4 November 2009

Bridal Accessories To Complete Your Wedding Look

Bridal accessories are as necessary to complete the bridal look, as packaging is to a wedding gift. The wedding gown would be incomplete without matching wedding accessories.

Here’s a quick rundown of the bridal accessories you want to pay attention to.

  • Wedding veils: Other than the wedding gown, the veil is another piece of wedding accessories that shouts – “Here comes the bride!” If you choose to wear a wedding veil, make sure you pick one that suits you and your wedding gown. Veils come in varying lengths. The shoulder length flyaway style is very popular with modern brides. However, the traditional cathedral veil is ultraformal and three and one-half yards long. That is one bridal accessory that makes a statement!
  • Headpieces: Generally, headpieces are used to attach the veil in place. Combs, headbands, backpieces and Juliet caps are all popular bridal accessories. These wedding accessories look very beautiful and are decorated with pearls, crystals, beads, lace or even flowers! You can also choose to skip the veil altogether and just wear a headpiece. Tiaras, crowns, half-crowns, wreaths and bunwraps are bridal accessories that don’t need a veil to complete the look.
  • Jewelry: The wedding jewelry you wear adds a finishing touch to your bridal outfit. Your engagement ring and wedding band is a given. However, don’t forget about the necklace, earrings and possibly a bracelet. Jewelry is a great way to take care of the something old, new, borrowed and blue. Family heirlooms work really well as bridal jewelry. Also, pearls are classic but diamonds are ever popular too.
  • Shoes & stockings: Finding the right shoes to complement your bridal gown can be almost as difficult as finding the gown itself! Comfort should be your top priority when shopping for this bridal accessory since you will be on your feet most of the time. Fabrics like velvet, satin and silk lend a delicate and formal touch to your wedding shoes. Add a bit of embellishment like beads, sequins, pearls or crystals and you’ll feel as special as Cinderella!
  • Gloves: Gloves are making a comeback as a bridal accessory, assisted by the increasing preference for strapless and sleeveless gowns. In general the trend is that the shorter the sleeve the longer the glove.
  • Handbags: You won’t be carrying this bridal accessory with you all the time. However, it is a good idea to have a small purse on hand to hold small items for touch-ups. Clutches work well.

In general, bridal accessories help complete the wedding look. While your gown makes up eighty percent of your bridal look, it would be left incomplete without complementing bridal accessories. So take the time to accessorize your wedding day outfit, the simple details make will make you all the more stunning.

Copyright Andrea Britt, 2005. All rights reserved.

Reprint Rights: Feel free to use this article on your website or online publication. Please remember that you must include the author's copyright, resource box and live URL links, exactly as shown below, to the author’s website at the end of the article.

Andrea Britt is owner of http://www.CharmingWeddings.com where you can find elegant, unique wedding favors, bridal shower favors, and wedding planning tips for your wedding reception and bridal shower.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Andrea_Britt

Find More : wedding accessories , bridal accessories , bridal accessory , Accessories Bridal , Accessories Wedding , Jewelry Wedding

5 Steps to Banner Design Success

With the advent of digital printing, what you can do with vinyl banners has greatly expanded. No longer are you locked into text only phrases like "For Sale" or "Grand Opening." Now, anything you can imagine, you can put on a banner.

Just what makes a good banner? There are five key elements that go into the overall design of a banner.

1. Material
2. Size
3. Fonts
4. Contrast
5. Graphics

Part 1 -- Material

Banner material falls into one of three (3) general categories; lightweight, standard and heavyweight. Lightweight banners are generally 10 ounces and are great for indoors and short-term outdoor use. These are great for birthday parties, office celebrations and the like. This banner will not be outdoor durable over any length of time.

Standard weight banners are generally around 13 ounces and are perfect for outdoors. They also work really well indoors if you want to reuse them from season to season. For example, if you have an annual spring sale, this weight of banner can be used for many years and will look as good for your 5th annual sale as it did during the first one.

Heavyweight banner is 17 ounce and above. This is really only needed for extreme outdoor conditions and is generally not need for any other purpose. Be wary of a banner printer pushing this weight on you for a normal banner application.

Part 2 -- Size

Bigger is not always better in the world of banners. The size of your banner must be appropriate for the viewing distance and the place it will be installed. We have all seen very tiny banners on the side of a large building that is totally unreadable unless you are standing right next to it. The reverse can be just as bad. Imagine having a 4'x8' banner installed on a 8'x10' wall. A banner should stand out from its surroundings and not be used as wallpaper.

A general rule of thumb is that you need 1" of letter height for each 10' of viewing distance. So if your banner will be viewed from 50' away and you want 3 lines of text, you need 15" just for the lettering not to mention "white space" separating the lines. I use a general rule that you should have the same amount of separation as you have print. In this example, that means a minimum of 30" for a basic banner.

Part 3 -- Fonts

The fonts that you use are critically important. Your font should be readable yet consistent with your brand image. The absolute worst thing you can do is to use a script font and use all capital letters. This is unreadable at any distance. If you want to employ all caps, be sure to use a sans serif font that is clean and readable. Other than that, feel free to be as creative as you want with fonts. There are some amazing ones out there that can greatly enhance your designs.

Part 4 -- Contrast

There are two type of color contrast that we need to look at. The first is font contrast and the second is the contrast between the colors used on the banner and the color of the location the banner will be installed.

black on yellow
white on black
yellow on black
black on white
blue on white
white on blue
blue on yellow

These are really good color combination's to use for your fonts/background colors. You want your words to pop off the page and draw the attention of the reader. Using the right combination's of colors can do just that.

The second, and often overlooked, area of concern is the contrast between the background color of your banner and that of the surface you will be mounting it. What is the point of having a banner that is "brick red" and then mount it against a red brick wall? The banner will completely disappear on the wall. The same goes for a "white" banner on a white wall. Again, no pop. The same contrasts that work for letters work for backgrounds as well.

Part 5 -- Graphics

This is where full color banner printing comes into play and that is the implementation of graphics. Gone are the days of only using text on a banner and here are the days of near photo quality graphics. There are so many resources for full color photos and web 2.0 type clipart that any banner printing company can design you a visually stunning banner. Just remember, if you want to include your own pictures, be sure that they are of sufficient pixels for the size you are printing.

Conclusion

It really is simple for a professional banner printing firm to design you a great looking product. Now that you know what to look for, you can more clearly articulate exactly what you want in a banner.

About The Author:
Michael Pingree has been in the sign industry since 1993. His website at http://oregonbannerprinting.com offers a simple online banner design tool to create professional looking full color vinyl banners quickly and easily from the convenience of your computer. Be sure to check out our options for banner printing and our wide selection of banner displays

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Pingree

Find More : Printing Banner , Print Bunting , Inkjet Banner , banner design , professional banner , basic banner , good banner

Renovation Contractor Hiring Tips

Renovation is the process of improving a structure. Two prominent types of renovations are commercial and residential. Before embarking on any renovation, it is good to look at some renovation contractor hiring tips to not only avoid con artists but also get the best contractors. Renovations can involve home modifications like stair glides, handicap modifications for disabled people, basement remodeling and renovation or business premises modifications like office space renovation. Whether one is a professional do-it-by-yourself genius or a homeowner, there comes a time when one needs some professional home building or renovating. The renovations may range from simple home modifications like bathroom renovations and remodeling to complex ones like porch lifts and elevators.

Depending on the complexity of the project at hand, the contractor chosen will be spending some time in or around the renovation premises for familiarization. Preferably the contactor should be local, since they understand the law governing the area on buildings and renovations. For instance for a person living in Toronto, it is advisable to find a Toronto home renovations company for building or renovating purposes. When looking for a renovation contractor to do some building renovations, beware of owner-contactor matchmaking services that advertise the contractor members having been pre-screened, verified or certified with valid licenses. They can be misleading to the owner who can be allured by the false sense of security. One should know for instance, the difference between a certified and a registered contractor.

A registered contractor is registered with the Department of Business and Professional Regulation after accomplishing several competency requirements in some jurisdictions, thus can only work within the certified jurisdiction. When hiring contractors for building or renovating, one is encouraged to check the validity of their insurance, licenses, bonding and other essential credentials. Check out the references provided and enquire on recently accomplished tasks similar to the one at hand. This will give an impression of how the work might be once completed. Get the names of previous clients of the contractor in question contact them for information. It is wise to ask several questions before settling for one. Some of the facts to consider are whether the contractor is open to communication during the whole duration of the project and if the contractor can keep the owner informed on the project’s progress. Others include whether the workers will work promptly and if they clean up the site after each day’s job.

It is also wise to consider if the project will be completed on time and if there will be any unnecessary delays. It is advisable to look for recommendations from previous satisfied customers as well. If possible, one should visit the contractor’s former project to see the way building or renovating work was carried out. In Toronto, Ontario, Mississauga and other parts of Canada, numerous contractor companies perform a wide range of additions and renovations. Generally Toronto home renovations involve painting, cleaning, roofing among a host of other building renovations. There are also Toronto renovation internet sites that provide quotes from various renovation companies.

Rafi Ghanim Michael is owner and writer of videobabylon. Currently, he is writing on Renovation Contractor Toronto and Building renovations Toronto.

Find More : renovation contractor , home renovations , renovation companies , Contractor Renovation , Project Construction , Interior Home Design