2009 Wedding Trends

If you’re planning a wedding, you’re probably wondering what will be trendy and hip. There’s no denying that 2009 Wedding Trends will be heavily influenced by two things. Firstly, the economy. It seems dreary to be constantly talking about how the economy will impact your life, but fortunately, I’m already seeing ways in which a smaller budget has inspired couples to have more creative, intimate, and personal weddings.

Wedding Websites Save Brides & Grooms Time and Money

	Many modern brides and grooms are turning to wedding web sites as a way to share information on how they met, provide special announcements to the wedding party and guests, and supply details and information about their wedding day and pre-wedding day celebrations including directions to the wedding site and rehearsal dinner location, bridal shower and bachelor party details, gift registry information and links, local hotel and airline recommendations, and top tourist sites for their out of town guests. Best of all, with so many new wedding web communities now online you don’t need to be a web developer

Wedding Insurance – A Form of Protection

	Your big day is a day of happiness and both of you have waited eagerly for this day. You certainly do not want to get any mishaps along the way to dampen the mood. But if there are unforeseen contingencies, how well are you shielded from them? If you are opting for a destination wedding at a beach, you might be wary of what could be sudden adverse weather changes which might be an impediment to the conduct of your wedding. Wedding insurance typically covers postponement or rescheduling of the wedding against adverse weather, no show of wedding vendors, no show of key personnel, damage to precious
wedding photos and loss of special items such as jewelry or documents. The premium is a one time fee and varies according to the depth of coverage needed. Do note the fine prints on the limitations and exclusions of the policy. Make sure that you are well aware of the things that you might not be able to claim. What are the things that might go wrong and might be covered under the policy? - Cancellation or postponement of wedding due to bereavement or illness of the immediate family. - Loss of wedding jewelry. - No show of wedding vendors. - Damage to the wedding photographs. Being well prepared for the event is good and you could find yourself feeling a lot less frustrated when things do go wrong. Of course there is something that cannot be covered under the wedding insurance policy, which is, the emotional disappointment. by Anne Lim

Destination Wedding – The Guest Piece

	What does this mean for you, in the shoes of a guest on the wedding guest list? Perhaps the initial thought would be to ponder if you have known the couple well enough and on close relations for you to pick up the phone and say that you are going? Or to decline the invitation politely? You most probably would have an array of thoughts going through your mind. If you go, what are the considerations that you have to think about? If you are not going, will the couple be disappointed or angry? Some guests would feel the pressure to go, if they are on really good terms with the couple. But what are the
tabs they have to pick up to say yes? One of the most expensive of all is the cost of the travel arrangements. The cost would vary on the destination and of course, the number of people going. If you are the relative of the couple, most probably you would bring the whole family along. This might add up to a huge strain on your wallet. These costs do not include those you may have to bear while at the destination, such as the meals and transport. So the amount might become overwhelming. Not forgetting, you most probably have to bring a wedding gift over, which might be another cost. If you choose not to go, how should you tell the couple? They might have attended your wedding before. What would be their reaction? Should you tell them the reason? This dissonance might be in your head. You have carefully considered and decided to say no and call the couple to decline the invitation. You might get a mix of responses from the couple. But if they truly understand your concerns, they would be graceful to accept your decision. Of course, you might get angry or disappointing responses from them. Do not take it to heart. Perhaps the only thing you could do is to give a good wedding gift to them and your best wishes. Alternatively, check with the couple if there is a second wedding reception for those who cannot attend. You could then go for the reception and send your best wishes and congrats to the couple. It does seem a tricky issue to decide whether you are attending the wedding ceremony. But whatever decision you have made, do convey it to the couple. Do not leave them hanging in the air. by Anne Lim

Planning Your Wedding Together

	Approaching your wedding as a twosome can give you the best results in less time. It is also a fairly good predictor of how the marriage will be. It answers many questions that will be important to the marriage, questions such as: Who makes the decisions? Are they joint decisions or does one of you always have to have his or her way? Is one of you always right? (This implies that the other is always wrong). Does one of you usually have to agree just to get beyond the impasse and get on with it? Is one of you “The Boss” and the other the “Bossed?” Does that work for you? Are your management styles
compatible? Does one of you micro-manage and one of you use a broad brush approach and does that work for you? Sometimes this is highly effective because the broad brusher generates the creative ideas and the micro-manager can work out the details. It takes both. On the other hand a broad brusher can drive the micro-manager crazy and vice versa. Are you willing to yield to the expertise of the other? Can you divide up the workload evenly and not second guess each other, but trust that it will be done correctly and on time? What do you do when you have a huge disagreement? Do you have a plan to work things out, to negotiate until you find a common ground of agreement? Does one of you hold a grudge if the decision doesn’t always go your way? How do you handle money? Is one of you “tight-fisted” with money and the other an impulse spender? Can you agree on an amount you can spend independently without consulting the other? What happens if one of you doesn’t abide by the agreed upon amount? How do you resolve the issue? Do you have similar likes and dislikes? Do you find that you almost always pick the same thing, even though you aren’t together at the time? Do you, for example, generally like the same colors, music, style? If not, do you know and appreciate what the other one likes? Is it o.k. to like different things? If not, does one of you always have to capitulate or do you find ways to work out who gives in now and who gives in later? If, as you get closer to the wedding date, you find that you are at each others throats and are playing the “blame game” or the “poor me, the martyr” scenario, it’s time to stop and take a good hard look at your relationship. Marriage is made up of multitudinous compromises by each of you. It requires give and take, yes and no, me and you in equal proportions. If the problem is a matter of exhaustion or the “jitters” that’s one thing. But if you simply cannot work together, take some time to think it over, even if it means postponing the wedding. Some pre-nuptial counseling may be of help before you proceed. by Irene Conlan