Wedding Checks:

Should you save them or splurge? Whether your cash gifts total $1,000 or $1,000 you'll want to make the most of every dollar. And that doesn't mean blowing it on a new plasma t.v. Here's what SCBC personal finance expert Suzie Orman would do with it.

First take care of your immediate needs. For most newly weds, this will involve some aspect of nesting, like putting down a deposit on a rental apartment. buying basic home appliances or purchasing a bigger bed.

Next work out a way to decrease your monthly expenses. This usually means addressing the debt you have. from acrued credit cards and home loans. Line up your debt payments from the highest to the lowest. Pay off the bills with the highest interest rate first.

Set up an eight month emergency fund. Even two happy newly weds need one. Sock the ,omey in an fdic secured account, so that if one of you looses your job you will be able to pay basic bills.

Start a savings account for your house. The best bet for any young marrieds is to start an emergency account as soon as possilbe. Start your account for the down payment on a home for the two of you. Shop around for an account that will bring you the highest yield.

Fund your retirement account. Invest in a 401 k or put your wedding money into a Roht Ira. That way, the money over time, won't be taxed. After all the best way to start marital life is not being just young and fabulous but solvent too.

Wedding Gown Preservation

You took the time to choose the gown that is just right for you, so after the wedding take the time to take care of the gown you choose so that you can pass it down to your daughters......Find a preservation specialist that you trust. Get recommendations from your friends. Ask your preservation specialist what precautions will be taken with your prized gown. Make certain it is put into an acid free environment, museum quality archival wedding chest lined with fabric or acid free.

Never store your gown in a plastic bag or a shrink wrap container. Plastic emits fumes that can yellow the fabric and trap moisture in the packaging mildewing your gown.

Avoid storing your gown in the attic or basement where there are extreme changes in temperature or humidity from season to season.

If traveling out of town for your wedding, ask your specialist to prepare your gown for the travel with you or for shipment to your destination.

Persian Weddings

When a Persian bride and groom get married the father walks down the aisle to the beat of a daf, an ancient drum. The ring bearer carries the wedding bands in a moss lines wooden jewelry box belonging to a relative. To ward off evil spirits, incense burns in a carrier used at a number of past family weddings . Contemporary touches to say the least. The officient receives a special ordination to perform the vows. Sacred script will be read and a small prayer book belonging to a dear relative will be placed in the brides bouquet to symbolize something old something new. Guests receive hand blown monogrammed votives as lovely gifts. The bride and groom choose a symbol of their love as a logo to be used at the wedding ceremony.

Slim down for your Wedding:

The best way to loose wright is to fall in love and get engaged.....at least that is what the experts say. There's nothing like an impending deadline and a form fitting wedding gown to get the weight off and give you the inspiration to diet. Problem is, too many young women try to shed pounds by starving themselves or by trying fad diets. There's a better way...you can actually eat your way thin, By concentration on the right foods, you can reduce your calorie intake while inspiring your body to burn fat only and not muscle. The result is lean wedding day physique that can look as toned and fine on your 5th, 10th or 20th wedding anniversary. Focus on good, not the bad. One of the problems with the traditional diets is that they are all about deprivation. You can't stick to them for very long because they make you feel bad. It's all about can't, can't can't. A smart nutrition plan is about finding more foods that you can and should eat. Eating as many of them as possible each day. Never let yourself get hungry. Two bad things happen when you get hungry. First you start craving fast easy energy and the fastest and easiest comes from junk like cookies, candies and chips. Second, when you're breaking down muscle (not fat) lease to the rebound weight gain is so common with fad diets. Try to eat six times a day three square meals and three smart nutritious snacks. This will keep your body constantly fueled and constantly burning fat.

Honeymoon Destinations:

The alllure of the penthouse suite is one of vegas's most fun ideas and at one the fanciest hotels the MGM Grand You get the best toys in all of Sin City. Vegas has come a long wat from it's past and eve if you never cut a deck of cards, the chef will ovrwhelm you when he does his magic in your own skyloft suite. There are 51 lofts.

Quick Fixes for your wedding:

A guest brings a surprise date. Your first impulse may be to throw a fit
but opt for this gracious, low-drama response instead. Ask the catering manager to squeeze uninvited 'plus one" in at your guests table. If that table is too full, move them both to an emptier table. Though frustrating, such drop ins are common and an experienced caterer should have enough food, flexibility and know how to handle them.

The reception is over but nobody's leaving the dance floor. There are two fail safe ways to communicate to your guests that the party is over....Stop the music and stop the booze. If that doesn't work, and you've still got guests who are taking their time chatting and nursing their drinks, ask a groomsman to lead the stragglers to a new venue for an after party party.

Your mind goes blank during the vows. Every couple should give the effiicient a copy of their vows before the ceremony, just in case. Otherwise just improvise from your heart. Talk about what the person means to you or when you met or realized he was the one.

Your ceremony garden is looking sparse: Rent trees or purchase potted plants from a nursery,

Celebrity Wedding Chat

Sarah Jessica Parker said "The bet part of being married? Having a date to take to all the big parties".

Kelly Rippa says " I'm very content in my marriage to Mark. We argue but we know how to compromise. When we fight, no one really ever wins. It's not like one of us is living the others lifestyle....we're living our lifestyle".

Ellen DeGeneres says: Being married feels different and I didn't think it would because I already had the committment and was planning on spending my life with Portia but until you're married, you just don't know. It feels wonderful".

Sandra Bullock says " I was so happy before I got married, so satisfied and in the best place of my life, and the timeing was such that I met someone(Jessie James) that complimented me and gave me a nice net to feel more adventurous with in life. It makes me want to be the best that I can because I've stepped up to the plate".