Top 5 Most Romantic Places in the World to Have Your Wedding by Emily Jacobson
If money were no object, where would you have your wedding? A getaway wedding often costs less than one at home, and a huge advantage is that the details are taken care of for you. Here are just a few ideas for romantic weddings outside the box.
Las Vegas, Nevada A Las Vegas wedding will give your big day a mega-dose of glitz, glamor and excitement. You can purchase a complete wedding package for anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars, and on very short notice. It's easy to get a marriage license, just bring your own wedding rings, there's no waiting period and blood tests are not required.
There are wedding chapels in many hotels, but there are also gondola weddings, weddings on horseback, mountaintop weddings, Grand Canyon weddings, Elvis weddings, helicopter weddings, and more. Some online services even give you the option to design your own wedding.
Central Park, New York City New York City provides a stunning and sophisticated backdrop for a Central Park wedding. All you need to get married anywhere in Central Park is a $25 permit. There are many beautiful wedding sites including Cherry Hill, Bow Bridge, Shakespeare Gardens, and Cedar Hill.
Conservatory Gardens is the most popular Central Park wedding spot. Amid magnificent floral displays, you can celebrate with a catered picnic reception to follow the ceremony. A Garden wedding permit costs a bit more at $400, and you will have to pay an additional $100 for a photography permit.
Vienna, Austria A truly royal wedding can be yours in Vienna where Schönbrunn Palace and Belvedere Palace are both available for weddings and receptions. These magnificent sites combine a breathtaking setting with imperial majesty to make you feel like a real princess.
For a more affordable (but equally royal) Vienna wedding, you can get married in Vienna City Hall (Stone Hall), which is itself an architectural masterpiece. Complete with red carpet grand stairway and space for 120 guests, even a city hall wedding is romantic in Vienna.
The Caribbean If your romantic dream is one of crystal turquoise waters, tropical breezes, palm trees and a white sand beach, a Caribbean wedding may be for you. Many top resorts offer all-inclusive wedding packages, starting at about $1,000, that include airfare, accommodations, transfers, and the wedding ceremony.
In true Caribbean style, wedding packages emphasize stress-free relaxation. You can arrange your entire celebration online in about an hour, and leave the details to wedding planners on-site. All you have to do is show up.
French Country Chateau For a wedding experience that combines romance, art, beauty, culture and taste, consider renting a French country chateau near the Bordeaux region. A centuries-old castle with complete wedding package and accommodations for you and 25 guests for 5 days will cost about $20,000. The package includes gourmet catering, local wines, champagne, waitstaff, planner, flowers and a personal fireworks display.
The only catch is that getting legally married in France is a hassle. But if you have a civil ceremony before you arrive, a clergy member can perform a religious ceremony at the chateau.
In the beginning of August 2009, Profinish Design was proud to unleash their new custom built photobooths. With the thoughts of providing the perfect "photo booth", the new booths are still full-sized with the added features of being made from aluminum and engineered to be taken apart and separated to squeeze through doors only 20" inches wide. John of Profinish Design said, "I hear horror stories from other past brides that had curtain booths or seen them fail after 5 sessions, and I never want that to happen to my brides...all brides for that matter."
Profinish Design's photobooths have wacky hats, banner options and a always helpful attendant for your booth. I would and do...continue to recommend Profinish Design's photobooths to friends and family. ;0)
In the months to come, the photobooths will have the option for video. They will have the ability to record messages to the bride and groom. The photobooths come in the colors metallic black cherry, metallic midnight blue, and metallic gold brown. John says, "I want to have the best photo booth rentals in Sacramento...period."
Our friends over at Polka Dot Bride have shared information on the recent tragedies in Australia. Bushfires have claimed over 750 homes and 200 lives! Entire towns have been wiped out and many are now homeless, while others are awaiting news on the status of their homes.
If you would like to donate to the Victorian Bushfire Appeal you can visit the Red Cross website.
My husband and I are truly very fortunate. One of our wedding gifts was a trip to NEW YORK. And, now I completely understand why people confidently wear their I Love New York shirts. We chose to delay the trip for awhile due to work schedules, weather, etc. This flexibility allowed us several months to enjoy being newlyweds and get work time off. We also knew that right around the corner, a fun trip was waiting. It was like having 2 honeymoons, really. Our friends (who live there and gave us the gift) were amazing. They allowed us the opportunity to go to fabulous restaurants, great sites, fun attractions and the top of the Trump Tower (and, yes the view is quite spectacular, not to mention the other aesthetics). It was so nice to be able to have one on one time with my husband too. If you like to travel, I definitely suggest trips as gifts. Sometimes groups of people enjoy going in on a large gift, so I recommend picking a fun destination. I don't know how I managed to get soooo lucky in receiving this gift because I hadn't even thought of it, but I will tell you, I can't imagine my life having not gone on the trip. We got to get away for two honeymoons?? What a great first year of marriage!!
For those of you that haven't seen the pics from Jenna Bush's wedding, I am going to cut you some slack and assume that you've been living under a rock with no form of technology or print available. ;)
On Sunday, May 10th, Jenna Bush married Henry Hager (a previous White House aide) in an intimate ceremony (as intimate as you can have being the President's daughter)of 200 guests on the Bush Ranch in Texas. Jenna's style was simply elegant, in her beautifully detailed Oscar de la Renta gown and natural, luscious locks simply pulled back. Beautiful.
Possible inspiration for creating your own venue in a backyard location? (I realize not everyone's backyard is a 1600 acre ranch, but it's still inspirational, no?!)
Iâ??m about to let you in on a dirty little secretâ??one that every bride needs to read, understand and internalize BEFORE hunting for the perfect dress. Those who do not heed this warning may want to bring a box of tissuesâ?¦
Gown sizes (brides and bridesmaids) run about 2 full sizes larger than ready to wear clothes! Did you catch that? Thatâ??s right, I said GOWN SIZES RUN 2 SIZES LARGER THAN YOU DO! No, your thighs did not pack on an extra 20 lbs overnight (though some of the fluorescent lighting may make you feel that way). This is normal! Not only that, but dresses must be ordered according to your largest measurement, which can make things even worse (all of a sudden your dress size just got 4 sizes bigger). Of course, alterations will be needed to make the rest smaller and bring everything back down to size.
Just remember: you are perfect the way you are, and you will be the prettiest bride to ever have walked down any aisle in the eyes of your groom. Work out if you want to, diet if you like, but you are NOT a gargantuan. Itâ??s the dressâ??s problem, not yours.
Dessert. My favorite part of the meal and wedding cake, in it's ever evolving form, is like dessert to the nth degree. I know it's the baker or bakery's responsibility to go over your options with regards to a wedding cake, but it can be confusing, so I thought I'd write a basic primer.
Shapes: The shape of a wedding cake is ever changing. It used to be cylindrical columns of cake with the possibility of pillars separating the layers. Now there are squares, petal shapes, triangles, off-set rounds and sculpted cakes. Choosing the shape of your cake is another way to reinforce the theme and style of your wedding. If you are having a very traditional wedding and reception a traditional round or square cake may be the best bet. Then again, going with something a bit more funky might be a great way to add some drama and express your personal taste (pun intended!)
Flavors: The only limit here is your imagination. You will need to decide on the cake flavor and the filling flavor. There can be any number of combinations, many at no additional cost. You can attack these choices two ways: 1) Do the cake tasting with you baker and then choose what you like out of the combination you are offered. 2) Choose one of your favorites. I'm not going to list cake flavors, but fillings can fit into a few categories: jams, creams, frosting, fruit, ganache, cheesecake and alternative. Jams are usually accompanied by one of the other fillings, but can add color to the cake once it is sliced. Curds are similar to jams, but are usually citrus flavored and can a brightness to a rich cake. Creams include pastry cream, whipped cream and Bavarian cream (a combination of the first two with gelatin added) and mousse which is also commonly paired with fruit and can easily be flavored. Frostings are usually whipped cream (think of a strawberry shortcake) or buttercream. The buttercream is most commonly flavored with chocolate, fruit flavors or nut flavors or left as vanilla. Fruit can be used as a simple filling, but it much more tasty when paired with one of the other fillings. Ganache is a baker and pastry chef's dream. When it is thick it can be spread as a filling and when it is thin it can be poured like a glaze. The ganache can also be flavored (think of the inside of your favorite truffle). Cheesecake is probably the newest option. It can be used as the cake or the filling. I've done both. It's great because it's so easy to work with and can be frosted just like a traditional cake. The alternative category is both a new option an nontraditional option and a flavorful option. Flavor and texture are being added to cakes with meringue and meringue mixed with ground nuts. It adds a chewy, rich and deep texture and is wonderful when paired with chocolate.
Frosting: Frosting can be tricky. It is the beginning and end of your cake looking good. It can also be the difference between your cake just looking amazing and tasting amazing. Frosting/icing includes fondant, buttercream, whipped cream, ganache and royal icing. Fondant is a mixture of powdered sugar and corn syrup. It is beautiful, but not so tasty and I know many special event staff just peal it off the cake when it comes to cutting time. Buttercream can vary dramitically depending on the quality of bakery you are using. A grocery store bakery will use powered sugar and Crisco to achieve that crisp white frosting. Better bakeries will use Italian buttercream. It is made with sugar, egg whites and butter. Because of the butter you will get a slightly off white color, but the flavor is second to NONE! When made properly it is smooth as silk and, next to fondant, is the best option for the hotter months. It can be flavored with anything and everything you like. Commonly fruit or nuts, but go crazy. Whipped cream is problematic. Don't do it if you want your cake near a window or outside. There are tricks that pastry chefs use, but even with the tricks this is not the ideal for an outdoor July wedding in Sacramento. Vegetarians note: whipped cream is commonly stabilized with the help of gelatin. Whipped cream can be a wonderful lighter option for those brides who want a less sweet cake. Think of a dressed up shortcake with berries or peaches. Ganache is, as I mentioned earlier, a very flexible option. If you love chocolate and don't want that traditional white wedding cake, I'm betting that ganache will come into play. Chocolate paired with fruit can make a spectacular and decadent wedding cake (mix white, dark and milk for spectacular results). Lastly, and most traditionally is royal icing. Historically it was used to decorate, and preserve a wedding cake, but now it is typically used for decoration. The swags, filigree, and more of the delicate touches are usually accomplished with royal icing. It dries hard, but is breakable at the lightest touch, so if you are interested in this traditional decoration make sure you get your cake delivered so if there are any complications with delivery they can be fixed at your reception site.
Decorations: Again, the only limit here is your and your baker's imagination. I strongly suggest going to your cake tasting with clippings from magazines, color swatches, and any other details that make your wedding unique and that you may want to incorporate into your cake. If you want flowers to decorate your cake you'll talk to your florist about those in a separate meeting.
Happy Mother's Day to all those mothers, grandmothers, great-grandmothers, soon-to-bes and hopefuls! While we talk about wedding planning and the big day that will be shared by your whole family, let's not forget those that raised us, protected us, supported us and gave us life...our mothers. Here's a quick pic of my four generations celebrating Mother's Day this week that I just had to share (although I know they'll all say "not my best photo", me included). ;) It's not that often that you see 4 generations of women able to share life, love, experiences and laughter. So to the fam...get over yourself, this pic is amazing and I love it!
Great G-ma, G-ma, NJ, Mom, Auntie
All of the women in this pic were influential in helping me be the woman I am today: greatness, craziness, confidence, humor and all. I know that they will all play a special part when my big day comes. Thanks ladies!
Email me at info@dynamiteweddings.com with any well wishes to the influential women in your life and I will post a collection on the blog.
