Kidnapping the Bride: In Germany, some people will kidnap the bride and then hide her away, leaving it up to the groom to find her. Turns out this seemingly scary custom is one in which the groom enlists the help if his friends and they generally converge at the local bar to plan their rescue over a few drinks!

Blackening the Bride: In Scottish tradition, the friends and family of the bride catch her off guard and cover her in a nasty mixture of eggs, sauces, creams and anything else they can get their hands on! She is then paraded around town for all to see.

Guests Stealing Kisses: There is a Swedish tradition that allows the guests to steal kisses from the bride or groom when the one is out of the room. If the bride leaves the room, all of the female guests line up to steal a kiss from the groom and if the groom steps out; all of the male guests line up to kiss the bride!

Stealing the Grooms Shoes: In India, it is customary for the bride-to-be’s family to do all they can to steal the groom’s wedding shoes which he is required to remove before entering the ceremony. The groom’s family in turn does all they can to protect the shoes and keep them from getting stolen! If the bride’s family succeeds in getting the shoe, his family is obligated to pay whatever ransom her family requests in order to get the shoe back!

Sawing the Log: Another German tradition entails the newlyweds to saw a log together! A log is placed between the two of them immediately after the wedding and the each take a hold of opposite ends of a saw and work together to cut it in half. This is supposed to be a sign of how they will deal with things together as husband and wife.

I know there are a million more out there, but these were the ones that I personally found to be the oddest/funniest customs. If you know of a good one I would love to hear about it! Leave a comment and share your favorite wedding tradition.

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The second he pops the question, our minds automatically fill up with everything-wedding and all of a sudden we become these information junkies who need to get our newly-diamond-decorated little hands on any reading material we can related to weddings, whether magazines, planning books or even fiction that revolves around brides, weddings, etc, etc, etc.

I decided to save you a little bit of browsing/searching time (so you can spend it gloating to your single friends) and gather a list of the coolest and most amusing bride/wedding books out there.

Have a look!

The Funny Bride Guide is exactly what the title suggests—a funny guide for brides that includes all kinds of unique tips and tricks, all written with wit and humor to help keep things light during this otherwise potentially stressful time.

Anti-Bride Wedding Planner: Hip Tools for Getting Hitched is a dream for any bride-to-be who wants everything other than the typical wedding experience! A great read and super-helpful for the unconventional bride.

Anti-Bride Etiquette Guide: The Rules – And How to Bend Them goes hand-in-hand with the Anti-Bride Wedding Planner.

Anti-Bride Guide: Tying The Knot Outside of the Box is just as great as the two already mentioned above and offers the best in hip tips for brides who are looking for anything but a cookie-cutter wedding. The set of all 3 would make an AWESOME gift for any unconventional bride.

Autobiography of a Fat Bride won’t help you with your wedding plans or offer tips on invitations or dresses, but it will give you a chuckle as you read about the author facing the reality of her new ‘grown-up life’ after marriage.

Offbeat Bride: Taffeta-Free Alternatives for Independent Brides is one of the best guides to planning a non-traditional wedding on a budget. The book is all based on the authors experience and you can bet that all the tips and advice come from experience.

Tied in Knots: Funny Stories from the Wedding Day is a collection of true and hilarious wedding day mishaps.

Diary Of A Mad Bride is the funny story of a bride-to-be who becomes everything that she always vowed she wouldn’t; a crazy, neurotic, obsessive bridezilla. A great read for the girl who always said that she’d never get married, never wear a white dress and all that and now finds herself wanting all of those things and more.

Any one of these books is sure to offer some comic relief and even some helpful insight when it comes to your wedding planning and even your marriage. Stop, take the time to breathe and have a laugh.

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Choosing the song that you have your first dance to should really be a combination of both of your tastes and input. If you have a song that was playing the first time you met; why not use it even if it is a dancey or harder sounding song? Too many couples choose songs that they have no real attachment to all for the sake of going with what is ‘appropriate’ or ‘expected’ at a wedding.

Think about songs that mean something to you both no matter what the tempo or even words! If it reminds you of each other, then go for it! If you’re really stumped and looking for songs with lyrics that are real, full of raw emotion and not churned out of some ballad-making machine; consider these:

Adrie’s Picks for The Best Wedding Songs

You’re My Best Friend – Queen

The One that I Want – Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta (yes, from Grease!)

More Than A Woman – The Bee Gees

Underneath it All – No Doubt

Clumsy – Fergie

Somethin’ Stupid – Frank and Nancy Sinatra or Robbie Williams and Nicole Kidman

Beautiful Day – U2 (The lyrics aren’t necessarily romantic, but the song is hopeful, happy and a great kick off to your wedding and new life!)

Melt With You – Modern English

Crazy In Love – Beyonce and JayZ

Umbrella – Rihanna

Your Song – Elton John (Not one of his latest easy-listening mistakes!)

** Click on any song title to read the lyrics **

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Being a Christmas junkie, I’ve spent my entire life keeping all other events and happenings as far away from December as possible in order to really go all out at Christmas and not have to ‘share it’ with any other occasion, but now as my girly wedding-obsessed gene is coming in; I find myself tickled by the idea of a Christmas wedding.

With Yule time being a time for peace, love tradition and yes, presents; it makes sense to have a wedding during the ‘most wonderful time of the year’! If you’re lucky enough to live in an area that gets snow—even better because the ambience is taken care of by Mother Nature!

I found some great and super Christmassy wedding cakes and favors that would make a Christmas theme wedding just perfect ( see pics) and I’ve come up with a few suggestions on making your wedding as Xmas cheery as can be without spending a whole lot!

Cheap Christmas Wedding Favors:

- Enlist the help of your bridal party and family and make Personalized Christmas Ornaments for each guest. As opposed to the usual tribute to yourselves; opt for something simple, like ‘Peace’, ‘Love’, ‘Joy’… you get the idea and include your first names and date on the other side. Plain glass balls are inexpensive and can be bought in boxes of 24 or more for next to nothing at your local department store. Use a sparkly/metallic gel pen instead of paint for a more refined look.

- Mini tins of Christmas Cookies make a sweet and traditional favor! Bake some tiny gingerbread people and use the icing to draw a bow tie on the groom and veil or dress for the bride. There are even personalized tins on the market if you look around for them, though cheap decorative Christmas tins are even available at dollar stores!

- Personalized Tea-Light Holders are easy to make using either inexpensive plain tea-light holders from any store or even clear shot glasses – as long as the candle fits inside. Be sure to use Christmas-friendly scents like cinnamon or mulberry and a sparkle or metallic gel/paint pen for personalizing each one.

- A Christmas CD featuring the same classic carols that you’ll play at your wedding would be a favor that people would use and cherish for years. Keep the song choices traditional and elegant. For the covers (cheaper bought in bulk!), have appropriate sized cards made using the same font as your invitations and other wedding stationary to place on the front with your message, names and date and also for the back or inside with a listing of sing titles.

Other nifty ideas:

Instead of ordering ornament-style place card holders like the ones pictured (right); try making your own! If you’re not up for decorating each of them; buy ornaments that match the color scheme of your wedding. If you opt for Christmas balls; use a ribbon to tie on the name cards.

Use mini Christmas trees—real or artificial—as centerpieces! Add sparkle and shine with little ornaments or battery operated lights. Raffle off each one at the end of the night using a game of some kind or just give away to the youngest or oldest person at each table. (Check online for game ideas)

Personalized Hot Chocolate as favors! I found these while surfing the net and thought they were just the cutest favors I had ever seen! What is better than hot chocolate on a cold winter day?!

Making your Christmas wedding as Christmassy as can be is so easy—the easiest of all theme weddings really, thanks to the availability of seasonal decorations, ornaments, trinkets and music. It’s already such a magical time of the year and people really do seem to feel jollier; so why not take advantage of all that love and cheer and have the most important day of your life during this wonderful season to make it all the more special.

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It really can snowball quickly if you’re not careful and then , before you know it, you find yourself trapped under a blanket of guilt—the type that only a mom is capable of weaving—and your wedding is becoming a reflection of everyone’s taste but yours! You need to learn how to tactfully nip this in the bud… more like butts and take control over the situation without hurting anyone’s feelings and long before your dream wedding becomes their dream wedding; complete with fluffy cupcake-style dresses and downright scary floral arrangements that look as if they belong around the neck of the winning horse at the Kentucky Derby!

• Remember that no matter how demanding/controlling/fussy/downright bitchy moms can be; they always believe that they are doing what’s best for you. A little patience may be hard, but try to cut them a little slack before flying off the handle and contemplating eloping.

• Make a list of the things that you are CERTAIN about in regard to the wedding, like the dress that you’ve been imagining your entire life, the bridal party dresses that your best friends have already said ‘I do’ to, etc. These items should stay off limits even if it means going and buying them before you tell the moms about them.

• Be willing to at least consider one thing that each mother feels strongly about as long as it is NOT on your list. Certain traditions mean a lot to parents when it comes to their children’s wedding. Find ways to incorporate them with your own spin.

• To avoid the guilt-trip that may follow when the mom’s find out that you have already chosen something without them and their precious opinion; have your heartfelt excuse ready! ‘I really wanted to do this with you guys but I just happened to come across it and loved it sooooooo much. Plus it was such a good deal.’ That’s usually enough to keep things pretty.

• Talk to them about your ideas BEFORE you walk into any bridal shop or start visiting an wedding sites ready to shop. This way they may feel a little bit of guilt in trying to sway you from the invitations, favors or anything else that you have your heart set on.

You may want to please everyone—especially those who may be footing the bill, but when it all comes down to it; this is your wedding and the kick off to your life with the man you love. How you choose to start this chapter in your life ultimately is your choice. Be patient, have fun and try to have a thick skin and you should be fine. If all else fails: blame him!

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