Planning a wedding is challenging!  At Old Church Chapel, a Florida Wedding Chapel, we try and make planning your chapel wedding ceremony as simple,  straightforward, and stress free as possible.  We have found some apps that can be downloaded and installed on your phone.  Hopefully, this will help you with some of the details that you may need to attend to as part of your Florida Wedding Chapel ceremony.

 

Apps That Everyone Planning A Wedding Should Download To Their Phones Immediately

Some people love planning things, and naturally don their cruise-director cap when planning vacations, college reunions, and weddings. I am not one of these people. Planning my wedding was one of the most stressful experiences of my life. Luckily, the best apps for wedding season can make your planning experience a little more enjoyable than mine. Necessity is the mother of invention, and the creation of wedding-planning apps can help you streamline the eleventy-million things you need to keep track of.

These days, apps can help you keep track of everything from your budget to your glam squad so you can get out of the weeds and actually enjoy the process. Many of these apps were created because a stressed-out maid of honor, or bride, threw her hands up and screamed, “there’s got to be a better way.” Gone are the days of the giant wedding binder, the out of control email inbox with quotes from zillions of vendors, and the stack of bridal magazines.

Everything you need to plan the wedding of your dreams fits into the palm of your hand in the form of your trusty smartphone. If your phone isn’t already your best friend it will be after you explore the best apps for wedding season.

WeddingWire

So you’re getting married. Now what? If you have no idea where to begin with your wedding planning, WeddingWire can help. In addition to compiling a list of wedding vendors, WeddingWire offers free, easy-to-use wedding planning tools like customizable wedding checklists, wedding websites with more than 120 different design templates, and a comprehensive wedding registry. You can also create a calendar to remind you of tasks that need to be completed leading up to the big day, manage the guest list, develop a budget, and more. They even offer Snapchat filters for your wedding.

 

Glam App

 

Need a hair and makeup genius? The Glam App can deliver one right to your door. Offering services that range from a blow dry, to make up applications, to manicures, get your own wedding party glam squad. With locations in more than a dozen U.S. cities this app can save you time, and help you look stellar for your big day.

Loverly

 

If you don’t want to look through a trillion websites to search for wedding inspiration, Loverly has put everything in one place. While this one isn’t technically an app, it’s still pretty great. Dubbed the Pinterest of weddings, this helpful haven is a place couples can come for the well-rounded wedding support for everything from bridal-shower ideas to alternative wedding options.

 

Skipper

If you’ve got guests coming in from out of town for the wedding Skipper can simplify and streamline the hotel booking process. This app is like a dating service for finding the perfect hotel for your needs. Enter the size of your group, what you’re looking for and Skipper returns rated matches based on your preferences. Then simply block the rooms from the app. Easy peasy.

 

Wedding Dress Studio

 

When it’s time to say yes to the dress try on your favorite styles virtually with Wedding Dress Studio. This app allows you to choose the style, neckline, materials, details, and more. Upload a full-body photo to try on the dress right from your phone. This is a godsend if you hate shopping. And, each dress is shaped and tailored for every bride so no two are alike.

 

Read the entire Article here www.bustle.com

 

 Old Church Wedding Chapel is known for allowing our couples to have the ceremony of their dreams, no matter what those dreams are.  We are firm believers in traditions – our Florida Wedding Chapel is the place to start your own traditions!

This wedding trend is getting more popular, and it saves everyone money

There’s a new popular wedding trend that has everyone saving money. Brides are saying no to having bridesmaids in 2017. In theory, having your best friends stand with you on the happiest day of your life is a great idea. But in reality… things get complicated. No matter how easy you try to make your wedding, it’s stressful to have/be a bridesmaid. This new trend is a “fix all” for all parties involved.

From the friend-of-the-bride’s perspective, it’s a bittersweet situation from the moment your pal asks you to be part of her special day.

You’re over the moon for your friend, but you also know it’s going to cost a small fortune and countless hours to properly celebrate her wedding.

Unless you’re independently wealthy, you don’t have either of those resources to spare. It’s a huge commitment and can be draining and sometimes damaging to the friendship.

From the bride’s perspective, it’s constant stress to try to not leave anyone out, all while creating a “perfect day.” Managing dresses and avoiding arguments is tricky stuff. Even after taking every precaution, someone is bound to be “grumpy” about something.

Instead of trying to troubleshoot this seemingly impossible task brides have opted to forgo the whole tradition completely. According to Pinterest, millennials are searching for wedding ideas that have no bridal party at all. And this is no niche trend: Pinterest has seen a 100 percent year-over-year increase in related searches.

We think this is a pretty fantastic trend, but brides are allowed to have whatever type of wedding they want. Bridesmaids, no bridesmaids, heck, have goats for bridesmaids, we’re cool with that, too. Ultimately, we love any trend that allows everyone to have an incredible day with memories to last a lifetime.

Read the entire article here hellogiggles.com

 

Old Church Wedding Chapel  is a smaller, historic, fully restored “old Florida” Wedding Chapel.  We are really focused on smaller wedding ceremonies because our Florida Wedding Chapel will seat 7o guests or less.  Here is an interesting article about how to make your very special Florida Wedding Chapel Ceremony and Reception feel like a huge celebration!

Ways to make your small wedding feel like big celebration

It’s not just the ridiculous cost of weddings these days that makes some couple opt to have a small wedding guest list. Whether you live far away from your extended family or simply can’t think of 200+ people you care enough about to invite, small weddings often make more sense.

However, just because your wedding is tiny in size doesn’t mean that it shouldn’t look and feel as glamorous as a bigger shindig. Here are some small wedding ideas that will make your intimate gathering look and feel as special as anything you might see on Pinterest or Instagram.

Dinner party in a forest, anyone? With fewer people’s schedules to accommodate, your intimate wedding is the perfect opportunity to have that tropical island or Italian villa wedding you’ve always dreamed about. Alternatively, it also gives you more options for nearby venues, too. Unlike large-scale weddings, you won’t be forced to pick from personality-less banquet halls or expensive hotel ballrooms and can instead consider hosting your wedding in an offbeat but beautiful place, like an art gallery or in the middle of the woods.

You may also want to consider having an at-home wedding and putting the cash you would otherwise spend towards improvements and decorations for your house. Home weddings are the perfect fit for an intimate guest list, with celebs like Miranda Kerr and Jennifer Aniston opting for chic backyard nuptials.

2 Brunch weddings are the new black tie

Likewise, a Saturday brunch wedding or a Thursday night summer garden party is easier to carry out with fewer people, and you’re likely to find that vendors are much more affordable and available during non-peak days and times of the week. Plus, with mimosas and doughnuts on hand, no one will miss a rubber chicken dinner and lame DJ.

3 Skip the bridal party, if you’d like

For some, having your BFFs by your side during your big day is a non-negotiable, but for others, coming up with a bridal party can bring unneeded drama and awkwardness to your nuptial plans. (Remember Anne Hathaway’s character in Bride Wars?) If your wedding is on the petite side, it doesn’t make sense to ask half of your guests to stand up at the altar with you, so feel free to skip this tradition and make your ceremony just about the two of you.

4 Have fun with your seating plans

Creative seating arrangements are all the rage on wedding blogs these days. Give your guests a better view of your face by seating them in the round or in a semi-circle during the ceremony, something that is impossible to do with 300 bodies.

During dinner, consider seating everyone at one table or a group of long, banquet-style tables that are pushed together. This gives you the opportunity to try another wedding trend – a garland adorned with flowers that acts as both your table runner and centerpiece in one!

5 Get creative with the entertainment

For a big wedding, it’s kind of expected that you will have a DJ or cover band play popular music for your guests to dance to. (Because what else can a large group of people comfortably do together in a ballroom situation?)

However, with an intimate wedding, you can be more thoughtful with your entertainment choices. Are your wedding guests not the types to dance anyway, or are they mostly an older crowd who’d be more inclined to stay seated and chat? Then, perhaps you might want to create a dinner party vibe and have a guitarist or jazz band play background music.

Or, you could forgo live music all together, fire up a Spotify playlist and do something entirely different. For example, you could put out lawn or board games, have an expert host a beer or wine tasting, set up a DIY floral station for guests to make their own boutonnières and flower crowns, or even hire a live painter or a balloonist to entertain guests.

6 Have your photographer take a big group shot

Although photographers typically try to capture portraits all of the bridal VIPs, it’s easy for them to miss capturing the majority of your guests with everything else that’s going on throughout a wedding.

A modest wedding is the perfect opportunity to rectify this situation. After all, 40 people can more easily fit into a frame than 125. Towards the end of cocktail hour, ask your photographer to round up everyone. This is the ideal time to do it as your family and friends should be in high spirits and have a cocktail in hand. Then, have your photog stand on a ladder, if needed, and take one “serious” posed photo of all your guests and then a few goofy ones. These will likely end up being some of your favorite photos from the night. Bonus points for successfully getting your guests to stand in a heart formation!

7 Host an after-party following a restaurant reception

If you’ve decided to host your reception at a restaurant, your wedding isn’t doomed to end as soon as the dessert course is served. An after-party is a great way to keep the good times going and so much easier to arrange with a smaller guest count. Instead of renting out a private space or house, consider taking an Uber to a local nightlife spot. Some bars may only require a reservation or heads-up that your group will be coming in.

Or, if you’re determined to end your big day with drinks and dancing until the wee hours of the morning, a nearby nightclub is your best bet. You may even want to splurge on table service to ensure your guests are able to get in and have a place to rest in between songs. After all, if you don’t deserve a sparkler-adorned bottle of Dom Perignon at your wedding after-party, when will you?

 

Read the entire article here hellogiggles.com

At Old Church Wedding Chapel, one of our specialties is the “pop-in” wedding.  The Wedding Chapel Pop In wedding ceremony was originally intended as a replacement for the courthouse wedding ceremonies which were done away with in 2016.  Marion County Civil Ceremonies are a thing of the past!

Our Wedding Chapel is a beautiful, fully restored, turn of the century church with a lot of history and Southern Charm.  It’s the perfect place for your elopement.

Here is a wonderful article from ABCNews.go.com about the trend for smaller weddings and elopments and the new businesses catering to the wedding couples.

 

New way to wed: Engaged couples opt for help from elopement planners

Some engaged couples who feel overwhelmed or disenchanted by the cost and stress of a traditional wedding are opting to elope and are turning to experts for help.

This new style of elopement may have less in common with what the term has traditionally meant — running away in secret to marry — and more with just a small, simple wedding with minimal emotional baggage.

 

Lorie Smith and John Tremaine had a change of heart about their dream wedding after they began planning the ceremony and saw the likely price tag.

“I’m looking at ‘weddings on a budget,’ and they’re like, ‘Have a wedding for $10,000,’ and that was a small wedding. And I was like, ‘Oh, whoa, no,'” Smith told ABC News. “We just decided, ‘Let’s just elope.'”

The couple came across The Elopement Co., based in Charlotte, North Carolina, which specializes in helping plan what may be actual elopements or just simple weddings, including at courthouses.

Charity Parrish, the company’s founder and creative coordinator, organized Smith and Tremaine’s nuptials in three days. She told ABC News that her company provides a service similar to traditional wedding planning but on a “much smaller scale.”

Charity Parrish, the company’s founder and creative coordinator, organized Smith and Tremaine’s nuptials in three days. She told ABC News that her company provides a service similar to traditional wedding planning but on a “much smaller scale.”

“I don’t have to think of things like caterers and a band and a dance floor and linens on a table,” she said. “Most of it is stuff that I can handle by myself. I bring the cupcakes. I bring the officiant. I make the flowers myself. I put it all together. I work with amazing people in town to get dresses and locations.”

Parrish worked with Smith and Tremaine to help make their ceremony at McGill Rose Garden in Charlotte stress-free and celebratory.

“We didn’t have to do anything,” Tremaine said.

“I didn’t have to worry about a bridesmaid and what they were going to wear and what this person was going to think if I didn’t ask that person and all that stuff,” Smith said.

Parrish believes she has found a niche market for people who would rather spend less money on a wedding but still want to mark their union in a festive way.

“I think a lot of couples these days are trying to be really smart about their decisions. And instead of spending [$20,000] to $30,000 on a wedding, they’re putting that money toward a house, a car, having a child, going on a great vacation,” she said.

Smith’s dressmaker and makeup artist for the big day said they have noticed an influx of interest in eloping or having scaled-down weddings.

“A lot of our newer clients are from brides eloping,” Erin Foley, a dressmaker for RCB Fashion, told ABC News. “It’s gotten to the point where we almost have to turn down work. We’re so busy,”

“I’m seeing more clients who are eloping,” said Lindsay Pizzuti, the bride’s makeup artist. “To me, it totally makes sense, especially for people who are more laid back and nontraditional.”

While running away to Las Vegas may never be out of fashion, Smith said she would recommend planned elopement to others.

“Eloping was really fun,” she said of her and Tremaine’s midweek marriage ceremony. “Everyone else is at work, and we got to run off and get married.”

Read the full article here abcnews.go.com

For couples ooking to have their Wedding Ceremony in Florida, Old Church Wedding Chapel offers a unique, historic, and beautiful location for your Wedding Ceremony.  Old Church Wedding Chapel is a fully restored “Old Florida” Church built and used by the local settlers of Marion County in the late 1800’s.

Old Church Wedding Chapel is non-denominational, we welcome and respect all couples, and appreciate that people wish to celebrate their union with a memorable, unique, ceremony.

Here is an article that discusses the reasons that more and more couples are celebrating their wedding ceremony at our Florida Wedding Chapel.

 

Growing Number of Americans Ditching Church Weddings

Fewer people are getting married in church nowadays.

Stats from The Knot’s 2016 Real Weddings Study found that only 26 percent of couples in the U.S. had their wedding ceremony in a religious institution in 2016; down from 41 percent in 2009.

In most cases, it’s a matter of personal preference.

Popular wedding venues include: farms, barns, beaches, ranches, beach houses, public gardens, wineries, museums and historic buildings and homes.

CBN News reporter Caitlin Burke recently exchanged vows at a lake house.

“I wanted to dictate the look of the ceremony and there’s only so much you can do in a church,” she explained.

She added, “I wanted to have the songs of my choice played during the ceremony, a lot of churches are specific about which songs you can play; i.e. acapella only, hyper critical of lyrics.”

Newlywed Trina Olson Keeny, who had a beach wedding, agreed.

“Our church did not allow wine at the reception and we wanted to dance to oldies. Dancing was allowed but we wanted to respect the church,” said Keeny.

Religious faith–or lack of it–is a major reason why some young couples shy away from traditional church weddings.

Millennials are leaving church at record numbers and they are described as America’s least religious generation.

Pew found that young adults between 1981 and 1996 are less likely than older Americans to pray or attend church regularly or to consider religion an important part of their lives.

The Rev. Dave Fulton, pastor at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, thinks that change in whether people are religious has affected weddings.

“I think it’s basically the sign of the culture, people are moving away from organized religion and churches,” Fulton said in an interview with The Wichita Eagle.

But some opt for different scenery, while holding on to their faith.

“I think couples are realizing that especially within the Christian denominations they can get married and their pastor can come to them at a different location,” said Ashley Moore, founder of Events and Design by Ashley.

“We don’t honestly do church weddings much anymore.”

Read full article here  www1.cbn.com

After you Wedding Chapel Ceremony comes the reception – whatever you decide to do, here are the 5 Drink mistakes you shouldn’t make according to Brides.com.

 

5 Drink Mistakes to Not Make at Your Wedding

The first thing most people do at a wedding is make a beeline for the bar. It makes sense on so many levels: For the single folks, nothing takes the edge off nosy relatives curious about their romantic status like a stiff gin and tonic. Those seated at a table with strangers tend to be stricken with a sudden and intense thirst for social lubricants. As for everyone else? Let’s just say it’s generally frowned upon to toast the happy couple with water.

From the bride and groom’s perspective, the anticipation of getting all your guests adequately liquored up without going overboard—or spending all your money—can seem like a tall order. So we asked five experts about some of the most common wedding drink pitfalls, and how to avoid them. We suggest reading this with a double Scotch in hand.

Mistake #1: Wasting money on Champagne.

Turns out the Champagne toast isn’t what it used to be. “We end up throwing two-thirds of it away,” said Kiran Pinto, the managing partner of the Ivy Room, a private events space in Chicago. “People have really strong feelings toward sparkling wine,” she continued. One person’s favorite Champagne might be too sweet or too tart or too effervescent for another guest; it’s impossible to make everyone happy. Instead, “let people toast with what they like drinking,” Pinto said.

If a Champagne toast is high on your priorities list, Pinto suggests passing around a limited number of flutes right before speeches begin and ditching real-deal Champagne for a less expensive sparkling wine like Prosecco or Pet-Nat. Most of your guests won’t notice the difference. Don’t forget to stash the bar with a few more bottles of your favorite white and red wines to make up for the nixed Champagne.

Mistake #2: Going with a self-serve option.

No one likes a big line at the bar, but putting out easy-access drinks isn’t necessarily the answer. Rebecca Shenkman, owner of the NYC-based wedding planning service Pink Bowtie Events, has seen the well-intentioned tactic go wrong firsthand.

“The venue had these tubs built into the side of this old building, which had nooks,” Shenkman recalled. “They said, ‘we’ve had people put ice and beer in them.’” The hope was that the availability of self-serve beer would ease demand at the bar, but ultimately the solution proved thornier than the initial problem. Guests wound up drinking more beer than anticipated—much more—which led to a drunken, very expensive situation.

Mistake #3: Not having a second bar.

“If you can’t get a drink at the bar quickly, you’re going to order a double or a triple [to save you an extra trip],” he said. That’s a one-way ticket to sloppy-drunk guests and wasted booze. “That satellite bar is really helpful. We may not do a full bar there—maybe just wine or beer or a sparkler—but it prevents a backlog and people won’t have to hoard drinks.”

Mistake #4: Not taking the weather into account.

“If you’re hovering between seasons, that’s something you have to think about,” said Nicole Sheppard, who runs the wedding planning company All Who Wander. Fall and spring are popular times to get married, but they’re also more likely than winter and summer to have big temperature swings. That means being nimble when planning your specialty cocktail, even if your heart is set on an rosé-Aperol spritz.

Nicole suggests choosing two drinks—one for warm weather and another for cold—and making the final call a few days out. Of a recent event she helped plan, Nicole recalled that “it was tracking very warm up until the wedding and then we got to the week of, and we realized how cold and windy it was going to be.” What was supposed to be a summery apple martini morphed into a spiked hot apple cider, no problem.

Mistake #5: Stashing a special bottle behind the bar for VIP guests.

It may seem obvious, but if you pour a pricey single-malt whiskey for Uncle Bob, whoever is behind him at the bar is going to want one, too. Saying no is a bad look, said Maureen Larson, the vice president of Chicago-based caterer Lettuce Parties.

“It’s just such a weird vibe and creates a strange kind of feeling,” she said. “If you’re going to do a specialty bottle, you should make sure it’s not only for the bridal party.” If you’re worried about high-end booze driving up your bar tab, a better move is to only provide the pricey stuff for a certain portion of the evening—say the first three hours—before switching to budget options.

Just remember: Despite even the best laid plans, something (hopefully small) inevitably will go wrong on your wedding day. It never hurts to have a drink on hand to help you roll with the punches.

Read the full article herewww.brides.com

 

If you’re planning an outdoor celebration, researching tents should be at the top of your to do list. Why? For starters: the one thing (OK, maybe one of the things) you can’t control about your wedding day is the weather. There’s no point of spending your life’s savings on a perfectly planned wedding only to have it ruined by summer rain showers. And two, a tent creates set boundaries for the event, thus enclosing your guests in an imitate, party-ready space. But when considering a tented wedding reception, there are a number of things to consider—the budget, the setting, the rentals, et cetera. Basically, you’re creating a wedding venue from scratch when you pitch a tent. This means you’re responsible for bringing in all of the decor, including essential things like flooring (something your girlfriends will be very thankful for when their heels don’t sink/stick in the ground) and lighting that are a given in any other venue. Lucky for you, you can use this to your advantage as the walls, the floors, and the ceiling are the most crucial elements of any tent, structurally and décor-wise.

Take a look at the gallery below—in which we stalk BRIDES.com’s real weddings coverage for the prettiest tents—to gather inspiration. You’ll see pole tents (which have peaks created by center poles), structure tents (which have sides like a room), and clear-top tents (which let you see the outside even when you’re inside). You’ll also see boho lanterns, classic draping, and greenery that’s perfect for a romantic garden party. So as you look through, take note of what you like (and don’t)—and remember, it’s OK to mix styles and ideas (within reason). After all, this is your chance to create your perfect wedding space, from scratch.

At this Miami wedding, Spanish moss and greenery were draped from the top of a clear structure tent to mimic the venue’s surrounding gardens.

Why stop with the inside of the tent? Pro planner Tara Guérard decorated the outside of this dreamy tent with pillar candles.

Every tent should have a proper entrance. Charleston-based Kristin Newman created a statement arch for this tented affair at Montage Palmetto Bluff.

If you and your groom are party animals, this is the tent for you. The string lights up above basically insist on one serious dance sesh!

Hanging drapes and greenery-covered chandeliers add warmth to an otherwise sleek structure tent.

If you’re pitching a classic sailcloth tent, play up the ceiling’s beauty with unique lanterns, like these Moroccan-inspired ones.

Greenery garlands and circle light fixtures add symmetry (and warmth!) to this sailcloth beauty.

If your wedding location is known for beautiful weather, consider this tenting option! Here, a structure was installed but not completely covered. The alternative breezy drapes are perfect because they enclose the space just enough to feel intimate but also allow guests to see the sure-to-gorgeous setting outside.

These mega lanterns (seriously they’re the size of the windows behind!) make a major statement in the center of the tent. Plus, how fun is this seating arrangement?

This white tent, surrounded by candles in white paper bags, blends perfectly into its beach setting. We love the flags up top—and the clear sides, which prevent guests from being splashed by crashing waves nearby.

At this Aspen wedding, the couple concentrated on the bottom of the tent, setting up wood flooring and covering tabletops with pretty blue linens and glassware. It’s a refreshing take on tent decor because it lets the beauty of the simple, sailcloth tent shine.

This one is serious tent #goals. We love how the lighting shines through the overhead drapes!

Don’t be afraid to bring the outdoors inside. This seating set up—featuring boxwoods, patio furniture, and an actual fountain—makes guests feel like they’re lounging in a (very chic) garden.

Greenery, beige linens, and bistro lights up above make for one cozy tent.

Again, string lights rule. This tent is proof that a simple idea can go a very long way!

We love how the bistro lights inside this tent flow in the opposite direction of the tabletops—an unexpected twist on the simple setup.

This tent combines three of the previously mentioned ideas—drapery, statement hanging installations, and lanterns. The mix has potential to overwhelm but this tent’s small scale and simple color palette make it work, perfectly.

See full article here www.brides.com

Traditions are changing – especially at our “Old Florida” Wedding Chapel.  While we have a great respect for traditions, especially Wedding Ceremony traditions, here at our Wedding Chapel we realize that todays’ lifestyles and financial responsibilities have altered some of the old ways and traditions.  At Old Church Wedding Chapel, all are welcome to celebrate their special Wedding Ceremony in whichever way makes them happy.

Here is a great article that talks about discarding some of the financial traditions of past years.

The Bride’s Parents’ Wedding Contributions Are Gifts—Not Responsibilities

Weddings are expensive—well, that might be the understatement of the century. Weddings are really freakin’ expensive. With the average cost of a wedding topping $35,000, it’s a massive financial commitment. So where is that money coming from? Traditionally, it has been the bride’s side that pays for the wedding, as a last vestige left over from a time when brides came with dowries. So why should it hold sway in modern day? Sure, if her parents happen to be wealthy and want to contribute, that’s great, but the same is true of the groom’s parents. And when that happens, it should be considered a gift—a choice rather than a responsibility.

Views Are Already Shifting

The truth is, many people are already realizing how outdated that tradition is. “In conversations with clients, not only are our unmarried clients working toward their wedding goals as a team, but when parents are brought into the conversation, it’s almost always with a mindset of equal monetary contribution,” says Priya Malani, cofounder of Stash Wealth. “I start by saying this because I think it shows that the current wedding-age population has already accepted that the idea of ‘the bride’s side pays’ is an antiquated, unfair practice that doesn’t have a foothold in today’s society, regardless of culture, tradition, or religion.” Most, but not all. I watched a bride’s family buckle under the financial toll of a wedding while the much wealthier groom’s family contributed almost nothing. The overall view is shifting, but the gen pop needs to catch up.

Money Is Tight and We Have Other Priorities

Couples are getting married later in life, and we have different priorities. The cost of living is high, student-loan debt is crushing, and education costs are through the roof. So when parents are thinking about their children’s future, it makes sense that education would take priority. “As we design financial plans for our married clients, we ask them to think about the type of financial support they’d like to provide for their children, real or hypothetical,” Malani says. “The conversation naturally goes toward two topics: college planning and wedding planning. Without fail, clients are prioritizing college over weddings, and when they do plan for weddings, they do so equally, regardless of sex.”

We’re Getting Married Older

Couples are getting married later in life and increasingly are starting to want something different out of their wedding. Because they’re getting married older, they’re more likely to take responsibility for the wedding costs—and for a lot of us, that means dialing it back a little. “More and more, we are seeing brides swap the traditional wedding concept for a city-hall wedding,” Malani says. “The millennial generation is more focused on saving up for travel and other experiences than blowing a ton of money—theirs or their parents’—on one specific day.”

The other aspect that comes into play when getting married later? Parents are older. A lot of them are looking toward retirement and may not have the cash to fund a wedding. Is it really fair to expect them to pay when they’re trying to save up for their golden years?

Two Brides

That’s right—how are same-sex couples supposed to navigate this antiquated tradition? Not only does it put undue pressure on one bride or the other to assume a specific gender role, it also adds a level of inherent awkwardness for the parents. Bickering over whose daughter is more “bridey” and therefore should pay for the wedding just doesn’t jibe with 2017 values. If one bride’s parents, both brides’ parents, or neither bride’s parents want to contribute, it shouldn’t be because they feel obligated to subscribe to a supposed wedding norm.

The idea of the bride’s side paying has a long tradition, but it doesn’t make any sense today. “If you want to have a wedding, it requires joint effort,” Malani says. “And if you decide to involve your parents, do so in a way that is fair and equitable. We no longer live in a world where brides’ families must bribe the groom’s family with dowries and a flashy wedding or gifts, which is part of where this tradition came from.” And even more than that, this is the start of the rest of your life together. Wouldn’t you want to start it off on equal footing? If one (or both) of you has parents who want to gift you a contribution, then you’re very lucky and should take advantage! But if not, remember that it’s a choice, not a given. Taking the time to budget, prioritize, and work as a team will get your marriage off to a strong start.

 

Read the entire article at www.brides.com

Planning a wedding ceremony at Old Church Wedding Chapel???  Here are 8 Expert Wedding Planning Tips from a professional wedding planner.

Whether you’re hosting a low-key ceremony in your parents’ backyard or jetting off to Italy for your big day along with 400 guests, planning a wedding is (*understatement alert*) stressful. There are budget-focused issues like choosing a dress, as well as organizational ones like where to seat Aunt Suzy so she doesn’t scare away your friends—in other words, who can blame you for being a bit on edge? But if you’re not careful, a little anxiety can blow up and bring you into full-on Bridezilla territory.

To help you avoid this unpleasant scenario, we tapped celebrity wedding planner Cassandra Herschenfeld—the brains behind Lauren Conrad’s gorgeous California winery nuptials—to spill all of her best advice. The good news? “Getting married is only as stressful as you make it,” Herschenfeld assures us (music to our ears). Remain relaxed and even-keeled while planning your wedding by following her expert tips, which include everything from taking the time to pamper yourself to keeping a stack of Papyrus thank-you cards on hand.

Think you or a friend might be heading toward Bridezilla territory? Keep calm and take notes.

1. COMMUNICATE YOUR VISION

There’s certainly no shortage of wedding inspiration these days, thanks to Pinterest boards and Instagram-stalking our favorite newlyweds. Sort through books, make lists, and narrow down your likes and dislikes to create a clear idea of your dream wedding. If you’re hiring a wedding planner, Herschenfeld stresses that communication is everything. “Understanding a bride’s vision is key to making decisions on her behalf when plans go astray,” she explains.

 

2. MAKE PLANNING FUN

Read the full article  www.mydomaine.com