The Budget Friendly Honeymoon

The honeymoon after the wedding is usually the grand prize for the bride and groom. They have spent all this time getting their wedding in order and have come to the point of just wanting the day to be here so that they can leave and go on their honeymoon.

It’s like the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow (without the creepy leprechaun).

The ideal and more common honeymoon destinations are the Bahamas, Jamaica, St. Lucia, and just about anything Caribbean. But what if you don't have the budget for one of these luxurious destinations?

Basically, the honeymoon is what you make it. It doesn’t have to be in a far off warm land filled with reggae music and pina colada’s (although, I’m not going to lie, that is EXACTLY where I want to be right now).
There are plenty of places here is Wisconsin that can make a wonderful and memorable honeymoon adventure that won’t hurt the cheque book as much. Here are some suggestions:

The American Club
Kohler, WI
Used to be a boardinghouse and now is one of the most luxurious resorts in the Midwest, or even the country! LOTS of great places to dine, golf, hike, and (what seems like the most fun) relaxing in one of their Kohler soaking baths with waterfalls!



Canoe Bay
Chetek, Wisconsin
This secret resort is set on three private lakes and doesn’t allow kids, pets or the rooms to have phones and cell phones, purposely, barely receive signal (can you handle it!), all this for the utmost relaxation. It has been known as “adult heaven” with their eco-friendly rooms, romantic candlelit dinners, and gazing at the stars in a canoe on the lake.



Door County
As Money Magazine says, it is one of the Top Ten Destinations in North America. Door County is the land of quaint shops, bed and breakfasts, inns, wineries, fresh fruit, local artist and so many other options for honeymooners!. If you live in Wisconsin and haven’t been to Door County, please treat yourself to this wonderful location



Now, these aren't the only places in Wisconsin to have a memorable honeymoon...but it's a start! Anyone have any other great Wisconsin Destinations?

Wedding Arches

I am searching for the history of the wedding arch and am having a difficult time coming up with anything…therefore I go to any of my faithful readers (yes, all 7 of you): Does anyone know the history of the arch?

From what I know, the arch is placed in the altar area of where the bride and groom are to be wed to frame the beloved couple. Afterwards, the arch can bless the home and garden of the newly married couple as a reminder of their special day.

HOWEVER, many couples today are renting the arch that we have here at the War Memorial or at their ceremony venue. This makes it much easier than to haul, set-up and take down an arch, but the couples are having the arch decorated to show their own unique style.

Here are some of my favorite wedding arch decorations of this season..

Here the arch is nicely framed by two plants

This couple brought in their own arch and it looks beautiful as well!

The nice thing about some arches, is that they don't even need to be decorated as it adds a subtle beauty to the ceremony

So far, this is my favorite arch decoration of the season!

I love the colors and the flowers tied to the end of the ribbons!

Wedding Recpetion Ideas

How about some fun ideas for a wedding reception! The Reception is the time for family and friends to dance, socialize, relax and have fun. The traditional way is to have a DJ entertain the crowd and get them on the dance floor. Now, I am convinced that people around my age bracket (late 20’s early 30’s) all have A.D.D….okay maybe I just have A.D.D….but I like to blame it on society, but that is a whole other subject.
ANYWAYS, for those of us who seems to like multiple things going on at once, especially at weddings, here are some thoughts on spicing up your reception and adding some other fun to it!

Have a Wii Station
Set up a section of the banquet hall with a Wii and some games….it would a great way to get your friends and family socializing and laughing with each other. Imagine your grandma playing Wii bowling against your best friend!

Photo Booth
This is a fun way to break the ice with some groups and to get memorable pictures of your wedding. Add props to the photo booth such as boas and funny hats and you’ll be laughing at these pictures for a lifetime!

Karaoke
Dare I mention this….you’ll need a bold group for this activity!

Entertainers
Hire a magician to walk around your crowd Vegas Style doing his/her magic tricks, or consider having a comedian come in and do a gig while the band or DJ is taking a break

Anyone else have ideas for adding more entertainment to a wedding reception?