Memorable Music For Your Wedding Day

Impress your guests and make your wedding day even more memorable by choosing a variety of unique music! It's not just your typical DJ turning out the latest hits at wedding receptions anymore. Jazz bands, professional singers and pianists are just a few ways that couples are making their wedding day have that extra special touch. Here are some other wedding day music trends that are becoming increasingly popular.

Ceremony Music

The most important part of any wedding day is the actual ceremony and the exchanging of vows. To further enhance that special moment and the time leading up to that, set the mood with an exquisite instrumental ensemble or even a soloist. A harpist, a flutist, a violinist, or even a small group of musicians would be a beautiful accent to any wedding ceremony as guests begin to enter the venue. Conclude the ceremony with more instrumental selections played by live musicians. Remember that most musicians can play a wide range of music from classical pieces to today's pop songs.

Cocktail Hour Music

The cocktail hour is an ideal time to change up the music from being strictly instrumental to selections that are more upbeat. Depending on your preference of music, a small jazz ensemble may be what you are looking for. Not only does jazz music still carry that touch of class, but it is lively and perfectly sets the mood for the wedding reception to follow. If jazz is not your style, perhaps a singer soloist accompanying a pianist would better suite your needs. Although live musicians aren't inexpensive, the impact of live music truly makes the occasion extra special and makes it worth the cost.

Reception Music

Typically at most wedding receptions, people tend to want to get up and dance the night away. With a mix of slow and fast songs this can easily get people up and celebrating. At most wedding receptions, a DJ is the choice to provide music throughout the night. However, more and more couples are opting for a live band and a DJ. There are many types of bands that specialize in a variety of music such as: country, ethnic music, pop, rock and other genres of music. When the live band needs to take five, the DJ typically steps in to change up the music. Some couples even commemorate their heritages and have Irish Step Dancers or even an Oompah Band make a special appearance during the reception.

As you can see, there are many music choices available to those couples getting married. Having music that fits both the event and your style is important. Make your wedding day extra special by adding unique and special music to your celebration.

About the author: Amanda Cooper is a freelance writer for Wedding Favours Kingdom, which carries a wide variety of wedding accessories, beach wedding favors, and personalized cards. Amanda is also a contributing writer for other wedding and home-related websites. When Amanda is not writing, she enjoys spending time reading.

Seven Budget Ideas For Your Home Reception

Some newly-weds struggle to afford a wedding with all the trimmings, or prefer to spend the bulk of their wedding budget on an exotic destination wedding and cut costs on their reception. Others are simply more comfortable with a more intimate home reception. Whatever your circumstances, if you’re looking for a cost-effective way to entertain your wedding guests at home, here are a few ideas:

1. Leverage friends and family

Your friends and family are probably itching to get involved with your wedding plans and you might be surprised at what they come up with to help with your home reception. Perhaps an uncle has a huge deck that he is willing to let you use or maybe an aunt is a closet wedding cake decorator. Are there any talented DJs or musicians in your extended family? If you are worried about coming up with enough to eat, your guests could supply food in lieu of wedding gifts.

2. Keep the numbers down

Most home receptions are limited in space and facilities so you will probably need to keep the guest list down to provide a comfortable and enjoyable environment for both you and your guests.

3. Host a barbecue

In the summer months, barbecues are simple to prepare and cook and popular with almost everyone; just be sure to include some vegetarian options.
Renting a party tent is a great home reception solution, especially if you can’t rely on the weather. You can also rent tables and chairs if you are short on seating options.

4. Put on a slide show

Slide shows, whether using the traditional or modern digital format, are a popular form of entertainment at home receptions.

5. Use budget decorations

As long as you stick to a chosen color theme, almost any kind of decoration can be made to tie in and enhance the overall effect. Hang paper lanterns from the ceiling and place tissue pom poms on tables. Silk flowers can be deceptively realistic yet cost a fraction of the price of real blooms. Display them around the home in simple glass vases for a chic, minimalist effect.

6. Lighting options

To light up the evening for dancing, you won’t need to bust the bank on expensive deck or garden lighting. Instead, get out your Christmas lights and buy some cheap tikki torches. If you do decide to get in extra lighting, consider renting a generator to cope with the electricity demand.

7. Think creatively

Whether you are on a budget or not, making a home reception work for you relies upon knowing what guests expect and how to tailor that to your home. For every challenge there is sure to be a solution if you look for it. For example, you could buy a cheap Styrofoam stand or a kitchen tea cart trolley for serving coffee, tea, desserts or other reception offerings. These carts are ideal because because they are portable.

We all live within a budget. Choosing to have a home reception would be the perfect solution to having a memorable wedding, without the cost! Go ahead, use these ideas and you will not be sorry!

About the author: Romona Weston and her family lives in the beautiful Amish countryside of Lancaster County, PA. She loves everything about weddings, and is often helping brides as their wedding planner. She is a mom to 7 beautiful children and a wife to a wonderful man. In her spare time, she loves to hike, write and organize. She owns a review blog on the best stainless steel top kitchen islands carts and wood kitchen cart. As a researcher rather than a seller, she presents an unbiased view of products.

Explore her reviews at http://www.kitchencarts360.com

Including The Groom In Wedding Planning

For much of history, the bride has been getting most of the attention and doing most of the work when it comes to wedding preparations. Now, with many Americans getting married later in life and gender roles becoming more flexible, more grooms are getting in on the action. If you're a couple that leaps over tall stereotypes in a single bound, the husband-to-be may already have started practicing his calligraphy and flower arrangements. For the rest of us, these are some suggestions for areas where the bride and groom can share in the wedding planning or the groom can take the lead.

Drafting a Budget: Planning your budget together is one of the most important steps to get your marriage off to a healthy start. You need to be able to talk about money openly and compromise successfully, especially if you tend to have different financial styles. Plus, debt can make it harder to begin your new life together so two heads are better than one for finding ways to economize. Make a line item budget and agree on spending limits. If the groom is financially savvy, he may want to look for the best deals on setting up a credit card and back account devoted exclusively to your wedding transactions.

Making a Guest List: Your guest list is one of the biggest factors in your budget. By taking a coordinated approach, you can help make sure you both feel like you're getting a voice in the matter and including the people you value most. Of course, you'll both be picking your attendants too and briefing them on the expectations.

Setting up Your Gift Registry: You both have a big stake in the gifts you receive so the groom needs to give his full input. Maybe you'll be more excited and knowledgeable about the kitchenware while he can weigh in on the electronics.

Negotiating Contracts: When you both find the venue you love, one of you can take the lead in negotiating the details of the contract. If your husband-to-be is more assertive than you, he may be able to knock the price down a bit. After he warms up, he can apply the same skills to the rest of the vendors you'll be working with.

Making Travel Arrangements: Some men seem to view travel as a competitive sport anyway when it comes to identifying what airline everyone is flying on and how long it takes them to drive from Atlanta to Tallahassee. A groom like that may be dying to take charge of the logistics for out of town guests.

Selecting the Entertainment: Other men shine on the creative side. Once you decide what kind of music you want, he can narrow down a list of finalists for you both to choose from.

Wedding preparations are more meaningful if both the bride and groom get fully involved. Be respectful of each other's opinions and work with your individual strengths whether you're adept at designing websites or fluent in composing toasts. Hopefully, you'll be working together as a team for many years to come, so use your wedding plans as an opportunity to practice collaborating.

About the author: Andrea Boley is a writer and blogger with www.storkie.com. She has been writing articles and blogging for over 10 years and is always happy to share her passion for life and experiences through her work. Her educational backgrounds in psychology and journalism have given her a solid foundation from which to draw experience and expertise in an array of topics.

Insane Marriage Proposal

This is a crazy marriage proposal. This guy really took the plunge. Brooke watches as her fiance falls off a building 4 stories down to one of the craziest marriage proposals ever!

A marriage proposal on a roof patio with a happy couple and their friends seems to turn into a tragic accident.

Unique Ideas For The Ceremony

Unique Ideas to Make Your Wedding Special – Part I – The Ceremony

When planning your wedding the couple should decide if there are any unique ideas that they would like to incorporate in their wedding to make it special.

Are there any family traditions or special items that you would like to have incorporated in the ceremony? Some of these items may include:

Symbols of Remembrance

A remembrance for family members who could not attend the wedding (i.e. deceased parents or grandparents.) You may wish to include a candle or pictures of them in the location where there ceremony will be held. Another option may be for the bride to carry a locket with the pictures of those who are remembered on her bouquet.

Another great option is to include music that has sentimental meaning to the family. For example the “Ave Maria” may be a lovely choice for before the ceremony if your grandmother loves that song.

Symbols of Unity

Unity Candle Ceremony uses two taper candles with a large pillar candle (the unity candle) in the center. At the beginning of the ceremony a representative from both the bride and grooms family light the two taper candles. Later in the ceremony (usually after the vows and ring are exchanged) the bride and groom will use the two taper candles to light the large pillar candle to create on flame on the “unity candle”. Brides and grooms can have the Unity candle decorated with their wedding date, picture or another inscription.

Unity Sand Ceremony is an elegant alternative to the Unity Candle Ceremony, Using different color sands the bride and groom alternately take turns filling a Unity Vase. After the ceremony the bride and grooms can take the case can be taken to the couple’s home as a decoration and a lasting reminder of that special day.

Wine Ceremony another alternative to the Unity Candle Ceremony. After the exchanging of rings the celebrant pours wine into a goblet. The celebrant may then say “This “Cup of Life” is symbolic of the pledges you have made to one another to share together the fullness of life. As you drink from this cup, you acknowledge to one another that your lives, until this moment separate, have become one. Drink now, may the cup of your life be sweet and full to running over." The celebrant will then hand the glass of wine to the groom who will drink from it, then pass it to the bride who will drink and pass it back to the celebrant. The celebrant will then say “As you have shared this cup of wine, so may you share your lives. May all the sweetness that it holds for you be the sweeter because you taste it together. May you find life’s joys heightened, its bitterness sweetened, and all of life enriched by God’s blessings upon you.” Couples may also want to personalize what the celebrant says instead of using the verbiage listed above.

Arras ceremony (Coin Exchange) which is popular in Latin American weddings. During this ceremony the Godparents or sponsors of the couple will place pillows on the floor for the couple to kneel on, hand the couple a bible and coins in a treasure box. A cord, called el lazo, is placed around the couple to signify they are bound together for life. The groom gives the bride 13 coins Arras) as a symbol of sharing his prosperity with her.

Rose Ceremony is held toward the end of the ceremony. Bride and Groom exchange their first gift to each (a rose) other after being announced husband and wife. A nice touch is for the couple to present their mothers with the roses during the recessional out of the ceremony.

Other unique ideas

Face your friends and family for your ceremony instead of having your back to them.

Have close family or friends read the poems or readings at your ceremony.

Include your children in the wedding ceremony. Include them in an event such as the Unity Sand Ceremony, Rose Ceremony or exchange a piece of jewelry with them such as a necklace or ring.

For non church weddings have some fun!!! Give your wedding party score cards and let them score your first kiss (you could also use this at your reception with your kisses at the reception or your first dance)

Above all else make the wedding ceremony as much about you as a couple as possible. The music, the ceremonies and the people who take part in the ceremony should all be a reflection of you as a couple. Enjoy the process of selecting all these details, not only will you enjoy the day more. But, your guests will also appreciate sharing this special day with you too!

Submitted by Jamie Lynn Shurtleff, weddingsbyjamilynn.vpweb.com

Wedding Vendor Scam

Beware wedding vendors! This scam has been around for a long, long time. The scam artist usually contacts you by email, however, I've heard a couple stories where victims got contacted by phone. Here is the latest wedding planner scam e-mail that showed up in our inbox a few days ago.

Greetings,

My Name is Engr. Danny manslow,I am looking for an experienced wedding planner who will handle my wedding and arrange dinner for a group of people who will be attending the wedding ceremony. twelve guests will arrive few days before the wedding day.The wedding is to hold on the 7th September 2011 and 70 to 90 guests are expected to attend.

You are to arrange for Videography, Music Entertainment, Photography, Officiant/Priest & Church, cake, flowers and hall. If there is any of these items that you cannot handle, you let us know so that another company can handle it. As i do not know what the guests might choose for their meals and drinks,i will make a prepayment as initial deposit for this booking via my credit card once availability is confirmed by you. All checks and balances will be made with you on 20th September 2011 which is the final day of the booking, Get back to me with your response as we don't have much time left so that we can process our accommodation also within the region more convenient for you and us.

Best Regards,
Danny.
Address:13 Croft Rd, Leicester LE4 1HA, United Kingdom

NOTE" REPLY TO *********@gmail.com

If you get an e-mail like this, you can report it at http://www.ic3.gov/complaint/default.aspx

How Much Does A Wedding Cost 2011

Cost Of A Wedding

Brides.com and TheKnot.com recently released the results of their wedding industry studies for 2011. Brides.com had nearly 3,000 participants that were surveyed between April 15 – April 28, 2011, while TheKnot.com surveyed nearly 19,000 participants in 2010 to come up with these wedding industry statistics. Let's take a look at both studies.

The average cost of a wedding, including total wedding cost with average costs for the reception, engagement ring, photography and videography, live band, flowers (and decor), wedding rings, ceremony site and wedding gowns are outlined above. Also included are the costs for the rehearsal dinner, disc jockey, limo/transportation, wedding cake, ceremony musicians, invitations, favors and bridesmaid dress.



Key Statistics (average % from both studies - Brides.com/TheKnot.com)

The average length of the engagement is 14.5 months. 15/14

The average number of wedding reception guests is 147. 152/141

Destination weddings are becoming increasingly popular (19.5%). 15/24

December is the most popular month of the year to get engaged (17%). 18/16



Key Statistics (from Brides.com)

Many couples are blending old with the new.

More couples are preserving traditions like the first dance and cake-cutting.

Less sit-down dinners and buffets, more continuous cocktail hour and passed hors d’oeuvres.

The bride buys the wedding dress 9 months before the wedding.

The typical wedding party consists of 4.5 bridesmaids and 4.5 groomsmen/ushers, 1 maid/matron of honor and 1 best man (total: 11).

Couples spend $582 on gifts for each other. The top gift from bride to groom is a watch and the top gift from groom to bride is jewelry.

The favorite gift for bridesmaids is jewelry, the preferred gift for groomsmen is liquor related.

63% of brides-to-be provided input on their engagement ring.

21% of brides-to-be selected the engagement ring themselves.

Nearly 10% of all weddings have a “man of honor” or “best woman”.

Most couples register for wedding and shower gifts (93%).

The cake cutting is still a very important tradition (92%).

The majority of weddings have a maid/matron of honor (91%).

9 out of 10 newlywed couples are going on a honeymoon (91%).

9 out of 10 couples incorporate the first dance into their wedding (90%).

Friends usually pay for the bachelor and bachelorette parties (88%).

The bride and groom have a rehearsal dinner (87%).

Many grooms are still selecting a best man (87%).

Toasts are still an important part of the wedding reception (87%).

Brides wear something old, new, borrowed and blue (84%).

Friends pay for the bridal shower (72%).

Brides and grooms are paying for their honeymoon themselves (68%).

More than half of the wedding parties include a flower girl (62%).

Brides-to-be are the primary contributors for the bridesmaid’s luncheon (60%).

The groom's parents are paying for the rehearsal dinner (60%).

The bride's parents are primarily focused on paying for the wedding reception (58%).

Less brides and grooms are tossing the bouquet (68%) and garter (57%).

Brides-to-be are the primary contributors for the wedding ceremony (57%).

Brides-to-be are the primary contributors for the wedding weekend (53%).

The ring bearer will be present at 5 out of 10 weddings (53%).

Nearly half of all couples wed in the city or town where they currently live (48%).

Brides-to-be are the primary contributors for the post-reception party (47%).

Brides will box up their dress and pass it on (45%).

The bride and groom have an engagement party (35%).

More newlyweds are having a post-reception party (24%).

More brides and grooms are having a wedding weekend (22%).

More couples are using mobile apps to help plan their wedding (20%).

Photos booths are becoming very popular at weddings (20%).

Brides and grooms are using social media apps to plan, shop and/or register (17%).

More couples are getting married by a friend or family member who got ordained for the occasion (14%).

Couples make charitable donations on behalf of their guests (11%).


Key Statistics (from TheKnot.com)

The average wedding spend per guest is $194.

20% of brides are spending more than $30,000 on their wedding.

12% of brides are spending more than $40,000.

The bride's average age is 29 and the grooms average age is 31.

Hawaii has the most casual weddings, while Northern/Central New Jersey has the most formal weddings.

New York City Tri-State Area, New Jersey and Rhode Island brides are the biggest wedding spenders.

New York City is the most expensive area ($70,730) and Utah is the least expensive area ($13,214) to have a wedding.

More couples are living with each other before marriage (74%).

The most popular wedding color is white/ivory (43%).

Purple is the new popular color (21%).

June is the most popular month to get married (15%).


Most Expensive Areas for Weddings (TheKnot.com)

New York (NYC/Manhattan): $70,730
New York (Long Island): $51,811
New Jersey (Northern/Central): $49,347
New York (Hudson Valley): $45,695
New York (Outer Boroughs): $44,718
Rhode Island: $41,169
New Jersey (Southern): $36,694
Pennsylvania (Philadelphia): $36,294
California (Santa Barbara/Ventura): $36,233
Massachusetts (Boston): $35,458
Illinois (Chicago): $35,389
Connecticut: $35,197
Florida (Southern): $33,810
California (Los Angeles): $33,745
Washington DC Area: $33,727


Source: Brides.com, TheKnot.com

Submitted by Joe Tortorello, owner and site administrator at www.weddingzone.net, a popular Wedding Planning Guide online since 1997.

New York Becomes the Sixth State to Legalize Gay Marriage

ALBANY, N.Y. – DEVELOPING: New York has become the sixth state to legalize same sex marriage after a vote Friday night ruled in favor of the measure. Once Gov. Andrew Cuomo signs it into law gay weddings could begin 30 days after.

Leading up to this vote a veteran Republican senator had told The Associated Press he would vote yes on gay marriage, which apparently gave the measure the support it needed to become a law.

Sen. Stephen Saland says he has long been undecided. He voted against a similar bill in 2009, helping kill the measure and dealing a blow to the national gay rights movement.

Before he announced his intention, 31 senators were in favor, one short of a majority. Since they all still voted that way, and after Gov. Andrew Cuomo signs it into law, New York will officially become the sixth state, and by far the largest, where gay marriage is legal. Gay marriages can begin 30 days after the date that Cuomo signs it.

Republicans in the New York Senate agreed Friday to allow a full vote on legalizing gay marriage, setting the stage for a possible breakthrough victory for the gay-rights movement in the state where it got its start.

Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos had said that the bill would go to the floor and be brought up for an "up or down vote." It would be a "vote of conscience for every member of this Senate," Skelos said.

The heavily Democratic Assembly has already approved one version of the measure and was expected to easily pass the new version that contains more protections for religious groups that oppose gay marriage and feared discrimination lawsuits.

Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who campaigned on the issue last year, has promised to sign it.

Though New York is a relative latecomer in allowing gay marriage, it is considered an important prize for advocates, given the state's size and New York City's international stature and its role as the birthplace of the gay-rights movement, which is said to have started with the Stonewall riots in Greenwich Village in 1969.

The effects of the law could be felt well beyond New York: Unlike Massachusetts, which pioneered gay marriage in 2004, New York has no residency requirement for obtaining a marriage license, meaning the state could become a magnet for gay couples across the country who want to have a wedding in Central Park, the Hamptons, the romantic Hudson Valley or that honeymoon hot spot of yore, Niagara Falls.

Gay-rights advocates are hoping the vote will galvanize the movement around the country and help it regain momentum after an almost identical bill was defeated here in 2009 and similar measures failed in 2010 in New Jersey and this year in Maryland and Rhode Island.

The sticking point over the past few days: Republican demands for stronger legal protections for religious groups that fear they will be hit with discrimination lawsuits if they refuse to allow their facilities to be used for gay weddings.

Now, all 32 Republicans have approved stronger religious protections.

New York, the nation's third most populous state, would join Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and Washington, D.C., in allowing same-sex couples to wed.

For five months in 2008, gay marriage was legal in California, the biggest state in population, and 18,000 same-sex couples rushed to tie the knot there before voters overturned the state Supreme Court ruling that allowed the practice. The constitutionality of California's ban is now before a federal appeals court.

While court challenges in New York are all but certain, the state -- unlike California -- makes it difficult for the voters to repeal laws at the ballot box. Changing the law would require a constitutional convention, a long, drawn-out process.

Movement on the bill comes after more than a week of stop-and-start negotiations, rumors, closed-door meetings and frustration on the part of advocates.

Online discussions took on a nasty turn with insults and vulgarities peppering the screens of opponents and supporters alike and security was beefed up in the capitol to give senators easier passage to and from their conference room.

(Newsfeed, Associated Press)

What He's Really Thinking Before The Wedding

Groom Musings

The thrill of engagement can quickly turn to anxiety: Now we must plan the wedding. While many brides-to-be have their noses in flowers, grooms often have one eye on the checkbook. (“$850 on invitations?” as one man I know shouted about the expense.) But cost is not the only pre-wedding concern. Here's what newlyweds, a couple men with nuptials this fall and some guys who've been married for a while say really goes on in a man's mind before the wedding.

Conversation Starters

"Can we talk about something else?" Getting married is big news, but not necessarily the only thing a guy wants to talk about. “It was a little awkward [telling everyone], 'Hey, we're engaged!' But Facebook made it easier," says Brad, 27, who married last Memorial Day weekend. "Then I couldn't wait for it be over so people can start asking me about other things. I wondered what would change once we were married. Turned out, nothing—just titles."

Planning Perils

"Why does it have to be so complicated?" Apparently guys can't just nod their heads and smile during preparations. "Wedding planning is the worst," says Greg, 29, who will be married this October. "Deciding on the tables was way more complicated than I imagined,” Brad recalls. "Figuring out who can or should sit with each other was like planning an Israeli-Palestinian negotiation."

Family Matters

"I hope that everyone will just be civil." Every family has its issues; ideally differences will be set aside on the big day. "I was worried about the families getting along at the wedding," says Brad. “Especially because my parents are divorced and their families don't get along well. Add another family in the mix and it could get messy.” For Dave, 29, his fears were realized: “I prayed that my [divorced] parents wouldn't make a scene. They did. Come wedding day, my mom refused to be in some family photos with my dad."

Must Be Dust

"I can't cry." Ravi, 30, married two months ago, reveals what many of the other grooms probably think too. “I was flat-out afraid of getting a little too emotional during the ceremony. My brother-in-law told me how his brother was a slobbering mess at his wedding, and I did not want that to be me.”

Boots Knocking

"Someone will inevitably hook up." There's just something about weddings that makes people take off their pants, which is fine with the grooms, as long as it doesn't end messy. "I can envision a couple of pairings that might want to have some fun together," says Greg. "I can also envision a few that could end badly."

Game Time

"I hope my team's not playing." Sports fanatics aren't any less invested in the wedding, but they would just prefer that a big event doesn't kick off while they're at the altar. "I checked the sports calendar when we were picking the date," says Brad. "We ended up with the weekend of the PGA Championship, but I decided that was OK. Plus, we would be done by Sunday afternoon, so I could watch the end of the final round."

Down the Hatch

"How much should I drink at my wedding?" This is a question Greg asked himself, with his wedding only three months away. "I don't want to get bombed and either make an ass out of myself or forget part of the night.” Brad echoes the sentiment: "I thought, Better make sure I don't get too drunk. You don't want to be 'that guy' at your own wedding." "But then again," says Greg, “all of these other people are drinking on my dime. … Why should they have all the fun?”

Making The Rounds

"I want people to know I appreciate them being here." Some guests come a long way for the wedding, many of whom the groom doesn't often get to see. "I wanted to make sure I spent some time with each guest," says Sean, 31, married this past April. "I still managed to mess it up. At the rehearsal dinner, I made it to two out of 11 tables. At the wedding, I made it to maybe five out of about 18.”

Is This Registering?

"I hope people buy from the registry." "Please, I beg of you, don't go off the grid and buy us a crystal candy bowl for a gift," says Ben, 32, who will be taking the plunge soon, speaking to the imagined cavalier gift-giver. "There's a reason we didn't put it on our registry in the first place. I would likely end up putting coins and paper clips in it and wish you had just followed simple protocol.”

List Service

"I wish I could invite everyone." Most guys grapple with the difficulty of narrowing the invite list and the associated cost of having everyone they desired attend. "Do we have to send one to that relative no one likes who won't come anyway?" Brad asks. "Our reception room fits about 150, but we have to invite 180. So if everyone decides to come, then we may have to seat people outside in a tent or in a separate room. Yikes.”

Article by Brett Smiley

(Newsfeed, glo.msn.com)

Get Married On Miami Beach

The Ultimate Stress-Free Wedding

For couples looking for a casual and relaxing marriage ceremony, the beach is the perfect choice. By its very nature, the beach is a beautiful place where you can sit back, unwind and enjoy the moment. A place where a sun-dress and shorts are considered dressed up, and a bathing suit with a sarong is the norm.

Imagine having your nuptials in a warm tropical setting. Gentle ocean breezes fill the air, the sounds of waves and seagulls in the background, the sun shining overhead, and soft sand beneath your feet. Next to you is the love of your life, passionately vowing their commitment and devotion to you.

Having your wedding on the beach is a wonderful way to set the mood for a romantic honeymoon. It is an intimate celebration that is convenient and carefree, the perfect way to start a lifetime together.

As more couples plan and pay for their own weddings, they want to have a casual unique celebration and combine it with their honeymoon. This is the concept of a destination wedding. For less than the cost of a traditional wedding, they can have a wedding and honeymoon with funds to spare. Couples can travel to a tropical location; stay in a luxury oceanfront hotel, have a beach marriage ceremony, and still have money left over for restaurants, dance clubs, shopping and attractions.

South Florida is a popular tropical destination for couples who want to combine their wedding and honeymoon, but do not want to travel outside the United States. For those who desire the laid back ambiance of the Caribbean mixed with the exciting energetic atmosphere of South Beach, Miami Beach is the ideal location.

Miami Beach has become a haven for tropical destination weddings because of its beautiful weather and amenities. It has many miles of lovely beaches with a wide range of hotels and accommodations overlooking the warm Atlantic shoreline. An abundance of world renowned restaurants, bars, dance and night clubs for vibrant evenings of food and entertainment. Water sports and activities like jet skiing, snorkeling, scuba diving, boating or para sailing to fill your days with fun in the sun. Trendy stores and shopping malls to satisfy all your shopping needs.

Relaxing by the water and sunbathing is a typical pastime. You may even catch a glimpse of your favorite celebrity during your stay. Centrally located between the Florida Keys and Ft. Lauderdale, Miami Beach is a great place for a romantic casual tropical beach wedding and honeymoon.

Monique N. Gilbert is a Wedding Officiant (Florida Notary) at Tropical Miami Beach Weddings. She caters to couples who seek a romantic and carefree beach marriage ceremony, commitment ceremony or vow renewal. She meets you at the beach of your choice and makes all the arrangements necessary. She even helps out-of-state couples obtain their Florida marriage license by mail.

Submitted by Monique N. Gilbert, www.tropicalmiamibeachweddings.com