Designer Wedding Invitations

The wedding invitation is one of the first thing from which the guests come to know about the style and the theme of the wedding. With the advent of new techniques and technology, today most of the couple customizes their own invitation cards. Today, the couples by the way of the invitation cards do not only reflect their personality, but also show what their taste is all about.

For the people who cannot afford these expensive designer cards, the best thing to be done is to go to the any nearby store and choose any kind of card that actually suits their style and taste. Another thing that can be done by the young couple is that they can go online and search for some designer cards that come along printable formats and that also suits the budget of the couple.

One of the major causes of upraise of these designer cards are the change in the fashion and the taste of the people. With the multi faith and inter-religion marriages gaining popularity, these designer invitations are also gaining popularity as they do not depict any religion and faith. They just portray the spirit of love.

The people sometimes also term these designer invitation cards as cross cultural wedding invitations or non religion invitation cards. These designer cards come along in different form and sizes. These days, there are many companies offering classic and unique designs which are scripted on handmade paper and also other types of paper specially designed for weddings. These invitations cards are specially designed for the various interfaith and cross culture weddings.

These designer cards can be used as wedding invitations as well as for other occasions like reception invitation, wedding announcements and even bridal shower invitation. These designer cards have their own charm and are created with elegance to satisfy the needs of the people. The people can also order these designer cards online with a lot of ease and comfort.

There are different designs and endless opportunities for the different people to have their own kind of wedding invitation card but the thing that they should watch out for it that the invitation fits their budget and does not spoil the occasion. Some of the designer cards which can be used by the couple are Flocked placed cards and the Kashmir wedding invitation. These cards are gaining a lot of popularity and try not missing out to get one for your own self also.

Charity Wedding Gifts, Favors, and Events - Making a Big Difference on the Big Day

By now most of us have seen at least one "reality" TV show where a normally sane couple bankrupts themselves trying to plan some over the top wedding-to-end-all-weddings. We shake our heads as the frazzled groom argues about the wood grain in the resort's gazebo; we feel our jaws drop when the bride breaks down in tears over the shape of the 24 karat gold shavings on the Strawberries Arnaud. We ask ourselves, is this what the modern wedding has become?

Thankfully, the real reality of most 21st century weddings couldn't be more different than their depictions on television and elsewhere. Sure, weddings are a big business, raking in tens of billions of dollars annually, but many couples are embracing a more profound view of the big day that captures the spirit of what getting married is all about. Britain's The Daily Telegraph even reported that in 2009 a full one in ten couples included requests for charity wedding gifts in their registries.

The trend is clear, today's weddings are about recognizing that your love is much more encompassing than the feelings you have for your spouse-to-be -- connecting your wedding to an important cause is now more popular, easier, and affordable than ever. Do you want your big day to make a big difference? Use this list of 10 tips and ideas for inspiration and join the millions of couples this year who are celebrating their love by sharing it with the world!

1. Involve Your Guests Early with Charity Wedding Invitations

Mentioning gifts in your wedding invitations is normally considered a breach of etiquette and is in poor taste, but it's a bit different if your wedding will be supporting a worthwhile cause. If you have something special in mind for your wedding, whether it's a request for charity donations in place of gifts or a special event you have planned, consider making a note on your invitations or including a card (printed on recycled paper) that explains what you'll be doing and why.

You can use wording like, "To share our love and gratitude, our wedding will support name of cause." You can follow this statement with a description of what you plan to do and why you have selected a particular charity. You can also include website addresses, resources, and additional information for your guests.

Being upfront with your arrangements can help build enthusiasm for your cause and will encourage your guests to get involved too!

2. Hold a Group Charity Event before the Big Day

Get your friends together for an afternoon of fun and a lifetime of memories by volunteering as a group to give back to your local community. You can join a charity relay, adopt a highway, help clean a local park, or spend a day helping Habitat for Humanity build affordable housing (speaking from experience, no carpentry skills are necessary). Volunteering a little of your time feels great and is an excellent way to get in some lighthearted bonding before the big day.

If you want to go a step further and maximize your efforts, remember that many companies and organizations are willing to donate resources or funding to group charity events. Consider talking to your employer or a few of your favorite businesses to see about getting some corporate sponsorship!

3. Give Your Guests Charity Wedding Favors

It's nice to give your guests a little treat on the big day, but instead of a bag of mints, give them a wedding favor that will help make the world a better place! If you already have a budget set aside for your wedding favors, consider donating that amount to a charity of your choice. Then, at each place setting, you can leave a card explaining the donation you made in your guests' honor -- many charities will even provide you with the cards, so be sure to ask.

But if you still want your guests to have a tangible memento of your day, there are ways to give your guests a take-home gift and help make a difference: Some charities sell small favors like candy, ornaments, or those ever-popular wristbands, and then use the profit to support their programs. No matter what you do, charity donation wedding favors are a guest favorite and will have everyone at your celebration feeling better than they already do!

4. Purchase Carbon Offset Credits

Chances are you have guests who will be travelling to make it to your wedding, and the carbon dioxide emissions from all those miles will really start to add up. Even worse, many of the areas most affected by the warming connected to carbon pollution are also among the poorest, increasing the hardships of many people who are already suffering.

What can you do? You can still invite those long-distance friends and relatives to your celebration while helping the environment and the people of developing nations by purchasing carbon credits.

Carbon credits are a calculation that determines how much carbon dioxide a person, business, or event creates over a set period of time (usually measured in tons of CO2). When you purchase carbon credits, you are essentially donating the amount of money it would take to offset that pollution through projects like reforestation or renewable energy development. Once your donation has been used you can become "carbon neutral" -- you've helped take as much carbon out of the atmosphere as you've put into it.

Sound complicated? It's actually much easier (and cheaper) than you think. CarbonFund.org has a free calculator on its website that will help you figure out the carbon footprint of your wedding; the website also has tools that will help you make your big day carbon neutral.

5. Plant Trees or Grow Flowers as Wedding Favors

If you don't want to simply buy credits you can also help the environment by planting trees in honor of your guests. Planting a tree is the single most effective way to remove carbon from the atmosphere, and a single mature tree on average removes up to 48 pounds of carbon per year. That may not sound like much, but keep in mind that each year a single tree also produces enough oxygen for two people.

That's good news for all of us who breathe, and planting trees is an incredible way to establish a legacy for your wedding that will last for generations.

Also, if you would still rather give your guests something they can take home and enjoy, try some good old-fashioned gardening and give them living flowers they can replant later. Flowers have the added benefit of doing double-duty as table decorations, and growing them yourself is great for the environment.

6. Donate Your Leftover Food

If there's one thing weddings usually have a lot of, it's extra food from the reception; don't forget that most of those leftovers can be used to help feed the hungry. Donating your extra food is one of the easiest charitable activities you can do at your wedding. It literally costs you nothing and can even cut down on the clean-up time at your reception.

Contact a local soup kitchen or food bank before your wedding day to make arrangements to donate your extra food. Many organizations will even send someone to pick up the leftovers for you. This will reduce waste, make clean-up easier for the staff working at your reception, and will immediately help people in desperate need.

7. Donate Your Wedding Dress

It's impossible to overstate the importance of finding the wedding dress you love, but your dress is probably the only piece of clothing you will ever own that you will wear just once (hopefully). Instead of sentencing your dress to a lifetime in a garment bag, you can give your gown a loving legacy that will last far after your wedding day by donating it to charity.

Charity wedding dresses are much, much more than thrift store castoffs and can even help women who aren't getting married. Brides Against Breast Cancer, for example, resells donated wedding dresses then uses the proceeds to support terminally ill breast cancer patients and to fund new research into beating the disease.

Just by donating your dress you can help a future bride with a small budget have the wedding of her dreams and put an end to an epidemic that kills tens of thousands of women each year!

8. Start a Scholarship in Honor of Your Wedding

Work with your former high school, a school in your community, your college, or a local youth organization to form a scholarship program in your names that will benefit a struggling or underprivileged student. Then, when you create your registry, you can request that your guests donate cash to the program in place of a gift.

When you start a scholarship program you're often permitted to set the terms and the requirements for each winner, so you can even custom-tailor your award to a particular area of study, a hobby or sport, or to benefit a student who may be facing some of the same challenges you have overcome in your own life. Whatever you do, endowing a scholarship has a direct impact on a young person's life and your guests will love helping you fund it!

9. Hold Your Ceremony and/or Reception at Non-profit Venue

Yes, you could hold your reception at that fancy banquet hall at the other end of town or at that country club down by the park, but you could also celebrate the big day somewhere just as elegant and help out your community. How? Choose a non-profit location for your celebration!

Museums are perfect for this. Most museums have banquet and conference areas that can be rented at rates comparable to or less than for-profit banquet halls. Museums also have the advantage of surrounding your celebrations with fabulous art or timeless treasures from history. The decor at the country club may be nice, but it's doubtful they have an original JW Waterhouse or Andrew Wyeth painting hanging up anywhere. Most museums survive on donations and special events like weddings, so selecting one for your big day is an excellent way to contribute to the arts and culture where you live.

If you're not feeling up for a museum, keep in mind that many community parks, churches, community centers, and civic organizations also offer spaces for weddings. Holding your ceremony, reception, or both at any of these locations helps these groups help your community.

10. Select Charities and Causes that Are Meaningful to You

Choosing a charity or cause to support through your wedding is a personal decision that should reflect your values and something you care deeply about. Follow your heart, but remember to carefully vet any charitable organization you're thinking of contacting. While the vast majority of charities are honestly committed to their respective causes, some are run better than others, and some are much more effective at wisely spending donations and contributions.

Any reputable charity will provide a financial accountability statement that breaks down how they spend donations -- you can usually find this information on the organization's website. Try to focus on groups that apply a high percentage of the donations they receive (85% or higher) to their stated mission.

Make Helping the World a Part of Your Wedding and a Part of Your Life

To say that the world around us could use some help is an understatement. The number of problems facing the planet today and the untold millions of people in dire need of assistance can overwhelm just about anyone who thinks about it for more than a few minutes. It's tempting to ignore these issues just to stave off depression, but millions of wedding couples are showing us each year that there is a better way.

When you make something like charitable giving a part of your wedding, you make helping to fix the Earth a joyful experience rather than a depressing one. Indeed, by tying your wedding to a worthwhile cause you celebrate, not just your own life, but the lives of everyone living today. By giving back a little each day, by making it a part of our routines and special events, and by making it fun, we can leave the world in much better shape than we found it.

So forget those reality TV shows; today's real top weddings are about all of us, not just the egos of the wedding couple. Charitable weddings have layers of beauty and meaning that will never, ever be matched by fancy dessert pastries, exotic locations, or titanic decorating budgets. Happy planning and good luck.

Make Money With Motor Cars

Apart from your house, for most normal people a motorcar is the second most expensive thing they buy. With the price of fuel, maintenance, tax and insurance prices rising drivers are always looking for new ways of reducing costs. The purpose of this article is to try to recoup some, or in certain cases, even all of these costs.

All of the items suggested in this article can be started on a part-time basis. The business can be fitted around your normal job until it becomes viable then, if you wish, it may become your full time occupation.

A few ideas for making money with motor cars are;

Buying and Selling cars, Chip and Scratch Repairs, Mobil Car Valeting, Courier, Driving School, Wedding car hire business, Taxi and Private Hire, Advertise on your car.

Always check with your car insurance company before trying any of the suggestions in this article. Tell them everything; if you fail to disclose any relevant detail, no matter how small, your insurance may be void and you could be in deep financial trouble if anything untoward happens.

You must also take out Public Liability Insurance. Your existing insurance company will advise you.

As with any business you must keep a note all expenditure and income and retain all receipts for income tax purposes. It is worth employing an accountant to do your annual tax returns; they can save you more money than they charge.

You do not have to register for VAT unless your turnover is above the VAT threshold, which is currently (2011) 瞿68,000 per year.

Any job working with motorcars suggests that you should be a good driver. We all think we are brilliant drivers, but why not take the advanced driving test, this not only improves your confidence and driving but can also reduce your insurance premiums and fuel consumption.

Franchises are available for most forms of income with motor cars.

Getting a franchise from a national company can be a good way of getting your motor car business started but you MUST think very carefully and read all of the small print before you sign any contract. You may still have to pay the vehicle rental and franchise fees when you are on holiday or cannot work due to accident or illness. This cost must be considered in the pricing structure for your services.

Your vehicle must be clean, legal and in good working condition as presentation and reliability are the most important factors when running any business using motor cars.

You could combine two or more ideas in this article to maximise your income, for example, advertise on your taxi or driving school car, but keep the advertisements relevant to your business.

Chip and scratch repairs could be combined with valeting. Use your imagination!

Cheap Wedding Ideas

No one really wants to compromise on a wedding ceremony, but smart couples plan on spending their hard earned money wisely on stuff that matters most to them and their dear ones. There are many ideas that work for a cheap wedding, but some are definitely better than the others. To make sure that you have the wedding you really dream of, you will need to weed through all the choices. Here are some of the best cheap wedding ideas to get you started:

Weekday wedding

Just like phone calls and plane journeys, weddings are reasonable off-peak, so avoid planning your ceremony in summer months or weekends. In fact, set the date for a weekday between mid-October and May. You will save on everything right from the photographer to the venue. Moreover, your guests will be less likely to miss your big day due to the holidays.

Research Hard

You might have fallen head-over-heels in search of a wedding venue, a photographer or a make-up artist, but don't just sign up with the first one that you see. Explore all your options, and differentiate on the basis of prices and services offered to ensure that you get the best deal. Ask newly married couples for suggestions and look for samples from the photographers and food suppliers.

Tailor the Menu

Assuming that a buffet will be less costly is surely a misconception. There may be lesser help but the amount of food you will have to dish out will be more, thus escalating the catering costs. An elegant-seated dinner or a luncheon of salad, hors d'ouevres, and wedding cake actually work well as an elegant but cheap wedding idea.

Book Short Term

It is a fact that the closer out you reserve, the more accommodating your vendors will be. A last minute booking can be a great cheap wedding idea as you will be able to bargain more for better rates.

Utilizing Friend's Skills

We all know people who bake well are natural with a make-up brush, or are great planners. This is the time to call in favors, and ask them to share their remarkable talents and help you out in saving money. Odds are they'll be pleased to assist you, and make you organize a beautiful wedding.

Get Crafty

Creating your wedding invitations on your own makes for a fantastic cheap wedding idea. You'll save a lot of money on things like paper, glitter, envelopes, accessories and the like. However, stationery is not the only thing you can create on your own. You can bring together your own favors by filling up plastic or paper cones with dried-flower petals for beautiful confetti, or design an attractive table plan by teaching yourself calligraphy. Also, visit a few creative stores for lots of crafty materials.

Leave out the Evening Reception

People often regard evening receptions as a way to keep their costs down, but by the time one has paid for food, venue and entertainment, the total cost can swell up. Hence, do your calculations carefully. If you're only inviting an extra 30 people in the reception, it will be less costly to invite them to the wedding breakfast or the main ceremony, and skip the evening altogether.

Leaving out the reception is one of the most sensible cheap wedding ideas one can opt for. Remember, you are spending your hard earned money on your wedding which is a one-time experience. Make sure you research well so that you do not overspend unnecessarily.

Wedding Invitation Wording for Different Hosting Situations

Today there are so many different ways to plan your wedding that it can seem tricky to find just the right wedding invitation wording. Different scenarios call for different ways to word wedding invitations...

- situations like inviting only some people to the ceremony and not the reception, or vice versa...

- how to word an invitation when there are deceased parents, and even opting to send personalized invites to the bridal party to give them special recognition of being in the wedding.

Even the styles range from formal and traditional to casual and can include a small verse or poem that you could also include on the wedding favors you give to your guests.

There are also times when couples marry after they've been together for some time and have had children together, so they've decided on informal, casual invitations.

Let's look at some other pretty frequent scenarios where you may need to word the invitation a bit off from traditional.

The couple has a limited budget but both the bride and groom have large, extended families with a lot of friends. They would like to invite everyone to the ceremony but don't think they can afford to invite everyone to the reception.

What should they do? How could they word their invitations to pull this off?

• The first option is to leave off any mention of a reception following the ceremony and send separate reception cards only to those who are being invited.
  
  The problem there is, people will talk after the event and those not invited will more than likely get word of there being a reception that they weren't invited to. That could cause some real problems later on.



• The second scenario calls for limiting the ceremony invitations to only those who would also be invited to the reception. That would actually be the more polite thing to do.



• And lastly, which is actually the best option and would make everyone happy, is to plan the wedding ceremony for later in the evening and instead of serving an all-out dinner for the reception, simply plan for light hors d'oeuvres or finger foods with the dessert being your wedding cake

Also, limit the bar to one or two wines and one or two beers on tap. Since the food and bar tab are the most expensive items on the reception costs, keeping these in check makes the reception more affordable so that everyone who is attending the ceremony will also be invited to the reception.

The more informal and casual the reception, and the lower the costs, and the more exciting and fun the entire event will be because everyone will able to attend the reception after the ceremony.

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Some couples want to send custom or personalized invitations to the bridal party instead of sending them the same invitation that all of the other guests will be receiving.

So how do you word the invitations that are being sent to the bridal party? And just how personalized should they be?

Actually, the bridal party can still receive the same invitation that the rest of the guests are getting, but include a small, personalized note inside letting them know how much you appreciate you them being such a special part of the happiest day in your life.

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Today, thousands of couples have been divorced long before their get married. This can literally cause some stress for the bride and groom when it comes time to figuring out the right wording to use on their wedding invitations.

And if each parent has since remarried, which is often the case; it can get a little tricky trying to decide whose names to put where and how. And then what if one of the parents is deceased?

A traditional invitation simply shows the relationship between the bride and her parents and the groom and his parents. But the couple should still recognize the step-parents if they're planning a formal invitation.

Some couples today simply announce themselves as being the hosts of their wedding in more casual and informal wedding invitation wording so no one feels slighted. The relationships can be detailed in the wedding programs.

Traditionally and in proper etiquette, the ones who are actually paying for the wedding and reception are the ones who are doing the inviting. It's not even 'normal' anymore that the groom's family only pays for the rehearsal while the bride's family pays for everything else.

Today, it's not unusual for everyone to contribute in some way, especially with older couples or couples who've already been living with each other for a while before getting married.

Here are a couple of different options for wording so that no one gets slighted. And it's best if everyone involved is consulted first before the final printing of the invitations.

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How do you word a wedding invitation if the ceremony and reception are at the same place but the reception is going to be a couple of hours later after the ceremony?

Think of your guests too when planning your wedding. You don't want to inconvenience the same people who are taking time out of their day to attend.

Usually when a wedding and reception are being held at the same location, you would word the invitation that the reception is immediately following at [place of ceremony].

But if you do have to have the reception at the same location but a couple of hours later than the ceremony - for instance, maybe you're heading to a separate location for photographs first and then back to the ceremony location for the reception, the wedding invitation wording would be the same as if the reception was being held at a different location except you'll be listing the same address twice with different times.

Wedding Invitation Wording - Seven Examples of Wording For Your Wedding Invitations

If you are planning a wedding and your parents are deceased, you need special wedding invitation wording. How do you word different situations.

Here are a seven invitation wording situations:

1. Invitations issued by one parent, when one has died and they have not remarried:

Mrs. James Keith Brown request the honour of your presence at the marriage of her daughter Emily Sue to

2. When one parent has died and the other parent is remarried:

Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Thomas Jones request the pleasure of your company at the marriage of her daughter Emily Sue Jones to

3. Invitations are issued by an older unmarried brother or sister:

Mr. Thomas Samuel Jones requests the honour of your presence at the marriage of his sister Emily Sue to

4. Invitations issued by a married brother or sister

Mr. and Mrs. Randal Keith Jones request the pleasure of your company at the marriage of his sister Emily Sue to (Note you will make the changes for his or her)

5. Invitations issued by grandparents:

Mr. and Mrs. Howard Arthur Jones request the honour of your presence at the marriage of their granddaughter Emily Sue Smith to

6. If friends of the couple are hosting the wedding:

Mr. and Mrs. Christopher Michael Jones request the honour of your presence at the marriage of Emily Sue Waters to

7. Invitations issued by adult children:

Thomas Michael Jones / Emily Sue Waters / Keith Samuel Jones / Elizabeth Tammy Green / request the honour of your presence at the marriage of their mother / Jeannie Marie Jones to

As you can see there are many different situations that can happen. You may have one of those situations and invitation wording may need to change for this.

The wording for your invitations will vary with many different things. Learning some of the proper wedding announcement etiquette can help a great deal. This allows you to know wording for church weddings, formal and informal weddings.

Today, families are so different from even ten years ago. Parents may have died or divorced. There are ways for invitation wording to adapt to those changes.

Your wedding is an important event. Your wedding invitations can be the first impression many of your family and friends get. Make this a good first impression. Choose your wording wisely. Adapt your wedding invitation wording to your situation.

Use your time to plan the wedding of your dreams. Don't guess at what you should write on your invitations. Use some of the guidelines that have been set.

Decorate the Church Hall For Your Winter Wedding

Most marriages take place at churches. In many cases, little decoration is done because the hall is already adorned. Despite the fact that the church hall could be already decorated and furnished, it can be further adorned for use as a ceremonial ground. You can apply a few effects on the walls, at the entrances, along the pews and even the altar to give it a marvelous flamboyant look. We look at simple ways that you can make your church hall look glamorous for a wedding ceremony without necessarily making it look too secular. We discuss how to go about your winter decoration for the utmost effect.

The first point to note is, you can leverage on the already existing decorations in the church. At Christmas, the church would already been adorned in the traditional red, silver and red color so your decoration must try to blend with it and complement these colors. Anything else will sabotage the decor and make it look odd. Again, try to concentrate your decoration on the permanent items already found in the church. The pews, window sills and the entrances make good places for decoration. In recent days, it has become common to introduce Christmas trees at the entrance and within the church halls during winter weddings. .

You can apply simple special effects to your wedding ceremony hall to make it look classy. You must however do it sparingly so that it does not look too fashionable. The decoration you do must be able to blend with the already existing furnishings so that the place looks like a church despite the add-ons. For a place like a church where you have many permanent, you must tailor your decoration towards the objects already there. You can drape the altar with something glittering; fix flowers at both end of the pews or hang balloons at the entrances.

5 Tips On Wedding Program Templates

Designing your ceremonial info can be battler if you never seen one before and if you prepare the cerebration and the ceremony yourself, you can gestate few wedding templates on the net to furnish you the most expedient verbiage and filler. These templates can be launch freely and easy, but some of them require you to become a member to hit admittance to all the options.

1. The top strain for getting your wedding template is to face at the disengage ones. There are numerous enthusiastic ideas and layouts that you will probably like and you can also examine at any wedding person brochures if you essential to.

2. If you don't like any of the wedding templates you undergo, you should subscribe to whatsoever of the paying member sites. Here your gift is a bigger show of templates with more detailed information.

3. The templates that are also misused for the programs do not have to be launched on observance provision websites. Any system model can be utilized and you can just modify the phraseology. For a later modern wedding you might want to use a non rite template.

4. Individuals can examine in few wedding magazines for template ideas. Sometimes these hold graphical presentations by experienced groups and could also be modern and stylish for what you need to say.

5. Get the rite system templates from a retail outlet. You might be lucky to encounter prefabricated programs that you can fill in the material. If this does not really care deluxe, you can only use the style and layout for your own figure. You just need to hold on memory what it looks like or if it is flashy, but you need it to make them at home.

Wedding invitation wordings to match your wedding program template

Are you looking for creative and memorable wedding invite wordings to go with your wedding program. Every bride wants a standout wedding invites that will wow her guests and family members. When it comes to weddings people used always concentrate on brides dress, wedding cake and wedding venues. But nowadays people pay more attention to the wedding announcement cards as well, since it is the first thing they will see of the wedding.

Wedding cards should match and have the same design of your wedding theme. The modern and sophisticated way to write the wedding invites is to use a love poem, wedding verse or write something that will match the wedding theme.

What Makes IKEA Stand Out From the Rest

There is an IKEA store in many states in the United States and the residents have found the much needed products for all their home furnishing needs. IKEA continues to serve the people with the spirit of humility and dedication. The founder of IKEA Ingvar Kamprand started the first store in Sweden and with humble beginnings came great success. He has inspired growth by having able people who make sure that the store name uphold the founding principles that keep the customers coming. IKEA stores can be found in most continents and the stores keep on cropping up. Every store is run as a subsidiary and it is independent. IKEA is a privately owned company that specializes in home furnishings and is he leading in the world.

IKEA Seattle has over 425 staff who are trained to offer a good customer service with dedication and professionalism. Therefore, if you do not know the next step to go when you are at the store, they will direct you and if you need more product information, they are willing and ready to provide all you need. The business manager for the store in Seattle is Chris Welander and he is responsible for the daily operations of the business. Initially, the store occupied not more than 15,000 square feet and with their expansion, the size has doubled and it now occupies 300,000 square feet. Some of the products you can expect to buy from the store are bathroom furniture, kitchen furnishings, sofas, tables and desks, TV solutions, lighting, textiles, floors and so many other products.

Like all IKEA stores, you can rest assured that the quality is high and comes at a very cheap price. IKEA Seattle has a gift registry and for all your occasions, you can make use of the registry. Occasions may be birthdays, weddings, baby showers, graduations, housewarming and others. The gift registry is especially suitable for weddings. The store in Seattle is concerned about the environment and constantly encourages people to stop polluting the environment with plastic bags. It also cares about people who wish to make something out of their lives by providing employment opportunities. There are several things you can expect if you get employed by IKEA.

The first thing is that the wages are very competitive. You will be satisfied with the scale and it is meant to motivate the staff to deliver an exceptional service. For both part time and full time employees, they can enjoy insurance covers of medical dental and vision. You can also enjoy employee discounts which go a long way to save and plan your money. If you are hard working and wish to rise above the ranks, then employee training will ensure that your dreams come true. You also benefit from advancements within the company. Clearly, IKEA settle is changing lives and providing quality products that add joy to your homes. If you need directions to know where the store is, the IKEA Seattle site has provided all this and more. Make a wise decision while purchasing and you can only do this by taking some time to study the products before you buy.

Wedding Hats - Vintage Hats Back in Vogue

Weddings and Weddings hats! Are they back in style? What do I wear it with? Will it match my dress? So many questions, too little answers so that you can make the right decisions.

There are a dozen types of wedding hats that will match what you wear. You can wear hats tilted to the side, to the front or the back and it is basically what works for you and your outfit. Ladies want to feel special with the hat on; they want to look different and unique. They want to stand out in the crowd of other women and it's a bit like competition or? making a personal, lasting statement.

The wedding fascinator is also a growing in popularity especially with the younger women. These new school accessories are not only meant for weddings. They are also a great accessory for any festive occasions ranging from the casual to the formal. There is no reason why your wardrobe should not comprise of any, given the simplicity and elegance of wearing one.

Vintage wedding hats are also back in fashion now; old school is now actually the new school! What our parents or grand-parents used to wear for their weddings events are now actually back in vogue! Talk about product lifecycle out the window! All sorts of hats like cocktail hats, big cage fill hats with feathers are all back in style.

Wedding hats are a worthy investment as they can be used and reused at second weddings and even at other events. There are tons of other wedding accessories that could go with it and also the very popular wedding hats and fascinators.

Creating Your Disney Fairytale Wedding

The Dress: This is one of the best parts about planning your wedding. Finding your dress no matter what you theme, is a grand event. With a Disney theme, it is especially wonderful because you can hone in on what look you are going for right away. The first place to start with is the Disney line by Alfred Angelo. These dresses are literally named after the princess they represent. So, if you are looking for a dressed styled after Belle, consider the "Belle" named dress.

The Cake: The cake is another great way to show off your fairytale theme and really have people enjoy a taste of the fantasy day. If your wedding reception is at a venue that includes your cake, most pastry chefs will be able to construct a cake based on images that you bring into them. If you are going to a bakery, you will probably have just as much luck in getting exactly what you want, but be sure to also have an image of it so that all the details can be included.

The Decor: The decor of the ceremony can be detailed with your Disney theme with items like an aisle runner stating "And They Lived Happily Ever After." An example of this can be found on Disney's own site Disney Weddings. Your reception area needs to tell the fairytale story as well. Lighting is a great way to set the stage for your reception. The colors chosen will depend on which part of Disney you have focused your reception around.

For example, if it is a general Disney Mickey theme, you can go with red and white lighting while an Ariel under the sea theme would be better with green and maybe even soft blue lighting. Tables are another area that can be decorated. Table linens should be based on the character you have chosen or the particular part of Disney. For example, a Cinderella theme would be beautifully illustrated by white, light blue and dark blue table linens. This is where you typically place the party favor which should also fight into your theme. Consider a Disney Ornament keepsake for your guests or chocolates shaped like Mickey Mouse. One of my favorites is the Slipper Bottle Opener.

The Bridesmaids Dresses: What your bridesmaids where is also important in order to carry out the theme. Alfred Angelo also has beautiful dresses that compliment the Disney theme. These may not be exactly what you are looking for or in the price range, but it will give you a good head start into finding something to go along with your theme since these dresses are matched up with the Alfred Angelo wedding dresses.

Wedding Invitations: Last, but certainly not least, are the Wedding Invitations. This is the first impression made and the introduction to your Disney themed wedding. Disney has a beautiful array of Disney Wedding Invitations to choose from and they have one to two for each of the main princess characters. In addition, they also have adorable Mickey and Minnie Wedding Invitations.

7 Common Things People Forget to Do When Moving

Moving house is a very busy time for even the most organized family. With all of the things that need to be done it's easier than you may think to forget something. Here are some common things that people forget to do before they move.

Gather All Your Records: We don't often think about how many records and documents we have until we are moving and have to get them all together in one place. School and work records, medical and dental records, vet records for your pets, and personal papers such as insurance policies, wedding and birth certificates and adoption paperwork all need to be organized and kept in a safe and easily accessible location while you move.

Know Your New Address: You may be surprised, but forgetting your new address or accidentally packing away the paperwork that has your new address on it is pretty common. Be sure to make a note of your new address in a few different places just in case something is misplaced.

Cancel Clubs, Lessons and Membership Cards: Don't forget to cancel health club memberships, library cards and return movie rentals. Be sure to ask if your memberships may be transferable to a location near your new home.

Return and Collect Borrowed Items: Items that have been borrowed from friends and neighbors are easy to forget about when packing up your home. Before you begin packing, go through your home and put anything you've borrowed in a designated area so that you will remember to return them to their owners. Also ask your friends and neighbors to return items they have borrowed from you so that they can be packed with the rest of your belongings.

Designate a Contact Person: Now that most people have cell phones, this can be overlooked sometimes, but it is still a good idea, especially if you are moving a long distance away. Your contact person will be the phone number that someone can call if they need to get in touch with you, but your cell phone isn't working. Be sure to give your removalist company this phone number, as well as your friends and family. Then call your contact person on a regular basis to make sure any messages are collected.

Leave Your Garage Door Opener and Spare Keys: Many times people move all the way to their new home before they realize that they still have their old garage door opener and the spare keys for their old home. Having to send these items back to the new owners of your old house can be a little embarrassing for you, and can be inconvenient for the new owners. Also be sure to collect any spare keys you've given to neighbors or friends.

Don't Forget Your Pets: Usually this complication isn't that you've forgotten your pets, but that when you're ready to load the last kid into the car and drive away, your pet has suddenly disappeared. Cats, of course, are notorious for disappearing at the worst moments. If your pet has run off and you just can't wait any longer, ask your neighbors to keep an eye out for him and make sure he's taken care of when he shows up again.

From Wedding Invitation Templates to Reception Invitations - Just the Facts

Ordering invitations for a wedding isn't exactly rocket science. Yet if you haven't done it before, it can be intimidating. Two terms that sometimes confuse first-time wedding planners are wedding reception invitations and wedding invitation templates. Cut down on event planning stress by learning about when and how to use them.

What are wedding reception invitations?

Getting married at a church but hosting a reception at a restaurant? With a ceremony and a party in different locations, wedding reception invitations give your guests the details they need to be in the right place at the right time. This itty-bitty card--usually about half the size of the ceremony invite--is included with the invitation, the reply card and, if necessary, the map card.

Wedding reception invitations could also be used as reception-only invites. Whether you got married in Las Vegas surrounded by a few friends or tied the knot in a private ceremony attended by the two of you and your kids, there are many reasons you might need to want to keep the marriage ceremony separate from the party.

The most important part of wedding reception invitations is the wording you choose. Avoid embarrassing situations by clearly stating the invitation is for the reception only. Online wedding stationery websites and wedding planning sites usually offer wording suggestions that will satisfy the manners maven in your family and prevent your "crazy" cousins from unintentionally crashing your intimate ceremony.

Find wedding reception invitations to fit any event style through online stationery specialists.

What are wedding invitation templates and when should I use one?

A template is a pattern for creating wedding invites, similar to the patterns you used to make aprons in high school home economics class. Templates allow you to print professionally designed stationery--from ceremony programs to map cards to wedding reception invitations-- from a home computer.

For a one-of-a-kind look, find wedding invitation templates that allow you to customize the pattern. If you want the option to customize, don't choose a template until you know the answers to these two important questions:

1) Can it be customized? Some templates come as they are, so if you're looking to get creative be sure you can do so.

2) If it can be customized, what computer software do you need to alter it? Don't spend money purchasing a customizable template only to discover you don't have the software needed to change it.

While there are free printable wedding invitation templates available, you can also buy designs created by graphic artists, which means you get a professional look with a DIY price. Find high-quality wedding invitation templates through online wedding stationery printers.

Steps to Plan Your Wedding - Check List

Take the strain out of trying to remember everything you need to do for your wedding by using this simple twelve month check-list.

12 MONTHS

Decide what sort of wedding you want.

Do you want a traditional wedding in a church or a civil ceremony in a registry office or licensed wedding venue? Some venues may not be suitable, to big or too small, so you need to make a shortlist and visit them all - remember to get their available dates!

When do you want to get married?

Have you a special date in mind or have you dates that you need to avoid because they clash with something else? Don't forget the sporting calendar, as a special event could ruin the day. I forgot to check and got married when England were going for the Triple Crown! No-one was available for photos as all the male attendants were sitting in cars listening to the radio! I did put Jerusalum on the hymn list which was sung heartedly.

How much do you have to spend?

Work out what you can afford and stick to a budget, (add 10% for contingency for that thing you "just must have").  How many guests will you be inviting?  Allocate a cost to each individual item, eg. dress, reception, music, flowers - you will find some items for less than budget and some over - so don't fret when some things break the budget - there will be savings elsewhere.

Book the Reception

Have you already got a place in mind?  Look at it from the point of view of a wedding venue and not the Xmas party!!  What will you do if the weather is bad - where will the photos be taken? The venue may have a portfolio of previous weddings, so ask to see it. They can usually recommend photographers and entertainment for you, they may also have their own in-house wedding planner.

10 MONTHS

Catering

If your reception venue is not providing a caterer, get a short-list of preferred caterers and sample taste some menues before finalising for your big day.  Popular caterers get booked up way in advance, so sort this out 12 months before, if you can.  Same for the Wedding Cake - these usually need to be ordered 10 months before the day.

Wedding Dress/Bridesmaids dress

Choose your bridesmaids, best man and any ushers.  Start looking at wedding dresses and bridal gowns, also for your bridesmaids. Some dresses need to be ordered at least 6 months in advance so they can be made, and then fitted personally to you.

Photographer

You should book early if you want a particular photographer. The best get booked up early. They should be able to present you with a gallery of their work, and you need to decided if you want contemporary style photos or traditional poses. A mix of the both usually works well - traditional satisfying the parents so they can display photo on mantlepiece, and the wacky ones for your bedroom wall!!

Music- Entertainment

Do you want live music, a band or string quartet for the ceremony?  Start thinking about music for when you walk up the aisle, during the signing of the register and your first dance.  Disco for later in the evening. Or perhaps a magician to keep the children amused through the wedding breakfast. If you are getting married on a Saturday, you will need to arrange this fairly early on in your wedding preparations so avoid disappointment.

6 MONTHS

Wedding Invitations & Stationery

Once you have your dress and your bridesmaids, there will be a colour theme evolving.  Order wedding invitations at least 6 months in advance - be sure you proof read them, and then get someone else to check before the final print.  You can have your invitations, place cards and table plan based on your colour theme of your wedding.

Honeymoon

If you are having a honeymoon, look at some brochures and if you are getting married in the school holidays, you may need to book early to get your ideal honeymoon.  There can sometimes be cost-savings by booking early too.

Florist

Now you know what you dress and cake will look like, find a florist and discuss what type of flowers you want (within your budget).  These include not only your bouquet, but buttonholes, corsages for the Mothers and and table arrangements.

Wedding Transport

Book your transport to your wedding venue and reception.

Wedding Rings

Don't forget the rings!  They may need several fittings to get it right.

3 MONTHS

Passport

If you are thinking of changing your name, allow adequate time to get your passport reissued.  The UK Passport Office will postdate your new married passport to the date of your wedding.

Wedding Wear

Buy wedding lingerie and honeymoon outfits

Beauty

Make an appointment with a beautician to have a hair and make-up trial.  You may want to book them on the day - costs can be reasonable, and it means you don't have to leave the house to get your hair and make up done.

TWO  MONTHS

Send out Wedding invitations at least 8 weeks before

Work out a seating plan

Finalise your Wedding Breakfast

Have a full dress rehearsal to be sure it all fits (including the rings!)

ON THE DAY

Smile, Smile Smile - don't stress, nobody will notice if there are a few hiccoughs - vow to enjoy every moment.

Happy Wedding.

Visit here for more information on how to plan your wedding

Beach Vs Garden Themed Weddings - Which Is Better?

Traditional weddings have always been the preferred choice of couples, in which the image of a victorian steepled church, a red carpeted entry way, and a blushing white bride. Today, however, many more young newlyweds are exploring new environments to exchange vows. Among many new contemporary settings to celebrate the special day include beaches and gardens. While both offer the benefit of fresh air and a large crowd capacity, there are several reasons why a beach is most definitely the best choice for most weddings.

While garden weddings are aesthetically pleasing and offer a paradise-esque atmosphere with many perks and luxuries, there are several reasons why a garden wedding might have some disadvantages. Food cost and venue arrangements are just some aspects to consider when comparing beach and garden weddings.

Newlyweds might expect to pay a small fortune for just the bare essentials of a garden wedding. A small fee will be required for utilizing a garden located on both public and private property. Expect to pay hundreds of dollars for just a few hours of use if choosing a garden wedding theme.

Another important ingredient that should be considered is the cost of food and alcohol. Catering services costs can range in the thousands of dollars when including brunch and the dinner reception, not to mention potential costs of serving alcohol or wetbar services. All in all, newlyweds can expect to pay about a fourth of the total costs in food service for a garden wedding.

The wedding venue arrangements are another critical factor in planning a garden wedding. Most wedding receptions should be in close proximity to the wedding site. Couples need to make sure that a reception site is conveniently located for a garden wedding and that all guests are adequately prepared for changes in weather such as rain.

While there are several drawbacks to garden weddings, beach weddings offer many advantages. The best part about having a beach theme weddings is that it's free! There are no fees to holding a beach wedding as long as guests are responsible with their trash and pick up after themselves.

Barbeques are an excellent alternative to food catering services at a beach wedding. If feeding a large crowd, steaks, hamburgers, or baked potatoes can be served on paper plates on picnic tables that face the ocean. The bride and groom can cut their food bill in half by using such a simple approach.

Beach theme weddings just give wedding guests so much more freedom and independence to roam, mingle, or just enjoy the beautiful scenery. The only problem the bride and groom will have is wearing themselves out sending all of those beach wedding invitations!

While both wedding styles are a nice departure from a traditional church wedding, a beach theme wedding allows newlyweds to really step out of their comfort zone as well as cut venue and other costs in half. The next time you plan a wedding, consider a beach theme for ultimate convenience and breathtaking scenery.

Loading Photos From Your Camera Onto Your Computer Easily!

Okay, lets get started.

Many people just plug there camera in and a supplied programme downloads the images, but what if you can't do that, how do you go about it?

1.Open your card slot in your camera and take the card out.

2. Place the card in the card reader......

Whats a card reader I hear you ask......most modern computers have a card reader in them, there will be a slot marked SD/XD/....if your computer doesn't have one don't despair, any computer shop will sell them for about $20 & they plug into your USB port.

3. The card only works one way up so if at first you don't succeed try again!!!

4. Now click on the start menu....that's the round circle on the lower left hand side of your screen, with a windows symbol on it.

5. Go to My Computer...you will see it on the pop up window....left click on it.

6. When the window opens you will see a list of drives, such as C:/, D:/, E:/DVD, SD/MMC(or similar) with a card image next to it. This is the one you will click on.

7. Double Left click on card icon....Now either your pictures will appear(Go to step 10) or a small folder with writing next to it, ie DCIM

8. Double left click this folder.....Now either your photos will appear (Go to step 10) or another folder will appear with writing next to it, ie 159_Fuji or similar depending on the brand of camera.

9. Double left click folder.....your photos will now appear!!!

10. Left click on "edit"...this is found on the top bar of the box next to 'file'

11. Go to "Select all" and left click.

12. Go to "edit" again and now you can left click on either "Move to folder" or "copy to folder". At this stage I would recommend copy.

Move deletes the images off your card and puts them onto your computer whereas copy transfers them onto your computer but they are still on the card. Then if anything goes wrong, you still have them.

13. A new popup box appears and it says "select where you would like to copy these images to"........ Most people copy them to "My Pictures"

14. If My Pictures or Pictures folder appears then left click on it, if it doesn't don' despair!!!! Click on the My Documents folder instead.

15. Scroll down till you come to the "My Pictures" or "Pictures" folder and left click on it.

16. Now in the bottom left hand corner of this box there is a button with "Make new folder" on it, click this.

17. A new folder will appear and next to it the words New Folder will be highlighted. just type in the name you want to call this folder. ie Denmark trip then press the "enter" key on your keyboard.

18. the photos will now begin transferring. A little pop up box will come up saying where it is transferring the photos to and approximately how long it will take.

19. When this pop up box disappears, all your photos are now on your computer.......Well done, you did it!!!!

20. I recommend you now check that the images have transferred properly. To do this, click on "my pictures" and click on the file you named and "ta da" the pictures should all be there!!!!

21. If they are not or if you have any problems, please feel free to contact me. My details are on my webpage which there is a link to below.

22. Hang on a minute I hear you say, what about the photos left on the card...I want to clear the card so I can take more pictures....Easily fixed....

23. Remove card from your computer or card reader and place back into camera, turn camera on and go to Menu. Under menu you will see a delete or erase, go to this and it will say Delete all? click YES and "ta da", photos deleted and you are ready to start again.

Have fun taking pics and if you would like to check out some of my images click on the link below.....I would recommend you make yourself a drink first, you deserve it, you've done so well....then sit back and enjoy some of my travels with me.

Wedding Insurance - Get This Valuable Protection

The bride and groom are so excited. They have put so much into the planning of their wedding: Their hearts, money, and months of their precious time. Of course, brides are squarely focused on their special day- not on what could go wrong. They have made every effort to ensure the perfect day, but what about all the things that are not in their control? Suppose someone gets ill, a hurricane sets in, or a vendor goes bankrupt. Wedding insurance can protect your wedding day and give you the peace of mind that everything is covered.

What does wedding insurance do for you? Wedding insurance is designed specifically to protect the consumer by offering financial protection if certain unfortunate, unforeseen events should occur during the period leading up to and including the wedding day. It provides protection for vendor deposits, wedding gown loss or damage, photography problems, and much more. Specifically, you can get repair or replacement cost on the gown or tuxedo lost or damaged. You can get your deposit refunded if a vendor declares bankruptcy or simply does not show up. If severe weather (hurricane) causes you're wedding to be postponed, you can get your non-refundable deposits reimbursed. If your photographs are defective, you can get reimbursed to reconvene the wedding party to take new photos. Wedding insurance also provides the ability to purchase additional liability and property damage from claims arising out of the wedding itself to protect the couple.

So, are you still asking yourself why should I purchase wedding insurance? According to a 2009 survey by Conde Nast, the average cost for a wedding in the United States is $28,082. You would get insurance to protect your car, wouldn't you? Why not protect the investment you have in your wedding?

As the economy worsens, wedding claims continue to increase. Companies are going out of business causing many couples to lose their deposit. According to Travelers Insurance, about 40 percent of their claims come from issues with caterers, photographers, and other vendors. Additionally, they state that the most common issues were that vendors failed to show up on the wedding day, suddenly went out of business, or experienced some type of financial setback. It typically will not cover loss due to a "change of heart."

The best part is that these policies are very affordable. They can be bought for as little as $190. They are specifically tailored to the needs of the bride and groom. And, they work well for large and small events. So, unless you can afford to fund the same event twice, you may want to consider this valuable protection.

Hiring a Wedding DJ - What to Look At

Hiring the right wedding DJ is as important as hiring the right wedding photographer. They must be able to, not only play any type of music comfortably, but also offer it in an appealing way. Moreover, they must have an exceptionally outgoing personality. This is because they will be talking between music selections. Considering the fact that wedding DJs take up a significant amount of money in a wedding expenditure, it would be a wise move to make a careful selection when hiring one.

When interviewing a wedding DJ, it is important to know the right questions to ask, for instance concerning their practices and get a feel of their personality. Do they have the kind of personality that guests would find interesting? Interviewing several DJs will ensure one gets the DJ he is most comfortable with. This also offers several packages, that one is able to distill and generate the best choice. Having several offers at one's disposal offers a varied spectrum of choice. Hence, having prior experience offers a good precedent for this activity.

Most Mississauga weddings employ DJs rather than bands. This is of great convenience for couples planning a wedding. Most DJ companies have website information that one can look at during the hiring process. One can also check out a DJ's custom page to ascertain that that particular DJ is free for the event at hand. With so many weddings and events in Mississauga and the GTA, Toronto and Mississauga DJs are always on the go and booked in advance. Some websites offer a comprehensive directory of the major Mississauga DJs together with contact information, website addresses and phone numbers. These websites are very convenient because they show a DJ's availability, specialization and sometimes the kind of equipment they employ.

Experienced Mississauga wedding DJs know what most wedding planners look for, and will be willing to accommodate them. The ability and flexibility of a DJ to accommodate the requirements they are to be hired for, increases their chances of a successful hire. Since all Mississauga weddings have some form of dancing, it is also important to make sure that wedding DJ can involve everyone in dance sessions. A good Mississauga wedding DJ should have insurance. This is because accidents happen at weddings. He should also be a member of the DJ association. This ensures that their professionalism is carried fourth in everything they do during the event.

Many Mississauga wedding DJs that offer wedding packages are always ready to discuss specific details of the event. A good DJ should thus be available and flexible. They should be willing to accommodate changes that may occur prior to the wedding even after signing the contract. Many of them will also be willing to give an array of previous Mississauga weddings they may have offered their services. This information can be helpful in determining the credibility of a Mississauga wedding DJ and his cooperation in other Mississauga weddings.

By using the above guidelines, a good and an experienced Mississauga wedding DJ is easy to find, that will make the wedding occasion memorable.

Make Your Wedding Invitations - DIY Seal And Send Wedding Invitations

DIY seal and send wedding invitations are an excellent way to save money. You can make your own invitations easily.

Here is a good example of how to make DIY seal and send wedding invitations and make your wedding programs too.

Purchase a ream of 67# white card stock in tabloid size. Tabloid size is 11 x 17". You may have to order this but it won't be that expensive. You might check at the copy department of your local office supply store. Many times they have these sizes and will sell them to you.

Now once you have one ream of 11 x 17 card stock, you have 250 sheets of paper. If you need 200 invitations open the ream and ask them to cut half of it to 5 1/2 x 14 inches. You can get it cut to 15" if you need the extra. Once you have those cut ask them to cut the other half to 8 1/2 x 11 inches.

This will give you approximately 250 sheets for you invitations and you can use the other 250 sheets for your wedding programs. Now you have two projects for one small cost. The rest will just be your ink and time.

Set up your invitations in a good word processing program. You can add graphics and use a nice font. This will make a very nice DIY seal and send wedding invitation. If you know how to make your data base you can even address them to match.

Print out one complete seal and send wedding invite. Now by using a tracing wheel you can add a perf to this card stock. That will allow your guests to tear a postcard RSVP off and mail it back to you. Now add two score lines with a bone folder and you have a cheap invitation that looks good. I bought a tracing wheel in the sewing section at Walmart for less than $2. I got the bone folder in the craft section for $4.

You will need to have a good ruler and straight edge method to get an even mark for you folds and perf. You can make dummy cards to line them up too. It really is easy to make your own DIY seal and send Wedding invitations.

Not only will you be able to make these with this idea, you can also get enough paper to make your wedding programs also. By making both your DIY seal and send wedding invitations and your wedding programs you will save more money. I am sure you will find another use for that money!

Changing From Maiden Name to Married Name

Congratulations on your wedding. After all the excitement has died down and preparations have come to an end there is only one thing left to do; change your name. If you have tried searching for changing name or change of name you probably have found there's not much information around for married name change. That's because every company sets their own procedure for changing names in their records.

When you get married you basically have four options. Say you are Angelina Jolie and you marry Brad Pitt, you can take your husbands name (Pitt), or use a double barrelled surname (Jolie-Pitt or Pitt-Jolie). You can also use a combination of names, where you may keep your maiden name at work but change over your paperwork to your husband's name. And finally you can leave your name as it is and take no action (Jolie).

Although there is no legal reason to take your husband's surname, it is still the most popular option with around 85% of UK bride's still ditching their maiden name. Having the same name as your husband often makes life easier, especially if you have kids down the track. Where the whole family has the same name there is less chance of your names being mixed up. All UK companies will let you change your name to your husband's on presentation of your wedding certificate.

As we get married later in life many women form an attachment to their maiden name. Keeping your maiden name and married name together means you get to have the best of both worlds. Traditionally the husband's name goes last, but you can put this in any order and you can either use a hyphen or space (Jolie Pitt or Jolie-Pitt). Most name change companies will say that you need a deed poll to use a double barrelled surname, but this is not always the case. The Passport office and DVLA will let you take your choice of double barrelled surname with just your wedding certificate. You can then use these documents as evidence of your new name with subsequent companies.

A combination of married name and maiden name is also acceptable. If you have built up a reputation within your industry you may still chose to still be known in professional circles by your maiden name, however you might take your husband's name on paper and in social circles. If you do this you will need to ensure that your legal documents, such as passport, bank account and National Insurance are all consistently in the one name.

One of the new trends in name change is to take a new name entirely. You can pick any name you like, or combine both names into a new name (Jolitt). Here you will need evidence of your new name by deed poll or statutory declaration if you want your records to be updated.

What ever way you decide to go name change kits can really help. Sites such as http://www.easynamechange.co.uk/ have name change procedures for popular UK companies. In just minutes you can know who you need to call, and where you need to send a letter with your wedding certificate. If you want to save a few pounds you can spend a few hours making a list and calling around yourself. There's usually no timeframe to change your name over, but once you start you should aim to have all your documentation and accounts consistently in the same name within a few months.

Uncle Bob - The Ultimate Cheap Photographer

In this day and age of trying to do your wedding on a budget, many brides are going for the ultimate "cheap wedding photographer" which amounts to a friend who "loves photography", an aspiring photographer who wants to create a portfolio and will work for "free" (or close to free) or worse yet, Uncle Bob with his "great camera" who takes all the photos at the family gatherings.

While I do understand the economic times well and the need to cut corners like never before, I strongly advise against any of the above options unless you, the bride, are willing to lower your photographic expectations to equal your financial expectations. You simply cannot expect consistently beautiful representations of your day for free, or next to free. You are not going to be happy, trust me. "Free" may be your friend when budgeting, but when all is said and done, it isn't and may result in a loss of a friend.

Let's look at this - when you begin to look for an affordable photographer on a restricted budget, are you considering talking to the photographer who's work you like about what they may or may not be able to do for you or are you immediately going for the big three freebies named above? Most seasoned, experienced wedding photographers are dropping their prices due to the economy. But, you have free wedding photographers, so.....let's review:

The "friend who loves photography" isn't going to love you, nor are you going to love her when it is all said and done. She likely has absolutely no idea what is entailed in shooting a wedding for one thing. Another big point is she doesn't understand that she is no longer "part of the party" but must be the outsider looking in, and she has to be good. Very good, under these circumstances. She has to know that you need photos of you and great Aunt Susan, even if you don't think of it. If you want to be the director all day, fine. But haven't you had to play director for this day for a whole year? Wouldn't it be nice it the photographer knew what needed to be done without your input? And when she realizes that she has hours upon hours of "fixing" the photos combined with your anxiousness to see them and she fails to deliver what you expected and she "worked so hard" - where is the friendship now?

The Aspiring Photographer is a crap shoot. They obviously know the gear, have had some experience, usually as a second photographer to a pro and are launching on their own. Will trade for Portfolio is the song they sing. The inherent problem with this is that while they may have (and probably do have) some weddings under their belt, they are underestimating the lead photographer who tells them where to be, what to shoot and sets everything up. They think they can do that too. Maybe they can, maybe they can't. I have launched two of my second photographers' careers. I've had 8. Only two have worked hard enough and long enough with me that I would trust them to be lead photographers. Both of them had 100 weddings under their belts as my assistant before I felt they knew what to do. The words "I assisted so and so a couple times" are not your friend. This is a once in a lifetime deal.

Does Uncle Bob drink? Is he expecting to work all day and night without really socializing with anyone else from the family? That is what your professional photographer does. Its not a party for us, our "socializing" is in the form of making other people comfortable, but not distract us from capturing the moments you love and will likely forget. Ah - the meaning of "capture the moment" - one must actually be aware enough to "see" the moment to capture it. Experience. And poor Uncle Bob; he's trying to do something lovely for you to save you money, and he's going to disappoint you at the very least or worse, miss half your wedding.

Free is not your friend. Affordable wedding photography of quality is out there. It can be found. It takes some research. Like I said, many of us are lowering our prices quite significantly because we don't want to see it all go up in smoke.

Car Insurance - Protect Against Water Damage

One of the most serious risks if you drive through water is that your car's air intake will be submerged. The air intake provides the engine with its air supply and if it's beneath the water's surface, water can be sucked into the engine and could damage it irreparably.

The height of the air intake varies between different vehicles. It is usually at headlight height but in off-road vehicles it is often much higher. Some cars have much lower air intakes than others, which puts them at greater risk of ingesting water.

If you live near a ford it is worth finding out the height of the air intake in your vehicle to ensure that it won't be submerged as you drive across.

Deep water driving tips:

Although the reported number of accidents resulting in personal injury went down by 4% between 2008 and 2009, it is still worth doing all we can to prevent personal injury on the road. The following tips can help to keep you and your car free from harm when dealing with deep water.

When driving through deep water use a low gear so that small amounts of water can pass through the engine without accumulating.

Drive at a steady pace so that your car forms a continuous wave. If you slow down or stop, water can slosh back against the car allowing more water to make its way into the inner workings of the vehicle.

Once you're out of the water it is always prudent to apply the brakes to clear any water and make sure that they're still working properly.

If you experience difficulties and suspect that water may have entered the engine it is best not to try to start your car. Instead, remove the spark plugs and then turn the engine over until the water has cleared. You can now replace the dry spark plugs. If you're lucky, this method will resolve the problem, otherwise you may have to visit a mechanic.

If your engine does suck in water and will not start, your car insurance should be able to protect you financially from the cost of the necessary repairs. In any case, if you find out the height of the air intake in your car then you'll be in a much better position to judge which puddles to avoid.

How to Prepare For Your Immigrant Interview Or Hearing

No matter how much preparation is made for the interview for the Form I-130 relative petition and/or Form I-485 adjustment applicant, if the spouses are not living together, discrepancies in their answers to the same detailed questions would belie the existence of good faith marriage that is required to obtain lawful permanent resident status.

A trained and experienced U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) District Adjudication Officer (DAO) can frame and ask questions separately of the U.S. citizen petitioner and of the alien beneficiary to determine whether good faith marriage and shared life exist. Documents of shared life, photographs of the spouses before, during, and after the wedding, even joint income tax return(s) may not be sufficient. They can be easily produced, even as the spouses are not actually living together.

The interviewing Immigration Officer has to be convinced that the spouses got married because they love each other, and are living together as husband and wife. No more, no less. How do trained, experienced District Adjudication Officers or Assistant District Counsels of the Department of Homeland Security make this determination? By your answers to their questions during the interview or cross-examination in the Immigration Court.

Categories Of Common Questions Asked And Intensity of Questioning By DAOs:

This Author has personally attended the interviews and hearings of thousands of clients with the legacy INS and the USCIS and the Immigration Courts. The common questions asked by DAOs and Assistant District Counsels can be categorized as follows:
(1) questions before the wedding;
(2) questions on the wedding;
(3) questions after the wedding;
(4) questions on living together;
(5) questions on work;
(6) questions on the family of each spouse;
(7) questions on special occasions;
(8) questions on personal possessions.

If the alien beneficiary is not in removal (previously called deportation) proceedings, the Form I-130 Petition and the Form I-485 adjustment (green card) application are filed concurrently and adjudicated (decided) together by the assigned DAO. And if at the time of the interview, the marriage is less than two (2) years old, the grant of the Form I-130 petition and the Form I-485 application would result in Conditional Residence (CR) for the alien for two (2) years.

Within ninety-days (90) of the second anniversary of the grant of the CR, the spouses should jointly file Form I-751, Removal of Conditions on Residency, or unilaterally if separated, divorced, or widowed. There is a second interview for the Form I-751 application.

Thus, the questioning is not as intense, if the marriage is less than two (2) years. Similarly, the questioning is not as intense, if the alien is not in removal proceedings. The questioning is most intense, if the alien got married after he or she had been placed in removal proceedings by service of a Notice To Appear (NTA) before an Immigration Judge. Clear and convincing evidence, not mere fifty-one percent (51%) of the preponderance of the evidence, is required for adjustment in case of marriage during removal proceedings.

Questions On Facts And Events Before The Wedding:

In this category, the common questions asked are as follows:
(1) When and where did you first meet?;
(2) If a common friend introduced you to each other, what is his or her full name?;
(3) On what occasion were you introduced, and who were present on that occasion?;
(4) When and where was your first date?;
(5) How many dates did you have before you proposed?;
(6) When and where did you propose?;
(7) When and where did you meet each others parents and members of the family?;
(8) What are their names and approximate ages, occupations?;
(9) What gifts did you give each other before the wedding?;
(10) When and where did you ask the parents of your bride permission to marry her?;
(11) Did you have a wedding planner?;
(12) If so, give her full name, address, and how much he or she charged both of you for his or her services?; and
(13) When and where did you live together before the wedding?

Questions On And After The Wedding And Honeymoon:

In these categories, the common questions asked are as follows:
(1) When and where were you married?;
(2) Who married you?;
(3) Who are the persons who attended the wedding?;
(4) Were photographs taken during the wedding?;
(5) Where is your photo album?;
(6) Where was the wedding reception?;
(7) Who attended the wedding reception?;
(8) How much did you pay for the wedding ceremony?; for the wedding reception?;
(9) Where and when was your honeymoon?;
(10) How much did you spend for your honeymoon?;
(11) Where did you get the money for your wedding?; for your honeymoon?;
(12) What activities did you do during your honeymoon?;
(13) Where did each of you work at the time of the wedding?;
(14) What was the name and telephone number of your supervisor?; and (5) What was your job description and salary during your wedding?

Questions On Facts And Events On Living Together:

In this category, the common questions asked are as follows:
(1) Look at me (DAO) in my eyes, and can you say that you married your spouse for love, and not for a green card?; or for money you were paid?;
(2) Where did you live right after your wedding?;
(3) Where do you live now?;
(4) If you are renting, give the name and phone number of your landlord?;
(5) How much is your monthly rent?; Who pays for it?;
(6) If it is an apartment, how many bedrooms are there?;
(7) If you are renting a room in a house, who are the other tenants?;
(8) What is your telephone number at home?; your cell phone number?;
(9) Are you renting a furnished apartment?;
(10) Describe the furniture in your apartment?;
(11) If you furnished it, where did you buy the bed?; for how much?; how was it delivered?; who paid for it?;
(12) What part of the bed do you sleep?; what part of the bed your spouse sleeps?;
(13) What do you wear for sleeping?; what does your spouse wear for sleeping?;
(14) Do you cook?;
(15) What did you cook last night?; what is your favorite food?; what is your spouse's favorite food?;
(16) Describe the color of the tile in your bathroom?;
(17) What is the make and length of your TV in your bedroom?;
(18) How do you pay your rent?; utilities?;
(19) What kind of credit cards do you have?; your spouse has?;
(20) Did you file joint income tax returns?;
(21) Do you have joint bank account(s)?; where?; how much is the current balance?; and
(22) What is the distinguishing feature of your rented house?; apartment building?

Questions On Work And The Family Of Each Spouse:

In these categories, the common questions asked are as follows:
(1) Where do you currently work?;
(2) Give full name and telephone number of your supervisor?;
(3) What are your job duties?;
(4) How much salary do you currently make?;
(5) Do you have benefits at work such as medical/dental insurance?;
(6) What are your work hours?;
(7) How do you get to work?;
(8) Where does your spouse currently work?;
(9) What is the full name and telephone of his or her supervisor;
(10) What kind of work does your spouse do? How much salary does he or she makes?;
(11) When did your alien spouse start to work?;
(12) Who are the parents of your spouse?; where do they live?;
(13) When was the last time both of you visited your in-laws?;
(14) How old are your in-laws?;
(15) If your in-laws are working, what do they do?;
(15) Who are the brothers and sisters of your spouse?;
(16) If your in-laws did not attend your wedding, what was their reason for not attending?

Questions On Special Occasions And Personal Possessions:

In these last two (2) categories, the common questions asked are as follows:
(1) What did you do during the last birthday of your spouse?;
(2) What gift did you give him or her for his or her birthday?;
(3) What did you do for your last wedding anniversary?;
(4) What gift did you give to your spouse during your last anniversary?; (
5) What did you do last Valentine's Day?;
(6) What gift did you give each other?;
(7) What did you do last New Year's Eve?;
(8) What did you do last Christmas?;
(9) What Christmas gift did you give your spouse?;
(10) Does your spouse own a vehicle?; what is its make and year?; what is its color?;
(11) Are you in the insurance policy of your spouse's car as an authorized driver?
(12) Do you own a car?;
(13) Does your spouse drive your car?;
(14) Is your spouse in the insurance policy of your car?;
(15) Does your spouse have life insurance?;
(16) Who is the beneficiary in your spouse's life insurance policy?;
(17) What is your spouse's favorite jewelry that he or she wears more often than others?

Ultimately, the truth usually comes out after intense interrogation: good faith marriage or marriage fraud, punishable as a federal felony with imprisonment for up to five (5) years and $250,000.00 fine under INA Section 275(c).

***

(The Author, Roman P. Mosqueda, has practiced immigration law for over twenty (20) years.)

Get a Cheap and Personalized Unity Candle Online

The unity candle ceremony uses a large pillar candle with two taper candles on both sides. In the US, the lighting of a unity candle is a recent addition to the traditional wedding ceremony. That said, it is customary to use candles that are stylish and pleasing to the eye to enhance the beauty of the ceremony. Online, you can purchase beautiful unity candles at really affordable prices. Presented below are some of the current best sellers, but you can easily find a whole lot more in other websites.

Personalized Floating Candle & Vase

The vase measures 3 職 by 12 inches and a 3 inch long white candle votive is included in this beautiful personalized unity candle. When you fill it up with water and put the lit votive on top of it, this exquisite etched glass vase is an impressive sight. It will certainly serve as a beautiful addition to the unity candle ceremony. Apart from that, you can make use of it time and time again as a bud vase, an elegant floating candle, or simply a souvenir of your blessed union. And the best part is it only costs $36.00.

Corinthians Candle

This lovely personalized unity candle has an inscribed bible verse 1 Corinthians 14:4-7. Designed with a cross and two interlocking rings, this three-piece set includes a 3 x 9 inch unity candle, a candelabra stand, and a pair of 10 inch tapers. Priced at $29.95, all candle sets come either in white with silver candelabra, or ivory with gold candelabra.

Flower of Love in Romantic Red Candle

Have you ever thought of using a red personalized unity candle? Why not add the Flower of Love in Romantic Red Candle to enhance the romantic feeling at your wedding ceremony? This pillar candle showcases a lovely heart made out of parchment roses and has a musical notation background. There is also an elegant white cord wrapped around the taper candles in a bow and with more parchment roses at the center. Available at a measurement of 3 x 9 inches, you can have this lovely red unity pillar candle for only $44.98.

Bridal Beauty Calla Lily Candle & Tapers

If you are looking for class and elegance for your unforgettable ceremony, then you can't go wrong with this gorgeous personalized unity candle. Because it's designed with small and delicate ribbons surrounded by porcelain Calla Lily flowers and accented by a large white sheer ribbon, this candle screams of utmost sophistication. The matching lighting candles also have sheer white ribbon and handcrafted porcelain Calla Lily flowers. The candle has a standard measurement of 3 by 9 inches. Where else can you buy such elegance for only $44.00?

Wedding Photography Restrictions And Limitations At The Church

Have you ever been to a church wedding and been taken aback by how visible and inappropriate the wedding photographer is - such as being in very close proximity to the bride and groom and taking pictures indiscriminately as if the end of the world is coming and he's trying to get in as many shots as possible?

Alas, this kind of scenario has been repeated so often that many churches now have strict rules and limitations for wedding photography. Why has this happened? Because amateur photographers have proliferated in the wedding photography business and their lack of experience and awareness has ruined things for the rest of us professionals.

Limitations include: (1) no flash photography at all - which can be debilitating in a dark church; (2) photography only during the entrance, ring exchange and exit; (3) photography only from the back of the church or, worse, the balcony (arguably the worst case scenario, especially if it's combined with no flash photography).

This is quite a serious matter because obviously the church pictures are important - and can be quite beautiful. There are many wonderful Priests out there who realize that we all have a job to do and that when we work together as partners it's a win-win situation: The ceremony maintains its sanctity and the photographer gets the shots. But then other Ministers have been tainted with their experiences with amateur photographers so, understandably, many of them paint us all with the same brush.

I always make sure to speak with the Officiant before the ceremony so I understand the rules. Regardless of how I feel about them, this is his/her domain and I always respect that. There's no choice really. Once, in my early days, I was told off by a Priest, mid-ceremony - not a pleasant experience for anyone - and that happened while I thought I was being cognizant of his rules. Yikes.

My personal approach is to be as stealthy as possible. Afterwards, I often hear from my couples that they didn't even notice me in the church until the registry signing. In my opinion, that is the ideal. At the end of the day, most Officiants just want the wedding photographer to have some common sense - do what we need to do, without stepping on their toes. In this case, as in other areas, common sense comes with experience - it's not actually that 'common'.

My advice to the Bride and Groom. Make sure you take the wedding photography into account when selecting your place of worship. Ask your Priest or Minister about any limitations. If the pictures of the ceremony are important to you, don't assume anything because you may be shocked on the wedding day to find out there are significant restrictions that may hamstring your photographer's ability to effectively capture your ceremony.

Wholesale Pocket Invitations - Time To Buy

Did you ever wonder about pocket invitations wholesale? Well they are impeccable cards which can be available in many colorful shapes. One of the most amazing traits of them is that they retain worthwhile designs. Generally greeting cards can be designed by using emphatic graphic design tools while they can be significantly printed by implementing four color schemes. They can be embossed or debossed too. They can be customized as well. They can be shaped and twisted into glossy styles via lamination techniques. You could also improve their surfaces by using foil stamping and UV coating methods. Further you could enhance their looks by making use of carving tools and techniques. Prices wise, wholesale pocket invitations are cost effective wedding cards as they can be easily available in cheapest price rates from your most wanted online printing company.

When it comes to the purpose, you could definitely grab the cheapest online invitation printing for many reasons such as cultural weddings, galas, carnivals, birthdays, New Year night celebrations, music concerts, dancing parties, and so on. Overall they are hottest and colorful types of invitation cards. Therefore they would definitely make your events more and more fascinating beyond your imaginations. If you want to liven up your sociological events and parties you have to mull over full color and custom cheap pocket invitations. Consequently you will be successfully able to launch your cultural shows, seminars, conferences and parties in a successful manner. Interestingly they would boost up your self recognition in an immaculate fashion.

Creative Engagement Party Planning Tips

Engagement Party Planning To Share Your Nuptial Joy With Close Relatives and Friends

10 Engagement party planning tips to make your engagement party a big success and the talk of the town.

Want to plan an engagement party to announce to the whole world about the most important decision of your life?

Here's 10 Engagement Party Planning Tips:

1. Announce it to your loved ones

You should tell your parents of your decision, ideally in person before anyone else. It is time for them to share your joy and this happy moment. You can then share it with your close friends and relatives.

2. Selecting an auspicious date and venue for the announcement

One important part of your engagement party planning is choosing the date for your engagement party, it can be simple but tricky. You may want to hold it at least six months ahead of your wedding so that the celebrations are close enough for friends and relatives to remember and not too near so that you don't get stressed up working on two very important events of your life.

There are so many choice venues for your party! It may be a simple and intimate affair at home, a special corner at your favorite restaurant or a private room at your favorite restaurant or a barbecue at the seaside.

3. Have an alternative or contingency plan for outdoor events

If you are planning for an outdoor engagement party, do check on the weather. Choose the outdoor barbecue or picnic area where you can gather your small party at the eleventh hour to a sheltered bar or restaurant and continue your party.

4. Party games for your engagement party

Pick a few games and great party music to be included in your engagement party planning process. Include some ice breaker games where everyone will get a chance to get to know each other especially for all the relatives and friends of both parties who will meet for the first time at your engagement party.

5. Planning for the engagement party food

There were many things people gripe about at wedding and engagement parties - unfortunately the party food is number on the list. Food is an important part of your engagement party planning and it should be given high importance.

If you are planning to have pot luck, do co-ordinate all contributors' food so that you don't end up having two beef goulashes, three apple pies and 5 salads!

If you are not game to be the best chef in town, don't fret! Just let the restaurant or beach resort club take care of the food catering and setting.

Enjoy yourself and get to know his or her uncle Joe and aunt June instead of trying to cook up a storm in the kitchen.

6. Photography and video

Although this is not the wedding day, pictures do tell a thousand words and they do last a long time. Depending on your budget, you can choose to get your friends and relatives to take pictures and capture your special moments on video camera or get a professional to do both photography and video for both events (your engagement and wedding).

7. Looking for your dream home in time for your engagement party

House hunting for that dream home is one of the most stressful and it is also one of your biggest investment ever. Do look for a few good housing agents near your vicinity, get the National Accreditation Agency for Housing Agents list. Check out all the newspapers and websites for your locality.

Similarly, do visit home exhibitions and home projects launches to compare prices. Ask colleagues, friends and relatives who recently bought houses or apartments for advise - this is one very important aspect for your engagement party planning especially if you intend to hold the engagement party in your new home.

Next is my favorite - shopping for furniture and fittings for our dream home. I spent a few months reading books and magazines on home decorations and went window shopping to get inspiration and ideas. If you wish to conceptualize and put together all your ideas for your dream home, be prepared to spent a huge amount of time shopping and comparing prices at the furniture malls. Don't forget to bring along your calculators.

8. What to wear to an engagement party

You don't want to wear something elaborate or similar to your wedding. Consider colors, smart casuals for beach and outdoor and evening gowns for a glamour night out. It all depends on the theme of your engagement party really. Some prefer the free and easy for all, no fuss just, focus on the happy couple.

9. Ask your best buddies to be the maid-of-honor and best man

What better occasion to choose and ask your best friend and buddies to be the maid-of-honor and best man. I'm sure they will be very excited to be part of the team.

10. Get friends and relatives to bring photographs

You can ask your childhood friends and relatives to bring photographs taken with you or your significant other in the past. You can then made a montage of events according to the dates (or estimates) and produce a slide show or a mini photo exhibition panel for your wedding day.

Shooting Interviews With Available Light

There was a time when no TV or film camera operator would work on location without a full crew to support him or her. Fifteen years ago even TV news crews would consist of at least three people: the camera operator, the sound recordist and the lighting electrician. More complex shoots involved more people.

That, however, was in the days before accountants took over the management of TV companies. Nowadays a journalist is lucky just to have a sole cameraperson with them on location, and more often they may be sent out with just a camera and microphone themselves.

The need to save money not only reduced the number of people involved, it also took its toll on the time allocated for each project. Instead of having lavish budgets which allowed people plenty of time to travel and even stay in a hotel overnight from time to time, the need to complete more work in less time became more and more pressing. It is not uncommon to have to do in one day what used to take three.

Not only, therefore, does the camera operator have to do the work of three people, she has to do it in very short time and to tight deadlines.

This leaves the camera person looking for ways in which to speed up the whole location operation and the first, and easiest, step to take is to ditch the lighting kit.

At this point I can hear the roars of disapproval from lighting directors all over the world challenging my suggestion, and I would be the first to say that a well lit scene is a delight to behold. In the ideal world a properly lit scene for film and TV would be the goal of every camera person and given the time and money it should be the norm, rather than the exception. However, here we must leave those with the more luxurious circumstances to their own devices.

There is a basic principle that every videographer and digital camera user should know inside out from the very beginning of their career. Digital image gathering (and film, for that matter) has its limitations. I cannot emphasize how important this is, so please read carefully.

The main limitation which I shall describe here is the one which restricts the dynamic range of any given scene to within five f stops. Don't worry, I am going to simplify that and explain it for those who may not be familiar with photographic terms.

When we, human beings, look at a scene, (imagine, for a moment, through a frame measuring 16 inches along the top and nine inches down the side), everything we see has a particular brightness. Imagine, if you will, a scene consisting of someone sitting in front of a window with a daylight snow scene outside. We are looking at her from within the room and there are no lights on. The snow is obviously bright but we can see the snowballs and ski tracks quite easily. When we look at the person's face we can also see that perfectly well, even though it is darker than the scene outside the window. You might even think it would make a nice photograph or setting for a TV interview.

However, you'd be wrong. Even though we, humans, can see all the details in the scene, the camera can't - at least not without help. If we adjust the camera to show the snow in all its detail, the person's face is just too dark to see. If we adjust the camera so that the face is OK then the snow will just appear 'burned out' - too bright to see any detail. The problem is that the range of brightness, or contrast, in the scene - the dynamic range - is more than the camera can handle. A point-and-shoot stills camera will come to our aid and automatically switch on its flash to illuminate the person's face and if it's powerful enough that will suffice.

If we had considered this scene for a video camera shoot, however, we would need to use a very powerful lamp to balance the light on the face to the light reflecting off the snow, but as we discussed earlier we don't have the time to set that up.

This is where we arrive at a critical moment in the cameraperson's thought process when approaching this problem.

The crisis is that of opposing considerations. Consideration one is that we like the scene in the window and would like to use it in our shoot. Consideration two is that the camera cannot handle the contrast of the scene. How should we resolve this?

This is a difficult decision for some to make. But, however painful it might be, consideration two, the contrast, has to take precedence over consideration one. The end product has to be up to broadcastable standards. The camera operator has to declare the scene unshootable and a rethink must be undertaken.

So what are the options?

1) Take the shoot outside.
2) Rearrange the shooting angle inside.

Taking the shoot outside allows a much greater amount of light to illuminate our subject, much more in balance with the snow. If there are some trees or other features available include those - they will help to reduce the background brightness and in any case break up what would otherwise be a plain and boring background.

Rearranging the shooting angle inside may result in a less pleasing picture, but using the light from the window to illuminate the subject's face rather than obscure it means you will get a broadcastable result, which for newsgathering at any rate is of prime importance. If you're lucky you might be able to sit the subject sideways and feature some of the outside scene. Sidelight on the face can be very interesting. If you've time to pop up a reflector to lift the darker side of the face, so much the better.

Even if you can't get the snow scene in the interview, you can always shoot set-up shots or general views (GVs) outside which you can use to introduce the subject and set the scene - it needn't go to waste.

The most important consideration with interviews is that the subject can be clearly seen and heard. When deciding on a scene for an interview it makes sense to consider the technicalities first and, as far as the picture goes, the first consideration is 'can the camera handle it?' Get into the habit of scanning around the four sides of your viewfinder or monitor frame as well as the centre. Consider all the possibilities and make the right decision. Never think 'I'm sure they can fix it in the edit' - that's the unprofessional way of thinking. Don't be afraid to move things around - to switch on, or off, that lamp in the background.

It is possible to create some very pleasing results with available light. Modern cameras are much better at handling low light situations than used to be the case, so you can afford to be a little bold and imaginative. Use some of the time you've saved by not setting up lights to have a look around to find something suitable. But stick to the rules and be assertive, not just with others but with yourself also. Never be afraid to say no or stop - don't press the record button until you're confident you won't be chastised later.