Girls always considered their wedding as an event to look forward to and treasure. Often, the girls are the ones who are most excited about the event. An example is when a friend breaks the news that she is finally tying the knot, all the other girls would feel just as excited and happy as her. That should probably explain why is it that in a wedding, the bridesmaids are always the group of friends of the bride. The bridesmaids also help in the preparation and with other things associated with the wedding. So they are more than just pretty dolls walking down the aisle. Should you be one of the bridesmaids, you must make sure that you will be one that would take everyone’s breath upon sight of you. A happy aura and some bridesmaid jewelry can do the magic.

What are other things that you could do to be able to make yourself look dazzling and pretty that day? Well, here are a few simple steps to achieving that wedding day glam:

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We can term those small gifts, trinkets or tokens that are given during the wedding ceremony or at the reception by the couple as wedding favors. Most of the time, they are proof of being thankful for joining the couple’s big day with their loved-ones.

Having wedding favors for the invited visitors is an old practice. It has been popularly known that European aristocrats, nobles and those who belong to the higher class of the society were the first group of people who started doing the practice. Beforehand, they term wedding favor in Italian word, bonbonniere, which means favor.

If we try to recall the past, bonbonnieres were placed in a small box, the size of a trinket or an accessory box that were designed by porcelain, crystals and adorned with costly gems and stones. These boxes were covered with sugar, sugar cubes and other sensitive delicacies. This entails the richness and royalty. This happened before since there was scarcity of sugar then, and it was so expensive to buy, thus only rich people could purchase this. Nevertheless, as time goes on, sugar became cheaper and common people then could afford to buy especially couples belong to the middle class. This lead to the practice of giving wedding favors all over the world by newlyweds as a way of saying their gratitude for sharing the couple’s special day.

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You have spared no expense in the planning of your wedding. The candle wedding favors are all lit and everyone is still drying the tears from their eyes. You have thanked everyone for coming. You have paid the band and shook hands with all two hundred plus guests, pretending to remember all of them. Everyone has thanked you for the elegant wedding favors and commented on how beautiful the bride is. The ushers are bringing cars around and it is finally winding down. Now it is time for the night you have been waiting on for your entire life. Romantic candles, soft music, and a chilled bottle of wine await you, your new wife, and her mother.

Everything comes to a screeching halt. Did I just say that her mother would be spending the night with you and your bride on your wedding night? Well, you think to yourself, I guess we could make up the spare bedroom. Wrong again, because your mother in law will be in the bedroom with you. Now you know I must be either drunk as a skunk, or crazy as a loon. Well you are wrong on both counts. I am describing a wedding custom of several villages in Africa. In all complete seriousness, there are tribes who have a custom that the bride’s mother, your mother in law must spend the night with the newly married couple and it gets worse. Her job is to make sure that your new wife knows what to do to make you happy…in bed.

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Wedding favors are small gifts, trinkets, or tokens that are given to the bride and grooms guests either at the end of a wedding ceremony or during the wedding reception. These are usually tokens of appreciation for attending the bridegroom’s special day.

It is a very ancient tradition when the giving of the wedding favors is tackled. Throughout the history, the first ever practice of giving a wedding favor was done by old European aristocrats, nobles, and members of the richest group of the society. Bonbonnier was the first term for the wedding favor and such is an Italian word.

Way back, bonbonnieres were often characterized by a small box, the size of a trinket or jewel box that was created from porcelain, crystals, and rarely with the addition of priceless gems and stones. These boxes were often in a form of sugar, sugar cubes, and other fragile confections. This was intended to mean wealth and royalty. The rationale for this was because, way back, then, sugar was expensive and a product difficult to find. And only the wealthy, nobles, and the elites had access and could afford it during that time. However, over time, as sugar became a basic commodity and more common, couples belonging to lower classes were able to afford it. Hence, the tradition of distributing wedding favors and other priceless gifts of gratitude was spread to the populace, to couples of either upper or lower class.

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Planning a wedding is a detailed act of concentration and teamwork that usually does not turn out the way you envision it. There are always problems and complications that arise and questions that need to be answered. Here are just a few of the situations you may find yourself in when planning your own wedding.

Making out a guest list for your wedding can be a very stressful event. It does not matter how many times you go over it, there is always someone that you meant to invite that does not make it onto the list. Usually, ten or twenty some bodies will come to mind and this will almost always happen after you have made your catering plans. What do you do when you realize that you have left some very important people in your life off the wedding invitation list? There is not much you can do except invite them and make the adjustments with the caterers or leave things as they are and bite the bullet later.

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Almost everyone gets cold feet to some degree or another. The thing is that most people are strong enough to resist it or in love enough to ignore it. However, there are people who seem to be afflicted much more than others. These unfortunate people are the ones who barely make it through the ceremony without bolting. They sweat profusely and their eyes are constantly darting about, looking for avenues of escape. If you suspect your immanent spouse to be one of these poor souls but you are not sure what to look for, here are some of the tell tale signs and how to spot them.

The first thing you can do if you want the down and dirty info on your spouse and you want it on the down low, which is slang for if you want to know how he or she is reacting but you don’t want them to know that you know, is to use spies. This is very easily done with bridesmaid gifts or maid of honor gifts that are overly expensive. You basically hire the person to be your spy and pay them out in the open to avoid blowing their cover with an unusually expensive yet expected gift. However, you will want to watch your camp and make sure your groomsmen are not suddenly wearing Rolexes or that your groomsman is not sporting around town in a new car that you know he can’t afford. These are telltale signs that the enemy, or in this case, your betrothed is watching you closer than you think.

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Planning a wedding is a time consuming and often a daunting project and there never seems to be enough time to get everything done to your satisfaction. Sometimes, you just have to say good enough is good enough, however, when it comes to your wedding that is a hard thing to do. If you are getting ready to start planning your wedding, you may want to organize your time and take on one task at a time. While some people will tell you that this is impossible, there are definitely steps that you can take to make it easier. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

The most important part of being organized is the ability to make a list. This might sound easy but it is not. In fact, an unorganized or poorly put together list could quite possibly do more harm than good. Hone your list building skills before you make any serious attempt at making a list for your wedding planning. First, write down all the things you need to accomplish to have a great wedding. You might say, that is a list, but it is not. When you have written down everything you need, you have a fair idea of what to do but that is all. Now you need to make a list for each item on your “need” list. These lists should encompass the steps you have to take to achieve each item.

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After a year of planning details, hiring caterers and interviewing bands, disc jockeys, and surveying wedding halls and churches, you are going to be either completely exhausted or totally focused. In either case, the last day of your wait, which is the day before your wedding, you have 24 hours to wrap up the details and take care of a few commitments. However, the biggest challenge you now face is getting some rest, you are going to need it.

The last day before your wedding is usually reserved for beauty treatments such as hair and make-up prep, nails and for final rehearsals. With any luck, you have worn and broken in those shoes you are going to be standing in for eight to ten hours tomorrow. If not, today is your last chance to get them worn so you know what to expect from them. You have a long day tomorrow, which means you have a lot to do today.

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Don’t Forget to Breathe The big day is coming faster than you can prepare for it and you are so stressed out you could light a match…just by looking at it. Pre-wedding stress can be a royal pain in the wallet as well as the heart and there is no worry worse than one that involves money. You have planned a wonderful wedding and reception but more things have seemingly gone wrong than right. You have heard that wedding planning is supposed to be fun but by now, that is just a vague rumor and you know the truth. If this sounds familiar and you are still planning your wedding…, STOP! Do not forget to breathe.

Choosing Your State of Mind Wedding stress is natural and is sometimes hard to deal with. It is also fun and a wonderful experience. Which one of these you get the most out of is completely up to you. If you are in a frenzied, ready to pull your hair out and then start on someone else, very stressed out mode and you are just weeks from the big day it is time for a breather because this kind of state is the last frame of mind that you want to be in going into your wedding day. It is okay to let someone else take the reins for a little bit while you gain your composure. Pass smaller but important tasks, like choosing wedding favors, especially unique wedding favors, on to someone you trust. You do not have to do everything yourself.

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Many people are still under the impression that once a woman gets married, she has to change her name. While it is true that this is common, the fact is that there are many options available to couples and all should be explored. Here are some other options that are available to couples in the 21st century.

It’s a Guy Thing Most people do not know that it is just as feasible for the man to change his last name to that of the bride’s family. This is rarely done as men tend to think of carrying on their family name and feel a sense of pride when they provide their fathers with a new generation in their lineage. Why is this so important? It is a guy thing. The fact of the matter is, in families who have only one daughter who is marrying into a family with more than one son, using the bride’s family name just makes more sense. Unfortunately, until recent times it has been a predominantly man’s world.

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