Military Personnel Wedding Invitation Address

There are certain guidelines to follow when addressing wedding invitations for guests who are members of the military.

Instructions

1 Address the outer envelopes with full names and titles, such as Major and Mrs. John Smith. Avoid abbreviating military titles.
2 Address the inner envelope without using either person's first name: Major and Mrs. Smith.
3 Use the title followed by both full names on the outer envelope if the husband and wife both have the same military rank and service: Captains Mark and Joan Brown. In this scenario, the inner envelope should be addressed to: The Captains Brown.
4 Include both of their titles and first names on the outer envelope if the husband and wife have different services and different ranks: Captain John and Major Sue Green. For the inner envelope, again drop the first names: Captain and Major Green.
5 Separate the names on two different lines on the outer envelope, with the woman's entry appearing first, if the husband and wife who have different services and ranks also have different last names. (First line: Major Elizabeth Cook. Second line: Captain George Black.)
6 Combine the names on the same line of the inner envelope in this situation, again putting the wife first: Major Cook and Captain Black.

Read More

Understanding a Catholic Wedding Ceremony

General Overview

Catholic weddings are highly traditional and follow a set standard, rarely deviating from the religious customs. The ceremony consists of biblical readings, a sermon, the exchange of vows and rings and the Prayer of the Faithful followed by additional prayers. The ceremony always takes place within the church--never outdoors. It is considered a public event, and the entire Catholic community is encouraged to participate in the liturgy. A very important element of a Catholic wedding ceremony is the Sacrament of Matrimony, which Catholics believe is a route toward God's grace. In many instances, the Sacrament of Matrimony is preceded by the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Catholic weddings are never held on Holy Thursday, Good Friday or Holy Saturday.

Key Elements

The processional is a key aspect of the Catholic wedding ceremony. The processional usually consists of altar servers, the priest, witnesses, bridesmaids and groomsmen. Traditionally, the groom processes with his parents. The bride also has the choice of processing with her parents. The bride usually is led down the aisle by her father, who escorts her on his right arm. If the bride's father cannot walk her down the aisle, tradition dictates that she walk alone. During the nuptials, the bride and groom must promise to continue observing the Catholic faith and raise their children as Catholics, as well. However, if one of the partners is not Catholic, he is not required to make the same promises.

The Ceremony

After the processional, the official ceremony begins with a greeting by the priest to the bride and groom, and their guests. The priest's greeting is followed by prayers, readings from the Old and New Testament, a psalm, the "hallelujah" and a Gospel reading. The priest then gives a sermon, which may contain personal references to the bride and groom. Finally, the vows and rings are exchanged by the couple. The rings are blessed before they are placed on the partners' fingers. Then the congregation participates in the Prayer of the Faithful. If the ceremony takes place during a Mass, the Liturgy of the Eucharist occurs after this prayer. If the ceremony does not include Mass, the service concludes with the Lord's Prayer and a blessing. To conclude the Mass, the priest issues a final blessing followed by the dismissal.

Read More

Wedding Ceremony Coordination Tips

Coordinating a wedding ceremony is a huge job for one person. Take some of the pressure off yourself by delegating tasks to friends and family members early on. Many weddings take months to plan, so start as early as possible. Choose the theme first, as this will help simplify decision-making issues. To reduce stress, perform tasks one at a time so you don't feel overwhelmed.

Instructions

1 Make a written plan or timeline. List the necessary tasks according to how far in advance they need to be completed. The first priorities should be those tasks that need to be completed as soon as possible, such as booking a venue. Least important priorities should be lighting and decorations. They can be handled closer to the wedding date.
2 Create a diagram of how the wedding ceremony will be executed. Give copies to all members of the wedding party and the officiant. As the wedding draws near, rehearse several times with all parties in attendance. Rehearsal is especially important for younger members of the wedding party, such as the ring bearer and flower girl. It may take young children longer to learn their parts.
3 Check on the preparations as they progress. Ensure that the caterer has your event on his schedule. Call the venue to double-check on times and amenities. Check on the progress of the decorating. Ideally, decorations should be in place the day before the event. If that is not allowed, they should be completed several hours before the ceremony. Give yourself enough time so that you aren't rushing at the last minute.
4 Watch over the wedding as it happens to ensure that everything is running smoothly. If you are the bride, hand over the coordinating task to someone you trust who is not in the wedding. The coordinator should be available to help the bridal party prepare to walk down the aisle. The coordinator is also responsible for being sure the music and the seating go smoothly.

Read More

Guides to Become a Wedding Officiate in California

You may want someone close to you officiate at your wedding ceremony. This may be a special religious leader, a political leader, member of the court system, or even a family member who applies for a permit to perform your wedding ceremony. California law allows for you to become a wedding officiant in a number of ways, most of which require a background in religious or legal duties.

Instructions

Officiate as Part of Your Job Duties

1 Become a priest, rabbi, minister or authorized person of any religious denomination recognized in the state of California. The requirements for becoming a member of the clergy for your church will vary, so check with your church if you wish to go this route.
2 Perform the ceremony as a judge or magistrate. If you are a judge or magistrate, a retired judge or a judge who has resigned from office, you are eligible to officiate at weddings in California.
3 Officiate weddings as a publicly elected official. If you are a legislator, constitutional officer, member of Congress or elected mayor of a city, you may officiate at weddings while you hold that office.

Apply to Become a Deputy Commissioner of Civil Marriages

4 Go to your county clerk's office to get an application to become a Deputy Commissioner of Civil Marriages. This will allow anyone who is otherwise not eligible, to officiate one marriage on the date specified on the Appointment and Oath of Office form.
5 Fill out the Appointment and Oath of Office form. Return the form to the county clerk.
6 Request the marriage license from the couple getting married. Check the license for validity, including the expiration date.
7 Officiate the marriage. There is no specific speech that must be given at the ceremony, but the parties wishing to be wed must state that they take each other as husband and wife.
8 Print in black ink the date and place of the marriage on the license. Sign the license and write your title of Deputy Commissioner of Civil Marriages and your address. Have at least one witness enter their signature and address on the license in black ink. Return the license to the county recorder within four days of the marriage.

Read More

Tips On Making Your Own Wedding Program Fan

A wedding budget can begin to dwindle quickly as the bride and groom pay for a venue, vendors, flowers and more. If you're trying to make the most of your wedding budget, you can cut costs with some do-it-yourself crafts, including making your own programs. For warm-weather weddings, programs fashioned as fans can be informative, decorative and functional. Recruiting the bridal party to help for a night can make this project go quickly and serve as a fun get-together as well.

Instructions

1 Download a free template for a wedding program fan (see Resources below). When downloading, the template will open in your word-processing program. The template will have two identical shapes that are connected to each other so that they form a mirror image when folded.
2 Determine what you want to have on the front and back of the fan. Typically, the wedding-program text is on the front, and you can put something decorative, such as the wedding date in a pretty font or a photo of you and your new spouse, on the back.
3 Type the text for the wedding program on the left side of the fan template, which will be the front. Most wedding programs include information such as the names of the bride's and groom's parents and bridal party, the order of the ceremony, any songs or readings in the ceremony and a personal note from the couple.
4 Insert a photo, date or monogram on the right (back) side of the template.
5 Print out the completed template onto a piece of card stock in a color that coordinates with or complements your wedding colors.
6 Cut the template out of the card stock, carefully following the outline. Do not cut the strip that connects the front and back of the template, as you want them to be held together.
7 Flip the template over so that the text/graphics are facing down, and fold the template in half along the strip where the two halves meet. Be sure that the sides are lined up evenly before heavily creasing. After folding, the text will be on the outside and visible.
8 Apply glue to the top half of a tongue depressor. Insert the tongue depressor into the opening on the bottom of the fan, in between the front and back created by folding. Press down firmly to secure both sides of the card stock to the tongue depressor, which is the handle of the fan.
9 Tie a decorative ribbon around the handle where it meets the fan, or affix a fabric flower directly underneath the fan on the handle.

Read More

How to Iron a Wedding Veil?

The veil is an important part of the bride's wedding attire. It's a traditional element that completes the bridal look. Veils are typically made of very thin, sensitive material that wrinkles easily. This can be frustrating because as you move things around and try it on several times, you might find that it has been wrinkled. Because it is so thin, you have to take great care when ironing your veil so you don't burn or ruin it. Make sure you leave some time to do this a few days before the wedding so you're not rushing around at the last minute to get the wrinkles out.

Instructions

1 Set up your ironing board. Fill the iron with water halfway up, plug it in and turn it on. Set the iron to the lowest setting possible or "low heat." Allow the iron to warm up.
2 Drape the veil across the ironing board and flatten it out, smoothing it to make sure there aren't any bunched sections. Place a clean rag over the veil. Carefully run the iron over the clean rag and use steam. Make sure you move in a slow but consistent and steady manner. Move the clean rag and veil as you need to continue ironing.
3 Hang the veil on a hanger and hang on the shower curtain rod. Plug the blow dryer in and turn it on a low setting. Hold the edge of the veil with one hand and carefully blow dry the veil, moving the blow dryer on the veil fairly quickly. The steam from the iron will leave the veil damp; you don't want to leave it damp because mildew can grow.
4 Leave the veil hanging in an area where it will not be touching other items and can hang as high up as possible so it stays off the floor.
5 If the veil becomes wrinkled again before the wedding and you don't have time to iron it and blow dry, then just turn the shower on really hot and close the bathroom door so the steam builds up. Leave the veil on a hanger and hang in the bathroom. Leave in there for 10 to 15 minutes and the wrinkles should come out.

Read More

Becoming a Disney Wedding Planner

Walt Disney World and other Disney properties are known as places where dreams come true. Disney weddings are growing in popularity, with weddings planned and conducted on Disney properties every day. Disney wedding planners customize each wedding so every couple experiences their fairy tale wedding. Disney cast members take care of everything. Disney started hosting weddings and providing planners in 1991.

Instructions

1 Become a wedding planner. No training or formal education is required. Nevertheless, there are classes available for wedding planning. Gain experience by attending weddings, helping friends and family plan their weddings, attending bridal shows, studying wedding magazines, interviewing brides and talking with businesses that serve weddings. These businesses include caterers, florists, DJs and various faith ministers.
2 Interpersonal and organization skills are important. These traits might be natural or learned. A wedding planner schedules cake tastings for the couple, helps plan the reception menu and finds DJs for the couple's review. Create checklists and carry a binder to record details for each couple and to store paperwork.
3 Listen to what the couple wants. Try to fulfill their wishes as well as steer them toward a decision that might work for them. Present the couple with a portfolio of wedding ideas or previous weddings. Take photos at each wedding you've planned and show these to the couple.
4 Start a wedding-planning business or work for one, depending on your preference.
5 Consider having a specialty. A wedding planner provides many services, but some specialize in consultation or ensuring wedding day preparations go according to the schedule.
6 Join the Disney wedding planning team as a consultant by looking online at disney.go.com/DisneyCareers/ to look for openings. If there are no openings, contact wedding services and ask for any openings that might be coming available. Send in a resume even if no positions are presently available.

Read More

How to Start a Wedding Venue Business

Every couple that plans a wedding knows that it's important to secure the wedding venue as early as possible. The most popular venues are often booked months or years in advance. That's why owning and operating a wedding venue business can be a very lucrative venture, as well as an amazingly secure one. When you have a locale that's in hot demand with events booked well into the future, you have a source of income that you can count on.

Instructions

1 Check out your competition. Research other wedding venue businesses in your area. Obtain as much information as possible about the facilities, services offered and prices charged. Call and pose as a potential bride to obtain the information if necessary, or draft a good friend to assist you.
2 Explore local real estate to find the perfect location for your business. Look for a building that is large enough to hold weddings of all sizes and provides ample parking for guests. Old inns, hotels with meeting rooms, stately homes and beds and breakfasts are all options that may fit your needs. Consider locations that you can hire out for other events as well, just in case it takes a while to get your wedding business off the ground.
3 Revamp the venue to create an aura of romance. Repaint the walls, replace flooring and spruce up any areas that are in need of repair or redecorating. Opt for classy rather than cheesy. Hokey wedding chapel may be fine for Las Vegas, but it may not go over as well in other parts of the country. Hire a landscape company to create a lush garden where you can hold outside weddings as well as inside events.
4 Create brochures and literature that present your business in its best light. Use professional photographs in your brochures that bring out the beauty of your wedding venue. Outline available packages and pricing on a separate sheet so your customers know exactly what the bottom line is. Using a separate pricing sheet also eliminates the need to print new color brochures each time there is a change in your rates.
5 Advertise your new business. Attend wedding expos and bridal shows, and meet your potential clients personally. Allow your enthusiasm for what you can offer each couple to impress them with your services. Hand out pens, refrigerator magnets, notepads and other items to keep your name in front of them.

Read More