TheBrideandGroom.com Blog

Summer is right around the corner and for those in the wedding industry that means Summers #1 wedding showcase at one of Utah’s most elegant locations, the amazing La Caille.

The Summer Bridal Extravaganza at LaCaille is like no other wedding show you will ever attend.

Situated on over 22 acres of immaculately groomed gardens LaCaille is an 18th century French Chateau sitting at the base of Little Cottonwood Canyon.  As you come up the cobblestone road you will see one of Utah’s most beautiful settings backed by the Wasatch Mountains.

No other wedding event this summer (except for maybe your own) can even come close to what the Summer Bridal Extravaganza Offers.  Over 80 of Utah’s premier wedding professionals will be on hand to help you as you plan your wedding.

Historically brides from all over Utah and other parts of the west have come to this show because of its sheer beauty and what it has to offer.

SAVE THE DATE

SATURDAY, JULY 20th, 2013

LACAILLE

11:00 – 5:30

PRE REGISTER TO ATTEND TODAY

VENDOR SPACE STILL AVAILABLE

CLICK HERE TO BECOME A VENDOR

All Photos Courtesy of Swensen Photography

No this article isn’t about those kinds of resorts.

Let’s face it, kids are great.  Kids running around and kicking sand in your face or peeing in the pool while you are on your honeymoon is not great. Nothing can ruin your romance and relaxation more than a crying kid.  We absolutely love kids.  But your honeymoon isn’t a place for them.  It is the perfect time for the two of you to only worry about each other.

We found some amazing Adults Only resorts that will blow you away.  One of those resorts is the Grand Prize Sponsor of all our Bridal Extravaganza Shows.

COUPLES NEGRIL RESORT

The adage “A picture is worth a thousand words” refers to the notion that a complex idea can be conveyed with just a single still image.

From these single images below you can see the truth to that statement.  We found some images of some amazing locations that would be just incredible locations to visit for your honeymoon.

Make sure to contact your travel agent to find out more about these amazing places.  One travel agent we highly recommend is All Points Travel.

If these images don’t get you day dreaming you may have forgotten how to do so.

Bora Bora

Vernazza, Italy

Three Sisters Wilderness, Oregon

The Island of Aitutaki, Cook Islands

Santorini, Greece

Multnomah Falls, Oregon

Maldives

Guana Island in the British Virgin Islands

Fiji Islands

Campobasso, Italy

Maldives, Ansana Velavaru Resort

Photo’s courtesy of Cake Adoration

This lovely cake & yummy dessert set up was created by Sally with Cake Adoration & the wedding was held at Noah’s in South Jordan.  Noah’s have these great panels on their walls that really help with the decor.  (Sally get’s a lot of great comments about the backdrop from this image.)

Sally is a local decorator with 7 years experience & she loves creating unique cakes that look & taste amazing.  For more information you can visit Sally’s website at:  www.cakeadoration.com or contact her by phone at: 801-455-2373.

Thanks Sally for sharing your images & talent with us.

Photo’s courtesy of Cake Adoration

Photography by~Brooke Schultz Photography

Congratulations to one of  my dear friends, Heather & her fiance Scott.  They are seriously about the cutest couple ever & oh so in love.  They choose Brooke Schultz Photography to be their photographer & I must say she captured the two of them perfectly.  My favorite thing about these images is that Brooke really captured their personalities.  They are fun, energetic & seriously so awesome.  I am beyond thrilled for the two of them.  Scott is such a lucky guy to get such a great girl like Heather. And she tells us about all the sweet things he does for her too.  I must say I think he’s a keeper. Heather will be such a fantastic wife.  She is one of the most talented women that I know.  I think she can do about anything from running marathons to making a cake or throwing about the best party around.   Congratulation you two, I am so happy for you both.

Photography by~Brooke Schultz Photography

A special thanks to Brooke Schultz from Brooke Schultz Photography for sharing you beautiful images with us.

We always here about raging crazy bachelor parties.  But we have heard some doozies too about bachelorette parties.  Keep in mind that we are all for having a good time as long as it is safe for all those involved.  That being said we found some fun ideas for bachelorette parties that you could actually tell your mom about.  You still don’t have to invite her but at least you could show her some photos.

Here are some fun ideas to include at your bachelorette party:

• Custom T-Shirts: Making customized bachelorette party shirts is a great way to add a personalized touch to your celebration. There are so many great designs, funny sayings to include, and styles to choose from to match the theme of the party. Make a shirt for each guest to wear throughout the duration of the party. It also serves as an ideal party favor for everyone to keep at the end of the night. As an alternative to the traditional t-shirt, consider making tank-tops that the girls can wear with jeans or a skirt.

• Bachelorette Scavenger Hunt: Host a bachelorette scavenger hunt to add a fun and competitive twist to your bash. It is a great way to get everyone involved and is easily incorporated into any bachelorette party theme. Have everyone split into teams to try to accomplish a list of outlandish things before the night is over. This idea is fun and memorable for the entire party.

• Cooking Themed Party: If the bride-to-be loves to eat but needs some practice in the kitchen then this theme is a fun way to eat, drink, and learn how to cook. To pull it off you will need to hire a private chef or find a venue that provides cooking lessons or demonstrations. This will give everyone an opportunity to learn how to make a delicious new meal and you’ll be able to taste everyone’s dishes after the lesson. It is a relaxed yet fun way to celebrate a bachelorette party with friends.

• Party Props: A simple and easy way to add some fun to a bachelorette party is to incorporate props. Props are things for the bride-to-be to wear or carry throughout the night. They can be funny, flirty, or even a little inappropriate. Some ideal bachelorette props include a veil, garter belt, bride-to-be necklaces, a bachelorette sash, shot glass necklaces, or a groom blow up doll.

• Hit The Road Jack: For the truly adventurous “fling before the ring”, kidnap the bachelorette for an all-gals road rager. Don’t tell bride-to-be where you’re heading (Even more fun, make it so you don’t even know!), but make sure to pull over at every random “biggest ball of twine” stop along the way, snapping pics at every one. Then, scrapbook the entire thing for a great bridal gift.

• Sport Themed Outing: If you want a less traditional party theme, then this unique bachelorette party idea is perfect. Host the party at local sports arena and watch a professional game. Football, basketball, and hockey games are all provide lively entertainment, which makes them the perfect venue for a casual girls night out. Get everyone even more involved by all wearing the team colors to show support for your favorite team.

• For the mild child: Try a date at the mani-pedi salon or at the spa for massages and the works, followed by a big dinner out. Or get the girls together for cocktails and trade your funniest stories about the bride in toasts around the table.

• The Old Stand By Sleep Over:  Go back to your days of childhood and have an old fashioned sleep over.  A PJ party is a tradition that, honestly, you never really grow out of .  Either rent a beach house or a cabin — or just enlist one of your friends to host everyone for the night — and cook dinner and just enjoy your time together.

We all daydream every once in a while.  Sometimes too much.  A lot of times our daydreams are about getting away from the grind, relaxing near the ocean and just being with the person you care most about.  The El Dorado Roayle is just that place.

With more than a mile of sandy beach in Mexico’s Riviera Maya, El Dorado Royale, a Spa Resort, by Karisma offers an escape which no other destination can match. All the luxuries you can dream of, combined with an emphasis on personal attention to your every whim, make this an ideal location for a getaway. Travelers join us from around the world for romantic outdoor beach weddings or ceremonies in our intimate beachfront chapel, relaxing honeymoons, anniversary celebrations, or just much needed time off.

Discover the pleasures of the Gourmet Inclusive® experience. Relax in an elegant suite that includes 24-hour room service and a private Jacuzzi. Savor gourmet dining at seven extraordinary restaurants. Float on 13 swimming pools and indulge in spa services, including our popular couples massage classes. Then get ready to join in the exciting nightlife. It’s all here and it’s all for you in a place that doesn’t just feel like paradise, it is.

A Conde Nast Traveler Readers’ Top 100 Hotels in the World and a AAA Four Diamond Resort, El Dorado Royale is an adults-only destination that provides the ultimate in service in the ultimate setting.

All Points Travel Is Utah’s Only preferred Travel agent for this amazing resort.  If you are looking for a honeymoon that will fulfill your daydreaming make sure to give them a call.

El Dorado Royale offers an escape like no other. All the luxuries you can imagine, combined with personal attention to your every need, make this an ideal location for special getaways, romantic weddings, honeymoons and anniversaries.

They say that from the instant he lays eyes on her, a father adores his daughter. Whoever she grows up to be, she is always to him that little girl in pigtails. She makes him feel like Christmas… – Author Unknown

Photo By Swensen Photography

Probably the most tear jerking part of a wedding is the Daddy/Daughter dance.  In all the weddings we have attended we have seen more brides shed tears, more mothers have to redo their makeup and more fathers break down and cry during this incredibly heart melting part of the day.

We thought it would be a fun idea to compile a list of favorite daddy/daughter wedding songs.  We also included what we saw as the top ten songs.  This is from our own personal attendance and from some other sources who had compiled their own top daddy/daughter songs.

If you have one that isn’t on here please share it with us.

Photo By Tiny Comet Photography

1 – Butterfly Kisses – Bob Carlisle’s Butterfly Kisses is one of the all-time favorites. The message is loved by dads and daughters alike and the tempo makes dancing easy.  Not sure what butterfly kisses are?  It’s when you cuddle up with your daughter and her eyelashes tickle your cheek as she bats her eyes.  It happens to almost all dads and daughters a lot as she grows up.  So the song has a fun message at a daughter’s wedding.

2 – I Loved Her First - What a great song for a father-daughter wedding dance! By the country/pop group Heartland, this song will melt the heart of daughter, father and every onlooker.  The music is wonderful, the message tender and the reminder of what a dad means to his daughter at her wedding is the focus of this song.

3 – Through the Years by Kenny Rogers is a timeless song of love and is a favorite of many of my friends. It is a little bit country, which appeals to many dads and daughters, but is sweet and memorable.

4 – Always Be Your Baby – Natalie Grant’s Always Be Your Baby has been recommended by many dads and brides.  One bride told us “It is the most tear jerking father/daughter song I have ever heard! My father and I danced to this song at my wedding, and I cried the entire time!”

Photo By Rachel Tyler Photography

5 – The Way You Look Tonight – An old Frank Sinatra tune (with the Count Basie orchestra) is a wonderful dad and daughter dance number. It has a fun beat and is well crafted for a little swing dance at a wedding or reception.

6 - Unforgettable – You can’t listen to Natalie Cole’s version of her father’s hit Unforgettable without feeling the warm affection between a father and a daughter. It is easy to dance to and it tugs at the heartstrings for any bride and her daddy.

7 – Lullaby – One of Billy Joel’s soulful songs sings a lullaby to his daughter and provides a favorite dance song for weddings. This is a unique song–not one you’ll hear at every wedding–and still is meaningful to a dad and his newlywed daughter.

8 -A Song For My Daughter – Nikki Viereck creates a beautifully moving song about a father’s (or mother’s) feelings on seeing their daughter as a bride on the wedding day. Good to dance to, not “cutesy”.

9 – Isn’t She Lovely - By Stevie Wonder, “‘Isn’t She Lovely’ by Stevie Wonder is tried and true with complete lyrical focus on the bride,”

10 – Forever Young – By Rod Stewart – It is tough for Dads to see their daughters grow up.  This song sums up how a dad will always look at his little girl, even when she is grown and out of the house.

Photo By Jon Woodbury Photography

Other Great Songs For Daddy Daughter Dances – Not all of them are your traditional slow dance songs.

Sweet Pea by Amos Lee
How Sweet It Is by James Taylor
Come Fly With Me by Frank Sinatra
Times of Your Life by Paul Anka
My Little Girl by Tim McGraw
Father and Daughter by Paul Simon
What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong
You are the Sunshine of My Life by Stevie Wonder
Daughter by Loudon Wainwright III
My Girl by The Temptations
Brown Eyed Girl by Van Morrison
Cinderella by Steven Curtis Chapman
Daughters by John Mayer
My Funny Valentine by Frank Sinatra
Sweet Child O’ Mine by Guns N’ Roses
The Way You Do The Things You Do by The Temptations
The Wonder of You by Elvis Presley
Dance With My Father by Luther Vandross
Have I Told You Lately by Rod Stewart
I’ve Got the World On a String by Frank Sinatra
It Had To Be You by Ray Charles
Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel) by Billy Joel
Michelle by The Beatles
Not While I’m Around by Kat Jennings and Angela Lansbury
Oh! My Papa by Eddie Fisher
Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World by Israel “IZ” Kamakawiwoole
The Long and Winding Road by The Beatles
There Goes My Life by Kenny Chesney
When You Need Me by Bruce Springsteen
I Got You Babe by Sonny & Cher
You Are So Beautiful by Joe Cocker
(The Long To Be) Close To You by The Carpenters
A Wink and a Smile by Harry Connick Jr.

Photo By Swensen Photography

Sources – Ask.com, brides.com, bridalimage.com, bridalmusings.com, theknot.com, thehuffingtonpost.com

Writing your own personalized wedding vows can be a daunting task, but it’s not quite as hard as it looks. Here are six easy steps that you can follow to write your own wedding vows.

Photo Courtesy of Swensen Photography

Make sure that everyone is on the same page. Talk to your future spouse and your officiant and make sure everyone is okay with personalized wedding vows. Some religions require that you use the traditional wording, while others will allow you to write your own, as long as you include certain phrases. You’ll also want to make sure that your sweetheart also wants to do it. While you’re at it, decide together whether you want to write one wedding vow that you will both say, or whether you want to write individually.

Answer some simple questions Yep, it’s homework time. Sit down in a quiet space with paper and pen and answer these questions. Even if you don’t think the answer will end up in your wedding vows, still take the time to write it down. It may help you in the long run. If you encounter writer’s block, first try taking a short break. If you’re still having trouble, try speaking the answers into a tape recorder, letting the thoughts flow freely.

1. • What is the single greatest thing about the person you are going to marry?
   • When did you know that you were in love/ know that this person was the one you wanted to marry?
   • What does marriage mean to you? Why do you want to be a married person?
   • What is the most important thing you want to promise to your partner? What is the promise you most want to hear from them? (For example, it might be really important to you to promise that you will always respect them. Or you might really want them to promise their eternal fidelity.)
   • What will change about your relationship once you are married? What will stay the same?
   • What is your most favorite memory of your partner?
   • When you were little, did you dream of your wedding day or your future spouse? How does that vision match up (or not) with your sweetheart?

   

Photo Courtesy of Tiny Comet Photography

Consult the experts Take some time to read through a variety of wedding vows, as well as passages of poetry, love stories, and famous writing about love (these are suggested for wedding readings, but include many quotes you could use in your vows.) Print out your favorites, and highlight passages that especially speak to you.
Put it all together Go back to the words you wrote before, and highlight passages that you might want to include in your wedding vows. Now is the time to pare things down – select the very best of all the material you have to work with. Try taking a sentence or two from literature, add a sentence or two from the answers to the above questions, and finish with a vow – a sentence that begins “I promise” or “I vow”. For example, you might say:
“Mary, as the poet Rilke said, ‘This is the miracle that happens every time to those who really love. The more they give, the more they possess.’ You are the most generous, loving, unselfish person I know. I fell in love with you the moment I first saw you with your daughter, treating her with such respect and giving her all of you. I feel so fortunate that you have chosen to share your love with me, and that I get to grow old next to you. Mary, today I choose you for my wife. I promise to love you, honor you, care for you, and be faithful to you, from this day forward and for the rest of our lives.

Photo Courtesy of Bronson Bailey Photography

If that didn’t work Try filling in the blanks in a more simple vow.(Name of your sweetheart), you are my (best friend, one true love, the one I want to spend the rest of my life with, etc.) Today, I take you to be my (wife, husband, lawfully wedded wife or husband, life partner, etc.) I promise you that I will be (faithful, worthy of your trust, worthy of your love, your loving partner, etc.) I vow to (honor you, cherish you, love you, respect you, laugh with you, cry with you, support you in your goals, etc.), (insert here the length of your vow, for example, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, for as long as we both shall live.)
Practice, Practice, Practice First, try reading what you’ve written out loud to a trusted friend or family member. Ideally, this person will be someone who is a good writer, and someone who knows your relationship. They may have good suggestions for you, or the simple act of reading it out loud might help you identify places where you can improve. Once you’ve worked out a final version, practice reading it on your own to make sure you are comfortable with it. If you can, try to memorize it. But whether or not you memorize well, make sure that you write down your wedding vows on a note card (and give an extra copy to the best man or maid of honor!) so that nerves won’t spoil all of your hard work.

Photo Courtesy of Swensen Photography

Author: Nina Callaway for About.com

No bride-to-be wants to be a cliché. While your inner bridezilla may make an appearance or two during the engagement, and vanity shouldn’t matter on the wedding day, you know you want to be a hot, gorgeous bride. To look flawless on the most romantic day of your life and survive the stress of wedding planning, take a little time away from shopping and appointments to try the following exercises. It’ll be worth it.

Running

As long as you have a quality pair of running shoes, hitting the pavement is an inexpensive way to burn those extra cake-tasting calories and clear your head after struggling to downsize the guest list. Especially as longer and warmer days approach, running outdoors will become your essential mental escape for releasing tension and stress. Any soon-to-be bride can commit to 30 minutes a day of running. According to Women’s Health Magazine, you can torch about 100 calories per mile and feel re-energized from the dopamine rush you get after 30 minutes of jogging. Invite your girlfriends to accompany you on a run and drop some pesky pounds before you try on wedding guest dresses from Macy’s. Visit active.com to sign up for 5K and 10K races with your bridesmaids. Running is addictive. You may just end up running a half marathon on your honeymoon!

CrossFit

Although Olympic weightlifting and quick, high-intensity workouts using medicine balls and kettlebells sounds intimidating, CrossFit WODs (workouts of the day) pull you out of your comfort zone and produce results. These are full-body workouts that help you tone and lose weight. You’ll see results such as defined shoulders, traps and lats that will make your dream strapless Monique Lhuillier wedding dress look stunning. A CrossFit transformation will put you in the best shape of your life and make those wedding pictures look phenomenal.

A CrossFit gym can be pricey, and for soon-to-be newlyweds on a wedding-planning budget, a membership can feel out of the question. Scope out local gyms in your area and ask about corporate as well as couples discounts. Starting CrossFit with your fiancé is an excellent way to connect during the engagement period. As a team, you can both slim down, tone up, build muscle and increase endurance. Among all the appointments and stressful wedding planning, reserve one hour at the gym as a time for you two to exert energy and spend time together. Your bond will strengthen as you tackle box jumps, burn through burpees and crank out sit-ups.

Yoga

From child’s pose and downward dog to cobra pose and savasana, the practice of yoga has far-reaching physical, mental and spiritual benefits. Not only will you get in touch with your body, but you’ll become more in tune with your mind. Through yoga, a soon-to-be-bride can develop self-awareness and engage in mindful relaxation, as well as improve her strength and flexibility. Also, the yoga discipline heavily focuses on breathing, and with optimal breathing exercises, you can lessen the emotional stress of wedding planning and actually enjoy one of the most romantic times of your life. Yoga postures, asanas and and vinyasa flows will prepare your mind and sculpt a beach-ready body for your dream honeymoon.

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