Some things in Newport Beach are just casual, but you don’t think of weddings as being one of them.  Recently a friend reported on a wedding reception she attended over the weekend that was a pool party.  She wasn’t sure what was intended on the invitation so she and her husband dressed up assuming the bride and groom would be standing by a beautiful pool with candles and rose petals floating peacefully in the background.  No.  The bride and groom were in the pool; the groom sporting a tuxedo Speedo and the bride attired in a white tankini.

It doesn’t stop there.  The bride and grooms parents were also in the pool.  A few friends who got the memo came clad in pool wear but most came in dress clothes and had to bend over the pool to shake the soaking wet hands of the happy couple.  Not to sound old fashion or unhip (is that a word?), outdated or prudish, but really?  A pool party for a wedding reception?  Aren’t some things just worth a little extra effort?

Now, understanding we do live in an informal world where casual Friday usually extends to the other days as well, but some events should just be a little more proper.  The same holds true for dining.  McDonalds is great for dining with the kids but you wouldn’t dream of going for an anniversary dinner.

Newport Beach offers amazing local restaurants with beautiful atmosphere, seaside dining, and tantalizing entrees.  If California can’t be formal, it sure can be delicious.  Don’t wear your beachwear to a fancy restaurant though, regardless of personal preference.  From seared swordfish to smoked salmon, fresh lobster to calamari, some occasions just need that special spice of formality.  Anniversaries are one of them.

Pool parties for wedding receptions?  Probably not, but a beautiful fine dining restaurant in Newport Beach for a wedding reception would be just perfect, especially one with a banquet room.

One of the easiest ways to personalize a wedding cake is by including monograms that spell out the full name or just the initials of the bride and the groom. You can get your name inscribed on the icing plate or select from among a vast collection of Swarovski embedded cake toppers or couture cake jewelry that can make your wedding cake look all the more gorgeous and makes for excellent wedding souvenirs as well. If you have already decided to add this detailing to your cake, you need to keep a few pointers in mind while selecting the perfect monogram for it.

Of the three most important factors that you should consider at the time of selecting your wedding cake monogram, the lettering and font style is the most important. It should gel well with the design of the cake as well as the theme of the wedding. Thus, if your wedding is going to be a ceremonial affair with a number of people in attendance and you have ordered a traditional three-tiered wedding cake with royal icing, you should choose wedding cakes monograms with a calligraphic script.

On the other hand, if you are planning a beach side wedding and have ordered a theme wedding cake, you should stick to a cursive script when it comes to the monograms. You can also ask your baker to use a rather novel technique of icing called “over piping” to decorate your cake and to include your names within it.

Next, you need to consider the material and the finish of the monograms that you want to use. Some of the most gorgeous wedding cakes that you can find in the market use jeweled monograms and use edible glitter. However, if this becomes too expensive for your budget third factor to consider – you can ask your baker to fashion a monogram out of icing and use it as cake topper for a 3D effect.

For years, mens wedding rings were just plain bands in either gold or silver. It has always been the bride’s which are studded with gems or designed with intricate engravings. Today, though, men are catching up with elaborately designed rings; widening their choices. Here are the three main questions that you should ask yourself when picking out one.

Can you wear it while working? This may have to be one of the most important questions. Wedding rings will always be worn on the finger and a man’s career greatly affects the style and design of a particular ring. Those on desk jobs are more likely fitted to buy those heavily designed or studded ones, where any chances of it getting damaged is less. For men who work in an industrial or mechanical environment, however, a more durable and simple design would be very appropriate for such lifestyle.

What is your style and preference? Again, wedding rings are worn at all times; it will be your main fashion accessory, along with your watch. Therefore, choose a ring that you personally like. It should reflect your personal style and fashion taste. If you are the no-fuss type, the simple wedding band may already work for you. There are, however, men who are into wearing “bling”. The studded ones would most probably appeal to them.

Would you go for the simple and traditional or intricate and elegant? These two choices are basically the main groups of wedding rings for men available in the market. The simple and traditional wedding bands exude a macho, rugged, and sturdy look would be perfect to keep the stereotypical characteristics of men alive. For the modern and fashionable men, intricate rings are already considered mainstream.

Considering these questions as guides would make wedding ring shopping an easier and stress-free task. Now you can work on planning the bridesmaid dresses and mother of the bride and mother of the groom dresses.

Planning a wedding is all about paying close attention to every bit of detail. Considering that the wedding day is one of the most important days in a persons life, everyone plans for it in advance. To make the event truly memorable, experienced wedding photographers are hired to capture all the lovely moments. With hundreds of guests putting their best to look good and happy, wedding photographers have a huge task at hand. It is therefore, a good idea to have a wedding photography checklist PDF to ensure no detail is missed. The checklist should help the photographer to know the friends and family members of the bride and groom. This assists in clicking pictures more effectively.

These days, many couples opt for theme based weddings to make their special day unique. A large number of couples choose to get married according to different cultures and rituals. The theme of the wedding therefore has a very important part to play, particularly for the photographer who should understand these rituals.

Any good photographer will spend adequate time on understanding the couple, the wedding theme and the venue. The photographer must take necessary inputs from the couple to understand what they are looking for and suggest options accordingly. The options should be suggested on the basis of the time of wedding, location and some other factors. After discussing the various aspects with the couple, the photographer can plan the entire event efficiently.

To capture the moments, photographers must choose the right lens and camera. When it comes to picking out the best lens for wedding photography Canon is considered one of the best options. The lens produces finest pictures and most photographers use it to take wedding snaps.

Most people do not realize the importance of choosing the right wedding photographers while leave everything to the last minute. Preparing everything in advance is essential to preserve the wonderful moments of a wedding.

When you are planning your wedding, it is all fun for the bride and sometimes tiring for the groom when certain issues arise. Soon the groom will not want to hear about what matches what in the house and the situation could turn ugly. The creation of weddiing registries should be fun for the two of you if you follow some simple guidelines.

•    You should register for quality items. Even if your friends are not that affluent, they can always pool funds together and ensure that you get good quality items for your new home. If you register for low quality items assuming that nobody will afford good quality items then you will find yourselves having to replace your wedding gifts within a year or two. Not a good way to have wedding keepsakes.

•    Go for items that span a wide range of prices. The items that seem expensive can be a good gift item for your colleagues at work to pool funds for. Those small items are also good for people who may want to give a small but personalized gift.

•    Ask your store of they have an online facility for clients to place their wedding registries. This will make it more convenient for guests who live far away to purchase items from your local store and not have to carry them all the way when attending the wedding. The store should be close to your wedding venue and the online registry should be user-friendly.

•    It is important to be creative when you are creating your wedding registries. Think of items that most people do not think about. You may want a hiking backpack if you are both nature lovers and are planning a safari for your honeymoon.

Creating weddiing registries can be fun for the couple as long as you do not make it an arduous task.

In this article we will explain to you the roles that a mother of the groom has for the wedding ceremony. You probably should also be ashamed of yourself for not knowing this – the people of the past were definitely more respectful of older traditions than you are!

In any case, the guidelines are not very hard to remember. You could stick to the old adage which says that a mother of the groom should wear only beige dresses and that a mother of the groom has to keep her mouth shut. Those are good statements, but they do not fully cover the whole range of responsibilities that a mother of the groom has. They are also not very accurate for today’s society.

For example, we all know that many other colors have become acceptable for the weddings nowadays – we see brides wearing champagne, red and emerald wedding dresses. Mothers of the grooms are also allowed to choose mother of the groom dresses of not only the traditional beige color – you do want to consult with the bride and the groom, however, as picking mother of the groom dresses that are not harmonious with the wedding theme is something that needs to be avoided.

Other responsibilities of a mother of the groom are mostly organizational ones. For example, mother of the groom (and his father, as well) are the ones who act as an intermediate link between two families. They are responsible for introducing the two families together, organizing a rehearsal wedding dinner, where two families can get to know each other better and many other things.

She is also responsible to provide a financial aid. For example, if the families have decided to take the responsibility of buying bridesmaid dresses on themselves, then mother of the groom should also participate in this and pay a portion for the cheap bridesmaid dresses. Sometimes she also pays for the wedding rings, although this is not her official role, and is more of a decision that she makes herself.

It is time to announce your upcoming wedding celebration!  Congratulations!  Now, do not make the mistake of sending off plain old wedding save the date cards.  If you want to put your best foot forward and have an incredible response, you should go with save the date magnets.  and if you want to really make an impact, use funny save the date magnets.  Here is why.

Wedding magnets tend to work best because they end up being displayed at your invitees home. I am not saying they will frame it and hang it on the wall, but they will place it up on their iceboxes.  If you think about it, your save the date magnet will be seen a lot between the time they received it up to the wedding day.  Each time they–or anyone, for that matter–hits the refrigerator for anything, they will probably look at it.  Each time Junior brings home an A paper, again, your announcement will get seen since it will be holding that paper up.  You will not get this action from a card.  Please.

Going with funny wedding save the date magnets is an important part of making your wedding day a success!  You may think it doesn’t because they are so far removed, but if you want all of your friends and family to think about your wedding in an upbeat and fun way, a general or romantic or even cute save the date will not evoke those feelings.  Get them laughing, though, and you will be putting in their minds the idea that they will be laughing at your wedding celebration.  This will get them excited about attending.  This in turn gets your guest count higher, which means more fun for you!

Don’t count on your invitations to evoke these feelings, as they are typically more formal.  Take advantage of this chance to use fun save the dates!

For the person who wants a titanium ring, lifestyle shouldn’t matter. The durability of this metal is…well…precious, and because of this, it wears nicely.

The Titanium itself is not heavy while being quite strong. Even stronger than steel. The surface doesn’t scratch readily which allows Titanium to keep its demeanor for quite some time. It requires little upkeep and a must for those of us with sensitive skin, this is an enormous plus. There are many reasons why people choose Titanium over gold or silver for their wedding bands. Titanium wedding bands doesn’t fade, and resist the wear and tear of other metals when worn while in contact with water such as bathing, washing dishes, swimming etc. Many producers of Titanium offer assurance for years or even the lifetime of your jewelry.

Now you don’t have to be a fashion buff or super rich in order to afford, a titanium ring. With its popularity increasing its no longer a “best kept secret”. Its very popular in men’s jewelry because it can look heavy but stylish. The trend to use titanium in sports rings is very popular too. Many jewelry designers today are choosing titanium over platinum. It keeps its luster ,and its more economical.

With the economy in such a state consumers are savvier. Businesses selling titanium jewelry and especially rings are easier to find thru the internet. Their prices are super reasonable. You may not get custom designs, but they do carry a satisfying choice.

Now that you are a bit more “in the know” about titanium, it’s a very good choice for a wedding band. Why?…A wedding band is suppose to last forever. A wedding band is something that every couple cherish for a lifetime – something that will stand the test of time, just as their personal vows. Isn’t that what we all want? And titanium wedding bands are just as perfect.