by Scott Brenner via Flickr

Some might ask “why would I want to think about premarital counseling in the first place?” Although it’s not for everyone, one of the realities of life is that a very high number of couples getting married each year will be divorced in less than 3 years. The divorce rate overall is nearly 60%, which is a scary number. The biggest problems seem to stem from two things.

One, couples will tend to overlook problems they were having before they got married. There’s this belief that any problems will be ironed out once marriage takes place, but that’s not true at all. What happens is that negative feelings start to intensify because each person feels as though they’re trapped in something that will be hard to get out of, and starts to regret the decision to get married. Problems can range from abuse to money to both emotional and sexual incompatibility. Even couples that have lived together for awhile might have already run through all the good things about being a couple and already be on the downslide of their relationship before getting married.

Two, couples find out they really don’t know all that much about each other. Unlike in the past when couples might get married after 3 months or so and know that they were going to live forever, regardless of what happened, these days many couples realize that there are many things they haven’t discussed with their partner to see what’s really important to them. Discussions about family, lifestyle, even holidays and in-laws, may have never taken place. Later, when married and one of these things comes up, suddenly the husband and wife realize that they weren’t totally prepared to get married and this causes dissention.

It’s for reasons like these that pre-marital counseling isn’t such a bad thing. There are plenty of resources in the Boston area that couples can go to for this counseling. Many services can be provided at local churches, so we’re not listing any of those. Here’s a very short list of some providers you can check out:

Amanda Brown, Celebrant

Michelle Weinstein, Justice of the Peace

Michael Mirram, Justice Of The Peace

Gary Fine, Wedding Officiant

Geri A. Weinstein, Justice of the Peace

The types of vendors showing up pretty much run the gamut of services that anyone getting married would need to hire, or at least look into. Always included are local business that offer services and products for weddings. This list includes: wedding cake makers; florists; party rentals; entertainment; catering; reception halls; paper products; skin care professionals; alteration services and many others. Strangely enough, even financial institutions such as New York Life will be on hand to offer investments in a couple’s financial future, something I’m betting not a lot of couples will have thought about up to this point.

This is an event for both brides and grooms, as grooms will be represented by companies like Jos. A Bank, the Men’s Warehouse, and Classic Tuxedo. Even a company like Compass Life Coaching will be on hand to offer advice and possible counseling for couples.

Of course that’s the big traveling show. There will be other wedding trade shows around the same time. Some of those are:

January 6, 2012, Wedding Gala Boston, The Boston Public Library 700 Boylston St, Boston, MA 02116

January 8, 2012, Wedding Day Expositions, Seaport World Trade Center (WDE) 200 Seaport Blvd, Boston, MA

January 21, 2012 to January 22, 2012, Baystate Bridal Expo, Hynes Convention Center 900 Boylston St, Boston, MA

One of the top local Boston events every year has been the Running of the Brides event that’s held by Filene’s Basement. The most recent one was this past February, and it was a big hit as usual.

However, it doesn’t look good for this event to continue any longer. Filene’s Basement declared bankruptcy in 2009, and it’s finally caught up with the 4 remaining stores in the Boston area as all are about to close. Filene’s started in Boston in 1909 and had already closed its first store in 2009, but economics have finally caught up with the other stores in the area, leaving only 22 Filene stores nationally.

Actually, there hasn’t been any word on whether they will cancel the event that’s scheduled for Friday, October 28, 2011 from 8am to 9pm at the store in Newton, MA at 215-227 Needham St. If you’re still hoping it’s going on you can call 617-332-1295 to find out.

We don’t often talk about other outlets, but this is a major story. After more than 60 years of operation, Priscilla of Boston is closing their doors. It’s sad that such a venerable place is leaving the market, but this shows how tough the economy has been on some retailers.

Starting this past Saturday and running through the end of December, they will be marking down their entire stock of wedding gowns and selling them out of their warehouse. This past weekend more than 300 people showed up for the first discounts, which we hear went pretty well despite the fact that the best gowns weren’t discounted nearly enough for some buyers. That’s common, though; one can expect as the best stuff gets picked through and the time grows closer to closing that the discounts will be much deeper.

Of course, anyone thinking they were walking into Priscilla’s and walking out with a $10,000 gown for $1,000 was misleading themselves. The top line gowns will still carry a pretty big price for now. If you’re looking for true discounts, you should probably start at the lower range, which is around $1,500.

And there are 19 salons in all around the country, so if one store doesn’t have what you want, you can check at other stores to see what they have. Or you can always just shop for some of the best they have to offer here at Bridepower.

There are all sorts of cruises that leave the Boston area, but this is something new and spectacular. A company called Odyssey Cruises has just announced that they have a special cruise for a wedding cruise around the Boston Harbor for both rehearsal dinners and wedding themselves. They already offered wedding cruises on other ships, which won them the 2011 theKnot Best of Weddings award for 2011, but the Odyssey is exclusive for weddings.

Some of the things they offer on the Odyssey are: private deck or full ship services; marriage ceremonies on the ship; large buffet style dinners or sit down meals; day and evening ceremonies that take in the skyline of Boston; specially trained staff to take care of all needs for the day; space enough for the reception including helping couples to find the right band or DJ for the reception.

Of course, if the Odyssey isn’t needed for a wedding it will be used for other cruises, but it was styled with wedding services in mind. It also makes a great place to get special wedding pictures taken to provide memories of your special day.

They have a wedding specialist that will act as your wedding planner to take care of all needs, which means you don’t have to go out and find vendors for things like flowers or catering or even a photographer, if you’re willing to pay for them to handle the whole thing. You can reach them at 617-748-1499.

Cars on one’s wedding day aren’t only relegated to limousines. Something that goes well with your wedding day is the rental of a vintage wedding car.

The point of a vintage wedding car is twofold. One, the wedding couple could decide to have their own transportation for the day, which happens sometimes. Two, after the wedding, which could include driving to the honeymoon spot, and going in a vintage wedding car could be pretty spectacular.

Of course, the pictures you get with one of these cars would be something else as well. The term “vintage” seems to go both ways with some of the companies in the Boston area that actually carry these cars. Some are older style cars, which is how I’ve always defined vintage. Some are the expensive cars, Rolls Royce, Jaguar, etc, cars that many of us couldn’t afford normally but possibly could afford for a few days for the wedding.

Just like many services for weddings, you’d need to book these cars way in advance, especially since you’ll be competing for them against a number of people who aren’t trying to rent them for weddings. In a city like Boston, it’s about being seen doing well after all.

Unfortunately, it seems like you’re going to have to hunt around to find companies that will rent these cars in the Boston area. Many companies have them, but they only allow them out with a chauffeur. The only company we could locate that looks like they’ll rent one out so you can drive it on your own is Roman Boston Hummer Limousine.

New England Patriots football and Boston are synonymous with each other, but the truth is that Gillette Stadium is actually located in Foxborough (or Foxboro), which is just over 30 minutes away. However, the love for the team makes them a Boston icon, and it’s still close enough to be considered Boston’s team.

Just like when we talked about having a wedding at Fenway Park, you can have your wedding at Gillette Stadium as well. It’s a great venue with lots of different options for wedding parties anywhere from 100 to 2,000 guests.

Probably the only major different between a wedding at Gillette Stadium and Fenway Park is that you’re not going to be allowed to go out onto the field for the ceremony. There is an allowance for the married couple to have a few pictures taken on the field but that’s as close as you’re getting, as opposed to Fenway Park where many couples get married at home plate. And they don’t allow fires or candles during the ceremony or at any other time. There are other restrictions which you should ask about when you call.

Other than that there are many options for your wedding, including being in the stands. They have many stadium suites that can hold smaller groups of people, all the way up to Patriots Place, an exclusive collections of stores and restaurants where you can hold large, formal dinner receptions if that’s your preference. Some of what they offer includes:

* Two hour hosted bar
* International & Domestic Cheese display
* Butler Passed Hors D’oeuvres
* Three Course Gourmet dinner
* Champagne Toast
* Custom Wedding Cake
* Complimentary Parking
* Private Suite for Wedding party and photographs
* Personal Event Manager to oversee every detail

They also offer some of their other restaurants if nothing else is going on, and there are plenty of hotels in the area for your guests to stay at if they want to be closer before the wedding or have a place to rest after the reception.

To ask more questions or book a wedding, you can contact them at 508-384-4378.

Where couples decide to get married is a personal choice. Overwhelmingly, people love getting married in a church so they can pay tribute to whomever they follow based on how they celebrate their religion. Boston, like any large city, has a lot of churches for any and every denomination. That makes it easier for people to find places to get married. But a few churches seem to stand out from the crowd; these are our choices for those churches.

Old North Church – the official name is Christ Church in the City of Boston, and it was originally built in 1723. Back then, people had to pay for the right to sit in the pews; this is no longer the case. It’s an Episcopal church whose main criteria for a wedding is that at least one of the couple being married must be a baptized Christian, and premarital counseling is a requirement.

New Old South Church – this is the 3rd location of the Old South Church, which is why it’s called “new”. This church offers multiple chapels that couples can choose from based on size or ambience. It considers itself the church for everybody, so there are no restrictions on what sect of religion you may participate in.

Trinity Church – this is an Episcopal church that caters to anyone regardless of sect of religious belief, but you must be a member of the church to get married there, and premarital counseling is a requirement. They’re known for having one of the top choirs in the area, and it regularly goes on tour throughout the United States and Canada.

Arlington Street Church – built in 1861, this is a Unitarian Universalist church that caters to both Jewish and Christian couples. They offer two rooms, one that can seat 60, another that can seat 900. They require that all fees be paid in full two months before the ceremony.

Life Church Boston – they are affiliated with Church Without Walls International. Couples are encouraged to be members of the church to get married here, but at the least they are required to complete the Life Church pre-marital counseling program. They only marry opposite sex couples.

Mission Church – the official name is the Basilica and Shrine of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, and it’s a Roman Catholic church that offers only traditional Catholic ceremonies.

Having limousines for your wedding can add an air of class, but it’s overall importance is that it removes the need to have to worry all that much about transportation for the day. However, there are some things you need to know about Boston limousine services that might help you along the way.

First, if you’re going to book a limousine, or multiple limousines, for your wedding, you need to book them as far in advance as you can. There’s a lot of competition for limo services throughout the Boston area and you might not get what you want if you don’t book even as far out as six months ahead.

Second, there are multiple types of limousines. There are the types where the seats in back face each other. There are the types where a glass window closes you off from the driver. There are some with a stocked bar . There are some where you can open the roof. There are Hummer limos and SUV limos. And there are bus limos, which can cater to very large groups of people if you want to take them to special places.

Third, you can book limos for specific times and other things you’re hoping for. For instance, if you only want the limo for the morning, you can do that; same with evenings. You can book a limo for a couple of days if needed. You can have the limo take you to the airport. You can have the limo drive you as far as New York City, although that will cost you.

Fourth, limos now come in multiple colors. Not every limousine service has a lot of colors, but instead of the standard black or the second standard white, limos have been seen in red, blue, green and even pink. You might have to ask around if you want something a little bit different than the norm.

Fifth, you want to make sure that the limousine service you sign up for screens all its drivers. You’re allowed to ask for references of the drivers and sometimes even get to meet the drivers ahead of time. Every driver has his or her own personality so you want to make sure they’re suitable for you.

Sixth, limousine rates are based on a lot of factors. Mileage, numbers of people, numbers of limousine, length of contract, and many other factors. Limousines aren’t necessarily cheap so you’ll want to make sure you can afford it as part of your wedding plans.

The online magazine TheKnot recently completed its survey of the top caterers in Boston for 2011. Below are the top 5 as noted by their editors.

Creedon and Co. – This catering company has been around for more than 25 years and has handled both small events and events as large as 2,500 people. They can handle indoor or outdoor events and have most of the equipment needed for a reception outdoors as well. They also have multiple menus for all sorts of culinary desires.

East Meets West Catering – Known for catering all sorts of events, they’re known for customizing their menus to fit the needs of the client. They also can handle events of any size, and can handle every aspect of your wedding food needs, including the wedding cake.

Pepper’s Fine Foods Catering – This company is known for making every event seem festive and colorful. They’re also known for their organic fare, always making sure of not only the quality of their foods but how they’re grown. They can even handle vegan weddings.

Bakers’ Best Catering – This caterer is known for exotic food choices within their customized wedding menus, foods not traditionally seen at most weddings such as beef tenderloin crostini and rosemary and dijon encrusted lamb chops.