Happy Holidays from Completely Weddings

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Destination Wedding – Las Vegas, NV

Getting married in Las Vegas is fun, exciting, and can fit into even the tightest of wedding budgets.  Weddings in Vegas can be cozy and intimate or wild and themed.  If you want to get married by Elvis, that’s a possibility.  That’s the great thing about Las Vegas, anything goes!

Getting Married in Vegas – Pros and Cons
A major perk of getting married in Vegas is that weddings can be put together with little to no notice, and there will always be a place available no matter the time or date.  There are hundreds of churches and chapels in Vegas, but those aren’t your only options.  Hotels, tourist attractions, and public areas can also make elegant wedding locations.

Cons of getting married in Vegas include tacky decorations of some locations and the stigma of having a quickie wedding in Sin City.  If your dream is to have your wedding in Vegas and you are afraid of tacky décor, just request photos of the location before you book it.  Your Vegas wedding is really all about you and your fiancé, and if having a fantastic time is your main goal, then burgundy carpet shouldn’t be a deal breaker.  If it is, there are hundreds more places to choose from in every budget imaginable.

What’s Different in Vegas Weddings?
Las Vegas offers twenty-four hour entertainment, shows, fine dining, and more!  You and your guests will never get bored and your wedding trip will be like one big party.  Wedding packages even start under $50 for the bride on a shoestring budget, but can range up in the thousands for the bride who wants a more elaborate reception.  If you shop around and plan ahead it’s possible to find wedding packages under $500 including limousine services, chapel rental, reception area, a minister, witnesses, and more.  Some companies even throw in generic rental flowers and cakes.  Anything is possible in Las Vegas and if you go with the right company you can get a fantastic wedding at a great price!

Long Distance Wedding Planning

My niece, Jennifer Nalus, is getting married in January, 2010.  I was so excited when she asked me to help her plan her wedding.  The wedding is in the Philippines and I am in California, so that is a bit of a challenge.  All my wedding vendors are in the US and I am not familiar with wedding vendors in the Philippines.  However, with my talented sister-in-law and my other nieces helping their sister, everything is working fine.  Jenny’s wedding planning is coming together.

Black and White Wedding Colors

Jenny chose black and white as her wedding colors.  She and her bridesmaids will be wearing white.  The bridesmaids will have black lining on the dresses while the MOH will wear black of the same design with white lining.  The groom will wear a black barong tagalog.  Barong tagalog is a native formal wear. The flower girl will be carrying a black and white basket filled with white petals while the ring bearer will be carrying a black and white ring pillow.

The reception will be held at the elegant Shangri-La Hotel with 200 guests.  The tables and chairs will be covered with black linen accented with white dinner plates and white napkins.  A white pillar candle embellished with white butterfly, white silk flowers and pearls will be the main centerpiece.  White rose petals and silver-wrapped chocolate kisses will be scattered around the centerpiece to give a colorful contrast to the black table top.  The pillar candles will also be surrounded by cute bride and groom votive candles.

Wedding Gown, Bouquets and Cake

Jenny chose a local designer, Olan Roque, to design her bridal gown; and did I say it looks fabulous!  The wedding gown is made with Mikado silk and chiffon with cut beads and stones hand sewn into the halter neckline.  As for the wedding bouquet, the bride will be carrying red roses, her favorite flower, dotted with stephanotis.  The bridesmaids and MOH will be carrying white calla lilies wrapped in black and white satin handle.

The white wedding cake will be decorated with cascading red roses and black ribbons.  Replica dolls of the bride and groom will be added to the base cake tier.  I was told that the cake is designed and will be made by one of Jenny’s friends.  It looks splendid!

Reception Menu

Since Jenny is marrying a chef, isn’t any wonder that the menu is so mouth-watering?  It makes me hungry just reading about it!  Here is the menu:

Salads and Appetizers

• Selection of garden greens with various dressings
• Potato Salad with croutons, bacons and spring onion
• Coleslaw

Soup

• Pumpkin or Mushroom soup

Main Courses

• Lasagna
• Chicken with homemade barbeque sauce
• Sesame breaded snapper with pickled Mayo
• Kingdao Spareribs
• Lechon

Desserts

• Assorted cakes and pastries
• Fresh fruit platters

More details  of the wedding planning  later …

Honeymoon Registry

With more and more couples waiting longer to get married, they typically already have the usual wedding gifts such as pots, pans, linens and household items.  Thus, many engaged couples are skipping the traditional wedding gift registries and are opting for the modern “honeymoon registries”.

Honeymoon registries allow your wedding guests who would normally buy you sheets and pillow cases to instead purchase part of your honeymoon experience.  This is not the same as asking your guests for cash, which is often frowned upon as unacceptable wedding etiquette.  Honeymoon registries are as courteous as gift registries.  Items on the honeymoon registries can vary widely just like the items you choose in a traditional gift registry.

What Can You Include in your Honeymoon Registry?

After picking the location of your honeymoon, you can register for items such as:

• Hotel stays or bed and breakfast accommodations

• Transportation such as limos and rental cars

• Romantic dinner for two

• Tickets to local shows

• Spa massages for two

• Entrance fees to tourist attractions

Your honeymoon registry isn’t limited to the items seen above either!  If you’ve always wanted to do something crazy like skydiving, you can add it to your list and go for it on your honeymoon.  Also the more details you give on your registry the more the person giving the gift will feel involved.  Don’t just say you want to visit a museum while on your NYC honeymoon, but say you want to visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  Instead of saying you want three nights at a hotel, you can say you want to stay three nights at the beautiful 5 star St. Regis overlooking Manhattan’s world famous Fifth Avenue.

There are many online services that will help you plan your honeymoon registry.   Some even have example registries so you get a feel of how your registry should look.  Don’t be afraid to compare companies either before deciding which one to register with, this is your honeymoon you are planning.  Pick a registry site that is trustworthy.  Here is a site that compares popular honeymoon registries: Creative Honeymoon Ideas

Registering with a travel agency in person is also an option. It may make you feel safer knowing you can speak with someone face to face about your trip.  With the right planning, you wedding guests can help you have the honeymoon of your dreams, and you won’t even have to return five crock pots to get it!

Four Great Ideas for Your Bachelorette Party

A popular way to celebrate a friend’s last days as a single girl is to honor her with a bachelorette party, otherwise also known as a “hen party”.  This event is usually hosted by one or more members of the wedding party, or any friend in honor of the bride-to-be.  Although the bachelorette party is never hosted by the bride-to-be, you can participate in its planning.

Generally people think of bachelorette parties as a night of alcohol and watching male strippers.  Now a days, it is becoming more of an opportunity for “female bonding” with activities that are fun and appropriate for bridesmaids and friends of any age.  If you are looking for alternative activities for your bachelorette party, here are four great ideas for that special girls’ night out.

1.      Spa Night

A night at the spa is a popular theme many brides are choosing for their bachelorette parties.  Spas are now opening up for private events and will cater to the party requests of soon-to-be brides.  Many women find that a facial, pedicure, manicure, and massage not only helps them to de-stress before the big day, but is also an activity that tops a night out in a crowded smoky club.  The next day you and your girl friends will be glowing and refreshed instead of nurturing a hung over.

2.    Sleepovers

Sleepovers are no longer for thirteen year old girls.  Today’s brides are inviting over their best girl friends of all ages for a night of chick flicks, pizza, and secrets.  Play some games in between the movies and trading secrets. One such game is  “toilet paper bride”.  Women team up in pairs of two, each team gets a roll of toilet paper, and the teams try to come up with the prettiest toilet paper wedding gown.  You, as the bride-to-be gets to pick the winning team.  Another version of this game is to see which team can wrap up their “bride” the quickest with the toilet paper, mummy style.  These ultra hip slumber parties aren’t just limited to houses either, for a fun twist have the sleepover at a hotel and order ice cream from room service.

3.    Karaoke Bar Fun

For bridal parties that still want to party but want to skip the traditional strip club, a karaoke bar is a fun alternative. You do not need to be an “American Idol” to stand up and belt a tune or two.  Who knows, you, one of your bridesmaids and / or girl friends might have a hidden singing talent that is waiting to be discovered.

4.    Group Cooking Class

For the undomesticated bride, group cooking classes are a unique idea.  Not only will the bride learn some handy kitchen skills, but she can also learn a tasty recipe to cook up for her new husband.  If the bride cooks like a pro, substitute the cooking lessons for group scrap booking classes.  The bride can learn how to make a beautiful wedding scrapbook instead of having to pay a professional.  Bridesmaids can also discover their inner scrap booking or cooking talents in the group class.

Bachelorette parties are no longer just about drinking and watching male strippers.  Brides are skipping the traditional party themes and instead are going with a more modern approach.  No matter which party theme you choose, you’re wedding group is bound to have a blast!

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