Honeymoon Planning Checklist

After the whirlwind of wedding planning and the joy and excitement of the big day comes the honeymoon! Ah…a time for you and your new husband to relax and recuperate! Believe me, you’ll need it! My husband and I were married last June, and after the 22 months it took for us to save for and plan our wedding day, the week we spent in Aruba for our honeymoon was much needed and not nearly long enough! Deciding where to go is only the first step when it comes to planning a perfect honeymoon. Here are some other things to keep in mind:

1. Check to see if you’ll need a passport. The rules have recently changed. Now anyone traveling to the Caribbean or Canada will need a passport. If you’ll need one, apply as soon as possible to avoid rush fees and insure you get it in time. You’ll can download an application from the U.S. State Department website. Fill it out, get two passport photos taken and go to your local post office for processing. The State Department site will also allow you to track your application and tell you when you can expect your passport to arrive

.2. Do your homework. Check out sites like TripAdvisor to get the lowdown on the hotel you’ll be staying at. TA users provide detailed and brutally honest reviews of hotels and resorts. Find out before you go to avoid any unpleasant surprises.

3. Check the latest travel advisories. Aside from providing passport applications and information, the State Department also provides travel advisories. These advisories warn travelers of areas to avoid. For example, travel to Venezuela is not advised due to strong anti-American sentiment and widespread crime. For example:

Violence Along The U.S.-Mexico Border
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Violent criminal activity fueled by a war between criminal organizations struggling for control of the lucrative narcotics trade continues along the U.S.-Mexico border. Attacks are aimed primarily at members of drug trafficking organizations, Mexican police forces, criminal justice officials, and journalists. However, foreign visitors and residents, including Americans, have been among the victims of homicides and kidnappings in the border region. In its effort to combat violence, the government of Mexico has deployed military troops in various parts of the country. U.S. citizens are urged to cooperate with official checkpoints when traveling on Mexican highways.

4. See your doctor. If you’re headed to an exotic location or prone to motion sickness or traveler’s diarrhea, check with your doctor for any immunizations you may need, such as those for malaria. Your doctor can also provide you with prescriptions for antibiotics (a lifesaver if you’re prone to UTI’s-they call it Honeymoon Cystitis for a reason!), and meds to soothe motion sickness and Montezuma’s Revenge. While you’re at it be sure to get such essentials such as birth control pills refilled as well.

5. Check with the TSA. Airport security measures are always being updated. If you’re flying to your honeymoon, check with the TSA website to make sure you’re up to date on their requirements.

6. Relax! Above all, relax and enjoy this time in your life. You’re sure to make unforgettable memories no matter where you go!

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One of the most stressful things a bride has to do is pick out a dress for her bridesmaids to wear. Since people come in all shapes, heights, and sizes, it’s not easy to find a style that looks good on everyone. If you have a maid that’s particularly tall, short, full figured or flat chested, you also have to be sensitive to the fact they may be self conscious-this means not picking a dress with a plunging neckline for your A cup bridesmaid or a tight mermaid sheath for your full figured one. So what’s a bride to do? Here are some solutions!The simplest thing to do is to chose a color and length and let your maids chose their own gowns. To insure the best color match you may also want to limit them to a particular designer.Another idea is to choose a designer that offers separates. This allows each made to chose the top and skirt she feels best in. Again, just chose a color and length and let them do the rest!

Anyone who’s ever gone to a wedding probably came home with a favor. These trinkets are given to guests as a token of thanks and a reminder of the bride and groom’s special day. If you’re planning a wedding, you may be surprised at the sheer variety of favors available and dismayed at the cost. Here are some great favor ideas that won’t break the bank!

I hope you find these ideas helpful-be sure and let me know what you think! Already chosen your favors? What are they? I’d love to know!

Tips for Choosing Your Wedding Rings

Tell us about your wedding rings!

The most important part of your wedding day is the ceremony itself. Everyone knows the traditional vows and while they will always be cherished, here are some ways to personalize your ceremony.One of the most popular ways to personalize your ceremony is to ask relatives that mean a lot to you and your groom to do a reading. At my wedding my aunt and uncle did readings from the Old and New Testaments and my husband’s aunt read a special prayer. Special prayers are another great way to add a personal touch to your wedding. Choose one that means something to the two of you or one from your particular culture or ethnic group.If you’re having programs, this is a terrific way to personalize things. Add a special prayer or note; a memorial to loved ones no longer with you, or even a treasured family photo or two. Our programs had Irish and Polish wedding blessings (I’m Irish, hubby is half Irish half Polish) a special family prayer, and a memorial to our deceased family members.

When you think of brides you think of bridal bouquets! It’s traditional for a bride to carry a bouquet of lush, beautiful flowers. Here are some tips to make yours shine!  To insure both a budget friendly and long lasting bouquet, chose flowers that are in season for your area. The further away a flower has to be shipped in from, the more it will cost and the shorter it will last. Also try to choose sturdy flowers. More delicate blooms like stephanotis and hydrangea tend to brown and wilt quickly in hot conditions.  To keep your flowers looking their best, be sure they are kept cool and hydrated for as long as possible before you need them.  Roses are the most popular wedding flower.  If you’ve chosen them for your bouquet, consider the meanings behind the different colors available:Red roses have always meant love-deep, passionate, ever lasting love. White roses symbolize purity and brightness. A mixed bouquet of red and white roses symbolizes unity.Pink roses have several messages, depending on the shade. Deep pink roses symbolize gratitude and respect, while light pink roses show sympathy. Yellow roses on the other hand symbolize friendship and caring, while orange roses symbolize new beginnings, perhaps explaining why they are an increasingly popular selection for bridal bouquets!

All right, you got the proposal, you got the ring, you set the date but you’re afraid the groom won’t make it to the wedding on time. You’re dating the man who is late to every function. It is not really fashionable but you love him too much to not marry him over this minor annoyance.

If you fear your wedding may have you standing in the shadows staring at an empty altar, have no fear, there is one simple solution. Have an evening wedding. You don’t even have to tell anybody why. They will be so impressed by the elegant sound of it that they won’t even consider you’re trying to make sure the job gets done.

What does this solve? Well for one you don’t have to have a custom invite made for him that invites him to the church at a time calculated with his usual-lateness time factored in. The downside to that would be him showing up on time for the wedding and who’s to say he won’t think he’s been left standing at the altar. Oh, and second, you won’t have to marry the first guy you see in your distress if you’re left waiting too long.

Think about your decision, and remember that this is your decision regarding your wedding, not your mom’s or his mom’s or your maid of honor’s. Unless there is some reason that you can think of that you would consider as an obstacle to getting married in the evening, you should have no problem making this happen.

Now that you’re committed to an evening wedding you have opened yourself up to a world of fun choices available only to couples who marry at night.

You can pick a different time of year if you marry inside. How about December with Christmas lights, or any time of year with your evening wedding as an excuse for decorating with lights?

You can pick a venue that may be closed to the public in the evening. Many historic places, gardens, museums and even aquariums offer the opportunities for evening parties and weddings. Even if not advertised it doesn’t hurt to approach an establishment to see if they would consider it. You might need to work with a wedding planner that could ensure a good relationship and would be familiar with contracts to protect both you and the establishment since weddings might not be their everyday business and for you, it is intended naturally as a once in a lifetime experience.

Whatever you decide, making the move to an evening wedding may make for a more enjoyable experience. It would take the stress off having enough time to get things done before the time you’ve both set to begin your lives together.

I think we really need to hear from people who either have been waiting at the altar or who’ve had a nice evening wedding (or not, maybe somebody would like to share if they think an evening wedding is a bad idea).

Submitted By: Violette DeSantis

Photo: Sue Walsh

Here is a great video showing how to make a beautiful wedding bouquet all on your own. Making your own bouquet is a great way to add a personal touch to your wedding and save money! Did you make your own bouquet? Wish you had? Let us know!

Congratulations, you’re engaged! As you begin planning the most important day of your life, you’ll find it may also be one of the most stressful. Here are some tips on how to make you wedding planning as stress free as possible!

Set Your Budget- Sit down with both sets of parents and decide on a budget. If you and your groom are footing the bill yourselves, take a look at your finances and decide how much you can spend. Having a set budget before you start goes a long way toward alleviating stress.

Take Your Time: Most brides can’t wait for their wedding day, but think twice before rushing down the aisle. Take the time to enjoy being engaged and all the celebrations that come along with it(engagement party, bridal showers, etc). For most of us, this time will only happen once. Another thing to consider is that all the best reception venues book up a good 9-18 months in advance. Don’t settle for less if you don’t have to!

Don’t Bring a Crowd: When you visit a vendor or go for a fitting, bring a trusted friend or two (or your groom!), not a crowd. The more people you bring with you, the more opinions you’ll have thrown at you, and that can be overwhelming, leading you to try and please them rather than yourself!

Get Organized: Buy a wedding planner or make one of your own with a three ring binder, some paper, and some pocket dividers. When you go through bridal magazines, tear out the pictures and articles you like and recycle the rest. Those mags tend to be bricks and pile up fast! Keep all contracts and vendor information in your planner as well, and make sure a trusted friend or family member has access to it on the big day, so they can handle any issues for you.

Take a Time Out: Be sure to take regular time outs from the whirlwind of planning, both for yourself and for you and your groom. Go on a special date or weekend getaway together, or simply unplug the phone and take a long bath with a good book. You don’t want to forget why you’re doing all this planning in the first place! Do you have any wedding planning tips? Leave a comment and let us know!

Photo: Sue Walsh