Proposals - How do I propose to her?

There are so many unique ways to propose; as the number of romantic couples so are there unique ways to propose.

1. Use usual items and turn them into something unique and special: print on a T-shirt and make sure to wear it when she least expects it. Hang a sign up in the house or in public – this simple gesture has proven to be one of the most exciting ways to offer.




2. Unusual places – proposing marriage while camping out, flying in a hot air balloon, or visiting a safari in Africa – any original and unique place will increase your special moment and turn it into an unforgettable moment which will long be talked of.

3. Some unique marriage proposals require long preparations: printing a message in a magazine, flying in an airplane over a field covered with a large sign saying: 'will you marry me'. All the preparations turn out to be worthwhile – your marriage proposal will be unique and exciting, increasing the chances of your sweet beloved one to say the magic word: YES.

4. Using street performers, friends dressed up as cops or public service men who attend your loved one and then surprise her with a romantic letter from you, asking her to marry you – all means are good, just make sure your unique marriage proposal consists of romance, humor, style, drama and glamor. The unique mix of these elements ensures that you create a successful marriage proposal.

Taken from: Best Marriage Proposals

Some stories to inspire you:

1. No competition

My favorite sport is riding bikes; I practice a few times a week and take part in various competitions. So when I came to propose to Miranda I decided to use my hobby as an advantage –on the back of my bike I put a flag up with the sign: Miranda will you marry me?" and entered the competition with the flag on my bike. Miranda wasn’t supposed to come to the grounds where the competition was taking place but I knew she would be watching it on TV at home and I hoped the cameras would take a close shot of me and the flag…. And they sure did!

I know, from her telling me later, that she leapt up from the sofa, gave a serious scream and… well you can imagine her excitement. Her mum was the first to call, a minute later, her family and many of our friends saw it at the same time on TV and they too called her on the phone.

I was still riding my bike, concentrating on the competition but also wondering whether she had already seen the sign or not…. An hour later the competition was over and before I was able to reach my mobile phone the TV camera was photographing me, and I was asked what this was all about. I faced the camera and said on live broad cast: "Miranda I love you, will you marry me?" People around me were cheering.

I know it touched the hearts of many people, (deep down inside ourselves we all want others to be happy and loved), then somebody handed me my phone – I think it was my friend Gary – and finally I was able to talk to my love, who by this time was crying with joy - and heard her say the sweet word I was so longing to hear: YES!!!

Then I held out to the cameras the engagement ring I had kept all that time around my neck and showed it to the cameras. I think by that time she almost fainted at home…. Shortly after when we met we could say to one another all that was to say – that we dearly loved one another – and I could give her the diamond ring.

2. Second-time lucky

My marriage proposal idea is kind of unique. I met Revital about 6 years ago just a few days before her birthday so a year later I knew she would be expecting me to propose on her birthday. I made reservations at a fancy restaurant and gave her subtle hints that I was going to propose that night.

I am a little teaser by nature, so that night just before we left for the restaurant I gave her a birthday present. I bought her a pair of diamond earrings and put them in a small jewelry box. Of course she expected me to propose at that same instant since the box looked just like a diamond ring box. When she opened the box and saw the earrings you could see she was disappointed since obviously she expected me to pop the question. She put on the earrings, thanked me and we left for the restaurant.

The evening went well with us drinking a whole bottle of wine. You could see she was waiting for me to propose and she did her best to give me many opportunities. When we finally asked for the check I could see she was disappointed I didn’t propose.

Just before we left for the restaurant I put many presents on her bed and hid the diamond engagement ring under her pillow. I even bought some marriage magazines and had them gift wrapped so she couldn’t tell what they were. We got home and went to bed and then she saw the presents and finally I proposed.

We spent the rest of the night going through the marriage magazines and planning our wedding. We have just celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary and still laugh at how I proposed.

3. He loves me, he loves me not

I was given a dozen roses. Inside one of them had a ring. they were sent to me with the instructions of playing He loves me -- he loves me not. until I found the ring.

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Think you've got a better proposal story? Email it to me and share it with the world!

Reception - 7 July 2007: Perfect day for your wedding?

Thousands of U.S. couples planning to tie the knot this year aren't leaving their chances of marital success to love alone, with a rush to marry on what some see as the luckiest day of the year -- 07/07/07.

The number seven is considered by many to be lucky, with seven a perfect number in the Bible, Buddha walking seven steps at his birth, and seven lucky gods in Japanese mythology. In the game bingo, the call is "Lucky Seven, God's in Heaven."


Wedding industry professionals are reporting venues fully booked across the United States for weddings on July 7 which falls on a Saturday, and wedding planners, florists, bakers have experienced a surge in demand for services that day.

"The number seven is associated with luck and couples believe that having all sevens would add that extra hint of luck. Also, it is an easy date for their spouse to remember," said Kristin Ciccolella, co-founder of online wedding site WedAlert.com.

WedAlert's bride database shows 605 weddings planned for that date -- which is three times higher than on the equivalent Saturday a year ago.

One celebrity couple is joining the throng. U.S. actress Eva Longoria, a star of the television series "Desperate Housewives," and basketball player Tony Parker plan to marry in Paris on July 7.

"Tony is extremely superstitious and thinks 07/07/07 is the day most lucky to get married on," a source was recently quoted as telling the U.S. celebrity magazine US Weekly.

Las Vegas, which calls itself the "wedding capital of the world" as it processes over 100,000 marriages a year, said it had experienced a spike in demand for that day.

"Wedding chapels have reported couples booking further in advance to secure a slot on that desirable date and are booking as small as 15 minutes increments to accommodate as many couples as possible," said Erika Pope, spokeswoman of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.

"People do tend to gravitate toward any date that is memorable -- like 01/01/01, or 02/02/02 -- and I think people enjoy the idea of saying they married in Vegas on 07/07/07."

The world's largest retailer, Wal-Mart, not usually known as a wedding destination, has come up with a plan after realizing many would-be-brides were finding venues and vendors booked solid for July 7.

Wal-Mart said on Tuesday it was giving seven betrothed couples wedding ceremony and reception packages at local Wal-Mart Supercenters -- in the lawn and garden areas.

"Considering that the average American wedding costs a whopping $22,000 and requires multiple trips to various vendors, the betrothed will be delighted to save money and time at Wal-Mart," said a company statement.



But will a marriage on this magical date be different?

"Love is the foundation to a happy, solid and lasting marriage, not numerology," said Ciccolella.



Source: Reuters

Bomboniere - NEW! Latest addition to i-Weddings' extensive collection

I don't know about you but I've always associated bells tolling with a man and a woman sealing their love and commitment with each other. When the celebrant/priest says, "you may kiss your bride", it's only natural to hear bells toll.

But with less and less weddings happening in a church, the link between bells tolling and the wedding kiss is getting tenuous.

Now you can have the sound of bells ringing again. Give your guests these latest additions to the i-Weddings bomboniere range and hear them ring all night. They can be used to sweetly beckon the newlyweds to kiss or to usher the entrance of the bride and groom or to send them off to their honeymoon.




These bells are carefully handmade with the highest-quality ribbons. For an order of 200 pieces or more, each bell costs $6.95. The colours of the ribbons and flowers can be custom-made to match your colour theme.


Visit i-Weddings for more details on this new product and for our extensive range of bomboniere and wedding favours.

Planning - Dare to be different

When I got married, I wanted my wedding to be different. I wanted it to be special. So special that everyone will leave thinking "WOW!".

Here is a "dare to be different" list of ideas that I came up with when I was planning my own wedding. Of course, I only used some of them. But let them inspire you.

• Use candles instead of flowers. Candles are not only cheaper, but also create a beautiful romantic mood for your wedding. Use different types to create texture and structure to your decoration.

• During the bridal march-in, ask a dozen or so (depending on the length of the aisle) of your closest friends to hand you one flower of their choice as a symbol of their friendship. Ask them to choose the flower that they think best describes you. Accepting the flowers symbolises how much their friendship means to you. At the end of the march-in, get your father and/or mother (or a person who had a significant influence in your life) to tie a ribbon around the bunch of flowers to symbolise their love for you.


• Use decoration that reflects the phases of your lives. E.g. one couple who have lived in 4 different countries had tulips to represent Holland, an ice sculpture in the shape of a Japanese tower, Paua shells to represent New Zealand and yellow tulips with green foliage to represent Australian green and gold.



• Make an electronic invitation instead of the normal boring paper one. See this article for more details.


• Give disposable cameras to your guests and tell them to go crazy! You'll be surprised at the quality and candid moments captures.


• Don't be afraid to use bold colours. Limit yourself to one. Two at the most.


• Hire a photographer with a photojournalistic background to get candid, unposed photographs.


• Ask your friends to put together a video montage or a picture slideshow of their favourite pictures of you.
  
  
  

Remember that your wedding should tell your stories - who you are, how you met, what you love about each other. Start on that ground and you'll be on your way to your wedding that's all you!

Bomboniere - Featured product (Winter/Spring 2007)

More and more couples are looking for bomboniere that are not just pretty, but useful as well. I mean who wants to give their guests gifts that will be chucked in a dark corner once they go back home.

The i-Wedding's feature product for the winter/spring 2007 season is the Huggin Salt and Pepper Shaker. The salt and pepper shaker set shows a couple hugging, which symbolises love the bride and groom have for each other.




This shaker set is inspired by a design from Alberto Mantilla, which has been featured in Wallpaper and I.D. Magazine.
The i-Wedding's Huggin Salt and Pepper Shaker set comes in various colours and you can choose the combination from the range of colours to suit your wedding. The ceramic pair comes wrapped in clear cello paper and completed with a string tied into a bow.

Each pair costs $3.45 for a minimum order of 200 pieces. The price varies for orders less than 200 pieces. Email me for details. Each pair is approximately 5.5cm high with a 4.5cm by 3cm base.

Reception - Tips to write your wedding vows

Writing your own wedding vows put a nice personal and unique touch to your wedding. These personalised vows will add romance and feeling to your ceremony and allow you both to express exactly how you feel about each other.

Writing your wedding vows may be a daunting task. Although you know how you feel about the person you are about to marry, it is not always easy to put those feelings into coherent words.

Some tips and questions to get you started:

• Write about what you feel, not what others are expecting
• When you two met, where were you in your life?
• How did your views on life change when you met?
• When did you first meet? What were your initial feelings about him/her?
• Describe the feeling and moment when you realised you love him/her.
• What qualities in him/her inspire you the most? What have you learnt from each other?
• What goals and dreams do you both share with each other?
• Think about the turning points in your relationship, be it happy, sad or inspiring. Describe them and how it made your love stronger.
• Why do you want to be married to him/her?
• Describe the day when you/he/she asked you to marry her/him. How did you feel when you/he/she proposed?
• Think about your childhood dream about your wedding and lifelong partner. Describe how this dream matches up (or not!) with him/her.
• What are you most looking forward to in your life together?

Some examples to help you get started:

• I've dreamed of this a thousand times, Standing before the man I love, Vowing to be with him forever, Sending prayers to the Lord above, Now here I am beside you, Holding your hand, letting a new life begin, Not fully understanding it all, But ready to jump out and dive in, With all that I have and all that I am, I'm forever a part of you, You're forever a part of me, And there's not a solitary thing I won't do for you, You are my life and the reason I breathe ,And upon this evening, I vow I'll give you my world and all that I am, In this moment - right here and right now, Forever is longer than either of us knows, But I want to spend it by your side, Eternity is farther than we can see, But together we'll take the ride, This is the beginning of forever, Unselfish love starts here I promise to you, I will love you, And together the road will be clear. I LOVE YOU.
• Dear Jennifer, In the past few days I've been something that I've rarely been at any other time in my life - silent. But you're at least partly to blame. From the day we met, you've surprised me, challenged me, and engaged me in a way that no other human being ever has. And I've never been able to tell you what that meant to me. But today, of all days, I have to find a way. Before I knew you, I wasn't living. I was waiting. And hoping. Because even though I've lived my life in a cold and souless city - I've always known that somewhere in the heart of it there is a wall and then there is a door. And if you're lucky enough to get inside, you'll be about as close as any of us are going to get to the Garden Of Eden. I know this is gonna sound ridiculous, but I feel that's pretty much where I'm standing right now, sans snake and the apple tree, of course.
• I offer you not the 'summer of my life', but the autumn brisk and vibrant. I promise to be a companion worthy of your precious friendship. I pledge you compassion in good times and bad, encouragement in sickness and health. It is with my intent that our life together include our large circle of friends and our loving families. We'll cherish the memories of our individual pasts; and create our new life as we go along together.
• I accept you to be my husband, secure in knowledge that you will be my friend, my faithful partner in life, and my one true love. On this special day, I give to you in the presence of all those in attendance my promise to stay by your side; As your wife in sickness and in health, in joy and in sorrow, as well as through good times and bad. I promise to love you, comfort you in times of distress... laugh with you and cry with you, grow with you in mind, always be open and honest with you, and cherish you for as long as we both shall live.
• As you have been by my side through my darkest hours, so I will be a light in your life. I will listen to your concerns and not judge. I will lift you up and support you through laughter and through tears. As you have cared for me in times of infirmity, so I will keep you sheltered when storms arise. I will comfort and console you. I will be the rock that you stand on, the staff that you lean on, and the wings that allow you to fly. As you have inspired me to follow my dreams, so I will strive to help you achieve your goals. I will encourage you in your endeavors and nourish your spirit as you walk through this life. As you have loved me, so I will love you. I will be by your side, a part of one entity, but above all else, I will allow you to be you.