Everyone sees it as the perfect honeymoon destination. It may not be as tranquil as the Maldives and it is much farther than Fiji, but Paris is to romance what cream is to an eclair. They are more than partners; they are soulmates.

The airport is an unappealing welcome to the city, and travelling on a bus into Paris in a traffic jam delays any sense of elation at arriving in the world’s most romantic city. It isn’t until we arrive at our discreet, charming hotel that it hits: we are really here and it is going to be perfect.

Whether it is the discreet fresco, the wooden rosette ornaments for curtains or the sloped ceilings, the hotel – named for 18th century writer Francois-Rene de Chateaubriand – is so Parisian that it casts a warm, delicate tone that lasts our stay.

It must be said that much of Paris is awash with tourists. Stepping from our hotel on to the Champs-Elysees makes it a challenge to stay in our romantic clouds. The avenues are thick with back-packed, trainer-shod, dreamy-eyed tourists, but take a turn off the main tracks and the Paris we often envisage is easily found: a glum matron walking a neurotic maltese terrier, a suntanned man in a sweeping grey trenchcoat, a young girl with matchstick legs and a black bob.

Despite the tourists, it is still Paris. Fouquet’s is here, so too is Laduree. My fledgling husband is right beside me and the Eiffel Tower is beckoning.

Coffee in a back street off the elegant boulevard solidifies the “We’re in Paris” feeling for him and a pain au chocolat confirms it for me. I have been talking about it for months, having been on pre-wedding carbohydrate restrictions in Melbourne. The pain au chocolat is perfectly light, as though the pastry has been whipped, and the chocolate is warm and soft. We sit on the footpath, huddled in a corner, as locals come and go.

We should get moving towards the Eiffel Tower, but we can’t help staying longer. Every city has its rhythm and much of the Parisian pulse comes from watching the world go by from a pavement cafe, seated side-by-side on wicker chairs. There is so much to see in this world….[read more]

Original content by: http://www.news.com.au

Each summer, wedding season revs into high gear.

The perfectly tailored dresses arrive, the tulle and lace applied just so. The toppers wait in the wings, ready to adorn the divinely sweet multi-tiered confections. Vows are fine-tuned, with brides and grooms discreetly editing their words of love.

On the flip side of all the “I do” details are the wedding guests. A few hundred people for each affair must decide what fabulous way to honor the couple as they enter into wedded bliss. Traditionally, gift registries have been the salvation for guests at a loss. Registries are the bride and groom’s way of electronically saying “here’s what we want.”

However, in recent years, more and more couples are skewing away from SKUs and requesting gifts outside the norm. Gone are the usual suspects of fine linens, elaborate china and sleek stemware. In their place are outside-the-gift-box options that cater to the couple’s essential needs, ultimate adventures and atypical desires. Here are a few new ideas:
MONEY

Ask couples what they really would like for a wedding gift and many will tell you cold, hard cash. But is that appropriate and, if so, how do you politely convey that request?…[read more]

Original content by: www.lansingstatejournal.com

(ARA) – Your great-grandmother probably had just one treasured wedding portrait, and your own mother likely captured memories of her special day in an old-fashioned photo album. You, however, are getting married in the Internet age, which means you’ll be able to preserve a virtually limitless number of images from the biggest day of your life.

Here are four ways to digitally preserve your wedding photos:

1. Digital Devices

From digital picture frames to smart phones that allow you to store images on a micro SD memory card, digital devices mean you can keep – and carry with you – favorite wedding photos. Some digital frames limit the number of images you can store, while others are compatible with SD memory cards, meaning you can store, view and swap out thousands of images. You can also use your MP3 player, laptop, PDA and some mobile phones to store images.

2. Your PC or Laptop

Many wedding photographers now offer services to put your wedding photos on a disc so that you can transfer images to your PC or laptop. Most developing services, like those found in pharmacies or department stores, also offer the option to put your images on a disc. This storage method makes it easy to transfer images to your PC or laptop, where you can use editing software to create collages, crop, color-adjust and otherwise manipulate your images.

3. Photo-sharing Web Sites

Many photo-sharing Web sites now offer ample storage for all your wedding photo needs. PhotosYourWay.com, for example, a new innovator in photo-sharing, offers 7GB of free storage, enough to store thousands of images. Photo-sharing Web sites also allow you to spice up your photo presentation with effects like captioning, cropping, editing, borders and more. You can present your images in a slide-show format, and even share images with a specific group of family or friends, or designate them viewable by anyone interested in wedding images. One caveat – photo-sharing sites are only for original, amateur works, not the copyrighted images you receive from your professional wedding photographer.

PhotosYourWay also offers the opportunity to get paid for your original, amateur wedding images. When you upload your images, simply select the option that makes them available for purchase by photo houses, advertising agencies, publishers and anyone else who needs fresh wedding images on a regular basis. The Web site acts as a broker for the images, sharing a percentage of the sale price with the member who posted the photo. It’s possible to make up to $300 for exclusive rights to one of your images.

5. Your Own Wedding Web Site

Many couples are now opting to design their own Web sites prior to the wedding. Pre-wedding day, the sites can be great resources to communicate important information to guests and for making faraway loved ones feel like a part of your wedding preparations. After your big day, the site can be used to share anecdotes and images from the honeymoon, update friends and family on where you’ll be living as newlyweds, and even for posting personal thank-you messages for especially thoughtful gifts.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

(ARA) – There are a million things to think about when you begin planning a wedding. There are the big things like booking the reception site, the church, the DJ, and, of course, finding the dress. But once those are out of the way, there are little details to think about, such as a theme, the flowers, the centerpieces, linens, invitations, champagne glasses and countless other things.

With all the elements that go into planning a dream wedding, it doesn’t take long to realize that details can add up — not only when it comes to spending, but also when it comes to storage space. After all, who wants to end up with 250 pink linen napkins once the big day has passed?

Renting materials for your wedding from an American Rental Association (ARA) member rental store is one way to solve this problem. Not only is renting often a more economical solution, it also eliminates the storage issue.

“Renting will not only cut down on storage, but you can lower the cost of your wedding too,” says Becky Baumgartner, owner of Aero Rental and Party Shoppe, in Iowa City, Ia. “People often come in to look for materials to buy for their wedding, and I’ll say to them ‘How important is this to you, because it’s more affordable to rent.’ ”

Renting materials for your wedding also gives you access to the latest styles in decor, table settings, linens, chair covers and other things. According to Baumgartner, people often don’t really realize the vast variety of items you can rent for weddings.

In her many years helping couples plan weddings, Baumgartner has learned plenty of lessons. Here are some of her most helpful tips to keep in mind when renting materials for your wedding:

* It’s much more affordable to rent the equipment than to buy it. Chances are you will never use half the things at your wedding again so why would you waste storage space and money?

* You can rent anything you need for your wedding, from a backdrop to hide the wall color at the hall to champagne fountains to holders for the unity candle. Check with your local rental store; they may even sell invitations.

* Rental store employees can help you think of things you might have forgotten. Let them help you in the planning process to make sure that you have everything you need for your big day.

* Unlike halls and churches that need to be booked at least a year in advance, generally you only need to reserve the rental equipment six to seven months in advance.

* Some rental stores allow you to pick up the rental materials on Thursday evening and drop them off on Monday morning for no additional charge. That way, you don’t have to worry about pick-up and drop off on your wedding day.

* A rental store will provide you with more options, in terms of color and design, than a reception hall will.

When it comes to planning your wedding, don’t let the cost wipe out your entire savings account — rent your wedding materials. To find your local ARA member rental business, visit www.RentalHQ.com.

Courtesy of ARAcontent