Wedding Articles, Blogs, Advice and Tips

Invitations By Tango Design

1 Starting Out: 6-12+ months prior

Explore styles: It is a good idea to start thinking about the style of invitation you would like for your wedding. You may also want to consider themes or colours. There are literally thousands of styles, colour combinations, materials and extras, all of which affect the price of the invitation. By browsing designs and purchasing some samples or papers, you can start to have an idea of the style you prefer.

Samples: You may want to hold an invitation in your hands. To see the paper, check the finish, the print quality and have a feel for the invitation before you place your order. Sometimes a photo suffices, but a sample of the invitation should be available, at a price. Suppliers will generally charge a lot to put one personalised sample together, due to the amount of time that takes to prepare a single unit. Anything up to $100.00 is quite justifiable. So it may pay you to ask about non-personalised samples. These can be extras that were produced whilst doing another job or ones that are printed with pre-laid text and put together with most of the elements you request. It may not be exactly what you want, but you will gain a good idea of the quality of the supplier’s work for far less cost.

Price: When you compare prices, ensure that you compare apples with apples. The type of paper or card used, the finish and quality of the work, the service during and after and hidden costs* all need to be considered. There are good cheap invitations on the market, but you need to be aware of conditions that may be attached to some of these. High minimum numbers, a lack of colour or layout options or strict rules about changes, do not suit some people. The main thing is to be aware of what is offered for the price quoted, so that you know what you can and can’t get within that price. * Hidden costs such as extra proof fees, design fees, print set-up fees, etc should be divulged up front. The last thing you want is to receive a bill for something unexpected. Continue Reading »

What Celebrants Really Do

One of the first decisions that a couple needs to make, after they have set the date for their wedding, is to choose who will perform the marriage ceremony.  About 65% of marriages are performed by a Civil Celebrant, who has been fully trained, including undertaking professional development each year, and authorised by the Federal Attorney General. 

You may have been to weddings previously and seen Celebrants in action.  Now you are looking around for your own Celebrant.  It is a good idea to contact a few initially to get an idea of their fees and services.  You should preferably meet up with a “shortlist” of Celebrants and select the one who you are most comfortable with. 

Once you are happy with the Celebrant and have agreed their fee – probably one of the smaller items in your wedding budget – you may wonder what you will get for your hard-earned money.  For a start, I suggest you have a look at the Code of Practice that Celebrants must abide by – your Celebrant can show you a copy.  The Code gives you a good idea what you can expect from your Celebrant – and also what to do if you have any concerns or complaints. Continue Reading »

Write a Legal Will

Remember that marriage cancels any existing wills.  Persons that have a legal will and marry or re-marry will want to create a new will, which is usually less expensive and less complicated than changing an existing will or amending the existing will by the use of a codicil.

One thing we have learned in the recent financial turbulence is that we all need a plan to weave our way through times of financial instability.  The second thing we have learned is that the unexpected will occur. Now that we have once again been reminded of these realities, what will we do about it?

We have two choices.  We can cross our fingers and hope for the best or we can be proactive and take measures to protect our assets and the ones we love.  Today, it is easier than ever to create a legal will that can describe how our assets will be handled, who will care for our dependents, who our executors will be and even how we will be buried. Continue Reading »

A fresh new perspective on wedding video…

by Langdon Rodda http://lifeinmotion.net.au

Beach Weddings

There is something incredibly romantic about the image of a beach wedding and Australia is blessed with such a beautiful coastline that many couples will have at least a passing thought about having their ceremony on the beach.

For those of you who decide on a beach wedding, here are a few tips to ensure you have your dream ceremony.

Is there good access for you and your guests? You and your fiancé may be happy to scramble across the rocks to your favourite spot when you are looking for your ideal location but remember you will be in your wedding finery and what about poor old Grandma with her walking stick or Uncle Bill in his wheelchair.  Will your guests be able to park and is there a good spot for the bridal car to pull in?

On the sand or on the reserve behind the beach?  If you decide on the sand, check the tides for the day of your wedding to make sure you will have enough space, plan your footwear for walking on sand – spiky heels can be very tricky.  Often the reserve behind the beach will have a number of advantages – such as shady spots for guests to stand in, less temptation for your delightful page boy and flower girl to throw sand at each other and fewer guests complaining that they have wrecked their new shoes. Continue Reading »