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.

Reception - Your Wedding Weather

New from The Weather Channel, the leading weather forecast provider for the world.

My Wedding Weather

Related link: Reception - When is the best time to have an outdoor wedding in Melbourne?

Reception - Top 10 wedding budget tips

Here are i-Wedding's top 10 tips for keeping your wedding budget low.

1. Buy your dress and your bridesmaid's dresses from the same shop. Usually the store owner will be more inclined to give you a discount if you buy everything from him/her. If possible, also buy your jewellery and shoes from the same store.
   
2. Consider eliminating the following from your cake: fruit fillings, fondant icing, sugar flowers that are handmade, deep colors (use pastel colours instead), shapes that are not standard. These items add to the cost of the cake.


3. Only meet with vendors that can provide the service within your budget. Let them know upfront your budget so they can provide options that are within the budget.
4. Shop around. And don't be afraid to ask for a discount. I know a bride who got a $200 discount off her $800 gown because she asked for a discount.
   
5. Minimise the variety of appetizers. People won't notice if there are 2 or 20 different appetizers!
   
6. Be sure to also consider accessories, such as veil, gloves, shoes, jewellery, purse, lingerie, and alterations, when setting the budget for your wedding attire.
   
7. Beads or sequins on a dress will up the cost substantially. Get a plain dress and ask a relative or friend who is a seamstress to sew them on. Or, just do it yourself.
   
8. If you're on a tight budget, limit the number of bridesmaids and groomsmen at your wedding.
   
9. Check the internet for online stores. Online stores usually sell items at a lower price due to much lower overhead costs.
   
10. Consider using some green plants as decoration instead of filling the reception or ceremony location with flowers.

For an idea on how much to spend on each part of your wedding, try this Interactive Wedding Budget Planner. You just type in your total budget and it will automatically calculate your budget for each section of your wedding.

Bomboniere - The tradition behind and the future of giving bomboniere

Giving bomboniere to your wedding guests is a sweet way to say “Thank you” for their presence and generous gifts, and to convery good wishes, appreciation and friendship.

Traditionally, five sugared almonds, representing health, wealth, happiness, fertility and long life for the newlyweds, are given to remind us that life is both bitter and sweet.

Today, bomboniere comes in many forms. To keep with traditions, some couples prefer to give the 5 sugared almonds but presented in a modern innovative way. Some may choose to add their own personal touch by giving chocolate hearts, jellybeans or lollies instead of the almonds.

More and more couples are inclined to break away from this sugared almond tradition by giving their guests gifts that reflect their personality. The golf enthusiasts may present golf-themed picture frames. The nature lovers may want to offer their guests lovely flower candles. Some couples even give their own personal message and meaning, for example candles may mean “you light up my life” or bears can convey the message “I love you beary much!”.

There are no hard and fast rules on bomboniere. Just remember to let your creative juices flow and add your own personal touch to your wedding!

As written on i-Weddings

Reception - When is the best time to have an outdoor wedding in Melbourne?

When is the best time of the year to have your wedding? This question is especially important if you’re having any part of your wedding, be it the ceremony, the reception or the photo-taking session, outdoors.

I’ve compiled some useful climate information on Melbourne from the Bureau of Meteorology to help you decide.

Rain obviously is the main deciding factor.

Month	Average Rainfall (mm)	Average Number of Raindays	Average probability of rain on any day
Jan	48.2	8.3	26.8%
Feb	47.0	7.4	26.4%
Mar	50.6	9.3	30.0%
Apr	58.2	11.5	38.3%
May	56.6	14.0	45.2%
Jun	49.8	14.2	47.3%
Jul	47.9	15.1	48.7%
Aug	50.3	15.6	50.3%
Sept	58.7	14.8	49.3%
Oct	67.4	14.3	46.1%
Nov	59.3	11.8	39.3%
Dec	59.1	10.5	33.9%

Source: Bureau of Meteorology

Temperature is also an important factor. On top of being sunny, being comfortable at your own wedding without sweltering in 40-degree heat is important.

Month	Average Daily Maximum Temperature	Average number of days where maximum temperature is more or equal to 40 degrees Celcius	Average number of days where maximum temperature is more or equal to 35 degrees Celcius	Average number of days where maximum temperature is more or equal to 30 degrees Celcius
Jan	25.8 degC	0.7	3.6	7.8
Feb	25.8 degC	0.3	2.7	6.9
Mar	23.8 degC	0.1	0.9	4.9
Apr	20.2 degC	0	0	0.5
May	16.6 degC	0	0	0
Jun	14.0 degC	0	0	0
Jul	13.4 degC	0	0	0
Aug	14.9 degC	0	0	0
Sept	17.2 degC	0	0	0
Oct	19.6 degC	0	0	0.8
Nov	21.8 degC	0	0.5	3.0
Dec	24.1 degC	0.2	1.9	5.8

Source: Bureau of Meteorology

Do leave a comment if you need help interpreting the information, or if you would like me to provide weather information on other cities, whether in or out of Australia.

For more precise information closer to your wedding date, check out the Bureau of Meteorology for 7-day forecasts or The Weather Channel for 10-day forecasts.

Invitations - Fresh idea for wedding invitations

Instead of using the normal ole' boring card and envelope, why not try a new fresh angle to invite your friends and familiy to your big day - The E-vite. Put together a video montage and send it through email or by CD.

You can be as creative as possible. Some ideas to put on this invitation video:

• video footage of the proposal
• pictures of the bride- and groom-to-be
• use your favourite song(s)
• video footage of your friends' and family's reaction to the proposal
• a sneak preview of the venue, food, decoration, colour theme etc
• video footage of your wedding planning progress

The possibilities are endless. You can even DIY the video invitation with the Windows Movie Maker program that comes with the later versions of Microsoft Windows.

So let your creative juices flow!

Some ideas to get you started:

You can even make a different one for family and a different for friends!

Fashion - Melbourne Bride Wedding Expo Fashion Show

Latest videos on YouTube from the latest Melbourne Bride Wedding Expo fashion show. Get ideas for your wedding dress from the latest designs from:

1. Mariana Hardwick



2. Baccini and Hill



3. Angela Marcuccio



4. Annette of Melbourne



5. Gulderen Silvasli



6. Luci de Bella

The Origin of i-Weddings

The idea to start a company formed when I was planning my own wedding two years ago. I was looking around for bomboniere and wedding favours for my guests.

I was still working in Asia but my fiancé was working in Perth. On one of my visits to Perth, I looked around for these bomboniere. I thought since they are the norm in Perth, they will be abundantly available.

To my horror, I was faced with very limited choices within my budget. And I wanted to be different. I mean who doesn’t? I found every store I went to had almost identical bomboniere to the previous on I went to.

I was disappointed.

After my wedding, I thought that introducing a bold new range of bomboniere and wedding gifts to the Australian market will be a good business idea. The aim was to provide more choices to brides in Australia who are looking to express their individuality.

That was more than one year ago. Since then I’ve had so many happy couples telling me how refreshing it is to see such unique bomboniere available in Australia.