Before you read any further in this article, I’d like you to take a moment and write down who your biggest competition is.
OK, got it?
I’m going to go out on a limb here and tell you that no matter what company you wrote down, you’re wrong. Here’s what I’ll tell you; no matter what industry you’re in, no matter how long you’ve been selling, the biggest competition you face in selling is the status quo. The Status Quo; whatever it is your prospect is doing now - that’s the key challenge you have to overcome in selling. Recognize this universal truth and you can become much more effective in your selling efforts.
To really understand why the Status Quo is such a formidable competitor it helps to explore a bit about the psychology of decision-making. According to psychologist and author Robert Cialdini “Once we have made a choice or taken a stand, we will encounter personal and interpersonal pressures to behave consistently with that commitment. Those pressures will cause us to respond in ways that justify our earlier decision.”
Let’s look at how this applies in selling. Getting a prospect to change what they are currently doing - even if you have a genuinely better solution - is difficult. Our natural reaction is to try to show how we what can offer is better, how we can save them money, how we can save them time, and so on. Yet, oftentimes the more we try to back up our presentation with facts and evidence, the more strongly our prospect will seek to justify and rationalize what they’re already doing. Admitting that they made a bad (or less than optimal) choice, would create some real internal dissonance.
The louder that dissonance the greater the search for rationalization and consistency becomes. This is particularly true if the decision made is a public one; the more people that know about the decision, the more the person who made it will seek consistency and resist changing.
For example, suppose you are selling a software solution that has been proven to save companies time and money - and you can document it. You call on the head of IT at a key prospect. He tells you that he has developed his own solution, which, according to him “does the same thing that your product does.” As you show him the proprietary features of your program, he even admits that yes, it can do things his can’t, and yes, it would save time and money, and yes, the CEO would really like the access to information it would provide. Yet, he won’t proceed with the sale. Why? Well, what you may not know is that everyone in the company knows that the IT Director (your prospect) has been championing how great his own system is, and that his line throughout the company is “Why buy when we can create this system ourselves.”
Even though he knows intellectually that you may have a better solution, he will do everything he can to justify his earlier decision; to do otherwise would cause great internal dissonance and discomfort.
So, then, how do you deal with this situation?
1.Recognize that your job in selling is to understand what people do - and to work with them to help them do things better.
2.Don’t try to sell by showing that your product or service is better than the competitors’ (or whatever else they might be doing).
Wait - that sounds inconsistent, you say. First you say that I should help him do things better, but I shouldn’t show them why my product is better?
The seeming inconsistency resolves itself when you remove yourself from trying to “sell your product” and shift your focus to understanding what people do, why they do things that way, and what they’re hoping to accomplish in the future. Your questions should be squarely focused on the prospect - not on you.
The best way to bring these seeming contradictory goals into alignment is to show your prospect how you can ENHANCE what they are already doing. By showing how you can enhance, in essence what you are saying is “Hey, you’ve got something that’s working here, and I’m not going to upset your apple cart. My goal is to help you take what you’ve already got, and help you make it even better.”
By taking the approach to enhance you accomplish two important things. First, you are helping the prospect maintain their sense of consistency which will make you an ally. Second, by starting with this approach, you may make a small sale initially but you now have the door open to larger sales and the beginning of a long-term relationship.
As Cialdini sums up “For the salesperson, the strategy is to obtain a large purchase by starting with a small one. Almost any small sale will do, because the purpose of that small transaction is not profit. It is commitment. Further purchases, even much larger ones, are expected to flow from the commitment. “
Your wedding is one of the most important days of your life, and of course you want to splurge a little to make it special. But sticking to your budget is important too, especially if you don’t want to start your life together neck-deep in debt.
The first step is to identify what’s most important to you, spend on what matters, and cut corners on the things that don’t. This differs from bride to bride. Some ask a friend to take the pictures but spend an open bar and a big band-others want professional photographs, and schedule a lunch reception because it’s less expensive than a dinner menu.
If you’re not sure what your priorities are, ask yourself these questions: what do I want to remember about the wedding? Is it “my guests had the time of their life” or “I had the dress of my dreams”? Take your cue from there.
Also, buy a notebook and write down all your expenses related to the wedding, and have all your receipts in a file. Aside from the obvious costs like ordering the invitations, don’t forget the incidental expenses like having all of them mailed. Every month, review your tally of costs with your fiancée. If you find that you have gone over your budget, then rein the expenses in.
Here are some ways you can cut corners:
Flowers - Explore other ways of decorating the church or reception tables: Seashells, scented candles, balloon bouquets. Always use flowers that are in season.
Photography and Videography - Don’t order the wedding album or frame-you can do this yourself at a later time, when you’re not as deluged with expenses. You can ask a friend to do the videography, or approach a college or university film club. Most film students would be happy for a chance to earn a little extra on a weekend, and won’t charge as much as a professional cameraman.
Reception - Adjust the time of your reception so you can serve brunch or tea instead of lunch or dinner. You can also order separate meals for your suppliers (e.g., band, host), or a children’s menu for any young guests (they’d be happier with hotdogs, anyway). Another way of getting big bargains is to look for those that offer “special packages” that include the cake, food, use of the venue itself, and even extras like limo service.
Souvenirs - Make them yourself, if you have the time. For example, place several chocolate kisses into a small tin, while the more artistically inclined can make very inexpensive frames from materials in a crafts store. Or you can kill two birds with one stone, and ask a friend to take “studio” shots of your guests against a special set-up in the corner. Give them a copy of the picture to take home as a souvenir, while simultaneously compiling an album.
Cake - If you really want a high-tiered cake, you can always ask for mock Styrofoam layers so you get the impact but don’t spend on something that most people won’t eat, anyway.
Lesley-Ann Graham runs WeddingTrix.com - a valuable wedding planning resource with articles, tips and advice to help you plan your perfect wedding. The Bride, Groom, Best Man, Bridesmaids and Groomsmen can find it all at http://www.WeddingTrix.com
Using seed packets for wedding favors is a lovely idea and is very cost effective as well. You can present your wedding guests with seeds for annual flowers, perennials, trees, shrubs or even houseplants. The options are practically limitless.
Should you be having a theme that incorporates flowers, such as a daisy wedding theme, this makes choosing flower seed packets pretty easy. A nice idea would be to determine how many different varieties of a particular flower there is that you could hand out as favors, rather than using all of the same color or type. For a wedding that isn’t focused on flowers as an actual theme, you could package your chosen seed types in themed containers instead. Here are a few examples:
Should you be having a beach/seashore wedding, choose flowers and shrub seeds that would normally grow near an ocean. Bayberry (bush), Sweet Pea (vine), or Rosemary (herb) are all good choices. Use miniature treasure chests, large sea shells, or beach themed favor bags or boxes to hold your seed packets.
Coneflower (Mexican Hat), Desert Baileya (Desert Marigold) or Purple Sage bushes are ideal for a Western theme wedding. Place the seed packets in miniature cowboy hats or boots, small colorful southwestern clay pots, or wrapped in gingham fabric.
Although Roses seem to be the first choice for a Valentine’s Day, sweetheart or romantic theme, there are several other flower choices that are just as romantic. Try using forget-me-nots, orchids, Amaranth (Globe), Bell Flower or Sunflower. These are just a few of the flowers that are associated with meanings of romance, which you can include on your thank-you favor tags.
Weddings that are based on colors can also use seed packages that will grow flowers related to a particular color combination. For example, if you choose to have a white and black themed wedding, use pure white flower seeds packs placed in black velvet-like material bags. Purple and gold makes a stunning color combination and flower seeds such as violets, purple irises, or purple lilacs placed in gold-toned favor boxes would be ideal as favors.
When it comes to choosing what types of flower seeds you could give out as favors, the variety of ideas are endless. All it takes is a little bit of imagination and creativity. Hopefully the above ideas will provide you with some inspiration to come up with your own combination of wedding favors.
About the Author:
(c)2006. Rose Smith owns Wedding Themes and More. Visit http://www.wedthemes.com for additional ideas on unique themed wedding planning guides and resources, articles, tips and more to help you plan a beautiful wedding.
Having the consummate marriage is something most brides and grooms dream of. They both want their marriage day as the most perfect experience they will encounter.
Its little wonder that so many individuals are engaged in planning weddings as the precise details of the wedding can never be taken lightly. From the photography, invitations, and speeches, right through to the reception, every detail should be be considered in minute detail.
lets reflect on the centerpieces. For some other occasions, centerpieces may not be of prime importance, but for weddings, these magnificent embellishments usually set up in the reception area are exceedingly important as they enhance the total mood of the reception and complement the occasion and the gathering along with the other aspects of the wedding.
Often, wedding centerpieces do not form part of the arrangements for the reception or the catering; hence, it is a must that you engage the finest provider of wedding centerpieces available, or put plenty of thought into your own efforts.
Whether you have the budget to spend up on an extravagant centerpiece for your wedding, or are constrained by a shortage of funds….( welcome to the club! ) , the perfect centerpiece can be created with some effort and planning.
So, for persons who wish to obtain some good advice on selecting wedding centerpieces, here are some suggestions that should be of assistance.
In most situations, flowers are considered the best form of centerpieces for weddings.. They add color and life in the reception area, and enhance the spirit of those who are present in the reception. Flowers give a wholesome feel and certainly add to the ambience of the reception.
Something that you should not overlook if you are using flowers in the centerpieces, is that the person that you hire to decorate the church may be the most appropriate person for the decorations at the reception.
There is no shortage of people who can set up wedding centerpieces, so take time to look around and obtain more ideas. Take note of the colors, and types of flowers recommended as these details are most important. Colors chosen must compliment the color and the setting of the wedding reception
If flowers are outside your budget, or you wish to consider something different for your centerpieces, candles both floating and scented, ornaments of various designs and even sweets or fruit are other popular choices. Bowls of floating flowers and candles make an attractive presentation for table centerpieces, and are easy to assemble. If you like flowers but hate the thought of all those blooms being wasted after the reception, consider potted plants.
If you are considering an informal wedding, candy centerpieces are worth a look. Just get a set of attractive glass containers from your local discount store and fill them with jelly beans. Add a silk ribbon around the edge and the job is done.
Just use your creativity and imagination to create something wonderful out of any of these options. I have even attended a wedding in a garden setting which featured miniature bird houses as intriguing centerpieces..
In conclusion it is important to remember that wedding centerpieces need not cost the earth. What matters most is to have them glorious adornments to the table and a feature which you will treasure forever among your collection of wedding photographs .
The wedding speech, when well thought out, rehearsed and
properly delivered, could bring a wedding reception or dinner to
life. A good wedding speech will entertain and make the guests
feel great about being present for the celebration. Here are a
few tips for writing your own wedding speech if you don’t have
any idea what to say.
Thank Anyone Important
A wedding is an ideal occasion to thank many people. Name the
people you want to give thanks to and why. For example, if you
are the best man, you can thank the groom for being his best
friend. If you are the bride, you can thank your parents for
raising you to be independent and smart.
Tell a Story
People like to hear stories about other people. Say something
you know about the person you will be talking about because you
were also there when it happened, or even if you had only heard
about it. For example, you and the groom went to the same
college but attended lectures late, if at all in the mornings
because you both played poker all night long. The groom won
often and made enough to pay for one semester’s tuition.
Give a History Lesson
This is very similar to telling a story. Go over the
significant milestones, if you are familiar with them, about
this person, the bride or groom. That would include the schools
they attended, the jobs they had or the hobbies they are in to.
Disclose a Secret
Everyone likes to hear and tell secrets. Say something no one
knows about the person you will be talking about but may be
surprised to find out. For example, tell the guests that the
bride once auditioned for a popular television show. Or, that
the groom had a crush on his third grade school teacher, who by
the way is a guest tonight.
Say Something Funny
Any occasion would be fun if humor were part of it. If you can
make people laugh with a funny story, everyone will feel like
they are having a good time and enjoy themselves. You can’t
force a laugh. However, the stories you tell or the situations
you describe can end up getting a few guests chuckling without
you trying to make it funny.
Give Unsolicited Advice
It’s customary for someone to give the newlyweds some advice.
The most common is anything on marriage. If you are making a
speech and you are married, you can share your wisdom on how to
be a good spouse. A common advice is to resolve your argument
before you both go to sleep. Another would be that the wife is
always right. Although these examples are important, admittedly
they have been over-used. What you can do, if you can’t think of
advice that no one else has ever told, is to make these original
or unique by describing how the advice has helped you in your
own marriage.
Reveal Your Feelings
You can express your feelings about the people you will be
talking about in your speech. If you are the father of the
bride, tell your daughter how proud you are of her and that you
will always be there for her. In addition, you can tell your new
son-in-law how happy you are to have him as a new member of the
family.
Get the Audience Involved
This idea is a bit unconventional and almost crosses into the
job of the MC, however you might consider getting the audience
involved by asking questions about the couple. You can ask about
the craziest thing the couple has ever done. Or, you can ask
about why they would make a good couple. You can come up with
any opened ended question that requires some explaining. Some
would be glad to participate just to be the life of the party.
By doing this, you’ll loosen up the crowd and make the
celebration all the more fun.
You should consider it an honor and a privilege if asked to
make a speech at a wedding reception. The newlywed’s family
asked you because they trust you and have respect in you. They
know that they can count on you to do a good job. Your moment to
shimmer in the spotlight is near. Good luck and have fun.
Copyright © 2006 By Leroy Chan
We’ve skied in different French alpine snowboarding holiday resorts such as Grand Massif, Samoens, Les Grands Montets and Gourette, however altogether through all our ski holidays Chamonix village constitutes my no. one place to go for skiing holidays in France.
The place of origin of European alpine history and home to the grand Monte Bianco - at 4807m the EC’s loftiest mountain - Chamonix boasts a superb snow track record, a lasting skiing season (Nov-Apr), matchless extreme mountain snowboarding, and vistas to die for. Moreover Chamonix Haute Savoie has an far reaching renown as having more or less the most striking, stimulating, and stimulating downhill skiing accessible anywhere in the cosmos.
Chamonix France is ample and confusing, and that’s before we view the abutting ski towns; including Flegere, Flaine, Le Grand-Bornand, Avoriaz and Serre Chevalier.
The Mont Blanc skiing pass includes ten Chamonix, and 15 regional skiing fields; with terrain equal to 3840 metres, upwards of 250 skiing lifts, and 770 kilometers of ski tracks - with the absolute majority of the ski mountains higher than 2040 metres. They supplies for every standard from starters including professional skiers. See the skiing fields page for up to date look at all of the main resorts: La Tania, Araches-la-Frasse, Chatel, Superbagneres, Alpe d’Huez and La Clusaz.
Whoever said diamonds are women’s best friends, surely missed on mentioning men! Believe it or not, men too go bonkers over these sparks. When it comes to the glitters, man or woman, there’s no exception! So if your man’s crazy about the ember, men’s moissanite wedding rings would just be a perfect wedding gift for him. Men’s moissanite wedding rings make an apt choice.
Moissanite men’s rings are an outstanding blend of charisma and persona. Beautifully crafted into numerous shapes and sizes, tempt your man with the attractiveness of a diamond and the gleam of heavenly stars.
Looking for a way to express your ‘beyond words’ feelings for him? Moissanite men’s rings do it best. Let the cosmic cupid kindle the fire.
Moissanite Men’s Rings, For The Love Of Your Life
A wedding is an occasion that comes but once in a lifetime - make it memorable, let moissanite men’s rings be your means to celebration.
To make your wedding day the most special occasion to remember forever, priceless men’s moissanite wedding rings work their magic. Show him like never before what he means to you. Mesmerize him with the warm glow of your love - gift moissanite.
With their alluring shimmer and magnetic appeal these stand out among diamonds. You no more need to fret about being able to afford a diamond. Moissanite jewels are better substitutes to diamonds than any other semiprecious jewels. They shine brighter, look prettier an easy to wear. Classy, inexpensive and absolutely worthy of their poise.
Men’s moissanite wedding rings - undoubtedly a gem for the gem in your life!
Find out more about Mens Moissanite Rings as well as Moissanite Engagement Rings and other types of Moissanite rings at Peter’s website, The Magic of Moissanite.
Is the cost of your wedding putting the honeymoon of your dreams out of reach? Not to worry; if you already have all the kitchenware and bedding you need, and if you have generous friends and family, your problem might be solved by setting up a honeymoon registry.
A honeymoon registry is much like a wedding registry. Just as a wedding registry allows you to create a list of gifts you would prefer to receive at your wedding, a honeymoon registry allows you to create a list of places you would like to go and things you would like to do on your honeymoon. The honeymoon registry enables your wedding guests to purchase portions of your honeymoon. Yes, your guests could just contribute cash toward your honeymoon, but somehow giving a particular portion of the honeymoondinner at a fancy restaurant, or a carriage ride, for exampleis more meaningful.
Type the phrase “honeymoon registry” into your favorite search engine, and you’ll get thousands of results. There are three basic kinds of honeymoon registries:
- Registries that require you to book your travel through the travel agency offering the registry.
- Registries that allow you to book your travel either through the sponsoring travel agency (or other affiliated travel agencies), through the travel agency of your choice, or on your own. Usually these registries charge an extra fee or higher service charge if you choose not to book travel through the registry’s parent travel agency.
- Registries that are not affiliated with any travel agencies, requiring you to make travel arrangements on your own or through a travel agency of your choice.
If a honeymoon registry sounds like the perfect solution for you, then here is a quick guide to choosing, creating, and using one:
1. Choosing the honeymoon registry
Search for the term “honeymoon registry” on your favorite search engine, and you’ll come up with plenty of results. How do you choose the one that’s best for you? Here are a few basic tips:
- Take a “virtual tour” of several different registries. Start by looking for the registry’s FAQ page, then look at a few examples of honeymoon registries.
- Look for professionalism. Does the site provide a thorough explanation of its services, including all fees and service charges? Does it explain who you can contact or what you can do if you run into problems? If the honeymoon registry is run by a travel agency, does the FAQ explain the company’s policy for cancelled or delayed travel?
- Contact couples who have actually used the registry. You can find couples by looking up old honeymoon registries and doing a web search for their e-mail addresses. Or look for e-mail addresses associated with wedding home pages hosted by the registry service. Send a friendly e-mail explaining your situation and asking for advice; most couples will be happy to offer their advice.
- Talk to someone from the registry service, either by phone or e-mail. If the registry service falls short on customer service when you’re signing up, don’t expect better service if a problem arises.
2. Creating the honeymoon
First, you submit some basic personal informationyour names, the date of the wedding, contact information, and so on. Then you create your registry, which is an itemized list of all your honeymoon expenses. Some registries charge a setup fee, usually between $100-$150; others charge nothing to the wedding couple, but charge wedding guests a “service fee” when they buy part of the honeymoon. Most honeymoon registry websites allow you to create your registry right away over the web. Other sites put you in touch (by phone or e-mail) with a representative who helps you create your registry.
What can you list on your registry? If you can buy it, you can list it. Typical registries list transportation, lodging, activities, special amenities, and meals. Expensive items are usually broken down so guests can choose to pay only a portion of the item. For example, a honeymoon registry might list 10 gifts of $100 each toward your $1000 airfare expense.
Some honeymoon registries allow you to personalize your registry with a message to your guests and descriptions of the different parts of your honeymoon, perhaps even allowing you to upload pictures to the registry.
3. Announcing the honeymoon registry
Once your registry is set up, you need to let your wedding guests know that it exists. Many registries will provide you with printed cards announcing the registry and its web address; you can either mail them with the wedding invitation or separately. Some registries will e-mail your wedding guests if you provide their addresses.
The more tactful approach is to let your guests know about your registry indirectly. Let your parents, close friends, or wedding party members know that you have a honeymoon registry; they can pass the word along to guests. Or create a wedding web page with up-to-date information for guests, and include a link to your registry on that page. You can then list the address of your wedding web page in your invitation without directly bringing up the issue of gifts.
4. Buying gifts from the honeymoon registry
Guests look up your registry by typing your last name(s) into a search box on the registry website. After reading what you want, they click on the item(s) they want to buy and pay for the items over the website. Most registries also allow guests to purchase items by phone.
The gift-giver usually receives a certificate that is either sent to the wedding couple or to the giver (to hand on to the couple in person); some registries charge a fee to mail this certificate. Other registries notify the couple of the gift by e-mail. On any registry, you can track how many gifts you have received simply by logging into the registry.
It’s important to note that most registries require guests to pay a service charge for the privilege of contributing to your honeymoon. The service charge is a percentage of the cost of the gift; the registries we surveyed had service charges ranging from 3.5% to 15%. So if a guest wants to pay $100 toward your airfare and the honeymoon registry website imposes a 10% service charge, she will end up spending $110.
5. Paying for the honeymoon
The wedding couple are ultimately responsible for paying for their honeymoon expenses. That means that any portion of the honeymoon that must be paid prior to the wedding (airfare, room deposits and so on) comes out of your pocket. Some or all of those expenses might be picked up by your guests, although most couples’ honeymoon expenses are not completely covered by their registry. It’s wise not to plan a more extravagant honeymoon than you can pay for yourselves.
Whatever money wedding guests contribute toward the honeymoon is placed in a holding account. The registry sends the couple a check (or electronically deposits the funds into their account) on a predetermined date, usually a week before the wedding. Even though the wedding guests paid for certain parts of the honeymoon, the couple is really free to use the money for anything they want.
6. Thanking guests
It’s important to write thank-you notes to guests who bought part of the honeymoon (just as you would write thank-you notes for any wedding gift). It might actually be fun to thank guests for the honeymoon, though, because you can describe your experience in the noteyou might even include a picture.
Jerry Windley-Daoust runs the Creative Honeymoon Ideas website, where you can learn more about honeymoon registries, including a side-by-side comparison of six popular honeymoon registries.
When you are planning a budgeted menu, you must first know what your exact budget is when it comes to the food and drink specifically. Some people keep the food and drinks separate, but on average, the food and drink are a part of the same bill.
If you can afford the more expensive catering services, then by all means enjoy. However, if you are like most of us, you will likely need a little bit of help in creating a menu that is fitting to your budget.
If you are hosting an indoor reception in a hall and plan to have a dinner option, you have to make sure that you accommodate the needs of all of your guests which include vegetarians. You should request that the guests RSVP beforehand so that you can get the right amount of vegetarian plates.
The way that you choose to serve the dinners can vary. Here are some tips on how you can choose to serve the guests to make it a bit cheaper for you.
• You can serve the meals buffet style, with this option you have people forego wedding gifts in favor of bringing a dish
• You can offer vegetable, fruit an meat platters with dips and crackers instead of foods
• You can ask each guest to contribute a small amount of money to the reception or to make donations toward the reception rather than buying a gift.
• You can offer a soup and salad menu rather than a full blown entrée
• Offer a limited bar which means that you offer an open bar only at certain times such as after dinner and during toasting etc. that way your guests aren’t paying and you won’t go broke, the rest of the time offer a cash bar
• Offer around the world appetizers instead of a meal. This will give you the opportunity to offer fill ups such as crab, shrimp. Etc. as well as casual appetizers like cheese sticks, chicken wings, and mushroom caps etc. the around the world motif will also provide your party with a variety of different tastes.
• Request that each immediate family member create a dish instead of a present
• Do not pay for extras like servers, bartenders etc. asking a friend or family member to do it instead as a wedding gift to you
Outdoor receptions give you much freedom when choosing your menu because you can serve anything that you want including barbecue, long group submarine sandwiches or pizza.
As long as you offer foods that will accommodate both carnivores and vegetarians, you will be fine. You can always find items to suit all of your needs and every budget as long as your budget is reasonable for the amount of people that you are planning to serve. If it doesn’t fit, you may have to trim the invite list.
Mia LaCron is the founder of Cut-Wedding-Costs.info - http://www.cut-wedding-costs.info - devoted to helping individuals live out the wedding of their dreams on a realistic budget they can afford.
A wedding is one of life’s major rites of passage. It is certainly something to celebrate! Today, wedding books and magazines promote large weddings so that more and more wedding products can be sold. Wedding expenditures run into many thousands of dollars. And after this major outlay of money, most of what is purchased is never used again.
On the Spring Equinox 2004, my ex-husband (yes, that’s right! my ex-husband!) Larry and I remarried. We had been together for almost seventeen years, and had divorced several years ago when our relationship problems seemed impossible to resolve. But we still loved each other, so we figured out what to do to make things better, and are now happier than ever.
In planning our wedding, we wanted to keep it simple, small, and full of meaning. We wanted a ceremony and celebration that would be easy to prepare for and manage. We wanted an intimate occasion, surrounded by our closest friends who would participate with us in the intention of our union. And as we planned our wedding, we used the same guidelines for health and the environment that we practice in our daily home life.
Since most books and articles are about planning big weddings, I want to offer some tips on planning another sort of wedding that can be beautiful and meaningful in it’s own way.
* Make it your day. Each wedding can and should be a unique expression of the couple getting married. So create the day just the way you want it, to please the two of you.
* Choose the wedding traditions that are important to you. When it comes right down to it, the essentials of a wedding are the two people to be married, the minister or justice of the peace who performs the ceremony, the ceremony itself, and the guests who witness it. Everything else is decoration and tradition. Learn about wedding traditions and choose to do those that will make your day special.
* Write your own ceremony. The entire reason for having a wedding, really, is the ceremony. The most important aspect of a wedding is not the decorations, but the vows and intentions that are stated in the ceremony and that you give to each other. Research the time-honored patterns to wedding ceremonies and follow this pattern in your own personal way.
* Invite meaningful guests. When you have a small number of guests, you can spend more time with them and really experience their presence. Minimum is just the two of you, the minister, and a witness. Invite family and friends with whom you have real relationships. Eliminate those that might be invited out of social obligation.
* Have your wedding at home, either indoors or in your garden, or in a park. Rather than spending a lot of money on floral arrangements, we put that money into tidying up our back yard and planting perennial flowers that we are still enjoying today.
Looking back on our wedding day, we are very pleased with our simple, small wedding. We were able to relax and enjoy the day and experience the love and support of our best friends. Best of all, we still had energy left for the honeymoon…
For many more details on planning your simple, small, green wedding (including choosing flowers, rings, clothing and reciption, and photos of Debra’s wedding), visit http://www.debraslist.com/wedding, and click on “You are invited to… My Simple, Small, Green Wedding”. Debra is also available as a consultant to help you plan your wedding.
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