Basic Wedding Planning Tips for Hampton Roads & Beyond!

If you want to tackle the job of planning your wedding by yourself, the following things you should consider…

(A) Choosing a ceremonial site

Wedding ceremony venues come in many types. You may want to consider traditional, (church, chapel) outdoor, (mountain tops, parks, beaches, ect.) casual ( courthouse, Las Vegas chapel ect.) Whatever your choice, make arrangements well in advance to secure your date.

(B) Budget

Before you make all of your plans you need to know how much money have to work with and how much money you want to commit toward your wedding. The first thing to do is make a financial blueprint of everything you have to pay for. Try not to leave anything out. Always allow for things you may have forgotten or any additional expenses.

(C) Choosing Your Reception Venue

Choosing your reception venue may very well depend on your budget. Knowing your budget you can start contacting venues in your chosen area. Check availability first to see if it fits your plans. Talk with family, friends, co-workers and ask if they have attended or participated in any recent wedding receptions. Make an appointment with a banquet manager to get an understanding of venue capabilities. Ask for wedding packages that include venue rental, food and beverage packages, taxes, gratuities, decorations, etcetera.

You need to know the exact price of your reception accounting for you and your number of guests. Depending on what package you choose or if you customize a package, have it all documented in a contract. Read your contract carefully and double check that everything is included that you will be expected to pay for.

(D) Dinner & Reception

Escape from the thought of having a sit-down meal at your reception; it’s too costly. Consider having a buffet type wedding party with inexpensive, yet appetizing foods that your guests will appreciate. Bear in mind, you don’t need to serve fillet mignons for the wedding to be stylish — just get it cheap and keep it simple. With food being one of the largest bills for the wedding party, this tip will be of tremendous help when trying to cut costs. You can also use the money you save to put towards a dance floor or other rental equipment.

Planning Your Wedding Ceremony

Wherever you decide to exchange wedding vows will have an impact on your budget. There are many types to choose from, remember you want this to be as special as possible. These can be chosen in churches or chapels, (very traditional) and or outdoor ceremonies, this list is countless from mountaintops to beaches to yachts ect. Cost can vary considerably depending on your choice.
Types of Reception Venues

Today wedding reception venues can be just about anywhere. Following is a list of some that may fit your location or you might consider if you can afford to travel.

Conventional/Traditional:

• Banquet Halls or Facilities
• Hotel Banquet Facility
• Country Club Banquet Facility
• Mansions

Unique:

• Historic Theaters
• Trains
• Museums
• Parks
• Resorts
• Gardens
• Beaches
• Islands
• Mountaintop
• Ranch
• Vineyards
• Breweries
• Farms
• Yacths

Destination Venues

Destination weddings can actually be much cheaper than conventional weddings. Use a professional travel agent to arrange a package for you and your guests. They can arrange a competitive and affordable rate. Usually destination weddings are smaller in size and thus less output. Generally the guests pay for their travel and lodging. This becomes a mini vacation for your guests and a honeymoon for you, not to mention the memories you will cherish. Some popular destination venues are, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bahamas, Hawaii and South Pacific and Europe.
Wedding Music

When choosing music you want to keep the music in line with the theme of your wedding. You need to make choices in both the ceremonial music and the reception music. Ceremonial music is generally quite different from reception music. Reception music may be more festive. Ceremonial music could be prerecorded or live. You could make a choice of prerecorded music from vocal or instrumental selections or a combination of both. If you choose live music you may consider a vocalist, singers, choir or instrumental. Whether you choose prerecorded or live music for your ceremony, there are many wedding songs to choose from.

Complete articles from: Banquet & Catering & Syars

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Tips for a Successful Children Party

A child’s birthday party can be one of the largest events for a child every year. It is a chance for them to get together with their friends for a good time.

The success of your child’s birthday party may also have an impact on the social life of your child. It may be an opportunity to make new friends or to lose some of the old. You child will be depending on you to help him or her provide a good time for his or her friends.

As a result, you will want to make sure that you become familiar with the things that children like now and which they think are really cool. In the past simple games and magic tricks entertained them and meant that the party was very successful.

However, one of the most popular things now for a child’s birthday party is the inflatable jump houses and slip n’ slides. At least, these things are very popular when the weather is good.

There are many different types of inflatable toys that you can choose from that can be a lot of fun for your child’s party. As a result, there are several things you will want to consider to make sure that you choose the best option for the event that you will be hosting.

The first thing you will want to consider is how many people you are going to inviting and how many people will be attending. You will probably want to select something that allows several people to go at once.

This will shorten the amount of time that each child has to wait in line for a turn. Kids can be very impatient when it comes to waiting for things like this.

However, you will want to regulate the line so that they do not use the inflatable in a manner that is unsafe. This can be quite a challenge when they are all excited to take a turn.

Keep in mind that you may need to rent something that is large enough for one or two adults as well so that they will be able to go in a grab a child who is unwilling to leave. If children start pushing and shoving, it will also be helpful if an adult can go in and resolve the situation.

The second thing you will want to consider carefully is the location where you will be hosting the party. For example, if you are going to be hosting it at your own home, you will want to select something that will fit easily into your yard.

Meanwhile, if you are going to be hosting it at a school or a church, you will want to consider the terrain. If you hope to keep the party indoors due to bad weather, you will want to choose something that it not too tall.

Generally, it is easier to host the party at another location as you will be able to choose anything you want or even several inflatable toys if you can afford it. By hosting it at a park, you will be able to take advantage of the playground toys there as well as the inflatable toys that you rent.

The third thing you will want to consider is the age of the children. Younger children will be completely satisfied with a princess castle or a slide for hours and hours.

Meanwhile, slightly older children will get bored with these things, but prefer a house they can jump in like a trampoline. Even older children, will get bored with the jump house and want something that uses water or an obstacle course.

There are many different types of things that you can choose from and you will want to consider the ages and temperaments of the children that you will be inviting. Depending on these things you may want to choose an obstacle course, boxing ring, Velcro wall, bounce house, or other carnival games.

The fourth thing you will want to consider is the theme. There may be certain inflatable options that will fit in with the theme of the party.

For example, an inflatable princess castle may be the perfect choice for a young girl’s party that is princess themed. Meanwhile, a slam dunk basketball jumper may be best for a boy’s sport’s themed party.

There are also basketball shootout options, football passing, and baseball jumper options. Remember that playing outside for a couple of hours can wear children out.

You will want to have cold drinks, popsicles, and other food items on hand so that they can refuel. This will help them be cheerful and happy when you return them to their parents.

Article from Pubkicks

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Spring Gardening Tips for Williamsburg, VA

Early spring is the perfect time to give your lawn a physical checkup. Start as early as you can…

• Remove a 6″ square of lawn… Look for crane fly larvae. Your lawn should be able to tolerate no more than 18 (or 35 per square foot), so count carefully. If you don’t know what to look for, take your lawn sample to a garden center and ask one of their experts. When you’re finished with the sample, just press it back into place.
• Treat the soil and fertilize… Check your lawn’s soil pH, and apply lime or sulfur, if needed. Give your lawn its first application of fertilizer.
• Re-seed or re-sod… Reseed winter damaged areas. If the damage is extensive, consider re-sodding.
• Weed by hand… The best time is right after a good rain, or after you water the lawn. You’ll find most weeds come right up. Pace yourself, but be thorough.
• Use specialized tools… These can be especially helpful for deep rooted weeds, like dandelions.
• Pest control… It’s up to you whether to use chemical pesticides or insecticides. All the focus on “green” gardening these days has fostered many organic alternatives. The idea is… a naturally healthy lawn and garden helps your family’s health.
• Water your lawn correctly… Watering early in the morning provides grass roots plenty of time to breathe, plus it discourages fungal growth caused by dampness. Here’s the good part: Lawns that receive just 1″ of accumulated water per week will develop deep, strong roots… enabling them to survive most diseases and droughts.
• Mow your lawn correctly… Setting the mowing height to 2.5″ to 3.5″ will actually help your lawn discourage weed growth and develop a healthy root system. And, longer grass is actually cooler underfoot… always nice for your bare feet.

Article from Susan’s Gardening Tips.

Need tools to get your lawn ready for this summer, contact the friendly staff at Grand Rental Station!