Winter Weddings: Hot As Ice

It may be cold outside but that doesn't mean you should shun the winter season as a wedding choice. With the snow falling and the crispness in the air you can set the place on fire with a cozy, romantic, cool and regal affair. Winter time weddings allow you to bring the hot and cold together in perfect harmony. By incorporating the temperature into your event you can step outside of the box and do some things your guests have never seen before.

Take full advantage of the temperature drop to chose a wedding dress with maximum accessories. A beautiful full length coat of fur, either real or faux, with warm your body on the outside as your nuptials are warming you up on the inside. Other good choices for the bride are long gloves, caplets, long sleeves and even furry snow boots. Bringing in pieces that bride would not typically use in any other season with make you stand out and be a sight to remember.


To take you event to the next level opt for an outdoor setting for your wedding. Yes, it may seem like a crazy idea but having your guests cozy up close together while you and your bride exchange vows under snow covered birch trees is a fantasy-like setting. Remember to inform your guests on the invitation as well as your wedding website that the ceremony will be taking place outside so they know to dress warm. If you know many of your female guests are fans of fur then suggest that they don their hats and muffs for the occasion.

After you the sparks have flown at the ceremony allow your guests to warm up by inviting them inside a heated tent for the reception. Here they will be able to shed their layers and get down on the dance floor. If you are opting to have a cocktail hour before your reception try a hot beverage bar. Offer your guests flavored sake, brandies and hot cocoa to help them unthaw before they move on to dinner.

Choosing food can be exciting and let opposites attract in this category by serving dishes that are hot and spicy. Ignite your taste buds by having exotic foods from around the globe that use such ingredients as chili's, peppers and even wasabi. Cap off the night by serving your guests S'mores and chocolate fondue. By having these desserts it not only lets them choose what they want for dessert but it also lets them leave enough room for cake!

Know that a winter wedding doesn't always have to be centered around Christmas, New Year's or Valentine's day. You can have these holidays inspire you for your decor and location but they don't have to control it completely. Try to use different color palettes for your winter nuptials such as red and turquoise, plum and silver, hunter green and platinum or white, silver and amber. Which ever ideas you choose always make the event your own!

Who's Picking Up The Check?

When planning a big important event like a wedding one of the first things to come to mind is how much is it going to cost and who pays for what? Traditionally in American custom the brides family pays for the event as they are the ones "giving" their daughter away. However, in 2008 grooms and other family members aren't getting off scott free anymore (sorry guys!). The breakdown of this tradition lightens the load from the brides family but also leaves the option open for the couple to completely take the burden from their parents and do it themselves. About 60% of all couples today pay for their own ceremony.

Having many relatives pitch in to help the bride and room celebrate their day allows for them to get exactly what they want, right? Not exactly. Usually you would expect your family to help with funds but by doing this some relatives think that entitles them to a say or an opinion about how and what the money should be spent on. This can cause distress to the couple be often both parties never agree on the same vision for their wedding. It is always a good idea to make it clear that the money that is being gifted is to be used at the digression on the couple. If the money is a loan then there needs to be a clear understanding that the money is being used for any aspect of the wedding and will be repaid as soon as possible. Now on to the business of who actually is supposed to pay for what traditionally this is how it went.....

Bride's Family

• Engagement party
• Cost of the ceremony, including location, music, rentals, and all other expenses


• Entire cost of the reception, including location, food, beverage, entertainment, rental items, decorations, and wedding cake
• Bride's wedding dress, veil, and accessories
• Wedding gift for the couple
• Bridesmaids' bouquets
• Bridesmaids' luncheon
• Photography
• Flowers

Groom's Family

• Rehearsal dinner
• Travel and accommodations for the groom's family
• Honeymoon
• Wedding gift for bride and groom

More modern tradition dictates this is how it should go........

Bride

• Gifts for bridesmaids

• Lodging for bridesmaids

• Couple's personal stationery and thank-you notes

• Wedding programs/guestbookGroom

• Bride's engagement ring

• Marriage license

• Officiant's fee

• Rental or purchase of his formal wear

• Lodging for groomsmen

• Gifts for the groom's attendants

• Boutonnieres for self and groomsmen, as well as flowers for both mothers and grandmothers (it's much more common today for flowers to be paid in one lump sum, usually by the bride's family)

• Bride's bouquet (see above)

Bride and Groom

• The wedding bands

• The honeymoon (in very traditional families, this is still considered the groom's expense)

Bride's Family

• Engagement and wedding pictures

• Wedding invitations

• Wedding consultant, if applicable

• Bridal ensemble

• Ceremony fees: rental of synagogue or chapel, chuppah, aisle carpets, or other decorating items

• Flowers: reception, ceremony, bridesmaids' bouquets and fathers' boutonnieres (see Groom for more on wedding flowers)

• Reception: site fees, caterer, food, bar, gratuities, decorations

• Music: ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception

• Bridesmaids' luncheon (a traditional gesture of thanks)

• Transportation for bridal party to ceremony and reception

Groom's Family

• Rehearsal dinner (optional) or any other expense they electBridesmaids

• Bridal shower

• Bridesmaid dress and shoes (flower girl/ring bearer attire is paid for by the child's parents)

• Any traveling expenses

• Bachelorette party (optional) Guests Traveling and lodging expenses (even if you're having a destination wedding, guests pay their own way)

Bucking the Trends
These are the most common ways that the old guidelines of who-pays-for-what are being adapted to reflect the multi-host wedding that is so popular today.

Groom's Family

• All beverage and liquor service

• Limousines

• Music for the reception

• Photography and/or videography

Bride and/or Groom

• Bride's ensemble

• Wedding flowers

• All wedding stationery, including invitations, announcements, and thank-you notes

*This list was found in Modern Bride Magazine

As you can see many things have changed from the traditional custom of paying and actually there are no rules to who, how and why people are paying for certain things in the wedding. As long as the bride and groom have a beautiful ceremony and don't break the bank too much, it really shouldn't matter who footed the bill.

Wedding Bell Blues?

A frazzled bride is very easy to find especially if it is the month of her wedding! Last minute changes, non responsive guests, family fiascoes and paying the final deposits to almost every vendor you have recruited can be a hassle, heartache and make you break the bank. If you are a bride and you have hit the point of no return on the stress meter here are a few ways that you can decompress without your fiancee and friends thinking you should be committed.

Sleep Tight
Create a firm stop time when all wedding talk ceases for the day. This will allow you to step away from the details that can be a pain and keep you up all hours of the night. A suggestion would be to stop at least 2 hours before your bedtime so that you can unwind, breathe and calm yourself for some much needed sleep. Many times when stress is piled on sleep is the first thing that is avoided. Try some calming tunes like jazz or a babbling brook to help you unwind and slip into dreamland.

Work Those Maids
From time to time we all feel that if we want something done right we need to do it ourselves, but in the case of impending nuptials and a rapidly depleting time schedule we could be our own worst enemy. Many brides find that within weeks of their big day the to-do list that they have gets longer rather than shorter. This is a good time to enlist your arsenal of bridesmaids. Yes they did commit to being your bridesmaid and support you through this special time so why not include them on a few tasks to complete too. Simple things such as picking up the guestbook or grabbing the flower girls shoes from the store shouldn't put them out too much.

Work It Out!
Hitting the gym for some cardio, taking a kickboxing class or even running can take the edge of and reduce your stress level. In addition to kicking stresses but you can also get yours into shape for the big day while you're at it. Working out releases endorphins and boost your mood, it is also a great way to leave some of that aggression behind before facing families or fiancees.

Keep Dating and Dining
Even though he is your soon to be husband don't forget that he is the cutie pie you swooned over before he put the ring on your finger. Don't forget to spend time with your soon-to-be by having a date night or do an activity that is totally non-wedding related. Make these times with your finacee completely void of wedding talk and just enjoy each others company. Another way to de-stress call your friends (throw in some that have nothing to do with your wedding too) and go out, it would be fabulous to get a group of friends together for dinner and a movie, shopping and brunch, or drinks and Sex and the City DVD's.