Wedding Day Setting Up Planning Tips - Wedding Photographer in Gauteng (www.solodeogloriaphotography.com)

Wedding Day Setting Up Planning Tips 

Dear Do-It-Yourself Bride,
Planning a wedding on your own can be stressful and there really will be at least a couple of things that might fall through the cracks if you don't plan ahead. So today's tip is perfect for helping you plan for the details of your wedding day set up.


First things first, we all know one of the reasons your a "do it your self" bride is for the obvious reason, that you like to do it your self, but you need to accept that on this day, your best friend will the word "Delegate". You will not be able to do everything to make your perfect vision of your wedding day right without asking for help, hens Bridesmaids & Family. But because you have a very specific vision of what needs to happen and what needs to go where I have come up with the following tips to get that vision in place without having to do it your self, with the hair stylist and make up artist chasing you around the venue. 

Before you get started with the detailed planning, make a time line of the wedding day that you have discussed with your vendors and bridal party. Make the time line in at least 1 hour intervals. Then send this time line to the vendors and bridal party. This way everyone will know, where to be at what times, and will know where you and your partner will be.

Wedding Day Set Up Tips:
Reception Set Up:

• Have a clear vision of what the reception hall should look like at least 2 - 3 weeks before the wedding day. Draw out a layout of the reception hall and where you want every table to stand. Take this diagram and print it on a A3 or A2 size to post up on the reception door while setting up is taking place. Then everyone, even the venue staff will know where everything should go.

            * Cake Table
        * DJ Table
               * Studio Booth
            * Gifts Table
                            * Welcome Drinks Table
                        * Seating Chart Table
                * Guests Tables
             * Bridal Table
                       * Dance Floor Space
                           * Couple Entrance Door

• Design your table layout with everything in it's place on a table at home and take a picture of what it should look like. Do this in detail, from name tag, plate arrangement, even the decor of the chairs. These photos will be the key to helping the people your trusting to help you set up, to get it right. 
• You then pack a box of decor for each reception table. Everything from the specially designed napkins, name settings, table cloths, center pieces, and candles go in the box allocated to that one table. Number the box to the table number that will be given. Do the same with the cake table, the gifts table, and the welcome table. Stick the pictures you took of the table set up to the lid of the inside of each box along with a detailed list of any extra things that will not be in the box, such as fresh flowers.

Chapel Set Up:

• Make a set up box for the following:

                  * Flower Table
                   * Signing Table
          * Podium
                                      * Aisle Decor / Chapel Doors
                * Chair backs
                    * Confetti Table 

• Take the same decor planning photos of your chapel decor and make a detailed to do list.
• Make the same type of setting up boxes, adding your design photos and to do list to each box. 

Main To Do List Items:
Make a To Do List Book, allocating the list of things to be done between the bridal party and family who will be helping set up. Make a heading with each person's name, with the list of things they need to get done. Also add a check box to each item, so everything can be checked off as its done. Put this book either next to the reception hall diagram or give it to your maid of honor to be responsible for. This way anyone can go check what they need to get done, without asking you every 5 minutes. 

This might seem like a lot of planning and work to do to get ready for your wedding day, but this will make sure you have less stress on your wedding day and you can enjoy the day without having to do every thing yourself. Nothing is perfect, and something will go wrong or be out of place no matter how hard you plan, but just accept that it might and that this day is about so much more than the decor. It's about you and your partner making a promise for the rest of your life, and the people who love you, celebrating that day with you. Remember, planning the wedding is part of the wedding experience so enjoy it and don't allow it to distract you and stress you out. 

Prop Ideas For Studio Booth @ Your Wedding Reception - www.solodeogloriaphotography.com

Prop Ideas For Studio Booth @ Your Wedding Reception

Having a studio booth at your wedding reception can be a great idea to get people to have some fun taking photographs. Speak to you wedding photographer, to find out if you can have a studio booth to make your wedding reception even more interesting. We want to give you a few creative prop ideas to use in your studio booth.

To start off, you need a few templates to make your prop cut outs. Please find below a template cut out design you can use. After you have printed and cut out your props, you can get started on making them. Get yourself some dell sticks or even ice cream sticks will work well. Then stick your card board cut outs to the back. 

10 more prop ideas that could work well for your studio booth FUN:

• Top Hats
• Old Vintage Suit Cases
• A modern couch
• "Happily Ever After" Sign
• Over Sized Glasses
• Feathers
• Over Sized Ties
• "Mr. & Mrs." Sign
• Chalk Sign to Write Message for the Happy Couple 
• "Congrats" Sign

What do you do with the photographs after the wedding?
You can use these photographs to make a Thank You DVD to send to all your guests. 

(This template provided can be printed up to A2 size)
For the individual template designs, please request directly from us, we'll send it FREE of charge.

20 Wedding Facts I Bet You Didn't Know..... Wedding Photographer in Gauteng (www.solodeogloriaphotography.com)

20 Wedding Facts I Bet You Didn't Know..... Wedding Photographer in Gauteng
Following the interesting wedding costumes blog we did last week, we thought we would treat you to some more strange and out of the ordinary wedding facts, you might never have heard of. This really should make you questions some of our traditions, and wonder the true meaning behind, why we do certain things at our weddings....
 

So here goes, 20 wedding facts I bet you didn't know:

• The English believe a spider found in a wedding dress means good luck.
• In English tradition, Wednesday is considered the "best day" to marry, although Monday is for wealth and Tuesday is for health.
• Saturday is the unluckiest wedding day, according to English folklore. Funny -- it's the most popular day of the week to marry!
• A Swedish bride puts a silver coin from her father and a gold coin from her mother in each shoe to ensure that she'll never do without.
•  Finnish bride traditionally went door-to-door collecting gifts in a pillowcase, accompanied by an older married man who represented long marriage.
• Moroccan women take a milk bath to purify themselves before their wedding ceremony.
• Engagement and wedding rings are worn on the fourth finger of the left hand because it was once thought that a vein in that finger led directly to the heart.
• In the symbolic language of jewels, a sapphire in a wedding ring means marital happiness.
• A pearl engagement ring is said to be bad luck because its shape echoes that of a tear.
• One of history's earliest engagement rings was given to Princess Mary, daughter of Henry VIII. She was two years old at the time.
• Seventeen tons of gold are made into wedding rings each year in the United States!
• Snake rings dotted with ruby eyes were popular wedding bands in Victorian England -- the coils winding into a circle symbolized eternity.
• Most expensive wedding ever? The marriage of Sheik Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum's son to Princess Salama in Dubai in May 1981. The price tag? $44 million
• In Denmark, brides and grooms traditionally cross-dressed to confuse evil spirits!
• Queen Victoria's wedding cake weighed a whopping 300 pounds.
• Legend says single women will dream of their future husbands if they sleep with a slice of groom's cake under their pillows.
• The bride stands to the groom's left during a Christian ceremony, because in bygone days the groom needed his right hand free to fight off other suitors.
• On average, 7,000 couples marry each day in the United States.
• The Catholic tradition of "posting the banns" to announce a marriage originated as a way to ensure the bride and groom were not related.
• Brides, tuck a sugar cube into your glove -- according to Greek culture, the sugar will sweeten your union.

Source: The Knot
http://wedding.theknot.com/wedding-planning/wedding-customs/articles/50-wedding-traditions-superstitions-facts-trivia.aspx?MsdVisit=1

Wedding Costumes From All Over the World - Wedding Photographer in Gauteng (www.solodeogloriaphotography.com)

Wedding Costumes From All Over the World - Wedding Photographer in Gauteng
People get married all over the world and everyone have their own very unique costumes and traditions, that make it special to them. We wanted to widen your perspective on wedding costumes and give you some new inspiration on making your wedding special. 

Wedding Costumes From All Over the World - 

• Indian Costume - As a pre-wedding celebration ceremony, the bride and groom exchange rings and the family celebrating with them, exchange sweets and gifts. They also have a "Mehendi Ceremony" where the bride has her palms, wrists, arms, legs, and feet decorated. 
• Jewish Costume - The couple gets married under a chuppa, which is a white covering. The belief behind this is meant for protection from evil spirits. They also have a tradition where the groom takes the wine glass that both the bride and groom has drank from, and he breaks it in a cloth. This symbolized the destruction of the holy temple. 
• Japanese Costume - The bride gets painted white from head to toe, declaring she is a maiden. She then also wears a white hood, to cover her "horns of jealousy" towards her mother-in-law. This then shows her to be a gentle and obedient wife. The couple then drinks sake, and at the moment of taking their first sip, they are married. 
• Jamaican Costume - In Jamaican costume, sometimes the whole village will come together to help plan the wedding ceremony. The bride and groom then walk down the street, and if the bride is not well presented, she is publicly criticized. As the tradition stands for a bride to wear white, the groom has to wear a bush jacket for the event. 
• German Costume - They plan well ahead for their weddings. When a baby girl is born, several trees are planted for her, and when a wedding date is set the trees are sold and the money used at part of her dowry. A newspaper is then also created that covers the engaged couple, with pictures and stories of their plans. This newspaper is then sold at the wedding to help pay for the honeymoon. 
• Czechoslovakian  Costume - Before the wedding the bride's friends will plant a tree in the bride's front yard and decorate it with ribbons and painted egg shells. The tradition says that the bride will live as long as the tree. Fertility is a very important part of the czechoslovakian culture. In celebrating this, the bride is given three motherhood promoting dishes: wheat for fertility, millet mixed with ash to sort through to prove her patience, and in the third a sparrow hides under the lid.
• Norway Costume - The wedding know as kransekake is made of bread, cheese, cream and syrup. The bride wears either a white or silver dress with a crown and the groom wears a hand made woolen suit know as a bundas. 
• Welsh Costume - The groom carves out a wooden spoon and gives it to the women. If she wears it, they are engaged. The brides will often be kidnapped by their families, before the wedding day and the groom and his family will follow them, and who ever finds her will be the next to be married. 

There are many traditions from all over the world that are very interesting to look at. Some are a bit too out of the box for me, but some are really quite sweet and not much different to some of the traditions we have. A wooden spoon surely is a lot cheaper than a diamond engagement ring. I hope you find this as interesting as I did. 

13 Interesting Facts You Should Know Before Buying a Ring & Proposing - Wedding Photographer in Gauteng (www.solodeogloriaphotography.com)

13 Interesting Facts You Should Know Before Buying a Ring & Proposing - Wedding Photographer in Gauteng

We thought we would share something for the men today, in regards to engagement rings and proposing. 

"The Knot" surveyed 10,000 recent brides and brides-to-be, as well as 1,000 recently engaged men, about everything from the proposal to the wedding bands. They used this survey to compile a 13 point 
fact / statistics pole on buying a wedding ring and proposing. 


13 Interesting Facts You Should Know Before Buying a Ring & Proposing:

• Nearly all brides loved their engagement rings, but less than half said it was exactly what they hoped for
• 71% of grooms asked the bride's father or parents for her hand in marriage
• Grooms were more nervous about proposing when the bride didn't help to pick the ring
• Some brides were involved in ring buying, some weren't. About 10% were present when the ring was purchased
• The average groom spent three months ring shopping, visited four retailers, and looked at 27 rings
• Grooms cared more about the quality of the stone, while brides cared more about the style
• Grooms who bought from local jewelers tended to be older and wealthier
• 74% of grooms had a budget, but a third of them spent more than they planned to
• The recession's impact: ring spending fell 12% from 2007-08 to the current period
• A third of all brides knew exactly what their rings cost
• 5% of grooms wore a "man-gagement" ring
• For engagement rings, 4% of center stones were two carats or more
• Couples in 2010 spent less on wedding bands than they did in 2008

Source: TheKnot.com

Meaning Of Flowers - Wedding Photographer in Gauteng (www.solodeogloriaphotography.com)

Meaning Of Flowers

The meaning of flowers can be a very important thing to keep in mind when choosing your wedding flowers. Not everyone is educated on which flowers will be in season for their wedding, or even their costs. So to help you out, we have listed an alphabetical list of some flowers you could consider for your wedding. We have also included a list of flowers, with meaning that are not so favorable for weddings. (see bottom)

Anemone
Meaning: Expectation
Best For: Bouquets and arrangements
Scent: None
In Season: Fall (Japanese) to spring (Wood or De Caen)
Price Range: Moderate
Floral Fact: Anemones bloom in either single or double blossoms.

Baby's Breath
Meaning: Innocence
Best For: Filler in bouquets, corsages, and boutonnieres
Scent: None
In Season: Year-round
Price Range: Inexpensive

Calla Lily
Meaning: Magnificent beauty
Best For: Bouquets and arrangements
Scent: Lightly fragrant
In Season: Spring and summer
Price Range: Expensive
Floral Fact: This large tropical flower is very popular in weddings.

Carnation
Meaning: Pink represents boldness, red symbolizes love, and white indicates talent. Some other colors have negative connotations (see below).
Best For: Bouquets, boutonnieres, and arrangements
Scent: Very light fragrance or none at all, depending on variety
In Season: Year-round
Price Range: Inexpensive

Chrysanthemum (or mum)
Meaning: Wealth, abundance, truth
Best For: Bouquets and arrangements
Scent: None
In Season: Year-round
Price Range: Inexpensive
Floral Fact: Mums come in several varieties, which determine their size and color. The name literally means "golden flower."

Daffodil
Meaning: Regard
Best For: Garden settings, in pots
Scent: None
In Season: Spring
Price Range: Inexpensive (in season)

Daisy
Meaning: Share your feelings
Best For: Bouquets
Scent: None
In Season: Year-round
Price Range: Inexpensive (in season)

Delphinium
Meaning: Swiftness, lightness
Best For: Arrangements
Scent: Lightly fragrant
In Season: Summer
Price Range: Moderate

Freesia
Meaning: Innocence
Best For: Bouquets
Scent: Very fragrant
In Season: Spring and summer
Price Range: Inexpensive (in season)

Gardenia
Meaning: Purity, joy
Best For: Bouquets and boutonnieres
Scent: Very fragrant
In Season: Year-round
Price Range: Expensive

Hydrangea
Meaning: Understanding
Best For: Bouquets and arrangements
Scent: None
In Season: Spring and fall
Price Range: Expensive

Iris
Meaning: A message of faith, wisdom
Best For: In arrangements or potted
Scent: Fragrant
In Season: Spring
Price Range: Moderate to expensive, depending on variety
Floral Fact: Irises come in several sizes; they are usually blue or white, but you may find exotic varieties (including purple ones).

Lilac
Meaning: Love's first emotions
Best For: Filler in arrangements or as part of bouquets, depending on variety
Scent: Very fragrant
In Season: Local lilacs are available in the spring; imported French lilacs are available year-round
Price Range: Moderate to expensive
Floral Fact: The local lilac is grown like a bush, and is used as filler because of its greenery. The French lilac is more flower-like and can be used as such in bouquets and arrangements.

Lily
Meaning: Majesty, truth, honor
Best For: Bouquets and arrangements
Scent: Fragrant
In Season: Summer, but often imported during other seasons
Price Range: Moderate to expensive

Lily of the Valley
Meaning: Happiness
Best For: Bouquets, in combination with other flowers
Scent: Fragrant
In Season: Spring and summer
Price Range: Expensive
Floral Fact: These small, fragile, bell-shaped flowers are considered traditional marriage flowers.

Magnolia
Meaning: Love of nature
Best For: Arrangements
Scent: Depends on variety
In Season: Spring and summer
Price Range: Expensive
Floral Fact: Magnolias are more common in Southern-style weddings, as most magnolia trees grow in the South.

Orchid
Meaning: Love, beauty
Best For: Bouquets, corsages, and boutonnieres
Scent: None
In Season: Year-round -- almost always imported
Price Range: Expensive
Floral Fact: This exotic flower comes in a variety of colors and sizes.

Peony
Meaning: Bashfulness, the American spirit of ambition and determination
Best For: Arrangements
Scent: Lightly fragrant
In Season: Late spring
Price Range: Expensive

Rose
Meaning: Love, joy, beauty
Best For: Bouquets, corsages, boutonnieres, and arrangements
Scent: Lightly fragrant to very fragrant, depending on variety
In Season: Year-round
Price Range: Moderate to expensive
Floral Fact: Roses are the most popular wedding flowers.

Stephanotis
Meaning: Marital happiness
Best For: Bouquets and arrangements
Scent: Very fragrant
In Season: Year-round
Price Range: Moderate
Floral Fact: These trumpet-shape blossoms are traditional bridal flowers, no doubt due to their meaning.

Stock
Meaning: Lasting beauty
Best For: Filler in arrangements
Scent: Very fragrant
In Season: Year-round
Price Range: Inexpensive
Floral Fact: Stock can be found in many colors to complement and fill out arrangements.

Sunflower
Meaning: Short-stemmed sunflowers mean adoration; long-stemmed sunflowers symbolize haughtiness
Best For: Carrying a single stem down the aisle; potted arrangements
Scent: None
In Season: Fall
Price Range: Inexpensive to moderate in season

Sweet Pea
Meaning: Pleasure
Best For: Garden setting, in vases
Scent: Fragrant
In Season: Late spring and early summer
Price Range: Moderate

Tulip
Meaning: Love, passion
Best For: Arrangements and bouquets
Scent: None
In Season: Late spring
Price Range: Expensive
Floral Fact: These sweet and stately flowers can be found in a myriad of colors, but they are very fragile.

Unfortunately, there are some flowers that have meaning that might not be a great choice:
Christmas Rose: Scandal
Fig: Idleness
Foxglove: Insincerity
Larkspur: Infidelity
Lavender: Distrust
Marigold: Grief
Mulberry: I shall not survive you
Raspberry: Remorse
Red Carnation: Alas for my poor heart
Red Poppy: Consolation
Rhododendron: Danger
Striped Carnation: Refusal
White Poppy: Sleep
Yellow Carnation: Disdain
Yellow Chrysanthemum: Slighted Love
Yellow Lily: Falsehood
Yellow Rose: Jealousy