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Friday Evening Weddings Gain Popularity - Would You Consider a Friday Wedding?

Why Brides and Grooms who had Friday Weddings Loved it.

We were intrigued by the growth in popularity of Friday Evening and Friday Night Weddings. So, we set out to interview Friday brides and grooms and learn from their experiences.

Less Stress

Most all agreed that they were less stressed than if they had a weekend wedding. In summerizing their answers, they did not arrive at their own wedding tired because as a rule, a Friday wedding is an evening event. 

Therefore, preparations such as hair and beauty, picture taking etc...do not have to start early in the morning.

So, even though it was their wedding day, neither the bride nor the groom needed to rush or panic.

They actually could sleep in and be at their best, rested and relaxed. Well, almost all admitted to being eager, at least a little nervous and very excited.

Wedding discounts and special deals

riday brides and grooms were quick to point out that they saved a substantial amount of money without sacrificing or compromising having their dream wedding.

Though Friday weddings begin to occupy more and more calendars, the shared experience of Friday couples indicates that wedding vendors and professionals are in less demand than on weekends. Therefore, many offer discount. This is something you may wish to consider especially if you are planning a wedding on a budget

If vendors and service providers do not outright offer, they are more willing to negotiate their prices and - or add benefits to attract more brides and grooms and generate business on their otherwise slow day.

Having interviewed both bridal couples and vendors, we discovered that they agreed that in many instances the savings realized by choosing Friday instead of a weekend are greater than 25 percent.

One bride told us that while calling around town and visiting places to have her wedding ceremony and reception, she was amazed to discover that in her region, Saturday evening weddings can run almost twice the cost of a Friday evening wedding.

With the cost of weddings today, this is quite a large sum.

A few couples who actually compared their Friday evening ceremony and following reception, with recent weekend weddings they attended, agreed that their vendors and service providers seemed less hurried, more flexible and more relaxed. 

Some of the couples we interviewed received special incentives in addition to the discounts.

A Wedding Planner, a Wedding Consultant, a Wedding Coordinator - Whatever the Title, Do We Need One?

We are asked this question often, by brides and by grooms.

For the sake of simplicity, let us refer to all as wedding specialists.

Actually the tone of the question varies between brides and grooms.

Brides get very emotional and excited about planning their dream weddings. Most want to plan it.

Grooms often would like to take an active role but believe, or thinks that their brides believes that it is the women who should plan the wedding. Many would like to, but do not volunteer because they do not want to "take away" the excitement their bride has toward planning their very special day. We are also asked by brides and grooms who hold jobs or professions, go to school or both and are pressed for time.

The question whether you need to hire a wedding specialist is rather complex. It cannot be answered with a yes or a no. 

Many factors need to be considered and they will influence the decision.

The first step to answering the question is to determine

What is a wedding specialist?

A wedding specialist is professional who is familiar with the wedding circuit in your region, usually possesses a lot of experience, creative ideas, know-how, sense of organization, attention to details and strong contacts with vendors and service providers. 

Most experienced wedding specialists have over the years learned what to expect, what to ask and how to negotiate with their peers.

3 Food Based Theme Wedding Favors

Theme #1: Chocolate theme wedding favors

Should you have white chocolate or dark chocolate wedding favors? Maybe a combination of both milk and dark chocolate almond would be a good idea? Or maybe choose a combination of white chocolate and dark chocolate in one wedding favor.

The best idea is to have one flavor of chocolate for the wedding favors. The more flavors you have, the more costly the favors will become. You will probably already have a chocolate fountain, so you can than choose a different flavor of chocolate for the fountain Next you must decide on the design and style of the chocolate wedding favor.

You could choose chocolate cookies on a stick, covered chocolate hearts, chocolate m&m's, chocolate mints, plain chocolate bars or get very extravagant and have little chocolate swans or chocolate basket wedding favors. Actually, the possibilities are endless when it comes to choosing the design and style of your chocolate wedding favor.

But what is absolutely necessary to complete your chocolate wedding favors is the personalization on them. You must have the bride and groom's name and date of the wedding on the item, a sweet saying or at least a thank you on the chocolate wedding favor. These are very tasteful when written in an alternating chocolate on the wedding favor itself. However, this type of personalization can be more costly than a packaging on the outside which says "thank you for joining us on our special day." Either way you choose, a chocolate wedding favor is a hit at anyone's wedding.

Wedding Favors - Does Your Wedding Really Need Them?

Wedding favors can be the perfect ending to a wonderful wedding day. However, there is frequently a debate among brides as to whether wedding favors are really needed.

Some brides see wedding favors as a way to thank the guests of their wedding while others see them as an unnecessary expense. Listed below are views from both sides of the argument.

Here are six good reasons why you should have wedding favors for your guests:

• Your wedding guests were gracious enough to spend the day at your wedding, and some have traveled a long distance to be there. A wedding favor is your way of saying thank you.
• Wedding favors can help finish off your wedding theme. For example, if you are having an apple-themed wedding you can give candy apples as your wedding favor. Having a beach or destination wedding on an island? Consider giving your guests beach bags filled with beach items or local favorites that they can use on the trip.
• In addition to acting as wedding favors, they can also be part of your table centerpieces. For example, for a Halloween-themed wedding jack-o-lanterns can act as both centerpieces and wedding favors for your guests. Another option would be to have small vases or mint julep cups gathered in the middle of the tables with arrangements of flowers as centerpieces. At the end of the reception each couple or single attendee would get to take one home.
• Wedding favors are part of wedding tradition.*If you are having a very traditional wedding, you will want to include favors.
• As you probably already know, weddings are expensive. However, if you are already spending $20,000 on your big day, does spending another couple hundred on wedding favors really make a difference?
• Wedding favors allow you to show your creativity and style. This is one area of your wedding that you can really do something unique and different.

Weddings at Sea

A wedding, whether it is your first or fifth, can be the best, and the most stressful, experience of your life. Except, of course, if you choose to tie the knot at sea. When getting married on a cruise ship, you'll have a host of professionals trained to accommodate your every need during your cruise wedding. From cakes to tuxedos, accommodations to the reception hall, you won't have to go off-board for anything. Unless of course you choose to have your reception on shore. In which case, the amenities come to you.

Imagine saying your vows on the beautiful beaches of the Caribbean, on a hillside vineyard in Italy, or on the snowy-white glaciers of Alaska. The possibilities are endless.

There are a few stipulations when getting married on a cruise ship. First, the captain generally does not marry the couple (except with Princess Cruises). A wedding officiant will be provided by the cruise line for that purpose. Second, cruise weddings take place while in port, not while at sea. You can choose to get married on board when in port or at a selected location on shore. Finally, the bride and groom must be sailing on the cruise in order to get married on it. Your guests can, however, board the ship for the wedding without sailing on the cruise.

Many cruise lines provide cruise wedding packages and coordinators to make sure that your day is special and runs smoothly. Carnival Cruise Lines, Norwegian Cruise Line, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, and Royal Caribbean International, all provide wedding packages for couples sailing on their ships. Crystal Cruises and Cunard Line do not allow weddings on their ships. The cost of tying the knot at sea ranges from $900 to $2,400 and generally includes transportation to and from the port, wedding facilities, wedding officiant, wedding coordinator, ceremony music, flowers for the bride and groom, cake, champagne, photographer, wedding album, and dinner. Many will also arrange spa and hair appointments, as well as tuxedo rentals. Of course, each line has their own packages. Read below for information on the most popular cruise lines and their wedding options.

PLEASE NOTE: Prices provided on this page are general indicators of wedding package costs. They are provided to give a general indication of costs for couples in the early stages of planning their weddings. Stated prices are not guaranteed and do not include taxes.

Carnival Cruises 

For those looking to celebrate a special occasion, Carnival offers a variety of packages designed to suit every need. Wedding ceremonies are performed by a wedding officiant before the ship sets sail and Carnival provides a photographer who takes pictures both during the ceremony and the reception. These photos are available for purchase during the cruise.