Selecting Music for Your Ceremony

by Lisa Carlson



You can perfectly envision the moment you’ll begin the walk down the aisle and into your new life: the perfect location, gorgeous dress, the flowers. Now even the flower girls have completed their walk down the aisle, the music stops, and your processional has begun.

It’s the moment you’ve dreamed of for so long, finally here. What music will usher you down the aisle to the love of your life? What will he be feeling when he hears the music?

There are so many choices for today’s couples. If you’re feeling a little overwhelmed by all the choices, here are a few thoughts to help make the ambiance of your most special moment truly memorable, and truly personal.
First, are you a person who likes tradition, or someone who likes to forge new ground? Does a wedding without Mendelssohn’s “Wedding March” at the end feel like a birthday without singing “Happy Birthday” or Hanukkah without latkes? I know some who can’t stand the thought of the popular wedding music choices at their wedding. But for some they are as dear as “Silent Night” at Christmas time, as comforting as a “welcome home” hug, and as full of anticipationand excitement as a child’s birthday wish coming true.



Click here for the full article, including popular processional and recessional choices, as well as unusual selections made by some wedding couples...


Click here for more information about wedding musician Lisa Carlson.

“Listening to Learn, Learning to Listen”

by Michael Caldwell, Partnership Center of Vermont



A man whose marriage hit a rough patch went to a sage in his hermitage.

“For one month, just listen to what your spouse is saying,” said the sage.
The man did that for a month and then went back to the sage, reporting that they were still having a hard time.

“Okay, now go back and listen for a month to what your spouse is not saying…”

DeMello suggests that preparing for the crucible of loving well that marriage implies requires a period of “listening to learn and learning to listen.” In his experience, most people didn’t listen well. They weren’t taught. It was one of the causes of the contemporary epidemic of divorce. People get easily distracted. They weren’t committed enough to being curious enough about where their partner’s opinion originated. And it seemed to be cross-cultural. In other words, not many communities or families seriously taught listening skills to their children.

Click here for the full article by Michael Caldwell...

Spotlight on Wedding Flowers: Roses

By Karen Sturtevant



The Rose
Meanings
•White – Spiritual Love & Purity
•Yellow – Friendship, Joy
•Pink – Grace, Sweet thoughts, Admiration
•Orange – Desire, Enthusiasm, Fascination
•Red – Sincere Love, Passion
•Green - Calm
•Lavender/Purple – Majesty, Love at First Sight, Enchantment

Roses are one of the most widely recognized flowers and are available in hundreds of varieties year round. Roses from California, South America and Africa are shipped throughout the world. Florists purchase in bunches of 25. Click here to read the full article by Karen Sturtevant...

How to Make it Work Without the Headaches

by Pat Esden

Keeping organized with a few easy tips

... Assigning duties to family and friends can eliminate headaches, but make sure to keep a list of who is doing what and when



Whether you are a last minute bride or have allowed yourself a year or more to plan your wedding, there are two keys to eliminating the headaches--organization and simplicity.

Being organized and keeping your wedding simple will make planning fun and give you time to relax and enjoy this very special time with your friends and family.

Read more of Pat Esden's organizational tips by clicking here...

For more information about Pat Esden of Esden Florists click here.

Michelle (Barrett) and Calum Gardner

The Story of Our Romance

It was just over seven years ago that our paths began to cross with an increasingly frequent basis. Though not by design, our romance spanned many years and several continents before culminating in our October 2009 wedding in Vermont



As with many couples, Calum and I met at the office; we were both working at the UN World Food Programme (WFP), the UN’s humanitarian food agency, based in Rome, Italy. Rome was a wonderfully romantic place to start our relationship. Dates included moonlit motorino (moped) tours of the city, classical concerts in ancient churches, dinners featuring full-bodied wines and delicious cheeses and weekend afternoons in the Italian countryside.



Our time together wasn’t without its interruptions, though; only three months into our budding romance, the war in Iraq began and WFP launched one of its largest operations ever - and I was sent in as part of the emergency team, with only days to prepare for what would be a six month deployment. Intrigued by the challenging aspects of this operation (and perhaps concerned that our romance was facing a rather abrupt end), Calum also joined the operation and within a few months we were together again, though in Baghdad rather than Rome. I think we were probably one of the only American/British couples to be dating in Baghdad during the summer of 2003. Needless to say, our opportunities for actual dates at that time were rather limited, consisting of an occasional coffee in between meetings and dinners together when we managed to get rooms at the same hotel.



This pattern of moving to new countries with WFP continued for the next few years. Following a bombing at the UN compound in Baghdad in August 2003, we were both relocated to Jordan. A few months after that, my assignment with the Iraq operation was finished and I headed back to Rome, and shortly thereafter onto Cote d’Ivoire and then Senegal. For the next few years, our relationship consisted of e-mails, phone calls and periodic vacations together, meeting up in places like the lavender fields of Southern France, the Lake District of Northern England (Calum’s home), and the souks of Morocco.

In 2006 our paths brought us both back to Rome, where I remained for nearly two years before moving back to the US for a position with the UN in New York.

Thus began another year of e-mails, phone calls and vacations together until, while in England celebrating his April 2009 birthday together, Calum proposed to me on bended knee.



Click here to read more of Michelle and Callum's story, wedding planning, and more...

Spa Corner: Relaxation Takes Practice

By Sara Daley

Being positive is stress relieving in that it puts life in perspective and you realize all you are grateful for.



Have you ever wondered how to relax?

There are times when relaxing is a difficult thing to accomplish. Sure, on the beach in Negril, relaxing is easy. But the week of your wedding, not so easy. At the spa, we are amazed at the number of times we have heard bridesmaids tell their brides, “Just relax!” The brides look at them with an anxious expression of, “I would if I knew how!”

Relax is a verb which means to spend time resting or doing things for pleasure; a relief from the effort and stress of everyday life. Using this definition as a framework, let’s explore how to do this the week leading up to your wedding.
Schedule time for rest. Make sure you are not up late at night doing tasks that you can easily do in the daytime. Try to maintain your sleep schedule and stick to it. Being refreshed the next morning will help you accomplish more the next day. Lavender is a great essential oil that can aid in sleep and relaxation.

The time to relax is when you don’t have time for it.
~Attributed to both Jim Goodwin and Sydney J. Harris



Click here to read more tips on keeping relaxed in this article by Sara Daley...

Opposites Attract

Can a marriage with different views and opinions be successful? By Karen Sturtevant



He likes country music; she likes alternative rock. He’s a gamer; she’s a reader. She loves dogs; he hates anything that sheds.
Should people contemplating wedlock who share few common interests take the plunge? Are they destined to fight, bicker, and disagree which radio station they should listen to, who should take out the trash and when the house should be cleaned? Can a marriage with different views and opinions be successful?

Democratic strategist James Carville and Republican consultant Mary Matlin may disagree politically, but they have found common ground in marriage. The eccentric lead singer of The Cars, Ric Ocasek, and supermodel, Paulina Porizkova, are another example of opposites not only attracting, but flourishing with years of marriage and family.

Prince Charming lives only in storybooks. Mr. Perfect is alive and well in our fantasy worlds and imaginative minds alone. If you are fortunate enough to have fallen deeply, passionately in love, honor that commitment and realize that differences can bring a couple together and strengthen the bond between them. Would you honestly want to live with and marry yourself? As a friend of mine said “The grass isn’t always greener on the other side, sometimes it’s artificial turf.”

Let’s set the scene: take two people; place them under one roof with common goals: be happy, get along, compromise, negotiate, respect one another, grow together and don’t lose your identity in the process. Mature yourself, expand your thoughts, encounter new experiences, meet new people, learn new skills, and by the way, remember your partner. Impossible task? Can’t be done? “Happily married” is not an oxymoron; sustaining a satisfying, healthy relationship is attainable - even with an odd pairing.

Marriage is not meant to be easy; it is the ultimate pledge of commitment and a work in progress.

Click here to read more of Karen Sturtevant's article...

The Graceful Charm of a Hampton Inn Wedding

If you are looking for an uncomplicated way to create the perfect celebration with all of the personal touches that celebrate you, selecting a site that “has it all” will make the road to your wedding day nothing but stress free. Shouldn’t you enjoy this time in your life?



An outdoor gazebo is surrounded by tall trees and quiet gardens; the perfect spot for a ceremony or for the cocktail reception. Why worry about Mother Nature when the peaceful flow from the gardens to the ballroom makes allowances for any surprises she may have up her sleeve!? Up to 250 guests leisurely make their way to a Ballroom basking in candlelight and filled with all of the personal touches that make the day yours and yours alone.

Click here to read the full article
Or click here for more infomation about the Hampton Inn.

Hauyin and Doug

There were two strangers from worlds apart: A Chinese girl and a Jersey boy. Little did they know, they were meant for each other. The Chinese girl is me: let me tell you our story.



My name is Hau Yin; I am a city girl. I am originally from Hong Kong but moved to Vegas for my college career. In 2006, I decided that a change of pace would be welcome in my life. I moved to quaint New England, a territory I barely new existed 2 years prior. In Stowe I have met Doug: the love of my life.



Well to be honest it wasn’t exactly love at first sight, rather it was “chores” at first sight. Doug and I were housemates! I had a busy traveling job and would only see Doug between trips at which time we would do chores together. After a year of non- stop traveling I have decided to settle in Vermont.

My first “Vermont winter” was 2007. Doug was the best tour guide one could dream of. He showed me how charming and exciting Vermont was. We spent countless hours together. We experienced all winter sports and activities: from snowshoeing to skiing to snowboarding and let’s not forget about hiking and riding motorcycles. We were spending so much time together that it was obvious that our friendship was blossoming into something more. Together we saw an adventurous future with a special connection. The rest is history. Doug and I flew to Honk Kong to meet my parents. There, he asked them for my hand in marriage. The best part? He did it in Cantonese.



Read more of Hauyin and Doug's love story here...