Wedding Tradition: The Groom’s Gift to the Bride

Todays blog is written by  Chris Easter, TheManRegistry.com

Gifts. It’s a word that you’ll be sick of by the end of your months of wedding planning — and perhaps rightfully so.

When it comes to weddings, it seems that everyone gets a gift. On a positive front, you and your bride-to-be will surely be registering for and receiving a plethora of household items from your friends and family. After the registering process, however; it’s your turn  to start shelling out. Your guests receive wedding favors. Your wedding party receives groomsmen and bridesmaids gifts. Your parents, officiant and other wedding day helpers should also receive a thank you gift. While all of these gifts may seem out of control,  there’s one more very important gift you can’t forget about: something for your bride.

It’s tradition for the bride and groom to exchange gifts on the wedding day. Some couples may choose not to do so, but I think it’s an important custom to consider. It’s understandable that finances will be tight around the big day, so here are a few gift suggestions that won’t break the bank.

1. Jewelry – instead of something that costs up two months of your salary, consider a nice, yet less expensive bracelet or pair of earrings that matches her engagement ring or wedding day style.

2. Photos – A favorite photo can be a very sentimental gift. One idea is to frame a photo of the two of you from your first date or the day you got engaged.

3. Handwritten Note – This idea won’t cost you anything. Write a note to your bride that reminds her of all the reasons you want to spend the rest of your life with her. Have it delivered by a friend or family member so it’s the first thing she sees on the morning of the wedding.

4. Custom Vows –In lieu of gifts, many couples will opt to write personalized vows. Words can sometimes go a lot further than a tangible item.

5. Perfume – Do you know what her favorite brand of perfume is? If so, it can make for a great gift that she can use on the honeymoon.

Will you be exchanging wedding day gifts with your bride? What do you like most/least about this tradition? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

–The Man Registry is the leading voice for grooms on the Web. The popular website offers gift ideas, content and local vendor guides for the soon-to-be-married man. You can find them on Pinterest, Twitter and Facebook.

 

Win with Travel to Maui and LinenTablecloth

As people switch from traditional to non-traditional weddings, getting married in a faraway location such Maui or Oahu in Hawaii becomes more and more trendy.

What part of a wedding staged in Hawaii does not sound thrilling? Nothing!  A destination wedding in Maui combines the intimacy of the ceremony with the joys of having an instant vacation, both for the couple and for the guests. But since time is unlimited (usually one week), the bride and groom need to craft a wedding plan that will make being on this island as memorable as possible.

Below we’ve rounded up some advice from wedding industry experts such as LinenTablecloth, Red-I by Chelsea and more that you will find helpful, as you go over the necessary steps to make your destination wedding in Maui as meaningful as possible.

• What to do in Hawaii
• Honeymoon Packages
• What will your guests do in Hawaii? Making Guests Feel at Home
• Destination Wedding Itinerary
• Wedding vendors to work with
• Linens for Destination Weddings in Maui, Hawaii
• Wedding Chair Covers
• Rock your Wedding Bling tips from Red-I by Chelsea
• Wedding Photography Checklist
• Tipping Advice

As a gift from Travel to Maui, please follow the steps below to get a chance to win a $40 Gift Card code that you can use to shop for your wedding linens at LinenTablecloth. Contest starts on October 29th and two winners will be picked on November 8th. To join is so easy. Just use the Rafflecopter widget below and follow the instructions. Have fun!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

What to do in Hawaii in 2012

Aloha from Maui, Hawaii! My name is Marie Glodt at Travel to Maui. I am a travel agent at Travel to Maui  located on the beautiful island of Maui.

 

In today’s blog I want to talk about the fun things happening here in Hawaii
in October, and November 2012. 

 

This list includes free things to do on the islands of Maui, Kauai, Oahu and the big island of Hawaii,  including free, and paid events and fund raisers for local charities.

These events are great for honeymooners coming to Hawaii, family vacations to Hawaii and more!

Kauai

 

 

 11/18  Will host the 20th annual Hawaiian slack key guitar festival
FREE 808-226-2697

 

11/22 Kauai Path annual Turkey trot 6:45am-10am Free, donations of nonperishable food or money are accepted. 808-635-8823

 

Malie Awards Luau 11/3 The Maile Foundation celebrates Kauai’s
musician at their annual luau to raise funds 808-246-2111

 

10/30 TriKauai Costume Sprint Triathlon 7am to noon 808-635-6311

 

Maui

 

 

 

10/26 Russell Peters will be at the Maui Arts and Cultural Center 808-242-7469

 

October 10/27/12 The Xterra Kapalua Trail runs offer 5k & 10K a benefit for the Big Brother & Big Sisters 877-983-7721

 

November  

11/2 First Friday Wailuku 6pm-9pm Street festival with live entertainment FREE 808-878-1888

Habitat for humanity golf tournament 11/3 shotgun start at 7:30am lunch on course by Tommy Bahama Restaurant

 

  11/9-11/11 Hula o na Keiki Maui’s only children hula competition (ages 5-17) at the Kaanapali Beach hotel

 

 11/9 Lahaina Second Friday Live entertainment, FREE, begins at 5pm. 808-667-9175.

 

11/29 Hawaiian Music Series FREE on the lawn of the Baldwin home museum 808-661-3262

 

Oahu

October

Hallowbaloo Music & festival on 10/27 in downtown Honolulu 808-271-9140 Slack key 10/28 808-226-2697

November 2012

 

 First Friday 11/4 in Chinatown. Galleries, museums, & studios feature live music & more! 808-521-2903http://www.traveltomaui.net

 

 Looking for a cheap vacation to Hawaii? Check out these travel specials;
http://www.traveltomaui.net/php/travel-specials.php

Top 10 Wedding tips for the beginner bride and groom.

You have decided on a wedding date now what?

Once you have chosen you wedding date there are many other things you have to consider.

1. Do you want a destination wedding or would you prefer something closer to home?

2. Are you envisioning an indoor wedding or an outdoor wedding in a beautiful beach front setting such as Hawaii?

3. What are you allowing for your budget?

4. How many guests will you be inviting?

5. When should you send out your save the date cards and your invitations?

6. What are your wedding colors?

7. Where will you honeymoon?

8. How long will you stay?

9. What are you allowing your honeymoon travel budget?

10. What type of tours or excursions would you like to attend during your honeymoon?

As a travel agent who specializes in destination weddings to Hawaii and Tahiti I get these questions all the time. I will address a couple of the questions here briefly.

If you are considering a destination wedding I strongly suggest Hawaii. We have beautiful weather year round. The people here are friendly. You can to Hawaii in 5 hours from the west coast and 10 hours from the east coast of the United States.

It is always a good idea to send out your save the date cards once you have locked in date. I suggest my clients build a wedding website and include it on the save the date cards. That way you can advise your guests in just moments of any changes that may have occurred.

Written by Marie Glodt travel agent at Travel to Maui. Certified Hawaii Destination Specialist and Tahiti Specialist. Maui Master with the Maui Visitor Bureau. Kauai Master with the Kauai Visitor Bureau.

For a quote for your travel package to Hawaii for your destination wedding or honeymoon contact the experts at Travel to Maui. www.traveltomaui.net

Looking for travel specials to Hawaii or Tahiti check this out: http://www.traveltomaui.net/php/travel-specials.php

Travel to Maui is located on the island of Maui, Hawaii.

3 Tips to Turn Your Bridesmaids’ Gifts into Barefoot Bombshell Tear-Jerkers

 Does this strike a chord? 

~ Said no bridesmaid ever.

 Weddings are an incredible time for the people planning as well as attending. Bridal showers, bachelorette parties and “over-the-phone support” are just some of the unwritten responsibilities that go into the role of Maid of Honor and Bridesmaid {or at least we hope they do.}

Adding in the responsibility of travel and shelling out for your destination wedding adds an additional layer to the role.

Who couldn’t have fun with a coconut drink and a pool?

Even though you know it’ll be one big party once they get there, it may be quite a pill to swallow for your bridal party at the thought of spending thousands of dollars for your wedding {even if they’ll be mixing in sun, fun, tropical drinks and a week they’ll never forget.}

A bridesmaid soaking up paradise!

Chances are you are incorporating friends and/or family in your bridal party who you may know from different stages of your life. Your childhood friend’s personality and style may be completely different from that of your best friend from college – who you really hope plans on fitting in her dress!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Showing Appreciation of their Colorful Personalities – Honoring Barefoot Bombshell Bridesmaids via Bridesmaids’ Gifts

1. Take a moment to think of the recipient’s favorite color

If you are planning on having your bridal party wear the same dresses, think about colors that you know they love wearing and ordering custom jewelry in that color.

While it’s certainly your call to choose what they’ll be wearing, it’s a thoughtful measure to incorporate pieces of jewelry that they’ll be excited to wear any day after your big day.

[Red-i} By Chelsea Custom Mermaid Cuff Bracelet

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 2. What kind of jewelry do they typically wear?

Some women just aren’t all about rockin’ a full on collection of earrings, necklaces, bracelets and rings.

If you know for example that they love earrings and bracelets, think about customizing those specific pieces and adding in some fabulous barefoot jewelry. These are fully customizable pieces of jewelry that are able to transcend beyond the wedding day to any and all occasions!

They can wear them for their float down the aisle and on to the reception with heels or sandals. The colors used to design can be the same colors and materials used in designing their earrings and bracelets!

{Red-i} By Chelsea Bridemaids Jewelry

{Red-i} By Chelsea Barefoot Jewelry

Red-i By Chelsea Bond Girl Barefoot Jewelry

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. In addition to or in place of jewelry, think outside of the {jewelry} box.

If your bridal party doesn’t jump up and down at the thought of jewelry, there’s still something very personal and customizable that you can do for them. In order to tie into the elements of sand and sea, plus gift them with something they can still incorporate into the wedding, adding hair accessories as gifts can be another fantastic idea!

{Red-i} By Chelsea Indian Goddess Style Maang Tikka Hair Jewelry

Whether your bridesmaids are into channeling British royalty a la fascinator or simply adding a flower that will give them a barefoot bombshell look, hair accessories are the perfect punctuation to their ensemble.

{Red-i} By Chelsea Hair Accessories

Choosing the perfect bridesmaid’s gifts can be a creative, exciting and rewarding experience. The best feeling will be handing over those little packages of beauty, sipping your champagne and watching the happy tears flow!

For more information on how to order your custom jewelry, click here to contact {Red-i} By Chelsea to begin this unique, one of a kind experience.

About {Red-i} By Chelsea: Exotic Travel-Inspired Jewelry

{Red-i} By Chelsea specializes in the most unique jewelry + hair accessories tailored for destination weddings. Transforming the visions of brides around the world into one of a kind, wearable art is what inspires Chelsea to design thoughtful, personalized jewelry that exudes the personality of each recipient.

Bride tip

Color and style coordination define the overall presentation of your wedding. It’s always best to put utmost importance on your wedding reception chair covers and tablecloths but you must not downplay the role of flowers on your special day. They make the most stylish impact on your wedding! So you want its design and appeal to reflect your wedding palette.

You don’t have to invite everyone to your wedding!

The length of your guest list directly affects your wedding expenses. However, the greater impacts lies in the quality of people who will show up on your most special day. Only invite those whose presence will make your wedding celebration more meaningful.