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Netilie Marozva Lifestyle Reporter
The wedding invitation is the one which lures your guests and introduces them to your wedding, so it should set an appealing mood for the big day and create a sense of anticipation.

It is always important to spend some time searching for a wedding invitation that will make your big day something to look forward to.

Wedding invitation cards designers Oscar Mutebvure said that the most intriguing wedding invitation techniques that have taken the country by storm are the E-invites.

“Tech conscious couples mostly prefer to issue a multi-media electronic invite complete with soundtrack, animation, and video, rather than a traditional printed card delivered by post.

“Others are using social networks to spread the word about their wedding, and provide links to their wedding website. This is usually done by busy couples who are too busy to distribute invitation cards to their guests,” Mutebvure said.

Some couples also create a personalised slideshow of their love story which makes it more interesting to the invited guests.

If you are stuck for inspiration, here are some of the latest wedding invitation trends from www.easyweddings.com to give you some ideas:

Sparkle

Crystals and gemstones are finding their way into every element of wedding invite design. A couple of small stick-on crystals can lift the design on any printed card, and a popular option is to have a clean and simple white card with an added ribbon belt and rhinestone buckle.

Mixing patterns

Bold patterns such as stripes, polka dots, oriental flower prints and paisley have been big news in wedding invitations for some time, but the latest trend is to mix two or three of these patterns, in the same colour scheme, for a really eye catching invite.

3D texture

Adding texture to your invites with fabrics, pressed flowers, twisted wire, or layered card is a fashionable way to create a unique design that will stand out from traditional flat printed cards.

Injecting personality

Handmade cards are increasing in popularity, and couples are using family photos, caricatures, and images of places they have visited to create personalised designs. As well as cutting costs, handmade cards are more personal and can be tailored slightly for each guest.

Bold colours

Traditional white may still be used for very formal weddings, but many couples are opting for bold shades to suit their wedding theme or season.

Select up to three complementary colours from your wedding palette to make your invite stand out from the crowd. While hot pink and aqua were popular invitation colors until recently, this season sees a shift towards muted shades such as plum or deep red.

Pocket it

The standard envelope has had its day with wedding invitations these days as much thought goes into the design of the invitation’s wrapping as the card itself. From fabric pouches to coloured clear plastic pockets, these are designed to hold the invitation, a reply card, directions and accommodation details, and gift list information.

Worldwide for majority of people wedding is a time to celebrate the happiness and joy of togetherness. We share these moments with close family, relatives and friends.

It is not only a memorable occasion for the couple but also for the close ones. Rich businessmen and the royals have gone a step ahead to celebrate the wedding ceremony.

They enjoy it by adding more and more million dollars to their sentiments. For some of us it is a wastage of money whereas for other big celebrities it is worth spending on their big day. So, here is the list of top 10 most expensive weddings all over the world:

10. Liza Minnelli & David Gest ($4,3 million)

This wedding costed $4,3 million and was held on 16th March 2002. The location was Marble Collegiate Church at the New York City. Elizabeth was the Maid of honor and the great Michael Jackson also attended the wedding. The ceremony was full of star celebrities. More than 850 guests attended the wedding. It was a memorable event with guests list ranging from all fields.

The major attraction was performance of Natalie Cole “Unforgettable” performance. The guests were also entertained by Tony Bennett and a 60-piece orchestra. The wedding cost included a 12 floor cake worth $40,000, flowers of worth $700 000 and more than 500 staffs were at the service of the guests. The coupled divorced and separated in 2007.

9. Chelsea Clinton & Marc

Mezvinsky ($4,8 million)

This wedding was of worth $4.8 Million. The venue for the wedding was New York, USA and they tied the knot on the auspicious date 31st July 2010. The bride dress was designed by America’s top designer Vera Wang. It was a beautiful chiffon gown with a princess cut skirt and with a rhinestone and silver belt was attached to it, which alone was of $25 000.

The guest list included top notch celebrities like Oprah Winfrey etc. Just on security of Oprah Winfrey around $200 000 was spent. The cake cost was $11 000 and the flowers like orchid, garden rose and Casablanca costed around $500 000.

8. Wayne Rooney & Coleen Mc Laughlin ($15 million)

Wayne Rooney and Coleen McLaoughlin wedding was on 12th June, 2008 in Italy. The total cost was $15 million. The bride was dressed in a gown which costed more than 200 000 Euros. The gown was studded with crystals and pearls. Colleen Mc Loughlin is a product endorser and also a football star of Manchester United.

He not only planned an expensive wedding but also an interesting one. The wedding ceremony was a 4 days event. The ceremony was in Villa Durazzo in Italy with spectacular scenic views of the beautiful Italian Rivera. The guests were taken on a yacht, five private jets were arranged to flow 64 guests on each jets and the setting was striking.

The guests were served pizza during the reception. At the end they allowed magazine Britain’s OK to publish their wedding pictures and related information for $5 million.

7. Vikram Chatwal & Priya Sachdeva ($20 million)

Indians are known for their lavish wedding and this was a $20 million wedding. The wedding was on February 18 2006. It was a ten days affair at different metro cities of India which included Delhi, Mumbai and Udaipur. Special chartered jets were sent to receive total of 600 guests from all over the world.

Guests from more than 26 countries attended the wedding. Vikram Chatwal is a son of a New York hotel manager and the bride Priya is a model, investment banker and also an actress. It is said to be one of the most luxurious weddings ever in the history of India. Even Bill Clinton was said to be on the guest list along with various other high profile people and Bollywood celebrities.

6. Andrey Melnichenko & Aleksandra Kokotovich ($30 million)

Another one topping the chart is this couple with $30 million dollar wedding. It is never so easy to spend so much of money at one go but for people like Miss Yugoslavia Kokotovic and Andrey it was not that hard also.

By spending so much just on their extravaganza made history for all the weddings worldwide. The wedding took place on 3rd September 2005. Andrey Melnichenko is a Russian billionaire. Mr. Andrew is also the founder of MDM Bank. His wife is a model.

The wedding was held at Cote d’Azur, France. World famous singers like Christina Aguilera and Whitney Houston performed at the event. Both the stars were paid the hefty amount of $3,6 million each just for a performance. The performance was full of famous and rich guests across the world.

5. Prince William & Kate

Middleton ($34 million)

This wedding was broadcast all over the world in 118 countries on the internet, radio and television. The location was Westminster Abbey, London. The total cost of the wedding was $34 million.

The wedding cake alone cost $80 000. It was an eight floor fruit cake, it was covered with white cream and 900 sugar flowers were pasted on it. $8 00 000 was spent on flowers and the bride dress cost more than $70 000. Kate Middleton dressed up in a white satin dress that was tapped with beautiful laces. The wedding was on April 29, 2011.

4. Vanisha Mittal & Amit

Bhatia ($58 million)

The Indians always outshine others when it comes to big fat wedding. On 18th, 2004 Vanisha Mittal & Amit Bhatia wedding was one of the most expensive weddings as per the records.

Total 1 000 guests attended the wedding from all over the world. The invitations were sent in a silver box which consists of 20-page details about the event. The card included all the details about the five days events.

The ceremonies took place in grand chateau, in Versailles. Top Bollywood stars like Aishwarya Rai, SRK etc performed at the event and many Hollywood celebrities like Kylie Minogue also performed during the occasion. More than 100 dishes were prepared by the top chefs from Calcutta.

3. Prince Charles & Lady Diana ($115 million)

On July 29 1981 Prince Charles married Lady Diana Spencer. The total cost of the wedding was $115 million. More than 750 million people worldwide glued themselves to the television screen just to have a glimpse of the newly wed. More than 6 00 000 people were standing in the street to be part of the fairy tale wedding.

Two identical cakes were prepared so that in case if one gets damage and it was 5 foot high. 27 wedding cakes were prepared in the honor of the couple.

The bride wore a white puff ball wedding dress, embedded with 10 000 pearls and a 25 foot long train of ivory and lace which was antique. The venue was St. Paul Cathedral, London.

Alone $6 00 000 was spent on security of newlywed couple and the guests. The engagement ring of diamond and sapphire was of worth $60 000 but later they divorced in 1996.

2. Seemanto Roy & Chnadano Toor and Sushanto Roy & Richa Roy ($123 million)

The total cost of the wedding was $123 million. The wedding was of Sahara owner Subrata Roy’s sons. The wedding took place in Lucknow on 10th February 2004. More than 110 dishes were prepared for 11 000 guests who attended the wedding.

From corporate to celebrities, from politics to religious figures all were on the guest list. British symphony was a major attraction, which entertained guests by playing Indian tunes.

Even the world famous Shiamak Davar group performed on the occasion. The whole of Lucknow was decorated like a bride. More than one and half lakh beggars were fed to celebrate the happiness. It is the most expensive wedding in the history of India and even till date.

1.Sheikh Mohammed

Bin Rashid al Maktoum & Sheikha Hind Bint Maktoum ($137 million)

The Arabs outshine the Indians on the list of most expensive weddings all over the world. It is believed that Arabs actually know how to arrange a lavish wedding party. This especially holds true for the Dubai ruler Sheikh Rashid who married Princess Salama.

In 1979 the wedding took place and earned a place in the “Billionaire Weddings” of the Forbes magazine. A five day official holiday was declared all over Dubai and the ruler himself went from village to village on his horse to feed everyone.

A hall equivalent to a stadium was built from scratch especially to accommodate 20 000 guests. The wedding cost was more than $137 million dollar. The total events were planned for 7 days function. Major concern was on the luxury of the guests attending the function.n listdose.com

Exclusive wedding gifts ideas

Mary Doma

Lifestyle Reporter

Choosing a gift for the upcoming wedding gift can be tough. How do you get a gift that will be appreciated, useful and not the same thing given by everyone else?

How do you make sure that it is to the taste of the couple and will not be a burden that they have to bear out of consideration for your feelings? And of course, at a time when standing out is the in thing, you really want to be the one whose present gets talked about for years to come. These are some of the wedding gifts ideas:

Money

In Zimbabwe this is never a crass gift and my just be the perfect present as the couple are then free to get what they would really like. Sometimes this gift is even used to offset debts incurred in hosting the wedding. Hard cash is also the most suitable present for couples who are not based in the country or are just about to move away. Please avoid the embarrassment of making a pledge instead of producing the real deal. If you do not want to do cash, then by all means make the transfer or deposit before the wedding and produce the evidence instead of promising to send money later.

If you feel that cash is really in bad taste, you can compromise with a gift voucher. This can be for anything from crockery, appliances and even a deposit towards that all important first home.

Go foodie

If the bride & groom are foodies, a gourmet food basket may be the way to go. You can gift them a gourmet basket that features fruits & nuts, cookies & candy, beer & wine, etc. If the couple likes the outdoors then you may opt for a charming picnic basket too.

Lasting memories

Too many people do not seem to realise that we have many star artistes in the country who are adept at working in various media to produce amazing works of art. You could commission a painter or a sculptor to create lasting memories of the wedding day by doing a piece of the bridal couple. There are many budgets and types to choose from with pencil sketches being the most affordable.

Personalise their lives

Personalised items can be anything from mugs and t shirts to doormats. Go ahead and make the wedding couple feel very special with these personally branded items.

Ask away

Sometimes a lot of expensive blunders can be avoided by just coming outright and asking the couple what they would like. This all depends on your relationship but sometimes if you are close enough, it is okay to tell them your budget and ask them what they would like.

Wedding present register

Just like people do registers for their kitchen parties and baby showers, the wedding couple can put a register of the presents that they would like. This is whereby guests are directed to a certain retail outlet where a list of presents is available and they can choose what to buy which is then cancelled off the list. In cases of expensive items tokens can be paid towards the full amount according to each giver’s budget.

So go ahead and make a splash at the summer weddings this festive season.

As you stand head and shoulders above the rest of mankind with your dazzling gift.