How to Avoid Cookie Cutter Wedding Formats

We all want our wedding to be memorable and very few truly want it to fit into a cookie cutter wedding format, but how do you avoid it? Aren’t all wedding pretty much the same? Only for the unimaginative and the lazy couple – and even at that by the time you pull everything together a cookie cutter wedding might end up to be an equal amount of work as a unique nuptial celebration designed to fit the individual couple.

Dream – Together: If you don’t want a wedding that looks like every other nuptial celebration you have ever seen, then the question becomes what would you like your wedding to look like? At this point you must not let yourself worry about “how weddings are done,” – that’s the cookie cutter wedding format that you are trying to avoid. Rather, you must let your imagination run wild. You will bring it back to reality in the next step but for now dream and dream bigger than your nature allows. If you do not allow your dreams to break out of the cookie cutter orbit then there is no way your wedding will - with or without cookie cutter wedding favors!

Prioritize: The only essentials in any wedding are the bride, the groom, and the individual who will make your union legal (usually a clergy or a justice of the peace). Clothing is a close second. After that, despite our preconceptions (my own included), everything else in the wedding simply ...

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The Problems with Cookie Cutter Weddings

Cookie cutter weddings can be avoided - even by embracing them.

Don't believe me? Read on...

If you just want, “A Wedding”, then perhaps a cookie cutter wedding is the way to go. It is, after all, easy. As a matter of fact, there are wedding facilities available, and not just in Las Vegas or Reno, that provide everything you expect – that is as long as you expect a white dress, black tux, a smattering of flowers, a standard white wedding cake (that might even be artificial so they can reuse it), and a few pictures. If that is all the celebration your wedding deserves, then a cookie cutter wedding is probably for you.

But…

If you want a wedding that truly celebrates your new life together then you want to get away from a cookie cutter wedding – as far away from it as possible.

To do so, requires planning and planning a wedding requires thought. It is not hard work, but it is not easy either. Especially, since, in most cases the weddings that little girls grow up dreaming of are little more than cookie cutter weddings.

This is natural. Often a young girl is dazzled... Continue reading The Problems with Cookie Cutter Weddings

How Your Venue Affects Your Wedding Color Choices

In a perfect world the task of choosing wedding colors would be as simple as choosing your favorite combination and leaving it at that. Unfortunately, we don’t live in a perfect world. Neither do we live in a vacuum. And the practice of choosing our favorite combination forgets that our wedding colors have to work in our wedding venue… as many brides have discovered after it was too late to do anything to remedy the situation.

Let me illustrate with the story of some friends of ours who were looking to redecorate the interior of their house (stick with me; this is incredibly relevant to your choice of wedding colors). They started off where everyone says you should start, by dreaming about what they wanted. After much discussion the settled on a color scheme, but there was just something that still did not feel quite right so they found a local company that provided free access to a design consultant.

The meeting with the design consultant was a real eye opener. The colors they had chosen went beautifully together – but not in their house! If they were building a new house or renewing absolutely everything in the house the combination could be stunning – but those colors would not work with the red oak flooring of their house, or the tile work, or....

Likewise, you can choose an incredible combination for your wedding colors but if you haven’t taken into consideration the colors already present in your wedding venue then you run the risk of creating a look that you would not wish on your worst enemy’s wedding, much less your wedding day.

Remedy for This Wedding Color Dilemma

As illustrated above, the process of choosing your wedding colors begins with incorporating the colors, tones, and shades already present in your wedding venue. This can be accomplished in one of three ways:

1. Choose your wedding colors before you choose your wedding venue and then search until you find a venue that will accommodate your choice of wedding colors. Unfortunately, unless you have years to dream and search this is often not very practical.
   
2. Take as many pictures of your wedding venue as possible so you have a record of the specific shades and tones of everything that will be in the venue when you are getting married. Of course, if the venue provides a sample kit of painted or stained woods, fabric swatches, etc it is worth your while to make full use of it in choosing your wedding color scheme.
   
3. Build your own wedding venue. That way you can control the color scheme for your wedding from the start.

You want your wedding to be stunning. Something you are going to look back on with fondness for years to come. You do not want something as simple as your choice of the color of the bridesmaids’ dresses to make your wedding visually unattractive. So prevent that wedding stress by choosing your wedding colors is relatively easy – as long as you consider all of the colors that will be present.

The Advantages of Hiring a Wedding Planner

I did not hire a wedding planner when I got married.

I should have.

It would have made my life a lot easier.

Yes, I made it through the event. The wedding happened and it was… well, a wedding.

Best of all, I married a wonderful man and had all my family and friends around to help us celebrate. But it could have been much better with the assistance of a wedding planner / coordinator / consultant / designer (yes, there are subtle differences, but for the most part the terms are interchangeable) it could have been much more memorable.

Now that I have worked in the industry for more than a few years I would not need their services as much as I did the first time, but I would still seriously think about employing a wedding planner. The reasons are multiple, but here are the main reasons:

• Ideas: An experienced wedding planner offers you the one thing no bride (except a serial bride) has – experience. Even an unimaginative one has been involved with enough weddings and seen enough to have ideas that you have probably never thought of. Besides, most wedding planners get into the wedding planning business because they love weddings. They love to dream of new and imaginative ways to stage a wedding. This reason alone could help you break the cookie cutter wedding mold and avoid the common mistakes that turn an otherwise elegant affair into a tacky event.
  
• Knowledge of Resources: A good coordinator has the experience to know what constitutes a good price and is poor price on each particular discipline that are commonly used for weddings. Likewise they know where ...

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The Functionality of Weight Loss Calorie Calculators for Brides

Many brides find that a weight loss calorie calculator help them to stay on track when they are losing weight.

A good weight loss calorie calculator can be purchased for a reasonably low cost and if you find that having one of these will help you to stay on your diet then it is probably a good investment in helping you reach your goal weight in time for your big day.

On the other hand there are other people who find that having a weight loss calorie calculator makes dieting become too difficult and all-consuming. They don't like to be reminded constantly of the need to having to count calories and it is quite possible for some people to find a weight loss calorie counter is a burden and might even be counter productive prompting the bride to actually gain weight due prior to the wedding to the added stress.

If you are unsure whether it will help you or not then it might pay to just buy a cheap weight loss calorie counter and try it for a while so you are not wasting a lot of money if you decide that you don't want to use it anymore. Of course, if like most brides you are on a timeline, you might find that you need something more to help you loose the pounds in time for your wedding day.

Surprise DeLorean With Doc Brown Lookalike Rolls Up At My Wedding [PICS]

Here is a wonderful example of a bride that gets it! No, I don't mean the extravagant cost of the gift. Rather, I am refering to the way she was willing to reach outside the box and personalize their celebration. That kind of gift would never be appropriate for my husband, just like not everyone is cut out for a reception with a white cake and a disco ball hanging over a portable dance floor. Some receptions should be elegant costume balls. Other's should be a barbeque with a friendly 'rodeo' competition for entertainment. Still other's should be more like a church worship service, while others would reflect the couple best if the wedding reception resembled a tea at a polo match... or perhaps a desert dinner theatre.

Here is the story:

My new wife Carrie surprised me with the ultimate wedding getaway car. I was expecting a limousine to pick us up after the wedding, but instead a DeLorean complete with Doc Brown lookalike rolled up to whisk us away. He had a radiation suit, stuffed "Einstein" red vest, JVC video camera PLUS a flux capacitor. That's the power of love, my friends.

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Are Fall Wedding Favor Options Really Limited?

If you are planning an autumn wedding then it is only natural that you wonder about your fall wedding favor options. Are you limited to leaf shaped chocolates wrapped in tulle? Absolutely not. Since the changing of the leaves is such a distinguishing mark of the fall season its easy to make the mistake of thinking that fall wedding favors absolutely must have a leaf motif.

True, the classic fall wedding reception look with a fall leaf motif need not remind anyone of farmer Johnson’s barn (even if it is in farmer Johnson’s barn!). Indeed a maple leaf shaped syrup bottle filled with maple syrup can be an elegant and practical gift your guests will adore for years to come. Likewise, a tastefully designed leaf photo coaster (preferably provided with pictures of you and your intended) can provide a nice combination of beauty, function, and seasonality.

Read: Non – Leaf Themed Favors Suitable for Fall Weddings

Ron Paul Themed Wedding?

As I have been recovering from the craziness of 7/7/07 I have taken the time to read a little more than I often afford myself. And in the course of my reading yesterday I ran across an article about a couple who recently requested, in lieu of wedding gifts, donations to the Ron Paul Presidential campaign. At first I, like so many other people, laughed. It was so different that it took me off guard and I scoffed.

But as I thought about their request to theme their wedding in at least this one small way around the Ron Paul candidacy throughout the day I had to say, "Why Not?"

Why? A wedding celebration should be just that. A celebration of your commitment to each other.

Yours.

Not annonymous bride & groom number 8456-26a.

Your wedding celebration should reflect you - both of you. If you are really into politics, like this couple who support Ron Paul, there is no reason why your wedding shouldn't reflect that (though I would caution that when it comes to politics you might want to provide a less controversial option for your guests who can't or don't support your politics but want to support you. Have give them an option of feeding children in a third world country through an organization such as World Vision).

If you are outdoors people who spend more time skiing (water or snow) than in a ballroom, doesn't it make sense to hold a wedding celebration that reflects that love in some way?

Conversely, if you are one who has spent your entire life avoiding church and anything having to do with church, does it make sense to suddenly run to your local church and plan a traditional religious wedding? If your religious beliefs are a big part of your life or if you are truly interested in opening that door of your life as you begin this new chapter of your life, go ahead, but if not don't do it just because, 'that's how it's done.'

That's silly - and a waste of money.

The point is, make your wedding celebration uniquely yours with what you are into now.

Yes, there may come a day when you will look back and cringe. That couple asking for donations to Ron Paul's campaign might someday support another candidate, or decide that politics are not the answer they once thought they were - but who cares. They celebrated using who they are and that's what counts.

Remember, celebrating a wedding is all about celebrating with your group of friends - your human and unique group of friends. To do anything else is to set yourself up to ruin your own wedding.

Think of it this way. You wouldn't go into an icecream store and order vanilla because you might someday decide that you don't like chocolate with fudge and chocolate covered peanuts swirled with caramel would you? Of course not. You'd order the style that appeals to you at that season of your life.

If you are into snow and the winter season in general, have a winter wedding. You can always hop a plane toward the sun and sand later on.

Why would you do any less when you plan your wedding day?

Disposable Wedding Cameras: Catch the Scenes Your Photographer Miss

Even if you have the best wedding photographer in the world, disposable wedding cameras nearly fall into the must have category. Yes, if you have done your homework your wedding photographer will be a highly trained professional with the experience to know how to get most of the normal pictures that a new couple wants to remember their marriage ceremony. But most does not mean all and unless you have hired an entire army of photographers there is absolutely no way they can be everywhere to catch those truly spontaneous moments that make any celebration memorable.

True, you could hire that army of photographers and hopefully end up with that many more top quality pictures but who can afford that? Okay, maybe Paris Hilton could, but most of us can’t. Besides, who would want that many professional photographers - read, strangers - in your face on one of the biggest days of your life? That’s where disposable wedding cameras are a bride & groom’s best friend.

Typically, at least one disposable wedding camera is placed at every table during the wedding reception. The point of this practice is to give the guests have the opportunity to take photographs from their vantage point. This way your own friends and loved ones are...

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Wedding Photography - 21 Tips for for Amateur Wedding Photographers

I don't recommend using an amateur photographer, but every couple has to decide what is important to them and in some cases saving the money and / or having the wedding photography done by someone that is close to the couple is more important than having professionally polished pictures. In such cases this checklist is a good place to start planning the photography.

Getting hitched? Shooting people getting hitched? Check this checklist out to avoid an angry bride hunting you down...

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A 'Happily Ever After' Ending with Fairytale Wine Stopper Wedding Favors

Wine has been at the center of wedding celebrations for millennia, so wine stopper wedding favors are a natural way to tie your choice wedding favors to your big day in the minds of your guests. For example, suppose your wedding was a fairytale themed wedding that included wine in your wedding reception. In that case a natural choice for your wedding favors would be fairytale wine stopper wedding favors that tied directly in to your theme like the 'Happily ever after' wine stoppers.

One great aspect of these fairytale wine stopper favors is that though they come in a four pack, they are designed so that you give them away individually. Yes, they each come in their own 2 ½ “ by 2 ¾” display box that reads, ‘And they lived happily ever after.’

Four Different Designs Means Variety for Your Reception Tables

Think about it. In most cases, when you give wedding favors, the favors are all the same , but with these fairytale wine stopper wedding favors your reception tables will be filled with variety – and that very variety will go a long way toward ...

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License to Wed Review

Here's another perspective on the Robin Williams movie, "License to Wed."

In License To Wed, Robin Williams plays Reverend Frank, an unorthodox (I’ll say!) marriage counselor who requires prospective wedding vow takers to complete a “Marriage Preparation Course” before tying the knot in his church.

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Movie Review: License to Wed

Since I talked about looking forward to this movie, I thought it was only fair to include this. I have not had time to see it yet - 07/07/07 is still to come and anyone in the wedding industry that has time to go see a movie... well, I can't imagine that there is anyone in the industry that has had time. I will probably still go check out "Licence to Wed". Hopefully it's not as bad as this review says it is.



Disappointment reared its ugly head as I was walking out of the romantic comedy, “License to Wed”, which has a lot more fighting than romance. Based on the trailers ,I was expecting a complete laugh fest with Robin Williams leading the charge. Unfortunately, “License to Wed” did not deliver.

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Free Weight Loss Exercise Program for Brides

While a free weight loss exercise program for brides might save you some money you might find that it is not the fast track that you you are hoping will get you to your optimum weight and into that gorgeous wedding gown.

IF you look around, you will find are many different programs on the market with people promoting them as the best. You will find also that there are many opportunities for you to find a free weight loss exercise programs on the Internet but quite often these programs are written by people who don't have sufficient knowledge for you to achieve the maximum benefits - especially in a bride's time frame.

Nutrition needs to be taken into account in any program and to achieve this optimally you really need specialist nutrition advice. Unfortunately, that is exactly what is often lacking with the free weight loss exercise programs that we find online.

Some of these free weight loss exercise programs are particularly deficient in the nutrition and can quite possibly lead to health problems (not good anytime, but especially as you are leading up to your wedding), so be careful before you start on any free weight loss exercise program that you might find.

Find more fun wedding planning tips at http://www.ExcitingWeddingFavors.com/fun-ideas-directory.html