kind and good-hearted, and some are even better, when it comes to the personality department, than real mothers.

Being a Stepmother

If you are a stepmother, the simplest and most basic ethic you should adopt when your step daughter or step son gets married is to take the back seat.

The principal and most basic issue that hounds stepmothers during step daughter's or step son's weddings is the attire. Focus on that, and be amazed at how every issue and dispute is covered by the issue on attire.

Traditionally, during weddings, it is the bride's mom that decides on everything. The first and basic concern for each wedding is the wedding gown. Biological mothers have all the right to intervene and decide on that.

Take not that in adherence to traditional and appropriate wedding etiquettes, the groom's mom, the bridesmaids and the maid of honor will have to take the fashion cue from the bride's mother.

In other words, the bride should stand out in the wedding. Her mom will have to stand out next to her. No one ever will have or be given the chance to steal their thunders.

It is in this part that the stepmother takes the backseat. To be nice and courteous, just adhere and agree to the bride's mom' fashion statement. If you are a stepmother, your attire during the wedding should never outdo that of the bride or that of the bride's mother.

Doing otherwise will divert attention from the two stars of the moment to you. And that will lead to serious encounters and problems. Do not spoil your step daughter's or step son's wedding just so you can stick out and flash your unique and sensible fashion statement.

Your attire should only be complimentary, in style and in color, to those of the bride's, the mom's, the maid of honor's and the bridesmaids.

Stepmothers during the wedding

The stepmother's sacrifice in the attire department does not stop there. Most stepmothers should be canonized as saints especially if they patiently survive step son's or step daughter's wedding.

In throwing up receptions, stepmothers' attires should still be underdog compared to the bride's and the mom's. Take note, adhere to this wedding etiquette even if you husband pays for the entire wedding. You will not want to arouse his ex-wife's temper. For sure.

During the ceremony, the stepmother, with her dress-down attire, does not normally sit beside the bride's or groom's father. It is still the biological mother that has the right. Stepmothers are usually seated two to three rows back of the groom's or bride's parents.

In several cases, wedding organizers not only advise stepmothers to tone down their attire, they also advise stepmothers to seat where the original wife could not see them. This is to avoid two moms from throwing cake at each other.

If you are a stepmother and you are of the same age, or younger than, as the bride, do not, repeat, do not attend the wedding. You might attract scandals. If you have been the cause of the break up between the bride's or groom's mom and husband, the warnings should be utmost and more emphasized to you.

It is hard to be a stepmother, right? But understanding your position and living it out with utmost fashion and grace will help you outshine the occasion, even if you do not need it. You are not on the losing side. Besides, you have your loving husband with you?the proof and trophy for you being the winner!

It is possible to turn the tides on the wedding industry while taking advantage of the industry when they need the money the most. It is not surprising that most weddings occur during the warmer months of the year and the majority of weddings are held on Saturdays and Sundays. This is prime moneymaking time for the wedding industry. If the bride and groom are not opposed to an indoor wedding, then scheduling the wedding for the off-season winter months is the best way to save a lot of money. An indoor reception site will be just as beautiful regardless of the season. It is also possible to take advantage of the season and plan a themed wedding to incorporate the cold and snow.

Another idea, whether in a warm or cold month, is to have the wedding on a Friday night. This allows people to attend work if they choose and make it to the wedding on time. For people who are flying in, it is still possible to make a weekend getaway with the wedding on Friday night. Wedding venues usually offer a significant discount to people willing to hold a wedding on Friday night. By choosing a date that is in the off-season or on a slow night for the wedding industry, the bride and groom can save significant amounts of money.

There are other ways to save money while planning a wedding. Some wedding vendors are willing to give discounts to brides and grooms who will advertise the services of the company. Sometimes this is as simple as putting out the business cards of the company or a sign in the entrance hall of the wedding venue. Other vendors will be willing to negotiate prices and packages. It is not necessary to always accept prices at face value. Just as much as the bride and groom need the vendor, the vendor needs the work and the exposure.

The wedding dress is one of the easiest ways to save money. It can be tempting to buy the most expensive wedding dress because it is going to be the best quality; however, there are dresses just as beautiful that are less expensive. The best way to save money on a wedding dress is to buy one secondhand. This can be done through consignment shops or through auction sites such as eBay. Bridal shops will also offer sales on the last year's designs when the new designs are released. Chances are that nobody will know when a bride is wearing last year's style. This is a great way to get an amazing dress at a reduced price.

Use these tips to save some cash and look for other ways to save. Every penny adds up, so look for even the smallest ways to save some money. There are so many ways to save on the cost of a wedding that there is no need to go bankrupt in order to say, "I do."

Las Vegas Wedding planning can be a difficult task, especially if you have never done it before!  Many people think that planning a Las Vegas wedding is a simple task, until they get to Vegas and find out it can be more challenging than they think.  Las Vegas is well known as the quick wedding capital of the world. 

Where else in the world can you get married in a blink of an eye.  Las Vegas wedding planning can be extremely fun because having a wedding in Las Vegas allows your friends and family the opportunity to have fun with plenty of things to do to keep them busy. 

Believe it or not thousands and thousands of weddings are planned and performed each and every year in Las Vegas.  That is a staggering number and the main reason why many people go to Vegas to get married is because of all the choices.  One of the most amazing weddings in Vegas is a planned wedding in one of the many luxurious Las Vegas hotel casinos and resorts.  There are tons of people in Las Vegas that are available to help you plan a wedding no matter which one you want.

Las Vegas wedding planning will require you to consider a few things.  You will NEED to make reservations for your hotel you plan to get married at.  If you choose a chapel to get married at in Las Vegas, you must call ahead to make sure they can fit you in.  If you decide to have a wedding in Vegas in the summer, be careful because the temperature can get in the 110 + degrees.  Another great thing about planning a Las Vegas wedding is that to obtain a marriage license it will cost you less than $60.00. 

Most people think that having a Las Vegas wedding is really expensive, even if everyone has to travel to Vegas to see your wedding.  In all actuality, having a Las Vegas wedding is CHEAP!  1 person can get a round trip to Vegas including flight and hotel right now for around 300 dollars for 5 days!  That is amazingly cheap and well worth every penny for the amount of fun you will have in Vegas. 

Remember, if you do decide to have a wedding in Vegas during the summer please remember to have it indoors as opposed to outside.  Having it outside during those conditions can be life threatening.  Many people have outdoor weddings in Vegas during the fall months.   That is definitely the most pleasant time as temperatures remain in the upper 70s.  Your guests will enjoy the outdoor activities during the day and the nightlife of Vegas at night. 

Many people are reluctant to have a wedding in Vegas because they think it is way to expensive.  Now you know that it is rather inexpensive and very doable to accommodate all your guests for cheap.  I wish you the best of luck in planning your Las Vegas wedding!

You should lay it out to your photographer that what according to you would be most vital moments or what exactly would like to be documented. Add if you plan to have video recordings of the proceeding then both the coordination should be in sync.

Include photography in the wedding checklist

All things need to be discussed elaborately with the photographer and an outline must be given as to what pictures you want more taken or less captured. It is common that pictures of the groom & bride are taken separately before the wedding day arrives. So the photographer needs to be given exact dates when he can come over and take these pictures also the photographer should inform you prior to his arrival so that you are dressed up precisely to occasion.

This synchronization of timings will be fitting to derive desired results. Keep the list of demands within acceptable limits or else the photographer could get bogged down with such demand and lose the plot altogether, all the same a professional should be used to such demands from customers and therefore should not be fussy at all.

Pre wedding pictures, then wedding ceremony pictures, pre-wedding pictures, post wedding pictures, photos before and post the wedding receptions and on the arrival and while leaving pictures of the groom and the bride, all the form the basis of wedding photography checklist. Names of important people in your wedding whose photos should be taken should be chalked down and handed over to the photographer.

A full family photo of all the aunts, uncles, cousins and relatives should be arranged at a convenient time suitable to all. As a personal advise I would say that give freedom to the photographer so he can show his creativity in some areas where the light and the background make positioning quite important.

Wedding Posing Guide

Suppose the facility has a garden or water fall then have the photographer click some pictures of the two of in bright sunshine for better effects. When the light is beaming from a side angle or over the head that’s when the effects are the best. Severe light coming from where the photographer is positioned will wash out your pictures. If you can arrange for some photos to be taken at your favorite meeting place or at a theme park then that too will be a good idea. Forget all stressed up matters while posing as pictures should look natural and fresh. Anything natural is appealing and the same goes you’re your photos as well.

Wedding Picture Guide

Some pictures are a must in the album. So make a list of those pictures that you would like to frame up or would like to see again and again. Like a prime photo of the bride wearing an elegant evening gown or the groom sitting besides the bride, the full family photo of the bride’s and the groom’s side standing side by side. Close up of your exclusive wedding cake and bouquet is also sought after photos selection.

Clearly you both will be the ones who will decide what photos are taken and of whom. So, anyways any relation formed is healthy and if you can communicate well with your photographer then that’s just about perfect.

Considering the immense significance and gravity that one attaches with marriage, it is not surprising that men groom themselves as a part of their preparation for the D-day. Any men who harbors the idea of an ideal, romantic and overtly chauvinistic way of dealing with things; one who considers grooming as less masculine, is obsolete, to say the least.

Apart from grooming and choosing the right wedding dress, its important to settle for some nice and cool accessories that will greatly enhance your overall presence and even confidence. In fact most of the accessories for the groom that are available in the market are essential requirements.

There is no fixed list of items that a groom might need in the last lag of run up to the wedding and after. Although it can be well understood that the list will be shorter than the bridal accessories; there is a list nonetheless. And we realize that often ignored necessity of most grooms.

Accessories like bath robes, groom T-shirt, formal black top hat with cane, Kingston engraved collection money clip, Black groom hat, a man’s jewelry box , sunshine men size flip flops, MR T-shirts, chrome alarm clock and many others to plug in any kind of necessities that might arise.

Many of these items are useful as groom’s men gift as well. For instance, the Kingston Engraved collection money clip, apart from being a groom’s accessory; it can also be used as precious groomsmen gift, as well an elegant keepsake for all your wedding guests.

Just to let you know, the Kingston Engraved collection money clip is luxuriously covered with genuine leather. Each clip features an engraved brushed silver-frame, which creates not just a great groom’s men gift, but elegant keep sake. This money clip surely makes for a super practical groom’s men gift.

And if you are planning to head towards the sea beach, after tying the knots, make sure you carry a pair of flip flops to dive on the sand. Specifically themed flip flops like the one which impresses the words, she loves me with each step on the sand, are some of the most unnatural and expected of ways of saying the same.

If you have always postponed your desire to buy this item, delay no more, if you are planning to marry soon. The jewelry box is an elegant way of hiding away all those table cluttering coins, bracelets, watch, business cards etc. It’s a sturdy oak wooden box with four velvet lined compartments; gold tone plate on lid included for engraving.

Marriage is a special event; a never before and never after kind of affair. If you have never groomed yourself, if you have never thought how you look, if you never thought about what you wear, if you have never bought an accessory for yourself; its time to do so, if its your wedding time.

Many brides do not get the luxury of enjoying their wedding day because of all the stress. We’re here to tell you how to get through this so you can “enjoy” your special day.

Here are some important survival steps that you must make before you tie the knot!

Choose a Flexible Location

In an averaged priced wedding, you can expect to pay around $11,000 in location costs. This includes the venue, decorations and food.

Here are some ways to save money when booking a venue:

1. Get married in the off season

2. Getting married on a Thursday or Friday night vs. a Saturday can save a considerable amount of money. You can save 15 to 25% by getting married on a Thursday alone.

Before you choose the location to have the wedding ceremony at, here are some questions that you should ask:

1. Are any special permits needed?

2. Is there a music curfew?

3. Can you light candles?

4. Can you bring your own caterer or do you have to hire theirs?

5. Can you bring your own booze or do you have to buy from the location?

6. Ask about additional and hidden charges! For example, some places will charge for every little last thing, including china, chair covers and in some places, even charge a cake cutting fee.

Even though some of these things may seem minor, they can turn out to be a big problem in the end if not addressed in the beginning.

Be specific about what you want and make sure you are getting what you are paying for.

1. If you are getting married in the summer, are you paying for coat check and is it necessary?

2. Read the fine print.

Don’t have a lot of money to spend? Well her’s a way to look expensive without spending a lot of money - serve expensive appetizers. Filet minion or lobster tails can be served in bite-sized pieces. This makes guests feel very special and they don’t eat very much because its just an appetizer. You can serve something simple like a pasta dish for the main course.

If you are having a cocktail hour, keep in mind that rule of thumb is that you need to have at least three square feet per guest when you are trying to calculate how much room you need.

One thing I must point out that it is very important to check what is going on in the surrounding area from where your reception is. It would be terrible if you were to have a small three piece string band trying to entertain your guests with a major rap party going on next door.

Let Fashion Breathe

If there is one thing that can be more frustrating that choosing a wedding venue, it would be choosing your wedding attire.

Before you start trying on your gown, you should have already made a few choices. When you visit a bridal gown shop for the first time, you should really already have your wedding date planned and your venue selected. Without this, it can be difficult to choose the correct dress for the occasion.

Here are some pointers to help you through choosing your wedding gown:

1. Try on dresses over the course of several days.

2. Don’t pick the first one you fall in love with. Come back to it and see it again when you’ve had a chance to sleep on it.

3. If you can take pictures of the dresses, this would be helpful, but many of the bridal shops don’t allow this.

4. Find a bridal shop that is close to home or work. You will be making several trips back and forth and you don’t want to be driving miles every time you go.

5. Fittings take time. Allow about 8 months to get the gown made.

Smart shoppers can sometimes get the gown of their dreams without going to the poorhouse. Check with some of the stores as sometimes they have sample sales where you can get some great deals. And don’t forget the Internet. You can find many gowns online at reduced prices and then even turn around and sell it later at an online auction site.

What about the bridesmaids? Times have changed from the days where all the bridesmaids wore the exact same gown. You don’t necessarily have to go with a one piece gown anymore. Separates have become popular where you can choose your own top and skirt. Another option is to simply choose your color and/or fabric and let the bridesmaids choose their own gowns. This way no matter whether they are short, tall, fat or thin, they will be able to find something that makes them look their best.

Pick Smart Decorations

Like everything else in your wedding, choosing flowers requires you to be organized. After all, if you fall into the category of a $22.000 wedding, you will be spending upwards of $1500 on flowers alone.

The following it what you should bring to the florist:

1. Your inspiration

2. Pictures of your attire

3. Swatches of your dress and bridesmaids dresses

4. Pictures of your location if you have them

Have you ever thought of lemons, oranges or pink champagne grapes as your centerpiece? Or how about your salad, such as an antipasto display laid out as a centerpiece? You can have individual wedding cakes on the tables so when you cut your cake, your guests can cut their cakes. Centerpieces can be anything you like. Keep in mind though to make sure your centerpieces are not so high that your guests have to stand up or peek through to see the person across from them.

Hint: If you are having your wedding outdoors, dryer sheets make a great mosquito repellent. Put them in the bridal bouquet and other arrangements to keep pesky critters away!

Last minute advice:

Great! So you’ve made it this far and are now ready to take those steps down the aisle. But before you do, here are some ideas that will help you to remember your special day for the rest of your life.

1. Take some time on the day of your wedding, to sit down and write about your thoughts, the smells, what did the food taste like, did your grandmother wink at you during the ceremony. Make this like a little letter to yourself and whenever you read it, the memories will come flooding back.

2. On your wedding day, rather than thinking of all the things that need to be done, get a massage, have lunch with your best friend or have a chat with your mother. The idea is to create an oasis of “calm”. Dream about what the day is going to be like, not what you might have forgotten to do because it should be all done by now.

3. Don’t have outlandish expectations. Have you ever seen a perfect wedding? No such thing. There’s beautiful weddings, outstanding weddings and wonderful weddings, but there are no perfect weddings.

4. Between the wedding and reception, find some time alone with just you and your spouse. It will be your only private moment all day.

5. And the last tip is be prepared for a wedding day crisis. If you are, then it will be much easier to relax. A well stocked emergency kit is a must have. Wedding emergency kits can contain almost everything from jumper cables (incase the limo doesn’t start) to black socks (incase one of the groomsmen forgets to bring them - it does happen!). They also contain, aspirin, saline solution, safety pins, nail files, masking tape, super glue and more.

No matter what kind of an event you plan, the goal is to live happily ever after.

You may ask why there will be guidelines when you have a theme. This is mainly because your decisions will probably be made based on your wedding theme. If something does not go with your theme, you will not consider it, and vice versa.

As a result, it will be a good idea to have a theme before you actually plan your wedding. Below are some of the ideas you may use for your theme.

A theme which depicts the notion of being under the sea will be extremely interesting. You can make sculptures of mermaid as your decorations in your venue. It will certainly be very beautiful and interesting. You can also use lighting effects to mimic the effects of being under the sea.

Considering the color of the theme, you may think that you can only use blue. Yet this is not the case. You can use a lot of colors if you want. The sea animals can be of various colors and it is totally alright to make your venue really colorful.

Regarding the dress, you can wear something that make you look like some beautiful animals in the sea. The mermaid is of course a great example. However, in this case you will probably need to go to a designer to design your wedding dresses.

Another theme you may probably think of is a beach theme wedding. Regarding such themes, the main idea will be sun, sea and beach. You can make some sculpture of seashells and starfish to decorate your venue.

Most probably you will be hosting an outdoor wedding in this case, you will need to get some shelters so that you can protect your guests from the sun. You can also decorate your tents or marquees such that they reflect the idea of sunshine and sea.

You should also pay extra attention to the food to be served. You will probably serve a buffet to your guests. And it will be even more perfect if it is barbecue buffet. Everyone will enjoy having a barbecue on the beach. Of course one drawback of this is that it will be quite hot.

From the above, you will see that you can make the decisions a lot easier when you have a wedding theme. As a result, be sure to think about your theme first!

Some of the things you need to plan are what kind of dress, make up, your hairstyle, what kind of jewelry, and other things that you want included in your special day. There are lots of helpful resources available to help you with the planning stage of your wedding, especially online, plus you can pick up some wedding and bridal magazines.

When you are choosing a wedding dress don?t just choose it because it looks pretty on the model. Your wedding dress should be something that you really like, but it should also go with your body type as well. Choose a wedding dress that accentuates the positive aspects and minimizes any negatives. Look at a lot of different styles before making a choice. Take a friend along, or better yet make it a fun event and take several friends or your sisters and go make a day of it. When you find a dress you like, try it on and make sure it isn?t too tight. You want it to fit well and still be comfortable and be able to move around so that you will be able to dance and have fun at the reception afterwards!

After you have chosen a dress that you are happy with you have to find a pair of shoes that will look good with it. If you are going with the traditional look of a white wedding dress then you will want some sort of white shoe. The exact type of shoe is a personal preference. You can choose everything from a shoe that is like a ballet slipper to sandals, to a pump. I do recommend however that if you are very tall, not to wear a heel. The length of the dress you have chosen will have a lot to do with the decision of shoes as well.

Now that you have covered the main parts of your wedding day wardrobe, you may want to add some customization to your apparel to personalize it a bit. One excellent way of doing this is by accessorizing with jewelry. The jewelry should accentuate your wedding dress and not draw attention away from it as the dress should be the focal point. A nice necklace and earrings and possibly something woven into your hair will do nicely. Remember not to wear any rings at all other than your wedding ring that you will receive on your big day.

Plainly planning a wedding is a professional job that requires in-depth knowledge and organizational skills. And have no clams that these skills are not easy to acquire. What schooling gives you might not be found elsewhere even at higher price. There are many wedding school options and here we will have a closer look at them.

The Association of Professional Wedding Consultants (ACPWC)

The Association of Professional Wedding Consultants is only one such body that certifies those enrolled into their courses as certified wedding consultants. This is the sixteenth year of their running operations, where in the school offers a range of courses. The school has a 5-day course to some weekend ones and home study materials.

The certification levels also are different and students who professional certification are enlisted as members in the directory. Now wouldn’t it help your new business if had one such certification. It takes nearly four months to finish home study course. School tuitions are reasonable, ranging from $800 & $900 based on course of study applied for.

Needless to say certification will make adding vastly to you skills credibility and your name on their membership directory will enhance your reputation. ACPWC has a countrywide presence with associates who help guide you. Most other schools do not have such a large presence and therefore not well established to bring in the experience and updated material to give you the edge in a competitive scenario. This way wedding planning trainings can be attained quickly.

Other available options -

You can also search the Internet. Learn wedding planning courses for which the US Career Institute offers a 4-month course. While opting for tutions the institute has special payment timetable. If you cannot visit the school regularly then DETC or Distance Education and Training Council has sanctioned this particular course where in you can learn wedding planning courses.

This is just one such online school. Before you take any step in deciding on an online school make sure that the school is accredited. This will only ensure that you education has some recognition.

There are schools that have on campus trainings, which are equally beneficial. Few community collages and select vocational schools offer these courses. Such schools have to be found locally or online. Online or study from home courses might cost you less, job placements assistance from regular school is the main benefit. Plus you can make head way right on the onset by having local interactions; this shall not be possible when using online courses.

For those people who are already having a busy career life or moms with kids to take care of can opt for study courses or online tuition but the benefits of attending regular school are immense. If you wish to make a career out of wedding planning then there are no short cuts and going to school is a must.