Wedding couples at Thanksgiving

For many families,
Thanksgiving Day is
a time for families
and friends to reunite,
to watch football games
and Thanksgiving Day
parades, consume lots
and lots of traditional
Thanksgiving Day foods,
and to remember and share
old stories and experiences.

Put Your Relationship First

The most important thing the two of you can do to make
your Thanksgiving Day holiday a joyous and stress free
occasion is to put your relationship with one another
first.

• Stand together and support one another as you communicate your holiday decisions to your families and friends.
• When making decisions about where to go, who to see, and how to spend the day, remember to make decisions together that are life-giving to your marriage.

Make Thanksgiving Less Chaotic and More Meaningful

If Thanksgiving Day for the two of you doesn't match the ideal
and is a day of stress and turmoil in your marriage, check out
some of these ideas for making the holiday more meaningful and
less chaotic.
• Consider having your own Thanksgiving Day dinner alone.
Then join your families later for dessert.
• If you really don't want to choose between which family
to spend the holiday with, then get away together. You don't have
to go far away. There are probably some great resorts near your
home that have holiday packages that include a romantic place to
stay and Thanksgiving dinner.
• You can also get away as a family if you have children. We had
a great Thanksgiving dinner with our four kids at Cinderella's
Castle in Disney World. Years later, the kids still talk about
the wonderful stress free time we had as a family that holiday.
• If you are in an interfaith marriage, rather than saying grace
at dinner, you could have a moment of silence before eating, or
have everyone at the table share something they are thankful for.
• Sometime during the day, take a nap or a break from the
festivities.
• When the two of you are alone together, share the blessings you
each feel in your marriage.
• If the two of you are hosting a Thanksgiving Day dinner, remember
to try and keep balance in your lives.
• Don't strive for perfection in either the way your home looks,
the way your kids behave, or the way the meal turns out.
• Decide together on who will do what when it comes to the
straightening the house, planning, preparation, cooking, and clean up
responsibilities.
• Look for ways to go beyond the inner circle of yourselves and y
our families by taking canned foods to church or a local food bank,
or helping to distribute hot meals on Thanksgiving Day.
• Tell a story from your past Thanksgiving celebrations to each other.

By Sheri & Bob Stritof, Weddings.About.com

Most importantly, enjoy spending the time together, count your
blessings and have a very HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Wedding Gown Care

After your Wedding Day,
it is important to have
your wedding dress
properly cleaned by a
Certified Wedding Gown
Specialist.

This one is the best!

The Clothes Doctor has years of experience
and expertise to provide the proper care and
treatment for your wedding dress, and we are
proud members of the Wedding Gown Specialist
Association. Our services are also endorsed
by the Association of Bridal Consultants.

Since 1994, we have specialized in Wedding Gown
Cleaning, Preservation and Heirloom Wedding Gown
Restoration. We are not “just a corner dry cleaner.”

Be careful who you choose to clean and preserve your
wedding dress. Without the appropriate expertise,
credentials, experience, and care, the result could
be irreparable damage to your treasured wedding gown.

Every gown brought to The Clothes Doctor is thoroughly
examined prior to and after cleaning to make sure the
beading and fabrics are appropriately and safely treated.

The Clothes Doctor has State of the Art Dry Cleaning,
Wet Cleaning and Finishing Equipment, which when used by
our experienced specialists, will provide the best care
available for your wedding keepsake.

The Clothes Doctor only uses pure "green cleaning" methods,
and guarantees “No Drycleaning Smell.” Sugars are not
dissolved during ordinary dry cleaning and our unique
Anti-Sugar Stain Treatment is included in our cleaning process.
This unique process, not used by cleaners with who have little
or no experience with wedding gown cleaning and wedding gown
preservation, has been featured in Modern Bride and Bride’s
magazines. It ensures that all sugar, salt and acid stains
--- seen or unseen --- are removed. This is a critical requirement
of proper wedding gown preservation and storage.

As a result of this unique process, The Clothes Doctor offers
and honors the Association of Wedding Care Specialists 100% written
guarantee against caramelized sugar stains or yellowing of your
heirloomed bridal gown.

After cleaning, The Clothes Doctor will preserve your heirloomed
gown in our exclusive MuseumCare Preservations™ 100% acid free
archival chest. We also use 100% acid free tissue to keep your gown
from having permanent creases and folds. The chest also has a acid
free window so you can view your gown while it is safely boxed in
storage.

Remember, with The Clothes Doctor you get:

• Free consultations and helpful advice to care for your
wedding dress on the day of your wedding

• Peace of Mind (we're experts!)

• A Lifetime Guarantee, in writing that guarantees
our workmanship

• Pick-up and delivery service is available in
Los Angeles and throughout Orange County

Call us today or complete our online inquiry form for
more information.

We’d love to hear more about your special day and your
wedding dress.

We’ll also add you to our mailing list and send along
some helpful tips and advice to make sure your wedding
planning goes smoothly.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Bob and Carol Clark
The Clothes Doctor
800-926-5313
www.WeddingGownCareAndPreservation.com

Weddings Become Marriages

Getting Married
should be about
the Marriage
and not about
the Wedding.

So many Brides get caught up in planning
a perfect Wedding, they don’t think about
the “Ever After”.

I am a firm believer in Marriage and living
“Happily Ever After”.

That doesn’t mean that everything in your life
after your Wedding will always be perfect, but
if your expectations aren’t unrealistic you can
have a very happy life together.

When you go through the good times, it is so
wonderful to have someone to share and enjoy
those times with, and when times are tough,
you have someone by your side to help you,
and you can work through them together.

The secret is, not having any secrets from
each other.

That doesn’t mean that you need to report to each
other on every little detail of your life, but
that you always share your feelings and opinions
with each other.

You can agree to disagree, but at least you are
talking and sharing.

Pick your battles carefully, everything is not worth
fighting about.

Starting with the day you say “I Do” to each other,
work together as a unit and you can accomplish so
much more in life.

Don’t try to change each other, just accept each
others faults and focus on your strengths.

Work to bring out the best in your partner, and
allow them to bring out the best in you as well.

Always make time for each other, and remember why
you fell in love, and you should stay in love for
the rest of your lives.

A few “Words of Wisdom”
shared with you from
Debbie Christensen, Publisher
of The Wedding Guide.

Halloween Weddings

For the groom
and best man,
a tuxedo can
be complemented
with the top hat,
cape and cane of
a Victorian
gentleman.

A red lining to
the cape brings
out the Halloween
associations with
Vampires, without
making the connection too obvious.

For the bride and bridesmaids,
full elegant and even hooped gowns, with high or
wing collars, are suggested by this theme, although
any long and elegant style would be compatible.

The orange, black, red and yellow colors associated
with Halloween are derived mainly from the pumpkin
and the underworld theme, but are also colors
associated with the Fall as the leaves change color.
These warm colors used in the decorations for a
Halloween wedding acknowledges both the festival
and the season.
Seasonal flowers to carry through this color theme
include red, orange and yellow roses and tiger and
calla lilies.

Dark colored table cloths instead of white are suggested,
either black or red. The autumn theme could be developed
with the tables sprinkled with gold, orange and yellow
confetti, rose petals or artificial leaves.

The use of candles as the featured lighting during a
Halloween wedding reception also reflects the seasonal
drawing in of the nights. Chunky candles in autumn colors
are suggested.

A few plain gourds as candle holders bring out the warm
colors, and make a reference to the Halloween carved pumpkin
jack-o-lantern, without the ghoulish grin.

Halloween Wedding Ideas

Few couples would
want to pursue the
ghoulish side of the
Halloween theme at
their wedding.
However, a wedding
at Halloween is an
opportunity to create
a very special ambiance
reflecting the season
and some of the elegant
aspects of the Halloween
tradition.

Halloween has adopted the Victorian Count Dracula story,
which has inspired a formality in some Halloween party
costumes. The Count is usually portrayed in a tuxedo,
and ladies following this Vampire theme often wear long
gowns with high collars or wings. The popular Adams Family
television series built up this aspect of the Halloween
tradition, and developed a style close to the Gothic theme
popular during Victorian times. The Gothic style also has
an appeal through the music and lifestyle tastes of many
modern couples. A Halloween wedding can take advantage of
the formality and elegance of the Victorian era, while
having a modern lifestyle appeal.

The Victorian era also made use of dark colors, such as
reds and burgundies and dark stained woods, and could
influence the choice of venue for a Halloween wedding.
Victorian furnishings, chandeliers and wood paneling
would certainly add to the Halloween atmosphere.

Cherubs and angels were popular decor items during the
Victorian Gothic era, and could be featured as table
decoration, candle holders and for holding place names.
Another slightly bolder and macabre play on the Halloween
theme would be to make named tombstones as place name
holders.

Your Bridal Shower

The bridal shower is a traditional
celebration which allows friends
and family to show their affection
and “shower” the couple with gifts.
The shower occurs from two months
to two weeks before the wedding and
can be anything from an informal
luncheon at the office to a buffet
dinner in an elegant restaurant.

Bridal showers or couples showers are usually given
by members of the wedding party, cousins, or friends
of the families. Two or three friends can act as
co-hostesses or hosts. No one should be invited to the
shower who has not been invited to the wedding or who
does not know the couple. One of the bride’s
responsibilities as far as her shower goes is to provide
the hostess with a guest list and to make sure that she
hasn’t created a financial burden on anyone by inviting
her to more than one or two showers. She should also send
a written note of thanks to her guests for any presents
received, as well as to the hostess(es) for their
hospitality.

Shower themes can be fun and useful. Unique shower ideas
are: A “round the clock” shower where guests are assigned
an hour of day on their invitations and bring the
appropriate gifts (for example, a “7:00 a.m. guest” might
bring a toaster). A home repair shower for the bride and
groom. A lingerie shower. A recipe shower where each guest
receives a recipe card and fills in a favorite dish.
A “wishing well” shower, where in addition to the gift, the
guest brings a tiny present (a wooden spoon, a kitchen
sponge etc.). The hostess makes a cardboard replica of a well,
and the gifts, wrapped and tied with ribbons, are tossed in.
There are no cards attached, though sometimes the guests write
a poem, and attach it to their gifts. The bride pulls out the
gifts with the ribbons and reads the poems aloud.

Your Wedding Photographs

Don’t err on the side
of politeness… or economy… when
friends or relatives volunteer
to take your wedding photographs.

Get a professional, one who thoroughly
understands lighting techniques and who
is skilled at creatively capturing the
tender, joyous and humorous moments of
your wedding and reception on film.

Interview photographers early, at least six to twelve
months in advance. Visit their studios, review their
portfolios, and talk about the pictures you envision
of your wedding. Be sure to inquire about special
effect photography and decide if you want it included
in your wedding portfolio.


Determine your photography budget clearly at this meeting.
Don’t forget to allow for additional prints you might want
to give as gifts later. Agree on a firm figure for both
the deposit and the final payments; pay both promptly.

Discuss with your photographer the type of wedding you’re
planning. Include the location and time of both the ceremony
and reception. Be sure the photographer reviews considerations
regarding the lighting. Some churches do not allow extraneous
lighting during the ceremony.

You will come up against one photographic dilemma. When should
the formal portraits be taken? After the ceremony is the
traditional time, but many photographers feel that there is not
enough time between ceremony and reception to allow for all group
pictures plus the beautiful, romantic shots which you will surely
wish to have. Besides, this is the time you want to spend with
your guests. Taking all formal groupings before the ceremony
seems to be a better choice when a large, formal wedding party is
involved. This allows time after the ceremony for more relaxed
photos with family and friends in attendance. Discuss this question
thoroughly with your fiancé and your photographer to understand
everyone’s preferences. Considering your wedding day schedule and
the size of the wedding party, the three of you will reach the
right decision about the best time for this important photographic
session.

If your wedding party is large, or you have large families, you may
want to appoint a photographic assistant. They should know everyone
in your family by sight and be able to assist the photographer by
making sure all essential family groupings are taken. Don’t forget
to inform your photographer of any sensitive situations in your
respective families, such as recently deceased grandparents,
divorced parents, stepparents, etc.

The photography contract is a complex one. Be sure you understand
exactly the quantity and size of the prints you will be buying, when
proofs will be available, the type of proofs provided, when the
finished work will be ready, and how long the negatives will be
kept in the photographer’s filing system.

Once you’re satisfied that you have conveyed all your wishes to the
photographer, relax and let him/her fulfill those wishes. The result
will be an album that genuinely reflects the love and happiness you
and your families share on your wedding day.

For more information see Wedding Photographers

Image by Carissa Woo Photography