…as she walks down the aisle? No, this isn’t a caption contest, although if it were, my submission for the photo on the left would be “Poor Dad. Wait until he sees the bill for this shindig. Fortunately, when he does, I’ll be lying on a beach in Cancun, sipping a margarita and deciding which sexy lingerie to wear that night.”

Why Am I Asking?

I ask because, although I’m married, I didn’t have a traditional wedding, so I’ve never walked down an aisle. My husband and I went to beautiful Savannah, GA for three days and got married by a blind judge. No aisle. No bridesmaids or groomsmen. No MOB, FOB, MOG or FOG. No reception. No first dance.  Literally, no one saw us get married. And I have absolutely no regrets.

So I’m curious about what brides are thinking as they walk down the aisle. Are they wondering if they’re marrying the right guy?  Are they thinking about the wedding night? Are they taking a quick audit to make sure they didn’t forget anything? Are they wishing they hadn’t bought those trendy—but too tight—bridal shoes? Are they hoping crazy Aunt Phyllis can stay sober for just one night? Are they dying to get the ceremony over with so they can scarf down food at the reception, because they haven’t eaten in days to make sure they fit into their elegant wedding gown? Or are they simply in a post-wedding planning daze, too tired to think of anything at all?

Looking for Your Answers!

I’m sure it’s different for every bride, and I’d love to know what you were thinking as you took those final steps as a single woman. I’d be asking grooms what they were thinking as they watched their brides walk toward them, but I suspect very few men subscribe to this blog. So brides, please add a comment and let me know what was on your mind during the most exciting 30-second walk of your life! If I get several responses, I’ll reveal them in a future post. (I promise not to use last names!) Once again, I’ll ask, “What were you thinking?” And I mean that in the nicest way possible!

Be honest, girls! What gets our adrenalin flowing? Shoe shopping! What do we need most to match an outfit? Shoes! What sends our ego over the moon when a guy compliments them? Shoes! What makes us stand tall and sexy? Shoes!

So it makes perfect sense to be “shoes-y” with bridal shower favors, because we love shoes any way we can get them. So I’ve picked my three choices for fun, practical bridal shower favors that will walk away with lots of compliments at your event!

 GREAT FOR OPENERS!

It’s classy, it’s cute, it’s creatively gift-boxed, and it’s a shoe—a shoe that opens bottles. How much fun would it be to pull out this handy, high-heeled bottle opener to open bottled drinks at your next beach party or backyard bash? “It’s A Shoe Thing!” is a shiny, chrome shoe, too small for your foot—but big enough to make an amazing impression at the shower.

FOR FASHIONISTAS WHO FLY HIGH!

I’m crazy about the “First-Class Fashionista” Luggage Tag, because it says something exciting about you everywhere you go. But you’d better have a suitcase filled with super-hot shoes, because those guys in customs, airport security and at the hotel will be expecting to see some fancy footwear!

THIS ONE TAKES THE CAKE…

and places it perfectly on a plate! The “Slice of Style” Stainless-Steel, High-Heel Cake Server, like the other two shoe-shaped favors, is also ideal for a girls’-night-out gift. I don’t know about you, but I love cake almost as much as I love shoes, and this sassy cake server can dress up any party table that has a cake waiting to be sliced. Your shower guests will eat it up!

I leave you with sage advice: “Shoes” Wisely

 Our first Bride On The Brink for July will set sail August 22 for a Caribbean cruise with her groom-to-be, a few wedding guests—and it’s also her groom’s family reunion! Talk about a family affair!

 A

 A

NAME:  Sunny Smith

LOCATION:  Carnival Glory

DATE:  August 22 

THEME:  “Our Ship Has Come In”

COLORS:  Ocean Blue

GUESTS:  About 20

A

 A

A

Q. When did you start your wedding planning?

A. I became engaged in March 2008. We had already planned since last March to go on a cruise for my fiance’s family reunion in August 2009. I wasn’t sure when I was going to set a wedding date, what type of wedding I wanted to have, and whether it would be in Mississippi, where I’ve lived for the past 12 years, or New York, where my sisters and I grew up, or North Carolina, where my parents live. I actually started planning in May 2009. (Wow! Talk about waiting until the last minute! S) Once we decided the cruise would be a great place to have the wedding, it was a matter of [making arrangements.] We’ll set sail for a seven-day Western Caribbean cruise to Cozumel, Costa Maya, Belize and the Bahamas.

Q. So what’s the most important thing on your mind right now?

A. Right now, I’m just hoping we have good weather and no hurricane. Oh, and I hope the H1N1 flu doesn’t strike.

Q. What’s been the most stressful or difficult part of preparing for your wedding.

A. I like to think I’m “too blessed to be stressed.” Fortunately, the stress is minimal since the [cruise line] is taking care of all the details. The most difficult part was trying to coordinate with my fiance’s family members who had been booked on the cruise for months, since it’s their family reunion. I’ve had to work with the airlines to rearrange [our] flights, which we booked in January. Luckily, I got a sympathetic airline representative in customer service who was happy to help.

Q. Would you have done anything differently?

A. I would have booked [the cruise] earlier.

Q. What’s been the best part of your wedding planning?

A. My fiance is a stickler for being on time and setting deadlines. And he’s great with finances. With that in mind, I knew I had to set a budget and stick to it to keep the harmony. I’m happy that my fiance was okay with having a wedding during his family’s cruise.

Q. You really waited until the last minute to start your wedding planning. Do you have any last-minute details to take care of?

A. My sisters and I are still shopping for bridesmaids dresses. I ordered my own cute cake topper…and plan to order some gifts for the wedding party, like personalized candle keepsakes and mints. I’ll also want to order personalized napkins and a few other favors.

Q. How has the current economy affected your wedding plans?

A. The economy has had an impact on my wedding in a number of ways. This is the second wedding for both of us. We both lost our spouses several years ago to cancer. As far as the wedding, neither one of us was trying to recreate our first wedding experience. So we’ve saved a lot of money by not having a traditional wedding with dozens of guests. Originally, I wanted to go to Hawaii for my honeymoon. But, I’m happy we get to turn a family cruise into our honeymoon. By deciding to have a shipboard wedding, we’ve been able to pay cash for everything in advance and won’t have any credit-card debt when we come back from our honeymoon. I’ll still have a few more bells and whistles, like a limo to take us to our ship. My parents and 13 of my fiance’s family members will go on the cruise, but because of the tough economic times, my sisters and aunt will not be able to come on the cruise. But I’m happy they will be part of the wedding ceremony and reception. I still plan to have an informal celebration/reception when we return for other friends and family who weren’t able to attend. I am having a knock-off designer wedding dress made for under $300, but I won’t know if I’ve made a good choice or not until I receive it. (I’ve secretly fantasized that, as a back-up plan, first-lady Michelle Obama will let me borrow her inauguration gown.)

Q. Any words of wedding-planning wisdom for your best friend?

A. I would tell my friend that, at the end of the day, it’s YOUR WEDDING. If you can afford to have the wedding of your dreams, go for it. If money is a concern, there are always less-expensive options to make your wedding a memorable one without breaking the bank.

Watch for the next edition of Brides On the Brink…30 Days and Counting! It’s for brides, it’s about brides, and most importantly, it’s by Brides On the Brink who are one month away from walking down the aisle.

Become One of our Brides On The Brink!

If you’re about one, two or three months from tying the knot and would like to be a featured bride, please click here to e-mail your contact information and wedding date. I’ll send you the questionnaire to fill out and return. For passing on your wedding wisdom, featured brides will receive a $25 gift certificate* for MyWeddingFavors.com, where you’ll find fabulous wedding favors, wedding accessories, bridesmaids’ gifts and so much more!

* For shipping only within the US and Canada.

The My Wedding Favors blog is hoping to be a finalist for the Wedding Channel.com Bridal Blog Award, and like all the other bridal bloggers, we’d love to win! Of course, we can’t do it without your help. Please click on the box at the left and nominate us. The more nominations, the better! We think we’re already winners, because we get to bring you great series like “Brides on the Brink: 30 Days and Counting,” along with the very best in tips, trends and weird wedding stories whenever we find them (brides-to-be need a laugh from time to time during the wedding-planning process!) But it’s always nice to be recognized! When we become a finalist, we’ll let you know, so you can vote for us. Meanwhile, we’d really appreciate your nomination! Thanks!

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa     aaaaaFor the brides,

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa       aaaaaSusan and Karen

It’s for brides, it’s about brides and, most importantly, it’s by Brides On the Brink who are a month away from walking down the aisle!

Beginning May 1st, our new series will feature a real bride on the brink who will share her emotions, her most difficult part of wedding planning, the most rewarding part of the planning process, what she would do differently if she had the chance, how she saved money, what she’s feeling with only 30 days to go and so much more!

We’ll spotlight a new bride every two weeks. Karen and I have created an outstanding list of interview questions focusing on those things that helped—and didn’t help—get our bride through the most important party planning of her life. Our hope is that our Brides on the Brink will help future brides look forward to the planning process, avoid some pitfalls and side-step stress as they plan their weddings.

We found our first two brides on the brink right here at My Wedding Favors. Brooke and Jennifer are both getting married this June (to terrific guys, I might add,) and they have some great stories, ideas and feelings to share with you.

Become One of Our Brides on the Brink!

If you’re about one, two or three months from tying the knot and would like to be a featured bride, please click here to e-mail me with your contact information and wedding date. I’ll send you the questionnaire to fill out and return. For passing on your wedding wisdom, featured brides will receive a $25 gift certificate for MyWeddingFavors.com, where you’ll find fabulous wedding favors, wedding accessories, bridesmaids’ gifts and so much more!

“Our best thoughts come from others.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson

Eddie Murphy and Tracy Edmonds got married on January 1, 2008, and they didn’t last two weeks. Now that we’ve established the depth and sincerity of most celebrity weddings…

I thought it would be fun to choose five of the most famous celebrity marriages of 2008 and ask you which of the five has the best chance of lasting until death actually does part them. Here are your choices:

Scarlett Johansson and Ryan Reynolds

Beyonce and Jay-Z

Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz

Ellen Degeneres and Portia DeRossi

Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon

Just send me a comment with your opinion! Which celebrity couple will last the longest and why? I’ll put the best answers in a future blog!.

Meanwhile, let’s talk about a couple of great wedding favors for those of you who would love to get married on New Year’s Eve. How can you pass up the “It’s About Time! Let’s Celebrate!” Champagne Bucket Timer (left)? It’s cool! It’s practical! It’s sooo New Year’s Eve! So are the “Have a Blast!” Biodegradable Wedding Poppers (right)! Your guests can shoot them off  at midnight when you and your groom celebrate your first New Year’s kiss as husband and wife! By the way–a very Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah, Happy Kwanzaa and, from the bottom of my heart, a Healthy and Happy New Year!

Somebody needs to help me get to the bottom of this. I understand why married couples might renew their vows on a 20th or 25th or 50th anniversary, but we’ve got some celebrity couples who renew their vows before the ink is dry on their original wedding license!

So what’s up? Is it because they have nothing better to do with their money, and it was so much fun the first time? Do they think their marriage will last longer if they renew their vows repeatedly? Jennifer Lopez and Mark Antony have been married for four years, and they renewed their vows last month.

A Theory Emerges

I think I have an answer—in Hollywood, one year of marriage is equal to five years of marriage for non-celebrities. Now it begins to make sense. If you think Marc and Jennifer are the only couple to jump on this bandwagon, consider this: Scarlett Johansson and Ryan Reynolds just got married a few, short months ago, and they’re already planning a second wedding. So are Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon. David (the King of Soccer) and Victoria (Posh Spice) Beckham have already renewed their vows, and they’ve been married a whole nine years. Amy Winehouse and Blake-Fielder Civil, married a year, renewed their vows in the prison where the happy groom is spending some time. And let’s not forget Madonna and Guy Ritchie, who were going to renew their vows, but got divorced instead. Now that’s the celebrity spirit of commitment I know and love!

Wedding Favors for Celebrity Vow Renewal Celebrations

After some deep thought, I came up with two perfect wedding favors these celebrity couples should present to their guests. The first is the “It’s About Time! Let’s Celebrate!” Champagne Bucket Timer (left.) And what makes this a winning wedding favor under the circumstances? Hey, it’s a timer that counts down from one to sixty minutes, the actual, average time of a celeb marriage. Ding! My second choice is the “Head Over Heels” Bottle Stoppers (right) with one for the bride and one for the groom. These bottle stoppers showcase the bottom view of the bride’s wedding gown and the groom’s tuxedo, which, as far as I’m concerned, makes it much easier to figure out where their heads are. Maybe we should check back with these same couples in a year or so to see if immediate vow renewal kept them together. They may actually have something there. Do you “star” gazers out there want to make any predictions?