Thursday, August 6, 2009

Intriguing Concepts To Consider When Choosing Bridal Shower Gifts

By Aaron Hu

A bridal shower is the last opportunity before the wedding for friends and family of the bride to give her gifts that will help her start her new life or just congratulate her on her upcoming marriage. An important tradition of these events is that the guest also receive gifts to show the brides' thanks to those who have come to the shower. The interesting twist is that this is something left up to you the bridesmaid. So how do you go about this task and make it a success? Here are some ideas and suggestions to help guide you as you look for great and unique bridal shower favors and gifts.

The first thing to think about is who is coming. While traditionally only held for female guests, a lot of current events are now co-ed. This can pose a challenge as men and women will have different taste when it comes to gifts and presents. If the shower is an event where both male and female guests will be attending, try joining up with the groomsmen for a brainstorming session. It will help to get a man's perspective to help guide you when choosing presents for your male guests.

Second think of using the presents as prizes. A common activity at wedding showers is theme related games. A great idea that will get rid of the challenge of matching gifts with guests and entertain them at the same time is to use them as prizes. This is a great idea as having a prize always heat up competition for a game increases the enjoyment for everyone. At the same time a person appreciates a present all the more if they have to work for it a little bit. Some great ideas for bridal shower games are wedding trivia and bingo. In the end use your own imagination to come up with a game that will be engaging for everyone.

A great idea is to take advantage of the resources of your bridal party for gift ideas. In marketing when you poll a group of people about their preferences this is called a focus group. Think of your fellow bridesmaids and groomsmen as your own potential focus group to find out general guest gifts that will be the most popular.

Another great source of gift ideas is the bride. Look at what she is picking for events such as the reception. This will give you a guide of what she is looking for when giving gifts. After all, even though you are the one in charge of the shower the thank you gifts are meant to come from the bride. Make sure to get presents that the bride wouldn't regret giving. This goes double for more risqu gifts.

Finally, search websites and wedding articles for new developments in gifts ideas and shower games. This is actually a great source of information as you will often come across things you have not seen at conventional weddings. An interesting game I found is the bling bling ring game. It's a twist on the door prize game with interesting results. Each of the guests is given a ring upon arriving to the party. After everyone receives their rings they all twist the jewel and the winner is the person whose ring lights up and flashes. I don't know how popular this game actually is but it is definitely one to keep an eye on.

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Wedding Flowers - FTD Florist Lilies, A Great Choice

By Josie Perkins

Some of the most popular wedding flowers have limitations many couples are unaware of. To help save you some time and to make choosing your wedding flowers easier I've given some of the seasons, drawbacks, and benefits of some popular wedding flowers - lilies - in the following paragraphs.

Calla lilies, also known as arum lilies are available all year round but experience great fluctuations in price. They are somewhat vulnerable to bruising and this can be especially noticeable on the white varieties. Callas are sensitive to cold temperatures and can get frost damaged easily. They can tolerate heat very well and retain their moisture well even without a water source. This makes them ideal for use in wedding bridal bouquets wherein they may be required to last out of water for some time. The miniature calla varieties make great boutonnieres because they are not harmed by body heat or lack of water.

Tops of the calla lily's blooms don't take up much surface area so you can expect to use a lot of calla lilies in a round, all calla lily bouquet. Calla lilies can fill up more space when used as to expose the length of the bloom rather than just the top such as in the train of a cascading bouquet or in the length of an arm bouquet.

Casablanca lilies are available year round. They have huge, flat blooms, which take up quite a bit of surface area and can really fill out a bouquet. Casablanca lilies are also subject to bruising but not as vulnerable as callas. Some people delight in the Casablanca lily's strong fragrance but some others are allergic to it.

Casablanca lilies are more resistant to very cold temperatures than callas but more prone to wilt from high temperatures or from lack of water. Their large bloom size makes them great for decorating the wedding ceremony as they are easily seen from a distance and they hold up very well when they have a water source.

Are You Trying To Learn How To Get Your Ex Back?

By Lilliana Haley

Believe it or not many people who find themselves in a broken relationship usually find themselves wondering what they can begin to do to learn how to get your ex back. In fact chances are if you are browsing the internet then you want to know what it takes to learn how to get your ex back.

Well this may be the most important article that you read today. Getting an ex back is very possible even though you may not believe it right now.

However before you can learn how to get your ex back; there are some things that you should be aware of. I am sure that the only thing that is on your mind is what you can do to win back your ex; however you have to know that it is going to take some time.

Never attempt to get back together with your ex right after a breakup. In fact research shows that people who try to make a relationship work too soon after a breakup will only find themselves going through a break up again.

I personally understand that you want to learn how to get an ex back; however if you really want it to last then you are going to know exactly what it takes to win back an ex. Most likely you will only have one opportunity to try to make things work the second time; that is the reason that I highly recommend that you know what the experts recommend before you even begin trying to get your ex back.

The good news is that you can easily visit the site below to get some valuable tips and advice that has worked for thousands of broken couples even when they did not believe that it was possible to get back together.

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Do You Really Want Your Ex Back?

By Adrian Gerken

I understands that while your relationship are extremely meaningful, however after a break up you'll need to really decide if it's worth saving in the first place. To do this, you'll need to be completely honest with yourself and do a bit of soul searching. While it is easy to think only about the good times you all had after a break up, be objective and fair, think not only the good times but also the bad times. Determine if getting back this relationship will actually make you happy, and prevent going down the same path as before that have caused the break up in the first place.

In reality, there are a few relationships that are unworthy of saving. If you and your ex spent more time fighting than you did doing something good and fun, then perhaps you should consider moving on. f they were physically or verbally abusive, it probably wasn't a healthy relationship. If they were mentally unstable, you probably are better off without them. If the relationship overall was a good one, and they weren't abusive, and they were of sound mind, the following should help you and your ex get back together.

Pestering and pushing your ex isn't a good idea. If you try to constantly get in touch with your ex; whether its by phone, email, text message, or stalking them you're going to do more harm than good. They will see this as a sign of desperation. This could actually push them further away than bring them closer to you.

Don't argue, beg, or plead with your ex about your past relationship. It's easy when you and your mind are all alone. Your mind manifests all sorts of wrongs that you may have done. Even when your ex broke up with you they may have gave you reasons why. Now, you're probably beating yourself up over them. You probably wish you had never done those things. The past is the past. This is the present.

If you get it in your mind that the relationship is currently over. You can't go back in time, though you probably wish you could. Concentrate on what is going on now. The only thing worse than obsessively contacting your ex is to beg or plead with them. Make promises how you'll change, etc...This won't help you and your ex get back together at all.

Give your ex some time and start living your own life, this way not only you'll be doing yourself a favor, you'll also give your ex more time to think about your and miss you as well. If you start living your life again, you'll be more desirable to them rather than having stuck at the post break up stage! Therefore, help yourself to be happier and more fulfilling.

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Top Tips for Maternity Nightwear

By Joanne Garrett

Many pregnant women spend a lot of time time carefully planning their maternity clothing - for example workwear, evening wear, pregnancy dresses. However, they often focus entirely on their daywear options and forget all about maternity nightwear until suddenly they can no longer struggle into their pre-pregnancy pyjamas and are left to spend the remainder of their pregnancy sleeping in uncomfortable oversize t-shirts.

I think that it's time to put maternity sleepwear first. While there's no easy way to get a good night's sleep when you are pregnant, high quality and comfortable clothing will help you relax a bit more while adding style to your maternity lounge wear wardrobe. Most maternity sleep wear is made with nursing access for wearing after you've had your baby and makes for a very good long-term investment. Here is my maternity sleep wear checklist:

Size: Just like the rest of your maternity wardrobe, pyjamas and maternity nighties should be bought in your pre-pregnancy size unless you have gained more than the average 25-35 pounds. Also, if you are carrying twins or more, you may need to go up a size (or two!).

Comfort: Many pregnant women experience trouble sleeping at some point during their pregnancy. While there in't anything you can do about an energetic baby who likes to dance throughout the night, or the early days when you seem to be always taking trips to the bathroom, you can choose to buy maternity sleep wear with comfort in mind, so it's not your clothing which is giving you sleepless nights!

Jersey cotton is a great fabric for comfortable nightwear and also for pyjamas which can be worn as loungewear for padding around the house to relax in. Personally I prefer to wear maternity pyjamas because of their double use as loungewear and as they are cozier to wear during the night in colder months if you are up and about. Watch out too for tops with built in support for extra ease - some styles use built-in cups and others a fabric "shelf" both work well.

Multi-purpose: Maternity nightwear is intended to be used after birth and is constructed to allow for easy night time feeding via clever designing. Look out for clever wrap-over style pyjama tops. Another alternative is to choose button through pyjama tops which again give fast access.

Style: Forget the unfashionable nightclothes of yesteryear, modern maternity sleepwear adds style to comfort and is available in some beautiful patterns. Look out for the glamourous designs from HotMilk, including camisole tops, wide leg trousers and vibrant shades and patterns including duck egg blue and rich plum.

So, to sum up, look for maternity sleepwear in comfortable fabric designed for use after the birth. Remember if you select pyjamas, they make good loungewear choices too. But don't forget to buy a style you adore!

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