With the Fourth of July soon approaching, we wanted to wish all of our American readers a happy and memorable day. To all of you Summer brides, if you are planning a wedding on or near the Fourth of July this is the perfect time to draw some gorgeous wedding inspiration from this patriotic day by having a themed wedding celebration in honor of the Fourth. Read on for our tips on how to draw a little, or a lot of, inspiration from this holiday in order to tie the patriotic theme into your wedding or engagement party. A meaningful and memorable Fourth of July wedding will be one that your guests won't soon forget! If you’re not getting married, then you can still use some of our tips to throw a party for all your loved ones in celebration of America Day. Posted by Muroa Z.

The old British saying goes, "something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue, and a sixpence in your shoe." For the past three weeks, we have brought you ideas on how to incorporate the old, the new, and the borrowed into your weddings plans. Since "a sixpence in your shoe" is pretty straight forward, last but not least, we bring you "something blue"! Did you know, that the color blue is associated with purity and fidelity? It also used to be worn in order to ward off the “evil eye” that would make new brides infertile. Nowadays though, this may be one of the easiest of the four "somethings" to incorporate. There are endless options of blue wedding products in the market. Many brides choose to incorporate a shade of blue into their color palate, using either blue bridesmaid dresses or decorations at the reception. For those brides who aren't keen on having blue as visible on the big day, here are some of our favorite alternatives. While some of these may be hidden under your skirts, others are small enough that they can have meaning for you without taking over your color scheme. Either way, these items will ensure you have all that traditional good luck!

 “Something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue.”  Over the last two weeks we have shared our ideas on how to incorporate both new and old items into your wedding. This week we focus on “something borrowed”! Did you know that originally “something borrowed” was based on the superstition that brides could be made more fertile by borrowing an item from a married woman whom had already had children? Now-a-days brides may borrow an item from a loved-one regardless of their relationship status, although they still typically borrow items from happily-married friends and family.

Here are a few options you may have initially overlooked. Some of our favorites include jewelry and hot rods. Your wedding may be the perfect opportunity to borrow your grandmother’s stunning antique jewels. Most-likely she will be happy and honored to lend them to you on your big day. Keep in mind you can borrow something from men too! Remember your uncle’s favorite convertible? Now is your best bet for that free ride. The key factor to this is that you MUST remember to return the item either right after the wedding or the next day.  You can return it in person or have a family member or bridesmaid do it, but it must get done!

If you are planning on having children, this may be another incentive to carefully storing items from your own wedding. Perhaps they will want to borrow something from you one day!

Posted by Amy K.

We’ve all heard the old British saying. On your wedding you should have “something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue”. Last week we introduced ways that you could incorporate “something old” into your wedding. This week we are following up with this theme to introduce “something new”. When people hear the words “something new”, daunting images of extra bills often come to mind. But it actually doesn’t always have to mean buying something. Try something new by using the latest technology to modernize your wedding! From the moment he bends his knee, to the day you finally send your last thank you, taking advantage of the latest technology can help save time, sleep, energy, and peace of mind. Another thing to keep in mind are online registries. Some places will even deliver gifts directly to your house so there is no need to tackle presents back to your new home! Recently, showing slideshows of photos of the bride and groom growing up and meeting each other have become extremely popular for receptions. Finally, try out a digital photo album to display photos of your wedding! It can be as simple as e-mailing your photos directly to the digital album, and then your memories will never end up collecting dust on a bookshelf!

Making a wedding scrapbook can help you recall all of the day's important moments, even after decades of marriage have eroded your memory. To get the most out of your scrapbook, carefully choose items that have special meaning to you. Otherwise, you could end up with a book that leaves you shrugging your shoulders instead of reconnecting to your special day.

Your Save-the-Date Cards

A lot of couples put hard work into making their save-the-date cards. Those cards can end up looking nicer than your actual wedding invitations.

Save at least one of your cards so you can remember a time before you had to think about coordinating the biggest party of your life.

Your Invitations

Of course, you should also save your invitations. Most wedding invitations tell you where and when the event happened. That's good information when you want to reminisce over the day.

Your Official Pictures

You'll probably never look as good as you did on your wedding day, so make sure you put a copy of your professional photographs in your scrapbook. One day, you'll look back and wonder how you managed to stay so trim. Then again, you might also laugh at your hairstyle or clothes.

Even if you get a good laugh out of the year's fashion trends, it's worth having these pictures in a protective book.

A Few Candid Photographs

Don't forget to slip in some candid photographs. They'll remind you of the people you invited to your wedding. When you look at your scrapbook years down the road, you might still be friends with some of them. Others will inevitably taken different paths. It's a little sad to see these pictures, but it's also heartwarming to remember the great times you shared.

A Napkin

If you just use plan napkins, then you might not want to include them in your scrapbook. If you got customized napkins with your names and the date printed on them, then you definitely want to include one or two in your scrapbook.

A Few Preserved Flowers

Flowers almost always play important roles in weddings. Save a few of your favorites so you always have a connection to that day.

There are many ways to preserve flowers. The easiest is to put it between the pages of a heavy book. Give it a few weeks to dry out, then remove it and add it to your scrapbook. This process also presses the flower so that it's flat and fits into your book nicely