Wedding Trends That Take The Cake

Photo Credit: aus_chick

As a soon-to-be-bride, you eat, sleep and breathe your wedding plans, and you’ve become a super-sponge for ideas. Well, for great ideas and programming you’re going to love, check out WE tv, TLC and the Style Network’s reality wedding shows! They’ll help you with your plans, give you some great ideas AND they’ll teach you what “not to do” in order to avoid being called Bridezilla by your friends and family.

WE tv

Girl Meets Gown

Girl Meets Gown takes a behind-the-scenes look at the Dallas area’s premiere bridal salon, Stardust. Each week you’ll hear stories of real brides and their quest to find the perfect wedding dress!

Platinum Weddings

Imagine a wedding day in which no detail is too miniscule, no wish is too extravagant and no request is unattainable. It’s a dream come true for any bride-to-be. View the ultimate wedding show that captures the drama and decadence of wedding planning on an extraordinary budget!

Amazing Wedding Cakes

Four bakeries are ready to raise the bar! These incredible designers are pushing the boundaries of what wedding cakes can be, breaking the mold with more bold, beautiful and creative cakes.

Bridezillas

Tune in to watch what can happen to a woman somewhere between “will you marry me” and “I do”– complete with meltdowns, confrontations and shocking revelations.

My Fair Wedding

WE tv brings in a dream team, led by celebrity party planner David Tutera, on behalf of beleaguered friends and family members, to transform what could be a disaster wedding into a platinum style affair.

Rich Bride Poor Bride

What does it take to pull off the “perfect” wedding while still managing to stay within your budget? In each episode, follow the journey of one couple and their wedding planner to see what happens when costs collide with expectations. No matter how big the budget, is it ever enough?

Wedding Central Presents

Go inside the magic of weddings, and get a behind-the-scenes look at the amazing, the funny, the unpredictable and the touching side of planning a big day. From the people who make it their business to create, plan and execute some of the most exciting trends, to the couples who want to make their big day an unforgettable celebration.

TLC

Four Weddings

Four weddings and one dream honeymoon. Who will win?

Say Yes to the Dress

The Kleinfeld staff members try to make each bride completely satisfied on what may be the single most important day of her life.

Cake Boss

Buddy Valastro, one of the most successful and renowned wedding cake artists, aims to make Carlo’s Bake Shop a household name.

Masters of Reception

Robert and Jerry Frungillo make dreams come true. Weddings are in their blood, no matter how big or small. And this is a true family business.

Wedded to Perfection

Follow the owners of Fete Events, spouses Jung Lee and Josh Brooks, as they plan high-end weddings and events in New York.

Style Network

Whose Wedding is it Anyway?

The bride may get all the gifts, but the planner’s the real star of the show. Stressed out wedding planners try to pull off picture-perfect weddings for their clients.

Lisa Bakewell

You’re engaged, and you’re ready to start planning for your big day! The best place to start? Right here…with these 13 Top Wedding Resource Sites!

Best Little Wedding Shop: The Best Little Wedding Shop has been serving brides across the country since 1995 has decided to make their top-quality product line available to brides across the world. In this fast-paced world, brides find it easier and faster to shop online for their Wedding Invitations & Bridal Shower Invitations, Wedding Accessories and Wedding Favor needs.

Team Wedding : Team Wedding wants to be a part of your wedding planning team. Just name a wedding topic, and they can help you with it! Browse by category or state for some terrific planning tips and resources.

Brides.com : Brides.com has a wide range of galleries and topics for you to research, and they have tools that you can use such as budget, to-do list, guest list, and seating chart guides.

The Knot: The Knot has tools, great articles, videos and honeymoon ideas. Check out their photo galleries and wedding planning tips, plus peruse “Grooms + Guys” and “Maids + Moms” for some specific wedding strategies.

MyWedding.com: MyWedding.com offers and “Ideas and Trends” blog, free wedding websites and over 100 local wedding guides to help you plan your wedding.

Perfect Wedding Guide : At Perfect Wedding, you can find vendors, get ideas, go shopping and attend events. This is a terrific comprehensive online wedding guide for brides and wedding planners.

Green Elegance Weddings : Offers eco-friendly wedding tips for couples who want to leave a small green footprint when they get married. They offer wedding contests and green wedding news too.

FrugalBride.com: Canada’s number one online wedding magazine, FrugalBride.com,  is a great resource for brides that offers wedding bulletin boards, frugal wedding crafts and budget tracking worksheets for weddings. They also offer a “Bride’s Planner,” a “Groom’s Planner” and “Vendor Tips.”

GayWeddings.com: If you’re planning a non-traditional wedding, GayWeddings.com discusses gay and lesbian wedding questions that you may have. They also offer products, resources and information networking to same-sex couples seeking to affirm their life-long commitments to each other through commitment ceremonies, civil unions, domestic partnerships, civil marriage and other alternative weddings.

InStyleWeddings : Want to plan a classy, celebrity-style wedding? The InStyle Wedding website can help you plan your dream wedding. Even if you can’t afford a lavish wedding, you can get fabulous tips and ideas here.

WeddingChannel.com: If you’d like the answers to all your wedding planning questions, WeddingChannel.com is a great resource, and they also provide tools like bride checklists and budget calculators.

WeddingSolutions.com: WeddingSolutions.com offers “Real Reviews from Real Brides Like You,” “Celebrity News and Gossip,” wedding registries and a multitude of wedding resources and advice.

DestinationWeddings.com : DestinationWeddings.com offers a full service “one stop shopping” approach which has one goal in mind–to make the planning and coordination of your Destination Wedding as simple and stress-free as possible.

Lisa Bakewell

Photo Credit: aus_chick

Looking to shave your wedding budget? Then look no further than your guest list. Trimming the fat here can save you hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars! Use these tips to keep the dough from flying out of your wallet.

Can’t decide? Then don’t! It’s that easy. Sure, you may feel like the bad girl if you don’t invite certain friends and family, but if you have doubts, face it…the person doesn’t mean that much to you.

Use the rule of  “thirds.” Split your guest list three ways…A third of your guests should be from your family, a third from his and a third should be friends that you and your guy want to invite. If your family…or his…wants to invite more than their third of the guests, ask them to pay.

Invite them all or none at all. If you and your man aren’t going to invite all of your co-workers, don’t invite any of them…especially if your workplaces are small. If you do decide to invite your co-workers, though, make sure the boss is invited, as well.

Invite them to both events. If you invite a guest to your wedding, you MUST invite them to the reception. You’ll look cheap…and like you’re hunting for gifts…if you try to invite guests to the wedding only and not the reception.

Make your wedding a no-kid zone. This might not be possible for immediate family, but friends and extended family should understand. The kiddies won’t be drinking your alcohol, but they’ll still need to eat. And don’t they tend to waste the food anyway? Keep your wedding kid-free, where possible.

Haven’t seen someone for years? Might want to leave them off the list. Unless it’s a “must invite” family member, you may look like you’re “gift shopping” if you reach out to someone you haven’t seen in a long time.

Will they actually travel to your wedding? It might be as easy as making the call. If your friend or a family member lives a considerable distance from where your wedding will be held, ask them if they’ll be able to attend. If not, take them off your list and just send an announcement once you and your man have wed.

Weddings aren’t a reciprocal event. Just because someone invited you to his or her wedding, doesn’t mean that you have to return the favor.

Leave off plus-ones. This might be tricky, but if you really need to shave serious money off of your budget, you may consider leaving off “and guest” on your wedding invitations. Sure, you might feel that this is a little tacky, but could save you a bundle. Plus, who knows? Maybe a couple of your “single” guests may hook up and have a really great time.

A couple of caveats:

• Be sure to consult with your parents before cutting people associated with them. Some of your parents’ friends may be offended if they’re not invited, and this may put a strain on their relationship. If you’re not sure…ask!
• Limiting dates may help lower your wedding expenses, but be sensitive when it comes to spouses, life partners or long-term relationships. These guests should always be allowed a “plus-one” invite.

To shave even more money off your wedding budget, order Discount Wedding Invitations from Best Little Wedding Shop!

Lisa Bakewell

Image by © Royalty-Free/Corbis

In Part 1 of Wedding Planning: Tips to Tone Down Tension, we discussed tips on relieving the strife between you and your soon-to-be husband…while planning for your wedding.  Here are some more tips to help keep the tension level at a minimum:

He doesn’t care about your religion or family traditions. Consider this: Maybe he doesn’t even know what’s expected of him. Maybe he doesn’t think you care whether or not he participates in your traditions or religion. If you handle this situation calmly, and with sensitivity (giving him the benefit of the doubt), you may find that your conversation will bring you closer together, giving you both the opportunity to discuss which of your families’ traditions and religious practices you’d like to include in your life together.

You can’t agree on the wedding location. You want to get married in your hometown, but he wants to get married where you reside together. Consider this another opportunity to form a closer bond, and ask him, “Why do you want to get married at home?” You may find that having his friends at his wedding is more important to him than having his family there. If this is the case, maybe you can compromise. Maybe have a small wedding and dinner party in your hometown and reserve the big celebration where you live…with friends.

Wedding planning is causing strife. Sure you want your wedding day to be perfect, but is your wedding planning becoming more important than your relationship? Make sure that you’re not letting “Bridezilla” behavior come between you and your mate. Sure, you want a terrific wedding day, but it would be a shame to be standing at the altar by yourself. Keep your future in mind, and don’t let your man lose sight of  why he fell in love with you in the first place.

He’s worried about divorce…before the wedding! Prenuptial agreements have taken a bad rap, because they involve the issues of trust and commitment. Sure, it’s easy to take offense when your man is so intent on having one (it makes you think that HE thinks the marriage isn’t going to last), but consider this…this may another area where you and your man can bond on deeper level. Spend some quality time, with him, discussing your essential financial issues. Get to know how each of you feels about money, trusts, debts, etc. Make it a learning experience instead of a fight.

He wants his old girlfriend to attend the wedding and reception. OK. This one can be tough to take, but consider this…he chose you over her, so you’ve already won the battle. Your best course of action may be to take the high road and get to know her. This will show him that you’re comfortable in your relationship with him and that you’re not worried his old flame will steal him away from you.

With so many Affordable Wedding Invitations available at Best Little Wedding Shop, you and your man are bound to agree on one of them.

Lisa Bakewell

You’re engaged (Yay!), and you were looking forward to planning your wedding. What you hadn’t planned on, though, was the arguing that you and your husband-to-be would be been having over EVERYTHING!

Ah, engaged life. This period can be a minefield…where even the minute topics can trigger huge blow-ups!

Use these tips to ease some of the pressure:

The guest list keeps growing. His family’s guest list is growing well beyond what you both agreed on, and it’s putting a bulge in your budget. To resolve this issue, keep it about the money. Tell him that you don’t mind adding more guests to his family’s portion of the guest list (because you certainly don’t want to cut anyone out), but ask him if he’d mind asking his parents to chip in for the added cost. If your guest list continues to grow, too, you should ask your parents the same question.

He doesn’t care about the details. Most men are clueless when it comes to design and décor…and they really DON’T care what the table cloths look like or what flowers you choose. This doesn’t mean that you should give up on including your spouse-to-be, though.

Give him choices. If he’s not interested in the linens, maybe he’s interested in the menu. If he could care less about the invitations, maybe he’d like to offer input on the music or photographer.

Let your man know that it’s his day…as well as yours. Just let him choose where he’d like to be involved.

Now he cares too much! Well, you wanted him to be involved in the details, and now he is. What you didn’t expect, though, is that his involvement would drive you crazy!

In order to stay sane, prioritize the details. If a detail is minute, and he feels strongly about it, let him have the “win.”

Remember, it’s good practice to learn early on how to prioritize, negotiate…AND compromise. These are all life skills that will come in handy after your wedding day.

You can’t agree on where to spend the big bucks. You want to spend it on your dress. He wants to spend it on a fantastic honeymoon. How do you decide?

Sit down with him, like two adults, and work out the finances of your wedding together…before you go dress shopping. After all, your dress is for you, the honeymoon is for both of you.

If he doesn’t care, though, then go for it! But have this discussion before you fall in love with the dress that costs as much as a trip to Europe.

His best man irks you. Sure, the guy’s been his friend since college, but you can’t stand him! Well, this time it’s important to be supportive, but also sensible.

If your groom’s best buddy is only about the party, respect their bond, but make sure you have some reliable and supportive guys around to help keep things under control. Arrange for your brother or another male friend to help your man resist the ploys of his best man. You might also share your anxiety with your guy, so that you can handle the situation together, if trouble does rear its ugly head.

Come back next week for Part 2 of Wedding Planning: Tips to Tone Down Tension.

With so many Affordable Wedding Invitations available at Best Little Wedding Shop, you and your man are bound to agree on one of them.

Lisa Bakewell

The perfect time for the new adventure that your marriage will bring might just be springtime! Spring is considered a time of rebirth and renewal, and isn’t that just what your wedding signifies? Also, spring is not the most popular time for a wedding  (summer and fall are), so you may have an easier time getting top-notch vendors and venues. You may even get discounted rates! Use these tips to help you plan your spring wedding:

Think. What are your favorite parts of the season? Do you love the flowers? Do you want an early wedding so that you can enjoy the whole summer with your new hubby? List what you love most about the season…even if it’s just the fact that it may be easier on your budget…so that you’ll have a clear picture of your wants and needs while planning your wedding.

Indoors or outdoors? If you live in a warmer climate, you may consider holding your wedding outside. If your weather is kind of “iffy” in the springtime, you may want to keep it indoors. Also, keep in mind that spring brings rain, so any time spent outdoors may require an umbrella or an awning.

Timing is everything. As mentioned before, since springtime isn’t the most popular time to have a wedding ceremony, you may find that vendors and venues are more available. Still, you’ll want to pick your date, venue and vendors in a timely manner. Also, keep in mind that proms are held in the spring, so limos and tuxedos may be rented early. Plan for this.

Choose your colors. When choosing colors for your spring wedding, keep in mind that you may want to stay away from the bright colors of summer and winter. Consider pale, muted colors instead to reflect the season.

What to wear? When deciding on wedding attire, keep in mind that the weather can be sketchy. One day it’s warm, the next it’s cold. Some days are dry and some are wet. For this reason, you may want to avoid satin shoes (rain) and pick dresses that are versatile. If you choose sleeveless dresses, give your bridesmaids wraps as their bridesmaid gift to keep them warm, if necessary.

Consider a hint of color. Even if you want a white wedding gown, you may want to add a sash in a pastel color. Or how about a hint of all-over color? Embroidery in a light color would work well for this.

Think spring when decorating! What could be more festive than using the colors of spring to decorate your wedding reception? Pale greens, lavenders, pinks, roses and blues would all work well.

Accent tables with gingham fabrics, ribbons or even polka dots. Fill white baskets with an abundance of spring flowers for a fabulous centerpiece, or why not use an inexpensive terracotta pot with a moss or ivy-covered Styrofoam ball inside of it? Rose petals spread around the tables would be the perfect touch too.

Pick your flowers. Spring flowers include roses, peonies, irises, tulips, hyacinth, lilies and Gerber daisies. Choose a variety of these blooms to make the perfect spring bouquet!

Have fun with your wedding stationary! Save the Dates, affordable wedding invitations, place cards and announcements can all be quite whimsical and colorful. Use a matching theme and consider using some fun font styles to accent the whimsy of the season.

Favors should be fun! Keeping with the theme of whimsical fun, some good options for guest favors might include personalized seed packets or bulbs. Individual flower bud vases, personalized with your names and wedding date, might be nice too.

Lisa Bakewell

Planning your wedding reception seating may seem like a daunting task…especially if your wedding is large…but creating a satisfactory seating plan is relatively easy if you follow these tips:

Number of guests

You’ve sent out your invitations, and you’ve received your RSVP’s for the reception, but before you can start worrying about who is going to sit where, talk with your venue coordinator about the actual space that’s available for guest tables. Keep in mind where the head table will be positioned, as well as the music, cake table, buffet tables, etc. Also, ask the coordinator for his/her advice on which table shapes work best for the number of guests you wish to invite. Keep in mind, too, that it’s better to have fewer tables that are full, than many tables with just a few guests. Last, remember it’s beneficial to have some extra seats available for unexpected guests.

Head Table

The head table, or top table, is generally located in a prime location at the reception venue…typically in the front. This table is reserved for you, your groom, your wedding party and possibly your parents. If your parents do not sit at the head table with you, make sure that they are directly in front of you.

Guest Tables

Apart from the head table, guests traditionally sit at round tables. Have your family tables closest to the head table, and follow these tips for the rest of your guests:

• Keep couples, families, co-workers, etc., together. Those who share common interests will converse freely and be at ease. Small children should be seated with their parents, too, so that they will be supervised.
• Keep in mind that age is a factor. Seat elderly people together and other guests of similar ages together. They’ll have more in common.
• Solo guests should be dispersed throughout your seating chart, not thrown together at one table. Make sure they have something in common with those that they are seated with, though. One to two single people per table should be sufficient.
• Keep divorced men and women separated to avoid conflict. Even if they get along, you’ll probably still want to separate them, so that painful memories aren’t triggered, which may cause conflict.
• Guests with special needs will need extra consideration when you’re planning your seating arrangement. Obviously, walkers, wheelchairs, crutches, etc. need special attention, but, also, keep in mind that your elderly guests will need to be seated in close proximity to the restrooms. Moms with babies, too, should be placed in an area where they can make a quick exit, if necessary.
• Balance your tables with even numbers of males and females.
• And, as a final note, check with your parents for any possible seating errors. There may be some tensions between people that you are not aware of, and seating them together might cause a problem.

For discount wedding invitations, visit Best Little Wedding Shop!

Lisa Bakewell

If you’re a true romantic, a Valentine’s Day wedding theme might be right up your alley. Even if you’re not getting married on Valentine’s Day, you might consider incorporating some of these fanciful touches to create the wedding of your dreams

Attire: Classic style dress is just what the doctor ordered for a truly romantic wedding. Consider wearing a timeless white dress and have your man wear a tuxedo with tails…and possibly a top hat and gloves. Check out old movies for great ideas. You might also consider a wedding dress with red accents, and have your bridesmaids wear a complementary color, such as red or pink. The groomsmen might wear red ties (maybe bowties) and cumberbunds.

Location: Make sure you book your location early, especially if Valentine’s Day falls on a weekend, as it’s a very popular day to get married. Pick a location that’s not too small or too large, but one that allows you to create a cozy, romantic feel. Decorate as you would for a romantic dinner with soft lighting, lots of candlelight, flowers and flowing fabric.

Décor:A classic red and white color scheme would work well for your wedding reception, and you can play up the Valentine’s Day theme in a number of ways. Anything heart-shaped or red and white (and, possibly, pink) will add to the overall romantic ambience on your special day. You might also consider draping the light fixtures with jewel- toned beads. A great source for beads is area thrift stores, such as Goodwill and the Salvation Army stores.

Music:You’ll want your music to set the mood for your romantic day. Consider hiring a string quartet to help set the Valentine’s Day mood. Or, if you want a DJ, consider having him/her create a song list full of romantic love songs. Granted, your guests will want some music to get them moving, too, but a great slow dance every now and then will set the mood for romance.

Flowers: Flowers are by definition romantic, so use them in abundance for your Valentine’s Day theme wedding day. While roses are the classic, they may be expensive in February. You may want to look to other red, pink and white flower type, such as carnations, which look great and are typically inexpensive.

Menu: Since Valentine’s Day is the most popular lover’s holiday, why not fan the sparks between your guests by including some aphrodisiacs in the menu? You might include foods, such as oysters, asparagus, almonds, poultry with mole sauce (a Mexican chocolate sauce), chili peppers and chocolates.

Cake:Valentine’s Day is all about love, so a great option for your wedding cake might be a tiered cake in the shape of a heart. Other things you could incorporate might include cupid, Valentine’s Day cards, doves, candied hearts, sugar ribbons and, possibly, a Swarovski cake topper.

Invitations and Save the Dates: Again, Valentine’s Day is all about love…and so is your wedding day…so you may want to consider continuing the V-Day theme with hearts, flowers and “Love.” You’ll find a wide variety of appropriate wedding invitations and save the dates to convey your message at Best Little Wedding Shop.

Favors:Give your guests tiny heart-shaped boxes of candy, chocolate kisses in a mesh bag tied with a red bow or heart-shaped ornaments that can be used on your guests’ Christmas tree as a remembrance of your big day.

Special Touches: Instead of table numbers, consider naming your tables after famous romantic couples…from today and yesterday. For some great ideas, check out Famous Couples website.

Lisa Bakewell

The purpose of your wedding gift registry is to help you and your spouse-to-be get off on the right foot. This is a task that you should do together, but one that you should both enjoy. After all, it’s not too often that you get to make a list of items that you want…and need!

Here are things to consider when registering for your wedding gifts:

Where should you register?

Registering at multiple stores is a good idea. That will give your guests a nice array of price points and gift ideas. Consider registering at stores like Target, Macy’s, Bed Bath & Beyond and any local stores that you frequent…and your guests may, as well.

How many gifts should you register for?

You can go crazy here. Pick as many gifts as you’d like to have, and choose several price points. This will allow guests of all income levels to get gifts for you that fit into their budget. Also, some of your guests will want to buy a lot of smaller items, and other guests may want to chip in on a larger gift for you and your soon-to-be spouse, so a well thought out list will give them lots of options.

When should you register?

Register at your chosen stores about six months prior to your wedding date. This will give your guests time to purchase items for your shower(s), as well as your wedding. Don’t register too far in advance, though, or you run the risk of your favorite store discontinuing an item that you register for.

What types of gifts should you ask for?

This is another area where you shouldn’t restrict yourself. Sit down with your significant other and make a list of all of the items that you think you’ll need to purchase within the next year. Consider kitchenware, linens, home appliances, luggage and furniture. Also, consider lifestyle gifts. If there are movies, CDs, sporting equipment, etc. that you’d like to have, include them.

How do you tell your guests where you’ve registered?

You can include an announcement of your gift registry choices in your wedding invitation, or you can pass along the information through family members and close friends.

Gifts to consider adding to your registry:

China
Flatware
Drinkware
Cookware
Bakeware
Small Appliances
Bedding
Linens
Tools
Home Improvement Gift Cards
Lifestyle Gifts (camera equipment, computer equipment, sports equipment and entertainment equipment)

Note: If a lot of your guests live out of town, consider large retailers that have shipping available, so that guests don’t have to transport your gift. This will also save time for guests who are busy, because they can order your gifts online at any time of the day or night.

Lisa Bakewell

Want to make your wedding anniversary a party–every year? Then consider having your wedding on New Year’s Eve! As a bonus, it will be very unlikely that either you or your spouse will forget your anniversary.

Arrange to have an early evening ceremony, so that you can plan to get your personal New Year’s Eve party started around 8pm. Not only will you and your spouse have a great time; your friends and relatives will have an awesome New Year’s Eve party to attend where everyone knows plenty of other people.

After the wedding ceremony, and prior to your New Year’s Eve party/reception, you and your groom should change into party clothes. You could wear a cocktail gown (the more glitter, the better), and, if you’d like, your groom can change into a suit instead of wearing his tux.

Good colors for a New Year’s Eve wedding reception might be silver, gold, white and black. These colors are very sophisticated and will go well with nearly any décor.

Consider opting for a nice buffet of appetizers and finger foods instead of serving a dinner. Veggies, fruits, crackers, meats, and cheese trays are perfect for this occasion. You might also include finger foods such as Buffalo wings and shrimp. These foods lend themselves to being eaten while standing, so your guests will feel more in the New Year’s party mode.

Plan on offering a fully stocked bar, since you won’t be buying a full meal. Make sure that you include non-alcoholic beverages, as well, and provide champagne for the mid-night toast. Using plastic wineglasses instead of champagne flutes for the toast will help to keep expenses down.

You’ll want your table décor and reception decorations to be very festive. Consider using confetti on the tables with candles that can be used to set the mood for the mid-night toast when the lights are turned down. Also, baskets of noisemakers and hats make nice table decorations and double as wedding favors and toasting gear when the time is right.

Make sure that your DJ or band has Old Lang Syne prepared for the mid-night festivities. Another nice feature would be a large screen television so that you can watch the ball drop at mid-night.

Last, make sure that you provide plenty of coffee and pizza to your guests before they leave your party. It would be a shame if anyone was pulled over by police when leaving your reception. Better yet, reserve a block of rooms at a nearby hotel, and have your guests stay.

A final note, when planning to have a New Year’s Eve wedding reception, you should give your guests plenty of time to plan for it. Make sure that you send out your Save the Date cards well in advance.

Lisa Bakewell