So much focus is placed on the wedding day that planning for your honeymoon can become lost in all the other detail.  However, if your dream is to end up on some exotic island, lapping up the sun and staring into each other's eyes over a sunset dinner on the beach, then this means planning! 

While your wedding day has many aspects to organise and plan for, at the centre of it all is the ceremony where you are officially joined together and pronounced “Husband and Wife”.  Unfortunately, many of us can remember at least one wedding ceremony where the Celebrant who made this announcement was dithery, was inappropriately dressed or forgot to change the names from the last couple they married.  Having the right Celebrant is important to make sure that your ceremony is memorable (for the right reasons), romantic and representative of you as a couple.  This article will give you some tips for making sure you have the right Celebrant.

When it comes to your wedding vows, couples are often unsure of what to have. Many opt to have the traditional vows not realising that they are able to design their own! 

People are often interested to find out that the only legal requirement to their wedding are the words “Do you … take … to be your lawfully wedded husband/wife”, to which they hopefully answer “YES!”. Apart from this one statement, the rest of the wedding ceremony is completely up to the couple, including their vows.

When the mother of the bride stands - and the rest of the crowd follows her cue - the organist begins playing the wedding procession music a little louder, and the procession begins. By this time, everyone should be in position, thus:

The clergyman or justice is standing in front of the seated guests, facing the back of the church (or the rows of chairs) where the procession will enter...

There are no rules as to what you should have in your vows.  The main idea is that your vows represent the life commitments you are making to each other.  Below are some examples of traditional and non-traditional vows...  

The following are some ideas for mini-ceremonies you could include in your wedding ceremony for added symbolism and meaning. 

Sand Ceremony

The sand ceremony is where there are three containers, two with sand and one without ...

This article contains a number of sample ceremonies to help provide ideas for putting together your own.

Traditional ceremony

Celebrant:
We are gathered here today in the face of this company ... 

We all want to look gorgeous, sexy and stylish on our wedding day!  The only problem is it is not like any other event. You will have these photos forever. So to achieve this you need to strike a balance between sexy and stylish...

Ok, now we have covered how to prepare your skin and body for the big day, the second part to this is how best to enhance your features on the day, and look naturally gorgeous. The most important way to be prepared for the wedding day is to decide what kind of make-up look you want and whether you will do it yourself or get a make-up artist. It is great to show your make-up artist your dress and explain the the feel you want for your wedding day (beach, evening, classic, casual). Either way you will need to start finding pictures as to what you want out of magazines...

You can picture yourself in your dream dress holding those flowers you’ve always imagined walking up the aisle... But what are you wearing in your hair?

 Wedding hair accessories are often left to the last minute to purchase, but are a vital part of your entire bridal look. From a traditional veil to an avant-garde hair piece there are so many options out there  making it is hard to choose your perfect accessories. Here are some tips to help you finish your look for your big day.

Winter can be a wonderful time to marry.  While most weddings in New Zealand are held between the September-April ‘wedding season’ for reasons of weather, winter provides its own wonders and luxuries to enjoy.

Consider this:  Wedding suppliers often discount their services in order to gain business during the traditionally quiet May-August ‘off-season’...

When we mention counselling it usually conjures up images of seeking help when things get tough, being in trouble or unable to cope.  Pre-marriage counselling is none of that!  Rather than being a reactive type of counselling, it is pro-active to help prepare you both for the biggest decision of your life.  Typically pre-marriage counselling would include looking at your expectations of each other, the roles your will undertake, the potential influence of your parents as role-models for relationships, intimacy, conflict resolution and more. 

Current economic times have left many people watching their spending and weddings are no exception.  It is a delicate balance between making your wedding the most amazing and beautiful day of your life, and not spending beyond what you can afford...

You are now on your wonderful yet often frustrating journey from engagement to wedding.
It is a journey that will take you through many avenues and some forks in the road where you'll have to stop, consider and choose a path.

The road we'll take together is the one leading to the "fork in the road" to wedding flowers selection.

There are three sureties when it comes to organising a wedding. Firstly, it will cost more than you think. Secondly, you will spend more than you thought possible. Thirdly, you will wish at some point that you'd eschewed the whole thing in favour of eloping in Vegas.

According to New Zealand Weddings the average wedding today costs about $30,000...

Print off your complete wedding checklist, to have on hand at all times!  Cross each task off as you complete it.

6-12 months

Have a get together with your family and your fiancés if they haven’t met ...

 

Social network sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Ning and others have become part of our everyday lives. While some people have embraced these mediums for linking and communicating with friends, there are also many social network sites, Bridal Clubs and groups that focus on specifically on weddings. Participating in these can provide you with a rich source of information and give great help when planning your wedding...

 Here are 5 great tips for Brides and Grooms:

 1. Don’t sweat the small stuff

A wedding is full of thousands of details and there are bound to be a few snafus along the way. Keep in mind the reason you are doing all of this...

Anybody can marry in New Zealand, as long as they are legally free to marry. Under New Zealand law this means that:

They are not married already (or if they have been married, the marriage has been dissolved by a court of law). They are old enough (16 or over, although parental consent is required if either party is under 20 years old). They are not closely related by blood, marriage or adoption...

Wedding rings play an important part in a wedding ceremony as a symbol of your love and an enduring sign of the promises you make to each other. Traditionally couples have invested in purchasing gold wedding rings or bands, however, with the rising price of gold and changes in fashion styles, there are some interesting new trends emerging.

These are just some of the tips that I acquired along the way when making my best man speeches, I have done four now.  While crafting your best man speech listed here are a couple points you ought to think about when you write your speech.

Wedding receptions are a lot of fun, but they are also pretty emotional thanks to all the wedding toasts.

Generally, you will find the father of the bride speaks first. The wedding MC or the DJ will call on the father of the bride at a pre-determined time during the reception...

Hiring music entertainment can arguably be the most important booking made for your wedding. Guests remember whether or not they had fun at your wedding. What you pay for is what you get is a good rule of thumb. However, I would like to educate the consumer, future brides and grooms, of how to hire a DJ and things to consider. The following are 9 important factors to consider when hiring a disc jockey BEFORE you sign the contract.