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Have you created your own wedding website yet? If you’re wondering what the point is, we’re here to tell you! If you thought they were lame, think again. There are so many reasons to create a wedding website. Guests will be given the URL that you have created. Example: www.TheJackson-AndersonCouple.com. Once guests get to the website they will be asked for a password that you created.

So what can guests do on this website of yours?
1. RSVP to your wedding
2. See any photos or videos that you have posted as a couple (great for posting engagement shoot photos)
3. Download maps or itineraries needed for the wedding
4. Take quizzes or polls that you have created
5. See a schedule of events
6. Update their addresses and contact information

This will make your life easier as a wedding planner or as a couple planning an upcoming wedding. You can even choose your domain name, song, style and color. This website can exist as long as you want it to and therefore be a great online memory of your wedding. The website is a great supplementary way to involve your guests and organize your wedding plans. Creating a website will cut down on info in your invitations. Nobody wants ten pages of wedding info and instructions in the mail.

Our only word of advice is to not solely rely on this website and always have another means of communicating with your guests. Reasons being, not all guests are tech savvy or have the internet and not all guests check the website regularly for updates or invitations. Also in today’s age, nothing beats receiving hard copy snail mail addressed to your name with neat lacy writing! -It’s so rare!

To create your own wedding website or just see what the hype is about, go to:

www.ewedding.com, www.momentville.com or www.wedquarters.com.

www.ewedding.com

Dog photo: www.flickr.com Children photos www.flickr.com Lip photo www.flickr.com Couple kissing, middle top www.perspectiveye.com Other couples kissing www.stylemepretty.com

Cling, cling, cling, cling, cling! Sound familiar at weddings? Of course! Everyone wants to see the newlyweds kiss. We posted some unconventional ways to get the bride and groom to pucker up on the wedding day!

1. Set up a mini putt golf course near the head table (1 Hole). Guests must get a hole in one to get the bride and groom to kiss.
2. Set up a balloon at each table. Inside each one is a piece of paper with a question on it. “Where was the couple’s first kiss?” A guest must pop the balloon and answer the question. If the guest can answer the question the newlyweds kiss.
3. Guests give kissing lessons! A guest goes up to the podium and kisses his or her date in order to “demonstrate” to the bride and groom how to do it.
4. Choose a charity on behalf of the bride and groom. If any guests want the newlyweds to pucker up, they must first give a donation.
5. Bring a hula hoop to the reception. Guests must hula for 20 seconds to make the newlyweds kiss. (The photos will be hilarious!)
6. Name that tune. If the guest guesses the tune the couple kisses. If they get it wrong they have to kiss somebody.
7. Decorate a bean bag for the bride and groom. Have a cut out hole where it must be thrown into. If the guest gets it in, the couple must kiss. You can also use Loonies or Toonies to do this and donate the money to a charity.
8. At a beach themed wedding the guest must blow on a conch shell horn for the bride and groom to kiss.
9. Play truth or kiss. A guest will come up to the podium and ask the newlyweds a question. They can kiss or answer it!
10. Get a container full of wine corks. Some used with wine on the ends and some new ones. Mark one or two corks black. If guests pick a red one that is used, the bride and groom kiss. If a new one is chosen the guest must kiss someone. If the black marked one is chosen ALL guests must kiss his or her date.

At one of our weddings we arranged for Italian opera singers to dress up as waiters. Nobody except the bride and groom had any idea. When these waiters started to sing, the guests were pleasantly surprised. They sang a very special song that was sung to the bride by the grandfather when she was a little girl. This was a very special memory at this beautiful Italian wedding!

Last Saturday Khadijah Haqq and Bobby McCray (former New Orleans Saints football star) tied the knot in Los Angeles. According to Radar Online, Khloe Kardashian is the bride’s best friend and was a bridesmaid in the wedding. Khloe and her husband Lamar Odom seemed to be having a wonderful time together at the reception.

www.radaronline.com

Khloe also brought her entire family who showed up in style! (As always)

Kim wore a tan and fitted dress with silver studded heels. It’s a small world… Kim’s ex-boyfriend Reggie Bush was one of the groomsmen at the wedding. Awkward. Regardless, Kim kept her cool and glowed with confidence as the ex-couple kept their distances.

www.radaronline.com

As for Kourtney, her and her boyfriend rolled up in a brand new Lamborghini.

www.radaronline.com

Their mother Kris and step-dad Bruce Jenner also attended the celeb wedding.

As for the bride and groom? Well, they were stylish as well. Khadijah wore a white layered dress with a sweetheart fitted top and Bobby wore a gorgeous tan tux!

www.radaronline.com

Lesson to be learned for all you future brides out there: Be prepared to have your thunder stolen when inviting A-List celebs like Kim Kardashian to your wedding. For more info about the celeb wedding day, watch the Keeping Up With the Kardashians TV episode to be aired soon. If you can’t wait, go to www.radaronline.com for more details.

-xo JessiFirefly

She hearts the idea of anything unique and far from cookie cutter!

He hearts the thrill of being able to customize an ice cream Sundae.

Having an ice cream buffet for a wedding on a hot summer day is a unique and fabulous idea. Guests can choose their own flavor and sugary, colorful toppings. If you have an outdoor reception, this will be a great way to cool off your guests, entertain children and keep people talking about your exceptional, vibrant and entertaining ice cream buffet.

Having a buffet is also a great opportunity for you to incorporate your wedding colors, theme and decor.

Photos found at www.eatdrinkchic.com

She suggests: Light pastel colors such as salmon pink or mint green and cream.

He suggests: Having someone serve the ice cream to avoid a mess and ensure the buffet line moves along quickly. This is especially important if you have a large attendance at your reception. Bon Appetite!

We planned a sweet sixteen birthday party for a family that loved to travel the world. It was a great opportunity for us to incorporate their lifestyle into the design of the party. The food was all inspired by different parts of the world. The guests enjoyed Italian sodas, little Mexican nachos and Japanese sushi. As guests entered the party they each received a passport which told them what activities were at what location. We represented different parts of the world at the party by hiring a henna artist and even creating a New York City fashion photo shoot. We also had a Pebbles Beach putting green in the back yard.

Nicoles Sweet 16th Testimonial- Firefly from Our Perfect Wedding Video on Vimeo.

Spuds For All

I grew up in England and in England there was a little food place called “Spud U Like”, it was a shop that sold huge baked potatoes and you could put whatever you liked on them (I know England isn’t known for its food, but this was a great place)This is a great theme and relatively cheap as well. All you need are big ass spuds. When you send out the invite to your Mighty Manshower, let the attendees know that this is what you’re doing. They have to bring their favorite topping for a baked potato, simple right. Well this goes well beyond cheese and bacon bits. Think chili, baked beans, gourmet cheeses and a variety of really good meat. Imagine a baked potato smothered in Blue cheese and steak strips. The toppings are endless really. This also works for hotdogs.

It’s A Manly Man, Man, Manshower

As guys we love sports…I know whenever I can, I head to the bar with my friends and watch the UFC fights. Good times. You can have a sports themed Manshower. Get each of your friends to pick their favorite sports team, wear that jersey and bring a dish that is well known for the city that team hails from. Philly is known for steak sandwiches so you better hope you have a friend who likes a team from Philly. Chicago is known for deep dish pizza, New York for its thin crust, of course you run the risk of your buddy who loves the LA Lakers to show up with sushi…but you get the idea. Get some great hi-lite DVD’s and some beer and there ya go! Don Cherry’s Rock ‘em Sock ‘em Hockey is always a crowd pleaser.

You’re The Don, The Godfather, The Big Canoli

The Sopranos may be off the air and Michael Corleone is probably sleeping with the fishes by now, but that’s no reason you can’t dig into a great plate of pasta “just like mamma used to make”. The mafia themed manshower is so good, anyone who snitches about it will be fitted with concrete shoes. All your guys come as their favorite gangster, try to think past the obvious ones and get creative. The Simpsons have a whole mafia family to draw inspiration from. Have them write down who they are, they must stay in character the whole night and you get to guess who they are. Onto the food, pasta of course and plenty of red wine. Put some classic Mob films into the DVD changer, push play and enjoy.

Simon’s Gutsy Groom Advice

First and foremost, if you’re having booze at the Mighty Manshower, don’t drink and drive. Make sure you have places for your guys to crash or get cabs or Keys Please. I always love a party with a good theme, I live for my annual Halloween parties. So put your head together with your best man and come up with one kick ass theme for your Mighty Manshower. Remember, this has nothing to do with your stag. It’s a shower like the one your fiancé has. Gifts are up to you, but if she’s getting stuff I honestly believe you should as well.

Stags can be expensive for all involved, if you go to Vegas or the Playboy Mansion (Next party is on June 6th, details to follow) I had a groom head down to Carnival in Brazil for his stag. The Mighty Manshower can be hosted at a friend’s place or even your place. I suggest having a large space, preferably with a rec room and/or dedicated TV room. And hey, if you’re worried about the clean up, you can always have your buddies chip in to hire a house cleaner for the next day.

And if you guys want any more advice or ideas on your Mighty Manshower, you can get me at simon@gutsygroom.com

Now go the theatre and buy a ticket for “I Love You, Man

In a poll done on www.theknot.com, the results were a complete split.  Those for wedding favors all said that it was the least a bride and groom could do to say “thank you” to their guests for sharing their special day with them.  Those against said that good food and a nice time should be enough to say “thank you,” and that unless they are edible or a donation to charity, they are a waste of time.

Using your wedding favors as a way to give to charity is a great idea.  It can make your special day even more grand.  Here are some ideas of ways you can give.

You could plant a tree in the name of each guest who attends.  It’s very easy to do- just go to the donate-a-tree section on www.arborday.com and do it all online!  The cost is 1$ per guest.

Another easy way to give back is to donate to the victims of crime and disaster.  For example, in memory of the victims of September 11, you could donate to the Twin Towers Fund. 

Other great ideas if you are looking to donate to a national cause are SavetheElephants.com, Sierraclub.org, or GreenpeaceUSA.org.   You can also check out the IDo Foundation.  Don’t forget, too, that there are probably many local causes in your area that could use your support as well.

If you do decide to make a donation in the name of your guests, make sure to let them know!   A simple card placed on the tables for guests could explain the donation and thank your guests for sharing the occasion with you.

Of course, there are endless amounts of other ideas for wedding favors.  Kate Aspen has tons of favors to choose from that reflect your your style, your personality and your vision of the perfect wedding.

It’s not a bad idea!  If you are planning a destination wedding, or if your wedding will take place during a holiday, Save the Date cards are especially helpful.  But, no matter what kind of plans you have for your wedding, your guests will appreciate the advance notice.

Save the Date cards can be mailed out as early as you want, but make sure you have given your guest list some thought first, and make sure you mention that an invitation will follow.  Then, make sure that everyone who gets a Save the Date card also gets an invitation. 

Keep your Save the Date cards very simple.  All you really need to include are your names, date and location.  One fun idea is to send out magnets with the information printed on them.  That way, a guest can put it on their refrigerator so they don’t forget!

Rachel Hadiashar of Merge Weddings made the group photo interesting again by getting everyone to wear a mustache!! Even Gramma wore one and the results are hysterical and definitely worth a look. You can view all her photos of this stache’tastic wedding by clicking here.

If you want your very own stache filled wedding you can purchase the oh so wearable staches here.