Wedding Bells

A Guide
for Planning
Your Wedding

January 20, 2011

Record News
Mount Ayr

Ringgold County’s News and Advertising Source Since 1864

2 – Wedding Bells – A Guide for Planning Your Wedding Thursday, January 20, 2011

Circle of love
BY TRESA ERICKSON
When a couple gets married, they usu-
ally exchange rings as a symbol of their
union. Wedding ring styles can run the
gamut from simple gold bands to custom
diamond creations. Whatever the choice,
whatever the price, wedding rings have
long been a part of the celebration and
there are many superstitions surrounding
them. Following is a brief description of
some of them.
Don’t drop the ring
According to superstition, it is bad
luck to drop the ring during the wedding
ceremony. Whoever does so will be the
first to die. If the ring does happen to get
dropped, neither the bride nor the groom
should pick it up. Whoever is officiating
should. Superstition also has it that a wed-
ding ring dropped in a cemetery that rolls
across a grave indicates death-death of the
bride if the grave is of a female or death of
the groom if the grave is of a male.
Wear the ring on the right finger
In most countries, wedding rings are
worn on the ring finger, or the fourth fin-
ger, of the left hand. This stems from the
ancient belief that the vein of that particu-
lar finger on the left hand ran straight to the
heart. In other countries, the ring is worn
on the ring finger of the right hand. This
stems from the belief that the thumb and
first two fingers of the right hand are sacred
to the Trinity.
Don’t take the ring off
Taking the wedding ring off could lead
to loss or damage, a sign the marriage will
come to an end. Lost or damaged wedding
rings should be replaced as soon as possi-
ble and vows renewed. In some areas, it is
acceptable to remove a wedding ring after
the birth of the first child. Superstition also
has it that a wedding ring suspended on a
lock of hair over the womb of a pregnant
woman can determine the sex of the baby. ples have a faux wedding ring baked inside their wedding ring from time to time, and
Spinning clockwise denotes a boy; spin- their wedding cake. The guest that finds the while it might lead to some tension with
ning counterclockwise denotes a girl. ring will be married within the year. Pearls their partner, it usually does not spell the
Other superstitions are shaped like tears, and therefore, not a end of their marriage. It gives them the op-
There are many other superstitions re- good idea for wedding rings. Sapphires and portunity to get a new ring, perhaps even
garding wedding rings. Rubbing a wedding aquamarines, on the other hand, symbolize one better than before. It is fun to learn
ring over a wart or sty will remove it, while marital bliss and make an excellent choice what superstitions brides and grooms once
sleeping with a bite of wedding cake pulled for wedding rings. observed. Many seem silly today, but that
through a wedding ring will bring dreams Of course, all of these are merely su- wasn’t the case at the time.
of the person’s future spouse. Some cou- perstitions. Brides and grooms do lose

Continue
BY TRESA ERICKSON
the celebration of the union
and groom many opportunities. It gives a part of the wedding festivities the oppor- ding is over. There is no need for you to get
After all of the showers, parties and
wedding festivities, many couples have
had enough and are ready to get on with
the private celebration of their union at
their honeymoon. You may feel like this is
where you will be and scoff at your moth-
er’s suggestion for a post-wedding brunch
before you dash off on your honeymoon.
Before you put the kibosh on the idea, con-
sider the following.
A post-wedding brunch offers the bride
them the chance to connect with guests they
missed out on the day before and catch up
on all of the details of the event, like little
Jimmy breaking hearts on the dance floor.
It also gives them the chance to personally
thank all of those who assisted with the
wedding preparations and those who took
time off to travel to the wedding.
A post-wedding brunch also offers ben-
efits for attendees. It gives someone like
Aunt Gladys who may have wanted to be
tunity to do so and provides out-of-town
guests with a good breakfast before they
set off for home. It also provides guests
with another opportunity to connect and
catch up with each other.
While some couples choose to end the
public celebration of their union with their
wedding reception, others choose to con-
tinue the celebration the next morning with
a post-wedding brunch. Should you decide
to go this route, keep it simple. The wed-
all gussied up and put on an elaborate af-
fair. Most guests will be leaving for home
right afterwards. Restrict invites to out-of-
town guests and close family and friends
and select a time for the brunch between 8
and 10 o’clock. This will give guests plen-
ty of time to sleep in. Finally, serve a wide
range of breakfast foods to suit all tastes.
A post-wedding brunch can be a fun
way to unwind before you take off on your
honeymoon. Give the idea some thought,
and if time and budget permit, go for it!

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Thursday, January 20, 2011 Wedding Bells – A Guide for Planning Your Wedding – 3
The right person for the job
BY TRESA ERICKSON
You just got engaged, and already your
mind is whirling with ideas for your wed-
ding. Along with setting a date and choos-
ing a venue, you will have to select wedding
attendants. As the bride, you will probably
want to start the process with your maid or
matron of honor.
For some brides, selecting a maid of
honor is a no-brainer. There is no one more
suited for the job than their one and only
sister or their best friend since kindergar-
ten. For others, the decision is much more
difficult. They have several sisters and
close friends, plus a ton of cousins. In that
case, the best course of action is to select a
person who can fulfill all of the obligations
of the job.
Traditionally, maids of honor have a
variety of responsibilities. Some of these
may include:
• Assisting the bride with much of the
wedding planning, including choosing a
reception venue, decorations and flowers
• Helping the bride shop for a wedding
dress and bridesmaid dresses
• Addressing the wedding invitations
• Making or assembling the wedding
favors
• Hosting the bridal shower and bach-
elorette party
• Attending the rehearsal and helping
out at the rehearsal dinner
• Decorating and cleaning up the recep-
tion site
• Receiving the flowers and handing
out all of the bouquets, corsages and bou-
tonnieres
• Helping the bride and bridesmaids get
dressed and making sure they get where
they need to be at the appropriate time
• Holding the bride’s bouquet during
BRIDES AND GROOMS
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306 S. Garfield, Mount Ayr • Ph. 641-464-3703
the ceremony
• Witnessing the marriage license
• Standing in the receiving line
• Taking part in the wedding photos
• Toasting the couple at the reception
• Dancing with the best man and other
guests
Depending upon your wishes, the maid
of honor may have more or fewer duties
to perform. Sit down and decide exactly
what you would like your maid of honor to
do. Make a list of their duties and a list of
potential candidates for the job. Then start
comparing the lists.
Be honest in your assessment of each
candidate on your list. You need a person
who not only will be willing to carry out
the duties you assign but do them on time.
You may love your little sister, but if she
is a procrastinator, she may not be the best
candidate for the job. Your older sister, on
the other hand, might make a better choice
because she is so timely.
Consider each candidate’s personal sit-
uation as well. What kind of commitments
does she already have? If your older sister
is a wife and mother, works full time and
heads several committees, she may be too
busy to serve as your matron of honor. If
she is pregnant, she may be too tired and
sick to perform the duties required. If she
is going through a difficult divorce, she
may not have the energy to devote to you
and your wedding. Choose someone who
doesn’t have as much on her plate to be her to serve as the center of support from municate your wishes to her. If you want
your maid of honor. so far away. Choose that dependable friend her to take an active role in the wedding
If you plan to lean heavily on your maid who lives just down the street. planning, say so. If you would prefer she
of honor, make sure you choose someone sit on the sidelines until the actual wedding
who lives close enough to you to get the Choosing a maid of honor takes time. day, let her know that. Give her a list of all
job done. If you live in the Midwest, don’t Don’t rush the process, and once you have a of the tasks she will be responsible for and
choose a cousin who lives on the coast to found someone and she has agreed to serve check in with her often to see how things
be your maid of honor. It will be hard for as your maid of honor, make sure you com- are going.
For The area’s most
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 4 – Wedding Bells – A Guide for Planning Your Wedding Thursday, January 20, 2011
The perfect choice The second time around
BY TRESA ERICKSON
After years of dating, you finally pro-
posed to your girlfriend and she happily
accepted. You are both excited and look-
ing forward to the wedding planning in the
months ahead. One of the first decisions
you will make as the groom is who will
serve as your best man. There are a num-
ber of people who could fulfill the role;
you just have to decide who would make
the best fit.
If you have several close family mem-
bers and friends, you may find it difficult to
select a best man. Make a list of candidates,
keeping in mind that your best man does
not have to be a man or a family member.
Your sister Rita or best friend Katie might
make a perfectly good best woman.
Before you begin narrowing your list,
you must consider the duties your best man
will have to perform. The responsibilities
of the best man vary from wedding to wed-
ding. Traditionally, they include:
• Hosting the bachelor party
• Picking up and returning all tuxedos
• Helping transport guests
• Getting the groom where he needs to
go on the big day
• Assisting the groomsmen on the big
day and keeping them on track
• Bringing the rings to the ceremony
• Witnessing the marriage license
• Paying and tipping service providers
as needed
• Toasting the bride and groom at the
reception
• Driving the newlyweds to the airport
after the wedding if needed
Depending upon your schedule, you
may have the best man do more or less for
your wedding. If you have a long list of
duties, you will want to select someone
who is dependable and has the time to get
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In order to narrow your list of potential
candidates, consider their qualifications in
relation to the duties you would like them
to perform. Be realistic in your assessment.
Your younger brother may be very depend-
able, but with school and work, he may be
too busy to take on the role of best man, es-
pecially if it involves several duties. Your
older, more-established brother might
make a better choice. On the other hand, if
all you are looking for is someone to host
the bachelor party and stand up with you
on your big day, then your younger brother
might make a good choice.
Pay attention to the distance factor. If
your brothers live in the Pacific Northwest
and the wedding is in Miami, they might
be too far away to be a good best man.
Choosing a close friend who lives nearby
and has easy access to everything might be
better, especially if you want them to take
an active role in the wedding planning.
Whoever tops your list, make sure they
want to serve as your best man. For one
reason or another, some people simply pre-
fer being a wedding guest rather an atten-
dant. Keep that in mind and make sure you
find out what the frontrunners think before
you make your final decision. Should you
be unable to select just one person, don’t
hesitate to divide the duties among two or
three people. Rather than one best man and
two groomsmen, you could have three best
men.
Selecting a best man takes time and ef-
fort. Be prepared to do the work, or you
could end up being disappointed, and al-
ways have a backup choice. You never
know when illness or some other unfore-
seen event might come up and take prece-
dence over your wedding.
Located
4 miles east of
Mount Ayr, Iowa
BY TRESA ERICKSON
You’re getting married again, but this time, it is for keeps. You have found your
soul mate, and the two of you want to express your love for each other and exchange
vows in front of everyone you know. You’re definitely going to have a wedding, and
as the bride, one of the first questions you have is what type of dress and accessories
to wear. This is your second wedding, after all. You’re not supposed to wear white,
right? Wrong!
The notion that women getting married again should not wear white is passé. A
symbol of joy and commitment, white makes an excellent choice for a wedding dress
color the second, third or subsequent time around. Off-white, ivory and pastels are also
popular. Brides can even disband with light colors altogether and go for bolder, deeper
colors, like burgundy, dark green or red.
The dress chosen should reflect the time, size and tone of the wedding, as well as
the bride’s personality, lifestyle and fashion sense. It should also flatter her body type,
playing up her strengths and downplaying her weaknesses.
As for accessories, brides getting married again may go with almost anything but
a blusher. Experts advise against this and suggest brides that want to wear a veil let it
trail down their back. For those who choose not to wear a veil, hats, hair ornaments and
fresh flowers make excellent substitutes.
When it comes to the dress and accessories for your second wedding, you practi-
cally have free reign. You can go with the traditional or spread your wings and try
something new. You may wear a gorgeous beaded white dress with a long train or a
short red dress with spaghetti straps. It is entirely up to you. Just make sure you look
stunning!
• Free consultations to help
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brides and bridesmaids bouquets, corsages,
boutonnieres, church and reception hall
decorations, and table arrangements.
• We also carry wedding
accessories - balloons, candelabras,
pew candelabras, ring bearer pillows,
flower girl baskets, candle holders,
pedestals and more.
• We can also take care of your
wedding memories with our line
of scrapbooking supplies.
Getting Married? - We’ll Take Care of Everything at
Country Blossoms
108 W. Madison, Mount Ayr ◆ Ph. 641-464-3120
Couples – be sure and
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Tuxedo Rental
Early Bird Special
Book your wedding
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Thursday, January 20, 2011 Wedding Bells – A Guide for Planning Your Wedding – 5

Mixing business with pleasure Wee ones welcome

BY TRESA ERICKSON
Although fun, wedding planning can
entail difficult decisions, especially when
it comes to the guest list. Close friends and
family are usually a given; business asso-
ciates, clients and colleagues, on the other
hand, are not. While some couples might
find the decision a no-brainer and just nix
the idea of mixing business with pleasure,
others, especially those higher up the lad-
der, might have a much more difficult time
making the decision.
When you are a high-level execu-
tive, leaving people you work with off the
guest list might not be such a good idea.
You should certainly invite your boss, and
depending upon where you are in your ca-
reer and what’s going on at work, you may
need to invite business associates, clients
and colleagues. If a big client is in town the
weekend of your wedding and your boss
is entertaining them, you may want to go
ahead and invite them to your wedding.
That way, your boss can attend your wed-
ding and bring the client with them.
Before you make any decisions regard-
ing the people you work with, you should
speak to your beloved first and find out
what they think. They may not be too keen
on mixing business with pleasure. On the
other hand, they may be in the same posi-
tion as you and feel it is essential..
Once you have made the decision, you
will have to determine how many people
from work to invite. If you are having a
large wedding and have the budget, the
easiest solution may be to invite everyone.
If you are more restricted, you may have to
make some difficult decisions. You should
most definitely invite your boss, as well
as close colleagues. If you work regularly
with a group of associates and clients, you
may want to invite them as well.
When inviting clients, you need to be
aware of the products and services they sell
and accommodate for that at your wedding,
if needed. If a client owns a vineyard, for
example, you may want to serve some of
their offerings at your wedding. Be careful
that you do not serve offerings from their
biggest competitor.
To avoid conflict, you may want to
throw a separate party before or after your
wedding for those you work with. That
way, no one will feel left out.
Whatever choices you make, try not to
turn your wedding into a day at the office.
Remember the reason you are there and
keep the mood light and the tone celebra-
tory.
BY TRESA ERICKSON
While some couples opt not to have children at their wedding, others do. They
take great delight in young children and can’t fathom having a celebration without
them. If you share in this feeling and would like to have children at your wedding,
make sure you plan for them accordingly.
If at all possible, hold your wedding in the morning or afternoon. The later your
wedding is, the more likely your young guests will become tired and act out of sorts.
Those accustomed to going to bed around 8 o’clock may even fall asleep during the
celebration, forcing parents to leave early.
Look for a venue that is child friendly. Don’t select a hotel with a lot of fine
antiques. Young guests will be too tempted to touch all of the wonderful things sur-
rounding them. Select a hotel with modern decor and make sure there are rooms
nearby where young guests can nap if needed. Ask your ushers to seat all parents with
young kids near the back of the room during the ceremony so they can leave quickly
if needed.
Provide ample entertainment. Even the best-behaved children act up when they
get tired and bored. To prevent this at your reception, hand out crayons and coloring
books to little ones at tables and set up an area where children can play after dinner.
If most of your young guests can handle sitting by themselves, you could set up a
separate table for them where they could sit, draw and color together. Just make sure
you have an adult on hand to supervise the action.
If you have the budget, consider bringing in a clown, magician or some other form
of entertainment for your young guests. If you are having your reception outdoors,
rent a bouncy castle and find a volunteer to supervise the operation. You might even
arrange for a group of volunteers to serve as babysitters and whisk the kids off to
another room for hours of fun while their parents enjoy the reception.
Finally, make sure you have plenty of food and drink on hand. Provide snacks and
beverages for young guests before dinner to alleviate any hunger pains they might be
having. Then serve them a meal they will eat. Children do like to eat, but that doesn’t
mean they will like what you are serving at your reception. For the best results, con-
sult with your caterer and create a child-friendly menu for younger guests. Serve
chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese in lieu of lemon chicken and rice. Your
younger guests will appreciate it, and so will their parents.
These are just some of the accommodations you can make for your young guests
to ensure everyone has a good time. Keep in mind you may need to take fewer or ad-
ditional measures depending upon the number of young guests at your wedding. If
you are planning on five or six youngsters, then you may be able to have an evening
wedding at an elite hotel. If you are planning on 10 to 20 youngsters, then you may
need to set your wedding for an earlier time and bring in some entertainment. If your
budget allows, you could always hire a professional on-site babysitting service and
leave the supervising and entertaining to them!

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6 – Wedding Bells – A Guide for Planning Your Wedding Thursday, January 20, 2011

Making sure you have everything you
need to make your wedding day perfect is
a lot of work. Following is a check list for
your wedding planning. Keep this list and
check off each item that pertains to your
wedding.
One year before
wedding day
❑ Announce your engagement.
❑ Decide on a budget and hash out who's
contributing.
❑ Pick your preferences for wedding
date and time and finalize after okaying with
important guests, location, or officiant.
❑ Begin interviewing wedding consul-
tants in your area and/or start asking for
local wedding vendor recommendations
from family and friends.
Eleven to nine months
❑ Scout out reception sites.
❑ Start looking for an officiant who suits
your style and spirit.
❑ Book your reception site as soon as
you see something you love that’s available
on your date.
❑ If you're having an engagement party,
set a date and purchase your invitations.
❑ Get organized! Start a notebook/file
folder to house all your wedding-planning
paperwork in one place.
❑ Begin working on preliminary wed-
ding guest list and decide on approximate
wedding size. Request lists from parents and
create your own wish list.
❑ Choose your attendants/groomsmen
and ask them to do you the honor.
❑ Contact the Mount Ayr Record-News
to announce your engagement.
❑ Choose a color scheme, if you so
desire, taking into account the decor of the
rooms/areas you have reserved for your
ceremony and reception.
❑ Decide on a caterer. Hash out a rough
price per-head and begin working on a
menu.
❑ Brides: Begin shopping for your gown.
When you've found some gowns you like,
head out to the stores to try them on.
❑ Finalize the guest list.
❑ If you choose an outdoor site, look into
tent and lighting rentals.
❑ Set up appointments with different
florists to discuss options.
❑ Decide on and meet with your offici-
ant to discuss ceremony structure and any
religious requirements (counseling, etc.).
❑ If you've started sending in vendor
deposits, now is the time to research a wed-
ding insurance policy.
❑ Brides: Narrow down your gown
choices and make a final decision.
❑ Book reception band or DJ, execute
contract and send deposit.
Eight to six months
❑ Reserve photographer and/or videog-
rapher, decide on package, execute contract
and send deposit.
❑ Choose your florist and send a deposit
to reserve their services.
❑ Make sure your honor attendant and
best man are aware of what you expect of
them -- providing a list of their duties will
help.
❑ Register for your wedding gifts, and
don't forget to include some choices for your
upcoming bridal shower or engagement
party as well.
❑ Brides: Decide on the bridesmaid
dresses.
❑ Set aside blocks of hotel rooms for
out-of-town guests.
❑ Contact out-of-towners with the final
wedding date and time so they can save
the date.
❑ Book a baker, choose your wedding
cake design, and send a deposit.
❑ Brides: Collect necessary measure-
ments from attendants or pass off infor-
mation so that they can order the dresses
themselves.
❑ Book ceremony musicians and send
deposit.
❑ Brides: Order your gown. Make sure
you've asked all the critical questions and
your order contains the correct informa-
tion.
❑ Start planning the rehearsal dinner.
Provide the host with contact information
for your attendants and any other guests.
❑ Finalize your invitation wording and
design.
❑ Finalize menu and service details with
caterer.
❑ Order your invitations and announce-
ments .
Five to four months
❑ Grooms: Decide what style of formal-
wear you will be wearing.
❑ Reserve tables, chairs, and/or other
rental equipment you need.
❑ Start planning your honeymoon.
❑ Grooms: Start looking to buy or rent
tux, suit or other formal attire.
❑ Book rehearsal-dinner site.
❑ Grooms: Start to plan your grooms-
men's attire: Tux or suit?
❑ Book hotel room for your wedding
night.
❑ Start thinking about flower-arrange-
ment styles you like, and figure out what
flowers are in season.
❑ Book your honeymoon and make
travel reservations.
❑ Finalize your wedding insurance
policy, including liability if required by
your site.
❑ Grooms: Decide on your grooms-
men's attire.
❑ Decide on a floral scheme, choose
flowers, and negotiate prices with florist.
Be sure to sign a contract outlining what
you agreed upon.
Three to two months
❑ Grooms: Give all of the groomsmen
the information they need to buy and/or
reserve their attire.
❑ Brides: Choose accessories (shoes,

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Thursday, January 20, 2011 Wedding Bells – A Guide for Planning Your Wedding – 7
gloves, and so on) for your attendants, and
either hand off information or coordinate
with them.
❑ Consider specific ceremony and recep-
tion decorations.
❑ Brides: Curious to try out a beauty rou-
tine? Want to experiment with self-tanners
or try a facial? Now's the time.
❑ Shop for and purchase wedding
rings.
❑ Schedule portrait session if you need
one for a wedding announcement on Mount
Ayr Record-News.
❑ Brides: Make sure your attendants
have purchased their dresses and acces-
sories.
❑ Make or buy favors. Allow extra time
for custom-made favors .
❑ Talk to your honor attendant and best
man about shower and other party plans.
❑ Brides: Buy any special lingerie your
gown requires in time for first fittings.
❑ Grooms: If you are renting a tux, visit
the formalwear shop to get measured.
❑ Get anything you need for an interna-
tional honeymoon (passport, birth certifi-
cate, visas, vaccinations, etc.).
❑ Talk to people you’d like to do special
performances or readings as part of the
ceremony.
❑ Start addressing invitations –you'll
need to send them out at the 2-month
mark.
❑ Arrange for all insurance policies to
include you and your future spouse: health,
auto, homeowner's and life insurance.
❑ Send wedding bands out to be en-
graved.
❑ Grooms: Choose and buy any ac-
cessories you will need: shoes, shirt stays,
cufflinks, and a pocket square.
❑ Brides: Provide guest list to brides-
maids for your shower.
❑ Brides: Begin your fittings.
❑ Arrange wedding-day transportation
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for you, your wedding party, and guests
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Six weeks
❑ Order liquor, wine and/or champagne,
if not included in the catering contract.
❑ Begin writing ceremony program, if
you are having one.
❑ Confirm reservations for out-of-town
guests.
❑ As you receive presents, be sure to up-
date and/or add items to your registry list.
❑ Submit your wedding announcement
to the Mount Ayr Record-News.
❑ Brides: Attend final wedding-gown
fitting.
❑ Set aside some time to write thank-
you notes for gifts received at the bridal
shower.
❑ Buy a guest book and nice pen.
❑ Make an appointment to take the veil
to your hairstylist and make sure your cur-
rent hairdo and veil work together.
❑ Grooms: Attend your bachelor party,
and, afterward, make sure to thank the best
man.
❑ Brides: Buy gifts for your maid of
honor and bridesmaids.
❑ Grooms: Buy gifts for your best man,
groomsmen, and ushers.
Three to four weeks
❑ Send rehearsal-dinner invitations.
❑ Do trial runs of hair and makeup and
schedule wedding-day beauty appoint-
ments.
❑ Finish and print ceremony programs.
❑ Work on a list of "must-play" songs
for your DJ or band.
❑ Discuss song list with ceremony musi-
cians and agree on final choices.
❑ Pick up wedding rings and check in-
scriptions before you leave the store.
❑ Make sure your homeowner's insur-
ance covers your rings and gifts.
❑ Wrap all gifts for the wedding party
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and write each attendant a nice note.
❑ Confirm wedding-night and honey-
moon reservations.
❑ Work out wedding day timing and
details (who will get the bride there, where
the wedding party will dress, etc) and draw
up a schedule.
❑ Brides: Make sure you have your gar-
ter and "something old, new, borrowed, and
blue" if you want to include these customs
in your wedding.
❑ Finalize any special preferences, read-
ings or other ceremony details with your
officiant.
❑ Get a head start on those thank-you
notes .
❑ Plan a party or go out for cocktails to
thank your attendants for all their help.
❑ Confirm head count, delivery time, and
location with the cakemaker.
❑ Call guests who haven't RSVP'd for
the wedding and rehearsal dinner (it’s okay
to do this, you need a final head count!).
❑ If you're having a receiving line,
determine the order you want everyone to
stand in.
❑ Determine any wedding day assign-
ments for members of the wedding party
and make lists/info sheets as needed.
❑ Brides: Practice walking in your wed-
ding shoes.
❑ Give final head count to the caterer.
Confirm set-up instructions and menu
items.
One to two weeks
❑ Start putting together the seating plan
if there's a seated reception meal.
❑ Touch base with your officiant and
give him/her rehearsal details and wedding
day schedule.
❑ Confirm delivery locations, times, and
final arrangement count with florist.
❑ Grooms: Pick up your tux and try it on
(don’t wait 'til the day of to do this).
❑ Shop and pack for honeymoon.
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641-342-3510
❑ Confirm location, date, and time with
photographer and give them a "must-take"
photo list.
❑ Confirm location, date, and time with
videographer.
❑ Grooms: Get your final haircut.
❑ Prepare your toasts or thanks to friends
and family.
❑ Plan any additional night-before ac-
tivities with friends and/or attendants.
❑ Put together an overnight bag for your
wedding night (toothbrush, sexy lingerie,
etc.) and designate someone to deliver it to
the hotel for you.
❑ Leave a copy of your honeymoon itin-
erary with someone in case of emergency.
❑ Confirm date, location, time, and
playlist with band/DJ and/or ceremony or
cocktail hour musicians.
❑ Brides: Get a manicure and pedicure
and confirm big-day beauty appointments.
❑ Designate someone to collect the
wedding gifts (and any cash) brought to
the party.
Day before
❑ Brides: Pull together wedding gown,
veil, shoes, stockings, and a last-minute
emergency kit (aspirin, makeup, safety pins,
mints, etc.).
❑ Rehearse the ceremony with officiant
and wedding party.
❑ Drop off favors, guest book, and pen
at the reception site.
❑ Have fun and relax at your rehearsal
dinner.
❑ If your wedding is in the a.m., set your
alarm and arrange for a backup.
Wedding Day
❑ Set aside a private moment together to
exchange gifts and a sweet congratulatory
kiss (or two).
❑ Take a moment to thank your parents
and tell them you love them.
❑ Relax, smile, and enjoy the day!
8 – Wedding Bells – A Guide for Planning Your Wedding Thursday, January 20, 2011
Over the top
BY TRESA ERICKSON
Many a young girl dreams of marry-
ing her prince one day in a lavish wed-
ding. Planning such a wedding requires
time and money, and lots of it. The more
elaborate the wedding, the higher the price
tag. Experts suggest that the average price
for a wedding today runs anywhere from
$20,000 to $30,000. For many folks, the
figure is staggering. For others, it is a mere
pittance.
There have been many weddings cost-
ing in the millions of dollars throughout
history, but the most expensive to date
belongs to that of Vanish Mittal and Amit
Bhatia. The six-day affair was held in
France in 2004 and cost $55 to $60 million.
Mittal’s father, the Indian Steel Maharajah,
picked up the tab for the affair, which in-
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peared in 2006 at the Luxury Bridal Show display on the sixth floor of the Ruby Plaza
in Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills. Decked
with jewels, it was not intended to be eat-
in Hanoi, Vietnam.
Money is not always an object in wed-
cluded performances by Sha Rukh Khan en. ding planning. It is hard to imagine some-
and Kylie Minogue. The tab for flowers for the average wed- one spending millions of dollars on a once-
Next to a multimillion-dollar wedding, ding can run in the hundreds of dollars, but in-a-lifetime event, but it does happen,
a $12 million wedding dress might seem the most expensive wedding bouquet cost often with celebrities and the well-to-do.
like nothing. The Diamond Wedding Gown way more, about $125,000. The red and Sometimes the marriage works, and some-
from Renee Strausse and Martin Katz Jew- white bouquet features 90 gemstones, nine times it doesn’t, begging the question if
ellers featured 150 carats of diamonds and diamonds and a star-shaped ruby and is on over-the-top weddings are worth it.
was the most expensive in the world. It
was shown at the Luxury Brands Lifestyle
Bridal Show in 2006, while the second-
most expensive wedding dress was shown
at Dubai’s Fashion & Diamonds Show. De-
signed by Yumi Katsura, the gown featured
a thousand pearls and one of only two five-
carat white gold diamonds in the world. It
was valued at $8.5 million.
For wedding cakes, nothing can top the
$20 million masterpiece of Nahid La Patis-
serie Artistique and Mimi So. The cake ap-
~ See Us For ~
wedding invitations
and wedding accessories.
Order your invitations and get a
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on other wedding accessories including
napkins, thank you cards, gift books,
cake toppers, ring pillows, garters,
toast glasses, candles, pens, guest
books, party favors and more.
122 W. Madison, P.O. Box 346, Mount Ayr, Iowa 50854
Email: recnews@iowatelecom.net Website: mtayrnews.com
Ph. 641-464-2440