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“We really can’t stress enough what this means to us” said Colleen. “We’re super excited to see everything come together and feel relieved to know our wedding will be beautifully done. You guys are one stop shopping; it’s such a relief.” When asked how he proposed to Colleen, Adam explained how he dressed up his dog, Nelson, in a Tuxedo and attached the ring to his collar. When Colleen arrived home from work that day, she was greeted by her dapper-looking boxer and the gorgeous ring. Clearly, his adorable proposal was a success and everyone at To Suit Your Fancy is looking forward to giving Colleen and Adam a wedding that they will never forget.

For more information about To Suit Your Fancy or to schedule a free wedding design consultation, visit www.ToSuitYourFancy.com or call 1-866-433-3267.

Dan Creviston of George Street Photo and Video (www.georgestreetpv.com) in Chicago, IL, has guided countless couples as they feel their way through the process of ensuring their weddings are captured perfectly, professionally and at a fair price. He says, “With technology changing constantly and countless options to explore, it’s crucial that they know what questions to ask in order to make informed decisions, avoid the pitfalls and perfect their videography.”

So, without further adieu, To Suit Your Fancy shares the top 5 mistakes to avoid when deciding on videography package:

1. Failure to Use Multiple Cameras - More videographers need to use dual cameras. By doing so, the videographer will capture multiple perspectives simultaneously and better tell the story. For example, they can capture both the bride walking down the aisle AND the groom’s reaction at the same time. Inside Tip: Make sure your videographer’s cameras are ALL HD!

2. Failure to Go High Definition – By going HD, couples ensure their videos are the best quality and this formate avoids limited clarity and pixilation. Inside Tip: There should be no extra charge for HD, so avoid companies that do.

3. Failure to Understand High Definition Technology: For the highest quality and clarity, you must have HD footage prior to uploading into an HD format. For example – you must shoot in HD, then burn onto a blu-ray disc. Inside Tip: Some videographers shoot in standard definition and burn onto a blu-ray disc (or shoot in HD and burn to DVD!) – this is not truly HD! Make sure to know the difference so you aren’t tricked.

4. Not Requesting Multiple DVD Formats – It’s only a matter of time until you have a blu-ray player, so get your wedding video on an HD blu-ray disc as well as a standard definition DVD. This is important to enable your video to maintain top quality and clarity for the future! Inside

5. Not Chatting With Your Videographer A Week In Advance – It’s important to discuss all details with your videographer before the wedding day, so check in one week prior so that instructions are fresh. Discuss all your expectations and if you have specific requests, express them clearly. This is especially important for locations as churches, synagogues, mosques and chapels may have specific areas that cannot be filmed. You don’t want any unwelcome surprises!

Above: Bee’s Knees Summer Dress in Blue – $55.00 – lulus.com & Jessica Simpson “Lizza” shoes – # $89.00 – dillards.com

Above: Faceted Mound Jewel Ring $5.80 – forever21.com & Metallic Pebble Clutch – 6pm.com

Above: It Girl Strapless Dress in Black – $46.00 – lulus.com & Swift Shoe $69.99 – famousfootwear.com

Above: Eunice Rhinestone Earrings $3.80 – forever21.com & Clutch – 6pm.com

Above: Lemondrop Dress - $40.00 – lulus.com & Rose Shoes – $51.75 – 6pm.com

Above: Golden Frosted Leaf Bracelette $12.99 – shopruche.com & Clutch – 6pm.com

Summer weddings are perfect for outdoor settings such as a beach, garden or beautiful yard. To add some light to an evening outdoor summer wedding, light some torches and place strings of lanterns hanging from trees. As far as wedding attire goes, the summer bride will find that more than 75% of all available wedding gowns are sleeveless and/or strapless, making them perfect for the summer season. Look for lighter fabrics such as organdy, linen, crepe, georgette and lightweight silk.

For all the men in a summer wedding bridal party, a classic navy blazer with khaki slacks are perfect. For a more formal affair, perhaps consider morning suits or tuxedos depending on whether the affair will take place during the day or evening. A white dinner jacket is fabulous too and perhaps even a bit more comfortable than a tuxedo. Almost anything goes when it comes to proper summer wedding attire.

Summer wedding decorations should reflect the joy and bounty of the season. Use fresh fruits and vegetables to decorate your reception area. Consider clementines and cumquats in flower arrangements and fill the room with bright and cheery blooms like roses, sunflowers, red and yellow calla lilies, dahlias, mums and zinnias (just to name a few). You can also create an airy summer look with mostly white and light colored flowers such as roses, stephanotis, white phlox, hydrangea, white calla lilies, snowball mums and Shasta daisies.

For summer wedding tables, consider pairing your favorite flowers with seasonal fruits. Place lemons and limes in tall, clear topiaries and top with a loose floral arrangement. You can also create a lush garden look by planting bright pink hydrangeas in antique urns to flank your outside aisle. (You can plant them afterwards in your own garden.) Select bouquets for the bridesmaids that when placed all together, resemble the horizon at sunset.

Fill your summer wedding menu with the bounty of the season by serving fresh fruits such as watermelon and berries. Granitas and sorbets are refreshing desserts after a summer wedding fare of fresh seafood or even traditional barbecue for a more casual affair.

Summer wedding favours might include fruits of the season, such as pears or peaches. Small pots of flowers and seeds as well as beautiful wooden fans or crystal oysters with a pearl make the perfect wedding favors.

Make your summer wedding a joyous celebration under the sun, wherever it may shine for you and your spouse-to-be on this your most special day of days.

Four days. Your girlfriend has been looking forward to four days–and, arguably, maybe a few more–her entire life: 1) her wedding; 2) becoming a mother; 3) an event that already happened with some other dude in high school or college; and 4) the engagement proposal. Let’s focus on #4. The proposal matters. And you know this. In fact, you’re probably over-thinking it, sweating it, getting paranoid.

If you’re like most guys, you’re having some version of the following inner-monologue: “Okay, this proposal thing needs to be romantic, but I don’t wanna be some damn cheeseball. Should I do it in public? Yeah. Yeah. That’ll make it memorable. Wait, but then I’ll be the mope on one knee in a restaurant asking her to marry me, and what if she says no? And what about the engagement ring, should I hide the son of a bitch?  And what are the 49ers going to do with their first-round draft pick? The O-Line could use a little–[etc, etc, mind wandering, interest in subject exhausted].”

We’ve rounded up the most common, cool proposal ideas (and the uncool) and given you the Pros and Cons. Good luck.

The Family Gathering Proposal
If she likes: Awkward public moments.
Pros: Very few. If her parents already love you, perhaps they’ll love you even more. And you won’t have to spend two hours serially calling all of her relatives and repeating how-you-proposed stories and announcing your engagement–they’re all there. Whhooo.
Cons: Don’t do this. Ever. It puts crushing pressure on her, it’s awkward for the family, and it robs the moment of all its privacy and dignity. Plus, proposing in front of the family is what the bad guy does in romantic comedies–Bradley Cooper in Wedding Crashers, Cal from Titanic, and the Soul Glo guy from Coming to America. Don’t be that guy.

Airplane Letters in the Sky
If she likes: Attention, avionics
Pros: Can be dramatic. Creates the sense that this is NEWS, something that everyone within a 3-mile radius must know about, and must know about now.  Also, if you’re truly daring and want to risk some pinpoint timing, you can combine this with any other  proposal idea and use it as the punch line for when you’re ready to ask the question, “will you marry me.”.
Cons: There’s risk. Do you know precisely when this will happen? Are you absolutely convinced you can get her outdoors at the right place at the right time in the right weather…and that the pilot spells the right name?

The Sporting Event
If she likes: Attention from 16,000 strangers.
Pros: This one’s tricky. Remember that the marriage proposal is about her, not you. So if you’re a die-hard Orioles fan and think it would be badass to propose to her at a game, well, don’t. Only do it if she’s the die-hard Orioles fan, and even then, only do it if she’s obsessed. And don’t do this in a playoff game. That last “playoff game” rule is less about romance and more about male-etiquette. Dude it’s the playoffs. Show some respect for your team.
Cons: If the answer’s not “Yes,” you’ll blow $60,000 on therapy over the next 10 years to heal the scars.

Cook Her Dinner
If she likes: Quiet evenings at home more than trendy hotspots
Pros: This works best for guys who never cook. Seriously. It’ll mean that much more to her. And frankly, cooking a meal isn’t really that damn hard. You just find a recipe and follow the bastard. Bonus: sometime in advance, get her to confess her absolute favorite dinner ever-including details on side dishes, appetizers, and dessert. If you’re desperate for information and she’s tight-lipped, resort to the old “What would you order for dinner as your last meal in case you get electrocuted?” trick. Recreate this meal faithfully down to every last detail, minus electrocution.
Cons: You need to dress it up (flowers, a cartoonish amount of candles, wear a tie, etc.) otherwise it might be too ho-hum.

Sky-Diving
If she likes: Mountain Dew, the X-Games, saying the word “bitchin’”
Pros: We suppose this could work for the certain kind of woman, but you need to be abundantly certain that she has thought about getting engaged, is ready for it, expects it any day now, and the marriage proposal itself is just a formality. A sudden surprise or shock could lead to her freaking out and forgetting to open the parachute, which might cause the not-ideal downside of…
Cons: Death.

How does the couple tell their guests where they’re registered? I read in your book that there’s to be no mention of gifts in a wedding invitation.

For showers, it’s okay to include an enclosure about the registry. For wedding invitations, there shouldn’t be any mention of gifts anywhere, even on an enclosure. The guest is to contact you or your parents to find out that information.

My mom thinks this trend of couples registering for common household items, as opposed to china or silver, is strange. What do you think about that, and what are your thoughts on choosing a gift that’s not on a couple’s registry? Is that a faux pas?

It’s perfectly fine for couples to register for unconventional items, especially because a lot of couples already have established households when they come into their marriage. It’s more than okay to buy something not included in the registry. The registry is there to help guide guests. Traditionally, the point of the gift was that you would go out and really try to think about what that person might want, and many people don’t like that the registry takes the thoughtful aspect of it away from the process.

Any advice for engagement parties?

Keep it small. This way, you’ll keep it to 100 percent people you’re sure you will invite to the wedding.

What’s a bride to do if she’s more of a spa-weekend gal versus a tiara-wearing bar-crawl bachelorette?

In a perfect world, these ladies would get together and ask her what she would like to do for her bachelorette party. If that’s not happening, then she can go ahead and go to the people throwing the party and say, “I had some thoughts for what I would love for the bachelorette party . . . .”

It’s really all about communicating effectively, isn’t it? I love your every-idea-for-five-minutes suggestion. Can you explain that a little more?

As a bride, be willing to consider other people’s ideas and contributions for at least five minutes. Let them talk about it. Even if you don’t go with the idea, it gives them a chance to feel included. Remember, you don’t have to commit to anything! Just don’t say, “Yeah, I’d love to do that,” if you really wouldn’t because then you’re stuck.

What are some of the most egregious etiquette offenses you’ve noticed at weddings?

The one thing that I’m starting to see a lot of—and maybe I’m getting old—is dirty dancing on the dance floor. And by that I mean dancing that’s just a little too dirty for parents and grandparents. I’m not saying you can’t have fun, but you need to be mindful of who is watching. And then generally, RSVPs—failing to RSVP at all or on time. Gotta RSVP.

Speaking of potentially embarrassing behavior, what do you do if a guest gets completely trashed at your wedding?

It’s probably best to have someone else handle this so that you don’t end up in the middle of a fiasco that detracts from your day. If you see it happening, talk to someone you trust, either the wedding planner or a close family member or friend, or the person’s date or family member. Pull that person aside and say, “Listen, Tom is just a little too rowdy. Can you see that he gets home safely?” It places the focus on getting the person home safely rather than the inappropriate behavior.

What’s the etiquette surrounding asking for money now?

This is an interesting one. It is okay to ask for money—it’s all in how you do it. When people call up, tell that them you’ll love anything they give to you. But you might say something like “We’d love help with or a donation toward a down payment on our first house.” It helps in two ways: You never have to use the word “money” if you don’t want to, and it tells people what the ultimate gift is. When they feel like they’re paying for an actual gift, people feel a lot more comfortable.

What do you think about the man asking the father for the woman’s hand in marriage?

I think it’s a wonderful tradition. In mainstream American culture and in most other cultures, you don’t have to do that anymore, but I think it’s really, really nice. These days, it’s often addressed with both parents, not just the father. If you’re marrying someone of another culture or a religion you’re not familiar with, you might want to check and see what the norm is just to start things off on the right foot.

So after all of this research, how do you envision your own wedding?

Something decently small. I want people to really enjoy themselves, have a good time, and feel comfortable—not that they’re participating in “how Emily Post would do a wedding perfectly.” There will be lots of peonies, that’s for sure.

via The Washingtonian

The Reception

The reception is another time for the adding of new trend ideas. Some great ideas are unique shapes and colours. Look very carefully at perhaps going with ethnic food and ethnic music as well.  This is your wedding so reflect who you are and if you love blue then blue it is. A good option is with different shades of blue from the flowers to the table cloths down to the chairs. Many couples are trying long rectangular tables that sit 12 over the traditional round tables. Try going with different sizes to match different groups your sitting at each table. You may want to have a drink ready at the reception for each guest. Maybe a pink lemonhead for the non drinkers and an ice filled tray with a unique vodka drink for the guest that does drink. Again each little difference you do is your own great memory.

Traditional dinning or a new trend

There are so many different concepts to the food end of things that this is where you can make real differences by adding a few new trends into your diner and evening. Some options are passing trays with unique textures to them. Interactive cooking is another option and you can try matching some entertainment to the foods your serving like Japanese drums to a sushi food station. Another option is classic guitarist or even a Spanish dancer. No Matter what your try this still adds a new and personal touch to your wedding and a great memory.

The Wedding Cake

For many years the cake was a traditional display of decoration at weddings, however many modern couples and wedding planners think the wedding cake should taste like something. You will need to spend some time with the baker and talk about the design of the cake and perhaps tell them you would like each layer of the cake to have an exciting flavour and then add the design to that concept of the cake. If you’re going to serve the cake to the guest then wouldn’t it be nice if it tasted fantastic, now that`s a great lasting memory.

The Wedding Cake Topper

For so many years the top of the cake has been adorned with the traditional sugar flowers and in many cases the statuette bride and groom. Times are a changing. There are so many great new trends for your wedding cake top. Some designs are Large hearts and angels or a design that go`s with your personality like a car or a bride and groom fishing. There are many comical toppers and the use of metals like silver and tin for initials. The point here is that again spend time think about your personality and style and remember sometimes old is new and you will see many new designs of the old bride and groom cake toppers but with a twist for the modern wedding. There are thousands of great toppers out there so don’t just go with the bakers few in the shop.

The wedding Dress

The problem with wedding dress trends is that they change fast. The one thing we see is that colour is fine and if colour is what you would like to wear then go with some colour in your wedding dress. The point here again is this is your wedding and you should not be afraid to express yourself with a beautiful coloured wedding dress

About the Author

Ron Thompson is a Gift consultant for www.ernestandleegifts.com. For over thirty years he has worked in the gift industry and as a corporate promotional gift adviser.