Wedding Trends

Looking for name change advice or some tips for newlywed life? The MissNowMrs experts have created state-specific name change articles and checklists for you. We’ve chronicled our recommendations for how to travel while changing your name AND how to handle voting during the transition.

We’ve also compiled our best guidance for how to handle difficult sister in laws, holidays as newlyweds, the ever-annoying baby questions, and much more. Why? Because, while we are name change experts, we’re also newlywed wives, moms, and sisters.

We hope our name change advice articles help smooth your transition to your new name, and a whole new phase of life. Congratulations and best wishes from the entire MissNowMrs team!

Llama, Llama No Wedding Drama

Wedding llamas. Apparently they’re a thing now, and I have to admit a pretty awesome thing. Instead of agonizing over what wedding guests who don’t want to dance will do, you provide fuzzy animals to interact with. Who could possibly start drama when there’s a llama present?!

While I typically enjoy ring bearer and flower girl antics, llamas and anything they chose to do (like eat bouquets) would absolutely entertain me and make for fantastic photos. Who needs a photo booth, when you have live animals to shoot selfies with? This is serious Instagram & SnapChat fodder.

Mtn Peaks Therapy Llamas and Alpacas is the company that creating “the wedding llama.” Located in Brush Prairie, Washington, they offer llama wedding interactions to couples in the Portland, Oregon and Vancouver, Washington areas. Their furry friends are even accessorized to match the theme and color theme of the wedding! Want to feel even better about adding llamas to your wedding day? All of the proceeds from the weddings llamas (and alpacas) help fund their therapy visits to hospitals, nursing homes, and schools.

So, if you’re looking to do something a little different for your big day, and are out west, consider adding llamas to your event. This could be the beginning of an exotic wedding animal trend. Penguins would be a logical next step, as they are already in formal attire and are incredibly cute! What do you think? Would you include llamas or any other animals on your wedding day? Share your view in a comment!

Photo Credit: Kim Smith Miller Photography
Original Story: The Skimm

Just Dance

Weddings have gone from very traditional modest events of the past to huge extravaganzas with everything coordinated down to the very last detail. These days couples are more creative when adding their personal touch to their wedding (thanks to all of the DIY wedding inspiration and How-To blogs). One of the newest trends is to put your own spin on your first dance such as choreographed moves or an impromptu thing in the moment. I’ve attended many weddings where the bride and groom have clearly taken dance lessons and have showed their ballroom dancing skills off to their guests (making parents and grandparents incredibly proud). Some couples keep it simple by choosing their favorite love song to dance around to, holding each other tight (sneaking in little smooches and smiles while guests are taking photos like the paparazzi). There’s nothing wrong with that (my husband and I did it), in fact that is still the norm; however, I have to say I wish we would have shocked our guests with a dance routine after watching some of the glorious videos on YouTube. If your special day hasn’t already passed and you’re looking for an idea to WOW your guests at no further cost to you, your parents, your in-laws (or anyone else chipping in to make your wedding an event to remember), I encourage you to watch the following videos. Seriously, consider the possibilities (if for nothing else, just watch them for entertainment) …

Bridal Party Dance: Whether it’s down the aisle like the YouTube sensation JK Wedding Entrance (also featured on the Today Show) or a choreographed dance at the reception your guests will truly enjoy watching you and the honored members of your bridal party pop-n-lock, do the ‘robot’, or classics like ‘the sprinkler’ or the ‘shopping cart’…almost no move is inappropriate (notice I said “almost,” there will be grandparents there)!

Bride and Groom First Dance: Do you and your man have “swagger” much like Jay-Z and Beyonce? Or are you beyond outgoing and confident enough to not care whether people are laughing with you or at you? If so, this is your opportunity to let loose (go ahead, do ‘the worm’ or ‘get low’) and show your guests your sense of humor like the couple featured in the Awesome First Dance for Bride and Groom at Wedding Reception video did.

Father-of-the-Bride and Bride Dance: This is time to share a few minutes with your Daddy (the man who loved you first) and is meant to be special. If the two of you love to dance or clown around then you could totally pull off a choreographed performance such as the Father/Daughter Hip Hop Dance. Read more about how this dance was put together to the groom’s complete surprise on thegroomsays.blogspot.

Whether you go the traditional route or end up looking like a dancing machine on the dance floor, make those special moments, moments to remember!
*All videos are on YouTube titled exactly how you see them listed in this post
Did you feature a surprise dance that left your guests screaming ‘You Go Girl’ during your wedding/reception? If so, we’d love to hear about it!

January 2011 Begins Bridal Show Season!

Are you ready for bridal show season? If you’re engaged and in the midst of wedding planning, don’t miss the Today’s Bride Shows!

ATTENTION Ohio Brides! 2 Free Tickets to Today’s Bride Shows
Sun., Jan 9, 2011 – John S. Knight Center, Akron, Ohio
Sat & Sun., Jan 15-16, 2011 – I-X Center – Cleveland, Ohio (now 2 days!)

Today’s Bride is offering MissNowMrs.com newlywed blog readers 2 free tickets to any show! Simply register and receive your tickets instantly online. These tickets are valued at $10 each. Already married?? Take an engaged friend! Visit TodaysBride.com for show details or call 330-670-9545.
Ohio’s longest running, largest bridal shows have more fashions, more vendor choices, and more ideas all in one day!

You’ll see new and inventive ideas from over 100 different wedding professionals each weekend eagerly waiting to showcase their products and services, as well as registering to win a multitude of prizes!

Doors will be open on Sundays from 10:00-5:00pm (Saturday 4-8pm at IX Center) with runway fashion shows throughout. Bring your friends & family. Arrive early and spend the day!

IT’S ALL HERE! Fashions, Music, Tastings, Demonstrations, Samples and Expert Advice.
SAVE TIME by seeing & comparing everything for your wedding in one place.
SAVE MONEY with special discounts and offers for show attendees this bridal show season!

Top 5 Wedding Flowers

Curious what the the Top 5 Wedding Flowers are for brides across America? We’ve compiled a list of the blooms most frequently found in a bridal bouquet for you. Use this information to follow the current flower trends or to make sure that you are completely unique and avoid using any of them!
1. Roses – Not too surprising as they’re a traditional romantic mainstay that both look nice & smell lovely
2. Tulips – Reminders of spring that come in hundreds of hues certain to compliment any wedding color palette
3. Peonies – These large blooming beauties call to mind English garden parties & add a perfumed note to the air
4. Orchids – Elegant, interesting & usually expensive (unless you’re doing a destination wedding in Hawaii)
5. Calla Lilies – Refined flowers that dress up any bouquet or centerpiece that they’re included in

Are you putting hours of planning into your bouquet or did you create the perfect collection of posies for your Big Day? If so, our October Giveaway of a custom 11″ x 14″ shadowbox floral keepsake (a $460+ value) is perfect for you! Keepsake Floral, the Nation’s leader in special event flower preservation will create a custom-crafted work of art that you will treasure for years to come!

Want to win our outstanding October giveaway? Leave a comment on this, or any of our floral keepsake posts on Mondays this month and you’ll be automatically entered to win! Tell us all about the flowers in your bouquet, if they have special meanings or significance. The randomly selected contest winner will be announced on October 31st!! If we don’t hear back from the winner within 2 weeks, we will randomly select a new winner to make sure someone ends up with this great goodie!

Flower popularity information for our Top 5 Wedding Flowers list was found on EpisodeWedding.com

Top 5 Wedding Trends of the Winter Season

Curious about the top 5 wedding trends of the winter? Brides these days may be trying to stick to their budgets– BUT even as the dollar is being stretched a little further, keeping up with the hottest wedding trends does not fall to the wayside! So here’s a breakdown for the fabulous Winter Wedding Brides!

The number one trend of the season is Color. Most people tend to think that because it is the holiday season, that brides will automatically choose red and green. Believe it or not, this season brides are choosing to mix darker rich gem colors (mostly dark purple and light lavender) with traditional whites and silvers…while grooms are sticking to dark black suits with matching shirts of course! The key is to avoid colors that you typically see during the summer.

That brings us to top trend number 2– Transportation. Brides and Grooms are renting large SUVs limousines, H2 Stretch Hummer limousines, exotic cars, while eco-friendly couples are using horse drawn carriages or small Hybrid vehicles.

Music is the third top trend with couples choosing to add a more sophisticated feel to their special day. Common choices this season are: a live pianist, classical music, or jazz playing in the background; which compliments the themes of Winter Wonderland and Elegance, rather than having a DJ. Although, adding popular songs to the mix for dancing is always a great idea!

Centerpieces, the number 4 top trend this winter include a classic candle with festive themed decorations around it, featuring low-lighting at the venue to maximize the candle light. Some couples with larger budgets are choosing to have ice sculpture vases, (but be careful…they melt and tend to be very expensive).

And lastly, the Bride’s Bouquet; the number 5 top trend is white and red roses –further accentuating your elegant, winter theme.

But remember, these hot season-specific trends can all be tailored to fit your budget and especially to suit your own specific style—which makes your wedding most unique!