When is the best age to say "I do?" A sociologist at the University of Utah believes the prime time settle down is in your late 20s to early 30s. Those who tie the knot after turning 32 face a rising divorce rate -- 5 percent higher each year. Heidi Grant Halvorson, associate director of the Motivation Science Center at Columbia Business School, joins "CBS This Morning" to discuss the findings. On July 20, 9:03 AM PlayVideo http://www.cbsnews.com/feature/the-wedding-planner/
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Already a member? Log In put together your perfect look Find "the" dress and everything to go with it. we've got you covered From DIY invitations to wedding updos, we're here to help you pull it all together Let's Go psst...congratulations! Sign Up https://www.theknot.com/ A successful wedding typically involves two people: the Bride and the Groom. And while the bride is almost always the most excited about the event, the Groom cannot afford to simply sit back and remove themselves from the preparation process. The Groom has an important role to play, not only during the wedding but the journey leading up to the wedding day. However, for a lot of men, this isn’t always obvious. 9 Things The Groom Should Remember For the Wedding Day What is expected of you as the groom? What should you endeavor to remember and accomplish for your big day? There are a lot of things that your bride will be looking to you to oversee, with some of those more prominent elements including the following: 1). Speech This goes without saying. As the groom, everyone will be looking to you to make a speech on the wedding day. Make it a rousing one. If possible, make it the highlight of the wedding, encapsulating your emotions about the event and your bride in a few significant words. If the groom needs help with their speech here is a post that can help out. Sufficing to say, you need to prepare ahead of time. 2). Vows Your vows are even more important than your speech because your bride will remember them for years and even decades to come. Do not leave them till the last minute. Give your bride something romantic to weep about. 3). Looks Looks matter, especially at weddings, and if anyone told you otherwise, they were wrong. And it isn’t enough to simply deck yourself and your boys out in the most expensive suites you can find. Take the time to exfoliate your skin. There are things a decent salon can do to make you appear youthful and fresh by the time your wedding day rolls around. 4). Venue Know your venue. Explore it ahead of time. Ensure that all the essentials are in place, this including clean and functional toilets, a roof that can guarantee protection from the rain (No Leaks), a private room etc. DO not leave anything to chance, and know that complications can arise at the last moment. If you're considering las vegas wedding packages, keep in mind the arrangements you must make to be able to find out about the wedding venue. 5). Contacts Make sure you have the contact information of everyone participating in your wedding close by. This includes the caterers, Car Hire Company, and even your florist. Grooms have a tendency to leave such things to their brides. However, if something goes wrong on your wedding day and your bride begins to panic, you need to know who to call to fix things. 6). Rings This goes without saying. You cannot forget the rings. It doesn’t matter how capable your bride is, or how lazy you think you are. This is one aspect of your wedding day that is strictly your purview. 7). The Men Your wedding party, as the groom, extends beyond the best man you choose. You are going to require additional attendants, also known as groomsmen. This is the happiest day of your life. You need to find a crew with whom you are willing to share this happy moment. And they should be men with whom your bride is cordial; you do not want to have a groomsman at your wedding with whom your bride is antagonistic. That sort of friction could create complications. 8). The Suits It isn’t enough to get yourself properly suited up. Your groomsmen will also need to suits, and they must blend with the rest of the wedding party. Your crew doesn’t get to decide what they will wear, especially if their colors clash with everyone else. As the groom, you must take charge of getting your attendants suited up. 9). Sleep Weddings are stressful. However, you cannot afford to start the wedding day fighting the exhaustion of the preparation process. Make sure to get ample sleep the night before the wedding day. Where complications arise, do not be afraid to use your best man and groomsmen. That is why they are there. Make sure you start your wedding day rested and ready to enjoy the biggest event of your life. It is important to remember why you are there. Do not ignore your bride. She is the reason for the event, so cherish her throughout the day, using every opportunity to show her your adoration. Leave it to This Modern Romance to photograph one of THE coolest engagements to ever hit our pages. The bride Hillary, a pilot, wanted to involve her love flying and a hot air balloon photo session was just the ticket. Go see Hillary and Tims incredible adventure waiting inthe gallery this way.
Share this gorgeous gallery on From the couple, Hillary + Tim We chose to incorporate hot air balloons into our engagement photos because Hillary has always been inspired by hot air balloons. The simplicity of their design makes them not only beautiful to admire, but powerful enough to fly. Hot air balloons are symbolic of an adventure where you dont know where youll end up when its over. You have to be willing to go where the wind literally blows you. -Hillary Hillary is a pilot, currently working as a flight instructor teaching people to do what she loves: how to fly. Tim works as an electrical engineer. Tim keeps her grounded and always coming back home but never passes up an adventure with her. In just the short two and a half years theyve been together, they have traveled to Canada, Mexico, New Orleans, Seattle, Nashville and more. They plan on traveling the world together and already have plans to go on a Mediterranean cruise for their honeymoon. Photography: This Modern Romance | Hot Air Balloon: Hot Air Fun | Romper + Coat: Anthropologie Join The Conversation favorite (0) share share (0) tweet (0) pin (0) share (0) tweet (0) pin (0) http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/typepad/style_me_pretty/~3/GtfeCOB5ZDM/ NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--XO Group Inc. (NYSE: XOXO; www.xogroupinc.com),
a global media and technology leader and creator of the top two wedding websites, TheKnot.com and WeddingChannel.com, today released the results of its annual Real Weddings Survey, which surveyed nearly 18,000 US couples married in 2011. TheKnot.com & WeddingChannel.com 2011 Real Weddings Survey captures detailed information on wedding budget, style preferences, event characteristics and other key information related to the bridal demographic. "For the first time since 2008, wedding budgets are on the rise," said Carley Roney, cofounder of The Knot. "In 2011, one in five US couples spent more than $30,000, and 11% spent more than $40,000 on their weddings. Our research shows that couples and their families are less concerned with the economy and are increasingly comfortable investing more in the once-in-a-lifetime occasion of their wedding." 2011 Wedding Statistics Average Wedding Budget: $27,021 (excludes honeymoon) Most Expensive Place to Get Married: Manhattan, $65,824 average spend Least Expensive Place to Get Married: West Virginia, $14,203 average spend Average Spent on a Wedding Dress: $1,121 Average Marrying Age: Bride, 29; Groom, 30 Average Number of Guests: 141 Average Number of Bridesmaids: 4-5 Average Number of Groomsmen: 4-5 Most Popular Month to Get Engaged: December (16%) Average Length of Engagement: 14 months Most Popular Month to Get Married: September (15%) Popular Wedding Colors: Blue (30%), Purple (25%), Green (24%) Percentage of Destination Weddings: 24% 2011 Average Wedding Budget Breakdown Category 2011 National Average Spend 2010 National Average Spend Overall Wedding (excluding honeymoon) $27,021 $26,984 Wedding Venue (reception hall) $12,116 $12,124 Wedding/Event Planner $1,753 $1,683 Reception Band $3,122 $3,081 Reception DJ $929 $900 Wedding Photographer $2,299 $2,320 Florist/Décor $1,894 $1,988 Videographer $1,486 $1,463 Wedding Dress $1,121 $1,099 Wedding Cake $535 $540 Ceremony Site $1,599 $1,393 Ceremony Musicians $536 $503 Invitations $331 $351 Limousine $669 $667 Favors $217 $222 Rehearsal Dinner $1,078 $1,127 Engagement Ring $5,130 $5,392 Figures based on respondents who hired a professional vendor for the service. Top 20 Most Expensive Places to Get Married Based on average wedding spend in 2011, these are the areas around the US where couples spend the most on their wedding. 1. NYC (Manhattan): $65,824 2. Chicago, IL: $53,069 3. NY Metro (Long Island, Hudson Valley and NYC Outer Boroughs): $50,087, $46,560, $40,356 4. Northern/Central NJ and Southern NJ: $46,600, $38,103 5. Rhode Island: $41,307 6. Santa Barbara/Ventura, CA, and Los Angeles, CA: $37,823, $37,690 7. Philadelphia, PA: $37,014 8. Boston, MA: $35,560 9. Southern Florida (Miami, Fort Lauderdale and surrounding areas): $34,465 10. Washington, DC, Northern Virginia and Suburban Maryland: $34,203 11. Connecticut: $33,789 12. Baltimore, MD: $32,702 13. Northern, CA, San Diego, CA, and Orange County/Inland Empire, CA: $32,261, $30,482, $29,826 14. Hawaii: $31,461 15. Pittsburgh, PA: $29,703 16. Louisiana: $28,790 *New to Top 20 List in 2011 17. Dallas, TX, Houston, TX, and Austin/San Antonio, TX: $28,717, $27,459, $27,735 18. California/Nevada (Sacramento, Tahoe and Reno): $28,028 19. Lehigh Valley/Poconos, PA: $27,339 *New to Top 20 List in 2011 20. Detroit, MI: $27,017 *New to Top 20 List in 2011 Interesting Regional Differences TheKnot.com & WeddingChannel.com 2011 Real Weddings Survey can be broken down on a region-by-region basis across more than 80 markets. Regional highlights include: Budget: New York City (Manhattan) has the highest average wedding budget ($65,824), and West Virginia has the lowest average wedding budget ($14,203), excluding honeymoon only. Age: Hawaii has the oldest brides (31 years), whereas Utah has the youngest brides (26 years), on average. Engagements: Mid-Atlantic brides (New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania) have the longest engagements (16 months), while brides from Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky and Mississippi have the shortest (12 months), on average. Wedding Size: On average, Iowa brides still have the largest number of wedding guests (215), and Hawaii and Nevada still have the smallest number of wedding guests (77 and 63, respectively). Wedding Style: Hawaii has the most casual weddings (48%), while Long Island, NY, has the most formal (black-tie) weddings (37%). Wedding Dress Spend: Brides in Manhattan spend the most on their dresses ($2,403), while North and South Dakotan brides spend the least ($745). Registry: Brides in Central Illinois, are the most likely to register for wedding gifts (98%). Top 10 2011 Wedding Trends BIGGER BUDGETS. Brides are spending more on their weddings. For the first time since 2008, the average wedding budget has grown year over year, hitting $27,021. Fewer brides (29%) say the economy affected their wedding budget - a decrease from 31% in 2010 and 34% in 2009. Wedding standards also rose for the first time since 2009, as the average wedding spend per guest increased to $196, compared with $194 in 2009. PLANNING BEGINS EARLIER. Some brides are even starting to plan their wedding before their guy pops the question. Brides are now allowing themselves more time to plan, with one in three (31%) beginning to plan more than 12 months ahead (up from 28% in 2010). Plus, 16% of brides now plan their wedding before getting engaged. In the last three months leading up to their wedding, brides spend an average of 11 hours a week working on wedding details. Nearly one in three hire or use a wedding planner, with more than half of those brides (51%) hiring them for day-of coordination. 3-DAY-LONG, LUXURY WEDDINGS. High-end weddings are far more traditional. The luxury wedding segment (those spending an average of $100,000 on their wedding) had approximately 85,000 weddings in 2011 and represents a $9 billion industry. Luxury weddings are more formal/black-tie (46% vs. 15% of the non-luxury market) and larger (204 guests compared with 137 guests attending non-luxury weddings). Luxury weddings are also longer, with 74% of couples hosting three or more days of events. The look is also more traditional: Ivory/champagne and metallics are the most popular wedding color palettes among luxury brides. LESS FORMAL STYLE. Casual weddings grow. Wedding style continues to move toward the more casual end of the spectrum. In 2011, 16% of brides said their wedding style was "casual," compared with 14% in 2010 and 12% in 2009. While the "semi formal" category still reigns, with 65% of brides planning a wedding with that style in 2011, fewer brides are going for the "formal/black-tie" tradition, with only 16% describing their wedding that way in 2011, down from 18% in 2010 and 20% in 2009. FALL WEDDINGS ARE MORE POPULAR. Unique wedding dates alter seasonal landscape. While summer will always be "wedding season," 2011 saw a shift in seasonal popularity with only 37% of weddings taking place in months of June, July and August, down from 41% in 2010 and 2009. Partially owing to the popular wedding dates of 9/10/11 and 11/11/11, in 2011, fall grew in popularity, with 36% of weddings taking place in September, October and November months, compared with just 30% in 2010 and 2009. PURPLE REIGNS. Purple is the fastest-growing wedding color. Purple weddings continued to be extremely popular, with one out of four brides (25%) choosing the palette, up from 21% in 2010 and only 16% in 2009. Other popular wedding colors include blue (30%), green (24%) and pink (22%). On the other hand, brown weddings are on their way out, with only 11% choosing the color in 2011, down from 21% in 2008 (when brown was the "it" color). WEDDINGS ARE MORE INTERACTIVE. New types of guest "entertainment" are on the rise. Eating and drinking isn't enough anymore. Custom guest entertainment, such as photo booths and comedians, is on the rise, with 22% of brides incorporating additional guest entertainment into their wedding (vs. 15% in 2010 and 11% in 2009). In addition, interactive food stations, such as a sommelier with wine tastings, a sushi chef or a cheesemonger, continue to be popular, with 14% of brides including this option in their receptions (up from 13% in 2010). COUPLES STILL LOVE CUPCAKES. Wedding cakes have much more competition. While a majority of brides (67%) still go for a traditional tiered wedding cake, other desserts are also served during the reception. Great dessert options include items like a groom's cake (19%), candy (15%) and baked goods like pies, cookies and brownies (20%), and cupcakes, surprisingly, grew again in popularity from 13% in 2010 to 17% in 2011. EVERY WEDDING HAS A WEBSITE. Couples increasingly communicate with guests online. The vast majority of couples now have personal wedding websites (69% of couples created one in 2011 vs. 65% in 2010 and 60% in 2009), and brides are increasingly using social media to share wedding details with guests (45% of couples did so in 2011 vs. 32% in 2009). Nearly one in six brides (15%) even kept in contact with their vendors via Facebook and/or Twitter. MOBILE TECHNOLOGY. Wedding planning has gone mobile. Nearly three out of five brides use their smartphones for wedding planning. Brides who have smartphones are doing a lot on the go, from taking and sharing wedding-related pictures (58%) and looking up wedding vendor contact information (47%) to accessing wedding planning websites (33%) and managing their wedding gift registry (32%). About TheKnot.com & WeddingChannel.com 2011 Real Weddings Survey The 2011 Real Weddings Survey captured responses from nearly 18,000 US brides married between January 1 and December 31, 2011; respondents were recruited throughout the year from TheKnot.com and WeddingChannel.com membership, which represents nearly 80% of brides nationwide. Brides received survey invitations shortly after their wedding date and were asked a comprehensive series of questions about the event and their planning process. All qualified respondents: Were 18 or older Had a wedding in 2011 Survey respondents represent a variety of ethnic, education and income levels, and are geographically dispersed across the country. The survey and data management partner for the study was Decipher Inc. About XO Group Inc. XO Group Inc. (NYSE: XOXO; http://www.xogroupinc.com), formerly The Knot Inc., is a global media and technology leader devoted to weddings, pregnancy and everything in between, providing young women with the trusted information, products and advice they need to guide them through the most transformative events of their lives. Our family of premium brands began with the #1 wedding brand, The Knot, and has grown to include WeddingChannel.com, The Nest, The Bump and Ijie.com. XO Group is recognized by the industry for being innovative in all media - from the web to social media and mobile, magazines and books, and video - and our groundbreaking social platforms have ignited passionate communities across the world. XO Group has leveraged its customer loyalty into successful businesses in online sponsorship and advertising, registry services, ecommerce and publishing. The company is publicly listed on the New York Stock Exchange (XOXO) and is headquartered in New York City. Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=50212100&lang=en http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20120321006105/en/TheKnot.com-WeddingChannel.com-Announce-2011-Wedding-Statistics--- |