Your wedding day flew by like a dream, and you are finally a “Mrs.” The past few months may have been a whirlwind of activities, and you may be relieved that it is finally out of the way. However, there are a few pending tasks to complete, before you can put aside all your wedding responsibilities, and settle into your new life. Let us look at what they are.
Preserve your wedding gown
via Best for Bride
You may have worn your wedding gown just once, but it is a treasure trove of memories which has to be saved and put aside carefully. Who knows, it may serve you in the future when you renew your vows, or your daughter may someday want to get married in it! It is best that you do not attempt to do this yourself. Instead, have your wedding dress sent to a professional for preservation. Make sure you do this as soon as possible, so the stains and dirt do not set and become difficult to remove. If you will be going on your honeymoon soon after the reception, ask your MoH to take your gown to the cleaners, as early as is possible. Till then, store your gown in a dark and dry place, and keep it airtight and place it far from stains and dirt.
Sort out your gifts and send out your thank you notes
It is a good idea to create a list of the gifts as soon as you begin receiving them, and note down who sent what. This will allow you to prepare your thank you notes faster. Sending out a hand-written thank you note will be better appreciated than sending a printed one. Don’t delay mailing them, make sure your thank you notes are on their way within a month of your wedding. It will help you to have the stationery and gift list ready. You could even write them before the wedding, soon after you receive the gift, and get a head start on it.
Get in touch with your photographer and videographer and find out how your wedding photos and videos are coming along. Review the prints and choose ones that you want to frame and display. Also, edit your video, so it doesn’t drag on for ever but includes the important highlights. While at your photographer’s, you may also want to get a few prints to share with your older guests who aren’t tech-savvy and cannot see your photos online. They will appreciate your thoughtfulness.
Get your name changed
Now that you are officially married, it is time to inform all the necessary authorities of your name change. Collect your marriage license and visit the concerned government agencies to update your records with your change of name. Do the same at banks and other financial institutions. Also update your insurance plans and change beneficiaries where your deem appropriate, now that you are married.
Once these tasks are out of the way, you are all set to focus and enjoy your life together as a married couple. It is going to be a great journey ahead, so congratulations and all the best!
For more wedding tips and advice, visit us at Best for Bride.
Traditional weddings brought together numerous wedding customs, many of which continue to this day. While we continue to practice several traditions that began ages ago, how many times do we actually consider where these practices originated? Today we will explore the tales and trivia behind some of the traditional customs. I’ll tell you this much before we begin, some of them are not only unexpected, but at times even bizarre. So, be prepared for some surprises along the way.
The wedding bouquet
Brides today have a tough time choosing between nosegays and posies, tulips and roses, local flowers and international blossoms. Would it have been easier if we kept to the original practice of carrying a bouquet of garlic and chives as we walked down the aisle?
Believe it or not, this was the original bouquet, and the herbs were believed to ward off evil spirits and keep away germs. Isn’t it a lot better today, when the bouquet is beautiful and smells more pleasant?
Bridesmaids and their dresses
Modern brides may have so much more to worry about bridesmaids stealing the limelight, so imagine how it would have been if they belonged to the Victorian age. During those days, bridesmaids dressed up to look just like the bride, dress, veil and all. The belief was that this would confuse the evil spirits of who the bride was, and thus keep her out of harm’s way.
“Do you TAKE this woman as your wife?”
Up until the 18th century, brides were kidnapped by the groom, and hence the relevance of this saying. How Stuff Works mentions that the bride and groom went into hiding for a whole month following the abduction by when all the din surrounding it would die down. This interesting practice is also associated with the concept of the Honeymoon that follows the wedding.
The White wedding dress
The white wedding dress was originally introduced by Queen Victoria, when she was married to Prince Albert in 1840. Before this, brides just wore one of the best dresses they owned, on their wedding day. Following Queen Victoria’s wedding, the idea of white symbolizing virginity and purity became popular, and it became the favorite wedding color. This practice continues to this day, and most brides have difficulty associating any other color with a wedding outfit.
The tiered wedding cake
There are several traditions that relate to the origin of the tiered wedding cake. The one we found to be most interesting was the French practice of piling up cake to as high a height as possible. The married couple would have to kiss above the cake to be assured of a successful marriage.
The practice of preserving the top tier of the wedding cake also has a story to it. During those days, it was expected that the couple would have their first child in the year that followed their wedding. So, the cake tier that was preserved would serve as the christening cake for the baby and avoid extra expense that way. Fruit cake was the choice at the time, as it was one of the few flavors that wouldn’t spoil.
Hope that was an interesting read. For more wedding related stories, advice and shopping tips, visit us at Best for Bride.
Isn’t it interesting how your wedding day—one you looked forward to for months, and planned to the minutest detail—gets over in no time? Wedding days can seem so busy, that you later feel it passed too soon. Once it’s over, your photos and wedding video will help you recollect all that happened to a certain extent. Nevertheless, for the sentimentalists among you, a memory box is a treasure trove that will allow you to relive every special moment of your wedding.
After all, your wedding is not just about the day you got married. The excitement of the event is complete only when you consider all that went into the wedding planning, right from the very day you were engaged. Many of you reading this post will most probably will planning your wedding. So, start putting together your treasure box immediately, and you will save every detail that will help you remember your wedding day, once it’s over.
Here is a list of all that should go into your memory box; the various treasures you can hold on to and preserve your wedding memories for ever.
From your engagement
The minute you agreed to be together for ever—that magical moment has to be treasured forever. If you had an engagement shoot, add a picture of it into your treasure box. I like this idea on the Hitched website, of making a journal with the details of how you were proposed to, so you have a crystal clear reminder of how it was for the later years.
Did you host an engagement party? If so, save a sample invite and a few pictures highlighting the event. Another detail that will remind you of the beautiful moment is a picture of the place where the proposal took place. Make sure you get a snapshot of it as early as possible. You never know if it will change over time and you will lose the visual element of that special moment.
You can also hold on to any special love notes, cards or tags from the gifts your beloved gifted you during your engagement. These will bring back the wonderful memories of the time you spent as an engaged couple.
Reminders of the wedding venue
How did your search for the perfect wedding venue go? Did you settle on the first one that you saw, or did you search for days to find the appropriate one? Save a venue brochure and all those memories of finding the place you were wed at, will stay with you. Save a picture of what stands out at the venue, the unique altar design or the perfect view of the outdoors from the window, and it will be a precious keepsake. If you had an outdoor wedding; at the beach or in a garden, pick a few mementos from nature itself, and save them forever. This could be pretty pebbles, shells or pine cones, that can conjure up the images of the day.
Invitations and Save-the-date cards
This is something every bride normally does, even without any instruction. Every bride will save a copy of her wedding invitation for herself. While you do this, it will be a good idea to save any of the other stationery that you customized for your wedding day. Since you will be choosing the menu cards, wedding programs, table place cards and other details with so much effort, why not save a copy of each for your treasure trove.
Memories of your bachelorette party and bridal shower
Invites to both events, your bachelor party favors and any other physical items that will remind you of the big celebration you had. If your friends and family splurged on cake toppers, party buntings, customized napkins and more, you could borrow one of each to put into your treasure box. It will serve as wonderful reminders of the fun you had at these celebrations. Similarly, pick out a memento from your rehearsal dinner too. It could be anything like a menu card or a picture of the two of you on the day.
Food and drink
Think of the time you spent in choosing the perfect menu for your wedding reception? It certainly deserves special mention in your bridal box of memories. Drop in a copy of your wedding menu and beverage list, and also add a few pictures of the fare that was served on the day. I think it would be wonderful to add in few comments on why you chose certain dishes or small notes on what everyone especially loved. You can also save a wine bottle stopper or the champagne bottle corker to remind you of the toasts at your reception.
The special wedding dress moment
One of the most important decisions a bride makes for her wedding, is choosing her wedding dress. I’m sure it would have taken you hours of research, planning and shopping to finalize the one dress in which you were to get married. Plus, it is usually one of the most exciting and enjoyable parts of wedding shopping. Remind yourself of this over the years to come, by saving the tags from your gown into your treasure box, as well as a fabric scrap from the inside of the gown.
If you have a picture of yourself on the day you said “Yes” to the dress, this goes into your box too. Take a look at all the smiling brides who got their dress from Best for Bride. We make sure their shopping day is preserved forever with a wonderful photo keepsake from this special day. Make sure you get yours too.
Unlike the wedding dress, brides usually find use for their wedding accessories on another occasion, except perhaps the tiara and veil. If you have any accessories that you will not be using in the near future, save them into your treasure box. If you have customized your ensemble with interesting bridal accessories like shoe stickers, flowers or brooches, these can be saved as well. Another good item to store is your wedding perfume. If you chose a special new scent for your special day, how about putting it into your wedding box, and saving it for those special moments that are to come in the years.
Bouquets, boutonnieres and other floral creations
Imagine opening up a box, and the scent of potpourri wafting through your senses. Spellbinding, isn’t it? Make this possible by saving the flowers from your wedding in your treasure box. You can always have your wedding bouquet preserved professionally through freeze-drying and add it to your art work at home, and relish its beauty everyday. Read all about it on this article at Keepsake Floral.
However, if you do not want to opt for this expensive method, you can still hold on to your wedding flowers by drying them out and adding them to your memory box. Simply hang them in a dry ventilated place, till they dry completely, and then store them safely in a polythene bag. Or, you can make potpourri out of it, as detailed here.
Don’t forget to save pictures of your bouquet, the centerpieces and floral décor at the venue to remind you of the floral details that transformed your venue into a work of art. You can also press the larger blooms between the pages of a heavy book and add these to your collection.
Reminders of the ceremony
Capture the moment you got married by saving something used at the altar. Flowers used to decorate the altar, a candle that flickered beside you, the ring pillow or even your groom’s boutonniere would be a befitting addition to your wedding treasures.
Save your wedding favors
While you give your guests a keepsake from your wedding to take home and save, don’t forget to set one aside for yourself. If it is an edible favor, you cannot store it as such. In this case, save the packaging, and a picture of how the favors looked when they were given away. Non-edible favors like wine glasses, key chains, candles, photo frames or mirrors can be saved as such.
Wedding cake
The traditional practice of saving the top tier of the wedding cake, and savoring it on the first wedding anniversary is still popular. All you need to remember is to freeze it safely soon after the wedding, and make sure that the flavors you choose aren’t ones that spoil easily. However, you need your wedding cake memories to stay with you for much longer than your first anniversary. For this, save a copy of the drawing your baker created for your wedding cake. If there were non-edible items on it, like ribbons, figurines or flowers, box it.
Guest book and well-wishes
Your guest book is a valuable possession and deserves it’s rightful place in your treasure box. You can also make use of our beautiful petal wishes kit to save your well-wishers blessings for the future. This interesting novelty from Best for Bride, allows you to collect wishes from your favorite people on petals, and then snap them all together to form a beautiful flower. It makes a wonderful keepsake that you can frame or store for later, so try it out.
Wedding entertainment
The entire ambiance of your wedding reception is set by the music you chose for the evening. Create a CD of the songs that your DJ or band played at your wedding, and also save a written copy of the playlist. If you had a band playing at the wedding, don’t forget to include a picture of them performing at the event. Also, add in the details of all the important dances like your first dance, the mother-son dance and father-daughter dance.
Wedding cards, gift tags and notes
Your wedding gifts will arrive beautifully wrapped and with tags on them. Don’t just throw away them. You can create a mini-scrapbook with the tags and notes. If you used special stationery to write your thank you notes on, save a card for yourself too. Put the wedding cards you received into your memory box, and on a later day, you will have a delightful time looking through them and remembering the people who made your day so special.
From your honeymoon
The getaway after the wedding is not to be forgotten easily. This is the time you enjoy your newly wed status as husband and wife. Assuming that you go on a honeymoon to a destination away from home, make sure that you pick a few things to stuff into your wedding treasure box. Collect shells from the beach, toiletry bottles from the hotel you stayed at or a souvenir. Also add a stash of photos from the days you spent there, and it will make a beautiful finale to the great celebration that was your wedding.
Once your wedding is over, you will be surprised at how much time you seem to have, all of a sudden.. After all that hectic wedding planning, this may seem a welcome respite. Use this time to linger over the beautiful days that led up to your wedding. Pull out your wedding memory box, sit back and run through the various treasures you’ve so lovingly put inside. Sort through it, enjoy it and relive the precious moments associated with each keepsake, it will make you smile with all your heart.
Make sure you make a list of all that you intend to save from your wedding, so you do not miss collecting them when the time comes. Delegate the responsibility of taking charge of things at the venue to a trusted friend, so you get it all even if you are too occupied on the day to collect it yourself. Add it to your bridesmaids list of duties, so it isn’t forgotten.
For more wedding planning tips, advice and all your wedding related needs, continue visiting us on Best for Bride. We have every aspect of your wedding covered.
As a bride, you have to plan everything from head to toe, to look flawless and fantastic on your wedding day. This includes your nails. From classic French manicures to gloriously glittered nail art, you can have anything you want on your hands. The choice is yours!
To make things easy for the beautiful bride, here is a roundup of all the things you need to consider when preparing for your wedding manicure. Check it out!
Try, try, try; and then try some more
Don’t stick to the age-old French manicure for your wedding, unless it is the only thing that you are satisfied with. Try on multiple colors, designs and even file your nails in various shapes till you zero-in on the one look that suits you best. If you want to play it safe with a single color that goes with your wedding dress, make sure you test various shades to locate the perfect match that suits your skin tone.
If you will be changing outfits for the ceremony and reception, pick a shade or design that will be suitable for both dresses. Another thing to consider is the color of your wedding bouquet. Your nails should match the colors of the flowers in it.
Don’t skimp on nail polish or nail care products
Shell out a few extra bucks for a better product that will last longer. Also, make sure you get multiple bottles. You will need one for the bridal manicure session, one for your emergency bridal kit and another to go into your honeymoon travel bag. If you are getting your manicure at a salon, make sure you take your bottle along, so you get the entire work completed, even if the salon has run out of your chosen shade.
Should your nail chip at the last moment, having an extra bottle will make sure you are prepared for this emergency. Similarly, make it a point to get good hand and nail care products for your wedding. This includes cuticle oil, hand moisturizers and nail varnish removers.
Get your nails done just in time
This simply has to wait till the last minute. It is recommended that you get a gel manicure just the day before your wedding, so it lasts through your wedding, and will even see you through your honeymoon. Gel manicures do not chip, but that doesn’t mean you can be too safe. Always have that extra bottle handy, should you need it at any time.
Prep for your manicure by taking good care of your hands
Your hands, and nails, will receive personal attention in several wedding photographs. Be prepared to show them off in your wedding bands, holding the bouquet and when cutting the cake. If you want them to look pretty and polished, spare some TLC on your hands. Do not bite or chew your nails. Rub cuticle oil into the nail beds regularly, and use a good hand moisturizer from today, so your hands look supple and smooth in time for the wedding.
Follow these tips, and you will be ready to nail it on your wedding day with fantastic looking hands.
For more wedding tips and all your wedding shopping needs, visit Best for Bride.
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