January 2 - Unbelievable Story – Swedish woman finds wedding ring after 16 years, on a carrot - http://yhoo.it/tgkG33

January 3 - Video posted by GMA on Yahoo! – Wedding Trends 2012: Liposuction, Breast Lifts for Brides-to-Be? - http://bit.ly/wA18OG

January 3 - Just for a laugh – BofA: New Bride Can’t Deposit Wedding Checks Because She Didn’t Take Husband’s Name http://huff.to/yrd7gM

January 4 - Hot news story on MSN – Destruction of wedding dresses sparks outrage, disbelief - http://on.today.com/yrcGyM

January 4 - Wedding Saving Tip – Skip save-the date cards. Instead, save trees and send emails through services like Pingg http://bit.ly/vdzP1u

January 5 - Article on MSN – 50 Genius Wedding Cost Cutters -http://bit.ly/whYh7Z

January 5 - Wedding Saving Tip – People are smart and they can follow a basic wedding ceremony without a program. Save the money unless necessary.

January 6 - The next BIG celebrity wedding Justin Timberlake & Jessica Biel?http://huff.to/yPfOvo

January 6 - Easiest wedding centerpiece? Buy a potted plant and a pot that suites your wedding style. Then, care for the plants with sun and water as needed until your wedding day. Hope you have a green thumb!

January 7 - A retro DIY project for place cards – Get music cassettes and create your own custom label with the guest’s name on it.http://amzn.to/tKhpOv

January 8 - Planning a late-night wedding reception party fest? Consider a late snack before guests drive home like burgers, tacos, and pizza.http://mcd.to/xD77As

January 9 - A photo album of upcoming 2012 celebrity weddings http://on-msn.com/xsRT5a. Includes Drew Barrymore, Matthew McConaughey, Britney Spears, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Simpson, Jennifer Hudson, John Legend, Mario Lopez and LeBron James.

January 9 - Picture of Vera Wang’s wedding dress for Lady Antebellum’s Hillary Scott - http://bit.ly/wPksax

January 10 - Found a great article thought we would share for decor ideas – 10 Great Etsy Shops You Need to Know - http://bit.ly/xsh1wj

January 10 - Trying to lose a few lbs before the wedding? New Year: New You: 5 easy ways to get fit at home for Under $50 - http://abcn.ws/zkjzGI

January 10 - OMG – This is a very funny photo at a wedding. No one is safe from the photographer; including the alter boy!http://imgur.com/gallery/bBs7D We all have seen photos like this. Sometimes they make the best pics – photojournalistic photography! Check out Wedding Photojournalist Assn for more infohttp://www.wpja.com/

January 11 - A unique guestbook is to have a dictionary http://amzn.to/rzKipJ with colored pencils. Then, guests circle a word and write a story about it on the page that describes the bride and groom. Better yet, go to a garage sale and get an older edition to add a more unique aspect.

January 12 - Creating a DIY centerpiece? Check out supplies from Michaels, Joanne’s, Pier 1, Target, Hobby Lobby, Walmart and local craft stores! You can do it! I read today that 90% of Americans are within 15 miles of a Walmart.

January 14 - Wedding Saving Tip – Skip printing menus for every guest. DIY Project – Make your own giant menu from particle board and chalkboard paint

January 15 - Love music? Download the sheet music for your favorite songhttp://bit.ly/rrEnn9 Then, roll the paper for a candy favor or cover.

January 16 - Wedding Saving Tip – Want to save cash on your wedding cake? Use real flowers vs sugar flowers as they are less expensive to buy than make.

January 16 - Great wedding video of the groom and groomsmen dancing for the bride to Justin Bieber’s Baby Baby Baby. http://bit.ly/wbmcTW

January 17 - Pinterest is an online pinboard. We found their page for wedding events with very cool picture ideas. Check it out! http://pinterest.com/all/?category=wedding_events

January 17 - Wedding Reception Tip – Having a low-lying table centerpiece? Be sure it is lower than 14″ so that guests can talk with each other effortlessly.

January 18 - 12 months before the wedding, decide on a wedding budget. Utilize our wedding budget calculator: http://bit.ly/vB2xqX

January 18 - Feel Good Story – Cancer Diagnosis Leads To Impromptu Weddinghttp://news.yahoo.com/video/portlandmewmtw-18230145/cancer-diagnosis-leads-to-impromptu-wedding-27910134.html via @YahooNews

January 19 - Wedding Saving Tip – Skip a second reception dress. Purchase a comfortable wedding dress that you can dance all night long in

January 20 - ad wedding story but a reminder to live life to the fullest! – Man Marries Dead Girlfriend In Joint Funeral And Wedding Ceremony In Thailand - http://aol.it/xrf3r8

January 20 - Add some flare to wedding invitations with personalized stickers. Visit Partyink on Etsy as an example. http://etsy.me/tiwycj

January 22 - According to The Wedding Report – The total average wedding spending for 2011 was $25,631, a 3.4% decrease from the 2010 total of $26,542.

January 23 - Wedding Honeymoon Saving Tip – Top 5 Travel Sites To Help You Save Money article - http://bit.ly/z6zpLF

January 24 - Wedding Tip – Spend money on what matters to you. If you will throw away napkins, then why get them printed? Instead, upgrade photography package as your pictures will last a lifetime!

January 25 - Wedding Saving Tip – If you are watching every penny and have pretty handwriting, skip a calligrapher – Plus, print on your PC as there are many special fonts available.

January 26 - Interesting wedding photographer’s story online – Why Wedding Photographers Prices are “Wack” - http://bit.ly/x7oGSD

January 30 - Wedding Saving Tip – DIY project, decorate your vehicle with a Just Married theme and skip paid for transportation. Also think tandem bike.

January 30 - Wow! Interesting wedding photo album – Dad missed brother’s wedding, photoshopped him in - http://imgur.com/a/rSXoc

January 31 - A picture of a sign at a wedding venue. Not your typical wedding location! http://bit.ly/y6EeI8

January 31 - Not sure what to do with your flowers after the wedding? Donate them! Consider senior center, nursing home, church or hospice center. Keep in mind that hospitals will not accept flowers due to health risks.

The wedding ceremony is beautiful and very heartfelt.  It transpires without any hitches.  The bridal couple enters the reception hall to a standing ovation.  Then, everyone eats and the formal dances are complete.  FINALLY, the part-e begins.  Thirty minutes transpire and no one is dancing.  This is not the reception party that you had envisioned.  You pictured everyone dancing the night away.  However, no one is dancing.  What can you do to get people on the dance floor to get the party started?  We offer the following recommendations to get the party started.

• What guests are the most likely to dance?  Yes, it’s the young adults.  Therefore, play current music hits that are to on the charts now including Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Black Eyed Peas, Rihanna, etc.  The younger crowd could get the party started.
• Men typically will not get up to the dance floor to many high tempo songs.  Think about playing a couple slow songs consecutively to get couples to the dance floor.  Play well known songs by every age group such as Unchained Melody by the Righteous Brothers and What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong.
• Play an anthem song that everyone knows that they can sing along to.  Rock – Don’t Stop Believin’ by Journey, R&B – Shout! by the Isley Brothers, Country – Friends In Low Places by Garth Brooks, Classic Rock – We are the Champions by Queen and much more.  Know your crowd and the type of music that get’s them excited.
• Talk to the bride and groom beforehand and get an idea of their favorite music style.  Find out if they like group dances and which ones suit their fancy.  You can play a group dance but it must be headlines by the bride and groom leading the way.  Such dances include he conga, the train, the electric slide, the macarena and so on.  Reminder – keep the bride and groom in the forefront so that everyone joins in.
• Finally, plan a group dance to get everyone on the dance floor.  This way it will be hard for them to leave!  One such planned dance is to invite all married couples to the dance floor.  Then, start removing married couples from newest to oldest until the longest married couple is remaining.  The, give a bride’s bouquet to them as a gift from the bride and groom.

Do you have any further suggestions to fill the dance floor when empty?  Please comment in!  Lastly, stay away from our list of songs not to play at weddings.

If you are getting married in springtime, you may want to choose pastel colors.  Think about pastel pink flowers, accented with yellow, wrapped in a baby blue ribbon.  You can choose white chair covers tied with large pastel green ribbons.  You can also select to have more than one color or you can stay with a single color within the color range.

Getting married in the summer?  We suggest to brighten up your color pallet.  Look for vibrant blues, purples, greens, pinks, etc.  Think about cream colored invitations with royal blue lettering.  Centerpieces are a good place to add color into your wedding also.  How about large white mums and deep greenery in a clear vase that is wrapped in a brightly colored ribbon.

Want to have a Halloween/Fall wedding?  The best colors for this time of year are deep reds, rust, orange and golden yellow.  Although there are plenty of flowers in those colors, don’t forget that fall foliage can be incorporated also.  Since the season is fall, which is when the leaves fall off the trees, think about using twigs and leaves.  Twigs in a large vase look very nice as a centerpiece.  Instead of sprinkling confetti or glitter on the table, try placing different colored leaves around.

Last but not least is a winter wedding.  This can be a very beautiful time of year.  There are two ways to look at winter weddings; look at it as winter, cold and snowy, or as Christmas themed.  If choosing the winter wonderland theme, go with blues, whites, silvers and crystals.  You can take bare branches painted white and place them into a vase.  Wrap the vase with a white ribbon with silver glitter throughout.  Now hang crystals from the branches.  You can also do this same option with snowflakes hanging from the twigs.  Another idea to incorporate winter wonderland into your wedding is by adding snowflakes to your wedding invitations.  If choosing Christmas as your theme, you may want to think of reds, greens and even black.  When thinking of flowers, think of poinsettias and holly.

No matter what you choose, use any opportunity you can to add your own touch of personality to your wedding.  Keep in mind that if you get plants and flowers in season, it will be less expensive to buy them at that time they are in season.

December 1 - Bring to the florist – list of who gets flowers, photo of ceremony and reception locations, photos of decor inspiration, wedding color swatches, pics of dress and bridesmaid dresses, and detailed list of what you want decorated.

December 1 - Interesting news story – Better to be cautious than sorry – Wedding Crashers Plead Guilty To Stealing From Newlyweds -http://yhoo.it/v8NM2H

December 2 - Something blue ideas? Brooch, ribbon, garter, nail polish, sapphire ring, temporary/permanent tattoo, bouquet, charm, and blue shoeshttp://amzn.to/tjqpH8

December 5 – Great news story – Wedded Blitz: The Month in the New York Times Wedding Section – A highly scientific analysis - http://es.pn/tt1pco

December 5 - Great story on MSN – 15 unusual celeb wedding venues with pics -http://on-msn.com/tlFfQQ

December 6 - 6 months before the wedding – Order wedding invitations. DIY? Get started early. Visit Etsy’s wedding invitations section for ideashttp://etsy.me/w4zZky

December 7 - We found a money saving wedding article on Bargaineering – How to be a Wedding Guest on a Budget - http://bit.ly/tDjISh

December  8 - A great way to have personality at your wedding reception is to have a custom money card box. Visit Enamorweddings http://etsy.me/vvkECl

December 11 - We attended the wedding of a co-worker’s son. Because we did not know the bride and groom, we decided to send them a practical household gift, a fire extinguisher. Apparently, the couple mass-produced their thank-you notes because we received a card saying: Thank you very much for the nice wedding gift. We look forward to using it soon.

December 11 - After the royal wedding, there has been a significant increase in the desire to have a horse-and-carriage entrance http://bit.ly/sAgF8y

December 12 - Question: $2,097. Answer: The average amount spent on wedding photos.

December 13 - Hot Wedding News & Debate – Wedding Photographers Sued for Using Music Online - http://abcn.ws/tPgcDj

December 13 - Want to add personality to your wedding program? Include your favorite cartoon, create a crossword puzzle or tell how you met.http://bit.ly/tQrglK

December 14 - ?10 months before the wedding – Sign contracts with wedding vendors – DJ, Photo, Video, Food, Officiant. Find vendors - http://bit.ly/rGWb3s

December 15 - Wedding Saving Tip – Most smartphones now have video recording. A new age save-the-date invite – Record your invite and post it on YoutTube. Then, email family and friends a link to the special save-the-date video invites.

December 16 - Superstitious? Add a little luck to your wedding – 4-leaf clover, rabbit’s foot, dream catcher, horseshoe, bamboo, wishbone and more.

December 18 - Beginning of January we will be updating our song lists with new songs. Be sure to comment in your favorite songs http://bit.ly/azwT7h

December 19 - According to the WSJ – Fewer Americans Are Tying the Knot - http://on.wsj.com/vpnSto

December 21 - Looking for a cake topper that speaks your story? Etsy has their own wedding cake topper section - http://etsy.me/uNMxpv

December 22 - Looking for a great groomsmen gifts? We suggest sun glasses. Select by color or type – aviator, retro, sport and more http://bit.ly/tXlYhT

December 22 - People’s Best of 2011 – Star Weddings of the Year with stories and pictures - http://bit.ly/uMzU9M

December 26 - ?10 months before the wedding – Start compiling your guest list. Utilize our guest list manager: http://bit.ly/sBSoae

December 27 Follower’s Post - How did you ask her (or him) to marry you? Our contest is back.  Tell us your story using the contact link at the left, the two favorite stories will be published 01.31.2012 and voting will take place for that next week. Winner receives an engagement or family portrait session with a beautiful custom designed layflat book. Runner-up wins a portrait session with a complimentary 11×14 of their favorite image! Whether it was 2 days ago, or 20 years…we want to hear about your proposal! NE Indiana / NW Ohio and traveling worldwide!

December 27 - Think about having a unique wedding pic? This couple did. Already viewed by 260k+ people in 6 days. http://bit.ly/rP8o0h

December 27 - Wedding Planning Tip – Who to ask for a vendor biz referral? First, ask recently married friends. Then, ask vendors who see it all – venue mgr, photographer, wedding planner, DJ, etc.

December 28 - Looking for a perfect gift for the groom before the wedding day? We suggest a book – A Gentleman Walks Down The Aislehttp://amzn.to/vwt2uw

December 29 - Wedding Planning Tip – Select music for your surroundings – Swing for black tie, reggae for the beach, country for the backyard or park, christian for a church. Most of all, play what you like!

December 30 - Great wedding dress pic – Bride makes her own Manchester City wedding dress - http://yhoo.it/tvkay3

December 30 - Wedding Money Saving Tip – Lilly of the Valley less expensive alternatives include white lilacs, andromedas and mini calla lilies. Talk to your florist about less expensive options to more expensive flowers.http://bit.ly/tUOINH

December 30 - Article on MSN – Guess How Much the Average Wedding Cost in 2011! How Will Yours Stack Up? http://on-msn.com/vbImiD

12 Months – Announce your engagement, choose a wedding theme, work out a budget, research wedding professionals (caterer, florist, DJ or band, photographer and videographer) and venues.  You can also set appointments with the wedding pros at this time.

11 Months – Select a wedding consultant (if you are using one), meet with caterers and arrange tastings, select and book the caterer, select and book the music entertainment (band/DJ), decide on music selections, select and reserve your venue, (ceremony and reception), start thinking about your wedding dress.  If you are choosing a destination wedding, now would be the best time to send save the date cards.

10 Months – Choose and purchase your wedding dress and veil.  Choose attendants and discuss with them their duties and what you expect of them.  If choosing a park or recreational area for the venue, secure the proper permits.

9 Months – Register for your wedding gifts, decide on food for the reception, choose whether you will have an open bar, limited bar or no alcohol at your reception, make a playlist for your music, research places for guests to stay, reserve blocks of rooms at a local hotel for guests.

8 Months – Go to your first gown fitting, order bridesmaid dresses and accessories, look at wedding rings, confirm florist and discuss wedding theme and flower arrangements, start making a decision regarding invitations (style, color, font, etc),

7 Months – Review and finalize your wedding details with your consultant, set fittings for bridesmaids’ dresses, choose tux styles for groomsmen,  select a flower girl and ring bearer, choose and purchase wedding rings, finalize invitations.

6 Months – Review invitation proofs and make changes if needed, finalize invitations, discuss honeymoon ideas, meet with travel agent, work on wedding decorations (table decorations, favors, etc).

5 Months – Order place cards and programs, finalize honeymoon arrangements, make reservations for rehearsal dinner and menu.

4 Months – Get groom to try on tuxedos and purchase accessories, work on vow’s, make appoint with stylist regarding hair and makeup, address wedding invitations.

3 Months – Approve anything that is being printed for the wedding (programs, place cards, etc), decide about rehearsal dinner, next day brunch and reserve restaurants, discuss bachelorette party, review registry and make any adjustments.

2 Months – Mail invitations, purchase wedding gifts for wedding party members, go to second (possibly final) gown fitting, have groom make final decision regarding tux and reserve, arrange transportation for bride and groom to reception from ceremony site, purchase ceremony accessories (unity candle, wine glasses, etc).

6 Weeks – Send rehearsal dinner invitations, write thank you notes as you receive gifts, confirm music playlist with music entertainment, purchase any remaining wedding favors or table decorations, purchase a gift for your spouse-to-be, meet with stylist again for a practice run (take veil with you).

4 Weeks – Confirm with florist and arrange delivery times, meet with officiant to discuss details, determine any seating arrangements and reception layout, placement of cake table, placement of DJ or band, schedule an appointment for a mani/pedi  just before the wedding, schedule pick up of grooms tux, finalize photographer and videographer.

3 Weeks – Go over RSVP’s and finalize head count with caterer, call anyone who has not responded to get accurate count.

1 Week – Confirm honeymoon arrangements and start packing, pick up wedding dress and tux.

WEDDING DAY – Eat a good breakfast, attend hairstyle appointment and make up appointment.  RELAX and ENJOY  yourself!!