How do you agree on a honeymoon if you want different things? You want to snorkel and jet ski and he wants to camp out. Let’s face it – today’s bride isn’t shy about making it all about her on the wedding day – but when it comes to the honeymoon, does your man have any input – or are you dictating whether you swim in the big blue ocean or hike to the top of Mount Everest?
A honeymoon is often the only vacation many couples take together – because once kids are in the picture, it’s difficult for some couples to find time for a romantic rendezvous. Or, if you’re a couple always on the go, you may find it difficult to find a honeymoon destination that’s unique and special.
Many couples find they’re polar opposites when it comes to what they want out of their honeymoon vacation. Some guys want hiking and lots of sun and sports while their brides just want to relax and soak up the sun – or vice versa!
Believe it or not, there are ways to make sure both of you get what you want out of your honeymoon, but you have to be willing to compromise a bit. For instance, if the two of you go on a cruise, you will probably be docking at various ports.
During the time you’re docked, you and your new husband can participate in the activities offered by the locals – such as hiking tours or extreme sports. While the ship is at sea, he can agree to lounge by the pool with you or enjoy the fine dining that makes your honeymoon romantic.
Even if you’re honeymooning in the snow-frosted mountains, it’s possible for one of you to participate in the activities while the other relaxes. Or, take turns doing what the other person wants.
Marriage is all about compromise. The world is too big for any couple to disagree about where to honeymoon. Out of all of the exotic and affordable places on earth, you’re bound to find at least one spot that offers something both of you want to experience.
If you can’t figure it out yourself, find a travel agent who isn’t pushy and who will listen to each of your needs and then create the perfect honeymoon package that excites both of you.

Nothing is worse than having a wedding reception filled with seated guests who look tired and maybe a little bit bored. Maybe this wedding doesn't feature a DJ and rockin' music. Or maybe the crowd isn't into that whole dancing thing.

What to do? It's not that hard. There are a myriad of activities you can plan that will not only engage and entertain the guests, but also help them get to know each other and – most importantly – the bride and groom just a little bit better.

Here's one that's fun and might remind you just a little bit of a football game. Make a placard for each guest. On one side, letter "Bride" and on the other, "Groom". Someone, and if you have a DJ it can be him or her, or the best man or maid of honor, asks a series of questions. They might be simple, like "who was born in New York City"? Or they might be more complicated, such as "who, at 6, broke their leg when they were playing with their German shepherd puppy"?

Guests don't yell their answer, but rather show their placard, turning it to the "bride" side of they think the question pertains to the bride or to the "groom" side if it's the opposite. The guests' guesses can be revealing, but even more revealing, are the true answers. It's a great, fun way for everyone to get to know a little more about the bride and groom.

One word of caution about the above activity: Keep ex-boyfriends and ex-girlfriends out of the questions and don't ask anything that might be a little too revealing or too risqu. Remember, grandmothers and grandfathers and young children will likely be present!

If it's too much work to create signs for each person, you can create just two and create two teams – a team of men and a team of women. Grouped together, the teams can work together to decide on the answer and answer as a group. This "men versus women" concept is always popular and sure to be fun for everyone.

One silly game that's always a hit really puts the groom in the spotlight. How well does he know the feel and touch of his new wife? In this game, everyone finds out. You can do this several ways. You can enlist just the wedding party in this game, or as many of the wedding guests that want to participate.

Line each participant up and blindfold the groom. Put the bride somewhere in the mix, and send the groom on a hunt for his bride. The participants can either shake the groom's hand or give him a kiss on the cheek. In some versions, he might feel their hair or their leg. The details are up to you.

Depending on how far you want to take this game, you can add a fun element to it that is sometimes popular. You have the groom feel the leg of each participant. The best man, or other male member of the wedding party, rolls up his pant leg, puts on a garter and has the groom feel that. The groom has to kiss whoever he thinks is his bride, while still blindfolded. Often, he ends up kissing a man.

For an activity that allows the guests to be audience members instead of participants, consider the game of "feed me". In this game, the bride is seated and the groom is (again) blindfolded. He's given a piece of food and then spun around a few times so he's a little bit dizzy. Guided only by the helpful words of his new bride, he has to find her and get the piece of food into her mouth. Be sure to have the wedding party shadowing him so there are no accidents.

Once the groom has fed his new wife, the tables are turned and she is blindfolded and must find him.

A few notes about this activity: when feeding the bride, don't use wedding cake or a piece of bread with dip. In other words, don't use anything too messy. If the groom has a hard time finding her mouth, he might likely smear the food on the bride's face and that is something that won't make a bride – prettily made up just hours before – too happy.

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Planning pre-wedding activities is a little something extra that’s not required, but certainly fun and entertaining for the guests. If the bride and groom keep in mind the distance some guests have traveled and keep activities relevant to that level of fatigue, they’re sure to hit on some winning activities.

As you go about planning activities for the wedding, keep in mind other factors as well. Do many people have children with them? Will you provide childcare or will the children be participants in the activities? If you have several guests who are older, perhaps activities can be tailored in a ay they can participate as well.

Some of the more popular pre-wedding activities include things like a group manicure. All the women in the wedding party or ho are close to the bride (and certainly this could include men if they like manicures and want to hang out with the ladies) head to a nail salon and get their nails done. This can be relaxing for many women and provide a welcome respite from the hustle and bustle of the wedding weekend. The men might choose to golf or play a game of tennis while this is going on.

Many brides and grooms choose to provide structured activities for their guests prior to the wedding. If the wedding is on a Saturday night, for example, they might choose to provide a Friday activity, especially if most guests are local to the wedding. You might have a wedding luau. Many times pre-wedding activities center around bachelor and bachelorette parties, but what about a stag party that includes all the members of the brides and grooms families? You could plan some fun (and appropriate) games and head out to a restaurant for a night of fun and games. Be sure to limit the drinking and carousing as this might not sit well with some family members.

Here is a fun activity that can be done right before the wedding. Have someone begin a gift basket. The theme of the basket is “advice for the couple” and could be started by the best man or maid of honor. They take the basket to someone else’s house, perhaps an aunt or cousin and leave it on the doorstep. That person adds an item (a book on how to end spousal arguments? Or a CD of romantic music?) and brings the basket to someone else’s house. This activity can begin a week or two before the wedding and everyone should know it is coming around.

The basket can also be circulated the weekend of the wedding, but this ill only work if everyone is local and if they know the basket is coming. In this case, it also might be helpful to have someone bring the basket to a house, collect the item and the take the basket to the next location, reducing the need to have each person take the basket to its next location. Once it’s full, someone can be in charge of putting the basket items together, wrapping it all up to make it look nice and bringing it to the bride and groom. It can be delivered right to the wedding as a gift in and of itself.

Whatever activities you choose, be sure to keep in mind the needs of your guests and the limitations of those guests. If you want to plan an activity that includes everyone, and you choose golf, but grandpa is in a wheelchair or uses a walker, that might not be the best activity to plan.

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There are so many little details to worry about when planning a wedding some might get forgotten. One tiny detail that often gets overlooked is how to keep guests entertained before the wedding reception “officially” begins.

There is no requirement that brides entertain their guests at all. After all, they have already attended your wedding ceremony (which was surely engaging and entertaining, right?) and they will soon get music, food and drink. What more could they want? It turns out, a lot. While the bride and groom are off having pictures taken, the guests are left to their own devices, chatting with other guests and wondering when the buffet will open.

In that light, it’s worth at least considering some pre-reception options for keeping wedding guests entertained until the reception begins. Here are a few options, some tradition, some not so, but still fun.

First, you can do the traditional thing and provide guests with drinks and perhaps some light snacks. If the wedding is in the summertime, how about providing lemonade and iced tea? Or if it’s the winter, coffee and hot tea or even hot cocoa depending on the style of your wedding. Providing a light snack isn’t a bad idea, either, and that can be some appetizer-type food or just nuts, especially if the meal will be heavy.

Now, if you want to stray from tradition, there are many options. Some brides opt for entertaining the guests in the truest sense of the word. Clowns, anyone? How about live music?

If you want to venture into the fun and funky, consult the party planning pages of a local children’s or parent’s magazine. Here, you can find people who will entertain your children at their birthday parties, but many of them will happily take on wedding jobs. You can hire a clown to make balloon animals for the kids (and adults) in attendance, or to juggle a few things. Some clowns are true entertainers and will happily get the crowd involved by fetching items out of women’s purses and juggling them.

Other non-traditional options for entertaining your guests include hiring a band to play music beforehand. If you plan to have classical music at your wedding, you can have a band come and play covers of current pop songs, or you can simply have your hired band arrive a bit early to entertain guests waiting for the full reception to begin.

If there are many children at the wedding, it’s not too expensive to hire a children’s band to sing and entertain the children for a bit. Then if the kids are a bit bored at the reception, they’ll still have the memory of the earlier entertainment with them. In addition, while the children are being entertained, the adults can have a chance to chat and they will surely thank the bride for thinking of them in that way.

Some other options for entertaining your restless crowd before the festivities begin are to include them in the reception before it begins. This is a great time to ask people to sign the guest book and write something meaningful, since they will have more time than they would usually have as they file into the reception hall.

If the reception and the wedding ceremony take place in the same location, but the bride and groom are off having pictures taken, it may not seem as if there’s this dilemma of how to keep the guests entertained, but there in fact, is.

In this case, you can have servers circulate with appetizer trays or you can do something more elaborate, such as some of the suggestions above. One popular option doesn’t involve entertaining the guests at all. Say the wedding is being held at a historic house or mansion. During the lull before the reception, guests can be given a tour of the property. If the wedding and reception are both being held at the couple’s new home, a tour of the property might be in order (assuming the guest list is fairly small).

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For many couples, the wedding is not over once the reception is. Depending on the location of the wedding and the couple’s relationship with their families, often there are other activities that follow the main event.

One of the most obvious is a breakfast the day following the wedding. This is a time for everyone to touch base with each other, check in on how everyone did and perhaps share memories of the night before. This breakfast activity can be as simple or elaborate as you like. Some people like to have this breakfast at a relative’s house because that is friendly and familiar and more conducive to everyone hanging out and enjoying themselves. It can be potluck style or catered. You can also meet up at a restaurant.

Many families like to have the bride and groom open presents the day after the wedding. There are many who believe the bride and groom are required to open presents in the presence of family for good luck. In that case, building in the opening of presents is essential. This can be a simple gathering of friends and family or you can turn the present opening into an all-out activity, where each item is opened, demonstrated or displayed and discussed in great detail.

Opening gifts doesn’t have to a dry activity. You can add some silly fun. How about starting with the smallest and moving to the largest gifts? Or working in the reverse order? You might even create a game. Everyone has to guess what’s in each gift prior to its being opened. (Of course, people can’t guess on their on gifts.) Someone can be in charge of keeping a tally and whoever gets the most right, wins a small prize.

The women in the bride’s family might want to help her pack up her gown (or send it to the dry cleaners) and preserve her wedding bouquet. This can easily be done at home and the women (particularly those who are crafty) might want to get started on preserving the flowers as well.

In the crafty light, some brides might want to plan a scrapbook party for after the wedding. You won’t have photos back from the photographer, but you can scrapbook many other wedding events, such as pre-events like manicures, various parties and the candid photos take by wedding guests the night before. More than being focused on the photos, this activity gives the women a chance to reflect on the events of the wedding, laugh at all the fun ties and journal and preserve memories before some are lost. It will also help the bride feel as if she’s partly in control of all those photos before she leaves on her honeymoon and takes yet more photos.

If gifts were opened on this “day after the wedding”, crafty groups might want to make thank you cards. Choose a design long before the wedding, perhaps even making a prototype as well. Then have all the supplies on hand and give everyone good ideas about how the cards should be made. Even the men can get on this act, helping to fold the cards, perhaps handling any computer work and even getting their fingers on glue and scissors. Send the bride and groom off with these homemade cards so when they get back from their honeymoon, all they have to do is jot off a quick note.

Some brides and grooms plan activities the day fter the wedding that are designed to help everyone calm down, relax and unwind after what has likely been a busy weekend. In this light, you can plan a picnic at the park and bring along games to play. You might pack a football, a volleyball net or items to play baseball. You might bring along water guns or a dartboard. Whatever it is, the idea here is to have some fun and blow off steam. Make your own rules when playing the games. It really doesn’t matter. Today is about relaxing, unwinding and spending some quality time with friends and family before the special weekend is over.

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Some brides these days are turning wedding receptions on their head and creating super long receptions that run through the night and into the morning. If this is you, planning some activities for those long nighttime hours is essential.

Generally, if an all-night reception is planned, it goes something like this: the wedding is held in the early evening and reception follows. By about midnight, many of the guests will have left and the group that is remaining (generally the younger guests, but not always) will continue to dance and party and revel into the early morning hours. At some point, breakfast will be provided and everyone will go home to crash.

Why do you need activities for such a reception? The answer is simple. You want to keep people entertained through the nighttime hours, you want to keep them at the reception and not let them give in to driving home to crash and sleep and you want to provide them with a real party. Let’s face it: if they are willing to hang in with you for the duration, they deserve something for their effort.

First, you need to be fairly organized about the activities you plan. Consult with your DJ about these activities and leave it to him or her to keep things on a schedule. Do not plan to cut cake in the middle of the night. That activity should take place during the more traditional evening hours, so those not intending to stay all night can leave. However, if you’re determined to keep your guests all night, you could hold one activity back with the hope it will keep guests in the house longer.

Depending on your guest list, you might hold off on the father-daughter dance until after midnight, or you could save a few toasts for the late night hours. In any event, having some other fun events is a great idea.

As guests begin to fade, bring in a piata, which you can find shaped like a wedding ring, a bridal dress or a champagne flute. Fill it with a variety of goodies. Candy is always popular, but you could also fill it with silly toys found in the carnival section of the party store. Have the DJ play a spirited song and let everyone have a chance at the piata. Do this on the dance floor and really let people have a swing at it. There should be plenty of room. Once the piata breaks, everyone can enjoy a taste of sweet candy or can enjoy some silly little carnival game or toy.

People who stay for the duration of the wedding are going to need a rest. Plan a photo presentation or video viewing for this purpose. You could have someone who’s familiar with PowerPoint create a photo presentation or have someone put together a video of photos. Do this around 2 or 3 am and have it last a good half hour to 45 minutes. This gives everyone a chance to sit down and relax and also gives the DJ a chance to sit, have a rest and rejuvenate for the next round.

In that same vein of allowing the guests a little relaxation, one activity that some brides employ is a non-activity. If the weddig is outside, you can provide inflatable mattresses and have some torches lit. If guests ant to sit down and relax, they can do so on the mattresses and still be part of the activity while resting. If it’s been a long day and someone needs to rest, those reception room chairs don’t seem the most comfortable. If the reception is indoors, think about providing large pillows for guests to sit on or create a corner with inflatable mattresses and lots of fabric. This can be a chatting area where people can go to rest but still be part of the fun. They can chat and catch up with other guests and then head back for more partying when they’re rejuvenated.

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An old English tradition known as friendship balls has taken root in new form – the Bride’s Friendship Bag. Friendship balls were passed from mother to daughter, friend to friend – on special occasions. These balls were filled with a favor and were only passed to someone very special.

This has been a great tradition passed down through time. A Bride’s Friendship Bag is great spin-off on the way a bride can show appreciation to her wedding party members.

Many countries have different ways of giving favors – like Bulgaria, where they give a little basket with wheat and sweets or England where they give sugared almonds wrapped in a little material pouch. A Bride’s Friendship Bag can be used in any country, regardless of its origins.

Fast forward to today – many brides still carry on this tradition by giving gifts in a Bride’s Friendship Bag to their maid of honor, bridesmaids and close friends. The reason stands the same – showing appreciation and thanks for the person participating in your special day.

All maids of honor and bridesmaids love to receive a Brides Friendship Bag because it’s not only a great gift for them, but they also see it as a big thank you for the part they played in your wedding day.

Many of those who receive the gifts tend to keep them as a keepsake to remind them of your special day, something to look back on and think of the wonderful memories your day brought to you and your guests.

You can put anything you want in your Bride’s Friendship Bag. It can be as extravagant or as small as you wish. Maybe you want to put cosmetics or something small like chocolates and a card. In the end you know the people who will be receiving the bags so you know what they will like.

Although you don’t have to give a Bride’s Friendship Bag, it’s a unique way to deliver your traditional wedding favors in a keepsake that stands apart from what brides do and most couples seek out ways that they can shine – whether it’s through a unique wedding gown or the container in which they deliver their wedding favors.

Top 5 Reasons to Choose a Destination Wedding

“Why not choose a destination wedding?” should be the question. Destination weddings are becoming so popular that planning one is almost a no-brainer. You get a picture-book wedding setting and a vacation to boot – and your guests will love it!

Below are the top five reasons that you should consider planning a get-away wedding.

1. You get to leave all your “cares” at home and leave the details to others.

Whether you choose an island wedding, European sojourn, “rough it in the wild” safari in Africa or a dream cruise on a luxury ship, you’ll find staff ready and waiting to cater to your every want and need.

What better way to begin your new life than on a relaxed note? Your work or anything that might cause stress will be out of sight and out of mind with a destination wedding.

2. A destination wedding will give you more for your money.

You might think that traveling to an exotic location to get married would break the budget you painstakingly created for your wedding. Contrary to that belief, a destination wedding can actually be less of a strain on your pocketbook.

Packages are readily available that come with everything included – air fare, transportation needs, discounts for larger parties, etc. Consider that in many locations, everything you need (such as flowers and music) is localized to make your destination wedding simple.

3. You’ll get to choose the background and activities that appeal to you, as a couple.

The picture-book setting of a Hawaiian beach is the perfect background for your destination wedding if you’re dreaming of getting married barefoot on the beach with orchids in your hair. The photos will be stunning.

But if the beach isn’t your bag, a European wedding in a castle can fulfill daydreams of Romeo and Juliett or King Arthur and his love, Gwenaviere.

4. You get to choose the weather for your special day!

It’s true that most couples think of warm weather for saying their faraway vows with a destination wedding. But you might have other ideas – like snow and skiing. By doing a little research, you can make your dream weather come true.

5. Thinking of a theme? A destination wedding can be a change from the traditional wedding ritual.

Many couples are considering a theme wedding rather than the tired old rituals held in a church. An island destination wedding will go over much better in Jamaica or Hawaii than Portland, Maine.

Are you dreaming of a winter wonderland theme and you live in Florida? Switzerland or Norway can fill the bill in a way that will get you in the mood more than 90-degree weather could.

What’s wrong with buying a knock off wedding dress replica with a slight change to suit your needs? You may pay a few thousand dollars for the gown of your dreams, but why pay this when you can get the same gown, with a few slight additions you may want for a tenth of the price?
Where Can I Find Knock-Off Wedding Dresses?
You can find many websites and auctions sites that offer knock-off wedding dresses like these. Normally you have to submit your measurements and wait about 30 days to receive the dress since they are made to order, but you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the quality.

How Can They Make a Knock-Off Wedding Dress So Cheap?

Normally these gowns are made in countries where the price to make a gown is a lot cheaper – places like China, India and some countries in Eastern Europe.

How Can I Be Sire of the Seller and the Quality?

Like anything in life, no you can’t be 100% sure you’re going to like your knock-off wedding dress – no more than you can be sure you’d love a designer original. You need to research the seller, see if they have any testimonials, and if you’re buying off an auction site – check their feedback.

What Is the Average Price of a Knock-Off Wedding Dress?

Prices do vary, but you can normally pick out a gown for between one hundred and two hundred dollars. Not everyone can afford a really expensive gown, so the next best thing is a knock off wedding dress that’s a replica of the original designer you admired.

Yes, they look the same, but normally the knock off wedding dress has slight variations so they don’t affect the copyright of the designer. After all, this is your big day, so why should you go without the design you want when you can get a gown made to your liking, with any additions you want, at a fraction of the price you would expect to see in your local store?

Not all couples have surprise engagements. In today’s world, there are many women who prefer to dictate exactly what kind of engagement and wedding ring they want their beau to purchase for them.
What’s worse is that many women are catty. Some women blatantly tell their husbands-to-be that the only requirement they have for their wedding ring is that it’s bigger than so-and-so’s ring.
Most brides aren’t even concerned about the quality of the diamond – size matters most and they’re hoping to blind the entire sea of guests with their sparkling wedding ring. Not every bride cares about size and cost. Some care more about sentimental value.
One bride was disappointed that her fianc had proposed without yet buying her a wedding ring. He assumed she’d want to pick it out herself, and he was saving the money to do it right. But she told him that she’d be happy with a Cheerio on her finger.
Then there are the women who demand that their wedding ring cost more than a car and be bigger than two carats. “If not,” they say, “don’t even bother proposing.” Which kind of woman are you?
Let’s clarify something. No one is saying you should be pleased with a piece of cereal on your ring finger. But there’s more to your wedding ring selection than size. Some brides don’t want diamonds, but if you do, make sure the quality of the diamond is adequate.
Try on several options and ask about the possibility that you’ll be allergic to the materials the wedding ring is made out of. It’d be a shame to wear your $10,000 Platinum band only to find it has a hint of nickel in it and it’s giving you a rash!
Try not to think of your wedding ring purchase as an “I want to outdo her ring” situation. There will always be someone who has a bigger, more sparkly diamond than yours. A wedding ring is a sentimental and financial investment you’re making for your future.
If the wedding ring is passed down as an heirloom to your children and grandchildren, you want them to know you and your groom spent your money wisely.