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This is great information, very helpful. Thanks!!
I like the new site!
Great Site. Very user friendly.
I wish your site had a place to review vendors. Flowers by Megan did not refund any of our prepaid flowers for the wedding and reception even though Megan had 5 weeks notice. Not a penny refunded. In fact, she will not respond to our calls and emails. This has been going on for 7 months with no success on getting this issue resolved.
Thank you for the heads up on Flowers by Megan. Often times bad things happen and there is no way to know who to use except by experience.
Marryoke - The new cheesy wedding trend
For the last few years, couples made their special day unique by copying coordinated dance routines down the aisle and at the reception, after that one couple did it on YouTube. Now, there’s a whole new “unique” thing everyone is doing: Marryoke.
Marryoke is lip-synch karaoke that a wedding videographer captures your guests performing at different times of the wedding. When they edit it all together, you get a music video of your wedding, set to the timeless song of your choosing: Classic wedding songs like Etta James’s “At Last” and — nope, actually, Marryoke is mostly done to songs that aren’t likely to stand the test of time, like LMFAO’s “Party Rock Anthem,” or the Black Eyed Peas’ “The Time,” a remix of that song from “Dirty Dancing.”
The trend began in the U.K., but has made its way over to our shores — so don’t be surprised if you’re asked to lip-synch to some Katy Perry at a wedding this summer. Wedding trends, like the coordinated dances to Justin Bieber and Chris Brown songs, spread like wildfire among brides looking for a way to distinguish their wedding day from all of the others. Videographers even offer special “Marryoke” services as part of their packages, now.
What will a Marryoke video look like at the 50-year anniversary? Probably really cheesy — but if the couple makes it to 50 years still happily in love, it doesn’t matter.
Posted at 10:03 AM ET, 01/23/2012 By Maura Judkis
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/arts-post/post/marryoke-the-new-cheesy-wedding-trend/2012/01/23/gIQAmIByKQ_blog.html
Would you do this at your wedding??
U S Postal Service Issues Wedding Cake Stamp
January 20, 2012 - ALEXANDRIA, VA — Brides to be can get ready to mail their wedding invitations now that the Postal Service is issuing a 65-cent Wedding Cake stamp that goes on sale today. The stamp, issued in sheets of 20, is a perfect addition for mailing wedding invitations weighing up to 2 ounces or other First-Class Mail such as oversize cards or small gifts requiring extra postage.
“Sure to add a touch of beauty and romance to wedding correspondence, the Wedding Cake stamp, first introduced in 2009, is a timeless addition to the U.S. Postal Service's Weddings series,” said U.S. Postal Service Stamp Services Manager Stephen Kearney. “Often the centerpiece of a wedding reception, the cake has been a wedding tradition for many generations.” The stamps are available at Post Offices nationwide, online at usps.com and by phone at 800-782-6724.
Pastry chef Peter Brett of Washington, DC, created and designed the cake photographed by Renée Comet of Washington, DC, under the art direction of Ethel Kessler of Bethesda, MD. The three-tier wedding cake topped with white flowers and green stems leaves a delightful contrast to the cake’s creamy white frosting.
Customers may view the Wedding Cake stamp as well as many of this year’s other stamps on Facebook at facebook.com/USPSStamps, through Twitter @USPSstamps or on the website Beyond the Perf at beyondtheperf.com/2012-preview.
For more details see: http://about.usps.com/news/national-releases/2012/pr12_008.htm
Elizabeth Smart is Engaged Summer Wedding Planned
A summer wedding is planned, said Chris Thomas of the Salt Lake public relations firm Intrepid Group. Thomas would neither identify Smart's fiancé nor confirm how the couple met. The pair became engaged this past weekend.
Sources, however, have identified him as Matthew Gilmour of Scotland.
Smart, 24, is "happy and excited for this next chapter in her life," Thomas said. "She has planned to be very public in her child advocacy work but wants to keep the details of her personal life private."
Elizabeth Smart's father, Ed Smart, said he and his wife, Lois, are "just very happy for Elizabeth. He seems like a fine young man."
Smart would not release additional details at the request of his daughter. "She feels he's the one so we are very happy for her," Ed Smart said Friday.
Smart rose to international prominence after she was kidnapped at knife point from her parents' home in June 2002 by Brian David Mitchell. Smart, then 14, was held by her captors for nine months, enduring repeated sexual abuse. Smart was rescued when she, Mitchell and Mitchell's wife, Wanda Barzee, were spotted in Sandy in March of 2003.
Smart testified against Mitchell, who was convicted of kidnapping and rape in U.S. District Court in 2010. He is serving a life sentence. Barzee is serving a 15-year sentence in federal prison for her role in the crimes.
Many people who watched Smart testify against Mitchell at trial and during sentencing commented on her poise and confidence on the witness stand.
Smart has said on a number of occasions that she has been guided by the advice of her mother, who told her the day after her rescue that Mitchell may have taken nine months of her life from her, but she must not allow him to take one more minute.
Smart has advised other victims "not to let it hold them back."
Since her rescue, Smart has served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in France, formed a foundation to advocate on behalf of children and has worked as commentator for ABC News.
By Marjorie Cortez, Deseret News E-mail: marjorie@desnews.com
Published: Friday, Jan. 20, 2012 5:25 p.m. MST
A Finch Photography Special Offer
New Twist For Old Wedding Traditions
Old: White Wedding Dress
New: You can still wear the traditional white or ivory wedding dress but how about throwing in splashes of color with sashes and colorful jewelry. Wake it up and rock it out with your favorite colors.
Old: Confetti of Rice
New: Sparklers (the colors of your wedding theme), glitter and air-popped popcorn. Instead of tulle bags try tossing cones.
Old: Bridal March Canon D
New: Have the Wedding DJ play your favorite tune, hire a cellist or quartet to play an instrumental version of your favorite rock song that has a special meaning for both of you. (clear the music selection with your church pastor if ceremony will be held in a church)
Old: Getting Married In the Church
New: Pick a wedding ceremony location that has meaning for the both of you, it doesn't have to be in the church to be "legal". It can be a park, gallery, backyard, even an old theater where you had your first date. Think outside the box and find your very own special ceremony site.
Old: Exchanging Traditional Wedding Vows
New: Customize your own wedding vows by blending your personalities and your feelings into an amazing set of wedding vows that will have way more meaning for the two of you than a vows template will ever have. Then for added memory frame it as a beautiful keepsake.
Do you have suggestions to shake things up?
From: Kesha King - Opulent Custom Event Planning
www.opulentcustomeventplanning.com
Stolen Wedding Photo Album Returned
An album of wedding photographs has been returned after going missing for 17 years.
The wedding images commemorating Nigel and Gillian Stewart's marriage had been in their caravan which was stolen.
Following failed media appeals for its return, the album was left outside their home in Gilford, County Down, inside a plastic bag on Tuesday afternoon, BBC News reports.
Gillian said: "I thought I was seeing things. I was absolutely stunned. Speechless... It's lovely for the children - they only know their dad with grey hair."
She called on the person who left the wedding photo album to make themselves known even if they had stolen the caravan, adding: "You needn't be a bit afraid to come forward to me, because I bear no grudges.
"The past is the past, the future's the future. I would just love whoever it was to come forward, so I could thank them in person."
Earlier this year, a wallet belonging to a 9-year-old boy was returned with its contents still present after he wrote a letter and put it up in the store it was taken from.
A woman also had her belongings returned with an apology letter after they were taken from her.
Published Thursday, Nov 10 2011, 1:53pm EST - By Mayer Nissim
Source: http://www.digitalspy.com/odd/news/a350263/stolen-wedding-photo-album-returned-after-17-years.html
More Stolen Wedding Photos
By Andrew Adams, Deseret News
Published: Friday, Nov. 18, 2011 7:34 p.m. MST
BIG COTTONWOOD CANYON — Pennsylvania newlyweds are out their wedding pictures and a Utah-based wedding photographer is missing his gear, after his truck was burglarized in the canyon.
Now, the couple is offering a $1,000 reward in hopes that their photos can still be recovered.
Photographer Sean Sullivan went fly-fishing in the canyon last week and was gone for just minutes. He said Friday the burglar or burglars broke through a window on the right side of his pickup and took his laptop, external drives, photography equipment and even his debit card.
“I guess we’ve got the memories, but we don’t have the visuals — we don’t have photos of my wife with her mother and her father in her dress,” Josh Smith said from Philadelphia. “We could not have asked for a better day. No complications. You put in all this work. Everything goes perfect. The last possible thing that you would think is that your wedding photography would be stolen."
“My hope is that we can get these pictures out there and this person can return the stolen goods,” Sullivan said.
For complete story and additional photos see -
"Newlyweds hope reward helps them recover stolen wedding photos"
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705394637/Newlyweds-hope-reward-helps-them-recover-stolen-wedding-photos.html.
Would You Have an Android Wedding?
Are you a hardcore Android fan? Probably not as much as Vanessa Kenworthy and Rhys Kenworthy. They took Android love to a new level with their Android themed wedding and reception!
Starting with the 30” Android wedding cake to vows exchanged via their Android phones, this was a wedding like no other.
Be sure to check out the news coverage and weding pictures -
Good and Bad of Holiday Weekend Weddings
October 4th, 2011 From: http://alwaysablogsmaid.com/
The Q: I’m debating having my wedding over Labor Day weekend. The thing is, my family loves the idea because it gives us a long weekend to celebrate, but I personally actually HATE traveling over holiday weekends and having them committed to a wedding. Do you have any thoughts about this, pro or con? In your experience, is it better or worse for guests?
That said, I’ve also had endless streams of brides and grooms come and go from our offices lamenting spending Memorial Day weekend in traffic heading to a beach-side wedding or the cost of flights and hotel rooms to get to a hot-spot over 4th of July.
Ultimately, I think the best thing to do is to ask yourself a few questions about your wedding plans AND about your guests that should help you decide if this will be a great idea for your guests or if your invite will induce an eye-roll when the save the date comes in the mail.
1. Does your venue/ locale offer something special for the holiday weekend?
Obviously, your love should be enough, but if you are asking people to fly, fend off traffic, pay inflated hotel rates and miss a BBQ or other fun holiday activity… does your weekend offer something equally enjoyable. Last summer we had a wedding on the 4th of July in Manhattan. While most of the city runs for cover on long weekends in the Spring and Summer, this wedding had such an amazing location (right off of the West Side with FULL VIEW of the fireworks) that it was WELL worth asking NYers to stay and non-NYers to come to town. It was a once in a life-time experience for many of the guests.
2. Do your guests have the economic capacity to take this
trip during a holiday weekend?Travel and lodging over long weekends is often inflated. Before you make grand plans to head to an island over Thanksgiving or to the Vineyard for Labor Day, check out hotels and airfares and make sure that it seems like your plans are something that your guests (at least the bulk of them) can afford. If this isn’t an issue for your guests, than by all means, go ahead… But, a lot of guest resentment can result in worries about personal finance…
3. Would this make it EASIER vs. HARDER for my guests?
For some of our clients, it’s easier to have a Sunday wedding (for religious reasons) than a Friday or Saturday event. When that factor is coupled with a lot of out of town guests, it’s almost always easier for their guests if the wedding is on a 3 day weekend. This way people can come, attend the wedding and have a travel day afterward without having to take a day off from work. However, for other families, when the wedding sits on a Saturday evening over a three day weekend, you may just be making the Friday a traveling nightmare.
Socially, this is applicable as well. We are working on a New Year’s Eve wedding currently and I think it’s just PERFECT for this particular client (and would work for some of my friends as well). Their friends often spend New Year’s together and the family portion of the crowd has a history of weddings on New Year’s Eve. SO, not only is it a tradition, it also solves the never-ending dilemma of “What should we all do this New Year’s Eve?” And, in case you are wondering… that’s what WE’RE doing too!
So, hopefully if you run through these questions with your guests in mind, you’ll come to the conclusion that will make everyone shout with glee at the thought of spending a holiday weekend with you and your intended!
From: http://alwaysablogsmaid.com/2011/10/04/good-and-bad-holiday-weekend-weddings/
How to Make Your Wedding Gown Unique
This gorgeous wedding dress was made even more special by the installation of about 300 warm white LEDs throughout the skirt. The lights simulated the effect of candlelight with the gold-tinted color of the LEDs, and with a soft random flickering pattern. The lights were arranged in a random pattern, with the density increasing towards the bottom of the skirt. The batteries were hidden inside the wider part of the skirt, and the lights were turned on by remote control.
In the video below, the bride revealed the lights as a surprise, during the first dance at the reception (around 1:55 in the video)
So as not to be outdone, these are also available for the groom in tuxedos.
If you want to see more - http://enlighted.com
What do you think. Would you do this??
HOW TO Tastefully Use Social Media at Your Wedding
As social media becomes more and more a part of our lives, etiquette failures can occur when there are so few precedents.
A wedding day is the perfect example of this. You want to share your special day with your social circle, especially those who can’t attend, but where do you draw the line?
We’ve talked to experts in the wedding industry and a recent bride to try and establish the ground rules for tastefully using social media at your wedding.
Check out their advice and let us know your thoughts and experiences in the comments below.
1. Pre-Wedding Preparations
Introducing wedding attendees online before the big day can help you avoid any day-of awkwardness. This will give people the chance to break the ice and virtually get to know a little about everyone else.
“Help your wedding guests mix, mingle and stay in the loop with a private social network created just for engaged couples, like OneWed’s Wedding Pre-Party,” suggests Azure Nelson, the marketing manager and editorial director of OneWed.
“Wedding Pre-Party allows wedding guests to see who’s invited to the wedding (and lets the singles scope potential hotties before they meet face-to-face), interact and post comments on a wall, upload photos from pre-wedding parties and post-wedding, and much more.”
If you’d like to skip the specialized sites route, you could also create a pre-party on Facebook using its “Groups” functionality. This can be a clever way to avoid cluttering the news feeds of folks not invited to the wedding, both before and after the event.
2. Stay Offline During the Ceremony
“We’ve all seen these goofballs that bring social media right to the forefront of their ‘I dos,’ and in my opinion, there’s nothing tasteful about this,” says Nelson. “Tastefully using social media at your wedding means incorporating it before and after the actual wedding. The wedding ceremony should be off limits.”
There’s plenty of time during a wedding day to connect with the online world. Doing so during the ceremony is definitely not the right time for the principle players or even the guests. Mindy Howard of @TweetMyWedding has some advice for attendees:
“Be polite. Don’t tweet when you should be participating and listening, specifically during the liturgy or the ceremony.”
3. Appoint a Chief Tweeter
If you want your wedding to be recorded for posterity in 140-character posts, then let people know and even encourage them to get involved by creating a hashtag.
“Print up some tented cards on your menu or program with the hashtag for your event and encourage your guests to send you their well wishes, touching moments and snap shots. These are moments that otherwise would have been missed.”
You can take this even further by appointing a “Chief Tweeter” — or several — to document the day.
“Have an Official Tweeter and Well Wishing Station — have one or more ‘Tweets of Honor.’ Have some technologically obsessed friends? This is a great job for them! These folks can quietly tweet from a corner as not to be obtrusive or can come out of the shadows and provide you with a full on social media guest book station,” says Howard.
And you can even incorporate social media into the more traditional parts of the day. In addition to reading cards and messages out loud from family and friends that couldn’t make it, why not read messages from Facebook and Twitter too?
“Have your Tweet of Honor compile some well wishes that have been tweeted out and share them during the toasts. This can be a very fun twist on the traditional toasting time,” suggests Howard.
4. Set Up a Social Media Station
There’s a way to keep a traditional look and feel to a wedding celebration and still make room for social media. A “social media station” is a place where those who want to connect or comment online can do so, without forcing the issue onto the uninterested.
This can also work for photos, as well as text-based communications. A live stream of photos from the event can be a fun way to engage people and encouraging sharing.
“Ditch the tacky disposable cameras and set up a shared Flickr account so that guests can upload any photos they may take,” says Liene Stevens, former wedding planner and CEO of Splendid Communications.
“This doesn’t replace hiring a professional photographer, of course, but it does allow you and your guests to share in their view of your wedding,” Stevens says.
Jodie Welton, a founding partner of Connected PR who got married this summer, went down this route and had a huge projector showing images of the day for her evening reception, as well as a separate area for filming.
“We thought it was important that the guests are absorbed in the wedding and that social media enhanced the experience, rather than distract from it. So, to keep it ‘away from the party’ we had a designated area for guests to be filmed,” explains Welton.
“The DJ also took pictures and uploaded to Flickr there and then. As a nice touch, he then projected the Flickr stream across the walls so guests saw images of themselves. The DJ gave everyone the Flickr URL so all of the guests could view and add to it later.”
5. Live Stream for Those Who Can’t Make It
Thanks to the wonders of modern tech, nowadays you can share your special moments with people who can’t make it in person. Ustream is one such site that can help you share your ceremony with those well-wishing from afar.
“Live weddings give our users an opportunity to experience Ustream in a completely new way. It’s very exciting to see our broadcasters offer unfiltered access to the best moments of their lives. That’s one of the many reasons we’re here,” says Ustream’s Tony Riggins.
Howard notes it’s a particularly useful option for anyone getting married abroad or far from home.
“The use of Ustream to share (publicly or privately) your day live online for friends and family that cannot make it to your ceremony is especially useful for those having destination weddings. If Great Grandmother cannot make it, she can still virtually attend and share in your joy,” Howard says.
And don’t think this means you’re spilling private moments all over the web; there are ways to make this a private process, Stevens points out:
“If you have loved ones who are unable to attend the wedding, collaborate with your videographer on showing a live feed of the ceremony via Ustream or another online video streaming service. You can make these password protected if you’d like, so that you can share your joy only with people you know and not random Internet strangers.”
Welton streamed some of her special day to far-flung elderly relatives, and even got them involved in the speeches:
“Some of my family in Italy couldn’t make it to our wedding and we wanted them to get a sense of our big day. Being able to stream live video and pictures meant they could get a more authentic sense of the atmosphere. Amazingly, they even broadcast a live message (they are in their 80s!) after the speeches.”
6. Don’t Forget to Enjoy the Moment
“Changing a Facebook status from engaged to married just after the vows is a growing trend, but don’t miss taking in those moments with the people actually there with you. Put down the phone and enjoy the company of those who came to celebrate with you,” says Stevens.
You only get one wedding day — if things go as planned, anyway — so don’t waste any precious moments you could be interacting with real-life people. Rest assured anyone who is following your day online will certainly understand your priorities.
“When you’re one of the major participants, you need to unplug for the day and focus on the people who are actually there with you. Weddings go by in a flash anyway, and you don’t want to sacrifice seeing your crazy Uncle Wally doing The Worm because you’re crafting some clever tweet. Leave that to your guests,” says Sally Kilbridge, BRIDES deputy editor. “In fact, part of the fun of weddings nowadays is seeing how fast they can make that video of Uncle Wally go viral.”
That, of course, is a whole other story…
From: http://mashable.com/2010/11/09/social-media-wedding-etiquette/
November 09, 2010 by Amy-Mae Elliott 39
Bridesmaid Attends Wedding via iPad
Would you ever virtually attend a wedding - let alone be a digital bridesmaid?
That's what Renee did at her best friend’s marriage ceremony in Colorado. She was asked to be a bridesmaid, but was unable to make the trip from Richmond, Virginia.
That's when she virtually pinged in using Apple's FaceTime app for the iPad 2. One of the groomsman carried the iPad down the aisle as Renee Armstrong was able to see the whole ceremony. The bride, Jamie Alberico, was ecstatic to have her friend attend her wedding.
Even though she wasn't wearing the same wedding attire, “she got to see the whole ceremony. She got to meet everybody and be here for the reception," Alberico told the news source.
Would you plan this at your wedding???
Byte Wedding-Computer to Marry Texas Couple
Associated Press
July 29, 2011
HOUSTON (AP) - You could call it "My Big Fat Computer Geek Wedding."
After a Houston couple couldn't get a friend to serve as the minister at their wedding, they decided to create their own.
When Miguel Hanson and his fiancee, Diana Wesley, get married on Saturday, a computer will conduct the ceremony. Well, technically, a computer program Hanson wrote will serve as the minister.
During the wedding, to be held in the Houston home of Hanson's parents, the couple will stand before a 30-inch monitor in the backyard. In a robotic voice, the computer will greet the guests, say how the couple met and go through the ceremony.
The ceremony won't be legally binding. The couple will still have to get a justice of the peace to sign their paperwork.
Would you do this for your wedding??
Toilet Paper Wedding Dresses
The seventh annual Toilet Paper Wedding Dress Contest was held Thursday, July 7, in Boca Raton, Florida. Dresses were judged on beauty, creativity and originality.
There are plenty of lines for this contest. Will it flush? What if it rains? Did the others wash out? No problems wiping tears on their wedding day. What do you think?? Which one is your fave??
The TOP 25 Signs to Watch Out For
Mark Ogletree, MFT, PhD. & Victor W. Harris, MS
When visiting with couples, we often ask a husband or wife if any of the bizarre behaviors and practices their spouse is currently demonstrating was manifested during their dating and courtship. Surprisingly, many men and women say, "Yes, I noticed that, but I thought once we were married it would go away." Others will say, "I tried not to notice it." It is wise not to ignore the clues and hints that we term Signs or Red Flags in a relationship. If your date or fiancé tells you to only call them at night between the hours of 11:30 and 11:45 p.m., and requests that you do not ask for them by name, but just to give the code "A6758," you might want to reconsider this relationship. If they have nuclear weapons in a storage facility or a bionic limb, you might want to be very careful and pay close attention!
Someone has said that before we get married we should keep our eyes WIDE OPEN and that after marriage; we should keep our eyes HALF SHUT. Seriously, below is our TOP 25 checklist of signs or Red Flags that we hope will be helpful to pay attention to when considering your date or prospective partner.
Does your partner -
1. Have extreme views on political, family, religious, or world affairs?
2. Encourage you to develop your talents and progress, or do they want to keep you hidden in a closet,
away from the rest of the world?
3. Allow you time for yourself, or is your partner possessive?
4. Encourage you to have your own interests, your own life too?
5. Allow you to spend time with your friends, or is your partner jealous of your friends and the time you
spend with them?
6. Compare you to past boyfriends or girlfriends?
7. Take an interest in other people, or is your partner selfish with his/her time and pursuits?
8. Exhibit behaviors that suggest that the world revolves around him/her?
9. Exhibit behaviors that suggest personality faults such as deep insecurity, excessive jealousy,
uncontrollable temper, and inflexibility?
10. Exhibit character flaws such as being condescending, or lying, cheating, stealing, arrogance, etc.
11. Fail to admit mistakes and can never admit to being "wrong?" (Note: If your partner fails to see
mistakes now, he/she won't be able to see them or admit to them later on in the relationship either.
Look for humility and meekness, but personal confidence, as well)
12. Often exhibit negative or critical traits?
13. Complain about your family or spending time with your family?
14. Seek to build relationships with your family or does your partner lack the skills to do so?
15. Have difficulty relating to his/her own family? (Note: This is a huge Red Flag that your partner will
have difficulty in his/her own family relationships later on)
16. Enjoy work or is your partner prone to laziness and irresponsibility?
17. Have the television on all the time at his/her apartment or home?
18. Criticize your personal appearance?
19. Tell you that you need to lift weights, go jogging, or join a health club?
20. Make fun of your weight or other bodily traits?
21. Verbally, physically, or emotionally abuse you?
22. Tear you down and then try to come back a few days later as "Mr. Nice Guy," promising that it will
never happen again?
23. Need to make major social or emotional changes in his/her life?
24. Promise that he/she will change after the wedding?
25. Have some of the same goals, dreams, and aspirations as you do?
Adapted from D.E. Brinley & M.D. Ogletree, First Comes Love
[Covenant Communications: American Fork, UT, 2001], pp. 75-77.
http://strongermarriage.org/htm/dating/top-25&page=1
How to have An Amazing Wedding
BONUS – What to do later to Make SURE your BEST WEDDING is not DISRUPTED
When planning for a wedding we encounter every type of 
situation from our clients. Sometimes we get calls a year in advance and we have plenty of time to make elicit the client’s wishes and make sure all the details are in sync with those wishes. Sometimes we get calls from a caterer or planner who has a client that has 3-4 weeks to their wedding. I personally had a year and a half to put together my own wedding and this gave us ample time to deal with any last minute details easily and effectively. No matter how much time you have to prepare for your wedding weeks, months or years, universally speaking, every bride and groom want the same thing: To have the finest day they can imagine, and hopefully better than that. So the first most important thing is where to start? How do you go about preparing the easiest and smartest way?
The #1 way to start is to decide what is it that would make your party fabulous? What is the most important elements to your party? You simply have to take some time to SEE or VISUALIZE what you want your wedding reception to look like, feel like and sound like.
It’s not hard to do but it takes a few minutes of your time. And it is SO worth it.
As simple as it sounds identifying the ideal elements of your party is the best way to begin the route to your amazing party.
Yet surprisingly many brides and grooms don’t really do that. They have an idea of what they want, an expectation, but just get right into the planning and the chores and expect that it will all come together eventually.
And it may be that they aren’t sure what they can have or what’s available.
Here’s a quick illustration. Rarely ever would any woman (at least those I’ve known) go to get a haircut without KNOWING what she wants her hair to look like. “Just cut it” would rarely come out of her mouth. But guys will often go in and just get their hair cut, maybe have an idea, but once the barber/stylist gets going never say anything. Women usually have pictures they bring in or can describe in great detail the exact cut.
That’s the kind of attention to the end result you want to have for your wedding pre-planning. The feel, the look and the sound, all the senses are covered. But there’s a lot of elements and stress that may come about from family, to budget etc., so that sometimes curtails the true visualization. Don’t allow those distractions curtail you in at the beginning. Just imagine and see what will make you feel the most happy and fulfilled.
What does the greatest vision of your party will look like: All dancing? Laughing? Great food? Quiet time? Music? Lights? Wild free-for-all or posh dinner dance? Sophisticated class or uninhibited revelry? What does the room look like? Classy? Clubby? Regal? Casual? Serene? Pulsating? Special effects? Great social environment with lots of mingling? What happens during the party? Casual Dancing, followed by gourmet eating? Wild Dance Club – with sexy guests or just FUN with relatives?
Once you identify the elements it gives you, the site and a talented planner the keys to insure you are on your way to success. Once you have an idea of the elements, you prioritize them in order of importance to you. For instance a client may decide their party is all about the fun factor and not really care about the food per se. The wedding food is secondary to the party being non-stop fun. That’s an important distinction to make, because for the venue, caterer or restaurant, normally food is their priority. And food is important, certainly we all love a great meal, but it’s your party and vendors should do their best to accommodate you.
So once you get to your vision of the best wedding, appoint a Director, whether that’s your MC, maitre’d, maid of honor, or best man that is in charge of making sure your goals and vision is being fulfilled. That’s the person who will be in charge of making sure your priorities are adhered to.
We’ve encountered situations where the maitre’d demands stopping the party for a course even against the client’s wishes. We like to make parties as seamless as possible, but obviously that makes for a pickle, when the caterer is demanding a stop to the music and the guests be seated when the client wants to keep going.
That’s another reason why it is important to be clear about your desires in advance with everyone involved in your affair. It’s your party. You have the right to your party your way. Often times when the client prioritizes their wishes, we will captain the party for them to head off these situations. All we need is a clear direction from the client and we will assure it happens. Be clear once you know the most important elements of your party and communicate them to your planner, caterer and entertainment. If you are not clear than have a planner get you clear by asking you the right questions. A good wedding planner will be able to determine what’s most important to you by asking you, getting your answers and checking in with you to make sure your desires haven’t changed.
Once your elements are prioritized, everything comes into focus and becomes much more easily managed, plus you’ll feel much better going forward because you’ll know what it is you are going for and what it’s supposed to look like when you show up. Also the vendors you have selected will be able to know exactly how to make your party great for you. So in the beginning sit down with your fiancée and begin to imagine, visualize and fantasize about the specific experiences you want to have and your clear vision will unfold. This fun 15 minutes to 1 hour can be the greatest time you spend assuring the success of your wedding.
Your wedding journey will be much smoother and relaxed as you begin to put it all together.
About The Author: Michael Sage Schindler is the owner; Master Celebrations Director and Master of Ceremonies of Lightning Shakes New York – www.lsny.net - Events and Entertainment. Planning and working as an MC, planner, advisor and event choreographer for 20 years in the major event venues all over NYC for such well-known people as Donald Trump, Joan Lunden, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, CEO of Westwood One Network Joel Hollander and NBC sports announcer Len Berman. He’s one of the most preferred MCs at Trump Plaza, Harrahs, Showboat and Trump Marina in Atlantic City for special events. Michael has been invited to perform in Europe, the Caribbean, and Hawaii and all over the US as well. With LSNY, he has produced events for such companies as Wells Fargo, AIG, Brooklyn Museum, Merrill Lynch and Rado Switzerland.
5 Marriage Myths and Realistic Expectations
Many, if not most, expectations for marriage are based on idealized myths. If realities within a relationship do not match the myth, one or both partners may think they have made a terrible mistake. A few of the myths about marriage are:
MYTH: A good marriage will always be romantic.
MYTH: Marriage will make me happy.
REALITY: A marriage partner does not have the power or ability to make another person happy. A person's sense of happiness must come from deep inside himself. Relationship in marriage has the potential of complementing individual happiness and well-being, but it cannot be the primary source.
MYTH: If we really love each other, everything else will fall into place.
REALITY: Marriage needs constant nurturing. Because of individual, societal, and environmental changes, marriage is always in a state of flux; it is a dynamic relationship rather than a static one. Constant sensitivity to one another's needs and continual adaptation to relational changes are necessary to keep love alive.
MYTH: My partner should intuitively know my needs.
REALITY: Regardless of a spouse's intelligence or personal strengths, she does not have the ability to read her partner's mind. Needs for security, affection, emotional support, encouragement, or physical assistance often must be verbalized in clear language, sometimes repeatedly. If the need is something the spouse can realistically provide, she must first know the need exists.
MYTH: Conflict means a lack of love.
REALITY: Conflict is inevitable, but it doesn't have to be damaging to the marriage relationship. Partners have different viewpoints and different feelings based on their background and previous experiences. Those differences do not mean that one partner is right and the other wrong; it just means they are not alike in their thoughts or feelings. Conflict, when dealt with appropriately, can be healthy for a relationship in that new ideas and new ways of looking at things are introduced to each partner and to the relationship.
Taken from “Marriage--A Many-Splendored, Sometimes Splintered, Thing” Written by Daniel Wayne Matthews, Ph.D., Human Development Specialist, Family and Consumer Sciences, North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service, North Carolina State University.
For complete article go to: http://strongermarriage.org/htm/dating/marriage-a-many-splendored-sometimes-splintered-thing
Makeup Tips for Tattoo Coverage
Your wedding day has arrived and for a variety of reasons, you have decided that you want to cover your tattoo. You have seen the tattoo cover-up kits sold online, but do they really work? What about airbrush make-up? What is the best method for covering a tattoo?
Questions to keep in mind when selecting the best method to cover your tattoo:
· Is your dress strapless?
· Will your wedding dress come in contact with the covered area?
· If someone hugs you, will they come in contact with the covered area?
· Is the skin texture raised or indented around the tattoo’d area?
Camouflage Make-up & Tattoo Cover-up Kits
There are a variety of corrective and camouflage cosmetics on the market (e.g. Tattoo Camo, Smart Cover, Dermablend, Cinema Secrets, Ben Nye to name a few) that are designed to be smudge-resistant, water-proof, and non-greasy. These types of camouflage make-ups are designed to “cover”, “conceal”, and are often used to create special effects. Camouflage or corrective cosmetics usually have a creamy texture and may require the use of a setting powder depending upon the brand.
OK, let’s be frank. It’s make-up. Yes, there are some brands that I like better than others ( e.g. Tattoo Camo and Cinema Secrets), but bottom line, a cream is being used to cover an area on your skin. Depending upon the oiliness of your skin, perspiration, and humidity, the covered area may smudge or smear. Therefore, if your wedding gown or someone will come in contact with the covered area, I strongly suggest airbrush make-up vs. the use of a camouflage cosmetic to cover your tattoo. If not, Tattoo Camo Tattoo Cover-up Kit or Cinema Secrets Ultimate Foundations are your best bet.
Color Matching
One of the biggest challenges I hear when selecting make-up to cover a tattoo is “how do you find the right color?” I suggest choosing two to three different make-up shades that most closely match your skin tone (light, medium, dark). Use a blend of these shades to create your perfect match. Most of us have unevenness in our skin tone, so you will need a combination of these shades to create a tone that appears realistic. Cinema Secrets Ultimate Foundations probably offers the broadest range of shades, particularly for people who have a lot of yellow or olive in their skin tone.
Ease of use:
The majority of cream camouflage make-ups offer online video tutorials that will show you how to apply their product. Regardless of the product you choose, always remember to:
1. wax or shave the area to be covered
2. unless the product instructions tell you to, do not apply a moisturizer prior to make-up application
3. choose two to three shades that most closely match your skin tone (light, medium, dark); this will enable you to blend the shades to better match your skin tone.
4. Use a cosmetic wedge to apply the make-up in thin layers; use a stippling motion, not a stoking motion.
Application will take some practice so be sure to order your products months prior to your wedding; allow plenty of time to practice the technique.
Tattoo Lightener
If you have about seven to ten months and want to lighten your tattoo for optimal cover-up, considering using a product like Tattoo Off. Tattoo Off is designed to lighten your tattoo by penetrating your skin and breaking down the ink over time.
Airbrush foundations are traditionally high in coverage, but thin in texture. Because the makeup is dispensed in micro-fine layers with an airbrush versus a make-up brush or cosmetic sponge, the results appear more natural and sheer.
Typically, to achieve optimal tattoo coverage, an alcohol-based or silicone based airbrush make-up is used. My personal favorite airbrush make-up for covering tattoos is Temptu Pro Dura Airbrush Makeup. Dura is widely used for body art, prosthetics, tattoo coloring, and special effects make-up. Temptu Pro Dura Airbrush Make-up combined with the use of their new pro palettes, and matte sealer is a winning combination! This technique will ensure that your tattoo area is covered and can withstand hugging and touching! Airbrush make-up is typically best applied by a skilled make-up artist.
If the skin texture around or within your tattoo is raised or indented, it is important to note that both camouflage and airbrush make-up techniques can minimize the appearance of your tattoo, but the area that is textured area may still appear.
Aesthetic Artistry Airbrush Makeup & Spa Boutique of North Salt Lake, UT offers airbrush make-up services to cover tattoos. For additional information, visit our website at http://www.aestheticartistry.com or contact us at (801) 721-6381 to schedule your complimentary consultation.
5 Marriage Traps to Avoid
Three marital experts give the top five right and top five wrong reasons to get married.
Too many people confuse sexual attraction with love and that can lead to a short-lived marriage, explains Michele Weiner Davis, a US therapist and author of The Sex-Starved Marriage and The Sex-Starved Wife.
The novelty of being with someone will turn on anyone," she says. When the sexual attraction wanes, if there's no mutual trust and a joint view of the future, the marriage fades as well.
Her advice is clear: sexual attraction between two people is a good thing and energizes the marriage. But if the foundation isn't based on strong communication and shared values, the chances of a long-lasting marriage based solely on animal attraction aren't good.
Research indicates that one common theme among long-lasting marriages involves an ability to work out conflict. "All relationships have conflicts," Davis says. The couples that can talk out their differences, surmount the conflict, and agree on a compromise last. The partners that trigger anger and resentment in one another or are unable to talk about their differences often can't sustain marriage.
Many single people feel stuck living at home. When a potential mate appears, they often leap at the opportunity to extricate themselves from their parents' home and get engaged. Often it doesn't matter to them if their potential mate is a good match because of their need to separate from their parents.
"There are many ways to escape a family. Making a lifelong commitment with someone who isn't a worthy partner isn't the best choice," Davis notes.
If married couples share common interests, it engenders closeness and mutual experiences.
Experts say that couples don't have to share all common interests, but having enough of them encourages spending time together, a key ingredient to a successful marriage. Those commonalities can be as varied as spending time with their children, loving travel, following sports, as long as they both appreciate something together, Davis says.
Too many people confuse infatuation with love, suggests Barbara Bartlein, author of Why Did I Marry You Anyway? Overcoming the Myths that Hinder a Happy Marriage. Infatuation is defined as a fleeting feeling for someone whereas love is long lasting and is based on trust and commitment.
"Infatuation is instantaneous and some experts suggest can be hormonal," Bartlein states. Love has patience whereas infatuation has a sense of urgency and often that urgency fades. When marriages are based on infatuation, "When the zing is gone, they assume they married the wrong person and go looking again," she adds.
"Too many people get married for what they want instead of what they need," Bartlein says. For example, Bartlein herself reads many novels and would love to discuss fiction with her husband, except this genre doesn't interest him. Nonetheless, they have a solid marriage because she needs someone who is reliable, trustworthy, works hard. Marrying someone who meets her needs has enabled this marriage to last.
If your mate easily gets angry with you and frequently loses control, it can be a telltale sign that problems in the marriage are right around the corner. But many people ignore the signs.
"They see signs of troubled behavior but think it will get better when they get married," Bartlein says.
Often if this irascible or abusive behavior occurs in the engagement period, it will only get worse after marriage, unless the person is in counseling or therapy. "Some people think they will fix it after they get married. Anything that is mildly annoying will be extremely annoying after you say `I do'," she says.
Talking about a couple's expectations of the future is one of the surest ways of making sure you're both on the same page and share common values that can sustain a marriage, Davis says.
Many couples don't talk about whether they want to have kids, where they're going to live, whether they'll be a one or two career household.
"Some people think things will work out magically when they get married, but that won't happen," she notes. The more you discuss your common visions for the future, the greater the chances the marriage will last.
Falling in love, too many people get blinded and don't really get to know their mate, asserts Terri L Orbuch, who runs the weekly Love Doctor call-in show on the US FOX-TV and also serves as director of the Early Years of Marriage Project at the University of Michigan. What really keeps people together is "their friendship, intimacy and support," Orbuch says. If you ask yourself, "If I lost my job or had a medical scare, whom would I go to for support," that answer might reveal the real love of your life.
One factor in successful marriages is making your partner feel special and worthy, particularly for men, Orbuch says.
Because the friendships men establish often don't have the depth of women's relationships, men depend more on their spouse to feel special. When women say, "I love you, you make my life exciting, or make their mate their favourite dessert," it goes a long way to affirming their mate and contributing to a happy marriage, she says.
2010 Real Weddings Survey Results
Here are some interesting Wedding Statistics from the 4TH Annual Survey of nearly 19,000 U.S. brides married in 2010 conducted by TheKnot.com & WeddingChannel.com:
For complete details see:
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20110302005388/en/Knot-Unveils-2010-Real-Weddings-Survey-Results
