Wedding Roar! Ways to make your day unique and special!

As my good friend Tanya used to say, "There's nothing like a good wedding." (That's her on the left when her friend Ann got married!)

But THAT'S not as easy as it sounds. Weddings seem like they are all the same. You do ALL that work and, usually, people can't remember your wedding from your cousin's.

Besides that, your feet kill at the end of the day and you're starving even though you just spend a billion dollars on food.

What's a girl to do? Read on for a bunch of hints that will help make your wedding day the BEST DAY OF YOUR LIFE!!

First, Have You Thought About What You're Doing?

OK, I made a mistake. I just wanna make sure you don't!!

Questions Couples Should Ask (Or Wish They Had) Before Marrying: "Relationship experts report that too many couples fail to ask each other critical questions before marrying. Here are a few key ones that couples should consider asking...."

BEWARE! These are GREAT questions. Answer them honestly.

YOUR CEREMONY

Give it the personal touch!

Eclectic Vows: If you want a personalized service that isn't full of the same old sounding stuff ... visit Eclectic Vows.

WEDDING BLOGS

Getting Hitched: Well, this one is about .... getting married. duh!
BridalWave: Frocks, Shoes, Food and Booz ... helping you to say "I do"
DC NearlyWed: Ah planning a wedding. Venture with us as we trod through the ever glamourous, vitally important, detail oriented process of orchestrating the most important day in a woman's life (or at least is seems that way at the time) all while attempting to maintain some decorum and have a great time. These are the DC Nearlyweds!!
Blog about Eco Friendly Weddings: A blog from Great Green Wedding
You May Now Kiss The Blog: Blogging on wedding highs and woes
Wedaholic: "Found a fun blog about weddings (not geared to eco friendly-ness) but fun nevertheless. Elle, from Scotland, writes a collection of wedding planning ideas. She talks up fads and trends and keeps us up to date on some of the more 'interesting' celebrity weddings. Good for a chuckle and getting life in perspective." (review from Great Green Wedding)

DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER

The Men's Guid to Buying Diamonds: Just engaged? Shopping for your diamond ring? Read this first .... everything you need to know about diamond shopping.
Conflict Free Diamond Jewelry: Here's the scoop on Brilliant Earth diamonds ... straight from their website...

"Conflict free diamonds are guaranteed to originate from socially and environmentally responsible sources. Conflict free diamonds are not associated with violence, human rights abuses, and environmental destruction.

What is a Conflict Diamond?
Did you know that some diamonds have helped fund devastating civil wars in Africa, ending millions of lives? Conflict diamonds or "blood diamonds" are associated with human rights abuses, environmental damage, and terrorism.

Our Conflict Free Guarantee
We exclusively offer Canadian diamonds, which are carefully tracked from the mine in Canada through cutting, polishing, and transport."

THE WEDDING WINDOW

Create and customize Your OWN wedding website to help you plan and stay organized for your wedding.

The Wedding Window: Be organized and save time!

Bring Charitable Giving To Weddings

I Do Foundation: Your wedding can raise money for charity. Visit this site to see how!

How to Plan for your Wedding

Here's how to eliminate worry ....

The ultimate wedding planner: If you want a worry-free wedding, here's how ... I saw Kathy plan her own wedding. Trust me, she's detail oriented! Read their fabulous testimonials.
Party POP: The World's Most Comprehensive Party and Wedding Planning Resource!
Plan a Wedding: Tips from Better Homes and Gardens: Personalize your wedding with these creative ideas for beautiful flowers, pretty cakes, lovely gifts, and more.

MAIL AWAY ... SPECIAL STAMPS FOR YOUR WEDDING INVITATIONS

There isn't anything uglier than a gorgeous invitation defaced by the American Flag. No offense to the American Flag, but it just WASN'T designed for the wedding invitation color scheme. Check out the good ole' post office's new wedding stamp. Wedding Stamp from the U.S. Post Office

Or, if you really want to be unique, create YOUR own stamp. Yes! PhotoStamps is officially authorized by the US Postal Service. Create a stamp with the two of YOU! Or, how about your adorable flower girl?! Create Your Own Wedding Stamp

DON'T DO ME ANY FAVORS ... JUST GIVE THEM TO ME!

OR, WHAT TO GIVE YOUR GUESTS!

Wedding Tea in a Vintage Tin: "Mutan White tea is infused with a hint of lemon-vanilla, and then pink rosebuds are added, to represent the bloom of new love. Our wedding tea comes in silken tea sachets, so the presentation of the tea is as elegant as the occasion it represents. Choose either a vintage tin with 20 sachets, or a tagalong tin with 5 sachets."
Guests remember everytime they look in their garden: Seeds as favors for weddings (and other events!) are a simple keepsake that keep on growing. Select from four colorful cut flower mixes.
Shortbread Favors: What a simply DELICIOUS idea! Give Vermont Shortbread Favors. Yum!!

IT NEVER HURTS TO HAVE AN EXTRA PHOTOGRAPHER OR TWO HANGING AROUND

Get a LOT of photos!: Don't miss out on getting lots on candid photos from your big day!! Here's an easy, convenient way to get a lot of pictures ...
YouShoot is a digital camera rental and website services company. YouShoot provides digital cameras for major events such as weddings, bar mitzvahs, and corporate events then posts pictures taken by guests to personal websites where people can come to view, share, download, and print their pictures.

TAKE NOTE

Invitations, notecards, announcements, thank you cards and more!

philoSophie's Online Store: Selected as of the "Best Entrepreneurs Under 25", check out the delightful collection of bridal stationery.
Hello Lucky: Featured in "Martha Stewart Weddings" these are some of the cutest wedding invitations and announcements I've seen!
Wedding Invitations for Stylish Couples: AS SEEN IN "MARTHA STEWARD LIVING"
Are you creative and resourceful? If so, we hope you enjoy looking through our do-it-yourself invitation kits. These designs are modern and fashion-forward. You can customize the invitations further to make them truly one of a kind. Because you are handling the printing and the assembly, these custom invitations are affordably priced. Each kit comes with everything you need to make your own invitations: paper, envelopes, wraps, ribbons, flowers, tools and MSword templates. Each invitation has been specifically designed to be printed inkjet and/or laser -- on your desktop.
Ceci - Collections - Weddings: These customized invitations are absolutely gorgeous and so dead on .... this designer is EXCELLENT. Typically the work of a designer can be detected from piece to piece, but these are each truly individual and customized for not only the person, but the theme of the wedding.

What To Wear

See the pretty girl in the mirror there, Wonder what she should wear ....

The amazing bra!: If your dress is backless or strapless, this bra is a MUST. I gave my daughter one for Christmas and she hated it ... until she tried it on. Now she thinks it's a GREAT gift. It's comfortable and doesn't show, even through a sheer dress or top. It gives the bra-less look without, ahem, feeling embarrassed. Try it, you'll LOVE it.
Customized, Eco-Friendly Wedding Gowns: Want a unique, fabulous, eco-friendly wedding gown? Visit Annatarian!

Your Wedding Registry

Easy, online buying for your guests ...gifts you'll LOVE

Cooking.com: Here's an easy to navigate site with a comprehensive product line, lots of information, and a wedding registry. Send your guests here and get everything you need for your kitchen!
Uncommon Goods: "In addition to providing unique items of outstanding quality, we also endeavor to feature merchandise created in harmony with the environment and without harm to animals or people. We have also launched a program called Better to Give, where we give our customers the opportunity to have UncommonGoods contribute to a non-profit organization each time they shop with us."
cb2 (from the folks at Crate & Barrel): What bride doesn't LOVE Crate and Barrel??

Now C&B has their own knock-off store filled with affordable items. Great place for a gift registry!

A Stomach Full of Butterflies

A honeymoon should always begin with a picnic ....

I don't have too many hints from my wedding ... it's too far back to remember and, besides, I'm divorced now. But, the one really smart thing I did (as I recall!) was to have a buffet. Now having a buffet in itself isn't so brilliant (although I have found that generally the guests enjoy a buffet more ... people love variety and they don't feel "stuck" at a table with someone else's relatives), but the brilliance was in having the staff pack a basket for me and my groom for AFTERWARDS. Trust me, when everyone has left and you have a chance to sit down, you'll realize you're hungry. A basket of goodies from the wedding sure hits the spot right at that moment. Then, on to dessert ...

The Grand Exit

What to throw as you leave the church!

If your wedding location bans rice or birdseed ... or if you want to be bombarded with something more romantic ...

And, just so you know WHY people are throwing things at you ... This is a very old tradition that dates back to ancient times. The custom is intended to give newlyweds good luck and most of the items thrown at the couple represent fertility and abundance.

A widely circulated urban legend says that if you throw rice at your wedding, birds will eat the uncooked rice, and it will expand in their stomachs, causing the birds to explode. There is no truth to this story, and ornithologists and bird watchers have thoroughly debunked the myth. Due to the urban legend, many in the wedding industry began recommending birdseed as a rice alternative. Of course, wedding businesses would prefer you buy their special "wedding" birdseed or "designer heart-shaped rice" that's supposed to be "safe" for birds. But don't buy into it -- inexpensive rice from your grocery store is just as safe for our feathered friends. The only danger rice poses is to people who might slip on rice on a hard floor (birdseed can be just as risky). Some wedding locations have banned rice and seed throwing out of lawsuit fears.
(from ask.yahoo)

Wedding Herbal Toss: Herbal Wedding Toss is a mixture which quickly biodegrades and doesn't sprout into weeds. Contians naturally scented herbs, lavender flowers, rose petals, chamomile flowers and rosemary.

HERE'S THE SCOOP

WEB: Splendora Bridal: Check out Splendora's Bridal section. They also have information specific to Los Angeles, San Francisco and NY.
WEB, eNEWSLETTER: Daily Candy's Bridal Editions: Desperately seeking ideas on how to make your wedding and your honeymoon the best? Check out "Daily Candy" (go to their website and do a search on "wedding"). Even if you can't afford the price tag, you'll get some fab ideas!

For the Princess Bride and her Bridesmaids

Sweet sensations from Fun Little Things: Heather creates these wonderful scents ... and check out all the great press she's gotten. These are great for the bride and for bridesmaids' gifts.
ETSY: Weddings: Etsy is an online marketplace for buying and selling all things handmade. Etsy lets you shop by color, place, time and material. You can find a delightful selection of wedding related items ... all handmade and beautifully priced.

"Best of the New Web" (in the Shopping category) - Business Week
Crowning Glory and other jewelry: Keeping with my concept that brides should be "princesses" (ok, ALL us girls should be "princesses" bride or not!), check out the tiaras and other headgear. Love them! My next wedding, I'm definitely wearing a tiara. Plus, say goodbye to other boring and traditional wedding jewelry. Make a statement. All this jewelry for you and your wedding party is lovingly designed and hand-crafted by Lisa.
Leanna Lin Jewelry: Leanna does jewelry and hairpins. She uses vintage Czech glass flowers, leaves, pearls and other semi-precious stones. They are put together with silk cord, organza ribbon and floating wire. Leanna also creates coordinating jewelry for the wedding party.
Jewelry You Design Online by Desori: Desori handcrafts the jewelry you design. Day, Evening and Bridal wear available. You can get what you want while controlling what you pay!

Amazon Weddings: Wedding Bells Ring

Four Weddings and a Funeral
"A surprise hit and one of the highest grossing films ever to come out of Great Britain, this effortlessly enchanting romantic comedy finds confirmed bachelor Hugh Grant (Nine Months) attending weddings with his single friends as they all lament not being able to commit."

My Best Friend's Wedding
One of the best romantic comedies of the 1990s, My Best Friend's Wedding not only gave Julia Roberts a delightful vehicle for her crowd-pleasing comeback, but it further distinguished itself by avoiding the conventional plotting of the genre.

WHERE OH WHERE

Event Facilities: Visit Marketing Solutions: Event Planning for a list of event facilities in Los Angeles.

Wedding Vows Frame

A lasting tribute to wedding day vows, this beautiful laser-engraved frame features the couple's first names and their vows in a solid wood. Available in 3 sizes.

Fabric Wedding Album, Personalized

Preserve cherished wedding memories with this satin-covered wedding album. An excellent gift for the happy couple, it's easy to personalize with their names and wedding date.

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