The friends and relatives who participate in a wedding party perform a very special service. They provide support to the nervous bride and groom, they take care of many of the odd jobs that go along with a wedding, and they add a little extra fun to the mostly serious proceedings. In thanks for what they do, it is customary to give them small tokens of appreciation. These gifts can be almost anything, ranging from gift baskets, to purses, to watches, to gift certificates. However, if you want to give your wedding party tokens of appreciation that will last forever, the best way to go is to give them gifts of small jewelry.
For the maid of honor and bridesmaids, there are tons of jewelry options, including bracelets, necklaces, charms, pendants, earrings, and more. On the high end of the price range, each of these options come in 14k gold. Gold bracelets and necklaces are extremely versatile, but for bridal party gifts, it may be best to go with choices that are a little more simple. After all, it is important to keep in mind that jewelry tends to take on all kinds of intense symbolism. Before making your purchases, you should remember the message that you're sending -- which, in this case, is something like, "Thank you for being a great friend, and thank you for all you've done."
Going along with the flower motif often associated with weddings, necklaces come in all kinds of designs that incorporate flowers of all sizes and colors. These are most often made out of pearls or precious stones, such as diamonds, amethyst, emerald, or topaz. Meanwhile, there are countless exquisite bracelet options, many of which also include precious stones or pearls, and there is also a wide variety of charms and pendants. For your bridal party, consider versatile bracelets that almost any woman is likely to love.
Of course, if you plan to personalize your wedding party gifts, it's a good idea to find out the bridesmaids' favorite colors, and maybe try to get a feel of what kinds of jewelry they like. Charms and pendants are always ideal for very personalized jewelry gifts.
For the best man and groomsmen, the options aren't quite as expansive, but there are some creative choices out there. For example, there are 14k gold and sterling silver money clips. Usually, when a man is given a money clip, he later wonders how he ever went without one. They are incredibly useful, and most men will be charmed to receive one.
Meanwhile, cuff links come in a wide range of designs, both gold and silver. If you look hard enough, you can find the perfect cuff links for each member of the party -- which can actually be a fun activity. In addition, there are also gold key chains, silver and gold bracelets, men's necklaces, pendants, and rings.
Luckily, the Internet now makes it very easy to personalize gifts for large groups of people. No longer do you have to go to a store and spend hours talking with the salesperson about the tastes of your wedding party members. Thanks to the numerous jewelry stores now available online, it's now possible to do all jewelry shopping from the comfort of one's home.
In the no-pressure atmosphere of your living room, you can browse hundreds of photographs and descriptions of jewelry items, considering how each piece would go over with each of your party members. Plus, shopping on these websites is now as secure as shopping in person, and shipping can go as fast as you would like it to.
So start shopping. Remember, you want to show the friends and family in your party how much you care. Jewelry is the best way to do this.
Although any wedding is primarily about the bride and groom, it is becoming an accepted practice to see a complete entertainments package being organised to entertain the guests before and after the reception.
This entertainment can range from a magician for the children to a rodeo bull for the more adventurous ?big kids?. A number of people are booking fairground rides and games, along with fun items like candy floss barrows and popcorn stands. Like any other service industry, funfair operators came in many guises, ?the good the bad and the ugly.? So how should you go about ensuring the attractions you book will be suitable for what is one of the biggest days of your life?
The fairground industry is broadly divided into two parts, members of the Showman's Guild Of Great Britain (the main trade organisation of professional funfair operators), and independent operators. Being a member of ?The Guild?, is no guarantee of the quality of an operator, indeed many non members set standards far in excess of some of the professionals, however choosing a member of the Guild does offer you some benefits. Each and every item of equipment owned by members of the Showmen's Guild must carry electrical and mechanical safety certificates prepared by an independent engineer and updated annually. Additionally each attraction must carry a total of ?10 million worth of public liability insurance. Proof of both the safety certificates and the insurance must be filed with one of the Guilds regional offices, without doing this an operator cannot renew his annual membership. When booking any attractions for your big day, ask for a copy of these certificates along with risk assessments etc. Any reputable operator would be happy to supply you with copies well in advance. Don't be fobbed off with promises to send them on, if the operator can't produce them find another one who can.
Ask to see images of the actual rides or games that are being supplied. Many operators act as agencies for other suppliers, and will use photos of attractions they cannot supply. The good ones will be happy to email or post you details of the equipment they intend to bring along. Again if there are excuses as to why they cannot supply photos, shop around.
If you are going to have one of the major rides such as dodgems, or a Victorian Carousel attend your wedding, you must ensure there is adequate access for the transport vehicles. A typical dodgem track will take a five man crew around six hours to erect and safety check. If when they arrive, the transport vehicle needs to be left 500 metres from where the ride is to be erected, the chances are it will not be ready in time. Difficult jobs like this can be catered for, but the operator will need to know in advance to arrange extra staff for carrying. Ideally a large ride would need to be set up the day before the event. If you have any doubts about the access, check with the venue to see if they have had large transport vehicles on site in the past, or ask the operator to perform a site visit to ensure there are no problems.
The best of the fairground operators will be more than happy to supply you with references from clients who have used their services. The really good ones not only provide the attractions, they supply their staff in uniform, trained to be more polite and discreet then those you may have encountered at a local fairground., and will even supply a clean up service to pick up and dispose of the litter once they have dismantled the ride. A little bit of homework at the planning stage can save you a lot of disappointment in the long run. Well specified and professionally operated funfair attractions can add a magical edge to a wedding, not only entertaining the children, but leaving the grown ups with a smile on their faces.
Both Lulu Bell & Jarm69 are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Lulu Bell has sinced written about articles on various topics from Jewelry, Gift Ideas and Jewelry. Lulu Bells Treasures has been offering high quality 14k gold, sterling silver, diamond and gemstone jewelry online since 2003. Visit them today at