The "How To Before I Do" Bridal Newsletter brought to you by Wedding Ideas Guide.

This newsletter was created to provide you with ideas and hints for planning your wedding.

Table of Contents

- What's New: Find out what's new this month at Wedding Ideas Guide.

- Tip of the Month: This month's wedding planning tip.

- Bridal Q & A: We answer your questions.

- Vendor Spotlight: A new vendor is featured every month.

- Feedback: Let us know how we are doing.

What's New

Over the past month the following new articles were posted at Wedding Ideas Guide:

Wedding Reception Protocol - 10 steps to a well run reception.

Wedding Reception Food - Ideas for what to serve your guests.

Vineyard Wedding Invitations - Perfect for a vineyard or wine theme.

Snowflake Wedding Invitations - Warm up your winter wedding.

Black and White Wedding Invitations - Three classy choices.

Keep up to date with what's new at Wedding Ideas Guide by subscribing to our RSS Feed.

Tip of the Month

Rehearsal dinners are meant for your immediate families, your wedding party and any out of town guests that have traveled a long distance. Try to keep the event casual and small so you can enjoy a relaxing evening with family and close friends before your big day.

Traditionally the rehearsal dinner is hosted and paid for by the groom’s family, however in today’s society it can be the bride and groom, the bride’s family or anyone else who would like to pay for it.

Bridal Q & A

We have received several questions over the last few weeks about how to ask for cash or gift cards as wedding gifts. Here are a few of the questions:

"Although it may not be appropriate to ask for a specific gift, we would like to recieve gift cards to Home Depot, Jc Penny, And Wal-mart. Is there a right or wrong way to let people who are attending your wedding know?" - James

"This is our second wedding. We have been togeteher ten years and do not need gifts. Can you put on invitation that we would prefer money instead of gifts?" - Roseann

"I will be migrating after our marriage to join my husband, how do we politely ask for money in lieu of wedding gifts?" - Sheetal

Dear James, Roseann and Sheetal,

Obviously this is a popular question. To start, it is never good etiquette to state your gift preference on your invitation or any other correspondence with your guests. There are a couple options though.

Tell all of your close family and friends that you would like to receive money or gift cards for specific stores, and ask them to politely spread the word throughout your extended family and your friends. When someone asks you politely tell them what you would prefer to receive as a gift.

Tell everyone what you are planning to use the money or gift cards for if they ask and in your thank you notes (furniture, your honeymoon, etc). One thing to remember is that there are probably going to be a few people who will still give you a gift.

One option is to have a small registry available at one of your stores of choice. This way even if you get a gift it will hopefully still be something from a store you like, and you may even be able to return it and use the money or credit for something else.

To your wedding!
Danielle & Stephen

Have a wedding planning question? Ask us, and your question might be featured on Wedding Ideas Guide or in this newsletter!

Vendor Spotlight

The featured vendor for July is Honeymoon Wishes. Simply choose your honeymoon destination along with activities and other items that you would like for your honeymoon.

Instead of receiving gifts or money, your guests will contribute to your honeymoon. This is a great way to help pay for a big expense and to ensure you have a wonderful honeymoon together. Visit them today at Honeymoon Wishes.

Feedback

Let us know what you think of the "How To Before I Do" Newsletter. You can reply directly to this newsletter, or visit contact us through our website here.