Happy Holidays from Luxurious Affairs!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

The staff of Luxurious Affairs would like to wish all of our blog followers, clients, friends, and family a very Happy Thanksgiving. May your holiday be filled with many blessings!

Getting Married... "Just Because"

Whatever happened to the days when people got married because they love each other and want to spend the rest of their lives together? Marriage has officially been added to the list of fashion trends! Is marriage the new black? Marriage is no longer looked at as the sacred union between couples. Instead, people now get married…“Just because”.

Some of these “Just because” reasons vary from couple to couple. Maybe the couple is expecting a child and would like this child to be raised in an intact family. A religious couple may want to take their relationship to another level sexually. There are also criminals with their minds always at work! These are the people that get married to enjoy the economical benefits, such as a tax break. Then you have once single, sassy and satisfied, Mary that has been living the single life for 35 years too long and ready to get married and have children. Any guy that comes along Mary’s path is “Mr. Right” in her single 35 years eyes and out of fear of being alone.

In addition to these reasons, the most common reason for “Just because” marriages is in result to the everyday pressures from family, friends, and/or society. Everyone has been to those weddings of a family or friend and by the end of the night everyone is pointing at you saying, “You are next!” Or maybe you are tired of hangout with your friends that are all married and always playing love connection with you as if you’re a charity case.

Where do we draw the line to these “Just because” marriages? Don’t be a victim of the “Just because” syndrome. Instead, get lost in true love and live happily ever after, the way it is suppose to be. If you are not lost in love, why are you getting married?

Happy Bridal Parties= ???

We'd like to ask you if you'll be involved in a wedding this year-as part of a bridal party?

Considering that there are approximately 2.3 million weddings per year, and there's an average 10 people in a bridal party (five groomsmen and five bridesmaids), you can quickly do the math to determine that about 23 million of you will be directly involved in a wedding. So what's your job? And how do you handle an invitation to be in a wedding in the first place? Let's say that a bride-to-be calls her dear friend and asks her to be in her wedding, "Hey, Mary, I'd love for you to be a bridesmaid". In the same vein, her fiancé calls a friend of his, "Hey, Tom, I want you to be an usher".

Well, Mary just lost her job and is strapped for cash and is flipping out over the situation. Tom just took on a corporate project which is going to keep him out of the country for most of the year. Should either of these people agree to be a part of this wedding party? NO. They should politely decline and so should you if you're in a similar situation, because it's better to cause a few hurt feelings upfront than cause major problems down the road for the bride and groom.

And if you're this bride or groom, you should understand their situations. Weddings are expensive for bridal party members. Women are responsible for buying their dresses, including all accessories and men are responsible for renting tuxes. Collectively, they are responsible for travel expenses and lodging to and from the wedding. They are also responsible for shower and wedding gifts and the maid of honor and best man are responsible to host a shower and bachelor party, respectively.

To put it bluntly: Weddings, for bridal party members, who are not emotionally and financially prepared, can push them right over the edge!

In summary: It's up to the bride and groom to make the right decisions when it comes to selecting their bridal party. Choose people who are sincere, who have the finances to participate, and who will be available to give you their love and support.

NOTE: If a dear family member is strapped for cash and you want them to participate, then help with the expenses. Make it easy and enjoyable for them, because a gracious host and hostess consider others feelings and situations before their own.

Happy bridal parties make for happy brides and grooms!

© 2008, AAWP™. All rights reserved.

Wedding Rage... Don't Let It Happen to YOU!

"Wedding rage" seems to be happening regularly at weddings these days. Each week, we find more and more stories about out-of-control guests, who get into brawls, beat each other up and wind up in jail. Recently, there was a story about a disgruntled guest who drove his car through the front door of a catering hall-while the reception was in progress. And not too long ago, one of our fellow AAWP consultants told us of a guest, who at the reception pulled a gun on another guest, who insulted her. Thank goodness, the best man was an off-duty policeman who diffused the situation.

Does alcohol exacerbate the situation? Obviously. In fact, most of these situations are the result of guests who have imbibed too much. Don't let it happen to you.

Here's some good-sense tips:

* Advise your partying friends and relatives (who tend to get out of control at functions, etc.) that out-of-control behavior will not be tolerated at your wedding-and that your wedding is not an excuse for drunken behavior.

* Advise your catering property or caterer that they are not to serve guests who are showing signs of having imbibed too much.

NOTE and CAUTION: Your catering property, and/or caterer, may be held legally responsible for a drunken guest who does damage to themselves or others. In some states, bartenders are also held to task if they knowingly serve a drunken guest who later gets in an accident, for example. And sometimes, even the hosts of the affair may be held responsible.When it comes to weddings, it's best to know a property's/caterer's liability and yours! You may need to get additional liability insurance to protect your assets.

© 2008, AAWP™. All rights reserved.