Author: blogger

Mothers of Twins Share Duo Flower Girls

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When the author of Twins’ Night Before Christmas, Cynthia Panks, attended her first daughter’s wedding, she was touched to see her twin granddaughters walking down the aisle as beautiful duo flower girls. Sisters are thrilled to not only take part in each others weddings, but doubly thrilled when their twin daughters participate as duo flower girls in each of their weddings.

Such was the case in each of Cynthia’s daughter’s weddings. One set of twins, at eighteen months, “walked” down the aisle with the Matron of Honor. Several years later, the next of twins, at six months of age, “strolled” down the aisle in their specially designed wedding stroller with their Mother, and Matron of Honor.

What a blessing for Twins’ Night Before Christmas author, Cynthia Panks!

“Twinsbookshelf Website”

Wedding Dress Shopping

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This is the big day! The dress is the biggest part of the show! What will you wear? Who will go with you to pick it out? What will look best? These questions and others plague every bride as she begins the journey towards her second love, her wedding dress. Being thoughtful about the process of selecting your wedding dress, will create an experience that is memorable because of the amazing way it made you feel.

1. Style: Brides almost never arrive to a dress shop with absolutely no clue as to what they want to wear on their wedding day. Most have looked online or in magazines to see what styles they would like. While this is a great way to get a head start, it can also be a source of extreme disappointment. The style you have in mind might look fabulous on you. However, there is a chance it might not. Keeping an open mind when going to look for a dress is an important part of the journey. You may be completely surprised, but none the less thrilled with the style that actually does look fabulous on you. I had my heart set on a particular dress from a magazine when I went dress shopping. It was the first one I tried on at the store and I immediately knew when I saw myself in it that it was not for me. However, it did not ruin my day and I found there were plenty more styles that I liked even better.

2. Who to take: Traditionally, only a few people or even just the mother of the bride see the wedding dress before its debut. Today, brides want to feel more inclusive with their bridesmaids, siblings and sometimes even their fianc. This is completely up to the bride, however, this will be an emotional experience and it is always best to choose people who will be emotionally supportive. Yes, you want people who will honestly give you an opinion on dresses, but opinions and truth can be presented in various ways and taking people along who will present it in a loving, thoughtful way will make your experience that much richer. When I went to pick out my dress, I took my sister, who was my matron of honor and my mother. I narrowed it down to two dresses and even went back a second day to try them both on again before I finally chose one. Once I had narrowed it down to the two, my sister and mother never stated which one they preferred. They simply told me that I looked beautiful in both and that whichever one I went with would be wonderful. That was so reassuring to me. I did try and pressure them a bit to confess which one they preferred, but they never did. I got to make the final selection and only received accolades from both. It was an awesome experience and I felt nothing but love and support from them.

3. Budget! Budget! Budget!: Did I mention budget? Can you imagine anything worse than looking in the closet at your wedding dress a month after your wedding and then looking at the stack of bills you and your husband have to pay and regretting that you went way over budget on a dress that you only wore for one day? This can sometimes happen even if you stayed on budget just because of the short time the dress is actually worn. So, if you have a budget, stick to it. If you don’t have a budget, but really need one, set one prior to going to look at dresses. Don’t live with regret.

4. Don’t be afraid to be creative: There are many options for accenting wedding dresses, so don’t be afraid to think outside the wedding dress box. For example, a colored sash makes a great addition to a dress that might not have the right amount of bling or style for you. A veil can also drastically change the look of a gown or a rhinestone head piece, if a veil isn’t for you. The point is to not just look at the dress as is, but consider how to give it your own personal touch. This can be especially important if you have selected a dress that helps you stay on budget, but isn’t your ideal gown.

At Occasions In Print, we are all about helping create the first impression with the elegance and distinction that reflects your style and sensibility. Our Wedding Invitations, Birth Announcements and Stationery are of the highest quality and the greatest value. Each can be personalized and previewed. We offer fine stationery store quality, but with low online prices.

Owner Kamie Marsillo Occasions In Print -All About Saving You Money without Losing Elegance or Attitude- www.occasionsinprint.com 623-218-3469

Understanding The Importance Of A Wedding Planner

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They are known as bridal consultants and wedding consultants. They are popularly referred to as a wedding planner. Their services range from wedding preparation up to the wedding day. They make sure that every aspect of your wedding details is fixed and any problems encountered are ironed out. They try not to let you get stressed out on what is perhaps the most memorable day of your life.

There used to be a time when only the rich and famous could afford the services of wedding planners. Today, however, almost every wedding that happens every second in all parts of the world will have a wedding planner involved one way or the other. Weddings are a big part of the couple’s lives so the wedding planner has to make sure that everything is in place. They are professionals in their own fields, but when it comes to wedding details, they are experts.

There are so many things that you will have to think about on your wedding day. Planning usually has to start a year before, even longer. This allows you with more time to schedule everything. What makes this daunting is that you will have to shuttle here and there just to get to appointments, fittings, and the like. This is nothing compared to what you will have to do on the day itself, check the caterers, the food, the decorations, see if the wedding entourage is already in church and more. Relieve yourself of all these and leave them in the hands of a wedding planner.

The most professional and successful wedding planners are sometimes the most expensive. They are able to fulfill every aspect of a client’s wish, and this is mostly the bride’s wish. From the possible to the impossible requests, a good wedding planner will do his or her best to meet this.

It is a common practice that every wedding will have its own budget. This should not deter you from engaging the services of a wedding planner. They are flexible enough to give in to the smallest requests. Cutting costs is not a reason for cutting down on hiring a wedding planner. As the bride, you will need all the help you can get. You do not have to worry about every detail of your wedding with a planner around. This task is quite impossible so it is best to just delegate it to some who knows how everything works. You have to enjoy your wedding, especially the wedding day itself.

A wedding planner’s strength lies in what he or she knows. His contacts make him popular that is the reason why he must do his best in every wedding he heads. His duties revolve around fixing the budget as provided by the couple, selection of staff, assisting in documentation and travel requirements in the case of destination weddings.

Weddings are expected to have back up plans just in case any problem should happen. A wedding planner cannot afford to have any mistake. That is the reason why he was hired in the first place.

Lingerie Review Victorian Nightgowns

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Victorian nightgowns refer to the style of feminine night gowns which were introduced and were in style during Victorian era; that is during the reign of Queen Victoria, from mid to late 1800s. Till the Victorian era there was no special nightwear grouping that was terribly unique.

But during the Victorian era, increased prosperity and consciousness plus an increased interest in hygiene made nightgowns and sleepwear more of a necessity. The voluminous style of these women’s nightgowns is associated with the excessive modesty of the Victorian period. And, while the characteristic long cotton and lace sleeves were truest to that period and comfortable for sleeping, they were not terribly practical.

The most common Victorian nightdress styles are usually seen in romantic peignoir sets, which are the nightgowns and womens robe sets that a lot of brides traditionally wear on their wedding night and on their honeymoon. And, while the classic peignoir set is comprised of a long flowing romantic gown with a robe to match, nowadays shorter gowns are also used.

The Victorian night gown is characterized by a soft cotton glamorous night gown,which combines the best of sexy and stylish while radiating shyness, femininity and passion all in one. In the modern era these gowns became very popular when vintage fashion hit the fashion scene in a big way. Recently, with the influence of romantic Victorian period movies and fashion magazines focusing on specialty lingerie and intimate apparel, the selection at affordable prices has never been better. There are many styles and designs in these gowns which cater to the needs of every woman, whether rich or poor, stylish or orthodox, slim or heavy, glamorous or ordinary. Aside from long gowns and short ones, there are also a wide range of sleeve styles to choose from like the traditional long sleeves that everyone is acquainted with. There are short sleeves, and sleeves with embellishments and details like draw string ties, lace trim, crochet and lace, appliqus in a variety of materials like cotton, satin, silk and synthetics.

Since these nightgowns have increased in popularity it has become easier to shop them for them in some department stores, vintage shops and online. Some of the specialty lingerie and vintage stores make custom made nightgowns according to client’s choices. They also offer custom made matching night gowns for mothers, daughters and sisters or different styles that can be ordered through their catalogs. Though some may come in a polyester blend, traditionalists always tend to choose 100 percent cotton ones. What is so appealing about cotton? It is cool in summer and warm in the winter and it is usually extremely comfortable to wear. Cottons are machine washable, but extra care should be taken with regard to any lace trim or and delicate buttons used in the gowns. As mentioned before, today’s Victorian night gowns are both modern and traditional at the same time, and are available every where although the style and selection will vary from store to store and region to region.

Importance Of Mehndi In Indian Culture

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Mehndi holds a lot of cultural significance in Indian traditions. Be it weddings, Karva Chauth or other occasions, mehndi plays an important role in all the ceremonies and festivals of India. In todays era of modernization, the new styles and designs of mehndi are coming up, adding glamour and fun to it.

Weddings being the most important day in ones life, mehndi has become an ornament for the soon to be brides. There is, in fact, one whole ceremony dedicated to its celebration popularly known as Mehndi Ceremony or Mehndi Ki Raat. Besides this, the phrase Haath Peele Karna as often heard from elders of the family is a rasam of mehndi directly synonymous to marriage. This significance maybe attributed to symbolic meaning of mehndi i.e. fertility.

Mehndi Ceremony is among the pre wedding rituals in Indian weddings performed a day prior to the marriage. Just as Haldi ceremony symbolizes cleanliness, mehndi signifies beautification. Mehndi-Ki-Raat is usually a private affair with close relatives, friends and family members, celebrated amidst lot of dancing and feasting. This ritual is often combined with Sangeet ceremony and so is primarily a womens function. The atmosphere is imbued with dholak beats and singing of traditional songs while mehndi is applied on brides hands and legs by mehndi experts. The brides mehndi interweaves the name of her would be husband and he is expected to find his name in the pattern. The female relatives of the family also apply mehndi on their palms to take part in the celebrations. This ceremony is performed by families of both the Indian bride and the Indian groom.

Even the color of mehndi is given high importance in Indian culture as the darkness of the color signifies the degree of husbands and mother-in-laws love. It depicts love and affection between the couple as it is believed that the longer it retains, the more auspicious it is. The bride is traditionally not allowed to work in her husbands home until her mehndis color fades away completely.

Mehndi is applied on all the important occasions, festivals and vrats(fasts) in Hindu culture. It is important in festivals such as Karwa Chauth, Rakhi, Diwali etc. It is also considered as a shagun mostly denoted by the pattern of large dot in the centre of the hand with four smaller dots at the sides.

In order to make this conventional trend of henna application more exciting, fashionable and fun filled, there is a vast variety of mehndi designs available today. Arabic Mehndi, Rajasthani Mehndi, Crystal Mehndi, Tattoo Mehndi, etc along with the traditional Indian Mehndi are among the most popular styles of mehndi currently. Mehndi designs majorly consist of floral patterns, religious symbols, etc. while adding beauty and uniqueness to each design applied.

Henna or Mehndi is also known worldwide for its medicinal properties. It was, in fact, used as a cosmetic in earlier times due to its therapeutic features. Mehndi is widely adopted around the world as a conditioner and dye for hair by both men and women. It is a natural dye that renders a beautiful color on hair and creates a lustrous look. Also, mehndi is popular for its cooling effects, thus, used in hot climates in India and other countries. It can also help in lowering body temperature and soothe headaches, fevers, burning feet and even hysteria or a violent temper. It can increase the luster of nails, is effective in muscular rigidity and even in Jaundice.

Henna is in vogue these days with much experimentation happening on ways of its application. It is now prominently used, especially in the West, to make tattoos on different parts of the body. Tattoos are made on arms, wrists, around the navel, the shoulder or the back. Henna is now being used for body art as well.

Few useful links:
http://www.jeevansathi.com/