4 Blog Posts for Business Website - Essay Example

Blog Post There’s nothing as magical and awe inspiring as tying the knot for the very first time. Not only do you get to spend the most meaningful day of your life with the important person in your life but you get an opportunity to throw a gorgeous party as well. Of course before all that you’ll have to send out the formal engagement announcements. If you’re looking to do something more traditional and want to stick to tried and true customs, its best to have the bride-to-be’s parents take over the announcements regarding their little girl’s marriage. I’m sure they would be more than happy to invite your friends and family and share the good news. Customs dictate that they send out written announcements telling people about your engagement. These days they can make your announcements personally by making phone calls and sending emails. There is of course a much more convenient way to go about things. Sending out formal engagement announcement cards is a practical option which in cases of a long engagement should only be sent out to the people you want to invite to the wedding. Ordinarily the parents of the bride send out the announcement cards though couples have been known to send out their own cards as well. The writing on the cards is straightforward, never revealing where or when the wedding is going to be. Even if some brides see the tradition of newspaper announcements for their engagement or their wedding as a relic of the past. The difference between the two announcements is that engagement announcements quite a while before the wedding while the wedding announcement is printed a little afterwards. There is no denying that such announcements can have great sentimental value, especially for parents and grandparents who love the idea. Even if you’re not really interested in getting both your names printed in the paper, it’s better to just make them happy and save your energy for the battles ahead. If you really are not into getting it done just send your parents who want it published a picture and let them do the hard work for you. The best part is that you can choose any paper that works for you. You can either get the announcement published in the paper in your local hometown even if you haven’t been there in a while or you can even get it printed in the local paper which delivers right to your door. Of course it’s best to check each the requirements of each paper on their website. They can detail your names and occupations as well as the same for your parents. There is also a photograph in the announcement, when sending one in its important to remember that announcement photos can be as casual as you are comfortable with. There’s no need for anything extravagant as long as your heads are lined in the same plane. As for cost, well some papers can print your announcement for free as part of their community or society page. Other can charge you a fee to publish it since they consider it advertising, while still others can offer a mixture of the two. It’s important to remember that these newspapers have no commitment to run your announcement. In some nationally published papers the selection process can be quite brutal. The engagement announcement is best printed three to eight months before big day. If you want a small wedding however, it may be best to skip it altogether since it might invite some unsolicited hints about wanting to be invited. The timing of the wedding announcements however, that is up to the newspapers themselves. Some have a policy of running them a day after the wedding, while others wait a few months to print the good news. Blog Post 2 If you’ve just gotten engaged the first and most important thing you should do before doing anything else, is making sure you meet the future parents of your spouse to be as quickly as possible. Of course, it is a special time and both sets of parents should pay each other good wishes on the occasion, first on the phone, then in person if at all possible. Since its tradition for the bride to leave her home and become part of the groom’s family, it’s customary for the groom’s parents to call the bride’s to congratulate them and accept their daughter into their family. What truly matters here is, not who makes the call but that the call is made. If both or a single set of parents is divorced, they should all be called and given the good news. If the call isn’t made within a day or two of the engagement it can send the wrong signal to either side. They could start thinking that the other side is not so pleased with the news. Sometimes these social graces can be forgotten by parents in all the enthusiasm as well, so it’s up to the couple to make sure their respective parents are reminded to call their future in laws. It also helps if they plant the seeds in their minds beforehand. Celebrations are next on the agenda if the parents live close to each other. Both parents can meet up with the couple or get together themselves and commemorate the occasion over dinner. It’s up to each family how they want to proceed but what matters most is that the phone call is made and the parents to find their way to a neutral setting, like a quiet and cozy restaurant, where they can amicably discuss the futures of their sons and daughters. They can host a dinner in a place of equal footing or even a celebratory party in honor of the couple. That is of course the fairy tale world where everything is perfect and harmonious. In reality parents can forget such social niceties. It’s up to the couple to ensure that things are set in motion and they go smoothly. Usually parents only meet each other before the engagement about 50% of the time. You might think that with those 50% you’re off the hook, unfortunately that is where the aforementioned fairy tale part comes in. One question that will come up regardless of age, sex, culture or sexuality will be concerning the bill for the wedding? These days an average wedding can cost up to thirty thousand dollars. So it can be seen why it’s said that even though it’s important for the couple to stick their foot in everything else, but in this case unless they know what they’re doing, they should really stay out of it. If the couples are living together, the space can serve as a neutral setting. The meal can be representative of each family’s culture. If they are travelling for the weekend, you can arrange one or two group activities to help them get acquainted before leaving them up to their own devices. It also helps if each respective offspring tells their family about who their meeting beforehand. I know it may sound like not doing all this may lead to a diplomatic incident of epic proportions, but more often than not you would be surprised how much that is true. Just remember it’s also important to spend time with your respective families and allow them to get used to the idea that you’re growing up and leaving the nest. Some heartfelt and funny stories can definitely soften the blow and keep talks away from sensitive topics. At the end of it all send each set of parents a gracious thank you note for coming. It’s important to tell them how much fun you had and how much fun the other parents had even if that may be less than true. Finally, just remember you’re the reason they are getting together, so be the reason to keep them together, make it happen for the one you want to be with. Blog Post 3 What better way is there to celebrate your new status as newlyweds to be, than to arrange an engagement party? Obviously as a couple there is no obligation to get both your families and friends together to talk and mingle and get to know each other, but where’s the fun in that? The one rule with engagement parties, there are no rules. Engagement parties can be anything from rambunctious barbecues to a small private gathering at a restaurant or even Sunday brunch or cocktails and hors d’oeuvres at the home of a parent with those closest to them sharing heartwarming and funny stories. The engagement party needs to take place no later than three months after the formal engagement announcement. Not only does it share the status of the future bride and groom to be with prospective wedding guests. It’s also a chance for the families to mingle and get to know each other and above all else, it’s a celebration in honor of something special yet to come. Traditionally, the parents of the brides should be the ones to throw the party. But there’s no rule that says that the groom’s parents can’t follow it up with one of their own, this is especially true if the couple doesn’t live near the bride’s parents. Both parents can even join forces to host a banquet fit for their offspring. Unless the couple wants to make their impending nuptials a surprise from everyone except their parents, its considered best if they don’t host it themselves. These days it’s more about doing what brings the family together to share in the moment. So it becomes more important that the couple know who they want to invite to their wedding day. Though it might be best to let your guests know what they’re walking into unless you want to surprise them. If you want to be coy it may be best to write “in honor of” on your invitations rather than outright calling it an engagement party. Though most people appreciate knowing what their walking into. Typically however the timing between the engagement party and the wedding would be at least 6 months with the party 2 months after the proposal. This is for the benefit of the guests who won’t have to feel like they’re being hit up for gifts. Of course if the engagement is only going to last for 6 months or less then it’s impractical to hold an engagement party altogether due to the shortage of time. Perhaps the best way to describe the preparation is to liken it with how you’re going to choose flowers for the wedding. It’s important to do it in way in advance, it’s important to have a clear idea of what you like and it’s important to know what will make people feel comfortable enough to want to get to know each other since these may be the same people at your wedding. Couples can make nametags describing the wearer’s relation to them or make food or wine tasting stations headed by someone with experience, remember it’s important to have something to act as a conversation starter. Activities such as games or fun quizzes about the couple also work. But here it can also be fun to incorporate traditions into your party by serving dishes or having cultural dances. Gifts are not traditionally brought to an engagement party though they can be brought by close family members or friends. The couple should have no expectations of gifts from anyone except each other. Given the time constraints it is better not to register for gifts as well before the event, it’s better to wait until you have a clearer idea of what you want. This doesn’t hinder some brides though, but it is ok to look the other way in those cases. Just remember that if you do receive a gift don’t open it at the party. To that end it’s important to limit the guest list to people who are invited to the wedding. If the couple isn’t sure of whom they want to invite, family members and close friends are a safe bet. They can hold off on finalizing the list until they have a clearer idea of who they want to invite. But the most important part of the party is the toast. Since the father of the bride is giving away his little girl, it’s only fitting that he gives the toast but really it can be anyone who knows the couple and introduce what they have for each other such as either parents of the couple, grandparents or even a close friend. It takes place an hour into the engagement party and champagne or wine both can be poured for it. This is followed by the person asking everyone to raise their glasses. Here everyone except the couple does so since they cannot drink to themselves, though no one’s would complain if they took a sip. Then it’s time for the couple to speak, the person who gave heartfelt toast should be thanked and the parents should be introduced if they haven’t already. Following the introduction the audience will want a taste of what’s to come, the advice here give them a teaser of what the wedding vows will be but don’t give the whole game away. It’s best to save the “You’re the one for me” speech for the wedding and leave them wanting more. Blog Post 4 So you’ve just had an engagement party thrown in your honor to celebrate the beginning of the rest of your lives, it felt good, elating and everything was so lovely, so what should you do now? Well first off how about thanking the host who made it all possible. If you’re wondering what to get the person who just gave you glimpses of your wedding months from now, don’t worry there are several ways in which you can show your gratitude. Flowers are a delightful idea and can be an alternative if the host is tough to buy for. You can also get him some sweets or candles or perhaps even a fine bottle of wine or champagne. Monogramed items such as stationary or a blanket also work very well as gifts. In the case of parents, the universal currency of love, i.e. a hug for those who don’t know, usually works best. If you’re bringing your own gift to the party, make it a point to send a note when it’s over. The engagement party is also a time to specially thank those who thought enough to bring a gift to the party. Of course you can take the gifts and run but these are the same people who will buy gifts from the bridal registry at the wedding. Piece of advice; make a gesture to show them their appreciated. The best way to do that, a personally handwritten note from the bride or the groom on a lovely embossed card with their names on top is enough to bring a smile to any guest. These cards should be bought in bulk beforehand since you’ll be using them before and after the wedding. If nothing else a call or an email goes a long way too, it doesn’t matter if there’s one gift or twenty every guest should get something for showing their affections for the bride and groom to be. That means every guest who brought a gift to show you their happiness should be thanked within two weeks. Read More