Your wedding day goes by so quickly, it’s just obvious that you’ll do everything in your power to preserve your memories! I can’t think of a better way of doing this that with a Wedding Scrapbook.

Its important to decide what your goal is before you enthusiastically approach your first page. Would this book only tell your wedding day tale or do you want it to include everything from the engagement to the honeymoon? Decide on a look and feel (romantic, vintage, clean) as well as on the colour scheme before you start this exciting project.

The most popular way is to go with your wedding colours, but it might be interesting to add a bit of extra colour, for example if your wedding colours were white and lilac, you can add silver and a deep purple to this, even a slight touch of pink. As long as the colours don’t overpower your photos - the extras should be subtle in order to make your photos the primary focus (the majority of the memorabilia can be stored in a nice memento box). You wouln’t want to look at this in 15 years and shreak, therefore its better to keep it simplistic, which will definitely guarantee a timeless and elegant look.

It would be wise to do your planning before you hit the shops. This would include how many pages your album would be, what photos and memorabilia you’d like to use etc. To create a personal, intimate feel, use the more spontaneous photos for scrap booking, the more posed photos can be framed or sent to family members, the remainder of the photos can be stored in a separate album. It’s a good idea to print a duplicate set to work with – this would give you peace as you’re working, knowing that your originals are safe.

Memorabilia you might want to include:

- Wedding and bridal shower invites

- Fabric from your dress (as well as any other fabric samples)

- Receipts

- Bridal registry

- Napkins

- Any form of printed material (menu, song-list etc, congrats and thank-you cards)

- Honeymoon tickets and extras

- Congrats and thank you cards

The foundation of a scrapbook is the journaling, sit down somewhere where you won’t be disturbed and go back to that special day – What did you feel when preparing for this big day, when the minister declared you husband and wife, sitting at the reception looking at your guests? When writing, be real and be yourself. We so often forget these very special moments, this way your memories will be preserved as long as you both shall live.

Bring in some of your friends or family’s thoughts - ask a few people you are close to, to write down a sentence or two on what it was that stood out for them on this day (supply them with nice paper or a colourful pen). Start the book with a dedication page – why you are creating this book, why your wedding day was such a special day etc. Some other pages you can add is “what I remember” or “what I was grateful for” or even “what didn’t matter at this stage” – as women we often plan this day and want it to be absolutely perfect, but when we are in the moment, we realize that that’s so not the point of this day.

As you create your book, be real and true - don’t only choose the perfect pictures – being real when choosing your photos and writing your love story will show throughout your book. And most of all, enjoy making this book and enjoy this season!

For info on wedding photographers in South Africa go to SA Wedding Photographers

Looking for a dream honeymoon destination in India, what a better place can be better than Kerala, South India. Kerala (God’s Own Country) is fast emerging as the perfect destinations for honeymooner or newly wedded couples because of its beautiful beaches, lakes, waterfalls, hill stations, backwaters, houseboats, etc. In fact, Kerala enjoys everything that is beautiful. Tours and travels in Kerala offer some of the best honeymoon destinations in India such as Munnar – a beautiful hill station, Periyar – famous for wildlife sanctuary and lovely lakes, Alleppey – famous for breathtakingly beautiful backwaters and houseboats, Kumarakom – famous for bird sanctuary and backwaters, Cochin – famous Fort Kochi, Chinese Fishing Nets and beaches, etc. Thus, Kerala honeymoon tours offer a lot of options for enjoying honeymoon holidays in more and more pleasant ways.

There are generally five honeymoon holiday options very popular among couples. They are Honeymoon in beaches, Honeymoon in backwaters, Honeymoon in houseboats, Honeymoon in wildlife, and Honeymoon in hill stations. Couples can celebrate their Kerala honeymoon holidays by selecting one of the above mentioned options which suits their lifestyle. Beaches are ideal place to spend time on honeymoon in Kerala as they provide sheer and romantic ambiance for honeymoon holidays. Kerala honeymoon tour in beaches provides a lot of options to do and see. You can spend your moment by sitting at the beach chairs and chatting with each other or exploring the beach taking hand in hand. You can also enjoy water sports with your life partner. Truly, beach honeymoon in Kerala will be unique experience that will last forever. If you too want to experience the charm of beaches on your honeymoon tours to Kerala you can choose honeymoon package in Kerala which predominantly covers famous beaches of Kerala.

Backwaters honeymoon in Kerala are also very popular among honeymoon couples. Kerala backwaters take couples in the world of serenity and wonderment. Some of important backwater places for honeymoon holidays in Kerala are Kumarakom backwaters, Alleppey backwaters, Thekkady backwaters, Cochin backwaters, etc. One of the best ways to experience sheer magic of backwater honeymoon in Kerala is residing at luxurious houseboats. Floating over the breathtaking backwaters, houseboat provide pleasant honeymoon ambiance like no other. A houseboat cruise through the breathtakingly beautiful backwaters offers a special charm to your honeymoon holidays and unforgettable experience. There are several routes in the backwaters of Kerala which you can choose for a honeymoon houseboat trip. There are several Kerala honeymoon packages are available which enables you to experience the charm of backwaters and houseboats.

Kerala hill stations are also very popular among honeymooners and newly wedded couples. Munnar is the most famous hill station of Kerala, south India. It is famous among honeymooners for its exceptional beauty and pleasant environment. During your Kerala Honeymoon Tours in Munnar you will have wonderful opportunity to see lush green locations, tea plantation, and of course you will find a sheer ambiance for your honeymoon holidays. Delightful and eye-soothing greenery of the Cardamom Mountains and vista of the Ana Mudi – the highest peak of the Niligiris – rising above it all makes Munnar an ideal honeymoon gateway in the beautiful state of Kerala, South India.

Wildlife of Kerala also attracts couples and provides wonderful opportunity to get closer to nature on their honeymoon in Kerala. There are several wildlife parks and sanctuaries in Kerala which provide opportunity to see rich flora and fauna on honeymoon tour Kerala. Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary & Tiger Reserve, Eravikulam National Park, Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary, Silent Valley National Park, etc are some major wildlife sanctuaries & parks. Kerala honeymoon package based on wildlife theme makes you enable to explore rich flora and fauna of the state and provide opportunity to get closer to nature. The state has also some of world famous hotels and resorts providing world class accommodation and perfect ambiance for honeymooners.

There are many excellent choices for your wedding music. Your wedding music not only depends on your musical taste, but your budget as well. No DJ can compete with the energy of a great live band, but bands are usually much more expensive than DJs. It is not unusual to receive price quotes from live bands that are several times more expensive than that of DJs.

Both bands and DJs are normally charging you by the hours of service performed. Four hours of music is standard in the industry. Music normally begins during the cocktail hour. For how long the band plays should be discussed during the initial negotiations. Both parties should understand what is needed and what is possible.

There are many ways to find wedding music. You can ask for recommendations from friends and family. If you are working with a wedding coordinator, she should be more than happy to assist you with wedding music. It is best to meet with several wedding music professionals before you make a decision. Never hire the first one you meet, even if you fall in love with them. You are doing yourself a disservice, if you don’t interview several bands. Ask to see the bands and DJs in action. Ask for demos to help you to make your decision. Ask for references to see what others think of the band.

Make sure you understand what the band members will be wearing. Remember they are your employees, for the few hours you hire them. They have to dress appropriately, and you not the band members determine what is appropriate. You should ask to see if they could play the songs that you want to hear. Will they take requests from guests? If possible, make sure the bandleader visits the venue before the event to make sure it has all the space and electrical requirements.

If you think you found the band or DJ you want to hire, put all the details in writing. Don’t just take someone’s word for it. Unless it is in writing, it was never part of the deal. If it is important to you put it in writing. It is better to be too careful than to get burned.

Live music contributes a certain quality of atmosphere to any event and a wedding is the perfect event to be enhanced by it. While DJ’s may seem cost effective, there is a great deal a DJ cannot provide in terms of mood that a live wedding band can. With this in mind, let’s explore several important tips for choosing wedding bands and working with musicians that will help to aid your collaboration with your chosen wedding band so that you can work together to create a unique and inviting atmosphere for your wedding ceremony or reception. 

Let’s discuss some essential tips for choosing wedding bands. First and most importantly, you will want to have your ceremony and reception sites booked before hiring your musicians. This is essential, because most sites have at least some specific guidelines detailing aspects such as sound, band size and so on. Some sites, such as churches and synagogues, will have a list of preferred wedding musicians that they would like you to work with. After you have secured your locations and determined their rules and specifications, you will want to book your band as early as possible. However, before you can do this, there are some important suggestions you should follow in order to make your search as easy as possible. These include:



To find musicians who will fit both your taste and budget, interview at least three different musicians or go through a music management company. 

Try to attend the interviews as a couple, as both the bride and groom will have input. 

Bring a pen and notepad with you to all of your interviews to quickly write down any information or questions you may have throughout the interview. 

Most importantly, consider these aspects both before and after interviewing wedding musicians in order to make an objective and informed decision: 



Budget: Do not “cut corners”. Quality should be of the utmost importance to you. However, that doesn’t mean you should go beyond your budget, either. Try to find a happy medium between your budget and the atmosphere you want. 

Theme / Mood and Atmosphere: Consider the theme of your wedding as well as the mood and atmosphere you want to achieve. 

Musical Taste: Keep your own musical tastes in mind; ultimately, it’s your wedding. 

Location: As previously mentioned, the location of your ceremony and reception may have certain rules or restrictions. In addition, certain décor lends itself more easily to live music. For example, hardwood floors and minimalist decorations create wonderful acoustics, where carpeting and tile ceilings can absorb sound so more amplification may be required. 

Guests: Live music is an excellent choice for your reception, as it entertains guests during particular events such as while you are being photographed. Your guests will take their cue from you; if you are enjoying the music, so will they. 

Hiring a Professional Wedding Band with Experienced Musicians helps you to plan a day full of festive, romantic music for your occasion. These musicians are faithful to schedules, always prepared, and most importantly able to help you choose the most fitting music for your event based on circumstances such as location and theme. Be ready to trust their judgment.

Securing Your Wedding Music: A deposit of one-third or one-half of the total cost should be paid in advance. Many times, the balance will be asked for two weeks in advance. Also keep in mind that patrons of the arts (in this event, you) are obliged to provide food and drink for your hired musicians. Musicians work exceptionally hard and need food, drink, and rest occasionally. 

Using a Wedding Coordinator may help take the guesswork out of planning your own wedding. Hiring one is highly recommended.







 

 Your day is one that both yourself and your guests will remember always. Following these tips will assure you peace of mind on your special day, and your guests will revel in your happiness!

Ok so my friend is getting married it’s going to be really small in a regitry office and im planning everything for her she’s more about the marriage than the wedding o right now i need to pick music 2 songs one for her walking up the ailse and one for the end any suggestions? something romantic but not too soppy