Students Of Success

Perhaps when you and your spouse are at odds with each other,
you’ve asked yourself “Why did I ever get married?”

There are probably many possible reasons, but one is that you
had a choice in deciding whether to marry or not to marry.

Throughout the history of civilization, this is a fairly recent
development. The origin of domestic male-female relationships
was based on survival. The species could best survive if the
male remained the hunter and the female stayed at home, raised
the children and tended the crops, a purely economic arrangement.

Later, marriages were arranged by parents at birth. This was
designed, in part, to insure the clan remained intact.

A variation of this was to prevent teenagers from marrying
outside the clan. On the other hand, if there was friction
between two tribes, the heads of both might arrange a marriage
between a member of each to strengthen the bonds between them
and insure peace.

Royal families in Europe continue this practice today by
encouraging marriages between royalty of other countries.

In some primitive cultures daughters were bartered to
prospective grooms. The more attractive women were worth more
cows than less attractive ones.

In some parts of Africa, women can still be bought as slaves.
And men of importance can have many wives.

In all of these examples, the participants had little or no
choice of a marriage partner. When they did, they had few
prospects to choose from. At any one time how many princes and
how many princesses are available?

When the industrial revolution took place, the mores of the
civilized world had drastic changes. People found an increasing
number of ways to making a living, and in living their lives.

Love replaced obligation as a prelude to marriage. People were
expected to fall in love and live happily ever after. But, since
no one knows what love is, the task becomes very confusing. Sex
is often mistaken for love. Therefore, when one party says,
“Let’s make love, is he/she talking about love or sex?

When the Puritans took over, it was easier. Sex before marriage
was taboo. Therefore, the only way you could have sex without
feeling guilty was to get married. If a woman really wanted to
get married, she could retain her virginity until her boyfriend
agreed. Then in the marriage vows, performed before God and
everybody, both parties promised to be monogamous for life.

All that has changed since the so-called sexual revolution and
the woman’s rights movement. Now, the trend preaches sex without
guilt, and virginity is no longer esteemed.

Today, couples living together sans marriage is quite common.
It’s kind of a trial marriage, but without the long term
commitment. It saves money when the couple share expenses. Sex
is available. And the agony of a bitter divorce is avoided.

Too often these arrangements don’t work out, which proves the
couple was not destined to live happily ever after.

With all the reasons not to get married, it is a wonder why
millions choose to trade in their freedom for a marriage license.

Obviously, the answer varies from person to person. A successful
marriage depends on each partner satisfying the emotional needs
of the other, and needs vary from person to person.

Surveys of couples who have lasting marriages cite qualities
that were important, such as trust, caring, friendship,
compassion, security and affection. These were considered more
important than freedom.

A couple celebrating their 80 year marriage anniversary stated
that the most important factor in their longevity was that they
talked to each other.

Since no one seems to have a better definition of “love,”
perhaps it is really some combination of the qualities mentioned
above. Love is why people choose to marry, and when it endures,
it is the glue that holds marriages together.

Copyright 2006 Robert T. Lewis

While showers have evolved and become more relaxed in recent
years, there are still certain rules of bridal shower etiquette
that should be observed in order to avoid offending anyone.
Since there will be a variety of groups there - friends, family
and coworkers in most cases - it’s important to understand how
everyone should interact. Especially in the case of family,
mothers and grandmothers can place a great deal of importance on
proper bridal shower etiquette, so make sure you know what the
“rules” are!

The Maid of Honor is usually the person expected to plan and
organize the bridal shower. If she lives out of town, however,
it’s fine for someone else to do the honors. Don’t take over
without checking with her, though. It is her privilege, and you
should always ask her before assuming anything. If you are going
to do it for her, make sure you keep her as involved as she
would like to be through frequent emails and phone calls.

Bridal shower etiquette traditionally says that a shower should
be at least four to six weeks before the wedding. This is for
purely practical reasons - the bride is going to be too busy any
closer to the ceremony - but if she’s coming home only two weeks
before the wedding, talk to her and see how she feels about
having a shower in her honor so close to the wedding. She may
think this is fine if most of her friends will be able to be in
attendance at that time.

There has been an uncomfortable trend in recent years for large
showers with nearly everyone the bride knows invited. This is
not what the bridal shower is supposed to be. A bridal shower is
supposed to be a small, intimate gathering of the bride’s
closest friends and family. Proper bridal shower etiquette
dictates a group of no more than ten to twenty guests.

The guest list should include the wedding party, the mothers of
the bride and groom, sisters of the bride and groom, and the
bride’s closest friends and/or coworkers. It shouldn’t include
every female invited to the wedding.

Finally, bridal shower etiquette means being sure to
include the wedding party and the mothers in the shower itself
in some way. Ask each person to take on some responsibility,
whether it is recording a list of the gifts and givers as they
are opened or organizing the group for games. This will make
everyone feel they’ve been part of this special day.

The 1999 Julia Roberts movie ‘Runaway Bride’ is about a woman who gets nervous about marriage and runs away at the last
minute, leaving the groom at the altar. If you thought this happened only in reel life, the running away recently of Jennifer Wilbanks, a 32-year-old from Georgia who concocted a kidnapping story to escape the wedding, should prove otherwise. The incident caused a lot of discussion in the media, with many discussing similar wedding jitters that caused them to break off their wedding at the last minute.

Running away from marriage is getting more common in urban India, though perhaps in different avtaars. Parents in
many traditional families, where arranged marriages are still the undisputed norm, do not understand the needs of their
children and often impose their own decisions. Shubha took an instant dislike to the man her father wanted her to marry.
Though the man had a good job, he was uncouth, unromantic and rough. Shubha could not put down a firm foot, as she feared
upsetting her father who had hypertension. “My intuitions were right. The man wanted sex all the time and was quite fierce if
I refused,” says Shubha, who returned home within ten days of her marriage and refused to go back. Why could she not be more
adamant and refuse to get married in the first place, I asked. Shubha says she had taken a chance; besides she could not risk
the shame the cancellation of the marriage would have caused. Very Wilbank-like. I fear; yet I dare not .

Marriage phobias are even more intense amongst people who choose their own partners. Some develop cold feet; being
indecisive, they postpone indefinitely getting married. Sowmya, a dentist who practises in the city, met Aravind, a marketing
professional in an MNC. Both seemed to get along well and had the right “chemistry”; but when Sowmya pressed for an immediate
marriage, the trouble started. As Aravind kept her hanging for a “yes”, he told her different stories at different times - he
was not yet ready for marriage because of office pressures; he needed time to convince his unwilling parents; and so on. Soon
Sowmya was to find that all his explanations were untrue.

“If he had said he did not want to marry me, or if he loved somebody else, things would have been simpler. His parents
actually liked me, but Aravind had some excuse or the other,” says Sowmya, who then consulted a marriage counsellor.

“Probably Aravind suffered from commitment phobia. He was also too possessive to let go. Finally my counsellor helped me
to analyze the situation and come out of the relationship and the mental turmoil I was in.”

Whether it’s the so-called love marriage or an arranged one, men and women are too cautious to say ‘I do’, and choose to
float in a commitment limbo, with one foot in the relationship, and the other at the door. With a growing cynicism about
marriage and the possibility of being trapped in a less-than-perfect relationship, people are wary of being caught in the
‘claustrophobic’ confines of a life-long marriage. They subject the relationship to constant review: is he/she the best for me, or is there a better person? They dodge the decision to commit, so that they can retain the moral right to scan the horizon for a better deal.

The institution of marriage is no more considered a pairing of a cash-producing father and a home-building mother. Women,
once marrying for financial security, are now more educated and working in better jobs, freeing them to be more selective.
Yet men and women have only a fuzzy concept of an ideal partner in their minds, being confused by the notion of an ideal soul
mate infused by popular culture and the media. Because the early phase of a relationship is marked by excitement and
idealization, many romantic, passionate couples expect to have that excitement forever. Longing for the charged energy of the early days, people look elsewhere or split up.

“A relationship can evolve and flourish only if you accept others’ imperfections. You need to have tolerance. The notion of 100% compatibility is misleading. You can enrich the relationship by giving each other some space for differences,” says Raja Reddy, the counsellor at ‘Helping Hands’, a counselling center in Bangalore.

Many psychologists argue that there’s no such thing as true compatibility. “Marriage is about adjustments,” says MJ Thomas, a psychologist at the Bangalore’s Sagar Apollo hospital. “All couples disagree about some thing or the other. We have a highly romanticized notion that if we were with the right person, we wouldn’t fight.” Discord springs eternally over money, kids, sex and leisure time; but long-term, happily married couples disagree about these things just as much as couples who divorce. The magic is to develop binocular vision, to see life through your partner’s eyes as well as through your own.”

Uma Shankari is a freelance writer. She loves to write on development issues.

The quickie green card marriage may be a relic of the past. U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (”CIS”, previously known as INS) is limiting green card issuance that can directly impact the immigrant and his or her sponsor’s future. As the law now stands, even if an immigrant is married to a U.S. citizen, if the marriage is less than two years old at the time the green card interview (adjustment of status interview) takes place, CIS will only grant the immigrant a two year green card.

This “conditional green card” will terminate in two years if the couple cannot prove that they are still living together as husband and wife. This requirement was created in 1986 when Congress believed that the only way to counteract fake or sham marriages was to require ongoing proof that the couple still lived together and the marriage was not a mere economic or business transaction.

To convert the conditional (2 year) green card into a permanent green card, the U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident sponsoring spouse and the conditional green card-holding spouse must together to petition to have the condition removed, or else the green card will expire and lawful permanent residency status will be terminated.
This petition must be filed within the 3 month period before the green card expires.

In reality, though, the two year expiration can potentially cause quite a few problems for marriages that were real when the couple wed but are now leading to divorce due to domestic violence, adultery, or other “irreconcilable differences” near the time the immigrant’s green card is expiring. By requiring the cooperation of the petitioning US citizen, in most circumstances, to sign and file to have the condition taken off, the process creates a power-struggle between a feuding couple and worse, gives more power over the immigrant to an abusive U.S. citizen spouse.

There are limited exceptions available to an immigrant when his or her U.S. citizen spouse will not cooperate or help the immigrant file to have the condition taken off of the green card. If a couple separates or divorces at any time after the green card is first issued, it is unlikely that the originally sponsoring U.S. citizen or LPR spouse will cooperate in helping the immigrant spouse release the condition on the green card for a number of reasons. If this happens, the immigrant may be able to apply to have the condition removed from his or her own green card by applying for a waiver. The waiver allows the immigrant to apply to remove the condition on his or her green card without the assistance of their spouse. There are currently three different ways or grounds to apply for a waiver:

(1) good faith or bona fide marriage ground (if your divorce is final at the time of filing);
(2) extreme hardship (to the immigrant if deported to their original country); or
(3) extreme cruelty (proving that the immigrant suffered physical, emotional, or financial abuse from their spouse)

CIS allows an immigrant to apply for any number of these grounds on the same petition. Waivers are generally more difficult to have approved. If an immigrant files a waiver, the current policy is that an interview will be required. If you file a joint petition and depending on the evidence submitted, an interview may not be required.

If an immigrant fails to file for either a waiver or to file a joint petition with the spouse within the 90 day period, the green card will be terminated.

Once a CIS receipt notice is received from CIS, the immigrant will have proof that his or her green card is still valid for another year or until the case is decided, whichever comes first. If the case is still not decided within a year, the green card will be extended for another year and will be extended on an annual basis until the case is decided.

A remaining concern for many immigrants is what happens to their eligibility to apply for U.S. citizenship, especially if the immigrant does not stay with their spouse and instead files a waiver petition on their own. If the immigrant receives their green card through marriage and is still living with their husband or wife 3 years after the green card is initially issued, the immigrant will be eligible to apply for U.S. citizenship, even if the joint petition to remove the condition on the two year green card has not yet been decided. Actually filing for U.S. citizenship will speed up the process of CIS deciding the conditional residency issue, as conditional residency will no longer be an issue if a person has already received U.S. citizenship.

If an immigrant is applying for a waiver because he or she is divorced or for any other reason is not not living with the spouse anymore, then the immigrant will be eligible for citizenship after 5 years in lawful permanent residency status. The one exception to this is if a waiver is approved based on the “extreme cruelty” ground, which requires the immigrant to show that s/he suffered physical, financial, and/or psychological abuse from their spouse. If approved on this ground, the immigrant will be eligible to apply for U.S. citizenship in 3 years, even if not living with the abusive U.S. citizen spouse.

Before deciding whether to stay in a bad marriage, an immigrant must address their available options under both the waiver provisions and the joint petition provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act. An immigration lawyer may be in the best position to help an immigrant flush out the potential advantages and disadvantages of choosing a particular route and many consultations with immigration attorneys throughout the U.S. are given free of charge. The most important concern remains for immigrants to ensure that a close eye be kept on the expiration date of their conditional green card and not let it expire before seeking legal assistance. To learn more about conditional green cards, visit the U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services’ website at www.uscis.gov, for a general overview.

Attorney Heather L. Poole is an expert in family-based immigration and U.S. Citizenship, located in Pasadena, California. She is a published national author on family-immigration issues, frequent lecturer on marriage-based immigration, and member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association & National Network to End Violence Against Immigrant Women. For more information, visit http://www.humanrightsattorney.com

Have you ever been irritated because your spouse does things differently than you do? Do you get upset if he or she has different opinions and makes different choices than you would? If so, you have bumped up against some of your own personal control issues and triggers in your marriage. Here are three important points to consider:

1. Fear underlies control issues.

Control issues cause problems in many marriages. The feelings you experience at those times can be very intense and may include rage at the other person. Most people feel more secure when others around them mirror their opinions, beliefs, and choices. Your safety needs and fears contribute to your wanting others to be just like you. The old adage, “There is safety in numbers,” refers to this primitive fear of standing alone.

Also, many people feel more in control when they can predict the behavior of others and when others meet their expectations. Then they don’t have to experience the discomfort of growing, changing, or stretching themselves. Instead, they can pretend that their world is logical, orderly, predictable, and safe.

2. Thinking your spouse should be just like you harms your marriage.

Your control issues are also triggered by viewing your spouse as an extension of yourself. This perception can result in trying to dictate which clothes your spouse wears, how she wears her hair, who she is friends with, what political views she holds, and what she can or cannot do. While your spouse may initially make some changes trying to keep the peace, you are creating a parent-child dynamic in your relationship that will eventually foster rebellion and resentment.

3. Using insults and name calling are attempts to regain control.

While nothing sinister is involved in many control issues in relationships, pathological behavior can be triggered in some instances. For example, a partner who is angry that the spouse did not follow his dictates could become physically and emotionally abusive. The partner may think he has the right to “punish” the other person. Name calling and derogatory put-downs, such as “What a stupid thing to do,” are often used to re-establish control over the other person.

It’s easy to point a finger at your spouse and to state that he or she needs to change. It’s hard to face your own unresolved issues head-on and take responsibility for how you need to change. As you become more aware of control issues in your marriage, the starting place for change is always with yourself and your response to what is happening.

Nancy J. Wasson, Ph.D., is co-author of Keep Your Marriage: What to Do When Your Spouse Says “I don’t love you anymore!” This is available as an e-book at http://www.KeepYourMarriage.com ,where you can also sign up for the free Keep Your Marriage Internet Magazine. Nancy can be contacted at Nancy@KeepYourMarriage.com.

Wedding favors are a tradition that allows the bridal couple to make their wedding guests feel special. It is a small way to say thanks for joining in the celebration of their new life together. To make the wedding favors even more personal, some brides choose to make their own bridal favors. Here are some great “Do It yourself” wedding favors that your guests will just love!

DIY Wedding Favor 1: A Spoonful of Love

Materials:
To make these DIY wedding favors you will need 1 silver finish tea spoon, 1 silver heart shaped candy, a 5″ square of silver net and a 3″ piece of silver ribbon.

Method:
Place the candy in the spoon. Wrap the silver net around the spoon and candy and tie with the ribbon. Make a bow to finish with a flourish. Your DIY wedding favors are complete!

You can give these spoonfuls of love to all your guests as wedding favors. If you want to customize these DIY wedding favors you have several options. You can buy ‘Thank you’ printed ribbon, have the heart shaped candy customized with your names or even have the handle of the spoon engraved with a message. Try adding a personalized tag or use ribbon with your names and wedding date imprinted on it to give it a stylish touch.

DIY Wedding Favor 2: Handmade Paper Favors Bag

Materials:
To make these DIY wedding favors you will need a sample paper bag in the size you want, decorative handmade paper, scissors, glue, candy, ribbon (in your favorite color) and matching tulle.


Note: Depending on the size of bag you want, buy as many sheets as required. Sometimes it can be cheaper to buy an entire roll of handmade paper from wholesalers.

Method:
Open the sample paper bag along the stuck edges. Use this as a stencil and trace the outline on the decorative paper. Cut along the outline. Fold and stick as per the sample. Take a square piece of tulle and put some candy on it. Bunch up the edges and tie with the ribbon. Put the candy in the DIY wedding favors bag. Your DIY wedding favors are complete!

The special thing about these DIY wedding favors is that they are extremely versatile and customizable. You can use decorative paper, which matches the color or theme of your wedding. You can even make your own decorative paper (that’s another DIY wedding favors project by itself though!). You can also use the DIY wedding favors bag to hold favors other than candy.

Though DIY wedding favors can take more time then buying them already completed, the extra effort you put into them will be felt by all your guests and make them that much more special. So roll up your sleaves and add that personal touch to your big day!

Andrea Britt is owner of CharmingWeddings.com where you can find elegant, unique wedding favors, bridal shower favors, and wedding planning tips for your wedding reception and bridal shower.

Reprint Rights: Feel free to use this article on your website or online publication. Please remember that you must include the author’s copyright, resource box and live URL links, exactly as shown below, to the author’s website at the end of the article.

If you have ever attended a wedding, you probably remember the keepsakes that the bride and groom gave their guests. Giving each guest a wedding favor is part of the tradition of the wedding ceremony. Any bridal shop will have various wedding favors from which you can choose. For a more unique touch you can design and create your own style of wedding favor to give guests. Not only does this add a special touch to the ceremony, but it also provides an opportunity for the individuals in the wedding party to spend time together before the ceremony in an occasion that is not as hectic. A customized wedding favor can also save you money since you can usually buy the materials you need at any hobby shop.

More than a Keepsake
A wedding favor can serve many purposes. A keepsake is the main reason that people give a wedding favor at weddings. A wedding favor can also serve the purpose of sending off the bride and grooms. A very popular wedding favor that you can make without spending much time and money are bubbles. When the wedding couple is leaving for their honeymoon venture, the guests generally send off the couple with a cloud of bubbles. When you make the decision to give each guest a wedding favor that is memorable, it is a good idea to come up with a wedding favor idea that is associated with the bride and groom.

Adding Your Unique Touch
In addition to being a keepsake, a wedding favor should be unique. To make a wedding favor unique, you can add a twist to a traditional idea or create something completely your own. Divinity or candy is a common gift that you can dress up with decorative containers or wrappings. It is completely acceptable to make the candy or divinity yourself or have someone with cooking skills take care of this for you. A candle makes an excellent wedding favor because there are so many fragrances, colors, and accessories that you can use to make them a unique wedding favor. If you go with candles as a wedding favor, you might to consider taking a candle making class. Check your local area to see if any of the hobby shops have candle-making classes. This is a fun activity that the entire wedding party can participate in.

Cost
You don’t have to spend a lot of money to create a unique wedding favor to give their wedding guests. It is an unspoken truth that a wedding favor is inexpensive. Even if you are creating the most formal wedding ceremony, your wedding favor should be simple and cheap.

For a free course on planning discount weddings and where to find the best discount wedding invitations, visit www.discountweddingguide.com/ today.

The stag night is a tradition that goes all the way back to Ancient Greek times when the boys in Sparta gathered for a last blowout before one of their mates stepped off the abyss into married life. While we don’t have the films from those early stag do’s, we’ve got a hunch that not a lot has changed since then. The idea is to get piss-drunk, stuff your face with the best food you can get and get your fill of all the things you’ll be missing once you tie the knot (read: all the other birds in the bush that you’re trading in for the one in the hand).

The honor of planning the stag do traditionally falls to the best man - the fellow you can count on through thick and thin, rain and shine, night or day, drunk or sober.. the chap who knows where to find the strippers, booze bars and paintball courts. If that’s you and you haven’t the foggiest notion where to start, here’s some handy tips to help get you started on the path to perdition - or at least the road to the boozy blast you know you can plot.

1. First things first. Know your mate. The stag do is meant to be HIS night of ignominy, not yours. Before you make arrangements to hire the 40 Salomes with seven veils between them, be sure it’s the type of thing he’ll appreciate.

2. Once you’ve got that part out of the way, it’s time to start figuring out where to find those Salomes… or something like that. If you’ve chatted it out and decided that nothing will do for your mate but a full-blown stag weekend, you’ll need to get right on the horn to start making arrangements. Stag weekends are big business, and many of the more popular activities and venues are booked up to six months in advance. Get those enquiries out, and be prepared to put down a few deposits to hold dates open.

3. One Month Ahead (Two if you’re doing an overseas stag weekend) - run the guest list past your stag, even if you don’t tell him that’s what it is. It’s only fair for him to actually LIKE the folks he’s spending his last free party with. Then… send out the invites to give everyone plenty of time to make plans to attend the stag do.

4. Two weeks ahead - confirm all the reservations for your stag night, just to be on the safe side. While you’re at it, either designate a driver for the night, or reserve a limo to do the honors. You want everyone at the wedding - not sitting in a lonely jail cell.

5. No matter how tempting it is, don’t accept too much help from your buds. The more hands there are on the wheel, the more likely it is that someone will drop the ball - or something like that. You’re most likely to get everything done and in place if you see to it yourself.

6. OR - get professional help. If you hire a professional tour organiser to put together the plans for your stag weekend, you can just see to it that everyone shows up with their embarrassing jokes and gags - and sit back to enjoy the best stag do you didn’t have to plan.

Brett Danielson works for chillisauce.co.uk, a tour operator
specialising in unique and unusual stag weekends and stag parties to UK and
European cities. For more information and help with planning a stag do or stag weekend, visit http://www.chillisauce.co.uk.

Calendar Your Date: It all starts with a date for your elopement
ceremony. Picking a mid week escape can also save dollars and create a more
relaxed environment for your elopement.
Book Your Air Travel & Rent a Car: If air travel is involved book a non-stop
flight for ease, book departure time around rush hour traffic. The focus is
relaxed.

Book Your lodging: What would create the mood that you have in mind?
Elopements thrive in small intimate venues. Some lodging requires two night
stay during the weekend. So once again the week day stay offers more options
for eloping.

Select Your Ceremony Location: Elope close to nature and near the
water. Have your elopement ceremony in a wine cave. Say “I do”, on the
beach in your bare feet. Elope to the worlds most beautiful gardens. Elope to a
gazebo waterside. Whatever you have dreamed can be created.

Arrange for Your Wedding Officiant/Minister: Select a minister
that will respect your unique wishes and desires. Someone that will focus on
what you want. Pick someone that specializes in elopement ceremonies.
Design Your Wedding Ceremony with Your Minister: Your elopement
ceremony can be designed to speak to your hearts. Together create a
meaningful ceremony.

Contact a Photographer: Most wedding photographers have many
people and situations to photograph. Select a photographer that understands
the intimate nature of your elopement and is imaginative with posing and
candid shots.

Select Your Flowers: Flowers that bring you joy. Elopement bouquets
are small in scale to match the event. A women can be dressed in jeans, as you
soon as she holds a bouquet she becomes the bride. Photo’s without flowers
look more like a prom.

Reserve Your Wedding Super: Mark your elopement with a beautiful
meal prepared by a great chief. Treat yourselves and create a tradition.
Begin Your Honeymoon: Relaxed deeply, you have just given yourselves a
lovely start. You have been able to soak up the goodness of the day and share it
with each other. Elopements are marked by this wonderful treasure.

Marriage License Details: Please see article detailing everything you
need to know.http://www.ceremonyway.com/marriagelicense.html

Create Your Memories: Visit the local sites and explore the beauty
around you.

On Returning Home…
Send Out Marriage Announcement with a Link to Your Online Wedding Photos.
Plan a Sunday afternoon cocktail party to celebrate with friends.
Plan a dinner party to celebrate with family.
Plan your anniversary celebration for next year. Plan something to look
forward to, a little romance to keep the memories growing.

Contact http://www.ceremonyway.com to assist you in planning your elopement ceremony one detail at a time.

Wedding favor ideas can be as elusive as the perfect man – you can spend forever looking for the right one amongst a whole range that just don’t seem quite right! Traditional wedding favor ideas might seem a little too predictable, or just not quite what you had imagined. So how can you think up wedding favor ideas that are just right for you?

First of all, don’t write off all traditional wedding favor ideas too quickly – they have earned their traditional wedding favors ideas status by proving ever popular. Perhaps the perfect wedding favor idea for you and your spouse might be a traditional one, but with a personal twist of your own.

Instead of the traditional candle wedding favor idea, you might choose a novelty shaped candle that represents something personal to you. Gardeners might enjoy the wedding favor idea of a candle flower in a pot, while animal lovers might like a dog or cat shaped candle.

You will want your favors to be as unique and special as your wedding day, and what better way to find wedding favor ideas than the ones you create yourself. Make your own wedding favors ideas can be difficult to come up with, but the trick is to create something that is representative of you.

Think of make your own wedding favors ideas that speak to your own talents, or those of your spouse – card makers might create a commemorate booklet, while musicians could produce a CD, or even write a special song. The best make your own wedding favors ideas are those that will remind your guests of something special about you and your new spouse.

If all else fails, a good way to come up with new wedding favors ideas is to look at what others have used in the past – tried and tested wedding favor ideas are often the best! Think about weddings you have attended in the past – what did you, as a guest, love and hate about particular wedding favor ideas?

Just remember to find the wedding favor ideas that are meaningful to you. Because your guests will love your favor, so long as it reminds them of you and your special day.

Looking for wedding favor ideas isn’t easy, but worth it to get it right.

For a website totally devoted to Wedding Favors visit Peter’s Website The Wedding Favors Guide and find out about Homemade Wedding Favors as well as Wedding Shower Favors and more, including Cheap Wedding Favors and Wedding Favor Ideas.