Muchnick - The ultimate wedding idea book : 1,001 creative ideas to make your wedding fun, romantic, and memorable

Cynthia Muchnick offers a multitude of fresh ideasfrom announcing the engagement to planning the honeymoon. Her smart, practical, and creative advice is sure to inspire many engaged couples.

Diane Forden, editor in chief, Bridal Guidemagazine

The Ultimate Wedding Idea Book is chock-full of great ideas that will inspire and delight you. It is a must read for brides, wedding consultants, and wedding party members. Muchnick offers hundreds of helpful tips, clever ideas, and just plain fun wedding tidbits. Dont plan your wedding without consulting her creative, concise, and easy-to-read book.

Adam Sandow, vice president, The Knot,
www.theknot.com

Wow! A great alternative to the Internet! Author Cynthia Muchnick has taken hundreds of hours of research, along with personal insights and tips, and distilled them down into one very easy-to-read book that lists more ideas than a bride could ever use in a lifetime. An invaluable resource!

Beverly Clark, nationally renowned wedding authority,
author, Planning a Wedding to Remember

The Ultimate Wedding Idea Book is a quick and easy way to get a wealth of useful wedding information.

Marcy Blum, author, Weddings for Dummies and The Wedding Kit for Dummies

If youre planning a wedding from scratch, The Ultimate Wedding Idea Book is a perfect and practical way to begin the process. From engagement parties to bridesmaids dresses to the walk down the aisle, youll find tips that will keep you on track and on budget.

Connie Olson Kearns, wedding planner and president, Bridal Network, Inc.

Before popping the question or saying I do, be sure to first arm yourself with a copy of The Ultimate Wedding Idea Book. Muchnick approaches the art of wedding planning from all angles, leaving nothing to chance. Its like having your own portable bridal consultant with you at all times.

Elizabeth Arrighi Borsting, travel writer, author, Celebrity Weddings & Honeymoon Getaways

The Ultimate Wedding Idea Book is full of friendly, thoughtful advice from a bridal expert. Muchnick offers the newly engaged solid tips for ensuring a satisfying experience for all and a truly happy ending and beginning for the bride and groom.

Maria McBride-Mellinger, author, The Perfect Wedding and The Perfect Wedding Reception

Where were these great ideas when I got married? Muchnicks ideas are like having a best friend, wedding planner, confidante, troubleshooter, and etiquette expert in one!

Michelle Merker, television producer/host, Southland Todayfor KDOC-TV

Cynthia Muchnick has touched the hearts of thousands of readers through her monthly column in The Happy Times newspaper. Her new book is a perfect guide to adding even more exuberance to the most joyful of occasions.

Brigitte Lang, publisher, The Happy Times Monthly

The Frugal Bride

Will You Marry Me?
The Worlds Most Romantic Proposals

101 Ways to Pop the Question

The Best College Admission Essays

Copyright 2001 by Cynthia Muchnick

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without written permission from Random House, Inc., except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review.

Published by Three Rivers Press, New York, New York.
Member of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc.
www.crownpublishing.com

THREE RIVERS PRESS and the Tugboat design are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.

Originally published by Prima Publishing, Roseville, California, in 2001.

Certain suggestions are made in this book. While these are intended to be helpful to the reader, the reader must assume all risk associated with following any particular suggestion. Therefore, in purchasing this book, the reader agrees that the author and publisher are not liable or responsible for any injury or damage caused by the use of any information contained herein.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Muchnick, Cynthia Clumeck.
The ultimate wedding idea book: 1,001 creative ideas to make your wedding fun, romantic, and memorable / Cynthia Muchnick.
p. cm.
1. WeddingsUnited StatesPlanning. I. Title.
HQ745+.
395.22dc21 00-068692

eISBN: 978-0-307-80914-8

v3.1

To Justin and Jacob, my two little princesmay you find the loves of your lives someday and live happily ever after.

Getting engaged is a big deal. It means that you have finally made the ultimate decision to commit to one person for the rest of your life. After popping the question, many young men are surprised to discover that their girlfriends have been dreaming of this moment for as long as they can remember. So, prospective grooms, dont stress too much, but take the time to plan a proposal that is unique and appropriate to your relationship, one that will show your intended that you care enough to create a memorable proposal. Youll be surprised how many times you will be asked to tell the story of how you proposed. And if your story is truly memorable, it will become a family folk tale that you will share with others for years to come. Im happy to share my own story to get you in the mood and perhaps inspire you, too.

Our first kiss was at the Rodin Sculpture Garden, the most romantic spot on our college campus at Stanford University. Less than three years later, on a spring break vacation, Adam and I visited the Rodin Sculpture Garden in Paris. Having studied art history in college, I was thrilled to be with my boyfriend in this most perfect setting. After a romantic stroll through the garden, we sat down on a park bench for a friendly game of Scrabble. (We are Scrabble buffs, and our Travel Scrabble game accompanies us everywhere!) As the game progressed, Adam managed to filch some tiles from the bag, and he placed them on the board. When he put down the word MARRY, I giggled nervously, finding it odd that he should make such a strategically bad move and give me a chance for a triple word score.