My Panic Attack Journey

How would you describe your first panic attack? Scared, worried, the thought that something is seriously wrong with you. Your first thought wasn't, "it's all in my head". How can this all stem from the same place that gives you excitement, anger, and sadness? That it is also a part of your personality. This made me reflect on how this happened to me. Could it have been prevented? I started to think back as early as my childhood.

I can remember when panic attacks controlled my life. It was the middle of October 2005; I had just received a promotion at my job a month prior. I also was in school full time. Things were going terribly wrong at work; I had hired a friend with no experience because I needed the help and she needed a job. She was not making any progress. And I had felt that EVERYTHING at this company was dumped on me. I had only received this promotion because the person who had the position was leaving along with his loyal crew of workers. I had only been with the company for a couple of months and I knew that I had to take the responsibility on; to make more money and maintain full time hours. Little did I know that this was going to be the straw that broke the camel's back. But can I pinpoint where it all stemmed from? Where I may be able to see warning signs in my own future children?

I was a child who always worried. I was the scaredy cat; the one that other kids called chicken. I had issues with the development of my leg muscles, which left me weaker than the average child plus other genetic issues with my ankles and knees. Needless to say, I fell down a lot as a child. I was always afraid; afraid of the kids at school, afraid of disappointing my mother and making her angry, afraid of getting hurt, afraid of not having any friends, afraid of being the last to be picked on the team, afraid of failing. It was exhausting. I even suffered what I would consider a mental/nervous breakdown when I was 10 years old in the beginning of 6th grade due to being constantly bullied. My mother decided to take me out of private school and home school me for a year. I'm not sure what my mental health would have been had she kept me in that school.

Two years later when I was twelve, I was with my cousins and my father at a public swimming pool. It was a 12ft deep pool. I was capable of swimming; I had learned how to swim at three due to my grandfather being a life guard and I even taught my little sister how to swim. Yet I was terrified. I was terrified at the fact that I couldn't touch the ground with my feet and keep my head above water. But then all of a sudden I got this willpower/urge to go on the diving board, nothing too high in the air. And I jumped off it, over and over again. I must have done it at least ten times, everything was fine. Went home and later that night, I thought about the whole process of climbing up the board and jumping off it and swimming to the ladder. I was instantly terrified. What if this happened or that happened? I knew that I would NEVER do that again.

My teenage years brought driving in cars with inexperienced drivers; which oddly did not concern me. It did not bother me that they would race others or stuff a five passenger car with eight people. I just got in and had a good time. My boyfriend when I was seventeen had a habit of rolling through stop signs. It did concern me; but what was I going to do? And one day we were t-boned right down the block from my house. Luckily I only suffered from a couple of minor cuts from shattered glass. His car was destroyed and so was our relationship. A few months later I was in the car with another friend. She had a habit of not paying attention; and ended up rear ending a truck. Nothing too devastating, her car was repairable and we were all alright.

Finally, it was my turn to own a car. I had my license for a year and I worked hard after school and earned enough money to buy my first car. It was a Pontiac Grand Am. I got to drive to school and work and use it anytime I wanted. I even got a job a little further away since I didn't have to rely on my mother to drive me. Everything was going okay. Until a couple of months later when on my lunch break, my inexperience kicked in and I pulled out in front of someone that I did not notice and was t-boned (again). The car was destroyed and so was that job as well as my independent spirit. A couple of months later I managed to get an old truck. The truck drove so badly in the snow (the four wheel drive did not work) that I would start crying. It also had terrible wind resistant's which would make me so frustrated that I would start crying. I had these moments in which I had no control and I was physically starting to feel it. One day I even hit a patch of black ice and went into the woods destroying my front fender; digging a little deeper into my worrying thoughts.

Two years later now in my twenties I started a new job in which I made some more money. So I decided to buy myself a new car. It was great. I drove places without worrying that it would break down. I did a couple of long drives. I also signed up for a class at the furthest campus which was thirty miles away since there wouldn't be an issue of how I would be getting there. This brings me back to the beginning of the article of getting the promotion at my fairly new job. I was starting to feel the weight of the position on me. I had a boss who could switch from good to bad in the matter of seconds, a worker/friend who was incompetent. And a boat load of unhappy customers. I couldn't escape from it when I got home from work. My thoughts would be racing about what issues I would be encountering the next day. I took classes at night; luckily it was art so it kept me in peaceful zone. Unfortunately it could not save me from what was looming ahead.

October 2005, I was about to turn 22 in a couple of weeks. I was driving home at night on a familiar highway. I quickly became deliriously light headed, my head was foggy and there was a tightening on the back of my neck/head and I had an intense hot flash. I immediately went over to the right lane, contemplating if I should pull over. I then realized I was only one exit away. I had NO idea what was wrong with me. I just took it slow and I made it home. I was living with my boyfriend (now husband). I walked through the door and was scared, stunned, shocked; I had no idea what was wrong with me. I had just recently lost 40 lbs. He thought maybe I was just hungry. So I ate and went to bed. The next morning I got ready for work. I started to eat a bowl of cereal and thought about the fact that I had to drive to work. I then started to become dizzy and started having hot flashes. I knew I had to be checked out. I called my job to say I was going to be late, called my mom to take me to the doctor.

The doctor didn't know what it was. So he recommended me to see a neurologist and a cardiologist. Neurologist didn't see anything wrong. But when I went to the cardiologist, one of the tests is to go on a treadmill. Seems normal right? Nope, I had a fear of treadmills. The doctor treated me like a crazy person and told me how simple it was to just put one foot in front of the other. Well, with anyone with phobias knows, it's NEVER simple. What if I stopped, and fell? My friend from JR. high had scars on her knees from falling on a treadmill, that could easily happen to me. Every time I got on and the doctor started it, I jumped off. We tried over and over again. I was so frustrated, I started crying. No one understood what I was going through. The doctor looked at me and said "maybe you should go see a psychiatrist".

Me, see a psychiatrist? So he's saying this is all in my head? That couldn't be it. There has to be something medically wrong with me that could be cured. Or maybe it was my windshield; maybe the angle of it triggers these attacks? Or maybe it's because I started wearing fake earring and it's screwing with my equilibrium, which is making me dizzy. Or maybe there is something wrong with my eyes. I had to do something. I had a car I was making payments on and I was relying on others to drive me around, or even take taxis to get around. I even started looking at the public bus schedule to get to work, which was a joke. I would have to be at the bus stop at 6:20am to make it to work by 9am and my job was only 9 miles away. That was not going to work.

I go to see the psychiatrist, who listens to me for ten minutes and then writes me a prescription for Zoloft. An anti-depressant, but I'm not depressed? Whatever, I'll try anything to get back to normal. So I begin taking anti-depressants, still panicking when I attempt to drive. I decide that I'm paying for my car, I better use it. So I start to develop coping strategies. I would crack my window to have the sound and the feel of the wind keep me in reality. And even leaning my head onto my left hand became a habit. And I would always catch my shoulders up by my ears. And my teeth would be constantly clenched. I became obsessed with how clean my wind shield was. I was still partially convinced that was the issue, because my mother complained about how slanted it was. I would go through bottles of windshield wiping fluid like no one's business. I even purchased from an infomercial, this 'special' glass cleaner that was supposed to eliminate glare. I started to avoid highways. I would panic if I didn't have a car in front of me (it provided some kind of focal point). And I would really panic if there was car behind me, I felt like they knew that there was something wrong with me. I would usually pull over and let them pass me. The phobias started to manifest. I started to get the feeling that I could no longer control myself in public. That I would scream out during class or during a movie at the cinemas or open the car door when someone else was driving and jump out for no reason at all.

My phobia list was growing. Being in cars in general (I couldn't control what others were doing) deep water (the mass of it freaked me out), boats (I could jump off the side), planes (I could go crazy while we're in the air and open the door), heights (a force could pull me over). Elevators (it could plummet to the bottom). My boyfriend even got me Broadway tickets for my birthday and got front row on the balcony. I was in tears curled up in the fetal position because I was convinced that somehow I was going over the edge. Luckily they were nice enough to give us seats on the ground level. And so many other odd phobias that I don't even remember them all.

I stopped taking the anti-depressants, I hated not feeling anything. I felt no love, no hate, no excitement, just blah. Plus I was still having panic attacks. I would sit in the last class of the night, obsessively looking at the time & thinking about the drive home. All the different points of my journey and how long it took to get to each one, needless to say I did not give that class 100%. I started researching online about anxiety and methods of treating it since the medical world had let me down. If you suffer from panic attacks you get to the point where you are willing try anything. I just kept thinking about my future. I knew that I wanted to have children. How on earth was I going to be able to do that?! And have my baby in my car while I was driving?! The thought made me absolutely mad, it brought me to tears.

A year had passed and a woman at work recommended acupuncture. I was like sure, anything. It was nice, but the panic attacks were still happening. I felt that the treatments just helped out my extremely tense muscles. She gave me some herbs and some rescue remedy drops. I continued to cope with my driving, avoiding highways. I had to know my route in my head before I went. If someone tried to change it, I would get upset and overreact and get angry at them for being so insensitive. I found some DVD/CD set online. I figured "hey these testimonials sound good; these people seem really happy and panic free". I wanted panic attacks to be a thing of the past. So I ordered it. I think it was around $80. I would listen to it in my car. It was alright, it basically told you to stop having caffeine and sugar, exercise, and take time during the day to lie down and have breathing exercises. Also according to them, the listener (meaning me) also suffered from depression and insomnia. I just thought to myself, "the effort that I put into everyday stupid things, plus work, plus school I was exhausted by the end of the day. I passed OUT; there was never an issue of insomnia". I couldn't relate. Basically it was a CD promoting relaxation, oh and generating new phobias. I was fine with red lights. I use to actually welcome them because it kept me aware; it gave me an opportunity to relax. But one of the people on the CD talked about how anxious they got at red lights. Yup, add that to my phobia list. I believed that if I was the first or second car at a red light I was not going to be able to wait and will uncontrollably slam down on my accelerator through the red light. My foot got so tense it was unbearable. I told myself worst case scenario I could put my car into park; it never did get to that point. And don't even mention railroad crossings. So no highways and red lights were excruciating. I even drove myself to hospital's emergency room at one point because I just couldn't take it anymore.

Another year, I was learning as many back roads as possible, coping at red lights and coping with driving in general. There was no relief in sight. I continued with the acupuncture. She told me to stop working so much. In my head I was like, "yea right". Another year of people not getting what I was going through; thinking that I was completely mental or that I was just making it up. I always wished that I could give the person who did not understand what I was going through the physical symptoms for 30 seconds. Then they would back off and leave me be. I tried reiki, hypnosis, psychics, st. john's wort, and l-theanine. Still panic attacks were happening on the regular. I would have them while driving and others that were in the car had no idea. I was starting to finally convince myself that it was in my head. And let go of the fact that I didn't have cancer or an auto-immune disease. This was because I noticed that whenever I had a lot of stuff going in my life that wasn't related to my anxiety; I was driving fine. I was still taking back roads; but my general panic attack symptoms and the tenseness diminished. This was because I was thinking about other stuff.

I decided to take advantage of the psychology program at my school. Turns out that they had an anxiety clinic, and I had no idea. But of course there was a waiting list. A few weeks later I received a call that they had an opening in their program. And it was $20 a session and I would have to expose myself to my fears. I said fine, fine, whatever, I would pay $100 a session if it meant I would never have to deal with a panic attack again. I just remember being so envious of people who just hopped in their car and went here and there. They didn't have to think about it. They just did it. I just wanted that; something as simple as someone asking me if I could drive up to the store for coffee and I would say "sure" and jump in my car and go. But instead I started thinking about the route and knew that there was a left turn involved so I would be apprehensive. And they got the hint. It was embarrassing. I wanted to be the person who could drive to another state. And drive during a long road trip. I wanted so badly to travel; I was in this purgatory within myself. I started to convince myself that that was never going to be me.

The cure; so I met with the psychologist and a grad-student. I spent two sessions just dumping everything on them while crying, full of anger and fear. They determined that I was obsessive compulsive with a panic/anxiety disorder. I started working one on one with the grad-student. She wanted me to have the panic attack symptoms in the office. I told her that the foggy disoriented feeling almost felt like I was somersaulting. So we tried that in the office. Then it was time for my exposures. Which was to go into these panic trigger situations and have the panic attacks. And don't escape mentally but live in the moment. I told them that the fact that their office was on the fourth floor freaked me out. So they took me to the window. My heart was pounding out of my chest and I started to get cold sweats. It got better as time went on. I had to discuss how I was feeling, and how I rated my level of panic. We then went to the building across the way that had 19 floors with an elevator. I had to ride up and down it over and over and over again. I must have done it 15 to 20 times. I had to think about what I was doing. I had to be in the moment. She even took me to the window on the 19th floor I had to sit there until my rate of panic went down. Then it was the treadmill. Red lights; she made me do red lights. I thought to myself, "really? What have I ever done to you?" The larger the intersection was, the larger the panic was. I always avoided being the first car because I was capable of killing somebody (in my mind). I did it, over and over. It was excruciating. I cursed and cried. I called her every name in the book. The panic began to go down, but not completely. So my homework was to do these exposures. I brought my boyfriend who was my safe person. I thought if I did something out of the norm, that he would save us. It got better though; my foot started to relax a little bit more. Highways; was not as painful as I thought. I stayed in the right lane at first so that I could easily escape. Then I moved into the middle. It took a while to get in the left (fast lane). But it didn't matter. I hadn't been on a highway in 6 months. I was unstoppable! I could do anything now and get there faster too!

2008, unfortunately was not my year. My sister was going through tough stuff that tore my family apart and estranged me from her for a while. That was on my mind. Then my relationship between my safe person (my boyfriend) was in trouble. I began to regress. I stopped doing my exposures. I had ended my treatments with the anxiety clinic because I had completed the program earlier in the year. We broke up and I moved out, after 6 and half years of being together. I was never on my own in my adulthood. I was scared. I stopped driving on highways all together. But luckily other things were easier than prior to my treatment. I gained a bunch of weight and was miserable. 2009; brought more light in my life. After four months apart my boyfriend came to get me back and we became engaged a few months later. I began graduate school. And I started back up on driving on highways again; with the same behavior methods that I learned during my treatment with the anxiety clinic. I even bought a brand new car.

Unfortunately a close friend of ours was killed in a motorcycle accident early that summer. He was suppose to be in our wedding party and was suppose to be a part of our journey through life. We were devastated; I remember so many conversations with him. I even discussed my panic attacks with him. I regressed. I kept replaying his accident in my head over and over again; it terrified me. Life was so delicate. I tried doing his sister a favor and drive her somewhere (I had to take a highway). Of course I had to do it. I suffered and coped the whole way, it was as if I never went through treatment. The following year was my graduation and our wedding. And I reconciled fully with my sister. My grandmother called it 'my year'. My driving was still limited to local roads, no highways. Around mid-fall of 2010, something clicked. I hated my husband's driving. He was always glancing at everything and changed lanes too frequently. I love him, but I would consider him a reckless driver. We had to drive a county over which was about 40 miles away. I convinced myself that whatever issues that were going on in my head could not be as bad as enduring being a passenger while he drove. I knew that if he was always doing the driving, we would be getting divorced. So after a heated argument; I told him that I will do all the driving for now on. And I meant it.

I began highways again. I was feeling good. And then something remarkable happened. I went out one night with a couple of friends. I normally wouldn't have gone out because I'm not a night owl. But my one friend was going away for a while for work. I volunteered to drive. It was going good. Until I was at a traffic light (the first car) and I was rear ended by a pathfinder going about 50mph. My car went across the intersection. My year old car was totaled. And luckily everyone was okay.

My husband and my sister's reaction was, "oh boy, she's never going to drive again". You would think that, right? But that never even crossed my mind. I was a driver now. I got a rental for a week and eventually decided to purchase a used jeep. And I kept driving. I still drove highways. Nights were a little hazy, but got better.

That following spring, I did my first drive EVER off the island. I drove twice that summer two states away to visit my grandmother. And that following fall I took a road trip with my mother and sister 600 miles away. There were parts of the journey when I got a little tense. But some of it you'll never be able to get rid of. We are naturally nervous people who get uncomfortable driving next to tractor trailers in the mountains; nothing abnormal about it. I even did a trip by myself into the city a month ago. All these things are such a big deal, because I thought that I would NEVER be able to do them. I feel like I've gained so much. And I'm grateful everyday that I didn't let panic attacks control my life. I haven't had a panic attack in probably two years. I believe that anyone is capable of getting their life back. I'm living proof.

Using Wholesale Unique Baby Shower Favors

Planning and hosting a baby shower can get expensive. There are ways to cut costs, though. Using wholesale unique baby shower favors is one way to do so. Wholesale unique baby shower favors have two advantages over just buying favors at a store. They save money and are something that people will enjoy because they are unique. Usually the best way to put together wholesale unique baby shower favors is to buy wholesale supplies and create a homemade favor.

Making baby shower favors is not difficult. There are many wholesale options available. Buying wholesale does mean buying in bulk so it is important to keep this in mind. It is perhaps cheapest and easiest to buy wholesale supplies to make favors rather than buying actual baby shower favors through wholesale. A large party, though, might benefit from
wholesale baby shower favors. By buying a variety of wholesale goods a person could put together some unique favors that are sure to delight guests.

Finding wholesale unique baby shower favors online is rather easy using a search engine. The key to getting a good deal is understanding the whole sellers policies, especially regarding minimum orders. Also be sure to read descriptions completely. Sometimes a picture may show, for example, pink bows, but in the description it says they are shipped in a variety of colors. Paying attention to the details is important when shopping wholesale.

Wholesale unique baby shower favors can help a hostess keep costs down while also providing a unique gift for guests. Party favors are often used a decoration too so this savings can turn out to be huge.

Photographers' Guide to Wedding Photography - Ghosting

As an experienced wedding photographer in Liverpool and Manchester, I have found ghosting to be a major problem that arises on a regular basis. It is caused when light is reflected from either inside the lens barrel or elements.

When photographing a wedding, it can often occur as strong light sources such as huge windows (Often seen in fantastic Tudor style buildings used for weddings), are a favourite haunt for photographers wanting to make the most out of the surroundings. Liverpool, Merseyside and Manchester are littered with venues like this and are regular haunts for me on a daily and weekly basis.

It is often the case that as soon as the camera is pointed towards the subject (Let say the bride - sitting on a medieval seat right in front of the window), the risk of 'Ghosting' will be dramatically increased.

Doing little or nothing about this could potentially destroy what would be a fantastic photograph. However, some simple techniques can solve the problem...

Firstly, good lenses 'Claim' to reduce the risk of ghosting, although I have yet to find one that completely stops this. Secondly, using a good UV filter will also help, but again, these can only 'Help reduce' the risk and it is often the case that shooting directly towards will still result in slight ghosting. Using packages like photo shop can also help, as spending time darkening the problem area will help reduce the negative effect ghosting gives.

The best and simplest way I have found is to step sideways away from the window and angle the camera till no ghosting can be seen. Take a photograph, check it, move further sideways, take another and so on until no ghosting occurs.

Many of the images I take are on angles anyway and so if I move away from 'Straight on' towards the window, lets say left, angle the camera to add a funky look to the image and then press the shutter, ghosting is minimized and a cool looking photograph is captured.

When photographing weddings, one of the most important elements is that you do not keep the bride waiting. Photographers who are standing around for too long attempting to get the perfect shot will only cause concern for the bride and cause negative feeling towards you. I find as a photographer that its best to play it safe. That is why funky angles are common place in many of the photographs I take. Should you as a photographer REALLY want the straight on image in front of the window, then either get the lens, filter and spend time editing or simply use the angled option, thus helping reduce the time in post production.

An after thought... Ghosting can be a desirable effect... Shoot a few straight on and they may just work. Remember photographers are (Meant to be) artists, there is no right or wrong way. It is not maths... This is just a guide...

How To Choose A Chinese Wedding Invitation

For brides and grooms who are going to host a Chinese themed wedding, they will need to search for a wedding card in Chinese style. However, most couples do not know how they can choose it. In fact, there are some common elements you can found from Chinese style wedding cards. You can look for these features when you are making your choice.

Color

When you choose the invitation, you will consider the color of it. Usually, you will try to make it match your wedding themed color. When it comes to a Chinese event, colors such as red and gold are extensively used. As a result, you will look for designs in either red or gold color. As a matter of fact, it is very common for couples to choose a design which combines both red and gold colors. For example, you can opt for a card in red color, with gold color wordings on it.

Design Elements

It is common to see floral patterns on wedding cards. However, the case is different when it comes to a Chinese design. Instead of floral patterns, you will mostly see dragon and phoenix. Most Chinese couples believe dragon and phoenix signify the bride and the groom. It is common to see gold color dragon and phoenix on a piece of red card. Besides, the Chinese character "Double Happiness" is also commonly seen on Chinese invitations. In fact, this character will also be extensively used for the venue decorations. You can use the dragon and phoenix patterns, as well as the "Double Happiness" character, to decorate your reception hall.

Font

A bilingual card is usually needed. A lot of brides and grooms will have to put both English and Chinese on the invitation. You can in fact choose whatever font you want. The bottom line is that they should be readable. As a result, it is not a good idea to choose a script font. It is because your guests may find it hard to read the wording. The color of the font has to be mentioned here. It is considered impolite to use red color wording. Therefore, you should not choose red color font for a Chinese wedding invitation.

Chinese Wedding Invitation Wording

A lot of brides and grooms do not know how they can prepare the wording. In fact, you should ask the printer to help you. Choosing a vendor who can master the Chinese language is the key here. However, there are couples who hire printers that do not understand Chinese at all. The couples have to prepare the wording themselves. In this case, you will need to ask your family members who can read and write Chinese to help you. There are also a lot of samples you can find on the web.

Choosing a Chinese wedding invitation is not a difficult task. Of course it will be easier if you order the cards from a printer which specialized in this type of invitations. If this is not the case, you may need to prepare your own design and let the printer print for you!

Designing DIY Photo Wedding Invitations With Unique Styles

Many of us overlook the significance of wedding invitations when compared to the catering costs, renting the venue and the price of the wedding dress. Though these things do matter during the wedding preparations, but just think what is a wedding without invitations? No invitations equals to no guests. If you prefer to make your wedding a special occasion for the guests, then you can easily design your own photo wedding invitations.

These picture wedding invitations set the tone for the wedding. You can easily choose the theme for the wedding and have pictures of you and your spouse printed upon the invitations. Couples who prefer to have beach themed weddings can have their photos taken at their favorite beach and then add it to the beach themed invitations.

Creating or designing such invitations guarantees that your invitations are unique and cannot be copied by any other individual or couple. If you have no time to design your wedding invites, you can easily go in for custom made invitations that come with an option of changing the theme, layout and even adding photographs of you and your spouse.

You may come across many websites that allow you to get personalized wedding invitations at reasonable rates. All you have to do is download the templates depending upon you preferences and choose a lovely photo of you and your spouse to scan and attach to the invitations. The details of the day can either be printed or written inside the wedding invites.

Another option available for you when it comes to doing DIY photo wedding invitations is to hire graphic designers to create the picture wedding invitations with special graphics or photos. You can even have the borders of the invites altered and modified to make them even more attractive to the guests. Graphic designers can help you to make the invites more suitable for both traditional and modern wedding scenarios.

Many couples prefer the DIY kits since they come with all the necessary supplies to design beautiful and adorable wedding invites. Most of the DIY kits come with envelopes, a bunch of themed invitations and some accessories. The instruction guides found inside these kits makes the task more easier of you since all you have to do is follow the steps given inside the guide.

Many of the personalized wedding invites also come with a color change option for the photos. Couples can either choose for sepia tones or go in for black and white photos depending on their choice. Sepia tones give the photos an older look while the black and white ones makes the invitations feel more elegant and sophisticated.

Not only your friends and family love this creative photo invitations, but you will also cherish these in your scrapbook or photo album for the rest of your life. Some people who have received such type of invitations are known to have framed them as portraits. It again all depends on your creativity skills and preferences.

Couple Rings - A Symbol of Commitment

Couple rings allow you to take your love and commitment to each other to the next level, by wearing matching rings. Most couples consciously try to choose jewelry that is a little bit different, or match in some way. In fact, personalized rings are more popular than ever. Most jewelry stores feature a selection; you can also easily and conveniently have your wedding rings specially made to order.

If you are shopping for a wedding ring, you probably know it is possible to spend several thousands of dollars on matching rings. Despite the recession, the average price paid for the bride's ring is around $1,100; and $900 for the groom's. On the other hand, good quality, stylish and attractive jewelry can easily be found at more affordable prices. It isn't necessary to spend more than you can afford.

Engraving a special message or both the couple's names adds a unique personal touch and many couple choose to have their rings engraved. The message can be as simple and as personal as you like - your two names, or perhaps a phrase that has a special meaning just for you. Whereas most engraving is done on the inside of the ring, a striking effect is to have the outside of the rings engraved.

There are also some more practical issues you should consider when shopping for rings. You may have to choose between yellow and white metal, to match a watch or other pieces of jewelry. If one of you works with your hands, you may want to choose a design that won't easily trap dirt or become tarnished. And consider the future. How important is it to you to have a ring that will still be fashionable and trendy in twenty years from now?

Couple rings don't need to be elaborate or expensive. Sometimes the simplest design says it best of all - that your love and commitment is a permanent thing.

Top 6 Features of a Typical Hindu Wedding Card

Even the close relatives of the bride or groom will not attend the marriage ceremony if they do not receive a Hindu wedding card, also known as Lagnpatrika. Guests often judge the prestige of the host and quality of the upcoming event on the basis of the invitations. A typical Hindu wedding card reflects the beliefs, traditions and values of the community. The presence of a number of features is crucial in the invitation for making it ideal for the purpose.

Unique Characteristics of a Typical Hindu Wedding Card

Given below are some of the features of a Hindu wedding card that help to make it stand out from any other type of marriage invitation:

1. Structure: Typically, it is a two-sided work of art, adorned with beautiful artwork and patterns. Preserving the card in an envelope is also an integral part of the Hindu invitation.

2. Colors: Although every couple belonging to any part of the world want to enhance their wedding cards with beautiful colors, Hindu tradition recommends certain colors as auspicious for the occasion. This is why most invites are in colors such as yellow, red, orange and green, signifying prosperity, fertility, joy, and so on. Mostly, shades of the same colors are used to decorate the venue and in the clothes of the bride and groom.

3. Designs: Motifs, such as folded hands, candle or earthen lamp (diya) and the swastika are used throughout the designing of the invitations. However, traditional scroll work in metallic gold, green and silver tones is commonly found on Hindu wedding cards as well.

4. Spirituality: The religious beliefs are predominantly reflected in the Hindu marriage invitations. Pictures of Lord Ganesha, the god of good fortune and Goddess Laxmi, the bringer of wealth, are together embossed on the invitations to seek blessings for the soon-to-be-married couple, right from the initial stages. A common practice of placing the first invitation in running water is also followed by many families. This is done to seek blessings for a life-long happy marriage.

5. Wordings: The words of the invitations are typically directed towards requesting the guests to honor the couple with their blessings. Much importance is given to the blessings by the many Hindu Gods as well.

6. Safekeeping: Couples lay great importance to the quality of the wedding cards, as they are to be safely preserved for a lifetime. Therefore, the invitations are a matter of long discussions with the rest of the family in order to produce the perfect design and ideal wordings that appeal to the guests.

Make sure that you choose an experienced vendor who is experienced in designing a typical Hindu wedding card that meets all the traditional requirements.

Wedding Decorations Wholesale Means Affordability and Quality

Are you planning your big day? What kind of items are you looking for? By purchasing wedding decorations wholesale you will find exactly what you need to make any space look and feel amazing - to create the perfect atmosphere...

You will save loads doing it this way, its money you could use on dresses, shoes, hair and make-up, and the hiring of the ceremony and reception - by going online or purchasing direct from the manufacturer will definitely save, without sacrificing quality. eBay does amazing deals on wedding decorations wholesale. Most people know how to use services like this but for those who are not sure they are very user-friendly and also very safe and secure.

What kind of products can you find when buying wedding decorations wholesale? Floating candles, wedding guest books, latex balloons in loads of colours and designs, metal canopy stands, candle holders, white lanterns, ceramic frames hand painted, iron pew stands, a variety of favors, wedding curves, centre pieces, and sprinkles.

There are so many items available when buying wedding decorations wholesale - these are just a few. Just know what kind of theme you're going for and how big the ceremony and reception is going to be, and you will be able to find anything. Also, it is a much cheaper way than going to a regular outlet.

Most wedding decorations wholesale sites are user-friendly and will show you pictures and information in regards to products and recommendations. You will get ideas and links to special occasion planning services, should you need them. Payments are very secure and can be done via PayPal, credit or bank card.

Read customer testimonials, the company's privacy policy, the companies 'About Us' section, details about shipping, and if you have any further queries or questions leave your details in the 'Contact Us' section. There will also be a return policy should you be unsatisfied.

It's you that create the perfect atmosphere for your big day, you know what you would like everything to look like; the decorations are going to bring it to life. You only need as much as you need, no more and no less, but if you do end up with more than expected you've not over spent, and you have some for the next wedding you're involved with, or you could just give them to someone else or sell them on.

So your big day is on the way, you need to organise the look and feel of the ceremony and reception. If you have a clear idea in your head about what you want you will find it when you look for wedding decorations wholesale. It is the best way to combine affordability and quality to make your big day all the more memorable.

Congratulations!!
Enjoy!!

Wedding Insurance Or a Wetsuit? It's Your Choice!

"Who needs wedding insurance? It probably won't rain."

Welcome to the land of clouds, rain, sunshine, rain, winds, rain, heat waves and rain. If there's one thing to be said for the UK climate, it is at least variable. Unpredictable is another way of putting it, and it may well be the reason why we British are renowned across the world for starting a disproportionate number of conversations by commenting on what the weather's doing, what it might do next, what it did this morning and what we hope it doesn't do a week on Tuesday.

Wedding cancellation insurance is one of those aspects of your wedding which feels completely wrong, as though you're making some sort of statement that suggests you have doubts, concerns and worries about the success of your marriage.

The trouble is, it's not the marriage that might be upset by a spot of rain - but your wedding day could easily be ruined.

With the average UK wedding now costing around £23,000, gambling on what the weather might do several months from now is hardly wise, especially in a country where gambling on what the weather might do five minutes from now could be every bit as risky.

Although it's easy to categorise the British weather as being relatively harmless, and for much of the time it may well be. But increasingly we hear reports from the Met Office claiming that this month was the wettest on record, the windiest on record, the hottest on record.

As an example, this autumn saw exactly twice the expected rainfall, which will come as no surprise to those people still paddling from one end of their kitchen to the other or finding out what the view is like from their roof.

Although the idea of swimming up the aisle in your wedding dress is hardly appealing, it's easy to dismiss extreme weather as very unlikely, and carry on making your wedding plans. However, 'extremely unlikely' is a long way from 'completely impossible', in the same way that £23 is a long way from £23,000 - yet the first figure is what wedding insurance might cost you, and the second is what it could cost you if you don't take out wedding insurance.

The more people you involve in your wedding plans, the greater the chance that someone may be affected by extreme weather. Perhaps the roof of the florists has been blown off in a freak gale, and she is unable to provide the flowers, or the caterers have not received their deliveries because their suppliers have been flooded.

Unless you've chosen to have your wedding at the top of a lighthouse, then you may run the risk of your venue being flooded, or of strong winds blowing trees over that block the roads. Even a fallen tree on the limousine booked for the bride is not unheard of.

If you were planning a wedding at an overall cost of about £100, then not only would you probably have a story worth selling to the papers, but you may well consider the risk fairly negligible.

However, if, like many people, you're considering gambling the value of a brand new family car on the chance that one day months from now enjoys perfect weather, then you might consider taking a few small precautions. Either book wetsuits and canoes for the bridal party, or have a think about taking out a suitable wedding insurance policy.

How To Choose Wedding Invitations That Match The Style Of Your Wedding

The very first impression that people will get of your upcoming wedding will be when they receive your invitation. They will often make a decision on attending at that moment. The invitation needs to be a complete visualization on paper that shares what your plans are plainly to the receiver so it is crucial to the wedding planning process.

Contrary to popular opinion, especially the opinions of most men, there is much more to the process than simply pulling out a nice one and making you're your names are spelled properly. The wording is very important and you want it to be original, get some ideas from other invitations but end the end make yours unique.

Your invitation should also go along with the style of wedding you are having. If you are having a fancy, traditional wedding then you should have an equally elegant invitation to match. On the other hand if you are getting married on the beach a fancy invitation just would not look right and would also convey the wrong message. For a beach wedding you want everyone to feel comfortable and know that it is not in the least formal. Here are some more helpful hints to assist you in choosing the right wedding invitation.

When you are choosing your invitations remember you also need to pick out the right font for the wording. You want a font that leaps off the paper demanding attention. Choose a style that matches your ceremony and that you both love. Also be sure that the font you choose matches your personalities as should your wedding ceremony.

Another important factor is choosing the paper you will use. There are many different types and thicknesses of paper when it comes to invitations and overall probably hundreds of different styles available. If the invitations are to be folded don't get a paper that is too thick, but if they are to be standalone then a good thick paper is recommended.

You want the style of the invitation to match your wedding so if you are having a simple wedding go with a very simple style of invitation. You have choices like tri-fold, bi-fold, single page, and others so make sure that the one you choose is appropriate.

You should also include RSVP cards with a stamped return envelope so that you will be able to plan for the number of people who will be coming. Ideally these should match your invitation as well. Always pre-stamp the RSVP card out of courtesy.

Make sure that you proofread everything more than once, then have at least one other person look over all of the items to be printed for errors. You will be unable to fix the errors after they are printed and if you sign off that they are okay, it's on you! Double check your guest list before ordering so you don't get stuck with too many or too little invitation.

Traditional Wedding Invitations for the Wedding of Your Dreams

In the day of e mail and text message there are more and more people moving away from the conventional way of making contact but this is not the case with weddings. It is still normal to receive traditional wedding invitations and they have not changed in layout a great deal over the decades. It will normally be the brides' parents who invite the guests and so it will be to them that the replies are sent.

When receiving an invitation it is polite to respond as soon as possible to allow for catering arrangements to be made and although the family of the bride will hope that all their invitees can attend it has to be accepted that there will be some who have to decline.

When the wedding invitations are being chosen here will be a number of decisions to be made. They can be modern or traditional and by going to a good company it should be able to have a sample made up so as you can see if it is just what is going to look like. It will be normal for invitation to be a light color so cream, ivory or white are going to be the most popular.

Normally it will be the design that is chosen first and with so many to choose from it may seem difficult to decide which to choose. The easiest thing will be split them into categories and decide which is your favorite. Some will be modern and have trendy characters and sometimes the wedding venue which may not always be a religious location. Others will be traditional wedding invitations and will have rings and champagne glasses.

Once they have been selected it will be time to decide what is to go inside. Here it will be possible to write your own personal remarks but by nature, traditional wedding invitations will have the sort of wording that has gone out for many years and will be quite conservative. This will be normally be along the lines of

Mr and Mrs Jones request the company of
___________________________
At the wedding of their daughter
Helen to Mr David Anderson
At
St Nathanial's Church, Lower Addington
On July 23rd 2012
R.S.V.P.
16 Lower Lane, Lower Addington

It there is indecision about what exactly to have in the invitation then the stationer will have plenty of samples that will give an idea of the usual wording. If you want a special feature such as a photograph of the couple or the church then this can be arranged. It needs to be remembered that the more detail on the invitation the more expensive it will be. It may not be the sort of occasion when there are corners cut so the majority of the invitations will be made out of good quality card and can be printed in a variety of fonts.

There will be envelopes provided with the invitation and it is also possible to have reply slips included meaning that the guests do not even have to buy their own return card.

Great Rehearsal Dinner Ideas

Rehearsal dinners have become almost as extravagant as weddings. Traditionally, the rehearsal dinner was held - you guessed it - after the rehearsal the day before a wedding. The dinner guests were typically the same as the participants in the rehearsal, ie. the bridal party and immediate family. Sometimes out of town guests were also invited out of consideration for the distance they had traveled to attend the wedding. With families and friends living farther apart these days, however, it seems like the majority of wedding guests have to travel. The desire to include all of those who have traveled is why the rehearsal dinner is often almost as big as the wedding.

The typical rehearsal dinner is held in a restaurant or club, and can be as elegant as the wedding or more informal. Many couples, though, are planning rehearsal dinners that are creative, fun, and unique. Let your location play a part in your decision. Most areas have great spots that would not only be a fun place for a party, but also give your out of town guests a taste of local flavor.

For instance, if your wedding is near the beach, have a clam bake for your rehearsal dinner. People love casual gatherings on the beach, and this is a really fun and easy theme. The dress code for a clam bake is relaxed, which is nice. But don't just throw on any old thing - after all, the bride should look special at all of her pre-wedding parties. A great look would be a strapless cotton dress in a summery fabric like seersucker. Select accessories that are polished but beach appropriate. Pre wedding jewelry choices could include personalized sterling silver pieces or a starfish motif necklace. This type of jewelry will also be perfect for the honeymoon.

There are many other outdoor sites that would be ideal for a rehearsal dinner. I once attended a super casual cookout in a city park. Another idea is to have a party with a theme, either at your own home or at a rented location. Barbecue is beloved by everyone, and is perfect for a high summer wedding. Think pulled pork, coleslaw, baked beans, and lemonade - yum! Just be sure not to enjoy the food so much that your wedding gown will be tight the next day!

Another great theme for a rehearsal dinner is a Hawaiian luau. Your guests will love trying to hula dance by the tiki torches. Have leis for everyone to wear, and serve fruity cocktails with paper umbrellas. This type of laid back atmosphere is wonderful, because it allows the guests to get to know each other before the wedding, which will make your reception even better. A big floral print is a must for the bride's rehearsal dinner dress for a luau. You will want your accessories to be less formal than your wedding jewelry. A perfect look would be customized shell jewelry, which is unique, affordable, and has a great tropical vibe.

Your imagination is really the only limit to your rehearsal dinner theme. Let your hobbies or pastimes inspire you, and do not be afraid to do something a little goofy if you think that it will be fun. One couple I know outfitted everyone with vintage bowling shirts and held their rehearsal dinner at a bowling alley! Unconventional, yes, but it was perfect for this particular couple. Everyone wants their wedding to be unique and express their personality; having a fun rehearsal dinner is a great way to do that.

Etiquette in Wedding Invitations

Creating and sending wedding invitations require etiquette. If you are a little baffled about writing invites, you are not alone. But the job doesn't have to be difficult. The first thing to make certain of is the list of the guests. By the time you write your invitations, you should have a list of who you would want to invite to your wedding.

Wedding invites should be sent early. It is recommended to send invitations 6 months before the scheduled wedding date. Make sure you include the exact time and date to properly inform your guests. You may leave a contact number so they could phone you for clarifications.

Notify guests on the invitation regarding the dress code. The outfit depends on the theme of the wedding, unlike in the traditional times, where weddings were to be carried out in formal fashion. Today, however, the dress codes vary, for instance, those attending beach weddings may be asked to wear clothes appropriate for the beach setting, for example, loose clothing instead of tuxedos and flowing dresses.

Never make mention about gifts in the invitation. Your friends have probably asked for gifts in their wedding invitations, but do not follow them. Some people also want to ask for money in their invitation. Refrain from doing that because it's quite rude. Instead, you may use a wishing well, which can be placed on a separate attachment.

It is common for invitations to include maps, and it is often required and suggested that you do. If you are inviting a lot of guests coming from a foreign city, you should provide them with a guide map, and make sure it's nicely printed and readable.

You should have no problem creating an invitation, because there are a lot of templates that you can follow, just in case you get stuck on writing and designing ideas. You can simply check the internet for wedding invitation samples. There are samples available for formal and informal invitations. As these are quite standard, you can simply follow them. Just be careful, though, if you want to add quotes or lines from poems. The idea is to not put too many words, since an invitation should be concise and straight to the point.

It is normal for the bride's parents to issue the invitations, regardless of who is paying for the wedding. If the bride and groom are old enough, or were previously married, then they can choose to use their names in the invitational line. They can also use their names if the parents of the bride have already passed away.

If the bride's parents are divorced, their names would still have to be used in the invitational line. The name of the mother would have to be written first followed by the name of the father below. The name of the mother should be as follows: Mrs. (first name) (maiden name) (married surname). However, if the parents of the bride are married, the full name of her husband should follow "Mrs.", as in Mr. and Mrs. (husband's surname).

There are certain things that should not be included on an invite. One has been briefly mentioned earlier. Another thing that should not be included is whether or not kids are allowed. This should be on the discretion of the invited guest. Usually, guests don't take kids with them to formal occasions. However, if you really want zero child attendance, then you should inform the guests by phoning them or telling them in person a few days before the wedding.

Inexpensive Personalised Wedding Invitation Cards

Most people have their wedding cards designed so that the content is wholly personal, but imagine how impressed the potential guests would be if the personalised wedding invitation card was so personal, it had a photo of the happy couple.

Usually, there is a good choice of template photo cards from which to choose and that most certainly is the case if you visit Bonusprint. People usually only marry once in their lives and, therefore, to create wedding photo cards that are truly personal can really add to the souvenirs that will help to mark the special day.

Of course, it's not just inexpensive personalised wedding invitation cards that help to make sure guests know the date, time and location of the wedding that are important; once the balmy days of the honeymoon are over and the gifts are unpacked, it is time to write all the thank you cards. How much more impressive it would be if the thank you wedding cards feature a photo of the bride and groom actually cutting the cake on their wedding day. Thank you wedding cards can take a long time to write but if there is at least one personal photo on the photo cards, then there is little need to write extra words other than a simple and sincere message of thanks.

The tradition is that people who were invited to the wedding but who could not attend generally receive in a little box a piece of wedding cake. How much more personal the pieces of wedding cake would be if they were accompanied by photo wedding cards so that those people who missed out on the big day could at least have a keepsake of the wedding.

Online photo wedding cards take a little bit of thought when choosing the photo but when it comes to creating the photo cards online, nothing could be simpler. Photo cards are generally printed on high quality board so that the wedding cards feel good when held in the hand and stand up when placed on a mantelpiece. Time taken to create wedding photo cards is time well spent because recipients treasure photo cards more than many people appreciate. Weddings are still joyous events, as we all witnessed when Prince William married his beautiful bride, Catherine Middleton, and, therefore, it is only right that personalised wedding invitation cards reflect the importance of the coming event to the betrothed couple; and that thank you for the gift wedding cards convey a little of the atmosphere of the beautiful day together with a few words of gratitude.

It doesn't take long to create your own photo cards; therefore, do your family and friends a favour and choose a lovely photo of you and your partner that reflects the happiness of the impending marriage or the very special wedding day.

Wedding Insurance - Just Another Big Con?

Sometimes it seems that wedding insurance is just another way the insurance industry has worked out how to extract more money from us. With car insurance, health insurance, home insurance, travel insurance and strawberry jam insurance, there seems little left to insure.

Wedding insurance can often seem to be something of a waste of money, and since weddings are expensive enough already, isn't it just another unnecessary expense that you can easily skip? After all, it's not as though you're driving a car on a motorway with millions of other people, or entrusting your home to the elements and would be thieves.

A wedding is a happy, glorious occasion, and the people present are your family and friends. They wouldn't let you down, or let anything bad happen. But even if things do go pear shaped, you've still got health insurance and home insurance for your possessions, and you may even have remembered that items such as your rings were purchased on your credit card, meaning that they're protected by your card provider's complimentary insurance policy.

As you consider all of this, and remember that the cost of yet another insurance policy could well be the difference between having an extra guest, or a few extra flowers, or even another few bottles of wine, you may start to lull yourself into a sense of security, and leave it for now.

Over the months your wedding grows and your bank balance shrinks, and perhaps you have a few momentary worries about whether you should have taken out a wedding insurance policy, but you keep leaving it until a little later - there's no hurry after all, the wedding is months away, and you could easily take out a policy anytime you like. Let's see how things go.

Time ticks away, your plans start coming together, your bank balance continues to fall, and you start to think that perhaps you have invested quite a lot in one single occasion, and it all feels a little less certain and a little less safe than it did in the happy days months ago. But with the budget shrinking so rapidly, you need to leave some spending money left for your honeymoon, and some cash just in case.

So you don't take out wedding insurance, and you once again reassure yourself that it will be all right - nothing will go wrong, and even if it does the chances are high that one of your many existing policies will cover you.

Does this all sound either terribly familiar, or terribly like the sort of path you can see yourself taking? If so, it may be best to take a moment and realise a few hard facts, because whether you like it or not, weddings are not merely about love and romance. They're military operations with huge budgets and a very shaky foundation.

You enlist up to a dozen separate companies, caterers suppliers, businesses and the venue, any one of which could let you down by getting things wrong, getting the order wrong, the date, or even going bankrupt or double booking themselves.

Think it won't happen to you? Neither did the 50,000 couples last year who faced just these sorts of situations, every one of which resulted in huge expenses putting things right at the last moment.

Could you afford to replace your wedding cake if it got damaged in transit? Could you replace the rings if they got lost or stolen? Could you pay for the repair to one of the hired suits if it got damaged? Could you quickly find the money to pay for a new limousine or carriage if there was a problem with the one you had originally planned? Could you cope financially if one of the main wedding party members was taken ill and the whole event had to be postponed?

If you're in any doubt at all about even just one of these questions, do yourself a favour and get wedding insurance sorted. Once it's done you can sleep a little easier, and then you only have to worry about the Best Man's speech and remembering your partner's name correctly when it comes to saying the vows.

Make Your Wedding Invitations - Choosing A Font For Your Wedding Invitations

You are planning for your big day. You have the date, the location and time. You have been planning for a long time. You are down to the last 3 months. It is time to send out the wedding invitations.

You want to make your wedding invitations. With so many fonts, how do you know which one to use for your cards? Here are a few guidelines you can follow to help you pick the perfect font to use.

First, decide if you want a formal or informal wedding. This feel can easily come across in your invite. In early days there were very few choices of type that could be used. When I trained for the printing industry I had to learn to use an old typesetter. This had fonts on a tape that went on a wheel. You had to have a wheel of tape for each font. Needless to say this was a project. So the common font for old times was Old English. This is the traditional wedding font.

Today it is easy to change fonts with just a few clicks on the computer. You don't have to use Old English anymore. You have numerous choices. Using a nice script can give a formal feel to it. I like Park Avenue or Hancock. You have to be cautious with the names. There are so many fonts and the names change but fonts look alike.

So a nice flowing script is a good choice. You can use a basic type such as Times Roman Italic and then add your script for just the bride and grooms names. This again is usually a formal look.

If you are using a theme, try to find something that looks like that idea. There are so many fonts out there. A nice cartoon font will be playful and fun. A decorative font can be used if you are using a theme that is artistic. You have endless ideas. Just remember to use something that can be read. You don't want your family calling your new spouse another name because the r looks like an n or something like that.

When you make your wedding invitations you can try several fonts and choose which one you want. By looking at the overall look you will know which font you want to use. They have so many fonts that it can be over whelming.

You don't want to mix script fonts or standard fonts. There are only four font types. Serif, San Serif, Script and decorative are all font types. The main thing is to look at your wedding cards and see if they are something you would want to receive. That is the true test. Enjoy planning for your special day.

Paying Gratitude After Wedding Ceremony

Your wedding day is considered as the happiest day of one's life. Everybody waits for this special day when they will be surrounded by their close people. These friends and relatives come from near and far areas in order to participate in this important day. They will probably buy special gifts for you and present them to you with sincere smiles. This means that they spend not only their money for your celebration but their precious time too. Therefore they deserve special gratitude from your part for taking part in your wedding ceremony. The best way of thanking these people is to give them thanking cards. These cards will make them very happy as they will feel the pride you have in them.

Such cards are usually made of hard cardboard on which you can arrange different styles of decorative writings. They can be created by the same designer who designed your invitations. In this way you can have special discounts as you have already got a lot of work done through him. You should remember that your order for the thanking cards should have some extra number in case some of them get spoiled when you write them, or you could receive some unexpected gifts from people worth sending a card back. For your information, if you have not ordered cards at the time of ordering the invitation, you can visit various websites or stationery shops which make cards.

However, the best way of using these gratitude cards is having them prepared by any professional who can design them by depicting the pictures of your wedding's guests on them. Each card may present the picture of that particular guest to whom it would be sent. It would be ideal if they were photos taken at the wedding ceremony. No doubt this is the most fascinating way of preparing impressive cards but it may be somewhat expensive. If you have the money to pay for it, then this is probably the most attractive way of paying gratitude to your wedding guests.

You can personalize your cards according to your own criteria. You can write thanking notes on them using your own handwriting. Messages written personally by you make a good impression to the recipient. You can mention the gift the recipient has given you and its usefulness on the card. You can also mention the inconvenience that the recipient may have faced to be able to attend. You can also send pictures of the guest with you. This will make your wedding day more unforgettable. Your recipient will really appreciate your way of paying gratitude in such picturesque way. It is important to make sure that all the people who have attended your wedding ceremony or have helped you in making it more eventful are in your list. You should also ensure that you have sent all the cards well in time.

Humorous Wedding Invitations - You May Now Laugh At The Bride And Groom

Humorous wedding invitations relax even the most uptight person that can't stand the thought of putting on a suit and tie and stepping into a formal ceremony. Almost instantly, upon receiving your invitation, the recipient will appreciate your tongue-in-check approach to the big day. Humorous wedding invitations are a popular way to lighten up the sometimes stressful and serious moods associated with weddings and getting married. They are perfect for casual, somewhat informal, wedding ceremonies. People will appreciate knowing that the two of you are approaching this important day of eternal commitment with fun on the mind. Humorous wedding invitations come in a variety of forms. You can insert funny text or funny caricature artwork. Anything from funny illustrations of the groom carrying his bride, the bride pulling her panicked hesitant groom to the chapel, the newlyweds riding off on a motorcycle to the skiing bride and groom. Much to the horror of the red states, in an effort to be politically correct and also target a niche, there are groom & groom or bride & bride selections.

Humorous wedding invitations are often keepsakes for your wedding guests. Perhaps they will look back at your invitation to reminiscence about the night or just get some chuckles from the invitation itself. When wording your invitation it's important to not overlook important event details. People want to know the full names of the bride and grooms. Nobody likes to make out a wedding card only to discover that they wrote the names incorrectly. Regardless of the humorous tone to your invitation people still need to know the date, the time and location of the ceremony and reception. So, it's alright to be funny with humorous wedding invitations but don't forget that wedding invitations need to serve their function as well.

Discount Wedding Invitations provide humorous wedding invitations online where you can include your own wording so the invitation reflects your personal style. You are given significant input into the design of your invitation. It's just a matter of completing your order form and expressing exactly what you want from your wedding invitations. The site has a team of designers who communicate with you through the completion of your order. You are emailed proofs within 2-3 business days. You can either approve or decline these proofs and there is no limit to the number of adjustments you may request. The invitations must meet your exact criteria before they are shipped to you.

Traditional Bridal Shower Gifts

The tradition of hosting a bridal shower for the bride to be grew out of a desire of the friends and family of the bride to get to know each other better, strengthen the bonds between new friends and offer moral support and assistance with marriage planning for the new brie. The idea of offering bridal shower gifts did not actually surface until some time in the late 19th century. Prior to this time, traditionally, a young woman would come into a marriage with a dowry intended to help a new family set up their home.

Legend has it that the very first bridal shower originated in Holland when a young Dutch girl fell in love with a poor miller and the two had no money to set up her home. The girl's father refused to support her marriage to the poor miller, despite the fact that he had spent a lifetime helping those needier than he. Because the bride had no dowry due to her angry father, friends of the bride and groom joined together to shower the couple with gifts to help them set up their new home. Thus, the bridal shower was born.

In contemporary times a majority of brides do not come into a marriage with a dowry, and bridal shower gifts are almost a necessity, offering a new couple the opportunity to acquire the materials needed to set up their home. Most couples register for specific items including towels, linens, pots and pans and other household accessories.

Typically bridal showers are thrown by friends, co-workers or members of the bride or groom's family. Not uncommonly, the maid or matron of honor hosts the bridal shower for the bride to be. This is not an exclusive privilege however, as it is not uncommon for a family member or close friend to also hold the shower.

The purpose of a wedding shower should be to help the bride and groom acquire the items necessary to establish a first household, though this rule is not hard and fast. Many brides who are re-marrying also enjoy all the benefits of a traditional shower thanks to a more relaxed atmosphere and expectation in modern times.

Most brides to be register before their shower, though this isn't always the case. And while you can rest assured that if you purchase bridal shower gifts from a bridal registry your bride to be will be pleased, many ladies decide to acquire bridal shower gifts that are more personalized in nature. There are several couples who wed who don't necessarily need household items; in this instance it is always nice to "shower" the bride to be with pampering items including body scrubs, lotions and mini spa treatment items.

Bridal showers are a fun way to celebrate the union of two people and provide the couple to be with keepsake and other cherished items that will not soon be forgotten.

How to Find Centers For Free Tattoo Removal in Denver CO

Have you been searching for a clinic or center that performs free tattoo removal services in Denver CO? You are not alone. Approximately 1 out of every 5 people who now sports a tattoo wants to completely get rid of it and this can be due to one reason or another. It is also a whole lot easier today to have a tattoo erased because the needed technology is widely available. This allows ink to be removed without any scarring, something which older technologies could not guarantee.

You can find places to remove your tattoo at no charge in the Denver area if you concentrate on areas such as Downtown Denver, East Colfax, West Highland, Clayton, Congress Park, Baker, Cole, Sloan Lake, Westwood, Mar Lee, Ruby Hill, University Park, Goldsmith, Cory-Merrill and even Rosedale.

In the past, centers and clinics specializing in tattoo removal in Denver were few but this is quickly changing as demand for removal of tattoos increases. Areas based on streets such as 5th Avenue, 12th Avenue, E James Way and all along Highway 5 have numerous establishments dedicated to tattoo eradication but one has to know where the actual places are located. While most of these centers charge which tend to be quite steep depending on the type of tattoo being erased, it is quite possible to search and find places that specialize in erasing the ink on your body for free. The best way to locate these centers is to use the World Wide Web.

Another technique that is becoming quite common when it comes to finding places to erase a tattoo is using dermatologists within Denver. Dermatologists or skin specialists have recently noted an increase in visits from people who want consultation regarding removing their existing tattoos. Skin specialists are highly recommended because they also offer treatment to people who may have issues with their skin being ultra-sensitive. These offer ways to have the tattoo removed in the best possible manner. So finding a dermatologist can be a great strategy in being on your way to not only having a tattoo eradicated safely and professionally, but also for free.

If you are employed, then most employers offer group insurance. One tactic of finding skin specialists is to go to the website of the group insurance network such as AETNA or CIGNA. The three major search engines namely Google, Yahoo and Bing are also great places to find free tattoo removal specialists.

In Denver, different non-profit organizations actually perform services in low income locales and some of these services may include tattoo eradication for free. While it may be harder to locate these than those that do charge a fee, you can still have the service rendered professionally if you search diligently.

Wedding Gown Shopping - What to Expect

For most women, shopping for their bridal gown is one of the highlights of being engaged. It is usually a new and unfamiliar experience, so visiting the first shop can be a bit daunting at times. When you know what to expect when you begin wedding gown shopping, the whole process becomes more fun and productive.

The first thing to expect is that most bridal salons recommend appointments. If you walk in without an appointment on a Saturday afternoon, you may be put in the very disappointing position of being unable to try on any gowns that day. In most high end salons, your bridal consultant will go into the fitting room to help you in and out of dresses while your mom and the rest of your entourage await you by a pedestal and three way mirror. Be prepared to strip down to your skivvies in front of the bridal consultant! Wear modest undies for your appointment so you will not feel to exposed. As for the consultant, she has probably seen hundreds of brides in their underwear, so don't feel embarrassed about being undressed in front of her.

Many brides walk into a bridal salon with an idea of what they think they want. If you have pictures of gowns you like, by all means bring them. Also bring along any bridal jewelry or a family veil you are definitely planning to wear. If there is a particular gown you are hoping to see, mention it when you make your appointment. Although the salon may carry the designer, it does not necessarily mean that they stock that sample. Sometimes it is possible for salons to borrow a sample from a designer with enough advance notice. There may be a fee for this service to cover the shipping and insurance costs, although the salon may apply the fee to your deposit if you decide to order that gown.

As you try on bridal gowns, some may fit and some may not. Brides who are fortunate enough to be a sample size will find wedding dress shopping to be easier; if your dress size is smaller or larger than the sample size (usually a bridal 8, which runs small), the consultant may hold or clip the back in place to give you a sense of how the style will look when it fits properly. Then it is out to the pedestal to let your mom ooh and aah over you! When you find a gown that is a serious contender, the consultant may help you try it with a veil and your bridal jewelry.

Be aware that you will have a limited time for your appointment, which can vary by salon (typically 1 -1.5 hours). There is a good reason for this: after about an hour or two, all the white dresses just start to blend together. If you haven't found your dream dress by then, it is best to take a break and start fresh at another appointment. Due to the time limit, you may not be able to try on every dress that interests you at that first appointment. Part of it depends on how decisive you can be. If you know a dress is not "the one", take it off and move on to the next option. That way you can see more bridal gowns within the time slot allotted to you.

Should you be fortunate enough to find your dream wedding gown, the next thing to expect is to be measured. Measuring for a bridal gown is an art, and the consultant or seamstress will take into account not only the standard bust, waist, and hip measurements, but may look at things like the length of the gown's skirt and torso, whether you need a cup size adjustment for the bustline, if the neckline needs to be raised, and more. The beauty of ordering a made to order designer gown is that (for a fee), many pattern changes can be made to ensure the best possible fit. Any gown will still need alterations upon arrival, but in some cases pattern changes allow for a fit that would otherwise never be possible. Then it is time to make your deposit and order your wedding gown! When you leave the salon, go grab a drink with your mom and pat yourselves on the back for a job well done.

How to Start Your Own Wedding Invitation Business

When trying to decide HOW to start your own wedding business, it's equally as important to know WHY you're starting your own wedding invitation business. Now, you may tell yourself you're doing this so you can occupy your time, or, maybe you want to get back into the workforce. But the real reason you're starting your own business is to make money. That may seem like a pretty simple statement, and one that everyone is totally aware of. But you'll be surprised over the next few months how often you forget it.

For example, one of the first things you're going to have to decide on is a business plan. Do you want to be a manufacturer's representative and only carry the pre-made wedding cards that are available through one or two manufacturers? Or do you want to take you profits to a little higher level by selling combined invitations, blank invitations that you finish off with your printer at home.? Because, while there's a little more work involved in selling combined invitations, there's also a little more money.Now you may be thinking, "Oh, I don't really want to take the time to put those invitations through my printer at home. I'll just stick with being an agent." And there, you have forgotten the reason WHY you decided to start your own wedding invitation business. You're doing this to make money, and if you can make MORE money for only an hour or so more of work, isn't it worth it?

Some people are afraid to ask their clients for a security deposit, especially when they're first starting out. This is very risky. You should never pay for those invitations out of your own pocket. What if the wedding is canceled?Then you're stuck! If you remember, at all times, that the reason you're doing this is to make money, you'll be more careful about your business practices and more willing to speak up for yourself.

The same can be said when it comes to setting the prices for your invitations or quoting prices to your clients. Some people are afraid to speak up and say, "Yes, that's a very beautiful invitation and they're $3.00 each". You put a lot of time into making those invitations. And time is money. You should be paid for your efforts as well as your results.

And what about those shy individuals who can't bring themselves to step into the bridal shop and ask about leaving a few business cards for the brides to pick up when they come in? How else will those brides know you sell wedding invitations? You've come this far and you haven't reached you goal yet. You're in this to make some money!

Again, if you constantly keep in front of your mind, that HOW to start your own wedding invitation business isn't as important as WHY you started your own wedding invitation business, which was because you wanted to make money, you'll have a much more profitable business.

Fun Wedding Stationery - Beach Wedding Invitations

Are you shopping for beach wedding invitations? Wedding planning ideas are up in the air and are about to be set on stone. Finally, you've both marked the details such as the destination, the date, as well as number of guests. What better way for your community to mark the date for that dream destination wedding than through beach wedding invitations?

You can be as creative as you can be with your beach wedding stationery especially with a budget to work with. Unique wedding invitations need not be pricey. These could actually help you save on added costs while exhibiting your style and flair to your loved ones! Here are ideas rounded up for your beach theme wedding invitations preparations:

Star Fish Wedding stationery are great do it yourself beach wedding stationery as this, one must order the supply of starfish from trusted vendors for quality at reasonable rates. Select beach wedding stationery wording, font type, materials, dimensions, and colors in tune with the look and feel of the invite. Ribbons may be used to further embellish the beach wedding invitations. Be sure to leave some invites for your own display at home!

Message- in- a-Bottle Invitations are not only cost-effective, but, fun to create for both you and your mate. Why not provide your guests a preview of that beach wedding experience with these destination wedding invitations? You can use either plastic or glass wedding bottles as part of your invites. Buy bottles bundled with corks and mailing boxes to save on costs. While you're at it, buy sand, sea shells, parchment paper, and scent depending on your preference to give them that vision of the celebration to be. Message-in-a-bottle wedding invitations assembly may be additional bonding time for you and your soon to be significant half!

Affordable wedding stationery may be done with utmost care and a twist of creativity. With a beach theme wedding, why not create tropical wedding invitations for your selected guests? As a background theme of your invite, you may opt to use the image of the beach destination for your wedding. If budget permits, add some sea shells as d矇cor for each invitation. To further spruce up the invite, tie with natural colored raffia.

To leave your guests with good memories of your union as a couple, why not cap it off with beach wedding favors? These may be replicas of your beach wedding invitations to give your guests that same distinct feel and vibe of the celebration. Feel the romantic beach getaways and have lasting memories of that once in a lifetime moment.

Beach wedding invitations may be affordable and exciting to create. It's easy on the pocket and shares your personality, flair, and style more intimately to your select few at the destination wedding of your choice.

Cheap Wedding Invitations That Look Like a Million Bucks

You want a great wedding invitation, but you don't want to have to sell your belongings on eBay to afford it. Unfortunately, cheap wedding invitations can look like you didn't spend a dime. This guide will help you learn how you can have cheap invitations that look far more expensive than they were. Here's how to use printable invites to get an awesome look for little money:

1. Paper - Stationery for cheap wedding invitations is easy to get. Local craft shops offer dozens to hundreds of options, usually found in the scrapbooking section. If you can't find what you want locally, check out online craft and scrapbooking stores. Online invitation specialists also offer paper at prices that won't leave your head spinning. Printable wedding invites can be done on craft paper of any weight, style, or texture to suit your wedding theme.

2. Design - Cheap wedding invitations can be as simple as printing the who, what, when, and where on a piece of cardstock. Another way to create checkbook-friendly printable invitations is to add a photo or image to your invite. Even basic computer software will allow you to easily incorporate a special image. If you're not sure how to do it, search online for tips and tutorials. Even if you're not computer-savvy, with a little effort you can easily create invites that look like they were professionally designed.

3. Layer - Another way to create wedding invites that only look expensive is by adding layers to your printable invitations. Start by printing your text on a lightweight paper. Use craft glue to attach the printed paper onto a slightly larger and heavier piece of paper in a coordinating color. The result is a framed and layered look that looks more costly than it is.

4. Embellish - It's easy to add bling to your printable wedding invitations with charms and gems. Whether it's a palm-tree charm for your beach ceremony or red and green gems for your Christmas wedding, it's easy to find the perfect embellishment. These items are simple to attach with readily available craft glue, meaning even the most craft-phobic bride can create unique printable invites. You could shop a local or online craft shop, but you can also find great deals and dizzying selections through online invitation specialists.

Are there any disadvantages to creating your own printable wedding invitations? Yes. There's no question that cheap wedding invitations are easy on your pocketbook. They can be, however, time-consuming--especially if you're designing a particularly elaborate invite. If possible, enlist family, friends, or even bridesmaids to create an assembly line that'll seriously cut down on crafting and assembly time.

Remember also to set a budget before you start designing or shopping for supplies. It's easy to get carried away while you're designing an elaborate homemade invite or while roaming aisles full of adorable charms and gems. Keep your cheap wedding invites cheap by setting--and sticking--to a money plan. With a little planning, it's easier than ever to make cheap invitations look like a million bucks.

Scottish Wedding Folklore & Traditions

Traditional Scottish Wedding

The origins of the traditional Scottish wedding:

Scotland always seems to do things in it's own way and style - and a Scottish wedding is no exception to the rule. In the 21st century, the Scottish wedding is an intricate blend of ancient highland tradition mixed in with modern, streamlined rites. Present day Scottish wedding traditions have their origins as far back as the 13th century. Back then the medieval Celtic church would proclaim the 'banns of marriage' for three successive Sundays. This practice of announcing a forthcoming marriage lasted for 600 years - until in the latter years of the 20th century it became standard to 'give notice of intent' to a registry office several weeks before the intended event.

Medieval Scottish wedding traditions:

It was normal practice in olden times for an entire village to get involved in the preparations for the 'big day'. People would line the streets to the church to cheer on the happy couple before they took their vows. In pre-reformation times, there is evidence that two Scottish wedding services would frequently take place. One in which the priest would address the party in Scots dialect and lead a ceremony outside the church. Whilst the more formal Latin mass and nuptial ceremony would take place inside.

The exchange of the rings has always been a main feature in Scottish wedding ceremonies from ancient times . A ring has no beginning and no end and as such symbolises the love within a marriage. The kissing of the bride follows on from this exchange of rings, and often leads to a cheer from the body of the kirk.

Following on from the formal church ceremony, a piper or group of pipers would frequently lead the entire group of guests down the streets, often to a relative's house, for a non-stop night of celebration, feasting and enjoyment. Local musicians led by pipers would get the dancing started and tradition has it that the first dance, normally a reel, would involve the newly wed couple. Following on from their efforts, the rest of the guests would then dance all the way into the sma' hours. In this respect, little has changed over 800 years - maybe apart from the dress code and the type of beer on tap.

When the wedding celebrations were over, the married couple would then leave to spend the night in their new home. The ancient tradition of carrying the bride over the doorstep was linked to the superstition that evil spirits inhabit the thresholds of doors. Hence the bride is lifted over the thresholds - and into the wedding bed. In medieval times, a priest would often bless the house and bless the wedding bed at this time. Then for the first time, as man and wife, the newly weds would have some quality time on their own.

Other wedding rituals such as the Highland custom of 'creeling the bridegroom', involved the groom carrying a large creel or basket filled with stones from one end of a village to the other. He continued with this arduous task until such times as his bride to be would come out of her house and kiss him. Only if she did, would his friends allow him to escape from the 'creeling' otherwise he had to continue until he had completed the circuit of the town.

Modern Scottish Wedding Traditions:

In more modern times, a lot of the superstition and rituals have been replaced by more showpiece proceedings. However, many of today's traditions still hark back to the past.

The bagpipes can be used to add atmosphere and grandeur to a wedding. The piper, in full Highland dress, stands at the church door and plays as the guests arrive. Later he leads the couple from the church to the car. The piping traditions continue, the married couple are frequently piped to the top table of honour along with the bridal party. With the cutting of the cake, again a piper is often asked to perform and a dirk, 'sharp highland dagger', is traditionally handed over by the piper to start the 'cutting of the cake'. As the bride slices the first piece of cake, custom dictates that her hand is guided by that of her new husband.

The bride's 'show of presents' originates from the tradition of the 'bridal shower', where local female villagers would gift items that would help a young couple get started successfully in their own home. Nowadays, this often takes place in the home of the mother of the bride and the gifts have a touch more luxury than those in older times.

A bridegroom's stag night, likewise has ancient roots. The young man accompanied by his friends takes to the town and downs a fountain of beverages. One tradition has it that in smaller towns the groom to be would be stripped of his clothes and left in the street outside his home - or worse still tied to a lamp post! The good news is that he wouldn't realise what had happened till the next morning.

The wedding ring, until the late 20th century tended to be for the bride and not the groom. In later decades both bride and groom now wear rings for the most part. The traditional Scottish gold wedding band dates back to the 1500's. This style of ring is still popular as a wedding ring today - as also are Celtic knot work designed engagement and wedding rings.

Traditions in Scotland Before the Wedding Ceremony:

Often before a Scottish bride is married, her mother holds an open house for a traditional "show of presents." Invitations are sent to those who gave wedding gifts to the couple and the wedding gifts are unwrapped and set out for viewing. After the show of presents the bride-to-be is often dressed up and her friends escort her through her town, singing and banging pots and pans, heralding the bride's wedding day. This tradition has evolved into the legendary 'hen night'.

The groom, meanwhile, is taken out for a stag night on one of the evenings preceding the wedding. The Stag Night is meant to be a celebration of the last night of freedom, and a way of reassuring friends that being married doesn't mean that they are shut out of your life. The groom, like the bride, is dressed up and taken around town by his friends and work mates. There is often a great deal of harmless practical joking, of which the poor groom is the main target. When the night winds down, the groom is sometimes stripped of his clothes and covered in soot, treacle and feathers and left overnight tied to a tree or post. In some rural areas an open lorry is hired and the groom is paraded through his local area with much noise and celebration.

Traditional Scottish Wedding Dress:

There is little doubt that traditional Scottish outfits add a touch of class and splendour to the wedding day and its associated ceremonies. The use of highland dress and the kilt, jacket, dirk and sporran in Scottish weddings has continued over the centuries. Whilst the bride's white gown and veil has its roots in more modern times. A Scottish bride will usually wear a traditional white or cream wedding gown. The groom's party and her father may come to the wedding resplendent in full Highland dress in the traditional clan tartan of their clans. She might wear a horseshoe on her arm for good luck, or a pageboy might deliver one to her as she arrives at the ceremony. Bridesmaids may wear whatever the bride has chosen to match her dress and it may include a little tartan accessory. Bouquets may include tartan ribbons or bows.

A gent's highland wedding outfit in its entirety consists of the following:

Bonnie Prince Charlie jacket and waistcoat, kilt, tartan flashes to match kilt, white hose, gillie brogues, kilt pin, sgian dubh, black belt with buckle, formal sporran with chain strap, wing collar shirt, black or coloured bow tie, and a piece of lucky heather on the lapel. He also has the option of wearing a fly plaid, which is anchored under the paulette on the shoulder of the jacket and secured by a large plaid brooch, (Cairngorm).

For the bride 'something old .... something new' -

For the bride a universal custom is the 'something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue' - of course the 'something new' can be the bride's dress! The 'something new' at the wedding can become the 'something old' or 'something borrowed' at the next generation' s weddings. The bride sometimes wears a blue garter (symbolizing love) which plays a part later at the wedding reception. It was also traditional in some areas for the bride to put a small silver coin in her shoe to bring her good luck.

Something old -

A gift from mother to daughter to start her off for married life, and symbolising the passing on a bit of mother's wisdom.

Something new -

A gift symbolising the new start married life represents.

Something borrowed -

The idea here is that something is borrowed from a happily married couple in the hope that a little of their martial bliss will rub off on the newlyweds.

Something blue -

There are two likely sources for this. Roman women used to border their robes with blue as a sign of modesty, love, and fidelity. Also blue is the colour normally associated with Mary the mother of Jesus who is often used to symbolise steadfast love, purity, and sincerity.

After the wedding ceremony, it is traditional for flowers, petals, or pretty paper confetti to be thrown at the departing couple. In some rural areas the couple throw coins to the children who have gathered outside the church to watch. This is called a "scramble". This is the reason children make a bee-line for local weddings. As the couple leave the ceremony the groom dips his hands into his pockets (or sporran), and throws all his loose change out on the ground for the children to scramble for.

Another tradition frequently seen during the evening wedding festivities involves the bride throwing her bridal bouquet, usually white roses, over her left shoulder. Her female non-attached bridesmaids and other single women in the bridal party stand in a line behind her. The girl who catches the thrown flower posy is by tradition going to be the next in the group to get married.

Traditional wedding reception festivities can easily last all night and the newly-wed couple lead off the dancing. Before the evening is finished the bride and groom leave as quietly and secretly as they can and go to a pre -arranged destination for their wedding night - often leaving for the honeymoon the next day.

More Scottish Wedding Ideas:

Give a Scottish brooch (called Luckenbooth) as a token of your love or as a betrothal gift. This is usually made of silver and is engraved with two hearts entwined. Some couples pin this on the blanket of their first-born for good luck.

Weddings and receptions are sometime held at a Scottish castle if there is a suitable one nearby. For something simpler and less expensive, the village hall, an outdoor venue or, for an even more traditional option, the ceremony can be in the house. If money is very tight, try arranging a "Penny Wedding," in which guests are expected to bring their own food and drinks to the church to celebrate after the ceremony is over.

The difference between Scotland and the rest of the U.K. is that, in Scotland, it is the person who is licensed to conduct a marriage service and not the building that is licensed to hold a wedding.

Local Scottish Wedding Traditions:

Wedding customs have changed dramatically over the years. Some parts of weddings seem steeped in tradition whilst you will be glad to hear of some customs which have died out over the years!

In Aberdeenshire even now, the 'blackening' is a ritual performed with great relish. The engaged couple are captured one night by so-called 'friends' and covered with foul substances such as treacle, feathers, soot, etc. They are then paraded around the village and usually the pubs. It takes days to wash clean!

In the eighteenth century, the custom of hand-fasting was observed. A couple would live together for a year and a day, at which time they could decide whether to part or make a lifelong commitment. It was considered more important for the bride to be experienced and fertile than to be a virgin.

Tradition says sew a hair onto the hem of a wedding dress for luck, or let a drop of blood fall onto an inner seam. The bride must never try on a complicated dress in advance of her wedding day. To facilitate this tradition a small section of the hem is left unsewn by the dressmaker until the last moment.

Lastly, the bride, when she leaves home for the last time as a single girl, should step out of the house with her right foot for luck.

Penny Bridal or Silver Bridal:

These festivities, also known as Penny Weddings, were renowned for feasting, drinking, dancing and fighting and were enjoyed by all except the clergy - who disapproved of such raucous behaviour. Gifts were made to the newly-weds towards the cost of the wedding feast and the celebrations started on the eve of the wedding with singing, toasts and the ceremony of 'feet washing', which is described below.

Feet Washing

A tub of water was placed in the best room, in which the bride placed her feet, her female friends then gathered around to help wash them. A wedding ring from a happily married woman was previously placed in the tub and it was believed that whoever found the ring would be the next to get married.

The men folk were outside the door making jokes and attempting to watch through the doorway. The bridegroom was then seized by the women and made to sit at the tub. His legs were none too gently daubed with soot, ashes and cinders - quite a painful procedure as you might guess!

Wedding Procession

The following day, the bridal party made their way to the church with flower petals being thrown in front of the bride. If they encountered a funeral or a pig on the way, it was considered bad luck and they would return home and set out again. The first person they encountered was called the first- foot and would be given a coin and a drink of whisky by the bride. He would then have to accompany the bridal party for one mile before being allowed to continue on his way.

Adopted Scottish Wedding Traditions:

Tying shoes to a car bumper

This tradition represents the symbolism and power of shoes in ancient times. Egyptians would exchange sandals when they exchanged goods, so when the father of the bride gave his daughter to the groom, he would also give the bride's sandals to show that she now belonged to the groom. In Anglo-Saxon times, the groom would tap the heel of the bride's shoe to show his authority over her. In later times, people would throw shoes at the couple. Now folks just tie shoes to the couple's car.

The taking of each other's right hand

The open right hand is a symbol of strength, resource and purpose. The coming together of both right hands is a symbol that both the bride and the groom can depend on each other and the resources that each brings to the marriage.

Tying the knot

This wonderful expression originated from Roman times when the bride wore a girdle that was tied in knots which the groom had the fun of untying. As a side note, this phrase can also refer to the tying of the knot in hand-fasting ceremonies, which were often performed without the benefit of a clergyman.

Wearing of a veil

Originated with arranged marriages. In these, the groom's family informed him that he was to marry, but they very rarely let him see the bride. After all, if the groom didn't like the bride's looks, he might not agree to the marriage. With this in mind, the father of the bride gave the bride away to the groom who then lifted the veil to see his wife of all eternity for the first time.

Wedding cake

Like most rituals handed down through the ages, a wedding wouldn't be complete without fertility symbols, like the wedding cake. Ancient Romans would bake a cake made of wheat or barley and break it over the bride's head as a symbol of her fertility. Over time, it became traditional to stack several cakes on top of one another. The bride and groom would then be charged to kiss over this tower without knocking it over. If they were successful, a lifetime of good fortune was certain for the new couple. Finally, during the reign of King Charles II of England, it became customary for such a cake to be iced with sugar.

Leap year proposals

The right of every woman to propose on 29th February each leap year, goes back many hundreds of years to when the leap year day had no recognition in English law (the day was 'leapt over' and ignored, hence the term 'leap year'). It was considered, therefore, that as the day had no legal status, it was reasonable to assume that traditions also had no status. Consequently, women who were concerned about being 'left on the shelf' took advantage of this anomaly and proposed to the man they wished to marry.

It was also thought that since the leap year day corrected the discrepancy between the calendar year of 365 days and the time taken for the Earth to complete one orbit of the sun (365 days and 6 hours), it was an opportunity for women to correct a tradition that was one-sided and unjust.

For those wishing to take advantage of this ancient tradition, you will have to wait until February 29th 2008!

Throwing confetti

Throwing confetti over newly-weds originated from the ancient pagan rite of showering the happy couple with grain to wish upon them a 'fruitful' union. Pagans believed that the fertility of the seeds would be transferred to the couple on whom they fell. The throwing of rice has the same symbolic meaning.

The word confetti has the same root as the word confectionery in Italian and was used to describe 'sweetmeats' that is, grain and nuts coated in sugar that were thrown over newly-weds for the same pagan reason. In recent years, small pieces of coloured paper have replaced sweetmeats, grain and nuts as an inexpensive substitute, but the use of the word confetti has remained.

Carrying the bride over the threshold

Earlier we looked at the medieval Scottish tradition of carrying the bride over the threshold - to avoid contact with 'evil spirits'. The Romans similarly believed that it was unlucky if the bride tripped on entering the house for the first time. So they arranged for several members of the bridal party to carry her over the threshold. Nowadays the groom is expected to do the job himself.

Grey Horses

All the best bridal carriages used to be pulled by grey horses and it is still considered good luck to see a grey horse on the way to the church.

Lucky horse shoe

Horseshoes have always been lucky. There is a nice story about the devil asking a blacksmith to shoe his single hoof. When the blacksmith recognised his customer he carried out the job as painfully as possible until the devil roared for mercy. He was released on condition that he would never enter a place where a horseshoe was displayed. A horse shoe carried by the bride is considered a symbol of fertility.

Wedding Bells

A peal of bells as the bridal couple leave the church is one of the oldest traditions. Before the days of widespread literacy and newspapers this was how the local people knew a wedding had taken place. The sound of bells was also said to drive away evil spirits.

Lucky Chimney Sweep

Brides still consider it fortunate if they pass a chimney-sweep on the way to the wedding as the old fashioned soot-covered sweep had magical associations with the family and hearth - the heart of the home.

Lastly, Don't look in the mirror!

It is bad luck for the bride to look in the mirror wearing her complete outfit before her wedding day - old beliefs say that part of yourself goes into the reflection and therefore, the bride would not be giving all of herself to her new husband.

Scottish wedding traditions are memorable - and have influenced wedding day rites worldwide.