Question: Can my groom wear his Armed Forces uniform to the temple?

Answer: Yes. Conditionally.

You are allowed to wear your full dress uniforms to the temple, but it comes with a couple conditions.

• You may not bring any weapons onto the temple grounds. I know that his weapons are part of the full uniform, but weapons of any kind are not permitted.
• He may wear it into the temple, but not for the ceremony. He can change back into it for the pictures afterward.

Thanks for the great question! Keep them coming to my email LDSWeddingQuestions@gmail.com

Temple Wedding Article

Here the link to a good article from LDS.org about planning a temple wedding.  http://www.lds.org/new-era/2004/10/planning-your-temple-wedding?lang=eng  It's got some great advice and is worthy of a look over. It includes things like: what can I wear to the temple? and when should I get my recommend from the bishop?

One thing it mentions is that you are required to have two recommends each, a temple recommend and a Living Ordinance recommend. Pay special care to heed this advice, many a couple has shown up to the temple without that Living Ordinance recommend thinking their current temple recommend will suffice. The living ordinance will be required. No recommend, no wedding.

This information will also come on your letter from the temple. READ THE LETTER. It's definitely worth the 5 minutes it will take you. It has valuable information that seems obvious but is commonly the most missed.

Launch Giveaway Winners!

The results are in and the winners have been contacted. Congratulations to -

Karissa Gardner who won $150 to Sweetheart Bridal
and
Rebecca Vance who won $100 to Carsey Cakes

Thanks to these great businesses for donating the gifts certificates and thanks so much to all who entered. I wish you luck in all your wedding planning.

Launch Party: and March Blog Contest Winner

Thanks to everyone for coming out to the launch party yesterday! It was a great success! Thanks to Carsey Cakes and Sweetheart Bridal for donating their products and gift certificates. Everything was beautiful.

Your LDS Wedding Planner is officially for sale in stores. Thanks to all my interested brides. The giveaway winners will be contacted today and announced after I've reached them. (Either tonight or tomorrow)

As for the blog contest...drum-roll please...Congratulations Jeanette Linder! You've won a $50 gift card of your choice. Contact me with your chosen business and I'll get it right to you. Thank you Jeanette and everyone else for helping to spread the word about my book and my launch party.

May all your events be filled with joy and not stress!

Overwelmed?

Don’t try to do too much. When you think about “folding each napkin into a flower,” does it excite you or does it make your head explode? If you don’t care about something, then let it go. Either don’t have it at all or let someone else take care of it.There are many people out there who are willing and eager to help. Let them help you. Have them do the grunt work and you be the decision making power. If you just can’t make one more decision, then don’t. Determine what matters the most to you at the beginning and start there. That way you don’t burn out before you get to the things that matter the most.

Wedding Dress General Helps

The best thing to do when choosing your wedding dress, is keep the temple in your mind through the
whole decision process. Just keep thinking, “Is this temple worthy?” Even if you are not wearing your gown for the ceremony, you should always make sure it modestly covers your garments. Don’t think, “I
think that might cover my garments.” It must. If you’re not endowed yet, ask an endowed woman for her advice. Remember, you alter the dress, not the garments. And yes, pinning counts as altering.

A few other things to think about when choosing your dress:

• does it suit my personality and style? (you want your groom to recognize you, right?)
• is my dress appropriate for my location and expected weather—are you dragging a white train across a barn floor, fresh cut grass, or muddy ground? Just think about it. Better to be prepared than sad.
• budget—don’t even go looking for a dress you’ll never be able to afford. It can only end in tears.
• clearly specify to the sales reps what conditions you are operating under. (If you aren’t sure what styles you want, then start by telling them the temple guidelines. You’d be amazed at how many
that will sort out.) This will make the dress shopping a lot more fun, as they don’t waste your time with dresses you can’t use.

March Contest: Win a $50 Gift Card of Your Choice!

It’s time for my biggest giveaway yet: A $50 gift card of your choice! One limitation: I have to be able to purchase a card for the establishment you choose. (No cash value)

To enter, mention your name and the contest when you come to my book launch.  You can also have your friends enter your name for you. Each person that mentions your name is another chance for you to win!

Restrictions:

• Each person may only tell me up to two names to enter into the contest. For example, themselves and the person that sent them.

• The names must be told to me in person at the launch.

• The mentioner has to also mention this contest.  I won’t be telling people about it at the door.

So spread the word and come to the launch! Here’s a link to the launch info to add to your Facebook, twitter, text message, blog, etc.

The winner will be announced on my blog on Friday, March 16, 2012.

Reception Location

No matter where you want your reception to be there are many things that ought to be considered before the final decision is made. Here are just a few:

• Cost: Is it too expensive? What if you have to use their caterer or have to bring in a lot of decorations, lighting, seating, fans, heaters, or furry animals? (That last one was just to see if you were paying attention.)  Add up all the costs together before you see which place is cheaper.
• Location: Is it centrally located to many of your guests? Can you explain it to your guests who may not have a GPS built into their phone? 
•  Weather: Is it outdoors? If so weather will definitely be a concern. If it's not outside, weather could still impact your choice. Is it at the top of a steep, rarely plowed road? That could be a problem in case there is a freak snowstorm, in July. Just think about it.
• Parking: If you are having your reception at a ward house or stake center, then parking is generally not a problem. However, I have been to many a reception in a beautiful backyard, where I am forced to trek half a mile in high heels, carting four children and a gift in 95-degree weather, because no neighborhood is built to allow for three hundred cars at one single house. Solutions exist, they just might take some imagination. Also, sometimes a reception center is located in a city where parking is difficult and guests may even have to pay to park.

There are several beautiful venues out there, just be sure you've thought through the options. A good rule of thumb could be to put yourself in your guests shoes. Sometimes, literally, it may make you rethink that pretty cobblestone pathway!

Rehearsal dinner vs. post wedding brunch?

What’s the difference? Or is it a wedding breakfast?

The difference is... not much for LDS people. Since we don’t have a real need for a rehearsal dinner, the event has become a gathering of the intimate family of the bride and groom. (Possibly including other VIP guests to the wedding or people in the wedding party) So do you have to have both? No! They are basically one in the same as far as our culture dictates.

What if my wedding is in the afternoon, not the morning? (Gasp!) Then you can have a post wedding dinner. That is, assuming, you aren’t having a dinner reception. Cause that might be overkill.

Is one or the other more culturally expected in your area? Than go with that one. Otherwise, choose what works best for you. I personally had a post wedding brunch and then still invited the families together to my parents’ house the night before the wedding, because I couldn’t stand to be away from my smoopsie-poo for one extra second. But do what works for you. You don’t have to do both. You don’t have to do either. It’s up to what you want, what you a can budget for and what you can handle.

By the way, here’s an interesting article on Wikipedia about wedding breakfasts, which is what we often call the post wedding brunch.

February Contest Winner!

Congratulations Alise!

As the only person to tell me about a electronic share for my launch party you win the free book. Yay! Thanks Alise for your "shameless plug", I enjoyed it immensely.

To everyone else. If you shared, don't forget, you have to tell me so I see it. Look forward to my March contest. It'll be the biggest one yet!

And please send me any questions you may have  to LDSWeddingQuestions@gmail.com