Summer weddings in Monterey are usually known for: amazing weddings on or near the beach on a wonderful Summer afternoon with moderate heat and a cool beach breeze so it surprised the entire staff at JNA Entertainment when a client had come up to us with a most unusual request…

The bride, Brianna, hired JNA Entertainment as her Wedding DJ in November 2008. Brianna’s wedding was last Saturday, July 18, 2009; in beautiful Monterey, CA. A few months ago she gave us a call stating that she had completely changed the theme of her Summer Wedding. Brianna wanted to have a beautiful Winter theme in the middle of Summer!

Hours before the event we had called in a few extra employees to help us set-up this Winter Wonderland theme! We brought in 18 high intensity fog machines, 8 of our supreme snow machines, 30 PAR Lighting fixtures to serve as “special ambiance” as per our Up-lighting Package, as well as our unique star machine. The walls were glowing a beautiful blue, the ceiling was spotted with stars, and a gobo was projected on the main wall behind the Bride and Groom’s table with “Brianna and Jake” in a heart!

Then it came that very special moment, the Bride and Groom’s Grand Entrance! We announced their entrance, and the guests had turned looking towards the doors. When all of a sudden the ground was thick with fog from our fog-machines, and from the ceiling (where we had hidden our snow-machines), fell small snowflakes! The Bride and Groom appeared to be floating on clouds as they entered in low-laying fog, and the guests were absolutely astonished by the snow falling and the miraculous Cinderella-like wedding decor.

Brianna’s unique idea came to probably be one of the coolest weddings we’ve provided DJ services for! It was just amazing! If you want something like this feel free to contact us today!

Thanks for reading,
Jigar

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width="180" align="right" height="240">Your vows may well be
the most meaningful words you will ever say, but there's no
right or wrong way to go about them. Here, everything you need to
know to ace your desired speech

1. What will you say for each
other?
Your wedding, first and foremost, is about the two of you, so keep
it emotionally vested by doing the following:

• Borrow wedding videos from other couples and, when viewing the
  exchange of vows, think about what you like best and least and what
  you can adapt for your own vows.
• Give the person who will conduct the ceremony a chance to get
  to know you both. Have a consultation to discuss the tone of the
  wedding, sharing how you met and what you love about each other.
  This personal information will help the officiant work with you to
  design the ceremony you want. If you don't have an officiant in
  mind (such as the cleric at your house of worship), ask around, or
  go to the website of the National Association of Wedding Officiants
  (www.nawoonline.com) to find one in your area.

From Real Simple:
Wedding Planning: Common Problems, Solved

2. What will you say for your higher
power?
You may want to ask that your union be blessed by God or to
otherwise acknowledge the spiritual ramifications marriage holds
for you. If you both follow the same religion, you may simply
ascribe to its vows and rituals. If your spiritual leanings are
less defined, or if the two of you were raised with different
faiths, have a soul-searching discussion with your fiancé. Talk
about what brings meaning and value to your life and how best to
incorporate this in your ceremony. Start this conversation early,
and make no assumptions.

Once you both have an idea of the spiritual tone you want to
strike, find the best person or people to perform it — a member of
the clergy, a locally licensed secular humanist, a justice of the
peace, or a judge. (Tip: Experience with weddings is a plus in an
officiant, especially when it comes to recommending readings,
music, and prayers.) And consider enacting a ritual — such as
lighting a unity candle or sharing a glass of wine.

Alternatively, you can ask a trusted friend to perform the
wedding. Fees, forms, and how-tos differ by state, but your county
clerk's office is a good place to start researching. Interested
parties can become ordained online through the nondenominational
Universal Life Church Monastery (www.themonastery.org), for free,
or through Rose Ministries (www.openordination.org), which offers
several packages, from $29 to $149. (Note: Not all states recognize
these kinds of marriages, so research the laws in your area to make
sure your union is legal.)

3. What will you say for your
guests?
Though it is your day, you should give some thought to your guests,
particularly your parents (especially if they're footing the
bill). Consider integrating them into the ceremony thus:

• Have the officiant ask a question or two (for example,
  "Will you celebrate with John and Jane, encourage them, and
  remind them as needed of this day?"), to which the assembly
  replies, "I will."
• While it's traditional to exchange vows with your backs to
  the assembly, choose to have the bride, the groom, and the wedding
  party facing front, with the officiant off to the side or with his
  or her back to the audience.

Time-Saving Tip: For wedded bliss with brevity,
consider heading to city hall, where a judge or a justice of the
peace will officiate. The ceremony lasts about three minutes (not
counting the wait in line, which varies). Contact your city hall
for information about fees, reservations, and the number of guests
you're allowed to bring.

Learn
How to Choose the Perfect Wedding Dress for Your Body Type at
Real Simple.

width="180" align="right" height="240">
Traditional
Who Should Choose Them: Couples who aren't
sure what they want and those who suffer from stage fright, since
the officiant does most of the talking at the wedding ceremony. If
you and your fiancé have strong ties to a particular religion and
you just won't "feel married" unless you repeat the
words you've associated with weddings for as long as you can
remember, traditional vows may suit you best. Couples who wish to
keep their intimate feelings private should pick the
traditional-wedding-vows option as well.

What to Know: A requirement of most ceremonies
in the United States involves what the Book of Common Prayer, used
by Anglican-Christian organizations worldwide, calls the
"declaration of consent" (usually referred to as the
"question of intent"), in which the couple must indicate
they enter into marriage of their own free will ("Do you take
this man…"). However, in many weddings, this declaration is
followed by the exchange of vows, with the couple facing each other
as they speak (think of the widely recognized "for richer for
poorer" vow sequence). These days most people refer to both of
these elements as "the vows," although your average
city-hall ceremony will often include only one question: the
question of intent.

Sample Script: Look no further than this
classic, concise wording from the marriage of Elvis Presley and
Priscilla Beaulieu on May 1, 1967. (Sideburns optional.)

Officiant: Elvis, do you take Priscilla to be your wedded
wife, to live together in bonds of marriage? Will you love her,
comfort her, honor and keep her, so long as you both shall
live?
Elvis: I, Elvis, take thee, Priscilla, to be my wedded wife, to
have and to hold from this day forward, for better or worse, for
richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to
cherish.

Resources and Tips:

• For wedding-related Bible readings, personalized readings, and
  sample vows, poems, and passages, visit
  www.foreverwed.com/ceremony.
• Pick up a copy of The Everything Wedding Vows Book:
  Anything and Everything You Could Possibly Say at the Altar — and
  Then Some, by Janet Anastasio and Michelle Bevilacqua (Adams
  Media Corp., www.amazon.com), or Bartlett's Words for the
  Wedding, by Brett Fletcher Lauer and Aimee Kelley (Little,
  Brown & Company, www.amazon.com), for some ideas.
• Once you find something you like, ask the officiant to adapt
  the language to reflect your beliefs. Even a religious wedding may
  be individualized by modernizing traditional language.

Time-Saving Tip: If you and/or your spouse
intends to change names in any way, order extra copies of your
marriage certificate when you apply for the marriage license. You
may be required to present it to organizations like the department
of motor vehicles.

More from Real Simple:

Tips on Self-Written Wedding Vows

5 Bridesmaid Gifts for Under $50

Wedding-Day Beauty Tips

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align="center" height="359" width="575">
I first heard about a cookie table when my niece was planning her
own wedding in Pittsburgh. Family members and guests, I learned,
were expected to show up bearing boxes of their favorite home-baked
cookies, all to be displayed on a long banquet table. Everyone
would help themselves after the ceremony and also take some cookies
home as party favors. It all sounded charming but also a bit
humble, like a card table laden with Snickerdoodles trying to
upstage the fancier wedding cake.

I simply couldn’t understand the awe the custom inspired in
these parts of western Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio—until I came
face to face with the cookie table itself. It was a wonder, with
acres of colorful baked treats, perhaps a couple thousand of them,
each one more extravagant than the next. All were arranged like
jewels on tiers of silver platters that had been carefully adorned
with tulle and lace.

Gourmet's
favorite cookies from 1941-2008: The most amazing recipe from each
year.

Liz Nohra, curator of a cookie-table exhibit at the local
history museum in Youngstown, Ohio, traces the custom back to
immigrants—mostly Italians, Eastern Europeans, and Greeks—who
worked in the steel mills and perhaps couldn’t afford a wedding
cake. As to where the custom originated—Youngstown or Pittsburgh—no
one is certain. At Our Lady of Mount Carmel church, in Youngstown,
it can take all day to set up a proper cookie table. The record
number at one wedding, according to Lou Fusillo, who manages the
catering for the church, is 15,000 cookies. People may notice the
bride’s dress or and swoon at the flowers, he says, but it’s not a
successful wedding until guests pronounce judgment on the table.
“And there better be lots of cookies,” he adds.

Wedding
Food Disasters: Finicky couples, missing cakes…chefs explain why
catering a wedding is often more stressful than any job in a
restaurant kitchen.

Usually, the bride’s family does most of the baking, but
everyone is welcome to pitch in. Bakers win points for creating
bite-sized delicacies that come from family recipes, and the more
difficult to make the better. The most popular cookie may be the
ladylock, a flaky pastry horn with a silky cream filling. It’s also
called a clothespin cookie, because grandmothers wrapped the pastry
around a wooden clothespin that was later extracted to make space
for the cream filling. Another favorite is the pizzelle, a flat
wafer, round and lacy, like a snowflake, with a whisper of anise or
lemon. And everyone loves the buttery Greek and Italian wedding
cookies, dusted with powdered sugar, as well as the Czech "nofollow" href="http://www.gourmet.com/magazine/2000s/2009/03/roadfood-czech-kolaches-in-texas">
kolaches, rolled leaves of dough that are either crispy with
nuts or sweet and chewy with fruit.

There are wonderful tales of the angry aunt whose specialty
wound up at the back of the display and a bride’s family fallen
into disgrace when store-bought cookies turned up in the mix. But
most of the lore surrounding the cookie table is about happy times.
“It’s a way of bringing people into your celebration,” says Nohra,
“sharing a heritage of family and food.” And the cookie table is
spreading; she has tracked them not only to weddings but also to
anniversary celebrations, graduations, showers, and baptisms as far
away as West Virginia, Virginia, New York, New Jersey, and
Delaware. I can vouch for one turning up in Connecticut. When I got
married there last summer, my Pittsburgh relatives staged a cookie
table full of our family favorites. The wedding cake made quite a
splash, but it was the cookies that stole the show. 

Ever thought about making your own wedding cake? "nofollow" href="http://www.gourmet.com/food/2009/05/wedding-cake-101?mbid=synd_yshine_gmt">
Read on as one woman learns baking a friend's wedding cake is
no piece of cake.

By Becky Aikman

Photograph by Stephanie Foley for
Gourmet

More from Gourmet: href="http://www.gourmet.com/?mbid=yshine_gmt">

• 
  Tips for building a tiered cake
• 
  Exclusive Recipe: Lemon blackberry wedding
  cake
  
• 
  Avoid doing these 5 things to save time in the
  kitchen id="c13l" name="c13l">
  
• title="Subscribe to Gourmet Magazine - Just $1 an issue!" id=
  "jbqt21" name="jbqt21">Subscribe to Gourmet
  Magazine – Just $1 an issue!

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From designer touches to destination weddings,
these hot and fashionable wedding ideas will make your wedding the
most talked about event of the year!

  width="200" align="right">

Social Vignettes

Small, intimate areas that are specifically designated for
guests to socialize at your reception, also known as “social
vignettes,” are fun and fashionable hot
spots.  They are an innovative way for
family members to reconnect and guests to get
acquainted.  Food and/or entertainment
activities, such as chic lounge areas with port and hand-rolled
cigars; ice cream, candy, or dessert bars; or a vintage photo
booth, are just a few of the social vignettes that your guests will
love!

Designer Décor

Accenting your event space with fun, colorful, and
creative designer touches is a fast- growing trend. Elaborate
florals, ambient lighting, textured linens, and unique furniture
all pay tribute to the couple’s personal design. 
Tone-on-tone or big and bold, color is no longer dictated by the
season, with many brides choosing to decorate the site using the
fall palette with hues of red, plum, orange, and yellow. The
always-elegant black and white, accented with a pop of red, is
another color combo that never loses its allure.

Signature Weddings

Another hot wedding wave is incorporating the couple’s
personal hobbies or interests and weaving them into the wedding
event.  For a distinctive effect, wedding logos
or the couple’s monogram are infused on invitations, menus,
programs, and place cards. An even bolder and brighter statement
made by couples is displaying their personal insignia in lights on
the dance floor!  For the bride and groom who are
golf enthusiasts, the couple could treat their bridal party to a
golf outing, construct a mini putting green at the wedding, present
golf balls as guest favors, or even use a golf cart as the couple’s
transportation to and from the venue. These personal, signature
touches will make your wedding a one-of-a-kind event.

Wedding Cuisine

What’s old is now new again!  Resurging
from the past is wedding cuisine served family-style. Back
in vogue are comfort foods such as meatloaf, or tri-tip with mashed
potatoes, served on platters to guests seated on long tables.
Reminiscent of holiday gatherings, this method of dinner service
makes for lively dinner conversation. Food stations are another
social food concept.  These mini food arenas can
be demonstration or action stations, serving ethnic or themed
cuisine.

Destination Weddings

Continuing to grow in popularity are destination weddings.
Choosing an exotic or romantic setting has increased 400% in the
last 10 years, with 16% of all couples now planning a wedding from
afar. Las Vegas , Hawaii , and the California Wine Country top the
list in the U.S.  Depending on the locale, and
with typically less guests to entertain, couples can save big money
on these destination events. Imagine a ceremony on the beach, sea
shells lining the wedding aisle, and a barefoot bride and groom
saying their I-Do’s against a stunning sunset
backdrop.  Or what about a ceremony in the
vineyards surrounded by grape-laden vines, feasting on fabulous
Wine Country cuisine, paired with award-winning wines, then
followed by a weekend of wine tasting and hot air balloon
rides!

Green Weddings

Green weddings are another hot and chic wedding trend that
won’t raise global warming!  Environmentally
conscious couples are incorporating earth-friendly touches into
their special day. Selecting caterers who recycle and serve
organic, fresh, and locally grown food is an easy choice to save
the planet. Other earth-friendly options include hybrid cars for
transportation; invitations, menus, and programs made from recycled
paper; giving to charitable organizations, such as
SavethePlanet.org, in lieu of favors; or using live plants or
potted flowers as table centerpieces.

Use these hot wedding ideas to design a spectacular
wedding event that will not only signify your personal tastes, but
amaze your guests with creativity, pizzazz, and style!

________________________________________________________________________

“Stress Free, Leave the Details to Me,” is the tried and
true philosophy of Robbin Montero, California Wine Country wedding
planning expert and owner of A Dream Wedding. 
Robbin is the premier wedding planner in the Northern California
Wine Country, transforming any vision into the perfectly designed
wedding creation. Robbin and her weddings have been featured in The
Knot, Brides, Elite Magazine, Your Wedding Day and Vine Napa/Sonoma
magazines, and ImportantOccasions.com. Travel &
Leisure magazine calls Robbin, “The expert wedding planner
in the California Wine Country.” www.a-dreamwedding.com

©2009 Robbin Montero

707-579-5886

www.a-dreamwedding.com

This article cannot be reprinted without Robbin
Montero’s expressed written permission.

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width="240" height="180">Just admit it. Half the reason you attend
weddings in the first place is for the delicious wedding food and
consequently, the wedding cake. Or maybe that’s just us.

But wedding-goers be warned. You may soon experience a new

nuptial tradition in the form of wedding pie.

The
Chicago Sun-Times reports that more and more people
are requesting pie as a supplement to their wedding cake, or else
are asking to have pie as the main dessert.

And as noted by Vincent Rossmeier, an avid pie lover, there are
plenty of reasons to choose this
delicacy over the common cake.

First, it’s cheaper, with wedding
pies going for about $15 for the entire shebang, the same price for
one piece of cake. Pies can also feature seasonal fruits such as
strawberry and apple. And with pie, it’s the filling that counts,
not the frosting.

"Pie is moist where cake is too often arid; it's
complex where cake is too often banal," href="http://www.suntimes.com/lifestyles/1547397,FOO-News-pie29.article">
Rossmeier explains. "Pie offers me lasting contentment,
whereas all cake can tender is a cloying sugar rush."

It’s not just the traditional dessert that’s changing this
wedding
season.

Forget long flowing dresses, this spring is all about the

miniskirt wedding dress.  Other trends include having
flower girls dress up as fairies, wings and wands in tow.

Animals are even getting in on the bridal scene, with women
walking their dog down the aisle with them or else riding a horse
to the alter.

Going green is another (continuing) trend this season. Couples
are trying to be eco-friendly by using organic flowers, invitations
and food.

Personally, we believe wedding cookies should be the next
"big" thing.

Just think about it. You can entertain children at the wedding
by letting them decorate their own dessert. Or a pastry chef could
create individual cookies that look like each of the wedding
guests. The possibilities are endless…

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If you are the best man at a wedding or the maid of honor you
may have to write and deliver a wedding toast or speech.  If
you are not the best at writing a speech and are looking for help
go online. 

There are web sites such as >Instant Wedding Toasts that will help save
the day when it comes to giving a speech or wedding toast. 
The site offers Best Man Wedding Speeches, Maid of Honor Wedding
Speeches, Bride and Groom Wedding speeches, Parents Friends and
Relatives Speeches, and more!

> border="0">
Instant
Wedding Toasts offers in depth comprehensive online help with
fill in the blank speeches. They have examples and everything you
need for a personal wedding speech. Includes and express in-depth
speech critque complete with rewrites and suggestions, plus
tutorials teaching you how to speak correctly and calm your nerves
to ensure your speech is well written and well delivered.

Instant
Wedding Toasts features speech templates as well as writing
tips and tricks for the Best Man, Maid of Honor, Parents, Friends,
and the Bride & Groom. Customers can either use prewritten
templates with space to insert customization or work with a
professional speech writer to perfect a speech of their own!

Create a memorable heartfelt wedding speech
just by filling in a few simple blanks!
That means in about 5 painless minutes,
you'll have a wedding speech ready to go…

without writing!  >Learn More at their Web
Site…

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align="center" width="400" height="265">

Look to the heavens and discover what your astrological sign
considers a wedding made in, well, heaven!

ARIES
Your matrimonial style is bold and dynamic, confident and
unconventional. The Aries bride wouldn't dream of wearing a
white wedding dress. Instead, she'll swath herself with
colorful fabrics — reds, blues and blacks with metallic thread –
and rich textures such as silk brocades, taffeta and velvet. And
yes, that's her strutting down the aisle with hipster hair. The
Ram groom? Don't expect to find him in Las Vegas. He's
headed to the great outdoors for a whitewater-rafting stag
party.

TAURUS
You'll find the Taurus bride — hand-in-hand with her
husband-to-be — tucked away in a cozy bed and breakfast, or a lush
park. She'll opt for traditional vows and an intimate gathering
sans attendants. Dressed in an unadorned, sleeveless gown, the Bull
bride will wear her mother's pearl necklace and carry a single
calla lily. The Taurus groom is tasteful and appropriate, donning a
white linen shirt or a wool sport coat, depending on the season.
Expect a honeymoon in the rugged Pacific Northwest.

GEMINI
What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas for the whimsical Gemini. A
handful of close friends will pile onto a plane and head to Sin
City for a wedding — nothing but an Elvis-officiated ceremony will
do. Afterward, it's champagne, nightclubs and limos for this
wild party. You won't find the Gemini bride in a traditional
wedding dress: she'll drape herself with exotic fabrics, and
top it off with dramatic eyeliner and bold lipstick. After a
lightning-fast service, the newlyweds will end up in the honeymoon
suite's heart-shaped tub.

CANCER
Check reality at the door, because the Cancer wedding is an all-out
Cinderella story. The bright church will be filled with
tulle-adorned arrangements bursting with summer blossoms –
orchids, roses and dahlias. The bride will glide down the aisle in
a bell-shaped ballroom gown encrusted with pearls and Swarovski
crystal. At the alter, several family members and high-school
friends will be in attendance. A horse-drawn carriage will whisk
the newlywed couple to a black-tie reception overflowing with
champagne, hollandaise sauce and roast beef. Don't be surprised
if the adventurous couple heads to Disneyland to complete the
fantasy.

Explore the unique dynamics of your relationship with a "nofollow" href="http://shop.astrology.com/scripts/runisa.dll?AO:AUTOFREE9007::YHBLOGLS,offer=null&par=astyh%7Cyhls">
free sample Couples' Composite Reading!

LEO
Head to the contemporary art museum or the hippest art-deco hotel
for Leo's very cosmopolitan nuptials. This wedding is a
stylish, avant-garde affair with about 50 of their closest friends
and family. The Leo bride will wear an Indian sari with an organza
neck scarf or a Japanese kimono and chopsticks in her hair. The
art-loving couple — who already have everything — will register
at a local gallery. Breaking the traditional mold, the couple does
away with wedding bands, opting for tattoos of each other's
names on their ring fingers.

VIRGO
Funky, fun and definitely retro, you'll do a double take at
this nostalgic Virgo wedding. With a crown of daisies in her hair,
the Virgo bride hankers for a lacy, boho ankle-length frock right
out of the summer of love. She's apt to step further back in
time with a 1950s Jackie O dress or an ivory Victorian-era gown.
Don't be surprised if the groom throws on a baby-blue tuxedo
with ruffled cuffs or a sharkskin suit. Join the happy couple for a
tiki-themed pool party in the backyard of his or her childhood
home. They'll cha-cha into the sunset for a honeymoon on the
Mexican Riviera.

LIBRA
Kick off your shoes, loosen your tie and slather on the sunscreen
– it's a Libra beach wedding underneath the palm trees.
Nothing but a sultry sunset ceremony in a remote beach location –
in Hawaii, Tahiti or Fiji — will do. With her hair pulled back in
a simple knot, the Libra bride wears a subtle linen dress or a
bikini top with a white sarong. Afterward, join the newlyweds for
an authentic Hawaiian Luau complete with a pit-roasted pig, hula
dancers and Don Ho tunes. After the reception, the couple hops on a
puddle jumper to an isolated island getaway.

SCORPIO
Uncork the austerity at this rustic Napa Valley winery wedding. The
Scorpio nuptials take on an earthy celebration of nature's
gifts. The bride — carrying a bouquet of gerbera daisies, berries
and wheat — wears a buttercream sundress. Her hair's wisped up
in a bun and bursting with baby's breath. After the couple
utters their handwritten vows, the wedding party heads to an
age-old winery. There — on long, roughhewn tables underneath
canvas parasols — wedding-goers dine on squab and potatoes, and
drink champagne and Cabernet out of mason jars. For their
honeymoon, the newlyweds take off on a two-week road trip to
explore the wine country

Make your connection under the covers sizzle with a "nofollow" href="http://shop.astrology.com/scripts/runisa.dll?AO:FREESSCOMPAT::YHBLOGLS,offer=null&par=astyh%7Cyhls">
free sample Sexual Soul Mates Reading!

CAPRICORN
The Capricorn wedding is steeped in folklore and heraldry. Digging
deep into her ancestry, the Goat bride will insist on sticking to
every detail of her heritage. Don't be surprised if the couple
adds a bit of mythology and whimsy into the mix. The bride and
groom will exchange vows at a grand Irish castle during a
candlelight ceremony. Inspired by her roots, the Capricorn bride
becomes a fair medieval maiden in an ivory, gossamer-light gown
embroidered with gold-threaded Celtic designs. The groom, draped
with the family's tartan, dons a kilt. Bagpipes accompany a
regal wedding march underneath swords held by family and friends.
The couple will spend their honeymoon exploring castles on the
Scottish countryside.

SAGITTARIUS
The Sagittarius wedding is the hippest party of the year. The
bride, who won't be caught dead in a frilly dress, wears a
smart, chic industrial-grey pantsuit; the husband-to-be dudes up in
a vintage Vegas-era Rat Pack tuxedo. During a posh after-ceremony
cocktail party in the swankiest of jazz clubs, guests mingle, snack
on savory hors d'oeuvres, and of course sip on beverages of
every variety. Every detail — from the monogrammed napkins to the
custom olive picks to the engraved shakers — makes this wedding an
unforgettable event.

AQUARIUS
This chic, environmentally friendly wedding takes 'bargain'
to a new level. The bride will spend months picking through thrift
stores to find the perfect wedding dress. She'll choose a
stunning taffeta beauty with puffy sleeves. The Aquarius groom will
settle for a tame, brown corduroy suit. Sticking with their
value-driven theme, the Elks Lodge serves as chapel and reception
hall. There, a pal — an ordained minister in the Universal Life
Church — delivers the ceremony. Afterward, guests snack on
crackers and cheese, followed by an all-American dinner: meatloaf,
mashed potatoes and gravy, and chocolate cupcakes. The couple heads
off and holes up in a sleeper car during a countrywide train
trip.

PISCES
Ahoy! Take that Dramamine you landlubbers — you're about to
embark on a nautical fantasy wedding. Join the Fish couple on the
gentle rocking of a sailboat or in the briny air of a lighthouse as
they exchange their vows administered by a ship's captain. The
bride will say 'I do' in a sensible, knee-length raw-silk
seafoam green or coral wedding dress. When the wedding's over,
the couple treats their guests to an authentic clambake, complete
with crab dip, lobster claws, clam chowder and hush puppies.
Afterward, watch the bride and groom smoosh the shell-shaped lemon
chiffon wedding cake in each other's faces. After the
festivities, they head off to honeymoon in the Mediterranean.

Learn to create harmony in your new home together with a

free sample Elements of Feng Shui Reading!

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Ancient rings were forged of iron, to last
forever like marriage. width="200" align="right">

Gold wedding rings, tiered cakes with icing, the long,
white gown—all are  traditions we associate with
modern weddings. However, these traditions have roots in practical,
romantic and odd ancient customs.

For example, the sweet, iced wedding
cakes served today spring from more humble, flat 
“grooms-cakes” made by a family member. As young unmarried girls
left the reception, they took a piece of grooms-cake displayed on
the table and wrapped in a piece of bridal veil. The single lady
then placed the cake under her pillow at night and dreamed of her
future groom!

Other wedding cake traditions centered on
fertility. In one, the actual wedding pound cake was broken up and
sprinkled over the couple to assure their fertility. Today we throw
rice or birdseed. The stacking of wedding cakes began as a ritual
in which the bride and groom would see how many cakes they could
reach over for a kiss. The number of stacked cakes predicted the
number of children they would have. A 13th century Frenchman began
icing stacked cakes, starting the style of wedding cakes we know
today and look upon merely as delicious good luck
symbols.

           
Have you ever wondered about the origin of the phrase
“tying the knot”? In ancient tribal days, a girl was wrapped in a
sheet with a knot tied in the front, signifying to the groom and
his family that she was a virgin. The groom had the privilege of
untying the knot on their wedding night.

Weddings are pivotal in all cultures. In some primitive tribes the
bride and bridesmaids dress identically. Because superstition
played a role in shaping the ceremony and celebrations, dressing
the women in the wedding party alike was thought to confuse evil
spirits. (In more recent, but still superstitious times, the
ringing of church bells and the release of doves also helped ward
off evil and blue was the color that signified purity.)

           
A tribal best man’s duties were somewhat unusual. When
women were scarce, it was the job of a tribe’s best warrior to
steal potential brides from neighboring tribes. The groom-to-be and
the warrior would sneak off under cover of darkness. The warrior
would then club the chosen bride over the head and literally abduct
her! The event turned into a swashbuckling drama as the “best man”
would then adeptly fight off angry relatives, should the girl
awaken prematurely and cry out.

           
Later in Europe , unhappy relatives had a practical role in
shaping customs. The best man, in a warrior-like role, stood to the
right of the groom, sword in hand, to stop intruding clan
members.

           
Flower girls and ring bearers are newer additions to
wedding parties. A flower girl first appeared in the middle ages,
bearing wheat to symbolize fertility. The ring bearer was added
mainly for symmetry.

           
Especially in this country, girls dream of wearing a
flowing white wedding gown from an early age, thanks to Anne of
Brittany. She donned a white gown to marry King Louis VII of France
in 1499. Prior to this, women just wore the best dress they owned.
American brides also carry on the quaint custom of wearing
“something old, something new, something borrowed and something
blue” to bring them luck.

           
The most enduring symbol of marriage, the circular wedding
ring symbolizes eternal love and devotion. Ancient rings were
forged of iron, to last forever like marriage. Today’s gold and
platinum rings are still placed on the third finger of the left
hand. This is a holdover from an old belief that a vein ran
directly from the heart to the ring finger. To this day some brides
still believe it is bad luck to remove their wedding ring for any
reason.

“Stress Free, Leave the Details to Me,” is the tried
and true philosophy of Robbin Montero, California Wine Country
wedding planning expert and owner of A Dream
Wedding.  Robbin is the premier wedding planner
in the Northern California Wine Country, transforming any vision
into the perfectly designed wedding creation. Robbin and her
weddings have been featured in The Knot, Brides, Elite Magazine,
Your Wedding Day and Vine Napa/Sonoma magazines, and
ImportantOccasions.com. Travel & Leisure magazine
calls Robbin, “The expert wedding planner in the California Wine
Country.” www.a-dreamwedding.com

©2009 Robbin Montero

707-579-5886

www.a-dreamwedding.com

This article cannot be reprinted without Robbin
Montero’s expressed written permission.

No related posts.

What we once considered to be proper wedding behavior was
actually held over from the Elizabethan and Renaissance eras. Many
traditions have gone out of style in the past thirty years. The
following variations on wedding civilities are better suited to
today’s lifestyle and varied personal circumstances.

Vows. The obligatory phrase for the bride to
“honor and obey” her husband has been replaced with numerous
alternatives more reflective of equality in the relationship,
especially when couples define their relationship in self-composed
vows.

Honoring parents. Jewish tradition for the
groom to enter with both parents, followed by the bride with her
parents, is being borrowed for Christian ceremonies. It
acknowledges the importance of both parents and their contributions
in preparing the couple for success.

Wedding march escorts. If the father is
unavailable or it is a second marriage, brides may walk alone or
with another important figure of either gender. A sibling, mother,
grandfather, son or very close friend make suitable escorts.

Parents as members of the bridal party. There
is growing acceptance of including parents in the bridal party,
even as “man of honor” and “best woman” if that is what the bridal
couple wants.

Not necessarily two-by-two. 
Brides and grooms needn’t worry about an even number of bridesmaids
and groomsmen. Feel free to include only your most cherished
friends or loved ones, even if it means you will have three
bridesmaids and he will have five groomsmen.

Bridal apparel. Theme weddings that have
influenced bridal fashion. Burgundy, pink or champagne gowns, such
as those worn for Renaissance-themed weddings, are becoming more
popular. White and cream remain top gown color choices for
first-time brides since the 1920s, but are also okay for
second-time brides today. Brides should choose whatever makes them
feel beautiful on this special day. Many bridesmaids applaud when
the bride chooses elegant and slenderizing black for bridesmaids’
dresses. Men are foregoing the black and white tuxedo for more
practical linen or contemporary suits they can wear later.

Wedding hosts. It is increasingly common for
both sets of parents to be named as hosts on the invitation. Along
with that, there is more interactive development of the wedding
guest list. Once considered a terrible breach of etiquette,
sisters and close family members (but never the mother of the
bride) can hostess bridal showers when serving as maid of honor.
Couples showers are replacing bachelor and bachelorette parties,
possibly because so many couples are marrying later or for a second
time. I like this sensible nod to equality and less emphasis on old
fashioned gender roles.

Showers.

At the reception. Now that brides almost never
live at their parents’ home when they marry, it is acceptable for
guests and others to send wedding gifts to the bride’s residence
before the wedding. Some guests insist on bringing gifts the day of
the wedding, so a table is set up at the reception for this
purpose. Guests, please do not deliver gifts to the wedding
ceremony.
Wedding toasts to the health of newlyweds are standard at
receptions. However, newlyweds who toast to their parents and
guests who have traveled long distances add a very special
reciprocal touch.

 

Receiving lines have been on the decline in less
formal weddings since the late 1980s. However, it will never go out
of fashion for the bride and groom to visit each table to speak
personally to every guest and thank them for their attendance. 

If you are considering altering an accepted wedding or reception
standard, ask yourself whether it will enhance the experience for
you or if it will help you show appreciation to those who
participate or attend. If the answer is “yes” to both questions, go
for it.

“Stress Free, Leave the Details to Me,” is the tried
and true philosophy of Robbin Montero, California Wine Country
wedding planning expert and owner of A Dream
Wedding.  Robbin is the premier wedding planner
in the Northern California Wine Country, transforming any vision
into the perfectly designed wedding creation. Robbin and her
weddings have been featured in The Knot, Brides, Elite Magazine,
Your Wedding Day and Vine Napa/Sonoma magazines, and
ImportantOccasions.com. Travel & Leisure magazine
calls Robbin, “The expert wedding planner in the California Wine
Country.” www.a-dreamwedding.com 

©2009 Robbin Montero

707-579-5886

www.a-dreamwedding.com

This article cannot be reprinted without Robbin Montero’s
expressed written permission.

No related posts.

Edible wedding favors have already been around for centuries, it
has been a tradition and will be there to stay. It is an exciting
tradition shared by people from different cultures around the
world. In the United States, giving away edible wedding favors is
an essential part of every wedding ceremony. Edible wedding favors
are thoughtful little gifts distributed by the wedding couple their
guests and families, as a token of their gratitude for sharing
their wedding celebration. Usually wedding chocolates, cookies, and
wedding mints have been provided to guests traditionally. However,
today's wedding couples chooses to have a more personalized and
more creative presentation for their edible wedding favors. Today,
most  wedding favors are ranging from picture frames,
personalized labels and tags on wine bottles, chocolate bars with
customized wrappers, to wedding mints in personalized tins.

"http://www.myweddingfavors.com/images/product/CH778-L.jpg" src="http://www.myweddingfavors.com/images/product/CH778-L.jpg" width=
"311" height="248">
Edible wedding favors today are made extra special to uniquely
express personal sense of creativity and style. So that it will
give the wedding guests a long lasting impression. Several wedding
couples give away cultural-themed wedding favors that express their
heritage and culture, while others consider wedding favors that
will bring happiness and express their sense of humour.

One item that is very popular are wedding mints in personalized tin
containers; those inexpensive tin containers with printed designs
on them. Their variety of colours and designs makes them perfect
for containing simple and pocket-sized treasures. Most tin
containers has different kinds of designs like symbols, images,
text and sometimes portrait of the couple that is getting married.
They’re not just cute and lovely, but also they make ideal pocket
containers for wedding guests. You can also try filling the tin
containers with assorted wedding mints or little assorted chocolate
candies, or with little chocolate almonds if you want. The tin mint
containers gives the marrying couple a variety of personalization
and creative options. Think of designs and colours that represents
your personality or add some images and graphics on the outside of
the tin containers. I've also these tin containers used as a
wedding invitation, containing the wedding invitation itself and
other wedding information.

height="277">Wedding Chocolates

So, if you are considering thanking your wedding guests with
wedding favors, there are a lot of  different ideas for
wedding favors out there in various shapes and designs with a wide
range of prices that will absolutely fit within your budget.
Thanking your wedding guests and relatives is really up to you and
on how will you visualize by adding personalized designs to it.

No related posts.