Category Archives: Planning

Same Sex Wedding Tips

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Wedding planning is stressful enough. It gets even more confusing when most of the advice out there revolves around a bride and groom—and you’re both one of the above.

1. Don’t worry about what you “should” do

Instead of worrying about how to make your ceremony line up with (straight) tradition, view it as a chance to throw an event exactly your way, without any of the old-school “must-haves” that don’t mean anything to you personally. “Because many same-sex couples don’t have gendered roles in their relationship, they really have the freedom to reinvent the wedding.

2. Get creative with your wedding party

Who says a woman has to have maids of honour and only guys get to nominate best men? Choose the guests you want up at the altar with you—whatever sex they are—and name them accordingly. You could have bride’s men, groom’s maids, a man of honour or a best woman, for instance, or give the whole gang a fun name like the “I Do Crew” or “Bridal Brigade.” Or skip the guests altogether and keep all eyes on you and your partner.

3. Social media is your friend

Can’t visualize what your invitations, vows or any other part of your wedding should look like? That’s what Pinterest is for.

4. Put your own stamp on the ceremony

Many traditional wedding ceremonies feature a groom waiting at the altar for his bride to walk toward him down the aisle. So what happens if you’ve got two grooms or two brides? It totally depends on what you and your partner feel comfortable with. Some ideas:

Walk down the aisle one right after the other.

Walk each other down the aisle, perhaps arm in arm or holding hands.

Walk in unison down separate aisles leading to the altar.

Flip a coin before the ceremony to decide who proceeds down the aisle first.

5. You can still have your own pre-parties

There’s no reason you have to forego a party with your best mates just because you’re both stags or hens. So go ahead and plan your own celebration, whether it’s a weekend in Amsterdam or a trip to the seaside. One thing that’s really common is two partners having separate parties on the same night and then meeting up at the end.

6. A planner may be worth the money

Though a wedding planner isn’t in everyone’s budget, a coordinator can help you save time by steering you toward venues and officiants that he knows to be inclusive of same-sex weddings.

7. Vet your honeymoon destination before you book

Once you’ve come up with a list of dream destinations—particularly international ones—do a little research first and cross off any that don’t afford the same legal protections and cultural acceptance that same-sex couples have here. That way, your honeymoon can be just as blissful as the wedding itself.

Life after the Big Day

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As your wedding day approaches, it’s only logical to start thinking about all the things you have to do to prepare for the day. But it’s a good idea to squeeze in some time to work on the details of your life after the wedding, and organizing your finances with your partner should be on that list. (We know it doesn’t sound fun, but hear us out!) One of the most popular options newlyweds choose is to open a joint bank account together; you’re already sharing everything else, so merging your finances together almost seems like a no-brainer. But is it really the best choice for you and your partner?

Money is a touchy topic for a lot of people, so discussing the nitty-gritty details of your financial status with your soon-to-be spouse might not exactly be painless. That said, despite how difficult it may be, it’s a good idea to make the money talk a priority before the wedding, if you’re considering opening an account together, start by reviewing salaries, bonuses and the like. Then move on to sharing your credit ratings, assets, student loans and other parts of your financial portfolios. If you’ve already done a check of each other’s financial baggage (and you’re both comfortable with what you’ve found), that’s great! But double-check that you haven’t glossed over anything—it can sometimes take multiple conversations for all the little details to be covered.

You already feel like you’re on the same team. But before you open a joint bank account together, make sure you’re both taking a joint approach to your finances as well. It often doesn’t work when newlyweds add money to their personal bank accounts first, then put the remaining cash in the joint account.

Instead, pool all of your and your soon-to-be spouse’s income into the joint account first, and give out an “allowance” from that lump sum to spend each week. That being said, there’s nothing wrong with keeping your own account on the side. But ideally, your joint account should be more of a communal money pot in which you both initially deposit your entire salary—then get to dividing it up for food, phone bills, mortgage payments and savings. “There’s no more ‘your income’ and ‘their income’ once you’re married. It’s ours’

If you and your soon-to-be spouse are working toward post wedding financial goals, like a deposit on a house or retirement, opening an account together might actually help you reach them. For starters, it’s easy to keep track of how much you’re saving when your money is in one account. And because you both have shared participation in the account, you both have equal responsibility for making it successful. Most importantly, though, having a joint account will make it easier for you to talk about money with your partner. When you’re both able to see how much you’re each contributing every week, you’re more likely to talk about your finances in a healthy, constructive way.

Winter Wedding Cake Flavours

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or your winter wedding, pick a cake that tastes like winter. What does winter taste like, exactly? Think rich flavours — and don’t be afraid to stray from the traditional white cake. Consider a caramel spice cake filled with caramel and a buttercream, or an orange chocolate cake with dark chocolate filling and decorated with flecks of orange. For a lighter cake with a taste that still reflects the season, go for a white cake with cranberry buttercream frosting and filling.

Wedding Cake Colour

Colour counts for every wedding cake, and nothing says “winter” better than a palette of whites, icy blues, and deep reds or rustic greens mixed with brown. Add a hint of winter colour with a simple chocolate ganache-covered cake trimmed in light blue, or an ivory buttercream cake trimmed in red. Or let the winter colours pop with an ivory cake covered in red sugarberries and green sugar holly leaves.

Wedding Cake Shapes and decorations

When it comes to a winter wedding cake, snowflakes, pinecones, and other winter elements made out of chocolate, sugar, or rice paper are an obvious choice. But you don’t have to go overboard with these decorations to get a wintery look. Instead, you can order a white cake with subtle white sugar snowflakes. The tone-on-tone look will up the elegant factor and still give you the same seasonal effect.

Wedding Cake Sides

Whether you’re already set on a wedding cake design or you’ve decided to take your wedding cake in a not-so-seasonal direction, consider serving a winter-inspired side with your wedding cake. Serve cake with black walnut ice cream; add a handful of mints to each plate; or indulge comfort-food lovers with warm chocolate pudding.