I went to another wedding event recently where I realized that do-it-yourself (aka DIY) has become a must in wedding planning. There are a number of sites dedicated to it that do it well. Besides Martha Stewart, who is known for her elegant crafts and decadent details, there are a few others such as www.diybride.com that has a variety of tips and hints for brides who want to roll up their sleeves and get involved. Although I am not the Queen of Crafts, I think there are still ways for brides-to-be like me who are artistically challenged.

How about having a candy bar filled with jars of sweets with cellophane bags for your guests to take home? Personalize gift tags with your wedding information on them and leave them out for guests to seal their bag of sweet treats. I found these perfectly sweet gift tags from Tiny Prints. You can add whatever you want on them to make your wedding more personal. How’s that for doing it yourself? It’s fast, simple, and easy.

Falling Flowers

Did you know that according to folk tradition, leap day is when women can take the lead in popping the question? And, even better, tradition states that their proposals cannot be refused! In fact, according to legend, Queen Margaret of Scotland passed a law in 1288 requiring that fines be imposed if a marriage proposal was refused by a man - fines for refusal ranged from a kiss to a dress.

We thought this would be an interesting fact to share with any of your girlfriends who are on the fence about popping the question! If she can get her plan in place quickly, tomorrow may be the perfect date to go for it.

Did you propose to your fiancé? If so, post a comment and share your story with us.

Source: Wikipedia - Leap Year Entry

One thing I’ve learned about planning my wedding is that everyone will give you lots of advice about how to do your day. Whether it’s who to invite or what you should wear, people will give you advice even if you don’t ask for it. While the best thing to do is to listen to them and then decide for yourself what you want to do, I have recently been given advice worthy of being retold here.

1) Have a wedding day of coordinator. Whether or not you can afford to drop down 10% or more of your total budget, having a day of coordinator is possible and may be one of your best investments to insure your day is stress-free. Think of a good friend who is organized and loves to plan, and this may be someone you can ask. Or how about asking a relative who would love to get involved? A day of coordinator will be the go to person of the day. So try to ask someone who knows you and your tastes and someone you can depend on to make sure things run smoothly.

2) Delegate, delegate, delegate! Don’t keep all the responsibilities to yourself. When people ask you for help, and they will, try to think of things they enjoy doing so that helping you will feel fun and not like a chore. For example, one of my friends loves doing sign-ins for events, so she was happy to do this for me. At first, it was difficult to ask people for help because I thought it might burden them. But the more I did it, the more it seemed that friends and family were sincerely happy to help.

3) Relax and let go! You know that saying that “anything that can happen will.” Well your wedding is no exception! Sure you want it to be perfect. It’s the day you’ve dreamed about most of your life and you’re investing a lot of time and energy in it. But it’s one day. Try to appreciate the extra moments you have spending with friends and family to plan all these events. And most important try not to lose sight of what makes this day truly magical-your relationship!

That’s it! Just three ways to hopefully help you enjoy your wedding, and all the planning that goes into it, a little more.

Brandi posted on the sweet and scrumptious cupcake trend sweeping weddings across the nation. I :heart: cupcakes and think that they are super sweet, but understand that this may not always work for couples looking for more formal options. It probably would also be a problem for couples whose parents are just like mine and say things like, “What would people think if you didn’t have a cake?”

Considering this, I thought I would share my most recent find from the current issue of Brides magazine - America’s most beautiful wedding cakes. This issue features some of the most beautiful and ornate wedding cakes I have ever seen. Most of these cakes look like a million bucks (and probably cost a few thousand)!

Check out some of my favorite wedding cake inspirations:

By guest blogger Manus Chau

As a freelance wedding photographer, photography lands in my top 5 most important things for wedding planning, of course! Here’s my list in no particular order:

• date
  • ceremony
  • reception location
  • colors
  • photography

There are a lot of talented photographers out there, but it can be confusing to know where to start. A great first step is to ask friends who recently got married for recommendations. It’s very common in this industry to hire through referrals. Next, check out the photographer’s style to see if it’s compatible with yours. Meet with potential photographers to see if they’re a good fit for your event. Spend some time getting to know him or her and observe what kind of personality they have. After all, your photographer will spend a great deal of time with you on your big day.

Engagement photos are very popular and many photographers include them in their packages. This is a great opportunity to get to know your photographer before the actual wedding day. You’ll also be able to dress up, look hot, and have fun at the same time. You can use engagement photos on your personal blogs, share them with friends and family, or if you have them taken well in advance and have time, send out a photo save the date card. You’ll want to make sure that Uncle Bob and Aunt Jane who live across the country know all about your big bash!

Have you ever wondered why brides, grooms, wedding party members and even priests “pass out” regularly during wedding ceremonies? You might even have trepidation about the same thing happening to you or a loved one on your big day. People commonly joke that fainting is really about the bride getting more attention, the frightening realization of the wedding cost or the groom’s last, desperate attempt to stay single. In reality it’s much simpler than anything we can plan.

Fainting generally happens when not enough oxygen flows through your blood and into your brain. You briefly lose consciousness for a few seconds or even minutes. Wedding related fainting could be caused by stress, low blood sugar, a hangover, fatigue, heat, standing with locked knees, not breathing or breathing too quickly (hyperventilating) and getting upset or excited.

If you feel faint you should try to lie down. If that’s not an option sit and bend forward with your head between your knees to aid blood flowing to your brain. Don’t try to stand until you feel better. If you faint once during the wedding, it’s probably nothing to worry about. If you faint again, you should talk to your doctor about it. Remember, if you do swoon during your ceremony it’ll be nothing more than a humorous memory. Try not to let it spoil your special day.

Cupcakes are so in right now! Gone are the days of traditional triple tiered cakes laced in layers of icing. While some brides are still continuing the tradition, recently many have opted for something different. I myself think cupcakes are cute and sweet. Although you probably won’t save that much money getting cupcakes instead of a cake. They do cost about $5 for one which is about what you would pay per slice. Taking that into consideration, I still think it’s a fun way to add something different to your wedding.

Cupcakes are so different these days. Not just your boxed version anymore, cupcakes come in a variety of flavors like banana cream and raspberry and a lot of bakeries bake only cupcakes. Here’s a beautiful melange of cupcakes from Miette’s in San Francisco. They were delicious!

A great idea would be to use your place cards as a way to let guests know what’s in each of your beautiful cupcakes or wrap your cupcakes individually and tie place cards to them so guests can take them home as favors. You can customize the cards to say anything you want, whether it’s Chocolate, Banana or Strawberry Cream!

By guest blogger Geeta Sachdeva

A friend of mine just finalized her signature wedding color– Tiffany Blue! The inspiration for this choice wasn’t her piercing blue eyes, she confided, but the fact that her boyfriend of many years proposed to her only after he could purchase a brilliant engagement ring from the premier jeweler. If you’re considering this distinctive blue as the dominant color for your big day, I must admit, it’s a very classy look.

The classic elegance of Tiffany blue has best been described by Mia Johnson, CEO of I Do…In Style, who writes: “Tiffany & Co. has literally set the standard for quality and timeless style and is the epitome of elegance personified. There is nothing quite like receiving that lustrous aqua-hued box with its luxurious white satin ribbon tied in a perfect bow, the contents of which are sure to make even the most reserved girl shriek with unabashed joy.

Many brides understand the exclusivity and elegance this single color represents, so it comes as no surprise that they choose to embrace this beautiful shade for their wedding day. Crisp or creamy whites, rich chocolate browns, soft pinks and metallic silver or platinum are excellent secondary colors that can provide a lot of creative flexibility. You can also opt to infuse a “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” inspired support color theme by incorporating the colors of Audrey Hepburn’s black and white striped hat.”

If you want to achieve a tasteful Tiffany blue theme, use it as an accent color, don’t overdo it. Abandon the flowing, floor length formals. Just use this hue for a chic belt on your bridesmaids’ dresses and a pocket kerchief for the groomsmen.

As popular as this color theme is, it’s also one of the most difficult to use uniquely. Try to incorporate it into unusual elements of your event. Bring a contemporary vibe to your reception by using aqua colored strobe lights on the dance floor. And for the piece de resistance, decorate your tabletops with randomly stacked, blue gift boxes filled with soft, turquoise fondant as centerpieces. Each box can be wrapped with a white ribbon and topped with a stylish bow. Even though Tiffany blue is an extremely popular wedding color, your special day will be appreciated and remembered for its creativity. Earlier this month Wedding Paper Divas introduced the color ‘Fantasy’ that matches Tiffany blue very closely. It’s available only upon custom color request.

Happy Valentine’s Day! Today is an important day for cupid as I suspect that many nervous guys and gals are planning to “pop the question” today. In fact, this time of year is the busy season for Wedding Paper Divas as over 30% of all engagements happen between Christmas and Valentine’s Day.

With so many couples taking the leap and starting to plan for their upcoming nuptials, Wedding Paper Divas released the top trends expected this wedding season. Last month, Lynn posted some wedding trends expected in 2008. A few more recent trends that we are seeing include the following:

Non-traditional shapes

Many couples are opting for wedding invitations in non-traditional shapes. Gone are the days choosing between 5″ x 7″ rectangles - now couples can select square and tea length cards.

Bright Colors & Unique Color Combinations

Couples are incorporating vibrant colors and unique color combinations into their weddings like yellow. Brides are also creating unique color combinations such as pink and orange. These colors are not only seen on invitations, but also on wedding place cards and programs, and incorporated throughout the reception.

Something old, something new

Brides love options and many combine modern designs with traditional stationery elements like ecru paper and letterpress printing.

Get Cultured

More couples are adding a little ethnic flavor to their stationery, whether through cultural motifs, meaningful quotes or relevant color combinations.

Wedding Websites

Wedding websites are continuing to grow in popularity and are becoming more elaborate than ever. These pages include details about the couple, their courtship, and their wedding. Couples are encouraging their guests to read more about their event or even RSVP online by adding the URL to their wedding website directly onto bridal shower invitations and wedding invites.

So, what trends are inspiring you as you plan your event?

I took a trip to wine country recently and got a lot of inspiration for my wedding. Who wouldn’t fall in love with the breathtaking valleys that makes the area so unique? Every picturesque view of rolling hillsides and growing vines made me dream of everything wine country. I get wedding inspired and think of using country chic decor like rustic wooden signs to direct guests where to go. My fiancé and I envisioned our favorite wines being featured during cocktail hour. And how about having each of your tables named after your favorite types of wine such as Chardonnay or Merlot? Another great idea would be to have wine and cheese stations to bring a bit of wine country to your own wedding. Here’s a few pictures I took from my trip. May it inspire your own wedding vision!