The Wedding Registry

We all make lists of what we want or need. Before heading to the grocery store, we might jot down those needed food items. A wedding registry is a list of items you and your future spouse will need as your embark on your life together. You might have a lot of dinnerware but lack towels or other household items. Some friends and family might be interested your formal or everyday china pattern. The registry will give them a glimpse into your tastes, likes, and personality.

Creating a gift registry will not only ensure that you get what you want but save you time in answering the same questions over and over. Just send friends and family to your registry for gift ideas. Creating and updating a gift registry has never been easier. In most cases, you won’t even have to leave your home. A lot of department stores allow you to create and update your registry through your web browser. You can still create a gift registry by going directly to the store. In fact, most stores will give you a scanning device that you just point at the bar code of the item you want. The item is then added to your registry. Wedding registries have advanced a lot in recent years and have become very high tech.

Even Internet giant Amazon has a wedding registry. With the Amazon Wedding registry creating a gift list just takes a few clicks. When you find an item on Amazon, simply click the button add to wedding registry.

Have your gift registry complete by at least six months before the wedding. There will be people who will not be able to attend your wedding but want to send you a gift. Having a gift registry long before the bid day will ensure ample time for people to pick out and buy your gift. Also having the registry complete before your bridal/”honey do” showers will give attendees options when it comes to buying your shower gift.

Multiple gift registries can offer more choices for friends and family but takes longer to set up. Mark off an afternoon to set up your gift registry and update it when you find items that you might have forgotten but need. A gift registry is good for friends and family to know what you need and it can serve as a reminder for the bride and groom of household items they really want for their new life together.

Wedding Sale At Ultra Diamonds

Ultra Diamonds is running a sale on all wedding-related purchases until June 30th. You can take 10% off wedding bands, attendant gifts, etc. with coupon code BRIDEAFF

TheKnot.com Engagement

The brilliant ladies (and a few fellows) at TheKnot.com have come up with guides for the newly-engaged, including tips on planning an engagement party.

Rent a hot-air balloon and have a party in midair. Some companies have baskets that hold up to 16 people, or you can rent several balloons with smaller baskets and snap pics of the view and of each other. Awe-inspiring vistas will get people talking and this once-in-a-lifetime experience will forever mark your engagement party in the memories of your guests. Land in a picturesque spot and enjoy a catered champagne brunch. 

 If a champagne brunch and hot-air balloons would put the actual wedding out of your budjet, TheKnot also suggests some fun themed engagement parties, and offers modern day etiquette advice at Engagement Parties 101. 

Everyone who is invited to the engagement party should ultimately be invited to the wedding. Otherwise, guests might wonder what they did at the engagement party to insult you! That said, if the couple decides to host their own wedding and keep the list small and you want to throw an extravagant engagement party, go for it. Just be sure to let people know that the wedding will be small so no feelings will be hurt when guests aren’t invited to the wedding. If you are worried that your friends will think you want to have a big bash solely to garner gifts, include a nice note in the invitation that requests no presents.

Do It Yourself Wedding Favors

If you love to take on projects and plan to be very hands on when it comes to your wedding, then making your own wedding favors might sound like a great idea. The term wedding favors can cover a huge gamut of items. Here it is defined as a small parting gift for your guests as a way of saying thank you for sharing your special day.

Chocolate-dipped spoons are easy and delicious. What you’ll need are plastic spoons, chocolate, plastic wrap, and ribbon. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler, and dip spoon into chocolate. Place the spoon onto wax paper to harden. Remove spoon and wrap in plastic wrap. Tie it off with a ribbon. You can even add a personal note and attach it to the ribbon.

Chocolate-dipped fortune cookies are another fun and easy do it yourself wedding favor. First, buy the fortune cookies. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler then dip the half the cookie in chocolate. Roll cookie in sprinkles for a little color and pizazz. Place on wax paper to harden. Then put the cookie in small bag or plastic wrap. Tie it off with a ribbon.

Crane origami is a fun wedding favor that guests will surely treasure. Crane origami can be tricky to do but can be done with practice and patience. Origami paper comes in a variety of colors and styles, so you are sure to find the perfect match for your wedding colors.

Making your own wedding favors can save money and also be a way to personally thank guests for their attendance.

What are your wedding numbers?

When you think “wedding,” you might envision dresses, rings, flowers…

It would be smarter, though, to think about numbers.

Not very romantic, I know. But numbers are monumentally important. (In fact, they’ll dictate exactly what those dresses and rings and flowers will be like later on.)

So which numbers should you focus on first?

1. The Budget. How much money do you have to spend? (Hundreds? Thousands? Tens of thousands?) Take a look at your financial status. Estimate how much you can spare for a wedding, then break that number down into specifics. (For instance, a third of your budget could easily be spent on food and drink alone.)
2. The Guest List
   How many people will you invite? (30? 130? 300?) Large events can be a blast, but smaller ones are usually a lot less hectic. No matter which you want, each guest needs to be accommodated (seats, meals, drinks, favors, etc.), so you’ll need to be sure your budget covers everyone.
3. The Date and Time
   What year, month, and time of day are you aiming for? Off-season wedding months might be chilly, but they’ll be easy on your wallet. Similarly, a Sunday afternoon wedding will cost less than one on Saturday night. Take the budget and size of your wedding into account as you try to nail down a date and time.

These numbers are interrelated. (Inviting fewer people might allow you to nab a more desirable date, for instance.) So if you change one number, don’t forget to go back and adjust the other two accordingly.