About Weddings

A Valentine's Day Mix CD

2010-02-04T04:48:04Z

As soon as Dolly Parton's "Marry Me" started playing on my mP3 player today, I couldn't help humming along, tapping my foot, and then quickly envisioning an old fashioned love mix full of songs about getting married. Remember making mixtapes for your sweetheart in high school? You'd painstakingly pick out the songs, plan the order, and write out liner notes, all the while hoping it would magically cause your crush to fall in love with you, leading to happily ever after.

In this mP3 age, mixtapes and even mix CDs are pretty rare, but for a budget-minded Valentine's Day gift, you couldn't get any sweeter. Here's my playlist -- I'd love to hear your suggestions for more songs to add! And incidentally, this would also make a cute playlist for an engagement party or a bridal shower. Read more...

A Valentine's Day Mix CD originally appeared on About.com Weddings on Thursday, February 4th, 2010 at 04:48:04.

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Go Ahead, Be Indecisive! with Amazon.com's Universal Wedding Registry

2010-01-26T14:23:56Z

When it came to our wedding registry, it was a case of indecisiveness gone wild. My partner and I couldn't make up our minds and just choose a store! Part of it was that we felt guilty to be asking for more things when we were already so fortunate. But a lot of it was that I wanted to have a registry full of pretty girly household items while he wanted practical appliances and gadgets. He vetoed my store, I vetoed his, and we ended up with Bed Bath and Beyond (along with a number of charities for suggested donations in lieu of gifts.) If only Amazon.com had their newish Universal Registry in place a few years earlier. Read more...

Go Ahead, Be Indecisive! with Amazon.com's Universal Wedding Registry originally appeared on About.com Weddings on Tuesday, January 26th, 2010 at 14:23:56.

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Will Social Media Affect Who You Invite to Your Wedding?

2010-01-20T18:20:16Z

Sometimes, it sucks when a friend doesn't invite you to a wedding. Yes, I said "it sucks. Sorry for the minor vulgarity, but there's really just no other word to describe the feeling. It's like being told that you're not as important or as valued as you thought you were. But in this social media age, you can receive that message over and over again as the bride and/or groom's Facebook fills up with wedding plans and photos. When I got married a few years ago, social media of all forms was far less ubiquitous and I rarely talked about my wedding on Facebook. But I still wonder how uninvited friends felt seeing the photos afterward. Did they say, "Hey, I'm better friends with those two than Suzy Q, and she's in so many pictures!" Or were they simply happy for us? I guess I'll never know. Now another wedding-planning friend is filling her status updates and tweets with dress shopping and cake tasting, and I'm wondering if I'll be invited, and if not, how I'll feel. What about you? Are you talking about your wedding on Facebook? Has doing so led to anyone assuming they would be invited?

Will Social Media Affect Who You Invite to Your Wedding? originally appeared on About.com Weddings on Wednesday, January 20th, 2010 at 18:20:16.

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Guest Etiquette: When You're Not Invited to the Wedding

2010-01-15T07:42:27Z

Office politics can create some sticky situations, especially when you're not invited to a coworkers wedding. Weddings reader HelloThere06 writes in our forums:
I work with a group of 20 people.One of the female workers is getting married. I have (at least I thought I did) a good relationship with this person. She recently passed out invitations to everyone else (people that she is close with but also others that she doesn't really have any contact or relationship with) in the group except for me. All day, the group talks about it or I hear her making plans for the wedding as she sits in cubicle next to my cubicle. It is obvious to most that I am only one not invited. It is embarrassing and I don't understand it. Recently, we are in meeting where everyone is talking and debating about this event (including our bosses) and it is blatant and evident that I have been excluded. How do I handle this situation in a professional/best way? Am I required to participate in any events that relate to this event? Like a meeting that has been scheduled to have a work bridal shower?

How would you handle this situation? Ordinarily I'd say to accept the fact that you didn't get invited, but to try to put your best and most professional foot forward. Go to the bridal shower, wish her well, and try to forget about it. But it really does sound in this case like there might have been a mixup. Perhaps it would be best to find another coworker who can casually ask if everyone in the group is invited to the wedding. That way, if indeed the omission was intentional, a messy confrontation is avoided so that your working relationship can be preserved. What do you other readers think? Am I right or totally off base? Sound off in the weddings forums!

Guest Etiquette: When You're Not Invited to the Wedding originally appeared on About.com Weddings on Friday, January 15th, 2010 at 07:42:27.

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New Wedding Vows

2010-01-12T15:45:07Z

Wedding vows: they're probably the most important words of your wedding ceremony, and also the hardest to write. When I got married, it was important for us to write our own vows, but we did so only after reading through dozens of different examples for inspiration. In the end, we ended up borrowing an idea from one, and a particularly beautiful phrase from another, to combine with our own ideas and words.

I hope to inspire you all in similar ways by writing fresh new examples that you can use. Here are my latest original sample wedding vows!

New Wedding Vows originally appeared on About.com Weddings on Tuesday, January 12th, 2010 at 15:45:07.

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Fergie & Josh Duhamel Renew Their Vows, Plan Yearly Vow Renewal

2010-01-11T17:28:33Z

Now that you have some idea how both fun and difficult wedding planning is, how about doing it every year for the rest of your life? That's what some stars are doing with an annual vow renewal ceremony. According to People.com, singer Fergie and actor Josh Duhamel decided to renew their vows after a rocky first year of marriage. Inspired by Heidi Klum and Seal, who tie the knot annually on their anniversary, Fergie and Duhamel plan to do the same every January 10th.

Of course, vow renewal ceremonies are typically smaller, less expensive, and more intimate than weddings -- though they don't have to be. My sweetheart and I probably couldn't afford to throw a huge lavish wedding yearly, but we could find an officiant or a minister to witness our vows. I personally love the idea of recommitting to one another as a way of keeping your love and relationship fresh, joyful, and alive. It's a romantic way to celebrate an anniversary. It also allows you to write new vows yearly that reflect the ways you've changed and what you've learned about marriage.

What do you think? Would you commit to an annual vow renewal?

Related: A Guide to Vow Renewal

Sample Vows for a Vow Renewal Ceremony

Fergie & Josh Duhamel Renew Their Vows, Plan Yearly Vow Renewal originally appeared on About.com Weddings on Monday, January 11th, 2010 at 17:28:33.

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Sweet Save the Dates

2010-01-05T15:12:54Z

It's always so exciting to send out a save the date. When your STDs are in the mail, the event will feel so much more real and on the horizon. Plus, it's an opportunity to have fun even if your wedding will be a more formal event. Here are a few I've seen recently that I loved:

Jessie and Chris went with a darling illustration of a tree carved with their initials, along with the story of their proposal by that tree.

Party planner Amy Nelson Hannon sent out a package of gumballs with a label saying, "Someone popped the question!"

And perhaps my favorite is this video Save The Date using stop motion animation and scrabble tiles.

Sweet Save the Dates originally appeared on About.com Weddings on Tuesday, January 5th, 2010 at 15:12:54.

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Tie the Knot With Adorable Ribbon from the UK

2009-12-27T03:32:39Z

I am so in love with this adorable ribbon, perfect for your wedding day. The typewriter-like font, the thin rose edging, and the phrase "To have and to hold from this day forward" all make me WANT this ribbon even though my wedding took place in 2008. But if your wedding is still ahead of you, perhaps you'll want to use this ribbon from UK purveyor Cox and Cox on your invitations, wedding favors, or bridesmaids' presents. Do you love it as much as I do?

Tie the Knot With Adorable Ribbon from the UK originally appeared on About.com Weddings on Sunday, December 27th, 2009 at 03:32:39.

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Newly Engaged? Congratulations, Soon-to-be-Mrs.-Claus!

2009-12-26T08:48:40Z

If your Santa brought you an extra-special engagement ring yesterday, congratulations! Christmas is one of the most popular times of year to propose, so I imagine that many of you are having trouble taking your eyes off of your left hand right now. But if you can *bear* to look away, today is a great day to get a jump start on wedding planning. Start off by reading the First 10 Steps for a Newly Engaged Couple. You might also want some advice on Announcing Your Engagement. And if that left hand is just too sparkly or your new (gasp!) fiance is too dreamy to take your eyes away for even a few minutes, that's okay too. After all, an important task on your wedding checklist is to enjoy being engaged!

Newly Engaged? Congratulations, Soon-to-be-Mrs.-Claus! originally appeared on About.com Weddings on Saturday, December 26th, 2009 at 08:48:40.

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Merry Christmas from Weddings.About.Com

2009-12-25T08:42:27Z

If you celebrate Christmas, we hope yours is happy, safe, and full of love. Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from Weddings.About.Com originally appeared on About.com Weddings on Friday, December 25th, 2009 at 08:42:27.

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