The Hurbicide Guru

Weddings have become costly nowadays. It takes $15K to $20K to have a wedding. Hence it is essential for a good wedding planning. If you can plan properly you could save a lot and you may wonder that you have done you wedding at only 25% of the cost that it takes. There are wedding planners available who would guide you to cut down the unnecessary expenses incurred on a wedding.

If you plan carefully you can even cut down the costs drastically. A little careful wedding planning will keep you amazed at the amount that you have saved. Have a budget set for your wedding and list down the items that you need to be present at your wedding.

Then revise the list to have the most important thing in it and try to remove the items that are not necessary. Only if you put it down on paper you would find what and all to cut down from the list. If you have a PC there are websites that give out free wedding planners that you can use. Or you can download them and take a printout of those planners and use it for your wedding planning.

There are many items that you can reduce the cost. Instead of a big wedding cake you can order a small one and have a sheet cake to be cut and served. The cake can serve as the dessert instead of other sweets being ordered.

Even while shopping for your dresses you can look for discounts or even ask your good old grandma to make your gown for you! They would be pleased to do it for your wedding. You have to keep your dear ones engaged by asking them to contribute some service for your wedding. In this type of wedding planning you could cut down a lot of unnecessary expenses.

You would have come across any person who is much interested in photography from your relatives. You can ask their service for the photography sessions for your wedding instead of hiring a professional photographer. They would be happy to do it if you can give them such responsibilities.

One of your uncles might be interested in recording videos. Having a reception on Friday night instead of Saturday would cut down a lot of money spent. For the dinner you should choose a buffet system instead of a sit-down dinner. A buffet would actually cut down cost of the dinner.

Instead of a limousine you might choose a Cadillac or other luxury vehicle and cut down quite a sum. You can also cut down cost on the invitations if you choose invitations that require minimum stamping.

Instead of having a separate invitation for the reception you can print down the reception information on the wedding invitation itself. This would cut down a considerable cost on invitations. A little wedding planning and a little effort would help you to save a lot of money unnecessarily spent on your wedding. You can plan your wedding on any budget! Happy wedding!

Tracking down a wedding officiant can be a little intimidating. Perhaps you remember a time when it was hard to get one if you weren’t among the “regularly churched”! But times have changed, and hiring an officiant for your wedding is now standard procedure.

Basically, brides-to-be find themselves in one of two camps: Either they have a regular church and a favorite minister, who might be a longstanding family friend, or they need to find one through word-of-mouth or web sites.

The latter situation often costs more, but allows for a lot of flexibility. Depending on your tastes and faiths, you can often find a judge, a Catholic priest to marry you outdoors, a Rabbi to officiate at an interfaith wedding, a non-denominational officiant who encourages you to write your own vows, and so on.

How to find officiants

A good national directory for finding Catholic officiants is www.rentapriest.com.

If you’re stuck for ideas, try asking vendors. Your florist or caterer is probably well acquainted with local options.

Another excellent way to find officiants is to visit a large wedding forum, like The Knot, and post on boards for your local geographic area. You can often get an idea of the flavor, preparedness, flexibility and even appearance of a popular local officiant.

When should you book an officiant?

Some officiants book early. If you’re really particular about whom you want to do the service and can’t budge on the date, try to book more than six months in advance. Some couples book a year ahead.

How much do officiants charge?

A minister at your own church may not charge anything at all, but may accept donations. In that case, a $100-200 donation is about average. Ask the minister yourself if there’s any doubt.

An officiant you engage yourself will set his or her own rates. Rates generally range from $250-600, but some well-known officiants may charge more.

Do we send an invitation?

By custom, you invite your officiant to your rehearsal dinner as a guest. You also invite the officiant and his or her spouse to your reception with a formal invitation, just like other guests. Unless the officiant is an old family friend, he or she may decline to stay, but an invitation is proper. You aren’t expected to invite the officiant’s children.

Can you use a friend as an officiant?

It’s done all the time, and can make weddings very personal. A father, mother, or the friend who introduced you can make for an amazing event. Be sure to pick someone comfortable speaking in front of large crowds, and brush up on your state’s laws and licensing requirements. Here’s a good site to begin your research:

www.northernway.org/marriagelaws.html

Your chosen friend or family member can become ordained “instantly and online” at the Universal Life Church, which in some areas will enable them to perform legal weddings. Again, be sure of your state’s laws. Many times, ministers ordained by ULC will also have to register in their state and obtain a license before they can practice. Call your local county clerk for clarification.

Universal Life Church: www.ulc.org

Do I meet with the officiant before or after booking, and what should I expect at the meeting?

Ideally, an officiant will allow a “getting to know you” meeting before you book them, though not all will. Most at least offer telephone interviews, which helps you see how they fit with your personal style.

During your first meeting, the officiant will typically tell you about his or her background, discuss the logistics, bring up any premarital counseling requirements, ask some questions about your personal history, and show you a sample ceremony script. This is a good time to discuss special unification ceremonies or personal vows, bring up interfaith issues, and learn whether your officiant plans to attend your rehearsal.

About the Author

Blake Kritzberg is editor at “FavorIdeas.com.” Stop by for a huge selection of wedding favors, Bridezilla’s weekly adventures, and free resources for brides: save-the-date eCards, screensaver, wallpaper and web site templates.
http://www.favorideas.com

Hiring the right photographer is an essential task in planning your wedding. You need to make sure that you choose an experienced photographer. It is not crucial that the photographer is an experienced wedding photographer. An experienced photographer, not specializing in weddings, may be much less expensive than a wedding photographer specialist.

The pictures in your wedding album should contain some of your most important memories. A photographer should have the ability to artfully capture the most special moments of your wedding celebration. It is these unexpected and emotional moments that will help create a wonderful wedding album. Your wedding album is one piece of memorabilia you want to feel proud of when you show it to family and friends. Your photographs should tell the story of your wedding day. Only a good photographer can fill your wedding album with unforgettable pictures. One important aspect of hiring a photographer is personal style and preference. You should view photographs in the photographer’s portfolio to make sure the style is in line with your desires. It is possible that you and the photographer have incompatible tastes and opinion on what your wedding album should look like. Remember, that photography is art and it is highly subjective. For this reason, it is crucial you find a professional who you’ll feel comfortable with, and whose work stands out from any other photographer you’ll be meeting with.

Don’t hire the first photographer you meet. Even if he is highly recommended make sure you evaluate several photographers. Don’t take anyone’s word for it, check the photographer’s portfolio. Compare quality and price of each candidates. Most of the time your reception site will have a few preferred photographer’s to choose from, but it should not stop you from doing your own research.

Get everything in writing, and look for guarantees. Many photographers offer their wedding albums with lifetime guarantee.

Wedding Favors Wedding favors, personalized wedding favors and bridal shower gifts.

The stress and anxiety that most brides experience as their wedding day approaches can be overwhelming for them. The amount of preparation involved and the countless number of details needing attention can make it very difficult to eat sensibly and maintain even a modest level of good nutrition. I can recall countless conversations with brides who are so stressed out in the month or so before their wedding that they abandon all good eating habits and either starve themselves or binge on junk food to handle the stress.

Many are genuinely terrified that they’ll be overweight and unattractive on their wedding day or even worse won’t be able to fit into their dream wedding gown.

I have been working with a personal trainer for the past 10 years who continually reminds me how just a few simple changes to your daily routine can make a huge difference. The four basic principles I outline below really do work. I’ve had personal success using these strategies and continue to follow them on a daily basis. Many of my clients who have requested my help and followed this advice have had remarkable results. Start this program at least 3-4 weeks before your wedding day and see for yourself.

1. Water, Water and more Water

Hydration is critical. While the benefits are countless this is one of the hardest things to implement into your daily routine. Whenever I would neglect this item my trainer would recite how water lowers body fat, flushes cellulite, improves digestion, gets rid of dark circles under the eyes, and makes you feel full. These are just a few of the benefits of drinking the required 2.5 litres of water per day.

This may seem like a lot but I found the easiest way to get into the habit is to break the amounts down into manageable amounts:

• Keep a bottle of water beside your bed. Before you go to sleep drink 1/2 the bottle and as soon as you wake up (before your feet touch the floor) drink the remaining 1/2 bottle

• Before each meal drink a half a bottle of water

• Carry water with you and sip it throughout the day

I can’t overemphasize how important this step is.

2. Go for a 10 minute Walk Every Day

Start with this…you can always increase later after it becomes routine. It’s enough to gently boost your metabolism and keep you active.

3. Eat Often but Only in Small Portions

Before I started this method of eating I would starve myself for a couple of days whenever I wanted to lose weight. It seemed logical to me at the time. When I started personal training I had to modify many of my bad eating habits. I had to start eating 6 meals a day. Don’t panic, it’s easier than it sounds. Every 3-4 hours from the time you wake up eat a little something. Your digestive system is far more efficient at handling a series of small meals than it is at tackling one large meal.

I usually eat at 7am, 10 am, 1pm, 4pm, 7pm and 10 pm

Your meal portions (meat, veggies, carbs) should be no larger than the palm of your hand and no thicker than the palm of your hand.

4. Eat Healthy

I could spend days offering suggestions on meal variations but there are many excellent books that have been written to give you ideas. I will share my recommendations in another upcoming article.

So to make it simple a typical meal should be a protein, a carbohydrate and a vegetable or fruit.

Here is a sample daily meal plan that I eat to get you started:

Meal one: Protein shake with 1% milk (I like whey protein drinks such as IsoPro)
Meal two: 1/2 an apple and cottage cheese or yogurt
Meal three: Piece of chicken (no skin) and a small salad
Meal four: Cheese and the balance of the apple
Meal five: Piece of lean meat, rice or potatoes, vegetables
Meal six: Low fat chocolate pudding mixed with protein powder

5. The Best Part - Reward Yourself!

Choose one day a week as your reward day and eat whatever you want and as much as you want. Whether you like pasta, cookies, ice cream or my personal favorite chocolate.
Enjoy!

Don’t worry, you won’t gain fat if you do this because for the past six days your body has been used to eating what I term ‘clean’ food. On the seventh day your body thinks you are going to do the same and when you don’t it gets fooled and eliminates the effects of the ‘junk’ food. In essence you are tricking your body that day but you must eat cleanly on the following day.

I have told many upcoming brides about this method of eating and almost all of them have emailed me back to let me know how thrilled they were at reaching their target goal of weight loss. I hope it works for you too.

As a final note of encouragement, my daughter used this method of eating and in 1 year she went from a size 18 to a size 2. This was four years ago and she has still maintained her weight to this day.

These simple techniques will not only help you quickly, safely and effectively lose at least one dress size but they will also help you feel more energetic, vibrant and healthy. Not to mention the positive effect it will have on your skin texture and overall appearance.

Stay on track and you’ll be amazed at your results. Eat well, drink plenty of water and as you progress, simply imagine your groom seeing you for the first time in your wedding gown and watching his jaw drop in speechless silence.

Gail Young is a co-founder of The Bridal Chalet, an online bridal boutique selling designer style couture and traditional wedding gowns and bridal accessories. She has extensive background in fitness and nutrition as a former amateur body sculptor and combines this with her knowledge and passion for designing bridal fashion.

Visit her website at: www.bridalchalet.com

Debt collectors aren’t big mean guys who break customers’ kneecaps when they can’t pay. Nevertheless, when you’re in a financial crunch, dealing with debt collectors can be annoying or even frightening. It doesn’t necessarily have to be that way.

Most collectors are professionals and conduct their business in a semireasonable (though often high-pressure) manner. There are some, though, that may use intimidation or illegal tactics to coerce consumers into paying past-due bills. The Federal Trade Commission reports that complaints about debt-collection companies are one of the top three categories by number of complaints.

Knowing your rights and what to expect from debt collectors can give you the confidence to protect yourself from illegal harassment, and to work out an arrangement that is satisfactory to everyone involved.

What Can You Expect from Debt Collectors?

If your credit card payment hasn’t been received by your card issuer ten days after the due date, your credit card issuer will probably send you a friendly note reminding you that your payment is past due. If you fail to make two payments in a row, you will usually get a more serious-sounding letter requesting immediate payment of the past due amount, and the creditor may follow that up with a phone call asking you where your payment is.

If you are sixty days or more delinquent, you may find your card frozen and your account closed. Many banks are willing at this stage, however, to reopen the account if you can get back on track. Other factors that may cause a bank to close your credit line: your income goes down, or your debts go up.

Once your account becomes ninety days or more delinquent, some creditors will start ”writing off” the account as a bad debt. That means that they’ve decided that they can’t collect through normal channels, and consider your account a “bad debt.” If your account has not been written off after ninety days, you’ll face more communications from the creditor’s collection department. If you still don’t pay, the creditor will probably write the account off when it becomes 120 to 180 days delinquent.

After an account has been written off (also called “charged off” or a “profit and loss”), most lenders will turn it over to a collection agency. In general, the smaller the bank, the quicker they will charge off accounts (since smaller issuers are less likely to have sophisticated internal collection agencies).

You’ve probably heard about Save the Dates since they have become quite popular with brides but you might not know exactly what purpose they serve.

People’s lives are getting increasingly busier and more tightly scheduled so that’s where Save the Date announcements come in handy. You want to make sure that your guests, especially family and close friends, keep the date of your wedding open when planning their schedules. To ensure this, you’ll want to consider sending out Save the Date notices shortly after you have set your wedding date, especially if it’s several months in the future or around a holiday.

Proper etiquette doesn’t dictate that these advance notices have to be sent but in today’s world it helps your guests in their planning so they can be sure to be with you sharing in the celebration of one of the most important days of your life. If you do decide to send them out, you are not required to send them to every one of your guests but you’ll probably want to at least include close family members and friends. Guests who will have to travel to be in attendance will find them especially helpful for giving them plenty of travel preparation time particularly if you are having a destination wedding.

It’s easy to be creative when sending out your Save the Dates since there are so many different varieties and designs available.

A sandy beach, the sound of waves, the smell of fresh air and a gentle breeze blowing through your hair. Although romantic and memorable, there are details to pay attention to if you are planning a beach wedding.

Before choosing a specific location for your beach wedding, check weather climates for the date you want to get married on. It would be more than a memorable wedding if you reserved your wedding date for hurricane season!

When you decide on your beach wedding location, check whether it is a public or private beach. There may be limitations for either when holding weddings and receptions on the premises. Be sure to ask a county or city clerk if there are any permits needed for your wedding and apply for them several months ahead of time.

Think ahead when planning a beach wedding. For instance, sitting chairs directly on the sand is not a good idea, because they will eventually start to sink. Instead, consider renting special flooring to place the chairs on. Also consider renting canopies to shelter any wind hazards that may come up suddenly, providing umbrellas to shade your guests, if having a day wedding, and offer bottled water if the temperatures are hot.

Be sure to let guests know what to wear to your beach wedding. Depending on the weather, you may consider having them dress casually to keep them comfortable in the midst of the hot sun and suggest them bringing jackets in case a chill is in the air at night.

Parking is another consideration to take in when planning a beach wedding. Some beaches place their parking a large distance from the beach itself. If you are having elderly couples, young children or individuals who have limited mobility, you may want to rent golf carts and have “ushers” drive the guests down to the beach. Portable restrooms are another good idea for your guests if there is not a close restroom location near your wedding site.

As is with anything, have a backup plan when planning your beach wedding. Rain and winds can play havoc on a beach wedding and upset the entire ceremony. So, find a nearby building that can be rented, church or hotel. Usually if you are planning a wedding on a resort beach, they will have a party room, specifically designated for weddings and receptions.

If you are planning a reception for your beach wedding, use these ideas to create lasting decoration memories. Buy pail and shovel sets from a local toy department. You can find these very cheap and usually will come as sets. Fill them with bright flowers, fruit or candy. Buy candles with embedded sea shells already molded into them and set them on a dish, surrounded by sand. Another great idea is buying different shaped bottles. Fill with colored sand and stick tapered candles from the tops.

By using common sense and planning ahead, you can create a beautiful, lasting memory that will give you and your new husband a new start to a lifetime of happiness.

Kirsten Hawkins is an event planner from Nashville, TN. Visit www.wedding411.net/ for more event planning tips, strategies, and resources.

Members of the Navajo nation have been using corn to symbolize the marriage union. A pudding of white and yellow corn is presented at the wedding reception. The bride enters the reception with the basket of corn pudding and sits next to the groom. The corn ceremony includes the cleansing of the bride and groom’s hands by each other, and the sharing of the corn pudding. Then the bride and groom feeds the corn pudding to each other.

Mexico is a Roman Catholic country; therefore, weddings happen within a nuptial Mass. Godparents have a significant role in the wedding ceremony. The madrina de lazo carries a rope or a rosary symbolizing fertility. The rope is placed on the bride and groom’s head in a figure eight as they take their vows. The madrina de arras holds 13 coins (for Jesus and his 12 apostles) that are blessed by the priest and represent the sharing of finances between the couple. Some godparents may hold wine glasses for the wedding toast. During the nuptial Mass, the couple may kiss a cross to show faithfulness to each other and the God. Mariachi music is an essential part of Mexican wedding celebrations. Before the first dance, the guests enclose the couple in a heart-shaped ring. One Mexican wedding tradition that should excite any child attending the wedding is the ceremony piata. Piatas are part of Mexican wedding celebrations.

Broom Jumping is one of the most popular African American traditions at weddings celebrations. According to Harriette Cole in her book, “Jumping the Broom.” Our ancestors created the ritual itself during slavery. Because slaves were unable to perform legal marriages, they created their own wedding rituals to honor their unions. The jumping of the broom symbolizes the sweeping away of the old and welcoming the new. In other words, it is a symbol of a new beginning. In modern times, the ceremony is usually performed at the wedding after the minister pronounces the couple man and wife or at the reception just after the bridal party enters the reception area.

Be sure to explain your wedding tradition in your wedding program. Your ethnic traditions are better understood and enjoyed with proper explanation.

Wedding Favors Wedding favors, personalized wedding favors and bridal shower gifts.

Love is a pretty abstract topic and cannot be quantified or defined exactly. A simple explanation of the term “love” is that it is a rather spontaneous feeling, which is the reason for phrases like “love at first sight.” The common forms of love, which are known to man since time immemorial, are love between a man and a woman; mother and child; love for fellow beings; love for animals; love for country, etc.

Since ancient times, love has been worshipped and adored to such an extent that a separate God, Eros, was hailed as the God of love.

It is often said that love is blind. But supporters of love claim that love is selfless and sees only what is important. To quote Henry Wheeler Shaw, “love looks through a telescope; envy, through a microscope.”

Love is a gift for some, a lifetime experience for others, and maybe a long-lasting or everlasting experience! When a person is in love, it seems as if heaven has come down to shower all joy and happiness on him. Undoubtedly, love is enthralling and challenging because two persons unknown to each other are suddenly drawn towards each other to such an extent that even a moment’s parting appears to be many years.

To add more to this, love should be true and selfless. Mere physical attraction cannot form a strong base for love because youth and beauty wither with the passage of time. So, love ought to be beyond the barriers of beauty, youth, wealth, etc.

There are many traditions to honor love. The best and the most appropriate one is to represent it in the shape of heart, because people believe that the heart is the seat of emotions. Some claim that the greatest happiness in life is “to love and be loved.”(George Sand)

Celebrations like Valentine’s Day have been founded to honor love and lovers. Love and romance go hand-in-hand. There are many ways to express love. Even flowers like roses are associated with love.

In some cases, love boosts the self-confidence and enthusiasm of the person to such an extent that he is ready to do anything and everything for his lover.

“love is like a mountain,

hard to climb,

but once you get to the top

the view is beautiful.”

Such quotes highlight the greatness of love.

Love provides detailed information on Love, Love Poems, Love Quotes, Love Songs and more. Love is affiliated with Magic Love Spells.

SEO, or search engine optimization is coding, or links that search engines look for when it searches for your keywords in a search.

Page ranking is what you get when you have employed SEO into your page, or web site.

Page rankings are how high up on the search list your site will be when people do a search.

Pages higher up on the list have gotten much more hits with visitors than lower ones.

SEO is a service that some web sites pay for, or they can employ coding, or links themselves when their site is designed. Any way you look at it, a lot of sites get noticed!

I admit, there was a time when I actually designed a web page that looked like it had been created on a typewriter.

I had worked hard on the page, but, I did not know anything about javascript, placing links, photos, or any HTML. People were nice to help me out, and not laugh at my page.

Sites without coding, or links are just like this, and SEO will probably never see them.

Your page may have wonderfully researched, and relavant information, but, no one will see it without links, or coding.

It is easier now, than over 10 years ago to get coding help. You can even find sites that will do the coding for you, when you enter your plain text!