Old-fashioned romantic love notes . . . with a modern twist!

Whether by horseback, secret delivery in the dark of night, or even tied to the leg of a pigeon, the romantic love letters of long ago overcame obstacles of distance and oppression to reach their objects of affection. While hand-written messages of love are still a necessary and important part of healthy romantic relationships or marriages today, the contemporary romantic no longer needs to order a fresh bottle of ink or keep a courier on hand to deliver sporadic thoughts of love that innevitably pop up during the course of the day.

Some may complain that modern technology has made romance too cheap and easy, but digital innovation, if used sparingly, can help build a better, more romantic relationship with your boyfriend, girlfriend, wife or husband.

Most people today have cell phones, but I’ve met far too many who are hesitant to try text messaging or who think they would have no use for it. Expecially in a romantic relationship, texting can provide an important, unique forum for you and your lover to communicate in a fun new way.

Skip the small talk . . . and get right to romance!

Instead of making a romantic relationship less personal, text messaging can actually increase the amount of communication by allowing couples to express feelings that they wouldn’t otherwise. If, for example, you have a sudden thought at work of a romantic moment you shared recently with your lover, in many cases you won’t have the time or the privacy to call and talk about it. But text messaging allows you to send a very brief, very private message to your lover without anyone around you having a clue.

In addition, text messaging lets us send little romantic sentiments to our lovers without having to surround our message with the empty small talk and uncomfortable pauses that might come with a phone call. Just a few short romantic words are all that are necessary in a text . . . but we would never dream of calling our lover, saying those same few words, then hanging up right away!

Put thought into what you send . . . but don’t overdo it!

So, what kind of romantic text messages should you send to your lover? That’s up to you. You could decide to send a snippet from a romantic poem or a flowery message every day, but often all that’s necessary is a simply “I love you” or “I’m thinking about you.” Even short, sporadic messages like that will show your lover that they are on your mind and help improve your relationship.

One thing to keep in mind, though: it is possible to overdo text messaging. Because it’s so easy to do, it can be tempting to send text after text during boring lulls in your day. Don’t give in to this urge; it can be expensive if you’re paying a few cents per text, and no matter how much in love someone is they can still get annoyed by too much romance. Try to limit yourself to a few romantic texts a day, and you’ll be amazed at the positive difference it makes in your relationship.

So what are you waiting for? Go plug in to a great new way of using technology to add more romance to your relationship today. Get texting!

Romantic competition may be just what the doctor ordered!

While some forms of competition can have a negative effect on your relationship (competition that stokes jealous feelings should always be avoided), a little bit of romantic competition can bring you and your lover closer, teach you to interact together better, and add some spice to your relationship or marriage.

For couples who enjoy fitness activities and sports, occasional physical competitions and games can build your romance while helping you both stay in great shape. Something as rough-and-tumble as wrestling or football might be out of the question for some (but not all!) couples, but less dangerous competitive sports such as tennis, track, golf or handball might be the perfect answer to build your romantic relationship.

Romance and learning how to lose

Ideally, the sport should be one which doesn’t give one person an unfair advantage over another, so that both partners have a legitimate chance of coming out the winner. The point of adding romantic competition to a relationship isn’t to establish one person as physically or mentally superior to the other, but to learn how to better interact with each other and—gasp!—even how to deal with not being the winner. Give-and-take is a crucial part of any romantic relationship, and learning how to cope with not getting our way is an important part of romantic competition.

Getting beat by your lover in a romantic game of tennis is a great way to learn to shrug off the inevitable losses that come with any successful relationship . . . and you’ll quickly come to the conclusion that even though you may be losing in the short run, in the long run you’re winning by becoming a healthier, happier couple!

The list of possibilities for romantic competition is endless!

But romantic competition doesn’t have to be just physical. There’s an endless number of competitive games that couples can play while alone together or on teams with a group of friends.

Card games, board games, and even trivia can bring much-needed romantic competition to a relationship just as well as any physical sport. And while it may be tempting to always play on the same team as your romantic partner when with a group of friends, make sure you mix things up a bit by occasionally competing on different sides. Remember, the point of romantic competition is to teach you and your lover how to have fun with being the winner or the loser every now and then.

Romantic competition is a win-win situation! 

You’ll be amazed at how much more exciting and healthy your relationship will become by adding some romantic competition at least once a week, whether physical or non-physical. And remember: whether you win or lose the game, you’re always winning by building a better, more trusting romantic relationship. Have fun!

Update: You can check out this great example of using romantic competition to better your relationship from Shoemoney, one of my favorite bloggers. Shoemoney and his wife are having a triathalon against each other, and the winner gets to choose what restaurant they will eat at for a month. What a great idea for building better relationships!

Saving souvenirs and keepsakes from romantic times you share with your significant other is a great way to keep a sort of physical journal of your relationship and have fun reminiscing in the future. You may not realize it, but there are tons of small, easily kept items that you and your boyfriend, girlfriend, husband or wife probably come across every month that would make great romantic souvenirs.

I’m not saying that you should save every last receipt from every dinner you have together or that you should hoard the wrapping paper from every romantic gift you receive. That would be pretty ridiculous and boring to look back on! But more interesting items such as ticket stubs from movies and sporting events, a dried flower from a beautiful bouquet, or a shell from a romantic trip to the beach are all small, special things that are great to save.

What you do with these romantic souvenirs is strictly up to you, of course. You could easily keep them in a shoebox and create a sort of romantic time capsule that you could open up to reminisce with your sweetheart from time to time. Or, if you are more ambitious, you could use your romantic keepsakes to create a scrapbook of memories complete with pictures from the evens where you picked up your souvenirs.

Regardless of how you make use of the romantic souvenirs you collect, keeping a box of physical memories is a great way to add old-fashioned romance to your relationship. And when you open that box to look at your keepsakes together, you’ll love the wonderful reminders of the romantic and special times you’ve shared together.

The very best romantic ideas are the simplest ones, and you can’t get much simpler and meaningful than romantic hand-holding. Holding hands with your boyfriend, girlfriend, wife or husband is something you can do anyplace and at any time. It’s profoundly powerful in showing your lover how much they mean to you, and is a tasteful way to be physical in public without seeming too clingy.

Few issues inspire more smiles from a young couple in love than seeing an elderly husband and wife holding hands during a walk in the park. “That’s going to be us someday,” they say with a grin. But if you’re really serious about introducing romance into your lives, why can’t that be you today?

Unfortunately, hand-holding has become less and less common in a world that emphasizes individuality and self-reliance in relationships. Some people might think that if they are seen holding hands with their significant other, they might be looked at as too sappy or dependant. While it’s true that some people might make that judgment, why in the world would you let anyone else decide whether or not you should add more romantic touching to your relationship?

Holding hands on a regular basis will make you more comfortable with each other, soothe your mood during stressful times, and is a great way to show the world how proud you are to be with your special someone. If you aren’t in the habit of holding hands with your sweetheart, today is a great day to start!

Let me get one thing straight: that kind of public display of affection isn’t one of the good old-fashioned romantic ideas we’re trying to promote on Romance Tracker. It’s one thing to be in love and be proud of it, but it’s another thing entirely to make everyone around you sick. Get a room, for crying out loud!

But having a secret, private pet name for your sweetheart really can be a good way to add a little fun and intimacy to your romantic relationship or marriage. Heck, even couples who promise themselves that they’ll never use sappy pet names usually use them eventually anyway! And here’s a warning: far too often, those cheesy pet names aren’t ones that we choose for ourselves. Sometimes we just have to loosen up a little bit, shrug our shoulders and learn to love whatever cutesy name our lover decides is best suited to us.

But remember: if you have to put up with sappy pet names from your boyfriend, girlfriend, wife or husband you can choose a few of your favorites for them, too! Most pet names develop from unique experiences in individual relationships, and there’s no end of romantic nicknames that lovers have given each other. But there are a few stalwarts that have been whispered by countless lovers over the years.

So here’s a list of 101 of the most common fun, romantic pet names that you can use to flirt with your lover during those private times. Just choose carefully, and keep in mind that I say “private times” for a reason; bust out some of these sappy nicknames at the wrong time in public and you just might end up getting cold water tossed on you!

101 Fun, Romantic Pet Names to Call Your Lover

1. Sweetie
2. Sweetheart
3. My love
4. Lover
5. Pumpkin
6. Baby
7. Darling
8. Sweetie Pie
9. Baby Doll
10. My Little Cabbage (French)
11. Love of my Life
12. Angel
13. Beloved
14. Dear
15. Dearest
16. Dear one
17. Deary
18. Flame
19. Heart’s Desire
20. Honey Bun
21. Poubelle
22. Honeybunch
23. Lamb
24. Jewel
25. Loveling
26. Pearl
27. Pet
28. Precious
29. Princess
30. Prince
31. My Sweet
32. Sugar
33. Treasure
34. True Love
35. Beautiful
36. Beauty
37. Gem
38. Saint
39. Light of my Life
40. Object of my Affection
41. Angel Face
42. Babe
43. Buttercup
44. Button
45. Cherub
46. Chica
47. Dumpling
48. Little Angel
49. Little Darling
50. Little Doll
51. Number One
52. Prize
53. Tootsie
54. Doll Face
55. My Idol
56. My Everything
57. My Life
58. Object of My Affection
59. True Love
60. One and Only
61. Inamorata
62. Inamorato
63. My Passion
64. Valentine
65. Dove
66. Honey Bunny
67. Smoochy
68. Babycake
69. Dream Girl
70. Dream Guy
71. Woman of my Dreams
72. Man of my Dreams
73. Dreamboat
74. Heartthrob
75. Lovebird
76. Lady Love
77. Main Man
78. Main Woman
79. Paramour
80. Patootie
81. Sweet Potato
82. Squeeze
83. Steady
84. Stud Muffin
85. Sugar Daddy
86. Sugar Momma
87. Shnookums
88. Beautiful Flower
89. Sugar Lips
90. Hot Stuff
91. Hottie
92. Casanova
93. Don Juan
94. Lothario
95. Beau
96. Belle
97. Sugar Plum
98. Hero
99. Venus
100. Goddess
101. My Enchantment

No one is saying that you should go to Goodwill to buy your wedding dress (although there are undoubtedly plenty of people who do that, too!). But skipping the expensive, high-brow wedding dress stores for a more affordable discount gown outlet can be an extremely smart move.  And for an even cheaper option, there are probably plenty of family members and friends who would love to let you use their wedding dress in your ceremony . . . and that would only cost you a few bucks to refit.

As you can see, there’s really no reason to have a wedding gown designer if you don’t have the money to do it.  If a friend or family member wants to give you their wedding dress and it’s a little old-fashioned for your tastes, you can also get help from a tailor or talented seamstress to add some modern flair or updates to the dress and make it absolutely perfect for your walk down the aisle.

Don’t pay too much attention to the current wedding dress styles in the expensive wedding magazines or on the models walking down the catwalk.  Instead, let your own taste be the judge of what your wedding gown will look like, and shop frugally to find the perfect dress for your shape and style.  A subtle, inexpensive wedding dress can be every bit as beautiful as an extremely expensive gown, and with the money you save you can concentrate on a better honeymoon package!

Your wedding day will be one of the most memorable of your life, but that doesn’t mean that you have to spend thousands on a designer for your dress.  Cheap and inexpensive wedding dresses are the perfect addition to many weddings, and your guests and groom will find you just as ravishing regardless the price tag on your gown. 

There’s really no shame at all in going to a dollar store or discount outlet to look for a few inexpensive and fun wedding favors or accessories.  My fiance is a very frugal shopper, and I’ve seen her take just a couple of bucks and find some really amazing favors and decorations for classy events.  If you have good taste, you can pretty much turn anything you find at a discount store into fun, cheap wedding accessories and wedding favors.  Just go to the store with optimism and an open mind!

Also, many weddings nowadays have “themes” that you can exploit to make some really great, fun, cheap accessories and favors.  If your wedding has a Hawaiian theme, it’s easy to go to the dollar store and find lots of fun items for the reception tables and favor baskets.  The same goes for any wedding theme, whether fun and goofy or serious and traditional.

The main thing to remember is that your wedding’s success really doesn’t hinge on just one aspect, such as the accessories and favors, but instead the “entire package” of the wedding.  If there are a few kinks or problems here and there—or if a few guests have some small problems with your wedding favors and accessories—who cares?  If you are satisfied with the way your wedding was put together, it is the opinion of the bride and groom that matter most.

So when looking for perfect cheap wedding accessories, don’t be afraid to shun the higher-priced items and instead look at discount favors and items.  I guarantee that your guests probably won’t notice the difference, and you’ll still have a terrific wedding with lots of great memories!

Luckily, there are plenty of resources online that can help you with free assistance in writing your wedding speech or toast, and a quick search on the Internet can lead you to the perfect words.  There is really no shame in relying on an already-written wedding speech to express your feelings in a toast, and if you need help or are not a great writer then by all means draw on the experience of others!

If you have even the slightest writing skills, however, writing your own wedding speech for use in a toast at the reception is the better way to go.  Whether you are the best man, a bridesmaid, or a friend of the bride or groom, the audience will simply appreciate it more if you inject some of your own genuine feelings and experiences into your wedding speech.  Your wedding toast does not have to be dripping with sentiment, but the audience will be able to tell if you did it on your own.

I guarantee that no matter how badly you deliver your wedding speech, the audience and the bride and groom will be impressed if it truly comes from the heart.  It’s important not to make a fool out of yourself, so don’t be tempted to drink too much before you give your wedding toast, even though you think it may relax you.  Instead, give your wedding speech with a clear head, in a genuine tone, and be s confident as possible.

For some ideas of what to talk about when you give your wedding speech, think back on your time with the bride or groom and the significant moments you shared with them.  Or, if you want, give examples that you have witnessed of the love that the bride and groom share together and why they will have a great marriage.  The crown is guaranteed to love your wedding toast speech if you sprinkle it with true, and even amusing stories.

Keep you wedding speech brief and try not to overdo it or be too funny or crude.  By staying tasteful, speaking from the heart, and telling the wedding reception audience about your experiences and memories of the bride and groom, you’ll deliver a great wedding toast.  The happy couple will appreciate the effort you put into it, and the crowd will love the fact that you gave a genuine wedding toast speech from the heart.

While a Las Vegas wedding package would be fun, is it really something that you want your children knowing that you did for your marriage?  Granted, there are legitimate reasons for wanting to get married in Las Vegas in a quick wedding.  If you must leave and won’t have time to get married later, if your are living in Las Vegas already, or perhaps if you have already been married before and don’t want to do the traditional family thing; all of these are good reasons to have a Las Vegas wedding.

If you really don’t need to get married on the fly, however, you should really chat with your fiance and ask them if it’s wise to go to Las Vegas for a wedding.  Although it takes a little extra time and money, a traditional wedding is really a wonderful experience that a new husband and wife will remember for the rest of their lives.  And you family and friends might not approve of a Las Vegas wedding, because it’s much more satisfying for them to see you and your spouse share your happiest times together.

If you decide that a Las Vegas wedding ceremony is right for you, at least keep an open mind and consider having a proper wedding at a later date in which all of your friends and family members can attend.  At least then your families can get to know each other, see the bride and groom share their vows, and won’t have to buy a ticket for a Las Vegas wedding!

Regardless of whether you decide to choose a fast Las Vegas wedding at a drive-through chapel on the strip, or go the more traditional route of inviting friends and family to a church wedding, remember that the experience is one that will be in your memories for many decades.  Do your wedding right, remain true to your heart, and you won’t fail!

Asking to see a wedding invitation sample may seem like a pretty simple and silly thing, but you’d be surprised how many brides and grooms fail to do just that while planning their wedding.  Many people simply look through a catalogue and order right away, rather than actually get their hands on a physical copy of a wedding invitation sample first.

By actually holding a sample of a wedding invitation in your hands, you may notice subtle differences that aren’t apparent in a catalogue.  The paper weight, the gloss or sheen, and even slight characteristics of the font and script writing are all things you might notice from a wedding invitation sample that you wouldn’t see in a book or picture.

And that means that you need to find an actual brick-and-mortar wedding store or print shop in order to speak face-to-face with the people who will design and print your wedding invitations.  Ask to see a sample or mock-up of your favorite designs, and compare them side-by-side to make your discussion.  You simply can’t make these decisions from a catalogue, and having wedding invitation samples in front of you will help you make up your mind.

Never be afraid to ask a printer to see wedding invitation samples before you order them or pay, or you may end up making a decision you will regret.  There’s no worse feeling than getting hundreds of wedding invitations and wishing you had gotten samples before buying!

Learning to point and shoot pictures of a bride and groom exchanging their wedding vows is relatively easy to do compared to putting together an inexpensive wedding photo album, even with the tons of high-tech picture editing programs out on the market today.  You may be a wedding photographer with an ultra-expensive camera and the best picture editing software out there, but making the jump from being a  good photographer to a great wedding album creator is a long one.

So here’s our advice: when you’re doing research to choose the right wedding photographer, don’t just ask to see his or her best pictures.  Instead, also ask for samples of some of their best wedding photo albums, as well, and see how they put the pictures together and what kind of presentation they create.  Remember, there will potentially be hundreds of pictures taken by your photographer at your wedding, and you need to be sure that he is able to choose the best ones to highlight and that really capture the heart and soul of your wedding day.

In addition, your wedding photographer has to be able to timelessly capture these pictures in a seamless, flowing fashion in your wedding scrapbook.  If the photo album doesn’t portray the wonderful feelings shared by the bride and groom, then it just isn’t worth it.  And even if the wedding photo album is top quality and very well put together, it still isn’t worth it if the photographer charges far too much or doesn’t get them to you in a timely fashion.  Affordability and speed are important factors, too!

So to reiterate, always make sure that one of the criteria you use to judge a photographer is a good sampling of their recent wedding photo albums.  If you don’t check to make sure that you’ll be getting good wedding pictures and a good wedding scrapbook, you may regret it for the rest of your life!

But does that mean that there is something wrong with you if your tastes are a bit different, and you prefer wedding jewelry that doesn’t go with the norm?  Of course not!  There are plenty examples of successful, fun weddings that featured beautiful brides and handsome grooms who wore wedding jewelry that was unique and far from cliche.  Whether your tastes in wedding jewelry include pearls or rubies or emeralds or other less common materials, you’ll look great if you stay true to your tastes.

We’ve all heard the stories of the husband and wife who have been married for fifty years and whose wedding rings only cost a few dollars because that’s all they could afford.  You see, regardless of what material your wedding jewelry is fashioned from, it’s your love that will make your marriage successful, not the type of jewelry.

Besides, your relationship and tastes are unique in the world, and you should be true to that individuality when you choose your wedding jewelry.  While there is nothing wrong with wanting an old-fashioned or traditional wedding, that doesn’t mean that every single aspect has to fall in line . . . and that includes your wedding jewelry!  Don’t let other people’s opinions decide what your wedding ring or band will look like.  Instead, let your opinion—and the taste of your fiance—decide what the details of your wedding will entail.

An important question to keep in mind if you do want to be unique, however, is whether or not you and your fiance will have the same style of wedding jewelry.  While there’s no problem with having different style wedding rings, most brides and grooms feel that their jewelry should at least be similar.  And it really isn’t difficult to find a woman’s wedding ring and man’s wedding band that are both unique but that share common characteristics.  Just remember top do your research . . . and remain true to your own tastes!

One of the themes of Romance Tracker is that you don’t have to spend lots of money to make a truly meaningful romantic gesture, and Sweetest Day is a great example to show how true this is. The greatest romantic presents and dates are the ones that you put thought into, and there are plenty of romantic inspirations out there for this special day. Rather than going straight to the most expensive Sweetest Day gift you can find, why not think about a few options for your sweetheart that are cheaper, but better able to show the deep love and affection you have for them?

That’s not to say that you should be too cheap on Sweetest Day, or just stop with buying candy or ordering flowers for your lover. Small gifts and romantic cards are great, but make sure there is something special and unique behind everything you do for your sweetheart. Every romantic relationship has unique aspects and moments that can’t be found in any other, and it’s easy to weave that unique flavor of your romance into your special day. Remember: the most romantic Sweetest Day dates aren’t at four-star restaurants that cost an arm and leg, but rather at special places that fit with the uniqueness of your relationship.

Rather than an expensive date at a restaurant, how about taking your sweetheart on a romantic picnic in the park for sweetest day (if the weather is nice enough!). And instead of buying your special someone diamonds or gold, wouldn’t it mean more to them if you put some thought and time into creating something or writing something yourself? Even a small, simple love letter or romantic poem can be a great Sweetest Day gift, and you don’t have to be the best writer in the world to create meaningful poetry!

Just remember that the cost of your present or date has nothing to do with how well it will be received or appreciated by your lover. Sweetest Day is a special event that comes only once a year, and it deserves some special thought and consideration. Start the day off with a bang by making your sweetheart breakfast in bed or giving them another special surprise, and keep the romance going strong all day with little surprises. Then top things off with a wonderful romantic evening at home or in a special place where you can let your sweetheart see that they are the most important thing in your life.

While dating can be tedious and uncomfortable, the virtual dating game lets you have more anonymity while you search for love online.  Quite often you are able to get to know about the people you meet online before ever having to meet them face-to-face.  In this way, the dating game is made much easier with modern technology and the Internet.

But is a virtual dating game really the best thing to build a strong and long-lasting romance, or is it the old-fashioned face-to-face dating game that is more conducive to strong relationships? While there’s nothing wrong with using the Internet to try to find your true love, it does make it much more impersonal to play the dating game on the computer rather than in the traditional manner.

Before you make the decision to ditch the traditional dating game at social sites and turn to the Internetm make sure that you are fine with the fact that you’ll be giving up a lot of familiarity with the regular scene and that the web is full of lots of people who aren’t what they seem.  While the online dating game may give you the anonymity you are searching for, you could also end up playing a game in which you don’t know the identities of the other players!

Regardless of whether you decide to play the online dating game or the traditional, up close and personal dating game, just remember to take it all with a grain of salt and, more than anything, have fun!

The most obvious answer that many faithful Christians would present is that the entire reason Jesus Christ died on the cross was for a great and deep love for mankind, and that there is no better example of selfless love in all of human history than in the New Testament of the Bible.  While this may not entail romantic love, we have learned that there are many different types of love and that they are no less powerful than romance, and this is one excellent example of love in the Bible.

But beyond the example of Jesus’s love for mankind and his sacrifice on the cross, there are plenty of examples of romantic love in bible, as well.  So many, in fact, that it would be impossible to name them all in one short article!  The power of romantic love between a man and woman, and God’s approval of faithful marriages and long-term commitments, are present throughout the bible. 

I’m sure all of us can easily think of the earliest example: Adam and Eve!  This was the world’s first romance, and while things didn’t initially turn out too well for them in the bible (they were banished from heaven on Earth in the form of the Garden of Eden), it is arguable that their romance set the stage for love as it would exist throughout the rest of human history.  And after Adam and Eve, there are endless examples of love and romance throughout the rest of the Old Testament and the New Testament.

So, does romance and love exist in the scriptures of the bible?  Of course, and the stories are easily found in its pages.  Love and romance are an important ingredient of every story in human history, and are every bit as present in the greatest book ever written!

While Romance Tracker deals mainly with issues of romance and romantic love, in this post we’re going to focus not on romantic loneliness, but rather on a general absence of human interaction.  There are a couple reasons for this: first, fulfilling companionship doesn’t always have to be of the romantic type to satisfy a person.  Secondly, we believe that if you truly eradicate loneliness from your life, and focus on being a happier and more content person who interacts with many people, that your chances of finding true love become much higher.

Although your long term goal might be to forge many friendships and relationships with a large variety of people, like any undertaking you should approach overcoming loneliness one step at a time.  Making close friends will come with time, but in order to find people who have more in common with you, you need to make the decision to go to them. 

What are your favorite hobbies, passions, interests and talents?  No matter how quirky or strange, there is guaranteed to be an organization, group or gathering place that caters to people with those same interests.  Far too many people doom themselves to being lonely by convincing themselves that no one else could possibly be interested in the same things they are.  This is a huge mistake, and a quick check on your favorite Internet search engine will show you that there are countless groups of people out there looking to make contact with someone just like you.

In the end, the secret to never being lonely again is by seeking out intellectual and moral support and companionship.  These people will not find you if you don’t take the first step and innitiate contact, and they will most likely be very happy to welcome you into their ranks.  If you want to truly overcome loneliness, take the first step by researching groups in your area that are dedicated to the things you are interested in.

And a bit later down the road, after you’ve made some close personal and professional friends who are interested in the same things you are, overcoming your romantic loneliness will naturally come next.  When you surround yourself with people who are cut from the same cloth as you, it’s inevitable that you will eventually meet that special someone who will complete your life and give you the best remedy to loneliness that there is.

So what are you waiting for?  Stop dooming yourself to being lonely and make the decision to find other people out there who would love to get to know you.  The longer you wait, the more unnecessary pain you’re causing yourself in the end.

This post is an entry into ProBlogger’s Killer Titles Group Writing Project.  Go check it out if you get a chance!

Wedding etiquette is still a very important part of the marriage day, even in a society that has become less prim and proper. Luckily, however, the proper wedding etiquette is easy to learn, and manners aren’t very tough to remember to use. If you plan on attending a wedding soon, don’t panic when you get that invitation; wedding etiquette is mainly common sense, and you’ll have no problem fitting in at the ceremony or the wedding reception.

First, when it comes to receiving your invitation, proper wedding etiquette requires that you RSVP to let the bride and groom know that you plan on attending. If you don’t, they could end up reserving too few seats, and it’s just good manners to let someone know you’re coming to their wedding if they’ve invited you!

As for proper wedding etiquette for gift giving, you don’t need to empty your bank account to purchase a proper wedding gift and still have good manners. Never give something cheap and shoddy, but giving an inexpensive, tasteful gift that both the bride and groom will enjoy is certainly well within proper wedding etiquette.

At the wedding reception, be sure not to drink too much alcohol or say anything rude or unfriendly to the other guests. Following wedding etiquette doesn’t mean you can’t let loose and have some fun, though, as long as you use good manners and don’t offend anyone else at the reception.

Wedding etiquette is pretty simple: just use the golden rule, don’t do or say anything that your wouldn’t want at your wedding, and watch your manners. Above all, have fun, since that’s what weddings are all about!

The good news is of course that most grooms really aren’t concerned with purchasing elaborate, expensive wedding bands.  Instead, most men prefer simple gold, silver or sterling wedding rings with no elaborate stuff on it.  Men consider these types of rings to be less showy and more manly, and I am certainly in that camp.  Although there are wedding bands for grooms that include diamonds and other fancy decorations, not many men opt for this type of jewelry.

Here’s a big tip when it comes to choosing a wedding band: many times, the ring that you find and one jewelry store is for sale at much lower prices at another store in same mall or shopping center.  Definitely don’t buy the first men’s wedding band that you find, because I guarantee you can find that same ring much cheaper elsewhere.  Plan on spending at least a few days researching local stores and even online options for purchasing your wedding band.

There is another option that some men don’t mind and that has no shame at all, and that is to go to a local pawn shop or look at local ads in the paper for used or secondhand wedding bands.  Most grooms would rather buy a brand new wedding ring, but keep in mind that you can save hundreds of dollars on your wedding band if you buy it secondhand.  No one but you will know that someone else wore your wedding band, and it will look just as good on a groom’s finger!

So grooms, remember the rules for finding the perfect men’s wedding bands: don’t buy the first one you see, be careful with your money, and keep an open mind when it comes to buy a wedding ring second hand.  And if you do want to spend lots of money on a brand new elaborate ring, that’s your prerogative! 

There’s nothing wrong with spending some serious money on wedding invitations if you have the funds to do it, and plenty of people fork over hundreds of dollars on expensive, elaborate invitations.  That’s fine, but for most of us, who just don’t have huge wedding budgets, it’s smarter to buy cheaper wedding invitations and think up the woding that will be inside ourselves.

Of course, I don’t mean you should write the wording inside your blank wedding invitations with a ballpoint pen! Instead, once you’ve decided what to write in them, go to a cheaper, local printer to print the wording for you.  This will often save you hundreds of dollars on your wedding invitations and let youdevote more resources to other aspects of your special marriage day.

As to the words that you put in the wedding invitations, it really has a lot to do with your own personal tastes and the tastes of your friends and family.  There is nothing wrong with making your invitations a bit unique and fun, but sticking with traditional and brief words is probably a safer bet.  Make your wedding invitations tasteful, don’t include too much information, and don’t forget to include an RSVP to get an idea of how many people to expect at the ceremony itself and the wedding reception afterwards.

In summary, there’s no shame in using some bargain shopping when it comes to finding your wedding invitations and going to a local printer with a pre-written wording.  The money you save can be shuffled to other areas of your wedding, and the guests will be grateful that you were economical in your wedding shopping!

Many families are fun-loving and enjoy trying new dances and music, and a wedding line dance might be perfect for them at the reception.  If your family and group of friends are the type who enjoy wedding line dances, you’ll know right away.  And you shouldn’t forget one other important fact: that a good, fun line dance could be a great way to get more shy guests to come out of their shells and have a genuinely good time at your wedding reception.

When the drinks start flowing and your guests get more relaxed, even the more reserved people on your invitation list may surprise you by taking part in a fun wedding line dance.  Heck, even Grandpa might cut a rug if the feeling is right!  Try not to be too pushy with your guests if you do decide to have a wedding line dance, however, and if someone wants to sit out, let them watch.  They may change their minds and decide to take part in the wedding line dance after all!

There’s also absolutely nothing wrong with deciding not to have anything to do with wedding line dances, and instead focus on more traditional wedding music and dances at your reception.  As I said, you know the tastes of your family and wedding guests, and if you suspect that a wedding line dance would be inappropriate or make them uncomfortable, then it is probably a good idea to steer clear of it and stick with traditional, tasteful music.

So, what if the groom’s family likes wedding line dances but the bride’s family likes traditional wedding music?  The answer is simple: have a little bit of both!  One of the purposes of a wedding reception is for the two families to get to know each other, and sharing in each other’s favorite dances and music is a great way to become friendly.  Make each family feel comfortable by playing some of their favorite music, but make sure you jump right in when it’s time to do the wedding line dance!