Zombie Land Disaster

On April 15th 2008. Jade Foster said yes to Adam Woole's proposal. The two had tons in common from loving double stuffed oreos to being experts in horror trivia. Adam was a college grad just graduating with his degree in computer animation and Jade was an amateur chef working at a local diner shop when they, put their lives on hold to plan this wedding.

Scary Fast Forward

Jade and Adam go to Las Vegas to elope. A 3 day weekend of nothing but fun, friends, drinking, and gambling of course. According to Jade, she asked Adam if he wanted a bachelor party. Adam stated, it wasn't necessary and would rather use the money on their honeymoon, howww sweeettt. The two eloped in an unusual zombie focused theme wedding, where their love for horror movies was brought into real life.

Ultimate Fast Forward

Jade comes back from watching a Live Elvis Impersonation show with her girlfriends. It's around 12am and Adam still isn't home. She thinks to herself, well he might be on his way back any minute and waits, until she can't keep her eyes open anymore. Hours later she awakes from her sleep because she hears the door open and cannot wait to let Adam have it.

Surprise!

Adam's not alone. Jade hears a familiar voice. Wait a minute it's Adams best friend. She hears them walk in so she goes into a plan B and pretends to be asleep. Good idea or Bad idea? Read this and decide. She feels Adam slide into the bed and cuddle up next to her, and start kissing her on her neck. Wow, she opens her eyes to find out Guess What It's Not Adam. It's his best friend. She's holding her composure trying not to freak out. She looks up only to find her new husband standing over her saying "Baby, we want to share you" Whaaa! Turns out Adams best friend is also his, romantic partner and this is the way Adam decided to bring him into the relationship. Yikes!!! I guess he was zombie smooth.


Surprise Ending?

I don't think so. Can you say divorce?

This might be the shortest wedding I've recorded so far.

12 Horrible Weddings To Remember

Wedding Disaster Story #1

Like many couples, British citizens Simmone Edwards and Samuel Hibberd thought a destination weddingin the Dominican Republic would be romantic and memorable. But because the couple had been given incorrect information about the Dominican Republic’s wedding waiting period, they had no choice but to wed three days earlier than planned without any of their guests present.

Then on the day of the reception, the bride, groom and many guests got food poisoning. “I was so ill ... that I vomited outside the restaurant where we were eating three times and almost fainted,” the bride told the UK’s Evening Post. “It completely ruined what was supposed to be the best day of my life.”


#2 Horse ran roughshod over her big day


Sophie Clarke, 29, of England spent three years planning a fairy-tale wedding that included a $3,000 dress, handmade invitations and a horse-drawn carriage. But during the carriage ride to the church with her father, Clarke almost lost her life.

The horse got spooked and bolted, throwing the driver and his assistant from the carriage and leaving no one at the helm. As the horse sped into the pathway of an oncoming truck, Clarke’s father pushed his daughter from the carriage and jumped out after her. Clarke was left badly injured with a concussion and covered with blood.

In January, six weeks after the accident, she eventually married her fiancé in a much more intimate ceremony. “I had a life-changing experience,” Clarke told the Daily Mail. “It put into perspective for me that all of the fancy things, the posh invites and parties are not important. The only important thing is becoming Karl’s wife.


#3 What happened to my dress?!

Fay McCahill had a lovely wedding in Cyprus last year, and then planned to throw a reception for all the friends and family members who weren’t able to attend after she returned home to England.

She brought her dress to the dry cleaners to have it freshened up before the reception. When she went to pick it up, she said she was horrified to find a large hole “you could put your finger through” in the beaded bodice.

“They’ve ruined the dress for me,” McCahill told the Bristol Evening Post. “They didn’t even clean it properly — it was all muddied at the bottom. It was beautiful — strapless with a corset top with ruched detailing.”


#4 Gimme those conga drums

Fabiana Reyes and her husband, Elmo Jesus Fernandez, thought it would be nice to renew theirwedding vows last year — in a church this time, since they didn’t have a church wedding the first time around.

Everything went fine until the reception, when the band stopped playing to give the DJ a turn. Reyes got so frustrated that she “knocked over and damaged the band’s conga drums valued at $600, a speaker valued at $350 and other equipment,” according to the New York newspaper The Journal News. A fight ultimately erupted between police and Reyes, her husband and their 21-year-old daughter. All three family members went to jail.

#5 You may not touch the bride

Sure, the bride and the groom had endured their share of troubles. They had even been married once before, and she had once gotten an order of protection against him. But should that really stand in the way of their second wedding?

Well, when the pair tried to tie the knot in New York last summer, groom Timothy Cole was arrested and charged with first-degree criminal contempt for being too close to the bride. The arrest probably wouldn’t have happened if Cole hadn’t quarreled with one of the wedding guests.

When police arrived, they recognized Cole from his previous arrests and his past clashes with the bride.


#6 Massive brawl wrecks lesbian wedding

When firefighter Vanessa Mayo married her partner, Gail Hines, at a civil partnership ceremony in England in 2006, she never imagined that the reception would turn so violent.

A male relative made a comment that got the people around him all riled up, and within minutes, about 20 guests were embroiled in a full-on melee. Mayo wound up with a black eye, and the reception abruptly came to a halt. She left sobbing as she headed off for her honeymoon in Turkey.


#7 wasn't 'real'?

Irish pop star Brian McFadden and former Atomic Kitten member Kerry Katona married in 2004, stayed together for 2 1/2 years and had two children together. Sounds pretty serious, right?

After the fact, McFadden shared these details with British publication Reveal: “It wasn’t a real wedding. We were getting married to have a big party and get loads of money for it and to appear showbiz.”

He added that he and Katona didn’t spend their wedding night together, and they were mostly excited about having the event covered by Hello! magazine.



#8 One of Hollywood's shortest marriages

Eddie Murphy and Tracey Edmonds had a lavish — and non-legally binding — wedding ceremony on a French Polynesian island on New Year’s Day in 2008. The ceremony, part of a multiday occasion rumored to have cost $500,000, happened at sunset and was the stuff of fairy tales.

A mere 14 days later, the couple split. Rocky relations between Edmonds and Murphy’s mom were said to have contributed to the speedy breakup.

#9 Gulp! I swallowed the ring!

Reed Harris put a lot of thought into how he would pop the question to the love of his life, Kaitlin Whipple. In the end, he decided to hide theengagement ring in a Wendy’s Frosty milk shake and let her discover it.

She reached the end of the milk shake, and — uh-oh. No ring. It took an X-ray to make Whipple believe Harris’ urgent story about what had happened. Once Whipple was in possession of the X-ray image of the ring inside her, Harris dropped to one knee and proposed.

Yes, Whipple did manage to retrieve the ring, clean it and wear it.


#10 Cheating Fiance


What would you do if you learned your fiance was cheating?
How about if you received this news mere weeks before your elaborately planned wedding day?
Here’s what Kyle Paxman decided to do: She went ahead with her Vermont reception anyway and turned it into a charity benefit to honor strong women. Money raised from the 2006 event went to the Vermont Children’s Aid Society and CARE USA.

Yay, Kyle!


#11 A proposal to remember

Don Walling wanted to propose to Gina Pellicani in one of the most memorable settings imaginable: on the pedestrian walkway above the Brooklyn Bridge, with a sweeping view of New York before them.

Walling took Pellicani to the perfect spot earlier this year for the big moment. “I got on a knee, said, ‘Will you marry me?’ opened the box, and it flew out,”Walling told TODAY.

He watched the ring fall to the roadway below, and then he acted fast by climbing down the bridge’s superstructure. This sparked a suicide-jumper alert, but he managed to make police believe that he had no plans to jump.

After all that, he did retrieve the ring.


#12 Those stone crabs can really get you

Mary McPhail of Ohio has one of those legendary wedding-day horror stories.
"We had our rehearsal dinner at the restaurant where my husband and I met, and as a surprise gift, they gave us this big, beautiful tray of stone crabs,” McPhail told LifeWire. “The next day, I had a very upset stomach but just attributed it to nerves.”

It turned out that she had food poisoning. At some point during her lengthy ceremony, she clamped her hand over her mouth. The priest quickly wound things up and sent the couple back up the aisle.

“We got to the back of the church and I just lost it all over my gown,” McPhail recalled. “It was a really small wedding, and everybody knew. I was mortified, but it was the highlight of everyone’s day.”

Let The Real Fun Begin.....

Planning Your "Affordable" Honeymoon 

Your wedding is just the beginning. There’s going to be tons of excitement planning the honeymoon as well. After all, some might consider this the best part. From choosing a daring travel in the Amazon to swinging on a hammock in Hawaii, planning your sweet “escape” now is always your best bet, especially when it comes to saving. 

Regardless of where you decide to go, there are some things you should take note on. 

First, you must decide on a budget.  If money is not an issue, bon-voyage!  However, if you’re like most engaged couples, you’re already paying more than you anticipated.  So establish a budget and use it as a guide. 

You’ll also need to decide whether you want an all-inclusive, one-price-does-it-all, leave-the-wallet-at-home type of trip, or a more do-it- yourself package with car rental, lodging, food, and activities on an a la carte basis.  Cruises technically fall under the all-inclusive category, as do resorts. 

Of course, honeymoon budgeting takes on a new meaning if you decide to do a “destination wedding”.  These are becoming very popular as more and more couples decide to forego the traditional wedding costs in addition to the honeymoon expense. There are especially popular with second marriages.  It’s easier to get married in some 

countries than others, so be sure to check with a reliable source, like a country’s consulate or the U.S. Department of State, before making any arrangements. 

Now you need to book and pay for this trip. Many honeymoon suppliers offer special rates for early booking, which may or may not include airfare. Packages that include airfare can offer significant savings because retailers buy airline seats in at a discount, then package hotel, and sometimes car rentals as well. You can find out more saving on your honey moon and other wedding saving tips in my Wedding Saving Tool Kit.

Don't forget to sign up to my Free 5 Day Course to save more serious Cash!

Reception Planning & Resources

Reception Planning

(The A-Z Guide)

Finding the Perfect Reception Location

So, what exactly should you look for in your reception location, aside from that sense of clarity, most brides get the moment they find the perfect spot? 


Shopping for a site is like finding a soul mate, a test you’ve obviously mastered already. So, you should be looking for the same sorts of things like: charm, personality, depth, more than just a pretty face or perfect body (although looks do count!).

* Roomy Fit

First, make sure the room is large enough to accommodate the number of people of your guest list. The space may look very large when it’s completely empty, but not when you factor in the wedding essentials such as: tables, chairs, a buffet, the band or DJ setup, the dance floor, etc... Not to mention your guests, who’ll need some elbow room. Even if you choose an outdoor site, you’ll need ample room on the lawn, or poolside. What’s the best way to assess the size of a site? Ask to checkout the place when another wedding is being set up! Of course, if you decide you must have your wedding at your favorite bar (the one with only one bathroom, two booths, and 4 feet of floor space), you can always work backwards and tailor your guest list to match.

* Privacy, Please!

Privacy varies widely from place to place, as does the importance couples place on it. If you’re having a daytime event in a public location, such as a park or botanical garden, be prepared for strangers to trek past your party. They may even smile, wave, and come by to offer their best wishes. If this is okay with you (the more the merrier!), why not go for the part? If not, opt for a lovely lawn on a private estate, with a nice lake nearby. Or hold the reception at a restaurant or gallery that will post a “CLOSED FOR PRIVATE PARTY” sign.

In addition, don’t think that just because you’re indoors you’re safe from uninvited guests! Banquet halls and hotels often hold more than one affair at a time. If there’ll be other events going on simultaneously in rooms close to yours, your party may be distracted by the harmonious sounds of karaoke-loving guests singing their hearts out the sounds of Madonna through the walls. If this bothers you, try to schedule your reception when there won’t be another one next door. IF this is impossible, visit the site on a dual-party night and see how the sound carries and whether there really are any major people problems before you make your decision.

* Seeing The Light

Light can make or break the mood. If you’re marrying during the day, make sure your halls have plenty of windows. Who wants to spend six hours in a dark room when the sun is shining? If it’s an evening affair, make sure the room’s not too dim - or that the lighting can be controlled for the big entrance, dinner and dancing. If you’re marrying outdoors, say, at dusk, will you be able to set up candles if necessary? Try to visit the site at the same time of day that you’ve chosen for your wedding. Even if the space looks awesome by candlelight, you may be surprised by the sight of that 25 year old carpet during the day!

* Ample Outlets

Be sure to take a thorough cruise around the room to see if it has lots of places to plug things in, especially if you’re partying in a place that is not a regular spot for hosting weddings. Your main user of outlets will be the entertainment crew. Take note of where the outlets are; if their location will force your DJ to spin records in the bathroom, make sure she or he has plenty of extension cords.

* Good Vibrations

If the place is too echoey, it could give some weird reverb to the band, not to mention make it difficult for guests to hear one another talking. A tile or wooden floor, for example, will amplify sounds, while a thick carpet will tend to muffle them. Check out the room’s sound quality during an event. And tailor your music to the acoustic conditions.

* A Place To Park

Make sure the site is near a good parking lot, garage, or big, empty (safe) street where it’s legal to park. If parking is a problem, look for other ways to get everyone to the party. Can a shuttle bus or vans take the guests from the ceremony to the reception? Inadequate parking isn’t necessarily a deal breaker, but it may mean spending more time and money to figure out a viable vehicular alternative.

Sitting Pretty: Reception

Seating Made Simple

Your wedding is about a month away. You’ve settled on a reception ball, menu, and table decorations. Now it’s time to sit down and decide where your guests will be seated on your big day. If you are having a buffet, specific seats may not be necessary. But if you are having a seated meal, your guests will be happy knowing they have to fight over a seat when it’s time to eat! And assigned seating lets them enjoy the wedding as much as you are enjoying your first hours as newlyweds. Here are some tips:

Make a seating chart (use a large piece of paper or the space provided below this page). Draw big circles to represent the tables, dance floor, musical entertainment, and entrances. Then list everyone’s name on an index card or sticky note so you can play musical chairs.

Place people in spots that suit them. Your friends will want to be near the music, but Grandma and Grandpa will probably be unhappy with the stereo blaring in their ears. Family and friends should be closest to you. Acquaintances and parents’ friends should be farther away.

A traditional head table is long and straight and faces the other reception tables. The bride and groom traditionally sit front and center, with the maid of honor on the groom’s left and the best man of the bride’s right. But you can stray from tradition. You can have the wedding party and their dates sit at one table, while you and your new spouse have your own small table at the front of the room. You can also sit at a table with only the maid of honor, best man and their dates.

For family seating, it seems obvious to sit people on the same side of the family together to guarantee that they’ll be comfortable. But you might want to consider sitting the bride’s cousins with the groom’s cousins so they can get to know one another. Regardless, there are always relatives who don’t get along. To avoid embarrassing quarrels, put family members with a history of squabbles on opposite sides of the dance floor - you’ll be happier for it!

Seating friends allows you more creativity. You can sit people who know each other together or you can play matchmaker by seating people at the same table who’ve never met before this occasion.

Sometimes, there are just some people who don’t fit in anywhere… Your friend from camp, your third cousin who’s in the circus. Whatever the case may be, avoid seating all the random guests at one table. They’ll know they’re the outcasts.

The Wedding Cake

The bride and the groom may be the stars of the big day, but the wedding cake definitely deserves a nod for it’s time honored, supporting role.

In ancient Rome, guests broke a wheat bun over the bride’s head to bring good luck and fertility. Fortunately, the buns sweetened up, and in the 17th century, a creative French baker stacked and frosted them! The very first tiered wedding cake was born.

* Cake Bake Off

White cakes, butter cream frostings, columns and dazzling sugar flowers are wedding cake classics, but feel free to break away from tradition. If you prefer a trendy design, try a colorful southern red velvet cake, a mango creation that boasts Caribbean flair or even an Asian inspired creation with red frosting.

As colors go bolder, style and form are also changing. Askew cakes, whose tiers are placed off center, are gaining popularity. Even wilder, Krispy Kreme, a popular donut chain, has seen a number of requests for multi-tiered cakes made entirely of the donuts - one for each guest. Krispy Kreme Executive Chef, Ron Rupocinski, has created several templates so brides can choose the look that best fits their reception.

* Beyond The Taste Buds

So what’s on top? Joining the ranks of the plastic couple, new toppers are simple and design oriented: a slim, petite vase with a single rosebud, a layer of flower petals, a plain tiny top tier. Family is in, and

some couples are choosing a portrait of themselves, a sentimental keepsake like a key chain, or their initials that can be sculpted into shapes.

Cake presentation is also an important aspect at the reception. What’s surrounding your cake is just as visible as the cake itself – especially in photos - so plan ahead! Possible cake surroundings include a nature inspired display of twigs spread on the table, baby photos of the bride and groom or a handmade tablecloth from Grandma.

* Cake Mistakes

Cakes are a beautiful addition to your wedding, but sometimes they can go terribly wrong. Here are several “do not’s” to keep in mind:

Do not frost with butter cream at a summer wedding unless you want sticky hands (the icing melts extremely quick).

Do not put your cake in front of a bathroom or distracting wall ornament. It deserves center stage.

Do not Forget to cut it with a knife suited to the cake’s composition of texture.

Do not forget to talk with your florist about safe, edible blooms if you intend to have your wedding cake decorated with fresh flowers.

Do not let the photographer take distant photographs of your cake. It’s an important part of your ceremony, so get up close to capture the details!

* The Cost Of The Cake

Designing the perfect dessert can leave you with a not-so-perfect budget. Save money with your cake by following these tips:

Have a small cake to cut in front of guests, while pre-sliced sheet cakes (or cute bakers’ cupcakes) wait in the back to be served.

Not everyone will eat cake! Subtract 10 people from your guest total when calculating the slice count.

Use fresh flowers or fruit garnishes and your own supplies as cake decorations to avoid handicraft fees from the cake designer.

Skip a separate dessert - your wedding cake is enough.

Serve half slices and enhance the plates with fresh fruit or sorbet.

Forgo the fondant. Butter cream icing is less expensive (and tastier!).

* Cake Details

Give your baker as much notice as possible. Order your cake at least six to eight months in advance. Grocery store bakeries may require less notice. Your baker will need to know how many people the cake will serve, as well as flavor and decorating preferences. You may also be asked about your wedding colors and flowers. Be sure to get a receipt for your deposit, and do not forget to ask about delivery information, the balance due and if there is a contract involved.

Get some more great wedding tips @ affordable wedding now

Who Pays for What?

Traditionally speaking, the father of bride usually pays for a good deal of it, but grooms have obligations as well, some obvious and some which are not so well defined. So for you girls and guys out there, who really want to know who pays for what I wrote this post for you. 

Checkout The List: 

The Bride (Ladies pay up!)

• The wedding ring for the groom 

• A wedding gift for the groom 

• Gifts for all bridal attendants 

• Accommodations for out of town guests 

The Groom (Just hand over your wallet)

• The bride’s engagement ring and wedding rings 

• A wedding gift for the bride to be 

• Gifts for the best man and ushers 

• Grooms wedding attire (tux rental, etc..) 

• Bride’s bouquet and going-away corsage 

• Mothers’ corsage 

• Boutonnieres for attendants and fathers 

• Marriage license 

• Clergyman’s fee 

• The honeymoon expenses 

• Bachelor’s dinner (if not already given by best man) 

The Bride’s Family (We take all major credit cards and travelers check's)

• Engagement party (optional) 

• Ceremony cost: location, rental, music, & all related expenses 

• Entire cost of reception: food, beverages, entertainment, rental items, 

decorations, wedding cake 

• Bride’s wedding attire and accessories 

• A wedding gift for the couple 

• Wedding invitations, announcements, and mailing costs 

• Bridesmaids’ bouquets 

• Transportation for bridal party from bride’s home to where the ceremony 

will be taken place at 

• Bridesmaids’ luncheon 

• Photography (groom’s parents might pay for the pictures they want) 

• Personal wedding attire 

• Floral decorations 

• Special items they may wish to purchase: toasting goblets, ring pillow, 

etc… 

The Groom’s Family (Guess who lucks out?)

• Rehearsal dinner party 

• Personal wedding attire 

• Travel and accommodations for groom’s family 

• Wedding gifts for the bride and the groom 

• Special items that they may wish to purchase: toasting goblets, ring pillow, 

etc… 

• Any general expenses they may wish to purchase 

The Attendants 

• Wedding attire for themselves 

• Any travel expenses 

• Wedding gifts for the bride and groom 

• Showers given by maid of honor or bridesmaids 

• Bachelor party given by the best man or ushers 

The Bride and Groom 

• Gifts of appreciation for parents or others who have helped with your 

wedding 

• Expenses of items desired which have exceeded the original budget 

allocations 

Hopefully, this post created resolve rather then bitterness. Hey, it's from a traditional standpoint, but no one's saying you can't break all the rules. The most important thing: Have Fun on Your Wedding Day.

Your wedding know- it -all,

Susan Wilder

affordable weddings.com 

Don't walk down that aisle before you read this post...

We spend so much time thinking about it and obsessing over it and it finally comes true.He pops the question. The air rushes out of your lungs, your heart runs a million miles a second. Still you managed to say "Yes!!!" to the man of your dreams. Now it's the beginning of a new game. It's going to take some serious planning to get this event off the ground, and you shouldn't procrastinate. The sooner, always the better. Unfortunately the one thing that often gets in the way of a fabulous wedding plan is your budget, and you're not the only one. 


Thousands of couples each year face the reality behind how much a wedding can cost. On average a typical couple spends $22,000 to $30,000 on their big day. Some save for years, some borrow, some who knows? The important thing is being able to reach that day without throwing away your checkbook and maxing out your Discover Card. If you could find ways to cut serious wedding cost without sacrificing quality, why wouldn't you do it? I'm not cheap, nor do I  associate with cheap people willingly. I just simply like to see my money working at it's best. Here are the top 10 must reads for any brides before planning your big day.

1. Save Money on Your Wedding Day - How?

2.How to Plan a Beautiful Wedding on a Shoestring Budget


3. Special Wedding Favors for 
Guest


4.How To Save Money On Wedding Photography


5. More money saving wedding tips!

6. Surviving Your Wedding: Stress-Free Wedding Tips

7. 2000 Dollar Budget Wedding

8. 5 Tips for Reducing Wedding Planning Stress

9. Creative tips for budget bridal showers

10. Wedding on a Budget ~ 7 tips for Really Big Savings!

After reading these articles, I suggest you do more research. After all, you want your Wedding Day to be perfect. Your dream wedding shouldn't have to cost you and arm and a leg. As long as you open your mind to some creative changes and focus on spending the rest of your life with your soul mate, nothing will go wrong. Your wedding will be perfect.

Your budgeting know-it-all,

Susan Wilder

affordable wedding now. com