Well I’m back and I have to say it was a wonderful honeymoon! Lots of beautiful things to see and experience and so worth all of the headache it took to get there. I did learn a few valuable lessons along the way. One thing I wish I did was pack lightly. Since we were in Europe and traveled to several cities in a short amount of time, I had to lug my suitcase with me, plus a backpack everywhere! Did I really need to pack 4 dresses and 4 pairs of shoes? 

One thing that I’m glad I did was pack one light jacket and one heavy jacket and an umbrella. Though we checked the weather a few days before we left, even the weather report couldn’t predict the sudden cold shift that affected a lot of Europe. While we were expecting sunny skies with 60-70 degrees weather, we got rain and temperatures up to 51 degrees. Without my one warm sweater and an umbrella, I would have been so cold. 

Another thing that I would advise is to put together a little toiletry see through kit and keep it in one place. I had my toothbrush in one bag and my soap in another and it drove me crazy! Keep everything together and remember to pack things like toilet paper and seat covers just in case.  

And if you get motion sickness and are crazy enough to ride boats, plane and trains like me, either pack motion sickness medicine or one of those special wristbands. Try sea band or the psi band which prevents sickness and nausea by pushing down on an acupressure point on your wrists.

I had a memorable trip and I’m sure you will too! Just remember it’s easy to get lost in the romance of your honeymoon but coming prepared will make everything all the more better. 

We adore Wedding Bee’s idea for making your own charming little drink umbrellas for your wedding reception! This way you can make your own Signature Cocktail, as Diva Dialogue blogger Tara wrote about, and decorate it with a little of your signature style as well!

If you are considering making these charming little umbrellas, we recommend using leftover wedding invitations and save the date cards. They will perfectly match the style of your wedding and your wedding colors, and they have the perfect consistency for the project. Just think how gorgeous these engagement party, shower and wedding invitations would look as accessories for your bright drinks and cocktails!

Bold colors pop and are making their debut in this year’s fall fashion finds. Here are a few that I love.

These jewel toned accessories are sure to captivate you, your bridesmaids and guests with modern style and charm. Hobo International Dawn clutch wallet in amethyst and Bettye Midler Muller Oxford in raisin and teal, both from Piperlime make a striking statement.

When I got married last year, I had a lot on my plate.  I was planning a wedding from 2500 miles away, not to mention trying to accommodate our huge guest list that consisted of about 50% out of town guests.  I wanted these people to know that they were appreciated for taking the time to travel, rent a car and book a hotel for our wedding.  However, with a hefty out of town list of well over 120 people, I had to find a way to do this without breaking the bank.

Since my wedding was held in a suburb of Detroit, Michigan, I wanted to show the out-of-towners that Michigan, and especially Detroit, Michigan, could actually be a pretty cool and beautiful place to visit, despite its poor reputation.  To do this, I put together some very personal, hometown gift bags for my guests, without spending a ton of money.

To start, I bought the bags themselves from Oriental Trading to match our wedding colors.  Buying in bulk saved a ton of money, and you can even have the bags personalized (although I printed my own labels).  Next, I headed to Costco and purchased bottled water and small bags of local Better-Made chips emblazoned with the Detroit Tiger’s Logo (a lucky find!).  I also ordered Mackinac Island Fudge in bulk to please our guest’s sweet tooth.  Finally, by contacting my state’s Travel and Tourism department, I was able to get 120 state and local maps for free.  I also put together my own list of “things to do” with specific foods, features and places that my fiancee and I loved in the area.

As a final touch, I purchased some locally-grown Michigan Cherries and Apples at Costco so the guests would have something healthy to munch on.  Because almost everything was purchased in bulk, I was able to spend a little and give a lot.  And, using hometown goodies made everything really personal.  Do you have any ideas of your own for hotel gift bags?

For centuries, women have been taking on the last names of their husbands as a part of the whole wedding extravaganza. The practice is still prevalent today, with many women saying they happily take their husbands’ names because it is tradition, because they don’t like their maiden names or just because it’s a practice so ingrained in our society that they hadn’t thought of an alternative.

But in recent years, many women have been keeping their maiden names, or even encouraging their future husbands to take on their last names in a huge reversal of the typical surname structure. As reported in a variety of sources, from USA Today to religious websites like JC.com and legal sites like LegalZoom.com, the prevalence of husbands taking their wives last names has risen dramatically over the past few years. And yet, these couples continue to face harsh challenges, including ridicule from friends and a legal system that makes it easy for women to change their names, but much harder for men to do the same.

What do you think? Would you want your future husband to take your last name? Or, as a man, would you consider taking your wife’s surname? Under what conditions? Rant or rave about it!

It’s a well-known fact that the girl gets most of the attention during any wedding celebration.  Good or bad, the bride is the focus of many a shower, celebration and even at the wedding itself.

Traditionally, this is expected and the man in the relationship happily steps aside to watch the drama unfold.  After all, he’s marrying the girl of his dreams–what more could he ask for, right?!  Well, these days, anything goes.  A new trend has emerged called the “Man Shower”.  Similar to your average bridal shower, the groom is honored during a gathering of his closest male friends and family and showered in gifts and attention. Very different from your traditional bridal shower, the “Man Shower” activity menu can offer such things as a poker game, playing sports, cigars, beer and outdoor grilling.  I even stumbled across one eager groom who held his Man Shower in his garage, surrounded by tools, guys, a grill, some drinks and a rented hot tub.

Just as in a bridal shower, the groom is showered in gifts at a Man Shower.  The Man Registry allows the groom to register for gifts of HIS choosing, including tools, poker tables, BBQ thermometers, and more.  Registries are also becoming popular at places like Home Depot, allowing the man in the family to register to his heart’s content for all his home-improvement needs.

So what do you think?  Are you in favor of the Man Shower or do you think this tradition should be reserved strictly for the bride?

While browsing through wedding photos earlier today, I noticed how much ambiance great lighting brings to an evening reception. From well-lit tables to gorgeous canopies of lights over the dance floor, unique lighting can literally brighten up your celebration in a stunning way. It adds exquisite sparkle to your night, making every moment even more memorable when cast in a soft or shimmering glow. Here are some great ideas for lovely wedding lights for inspiration:

Table Settings

Beautifully decorated tablescapes are only enhanced when you include well-placed lights in your decor. Check out these great ideas for table settings from Lemiga events:

Outdoor Lights

Outdoor lights are a natural part of any outdoor reception, but even if you host your event inside, consider decorating the patio, walkway or nearby trees with white lights for a special effect, as seen in this photo from Eventiva.

Regal Reception Ideas

There are hundreds of way to incorporate unique lighting into your wedding reception. One of the best ways to choose a lighting scheme is to select a design plan that mirrors the theme of your wedding. Are you and your future spouse all about glitz and glamour? Consider a big, sweeping tent of white lights placed over the dance floor.

———————————————————————————————————————–

Looking for something with a little more bohemian fun and unique flair?  Opt for bold strands of brightly colored lights.

———————————————————————————————————————–

Or you can use your lights to poke fun at yourself, as in this photo from Etsy, where a couple used empty shotgun shells to light up their humorously titled “shotgun wedding.”

———————————————————————————————————————–

Many brides today struggle whether or not to where a veil on their wedding day.  Then, after the decision to do so if finalized the next question is what type of veil is the best for your dress.  As you can see from the chart below there a variety of lengths and styles to choose from, sometimes making the process a little harder than expected.

When I got married I really wanted a long veil, but was afraid it would get in the way during the reception.  So, rather than forgo the entire veil, I opted for a two layered veil where the bottom layer, which was chapel length, could be removed after the ceremony.  This left the top layer, a fingertip veil, for the party.  After being stepped on several times after the ceremony, I was glad I went in this direction!

If you are still trying to decide what veil would go best with your dress, check out some of the beautiful ideas below:

From left to right: Bird Cage Veils; Davids Bridal; Davids Bridal;

Brides.com; Davids Bridal; Ebay

A journey in itself, wedding planning can be both exciting and exhausting.  Luckily, it leads not only to an amazing celebration but also to an incredible vacation!  Your honeymoon will be your biggest reward (next to your new husband or wife, of course) for all the hard work you’ve invested.  A great way to slash the cost and involve family and friends in your trip-planning is to use a Honeymoon Registry.  My husband and I used one of these amazing websites, and not only did they help us plan the trip of a lifetime by assisting with hotels, transfers, activities and more, it also helped us to afford an even more extravagant vacation than we had originally planned.

-The Big Day has a detailed honeymoon registry with the option to personalize each gift that you list with your own images and copy.  Visit some of the sample registries available on their site to get a better idea of all that you can do.

-Honeymoon Wishes is a similar site with the same great options, including the ability to cash out on your gifts at any time and planning assistance.

-If you want to be your own travel agent and already have the destination, hotels and activities in mind, Honeyfund will be your perfect online destination.  No setup fees, transaction fees or travel booking is required to take advantage of this detailed honeymoon registry.

-The Honeymoon offers a network of professional travel agents local to your zip code so that you can actually meet with someone in person to plan your trip instead of relying on phone and email.

-Say thank you for your honeymoon gifts with style.  Check out Wedding Paper Divas for some chic thank you notes, like this Palm Leaf Thank You to reflect a tropical honeymoon.  With your note, include a photo of you doing whatever activity was purchased for you through your honeymoon registry.  Your guests will love that you were thoughtful enough to not only use their gift, but to think of them while you were doing it!  Such a personal touch will truly show your appreciation.

A long train on your wedding dress can really make a dramatic affect when you walk down the aisle.  However, the train can also get in the way at your reception as you run the risk of guests stepping all over your gown.  To fix this issue, brides often choose to “bustle” their dress to beautifully take that train out of the way.

If you are looking for some beautiful bustle ideas, below are some images that we found at Brides.com:

From left to right: Avine Pucchi by St. Pucchi; Winnie Couture Bridal; James Clifford Collection:

Jim Hjelm Bridal; Winnie Couture Bridal ; Winnie Couture Bridal