When a couple is in love, and contrary to what happened in the good old days, they do not always decide to get married. Many couples are just as happy moving in and living together, without the formal commitment. Marriage, however, is a bit more than just sharing the same roof, it’s a promise with greater meaning that is shared by two people. If you’re undecided or unsure about tying the knot, here are 9 great reasons to get married.

1. Marriage is a sign of commitment

Marriage is synonym of commitment and commitment means the couple is willing to undertake a promise. That promise means that both are committed to being present in the lives of each other, through the good and through the bad. As we all know, life is no bed of roses and difficult situations do arise and require the strength of a committed couple in order to overcome them: this is the greatest act of love that exists.

2. Marriage means there is an “us”

Marriage is a road that leads to a different type of life: a life shared by two people instead of lived by just one. Adding someone to your life means there is now an “us” instead of “just me”. After the wedding, all decisions are made by the couple, the opinions and feelings of both, count equally. Singular becomes plural and a “plus one” makes everything different, but also very special.

3. Marriage means life

Studies have revealed that people who are married live longer. People who live alone are more prone to chronic diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure and cancer. So, marriage is also very healthy and can add 20 years to your lifetime!

4. Marriage is the promise of a future together

When we get married it means that two people won’t be together for a bit, it means they’ll be together for awhile – they will share a future. However, we never know what the future will hold and that is why marriage is an act of faith in that future: both believe in a promising future as a couple and are ready to stand by each other through everything.

5. Marriage is an investment

When you decide to get married, you decide to invest in the person that you are marrying: you believe in that person. That investment is made in all areas of life: work, education, children, finances, health and family. When you marry someone, you are investing in that person both physically and spiritually.

6. Marriage means better sex

Married couples have better sex lives. Sex in a marriage doesn’t only mean physical pleasure, it embodies an act of emotional and physical pleasure – they complete each other and are one.

7. Marriage is good for the kids

Kids that grow up with married parents have 55% more probabilities of not being abused; they also have a greater probability of better emotional intelligence, normally do better in school, are successful and happier in life.

8. Marriage means love and family

Every culture in the world honors, respects, celebrates and embraces marriage because it represents something sacred: love and family. Marriage is and always will be a respected and well received act.

9. Marriage is altruism

Marriage means always having someone by your side, so that whatever seems really bad, difficult or painful, is less so (or even good!) when shared by two people. Loving someone and being present in their life, body and soul, is altruism because when you get married you start thinking about that other person, instead of just thinking about yourself.

Commitment is the key to a marriage. When you get married, you must be prepared to give it your all, to give it your very best. In order to get married you must be emotionally prepared and in order to find out if you are, just ask your heart – it’ll know the answer.

Source: Stylish Wedding Ideas

You can also enjoy a trip to the breathtaking landscapes and beaches of the Azores archipelago or Madeira Islands, located on the warm west coast.

In Portugal, you’ll find luxury hotels and hotels with fantastic spas everywhere from the city to the countryside, from the sunny seaside to the lovely interior; it’s just a question of preference.

The wonderful Portugal weather provides a romantic getaway any time of the year. You can travel to the south warm Algarve in late winter and enjoy the magnificent beaches or you can visit the verdant North where the UNESCO historic cities are by the sea and marked by the beauty and history of time.

Madeira Island

Azores Island

Porto

Lisbon

Algarve

Source: Stylish Wedding Ideas

A combination of wedding tradition and chic lifestyle.

The Sun, the blue Atlantic Ocean, the old historic castles and villas, the green vineyards of the Douro Valley, the cheerful people, the tasty Mediterranean food and the world prize winning wine, are all great reasons to consider a destination wedding or a romantic honeymoon in Portugal.

The wedding

Catholic

Portugal offers an ancient and gorgeous range of castles, historic monasteries and a long history of catholic traditional weddings.  A wedding ceremony can be celebrated at a historical Catholic Church, an old monastery or even at a cozy, pleasant chapel.

If you wish to get married at a catholic church you have to present a formal letter from your priest and bishop of your parish, granting permission for the wedding to be performed in the church that you wish to get married in. All documents have to be stamped by the bishop’s parish office.

Civil

The civil wedding is the first step of a wedding ceremony regardless of where the couple decides their wedding will be celebrated: it could be held by the seaside, at a beautiful garden, at a religious chapel, at the countryside or at the same place where the wedding reception will be held.

Reception

Wedding events can be held at a chic rustic villa, a castle or palace… all great places for an unforgettable weeding.

There are great wedding planners, exquisite venues, cake designers, wonderful catering service, and a variety of quality wedding vendors, all ready to satisfy every one of your wedding wishes.

Since Portugal has amazing weather, you can commemorate a great beach wedding in winter time in the South of the country; a spring green wedding in the North or a chic urban wedding at the country’s cosmopolitan capital: Lisbon.

Getting Married

Portugal is a very liberal country and even same sex weddings are also welcome and can be celebrated in this country.

To start the wedding process in Portugal, you have to present three documents:

1. Passports
2. A “certificate of non impediment” that expresses that each member of the couple has the capability to married. If you are a US citizen, you have to present a statement that attests that such certificate is not in use in US — you can require this statement at the US embassy.
3. Birth certificate of both members.

None of these documents should be older than six months when the wedding occurs and all documents should be properly translated.

Once all documents are presented at the civil conservatory, the wedding can be held almost immediately. However, if you wish to plan a civil or religious ceremony, you should at least plan 30 days in advance because you have to book the ministry of faith or the civil governor.

If you wish to have all the civil paperwork prepared in your country, you can just choose to have a religious ceremony and/or a lovely wedding reception.

Remember a wedding in Europe is an exclusive wedding: a combination of tradition and chic lifestyle.

Source: Stylish Wedding Ideas

• Simplicity is best. Chances are you’re going to be running around a lot on the day of the wedding, so don’t make things more complicated than they have to be. Keep dishes simple, and supplement with prepared foods (such as chips and dips). Purchasing fruit or vegetable platters can also be a time saver.
• Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Having a potluck event is great, but not everyone wants guest to worry about bringing food. Alternately, get family members, neighbors, or good friends to help with the cooking.
• Cook in bulk. Consider cooking one or two large items for the bulk of the food. For example, we marinated large sirloin steaks the night before the party. We also smoked a large pig in our smoker. These main dishes didn’t take a lot of time to prepare or cook.
• Now is not the time to experiment! New recipes almost always take a few tries to get right. Even if someone else swears by the recipe, it may not work for you. Only prepare things for the wedding that you know will work. This is a great time to break out all of the “tried and true” family recipes.
• Plan, purchase, and prepare way ahead of time. Start to stock up on ingredients several weeks before the actual wedding, and finish the bulk of the shopping with a few days to spare. Sure, you may have to run to the store the day before, but you won’t have a whole laundry list of things to buy. And make as much as you can (especially any desserts!) ahead of time.

Want hip, fun and earth-friendly envelopes that will be sure to impress your friends (i.e. wedding guests)? Make your own out of vintage books! Here is the full DIY wedding envelope tutorial. These would be perfect to send your save-the-dates or your thank you notes.

You will need: Bone Folder, Glue Stick, Scissors, Rounded Corner Punch, Pencil, Ruler. (The Bone Folder and Rounded Corner Punch are not mandatory.)

Step One: Find a vintage book at a resale shop or garage sale. (I have a thing for children’s books.) Make sure that the book is big enough so that the template will fit over the pages.

Step Two: Print out the envelope template on card stock. This template will make 5.5″ x 4″ inch envelopes.

Step Three: Find a page that you like from the book. (If you want all the envelopes to be the same, simply make a copy of the page.)

Step Four: Position the template over the page keeping in mind the location of the top flap. Trace the template.

Step Five: Cut out the envelope. You can use a rounded corner punch for the corners if you want.

Step Six: Fold. (A bone folder does a good job.)

Step Seven: Glue the edges with a glue stick.

Step Eight: Presto! Your envelope is complete. When you are ready to send, simply get out the glue stick and seal the top flap with the glue stick. Below are some other examples from another vintage children’s book.

If you love the idea of these envelopes, but don’t have the time for DIY, check out Etsy’s adnagam.

Source: DIY Wedding

Lucky for us, we have a few of Kalin’s do-it-yourself projects from her Maui wedding. Being astationer and all-around crafty gal, she is here to prove to us that you can pull off some pretty spectacular diy projects even if you aren’t having a destination wedding.

We are going to start off with their antique doorknob table numbers, a knockout element to any table decor. We can already see this being a trend setting diy project for your wedding table. Photographed by Katrina Louise.

Photography: Katrina Louise
DIY Project By: The Vintage Alley

Read on for directions on how to make your own antique door knob table numbers. So perfect for a vintage inspired wedding. Don’t you think?

Supplies
Distressed wood boards (I found an old fence and cut 8 even pieces – 12 in. x 5 in.)
Address numbers (Home Depot has a variety of different styles)
Vintage key plate
Vintage doorknob (I used ones that were collected by my husband’s grandmother, but you can also find them at salvage stores, flea markets, ebay or anthropologie)
Screw and 2 small nails (provided with address number)
Frame stands  – can be found at JoAnns or other craft store

Step1: Nail address number to wooden board
Step 2: Place screw inside of your vintage knob.
Step 3: Firmly tighten screw on side of knob to hold longer screw in place.
Step 4: Using the screw secured in the knob, tighten key plate onto wooden board.
Extra White wash the wooden pieces for a shabby chic look.

Source: DIY Wedding

Lucky for us, we have a few of Kalin’s do-it-yourself projects from her Maui wedding. Being astationer and all-around crafty gal, she is here to prove to us that you can pull off some pretty spectacular diy projects even if you aren’t having a destination wedding.

We are going to start off with their antique doorknob table numbers, a knockout element to any table decor. We can already see this being a trend setting diy project for your wedding table. Photographed by Katrina Louise.

Photography: Katrina Louise
DIY Project By: The Vintage Alley

Read on for directions on how to make your own antique door knob table numbers. So perfect for a vintage inspired wedding. Don’t you think?

Supplies
Distressed wood boards (I found an old fence and cut 8 even pieces – 12 in. x 5 in.)
Address numbers (Home Depot has a variety of different styles)
Vintage key plate
Vintage doorknob (I used ones that were collected by my husband’s grandmother, but you can also find them at salvage stores, flea markets, ebay or anthropologie)
Screw and 2 small nails (provided with address number)
Frame stands  – can be found at JoAnns or other craft store

Step1: Nail address number to wooden board
Step 2: Place screw inside of your vintage knob.
Step 3: Firmly tighten screw on side of knob to hold longer screw in place.
Step 4: Using the screw secured in the knob, tighten key plate onto wooden board.
Extra White wash the wooden pieces for a shabby chic look.

Source: DIY Wedding

We bring you another fabulous diy project from Matt and Kalin’s  Maui Wedding. This timeKalin teaches us how to make your own shell topped bottles. The perfect addition to any ocean table decor. Plus these could easily be used after the wedding for decorations around your home, as a sweet memento of your special day. So … let’s get crafting.

Photography: Katrina Louise
DIY Project By: The Vintage Alley

Read on for directions on how to make your own DIY Shell Topped Bottles. So cute for wedding favors, table decorations or just because.

What you’ll need:
Vintage glass bottles (which can be picked up at your local flea market)
Sea shells – large and small. coral is a nice option as well.
Bondo (used in car repairs – can find it at any Home Depot) and clear glue
Rope/twine

Step 1: Take a half dollar size amount of bondo and mix with a dab of the provided hardener.  Using a wooden mixing stick, place the mixture directly on to the opening of your vintage bottle.

Step 2: Quickly, place your shell into the bondo, holding tightly for 5 minutes to allow a firm hold. You can use the mixing stick to mold the bondo around the shell. Once this dries, it will be rock solid.

Step 3: Once the shell feels firmly in place (usually 15-20 minutes), apply a thin layer of clear tacky glue onto the hardened bondo. Wrap the area with twine and hold until the glue is dry.

Source: Wedding DIY

What You’ll Need:

• 2 Wooden Eggs – craft store $1.50 each
• 2 Wooden Balls with Flat Bottoms – craft store $ 0.75 each
• Pearl Stickers – craft store $2.99
• Acrylic Paints – craft store $5 for a set of 12 colors
• Set of Small Paint Brushes – craft store $3 for a set of 5
• Netting for the veil- craft store $2.99 for a large pack
• Black of felt or black paper – had at home
• Buttons – had at home

Items You’ll Need From Home:

• Drill with a 1/16” wood drill bit
• Elmers Glue
• Scissors
• Glue Gun
• Q-Tip
• Black Felt Marker

I personally love alternative bouquets and I’m constantly on the look out for new materials that I can make bouquets with. Don’t get me wrong I love real flower bouquets, but non-traditional bouquets can become a family heirloom and can have deeply personal touches added to them.

This tutorial is a play on a simple paper bouquet, but adds the element of durability. I have seen several beautiful paper bouquets, but I always question how long the paper will last. There are so many “what ifs” on a wedding day that the last thing you want to worry about is your bouquet falling apart. The great thing about this bouquet is that the enamel gives a nice hard coating, which will protect your paper flowers and will look great all day and night!

The only drawback to this tutorial is that there is a small investment for necessary tools, but if you’re planning to become a serious crafter than it’s totally worth the cost.

Things You’ll Need For The Flowers:

• Flower Paper Punches {Choose punches that will give you enough variety for a dynamic bunch of flowers. Also make sure you choose a small flower punch that you’ll use for the center of your flowers}
• Beautiful Papers
• Ranger Sue Weinberg Melting Pot and Tools {I got my melting pot on Ebay for $25 with shipping. It also came with the tweezers and spatula}
• ¼ Yard Fabric {Choose any colour that matches your bouquet colour – this will be used to to wrap around the bottom of your bouquet}
• Non Stick Craft Paper
• Utee Thick Enamel
• Gorilla Glue
• 12 Guage Floral Wire
• Small Block of Dense Foam
• Craft Tacky Glue
• Rubber Band
• Small Buttons or Pearls for the centers of the flowers

Things You’ll Need For The Bouquet Handle:

• 6” Wooden Dowels
• Lace or any fabric / ribbon you want to wrap your handle with.
• 3”-4” Diameter Foam Ball
• Small Buttons

Things From Around The House:

• Scissors
• Hot Glue Gun
• Needle Nose Pliers with Wire Cutter
• Small House Fan

Optional Tools:

• Sizzix Die Cutter. If you are a “hardcore” crafter like me, then this is an amazing investment! I got my die cutter on sale at Joann’s for $70, but that doesn’t include the different dies you have to buy to use it. However, once you know the ease of die cutting with it, you’ll never want to go back!