1. Are Men Hardwired to Cheat?

Two guys weigh in. Check this post if you agree.

2. What if Your Sister’s Fiance Says He Wants You?

What will you do? Will You Tell Your Sister?

3. Does Your Boyfriend’s (or Husband’s) Mom Like You?

My boyfriend’s mom does and I know that I am very lucky. How about you girls?

4. Do You Split Housework with Your Significant Other?

If you do, just like the Obamas, you might be in a pretty good relationship. Find out why.

5. Is it Okay to Call A Guy?

This post is veering towards yes and seems insightful. Do you agree?

Top Image by: Pink Sherbet

Now that your engaged to the love of your life how do you deal with his or her mother? From the moment you met her there was some tension in the air. She didn’t like the way you dressed, she didn’t like your hair, or she just didn’t think you were good enough for her son or daughter. So how do you fix these issues before you settle in with your soon-to-be spouse? Not to worry here are 5 tips that may help you have a relationship with her before you call off the wedding.

5. Don’t put your fiance in the middle…

Your fiance loves his mom and that love isn’t going any where. If you want to marry him and have a happy marriage, don’t put him in the middle of the battle you have with his mother. Or vice versa, men don’t put her in the middle of the battle you have with her mother. It’s between the two of you not the three of you. Putting down their mother isn’t going to make anyone happy. No one likes to hear that their mother is annoying or a control freak. Learn how to deal with the future mother-in-law without making your fiance upset. However, you can ask your fiance for advice because they know their mother better than you do. Your fiance wants you two to get along, so do your best to put on a happy face.

*12 Do’s and Don’ts for Every Bride and Groom…

4. Talk to her…

Invite her out to lunch or a girl’s day out on the town shopping to have a nice day with just the two of you. Tell her that you love her son and that he means the world to you, complement her on raising such a wonderful person. Then clear the air with her, find out what the problem is. Maybe she is afraid of losing her son so reassure her that she is gaining a daughter. Does she have another daughter-in-law that doesn’t like her or that she has problems with? Tell her that you want her in your life and that she will be included in many aspects of you and your fiance’s life together. Finally ask her if she would like to help out with the wedding, sometimes mother-in-laws don’t play a big part and this may make them feel left out so don’t forget to include her on your special day and during the planning process. The same goes for men, take your future mother-in-law out to lunch and tell her that her little girl will be taken care of.

*10 Practical Tips on Meeting Your Boyfriend’s Parents…

3. Give her evidence…

If you both are truly, madly in love with each other and make each other happy then show your mother-in-law the evidence. Take her out on a day trip where the three of you go some place you enjoy or better yet some place your fiance really enjoys. If she sees that you enjoy the hobbies their son or daughter enjoy then this gives her evidence that you will make them a happy person and will have a happy marriage. Whatever you do don’t pretend to enjoy yourself because she will see right through you. If you don’t like the outdoors then go to your fiance’s favorite restaurant or see a broadway play if this is what you both enjoy doing together. At the end of the day she will truly see the love you share and will be thankful that her child has found such a wonderful person.

*The Truth Behind a Good Marriage…

2. It Takes Time…

Forming a relationship and a bond with anyone takes time, your relationship with your future mother-in-law isn’t going to happen over night. For some it may take a long time to eventually get her to open up, that doesn’t mean that she doesn’t like you or that you did something wrong. Keep trying but don’t smother her. One day out together isn’t going to make you two best friends, she needs to see who you really are and get to know you. I was lucky enough that my future mother-in-law took to me right away and has continued to show love and kindness. I could only hope that everyone has a mother-in-law that they can bond with. If anything try to show each other respect.

*5 Secret Rules for a Happy Relationship. Shhh!

1. After the Wedding…

Celebrate the good times like holidays, birthdays, and Mother’s Day with your new mother-in-law but also celebrate with her on any day. Call her up, stop by her house and keep her in the loop. She is an important person to your spouse and now she is an important person in your life as well as you are an important person in her life. When the grandkids come let her know that she is a wonderful grandmother…this being that she acts like a wonderful grandmother!

Hope for the best and try to keep a positive attitude towards her. If she nags you about your housecleaning or lack there of just keep smiling, you don’t need to give her any excuses for being the busy mother or father, wife or husband, business woman or man that you are…not everyone can be perfect like her!

*Wanna Tame Your Mother-in-Law?

What’s your relationship like with your Mother-in-law?

Source Credit: Articlesbase.com

Photo Credit: EW.com, blog.jimmychengphotography.com, Sakuraphotography.com, wedding.knsaber.com

With today’s economic crisis brides and grooms are wondering whether they can afford the wedding they truly desire and have dreamed about all their lives. It can be difficult to save money when prices are rising; I know this to be true for myself. So here are some tips to help you cut costs for your big day.

5. Consider how much time you want for planning…

 
An engagement can last as long or as short as you need it. If you want a big wedding with all the trimmings plan for a long engagement to save the money you’ll need for the budget. A longer engagement also means finding discounts on the decorations, flowers, vendors, and bridal party dresses you want. Shorter engagements are just as practical when it comes to planning especially if you aren’t picky. You also won’t get your head stuck in the clouds of all the hoopla of wedding planning. We have planned for a longer engagement to save the money we need for all the wedding details we’re hoping for.
 *Diamond Engagement Rings-Tiffany’s Top 10…
 

4. Have your cake and eat it too…

I’m sure you have all seen movies, television shows, and pictures of the six to seven tiered cakes covered with elaborate decorations. If you’re having 200 plus guests then maybe this much cake works for you. However, if your wedding only consists of 100 guests or less go with a smaller, two to three layered cake with less details and decorations. Cupcakes are another alternative to the expense of wedding cakes and have become a big trend. You also want to stay away from fondant and ask for buttercream icing for your cake to keep the budget to a minimum. My fiancé and I have decided to go with a three tiered cake, but thus far haven’t chosen any final details.
*10 Most Delicious Cheesecake Recipes…

5. Weddings are not just for Churches…

By Ines Maric

Good. Now that I’ve caught your attention, I’m going to admit that I completely made up the “study”. Who knows what men think!

I do know what my thoughts are on love, life, dieting, family, parenting, wellness, home improvement, fashion, celebrities, reality shows and ladybugs. This time, I’m only going to cover the love life of one of my closest friends and her choices that made her as miserable as a model who ate the whole chicken before a very important fashion show.

My story begins with a beautiful young girl looking for a perfect job, after graduating college with the perfect grades. After finding that perfect job in the perfect company, she wanted to find her perfect match. Someone to love and someone who’d love her. It was as simple as that, yet so difficult. After dating few ignorant, self-centered men, she finally found her perfect man.

He was tall, handsome, bright, funny, financially stable and willing to commit. What else could she ask for? For him to be single, maybe. When he admitted he had a wife and three children, she was heartbroken. But, as their relationship continued, he assured her that his marriage was only on paper and was heading for the divorce.

My friend, let’s call her Tanya, was happy with his explanation and decided to make it work. He soon became her fiancé. Nobody was happier than Tanya! She was all smiles, doing her hair every time they’d go on a date, cooked him his favorite meals and practically made his every wish to come true. Tanya felt bad about his children, but thought that divorce was not her fault and didn’t think about it too much.

Four months later, Tanya discovered she was pregnant. Oh my God, she was ecstatic! She planned this perfect dinner, bought a beautiful daddy-to-be card and couldn’t wait to tell her fiancé the great news. I was very happy for her, and wanted to hear everything about it in the morning.

The very same evening, Tanya showed in front of my building, crying. She told me that he left her and ended the engagement because he found another woman he cared for dearly.

To make the story short, the cheating daddy-to-be came back after few months, begging for forgiveness. She took him back and hoped for the best. Five months later, she gave birth to beautiful twin girls.

Tanya got married to her perfect match, despite of what she believed was the best choice for her and the girls, and bought a house with a huge backyard.

One night, Tanya invited me for dinner. She insisted we went to a restaurant we never went before, in a town 20 miles away from ours. There we met this pregnant waitress who was madly in love with a tall, handsome, bright, funny, financially stable man who was willing to commit.

I still wonder why Tanya decided to give up on finding her perfect match. I still wonder why women believe they can change men and turn a frog into a prince.

Why is that? Why are we being fed the fairy tale where ugly, slimy frog can turn into a perfect, faithful prince with only one kiss?

Blame the “good girl-bad boy” syndrome. When a woman meets a charming man, falls for him and then discovers he is far from the guy she wants to introduce to her parents, her logical thinking goes bad. She thinks ” I can change him if I show him how much I care. He would be such a great match if he changed his bad behavior. And once he’s changed, he’ll realize how much he loves me and we’ll be together forever”.

Beep. People don’t change that easily, especially not the cheating men. You can’t change him, so stop trying and go find another one. Maybe the next one will have a repairable problem – horrible sense of style. If your instinct tells you to run, don’t get caught up in children’s fairy tales. Put on your best running shoes and run! There’s a reason why people say “Once a cheater, always a cheater.”

By Diana Feather

I’m trying to find my purpose in life; I’m trying to find my way. I always enjoyed writing, especially poetry. In high school I found out that I was good at writing stories and interviewing people for Journalism class. I continued my studies in college and graduated with a BA in English and minored in Journalism. After graduating I sent out applications with my resume attached only to get turned down by four out of five possible internships. The fifth internship had good news that came too late. I already had a job as a data entry clerk that was going to help me pay back my school loans and start a 401k fund. I desperately wanted to take the internship, however the hours conflicted with the job that I desperately needed to keep at the time. Now three years later I am still a data entry clerk who is still looking for freelance journalism work. I don’t regret taking my current position because if I hadn’t I would have never met my fiancé. I just want to find my niche in the world and I want to know if I’m truly meant to be a writer. I still enjoy writing and I have a blog that I keep updated about the world around me. I also continue to search for possible freelance work that I can do from home. However, it never seems enough for me and it does not seem to be what I’m searching for. I know the dream job won’t come in a magic bottle and that I have to continue to search for it and put my resume out there. But how do I get five years experience if every job I find is asking for experienced writers?

By Amy Mahlum

My best friend from high school and I recently reconnected. I learned that she was going through a divorce and since I had been there, I have found myself a source of support for her. Her incredible need to move on, to not be alone, to replace the old with the new inspired me to take a look at my dating life after divorce and to share how dating was for me, after not doing it for over nine years.

Before any of us had a marriage to divorce from, chances are we kissed a lot of frogs before we found a prince. The fact that we find ourselves divorced proves that our Former wasn’t a prince at all, but an accidental tourist in our individual adventures. After all is said and done and you are left to either pick up pieces bitterly or find yourself choosing to start over, the thought of kissing anyone, even a frog, is frightening. It should be, especially if it’s be a long time since you been kissing anyone. And let’s face it, dating isn’t what it used to be.

Before I started dating after I left my Former, I decided I was going to do things right. You see, I have always sucked at this whole relationship thing, which is why I found myself in the relationships I had been in and twenty-nine years old and twice divorced. I decided that it was tie I began to know me. As cliche as it sounds, we lose the person we once were – whether it is through the dynamics of the relationship, the additional responsibilities placed on us and when we are hurt, disappointed, angry or sad, we have a whole new set of bags we carry around with us. Even if we leave and feel peace in our decisions, we need to learn to live life all over again.

In my case, I left. I was in an unstable and emotionally crippling marriage. There was control, abuse, punishment and manipulation. There were also three children and the guilt that came with splitting up their family. No matter how free I finally felt, I knew I need to find the girl I once was, introduce her to the woman I had become, and really start to love her. I journaled a lot. I made a list of things I knew to be true about myself. I found things I wanted to try, and I did them. I lost the 100 pounds I gained during my marriage, something encouraged by my Former and made much easier when I ate to feel good. I learned to be able to be alone in a room by myself, and like who I was spending time with.

Then it was time to answer some difficult questions. What were my goals? What was I going to do to make them happen? Where did I want to be? What did I want to improve on? How did I get to this point in my life? What did I need to change to insure I didn’t go there again? What did I value? What did I love?

Once I figured those things out and dug who I was and dug where I was in life, then I needed to decide what I was looking for in a relationship and a partner and what I would up with and what I wouldn’t. My Irish loyalty always got in the way of that in the past and I knew that was as much of a flaw as it was a quality I liked about myself.

What did I want a relationship to be? What did I want to do on Sunday mornings? What did I respect? What boundaries were important to me? What would I do if those boundaries were not respected? Was financial security important to me? When would I introduce someone to my children? Did I want someone who already had kids? What qualities was I looking for in a partner? Did I want to simply date or did I want a relationship?

It wasn’t until I could honestly answer all of these questions with conviction and I wasn’t afraid of the possibility of being alone did I now that I was ready to date. I would learn things I never knew, discover things I wish I hadn’t, and along the way finding real love in the most unexpected place for me.

During this look at dating after divorce, I am going to share with you the men that shared that time with me:

Dick, Not Richard
Already Committed Chris
Montana Mike
San Juan John
Aggressive Adam
Flaky Fuzz
Pulling Teeth Pete
Superficial Sean
Serious Scott
And finally – the man that ended up becoming my fiance, and soon my husband,

Bryce

I share these things not to humiliate the men that are at the heart of these stories, but in hopes that my journey back into dating may be something that someone else can relate to, particularly at a time that is bitter sweet and peppered with paradoxes of emotions.

I will also share what I have learned dating my 30’s and how dating in your 30’s is much different than any other time of your life and my perspective on marriage as I go into it for the third and last time, finally having the emotional maturity to understand what marriage means besides not having to be alone for the rest of your life.

Wedding websites are pretty much standard now and are an excellent way to get information out to your guests. One question I see a lot, though, is “how do I let people know about my website.” Etiquette is evolving and it’s generally considered acceptable to put the website on your save-the-dates but still frowned upon to put it on the actual invite (rsvp card or info card insert is o.k.).

I really wanted people to visit our website mainly because there’s a lot of info on there and I wanted them to go there first instead of calling and asking me, so when we sent out our save-the-dates we included our website on Moo minicards, and threw them in the same envelope.

The original Moo cards allow you to put a picture on the front and a few lines of text on the back. You can put any image you want that isn’t copyrighted…so you can put your engagement pics on there, or your dog’s pic, or your “monogram” or “motif” or whatever it is you have going on with your wedding.

Fiance and I chose to forgo the usual picture Moo Minicards, and instead went for the new Moo Text Minicards. as pictured below.

^With the Moo Text Minicards you can put whatever text you want on the front and then six lines on the back of information. So we put our website address on the front and then said something like “for all the information you will need about our wedding please visit our website. Password: hitched”.

^I did a little mock-up for you so you can see what it would look like. Of course you can change the font and colors to better suit your wedding. Apparently, Fiance and I have very common names so a website with our names in it was not an option unless we wrote out firstmiddlelastANDfirstmiddlelast.com and who the heck wants to remember that? So we decided to go with the date of our wedding instead. So for example, if you wedding was on the 9 of February 2009, you could have 09Feb09.com. thought it was a good alternative to our names and to other cheesy titles, and hopefully it will help our guests remember the date.

^Here is an example from Flickr of what the backs look like. You can put whatever you want. This couple did their entire save the date with Moo Cards!

The only word of warning I have is that Moo is based out of England so shipping can take a while. My package actually took longer then the ten days they said it would take (i think cause it was Christmas time?) and after going back and forth with customer service (rating: C. Some were SUPER helpful, others not so much so) they printed a new set for free and sent it by DSL. So basically a MONTH after I ordered them, I finally got them. Just give yourself plenty of ship time. And wouldn’t you know it…I got my original order a few days after that…so now I have like 200 of these laying around! Yikes.

THE Delano management must be Democrats. When Jenna Bush’s fiancé, Henry Hager, went to South Beach for his bachelor party Saturday night, he was denied entry into the Florida Room lounge at the famed hotel. Spies said, “Harry and 20 of his friends were turned away.” The excuse? Bobby Flay, one of the South Beach Food + Wine Festival chefs, was holding court there for a private party. Hager and his frat pack had to make do with partying poolside.

(source)

Could Paris Hilton end up as Nicole Richie’s sister-in-law?

While Richie and fiancé Joel Madden have been cooing over their 6-week-old baby girl, Harlow, heiress Hilton, 27, has been cozying up to Madden’s twin brother, Benji!

Hilton and the newly single Good Charlotte guitarist, 28 �” who recently split from his actress fiancée, Sophie Monk, 28 �” were spotted hand-in-hand at West Hollywood’s Fred Segal yesterday.

Their PDA didn’t stop there.

On Sunday, Hilton and Madden turned heads again, snuggling and whispering into each other’s ears at Beverly Hills’ Polo Lounge as the Oscar telecast played on a giant flat screen in the background.

“It was as if the Academy Awards were not on,” an onlooker says of the lovebirds, who didn’t bother to watch. “They clearly didn’t care!”

The new duo also smooched into the wee hours at West Hollywood hot spot Villa on February 21.

(That same evening, nearby club Teddy’s played host to Monk, who danced and sipped Hennessy cocktails with a trio of gal pals and, notes an eyewitness, “she didn’t look the least bit upset!”)

Monk has already had her revenge on Hilton. The Australian actress/model parodied the heiress in the 2006 comedy Date Night.

(source)

Kylie Minogue is back together with ex Olivier Martinez it has been reported today.

Last week Kylie had reunited with her ex fiancé Martinez �” and his dog Sheba �” in the French capital.

She was spotted walking his Rhodesian ridgeback and onlookers say the former lovers later met up in an Yves St Laurent store before heading off to the Café de Flore, according to a report in today’s Sunday Mirror.

The couple separated in February last year amid reports the French actor had cheated on Kylie, earning him the nickname “Le Rat”.

Kylie, who will turn 40 in May, has regularly denied claims the pair had rekindled their romance.

However, a family friend told the paper: “Kylie is almost 40 and needs to be settling down. She always believed Olivier was the one, so who knows?”

Kylie arrived in the French Capital last Sunday for the NRJ Music Awards and spent the days following with Olivier and Sheba.

Olivier’s father Robert said: “We all love seeing Kylie in Paris, especially Olivier.

“She makes everybody happy.”

When asked if his handsome son was still single, Robert replied, “But of course.”

Kylie and Olivier started dating in February 2003 after meeting at the Grammy Awards.

During Kylie’s battle with breast cancer, she described Olivier as “her rock”.

She said: “He was always there, helping with the practical stuff and being protective. He was incredible. He didn’t hesitate in cancelling work and putting projects on hold so he could be with me. He’s the most honourable man I have ever met.”

(source)

Right before the holiday break Fiance and I finally got around to sending out our Save the Dates. We used the below design from Bella Figura as inspiration, but naturally we changed the red to kelly green and changed some of the other details like adding “invitation to follow” and the location of the wedding.

As much as I love letterpress and other nice papers I had to cut the budget somewhere after splurging on my dress and letterpress just wasn’t possible. Luckily my sister was easily able to recreate the simple design in a publishing program she uses on her computer and we printed the design on good cardstock. They came out really well and I loved the contrast of the bright green against the white.

For the invitations we are going to use the below design, also from Bella Figura as inspiration. We’ll probably change the flower motif but I love the simplicity of the rest of the design.

A former Tampa Bay Buccaneers cheerleader who was proposed to on the reality TV show “The Bachelor” was arrested on charges she punched a man she lived with in the mouth, Pinellas County authorities said.

Mary Delgado received a proposal on the show in 2004 from professional bass fisherman Byron Velvick. Delgado, 40, was taken into custody just after midnight Wednesday on a battery charge and was under the influence of alcohol when she was arrested, according to a police affidavit.

The affidavit does not name her fiance, but says the pair have lived together “as a family” for the last three years. According to sheriff officials, Delgado was released Wednesday afternoon.

She gave her name as Maribel Liliana Delgado. A telephone listing for the pair could not be found.

The two appeared together Tuesday in a special episode of “The Bachelor” called “After the Final Rose.”

During the show, Delgado told the audience she had taken up her fiance’s sport of fishing, that the pair was doing a lot of traveling and they planned to get married in November.

“I love this man so much that I have fallen in love with the sport that he loves,” Delgado said.

Delgado actually appeared on “The Bachelor” twice, the first time during the show’s fourth season in 2003. She returned the year after and met Velvick.

Seminole is about 10 miles northwest of St. Petersburg.

(source)

Transportation…it seems so easy, so simple, yet in reality it is much more difficult! As I posted in an earlier post, Fiance and I have our car, a vintage Rolls Royce. Now its trying to figure out everyone else’s transportation.

We are getting married at a church in Georgetown, this causes some logistics as it is, as I’m sure most of you know it is nearly impossible to find a parking space in Georgetown on a Saturday. We have been told by the church we can have the police block off SOME of the street, but in all actuality this will probably only be enough room for the Limo ( for the bridal party) and the vintage car.

With this in mind Fiance and I are trying to figure out what we need for transportation. Most likely we will be getting a Van of some sorts ( also looking into a trolley) to transport guests from the hotel to the church ( I will post more on our finds later). Then we are left with busing them after the reception..back to the hotel? on a brief tour of the city? There is a two hour gap between the end of the ceremony and the cocktail hour…what are some of the other brides doing? do you have a gap? if so what are you having your guests do in that time? One of the hotels we are thinking of getting a block of rooms at is in walking distance to the reception site, so that would solve some logistics.

Then for transportation of the parents/grandparents we were thinking of renting them a town car, since its hard for the grandparents to walk and as a special thank you to our families, but we aren’t sure of this yet either.

Then our get-away mobile. The cost of holding on to the vintage car for the 5 hours of the reception is a tad ridiculous, so we are thinking of everything from a horse and carriage to a good ol’ fashion taxi…I would love to hear what other DC brides have done!

When looking at music for the wedding Fiance and I were pretty sure we wanted a band as opposed to a d.j. Fiance is a huge live music fan and we both liked the atmosphere that a band can create. Unfortunately, bands usually cost a lot more then a d.j. and Fiance and I didn’t want to spend a ton of money…which meant we had to research, research, research to find a good but reasonably priced band.

Hands down the best resource we found for researching bands was Sam Hill Entertainment. They are a booking agency based out of Charlottesville but they book all along the East Coast (focusing mostly on D.C., Virginia, Maryland, and North Carolina). What sets Sam Hill apart from the other booking agencies is their website and their customer service.

They were the only booking agency we found that listed the price range of the bands on their website. This was so incredibly helpful. We didn’t have to contact an agent just to see if the band we were looking at was expensive or not. Fiance and I could look at bands that were within our budget range and not get our hearts set on something we couldn’t afford. We could see videos, listen to music clips, and read reviews of the different bands as well. It was also a great learning tool…what’s the difference between a $10,000 band and a $1,500 band? Take a listen and see.

Some other agencies I contacted were less then helpful and actually refused to give me a price list for their bands…so there was no way I could compare bands or figure out what fit within my budget. I felt that any place that would refuse to share prices of the product they are supposed to be marketing was probably pretty unethical and trying to hide something so I didn’t give them my business. I didn’t want any financial “surprises” on my wedding day.

When you look through Sam Hill’s site make sure you put in the correct region your wedding will be in…part of the pricing on the bands depends on the location of the band….so a band based out of Philadelphia will be cheaper if your wedding is in Philly and more expensive if the band has to travel from Philly to D.C. Hiring a local band can save you a couple hundred to a $1,000+

When looking at music for the wedding Fiance and I were pretty sure we wanted a band as opposed to a d.j. Fiance is a huge live music fan and we both liked the atmosphere that a band can create. Unfortunately, bands usually cost a lot more then a d.j. and Fiance and I didn’t want to spend a ton of money…which meant we had to research, research, research to find a good but reasonably priced band.

Hands down the best resource we found for researching bands was Sam Hill Entertainment. They are a booking agency based out of Charlottesville but they book all along the East Coast (focusing mostly on D.C., Virginia, Maryland, and North Carolina). What sets Sam Hill apart from the other booking agencies is their website and their customer service.

They were the only booking agency we found that listed the price range of the bands on their website. This was so incredibly helpful. We didn’t have to contact an agent just to see if the band we were looking at was expensive or not. Fiance and I could look at bands that were within our budget range and not get our hearts set on something we couldn’t afford. We could see videos, listen to music clips, and read reviews of the different bands as well. It was also a great learning tool…what’s the difference between a $10,000 band and a $1,500 band? Take a listen and see.

Some other agencies I contacted were less then helpful and actually refused to give me a price list for their bands…so there was no way I could compare bands or figure out what fit within my budget. I felt that any place that would refuse to share prices of the product they are supposed to be marketing was probably pretty unethical and trying to hide something so I didn’t give them my business. I didn’t want any financial “surprises” on my wedding day.

When you look through Sam Hill’s site make sure you put in the correct region your wedding will be in…part of the pricing on the bands depends on the location of the band….so a band based out of Philadelphia will be cheaper if your wedding is in Philly and more expensive if the band has to travel from Philly to D.C.

While we were in Charlottesville fiance and I also visited our reception venue…for the first time. Yep, that’s right, fiance and I chose our venue and signed a contract without ever having visited it. That was about 9 months ago and we haven’t seen it in person until now. I know that sounds crazy, but as I said before, fiance and I often have to live overseas for our jobs so we weren’t in the country at the time we were doing a lot of our wedding planning. If I had waited until I returned to the U.S. I would have only had about 9 months until the wedding and I didn’t want to wait that long and risk missing out on same great venues.

So how did we chose our venue? Very Carefully. We looked at a ton of pictures and read all the reviews of our site on TripAdvisor. I had a few requirements….it had to be small and intimate, no ballrooms, and it had to be able to accommodate one long table for all the guests. When we first looked at the Clifton Inn online I counted it out because it seemed to be beyond our budget. With the help of a planner, though, we were able to make it work. The main requirements for renting the Inn are that you have to rent all 18 of the rooms on the grounds for the weekend. This was too pricey for us, but since we are having a Sunday wedding we only had to rent all the rooms for one night instead of two. We also have a lower food/beverage minimum to meet then a normal Saturday wedding has. The lesson here is ALWAYS inquire…don’t just assume you can’t have something…a lot of places are willing to negotiate. That’s not to say miracles can happen but if a place is a little bit more then your budget will allow then you should at least inquire to see what they are willing to do for you.

After negotiating the price of the rooms with the Inn we were able to rent the Inn for an equal price as you would pay for some of the nicer venues in D.C. The only difference is that instead of paying to rent a nice place in D.C. for 5 hours we get rooms for a large number of our guests and get the Inn for 24 hours. Oh, and did I mention that afternoon tea and breakfast is included in the cost of rental? We are splitting the costs of the rooms with the guests who will be staying there (the bridal party and close family members) but you could pay for it all yourself or have your guests pay for the rooms since they would be paying for accommodation normally anyway.

^Driving up to the Clifton Inn


^The front of the Inn

^Looking at the lawn from the front porch. Brides with large guest lists often set up a tent on this lawn.

^View right after you walk through the front door.

Over the next couple days I’ll take you on a tour of the Clifton Inn. Fiance and I were very relieved at how great the Inn was…we feel like we really lucked out.

Fiance and I spent the weekend in Charlottesville doing wedding related stuff. When we first got engaged we both knew we wanted something small and intimate and for us that meant we had to be married in a chapel. I knew I’d rather have people overflowing out of a little chapel then to get married in a giant cathedral where the guests only fill up the first few pews.

So the hunt began for a chapel that was cute and that didn’t have any restrictions on marrying non-parishioners. Fiance and I have to move frequently because of our jobs and haven’t really been able to establish roots in any churches where we have been. Finding a church that would marry us was probably the hardest part and honestly some of the churches were downright un-Christian with their responses. Finally, we found South Plains Presbyterian. From the second we drove up I just had a feeling that this chapel was right. Then we met the Pastor, Dr. David Garth, and he was so kind, warm, and welcoming that there really was no question after that.

Considering the age of the church there are very few restrictions about what is allowed (yes you can still throw rose petals inside). The fees are inexpensive compared to other churches we looked at and the chapel seats 85 comfortably so it was a perfect size for us. The only requirements on Fiance and I were that we meet with Dr. Garth 3 times before our wedding so that he could get to know us better.

We had our first counseling session this weekend and at first I was worried that maybe things weren’t as good as I remembered. What if I didn’t like the pastor as much as I had on our first meeting? I worried for nothing as our session went wonderfully. I love that Dr. Garth is going to marry us. He is very intelligent and has such an easy manor. I love that he really wants to know us as people and I love that the church really embraces the values that they profess. Can you tell I’m excited?

^Here it is! Isn’t it adorable?

^I love the old wooden pews, the beautiful windows, and the oil lamps next to them

^Check out the old pipe organ

^ And this is what we get to see on the way out of the church! Joy!

Lorenzo Santini/WireImage

Ever wondered what celebs chit chat about as they sit on the front row looking oh so pretty? We certainly did when we spotted Kanye West with his fiance Alexis Phifer looking cozy at the Givenchy show with Courtney Love and celeb-fave Mario Testino — what a mix! And it was the rapper holding the camera, snapping away at the gothic but glamorous outfits, including baggy Aladdin style pants with draping detail, leather jumpsuits and gladiator style knee high sandals. After the show, West gave PEOPLE his verdict: “We loved it,” he said with a smile turning to his fiance, “That was my girl’s favorite show so far.” The couple who have been spotted at several shows this week in Paris, even managed to color co-ordinate with the rapper in a grey t-shirt and maroon scarf while Alexis rocked a grey dress, silver, sparkly tights and studded ankle boots. A big fan of Givenchy, the future Mrs. West told PEOPLE her favorite element: “I loved the feminine with the hard and the whole gladiator thing.”

ELIOT PRESS/ BAUER-GRIFFIN

Courtney Love was spotted tapping her heel to the church choir, spooky music and pointing at her favorite items as they came down the runway. Later backstage she told PEOPLE why she loves Givenchy designer and pal, Riccardo Tisci: “I just click with the aesthetics. Between Marc Jacobs, Ric Owens and Riccardo, for my day job, they are the only people I would wear,” she said. After a private tete-a-tete with the designer, the singer left in a flurry of animal print, Givenchy couture, of course.Tell us: Would you wear Courtney’s leopard print outfit? Did she pile on too much print?

I just ran across this touching story from another wedding blogger and I had to share it because it really illustrates what’s important when it comes to weddings.

FataFelice was on her way to having the big wedding that most of us have been dreaming about. She was having a castle wedding, with the most adorable letterpress invitations and a beautiful gown that was handmade by a top New York dress designer. Naturally, she’d been planning for months.

This dream slipped away, however, when a week before her wedding her Fiance’s mother had a heart attack and died. Needless to say their wedding was immediately postponed. What should have been a busy wedding week was now replaced with funeral preparations. Fiance’s mother was well loved and the funeral was huge. Finally, on the Wednesday before they were to be married Fiance’s mother was laid to rest.

I can only imagine the emotions that both of them were feeling. Sadness, loss, disappointment, and more then anything just wanting to be married. So on the Thursday before they were supposed to be married they decided that they did indeed JUST WANT TO BE MARRIED. And they decided they WOULD be married and that they would be married on the same date that they had been planning on for the last year.

No, it wasn’t going to be the dream wedding they had put all their efforts into for the last year. There would be no castle, no letterpress invitations, no designer gown. They had 48 hours to make a wedding happen and there wasn’t going to be time for all that. To make a Saturday wedding happen in two days they leaned on friends and family for help.

One family friend was a florist, a neighbor was a sports photographer, another family friend had a catering business, a family member was a pastor, etc. etc. Throw in a trip to Marshalls and the outlet malls for a wedding dress and groom’s attire and in two days they had a BEAUTIFUL wedding.

It was a simple wedding with only a few family and friends but I think she just looked so pretty. Pictures are below. Her dress was very flattering, her hair was perfect, the flowers were gorgeous and in the end they were MARRIED! FataFelice is still planning on having the dream wedding a year from now but I just think that they will always remember this ceremony and the friends and family that came together to make it all happen.

All the big wedding stuff is nice but in the end the only thing that really matters is you, your fiance, and your close family and friends. And that’s really all you need!

Follow FataFelice’s story and see more pictures on her blog!