You May Kiss the Bride

Friday is here, the wedding has happened and it was all sealed with a kiss!

Acutally there were two kisses - good for them! 

When you are pronounced husband and wife and get to have your first kiss as a married couple, will you do it?  Are you the shy type and just want to get it done?  Will you be so caught up in the moment and all of the excitement so that your parents will blush?  Here are some of my favorite "You may kiss the bride" moments.

And, of course, the best kiss of all!

Okay, a couple "non-wedding" kisses, but still pretty sweet smooches!

The Royal Wedding: Do you know what Kate will wear?

So very excited to see Catherine! I found this on Martha Stewart Weddings. I figured if anyone might know some insider details, it would be Martha and her team!

The Royal Wedding: Kate Middleton Inspired Pronovias Gowns - The Bride's Guide : Martha Stewart Weddings

Here are some of my favorite Pronovia Gowns (definately one of my more favorite designers!)

Kate Middleton's Royal Wedding Hairstyle: What is your favorite?

Are you into fashion?  Well so am I and Kate Middleton sure makes it exciting!  With Kate's style and beauty, it makes us just that much more excited to talk about the fairytale dress, the designer shoes, the headpiece, and, of course, the hairstyle.  Here is a video showing us how to get glamorous, royal worthy hairstyles.  Let us know what your favorite is for Kate.

The classic up-do 

The, gorgeous, side sweep

Or, should she just keep it long and flowing?

Wediquette Wednesday - Help for the groom

Traditionally, the bride and her family did most of the wedding planning.  Well, that time is done!  Grooms today are WAY more involved in the whole planning process.  If you are one of those men that want to be involved, but you're not really sure what you should do, here are some things just for you.


Choose your best man (wisely)
Your best man will be the guy that is supposed to be there to help you with some very important duties.  He will be in charge of the marriage license, the wedding rings, giving the first toast at your wedding reception, delivering your final checks to your vendors, organizing your bachelor party and assisting with any last minute details that need to be taken care of. 

Choose your formalwear
Be sure to set up an appointment with your formalwear merchant.  Your future bride should be with you to make sure the colors are right and the style you choose works with the formality of your wedding day.

Make your boutonniere selection
Again, you and your fiancee should go together to your chosen florist to decide on flower bouquets and boutonnieres. 

Get your groomsmen gifts
When considering what to get your attendants, you should think of their hobbies and personalities.  Here are some suggestions:

Make sure you get your marriage license!
Enough said.  Most counties require you to apply for your marriage license no more than 30 days before your wedding.  You both will need to be there and there may be blood testing that will be required.  Also, make sure to bring your marriage license to the rehearsal the night before your wedding.  The officiant will keep it and make sure it is there to sign after your ceremony.

Toast your bride
After the best man has had his moment with the microphone, you will want to toast your bride.  Make sure you spend time on this.  Think of special moments the two of you have had together and the wonderful new life you will have as a married couple.  The words you say should be written down and should come from the heart.

The rehearsal dinner
Traditionally the rehearsal dinner is the responsibility of the groom's family.  This can be anything from a formal dinner to a fun backyard bar b que.  Make sure to invite the wedding party, family, any out of town guests and the officiant.  You can invite anyone you want, but these people are a must!

Mother/ Son dance
You might not think this is important, but it is.  Choose a meaningful song and practice your steps.  Let your mother know that you appreciate and love her.

Final payments
All of your vendors will need a final payment.  Some of them will require up to 2 weeks before the wedding day, but some will be paid the day of your wedding.  It is easiest to have an envelope made out for each vendor.  When you know what the final payments are, write out the check and slip it right into the envelope.  Give the envelopes to your best man for any vendors that need their payments on the day of the wedding and have him deliver them.

The wedding night
You might want to surprise your new bride with some fruit and champagne, flowers in the room, petals on the bed, or a light late-night snack for the two of you to share when you finally are alone. 

Another thing for you to keep in mind is, your mother.  She won't have the responsibilities that the mother of the bride has, so she might not be as involved in the wedding planning.  I guarantee that she will appreciate any advice you ask of her, and any "keeping up-to-date" information that you give her.

Tip of the week - Get your groom involved

He asked, you said yes.  You're engaged and getting ready to start planning the wedding of your dreams, and, traditionally, the bride has done most of the planning, but you'd really like your fiancee to be involved.  Here are some simple ideas on how to get him involved, keep him involved, and enjoy the time you will get to spend together while planning for your celebration.




1. Have dinner or lunch together, regularly, to discuss wedding plans.  Have a lot of one-on-one discussions with your notes, pictures and thoughts all readily available.

2. He's a guy, so you will have to make the planning fun and boost his self confidence.  Take him to tastings.  How can you go wrong with food and drink?  Go on fun gift registration trips.  Sporting stores (Scheels), outdoor party ideas, items needed for fun entertaining are all decisions that he'd most likely want to be involved in.  And, always make sure to compliment him on his creativity and ideas.

3. On one of the first one-on-one discussions you have, ask him what he would like to be in charge of. Even though you would still like input on these decisions, you can let him take charge of these things.
Some fun ones for the guys are:

• drink selections
• writing his vows
• music for the reception
• cake flavors
• tuxedo or suit options 
• wedding day transportation
• planning the honeymoon
• make room blocks for out-of-town guests at local hotels

4. Delegate simple tasks to your fiancee.  He can run over to pick up the invitations.  He will have to check them over to make sure everything is correct, so this is a great thing for him to do to make sure he is involved.  He can also work with you to call all of your vendors the week before your wedding to verify all important information.  Give him half of the list and the date that this should be done by.  When this is done, have some dinner and verify everything with each other.

5. AVOID fighting over wedding planning and wedding budgets. Finances is the number one topic married couples fight over. Start your marriage on the healthy path by having loving, mature, productive discussions about your wedding finances.  To make sure you don't have finance issues before you're even married, make a budget for your wedding and stick to it.  Make the budget one of those one-on-one discussions...you'll be happy you did!

6. Please don't be a BRIDEZILLA!  Your groom will give up on trying to help, and neither of you will be happy.  A BRIDEZILLA is defined by the following behaviors:

• controlling behavior
• irritability
• yelling
• making all of the decisions
• hard to please
• being critical of the groom and everyone else that is trying to help 

Planning your wedding together should be a fun and creative way for the two of you to start your new life together.  This is a great time to learn how to work together.  Planning a wedding is stressful and time-consuming, but if you work together, make sure to communicate, don't sweat the small stuff and have fun with each other, you are off to a great start.

Wediquette Wednesday - Mother of the bride

Your daughter is getting married!  This is such an exciting time for you and your daughter and by following some simple rules of etiquette the planning process should run smoothly. 









Responsibilities
The number one rule of etiquette for the mother of the bride is to know what your responsibilities are.  It is a great idea for you and your daughter and her fiancee to sit down and discuss budget and responsibilities.  Your main responsibility is to assist your daughter in the planning process.  Give advice when asked, but don't force your opinion or try to take control of the wedding.  And, be willing to do the tedious jobs - like tying 200 ribbons onto favor boxes.  It might seem like a small thing to you, but to the bride it might be very important.  Here are some general responsibilities you might have: assisting with the guest list, hosting an engagement party or bridal shower, gown shopping - mostly all of the fun stuff!

Budget
In the past it was the family of the bride that paid for the wedding and the family of the groom covered the costs of the rehearsal dinner.  Times have changed and so has this tradition.  Many more couples are covering wedding expenses on their own now.  It is a wonderful idea to discuss the budget of the wedding before any plans are made.  Before any family meetings are held to discuss who will pay for what, you should sit with your daughter and future son-in-law and tell them your ideas to get their insight.  Listen to the type of wedding they would like to have and what their hopes are regarding financial obligations.  This will help any future family discussions regarding money go smoothly. 

FYI- most wedding planners will help with this very difficult responsibility!

Attire
Tradition says that the mother of the bride has the first choice in deciding what to wear for her daughter's wedding.  If following this tradition, talk with your daughter about colors, formality and the style she would prefer.  You will want to make sure you stand out from the other guests, but not overshadow your daughter.  After you have decided on the color and style of your gown contact the mother of the groom and let her know.  The mother of the groom's dress doesn't necessarily need to match your style and color, but it should not clash.  Another important tip is to stay away from the "whites".  Tans, beige, champagne, cream and white should be avoided.  The bride may or may not want you to stay within the colors she has chosen for the wedding, but either way, the colors should not clash.  If you want to stay within the color range, don't get too "matchy" but stay complementary.

Now have fun with your daughter and enjoy this "once-in-a-lifetime" experience with her!

Tip of the week - For the Mother Of The Bride

This week I really wanted to go beyond just your wedding day celebration and hope to spread some advice to some of the other VERY important people surrounding you.

Dear mother of the bride, you have one of the most important jobs in the world (and the best).  To be there for your daughter!  Please use these tips and enjoy this time with your daughter, her fiancee and embrace your new family.

• You might have been dreaming of your daughter's wedding longer than she has, but you have to remember that this is HER (and her fiancee's) day.  There will most likely be a team planning this day so don't feel hurt if you aren't in charge of the planning process.  Have fun with your daughter and let her know you want to hear how she wants her wedding.

• Promise yourself, as the mother of a beautiful young woman, that you will make her and her fiancee's wishes the most important thing regarding their wedding.  Know the difference between making a suggestion and pushing your opinions.  And, guilt trips, a big NO!

• When your daughter comes to you for guest list information, be ready.  They might ask for ideas regarding the guest list or any family traditions that they might like to incorporate into their wedding.  Be quick and diligent when getting them information, but not pushy.

•  Let them know what you'd like to help out with and what your talents are.  If being part of the menu decision is important to you, tell them.  A simple phrase "I'd love to join you" is much better than insisting and throwing a tantrum.  Also, if you are a scrapbooker, you might be able to put this talent to good use with escort cards, rehearsal dinner invitations, and even the wedding programs.  But, let them make the final decisions.

• Make sure you welcome the groom into the family.  Have relaxing family dinners that you all can just have fun together and not always be discussing the wedding. 

• Make sure to do fun things with your daughter.  Lunches, spa days, a weekend at the cottage.  Make these moments relaxing and give her time to take a break from all of the wedding planning. 

• Get yourself prepared for the wedding day, as well as the rehearsal dinner and any other events that might come up.  Personal shoppers at a department store can help you find some terrific gowns. 

• Give meaningful gifts as well as practical ones.  Do shop from the registry, but how wonderful would it be for your daughter to receive a framed photo of the two of you with a handwritten letter from you on the morning of the wedding.

 

  

   

 

Fashion Friday - Funky

I love love love bridal fashion and these dresses just made my day!

Enjoy.

 Who knew you could wear your cake?

 And, in case you get bored, you will not run out of something to read.  Yep...this is newspaper!

 These girls are just adorable!

Cinderella shoes!  I love these!!