VH1 plans My Big Fat Fabulous Wedding

Had to know this was coming: 

On July 26th, VH1 is launching what is sure to be another one of my guilty pleasures, My Big Fat Fabulous Wedding. It’s like My Super Sweet 16, but starring adults.

The “reality” show will document the nation’s most over-the-top weddings as couples attempt to spend some serious cash on their big day. One example? $450,000… on decorations. Another bride demands hand-picked flowers from Ecuador. And we thought those 16-year olds on MTV were high maintenance. There will no doubt be tears and terror over uninvited guests… all the things that make us laugh at rich people. At least, I hope they’re rich people. It’s one thing if they have the money to blow, but it’s something else if they’re going deep into debt for a grand wedding.

http://www.tvsquad.com/2007/07/11/vh1-plans-my-big-fat-fabulous-wedding/

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How to Survive Your Wedding and Actually Have FUN on Your Wedding Day

So much goes into planning a wedding that it can sometimes feel like a larger-than-life event. When your wedding day rolls around, there will be a huge list of things to remember and many details to attend to before you finally say your “I do’s.”

With so much to keep track of, a lot of brides and grooms end up feeling stressed their wedding day. For many couples, instead of enjoying the wedding, they spend the whole time feeling flustered because there’s so much to do. But have no fear; using some time-tested advice, you can completely avoid a stressful wedding day. In fact, you’ll be able to enjoy all of the fruits of your planning and have a blast at your wedding ceremony and reception.

Here are some helpful tips to survive your wedding and actually have fun on your big day:

Use Your Attendants
If you have bridesmaids or groomsmen, give them special tasks on the wedding day to make your job easier. Do you need help keeping track of the ring? Ask your best man to do it. Do you want to know if the florist has shown up to do the centerpieces? Send a bridesmaid to the reception site to check it out. Remember, their main concern on the wedding day is to attend to you, which is why they’re called attendants!

Take a “To-Go” Box from Your Reception
Between all of the greeting, dancing, cake cutting, toasting and overall merriment, there’s a good chance that you won’t eat a thing at your reception. Many couples are too busy to sit down and eat with everyone else, and even if they get the chance, they are too nervous or excited to really dig in.

Ask your caterer to prepare a sampler of all the food that will be served at the reception and pack it in to-go containers for you to take with you when you leave the reception. You will regain your appetite around the time you settle in for your wedding night, and plus you’d probably like to taste all of the yummy food that you’ve chosen for your reception. Make sure to ask the caterer in advance – they are probably more than happy to oblige your request.

Prepare Your Room
If you are staying in a hotel room on your wedding night, make some time earlier on your wedding day to check-in to the room and collect your room key. Let the front desk clerk know that the hotel room is for your wedding night and request a late check-out. Transfer any packed baggage for your honeymoon into your room and ice down a bottle of champagne for you to enjoy once you retire to the room.

Plan Your Exit Strategy
You’ll want to make sure that your transportation from the reception site is in position and ready to go. If you’re renting a limo, make sure you’re clear about exactly where the driver needs to be when he arrives. If you are driving off into the sunset yourself, pass the keys over to one of your attendants or family members, and have them bring the car around for you. Also, bring a bag and pack up any items that need to go with you before the ceremony starts, or ask an attendant to pack up your things and put them into your getaway car.

Be Ready for the Unexpected
Anything could happen on your wedding day. Packing a few items into an Emergency Tool Kit will help you tackle any minor problems that may arise. Pack a bag with a sewing kit, a first aid kit, stain-removal wipes, breath mints, safety pins, deodorant, bobby pins, mini scissors, and double sided tape. Being prepared for the little challenges that might come your way will make your day much easier.

Relax and Go with the Flow
No matter how much planning you do, there are some things about your wedding that may not be exactly the way you want them. If something goes wrong, don’t let it spoil your day. Resolve to have fun at your wedding no matter what happens and no doubt, you will have a wonderful time.

Now that you know what to do, getting through your wedding day will be easier than you ever thought it could be. Using these helpful tips, you can avoid stressful situations and have a fabulous time at your wedding.

For tips on creating personal wedding vows quickly and easily, visit http://www.perfect-wedding-vows.com and for wedding planning tips, visit http://www.reception-wedding.com

Wedding Vows That Wow! – Turn a Boring Part of the Ceremony Into the Best Memory From Your Wedding

You’ve planned every part of your wedding down to the finest detail. You’ve been over the flowers, music and reception food again and again. But have you given much thought to your wedding vows? If you haven’t, when your wedding day rolls around, you’ll probably find that there’s a huge piece of your wedding ceremony that you’ve left up to someone else. Many brides and grooms never think about this crucial part of the wedding ceremony and they’re stuck with boring, uninspired wedding vows that were created by their ceremony officiant.

Wedding vows are the most important part of the wedding ceremony. They are the promises you and your partner make to each other and they are the emotionally binding part of the ceremony. If you don’t take the time to create your own wedding vows, you may be making pledges to your partner that don’t feel personal and may not even make sense to you. Remember, your wedding vows are your promises, so don’t leave them up to someone else to decide.

Many couples also find traditional wedding vows somewhat lacking. Most traditional vows are the same vows that have been used for centuries. In fact, many versions of traditional wedding vows can be traced as far back as the Middle Ages. In modern times, marriage vows mean a variety of different things to different people. If you want to create personalized wedding vows, you don’t have to settle for the same vows your grandmother used.

When you take it upon yourself to create your own vows, you will make your wedding vows a sentimental and touching part of your wedding ceremony. Your wedding ceremony will be more meaningful to you and your fiance. And family and friends will appreciate the small glimpse into your relationship that’s shown through the words you use to express your feelings. Personal wedding vows can become one of the most memorable parts of your wedding for you and others.

So, now that you’ve decided to write your own wedding vows, how should you go about doing it? Well, there are two excellent options for couples who want to design personal wedding vows. You can do it from scratch or you can use a wedding vow template to create vows. Both options have their own benefits. You can simply choose the method that works best for you.

If you decide to work from scratch, you’ll need a good block of time in order to write your vows. You can start by thinking about your relationship and what it means to you. Then, jot down any significant words or phrases that come to mind. Take a look at some traditional vow formats and then use the chosen words and phrases to form your own wedding vows. Depending on how well you write, this process can take a few hours or more.

You may not have the time to devote to writing your wedding vows from scratch. Fortunately, you can now find resources that offer wedding vow templates These templates are basically fill-in-the-blank wedding vows that make it a breeze to create personal and unique vows. All wedding vow templates are not the same – take the time to choose ones that are well written and appeal to you. If you use this option, you can design your own wedding vows in as little as fifteen minutes.

Whatever option you choose, by creating your own wedding vows, you’ll get away from the typical cookie-cutter version of vows. Instead, you’ll be much more satisfied with wedding vows that are romantic and personal to your relationship.

For additional tips on creating personal wedding vows quickly and easily, visit http://www.perfect-wedding-vows.com and for wedding planning tips, visit http://www.reception-wedding.com

Your Wedding Budget – Where to Spend and Where to Save on Your Wedding

Weddings are becoming increasingly more expensive and the average couple is bombarded with ways to spend their wedding budget. But, there are some places where you can spend your wedding money more wisely and get more bang for your buck. So which areas of your wedding should you save on and which should you splurge on? When you know where to spend money and where to cut costs, it will be much easier for you to get what you want from your wedding budget.

Where to cut costs:

Wedding Favors
Favors are the little gifts that you give your guests at your wedding reception. Brides and grooms can pay from as little as $0.30 to as much as $3.00 per favor. For a wedding with a guest list of 150 guests, $3.00 per favor will end up costing the happy couple a whopping $450.

When it comes to wedding favors, the big question is “Who cares?” Many guests who will come to your wedding don’t know that it’s customary to receive a favor and a lot of people don’t even know what a wedding favor is. What’s more, how many weddings have you been to that you remember the wedding favor? There are better places to spend your money. Cut the cost for your wedding by doing a very inexpensive wedding favor or skipping them altogether.

Wedding Invitations
Wedding invitations run the gamut in terms of cost and you can find them on the internet from anywhere between $0.87 and upwards of $6.00 per invitation. With such a huge difference in price, one has to wonder what the big difference between these invitations is. Well, it comes down to printing methods, types of ink, paper and extras (like ribbons or vellum.) But for the average wedding, you can definitely err on the cheaper side when it comes to invitations and no one will be the wiser.

Most wedding guests are not well versed on the difference between thermography and engraving and they will not notice whether you have your invitations printed or if you print them on your computer at home (as long as they’re on professional card stock of course.) So, to save your budget for other things, do your wedding invitations for less than $1.00 each. Depending on the size of your guest, you can save $100 or more. Doing so will give you a little extra room in other areas.

Where to spend a little extra:

Wedding Reception Food
The reception at your wedding may be the biggest party you ever host. And as a good host, you’ll want to make sure that your guests are well fed with delicious food. Particularly with a long wedding ceremony, most guests are famished by the time that the food is served at your wedding reception.

Reception food costs can range from the mid $100’s to the mid $1,000’s depending on the type of reception you have and how many guests attend. Catering for your reception is one place that you do not want to scrimp on. Don’t subject your hungry guests to bland pasta or tough meat in order to save money. If you go cheap on your reception food, it will leave guests with a bad taste in their mouths about your wedding, literally.

Providing excellent food at your reception will add something wonderful to your experience and your guests’ experience of your wedding. Splurging on reception food is one thing that’s definitely worth the money.

Wedding Photography
The pictures taken at your wedding allow you to remember your wedding day forever. When you look back on your wedding photos in years to come, you’ll remember your wedding day and you’ll have a clear record of who attended and what everything looked like. Wedding photography is one place that you don’t want to cut costs.

Typical wedding packages will run from $500 to about $2,000. If that seems like a lot of money, think about what the memories from your wedding are worth to you. Be sure to hire a professional photographer who specializes in wedding or event photography. When you hire a quality photographer, your photos will be worth every penny.

Weddings are huge cost expenditures for most couples. With the right knowledge, you can make more of your wedding budget. When you trim a little in certain places and you’ll be able to splurge in other areas or cut your overall wedding cost for a less expensive wedding.

For tips on creating unique wedding vows to wow your fiance and wedding guests, visit http://www.perfect-wedding-vows.com and for wedding planning ideas and tips, visit http://www.reception-wedding.com

Wedding Trends – The Hottest New Wedding Colors

When you get married, deciding your wedding colors is one of the first major decisions you’ll make. Instead of going with tired colors that have been used over and over again, take inspiration from fashion trends and use a different color palette to make your wedding look fresh and up-to-date. An unusual color or combination of colors will give your wedding a little more originality and spice.

Some of the hottest colors for weddings right now are:

Decadent Chocolate Brown – Brown for sounds a little odd for a wedding color, but right now, brown is a very popular for weddings and for fashion in general. Medium to deep toned chocolate are being used with several combinations of colors. Depending on which color you pair it with, brown can add either a rustic or a trendy touch to your wedding. Brown with orange, brown with sage green, brown with sky or turquoise blue and brown with pink are some options that will make your wedding stand out.

Sizzling Citrus Yellow – When you think of yellow, it may not immediately strike you as a fresh color. You may be thinking of yellow as a dated pastel, but that’s where you’re wrong. The hippest yellows are bright (think lemon meringue pie.) Yellow stands comes alive when it’s paired with white and black, gray, pale muted blues or neutrals like camel or khaki. There are several ways you can use this citrus themed shade. A reception done in a bright yellow with white and black striped accents has a chic European feel.

Cool Cobalt Blue - Cobalt Blue was splashed all over the runway and red carpet this year. You can easily bring this electric color into your wedding by pairing it with another color that’s a bit understated. The motto here is to keep it simple. You don’t want to use any color that tries to compete with the blue. Cobalt looks fantastic when it’s paired with white or soft gray and silver also gives it a classy vibe. Stick with blue as the main event and you can’t go wrong.

Fruit Punchy Orange – Orange is quickly becoming a hot color for weddings and it’s no wonder. Orange naturally evokes feelings of lightness and energy. Many couples want an exciting wedding, so they want to use an exciting color. Orange definitely fits that bill. The best looking oranges to use are either yellow toned or red toned. Both types of orange fit well with pink as an accent color, muted pink for yellow toned orange and fuchsia pink for red toned orange. Mixed together, orange and pink give your wedding a fun update and can also add some ethnic flair if you so desire.

A new color combination will give your wedding the originality and style that you want it to have. It’s your big day, so why not make it fun and unique? By choosing any one of these hot new colors, your wedding palette will be transformed into something truly fresh and exciting.

For tips on creating personal wedding vows quickly and easily, visit http://www.perfect-wedding-vows.com and for more tips on planning your wedding, go to http://www.reception-wedding.com

Recite Your Wedding Vows Like a Pro!

Wedding statistics show that the average wedding has 175 guests in attendance. If you’re like most people, you don’t participate in public speaking on a regular basis. In fact, there’s a good chance that you’ve never spoken in front of more than a hundred people in your entire life.

When it’s time for you to recite your wedding vows, you’ll be put on the spot to speak in front of a large group of family and friends. Ready or not, all eyes will be on you, and your speaking skills will be put to the test. If you haven’t thought about this part of your ceremony, you’ll feel nervous and unprepared when it’s time for you to say your “I do’s.”

But, instead of getting anxious about your speaking debut, you can put a little thought into your wedding vows and make it much easier for you to get through them on the big day. With a few simple tricks, you can say your vows like a pro and impress everyone with your speaking ability.

Here are the top strategies for reciting your wedding vows like a pro:

Practice Makes Perfect

If you’ve taken careful time and consideration in selecting your vows, you certainly don’t want to look as if you are saying them for the first time when you need to recite your vows in public. Practice your vows many times before you actually have to say them. If you don’t have much time, even practicing for just ten or fifteen minutes will be a huge help in making you familiar and comfortable with saying your wedding vows.

Speak Slowly and Clearly

When you say your vows, it’s important that you speak slowly and clearly. Many people talk faster when they are nervous, if you do this, take special notice and try to speak very slowly. You want to be sure that your fiancé clearly hears everything that you’re saying and you also want to make sure that the other people present can understand you.

Visualize Your Vows

Go over the activity of saying your wedding vows in your head several times and picture a successful outcome. Imagine saying your vows perfectly and looking into your partners eyes. Think about your family and friends coming up to you after the ceremony and congratulating you on your beautiful words. Visualizing your success will give you confidence and will prepare you for the big day.

Hear it Out Loud

Once your vows are written, rehearse them out loud several times. Going over your vows by actually saying them out loud will help with the flow of your vows. Once you’re happy with how your vows sound, repeat them a few times in front of a close friend or family member. Doing so will give you more confidence about reciting your vows in front of a crowd.

Take a Deep Breath and Relax

If you are nervous or have wedding jitters, take a deep breath and calm your mind. Yes, you are saying these words in front of a group of people, but the main person that you’re saying them to loves you and is not judging you in any way. And, if you say something a little different than your actual written vows or if you skip over part of what you planned to say, don’t worry. Remember, nobody knows what you’re going to say except you!

You may be nervous about other parts of your wedding, but now saying your wedding vows is going to be one of the easiest things you do on your big day. Using these strategies, you’ll turn one of the most nerve-wracking parts of your wedding into a piece of (wedding) cake.

For tips on creating personal wedding vows quickly and easily, visit http://www.perfect-wedding-vows.com and for wedding planning tips, visit http://www.reception-wedding.com