Top Five Creative Wedding Themes

Most people think of wedding themes as crazy stuff, like wearing outlandish costumes and putting up make-believe props on their wedding day while others think they are only for movies. A wedding theme can actually be just about color like “All things Baby Blue” for my own wedding.  My husband and I both loved Baby Blue and color themes were popular during our time. A wedding theme may need much budget, but not always especially when you get creative. The rule of thumb is, always stick to what you can afford.

A creative wedding theme can be crazy or sophisticated, or both. It can be bold like marching down the aisle in a cute gown and a pair of sneakers, or subtle like having things color-coordinated like invitation envelopes and venue decorations .You can have it extreme or just a tweak to create focus – the one important thing I usually look for when organizing or coordinating a wedding event because it makes things easier to plan and put together.

Here are a few creative wedding themes which top my list:

1. Tropical Affair. When I think of this theme a bunch of leis easily comes to mind, plus a lovely bride with tropical flowers on her hair. Definitely the easiest theme to coordinate and put together because even guests love to dress the part. And take note, this is one theme where things look amazing on photos. You can hold tropical weddings on a beach or at a poolside. Sunset is an excellent time so you can have Tiki torches along the aisle. When such is not possible, just dress your venue to fit in. You may complete the set with beach lanterns and coconut centerpieces at the reception hall and acoustic guitar on the background.

2. High School Crush. Nothing compares to feelings for a high school crush. Relieve the experience by going with a high school life wedding theme. You can actually hold this at a school campus, or create scaled-down replicas and transform your venue into a school. You may choose to let guests dress the part or just the two of you plus your entourage, for effect. This creative wedding theme is possible with little budget making it perfect for cost-conscious couples.

3. Princess Wedding. Who says princess themes are just for little-girl birthdays. Wear a lovely ball gown complete with a cute crown, a pair of gloves and glass slippers. The wedding venue should go with it so hire an interior decorator who can set up a scaled-down kingdom background for you (3-D would be good). Your parents can play kings and queens which I’m sure they will love, and your groom is prince, of course. The wedding car can be a royal carriage, and you can have court guards and a clown to complete the set. I know you are asking about the veil and trail. You can still wear them, too.

4 . Street Romance. The coolest theme one could ever have, perfect for the hip-hop type. In case you’d want to know, you could be in your wedding gown – and a pair of groovy sneakers. A friend had this for his wedding. The couple made it special by having their guests dress up in formal black and white, while they both wear wedding clothes and groovy sneakers. Just plain super cool and creative. They held it by a quiet roadside using street corners and junctions as their background. One of the cutest and most creative wedding themes I ever saw on photographs.

5. Destination Wedding. This is getting popular – at least to the more adventurous types. You and your guests go to a destination place and hold your wedding there. Destination weddings have their plus, but also their drawbacks. They are not for the fainthearted because they mean huge expenses, but they may still be worth it especially when you are planning a post-wedding vacation with family and friends. You will need plenty of creative planning and coordination but when done perfectly, it can be a very fun and intimate affair for just a few chosen people close to your heart.

You don’t have to spend tons of money to have a lovely and memorable wedding. It just takes a bit of creativity in maximizing what you’ve got. For more creative wedding themes, follow this blog, like my page on Facebook or contact me. Also, share your creative wedding ideas here and let us discuss.

Five Proven Tips to Get Your Kids to Read

You can turn your home into a fun and favorite place to read. Here are some things I’m pretty sure you can connect with. Get fresh ideas and get reminded of things you probably have already done. Enjoy!

1. Make reading fun both for you and your kids. If you get your kids to enjoy reading, they will keep on doing it. Let’s take this even further – if you get your kids to love books, you would keep them reading. Skill is just secondary; make the activity an adventure, fun and pleasurable. Once they enjoy doing it, they will eventually develop the skills – without the fuss.

 2. Let them catch you read. Don’t make this common mistake among parents – to read only when kids are neatly tucked in bed. How will they ever know you even read at all? Get caught. Discuss a part of any reading with them or with your spouse. Talk about books while they are listening around. They will read by your example.

“Family With Two Children” by Ambro

3. Read aloud. Imagine sitting your child on your lap while reading his or her favorite story aloud. Your child will associate reading with intimacy. A lot of times, it is not really what you read to him, but the precious opportunity this kind of activity provides – it just draws both of you towards each other. Even an infant will coo when you do that.

4. Schedule trips to the bookstore or the local library . You can’t have all the books at home but you can treat your kids to a feast of ideas.

I always bring my kids to a local book sale and they love it. They sit quietly on the floor with their chosen reads. I pair that with the privilege to choose their own books at a small budget, and boy, are they always more than excited about that. Sometimes you can also bring them to a local library for a sumptuous read.

5. Catch your kids read and affirm them every time. You have been hoping and trying hard for them to do it – celebrate with them when they do. Appreciate them when they open a book, or join the conversation with them when they talk about anything they have read.

Any more ideas you can add to my list? I will post some more next time but I’m pretty sure you have your own brilliant tips. Meanwhile, take time to try these five tips to get your kids to read and tell me what happens. Be sure to connect with me on my Facebook Page and let us altogether learn.

 

 

 

The Rewards of a Stay at Home Working Woman

photo credit: freedigitalphotos.net

It is official –  I’m now a certified stay at home working woman, are you?

It took me several weeks to finally get used to it. I have been a working woman for almost 27 years, particularly a working mom for eight years, and I loved my job. In fact, nothing could ever separate me from it whether I get paid or not; except this inner stirring to do something else, or more accurately, a lot more other things. If I were to discuss those, we would get past 100 web pages.

I used to dislike staying at home both for good and bad reasons. For one, I won’t have a monthly salary, another, I will miss my office friends and still another, I will have to quit doing what I have always done for almost 21 years. There are a lot more reasons but, honestly, the most challenging is staying home with my two grade school boys. You read it right. Two grade school boys – they jump on my toes, scribble on my books, climb on our dining table, climb our windows, play basketball in the bathroom, mess up with the neighbour’s cat, run on the stairs, play with the stove, beat each other up and run and yell all the time. The list is endless, and attempting to write it can already make me all stressed-out just yet.

Don’t get me wrong – I love my kids. They are two terrific little guys I’m starting to hang around with more often. In the midst of my most stressful adjustment days, I see a twinkle in their eyes just because I’m almost always beside them and I learn a lot of precious little lessons. I guess there is just a lot of transformation going inside. Of the things I enjoy about being a stay-at-home mom, these four top the list.

1. Get to greet the kids at the door when they get home from school

Only a few moms get to do this. That classic moment like the one we usually see on TV, when my kids run and shout, “Mama!” and I spread my arms to hug them, and then ask, “How was school today”?

I can do that every day, and still feel like a first-timer every time.  Whenever I see my kids smile their sweetest, I feel like a loving mom in a feel-good old movie. I think I need more of this loving experience because it refreshes me. I’m also starting to like it when I can closely look into their needs every day. How about the stress? Oh, well, I’d get used to it if I couldn’t avoid it. The smiles on my kids’ face are priceless.

2. Get plenty of rest both for my mind and body

I needed this one so bad. I guess everybody does, but not everybody decides to enjoy it in a world that is so busy. I still work – on my own terms, and I think I’m entitled to it even for just the moment or maybe extend it for a while. Ah, just the thought makes not only my body, but also my mind breathe. I just feel I need a long-overdue rest after 21 years. Resting is good because, as one friend puts it, I can get back to my life purpose and re-define what I am really designed to do. Rest is not only for a stay-at-home working woman, it’s for everyone.  Let me ask you, have you taken a good rest lately?

3. Get a clearer perspective on the path I’m taking

I once joined a survival camp at one of the tallest mountains in Lambunao, Iloilo. It was such an awesome adventure, but turned out more than we figured out. We ended up not quite ready to climb. I saw a fellow camper, actually a rescue team volunteer, pass out. He was pale as paper, panting and almost unable to speak at the first stop. It was a difficult hike to the top.

We found it necessary to rest in the middle of the long trek and consider two things: get all the way back to the plains and go home, or go ahead to the top where the resting place, a nipa hut, and a group of waving younger campers who made me a bit insecure for getting there first, await us. We chose to go ahead, and reached the top. When you’re on a journey, it is good to step back once in a while and get a better perspective of how far you have gone, and gather all the strength you need to reach your chosen destination.

4. Get to work – and earn when I want, where I want

The months without regular work and a regular pay are not the best. I and my husband have been through a lot. Cutting down on living cost was impossible because there was practically nothing left to cut down. I have learned, though, that when we ask God for daily bread, He does not necessarily give us money or material things because such cannot sustain nor satisfy, but He gives us creative ideas, lots of creative ideas not only for ourselves, but also for others. I’m currently working on those creative ideas and I feel like a bird free from the cage, a goldfish out of the bowl. Both ends will finally meet.

I’m getting back to my small home-based business (very slowly, but getting there), and I still have a lot more businesses in mind. I failed on these things several times, but they kept haunting me, and until now I had to face those failures. I’m back with more time, more creativity, more faith, and more hard-earned lessons in my pocket. I also can work better on my blogs now, I occasionally get clients as a freelance writer, and I just got hired to do an amazing work-at-home job (I will write about it in the following months) that fits my personal purpose, interest and skills. Now, I’m looking forward to my first pay-day.

I can go on and on, but I like to ask you about your own work experience. I know things don’t always work the same way for everybody. Which one is more applicable to you, to have a work-at-home job, or work in a physical office condition? Write a comment on this post and let us discuss, or like me on Facebook for updates on this useful topic.