Super Important!

20 Things NOT to Say During a Wedding Toast

by Sarah Title

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Remember: This is a toast, not a roast! If you’re handed a microphone at a wedding, your number one priority is to let the newlyweds know how happy you are for them. Avoid an awkward moment by avoiding these topics at all costs:

1. Funny thing is, I actually dated the bride/groom first.

2. You know, the third time they broke up, I never ever thought they’d get back together. Like, ever. 

3. I am just so drunk right now! Is anyone else really drunk right now?

4. Kiss your freedom goodbye!

5. Welp, no one ever thought this day would come. 

6. Her college boyfriend was cuter.

7. We’ll see how long this lasts.

8. To be honest, everyone thought I would get married first. 

9. John’s an investment banker, so I guess we all know why we’re gathered here today. *cue “Gold Digger” by Kanye West*

10. Can someone grab me another gin and tonic?

Related: 14 Things Every Wedding Guest Should Know

11. You could’ve at least invited some hot girls here tonight. 

12. I mean, in my opinion, the whole idea of marriage seems pretty outdated really. 

13. I’m betting she’s pregnant by the end of the year. 

14. At my wedding. . .

15. But really, where’s that gin and tonic?

16. I think we all know what’s going to go down on their honeymoon . . . 

17. I don’t get it! I mean, he didn’t even pick you the last time we played “Would You Rather?”

18. Well, I guess I owe you 50 bucks now. 

19. Did you know that fifty percent of marriages end in divorce?

20. Let me sing you an original song I’ve been working on . . . 

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Photo by Natalie Franke Photography

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Food for thought: 7 Wedding Regrets From a Real Bride by Caitlin Krebs

7 Wedding Regrets From a Real Bride 

by Caitlin Krebs

 

As I watched and re-watched my wedding video (PS - submit yours here!), I questioned whether there were moments I may have missed—or done differently. Here are seven regrets I still struggle with regularly:

I didn’t give my dad a hug or kiss as he gave me away

If you were to ever meet my dad, he would be wearing a blue button-up shirt, khaki shorts, and tennis shoes. Never in my 23 years have I ever seen him wear a suit and tie. As we walked down the aisle, we made every step last until he gave me away to Brian. He got so choked up that he sat down in a hurry. I didn’t get the chance to give him a hug or kiss. Thank goodness my mom had a handkerchief waiting for him! 

We didn’t exchange gifts during our first look 

Brian and I went back and forth on this for weeks, maybe even months, before our big day. We ultimately decided that we weren’t going to exchange gifts, just handwritten love letters. On the morning of, my MOH handed me a set of pearl stud earrings—a gift from my groom. Of course my initial reaction was, “I didn’t get him anything. Do I already get the worst wife award?” I wish we had stuck to our word, and also read our cards aloud to each other during our first look. 

I didn’t purchase a pair of comfy shoes

I purchased a pair of Badgley Mischka wedges thinking to myself, “Oh, I’ll definitely be able to dance.” Wrong. After singing to Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off,” I told my sister-in-law to go get my Sanuk sandals. The soles are literally made of yoga mats! She saved the night, and I was able to beat those blisters. If I were to redo my shoe choice, I would opt for a more comfy option. 

I should have included more family shots on my photo checklist

My photo checklist included group family photos of my parents, grandparents, and siblings, but I forgot to include individual family photos of my parents, grandparents, siblings, and both labrador retrievers. Not to mention it would have been a pretty cool candid to get 175 people together! Don’t make the same mistake I did, consult your photo checklist to make sure you have ALL the shots you want. 

Related: 15 Ways to Deal with Wedding Withdrawal >> 

Our first dance felt way too long

We picked Jack Johnson’s “Better Together” for our first dance. It’s only slightly over three minutes long, but because we hadn’t practiced, it felt like it was five. After winging it for about 60 seconds, we walked off embarrassed. We should have hired an instructor to teach us how to move with the music. It would have been totally worth learning the ins and outs of the twirl. 

We didn’t plan an after party

Since our reception ended before midnight, we expected guests to hop on the shuttle back to the hotel for some much needed rest. However, they weren’t tired! We hadn't planned for an after party, knowing the lobby bar would be closed at that point. Instead, guests walked out onto the pier’s pavilion, plugged their iPhones into the sound system, and continued to celebrate. 

We slept in until 11 a.m. the morning after

Brian and I didn’t bother to set an alarm for brunch with our bridal party. We thought they would come banging on our suite’s door to scare us. We woke up around 11 a.m., which was the same time we had to check out. We missed out on mimosas, saying goodbye to a few family and friends, and the pre-game show for the Baltimore Ravens vs. Cleveland Browns. 

Don't get overwhelmed!

#wedding #regrets

Had to share: 10 Ways To Grow Your Hair Long For Your Wedding

10 Ways To Grow Your Hair Long For Your Wedding 

It's a bride's worst nightmare: A week after you've worked up the courage to get that trendy LOB you've been wanting, your boyfriend (now fiancé) proposes. And while you may love your short cut, you've always envisioned long, beautiful waves on your wedding day. If extensions aren't in the budget and time isn't on your side, here are 10 tips that will help your hair grow back (fast) for your wedding. 

By Amanda Elser

1. Don't trim your hair every month 

Contrary to what you've always heard, constant trimming isn't great for your hair, but neither is ignoring it completely. Your hair grows a half an inch every month and you don't want to be cutting off all that progress. At the same time, a split end can travel up the hair shaft causing your hair to break off, which isn't good either. The solution: Give your hair a slight trim every three months to cut away dead ends without stunting growth.

2. Be gentle 

Be kind to your hair! Avoid harsh chemicals (if you can) and limit the amount of times you shampoo to two or three times a week. Cleansing your hair too often can strip your strands of natural oils, making hair more prone to breakage (read: hair breaks before it can grow). You can avoid oily roots by brushing your hair a few times a day with a natural bristle brush—it distributes oils down the hair shaft and helps you fight the temptation to wash. 

3. Avoid the elements

Summer can wreak havoc on your poor locks. Exposure to UV rays from the sun can strip hair down and cause damage over time, while salt water and and chlorine can dry hair out, making it brittle. Always wear a hat outside and rinse your hair with fresh water immediately after a quick dip in the ocean or pool. 

4. Go heat-free

You may think that blow dryers, curling irons and flat irons keep frizz away, but in reality they are frying your strands and causing more frizz. Let your hair air dry whenever possible for healthier locks, but don't brush or sleep with wet hair: Damp strands are more susceptible to damage. Instead, detangle damp hair with a wide-tooth comb and gently squeeze excess water out with an old T-shirt for a less-rough approach. 

5. Drink lots of water and eat right

The best way to keep your hair moisturized and healthy is to stay hydrated. Drinking lots of water helps push toxins out of your body and promotes hair growth. Eating more fruits and veggies will also strengthen your hair strands from the inside-out. 

6. Leave it down 

Rubber bands, clips and pins may seem like a simple solution to a bad hair day, but pulling your hair back into a ponytail can actually cause more damage to your hair in the long run. Leave your hair loose and avoid pulling it back—especially when it's wet—and you'll notice a difference over time. 

7. Avoid silicone shampoos 

Silicone coats your hair, which effectively blocks out nutrients and prevents hair from getting the proper nourishment to grow long. It might be more expensive, but buy shampoos and conditioners without silicone in the ingredient list. You'll be washing your hair less, so it will all even out in the end. 

8. Give yourself a hot oil treatment 

It might sound counterintuitive to put oil on an oily scalp, but a hot oil massage can breakdown scalp buildup and stimulate hair growth from the roots. A quick way to do this at home is to apply either coconut oil or jojoba oil to your scalp before you get into the shower. Let the oil sit for 15 minutes in the steam from your running shower—rubbing it into your scalp—and then wash it out with shampoo. 

9. Try some DIY rinses 

You would be surprised how many items in your kitchen are good for your hair. Rinsing your hair weekly with either an apple cider vinegar, onion water, palm oil or grape seed oil will help promote hair growth and keep your strands silky and healthy. 

10. Use silk pillow covers

It sounds like an unnecessary luxury, but sleeping on a silk pillowcase can actually help your hair grow long. Cotton or linen fabrics can pull or tug at hair, causing it to break while you're tossing and turning at night. Silk won't cause any unwanted friction, so your hair remains smooth and knot-free in the morning.at hair, causing it to break while you're tossing and turning at night. Silk won't cause any unwanted friction, so your hair remains smooth and knot-free in the morning.

#wedding #hair #longhair #beautiful

10 Things To Know About Marrying A Strong Woman

10 Things To Know About Marrying A Strong Woman

http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/7770722?ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000035

#wedding #marry #strong #strongwomen

#marriage

Wedding Music

Check this out

http://www.EmHartt.com

Great vocals! This could end up on your wedding playlist!

WEDDING PLANNING: 9 NO-FAIL TIPS FOR TRIMMING THE GUEST LIST

WEDDING PLANNING: 9 NO-FAIL TIPS FOR TRIMMING THE GUEST LIST

 

Couples say all the time about what causes them stress during the wedding planning process. My job is to help alleviate that stress, so I’m happy to give tips and advice to address problem areas. One of the most common complaints I hear from couples pertains to creating their guest list. It’s so important to pare down your guest list. As I’ve mentioned before, the tighter you get that list, the more your budget will stretch. Couples get pressured from many fronts on who to invite to their wedding, so I thought it would be helpful to offer a few tips on how to get your list more manageable.

1. Start big and whittle down. It’s a good idea to start with a list that includes everyone that you, your future spouse, and each of your sets of parents want to invite to the wedding. From there, you can whittle it down using some of the tips below. What’s nice about having this extensive list is that you’ll have the names of potential people to invite if your budget stretches more than you thought, or if less of your initial guest list can attend than you thought.

2. Set some parameters . . . and stick to them. Adhere to some rules of thumb when deciding whether or not to invite someone, such as whether you’ve spoken to or heard from them in more than a year, or if you have never even mentioned them to your future spouse, or if you’re only inviting them out of guilt. If those things pertain to someone you’re considering inviting, don’t.

3. Prioritize your list. Go through and prioritize your list in order of importance from those guests whom you can’t imagine not being there to those whom you’re inviting largely out of obligation. When determining how many guests you can afford to include, start with the most important guests first.

4. Consider making it adults only. We love kids, but if you’re faced with reducing your guest count, consider leaving them off the list.

5. Take financial contributions into account. If anyone besides you and your future spouse is contributing to your wedding budget, they should have some say in who can attend. How much say they get should be based on what percentage of the wedding they’re paying for. Be clear on how many guests they can invite.

6. Specify on the invitation exactly who is invited. If you want to avoid any unexpected “Plus Ones” (or Twos, or Threes), make sure the invitation states exactly who is invited. If your cousin Stella thinks she “might” have a date for your wedding in three months but you can only afford to feed her, politely let her know that your budget can’t accommodate the potential guest.

7. Don’t bow to family or peer pressure. Barring the above mention of financial contributors, no one should have any say in your guest list besides the two of you. It’s your money, your wedding, and your decision who celebrates it with you. Stand firm so you don’t overspend.

8. Keep your plans largely to yourself. If you go around the office talking about your wedding plans, your coworkers may start telling you how much they’re looking forward to attending the wedding. If you don’t want a bunch of people inviting themselves to your wedding, keep those plans to yourself.

9. Be prepared to say no. Think of how you can politely address situations that are bound to come up where people want or expect an invitation but they didn’t make the guest list. It’s perfectly fine to tell them that you wish you could invite them, but your budget won’t allow it.

Are you having guest list management problems? Let me know in the comments and maybe I can help you!

https://www.facebook.com/SweetHartCo/posts/856958164358870

7 Things You Should Know About Your Partner Before Getting Married

#wedding #marriage 

7 Things You Should Know About Your Partner Before Getting Married

Couples are often so caught up in the romance and excitement of being engaged that they forget to discuss some pretty big issues that can ruin a marriage. 

1. Prenuptial Agreement. By design, the prenuptial agreement is discussed in advance of the wedding, but it should be something agreed upon pre-engagement. If one or both spouses are coming into the marriage with assets that need to be protected, it’s important to make certain that both are amenable to signing a prenuptial agreement before saying yes to the ring.

2. Spend or Save. It’s cliché, but so true: money is the root of all evil. When I watch couples plan their weddings, I often see how much they disagree over how to spend money. One is carefree and loose with money, the other wants to be frugal. You should decide before you wed how money will be handled in your house. Create a budget, decide what to do with leftover cash, and plan for your future. Make rules about money you can both follow and stick to them.

3. Who Pays for What. Will you combine your money and pay for your bills together out of one bank account, or will you keep your money separate and divide expenses and savings?

4. Children. To have or not to have, and if you have, how many? Not everyone wants to have a child and some want a dozen. If you don’t want children, or you’ve had enough, what will you do to prevent pregnancy, i.e. what birth control methods will you use? What will you do if you become pregnant? 

5. Children Part Two. If you decide to have children, how will you raise them? Will one of you stay home until your children are of school age, or will they go to day care? Will your children be raised with religion or without? How will you discipline your children at various ages?

6. In-laws and Outlaws. How much time will you spend with your family members? Do one of you have family right around the corner? If so, how much time is too much time spent with them?

7. Holidays. What are your families’ holiday traditions? Which holidays will you spend where? If your families don’t live nearby, will you rotate spending time with each year after year? Maybe you want to keep certain holidays to yourself. Make a plan before it becomes an issue.

8. Last Name. Zoe Saldana’s husband just took her last name and it nearly broke the Internet. Taking your spouse’s last name can be a real hot button. It may seem like a small issue to some, but taking the time to discuss it can save you from resentment later.

These are topics that I think are critical to discuss pre-wedding. Have I missed anything you think is important? Leave a comment!

Ethical Engagement Rings

https://www.facebook.com/Sweet.Hart.Consulting/posts/1068543289825892

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Justin Alexander Wedding Dress Collection

Justin Alexander Wedding Dress Collection 

http://www.justinalexanderbridal.com/mobile/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=newsfeed&utm_campaign=9786

#wedding #weddingday #bigday #fun #bride #groom #bridesmaid #weddingdress

8 Unique Wedding Venues

Pretty interesting ideas!

#wedding #weddingday #bigday #fun #bride #groom #bridesmaid #venue #events

http://www.pissup.com/blog/8-unexpected-totally-unique-wedding-venues-big-day/

9 things... Every bridesmaid should avoid doing

9 things... Every bridesmaid should avoid doing

Posted 2015-04-22 by Wedding 

You're a key part of the wedding day - and the run-up to it! So here's what *not* to do...

 

#1 Not saying 'yes'

 

It's almost physically impossible to turn down the question 'Will you be my bridesmaid?'. If you really, really don't want to be a maid, however, make sure it's for a good reason - and be braced for the fact the bride will almost certainly take it personally. 

 

#2 Accepting responsibilities you don't have time for

 

Don't have the time - or inclination - to help organise the hen party, or painstakingly stitch together yards and yards of homemade bunting? Being honest and up-front about what you are and aren't happy to do will save everyone the bother of a) chasing you up and b) re-allocating tasks later down the line. 

 

#3 Complaining about your dress

 

It's the oldest bridesmaid cliché in the book: the unhappy bridesmaid wearing a too small/too long/too crazy dress, handpicked by the power-hungry bride, who's determined not to be upstaged by her maids. However, this generally isn't the case and chances are that if the bride is paying for your dress, she wants you to wear something that fits with her vision of the day, as well as within her budget. Of course, if you're paying for the dress yourself, you can have a lot more input - but if it's being bought for you, just grin and bear it, no matter how orange/velvet/patterned the frock is.

 

#4 Wondering why the bride keeps asking you about everything

 

Favours. Activities for mini-guests. Cutlery options (melon fork or regular fork for the starter?). All these things the bride expects you to have an opinion on. On the one hand, it's flattering, you suppose, but on the other hand, how much thought can you really be expected to give to the pros and cons of napkin swans?

 

#5 The 'it will be you next!' jokes

 

'No it won't!' you want to hiss, through gritted teeth, every time a boutique owner/well-meaning relative/etc tells you you'll be the one to walk up the aisle next. And even if it is, you categorically won't be on the guest-list. Obviously you don't actually say this. Rather, you smile politely and attempt to change the topic of conversation. 

 

#6 Feeling nervous about the possibility of being asked to give a speech

 

Speeches from the female members of the wedding party are increasingly on the rise, FYI - so don't be surprised if the bride asks you to take to the microphone. If the thought of hopping up to deliver a moving homage makes your blood run cold, politely decline straightaway. If the thought appeals, give yourself plenty of time to plan, prepare and practice. 

 

#7 Elbowing someone in the face to catch the bouquet

 

Note: we're only including this one as we've seen it happen. (We're not joking.)

 

#8 Wearing high heels for the whole of the big day

 

Bring flats. Seriously. After endless hours of whirling around the venue and reception - fetching drinks, chasing flower girls and so on - your poor feet will be crying out for flat ground, so make sure you stick a pretty pair of ballet pumps in your bag. 

 

#9 The token drunk usher/uncle/etc at the reception

 

To be avoided at all costs, unless the bride or groom specifically asks you to assist. If you spot one in the distance, ditch your heels, don your flats and run...

- See more at: http://www.weddingandweddingflowers.co.uk/m/article.php?id=1484#sthash.W48XD5hf.dpuf

7 FUN GROOMSMEN PHOTO IDEAS YOU HAVE TO TRY!!!

7 FUN GROOMSMEN PHOTO IDEAS YOU HAVE TO TRY!!!       http://letsgetweddy.com/7-fun-groomsmen-photo-ideas-you-have-to-try/

Wedding Exits

Creative Wedding Exit Ideas

Wedding Day

Feel the love

Chair Signs - Groom

#wedding #weddingday #bigday #bride

Chair Sign - Bride

#wedding #weddingday #bigday #bride

Engagement ring

Stunning