9 things you should know when choosing your wedding date

1. Weddings that take place in the spring have the advantage of being first on the year’s wedding “dance card.” But if you are thinking about an early spring wedding, you should probably consider an indoor wedding ceremony, since the weather conditions may be unpredictable.
2. Traditionally, most weddings take place in the summer. It may be easier for family members who live far away to get time off from work to travel in the summer months, and children are out of school.
3. June has a great advantage: roses, the most romantic flowers, bloom everywhere during this month.
4. If you have your wedding in August, remember that this is such a popular vacation month that if you don’t send your invitations out well in advance, you might receive a higher number of regrets.
5. One of the advantages of fall weddings is that honeymoon destinations are less crowded, since most schools start classes in September.
6. Some couples make the fall foliage a key part of their wedding design using wreaths, harvest motifs, and a warm, fiery palette in their decorating schemes.
7. Fewer people get married in November and January than in summer or fall, which means popular wedding locations are available then. The same is true for musicians, florists and caterers, all of whom are eager to spend extra time with you in the slow month before the Christmas holidays. This means you just might score some great deals.
8. In December, a lot of reception halls, hotels and restaurants are decorated for the season, so you may be able to save on decorations and still have a festive affair.
9. If you’re considering a winter wedding, remember that February has the most romantic wedding date of all - Valentine’s Day. Just be sure to allow enough time to make arrangements for the services you need and want.

Affordable Catering

Many people cannot afford a lavish four-course dinner or a full buffet feast for their wedding, so don’t fret if you’re one of them. There are lots of different options out there that will allow you to serve your guests food without having to file for bankruptcy. And remember - even the simplest of foods can appear special when presented with flair.Your guests will expect different types of food depending on the time of your affair, so the most important factor to consider while planning your menu is the time of the day of your reception. Generally, buffets are cheaper than sit-down meals because the caterer has to provide less staff. If you will not be serving a full meal, make sure to indicate that on your invitations. For example, if you’re having a tea reception, add a line saying “Tea reception following ceremony.” But whatever you do, don’t forget to serve beverages and wedding cake.

A tea reception:
A tea reception is inexpensive and should be held between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. Tea and coffee is served with a variety of tea sandwiches. The crusts are cut off of these small sandwiches, and tarts, scones, and pastries may be served as well.

A salad luncheon/reception:
A salad luncheon or reception is a wonderful option if your wedding will be held in the late morning. Offer a wide selection of salads, such pasta, potato, and rice salads, coleslaw, fruit salads, and green salads. Provide a few salad dressings, fruits, and breads.

Hors d'oeuvres reception or deli/party trays reception
This type of reception/event is appropriate between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. or after an evening wedding. Provide light finger foods such as chips and dips, fruit and vegetable platters, cheeses, and crackers, and note on your invitation that “light hors d’oeuvres” will be served. If you would like to serve more substantial foods, you can include meat and cheese trays, shrimp cocktails, oysters, egg rolls, sausages, chicken wings, and tea sandwiches. If you will be serving appetizers with meats, you can write that you will be serving hors d’oeuvres.

Hors d'oeuvres and cocktail reception:
This type of reception or party is similar to the one above in regards to time and menus. However, you are serving hors d'oeuvres, cocktails, and non-alcoholic beverages, so make sure your caterer will provide wait staff.

Dessert reception:
This type of reception is suitable between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. or after an evening wedding. Serve an extensive assortment of rich desserts such as cheese cakes, tarts, tortes, cookies, pies, cakes, pastries, cobblers, biscotti, ice cream, sundaes, and candies. Serve coffee, tea, and other beverages.

A simple cake and punch reception:
You can "let them eat cake" as long as your event is not during a regular mealtime. A simple but elegant cake and punch reception must be planned for the mid-morning, for the mid-afternoon, or after an evening wedding. In addition, you may include some candies, cookies, and nuts to the menu.

More tips:

Location/rental equipment :
Does the site include tables and chairs, or do you have to rent them? Do not forget that you may need to rent tents, linens, and kitchen facilities. You may be able to cut costs by using paper and plastic goods instead of glassware, china plates, cloth napkins, and silverware, but remember that this isn’t very environmentally friendly.

Reception staff/duration:
How long will the reception last? If the event runs over, you may have to pay overtime charges. How long do you have the reception site/facilities for? Does the time of the rental of the site and the reception staff include set-up and clean up? Ask your caterer to start cleaning up while your guests are still there. If you cannot afford staff, consider ordering drop-off food or self-serve buffet food. Or you can have your friends pick up some deli trays or takeout food and set up the food with their assistance.

General Meal Times:
Breakfast 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Brunch 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Lunch 12:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
High tea/snacks 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Dinner/cocktails 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Passed or stationary hors d'oeuvres 8 p.m. and later
Dessert 9:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.

Nuptia.ca has announced the expansion of it’s online services.

Nuptia.ca has announced the expansion of it’s online services in order to benefit its members with the launching of a new online wedding jewellery shop. This new stylish collection features a stunning array of wedding necklaces, wedding bracelets, wedding earrings, bridal hair pins, bridal bracelets, bridesmaids’ jewellery, handmade wedding jewellery and gifts, wedding hair accessories as well as custom design made invitations, which creates the perfect finishing touches for that special day.

“Nuptia’s Wedding Shop is dedicated exclusively to the needs of the bride and her wedding party," says Polina Neidbal, Creative Director of Nuptia.ca. . "The purpose of launching this new shop is to provide brides and grooms to be with fine quality jewellery for their wedding day, without causing financial strain. With the costs of an average wedding being high enough, now couples have the opportunity to still have a great dream wedding, without indebting themselves.”

This new jewellery collection features 100% Natural pearls and stones. Included in this collection are cultured pearls, which are real pearls, however they are grown organically inside of oysters in the same way as natural pearls. The difference being that in the case of cultured pearls, the pearl farmer intentionally stimulates the development of the pearl by inserting a "nucleus" into the oyster. Thus, the formation and discovery of the pearl are no longer left to chance.

The benefits of Nuptia.ca's new shop are low price guarantee, with savings of 15-50% compared to other online stores, with even bigger savings off traditional stores since there are limited overhead expenses. They have a large selection of premium pearls, in a variety of shapes and colours, with new exciting products being added every month. Nuptia's online shop is fast, secure and easy to order, allowing shoppers to pay with Paypal, the securest way of purchasing online without divulging credit card information.

Nuptia.ca prides themselves on no "hidden costs" or extra expenses; the details of orders are visible so shoppers know the final cost of their purchase. They offer a flat rate shipping fee anywhere across Canada. Perhaps one of the best features of Nuptia is their customer centric website, enabling customers to rate the products and write reviews about them directly on Nuptia's site, giving important feedback to other shoppers.

ABOUT NUPTIA

Nuptia.ca is a complete, interactive wedding planning site for brides-to-be. The concept of this site was to create a community where active economical brides who prefer to organize their weddings mostly themselves can come for ideas, inspiration, deals, directories, and advice. Today's modern brides are more practical, having lived with their partner for years before making the decision to tie the knot. Although they still would like the grandest wedding possible, these brides-to-be are creative and favour DIY concepts, allowing them to save money.