Why do it? It is a special day. You want it to be memorable. But do you want to remember the stress of planning your wedding? The friends and family you lost over hurt feelings? Here are five tips to keep your wedding simple and meaningful:

1. KISS. Keep it simple sweetheart. All the fancy stuff won’t make your marriage any better. It is the bond you will be creating with your beloved that is important. Trim down the trappings to the essence of the day.
2. It is your wedding not theirs. Even if you’re parents are paying for your wedding keep in mind that it is still your day. If they insist on paying- be thankful but clear that this is your wedding. Set a simple budget and establish loving ground rules for what the day. If your sisters want a big party thank them for the idea and do what you want.
3. It is the money honey. Weddings are expensive. All that food and drink, the catering hall adds up to the down payment on your first home. Trim down the guest list. Eliminate a couple of attendants. Have a town car instead of limo. Separate the fantasy from the reality and create a workable budget.
4. Elope. I know the idea is absolutely scandalous. But remember the wedding is not about the event, it is the commitment you are making to another to spend the rest of your life together in wedded bliss. Couples have had fabulous and fun Las Vegas weddings. Get a Justice of the Peace and visit the park where you proposed. You can have a dinner party afterward to celebrate with family and friends.
5. Wear comfortable shoes. You will thank me for this piece of advice at the end of the day. Brides can wear heels for the service and change into decent and great looking flats for the dinner or reception. The groom should break in his shoes before the day. Happy feet mean a happy couple. Your day will be really memorable if you are not in pain.

Spend some time with your beloved and discuss your expectations for the wedding day and the marriage to follow. When you know the kind of marriage you want to have it will be much easier to plan a wedding that represents your love and commitment to each other.

I remember when I was a small child my mother and the rest of the groom-to-be aunts gave his bride-to-be a family and friends a bridal shower. A lady who had children older than I was at the time, won one of the shower games and was tinkled pink that she won a toilet scrub brush; “Oh my,” she claimed, “I was just about to buy a new one, my old one that I received as a shower gift twenty years ago is loosing all its bristles. This is wonderful, now I don’t have to buy a new one.”

Cleaning ones house has evolved into disposal materials that’s better for the environment. In fact a lot of woman don’t even clean their own homes, these days. I can imagine a younger lady getting a regular old toilet brush for a bridal shower gift and not knowing what the thing was for.

So, what’s left to give out as bridal shower favors. Well you could get online and type in Bridal Shower Favors like I did and buy everything to theme soaps to little candles. You could give something out as elegant as wine stoppers to something as domestic as beer bottle openers. You can even give them heart shape measuring spoons for their own kitchen (if they cook and bake). My personal favorite for over indulging is the little monogrammed bags with any letter(usually the first letter of the bride-to-be’s new coming last surname)and filled with candies of your choice.

Or, you can go the same route I always did for the bridal showers I helped give to the brides-to-be in the past. I always found homemade bridal shower favors a more personal touch for the guest and for the bride and her mother and future mother-in-law. For insistence with a garden theme bridal shower, the favors could be a mix of flower seeds slipped into cellophane and the ends gathered together and tide with ribbon that also holds a personalize note from the bride or the bride’s mother or even written by the people that are giving the bridal shower. Just a simple thank you for coming to the bridal shower and making the day special for the bride-to-be and her mother.

The company called Pamper Chef also does bridal showers. The one I helped give I made twenty cut out cookies in five different shapes and20wrapped them individually in cellophane with color ribbon I attached the matching cookie cutter. The guest got to enjoy the bridal shower favor in two ways instead of one way. They got to eat the cookie and use the cookie cutter for their own baking. The quest that didn’t bake, I noticed they did two things; they kept the favor or gave it to a relative they knew loved to bake.

My mother always prefers the eatable bridal shower favors, especially the chocolate kind. However the problem with that bridal shower favor once the food item is gone my mother would throw away the container that held the food item. No matter if it held a personal note or the bride-to-be’s name.

Which brings us to that special bridal shower favor that the guest will want to hold on to for quite sometime. And the most famous question bridal shower givers ask is how much money do we want to spend. Of course it all begins with how many people are giving the bridal shower and how much money can they afford to spend. I personally have done the bridal shower where the bridesmaid gave the party. To the bride-to-be’s family live out of town, however the groom-to-be’s family lives in town so they give a bridal shower to the bride-to-be as a welcome to the family party. I find giving a bridal shower as the bridesmaid gives you less money to work with, since you already have pay over a hundred dollars for the bridesmaid dress, than another forty dollars for the shoes.

And don’t forget the twenty dollars for the matching purse. Than theirs that wrap or coat you need to get for the winter weddings. Plus your bridesmaid are usually limited to two to four women. Where as a family bridal shower you can have two to ten women helping pay for the bridal shower. Once you decide on a budget you need to make your list of things you need. Food, game prizes, cake, and serving ware. What money is left over is usually what you use for decorating and the favors.

So, you can spend as much or as little money you want on bridal shower favors. However this writer believes in the more personal touch of the bridal shower favors. Weather they are eatables or the throw in the draw kind of bridal favors. By adding bridal shower favors for the guest to take home with them, that makes it more personal for the bride-to-be and to me that’s more important.

Shop Around to Produce the Best Possible Options

Perhaps one of the most important tips to keep in mind in order to find the best wedding banquet hall is to survey your options in depth. There are many banquet halls and event facilities in existence these days which will make the perfect setting for your wedding reception. By visiting various places and seeing all that they have to offer, the engaged couple can get a good idea of what is available to them and choose the best option in the end. It is a good idea to call the establishment prior to visiting in order to set up an appointment with the individual in charge of wedding reception planning. This way you will have someone to speak with, and he or she will be prepared to provide you with not only option lists but a guided tour as well.

Ask Friends and Family Members for Recommendations

Recommendations from people you know are a great way of learning which places might be the best ones to hold your wedding reception. The good thing about recommendations is that they are the result of unbiased opinions from individuals who truly know how good, or bad, a place might be when it comes to choosing a wedding banquet hall. Since weddings happen quite frequently, one is sure to know someone in their local area who can recommend or dissuade the couple from selecting a particular wedding banquet hall.

Find the Best Value for Your Money

It is also wise to obtain a price list and option list from the potential wedding banquet halls which you are considering to host your wedding reception. By having written lists from each establishment, the couple can peruse the lists at their leisure and determine which banquet hall offers the most amenities for the money which will ultimately be spent on this often pricey yet special occasion. When looking over the lists, try to determine what all you are looking for in a wedding banquet hall and determine which place offers the most options for the price range which you are hoping to stay within. Affordable banquet halls in Illinois.

Chicago Conference hall is the place where people discuss with each other specific topics or issues. Whenever you are preparing for a conference or any other event, the venue where you are holding the conference matters a lot in regards to the success of the objective. The conference venue clearly shows your image as well as the image of your organization. That is why it is essential to choose a venue very carefully. By using a better conference venue, you can give your conference a perfect professional look and feel.

There are numeral factors that must be taken into consideration before planning about any discussion; the most important of them is the venue selection. You must consider the facilities of location like transport links, local area and style of the discussion venue. It should ideally be situated close to the road, rail and air links. London city is normally the first choice in search of ideal international meeting venues, because a huge number of meeting venues are available here for meeting your specific requirements.

If you want to book a meeting venue for your own business or for the company where you are employed, there are several important and critical things to be kept in mind.

You must have idea about the number of speakers, delegates and guests who will be attending the conference. This major planning will give you a perfect idea of the size and capacity of the venue that you are looking for. You must take into account all the aspects of seat planning of the guests and speakers. You must need proper sound system in the discussion site, so it is good to check the mikes, speakers etc. The ambience and the air conditioning should also be checked.

If you are planning a small meeting, you do not need to go for excellent equipment for the presentation of slides. You can organize the discussion with simple projectors, which are available in almost every conference venue, and these can be operated with your personal laptops or PCs as well. If your conference is on a high level scale then choose the venue very carefully and investigate about the easy availability of hi-tech digital systems like LCD, LED player, video conferencing etc.

The price is very important to be considered while you are booking a conference venue. These days, you can book conference venues on lower prices because of slower business activities around the world.

A high-standard conference venue offers the event planners a world-class podium, on which to hold their business meetings. A good customer care, sound proof system, lighting, catering services and modern facilities are the important factors of a good conference venue.

A competent conference venue that provides services like projectors, high-speed internet, flip charts, a photocopier, computer terminals, lectern and stationery can add a huge difference to an event. Make sure about breakout rooms at the place of venue, where guests or delegates can go for refreshments and meals.

Due to the high demand, wedding packages offered by hotels are usually booked one year in advance. This is especially true for those who like to hold their banquet on Friday night or Saturday. For many hotels and restaurants, the wedding packages are usually more expensive on the weekends. If you are trying to cut cost as much as possible, it is wise to consider having your Chicago Wedding Venues and banquet on weekdays.

When choosing the venue, it is important to take note of the minimum as well as the maximum capacity for the ballroom or function room. While some hotels specify the minimum number of tables to be booked, others place a limit on the maximum seating capacity. It is wise to make a good estimate of the number of guests you expect before you proceed with the booking.

One of the important issues you have to clarify during the negotiation is how will the alcohol be charged. It is common for hotels to charge a corkage fee for every bottle of wine or champagne. However, you can always negotiate for free corkage or free flow of beer. The alcohol issue, if not handled properly, may cause you to blow your budget.

While most hotels offer one complimentary night stay in the bridal suite. If you are good at bargaining, you can try to request for two nights of complimentary stay. In some cases, you may get voucher for a free one night stay on your first anniversary.

Other details you may also want to take note are: the number of parking lots for confirmed guests, whether the usage of LCD projector and screen is complimentary or chargeable, any discounts for the food tasting session, will there be any venue decoration and whether dry ice effect can be added for your march in.

In my lifetime I have been to several weddings and several wedding receptions (party that follows). And each time the party that ensues takes place in a banquet hall, without fail. It is a convenient amount of space that anyone can rent out and then do whatever they like with, namely partying.

The Banquet Halls in Chicago Suburbs I most recently attended was on the top level of a 3 story restaurant. The room was large and tables were set up throughout, and dance floor was sanctioned off for that part of the party. There was even a balcony overlooking a golf course for the people who wanted to spend some time outside (to smoke mostly).

Without the rented hall the party would most likely have been played out at the family home. This is a bad idea because the noise from the party and goings on can cause trouble with neighbors. Banquet halls are ideal because they are made specifically to house such functions and can not be subject to angry neighbors wanting the music turned down.

Most halls will have a bartender at your disposal as well. To serve whatever drinks you like for however long you have rented him. These can be alcoholic or non-alcoholic and the bar is generally open to the public with tips being the only payment (after they have been rented out and paid for already, of course).

Cost of halls differs between how long you are renting, the size of the party (wedding receptions are usually pretty large), and how many meals will be required (directly proportionate to the number of people attending). Information regarding pricing differs for each hall so you should contact the restaurant you are looking to have the party at to get any necessary details.

Overall, if you have a party to throw and your home or friends house is off limits, a banquet hall might be ideal. If you are having a wedding, or know someone who is, a banquet hall for the reception would be the best bet. And if you are looking to simply have a banquet, a banquet hall might be the best place (going to have to go off the title here). They are fantastic places that will keep you from breaking residential rules at your own home, and also organize the party in the way you could only hope to by yourself.

The best part, however, and I think most everyone will agree, is that the cleanup is done completely by whoever owns the establishment. No worries about spills on your carpet! And no worries about spills on theirs either! Go nuts!

When choosing your bridal shower favors, choose something that the guests can and will treasure for a long time after the bridal shower. With such a bridal shower favor, the guests will remember the special day that they had spent with the bride. Choose cute, fun and unique bridal shower favors which serve as tokens to guests. Keep the more special favors for those who had won the bridal shower games.

Though you have a large range of bridal shower favors to choose from, it is always better to choose a bridal shower favor that is related to the theme of the bridal shower. With this, you find some coherence in the party event that makes it easier to associate with the bridal shower. Choose a bridal shower favor that serves as a small remembrance to the guests in the form of personalized stuff like shirts or even friendship rings.

You could also consider sweet edibles for your bridal shower favors like special chocolates or candy that you can wrap in personalized foil. Choose the best candy bar from a wide range of them like the Belgian or dark, almonds or bubblegum; your guests will really like taking this home.

Another bridal shower favor idea is a picture frame. A heart shaped picture frame or frames of various varieties like chrome or silver plating, with a mirror cover is a fantastic and great choice as a bridal shower favor. You could also include a picture of you as a couple in the frame, to remind the guests of the wedding ceremony and reception.

There is basically no end to the list of bridal shower favor ideas. You can use your creativity and imagination in choosing the right bridal shower favor by looking through sites on the internet, and stores offering bridal shower favors. You will then get ideas to implement in your bridal shower favor. Of course, you will have to keep your budget in mind when choosing and making your bridal shower favors, lest it does not prove to be too much of a financial burden for you.

Candle centerpieces are always a big hit at a banquet. You can easily create a centerpiece with one or more candles of your liking. If you are going for a one candle centerpiece, you may want to implement a candleholder into the equation. Candle holders come in as many different styles and you will be sure to find a set of candleholders that fit your liking. Large pillar styles work out great for being single candle centerpieces. If you are interested in making a multiple candle centerpiece, there are several ways you can do so. Buying different sizes and lining them up from tallest to shortest or vice versa makes a simple multiple candle centerpiece. Of course, you can make any style and arrangement you would like for your centerpiece. Try out different combinations to see what works the best for you. These centerpieces give your banquet table an elegant look that your guests will love. Candleholders can also be implemented into the multiple candle centerpiece. The right candleholder can give any arrangement of candles a more sophisticated look.

You can also decorate a banquet table with candles by placing one by each dinner mat or eating area on the table. You do not have to use large ones for this task. Any small to medium candle is best for this job. For instance, tea lights are an excellent option in this situation. Tea lights give off a low level of light and appear elegant. Tea lights often come with their own holder, which makes them even more ideal. If you already have tea light holders, you will simply need tea light candles. Tea lights come in as wide a variety as their larger counterparts. Tea light holders come in a myriad of different designs. Finding holders to fit the theme or atmosphere of a banquet should be no problem. These tips should kick-start your search for banquet table decorations.

The engagement party should take place fairly soon after he pops the question. Usually somewhere between one and four months. If you hold it fairly soon after the engagement becomes official, this gala can be when the announcement is officially made to your extended circle of family and friends. Keep in mind, though, that just as with a bridal shower, anyone invited to the engagement party should also be invited to the wedding.

Engagement parties will often be much larger events than a bridal shower. The idea of a shower is for the bride-to-be to have an afternoon spent in the company of her closest female relatives and friends. The engagement party, on the other hand, will involve a much broader spectrum of guests. Your good friends will be there, but so will your dad’s golfing buddy and your mom’s old collage roommate. Depending on the size of your parents’ social circle, it can really end up being more for their friends than yours.

It is customary that no gifts be brought to an engagement party, but this tradition is not always followed these days. Because an engagement party really is not the same as a shower, you might consider putting “no gifts, please” on the invitation. If you decide to leave it up to your guests, be sure to get your bridal registry done before the party. When people bring engagement gifts, they also know that they will be buying a wedding present down the road, so this gift is generally going to be from the less pricey end of your wish list.

The party itself can be any style that suits your family. Engagement parties are often done as cocktail parties with appetizers. The guest list is usually too large to lend itself to a seated dinner in a home, so a mix and mingle type of event makes more sense. Besides, it really is not the food that matters at an engagement party; it is the Champagne! Expect plenty of joyful toasts in your honor.

The bride-to-be will definitely want to get a pretty new dress for her engagement party, no matter how formal or informal it may be. Certainly keep it line with the general flavor of the party, but also feel free to indulge in a really gorgeous frock – you are the guest of honor, after all (well, you and your fiancé are). Get your hair done for the party as well, so it will look fantastic in the pictures – nothing too fancy is required, but at least have your hair blown out by a professional.

Although it is not always done, the bride’s parents might want to make a special gesture for the couple or at least the bride during the engagement party. Certainly, the father of the bride should make a toast welcoming his future son-in-law into the family. It would also be very thoughtful for the father of the bride to present his daughter with a beautiful necklace or other piece of bridal jewelry. By the time she wears the bridal jewelry on her wedding day, it will already have great sentimental meaning for the bride.

Beyond the basics, the rest of the engagement party is really about what suits the newly engaged couple and their families. If you love to dance, you can have a band. If you prefer to keep things more relaxed, you can have a barbecue in the backyard. The type of engagement party does not matter; what matters is the celebration of the upcoming marriage.

The underlying reason for a Bridal shower is that it’s a perfect occasion for family and friends of the bride to spend relaxed time with her before the big wedding day. A Bridal shower is commonly hosted by the maid-of-honor and bridesmaids or friends and family of the bride or groom. The custom is said to have grown out of earlier dowry practices when a poor woman’s family might not have the money to provide a dowry for her, or when a father refused to give his daughter her dowry because he did not approve of the marriage. Another custom was to help the new couple set up a home, or to help the bride get together a trousseau. The Bridal shower kicks off the wedding festivities and it is important that everything goes well.

Basic Planning

The bride has probably been stressed from all of the planning, and the shower gives her some much needed time to unwind with her friends. The bride is the princess of the day, so be sure that in your planning you don’t do anything that will make her feel uncomfortable. Unless you feel it’s mandatory to surprise the bride, involve her in the planning. In order to take some stress off of the people involved in the planning of the party, you may choose a location that caters and also has beverages available for the guests. If you are working with a group of several women try to limit the planning to one meeting where you can choose a them and then decide who will do each of the basic planning step like as obtaining the guest list and sending the invitations, accepting the invitation responses, choosing a location, creating centerpieces, buying favors, arranging for the games, selecting the menu or buying the gift. Choosing a theme ensures that everyone on the same page. Give each member of the group a budget and set them loose. If you are planning the party on your own, be sure to make a list and do just one thing at a time.

Theme

A Bridal-shower theme is a way of designing a party around a certain subject, time in history, or part of the world. Bridal shower themes are as varied as the brides themselves and add a specific ambiance to the party. Once you have chosen a theme, the rest of the shower planning becomes easier because invitations, decorations, and favors can all be coordinated to fit the theme. . Whether the bridal shower theme is part of the wedding or unique event that the friends of the bride put together and creates inspiration and a more magical environment. There are so many themes from which to choose. Some of the most popular are: kitchen shower, exotic locale, the bride’s favorite pastime, using the bride’s heritage, plan a shower with her favorite ethnic foods, or stock the bar. A Halloween themed bridal shower can be a fun and inventive way to celebrate the bride-to-be, as long as the event does not scare her away from the altar! Use your imagination to create the perfect theme.

Location

The location is important when having a Bridal shower. If the location will be a venue that is a particular size or that needs reservations, make sure to get the reservations as soon as possible to ensure the shower location. Once the location is decided, it is important to choose the date and time for the bridal shower. Be sure to consult the bride before deciding upon a location.

A local restaurant, the home of one of the hostesses or a Country Club where one of the hostesses is a member are ideal locations. Having the party at a restaurant or club gives you the advantage of using the expertise of a highly trained Catering Manager in planning your party. The Catering Manager’s job is to please her guests. Take advantage of her knowledge to select the theme, décor, food and every other part of the shower.

Invitations

When you’re trying to come up with a unique bridal shower invitation idea, you can drive yourself crazy, but remember the bridal Shower invitation is the first impression of your party. The first thing you will want to ask yourself when you are thinking about a unique bridal shower invitation is, ‘What is the theme of the shower. The theme is very important when you’re deciding what kind of invitations to send. For example, if the theme of the bridal shower is a ‘Cinderella story,’ you can find beautiful imprinted invitations to match or create your own. Many desktop publishing programs have great invitation templates and your local office supply store has a great selection of paper products for printing.

Be sure to plan your bridal shower and order your bridal shower invitations at least 8-12 weeks in advance. If you have many out of town guests attending you may want to mail the bridal shower invitations as early as 6 weeks in advance so everyone is sure to reserve the date for your party so that they can attend. Bridal shower invitations should not only invite your guests to the event, they should contain clear instructions on the location of the shower, any theme that is being used for the bridal shower and an RSVP card that can help you determine the number of guests attending you can expect at the bridal shower. You can always find an approach that will fit your budget from basic one layer bridal invitations all the way up to more expensive and higher quality layered approaches. Paying attention to the little details when it comes to bridal shower invitations can make a nice statement with your guests and provide them with an elegant keepsake of the Bridal shower.

Decorations

One of the best things about throwing a bridal shower is choosing the decorations. Decorations for your shower should pull together the look you’re trying to. The decorations at a bridal shower are very important, particularly if it will be themed. Your decorations can be bright and dramatic, or soft and romantic. Confer with the bridesmaids about the theme of the bridal shower, establish a budget, and finalize decision about decorations, menu, favors, and music and bridal shower games.

Whether working with a Catering Manager, or are creating centerpieces on your own, remember to incorporate the theme of the party. Many people think that centerpieces have to be lavish and expensive, but the simplest bud vase of flowers, monogrammed with the bride’s initials, can make a beautiful statement. Another idea for centerpieces is to incorporate your party favors into the centerpiece. Another interesting bridal shower favor idea is to create a breakaway centerpiece, where several smaller pieces comprise of the centerpiece. This saves time and money. A simple floral arrangement with a circle of theme related favors sets the table with a beautiful and meaningful touch. Favors can also serve as place cards. If your location does not offer a simple centerpiece, or you are looking for something more creative, consider saving money by making all of the decorations and favors.

Games

Deciding whether or not to have bridal shower games and is a very important part of A Bridal shower planning. Bridal Shower Games make excellent ice breakers when the guests do not all know each other. Games also keep things moving along and are a way to facilitate relations between the guests. It’s easy and keeps your guests sticking around until the very end, anticipating the fun that’s in store. About 20 minutes into the bridal shower, it’s time to test your guests with this fun little game that tests their observation skills. Today bridal shower games can be downloaded from the internet and easily printed out on your home computer. Personalized games are also available. Make sure you remember to buy prizes or gifts for the game-winners. Personalized gifts or gifts incorporating the showers theme are inexpensive and can be ordered at the same time you order your favors. These gifts are a valuable keepsake of the shower.

Favors

Favors are not a requirement, but they are a fun way to share your wedding day memories. Bridal shower favors are often personalized with the name of the bride, or of the bride and groom and the date of the wedding. The most precious favors are those that celebrate the bride’s personal style and incorporate the theme of the party. The favors, which serve as small mementos for each of your party guests, should also fit the theme. The selection of party favors is endless. Just remember, the favors you choose should be feminine, elegant, and practical.

Gifts

Once the guests have been greeted and any games have been played, the bride should be led to her chair to open the gifts. After the shower is over, it is proper etiquette for the bride to thank her guests, not only for the gifts, but for sharing the day with her.

The hostesses of the luncheon or party should find the right gift for a bridal shower is to show the bride how much you care. Choose from the bridal registry and select a gift that she might not otherwise receive.

Any Bride-to-be will tell you one of her favorite mementos from the A Bridal shower is a miniature picture album filled with a photo of her and each guest (taken at the shower) and a handwritten bit of advice from that guest slipped into the adjoining page.

It is also proper etiquette for the bride to give a gift to the hostesses as a special “Thank You” for the party.

A bridal shower is a fun way for a friends and family to celebrate her, prior to the wedding whether it is an afternoon luncheon party, a spa retreat, or night on the town, the Bridal shower is always a highly anticipated part of the wedding festivities. Throwing a bridal shower is the perfect way to show the bride how much you care and is a great opportunity to create wonderful, long lasting memories with friends and family.