Irony in weddings

Some of you may know, I am a professional wedding photographer, I've been to so many weddings, I lost count. But I have made some observations I would like to share with you.So, without farther ado and further nonsense: The top ten most ironic things about weddings..

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Which Wedding Vows You Use?

Traditional wedding vows are still perhaps the most popular choice for those special words that will marry you.

After all, there's a good reason they became sacrosanct classics. And if you're like me, they've also been engrained as "the wedding words" through years of attending weddings, watching movies and tv, and society at large. So if you're a traditional couple, look at these traditional wedding vows.:

Traditional Wedding Vows 1:

I, (name), take you (name), to be my (wife/husband), to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part.

Traditional Wedding Vows 2:

I, (name), take you, (name), to be my [opt: lawfully wedded] (husband/wife), my constant friend, my faithful partner and my love from this day forward.

In the presence of God, our family and friends, I offer you my solemn vow to be your faithful partner in sickness and in health, in good times and in bad, and in joy as well as in sorrow. I promise to love you unconditionally, to support you in your goals, to honor and respect you, to laugh with you and cry with you, and to cherish you for as long as we both shall live.

Traditional Wedding Vows 3 (traditional civil ceremony vows):

(Name), I take you to be my lawfully wedded (husband/wife). Before these witnesses I vow to love you and care for you as long as we both shall live. I take you with all your faults and your strengths as I offer myself to you with my faults and strengths. I will help you when you need help, and I will turn to you when I need help. I choose you as the person with whom I will spend my life.

Traditional Wedding Vows 4:

I, (name), take you, (name), to be my beloved (wife/husband), to have and to hold you, to honor you, to treasure you, to be at your side in sorrow and in joy, in the good times, and in the bad, and to love and cherish you always. I promise you this from my heart, for all the days of my life.

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Feel Like a Movie Star on Your Wedding Day

What person doesn't want to feel like a movie star? A Hollywood glamour wedding theme will help you feel just that way, and give an elegant and fun style to your wedding as well.

Think about old-fashioned Hollywood, and the excitement of the red carpet. After all, if there's any day you should act like a star, it's your wedding day!

Bride: Look for bias-cut dresses with v-necks and fish-tail hems. Designers to look at include Jenny Packham, Badgley Mischka, Amy Michaelson, and Monique Lhuillier. Satin is a classic fabric, and chandelier earrings are a must.

Groom: Black tie or white tie – go for the classic Fred Aistaire look, complete with sharp, pressed clothes and neat haircut.

Groomsmen: Black tie or simple one-button dark suits.

Wedding Colors: Silver, white, black, and blush pink.

Flowers: You'll want to look for classic flowers, such as roses, peonies, and lilies.

Try arrangements composed of just one flower, such as all rose bridesmaids' bouquets, or an elegant bunch of calla lilies for the bride. Consider wearing a flower in your hair for that

Music: A swing band is perfect for this type of wedding. You could also hire a dance instructor to teach your guests how to do the lindy hop and the Charleston – perhaps at the rehearsal dinner.

Invitation: Look for ones that echo your theme.

Setting: An old art deco movie theater, particularly if it has a large lobby, is a perfect setting. If you don’t have one of these in your town, look for an old-fashioned formal restaurant or supper club, like the 21 Club, or a grand ballroom at a hotel.

Transportation: Drive away in a vintage Rolls Royce Phantom convertible. Or, just enjoy being chauffeured in a limousine.

Special Touches: Name your tables after classic Hollywood stars, or romantic movies. Give your bridesmaids high quality feather boas.
Consider wearing a feather and rhinestone hair accessory, a la Josephine Baker. If you're renting your dance floor, ask for black and white checkered.

Source: Nina Callaway.

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Own Your Wedding

In an ever-evolving society where traditions and culture continuously merge, wedding etiquette continues to be a shape-changer. While there are some traditional rules that the bride and groom may want to stick to, a cookie-cutter wedding complete with a toy bride-and-groom on top of the cake may not be what the bride and groom’s memories are made of today.

The wedding is yours and yours alone.

Here are a few tips on how to make it your very own …

1. Write your own vows….Many brides and grooms from a variety of backgrounds, cultures and religions have chosen to write their very own vows or to interweave those vows with traditional vows. Have a serious discussion with your rabbi, priest or official of the wedding. Make sure the vows he or she uses are the ones you want to hear and are the ones that you are willing to say. If traditional vows or slightly altered vows don’t say enough, perhaps you and your groom should consider writing a few words of your own which either you may repeat to each other or ask the minister or official to say. Additionally, you may choose a variety of readings, scriptures, poems or songs to incorporate in your vows to make them your very own.

2. Keep your bridesmaids, grooms and other friends and relatives apprised of wedding news. Create a website which they can regularly tap into to catch up on any changes, schedule announcements, registration locations (either on-site or via internet.) Send a flurry or cluster of emails to bridesmaids to keep everyone in contact with each other concerning flowers, dresses, measurements and other tidbits of fun gossip to keep everyone on the wedding track. The same goes for groomsmen and any other member of the wedding party you’d like to keep updated. The website may also include maps, directions and even local points of interest for guests arriving from out of town.

3. On the day of the wedding, instead of asking guests to sign a traditional guest book, hand guests a small note card and pen. Ask each guest to write something noteworthy either about the bride or groom, or request that each gives their advice for a long-lasting, successful romance. Ask guests to drop them in a basket or a colorfully-designed box which may be collected. Paste the note cards into a wedding album later for some sage advice to turn to later.

4. On the wedding day, don’t forget to continue the color and theme of the event into the restrooms if possible. Colorful linens, small paper finger towels, soaps and floral arrangements will help create consistency. Add a bowl full of mints to the ladies’ room and flavored toothpicks to the men’s rooms. Inquire with hotel or location managers before placing any arrangements in restrooms, which may be used by those other than your guests.

5. If children are attending your wedding and reception, create a kid’s corner with games and balloons to keep them busy while parents relax briefly. Or tie a balloon to each child’s chair so they can recognize their own seat. Or if a child’s area isn’t easily created, choose a small gift bag of treats, small toys and games to keep them busy while seated at the reception.

6. Be sure to check out the lighting of both your wedding and your reception. While a disc jockey can provide some additional lighting such as a spinning mirrored ball, a hotel or event manager may be able to add some additional overhead lighting along with a spotlight or twinkle lights to add drama to the event. If ambient light is your only choice, look into the cost of candlabras or a varied group of candles in the same color scheme to add both additional light and ambiance. The feel will be more romantic. A hurricane lantern in the center of the table surrounded by a spray of petals will also create a low-cost but romantic ambiance.

7. If your wedding is being held outdoors in an open space, you can create the feel of shifting the actual ceremony to a more relaxed feeling by renting tents and canopies for the reception. Hang lanterns from trees with small candles inserted for a lovely evening of ambient light provided by the stars and candlelight.

8. If the bride and groom and guests must be transported from one location to another for the reception, look into various kinds of transportations. Horse-drawn carriages may be the call for an elegant wedding. Even golf carts, decorated festively, can be an easy way to move guests from a lawn wedding to an indoor reception.

9. If your guests need a little additional entertainment at the reception, create an ongoing slideshow or video that can be played back to back in a corner of the reception hall or against a sheet-covered wall in the corner of an outdoor wedding. The video or slideshow should include photos from the bride and grooms’ childhood and clips from their college life, dating life and snippets of adventures with friends and family.

10. Create a signature drink for the wedding by incorporating colors and flavors that are reminiscent of the theme. A Carribean wedding may include a rum drink with a fuschia-colored crushed ice added to it. Be sure that all drinks may be served virgin as well so that non-drinkers don’t feel left out.

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