Registry Tips

When registering for cookware I recommend doing it at Bed Bath and Beyond, and instead of buyng a whole set of something, mix and match. Say for instance knives, which one is right for you. That is a tough one. Instead of buying a 12 piece set, register for a bunch of different knives. You can always return them no questions asked and get a set when you know which one works best for you. Note this is not a scam, the people at Bed Bath and Beyond recommended this to us.

Don't drink too much

Have you ever been to a wedding where the bride or groom was incoherent because he or she had too much to drink? Not only is this embarrassing for guests to witness, nut nine times out of ten the drunken newlywed regrets the experience mightily. If you do drink, be sure to eat something and to drink nonalcoholic beverages, too. It's up to you to know when you're about to cross the line from happy newlywed to obnoxious drunk bride-and to stop yourself in time.

Summer Colors

While color is really a matter of personal preference, there are a few basic guidelines you can follow. Most weddings in the summer are light colors (pastels), such as sky blue, pink and pale yellow. Any pastel color is a good choice, and you can pair them with silver if you want an elegant effect. Peach, mint green, and lavender are also pretty colors for June weddings, or you can combine them in pairs---pale yellow and lavender is a popular combination right now. Lighter neutrals also look nice; khaki, taupe, pale silver and pale gold are examples.

How to pick the right wine for your wedding

Host a wine-tasting party with your best (and most honest) friends to hand pick your reception dinner wines. Once you've chosen the wines, consider personalizing the bottles with custom-created wedding line labels.

Wedding tips of the day - Table names

When doing table assignments, instead of doing the tables by numbers, use names.
For instance the tables could be called, love, cherish, respect, friendship and so on. These names could be anything you want. Make it feel like the two of you.

Bridal Expos and Fairs

The first thing that Mrs. Cheese and I did to get prepared for our wedding is we went to a Bridal Expo its a great way to get ideas and just get thinking about more particulars.

Here's a site that will help you to find a Bridal Expo wherever you live and I do mean wherever, not just the US.

Here's a great tip for you before you go.

Make information stickers that have you and your partners name and where you live as well as email addresses and phone #. Most of the booth's have some sort of raffle and ask you to fill out this info. So to stave off carpal tunnel, you can just put your pre-maid sticker and it saves you time and energy.

Our Photographer

I know, I keep pimping all of the people that we used but this photographer was simply amazing. She has a truly brilliant mind and cann see things in a way you can't/don't
Her name is Randy Parsons and she is well worth every penny.

Honeymoon

So where did I go on my Honeymoon you ask. Mrs. Cheese and I went to Club Med Bora Bora. Before I met Mrs. Cheese I had never been to a Club Med and didn't have positive thoughts about it, but we took a vacation to one of their resorts and I fell in love. Once you get there you never have to take out your wallet and unless you want to do some of the extra excursions like jet skiing or helicopter rides you won't spend much more then the price you paid to get there and for your stay. Drinks and food included. You could spend the extra money to go to a more upscale place but I think they are a waste of money. You get to sail, snorkel, windsurf, kayak and much more including lessons all built in to the price of the stay.

So for our honeymoon we couldn't decide on where to go, we wanted to go to Club Med Turks and Caicos where we had vacationed before and they have a circus school there where you can try the trapeze and trampoline, but the village was completely booked. Then on 07/07/2007 Club med ran a special of a week for $777 to certain villages. Bora Bora was one of those villages included and we booked right away. It was spectacular, we used our airline miles to get there so for 2 weeks in paradise we spent a little over $3,000 for the entire trip. How could you beat that? You can't.

Bonus we were told if you call Club Med and ask for this special even if they don't have it anymore they will still give you that rate. In Bora Bora we snorkeled ever day, swam with Eagle and Manta Rays right off the beach as well as Morea eels and a plethora of fish, it was like jumping into a fish tank. It was beautiful and awesome, oh and they put on a show every night which is a bit cheesy but still fun. The two clubs are very different, Bora Bora is more romantic and calm, Turks and Caicos has a bit more of a party atmosphere. They are both great fun.

This was the Moray Eel we swam with, scary at first but then you realize they are more scared of you. By the end of the trip I was trying to coax him out of his hole.

Our Cake maker

If you're getting married in the Bay Area, I have the best cake maker out there. I still reccomend tasting because its one of the best parts of planning a wedding. But after you get through with all of the rest, i suggest you try the best.

We went with bannana and tiramisu, and I normally hate tiramisu, she is that good that not only did I like it, I wanted it as my wedding cake. This woman is a genius.

Her name is Julie Durkee and her company is called Torino Baking. She's located in the basement of one of the dorms of Cal Berkeley, trust me there was no better.

This is what our cake looked like, absolutely fabulous.

I can save you a minimum of $1,500 on your wedding

We had to make a decision to go with a videographer. After interviewing several and seeing that it was going to be a minimum of $1,500 for the very cheapest package available, we decided it wasn't worth the money. What we did was we went to Sam's club and purchased three video camera's ourselves for a total of $1,500, they came with tripods and everything and we taped it ourselves. Now we have the fun of editing ourselves as well and reliving that special day for time to come. You can return the video cameras when you're done afted you've uploaded all of your video onto your camera, and your basically getting the video of your wedding for free. We put signs on the camera and had our guests use them and speak and video tape it as well. We also had a tremendous coordinator at the restaurant who went above and beyond and did a major load of the video taping.

A great wedding resource

The Mrs. and I did not use a wedding planner as we had a limited budget and felt we could do most of the work ourselves. It was a very arduous task but noy impossible, especially with the help of The Knot.

My Wedding

I just got married on Oct. 20 2007 and wanted to help all of those going through planning a wedding. It is not an easy task, and I wish you much success. My wife and I got married in Sausalito CA. I wanted to give major props to the location where we had both the ceremony and reception. The name of the place is Ondine and it could not be more perfect. From the gorgeous scenery, to the exquisite food, to the amazing staff.

Thanks Siobhan you and your staff were amazing, the Filet was beyond compare and you went above and beyond your duties and we will be forever greatful.