Real Life Wedding Planning

Much was written last week about the prenuptial agreement between reality star Khloe Kardashian and Lakers’ star Lamar Odom and you can bet that Ivanka Trump had an agreement when she married Jared Kushner.  But you don’t have to have millions of dollars and a lavish lifestyle to need a prenuptial agreement.

Here are 5 reasons why you might want to have one:

• You have children from previous relationships
• You have assets; money, real estate, family heirlooms, etc., which you want to keep for yourself
• You own your own business or are a partner in a business
• You earn much more or much less than your fiance
• You plan to quit working outside the home when you have children

Your prenuptial agreement can outline what should be done not only in case of a divorce but also in case of death.  Some famous prenuptial agreements have also include such specifics as to how much weight each party can gain and how many children are planned.

Talk to your attorney about your situation, she or he can advise you about a prenup and what it can include in your state.  Each person must voluntarily sign in order for it to be legal.

Are you a smoker?  You might want to give this habit up on your wedding day.  Even if everyone knows, think about how you will look in your wedding photographs and videos smoking  while wearing your beautiful wedding gown.  Also, there is the possibility of  ruining your dress by dropping ashes and having it smell like smoke at the end of the day.

Granted, if you smoke, it is difficult to suddenly stop for a day.  So, while you’re planning your wedding, talk to a health care professional to see if there is anything she or he can do to help you get through the day with minimal number of cigarettes or without smoking at all.   Ask the members of your wedding party to refrain also, so everyone looks their best on the wedding day.

You might also want to talk to your photographer and videographer and tell them to stay away from any designated smoking areas and not capture any shots of  the wedding party smoking, even in candid shots.

By the way, sorry I haven’t blogged in a few weeks, I got hacked and had to have some work done to put this blog back together.  Many thanks to Cathy Perkins, The WordPress Wizard, for her time, patience, and expertise.

Did you read recently about the couple who got married dressed as vampires with a best man dressed as Jack Sparrow from “Pirates of the Caribbean” and an officiant dressed as Jason from the “Friday the 13th” movies?  The groom arrived in a hearse and was carried to his spot in a coffin.  The groom said his bride wanted this theme and the wedding was about her.

It doesn’t have to be close to Halloween to dress as characters from scary movies for your wedding, I’ve heard of many couples who love horror movies and and use it as their wedding theme. 

Here are some ideas for carrying out this theme:

• Hold the wedding in a movie theater – many rent out for meetings and other events
• Dress as your favorite horror movie characters such as Frankenstein and his bride, Dracula and his bride, zombies, or for a fun horror theme, dress like characters from “The Adams Family” movies
• Attendants can wear all black or all red
• Use real or fake wilted or dead bouquets and boutonnieres or use black or blood red roses
• Serve popcorn from an old-fashioned movie popcorn maker – many party rental companies have them
• Have your wedding cake match your horror movie theme and top it with a director’s clapboard
• Ask your guests to dress as their favorite horror movie characters

Your wedding is your day, let it match your personality and interests.

Can you plan a wedding in 9 days?  Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom did but they had help from friends, professionals, a lot of money, and the E! television network.

Here are some of the details of their wedding September 27 wedding  and how you may be able to adopt them to your own:

Custom Wedding Gown by Vera Wang

Khloe wore an ivory strapless gown with a jeweled lavender sash that designer Vera Wang made in one week, it usually takes two months.  Wang is a family friend so she was willing to do it.

If you need a dress quickly, check bridal shops for sales of floor samples that can be quickly altered, shop regular department stores for white or ivory gowns or visit vintage clothing stores for previously worn wedding dresses.  If you decide to buy online, be sure you allow enough time to get the dress shipped to you and altered in case it does not fit you properly.

Attendant Dresses Varied

Khloe’s attendants wore gowns of various shades of purple, as did her mother.  The styles differed also, three were strapless, three were halter, and her two younger sisters wore mini dresses with balloon hems.  Her flower girl wore ivory with a lavender sash.

All attendant dresses do not have to be the same and actually, if you are doing a last minute wedding, it’s easiest if you don’t have to find identical dresses.  You can select styles and tones of the same color according to what looks best on each person.

Joint Maids of Honor

Two of Khloe’s sisters were maid of honor, something you can do if you have two sisters or two close friends.  She had other attendents also.

Venue

The wedding took place at the home of a family friend.

If you need a quick place for your wedding and don’t want to fly to Vegas or go to City Hall,  your home or the home or garden of a friend or family member is an excellent place to get married.  You can find officiants who are willing to perform a ceremony.  Make sure you can get your marriage license quickly and complete your pre-nuptial agreements, if needed, before you desired date. (Some gossip columns say Khloe and Lamar didn’t legally get married, they did a wedding for the cameras only since, reportedly, their pre-nups haven’t been finalized.)

Flowers

Weddings flowers were white roses, calla lilies and hydrangeas.  Attendants’ hand-ties bouquets were of white roses, Khloe’s also included lilies of the valley and stephanotis.

Use in-season flowers for the lowest cost and fastest delivery.

She Used a Wedding Planner

If you want to do a last minute wedding and need to involve caterers, florists, musicians, etc., it’s best to hire a professional wedding planner who has good relationships with a variety of vendors who can help you pull off something spectacular in a short amount of time.

The weddng will be the November 8 episode of Keeping up with the Kardashians on the E! television network.  Photos of the wedding are in the October 12, 2009 issue of OK! Magazine.