My favorite wedding color scheme pairings are those that are just a tad unexpected, usually because the two or three or more colors chosen are not typically seen together. Other color combos are surprising because of the extreme visual contrast between the hues, while some are a little shocking because the chosen colors are seldom combined in decor or fashion or art or weddings.

One unexpected wedding color combination I’ve been loving lately is yellow and gray, where the yellow is bright and/or cheerful and the gray is either quite muted or so in-your-face as to be practically silver. Both work brilliantly, though for different reasons. Plus, yellow and silver were big late last year and early this year, so there’s no shortage of wedding accessories for the bride and groom who want to rock this combo. If you like it or think you may love it, here are some images that may inspire you.

Sometimes bridesmaids wear yellow and wear gray accessories, and sometimes bridesmaids wear gray or silver and carry yellow bridesmaids’ bouquets. These bridesmaids photographed by Stephanie Williams wore a soft gray AND yellow! (via)

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Sometimes I think that it’s no wonder that brides-to-be get a little nutty from time to time when planning their weddings. I’m not saying brides should act like they’re auditioning for the newest WE channel show. Keeping the f-bombs to a minimum in public forums is just plain polite. But some grumpy, snippy days? A few outbursts aimed at people who probably deserve them? A few quarts of tears? People planning an entire wedding should be able to express their negative feelings without fearing that they’ll be labeled a Bridezilla for life! Why?

Your Time Is No Longer Your Own
Planning a wedding can be a full-time job, which is precisely why there are people out there who have made it their profession. We call them wedding planners and while it would be lovely if we could all afford one if we wanted one, it’s not always financially feasible. So in addition to planning a wedding full time, the bride is also usually working full time at the job that is most likely paying for part of her wedding. And this during business hours, when wedding vendors like caterers and bakers usually work. When reception spaces actually pickup the phone. And so on. Lunch hour wedding planning is now the norm, but it is certainly not ideal.

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One of the big problems with writing about weddings for a living is that when your own wedding rolls around, no one wants to help you plan it. All right, maybe family and friends might want to help you plan your wedding, but they assume that you know exactly what you want and how to get it and therefor don’t need any wedding planning help. Or, worse, they are afraid to offer suggestions or lend a hand because they think you’ll get po’ed. Needless to say, I did not have a big fat German/Russian/Scottish/French/Whatever wedding.

I can see the same thing happening to professed wedding enthusiasts, which I know many of our readers are. Your loved ones may assume that you don’t need or want any help putting together your ceremony and reception because, well, you obviously know all there is to know about weddings. Then again, maybe you’re drowning under a sea of well-intentioned busybodies who are insisting that you simply must hire their hairdresser’s niece to create your wedding cake, since she just completed a cake decorating course at adult extension. The grass is always greener, right?

Today we’re curious to know about your wedding planning experience? Did your family let you know what their expectations were? Did your friends make not-so-subtle suggestions where the food, drink, or dresses were concerned? Or was your wedding planning experience more like my own, where you found yourself waiting for help that never materialized? Vote in the poll and then elaborate in the comments!

Image via Sandie Bertrand Photography

Brides and grooms with all of the money in the world don’t have to worry about wasting money. A wedding gown or reception venue that costs $10,000 is no different than one that costs $1,000. Money, simply put, is not an issue. Lucky them, right? The rest of us have to plan our weddings within the confines of some kind of wedding budget, whether we have $2500 or $25,000 to spend.

What that means is that most brides and grooms are forced, to some extent, to prioritize when choosing wedding vendors or supplies. There is no “I want it all!” because the money just isn’t there, and (one hopes) financing the wedding on credit isn’t an option. Sure, there are the must-haves, like a top notch photographer or a really fine reception meal, that couples choose based on their personal preferences, but affording one or two luxuries usually means identifying other areas of the wedding where cutbacks can be made.

To do that, it’s a good idea to think in terms of matrimonial money-wasters. Like I said about, if you’re flush, there’s no such thing as a waste of cash, but if economizing here and there is your goal, there are definite money dumps that can be easily avoided. For example:

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I don’t know how many of you are fellow fans of Lolcats, but I find them remarkably funny. What surprised me was the discovery that someone has actually translated wedding vows into Lolspeak.

Of course Lolspeak isn’t the only possible language to hold your wedding in. How about Klingon for my fellow Trekkies?

Of course, these are languages that exist only in imagination. They’re fun to play with and amusing to know, but not really vital in day-to-day life.

But what if a participant – or honored guest – has a significant hearing impairment? That’s a far more serious issue.

This really isn’t a new question. In fact, there are references to and descriptions of weddings involving some form of sign language dating back at least as far as the sixteenth century. For instance, this wedding held in 1576:

…and because the sayde Thomas was and is naturally deafe, and also dumbe, so that the order of the form of marriage used usually amongst others, which can heare and speake, could not for his parte be observed. After the approbation had from Thomas, the Bishoppe of Lincolne, John Chippendale, doctor in law, and commissarye, as also of Mr. Richd. Davye, then Mayor of the town of Leicester, with others of his brethren, with the rest of the parishe, the said Thomas, for the expressing of his mind instead of words, of his own accord used these signs :
First, he embraced her with his arms, and took her by the hand, putt a ring upon her finger, and layde his hande upon his hearte, and then upon her hearte, and held up his handes toward heaven. And to show his continuance to dwell with her to his lyves ende, he did it by closing of his eyes with his handes, and digginge out of the earth with his foote, and pullinge as though he would ring a bell, with diverse other signes.

Today, of course, sign language is formalized, though, as with verbal languages, there are regional differences. That means this gentleman was able to say his vows in a recognized language.

If you expect to have members of the Deaf community at your wedding, though, one thing is sure: they’ll appreciate being thoughtfully included in the proceedings. Consider having your vows printed on your program, or even hiring an interpreter to sign the ceremony as you speak it.

Part of being a good host is recognizing and doing your best to comfortably accommodate the needs of your guests. That includes their ability to understand the event as it happens.

The blog The Simple Dollar recently did a series that included posts on having a reasonable courtship, a reasonable engagement, and of course, a reasonable Wedding. Naturally, by reasonable, the author means “not costing an arm and a leg.” Nowadays I’m hearing conflicting reports about wedding spending these days, with articles like Brides on a Budget: 75% of Weddings Being Scaled Back and Wedding spend climbs 5.2 percent both appearing in my inbox. Still, there are a lot of budget brides out there, and all budget wedding advice is not created equal. I thought it would be fun to take a look at some of The Simple Dollar’s advice.

Start your planning as far in advance of the wedding as possible. Set a tentative date as quickly as possible and start planning as soon as you can, even if you’re planning something very simple.

Doing so may let you lock in prices on wedding venues, hotels, and entertainment costs, but there are no guarantees. Making reservations early is simply the best way to ensure you can reserve the wedding venues and vendors you really like. That said, don’t let your zest for making those early reservations keep you from researching wedding services before putting down deposits, because hasty decision making can blow your wedding budget in no time.

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Whether or not to include children in your wedding party and/or guest list is a purely personal decision. I want to make it very clear that if you choose not to include kids, I’m not going to make any sort of attempt to change your mind. Make your day adult, and have a great time with it.

If, however, you’ve decided to include children in your celebration, whether as guests or as participants, there are a few things you may want to consider in making your plans. After all, you want them to have a good time…and you want their parents to have a good time, too.

Don’t panic. It really isn’t that hard to do. If you follow a few simple tips, even your youngest guests and attendants will remember your day fondly.

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