With well over 40 billion dollars a year spent on weddings and 2.5 million weddings per year - an average of over 6,000 a day, there’s no doubt that the U.S. is number one in the wedding industry. So what exactly does an American wedding entail? This post will delve into some of America’s wedding traditions that have been around since the classic Kennedy wedding in 1953 and more modern traditions that have made recent appearances in the wedding industry.
Let’s first preface that these American wedding traditions often have origins from other parts of the world and are shared with other cultures. Weddings in the United States are also very similar to those in England, both following the “white wedding” scheme.
Before we begin our post on some of the greatest honeymoon destinations, let me introduce you to the author of this post, my husband. Bram and I have been travel enthusiasts since we met in Australia over three years ago. Bram launched his blog Travel Experience Live, a travel website dedicated to travel and photography, in 2012. So what better person to write a guest post on honeymoon destinations!
Honeymoon destinations are plenty and where to go depends entirely on the taste of the newlyweds. Not everyone’s the same and, as a result, what people look for in a honeymoon varies greatly. From romantic to adventurous, honeymoons can be divided in a wide range of categories.
So, let’s take a look at the very best destinations in each category.
Romantic Honeymoon Destinations
Greece
One of the oldest countries in the world, Greece is set at a fabulous location. Think tens of thousands of Mediterranean islands, golden sunsets, gorgeous seaside towns, blue water and sunshine. Some places in Greece seem like they were just made to be visited by honeymooners. Santorini, for example, is easily one of the most romantic places on the planet. Continue Reading →
The wedding planning process for my husband Bram and me was a little different than your average bride and groom. Bram is from Belgium, so after several years in a long distance relationship, he finally arrived in the US on a fiancé visa which would allow us to marry here. There’s one pretty big detail about this visa though; it requires the couple to get married within 90 days. We planned our wedding in a quick three month time frame.
We knew we wanted to get married in my home state of Vermont, for its beautiful scenery and meaning to both of us. I grew up in the woods of a small town in a white, Greek-revival house my father designed. Our house overlooks the green mountains in a fairly remote part of the state. As for Bram, Vermont was the place he always came to when he visited. Vermont was also the first place Bram came to on his initial visit to America. Instead of flashy lights in Times Square, the cherry blossoms of DC in the spring, or the internationally recognized Golden Gate Bridge of San Francisco, Bram’s experience of America for several years was the rustic nature-filled ambiance of Vermont, America’s second least populous state.
During my wedding planning process I spent countless hours on wedding blogs and sites like Pinterest. My Instagram newsfeed was full of wedding pictures, my wedding binder was a scrapbook of magazine clippings, and my iPad was basically used for nothing but wedding musings. I had a lot of great tools and ideas compiled for the big day, but ultimately, one of the biggest resources I used was Etsy.
Honestly, Etsy has every unique and wonderful craft imaginable. And to my delight, it is a source full of amazing wedding details. But really, my wedding was jam packed with Etsy things. Bridesmaids dresses? Etsy. Escort cards? Etsy. Rustic wooden cake stand? Etsy. Invitations? Etsy. Table numbers? Etsy. The list goes on.
Here is why I am such a fan of Etsy for weddings: the range of items they have is endless and they all have such a unique quality to them. Spend some time on Etsy and you’re bound to find something you love at a reasonable price. The communication with Etsy sellers is most often quite good, they respond quickly and provide you with helpful information about your potential purchase. Another great thing about Etsy is that the sellers are usually more than willing to customize things for you, which is a truly wonderful thing when it comes to weddings. Being able to really tailor things to fit your style is important, and Etsy is definitely a tool that will allow you to show your own personal style in your wedding.
Here are a few Etsy creations that are worth sharing:
Bridal Fashion:
These gowns from Grace Loves Lace are absolutely incredible. When you purchase a dress from Grace Loves Lace, it comes straight from their studio in Australia where the makers get their lace from the finest lace producers in France. The dresses have an earthy, bohemian feel to them. Unlike many dresses manufactured for weddings, these dresses flow loosely and gracefully for a comfortable wear and a whimsical and romantic look.
Let me preface with the fact that my wedding on the summer solstice was basically my dream wedding (another post will share the details). However, I think that most brides can look back on their wedding and compile a list of things they could have done differently - or at least conjure up some ideas and tips for future brides. Here are a few things I’ve learned from my own wedding.
A beautiful dress doesn’t have to take half your budget
Often as a future bride, we look at photos of incredible dresses online or in magazines only to find out they’re top designers who will charge you an arm or a leg for them. Think beyond the designers. Your dream dress doesn’t have to cost a whole lot. I had three months to plan my wedding, so I didn’t have a lot of time to search for a dress and even if I had found that perfect Vera Wang dress for me, there’s no way I could have gotten it in time for my wedding. I went into David’s Bridal and just 300 dollars later I came out with a dress I loved. Later, during the wedding, I was continually being told how stunning my dress was and being asked where I got it, as if it were some unique dress and I was the only bride to have it. If you do end up finding your dream dress is out of your budget, try searching online through websites that re-sell brides dresses, preownedweddingdresses.com is a great one.
