If you have any doubt that fashion dictates everything you wear, carry and use to decorate on your wedding day, just take a look at your parents’ and grandparents’ wedding pictures.  See the frill-front shirts on the men?  How do you like the mini skirt and knee-high boots your mother wore?  Your grandma may have kept her bouquet of silk roses … imagine, not using fresh flowers for such a special occasion.  Well, just as with wedding gowns, bridal accessories are fashion items that fade into and out of popularity according to the whims of brides the world over.

1.    The groom - A loving, devoted husband-to-be is the all-time favorite must-have bridal accessory!  Without him, you’d be standing at the altar twiddling your thumbs!

2.    Your bridal party – Ok, so technically, people are not bridal accessories but you really need your best supporters by your side on your wedding day.  With so much to remember, so many small tasks to take care of and the occasional bridal meltdown, your sisters, cousins and best friends are essential.  And besides, you need someone to carry your Bridal Blush lip-gloss!

3.    A tiara – Royal weddings have a way of infiltrating into our own more ‘common’ nuptials.  Keep an eye on Prince William of England; when he ties the knot, you can bet that whatever his bride wears or carries will be the fashion for at least the following year.  Tiaras make every girl feel like a princess for a day.  They are bridal bling at its best.  From the sparkly tiara comes the idea for the hairstyle, the veil, the earrings and even the neckline of the dress.  Some are encrusted with Swarovski crystals, others are festooned with a rainbow of different colored stones.  Yours could even be your Mom’s family heirloom.

4.    Hairpins – These tiny little bridal accessories are as important to your overall look as your gown itself.  If your hair will be up for the day, you’ll need pins to keep it in place.  Decorative hairpins will look much better than plain, generic ones.  They can feature crystals, pearls or enamel-painted flowers and you can even have them custom-made to suit your dress.

5.    Lingerie – Even though your groom is the only person who will really see what you wear under your dress, lingerie is one of the more important bridal accessories because it helps your dress to look right.  No bride wants a VPL – visible panty line – on her wedding day!  Keeping your bust looking perfect is the job of your bustier, bra or corset.  Above all, though, your lingerie should be comfortable because you’ll be in it for hours!

6.    Shoes – Well of course, unless you get married on the sand at a beach, you’ll need shoes.  But what’s in fashion for this year?  First things first: you need to take into account your height compared with your fiance’s, the kind of ground you’ll be walking on (think garden wedding) and how much comfort you want.  You don’t want your big day ruined by excruciating feet.  Manolo Blahnik, Jimmy Choo and Vera Wang all have stunning styles perfect for weddings but if your budget is a little less substantial, stick to feminine sandals with beautiful embellishments.  Wear your wedding shoes in a few times before the day.

7.    Jewelry – Bling is the thing.  This year, bridal accessories tend more towards glitzy and feminine rather than subdued and low-key.  Go for an outstanding piece and don’t overdo the look by wearing matching earrings, necklace and bracelets.  Choose either stunning earrings or a choker or necklace.

Thanks to the Internet, you can buy a lot of your bridal accessories online and have them shipped to you.  But there’s much to be said about going shopping with your best girlfriends and buying everything you need between cocktails, lunch and cappuccinos.

If you've been thinking about hiring a private investigator, it's important to know what you should be looking for – especially if it's something that you have never done before.

No matter why you are looking for a private investigator, you should always be sure that the private investigator is licensed. It seems as though this would go without saying, but it's an essential step nonetheless. Not only does having a license show that the private investigator is registered with the state, but it also indicates a level of professionalism that is not always found, particularly if you hire an investigation service over the internet.

When a private investigator is licensed, he or she should be able to provide you with documentation of that license and you will be able to rest assured that the information that you receive is accurate. Many licensed private investigators are also bonded – which provides you with an additional assurance that you will get the information that you are paying for.

Bonding, however, should not be confused with whether or not a private investigator is insured. Because a private investigator will be working your case, there's a good chance that they will be doing some work outside of their office. You'll want to be sure that he or she is insured in the event that damage occurs to another person's property while the private investigator is working on your behalf.

The more experienced a private investigator is, the more likely it will be that he or she is prepared to show that he or she is licensed, bonded and insured and may even offer documentation to you. But how can you be sure that a private investigator has experience?

The best way to determine a private investigator's experience is to ask. If you are looking for someone to conduct surveillance, ask whether or not the private investigator you are talking with has that experience. If you're looking for someone who is able to conduct background checks or asset searches, ask questions about what experience he or she has with those services.

In addition to making sure that a private investigator has the necessary qualifications to be in business and the experience required to perform the job, the next step is to ask the private investigator to sign a contract. That way, both you and the private investigator will know the details of the job as it is to be performed – whether or not background checks will be conducted, whether or not surveillance will take place – and the cost of having it completed.

A reputable private investigator will have no problems with signing a contract; in fact, he or she may already have a contract prepared that can be completed with the specific information about the job at hand, whatever it may be.

There aren't too many things that I can spend money on and not feel guilty about later. I don't go on shopping sprees at the mall and buy things that I'll never actually wear. I don't live a plentiful life with material belongings that I have no need for. But, I do splurge on books. I could possibly spend hours in a bookstore. All I have to do is walk into Borders or Barnes and Noble and see the Bestseller Books aisle and I'm in heaven.

In my opinion, you can never have too many books or read too much. I'veread enough of the bestseller books to be about to advise a particular author to friends and family. Many of my coworkers know that they don't need to go out and purchase the bestseller books they're dying to read, if they wait a few weeks they can borrow mine.

I joined the Literary Guild book club years ago and have long since fulfilled my required duty. I love the fact that I can get most of the bestseller books for half the cost of the stores. Granted, I don't always need to have them in hardback but that's all the book club offers so that's what I have scattered all over my house. If a book is worth reading, I can have it read in a weekend. My husband thinks it is ridiculous that I spend so much money on books and have them read within days. He doesn't
understand that to me, books are an investment.

One thing that I have learned is that bestseller books are not always the best books on the market. I've read so many books that were written by new authors or little known authors and they have completely won me over. I've passed those books onto coworkers who have also have never heard of the authors. Usually, they will agree that these less known books are much better than the some of the bestseller books that are on the market.

Sometimes, I think that well known author books go straight to the bestseller shelves simply because of who the author is. Is that fair. No. But, that's the way that market seems to work. Don't get me wrong, by no means am I condemning the bestseller books that are on the market. I usually purchase books from those shelves knowing that they will be enjoyable. Being a hopeful writer myself, I'm hoping that someday my writings will turn into bestseller books as well. Until then, I will just keep on reading. And passing those books onto the next person.

There are many things to consider when planning a Las Vegas wedding, especially if you are planning it from a different spot in the country or world.  It is important to find a chapel or wedding site that is going to meet all of you needs as well as your budget.  Here are some of the things to consider when choosing your Las Vegas wedding site:

1.  The Location - What are you looking for in a wedding location?  Are you hoping for something traditional or would you like something out of the ordinary?  Would you prefer an indoor location or do you have your heart set on an outdoor garden location?  Would you prefer one of the many destination weddings such as Red Rock Canyon, Lake Mead,  and Mount Charleston, that Las Vegas has to offer?  Deciding your location is the most important aspect of your wedding planning as it will set the whole tone for your wedding.

2. The Officiant - Would you be okay with a civil ceremony or would you prefer a religious ceremony?  Many Las Vegas locations including most of the wedding chapels provide you with an officiant that provides a civil wedding ceremony but many locations can arrange for a rabbi, minister etc. if you prefer a religious ceremony.  Of course in Las Vegas you also have the option of being married by the King himself, Elvis!

3. Flowers - Fresh or Silk?  Single stem presentation or cascade bouquet?  Roses, lilies or something tropical?  Las Vegas wedding locations that offer all inclusive packages usually offer some sort of flowers with the package.  If you have your heart set on something they don’t offer, you could always arrange for your own.  Many locations offer you at least a few options when it comes to choosing your flowers.  Some wedding chapels, including The Little Chapel of the Flowers, offer their own onsite flower shop where you can pick everything from the type of flowers that you would like to which ribbons you prefer with your flowers.  They can even special order flowers if you have a special request.

4. Music - Most Las Vegas wedding locations offer pre recorded music for your wedding ceremony as part of their packages.  Would you prefer live music for your ceremony?  A few locations do offer live musicians as part of their packages and many others are willing to arrange it for you at an additional cost.  So if you prefer a soloist or perhaps a cellist to the sounds of Kenny G coming from a sound system, you are in luck!

5. Photographs - Many consider this to be one of the most important aspects of the wedding planning since your wedding photographs are what you are going to look at for the years to come when you want to remember your wedding day.  Do you want a large photography package?  Are you interested in a lot of photographs of the ceremony, posed photos afterwards, or both?  Would you like prints or would you prefer to purchase you pictures on a CD or disk so you can reprint them later? Some locations offer photography packages that include the photographer going with you where ever you want for the day.  So if you dreamed of having wedding pictures taken in front of the Bellagio’s fountains, the Mirage’s volcano, or at the famous Welcome to Las Vegas sign, you are in luck!

6. Videography - Would you like a video of your ceremony?  Some locations offer the ceremony on VHS, others offer it on DVD, some offer you a choice of the two.  Many wedding chapels also offer web cam broadcasting of the ceremony.  Your wedding can be broadcast live on the internet for friends and family to view.

7. Transportation - Do you need transportation?  Most Las Vegas wedding chapels offer limousine transportation with their wedding packages.  Although it is included with the package, a gratuity to the limo driver is customary.  Some locations offer other transportation options are also offered.  Some of the chapels with drive thru ceremonies offer sports cars, bicycles, and even a monster truck for their drive thru ceremony packages.  If you are not getting married in a chapel and need to find your own transportation,  there are many businesses in Las Vegas that offer limousines, luxury and sports car rentals.

8. Wedding Attire - Do you plan to buy or rent you wedding attire?  If you are in need of something to wear for your wedding there are many locations around the Las Vegas area, including some of the wedding chapels, that have gowns, tuxedos, and themed costumes available to rent or purchase.  Some of these businesses will even deliver right to your hotel room for you.

These are the major decisions that you will face when planning your Las Vegas wedding.  Once you make these decisions, you can move on to the small ones like whether or not to splurge on that dove release!

Everybody talks about wedding invitations, but what about all the other terms and items that are associated with them.  Below are explanations of some of the more common terms and items that you’ll probably encounter while shopping for your invitations.    

<u>Seal n Send Invitations:</u>  This type of invitation is mailed to guests as a single-folded piece (without an envelope) having the respond postcard attached to the invitation by a perforation for easy removal.  Since the respond piece is a postcard, you will save on postage for the return mailing.  Prices for this product normally include seals along with a printed return address on both the back flap when initially mailing the invitation and on the perforated respond postcard.

<u>Announcements:</u>  For those who won’t be invited to your wedding but you would still like them to know about your marriage, you can mail them an announcement card.  They can be printed on the same paper as your invitation but mailed on your wedding day or immediately after with the wording stating that your wedding has already taken place.

<u>Reception Cards:</u>  If there isn’t enough room on your invitation for listing the details of your reception or if not all guests will be invited to attend the reception, reception cards can be ordered to match your invitations and then be included as a separate insert.  Please keep in mind that this card could possibly add to your mailing cost since postage is based on weight.

<u>Respond Cards:</u>  These cards are essential to planning for your dinner/reception since an accurate guest attendance count will be needed for food and seating preparations.  The respond card along with its mailing envelope will be inserted with your invitation.  Remember to include a postage stamp on this small envelope which will also have a mailing address already printed on it so all your guests have to do is fill out the card and mail it back by the date you have printed on it.

<u>Map Cards:</u>  These direction cards would be included as a convenience for any guests who might not be familiar with the location of the church and/or reception.     

<u>Printed Invitation Envelope Flaps:</u>  This option of having your return address printed on the outside envelope can save you valuable time and ensure that undeliverable invitations are returned to you.  There is a small cost involved but it also gives an address to those who might not be able to attend but still want to send you a card or gift.

<u>Lined Inner Envelopes:</u>  For a small charge, you can request your inner envelopes have a colored lining to add a special touch to your invitation ensemble.  Color choices will vary depending on the invitation style you choose.

<u>Envelope Seals:</u>  These self-adhesive labels add just the right finishing touch.  They are available in many styles and are used on your outer envelope making it look like they are holding the flap down even though it has already been sealed.

<u>Informal Notes:</u>  These are used separately from your invitations but should be included with your original order since they are usually printed on matching paper and this will save you on shipping costs.  They are personalized with either your names or monogram on the front with the inside being blank for writing your thank you notes.  Any leftovers can be used long after the wedding for other purposes.  Blank mailing envelopes are included with them.

Not all of the above items are necessary to make your wedding invitations complete.   Remember, this is your special day, so it’s your decision as to which ones you would like to include as part of your invitation ensemble.