One of the most exciting post-wedding activities for newlyweds is the opening of their wedding presents. Like little kids on Christmas morning, they usually go for the biggest gift or the one with the prettiest wrapping, curious to discover what treasures lie within. But the excitement soon turns into disappointment as they unwrap tea set after tea set from family, friends, and other well-wishers. Nothing can be more frustrating than getting multiple gifts of the same thing, especially when you won’t have an immediate use for that item. To avoid getting multiple gifts, and to make it easier for your wedding guests to figure out what you will need as a couple starting a life together, prepare a wedding registry for your guests.
A wedding registry is basically a wish list that you create through department stores (Rustan’s) or online stores (Amazon) that offer this kind of service. You can either include the wedding registry in your invitations, or create an online account that can be viewed by your wedding guests. Every time a guests purchases an item from the wedding registry, the list gets updated and the purchased item is removed from the list.
Although using a wedding registry does remove the element of surprise when the couple opens presents, this is a small price to pay when you consider its biggest advantage: you will get exactly what you need, and your guests won’t have a hard time figuring out what to give you for your wedding. Wouldn’t it be better if they could get you presents you can use and enjoy, instead of an item that you have no use for because you already have one too many?
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You already know what wedding trends are going to be in fashion for Spring 2009, but the hottest looks on the runways won’t be complete without the right hairstyle. Clueless about what hairstyle goes with what dress? Here are some of the best tressed on the bridal catwalk.
Greek Goddess
This look is a fresher, more dramatic take on the traditional braid and looks perfect with Greek goddess-inspired wedding dresses. Long hair is required for this hairstyle though, so unless you’ve been growing out your hair for years, you might need to get a hairpiece to achieve this look. All you need to do is tie your hair into a ponytail and braid. Wrap the braid around your head like a headband, then secure the end of the braid where the ponytail starts. For a soft fringe, flair out the ends of the braid.
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Traditionally, wedding colors for the month of January are shades of dusky pink, blue, silver, and burgundy - besides white, that is. If you want to know what trendy colors to use for your wedding bouquet, all you have to do is look to the fashion industry. The fashion forecast for 2009 involves a wide range of earthy neutrals and intense neutrals. The spring/summer palette for 2009 includes subtle darks like graphite gray and deep purples, which are complemented by beige, raspberry red, and sensuous pink. White will never go out of fashion as far as weddings are concerned, but this year they will be complemented by pink and green. Any wedding using one or more of this year’s trendy colors will definitely be an elegant affair.
It is a little difficult to find flowers in all of these colors. To incorporate the season’s trendy colors, add accessories to your flowers. For instance, deep purple can be found in many flowers but graphite grey is definitely not a flower color. A bouquet of deep purple roses tied with a graphite bow completes the trendy color palette.
Choose which colors you want for your wedding, then ask your florist if they can find you flowers available in these colors. Here is a short list of flowers that bloom in the month of January.
Deep Purples:
Allium
Aster
Delphinium
Gladiolus
Iris
Lisanthus
Roses
Snapdragons
Pinks
Anthurium
Bouvardia
Callas
Carnations
Freesia
Gerbera
Ranunculus
Roses
Snapdragons
Whites
Astilbe
Carnations
Iris
Asiatic Lilies
Roses
Reds
Anthurium
Carnations
Gerbera
Roses
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It’s only a couple more months until summer and spring 2009, and you still have time to adjust your wedding cake’s design and style to match what’s in this season. Wedding trends of spring and summer 2009 feature whimsical and classical elements from the 1920’s to the 1960’s, and this is the year to stand out in aquamarine, pastel blue, lemon, and lilac colors. Spring and summer weddings are perfect for fluffy sponge cakes and fruity icing. Complement them with one of these fresh trends of the new year, and your wedding cake will be perfect for the season.
Hexagons and Squares
Square-shaped or hexagonal tiered cakes are a refreshing new take to the classic circular wedding cake design, and the stacked shaped make your wedding cake impressive enough to stand alone as a centerpiece. Geometric embellishments also make for a cake that people will remember forever.
Decadent designs
These days, wedding cakes are inspired by the intricate details of wedding dress designs. Lace-style decorations, monochromatic colors, and white fondant icing topped with black or dark brown patterns are the perfect way to show off your sense of culture and style.
Blues and greens
Another popular color scheme for 2009 weddings are turquoise, aqua, blues, and greens. Have your wedding cake capture these cheerful hues, especially for the summer. Have a cake made with a tropical theme in mind, get aquamarine as your base color, and complement it with silver, lilac, or white.
Cupcake towers
The trend of having a tower of cupcakes instead of a tiered wedding cake will still be hot in 2009. But instead of round cupcakes, cupcakes this year will come in geometric shapes (refer to the first trend)!
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The Bride Wars is a romantic comedy about two best friends who schedule their wedding on the same day. Starring Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway, the movie is scheduled to hit theaters sometime early next year. I’m not the biggest fan of romantic comedies and I’m not sure I’ll be watching this, but I was looking at the promotional photos from the movie and their wedding dresses are gorgeous.
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Religious and commercial undertones aside, Christmas is a good excuse to meet up with long-lost family, spend time with friends and loved ones, and celebrate the occasion with a sumptuous feast. For this reason, Christmas eve or Christmas day can be the perfect occasion to get married and have a huge family reunion to celebrate. If you have a lot of relatives who’ll be traveling long distance to be with your family on Christmas, why not save them the next trip and hold your wedding on Christmas day too? Here are some creative ideas that can help you plan your Christmas wedding.
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Flower girl dresses have always been shiny, frilly, sometimes itchy confections that tend to cost quite a bit of money. The image of little girls in fancy organza and tulle dresses still adds an innocent charm to the wedding entourage but with the economy being what it is today, brides of 2009 are looking to cut costs. Luckily for the newly engaged, it is now en vogue to think completely out of the box when it comes to wedding planning and wedding attire.
For spring 2009 weddings, consider decking out your little girls in floral cotton dresses. Not only are they more affordable and comfortable for your flower girls; these dresses add a colorful splash to an otherwise monochromatic color scheme. Simple accessories such as an ornate headband can easily embellish a plain dress if you want your flower girls to look more formal. The best part about dressing up your flower girls in cotton dresses instead of the usual formal attire is that they can use it again and again until they grow out of it, something all peso-pinching parents will surely love.
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Vintage wedding dresses are going to be one of the most popular looks on brides in the year 2009, but the retro bride won’t look very authentic without the right accessories. And what she needs is a birdcage veil to complete the look.
Birdcage veils are tiny veils that descend from a small pillbox hat or pinned to the hair and end short of the chin. The material they are made out of goes by several names - sometimes they are called Russian tulle or Russian netting, other stores call them the English net or the Madonna veiling. This style of netting dates back all the way to the early 19th century when European hatmakers used it to embellish women’s hats. The netting’s distinct diamond pattern became popular up until the 1950’s and 1960’s; during this period of the 20th century, Russian netting was primarily used for wedding veils.
Birdcage veils are making a comeback, and its popularity today is largely due to Hollywood trendsetters. Katherine Heigl wore one during her wedding in 2007, and the birdcage veil has also been spotted in two movies: Jessica Alba’s character walked down the aisle wearing a birdcage veil in the movie Fantastic Four 2: Rise of the Silver Surfer, and so did Reese Witherspoon in Sweet Home Alabama. I predict that birdcage veils are going to be the next big wedding trend, even for brides who don’t necessarily want to look retro. Not only do they have a quiet sophistication about them; birdcage veils can also be to match your wedding dress or your wedding jewelry.
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