Planning a wedding can be time-consuming and very stressful. This is why many soon-to-wed couples opt for a wedding planner. Someone who can take control and sort out all the details regarding their wedding. Before deciding it’s important to know the pros and cons of a wedding planner.
Pros
– Stress-ease
Planning anything can be stressful so one can only imagine how hectic things can get when it’s time to start cracking on your wedding. One of the great things about a wedding planner is a lot of that stress is eliminated. It’s their job to plan and sort everything out, so this is your chance to sit back and relax.
– Connections
Since your wedding planner is in the business, they obviously know quite a few people, which means connections. They’re able to obtain deals and specials from their contacts.
– Experience
They are the professionals here so they know exactly what needs to be done. They’ve planned a few weddings and are aware of basics that need to be covered and extras that you as an amateur might have forgotten.
– Enjoy YOUR day
We all know how things go down on the day of any event. It’s chaotic and everyone is running around like headless chickens trying to put finishing touches on things. Having a wedding planner allows you to enjoy yourself on your day. You won’t have to worry about the caterers knowing where to go and if the band got the playlist. That’s all for your wedding planner.
Cons
– Extra expense
You’ll have to pay for your wedding planner which is an extra expense. It’ll be another cost added to your very long list.
– Lack of personal touch
This will obviously be someone else’s work. It’ll have their personal touch and style incorporated. That means that there’s a chance that your wedding may not feel like yours and your partners. This happens often especially when couples aren’t very involved in the planning.
– Hand over some control
You’ve hired someone to plan your wedding so you’re going to have to let go a little bit. As hard as it may be for some, you have to understand that your planner is going to have a lot of control over your wedding day. You may want something and they may advise against it, since they’re the professional, you may have to give in.
After evaluating the pros and cons of a wedding planner, the choice is ultimately yours. Wedding planners are great for couples that are very busy or maybe don’t know how to go about planning a wedding. For someone who loves to plan and knows a lot about weddings, it may be a bit more troublesome. With that being said, you can always communicate with your wedding planner and discuss your needs and desires. You’ll find that a lot of them are very accommodating.
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Brides visualise the big day and walking down the aisle. One of the main elements for a bride on their wedding day is, ofcourse, the gown. Whether you’ve grown up gathering tips from celebs or looking for ideas now, here are some iconic brides and what they wore on their wedding day.
Céline Dion
The Canadian singer married Rene Angelil in December, 1994. She wore a beautiful Mirella and Steve Gentile ball gown. The dress featured a 20 foot train and took over 1000 hours to make.
Priyanka Chopra
The Indian actress wed Nick Jonas in December, 2018. Her traditional white gown was a custom Ralph Lauren. It featured a 75 foot long tulle veil and took over 1800 hours to make.
Chiara Ferragni
The Italian blogger married singer Fedez in September, 2018. Chiara wore two stunning haute couture Dior dresses. Her outfits consisted of 400 metres of material and took a total of 1600 hours to make.
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Meghan Markle
The royal wedding took place in May, 2018. The Duchess of Sussex wore a silk Givenchy gown, complete with a 16 foot long veil and one of Queen Mary’s diamond tiaras.
Amal Clooney
The Lebanese-British barrister married George Clooney in September, 2014. Amal wore a powerhouse Stella McCartney suit.
Solange Knowles
Keeping with the pantsuits, Solange married director Alan Ferguson in November, 2014. They arrived at their ceremony by bicycle with Solange rocking a Stéphane Rolland jumpsuit.
Kate Middleton
She wed Princess William in April, 2011. A vision in white, Kate wore an Alexander McQueen ivory and white satin dress. The gown featured a couture lace bodice and long sleeves.
Charlene Wittstock
The Zimbabwean-South African former Olympic swimmer married Albert II, Prince of Monaco in July, 2011. Charlene wore a custom Giorgio Armani dress. The gown took 2500 hours to make and consisted of 40 000 Swarovski crystals.
Elizabeth Taylor
She married eight times and made a beautiful bride every time. Here a few of her gorgeous bridal looks.
Grace Kelly
The American actress wed Rainier III, Prince of Monaco in 1956. Her gown was made by MGM costume designer Helen Rose. This iconic dress took six weeks to make and featured 90 metres of silk net and hundreds of seed pearls. Her dress has inspired many bridal dresses over the years including Nicky Hilton and Miranda Kerr.
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First of all, Islamic marriage customs depend on the country, but all couples are guided by laws and practices stated in the Quran. A husband and wife are each other’s protector and comforter, and marriage is seen as a way to maintain the religion, especially when growing your family. So what exactly happens at a traditional Muslim wedding?
Pre-wedding
Meher
This is a payment made by the groom to his bride-to-be. It usually consists of two parts, prompt and deferred. Nowadays, most couples regard the ring as the prompt. The deferred amount is usually a smaller sum of money, an education, land or jewellery. The money belongs to the bride and she is free to do whatever she wants with it. Meher is a sign of security between the couple.
Wedding
Nikah
The wedding ceremony is known as Nikah. In order to officialise the marriage, the couple only have to sign a marriage contract. The wedding can be officiated by any Muslim who is well versed with Islamic tradition. An Islamic wedding does not require an official clergy. Two people have to be present to witness the joyous union.
To express their love and free choice, the couple repeat the word ‘qabul’ three times, which means ‘I accept’ in Arabic.
Once the contract is signed, a piece of sweet fruit is shared by the happy couple.
Fatihah and durud
The officiant usually reads the Fatihah which is the first chapter of the Quran. They speak about the meaning of marriage and the bond that the newlywed couple will share and their responsibilities to Allah and each other. It is not uncommon for a Muslim couple to not share vows. The newlyweds focus on what their officiant is saying.
Post-wedding
Walima
This is similar to a wedding reception. The purpose of a walima is to announce and rejoice the recent matrimony. Loved ones will gather and feast to celebrate the newlyweds.
It’s important to note that many wedding traditions vary as a result of the different regions. So some practices may not be the same all over.
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All eyes don’t have to be on the bride only – the groom can turn a few heads too! But how do you bring that same ‘wow’ factor with something as simple as a suit and tie? Here’s how to ensure that you and your mates are looking dapper on the big day.
Classic
A classic black suit and tie paired with a crisp white shirt is a definite crowd-pleaser.
Grey
Grey is a great option as it’s available in many variations. Try and pick a shade of grey that will suit your venue and colour scheme. For example, if it’s a beach or rustic wedding you’d usually opt for a light shade of grey.
Blue
It’s a great colour that suits all skin tones. It’s simple enough to be timeless, but a bit more daring than the classic black and white.
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What a dashing group of gentlemen ? #groomsmen #herecomesthegroom #groomsmenstyle #dashing
Tailor it!
No matter which colour or option you choose, tailoring will be your best friend. A tailored suit is already a statement, no matter the colour scheme. It looks put together, well-fitted and smart.
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2 years today. Peter and his groomsmen dressed head to toe in #AdrianJules ? #HappyAnniversary❤️
Casual
Again, this depends on your venue and the vibe of your big day, but deciding on a causal outfit has never looked this good. An added bonus is the reusable factor – you can dress it up or down as much as you’d like, for any occasion.
Statement ties
Opt for a plain suit and a bold tie for that unexpected bit of detail.
A bit of matching
Who doesn’t love a good match? While uniformity is great among you and your groomsmen, you (and your partner) are the star of the show. You don’t have to all wear the same outfit in order to have a bit of matching.
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