Planning pre-wedding activities is a little something extra that's not required, but certainly fun and entertaining for the guests. If the bride and groom keep in mind the distance some guests have traveled and keep activities relevant to that level of fatigue, they're sure to hit on some winning activities.
As you go about planning activities for the wedding, keep in mind other factors as well. Do many people have children with them? Will you provide childcare or will the children be participants in the activities? If you have several guests who are older, perhaps activities can be tailored in a ay they can participate as well.
Some of the more popular pre-wedding activities include things like a group manicure. All the women in the wedding party or ho are close to the bride (and certainly this could include men if they like manicures and want to hang out with the ladies) head to a nail salon and get their nails done. This can be relaxing for many women and provide a welcome respite from the hustle and bustle of the wedding weekend. The men might choose to golf or play a game of tennis while this is going on.
Many brides and grooms choose to provide structured activities for their guests prior to the wedding. If the wedding is on a Saturday night, for example, they might choose to provide a Friday activity, especially if most guests are local to the wedding. You might have a wedding luau. Many times pre-wedding activities center around bachelor and bachelorette parties, but what about a stag party that includes all the members of the brides and grooms families? You could plan some fun (and appropriate) games and head out to a restaurant for a night of fun and games. Be sure to limit the drinking and carousing as this might not sit well with some family members.
Here is a fun activity that can be done right before the wedding. Have someone begin a gift basket. The theme of the basket is "advice for the couple" and could be started by the best man or maid of honor. They take the basket to someone else's house, perhaps an aunt or cousin and leave it on the doorstep. That person adds an item (a book on how to end spousal arguments? Or a CD of romantic music?) and brings the basket to someone else's house. This activity can begin a week or two before the wedding and everyone should know it is coming around.
The basket can also be circulated the weekend of the wedding, but this will only work if everyone is local and if they know the basket is coming. In this case, it also might be helpful to have someone bring the basket to a house, collect the item and the take the basket to the next location, reducing the need to have each person take the basket to its next location. Once it's full, someone can be in charge of putting the basket items together, wrapping it all up to make it look nice and bringing it to the bride and groom. It can be delivered right to the wedding as a gift in and of itself.
Whatever activities you choose, be sure to keep in mind the needs of your guests and the limitations of those guests. If you want to plan an activity that includes everyone, and you choose golf, but grandpa is in a wheelchair or uses a walker, that might not be the best activity to plan.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Wedding Cake Activities
Upon arrival at the wedding reception, many guests head for the cake table so they can admire the cake. Some time later, the bride and groom come along for a picture opportunity and the grand cutting of the cake. Then everyone enjoys cake and it's gone. Believe it or not, there are many more activities that can make the wedding cake more about fun and less about tradition.
Of course, watching the bride and groom push cake into each other's mouths is a long-enjoyed tradition, but there are many more fun - and less messy - activities to consider as well.
One new option that's gaining popularity is to have cupcakes instead of a cake. This is a method that is usually more affordable than having a cake and it can be a lot of fun. Cupcakes are decorated in alignment with the wedding theme, just as a cake is, but the cupcakes are instead arranged on tiered cake plates and displayed on a cake table until it's time to eat them. The cupcakes can be simply handed out on plates to each wedding guest.
Now, what's fun about using cupcakes instead of a whole wedding cake is you can save money, certainly, as many reception halls and caterers charge a per slice fee to cut and serve the wedding cake, but you can also build activities into the cupcake presentation. For example, the cupcakes that are for the bride and groom can have a different decoration than the ones for the guests.
As an extra touch, you can have the baker include a special prize in one or several cupcakes. A small charm or tiny toy can be baked into the cupcake. Whoever gets the charm wins a special prize. These prizes can range from a gift basket or gift certificate to a restaurant to a dance with the bride or groom.
Some brides like to use a Southern tradition and have charms baked into the wedding cake. Similar to the idea above for cupcakes, this involves baking small charms or tiny toys (but usually charms) into the cake. Those who get one of the charms are said to have good luck. You might even consider having charm bracelet charms baked into the cake, which are then made into a charm bracelet for the bride.
Not everyone enjoys cake. How about an activity for those who won't be eating cake? They can be required to do the "Macarena" or the chicken dance during the time when everyone else is eating cake. If they manage to do the dance continuously while the other guests enjoy cake, they win a prize. Or they simply get to sit down, as now they are tired!
In keeping with the dance during cake theme, how about a requirement that in order to get cake, a guest must perform an impromptu dance first? Or there could be trivia questions about the bride and groom or about popular culture. Guests must correctly answer the questions before getting their cake. There could be competitions among tables or individuals for most questions answered correctly.
Many people believe that once the cake is cut, they are free to leave if they wish. Since cake cutting usually comes after the meal and after dancing and other traditional celebration activities, many people take the opportunity to leave the party after the cake is cut and enjoyed.
If the bride and groom want their guests to stay after the cake is eaten, it is worth some extra effort to build some activities into the cake-cutting event so people will stick around longer. This can be as simple as telling people not to leave, or can be more subtle and fun.
For example, each person could receive a slip of paper with his or her cake. These slips of paper could be prepared ahead and provided to the catering company with instructions that one folded strip of paper be placed on each plate with the cake. The paper might give an agenda for the rest of the evening or might ask its recipient to perform a little dance, to head over to give the groom or bride a kiss, or might ask them to take the flower girl out on the dance floor for a spin. The unknown will keep all the guests guessing and provide some entertainment as the instructions are carried out.
Of course, watching the bride and groom push cake into each other's mouths is a long-enjoyed tradition, but there are many more fun - and less messy - activities to consider as well.
One new option that's gaining popularity is to have cupcakes instead of a cake. This is a method that is usually more affordable than having a cake and it can be a lot of fun. Cupcakes are decorated in alignment with the wedding theme, just as a cake is, but the cupcakes are instead arranged on tiered cake plates and displayed on a cake table until it's time to eat them. The cupcakes can be simply handed out on plates to each wedding guest.
Now, what's fun about using cupcakes instead of a whole wedding cake is you can save money, certainly, as many reception halls and caterers charge a per slice fee to cut and serve the wedding cake, but you can also build activities into the cupcake presentation. For example, the cupcakes that are for the bride and groom can have a different decoration than the ones for the guests.
As an extra touch, you can have the baker include a special prize in one or several cupcakes. A small charm or tiny toy can be baked into the cupcake. Whoever gets the charm wins a special prize. These prizes can range from a gift basket or gift certificate to a restaurant to a dance with the bride or groom.
Some brides like to use a Southern tradition and have charms baked into the wedding cake. Similar to the idea above for cupcakes, this involves baking small charms or tiny toys (but usually charms) into the cake. Those who get one of the charms are said to have good luck. You might even consider having charm bracelet charms baked into the cake, which are then made into a charm bracelet for the bride.
Not everyone enjoys cake. How about an activity for those who won't be eating cake? They can be required to do the "Macarena" or the chicken dance during the time when everyone else is eating cake. If they manage to do the dance continuously while the other guests enjoy cake, they win a prize. Or they simply get to sit down, as now they are tired!
In keeping with the dance during cake theme, how about a requirement that in order to get cake, a guest must perform an impromptu dance first? Or there could be trivia questions about the bride and groom or about popular culture. Guests must correctly answer the questions before getting their cake. There could be competitions among tables or individuals for most questions answered correctly.
Many people believe that once the cake is cut, they are free to leave if they wish. Since cake cutting usually comes after the meal and after dancing and other traditional celebration activities, many people take the opportunity to leave the party after the cake is cut and enjoyed.
If the bride and groom want their guests to stay after the cake is eaten, it is worth some extra effort to build some activities into the cake-cutting event so people will stick around longer. This can be as simple as telling people not to leave, or can be more subtle and fun.
For example, each person could receive a slip of paper with his or her cake. These slips of paper could be prepared ahead and provided to the catering company with instructions that one folded strip of paper be placed on each plate with the cake. The paper might give an agenda for the rest of the evening or might ask its recipient to perform a little dance, to head over to give the groom or bride a kiss, or might ask them to take the flower girl out on the dance floor for a spin. The unknown will keep all the guests guessing and provide some entertainment as the instructions are carried out.
Wedding Rehearsal Dinner Games
Wedding rehearsal dinners are a time to relax, calm down and enjoy a quiet evening before the big event the next day. But adding some fun and games into the rehearsal dinner isn't such a bad idea. It's a great way to help everyone let off some steam, calm down and enjoy each other.
If you're planning a sit-down formal dinner, fun games and activities can still be on the menu. In fact, if a formal dinner is part of the plans, having some interesting activities on the agenda is not only a good idea, but also an excellent one. There's been a lot of planning, and a lot of stress and the wedding party and close friends and family will welcome the opportunity to have a little fun.
The success or failure of any games or activities largely depends not just on the planning but your venue. If you're having a sit-down dinner in a restaurant, try to get a private room. Then a myriad of fun activities can be planned, such as "pin the veil on the bride", in which blindfolded guests spin around a few times, then try to pin the veil on a picture of the bride. Silly, yes, but also fun.
One fun activity sure to help everyone blow off some steam is charades. Whoever is up will act out a scene from the bride or groom's life, so it might be when graduating from college, or getting a huge promotion at work. The "it" person might choose to act out when the bride tripped and fell at another person's wedding or when the groom saved a dog from getting hit by a car. This is a little twist on charades that helps people get to know the bride and groom better, and adds intimacy to what is already an intimate event.
If the wedding rehearsal dinner is a bit less formal and held in someone's home, there are many more activities that can take place. For example, how about a night of playing board games? Who needs formal food? You can have that the next day at the formal wedding. At this rehearsal dinner party, the games are center stage.
Bring in some sandwiches and tell everyone to wear their comfortable clothes and settle in for a night of board games. You can set up games on different tables, divide people into groups of 4 or 5 and have everyone rotate tables at designated times. You can even instruct game players that when they move to another table, the game stays out the way it is. So, for example, dad might begin playing Monopoly where the bride was and he's stuck with only a little money in the bank and no houses on Boardwalk.
So, let's say the bride and groom are big into sports. If the wedding is to be held in the summer and the days are long, how about a game of touch football or baseball? You can play bride's family against groom's family, men against women, or for a twist, the bride plays with the groom's family and the groom with the bride's family. Any combination works. The idea here is to have some fun, relax and enjoy each other's company.
Other outdoor activities can include anything that is physical and might help people blow off steam. Has the bride been more a "bridezilla" than anything? How about a game of tag where she's it? Or you can create two bridesmaid's dress-up trunks. Go to a thrift store, fill the trunks with old prom dresses and large-size shoes, and costume jewelry. Divide the guests into two different teams and have someone sit with a timer. The team who dresses one of the men (ideally, the groom and best man or perhaps the two dads) first wins. Be sure to have a camera at the rehearsal dinner/event, because this is one activity you'll want to have pictures of!
If you're planning a sit-down formal dinner, fun games and activities can still be on the menu. In fact, if a formal dinner is part of the plans, having some interesting activities on the agenda is not only a good idea, but also an excellent one. There's been a lot of planning, and a lot of stress and the wedding party and close friends and family will welcome the opportunity to have a little fun.
The success or failure of any games or activities largely depends not just on the planning but your venue. If you're having a sit-down dinner in a restaurant, try to get a private room. Then a myriad of fun activities can be planned, such as "pin the veil on the bride", in which blindfolded guests spin around a few times, then try to pin the veil on a picture of the bride. Silly, yes, but also fun.
One fun activity sure to help everyone blow off some steam is charades. Whoever is up will act out a scene from the bride or groom's life, so it might be when graduating from college, or getting a huge promotion at work. The "it" person might choose to act out when the bride tripped and fell at another person's wedding or when the groom saved a dog from getting hit by a car. This is a little twist on charades that helps people get to know the bride and groom better, and adds intimacy to what is already an intimate event.
If the wedding rehearsal dinner is a bit less formal and held in someone's home, there are many more activities that can take place. For example, how about a night of playing board games? Who needs formal food? You can have that the next day at the formal wedding. At this rehearsal dinner party, the games are center stage.
Bring in some sandwiches and tell everyone to wear their comfortable clothes and settle in for a night of board games. You can set up games on different tables, divide people into groups of 4 or 5 and have everyone rotate tables at designated times. You can even instruct game players that when they move to another table, the game stays out the way it is. So, for example, dad might begin playing Monopoly where the bride was and he's stuck with only a little money in the bank and no houses on Boardwalk.
So, let's say the bride and groom are big into sports. If the wedding is to be held in the summer and the days are long, how about a game of touch football or baseball? You can play bride's family against groom's family, men against women, or for a twist, the bride plays with the groom's family and the groom with the bride's family. Any combination works. The idea here is to have some fun, relax and enjoy each other's company.
Other outdoor activities can include anything that is physical and might help people blow off steam. Has the bride been more a "bridezilla" than anything? How about a game of tag where she's it? Or you can create two bridesmaid's dress-up trunks. Go to a thrift store, fill the trunks with old prom dresses and large-size shoes, and costume jewelry. Divide the guests into two different teams and have someone sit with a timer. The team who dresses one of the men (ideally, the groom and best man or perhaps the two dads) first wins. Be sure to have a camera at the rehearsal dinner/event, because this is one activity you'll want to have pictures of!
Wedding Weekend Activities
Weekend weddings are becoming more popular, particularly as families are spread further apart. They usually begin on Friday night, continue with the wedding Saturday and conclude with a post-wedding breakfast on Sunday before everyone returns home.
Planning activities for these weekend-long celebrations doesn't have to be difficult; in fact, it can be quite a bit of fun if you keep everyone's needs in mind. First, consider the wedding. Will this be a formal wedding with a sit-down dinner at its center? If so, you might want to ban a formal rehearsal dinner and replace it instead with an informal barbecue dinner or picnic.
But how will you keep people occupied during the long weekend? There are many activities to consider. Will the wedding be near a lake? How about planning a day at the lake on Saturday, filled with pre-wedding activities like swimming races and beach volleyball.
One popular pre-wedding activity is a scavenger hunt. Prior to the wedding weekend, a list of meaningful items should be drawn up, and guests placed in two teams. The list should include things like "get a brochure from the jewelry store where (groom) bought (bride)'s ring" or "take a picture of the group at the location where the couple got engaged". You will have to tailor the scavenger hunt list to the location of the wedding and the energy of the guests who will be participating.
You can even offer lavish prizes for the team that wins the scavenger hunt, such as gift certificates or gourmet food and wine baskets. It might seem an obvious choice to divide the teams into groups who know or are related to the bride and teams who know or are related to the groom, but it might be a little more fun to mix it up a bit. You can create teams of friends versus family, or men versus women (always a popular choice).
Another activity that's popular during wedding weekends is a competitive sport activity, such as baseball or flag football. Again, add a special twist. Offer prizes for performance (first home run gets a kiss from the bride) or make silly rules, like members of the bridal party have to wear tiaras while running bases or members of the groom's family should always have their shirts on backwards.
It's important that during the wedding weekend, planners keep in mind that the weekend itself might be expensive for some guests, particularly those who had to fly in for the occasion and many of the activities should be free, or inexpensive. If they are more expensive, and planned for the entire group, they should be paid for by either the bride and groom or their families.
But there are plenty of activities that don't have to be expensive, but can provide big bang for the little buck, such as the scavenger hunt suggested above. If the wedding weekend guests will mostly be family, you can schedule a home movie-viewing event, including home movies from both the bride and groom's families. For even more fun, consider an activity where the movies are mixed up and the guests have to guess which family's videos they are watching. This might sound easy, but depending on the contents, it could be hard, particularly if the bride and groom are babies in the photos.
Planning activities for these weekend-long celebrations doesn't have to be difficult; in fact, it can be quite a bit of fun if you keep everyone's needs in mind. First, consider the wedding. Will this be a formal wedding with a sit-down dinner at its center? If so, you might want to ban a formal rehearsal dinner and replace it instead with an informal barbecue dinner or picnic.
But how will you keep people occupied during the long weekend? There are many activities to consider. Will the wedding be near a lake? How about planning a day at the lake on Saturday, filled with pre-wedding activities like swimming races and beach volleyball.
One popular pre-wedding activity is a scavenger hunt. Prior to the wedding weekend, a list of meaningful items should be drawn up, and guests placed in two teams. The list should include things like "get a brochure from the jewelry store where (groom) bought (bride)'s ring" or "take a picture of the group at the location where the couple got engaged". You will have to tailor the scavenger hunt list to the location of the wedding and the energy of the guests who will be participating.
You can even offer lavish prizes for the team that wins the scavenger hunt, such as gift certificates or gourmet food and wine baskets. It might seem an obvious choice to divide the teams into groups who know or are related to the bride and teams who know or are related to the groom, but it might be a little more fun to mix it up a bit. You can create teams of friends versus family, or men versus women (always a popular choice).
Another activity that's popular during wedding weekends is a competitive sport activity, such as baseball or flag football. Again, add a special twist. Offer prizes for performance (first home run gets a kiss from the bride) or make silly rules, like members of the bridal party have to wear tiaras while running bases or members of the groom's family should always have their shirts on backwards.
It's important that during the wedding weekend, planners keep in mind that the weekend itself might be expensive for some guests, particularly those who had to fly in for the occasion and many of the activities should be free, or inexpensive. If they are more expensive, and planned for the entire group, they should be paid for by either the bride and groom or their families.
But there are plenty of activities that don't have to be expensive, but can provide big bang for the little buck, such as the scavenger hunt suggested above. If the wedding weekend guests will mostly be family, you can schedule a home movie-viewing event, including home movies from both the bride and groom's families. For even more fun, consider an activity where the movies are mixed up and the guests have to guess which family's videos they are watching. This might sound easy, but depending on the contents, it could be hard, particularly if the bride and groom are babies in the photos.
Bridal Bouquet Activities
When a bride orders her wedding bouquet, it might not seem that any "activities" will come from it other than as a thing for the bride to hold. But the bridal bouquet can be the source of many interesting activities and meaningful gestures.
During there ceremony there are all kinds of possibilities. Certainly you can go traditional and have a flower for both the mother of the bride and mother of the groom. The moms, in particular, love this activity and guests usually appreciate it as well. But what if you turned that traditional gesture on its head and supplied flowers for both the mothers and the fathers?
If the bride supplies flowers to both the men and women, there are a couple of ways to do this. What if dad's flower was enclosed in a verse that he will then get up and read at the ceremony? What if it was a flower to recognize the members of the family who have passed, and it gives dad an opportunity to recognize those family members?
If the bride chooses not to have a unity candle, but wants some gesture like it, she can have her bridal bouquet designed by having several small bouquets put together. At an appropriate time during the ceremony, the bridal bouquet is "broken up" and various people might receive a share, such as the mothers and fathers of the bride and groom.
Now, if the bride wants to hang onto her bridal bouquet during the wedding ceremony, but is willing to have some fun with it at the reception, there are a few options there as well. How about a dance involving the bridal bouquet? This is silly, but fun. The bridal bouquet is on display somewhere near the dance floor and guests must guess a flower that's in the bouquet before they can enter the dance floor. The first few guests might not have a problem as some flowers are obvious, like roses and tulips, but others might give people pause. Of course, this won't work if the bridal bouquet is all roses or some other single and obvious flower but for a traditional mixed bouquet, it can work well.
For a naughty touch, the bride can hide her garter in the bridal bouquet and actually put it on her leg before the groom takes it off. Or she can have a couple of breakaway bouquets that are wrapped in garter belts, so hers doesn't get thrown, but instead the tiny bouquets with garter belts attached are thrown.
When it comes time for the bride to throw her bouquet, there are several options. Some brides choose not to keep their bouquet and simply pluck one flower out of it before chucking the whole thing during the bridal bouquet toss. This is an alternative to having a special bouquet set aside for throwing, and there are others as well.
Are there are a lot of single women coming to the wedding? Maybe one thrown bouquet won't be enough. Many brides these days are opting for something a little more fun. There are a few options, really. One popular option is to have the florist create several small bouquets and then bundle them to look like one bouquet. They are tied lightly with a ribbon. When it comes time for the bouquet toss, the bride unties the ribbon, and throws the "bouquet" which is actually several little bouquets. Several women will catch the bouquet, rather than just one.
During there ceremony there are all kinds of possibilities. Certainly you can go traditional and have a flower for both the mother of the bride and mother of the groom. The moms, in particular, love this activity and guests usually appreciate it as well. But what if you turned that traditional gesture on its head and supplied flowers for both the mothers and the fathers?
If the bride supplies flowers to both the men and women, there are a couple of ways to do this. What if dad's flower was enclosed in a verse that he will then get up and read at the ceremony? What if it was a flower to recognize the members of the family who have passed, and it gives dad an opportunity to recognize those family members?
If the bride chooses not to have a unity candle, but wants some gesture like it, she can have her bridal bouquet designed by having several small bouquets put together. At an appropriate time during the ceremony, the bridal bouquet is "broken up" and various people might receive a share, such as the mothers and fathers of the bride and groom.
Now, if the bride wants to hang onto her bridal bouquet during the wedding ceremony, but is willing to have some fun with it at the reception, there are a few options there as well. How about a dance involving the bridal bouquet? This is silly, but fun. The bridal bouquet is on display somewhere near the dance floor and guests must guess a flower that's in the bouquet before they can enter the dance floor. The first few guests might not have a problem as some flowers are obvious, like roses and tulips, but others might give people pause. Of course, this won't work if the bridal bouquet is all roses or some other single and obvious flower but for a traditional mixed bouquet, it can work well.
For a naughty touch, the bride can hide her garter in the bridal bouquet and actually put it on her leg before the groom takes it off. Or she can have a couple of breakaway bouquets that are wrapped in garter belts, so hers doesn't get thrown, but instead the tiny bouquets with garter belts attached are thrown.
When it comes time for the bride to throw her bouquet, there are several options. Some brides choose not to keep their bouquet and simply pluck one flower out of it before chucking the whole thing during the bridal bouquet toss. This is an alternative to having a special bouquet set aside for throwing, and there are others as well.
Are there are a lot of single women coming to the wedding? Maybe one thrown bouquet won't be enough. Many brides these days are opting for something a little more fun. There are a few options, really. One popular option is to have the florist create several small bouquets and then bundle them to look like one bouquet. They are tied lightly with a ribbon. When it comes time for the bouquet toss, the bride unties the ribbon, and throws the "bouquet" which is actually several little bouquets. Several women will catch the bouquet, rather than just one.
Buffet Table Activities
Most wedding receptions include a buffet-style meal where everyone stands in an enormous line waiting while those at the food table decide if they want Italian or Ranch dressing on their salad.
There has to be a more unusual way to get people to their food, and a faster one at that, right? There are several fun options you can employ to feed your guests quickly and with a minimum of groans of hunger.
Here are some fun options.
One of the most popular is the number system. Each table is assigned a number and the MC or DJ calls numbers at various intervals. The people at that numbered table then find the buffet and begin their feast. You can place the numbers in a variety of locations. For the most utilitarian version, just place the number in the flower arrangement on the table.
Some brides don't like this look of numbered table as if at a convention. In that case, you can put the numbers under the flower arrangements, or under the chairs. If you have place cards at the tables, you can write a small number somewhere on the card so people know which table they're sitting at. For a fun variation, you can have the florist play around with the table floral arrangements. If the arrangements are going to have a dozen flowers, you could have the florist add one extra flower to table "one", two extra flowers for table "two" and so on and make the guests figure out which number table they are based on how many extra flowers they have in their arrangement.
The flower method could be cost-prohibitive, of course, if you have a large guest list and many tables.
Now, if the number system doesn't thrill you or make you think "unique", there are other options. Each table can have a color and the DJ simply calls out the color name. Depending, again, on how many tables you have at your reception, you could coordinate the tablecloths with the color of the table. So you might have white, pink, lavender, beige, and yellow tablecloths, and the guests sitting at that table simply move to the buffet table when the color of their tablecloth is called.
Another popular option for moving people easily to the buffet table involves having a little fun with your guests. You provide each table with a buzzer, either a bell like you might find at a store, or a small silver bell. Just something they can buzz or ring. The DJ or MC asks a trivia question, or a question about the bride and groom. The tables buzz in with their answers. The guests at the table with the first correct buzzed answer move to the buffet table. You repeat the process until everyone is finally on their way to getting some grub.
The trivia method is an especially fun way to help guests to get to know one another, as they might have to work together to come up with an answer. If your guests are hungry, you're sure to hear muffled groans and sighs of exasperation. But even with the small complaints, this is always a crowd pleaser because it's fun and gets everyone involved.
Now, this next option is fun but can engender a bit of jealousy sometimes. When people get their place card, whether it's placed on the table, or they pick it up when they look at the seating chart, you can put a number on it. But not everyone at the same table will have the same number. If you have 100 guests, for example, you might choose to have 10 people at the buffet table at a time. So each person would be assigned a number 1 through 10.
In the same scenario as above, the DJ or MC will call a number and those numbers will head for the buffet table. There are sure to be more than one person from each table heading for the buffet table, but the guests at each table won't get their food at the same time.
This staggered feeding can be fun or a nuisance, depending. It solves the problem of half the room being finished with their meal while waiting for the "later" table to finish theirs before the festivities start, but it can also mean that one or two guests might be long done with their food (or wanting to head back for seconds) when others at the table haven't even eaten yet.
There has to be a more unusual way to get people to their food, and a faster one at that, right? There are several fun options you can employ to feed your guests quickly and with a minimum of groans of hunger.
Here are some fun options.
One of the most popular is the number system. Each table is assigned a number and the MC or DJ calls numbers at various intervals. The people at that numbered table then find the buffet and begin their feast. You can place the numbers in a variety of locations. For the most utilitarian version, just place the number in the flower arrangement on the table.
Some brides don't like this look of numbered table as if at a convention. In that case, you can put the numbers under the flower arrangements, or under the chairs. If you have place cards at the tables, you can write a small number somewhere on the card so people know which table they're sitting at. For a fun variation, you can have the florist play around with the table floral arrangements. If the arrangements are going to have a dozen flowers, you could have the florist add one extra flower to table "one", two extra flowers for table "two" and so on and make the guests figure out which number table they are based on how many extra flowers they have in their arrangement.
The flower method could be cost-prohibitive, of course, if you have a large guest list and many tables.
Now, if the number system doesn't thrill you or make you think "unique", there are other options. Each table can have a color and the DJ simply calls out the color name. Depending, again, on how many tables you have at your reception, you could coordinate the tablecloths with the color of the table. So you might have white, pink, lavender, beige, and yellow tablecloths, and the guests sitting at that table simply move to the buffet table when the color of their tablecloth is called.
Another popular option for moving people easily to the buffet table involves having a little fun with your guests. You provide each table with a buzzer, either a bell like you might find at a store, or a small silver bell. Just something they can buzz or ring. The DJ or MC asks a trivia question, or a question about the bride and groom. The tables buzz in with their answers. The guests at the table with the first correct buzzed answer move to the buffet table. You repeat the process until everyone is finally on their way to getting some grub.
The trivia method is an especially fun way to help guests to get to know one another, as they might have to work together to come up with an answer. If your guests are hungry, you're sure to hear muffled groans and sighs of exasperation. But even with the small complaints, this is always a crowd pleaser because it's fun and gets everyone involved.
Now, this next option is fun but can engender a bit of jealousy sometimes. When people get their place card, whether it's placed on the table, or they pick it up when they look at the seating chart, you can put a number on it. But not everyone at the same table will have the same number. If you have 100 guests, for example, you might choose to have 10 people at the buffet table at a time. So each person would be assigned a number 1 through 10.
In the same scenario as above, the DJ or MC will call a number and those numbers will head for the buffet table. There are sure to be more than one person from each table heading for the buffet table, but the guests at each table won't get their food at the same time.
This staggered feeding can be fun or a nuisance, depending. It solves the problem of half the room being finished with their meal while waiting for the "later" table to finish theirs before the festivities start, but it can also mean that one or two guests might be long done with their food (or wanting to head back for seconds) when others at the table haven't even eaten yet.
Dance Floor Activities
Dancing is an essential component at most wedding receptions. We look forward to the couple's "first dance" and the bride's special dance with her father. It's also a place to get loose and funky, if you're a guest or a member of the wedding party.
But what if the wedding planners decided to add some fun and surprise to the dance floor by adding fun activities there? This doesn't mean a rousing version of the "Bunny Hop", which, while maybe essential, is hardly unique.
There are, however, many fun games and activities you can add to your dance floor activities that are sure to be a hit.
Try a fun game of the "chicken dance". Ok, so that doesn't sound too original. But if most of your guests are just sitting at their tables, watching a few brave couples dancing, or just finishing their meals, you might want to get everyone up and having fun. Try this game.
The DJ announces a number. Everyone looks under his or her chair, where there is a number. Depending on the number of guests at the wedding, there might be only numbers "1" and "2" or more, up to 5.
So, say the DJ announces number "4". Each person checks under their chair to see what their number is. These numbers can be written simply on a piece of masking tape and affixed to the underside of the chairs when the reception is being set up. Each "4" in this scenario will head to the dance floor to do the chicken dance with the other "4s". Not only does this get people out of their chairs and on to the dance floor, they get to know other wedding reception guests they might not otherwise know.
One dance floor activity that's gaining popularity is to bring in a dance teacher for the wedding reception. As a kind of pre-dance activity, the teacher will quickly walk people through their paces on the dance floor, perhaps teaching a bit of the waltz or, for something completely different, a little bit of the tango, before the music officially begins and dancing commences.
Having a dance teacher do a bit of teaching not only livens up the reception right from the start, but it gets people out on the dance floor who might otherwise be too self-conscious normally to get out there and let it all hang out. And practically speaking, it will likely make the wedding guests feel more confident in their skills before the "official" dancing begins.
Another fun activity to get everyone on the dance floor, including even the most reticent, is something you can refer to as the "snowball" dance. This is a good way to jumpstart the dancing at the beginning of the evening.
Here's how the "snowball" dance works. The wedding party, bride and groom included, will head to the dance floor for a fun dance. The music for this dance should be fast, something with a disco beat or a fast song that most people have at least a passing familiarity with. After a bit of wedding party dancing, the music stops. The female members of the wedding party move into the crowd and bring back one male each. The male members of the wedding party do the same, but they bring in female guests. The dancing then begins again. This is repeated until all the guests are dancing. It's truly a snowball effect!
But what if the wedding planners decided to add some fun and surprise to the dance floor by adding fun activities there? This doesn't mean a rousing version of the "Bunny Hop", which, while maybe essential, is hardly unique.
There are, however, many fun games and activities you can add to your dance floor activities that are sure to be a hit.
Try a fun game of the "chicken dance". Ok, so that doesn't sound too original. But if most of your guests are just sitting at their tables, watching a few brave couples dancing, or just finishing their meals, you might want to get everyone up and having fun. Try this game.
The DJ announces a number. Everyone looks under his or her chair, where there is a number. Depending on the number of guests at the wedding, there might be only numbers "1" and "2" or more, up to 5.
So, say the DJ announces number "4". Each person checks under their chair to see what their number is. These numbers can be written simply on a piece of masking tape and affixed to the underside of the chairs when the reception is being set up. Each "4" in this scenario will head to the dance floor to do the chicken dance with the other "4s". Not only does this get people out of their chairs and on to the dance floor, they get to know other wedding reception guests they might not otherwise know.
One dance floor activity that's gaining popularity is to bring in a dance teacher for the wedding reception. As a kind of pre-dance activity, the teacher will quickly walk people through their paces on the dance floor, perhaps teaching a bit of the waltz or, for something completely different, a little bit of the tango, before the music officially begins and dancing commences.
Having a dance teacher do a bit of teaching not only livens up the reception right from the start, but it gets people out on the dance floor who might otherwise be too self-conscious normally to get out there and let it all hang out. And practically speaking, it will likely make the wedding guests feel more confident in their skills before the "official" dancing begins.
Another fun activity to get everyone on the dance floor, including even the most reticent, is something you can refer to as the "snowball" dance. This is a good way to jumpstart the dancing at the beginning of the evening.
Here's how the "snowball" dance works. The wedding party, bride and groom included, will head to the dance floor for a fun dance. The music for this dance should be fast, something with a disco beat or a fast song that most people have at least a passing familiarity with. After a bit of wedding party dancing, the music stops. The female members of the wedding party move into the crowd and bring back one male each. The male members of the wedding party do the same, but they bring in female guests. The dancing then begins again. This is repeated until all the guests are dancing. It's truly a snowball effect!
Engagement Party Games
The engagement party is a time when the families of the couple will get to know one another. In some cases, this might be the first meeting between the two families or groups of friends and any icebreaker activity will be a welcome event.
In that light, whoever plans the engagement party (likely the bride's family, but it can be the engaged couple or anyone else who wants to plan the party) should plan a few games and activities designed to help everyone get to know everyone else.
First up is a trivia game. Create a "Trivial Pursuit" type game with questions about the bride and groom's lives. You might contain the questions to just facts and events relating to both the bride and groom (such as how long did it take her to say "yes" when he asked, where did he propose, where did they meet, etc), or you can include questions pertaining to their lives outside of each other and before they met each other. Not only can this be fun, but also it's an entertaining way for people to get to know each other and the engaged couple better.
One popular icebreaker that's used at corporate functions and company parties can also work really well at engagement parties. Tape a card to each person's back and encourage him or her to work the room, mingle with everyone and particularly try to get to know someone they have never met before. Before moving on to someone else, be sure to make a comment about the person on the card on his or her back. Partiers write an impression of that person, such as "she seems sweet" or "he knows a lot about the weather".
This icebreaker ends when the mingling session is over. The cards are then read one by one and people not only get to know each other better, but enjoy hearing all the comments people made about them. Try to ensure that comments are complimentary or somehow presented in a positive light. Hurtful comments, obviously, are not appropriate.
If this is truly the first time many of the guests have met, then another fun game involving the wearing of cards might be in order. In this game, each guest wears a card on their front that has their name on the front and a number on the back. They don't share with anyone what their number is. Guests mingle and chat and get to know each other over the course of the evening.
Toward the end of the evening, the cards are flipped over and the number side is shown. Everyone gets a piece of paper and writes the numbers on the paper, then tries to correspond the name of someone with their number. This fun game can be hard for people who are bad with names, but it's fun nonetheless.
For an activity that doesn't put people on the spot quite so much, consider letting the already marrieds help out the to-be marrieds. Place two pieces of posterboard on the wall and mark them "advice from women" and "advice from men". Now is the time to offer advice about wedding planning, not about being married. That advice can come later. Encourage guests to offer their own wedding planning advice. The advice from older people at the party could be decidedly different from the younger couples in the group, making for an enlightening group of comments.
In that light, whoever plans the engagement party (likely the bride's family, but it can be the engaged couple or anyone else who wants to plan the party) should plan a few games and activities designed to help everyone get to know everyone else.
First up is a trivia game. Create a "Trivial Pursuit" type game with questions about the bride and groom's lives. You might contain the questions to just facts and events relating to both the bride and groom (such as how long did it take her to say "yes" when he asked, where did he propose, where did they meet, etc), or you can include questions pertaining to their lives outside of each other and before they met each other. Not only can this be fun, but also it's an entertaining way for people to get to know each other and the engaged couple better.
One popular icebreaker that's used at corporate functions and company parties can also work really well at engagement parties. Tape a card to each person's back and encourage him or her to work the room, mingle with everyone and particularly try to get to know someone they have never met before. Before moving on to someone else, be sure to make a comment about the person on the card on his or her back. Partiers write an impression of that person, such as "she seems sweet" or "he knows a lot about the weather".
This icebreaker ends when the mingling session is over. The cards are then read one by one and people not only get to know each other better, but enjoy hearing all the comments people made about them. Try to ensure that comments are complimentary or somehow presented in a positive light. Hurtful comments, obviously, are not appropriate.
If this is truly the first time many of the guests have met, then another fun game involving the wearing of cards might be in order. In this game, each guest wears a card on their front that has their name on the front and a number on the back. They don't share with anyone what their number is. Guests mingle and chat and get to know each other over the course of the evening.
Toward the end of the evening, the cards are flipped over and the number side is shown. Everyone gets a piece of paper and writes the numbers on the paper, then tries to correspond the name of someone with their number. This fun game can be hard for people who are bad with names, but it's fun nonetheless.
For an activity that doesn't put people on the spot quite so much, consider letting the already marrieds help out the to-be marrieds. Place two pieces of posterboard on the wall and mark them "advice from women" and "advice from men". Now is the time to offer advice about wedding planning, not about being married. That advice can come later. Encourage guests to offer their own wedding planning advice. The advice from older people at the party could be decidedly different from the younger couples in the group, making for an enlightening group of comments.
Fun Wedding Music Activities
Music is as much a component of a good wedding as food and drink. You can have a wedding without music, but it's likely it will seem a little quiet and dull. So whether you have a full live band, a string quartet, a DJ spinning tunes or recorded music from a boom box, it should be included.
But music's not just for dancing. There are a myriad of activities you can plan around the music that will add an element of fun to your wedding.
One popular idea is to play musical chairs. Sure, this is a fun kid's game and you don't want to insult your guests in any way, but you can have some fun with this version of musical chairs. The chairs can be just about anything, from chairs lined up from the food tables, to the floor, if you think your guests might be open to sitting on the floor (and then having to get up and down again). One fun option is to use the men as the chairs - they kneel on the floor, with one knee on the floor and the other bent. The women sit lightly on the men's' knees as they are playing musical chairs. When either the man or woman falls down, that couple is out, until one couple is left.
Some brides and grooms like to play musical chairs in order to give away the table centerpiece, which many guests like to take home. Instead of assigning a number and awarding the centerpiece to the person in possession of that number, you have each table play musical chairs until the person left standing is the one that gets to take home the centerpiece.
How about a rousing game of "name that tune"? This is a game that's best for a smaller, intimate wedding where everyone knows the bride and groom well. Prior to the wedding, whoever is planning the wedding should get a list of favorite songs of both the bride and groom. Create a CD of those songs, and then create a game of "name that tune". Guests can be divided into teams and then be played just a small snippet of each song.
After guests hear that first snippet, they can then "bid" on how quickly they can name the tune. So one group might say they can name the tune in 10 seconds, while the other group might say 5 seconds. Once one group has bowed out, the other group will then have to "name that tune". This is a fun game that gets everyone involved and which the bride and groom are particularly delighted by.
Depending on the style of the wedding, there are many fun games you can play to get the bride and groom out on the dance floor. Now, if this is a very large and very elegant wedding, this option might not work since there is certain decorum to maintain, but for a casual, fun, family-centered wedding some of these games can be fun.
If guests want to "call out" the wedding couple onto the dance floor, they can be asked to get out on the dance floor themselves first and hula hoop or perform their own version of a break dance. Much in the way guests sometimes have to "perform" to get the couple the kiss this is another way to get the guests involved and having fun in order to create fun wedding memories for the bride and groom.
But music's not just for dancing. There are a myriad of activities you can plan around the music that will add an element of fun to your wedding.
One popular idea is to play musical chairs. Sure, this is a fun kid's game and you don't want to insult your guests in any way, but you can have some fun with this version of musical chairs. The chairs can be just about anything, from chairs lined up from the food tables, to the floor, if you think your guests might be open to sitting on the floor (and then having to get up and down again). One fun option is to use the men as the chairs - they kneel on the floor, with one knee on the floor and the other bent. The women sit lightly on the men's' knees as they are playing musical chairs. When either the man or woman falls down, that couple is out, until one couple is left.
Some brides and grooms like to play musical chairs in order to give away the table centerpiece, which many guests like to take home. Instead of assigning a number and awarding the centerpiece to the person in possession of that number, you have each table play musical chairs until the person left standing is the one that gets to take home the centerpiece.
How about a rousing game of "name that tune"? This is a game that's best for a smaller, intimate wedding where everyone knows the bride and groom well. Prior to the wedding, whoever is planning the wedding should get a list of favorite songs of both the bride and groom. Create a CD of those songs, and then create a game of "name that tune". Guests can be divided into teams and then be played just a small snippet of each song.
After guests hear that first snippet, they can then "bid" on how quickly they can name the tune. So one group might say they can name the tune in 10 seconds, while the other group might say 5 seconds. Once one group has bowed out, the other group will then have to "name that tune". This is a fun game that gets everyone involved and which the bride and groom are particularly delighted by.
Depending on the style of the wedding, there are many fun games you can play to get the bride and groom out on the dance floor. Now, if this is a very large and very elegant wedding, this option might not work since there is certain decorum to maintain, but for a casual, fun, family-centered wedding some of these games can be fun.
If guests want to "call out" the wedding couple onto the dance floor, they can be asked to get out on the dance floor themselves first and hula hoop or perform their own version of a break dance. Much in the way guests sometimes have to "perform" to get the couple the kiss this is another way to get the guests involved and having fun in order to create fun wedding memories for the bride and groom.
Kids Wedding Reception Activities
Not all brides and grooms want to exclude children from their wedding. Many are happy to welcome children into their wedding both as members of the wedding party and as guests.
Having children at a wedding, however, poses a myriad of problems. Do you leave the children to their own devices and hope they behave and don't get in the way? Do you provide a room with childcare so they are "present" but not too much under foot? Perhaps the best solution is a simple mix of both, with a smattering of fun built in.
First of all, if children are invited to the wedding, take into consideration the ages of the children. Babies will have to stay with mom and/or dad, for a variety of reasons. So planning to have all the children in another room might not be feasible. But if the children are toddlers up to about age 12, you can provide a separate room for them with childcare and a make a number of activities available to them.
If the children will be in a separate room at the reception, you can provide a coloring table, perhaps a TV with an appropriate movie ready to roll, and some board games. That could probably be enough for the duration of the wedding reception. Be aware of a few things: there should be a ratio of at least 1 adult for every 5 children if the children are toddlers, or 1 adult to every 10 children if the kids are older. Don't expect the kids to take up the activities on their own, but rather tell the childcare provider to get the kids involved in the activities by doing them him or herself.
What if the children will be part of the reception festivities? What activities can be geared specifically to children at the reception? There are plenty of things you can do, really. You can certainly plan a coloring table at the back of the reception hall or room. There, you can provide loads of paper, coloring books, markers and crayons. Paints are not recommended, for obvious reasons, and moms will thank you if you remember to supply the kids with washable markers and crayons only.
The art table can be more than just coloring, however. Buy a huge bag of pipe cleaners. Kids can amuse themselves for long periods of time, making animals, odd figures and the like. Make sure you have at least 20 or more pipe cleaners for each child, however, as children can go through these quickly. Think about "clean" clay, the new products that don't stick to anything and don't leave a trace on furniture. With a few different colors, kids can create a variety of figures, faces or forms.
Many brides like to plan more formally for their small guests. There are several options if this is the route you want to take. One popular option is to have paid entertainment on hand just for the children. This can take place in a separate room or toward the back of the reception room or hall if it's large and the guest list is big. You can hire a clown or a balloon artist. You can have someone braid the children's hair and provide temporary tattoos. If there is a separate room available, you can even hire a children's musician to come and entertain the kids. The options are endless.
If no plans are made for the children, but they arrive at the wedding expecting entertainment, you'll have to make some plans. One option is a "child only" dance, which allows only the children on the dance floor. This is not only cute to watch, and could be entertaining as well, but it will bring a smile to the face of every grandma and grandpa present.
Having children at a wedding, however, poses a myriad of problems. Do you leave the children to their own devices and hope they behave and don't get in the way? Do you provide a room with childcare so they are "present" but not too much under foot? Perhaps the best solution is a simple mix of both, with a smattering of fun built in.
First of all, if children are invited to the wedding, take into consideration the ages of the children. Babies will have to stay with mom and/or dad, for a variety of reasons. So planning to have all the children in another room might not be feasible. But if the children are toddlers up to about age 12, you can provide a separate room for them with childcare and a make a number of activities available to them.
If the children will be in a separate room at the reception, you can provide a coloring table, perhaps a TV with an appropriate movie ready to roll, and some board games. That could probably be enough for the duration of the wedding reception. Be aware of a few things: there should be a ratio of at least 1 adult for every 5 children if the children are toddlers, or 1 adult to every 10 children if the kids are older. Don't expect the kids to take up the activities on their own, but rather tell the childcare provider to get the kids involved in the activities by doing them him or herself.
What if the children will be part of the reception festivities? What activities can be geared specifically to children at the reception? There are plenty of things you can do, really. You can certainly plan a coloring table at the back of the reception hall or room. There, you can provide loads of paper, coloring books, markers and crayons. Paints are not recommended, for obvious reasons, and moms will thank you if you remember to supply the kids with washable markers and crayons only.
The art table can be more than just coloring, however. Buy a huge bag of pipe cleaners. Kids can amuse themselves for long periods of time, making animals, odd figures and the like. Make sure you have at least 20 or more pipe cleaners for each child, however, as children can go through these quickly. Think about "clean" clay, the new products that don't stick to anything and don't leave a trace on furniture. With a few different colors, kids can create a variety of figures, faces or forms.
Many brides like to plan more formally for their small guests. There are several options if this is the route you want to take. One popular option is to have paid entertainment on hand just for the children. This can take place in a separate room or toward the back of the reception room or hall if it's large and the guest list is big. You can hire a clown or a balloon artist. You can have someone braid the children's hair and provide temporary tattoos. If there is a separate room available, you can even hire a children's musician to come and entertain the kids. The options are endless.
If no plans are made for the children, but they arrive at the wedding expecting entertainment, you'll have to make some plans. One option is a "child only" dance, which allows only the children on the dance floor. This is not only cute to watch, and could be entertaining as well, but it will bring a smile to the face of every grandma and grandpa present.
Nice Bachelorette Party Games
Planning a bachelorette party is one of the easiest parts of a wedding to plan. There are literally hundreds of ideas for things to do and a myriad of options for games. Many of those ideas are a bit on the racy side, but there are plenty that that are just plain clean fun.
For example, one popular bachelorette game involves asking the guests to become poets. Ahead of the party, take 50 index cards and on half, write romantic things, like "roses", "cuddly", etc. On the other 25 cards, write very non-romantic words or phrases, like "nose hairs" or "ironing". Then have each guest draw one card from each pile. They should then create a silly poem based on the two very different words or phrases they have chosen, for example, "Roses are red, your nose hairs are ewwwww."
One fun game that is sure to engender at least a few laughs is "name that item". Take a paper bag (a fabric bag is better if you have one) and fill the bag with typical "male items". The items might include a razor, a money clip, a tie, shoe polish, etc. Seal the bag, or fold it over really well. Then have each guest feel the bag and try to guess the contents. Have them write their guesses on a piece of paper. After everyone has had a chance to feel the bag, the contents are shown and the person with the most number of correct guesses gets the bag of male-oriented items.
Here's a fun idea. This game might take the whole of the bachelorette party, but it's a fun one that involves all the guests, helps them get to know one another and provides video proof you all had a good time. You need video cameras for this game, so if the host only has one camera, be sure to ask guests to bring more video cameras. Make sure you also have enough blank tapes for this game.
Depending on the number of guests at the party, you'll divide the party into two or more groups. It's best to divide the group into teams small enough so that the whole team can get into one car. So you'll have maybe five women on each team. You'll give each team a video camera, blank videotapes and a list of "scavenger hunt" type activities they must perform and tape.
Some video scavenger hunt ideas include having a complete stranger sing the national anthem, having a member of the team sing "I wish I were an Oscar Meyer hot dog" in the meat section of the grocery store and taping a stranger who can do a good impersonation of John Wayne.
The teams should be given a specific amount of time in which to complete their assigned tasks and then return to the party location (ideally, a home, in this case). The videos are viewed and the teams vote on the team that did the best. Bonus points are given for the team that creates their own stunts.
Bachelorette party games are not only designed to bring fun to the party, but sometimes to help people get to know one another. This might be a good opportunity for the bride's best friend to get to know the sister of the groom, or for the bride to get close to the groom's cousin or niece. So an icebreaker game isn't a bad idea.
This isn't perhaps the most intellectual of an icebreaker game, but it will likely break the ice early in the evening before you head out to other events. Play a game called "I never..." and see who takes the most drinks. So the first woman says, "I never..." and completes the sentence. The women who have done the thing the first woman says she's never done take a drink. Then the next woman claims to have "never" done something.
Some suggestions for this game are: "I never ..."
- Lied about my age
- Lied about my weight
- Shoplifted
- Got a speeding ticket
- Ran naked through my house
For example, one popular bachelorette game involves asking the guests to become poets. Ahead of the party, take 50 index cards and on half, write romantic things, like "roses", "cuddly", etc. On the other 25 cards, write very non-romantic words or phrases, like "nose hairs" or "ironing". Then have each guest draw one card from each pile. They should then create a silly poem based on the two very different words or phrases they have chosen, for example, "Roses are red, your nose hairs are ewwwww."
One fun game that is sure to engender at least a few laughs is "name that item". Take a paper bag (a fabric bag is better if you have one) and fill the bag with typical "male items". The items might include a razor, a money clip, a tie, shoe polish, etc. Seal the bag, or fold it over really well. Then have each guest feel the bag and try to guess the contents. Have them write their guesses on a piece of paper. After everyone has had a chance to feel the bag, the contents are shown and the person with the most number of correct guesses gets the bag of male-oriented items.
Here's a fun idea. This game might take the whole of the bachelorette party, but it's a fun one that involves all the guests, helps them get to know one another and provides video proof you all had a good time. You need video cameras for this game, so if the host only has one camera, be sure to ask guests to bring more video cameras. Make sure you also have enough blank tapes for this game.
Depending on the number of guests at the party, you'll divide the party into two or more groups. It's best to divide the group into teams small enough so that the whole team can get into one car. So you'll have maybe five women on each team. You'll give each team a video camera, blank videotapes and a list of "scavenger hunt" type activities they must perform and tape.
Some video scavenger hunt ideas include having a complete stranger sing the national anthem, having a member of the team sing "I wish I were an Oscar Meyer hot dog" in the meat section of the grocery store and taping a stranger who can do a good impersonation of John Wayne.
The teams should be given a specific amount of time in which to complete their assigned tasks and then return to the party location (ideally, a home, in this case). The videos are viewed and the teams vote on the team that did the best. Bonus points are given for the team that creates their own stunts.
Bachelorette party games are not only designed to bring fun to the party, but sometimes to help people get to know one another. This might be a good opportunity for the bride's best friend to get to know the sister of the groom, or for the bride to get close to the groom's cousin or niece. So an icebreaker game isn't a bad idea.
This isn't perhaps the most intellectual of an icebreaker game, but it will likely break the ice early in the evening before you head out to other events. Play a game called "I never..." and see who takes the most drinks. So the first woman says, "I never..." and completes the sentence. The women who have done the thing the first woman says she's never done take a drink. Then the next woman claims to have "never" done something.
Some suggestions for this game are: "I never ..."
- Lied about my age
- Lied about my weight
- Shoplifted
- Got a speeding ticket
- Ran naked through my house
Overnight Wedding Reception Ideas
Some brides these days are turning wedding receptions on their head and creating super long receptions that run through the night and into the morning. If this is you, planning some activities for those long nighttime hours is essential.
Generally, if an all-night reception is planned, it goes something like this: the wedding is held in the early evening and reception follows. By about midnight, many of the guests will have left and the group that is remaining (generally the younger guests, but not always) will continue to dance and party and revel into the early morning hours. At some point, breakfast will be provided and everyone will go home to crash.
Why do you need activities for such a reception? The answer is simple. You want to keep people entertained through the nighttime hours, you want to keep them at the reception and not let them give in to driving home to crash and sleep and you want to provide them with a real party. Let's face it: if they are willing to hang in with you for the duration, they deserve something for their effort.
First, you need to be fairly organized about the activities you plan. Consult with your DJ about these activities and leave it to him or her to keep things on a schedule. Do not plan to cut cake in the middle of the night. That activity should take place during the more traditional evening hours, so those not intending to stay all night can leave. However, if you're determined to keep your guests all night, you could hold one activity back with the hope it will keep guests in the house longer.
Depending on your guest list, you might hold off on the father-daughter dance until after midnight, or you could save a few toasts for the late night hours. In any event, having some other fun events is a great idea.
As guests begin to fade, bring in a piñata, which you can find shaped like a wedding ring, a bridal dress or a champagne flute. Fill it with a variety of goodies. Candy is always popular, but you could also fill it with silly toys found in the carnival section of the party store. Have the DJ play a spirited song and let everyone have a chance at the piñata. Do this on the dance floor and really let people have a swing at it. There should be plenty of room. Once the piñata breaks, everyone can enjoy a taste of sweet candy or can enjoy some silly little carnival game or toy.
People who stay for the duration of the wedding are going to need a rest. Plan a photo presentation or video viewing for this purpose. You could have someone who's familiar with PowerPoint create a photo presentation or have someone put together a video of photos. Do this around 2 or 3 am and have it last a good half hour to 45 minutes. This gives everyone a chance to sit down and relax and also gives the DJ a chance to sit, have a rest and rejuvenate for the next round.
In that same vein of allowing the guests a little relaxation, one activity that some brides employ is a non-activity. If the weddig is outside, you can provide inflatable mattresses and have some torches lit. If guests ant to sit down and relax, they can do so on the mattresses and still be part of the activity while resting. If it's been a long day and someone needs to rest, those reception room chairs don't seem the most comfortable. If the reception is indoors, think about providing large pillows for guests to sit on or create a corner with inflatable mattresses and lots of fabric. This can be a chatting area where people can go to rest but still be part of the fun. They can chat and catch up with other guests and then head back for more partying when they're rejuvenated.
Generally, if an all-night reception is planned, it goes something like this: the wedding is held in the early evening and reception follows. By about midnight, many of the guests will have left and the group that is remaining (generally the younger guests, but not always) will continue to dance and party and revel into the early morning hours. At some point, breakfast will be provided and everyone will go home to crash.
Why do you need activities for such a reception? The answer is simple. You want to keep people entertained through the nighttime hours, you want to keep them at the reception and not let them give in to driving home to crash and sleep and you want to provide them with a real party. Let's face it: if they are willing to hang in with you for the duration, they deserve something for their effort.
First, you need to be fairly organized about the activities you plan. Consult with your DJ about these activities and leave it to him or her to keep things on a schedule. Do not plan to cut cake in the middle of the night. That activity should take place during the more traditional evening hours, so those not intending to stay all night can leave. However, if you're determined to keep your guests all night, you could hold one activity back with the hope it will keep guests in the house longer.
Depending on your guest list, you might hold off on the father-daughter dance until after midnight, or you could save a few toasts for the late night hours. In any event, having some other fun events is a great idea.
As guests begin to fade, bring in a piñata, which you can find shaped like a wedding ring, a bridal dress or a champagne flute. Fill it with a variety of goodies. Candy is always popular, but you could also fill it with silly toys found in the carnival section of the party store. Have the DJ play a spirited song and let everyone have a chance at the piñata. Do this on the dance floor and really let people have a swing at it. There should be plenty of room. Once the piñata breaks, everyone can enjoy a taste of sweet candy or can enjoy some silly little carnival game or toy.
People who stay for the duration of the wedding are going to need a rest. Plan a photo presentation or video viewing for this purpose. You could have someone who's familiar with PowerPoint create a photo presentation or have someone put together a video of photos. Do this around 2 or 3 am and have it last a good half hour to 45 minutes. This gives everyone a chance to sit down and relax and also gives the DJ a chance to sit, have a rest and rejuvenate for the next round.
In that same vein of allowing the guests a little relaxation, one activity that some brides employ is a non-activity. If the weddig is outside, you can provide inflatable mattresses and have some torches lit. If guests ant to sit down and relax, they can do so on the mattresses and still be part of the activity while resting. If it's been a long day and someone needs to rest, those reception room chairs don't seem the most comfortable. If the reception is indoors, think about providing large pillows for guests to sit on or create a corner with inflatable mattresses and lots of fabric. This can be a chatting area where people can go to rest but still be part of the fun. They can chat and catch up with other guests and then head back for more partying when they're rejuvenated.
Pre Wedding Reception Activities
There are so many little details to worry about when planning a wedding some might get forgotten. One tiny detail that often gets overlooked is how to keep guests entertained before the wedding reception "officially" begins.
There is no requirement that brides entertain their guests at all. After all, they have already attended your wedding ceremony (which was surely engaging and entertaining, right?) and they will soon get music, food and drink. What more could they want? It turns out, a lot. While the bride and groom are off having pictures taken, the guests are left to their own devices, chatting with other guests and wondering when the buffet will open.
In that light, it's worth at least considering some pre-reception options for keeping wedding guests entertained until the reception begins. Here are a few options, some tradition, some not so, but still fun.
First, you can do the traditional thing and provide guests with drinks and perhaps some light snacks. If the wedding is in the summertime, how about providing lemonade and iced tea? Or if it's the winter, coffee and hot tea or even hot cocoa depending on the style of your wedding. Providing a light snack isn't a bad idea, either, and that can be some appetizer-type food or just nuts, especially if the meal will be heavy.
Now, if you want to stray from tradition, there are many options. Some brides opt for entertaining the guests in the truest sense of the word. Clowns, anyone? How about live music?
If you want to venture into the fun and funky, consult the party planning pages of a local children's or parent's magazine. Here, you can find people who will entertain your children at their birthday parties, but many of them will happily take on wedding jobs. You can hire a clown to make balloon animals for the kids (and adults) in attendance, or to juggle a few things. Some clowns are true entertainers and will happily get the crowd involved by fetching items out of women's purses and juggling them.
Other non-traditional options for entertaining your guests include hiring a band to play music beforehand. If you plan to have classical music at your wedding, you can have a band come and play covers of current pop songs, or you can simply have your hired band arrive a bit early to entertain guests waiting for the full reception to begin.
If there are many children at the wedding, it's not too expensive to hire a children's band to sing and entertain the children for a bit. Then if the kids are a bit bored at the reception, they'll still have the memory of the earlier entertainment with them. In addition, while the children are being entertained, the adults can have a chance to chat and they will surely thank the bride for thinking of them in that way.
Some other options for entertaining your restless crowd before the festivities begin are to include them in the reception before it begins. This is a great time to ask people to sign the guest book and write something meaningful, since they will have more time than they would usually have as they file into the reception hall.
If the reception and the wedding ceremony take place in the same location, but the bride and groom are off having pictures taken, it may not seem as if there's this dilemma of how to keep the guests entertained, but there in fact, is.
In this case, you can have servers circulate with appetizer trays or you can do something more elaborate, such as some of the suggestions above. One popular option doesn't involve entertaining the guests at all. Say the wedding is being held at a historic house or mansion. During the lull before the reception, guests can be given a tour of the property. If the wedding and reception are both being held at the couple's new home, a tour of the property might be in order (assuming the guest list is fairly small).
There is no requirement that brides entertain their guests at all. After all, they have already attended your wedding ceremony (which was surely engaging and entertaining, right?) and they will soon get music, food and drink. What more could they want? It turns out, a lot. While the bride and groom are off having pictures taken, the guests are left to their own devices, chatting with other guests and wondering when the buffet will open.
In that light, it's worth at least considering some pre-reception options for keeping wedding guests entertained until the reception begins. Here are a few options, some tradition, some not so, but still fun.
First, you can do the traditional thing and provide guests with drinks and perhaps some light snacks. If the wedding is in the summertime, how about providing lemonade and iced tea? Or if it's the winter, coffee and hot tea or even hot cocoa depending on the style of your wedding. Providing a light snack isn't a bad idea, either, and that can be some appetizer-type food or just nuts, especially if the meal will be heavy.
Now, if you want to stray from tradition, there are many options. Some brides opt for entertaining the guests in the truest sense of the word. Clowns, anyone? How about live music?
If you want to venture into the fun and funky, consult the party planning pages of a local children's or parent's magazine. Here, you can find people who will entertain your children at their birthday parties, but many of them will happily take on wedding jobs. You can hire a clown to make balloon animals for the kids (and adults) in attendance, or to juggle a few things. Some clowns are true entertainers and will happily get the crowd involved by fetching items out of women's purses and juggling them.
Other non-traditional options for entertaining your guests include hiring a band to play music beforehand. If you plan to have classical music at your wedding, you can have a band come and play covers of current pop songs, or you can simply have your hired band arrive a bit early to entertain guests waiting for the full reception to begin.
If there are many children at the wedding, it's not too expensive to hire a children's band to sing and entertain the children for a bit. Then if the kids are a bit bored at the reception, they'll still have the memory of the earlier entertainment with them. In addition, while the children are being entertained, the adults can have a chance to chat and they will surely thank the bride for thinking of them in that way.
Some other options for entertaining your restless crowd before the festivities begin are to include them in the reception before it begins. This is a great time to ask people to sign the guest book and write something meaningful, since they will have more time than they would usually have as they file into the reception hall.
If the reception and the wedding ceremony take place in the same location, but the bride and groom are off having pictures taken, it may not seem as if there's this dilemma of how to keep the guests entertained, but there in fact, is.
In this case, you can have servers circulate with appetizer trays or you can do something more elaborate, such as some of the suggestions above. One popular option doesn't involve entertaining the guests at all. Say the wedding is being held at a historic house or mansion. During the lull before the reception, guests can be given a tour of the property. If the wedding and reception are both being held at the couple's new home, a tour of the property might be in order (assuming the guest list is fairly small).
Seated Wedding Reception Games
Nothing is worse than having a wedding reception filled with seated guests who look tired and maybe a little bit bored. Maybe this wedding doesn't feature a DJ and rockin' music. Or maybe the crowd isn't into that whole dancing thing.
What to do? It's not that hard. There are a myriad of activities you can plan that will not only engage and entertain the guests, but also help them get to know each other and - most importantly - the bride and groom just a little bit better.
Here's one that's fun and might remind you just a little bit of a football game. Make a placard for each guest. On one side, letter "Bride" and on the other, "Groom". Someone, and if you have a DJ it can be him or her, or the best man or maid of honor, asks a series of questions. They might be simple, like "who was born in New York City"? Or they might be more complicated, such as "who, at 6, broke their leg when they were playing with their German shepherd puppy"?
Guests don't yell their answer, but rather show their placard, turning it to the "bride" side of they think the question pertains to the bride or to the "groom" side if it's the opposite. The guests' guesses can be revealing, but even more revealing, are the true answers. It's a great, fun way for everyone to get to know a little more about the bride and groom.
One word of caution about the above activity: Keep ex-boyfriends and ex-girlfriends out of the questions and don't ask anything that might be a little too revealing or too risqué. Remember, grandmothers and grandfathers and young children will likely be present!
If it's too much work to create signs for each person, you can create just two and create two teams - a team of men and a team of women. Grouped together, the teams can work together to decide on the answer and answer as a group. This "men versus women" concept is always popular and sure to be fun for everyone.
One silly game that's always a hit really puts the groom in the spotlight. How well does he know the feel and touch of his new wife? In this game, everyone finds out. You can do this several ways. You can enlist just the wedding party in this game, or as many of the wedding guests that want to participate.
Line each participant up and blindfold the groom. Put the bride somewhere in the mix, and send the groom on a hunt for his bride. The participants can either shake the groom's hand or give him a kiss on the cheek. In some versions, he might feel their hair or their leg. The details are up to you.
Depending on how far you want to take this game, you can add a fun element to it that is sometimes popular. You have the groom feel the leg of each participant. The best man, or other male member of the wedding party, rolls up his pant leg, puts on a garter and has the groom feel that. The groom has to kiss whoever he thinks is his bride, while still blindfolded. Often, he ends up kissing a man.
For an activity that allows the guests to be audience members instead of participants, consider the game of "feed me". In this game, the bride is seated and the groom is (again) blindfolded. He's given a piece of food and then spun around a few times so he's a little bit dizzy. Guided only by the helpful words of his new bride, he has to find her and get the piece of food into her mouth. Be sure to have the wedding party shadowing him so there are no accidents.
Once the groom has fed his new wife, the tables are turned and she is blindfolded and must find him.
A few notes about this activity: when feeding the bride, don't use wedding cake or a piece of bread with dip. In other words, don't use anything too messy. If the groom has a hard time finding her mouth, he might likely smear the food on the bride's face and that is something that won't make a bride - prettily made up just hours before - too happy.
What to do? It's not that hard. There are a myriad of activities you can plan that will not only engage and entertain the guests, but also help them get to know each other and - most importantly - the bride and groom just a little bit better.
Here's one that's fun and might remind you just a little bit of a football game. Make a placard for each guest. On one side, letter "Bride" and on the other, "Groom". Someone, and if you have a DJ it can be him or her, or the best man or maid of honor, asks a series of questions. They might be simple, like "who was born in New York City"? Or they might be more complicated, such as "who, at 6, broke their leg when they were playing with their German shepherd puppy"?
Guests don't yell their answer, but rather show their placard, turning it to the "bride" side of they think the question pertains to the bride or to the "groom" side if it's the opposite. The guests' guesses can be revealing, but even more revealing, are the true answers. It's a great, fun way for everyone to get to know a little more about the bride and groom.
One word of caution about the above activity: Keep ex-boyfriends and ex-girlfriends out of the questions and don't ask anything that might be a little too revealing or too risqué. Remember, grandmothers and grandfathers and young children will likely be present!
If it's too much work to create signs for each person, you can create just two and create two teams - a team of men and a team of women. Grouped together, the teams can work together to decide on the answer and answer as a group. This "men versus women" concept is always popular and sure to be fun for everyone.
One silly game that's always a hit really puts the groom in the spotlight. How well does he know the feel and touch of his new wife? In this game, everyone finds out. You can do this several ways. You can enlist just the wedding party in this game, or as many of the wedding guests that want to participate.
Line each participant up and blindfold the groom. Put the bride somewhere in the mix, and send the groom on a hunt for his bride. The participants can either shake the groom's hand or give him a kiss on the cheek. In some versions, he might feel their hair or their leg. The details are up to you.
Depending on how far you want to take this game, you can add a fun element to it that is sometimes popular. You have the groom feel the leg of each participant. The best man, or other male member of the wedding party, rolls up his pant leg, puts on a garter and has the groom feel that. The groom has to kiss whoever he thinks is his bride, while still blindfolded. Often, he ends up kissing a man.
For an activity that allows the guests to be audience members instead of participants, consider the game of "feed me". In this game, the bride is seated and the groom is (again) blindfolded. He's given a piece of food and then spun around a few times so he's a little bit dizzy. Guided only by the helpful words of his new bride, he has to find her and get the piece of food into her mouth. Be sure to have the wedding party shadowing him so there are no accidents.
Once the groom has fed his new wife, the tables are turned and she is blindfolded and must find him.
A few notes about this activity: when feeding the bride, don't use wedding cake or a piece of bread with dip. In other words, don't use anything too messy. If the groom has a hard time finding her mouth, he might likely smear the food on the bride's face and that is something that won't make a bride - prettily made up just hours before - too happy.
Wedding Guest Book Activities
Traditional brides don't have to have traditional guest books. Certainly you can purchase a standard guest book and ask your guests to sign it, but there are so many more guest book-like activities that are more unique.
Let's move from the popular to the less well known. One very popular option allows guests to sign a picture of the bride and groom. Simply take a picture of the bride and groom and have it matted in a mat several inches larger than the photo itself. Place a frame around this, but don't include the glass or Plexiglas frame. You'll add this later. Some people prefer to use "bulldog" clips to keep the mat together instead of putting the picture in the frame. The picture can be framed after the wedding.
Most couples choose a nice photo of themselves for this picture/guestbook option, although if there's a formal engagement photo, this is an excellent way to preserve that photo and show it off to friends and family. If photos are taken before the wedding with the bride and groom in their wedding attire, you can certainly use this photo. Many couples opt to either leave the mat empty or they place a temporary picture in the mat and add a wedding picture later.
Be sure to have a nice Sharpie marker handy and place the picture on either a sturdy easel or on a table where guests are sure to see it.
Another option is instead of providing a picture of the bride and groom to sign, the guests are provided with a picture of themselves! Simply provide a Polaroid camera and assign someone the job of taking pictures of the guests as they arrive at the reception. Once the picture is dry, provide a Sharpie and they can sign the picture, make a note to the bride and groom or hand draw a silly picture. It can be whatever the guest wants it to be. This is a unique, and personal, way for guests to "sign in" at the wedding.
Whoever handles the taking of the pictures should also handle putting them in an album of some sort. A scrap booker might provide a special memory book with the Polaroid pictures in it, or the pictures can simply be placed in a nice album and presented later to the bride and groom.
Many guests don't give a great deal of thought to the guest book. They whiz by the guest book table more concerned with getting their cocktail and hitting the dance floor. If this is a concern, provide a "traveling" guest book. Send each guest something either to sign or decorate before the wedding.
In this "traveling" guest book scenario, there are several options. One of the easiest is to send each guest a small piece of paper and ask them to write something meaningful or thoughtful for the bride and groom on it. The pieces of paper are returned prior to the wedding (to ensure a better response, provide a self-addressed stamped envelope with the paper) and can be compiled in some meaningful way for the bride and groom and presented to them on their wedding day.
If the guest list is a creative or particularly close group, there is one other option that is even more meaningful. Again, in a scrapbook fashion, send each guest a piece of paper to sign or decorate. The paper should be the size of a photo album, so it might be a 6 x 6 piece of paper, an 8 x 8 piece of paper, or even 12 x 12, if the guests are up to that larger size.
In a letter that arrives with the paper, the guests are instructed to create a memory page for the bride and groom. They might include photos, quotes, little anecdotal stories, or combine all of these with stickers or embellishments. It's thoughtful, meaningful and personal and it's an excellent way to include guests who might not be able to attend the wedding, but would still like to be a part of it.
Let's move from the popular to the less well known. One very popular option allows guests to sign a picture of the bride and groom. Simply take a picture of the bride and groom and have it matted in a mat several inches larger than the photo itself. Place a frame around this, but don't include the glass or Plexiglas frame. You'll add this later. Some people prefer to use "bulldog" clips to keep the mat together instead of putting the picture in the frame. The picture can be framed after the wedding.
Most couples choose a nice photo of themselves for this picture/guestbook option, although if there's a formal engagement photo, this is an excellent way to preserve that photo and show it off to friends and family. If photos are taken before the wedding with the bride and groom in their wedding attire, you can certainly use this photo. Many couples opt to either leave the mat empty or they place a temporary picture in the mat and add a wedding picture later.
Be sure to have a nice Sharpie marker handy and place the picture on either a sturdy easel or on a table where guests are sure to see it.
Another option is instead of providing a picture of the bride and groom to sign, the guests are provided with a picture of themselves! Simply provide a Polaroid camera and assign someone the job of taking pictures of the guests as they arrive at the reception. Once the picture is dry, provide a Sharpie and they can sign the picture, make a note to the bride and groom or hand draw a silly picture. It can be whatever the guest wants it to be. This is a unique, and personal, way for guests to "sign in" at the wedding.
Whoever handles the taking of the pictures should also handle putting them in an album of some sort. A scrap booker might provide a special memory book with the Polaroid pictures in it, or the pictures can simply be placed in a nice album and presented later to the bride and groom.
Many guests don't give a great deal of thought to the guest book. They whiz by the guest book table more concerned with getting their cocktail and hitting the dance floor. If this is a concern, provide a "traveling" guest book. Send each guest something either to sign or decorate before the wedding.
In this "traveling" guest book scenario, there are several options. One of the easiest is to send each guest a small piece of paper and ask them to write something meaningful or thoughtful for the bride and groom on it. The pieces of paper are returned prior to the wedding (to ensure a better response, provide a self-addressed stamped envelope with the paper) and can be compiled in some meaningful way for the bride and groom and presented to them on their wedding day.
If the guest list is a creative or particularly close group, there is one other option that is even more meaningful. Again, in a scrapbook fashion, send each guest a piece of paper to sign or decorate. The paper should be the size of a photo album, so it might be a 6 x 6 piece of paper, an 8 x 8 piece of paper, or even 12 x 12, if the guests are up to that larger size.
In a letter that arrives with the paper, the guests are instructed to create a memory page for the bride and groom. They might include photos, quotes, little anecdotal stories, or combine all of these with stickers or embellishments. It's thoughtful, meaningful and personal and it's an excellent way to include guests who might not be able to attend the wedding, but would still like to be a part of it.
Wedding Toast Activities
Giving a toast is a responsibility that puts fear in the speaking hearts of most members of a wedding party. While it's not usually something that is particularly long or involved, it's public speaking (which doesn't sit well with many people) and really puts people on the spot.
If you are planning a wedding and know that most members of this wedding party are hams who won't mind the whole "public speaking" thing, then by all means keep the toasts traditional with dad, the best man and others taking their expected turns at the microphone.
But if you're looking for something different, either because you want to save putting people on the spot, or you simply want to do something different and fun, read on.
First, you can certainly take the whole toast thing off the agenda if you wish. There are no rules requiring a toast at any wedding. Weddings should be unique events and reflect the personalities of the bride and groom.
But if you want to do something a little different, there are options. You can go the video route, which asks people to essentially make a toast on camera and then the video is given to the bride and groom later. This isn't a particularly unique idea, but it does solve the issue of not wanting to put people on the spot and still gives everyone a chance to say something special to the bride and groom.
If your guest list includes many outgoing people then consider "pass the microphone". This can work in several ways. You can either be silly with it, or deadly serious. Most people like silly. Say dad takes the microphone first. His last name ends with T (so, let's say dad's last name is Smith). He must find someone whose first name begins with a T (Tom? Tony? Tina? Theresa?) and pass the microphone to that person, who then gives a toast.
This method of giving toasts does put people on the spot (certainly before the fun begins you can warn them so if they are really uncomfortable, they can escape to the restroom or bar) but it can also be a lot of fun. Getting people when they least expect it and then asking them to remember something funny or meaningful about the bride and groom can result in interesting, funny and truthful results.
You might also decide that one person at each table be required to give a toast. Number the tables and at various intervals, have the MC or DJ call a number, which will require guests at that table to decide amongst themselves who will give the toast at that table. Certainly, more than one person can if they like, but there will likely be at least one ham at each table who will enjoy standing up and toasting the newlyweds.
Say you have plenty of public speakers in the group, and finding willing toast participants won't be a problem. But you think the subject matter might be. There's an easy solution to this problem. You can provide open-ended topics for the toast speakers. Say you are providing an "open mike" toast arrangement, where anyone can request the microphone and offer a toast. The DJ, MC or someone else in the wedding party (perhaps the maid of honor or best man) can offer the speaker a surprise topic, which might be pulled from a champagne flute or drawn out of the floral arrangement on the head table. There might be slips of paper to choose, or just one sheet of paper with several ideas.
The speaker might choose to finish this sentence, "I remember when (groom's name here) was a little boy, he always ..." or answer this question, "When was (insert bride's name here) at her silliest? Tell us the story". You might have to give each speaker a minute or two to collect their thoughts, but you're sure to have some interesting stories, some unique anecdotes and some different perspectives on the bride and groom.
If you are planning a wedding and know that most members of this wedding party are hams who won't mind the whole "public speaking" thing, then by all means keep the toasts traditional with dad, the best man and others taking their expected turns at the microphone.
But if you're looking for something different, either because you want to save putting people on the spot, or you simply want to do something different and fun, read on.
First, you can certainly take the whole toast thing off the agenda if you wish. There are no rules requiring a toast at any wedding. Weddings should be unique events and reflect the personalities of the bride and groom.
But if you want to do something a little different, there are options. You can go the video route, which asks people to essentially make a toast on camera and then the video is given to the bride and groom later. This isn't a particularly unique idea, but it does solve the issue of not wanting to put people on the spot and still gives everyone a chance to say something special to the bride and groom.
If your guest list includes many outgoing people then consider "pass the microphone". This can work in several ways. You can either be silly with it, or deadly serious. Most people like silly. Say dad takes the microphone first. His last name ends with T (so, let's say dad's last name is Smith). He must find someone whose first name begins with a T (Tom? Tony? Tina? Theresa?) and pass the microphone to that person, who then gives a toast.
This method of giving toasts does put people on the spot (certainly before the fun begins you can warn them so if they are really uncomfortable, they can escape to the restroom or bar) but it can also be a lot of fun. Getting people when they least expect it and then asking them to remember something funny or meaningful about the bride and groom can result in interesting, funny and truthful results.
You might also decide that one person at each table be required to give a toast. Number the tables and at various intervals, have the MC or DJ call a number, which will require guests at that table to decide amongst themselves who will give the toast at that table. Certainly, more than one person can if they like, but there will likely be at least one ham at each table who will enjoy standing up and toasting the newlyweds.
Say you have plenty of public speakers in the group, and finding willing toast participants won't be a problem. But you think the subject matter might be. There's an easy solution to this problem. You can provide open-ended topics for the toast speakers. Say you are providing an "open mike" toast arrangement, where anyone can request the microphone and offer a toast. The DJ, MC or someone else in the wedding party (perhaps the maid of honor or best man) can offer the speaker a surprise topic, which might be pulled from a champagne flute or drawn out of the floral arrangement on the head table. There might be slips of paper to choose, or just one sheet of paper with several ideas.
The speaker might choose to finish this sentence, "I remember when (groom's name here) was a little boy, he always ..." or answer this question, "When was (insert bride's name here) at her silliest? Tell us the story". You might have to give each speaker a minute or two to collect their thoughts, but you're sure to have some interesting stories, some unique anecdotes and some different perspectives on the bride and groom.
Kids Wedding Reception Activities
Not all brides and grooms want to exclude children from their wedding. Many are happy to welcome children into their wedding both as members of the wedding party and as guests.
Having children at a wedding, however, poses a myriad of problems. Do you leave the children to their own devices and hope they behave and don't get in the way? Do you provide a room with childcare so they are "present" but not too much under foot? Perhaps the best solution is a simple mix of both, with a smattering of fun built in.
First of all, if children are invited to the wedding, take into consideration the ages of the children. Babies will have to stay with mom and/or dad, for a variety of reasons. So planning to have all the children in another room might not be feasible. But if the children are toddlers up to about age 12, you can provide a separate room for them with childcare and a make a number of activities available to them.
If the children will be in a separate room at the reception, you can provide a coloring table, perhaps a TV with an appropriate movie ready to roll, and some board games. That could probably be enough for the duration of the wedding reception. Be aware of a few things: there should be a ratio of at least 1 adult for every 5 children if the children are toddlers, or 1 adult to every 10 children if the kids are older. Don't expect the kids to take up the activities on their own, but rather tell the childcare provider to get the kids involved in the activities by doing them him or herself.
What if the children will be part of the reception festivities? What activities can be geared specifically to children at the reception? There are plenty of things you can do, really. You can certainly plan a coloring table at the back of the reception hall or room. There, you can provide loads of paper, coloring books, markers and crayons. Paints are not recommended, for obvious reasons, and moms will thank you if you remember to supply the kids with washable markers and crayons only.
The art table can be more than just coloring, however. Buy a huge bag of pipe cleaners. Kids can amuse themselves for long periods of time, making animals, odd figures and the like. Make sure you have at least 20 or more pipe cleaners for each child, however, as children can go through these quickly. Think about "clean" clay, the new products that don't stick to anything and don't leave a trace on furniture. With a few different colors, kids can create a variety of figures, faces or forms.
Many brides like to plan more formally for their small guests. There are several options if this is the route you want to take. One popular option is to have paid entertainment on hand just for the children. This can take place in a separate room or toward the back of the reception room or hall if it's large and the guest list is big. You can hire a clown or a balloon artist. You can have someone braid the children's hair and provide temporary tattoos. If there is a separate room available, you can even hire a children's musician to come and entertain the kids. The options are endless.
If no plans are made for the children, but they arrive at the wedding expecting entertainment, you'll have to make some plans. One option is a "child only" dance, which allows only the children on the dance floor. This is not only cute to watch, and could be entertaining as well, but it will bring a smile to the face of every grandma and grandpa present.
Having children at a wedding, however, poses a myriad of problems. Do you leave the children to their own devices and hope they behave and don't get in the way? Do you provide a room with childcare so they are "present" but not too much under foot? Perhaps the best solution is a simple mix of both, with a smattering of fun built in.
First of all, if children are invited to the wedding, take into consideration the ages of the children. Babies will have to stay with mom and/or dad, for a variety of reasons. So planning to have all the children in another room might not be feasible. But if the children are toddlers up to about age 12, you can provide a separate room for them with childcare and a make a number of activities available to them.
If the children will be in a separate room at the reception, you can provide a coloring table, perhaps a TV with an appropriate movie ready to roll, and some board games. That could probably be enough for the duration of the wedding reception. Be aware of a few things: there should be a ratio of at least 1 adult for every 5 children if the children are toddlers, or 1 adult to every 10 children if the kids are older. Don't expect the kids to take up the activities on their own, but rather tell the childcare provider to get the kids involved in the activities by doing them him or herself.
What if the children will be part of the reception festivities? What activities can be geared specifically to children at the reception? There are plenty of things you can do, really. You can certainly plan a coloring table at the back of the reception hall or room. There, you can provide loads of paper, coloring books, markers and crayons. Paints are not recommended, for obvious reasons, and moms will thank you if you remember to supply the kids with washable markers and crayons only.
The art table can be more than just coloring, however. Buy a huge bag of pipe cleaners. Kids can amuse themselves for long periods of time, making animals, odd figures and the like. Make sure you have at least 20 or more pipe cleaners for each child, however, as children can go through these quickly. Think about "clean" clay, the new products that don't stick to anything and don't leave a trace on furniture. With a few different colors, kids can create a variety of figures, faces or forms.
Many brides like to plan more formally for their small guests. There are several options if this is the route you want to take. One popular option is to have paid entertainment on hand just for the children. This can take place in a separate room or toward the back of the reception room or hall if it's large and the guest list is big. You can hire a clown or a balloon artist. You can have someone braid the children's hair and provide temporary tattoos. If there is a separate room available, you can even hire a children's musician to come and entertain the kids. The options are endless.
If no plans are made for the children, but they arrive at the wedding expecting entertainment, you'll have to make some plans. One option is a "child only" dance, which allows only the children on the dance floor. This is not only cute to watch, and could be entertaining as well, but it will bring a smile to the face of every grandma and grandpa present.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
VoIP Explained Easily
With the increased adoption of high-speed Internet across the U.S. and abroad, it has become much easier to send and receive large amounts of data without affecting bandwidth. What this means for consumers is that they can now download huge files quickly, browse multiple web pages simultaneously, and even make telephone calls over the Internet; an emerging technology known as VoIP.
VoIP stands for "Voice over Internet Protocol " and it is quite simply a way of using the Internet to make and receive telephone calls. The primary reason VoIP is becoming so popular is cost and convenience; as VoIP is significantly less expensive than typical local and long distance telephone service offered by the phone companies. Additionally, one high-speed Internet connection can serve for multiple VoIP telephone lines.
How does VoIP Work?
A normal telephone line would sit there and do nothing if it weren’t connected to a network called the PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network). This is how the traditional phone companies route telephone calls from one person to another. In VOIP service, the PSTN is replaced by the Internet as the network for routing phone calls, and is proven to be faster, more efficient and cost effective.
Using VoIP, a person’s voice is transmitted into digital data that is then sliced into small fragments called packets that are sent across the Internet at lightning speed. These packets are then reconstructed and heard on the receiving phone. Sounds like allot going on during a phone conversation, but most people who use VoIP phones don’t even know they are making telephone calls over the Internet; the call quality is that good.
In order for VoIP phone calls to have the same quality that consumers are accustomed to when using traditional phone service, a certain bandwidth (the amount of data that can be sent) is required. Broadband Internet access, either cable or DSL, provides the necessary bandwidth for VoIP phone service to be found acceptable by consumers.
The Features of VoIP
In addition to making high-speed Internet access more cost-effective, VOIP service provides subscribers with significantly cheaper local and long distance telephone service. Most VoIP providers charge between $20 - $25 per month and this includes unlimited calling to the U.S. and Canada.
Additionally, all the features that traditional phone companies usually charge for like voicemail, caller id, call waiting; three-way calling, simultaneous ring and the ability to choose your own area code are included in the price.
Another driver for using VoIP is that it is portable. In other words, consumers can take their phone number anywhere they move to; even if it is just on vacation.
Cost savings, free features, portability – VoIP is the emerging technology at the root of all these trends, and consumers should expect to see a lot more news about VoIP in the coming months and years.
To learn more about VoIP, please visit: www.packet8.net. Michael Brito is a freelance writer/internet marketer for a variety of consumer products and services. Read his blog for the latest trends in online marketing: http://michaelbrito.blogspot.com
VoIP stands for "Voice over Internet Protocol " and it is quite simply a way of using the Internet to make and receive telephone calls. The primary reason VoIP is becoming so popular is cost and convenience; as VoIP is significantly less expensive than typical local and long distance telephone service offered by the phone companies. Additionally, one high-speed Internet connection can serve for multiple VoIP telephone lines.
How does VoIP Work?
A normal telephone line would sit there and do nothing if it weren’t connected to a network called the PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network). This is how the traditional phone companies route telephone calls from one person to another. In VOIP service, the PSTN is replaced by the Internet as the network for routing phone calls, and is proven to be faster, more efficient and cost effective.
Using VoIP, a person’s voice is transmitted into digital data that is then sliced into small fragments called packets that are sent across the Internet at lightning speed. These packets are then reconstructed and heard on the receiving phone. Sounds like allot going on during a phone conversation, but most people who use VoIP phones don’t even know they are making telephone calls over the Internet; the call quality is that good.
In order for VoIP phone calls to have the same quality that consumers are accustomed to when using traditional phone service, a certain bandwidth (the amount of data that can be sent) is required. Broadband Internet access, either cable or DSL, provides the necessary bandwidth for VoIP phone service to be found acceptable by consumers.
The Features of VoIP
In addition to making high-speed Internet access more cost-effective, VOIP service provides subscribers with significantly cheaper local and long distance telephone service. Most VoIP providers charge between $20 - $25 per month and this includes unlimited calling to the U.S. and Canada.
Additionally, all the features that traditional phone companies usually charge for like voicemail, caller id, call waiting; three-way calling, simultaneous ring and the ability to choose your own area code are included in the price.
Another driver for using VoIP is that it is portable. In other words, consumers can take their phone number anywhere they move to; even if it is just on vacation.
Cost savings, free features, portability – VoIP is the emerging technology at the root of all these trends, and consumers should expect to see a lot more news about VoIP in the coming months and years.
To learn more about VoIP, please visit: www.packet8.net. Michael Brito is a freelance writer/internet marketer for a variety of consumer products and services. Read his blog for the latest trends in online marketing: http://michaelbrito.blogspot.com
Internet Phone Service: The Low Cost Alternative for Keeping in Touch
Are you always looking for ways to save money without cutting back on the things that make you happy? Do you like to talk on the phone until your mouth is as dry as the desert sand? If you answered yes to these questions, then internet phone service is an ideal fit for you. It works over a high-speed internet connection and allows you to keep in touch with family and friends all over the world for pennies.
In order to enjoy the money saving benefits of internet phone service, you must have a high-speed internet connection, either broadband or DSL. Most Internet Phone Service Providers will then send you a Broadband Phone Adapter, or BPA (a device that resembles a modem) that will plug directly into a modem/router. Then, all you have to do is plug your existing phone into the adapter and you can start making calls. The set-up is really easy and usually takes less than five minutes for installation.
The misconception about internet phone service is that you need a computer to use the service. While it is true that most consumers who use internet phone service do have a computer, one is not required to make calls.
So, how much money are you really going to save with internet phone service versus traditional phone service? Most traditional phone companies usually charge between $20 and $30 a month for basic service. This doesn’t include any features like voicemail, call forwarding, call waiting, 3-way calling, etc. Nor does it include any long distance charges. Add these features up and a normal phone bill would typically cost $50 a month. And, if you ever need to disconnect your phone line or perhaps change your phone number because you are receiving unwanted telemarketing calls, you can expect even more fees.
With Internet Phone service, most providers charge between $20 and $25 a month. Not much difference than the traditional phone companies, right? Well, for this price you not only get all the features included, but unlimited calling in the United States and Canada as well. Not bad if you have friends and family living outside of your area code. Most consumers who use internet phone service can save as much as $500 a year and that is just the icing on the cake.
The cost savings of internet phone service is great. But even better is the ability to keep in touch with family and friends without the worries of high phone bills.
To learn more about internet phone service, please visit: www.packet8.net. Michael Brito is a freelance writer/internet marketer for a variety of consumer products and services. Read his blog for the latest trends in online marketing: http://michaelbrito.blogspot.com
In order to enjoy the money saving benefits of internet phone service, you must have a high-speed internet connection, either broadband or DSL. Most Internet Phone Service Providers will then send you a Broadband Phone Adapter, or BPA (a device that resembles a modem) that will plug directly into a modem/router. Then, all you have to do is plug your existing phone into the adapter and you can start making calls. The set-up is really easy and usually takes less than five minutes for installation.
The misconception about internet phone service is that you need a computer to use the service. While it is true that most consumers who use internet phone service do have a computer, one is not required to make calls.
So, how much money are you really going to save with internet phone service versus traditional phone service? Most traditional phone companies usually charge between $20 and $30 a month for basic service. This doesn’t include any features like voicemail, call forwarding, call waiting, 3-way calling, etc. Nor does it include any long distance charges. Add these features up and a normal phone bill would typically cost $50 a month. And, if you ever need to disconnect your phone line or perhaps change your phone number because you are receiving unwanted telemarketing calls, you can expect even more fees.
With Internet Phone service, most providers charge between $20 and $25 a month. Not much difference than the traditional phone companies, right? Well, for this price you not only get all the features included, but unlimited calling in the United States and Canada as well. Not bad if you have friends and family living outside of your area code. Most consumers who use internet phone service can save as much as $500 a year and that is just the icing on the cake.
The cost savings of internet phone service is great. But even better is the ability to keep in touch with family and friends without the worries of high phone bills.
To learn more about internet phone service, please visit: www.packet8.net. Michael Brito is a freelance writer/internet marketer for a variety of consumer products and services. Read his blog for the latest trends in online marketing: http://michaelbrito.blogspot.com
A Dummies Guide to Broadband Phone Service A Dummies Guide to Broadband Phone Service
Did you know that the Internet can totally replace your existing phone line? With broadband phone service, you can make and receive telephone calls using a regular phone without the assistance of your local phone company. Instead, the phone plugs directly into a broadband internet connection, either cable or DSL. It’s easy, fast and affordable.
You need two things to turn your internet connection into a personal phone line: a subscription to broadband phone service and any traditional phone (analog or digital). Most service providers charge between $20 and $30 a month, not including additional taxes and fees.
Once connected and installed, broadband phone service works just like a regular phone: pick up the phone and you will hear a dial tone – dial a phone number – wait for the person to answer – and start talking. In most cases the person on the other line won’t even know that you are using broadband phone service; the quality is that good.
Some of the benefits of using broadband phone service include: unlimited calling to the U.S and Canada, free features like call waiting, caller id, call forwarding, follow me – find me, three-way calling, online bill pay, voicemail, voicemail to email notification, and the ability to choose your area code. This means that you can live in New York and have a California phone number. Most broadband phone service providers also offer a trial period or a 30-day money back guarantee.
Most, if not all, broadband phone service providers allow you to keep your current phone number; a process called local number portability (LNP). This process usually takes between six to eight weeks depending on the provider. If it takes any longer, most of the time it is the phone company that is releasing your phone number that is holding up the process.
Some additional features of broadband phone service are virtual numbers (a number in a different area code, that when dialed rings directly to your main number). Virtual numbers eliminate long-distance phone charges for anyone calling within that numbers' area code; and usually cost an additional $5 a month. Most broadband phone service providers also offer toll-free numbers and 411 directory assistance for a low monthly fee.
Due to the recent FCC regulations, all broadband phone service providers must have E911. What this means for you is that you if you subscribe to broadband phone service and dial 911, the call will be routed to the local public safety dispatcher with your address information pre-populating on their screen. When searching for a broadband phone service provider, ensure that they offer E911.
To learn more about broadband phone service, please visit: www.packet8.net. Michael Brito is a freelance writer/internet marketer for a variety of consumer products and services. Read his blog for the latest trends in online marketing: http://michaelbrito.blogspot.com
You need two things to turn your internet connection into a personal phone line: a subscription to broadband phone service and any traditional phone (analog or digital). Most service providers charge between $20 and $30 a month, not including additional taxes and fees.
Once connected and installed, broadband phone service works just like a regular phone: pick up the phone and you will hear a dial tone – dial a phone number – wait for the person to answer – and start talking. In most cases the person on the other line won’t even know that you are using broadband phone service; the quality is that good.
Some of the benefits of using broadband phone service include: unlimited calling to the U.S and Canada, free features like call waiting, caller id, call forwarding, follow me – find me, three-way calling, online bill pay, voicemail, voicemail to email notification, and the ability to choose your area code. This means that you can live in New York and have a California phone number. Most broadband phone service providers also offer a trial period or a 30-day money back guarantee.
Most, if not all, broadband phone service providers allow you to keep your current phone number; a process called local number portability (LNP). This process usually takes between six to eight weeks depending on the provider. If it takes any longer, most of the time it is the phone company that is releasing your phone number that is holding up the process.
Some additional features of broadband phone service are virtual numbers (a number in a different area code, that when dialed rings directly to your main number). Virtual numbers eliminate long-distance phone charges for anyone calling within that numbers' area code; and usually cost an additional $5 a month. Most broadband phone service providers also offer toll-free numbers and 411 directory assistance for a low monthly fee.
Due to the recent FCC regulations, all broadband phone service providers must have E911. What this means for you is that you if you subscribe to broadband phone service and dial 911, the call will be routed to the local public safety dispatcher with your address information pre-populating on their screen. When searching for a broadband phone service provider, ensure that they offer E911.
To learn more about broadband phone service, please visit: www.packet8.net. Michael Brito is a freelance writer/internet marketer for a variety of consumer products and services. Read his blog for the latest trends in online marketing: http://michaelbrito.blogspot.com
All About The Global Positioning System
Technology continues to improve and become better as the years go by. The last decade alone has seen tremendous innovations and breakthroughs when it comes to technology and its use in different fields. Perhaps what is most remarkable is that technological gadgets and advancements are now becoming more and more mainstream as devices are being made for mass consumers in mind. Nowadays a regular person has access to technology and gadgets that would seem like science fiction to an era just a few decades ago.
Take the Global Positioning System or GPS for example. While this system was initially developed by the Department of Defense, civilians can now use this technology and benefit greatly from it. Even before individuals had access to personal GPS devices, airplanes were using this system to navigate the skies. The GPS is able to aid in navigation by means of several satellites orbiting the earth specifically for this purpose.
The communication between the satellites and the receiver allows the GPS device to calculate its exact location. That's why even if you aren't a pilot, you can benefit from a GPS device if you like to hike or trek in the outdoors. Instead of a compass, utilize a GPS device to be able to tell exactly where you are. The GPS device will help you navigate through the outdoors with precision that a compass may not be able to give.
That is, you will need to learn about declination and be able to compute the difference between the magnetic north and the true north when using a compass. With a GPS device however, you can be assured that given that it is working correctly, it will give you a very precise description of your location and help you navigate your way. Any errors that may incur from the GPS has been anticipated and corrected appropriately.
GPS systems are also used in cars to be able to help drivers navigate new territory. Having a good and updated GPS system installed in the car eliminates the need for deciphering a map. A map can be difficult to manage especially because it is difficult if not dangerous to consult your map while driving. A GPS device in your car serves as an interactive map, which you can use while driving so that you can easily navigate your way anywhere.
With all the benefits of GPS to everyday life, we can expect the technology to get better and become more in demand.
Take the Global Positioning System or GPS for example. While this system was initially developed by the Department of Defense, civilians can now use this technology and benefit greatly from it. Even before individuals had access to personal GPS devices, airplanes were using this system to navigate the skies. The GPS is able to aid in navigation by means of several satellites orbiting the earth specifically for this purpose.
The communication between the satellites and the receiver allows the GPS device to calculate its exact location. That's why even if you aren't a pilot, you can benefit from a GPS device if you like to hike or trek in the outdoors. Instead of a compass, utilize a GPS device to be able to tell exactly where you are. The GPS device will help you navigate through the outdoors with precision that a compass may not be able to give.
That is, you will need to learn about declination and be able to compute the difference between the magnetic north and the true north when using a compass. With a GPS device however, you can be assured that given that it is working correctly, it will give you a very precise description of your location and help you navigate your way. Any errors that may incur from the GPS has been anticipated and corrected appropriately.
GPS systems are also used in cars to be able to help drivers navigate new territory. Having a good and updated GPS system installed in the car eliminates the need for deciphering a map. A map can be difficult to manage especially because it is difficult if not dangerous to consult your map while driving. A GPS device in your car serves as an interactive map, which you can use while driving so that you can easily navigate your way anywhere.
With all the benefits of GPS to everyday life, we can expect the technology to get better and become more in demand.
Buying The Right GPS For Everyday Use
People who are on the road often need something better to guide them along the way. Instead of looking at a map, the best thing to have is a GPS satellite receiver. There are many brands to choose from when selecting this unit from the store. Some of the popular brands are Garmin, Magellan, Holux and Luxor.
Here are some things to keep in mind when buying;
You should ask about the product features of the receiver. Aside from giving road directions, does it also show the terrain of the area? How big is it and how much does it weigh? Does it operate using rechargeable batteries or should they be replaced by new ones?
Another thing to think about is the size of the screen. Of course, how big the unit is will affect that but it won't be a problem if you can zoom in or out. Drivers should keep their eyes on the road and just take a short glance but given this is also unsafe, the ideal device should have a voice warning system. This will inform you where to make a turn and how many miles left to the desired destination.
All GPS manufacturers will claim that it has all the necessary information stored in its computer memory. This may true but can the unit be updated? The more popular brands can do this because it can be hooked up to the Internet.
The most important factor in choosing a GPS unit is if the device is user friendly. Looking at what is available and asking the clerk some questions isn't the answer. You should pick it up and scroll down the menu to see if this can work. This is like putting on an new pair of shoes or putting on a shirt since it is such a hassle to return it later on.
The price of the GPS device varies on the market. You can get one of the low end models or choose the unit that has color and other features. This decision really depends on the budget but those who are able to do some research and compare it with those that are available will surely make a wise decision and use it whenever it is needed. Those who need it should go to the nearest store and get one now.
Here are some things to keep in mind when buying;
You should ask about the product features of the receiver. Aside from giving road directions, does it also show the terrain of the area? How big is it and how much does it weigh? Does it operate using rechargeable batteries or should they be replaced by new ones?
Another thing to think about is the size of the screen. Of course, how big the unit is will affect that but it won't be a problem if you can zoom in or out. Drivers should keep their eyes on the road and just take a short glance but given this is also unsafe, the ideal device should have a voice warning system. This will inform you where to make a turn and how many miles left to the desired destination.
All GPS manufacturers will claim that it has all the necessary information stored in its computer memory. This may true but can the unit be updated? The more popular brands can do this because it can be hooked up to the Internet.
The most important factor in choosing a GPS unit is if the device is user friendly. Looking at what is available and asking the clerk some questions isn't the answer. You should pick it up and scroll down the menu to see if this can work. This is like putting on an new pair of shoes or putting on a shirt since it is such a hassle to return it later on.
The price of the GPS device varies on the market. You can get one of the low end models or choose the unit that has color and other features. This decision really depends on the budget but those who are able to do some research and compare it with those that are available will surely make a wise decision and use it whenever it is needed. Those who need it should go to the nearest store and get one now.
Facts And Uses Of GPS Systems
GPS stands for Global Positioning System, and is a fairly new technology that is starting to see widespread use in various fields. Originally made with military purposes in mind, GPS units utilize satellites which orbit the earth to track special transmitters on the planet's surface and find them, allowing a GPS computer to track the transmitter's location anywhere on the globe and even place it on a digitized map.
GPS systems are composed of three major parts. The first part is the space system, which is composed of the actual physical satellites which orbit the planet and whose purpose is to send and recieve data from the other two components, which are the Control system and the Transmitter system. The number of satellites for a full working GPS requires that at least 6 satellites at any one time have full line of sight to any and every location on the earth's surface.
The actual Control system of a GPS network is composed of a series of ground based installations which monitor frequencies from the satellites, as well as uploading commands to the satellites. The main base which acts as the hub for all worldwide GPS control centers is located in a Master Control Station in Colorado.
The user segment is perhaps the easiest part of a GPS system. It is a small transmitter which sends and receives signals from the satellites and allows the user to be tracked globally. Whereas before this technology was fairly bulky, recent advances have made transmitters so small that they can be integrated into car radios and cellular telephones.
One of the civilian uses for a GPS is navigation. Where before people who got lost in the wilderness had to rely on a conventional map and compass for finding out where they were, a modern GPS unit plugged into a laptop can display a fully digitized map and show the user's location. This use of the GPS has also found it's way into aviation and shipping travel, making it much easier for ships to navigate across oceans and aircraft to determine their location accurately.
Another use of the GPS is in modern cars; GPS units in cars allows people to not only find out where they are; it also includes rough street maps and even information on the approximate speed the car is travelling and distance travelled within a specified length of time. While this is no real replacement for a speedometer, it does have it's uses for people who want to regulate their gas mileage.
Naturally, the broadcast signals of a GPS satellite differ between civilian and military useage. Regular civilian signals also include a clock which gives the accurate time for the time zone where the transmitter is located. Civilian GPS units can also monitor the position of the satellites and the number of satellites accessible at a given location. Military signals are heavily coded and, for obvious reasons, transmit much more detailed data than civilian signals.
The process of determining a unit's location on a GPS isn't completely accurate, but is at least close enough to offer approximates. The transmitters send periodic pulses to all detected satellites in range, and the Control installations monitor the time spent from when the pulse is first emitted to when it "bounces back" to the user's unit. This gives the control tower a good estimate of the distance of the unit from ONE satellite. By meshing the data from all satellites which recieved the signal, the control computers can then triangulate the position of the user's unit on the global map.
While this offers only an approximate location of a GPS user unit, the approximate is still far more accurate than the general estimates made by more classic navigational methods. For example, triangulation using a map, a compass, and landmarks on the map will often place a person's location at a deviation of 50 to 100 meters (or more) from the actual location, depending on things like the scale of the map, the nearness of the landmarks, and the magnetic accuracy of the compass. this doesn;t even take into account human error.
GPS units, on the other hand, have a deviation of only 5 meters at most for atmpspheric interference, 2 meters for satellite clock timing errors, 1 meter for distortion errors causes by other radio signals, and half a meter for local terrain interference from buildings and trees. So assuming worst case scenario, a user's location will be 8 and a half (maybe 10 on a bad day) meters away from his actual position. Compared to fumbling with a compass, map, or star and tidal charts, this makes the GPS an essential modern tool for navigation.
GPS systems are composed of three major parts. The first part is the space system, which is composed of the actual physical satellites which orbit the planet and whose purpose is to send and recieve data from the other two components, which are the Control system and the Transmitter system. The number of satellites for a full working GPS requires that at least 6 satellites at any one time have full line of sight to any and every location on the earth's surface.
The actual Control system of a GPS network is composed of a series of ground based installations which monitor frequencies from the satellites, as well as uploading commands to the satellites. The main base which acts as the hub for all worldwide GPS control centers is located in a Master Control Station in Colorado.
The user segment is perhaps the easiest part of a GPS system. It is a small transmitter which sends and receives signals from the satellites and allows the user to be tracked globally. Whereas before this technology was fairly bulky, recent advances have made transmitters so small that they can be integrated into car radios and cellular telephones.
One of the civilian uses for a GPS is navigation. Where before people who got lost in the wilderness had to rely on a conventional map and compass for finding out where they were, a modern GPS unit plugged into a laptop can display a fully digitized map and show the user's location. This use of the GPS has also found it's way into aviation and shipping travel, making it much easier for ships to navigate across oceans and aircraft to determine their location accurately.
Another use of the GPS is in modern cars; GPS units in cars allows people to not only find out where they are; it also includes rough street maps and even information on the approximate speed the car is travelling and distance travelled within a specified length of time. While this is no real replacement for a speedometer, it does have it's uses for people who want to regulate their gas mileage.
Naturally, the broadcast signals of a GPS satellite differ between civilian and military useage. Regular civilian signals also include a clock which gives the accurate time for the time zone where the transmitter is located. Civilian GPS units can also monitor the position of the satellites and the number of satellites accessible at a given location. Military signals are heavily coded and, for obvious reasons, transmit much more detailed data than civilian signals.
The process of determining a unit's location on a GPS isn't completely accurate, but is at least close enough to offer approximates. The transmitters send periodic pulses to all detected satellites in range, and the Control installations monitor the time spent from when the pulse is first emitted to when it "bounces back" to the user's unit. This gives the control tower a good estimate of the distance of the unit from ONE satellite. By meshing the data from all satellites which recieved the signal, the control computers can then triangulate the position of the user's unit on the global map.
While this offers only an approximate location of a GPS user unit, the approximate is still far more accurate than the general estimates made by more classic navigational methods. For example, triangulation using a map, a compass, and landmarks on the map will often place a person's location at a deviation of 50 to 100 meters (or more) from the actual location, depending on things like the scale of the map, the nearness of the landmarks, and the magnetic accuracy of the compass. this doesn;t even take into account human error.
GPS units, on the other hand, have a deviation of only 5 meters at most for atmpspheric interference, 2 meters for satellite clock timing errors, 1 meter for distortion errors causes by other radio signals, and half a meter for local terrain interference from buildings and trees. So assuming worst case scenario, a user's location will be 8 and a half (maybe 10 on a bad day) meters away from his actual position. Compared to fumbling with a compass, map, or star and tidal charts, this makes the GPS an essential modern tool for navigation.
Can A GPS Replace A Compass
There was a time that the only way campers who got lost could make it out of the wilderness was by using a compass. This device doesn’t run on batteries, it works by aligning itself with the magnetic field of the earth.
Nowadays, something much better is available. This is the global positioning satellite receiver that can tell the exact location of the user and how to get back home. This device is much bigger than the compass but given the performance for the military, it is no wonder that consumers are buying this for personal use.
The question then is, which of these two are better? People who decide to use a compass have to be trained in navigation. Together with a map, plots are set so the group will be able to stay on course.
It takes time to learn this so those who are impatient won't be going on any camping trips. Fortunately, you can still go thanks to the wonders of GPS. This device has an onboard computer. It will do all the navigating so all you have to do is glance at the screen while walking through the woods. The more advanced units have voice alert systems and a touch screen pads.
There are two problems with having a GPS.
Both of these instruments can work in almost any weather condition. But the user may not get signals from satellites up in space because of the landscape. This is similar to how cellphones work in certain places. When this happens, it becomes useless. The only thing to do is to keep walking until it has been reestablished.
Second, these things run on batteries. It doesn’t do any good to bring this along if the device wasn't charged and it dies suddenly. There is no place to plug in the charger so everyone is screwed.
What of the two is the best then? There is no definite answer to this one. It has pros and cons but people who go hiking often suggest that campers should always bring both. If the high tech version doesn't work, there is always the reserve.
It will take time for rescuers to find the group and having these as part of the equipment will increase the chances of getting out alive. Both are available in specialty stores and online. These should be checked to ensure they are working properly.
Nowadays, something much better is available. This is the global positioning satellite receiver that can tell the exact location of the user and how to get back home. This device is much bigger than the compass but given the performance for the military, it is no wonder that consumers are buying this for personal use.
The question then is, which of these two are better? People who decide to use a compass have to be trained in navigation. Together with a map, plots are set so the group will be able to stay on course.
It takes time to learn this so those who are impatient won't be going on any camping trips. Fortunately, you can still go thanks to the wonders of GPS. This device has an onboard computer. It will do all the navigating so all you have to do is glance at the screen while walking through the woods. The more advanced units have voice alert systems and a touch screen pads.
There are two problems with having a GPS.
Both of these instruments can work in almost any weather condition. But the user may not get signals from satellites up in space because of the landscape. This is similar to how cellphones work in certain places. When this happens, it becomes useless. The only thing to do is to keep walking until it has been reestablished.
Second, these things run on batteries. It doesn’t do any good to bring this along if the device wasn't charged and it dies suddenly. There is no place to plug in the charger so everyone is screwed.
What of the two is the best then? There is no definite answer to this one. It has pros and cons but people who go hiking often suggest that campers should always bring both. If the high tech version doesn't work, there is always the reserve.
It will take time for rescuers to find the group and having these as part of the equipment will increase the chances of getting out alive. Both are available in specialty stores and online. These should be checked to ensure they are working properly.
Enjoying The Outdoors With The GPS
GPS units are great especially for those who travel often. This can get you to a meeting in the fastest possible way by avoiding traffic or simply keeping you right on course when heading to a place for the very first time.
Lately, some outdoor enthusiasts have found other things to do with this device. Here are some examples that could get you interested enough to try it out.
The first is called geocaching. Since satellites can detect the presence of minerals on the ground, you can use this and the metal detector to go treasure hunting. Unfortunately, it can only read up to a few feet so you shouldn’t expect to find much except perhaps some old jewelry or coins.
Another interesting outdoor hobby is hiking. You can walk for miles up and down the mountain, trek in the marshlands or the desert then get lost. The GPS unit can help the group get to base camp instead of walking around in circles hopefully before it gets dark. The nice thing about this device is that those who go off course can be alerted at once so a correction can be made.
For hunters and fishermen, the GPS unit is helpful in locating where such prey frequent. This is much better than guessing a good spot since the odds of finding them are pretty slim without the proper information.
Ever wondered how skydivers are able to land on the assigned drop zone? Aside from directing the chute into the area, GPS units are also used to make the corrections. By getting the longitude and latitude, all you have to do is fight off the wind and then glide in for a smooth landing.
Passengers on board ships and planes can also bring the GPS while sailing or in mid air. This can aid you when sailing the ship or for those who want to know how far she is to the nearest land mass. Since planes have this on the television set of each seat, there is no need anymore to turn this on during the flight.
Soon, GPS units will be commonplace just like the cellphones and pagers that are carried by people. This will also be smaller and can be fully integrated into other electronic systems. There are times that the signal of the GPS receiver may not work but this too shall be solved.
Lately, some outdoor enthusiasts have found other things to do with this device. Here are some examples that could get you interested enough to try it out.
The first is called geocaching. Since satellites can detect the presence of minerals on the ground, you can use this and the metal detector to go treasure hunting. Unfortunately, it can only read up to a few feet so you shouldn’t expect to find much except perhaps some old jewelry or coins.
Another interesting outdoor hobby is hiking. You can walk for miles up and down the mountain, trek in the marshlands or the desert then get lost. The GPS unit can help the group get to base camp instead of walking around in circles hopefully before it gets dark. The nice thing about this device is that those who go off course can be alerted at once so a correction can be made.
For hunters and fishermen, the GPS unit is helpful in locating where such prey frequent. This is much better than guessing a good spot since the odds of finding them are pretty slim without the proper information.
Ever wondered how skydivers are able to land on the assigned drop zone? Aside from directing the chute into the area, GPS units are also used to make the corrections. By getting the longitude and latitude, all you have to do is fight off the wind and then glide in for a smooth landing.
Passengers on board ships and planes can also bring the GPS while sailing or in mid air. This can aid you when sailing the ship or for those who want to know how far she is to the nearest land mass. Since planes have this on the television set of each seat, there is no need anymore to turn this on during the flight.
Soon, GPS units will be commonplace just like the cellphones and pagers that are carried by people. This will also be smaller and can be fully integrated into other electronic systems. There are times that the signal of the GPS receiver may not work but this too shall be solved.
GPS City Navigation Made Easy
During the not so distant past, people usually fight with their maps and city guides when navigating a major city. In their attempt to find the quickest route, they often find themselves trapped on back roads that the map said were passable.
Unfortunately, they failed to realize that maps are as good as the day they were sent to print. Once they were printed, streets signs might have been changed, flow of traffic might have been altered and a lot of other traffic regulations might have been implemented. So if you have a map, you can't stop there. You need to update your road map as frequently as possible or as soon as a new edition comes out.
But nowadays navigating through the busy city streets has been simplified with the addition of portable GPS (Global Positioning System) devices on car dashboards. With direct uplink to satellite imagery and mapping, cars can track down traffic and get updates on the best route to take all in real time.
A GPS is actually a chip which is somewhat like a radio-receiver. What it does is it captures the signals coming from GPS satellites orbiting the Earth. It gets two to four or even more signals from GPS satellites all at the same time. This enables the chip to determine its current position, the velocity it is traveling and the exact time.
However, although GPS navigation systems used in cars are really useful they are still limited in the amount of information that is contained in the map and street database that is uses. So as far as positioning goes, a GPS in a car will tell you where you are but the map and street database will tell you where you want to go and how you can get there.
When you decide to buy a GPS navigation system for your car, some of the criteria that you want to have are ease of use, voice output options, maps and street database that can be updated, and a big, bright screen. The rest of the features will depend on the user's preferences. Others might want to have a touch screen feature since they find the interactive console easier to use. Others might want to add an all-in-one (AIO) portable GPS unit which offers language translators, MP3 music players, audio book players, among other features.
Be sure to consider all the options before you invest on a GPS system for your car.
Unfortunately, they failed to realize that maps are as good as the day they were sent to print. Once they were printed, streets signs might have been changed, flow of traffic might have been altered and a lot of other traffic regulations might have been implemented. So if you have a map, you can't stop there. You need to update your road map as frequently as possible or as soon as a new edition comes out.
But nowadays navigating through the busy city streets has been simplified with the addition of portable GPS (Global Positioning System) devices on car dashboards. With direct uplink to satellite imagery and mapping, cars can track down traffic and get updates on the best route to take all in real time.
A GPS is actually a chip which is somewhat like a radio-receiver. What it does is it captures the signals coming from GPS satellites orbiting the Earth. It gets two to four or even more signals from GPS satellites all at the same time. This enables the chip to determine its current position, the velocity it is traveling and the exact time.
However, although GPS navigation systems used in cars are really useful they are still limited in the amount of information that is contained in the map and street database that is uses. So as far as positioning goes, a GPS in a car will tell you where you are but the map and street database will tell you where you want to go and how you can get there.
When you decide to buy a GPS navigation system for your car, some of the criteria that you want to have are ease of use, voice output options, maps and street database that can be updated, and a big, bright screen. The rest of the features will depend on the user's preferences. Others might want to have a touch screen feature since they find the interactive console easier to use. Others might want to add an all-in-one (AIO) portable GPS unit which offers language translators, MP3 music players, audio book players, among other features.
Be sure to consider all the options before you invest on a GPS system for your car.
GPS A Modern Day Navigation System
In this time and age, you probably have heard about GPS. Chances are you've seen what the device looks like on television and in James Bond films on the widescreen. But the design of the GPS came after the development of other navigation equipment such as the LORAN and the Decca Navigator of the 1940s.
The Global Positioning System which is more commonly known as GPS is, at present, the only fully functional Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). This means that more then twenty GPS satellites are currently orbiting the Earth. These satellites send signals to various GPS receivers providing information like location, speed and direction which are pertinent in basic navigation.
The first GPS was launched in the late 70s. Since then, it has developed into a very important piece of equipment not only in the field of navigation but has directly improved the providing of other services as well. GPS technology has been used in map-making and land surveying as well as determining calamity struck areas, identifying hungry stricken nations, and the like. GPS has become a scientific tool to aid studies on earthquakes, volcano eruptions, storm and hurricane formations, and other naturally occurring phenomena.
GPS was first developed by the United States Department of Defense. At first it had a very long name. The device was known as NAVSTAR GPS which is short for Navigation Satellite Timing and Ranging Global Positioning System. The military still holds the control over the satellite constellation being used by GPS users. It takes millions of dollars to maintain and operate. Even so, the general public are able to use GPS technology.
How does it work? Basically, GPS uses a technique called trilateration. A GPS receiver will calculate its position in reference to three or more GPS satellites. The receiver will measure the distance between the satellites and the time delay of the transmission and receipt of the radio signal. Plus, signals being sent carry information about the satellites' location. With this information, the GPS receiver is then able to compute its current position.
A current GPS is made up of three major segments, in particular the space segment or SS, a control segment or CS, and a user segment or US. The SS refers to the GPS satellites, or Space Vehicles (SV) that are orbiting the Earth. The control segment refers to ground control stations which monitor GPS satellites and its services. When it comes to the user segment, GPS signals are received by a number of channels.
The Global Positioning System which is more commonly known as GPS is, at present, the only fully functional Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). This means that more then twenty GPS satellites are currently orbiting the Earth. These satellites send signals to various GPS receivers providing information like location, speed and direction which are pertinent in basic navigation.
The first GPS was launched in the late 70s. Since then, it has developed into a very important piece of equipment not only in the field of navigation but has directly improved the providing of other services as well. GPS technology has been used in map-making and land surveying as well as determining calamity struck areas, identifying hungry stricken nations, and the like. GPS has become a scientific tool to aid studies on earthquakes, volcano eruptions, storm and hurricane formations, and other naturally occurring phenomena.
GPS was first developed by the United States Department of Defense. At first it had a very long name. The device was known as NAVSTAR GPS which is short for Navigation Satellite Timing and Ranging Global Positioning System. The military still holds the control over the satellite constellation being used by GPS users. It takes millions of dollars to maintain and operate. Even so, the general public are able to use GPS technology.
How does it work? Basically, GPS uses a technique called trilateration. A GPS receiver will calculate its position in reference to three or more GPS satellites. The receiver will measure the distance between the satellites and the time delay of the transmission and receipt of the radio signal. Plus, signals being sent carry information about the satellites' location. With this information, the GPS receiver is then able to compute its current position.
A current GPS is made up of three major segments, in particular the space segment or SS, a control segment or CS, and a user segment or US. The SS refers to the GPS satellites, or Space Vehicles (SV) that are orbiting the Earth. The control segment refers to ground control stations which monitor GPS satellites and its services. When it comes to the user segment, GPS signals are received by a number of channels.
How GPS Has Revolutionized The Way We Navigate
People used to rely heavily on maps and a compass to navigate, be it through a busy city street or through back country roads or even in forested terrains. However, their reliance on these navigation tools have waned as the years have gone by.
After portable electronic navigation devices were made available to ordinary consumers, more and more people are becoming dependent on devices like Global Positioning System or GPS as their navigation tool.
GPS was first developed solely for military use. It employs the use of several GPS satellites orbiting the Earth. The device receives signals simultaneously from more than one of these satellites.
Once the information from these satellites has been processed, coded and analyzed, the GPS device is capable of determining the exact location. In a nutshell, the exact position will be computed by the GPS receiver by combining the elements of current time, the position of the satellite and the delay of the satellite signal.
Modern day GPS navigation devices are equipped with expandable memory and storage capacity which allows you to install the best navigation software and maintain or upgrade them as well.
There are GPS receivers that can be attached to your pocket PCs. This converts your pocket computer to a powerful navigation device. However, there are still some limitations.
The pocket PC-GPS receiver tandem may be too bulky to carry around. You might find yourself re-installing the software after each time the cable disconnects the devices together.
Also in pretty good use are the so called smart antennas which are most often used for GPS systems that have no user interface. These are usually connected to pocket PCs and use the screen as well as its power. Also available are the bluetooth kind of GPS receivers. Unlike the previous two kinds of GPS receivers, this one can be connected to a pocket PC without using a connecting wire.
There are even GPS receivers which are in the form of an extended CompactFlash (CF) card or secure digital (SD) card. These receivers make the pocket PC a single GPS receiver. There's no need for a bluetooth device or cable systems.
The major disadvantage of these kinds is the memory capacity of your pocket PC will be affected since you will be sacrificing a memory card slot which originally is intended as an expanded storage device.
GPS can be intimidating but in this world of highly sophisticated gadgets, this navigation tool is just a device that we need to get used to.
After portable electronic navigation devices were made available to ordinary consumers, more and more people are becoming dependent on devices like Global Positioning System or GPS as their navigation tool.
GPS was first developed solely for military use. It employs the use of several GPS satellites orbiting the Earth. The device receives signals simultaneously from more than one of these satellites.
Once the information from these satellites has been processed, coded and analyzed, the GPS device is capable of determining the exact location. In a nutshell, the exact position will be computed by the GPS receiver by combining the elements of current time, the position of the satellite and the delay of the satellite signal.
Modern day GPS navigation devices are equipped with expandable memory and storage capacity which allows you to install the best navigation software and maintain or upgrade them as well.
There are GPS receivers that can be attached to your pocket PCs. This converts your pocket computer to a powerful navigation device. However, there are still some limitations.
The pocket PC-GPS receiver tandem may be too bulky to carry around. You might find yourself re-installing the software after each time the cable disconnects the devices together.
Also in pretty good use are the so called smart antennas which are most often used for GPS systems that have no user interface. These are usually connected to pocket PCs and use the screen as well as its power. Also available are the bluetooth kind of GPS receivers. Unlike the previous two kinds of GPS receivers, this one can be connected to a pocket PC without using a connecting wire.
There are even GPS receivers which are in the form of an extended CompactFlash (CF) card or secure digital (SD) card. These receivers make the pocket PC a single GPS receiver. There's no need for a bluetooth device or cable systems.
The major disadvantage of these kinds is the memory capacity of your pocket PC will be affected since you will be sacrificing a memory card slot which originally is intended as an expanded storage device.
GPS can be intimidating but in this world of highly sophisticated gadgets, this navigation tool is just a device that we need to get used to.
How GPS Has Revolutionized The Way We Navigate
People used to rely heavily on maps and a compass to navigate, be it through a busy city street or through back country roads or even in forested terrains. However, their reliance on these navigation tools have waned as the years have gone by.
After portable electronic navigation devices were made available to ordinary consumers, more and more people are becoming dependent on devices like Global Positioning System or GPS as their navigation tool.
GPS was first developed solely for military use. It employs the use of several GPS satellites orbiting the Earth. The device receives signals simultaneously from more than one of these satellites.
Once the information from these satellites has been processed, coded and analyzed, the GPS device is capable of determining the exact location. In a nutshell, the exact position will be computed by the GPS receiver by combining the elements of current time, the position of the satellite and the delay of the satellite signal.
Modern day GPS navigation devices are equipped with expandable memory and storage capacity which allows you to install the best navigation software and maintain or upgrade them as well.
There are GPS receivers that can be attached to your pocket PCs. This converts your pocket computer to a powerful navigation device. However, there are still some limitations.
The pocket PC-GPS receiver tandem may be too bulky to carry around. You might find yourself re-installing the software after each time the cable disconnects the devices together.
Also in pretty good use are the so called smart antennas which are most often used for GPS systems that have no user interface. These are usually connected to pocket PCs and use the screen as well as its power. Also available are the bluetooth kind of GPS receivers. Unlike the previous two kinds of GPS receivers, this one can be connected to a pocket PC without using a connecting wire.
There are even GPS receivers which are in the form of an extended CompactFlash (CF) card or secure digital (SD) card. These receivers make the pocket PC a single GPS receiver. There's no need for a bluetooth device or cable systems.
The major disadvantage of these kinds is the memory capacity of your pocket PC will be affected since you will be sacrificing a memory card slot which originally is intended as an expanded storage device.
GPS can be intimidating but in this world of highly sophisticated gadgets, this navigation tool is just a device that we need to get used to.
After portable electronic navigation devices were made available to ordinary consumers, more and more people are becoming dependent on devices like Global Positioning System or GPS as their navigation tool.
GPS was first developed solely for military use. It employs the use of several GPS satellites orbiting the Earth. The device receives signals simultaneously from more than one of these satellites.
Once the information from these satellites has been processed, coded and analyzed, the GPS device is capable of determining the exact location. In a nutshell, the exact position will be computed by the GPS receiver by combining the elements of current time, the position of the satellite and the delay of the satellite signal.
Modern day GPS navigation devices are equipped with expandable memory and storage capacity which allows you to install the best navigation software and maintain or upgrade them as well.
There are GPS receivers that can be attached to your pocket PCs. This converts your pocket computer to a powerful navigation device. However, there are still some limitations.
The pocket PC-GPS receiver tandem may be too bulky to carry around. You might find yourself re-installing the software after each time the cable disconnects the devices together.
Also in pretty good use are the so called smart antennas which are most often used for GPS systems that have no user interface. These are usually connected to pocket PCs and use the screen as well as its power. Also available are the bluetooth kind of GPS receivers. Unlike the previous two kinds of GPS receivers, this one can be connected to a pocket PC without using a connecting wire.
There are even GPS receivers which are in the form of an extended CompactFlash (CF) card or secure digital (SD) card. These receivers make the pocket PC a single GPS receiver. There's no need for a bluetooth device or cable systems.
The major disadvantage of these kinds is the memory capacity of your pocket PC will be affected since you will be sacrificing a memory card slot which originally is intended as an expanded storage device.
GPS can be intimidating but in this world of highly sophisticated gadgets, this navigation tool is just a device that we need to get used to.
Use A GPS For Tracking
Everyone has heard of what GPS is and how useful it is when navigating. But did you know that it can be used for other things? Since satellites up in space send radio waves to the device, it is also possible for others to track the user's movements.
In the event that your car is stolen, you can give police the frequency so it can easily be recovered from the thieves. If you have teenage kids, you can find out what area of town your son or daughter is in. There are even smaller GPS units that can be placed around the collar of your pet. This will make it easy for you to find it should it get lost.
You can also use the GPS unit to track the weather. This can help determine the weather and how hot or cool the day will be since the forecast given on television or the radio may be wrong.
If an accident happens on the road, those calling 911 may not be able to give the exact location where it took place but the GPS system in the car will enable dispatchers to send emergency crews before it is too late.
In business, time is money. Owners who have a fleet of trucks will know where each truck is. This eliminates wasting precious fuel and manpower by some staff who use such assets for personal use at the expense of the company.
GPS units are sold by a lot of retailers and some can even be purchased online. Businesses will have to shell out more money but some offer good discounts that will pay off in the long term.
Before buying any, you should do some research on the products available and how one brand does over the others. There is one out there for everybody and it just takes some time in figuring out which one is good value for the money.
People should remember that such technology didn't exist in the past and it was only heard of in the movies. This all changed when fiber optics and smarter computers were made enabling designers to come up with all sorts of devices.
Since this was first initiated by the Department of Defense, a good example of GPS technology put to action will be the military's ability of flying unmanned aerial vehicles or drones into the combat zones instead of sending pilots into hostile territory. It can stay in an area for hours before it has to go back to base and refuel.
In the event that your car is stolen, you can give police the frequency so it can easily be recovered from the thieves. If you have teenage kids, you can find out what area of town your son or daughter is in. There are even smaller GPS units that can be placed around the collar of your pet. This will make it easy for you to find it should it get lost.
You can also use the GPS unit to track the weather. This can help determine the weather and how hot or cool the day will be since the forecast given on television or the radio may be wrong.
If an accident happens on the road, those calling 911 may not be able to give the exact location where it took place but the GPS system in the car will enable dispatchers to send emergency crews before it is too late.
In business, time is money. Owners who have a fleet of trucks will know where each truck is. This eliminates wasting precious fuel and manpower by some staff who use such assets for personal use at the expense of the company.
GPS units are sold by a lot of retailers and some can even be purchased online. Businesses will have to shell out more money but some offer good discounts that will pay off in the long term.
Before buying any, you should do some research on the products available and how one brand does over the others. There is one out there for everybody and it just takes some time in figuring out which one is good value for the money.
People should remember that such technology didn't exist in the past and it was only heard of in the movies. This all changed when fiber optics and smarter computers were made enabling designers to come up with all sorts of devices.
Since this was first initiated by the Department of Defense, a good example of GPS technology put to action will be the military's ability of flying unmanned aerial vehicles or drones into the combat zones instead of sending pilots into hostile territory. It can stay in an area for hours before it has to go back to base and refuel.
How GPS Units Can Help People Stay Fit
The global positioning satellite or GPS can do more than just prevent someone from getting lost. Studies have shown that this technology can make people stay in shape by building one's endurance.
This happens by purchasing a watch that has GPS as one of its features. The basic ones act like regular watches because all it has is a timer. A good example of this is the Garmin Forerunner 101 and the Navman 2.
Those who prefer the more advanced ones can monitor the heart rate and measure the mileage run or jogged like the kind seen in the Garmin Forerunner 201. One of the best things it has it is the ability to store daily logs for more than two years. This can help athletes and fitness enthusiasts develop a program that will cater to their needs.
There are different methods to make this happen.
- The first is by setting a distance that has to be achieved. There is no time pressure here. The important thing is to complete it and then add another mile or two after a few weeks.
- This goes to the second method which involves timing. You may be able to run 10 miles but races are won by those who are able to finish it the fastest.
Those who have endurance can work on speed. Athletes should have a strong start, maintain a certain pace and then finish strong in the end. This has to be perfected regardless if the marathon is done in the city or cross country.
- The first two methods are effective for those who compete. But for those who can't start quickly like the other runners or are doing this to lose weight, the third method of being able to maintain a certain speed together and heart rate is enough to make anyone stay in shape.
This approach is more popular among those who have health issues. This is because not that much effort is exerted which isn't that stressful to the body.
Garmin is just one of many that sells watches that have a GPS function. There are other brands to choose from such as Casio, Magellan and Timex. Running is just one way of helping people stay fit. Swimming a few laps in the water is another but before doing anything, it is best to consult with a doctor.
This happens by purchasing a watch that has GPS as one of its features. The basic ones act like regular watches because all it has is a timer. A good example of this is the Garmin Forerunner 101 and the Navman 2.
Those who prefer the more advanced ones can monitor the heart rate and measure the mileage run or jogged like the kind seen in the Garmin Forerunner 201. One of the best things it has it is the ability to store daily logs for more than two years. This can help athletes and fitness enthusiasts develop a program that will cater to their needs.
There are different methods to make this happen.
- The first is by setting a distance that has to be achieved. There is no time pressure here. The important thing is to complete it and then add another mile or two after a few weeks.
- This goes to the second method which involves timing. You may be able to run 10 miles but races are won by those who are able to finish it the fastest.
Those who have endurance can work on speed. Athletes should have a strong start, maintain a certain pace and then finish strong in the end. This has to be perfected regardless if the marathon is done in the city or cross country.
- The first two methods are effective for those who compete. But for those who can't start quickly like the other runners or are doing this to lose weight, the third method of being able to maintain a certain speed together and heart rate is enough to make anyone stay in shape.
This approach is more popular among those who have health issues. This is because not that much effort is exerted which isn't that stressful to the body.
Garmin is just one of many that sells watches that have a GPS function. There are other brands to choose from such as Casio, Magellan and Timex. Running is just one way of helping people stay fit. Swimming a few laps in the water is another but before doing anything, it is best to consult with a doctor.
Important Tips When Buying A GPS Unit
GPS technology is very useful. It can tell you how to get somewhere without the use of road maps and this fits nicely into the palm of one's hands. Before buying it, here are some important tips that you should remember.
1. There are a lot of companies selling GPS receivers, which is what you'll use on the road. You should do some research on the brands to check how good their products are.
2. The price of GPS units vary and the cheapest ones will go for $150. You shouldn't buy the cheapest nor get the most expensive since there may be a few things that won't be used which is also a waste of money. You should balance it out by getting something in the middle and will be vital for your uses.
3. Even though GPS units are had held, it should have a large display. It should also light up especially during the evening when you are driving in the middle of nowhere and unsure if it is the right way to go.
4. The best GPS systems are those that can be used even after getting out of the car. It will also be a good idea if this gadget is waterproof since it would be bad if it quit working because it got wet.
5. After doing some research, it is time to see what is available at the store. You can even visit other outlets to check if there is something better. The brands should be compared with one another based on the price and features.
6. If no decision has been made yet, it is time to ask others for their opinion. A friend or a family member could be using one of these units. Some online forums also post reviews on what is available. After reading and listening to the opinion of others, this may help you decide on the unit to buy.
The GPS unit should be handled with care. The batteries must be charged and it should be stored properly when it isn't being used. Putting a casing will protect it from breaking due to the sudden impact. Other accessories will also come in handy such as a suction cap to stick it on the windshield and charger that is powered by the car's lighter switch
1. There are a lot of companies selling GPS receivers, which is what you'll use on the road. You should do some research on the brands to check how good their products are.
2. The price of GPS units vary and the cheapest ones will go for $150. You shouldn't buy the cheapest nor get the most expensive since there may be a few things that won't be used which is also a waste of money. You should balance it out by getting something in the middle and will be vital for your uses.
3. Even though GPS units are had held, it should have a large display. It should also light up especially during the evening when you are driving in the middle of nowhere and unsure if it is the right way to go.
4. The best GPS systems are those that can be used even after getting out of the car. It will also be a good idea if this gadget is waterproof since it would be bad if it quit working because it got wet.
5. After doing some research, it is time to see what is available at the store. You can even visit other outlets to check if there is something better. The brands should be compared with one another based on the price and features.
6. If no decision has been made yet, it is time to ask others for their opinion. A friend or a family member could be using one of these units. Some online forums also post reviews on what is available. After reading and listening to the opinion of others, this may help you decide on the unit to buy.
The GPS unit should be handled with care. The batteries must be charged and it should be stored properly when it isn't being used. Putting a casing will protect it from breaking due to the sudden impact. Other accessories will also come in handy such as a suction cap to stick it on the windshield and charger that is powered by the car's lighter switch
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