I have never attended a wedding where I didn’t cry. Granted, I’ve only been to a handful of nuptials in my life, but all it takes is seeing that look of love in the couple's eyes and I become emotional myself. I know my own wedding will be no different (I'll likely be a watery-eyed, red-nosed mess!). My fiancé Corey and I want our ceremony to be meaningful and personal without getting so carried away that I cry away all of my makeup.

The challenge? Corey and I have chosen to have a non-religious ceremony. That means legally, all our ceremony must entail is a few signatures and an “I do.” However, we don't want it to be quick and impersonal. Many couples I’ve spoken with tell me the whole wedding day flies by; we don’t want our ceremony to be two minutes long! Recently, we hired an officiant who is helping us figure out how to personalize our event. Here are a few ideas we are considering incorporating into our ceremony to make it longer and more memorable:

1. Anniversary box: Prior to the ceremony, the bride and groom write a love letter to each other. The letters (along with a bottle of wine or champagne) are taken out and placed in a box, not to be opened until the 1st, 5th or 10th anniversary (or really, whenever you want). I don’t know if I’m patient enough for this one! I struggle to read books without flipping to the last page and finding out what happens, so I’m afraid the box might taunt me. I can only imagine how excited I would be to read that letter 5 or so years from now and relive the love from our wedding day with Corey.

Photo Credit: JoPhoto

We brides are truly blessed to have those near and dear to us serve as members of our bridal party. The maid(s) of honor and bridesmaids take on so many different roles during our journey from Miss to Mrs., acting as therapists, stylists and party planners. When your friends are so eager to assist with the planning, it can be difficult to determine when to take advantage of their assistance and which tasks you're better off tackling solo. Follow my personal breakdown for guidance.

Wedding Tasks Where More is Merrier

Bridesmaid Dress Shopping: I opted to include my bridal party in the process of selecting their own gowns. Personally, I’m against asking someone to spend money on a dress that they have no interest in wearing, or—even worse—a dress they feel uncomfortable in. I brought my girlfriends to a local dress shop and had them try on different styles, which helped me see which silhouette and color flattered the group as a whole. As I suspected, I couldn’t find a dress that flattered all of my girls, so I gave them some general criteria (color, fabric, and length) and had them select their favorite style. The end result: Happy girlfriends who look absolutely gorgeous!

"Las Vegas" and "long-lasting marriage" don't seem to belong in the same sentence, but one couple is defying the city's repuation for shotgun weddings and quickie marriages. Wilbur and Theresa Faiss have been married for 78 years and have just been certified by Worldwide Marriage Encounter as the longest-married couple in the U.S.

What’s the key to such a long and successful marriage? “It’s very simple. It’s give and take and compromise,” Wilbur Faiss, 100, told CNN. Still going strong after so many years, he must have something right! The couple's expanding family now includes three children, six grandchildren, five great-grandchildren, and four great-great-grandchildren.

“You’re in love, and that’s all you think about, you know,” Wilbur said about his relationship with his wife.

Technically, there are at least three couples in the U.S. who have a couple years lead on Wilbur and Theresa, including a New Mexico couple who are on their 83rd anniversary. These other couples have already been recognized by the Longest Married Couple Project, making it the Faiss’ year to shine. 

Nominated by their son, Bob Faiss, the Las Vegas couple was delighted at having been honored by the Longest-Married Couple Project. Even President Barack Obama took notice; he plans to give the couple a shout out next time he visits Las Vegas. “How often does an ordinary guy get recognition by the President of the United States? It’s one of these things that’s once-in-a-lifetime,” said Wilbur.

Watch the interview here!

We hope you're enjoying our  exclusive sale with The Aisle New York, which runs until Feb. 9! Join our Twitter Party on February 2 from 2 - 3 pm (EST) to chat  live with style experts at The Aisle and Angel Sanchez, along with our Fashion Editor Naima DiFranco. Get styling tips for your new purchases, select the best bridal look for your personality, and more.

Follow these easy steps to join the conversation:

1. Sign in to Tweetchat, where you will log in with your Twitter account or create one if you don't have a username yet.

2. At the top of the screen, type in "#bridechat" for the hashtag. On Twitter, the pound sign "#" (referred to as a hashtag) tags a specific topic and connects you with other people who are chatting about the same subject. Once you hit the "Go" button, you'll be able to see tweets from all of the other participants in the party.

3. Each tweet that you send from Tweetchat will automatically get the "#bridechat" hashtag added to the end of it. The chat room auto-updates, so get your texting thumbs ready—responses will show up quickly on the site, so keep your eyes peeled so you don't miss anything!

— Stefania Sainato

Two terrific planning books came across my desk recently that you and your fiancé might want to add to your must-read list. First up: The Bridal Bible (Globe Pequot Press, $30) by Sharon Naylor (a regular Bridal Guide contributor) and Blair deLaubenfels, Christy Weber and Kim Bamberg (founders of junebugweddings.com) is filled with fantastic information for every phase of wedding planning.

For the March/April 2012 issue of Bridal Guide, out on the stands now, Bridal Guide's fashion department had the luxury of shooting at Xcaret Mexico eco-theme park in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. This is a dream location for the adventurous, nature-loving wedding party. The majestic park by the sea features unique activities such as snorkeling through reefs, ancient Mayan ruins, a butterfly pavilion, flamingos, swimming with the dolphins, relaxing beaches, as well as a nightly show with over 300 actors presenting a cultural history of Mexico—absolutely magical!

Not only is it a picturesque, relaxing environment, it's ideal for destination weddings! Xcaret has several chapels for wedding and group events, as well as a spa for the ladies. The best part about the spa is that you boat up to the spa in one of the floral boats pictured above—How romantic!

For lunch, we had a gorgeous array of authentic Mexican food under a majestic canopy. The fajitas were incredible!! After our shoot, the whole crew visited the animal park zoo and witnessed baby manatees, turtles, jaguars and monkeys. We then visited the House of Mexican Folk art at Xcaret, where we picked up a few amazing souvenirs.

Xcaret Mexico is a unique and incredible place to host a wedding that would provide memories for years to come, and it's sure to please all your guests. Even better, the pictures will look amazing!! I can't wait to visit again as a tourist! Pick up the current issue to learn more.

What would you do if your close family member fell ill right before the wedding and couldn't make it? For one couple, Photoshop helped them turn a sad situation into a hilarious memory. The groom's sister photoshopped Dad into the pictures, and what makes the photos so hilarious is the complete disregard for wedding appropriateness in the images she used: lounging in an inflatable pool; holding a dead deer on a hunting trip; a football shot from the high school glory days. Check out the photos!

Given the recent events from Italy, I’ve received a lot of questions about sailing the high seas. Is it safe? Should I be concerned? I got the scoop from my pal, travel writer and cruise expert Clark Norton, who has written, among other things, How to Save Money on Cruises. Here’s what he said:

“Should you be concerned about cruise ship safety in the wake of the Costa Concordia disaster? Of course, just like you should be concerned every time you get in a car or on an airplane, train, horse or pair of skis. No form of transportation or vacationing is risk free—and cruising accidents always receive perhaps more than their fair share of publicity—but ships fare pretty well in the overall safety category. In the year 2010, the top seven cruise lines operating out of the United States reported a total of four "suspicious" deaths (no proven homicides) and 31 serious assaults out of about 10 million total passengers. That's a tiny percentage! What’s more, surveys have shown that frequent cruisers generally feel safe aboard cruise ships.