Everything You Need For the Perfect Wedding

ThePerfectWeddingGuide

J A N U R A R Y 1 6 • 2 0 1 1

2011 Columbus Area

Bridal Fair

Imagine sending out personalized,colorful e-vites inviting guests to awedding ceremony and reception?Or plugging in an Mp3 player with apre-set wedding music playlist toget people dancing? How aboutrecording the festivities on hand-held video cameras and uploadingdata instantly to a social networkingsite? Some or all of these technolog-ical conveniences are already grow-ing in popularity, revolutionizingthe way couples plan and carrythrough with wedding plans alongthe way.

Many couples are choosing to es-chew the formalities and traditionsassociated with weddings for theconvenience that many digital ortechnological advancements can

provide. Electronic wedding invita-tions are just one of the many as-pects of the wedding that have be-gun to embrace the digital age.

There are several advantages toenlisting the help of technology toexecute a wedding. First and fore-most is the cost factor. The numberof items that couples can do them-selves will greatly cut down on theexpenses of hiring professional ven-dors. Budget-conscious couplesmay seriously want to considersending e-vites, which can save sev-eral hundreds of dollars on printingcosts and postage.

Another advantage is that technol-ogy might be more environmentallyresponsible. Eliminating weddingstationery or hiring individuals who

have to travel to and from the cere-mony and reception, as is the casewith a band or photographer, re-duces carbon emissions and furtherenergy.

Technology can also help keepthings organized. Instead of keep-ing receipts and papers inside of afolder, saving items in e-mail andconversing with vendors electroni-cally creates a digital paper trailthat can make loose ends a little eas-ier to manage.

Although there are some detrac-tors who frown on employing tech-nology when planning a wedding be-cause of the improper etiquette im-plications, many modern couples areembracing the convenience and costsavings these technologies provide.

2 Columbus Area Bridal Fair The Columbus TelegramSunday, January 16, 2011

Technology may transformthe future of weddings

MS) -- Are you one of the thousands of couples whogot engaged over the holidays? This is the time foryou and your soon-to-be to get everything you everwanted -- whether you're starting from scratch, up-grading, expanding or replacing. Turn a whole bunchof mismatched mine and yours into a lifetime of ours.

"When it comes to registering, relax, take your timeand have fun," recommends Audrey Stavish, a Bridaland Gift Registry expert at Bed Bath & Beyond."Most brides update their registries online and gointo the stores many times. There aren't any rulesthat you must follow. Choose items that are right foryou and your soon-to-be. Go through the registryprocess together and have fun!"

Here are some additional tips to make weddingplanning a breeze:

Plan Ahead: Start a bridal registry as soon as yousay "yes." That way guests will have lots of options forengagement gifts and showers. Periodically updateyour registry by adding more products if you need to,even after the wedding. Be kind to procrastinators.

Do the Math: Experts advise registering for 2-3items times the number of guests you plan to have.Close friends and family will rely on your registryfor special events leading up to the wedding -- such asengagement parties, bridal showers, and holidays!Your guests will appreciate having lots of choices

when they shop for you. Be sure to refresh your listregularly as gifts get purchased.

Register Now, Because You Won't Buy it Later: Youmay think you will ... but you won't. Now is the time tolet others get you the stuff you'd never buy yourself.Your friends and family might even get together topurchase a higher priced "group gift."

Dream Big: Register for gifts in a range of pricesand categories. This will give guests and groupgivers lots of options to choose from.

Remember the Rule of Three: When it comes to set-

ting your table, if you choose bold patterns for yourchina and flatware, pick a more simple style of glass-ware. Prefer intricate stemware? Pair it with simplerpatterns of china and flatware. So, it's bold/bold/sim-ple or simple/simple/bold.

Visit a Store: It's in YOUR best interest to visit astore and schedule an appointment with an expertconsultant who can help you with your gift selectionsand share great tips like "The Rule of Three," whatcookware you will need to prepare your favorite dish,what knife to use when and much more. When mak-ing your selections, it's important to touch the towels,heft the flatware, see everything in person!

C'mon Back: Most couples don't make all their se-lections in a single spree. Plan on making multiplevisits.

Once you've set up your registry, take advantage ofBed Bath & Beyond's Bridal Toolkit(R), the compli-mentary wedding planning tools available at bed-bathandbeyond.com, including your own PersonalWedding Web site, budgeter, task manager, guest listmanager, gift tracker and even a seating arranger.This way, all of your information can be stored in oneconvenient place.

Congratulations and best wishes on your engage-ment. Now get registering and let the gift-giving be-gin.

32011 Columbus Area Bridal FairThe Columbus TelegramSunday, January 16, 2011

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Brides and grooms have a few optionswhen it comes to the music played attheir ceremony and reception. Live mu-sicians or deejays are often the enter-tainment of choice. When hiring the en-tertainment, there are some importantthings to keep in mind.

The music of the wedding will set thetone for the event and keep guests en-tertained during key moments of theday. Musicians will often work in con-junction with a maitre d' to be sure thereception moves along smoothly andsticks to the schedule. Music will beplayed while guests are dining and whenthere are opportunities for dancing.

It's essential to listen to musicians ordeejays before hiring anyone to ensurewhat they're offering will fit in with thewedding. Also, it's helpful to confirm theperson or people being auditioned willbe the exact individuals at the wedding.Some entertainment companies hire outcontract musicians, meaning the pre-

view musicians may not be the sameperson who will perform at the ceremo-ny. That can potentially prove disaster-ous. If a certain musician or deejay isrequested, be sure it is put down in writ-ing in the contract.

Provide the musical entertainmentwith some information to further helpthe wedding go off without a hitch. Thismay include but not be limited to the fol-lowing:

■ Names of all wedding party partici-pants so they can be properly intro-duced.

■ Name of the married couple, includ-ing pronunciation of the last name, ifnecessary.

■ The title of the couple's song. ■ The titles of songs to be danced with

mother/son or father/daughter. ■ A listing of any preferred songs. ■ The title of a "spotlight dance" song. ■ Any music that is off-limits at the

reception.

■ Special announcements that shouldbe made, such as mentioning a guest'sbirthday or another special event in-volving guests.

■ Whether a bouquet and garter tosswill take place, and which songs shouldbe played during these traditions.

In most cases, wedding musicians areprofessionals who have handled manyweddings and are very accustomed towhat should be done to make the night amemorable one. Trust in the expertiseof the musicians, and provide guidancewhere necessary.

4 2011 Columbus Area Bridal Fair The Columbus TelegramSunday, January 16, 2011

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There are many traditions for wed-dings that can be traced back thou-sands of years to early civilization.One enduring tradition is to throw riceat the newly betrothed. For the safetyof birds and other animal life, rice hasbeen switched to birdseed in recenttimes.

Some wedding traditions are basedon very real needs of ancient times.Others are based on superstitions orexisting etiquette at the time theywere initially practiced. Throwingrice remains a timeless tradition thatmany couples still enjoy.

Everyone attending the weddinggets to participate in throwing rice, orwhatever is being used in lieu of rice,be it bird-seed, con-fetti oreven bub-bles. Cou-ples caneven bor-row fromtraditionsin othercountries.InFrance,peoplethrowwheat, asymbol ofbounty,after theceremo-ny. Ital-ians tosscandy andsugarednuts overcouples,for sweet-ness inmarriage.

Ricewas tradi-tionallyused tosymbolize

fertility and prosperity. Wheat wasalso very much used in ancient wed-ding ceremonies for the same reasons.When guests threw rice at the brideand groom at a wedding, they weresymbolically wishing them a lifetimefull of children and good fortune.Some cultures even ate a meal of ricebefore the wedding to guarantee fur-ther prosperity.

Different cultures have long har-bored different perspectives onthrowing rice. Some even believed itfed the evil spirits that, though unin-vited, crashed the wedding. It wasthought that well-fed spirits would notwreak havoc on the happy day.

Rice and wheat were also thought torepresentvirginityand whole-somenessby some. Avirginalbride usedto wearwhite andcarried astalk ofwheat. Sin-gle womenrushed af-ter thebride hop-ing to get afew piecesof rice sothey wouldbe the nextperson towalk downthe aisle.

Despiteits founda-tion in su-perstition,throwingrice has re-mained astaple ofweddingstoday.

5The Columbus TelegramSunday, January 16, 2011

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Many weddings adhere to tradition,with a big church wedding, a whitegown and a bustling reception.

Still, there are some couples whopre-fer to do something a bit unique and un-conventional. They may choose to getmarried underwater or while skydiv-ing.

If a "creative" wedding is for you, hereare some ideas to think about.

* Prison wedding: A visit to an aban-doned prison or haunted location mayappeal to the couple with a taste for themacabre.

* Skydiving: The concept of taking theplunge takes on an entirely new mean-ing when jumping out of a plane at sev-eral thousand feet while reciting vows.

* Wedding of the "Stars": Trekkiesmay want to recite vows while dressed

in costume and speaking native Klin-gon, while Star Wars fans may want todo so with Storm Troopers attending thefestivities.

* Mountain climbing: Couples canreach new heights while scaling amountainside and saying their "I dos."

* Life in the fast lane: Couples whoare NASCAR fans can recite their vowsand then take a spin at 200 mph arounda neighborhood track.

* Amused festivities: Some couplesmight prefer to get hitched while enjoy-ing the ups and downs of their favoriteroller coaster or other amusement parkrides.

* Scuba diving: Some couples preferto recite their vows with a few bubblesin between and marine life as their wit-nesses.

6 2011 Columbus Area Bridal Fair The Columbus TelegramSunday, January 16, 2011

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