My Auntie is getting married in August this year and she has just told me that she paid £25 for the 2 flower girls dresses and £58 for the 2 bridesmaids dresses.  I was shocked when she told me this but when she told me she got them off ebay i understood a bit more on why she spent so little.

I know there is always the risk of the dresses being marked but she was lucky enough that they just needed a wash and came out mark free.

Another option is to go to a high street shop and get your dresses and suits from there.
Good ones to go to are:

• Debenhams
• littlewoods

which ever way you decide to go on your wedding day it does not have to be expensive.

Today I have got two news to share. Let’s start with first one which is about two bingo fans. Rachel Brooks and Steven Reeves both 43 fell in love while playing on a bingo website. They first started chatting with each other by using the messaging function provided by the website and later on they swapped email addresses and phone numbers.

Steven Reeves told a magazine that the gaming website has given them a new lease of life and has put their faith back in love. He also added that he started playing bingo online last year after he found that playing land is too expensive.

Mrs Brooks said that she had almost given up on finding a new life partner as she is quite busy running her own Indian restaurant. She also added that her relationship with Steven Reeves started as a bit of banter but it soon blossomed into chatting on the phone many times in a day.

The couple was treated to a Valentine’s Day trip to a spy and it was financed by the bingo website.

In second news a National Bingo winner Jayne Rose is planning to fund her marriage with the £17,000 she has won.

There are many places perfect for wedding receptions in the country which are desperate to be hired for wedding receptions. There are ways to get these places at a bargain price. Range starts from £5000 pounds.
Now the above mentioned amount might look a lot of money for a wedding reception. But it does worth is you get a good deal for a set a price and also it’s worth snapping up.
Following are some of the ways to get the best bargain.
Last minute bargain:
Most of the people book their wedding reception venues well in advance. But I would suggest that if you can wait for some time then wait and you can find a discounted venue for the wedding reception.  Many venues can arrange a wedding planner or event organiser for you who can organise each and everything for you. From decorating the reception place to arranging catering equipment and you do not need to worry about anything.
5 Star Hotel Package:
If you plan well your wedding can only cost you £5000 in a 5 star hotel. For example if you have 50 guests you can arrange a three course meal with drinks , decor and late evening buffet for under £5000.

When you organise a party and you assure that your guests should enjoy and get a clean, comfortable place to be entertained. It is essential to make your house ready for guests.  This includes everything e.g. decorating and basic cleaning. Following are few ideas for a pre party cleaning.  This will help you to get more out of your event.
•    First thing you need to do is to make a list of what needs to be done.  The list must include the list of rooms and places in your home which require attention and also the entry areas and coat closets.
•    As a basic rule start with the most important thing. And best thing is to start cleaning your home from entry way to the inner side of the home.
•    Depending on your budget you can hire professional cleaners as well. For example Carpet Cleaners London can take care of all your cleaning needs.
•    Even if you hire somebody for cleaning it is good to add your own finishing touches. For example you can do flower arrangements, candles and incense by yourself.
•    At the end I would say once party has begun you should enjoy it. And try not to worry over the little things that may seem to go wrong during the party.

One of my friends is a professional photographer and he is very famous for his professional photography in weddings. Now he takes pictures in wedding reception halls and some of these halls do have fireplaces. Now the question he raised is that what is the best ways to compose a picture of bride and groom or may be only bride or only groom or a group picture with a fireplace.  A professional photographer can make different angles to take the picture.
For example bride and groom can be next to the fireplace but the fireplace should be parallel to the camera. Second option could be that bride and/or groom should be square to the camera with fireplace on an angle, or third option could be that keep the fireplace in the background with the fireplace on one side and couple on the other side. But then question is that if we keep the fireplace in the background should it be square or on an angle. For a group photo the best option would be that if you ask them to block the fireplace. But some people do want that fireplace should come in group photo. How can we keep everyone from blocking the fireplace?  I would wait for your comments about it.

Engagement ring is worn by a woman indicating her engagement to be married. In most parts of the world it is worn on the left hand ring finger. Although in some countries like Poland and Ukraine it is worn on the right hand.

The price of the engagement ring may vary depending on the materials used. For example diamond engagement rings are a lot expensive than golden rings. The price of diamond ring can depend on the carat weight, colour, clarity, and the cut of the diamond. But I can tell you a place where you can get a diamond for free. Don’t believe me? Read the story below.

At first it seems like scene of Gold Rush movie but it’s a fact. In Arkansas, United States of America, there is a park called Crater of Diamonds which is popular for its diamond. All you need to do is that pay $7 entrance fee and you will be given a chance to try your luck in finding diamonds. The park gets large number of visitors and people do find diamonds.

Some people come several time there with the hope that they would find a diamond. However people wonder whether these diamonds are real or are they created in a laboratory?

After my personal experience in the difficulties I have faced when I was dealing with the debts after my marriage I have decided to share some advice for those that are newly married or they are going to marry soon.  I was not having too much debt. The big amounts I was having was $15000 in credit card debt and 3 years on car payments.
But if you consider the amount that goes to paying the utility bills monthly it is depressing. By realising this I have decided to look at the ways to get out of the debt faster. So for that I had done a lot of personal finance reading. Following are some of the outcomes of my reading experience.
1) The Total Money Makeover:   This book is written by Dave Ramsay and it is good if you want to get out of the debt. It will change the way you look at and value your money.
2) The Only Investment Guide You Will Ever Need: Written by Andrew Tobias and it discuss the best ways to invest your money.
3) Debt Collection Agency: So finally I just want to introduce this website which can be helpful if for clearing your debts.

The New Year is fast approaching and for any one planning a 2009 wedding realisation will hit home once the hangover has died down on the 1st January.

It is easy to think about your wedding when it is next year and not be too stressed about it but when it is the same year the pressure piles on and all of a sudden you realise it is only a few months to plan, organise, get the small details sorted, and even lose weight.

All of a sudden there are not enough hours in a day, but brides should lean on their friends and family, delegate tasks and remeber it is a day of celebration not a military operation. 2009 weddings will be a ray of hope in the economic climate and helpraise every ones spirits. It is important that Brides do not get to stressed out but enjoy the tasks in hand.

Wedding Bridal Studios are desperately trying to get you to spend money with them, weddings are big business and there is a lot of competition so there are a few wedding sales techniques you need to watch out for…

1. Making you feel at home- Wedding studios will sit you down with a cup of tea or a glass of wine, is all just to get your defenses down. The sales team will build up a quick rapport with you and try to put you at ease. By lowering your inhibitions and making you feel they are your friend you trust them not to rip you off which could be a costly mistake.
2. Confusing you- the sales person will compliment you and assume things on your behalf, they will also discuss various items you will want that are not included and imply the waste. A perfect example is the photography. A photography will take over 100 shots of which perhaps 24 are included. The rest of the shots will be ‘thrown away’ making you think what a waste from your special day. To get the extra images could cost thousands.
3. Upsell- the confusion almost always leads the sales person into the up sell where your initial budget will be blown out of the water completely!

Watch out for these sales tactics if you want to have the wedding you want without the pressure. Not all sales people are the same but be aware a sales persons job is to get as much money as they can off you and will be getting a nice commission from it as well.

The most popular wedding seasons are Spring and Summer as the weather is usually a bit better and a good way for people to get together. Some people however prefer a winter wedding where the dressed is layered and warm and they can wear a shawl.

There are many reasons why people choose a winter wedding;

• Cheaper, out of season venues offer discounts
• Preference, some people prefer winter as a season to Spring or Summer
• Family nostalgia, some people assosciate winter and Christmas with warmth, family and love so like to hold their wedding at this time of year.
• Shotgun, once engaged some people just can’t wait to get married.