Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Where to Buy Wedding Sparklers in Michigan

Where to Buy Wedding Sparklers in Michigan
If you and your partner are planning a wedding in Michigan, you’re not alone. In fact, Michigan is one of the most popular places in the United States to get married; per capita, of course. Michigan offers couples many things that you can’t find anywhere else in America, and that means there is a cozy little niche built right into the state’s natural wonder and beauty.

For couples who love snowy weather, Michigan’s Upper Peninsula is by far the area that sees the most snow in the continental United States. Michigan’s weather in the U.P. is much more reminiscent of Canada versus the rest of our country, and that adds to the charm and attraction for young couples planning their wedding. Also, with so much great hunting, fishing, and outdoor activities in general, Michigan is a dream wedding destination for any couple who adores the outdoor lifestyle.

For couples who are more into a traditional style indoor wedding, there are also options for you. Detroit features some of the finest upscale wedding venues in the country, so you won’t have to look hard to find something you love. You can even hire a professional fireworks crew to light up the Detroit skyline, or you could just buy some wedding sparklers to avoid hiring the pros. However, you can’t just run out looking for where to buy wedding sparklers in Michigan; there are a few things you need to know first.

Michigan Fireworks Laws


Fortunately, the rules in Michigan for using sparklers and other fireworks are actually quite lenient. Obviously, you need to be over 18 years old to buy fireworks, but there are other regulations that must be followed. A quick review of the Michigan fireworks laws will tell you that it’s okay to use sparklers at your wedding along with other small fountains and novelty item, but launching big fireworks into the air is only left to the professionals. If you want the big stuff, you need to hire a company. If you’re okay with just wedding sparklers, then you’re able to buy and use them at your own discretion.

Best Places to Shop


Shopping for wedding sparklers in Michigan is also quite easy because there are many year-round fireworks stores throughout the state. Choosing where to buy wedding sparklers in Michigan is as simple as finding your closest store. However, I always suggest heading to the store to see what they’re selling and what their prices are. With that knowledge in hand, you can head home and shop online because you can buy wedding sparklers on the internet for much cheaper than in a local store.

Whether you’re planning an upscale wedding in Detroit or a scenic outdoor wedding in the Upper Peninsula, Michigan offers couples sights and attractions that no other state can. Plus, to make your big day even more spectacular, finding where to buy wedding sparklers in Michigan couldn’t be easier.

Wednesday, October 14, 2015

6 More Songs to Avoid At Your Wedding Reception

Songs to Avoid at your Wedding Reception
When you hit the dance floor at your wedding reception, you’ll probably give your DJ a list of songs you’d like to have played. Odds are you’re already choosing songs that will really sum up your relationship with your spouse, remind you of your romantic history, and fill you up with good cheer to keep you dancing through the night. Just do yourself and your guests a favor: if you have any of these songs on your playlist, ditch them now.

Hoobastank, The Reason

People seem to think that this is a romantic song, maybe just for the lyric “and the reason is you.” But at its heart, this isn’t a song about a healthy relationship. It’s more a half-assed apology than a love letter. The singer is sorry that he hurt his lover, but seems more concerned with his own suffering. Hurting her is “something he must live with every day.” Poor guy. Hasn’t she considered how hard it is on him, having hurt her like that?

Anything Mentioning Romeo and Juliet

There’s a meme making the rounds on the Internet, which goes something like, “stop saying Romeo and Juliet are romantic. Their relationship lasted 3 days and caused 6 deaths.” We’ll add to that, “including their own.” Romeo and Juliet were a pair of teenaged twits who end up dead at the end of the story. So skip the Taylor Swift.

Dave Matthews Band, Crash

If you take even a cursory listen to the lyrics, this song is just kind of...well, gross. It just makes you feel grimy, once you get past the sugary violins. “you’ve got your ball, you’ve got your chain / tied to me tight, tie me up again,” Dave sings. He’s all about being “tied up and twisted,” and later describes how great it is to peek through his crush’s window to watch her undress. Ick. For a less gross DMB tune, try “You & Me.”

Eric Clapton, Tears in Heaven

We’ve been to several weddings where this ends up on the playlist, and we’re still not sure what would possess anyone to play it. Is it just that it’s a slow song? That the guitar is kind of pretty? They were trying for “Wonderful Tonight” and hit the wrong track? Whatever the reason happens to be, this song is about the death of a three-year-old child. Not romantic at all.

Billy Idol, White Wedding

Sure, it’s a wedding, and people are wearing white, so why not play White Wedding? Well, for starters it’s not a great song for dancing to, either slow or fast, so it’s likely to clear the dance floor. And more importantly, it was written as an anti-wedding song, with Idol sarcastically making fun of his sister for marrying too young.

Whitney Houston, I Will Always Love You

Sure, the chorus says, “I will always love you,” over and over again ad nauseum, but don’t let that fool you into thinking it’s a romantic celebration of eternal love. Simply put, it’s a break-up song. It’s about letting someone go and walking away because you know it’s best for them, and you’ll never see them again no matter how much you love them. So it’s pretty much the opposite of the sentiment you want for a wedding.

In the end, of course, what you choose for your wedding music should reflect you and your partner’s musical tastes. But if it’s at all possible, avoid these six tunes. Your wedding guests will thank you.

Thursday, September 24, 2015

Great Quotes for your Wedding Vows

Quotes for your Wedding Vows
It’s becoming more and more popular to replace the traditional wedding vows with some heart-felt promises from one partner to the other. Most couples are writing their own vows, for better or for worse (ha!). If you find yourself at a loss for words when you’re thinking about those vows, consider these quotes for inspiration. You can include one in your vows--they’re nice and brief--or just let them be a guide to show how you can talk about love in an honest, sincere, but not overly-sentimental way.

“To get the full value of joy, you must have someone to divide it with,” --Mark Twain

“When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.” —When Harry Met Sally

It's so great to find that one special person you want to annoy for the rest of your life. — Rita Rudner

Love doesn’t make the world go round. Love is what makes the ride worthwhile.” —Franklin P. Jones

“To find someone who will love you for no reason, and to shower that person with reasons, that is the ultimate happiness.” —Robert Brault

“A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person.” —Mignon McLaughlin

“I have a paperback heart, dog-eared and creased by the world,
the color is faded and the spine is worn,
but I’m glad to see it’s finally in good hands.”--Unknown Author

“You don’t marry the person you can live with … you marry the person you can’t live without.” —Unknown Author

“Remember, we all stumble; every one of us. That is why it’s a comfort to go hand in hand.” —Emily Kimbrough

“Love is when you meet someone who tells you something new about yourself.” --Andre Breton

“Love is a game that two can play and both win.” --Eva Gabor

“Anyone can be passionate, but it takes real love to be silly.” --Rose Franken

“I love you not only for who you are, but for who I am when I am with you”--Elizabeth Barrett Browning

“I love you. I am at rest with you. I have come home.” --Dorothy L. Sayers

“Immature love says: ‘I love you because I need you.’ Mature love says ‘I need you because I love you.’” --Erich Fromme

“Love does not consist in gazing at each other but in looking together in the same direction.” --Antoine de Saint-Exupery

“When you like someone, you like them in spite of their faults.
When you love someone, you love them with their faults.”--Elizabeth Cameron

“Do you want to know how great my love is? Count the waves.” --Unknown Author

“You may only be one person to the world
But you may also be the world to one person.”--Unknown Author

Whether you’re an expert wordsmith or need help putting together a sentence, these quotes can provide a jumping-off point for a heartfelt set of vows. Just keep it sincere, simple, and honest, and you’ll do fine.

Thursday, September 10, 2015

Quirky Wedding Songs

Quirky Wedding Songs
There are plenty of well-worn grooves that wedding music falls into. For the walk down the aisle, it’s the Wedding Processional or Canon in D. For the first dance, it’s a crooner singing “I Just Haven’t Met You Yet” or “Fly Me to the Moon.” There are a ton of safe, thoroughly vetted songs to play during your wedding. If the classic tunes don’t quite fit your style, though, there’s no reason why you can’t indulge your love of indie music throughout your wedding day. Here are a few quirky selections to play during your wedding.

Cat Power-Sea of Love


This song is a crooner classic, but the arrangement couldn’t be less traditional. It’s an agreeably lo-fi color, tinny and old-timey-sounding, with just an autoharp and Cat Power’s gorgeous, silky-smooth voice. The stripped-down sound is sure to get guest’s attention whether you use it as aisle music or for your first dance.

In the Aeroplane Over the Sea - Neutral Milk Hotel


Any indie music lover worth their salt knows the album The Aeroplane Over the Sea, by Neutral Milk Hotel. There’s plenty of weirdness and psychosexual cosmic energy in the album, but this particular track is a kind of lovely, straightforward musing on love and life and even death. “And one day we will die and our ashes will fly from the aeroplane over the sea / but for now we are young, let us lay in the sun and count every beautiful thing we can see,” Jeff Mangum sings, and it’s a perfect benediction for a wedding day.

We Are Gonna Be Friends - White Stripes


This one makes for cutesy, adorkable aisle music. The simple tune and the wistful sentiment are a great reminder that the most successful marriages are between two friends who also just happen to be in love with each other. It’s got an agreeable simplicity that lets go of grand romantic gestures in favor of the image of two kids walking to school together, planning to spend the rest of their lives with each other.

Fade Into You - Mazzy Star


For a doozy of a romantic first dance, you can’t go wrong with this luscious, dreamy tune from Mazzy Star. It’s a perfect slow dance, not too draggy but not too quick either. And for the nerdy types, there’s an added reference -- it’s the song that Buffy and Angel danced to at the Prom at the end of season 2 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Hey, if it’s good enough for the Slayer, it’s good enough for us mortals.

Luna- Smashing Pumpkins


If you’re getting married in the 2010’s, odds are you were born in the 90’s, and we old folks are just going to have to make our peace with that. You see, children, once upon a time there was a band called the Smashing Pumpkins. And when they weren’t singing angry songs about being trapped in a cage, they wrote some lovely little ballads. Luna is one of them. It’s a great song for the end of the reception, when everyone’s had a few too many drinks and are ready to drape themselves across their dance partner and sway.

When you’re planning music for your wedding ceremony, don’t be afraid to get away from the traditional music and into some of these less conventional choices. Your guests will thank you for not making them sit through Canon in D again.

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Where to Buy Wedding Sparklers in Massachusetts

Where to Buy Wedding Sparklers in Massachusetts
Massachusetts is one of the oldest states in our country, and that means there are many great historic and colonial buildings throughout the state. That of course means that many couples choose to head to one of many great regions of Massachusetts to get married. Known as the “Bay State”, couples looking to get married can also expect first class seafood that all of their guests will love. Whether you’re planning to have a wedding on Martha’s Vineyard or you prefer something in downtown Boston, you really can’t go wrong having your wedding in Massachusetts. However, it’s not all wine and roses; there are a few things that you need to know about before you start planning your wedding.

Wedding sparklers have recently become part of an overwhelming number of weddings in the United States. Over 30% of weddings now include sparklers as part of the celebration, and that number is going to rise now that many areas of the country are beginning to legalize the use of sparklers that have been holding out for years. So, I’m sure there are many couples out there are wondering where to buy wedding sparklers in Massachusetts since you don’t see them on the shelves at your local grocery store around the 4th of July. The short answer is: not locally.

This can be a really big downer for couples to hear off the bat, but it’s better to know the truth than drive around endlessly looking for something that simply isn’t there. The bottom line is that your local stores aren’t going to be carrying them regardless what time of year it happens to because they are prohibited from selling them.

Unfortunately, Massachusetts is one of those states that have a law prohibiting retailers from selling fireworks of any kind; even though sparklers are technically “novelties” and not considered “fireworks” by the federal government. There is legislation in the works to change the Massachusetts fireworks laws, but it’s still unlikely in the near future. So what are you supposed to do if you want to buy wedding sparklers in Massachusetts?

Well, there are plenty of places to buy wedding sparklers online, but that isn’t the best solution for many of the readers out there today. You could hire a professional fireworks company to come out and put on a huge show for you and all of your guests, but that would be really expensive and it doesn’t really tackle the underlying problem. Your choices are actually pretty simple; either purchase wedding sparklers online or find an alternative that will work instead.

At the end of the day, your wedding is going to be memorable ad spectacular; regardless of whether or not your guests send you off using wedding sparklers. Wedding sparklers certainly add a lot of flash and dazzle to your wedding experience, but you can easily find alternatives that will fit the bill. But for those who are wondering where to buy wedding sparklers in Massachusetts, the only real answer is to shop online or give up on your search.

Tuesday, July 7, 2015

Wedding Songs for Your Recessional

Wedding Songs for your Recessional
Music is a huge part of the wedding experience. The songs that you play on your wedding day will forever remind you of your nuptials, so choose them wisely. There are so many times throughout the ceremony and reception where the perfect song choice can really enhance the situation that it makes sense to focus on each separately. Here are a few songs that we think are perfect for walking down the aisle for the first time as a married couple.

Dave Matthews, You & Me
The DMB gets a bad rap for being bro-rock or dad-rock, but there’s no denying that ol’ Dave knows his way around a love song. This one starts off simply, then builds to a giddy chorus that should have everyone in the audience singing along by the end of it.

Sample lyric: “You and me together, we can do anything/ You and me together, yes, yes.”

Lick the Tins, Can’t Help Falling in Love
The most famous version of this incredibly romantic tune is Elvis Presley’s crooning slow-jam cover. But we much prefer the infectious energy of this track from Celtic band Lick the Tins. Complete with pennywhistle and adorable vocals from Allison Marr, it’ll have you practically skipping down the aisle.

Sample Lyric: “Take my hand, take my whole life, too / ‘cause I can’t help falling in love with you.”

Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You
Speaking of songs that start slow but build to a huge climax, this Frankie Valli song is practically two different tunes. The first one is a romantic murmur, and then the horns and strings kick in as Frankie practically shouts his love to the heavens.

Sample Lyric: “At long last love has arrived, and I thank God I’m alive, you’re just too good to be true, can’t take my eyes off of you.”

Buddy Holly, “Every day”
For a quieter, sweeter recessional, consider Buddy Holly’s slight but beautiful song. With its gentle guitar and twee little glockenspiel accompaniment, it’s as charming as it is minimal. If you’d like the guests to hush and wipe away tears when you walk down the aisle, it’s a perfect choice.

Sample Lyric: “Every day it’s getting closer /coming faster than a roller coaster / love like yours will surely come my way.”

Beatles, “I Will”
The Beatles are masters of the romantic song, especially once they hit their peace-and-love mid-60s stride. If you have an army of musician friends you can recruit, a la Love Actually, then you can consider “All You Need is Love.” But we still prefer the more laid-back vibe and gorgeous harmonies of this tune.

Sample Lyric: “Who knows how long I’ve loved you / you know I love you still / will I wait a lonely lifetime? If you want me to, I will.”

The music you play during your wedding recessional can put a lovely capper on the whole proceeding and serve as a transition into the celebration portion of the day. Whatever song you choose, make sure it’s one that has special meaning for you and your partner.

Friday, June 12, 2015

Some Honest Wedding Advice

Some Honest Wedding Advice and Answers
For the purposes of this article, let’s say that we get plenty of email from people who are planning a wedding, seeking our sage advice on everything from selecting music to tactfully telling someone they’re not invited. Most of the time, we just ignore those emails, because we don’t usually do an advice column. But now we’ve finally taken pity on the actual real people who totally sent in these questions, and decided to print our very first wedding advice column. Read on to get told.

Q: Can I have my female friend be my best man? How does that work?
Absolutely! You can have a best woman/lady/girl if the mood strikes you, just as you can certainly have a Man of Honor if you’d like to. If the bro who’s been there for you through thick and thin is actually a sis, you shouldn’t hesitate putting her on the groomsmen side of the wedding party. We’ve seen Best Women dress in the same tuxedo the groomsmen are wearing, dress like the bridesmaids but stand on the groom’s side, or just wear a stylish dress that matches the wedding colors. But yes, definitely go for it.

Q: Can I wear white even if I don’t “deserve to?”
Who exactly is going to be checking whether or not you “deserve” to? Honestly, this is a tradition that just doesn’t have any place in a 2015 wedding. If you’ve slept with no one or everyone, it shouldn’t be anyone’s business but your own. So go ahead and wear white. Wear yellow. Wear red! You do you.

Q: Do I HAVE to invite kids to my wedding?
Well, of course not. It’s your wedding; you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. Grandma and Grandpa would slow the reception party down? Don’t invite them! Little sister’s a better dancer than you and makes you look bad on the dance floor? Don’t invite her! Don’t like kids? Leave them off the guest list! It’s your day.

On the other hand, though, it’s also a day for your friends and relatives to gather around you and celebrate you. Are there people on your guest list who would have trouble getting child care, but that you would definitely miss if they didn’t show? If the answer’s yes, then you might have to overcome your fear of children and have the little tykes attend. If your budget allows, just hire a babysitting service to take care of the kids while the adults get down. It’s your day--but do not overlook the other people, too.

Q: Do I HAVE to do a bouquet or garter toss?
Oh, heavens no; especially not the garter toss. Plenty of brides are opting out of both of these antiquated traditions. There’s just something about throwing flowers so single women can make a mad scramble to pick them up that seems demeaning, somehow. And while we all can agree that the groom should take the bride’s clothes off on the wedding night, he doesn’t have to get a head start at the reception. We say pack up both of those old traditions and replace them with something everyone can enjoy, like more time to hit the open bar.

We hope you enjoyed the first installment of our advice column. We’ll be back with another after we’ve had time to collect another vast and totally real selection of email messages from readers like you.