I just found this great blog - Offbeat Wedddings from the author of the similarly titled book ‘Offbeat Bride’.  The web site features all sorts of offbeat and unique weddings from real brides.

So put down those wedding handbooks and take a peek at how some couples bucked tradition and hosted a wedding that truly reflected their individual style.

You can buy the ‘Offbeat Bride’ on Amazon.com.

This past week was the International Formalwear Association’s annual expo of retail specialists and exhibitors, a time when formalwear manufacturers present their newest designs and styles for the upcoming season and retailers exchange ideas.  This is like fashion week for the formalwear industry featuring the latest products from footwear, neckwear and formal accessories, jewelry and cuff links, shirts, and of course, tuxedos.  Many of the tuxedo styles you can already find in stores from Perry Ellis, Calvin Klein and After Six most likely debuted at an IFA expo and now it’s time for a new crop of styles to hit the market and your local store. 

Representatives from bridal magazines also attend the expo to get the scoop on the latest innovations and trends in the formalwear business. Some styles and products presented at the expo might even show up in a magazine. 

So if you ever wondered how your formalwear store picked the tuxedos they sell or how the bridal magazines find their featured products, they may have seen them at an IFA expo.

For the IFA members store locator, visit http://www.formalwear.org/.

Most couples head to the beach for their honeymoon, so here are a few honeymoon must-haves.  If you still haven’t booked your honeymoon, check out Bride’s Honeymoon Guide for a list of top honeymoon destinations.

Honeymoon Flip Flops
This fun, flip flops, will imprint the words “Just Married” in the sand as you walk along the beach!  You’ll find different styles for both the bride and groom.

Honeymoon Beach Towels
If you’re headed to the beach you’ll need beach towels.  Consider Mr & Mrs Beach Towels or Let the Fun Begin Beach Towels.

Honeymoon Beach Hats
A matching set of bucket hats will keep the sun out of your eyes and will make for some cute honeymoon photos.

Click here for more honeymoon accessories.

Here are a few accessories that will make packing for your honeymoon easier.

Travel Cosmetic Bags
A cosmetic bag is ideal for holding all your toiletries.  Consider getting his and her monogrammed cosmetic bags to use on your honeymoon and any future trips you take together.
  

Fun Luggage Tags
These honeymoon luggage tags will let everyone know you’re on your honeymoon!  Who knows maybe they’ll lead to a few, unexpected freebies or upgrades!

Tote Bags
You’ll need a tote bag to carry all those miscellanious items onto the plane, so consider a bride’s tote bag, Just Married Tote Bag or Monogrammed Duffle Bag?

Click here for more honeymoon accessories.

I suggest packing for your honeymoon at least a week in advance.  Especially if you’re leaving for your honeymoon the day of or day after your wedding.  By packing in advance, you’ll be less likely to forget those important items.

Honeymoon Checklist
Here are a few must-haves you won’t want to forget:

-Drives License or Passport (Yes, you need a passport for the Carribean.)
-Sun Block
-Sunglasses
-Camera and extra batteries
-Prescription Medicines
-Cash/Traveller’s Checks/Credit Cards
-Toothbrush
-Books
-Voltage Converter (if you’re travelling outside the USA)
-List of Addresses (to send postcards)
-Stamps

If you still haven’t booked your honeymoon, check out this list of 50 Best Honeymoon Spots.

Over the past couple of years, it seems like you can’t turn on the computer, TV or open a newspaper without hearing or reading something about going green and becoming eco-friendly.  There’s even a new eco-lifestyle TV network, Planet Green.  Wikipedia gives this definition - Environmentally friendly, eco-friendly, and nature friendly are synonyms used to refer to goods and services considered to inflict minimal harm on the environment.  Brides want to do their part to help the environment too so it’s no wonder they are incorporating this concept into their wedding planning and gift registries. 

Now I am far from an expert on ways to go green but there seems to be some easy ways to add eco-friendliness to your wedding.  If you can go full blown “green” with your wedding that’s awesome, but if you can’t, here are a few things you can do:

- Include food from a caterer that uses local, organic and sustainable meats and produce
- Buy invitations made from recycled paper or embedded with seads that can be planted
- Use biodegradable plates and utensils or plates made from sustainable bamboo
- Light beeswax candles instead of petroleum-based
- Take into account your carbon footprint and off-set it with the planting of new trees
- And my favorite, make a donation to your favorite environmental group in honor of your guests instead of giving out favors.

More Information on Green Weddings:
View Sara Snow’s Green Wedding Tips video.
Find ideas for a green gift registry at planetgreen.discovery.com
Estimate the carbon footprint of your wedding at carbonfund.org
Read Chic Green Weddings at Brides.com

Right about now we’re in the middle of those hazy, lazy days of summer.  Instead of reaching for the remote, many of us are reaching for some summer reading.  If you’re lounging at the pool or soaking up some sun on the beach, a good book should not be out of reach.  Chick lit that’s romantic and fun makes for easy, breezy summer reading.

At a recent trip to a local bookstore, I was pleasantly surprised to find a large selection of wedding related books, not the wedding planning variety, but fictional stories with a wedding theme.  One of my favorite books that fits in this category is “Shopaholic Ties the Knot” by Sophie Kinsella.  The main character, Becky Bloomwood, ends up having two weddings planned for the same day, a huge New York wedding given by her future mother-in-law and an English garden wedding given by her mom.   She wants both weddings and the unfolding story is hilarious. 

Another book that looked like a fun read was “The Wedding” by Danielle Steel focusing on Hollywood weddings.  So before you leave for vacation, you may want to browse your local bookstores or check out www.amazon.com for some great beach books.

It’s not very uncommon for couples to try and plan their wedding on a specific date because of something special that may have happened on that date. I’ve known couples who set their wedding dates based on the date of their engagement or first date but I’ve never heard of couples setting their wedding dates based on numerological significance until now.

With August 8^th just around the corner, I’ve read about how popular it is to have an August 8, 2008 wedding.  From what I’ve read, an 8 is a lucky number in Chinese culture so to be married on a day when the date is 8/8/08 is very fortunate.  When an 8 is turned on its side, it also resembles the mathematical sign for infinity so this is another reason why this date is a popular one for weddings this year.  

According to an article in the New York Times, The Knot says the number of weddings registered on its websites, www.theknot.com and www.weddingchannel.com are four times higher on August 8^th than other Fridays in August. Resorts in the Caribbean, Hawaii and Las Vegas are even offering special wedding deals for this date too.  Too bad some of us are already married. We’re missing out on the lucky date and the great deals!