No, not for that. We

Recently, my daughter who lives in Oregon, inquired on how to get a marriage license in another state and even country. I began searching and found some valuable information for those of you wondering “Exactly how do we get a marriage License if we go out of state, in state or out of the country?”

This is the web link for the State of California, on the laws and requirements for obtaining a marriage license:

http://www.dhs.ca.gov/chs/OVR/Marriage/GeneralInfo.htm

Blood tests are no longer required in California, the current fees are found by looking up the particular county you are going to get the license in. For instance San Luis Obispo County charges a $70.00 fee for the marriage license. To obtain a marriage license, parties, bride and groom must be present with their picture identification and both must be 18 or over and not married to some else.

This is the web link for the County of San Luis Obispo, California on the laws and requirements for obtaining a marriage license:

http://www.slocounty.ca.gov/clerk/Marriage_License_and_Ceremonies/Marriage_license_requirements.htm

In other states laws vary, look up your state to find specifics on these laws and conditions.

I have found that by using your favorite search engine, you can enter the name of the country and inquire for instance like this:

How to get married in New Zealand

Many web sites will come up, by going to the official legal site in the states, counties and countries you will find free and valid information. There are also foreign tourist sites that are very excited about arranging the details of your wedding. For a fee they will be glad to help you.

Hope this helps.

Auntie M.

Ladies, are you shopping for that perfect little teddy that will set your man into a state of bliss for your special night? Well here are some tips that could help you feel and be you’re most beautiful self.

Four weeks before your wedding, schedule two massages and two manicure/pedicure sessions. The first of the two scheduled sessions should be right at four weeks before the wedding. You will begin to feel a lot of stress at this time and one of the most wonderful things you can do is take care of yourself. By indulging in a deep tissues or any other type of massage you will be putting yourself first and forcing your body to slow down and completely relax.

If you live on the Central Coast of California you will find a wide array of massage therapists available. The Madonna Inn has recently hired a friend’s sister who is so dedicated to the art of making you relaxed you will literally melt away any anxiety. Schedule your second massage for one week before the wedding along with your second manicure and pedicure. By pampering yourself a little to look and feel beautiful you will ignite the inner strength and security that make you so attractive.

If you have access to your honeymoon suite before your wedding night sneak in and pull back the blankets. Lightly spray some lavender scented linen spray on the sheets. Bring in several bottles of sparking mineral water for the bedside table and a small bag of almonds and a small box of the best chocolate truffles you can afford. You can always order champagne from the kitchen to have sent up.

When the reception is finally over and you two slip away, take a shower with your favorite smelling shower gel and rub some scented essential oils into your skin so you will be soft all over. Slip into that perfect lacy little teddy. Your feet and fingernails will be clean and beautiful. Your body is relaxed yet excited and you are perfectly prepared for the first night of the rest of your life. Enjoy this moment with the one you love and cherish the memories you create together.

Thoughts of Love, Intimacy, Champagne , Candy, Music and Romance fill the air today. So do sweaty palms, second peeks in boxes, and thousands of plans being gone over by nervous men ready to propose the most important question of his, and your, life.

Valentine’s Day is not just an important day for long term lovers, it is a day that begins a journey for many new couples.

What a wonderful day for a wedding proposal! But how do you ask, what do you say, what will be your reply?

We’d like to share some romantic ideas for wedding proposals. These come from real life experiences and stories we’ve heard over the years. Please feel free to add your story at the bottom.

With Red Roses behind your back you pull up to your sweethearts home. When you reach the door she greets you dressed in a gorgeous off the shoulder red dress and heels.

You grab her neck and nibble teasingly while bringing forth the deep red roses. Your white, very clean, SUV is parked outside ready to sweep her off to a special destination. She has no idea what you’re up to. You help her into your carriage and drive off to a private hillside where you two are completely alone. You’re in luck, the moon is full and there’s a warm breeze blowing in the pines.

You lift her outside, where you have several large and comfortable cushions and blankets set up. You have the best Champagne you could afford on ice, a C.D. player with your romantic songs ready to play, and a basket full of delicious treats you can share together. There are 4 large strawberries which have been dipped in chocolate, two beautiful crystal champagne glasses (you can use at your wedding), you have pre-arranged with your favorite deli to prepare you a special antipasto platter, which should include some crackers or brochettes, olives, cheeses, and thin sliced deli meats, grapes or fruits and additional wine or spring waters.

You share your romantic feast with your sweetie, as you pour her glass of champagne for her, she hears something tinkling on the glass

There’s nothing worse than starting out your new life heavily in debt. And among break-ups, finance is cited as the leading cause.

It’s great to dream about the Cinderella wedding ceremony, but that doesn’t mean you have to sell your future for it. A sane plan for a wedding starts with setting a budget and staying at least close to it. Once you’ve set the budget, you can split the money between different areas, then try and get the best for your budget after that. And we’ll try and help you in that effort as we add in tips here. We want you to have a great, beautiful, elegant wedding. Auntie M just doesn’t want you to risk the future for one day. You can be beautiful and impress your guests without mortgaging the farm.

Start by making a list of everyone you just have to invite. This will be your family, his (or her) family, family you have to invite for your parents, and those friends that have shared everything else in your life.

We’ll plan for them first. Then, when we’re finished, if there’s money left over we can think about inviting more people.

There are fixed costs and variable costs. On top of that plan for a flexible budget that covers unexpected costs.

Fixed costs are those items that will stay the same, no matter how many people you invite. You want to start by budgeting for these costs first. Here are some of the fixed costs.

• The bridal gown
• Bouquets
• Limousines
• Wedding Cake (Bride and groom, wedding party, and a layer to freeze)
• Officiate
• DJ
• Band
• Reception Location (though this may jump depending on guests. 50 - 70, 80 -150, 200 - 300)
• Photographer
• Videographer
• Wedding party gifts
• Hotels
• Cleaning costs
• Guest book and pen

Then there are the variable costs. We’ll start with a price per guest for the required guests, then you can add in more guests if you feel it’s within your budget.

• Meals
• Hors d’oeuvres
• Champagne for toasts
• Bar
• Table decorations
• Table cameras
• Tables
• Chairs
• Tablecloths
• Ice

You can prioritize these areas even more by breaking them into fleeting and permanent. Don’t skimp too much on the photographer by asking Uncle Joe to take photos. The photographs go in to wallets, hang on walls, sit on your coffee table, and are mailed to special guests to say thank you. We’ll talk more about this later.

Flowers are beautiful and add that extra dimension to your wedding. But they are fleeting and will be carried out to be forgotten before the dancing is over.

Be sure and leave 10% - 20% of your budget for unexpected costs.

We’ve talked about some cost savings like purchasing your bridal gown and special stores in San Francisco . We’ll talk about other areas in the future. Like going to downtown Los Angeles to get flowers.

I’d also like to say that I really respect the way that the Jehovah’s Witness church pitches in to help wedding parties. They bring food, serve dinners, clean up, and do everything to help the new couple. More of us should do that to help.

This isn’t fun. But being firm here is one of the most important steps in starting your new life. There will be lots of unexpected costs in the future, and by starting out on the right foot you’ll set a foundation you can always use.

The Portuguese Wedding

Today more than 99% of all Portuguese are Roman Catholic and most weddings over the past 30 years or so have been patterned after the modern religious ceremonies in the United States and Western Europe .

In traditional Portuguese wedding ceremonies, brides wear a white Chinese tunic covered with colorful jewels. The groom wears a dark suit, white shirt, and a stylish dark top hat. At the conclusion of the ceremony, as the bride and groom are placing their wedding bands on each other’s hand, the priest covers the couple with his stole.

Then, as the happy couple exit the church, their friends and family throw flowers and candies in the same way that other cultures toss rice or wheat. Following the ceremony the couple parades through the streets, where friends, family and even complete strangers wish them happiness in their new life together. The couple then have a quiet time together, where they traditionally drink tea and eat small cakes.

The following day the couple visit all of their wedding guests and personally thank each one for attending their wedding.

It is also still customary, as it was in ancient times, for friends and neighbors to lend a hand wherever they can to help with the celebration and with the wedding itself. Also, the ancient custom of passing around the bride’s shoe during the reception and stuffing it with money to help the young couple with their honeymoon and to help them start their new life together is still very much alive. Today the young couple is more likely to go to a wedding reception following the marriage ceremony. The reception is held either at a home or, more commonly today, in a restaurant. During the reception there is much traditional music, dancing, plenty of sea food and other delicacies, and much wine. Portugal is known for its wine and wedding guests are known for their frequent toasts to the happy couple.

At the reception there is much dancing and laughing and the telling of stories about the bride and the groom. There is also, traditionally, a money dance, during which young men pay for the privilege of dancing with the bride or during which the bride’s shoe is passed around the dance floor and is filled with money to help the new couple get a start in life and to have a long and happy honeymoon.

It is becoming more and more common for weddings to incorporate some of the fun and old-fashioned values of tradition. There are few places in the world more steeped in tradition or more romantic in which to marry than Portugal .

Some ideas on destination weddings in Portugal are at this web-site:

http://www.weddingsinportugal.com/

Filipino Wedding

With the number of Filipino families immigrating to the United States and especially California , weddings are big business!

Because our country is so ethnically diverse, we are providing some valuable resources for various cultural weddings. These websites hold valuable information that may give you some new ideas and keep in the theme of your culture.

In early Filipino custom, the groom-to-be threw his spear at the front steps of his intended’s home, a sign that she has been spoken for. These days, a ring suffices as the symbol of engagement.

The Engagement

After the couple has decided to marry, the first order of business is the pamanhikan, where the groom and his parents visit the bride’s family to ask for her hand in marriage. Wedding plans are often made at this time, including a discussion of the budget and guest list. Don’t be surprised if the groom-to-be is expected to run some errands or help out around the bride’s house. This tradition is called paninilbihan, where the suitor renders service to his future wife’s family to gain their approval.

The Wedding Outfits

The white wedding dress has become popular in the last hundred years or so with America ’s influence in the Philippines . Before that, brides wore their best dress, in a festive color or even stylish black, to celebrate a wedding. Orange blossom bouquets and adornments were a must during the turn of the last century. For men, the barong tagalog is the traditional Filipino formal wear. It is a cool, almost transparent, embroidered shirt, made from silky pina or jusi, two native ecru fabrics. It is worn tucked out, over black pants, with a white t-shirt underneath. These days, a Filipino American groom might wear the conventional black tux, but Filipino male wedding guests will usually show up in their finest barongs.

Ba ..

Culturally Diverse Weddings

Because our country is so ethnically diverse, we are providing some valuable resources for various cultural weddings. These websites hold valuable information that may give you some new ideas and keep in the theme of your culture.

This is a great web-site all about Jewish Weddings:

This husband and wife team has a free newsletter and much of the information you will ever need.

The Chinese Wedding

is steeped tradition and historical rituals from setting the wedding date (which is to be determined by a Fung sui expert, fortune teller or members of both families) to choosing the proper foods to be eaten at the reception. Check out this factual and historical Chinese wedding site for some ideas of your own.

In Chinese legend, the fatherly God-in-the-moonlight ties a red string around the ankles of the man and woman who are supposed to be husband and wife someday.

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Pasadena Convention Center
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Sunday, January 29, 2006
11am to 4pm

Also Bridesmaid,
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During the California Bridal Show

Sales Assistants will be on hand
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Bring your friends and make a day of it!

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