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Wedding Planning Guide : Success for Your Wedding

June 14, 2010 By Karen Hiser Leave a Comment

There are a hundred and one things that need to be planned for your big day, so a wedding planning checklist is essential. You should start planning well in advance – a year is not too long although that does assume that yours is not a gunshot romance! A Wedding Planning Guide can be the key to success for a smooth wedding. Planning can’t start too early! Here is a wedding planning list to get you started on your wedding day success:

1. The Budget

You need to establish early on what your wedding budget is. Ask will either set of parent be contributing financially to the wedding? Ideas of roughly how many guests will be attending need to be considered at this early stage, as the size of the event will have a big impact on the cost.

2. The Ceremony

As soon as you know what date you are aiming for, you should find out about the venue and personnel for the ceremony. For a church wedding in particular you should discuss your wedding with the priest or vicar as soon as possible. Even civil ceremony venues can have long waiting lists.

3. Wedding Insurance

This is worth considering, especially if you are planning a particularly expensive wedding. In the unfortunate event that you had to postpone, you could end up paying for everything twice! Wedding insurance can remove that worry. This isn’t a conventional need but who is to say you you shouldn’t consider it?

4. Wedding Reception Planning

Spend some time beforehand jotting down your requirements and priorities, then visit a number of venues before you make your final choice. Attending friends and families weddings can really get your creative juices flowing.

5. Flowers

These will need to be booked well in advance, especially if you are planning a wedding on a budget. You may wish to shop around and perhaps do some of the flower arrangements yourself.

6. Wedding Music

You may consider to select music for both the ceremony  and the reception venue. Many people hire a live band for the latter. But there is nothing wrong with hiring a DJ. It all comes down to personal preference.

7. Photography

If you are planning a wedding on a budget another option is to consider asking around for friends of friends who do wedding photography.

8. Invitations

Allow extra time depending on how nicely you want to personalize them. Hand written calligraphy invitations are beautiful yet time consuming, so if you have a friend or relative willing to volunteer you should jump at the offer! A detail like this can be very inexpensive to one of the most elaborate things you choose.

9. Wedding Dress

As well as the Groom’s outfits, bridesmaids, plus ushers or ring bearers if you will have them.

10. Wedding Cake

Again, book well in advance or if you are lucky enough to have one of the mothers cooking it for you make sure that you discuss the size and decoration early on.

11. Rings

Again, you may be surprised at the time it takes to both decide on the rings and potentially have them ordered in the right sizes. Visit a jewelers early on in the planning and make sure you discuss budget!

12. Wedding Gift List

Give some thought as to whether you are going to have a traditional wedding gift list, or something more modern like a note to the effect that “We want your presence not your presents,” as some couples do these days.

13. Transportation

Not only from the church to the reception venue, but also transportation arrangements for guests – and very importantly your travel plans for the honeymoon! The importance of planning ahead for your wedding can’t be over-emphasized.

The best wedding planning tip is simply: Be Organized!

Get all your wedding questions answered now at Rachael West Designs.

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Your Guide To Bra Sizing

June 2, 2010 By Karen Hiser Leave a Comment

According to bra experts, a bra that fits properly does not cause pain and is not uncomfortable. Yet, those experts estimate that 85 percent of women are wearing the wrong size bra. That’s a lot of pain and discomfort!

Here are some signs that a bra is not the right size:

•The straps cause red marks on the shoulders. Or the straps are falling down.
•The back of the bra rides up.
•The center of the bra does not touch the breastbone.
•Breasts spill over the top of the cup.
•Breasts are falling forward, drooping, or looking out of shape.

Understanding Bra Cup Size

Cup size is a measurement of how far breasts extend beyond the chest wall. Each one-inch increase in the circumference around the bust line is one increased cup size. For this reason, the cup size on one band size is not equal to the same cup size on another band size. For example, the cup of a 38D bra is smaller than the cup of a 40D.

Here’s how a woman can practically use that knowledge. She tries on a bra with a comfortable band, but her breasts are spilling out. Keeping the same band size, she needs to increase the cup size until she finds the bra that fits. Or she tries a bra with great cup fit, but the band is too big. When she goes down a band size, she also needs to go up a cup size.

For cup sizes larger than D, different manufacturers use different cup designations. For example, in one brand a woman may be a DDDD, but in another brand, she may be a G, F, or FF. However, all manufacturers increase their cup sizes in one-inch circumference increments.

Elements of the Perfect Bra Fit

A bra band should be snug but not too tight, with the back and front of the band level and parallel to the floor. Signs that a band size is too big include breasts falling out from the bottom of the bra and the bra back riding up. The back band provides 90% of a bra’s support, so a bra with a band that is too loose does not provide proper support.

Here are a few more bra fitting tips:

•The bra cups are too small if breast tissue spills out over the neckline or armhole edges.
•The bra cups are too large if they wrinkle or are larger than the breasts.
•For under-wire bras, the under-wire should sit on the ribcage below the breasts and follow a woman’s natural shape. If the underwire pokes, the bra is the wrong size.
•The middle of the bra should lie as flat as possible against the breastbone.

Choosing the best bra may take some trail and error, but the effort is well worth it for a comfortable, supportive fit.

Have any shopping questions? Get all the answers you need now from Rachael West Designs.

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Wedding Checklist a Guide to Planning Your Special Day

April 15, 2010 By Karen Hiser Leave a Comment

Weddings are something that can truly take a lot of time to prepare . Both a mental and emotional commitment occur. Whether your planning your wedding or helping some else with theirs,  it is a time consuming process.  Overwhelming as it may be, believe it or not a wedding can be planned fully with the right approach. Ideally you have a year to plan to full event. Some weddings occur faster than that, but on the whole a wedding usually begins with three hundred and sixty five days until “D” day.

One of the first things you’ll need to determine is the actual date you are getting married.  Once you have this date it will give you an exact time-frame of when you need to get things done and how much time you have to do it. A checklist can act as a guide throughout while planning your wedding.

9-12 months  Planning Ahead

  • Announce Engagement in the fashion of your choice
  • Select Wedding Date
  • Hire wedding consultant/coordinator or create a  checklist to guide yourself
  • Determine the style of wedding, venue , number of  guests and theme
  • Determine  the budget & finalize how expenses are to  be shared
  • Buy a day-timer , upload a calender to your phone, laptop or pda to keep track of appointments & events
  • Develop a record keeping system for payments, deposits and other expenses
  • Create an approximate numbers of guests
  • Establish if you will inviting children for your invitations
  • Select and reserve ceremony site
  • Select and book Officiant/Priest/Minister/Rabbi
  • Select and book reception location
  • Select and order bridal gown
  • Determine colour scheme
  • If ceremony or reception is at a home, arrange for any home improvements
  • Obtain, passports, visas, birth certificates, any documents needed for travel and/or marriage licenses

6 to 9 months Planning Ahead

  • Select and book caterer , this can be a long process as there are several options available
  • Select and book photographer which will compliment the look and feel of your wedding
  • Select wedding party and be sure to confirm every one’s schedules
  • Give wedding party a list of their responsibilities and reiterate the importance of reliability
  • Select and buy attire or bridesmaids & flower girl
  • Select and buy attire for mothers of the bride and groom which can be challenging depending on everyone’s schedules
  • Select and book ceremony musicians or if this is not applicable, establish the equipment needed for this
  • Select and book live band or DJ for reception, try to use what suits your venue
  • Select and book videography
  • Select and book florist, this encompasses so much you may want to give this particular task allot of attention
  • Register for your wedding gifts (this can be done sooner)

4 to 6 Months  Planning Ahead

  • Schedule fittings for custom made bridesmaids gowns, the key here is co ordinating all your wedding parties schedule
  • Arrange marriage prep-courses, if necessary-this can be anywhere from a 4 to a 6 week course so allow yourself the time
  • Reserve rental items, this can  range from all sorts of equipment
  • Select and book decorator or select items that you need and organize who from the wedding party will be helping you
  • Finalize an A and B list of guests
  • Select and order invitations and other wedding stationary, this can include “save the date” cards and reply cards
  • Set date, time and location for rehearsal dinner, make sure the location is convenient for everyone included
  • Select and book honeymoon night suite unless you plan to leave immediatley after the reception to catch a flight
  • Arrange accommodations for out-of-town guests, or provide a list of suitable locations near by the venue and include them in your invitations
  • Start planning your honeymoon, now this can be very overwhelming, stick to a budget to get what you want out of it
  • Shop for your wedding gifts to each other, this may not apply depending on your personal preference
  • Shop for your wedding gifts to your wedding party, when doing this agree on a spending limit and style that suits everyone
  • Shop for your wedding gifts to your parents,again, this may not apply to all couples
  • Buy shoes, lingerie and accessories for the bride, this can be a fun task to include your bridesmaids in
  • Buy shoes and accessories for the bridesmaids, comparison shop on these items
  • Select and order wedding bands,if your egagenent ring already came with a wedding band, choose a complimentary style for the grooms

2 to 4 Months Planning Ahead

  • Take formal engagement picture to have sent out with your announcement
  • Select and order wedding cake, make sure you choose something suitable to your wedding theme
  • Order party favors, this may not be yours to do if you have hired a planner
  • Select and order decorations
  • Purchase honeymoon attire and luggage, this may have been supplied as gifts already
  • Select and book wedding day transportation, this should be well thought out in order to accommodate all the wedding party
  • Start addressing your invitations
  • Go on trials and book wedding day hair and makeup. Bring your headpiece and wear a white shirt, don’t be afraid to voice your dislikes on this
  • Obtain marriage license , be mindful that marriage license do expire so gather required information on this
  • Send out your invitations
  • Select ceremony readers
  • Select ushers to seat your guests
  • Select guest book attendant
  • Select your MC

 

6 to 8 Weeks Planning Ahead

  • Maintain a record of RSVP’s and early wedding gifts in order to keep organized
  • Maintain a record of shower gifts and send thank yous, everyone’s enjoys a thank you card
  • Purchase all ceremony and reception accessories: guest book, toasting glasses, garter, ring pillow, etc.
  • Select and reserve wedding attire for all gentlemen, make sure this is complimentary to the bridesmaids
  •  Invite all intededs to rehearsal dinner
  • Plan bridesmaid luncheon, this can be fun for the girls to get together and share all updates thus far
  • Select your something old, new, borrowed, blue

2 to 6 Weeks  Planning Ahead

  • Finalize all food and beverages for wedding, confirm the serving guidelines
  • Finalize all ceremony details with Officiant, confirming all regulations that need to be met
  • Finalize all rehearsal arrangements and confirm everyone’s attendance
  • Finalize all floral arrangements confirming delivery times
  • Final fittings for yourself and bridesmaids, make this an occasion itself!
  • Make a wedding day itinerary, it can be hard to remain focused with so much going on
  • Give a copy of the itinerary to your wedding party and vendors
  • Finalize all details with all your vendors
  • Decide order of receiving line and head table setting
  • Contact guests that haven’t replied to try to obtain a close head count for food and seating
  • Pick up wedding rings
  • Give photographer a photo checklist to ensure you get the photos you want
  • Visit reception site for floor plan
  • Create reception seating plan
  • Give musicians a list of your music selection or confirm play list with your DJ
  • Inform attendants when and where to pick up attire
  • Print out seating cards
  • Pick up honeymoon tickets

1 Week  Planning Ahead

  • Give caterer/reception venue final tally of guests as close as you can get it
  • Pack for your honeymoon destination
  • Organize wedding reception table favours
  • Arrange mail collection while you are on honeymoon

Day of Rehearsal Dinner

  • Drop all wedding accessories and decor off at ceremony and reception locations, enlist your wedding party if need be
  • Make sure you bring all gifts that will be handed out at dinner
  • Make sure you have all final payments in envelopes for wedding day labeled and readily available
  • Make sure wedding party has their itinerary and is informed of any changes
  • Go to church for rehearsal
  • Review VIP seating with ushers at ceremony location

the Much Anticipated Wedding Day

  • Most of the details will be on your wedding day itinerary
  • Eat breakfast, you will notice if you have not!
  • Pack anything remaining on your “To Bring” list in cars that you may need last minute
  • Make sure Maid of Honor has groom’s ring and Best Man has bride’s ring
  • Make sure you have your marriage license, photo permit and Special Occasions Permit, if needed
  • Put your engagement ring on your right hand if you choose to wear it during the ceremony
  • Remember to look around and soak in the views of the day you planned so long and hard for, this is it.
Announce Engagement

Select Wedding Date

Hire wedding consultant/coordinator

Determine type of wedding: location, theme, # of guests, formality, time of day

Determine budget & how expenses will be shared

Buy a daytimer to keep track of appointments & events

Develop a record keeping system for payments

Create an approximate # guest list

Decide if you will be inviting children or not

Select and reserve ceremony site

Select and book Officiant/Priest/Minister/Rabbi

Select and book reception location

Select and order bridal gown

Determine colour scheme

If ceremony or reception is at a home, arrange for any home improvements

Obtain, passports, visas, birth certificates, any documents need for travel and/or marriage licenses
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The Modern Man’s Quick Guide to Fitness

March 2, 2010 By Karen Hiser Leave a Comment


Acquiring and maintaining a good fitness level can positively impact your quality of life.   Keeping fit allows you to complete everyday tasks and chores with ease.   You’ll be able to maintain alertness and a high energy level throughout the day.   Your level of fitness can be improved through a regimen of resistance exercise, endurance exercise, and proper nutrition. Here is a quick break-down of these important elements of keeping fit:
Perform resistance exercises to maintain muscle tone.   Muscle mass can atrophy by lack of use at a rate of seven pounds per ten years of sedentary living.   When deciding on a lifting routine, it’s best to make certain that the routine is well balanced and includes the muscles of the entire body.   A popular recommendation by many fitness gurus is to split the body into major muscle groups and to work the muscles of two muscle groups once every 48 hours.   For example, training of the leg muscles (squats, calf raises, deadlifts) can be performed on Monday, training of the chest and back muscles (bench presses, chest flys, hyperextensions) can be performed on Wednesday. The 48 hours between workouts will allow your muscles to heal and get stronger before stressing them again with further lifting.   Inspect gym machines and equipment for wear and tear before using them.
Spend at least three days a week performing an aerobic activity.   Aerobic activity is performed over a period of time and requires a larger-than-normal intake of oxygen.   The oxygen is required by the body to help it generate the energy it needs to continue the activity.   Taxing the heart and lungs increases your overall cardiovascular strength and capacity.
Take at least one day a week off to completely rest your body.   Overtraining can have many negative effects.   When overtraining, you’ll notice decreased motor function, increased required recovery time, and decreased performance capabilities (decreased: muscle endurance, strength, and power).   Other signs can include a high resting heart rate, chronic fatigue, trouble sleeping, muscle and joint soreness, depression, apathy, inability to concentrate, and an increased susceptibility to colds and flu.
Taking some time off now and again is especially important.   Stressing the body increases the amount of cortisol (a stress hormone) produced by the body.   Cortisol is a catabolic substance, meaning that it can stop protein synthesis, as well as break down muscle tissue.   The more cortisol present, the harder it will be to maintain muscle tone.
Eat nutritious, balanced meals.   Whole, natural foods can be eaten in small amounts in several meals throughout the day.   Nutritionists recommend eating about five or six meals a day with each meal consisting of protein and complex carbohydrates.   Keeping variety in mind while shopping will help ensure that you are getting most of the vitamins and minerals necessary to keep your body fit and healthy.
Don’t forget to drink plenty of water throughout the day, especially if your workouts are intense.   Research the proper way to perform all exercises and remember to maintain proper form throughout.   When lifting heavy weights in the gym, be certain to ask a spotter to stand by and help.   Warm up and stretch for 15 minutes before working out.   When finished, cool down gradually by walking on a treadmill.

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The Importance Of A Wedding Planning Guide

February 22, 2010 By Karen Hiser Leave a Comment

Unless you plan weddings for a living, you might not realize all of the things that need to be done to get a wedding off the ground. There are so many tasks that some brides begin to become stressed and overwhelmed by the job. Having a good wedding planning guide will help you to understand the importance of each task and how you should get it accomplished.

There should be tips and advice for brides who are planning their own wedding. There are some things that you know you need to have accomplished, but do not know how to go about it. For instance, you know you have to hire a caterer, but unless you have done this before you might not be aware of the questions you should ask and the special requests that you can make.

A wedding planning guide will help you through every step of the process and aid you in making the right decisions. You will also find some truly unique ideas if you use a wedding planning guide. You will get the latest news on trends in the wedding industry.

Weddings change all the time and every year there is something new that is happening in the industry. Keep informed on all of this information and find some great ideas that you never even thought of. There will also be some great ideas for the decorating and table settings at your reception. You don’t have to stick with the traditional unless that is what you want.

There are many new ideas that have been tried to great success at weddings today. The latest trend is action pictures for the photographer. Find out if your photographer can accommodate this for your photos.

The bottom line is that brides need to be super organized to plan an event of the size of a wedding. That is the reason that many people choose to hire a wedding planner for their planning needs. You will not need to hire an outside consultant if you use some of the free wedding planning guide programs online. This will give you all of the benefits of a wedding planner without the cost.

Find a good wedding planning guide and use it to help you be more organized. If you are trying to coordinate a large wedding you will need any help you can get to stay organized and sane. Ask for help from your fiancé and bridesmaids during this very stressful time. It isn’t necessary for the bride to have the entire burden on her shoulders for a perfect wedding. Take advantage of the help that is out there for you to plan the wedding you have always dreamed about.

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NutriSystem Reviews: A Helpful Guide in Starting With the Program

February 22, 2010 By Karen Hiser Leave a Comment

NutriSystem Reviews are particularly helpful in giving insights to weight watchers and those who would like to lose weight and shed off their extra pounds. To give you a background, the NutriSystem is not just your average make-believe company because it is stable in the stock market and has been around in 1972. The diet relies on the glycemic index of carbohydrates, portion eating and the claim that foods included in the menu are formulated to decrease excessive craving thus promote weight loss.

The NutriSystem Food also has added fiber that aids in digestion. The company has different programs for men, women, people with Type II diabetes and those who are elderly. Once you participate in the program, you have to choose or pick 28 breakfast meals, lunch, dinner and snack or just allow the system to choose popular pick of entrees for you.

For 28 days, you don’t have to worry about the food you will be eating since it will be delivered to you in pre-packaged meals with only slight additions of fruits and vegetables as well as water. As for the quality and taste of the food, many people find it delicious and are satisfied with the meals. Others do complain and say that it never really satisfies them.

The NutriSystem Food of course, are way different than the usually tasty and filling meals offered at restaurants and served at home because it contains less sodium, fat and are modified to have the minimum calories. Imagine eating four meals with just 1,200 or 1,500 calories. The calorie content of NutriSystem Food is way lower compared to the standard content of most foods. Imagine having your spaghetti at 240 calories in the NutriSystem program.

The foods can be modified in case the customers have allergies with peanuts, are lactose intolerant or do not want eggs in their diet. There are customer representatives and counselors to accommodate the customers with regards to suggestions and questions and things people would like to clarify.

People may experience difficulty after participating in the program. Those who are used to eating more than three thousand calories a day may find it difficult since you are cutting half of what you normally consume. Plus the fact the NutriSystem Food is way different than what you are used to can bring significant and often not good changes.

The best way to prepare for the sudden diet change is to allot three days of experimentation. Try eating in portions and prepare a daily meal of 1,200 for women or 1,400 calories for men. If after this period, you are convinced that the diet is tolerable enough for you, then you can continue on and start with NutriSystem. If not, there are other ways for you to lose weight. After all, you just need the motivation and discipline to start on your own. Read the reviews to learn about NutriSystem Food and make the right choice. Find out whether NutriSystem is right for you or not.

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