USING THE SERVICES OF A RENTAL CENTER/DECORATOR

Most couples find it necessary to use the services of a rental center to provide items for their wedding, reception, or rehearsal dinner. The following are pointers to consider when using the services of a rental center.

First, there are two different kinds of rental centers. One is the full-service commercial rental center that rents everything from tables, chairs, coffee pots, and dishes to special tabletop decorations and items for outdoor weddings, such as tents. These are sometimes called party rental centers.

The other kind is a specialty rental business, also called a decorator, often a private business that may have a limited quantity and variety of items available. This type of center most often specializes in providing decorations, including silk flowers, arches, gazebos and other specialty items. They do not usually provide fresh flowers and they may not have linens for rent. They will not have dishes or serving pieces. Some may not provide tables and chairs. Usually, this type of business will set up the decorations and take them down, which a rental center may not.

Items that you may need to rent for your wedding or reception include:

- tables - arches - dishes - candelabra - vases or other table top decorations - canopies or tents

- chairs - gazebos - coffee maker - tabletop fountains - candle lighters/snuffers

- linens - flatware - punch bowls - aisle runner - glassware

A commercial rental center will have all of the above items, while a specialty center may not carry such things as dishes, flatware, punch bowls, coffee makers, and serving pieces.

No matter where you rent your decorations and serving items, be sure to visit the center. If a private decorator has a home-based business or for some other reason is unable to allow you to visit, ask to visit an event where they are providing the decorations. Arrive before the event starts, while you have time to see how the decorated facility looks before it is filled with guests.

When visiting a store or event location, look for and ask about the following:

•	Are all items in the store, not just the ones you plan to rent, clean, sturdy, and in good repair, including the linens? Tablecloths should be ironed and free of stains and tears.
•	Are employees knowledgeable and courteous?
•	Does the center have linens or decorations in colors that match your color scheme?
•	Does the center deliver and pick up items, and if so, do they charge for it? Many charge a late pick-up fee to come back after your reception to pick up items. You might ask your facility if they will allow the rental center to come on Monday instead. This is often possible unless another event is planned after yours and it saves you the cost of the late fee.
•	Do they assist with set-up and tear-down? This is especially important if you rent a tent, canopy, or gazebo. Most rental centers will erect tents and canopies, but they may not set up tables and chairs or take them down. Most often, a commercial rental center makes a delivery and you are responsible to set-up and tear-down.
•	Is there a minimum amount that must be rented, either a monetary amount or number of items? Most private decorators have a minimum, while commercial rental centers may not. However, the commercial centers charge a delivery fee and it can be more than the cost of a small rental. Therefore, you might want to plan to pick up the items if you only need a few. Depending on the distance to your ceremony or reception site, you may be charged an additional amount for the time and gasoline involved to make the delivery. Most commercial rental centers also charge a damage waiver for the wear and tear on their items.

 
If rental items are being delivered by the rental center, someone should be appointed to be at the church and/or reception center when the truck arrives to check the quantity and quality of each item and to sign for the delivery. When the items are delivered, be certain to verify the time and place where the items will be picked up. If you or someone else is personally returning items and the wedding is on a Saturday, find out if the center is open on Sunday and if the items are expected to be returned on Sunday, or on Monday. This is an area that often leads to unexpected late fees if one assumes that the center is closed on Sundays and it isn¹t.

If a tent or canopy is to be erected by the rental center employees, try to have someone on hand to oversee the process and be sure that the tent is erected in the right location and securely pegged in place. It is particularly important to have the tent securely tethered if it is being erected the day before the wedding or reception. A late night thunderstorm or wind gust could mean disaster if it isn't. Be aware, however, that it can take several hours to erect a large tent.

If you find a problem with a rented item, be sure to note it in writing before you use the item. Have additional people look at the problem and, if possible, take a picture of it. If there is time to replace the item before it must be used, call the rental center and ask them to deliver a replacement.

You can personalize your wedding and stay within your budget by renting some of the many items that are available.

Jo Gartin's Top Tips for an Inspired Wedding

Getting Started:
• Take a moment to prioritize each element of your wedding in order of importance to you. This will help you to distribute your budget accordingly.
• Start a wedding scrapbook filled with magazine clippings that catch your eye to serve as a visual reference for your vendors.

Stationery:
• Even a simple sheet of card stock can make a lasting impression if you simply play around with wording, font combinations, and layouts. • Also, incorporating a sense of the setting into the text of the invitation adds a nice personal touch (At sunset on the island of Jamaica . . . Under the willow tree . . . This autumn in the family garden . . . ).
• Be sure to visit your local post office in advance with a sample of your save the date and invitation to ensure they will be approved to travel through the mail and to see if additional postage is required.

All Dressed Up:
• Wedding dress designers often have up to two sample sales a year. Call your local boutique to find out the dates and you may just get to walk down the aisle in your dream gown for a fraction of the price.
• Use your wedding shoes as house slippers for a week or two so you can get used to them before the big day. Having a pair of ballet flats with you at your wedding can also come in handy for tired toes.

Blissful Blooms:
• If you are trying to save a little money on the cost of flowers, here’s a tip: avoid planning your wedding just before Mother's Day or Valentine's Day.
• Personalize your bouquet by wrapping it in a photocopied love letter or note written during your courtship. Attaching a family heirloom is also a great personal touch.

Cocktails:
• Bring an intimacy to your cocktail hour by scattering cushions, placing art books from home on coffee tables, and displaying little photo frames housing fun trivia about your relationship . . . how many days you have been together, who said "I love you" first for example.
• Add a twist to your cocktails by adding a skewer of frozen cranberries as a garnish.

Let's Celebrate:
• Include the story of how you met into your ceremony. It allows guests to experience part of your love story.
• Spray your favorite room spray about the dining room just before guests enter for a scented welcome.
• Offer guests a midnight snack of donut holes and chocolate milk at their good byes.
• Ask your music company or musicians to compile a CD for you of all the songs they played at your wedding. It makes a great keepsake.

Tips for the Bride on Her Wedding Day

A Bride's Wedding Day can be filled with lots of joy, excitement and anticipation along with a measure of anxiety and a certain level of stress. The following checklist will hopefully help to keep the anxiety and stress levels to a minimum.

1. Wedding Gown
As we all know your wedding gown is a very important item on your wedding day, I dare say some brides will consider it THE most important. After all, you've invested a lot of time, not to mention money, in selecting the perfect gown. So, it should go without saying that you should make sure your gown is ready the night before the wedding, right? While you are doing that, also make sure that the following items are ready;

• Veil and headpiece
• Special undergarments (bra, panties, slip, hoisery)
• Garter
• Shoes
• Gloves
• Jewelry

And in case your veil or dress gets a bit wrinkled have an Iron or Steamer handy.

2. Make-up and Hair
If you are doing the make-up yourself, the following items should be easily accesible;
• Make-up (foundation, powder, eye liner, eye shadow, blush, lip pencil, lipstick)

If you are having someone else do your make-up, call and confirm your appointment time.

Other essential items are;
• Nail polish and file
• Curling Iron, curlers
• Comb, brush
• Hairspray, extra bobby pins
• Hand-held mirror

Again if someone else will be doing your hair, call to confirm the appointment time.

3. Emergency Kit
I'm not talking about a First Aid Kit or the famous black bag that doctors carry, unless of course you are a doctor. I'm talking about a few items that can help make your day be a smooth one. To that end you will need the following;
• breath mints
• hanky
• small needle and thread kit
• a few safety pins
• extra hoisery
• lipstick and compact mirror

4. Reception
If you are planning to change your outfit for the reception, make sure you have;
• Going-away outfit
• Going -away shoes and hosiery
• Undergarments
• Accessories (jewelry, etc)

And if you are departing for your honeymoon right after your reception;
• Honeymoon suitcases should be placed in the get-away car along with your wedding night bag.

5. Ceremony
Most common items for a ceremony are;
• Ring pillow
• Flower basket ( if not being delivered by your florist)
• Bible
• Unity Candles
• Bridal Bouquet

However, the list can dramatically change depending on religion, ethnicity, type of ceremony etc. Make sure your checklist on this category includes the items you want to incorporate in your ceremony.

The Wedding Day is the one day where prayers for perfection abound. Making a "to do list" will keep things from feeling out-of-control and overwhelming, thus allowing for a more enjoyable and pleasurable experience for the bride and those around her.

USING THE SERVICES OF A RENTAL CENTER/DECORATOR

Most couples find it necessary to use the services of a rental center to provide items for their wedding, reception, or rehearsal dinner. The following are pointers to consider when using the services of a rental center.

First, there are two different kinds of rental centers. One is the full-service commercial rental center that rents everything from tables, chairs, coffee pots, and dishes to special tabletop decorations and items for outdoor weddings, such as tents. These are sometimes called party rental centers.

The other kind is a specialty rental business, also called a decorator, often a private business that may have a limited quantity and variety of items available. This type of center most often specializes in providing decorations, including silk flowers, arches, gazebos and other specialty items. They do not usually provide fresh flowers and they may not have linens for rent. They will not have dishes or serving pieces. Some may not provide tables and chairs. Usually, this type of business will set up the decorations and take them down, which a rental center may not.

Items that you may need to rent for your wedding or reception include:

- tables - arches - dishes - candelabra - vases or other table top decorations - canopies or tents

- chairs - gazebos - coffee maker - tabletop fountains - candle lighters/snuffers

- linens - flatware - punch bowls - aisle runner - glassware

A commercial rental center will have all of the above items, while a specialty center may not carry such things as dishes, flatware, punch bowls, coffee makers, and serving pieces.

No matter where you rent your decorations and serving items, be sure to visit the center. If a private decorator has a home-based business or for some other reason is unable to allow you to visit, ask to visit an event where they are providing the decorations. Arrive before the event starts, while you have time to see how the decorated facility looks before it is filled with guests.

When visiting a store or event location, look for and ask about the following:

•	Are all items in the store, not just the ones you plan to rent, clean, sturdy, and in good repair, including the linens? Tablecloths should be ironed and free of stains and tears.
•	Are employees knowledgeable and courteous?
•	Does the center have linens or decorations in colors that match your color scheme?
•	Does the center deliver and pick up items, and if so, do they charge for it? Many charge a late pick-up fee to come back after your reception to pick up items. You might ask your facility if they will allow the rental center to come on Monday instead. This is often possible unless another event is planned after yours and it saves you the cost of the late fee.
•	Do they assist with set-up and tear-down? This is especially important if you rent a tent, canopy, or gazebo. Most rental centers will erect tents and canopies, but they may not set up tables and chairs or take them down. Most often, a commercial rental center makes a delivery and you are responsible to set-up and tear-down.
•	Is there a minimum amount that must be rented, either a monetary amount or number of items? Most private decorators have a minimum, while commercial rental centers may not. However, the commercial centers charge a delivery fee and it can be more than the cost of a small rental. Therefore, you might want to plan to pick up the items if you only need a few. Depending on the distance to your ceremony or reception site, you may be charged an additional amount for the time and gasoline involved to make the delivery. Most commercial rental centers also charge a damage waiver for the wear and tear on their items.

 
If rental items are being delivered by the rental center, someone should be appointed to be at the church and/or reception center when the truck arrives to check the quantity and quality of each item and to sign for the delivery. When the items are delivered, be certain to verify the time and place where the items will be picked up. If you or someone else is personally returning items and the wedding is on a Saturday, find out if the center is open on Sunday and if the items are expected to be returned on Sunday, or on Monday. This is an area that often leads to unexpected late fees if one assumes that the center is closed on Sundays and it isn¹t.

If a tent or canopy is to be erected by the rental center employees, try to have someone on hand to oversee the process and be sure that the tent is erected in the right location and securely pegged in place. It is particularly important to have the tent securely tethered if it is being erected the day before the wedding or reception. A late night thunderstorm or wind gust could mean disaster if it isn't. Be aware, however, that it can take several hours to erect a large tent.

If you find a problem with a rented item, be sure to note it in writing before you use the item. Have additional people look at the problem and, if possible, take a picture of it. If there is time to replace the item before it must be used, call the rental center and ask them to deliver a replacement.

You can personalize your wedding and stay within your budget by renting some of the many items that are available.

Jo Gartin's Top Tips for an Inspired Wedding

Getting Started:
• Take a moment to prioritize each element of your wedding in order of importance to you. This will help you to distribute your budget accordingly.
• Start a wedding scrapbook filled with magazine clippings that catch your eye to serve as a visual reference for your vendors.

Stationery:
• Even a simple sheet of card stock can make a lasting impression if you simply play around with wording, font combinations, and layouts. • Also, incorporating a sense of the setting into the text of the invitation adds a nice personal touch (At sunset on the island of Jamaica . . . Under the willow tree . . . This autumn in the family garden . . . ).
• Be sure to visit your local post office in advance with a sample of your save the date and invitation to ensure they will be approved to travel through the mail and to see if additional postage is required.

All Dressed Up:
• Wedding dress designers often have up to two sample sales a year. Call your local boutique to find out the dates and you may just get to walk down the aisle in your dream gown for a fraction of the price.
• Use your wedding shoes as house slippers for a week or two so you can get used to them before the big day. Having a pair of ballet flats with you at your wedding can also come in handy for tired toes.

Blissful Blooms:
• If you are trying to save a little money on the cost of flowers, here’s a tip: avoid planning your wedding just before Mother's Day or Valentine's Day.
• Personalize your bouquet by wrapping it in a photocopied love letter or note written during your courtship. Attaching a family heirloom is also a great personal touch.

Cocktails:
• Bring an intimacy to your cocktail hour by scattering cushions, placing art books from home on coffee tables, and displaying little photo frames housing fun trivia about your relationship . . . how many days you have been together, who said "I love you" first for example.
• Add a twist to your cocktails by adding a skewer of frozen cranberries as a garnish.

Let's Celebrate:
• Include the story of how you met into your ceremony. It allows guests to experience part of your love story.
• Spray your favorite room spray about the dining room just before guests enter for a scented welcome.
• Offer guests a midnight snack of donut holes and chocolate milk at their good byes.
• Ask your music company or musicians to compile a CD for you of all the songs they played at your wedding. It makes a great keepsake.

Tips for the Bride on Her Wedding Day

A Bride's Wedding Day can be filled with lots of joy, excitement and anticipation along with a measure of anxiety and a certain level of stress. The following checklist will hopefully help to keep the anxiety and stress levels to a minimum.

1. Wedding Gown
As we all know your wedding gown is a very important item on your wedding day, I dare say some brides will consider it THE most important. After all, you've invested a lot of time, not to mention money, in selecting the perfect gown. So, it should go without saying that you should make sure your gown is ready the night before the wedding, right? While you are doing that, also make sure that the following items are ready;

• Veil and headpiece
• Special undergarments (bra, panties, slip, hoisery)
• Garter
• Shoes
• Gloves
• Jewelry

And in case your veil or dress gets a bit wrinkled have an Iron or Steamer handy.

2. Make-up and Hair
If you are doing the make-up yourself, the following items should be easily accesible;
• Make-up (foundation, powder, eye liner, eye shadow, blush, lip pencil, lipstick)

If you are having someone else do your make-up, call and confirm your appointment time.

Other essential items are;
• Nail polish and file
• Curling Iron, curlers
• Comb, brush
• Hairspray, extra bobby pins
• Hand-held mirror

Again if someone else will be doing your hair, call to confirm the appointment time.

3. Emergency Kit
I'm not talking about a First Aid Kit or the famous black bag that doctors carry, unless of course you are a doctor. I'm talking about a few items that can help make your day be a smooth one. To that end you will need the following;
• breath mints
• hanky
• small needle and thread kit
• a few safety pins
• extra hoisery
• lipstick and compact mirror

4. Reception
If you are planning to change your outfit for the reception, make sure you have;
• Going-away outfit
• Going -away shoes and hosiery
• Undergarments
• Accessories (jewelry, etc)

And if you are departing for your honeymoon right after your reception;
• Honeymoon suitcases should be placed in the get-away car along with your wedding night bag.

5. Ceremony
Most common items for a ceremony are;
• Ring pillow
• Flower basket ( if not being delivered by your florist)
• Bible
• Unity Candles
• Bridal Bouquet

However, the list can dramatically change depending on religion, ethnicity, type of ceremony etc. Make sure your checklist on this category includes the items you want to incorporate in your ceremony.

The Wedding Day is the one day where prayers for perfection abound. Making a "to do list" will keep things from feeling out-of-control and overwhelming, thus allowing for a more enjoyable and pleasurable experience for the bride and those around her.

WEDDING GIFT ETIQUETTE

The giving and receiving of wedding gifts is a long-standing tradition. It is also one of the areas where more etiquette rules are broken than perhaps any other part of your wedding. The following tips are designed to help you have a lovely wedding without inadvertently offending your guests.

• Your guests are not obligated to give a gift, though most do. An invitation to your wedding is a request for guests to join you in celebrating a joyous occasion in your life and it should never be about gifts. If a guest is having financial difficulties or for some other reason is unable to give a gift, don't worry about it.

• Do not include registry information in your invitation or mention gifts in any way in the invitation. The stores where you register encourage you to place their cards in your invitation because it is good for their business. However, it is not proper to do so and it offends your guests who know that. A shower hostess may place registry information in a shower invitation, however.

• Do not tell your guests that you want money or that you will have a money tree at the reception. You should not mention gifts, nor should you suggest that your guests give you a particular type of gift. Judith Martin, also known as Miss Manners, calls this "shaking down your guests." Money trees are controversial and may offend rather than bringing in much money. Your guests are not obligated to help you pay for your wedding or honeymoon.

• Guests will choose a gift based on their budget and on how well they know you. They are not obligated to cover the cost of their meal and they should not even know how much you paid for your reception. To give out that information is considered bragging and has no bearing on what your guests will give.

• Send thank-you notes within three months of the wedding. If you receive gifts before the wedding, write the thank yous immediately, then mail them after the wedding.

• If you return gifts, don't mention it to the giver unless you absolutely must. If you receive five toasters, you may need to explain the circumstances and find out where to return the gifts. If you simply don't care for an item, or the color or style isn't to your liking, then don't offend the giver by letting them know that you don't like their taste. Simply thank them for the gift.

When the bride and groom and their guests display courtesy and good manners concerning the giving and receiving of gifts, there are no hurt feelings and you can look back on your wedding with pleasant memories.

Wedding Cakes - Do's and Dont's

You spent several hundred dollars for a beautiful and elaborate wedding cake, a replica of one that you saw in a magazine. Everyone remarks on how pretty it is, and you are delighted. Then, a half hour into the reception, just as you are beginning to relax and enjoy yourself, your coordinator tells you that the cake is starting to collapse and you need to cut it now while there is still time to salvage it and to get those special pictures. You rush to the cake table, place a forced smile on your face and quickly cut the cake.

Unfortunately, this scenario occurs all too often, especially at summer weddings, but it can be prevented. You can alleviate some of the problems by considering the following things when you choose your cake:

• Cakes don't tolerate heat, particularly those made with buttercreme icing, nor do they tolerate wind. Keep the cake indoors, if possible, or in the shade. If the cake must be placed outdoors, first place it in a refrigerator, if possible.

Place the cake in a location that is level; otherwise, the layers may tip or slide. Shim the table legs if necessary to make them level. This is particularly important at outdoor locations.

• Cakes that have pillars between the layers are more apt to tip or collapse than those in which the layers are stacked on top of one another or placed on individual pedestals. Neither pillars nor pedestals do well in windy locations, however.

• Have the cake delivered as late as possible so that it doesn't stand for several hours before being cut.

• If you choose to use colored icing on your cake, the food coloring can stain your gown and your hands. Butter and shortening used in the icing will also stain, particularly if you wipe your hands on your gown (a natural tendency when they are sticky). Use forks, not your fingers, to serve each other and don't under any circumstances shove cake in each other's face.

With a bit of planning, you can have your cake and eat it too.

Wedding Budgeting - If Money Matters

True enough, a wedding is the most difficult event to plan and prepare for. And it gets even more challenging if the budget is tight. But don't fret, we have come up with some tips to help you stay on track money-wise.

1. Limit your invites to the most important people in your life. Less guests less expenses.

2. The venue eats up a huge percentage of the budget so be wise and practical when selecting your venue. If possible, have both the ceremony and the reception in one place to minimize your cost.

3. Resist the urge to pick foods that are costly i.e. lobsters, steaks. You can still impress your guests with less expensive food.

4. Keep your invitation simple. If you have the time or extra helping hands, you may even want to consider making the invitation yourself. You can get wedding invitation kits from wedding supply stores or even your local craft store.

5. When decorating the venue, keep the use of flowers to a minimum. They are costly. Use candles (they go a long way when it comes to giving life to a venue), tulles and ribbons as substitutes.

6. While it is nice to be entertained by a live band, recorded music will do just fine.

7. Forget about hiring an emcee. Ask a family member or a friend to emcee instead.

8. Ask yourself if you really want your wedding on a film. Will you spend some time after the wedding to watch it? Or will the video end up in your grandmother's chest in the attic?

9. Opt for a less extravagant cake. Get a 2-tiered cake instead of a 4- or 3-tiered cake. Another option is mini cakes arranged in a layered cake rack.

10. Limit the champagne to the toast. Instead of wine, serve less expensive drinks.

11. Forget about hiring a wedding planner. You can still get the job done with the help of family members and friends.

12. Instead of hiring a limousine, look for alternative means of transport i.e. a friend's Bentley, your fathers Mercedes.

13. Always haggle for a lower price with the wedding vendors. Since they expect some negotiations to happen, they would most often give a quote that is higher than what they are willing to accept.

Want to Plan The Perfect Wedding? Learn the Six Ps

Is your head spinning? If you’re planning a wedding, it probably is. Many brides find themselves overwhelmed by all the details, especially in the early stages of preparation. That’s why I’ve compiled the Six Ps of Wedding Planning – these tips will help you deal with the details and reduce your pre-wedding stress:

1. Price Regardless of who is picking up the tab, you need to know and adhere to the budget. Before booking the hall, ordering invitations, or spending any money at all, you should compile a list of what each item will cost and make sure it fits within your budget. Good research is the key to planning a successful, affordable wedding.

2. Practical Being on a budget requires the bride and groom to make sensible choices. For example, splurging on a designer wedding gown may mean sacrificing something else down the line. That leads into our next P...

3. Prioritize Your wedding preparations start with the proposal and end with the honeymoon. It’s everything in between that can be hair-raising for you and your family! There are literally hundreds of things to do, order, book, arrange, and buy. I’ve prepared a special checklist of wedding tasks that will help you get organized and prevent last minute panics. Request your free copy by sending an email toinfo@yourethebride.com with the words "Countdown article" in the subject line.

4. Pleasant Sometimes this is the toughest of the Six Ps. When you feel the tension mounting, take time out for yourself. You don’t want your wedding to be remembered as an ordeal so try to keep a positive outlook.

5. Parents Whenever possible let parents and siblings assist with the preparations. You’ll need plenty of helpers and they’ll appreciate being involved.

6. Protocol Wedding etiquette has become more complex over the years. There are several books available on the subject such as Emily Post’s Wedding Etiquette. But one great free resource is an article entitled "Wedding Etiquette Guidelines." It deals with touchy issues like who pays for what, who do you tip, how do you word the invitations, and much more. To request a free copy, send an email with the subject line "Wedding etiquette article" to event@dgevent.in ,

I wish you all the best as you plan for your wedding day. Using the Six Ps can make the preparations easier and more pleasant for you and your family.

WEDDING GIFT ETIQUETTE

The giving and receiving of wedding gifts is a long-standing tradition. It is also one of the areas where more etiquette rules are broken than perhaps any other part of your wedding. The following tips are designed to help you have a lovely wedding without inadvertently offending your guests.

• Your guests are not obligated to give a gift, though most do. An invitation to your wedding is a request for guests to join you in celebrating a joyous occasion in your life and it should never be about gifts. If a guest is having financial difficulties or for some other reason is unable to give a gift, don't worry about it.

• Do not include registry information in your invitation or mention gifts in any way in the invitation. The stores where you register encourage you to place their cards in your invitation because it is good for their business. However, it is not proper to do so and it offends your guests who know that. A shower hostess may place registry information in a shower invitation, however.

• Do not tell your guests that you want money or that you will have a money tree at the reception. You should not mention gifts, nor should you suggest that your guests give you a particular type of gift. Judith Martin, also known as Miss Manners, calls this "shaking down your guests." Money trees are controversial and may offend rather than bringing in much money. Your guests are not obligated to help you pay for your wedding or honeymoon.

• Guests will choose a gift based on their budget and on how well they know you. They are not obligated to cover the cost of their meal and they should not even know how much you paid for your reception. To give out that information is considered bragging and has no bearing on what your guests will give.

• Send thank-you notes within three months of the wedding. If you receive gifts before the wedding, write the thank yous immediately, then mail them after the wedding.

• If you return gifts, don't mention it to the giver unless you absolutely must. If you receive five toasters, you may need to explain the circumstances and find out where to return the gifts. If you simply don't care for an item, or the color or style isn't to your liking, then don't offend the giver by letting them know that you don't like their taste. Simply thank them for the gift.

When the bride and groom and their guests display courtesy and good manners concerning the giving and receiving of gifts, there are no hurt feelings and you can look back on your wedding with pleasant memories.

Wedding Cakes - Do's and Dont's

You spent several hundred dollars for a beautiful and elaborate wedding cake, a replica of one that you saw in a magazine. Everyone remarks on how pretty it is, and you are delighted. Then, a half hour into the reception, just as you are beginning to relax and enjoy yourself, your coordinator tells you that the cake is starting to collapse and you need to cut it now while there is still time to salvage it and to get those special pictures. You rush to the cake table, place a forced smile on your face and quickly cut the cake.

Unfortunately, this scenario occurs all too often, especially at summer weddings, but it can be prevented. You can alleviate some of the problems by considering the following things when you choose your cake:

• Cakes don't tolerate heat, particularly those made with buttercreme icing, nor do they tolerate wind. Keep the cake indoors, if possible, or in the shade. If the cake must be placed outdoors, first place it in a refrigerator, if possible.

Place the cake in a location that is level; otherwise, the layers may tip or slide. Shim the table legs if necessary to make them level. This is particularly important at outdoor locations.

• Cakes that have pillars between the layers are more apt to tip or collapse than those in which the layers are stacked on top of one another or placed on individual pedestals. Neither pillars nor pedestals do well in windy locations, however.

• Have the cake delivered as late as possible so that it doesn't stand for several hours before being cut.

• If you choose to use colored icing on your cake, the food coloring can stain your gown and your hands. Butter and shortening used in the icing will also stain, particularly if you wipe your hands on your gown (a natural tendency when they are sticky). Use forks, not your fingers, to serve each other and don't under any circumstances shove cake in each other's face.

With a bit of planning, you can have your cake and eat it too.

Wedding Budgeting - If Money Matters

True enough, a wedding is the most difficult event to plan and prepare for. And it gets even more challenging if the budget is tight. But don't fret, we have come up with some tips to help you stay on track money-wise.

1. Limit your invites to the most important people in your life. Less guests less expenses.

2. The venue eats up a huge percentage of the budget so be wise and practical when selecting your venue. If possible, have both the ceremony and the reception in one place to minimize your cost.

3. Resist the urge to pick foods that are costly i.e. lobsters, steaks. You can still impress your guests with less expensive food.

4. Keep your invitation simple. If you have the time or extra helping hands, you may even want to consider making the invitation yourself. You can get wedding invitation kits from wedding supply stores or even your local craft store.

5. When decorating the venue, keep the use of flowers to a minimum. They are costly. Use candles (they go a long way when it comes to giving life to a venue), tulles and ribbons as substitutes.

6. While it is nice to be entertained by a live band, recorded music will do just fine.

7. Forget about hiring an emcee. Ask a family member or a friend to emcee instead.

8. Ask yourself if you really want your wedding on a film. Will you spend some time after the wedding to watch it? Or will the video end up in your grandmother's chest in the attic?

9. Opt for a less extravagant cake. Get a 2-tiered cake instead of a 4- or 3-tiered cake. Another option is mini cakes arranged in a layered cake rack.

10. Limit the champagne to the toast. Instead of wine, serve less expensive drinks.

11. Forget about hiring a wedding planner. You can still get the job done with the help of family members and friends.

12. Instead of hiring a limousine, look for alternative means of transport i.e. a friend's Bentley, your fathers Mercedes.

13. Always haggle for a lower price with the wedding vendors. Since they expect some negotiations to happen, they would most often give a quote that is higher than what they are willing to accept.

Want to Plan The Perfect Wedding? Learn the Six Ps

Is your head spinning? If you’re planning a wedding, it probably is. Many brides find themselves overwhelmed by all the details, especially in the early stages of preparation. That’s why I’ve compiled the Six Ps of Wedding Planning – these tips will help you deal with the details and reduce your pre-wedding stress:

1. Price Regardless of who is picking up the tab, you need to know and adhere to the budget. Before booking the hall, ordering invitations, or spending any money at all, you should compile a list of what each item will cost and make sure it fits within your budget. Good research is the key to planning a successful, affordable wedding.

2. Practical Being on a budget requires the bride and groom to make sensible choices. For example, splurging on a designer wedding gown may mean sacrificing something else down the line. That leads into our next P...

3. Prioritize Your wedding preparations start with the proposal and end with the honeymoon. It’s everything in between that can be hair-raising for you and your family! There are literally hundreds of things to do, order, book, arrange, and buy. I’ve prepared a special checklist of wedding tasks that will help you get organized and prevent last minute panics. Request your free copy by sending an email toinfo@yourethebride.com with the words "Countdown article" in the subject line.

4. Pleasant Sometimes this is the toughest of the Six Ps. When you feel the tension mounting, take time out for yourself. You don’t want your wedding to be remembered as an ordeal so try to keep a positive outlook.

5. Parents Whenever possible let parents and siblings assist with the preparations. You’ll need plenty of helpers and they’ll appreciate being involved.

6. Protocol Wedding etiquette has become more complex over the years. There are several books available on the subject such as Emily Post’s Wedding Etiquette. But one great free resource is an article entitled "Wedding Etiquette Guidelines." It deals with touchy issues like who pays for what, who do you tip, how do you word the invitations, and much more. To request a free copy, send an email with the subject line "Wedding etiquette article" to event@dgevent.in ,

I wish you all the best as you plan for your wedding day. Using the Six Ps can make the preparations easier and more pleasant for you and your family.

Wedding Planning: Involve your Fiancé in 10 Easy Steps

He's popped the question. You've chosen a date. And now, you're swimming in a sea of euphoria with no horizons. Good thing, too, because there are literally a thousand things to arrange before the big day.

You do the research, buckle under and dive in. But you find your fiancé's ardor for the event itself seems to have cooled. It's not that he isn't mad about marrying you; after all, he is a great guy, even if he can't tell a Vera Wang from a Gunny Sack. It's that his preparation style is hands-off, to say the least. And planning a wedding isn't a job built for one.

So what to do? Here are ten ways to involve him without increasing both of your stress loads:

1) Delegate areas that have a prayer of interesting him.
The worst thing you can do is expect him to match your ten to twenty years of feminine wisdom on the relative merits of buttercream vs. fondant.

Here are some probable no areas when roping in a reluctant wedding planner:
- Selecting the cake frosting
- Choosing the favors or favor packaging
- Selecting the wedding colors or floral arrangements

Then there are the potential maybes, fraught with fewer hazards:
- Choosing the photographer
- Choosing the videographer
- Arranging the rehearsal dinner
- Arranging the all-inclusive honeymoon
- Renting big, tricky items like outdoor tents

These are probable yeses, well worth running by your guy:
- Selecting the DJ or the band
- Setting up and maintaining your wedding website
- Researching and selecting charities, if you choose to donate instead of giving out favors
- Setting up the carriage, limo or other transportation arrangements

2) If you ask him to help you choose vendors and styles, narrow down the choices first.
It's a jungle of options out there, enough to give the most natural-born party planner pause. So if you want his opinion on photographers, invites, flowers or cakes, narrow down the options to three or four. He's less likely to feel overwhelmed, and more likely to feel like an important part of the process.

At times, it'll feel so good to share the load that you'll be tempted to drag him into the buttercream debate despite your better instincts. At these times, take a deep breath, count to ten, and call your mother or your maid of honor.

3) Ask him directly for help.
Let him know how important his input is to you, and that you can't do it without him.
Guys like to be needed. Your frank request for help may be enough to pull him out of his comfort zone and onto your team.

4) Try the Art Director/Production Staff approach.
If you think your guy wants to help, but feels uncomfortable playing "art director," give him "production staff" tasks. Have him make the payments, pick up the food or decor, handle the rentals, do online comparison shopping, or reserve the hotels and reception halls. These are all jobs that will take a load off your shoulders, while freeing up time for the aesthetic stuff you probably enjoy and he doesn't.

5) Get a calendar and put all the planning in black and white.
Your fiancé probably doesn't have the first clue in what goes into a wedding.
Get your wedding planner, write it all down, and show him. Once he gets over the shock, you'll both probably be able to identify areas that interest him. Make lists of the things you've each agreed to do, and cross them off as they get done. At the very least, he'll be far more supportive when he sees what you're going through.

6) Weave his family heritage/ethnicity/traditions into the ceremony.
What did his parents do? He might be surprised at the question, but it could lead somewhere valuable. He might ask his parents about their wedding, and find your wedding consequently enriched. Look through their wedding album together. Are his ancestors German, Polish, Italian, Croatian, Asian? Incorporate some old-world traditions into your ceremony.

7) Don't bring him in too early.
Treat your fiance as a bit of a pinch hitter. Sure, you may be fully aware that you can shave 5K off your costs by starting your favor crafts and reservations 18 months ahead of time. But if he's like most guys, the wedding won't become real to him until it draws closer. Expect him to jump in about six months before the actual ceremony, and break into a (relative) frenzy of activity about one month in advance.

8) Talk about something besides the wedding.
Guys aren't the only ones who complain about brides-to-be talking of nothing but upcoming nuptials. Sometimes, even girlfriends get overwhelmed by all the wedding chatter.

Spend some time alone chatting about anything but the wedding. See a silly movie, split a hot fudge sundae, or watch a basketball game. Do something spontaneous that reminds you both of why you decided to marry in the first place.

9) Check your subtext for hidden meanings.
Tempting as it might be, make sure you're not using your fiance as a coin-toss tool (ever noticed how people flip coins to find out what they really want?). When you ask for his opinion, take it seriously. And when you give him ownership of a task, don't second-guess every step.

Imagine that your fiancé has told you he's going to draft a dream team in his fantasy football league, and it's going to cost him $20K to participate. Now imagine that he's told you your help is supremely important to him.

You'd be a little hesitant to give opinions, right? Some of your ideas might sound feeble, even to your own ears. Hopefully he'd welcome your thoughts, however odd it felt for you to venture them. Now imagine your fiancé feels kind of like that when it comes to the wedding.

10) Remember that men become wedding experts by having one.
Chances are, your sweetheart will open his eyes to the wonder of a wedding by the time the rose petals are tossed. Forever after, he'll be examining friend's receptions with a practiced eye, and anticipating the next excuse for a Really Big Shindig.

So keep him around, and count on throwing a first-rate anniversary celebration ten years down the road. In a way, that'll be the party that really matters, won't it?