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Enter the world of frivolity when you transport your wedding guests to the Colorado Renaissance Festival. Kick off with a royal bagpipe procession with bride and groom riding on the festival elephant or in a horse drawn carriage. Enjoy a seat next to King Henry while you watch the medieval jousting competition. Then get married in a Renaissance chapel and enjoy a full Renaissance-style meal. Guests need not worry what to wear; they will be costumed in head-to-toe Renaissance style. Top it all off with a release of white doves above the chapel to announce the new couple. The Colorado Renaissance Festival runs weekends throughout the summer months. For more information including pricing, visit their website.

Nothing completes your look like the perfect shoe, and here's where the Renaissance bride can find authentic-looking footwear to complete her costume. If moccasin styles are your thing, check out these hand-crafted, leather shoes. The sole is made of Neoprene for long wear. Choose from low and high-top moccasin (about $72-90), open-toe sandal (around $50), or tall boot styles (about $250) in a variety of colors. You control the fit by loosening or tightening the laces.

If you're looking for a more simple option, try these ankle latchet shoes ($125). Browse the website for several styles of Renaissance style shoes and take note of the period dates for each style, so you can be sure you've got the perfect match for your dress. You're sure to dance the Renaissance night away in these great shoes.

Exercising together, as a couple, has multiple payoffs for your relationship. First, it makes you both more accountable to the work out routine. If your mate is there counting on you and encouraging you, you're less likely to skip out. Second, it helps you balance your fitness training. Since most women prefer cardio exercise and most men prefer strength training, working out together helps you both get the balance you need for optimum health. Also, working out with a partner is healthier because you have someone to spot you or help you when needed. Finally, it helps bring you closer. Couples find that especially work outs like yoga or pilates help bring them eye-to-eye in a relaxing atmosphere – and this builds intimacy even outside the gym.

If you do decide to work on a mutual fitness program, keep compromise top-of-mind for success. Choose a time, place and activity that works for both of you, or take turns with your favorite activity. Don't turn work outs into a competition. It's about getting healthy and getting closer together, even if you can run a whole mile further. Finally, make togetherness the priority by blowing off the hard-sweat work out and taking a walk through the park or relaxing bike ride once in while. This will keep the fun factor high and boredom at bay.

My wedding was on the extreme side of small. And the extreme side of short-term. In fact, we put the whole thing together in about two weeks. As such, it was kind of like eloping. My husband's family could not fly in from the U.K. on such short notice, and there were no invitations, so the vast majority of our friends were not there either (just the best man). To include all of them in our celebration, we opted for a post-wedding reception nine months later (after a trip to the U.K. to visit relatives there). Although we had help with expenses, we still wanted to keep it budget-wise. Here's how you can organize a simple and lovely post-wedding reception without breaking the piggy bank.

Keep it casual: We decided to keep the celebration casual. Since we had been married for the better part of a year already, we didn't think a black-tie gala was needed and we skipped traditional first dances, bouquet tosses, etc. and went with a simple toast and cake cutting.

Choose a friendly location: Our reception was in a family friend's home, built by movie director Cecil B. DeMille, in the foothills under Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles. The home was so beautiful that we didn't need elaborate decorations. Other good options are community or activity centers or your church's activity room. Add a few basic decorations and you can really set the scene for your reception.

Keep the menu simple: We had finger foods catered and a cake to cut and share with friends. A simple menu keeps both cost and planning to a minimum.

DIY: I made invitations on a computer at work. This wasn't commonplace 15 years ago, but it's much easier now with templates and basic publishing software. You can even print them on your printer (back in the day, mine were black and white). We also had photo albums of our wedding ceremony on hand so guests could relive the day with us.

Re-use fashion: I took the opportunity to wear my wedding dress again. After all, my friends hadn't seen it yet and it was simple enough to suit the occasion. For the post-wedding reception, it's really not necessary to have cutting edge, runway fashion. Friends are there to see you, not a dress.

Hear ye! Hear ye! Thou can set the stage for your fine affair with these customizable Renaissance-style invitations. You choose one of the outside designs (created by fantasy artist Melissa Benson of Ranting Centaur Studios) and inside message, or upload your own photo into a card "frame." Use one design or choose several to cover your guest list in Renaissance style. The price is the same no matter how creative you get. Complete the ensemble with matching postage stamps. There are no minimum quantities and there are good price discounts for large quantities. For more information on pricing and ordering, go ye to this website.

There are many choices online for African American themed wedding invitations, from ones that express your love and tenderness in an intimate moment to ones that call upon traditions and symbols from the past. Call directly upon traditions of the past with images of wedding couples jumping the broom. Or tie into one of the strongest symbols of life and love with the ankh. Or choose a style with more subtle African design elements and rich colors. These invitations will set the stage for your perfect African American wedding. To purchase any of the invitations shown, follow the links below each gallery photo.

In this day and age of limited time and budgets, it's tempting to some couples to skip the rehearsal dinner. After all, it's just more money spent, and everyone might be just as happy resting up for the real party, right? Wedding experts say that the rehearsal dinner is not mandatory. But, before you scratch it off the planning list, consider its important role in the nuptial weekend. Traditionally, the rehearsal dinner is gives the bride and groom a chance to thank the bridal party and other close friends and family who have helped with the wedding. And, since it's a smaller, more intimate, and usually more relaxed evening, you might even enjoy it. It's one last chance to connect before the rush of wedding and honeymoon begin. Given its true function, your rehearsal dinner does not have to be elaborate or expensive -- even your favorite diner or coffee shop would do. So, think twice before nixing it, and consider planning a casual and fun evening for you.

You may already be familiar with the story of Kelly Gray, the 23-year-old hairdresser in Virginia who set up an eBay auction this past week for the last open bridesmaid spot in her wedding. Because her finances are tight, her hope was to get enough money from the auction to help cover some of the other wedding expenses. Her hopes were more than answered, but not by any kind of angel. Her hopes were answered by capitalism when the Dr. Pepper Snapple Group offered the highest bid, $5,700. When Gray contacted the company, they promptly upped their own bid, donating $10,000 and all the beverages for the nuptials. As for the bridesmaid spot, the company plans to launch an online contest or obtain a surprise celebrity to stand in the wedding.

Although this kind of on-the-spot, tech-oriented marketing is just what consumer brands are on the lookout for these days, both Dr. Pepper Snapple and Gray herself are coming under attack. Gray is accused of not taking responsibility for her family and finances – in short begging others to bail her out when she needs extra cash. Some even say the marriage is already doomed. Dr. Pepper Snapple, the third largest soft drink manufacturer, is probably – and predictably -- looking for small ways to irritate the two Goliath cola makers. Undeniably, this creates a whole new relationship between consumers and brands. Can anyone in need use "creative Internet" to access the kind of cash that corporations throw around daily in marketing meetings (although many similar eBay listings have gone ignored)? What does the end of that road look like?

What do you think? Is Dr. Pepper Snapple grabbing at quick and dirty publicity? Is Gray's marriage doomed? Or are all these naysayers just jealous they didn't think of it (or have the guts to do it) themselves?

Although it moved at typical TV pace (LaDonna and Darnell were married, champagne toasted and enjoyed two commercial breaks in half an hour), the TODAY Throws a Wedding grand finale was a beautiful affair. Rockefeller Plaza was decorated with Asian cranes and paper lanterns for the East Meets West theme, and every detail was complete as LaDonna and Darnell tied the knot this morning. Pastor Willie Butler, LaDonna's childhood pastor, presided over the nuptials. Both the bride and groom, looking sweet and ever so poised in front of all of America, recited their own vows from memory: Darnell offered his heart and soul to LaDonna and said he would go to the end of the Earth to see her smile, and LaDonna felt her father smiling from heaven and promised to love Darnell with every beat of her heart. Once pronounced husband and wife, LaDonna and Darnell jumped the broom, an African American wedding tradition signifying the blessed union of marriage. After a toast and an interview with their TODAY family, the new couple joined their real family and friends in the Rainbow Room at Rockefeller Center for a reception.

Once the festivities are over, the couple will be traveling to Bora Bora for an unbelievably romantic honeymoon.

Is there no end to what can be auctioned? Kelly Gray, a Virginia bride, is auctioning off the opportunity to be one of her bridesmaids. Why would somebody do this? To help offset some of the wedding costs. Gray and her fiancé together make barely enough to get by supporting a 1-year-old baby. They really do not have the means to save up for a wedding and are looking for every possible way to stretch a dollar. With everything under the sun already up for auction on eBay, Gray thought why not a bridesmaid? As of June 24th, the bid was up to $1625.00.

Update: As of 10:45 EST, the bid was up to $4250.00 with eight hours left for the auction.

Give your guests a "green" favor they're sure not to throw away. Even if they do throw it away, it still might bloom, because it's a plantable favor from Love Blooms. It's a seed packet in the form of paper. The company adds seed mix and petals to wet pulp then dries the pulp quickly to preserve the viability of the seeds. The result is pretty textured paper that grows when you water it. Choose from different seed mixtures (which create different colors on the paper) and square, butterfly, or angel-shaped favors. You can even hand write personalized messages on the paper. For more information about plantable favors or to place an order, visit the Love Blooms website.

When it comes to love and sexy lingerie, it's all fun and games until someone loses an eye, right? That's the lesson to be learned from the current lawsuit against Victoria Secret. Macrida Patterson, a traffic cop from Los Angeles, learned the hard way that caution is advised when working with things that sparkle and stretch. A metal clip that had been used to attach a rhinestone heart to her blue thong underwear flew off (snap!) and hit her in the eye. She sustained damage to her cornea which she now hopes to pass on to the dangerous thong manufacturer via the lawsuit, proving that not all V.S. suits are all that sexy. Perhaps now we'll see underwear being paired with matching bling-studded, ultra-sexy (but protective) eyewear.

Here's another source for custom-made jewelry. At Dasha Boutique you can select from different styles of necklaces, earrings, and bracelets, choose your colors, and have them hand-made to your specs. The site makes it easy to shop by color, price or gemstone and most items are shipped within 2-3 business days. Prices vary according to the style you select with simple earrings starting at $45; most items are under $200, and the site offers refunds and exchanges in case your order isn't quite what you thought it would be. Choose beautiful jewelry to match your bridesmaids dresses or for a special gift.

If lantern-lit cobblestone streets and quaint German village-style buildings is the perfect setting for your romantic wedding, consider the Old World village church in Huntington Beach, CA. About 5 miles from the coast, this beautiful Christian church welcomes up to 120 guests for your small wedding. Silk flower and altar decorations as well as a unity candle are provided. The Old World restaurant can provide the inside venue for a casual reception, or you can opt for the lovely outdoor gardens. The restaurant can also provide everything edible from hors d'oeuvres, to buffet or sit down meals, to the cake.

According to David Bach, Redbook Marriage Institute expert and author of Smart Couples Finish Rich, debt is one of the biggest factors driving couples to divorce court (which certainly doesn't make the financial picture any clearer). Here are the common mistakes he says to avoid: