Tips on sharing your love story with wedding guests

This information was submitted by Ellen Braunstein.

Your wedding day will be all about "happily ever after." But how did you get to that point? There are joyful and significant moments you may want to share with your wedding guests, the special times that led to "I Do."

Preserving your courtship story can revitalize the magic and memories of those special times. You and your groom will bond more as you crystallize the reasons you fell in love by creating a story booklet or video to share with your guests. Your story is the beginnings of your family history. It will be read or watched by you and your children generations from now. Many wedding guests want to know how you met and got engaged. Often, one family knows the groom, the other knows the bride. By learning your story, they will know "us."

Here are some ways to preserve your story to share with loved ones.

• Have your videographer produce a love story to be projected on a large screen at the reception. You and your groom are interviewed separately in a place of your choice. It might be where you met. The video can be edited so you alternate telling your story in a running dialogue. The videographer often incorporates music and a montage of photos going back to your childhood.
  
• A journalist can write your love story by interviewing you separately. The text of the story can be printed in a ceremony program or designed in a magazine style booklet with your engagement photos and favorite snapshots. Guests will be surprised and delighted when they discover this unusual keepsake at their table.
  
• Another option for sharing your story is to have a DJ interview you live during the reception.

You can write your own story. Try alternating passages so both of you are telling the story. Carefully edit your story, and keep it family friendly. Focus on the first meeting and the proposal. In between, stick with significant events in your courtship that moved you closer. Have a wall of photos of you and your groom from childhood to the present. Showcase your engagement portraits. Have cartoon sketches commissioned that tell your courtship story. Guests can see the series in the wedding program.

Ellen is the writer and creative director of Courtship Stories. She writes the magazine style stories of how couples met and got engaged for their wedding guests.

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2007 Wedding Fashion Trends

International designer Nina Duong has provided this article about 2007 wedding trends. "Women come to me to make them look incredible on their wedding day," Nina said. "That's exactly what I'll do. Whether a woman is getting married in a cathedral or with bare feet on a beach, it's her day. She has to look as beautiful as she feels." Nina says, reflecting the passion that goes into all of the styles she's created.

Any fashion conscious bride getting married this year has been wondering what is in fashion this summer. The brides are in luck since the wedding gowns the fashion designers are presenting are certain to please. The look for 2007 in bridal wear is all about lace and fitted mermaid style gowns.

This could be witnessed during last New York Bridal Show where designers unveiled their creations for this year's lucky brides.

Aiming to please women of all sizes, some designers focused on including high empire waists which are perfect for those brides who want to look slimmer on their wedding day. A splash of color is also the rage with waist sashes of satin in subtle yet noticeable tones.

In 2007 brides who've dreamt of a dress that shows the feminine curve of their shoulders are in for a treat, since strapless gowns never seem to go out of style, however sleeves seem to creep their way back in fashion for those brides that don't consider their shoulders to be their best feature. This complements a simple headpiece to a tee and is ideal for a summer ceremony.

For brides getting married in more unusual settings, such as the beach, simple wedding gowns are most popular. These make getting around easier and help the bride stay comfortable on her wedding day.

Not to be forgotten, 2007 trends must include the time honored tradition of a dress with hand stitching. The difference this season is the colors included in the design. "Brides want something that is uniquely their own." Nina explains, "With the intricate colors added to the embroidery the bride is stepping away from pure white to express her own taste." It's surely a trend that will last well beyond this year.

Beyond the dress, brides are choosing color themes for their attendants in rich, deep hues. Chocolate brown, a color that speaks of elegance is making its way into the dresses and accessories worn by the bridesmaids. "When paired with a soft pink waist sash, bridesmaids in warm brown dresses may even steal the bride's thunder as they walk down the aisle," smiles Nina.

Nina Duong
Nina Duong Haute Couture