2019 Choosing an Engagement Ring / Tips for Second Weddings Planning a Unity Ceremony / Combining Finances The Bride’s Resource 2019 Page 1 Photo by Double Heart Photography 10 06 Wedding tools make planning easier 14 Tips for second weddings 20 Choosing attendants for your wedding 26 Choosing where to honeymoon 28 Combining finances after the wedding On the cover-Shiloh Hofacket and Monty Hambrick were married at Stillwater Meadow in Aledo on June 22, 2018. Photo Majors + Warnock by 3 Birds Photography. Hambrick + Hofacket A Post Oak Media product Publisher J.M. Winter Creative Director Kayla Jean Woods Advertising Executives Lana Hamblin Kathy Miller Shannon Gray Business Manager Brenda Bingham 200 Walnut, Bowie, TX 76230 www.postoakmedia.net Photo by 3 Birds Photography 16 Page 2 North Texas Forever Hambrick + Hofacket The Bride’s Resource 2019 Page 3 Page 4 North Texas Forever How to choose an engagment ring that she will love within your budget ngagements precede wedding dresses, flower arrangements, limousines, and evenE a couple's wedding vows. And no pro- posal is complete without a ring. Knowledge of rings and stones is essential for those who plan to propose in the near future. A recent survey from the wedding re- source The Knot in which 12,000 brides and 1,200 grooms in the United States were asked about their rings, found that people spend an average, of $5,978 on engagement rings. Recognizing the potential cost of en- gagement rings can help ring shoppers pre- pare for their purchases. In addition to considering costs, couples can employ the following tips to shop with confidence. • Cut costs with style. Engagement rings can be costly, but many couples feel they are speak with a jeweler about a suitable sub- worthwhile investments. According to In stitute. Style magazine, a ring with a classic solitaire • Investigate personal style. Men should of one carat weight can cost thousands of pay attention to the jewelry their girlfriends dollars, while a band covered in just under wear so the engagement rings complement one carat of tiny pavé diamonds will offer their style. Some women love modern jew- plenty of sparkle for a lot less money. elry, while others gravitate toward vintage • Know your settings. How the diamond pieces. is framed can affect how big it looks and • Come in under carat. Buying just shy of even how much it sparkles. Gems framed the next carat weight can save between 20 with a bezel can give the illusion of a larger and 30 percent, offers The Knot. Plus, the stone. size discrepancy probably will not be visible • Get the desired cut. A skilled jeweler to the naked eye. knows how to properly cut a stone to bring • Think about trading up. Some couples out its best radiance. From round to prin- like to replace engagement rings with a cess to emerald to marquise cut, cut styles more elaborate ring for a big anniversary. can affect how the stone looks as well as the Some jewelers will accept the purchase of price. the engagement ring toward the price of a • Know ring metals. Platinum and gold future ring. are some of the most popular ring setting Jewelry stores are in the business of de- metals. Platinum costs considerably more veloping relationships with their customers. than gold or silver, but is long-lasting. Cou- When purchasing engagement rings, cou- ples should weigh the cost versus benefit ples can discuss their desires in regard to a of splurging on a more expensive metal, or ring, as well as their budgets. The Bride’s Resource 2019 Page 5 Wedding tools make planning easier Ensuring an event goes on with minimal get cost estimates based on guest list and hiccups takes patience and thorough plan- options. Users also can access discounts and ning. This is especially true for weddings, exclusive deals. when many elements must merge together • Wedding LookBook: This app enables for a memorable day. Today's couples have couples to browse through thousands of a bevy of new resources at their disposal to dresses, accessories, jewelry, and much more. facilitate wedding planning. The app will help customers find products The internet makes vetting vendors and in their area. reading reviews that much easier, but wed- • Shutterfly: This photo, invitation and ding-related apps also can simplify wedding image-sharing tool can be an inexpensive planning. The following are some top picks place to create save-the-date stationery, in- as culled by Wedding Shoppe, Inc., The vitations, and photo memory books. Knot and Lifehacker. • Appy Couple: This app and website • Wedding Spot: Couples can search for helps couples manage their budgets, time- their ideal wedding venue based on location, lines, wedding parties, and seating charts, budget, styles, and capacity. The website en- while also allowing them to share photos. ables users to plan their ideal weddings and There is a free version and basic packages Page 6 North Texas Forever that allow access to more contacts from email and so- different packages cater features. cial networks to establish a to various name-changing • iWedding Deluxe: In guest list. If floor plans are needs. addition to managing time- unavailable in their data- • Vistaprint: These statio- lines, to-do lists and vendors, base, they can be drawn. nery specialists offer an ar- this app offers inspiration • The Knot's Market- ray of services, from cards to ideas for gowns, manages place: With the click of a invitations to personalized and tracks gifts, and offers button, couples can search envelopes. Once a design is first dance suggestions from for wedding vendors in all chosen, Vistaprint will of- iTunes. However, it is only different categories, read re- fer add-on suggestions for available to iPhone users. views, and directly connect coordinating items, helping • AllSeated: This tool can with those businesses. to create a cohesive look for help couples figure out seat- • HitchSwitch: Brides or the festivities. ing arrangements by creat- grooms who may be chang- Wedding websites, apps ing 3D floor plans of the ing their names can do so in and more can streamline event, and couples can pull one convenient place. Three wedding planning. The Bride’s Resource 2019 Page 7 Page 8 North Texas Forever What to include in e-vites aper invitations remain the invite of parking garages, and include that informa- choice for weddings, and rightfully so. tion on the invitation as well. PaperP invitations give wedding guests an What to eat? idea of just how formal the ceremony will E-vites are not restricted by space like be and make for great mementos the happy more traditional paper invitations. So if couple can revisit for decades to come. you're hosting a party at home, use the e- Though milestones like weddings are vite to inform guests about the foods you worthy of elaborate paper invitations, many will be serving. This gives guests with di- other types of parties and gatherings can etary restrictions a chance to make other ar- utilize e-vites to get the word out. E-vites rangements if the foods you will be serving may not be governed by the guidelines of don't align with their diets. more formal paper invitations, but e-vite RSVP designers should still make sure to include Make it as easy as possible for guests certain information so guests learn all they to respond to your e-vite. E-vite templates need to know about the festivities. typically allow guests to click "Yes," "No," Why? or "Maybe." Ask guests to give their final When designing an e-vite, include the responses by a certain date. reason for the party. For example, let guests E-vites make it easy to invite friends and know if a backyard barbecue is doubling as family to gatherings big and small. a birthday party. Some guests might not know this if the e-vite doesn't state it, and they might feel awkward if they fail to show up with a gift for the guest of honor. When? Less formal get-togethers may not be on tight schedules, but e-vites to such affairs should still dictate when parties will begin and an estimate of when they will end. If hosting a game watch or a movie night, use the e-vite to remind guests when the game starts or when you want to start the movie. Ideally, let guests arrive in advance of the main event so they have time to get settled. Where? Include the full address of where the party will be held. If you're hosting at home, try to include some information about where guests can park their vehicles. If you're hosting the party at a restaurant or another public place, include parking infor- mation about those places as well, especially if parking is limited. In such instances, look into nearby parking alternatives, such as The Bride’s Resource 2019 Page 9 Majors 09.02.18+ Warnock aquita Warnock and Michael Majors tied work out, and they went their separate ways the knot in an intimate outdoor ceremo- after graduation as Michael moved back to nyJ at French Country Meadow in Wichita east Texas and Jaquita stayed in Wichita Falls on Sept. 2, 2018, after meeting more Falls. than two decades earlier. They kept in touch during the years and The wedding theme was appropriately even tried dating again a few times, but chosen as “Finally!” to honor the couple’s it just never seemed right. Almost three long, storied history. Jaquita, the daughter years went by with no contact at all, when of ShirleyWarnock, and Michael, the son of in 2015, Jaquita picked up the phone and Joe and Patricia Majors, first met in 1997 called Michael unexpectedly.