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Down by the DarksideInside the breezewayWhere my thoughts are all turned insideWith no words I could sayWhy my heart just could not feelWhat my eyes could never seeAll the lies seemed so realAll the things I should beThough I know I never wasWas it all becauseI was walking down by the DarksideYeah, I was down by the DarksideDown by the DarksideWhere it seems all the fools liveI was hanging out there at a low tideI had come there to forgiveTo forgive myself for my own soul’s burningAnd for the way it’s always beenCuz I was just never learningJust remembering where and whenThrough all the good and the bad timesAnd all the whiskey, drugs and rhymesRolling fast into the DarksideYeah, I was down by the DarksideDown by the DarksideWhere the street lights never shineWhere the girls love a fast rideAnd all live on money, sex and wineYou can stand here and listen to their chatterAnd all the stories they tellPretending nothing really mattersAnd then end their sentences with “Oh well”So I have my palace down in this placeAnd a P.O. Box in case I loose the raceCause I’m a king down by the DarksideYeah, I was down by the DarksideDown by the DarksideThe marriage party is full with laughterWhere the idiot and his new brideWill drown themselve with “Happy Ever Afters”But like a buzzard the blind groom fliesOn an endless tyradeStrewn with all his broken-hearted liesAcross the living hell he has madeWas it meant to be all that it wasOr was it only just becauseThey held their wedding down by the DarksideYeah, I was down by the DarksideDown by the DarksideWhere all my friends and I now liveWe’re all so hollow on the insideAnd we all have nothing more to giveSo we all stand there blind and bleedingAlthough we all claim to be so awareOf all of our emptiness and our needingYet we’re too numb to even careCan we decide to end it allPick up the phone - make our last callThat call you must place down by the DarksideYeah, I was down by the DarksideThey say that they’ve closed down the DarksideSay that they love and that they careBut I know there, just on the outsideThe depressed millions are still standing thereThey have their tickets to the dance all stampedThey have their muzzles held to their headsThey are all gathered at the old campWhere they are all dying to be deadSo don’t waste your time wondering whyYou can find their answer in their sunken eyesRoad blocks never work down by the DarksideYeah, I was down by the Darkside.

A wedding planned in the spirit of nature provides the perfect opportunity for selecting wedding favors fashioned after elegant symbols consisting of, but not limited to maple leaves, butterflies, lavender buds, and roses. While there is certainly no shortage of wedding favors available today that are inspired by nature, those that are carefully designed with distinctive style and artistic detail remain popular choices.

As brides aim to locate the perfect wedding favors to reflect their personality and style, many look for favors made with exquisite details and designs inspired by nature such as embroidery or hand painting. Some examples include fabric containers made of silk and organza that are illustrated with floral landscapes or imagery. Besides attractive textures, color is another arena that brides have explored greatly as they sift through the astounding variety of favor bags in the hope of finding one that fits well within their wedding color scheme. The favorite color for nature-inspired weddings ranges from iridescent colors of red and orange to soft pastel colors in yellow and green.

These embroidered and hand-painted details are often found in wedding favor bags made from organza, which remains one of the most elegant and affordable fabrics. However, it is important to keep in mind that while organza bags come in a multitude of shapes, sizes, and prices, be sure to find high quality organza fabric that neither frays nor easily tears as a result of handling. Of course, details such as embellished ribbons with unique pearl accents and beads have become the de rigueur, as brides have become more creative and discerning when searching for the ultimate favor bag.

When all is said and done, what would elegant organza or silk bags with embroidered or painted floral embellishments be without a delicious treat or personal memento tucked inside them. Use fillings that are also inspired by nature that include soothing chamomile tea, delicious maple sugar candy, or delightful iced sugar cookies that are rendered in floral shapes to extend a nature-inspired theme. No matter what filling may be desired, finding the ideal wedding favor for the nature-loving bride comes with exciting options, but only the perfect favor for today’s demanding bride will make her top choice - those made with superior details and reflect the sophisticated taste of the bride and groom.

About the author: Copyright © 2004 Bellenza, Inc. Lizzy Mansfield is a staff writer for Bellenza - specializing in handmade wedding favors, accessories, and bridal party gifts. Visit http://www.bellenza.com/ and discover their unique selection of wedding favors.

It is good to get some solid financial-based marriage advice before taking the plunge. The engagement ring is only the first of many big expenses. When considering money management just before and after marriage, there are some basic questions that you may want to ask:

Q. Is a prenuptial agreement necessary?
A. Legally speaking, marriage splits your combined assets and liabilities right down the middle. Everything gets shared. Therefore, a prenuptial agreement is sometimes very necessary, particularly when a married man or woman has assets or liabilities that will greatly exceed that of his or her spouse. To make a decision that is right for the both of you, consult with a financial planner who is familiar with the marriage laws in your state.

Q. What about opening a joint bank account?
A. Since all your money will in essence be merged together, opening a joint bank account can make paying bills much simpler. This is particularly true of bills for things that you own and share as a married couple, such as a house or insurance. However, it is also a good idea to budget some spending money to put into your own personal accounts.

Q. What is the average wedding cost?
A. Marriage preparation can be really hectic and stressful, depending on how fancy you want to get. Add the stress of trying to stick to a wedding budget, and you could be in for a rocky beginning. The average wedding cost is more than $15,000. This may be comfortable for you, or maybe not. Set a realistic budget taking into account your debts and your income.

Q. My spouse is a spender and I’m a saver. Will we ever agree?
A. A good marriage is about finding balance; but most of all, it is about survival. That means being less selfish, being willing to negotiate and to compromise. If you find yourself at odds about your spending habits, get premarital counseling. Couple counseling can open the lines of communication. In the long-run, good communication is the key to successful financial and family planning.

Read more marriage and finance articles at marriedfinances.com - View our marriage and finance resource directory at successfulmarriageresource.com

Every bride is unique with a unique style. The single most thing
a bride worries about her wedding day is her wedding dress. The
dress expresses the personal style and personality of the bride.

With so much emphasis on style, fashion and physical beauty
every bride feels the pressure to go for a designer wedding
dress. An average bride can not always afford the exorbitant
cost of the designer dress but can still have the same look and
style with some planning and in most cases can even acquire a
high end designer wedding dress at a reasonable price.

The first and foremost thing in planning for high end designer
look is to have plenty of time to do your homework meaning there
should be enough time planned before the wedding to look for
bargains in various places to find the right wedding dress.

Following are some tips to help brides find the bargains that
would save considerable amount of expense.

In the recent years a number of consignment places have sprung
up which carry large assortment of high end designer wedding
dresses at a fraction of the original cost. Typically these
consignment places carry the last season’s originals (which is
great for one of a kind deal). These original dresses that cost
thousands of dollars on an average would cost between $500 and
$1200 depending on the designer.

If you are not going for a designer original but still want
elegant stylish high end product, in that case your best option
is to explore the catalogs. There are several high end designers
whose products are sold through various catalogs at very
affordable prices.

The other option is to rent the wedding dress instead of
purchasing one which might not be a bad idea after all as you
would never wear the dress again in any case.

If you want simplicity and elegance at the lower end of the
spectrum there are many places for that as well. Check out the
discount bridal stores, several department stores carry
exclusive wedding lines, several specialty clothing retailers
have started their own wedding lines and catalogs which not only
include the Wedding dresses but also the bridesmaid dresses and
bridal accessories as well.

The other avenue is the evening dress line. Instead of going for
strictly wedding dress you can go for an elegant evening dress
which is far less expensive and comes in various degrees of
elegance for every kind of wedding imaginable.

Last but not least if you keep an open mind and are not bogged
down by undue prejudices you can always borrow the dress from a
close friend or a relative.

There are three things that all wedding receptions must include to turn out as memorable and successful events. The three “G’s” of good food, good times, and good entertainment will make your wedding reception into an event enjoyed by all who attend. Generally taking care of the first and third of these concepts will guarantee the second. Good food is generally attained by hiring a competent caterer and not serving okra. Good entertainment brings with it a number of options and, unfortunately, none are ever ensured to be as good as they purport. One entertainment option for wedding receptions is the wedding singer. For far less than you’d pay a band and a bit more than you can expect to pay a DJ, you can get an entertainer that is a master of ceremonies, singer, and comedian all rolled into one.

Popularized by Adam Sandler’s 1998 film The Wedding Singer, the person fulfilling this role at your reception will entertain you and your guests from start to finish. The wedding singer keeps the “show” aspect of the reception rolling along smoothly by providing music for dancing, and introducing various aspects of the reception such as the throwing of the bouquet/garter, and the unwrapping of wedding gifts. A good wedding singer will be the life of the party, keeping everyone in a good mood and having a good time by filling the lulls with witty comments and by singing his heart out. Some wedding singers will also have the guests sing, making parts of the reception a kind of karaoke party. Everyone loves karaoke. Even those who claim to despise it actually have a tiny Mel Torme, David Lee Roth, or Richard Cheese deep inside them just aching to get out. The wedding singer will bring this out in people.

Finding a wedding singer to hire for your reception is often as easy as looking through the telephone directory or searching the Internet. You’ll find that there are all types of wedding singers available to perform at your reception. Wedding singers will generally have a variety of musical styles to offer in their repertoire. Some offer general services which include a number of popular songs that they can perform at your wedding. Others are more specialized and offer “tribute” performances to famous singers like Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Tony Bennett or even the likes of Barry Manilow or Burt Bacarach. Most will be more than happy to discuss your musical tastes with you and gear their performances accordingly. Whatever musical style suits your particular tastes, you’re sure to be able to locate a wedding singer willing to perform it for you.

Wedding singers can do it all for you and the good ones can make for a truly entertaining experience. When you’re planning the entertainment for your wedding reception, consider hiring a wedding singer to help make sure your event fulfils the requirement of the three “G’s” and is a memorable occasion for you and your guests.

Kirsten Hawkins is an event planner from Nashville, TN. Visit www.wedding411.net/ for more event planning tips, strategies, and resources.

In addition to choosing a stunning dress, you will also want to
find some nice accents to go along with it. In many cases, this
would be jewelry and a veil, but can include many other
accoutrements.

The jewels

For each particular style of wedding gown, you need to choose
particular styles of jewelry. And since you can’t wear your gown
into jewelry stores, you will want to wear a shirt with the same
color as your dress as well as the same neckline. This is the
best way to capture the right look.

Starting with the earrings, you can look to your hair style to
determine how to dress them up. If you have a shorter style or
you’re looking to pull your hair up for the wedding day, you
will want to pick longer earrings that extend towards your neck.
If you want something simpler, then diamond or rhinestone studs
can be equally beautiful.

The neck is the focal point for most brides, so you can really
dazzle them here. Look at your dress to see if you have a lot of
detail or not. If you do, you will want to choose a necklace
that’s a little less extravagant. If you don’t follow this
advice, you will have multiple looks competing with one another
and it can create a very confused and scattered look.

For a simple dress with a deep neckline, you should be looking
at larger pendants or a more complicated style. Pearls always
seem to work, but try on different lengths to make sure that
they complement the entire look.

Here comes the veil

While many modern brides are opting to not have a veil, they
still remain a mainstay for wedding attire. Veils today can come
with rhinestones and tiaras built in and can make a dramatic
statement as the bride enters the church.

What you want to keep in mind though is that the more
complicated the veil, the less you want to do for your jewelry.
It’s another case of the competing looks and balancing the
overall effect of the details. You don’t want to have so many
things going on that people forget to look at your face.

The best advice is to find one feature or one accessory that you
love and make that the most complicated thing that you wear.
Whether it’s a tiara or lovely diamond earrings, choose only
one. Your pictures will thank you.

We never think that our relationship will experience the tragedy of an affair. No one ever expects it, but it happens to so many nonetheless. Often, both partners want to put the relationship back together again. Here’s the blueprint for recovery.

The First Thing To Do Is To Go To A Couple’s Therapist.

Yes, I am biased about this since I am a couple’s therapist. But I’ve seen so many people come to me years after an affair and the wounds are still raw. The couple once thought they had put the affair behind them, but they really had not. Either the betrayed partner never really got over it, or the person who had the affair never really let go of the passion, attraction or dreams evoked by the affair.

So, do it right. Get some help. You’re too close to the problem to see it clearly.

For The Person Who Feels Betrayed:

Your reactions may range from wanting to get the person back at your side at any cost, to kicking him or her out at the least provocation. And, you may cycle from one to the other throughout the recovery process.

You can figure on at least a year to really get over most of it. It is a grief process. You’ve had dreams crushed and trust shattered. It will take a long time. You need a resource network besides your partner. That means friends, family, minister, counselor. Grief is sadness, and often depression and anger mixed in. You need to hear repeatedly that your partner is sorry and really means it.

Your biggest problem is that your partner is going to believe that the two of you should just put it all behind you and get on with life. He or she will think that what happened really didn’t matter that much, that relationship with you is what really matters, and now it is recognized. Your partner will want to just move on. You are not going to be able to do that. That’s why you’re going to need the help of that therapist.

For The Person Who Had The Affair:

You may think you know what your partner is going through, but you don’t. You will typically get over the affair fairly quickly and expect your partner to do the same. It doesn’t work this way.

If you’re going to be successful you’re going to have to learn to say “I’m sorry” on a daily basis, ad nauseum, for at least a year. It will be very trying for you because you just won’t get it. You won’t get how wounded your partner is, and how long the recovery is going to take. You won’t want to take full responsibility for how much harm you’ve created. You’re going to feel like it is all about beating up on and blaming you.

But you’re going to have to learn to live with it all. It is called the consequences of your behavior. None of us like this very much. It is difficult. But it is the real deal. To be successful in this recovery you’re going to have to shoulder the responsibility and really become a “big” person.What a challenge you face!

Trust:

Trust is merely my ability to predict your future behavior based on my observation of your past behavior. After an affair, trust has been ruined. Everything is brought into question. The partner who strayed needs to have the willingness to have all behavior now be totally transparent.

The only way to re-establish trust is to build up another large resevoir of past behavior that is trustworthy. The person who strayed always believes that trust should be re-established much more quickly than is actually possible.

The Outcome:

Many couples successfully overcome an affair and use it as a challenge for deeper growth together. Many do not. Many couples embrace the pain and mature as human beings. Many do not.

Many couples have two partners willing to put in the grit, perseverence and love necessary to make it work. Many have only one person willing to do so.

Successful recovery from an affair can be the hardest thing you will ever do in your lifetime. Are you up to it?

Steve Roberts is an experienced Marriage and Family Therapist sharing real life relationship secrets from over 20 years of practice. Get Insight & Wisdom for your Relationships at:
http://www.whatworksforcouples.com