The AAPHI Blog

This great Bridal Shower Game is perfect for including guests of all ages. Everyone can enjoy this unique game filled with hysterical high-jinx. Have a camera close at hand for the beautiful bridal outfits created by using everyday items found in everyone’s household. By using rolls of toilet paper, teams of guests can create lovely original gowns that rival costly couture creations!

The point of this super Bridal Shower Game is to have guests create wedding day outfits out of toilet paper. If you are including both the bride and the groom in your shower, be sure to have teams create male clothing that is appropriate for such formal situations as a wedding. Also, be sure to include the bridal party in the outfit creation–they are sure to feel better about their current bridal wear instead of the toilet paper potential. If flower girls, junior bridesmaids, or ring bearers are present, include the pint sized party members in this super game.

Depending on the size of your crowd, you may need to arrange guests into pairs, triplets, or teams of varying numbers. Have each team design bridal wear for a specific individual. These would include the bride, groom, bridesmaids, maid of honor, best man, ushers, junior bridesmaids, ring bearer, or flower girl. Give each team the appropriate design materials so that they can create a fabulous outfit for this Bridal Shower Game. You may want to include feather dusters, toilet paper, crepe paper, balloons, or any other materials you can think of in the designing of your bridal wear.

When designing the formal wear for this Bridal Shower Game, instruct pairs or teams to include accessories like veils, hats, baskets, corsages, or bouquets. You may also want to have special awards for these extras or have each guest try their hand at making a toilet paper flower. Once all of these flowers have been made, incorporate them into the traditional rehearsal bouquet made for the bride. This Bridal Games is sure to be remembered by all participants.

To complete this super Bridal Shower Game, time each team or pair of designers and limit their design tools. Once the timer sounds, all teams should stop and begin to showcase their outfit. Consider having each wearer model their outfits in a high spirited fashion show. Elect each member of the team to give a commentary on their design.

During the fashion show, provide guests with pen and paper and encourage them to vote on their favorites. If you have many models, create different categories, such as scandalous, sweet, or stunning. Also include categories like best use of toilet paper and most creative. Once everyone has voted on their favorite creations, reward the winning team with special prizes.

Before individuals disrobe from their stunning toilet paper creations, be sure to document each design with a photograph before the outfit is destroyed. This Bridal Shower Game is sure to be a hit with every guest, no matter what their age! Everyone is sure to remember this fun and unique game, so be sure to include it when you are planning for your wedding shower.

If you are planning a small shower with a few guests, have everyone focus their design skills on the bride. Using the materials given, design a beautiful dress the bride *should* wear on her big day. Allow different individuals to focus on specific aspects of the bridal attire, from the dress to the veil to the bouquet to the footwear. Everyone should have a chance to participate in this excellent Bridal Shower Game!

In a previous article, I listed numerous Irish customs that couples can incorporate into their wedding ceremony. In this followup article, I will describe other Irish customs for a wedding reception.

Decorating the Path. In nineteenth century Ireland, it was common for people to decorate the way from the bride’s home to the church on the day of her wedding. Floral garlands, evergreen boughs, lanterns, and torches were often used to lead the way to the church.

In Irish Wedding Traditions, Shannon McMahon Lichte offers several suggestions on how this tradition can be adapted for more modern weddings, to help guests find their way to the church and from the church to the reception (42). You could decide to attach flower bouquets to trees and signposts, or less expensive balloons and bows. For a more distinctive Irish touch, you could use Irish symbols such as the Tricolor flag, shamrock, harp, or the Claddaugh to adorn trees and signposts along the way.

Reception Decorations. Placing a pot of shamrocks in the center of each table would be very Irish and very festive. But if you prefer traditional flower arrangements, talk to your florist about having flowers native to Ireland, such as the Burnet rose, violets, hydrangeas, foxglove, Bells of Ireland, daisies, Irish orchids, ivy, ferns, and primroses.

Food and Drink. Talk to your caterer about serving Irish dishes. You can find numerous recipes in a Irish cookbook at any major bookstore. For drinks, have plenty of Irish whisky and Guinness on hand. Also, make sure your bartender knows how to make Irish cocktails, such as Irish Spring, An Irish Dog, An Irish Highball, An Irish Seaman, An Irish Lady, and Irish Lady Champagne Punch. The recipes for these drinks can be found in Lichte’s Irish Wedding Traditions.

Wedding Cake. A traditional Irish wedding cake is fruitcake. If you prefer not to use fruitcake, you can ask your baker to decorate it with Irish symbols, such as swans, a harp, or the Claddaugh and green ribbon and flowers.

Music. Music has always been an important part of any celebration in Ireland, and weddings are no exception. Having traditional Irish music at your wedding presents little problem. If you prefer live music, search for Irish musicians in your area. Or if you decide on a disc jockey, prepare a play list to include Irish musicians such as The Chieftains, Celtic Thunder, Gaelic Storm, Da Danaan, Christy Moore, James Galway, U2, The Wild Rovers, Loreena McKennett, Altan, Druid Stone, and Enya, to name a few. Compilations of Irish party and dancing songs are also available for purchase. Two of these are titled “New Irish Dance Party” and “130 Irish Party Songs” by Rego.

Toasting. In Ireland, it’s customary for the bride and groom to share a cup for their first drink as man and wife, rather than two separate wineglasses. An internet search can direct you to many sites which sales chalices and goblets with Irish designs. And rather than sharing the usual champagne, why not toast each other with mead?

Kissing. In her book, Irish Wedding Traditions, Lichte describes a wonderful variation to the custom of guests clinking a glass with a spoon to induce the bride and groom to kiss. She reports that at a recent Irish wedding, guests were asked to stand up and sing a song or recite a poem with the word “love” in it whenever they wanted the newly-wedded couple to kiss (Lichte 140). This involvement of the guests is in keeping with the ancient Irish tradition of storytelling and merrymaking.

Sharing Riches. In Ireland, it is customary for the bride and groom to make a donation to a charity, as it is believed that they will have bad luck in their marriage if they do not. Lichte offers several suggestions for couples to re-create this custom at their own wedding. You may decide to have a supply of Irish pence for you and your spouse to throw to guests when you leave the reception, you could give each guest a small pouch filled with Irish pence and confetti to toss rather than rice, or you both could make a donation to the charity of your choice in your spouse’s name to ensure good luck in your marriage.

These are only a few suggestions on how to incorporate Irish customs into your wedding; there are many, many more which can be found in a book on Irish weddings, of which there are several on the market.

This year’s presidential race is one of the most exciting in history. It’s going to be so much fun to hear the results on the night of election day.

After you’ve headed out to the polls, get together with family or friends to watch the results on television. Below you’ll find some great election party ideas to help you throw your Election party.

-Recycle 4th of July party decor, red, white and blue!

-Serve food you would serve for any television party - finger foods, homemade dip, chips, candy, sliders, etc. Go with frozen kinds and just heat up.

-Prepare special cocktails in red and blue, named after the presidential hopefuls! You can find the recipes below.

-For sweet treats, serve cookies, cake, cupcakes, decorated in red, white and blue icing. Make them in donkey and elephant shapes.

-Put together a playlist of McCain and Obama’s favorite songs:

- keep the party planning as easy to plan as possible.

Drink Recipes

Blue Drink

• 2 Oz Citrus Vodka
• 1 Oz Blue Curacao
• 1 Whole 1/2 juice from lime
• 3 oz Sprite

Steps

• Combine all ingredients into shaker.
• Shake and pour into a rocks glass filled with crushed ice.
• Garnish with a slice of pear

Red Drink

• 2 Oz Respado Tequila
• 1/4 Oz simple syrup
• 6 Whole fresh Pomegranate seeds and juice
• 1 Oz passion fruit juice
• 1 Mint leaf for Garnish
• Raspberries for garnish

Steps

• Muddle Pomegranate in base of shaker
• Add other ingredients; shake with ice and fine strain into chilled glass.

The big day is fast approaching, and the energy of the
moment sweeps you up. But does it carry your hair along
too? Use the following checklist to ensure your wedding day
hair is everything you dream it will be:

1. Which stylist? Make bookings for consultations with more
than one stylist well in advance and decide on the one you
feel most comfortable with. You should be able to express
your likes and dislikes without feeling awkward.

2. Long hair, shoulder length, or short hair? It is
important to consult with your stylist well in advance and
make a decision. Long hair obviously gives the stylist much
freedom for creativity but a skilled stylist can also work
well with medium and short styles. Be sure to choose a
length that fits with your personality and style.

3. Have your hair compliment your wedding dress. This can
be done by both style and accessories. Smooth, straight hair
and pinned up curls are often paired up with smooth satin
gowns, whereas a tulle dress often goes well with soft
curls.

4. Take into consideration your silhouette. If it’s along
horizontal lines such as with a wide dress, you’ll want to
stick with that look for your hair as well. The same goes
for a vertical profile.

5. You’ll be spending a lot of time at the salon picking out
the perfect hairstyle, so it’s best to be prepared. Be sure
to wash your hair the night before your consultation, and
try to have some pictures of styles you’d like to try out.

6. Take a picture of your wedding dress along to your
stylist. This will greatly help the process along. Also take
your veil with you, and let the stylist know what kind of
wedding you are having: formal, informal, evening, daytime.
Alternatively, consult with your stylist before deciding on
your headpiece.

7. If you are interested in a new cut or color to your hair,
don’t wait until right before your wedding. Make the changes
during the initial consultation with the stylist, so that
you don’t have any unpleasant surprises down the road.

8. After you have decided on your style, make sure you walk
around with it. Your wedding day will be a long one and you
certainly don’t want an uncomfortable hair do causing
irritation!

9. Your veil length will have some influence on your choice
of hairstyle. Normally, the veil is longer than the hair. It
is often secured in back swept hair (for up dos) and it’s
important to make sure the style can hold the veil in place.

10. What accessories are you going to wear? You will already
(hopefully!) have your headpiece picked out. Flowers, pins,
and beads can be used to add an extra sparkle to your hair,
and you can and should coordinate them with the rest of
your jewelry.

It may sound like choosing a bridal hair style is a
strenuous activity, but the care and preparation is simply
to make sure your wedding day is the best it can be.

Following this ten point checklist will ensure your wedding
day hair style is a delight, not a disaster!

Credit: Mike Jones of http://www.BodyFAQ.com. Click here for
information on how to get great hair with lustre and sheen
within 3-4 weeks: http://www.bodyfaq.com/WeddingHair

Not only do individuals who follow Time Magazine’s “Eight Steps Toward a More Satisfying Life” suggestions (Time, January 17, 2005, p. A8-A9) increase their own level of happiness, they also increase the odds that they can keep their marriage.

The same actions that can lead to a more satisfying life are the ones that can help to improve a troubled marriage. Two of the Time suggestions are to count your blessings by keeping a gratitude journal and to learn to forgive.

These same steps are necessary to maximize a spouse’s efforts to cope with a marriage that is in danger of falling apart. In their book Keep Your Marriage: What To Do When Your Spouse says “I don’t love you anymore” co-authors Nancy J. Wasson, Ph.D. and Lee Hefner also advise spouses to keep a gratitude journal.

According to Wasson and Hefner, this might seem like a strange recommendation, but it’s when things aren’t going well that you most need to look for the positive things that are present in your life. They write, “A gratitude journal gives you a nudge to remind yourself of the many blessings already present in your life…Being aware of your blessings gives you a broader, more balanced perspective of your life.”

This, they contend, jump starts the process of being able to see an increased number of positives instead of overlooking them as people in crisis often do. While spouses may start out listing positives such as watching a beautiful sunset, the process makes it easier for them to begin noticing what’s right about their partner and marriage instead of only focusing on the negative aspects.

The co-authors also agree with the Time suggestion of learning to forgive as a key ingredient in a happy life. They state that “Forgiveness involves letting go of resentment and blame. It’s something that you do for yourself when you are ready to let go of depleting anger.” Wasson and Hefner contend that shaky marriages are usually full of grudges and hurts from the past.

According to Dr. Wasson, “Someone has to take the lead in making healthy changes that can change the present dynamics of blame and resentment. One partner deciding to forgive themselves and the partner for not being perfect can have an amazing impact on the marriage and its chances to survive the crisis.”

The Time article recommends writing a letter of forgiveness to the person who has hurt or wronged you. Co-author Hefner sees this as a “courageous step of taking responsibility for your own happiness and well-being, as well as the health of your relationship.”

According to the Time article, University of Illinois psychologist Edward Diener, a.k.a. Dr. Happiness, has found that loss of a spouse is one of two life events that seem to “knock people lastingly below their happiness set point.” (The other is loss of a job.) Seventy-three percent of participants in a recent Time poll responded that their relationship with their spouse or partner or their love life is a major source of happiness.

Based on the current findings, Wasson and Hefner state that it makes more sense than ever to recognize the potential of a marriage to boost happiness and health and to work to keep and improve it.

Nancy J. Wasson, Ph.D., is co-author of Keep Your Marriage: What to Do When Your Spouse Says “I don’t love you anymore!” The e-book is available at http://www.KeepYourMarriage.com , where you can also sign up for the free Keep Your Marriage Internet Magazine. Contact Nancy at Nancy@KeepYourMarriage.com.

It is my recommendation that you order your Wedding Invitations at least four weeks prior to mailing them out to your guests. This will allow you plenty of time to receive your Wedding Invitations and double check your order to make sure you have received everything you ordered and no mistakes were made. It will allow you enough time for a reprint is needed. It will also allow you plenty of time to address all the envelopes.

Wedding Invitations should be mailed out so that your guest will receive them at least six to eight weeks prior to the Wedding. This will allow your guest enough time to make travel plans and return the respond card you included with your Wedding Invitation. Typically the respond by date should be two weeks prior to your wedding date. This should allow you enough time to make your final preparations.

You will have many other things to take care of as your wedding approaches and the last thing you need is to have to rush to get your wedding invitations addressed and mailed out. There will undoubtedly be last minute names to add and address changes to deal with so please allow yourself plenty of time to accomplish this task.

Article courtesy of Jeff Fain from Dependable Printing
Jeff is the owner of Dependable Printing.
www.dependableprinting.com
jeff@dependableprinting.com

First Law
Search for your wedding vendors through your friends, family members, and coworkers. Word-of-mouth is an old a proven way to find reliable businesses. Even if you can’t afford a wedding consultant to plan your entire wedding, it might be a good idea to consult one to find reputable wedding vendors in your area. The money you spend on an initial consultation with a wedding planner may pay for itself once you realize the cost savings.

Second Law
Never hire the first vendor you meet. Always make sure you select from at least a few different vendors. Just because you have a good first impression of a vendor, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t consider others. The more vendors you take into account the more educated you’ll become about prices and selection. You should consider at least 2 to 3 vendors for each product or service you plan on using for your wedding day.

Third Law
Get it in writing. Even if you find the vendor trustworthy, you should ALWAYS get it in writing. The documents describing the service should be as detailed as possible. Such detail might seem excessive, but it will assure that you and the vendor understand each other. If you get it in writing, the vendor might respect you more than if you only had a verbal agreement. If you get it in writing, you are also helping the vendor. If a vendor refuses to get it in writing, you should walk.

Fourth Law
Ask to see if you could speak with their previous customers. It is bad news, if a vendor doesn’t make references readily available to you. Well established businesses will likely volunteer references, so don’t hesitate to ask. Once you get the references, be sure to contact them. That’s why you’ve asked for them.

Fifth Law
When you negotiate prices, be sure to learn about hidden costs. You should have a clear understanding of what the price includes. If you are unsure, be sure to ask to clarify.

Sixth Law
Negotiate the price. You should bargain with your wedding vendors. Don’t be embarrassed by trying to get the best price. If you can’t get them to lower their price, try to get some additional free service or product included in the negotiated price.

Seventh Law
Once you get everything in writing, you should have a wedding consultant read through it all. You might even consider an attorney looking through your contracts. Their expert eyes might help you catch a mistake or question something suspicious. Spending a few dollars might help you save a lot of money and many headaches later.

Eight Law
Don’t sign anything until you understand the terms of the contract. If you disagree with something have it changed prior to signing. Vendors will more likely to accommodate your requests prior to signing the contract.

Ninth Law
Get a receipt. Some vendors might require a deposit, and you should always require a receipt.

Tenth Law
Keep in touch with your wedding vendors. Calling them periodically doesn’t mean you are bothering them. You might get more attention and better service due to your proactive approach. If you have concerns, be sure to voice them early.

Wedding Favors Wedding favors, personalized wedding favors and bridal shower gifts.

The diploma, which is the core of any graduation ceremony, is a custom-made item. There are a variety of custom-made options for diplomas and graduation certificate papers. A diploma also comes in a variety of sizes. When ordering there are a few steps to the process, the same goes for the graduation certificate.

Selection- no more difficult task, we have made it pretty easy.

The first step of the process is to select the type of paper you are interested in, and then choose the size. After that, you may also want to consider the various letterings that come with diplomas. Diploma purchasing is usually better in bulk since prices drop considerably when larger amounts are purchased. You may also want to consider that the diploma will have a set up fee or initial fee attached to the order.

This fee varies based on where it is that you look to purchase your certifications from and the fees may change based on wither or not the diploma has a logo; the good news is the more you purchase the cheaper each one gets. There is also a variety of different styles to choose from depending on what you are looking for.

The paper sizes vary from the standard page size, which is found for the majority of high schools and even Associates or Bachelor degrees to the larger paper sizes. It is fairly standard to increase the size of the paper, letting, and the elegance of the entire paper as each degree is conferred. You will need when you make your purchase a word document, which contains the names of that need to be printed onto the diplomas.

Celebrate your Special Day!

Before purchasing check out all your options both in prices, styles, and find one that works well for your educational establishment and the special day for your students.

As with anything in life, when it comes to attracting the love of your life it is important to remember that we get what we give. Specifically covered in this article are all the ways in which we take care of ourselves as it pertains to this subject.

If we do not properly take care of ourselves, we are essentially showing our body, mind and spirit that we do not truly love ourselves. When we don’t eat right, we may justify it by the fact that contemporary life means having a never-ending ‘to-do’ list. It has become so much easier to just grab a bite from the nearest fast food restaurant than to make a healthy home-cooked meal, that we often put blinders on in favor of convenience over long-term health.

Having a regular form of exercise to stretch and strengthen our muscles and to provide heart healthy aerobic stimulation tends to get short-changed as well and ends up as a low priority on our ‘to do’ list, if it is even there at all.

In our hurry up and get as much done as we can world, we tend to push ourselves and in so doing don’t get enough restful sleep. If this tends to be a problem, we can forget about taking time to relax at least once a week to recharge our batteries and just take it easy if only for an afternoon. And what about taking regular vacations? It may seem like a great idea, but many find it practically impossible to actually take the time and go somewhere.

Then, there are the more subtle, yet even more powerful ways that we can pamper ourselves that some never even allow themselves to experience. Things like getting a massage, facial, pedicure, manicure or anything else that makes you feel good and lets your earthly troubles seem like a distant memory for a short time are extremely effective methods of self-pampering. And, we all need a little self-pampering before others will feel free to pamper us. This goes for all you macho guys out there too.

If we aren’t taking specific steps to take care of ourselves regularly, we are cheating ourselves out of not only our health in the long run, but we are also blocking the way to receiving love from another. A troubling thing is that some of us may already know all of this stuff, yet we still find excuse after excuse to allow ourselves to procrastinate these very important aspects to showing love to ourselves. This comes right down to your subconscious conditioning and needs to be addressed. If we have a belief somewhere within ourselves that we are not worthy or not important, it may manifest itself in the form of not taking as much care of ourselves as we are actually capable.

Stop putting off until tomorrow or until next week the proper care that you should give to yourself without a second thought. Right now is the time to take action. Pamper yourself and treat your body like a temple in all that you do so that the love of your life can come along and treat you the same way. It is truly only when we love and accept ourselves completely that we are free to receive complete love and acceptance from another.

Warmest Regards,
Lisa Stuart

Copyright © 2006 The Love Attraction Expert

Lisa Stuart is dedicated to showing you how to attract the love of your life. Discover the secrets to attracting and experiencing a relationship with the love of your life! Sign up for Lisa’s Attracting Love Newsletter ($100 Value) just by visiting her website at http://www.HowToAttractLove.com.

Hair loss in lads affects just about 9 million in the UK, the most common kind of baldness is genetic male pattern hair loss. The hair loss can begin as young as 22 and develop emotional distress.

Loss of hair is commonly hereditary and could target gents as well as ladies. The baldness appears due to the hair follicles on the head shrinking and the hair strands falling out and not returning. Going bald ordinarily follows a hair loss pattern around the hair line and don’t forget at the crown of your scalp.

Going bald is not a virus and does not affect directly your actual health, although your emotional health might often become affected through stress.

There are 3 tremendous big league treatments for baldness, Minoxidil, Finasteride and Strand by Strand from Advanced Hair Studio, also known as AHS. The 1st big league male pattern baldness treatment is a topical lotion that goes on the scalp and can be purchased from health websites. It works by slowing the rate of hair loss, simply terrific. The second treatment works through stopping the chain reaction of the hair loss hormone. The astonishing Strand by Strand technique from Advanced Hair Studio, aka AHS, uses the latest loss of hair medical technology and involves new hair growing on the scalp strand by strand over a brief amount of time. With both the Minoxidil and Finasteride treatment methods they need to be forever applied and taken for the effects to keep working. Get expert assistance in hairloss from Advanced Hair Studio now.