Archive for December, 2007
Posted on December 21st, 2007 by Courtney in Wedding Trends, Wedding Traditions, Wedding Planning, Anything Goes
After all the hard work you put into planning your wedding, you definitely deserve a relaxing honeymoon. As a modern bride, though, you might (just might) end up having to plan that too.
I know you’re excited now. You’re honeymoon is supposed to give you a break from the everyday; it’s supposed to be a time for you and your new hubby to enjoy your first few days (maybe even the first few weeks) of your marriage.
As nice as it would be to go gallivanting all over the world, sometimes that’s not the best option. Do you have a passport? Do you have enough time to attain a passport before your wedding? Do you have an extensive budget to accommodate a Caribbean getaway? Do you have family or work that can be accommodated from afar?
Clearly there are a lot of things to consider before you even decide on the location of your honeymoon! In any case, for one reason or another, it might suit you and your hubby-to-be a little bit better if you choose to remain stateside rather than jetting off to some remote location.
You might be a little disappointed to find you can’t or shouldn’t cross an ocean for your honeymoon, but you really have a lot of options if you choose to stay here in the U.S. Think about it, the United States is home to beaches, mountains, national parks, historical cities, and even islands. Really, it’s a world of endless possibilities if you just use your imagination!
That said, there are certainly a lot of places you could go, but maybe you’re not so sure where you should go. To help you decide, we’ve decided to include the top 10 stateside honeymoon destinations courtesy of About.com. Take a look at these locales and let us know which one you choose! Enjoy!
- Hawaii
- Las Vegas
- Florida
- California
- Texas
- Georgia
- Virginia
- New York
- North Carolina
- Colorado
(Note: These top stateside honeymoon destinations were acquired from About’s Vacation Travel Spots USA. Their data was derived according to page hits on About’s Honeymoon information website.)
Posted on December 21st, 2007 by Courtney in Wedding Movies, Wedding Fun, Celebrity Weddings, News
As a society, we definitely love weddings. That’s got to be why there are so many movies that have wedding-centered plots, right?
Well, there’s yet another one coming out, and I think it looks hilarious. Really, though, what’s a movie about love if there’s no humor? And furthermore, what’s a marriage without some hilarity? Clearly the theme of this movie is on the right track.
So what is this mystery film? The movie is called 27 Dresses, and it’s scheduled to hit theaters in early 2008. The main character? Katherin Heigl. (Wow! Has she ever been busy!)
Heigl is a bridesmaid in the movie, but a bride in reality, with her own wedding scheduled for Dec. 23. (That’s this Sunday!) A bit of a stretch from real life, though, the movie focuses on Heigl as a character that’s “always a bridesmaid, never a bride.” Hence, the 27 dresses.
Heigl’s character, Jane, is idealistic, romantic and completely selfless. She’s perfectly content playing the bridesmaid role over and over again, even though her own happy ending is nowhere in sight. But when her younger sister Tess captures the heart of Jane’s boss, with whom she is secretly in love, Heigl’s character begins to reconsider her “always-a-bridesmaid” lifestyle.
It certainly seems like it’ll be a hit, but we’ll let you know what we really think when the movie finally debuts in theaters. Until then, though, enjoy the movie’s trailer, over and over and over again!
(Photo credit: Fox 2000 Pictures)
The country music cable channel (CMT) will be premiering a brand new wedding reality show, “My Big Redneck Wedding” on January 11th.
According to the press release, actor Tom Arnold (who has been married three times himself) will host.
Each episode features a different weddding of a “down-home” couple on their journey to wedded bliss. We will get to see a reception that includes mud wrestling, a four-legged best man, and much more.
I can’t wait! It sounds hilarious! The show debuts on January 11th at 9:30 p.m ET/PT. Eight initial episodes have been ordered by the network.
I found this wedding cake topper pictured here at magicmud.com. I thought it would be perfect for a redneck wedding!
Check out Magic Mud when you have a chance, they offer a variety of very unique cake toppers - everything from a Boston Red Sox Wedding Cake Topper to a Deer Hunter Wedding Cake Topper. They are custom, so they are expensive. But their wedding cake toppers are very unique.
In just a few days we’ll all get to ooh and aww over Katherine Heigl’s wedding pictures. That is, if she releases them to the public.
She very well may, though, now that she’s gone public with all the fabulous details her big day holds in store. Heigl granted an interview with Access Hollywood to give out some select info about her wedding to singer Josh Kelley just two days before Christmas.
Originally, the Grey’s Anatomy star thought she’d opt for an autumn wedding out east, but since setting the date, the idea of a winter wedding has grown on her.
Heigl also tells Access Hollywood that she and Kelley chose to write their own vows in an attempt to keep things ‘traditional.’ Her musician fiancé isn’t planning on singing his vows, but he is planning a serenade for his bride at their wedding reception.
Katherine talks a lot more about her wedding, from bridesmaid dresses to her guest list, but one thing she didn’t do was tell all about her dress design and designer. It looks like we’ll have to wait to get all the juicy details.
We did get one clue from the interview though: that the dress will give her a classic look, a style she donns often at major Hollywood events. Of her dress, Heigl says, “I picked a dress that I felt worked best for my body. It’s a silhouette. I really love that old Hollywood vibe, so I kind of always stick with that.”
Whatever you wear, Katherine, we’re sure you’ll look beautiful! Congrats on tying the knot!
When you are planning your wedding, you might be overwhelmed by all the information available on the Internet and in wedding books on how to cut costs. There are probably a thousand ways you can trim your wedding costs. Don’t freak out and try to do it all. Just keep it simple.
Here are some basic ways to cut costs:
Schedule your wedding on a weekday. Vendors oftentimes charge more than double for their services on a weekend evening than they do during the week. If you are really against a weekday weekend, an afternoon wedding on the weekend will also be cheaper than a weekend night.
Make your own centerpieces. Centerpieces can be simple yet beautiful. You can save money by saving your own. They don’t have to be floral centerpieces either. You can use picture frames, mirrors, candles or even a bowl of fruit as a centerpiece.
Have cupcakes instead of cake. Enlist a friend or family member to bake cupcakes and then arrange them in the shape a cake. You should still have a small cake on the side to cut during the cake cutting ceremony.
Cut down your guest list. Gasp! I know it sounds horrible but you don’t really need to invite your third cousin’s boyfriend, or a friend of a friend of the family.
Have a sponsored wedding. A sponsored wedding is one where much of the wedding costs are offset by allowing a particular business (or businesses) to advertise in some manner during the wedding ceremony or reception.
Buy affordable wedding favors. I would never suggest you skip favors all together. After all, they are a small way to thank your guests. However, you can make or buy cheap favors. One of the most affordable favors is to buy mints, candy hearts, Hershey’s Kisses or Jordan almonds and then package them in wedding favor boxes, bags or tins. At Truly Wedding Favors, you can even find some favors for under $1.
We all know that a red rose represents love, a yellow rose expresses friendship, and a white rose symbolizes truth and purity. But what does a platinum rose represent? And what about gold or silver?
Believe it or not, you can now add gold, silver, and platinum to your wedding color scheme options, and you can order your roses to match your metallic theme! After a little bit of web searching, we found some interesting floral options at Love is a Rose, an online merchant offering 24 karat gold, sterling silver, and pure platinum dipped roses.
So if your theme includes platinum, gold, or silver hues, you could always show your diva side by carrying a bouquet of metallic flora down the aisle. The best part? You can be certain you’ll have at least one memento that will last forever.
After all, a rose by any other name might smell as sweet, but precious metal isn’t a bad alternative!
I came across the cutest clock the other day, so I thought I should share it with you. It would make an adorable wedding or anniversary gift.
The Marriage Advice Clock looks like a postcard. It has a “stamp” in the corner and is covered with witty and wise words of wisdom for the bride and groom. It would make a great wedding or anniversary gift.
It can be hung on the wall or sit on the nightstand or table. If you are interested, you can buy it at TheHandsWork.com, where you can find a bunch of other clocks and other home decor.
Speaking of marriage advice, what’s the best marriage advice that you have ever heard?
Here’s some oldies but goodies:
- Don’t ever go to bed mad.
- Count to 10 before you speak.
- Call if you are going to be late.
- Look your spouse in the eyes when talking to him/her.
- Say thank you and please.
- Try to always eat dinner together.
- Hold hands in public.
Oh … and buy your wife diamonds for every occasion you can afford them.
Just kidding! (I think!)
It’s not often we get to read about a 70th anniversary, but here’s a great story out of the United Kingdom.
Marjorie and Jack Laughlin, both 91, of Driffield will be celebrating their 70th wedding anniversary on New Year’s Day.
“We have been together since we were 10-years-old and we have never been apart, except for six years during the war,” Mr. Laughlin told the Driffield Today. “We were childhood sweethearts and we have always worked together.”
The Laughlins were married at the age of 21. Now retired, of course, the couple ran two credit traders shops together in their hometown of Batley in West Yorkshire during their working lives.
They were successful business people and even appointed Mayor and Mayoress of Batley from 1963 to 1964.
What are their anniversary plans this year as they celebrate 70 years of wedded bliss?
“We don’t know how we’re going to celebrate,” said Mr. Laughlin. “I think something is going on here, I have heard rumours, but it has remained a surprise.”
The couple have a daughter, a son, five grandchildren and seven great grandchildren.
Congrats to Mr. and Mrs. Laughlin, here’s to many more!
Photo credit: Driffield Today
In days gone by, women wouldn’t dare get married while pregnant. However nowadays, it’s not uncommon at all to see a pregnant bride or bridesmaid. If you are expecting and planning your wedding, here are few tips about what to wear on your wedding day.
The Gown
Most wedding gowns are obviously not designed with the pregnant bride in mind. However, one wedding dress style is very suitable for a pregnant bride - the empire waist dress. With these dresses, the waist is right under your bust. The bodice of the dress flows outward from there, draping loosely over your stomach and hips. The empire cut dress is very romantic and feminine.
If you want to flaunt your baby bump, you can be daring and choose a more clingy dress in stretch fabric. If you can’t find anything you like in bridal stores, consider buying a formal maternity dress rather than a bridal gown.
Here are a few online shops where you can find wonderful maternity wedding gowns and bridesmaids dresses.
The Shoes
Feet swell during pregnancy, so don’t make yourself uncomfortable with pointed pumps or high heel sandals. Choose wedding sneakers or ballet flats instead. You don’t need to stick to white, metallics and pastels also work well for bridal shoes.
Here are a few cute options:
The dress pictured above is from Madeline Isaac-James’ collection at bridesnbumps.com.
Photo credit: © Madeline Isaac-James
One cute idea for a creating your own wedding favors is to buy small terracotta pots that contain flowers or blooming plants. Then you can decorate the pots with acrylic paints to personalize them.
You can even put the name of each guest on a pot and they can double as a placecard holder. It’s a wedding favor, placecard holder and reception decoration all in one!
If you aren’t artistic, don’t worry! You can just stencil the name of your guest on one side of the pot and your wedding date on the other. It’s very simple! Stencils and acrylic paints are relatively inexpensive; you can find them at most craft stores.
You can also buy empty terracotta pots and give them as favors, along with a pack of seeds, and let your guests do the planting!
For more inexpensive wedding favor ideas, don’t miss the wonderful selections at Truly Wedding Favors.
