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We attend and plan our weddings knowing there are certain things we will experience and include. We search for the perfect white dress. We hunt through a number of florists to find just the right designer to create our bouquet. We make our list of who will be our groomsmen and bridesmaids. Often times we spend hundreds of dollars just on our veil. Did we ever stop to ask why? Where did these traditions come from? Did we know that some of them are rooted in the religious, medieval custom and even superstition?

Joining as husband and wife dates as far back to the creation story in the Bible when God created Adam and Eve. The story tells of God joining the two together so they would not walk alone and could have one another for friendship, help and love. Pairing together two by two is as old as the beginning of time. From that starting point many customs were created and today we call that process, The Wedding.

The Wedding Party - The selection of ushers and groomsmen dates back to, believe it or not, an era when a groom would “steal” his bride. The groomsmen were more like a small army the groom would select to fight off the bride’s family while he stole his future love. How romantic!?

The White Dress - White has always been a symbol of purity and is why it is highly chosen as the color of wedding dresses. In the puritan era, blue was actually the color of purity and often blue sashes or blue gowns were worn during the time. This is where the phrase “something blue” comes from when carrying “something borrowed, something blue” on your wedding day.

The Veil - Covering one’s hair or head is a sign of reverence in many religions and still continues today. In weddings it represents innocence and modesty. In some ancient cultures the veil covered the entire face and only after the marriage was the groom allowed to see whom he was marrying!

The Bouquet - Everyone loves flowers! During many eras brides would choose flowers that had meanings of love for their wedding bouquets; flowers like forget-me-nots (forever love), lily of the valley (purity), and white roses (true love). But in medieval times, it was often fragrant herbs that were chosen, not flowers, to drive away evil spirits from the wedding.

The Rings - Wearing wedding rings symbolizes the bond between a married couple. The reason the ring is placed on the fourth finger on the left hand or “the ring finger” is because the ancient Romans believed the vein in this finger went directly to the heart. The symbolism is evident!

As you plan your wedding or attend a friend’s beautiful day, know that the many experiences you are blessed to be included, have an ancient tradition rooted in many years of love, belief and faith.

Written By:

Melissa Prestinario

Wedding Coordinator

Memorial Church Stanford University

Your wedding day emergency kit.

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It’s time for CAKE! Ever fascinate your perfect wedding cake on your Big Day? You may have browsed thousands of wedding cakes on Pinterest, but you still have difficulties of choosing The One when you actually look for it in a bakery store. Here is some tips for you to go closer to your dreams!

1.Choose a reputable bakery store.

A reputable bakery store is the very important beginning to realize your cake dream. You might see all those fancy photos online, but you have to make sure what they really like in the store. Take your besties and visit several local bakery store before your final decision. Remember to talk to the staff in the store and better to have a taste of their cakes.Most dedicate bakery store would have a nice and professional staff help you with the cake choice and design. They will have a nice place for you to sit down and talk about the details.  If you do not like any part of the whole visiting experience, you’d better have a second thought before you make a decision.

2 Give yourself enough time

3-6 month in advance would be a good timing for final deciding your wedding cake. Once you have known your wedding theme and the color, deciding wedding cake would be more easier and efficient. Make sure do not let yourself still hesitating in the final two month of your wedding planning because you will have to so many things during that period. In order to be less stressful, the earlier the better!

3. Don’t assume--- TASTE!

You have you like the taste of your cake not only the outlook but also the taste of your cake. I’m sure you want every guest to enjoy our sweetest moments as well as your sweet cake. Arrange a cake tasting before your final order. Try to taste all of them since it varies when its formulation, frosting are different. Pick the flavor you like and enjoy the rest part of the expecting time.

4 It’s always about Design.

“OMG, these cakes look amazing!” You might be amazed at different cakes online and dreamed of your own cakes. When it comes to your wedding, what design would you use on your cake? If you have a planner and designer, it would be much easier for you. Follow the professions’ guide and provide them your color and theme. If you don’t know how to express yourself, a lot of brides now are using Pinterest to make a board for inspiration for their vendors too! Remember to share your boards to the Bakery and discuss the detail of the cake with them.

Brides, wanna be stunning on your wedding? it’s the time! Front-and-center floral is classic while a bit of dainty flower is still elegant. Add some garden-fresh hair accessories to you and build your romantic dream!  Here are some stunning ways of wearing those cute, nice and romantic things in your hair.

1.Wow Crowns

Photo Credit: Pasha Belman Photography

2.Plaited Petals

Photo Credit: Hair and Makeup by Steph / Hair:Hair and Makeup by Steph

The only thing more beautiful than a side-swept braided hairstyle is one embellished with miniature blossoms.

3 Around an Updo attachment

Photo Credit: Life With a View Studio

4.Baby's Breath Stunning

Photo Credit: Tracy Brewington Photography

Absolutely stunning with these little cute Baby’s Breath!

5. Subtle is Everything

Photo Credit: Photography by Neswick

“Many small people, in small places, doing small things can change the world.” We hope our small things can change some people’s perspectives and support the whole LGBTQ community! #beproud #smallisBIG #LadyMarry #LGBTQ

Be Proud! Small is BIG.---LadyMarry

Many women dream of their wedding from birth. We have fancy crazy ideas, we have romantic thought, we dream a lot. Normally we don’t think wedding planning a “man” stuff since men are always into those sports, beers and stuffs. However, sometimes it’s just lonely and frustrated with so many decisions to make. 

Here are some realistic approaches for brides to get your groom involved:

Budgeting: If he does good in Math and likes to be surrounded with numbers, he can definitely help you with the wedding budget. "Simply put, the man likes to be in charge of the money," says Samantha Goldberg, owner of Gold Events, in Bridgewater, NJ. Easy tools like LadyMarry can help you with wedding budgeting and its mobile App can be even more convenient for your groom to look into that by using his piece time.

Wedding music and DJ: It’s a party and everyone shall enjoy this. Your groom might have his best taste of music, so get him on board to pick the best music for your wedding. It’s also the biggest chance to show how brilliant of him in front of all your guests. If you appreciate his taste on music, just let him to play. It’s your wedding, it’s your party, just have some fun.

Catering: If you are not that good at food tasting and tired of try different catering vendors, it’s better to let your groom to make the decision, especially for the wine part. Food and drinks make your wedding more pleasant. Ask him if he wants to make the choice. Maybe they'll gladly help plan a self-gratifying, self-indulgent, all-night feast catered to your exact expectations.

Photography:  “Men want to make sure they won’t have to pose for too many photos, and they don’t want the photographer to be invasive of their space,” says Goldberg. Ask him if he wants to work with the photographer to keep your best moments more memorable.

Negotiating: Feeling stressful and unconfident about negotiating the details especially for the pricing? You might already have some approaches to your wedding vendors, but you need someone to help! If your groom negotiating well at his works or even more persuasive when your guys are arguing, he might be a helper to stand out and present your ideas. Since he might already be in charge of the whole budgeting, it’s also better to let him negotiate the price.

When it comes to the big day itself, the work doesn’t stop. There are tables to be set, deliveries to sign for, timing to be determined, and vendors to direct. Hiring a day of wedding coordinator can be very helpful.

What is a Day of Coordinator?

A day-of coordinator (or “DOC” for short) is a planner who is hired to help you with the big day. Some refer to the DOC as a Month-Of Coordinator or Event Manager. They are usually wedding planners who offer day-of coordination as one of their planning package options for couples who love planning on their own. DOCs are typically hired several months before the wedding date and start working with you a 3-6 weeks before the wedding. Here is the service most will provide:

1. What services do you offer and what scope of work is covered before wedding, during the event, and post wedding?

Note: Be clear on what is offered within a standard proposal, what add-on options there are and if you can add on services when need arises at a later date, and what is not covered too. 

2. How do you charge your fees?

Note: Is it a flat service fee based on scope of work, hourly rate? Are there any surcharges for other circumstances e.g. extended hours, additional coordinators etc?

3. Are there any restrictions on consultation hours?

Note: Check if there are any limits on number of meetings and duration of meetings.

4. Do you work alone or with a team? 

Note: Ensure your coordinator is there from start of preparation till end of the wedding to avoid miscommunications should someone else fill in as coordinator on your Big Day.

5. How many weddings do you do in a year? For my wedding month, how many events will you be handling?

Note: This gives you an idea on their experience and level of commitment, and also gives you a gauge if the coordinator is able to handle your wedding successfully based on their capacity of resources.

6. What happens in the case of an emergency?

Note: Let’s face it—no matter how much planning work you do together, things can happen. So definitely ask your coordinator for a back-up plan if she/he is not able to make it to your wedding. A good coordinator will have a back-up plan for every scenario that comes up, including her/his own illness or emergency.

7. How do you communicate with clients?

Note: Before hiring your wedding coordinator, make sure you know how you’ll be keeping in touch with each other. Does email or phone work better? How does she/he feel about meeting in person? It’s also a good idea to find out how often you should be expecting to communicate with your planner. Some brides do better with weekly check-ins, while others want be involved as little as possible. If your coordinator works part-time (some have full-time gigs and do weddings on the weekend), make sure she or he will be available when you need to contact her/him.

8. What is the average size of weddings do you plan? Do you have any experience in destination/yacht/intimate/large/ministerial scale of weddings?

Note: You can ask based on your expected style/type of wedding you are planning to have.

9. How many years of experience do you have as a wedding planner and in a full or part-time capacity? How many weddings have you planned?

Note: You would not want a newbie to use your wedding as an experiment. Weddings are once in a lifetime. Always ask for client testimonials or any past clients you can have a chat with. Feel free to speak with wedding vendors to get feedback on planners as well.

10. Do you have any questions for me?

Note: Your coordinator should be asking you lots of questions as well. You’re both trying to get to know each other and see how well you’ll work together—Your coordinator should be just as concerned as you are about the success of your wedding. And if not? Don’t hire her/him.

Good Luck and may you find the right Coordinator best suited for you!