Nina's Weddings Blog

When you go to more than four weddings a year, giving the same old pair of candlesticks gets to be pretty boring. I'm looking forward to the two weddings I'm going to in the next few weeks, and starting to shop amongst their registry items. These include the standard stainless steel place settings, colanders and whisks, and the aforementioned candlesticks. Their other guests must be on the ball, because most of the "good items" are gone.

Fortunately, there's no reason that I or other guests have to be boring! Liven things up by choosing a creative gift and pairing it with a witty card. Here are my creative suggestions for wedding gift ideas. You might also want to check out my Top 5 Wedding Gift Ideas. What do you think is #1???

Forgive the narcissim, but I thought readers might want to sneak a peak at my own wedding photos. Our awesome photographer, Henry Chan, just posted some pics on his website of our wedding.

I'm sure I'll post more about my wedding later, but for now I'll just say our goal was to have a relaxed and joyous celebration, with first and foremost a meaningful ceremony, and afterwards lots of dancing and good food. We achieved all of that, and more. Shortly afterwards, we lost both my father and his uncle to cancer, so to have these photos of such a ridiculously happy day means so much.

Every day I get tons of email about this Weddings site, so it takes a really thoughtful email to stand out amongst the crowd. The Reverend Kit Carlson, an Episcopalian priest, emailed me about the trend she sees of treating churches like "stage sets" and clergy like "central casting extras."

Although I don't entirely agree with her, her email did make me think. So I've decided to print her email, and my response here in my blog. Let me know what you think by clicking on the blue comments link below. Read more...

This DJ survey of popular wedding music and first dance songs has been making the rounds of the wedding blogosphere lately. Many bloggers are pointing to it as good place to find suggestions for your first dance.

There is a reason these songs are so popular; they've got beautiful lyrics and music, and tempos that work well for dancing. But many couples we know struggle to find a song that not only fits their relationship, but is also unique. They don't want a song that their guests will have heard at another wedding. So they purposefully avoid songs on lists such as these. Will you go for a song that is classic or unique? Check out our list of first dance songs. It's a good mix of the classics, new songs, and ones you probably haven't thought of in a long time.

In most of the United States, August means heat and humidity. But many couples have always dreamed of having their wedding in the beautiful outdoors. We're going to a outdoor wedding next weekend in the south, and we're trying to figure out how skimpy we can dress without scandalizing anyone.

For your wedding ceremony, would you rather have your guests thinking about how beautiful your vows are, or how uncomfortable they are? Don't forget that what is "not that hot" or "not that cold" to you can be unbearable to someone with a slightly different body temperature than yours. That's why we put together this list of tips on how to make sure your guests are comfortable at an outdoor wedding. Here's to beautiful vows outdoors.

Many people have written to say how much they appreciate the ideas in the Acnowledging the Death of a Parent at Your Wedding article, as well as to share ideas of their own. When a parent or another loved one has died, there are many ways to honor them without making your wedding a depressing, maudlin event.

But some people may be looking for ways that are more personal and less public. That's why I loved this idea that Darcy Miller posted recently. By making a photo of a loved one into a charm, such as the ones available from Romero Designs, you can keep your loved ones close. Pin it to the inside of your wedding gown, or the inside of your tuxedo. You could also make cufflinks for your groom with his dad's photo in it, for example, which is both personal and a special touch he can share easily with those closest to him.

People who love to cook and bake often dream of cooking their own wedding meal. It seems wrong to pay a caterer so much money when you know how to make delicious and satisfying food. And yet, the last thing you want is to be stressing over an undercooked roast, or hurrying to finish baking the chicken, all while wearing a wedding dress. It's truly best to leave the catering to the pros. And yet, there is one thing you can do yourself. You can bake your own wedding cake. Read more...

I get lots of emails from couples saying, "We already have two households full of STUFF. We don't need to register for anything!" But just having the essentials covered misses out on a lot of potential fun! Read more...

There are wedding websites out there that advocate you spending hundreds - if not thousands - of dollars on a groom's gift. And sure, a fancy watch or a honeymoon upgrade are great gifts if you can afford them. But most couples I know are pretty stretched thin by the time they get to the wedding. That's why I love finding little affordable grooms gifts like this one. Read more...

With rising Euro value, and cost of gas driving up the cost of airline tickets, some couples are wondering if they'll get to take a honeymoon at all. That's why you might like seeing this list of 31 places to go this year from the New York Times, many of which are honeymoon-worthy. You should also check out About.com's guide to Affordable Honeymoons and Inexpensive Romantic Trips. Let's be honest - after planning a wedding, you're going to need to have a romantic getaway.