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While no date has been revealed, it is thought the ceremony will be held in a few months and be the biggest since William’s mother, Diana, married Prince Charles.

Article Source: People Magazine Online

Friends and family were involved with all elements of the ceremony and reception as well.  Dave’s aunt, Reverend Bonnie Rose, was our officiant and a friend played guitar at the ceremony.  A big moment at the ceremony was when Dave and I turned to face the entire group gathered and sang a favorite hymn of mine, “I am so blessed,” together.  It was incredibly moving to look at all these people gathered to support us and sing about how blessed and grateful we were in that moment.

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After some research I have come up with what I think to be the best ideas to aid you in writing loving, and specialized vows.

Image Credit - Flickr

 

1.   The first step when writing your vows is to sit down and think of questions that pertain to you and your future spouse. Writing down the answers will aid you in coming up with proper words to say when you are speaking your vows. A few examples of questions are as follows.

•    What qualities does your future spouse have that makes them so special to you?

•    When did you first know you were in love?

•    When did you first know they were the one you wanted to spend the rest of your life with?

•    Why do you want to spend the rest of your life with them?

•    What does Marriage mean to you?

•    What is your favorite memory about the two of you?

•    What made you laugh together?

•    What moments made you cry together?

•    Do you have any inside jokes?

•    Are there any moments that brought you closer together?

•    What future dreams do you have that include your spouse to be?

2.    Keeping your vows personal between the two of you will enhance your special day. With the answers to your questions written down you can now think of ways to combine them into your specialized vows!

3.    If you feel that there is something lacking or you want to add more than just the answers together try to think up special quotes to your favorite movies, particular song lyrics, or lines from much loved poetry. These can be ways to easily start or end your vows and continue a flowing manner.

4.    Something to keep in mind when writing your vows is, are they written in a positive tone. You do not want to start your marriage off on the wrong foot!  An example of keeping positive is saying “I will love you forever.” Vs. “I will never hate you.” Think to yourself which sentence you would rather hear your future spouse say to you?

5.    Now that you are all set to write your vows, I want you to think about the lines you are about to say. Do your vows apply to your life and the way you feel today? But more so, will they apply to your life and the way you will feel 90 years from now. Try to keep your vows timeless, you might want to refer back to them on your anniversaries or when you have a tiff in your marriage. They may also be something you decide to frame on the wall and look at every day. With that in mind you might want to make sure whatever your vows say will always be applied to your lives together.

6.    Read your vows several times before the wedding. It would also be a good idea to read them aloud to a friend or relative to insure they flow easily and others can understand your words. Reading them aloud several times in front of others or in the mirror will also help in aiding any nerves that you might have before you read them to your companion.

7.    The most important thing to remember when reading your vows is to make sure you have fun. This is your moment to say everything you feel in your heart. Make sure that your loved one knows just what they mean to you. I know that if you follow these easy steps you will succeed in writing breathtaking vows that will inspire and impress your marriage partner!

Marina Chernyak is the co-owner of 1001Shops LLC, a one stop shop of unique imported products like Limoges boxes, Music boxes and many more.

From Miss Scissors, “I didn’t buy this book initially because it didn’t look too exciting—it wasn’t hot pink, it didn’t look very fun, I thought it had a fairly cheesy title, and I just judged it by its cover. After buying about every other book on the planet, including every terrible one offered by The Knot, I decided it was time to look at some reviews. Let me tell you––it is the ONLY wedding book that I’ve used fairly religiously, and it’s the most comprehensive one I’ve found.”

If you head over to Amazon, where you can purchase it for a measly $13.57, you’ll find more of the same raves. Out of 36 reviews there are a total of 34 5-stars. Here are what a couple of readers had to say about it.

This book totally saved me. After feeling overwhelmed about planning my wedding for weeks and weeks, I can finally take a deep breath and say that my fiance and I are REALLY EXCITED after reading Mindy’s book. There are so many great ideas in here that I would have never thought of, and so many of them are absolutely inspiring. This book is so comprehensive, it really talks about everything you want and need to know about planning your wedding. It’s like Mindy is right there guiding you through every step of the way! The BEST part though, is that there are so many fun facts and cute details in the book…I couldn’t put it down. If you’re a bride-to-be, I highly recommend Mindy’s book…you’ll absolutely love it. If you’re a bridesmaid, do the bride a big favor and pick this up for her!

I am getting married next spring and just bought Mindy’s book and I am obsessed! I read it cover to cover and couldn’t put it down! My fiancé read it too and thought it was really helpful and it helped him get more involved in the planning process. The Wedding Book has every piece of information that I need to plan my wedding – how to do a budget, who to invite, what to wear, what to serve, what flowers to choose, how to pick your cake, it has helpful diagrams, checklists and even a section on planning a honeymoon…there isn’t a thing this book doesn’t have! Who needs a wedding planner when you have Mindy’s book! This is a must-have for anyone who is getting married and a great gift for a recently engaged friend or relative!

So do yourself a favor and get to your nearest Borders, Barnes & Noble or click on over to Amazon and start reading this fabulous book before you get in over your head. It will help make the entire planning process that much easier and more enjoyable.

I’ve always considered myself organized, but my army of spreadsheets, charts, graphs, and folders have shown me that I really can organize a huge event and simultaneously deal with the merging of household finances. It helps that Mr. Oyster is constantly telling me how impressed he is.

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This was 9 years ago, I was just starting to transition my graphic design business into a photography business. I spent more time meeting with photographers and pouring over websites than any other vendor. When I found THE ONE (no, not my hubby, my photog), I felt complete peace. Utter trust. Ooooo – naivete. I really thought that he would completely handle the timeline of the photos. I assumed he would organize the group shots and be timely about it. I made sure we had a full 53 minutes after the ceremony for photos. I was wrong… and in a film captured wedding with only 320 some frames SHOT, out of the 250 some frames that he proofed for us, I have 3 images of the 2 of us. T H R E E ! They are within seconds of eachother and… well… honestly, I still get upset thinking about it so that is why I am dedicating my first BridePop blog post to the question all brides my face: to see or not to see?

When I got married in 2001, things were different. The blogosphere had not exploded. Sharing wedding images online was really in infancy and the concept of shooting any photos with your groom before that wedding band was on was just not popular. But now, the discerning bride, who prioritizes the visual capture of her wedding, must pick her side of the fence on this important wedding decision. As a wedding photographer, I know that your most treasured images are by far the ones of the two of you alone. When I design albums, I over emphasize the shots of just the couple. Perhaps this is from my own bad experience, but none of my brides have complained. When brides send me their favorite images, a huge chunk of images are of the two of them. What would you want to print for your home? A giant canvas of the centerpiece or an incredibly romantic or artistic shot of the two of you?

I now have two little boys. They love the two wedding photos I have in our house. As much as I don’t LOVE them, they are hugely important. They show the boys that mommy and daddy were and ARE still in love. It’s an anchor piece in our home. So when you plan your wedding day timeline, PLEASE consider the time you allow for photos. I believe in maximizing efficiency in your time for photos so you aren’t rude to your guests, but that’s another post. The matter at hand is tradition.

Why do we hold to this tradition? Tradition is always empty and meaningless when you don’t know why you do it or how it started. If you research that and feel it is right for you – then don’t see each other. As a Baltimore wedding photographer, I find that this tradition is fading in our area. Perhaps it is still more of a southern tradition? If it’s not that black and white for you, then here’s a little help. I like charts and am a visual person, so I made a little graphic for ya:

OK, so I am a little biased. But remember, I trusted my professional photographer and it didn’t seem like he had thought of any of this.

A wedding ceremony is this odd mix of intimacy and public celebration. It’s about the two of you becoming one… but in front of many. Most couples will agree that at the end of the wedding, they look at each other and say, “Wow. Hi! We’re married!” realizing that while they have been together all day, they haven’t had any quality alone time. It is romance that brought you to the marriage in the first place, and often times weddings seem to be the least romantic day. I observe tons of weddings a year. The weddings that have the best photos of the bride and groom are the ones who see each other first (or a least really make their couple photo session time super private). I get more comments on the photos of couples who see each other first than those who don’t. Why? Because it gives you a chance to connect with each other and focus in on what you are about to do. It may be the only time you are alone on your wedding day until you are in the car leaving.

As a photographer, I LOVE to make incredible photos during your day. To remove as many inhibitions as possible, I make sure NO ONE can see the photo session taking place. I also request this privacy after the ceremony, but strictly guard that time before the ceremony. If seeing each other before hand makes you both more relaxed, that will naturally translate into better photos.

About 15 minutes into shooting the two of them alone.

I know what you’re thinking… normally, the first obstacle a bride has to overcome is the notion of his expression when he sees her in her dress for the first time. I always say that expectations are premeditated resentments. Expecting an emotional reaction from your groom may set you up for disappointment. I couldn’t wait to see Pete’s expression as I came down the aisle (er, outdoor pathway aisle type walk). Yet, it was far enough away I couldn’t really see his reaction. In reality, I didn’t see it live because I was focused on my dad holding my hand, passing by my mom and sobbing sister, hoping I didn’t trip on the front of my dress or fall into the fountain… I was distracted more than I thought I would be. But had we seen each other first, I would have not only seen his reaction to my dress, but we could’ve talked and hugged and connected. I’ve never had a couple who regretted seeing each other first, but many who choose tradition do wish they had more time later.

In the end, it is your decision to take wedding photos before the ceremony or not, and you should not be pushed by anyone to move away from what you feel comfortable about. In the same token, I urge you to talk with your photographer about their view on this. When I am given time to be creative, my passion lets loose . At the same time, I am used to working under pressure and enjoy the challenge of The Crunch (what I call that sliver of time between ceremony and reception where I must work magic in order to avoid smiles like Velveeta and plastic Ken and Barbie poses). If anything, I hope this blog post sparks conversation between you and your fiancee and your photographer.

To see or not to see, that is the question:
Whether ’tis nobler in the timeline to suffer
The slings and harrows of the cocktail hour,
Or to take arms against a sea of minutes
And, by posing, end them.

(my lil adaptation of Hamlet)

Kimberly Brooke is a photographer in the DC/Baltimore area. She can also be found on twitter.