Wedding Life List

Wedding vows are either traditional oaths we repeat thoughtless after priest or romantic promises we write ourselves and never keep. Wedding is one of the most important projects in our life, so it shouldn’t be based on insignificant or impracticable ideas. The more practical and desired things you will mention in your vow, the more successful your marriage will be.

Bride and bridegroom write their life lists, i.e. things they want to do in their family life, e.g. ‘to travel around the world’ or ‘to buy a little house on the river bank’.

At the ceremony they exchange the life lists and promise to fulfill the wishes, e.g. ‘I promise to travel with my darling around the world and buy a little house on the river bank’.

After the wedding the husband and wife do their best to make the life lists come true.

Due to ‘Wedding Life List’ idea, none of you will ever blame each other in selfishness and carelessness. You will have a good plan of what to do in the nearest fifty years, and that is a half of the way to a happy marriage.

Matryoshka (nested dolls)

First matryoshka appeared in 1890 in Moscow workshop "Children Education". It was turned out of wood by Vasily Zvyozdochkin and painted by Serge Malutin. On the first doll there was a girl in a folksy dress: sarafan, apron and kerchief. The toy consisted of 8 nested dolls: the girl's image, then the boy's image and so on. The last doll was a swaddled baby.

The name Matryona was popular in those times, so the toy got the name Matryoshka. Though first matryoshkas cost a lot, they still were in the great demand. The orders for these toys came from Paris, Leipzig, etc. In the beginning of XX century the volume of matryoskas exported abroad increased dramatically.

Later maryoshka's painting became more colorful and various: shepherd playing the pipe, old men with beard and walking stick, grooms with moustache and brides in wedding dress. A lot of matryoshkas were devoted to traditional ceremonies, folklore and fairy-tales. The quantity of nested dolls increased as well. Some matryoshkas consisted of 24 dolls. In 1913 wood turner Nicholas Bulychyov achieved a record in 48 nested dolls for one matryoshka.

A wooden toy created for kids was an embodiment of Russian national character so it quickly became a traditional Russian souvenir.

Oscar Wedding Shower

Whatever they say, the wedding shower is organized for the guests. But do they really get enough attention and respect in the wedding rush? Remember how the guests are welcomed at Oscar Awards Ceremony and try to recreate this Bohemian atmosphere on your wedding shower.

1. Arrange a long red carpet from the road to the front door
2. Hire a security guy with a ear-phone and a list of guests to check them out
3. Hire a dozen 'paparazzi', people with cameras to take pictures of arriving guests
4. Hire an actor playing a journalist to interview guests and a cameraman to film this process
5. Rent a screen connected to camcorder to show the guests' interviews to the guests inside the house

Your guests will feel themselves like Hollywood stars. The will tell everyone that you’ve made the best wedding shower they have ever been to.

Old Life Good Time

After marriage and birth of children our life changes greatly. No more sitting in the park, walking the streets at night, disco dancing, etc. Take your darling even if just for one day back to the good times of your old life when you used to devote all your time to each other.

1. Remember how you and your wife liked to spend time when you were dating
2. Make all arrangements like movie tickets, night club table reservation, whatever.
3. Hire a baby sitter or ask parents to take your child for the weekend

At least once a month you both will feel yourselves carefree again and will never complain about workaday life. You will prove that your marriage is different and you will not get used to each other like other couples.

Baby Book

Children grow so quickly and all that remains for the parents are memories. The problem is we can’t trust our memory as we forget most of the wonderful moments our kids shared with us. Buy a special baby book and write down everything you consider being important about your kids starting from the very first days of their life.

1. Order hand-made notebook with the name of the baby or a title "Baby's Name Childhood" on the cover
2. Tell the parents they should start writing as early as you can, make notes about baby's weight, mood, behavior, first words, write down funny things they say when they are kids - this will be the most interesting place in your book

The parents will thank you for this gift not once nor twice when reading it over and over returning to that happy time. They will always have the answer when their grown-up child asks them about his childhood

Musical gift

If your girlfriend or wife has a musical instrument at home you can impress her greatly by showing you hidden talent.
1. One month before her birthday find a music teacher and start taking lessons
2. Find out her favorite music composition or song
3. Ask your teacher to teach you this particular composition.
4. At the birthday party say that you have a lot of hidden talents and would like to make a special gift for her
5. Play the music

The world is enough

For some people the world is not enough, for others it is enough to know that someone will do his best to make them happy.

1. Find a company that makes carpets based on customer's design
2. Order a carpet with the world's map on it
3. When she is out, spread the carpet on the floor in her room
4. Ask her to close the eyes before entering the room
5. When she is in, say: "My love, this gift is just a symbol, but it means that the whole world will be under your feet."