Cold feet didn’t make this bride miss her wedding day. She was hoping to con her family for money! She’s a 24 year old Malaysian that worked as a clerk and teamed up with her fiancé to stage her own kidnapping. I guess the traditional gift cards with cash in them just wouldn’t cut it, so her future husband found some drug traffickers to nab her. She was ransomed for RM 250,000 – or $110,00 USD. The gig was up when cops arrested the kidnappers only to find the groom-to-be in the car with them…not bound and gagged.
It could have been worse for the family, at first the bride-to-be wanted RM 800,000 - $230,000, but that was of course negotiated down. I guess she’d be the type of person interested in cheap wedding favors.  What’s wrong with the world when it’s so important to have money that a woman can become a horrible bridezilla to the point where she endangers her family.  I know the cost of nuptials these days is growing ever higher, but  this is no way to handle it. You can find ways to give your guests fun gifts without spending too much. For example, let the wine wedding favors like bottle openers actually be used at the reception and other parties. That way, you get your money’s worth out of them and your friends still get their presents.

With war raging in Iraq, many engaged couples are separated by active duty and so plan their nuptials upon a loved one’s return. Sometimes, however, deployment is extended and many brides and grooms have opted to tie the knot via video conference. What was once reserved for the important business meetings is now available for weddings. Any couple separated by space but joined in love can use this technology for their ceremony, and they can even play it into the reception. For example, travel wedding favors can complement this theme and can make light of a sad situation. Even the bridesmaid’s 

gifts and groomsmen wedding gifts can follow the same idea. Now anyone that’s separated by distance can still be united in love. Maybe next they’ll have video conference births for those dads that miss the arrival of their babies into the world. Still, I would rather everyone just come home.

Many brides sadly don’t get to have their fathers walk them down the aisle, but one bride in the UK decided to find a way around the problem. Celeste Egan’s dad died a year ago from a brain hemorrhage and the family had his body turned into a diamond. She carried the blue diamond down the aisle thus fulfilling the wedding tradition. Talk about a unique wedding favor. It’s amazing what women will do to make their day of holy matrimony absolutely perfect. I guess every marriage deserves to start off with a bang, and what a way to go. Perhaps this will become a sentimental new trend. What personalized wedding favors could go closer to the heart than a loved one who stays with you even when they’re gone.

There are many husbands out there, myself included, who wouldn’t mind walking down the aisle a second time. No, I’m not talking about divorcing to remarry; I would literally like to redo the whole ceremony. For starters, my hair was looked really bad. I had woman bangs for crying out loud. Grooms, if you’re reading this, do not cut your hair right before the wedding! If you get a bad cut, you want enough time for it to grow out some. Don’t get me wrong, my wedding was great and I will cherish the memories forever, but I’ve learned so much since then that I could really do it right a second time. Apparently, I’m not alone, either. Many married couples out there want to rety the knot and include some new traditions to make even better memories. You can try a different theme ceremony, with new wedding favors for the reception, too. Renewing vows can be fun for the whole family with something like a beach wedding. Island wedding favors can also be a creative memory. Men, you could give your wife a romantic surprise on your anniversary by planning a beautiful vacation for celebrating your union. Tell her you love her so much that you want to marry her all over again.

Finding the right wedding photographer might be the most important things you do while planning a wedding. Many brides really don’t realize how essential the photographer is. I know this from personal experience. My wedding photographer was recommended by my Aunt as being “fabulous” and the price was right, so that was enough for me.

I didn’t find out until much too late that the person who thought he was “fabulous” was his girlfriend and he had never actually photographed a wedding before! It was a bit of nightmare. When it came time to take pictures, there was NO order. We hadn’t worked out any kind of plan and he had no idea what I wanted. He was a good photographer, but we had a huge lack of communication. Don’t get me wrong I did get some nice pictures, but I would have liked some more spontaneous pictures to choose from. Almost everything I have was staged and if you know me than you know how incredibly spontaneous I am. It wasn’t until we received the proofs that we realized there was one (1) picture of my husband, one (1) of his groomsmen and none of him with my family! So here are the things I suggest you do to stay away from this DISASTER: 

1) Use personal referrals. But remember to check out who is doing the referring, so you don’t end us like me. 

2) Visit the Website or set up an appointment to look at their portfolio. Concentrate on the pictures not the web design. 

3) Conduct a phone interview. The first time I met/talked to my photographer was on my wedding day before the wedding. It was not the best time to synchronize our thoughts. 

4) Don’t be afraid to ask questions! You should know everything about the way your photographer is going to record one of the most important days of your life!

5)Get on the same page. Make sure your photographer understands what you want. Let him/her know the wedding theme. Do you want staged shotsor spontaneous ones? Do you want pictures of your wedding cake, Pictures of your guest, or even pictures of your wedding favors?

6) After you’re sold, make a commitment.