Love and Lobster Coastal New England Weddings

You’ve probably attended a wedding where the bride and groom weren’t the only ones feeling romantic. Maybe the maid of honor flirted shamelessly with the groom’s brother, or two single guests hit it off singing along to “Sweet Caroline.”

But what if your guests could get to know each other before the wedding? A new company called Weduary lets couples build custom wedding websites with the added bonus of social networking features.

Along with the typical location and registry information, brides and grooms to-be can help their guests connect through Facebook. Guests can see which friends they have in common with other attendees, tell personal stories about the couple, and use a “Flirt” feature to pinpoint other single guests they might want to meet based on common interests.

Real social butterflies can even edit their personal profile page to share their cell number and let others know where they’re staying and when they’ll arrive.

After hearing about dating websites for married couples and Instagram photo sharing for wedding guests, Weduary should come as no surprise. New technology, whether in the wedding world or the wider world, is all about helping people connect.

Who knows, maybe your guests can find love while they help you celebrate yours. What’s not to “like” about that?

A recent New York Times article got the wedding world buzzing about a new trend: the staged elopement.

Falling somewhere between a quickie wedding in Vegas and the typical all-out affair, the staged elopement is a reflection of the times. Couples who would rather avoid the stress and intense planning of a standard wedding, but who still dream of the fairytale locale and the dream dress, are fashioning a new middle ground. Rather than a last-minute scramble to the altar, brides and grooms-to-be are planning romantic getaways with music, photos, flowers and food – but no guests.

If the elopement packages being offered at Maine inns and resorts are any indication, the trend has made its way to the Northeast.

Here are just a few of the spots catering to elopements:

Berry Manor Inn, Rockland: The inn will arrange for the officiant, flowers, cake, witnesses and a professional photographer. Celebrate with a meal at a downtown restaurant, and return to a room bedecked with rose petals, chocolate-dipped strawberries and chilled champagne.

Beachmere Inn, Ogunquit: Enjoy a two-night stay in an oceanfront suite, plus flowers, a justice of the peace, dinner for two at a local restaurant, and a relaxing couples massage at the inn’s spa.
Inn by the Sea, Cape Elizabeth: In addition to two nights in a room with an ocean view, the inn’s package includes long-stemmed roses, wine and a three-course dinner. Wake up to your first day as a married couple with an in-room honeymoon breakfast.

Sebasco Harbor Resort, Phippsburg: Choose from a variety of indoor and outdoor coastal ceremony sites, and let the resort supply the officiant, a wine and cheese platter, and flowers.

Noble House Inn, Bridgton: The inn’s all-inclusive package features welcome mimosas, a two-night stay in a luxurious suite, an officiant, a bouquet and boutonniere, professional photography, a multi-course dinner and a petite custom cake. The next day, feast on a gourmet breakfast. (Ready to say “I do” right away? The inn is offering $200 off spring 2012 bookings.)

The results of TheKnot’s annual wedding survey are in, with a few surprises this time around.

The survey, conducted with WeddingChannel.com, lifts the veil on the trends and tastes of engaged couples during the previous year.  In 2011, cupcakes and the color purple remained all the rage, but a new trend also emerged: bigger budgets.

• For the first time since 2008, the typical wedding budget grew. An average couple spent $27,021 on their walk down the aisle, compared to $26,984 last year (not including the honeymoon). 29% of brides said the economy affected their budget, a dip from 31% in 2010. Boston made the list of the 20 most expensive wedding locales, where couples shelled out $35,560 on average.

The wedding winds are shifting in a few other areas, too:

• Brides got a jump on planning. One in three started prepping more than a year ahead of time. Think that’s ambitious? 16% of women reported planning their big day before getting engaged.
• Couples fell for fall. Only 37% of weddings took place in the summer months of June, July and August last year, down from 41% in 2010 and 2009. The numerically auspicious dates of 9/10/11 and 11/11/11 gave autumn an edge.
• Love went digital. Nearly 70% of couples created a wedding website and 45% shared wedding details with guests through social media. Three out of five brides tapped her trusty smartphone to share wedding-related photos, look up vendors and manage a registry.

But not all trends are on the way out:

• Couples kept it casual. Most brides planned semi-formal affairs, but fewer opted for black tie. In 2011, 16% of brides described their wedding as casual, compared to 14% in 2010 and 12% in 2009.
• A preference for purple. It’s still the fastest-growing wedding color. Brown weddings are falling out of favor, though, after the countless espresso-toned weddings that popped up in 2008.
• A soft spot for cupcakes. These sweet treats aren’t going anywhere. Their popularity swelled from 13% of weddings in 2010 to 17% last year. Watch out three-tiered cakes, you’ve got some pint-sized competition.

If you’ve visited Portland’s Old Port in recent months, you may have noticed all the construction equipment surrounding the Portland Regency. The historic hotel launched a major renovation in January, and the big unveiling is now just two short weeks away.

If you’re planning a wedding in the Portland area, be sure to check out the Regency for guest accommodations. The boutique hotel, built in 1895, is in the midst of adding four new luxury suites on the fourth floor. Guests can choose from two studio suites or two even more lavish governor’s suites. Families with kids will appreciate the roomy set up, while the bride and groom tuck away for some wedding night privacy.

With 95 rooms, the Regency has space for plenty of your guests. (Plus pampering at their full-service spa and local fare at the hotel’s Twenty Milk Street restaurant).

Don’t wait to make reservations. Even the not-quite-finished suites are booking up as word gets around that renovations are in the final stretch, Director of Sales David Davis tells us. Regular guests are also eyeing the new balconies, which were added to all of the fourth-floor rooms as part of the project. We can’t wait to see those panoramic ocean views.

The renovated rooms will be available in mid-May, following a ribbon-cutting celebration on May 14.

Of all our 10 fingers, the ring finger certainly gets the most attention. (Hitchhikers and angry drivers may disagree).

So why is it that we wear our wedding bands on the third finger of the left hand? The tradition is thought to have its roots with the ancient Romans, who believed the vein running through that finger was connected directly to the heart. The “vena amoris,” or “vein of love,” was considered symbolic of deep and everlasting devotion.

Another theory is derived from medieval times, when the groom first placed the ring on the bride’s thumb, followed by her index finger and middle finger, as he recited “In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost.” The ring came to rest on the bride’s next available finger.

A more pragmatic explanation is that the ring finger is the least intrusive spot to wear a ring, given that most people are right-handed.

Wedding rings are worn on the right hand in other countries, however, particularly in eastern Europe. Some Greek women wear a ring on their left hand during the engagement, moving it to their right hand after marriage.

This is one of those customs whose true origins we may never know. But that doesn’t mean the words “I Do” have any less ring to them.

Do you take your iPhone, to have and to hold from this day forward, in sickness and in health, ‘till a dead zone do you part?

Smartphones have become so central to the wedding planning process that they practically deserve a seat at the head table.

Check out a few of the latest apps that have brides buzzing. (Vera Wang’s not the only one going mobile.)

Destination Weddings & Honeymoons: The app for this popular magazine features dreamy photos of far-flung locales, travel suggestions and tips from recent brides. A new update added a personalized list tool that allows couples to save favorite destinations and ideas. With a subscription, download a free bonus resort guide.

Wedding Budget: Track expenses and deposits while keeping a running tally of your remaining dollars with this practical app. See your costs broken down by category (gown, flowers, music, etc.), how much you have left to spend and when payments are due to vendors. Red flags pop up when you’ve gone over budget.

Cards: Snap a photo on your iPhone, then use this app to incorporate your image into a paper thank-you card or invitation. Choose from 21 letterpress designs, select mailing addresses from your contacts, and your order is off to your friends’ mailboxes. The cost: $2.99 each, including the envelope and postage to anywhere in the U.S.

Wedding Party: Ok it hasn’t hit the market just yet, but we’re already intrigued by Wedding Party’s day-of appeal. Couples can customize the app for their wedding, and invite friends to download it and share their photos from the big day. Loved ones can also post well wishes and contribute to a digital guestbook. No more hounding guests for photos!