What Not To Do At A Wedding Shower

Wedding showers are all about the bride.  Sometimes you know her really well and the shower is a happy, fun-filled occasion.  Other times, you barely know the girl and you have no idea how to act, what to get her, or what to say.  In each situation and every one in between, here is a cardinal list of rules of what not to do at ANY wedding shower.

Unless it’s ONE OF THOSE Showers, Stay Away from Inappropriate Gifts

Unless the shower is designated for gifts of the *ahem* more intimate nature, stay away from sex toys and risque lingerie.  One famous story is floating around the internet that regards a ninety-year-old grandmother who was so offended at a shower gift that she spit her dentures out and stormed away.  We want to avoid offended grandmothers.

Keep Your History To Yourself

There are countless stories out there about girls who attend the bridal showers of women who are marrying their ex boyfriends.  Maybe that’s not clear, so let’s put it into second person narrative.  You’re at a shower.  The girl who is getting married is getting married to a guy you used to date.  Whatever you do, do not talk about your relationship with this girl’s groom-to-be.  It’s in poor taste and makes everyone feel awkward.

Other Don’ts

Don’t:

tell dirty jokes
get naked
encourage anybody else to get naked
get wasted
get wasted and  naked
be mean to the  bride
be mean to the bride’s mother, grandmother, sister, best friend, etc.

If you follow these simple rules, you should be fine.  If you think of something other than one of these things to do to offend people, PULEASE write to tell me about it.

Wedding Cake Prices & Costs

The wedding cake is a big part of the reception, let alone the wedding itself. That said, it’s always a good idea to know where you stand by finding out the average wedding cake prices and what you’ll be expected to pay.

First and foremost, you should realize that most bakeries charge per “slice” rather than per “cake. This system will allow you to easily determine how much the whole cake is going to cost, not to mention how much money you can spare for custom designs and cake icing.

Here is a Rundown of Wedding Cake Prices:

Simple Cake: A simply made cake with just a few decorations, cheap icing, and a basic design will cost about 1 to 2 dollars per slice. If it’s a small wedding with only about 100 or so people, you can spend about $250 to $300 and get a elegant cake that’ll please everyone. Read more

Wedding Flower Ideas

Your wedding day really is one of the most important days of your life. Making everything perfect for this day is a daunting task. Finding the correct venue, selecting the perfect wedding dress, picking the most beautiful invitations, and choosing wedding flowers, are just some of the things you have to contend with.

Let’s see if we can’t make these tasks simpler. Today we will go over everything involved in getting the right flowers for your wedding. Finding the perfect flowers starts long before your wedding day. Here are some things you should consider beforehand. Read more

Wine Theme Bridal Shower

A wine and cheese party can be a great way to get together with friends or for a special bridal or wedding shower, birthday party or other celebration. It be easy to put together with a minimum of work even if you don’t know much about wine or cheese! You can throw together a simple but elegant party without a lot of fuss and have an interesting theme to boot. A wine and cheese party may be the quintessential choice for an elegant bridal shower party. Women love to nibble and graze and putting out a beautiful spread of cheeses, crackers, fruit and wine (along with some bite size desserts) is just perfect. It is the selection and variety of these items that will set your party apart and above the typical wine and cheese bridal theme party.

The Wine:

Like everything else – serve a variety. Two whites and two reds are perfect.   For the white – offer one on the sweeter side (perhaps a Riesling) and one more on the dry and crisp side (a Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc).   As for the red choices – try one on the ‘lighter’ side (Pinot Noir or Beaujolais Nouveau are good choices) and a full bodied one (a French Bordeaux or Californian Cab would be perfect). Of course make sure there are non-alcoholic beverages too – whether water, club soda or the like. Read more

Honeymoon Trends for Newlyweds

While traditional weddings and vows are still the most popular there has been an increasing trend for something different. It may be a value for money, adventure or exotic wedding and the travel industry has certainly benefited from the change.

According to recent surveys the average cost of honeymoon is $1,402 per person. This compares to the average of $421 per person for a “normal vacation”. Those aged 18 to 24  spend the most at about nearly $2,000 per person. Over one third spend in excess of $2,500. The U.S census records state that 2.5 million people get married annually and it is easy to see why newly-weds are a force in the market.

The following gives some examples of honeymoons taking place today.

The All-Inclusive Honeymoon

Although Jamaica was responsible for starting the trend of all inclusive packages this has spread and practically every Caribbean destination offers these facilities. All-inclusive make it less stressful. Everything is taken care of from the flights, hotel, food, drinks, tips and other items.

For those that wish to get married at the resort the price of the minister or officiant’s fee, the cake and the marriage license will be included.

In many instances all the guests will also be included.

European Destinations

The United Kingdom is the most popular European destination followed by France and Germany according to the North American Association of Tour Agents.

Additional more honeymooners are traveling to less traditional places such as Malta, Turkey or Portugal. With the opening up of the eastern Europe places such as Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland are also seeing an increase in honeymoon couples.

Mexico and Canada

The devaluation of the currencies in Canada and Mexico has increased the popularity of these countries as honeymoon destinations.

Mexico offers sun, sand and surf with everything the Caribbean islands has to offer, but Canada is surprisingly more popular.  Couples looking for a white honeymoon find it in ski areas such as Banff, Whistler, and Jasper, and those seeking big city culture seek out cities like Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver.

It is considered that a persons’ money can go up to 40% further in Canada. The other interest in Canada is the fact that they can experience France without going having to take the time and spend the money necessary to actually go there.

Staying Close to Home

Despite the growing attraction of traveling abroad for a honeymoon the largest percentage still remain with the U.S. It does of course make a great deal of sense since the size of the country ensures that most types of honeymoon can be catered for.

The most popular city destinations are Las Vegas, Orlando, New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco

The quick trip is also increasing in popularity. Lifestyles today are very different and peoples’  needs have changed. More and more time is spent working and in many instances couples already have children, either because of a previous marriage or started a family prior to deciding to get married. Taking a long vacation is not practical when there is a family to look after.

Related articles

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Do-It-Yourself Wedding Invitations Save Money

Your wedding invitations are crucial. They create your wedding’s first impression to family and friends and set the tone for the festivities to come. They should reflect your wedding’s theme and level of formality. Ideally, they impress and intrigue, and kept in a scrapbook or album can continue to do so for many years.

Start at your local craft store. You’ll find tons of ways to express your chosen colors and motifs. Wedding invitation kits are widely available and will save you the time of buying components separately. If you wish to choose your own elements, check out the specialty paper selection – elegant invitation papers include vellum, linen paper, mulberry paper, and parchment. For card-style invitations, pick a heavy weight paper like cardstock for the outside card and a thin paper in a complementary color for your inserts. Be sure that whatever you plan to print on will work with your printer’s ink type and fit in the feed tray. Buy more than enough sheets to complete your project, inevitably you’ll have to trash a few. And don’t forget the envelopes! Read more

iDo: Planning Your Wedding with Nothing But ‘Net

The days of leisurely planning are long gone.Few brides can afford to stroll from bridal boutique to bridal boutique.Most of us have to sneak our wedding planning into those tiny sliversof free time between work, play, food, and sleep. Lucky for us, however,there’s one friend who will never let us down: the Internet.From venues to videographers, from bouquets to boutonnieres, Christa Terry has put together a treasure trove of resources that give you the freedom to plan a wedding from anywhere, at any time, using your computer. This guide is much more than a list of links, though. Christa Terry also shows the bride-to-be: Where to find wedding software and downloadable worksheets that do more than just calculate costs Why creating a

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Fearless Photographer: Weddings

Written for the photographer who is looking for a fresh, unique approach to wedding photography. Covering new styles and concepts for shooting such as fashion bridal photography and photojournalism, Fearless Photographer: Weddings, teaches readers how to use both their equipment and their people skills to capture beautiful and creative images of weddings that truly show the couple’s personality and the emotions of the day. The book also shows how to make the most out of any setting to get great photos whatever the wedding location might be. Fearless Photographer: Wedding Photography Sample Images (Click each image for a larger

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Choosing a Wedding Caterer Checklist

For any couple planning a wedding, a long list of factors comes into play from invitations, music, and even alcohol consumption at the reception. Of course, while the wedding should be a time of vibrancy and life, it is also a time of responsibility, especially when alcohol will be served. The key is providing the right amount of alcohol so guests can enjoy a drink or two but without going so far that drinking becomes a potential problem. One of the best ways to ensure your reception is perfect would be working with a reputable caterer.

Whether you are planning a fancy sit-down dinner or just appetizers, finding the right caterer is essential to a wonderful reception. But where do you find one if you have never thrown a catered party before? There are several places you can look to find caterers in your area. Read more