As you might expect, military weddings carry with them a great amount of tradition, ritual, rules, and regulations.  But in many respects, planning a military ceremony is just like planning a “regular” one: you need to start early.  Just as desired venues get scooped up fast, especially during peak seasons, military chapels and halls are also booked well in advance.  It is advisable to book your chapel and reception venue a year in advance by applying to the chaplain’s office.  Check to make sure you are eligible for a military wedding as some rules apply.

If the service is performed at a military chapel or on academy grounds, the chaplain charges no fee, but do plan on making a donation to the chapel.  Some chapels allow another clergy person to co-officiate, so do ask if you would like to pursue that option – and you will have to pay that officiant’s fee.  Your chaplain may require pre-wedding counseling as well.

Speak with your chaplain about proper seating as there are some guidelines to consider.  Also ask about flowers and chapel decorations because rules vary.  The Chapel Altar Guild does arrange the flowers, candelabra, and other décor, and this is the same for every wedding.  You may have to provide your own reception decoration or even plan it yourself.  Part of the appeal of military weddings is the sense of tradition, and this extends to every detail, down to the decorations. And don't forget to look into matching wedding accessories as well.

Military weddings are gorgeous, and a large part of that are the uniforms.  Officers or enlisted personnel in the bridal party wear their uniforms (which may differ depending on the seasonal regulations or formality of the wedding).  A black-tie affair, for instance, would require dinner or mess dress uniforms, while a white-tie and tails event would require evening dress uniforms.  Non-commissioned officers wear dress blues or Army greens, and none of the uniformed service people wear a boutonniere.  Guests who serve in the military can choose to wear their uniforms or civilian clothing.

What if the bride is an officer?  Does she have to wear her uniform?  She may, but she may also wear a bridal gown, if she chooses.  Even the military knows not to mess with the dress.

There are also rules for the receiving line and reception.  For example, if the groom is uniformed, he must be before the bride in the receiving line.  Again, your chaplain is a great resource and can help you follow the regs – and have a great wedding!

The arch of the sabers (or swords, for the Navy) is optional, but it is often a highlight of the ceremony. Surprise; there are rules for this too!  In the Army, for instance, the couple exits the church under the arch.  In the Navy and Marines, the ushers usually form the saber detail, while in the Air Force, they cannot.  Regardless of the branch of the military, it is a stunning tradition.

From seating and decorations to dress and cutting the cake, there are rituals and traditions in every detail of the ceremony and reception. The rules and regulations may seem overwhelming at first, but chaplains (and handy websites!) are there to guide you through your military wedding preparations.

Related Articles:

• Remembering the Men and Women Who Serve
• Creative Groomsmen Gift Ideas
• Inspiration: Nautical & Sailor Style Wedding

Often in an Asian wedding, they use pagodas and many Asian reception facilities will have a pagoda built in and permanently ready for the bride and groom. If you’re not lucky enough to find one already set up, you can bring one in. A pagoda is usually a series of layers of building that goes from larger on the bottom to the smallest on top. This graduated tower can be done in a tent-like fashion, or you can bring in an architecturally free-standing pagoda.

A pagoda can be done in white lights, or lanterns can be hung from it. Paper cranes done in origami are thought to bring luck, so you can hang some from your pagoda. The loveliness of a pagoda often stands as enough decoration, so you don’t want to overdo it. A few lanterns with flameless candles inside, however, will be enough to make your pagoda a focal point both day and night as your wedding heads into evening.

If you have your heart set on a more ornate pagoda, see if you can hold your ceremony in a tea garden or botanical garden where one may already be part of the landscape. Often, these landscaped pagoda areas have gorgeous rock formations, statuary, and even waterfalls built into them.

If you want to go with the gazebo as your focal point, you have many options. You can hold your ceremony on a town green which will often have an architecturally rich gazebo already standing. It may be white or a natural wood color. But most towns take good care of their gazebos and even light them at night. So check on that first. Then, add flowers. You can bring in hanging bouquets or balls of flowers to dangle from the sides of the gazebo as reception decorations. Consider leaving them there and donating them to the town as a thank you for using their beautiful gazebo. Other ideas are to place faux tea lights all around the banisters of the gazebo.

You can go from the more understated to the fully ornamented gazebo treatment. Hang sheer panels of tulle and tie them back with bouquets of roses. Make a path of candles leading up to the gazebo and line the gazebo with ribbon sashes or evergreen wreaths. It can be as fancy or as simple as you like.

Consider the time of year you are getting married. If your pagoda or gazebo is outdoors, you will want to mesh with the season. Using fall colors can be very delightful if you are marrying in autumn. They burst with festivity all on their own. You have very little that you need to add to ornament nature’s beauty in this case. The spring also has its magic working for it, so go with the greens and yellows and purples that come out at this time of year.

Coordinate your gazebo or pagoda décor with your wedding colors. If your pagoda is red and white, consider having red and white as your color scheme to make things easier on yourself.

Related Articles:

• How to Decorate a Barn for a Country Wedding
• Decorating for your Black and White Wedding
• Outdoor Wedding Decorations

Getting a License

First thing you will need is a marriage license. You will need to get that through the Nevada Marriage Licenses bureau. You can find them at:

Clark County Court House
200 South Third Street, First Floor
Las Vegas, Nevada 89115
702-455-4415

They stay open until midnight most nights, and on holidays they are open 24-hours. You’ll need to be at least 18 or have written parental consent if you’re 16 or 17. You’ll need to bring photo identifications, so call the Court House to see which documents they require to avoid disappointment. No blood tests are required. For a cash fee of $35, you’ll be granted a license you can use any time within one year from the issue date.

The Finer Points

As you might imagine, there are a host of businesses in Vegas that specialize in nothing but weddings. You’ll find more information online than you ever thought possible. Everything you need to know about a Vegas wedding can be found by searching “Vegas wedding” online. Ideas for chapels, reception venues, cakes, flowers and more abound. www.vegasweddingguide is a great source as is www.vegas.com, the official Las Vegas travel site.

Planning Logistics

Assuming you live outside the greater Las Vegas area, you’ll need to plan how you are going to get your guests into town. Allow guests enough time to make their travel arrangements. Send out Save the Date cards up to a year in advance if you can. Block out rooms at a hotel for guests and include that information with the card. Try to make everything as simple as possible for people.

Other things such as Vegas wedding favors or table centerpieces can get really creative. Play up your Las Vegas theme, and pick favors and decor that will be really fun for you and your guests. If you’re planning an elopement, keep reading.

Eloping

What an adventure to fly off to Vegas with just you and your fiancé to get married! If this is the route you are choosing, you can add little traditional elements that make the day special. There are bakeries in Las Vegas that will deliver you a miniature wedding cake for free. You and your new husband can enjoy it back at your hotel room. And speaking of hotels, there are many wonderful packages offered that include the wedding ceremony and hotel. You can find those on the internet. Often for as little as $199 you can have the ceremony and a night at a nice hotel.

There are also companies that will do your whole wedding outdoors in a garden or park including limo, flowers and champagne. Check out www.lasvegasmasterpieceweddings.com as a starting point. They’ll even include a minister for you! Other companies will provide a helicopter wedding complete with transport from your hotel to the top of a canyon for the ceremony. You can even get a violinist and special foods and beverages included. Vegas offers everything from gondola ride weddings to the original Elvis chapel. So dream big. If you can dream it, Vegas can accommodate it.

Consider…

While it may sound romantic to fly off to Vegas to get married, keep some important factors in mind.

• From May through September, temperatures can often reach a scorching one hundred degrees or hotter. A bridal gown with long sleeves or a heavy tuxedo jacket may not be the best option. Also, consider the time of year you’re going. Valentine’s Day and New Year’s Eve are two of the most crowded times for weddings in Vegas. You might want to plan for fall or early spring to beat the wedding chapel lines.
• You can actually rent a wedding gown in Vegas! This might be something to consider so you don’t have to invest a fortune in a dress you’ll wear once.
• Have your hair and makeup done in the hotel’s spa. It will save you having to run around looking for a stylist. And have your coiffure done right before you plan to leave for the ceremony so it doesn’t fall flat.
• If this is either party’s second marriage, you’ll need to have your divorce decree handy. You’ll need to provide the exact date and state of the divorce before you’ll be able to get a new license.

For more tips on Las Vegas weddings, try:

• Vegas Themed Wedding Cake Ideas
• Decorating for your Las Vegas Wedding
• Las Vegas Wedding Invitations
• Planning a Las Vegas Wedding

Well we've done the research for you to help the wedding planning go a little bit easier. To really make it work for you, the bride, we've also segmented the sites into two different categories; free and paid. It's your choice whether you have it in your budget to pay for a site to stay organized, or maybe you're just looking for ideas and you'd rather have a site that's free. Either way is perfectly fine!

Free Wedding Planning Websites

TheKnot.com - Yes, you probably saw this one coming on the list but it's typically a bride favorite. It gives you your own wedding page, allows you to shop thousands of wedding gowns, features to-do lists, guest lists, budget tools, local wedding resources and lots more.

OneWed.com - A lesser known site with just as many options. OneWed offers bridal gown searches, cake designs, hair ideas, a personal checklist for the big day, a wedding website, and lots of advice from other OneWed members as well.

Brides.com - It requires a few steps to sign up, but when you do, you have access to bridal gowns, real wedding ideas, a budget planner, honeymoon help, to-do checklist, and of course, your own wedding website (seeing a trend here?) They also feature bridesmaid and mother-of-the-bride dresses as well.

OneStopWeddingPlanner.com - This site is amazing, they have everything you could ever need starting with food, music, floorplan, transportation, budget, wedding party, photographer, registries, guestlist, flowers, agenda, calendar and lots more. You may have to host your wedding site somewhere else, but it may just be worth it if these options help!

OurWeddingDay.com - Okay, so you want to get on the wagon for the online RSVP's. Not a problem, this site has that going on. They also feature a task-list manager, a contact list, budget-planner, save-the-dates, and more. This one doesn't have too many bells and whistles, but it is most certainly helpful.

PerfectWeddingGuide.com - Supporting you locally, this site helps you find DJ's, flowers, dresses, cakes, favors, invites, rings, and lots more. Plus it features a guest list, a budget tracker, and a custom to-do list for you to keep up with what's left to be done on your timeline.

MarthaStewartWeddings.com - This one is another great site that has more wedding planning tools than you might know what to do with. She even offers a seating chart section (how great is that?) Plus, she gives you etiquette tips for the big day. Other helpful tools include a budget tool, checklist tool, guests tool, vendor tool and vendor search as well!

Paid Wedding Planning Websites

eWedding.com - This site allows you to create a very customized wedding website for free (and your own domain name on a paid plan) There are additional features when you upgrade, plus you can place a poll, events list and RSVP right there on the website to keep everyone up-to-date on what's happening next. Not to mention your own mailing list to use for communicating with your bridal party.

WeddingWindow.com - This might be the best wedding planning site out there. Your options are almost limitless starting with a budget tracker, invitation workshop, thank-you note workshop, a checklist, reminders, personal journal, calendar, vendor list, email blasts, invitation tracker, event manager, save-the-date cards, guest list manager and more.

WeddingTracker.com - Equally impressive, this site has it all. Your own wedding website with personal domain, online RSVP, maps, news & update alerts for your guests, attendants, registry, photo section, guest book, accommodations, and more.

Get Planning!

Hopefully this helps you along with planning your wedding! With so much to do on a limited timeline and budget, it's great to be organized and prepared for the busy months ahead! Do you have a wedding planning site not seen here, but you think it's great? Let us know! It might just help out another bride!

For more bridal essentials, try some of the helpful articles:

• Planning A Wedding - Tips and Timelines
• Planning a Destination Wedding
• Should You Send Save the Date Cards?
• Announcing your Engagement
• Choosing a DJ versus a Live Band
• How to Register for Wedding Gifts
• Wedding Budget

Since then, almost every stately home, hotel or any place that has the commodities for a wedding can become ‘approved premises’ with a licence to marry. Civil ceremonies now make up 68% of marriages, only 32% of couples getting hitched in a traditional church. So, you could walk around a city and eye up the appealing buildings or stop to enquire at a beautiful country manor house – nearly everywhere is a potential spot for the big day.

So, how can you begin to narrow down this seemingly endless list of options? Well, knowing what kind of wedding you want is the place to start: small or large, expensive or budget, traditional or whacky – all of these concepts will affect the location. With this in mind, here are the five basic categories that wedding venues appear under. Choosing one of these will rule out at least four-fifths of the possibilities!

Traditional

There are still 32% out there taking the traditional route down the aisle. With many beautiful churches in the UK – grand and quaint, rural and urban – there will be one to suit whatever budget you’ve worked out. Maybe this is the way you’ve always imagined the wedding, ever since you started dating. There is something comforting in the familiarity of this setting - a building where you’ll know the same ceremony has been performed many times over the centuries. The only drawback is you will then need to choose another location for the reception!

Historical

Although churches could also be classed as historical, there is something intrinsically romantic about an old castle or tumbled-down mansion. Usually in the middle of the countryside with extensive grounds, these places will add an extra interest for your guests, with secret corners and gardens to explore. The architecture will also be fascinating – in the only way century-old buildings can be.

Personal Locations

It’s always worth considering locations that mean something special to you as a couple. People find love in shopping centres, parks and all sorts of everyday places. But if you can think of somewhere that is significant to your relationship, why not see if they can host your wedding? It will make a great story during the speeches.

Exotic

Ever popular is the far-away holiday wedding. This is a rather expensive option, and you might be a bit scarce on guests because the travel is such an expense. But the south of France or the Mediterranean can actually be extremely cheap to fly to from the UK and there are many absolutely gorgeous locations there. Saying your vows on warm sand while the sun sets over a calm ocean is a pretty unforgettable image.

Unusual

If none of the above locations are wacky enough for you, there are plenty of completely bizarre places to get hitched. In mid-air, under water – if you’re going for a truly unique celebration, it’s amazing what possibilities you can find. It will certainly be a memorable day this way – for you and everyone else.

Whether in an ancient village church or a Hawaiian beach hut, make sure you choose the right place that suits you both!

Planning the perfect wedding is like trying to make dreams come true – very difficult to pull off or just plain impossible. For many couples, the ideal wedding is in an exotic location – perhaps it’s somewhere you've been hankering to visit for ages and at last you have the excuse, or maybe it’s somewhere that played a key role in your relationship.  The pressure on this once-in-a-lifetime occasion coupled with the distant location can make the process of planning it very stressful.

Here are some handy hints to take the stress out of planning a long-distance wedding:

1. Research is the key: you think you finished hitting the books in school? Far from it! The key to a successful long-distance wedding is in the preparation. Start your search by asking around for referrals. These can be from local family or family members, the Chamber of Commerce, the phonebook or online references. You won't have easy access to potential wedding vendors, so it's essential to make the most of your time and use an appointment system.
2. Take care of the logistical details as early as possible. This includes choosing the location and date, local caterers, the reception venue, salons and a hotel for your out-of-town guests. An inexpensive (or free) hotel shuttle service is also a big advantage. It's essential to check with the city about local marriage requirements – there’s no greater dampener on wedding plans than delayed residency requirements and waiting periods.
3. Accept any offers of a helping hand. If it is at all possible, hire a wedding planner in your chosen destination. Their knowledge of the city will be invaluable, and they will be an indispensable resource for sourcing venues and vendors. When meeting local wedding planners for the first time, it's important to ascertain if they share your vision for the wedding. It's also helpful if you're able to get in contact with any of their previous long-distance clients.
4. Try and make at least two visits to your wedding destination in the lead up to the big day. Compile a schedule of wedding vendors, venues and planners to visit - as you won't have a minute to spare! Visiting the destination in advance will help keep the stress levels under control, and will also help make sure you're getting exactly what you want for your wedding.
5. Choose a place that is special for you and your partner. Don't plan a long-distance wedding to make friends or family happy! It's your big day, and yourchoice of dream location, whether it's the other side of the world or in your home town. With more and more couples meeting over the internet through online dating, picking a location for the wedding day can be even trickier, but ultimately it's a decision you will have to make together. There is always the option of having a second, informal reception on your return, which allows a compromise between cities or even countries.

So, whether you've been dating in your home town and wish to sample more exotic climates for your special occasion, or you've maintained a long-distance relationship where you've been separated by borders and just want to simplify the whole thing by finally getting hitched to start your life together, or if you're an international couple that have met and been dating in Bristol, Boston, Berlin and want to take it that one step further - a long-distance wedding could be on the cards. Just get planning soon!

Here's how you can create this beautiful garden party tablescape:

A lovely wooden teak table covered with a natural tablecloth provide the base for the tablescape.  Use simple pots filled with local grass varieties such as purple fountain and pampas grasses along with wildflowers such as daisies, snapdragons, cosmos, or guillardia to create stunning natural centerpieces.  By using a love bird theme, you can pull in elements such as mini love nest birdhouses and love bird salt and pepper shakers.  Simple white ceramic plates provide the place setting base, but elegant crystal stem toasting flutes provide a bit of sparkle against the otherwise natural base.  A top each place setting is a organic green woven box that was filled with candies and then tied with a palm reed.   Natural polished stone place card holders are cleverly slotted so that they hold a place card perfectly at each place setting.  Finally, oil stainless steel torches can provide some light once evening begins to settle in.

What a beautiful way to celebrate your garden nuptials with a small group of family and friends!

More Garden Wedding Ideas:

• Pretty Garden Wedding Favors
• Color your Garden Purple
• Flower Shaped Cookies are the Perfect Dessert for a Garden Party

Once the Save the Dates are sent begin brainstorming ideas for bringing the flavor of the destination into your wedding invitations. What is it that you love about your destination? Perhaps it’s the beauty of the area, the culture, the weather, the food…  Incorporate that special design or motif that resonates with your style and the locale. Sprinkle it throughout your wedding stationery. From the Invites to the RSVP and Enclosure Cards, to your Favors and Thank Yous, your wedding look will be consistent and you’ll generate incredible excitement with your guests about traveling for your big day!

Enclosure Cards are your Friends! Use them to include pertinent info: currency, airport and shuttle, average temps, reception times, local attractions… What else?

Welcome Baskets help guests feel special and right at home! Have them waiting in the hotel rooms when your guests arrive. Here are a few ideas of what to include:

• welcome note
• a wedding itinerary
• tickets to a local attraction
• toiletries: lotion, cotton swabs, sunscreen, travel sewing kit, mini-mani set, clear nail polish
• for the guys: shavers, shaving lotion, shoe polish
• Mini champagne bottles
• water bottles

What else?

Happy Planning

Destination Wedding Invitation

Image: wedding invitation design by MagnetStreet Weddings