Category: Basic wedding advice.

Recently a bride tipped us off that she used an online RSVP form from Wufoo.

Want to be a DIY bride but don’t know how to get started? WeddingDNA.com gives you access to chic graphic templates which can be used for wedding invitations, save-the-dates, programs, thank-you notes, place cards…even powerpoint presentations for reception slideshows! Membership’s just $39.95/year, and you can download and print as much as you need to create a cohesive wedding style. I’m partial to the Moonlit Owl design—a new twist on the usual lovebirds!

I confess to major butterflies for my interview with celebrity wedding planner and TV show host, David Tutera at the elegant Langham Huntington Hotel in Pasadena last month. I needn’t have worried. He was warm and charming, and very open to sharing his wedding planning pointers. Later when I dished the dirt with two of his “My Fair Wedding” Season 2 brides, Dee and Quiana, they both agreed that he was way more personable and down-to-earth than they had expected. I was particularly excited to confirm that David and I were in complete agreement about several key “Wedding Dos & Don’ts.”

I saw a super simple DIY way to decorate your cocktail tables for your wedding while hanging out on the harborside terrace at The Ritz-Carlton Marina Del Rey.

A Guide Bride wanted to incorporate the groom’s Middle Eastern heritage in the invites and place cards, so she recently asked me if I could help her find Arabic wedding stationary. As someone who did the same fruitless search 7 years ago, I suggested an alternative that didn’t involve ordering invitations from an international vendor (will it arrive in time? what’s the currency exchange again?).

If your personality is more backyard than ballroom, you’re in good company this year. The New York Times says that casual food and a relaxed setting are the latest trend among couples who either don’t have the money for a fancier wedding—or just don’t want to look inappropriately lavish in this economy. Whatever the reason, an at-home, casual wedding is always appropriate, IMHO.

Here’s my project for the week that is affordable, great for DIY, but also something exceptionally charming to show that floral designers aren’t necessarily wedded to flowers: a button boutonniere!

From elegant Edwardian prose to a rousing pirate-style celebration, Ms. Crockett has compiled detailed ceremony scripts with authentic vows, suggested readings and music, even descriptions of the appropriate physical layout and participants. Whether you use her themed ceremonies as a blueprint or as a starting-point for your own poetic flourishes, Wedding Ceremonies can help you make some history of your own!