We’ll be at the Marlboro bridal show this Sunday - September 7th.  This is a great show, so if you’re planning a metro west wedding you won’t want to miss it. 

Click here for details on the show.

If you go to the show be sure to stop by our booth and say hi.

As if the whole idea of getting married and planning a wedding isn’t an adventure in itself, I was recently surprised to come across a bunch of websites featuring adventure weddings.  Just a few weeks ago, the Today Show had a segment about a British couple who exchanged vows while strapped to the outside of biplanes 1,000 feet above ground.  Talk about love being in the air! 

I decided to search the web to see what other adventure or extreme weddings I could find.  Not surprisingly, I came across several underwater weddings. I had heard of scuba diving couples tying the knot that way but I was surprised to find several businesses offering those types of weddings all over the world from the hotel in Malaysia that offers underwater wedding packages or scuba dive weddings in Hawaii or St. Croix.  I also came across mountain top weddings, ballpark weddings, ranch weddings, sky dive weddings, even weddings from a helicopter flying over the Vegas strip.  But the most unusual wedding that I came across was a clip from TLC’s Wild Weddings featuring a naked wedding for a nudist couple.  A naked wedding, now that’s what I call extreme!

Extreme Wedding Videos
Just click on an image to view these extreme wedding videos.

 
High Flying Ceremony

Skydiving Ceremony

 
Scuba Diving Ceremony

Scuba Diving Ceremony in Hotel Pool

I found most of these videos on YouTube, so please let me know if you find another ‘extreme’ wedding video.
 

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.

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!

Finding just the right gift for thanking friends and family for being a part of your wedding day can be tough.   Here are a few suggestions for the groomsmen.

Personalized Groomsmen Gifts
Consider giving a personalized groomsmen gift, such as an personalized pocket knife, poker set or monogramed sports bag.

   
       Poker Set                Pocket Knife              Monogram Sport Bag
 

Cuff Links
Consider giving each groomsman a set of cuff links with his initials engraved on them.  They’ll be able to wear them on your wedding day and on future, special occasions.

Groomsmen Golf Gifts
If the guys are planning a day of golf before the wedding, consider getting wedding golf balls for each member of your wedding party.  They come 3 to a set and include 2 balls indicating their role in the wedding and 1 “tuxedo” golf ball.   There are golf balls for the groom, best man, groomsmen, father-of-the groom and father of the bride.

   
  Wedding Golf Balls       Golf Tool Keychain        Golf Towel
 

Bar Gifts
These personalized gifts are great for thanking your groomsmen, plus make a nice touch to an all guys celebration or your rehearsal dinner.

  

Click here for more groomsmen gifts ideas.

Ubisoft recently announced a new edition to their Imagine Series - Imagine Wedding Designer.  The game will allow the player to act as a wedding planner.  They’ll be able to select the bride’s wedding gown, design invitations and plan reception and ceremony details.  Of course they’ll be a few unexpected events thrown in to keep the planner on her toes!

Ubisoft’s Imagine series is a set of popular games designed specifically for girls (ages 6-14),  Other games include Imagine Rock Star, Imagine Teacher, Imagine Fashion Designer, Imagine Figure Skater, Imagine Master Chef and Imagine Babyz.

Imagine Wedding Designer is scheduled to be released in time for the 2008 Holiday season.

The tagline for the movie version of the hit musical “Mamma Mia!” is, “Take a trip down the aisle you’ll never forget,” and knowing the plot, I would say that there really is truth in advertising.  If you don’t know the story, here’s a quick summary to get you up to speed.  Meryl Streep plays Donna, a single mom who owns a hotel on a fictional Greek Island.  Her daughter Sophie, played by Amanda Seyfried, is in the midst of planning her wedding and wants her dad to walk her down the aisle.  One problem, she doesn’t know who her dad is. But Sophie secretly discovers her mom’s diary and finds out she has three possible fathers, Harry played by Colin Firth, Bill played by Stellan Skarsgard, and Sam played by Pierce Brosnan.  She wants to find out who her father is, so without her mom knowing, she invites all three of the men to her wedding. 

Sounds like a recipe for wedding disaster right?  But with ingredients like comedy, romance, and the fun music of ABBA, it seems like “Mamma Mia!” will serve up a big dish of laughs and makes a perfect girl’s night out for brides-to-be and their bridal parties.  So put down the Emily Post Wedding Etiquette guide, take a break from your own wedding planning, take a walk down the aisle with Sophie and go see “Mamma Mia!” on July 18^th. 

Click here to view a trailer of Mamma Mia.

Not only were the bells of liberty ringing in Philadelphia on July 3^rd but wedding bells were ringing as well.  The city of Philadelphia was the perfect backdrop for an exchange of vows at historic Independence Hall.  But who would get married at Independence Hall on the day before July 4th?  None other than founding father Benjamin Franklin and Betsy Ross of course.  

Now I know you might think this wedding could simply be a PR gimmick to promote the city’s July 4^th Welcome America festivities, but even though Philadelphia’s Mayor Nutter officiated the wedding, the bride, groom and wedding party wore period colonial formalwear and costumes, and the couple rode off in a horse drawn coach, this wedding was a real wedding. 

Ralph Archbold who has portrayed Ben Franklin in Philadelphia since 1973 and his bride, Linda Wilde, who portrays Betsy Ross, showed their love for each other and history with their unique wedding location and date.  It’s fitting that Independence Hall, the birthplace of the US, is the birthplace of their new life together.  Here’s hoping sparks will fly for this special couple for many years to come!

Read the full article on Ben & Betsy’s wedding.