30.3.11

51a. Awkward Family Photos: Wedding Version

We all know the web site about Awkward Family Photos, it's classically hilarious so when I saw that HuffPost did an article on the best Awkward wedding photos...I couldn't resist the urge to share!!

Take a look at the compilation that was put together and laugh it up...then pray you don't end up with any awkward photos yourself.

*all photos via Awkward Family Photos










PS they are having an Awkward Wedding Photo contest but it ends TOMORROW so if you have a photo to enter...do it quick! And if not there are 13 beautiful pages to flip through of photos, like this gem...
“At our wedding my dad gave a humorous and touching speech. It was towards the end that he said he wanted to present us with an extra gift at which point two of my cousins walked out with two long boxes…and surprise surprise he gave me and my new husband Shotguns. So there I stood in my wedding gown surrounded by 240 family and friends holding a shotgun at my wedding…”
I was a cheerleader for 12 years but this photo is hysterical!

51. Ramada Philadelphia Bridal Show

Sometimes its difficult to figure out which vendors to select and it makes it difficult to make appointments and work around their schedules. Well, that's why they created bridal shows...and bloggers like *me* to direct you to the best ones around.

The Ramada Philadelphia Airport is having their 2nd Bridal Show Extravaganza April 10th 2011 from 12:00PM-3:00PM. Various vendors from the area will be participating, including but not limited to florists, jeweler, bakeries and many many more. Not to mention a fabulous fashion show at 1:30PM featuring new trends and styles!!


Traditional or cutting edge...an intimate or grand affair...daytime or evening soiree...they have the ability to meet all your needs and desires. With us, you find everything you seek at one convenient venue! The first 200 Brides/Grooms to RSVP is free!! All others $5 at the door. Please call Lisa Cella at 610-521-9600 ext 1172 to RSVP for more information.

Vendors include (but are not limited to):

PS -- couples if you book your wedding the day of the bridal show you can enter you win 50% off your wedding...the drawing will take place two weeks after the show. All brides that book will automatically receive 1 free upgrade!

Check out the Facebook event here - and friend the Ramada on Facebook here

Daily Dose of Wedding will see YOU there :)

29.3.11

50. One Month Until the Royal Wedding!

Can you believe it? I feel like it was only yesterday that we were reporting of the engagement of Prince William & Kate Middleton and low and behold here we are...30 days away. ::YAY::

It's crunch time people, let's review the facts so you are on the up-and-up for the most talked about Royal Wedding of our time (I can say that...I wasn't alive for Diana & Charles).

The Place...

Westminster Abbey. Gorgeous beyond description and historic beyond our time. One places to get married...it's definitely a top choice for all the royals.
The Abbey has been the coronation church since 1066 and is the final resting place of seventeen monarchs.
The present church, begun by Henry III in 1245, is one of the most important Gothic buildings in the country, with the medieval shrine of an Anglo-Saxon saint still at its heart. - Westminster Abbey web site



The Ceremony...

The ceremony will start at 11am sharp - that's 6am EST. Kate will arrive in a car (Diana arrived in a carriage) so her dress will be revealed at the last moment (dang). The ceremony will be conducted by the Very Reverend Dr John Hall and the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Reverend and Right Honourable Dr Rowan Williams. Prince William is actually not allowed to watch Kate walk down the aisle and will see her for the very first time when she stands next to him on the altar.

The Procession...

The newlyweds will travel in a carriage through Parliament Square, Whitehall, Horse Guards Parade, through The Mall, and end up at Buckingham Palace. This will be the chance for everyone to line the streets and wave flags, throw roses and give their congratulations. Maybe I'll still buy my plane ticket and fly out for the day...

After they arrive at Buckingham Palace, the two are expected to appear at the palace balcony, where they will likely kiss (as Diana and Charles did), and there will be an accompanying fly-past by William's colleagues in the RAF. In the evening, Prince Charles will host a celebration that will be scaled down to include close friends and family.

 


The Cakes...

Yep, I said cakes...plural. They will have two. Prince William and Miss Catherine Middleton have chosen cake designer Fiona Cairns to create their wedding cake.



In addition they are having McVities International Cake Company to create a chocolate biscuit cake for the reception at Buckingham Palace. The cake will be made from a Royal Family recipe and will be made at the request of Prince William.



There are tons more to report on the Royal Wedding...but that's a post for tomorrow lovelies.


So readers, are you just as excited as me for this wedding?

22.3.11

49. Recent Engagements & Weddings

As always, there's someone getting married or engaged in this small world :) As the number of weddings we have this year goes up from 2 to 3...wanted to take the time to say congrats to these recent happy announcements!

Congrats to Danielle & Dan who got married on February 18th!

Christina & George - engaged in February!

Michele & Joe - engaged last week on St Patty's Day on the 12th hold :)

how awesome is that ring?


21.3.11

48. Choosing the right venue for you

With all of the important decisions that a bride and groom face for the “big day” the choice of venue can possibly be the most important. 

Today we at Daily Dose of Wedding are going to give you three choices for in the city of Philadelphia and three suburban destinations right outside of the city to make your time slightly easier for picking the correct venue for the biggest day of your lives. 

First we will start with the venues inside of the city of “Brotherly Love”. Although the venues inside the city limits can be a little pricey, the city is full of rich tradition and not to forget all of the amazing photos that can be taken that will last a lifetime. 

Our first destination is the Lowes Hotel Philadelphia at 1200 Market St. The Lowes Hotel may be a bit pricy however the experience that you will get will be second to none. The exact prices can be found by visiting their website and filling out the inquiry form here

This picture below is a picture of one of the fantastic ballrooms that the Lowes has to offer...


If you choose to have your wedding at Lowes Hotel Philadelphia one thing is for certain, you will be treated with the class that a wedding of this caliber deserves. In other words, you will not be disappointed with this location.

My second Philadelphia wedding location is the Doubletree Hotel Philadelphia located at 237 S. Broad St. at the corners of Broad and Locust in Center City. To book at the Doubletree Hotel Philadelphia head to this website and contact Senior Catering Manager and Wedding Specialist Lisa DeLuca. 


 The picture above shows the amount of effort that the staff at the Doubletree is willing to put into the wedding planning. The décor of the linens and the chairs is impeccable and second to none. Through the wedding website above they have all of the tools that you will need to be able to see exactly which ballrooms are right for your size of wedding. 

One added bonus to the Doubletree’s location is the amazing picture opportunities. Right outside the front doors of the Doubletree in Broad Street are some great photo ops with the historical City Hall and William Penn in the background. 

If you are slightly undecided if the Doubletree is right for you just remember that with all Doubletree hotels each and every guest at the hotel is greeted with a warm Doubletree cookie upon check-in to the hotel. Just a little food for thought. 

My last location for in the city of Philadelphia is slightly different. This will not work for all brides, but honestly most grooms. The last location I have is Citizens Bank Park the home of the Philadelphia Phillies. Now, before you tell me that I’m crazy here me out. 

This location will be one that every single guest will enjoy. The event managers at Citizens bank Park will have you set up in either the Hall of Fame Club or the Diamond Club (depending on the amount of guests). 


The picture above is a lovely bride clearly happy with her choice of choosing the Diamond Club at Citizens Bank Park. 

If you would be interested in having this not so traditional but really cool wedding follow this link and get started right away.


Now that we have given you some of the best places inside of the city of Philadelphia let’s travel outside the city and see what we can find. 

Our first stop takes us to Horsham, PA in Montgomery County to the Blair Mill Inn. This one is slightly a homer pick because this is where I will be getting married but I honestly feel that this is a fantastic deal for everything that you receive. 

As if this place wasn’t great already as I visited their website just now I noticed that they were rated one of the best venues for the Philadelphia/ Lehigh Valley region for Wedding Wire in the Brides Choice Awards 11. 

Chris Kane the Events Coordinator at Blair Mill will take amazing care of you. He already has with us and we are about eight months away. The amazing part of Blair Mill is the prices. You get everything that you would get in a Center City wedding and more. The only thing you don’t get is the stress of a bill that’s too large. 

Blair Mill has four different rooms that are available. They are all dependent on the amount of guests but any of the rooms are fantastic. Below are some pictures of the different rooms and décor.

One more bonus to having your wedding reception and or ceremony at Blair Mill is that all of the wedding cakes at Blair Mill are provided by Bredenbeck’s Bakery which was also named one of the top bakeries by Wedding Wire in the Brides Choice Awards 11. 

If you would like to make your dream wedding a reality here is the link to contact Blair Mill and get started today.

Our next trip down suburb lane takes us to Delaware County and the Springfield Country Club. The Springfield Country Club was also named one of the top locations in the Wedding Wire Brides Choice Awards 11. 

At this location they can offer you the opportunity to have your ceremony either inside in one of their luxurious ballrooms, in one of their outdoor gazebos or if the weather is permitting right on the golf course. 

The pictures below show the décor inside the ballrooms at the Springfield Country Club:


If you think that the Springfield Country Club is the right fit for you then here is the contact information for them: http://springfieldcc.net/weddingrequest.htm

There website also shows you the wedding packages which is a little bonus that not every location provides. Here that is: http://springfieldcc.net/weddingpackage2008.htm

Our last stop on this tour of wedding locations actually takes us to Harry Savoy’s Ballroom in Wilmington, DE. This location is absolutely fantastic. Harry Savoy is extremely elegant and will knock the socks off even the most stuck up bride. 

The price isn’t the cheapest in the world, roughly double the price of the Blair Mill Inn, however; this place is really nice as long as you don’t mind having to travel to Wilmington for the wedding.
Here is a link to a video download of the ballroom at Harry Savoy’s: http://www.harrys-savoy.com/videos/popup_wmv.asp

Here are some of the immaculate pictures of this truly beautiful location: 





 

If you would like to have the wedding of your dreams and you think that Harry Savoy’s Ballroom is the right place for you just follow this link and in no time you will be saying “I Do.”: http://www.harrys-savoy.com/ballroom_planyourevent2.asp

Now that we have gone through six venues in Philadelphia and the surrounding areas I think that one thing can be for certain. There isn’t an exact science to the madness that is planning a wedding. I feel that the most important part is not going above your means. Keep in mind this is from a male perspective, I’m sure the ladies out there are thinking about ripping my eyes out right now. 

A wedding is one of the biggest days of your lives, and you need to be able to enjoy it. However; you shouldn’t book a place that you realistically can’t afford. I like think of it like this. If you can’t pay it off in cash by the wedding day, maybe the place isn’t right. You don’t want to start your marriage off in a huge financial debt all because of location. But if you insist on doing that I’m sure these locations can do everything in their power to make it happen. 

Just remember, you only get married once (hopefully) enjoy it.

- Ryan Rosengrant

9.3.11

47. Oh hey, we're in Las Vegas...what the hell, let's get married.

I'm leaving for Las Vegas tomorrow. I've never been and I got to be honest, I'm super stoked to go. My parents have gone fifteen years in a row, a lot of friends have been there...it's our time to have fun some fun.

In a way, I'm sort of relieved that I'm going after we're already married...because had we gone during the craziness of our wedding planning...we probably would have just done it.

So in the hopes of wedding bliss...I so hope we run into a couple choosing to just say "what the hell, let's get married tonight."


We've all seen the Hangover and What Happens in Vegas...and every single movie out there that features people getting drunk and getting married...but in all seriousness, for the off-the-beat couple, there are plenty of options of fabulous Las Vegas...to make tying the knot much more interesting.

A person who goes out there to get married (or happens to end up getting married) truly has an immense amount of options. What I've discovered in my searching is that Vegas.com/weddings - is the best place to start. It not only provides information on Las Vegas itself, but gives you a variety of links to go to from there to figure out the best Las Vegas wedding for YOU.

Personally, when we started planning our wedding I actually threw this idea out there...jump on a plane, stay at The Palms, have someone dressed like Elvis marry us and then the reception at the Bellagio. But you know, you get over that...plus, I still loved our wedding .




I hope we see this group of people, I think that would complete my life.



Okay readers, would you ever hop a plane to Las Vegas and just say the hell with all this planning, let's get married tonight! Let's hear what you have to say.

8.3.11

46. Wedding Humor

Need a laugh amidst the craziness of wedding planning? Take a breather, and check out some of these humorous someecards thanks to Melissa!

*all images via the someecards web site, check it out for more hilarious cards! I love it!






and my favorite...

Follow Someecards on:
Facebook
Twitter

Readers, is there a someecards you could add? We'd love to hear it...or feel free to create your own and share!

3.3.11

45. The Alternatives in Bridal Shower Gift-Opening

If every bride and every groom who gets married gets the choice to customize and stylize their wedding receptions, colors, flowers and everything else...it only makes sense that a bride gets to have some type of say in some aspects of her bridal shower. And regardless of the strides in customs and traditions we've made...somehow the bridal shower or what's expected of the event...remains the same.

1 - Has to be a surprise (or at least where I'm from)
2 - Invite most women on the wedding list
3 - After briefly, and I mean very briefly, eating some of the food...the bride is then expected to sit there like a china doll and open each and every present, smile and show it to everyone...and if she dares to speak out against this part, the women at the party wish the wrath of Lucifer on her.
 
 
Just kidding...but seriously, a bride who doesn't like this tradition, is often overruled....and being a bride who had to do this...it's not exactly fun. First request, I'd like a Miller Lite...then I'll open these gifts.

Don't get me wrong, my bridal shower was absolutely amazing...but the idea of opening presents in front of like 50 people, made my stomach flip.  Some people love it - while others shy away from that. And almost every response of finding alternatives to opening gifts - or not at all, is met with the same answer "then decline to have a shower" which honestly, I think is the wrong attitude.
But I'm not just ranting as a bride, and I've been to my fair share of a bridal (and baby) showers as a bridesmaid and guest, and the time that it can sometimes take to open all the gifts can be wearing on the guests as well. I'd rather have 10 minutes face-time with the guest-of-honor then 2 hours of watching her open gifts.

And maybe I can't turn back time, but I hopefully can help brides-to-be turn this part of a shower that some dread into something more positive.
Here are some ideas to shoot to your bridesmaid and the others who have a hand in your shower.
  • Encourage guests to skip the wrapping paper and call it a "green-friendly shower." Suggest they use baskets or just a bow. These items can be used over and over again to “wrap” gifts in the future. 
  • In the same sense, you can do a "display shower." Set up a long table and when the guests arrive have them write their name on a place card and setup the gift with the place card. So then the bride can take sometime and walk down the line and see all the gifts. 
  • Utilize your bridesmaids the best way you can and set up an assembly line.
    • They can hand you the gifts
    • One or two can do the majority of the unwrapping and leave the card reading and first look at the gift to you when they hand it to you
    • Ask another (most likely the MOH) to write down the gift and the gift giver in a notebook for you later to refer to.
  •  Here's my favorite idea: When the guests arrive give them a raffle ticket and tell them to put their name on it. Explain that the bride wants to be able to spend more time mingling and will only open a certain pre-determined number of gifts (not including the BMs and MOB/MOG gifts, duh) and that she will raffle off numbers. You can set it up like the lotteries on TV and raffle off the numbers in a glamorous style.  So say 50 guests show up...do 15 gifts. That way some gifts get opened and you still have time to mingle. Also, if a guest seems particularly off put by this idea...it's easy to fix the drawing so their name comes up!
The simple truth is some people expect you to open the gifts...and all of them. And some people will get offended if you don't open their gifts, so if you choose an option where you aren't opening all gifts...be prepared for that. It is a bridal shower thrown in your honor, people put time aside for this event and bought you a gift. BUT if a bride is having anxiety about opening all the presents, or there are a ridiculous amount of gifts to open...one of these other choices can be a nice option.

I've been to showers where the bride has taken around 2-3 hours to open presents, showers that have put me to sleep because they're boring and I've also been to great showers where I'm kept involved with the gift-opening.

I'm all for "do whatever the hell you want" but great Aunt Maude may not be. It's 2011...not 1952, we now have choices. Let's embrace it

Other online reads for this topic:
Wedding Bee blog post
About.com
MetaFilter
TheKnot

Hey readers, do you have any alternatives to bridal shower gift-opening? Or do you think you should stick to the rules of tradition and do as those have done in the past? Let's hear it.