Set the mens eyes on fire with the ultra seductive Women’s Swanky monokini by Victoria Secret. This red hot Monokini comes with a bandeau style top which has pads that offer slight support. It has no shoulder straps leaving the shoulders bare and sexy. This Monokini has trendy double strapped back ties. The Monokinis two silver rings on each side of the waist doubles the trendiness of this alluring garment. Expose much of your curves with its daring cuts. Go for a heavy feel with the hotness oozing Gothic Red Tribal Monokini by NNW Dancer. The bold tribal black print on the center of the Monokini gives it an extra appeal and winning attitude. It comes with halter ties on the neck and back ties.

The Olive Eyelet and Bead Trim Suede Monokini by J. Valentine will make you that sight captivating Western chic. It is made from stretch faux suede material with edgy eyelet on the inner edges of the Monokini. It has suspended ties with glam beads at the tie ends at the upper bust giving it a dramatic feel. It includes adjustable ties on the neck, back and waists. Let those drooling stares follow even from the rear view with its pucker back design.

Steal everyones attention with Sequin Zebra Swimsuit Monokini by Baby Phat. This eye-catching Monokini features mixed pattern of zebra, cheetah and solid black. Accentuate that beautiful cleavage with its dangling silver accent on mid chest. It comes with halter ties on neck and back ties.

Rare Beauty Monokini Swimsuit by Betsey Johnson will elevate your beauty to a more stunning level. The floral prints on an ivory colored fabric will highlight your complexion and make you shine among others. Three intricately patterned teardrop shaped cutouts in front gives the Monokini a sexier feel. It comes with a Gold Betsey signature lips with a rhinestone in the rear bottom add up to its genuine elegance. Adjust it to your personalized fit with its clasp back and adjustable halter ties.

Shane owns the site Cheapmonokinis.com, which offers a wide range of high quality swimsuits for great prices.

I went to take a nap one day while I was thinking about what my wedding would be like, and I had this hilarious idea that it could be steampunk!

Steampunk Explained

For those poor, unfortunate souls who don’t know what steampunk is, I will explain.

Steampunk is basically Victorian science-fiction. So, dressing in a steampunk outfit would encompass the way a person from the Victorian era might think the future would look like.

What does steampunk look like? Well, take some sort of Victorian-style dress or suit and add a top hat. Next, find pieces that could have been used in a Victorian machine (think gears and chains) and add that to your costume. Now, don’t ever forget the brass goggles. Ooh, and hook a pistol to the dress or suit. Add a few accessories, and you’ve got yourself a steampunk outfit!

Adding Original Twists to Steampunk Clothes

Really, once you’ve got the basics down, you can add your own touches to your ensemble by taking apart old appliances lying around your house or sticking other household items onto your clothes, like a pipe heating cable or two.

Once you’ve added a pipe heating cable and some extra gears on your costume, I would suggest adding some new fabric to your outfit. Make it look a little grungier. For girls this is easier because you can wear some grungy makeup and curl your hair to pin it up in some crazy updo. You will look so great!

If you decide to use moving parts or dangerous pieces to your costumes (and those heating cables can be dangerous!), make sure you don’t have to plug yourself in, because that significantly lessens the coolness of the masterpiece you have created. Sorry, you’re probably going to have to use battery power.

My Steampunk Wedding

Though I’m not sure that my boyfriend and I will have the means to pull this off, we really think it would be great to have a steampunk wedding. We’ve even gone so far as to think about designing steampunk wedding rings for us to wear for the rest of our lives. I’m really excited about this!

Just today, I told my sister that I wanted her to be my maid of honor, and I had to explain steampunk to her, telling her that I wanted to help her dress up. She’s the perfect steampunk model, I’m telling you! I don’t mind that her costume will be awesome because I will be in my special wedding dress (which will also be steampunk, but not unrecognizably so).

She’s been sending me pictures of steampunk dresses she might like to have all day. We are loving planning this whole thing. Maybe we could even get a steampunk wedding cake!

Go Forth Now in Steampunk!

I hope that my enthusiasm and explanation has piqued your interest so you will look into steampunk and check out the events they have going on in or around your city. I’m telling you; it’s a growing fad!

By Kassandra Konecny

Don’t Forget About Your Budget

The average cost of a wedding today is more than $25,000. If you don’t have that kind of cash to lay on the line for your big day, it’s essential that you keep your actual budget in mind every step of the way. You have to include all of your expenses in your budget too. The dress is as much a part of that budget as the cost of the food you’ll be serving at the reception. Keep a running total of everything that is included in your wedding to make certain you don’t exceed your costs. If you can’t afford one part of the wedding or another, come up with a suitable substitution.

Don’t Plan a Wedding for a Particular Guest

This is your big day. Even if your Nana has spent the last twenty years of your life talking about how she wanted to see you walk down an aisle paved with yellow bricks, if it doesn’t fit into your wedding theme, don’t include it. Almost everyone will be willing to tell you what they think you should do or what you should include or even where you should go for your honeymoon. Your job for the foreseeable future will be to promptly ignore them. You have to make certain this is your wedding, not the one someone else wanted you to have.

Don’t Plan on Having Everything Go Right

It may be the most important day of your life, but things just aren’t going to be perfect. That’s simply the way of the world. Having a backup plan in place for almost everything is essential. If your DJ doesn’t show up for the wedding reception, but you happen to have the number of a friend’s cousin who has some DJ equipment in his garage, that’s a backup plan that could save your reception. If your photographer fails to show up, but you have lots of disposable cameras on hand, you could easily have some great shots of your wedding from all of your friends and family members. Don’t avoid backup plans in your wedding. They could save your wedding day.

Don’t Stress about the Little Details

Your wedding is absolutely important, but are you actually going to remember that the place cards at the reception had to be in this font instead of that one? Or if you are short two wedding favors? If you’re not going to remember it in five years, the chances are good that it’s not a good thing to worry about right now. Before you let the concern really become part of the planning process, ask yourself if it will ruin your wedding day. If it will, then it’s okay to worry about. If, on the other hand, the show can go on without it, you’re safe to just let it go.

Don’t Become a Control Freak

There are other people involved in your wedding, and with good reason. For example, there’s your fiancée. This is his wedding too, and he should get to make at least a few of the decisions. Your mother is probably involved as well, and the last thing you want to do is make her angry during the planning process. There are a few people you don’t want to make angry, and turning into a control-freak bride-to-be is certainly the last thing you want people to remember about you after the wedding is over.

Planning a wedding can be nothing short of frustrating at times. Avoiding these mistakes, though, can make your day a bit less stressful.

Image courtesy of MyEyeSees on Flickr’s Creative Commons.

Pinkchic18 is an avid party planner and a wedding enthusiast. She is also a regular contributor to the Wedding Favors Unlimited Advice Blog. If you’re looking for affordable wedding favors, try Wedding Favors Unlimited.

The role is one most men relish as it is an indication of his place in his friend’s heart and is a chance for him to tell some embarrassing stories about the groom at the wedding reception.

But what else do they do? Here is a quick run down of his responsibilities:

Organise the Stag

It is the Best Man’s job to organise the traditional pre-wedding ‘stag-do’, which could involve anything from a day of naked kayaking, through to a night of monopoly and absinthe. The main challenge here is usually mobilising a possibly disparate group of friends and family. 

Look After the Groom on the Wedding Day

On the big day, and perhaps for a few days prior, the Best Man is responsible for keeping the groom safe and stress free. This might involve steering him clear of over zealous last minute partying, or just helping him get into his wedding outfit.

Be the Ring Keeper

At the ceremony it is the Best Man’s job to stand beside the groom throughout and to look after the wedding rings until they are needed. He may hold helpful things for the groom like water, breath mints and maybe even tissues.

Be an Official Witness

The Best Man, along with the Head Bridesmaid, after the ceremony is complete, must act as witnesses to the signing of the legal documents that confirm the marriage. They must the sign their name alongside to confirm it. Without this the couple would not be legally married.

Make a Speech

At the wedding reception, along with the groom and the father-of-the-bride, it is the Best Man’s job to give a speech mainly focusing on the groom. This might include nothing but nice things about his character, stories about the couple from when they first met and some other kind words.

 But more often than not the speech will contain embarrassing stories about the groom from when he was younger, perhaps from the stag do or something else. If the Best Man is particularly cruel he can use a projector to show some photos of the groom that may enhance the level of embarrassment.

Dance with the Head Bridesmaid

His final task is to dance with the Head Bridesmaid after the first dance.

If you’re going to be a Best Man soon – Good luck!

.

Ian Emerald organised his friends stag do from a Corporate Facilities in Edinburgh. He uses corporate/wedding  facilities in Edinburgh for  many of the events in his life

Thinking of sliding into your newest little black dress and want to know is it ok to wear black to a wedding? Based on everything women have been taught about how to dress for special occasions, black is definitely a fashion faux pas when you are attending nuptials. After all, because it is bold and stands out on any occasion, it threatens to violate one of the first rules of attending weddings: do not upstage the bride.

Black dresses at weddings, though, can be classy and command the right kind of attention, if done tastefully. There are certain rules that will make a black dress go over well for this special occasion.

By Agatha Garcia

1. Add a splash of color to your black dress. It keeps the outfit festive and moves the mood you set away from funeral attire. Now, if you find yourself a little envious, wishing it were you strolling down the aisle to an altar with all eyes bulging at the fancy dress you are sporting, then go ahead, give in to temptation and dress like this is a funeral. Seriously, if you have any respect for the two people getting married, it is best to find a bright scarf, polished stone necklaces, earrings and bracelets or a smashing belt and pumps to set off the little black dress.

Don’t be afraid to add a colorful hat to match some other colorful accessory that you choose, too. It is a tradition in among sophisticated women to enter a church or other ceremonial place in precious head gear. Do not choose anything too attention-grabbing, but make sure that everyone who sees you will remember what you wear.

2. Do not cover everything up. Choose a dress that is drop-shouldered (on one side or both sides), has a split on the side or gathers at the shoulder and elbow to tease onlookers with your upper arms. By giving a little peek of skin, you want to be sexy, but not too sleazy.

3. Choose a dress with texture. Sequins, pearls, lace trims and textured fabric give a little black dress a lot of personality. Just make sure it is suited for your body shape and that your choice of accessories does not clash with the fabric of your black dress.

Attitudes toward the black dress at weddings has evolved. It has had enough appearances now to be considered elegant, chic and fashionable. Do not spend a lot of time deciding whether to wear a black dress. Spend that time instead choosing accessories that will look good on you when you toast the bride and groom.

Image Credit: Sleeveless Velvet Fur Trim Sheath Dress (Black) by AgathaGarcia via Flickr. The dress is available for purchase here.

There are certain things to be considered before sending them.

• The sooner the wedding thank you cards are sent, the better. Make sure you don’t take more than 4 weeks to send them.
• If you thank the guests by specifically mentioning the gift given by them and how it is going to be useful to you in your new life, they are going to be double delighted.
• A handwritten message will be more effective. If you are short of time, have a standard message for all cards, but add a few words in your own handwriting which will be appreciated.
• A photo of the guest at the wedding will make the wedding more memorable to the guest. The guest will get a special feeling.
• If you are changing your address, you can make it known to all your guests through thank you cards. Don’t forget to include your new address.
• Customized thank you cards will make your cards unique.
• It is important that you choose the appropriate photo. Both black and white and color photo will look good, if chosen carefully.
• Wedding thank you notes are very important for any wedding thank you card. You can choose one from the prewritten notes available in the websites or write impressive poetic wordings of your own and have them printed. Make them short and sweet.
• The stationery of the card, the font of the text, each and everything is important. Look into all details before finally making a decision.

To make the wedding picture thank you cards memorable, spend some quality time before and after the wedding.

But don’t you just wish there is a mature category when you are browsing gown magazines? And not something that are meant for matrons but for the bride-to-be! Won’t that just be awesome? That will make your search easier and with less judgment from patronizing stares (which you do not deserve and should ignore; condescendence is jealousy in obvious disguise).

Let’s move on to the hunt.

If you are looking for something that will highlight your sexiness yet has more skin coverage than the average, you can go for an A-Line Off-The-Shoulder with long lace sleeves. A classic long-sleeved style of wedding gown actually brings about the formality of the event and the vibrant and graceful elements in a bride.

If you are looking for the simple yet beautiful and effervescent gown–something that doesn’t have more than three layers, perhaps, then you can choose a vintage silk wedding gown, with a V-neckline . Halter and sweetheart necklines are also suitable. It would look something like a maxi dress yet more formal and elegant.

If you like something more lose so as to not pronounce all your curves, you may like to choose a Grecian style wedding dress. With this style, you will look younger and goddess-like. Plus, it doesn’t stick to your skin like glue.

If you are going for something non-traditional, you can choose a short wedding dress. Short wedding dresses are more chic and a lot less baggage when walking down the aisle. And what’s more chic than a Hi-Low dress for a wedding gown? Hi-Low dresses tend to add more magical elements to you look. Add a bountiful bouquet with Gerber daisies and Tiger lilies, wear satin peep-toe (or floral lace) pumps and you would look almost faerie-like.

Once you’ve found the perfect wedding and are walking down the aisle, remember three things. You are beautiful. Everyone around you thinks so. And the man waiting down the aisle can’t wait to marry you (again or not), so hurry up!

Tying The Knot 
(Bride & Groom)

You will need a piece of rope for this game. The bride and groom must hold one end of the rope each, and with the other hand behind their backs, coordinate their motor skills and work together to tie a knot! Sounds simple right?

The Cinderella Dance

(All Singles)
All the single men should line up at the side of the dance floor and turn their backs to the guests. Now the single ladies must all remove their shoes, place one in the center of the floor and form another line opposite with the second shoe behind their back. The men should take it in turns to pick a shoe and then approach the lady they think it belongs to. They should try it on in true “Cinderella”fashion. If it fits, we have a love match!

Photo Captions

(For Everyone)
Before your wedding, get together a collection of some old and funny photos of the happy couple. They can be anything from baby pics to high school yearbook photos. The idea is that throughout the meal you ask each table to caption the photos with something funny. After the meal ask the DJ to read out the funniest.

Counting For Flowers

(Single Ladies)
Instead of typically “tossing the bouquet”at the end of the ceremony why not play counting for flowers? All you need is a glass jar full of marbles, or something similar, ask the single ladies to each guess how many marbles they think are in the jar. The closest guess will win the bridal bouquet!

Wedding Garter Relay Race

(For the Men)
Split your men into two equal teams. The teams should take this game in turns and be timed. Sit the first member of the first team in a chair and line the rest of team up a few meters away… And they’re off! The next team member in line should run up to the chair with the brides garter in hand and place it on the first team members leg (whilst still sitting). When this is done he should take the seat and the garter wearer should return to the man at the front of the line, remove the garter, hand it to him and then move to the back of the line. This process should be repeated until the the original sitting guy is back in the chair. the winner is the team who finishes quickest.

Author: The Havens Wedding Gift List is a simple way for your friends and family to select a truly special gift to celebrate your big occasion.

Photo: Mario Wedding Cake by Andy Fitz, CC ShareALike

Nowadays, numerous couples are flocking to different destinations to tie the knot. Destination weddings or “weddingmoons” as they are called requires some traveling on the part of the couple and majority of their guests to witness the exchange of vows and to spend a few memorable days in a faraway venue, usually another country.

Photo by Lina Hayes

There are many reasons why brides and grooms-to-be choose to take their weddings on the road. One primary concern is the cost. While many people would assume that a destination wedding can take its toll in the pockets of the bride and the groom, this isn’t always the case. For the most part, destination weddings attract lesser guests, which means the couple can save some bucks, especially if they pick an all-inclusive resort. In most instances, however, the couple may choose to invite only their families and some close friends and end up shelling out less money. Another reason why a destination wedding is appealing is that it provides ample opportunity for the couple to make their wedding all the more unique and intimate. They also do not have to deal with family feuds over preparations, since most resorts come with their own wedding planners, which is already inclusive in their packages.

Essential Considerations When Choosing a Destination Wedding Spot

If you and your soon-to-be husband or wife are thinking of having a destination wedding, picking the right place is a must to ensure that you, your partner and guests will have a wonderful time. However, more than just choosing a spot because of its scenic beauty, there are 8 more essential considerations that you should not overlook.

• Foreign affairs. You have to take note that some countries have residency requirements or allow only citizens to marry. As such, if you have a destination in mind, consult with a consular office first to know the requirements.

• The destination itself. The place you pick can be something that you are familiar with or entirely new to you. The most important thing, however, is that it should be classy enough to hold your wedding and can be easily accessed by your guests, especially by the elderly.

• Budget. Of course, ask yourself and your partner if both of you can afford a particular place. If not be sure that you look at other options.

• Space. Are you sure that you would be able to hold a reception in this place that can accommodate the number of people you have on your guest list?

• Do not forget the season. A beach wedding in the Caribbean is better carried out anywhere from December-March when the weather is fine than during June- November, which are hurricane seasons.

• Packages or deal offering. It would be preferable to pick a place that offer several nights of free lodging to allow your guests to get to enjoy the whole place. Likewise, it would be ideal if you find a resort that provide all-inclusive packages so that you do not have to sweat yourself doing all the planning.

• Activities. Make sure that your preferred site can keep your guests from getting bored. There should be enough going around to make your big day and the days after it memorable not only for you and your soon-to-be spouse, but the wedding attendees as well. In addition, guests are likely to come to your destination wedding if there is a possibility for them to have a side trip or plan an adventure.

• Stress of planning. As a bride or a groom, you would want to have the perfect wedding. The question with a destination wedding is can you handle planning it without necessarily having to visit the location once or twice a week?

Getting married in Scotland is becoming more and more popular due to its wonderful venues and sights. Beecraigs is a wedding venue in central Scotland they offer a wonderful venue for small to medium size wedding parties.

Because of how important the speech is on this big day, we’ve detailed three “don’t go there” topics for you to steer clear of.

1. Past Dating Experience

This should almost be a given, but it has to be documented. No matter how funny it is that you found his millionaire dating website profile, or that she had a long-distance relationship with a professional Xbox player, don’t mention it. There is, unfortunately, no exception to this rule.

Why? Here is some real talk. The wedding is supposed to be all about the bride (and to some extent, the groom), so if you pull the focus away from their relationship, it’s gonna be a bad time. Heed this rule, lest you feel the wrath of a pissed off uncle in the buffet line.

2. The Bachelor/Bachelorette Party

Even if the event was completely innocuous, and you just played Connect Four and drank Fantas the whole time, don’t do it. The mere mention of a Bachelor or Bachelorette Party conjures up images of stripper poles, binge drinking, and epic hangovers. Your speech will create images in the heads of the attendees, and this isn’t the right types of imagery‚Ķ so leave the bachelor or bachelorette party out of it.

3. Jokes or Pokes at the Bride

Like we said – its the brides day, and if you mess with her at all, it could be your last. Girls dream about their wedding from the day they play with their first barbie, and to do anything to tweak her or make fun of her just isn’t going to work. If you are going to talk about the bride, and you should, compliment her profusely. Save the digs and jokes for almost any other day in history.

I hate decorum, rules, and the word police. I think everyone should pretty much speak freely, without the fear of having to issue an ‘official apology’ to avoid losing their job. With that said, this is one time you have to ditch your beliefs. Weddings are packed with customs that must be followed blindly and without reason or questioning. If a custom is going to be broken, let it be on the bride or grooms terms, not yours!

Follow these simple tips and you won’t end up in a Youtube montage of the ‘Worst Wedding Toasts’.

Photo by: AndyBullock77