Affordable Romantic Cruises - Sweet Trips for Your Honeymoon or Anniversary

Choosing to vacation on a cruise ship can be a fantastic way to enjoy fun, sun and a host of great activities. A cruise ship is virtually a floating paradise for vacationers, provided your time on it is safe and sound. The following article will provide you with tips to staying secure on board and thus being able to fully enjoy your intended getaway.

Get to know a staff member or two, and ask about life saving procedures. Having a go-to person on board who knows the inner workings of cruise ship fun and safety will go a long way toward providing you with comfort and good advice. Be sure to find out how to use a lifeboat and exactly what would happen should any emergency situation arise. Make a point of seeing your go-to person at least once a day and, if appropriate, tip him or her well!

Remain in the areas of the ship that are well populated and regulated. Don't be venturing off by yourself to dark and desolate corners where danger could lurk. You want to be visible to others at all times, and avoid leaving yourself vulnerable. Even romantic strolls for two can be risky, so make it a point of enjoying the ship in well lit and populated areas.

Travel to port with the other travelers. Exotic and beautiful ports have much to offer you in terms of sightseeing, exotic treats and souvenir shopping. Even if you are not interested in a particular shore destination, avoid staying behind on an empty or near empty ship. While in port, try to remain part of the group as much as possible for added safety.

How To Organize A Winter Honeymoon

Winter weddings can provide a truly romantic and awe-inspiring backdrop for your wedding day ceremony. However, trying to organize a perfect winter honeymoon whilst also attempting to plan and orchestrate a dream winter wedding can be a stressful and chaotic experience for the soon to be married couple.

Honeymoons are designed to give recently married couples valuable time to relax and enjoy their first few days of married life without the everyday problems and stresses of home. Yet, if the winter honeymoon is not organized effectively, then many of these stresses and problems could follow you to your honeymoon destination!

If you are having trouble organizing a dream winter honeymoon, then do not despair. There are many tips available to help you organize your honeymoon more effectively.

Plan Early

It is always best to start organizing a winter honeymoon as soon as possible. While many couples do not like to start organizing their honeymoon until their wedding ceremony has been thoroughly organized, by starting to plan your winter honeymoon at an early stage, you are able to avoid many of the problems associated with making last-minute decisions.

Starting to plan early also gives you better ideas about what you and your partner would like to gain from the honeymoon. Your honeymoon should reflect both of you. Make separate lists of places you would each like to visit and why. By comparing these lists you might find a mutual dream winter honeymoon destination, or maybe even discover a winter honeymoon destination you have never even considered before!

It's not something that many people will see underneath your wedding dress yet finding the perfect wedding shoes is of utmost importance. For many women their wardrobes are crammed full of diverse selection of footwear, from boots to ballet pump, stilettos to flip flops, accessorising your outfit with the right pair of shoes can be the finishing touch and make you feel good too.

Choosing Your Bridal Makeup Artist

All brides are going to look stunning on their wedding day. Whether a friend has applied the makeup or a professional makeup artist has; however sometimes bad things happen and thing don't go quite according to plan. The hair might fall out of place or come un-done all together the makeup may be too heavy or to light...Murphy's law is sometimes more powerful then the best wedding day planner money can buy. Here are a few tips when choosing your makeup artist for your big day!

It's All in the Details: Wedding Dress Trends to Watch Out For

Fresh, new and exciting - these are a few words which can best describe the latest bridal gown trends for 2012. Now that the current year is almost over, bride-to-bes who are looking forward to walking down the aisle next year do have a lot of choices when it comes to bridal hairstyles, as well as the trends in wedding gowns which we will learn more about here.

Bridal Gowns with Slits

Key Wedding Dress Trends to Look Out For in 2012

Choosing your wedding dress is something no bride should take lightly. With all eyes on you, and photos that last a life time, you need to look your best. Modern brides that are looking to mix tradition with fashion should take note of four key wedding dress trends this year:

1) Lace Capes and Cap Sleeves
2011 was all about the long lace sleeves in homage to Catherine Middleton at the Royal Wedding. In 2012 the sleeve has been replaced by a classy and flattering lace cape. This modest accessory is great for brides who would like a strapless dress, but are self conscious about their arms.

A Beautiful Wedding for a Beautiful Bride

Katie and Didi contacted me from Hong Kong as they had arranged to have their wedding at the Cortijo de la Perdiz here in Cancelada near Marbella. 

Heather at Fiestasol was their planner and caterer and they wanted to add some special touches and flowers to their day.  We had a lovely time with Katie listening to her ideas and creating her wedding details and never actually met with her until her wedding day.

 Katie was one of the most helpful and delightful brides I have had this year, she was a beautiful person and delighted in having the children around for her wedding.  Heather had set up a kiddies area in the courtyard for the kids and they put on a lovely show and stole the bridal flowers!!!

We created some country style enamel jugs with some foliage and a few gerberas to add the colour and tied the table names to the jugs with fuschia ribbons.  Katie had a ceremony at the villa with a gazebo set up on the lawn, there is a lovely photo of the girls looking out the window to see us setting it all up on Jeremy's blog.

Plan a Simple But Stylish Wedding

Weddings are one expense that can quickly spiral out of control, and unlike the purchase of your home, you will likely need all the money up front or at least a credit card to get the job done. Planning a simple wedding can help you keep the costs down, but that does not mean you have to have a "cheap" event because it can still be very stylish. Below are a few tips for planning your simple but stylish wedding.

Planning

Before you look for flowers, banquet halls and catering you will want to sit down and plan the entire event. Make a list of the things you want in your wedding and then come back and take out things that are not essential. You may be amazed at the money you can save with this step alone.

Guest List

Some people want to invite everyone they have ever come in contact with to their special day. However, consider the merits of having only very close friends and relatives at the ceremony itself. You can invite the rest of the town to the reception afterwards if you like. Keeping the guest list small will affect the size of the location you need for the actual wedding, thereby cutting expenses immediately.

Location

Once you have a firm guest list in mind it is time to find the location for your wedding. While fancy banqueting halls are nice, you have to ask yourself if they are that important. Some of the most beautiful weddings have been conducted on the beach or at a friend's stylish home. I got married by the side of a lake. So, forget all the fancy scenes you have seen in the movies and concentrate on making your day the best it can be within your budget.

Do it Yourself

Decorations and food add a good amount of money to your wedding. Think about creating some of the decorations yourself to save money. For instance, a beautiful trellis can be easily constructed with PVC pipe, lights and tulle. This works especially well if you will be having an inside wedding where the lights can be lowered and the trellis creates a romantic backdrop. If you are not mechanically or artistically inclined check with friends and family. Chances are good that one of them can come through for you.

Browse the bridal magazines for ideas and then look for ways to recreate them for a reasonable price. Flowers, table centerpieces, and even the cake can often be done very reasonably if you use just a bit of creativity.

Conclusion

Do not let the thought of planning a stylish wedding on a budget get you down. Look at it more like a challenge or a treasure hunt! Even your wedding gown can be absolutely stunning, but still bought for a reasonable price. Consignment shops and discount shops often have gorgeous dresses for less than $500. Remember what the day is all about: you are joining your life with the person you love, and everything else is just icing on the cake so to speak.

Steve Roberts has provided Pre-Marital Counseling for over 25 years and has seen wedding preparations from the inside out. Married 31 years to Pam, his partner in Life and profession, he has personally known the peaks and valleys of the couple experience.