Truly Wedding Blog

I don’t know about you, but I’m always looking for ways that I can give back to those in need. I love shopping and philanthropy. So if I can places where I can do both - that’s great.

Nonprofitshoppingmall.com is a fabulous website that allows consumers to shop online for all the things that they would normally buy (even from the brands they would normally choose). However, when making their purchases through Nonprofitshoppingmall.com (NPSM), a percentage of each purchase goes to charity.

It doesn’t cost you anything extra to use NPSM. You just log on to Nonprofitshoppingmall.com, choose a charity and start shopping. The retailers on the site determine their contribution level and it varies from retailer to retailer. So you have to read the site to find out the details for a specific retailer.

For example, if you use NPSM to buy wedding favors from Truly Wedding Favors, the contribution level is 7.5%. If you are shopping for wedding stationery, Wedding Paper Divas offers a 5% contribution level. And that’s just the beginning. You can shop for just about anything through Nonprofitshoppingmall.com - not just wedding stuff.

So, next time you are feeling guilty about wanting to go on a shopping spree - you don’t have to feel bad! Just visit NPSM and you can do good for others while shopping for yourself!

Have you heard about Canditto? I hadn’t until recently but it’s a really fabulous idea for your wedding.

Canditto allows you to gather all the pictures taken by your guests on THEIR digital cameras during your wedding day. And you don’t even have to do any work!

Canditto is a kiosk that is set up at your wedding reception. During your event, your guest simply walk up, insert their memory card into the kiosk and all the photos which have been taken on that camera in the last eight hours are instantly download into the kiosk.

At the end of the night, you are given a CD that contains all the photos. It’s a great way to get tons of candid pictures from your wedding and reception from your guests’ perspective.

And what’s great about Canditto is that you don’t have to do any of the work. An employee of Canditto will deliver, set up and monitor the kiosk. Then before the end of the night, they’ll have the CD ready.

All you have to do is let your guests know to bring their digital cameras, and then remind them to use the kiosk at the event.

Canditto can also combine the best of your guests’ photographs onto custom USB cards. They’ll be ready by 8:00am the morning after your wedding. So you can give these portable thumb drives as a cool little gift to your guests at brunch the next day.

Currently Canditto is available throughout New England. To learn more about Canditto, visit their website at Canditto.com, where you can watch a video and get further information about this fabulous idea.

Adesso Albums Instant Photo Guest Books are a unique combination of photo album and a guest book. These photo guest books and photo albums capture your wedding instantly. Their patent pending formula combines instant Polaroid photos and hand written personalized sentiments from your wedding guests to make the unique Adesso Photo Guest Book.

Lesley Mattos, founder of Adesso Albums, offers these fabulous tips for budget savvy couples who are looking for ways to stretch the dollars.

1. Skip the five-course meal and just do appetizers and/or a dessert bar. Way more fun for your guests to mingle and get to know each other than getting stuck at a table for two hours with Uncle Henry! 

2. Forget the high-priced professional band! Contact your local college music department and give the musicians a chance to show off their talents. You can pay them with dinner and lots of applause!

3. Photography can easily take up a big chunk of the budget.  Have your guests help create your wedding album instantly with Polaroid instant photos accompanied by their handwritten sentiments in stylish instant photo guest books like those from Adesso Albums.

4. Grow your own flowers - It’s not as hard as it sounds! Plant simple flowers like tulips in terracotta pots, add moss and pretty silk ribbon and your creation can rival any professional florists.

To learn more about Adesso Albums, please visit their website at adessoalbums.com.

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!

1. Hawaii
2. Las Vegas
3. Florida
4. California
5. Texas
6. Georgia
7. Virginia
8. New York
9. North Carolina
10. 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.)

All couples, young and old, need to learn about relationship skills and communication in order to build a solid foundation for their marriage. Though a lot of emphasis is put on planning your wedding day, even more emphasis should be put on planning your life together after the wedding.

Karen Sherman, Ph.D. has written numerous books on relationship and self improvement. If you are getting ready for your wedding or a newlywed, pick up a copy of her book, “Marriage Magic! Find It, Keep It, Make It Last.”

This interesting and helpful book discusses how to keep your marraige stable and thriving throughout the years by building a lasting foundation from the beginning.

Dr. Sherman was kind enough to share with me her five tips on keeping excitement in the marriage.

1. Bring novelty into the relationship.
2. Be spontaneous with one another.
3. Have fun and be silly at times.
4. Create a carefree attitude.
5. Do things that are a little risky.

You can get more information about Dr. Sherman, her tele-seminars and workshops by visiting her website at DrKarenSherman.com.

If you want to buy a copy of her book, “Marriage Magic! Find It, Keep It, Make It Last,” you can find it at Amazon.com.

If you would like to lose weight or get in shape before your wedding, a healthy diet and consistent exercise program can have you on the road to fitness in no time. Stay away from extreme diets or fasts. By drastically restricting your food intake, you will be more stressed out (as if wedding planning isn’t enough!), leading to headaches, mood swings, and even binge eating.

Rather than a quick weight loss diet, instead eat sensibly and establish a workout routine.

Here are some basic tips to help you get into shape before your wedding day.

Drink a lot of water. Water will help you lose weight, as well as improve the appearance of your skin, nails and hair. Drink 8-10 glasses of water each day.

Eat several small meals. Many women starve themselves throughout the day, then eat a big dinner. Instead you should eat four or five smaller, balanced meals. Try to get 40-45% of your calories from lean protein sources, 35-40% from complex carbohydrates (avoid white sugar and white bread if possible) and 15-25% from healthy fats.

Eat salad made with leafy green vegetables with a tablespoon of non-fat dressing, along with both your lunch and dinner. A salad is a healthy way to fill up, so that you eat less of other foods.

Choose lean meats and other protein-rich foods, such as skinless chicken, white fish, lean beef, tofu and beans. Don’t fry your food in oil and skip the gravy and sauces.

Eat whole grains, which are low in fat and high in fiber. Avoid carbs that are made with white flour and choose those made with bran, wheatgerm, barley and buckwheat.

Eat healthy fats. Though some women try to avoid fats altogether while dieting, that’s not the wise choice. Instead eat foods containing monounsaturated fat, polyunsaturated fat and Omega-3 fatty acids. Monounsaturated fats are found in avocados and most nuts. Eat these foods often, but watch your portion sizes. Omega-3 fatty acids are found in seafood, such as salmon, mackerel, herring, salmon, sardines and tuna. Flaxseed oil, soybean oil and walnuts also contain Omega-3 fatty acids.

Eliminate soda or drink sugar-free soda instead. You should also eat a piece of fruit when you need something sweet rather than a sugary snack.

Learn about portion size. One serving of meat (3 oz.) is the size of a deck of cards. A serving (1/2 cup) of mashed potatoes, rice or pasta is half the size of a baseball. A serving of cheese is the size of four stacked dice. A cup of salad or a medium fruit is about the size of a tennis ball. Are these much smaller than you thought?

Start exercising daily. By adding 30-45 minutes of cardiovascular exercise into your routine every day, you will be well on the road to fitness. Don’t take the elevator when you can take the stairs. Don’t drive when you can walk.

By following these tips, you will be able to develop a sensible diet and fitness plan in order to get in shape for your wedding day. Whatever you do, don’t stress out if you are carrying a little extra weight. After all, beautiful brides come in all shapes and sizes.

Is this a no-brainer? Everyone (even guys) have thought and dreamed about what their ideal wedding might be like. The problem is, however you imagine your wedding, your fiancé probably has a very different picture. So what should you do? You need to Discuss, Decide and Write it down.

You might not think that something like a vision could be so important. In order for a relationship to succeed and last for eternity, you must learn to communicate early. Catching a potential problem before it becomes a real problem turns out to be a critical ingredient in an everlasting marriage. Go figure, huh?

So, you two sit down and begin discussing your wedding. First thing – cost – how much, who pays, etc. If the cost factor involves relatives you will need to know how much they are willing to contribute. Once cost has been assessed, then you can talk about the ceremony – location. Where do you want to be married? In a church, City Hall, Las Vegas, where? And you both continue on until the major areas are settled – date, ceremony, reception, style, number of guests, etc. Each component of your wedding day should, ideally, be mutually agreed upon (or at least compromised upon).

The point of this tip is to communicate. If you reach a stumbling block, hash it out and compromise.
If you want your marriage to last forever, you need to learn now how to communicate, disagree and compromise with your soon to be spouse. Once you are married, you cannot think only of yourself because you are not alone anymore and every aspect of your life will greatly affect them as well.

Deciding upon the details of your wedding together will be a great test of the strength of your relationship, so enjoy it, and make it fun!

I saw this picture and was completely dumb-founded. A Wedding Cake created to look like a person – the Bride no less! Don’t get me wrong, the cake looks great and I am sure it is a close resemblance, took a lot of time and effort to create and all, but I just don’t think I can wrap my mind around eating a cake that looks like someone. It just seems creepy.

Still, if you want something truly unique and unusual at your wedding reception, this certainly fits the bill. Can you imagine all the jokes being blurted out as the Bride and Groom cut their cake? And just where would you start cutting; at her head or neck or back or where?

Let’s hope the actual cake part wasn’t something like Red Velvet cake – yuck!

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