Ever wonder how to discover unique best friend gifts and refresh or renew your fellowship? I know I do. At this time of year, what else is as important. Familiars are not always best friends and as much as you tell them that they matter, on occasion it really helps to give a unique best friend gift to your object of friendship just to display, “You are worth a more effort.”
Do you ever need to have your batteries “re-charged”, or you may need a boost to your self-worth. You might be facing a very scary situation–like turning another year older with a BIG zero behind the number–and need a steady and solid presence.
How about having a open mind to vent your stress to and get responses, but only if it is requested. On a pleasant tone, you may want to take a fun filled vacation and spend countless hours talking, watching the birds and catching up on life. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to find–and then hold on to–a beautiful mind, the one that fits these needs, plus much more!
If you are paying attention, we’re speaking about best friends! It is all so important to identify and cherish one of the best unique gifts on our earth–best friends! They are truly invaluable and can save you literally hundreds of dollars in hair replacements from being pulled out. Once identified, this person can serve as “counselor” on everything from children, spouses, religion and social topics.
Now, it is also worthwhile to realize that these best friends are a valuable tool and resource, and not to be taken for naught. You have a responsibility to preserve them.
Make sure to honor not only their efforts, but also their firm standpoint when you ask for their opinion. Treat your best friends like the priceless gem they are, and insure their safety. After all, it’s difficult enough to find and keep good friends–much less best friends.
Finding a great best friend gift is always a good idea. Best friends are great to confide with during a life-stressor. Just a phone call away your best friend is an outstanding resource to call upon. It is like they say, “A best friend does not get you out of jail, they are sitting on the chair in the cell next to you.” Click Here for all your “best friend gift ideas”.
Wedding Tea Ceremony 敬茶
The tea ceremony is one of the most significant event in the modern chinese wedding ceremony, second only to fetching the bride. The bride and groom are formally introduced to each other’s family through this ceremony.
Order of service
It will usually take place on the wedding day when most of the family members are present. If some members are not available, supplementary sessions can be conducted at the wedding dinner or at other convenient times and locations.
The order of service is usually
- parents,
- grandparents,
- grand-uncles and grand-aunties,
- uncles and aunties,
- elder brothers and sisters,
- elder cousins.
For some family, grandparents are served before parents. Within each generation, dad’s relatives are served before mum’s relatives.
To kneel or not to kneel
In very traditional family, the young couple is required to serve tea whilst kneeling down. Most modern family only requires them to bow while serving tea.
Do you use a special tea set?
A new tea set is included in the bride’s dowry. It usually comprises of four tea cups and a tea pot without any milk jar and sugar pot. Popular designs include those with double joy, dragon and phoenix, or poeny flowers and gold trimmings.
This new tea set will be used for the groom’s side tea ceremony. On the bride’s side, the parent’s tea set from their own wedding will be used if it is still available. Otherwise, a new tea set can be used.
What’s in the tea?
Sweet tea boiled with dried longan, lotus seeds and red dates are used for the Tea ceremony. Red dates 红枣 (hongzao), longan 龙眼 (longyan), and lotus seeds 莲子 (lianzi), represents the family’s wish for the couple to have sons soon after the wedding 早生贵子(zaoshengguizi). The sweetness symbolises harmony and sweetness in the couple’s union.
Red packets money gifts or jewellery?
The tea ceremony gifts such as red packets or jewellery are presented on the serving plate after drinking the tea. Usually the relatives of the bride will present her with jewellery rather than red packets. This is referred to as “adding to her dowry” 添嫁妆.
When will you have the tea ceremony for the bride’s side?
The tea ceremony for the bride’s side is usually carried out during the bride’s home visit. Sometimes the distance between the bride and groom’s home is too far apart for the bride’s home visit to be on the same day as the wedding day. In this case, the bride’s side tea ceremony may be conducted when the groom arrives to fetch the bride.
Jina Boo is the editor of http://www.chinese-wedding-guide.com, a website dedicated to preserving chinese wedding customs and culture. The website features:
- significance of chinese wedding custom and traditions,
- the items and persons needed to perform them, and
- suggested timeframe for preparation of chinese wedding.
A guide for drafting your own chinese wedding invitation is also included.
Click on http://www.chinese-wedding-guide.com/ezinearticles to visit the site to learn more about chinese weddings.
An anniversary gift is the opportunity to show your loved one precisely how much they mean to you and how special you think they are.
The list at the bottom of this post shows the traditional anniversary gifts for each of the major wedding anniversaries. Even within this structure there is substantial scope for you to get your loved on the perfect anniversary gift.
A little thought into your loved one’s personality will help you to understand what kind of gift they would really love.
What does your loved one like?
It sounds obvious to buy a anniversary gift that your loved one will like but many people buy gifts that they think that their loved one will like. This often translates into what you think they should like, which might be very different from what they actually want.
If you don’t know then there are a number of things you can do to find clues.
- Listen to them for verbal clues as to gifts they may like
- Observe what they do, movies they watch, sports they play etc.
- Look at what they already have and think of complimentary gifts
What makes them so special to you?
Think of this anniversary gift as your way of showing your loved one how special they are to you and how much they mean to you. Thus your anniversary gift should represent your love for the special person in your life. Buy them a naff gift and you’ll be in the dog house for a long time!
However if you spend the time to buy a really special anniversary gift that they will love, your relationship will truely benefit, both from the gift and your greater understanding of your other half.
Find a quality anniversary gift at a great value
There are numerous retailers selling traditional anniversary gifts such as jewellery and flowers.
Don’t be afraid to think laterally however in your search for that perfect anniversary gift. For instance a paper gift could easily be a concert ticket, a romantic holiday or even a charity gift.
From here much of the work is down to you. You know your loved one better than anyone and you alone can choose the perfect anniversary gift for them. Nevertheless there are several online gift shops that offer a good range of anniversary gifts at good value.
Barbara Gordon is principal writer at The Good Gift Guide, a site that exists to to help you find that perfect gift for the person you care about on their special day.
Who hasn’t thought of getting married in Las Vegas at some point
or another? Whether it’s the glitz and the glamor of the city or
just the fun environment, you might want to take that and put it
into your own wedding.
And you won’t have to run off and elope to do it either. Bring
everyone with you. Blue suede shoes?
No, you don’t have to have the groom dress up as Elvis to have a
traditional Vegas wedding–although that’s not a bad idea.
You can start off the wedding plans with an invitation that
looks like a deck of cards. This is an indication of the fun,
relaxed atmosphere of the wedding. You may even want to drop in
a few real cards just for good measure.
Take the theme even further by naming all of the tables by the
various hotels and casinos in Vegas–the Flamingo, Bellagio, and
the Golden Nugget are just a few. You can have favors that are
Vegas inspired–cards, poker chips, etc.
You may want to make the ceremony look like one of the strip’s
wedding chapels. Put up a sign that says “Chapel of Love” or
something like that.
And yes, there’s more
One of the neatest ways to capture your Vegas wedding is to find
someone who can create a cake in the shape of your favorite
Vegas building. Why not have a cake in the shape of the Sphinx
at the Luxor hotel? Or perhaps you want something more
clichéd–like the old boy Elvis himself.
Although the groom may not want to dress up like Elvis, you may
want to incorporate red and black into your overall color
scheme. These are the colors of Vegas, after all. Perhaps you
can even set up small slot machines or card tables for the
night. Hire a few blackjack dealers and you’re sure to have some
impressed and satisfied guests.
Food is easy for a Vegas wedding because buffet is the way to go
in the casinos. Set up a similar food sampling, and people will
forget that they’re not in Vegas, but at your wedding.
And of course, a lounge singer is always nice, but not necessary.
Having a Vegas themed wedding is all about having fun. Perhaps
you were engaged in Vegas or just want to capture its essence,
either way, get creative and let the night be one you can bet
on.
Wedding guests often like to retain a keepsake of a wedding of family members or
friends to go with photographs of the big day. They may keep the wedding program
(or, as my family traditionally calls it, the ‘race-card’) to put in a scrapbook album.
Wedding favors are another popular idea that allows the wedding couple to offer
their guests a memento of their special occasion.
Wedding favors aren’t just a little souvenir of the wedding: they’re also a token of
appreciation to the guests for their efforts in attending the ceremony or reception
and for their love and support. As such, favors come in all shapes and sizes, can be
lavish or inexpensive according to what the couple can afford and can be themed in
almost any way to complement the overall design of the wedding itself.
Even if the wedding is being organized to a strict budget, the bride and groom can
find imaginative ways to offer their guests charming wedding favors that they will
treasure. They don’t need to be expensive — they can even be homemade — and
it’s more important that the favors be a personal expression of the couple’s
gratitude.
The habit of giving favors to wedding guests goes back many generations and
varies according to different national customs. Tradition has it that at special
celebrations an upper class French family would distribute a decorative box or
container of bonbons (sweets, candy or other sugar-coated treats) to their
guests as a small parting gift. Gradually this tradition spread as a way of wishing
good fortune on friends and family.
Some modern couples still retain the tradition of giving sugar-coated wedding
favors: candied almonds remain a popular gift, not just at weddings but also for
christenings, birthdays and other special occasions.
Nowadays there is a vast range of possibilities for wedding favors to suit every taste
and pocket. Contemporary wedding themes range from Hollywood glamor to
Hawaiian beach weddings, from Las Vegas casino themes to traditional English
country ceremonies. Couples can choose favors to complement their wedding
design, shopping with specialist online merchants or using their imagination and
creative skills to make their own.
Practical gifts such as soaps and candles are perennial favorites, as are small
practical items such as cookie cutters, chopsticks, coasters and other utensils and
accessories. It’s popular to match favors to the season of the wedding, particularly if
it takes place in the winter or around the time of a seasonal holiday such as
Halloween or Thanksgiving.
Personalized favors represent a unique memento of any celebration. Marrying
couples can have their initials placed on boxes, cards and many other items.
Depending on the size of the wedding, the bride or groom may wish to write a short
greeting on a note or scroll to accompany the gift. Even if they buy the favors from a
supplier, the couple and their family can customize the container, decoration or
presentation to create an individual effect.
Carole Anderson is a writer for http://Inexpensive-Weddings.com, an online guide
to creating your dream wedding on a tight budget.
Visit the site for tips and advice on affordable wedding favors, wedding dresses and
gowns, wedding invitations, wedding rings, wedding cakes, flowers
and more …
Many people seem to think that marriage counseling is a last resort when your marriage is crippled beyond repair. However, the wise couple will seek marriage counseling as soon as they come to the realization that their marriage is facing a problem that neither of them have the experience to solve.
Because of their abiding love for each other, they are willing to do whatever it takes to shore up the area of their marriage that was affected by erosion.
Even though both spouses know that marriage counseling is an important step, actually feeling comfortable with the counseling is a whole different story.
It’s often more difficult for men to seek outside help for their relationships. They hate not being able to figure something out on their own. Men, by nature, are trained to be independent and self-sufficient. They would rather learn from doing than from discussing. Therefore, it is more difficult for men to see a therapist.
So if the idea of having a male therapist makes a big difference to him, this would be good time to give in to his request.
For men who are uncomfortable with the thought of a one-on-one session, many therapists say group therapy is a good starting point. Sitting down in a group setting–with six to ten other individuals–can address feelings of isolation and improve their interpersonal skills.
Men in our culture typically have more fear of intimacy and are uncomfortable when it comes to revealing their emotions.
By helping people share their concerns and fears, groups can ease men past these barriers to problem solving. Therapy groups with a narrow focus can be especially appealing to men.
Remember, do whatever it takes to make it as easy as possible to seek counseling.
Your efforts will be well rewarded and you will realize that your journey through counseling not only helped resolve your initial concern, but your marriage relationship has broadened and grown to newer heights.
Beth Young is the Senior Editor of the leading marriage advise web site,
http://www.MarrigeAdvice.comMarriageAdvise.com. To download your free ebook titled, “101 Marriage Secrets”
visit http://www.MarrigeAdvice.com.
Tying wedding party favors to a theme can make choosing wedding
favors easier.
Picking the perfect wedding party favors can be a difficult
task, but it doesn’t have to be. You know that the wedding party
favors are important because they express your appreciation to
your guests for coming to your wedding. These reception favors
are just a little gift that lets your guests know they are
important to you. To make choosing these important items easier
you can implement a theme that will help you narrow down the
never-ending list of favor choices. When these guest favors are
tied to a theme it is very easy to pick the out.
Wedding party favors that are tied to the overall theme of the
wedding are one way to go. You may not have a specific theme,
but think about the other aspects of your wedding - Are things
elegant? romantic? traditional? When you can identify what angle
you are going it is then simple to choose good favors. For an
elegant wedding you might choose mini wine glasses coupled with
a mini bottle of wine. A romantic favor could be a chocolate
rose set in a small vase.
The traditional favor is along the lines of placecard holders or
candles. Tying your wedding party favors to your wedding theme
will allow you to choose unique wedding favors that fit in with
the atmosphere you’ve created.
Some couples may like to express their personalities through
their wedding favors. For the golfer you could offer wedding
golf tees with chocolate golf balls. The more daring bride and
groom may wish to provide temporary tattoos that showcase your
names and wedding date. Poker enthusiasts can offer mini decks
of cards. Another way to go is to write poems or favorite quotes
on colored paper, roll it up and secure with a fake, plastic
wedding ring.
Tying your wedding party favors to your personalities makes the
favors seem more personal to your guests. Another popular method
of choosing wedding party favors is to include them as part of
the wedding or bridal shower reception decorations. You can have
a breakaway centerpiece, which is a centerpiece made up of
smaller pieces that can be easily taken by the guests at the end
of the reception. These centerpieces usually are small wrapped
gifts, candles or mini vases with flowers.
You can use your own creative flair to put together nice
centerpieces. Mini salt and pepper shakers can be provided for
each guest to use during the dinner and then take home. If you
are looking to preserve table space you can wrap the gifts and
hang them with ribbons on the chairs. Using favors as part of
the decorations will help you to save time and money. Tying your
unique wedding favors into your wedding decor helps to keep
things united and make it easier for you.
There are many different items to choose from, so if you have
some sort of wedding plan before shopping it will save large
amounts of time. Remember that this is your gift to your party
guests and it should be nice, but that doesn’t mean you have to
spend forever choosing them.
We search endlessly for that perfect “soul” mate, our “true love” that we can spend the rest of our lives with, have children, raise a family, grow old, etc. We are tired of the “dating” scene, we want to settle down and get married. However, once we do, we realize that it is not all that it is “cracked” up to be. You call you mother and say…”Hey, how come you never told me that marriage was this hard?”
The current popularity of chick flicks, reality TV dating shows, books, and courses all portray dating and finding that right certain someone is an emotional roller coaster and soul searching journey. Once you have proclaimed your love, so to speak, you have fulfilled this destiny and will live in eternal marital bliss….Realistically, the day you get married is only the beginning of figuring how to keep two different people — no matter how well-suited — living and growing together for the next 50 years. It is the beginning of toilet seats being left up, the cap on the toothpaste being left off, the pile of shoes at the door, and the dispersing of household chores and allowances starts all over again.
And, this is all pre-children. Once you have children, all of these issues and MORE pop up in your marriage. Your workload doubles. Of course, you will glean advice from your other friends and family. Advice such as; never go to bed angry, communicate, and compromise. But these are tools (albeit good ones). They don’t get at some very basic truths: You Will Not Always Like — Let Alone Feel Loving Toward — Your Spouse. We all know couples who say they were born to be together. But more often than not, successful relationships are created by two willing and able individuals who have enough commonalities and chemistry to try to make a go of it. That means your spouse does not have 100 percent of the qualities on your mental checklist.
I learned early on that my husband and I were completely different in so many ways, and yet we were very much in love! There were so many times that I did not like him anymore, and I wondered what I saw in him in the first place. Once we had our girls, this fleeting thought became a constant theme at times in our marriage. I would get so frustrated, as did he. Although we are still married today, we constantly have to work at it. I still have days where I question my sanity and HIS. It is on these days that his less than “exceptional” qualities grate on my every last nerve more prominently than others. That’s okay. Because I finally deduced that it is not realistic to think that two wholly separate people — regardless of how well-matched they are — are going to think alike and get along every day of the remainder of their married life together. Hormones get out of whack. There are bad days at work. Daily life becomes cumbersome. Just be aware that the positive days outweigh the negative.
My husband and I like to look at our marriage as a business relationship. It is something that has to be taken seriously, managed, and goals have to be set and reset all the time. It is not always about love, romance, passion, and yes “sex”, it is about respect, individuality, and friendship. We live in an ever changing society, nothing is constant and neither is your marriage. You have to be able to adjust and make changes with your spouse. As long as you both have the same mission statement, then you will both end up on the same side most of the time.
Copyright 2005
Robyn A. Johnson
http://www.themomscafe.net
A Fantastic Stag Weekend in Riga - the Greatest in Pre
Wedding Fun, Part One
Your Wedding is meant to be the greatest day of your life but
who says that your stag weekend can’t be the greatest weekend of
your life? Read on for some excellent stag weekend ideas in
Eastern Europe.
When it comes to the perfect stag weekend, Prague is certainly
having its moment in the sun. For the better part of ten years
the Czech capital has been the ‘it girl’ of the former Eastern
bloc. And just like ‘it girls’ from Essex to Primrose Hill,
Prague is being done like a dinner. Those who aren’t already
going there are thinking of going there and everybody else
already went in the 80s before, like, it became so popular. Now
there’s nothing wrong with abandoning Bournemouth and Skegness
in favour of a bit of Iron curtain history and culture, in fact
it’s where the smart money is. But listen up people, there’s a
whole map out there filled with quirky, exotic and down right
crazy locations that are just champing at the bit to show you a
good time. So let’s start with the new kids on the Eastern Bloc.
Think of them as best friends you’re yet to meet. Lovers you’re
yet to kiss, you get the drift. So here are some handy hints,
interesting facts, useless trivia and some
slap-your-granny-you-can’t-be-serious exchange rates on places
that you might want to consider upon organizing the mother of
all stag weekends. Gentlemen, get your phrase books ready.
Riga
Right now the capital of Latvia is one of the brightest stars on
the European Horizon. As a result of frequent and cheap flights,
an excellent exchange rate and - if you happen to hail from a
European Community country - visa-free travel, more tourists
than ever packing their phrase books and flocking to sunny Riga.
And courtesy of a smorgasbord of thrilling activities and a
smokin’ nightlife Riga is also quickly becoming the stag weekend
destination of choice. So don your pastalas* and head over to
the Paris of the Baltics, where the party is only just
beginning.
Jumping Juniper! They Sure Know How to Make Them There
Drinks!
They sure do. Those crazy Latvians have been making their
legendary Riga Black Balsam since the 18th Century to a strictly
guarded recipe which, some say, contains over 99 individual
ingredients mixed in pure Vodka. The liqueur is also said to
have curative properties with Lativian grannies everywhere
sneaking a sip to cure everything from toothache to cancer. At
about 90 proof we can only attest that it certainly has
properties of a most ‘transformative’ nature. Other than the
blessed Balsam, Lativians know how to brew a decent beer with
Aldaris being one of the national favourites.
Riga has never been this good! Just drop a line to Amalia
Illgner, she is a copywriter for chillisauce.co.uk; a fully
bonded tour operator specialising in memorable stag parties. And
there’s a whole map of possibilities for a great stag
weekend, for some excellent adventure filled ideas check out
chillisauce where they will tailor a Stag Do
in Riga just for you and any number of your best friends.
Now that’s what we like to call service!
Is your wedding going to be a very formal and traditional
affair, or are you breaking a few rules to have an event that is
uniquely your own? In either case, many brides and grooms are
writing their own vows today, with varying levels of creativity.
You can still use very traditional vows, or you can be very
nontraditional. If you decide to try writing your own vows,
there are a few things you should consider.
Traditional Vows Have Years of Meaning
There is history in traditional vows, and something moving about
reciting the same vows as generations of men and women before
you, promising a lifetime of love and commitment to each other.
Many faiths have their own distinct version of the promises a
couple makes to each other, and because they have been used for
so long, they have depth of meaning already built in. Even if
you decide to be very creative in writing your own vows, it
would be wise to study traditional vows and consider what makes
them so moving and incorporate some aspects of them into your
own vows.
A Creative Expression of Commitment
Writing your own wedding vows allows you to be creative in the
words you speak when promising your life to another. They allow
you to create very personal and individualized expressions of
marital commitment. Here are some ideas to help you put together
the perfect wedding vows.
If you have any favorite love poems, stories, or songs, write
down your favorite passages. Look through religious literature
and select passages that are appropriate for your relationship
or feelings. Consider how you really feel about this step in
your life and about your soon-to-be spouse. After you’ve thought
about all of this, begin writing it out on paper.
Do your best to verbalize how you feel, what you are willing to
promise, and that this commitment is for a lifetime. Practice
saying it out loud so you can make sure it’s the right length
and focused, not rambling all over the place. You may decide to
write your vows together or write them separately and share them
with each other ahead of time, or just surprise each other. The
choice is yours, so do whatever makes you feel the most
comfortable.
Whether you choose to use traditional vows, write your own, or
use some combination, your wedding vows are the central purpose
of the wedding. They deserve the time and attention it takes to
make them a true expression of your hearts.
