c ongrats! You’ve said yes to a life of love. Now you’re expected to say yes to a year of planning, shopping, re-planning and taste testing. Even if you can get on board with the free shrimp balls, all that checking and double-checking can seem pretty daunting. Fortunately, with a dash of help and a twinge of organization, you can breeze right on past all that pre-wedding stress and on to the good stuff. After all, a wedding is a celebration of commitment and love – you should focus on the goal and enjoy the ride. the engagement party - breathe in ...

t hink Phantom of the Opera-level mystique, without the nasty surprise at the unveiling. In fact, those hiding behind the sequined, feathered masks, elaborately embellished gowns and Venetian wigs are all friendly faces – mom, dad and grandma all decked out on the dance floor. Hosting a masquerade wedding is a great way to celebrate your high-profile love, because masquerades are, by nature, endowed with regality. Most recently, actress Salma Hayek and billionaire Francois-Henri Pinault held a pre-hitching masquerade ball. If you want to do it up right too, infusing mystery and provocative allure into your evenin

w hether it costs you an arm and a leg or just a night of baking with the gals, a midnight sweet table just might be the ultimate in feel-good decadence. The combination of the dark sky and the dark chocolate is bound to make you feel sumptuously romantic. However, a nice way to set your table apart is by adding a touch of exoticism. Whether you’re looking to appease your Canadian in-laws, harmonize your Hawaiian motif with the cuisine, or satisfy your love-affair with French desserts, as long as it tastes heavenly and creates a visually unique display, it has its proper place at your midnight sweet ta

l ocate your love back to where it all began or where you’ve always hoped it’d end up. Whatever you choose to wed in, around, amongst, should reflect your personality and what characterizes you as a couple. Weddings held in medieval castles, euro-chic celebrations at the Ritz, and intimate backyard ceremonies all make different statements and set different standards. Once you’ve made the crucial decision, all the other tulle-tied pieces will follow suit in terms of theme, mood and budget, so when choosing a location, choose gracefully. symbolic locations

f iring up your wedding celebration with an unconventional cocktail hour is a great way to establish theme and mood for the remainder of your reception. It’s also a great opportunity to showcase your personality, chat with guests and, of course, sip, slurp and swing back yummy drinks. But whether you serve flirty cocktails or fine wines, inviting friends and family to an open bar invites the potential for disaster. The easiest way to deter intoxication is by serving up an array of delicious foods, and whether you choose to hire waiters to weave about with trays of finger food or to go the way of the buffet, it’s up to

y ou’ve found a darling spot to host your commingling, be it a snug maritime inn, dreamy uptown terrace or big-ticket hotel, but before signing your savings away, set up a little Q and A session with your site of choice. Know your needs going into the meeting, shedding all remnants of a flighty bride, sure of your desire for a band, open bar or set of twinklers. Flexibility and realism is still essential, but the fewer unforeseen bottlenecks, the fewer bottles of aspirin needed. Here are some questions worth dragging along to that quintessential appointment.

a dd a dash of whimsy without sacrificing the class by trading in the traditional wedding cake for the cute and fashionable cupcake tier. With a little help, (and an even smaller budget) you can participate in a delicious trend on your own terms. After all, what punctuates a celebration better than a lip-smacking mini-cake? Well, maybe a cream-filled, lip-smacking mini-cake! But at this point, you may still be a little sceptical about serving them at your wedding. Even if your mouth has been watering since you first laid eyes on this article, you’re probably used to munching on cupcakes at children’s bi

k eep one step ahead of so trendy, gosh-darn cute candy bars and create a honey of a reception with off-kilter, in-house sugar shacks. The trick is to give your young-at-heart guests all their unpretentious taste buds ever dreamed of, without encouraging their best pigs at the troth impression. As long as you have an arena of aesthetic finesse up your sleeve, your hallows eve inspired treats will emit Godiva-like divinity. Gorging on feel-good junk and riding that sugar-high has never felt so decadently Parisian. feeding stations - storing for winter

a s a kid, the pool party totally clobbered the ice rink birthday, the scavenger hunt and the pizza party in the awesome department. It even thwarted the decorate-your-own-cookie party, and that involved unlimited frosting. So what better way to celebrate a mature commitment to the cultured man of your reveries than to backslide to the days of polka-dot bikinis, crazy straws and iced tea yore? Maybe replace the ginchy two-piece with a white cocktail dress and add some rum to that lemony brew. The crazy straws need no improvement. Pool party receptions can go one of two ways, the Hollywood panache road, or the

a guest list heavier on the disco moms than the blasé teens is not what differentiates a crowd of head bobbers from gyrating foot stompers. It’s the music. If you’ve chosen to go the way of the tangible, take heed to the little things before unleashing those songsters on a finicky audience. Atmosphere is what makes a wedding worthy of anecdotes to come, and nothing tarnishes mood like an earsplitting band throughout dinner or an empty dance floor post pot roast. So know your stuff and style before diving in. musical pricetag