Choosing a Flower Girl

Every bridal mag is filled with pictures of adorable flower girl dresses, and most brides love the idea of a beautiful little girl tossing petals down the aisle before she makes her big entrance. If you’re thinking about asking a special little one to be your flower girl, here are some tips.

First, consider the candidate’s age and temperament. No matter how cute she is, a shy girl won’t make a good flower girl. Infants may be adorable, but they are also unpredictable. If you choose a baby, make sure you’ll be okay with any suddenly fussiness or crying. The ideal age for a flower girl is 4-9. Any older and you’ll want to make them junior bridesmaids instead.

You’ll want to ask the parents first before saying anything to the little girl. This way you’ll avoid any disappointment if the parents decline. If they accept, be sure they and your flower girl are included in all pre-wedding festivities.

While it’s customary for the bride to chose the dress her flower girl will wear, listen to the parent’s suggestions as well. As far as paying for the dress goes, it’s usually the parent’s responsibility, but it’s fine to offer if you want.

Your flower girl and her parents should always be invited to the reception. Expecting them to go home after the ceremony and pictures is extremely rude and sends the message that their daughter was simply an accessory for the photos. Provide a kid friendly meal and an age appropriate wedding favor. She should also receive an appropriate thank you gift at the rehearsal dinner.

Once she’s walked down the aisle she should be allowed to sit with her parents if she wants. The younger the child the less likely they’ll be able to stand quietly for the ceremony, especially if it’s a long religious one.

Finally, prepare for the worst. If your flower girl gets sudden case of stage fright or throws a tantrum just as she’s supposed to walk down the aisle, don’t get upset. Kids are unpredictable and people will understand!

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Here is a fun video showing how your groom can pamper himself before the big day-after all, they want to look good too!

Good Lord, This one is a humdinger. A story of my wedding day. A cautionary tale for those who haven’t done it yet, but who may decide for Some odd reason that They want to wreck their happiness with a harrowing day like No other.

(Gonna Have to duck from flying cutlery after my wife reads that last bit.)

Seriously, though. A tale of derring doofus from a man who forgot his brain on his wedding day….and the day before for that matter. Ask questions before you get married. And more than just do I really want to do this? The reason for this statement from me is fairly simple. I didn’t. Let’s go the night before the wedding, at the rehearsal, at church. I notice a few things, like we aren’t really going through too much of the ceremony. Being an idiot, and a semi stressed one at that,I go along in what can only be called an unthinking manner. when I say “not too much of the ceremony”, I should be more specific. None of it, besides the order of who’s walking up the aisle when and who’s gonna have the rings. I remember nothing else. There may have been more but I was busy not knowing what the hell I was doing to ask any questions.

Fast forward to The wedding day. It’s 3:10, only a few minutes late, and things are going smoothly…my wife walks up and I realize she’s gonna have issues with the train of her wedding gown, she’s walking right up the middle of the aisle, between the chairs, rather than around the side. There I am moving chairs around making sure nothing catches her dress. A very small indicator that things will soon go very very wrong.

We then do the candle lighting, It goes smoothly, I only shake visibly for a few moments. Nice. At least we didn’t drop the extra long match and burn down the church…. maybe we can get throught this without incident.

Oh no. Nothing’s ever that easy.

Before the vows, He asks questions. I’m in a fog. The first time he asks, I miss it. He hadn’t asked me questions or told me there would be any! I wasn’t ready for an exam!!! He had to prompt me for an answer, and tell me what I was supposed to say. I wasn’t ready for questions because I hadn’t asked about it the night before. He tells me to answer “yes” to the next few questions. I do. Thinking That “YES” Would be the right way to answer any question, He goes to the vows and asks “Will you take Sue, to be your lawfully wedded wife….” Guess what I answer.

YES!

The Whole place, under their breath says “Mike, you’re supposed to say “I do”.

I don’t know If I turned all the colors of the rainbow, But I’m sure I hit several of them right at that moment from sheer embarrassment. All because I didn’t ask questions. Let’s see, Oh Yeah, The Deacon screwed Up the Order on things, and we had rings on our fingers before the vows. And not knowing any better, BECAUSE I HADN’T ASKED, I put the ring on the wrong finger. I figure I should get a pass on this because I don’t wear jewelry. At all, until that moment anyway. But my mother decided to whisper to me that It was on the wrong hand. I missed what she said.

The church went silent and everyone heard her repeat “The ring’s on the wrong finger”

I think I turned several colors there as well. I may have hit more colors then they have in the rainbow that day.

So if yer getting married. ASK QUESTIONS. Ask EVERYONE questions. About everything. Even if It sounds silly. I’m guessing it’s easier to feel stupid for asking a silly question before the wedding than find out you should have asked questions afterwards.

Submitted by: Mike

Here is a great video showcasing a wide variety of flower girl baskets. From satin to lace to wicker, you are sure to find one you love! We’ll have more on flower girls later this week. If you’ve already choosen a basket, tell us about it!

Choosing your bridal party can be one of the most enjoyable wedding tasks-or one of the most stressful. To keep it as enjoyable as possible, follow these tips:

First, don’t choose your bridesmaids more than 9 months or so before your wedding. Relationships tend to change over time and you don’t want to end up with a bridesmaid you no longer feel close to or get along well with. Second, chose only the people you feel truly close to and who fully support you. Groom have a sister you aren’t particularly close with? She can stand up on his side! This is becoming an increasingly popular trend. If you have a close male friend he can stand up on your side as well. Call him your bridesman or man of honor if you like.

Don’t let anyone tell you who you should chose. The decision should be yours and yours alone. Yes, it’s nice to include all your siblings, but if you have a large family or a sibling you’re not close to, it’s fine to ask them to do a reading or participate in different way. When you chose your maids, keep the size of your party in mind. The larger it is, the more expenses you’ll have (bigger limo, more thank you gifts to buy, more plates to pay for at the reception, etc). Smaller parties are just as nice. No bride really needs 20 bridesmaids!

Don’t worry about things being “even”. It’s not necessary. If you have more girls or he has more guys, your photos will still be beautiful. Do make sure the people you chose are responsible so you won’t have to nag them to go get fitted or worry if they’ll be able to afford their dresses/tuxes.

When it comes to the groomsmen, let your guy decide. It’s okay to make a suggestion or two, but let the final decisions be his. If he picks a guy you’re worried won’t follow through on his responsibilities or afraid may cause problems, have a heart to heart with your guy.

If you’ve picked wisely you’ll most likely never have to deal with this, but if you’re wondering about how to “fire” a bridesmaid or groomsman, well you really can’t, except in extreme circumstances. If one of your maids hits on your guy or one of his guys turns out to have an drug problem, by all means show them the door. However, you can’t kick a maid out because she doesn’t look good in the dress you picked or a groomsman out because you think he’s annoying. That’s why it’s so important to chose your wedding party with care!

Stay tuned for future articles on how to deal with bad bridesmaids and groomsmen!

Groom’s don’t often get much input in the planning of their wedding, but when it comes to chosing what they’ll wear for the big day, the choice should be theirs. After all, you wouldn’t expect him to chose your gown for you, right? Let him chose something he’ll feel good in! For some tips and a look at the latest trends in men’s formalwear, check out this great video!