Wouldn’t this be perfect for a garden wedding or tea party even? I think it is just stunning!

Save up to 65% off wedding favors, too! The Knot Wedding Shop brought back their lowest price on Bubble Tubes — only $4.99/pack of 48. Plus, save on ALL bubbles, chocolates, coasters, fans, ribbon and more.

Check out their bonus deal this week: All personalized napkins are on sale, starting at only $17.99!

The full sale collection is always available in  the On Sale boutique. Sale prices and gift with purchase are valid Wednesday, February 24th through Tuesday, March 2nd.

I recently discovered the Learn & Master Ballroom Dance DVD series. The collection comes with 13 DVDs full of beautiful choreography and easily learned dance figures, 6 CDs of music to dance to, a 75+ page workbook outlining each dance, and an online community to encourage and support you. The best part is that whether you are dancing with your soon-to-be significant other, or learning alone in order to impress that someone special, you can learn at your own pace from the convenience of your own home.

Here are just a few more reasons why the Learn & Master Ballroom Dance DVD series is for you:

• It fits your busy schedule. Do the lessons when you have time without having to worry about missing a class due to schedule conflicts or illness.
• No need to feel like you have two left feet. Start and stop the lessons as often as you need to without feeling self conscious.
• Good ballroom dance instructors are hard to find! Learn from two of the nation’s top ballroom dance instructors, Mark Short and Jaimee Simon.
• Become part of a community. The program comes with access to an online community where you can ask questions, get encouragement and even share your successes, too.

With the Learn & Master Ballroom Dance DVD series, you can be on your way to learning a life skill you can use over and over at weddings, family parties, corporate events or New Year’s Eve parties. Watch the video below to get a feel for the quality of instruction you will receive:

Learn Ballroom Dancing – it is convenient, fun and very affordable! Get started today.

From the email invitation:

The events will be held  September 13, October 4, and October 18, 2009 from 9 – 11 am for The Wedding PartySM events at Crate and Barrel stores nationwide. Learn how to make the registry process stress-free (and fun!), and get the answers you need to all your registry questions.

Space is limited! Please RSVP as soon as possible by calling 800-996-9960 to find the Crate and Barrel store nearest you.

There’s no two ways about it: weddings are expensive. Paying for every detail is enough to drain any family’s financial coffers and – even worse – leave them wrestling with debt. Especially for new couples paying their own way during the wedding, the expenses quickly add up.

The following is a traditional guide to dividing expenses equally and fairly among the four major participants in planning the four main parts of the wedding celebration: rehearsal dinner, ceremony, reception, and honeymoon. These are guidelines more than rules, and are intended to show tradition more than carved-in-stone etiquette.

The Bride’s Family

There’s a popular misconception among the unmarried of the world that the bride’s family foots the entire bill. That’s not entirely true, though unfortunately it may feel that way for the father of the bride! Traditionally, the bride’s family finances the reception dinner with all its facets: the food, drink, venue, service staff (including tips), flower  arrangements, wedding favors, and any other miscellany.

The bride’s family also pays for many of the necessities leading up to the ceremony: these usually include the bridal gown, the wedding invitations and save-the-date reminders, as well as the engagement and wedding photographs.

Finally (!) the wedding ceremony costs, the photographer and videographer fees, the cost of the ring bearer and flower girl accessories, the transportation costs and bridesmaids bouquets are all picked up by the bride’s family. Honestly… if you’re the parent of a young girl, start saving right now.

The Bride

Compared to her family, the bride gets off relatively easy. Brides traditionally pay for the groom’s wedding band, gifts for her bridesmaids, the bridesmaids’ luncheon, her blood test fees, and the wedding day lingerie. In the strictest traditional sense, the bride should also pay for her out-of-town bridesmaids accommodations.

The Groom

Okay, guys. Time to pony up. Following the engagement ring (that two-month’s salary guideline is passé, by the way) you’ve still got a few things left to buy. You’ll pay for the honeymoon, the marriage license, and gifts for your groomsmen. The gentleman groom, however, also pays for the bridal bouquet and corsages for your mother and your new mother-in-law.

You’ll also pick up the boutonnieres, ties, and accessories for the groomsmen, and finally the bride’s wedding ring. Gifts for the ushers and for your parents go the extra distance to showing your class. You should also pay the honorarium for the judge, justice of the peace, or clergyman who officiates the ceremony, too.

The Groom’s Family

Besides their own attire, the groom’s family is responsible for the rehearsal dinner and all its details.

The Maid of Honor

Bachelorette parties and wedding showers are the responsibility of the maid of honor. This includes all the details, top to bottom.

The Best Man

The best man is master of ceremonies and godfather of the bachelor party, from the planning to the execution to pouring all the guests into cabs at the end of the night. It’s a dirty job, but someone’s got to do it.

The Groomsmen and Bridesmaids

Most of the attire – for example, the tuxedo rental and costs of the gown – are the responsibility of the individual wedding party member. They also give a gift to the newlyweds. Groomsmen arriving from out-of-town are also expected to pay for their accommodations.

My Wedding Favors has a complete selection of elegant yet inexpensive wedding favors to fit any taste and style. They also carry a complete selection of groomsmen and bridesmaids gifts. Below are some of our favorites: