Wedding Directory Blog

Different Types of Wedding Gowns

Shopping for the perfect wedding dress can be quite an overwhelming experience, though also a rewarding experience once that special gown has been found. However, most brides become quickly overwhelmed by the vast amount of wedding gowns available. A great way of bypassing any extra stress related to finding “the dress” is to learn a little bit about the different types of wedding gowns before heading to the store.

There are just about as many different types of wedding gowns as there are brides wearing them. There are many different styles, shapes, lengths, fabrics, and designers. So how does a bride to be decide which dress is right for her? The formality of the event is important because it can influence the style gown a bride should choose. However, the categories of wedding styles are somewhat flexible; this should give you the basic idea.

Formal Weddings

Formal weddings usually occur in the evening though some have been known to take place during the day. Formal weddings during the day usually occur in the late afternoon. Formal evening weddings are usually elaborate, ornate, and classic. The bride’s gown may follow suit. Fabrics for formal evening weddings usually consist of beading, satins, peau de soie, and shantung. Brides may choose gowns with longer trains and veils for formal evening weddings.

Formal daytime weddings usually call for formal gowns, though a little more casual than the evening wedding. In most cases, the daytime formal wedding gown may be of lighter weight fabric, especially if the wedding takes place during a warm season. The gown may be short sleeved or strapless with gloves. Taffeta and silk are very popular for these types of weddings. Brides often choose shorter veils and trains for daytime formal weddings.

Semiformal Weddings

When it comes to semiformal weddings, brides may choose gowns typical for either daytime or evening weddings. Though these gowns are often less elaborate than formal wedding gowns, they are no less beautiful. Popular fabrics for semiformal weddings include chiffon and very little lace and beading. Wedding gowns for semiformal events may be short or long-sleeved, with a train or without, and may or may not have a veil.

Informal Weddings

Many brides opt for short dresses (tea-length or to the knee) or even cocktail suits for informal weddings. While you may see some lace and beading on an informal wedding gown, it is not likely. Common fabrics include chiffon, satin, or even shantung. Usually, there is no train or veil during an informal wedding, as many brides will wear a tasteful hat or flowers in her hair. Many beach weddings are informal, with shoes optional as well.

Finding the Dress

While tradition states that certain types of wedding gowns are ideal for certain types of weddings, there is no rule to say what you absolutely can and cannot do. If you find a formal wedding gown that you absolutely adore (and can afford) by all means, wear it to your semiformal wedding. After all, you are the bride and it is your day.

Keep that in mind as you shop for your special dress, pay particular attention to fabrics, lengths, and looks that you like. For example, if you know that you are not a fan of satin, beading, and lace do not bother, even if that wedding of yours is going to be a formal evening event. The most important rule when it comes to choosing between the different types of wedding gowns is that you find what you love.

Because there are so many different styles and types of wedding gowns, be sure to purchase a couple of wedding and bridal magazines before you go to the dress shop. This way, you should have an idea of what types of wedding gowns appeal to you. Do not forget to tear out the pictures to show the dressmaker or shop assistant when you meet for your first time. Armed with what you like, he or she should be able to effectively help you find the wedding gown of your dreams.

In addition, remember, shopping for your wedding gown should be a fun experience, not a stressful one. If you feel overwhelmed after seeing the variety of gowns available in the store, just take a step back and relax. Let the shop assistant help you with a few options and give them a try. You may find the perfect dress you have been searching for. Before you go shopping for a wedding gown, you should know the formality of your wedding celebration. This is important because it makes shopping for a dress much easier. There are many styles to choose from and some of these styles may not be appropriate for a formal or informal wedding. By knowing this information, you can eliminate many styles from the selection, resulting in a less stressful purchase.

Unique Wedding Favor Gift Tags

The purpose of handing out wedding favors during your reception is to show your guests that you really care about them and that you are thankful for their personal presence at your wedding celebration. On your special day, it is very important that all of your friends, family, and loved ones come out to celebrate the event with you and offer you continual support throughout your new marriage endeavor. Sometimes it is especially hard to find wedding favors that both fit into your theme and give your guests a sense of your personal thanks to them for celebrating the most important day of your life with you and your new spouse that you are eternally bonded to.

To help your guests remember your wedding fondly, it is imperative that you add some great personalized wedding favor gift tags to all of your wedding favors that are given out to each and every guests at your wedding reception. You can easily find great wedding favor gift tags to fit into any theme and perhaps even enhance the look of your wedding favors and therefore the look of your entire table and all t he decorations that you have so meticulously planned out.

Gift Tag Card — Writing Was on the Walls:

This gift tag is flexible and can easily be wrapped around any unique wedding favor from a pencil to the handle of a coffee or tea mug. You can try anything with this elegant gift tag that is embellished with hearts in a soothing cool blue color. The simple phrase of “Thank You” will certainly tell all of your guests how you feel but you can even write out a personal message for each guest to show them how much each individual guest at your wedding reception is truly appreciated by you and your new spouse.

Wishes Do Come True Gift Card

This tag can be easily attached to any wedding favor — large or small — with any color ribbon you need to fit your theme. The tag is in the form of a shooting star and sports the phrase “Wishes Do Come True” as a perfect testament to your connection with your new spouse and how he/she is the fulfillment of your truest dreams. The colors on the card are a soft pink that will add a glow to any wedding table decorations that you have already set out for your prized guests.

Confetti Cards

Embellish your wedding favors or gifting boxes with these Confetti Cards and Celtic Gift Tags to retain that Irish legacy. The tags feature a conventional green color with white shamrocks, the traditional floral emblem of the Irish.

The Confetti Cards and Celtic Gift Tags are ideal for hand writing a personal message to your guests. They can also be swung from floral bouquets or tucked into a tag holder or napkin.

These paper made cards measure 2″ x 2″ size. Both sides of the card are shown in the image; the light green front side and the darker back side. One can personalize the product with names, date of the wedding etc. They come in package of 40 cards.

Autumn Wedding Floral Arrangements

Flowers are symbols of eternal life in many different religions, cultures, and traditions. So why not bring them into your wedding to show everyone how you are now eternally bonded to your new spouse. Flowers used as decorations at your wedding will show everyone that you truly understand what it is to be in love and, very soon, in a marriage of never ending trust, love, forgiveness, and support. The flowers will affirm everyone’s faith in you and your new spouse while adding brilliant color, scents, and patterns to your precious wedding décor. Floral arrangements often inspire some kind of emotional or mental response or process based on their smell, feel, color, look, blossoms, leaves, textures, or anything else you can think of that you notice on a flower. The fact that certain flowers evoke certain feelings is an explication of the reason why you would want a themed floral arrangement; especially if you are having a themed wedding. Autumn is known for rich colors, crisp air, and romantic escapades. You can bring the colors and feelings of autumn directly into your wedding reception with some great floral arrangement that use all of the season’s natural beauty to your advantage and work fantastically with your well planned wedding decorations and themes. You can shop online and find floral arrangements that are top grade and can be shipped right to your doorstep. Here are a couple of examples to get you jump started on your search for a great addition to your décor.

Autumn Jewels Fresh Wedding Flowers:

This autumn palette of flowers contains an array of Jewel Tone Snaps, mini Daisy Gerberas, dark blue Iris, Matsumoto Jewel Tone Asters, Asiatic lilies complemented with assorted seasonal filler greens. Not only does this floral arrangement bring the season directly to your wedding but also it enhances the colors by putting together complementary tones, flowers, and seasonal greens. Your guests will be impressed no matter where you decide to fit this great arrangement in.

Fall Rhapsody Fresh Cut Wedding Flowers:

This palette offers a really romantic and rich color scheme with Daisy Gerberas, Jewel Tone Snaps and Asiatic lilies, radiant yellow Sunflowers, red and brown Hypericum with assorted seasonal and filler greens. Each of these flowers complements the other and really brings together an enticing mix of flowers and greens to appeal to the eyes of all your guests. Try using this as an accent to an already fantastic cake or centerpiece.

You can compliment your floral theme with the White floral wedding cake serving set. This will add an extra touch of elegance to your wedding day.

This White floral wedding cake serving set design features a delicately sculpted handle with intricate flower detailing. With this White floral wedding cake serving set you can add a Monogram, Your Names and Wedding Date or your own wedding message to this product.

These cake serving sets can make excellent keepsake gifts to the guests who come to attend your wedding. If you plan to use floral design as your theme wedding decor, make sure the pattern and styles go with one another.

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Wedding Cake Toppers – How To Choose

It has often been said that there are three main ingredients to any wedding. The bride, the groom, and the wedding cake – not necessarily in that order. And many would probably agree that the most important part of the wedding cake is the wedding cake topper.

A wedding cake topper is the set of decorations or statuettes that sit on top of the wedding cake throughout the nuptials. At the end of the wedding ceremony, the cake toppers are retained by the bride and groom and kept by them as keepsakes and a reminder of their wedding day.

Cake toppers come in many different forms. They can be funny, serious, outlandish, staid – in other words, whatever the couple decides that they like. The important thing is that whichever one you choose should represent your feelings as a couple towards each other.

Some of the more higher priced and popular cake topper providers do not keep much merchandise on their shelves. Instead, they will custom design and create cake toppers for their clientele. Understandably, wedding cake toppers bought from these establishment are normally non-refundable. Keep this fact in mind if you are leaning towards a custom made solution.

But even if you can’t afford a custom made solution or decide that you don’t need or want a fully custom made cake topper, this doesn’t meant that you are limited to settling for “off the shelf” items. Many providers will allow you to buy customized toppers and will also give you a plethora of choices to embellish and customize them with different accessories.

Some of the most unique and beautiful wedding cake toppers are made of hand blown glass. In the hands of a skilled artisan such a topper becomes a unique work or art that has value even if it weren’t set atop a wedding cake. One of the premier artists in this field is Frank J. Horvath who has been creating and refining his craft for over thirty years. You can find his work at various sites on the Internet.

Porcelain is another material that many artist use to create unique works of art. Porcelain designed cake toppers add a touch of elegance to what might ordinarily be considered a simple design. Glazed porcelain is a very popular choice, especially among traditionalists who simply love its beauty. These toppers are considered fine china by many.

As the years pass and cultures change, it becomes more evident each day that there really is no such thing as a “standard” wedding cake topper. Today, even the most mundane and ordinary wedding services provider will be able to offer a slew of custom and unique cake toppers that will make the normal bride very happy.

Wedding cakes have a reputation as being more for show than taste. And, all in all, the wedding cake topper is a “showpiece” for the cake. It’s meant to dramatize and highlight the beginning of a new life for the just married couple and to serve as an indelible memory of this special day in their lives.

Simple Wedding Invitations for the Busy Modern Bride

In today’s world, time is a precious commodity.  Today’s modern bride is most likely juggling a career, an education, as well as a social life.  The last thing that she needs is time consuming wedding invitations! 

Designers have taken notice of the fast paced world in which we live in and have created wedding invitations that are tailored to fit into the lives of extremely busy people.  These simple, yet beautiful, wedding invitations come in a variety of colors and styles to fit every wedding theme – and schedule!

Explore Your Wedding Invitation Options

Certain types of wedding invitations offer a simple solution to an already overwhelming schedule.  Between shopping for a dress, securing a caterer, and hiring the right DJ, a bride-to-be can find little time to plan much else.  Before enlisting the help of a wedding planner, explore the different types of cards designed to make your life easier, including fill-in-the-blank wedding invitations and printable wedding invitations. 

Printable Wedding Invitations

Printable wedding invitations are a great way to save time and money.  By purchasing an entire DIY set of wedding invitations, which typically include the invitations, overlays, envelopes, RSVP note cards and envelopes, you can easily design your own wedding invitation.  With one click of the print button, your wedding invitations are ready to send out to your guests. 

By printing your own wedding invitations, you can easily control the time and process.  There is no need to have elaborate meetings with a printer, where you spend extensive time explaining what you want on the invitation.  Instead, you can easily (and affordably) create your own simple wedding invitations right from your own computer and printer. 

Fill-in-the-Blank Wedding Invitations

Fill-in-the-blank invitations offer brides-to-be options.  Not only are there thousands of styles to choose from, but women have more control over the card’s content.  Rather than hire a company to pre-print the card’s information, brides have the option to write it in by hand, which can make the entire wedding invitation more personal.

In addition, having the option to write the details by hand eliminates mistakes and allows for changes in date, time, and location without the hassle of placing a new order.  The wedding invitations can be purchased any time leading up to the wedding day, but are best sent at least one month in advance.  This is primarily to help out-of-town guests to make travel arrangements.

However, fill-in-the-blank wedding invitations are ideal for small, intimate weddings.  In addition, the bride or her bridesmaids should have excellent penmanship to ensure that the wedding invitations look professional and beautiful. 

Printed Wedding Invitations

If neither style appeals to you, take advantage of a local printing service.  You can always purchase the cardstock and invitations you want from an online company, which saves you both money and time, and then bring the wedding invitations to your local printer. 

Pre-printed cards eliminate the need for you to handwrite information, and the beautiful script makes the cards look classy and professional.  The downside to hiring a printer to make the wedding invitations, however, is the inflexibility that they have.  Requiring special time to print the wedding invitations, most companies require all details to be sent to them months in advance.  If wedding plans change, the wedding invitations are no longer useable.

No matter how elaborate a wedding may be, preparing for it doesn’t have to be a painful process.  Using what time you have wisely, planning your dream wedding will be easier than you think.

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Proper Research Protects Wedding Insurance Consumers

What Risks Affect Weddings?

Common risks threaten to disrupt well-planned ceremonies. Different types of wedding insurance cover specific problems. For example, a certain policy might contain provisions for the reimbursement of fees associated with postponement. If a photographer cancels on the day of the event, additional expenses may face the couple. Also, a venue cancellation might cause the planner to change the date of the wedding. Since professional wedding services often penalize clients for rescheduling, insurance plans for weddings provide funds to cover unexpected expenses related to postponement.

Also, important participants may be forced to reschedule due to conflicts at work. If the father of the bride cancels, wedding day insurance provides emergency funding to use when changing the date of the event. Some wedding insurance plans contain additional clauses that cover postponements due to the sudden unavailability of key wedding participants.

Since so many accessories must be rented or purchased for a successful wedding, insurance plans provide for the replacement of expensive items. Wedding rings are easily lost or damaged. Specific plans cover these costly objects.

Wedding Liability Insurance

Event planning involves additional risks related to civil liability. Essentially, consumers may be required to pay legal damages when accidents happen. Emergencies might cause damage to the venue. Also, guests could be injured during a rowdy reception. Wedding reception insurance plans typically contain protections against liquor-related problems. Wedding liability insurance provides funding to pay for court judgments and legal costs when companies or guests sue newlyweds.

Insurance for Destination Weddings

In some cases, loving couples choose to tie the knot in exotic locations. People enjoy romantic beach weddings in distant lands. However, additional risks face vacationers. As a result, companies provide wedding travel insurance policies. These plans deal with the complex problems that occur when couples choose destination weddings.

Effective Research Results in the Best Deals When Choosing Between Wedding Insurance Companies

Savvy consumers receive amazing deals on wedding insurance with the help of informative online resources. It is important to review the specifics of various policies. Also, websites detail common exclusions that must be understood when purchasing wedding insurance. With the right information, it is easy to purchase an affordable wedding insurance policy. If you are interested in wedding insurance, take advantage of online resources to monitor the latest trends in the industry.

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Homemade Wedding Favors

Sending your guests home with a little something special to remember the day by doesn’t have to be a big budget extravagant affair. Use your imagination and a dash of creativity and you’ll find ways to turn the ubiquitous wedding favor into a charming highly personalized statement that says a lot about you and the guest.

The tradition of making your own wedding favors is almost as old as the custom of marriage itself. In the days before mass production and online shopping made our lives so much easier, a bride would pack little bags of fruits and nuts to pass on to guests at her wedding.

Edible Wedding Favors

A really great way to stay within your wedding budget, practice your baking skills and send guests home with a delicious personalized memento of the day is to use edible wedding favors. Cookies are a time honored classic. With cookie cutter shapes ranging from the classic hearts and flowers to stars, moon, shells, and leaves, you’ll have an array of designs to choose from. Download an easy cookie recipe, monogram your initials into them, use icing sugar and sprinkles to decorate, pack in little tins or boxes, or wrap in colored translucent paper and tie with a tiny ribbon and voila! You have a delicious wedding favor that’s within your budget.

When it comes to tickling the taste buds you can’t go wrong with chocolate. Ask your local confectioner to whip up a batch of little chocolate hearts monogrammed with your initials of course, or make your own choco treats. Wrap these in gold paper and finish with a snazzy bow. Lollipops are another quirky edible wedding favor; remember to personalize them with your names.

Seed Wedding Favors

Seeds are symbolic of new beginnings, and therefore make an excellent choice for a wedding favor. While these are available online prettily packaged and all, you can also make your own seed packet wedding favors. It’s just a matter of choosing what seeds you want to hand out. Forget me nots are a great choice, but herbs, fruits and vegetable seeds will also do just great. Pack the seed into small squares of fabric and attach a tag that has the name of the seed and instructions on how to plant it and care for it.

Personalized CDs

Modern technology makes it possible for everyone to indulge her creative side with fantastic results. Use your computer to create place card holder cards using beautiful fonts. Or create your own romance themed CD for each guest to take home.

Scrubs and Soaps

Go the extra mile and gift your guests homemade soaps and scrubs as wedding favors. Scout online for easy ways to make deliciously scented little soaps, pack them in translucent boxes or glass jars and round off with a colored bow. You can even “brand” the soaps after both your names for a laugh! Do the same for scrubs or home made lotions. Add paper tags with your wedding date and names printed out, and watch your wedding favors quickly become the talk at every table!

Making your own wedding favors may require some imaginative time scheduling, but work perfectly for smaller weddings with a limited number of guests.

Find many more wedding articles like this provided by Truly Wedding Favors by visiting our directory, Articles By Yours Truly.

Relaxing Wedding Favors

When you are planning your wedding reception the most important thing that you are thinking about is making sure that you have the time of your life and that everything is just absolutely perfect. This means making sure that everyone will remember your reception forever and that they will always brag about being a part of it. The things that can influence them a lot and make them never ever forget your special day are the things that they will take home with them. The wedding favors you choose to give out will be a physical representation of the great memories that they made with you and all of your other guests and every single time they look at or use what you gave them they will think of those amazing memories and they will thank you for them.

If you want to get the perfect wedding favors then you need to consider what kinds of things your guests would like to get. You need to find something that they can use and that they will really appreciate. However, you cannot let that influence your personal style and you cannot sacrifice adding to your theme and your color scheme because that is really a big part of your wedding reception that will impress all of your guests and make your party truly memorable to all of them. So, you know that all of your guests have a lot to do in their busy lives and sometimes they can get really stressed out from all of the things that have to get done between taking care of jobs, school, cars, families, and homes. Sometimes they just really want to relax and you can give them that through your wedding favors.

There are a lot of different things you can pick out for your guests that they will really enjoy and appreciate because they can use it to relax. Candles are a great gift for anyone because they are aromatic and often come in pleasing jars or boxes that your guests will love. The warm flickering flame and the gentle smells can really make anyone feel at home and cozy which will make your guests just really be able to unwind and relax after a long day. Candles are especially great for taking a nice long bath where you want different scents and sights to really calm you down and get you ready for bed. Another great idea is to get them shower gels or relaxing, aromatic soaps.

Your guests will love these types of products because they can really make use of them and still have an enjoyable effect. You can get these products personalized so that there will be no way that your guests can forget where they came from and they will always be reminded of the great wedding party that you had. They will have these for a long time and maybe they can keep the attractive packaging and have them forever, making them a permanent remembrance of the celebration of your love.

Wedding Invitation Ideas for Destination Weddings

If you are planning a destination wedding so, you might want to consider reflecting this in your wedding invitations. Your invitations can still have the classic (or modern) look you have been envisioning, but with a few special touches, you can evoke the feelings of your destination as well. Here are some ideas you can use with your invitation package:

Idea #1: Choose colors that work for you first and your destination second.

Most destination weddings are on the beach, and natural beach colors are blue, teal, and tan. However, if you want to use red and black as your wedding colors, these should work as well. Start narrowing down your color choices by what really speaks to you and your future spouse. Any color can work with destination wedding invitations. The key is to use your colors wisely. For example, you may want deep purple and gold wedding invitations. How can you make this choice work for a destination wedding? Choose purple as an accent color and print a starfish or sand castle design in gold! Also, think outside of the box to find certain colors in the surroundings. Hunter green wedding invitations should be a great choice for a beach wedding. This is mostly because this shade of green is close to the color of most seaweed. If you want silver invitations, have you considered the metal gleam off passing ships? Almost any color can fit with a beach theme. Of course, the beach is not the only destination wedding location, but the fact remains that you can make just about any color work with your location if you are creative.

Idea #2: Reflect the season, not the place.

People often link destinations to certain times of the year, and chances are that you have considered this when planning your wedding. For example, if you want to get married at the ski resort where you met, you likely want to do so during the winter when there is snow on the ground. Instead of linking your invitation to the destination itself, consider a seasonal approach. How about a winter romance invitation or an invitation featuring blooming flowers? You can also use invitations that use fall leaves, Christmas holly, sunshine, or other designs that reflect the season.

Idea #3: Use ribbons, charms, and other extras.

Instead of an all-out destination wedding invitation, why not consider an invitation that is more traditional. Then, use accessories like bows to add that special little touch to evoke feelings of your destination. For example, if you are having a Las Vegas wedding, you might choose RSVP cards designed to look like poker cards, or if you are having a wedding by the shore, use a wax seal with a shell design. There are literally hundreds of options available when it comes to accessories and extras. For some couples, this is the perfect way to get the wedding invitations they want.

Idea #4: Look for destination DIY kits.

While some brides and grooms do not want to go over the top, others really want to celebrate their destination wedding to the fullest. If that is the case, look for a wedding kit that can make your wedding invitations really special. For example, some companies make wedding invitation kits that let you send a message in a bottle – a scrolled invitation sent in a small plastic bottle with sand and shells. This kind of destination invitation is typically expensive to mail out, but they are whimsical and your guests should love them! They work well if you are only inviting a small number of guests, which is often the case with destination weddings.

Idea #5: Use your envelopes to show your destination.

You have to be careful with your wedding invitation envelopes. The post office has strict rules about what can go through their machines. However, there are ways in which you can decorate your envelopes. For example, you can use designs like dolphins printed on your envelopes or use colored ink or even stickers. Keep in mind that larger or oddly shaped envelopes might need extra postage. As a special touch, use the post office’s tools to create your own stamps. You can use a picture of the two of you or a picture of your destination.

When you are planning a destination wedding, it is nice to consider invitations that match. The sky is really the limit when it comes to this type of wedding invitation, and there are tons of ways to incorporate your location into the design, whether it is through color, design, or accessories. You can order DIY kits or have them put together by the invitation company. Regardless of your budget, there are options in your price range. Even if you want traditional invitations, check out the small destination touches you can add.

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Get your Wedding Sponsored

Sponsored weddings have become increasingly popular in recent years. A sponsored wedding is one where much of the wedding costs are offset by allowing a particular business (or businesses) to advertise in some manner during the wedding ceremony or reception.

The businesses can benefit greatly from the arrangement because they have the opportunity to advertise their products or services to a big group of people at a rate lower than traditional advertising. The couple obviously benefits by reducing some of the wedding costs.

Though a sponsored wedding can seem like a win-win, there can be a downside. Because the concept is relatively new to many people, it is sometimes viewed as tacky. Though if it is handled properly, a sponsored wedding will still be beautiful, and most of your wedding guests will understand why you are doing it.

The key for a successful sponsored wedding is to find a balance between what you may think is too much advertising and what the sponsor may think is too little.

You don’t want a 30-foot banner hanging above the entrance way of the ceremony site emblazoned with “Eric and Melissa’s Wedding Sponsored By Trinity Wedding Cakes.” However, the sponsor does want their brand to get noticed.

Here are some subtle ways that you can add sponsored advertising to your wedding.

* A list of sponsors on the back of your wedding program

* An insert card of sponsors in your wedding invitation

* A small sign in front of the cake table or DJ stand at your reception

* A vendor’s logo on the back of matchbooks or cocktail napkins

* Business cards of vendors discretely placed on the guest book table

So, how do you arrange for sponsors?

You have to ask.

Couples can approach vendors with the idea of a possible discounts or free services in exchange sponsorship. Be prepared to be rejected, as many vendors will not even consider the idea of sponsorship. Also, get everything in writing regarding the details of the sponsorship arrangement.

If you are looking for other ways to save money on your wedding, read about Planning Your Wedding on a Budget by Yours Truly.

Find many more wedding articles like this provided by Truly Wedding Favors by visiting our directory, Articles By Yours Truly.

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