Enchant

What am I? Do I dare tell? Could I lie? I am something beautiful and true. I could be someone, a woman, fair and loyal to you. I have been held my many, many hands I have travelled across many strange and wonderful lands. I have been held by men over thousands of years, And yet have I survived by storms, rain and tears. From kings to Phantoms, from Beasts to sheiks, I have been given to these: both to the handsome and strong, crippled and weak. I care not for money, nor pride nor even looks, To those hat hold me, I am an open book. I am with others, and yet |I have been alone. To the one that holds me, I always find my way home. Break me with the sword and burn me with fire, I am still loved by God and coveted by men with much desire. Cut me down and I cannot live, But take care of me, love me, and much love will I give. From the forests of England to the mountains of Spain, I give love to many but I also share pain. Some may say I am a woman, or just a simple flower. Some may say I enchant men with strange and wonderful power. What am I? Do you not know? With water from the soul and love from the heart will I grow. Do you still not know? Have you not guessed? Of what I am, that which to you I must confess. Beauty and love I do not lack. Myself, I give to you and hold nothing back. To the many who have sorrows and woes, Do not be sad, for now I tell you: I am a Rose.

www.originalpoetry.com

Brides Spending More for Las Vegas Weddings

Las Vegas has been known for its one stop wedding shops where a bride can find her dress, flowers and chapel at the same location and be married within an hour.

However, the trend of the Las Vegas bride is changing fast and now the wedding capital of the world is churning out more luxurious weddings for the average american than ever before.

According to “theweddingreport.com,” in 2006, the average wedding cost will be $24,860. That price doesn’t mean that the days of eloping to the one stop wedding chapel are over, but that Las Vegas is now seen as a wedding mall with a variety of wedding chapels for every bride’s taste.

Couples are making plans, checking air fare and even inviting relatives to come join them on their wedding trip to Las Vegas.

Every major casino has more than one wedding chapel ready for the six-month planned wedding as well as for spontaneous elopers.

The Bellagio is just one example of a major hotel that has a dozen packages to choose from ranging in price from $1,200 to $15,000.

Whether a bride comes after a year of her engagement or five minutes, on-lookers might not notice a difference between the two weddings because every major hotel and casino in Las Vegas is ready for spur of the moment brides and believes that they deserve a dream wedding just as much as the planning bride.

Yes, Las Vegas’s wedding look is changing for the better. It is becoming more luxurious and prominent than ever to be married in the wedding capital of the world.

Don’t expect too much change though. Las Vegas will never let go of the major wedding traditions that were born there … most hotel’s and casino’s still have an Elvis impersonator on hand for emergencies.

This article may be reprinted at no cost as long as the byline and a link back to our site are included.

Renae C. Judkins is a wedding consultant for http://www.vegaswedlock.com.

Words You Hate To Hear At A Wedding

The bride was radiant, the groom sober, the father of the bride managing to look prosperous, and the children under five uniformly cheerful. In short, a perfect wedding. But as the bride and groom inclined their faces towards each other in that momentous ritual of a first kiss as husband and wife, there were those hateful words from some one pretending to be whispering, ‘That whole ceremony must have taken all of five minutes!’

How crass! Putting a time element on such a highly charged emotional experience as a wedding.

Do you hear anyone complaining that a sonnet has only fourteen lines, and how more perfect it would be if had three hundred and sixty five lines?

And how about those Parliamentary question sessions? Does anyone ever manage to stay awake long enough to find out what the question was, let alone complain about the shortness of the answer?

So what is it about the shortness of a wedding ceremony that so many people take exception to? Is it something to do with the perceived value for money? And those present feel short-changed because the ceremony finished too soon?

Is it really the fault of the couple, or is it more likely that while the ceremony was in progress the complaining guests were checking their text messages, waving at friends across the aisle, comparing the standard of dress worn by the groom’s side of the family as opposed to those worn by the bride’s?

One thing for certain, their mind wasn’t on the ceremony if the only thing they remember about it is its length.

Who can ever forget Churchill’s awesome rhetoric, ‘we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.’

Thirty-five words in all. Thirty-five words that have been for ever inscribed in the pages of history. Thirty-five words in all. Yet who can ever forget them?

Ah, but had you the misfortune of attending the Parliament house and listened not to those thirty-five heart-wrenching words, but to the whole 3,768 words which comprised the total speech, would you still feel the same? Or would you be inclined to agree with the Opposition that old Winnie was getting too big for his breeches, and didn’t he just love to hear his own voice!

Forgiveness in Marriage: 5 Biblical Aspects You Should Know

I talk a lot about forgiveness in marriage and relationships. Why? Because without forgiving those who have wronged us, we will never be able to forget the wrong either. And when I say, “forget”, I mean in the sense that the wrong will never be brought up again to hurt or otherwise abuse our spouse with.

1. Forgiveness is the first step in repairing/restoring relationship

“But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who married the divorced woman commits adultery.”
Matthew 5:32

Divorce is hurtful and destructive and God intends for marriage to be a lifetime commitment. (Genesis 2:24). Couples should never consider divorce an option for solving marital problems, and here’s why.

Jesus said that divorce was not permissible except for unfaithfulness, but…this does not mean, and is not saying that a spouse should automatically get a divorce because a spouse commits adultery!

The word translated “unfaithfulness” means LIVING in a sexually immoral lifestyle, not a repented act of adultery. There is a BIG difference here between a continual lifestyle of sexual sin and a one-time affair.

Those who have found their spouse to be unfaithful should make every effort to forgive and restore their marriage.

2. God does not forgive those who do not forgive others

“For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”
Matthew 6: 14-15

The simple truth here is that when we don’t forgive others, we are denying our common ground as sinners in need of God’s forgiveness. We all need to be forgiven at times, and we are all sinners!

When we ask for forgiveness from God and others, we should ask ourselves, “Have I forgiven the people who have wronged me?” It is all about putting ourselves in their shoes. We can’t honestly expect to be forgiven when we can’t seem to forgive others!

Do you need to forgive your spouse? Does your spouse need to forgive you? Submit to one another through forgiveness and restore the trust and respect that may have been misplaced.

3. True forgiveness is found only from having faith in Jesus Christ

True forgiveness is found only from having faith in Jesus? Really?

“If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” John 20:23

In the above scripture Jesus was giving the disciples their Spirit-powered and Spirit-guided mission, which was to teach the good news about Jesus so people’s sins might be forgiven.

But the disciples did not have the power to forgive sins, but Jesus gave them the opportunity of telling new believers that their sins have been forgiven because they had ACCEPTED Jesus’ message. Because of their belief in Jesus, they were given the power within them to FORGIVE!

All believers have this same opportunity today! We can announce the forgiveness of sins with certainty when we ourselves have found repentance and faith in Christ. Wow!

4. Forgiveness will lead to change of heart

For those of you who have had a spouse who committed adultery, the bible says this:

The Pharisee’s brought in a woman caught in the act of adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such a woman. Now what do you say?

Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “If any of you are without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.”

At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?

“No one sir,” she said.

“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.” John 8:3-11

Jesus is simply saying that he will forgive us when we have faith enough in him to turn our life around and sin no more.

This is an excellent scripture! When Jesus said that only a sinless person could throw the first stone, he was actually highlighting several important areas in our own lives that we need to watch out for, such as forgiving others, showing compassion, and not to judge others who have sinned.

5. Forgiveness involves both attitude and action on our part

“Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written” “It is mine to avenge’ I will repay, says the Lord. On the contrary: “if your enemy is hungry, feed him’ if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will be heap burning coals upon his head.”
Romans 12:19-21

By giving an enemy a drink, we are not excusing his misdeeds, but forgiving him and loving him despite of his sins. Jesus Christ did this for us. This is called “detaching with love”, or Jesus called it, “turning the other cheek.”

Forgiveness does involve a good attitude on our part. Many times we find it too difficult to forgive. We just don’t FEEL very forgiving towards someone who has hurt us. It is at these times that we must try to be kind towards him or her.

Being kind to people who have hurt us tends to ease the hurt and makes us FEEL better towards them in our heart and mind.
Sometimes we have to do things we don’t want to. But you will discover that by doing kind things to those who have hurt us can actually lead to our feelings changing for the good.
~~~~~

Angie Lewis offers spiritual enlightenment tips for couples in marriage, and is the author of new release book JOURNEY ON THE ROADS LESS TRAVELED.

This unique book is about love, life, marriage, addiction, temptation, and understanding the power of spiritual awareness for your marriage.

In her book, Angie reveals her own journey of overcoming addiction and how her negative emotions took over her life. To find out more about this new book click here, http://www.spiritual.journeybooks.4t.com/
ISBN 1413788904
Avaliable Amazon online!

Angie Lewis counsels couples and writes a monthly newsletter where she reveals her secrets on how YOU can stay happily married for life!

Subscribe to get your FREE monthly newsletter so you can stay happily and forever married!
http://www.heavenministries.com/

Bridal Registry

Bridal registries are services offered by department stores to allow engaged couples to choose the gifts they will receive at their wedding. Couples can draft a list of items that they would like to receive from what is offered at the store. This list is provided to wedding guests so that the desired number of each gift is ordered or purchased and the guests can avoid duplication. Some methods allow several participating stores to provide the list to guests.

When a guest purchases a gift, the department store’s list is restructured and the article is removed from the list of preferred items. This prevents a single gift from being unintentionally bought by several people. A bridal registry is effective both for the couple to be married and for guests who no longer need to be apprehensive over what to buy.

Department stores can be very efficient and offer an exceedingly individual experience for the bride, groom and registry buyers. Bridal registries give free of charge consultations in person, over the phone or via Internet to brides and grooms. This helps them decide on the items they want and select items according to taste and home decor planning needs.

Services may include importing items directly from the manufacturer, offering considerable cost savings for couples and visitors. If another guest has previously purchased an item, stores provide options of issuing a gift certificate or the ability to notify the guest and offer counseling in selecting a new item.

The concept of a bridal registry is at times, looked upon as offensive, predominantly by guests of older generations. It is looked upon as asking for gifts and is seen as walking all over traditional gift buying habits. Detractors also say that the element of surprise is lost and it turns gift buying into a competition, as the couple knows prices of the presents received. The use of bridal registries has increased, nonetheless, as has the controversial practice of couples asking guests to give them money instead of gifts.

In spite of these issues, bridal registries have become popular amongst modern couples, as they are practical in nature and save time spent returning unwanted gifts.

Send Flowers and Liberate Your Bridal Party From the Shackles Of Monogram Hell

With so many ways to ask your closest friends and family members to be a part of your big day, it’s tough to know how to strike a balance between creativity, cost and convenience. Sure, you can opt for the boring standards like monogrammed stationery, handkerchiefs and jewelry—and be like every other bride on the block. Or, you can send flowers with Beyond Blossoms to help make your “ask” as unique as you are with its Beaming Bridesmaid Package.

Each of your prospective bridesmaids will receive a custom-arranged bouquet of fresh flowers delivered to her door. The flowers are a pretty bouquet consisting of roses, carnations, sweet smelling stock, and frilly Queen Anne’s lace. The flowers are sent farm fresh and ready to bloom. Accompanying the flowers is a card featuring the photography of celebrated wedding photographer Cheryl Richards, asking your loved one to stand up for you as a bridesmaid on the most important day of your life. No extensive shopping hunts, no searching online forever, no gift-wrapping required…with just a quick visit to www.beyondblossoms.com you can send flowers to impress your friends with a sentimental bridesmaid gift that sets you apart from the soon-to-be-married masses. The flower package costs $39.95.

Beyond Blossoms is an online florist whose mission is to send fresh flowers at low prices, ensuring a thoughtfully beautiful gift for the recipient every time. The company spreads the joy of flowers, one blossom at a time. Farm fresh flowers, available both in single variety collections as well as European style, hand-tied bouquets, are shipped nationwide in specially-designed insulated gift boxes. The company differs from other online florists because the flowers come fresh from growers around the world, the recipient does not have to be home for delivery, and the prices are lower than traditional florists. With a few clicks, the joy of fresh flowers is easier to spread than ever.

Josh Grossman is co-owner of http://www.beyondblossoms.com. Send flowers in the US that are farm fresh. We offer low prices on fresh flowers such as roses, lilies, carnations, sunflowers, and more.

Cashman Professional Photographer of Las Vegas - For Quality and Creativity

Cashman Professional is one of the best-known las Vegas
photographers, and that says a lot about an industry like las
Vegas wedding photography. They have captured some of the area’s
biggest stories in photojournalism and are currently involved in
developing a project centered on the evolution of the biblical
Torah, which is the first five books of the Old Testament.

You won’t have to worry about professionalism or quality when
you hire this fine las Vegas photographer. They also handle
commercial shoots that involve big-name companies and products,
but they are widely recognized as a top las Vegas wedding
photographer.

Cashman delivers the same expertise and ease when handling your
precious wedding memories by capturing them in pictures. You can
request close-ups, headshots, color or black and white,
spontaneous or staged arrangements, and a host of other options
when working with this professional team. Individual and group
shots, indoor and outdoor, and many other choices are yours. You
can plan ahead or make it up as you go along, although this
photographer in las Vegas can offer a range of ideas that you
may not have considered.

Not sure if your candlelight ceremony will show up in photos?
Just ask! They can explain how to take certain shots and make
them come out just right. If you’re wondering about various
photo sizes, the team will let you know what each package option
contains and how you can adjust it to fit your wedding
preferences. What about including pets? These pros have all the
answers to make your special occasion as perfect as possible.

You may also be interested in having your photos posted on the
Internet for family and friend viewing and possible ordering. Be
sure to take home prints of your nuptials, and ask about using
the negatives for future orders. A DVD or CD might be another
preference for some couples, or you may have some interest in
videotaping the ceremony or reception.

Whatever your taste in wedding photography, Cashman can help you
design a picture-perfect collection of images that will impress
the ones who couldn’t make it to the wedding and bring nostalgic
tears to your eyes in the future. Don’t settle for second-rate
photography when you can get the best at affordable rates,
resting in the knowledge that your photos will look great and
last forever.

Visit them at Cashman
Professional Photographer of Las Vegas.
Cashman
Professional
3595 S. HIGHLAND DR. SUITE #3
LAS VEGAS, NV
89103
PHONE: 1.702.365.6660
FAX: 1.702.248.0175

© Copyright Randy Wilson, All Rights Reserved.

Choosing Your Wedding Vows

Just like anything else in your wedding, your vows can reflect on who you are. You may choose a traditional, a religious, a customized, an interfaith, a multilingual, the possibilities are endless. A “wedding vow” is a set of promises you and your groom make to each other during the wedding ceremony. In Western culture, the wedding vows customarily included the notions of unselfishness such as -love-, faithfulness -forsaking others-, unconditionality -in sickness and in health-, and permanence -until death do us part.

During your vows at the very least you must have an officiant and witnesses present. Traditionally, the groom pronounces his vows first, followed by the bride. The order can be changed; there is no law that sets the order in which the vows said. It is possible for the bride and groom to say the vows in unison to each other. Usually the couple will face each other and join hands for their vows.

Almost all wedding officiants allow you to customize your vows, and it should be discussed prior to the ceremony. If you are unsure about the wordage of your vows, ask your friends, family, and the officiant for some examples they’ve used in the past.

Sample Vows:

I, (your name), take you, (your name), to be my [opt: lawfully wedded] (husband/wife), my faithful friend, and partner and my love from this day forward. In the presence of God, our family and friends, I offer you my solemn vow to be your faithful partner in sickness and in health, in good times and in bad, and in joy as well as in sorrow. I promise to love you unconditionally, to support you in your goals, to honor and respect you, to laugh with you and cry with you, and to cherish you for as long as we both shall live.

I, (your name), take you, (your name), to be my friend, my lover, the (mother/father) of my children and my (husband/wife). I will be yours in times of plenty and in times of want, in times of sickness and in times of health, in times of joy and in times of sorrow, in times of failure and in times of triumph. I promise to cherish and respect you, to care and protect you, to comfort and encourage you, and stay with you, for all eternity.

Remember that you and your groom can say different vows.

Author: George Meszaros www.sweet-reflections.com

Emotional Maturity Quotient: Ability To Feel and Express Love

In a recent article entitled “What Is Your Emotional Maturity Quotient” or EMQ” I noted that one of the dimensions of EMQ related to the ability to express and feel love towards self, others and the environment.

In a global environment where competition and the need to survive are so valued where is there room for the expression of Love?

Well one’s ability to express love and NOT the need to survive is the key to personal growth happiness, fulfillment, harmonious relationships, and a healthy body and most importantly of all a self sustaining planet.

That is obvious isn’t it?

If not then let’s look at where competition and the need to survive is taking you, your life and the planet.

Well in a nutshell, the need to survive places one “behind the 8 ball” so to speak. That is because as soon as you find yourself there you automatically, if you are aware of it, start to feel vulnerable, afraid, anxious, stressed, depleted or drained of energy, agitated, frustrated, trapped, alone, unhappy and so on.

All of this causes you to make decisions that are competitive in nature the purpose of which is supposedly to enhance your level of inner stability and inner peace. Yet as long as you are engaging the need to survive you will never feel any of these will you?

What’s more as you struggle to survive on a planet that appears to have limited resources you “must” out do your neighbors, correct?

This means separating yourself from any feelings of love or compassion you, as a human being, may have for them. Again this leaves you feeling vulnerable, alone and stressed. Just where you started.

What is all this competition doing to the planet? Well look around you and I think you’ll see that the answer is obvious.

So where does this leave you, others and the planet? Well on a course to destruction.

So are you feeling peaceful now? Hardly!

So is your strategy something that you would term “mature”?

If you are with me so far and you are feeling trapped by your internal emotional situation yet would like to free yourself and reclaim your emotional maturity, not to mention your integrity, kindly visit the web site below.