Somebody’s getting married, and you as her maid of honor is responsible for hosting the shower party. Expected are numerous tasks and obligations that need your attention. This is quite challenging. Tasks and responsibilities for shower parties aren’t just as simple as you may think. Consider today’s trend of bridal shower parties different themes you may apply such as festive, lingerie or coed-themed party. While these ideas can bring a lot of fun and enjoyment, the real challenge is how will you make it.

First, examine the elasticity of the party budget. This is very important and needs to be on top of your checklist. Determine how you will come up with the budget. Are you willing to spend money? How much can you share? Will the expenses be shared among other participants? Answering these questions can help you determine the capacity of the budget and expectation of how the shower party will look like. Also, determining the budget will guide you in the planning of other stages of the party preparation.

Second, compile bridal shower guests list. However, you can’t just pick any guest of your choice, rather, think of individuals that the bride would want to be at the party. Consider asking her family and close friends to ensure you are including those that should attend. Also, grab the opportunity of gathering contact information of those people. Just be reminded of your budget preference so you can list down names accordingly. Top on your guest’s list are the bride’s best friends, co-workers and family members.

Third, determine what theme is best for the party. Themes add fun and excitement in bridal shower parties. Literally, there are different choices of bridal shower themes to choose from, from casual, unique to very clever theme ideas. Just be mindful when choosing the appropriate theme for the party, consider the personality of the soon-to-be bride. Also, don’t disregard the guests, don’t forget they too have their own personalities therefore, think of the theme that is appropriate for them also.

Fourth, choose the best date and time to hold the party. Important factors need to be considered such as scheduling bride’s availability, timing of addressing invitations and think of your schedule as the host of the party as well.

Fifth, locate the appropriate venue where the party will be held. Actually, choosing for venues is not as hard as you think, a living room or local bowling alley will do. But in some situations, the desired party theme will help you during decision making. Also, followed is your budget, during this stage monetary support is highly needed to ensure that the party venue will do good.

Sixth, plan the food menu. Food is always present when talking about parties. Like with other stages, the budget and theme will be your guiding factors. There are different options when it comes to preparing menus such as potluck, catering or home-made cooking.

Seventh, add more fun and excitement to make the party more lively. Prepare games and activities where everybody could enjoy. Ice breakers followed by music will keep everyone in an energetic mood. However, just be careful that the games won’t be as such that everybody’s attention are no longer on the bride.

Eighth, prepare party souvenirs. Bridal shower party favors and keepsakes come in a wide variety of choices, from simple to elegant. But again, you must consider the theme and budget. Also, don’t forget another factor that could affect the bride’s and guest’s tastes. Just be wise, think practical but don’t compromise the quality of favors you want to choose.

In order to make the bride feel she is very special, think of planning and preparing the party well. Just plan ahead of time to ensure that everything will run smoothly. Party favors, bridal shower games, food menu, guests and more can be very helpful in making the pre-wedding party a memorable gathering for everyone and most especially for the bride.

By: Janet Verra

Basically, bridal consultants are said to help a couple all the way through the process of planning the wedding and also offers advice on various topics such as where the wedding should be held, the reception, caterers, florists, musicians, photographers, commutation, and other arrangements. They generally provide various services to the bride and a majority of them are self-employed, while others take on the services of a staff.

Bridal consultant programs are in great demand these days. When one takes into consideration the fact that each year more than 2 million weddings take place in the US, it does not come as much of a surprise that more and more people are going for online bridal consultant programs. In terms of statistics, more than 70 billion dollars are spent each year on weddings. According to recent research, one out of three couples takes the services of bridal consultants. Their services normally account for about 20 percent of the total cost of the wedding. The job of a bridal consultant is quite challenging. To attain success in this field, you must possess excellent communication and networking skills along with creativity. Further, you must have incredible amount of energy and patience in order to succeed in this industry.

Training

Acquiring an online bridal consultant degree is not mandatory in this profession, but one thing is for sure that when you earn an online degree, you are considered more knowledgeable and therefore your chances of doing well in the field increase. It may seem straightforward at first, but the fact of the matter is that planning a wedding is not that easy and this is why numerous couples acquire the services of bridal consultants.

The job profile of a bridal consultant includes detailed planning, coordination with different vendors and active role in other tasks. There is a wide variety of online bridal consultant courses and programs available for individuals who are interested in earning a bridal consultant degree. With the acquisition of this online degree, you can not only boost your career but also attain skills that are necessary for bridal consultants.

Coursework of Online Bridal Consultant Programs

When you enroll in a bridal consultant program at any online college or university, you are going to learn the below-mentioned things:

o Wedding party attire
o Selecting the perfect flowers
o Marketing
o Photography and Music
o Budget planning
o Wedding etiquette

If you want to work as a bridal consultant and interested in being your own boss, then it is quite vital that you opt for a training program first. When you do this, you are going to learn various things that are associated with weddings.

Institutes Offering Online Bridal Consultant Programs

Professional Career Development Institute
The online bridal consultant program conducted by Professional Career Development Institute is accredited in nature. The beauty of this program is that it will teach you important routines, which are quite necessary for every bridal consultant. Another good thing about this program is that there are no prerequisites to register.

Penn Foster Schools
Penn Foster Schools run an online bridal consultant program, in which the the syllabus consists of photography, invitations, clothing and coordinating receptions and ceremonies. What’s more is that you will also get up to date details on specialty weddings and bridal shows during this program. The faculty members at Penn Fosters Schools are highly qualified and experienced.

With the number of weddings taking place, and the fusses created by brides and grooms all over, bridal consultants are in great demand these days. To put up with this increasing demand, various online colleges and universities have started to offers online bridal consultant programs to help individuals learn the basics of bridal consultancy and wedding planning.

By: Tammy Greene

Did you know that not every gown is made from smooth satin, chiffon, or organza? Although those are the fabrics that you will see most brides wear, there are some other, wonderful choices available. For a gown that is unique and interesting, choose one with a touchable texture.

One of the most sumptuous fabrics in the world is velvet. There is nothing quite like its soft nap and elegant drape. Silk velvet is the most fluid and luxurious, but cotton velveteens can also be lovely if you prefer less sheen and a stiffer drape. Velvet is, obviously, a winter fabric, due to its weight. It would be a rich and festive choice for a Christmas bride. If you prefer not to wear a velvet gown, it also makes touchably soft capes and wraps. Everyone will want to hug you!

Another wonderful winter texture is fur. I cannot imagine an all-fur gown (can you?), but it makes very special accents for a gown. A fur collar or cuffs are the perfect trim for a winter wedding gown. Fur trim is very opulent, so look for elaborate bridal jewelry sets to complement the fancy wedding dress.

Summer brides also have some incredible textures available to them. Seersucker, which is a classic summertime fabric, would be a terrific choice for a custom wedding gown. (Fun fact: seersucker was introduced in America for the first time by Brooks Brothers, in the 1930s.) A preppy and breezy look would be a pink and white or blue and white stripe. For a more subtle textural effect, choose an ivory and white seersucker. The timeless style of seersucker calls for classic pearl bridal jewelry sets.

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