New Hope Soap Blog

A Guide to the Top 10 Best Destination Wedding Guides

A destination wedding offers the bride and groom to have the wedding of their dreams in a unique intimate setting.  It is a way for the couple to combine their wedding and honeymoon into one unforgettable event.  Once you have agreed to a destination wedding, the next decision is to decide where to have your dream wedding.  Here is a guide to the top 10 best destination wedding places.

Hawaii makes the top ten list for many reasons.  One is that no passports are needed to go to Hawaii.  This makes travel easy for not only for you, but for the family and friends that will be joining you.   However, it is not only about the easy travel.  It is about the many picture perfect romantic spots that Hawaii has to offer.   There are lagoons, waterfalls, mountains, beautiful beaches, that would make the perfect spot for your wedding.  The many popular resorts have wedding planners that will be more than happy to help you plan your perfect day.

Wedding favors are a way of thanking your guests for participating in your special day. They are meant to communicate your appreciation for guests that traveled, guests that had to take the day off of work, or guests that hired a babysitter to be able to witness your moment. They are also the most lasting impression that a guest has of your event, as it's a piece of the wedding that goes home with them. 

Unfortunately, most wedding favors find their way into the trash bin only a matter of days later. This is not only a waste of money for you, but also gives your guests a pang of guilt as they toss that silly plastic diamond ring or mini photo of the bride and groom into the trash. How do you avoid this? By giving your guests a unique gift that they will actually want! Here's a look at the top 20 most popular wedding favor ideas.

A Rose By Any Other Name... 

If you're interested in saving a bit of extra money, purchase potted rose bushes and attach cute little tags with your guests names written on them. Bunch them in the center of the table to double them up as centerpieces and your guests can take them home at the end of the evening. 

We are usually under the impression that the wedding day is, well, basically all about the bride.  However, not every groom just wants the responsibility of showing up on their wedding day.  Grooms want to be a part of the planning and even handle some of the wedding responsibility on their own.  With that in mind, here are the top 15 must follow blogs for the groom to follow.

1. Well-Groomed: Well-Groomed was started, in 2010, because the creators were under the assumption that men wanted more than the task of just showing up on their wedding day.  This blog is all about style, wedding planning advice, and even wedding DIYs for the guys.
2. The Groom's List:  This blog is for the guy who wants a checklist of their responsibilities and an explanation to go with them.   This is a great place to go for all the men involved in the wedding.  There is plenty of advice for the fathers involved as well as the groomsmen and ushers.
3. Trendy Groom Wedding Blog:  This blog was created by a full time wedding photographer.    This is the place to go for the groom who needs some inspiration.  This blog provides ideas and tips on how the groom can equally contribute to the wedding, thus making it a truly special day for both the bride and the groom to enjoy.
   

Once you have made the choice to have a DIY wedding, there are many other decisions to make. You need to decide on decoration color and size, flowers, and wedding favors just to name a few. The internet has a plethora of information and ideas. We have done some of the leg work for you and have put together the top 20 wedding planning websites for the DIY bride. 

1. DIY Wedding has a ton of ideas, and even templates, for the DIY bride. They are a great place to start because they have wedding ideas broken down by the four seasons.  

2. You must check out the DIY Network's top 100 wedding projects.        

If you are planning to have an autumn wedding, but don't have a clue of how to go about planning it, don't worry.  

There are 3 things you can take into consideration when planning a fall wedding  so your special day is comfortable, stunning and unique for a lifetime of memories!

1. Fall Colors:  

To make your autumn wedding truly stunning, it is best to use traditional fall hues.  Colors that resonate the season include black, bronze, burgundy, chocolate, cranberry, crimson, gold, ivory and orange.  You can easily fit in fall colors by way of your bouquet, bridesmaids' dresses, groomsmen attire or wedding decor.

2. Seasonal Foods & Beverages:  

Another way to make your fall wedding reminiscent of fall is to have traditional fall foods and beverages at your reception.  You can pair roast beef and roasted turkey with an assortment of caramelized carrots, pears, pomegranates, pumpkin and winter squash.

Finding the perfect wedding dress can be quite a task.Here are some tips that will help you in your search.

From your Friends at New Hope Soap.

Now that you have a date set for your wedding it is time to start looking for that perfect wedding dress. Here are some wedding tips to help find that beautiful wedding dress.

1. Shop Early

You should start shopping about eight to ten months before the wedding. It can take up to two months to find that perfect wedding dress and at least four months to have the gown custom-made to fit your body. The first fitting of your gown is usually six to eight weeks before the wedding. Give yourself plenty of time to shop so you will not feel rushed and make the mistake of settling for the wrong dress.

2. Set The Budget First

You need to set your budget first as it is best to look for gowns that fit that budget rather than a gown that is too expensive. It is essential to remember that your wedding budget includes the gown, alterations, shoes, veil, headpiece, lingerie, and jewelry.

3. Determine Dress Code

Take a hint from your locale and time of day for the wedding as to the formalness of the wedding. A ballroom gown will look out of place in an outdoor ceremony but fit flawlessly for a ballroom wedding. If the ceremony is being performed in a church you may want to check to see if there are any requirements as to dress code for the church.

4. Go in With a Clear Vision of Your Style

Decide whether you want your wedding to be sentimental, graceful, enchanting or classic as this will help in describing to the salesperson what you are looking for in a gown.

You are probably in the middle of planning the biggest day of your life. You probably have a checklist and are crossing things off of the list. Now, it is time for the music and you need some advice.  You have decided that you want a wedding DJ.  So, how do you choose the perfect one?

1. You want to choose a DJ who specializes in weddings, not nightclubs.

DJing at weddings is much different than nightclubs. You want someone who is comfortable at weddings and has all of the songs that are usually played at wedding receptions.

Resources that could make your wedding planning less stressful and more productive!

Ah, weddings!  Love and romance fills the air while dreams of a future together occupy the heart and mind.  The wedding plans themselves, however; can frustrate and sap the energy of even the most excited bride-to-be.  To keep you from biting your nails over the plethora of decisions that must be made, take a look at these wedding planning resources created for helping a bride plan her own wedding.

Staying within your budget is important

This should be the first thing to consider.  From choosing the venue to bridesmaid’s gifts, before you know it, you’ve over-spent your wedding allowance.  See Bridal Guide, The Simple Dollar, and The Knot, for budget-friendly advice.

Organizee your ideas

To keep your ideas together, especially if you are playing around with more than one theme idea, a wedding journal comes in handy.  Zazzle offers an array of notebooks just for the occasion that range in price from $5 to $50 with a variety of subject and design options.  Of course, if you’re a super-organizer, any pad of paper will do.  For the computer savvy, there are web sites that offer online planning software to organize your thoughts and ideas.  The Knot offers iPhone apps such as a planning checklist, wedding budgeter, and guest list manager, as well as personalized wedding websites to help organize details and showcase your ideas to family and friends.

As anyone who has ever been married can tell you, you want everything at the wedding to be perfect.  This means the venue; the decorations, invitations, catering, cake and everything else must be looked at time and time again to insure nothing goes wrong.  This is particularly true with your decision for the Wedding Entertainment.  Every wedding needs music, and there will always be the debate of which is better: a wedding DJ or house band.  Both offer their advantages and disadvantages, so it will be up to you to decide which is best for your special day.

Hiring a wedding videographer who will film your special day is just as important as hiring a caterer who will feed your guests, a photographer who will capture precious snapshots of you, and a DJ who will provide the music. But just like with the other important personnel that help to make your wedding day a success, it can be difficult to find the person who will get the videography job done right. Luckily, we have compiled a list of tips that will make the process much easier and less stressful!

1. Know your budget. For all wedding-related people and services you have to hire, making a choice that is in your financial reach is the most important tip. With a videographer, it's important to find the right balance between expensive and cheap so that you get quality videos to look back on and still have enough money to spend on other things.
   
   
2. Find someone near your venue. Choosing a videographer who lives close to your venue will allow them to steer clear of any traffic-, weather-, or time-related mishaps on the wedding day. You can rest assured that your videographer will be able to get there, and get there quick--without you having to constantly and anxiously check your watch.