Wedding planning

The Flower Girl is usually the niece of the bride/groom, a close friend’s daughter or any other young relative, generally between the ages of three and eight.

Duties of the Flower Girl

The Ring Bearer has these duties to perform at a wedding

Destination weddings are what dreams are made of: lush locales, balmy beaches or exotic extravaganzas. The bride may have always harboured a secret fantasy of getting married like royalty – in a castle, like Madonna did! – or saying ‘I do’ in a quaint church tucked away in the mountains, on board a cruise ship or the ever- popular beach wedding. And it doesn’t have to remain a dream, because destination weddings are gaining popularity as they are more affordable and manageable than they initially appear. In fact, a destination wedding might just be ideal for you if you want…

A wedding invitation provides your guests an insight as to what to expect of your wedding. It expresses to your guests the style of your wedding - in terms of its formality or informality; grandeur or intimacy - and acts as a lasting souvenir of your special day. A considerable amount of thought, planning and creativity, as well as personal style and preferences go into wedding invitations.

Your guests are one of most important considerations in a wedding –your guest list will determine the size of your wedding and your budget will be guided by it. Or rather your budget will dictate your guest list! Guest lists can be the source of much friction and animosity in the wedding planning if not handled with a certain amount of discretion and sensitivity.

A few points to ponder as a couple, before drawing up your guest list…

Size/scale of the wedding

When invited to a wedding, one of the first things that come to mind for a guest, probably following close on the heels on ‘What shall I wear?’ is the question ‘What gift should I give?’ A wedding gift is a guest’s way of showering on the newlyweds a tangible expression of their wishes for the couple – it could be a big ticket item, something that will give them a headstart in their married life, or just a token of their good wishes for the couple.

He’s popped the question, she’s accepted. They’re both walking on cloud nine. It’s a glorious time to revel in the beauty of the moment and envision life ahead. She’s probably dreamt of her ‘Prince Charming’ sweeping her off her feet and living ‘happily ever after’, since she was a little girl. He’s probably been running scared of this moment (and the commitment it entails) since his adolescent days – until he found her – the woman of his dreams. Before you know it, it's time to descend from the clouds and involve themselves in the mundane, but nevertheless exciting task, of planning their wedding.

From the blissful dreams of your ideal wedding, emerge the hard realities of facts and figures. Wedding expenses can hit you hard and you have to budget realistically, based on the following factors…

Technology has permitted so many advanced changes in our lives that are apparent in wedding planning as well. Wedding websites are now becoming increasingly popular as effective tools to manage relevant information pertaining to the wedding and to keep guests abreast and updated on various aspects. More simplistically, a wedding website is a couple’s public expression of the exciting build-up to a wedding and their way of sharing that excitement with their family and friends.

Your best friend or close cousin is getting married and you want to give him something special, here is a list of things you could choose from, either that he and his bride can enjoy as a couple, for the home or exclusively for him.

For the home

1) Paintings
If he’s into modern art or loves a good canvas, you could gift him one for that blank wall in his apartment.

2) Beer mugs
If you’ve bonded over beers and soccer games, a set of monogrammed beer mugs adds a nice touch.

3) Whiskey glasses