Some Trends That Need to Hit the Door??

If you’re a bride-to-be who’s anything like me, you’ve more than likely been guilty of (or perhaps a better term: fallen victim to) the inevitable, internet OVER-search.  With the World Wide Web access being so readily available and containing such a vast threshold of all the latest and greatest, it’s soooo easy to get sucked into the “Hottest Trends for 2010″ or “Wedding Etiquette 101″ or “What 2 Do 2 Cure the Monster-in-Law Blues” or… you get the drift.  And with all this pre-wedding curiosity bursting at the seams, wedding searches just may be the biggest version of unnoticed overload ever.
 
Because there are so many options for brides to choose from, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed when it comes to planning your wedding.  So, why not try to sort through things by the process of elimination?  If your interest is to have an event that your guests will love as much as you do, why not look to see what other people or even you, yourself, are constantly complaining about and delete them off the list!?

Recently, lemondrop.com – a self proclaimed sweet, tasty and tart blog – published an article on wedding trends they hope will disappear titled, I Now Pronounce You Annoying — Wedding Trends That Need to Go.  Written in a sarcastically humorous tone, the author introduces the “Debbie Downer” trends by stating:

The older you get and the more weddings you attend, the more they stop being fun and start sucking the life force out of you. (lemondrop.com)

And while the sentiment being expressed is over exaggerated, its underlying message is not. Here are lemondrop.com‘s Picks 2 Nix, but what I want to know is if you agree:

1. “Half-a-Dozen Parties Before the Actual Wedding.”  Stating annoyance in the fact that a wedding is not just a wedding, but an Engagement Dinner, Bridal Shower, Bachelor / Bachelorette Party, Rehearsal Dinner, Ceremony and Reception… are weddings becoming too costly – and, in turn, too annoying – for guests to remain excited for when the actual day arrives?
2. “The Long, Intensely Religious Religious Ceremony.”  Because not everyone on a couple’s guest list will necessarily be of the same religious denomination, is it too much to ask for everyone to participate in a ceremony that may or may not last over an hour when they don’t actually practice the faith? 
3. “The Bouquet Toss.”  While a time-honored tradition – no doubt – is the bouquet toss becoming more of a necessary evil, filled with self-conscious single ladies battling for a bouquet or is it still a fun and essential part of the reception’s routine?
4. “Stupid Toasts.”  Laying reference to the excess length (and inevitably, the excess amount of undisclosed information) a wedding speech can emit, do you think it’s more important to keep things moving along or let your best man recall the ultra embarrassing time you blankety-blanked the blank, down to the very last, nitty gritty - painfully discomforting – detail? 
5. “DJs Who Demand You DANCE!”  In lieu of the fact that in due time, all the beer drinking patrons will eventually make it to the dance floor, is it necessary for DJ Jazzy (fill in name here) to constantly announce for everyone to “get up off of that thang!” or simply just let them “dance when they feel better?”
6. “Video Testimonials.”  Stating that only the most “obnoxious, drunk and unstable guests take the opportunity” to divulge in such a awkward process, are video testimonials becoming the TMI portion of a bride and groom’s happy day?

Now, more importantly than this list, is your opinion of it ORRRR even better yet, other things you’d like to add!

For wedding planning help and tips, contact Erica Spitulski, owner of An Elegant Affair Events, at Erica@ElegantAffairEvents.net

Shower Sanity

If you can, make all of your hosts aware of other showers being planned, so they don't accidentally overlap. Knowing you're having more than one shower, they may want to gear each party in a different direction. Your friends could host a lingerie shower; your coworkers could throw a pantry-stocking party, and your family might plan a domestics/housewares party.

Blended Families ~ Tips for Adding Steps to the Big Day

   Years and years ago, getting married used to include the bride’s parents and the groom’s parents, the father of the bride walked the bride down the aisle, and the mother and father of the bride gave her away to be joined with her husband. Over the years though, you see more and more couples getting married where one or both of them have stepparents due to divorce of their biological parents. So, the question of how to involve the biological parents and the stepparents in the wedding might be raised.


   For some, involving the stepparents is not a difficult task. It seems that the two sets of parents get along with each other or are at least civil to one another, so involving everyone in your wedding won’t be risky and won’t offend anyone. But there are circumstances where none of the parents, biological or stepparent, can get along at all, they can’t even seem to be in the same room for five minutes without some kind of a disagreement taking place. You might ask how to go about handling a situation such as that one.

   I highly suggest that you sit down with both sets of parents and inform them that you would like for all of them to participate in and share in your big day, but that you have some reservations about doing so, and then explain to them what your reservations are and ask if they have any suggestions on how this can be worked out so that all of them can share in your day with you. Do not be afraid to tell them exactly how you expect things to go because this is your special day and not a single part of it should be ruined just because four adults can’t seem to be civil to one another for a few hours for the sake of your happiness.

   There are a couple of things that you can do to include them all in your ceremony. One way would be to sit all four of them in the row designated for the parents. Another way would be to take two different sets of wedding pictures, one with the biological family and one with the stepfamily. And, another very important way to include both sets of parents would be to allow both dads to walk their little girl down the aisle, one on each side of her.

   The point is, this is your day and nothing should be allowed to ruin it for you. Both sets of parents will have to be adult enough to be civil to each other throughout the wedding and reception. If this is something that they are unwilling or incapable of doing then perhaps it's time for them to realize it is your day...