AISLES & ALTARS II

Today is all about inspiration for your ceremony altar. This can be dictated by your religion and family traditions, such as using a chuppah. But the options are limited only by your imagination - or your coordinator's, and it is a fantastic way to represent who you are and what feeling you want to share with your guests. Will it be grand or simple? Modern or traditional? Man-made or organic?

I love using antique furniture - from dressers like this, to salvaged doors ...

Fabric panels to provide a backdrop and lots of candles ...

Stunning in its simplicity ...

Romantic and natural ...

Romantic and ethereal ...Intimate ...

Regal ...

What will you do for your altar?

LOVE LETTERS

There is a tradition for the bride and groom to exchange gifts on their wedding; a token of their abiding love. It's a beautiful tradition, and one most often carried out in private. I've seen this gift take many forms - everything from jewelry to cars (an Aston Martin, yes please!).

My personal favorite is also the most affordable, albeit not always the easiest... Words from the heart. A love letter written to your partner, to be read in a quiet moment before you walk down the aisle. Words that convey what the day, and the moment mean to you. There is nothing more meaningful. And there is no gift that preserves the emotions of that day, like a letter that you can look back on fifty years later.

It's one of my greatest pleasures, getting to be the messenger delivering these love letters to my brides and grooms ... to see the softness that comes into their eyes, and all the anxiety melt away. I highly recommend it.

Here are a few of the great love letters in history to inspire you:Do you plan to exchange gifts with your partner? What will you do?

RESOLUTIONS AND CHANGING YOUR NAME

I have been married now for just about one and a half years. Glorious days; never been happier. And I LOVE my new name! No offense to my family, but Donna Romani WAY beats Donna Sniffin! And yet, I still have not completed all the paperwork to finalize my name change.

I've done all the basics to make it legal ... DMV, Social Security, etc., but the amount of paperwork and the volume of companies that hold your identity is astounding - from credit cards and bank accounts, to gym memberships, utility companies, pet insurance and microchipping. It takes a lot of time and patience.

I have two outstanding items left to do in order to make myself 100-percent Romani. My resolution for 2010 is to finally complete the process.

For all of you anticipating the process in the coming year, I highly recommend a name change kit. It doesn't help you fill out the paperwork, but it provides you with direction and all the necessary forms. I never would have figured out the form I needed for social security if I hadn't been provided with it by my kit. And I never would have known about some of the places I needed to inform if I hadn't been guided.

Here are two great resources, totally worth the money:

Miss Now Mrs, $19.95 (Basic) to $29.95 (Complete)

The Knot's Name Change Kit, $29.95

What are your resolutions???