I simply had to share this with you. After reading the article below, written by Chris Chase at sports.yahoo.com, I pondered the wedding favors this couple might have chosen, and I’m leaning toward heart-shaped coin banks with instructions for it to be filled and returned to the happy (weird) couple. Without further ado…

What do you get a millionaire quarterback and a former pageant queen for their wedding? If you were invited to the Memorial Day weekend nuptials of  Tony Romo and Candice Crawford, the question was easily answered on the two online registries the couple created at Macy’s and Crate & Barrel.

Shutdown Corner has looked through the gift requests, from the Martha Stewart Cupcake Tree to the Double Dip Dish to the Kate Spade New York dessert knife set and jotted down a few of our thoughts:

As if forcing people to make the trip to Dallas on a three-day weekend wasn’t bad enough, the Romos then ask folks to buy them various home knick-knacks that they’ll never use and easily could have afforded for themselves? I suppose you have to get a rich guy something when he gets married, I just never figured it would be a six-dollar gravy boat.

Me, again. Sorry, but any couple with their kind of money should put “No Gifts, Please” on their invitation. Unless, of course, they think they’re being kind to underprivileged family and friends who wouldn’t be able to afford to buy them more costly presents. Either way, it’s pretty classless to me. What do YOU think?

Of all the pre-wedding parties you can have, a wedding prep party will, by far, mean the most to you where it counts most! The catch phrase “Do It Yourself” doesn’t mean you can’t have help in creating…

Invitations, Decorations, Centerpieces, Wedding Favors!

In this economy, no one is surprised when engaged couples look for viable ways to save money. And you, as the bride-to-be, will be as busy as…well, a bride-to-be! Don’t just be the party planner—party while you’re planning! Look around you. There are bridesmaids, family and friends who would be happy to be part of a party with a purpose—making your wedding beautiful and meaningful!

Your Own Design or Kits?

If you’re imaginative, crafty and computer-savvy, you can design  your  invitations, decorations, centerpieces and unique wedding favors. You’ll need extra hands to address and stamp the invitation envelopes, as well as assemble the decorations, centerpieces and favors.  For those of you who are creatively challenged, a kit is probably the way to go. You get everything you need, but you still need to put everything together, so extra hands do help.

Step One:  Create the designs or purchase the kits for everything you want to do “yourself.”  If you create your own designs, purchase everything you need for assembly and have it ready for your party.

Step Two:  Choose a day or evening for the prep party, and invite family and friends based on how many do-it-yourself projects you want to accomplish in 3-4 hours.

Step Three:  If you’re doing more than one project, set up different “stations” in your home so groups of people can focus on a single project.  Make sure each project table has everything required for the task at hand (materials, scissors, pens, rulers, glue gun, etc.)

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Step Four: Make it a party! Have plenty of snacks, like pizza, chips and dip, sandwiches and cookies on hand, along with a variety of beverages. Some upbeat music in the background is helpful, too.

Step Five:  Before the party, make one prototype for each project and place it on the project table so everyone will know how the centerpiece, wedding favor, envelope, etc. should look. When everyone’s ready to go to work, demonstrate how to assemble the item at each table.  If you have more than one table, check each group early on to make sure they’re putting your items together correctly.  Before you know it, you’ll have everything assembled for your wedding! You might want to send a short thank-you note to everyone who helped.

Think of it as “frugal fun!”

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The other day, I answered a personalization question on a wedding forum. The couple were wondering what to put on the back of their brand-name soda bottle favors to make them personalized wedding favors (the front of the soda bottles are also personalized with a favorite photo of the couple.) Most of the answers were the typical “Thanks for sharing our day,” or simply “your names and wedding date.” Out of several suggestions, mine was chosen by the “asker” as the best one. Here’s why…

Follow the Favor

What do I mean by “follow the favor”? As I wrote in response, think of something short and relevant to the favor itself. For their soda-bottle favors, I offered these three personalization ideas:

• We’re Bubbling Over with Happiness!
• So Happy, We’re About to Pop!
• The Drinks Are On Us Today!

Sometimes it depends on the number of personalization lines or characters allowed. I recommended using something other than names and wedding date because 1) guests already know whom they’re celebrating and 2) the likelihood that guests will hold onto a sticky soda bottle as a memento is remote. Why not dazzle them with your wit instead?

More Personalization Messages!

To get your mind moving in this direction, I thought I’d give you some message ideas for a few different favor categories. Here goes:

Candles/Tea Light Holders—Our Love Shines Brighter Every Day; Love’s Glow is All Around You; We’re the Hottest Couple in Town!

Favor Boxes/Jars—It’s the Sweetest Day of Our Lives!, It’s a Treat to Have You With Us Today! Sweet Memories Especially for You.

Photo Frames—We’re Giving Marriage Our Best Shot!; Just How We Pictured This Day–With You!

Salt & Pepper Shakers—Thanks for Spicing Things Up Today!; Celebrating Our Seasons of Love!

Wine-Themed Favors—Thanks for The Vintage Memories!; Popping the Cork on a Happy Marriage!; We’re Drunk on Love!

Heart-Themed Favors—Two Hearts. One Love.; With Our Love and Heartfelt Thanks; A Day “Heart” to Forget!

Coasters—Happily Coasting Toward the Future!; The Drinks Are On Us Today!

Now you’ve got the hang of it! And I’ve decided to make  FREE PERSONALIZATION MESSAGES an ongoing offer. If you’re looking for a unique personalization message for your favors, let me know, and I’ll put my creativity to work for you! Have fun today!

I caught an article on the Institute for Marriage and Public Policy blog that made me wince. Apparently, funeral homes are taking a hit during the economic downturn, too,  so many are now offering their grounds for less-somber occasions—like weddings—to supplement their income.

USA Today reported that 10% of funeral homes “owned or offered a community or family center in addition to traditional funeral facilities” in 2011.

Okay. Clearly, having your wedding at a funeral home has to have upsides along with the downsides, and I thought it might be fun to explore what those might be. We’ll start with the upsides:

• Many funeral homes have lovely gardens and grounds
• Their “rooms” are often elegantly appointed
• The price is right (I can’t help but believe that only an amazing deal would attract a bride- and groom-to-be)
• If you time it right, you can save on flowers
• There’s probably a make-up artist on staff
• They’ll have plenty of tissues for the weepers during your ceremony
• You can ask them to throw in couple of plots while you’re negotiating for your wedding
• Now you can invite 96-year-old great-Aunt Beulah without worry

The downsides:

• It’s a funeral home
• You might not be thrilled with the “dressing room”
• There’s really no indirect way to say “Happy Memories Funeral Home” on an invitation
• Dance music will have to be kept low so you don’t “wake the dead”
• You can only hope your pastor or rabbi remembers why he or she is there when the ceremony begins
• A few uninvited guests might show up
• Good luck finding what would have to be seriously unique wedding favors (I do love the little favor box in the photo on the right, though!)

Well, there you go. The pros outweigh the cons.  Looks like passing up an opportunity to have your wedding at a funeral home would be a grave mistake.

LOL. NE1. BYOB. WYSIWYG. Thanks to texting and tweeting, we’ve become a nation addicted to acronyms out of necessity—whatever it takes to get your point across in no more than 140 characters (or before veering off the road and into a ditch when texting while driving.) And, of course, every industry has its own specific acronyms so those involved can talk to each other in the same “language.” The wedding industry is no exception, and brides have created their own shorthand.

W.T.H.D.T.M.? (What the heck does this mean?)

If you’re just embarking on your wedding planning journey, I’m including a list of wedding acronyms I found on DIYbride.com, so you won’t have to waste time figuring them out. And right below it, just for fun, I’ve created a list of acronyms for grooms who want to text and tweet about the wedding. First up are acronyms for the bride:

BF – Boy friend, Best friend
BIL – Brother-In-Law
BM – Bridesmaid, Banquet Manager, Best Man
BP – Bridal Party or Bachelor(ette) Party
CM – Catering manager
CP – Centerpiece
DH – Dear Husband
DIY – Do-it-yourself
DOC – “Day Of” Coordinator (A wedding planner hired for just the wedding day.)
DW – Dear Wife or Destination Wedding
EP – Engagement Party
ER – Engagement Ring
FBIL – Future Brother-In-Law
FFIL – Future Father-In-Law
FG – Flower Girl
FH – Future Husband
FI – Fiance
FMIL – Future Mother-In-Law
FOB – Father Of Bride
FOG – Father Of Groom
FSIL – Future Sister-In-Law
FW – Future Wife
GM – Groomsman (Groomsmen)
GP – Grandparent
HM – Honeymoon
JP – Justice of the Peace
MOB – Mother Of Bride
GTG – Get Together
MOG – Mother Of Groom
MOH – Maid/Matron Of Honor
NWR – Not Wedding Related
OOT – Out Of Town (guests)
PF – Pocketfold, pocket fold (a type of invitation with a pocket)
RB – Ring Bearer
RD – Rehersal Dinner
SO – Significant Other
STD – Save The Dates
TOJ – Tears of Joy packets (decorated tissue packs)
TY – Thank you (or thank you cards)
UWF – Unique Wedding Favors (Okay. You got me. I added this one.)
WP – Wedding planner, wedding party
WR – Wedding ring

Acronyms for Grooms!

ILHSM – I love her so much
INAD – I need a drink
IOTWPT – I’m over this wedding planning thing
PIRE – Personally, I’d rather elope
SIIMB – Should I invite my boss?
SSLPG – She’s shopping. Let’s play golf.
WSSY – Wow! She said Yes!
WTHIASS – What the heck is a sand ceremony?
WTMD – Way too much drama
WYSH -Whatever you say, honey

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If you can think of any others—for brides or grooms, send them to me and we’ll create a new list together! Meanwhile…

Word on the street is that it could happen.

BBC, Virgin and Sky are considering airing the royal wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton live from Westminster Abbey in 3-D.

If this doesn’t make the sales of 3-D televisions skyrocket over the next five months, nothing will.

According to the reports, though, you might not need to buy a 3-D TV—if you live in the United Kingdom, that is.  The three broadcasting channels recognize that not everyone (well,  hardly anyone, actually) can enjoy 3-D from their living rooms, so they’re contemplating putting 3-D broadcasts in public locations like movie theaters and pubs. Let’s hope they mean US movie theaters, too!

The wedding date,  April 29 of next year, has already been made a bank holiday by the Prime Minister. If you feel lucky, head over to London and enter their lottery to win one of 100 tickets to the wedding.

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Gifts for the Guests!

I’ve also learned that 5,000 pounds of the 50 million pounds to be spent on the wedding will be set aside for wedding favors. That converts roughly to $7,800 US for wedding favors. With the economy doing less than fabulous these days, many couples are planning to spend a similar amount on their entire wedding. But when you’ve got big bucks, you might as well spend them on a joyful occasion, so I say “have at it, you two, and best of luck!” Still, I can’t help but speculate on the wedding favors $7K+ will buy. The goodies at the right were created to celebrate their engagement, so it’s possible something similar and as special will be given to their guests.

From what I’ve read so far, they’re inviting 120 guests to the post-nuptials dinner, so that averages out to about $65 per guest favor. I suspect these will be incredibly unique wedding favors. What do you think? If you had $65 per favor to spend for each of your wedding guests, what gift would you choose to thank them? Something in silver or gold (the real thing, of course!)? Personal electronics? A gift card to McDonald’s? Just let me know by December 3, and I’ll announce my favorite three in my next post! Cheers!

There were several celebrity weddings this past weekend (Alicia Keys, rapper T.I.), but the wedding making big news was Chelsea Clinton’s marriage to Marc Mezvinsky, where a deeply moving poem entitled “The Life That I Have” by Leo Marks was read during the ceremony. I’m sure it will be included in thousands of wedding ceremonies to come. Here it is…

The life that I have
Is all that I have
And the life that I have
Is yours.

The love that I have
Of the life that I have
Is yours and yours and yours.

A sleep I shall have
A rest I shall have
Yet death will be but a pause
For the peace of my years
In the long green grass
Will be yours and yours and yours.

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It’s a lovely, meaningful poem, and it’s just one of thousands of poems perfect for reading at a wedding ceremony. If you like the idea of including a poem in your ceremony and you want to be original, spend a little time online (start with the keywords “love poems” or “wedding poems”) to find a poem that resonates with both you and your groom-to-be.

I’m glad you took some time today
To spend a while with me
And let me share a sweet idea
With a lovely bride-to-be.

I watched her grow as an artist and win it all on American Idol.  She’s made the country music world her oyster, and deservedly so. Carrie got married over the weekend, and I discovered she walked the aisle, had her first dance with husband Mike Fisher and gave out her bridesmaid gifts just down the road from my Atlanta, GA home!

Carrie Underwood’s Wedding Venue

I figure you’ll hear plenty about the wedding soon enough, so I thought you might like to find out more about the place they got married—the Ritz Carlton/ Reynolds Plantation on beautiful Lake Oconee in Greensboro, GA, which is just  a little more than an hour’s drive east of Atlanta.

Mother Nature got the memo about Carrie’s Reynolds Plantation wedding. As it often is during Georgia summers, the weather was sunny and hot. I don’t think she, her new husband and guests were subjected to any isolated showers, which is nice!

The Ritz Carlton hotel chain is know for its super-luxe accommodations, and the resort at Reynolds Plantation is spectacular! Here’s what they say on their Web site:

At The Ritz-Carlton, Reynolds Plantation in Georgia, you’ll be greeted by a shimmering lake and quiet tranquility. Whether your visit at the lodge includes golfing on championship courses, a relaxing day of fishing, wandering through antebellum towns or just relaxing at the spa, this Georgia luxury hotel offers an engaging backdrop in the heart of nature.

I thought you might like to see a few photos of the homes in those antebellum towns. It’s a stunning step into the past—shadows of Gone With The Wind—and I hope you come visit the area soon and enjoy some of our famous southern hospitality! Y’all just might decide to get married here, too!

Walmart isn’t the only one who’s doing rollbacks!  You can get one at the Waldorf-Astoria–that is, if you happen to be Edith and Robert Scalise.  Married 60 years ago, the Long Island lovebirds celebrated their first night as husband and wife in this 5-star hotel.  So, it was high time they did it again.

Love at first sight–almost!

To see how this love story began, you’ll have to go back even further to 1936.  Meeting for the first time in Brooklyn’s Public School 157, when Robert first laid eyes on Edith at 12 years old, HE knew she was the one.  SHE needed a little convincing, being a bit intimidated by his big Italian family.  Passionate and persistent, the dashing 22-year-old Robert finally won her over when he returned home from serving in the military.  Two short years later, the couple wed on May 20, 1950 with a grand reception of 400 guests (and some fabulous Italian wedding favors, I’m sure!)

Back then, it only cost them $23.10 for the room, and the good folks at the Waldorf thought it would be a grand idea for them to celebrate their 60th anniversary 1950’s style by honoring the same price they paid back then.  Yep, for a little more than $25 bucks, they were able to enjoy a fabulous room, dinner for two (which cost $3.47) and a celebratory phone call (.15 cents).

Wedding-Day Deja vu

Relishing their hotel receipt for $26.62 as a memento from their stay, it had long been a dream to stay at the Waldorf-Astoria again, but according to Edith, “we couldn’t afford to stay in this hotel again after that night.”  With the suites now costing between $600-800 per night, neither could I !!

But stay there once more, they did.  Following a fairy-tale day, the Scalises renewed their wedding vows at the majestic St. Patrick’s Cathedral and danced cheek to cheek like they did on their wedding night so many years ago.

Recreating this moment was a special treat for the couple and their family, as Edith was escorted down the aisle by her three daughters, while grandchildren and friends looked on.  But, I don’t think they saw much of anything except for each other.  Standing there at the altar renewing their vows with 60 years of memories swirling with delight in their heads, Robert said, “It’s been an amazing journey.  I married my childhood sweetheart.  I always knew I loved her.  I always knew I wanted her. “  Seeing something wonderful in her even as a child, Edith said, “I’m so blessed to be married to you.”  He added, “So am I.”

Wedding Trend Alert: Bridesmaids are Doin’ It For Themselves!

Mismatched bridesmaids dresses are nothing new. Wedding pundits have been touting this trend for several years. The bride selects the dress designer and the fabric, and she lets her bridesmaids choose the style that works best for their bodies.

The 2010 twist? Brides are choosing the color and simply handing it over to their bridesmaids, who then have the freedom to find an off-the-rack dress from any designer, in whatever style makes them look fabulous.

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Brides are discovering that this DIY bridesmaid thing takes a bit of the pressure off them. Meanwhile, bridesmaids are delighted to know they’ll not only look good the day of, but if they choose wisely, they’ll be able to wear the dress again. It’s a win-win! If you like this idea, go for it! A word to the wise–tell your bridesmaids how formal the dress should be to avoid one bridesmaid in a floor-length, beaded evening gown and another in a casual, short sundress.

Take No Chances!

Don’t wait until your wedding day to let your bridesmaids surprise you with their choices. Ask  your girls to let you have a look when they’ve found a dress (or two or three) that they like, so you can make sure each dress complements your color scheme and coordinates well with all the other dresses. They’re your friends, and they won’t disappoint you. In fact, they’ll be grateful for your confidence in them as well as the liberty to choose their perfect bridesmaid dress. At the same time, you’ll probably be so thrilled with their choices that you’ll kick your bridesmaids gifts up a notch!

Just for Fun!

I thought it would be fun to show you what you might wind up with if you let your bridesmaids surprise you with their frocks on the day of your wedding. Let’s say you want your attendants in bright red…