(Photo Credit: Mario Testino)

 We can’t get enough of this beautiful couple! Today is April 29, 2012 which means that one year ago today at Westminster Abbey, Catherine Middleton married Prince William in a splendid royal ceremony officially making them the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.  While Kate Middleton is often regarded for her impeccable taste in fashion, we love them more for their romantic love story spanning over 11 years! In Honor of Price William and Kate's one year wedding anniversary mark, we’ve decided to take a look back at the most famous wedding of the century (that’s right Kim Kardashian, you heard us!) 

Take a walk down royal memory lane with us!

In one of the final scenes of “Clueless” starring Alicia Silverstone as Cher, she and her friends go up to catch the bouquet at her teacher's wedding. The bride throws the bouquet with her back turned and the ladies scramble to be the one to catch it ending up on the groung, with Cher coming out the victor.  Compared to some fights over the bouquet I’ve witnessed, that scene can be considered quite tame. Besides the supersticious belief that the lady who catches the bouquet will be the next to wed, have you ever wondered why catching the bouquet is such a big deal, or why the bride even bothers to throw it in the first place?

If you don’t mind reading about a good girl fight read on!

Apparently, in medieval Europe, a bride's dress was considered good luck for other women and a type of fertility charm. The wedding dress was considered such good luck that single women chased the bride and actually ripped off pieces of her dress to bring them good luck (aka a husband). To prevent guests from ripping the wedding dress, brides began throwing other objects as a distraction, with the bouquet becoming the most traditionally thrown object. The wedding bouquet is particularly suited to this use, as flowers symbolize fertility, and as perishable items, they are not something the bride would mind pried from her fingers (at least they didn’t grab the ring and run!) The bouquet was also a safer item to toss than the garter, as unruly and impatient wedding guests were sometimes known to try to take the garter from the bride while she was still wearing it. (We promise we’re not making this up).

Thankfully the tradition of throwing the bouquet has become more of a fun wedding activity rather than an expected event, although there are a few overzealous women who may knock the bride down to get the bouquet.  Some brides don’t even throw a bouquet anymore, deciding instead to give her flowers to her mother to keep, or divide the bouquet amongst her bridal party.  However if you’re bent on honoring wedding traditions, make sure you throw your bouquet from a safe or guarded position (we suggest behind a makeshift wall of groomsmen!)

Thank you to all of our wonderful readers who took the time to answer our poll question this week! We wanted to know what size engagement ring would be your perfect size, and here is what you all told us: Modest and Elegant reigns!  We love your honesty about your desired engagement rings and we hope you all get the ones you wish for (especially all you Big Stone Divas)!

We know the choice to have a destination wedding can be bittersweet for many couples.  On one hand, you opt to get married in a beautiful, exotic location while planning a wedding that will be unique to you and your significant other for the rest of your lives; on the other hand, you may have had to limit your guest list more than you wanted to - unintentionally leaving out some dear relatives. Perhaps your grandmother couldn’t make the long journey. In the end, you heart was set on a destination wedding but we know having all of your family and friends as near to you as you can is important to you. Here are a few ways to include those who are unable to make it to your wedding day.

Photos of Loved Ones

(Photo Credit: ruffledblog.com)

Before you travel, see if you can gather some photos of you and your groom’s parents and your grandparents on their wedding days to add as accents to your reception tables.  If you can get digital images of those photos, you can always use a digital enhancement program to give the photos a vintage look. You can place photos strategically along the table, frame them or make a photo runner.  Small framed photos of your close relatives can not only add a personal touch to your wedding, they make lovely timelines for the guests who are able to join you. 

Make the jump for more of our sentimental tips.

Imagine this: You’ve picked out the perfect wedding dress. It fits you perfectly and its sequins and beads make you feel like Beyoncé or Carrie Underwood at the Grammys. You’ve put it under Fort Knox-like protection to get it to your destination wedding. The day of your wedding you slip into your flawless gown, spin around to see yourself and there it is...a lipstick stain right below your ivory stain bow that has ripped away a little from your dress.

Don’t panic! Amongst the top ten wedding day disasters, a stain or rip on your wedding dress has to rank top five but before you throw the idea of a bold red lip on your wedding day completely out the window or ban all sharp objects from your room in favor of your precious white dress, you may want to put together a wedding dress emergency kit. While we’re sure you’ll be the most careful you’ve ever been in your life on your wedding day, it never hurts to be prepared!

*White Cotton Towels- These are perfect for absorbing liquids and any excess moisture. When approaching a stain NEVER rub, always blot and dab at a stain. Dab to absorb as much of it as you can before removing the actual stain. With stains like red wine and coffee, dab as much of it as you can with the towel then soak the towel in warm water and dab at it gently from the outside of the stain toward the middle. When trying to remove blood, use cold water and your cotton towel to gently dab at the stain until it’s gone.

*Baby Powder- Baby powder is perfect for oily or greasy stains.  Dust greasy stains with baby powder to absorb oil, and then gently brush away. Wet a cotton swab with rubbing alcohol and dab from the outer edges of the stain to the middle. The best part about baby powder is you can use it to cover up anything that remains from this or any kind of stain.

*White Bar of Soap - The soap works best for jammed zippers. Rub a white bar of soap along the teeth of your zipper to lubricate it without staining your dress.

*Denatured Rubbing Alcohol- For greasy stains, as well as ink, use a cotton swap dipped in rubbing alcohol to dab at the stain from the outside into the middle.  After using denatured rubbing alcohol, blot with a white cotton towel.

*Stain Removal Wipes- When using stain removal wipes of your favorite brand, pay attention to the label that tell you which fabrics the wipe works best with and which fabrics it won’t work with. Always test an underside of your dress that won’t show with your wipes to see if it will stain the dress more.  Stain removal wipes usually work best on lipstick and other makeup stains.  Remember to dab even when using stain removal wipes.

*Cotton Swabs- Cotton swabs work best with whatever stain remover you prefer to use. They apply small amounts of the remover without over saturating and help you remember to blot, not wipe.

*Double Sided Tape- Got a nasty rip in your dress with no needle or thread in sight? Use double sided tape on the underside of the tear to hold it together with virtually no visible seam.

*Needle and White/Off white Thread- It may seem like an obvious emergency kit item but you won’t be surprised how often it’s forgotten.  Tears, rips and nicks can always be repaired with a quick stich up. Remember to sew any tears from the underside of the dress and always match your thread to your dress.

Remember if you find out your dress is stained or ripped a day or so before your walk down the aisle, consult a professional dry cleaner on what to do to save your dress before you handle it yourself.

It’s time to break out the tissue boxes again because we’re sure this one will leave you a little teary eyed. Most brides dread a little rain on their wedding day but for Shea and Matt, a little rain was the least of their wedding-day drama.

Shea and Matt had planned their perfect beach wedding on the beach in Asbury Park, New Jersey; only to have their dream come crashing down around them when Hurricane Irene hit the city in August 2011 and forced them to cancel their entire ceremony! On what should have been the happiest day of both their lives, the couple had to scramble to find a place to host their out of town guests. They managed to hold a rushed, impromptu ceremony at their rehersal dinner and were forced to cut 200 people from their guest list. Can you imagine how devastated the couple must have been? When the couple was invited on the Anderson daytime talk show, they thought there were speaking on the importance of wedding insurance. What they received instead was a second chance at the dream wedding they never had.

Read on for more about the wonderful surprise Anderson Cooper gave the couple!

Destination Weddings and Honeymoons Magazine wants to give you a WeddingMoon®!  If you haven’t picked up a copy of the May/June issue of Destination Weddings and Honeymooons, run out and get one for a chance to win a Weddingmoon® at the Sandals all-inclusive couple's resort of their choice.  That’s right… any breathtaking Sandals Resort in Jamaica, Antigua, Saint Lucia or The Bahamas will play host to one lucky couple’s Beautiful Beginnings wedding and honeymoon!  The extravagant giveaway includes a 6-night, 7-day Luxury Included stay featuring deluxe accommodations, all meals including unlimited gourmet dining, premium beverages, entertainment and all the land and watersports any honeymooner could want. 

So, here’s how you enter! Pick up your copy of Destination Weddings and Honeymoons or head on over to www.destinationweddingmag.com/sandals and enter for a chance to win the wedding giveaway of a lifetime!  Good Luck!

It’s the most fussed about piece of jewelry you’ll ever wear (how many times did your mom make you show it to her bridge club again?) It represents a promise that your lovely fiance will make you his lovely wife and yet, have you ever stopped to wonder why you receive an engagement ring and not a set of engagment earrings?

You have the romantic Ancient Egyptians to thank for the symbol.  The circle was used to symbolize a never ending cycle and the space in the middle as a gateway to new life and things unknown.  The engagement band was placed on the fourth finger (the ring finger) because those darling heart Ancient Egyptians believed it contained the vena amoris, a vein that lead from the ring finger straight to the heart (awwwwww!). Even though this later proved to be untrue, you’ve got to admit it’s still pretty sweet.  The custom was later used by the Greeks after Alexander the Great conquered Egypt. Romans changed the material of the band from hemp, leather, ivory or bone to iron and gave an engagement ring to signify ownership rather than love (we prefer the Egyptians reasoning!).  During the second century in Rome a woman was given two rings, one of gold to wear in public and one of metal to wear while doing chores.

The first documented diamond engagement ring was presented by the Archduke Maximilian of Austria to Mary of Burgundy, which influenced others of  higher social class and wealth to begin using diamonds rings in their engagements.  As of late the engagement ring has definitely become more extravagant and luxurious (eh hem, Angelina Jolie) but one thing we hope will never change is the symbol of love and commitment it initially represents.