The Distilled Man is hosting this webinar to help grooms get a gold star from their stressed out brides-to-be. They also have other online classes like grilling, cocktails and poker. But back to the wedding, as this should be your focus right now. Lord knows it’s hers, as she spends every waking hour (and probably hours dreaming too) about all things weddings. From guest lists to invites, bridesmaid’s dresses and shoes, planning a wedding is a ton of work, and if you can show just a little bit of interest and take some of the pressure off of her, she will be forever grateful and you will look like a hero in a tux.

The 90-minute interactive seminar will give you tips on getting more involved, how to surprise your bride, ideas to reduce and eliminate stress, and how you can be truly amazing on your wedding day. This is a guys-only event, so don’t feel bashful to ask questions. But if you are a shy groom, you can sit back and just absorb what you learn. It’s all stuff grooms want and need to know!

The seminar will be conducted by Jason Spencer of Spencer Weddings and Entertainment in Santa Clara, CA. He has over 16 years of experience in the wedding and event planning industry, so you’ll be in good hands no doubt. Bring your questions, as this is one of those times when there’s no such thing as a stupid one. Trust me–if you’re thinking it, chances are so is everyone else. So, go ahead…be a hero before your big day arrives!

1. Wow’ing Them- Good food, good drinks, and good music are what your guests will remember. Sure, catered food is de rigeur when it comes to weddings, but why not go the homemade route? Have your family and friends help with the menu, and bring their famous dishes. They can also help with the bar by donating a bottle of alcohol, or mixing up a batch of their famous wild lemonade. And the playlist? Surely, your friends have CD’s or an iPod you can borrow, which will help free up money you would have otherwise spent on a DJ.

2. Do Us a Favor- It’s ridiculous to think you need to go all out on party favors for your guests. Yes, it’s nice to give them a small token of appreciation for attending your big day, but you don’t need to break the bank to make the point. This is a place where do-it-yourself projects can really pack a punch. Whip up a batch of baked goods, and give one to each guest with a handwritten “thank you.”

3. A Picture’s Worth a Thousand…- Well, dollars if you hire a snazzy wedding photographer. Do you have a friend who dabbles in photography as a hobbie? Or what about giving the job to a photography student at a local college? You’ll save yourself a bundle by skipping a traditional wedding photographer who will cost you big bucks. Better yet, put disposable cameras on each of your tables and encourage guests to capture moments of your wedding that you would otherwise miss.

Just remember, the most important part of your wedding should be your own happiness. And surrounding yourself with loved ones will provide more timeless memories than the expensive centerpieces you couldn’t live without. Set a budget for your wedding, and do what you can to stay within the lines, or better yet, beat your own guestimation.

They sent the Queen a nonchalant note asking her to attend, and to their surprise, she did! Perhaps she caught the wedding fever after attending the nuptials of Prince William and Kate Middleton nearly a year ago. In any event, the couple heard back from Buckingham Palace that the Queen would indeed take a moment to stop in and wish them well. Newlyweds John and Frances Canning were overjoyed and, of course, a little shocked to see the Queen of England and Prince Phillip at their wedding!

Bride, Frances Canning, said, “It was very special — it was so lovely that she took the trouble to speak to us.” Even more surprising, she agreed to pose for photos with the couple. The Queen wore pink, and many Manchester residents turned out to see her in their city. Added John Canning about chatting with Prince Phillip while photos were being taken, ”He was a charming fella — for me it was the icing on the cake!”

The couple joked that they will need a bigger wedding album now to account for all of the photos with Royalty. Not many brides and grooms have that problem!

It also doesn’t include the honeymoon. Gulp! Unsurprisingly, New York spends the most in the country, with an average cost of $65,824. Chicago came in second with weddings costing $53,069. Detroit spent $27,017, while West Virginians were the most cost-conscious, shelling out $14,203, the least expensive location in the country. The venue generally accounts for 50% of a bride and groom’s budget, and the average cost per guest is $196 with weddings averaging about 140 guests.

The study found that, on average, brides paid about $1,100 for their dress, had four to five bridesmaids, and were engaged for around 14-months. September was the most popular month for weddings, and blue, purple and green are the colors most brides gravitate towards. The study also noted that cupcakes are making a bigger and bigger presence at weddings, along with interactive food stations, sommeliers and wine tastings, and even sushi chefs are becoming a trend. Another must-have is a wedding website, and 69% of couples polled said they had a personal wedding site.

The findings are interesting because this is the first time since 2008 that wedding budgets are creeping upwards. Some believe that a hint of economic recovery could be playing a part in people spending more on weddings. In this study, the overall cost of the wedding included the venue, planner, photographer, band/DJ, videographer, florist, cake, dress, ceremony site, invitations, transportation for the bride and groom, favors, rehearsal dinner and the engagement ring.

Whether you’re married or engaged, or just have opinions on the subject, where do you draw the line when it comes to a wedding budget?

It can happen though, especially if you’ve had a long engagement and booked your vendors months (or years) in advance as most brides and grooms do. Just in case, take a look at these tips to avoid a last-minute panic attack on or near your wedding day!

1. Wedding Insurance- There’s insurance for everything these days, and weddings are no exception. Wedding insurance is wise to look into, particularly before you start writing deposit checks and casually handing them over to your suppliers. Make sure your policy covers “failure of suppliers.” Usually, costs like deposits are covered (with certain limitations), and the policy will also offer help to find you a replacement vendor.

2. Get Recommendations- You probably asked for opinions on your fiancé from friends and family, and you should absolutely do the same regarding vendors. Try to remember the aspects of your friends’ weddings you loved–like flowers, the DJ, the cake–and ask who they used. When you have a shortlist of suppliers together, ask to see their portfolio and also inquire about references from other customers. If you’re at all suspect, you can also check with the Better Business Bureau to see if any complaints have been filed against them.

3. Remain Connected- Just because you’ve chosen your photographer and have agreed to work together doesn’t mean you should go radio silent until the big day. Make sure to put in occasional calls with your vendors to check-in. Of course, you shouldn’t call without reason, or it might come across the wrong way. Have a question in mind like, “Would it be helpful to see the venue before our wedding day?” or something general to create a touch point. It’s better to error on the side of annoyance than have a vendor missing on your wedding day.

4. Have a Plan B- If you’re like me, you’d have a Plan B, Plan C and Plan D on your wedding day. Some people aren’t quite so neurotic, but it does pay to have a contingency plan in place just in case. Create a list of alternative companies you’d use for essentials such as the dress, catering, flowers, etc… in case anything goes wrong. And if something does, don’t forget to lean on your friends for help. While it may not be what you envisioned, at least your big day won’t go up in a supplier-less flame.

The train was unveiled in Romania by a 17-year-old model who wore it in a hot air balloon. The height of the balloon allowed her to showcase the actual length of the train, that measured in at nearly two miles long. The 1.85-mile train cascaded down behind her as part of a promotion for the capital city of Bucharest during their biannual Wedding Fair.

The Guinness World Records certified the train as the longest bridal train in history. A designer from the Netherlands held the previous record, however that train was under a mile long. The Romanian version trumped it by more than double. Some believe that Romania deliberately challenged the Netherlands after they campaigned against Romania’s bid to be included in the European Union’s (EU) visa-free travel zone.

10 seamstresses took nearly 100 days to create the dress and train, which cost approximately $8,000 in materials alone. The gown and train required an impressive 15,420 feet of taffeta, 18 feet of lace and 147 feet of lining, and was stitched together with almost 2,000 sewing needles and 150 spools of thread. So, count your blessings when your bridal boutique unveils the price tag for your dress, and also be thankful you don’t have to drag something the length of almost 36 football fields behind you on your wedding day!

Let’s face it– we live in a different time, and people need alternatives to traditional registries. Hatch My House provides a tasteful and tech-savvy solution that lets family and friends contribute toward the couple’s goal of home ownership. The experience is fun and interactive! The couple designs a virtual house and guests get to donate towards its parts such as a window, the front door or even a set of wineglasses. Items throughout the house range from $25 to $900 and guests can set their own price on an item or select multiple gifts to arrive at their desired price range. This sure beats standing at the ceremony with your hands out expecting envelopes full of loose change!

The Hatch My House registry is free to use, and your guests can pay you securely via PayPal. A service fee of 5.9% does exist, and that can be paid by the couple registering or by the guests doing the gift-giving. It’s also a great alternative for couples who are having destination weddings. It can be very cumbersome for guests to drag a large present on an airplane while trying not to damage the wrapping paper (or their bank account if they have to check it). The virtual aspect of Hatch My House means that people from anywhere in the world can contribute to your big day and hopefully your new, big home.

Fiftyflowers.com is a wholesale florist who has been helping do-it-yourself brides and event planners for over nine years. Their latest contest is akin to Pinterest, but differs in that brides create a wedding inspiration board by choosing from wedding flowers and decor that can be arranged to create bouquets, centerpieces, or collages of inspirational pieces. Brides can play with color ideas, flower pairings and other decor to virtually try it out before they buy it.

Currently, The March contest already has 147 entries. At the end of each month, FiftyFlowers team members vote on the design boards. The contest, which is interfaced with the company’s Facebook contest page, offers five wedding styles for brides to choose from including Romantic, Beach, Classic, Modern and Rustic. Brides simply pick the theme that best represents their wedding style and start styling.

…Excessive sigh…

Like many who have come before them, the couple weathered a media storm while the show unfolded on TV. For those who don’t know, these shows are taped months before they actually air, leaving the couple in seclusion from one another for fear the public might learn the outcome before the finale. And this time, the media had a field day with Courtney, a model who made a bad name for herself on the show, alienating herself from all of the other girls in the house. She also adopted Charlie Sheen’s eponymous “winning” tagline to rub in the others’ faces that she was clearly the chosen one as the weeks rolled on. Class act? Nah, we don’t think so either.

Anyway, the fact of the matter is, Ben and Courtney couldn’t keep it together and pulled the plug on their engagement before we even saw him drop to one knee. They say they’re going to work on their relationship now that they can have a normal one, but it’s unclear whether or not wedding bells will ring for this Bachelor couple. And if history has a way of repeating itself, the odds are not in their favor.

Ironically, however, Chris Harrison sat down with Ashley Hebert and J.P. Rosenbaum on the “After the Final Rose” show. Ashley rejected Ben’s proposal on her season of The Bachelorette, and she and J.P. have been engaged since he popped the question and she said yes. They’re approaching the one-year anniversary of him asking for her hand, which begs the question: when is the wedding? They swore up and down that there would one though, and Harrison even offered to officiate it, which Ashley shriekily agreed to.

If it does happen, there will no doubt be more coins rolling into the ABC bank account, and I’m sure Mike Fleiss (the show’s creator) will lobby for it to be on TV. Maybe Ashley and J.P. should have a consultation with Kim and Kris before they agree to this though!

But what are you supposed to do if you really are recording every penny in your checkbook register in the hopes of having a few nickels left at the end of each month? Weddings are expensive, and this is a topic that requires back-up. Here are some tips on how to handle being a guest when you’re not independently wealthy!

Getting There

Scene: You have opened an invitation to find the nearest airport or helicopter coordinates. You’re now breathing deeply into a brown paper bag wondering how you’re going to get there. If you’re flying, search for alternate airports nearby, and play around with the dates. Traveling a day before the suggested travel day, or coming back a few days after the wedding could make all the difference. If the venue is a car-drive away, find some other guests to carpool with. Splitting the cost of gas and beef jerky is a lot cheaper (and more fun) than doing it solo.

A Place to Stay

What about Couchsurfing? Sure, it’s not the first choice on most people’s list, but remember, you’re broke and you’re looking for ways to cut costs. Couchsurfing.com is a website where you can look for like-minded people who have a spare couch, futon or bedroom and they will let you stay for free. The idea is to reciprocate, so if you don’t stumble back to their house after the wedding and make a giant fool of yourself, you might even forge a lasting friendship. If you’re dead-set on getting a hotel room, try to share a room with one or more friends to bring the cost down.

Gift Giving 101

While you probably don’t have $101 to spend on a gift, or maybe even $1.01, it would be poor form to show-up empty handed. There are ways to give thoughtfully without bankrupting yourself. Keep in mind your relationship to the couple. Are they your best friends, acquaintances, or people you haven’t seen in a long time? This will help you decide how much to spend. Also, you’ve paired up with people to get to the wedding and stay with, so why not triple-down and go in on a gift together? The couple will get something of value, and you will spend a fraction of the amount to get it for them. Genius!