Bridalicious

Wedding Planning For Cool Chicks

2007-03-21T05:27:00.000-07:00

Squidoo (a super cool site made up of "experts" that create mini sites or "lenses" on all sorts of great topics) is having their Best Lens of The Year contest right now, and guess who's up? Yep, little ole me and my Wedding Planning For Cool Chicks Lens.

If you want to vote for me, Click here and vote away! I think you might need to login, but its worth it--we need to represent, brides!

My Latest Obsession: Pinkberry

2007-03-14T06:47:00.001-07:00

For those of you who have tried it...well, then you know what I'm talking about. For those of you in LA and NY who haven't, get thee to a pinkberry at once!

Pinkberry has written about and pined over endlessly over the past year or so, but for those of you who have missed the buzz, it's a new frozen yogurt place that was started in LA and has now made its way to NYC. I finally had a chance to try pinkberry recently and after one bite, I was hopelessly addicted. Truth be told, I ordered another small yogurt after finishing my first medium yogurt--it was that good.

For any frozen yogurt fans out there, I must warn you that this is not the typical "fro yo" experience. Most frozen yogurt places I've been to seem to attempt to closely mirror the ice cream experience as best they can. Pinkberry is totally different...it actually takes like yogurt. It's a bit tart and not too sweet. They only have two flavors: plain (which is sort of vanilla-ish) and green tea. I don't drink green tea and any "green tea" flavored item I've tried before has sort of made me gag...BUT, the pinkberry green tea is dreamy. You may also choose from a variety of toppings--they have everything from delicious fresh fruit (which ain't so easy to find in NY in the dead of winter) to Captain Crunch.

Best, best, best of all, this yogurt barely registers on the calorie scale! It's only 25 calories an ounce and is totally fat free. For those of you on a pre-wedding diet (or anyone else who just like to keep it real on the healthy tip), this is a fantastic, delicious, healthy treat.

GIFT IDEA: Needlepoint Kits

2007-03-12T15:03:00.000-07:00

I must confess, I did get sucked into the knitting craze pretty hard a few years ago. And, to show for it, I now have a rainbow of endless skeins of gorgeous, expensive yarn that is quickly collecting dust in our second bedroom. But long before I was knitting one and purling two, I was a secret needlepointer.

My grandma taught me how to needlepoint when I was 13 or so, and I've been enjoying it on and off ever since. So, I was quite smitten when I discovered the lovely and clever needlepoint kits from AMH Design. Each kit contains everything you'll need to make either a chic journal or photo album (canvas, instructions, needle, threads..even folding scissors!). These kits were definitely designed with the novice in mind...you really don't need any experience to just jump in and start needlepointing. Best of all, the projects are fast and easy so you get that crafty instant gratification high.

I think that either the journal or the photo album would make a lovely bridesmaid gift...or perhaps even a gift for your new mother-in-law. For those looking for an alternative to crazy, rockin' all night bachelorette parties, you could also try a fun night in with the girls crafting away.

AMH Design has already been featured on Daily Candy and in Domino mag, so hurry up and start needlepointing before all of your friends catch onto the craze!

How "Green" Will Your Wedding Be?

2007-03-09T09:52:00.000-08:00

"Green" weddings seem to be all the rage right now. Not literally green, of course, but environmentally green.

The New York Times recently published a story that discusses all of the "green" options for couples out there. It seems many brides and grooms are really embracing the idea of getting hitched responsibly. In fact, they highlighted a wedding planning website called Portovert for eco-conscious brides and grooms that offers all sorts of tips and resources for going green in style.

Have you considered going "green" at your wedding?

IDEA: Wrap It Up!

2007-03-07T15:06:00.000-08:00

I'm addicted to beautiful wrapping papers. On occasion, I've actually spent more money on the wrapping paper than I have on the gift (yep, kinda crazy...I know). I especially love these "Wrap Collections" from Heidi.

The collections come in a variety of chic patterns, colors and shapes and best of all, they come with coordinating ribbons and notecards. These would be so pretty for a group of bridesmaids gifts. I would pick a few complimentary colors and order different wrap for different girls. This gift wrap is a bit pricey, but it's just so darn pretty!

There are so many other fun, creative uses for gorgeous wrapping paper, you don't have to stop with your gifts! You could try:

* Wrapping centerpiece containers on each table at your reception in a beautiful, color coordinating wrap

* Cutting wrap into round napkin rings (could look great at a Shower or Bridesmaids Brunch)

* Using wrap as a page accent in your guest book (if you are creating your own)

* If you are doing a Photo Station or Polaroid guest book, use 6 or so sheets of wrap to create a funky backdrop.

Has anyone tried any other fun DIY projects with pretty wrapping paper?

Wedding News Roundup

2007-03-07T04:49:00.000-08:00

Looks like Elizabeth Hurley got hitched over the weekend in a dress designed by Versace (funny photo courtesy of Perez Hilton).

The Prince William/Kate Middleton rumors are also picking up again.

David E. Kelly's new show Wedding Bells premieres tonight on Fox after Idol, but so far, its not getting such great reviews.

Will you be tuning in (yep, I've got my Tivo set)??

Ethnic Cake Toppers

2007-03-06T17:41:00.000-08:00

Though I never really gave it much thought before, the cake topper industry has not exactly gone out on a limb to represent the mixed ethnicity couples of today. Thankfully, a company called Renellie has stepped up to the plate.

To best represent your unique situation, you may choose between eight interchangeable figurines. You can pair a White Groom, Black Groom, Latino Groom or Asian Groom with a White Bride, Black Bride, Latino Bride or Asian Bride. This would also work great for gay couples as you can choose to match brides with brides or grooms with grooms. As you get to choose the two figurines for your own cake topper, you can ensure that it best represents you and your partner as a couple.

Even if you choose not to use one of these on your wedding cake, it might be fun for a groom's cake or even for a cake at a rehearsal dinner or shower.

I love to see companies out there embracing the unique needs of couples today by taking on issues such as these. As busy wedding planning bees, what other areas or items would you like to see some more ethnic diversity in?

TIP: Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is

2007-03-06T16:59:00.000-08:00

While you are working out every important detail of your big day (Tall centerpieces or short? Write our own vows or use the traditional ones? Band or DJ? yada, yada, yada...), I don't want you to overlook a very important detail: what do you plan on doing with all of those checks/cash gifts you get after you say "I do"?

I don't mean are you investing in a Money Market account or buying a 6 month CD, I'm talking about something much more immediate: who's going to take care of depositing your checks if you're leaving right away for your honeymoon?

In various parts of the country and for various ethnic groups, cash gifts are a big part of the wedding process. Mr. Beetle and I knew that we'd be getting quite a few "envelopes" on the night of our wedding and we wanted to be prepared. We were jetting off to Europe on the following Monday and we needed an action plan.

After researching the situation, we discovered that Washington Mutual has branches in both New York and California (where we were getting married). A week or so before the wedding, we opened an account at Wamu, for the express reason that we would be able to endorse and deposit all of our checks in Cali, before we left on our honeymoon to Italy. We did not want the worry and hassle of waiting the two weeks until we returned, and quite frankly, did not feel comfortable totaling up the checks and giving them to another family member to deposit for us (yep, we wanted a bit of privacy in this area).

Have you come up with a wedding night/money gameplan?

Here are a few tips:
*Designate someone as the "envelope guy" or gal. Anytime someone hands you a gift, you can pass them along to this person to keep safe.

*Keep track of EVERYTHING! Before you deposit a single check, make sure you've made a careful list of who gave what. Keep your envelopes and cards, just in case--they might be helpful if you need to put together any "who gave us this?" puzzles later on.

*Do you have a joint account? Almost all your checks will be written out to "Mr. & Mrs....." and you want to make sure you and your husband have a joint bank account in place so you can deposit all your dough.

*If you are leaving for your honeymoon on a weekend, ask someone you trust ahead of time to deposit your checks for you. If not, leave time in the morning to hit up the bank yourselves before you jet off on your honeymoon.

Honeymoon Recap: Italy! (part two)

2007-03-05T05:39:00.000-08:00

After some rest and relaxation on the Amalfi Coast, we headed over to Florence. If it were possible to marry a city, Florence and I would be husband and wife. I absolutely love everything about this city from the architecture, to the people, to the food and somehow everytime I go, I feel so at "home." We stayed in the Hotel Degli Orafi which was perfectly located right on the Ponte Vecchio and is allegedly where they shot some scenes from the movie "A Room With A View."
My very favorite thing to do in Florence, is to eat Gelato...and we ate a lot of it. It did not matter that it was October...or that one doesn't typically eat dessert 3 times a day, in Florence, its all about the gelato and man is it delicious! Our favorite restaurant by far was La Giostra--a must stop if you are ever in Florence. It's run by a distant eccentric relative of the Medici family, and the food is simply out of this world.

We took an amazing day trip to the Chianti Classico Region with Rebecca of Tuscan Wine Tours. We visited local, family run wineries, had a delicious, homemade lunch prepared by one of the proprietors, tasted the fist batch of olive oil from that year's vintage and met some other really lovely couples.

Aside from a three day stretch that I was sick as a dog, our honeymoon really was everything we had hoped it would be. Neither one of us are "beach people" and we knew that we needed to go somewhere that would keep us active, excited, and eating a LOT of delicious food--Italy was it. I would love to go back for our one year anniversary, but Mr. Beetle wants to go somewhere new...any ideas for us??

Honeymoon Recap: Italy! (part one)

2007-03-04T11:52:00.000-08:00

I'll try to keep my exclamation point use to a minimum and not overuse "dreamy" "to die for" or "magical," too much, but man was our 2 week honeymoon in Italy the dreamiest, most magical to die for trip of my life!

We flew from LA to Paris (didn't stay over, just a quick stop) and Paris to Rome. We stayed in Rome overnight to catch up on some sleep and headed out first thing the next morning to Italy's Amalfi Coast where we would be staying in Positano.

Ah, Positano (pictured above). Positano is a gorgeous, chic, coastal town that was simply like nothing I had ever seen in my life. All of the houses and hotels are perched up on cliffs overlooking the water and everywhere you turn are the most spectacular, breath-taking views. This is definitely not a place to go if you have any trouble walking as a simple trip down to the beach practically requires a climbing rope, but based on the fact that we were eating everything in sight, the forced exercise was welcome for me. I would have loved to stay in the hottest hotel in town, Le Sirenuse, however, it was waaay too pricey...so we stayed in The Marincanto up the street (which was also lovely).

This was the view from our hotel room.

On one of my favorite days, we took a speedboat trip to the gorgeous island of Capri (though I feel silly saying it that way, you actually do pronounce it as Cah-pree).

Along the way, we stopped in the Blue Grotto and this was the most exciting part of the day! You have to switch out of your big boat into little rowboats before entering the cave. The opening to get in is so small, you literally have to lay down in the boat or you will crack your head open on the cave rock. Once inside, my eyes almost popped out of my head. The pic above REALLY is the color of the water...only way more beautiful in person. All of the men rowing the boats sing old Italian songs
and it just felt so special and unique.

Another big highlight was accidentally happening upon an Italian wedding. We were taking a daytrip up the coast to Ravello and made a quick stop in a charming coastal town called Amalfi. As we were exploring the town, we noticed some commotion at the Duomo and caught a bit of this gorgeous wedding above.

On to Firenze (Florence) in part 2!

I'm a Travelin' Fool...

2007-03-01T18:32:00.000-08:00

Despite a closet full of clunky suitcases, frayed cosmetic cases and a wrinkled plastic bag I always seem to use as a "laundry" bag, I fantasize about being an ultra chic traveler.

If money were no object, here are a few things I would have stocked up on before our honeymoon:

The Direct Flight Carry-On (pictured above) looks like one of those bags that can magically fit way more than you ever thought it could. I'm also a big red fan, and love that the handy rolly wheels are hidden inside ($378).

This Triple Pill Case from Coach is way cooler looking than the blue plastic pill box I got from Duane Reade ($58).

These Henri Bendel Candles from Bath & Body Works are my fav-oh-rite. I love every single scent I've smelled, and I always try to have a few around. I brought one along on our honeymoon and now everytime I light it at home, it reminds me of our amazing trip ($26).

Sonic Impact i-Fusion Portable ipod Speakers are such a great accessory to have...especially if you and your hubby plan to do a lot of traveling. They zip right up in their own handy case, and can easily be thrown into a carry-on bag (94.88).

Bon voyage!

Skincare Bootcamp

2007-03-01T18:00:00.000-08:00

I hope this doesn't make you love me any less, but I must confess that I've never actually had a "skin regime." I normally stick to the "gift bag skincare" plan. Simply, this basically means that I use different bottles and samples of moisturizer, soaps and the like from gift bags I collect from various events I go to (there's always an event to got to here in New York). Once in a great while I'll find I product I love and actually go out and buy some more of it, but more times than not, I'm pretty lame when it comes to skincare.

However, right before my wedding, I truly got my ass in gear and it really did feel great. I committed to 3 months of weekly facials at the Aveda School here in NY and it really was dreamy. Since this is school, your facials are performed by students, however, don't let that scare you off. I found that the students (who are all toward the end of their training) are even more attentive and consciencetious than many much more expensive facialists I've visited. Best of all, you get an amazing 90 minute facial (along with a foot bath, arm, head, neck and hand massage) for $55 bucks.

Of course, I have not returned for a facial since I said "I do," but that doesn't mean I'm not still thinking about skincare. Which is why I was so darn intrigued by this Panasonic Pore Cleanser. Most attractive to me is the fact that you can use this little tool in the shower--not sure why, but I seem much more able to commit to shower rituals. I also love the idea of the mist, as I know my own skin does respond very well to steam. I'm thinking of snatching one up, but the reviews are somewhat mixed.

Anyone try anything like this (or have any other skincare tips for a lazy chick like me)?

(via Outblush)

Check Out My Podcast

2007-03-01T05:38:00.000-08:00

If you're looking for some more scoop on my wedding planning mayhem, check out my recent podcast on The Wedding Podcast Network.

Videography: The Super 8 Option

2007-02-28T16:33:00.000-08:00

When talk began, for Mr. Beetle and I after we were engaged, over cakes, locations and the like, I wasn't exactly sure how I felt about hiring a videographer. In truth, I had never actually seen a wedding video that I really liked. While I loved reliving the moments of freind's wedding, I wasn't a fan of cheesy fade-outs, fuzzy borders and the practice of passing the microphone around while one of your pals is trying to finish up their salads and not be blinded by the glaring light in their face. Though I wasn't really sure why, I also never liked the "look" of video. So, while I certainly loved the idea of having a record of our day, I wasn't sure how to justify spending thousands of bucks on something I felt so "eh" about.

Of course my need to obsessively research everything until my brain begins to hurt won over, and I set out to find a unique, out of the box videographer. That's when I discovered Super 8.

Super 8 is not actually video at all, its film. Introduced in the 60's, Super 8 cameras quickly became the must-have gadget of every growing family and filmmaker wannabe. Chances are, many of your parents have Super 8 cameras or projectors collecting dust down in their basements. Nowadays, however, despite the fact that technology has moved way beyond Super 8, there is a bit of a renaissance happening as people begin to rediscover and re-embrace the medium. Though few and far between, there are some wedding videographers out there who strictly stick with this old classic.

Super 8 films look very different than the crisp digital, or even standard, video we are used to seeing. Images are grainy and colors look muted and rich. Somehow everything manages to look way more romantic and ethereal. Once I saw some sample Super 8 clips I was hooked.

We now have the most fabulous, gorgeous, vintage-like art film of our wedding day and I could not be happier. Our entire film is only 18 minutes long, so I don't feel bad asking anyone to watch it (and we've watched it ourselves a ridiculous number of times already). Somehow in Super 8 me and all of my friends look more glamorous and chic than we do in real life, and that fantasyland works great for me.

Here are a few Super 8 resources:
* Some more info on the Super 8 phenomenon
* Wes Jones (New York)- If we had our wedding in NYC, this is totally who I would have hired
* Wilson Fontaine (New York)
* Worker Bee Designs (New York)
* Lady Flash (TX)
* Bliss* Video Productions (LA, San Francisco)

"Scarf-ed" Em' All Down

2007-02-28T16:13:00.000-08:00

I literally spent months agonizing over what to get my bridesmaids as gifts to thank them for taking part in my wedding. I was hell bent on coming up with an original idea, and spent hours online researching every possibility. I wanted to get everyone different gifts, but also wanted some continuity so that no one felt like they got a lame present.

Then I found Lulette.

Lulette makes the most adorable, chic, colorful scarves, and has an option that allows you to "create your own message" on a scarf. You get to choose the main yarn color, the accent yarn color, and even the font that is used. The scarves are $89 bucks a piece and take six weeks to produce. Perfecto!

So, I bought a scarf for each of my girls, choosing color combos and fonts that I thought best expressed who they are. I decided to put a message on each that said "Love [bridesmaid's name]" so mine would read "Love Erica."

During our rehearsal dinner when I gave them all out, I explained that the message on each of the scarves was two-fold: I meant it both as an expression of how I feel toward each of them, as well as a reminder to the world (and themselves!) of how they each should be treated.

Needless to say, they went over like gangbusters. I'm just mad that I didn't order one for myself.

Say Cheese: Our Polaroid Guest Book

2007-02-28T15:36:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned in my recent wedding recaps (part 1, part 2, part 3), one of my favorite things that we did on our big day was our Polaroid Guest Books.

We used two Adesso Albums and two Polaroid One600 Ultra Instant cameras. We also ordered two personalized gold nameplates which we stuck on the front of the albums (Adesso does this as well).

The reason I loved the Adesso albums so much, is that each page comes with a slot perfectly fitted for a polaroid photo. I didn't need to bother with any other photo corners, glue or anything. By the time I ordered these puppies (which was right before our wedding) I was NOT looking to take on any DIY projects or assignments, so the Adesso Albums were the perfect solution.

We did not hang any special backdrop, though I think if you have the space and inclination, that would be fab. I've recently seen this done where brides choose some cool vintage fabric or even a silly city scene.

We purchased two albums and had about 90 guests at our wedding. Each album comes with room for 30 polaroid photos, and I wanted to make sure that everyone there had the opportunity to write out a page, if they so desired (and they did!). I found, for the most part, that people did not necessarily "group up" for the photos. Couples did and family members did, but I did not have any pics of our entire "friends table" for instance.

We also made sure to have a pretty cup with all sorts of magic markers and pens out for people as well as a cute sign (that matched our stationery, seating cards, etc) that said something along the lines of: "Please take a picture and leave us with some well wishes." We placed everything in a room that was a bit of to the side, where we had our cake, dessert, etc. I think it would also be great to place this near the bathrooms, as that's someplace everyone makes it to at some point or another in the evening.

Though I initially had my doubts, I was blown away and so thrilled by how many of our guests took the time to take their pics and write us out special notes. They really are something that we'll hold onto for many years to come.

A few tips:
* You and your hubby to be should take two polaroid pics before everything gets started...you'll need those for the front covers of the book. We did not realize this and, luckily, our videographer made us pose in the middle of the wedding so that we could get something in there.
*Have your wedding planner (or if you don't have one, a friend or bridesmaid) be in charge of the table you put this all out on. Polaroid film only comes with 10 pictures in each pak, so there is going to be some empty boxes and other garbage that you don't want lying around all night. Also, have a pretty garbage pail right there so there is someplace to throw out the empty boxes, etc.
*Make sure to include some sort of sign letting people know that this is your guest book. Your younger guests will certainly figure it out, but you want to make sure that everyone knows they should be snapping photos.
*Don't forget your books! Or your cameras (we forgot ours). Assign someone to make sure that you have your books before you take off for the night...you'll have a blast reading them before you jet off on your honeymoon!

The "Weight-ing" Game

2007-02-28T14:40:00.000-08:00

Confession: I've been home from my honeymoon for 4 months...and I've gained 20 pounds.

Yep, it's true. Yep, I'm sure. And yep...it ain't pretty.

I share this information with you now because, in truth, I want to scare you all a teeny bit. I want to get you thinking about a gameplan, preparing for the "ah, to hell with it" attitude that will crawl into your brain and plop down on a beanbag chair with a bag of Fritos and a diet coke, and to get you ready.

In truth, I've had major issues with my weight my whole life..so of course that didn't help matters. But in my own non-scientific research, apparently that doesn't make a lick of a difference. In a recent poll I took (and by "poll" I mean I called 5 friends last night who each were married in the last three years), 100% of my respondents admitted to gaining weight immediately following their weddings.

Don't join our club...cause once you're in, its realllly hard to resign.

Now, of course I'm not speaking to those of you who could use to gain a pound or two...or to anyone else who really doesn't care to focus on their weight at all and is happy with whatever goes down in that arena. To each, her own I say...and I really mean it.

But for anyone out there like me who worked their asses of to lose weight before their weddings...struggled with annoying diets and weird exercise regimes...ripped pictures of skinny models out of magazines and hung them on your wall..I implore you to be really careful and come up with a solid plan of action.

If I had it to do all over again, here's what I'd do:

1. Indulge as much as I can while on my honeymoon, enjoying all of the delicious dinners and tasty treats I deprived myself of while preparing for the wedding (OK, this is actually exactly what I did).
2. Promise myself that the moment I return home, the eating free-for-all will end (nope, didn't do this one).
3. Make sure that our house is immediately stocked with all of the healthy food I was eating and enjoying before said Honeymoon binge (if you can ask a friend or family member to stock you up before you return home, even better) (I did the opposite and stocked up on Devil Dogs, bagels, and all the chocolate I could get my hands on).
4. Weigh myself the day after I return (did this but then didn't get back on for 3 weeks...and by then it was too late).
5. Exercise the day after I return, and commit to 2 more times that week (nope...ignored this one too).
6. Stop saying to myself at every opportunity "eh...I'm still in Honeymoon mode!"

I'm happy to report that I am now, as of 3 days ago, back in charge of my 20 pound situation, and on the way to solving it. I'm prepared for the fact that it could take me 4 more months to lose it, and that's ok. Just don't follow my lead.

Gift Idea: City Writes Stationery

2007-02-27T04:49:00.000-08:00

In the world of stationery, it seems to be all about personalization right now--calling cards, couple crests for invitations or even custom produced handmade paper. True, I'm a bit biased, but I think stationery is one of the best, universal gifts out there. I'm particularly enamored with a little company here in New York called City Writes.

Kari Jo Cates is the super creative lady behind the City Writes curtain, and, in my opinion, she takes "personalized" to a whole new level. City Writes offers hand calligraphed social stationery, announcements, luggage tags, invites and more. Since each card is done by hand, they are all a teeny, tiny bit different, and yet charmingly adorable and sweet. I think this makes a fantastic gift for your bridesmaids, your new mother-in-law or even as a special vendor thank you (if time allows, I also like to use these as a great hostess thank you gift). Best of all, you can order smaller quantities and the prices are very reasonable (8 cards for $18.50; 25 cards for $52). Kari Jo will also hand calligraph envelopes for your invites or placecards.

You can choose different styles of writing and symbols to further personalize your stationery.

The first time I placed an order with City Writes (for cards which were to be sent to my aunt in California), I was thrilled and surprised when I was sent one personalized card with my own name on it along with a thank you note for my order. Holla for fab customer service and chic stationery!

Honeymoon Tip: Lighten Your Load

2007-02-26T06:34:00.000-08:00

For those who can afford it (and yes, I do realize that many of you are getting ready to spend more money than you ever imagined you could in one short day), luggage forwarding is a pretty dreamy travel indulgence. Here's how it works: You call up one of any number of luggage forwarding services, they come directly to your house, pick up all your crap, and then a few days later its waiting for you (usually all stacked neatly in a pile) wherever you are going. No shlepping any heavy bags...no long lines at those annoying luggage carousels...you just get on the plane, jet off to your honeymoon destination and, voila...your luggage is waiting for you in your room.

Since you are basically shipping your luggage, prices vary greatly depending on where you are going, how many bags you have and how much each bag weighs. International destinations are, of course, more than domestic ones.

The downside (beyond the cost) is that you need to be packed several days before you leave. However, if you are very organized (or aspire to be), this is also great motivation for getting into gear. For those that are traveling with sports equipment (like golf clubs) or plan to do a lot of shopping while you are away, this service is even more spectacular.

For our recent destination wedding, my family and I used Luggage Express and were mostly happy with the results. The one hiccup occurred at our hotel, and I am really still unsure who messed up. After our wedding, my husband and I decided to ship one bag home so that we did not have to carry around anything extra on our honeymoon in Italy. Since my dad and brother's bags were also being picked up from the same hotel (and we all have the same last name), there was some confusion and somehow our bag ended up back at my Dad's house. The situation was quickly remedied (at their expense) and it really didn't matter for us because we were away for two weeks.

Even after our mishap, the freedom and convenience of just being able to get on the plane and go, was soooo worth it. I will do it again in a heartbeat.

Here are a few other luggage forwarding services (though I have not tried any of these companies, so check em out first):
The Luggage Club
Luggage Forward
Luggage Free
X S Baggage

My Dee-lightful Wedding Recap (part two)

2007-02-25T17:54:00.000-08:00

After a pre-wedding photo session (yep, it was way too rushed and we did not have nearly enough time...I haven't yet talked to any brides who were actually ready on time, so if you are out there, kudos to you...I couldn't manage it), we went down to the Ladies Locker Room for the Ketubah signing.

This is our beautiful ketubah. Ketubah's are actually Jewish marriage licenses and according to Jewish law, after they are signed, you are officially married (no need for the additional ceremony--of course most of us ignore that part these days). In truth I didn't quite know what to expect for the Ketubah signing ceremony, but it actually was quite special. Our Rabbi, Sally Olins from Temple Isaiah in Palm Springs was really wonderful. Greg and I had spoken with her on the phone several times and then met with her in person the day before our wedding. She managed to make our wedding so warm, personal and spiritual...but in a very accessible way.

Our ceremony was outside and was set up facing the gorgeous mountains. It's hard to tell in these shots, but the sun was actually setting as our ceremony began and the sky turned the most gorgeous shade of pink. I was so caught up in everything, I missed it myself, but everyone there said that it perfectly matched my dress.

These were our programs.

And these were our seating cards. We got the cardstock for our programs from Paper Source, and the printing done last minute at Kinkos. Big Mistake. Big, big, big mistake. Towards the end of your wedding planning, you will be feeling very overwhelmed...perhaps even a bit complacent. However, I urge you, do not do any of your printing at Kinkos under any circumstances. I can't tell you what a huge headache/nightmare we had with them and, in the end, our programs ended up looking a bit wonky. Though, that was due in NO part to our fabulous stationery designers, Wiley Valentine. They designed our invites, table cards, program stickers and the stickers and coin envelopes we used for our seating cards. Months after the wedding, I'm still getting comments on our invites. I seriously love me some Wiley Vanetine.

After the ceremony, we headed back into the club for our cocktail hour. Greg and I actually took our Yichud, which in the Jewish tradition is some private time that the couple spend together directly after the ceremony to reflect on the specialness of the day. We joined the cocktail hour after about twenty minutes or so and the party was already in full swing. It's typical here in NY where we live to have an over the top cocktail hour with mounds and mounds of food. Often, I'm not even hungry for dinner after a particularly stellar cocktail hour binge. But we really wanted an elegant, fairly quick cocktail hour. We had 5 or so h'ors d'oeurvres and a martini bar. Another favorite touch (and fairly recent discovery) I made is X-rated Fusion Liqueur. I know it sounds naughty, but really its the most beautiful pink fruit-juice infused vodka. There are blood oranges, passion fruit, mangoes and some other delish things in there and all I can say is that for a total non-drinker like me, I could slosh down this stuff all night long. We had X-cocktails, which were just some of the liqueur mixed with sparkling water. I chuckled a bit when I saw some of our fairly beefy friends and family walking around with pretty pink drinks, but everyone really loved it.

One of the major highlights of our wedding was the food. Not that I had too much of it, but people were raving all night long about the utter delicious-ness of absolutely everything. We used a caterer from LA called Savore. They were unbelievable to work with, full of amazing ideas and, the food was really over the top spectacular. In truth, I had never been to a wedding before where the food was really good, so this was a new experience for me. My one major regret/complaint is that no one made us a doggie bag. You really do get so caught up in the evening, talking to everyone, and not wanting to mess up your lipstick (ok, at least I did), and by the time you turn around its all over. We got back to our hotel well after midnight (which was after they had stopped serving room service), and we were so hungry we had to make a run to a vending machine.

I really did not want to do typical wedding-y centerpieces for the table. I realized after the third or fourth person asked me "would you like to do high or low centerpieces?," that the answer was neither. Instead we collected over the year of planning hundreds of different sized and shaped crystal candlesticks and votives. We mixed these up on all of the tables. We also collected crystal bud vases and used white orchids and roses on each table. Every single table looked a little different, yet they all tied together. As much as I love flowers, I knew that the real "va va voom" effect would come from loads and loads of candles so we really did go a bit overboard in that category, but boy am I glad we did.

Our band was also amazing. They were a soul/R&B band called The Art of Sax. By the end of the night, they knew all of our guests by name and were taking requests. Greg and I really danced the night away and had so much fun with all of our friends. Another great piece of advice I got from a few previous brides-to-be was to spend as much time with your guests as you can during the cocktail hour. Ignore your friends and focus on Aunt Helen and Uncle Seymour. This way when the party really gets started, you've already said all of your hellos and can get down and boogie with your pals without feeling guilty.

The one part of the wedding that I hated...and I mean really detested was getting lifted up in our chairs while dancing the Hora (can you see the terror on my face?). Every Jewish bride and groom must face this fate and I can only say that I wish my fellow tribesmen luck, and strong relatives. I'm not sure why this was so frightening to me, but I truly felt like I was going to fall the entire time. You are supposed to be joyful and exuberant and all I wanted to do was get the hell down. Cleopatra be damned, I don't ever want to do that again.

Our cake was definitely over the top...and it was really even more delicious than it was beautiful.

My hands down, super fantabulous favorite thing we did was our Polaroid Guest Books. I purchased two cheapie Polaroid cameras off of amazon and ordered our books from Adesso. For some reason, I did not think that most guests would bother taking a photo and writing something out to us, but almost every person there did! I honestly pull these books out on almost a weekly basis now to go through them and see all of the fab photos and kind/funny/touching words that everyone wrote.

Well, there you have it. I wish I could invite you all over to my place now to finish things up by showing you our wedding video. I know I've mentioned 11 other favorite things about our wedding so far, but our video is truly my heart-stopping fav-oh-rite. We hired a wonderfully gifted guy named C. Charles Bowden (though, unfortunately, our was his last video!). He shot the whole thing in Super-8, and it truly does look like a beautiful little vintage art film. It's only 18 minutes long and everything from the music to the images is just really breathtaking. I think we've watched it about 32 times so far.

I plan to share some more specific wedding advice based on the good, the bad and the ugly that went down for us on our wedding day, but for now, here are my thoughts for all of you brides-to-be:

Be bold and express yourself; take chances; Hire a stellar photographer; Bring a change of shoes; Build in some private time with your new husband during the evening so that you can stop, take a look around and enjoy all the love that is surrounding you; eat something during the day! You will plan to do this and then you will not do it. Assign someone to make sure that you have yummy food around at all times for whenever you feel like munching (I had m&m's all day); Start a skin regime 3 months or so before your wedding (earlier if you are more responsible...unlike me); Give your digital camera to a friend and ask them to take pics all night (yes you are paying a lot for a photographer, but you are going to want to see pics immediately. We spent a couple of hours in beautiful Italy oohing and ahhing over all of the digital pics our friends took); don't drink too much alcohol OR water (its annoying and hard to go to the bathroom in a wedding dress); Dance with people you might not normally dance with; Don't get annoyed when things go wrong...I can promise you they will, but believe it or not, your day will still be dreamy...really.

I'm a Mrs! My Dee-lightful Wedding Recap (part 1)

2007-02-25T14:50:00.000-08:00

We came...we saw...we "I do'd"

October 21 was a pretty magical day from start to finish (despite some major snafus). Yep...it went by in a flash. Yep...many things went wrong, but our wedding day was still more dreamy/fantastic/over the top/delicious/fun than I could have ever imagined. Here are the deets:

Our wedding was in Big Horn (a fancy shmancy community in Palm Desert, CA where my aunt, who threw our whole shindig, lives). I want bore you with too many details or vendor reviews because, unfortunately, unless you own a home there...well...you aren't allowed in. Pretty harsh, I know...but true.

I started off the day at the Big Horn Spa, where Jessica made me look positively gaw-gous. A word to the wise: for those brides-to-be out there thinking of going with fake lashes, I say by all means, without a doubt, halleleujah!...do it! I can't tell you what a huge difference this made in my look for the day.

After getting ready, I lounged around a bit in my robe. Isn't my bouquet TDF? Rannuculus, garden roses and some sweet peas...all in pink, of course.

Thank goodness I had my bridesmaid/best friend Cara to help me with my veil. Though I had done a hair trial with it, I had never really put in myself...for some reason this was a bit tricky for us, but we got it done. I purchased my veil at Carolina Herrera (where I also got my pretty pink, pinstriped dress!)

A couple of dress shots for you. I must confess, I'm still so madly in love with my dress, I would have said "I do" to it if I could. Though many out there would disagree with me, I was never a strapless, white ballgown kind of gal and as soon as I saw this dress in a magazine, I knew it was the one for me. The moment I put it on, I felt like I was at some glam, 40's ball at the Stardust Hotel. Best of all, it had pockets! I cannot tell you how much fun it was to have a wedding dress with pockets. Carolina Herrera dresses are definitely a bit more pricey, but if you can swing it, they are a dream to work with. I never had a single problem and my alterations were all as easy as can be.

I bought my Stuart Weitzman shoes on ebay. The platform made them waay more comfortable than standard high-heels, but I still switched into platform flip flops the moment we were done with our first dance (Al Green's "Let's Stay Together").

Here are some pre-wedding photos from the session with our super fantabulous photographer Teness Herman. Teness managed to capture every moment so beautifully--each of her photos are packed with such emotion. Somehow she managed to get photos of all of our friends and family members that speak so much to who they each are. I don't mean to pull out the cheez whiz, but she really did made such a huge difference in our day.

Stay tuned for Part Two of my recap: The Ketubah, The Ceremony and the Par-tay!

Paper Bride headin' over to the NY Observer

2006-05-20T04:21:00.000-07:00

Hello my bridalicious lovelies,

Mama has been bad, bad, BAD. This news has an upside and a downside: with all of the recent success of Paper Bride and Paper Mama, as well as my blogging responsibilties at my main blog paperbride.blogspot.com, and my contributions to the advice column over at herecomestheblog.com, I have really let bridalicious go. BUT, you can still keep up with my wedding planning adventures and advice now over at the New York Observer's Bridal Blog. Read all of the posts to catch up, but I recently:
*Attended the Modern Bride Top 25 Trendsetter awards dinner (yay!)
*Picked out a wedding gown and bought it in 17 minutes flat (including trying it on)
*Came up with the idea of "wedding planning leave" from work
*finished a game of phone tag with my rabbi
*Received our save-the-dates!

One day when I have more time and a doting staff, bridalicious will be back in its full glory. In the meantime, please don't desert me :)

As always, I love to hear from everyone! So please comment on my posts over at the bridal blog or send me an email through paperbride.com.

see ya soon and happy wedding planning!

Diets that Work?

2006-03-17T04:29:00.000-08:00

Forbes has interesting article this month on "10 Diets That Work." I still very much believe in the simplest diet of all: reduce your calories and increase your exercise, and yet I am still fascinated by all of this diet talk and even tempted to try a few.

The Sonoma Diet is especially intriguing to me (eventhough I don't even drink wine). It seems to have similar principles to a mediterranean style diet (protein, olive oil, cheeses) and it does not entirely eliminate carbs.

Weight Watchers made the list as well, and is always a tried and true choice. I'm even considering getting back on that bandwagon myself.

The NY Observer Bridal Blog!

2006-03-15T05:03:00.000-08:00

So, I have been a busy bee lately and have joined in with the group of girls over at the New York Observer who are blogging all about the ins and outs of their wedding planning. Check out my latest entries here!

Though they were poking fun (It's ok guys, I can take it!), I even got a link in yesterday's edition of Gawker. Holla!

Pink is the new white...

2006-03-12T07:29:00.000-08:00

...well, not exactly. I mean, there was not a specific mention of pink in this great Newsweek article about how color is totally taking over in the world of wedding dresses, but as I'm planning to wear pink, I thought I would give it its props.

By the way, this is not a pic of my dress that I've included (i'm not going quite so over the top), but now when you see mine, it will look positively tame in comparison. Clever of me, right?

Razzle Zazzle

2006-03-10T18:38:00.000-08:00

I definitely fall squarely into the category of a non-traditional bride. Somehow this non-tradionalness has made me quite averse to all of the cutesy photo wedding stuff that people do. I think save the date magnets with the happy couple's pics on them are really adorable for others...in fact I still have a few on my fridge of friends and smile almost everytime I see them, but they just are really not a fit for me. As a result, I haven't really paid much attention to the whole customized stamp craze as I figured, what the heck are we going to put on them?

Well, zazzle.com has totally changed my mind. For some reason, it never occurred to me that we could put ANYTHING on our stamps...not just a pic of us. We could send a simple message or a cool monogram of our names that color coordinates with our envelopes.

My fave idea was making a stamp out of a pic of other people. I loved the idea of the stamp above. Though these are not my grandparents, how cool would it be to send out our invitations with a pic of my grandparents on their wedding day?

ROCKIN SITE: Figleaves.com

2006-03-10T08:31:00.000-08:00

In my normal everyday life, I devote zero time to my lingerie wardrobe. I'm not proud of this fact and aspire to one day have a drawer full of sexy, sultry, slinky lingerie that I can color coordinate with my outfits and moods. But right now, I feel a major sense of accomplishment if my bra and underwear actually match.

Brides, however, need fantabulous lingerie--on their wedding day, their wedding night, and even on their honeymoon. So basically, I need to get busy.

Figleaves.com is a really wonderful online resource for everything lingerie, from simple basics to gorgeous, over the top frillies.

These mrs. boy shorts are really adorable (and would make a great shower gift too) and these retro french knickers are also pretty TDF (to die for). This site is like lingerie nirvana, so happy browsing.

You Can Wear It Again

2006-03-06T09:01:00.000-08:00

I've mentioned before that I'm not going through the motions of choosing a bridesmaid dress and then forcing all of my maids to wear it. I totally get that this is an accepted and widely practiced bridal right of passage, but as someone who has spent one too many nights in an ill fitting, oddly colored frock that never saw the light of day again, I'm just not goin' there.

Meg Mateo Ilasco's new book You Can Wear It Again is a wonderful celebration of bridesmaids dresses and all of the loyal friends who have worn them. It's a fun look at both fashion trends and wedding trends over the past 50 years and would even make a great gift for your bridesmaids to give out at a girl's luncheon or to send along with a will you be my bridesmaid? card.

(via design sponge)

Blurb books for one and all

2006-03-06T07:49:00.000-08:00

Call me a lazy blogger if you will (as I already posted about this in my other blog), but I just think this is so darn cool, I can't resist.

Blurb is an awesome new site that offers self-publishing software that allows you to make and publish your own hardcover books.

Their Photo Books are a great idea for your candid wedding photos (perhaps from your photobooth or from table cameras), or perhaps as a special gift for your bridesmaids (you can document all of your wedding fun from your engagement party, to the shower to the crazy night of fun from your bachelorette party). The Cook Book might be a great gift for your new mother-in-law (recipes from my family to yours) and the Text and Pictures book would make an unbelievable wedding gift for your soon to be husband to document your story of love from start to finish.

I just love these! There are sooo many books I want to make, my head is spinning.

Some of the books are not available yet, but with all of the publicity these folks have been getting, I'm sure they will be coming soon. Prices start at $29.99 and you don't have to pay for anything until you actually decide to publish.

A Wedding Bee in my bonnet

2006-03-03T11:21:00.000-08:00

Alright, girls...I'm in love--TLF (true love forever) type of love. Wedding Bee, a fantabulous new NYC wedding blog is the current recipient of all of my affections.

Launched by a a lovely, sassy chick named Bee, this blog is chock full of wonderful suggestions, endless useful tips, beautiful photos and some of the best all around wedding planning advice I've come across. It is NYC based, but I don't care where you are getting married--there are loads of things there for any bride-to-be, wherever you may live.

Bee has a group of other fab brides-to-be who blog along with her, and each has her own style and point of view, making the blog even more fun to read. Best of all, these girls are truly busy as bees (pun intended) with loads of updates each and every day. They seriously put chumps like me to shame.

My advice: run don't walk straight over to Wedding Bee right now. (And once you decide you love it as much as I do, add them to your bloglines account).

Weddings Gone Wild!

2006-03-02T21:16:00.000-08:00

, originally uploaded by ericabethg.

Wowza! Seriously. If you want to see some eye popping photographs of one of the most lavish, out there, insanely fun looking weddings I've ever seen, check out style.com wedding porfolio of the week long wedding of NYC hotelier Vikram Chatwal to Priya Sachdev. All of their 300 plus guests were flown around India on a private plane (are you reading this dad?) to get from one celebration to the next. There were a slew of parties: a masked ball, celebrations in royal palaces (I think two) and everything ended up in Delhi for the traditional Barat cermony where the groom rides through the strees in a horse and carriage.

For any brides who are having budget struggles with their weddings, I urge you to take a peep at these photos. It will make you feel better...I promise.

Photo Gifts

2006-03-01T08:52:00.000-08:00

It boggles my mind how many wonderful options there are out there for awesome photo gifts these days.

Life Hacker posted a fantastic roundup of some super fantabulous photo gift ideas from this mosaic maker to this cutesy trading card generator (how adorable would these be to make for all of your bridesmaids?). There really are endless options.

Our new fave blog Wedding Bee also has a great post about a fantastic photo to canvas service that makes gorgeous reproductions.

Lash out!

2006-02-12T05:21:00.000-08:00

My interest in:

*Plastic surgery: mildly curious
*Teeth whitening: curious
*Laser eye surgery: curious but scared that I'm curious
*Eyelash Extensions: borderline obsessed

I don't recall exactly when I first heard about eyelash extensions, but my interest level is coming dangerously close to obsession. And the more I keep trying to put it out of my mind, the more I keep reading about it and reading about it.

It really just seems like the most brilliant idea ever. The lashes supposedly last up to two months, you can wear them with contact lenses and they supposedly look so lush and gorgeous, you can ditch your mascara. The price tag, however, is hovering in the $200 to $300 arena, and well, I've been trying to be thrifty lately. Of course, for my wedding day, I'm happy to splurge, but I feel like I'd want to take these puppies for a test run beforehand. I think I might have to bite the bullet.

For those in NYC, you can get yourself some eyelash extensions at Glow Spa.

Spanx!

2006-02-08T21:22:00.000-08:00

I realize that I'm way late to the spanx game, and quite frankly, I'm seriously disappointed in myself.

It's very unlikely for me to be so painfully ignorant about something as fantabulous and life-changing as spanx, and yet here I was. Notice the use of past tense?

I am now a spanx convert and, frankly, I can only think of about 2 or maybe 3 people I know in the whole wide world who couldn't benefit from the magic of spanx.

For those of you like me who were NOT in the know, here's the basic idea behind all spanx products: they make all your jiggly parts look fabulous. How they do it, I don't quite know, but as someone who has a few jiggly areas that need taming, these puppies are miracle workers.

Best of all, I really love the story behind Spanx and all of the hoopla creator Sara Blakely went through to make sure that all of us ladies are looking are best.

Pass the popcorn...

2006-02-03T04:51:00.000-08:00

Everyone knows about Martha Stewart's lush, glee inducing wedding mags, but as of today you can put down your reading glasses and fire up the old DVD player: Martha has gone digital.

She has just released a glorious 4 disc collection: Martha's Complete Weddings with all the tips, tricks and suggestions on every aspect of wedding planning they could squeeze in. Despite its $44 pricetag, I just placed my order--I can't help myself.

Thanks to Hitch NY, a fabulous wedding resource for brides in NY (and everywhere!) for alerting me to the Martha mayhem that is soon to explode all over my TV. If you ant to be in know too, subscribe to their daily email.

My name is Erica, and I'm addicted to English wedding mags

2006-02-02T18:41:00.000-08:00

It's hard to convey to others my deep and undying love for magazines, but let me say this: visiting those airport newsstands is, for me, what I imagine its like for some sneaky, slimy husband who visits a stripclub on his business trip without his wife's knowledge--naughty, and yet he(I) can't get enough of it. I don't even blink at spending $30 on all the glossy mags I can fit into my bag, and devour them all from cover to cover.

Needless to say, since I've launched Paper Bride (and gotten engaged myself), I've been slurping up wedding mags like a milkshake. About six months ago, however, I discovered something even more wickedly delicious than wedding magazines: ENGLISH WEDDING MAGAZINES.

I'm now insanely addicted to any and every English wedding mag I can get my hands on--they are *that* good. So good, in fact, that it makes me sad that I never knew what I was missing out on.

Here's why English Wedding Mags Rock:

!. Style File - they have all these sections with tons of little ideas (each accompanied with a photo and buying info). These are standard in U.S. mags as well, but often they will include maybe 5-10 choices in the U.S versions and in the English ones, they throw in twice as many...and much more creative ones too.

2. Ridiculously over the top doesn't seem to exist with English Weddings - Ok, that's probably not true, but for some reason, it doesn't seem to come across in the pages of their magazines. All of the features, suggestions and ideas are just creative, fun and very non-typical. There seems to be scads more inventiveness and innovation on their pages vs. ours.

3. Loads-o-real weddings - English mags always feature a bunch of "real weddings" spreads in every issue. Some U.S mags are pretty good about this, but many only feature on or two real weddings..or none at all.

4. Even the ads are more interesting - There are lots of ads in English mags, just as there are in their U.S. counterparts, but you haven't seen them all a million times already. And they are advertising different brands, dresses, etc, so even the ads are fun to look at.

The only bummer about English mags is that they are a few bucks more expensive than U.S mags, but trust me when I say, it's worth it!

If you don't have a great newsstand in your area, you can usually pick these up at Borders and Barnes & Noble stores with larger magazine sections.

To Change or not to Change...that is the question

2006-02-01T18:29:00.000-08:00

I always assumed that when I got married, boom, I would change my name, no questions asked. Well, that's not entirely true.

I guess I've always sorta thought of the "trading up" theory: if I was marrying someone who had a "better" last name than mine (Goldstein), than of course, I would trade up. There is nothing at all wrong with my last name--its suited me fine my whole life. *But* it's not necessarily sitting pretty in the category of "desirable" last names like Vanderbilt or Berg. Why those names are desirable to me, I have no clue (well, except for Vanderbilt because, of course, that would mean that I would be really rich, and out shopping right now instead of blogging for you guys, but now I digress...) Anyway, my point is that I always thought it would be super easy to ditch Goldstein and move on to the greener pastures of whatever my new last name would be.

Now that the situation is real, I must admit I'm feeling a little ambivalence, and dare I say, sadness about ditching my name. I never expected to feel this way and, at first, wasn't quite so sure what to do about it.

On one hand, I'm totally excited to take on my new last name (Reitman), and on the other, I feel like if I ditch Goldstein, I'm taking this major part of my identity...a big piece of who I am and burying it in the back yard.

I don't want to hyphenate. Apologies to all of those out there with hyphenated names...I fully support your right to do so, but quite frankly I'm too lazy. I don't want to be constantly correcting people, dealing ith misspellings and doling out explanations.

Our fabulously progressive friends Alistair and Cara both took on an entirely new name when they got married, so both of them ditched their former last names. This is also a pretty cool solution if you are willing to take the leap.

After much thought, I think the solution I've reached is this: I'll ditch Beth (which is pretty much a standard issue middle name for many Jewish girls of my age) and replace it with Goldstein. No hyphen--it will just be my new middle name. So, I'll trade Erica Beth Goldstein, for Erica Goldstein Reitman. I think this will work for me.

For those of you out there who are also struggling with this, here is an interesting roundup from metafilter that discusses all of the ins and outs of the issue. About.com also has an interesting discussion on this.

Finally, Nolo.com answers some basic questions and offers some advice about name changing after marriage.

Make sure to check the laws in your own state on this topic for more specifics about what you do (and don't) need to do about this.

Happy New Year!: Year of the Dog

2006-01-28T06:31:00.000-08:00

For all of those gals out there who are getting married this year like I am, you are in major luck! Why? you might ask...well, as it turns out, we're all getting married in the year of the dog --and according to the Chinese, that's a VERY good thing.

Heart + Sole

2006-01-28T06:16:00.000-08:00

, originally uploaded by ericabethg.

Ok, there's cute and then there's CUH-YUTE! Heart + Sole a wonderfully inventive new company that creates "shoe jewels" to help make your special day even more special, most definitely falls into the latter category.

Shoe jewels are a fantastically clever means of personalizing your day with gorgeous swarovski crystal dates, monograms and even an adorable little E+G (substitute your own initials) in a heart. These most certainly will "put the sparkle into your step." All jewels are placed on the bottom of your shoes and handy dandy instructions are included with every order. Best of all, the shoe jewels stay on permanently, ensuring that your wedding day kicks will be forever bejeweled.

Heart + Sole can come up with custom designs, and the appliques will even work on most fabrics (so you can make cool bridesmaid tees, hats or whatever you'd like).

CUH-YUTE. I heart Heart + Sole.

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

2006-01-27T13:18:00.000-08:00

Breaking News! Weddings are EXPENSIVE! News at 11.

CNN published an article today that examines, yet again, the ever rising costs of throwing a big ole wedding and offers some tips about how to cut costs.

There aren't really any new earth shattering ideas here, but its always nice to be reminded that your wedding, most importantly, should be about you and your future husband and not about KAPOW, BOOM BAM, bells and whistles or lions and tigers and bears.

Anyway, ok we get it. Weddings are pricey. It sucks. Don't get caught up in the craziness.

word.

Gym-tastic!

2006-01-23T07:02:00.000-08:00

For those brides who are not on the "I need to lose weight pronto" train, you probably want to skip this entry (and screw you! just kidding). For those of you who are riding shotgun with me, I know I need all the help I can get.

There is a ton of fab stuff on the internet to help a sista out and I recently came across this site called GyMP3 which offers downloadable mp3 workouts (which can go straight to your ipod) from different celeb hollywood trainers. They have running workouts, full body workouts and even 5 minute workouts for those of us with packed schedules. You can listen to samples on the site and they seem surpisingly easy to follow. Apple also recently started offering iworkouts.

My other latest discovery is Fit TV, this awesome cable channel that is jam packed with all sorts of fantastic workout, diet and healthy lifestyle programming. I'm in love with Gilad, a former Israeli Army officer and all around ripped dude. I've been tivo-ing his exercise programs and doing them every day. DVD's are great, but I was finding I was getting bored, so through the magic of tivo, I'm able to stay fit and do new routines every single day. They have lots of other great shows too, so if you are looking for yoga, boot camp, pilates or kickboxing, just cruise through the listings and find shows that will work best for you.

Speaking of fit and fabulous, my fiance is in training for a half marathon! He's gettin up every day at 7am to run, so feeling sloth like and lazy in bed, I've been following his lead. There's nothing like mooching off of someone else's hardcore motivation!

Marriage, Inc.

2006-01-22T08:16:00.000-08:00

Not to get all serious on you ladies, but this one was just too juicy to pass up. I guess it was just a matter of time before corporate America realized that the long revered idea of the institution of marriage was ripe for the pickin'.

I read this article Marriage Proposal: Why Not Privatize? from the SF Gate paper with great interest. The basic premise of the discussion is that there is a major disconnect between the fact that the government controls what is essentially a corporate partnership among two people in a way that does not speak to the very personal religious, sexual orientation, or simple life goals that couples often hope to create by teaming up.

Here's what they set forth:
"Even greater participation could be achieved through the establishment of marital corporations (MCs), which could have hundreds or thousands of couples as shareholders, all sharing common values about marriage.

Couples getting married would subscribe to the shares of an existing marital corporation. Its charter documents would set forth the terms of the marriage to which the subscribing couples agree.

Here is where a plethora of choices would become available to prospective newlyweds.

A Catholic marital corporation would forbid its members from divorcing. Progressive marital corporations would allow gay marriage. Islamic or Mormon fundamentalist marital corporations could allow polygamy. Plain vanilla marital corporations would probably be popular among people who just want to get married without thinking about it too much. "

Even as I post this, I'm not exactly sure how I feel about all this. On one hand, I'm saddened on almost a daily basis that gay couples are still considered second class citizens by the laws of our nation and not afforded the same opportunities that I am just because they are gay. On the other, its kind of scary to think about encouraging "big brother" to waltz (no pun intended) right into our lives and set up shop on our front lawns. Is privatization the answer? It certainly is an interesting concept, doncha think?

Ok, back to our regularly scheduled program of pink chiffon, frosted cupcakes and coordinated bowties and cumberbunds.

And the Bride wore...

2006-01-19T09:59:00.000-08:00

For a knee slappingly hysterical look back at some bridal fashions gone bad, check out And the Bride wore.

I suppose the bride above was perhaps offering an homage to the always popular wedding item: the bathing cap?

Really folks, this is just the tip of the iceberg. My favorite, category, of course is "what were they thinking?"

Cheapie wedding mags

2006-01-18T07:05:00.000-08:00

I'll cop to the fact that I was actually buying wedding magazines before I was engaged--wedding porn if you will. Sure it helps that I own a wedding-centric biz and always needed to do "research," but don't think I wasn't clipping dresses I liked or first dance song ideas long before I was bling blingin.

I read loads of magazines, I mean A LOT and this can seriously get pricey. But I've discovered a fab online resource called discount magazines that has really saved my life...and wallet.

Most one year magazine subscriptions are only $5.95..that's for a whole year people. So for just about the price of a single copy of a magazine at Barnes & Noble, you can get 11 more. In addition to many others, they have some great wedding mags including Brides, Modern Bride, Bridal Guide and Martha Stewart Weddings (though Martha is a smidge pricier). You can also buy gift subscription for people, which is a pretty fab "congrats, I heard you're engaged gift" for a new bride-to-be.

Guest list tips

2006-01-16T07:27:00.000-08:00

Peggy Post (via MSN) offers some great tips on how to deal with the endlessly tricky issue of how to tame your guest list.

I've got the destination wedding thing going on, which adds a whole new level of trickiness. Do we have a shower? Where? Who gets invited? Do we do a bachelorette/bachelor party here or there?

The article also discusses the issue of encore weddings or second weddings and how to deal with all of that trickiness.

HONEYMOON HELP: Luxe Hotels, Budget dollars

2006-01-15T07:59:00.000-08:00

LifeHacker has a fantastico article on ho to book a five star hotel on a budget. God knows, your honeymoon is not a vacay any of us want to scrimp on. But after blowing tens of thousands of bucks on the big day, sometimes there aint a whole lotta cheese left over to spend on galavanting.

The article mentions a fantastic website called Bidding for Travel where users can post and share info on recent successful bids accepted on Priceline.com. Armed with this information, you can often snag yourself amazing hotel accomodations for bargain basement prices.

The I Do Foundation

2006-01-13T05:15:00.000-08:00

You know you don't *have* to just register for things like that sexy Kitchenaid upright mixer (and yes, this is the pink version that we are currently registered for) or the overpriced place settings that sit high up on your shelves and get used once every eon or so (yep, ours are pictured above). Through the I Do Foundation you can actually set up your registry so that your guests give donations to your favorite charities.

If you don't have much in the way of pots, pans, spatulas and silver platters to call your own and don't want to give up the idea of gifts altogether, there are other options as well: You can set up a registry with their partner stores so that a portion of each purchase made is donated to a charity of your choice.

Instead of the typical "tossed in the back seat" wedding favor, you can make a donation to your favorite charity instead in honor of each guest.

Are you taking a honeymoon? If you simply book your trip through one of the foundation's partners (sandals, for example), 5% of your purchase will go to charity.

With all of the piles of cash, overpriced vendors, and whopping extravagance associated with weddings these days, its nice to see an organization like this that has come along to try to help us all remember that there are sooo many easy little things we can do to help out.

Who needs a DJ when you have an ipod?

2006-01-12T06:11:00.000-08:00

I confess that I'm a bit too paranoid to go this route myself, but I'm loving the new trend of using ipods at weddings instead of bothering with a DJ.

Here's the upside: Ipods don't make cheesy announcements, wear ruffled tuxedos or do the chicken dance with your grandma. Ipods "listen" to your requests, don't make mistakes and allow you to be in total control of the "flow" of the evening. Best of all, if you already have one, ipods are cheap--a term not often associated with ANY element of wedding planning.

My fiance and I have had the eternal band vs. DJ debate (I want a DJ and he wants a band), and I eventually just relented and agreed to go the band route because...well, I'm pretty much getting my way in every other arena. But it seems like many brides and grooms are going the way of the "pod"

For some more "how to" ideas, check out this post from Metafilter.

For some music inspiration, here's a list of the top 100 par-tay songs.

Rock on brides!

His cold feet?

2006-01-08T18:36:00.000-08:00

As a girl who was dating her current fiance for four years before we got engaged, I certainly could have spent some quality time suring around on His Cold Feet.

His Cold Feet is a site dedicated to talking about all the ins and outs and ups and downs of why guys are scared to pop the question. There are great articles, resources and some fantastic message boards for girls to compare war stories, offer tips or just vent.

I'm oh so happy my man's feet finally warmed up after a stint in the meat locker, but I think this site is a fun resource for any of are sistas out there who have yet to get their own bling.

I'm also happy to report that I'm not a full fledged believer in the notion that good things DO come to those who wait.

A picture is worth a thousand words?

2006-01-08T18:15:00.000-08:00

Yes, I really think it is.

We haven't had our wedding yet, so I may not be one to be dispensing sage advice, but I have put in my time reading countless wedding magazines, talking to brides, goin' to weddings and researching the hell out of this industry. For me, the choice of our photographer is really one of the most critical and important vendor decisions I think we will make.

EVERY bride I have talked to (and I mean every last one of em') all say the same thing: the day will go by quicker than you can ever imagine. You'll feel like you are in some crazy space time warp continuium where each hour is 15 minutes instead of 60 and before you know it, bing, bam, boom, the party is over. So, aside from your dashing new hubby, what do you have left after the band has played their last song, your bridesmaid has torn her last pair of stockings and you've eaten your last crab puff? You have the pictures!

I should say right off the bat, that I hate posed pictures. And I mean HATE. You know what I'm talking about...the kind you find in your parents old wedding album-- those thick cardboard pages that show the bride and groom and every random member of their family carefully cupping each others hands, tilting their necks just so and gazing off into the camera lens looking anything but natural.

Frankly, I just don't get it. Of course there are a few posed pictures I'd like to take...and think everyone should take. But, truly, the posed pic session with our photographer at our wedding is going to last less than half an hour--really, I mean it!

The alternative, of course, is a new movement toward photojournalism--even fashion style photography. Depending upon what part of the country you live in, obviously your options will be varied, but I think everyone should check out the Wedding Photojournalist Association for some great ideas and photographer referrals.

I've researched photogs long and hard and here are a few of my FAVES:

Belathee

Ira Lippke

Teness Herman

BRIDAL PARTY GIFT: Silhoutte Portrait

2006-01-08T18:00:00.000-08:00

This gift is so cute and fabulous I had to hold myself back from shouting about it from my rooftop (remember, I live in NYC, so I have a very available and expansive rooftop to shout from).

Artist Karl Johnson creates freehand cutout silhouette portraits (via design*sponge) that are amazingly intricate and accurate.

The silhouettes are created based upon photographs you send in and are cut out entirely by freehand! I'm amazed even as I write this. Each piece is a one-of-a-kind original piece of artwork signed by the artist. Best of all, these beauties are only $20 a pop.

Personally, I think they would make fantabulous bridal party gifts (could even work for the boys!). These would even be fab to get done of you and your soon-to-be hubby.

You can frame the silhouettes yourself or order a cutesie little antique style oval frame from the website for an extra $13/each.

'Emitation' is the sincerest form of flattery

2006-01-08T17:36:00.000-08:00

Diamonds are a girl's best friend, fer sure. *But* if you are a girl on a budget, you likely don't have celeb jeweler Neil Lane on speed dial like Madonna does.

No worries. Just check out the fake and fabulous bling at Emitations (via SheFinds).

They really have some spectacular baubles, many of which would be PERF for a wedding. Back to my pal Neil Lane, I love these cushion cut CZ earrings that are based on a gorgeous pair Debra Messing wore. These bee-autiful diamond drop CZ earrings based on a pair Oprah Winfrey has, are not too shabby either.

I haven't decided which pair are for me yet, but as I'm going for a 3/4 sleeved dress and a v-ish neckline with my dress, I think I'm going to skip a necklace and just go for some va-va voom earrings.

Gracias...or not

2005-12-28T13:04:00.000-08:00

I was pretty blown away by this article our friend at Ruby Red Design blogged about on the state of thank you notes today.

I can sum it up for you this way: people just don't send em' anymore.

Someone recounted a story of recently attending a wedding, giving his friends a very generous cash gift, and instead of receiving a personal thank you, he was sent a mass "thanks for coming and thanks for the gifts" email.

Look, I love email just as much as the next gal. The internet has made planning (and attending!) weddings oh so much more pleasurable--you can buy gifts online, book your trip with great travel sites, chat with other brides, map out routes, etc. BUT an email thank you is rude, insensitive and just plain ole wrong.

Being a bride and planning a wedding represents a really amazing time in one's life. For me, I've been blown away by all of the special treatment, attention, well wishes and love that is sent my way, on almost a daily basis. I feel like a thoughtful, well written thank you note is the LEAST I can do to say how much I appreciate all of the fabulousness (both literally and figuratively) that has come across my path. I'm sure you agree...you must!

In honor of the ever important, ever useful, never to be forgotten (in my book, at least) thank you note, here are a few of my faves:

Blue Bird Thank Yous from Pink Loves Brown

Sewing Machine Thank Yous from Side Pony

Any of these lovely folded notecards from Carrot & Stick Press

Sassy Shape Card thank yous from Tobi Wood Designs.

Gracias, fer sure.

Quickie Passport Photos

2005-12-07T14:48:00.000-08:00

For those of you who might fall into the category of "slacker bride" and have not yet gotten those passport photos taken, you're in luck.

Go online to ePassportphoto.com and they will walk you through the steps of uploading your own photos, cropping, and printing them for use in your passport. You don't really need to go to one of those fancy, shmancy passport photo places and, in fact, can do this all on your own with a digital camera, white wall and color printer.

Now, you're in honeymoon heaven!

FAVORS: Pretty box'o cookies

2005-12-04T10:31:00.000-08:00

My first order of business is to confess that this is idea is not my own.

A few months ago during a marathon internet wedding research session, I came across One Girl Cookies. I've tasted One Girl cookies at Dean & Deluca and they are, in fact, very delish. But they also happen to have an adorable wedding favor of a plain brown box filled with delicious cookies. The neat thing about the box is that it comes with a great old photo glued to it with images from old family weddings, celebrations, etc. If you are looking for fast and easy and can spend the cash, One Girl might be your best bet. I, however, am really hoping to go DIY.

I loved, loved the idea and thought how neat it would be to put something together like this but with photos from our own family. We could use pics from our parents' weddings, our granparents, pics from when we were kids, etc. We can print them out in sepia or black and white tones and use those fancy shmancy scalloped scissors to make them look old.

I found these great pink bakery boxes in all sorts of shapes and sizes.

Best of all, we can use a family recipe for some delicious cookie or dessert treat to put inside of them.

I'm not positive that this is what we'll do yet, but I love the idea.

Perfectly Charming

2005-12-03T07:33:00.000-08:00

Personally, I'm not a huge fan of the practice of buying your whole bridal party the same gift to say "thanks." I get that this works for some, but all of my bridesmaids are pretty darn different and unique and I couldn't even begin to think of one thing that would work for all of them.

Despite the fact that are wedding is many months away, I decided to start picking up little gifts here and there so that I'm not overwhelmed by coming up with an insanely clever idea a week before we say "I do" when my stress level is through the roof.

I've already bought some gorgeous silk cosmetic and make-up bags on sale from H&M (these puppies were cheap, but look super luxe!). The other day I came across these Little Charmer Clips and thought:
a. How cute!
b. I can get different charms for all of my girls
c. They would look adorable on the cosmetic bags (or anything else the girls want to use them for)

I'm getting the ring charmer for a friend who is hoping to get engaged herself soon (for good luck!), the tiara for my little sister (as she's always the little pricess), and the shoe and purse for my friends who are...well, obsessed with shoes and purses.

I'm charmed.

Naughty Cookies

2005-11-30T15:02:00.000-08:00

Ok, yes, you have to purchase this cookie cutter from a German Website (where you can't read a damn thing), but how perfect would this be for some homemade bachelorette party treats?

If you want to go a bit more naughty, or if english is your first language, you can also check these puppies out.

Happy Baking!

Done, done & done: Nick & Jessica

2005-11-24T07:31:00.000-08:00

FIN-UH-LY. From Us Magazine:

Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey, the couple, has jointly announced an official separation. 'After three years of marriage, and careful thought and consideration, we have decided to part ways,' the couple tells Us in an exclusive joint statement. 'This is the mutual decision of two people with an enormous amount of respect and admiration for each other. We hope that you respect our privacy during this difficult time.'

Can I see the hands of all of those out there who are surprised? No? Didn't think so.

Happy Turkey day bridalicious babes :)

All tied up with a bow

2005-11-22T14:02:00.000-08:00

Thank you notes got you down? Difficulty keeping track of your registry? I can't think of a bride I know who wouldn't love (with a capital "L)" GiftBox.com.

Though this site was seemingly designed with holidays like Christmas/Chanukah in mind, its a dream come true for us brides-to-be. After setting up your free account, you can begin tracking every toaster, Nambe bowl or picture frame that comes across your path. There is a section where you can keep gift ideas for others (hello bridal party), track gifts you've received (with a handy little check box to keep track of whether or not you've been slackin' in the thank you card department), keep a wishlist and even a section to track returns.

In summary, Gift Box rox big time.

Just do it

2005-11-20T09:45:00.000-08:00

For all of the other brides out there (like me!) who are trying to get their fat asses into shape for their weddings, I found a fab site to help you track your runs/walks (crawls?) called Map My Run.

This puppy is powered by Google's new pedometer tool, but for some reason it was easier for me to use.

I was thrilled to find out that my little morning walk with my friend Liz is almost 5 miles there and back. Hollah!

Bed, Bath and waaay Beyond

2005-11-17T19:49:00.000-08:00

The decision about where to register is a pretty agonizing one. Everyone has their own story, theory or formula and only you know what's best for you. Recently, I've been hearing that a lot of brides love the Bed, Bath & Beyond registry. Though I did not end up going to the triple B, I was quite shocked to discover that they actually have a pretty fantastic ideas & advice section on their website with all sorts of interesting/helpful articles on virtually every aspect of wedding planning.

They have sections with articles for the couple, the wedding party and even for guests. I think my fave might be this article on how to be a good guest.

Needless to say they left off the following:
* Do not get drunk and make an ass of yourself flirting with the bride's underage sister
* Do not break dance
* Do not utter the following words to either the bride or groom: "it's all downhill from here;" OR "I hope you have a pre-nup!"
* Do not attempt to perform with the band or "take over" for the DJ
* Do not dip your tongue directly into the chocolate fountain

Rock the rhinestones

2005-11-09T11:47:00.000-08:00

Now that you've got the bling on your finger all taken care of, you need some matching bling for your flipflops. Rhinestone Roxy has the cutsiest, most fab and adorable personalized flip flops, hats, visors--you name it. You can come up with your own sayings, use your bridesmaids names, or even your own. These make super cute gifts, and let's face it, those Manaolos look really hot, but after a 30 minute ceremony, the buffet dive at the cocktail hour and your spotlight first dance, your feet aren't going to be feeling so hot. I'm definitely going to be getting a pair of these bad boys to slip on so I can get jiggy all through the night!

Paper Bride rocks the hizzouse

2005-11-06T19:06:00.000-08:00

This isn't the sort of "big pimpin'" that Jay-Z raps about, but its pimpin' nonetheless.

Though I am now, indeed, finally a bride-to-be myself (May 28, 2006, hollah!), I also happen to have a pretty snazzy bridalicious biz of my own called Paper Bride. Paper Bride is a line of sassy, chic wedding stationery for the hippest future brides. We have cards to send to your new mother-in-law, bridezilla apologies, save-the-date postcards and thank yous for everyone from mom and dad to the caterer.

Our boxes are really pretty, our cards are really funny, and well...If you like my blog, I promise you'll love the cards. You should check them out. Really, buy some. Buy lots. Buy em all!

Say Cheese

2005-11-06T16:17:00.000-08:00

Photobooths at weddings are totally trendy right now. I do love to be original, *but* I also happen to love McDonalds, Justin Timberlake, Target and Desperate Housewives, so how original can I possibly be?

I think this is a fab spin on the traditional guest book and would be so much fun for all of your friends and family to partake in. If I were to have one (and let's be honest, likely there won't be an extra $3k to spend on this, so we're talking fantasyland now), I would make sure that a duplicate strip comes out with each photo session. This way one can be glued into your guest book and one can go home with the guests.

You could even get some pretty paper and make some cool cards that peeps could use to take home their pics in.

Ok, now I really want a photobooth. This sounds like fun!

Another F*%$&ing Wedding

2005-11-04T05:54:00.000-08:00

Don't get me wrong, I get that a wedding is a really big deal. I mean, it will be for me and it will be for Mr. Bridalicious. I'm not *totally* sold on the fact that its going to be the best day of our life. I mean, I think it will be one of the best days of our life, but I plan to have a whole hell of a lot of other amazing days and I would hate to think that at 32, its all downhill from here.

I guess my point is, I like when people have a sense of humor about the (sometimes) silliness that has now become inherent in wedding planning and the wedding industry. Charles Star and Carrie McLaren are certainly two of those peeps.

Their blog, Another Fucking Wedding puts a seriously funny spin on trying to plan a wedding in New York on a budget (I can relate to this daunting task wholeheartedly. In fact, we failed and now we're having our wedding here).

Hollah to Charles & Carrie!

Are you a DIY bride?

2005-11-02T09:01:00.000-08:00

Without going over the top, I definitely want to include some fun do-it-yourself (myself?) projects into our wedding planning. I want to be careful not to bite off more than I can chew (i.e. I'm not having visions of me sitting on the floor on the morning of my wedding de-thorning 500 stems of roses), but I think there are some great ideas out there in terms of creative favors, packaging or just some little personal touches that can be incorporated.

DIY Bride is a pretty excellent place to start if you are thinking of braving almost any wedding task on your own. They recently just got the site up and running again, so there aren't scads of projects yet, but it seems like a great resource that is only going to get better.

Something I read about recently and thought was so beautiful is the idea of writing a personal note to everyone at your wedding--either to include with the favors or on placecards. I guess this will be easier said than done for some of you brides with gargantuan guest lists, but ours in fairly manageable. I just think its such a special day and love the idea of each guest knowing how excited we'll be to have them there. Is that too velveeta of me?

Cheap Votives

2005-11-01T17:42:00.000-08:00

Make up is great, girdles are fine, but there is nothing that makes me look more beautiful than plain ole candlelight.

Candles create a feeling of warmth and intimacy that, in my humble bridalicious opinion, really can't be beat. And what more could you want at a wedding? Loads of candles *really* make a statement. The snag is, they can be pricey.

We've searched far and we've searched wide and it seems like the best deal to be found on the net is at Cudge.

I'm not real clear on what "cudge" means, but for $34.77 for 72 white votive candles and glass holders, I don't really give a rat's ass. They also have some other very inexpensive favor packaging options.

Cudge rocks!

Shout-Outs Stationery

2005-10-31T17:33:00.000-08:00

Ok, I like dogs and not cats, but I promise this cat is just the tip of the iceberg. At Shout-Outs Stationery you can order a whole load of stuff from customized stationery, framed prints or even a coloring book with images of your favorite peeps, places and things on em.

They take your own regular photos and create one-of-a-kind illustrations that you can then slap onto almost anything. There is a one time illustration fee of 100 smackers for the first person/pet and then $50 for each additional.

This would make a fab gift for a bridesmaid (stationery with her doggie on it), or a maid of honor (framed poster of the two of you). And, hey, I know this is a blog about weddings, but this would also make an unbelievable gift for a parent, grandparent or pretty much any tom, dick or harry you know.

We think its pretty bridalicious.

Bridalicious--Bridal, but more delicious

2005-10-31T16:42:00.000-08:00

Though they are getting better, most bridal mags are pretty darn borrrring. I've wanted to be a bride for a pretty damn long time, so I've really read em all. After lapping up almost every available issue of Brides, Modern Bride, Martha Stewart Weddings, In Style Weddings, Elegant Bride, The Knot, Wedding Bells, Bridal Guide, Town & Country Weddings, NY Magazine's Wedding issues and countless regional others, here's what I've decided:

* My wedding invites will not be on ecru 100# stock with a tried and true black zapf chancery font.
* White aisle runners just look N-A-S-T-Y--and I don't mean "Janet, Miss Jackson if you're nasty" nasty, I mean plain ole nasty.
* Yes, cupcakes are cute and two years ago were a cool alternative, but memo to the world: the fad is done with and tired by now. Get yourself a piece of cake.
* How good of a friend would I be if I made my bridesmaids wear some "dress uniform" that I want them to wear just b/c I think the color and style fit in with wedding decor? No way, I'm pickin' a color and calling it a day. I've had my chubby arms flying free in too many strapless dresses and had my ill shaped knees forced to come out of hiding and see the light of day one too many times to ever inflict that sort of pain on another human being...much less my bff's.
* CD favors of all of MY favorite music is *not* a nice idea. This will be mine and Mr. Bridalicious's wedding. Perhaps we will want to relive it for years to come, but none of you likely will, so look out for a truffle or a donut or something useful like that.
* I like my flowers on the table...where they should be. Not suspended up in the air in some weird floral nest that you pray won't catch on fire when cousin Billy gets drunk and knocks the hydrangeas into the burning candles.

Ok, so I'm definitely opininiated..and slightly high and mighty. But I really just think that this day should be fun and fabulous and filled with whatever sort of traditions you'd like (or not). I love the direction that wedding planning is going in (personalized, creative, out of the box) and I hope that more brides out there keep blazing down the road of individuality and do it up in style "THEIR way"...I know I will.