First Line of Defense – Choosing Bridesmaids, Ushers, Groomsmen & Attendants

Here it is, a question that requires the shrewdness of a senator, the diplomacy of a consulate, and the skill of a general. Who amongst your friends, relatives and siblings will be standing by your side and assisting with the ceremonies at your wedding?

Choosing your maid of honor and best man may have been easy and obvious, but the next level of attendants requires a lot of thought.

Here are some ways to help you choose:

First decide how many attendants you need/can afford. The average rule is one attendant for 50 guests. Asymmetric number of bridesmaids to groomsmen is not common, but certainly not a taboo.

Draw up a list of potentials. Include the ones you want to be in it, and the one who have been hinting their availability.

Subtly make sure they are ready and able to help you in their chosen capacity at the wedding. You may realize your first choice is going to be 8 month pregnant at your wedding or that someone else is just no good under pressure.

Shortlist and enquire. Has anyone done this before? Do you want to draw on that experience or give someone else a chance?

There will be a few amongst your close friends and relatives who just want to enjoy themselves. Find out who would not be interested and narrow your list down.

That shortlist is looking shorter now, right? No issues, start assigning roles and make sure all those chosen are thoroughly aware of what you expect of them. Use this opportunity to consider if you’ve made the right decision or need to switch. Yes, you can do it, just be diplomatic, and think musical chairs.

KEEP SUBSTITUTES! Very important. People fall sick or cancel for a variety of reasons all the time. Just like an understudy in a play, you need a few backups in case of emergency. (Look to that list who just wanted to enjoy themselves.)

If you don’t have roles and too many people, create a few jobs. Candle-bearers, program distributor, assistants, can all be given to the younger folk to get them involved.

Image Credit: divemasterking2000

Wedding Dos and Don’ts

Wedding Dos

Do take the time to mingle with your guests. Your guests have made time for you, so you must pay them the same courtesy. If you have a huge guest list you might want to consider paring it down so that you have enough time to interact and thank your guests for being there for you.

Do send thank you cards promptly. Handwritten thank-you notes are a definite must, and skipping this step or looking for shortcuts (like pre-printed cards, or emails) is not taking the time to appreciate the effort your guest took into choosing a gift for your special occasion.

Do ensure you have seated close family and friends (who get along with each other) together, so that they can share and enjoy your wedding without having the strain of making polite conversation.

Do mail the invitation four to five weeks ahead of your event. This ensures guests have enough time to plan for your wedding and obtain work leave, and make travel arrangements if necessary without issue.

Wedding Don’ts
Don’t include registry information in your invite. It’s considered tacky. Let your friends and family spread the word. You can, however, have a wedding website and put a gift information link on the site.

Don’t mention “cash only gifts”, or any other indication of the same. This is considered a major faux-pas.

Don’t force your guests to contribute to charity. If you are looking for charitable contributions instead of wedding gifts, don’t try and force the exchange. You can mention “No gifts” on your invite, but do not emotionally coerce your guests to making altruistic contributions.

Don’t leave your guests stranded. Yes, you’re married and off to your honeymoon, but make sure you’ve arranged for drop-offs for your wedding guests. This is especially important for ensuring those who have enjoyed the champagne reach home safely and those that are leaving town, catch their flights without hassle.

Image credit: nikkigomez

Wedding First Dance – 20 Great Suggestions for the music

It’s just 2 weeks to the walk down the aisle, and bingo, it hits you as you pass the CD store on the way to a trial of your gown. Music for the wedding first dance. Sure the DJ will come prepared, but it doesn’t hurt to have your favourite numbers leading the way for the Wedding First Dance. After all, it’s you who’s getting married, and the right tunes can indeed be the sweetest icing on that very special cake.

Partners in rhyme

Time and other more important chores permitting, sit down with your spouse-to-be, and a sheet of paper. Divide the sheet, and the task down the middle. Make a list of 10 songs each. Add, and forward to your DJ’s mailbox.

Now time and other chores not permitting, here’s a list with which you simply cannot go wrong.

1. Baby can I hold you tonight – Ronan Keating
2. Wonderful tonight – Eric Clapton
3. Grow old with you – Adam Sandler
4. From this moment on – Shania Twain
5. You’re my best friend – Don Williams
6. Can you feel the love tonight – Elton John
7. Now and forever – Richard Marx
8. Right here waiting – Richard Marx
9. Paint my love – MLTR
10. Can I have this dance – Ann Murray
11. The way you look tonight – Frank Sinatra
12. I will always love you – Dolly Parton
13. Everything I do, I do for you – Bryan Adams
14. When a man loves a woman – Michael Bolton
15. How deep is your love – Bee Gees
16. Unchained melody – The Righteous Brothers
17. Top of the world – Carpenters
18. Have I told you lately that I love you – Van Morrison
19. Crazy little thing called love – Queen
20. I just called to say I love you – Stevie Wonder

Any other songs you can think of?

Image Credit: ramsey everydaypants

Unique and Custom Wedding Cake Toppers

Long gone are the days when every wedding cake bore the traditional plastic bride and groom standing hand and hand on a frilly white wedding cake. Today’s bride and I suspect even the groom are going out on a limb and trying on unique wedding cake toppers.

The emphasis can be on an overall wedding theme cake topper, the initials of the bride and groom, fresh flower wedding cake toppers, religious symbolic wedding cake toppers, humorous wedding cake toppers, cartoon character wedding cake toppers, and the list just goes on.

It’s important to remember that your cake, albeit in most cases, your dessert for your guests, also serves as a backdrop for some of your pictures. Selecting a cake and a complementary wedding cake topper is an important decision in your wedding planning process. Personally, I love the idea of having a wedding cake topper that can serve as an ornamental piece in your home after the wedding. What a perfect reminder of your special day on display in the home you share together.

As with all of the details in organizing your wedding, maintaining an overall consistency is key to ensuring that all of the pieces fit together in the event as a whole. Throwing things together that aren’t complementary for the sake of having something will definitely not go unnoticed by your guests. So if you’re planning on having a Mad Hatter/Topsy Turvey Cake, don’t succumb to the pressure of using your mom’s wedding cake topper from the 70′s for the sake of tradition.

Wedding cake toppers are a great way to add a piece of yourself to your wedding cake. Be bold, be interesting, top your wedding cake as only you can!

Photo Credit: dammit_jill

Wedding Cake Ideas

Long gone are the days of the hum drum of a traditional 3 tier wedding cake. Today’s brides are breaking all of the rules; from ditching the groom cake, to serving up individual cupcakes, to monogrammed sugar cookies wrapped in cellophane.

Wedding cakes have become a real outlet for creativity and self-expression, much more so than flamboyant flowers and prom-styled bridesmaid dresses. Today’s couples are putting a little fun into the planning by choosing delicious flavours, funky decorative layers, and totally off the cuff servings.

Let your imagination run wild and meet with your local bakery. Be sure to ask to see photos of their most current work, not only for ideas, but to see how talented they are, afterall this is likely to be the most expensive and memorable cake you will ever buy.

The following are just a few ideas to get you started when considering how to wow your guests with your non-traditional wedding cake: (Mad Hatter, Fruit Infused, Cupcakes, Chocolate Cover Strawberry Bride and Groom)

Photo by: freeparking