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As the wedding industry starts getting ready for 2011 weddings, most of which will occur during the warmer months of spring, summer, and fall, there are certain predictions we can make about what the most popular trends will be in the coming year. Wedding trends often mirror trends in fashion and popular culture, so it should come as no surprise that what’s popular in 2011 will seem familiar to anyone who has a finger on the fashion pulse, so to speak.

Here are a few predictions about what is shaping up to be hot in 2011.

1. Outdoor weddings - Outdoor weddings are also becoming more popular. In 2011, brides-to-be will have learned to be more savvy with their wedding budget and holding your ceremony and/or reception outdoors, in a park or even a backyard, is just one way to do it. Outdoor weddings also have the advantage of being prettier and requiring less in the way of decorations as indoor venues. Just be sure to have an alternate plan in place, in case it rains!
2. Vintage style - Wedding trends tend to follow other fashion movements, and vintage or “retro” fashions are definitely in style right now. Vintage-style weddings can range from fun to romantic in feel. Besides the fashion appeal, the vintage trend can offer a friendlier budget and even a more eco-friendly footprint than more traditional wedding trends.
3. 1920s weddings - Believe it or not, 1920s-themed weddings have become increasingly popular in the last few years. People are in love with the Roaring Twenties, as you can tell by the recent increase in movies and books about the era. The Knot predicts that this vintage theme will be one of 2011’s top wedding trends.
4. Video guest books - Whether you are uploading personal videos or using viral video to market your business, there is absolutely no doubt that online video is a powerful force in today’s world. The Knot predicts that we are going to see this technological trend in weddings in 2011, too: Couples are starting to use video guest books to remember who attended their wedding, and to record their guests’ well wishes. The benefit of this type of guest book is — you guessed it — the ability to upload it to YouTube and share it on the Internet.
5. Eco-friendly - The green revolution has been steadily growing; businesses as well as individuals are now becoming more aware of how their actions impact the environment. As a result, it is only natural that weddings should start to reflect these concerns, too. Some of the wedding industry’s services naturally lend themselves to a more eco-friendly approach; for instance, brides typically choose local caterers and florists. In addition, we should see more outdoor weddings, retro weddings with chic vintage dresses, invitations made of recycled paper, and other more eco-friendly wedding practices in 2011.

As mentioned, many of these trends could be seen taking shape in popular culture recently. Weddings are frequently on the cutting edge of what’s hot, but of course they are also affected by other concerns such as the economy, which explains some of the budget concerns this year’s brides are likely to face. If you are planning a wedding in 2011, which of these trends will your wedding reflect? What trends have you noticed that are not mentioned here?

Vera Mosley is an expert on wedding trends and bridal fashions. She is also a writer for a company that sells feather centerpieces.

If your company has a fleet of cars and trucks at its disposable, making sure all of those vehicles are running smoothly and are up to standards can be a huge headache, especially if the number of vehicles in the company fleet is large. If you are dealing with a hundred vehicles, it can be cumbersome to maintain accurate logs of when each vehicle last received an oil change, new tires or general tune-up. It can be even more nerve-wracking to keep track of the different expenses associated with maintaining the fleet. But if you switch over to a fleet card for all your vehicle maintenance needs, then keeping track of which vehicles need to be repaired, when they need to be looked at and how much each vehicle is costing will be unbelievably easy.

When you think of a fleet card, you most likely think of discount gas. And while this is one of the main benefits of using a fleet fuel card, there are many other advantages the card offers, especially when it comes to maintaining your fleet. With the use of a fleet card you will be able to better monitor your company’s vehicle maintenance.

Keeping track of money spent on vehicles

If you use a company credit card to maintain your fleet, then your finance department will most likely have to go through a pile of receipts or look over the credit card statement line-by-line in order to figure out exactly what was spent on the vehicles. A fleet fuel card, however, can be configured so that only gas and repair expenses are added to it. This means that at the end of the month you will be better able to balance your books.

Better prices

When you use a fleet card for your company vehicle repairs, quite often you will be able to get the work done at a discounted cost as part of a loyalty program. This means that you will be saving the company money without sacrificing the safety of the company vehicles.

Keep track of vehicle repairs

With the use of fleet cards, you will have different reports available to you, depending on your needs. Not only will you be able to keep track of how much gas is going into each vehicle, but you’ll be able to receive reports on vehicle maintenance, and which cars or trucks are receiving the most repair. If you are dealing with a large number of vehicles, this can be invaluable in helping you know when you may need to retire a certain vehicle.

Vehicle usage trends

Another advantage of the reports associated with the use of your fleet card is that you will be able to figure out vehicle usage trends. If a certain car always seems to need to go in to get its wheels aligned, you will be able to see if this is due to the age of the vehicle, the driver, or a certain route the vehicle constantly travels on. With this information you will be able to decide if the company needs to invest in more vehicles, retrain drivers, or pick alternate driving and trucking routes.

While a lot of this can be done when a company credit card is being used, it would take up valuable time and energy on the part of your financial department. And why would you want your employees to spend hours looking at data when fleet card reporting software can do it for them? With discount gas and top-notch vehicle maintenance, it only makes good business sense to switch to a fleet card for all your fleet needs.

Running a company can be expensive. Sure, you have to spend money to make money, but if the numbers are off, or more is going out than coming in, then your business may be in trouble. There are ways you can cut back and save money without sacrificing the quality of your goods and services. Cutting back on the amount of paper that is used for intra-office memos and switching from disposable coffee cups in the staff room are two ways you can cut back on office spending. But, what about saving money outside of the office? If your company depends on vehicles in order to run then you will want to look into ways you can save when it comes to the company cars and trucks.

Getting the best fuel price for your company vehicles isn’t impossible. While you may think there is no way to get a lower gas price, this isn’t always the case. While you can’t exactly ask for a discount at the local gas stations, there are a few ways you can save money at the pumps.

Gas up before prices change

If gas prices are regulated in your area, then odds are you will know ahead of time when the price of gas will increase. One way of ensuring you save at the pumps is to gas up all company cars and trucks before a hike in the price of fuel. Sometimes you can save quite a bit this way.

Compare prices

Not all gas stations charge the same amount for gas. Sure, the difference may just be pennies on the gallon, but that can add up greatly over time, especially if your company fleet is large. Check around and compare prices.

Always fill the tank

This may not technically get you a lower price at the pumps, but if you ensure company vehicles are full, then you will, ultimately, be saving a bit of money over time.

Fleet fuel cards

Switching from the company credit card to a fleet fuel card when gassing up may be the best, easiest and most reliable way to cut back on fuel costs for your company fleet. The great thing about fleet fuel cards is that there are many advantages to using them.

• Lower fuel prices: When you sign up to use fleet fuel cards for your company vehicles you get a discount at the pumps.
• Locked in fuel prices: You may also be able to choose to lock in at a certain, guaranteed fuel price. This means that even when the price of fuel increases, you will still only have to pay the lower, locked in price.
• Control of the card: Only want your company fuel cards to be used for gas? Not a problem. You can set them up so that they can only be used to purchase gas, something you can’t do with a company credit card.
• Fleet maintenance: Fleet cards also allow you to get the best price when it comes to maintaining your fleet.
• Instant receipts: Whenever a fleet fuel card is used, your company will receive a receipt of the transaction. This allows you to see how and where the car is being used and saves you from having to chase down receipts from company drivers.

It is possible to save money on fuel for your company vehicles: the key is to be smart about it. Look into switching to fleet fuel cards to save the biggest amount of money in the easiest way.

Before fleet cards, business owners and fleet managers faced a cumbersome task of handing over liquid cash to drivers and keeping track of the expenses incurred by them. Fleet cards changed this scenario and put the controls firmly in the hands of managers as it was no longer necessary to hand out cash for fuel expenses and maintenance work during trips.

A fleet comprises two or more vehicles of any size and combination.  By this definition, most small businesses would own a fleet.  If an owner has a car and the company has another van, delivery truck, pick-up truck or any such vehicle, this company would benefit from a fleet card system.

Today, small businesses that operate in diverse fields such plumbing contractors, florist, landscaping companies, convenience stores and hundreds of others face a common problem - undercapitalization due to poor planning. Undercapitalization is directly linked to generated revenues during the course of the business.  Therefore it is imperative that small businesses streamline their expenses to eliminate any wasteful expenditure and profit from discounts and rebates. Here is where the fleet card contributes a sizable saving for the small business owner:

We know only too well how fuel prices fluctuate and affect business. A fleet card saves money and time, both being very important factors that affect a small business.  Here are a few benefits that come from having a fleet card program in place.

Tracking every transaction undertaken by your fleet:  Fleet cards are given to your drivers to pay for fuel, maintenance and road side assistance and record every transaction that occurs during a trip.  Business owners can look up any transaction online, in real time.  The records will show the merchant address, cost of fuel, fuel quantity and type, day and date, number of transactions and even mileage to the gallon. This feature rules out any kind of fraudulent activity and saves you time as there are no receipts to be checked and accounted for.  In case of a break down, drivers can call for assistance from designated outlets where the detailed expenses are once again recorded.

Saves money, time and streamlines fuel expenses: Fleet cards used at participating outlets earn discounts and rebates for spares, tires and fuel which translate into substantial savings.  If there are several participating merchants the discounts and rewards earned increase.

Better relationships with employees: Fleet cards eliminate suspicion as no cash changes hands at any time.  There is no room for any kind of animosity or cause for unpleasantness between business owners and employees due to cash exchange.  Owners can be assured that their employees have not indulged in any fraudulent activity fostering  cordial, friendly working environments.

A fleet card to suit your needs: Fleet card companies will look at your specific business and customize a fleet card that will cater to all your fuel and vehicle maintenance needs. This ensures you are only paying for the fleet card features your company requires.

It’s no secret that vehicles need fuel in order to run. And gas costs money, right? If you own your own business and have company vehicles then this cost can add up, especially if your vehicles are a key part of your business dealings. But there are things you can do to make sure you are fueling in the best way for your company’s overhead and budget.

Are you using business gas cards to fuel up your fleet vehicles? If not, you should be. They can go a long way to helping you save money when fueling up your company vehicles. Depending on the number of vehicles in your company fleet, you can take advantage of special low prices and locked in prices when using your fleet fuel cards. When it comes to paying for fuel, any discount can make a difference, even if you are only saving a few dollars each time a company car or truck is refueled.

Do you keep track of when and where your drivers are refueling their vehicles? You may be surprised to find out they prefer to use favorite gas stations, rather than ones on their actual routes. Pay attention to refueling spots and make suggestions so there isn’t as much downtime lost while fueling up. With business gas cards there are certain places you have to fuel up, so keeping track is easier.

Fleet cards also allow you to determine how much can be put on the card and what it can be used for. If you only want it to be used for gassing up, you have that option. This is just another way you can make it easier for your financial department to keep track of money that is spent. It also means less time spent going through receipts so you are also saving the department time and ultimately, money.  Restricting fleet credit cards is also an excellent way on cutting down on the fraudulent use of company funds.

Fuel cards also produce their own receipts and even reports so you can get a clearer idea of the money being spent on fuel. It also makes balancing the fuel budget at the end of the week or month a lot easier by cutting down on the paper work. With less paper work and the paper work that does exist clearer and easier to understand, there is less chance of company money going unaccounted for and your budget will balance.

Regular vehicle maintenance is also a key part of fueling smarter. Does your company regularly send its vehicles in for check-ups? A well maintained car or truck will run at full capacity and burn up less fuel. Not only is this good for the vehicles and the environment, but it’s also good for your company’s budget.  Less money spent on fuel means less overhead costs. Besides cutting down on fuel waste, if the vehicles are looked after, it means there is less chance of them breaking down.

When it comes to how you fuel up your company vehicles, odds are there is room for improvement. By adopting a fleet fuel management system, including using fleet credit cards for all of your fuel purchases, you can help your company to fuel up smarter and save money, which means there is more cash flow to use in other areas of your business.

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