Q. I want to make a special proposal to my long time sweetheart but have no clue what to do. Can you help?



A. There are different types of proposals needed for different types of personalities. Depending on what your girlfriend is like, you have several different options.



If your girl is flamboyant, not shy at all and loves attention:

· Have an announcer call your fiance to the middle of the sports arena-as you get down on your knee and propose in front of the crowd.

· Place an ad in her favorite magazine.

· Rent a billboard and spell out your proposal to her.

· Place your proposal on the big screen at the local theater.

· Have a radio DJ announce your proposal.

· Take her to her favorite restaurant and propose to her. Hire a musician to play in the background.



If your girl is soft spoken, shy and loves to read romance novels:

· Bake some cookies that spell out "Will you marry me?"

· Take a romantic horse-drawn carriage ride and find an intimate moment to propose to her.

· Write your proposal in sand at the beach.

· Hire a small plane and banner to fly overhead with the proposal.

· Hire a balloonist to give you both a ride while you propose.

· Plan a wonderful picnic including all of her favorite cheeses and wine.



If your girl loves adventure, is a sports junkie or an avid traveler:

· Take her scuba diving and ask her under the water.

· Rent a sporty red convertible and take her for a spin to a romantic spot.

· Take her fishing and tie the ring onto the end of her pole - very snug!

· Take her skiing and write in the snow with spray paint - your proposal.



Other ideas:

· Plan a scavenger hunt where the ring is the prize.

· Tuck the ring into her favorite desert.

· Telegram her your proposal and have it delivered to her door while you wait outside.

· Place her ring inside an easter basket.

· Give her a teddy bear with the ring around the neck of the stuffed animal.

· Fly a kite together on a sunny day at the park and attach the ring to the kite tail.

· Take her to an amusement park and ask her to marry you on a roller coaster.

· Prepare a bubble bath for two and have the ring floating on a rubber ducky.



If your girl uses the computer everyday:

· Place the marriage proposal on her computer screen as a screen saver.

· Create a web page professing your love.

· Send her e-mail clues about your upcoming proposal without giving it away



And when she accepts, tell her about Weddings and Favors, where you can find high quality wedding favors and wedding keepsakes

So, are you throwing an engagement party? Well the following article is made for you.



In following tradition, the bride's parents typically throw engagement parties. But now, anyone can including the bride and the groom. Any type of engagement party is perfectly okay. You could do a brunch, a coctail party or even a lunch or dinner. For the invitations you really don't have to worry about getting them printed. Engagement parties are typically very informal. There are lots of fun ways to throw engagement parties if you are doing it yourself. Here are a few ideas:



1) A Tex-Mex party! This is an awesome way to feed a lot of people and have a really fun atmosphere at your event. You could even serve mexican drinks such as ice-cold margharitas to add to the fun.



2) A champagne and hors d'oeuvres party! You could sport a wide selection of champagnes from different regions. Serve a lot of good cheese and crackers. This type of party might work well at night or in the evening hours right before dinner time.



3) A sit down dinner. This type of parties typically work best for small groups of people. If you only have a few friends to share this joyous occasion with; this would be a great time to bring out the chef in you and serve them some of your favorite dishes!



4) A beach party or a pool party! This is a great way to relax. If you have a lot of kids in your extended family they will appreciate the engagement party alongside a pool. The grown ups in the meantime can focus on the barbeque. What a perfect way to make everyone feel welcome.



Here are just a few ideas for your engagement parties. Also, don't forget to order your engagement party favors on time before the special day. Your party guests will appreciate the thought. Have fun!

Q. My wedding day is getting closer and closer and I do not have a clue as to what color or theme I should choose for the wedding decorations?



A. Well, my question to you is...are you getting married in spring, summer, fall or winter? As it is summer time right now I will focus my answer on it. But what does my answer have to do anything with the seasons you say? The reason I mention the seasons is this: to keep it simple and charming, use a seasonal theme for your wedding.

Summer time is when a lot of beautiful flowers that you won't readily see year round are present. I am speaking specifically of daffodils, tulips or irises and daisies or sunflowers! These flowers could make a wonderful decoration not only for your reception tables but also for your bridal bouquet. When you decide on the color, the rest of the decorations will be easier to pick out since you can use the the reception table decorations as the main focal point for the color at your wedding and then use contrasting colors for the napkins and the other smaller decorations.



If you choose not to go with a seasonal theme for your wedding, you can always do a wedding theme based on your favorite color. What about a light pink, or a beautiful pale yellow or a bright red! Make sure and use some contrasting colors as well to balance it out. You could even pick out your favorite wedding favor to come in the same color theme as your wedding! There are so many options now available. You can now order samples to be sure of what the color looks like in real life. Weddings and Favors is a great company to order your favors from because they give you an option to order samples!

Q. When do we cut the Wedding Cake and do you have any ideas on decorating the cake?



A. Isn't that the best part of any wedding! The cake at our wedding was made of delicious strawberries and pineapple in two seperate layers. It was just amazing. Getting back to your question... If you serve a meal at your wedding, then the cake is typically cut right after so that it can be served as a dessert. If you are having a casual wedding with no meal, cut the wedding cake right before the tossing of the bouquet.

As far as decorating the wedding cake, my favorite is a cake decorated with fresh cut flowers. Fresh cut flowers make a stunning wedding cake topper. Depending on the colors in your wedding, choose something that will compliment your entire event. Here's an idea; for a peach themed wedding, get some peach colored roses from your local florist or even a farmers market. Have your bakery arrange the flowers on the wedding cake as the last enhancement. What a gorgeous presentation it make at your wedding. Lilies will make a beautiful wedding cake topper aswell. Most of all and like always, enjoy your big day.

Q. I have been asked to be a bridesmaid at my friends wedding. I don’t know what my duties will be at the occasion. Can you help?



A. The bride is typically a nervous wreck around her wedding. Bridesmaids serve a very important role in the wedding. Your chief duty will be to keep her spirits up. Do your best to make her feel comfortable. Your second duty will be to keep smiling while going up the aisle, coming back down and while going around the reception accepting compliments. You could also help the bride keep track of her belongings and helping out if the bride forgot her reception favors or handing out the wedding favors.