Road to the Altar is one couple’s journey through weddingland. As Simon pops the question to Rochelle, they begin navigating the tumultuous wedding racket.  All the while an incompetent reality crew follows them mock-u-ality style. Events such as Taffeta napkin selecting and mini-weiner tasting pave a turbulent road to the altar.

For any couple planning their wedding, these short mini-episodes are a fun way to gain a little perspective on the stress process of planning a wedding.

Here’s a clip:

a

From Left to Right, Top to Bottom:  Vintage Orange Floral Necklaces; Modern Stripes Letterpress Wedding Invitation in Orange from Wedding Paper Divas;  Sand and Flower centerpieces from Pacific Weddings; Fall Basketweave Cake from Sweet Retreat; Yellow wedding shoes and socks from Jonathan Canlas Photography;  Orange bridesmaid dresses from Trendsetting Wedding.

For more on this gorgeous color palette, check out Pacific Weddings “Color Splash” post.  I can’t get enough!

a

Well, the truth is that whether you expected it or not wedding planning can be overwhelming for anyone.  So, relax! There is an abundance of bridal books and planning guides to walk you through the entire process. After all, none of us really knew where to begin either.

To get you started, below are recommendations of some great wedding resources:

Books

• The Best of Martha Stewart Weddings compiles the best ideas from the magazine to provide you with the perfect inspiration.
• Bridal Bargains offers practical tips for planning your wedding on a budget.
• The Wedding Ceremony Planner offers helpful suggestions for both religious and non-religious ceremonies.
• The Best Wedding Reception Ever offers helpful advice that concentrates specifically on the wedding reception.
• The Anti-Bride Etiquette Guide is the perfect guide for a non-traditional bride-to-be.

Planning Guides

• Martha’s  Stewart’s Keepsake Wedding Planner is overflowing with useful features and beautiful pictures to help you plan your big day.  This is the planner that I used for my wedding, which I’ve saved as a keepsake.
• The Knot Ultimate Wedding Planner is another great planner full of checklists and worksheets to walk you through every step of the process.

Wedding Blogs

• Check out Bride Tide’s  recommendation for the best wedding blogs of 2009

Tools

• FREE wedding planning tools are also available at About.com

I hope these resources help you get on the right track. Happy planning!

a

There is one exception: when it comes to the officiant of your wedding, you should always count him/her and their significant other as an invited guest.  Send them an invitation like you would to any of your other guests. They’re the only vendor allowed to even go near the bar as well!  You definitely don’t want a drunk photographer taking your wedding photos.

Personally, I spoke to each of my vendors individually about their preferences.  I offered them the opportunity for one of the menu items and a seating arrangement.  In the end, all of my vendors preferred having a sandwich/condiments/hour d’oeuvres tray that they could quickly grab a bite from in a private section of the reception hall.  Whatever you choose, know that they’re all bound to be appreciative of your thoughtfulness (and maybe even do an extra-excellent job!).  Happy planning!

a

One tip that we’ve seen is to rent your wedding accessories instead of buying them.  I personally love this idea; Although having a special necklace or bracelet on your wedding day can serve as an excellent keepsake, you might not want to shell out for every piece of jewelry that you’ll be wearing.  From dresses to handbags, jewelry to hairpieces, rentals are available across the country.  Check out some of our favorites:

• Avelle (formerly known as Bag, Borrow or Steal) has a special section of their website dedicated specifically to wedding rentals.  From handbags to extravagant jewelry, they have everything you’ll need to make you feel like a princess on your big day.

• Adorn Brides offers rental jewelry in all shapes and sizes.  They even have matching sets for both brides and bridesmaids!

• Many brides opt to Rent their Bridal Gown.  Often, this will include shoes and a headpiece/veil.  Most of these stores are local, so I suggest doing a search in your local area for a bridal gown rental store.  One example is Fairy Godmother Gown Rentals, located in the San Francisco Bay Area.  They’ll even deliver your dress directly to your door!

a

Now, looking back, I realize that programs can be a great addition to your ceremony as they provide your guests with important information about what to expect during your ceremony.  Also, I find that programs are especially important when your ceremony features a religious or cultural tradition that many guests may not understand.

If you are looking for the perfect programs for your big day, you can find all of our wedding programs on Wedding Paper Divas.

Below are just a few of my favorite designs:

a

We are getting married at the end of 2009.  Since more than half of our guests are coming from out of town – some as far away as Australia, we want to make sure we have some time to spend with them before and after the wedding.  The other half of our guests are primarily local family and friends.  After inviting all of the people you care about to the wedding, is it okay to only plan pre- and post-wedding events for a select group of people?  Is it okay to exclude some and invite others?

Baffled Bride

Dear Baffled Bride,

When it comes to weddings with a large amount of out of town guests, it is completely normal to have pre- and post-wedding activities to entertain them while they’re in town.  It’s also fine to to invite only certain people to these activities, as long as you have defined guidelines for who those people are.  For example, it is totally acceptable to invite only out of town guests to your events, and to leave the local people out.  This is done regularly for weddings and most guests will completely understand that your goal is to entertain the people who do not live there and have to stay in hotels, pay for travel, etc.

If, however, you decide to invite some local people and some not, you may end up hurting feelings or causing resentment between guests.  Since your wedding is meant to be a celebration of a joyful time, this is definitely not something you’ll want to do!  Just make sure that your events either include everyone, just out of towners, just bridal party, etc.  If you decide you want some local people, etiquette states there really is no choice but to invite them all.  You may also want to mix events; for example, have one event that includes everyone and then have a collection of smaller events only for your out of town guests.  This way, everyone will feel included in something!

Good luck!

a

I have a unique problem; I hate cake!  I know that having a wedding cake is an age-old tradition, but it seems silly to spend so much on something I won’t even enjoy eating!  On the flip side, my fiance loves cake, so he, of course, wants to have one.  Would it be strange to have two types of “cakes” (perhaps a traditional wedding cake and a tower of cream puffs), or perhaps no cake at all?  I love dessert and want it to be part of my wedding day, but I also don’t want to have so much dessert that it ends up being a waste.  Help!

Dessert Diva

Dear Dessert Diva,

I’m pretty sure you’re not the first bride on earth who doesn’t like cake.  Although having (and cutting) a wedding cake is a very traditional part of the wedding, it doesn’t mean you have to have it at your wedding.  Because your wedding is just that:  yours.  The real twist in this question is that unlike you, your fiance loves cake.

The best thing here, like most situations where there are disagreements, is to compromise.  There’s nothing wrong with having two “cakes” or desserts with which you can perform the cutting ceremony.  Just make sure to downsize when you order–two small cakes instead of one large one!  It’s nice to give people a choice, plus, you’ll get to perform the cake cutting twice!

You can also have a small, traditional wedding cake for your cake-cutting ceremony and then offer an additional dessert of your choosing that will either be served to guests or put out on the dessert table.  That way, you can have your cake and eat it too!  Good luck!

a

I am getting ready to buy my invitations.  I’ve been doing a ton of research online and I’ve pieced together a loose outline of what I want my invitations to say.  Before I get them printed, though, I wanted to make sure that my wording followed standard invitation etiquette.  Are there any phrases or words I should avoid?  What should I do to make sure my invitations are worded correctly?

Wordy Wedding Planner

Dear Wordy Wedding Planner,

This is a great question, and you’ve come to the right place–after all, we are the Wedding Paper Divas!  Before I go in to details, be sure to check out the new Etiquette Tool available when you are ordering wedding invitations from Wedding Paper Divas.  This tool will make it easy for any bride or groom to word their invitations.  Simply input specific details like names, places, and times and we will generate the perfect wording for your invitation!

Aside from the etiquette tool, there are certain things you should definitely avoid when writing your own wording.  You mentioned that you searched online to piece together an outline of your wording–be careful!  Gathering wording from different sources often does not flow well when pieced together.  Levels of formality can change from sample to sample and you can end up with an invitation that changes tone throughout.

Also, try to avoid the use of confusing or vague pronouns, or changing the voice throughout your invitation.  (i.e. “We invite you to our wedding” or “Their wedding will be on…”).  Make sure that the people getting married are mentioned by name.  Only use “We” or “Us” if you are the hosts and you are having a more casual wedding.

Finally, use wording that makes it clear who is hosting the wedding.  Never say something like “Come join us for the marriage of celebration of John & Jill”. Who is us?  The bride and groom?  The parents of the bride?

As you can see from these tips, it’s important to maintain the voice and level of formailty throughout your wording and to make the hosts clear.  For more tips, check out our Wedding Invitation Etiquette Page, and happy planning!

a

Please pay special attention to these products and links today, as many of them deserve recognition and hold a special place in my heart!

From Left to Right, Top to Bottom:  Photo of Detroit at Night by g.s. george photography; City Bridge Thank You Note from Wedding Paper Divas; Rainy Wedding in Brooklyn by Jacco Vink; 620 Loft and Garden rooftop wedding, New York, courtesy of P.S. I love This…; Vintage Detroit Map Lamp from City Bird; Blackbook City Guide Wedding Favors from Beau-Coup.

a