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If the thought of months of wedding planning, family arguments and huge outlays of money makes you want to run off and elope, you have a few things to consider. It may very well be a good idea for you to head off to an exotic destination or even to city hall, but your choice will not be without its own challenges.

First, you risk hurting someone’s feelings. If your mom or dad had their heart set on throwing you a big wedding, count the cost of running off without them. If you just want to rush it because the thought of all that planning makes you crazy, hire someone to help out. A good wedding planner will take a lot of the work off your plate. If it’s a matter of cost, you could plan a more casual, smaller wedding and still include those you love.

But perhaps your reasons for eloping are that you are so in love and want to be married right away. Perhaps you just aren’t the big wedding type and a smaller ceremony is the only thing that will work for you and your partner. You’ll want to know how and where to elope to make it memorable.

First, check with local laws about marriage licenses. If you’re going for the city hall civil ceremony, just call your local town hall or city marriage bureau (find them online or in the phone book), and ask them what the process entails. Do you need blood tests? Is there a waiting period after you apply for the license? Every state is different, so don’t risk being disappointed because you didn’t take time to get the facts.

Who do you want to officiate? Do you want the justice of the peace? Find out if he or she is available. A justice of the peace may be an employee if the city hall or of a courthouse nearby. You can have a civil ceremony any place they will be willing to meet you. Consider a park or local spot of beauty or inspiration. It can be outside or inside. It’s still legal as long as you have applied for and gotten your marriage license and the person is legally authorized to marry people in your state (be sure to ask if they are, don’t assume!)

If you want to hop a plane and tie the knot, have a Las Vegas wedding. It is the wedding capital of the world and for good reason. There is no waiting time between applying for a marriage license and having the ceremony in Vegas. The city hall stays open 24 hours for just this purpose. Hundreds of tiny wedding chapels line the streets. You can pop in for a quick wedding and even drive through to get married without getting out of your car! Marry at the little chapel Elvis and Priscilla did, or choose from any of the modern, attractive and all-inclusive chapels. You can go as fancy as you like. Many chapels will rent you a dress and shoes and flowers. The groom can get his tux too on rental. You can run in and be married in a few minutes.

But keep in mind that the highest volume of weddings in Las Vegas are on Valentine’s Day and New Year’s Eve, so plan your trip accordingly.

Related Articles:

• How to Announce that You Have Eloped
• Las Vegas Wedding Invitations

The chances are good that you’ll be receiving a number of cards at your wedding reception. They’ll contain cash gifts, so you’ll want to store them somewhere safe, but you also want that place to be attractive and easy for your guests to find. That’s where a wedding card box comes in. It’s a box designed for guests to slip their cards into at the reception. How you decorate it can make all the difference between ho-hum and fantastic.

Making your own wedding card box will save you money and you can personalize it your wedding theme. Be sure to ask someone who is close to you but not in the wedding party to keep an eye on it and bring it home after the reception. You can decorate your box yourself or purchase one. There are many retailers online who sell nice ones, but if you choose to make your own, here are some tips.

Birdcage

Go for a decorated bird cage for a sweet look, this is especially cute if you're having a love bird wedding. Bring a little bit of nature indoors. You can purchase a wire birdcage at a pet store if they have nice ones. We’re not talking the kind a pet canary would live in. Avoid the square, plastic bottom ones. You want ornate. So go for a domed top cage that looks delicate and sweet. If your pet store doesn’t carry any you like, and they may not, try a craft store next. The trend of birdcages as card holders is catching on, so they are likely to have just what you want. But you can also find them at antique stores or flea markets. If it’s not white when you find it, you can always spray paint it white or off white to match your theme. Next, add silk flowers. Wind silk ivy around the cage and add in some raffia or a bird’s nest in the bottom. It’s a really cute look and you can set it out on your place card table so all will see it.

A Tiered Cake

Another cute idea is to decorate three boxes to form a tiered wedding cake.

You can use round or square boxes. Find three boxes in varying sizes from large to small. Look for silk covered boxes or paper-mâché boxes that you can paint and decorate yourself.

Tie a wide ribbon around the stack and place a slit in the top box big enough to hold cards.

You’d pay around $80 for a similar store bought wedding cake box like this, so save some change and make it yourself.

A Treasure Chest

Find a domed lid box and decorate it like a treasure chest with faux jewels that you find at a craft store. Often, mass retailers or off-price stores will carry boxes in their wedding stationery section that are just perfect for this.

They are often covered in silk already, so all you do is add the bling. You can either cut a slit for the cards or if you’d rather not, you can allow guests to open the lid and place their card inside.

Your wedding card box doesn’t have to be limited to just a box. You can make it any shape you like as long as there’s a way for guests to slip their card in, so think outside the box when planning your box.

Related Articles:

Wedding Thank You Note Etiquette

Guide To Wedding Reception Accessories

Brides and grooms these days are departing from the old standards and seeking new alternatives for just about everything at their weddings. The traditional guest books, where guests sign their name at the reception in a bound book, is currently being replaced by something called a Wishing Tree.

The Wishing, or Wish Tree, is a custom that hearkens back to the Dutch. They had a tradition of hanging wishes on trees to send the bride and groom off to their new life together. And that’s exactly what modern couples are choosing for their guest book alternatives.

Out with the line of guests wait to sign a book. Instead, guests are delighted by an arrangement of branches, often strung with decorative lights or crystals. They’ll find paper leaves or card stock squares on which to write a wish to the happy couple. When their wish is written, they attach it to the tree. By the end of the evening the tree will be full of lovely cards sending wishes of happiness all around. More than one guest can write at a time, so there’s really no waiting.

How can you make a Wishing Tree part of your wedding? It’s not that hard. Just be prepared to assign someone the task of assembling the reception decoration ahead of time. There’s no good way to move it in one piece, so you’ll need to have someone in charge of putting it together at the sign in table.

The branches for your tree can be as simple or as ornate as you like. You might choose a single branch with many segments and offer a small bell attached to a decorative card and strung with ribbon. If you are having a fall wedding, you might cut branches from trees and use silk leaves in bright fall colors as your wish leaves. If you’re having a winter wedding, you might choose tiny pine or spruce trees and offer mini ornaments for the guests to write their wishes on. It’s up to you. It’s usually your best bet to collect branches or small bush trees local to your area. If you have to order trees you may pay a pretty penny. And why should you? You can get just as nice a result with backyard findings.

Next, you’ll want to find containers to house your branches. You can use hurricane vases with pretty rocks or Spanish moss inside. Or fill them with colored or plain water. You might use watering cans, fish bowls, ceramic pots—anything you like that fits your theme. Stand the branches up in random arrangements. If you’re using small shrubs or trees, pot them in urns or other decorative containers.

Here’s where your personal style really comes in. You can decorate your trees so that they drip with strands of crystals, berries, white or colored lights or tinsel. Whatever suits your taste. And the cards or leaves you choose can be as simple as a silk leaf from a craft store or an ornately edged card stock. Have a good permanent writing pen on hand. And plan to have extras in case someone accidentally pockets it. The guests can clip their wishes on with decorative clothespins or you can attach ribbon to each card or leaf ahead of time to make a hang loop.

Set the whole thing up where it won’t be in the way of traffic. Off to the side of the main entrance is a good idea. People will see it, but won’t be blocking the doorway when they step over to write their wishes.

After the big day, you can collect all the wishes and read them over. Arrange them in a scrapbook or in your wedding album next to the faces of the people who wrote them. This is a lovely way to remember who was at your wedding and also a nice touch when you include a thank you for each guest’s specific wish in your thank you cards.

Related Posts:

• Guide To Wedding Reception Accessories
• WedCasts - The perfect solution for long-distance guests
• What to Do When You Have Missing or Late RSVP's

This weekend was sure buzzing with wedding bells but it wasn't the Royal Wedding this time! Instead it was the Royal Wedding 2.0 that revolved around Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries. The gorgeous reality star's wedding was much anticipated by many of her fans. But I'll tell you first hand, we're proud here in Minnesota of our Minneapolis-grown boy, Kris Humphries who formerly lead a successful basketball career for the Minnesota Gophers. But enough of the background, let's get to the juicy wedding details!!

The Invitations

What would a lavish wedding be without lavish wedding stationery? The bride decided to use the same invitation designer as her sister Khloe, and had Lehr & Black whip them up. The black and white wedding invitations each came in their own silver box and featured hundreds of 'jet black hematite crystals' says People.com. Notice the double K monogram at the top of the invite for Kim and Kris. So clever! And very cute.

The invitations were rumored to cost around $250 each. Yowza!

The Guests

For starters, the wedding was held at a private estate in Montecito, California where the couple was surrounded by 450 of their closest friends and family members. Some of the celebrities in the crowd that you might recognize included Ryan Seacrest, Ciara, Mario Lopez, Serena Williams, Eva Longoria, Brody Jenner and Avril Lavigne, Lindsay Lohan, Carmelo Anthony, Kathy Lee Gifford and obviously many more. It was rumored that Kim had to cut 50 guests before the wedding came on Saturday because there simply wasn't room for everyone.

The Bridal Party

Of course among the bridesmaids were Kim's sisters, Khloe and Kourtney who donned white Vera Wang bridesmaid gowns. Continuing the trend that was seen in the Royal Wedding with Pippa Middleton wearing her white bridesmaid dress. Could we be seeing more of this trend in the near future? Likely. I'm keeping my eyes open for it. On the groom's side, we saw Rob Kardashian and Lamar Odom sporting black Zegna tuxes. Along with Bruce Jenner and Kris' father, William Humphries. But the cutest man there of course was little Mason, Kim's nephew. He filled the ring bearer role and stole the crowd's hearts, naturally.

The Dress

Kim kept everyone waiting with her dress reveal, but it was known early that it would be designed by Vera Wang. Though elaborate photos haven't been released yet, there have been a few that give a sneak peak of the dress which shows a gorgeous, strapless, ivory gown with a basque waist and lace details, with a stunning train. One of the details Kim added to her outfit for the day was less trendy and more 'her'. She wore a jeweled headpiece that draped elegantly over her forehead. We haven't seen too much of this before, but it may become one of the wedding accessories to watch for in upcoming nuptials for sure!

Side note, she also lined up two reception dresses to change into, that were also designed by Vera Wang.

The Theme

Simple, elegant and classy, Kim kept her theme to black and white. Starting with the invitations and ending with her big day. With the beautiful black and white aisle runner, white bridesmaid dresses, and black tuxes, it was a simply regal theme.

The Cake

The star couple's 6 foot tall wedding cake featured 10 layers of chocolate and vanilla swirl deliciousness covered in decadent frosting (yum!) The cake cost somewhere between $15,000-$20,000 - no big deal.

The Cost

The cost for this extravagant wedding is said to be in the ballpark of around $20 million. But the thing about it is that they will likely be coming out on top for all the free exposure for all the brands that helped them build their big day. Freebies include the cake, a hefty discount on the wedding rings, all 3 of Kim's wedding gowns (at $20,000 each), wedding invitations plus lots more. Not to mention, the couple sold the exclusive rights of wedding photos to People for $1.5 million. There will also be an E! wedding special that the celeb duo was paid $15 million for.

The Rest

The wedding was set to go until early hours of the morning on Sunday (August 21st) but it seems the neighbors phoned the police to come in and quiet down the party. The cops showed up and the music was shut down at midnight. But that didn't seem to phase the party, as guests hung around until 2am before heading home for the night. Kim seemed okay with it, probably because there are reportedly plans to have a second reception to follow on August 31 in New York City.

What do you think? Did you enjoy any special details of her wedding? Did anything surprise you?

More Celebrity Wedding Coverage:

Chelsea Clinton's Elegant Wedding 2010

Royal Wedding Favors

It used to be that prenuptial agreements were viewed as negative documents that suggested the marriage was doomed even before the wedding began. But not anymore. While no one wants to focus on an untimely parting at such a happy time, smart people take a break from looking at wedding favors and are taking a look at the pluses and minuses of signing a prenup with their partner.

As the very helpful site Prenuptial Agreements (www.prenuptialagreements.org) notes, “All marrying couples have a ‘prenuptial agreement’ – it is known as ‘divorce law.’” In the event of a divorce, there are certain laws that will automatically kick in. They vary by the state you reside and/or were married in, but they are very specific about what’s going to take place at break-up. So, some couples want to take matters into their own hands and decide ahead of time, should the unthinkable split occur, how their assets and finances will be distributed.

You should contact a lawyer who specializes in prenuptial agreements if you are even thinking of creating one. And while this article is not intended to offer legal advice of any kind, there are a few reasons you might want to consider drafting a prenup.

If you are marrying for the second time and want to protect what you already have as far as money for your children’s education, the house you currently own, etc., you’ll want to get that set down in ink. Also, if you have a lot of assets or are making a great deal of money, you’ll want a say in where that money goes should you split. And the prenup can also be the deciding factor in discerning how much alimony must be paid out or can be claimed should the marriage break up.

But what if you’re not making much or don’t have many monetary assets? Should you still consider the prenup? A prenup can protect the partner who is not as well off financially from being cut off in the event of a divorce. Once you are accustomed to living in a certain style, it can be devastating to think about returning to a cold water flat alone. This will help secure your future.

There are other reasons to enter into a prenuptial agreement. Say you’re the owner of a small business. Do you know what would happen to your business if you and your partner split? Do all the years of hard work you put in before you met your spouse get split 50/50? If you have a prenup, it can state how much, if any, of your business can be touched by the other party.

One final reason behind the prenup that often surfaces in old Hollywood movies is to see if the person you are marrying really loves you or your money. If your intended refuses to sign the agreement, it may mean you should look at your situation more closely.

A sound prenuptial agreement is designed to protect both parties, not just one. So if you feel you’ve been asked to sign a document that is unfairly biased against you, get your own lawyer to look at it. And then take her advice!

Perhaps the loveliest part of the prenuptial agreement is what’s called the Sunset Clause. This little clause, when included in the document, allows that if you and your spouse are married a certain number of years, the agreement becomes invalid. That’s something to look forward to in your golden years!

Related Marriage Posts:

• Failure of the Institution of Marriage
• Prospects for the Future of Marital Therapy
• Working on This Marriage Consciously and Deliberately

So you want to have a destination wedding—Aruba, Jamaica, Hawaii—and can’t invite everyone from back home? What should you do if you still want to have a reception when you return so that you can celebrate with everyone? This can be a touchy subject with some, so consider how you present your reception and the timing of it.

First off, some guests may feel snubbed if they are not invited to the actual wedding. They feel they should at least have been offered the invite even if they can’t hop a flight to Jamaica. They may also feel that you only invited the “good” people and that they are second string. To avoid hurt feelings you should consider the wording on your invitation. If you are going to send out invitations to your post-destination reception before your off-site wedding, you will not want to include the exact date and time of your reception back home. For instance, you should say something like, “Joe and Rita are going to be married June 8^th in Hawaii. A reception will be held in Milwaukee on Friday, July 7 at 9:00.” Notice, you are giving the guest just enough information to say the wedding will take place off-site but not so much that they feel you are flaunting it in their face that they are not invited. The wording above makes it seem like everyone has been invited to the wedding reception back home and hence, the guest is not missing out on anything.

While there are various schools of thought on exactly when you should host that post-destination party, it’s usually a good idea to schedule it for within a month of your actual wedding. However, if you live in an area of the country where it is going to be extremely cold or the weather is prohibitive and may ruin your party, then by all means, stretch the date to a time when it’s nicer where you live. But most people will find it odd if you don’t have your reception within at least a few months from your wedding date.

Make sure you enlist the help of a family member or friend back home to mail your wedding stationery & invitations while you are at your destination on your honeymoon. The invitations should arrive in your guests’ mailboxes while you are away so that the announcement that you were just married remains fresh. So have Aunt Barb take your invitations to the post office while you’re gone and you can rest easy on your honeymoon knowing you’ve taken care of everything.

Prepare your invitations well in advance with the correct wording and you’ll have one less thing to think about. You might choose to do an informal set of invitations if the reception is going to be an outdoor barbecue. Or, you send something formal if you’re going ahead with a very upscale reception. Just have your date set in advance for the reception. The worst thing you can do is run off and get married in a tropical destination thinking you’ll plan the reception when you return. You’ll have so much to do when you get back that the plans may fall behind and you’ll end up not scheduling your reception (or not being able to get a venue) for six or seven months after the wedding. This will make guests feel left out. By the time half a year rolls around, the excitement of the initial celebration will have faded in the minds of your guests and they may feel forgotten.

So a good rule of thumb to stick with is to invite everyone in writing before you leave for your wedding. Have everything booked and ready to roll for within a month of your actual wedding date. Of course you can take care of wedding favors and other little details when you return, but don’t hold off on booking a band or hiring a caterer until you return. Have your reservations etched in stone at the restaurant or hall so that there are no unpleasant surprises when you return home to pick up your reception planning again.

Helpful Article: How to Announce that You Have Eloped

It used to be, in the days before active conservationists came on the scene, that rice was the thing to throw at weddings. No one gave it a second thought. It was supposed to signify good luck and prosperity to the happy couple. But instead, it was discovered that birds were eating the grains of rice and their bellies were becoming swelled. Apparently rice isn’t the best food for birds.

So careful brides switched over to bird seed. Wrapped in tulle or little bags, the birdseed can be fun and healthy for the birds at the same time. But it can be a little messy. Who wants to end up with bird seed in their expensive hairdo?

An alternative that finally makes sense is the inclusion of wedding bubbles. At the end of the ceremony, as the bride and groom exit the church, guests can blow bubbles at the departing couple. This solves all the problems!

Neatly packaged bubbles now exist for brides to purchase. They can be done up in ribbons or left as is. They now come in little white bottles in the shape of hearts or in other festive shapes. They include a tiny wand and soap bubble solution. Brides can now order them in bulk online for just pennies each. These cute little containers can be used as wedding favors to give away or just be used at the ceremony.

Some brides choose to wrap a bow or ribbon in their theme color around the tops of the bottles. It can be a cute touch, but if you find that your time is limited, you may want to skip this step. If you can’t imagine sitting down and tying ribbons to 150-300 miniature bottles, then skip the ribbon. They’ll look just as festive as is.

Bubbles are a nice way to go as there is no messy clean up. There’s also a nice photo opportunity when the bubbles are being blown. Instead of a whirling mass of birdseed flying in the air, guests will be seen oohing and ahhing over the lovely bubbles floating over the bride’s and groom’s heads. And the fun usually breaks out as guests turn into kids again and start blowing bubbles at each other, too.

It’s a great way to add levity to your ceremony and reception. Bubbles lend an air of freedom and lightheartedness. It sets the tone that the reception may be formal, but it won’t be stuffy. Guests just love when they see bubbles. There’s something about being allowed to blow bubbles in public that makes everyone giggle. Be sure to save several for your flower girl and ring bearer as they’ll really stay entertained by them.

You can shop online under “wedding bubbles” or you can go to a crafts store and pick up bundles of the little bottles all set to go. They usually come in packages of six or nine and are just a few dollars per pack. They have even shown up at the dollar store in the favors aisle. So you can cross off expensive birdseed packets from your list. These beauties are just a few cents each to bring home and they have a lot of eye appeal. It’s one trend that’s worth trying out.

More Popular Wedding Trends:

• The Wedding Sand Ceremony Trend
• Wedding Centerpiece Trends
• Wedding Cake Trends
• A New Trend Photobooths at the Reception
• Wedding Cake Topper Trends