Before And After I Do

Registered Couple: Randi & Jeff

Wedding Date: 1 July 2006

Honeymoon Destination: Russia & Norway

The Wedding

Giftpile: With all the planning that goes in to a wedding, what were your top 3 things that you focussed on and why?

Randi & Jeff: We focused on location (beautiful setting, easy to get to, inexpensive), food (finding a good, creative caterer willing to work within our budget), and theme (the theme of our wedding was homemade – so everything except the food was made by either us, our family, or our friends).

Giftpile: Have you any cost saving tips that you’d like to pass on?

Randi & Jeff: The homemade theme definitely was awesome – instead of traditional wedding gifts, people contributed their talents to the day and saved us a bundle (homemade wedding cake, Chuppah, centrepieces, photography, etc.). Also, for catering purposes, we called the event a “family reunion” instead of a “wedding”, and we saved a bundle. Apparently, it’s all in the name. Also, having a honeymoon registry was great – we had some non honeymoon items like a “house fund” that people contributed to – it didn’t end up saving us money on the wedding, but it helped us to save money for our future.

Giftpile: Did you manage to avoid any disasters leading up to your wedding day? Did it all go according to plan?

Randi & Jeff: Since our theme was homemade, there couldn’t really be any disasters – we didn’t care about every detail being perfect, we just cared about every detail being done with love.

Giftpile: Norway and Russia aren’t the first places that spring to mind as honeymoon destinations. Why these countries?

Randi & Jeff: Well, Randi is a tropical marine biologist, and Jeff hates being hot. So, to go anywhere tropical would have meant Randi fighting the urge to work, and Jeff overheating in the middle of summer!! We love the outdoors, we love having constant daylight, and we love the history and scenery of Scandanavia. Norway was beautiful, interesting, and very comfortable. Go North! It’s excellent! As for Russia, our flights had to go through Moscow anyway, so we decided to spend a few extra days and check out the city – after all, it’s a tough place to get to, so we decided to take advantage of it while it was in our path.

Giftpile: Did you plan to do anything romantic – though it may have been a bit cold at times!

Randi & Jeff: The weather was great – high 70’s, low 80’s. We thought it was pretty romantic to be camping in wilderness - with complete privacy. Beautiful vistas that we didn’t have to share! What’s more romantic than that? J Keep in mind that our definition of romance is freedom and privacy - no schedules, no hassle, and no one around but the two of us. Throw in fresh-picked strawberries and amazing Norwegian cheese into the mix, and we had the most romantic honeymoon, ever! As for things we did, we went white water rafting, glacier hiking, canoeing, kayaking, bike-riding, and lots of hiking…. All pretty active events, but all were really romantic and fun. For us, the romance was in exploring new things together with the luxury of privacy and the thrill of true adventure.

Giftpile: Any ‘must dos’ while you were in Russia or Norway that you would pass on?

Randi & Jeff: Rent a car, get a tent, and buy a good road atlas…. Then, just let the magic happen.

Giftpile: What did you eat or drink that you thought, “oh, no,” or “wow!”

Randi & Jeff: We had an amazing banana split in Trondheim, and the Borscht in Russia was surprisingly excellent. Borscht is one of those foods with an undeserved bad stigma.

Giftpile: Did you use any travel agencies or tour companies, either in America or on your honeymoon that you would recommend to other couples planning their honeymoon destination?

Randi & Jeff: Nope. I guess the only travel stuff we used was a Lonely Planet guide. Essential!

As a child, after birthdays and at Christmas, I was sat down at the big dining table my parents had in our home to write my ‘thank you’ cards. It was drummed in to my brother and I that this was the right and gracious thing to do – aunts and grandparents and Santa had thoughtfully bought us new socks and we should write that we were grateful in receiving our gifts.

It’s something I still do, though my brother is a little lax in this, if the last couple of years are anything to go by. It’s something that I like to do; I like to get a ‘thank you’, too, should any of my friends be reading this!

But what I wouldn’t have given for the service offered by the United States Postal Service (USPS)… The USPS has a service called Premium Postcards, which allows you to automate sending postcards through the mail using this fab and funky service. You can use your own designs or pictures (great for showing off your honeymoon photos), or theirs, fill in a message and upload your address book and you’re away. No more spidery scrawl handwriting (especially if you have 250 ‘thank yous’ to send), no more standing in line for stamps… Prices are affordable and includes full color on both sides with first class postage and delivery. Blimey, it would have taken the agony out of writing to Great Aunt Mabel and could have been fun.

If you’re having to send out ‘thank you’ cards for engagement, shower and wedding gifts, this might be a pain free and time savvy way of doing it.

If you need help, combining a few honeymoon photos into one postcard design for the Premium Postcard service, inquire with Giftpile. We can create three(3) preliminary ‘Thank you’ postcard designs when you submit five(5) of your digital honeymoon pictures. Inquire by emailing maya@giftpile.com with Subject Line: Help Us Design our Premium Postcard

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About the Author

Emma Crabtree, Editorial Assistant to Maya Sunpongco, Editor-in-Chief and the Practical Bride at Giftpile.com - the great idea honeymoon registry. Though Emma has been married since 1996, she still likes to dream about big, white frocks and sunsets over beaches and, of course, to support couples in achieving their dream honeymoons. Giftpile.com helps you (the bride and groom) giftwrap your dream honeymoon. For more information about creating your online honeymoon registry, visit Giftpile.com today!

Registered Couple: Nicole and Robin

Wedding Date: 1 July 2006

Honeymoon Destination: Almalfi Coast, Italy

The Wedding

1. Giftpile: With all the planning that goes in to a wedding, what were your top 3 things that you focussed on and why?

Nicole & Robin: We decided that as long as we were spending a lot of money towards the wedding industry that we should focus on supporting local and small businesses. Also, we wanted to make decisions that were environmentally friendly. For example, our ceremony and reception were held at a non-profit nature center; our travel agent has a philosophy of “sustainable tourism”; our photographer and DJ were friends of ours; our cake and flowers were provided by independent local businesses.

Another top priority was to keep the wedding small in order to control the budget and to preserve the romantic atmosphere.

Giftpile: Have you any cost saving tips that you’d like to pass on?

Nicole & Robin: Keep the guest list small!

Flower costs can get out of control quickly. Look into ways of reducing costs – for example, we made our own centerpieces. Avoid spending money on items that the “wedding industry” makes you believe that you need. Such as overpriced napkins with your names printed on them, or other disposable favors found in wedding catalogs or websites. This stuff just ends up in a landfill along with your money.

Giftpile: Did you manage to avoid any disasters leading up to your wedding day? Did it all go according to plan?

Nicole & Robin: Our ceremony was planned to be outdoors. A severe hail and wind thunderstorm was scheduled to arrive at the same time as our ceremony. It never happened. Everything was perfect and went according to plan.

The Honeymoon

Giftpile: Why did you choose Italy as a honeymoon destination? Was it somewhere that the two of you had always wanted to visit?

Nicole& Robin: Funny you should ask…We planned to go to Tunisia, which is not far from Italy by boat. We found a walking tour along Italy’s Almalfi Coast through a “sustainable tourism” company called ATG Oxford. This made us more excited for Italy and we soon scratched Tunisia from the itinerary. We added Rome and Florence for the art and architecture aspects.

Giftpile: Your photographs look beautiful; did the magic of Italy inspire you to do anything romantic?

Nicole & Robin: The Almalfi coast was a very romantic setting. The beaches were beautiful and the food/wine was delicious. We enjoyed many romantic dinners and picnics overlooking the coastal villages. We also went on a really fun 4-hour boat tour along the Mediterranean where we got to jump off and swim through bright blue grottoes.

Giftpile: Any ‘must dos’ while you were in Italy that you would pass on?

Nicole & Robin: Skip Florence and Rome when on your honeymoon. Save those cities for another less relaxing trip. We really recommend spend 2-3 nights in Lucca (a small romantic village surrounded by medieval walls). The same goes for Sienna.

Giftpile: Did the food and wine live up to expectations?

Nicole & Robin: DEFINITELY!!! Watch out for over-touristed restaurants (food quality is low). Try to get off the beaten path as much as possible.

Giftpile: Did you use any travel agencies or tour companies, either in America or on your honeymoon that you would recommend to other couples planning their honeymoon destination?

Nicole & Robin: ATG Oxford if you don’t mind a lot of walking. They will definitely put you in touch with the best local restaurants, agrotourism, shops, and hotels. We also took an awesome “food-based” walking tour in Rome organized by Scala Reale.

Newspaper Announcements

San Diego Union Tribune

The San Diego Union Tribune publishes engagement and wedding announcements every week in their Celebrations page in Sunday Passages Section. Wedding announcements, your photo and order form must be sent in 10 days prior to the Sunday on which you’d like your announcement to appear.

Contact Information
(619) 293-2242
(619) 718-5109

Cost
$ 68 - $ 298

Downloadable Celebration Kit (provided by the San Diego Union Tribune) at:
http://www.utads.com/media_kit/pdf/Celebrations_Kit_2006.pdf

San Diego Community Newspaper GroupThe San Diego Community Newspaper Group publishes the Beach & Bay Press, The Peninsula Beacon, La Jolla Village News, Golden Triangle News, Downtown News and the San Diego Coastal Lifestyles which also offers you the opportunity to publish your engagement and wedding. Announcements should be approximately 250 words or less.

Contact Information
(85 270-3103
mail@sdnews.com

Mailing Address
San Diego Community Newspaper Group
PO Box 9550
San Diego, CA 92169

Cost
FREE

What is normally included in your announcements?
A portrait of you and your fiancé with a short description of your wedding details — who, what, when, where…

The information has been researched and confirmed as of August 10, 2006.

About the Author Maya Sunpongco is known as “The Practical Bride” and is the President of Giftpile.com - the great idea honeymoon registry. Giftpile helps you (the bride and groom) giftwrap your dream honeymoon. For more information about creating your online honeymoon registry, visit Giftpile.com today!

You’re getting married! Congratulations! It’s going to be a great day and one that you will want to share with your family / family and remember years later.

Yes, I’m a reality show junkie and have watched ‘A Wedding Story‘ on TLC, ‘For Better Or For Worse‘ on Discovery and ‘Whose Wedding Is It Anyway‘ on the Style Network… With planning a wedding, these shows are must-sees. What you learn from watching these shows is that sometimes our friends and family are spread far and wide these days; from San Diego to Staten Island. We no longer all live in the same communities where we grew up and those that you want to be a part of your wedding may not be able to join you on your big day.

To overcome this, live internet wedding webcasts are quickly becoming the next big thing. USA Today writes how, “Wedding webcasts engage more interest” and Dory Devlin, a Yahoo Tech Advisor, writes “Now Playing: The Wedding Webcast.” Ah, wedding trends! Remember when the concept of a honeymoon registry (i.e. www.Giftpile.com) was still new and brides and grooms were just getting used to creating a wedding website (i.e. www.weddingwindow.com and www.eWedding.com) to help communicate thier wedding plans?

Instead of being there, family and friends can watch a ‘live’ feed of your wedding, wherever they, or you, may be.

Internet weddings and wedding webcasts are a form of broadcasting that has been formatted for the internet and then hosted on a server that can then be accessed through a personalized web page. For under $1,000, couples can have their wedding transmitted to anyone that has access to the internet. Broadcasts aren’t necessarily live. This is mainly due to the restrictions in current technology, but also if the time difference is so great, would anyone want to watching your wedding at 2am?! Once the film has been formatted for the web, most companies will enable unlimited online access to your wedding webcast for around 30 days, with the option of having copy DVDs made to send out to your guests; for both those that were present at your wedding and especially for those that were unable to attend. There is no fee payable by your guests viewing the webcast online; the webcast fee is usually part of the webcaster’s total charge.

Webcasts shouldn’t be seen as a replacement for photographs or a video of your wedding; more as an addition that would enable absent friends and family to be part of your wedding day.

Here are a few wedding webcast companies to research:

• Live Internet Weddings
• Vowcast
• Our Wedding Cast
  

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About the Author
Maya Sunpongco is known as “The Practical Bride” and is the President of Giftpile.com - the great idea honeymoon registry. Giftpile helps you (the bride and groom) gift wrap your dream honeymoon. For more information about creating your online honeymoon registry, visit Giftpile.com today!

If you’d like to involve your friends and family in the run up to your wedding day, but think that it would take too much time and commitment, think again. Several companies now offer tailored websites to announce your big day. Here are our top 5:

eWedding.com

• The basic package is free!
• $9.95/month or $89/year for a fuller feature package
• Your own domain name is included if you subscribe e.g emma&lawrence.com
• Features include:
  • Unlimited photographs
  • Out of towners information
  • On-line RSVP
  • Audio & Video facilities
  • Pictures and biographies for the wedding party
  • Mailing lists
  • Recommend Vendors

Weddings.MyEvent.com

There’s a free trial for 7 days

• $9.95/month or $99 18 months
• An extra flat fee of $25 will get you your own domain name
• Features include
  • A photo album of up to 1000 pictures
  • Wedding party pictures and biographies
  • Manage guests and invitations by email
  • On-line RSVP
  • Event details, such as location, directions and maps
  • Weather forecast
  • Gift registry links
  • Audio & Video features

WedShare.com

• 14 days free trial
• $79/12 months, $99/18 months with more packages available
• Own domain name
• Features include:
  • Personal email accounts
  • Unlimited photographs and video
  • Bridal party pictures and biographies
  • On-line RSVP
  • Maps and travel information
  • Guestbook
  • Gift registry links
  • Budget Manager

WeddingWindow.com

• Free trial for 7 days
• $59/6 months, $79/12 months, $99/18 months
• An extra $15 will get enable you to have your own domain name
• Features include:
  • Personalized color scheme
  • Upload 3 songs of your choice
  • Unlimited photographs
  • Events Calendar
  • Directions and travel information
  • Gift registry links
  • On-line RSVP
  • Recommend Vendors

WedQuarters.com

• Free trial for 7 days
• $25/year hosting + $20 for an extra 6 months, $25 for an extra year
• $14.95 for your own domain name
• Features include:
  • Unlimited photographs
  • On-line RSVP
  • Events
  • Gift registry links
  • Travel & lodging information
  • Weather forecast
  • Guest book
  • Meal tracking
  • Background music

About the Author

Emma Crabtree, Editorial Assistant to Maya Sunpongco, Editor in Chief and “The Practical Bride” at Giftpile.com - the great honeymoon registry. Though Emma has been married since 1996, she still likes to dream about big white frocks, and sunsets over beaches and, of course, to support couples in achieving their dream honeymoon. Giftpile.com helps you to (the bride and groom) giftwrap your dream honeymoon. For more information about creating your online honeymoon registry, contact Giftpile.com today!

View the Honeymoon Journal of Italy

Registered Couple:Nicole and Robin

Wedding Date: 1 July 2006

Call me, “The Practical Bride.” How practical? I told my fiancé, “a diamond engagement ring is nice, but a jet ski would be even better!” Don’t worry girls… he didn’t listen to me. He got me a gorgeous tear shaped diamond engagement ring.

It’s safe to say that the average wedding budget is around $20,000.You may be asking, “why are you promoting a realistic wedding budget?” The answer: Because I don’t believe you should get into debt just for one day of the rest of your marriage. Why not put a high priority towards the future of your marriage rather than the single wedding day event?! Think BIG anniversaries versus the single, big wedding day. Listen to yourselves (you and your fiancé) first over your mom, dad, bridesmaids and the so-called “wedding experts.”

Conduct this Exercise:

1. Gather some paper and a pencil.
2. Find your quiet, relaxing spot in your home.
3. Close your eyes and imagine your wedding guests having fun celebrating with you.
Why are they having fun?
What’s the atmosphere like?
4. Write everything down that you see.

About the Author

Maya Sunpongco is known as “The Practical Bride” and is the President of Giftpile.com - the great honeymoon registry. Giftpile helps you (the bride and groom) gift wrap your dream honeymoon. For more information about creating your online honeymoon registry, visit Giftpile.com today!

Something old… Something new… Something borrowed…
You know how the saying goes. You might have already been flipping through the table of contents of several wedding magazines and seen the generic nine-month wedding planner checklist. I say, “Forget the timetable!” Why forget these nine-month planners? The creator and authors of the checklist assumes everyone’s engagement period will be for nine months. I don’t like to assume that. Aren’t you going to cross out parts of your wedding to-do list according to what’s top of your priority list?Sure, use the nine-month wedding planner checklist to get ideas of what to add to your to-do list… but more importantly, create your must-haves.

Creating Your Top 3 Must-Haves
When you look at your nine-month checklists, it typically tells you to “Find and book your wedding locations first!!!” Why would you put it on the top of your priority list if you were really flexible about where you are going to hold your ceremony? When I was planning my wedding, I created a Top 3 list of my wedding priorities:

1. Since I shoot-from-the-hip on occasions usually being behind the camera than in front of the camera and am a photo album junkie, finding the right photographer to capture my big day was very important to me.

2. All throughout my childhood, my parents always celebrated special occasions with good eats (great homemade food or at a fancy restaurant) and naturally I became a good connoisseur (eating the food… not cooking it). The menu for our reception was therefore added to my “Must-Haves.”

3. What’s a party without great music?! I love, love, love to dance. I used to go dancing at least four days a week. Dancing and great music starts the true celebration of getting friends and family to participate in the event of your marriage. My fiancé and I even took ballroom dancing lessons with my parents.

Now that you have your Top 3 Must-Haves, you can decide to be flexible in planning and budgeting for the rest of your wedding. Use your must-haves to adjust your schedule and priorities… don’t stress out over the smaller details.

About the Author
Maya Sunpongco is known as “The Practical Bride” and is the President of Giftpile.com - the great honeymoon registry. Giftpile helps you (the bride and groom) gift wrap your dream honeymoon. For more information about creating your online honeymoon registry, visit Giftpile.com today!

Registered Couple:Arsineh and Brian
Wedding Date: 7/8/2006
Honeymoon Destination:Bora Bora

The Wedding

Giftpile: With all the planning that goes in to a wedding, what were your top three things that you focused on and why?

Arsineh & Brian: #1 was decor from flowers to linen to every little name card. We wanted to get a special feeling when we walked to the isle and in to the Ball Room. We wanted to set a very sexy, jazzy and romantic look. #2 was the music. Music is very important to the both of us. Good music has a way of taking you to amazing places. We made sure we had enough budgeted for the best jazz musicians out there. #3 was our attire. We wanted to look and feel great on our wedding day. We knew we would look at these pictures for years to come and we wanted to make sure to capture the look we were envisioning.

Giftpile: Have you any cost saving tips that you’d like to pass on?

Arsineh & Brian: We went way over budget and we would have gone much more over if we didn’t take out the extras at the end that the caterer was offering. We were thinking about having a coffee bar, extra wine service etc. but we’re happy we didn’t. We saved a lot and didn’t miss it one bit!

Giftpile: Did you manage to avoid any disasters leading up to your wedding day? Did it all go according to plan?

Arsineh: Well… Everything went according to plan, except for my gown. It pretty much fell apart two minutes before going down the isle. I was a wreck to begin with and to have to worry about my dress - it wasn’t helping to say the least. My suggestion - have an amazing friend to be with you the whole time. My friend Denise pulled out a safety pin she had in her clothes and did a quick alteration just as I was about to walk down the isle. After the ceremony, she came up to the room and sewed my dress!

The Honeymoon

Giftpile: Why did you choose Bora Bora as a honeymoon destination? Was it somewhere that had always struck you as idyllically romantic?

Arsineh & Brian: We had heard many great things about Bora Bora from friends. We also realized many people who had been there were making plans to go again. We figured it had to be amazing. Just looking at the pictures - you start to wonder if it’s for real - we decided to go and see for ourselves. Not only was it real - but much more beautiful than the pictures!

Giftpile: Did you plan to do anything romantic - like take a cruise or have a particular meal or massage?

Arsineh & Brian: We planned a couples’ massage, but in general… we planned to do NOTHING. That’s our favorite pastime. We didn’t want any schedules or time constraints; we have enough of that in our own lives.

Giftpile: Any ‘must dos’ while you were in Bora Bora that you would pass on?

Arsineh & Brian: A must do for us was our hotel, the Intercontinental Thalasso Resort and Spa. The location was amazing. We definitely recommend reserving an over-the-water bungalow whenever you plan to stay. In terms of excursions, we didn’t do much, the amazing ocean was enough to keep us occupied.

Giftpile: What did you eat or drink that you thought, “oh no,” or “wow!”?

Arsineh & Brian: We were worried about the food/drink on the island. Maybe it was the hotel we were at, but the food was great. They had everything you could want - we didn’t feel like we were missing out on anything. We have to let you know however, it is expensive. If you can get a package where meals are included, we highly recommend it!

Giftpile: Did you use any travel agencies or tour companies, either in America or on your honeymoon, that you would recommend to other couples planning their honeymoon destination?

Arsineh & Brian: Our travel agent was amazing. She got us a great deal and was extremely helpful. I would recommend her to anyone and definitely plan to use her on all our future trips. You can reach her at the following information:

Jodi Kantor, JSK Travel LLC, 425-822-5252, jodi@jsktravel.com