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Thursday, 29 December 2011
Shipboard Weddings
Independent Wedding Planner vs. On-site Coordinator
Many venues are now employing On-site Venue Coordinators. Unfortunately they are advertising this person’s role as that of “Wedding Coordinator” and convincing couples there is no need for an Independent Wedding Coordinator. The Independent Wedding Planner / Coordinator and the on-site Venue Wedding Coordinator have distinctly different roles. This does not mean that they can’t complement one another. In fact, the Independent Wedding Coordinator and the On-site Venue Coordinator can make each other’s job a lot easier."The Independent Wedding Coordinator and the On-site Venue Coordinator can make each other’s job a lot easier."
Independent Wedding Coordinator/Planner
The Independent Wedding Coordinator’s primary focus and responsibility is the Bride and Groom. They work closely with the couple, building both a personal and professional relationship right from the beginning of their engagement. From selecting vendors and venues, budget management, theme development and décor, managing and seeing to the finest details and supervising the event itself, a Wedding Coordinator is involved in every step of the Wedding. They keep everyone organized by setting up a clear plan for the event and following up to make sure everything flows well.
The Independent Wedding Coordinator’s primary focus and responsibility is the Bride and Groom. They work closely with the couple, building both a personal and professional relationship right from the beginning of their engagement. From selecting vendors and venues, budget management, theme development and décor, managing and seeing to the finest details and supervising the event itself, a Wedding Coordinator is involved in every step of the Wedding. They keep everyone organized by setting up a clear plan for the event and following up to make sure everything flows well.
A Wedding Coordinator will plan the details and be present at the Wedding to direct the Ceremony and Reception and make sure all goes well according to said plans. On the wedding day, the Wedding Coordinator will be with the couple from before the ceremony until the end of the reception.
On-site Venue Wedding Coordinator
The On-site Venue Wedding Coordinator’s primary focus and responsibility is the Venue. The relationship of the Venue Coordinator and the couple remains a professional one.
On-site Venue Wedding Coordinator
The On-site Venue Wedding Coordinator’s primary focus and responsibility is the Venue. The relationship of the Venue Coordinator and the couple remains a professional one.
Clients of the Venue will often first meet with a Sales Team to book their date and Wedding Package. An on-site Wedding Coordinator will then be assigned to the couple. Ideally this is the person who the couple will deal with up to and including the day of their wedding, but this is not guaranteed.
The on-site Wedding Coordinator will often also serve in the role of Wedding Consultant and should be well informed of wedding etiquette, traditions and execution of the day. Many times the on-site Wedding Coordinator will suggest vendors he or she has worked with in the past.
The Venue Coordinator will assist in the creation of a timeline for the Wedding in regards to the venue’s roles and responsibilities. If the ceremony is also taking place on-site the venue coordinator will usually run the rehearsal for the wedding and direct the ceremony on the Wedding Day.
The Venue Coordinator is usually on-site on the Wedding Day and generally leaves before dinner turning over the evening to the Banquet Manager.
"The key to working together is mutual respect and understanding each other’s role on the Wedding Day."
Working Together When there is both a Wedding Planner and an on-site Wedding Coordinator working on the same wedding, both people’s jobs should in fact be easier than usual.
The Independent Coordinator will reduce the number of questions and panicked, demanding calls the Venue will receive and on the Wedding Day they will handle all direction of ceremonies and vendors, and will keep their emotional couples reigned in. Rather than having two or more points of contact, there will only be one who is a calm, professional, industry expert.
The Venue Coordinator offers an in-depth knowledge of the venue, staff, layout and food options that the Wedding Planner will not be privy to. They already know what has and hasn’t worked before, will know all the policies that need to be adhered to and are the key source of information for the venue.
The key to working together is mutual respect and understanding each other’s role on the Wedding Day. The independently hired Wedding Coordinator will be handling all the details of every aspect of the wedding; the On-site Coordinator will be handling all aspects of the venue.
by Danielle Andrews Sunkel
The Royal Wedding
What a morning! Did you watch the Royal Wedding? I couldn’t resist! I had such fun on Twitter live tweeting with my fellow bloggers and tweeters! I must admit that with all the hype surrounding theRoyal Wedding, I was afraid it might not live up to our expectations. Fortunately, I was very wrong!
It turns out the British and I have something in common: we both love color! Even though thequeen’s yellow hat looked like a tasty lemon cake (at least to my eyes!) I thought she pulled off her ensemble. Yellow is such a bright, happy color, and I think the queen’s cheery color choice was her way of demonstrating her approval of this marriage. And all those hats! I think I was inspired by nearly every female wedding guest. Some of those hats would make truly delicious looking wedding centerpieces, don’t you think? I think I even spotted a couple of turbans with big, bright flowers. Did you see those, too? Ladies, please bring back the turban! It’s turban time.
Now, I know that many of you will disagree with me, but I thought that the Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie looked fabulous. And their fascinators were unforgettable. Those young ladies certainly aren’t afraid to be bold; they must have inherited that trait from their ballsy mother, Sarah, Duchess of York. I can’t wait to see what their wedding dresses look like when they eventually get married…
Speaking of wedding dresses, let’s cut to the chase. I thought that Kate Middleton’s wedding dress was so beautifully romantic. Everyone has been commenting how much her wedding dressreminds them of Grace Kelly’s wedding dress. I couldn’t agree more. Kate’s wedding dress with those pretty lace sleeves has the same timeless elegance of Grace Kelly’s wedding dress. We lost a brilliant artist when Alexander McQueen passed, and I thought it was such a fitting tribute that both Kate and her sister Pippa chose to wear McQueen. What a classy choice.
Did anyone else think that Kate’s wedding dress also looked a bit like Ivanka Trump’s wedding dress? Both wedding dresses evoke Grace Kelly and both feature lace sleeves. Ivanka and Kate both also chose not wear their hair in traditional bridal updos, opting instead to wear their hair down. I think they both looked so fresh and modern. I had the great pleasure of designing the decor forIvanka Trump’s wedding, and her dress was breathtaking in person. I imagine Kate’s wedding dress was, too.
I can’t not mention the Royal Wedding decor can I? First and foremost, while I know many people liked Kate’s bouquet, I thought it looked more like a corsage! Where was the rest of it? I felt similarly about the rest of the Royal Wedding flora and fauna. The trees and greenery were a lovely idea, and you know I’ve been doing trees for years, so I always like that look. But there was so little of it! You know I don’t believe in understatement; I wanted more, more more!
What did you think? Did you like Kate Middleton’s dress? What about Pippa’s maid of honor dress? Pippa practically stole the show in that sexy number! I didn’t even mention the groom. I guess he was there, too, wasn’t he? I’m dying to know what you all thought. Please share your favorite moments and looks from the Royal Wedding in the comments.
Weddings blend cultures as well as families
When Kavi and David Moltz tied the knot in summer 2010, the multicultural couple -- she's Hindu and he's culturally Jewish -- tried to honor both their traditions.
"I had to ride in on a horse ... a giant Clydesdale adorned in Indian raiments," recalls David of the Hindu wedding tradition. "But we gave a nod to my culture, too," he says.
In Hindu culture, friends and musicians playing traditional Indian music accompany the groom's ride to the ceremony. Instead, David had his friends play drums, and he wore a traditional yarmulke and tallith (prayer shawl) that had been his father's and grandfather's, as captured in photos by Justin & Mary.
The evening before, during the Mehndi party in which the bride and members of her party are adorned with henna designs (an impermanent skin ink) on their hands and feet, David wore a traditional Indian suit.
"(Kavi's parents) wanted me to wear a turban, too, but I'm a tall skinny white guy, and I thought that would look funny on me," he says with a laugh.
"The ceremony should ideally be all about you, but truthfully it is so important to the families and the parents, too. You have to be flexible and ... be on the same page with your wife or husband. (Wedding details) are some of the first things you have to pick and choose your battles about," he says. "If (a detail) is really important to the families, then go with the flow," he advises.
Today, more and more intercultural and interfaith couples are getting married. Finding meaningful ways to bring two (or more) very different cultures and religions together in one ceremony can be difficult.
"There's been a drastic change in the last 15 years in the way intercultural and interfaith marriages are viewed," says the Rev. Susanna Macomb, author of the book, "Joining Hands and Hearts: Interfaith, Intercultural Wedding Celebrations."
"(Years ago) I would get calls from (engaged couples of different cultural or religious traditions) who were desperate and sad ... and after a ceremony I would secretly hear a family member or maybe the florist say (about the wedding couple), 'Oh, that's not going to work,' " Macomb says. "Today I don't hear that anymore."
Macomb, an interfaith minister who honors all religions, has been officiating weddings since 1996, and many of them have been for couples from different cultural or religious paths.
"Couples today want to be intimately involved in the wedding ceremony," she says.
By Helyn Trickey, Special to CNN
The Art of Marriage
"Marriage is not a noun; it’s a verb. It isn’t something you get. It’s something you do. It’s the way you love your partner every day. A wedding is a start of togetherness... of walks in the rain, basking in the sunshine, shared meals, and caring for one another. Every girl hopes to be loved and cherished for eternity by someone special." --Preston Bailey
It is important to work on our marriage every day. It takes effort to maintain a good relationship with your spouse. Nourish each other and take care of one another. I will leave you with this.
"The Art Of Marriage"
A good marriage must be created.
In the art of marriage the little things are the big things...
It is never being too old to hold hands.
It is remembering to say "I love you" at least once each day.
It is never going to sleep angry.
It is having a mutual sense of values and common objectives.
It is forming a circle of love that gathers in the whole family.
It is speaking words of appreciation and
demonstrating gratitude in thoughtful ways.
It is having the capacity to forgive and forget.
It is giving each other an atmosphere in which each can grow.
It is finding room for the things of the spirit.
It is a common search for the good and the beautiful.
It is not only marrying the right partner...
It is being the right partner.
- by Wilferd Arlan Peterson
In the art of marriage the little things are the big things...
It is remembering to say "I love you" at least once each day.
It is having a mutual sense of values and common objectives.
It is forming a circle of love that gathers in the whole family.
demonstrating gratitude in thoughtful ways.
It is having the capacity to forgive and forget.
It is finding room for the things of the spirit.
It is a common search for the good and the beautiful.
It is being the right partner.
Wednesday, 28 December 2011
Best Wedding Songs by R&B Artists
To paraphrase 1980s one-hit wonder Oran "Juice" Jones, a wedding reception without a love song is like cornflakes without the milk. Love songs - particularly R&B love songs - have traditionally played a significant role in weddings, be it during the actual ceremony, at the reception, or on the honeymoon. And here's some of the best wedding-themed R&B songs ever.
'Share My Life,' Kem
This song, which is on Kem's third album, Intimacy, is about a man who tells his woman that he wants to spend the rest of his life with her. For the men out there who are getting ready to propose marriage to your lady and need a little inspiration, this just might be the perfect song for you.
'One Love,' Midwest City
This song by a virtually unknown four-man vocal group from Oklahoma epitomizes what a great wedding song should be: lovely, tender and sweet.
'Never,' Jaheim
Album cover © Atlantic Records.
This song, which is on Jaheim's fourth album, The Makings of a Man, is about a man who stops being a player and settles down with his one true love.
'Little Girl,' E. Walter Smith
This warm, loving song by crooner E. Walter Smith and former "American Idol" hopeful Tatiana McConnico, is perfect for the father-daughter dance during the post-ceremony reception. It's a tasteful, classy and well-sung ode to the love a father has for his little princess.
'Ribbon in the Sky,' Stevie Wonder
One of the most beautiful, romantic songs of all time. I usually don't cry at weddings -- unless this song is played.
'Here and Now,' Luther Vandross
A classic wedding song by a classic vocalist.
R.I.P. Luther.
'Forever My Lady,' Jodeci
Possibly the best song Jodeci ever recorded. As the song's lyrics indicate, this is the perfect tune for the bride-to-be who's already expecting a child.
'Spend My Life with You,' Eric Benét & Tamia
Eric Benét, who's the ex-husband of Halle Berry, may have trouble holding onto a woman once he marries her, but this song shows exactly how he's able to get women to marry him in the first place. "Spend My Life With You," featuring Tamia, is on Eric's 2001 album, A Day in the Life.
'Back At One,' Brian McKnight
Cover © Motown Records.
This is another one of those songs that's considered melodramatic out in the real world, but within the setting of a wedding party, it fits in as naturally as a bouquet of flowers. This should be played during a slow dance at a wedding reception.
'Together,' Ruben Studdard
This song, which is on Ruben's 2009 album, Love Is, is a bold yet tender declaration of a man's love for a woman and his desire to make her a permanent part of his life.
'On Bended Knee,' Boyz II Men
This song may be a little sappy and a tad bit too melodramatic, but when it comes to bringing tears to a woman's eyes during a wedding party, few songs can do it better than "On Bended Knee."
'Let's Get Married,' Jagged Edge
Other than the chorus, which has a lame "we ain't gettin' no younger, we might as well do it," rationale for the marriage proposal, this is a very well-sung, sentimental love song.
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