TresSugar

6 Ways to Buck Tradition and Be Yourself

TresSugar — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 13:39:21 PDT

Our society has hundreds of wedding traditions to choose from, but that doesn't mean you have to follow them. Instead, why not pick and choose your favorites or borrow some from other cultures? Better yet, the traditions you and your betrothed choose to skip say a lot about who you are as a couple. Here's how to express yourself by bucking traditions.

Source: Flickr User Tenth Muse Photography

Your Most Outrageous Wedding Disaster Stories!

TresSugar — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 08:00:00 PDT

When I asked you guys to share the worst wedding disaster stories you know, you really brought your A game. From fainting grooms, to falling out hairpieces, to ringing phones, lots of crazy stuff has gone down at the alter and later at the reception. Below are some of your wedding nightmare stories that could make even the coolest bride-to-be lose sleep.

I was at a wedding not long ago where the bride was wearing a hairpiece that fell off during the ceremony, the veil pulled it back on her head and then to the floor before the maid of honor (or anyone) realized what was happening. - socalbeachgal

Not a disaster, but the last wedding I went to the groom's cell phone started ringing in the middle of the ceremony. Of all people. It made for a good laugh. - Pistil

My friend's extremely old great-grandmother, we're talking 101 years old, died in the lounge outside of the reception hall. That was the biggest disaster considering they were close, and all of the woman's kids were there. That was just terrible. She was a really feisty woman, so it was a shock that she died at that time. - Chrstne

On my cousin's wedding, the groom fainted right in front of the altar, in the middle of the service. That was weird. - catita85

To see the rest,

read more. At my best friend's wedding, her younger sister spilled a Diet Coke down the front of her dress, luckily she was the most laid-back bride I've ever encountered so it wasn't the end of the world - we caught the spill in time and were able to get it out - thank god! - AlexisSF At my wedding, the caterer sliced his hand open while cooking oysters on the grill and had to go to the emergency room. All of the oysters burned while sitting on the grill unattended and my dad (who didn't realize the chef had gone MIA) was going around telling everyone the oysters had been stolen since they didn't seem to be coming out of the kitchen. - KWM One in particular that stands out is about a couple who decided to release doves at the wedding. Well, they released the doves and things seemed fine . . . until one flew into a car and died in front of everyone. -danakscully64

Share Your Worst Wedding Disaster Stories!

TresSugar — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 09:42:52 PDT

We're all about the the big day, as we start to wrap up wedding season here at Sugar. Everyone wants their wedding to go smoothly, but sometimes disaster strikes. It may not be as comical as in 16 Candles, when the bride got her period and zonked out on pain medication she took to ease her cramps, but wedding nightmares can turn out to be just as dramatic.

Maybe the roses showed up hot pink rather than classic red (that happened to my friend last year). Or perhaps the bride spilled coffee on her wedding dress (that happened to my family friend!). And there's always the classic embarrassing drunk toast that goes too far. Share the wedding nightmares you've witnessed in the comments!

How to Make Sure You Seal the Deal on Your Wedding Night

TresSugar — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 14:00:10 PDT

More than 65 percent of you had sex on your wedding night. That's more than half, but the 35 percent of you who didn't suggest that it's not easy to get busy after an exhausting day. Based on your comments on our poll, I found a few tips to help brides seal the deal.

Don't worry about having the best sex ever. spacekatgal explained that although she had sex: "I was exhausted. Non-exhausted sex came later."
Don't wait till the end. skigurl said: "Leaving quietly, doing it, and returning would have been okay as well. I don't think any couple should have to apologize for wanting a tiny bit of alone time during the most important day of their lives. But have a little respect and class!"
Get creative. Weffie would consider "taking off to a closet or bathroom for a quickie - I mean, I've done it at other people's weddings, why not my own?"
Obstacles are meant to be overcome, as nonamepixie demonstrated: "Between being on my period and being completely exhausted I didn't want to. But both of us agreed there was no way we were going to let that keep us from making love on our wedding night. We did it anyways."

Any more tips to add?

Source: Flickr User crd!

Wedding Decor: Our Cocktail Reception

Casa Community — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 05:00:23 PDT

Here's a post from CasaSugar Community member Saittica from the Lovely Little Vignettes group. I'm loving her milk glass centerpieces!

We had a cocktail reception so we had couches and benches for seating and coffee tables with succulent center pieces. The succulents are planted in milkglass pieces that we collected at flea markets.

For more lovely photos, keep reading.

How to Give a Toast Without Embarrassing Yourself

TresSugar — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 13:45:30 PDT

A good toast will never be the most talked about part of a wedding, but a bad toast will be - for all the wrong reasons. Surely we all remember the scene in Wedding Crashers, when Rachel McAdams's character awkwardly silences the room with her jabs at her sister's money-grubbing tendencies.

If you've been asked to stand up and say a few words, don't fret. Just follow these simple tips to make a toast with the most.

The first rule: remember it's a toast, not a speech. Make it five minutes at most, preferably shorter.
Prepare. Whether you write out your toast or just outline your major points in your head, having an idea of what you're going to say before you raise your glass works wonders.
Be funny, but not if you don't want to. Toasts with humorous anecdotes or tasteful jokes are always crowd-pleasers. But if you're not known for your comedy, don't force it. Sincerity goes over just as well.

Five more tips after the jump.

Did You Have Sex on Your Wedding Night?

TresSugar — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 10:00:42 PDT

Weddings can be exhausting, especially your own. After hours of being "on" - not to mention months of planning - I can imagine just wanting to plop down on your postnuptial bed and zonk out.

But if there's any night when "I'm tired" should be no excuse, your wedding night would be it. Especially if you've saved yourself for marriage! So, to the wives out there: did you manage to make it to the sex portion of your wedding night? Be sure to share your tips with us.

If you are planning a wedding, happily wed, or looking for Mr. Right, start sharing your big day with our community. Just check the wedding content box on your post.

8 Weird Origins of Wedding Traditions

TresSugar — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 08:00:00 PDT

No matter how beautiful and romantic weddings are, they are still a legal contract. Many of the wedding traditions we've come to associate love, friendship, and fun have very practical, and horrifying, roots. Find out what came from where below.

Wedding announcements: The Catholic tradition of "posting the banns" required a couple to announce their wedding in print; this helped ensure they were not related.
Fathers walking brides down the aisle: Because weddings used to be business transactions, fathers walked brides down the aisle to transfer ownership to grooms. Romantic!
Bachelor parties: Originally held by Spartan soldiers, bachelor parities were wild fetes to kiss the single life goodbye.
Best man: "Best" used to refer less to the friendship quality and more to the man's sword skills. Because you can never have enough backup support for a runaway bride.

See the rest below

Awkward! Cut From the Wedding Guest List!

TresSugar — Wed, 27 May 2009 06:00:00 PDT

Beware. Bad behavior can get you cut from a wedding guest list. At least it happened to a friend of mine last year.

The bride in question was throwing an engagement party. Without any warning, my friend pulled a no show. The bride later found out that instead of going to the long-planned party, she spent the day with a new crush! And the bride was particularly hurt because my friend (also her good friend) never even followed up to apologize.

So when it came time to send the official invitations, the flaky friend didn't get one in the mail. Since the wedding, the two have remained friendly, but more distant than before.

If a friend seemed flippant about your wedding festivities would you bump her from the guest list and invite someone else who hadn't been so disrespectful? Or do you think the bride overreacted?

Source

Do Tell: Where Would You Hold a Destination Wedding?

TresSugar — Tue, 19 May 2009 09:00:00 PDT

I'm heading to Paris later this year to be a bridesmaid in my good friend's wedding. Anywhere they chose was bound to be a faraway destination for many guests, considering she's from Chicago, her fiancé is from Australia, and they live together in England. They chose Paris for the wedding, since they got engaged there, and well, it's très romantique!

While a destination wedding can be inconvenient for guests, and extra planning for the bride and groom, it's also a great way to mix your wedding celebration with travel. Since it's hard to get hundreds of people to attend, a destination wedding can also be more intimate than traditional hometown weddings.

If you were going to organize a destination wedding, where would it be?

Source