Benjamins Yarn

You’ve been dating several weeks, and you have a feeling he might be the one. He calls when he says he’ll call. He shows up when he says he’ll show up. Your friends like him, and he’s nice to your cat. He’s doing everything right, and you’re pretty sure he’s everything you ever wanted in a man.

But you’re not sleeping well. Your hands shake when you pour a cup of coffee. You’re distracted at work. And people keep asking you, “How’s it going with the new romance? When’s the wedding?”

You’re freaking out.

What’s wrong with you?

Well, nothing, really. You’ve reached the point in a new relationship where everything seems to be going well, but part of you is terrified that suddenly it’ll end: He’ll stop calling. He’ll meet somebody else. You’ll discover his dresser drawers are crammed with women’s underwear.

And your fears are right and natural. Every time he does something right, you fall for him a little more. You’re scared because you’ve only just met him, you don’t really know him, and he holds your heart in his hands! Your mind races with questions: If he’s so great, why isn’t he married? Why didn’t his last relationship last? And so on.

You find yourself fighting the urge to call his parents and closest friends for character references.

Let’s face it. Falling in love is not for cowards. It takes strength, confidence, and poise. It becomes tempting to dissect every gesture, every snippet of dialogue with a well-meaning friend who is only too happy to advise you on your new relationship.

But don’t do it.

Think of your new relationship as a seed you’ve planted in the ground. The seed needs time to germinate and break through the soil, but every time you discuss your relationship with a third party, you dig it up. The relationship is no longer a potentially sacred thing between two people but the subject of speculation for many others. You’ve robbed it of its specialness and mystery.

Avoid the temptation to ask a friend, “What do you think he meant when he said…?” Ask him instead. If he does something that bothers you, tell him. Keep the relationship between you.

Adopt a “we’ll see what happens” attitude. It takes courage,
definitely, but it’s worth it. Give your burgeoning relationship the sun and water it deserves. Only you can decide whether a man is right for you.
Please trust yourself to do that.

Terry MacDonald is the happily married author of “How to Attract and Marry the Man of Your Dreams.” Sign up for free dating tips at http://www.marrysmart.com. Check out her blog at http://happygirlmusing.blogspot.com

Writing your Wedding Vows is not easy. But it is one of the most precious gifts you will ever give each other so it is worth every bit of effort that you put into it. You don’t need to be Shakespeare or Keats to write loving vows that have a soul. Simply speak from your heart and try to verbalize your feelings. The rest will happen naturally.

Writing your Vows is not a random process where you simply ramble words from the top of your head. There is a process to writing wedding vows. In fact you can even buy wedding vow toolkits to help take you through the process. From writing out your feelings, making promises, deciding on the various forms of address like husband, spouse, loved one, life partner and even the language you will all go towards making your own, unique set of vows.

If you find yourself incapable of giving expression to your feelings, then the best route to take is to buy a book or ebook on wedding and marriage vows. Some people feel that this shows a lack of commitment and respect for the ceremony. However, that is not really true! You would not expect a non-artist to paint his woman’s face to prove how much he loves her and neither would you expect a tone-deaf lover to serenade his bride. So why expect someone who lacks the creative skills of a poet, to write poetry?

Also, it would be unfair that just because you do not have great poetic or journalistic abilities your vows should be mediocre. Wedding vows are a promise you make to each other. Just as you want the best for your marriage, so should you for the wedding vows. And it’s perfectly ok to borrow from the experts.

The best thing to do if you cannot write your own vows is to invest in some good handbooks that provide you with some witty vows, a few beautiful poems that you can incorporate into your vows and some evocative verses as well. Once you have these, you can choose the vows you like best and add a few more things you may want to say. Not only will you personalize the wedding vows but also they will come straight from the heart.

One important thing to remember is that irrespective of whether you write your wedding vows yourself or get outside help, you will need to practice them. You don’t want to end up with a whole page of beautifully written vows - that you forgot during the ceremony! So once you have your wedding vows ready practice saying them over and over - in front of the mirror and in front of an audience. Sometimes, the way you speak your wedding vows can make all the difference!

Do you ever think about how to find unique best friend gifts and restore or renew your relationship? Friends are not always best friends and as much as you show them how much you care, on occasion it really is smart to give a best friend unique gift to your intended just to demonstrate, “You are worth a more effort.”

Do you ever need to have your batteries “renewed”, or you may need a boost to your self-worth. You might be facing a very scary situation–like turning another year younger with a BIG zero behind the number–and need a strong and reassuring presence.

How about having a open mind to pour out your stress to and get answers, but only if it is required. On a pleasant tone, you may want to take a fun filled vacation and spend countless hours talking, watching the birds and catching up on our existence. Wouldn’t it be fantastic to find–and then hold on to–that special person, the one that fits these needs, plus much more!

If you not sleep-walking, we’re talking about best friends! It is all so important to identify and value one of the greatest unique gifts on our earth–best friends! They are truly rare and can save you literally hundreds of dollars in hair replacements from being pulled out. Once identified, this person can serve as “mentor” on everything from children, spouses, religion and political topics.

Now, it is also worthwhile to realize that these best friends are a great fortune and resource, and not to be taken for naught. You have a responsibility to preserve them.

Make sure to respect not only their efforts, but also their point of view when you ask for their opinion. Treat your best friends like the worthy endeavor they are, and insure their protection. After all, it’s difficult enough to find and keep good friends–much less best friends.

Finding a great best friend gift is always a great notion. Best friends are great to be around when you need help. Just a phone call away your best friend is an outstanding resource to call upon. It is like they say, “A best friend does not bail you out of jail, they are sitting on the bench in the cell next to you.” Click Here for all your “best friend gift ideas”.

There are few things more romantic than a beach wedding.
“Mother Nature” supplies so many wonderful (and free) accessories:
the sea and the sun, the stars and the moon and of course the beautiful beach.
Beach weddings grow in popularity every year, and in order to ensure a
perfect day for you, I will be addressing several of the challenges

Your next challenge will be the wind. Romantic pictures of your veil
softly blowing in the gentle breeze are fine, but wedding programs
flying through the air and chasing napkins down the beach is not.
There is no way you can completely shield yourself from the wind, except to
hold the wedding inside, so your solutions are rather limited. Many
brides accept this as just a part of the whole beach wedding
experience, but should you feel differently and want to address this issue, you
could choose a form-fitting wedding dress, wear your hair tightly pulled
back, substitute the veil for flowers, and choose not to have printed
programs. If your reception is also on the beach make certain your
caterers anchor down everything with something heavy. And speaking of
beach receptions, you will no doubt have several uninvited seagulls
just waiting for their turn at the meat station, so make sure the food stays
covered until ready to serve. I should advise you not to feed the
seagulls unless you want even more uninvited guests, but on other hand
I find it kind of fun, so it’s up to you! One last note on beach
receptions, I highly recommend holding the reception under a tent to
protect your food from the elements, including seagull droppings!

Seating arrangements for a beach wedding can be a challenge. Chairs
have a tendency to sink into the sand, so you may want to consider
renting flooring to place under them. However, brides who choose to
have a more casual beach wedding may forego chairs and have everyone
stand during the ceremony and reception. Please remind your wedding
planner and caterers to allow plenty of time to set up the ceremony and
reception sites, as sand can be hard to walk in, which may slow down
the process. Remember your cake will need very special handling!

This brings me to beach access. Not all beaches are governed by the
same set of laws, so please check with the city or town officials where
the beach is located to determine if you need a permit to use the
beach. This should only be necessary if you are having a large
gathering and you want to block off a portion of the beach exclusively for you
and your guests. Also, there may be fire and music ordinances, so be sure
to check on those.

So there you have it, a few considerations that you will need to
address to ensure a wonderful beach wedding. Beach weddings are absolutely
beautiful, but nature does provide an element of uncertainty, but
careful planning on your part will eliminate most of them.
Congratulations, and have a wonderful wedding!

Brenda Daube is the founder and CEO of RoyalWeddingFavors.com, a supplier of elegant and unique wedding favors, including a beautiful collection of homemade wedding favors and wedding party gifts, all at affordable prices. Please visit us at http://www.royalweddingfavors.com

How does that song go again? “Diamonds are a girl’s best friend?” Well that may have been true when Leo Robin penned the words, but now it’s not necessarily the case. Although diamonds are a popular stone for wedding rings, other stones are quickly catching up in popularity. Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of choosing a different stone for your wedding ring.

In the good old days, wedding rings were almost exclusively adorned with diamonds of any size and shape. As time goes on, many people look for a ring with a unique touch to it, one that will set their wedding ring apart from the crowd. Diamonds come in an exotic array of colors, but let’s not forget other stones that would look just as stunning in a wedding ring. Consider sapphires, rubies, and emeralds. These stones are just as beautiful as diamonds, and they too come in an array of unique shades.

Sapphires

When you hear the word “sapphire,” it is common to think immediately of the color blue. But blue is only one of the many shades sapphires come in. Sapphires are also available in many pastel shades such as lavender, yellow, green, and virtually every other color you can imagine. Any wedding ring would be stunning with the addition of a sapphire, no matter what color.

Rubies

Did you know that rubies and sapphires are actually the same stone? While the sapphire’s calming blue facets invoke a feeling of peace and tranquility, the ruby’s fiery red color symbolizes passion, warmth, and life. A ruby in your wedding ring would draw the eye right into the center of the stone, giving your ring a unique look that makes a bold statement.

Emeralds

Emeralds are fascinating gemstones. They have the most beautiful, most intense and most radiant green that can possibly be imagined. In top quality, fine emeralds are even more valuable than diamonds. The green of the emerald is the color of life and of the springtime, and this unique gemstone would definitely add life to your wedding ring.

So when you go out shopping for that perfect wedding ring, remember that while diamonds may be traditional, a more unique stone can set you apart from the crowd. Diamonds may be a girl’s best friend, but sapphires, rubies, and emeralds are her soul mates.

Amanda Trevino is a client account specialist with 10x Marketing. For more information on sapphires, rubies, emeralds, and wedding rings, visit International Jewelers.

It’s all systems go in the Highlands for wedding planners and
wedding venues alike. On 21st December, this year, Civil
Partnerships between same sex couples - commonly known as Gay
Weddings - will be permitted throughout the UK. Already, some
Scottish wedding planners report considerable interest from the
gay and lesbian communities for the traditional ‘kilt and
bagpipes’ wedding in a Highland castle or a luxury hotel.

But the arrival of equality in the wedding aisle north of the
border has not been without its hiccups. As The Press and
Journal reported on 4th August: “Highland councillors have
recommended registrars only perform a basic registration - the
absolute minimum required by the legislation…”

Not surprisingly this perceived homophobia caused an uproar in
the gay and lesbian community, and among politicians at the
national level. Intensive lobbying of the council began.

Other Scottish local authorities reacted differently. Perth and
Kinross, Angus, Aberdeenshire, Argyll and Bute, Moray and
Aberdeen City Councils, for example, all announced their
unqualified acceptance of the spirit of the Civil Partnershp
Act, as well as its letter.

The lobbying process, and some would say common sense and
fairness as well, won the day. On 17th August, at another
meeting of the Highland Council Resources Committee, the
following was approved:

“a) that Civil Partnerships in Highland be registered in
Registration Offices or in other locations agreed for the
purpose subject to checks, where appropriate, to establish any
health and safety issues which might affect staff in respect of
alternative locations

b) that Registration takes the form of a simple registration, or
a ceremony as requested by the partners”

And so, Scottish gay weddings websites are up and running,
advertising campaigns have started, and wedding venues are
having to think through the services they offer to same sex
couples after years of catering only to heteros. It will be
interesting and not a little exciting to see how they all fare.
Whatever happens, the average Scot, Lowlander or Highlander,
will be only too ready, willing and able to toast the happy
couple with a wee dram of single malt. Slainte!