Posted by Patti Wellington on Thu, Jul 15, 2010 @ 12:34 PM
When someone close to you is getting married, it’s important to pick a special wedding engagement gift to show your delight and best wishes.
Engagement gifts don’t have to be extravagant and no matter what you give the happy couple, they'll appreciate the fact that you took the time to think of them. Your engagement gift should speak to the joy and excitement of their engagement and offer wishes of luck and happiness.
Here Are The Top Five Engagement Party Gift Ideas:
1. A book on marriage tips or how to have a happy married life.
2. For the couple that enjoys music, you can gift a good collection of music CDs, keeping in mind the genre and the artist they like.
3. You can create an engagement basket, which includes items like a watch set, perfume set, double-bed blanket and bed sheet set.
4. Purchase a scrapbook for the couple and encourage all the guests to write a few words about them, in it. This can be a lovely way of giving them memories related to the engagement.
5. Ring holder and photo frame - with a picture of the couple.
Posted by Patti Wellington on Tue, Jan 12, 2010 @ 08:41 PM
In many cultures, it's considered okay for a woman to propose to a man. Today, society doesn't look down on women who do this, however that was not always the case.
Back in the day when the rules of a courtship were much tighter, women were allowed to pop the question - but only on one day every four years. That day was February 29th.
Here's a few stories that provide some some background on how this rule came about:
St. Bridget's Complaint - Back in 5th century Ireland when St. Bridget complained to St. Patrick about women having to wait for so long for a man to propose. According to legend, St. Patrick said the yearning females could propose on this one day in February during the leap year.
February 29th in English Law - According to English law, February 29th was ignored and had no legal status; people assumed that traditions would also have no status on that day. It was also reasoned that since the leap year day existed to fix a problem in the calendar, it could also be used to fix an old and unjust custom that only let men propose marriage.
The first documentation of this practice dates back to 1288, when Scotland supposedly passed a law that allowed women to propose marriage to the man of their choice in that year. Tradition states they also made it law that any man who declined a proposal in a leap year must pay a fine. The fine could range from a kiss to payment for a silk dress or a pair of gloves.
Sadie Hawkins Day - In the United States, some people have referred to this date as Sadie Hawkins Day with women being given the right to run after unmarried men to propose. Sadie Hawkins was a female character in the Al Capp comic strip Li'l Abner. Many communities prefer to celebrate Sadie Hawkins Day in November because Al Capp first mentioned Sadie Hawkins Day on November 15, 1937.
Greek Superstition - There is a Greek superstition that claims couples have bad luck if they marry during a leap year. Apparently one in five engaged couples in Greece will avoid planning their wedding during a leap year.
Posted by Patti Wellington on Mon, Jan 04, 2010 @ 09:11 AM
The Holidays are over and there's a good chance that if you got engaged, you're now looking to make it official by announcing it to everyone you know. Here are some great tips to help with the wedding announcement:
Who makes the announcement? - Traditionally, a wedding announcement is made by the parents of the bride to be. Since in our society there are various types of families, the traditional engagement has evolved and today some couples choose to announce their engagement themselves. Here is a sample wedding announcement made by the bride's parents:
Mr. and Mrs. John Smith of Niagara Falls announce the engagement of their daughter, Mallory to Joe Clark, son of Michael and Mary Clark, also of Niagara Falls. Very proud grandmothers are Andie Smith and Margaret Clark. Thrilled siblings are Charlie Smith, Zach Smith and Richard Clark. An August wedding is planned in Costa Rica.
Where to make your wedding announcement?
There are a few different options:
In the Newspaper - Formally, many couples choose to print in the local newspaper and, if you wish, in your local congregation or community newsletter (synagogue, church).
Create a Wedding Website - The modern spin on the newspaper advertisement is to build a wedding website. Websites like theknot.com and the Wedding Channel offer easy-to-create personal websites that will help you inform your guests, and keep them updated on details of the wedding. Once you've created a site, you can send an email letting friends and family know the URL. We recommend telling those closest to you in person, and save this announcement for out of towners and those not as close.
Mailing Formal Announcements - I've seen some great cards that can be designed by an invitation designer company that you can find online or simply go to your local stationery store. You can word them however you wish, but typically wording is similar to what appears in a newspaper announcement. If you include your wedding date, it can double as a save-the-date card!
When should you announce your engagement? - f you are having an engagement party than the announcement is made after the party took place. (the next day if we go by the traditional etiquette).
Posted by Patti Wellington on Mon, Dec 28, 2009 @ 01:58 PM
Here is the first in a three-part series that will provide the newly engaged wedding couple with some tips on getting the wedding planning off to a good start.
Congratulations, you’re engaged. The first thing you should do is talk with each set of parents and find out if either would like to assist financially with the wedding; this way you know exactly where your finances are coming from and how much you will have to spend on your wedding – which is a really good place to start.
Here are some tips on handling the Family Meeting
- Meet with each other’s side individually; this will help avoid any awkward moments for both families involved. Money is always a tricky subject to discuss, let alone in front of your parents/soon to be in-laws.
- Some couples choose to discuss their parent’s financial contribution in private without the fiancé in attendance; your fiancé could do the same thing with his/her parents. Sometimes these conversations can get a bit heated and it may be best for them not to see your parents in that light.
- If the parents have decided to help with the wedding costs, talk about a total amount of money they will contribute to the wedding instead of them committing to paying for the dress and alcohol at the reception.
- Have your parents provide you with their wedding guest list and tell them to put an asterisk beside the “must attend” names; this way they’ll make the cut no matter what. Try and put all of the wedding guest names and addresses into Excel; this spreadsheet you produce will help throughout the wedding planning process.
- Ask the parents what is important to them on the wedding day. Knowing this information in advance will help avoid disputes throughout the wedding planning process.
Note: If you (the bride and groom) decide to pay for all the wedding expenses yourselves, then the above information will not pertain to you. You’ll be allowed to plan the wedding of your dreams based on the budget you both decide on. The upside to all this will be that you won’t have anyone telling you what you should and shouldn't do at your wedding, which will help elevate a lot of stress from your wedding planning.
Do you have any questions or want more information about wedding planning? E-mail them to me and I'll contact you with an answer. Who knows, I might even write an article on it and post it in my blog. weddings@occasionsniagara.com