These two Wahoos used their love of The University of Virginia as the inspiration for their wedding day. Think your school colors won’t work? If Blue and Orange can look good together, anything is possible with the right help!

And boy do I have love for their cakes!

http://www.cakelove.com/

Any time you come across a Cake Love bakery go in and buy a cupcake or a slice of cake and experience the excellence for yourself. If you want your wedding guests to remember the cake you served them, get it from Cake Love.  End of story.

Please mail in your response cards to a wedding as soon as you know if you can attend or not. The bride and her family have enough stress in the last couple months leading up to the wedding and do not need to be chasing after forgetful people. Be considerate and reply as soon as you can. Enough said.

Also, pay attention to how you sign the RSVP card. If you play jokes, the bride may play a joke back:

I kid you not, this was me and my husband at a wedding on May 30th.

Jane and Josh got married at Christ Episcopal Church in downtown Charlottesville and the reception was held at Ash Lawn- Highland. They had the most gorgeous April wedding day – sunny and 72 degrees. Here some beautiful moments from their wedding:

Two of Jane’s brothers, Charles and Will

The table centerpieces were made a slate boards covered in local cheeses, fresh bakery bread, herbs and fruit.  It had a very French-country feel to it and proved a hit with guests as they waited for their turn at the buffet.

Each bridesmaids wore a  black dress in her own unique style.

Rachel De Jong of Rachel’s Fine Baked Goods made a wedding cake to die for! Chocolate Peanut Butter was the flavor and it was so rich that you had to wash it down with a glass of farm fresh whole milk – compliments of the groom’s family!

Jane’s three brothers played a song for the bride and groom’s First Dance. They are all super talented and if you think you recognize the brother in the middle, it’s because he is the lead singer of Parachute! Just a fun little fact!

These are some of my favorite details from Brett and Nathaniel’s January 9th wedding.

The wedding took place in Williamsburg, VA at Williamsburg United Methodist Church and Colonial Heritage

Brett and Nathaniel had such a personal and gorgeous ceremony. I wish I had sound bites from their vows. They each wrote their own and read them to each other for the first time during the ceremony. I’ll post more pictures when I get the professional ones back from the photographer!

More often than not your DJ will ask for your insight into the reception playlist. You can at least come up with a “Must Haves” list and a “Do Not Play” list. Just in case you need some help allow me to suggest a few songs to add to your “Do Not Play” list:

“Irreplaceable” by Beyonce

“Since You’ve Been Gone/Already Gone/Breakaway/Walk Away” by Kelly Clarkson, you get the point

“Me and Mrs. Jones” by Micheal Bubble or others

“Bad Romance” by Lady GaGa

“Whatcha Say” by Jason Derulo

“3″ by Britney Spears

and so on…

If you ask why, simply google the lyrics to any one of those songs. You’ll get the point. I’ve heard nearly all of those songs  played at various wedding receptions and I think keeping a positive view of love and romance is the best way to go during a wedding. I’m just saying…

Ruth and Barlow got married at Grace Episcopal Church in Keswick, VA and the reception was held at the Keswick Hunt Club. Though unbearably cold outside, the wedding was absolutely gorgeous! Here are some details from the day:

Check out photographer Matt Eich’s wedding website for some amazing images of the wedding day!

Patrick and Jenny got married on May 23, 2009. They had a gorgeous lakeside venue complimented by a warm, sunny day.

Location: Lake Ritchie in Bealeton, VA

Photographer: Kristen Gardner Photography

I just love them!

As an invited guest to a wedding, it is best to stay throughout the duration of the reception. Receptions typically last from 3-4 hours but it is just a fancy way of having a big dinner party with all of your closest friends. So many evening weddings these days lose about half their attendees by the time the newly married couple makes their Grand Exit to the get-away car. It makes me sad to see what could be a huge celebratory send-off at the end of the night become a small line of mostly bridal party members waving good-bye.

I recognize the obstacles that some wedding guests may have such as young children, sleepy husbands, or other plans. Those are legitimate reasons to need to leave but try your best to plan ahead – hire the babysitter for the entire evening, get the hubby a cup of coffee, and clear your schedule for that day. If you’ve ever planned a wedding you know full well the stress that goes into making the guest list just right. The bride and groom chose to invite you over someone else so don’t disappoint them by dipping out early.  Clearly, these are my opinions and not law but a wedding is a special occasion that deserves special time and attention from all parties involved!

Seriously ask yourself this question. Are all the planning, details, glitter and glamor for you and your soon-to-be spouse or is it for everyone invited who witnesses your wedding day? I think it’s for the guests.

Obviously, I believe that the actual covenant that takes place on your wedding day is for the bride and groom alone and, yes, the wedding is all about the couple. But what is the point of dressing up a table, creating place cards, printing programs, or hiring a DJ if the wedding celebration is for you? You don’t need to be reminded of the order of service or where each guest eats dinner. We make weddings beautiful for our guests in order that they might see how excited we are to be sharing with them in our most special day.

If a wedding celebration is for the guests, then think about how you can make the experience the best for your guests. This means taking time to plan out the details, hire a coordinator to keep the flow of things going, use real dishes instead of paper products, if it’s a hot summer day provide AC and bug spray, if it’s cold then provide a heated room, hire a caterer who provides the clean-up service. Each and every decision made to improve your invited guests’ experiences will not be forgotten.

The best weddings are the ones where guests walk away thinking, “What a wonderful time we just had. I’m glad we were invited to this wedding.”