I mentioned to Linda that Thank You cards actually reflect you as a couple as much as the wedding. I once recieved cards which were of cheap quality, and the bride and groom had the text already printed up. They just inserted our names in their handwriting and signed theirs. The saddest thing is that the text was just one line ‘Thank you for coming to our wedding and for the present.’… which I think would have taken all of 15 seconds to write in their own handwriting. Well, I thought atleast this was better than a few friends who did not even send any wedding cards!

Wedding invitation makers realise the importance of Thank You cards and offer matching stationary. I love the way that it ties with the wedding theme.

Anyways, for those that do send wedding cards, please be assured that your guests actually do value and treasure them. One of the sweetest cards I received as from my friend Diane, whose wedding I attended in Lyon in the summer. She had written the card and also had her husband write something as well. I know almost all brides have to beg, bargain or threaten their husbands into writing the thank you cards – or end up writing them themselves since it saves energy. So Diana and Johan’s card was so refreshingly sweet. I also really appreciated that she referred specifically to the wedding presents we had bought (a range of Joseph Joseph designer cooking ware). It made me feel like she actually didnt just write the bland ‘Thank you for coming to our wedding, hope you enjoyed it as much as we did, and thank you for the gift.”Plus, they included a photo of them taken on the wedding day – what a sweet way to remember that day as well.

Thanks Diana and Johan for being an inspiration! xx

I dont want to write much and let the pictures speak for themselves…. but when I finally qualify as a solicitor, I’m going to design and make my own desert table for a sweet celebration myself. In fact, I’ve already bought these sweet invitations from Mara Mi to commit myself to this goal.

and for the desert tables…

1. Britney Spears to Jason Trawick

Third time lucky Britney Spears could not contain her excitement as she took to her Twitter account to announce her engagement to 12 million fans. She exclaimed “I can’t stop looking at it!!” after Jason, her long time boyfriend proposed at his 40th birthday party. Jason was previously her manager and had stepped down professionally due to their romantic link.

2. Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel

Formerly Britney Spear’s flame, Justin Timberlake is said to have finally proposed to on-off girlfriend Jessica Biel at a pre-christmas holiday in Wyoming. Local jeweller wrote its Facebook page: ‘Word on the street is that Justin Timberlake proposed to Jessica Biel at the Amangani last night. We’re picking out post-engagement presents for them just in case they come in! Trying to play it cool.” New York PR agent Kyle Schaffler wrote on his Twitter page: ‘I love that no media outlets know about the Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel engagement. Benefits of working in PR.” But still no denials or confirmations from the pair’s publicists….

3. Mathew McConoughey and Camila Alves

Another star who used Twitter to announce their engagement was Mathew McConoughey. He asked his long time girlfriend and mother of his two adorable children to marry him on Christmas Day. Camila is said to have said she is not in any hurry to walk down the aisle. Interestingly, I once read that Mathew resisted any committment to buying a home and lived in trailer cars until very recently…. there may be a link that he never wanted to be tied down?

4. Anne Hathaway & Adam Shulman

Anne Hathaway showed off her massive 6 carat rock of an engagement ring, designed by fiance (who is actually a jewellry designer – handy that!) and Kwiat Heritage Jewels. Anne is said to have met Adam soon after splitting from her boyfriend Raffaello Follieri who actually turned out to be a crook! I read somewhere that Anne said she didnt plan to fall in love and actually wanted to spend some time alone but she was caught off guard by how unassuming this relationship grew out of and how solidly in love she feels. Of all the weddings, I think Anne would make the most stunning bride because there is an elegance about her (but then again I’m biased because I loved Devil Wears Prada). Remember her in Bride Wars? She was already stunning in a wedding dress.

5. Halle Berry and Olivier Martinez

Halle Berry stepped out on 29 December 2011 with a suspiciously special looking ring on her left hand leading to speculation that boyfriend Olivier Martinez had proposed over the holiday season. Olivier’s ex, Kylie Minogue tweeted out congratulations to the pair after hearing the news. The striking emerald ring was even confirmed as the enagement ring by the designer of the ring but has since backtracked on this annoucement… which leaves us all confused with neither celebrities confirming or rejecting the news…. well if it is indeed an engagement, there will surely be another glamourous wedding in 2012.

Is it just me or are you all thinking about the adorable flower girls and ring bearers that all these celebrities will have in the form of their cute little kids? I’m already betting that Nahla is going to be the cutest flower girl and Levi as the cutest ring bearer.

1. Prince Williams of England and Kate Middleton (April 29, 2011)

30 years after Prince Charles and Princess Diana walked down the aisle. Prince Williams wed Kate Middleton at Westminister Abbey . The bride wore Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen (and has since worn the label for many occassions, raising its brand). The event was spectacular, recorded as the sixth biggest event on internet history. Also, it notably raised the profile of Kate’s younger sister Pippa, and her famous derriere.

2. Prince Albert of Monaco and Charlene Wittstock (July 2, 2011)

Press rumours swirled that the bride tried to run away twice and yet another paternity suit filed days ahead of the wedding, you couldnt help but feel sorry for Charlene Wittstock as she wed her prince. The bride wore Girogi Armani and welcomed 450 guests to a white tie dinner and ball with fireworks display to top the evening off. A former Olympic swimmer, South African born Charlene looked stunning and was seen crying during the ceremony which is much more emotion than what we usually see of royal weddings in the full glare of publicity.

3. Zara Philips of England and Mike Tindall (July 30, 2011)

(Princess) Zara wed her Rugby playing boyfriend in the summer after the very public and grand wedding of her cousin. The couple chose a low key affair with a Edinburgh church and a reception at Holyrood House, the monarch’s official residence in Scotland (why not when granny is the queen!) The couple also chose to only release on official wedding portrait and banned the media in the church and reception. Despite that, thousands of loyal fans lined the streets to cheer the happy couple. The bride wore a Stewart Parvin dress, a full cathedral length tulle viel and a royal tiara. Even their engagement party was low key abroad the Royal Yatch Britain which is now advertising hire facilities for £60/head.

4. King Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuk of Bhutan and Jetsun Pema (October 15, 2011)

The Bhutanese royal have a sweet story of the king first proposing to Jetsun Pema when he was 17 and she was 7 at a family picnic in Thimpu. Apprently, he had told her ‘If we meet again, and I am single and not married and you are single and not married, lets marry.” Many years later, they met again when Jetsun Pema had blossomed into a lotus (thats literally what her name means in Bhutanese and Tibetan!). The royal couple did not invite any foreign dignitires but invited thousands of their subjects and held a very public kiss (public displays of affection are not normal that part of the world).

and finally… and “What royal?’ highlight

5. Prince Georg Friedrich von Prueben of Germany wed Princess Sophie von Isenburg (August 27, 2011)

The groom, the great great grandson of Germany’s last Kaiser wed his own Hessian Princess in the Hohenzollern dynasty’s old summer residence, the famed Sanssouci Palace built by Frederick the Great. 700 guests were invited with only a few international royalty present (so no Kate Middleton and Prince Williams!). The lack of enthusiasm for their wedding in their home country may have to do with the fact that German nobility was stripped of their special privileges in the 1919 Weimer Constititions. In fact, I only heard of this wedding as the ‘Who?What royalty?” sections of weddings covered for 2011. In any case, we wish these royals every happiness in their married life.

The talented and creative bride had arranged all of us according to the constellations:

and a close up…

I thought about other brides that want to have a sun-moon-planets theme and I came across lots of real life brides who had astronomy themed weddings under headings like astronaut wedding, space geek wedding, starry night wedding, and even a wedding in a planetarium!

Here are some ideas for those who share a passion for the skies:

* Hanging stars and moons

* Telescopes to pew bows

* Flower arrangements with star ornaments

* Star slide show

* Stardust packs instead of confetti

* Star shaped place cards

* Naming tables after planets… and planet reconstructions in stead of flower arrangements

* Star naming certificate as favours

* Starry cake

* and my favourite… star fairy instead of flower girls!

You can even get the balloons to co-ordinate your wedding colours (as my friend did – in Green and White!)

Do you see the green balloons in the parking lot?

and the more suitable rock-and-roll poses

The bride wore a vintage sytle cream dress by John Galliano. The groom wore a light blue Stefano Pilati for YSL suit and accessorized with Rock and Roll sunglasses.

There has been quite a lot of press attention on Lottie as the next Pippa Middleton, almost upstaging her sister’s big day. I cant stand all this unnecessary comparisons and imagined rivalries when its supposed to be a celebration of that couple’s love. In fact, the cover shot proves how sweet and ethereal it can all look – I almost feel transported to some magical childhood story with fairies. All I can say is that good looks run in the family! and arent the photos of all the bridesmaids just so precious? Anyone still undecided about their bridal party – consider children, your photos will definitely be sweeter !

So for those twi-hard and Thriller fans, I present to you Juliana Park and Ben Lee’s internet sensation engagement photos (actually quite cute how it tells a story!)

Oh, how it starts off so idyllic…

The End (or the beginning?)

So I began looking for other creative engagement photos, here are a sample, perhaps one of them will inspire your own unique announcement:

and the ultimate way to show off your new 2 carat rock?

* Arrange transportation between church and reception to include bridal party and anybody that needs extra help. I’ve seen a wedding where the couple arranged for the fashionable double decker bus – quite a cool way to make sure no body gets lost on the way!

* Put directions to reception venue in the programme booklet.

* Put programme booklet on bridesmaids and groomsmen’s chairs so they can follow the service.

* Plan exits carefully – who leaves when and in what order.

* Small tasks can be completed before the week of the wedding. For example, writing thank you cards.

* and finally, be clear with your fiance about responsibilities. It takes more time to remind your hubby to be about writing his thank you cards than you doing them yourself. From now on, you’ll be a team!

To follow the easy instructions:

1. Fill vase upto 2/3 full with water
2. Slice the lemons and slide them down into the inside edge of the glass. To push fruit slices to the bottom, use the handle of a wooden spoon.
3. Fill the vase to the top with water.
4. Place the stems of the flowers in the center of the vase. (The fruit will help anchor the flowers)

and photos for more inspiration:

Perfectly colour-co-ordinated!