WeatherTrends360.com: Not your Grandmother's Weather Prediction

Let's face it: Weddings take a great deal of planning and forethought, especially outdoor celebrations. They're not exactly the type of party you can pull together on a week's notice after you've checked the weather forecast! And yet, sunshine is the #1 desire of every couple planning an outdoor wedding.

Traditional forecasting tools like The Old Farmer's Almanac offer a picture of the weather to come over a long period of time which, though doubtlessly not a perfect predictor, may give you a valuable estimate. WeatherTrends360.com is a modern alternative that you might also want to consult. The Web site, still in beta format, claims to give weather predictions up to a year in advance—something that could definitely be handy if you're planning an outdoor ceremony! It's tricky to tell how accurate these predictions will be, especially at such an early stage in the technology's development, so you'll want to be prepared to adapt your ceremony to Mother Nature anyway: It can never hurt to have all of your bases covered.

So brides, what do you think? Leave us a comment and tell us how much stock you place in long-range weather predicting technology.

~Kasey Brooks

Win a Wedding in Times Square

Just because you aren't exactly a nature girl at heart, you don't have to write off the spontaneity and originality of planning a wedding with a spectacular outdoor backdrop. Try looking for a more metropolitan setting for your nuptials! Get Married is offering a once-in-a-lifetime chance to tie the knot in New York City's Times Square on New Year's Eve. All you brides and your sweethearts have to do is crank out an essay and video package that tells your love story and submit it online at the Get Married Web site. After the winning couple is chosen, other visitors to the site get to surf photo galleries and vote on sponsored elements like the cake, dress and invitations. Then, to top it all off, the couple gets the perfect rock star wedding on New Year's Eve with an audience of a million guests! The deadline to submit your entry is October 1, 2010, so be sure to get started soon! Who knows: You just might end up with the ultimate kiss at midnight this year!

~Kasey Brooks

Find an Outdoor Wedding Dress to Impress... for Less

Planning an outdoor ceremony and afraid you'll be devastated if you get grass stains on your $3,000 dream gown? Consider buying a used wedding dress for your outdoor wedding at a Web site like PreOwnedWeddingDresses.com!

This site offers beautiful, worn-only-once gowns from designers like Vera Wang, Carolina Herrera and Monique Lhuillier, and most of them are priced under $1,000. At these discounted prices, you can afford to satisfy your finer tastes and still be prepared for whatever Mother Nature may have in mind for your big day... even if the post-wedding dry cleaning bill is steep! Dresses on the site generally run from size 2 to size 18, with styles spanning the gamut from strapless and simple to long-sleeved Renaissance-themed gowns. Make sure you pay attention to the terms of returning a gown, just in case you find a problem or run into fit issues. According to the site's FAQ section, gown sellers set their own return policies. With more than 5,000 gowns listed on the site, it's worth checking to see if the designer gown you've always wanted is available at comfortable price.

~Kasey Brooks