Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Romantic Honeymoons in the Bahamas


Few places can be quite as romantic as the Bahamas, and particularly for newlyweds enjoying their honeymoon. What is more, there is no shortage of hotel and resort options for romantic couples to choose from. The Bahamas teams not only with natural beauty but also with a range of accommodations spread out across its 29 islands and 661 cays. Choosing the right romantic honeymoon getaway is only a matter of deciding where to stay and what type of hotel or resort to enjoy. With a little research, you and your new spouse will be on your way to enjoying a honeymoon in a place that might just have been made for romantic getaways.

Kamalame Cay

An all-inclusive resort on a private island just off the island of Andros, Kamalame Cay is set on 96 acres and offers visitors three miles of Bahamas beaches to enjoy. The resort offers guests a range of room options, from cottage suites to a four-bedroom private villa. Each villa and suite is also privately set on the island and within easy distance of the beach. The resort staff will also book guests on one or more of the many activities, including snorkeling, fishing, and diving. Guests can also request a private tour or an eco tour of the island. Romantic couples may arrange for a dinner for two, located right on the beach and with a private chef.

Kamalame Cay
Staniard Creek, Andros
The Bahamas
876-632-3213
www.kamalame.co.uk

One & Only Ocean Club

Located on 35 acres, the One & Only Club was once the destination of world-famous jet-setters. The resort style has a West Indian influence, and the hotel includes more than 100 guestrooms. Guests may choose from traditional rooms, as well as beachfront suites, and all guestrooms provide a private terrace or balcony. The resort amenities include a restaurant with Bahamanian influences on the menu and a spa where guests may indulge in holistic treatments. There is a beachfront golf course on site for guests who are also golf enthusiasts. The One & Only Ocean Club also provides a free shuttle to Atlantis for those guests who would like to enjoy the marina, spa, or casino there.

One & Only Ocean Club
P.O. Box N 477
Paradise Island
The Bahamas
242-363-2501
www.oneandonlyresorts.com

Green Turtle Club

The Green Turtle Club claims to offer guests unparalleled beach access on an island that is only about 3 miles long. What is more, this particular resort is situated to provide guests with beach access on both sides of the island – the Atlantic, as well as the Caribbean. The resort was constructed in 1964, and it retains a style that features a British Colonial influence. Accommodations include standard rooms, as well as villas. The resort will also arrange weddings for guests who would like to be married on site. The Green Turtle Club is located near a town that dates back to the 18th century, so guests may hop on one of the resort golf carts and drive into town to explore the local shops.

Green Turtle Club
Green Turtle Cay, Abaco
The Bahamas Out Islands
242-365-4271
www.greenturtleclub.com

Friday, February 12, 2010

How to Create an Orchid Wedding Bouquet


The delicate and graceful orchid can be a perfect flower for a wedding bouquet. What is more, because the orchid is such a noticeable and beautiful flower, you do not need a large arrangement of them for the bouquet to stand out. When assembling an orchid wedding bouquet, simplicity is best, and the more you feature the flowers, the lovelier the bouquet will be. Adding one other type of flower can set off the orchids even more beautifully, and a few small accessories can create a memorable bouquet that matches your wedding theme. With a few simple steps, you will be on your way to holding the perfect orchid wedding bouquet.

Supplies Needed

Orchids, in one color or a couple of colors
Other flower of your choice (white or colored roses, crocosmia, etc.)
Floral wire
Floral tape
Jewel accessories (small pearls or colored gems)
Hot glue gun with glue sticks
Ribbon

Instructions

Step 1: Gather together the orchids and any other flowers that you plan to use for the bouquet. Check all of the flowers for wilted petals, and remove any petals and leaves that are spent. Clean off anywhere from eight to ten inches of the stem to remove any small leaves or extra stem pieces. The lower portion of the stem is what you will hold, so try out the space to make sure you have enough stem.

Step 2: Begin arranging the orchids and any other flowers as you want them to appear in the bouquet. Alternate orchids and other flowers, or just place each orchid in the right spot so that the bouquet is rounded in shape and looks exactly like you want.

Step 3: Attach any jewel accessories to the floral wire by hot gluing them down. Be sure the floral wire is about the same length as the flower stems, or even a little shorter, so that it does not stick out below the stems. Depending on the size of the bouquet and the number of flowers that you use, you may have anywhere from three to ten jewel accessories in the bouquet.

Step 4: Insert the wired jewels into the bouquet, placing them so that they are visible in the arrangement but do not overwhelm the flowers. The jewel accessories should highlight the beauty of the orchids and other flowers without taking over the bouquet.

Step 5: Gather the arrangement together, and wrap the stems with floral wire to secure it. The floral wire will function as a type of “collar” to hold the flowers together, but be sure that you do not place the wire too close to the base of the flower itself. Instead, add the wire about an inch below the flower heads to give the flowers a little room to bend just slightly.

Step 6: Wrap the floral wire with floral tape to secure the entire arrangement, and then cover the floral tape with ribbon. Gently hot glue the ribbon down as you secure it around the stems. If you like, hot glue one or more small jewels to the stem for an added touch.

Tips and Warnings

One option for securing any wedding bouquet is also to use a tussy mussy. A tussy mussy can be purchased at most craft supply stores and will provide a ready-made holder for the flowers. Some will even provide an extra stand so that you can display the bouquet during the reception.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Keeping Track of Wedding Vendor Contact Information


Is your list of wedding vendor information getting out of hand? When you’re planning a wedding you always need to keep the contact information readily available. Luckily for the modern bride, the days of keeping track of vendor information in large books are over. The advent of the spreadsheet and even planning and organizational programs has made it possible to input the necessary data and then update it with little trouble. Keeping track of your vendor contact information is now just a matter of finding the right software and making sure all of your vendors make it into the system.

Step 1: Gather the list of vendor information and decide what you need to maintain within the spreadsheet program or vendor organization software. Some businesses will only need to keep track of the basic contact details, such as company name, address, and so forth. Other businesses will need to include extra information that will be useful when it comes time to contact the company. Take the time to think about what you need to include in the program.

Step 2: Select the program that you want to use. Basic spreadsheet programs such as Microsoft Excel allow you to build your contact information from scratch and include as many or as few details as you need. A purchasable vendor organization program will already include a variety of options, from the basics of contact details to a variety of vendor-related specifics that might be necessary to know when working with a vendor. Fortunately, the purchasable software will also allow you to select among the available options so that the categories you do not need can be hidden or deactivated.

Step 3: Begin adding the contact information that you want to include. As you add the information, check to make sure that you understand how to find records in the event that you need to update them or access them.

Tips and Warnings


For those familiar with its features, Microsoft Excel can be an excellent program that enables a business to keep track of exactly what it need in terms of vendor contact information. For those who have never worked with the program before, however, it can be somewhat confusing and not always user-friendly. If you are unfamiliar with Excel, the ready-made software might be a better choice.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

New Ways to Repurpose Old Engagement Rings


Because an engagement ring has such significant emotional value, it can be difficult to determine what to do with one that you are no longer using. In some cases, a former fiancé will ask for the ring back, but if the ex-fiancé is willing to leave the ring in your possession, you are left with a piece of jewelry that you will likely not want to wear.

For those who have old engagement rings from marriages that ended in divorce or death, the rings can be difficult to get rid of, because they might have sentimental value for widows or for the children. Fortunately, there are several options for giving old engagement rings a new purpose, and those who do not wish to wear the rings – whatever the reason – can still find something to do with them.

Selling Old Rings

Obviously, the easiest way to remove an unused engagement ring from your possession is to look into selling it. Unfortunately, engagement rings can be a bit like cars when it comes to resale: they begin losing value the moment they leave the jewelry store. In some cases, a jeweler will take a ring back with a receipt, but this is only if it was purchased fairly recently (and if the ring does not have an inscription). If the ring was purchased some time back, your only real choice for selling the ring is to find a jeweler who is willing to make you an offer for it. Call around to local jewelry stores and explain your situation. Inquire about whether or not, they will give you an estimate on buying the ring. Bear in mind that few grooms-to-be will want to purchase a used ring, so the jeweler will likely have to sell the ring for a reduced price or reset and repurpose it.

Resetting Old Rings

Another option for using an old engagement ring is simply recycling it. If the ring has a stone on it that you do not mind keeping, consider taking the ring to a jeweler and find out if the stone (or stones) can be removed and placed in a necklace or bracelet. This is a good option for those who have an engagement ring from a previous marriage but are now wearing a ring from a current marriage. For instance, a widow can honor her late spouse by resetting the diamond from the previous engagement ring while still wearing the current engagement-wedding ring combination on her hand.

Donating Old Rings

Donating an old engagement ring to charity might sound like a waste of perfectly good money, but if the ring no longer has sentimental value to you – and it is just sitting in a drawer or safe somewhere – you can still use the value of the ring as a tax write-off and provide someone else with the chance to put the ring to good use. Before donating an old engagement ring, be sure to contact the charitable organization that you would like to give it to, since many of them have policies on items that they will and will not take. Once you have confirmed that they will accept the ring, drop it off and be sure to get a donation receipt for it.

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Managing the Children in the Wedding Party


Nothing may be more precious or more meaningful than having adorable flower girls and ring bearers in your wedding. Children, however, present some challenges of their own that you may want to keep in mind for your wedding day event.

• Try to stick with children between the ages of five and seven because they’re a bit easier to manage, keep quiet and keep still during the ceremony. They’re also less likely to be afraid of the guest crowd and break into tears
• The parents of the children in the wedding typically pay for the child’s attire
• The bride pays for and provides the flower girl basket and flowers and the ring pillow
• After the children walk down the aisle, have their parents take them to their seat (generally best to sit the parents of the kids near the front)

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Choosing Members of the Wedding Party

For some weddings, the meaning of choosing attendants is lost. When you choose the groomsmen and the bridesmaids, it should be about choosing special people that you want to stand as witnesses for your very special day. It’s not about making all of the cousins on your mother’s side of the family part of the wedding just because that’s the way it is.

Remember, the more people you have in the wedding party, the more people you have to worry about for gifts and on the day of the wedding. It’s not to say that you should have a small wedding party either. You should choose to have the size wedding party you want to have – be it big or small – because you’ve chosen wisely.

One more thing, the modern bride doesn’t even have to choose the same number of bridesmaids as her groom chooses groomsmen either. It’s perfectly acceptable to have a disproportionate number. The only rule in choosing your wedding party is that there aren’t any rules at all.

Monday, February 1, 2010

How to Get Your Wedding Bands Engraved


Many couples choose to have an inscription engraved on the inside of their wedding bands as a memento of the special occasion. One of the items you can engrave is your names. Most couples also add the date of the wedding, if it fits. If you have decided to engrave names in your wedding bands, here are the steps you need to take to get it done.

Decide how the inscription will read. You may choose to engrave your own name on your own wedding band and your husband’s name on his wedding band. You may choose to engrave his name on your band and vice versa. Your other option is to engrave both of your name. however you decide, figure out precisely how you want to names to read.

Find a jeweler or engraving company. Ask the jeweler where you’re buying your wedding bands if they offer an engraving service or ask if they can refer you to an engraving service. Once you find a company to engrave the rings, schedule an appointment to discuss the details such as cost, possible problems, etc.
Discuss options with the engraver. While most professional engravers can easily engrave your rings, things can go wrong. When you schedule a meeting with the engraver, be sure to ask all of the questions you have such as what happens if the ring is damaged during the engraving process or if the engraver makes a mistake?

Show and ask for samples. Bring engraving samples you like to the meeting with your engraver to show them how you want your engravings to look. Also, ask them for samples of their engraving work so you can judge the quality of their work with your own eyes.
Choose hand or machine engraving. If your rings have very intricate design features, you may have to opt for hand engraving over machine engraving. Otherwise, you should be able to have the names engraved by a machine, which tends to be less time intensive and cost less money.

Inspect the engraving. Ask for the engraver to provide a proof of what the engraving will look like before they start working on your rings. Once you approve the proof and go to pick your rings up from the engraver, make sure you carefully review the engravings to make sure that your names are spelled correctly and that it looks the same or similar to the proof you approved.