Last night I sat at dinner next to a bride who has actually planned out her wedding ceremony (and her wedding is still months away! Go, grrl!) Her minister was pleased but taken aback. Who plans ahead for this? Who has input to offer their celebrant?
We don’t do enough of it. And rather than heed the prods to spend money (who has any of that while you’re planning for a wedding?), you can choose to deepen the sizzle.
I know that Valentine’s Day as we know it was invented by our halls of consumption. But that’s no reason not to take it back and shape it to fit your relationship! Continue reading
I hear a lot of whining about the weather these days. And it’s true; winter can seem to go on a long time. But actually it’s the same length as other seasons. It serves an important purpose in the cycle of growth. And if you look around there is promise everywhere. And promise is what weddings are all about. Continue reading
The last week before your wedding is best used for something other than chores.
Yes, actually, you can finish up early. You don’t need to be shopping for (fill-in-the-blanks) on Wednesday when you’re getting married on Saturday. Continue reading
As you get closer to your wedding date it sometimes seems that you drop into a state of wedding zombie-ness…
In the run up to the day, as you’re taking care of those last minute somethings, in stores where other brides and grooms are shopping, it’s easy to look across the aisle at something that isn’t on your list and think wow… wouldn’t that be a nice addition to what we’ve got going on.
Resist!
Antidote: Call a partner and make a date for romance. Go out, share a drink and stare into one another’s eyes. Go home and practice your kiss and see where that leads. Either or both of these are a lot more fun than stress shopping. (And cheaper!)
Youtube is great. But it’s not necessarily what weddings should be about.
You’ve got work to do at your wedding. You’re getting married. That’s actually where you want your focus to be on your wedding day, not on whether or not you’re going to nail the over-the-shoulder-flip (in your poofy dress!) during the reception.
Learn a lovely fox trot. If you’re already dancers, you can spice it up a skootch. But really, what you want to be focused on while you’re dancing is how much you love one another, rather than remembering a routine.
Tip: Just be your lovely, wonderful, in-love selves. That will be a marvelous thing to see!
When looking to design a ceremony that has meaning and perhaps a bit of wisdom, why not include your own life?
Did the two of you meet at Starbucks through on-line dating? Share a cuppa coffee at your ceremony?
Do you ride bikes together as part of your exercise program? Then come down the aisle on a pedicab — probably the one with the big poofy white dress should ride, but it’ll get a giggle if you go the other way. (I’d practice first, however!)
Don’t over emphasize it, just make it a moment, but acknowledging your life is a good way to help people understand why you’re compatible!
Tip: remember! you want to have a good time at your wedding even as you’re taking it very seriously.
Wedding Fairs are wonderful things with lots of exciting ideas for brides and grooms. But, (how did you know that was coming?)
You want to go off to wedding fairs prepared to take notes rather than purchase (unless you already know exactly what you’re looking for!)
These events are filled with lavish excess and that’s a ball to experience. They are not, however, necessarily filled with things you need for your wedding. And they’re built to get you to buy. So be careful. Don’t blow the budget!
Enjoy them, sample all the pastries and rub wonderful creams on your hands. And then go home and make some sound decisions about what you want at your wedding and what realistically, given that your future happiness is still interlinked with your financial groundedness, you can afford!
Well, Happy New Year, my friends! I seem to have taken a short hiatus (unannounced even to myself). I had a wonderful holiday, full of singing and fmialy and friends and food. Sweetpea and I even did some recording which was so much fun!
But it’s January, and time for putting into motion all the plans and dreams from before the holiday madness intervened. So, look here for more helpful hints and thoughts about your relationship, your wedding and your marriage. You’ll want to check in occasionally on the writing I do for Examiner.com and Over at Ezine articles (check out the right-hand side of the page.) and this week, no really, I promise!, you’ll get a glimpse of my new monthly newsletter (called, what else? The Wedding Priestess!) with all sorts of reflections about gettin’ hitched from me and from some of my most beloved wedding colleagues!
It’s going to be a great year. After all, you’re getting married! Or you’re woroking on a really wonderful relationship! Let’s celebrate together!
Believing in you and in your love,
Ann
