If you forget the ring, there is still a chance that you might be forgiven. If you throw a poor bachelor party, you might as well throw away your friendship.

Your good buddy is taking that final dreaded step. His days of freedom are coming to an end. Like a man in a coma, he is walking down the aisle and towards that proverbial bright light known as marriage.

As the good friend that you are, it is your job – NO – it is your duty to give this trooper the greatest night(s) of his life. And, fella, you are in luck because with our advice you will be able to plan the bachelor party of a lifetime. This is the type of trip that will spawn stories that will be passed down from generation to generation – and you my friend, will be a legend for putting this shindig together.

The first thing you need to do is determine the invite list for the real bachelor party. Now, the term “real” bachelor party indicates that there is going to be more than one bachelor party. The “real” bachelor party is the event which only the groom and his closest buddies will experience with each man sworn to a code of secrecy. The “decoy” bachelor party is the PG-13 version that is attended by the grooms soon to be father-in-law, her brothers, and any other individuals that the groom would prefer not to interact with whilst enjoying the usual wild bachelor party itinerary. As you can imagine, enjoying the entertainment is not really an option with your father-in-law sitting next to you.

As the Captain of this party, it’s up to you to ensure that you have the whole play mapped out. Make sure to consult with all of the guys to ensure that you know their budget and their schedules. It’s essential that the cost and dates of your intended plan don’t eliminate any willing parties (you don’t want to leave any soldiers behind).

Once you have the budget and date set, the fun begins. There are plenty of amazing spots for your bachelor party. There are the obvious locations like Vegas, Miami, and New Orleans that are always winners. But, there are also some gems like Montreal, Chicago, Toronto, and Scottsdale (especially for the golf enthusiasts) that offer superb backdrops to any bachelor party.

As important as picking a great destination, is selecting the activities that you are going to partake in when you get there. Vitally important to the success of your trip is ensuring that all of your plans are confirmed and ready to go. There is nothing worse than showing up somewhere and not being able to get in. And, when you are traveling in testosterone-packed, alcohol-powered groups of guys – it tends to be much more difficult to negotiate your entrance. Using a VIP party planner to coordinate the bachelor party will really reduce the planning burden on yourself and will ensure everything is confirmed ahead of time.

Some amazing day-time activities to get the day kick-started include golfing, go-karting, paintball, or fishing. The evening activities might start off with a great dinner at a steakhouse or sports bar (re-fuel for the big night ahead).

After chowing-down, it is time to light-up the night by heading over to the hottest patios, pubs, or clubs (depending on your group’s preference). A great way to ensure entrance into these hot spots is to pre-register your group on a guest list or to reserve a table with bottle service (less expensive than buying individual drinks) – services that are offered by VIP party planners.

To heighten your experience (especially if you are in a new city), you might want to consider hiring the services of a limo for the night. Can you think of a better way to see a city? You and your buddies relaxing in a lavish vehicle, sipping on champagne and being driven to all of your nightly activities (and best of all you don’t have to keep flagging down cabs). Plus, if you are on guest list or have VIP entrance, you might as well keep up your image by arriving to the club in a pimped out limo. Excuse me ladies, VIP’s coming through!

Like all great bachelor parties, the next obvious avenue of excitement and fun leads to the Gentlemen’s club. For best results, make sure that your VIP party planner has arranged a VIP table and some extra attention for the bachelor. After all he is condemning himself to one woman for the rest of his life – so you might as well make this memorable. Most clubs are more than happy to take your bachelor buddy and put him on stage for some extra added embarrassment.

As you can see the role of Best Man is more extensive than simply remembering the ring and making a speech. You have a man’s last precious moments of single life in your hand. Pull off an outstanding bachelor party and you will earn that title of the Best Man. You might want to leave anything regarding your “bachelor party legacy” out of your speech – it never seems to be as impressive to the bride and her family – Go Figure!

Ryan Barretto is a co-founder of GuysGetaway.com, the web’s first and foremost travel planning service for Men. guysgetaway.com GuysGetaway.com specializes in bachelor party planning, golf packages, sports packages and VIP services.

Weddings are beautiful affairs and most often times they are elegant. Brides want their guests to enjoy the day and welcome them to the reception. A great way to do this is with crystal wedding favors. In general brides give all of their guests wedding favors to thank them for attending the wedding and sharing in such a special day. Many times it is difficult for a bride to find the wedding party favors she is looking for but they are out there if you simply know how to search for them. Bridal shower favors are also special and brides can really make a statement by using crystal wedding favors.

First of all, a bride needs to come up with her theme for the wedding. Once she has the colors and the theme then she will be ready to look for wedding favors. The easiest thing for a bride to do is imagine what she would like to give her guests. If she wants a crystal picture frame to mark each person’s place or perhaps a crystal heart then she will know where to start her search. If she simply wants to offer a wedding favor made of crystal but does not know exactly what then that’s ok too. Just searching the web will provide many ideas for crystal wedding favors. Literally, everything you can imagine from hearts and crosses to dove and picture frames are available. Just start with your favorite search engine and look at what’s available.

Keep in mind as well that crystal wedding favors don’t have to be super expensive. Of course they will cost more than some other types of wedding favors that are cheaper, but if you just know how to search the web you will find there are cheap wedding favors out there. For example, search the auction sites and even Craigslist for local dealers. If you are willing to put some time into the research then you will find just what you are looking for in no time and then you can devote your efforts to finding it for a cheaper price! Weddings are expensive, but that doesn’t mean that you should just accept every high priced item you come across because it is wedding related. Do your homework and you will find the crystal wedding favors you are looking for an affordable price!

Caitlina Fuller is a freelance writer. Brides want their guests to enjoy the day and welcome them to the reception. A great way to do this is with crystal wedding favors.

In general brides give all of their guests weddingfavorites.com/ wedding favors to thank them for attending the wedding and sharing in such a special day.

Many times it is difficult for a bride to find the weddingfavorites.com/ wedding party favors she is looking for but they are out there if you simply know how to search for them. Bridal shower favors are also special and brides can really make a statement by using crystal wedding favors.

Every bride wants her wedding to be memorable – for herself and the groom, but also for their guests. A big part of making her wedding memorable is to select carefully from the myriad of memorable wedding table ideas. That selection begins with a dream, but it involves more than that.

Four Considerations

When searching for the most memorable wedding table ideas, you should keep four things in mind.

1. Significance: Whatever idea you use should have significance for you and your guests. This does not mean everyone attending your reception would have chosen the same wedding table ideas you chose, but there should be a meaningful reason for your selection. If you choose from among the many Irish wedding table ideas, and you are Asian American, there would seem to be no significance. If, however, you are getting married on St. Patrick’s Day, and your color scheme is green and white, Irish wedding table ideas are fine.

If you are having a themed wedding, you should select from among wedding table ideas that will carry out that theme.

2. Color Scheme: Most memorable wedding table ideas carefully adhere to the color scheme of the wedding. If you will be dressed in white and your bridesmaids will be in soft summer yellows, look at wedding table ideas that can naturally accommodate soft yellows and white. In this case, the Irish wedding table ideas mentioned above would be out of place.

3. Budgetary Concerns: No matter how many beautiful wedding table ideas you find, you will be able to use only those that fit within your budget – and you should have a budget for your wedding. Plan how much you will allow for the centerpiece on each table, and how much each guest’s wedding favor will be. Give yourself a firm budget before you begin looking, and stick to it.

4. Commemorative Favors: You will want wedding table ideas that incorporate wedding favors, and mark the favors in such a way that they will commemorate your wedding day. The marking may be as simple as a small paper tag imprinted with your names and the date – or the same information might be inscribed on glass or metal. If the favor is candy, cookies, or other edibles, have the rappers imprinted.

Flower Baskets

Brides who use flower baskets for weddings can carry the theme into wedding table ideas for receptions. One clever idea is to construct centerpieces of flower baskets, each filled with miniature bouquets. Use flowers similar to those carried by the wedding party, and tuck them into tiny silver or glass vases inscribed with your names and the date. Set a tent card on each table instructing guests that each may take one of the mini bouquets at the end of the reception as a wedding favor, thereby dismantling the arrangement.

Flower basket wedding table ideas go another direction when you place regular flower basket centerpieces, and echo them in miniature flower basket favors. Again, consider your colors and theme. Small folded cards attached with a bit of ribbon will give a place for your commemorative note.

Floating Candle Centerpiece and Favors

Most people enjoy candlelight, and if your wedding is in the evening, you might want to consider wedding table ideas that make use of candles. Arrange a large floating candle on a slightly raised stand in the center of each table. Surround it with small candles, each floating in a pretty container engraved with your names and date. Twine flowers or ivy among the candles, and advise guests that each of them may take one of the smaller candles as their wedding favor at the end of the reception.

Hurricane Lamp Centerpiece and Favors

Nostalgic wedding table ideas are always in vogue, since weddings are romantic occasions. Set the mood for nostalgia by placing on each table a tall hurricane lamp chimney mounted on a candle holder. Place a tall candle inside, matching your colors, and surround the candle holder with real or artificial flowers. Do not use thin tapers, as you want your candle to burn throughout the reception. Prepare a miniature edition of this for each guest’s place, and light them also. Use very small hurricane lamp chimneys and shallow glass candle holders for guests’ candle favors. Place short white candles in the candle holders, set the hurricane lamp chimney in place, and surround the bottom with delicate artificial flowers and ribbon to match your colors. If you wish, the candle holder or lamp chimney can be engraved.

Oriental Wedding Table Ideas

If your wedding is to follow an Oriental theme, you will want to consider wedding table ideas to continue the theme. Bright red tablecloths are a good place to begin, as red is traditionally used in many Oriental weddings. Gold or silver favors will stand out against the red. Center each table with a floral arrangement of red and green, with white, silver, or gold touches.

For a distinctly Chinese theme, use white or off-white tablecloths, and make your centerpiece of wedding favors. Arrange bare branches in a bamboo or black lacquer container. From the branches, hang miniature red Chinese lantern favors. To each, attach a commemorative tag. If your budget will allow, use silver or gold colored fortune cookie place card holders as additional favors.

Your Own Wedding Table Ideas

The best wedding table ideas are those each bride creates after doing her homework. There are many galleries of ideas on the Internet. Look until you find something you like, and then tailor that idea to be your own.

©2007, Anna Hart. Anna Hart invites you to read more of her articles about memorable weddings at secretsofweddingfavors.com secretsofweddingfavors.com Anna has also posted additional information on that site about wedding favors. If you would like to work gourmet wedding cookies into unique wedding table ideas, you won’t want to miss her article on the subject.

Falling in love is so much fun. It just feels so good.

If only the high lasted the entire relationship. The high naturally subsides. In long term relationships this will usually lead to disillusionment.

Hitting the wall

Just about every couple I see in my office or on the phone have hit the wall of disillusionment. It often gets expressed in these words:

“Who are you and what have you done with the person I fell in love with?”

If you do not get anything else from this article, get this – the is a normal process and event in long term relationships.

What to do

The most important thing is not that this disillusionment happens, but how you handle it. Here are some important strategies for how to respond to hitting the wall of disillusionment.

1. Realize, get it, that this is normal. When you do this, you can take away the panic and power.

2. Think back to what first attracted you to this person in the beginning of the relationship. This goes under the heading of “when you are up to your ass in alligators it’s hard to remember that your original intention was to drain the swamp.”

You need to shift your focus here by getting reacquainted with the positives of this person.

3. Talk about it. What we don’t talk about, we act out. While it may be difficult, have the conversation. You can start by saying “I’m really worried by how far apart we are. Can we talk about this?”

If you cannot talk this out on your own, it’s time to find a good relationship coach or counselor.

Remember, hitting the disillusionment wall is normal. What counts is what you do about it.

Visit secretsofgreatrelationships.com SecretsofGreatRelationships.com for tips and tools for creating and growing a great relationship. Subscribe to our f-ree secretsofgreatrelatinships.com relationship advice newsletter as well as our f*r*e*e secretsofgreatrelationships.com/eprogram.htm 10 day e-program on how to enrich your relationship today, from relationship coach and expert Jeff Herring.