Being engaged is a wonderful and exciting, filled with adrenalin. Your friends and family are delighted with your news and your head is filled with wedding plans and dreams. There’s a marriage in your future and the wedding process can become an important lesson in working together towards a common goal.
The average Canadian engagement is 14 months and that’s a reasonable time to plan an A+ day. There are many decisions to make, items to check out and people to see. It all rolls out efficiently if you use a timetable, set a budget and get organized. (see the Wedding Guide timetable online for printable planning tools) http://www.bridaltalk.theweddingguide.ca
 Steve Pomerleau Photography, Windsor, Ontario- will travel With more and more couples waiting to marry later in life, things have changed on the marriage scene. Ten years ago only 5% of couples lived together prior to marrying; today that statistic has risen to 75%. The bride is now 28 and the groom is 30, not 21 and 23 years of age.
With those numbers in mind, weddings are being paid for by the couple, with possibly some financial help from their parents. With that change, today’s grooms are becoming increasingly involved in the wedding planning; an area that has historically and traditionally been looked after by the bride and her family.
Your budget as a couple is now combined, and grooms are wanting more control in keeping the finances in line. He may well be a 50/50 player in this wedding, and oftentimes he will want involvement in all aspects of the wedding day, except for the silk and satin items. He can be a great help with all the details, and if the bride is a working woman with many responsibilities or still in school, that extra pair of hands is a welcome addition to the tasks at hand.
Even if your aren’t co-habitating, it is important to remember during your engagement to stay focused and balanced on the life you are preparing for. As the bride, don’t get so totally immersed in the planning that you distance yourself from your future partner. Remember, you two are a team and if he is feeling overwhelmed by your emotional involvement in this wedding, and thinking you are forgetting about him; he will feel slighted. Don’t get too wedding consumed.
The life you share in the future has been molded by your relationship to date, and although the wedding is paramount to you, there are other aspects of your life together that you need to keep vibrant. Go on dates, continue to see your friends and be organized.
Fourteen months is a long time between the engagement and the “day”, so remember to stay in tune with your partner, your family and your friends. Wedding talk is not always necessary every time you are together.
Good planning makes for good decisions and together you will sow the seeds of a long and happy future. The most important thing is to have fun and enjoy planning one of the most beautiful and memorable days of your life. Happy planning!
Social media has been embraced by just about everyone in daily life and wedding
celebrations are no exception!
 Weddings/Social Media With the excitement of their engagement, brides are setting up personal wedding websites to share engagement pictures; their beautiful new ring and in some cases, it serves as an introduction of her fiancé to friends and family from afar. It is an effective icebreaker for the wedding party to interact and get to know one another online, prior to meeting for the first time.
Emily Post manners recently released a statement that said, ”all the old rules that are stuffy can be tossed out!”
While social media is still relatively new to weddings, this generation of couples are internet babies and they want to embrace technology in as many ways as they can. And what better time than on their special day.
 Social Media is hot at weddings this season!
One cardinal rule, that is a definite no-no, is using your mobile device during the ceremony. The bride can appoint one Chief Tweeter to quietly sit in a remote area of the venue to capture the vow-taking. Attach a hash tag to the event and those who couldn’t make it can still be in the loop and follow the day’s proceedings.
At the reception, brides are setting up a computer station, where guests can post their well wishes and upload wedding day pictures they have captured. Other friends who couldn’t attend can post and have their comments read much like the telegram of days gone by.
Webcasting is growing as weddings are broadcast on a live stream feed. If there are elderly relatives or guests who are unable to be with the couple at their location, they can still see the day live from the comfort of their homes.
It’s the 21st century and brides will wow their guests with this emerging trend, and many other special touches that make their wedding distinctive while shining a spotlight on their unique personalties!
We know that your groom doesn’t spend months looking through magazines to seek out his perfect tuxedo, while you, his bride-to-be will spend an inordinate amount of time to find that perfect wedding gown that makes you look and feel spectacular!
 Brandon Scott Photography, Windsor, Ontario- will travel
Trevor Booth Photography, Windsor, Ontario- will travel
Some grooms may think that the fashion decisions for a wedding are only for a bride, and that he just needs a suit and he can be done with it. We believe that a groom should look dashing on his wedding day too, and nothing says that like a gorgeous black or grey tux.
The tuxedo is always a classic. A good tuxedo is formal wear at its very best. Elegant, simple and classic. The tuxedo has long been the standard for men’s formal wear, but has been neglected recently. But, it is making a welcome comeback with revamped styling and new beautiful fabrics. The bow tie is the mainstay of the classic tuxedo. It’s the safe and classic look most grooms decide to go with. Bow ties are back in fashion too; big and bold and fun.
Tuxedos are a wonderful complement to a bride attire- your wedding is a celebratory day that offers excitement like no other. When you consider your photography and the costs attached to it, why not consider dressing up and being as elegant as your bride!
Trevor Booth Photography, Windsor, Ontario- will travel
Steve Pomerleau Photography, Windsor, Ontario- will travel
 Chalet Photography, Windsor, Ontario- will travel
Pieces of toasted bread or croutons were placed in the bottom of the glass to provide nourishment for the bride and groom.
Either the best man starts the toasts by standing and tapping his glass or the Master of Ceremony announces the toast. The
best man usually tells a short story of how the couple first met or a humourous tasteful anecdote about the groom and the bride.
He then makes a wish for their happiness and everyone (except the bride and groom) raises their glasses and toasts the couple.
Toasts may then follow his toast from the bride’s honour attendant and then the bride and groom’s parents. The couple then follows with special toasts to their parents, to their attendants and finally to each other, usually with the groom speaking first. They may then intertwine their arms and drink from their toasting glasses or goblets.
The amount of champagne needed for the toast is calculated as follows: A 26 oz. (magnum) of champagne will serve
approximately 8 glasses. So for 100 guests, you will need a case of 12 per toast. Some toasts heard around the world are:
French: Salut
Hispanic: Salud, Dinero y Amor
British: Cheers
Italian: A la Salute
Hebrew: L’Chayim
Chinese: Nien Mien Ju E
Scottish: Lang May Your Lum Reek
Weeks and months are spent by the bride agonizing over the perfect wedding gown. What style to pick? Which gown will accentuate the bride’s best features? How much lace and tulle will make the gown a wow without going overboard? What type of neckline, detail and fabrics go into the perfect gown? Should it be long or short, white, ivory or coloured?
And, then there’s the poor groom. Does anyone pay attention to his wedding attire? He is often left to fend for himself, without having the slightest idea what he is looking for. Certainly he has heard of wing-collars, morning suits and cummerbunds. But does he even know what they are? Or when they are worn? Or what they look like?
Probably not and that’s where his loving bride comes in to help him select the fashions that are not only traditional and proper, but what looks best on him. And don’t forget the groomsmen. Though they too may be an afterthought, the syles they wear will add a sense of elegance to your wedding day.
Tuxedos are instantly classic and although the wearing of them has shown a decline through the last few years, there’s nothing that speaks James Bond for the special day. The trend today is back to the 50′s, vintage glam and retro-style, which themed is a black and white affair; complete with martini bars and the Clark Gable look of the dashing gentleman. Sign onto this look and, the wedding party will be on trend.
Planning a wedding and including all the bride’ finery, glamour and bling works best when the whole wedding party is in the same formal feel. There are variations in tuxedo styles; one that will certainly work for the man-of -the-hour.
Remember that your picture-taking and memory-making will pay off dividends when everyone is suited up for the occasion in style. And, dad and future father-in-law are celebrating the milestone too. Don’t short-change them by by-passing on the tuxedo. It is a special occasion for two very special people- the bride and the groom and the elegance and style that are added to the day are priceless when they look back 20 years from now with their kids as they view the wedding album.
Until later,
Sheryl Davies
Publisher
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