Well…my DH comes home in 6 Sundays (He hates it when I say that…but it’s easier for me to get through the weeks that way).  Surprisingly enough, our new baby will be here in….6 Sundays!  (FYI, we are now taking bets who will get there first!)

 I am in the process of buying some new things for the house and stumbled upon Rezon8Living and I love it.  My DH, even in all his metrosexual fabulousness, still has a bit of a traditional side.  He scoffs at the things I show him from Crate and Barrel or Chiasso.  However, he did come around to doing the guest bathroom in chocolate and turquoise.  Surprisingly enough, we agreed on the Baxter Bed; while I agree some of the stuff from 2Modern or Chiasso looks like something from the Jetsons, some of the other stuff is just enough to bring a contemporary measure to our home.

 Mr. Terrica just threw in that he wants a plasma or LCD to be mounted over the fireplace. Totally throws off my scheme for the liviing room…but another excuse for shopping, oui?

Hilty was released from jail today, with a fresh from the archives of “After School Special-dom” for all you brides:  WATCH THE DUI’s. 

I don’t care how fair or unfair you thought the sentence was.  The real reason she was locked up was because of careless and wreckless abandon for other people, aka driving under the influence which caused the snowball into other things. Yet, I digress. 

Here are some ways to keep everyone safe and happy during your wedding:

• Secure room blocks at the reception site, if applicable. 
• If you have blocks at other hotels, arrange for a shuttle service for other guests if the party goes way into the night.
• Cut the bar off about 1 hour to 1.5 hours before the end of the reception.  Get the coffee going around too..
• Limit the amount of alcohol your bar will carry.
• Have a party earlier in the day to cut alcohol consumption.

You may even find these options will help you shave some money off your reception budget as well.

Today the kidlets and I were running errands before our flight out early Wednesday morning.  Before making a quick FedEx run, we decided to get lunch at good ole’ Mickey D’s.  My kids are little…so anything that comes in that little house shaped box of goodness is alright with them…especially the toy.  Today, my craving was for a little box of chicken nuggets. Not just any chicken nuggets…chicken nuggets with their signature Hot Mustard sauce.  I could taste it as I ordered.  Smelled it as I paid at “the first window”.  By the time I as at “the next window”, I was greedily rubbing my hands together for about 3 minutes of deep fried bliss.  I wanted that sauce.

 The girl at the second window was very cordial (I was surprised as this McDonald’s has less than stellar CS at times).  She smiled, made small talk, and was very nice. I was quite pleased. She asked if I needed any ketchup.  Of course, as you can imagine, I voiced my strong inclination for the Hot Mustard sauce. She smiled and said OK. For kicks, I also got some Sweet N Sour sauce.  Before the kids started a riot in the back of the car and had to be quelled with a handy dose of horse sedatives, I gave them their food and commenced to enjoy my own fare.  Imagine my shock, horror and anger when I pull out barbecue sauce from out of my bag.  By this time, I’m already on the road to FedEx…seriously contemplating turning around to get my Hot Mustard.

The point:  Sometimes, just being “nice” doesn’t cut it. 

How this applies to your wedding:  I know you want to be buddy-buddy with all your wedding vendors.  Sometimes, we can’t get as tied up into you, your life, or your event as you would like. That doesn’t mean that we won’t do a good job. Do you want someone nice, or do you want the job done right?  I could’ve almost put up with the substandard service from the second window girl, had I got what I wanted and paid for, versus the whole Coke and a Smile routine.  Her syrup and honey attitude didn’t do anything for my Hot Mustard craving.  So cut your vendors some slack, occasionally. I want you to feel comfortable with whomever you decide to book and ultimately finance. But just know, you may not get the BFF vibe all the time…but you should get your work done and done right.

Being in a resort area where a lot of out of town (and out of counStry) couples come with their guests to celebrate their nuptials, we also do our best to ease the transition for everyone.  It’s really key to establish a “point person” to help dessiminate all of the wedding and travel information amongst the guests.  This can be really hard when everyone is so tied up in other details and their lives.

This is why we strongly advocate all of our clients in getting a wedding website.  Even if people don’t leave you oodles and oodles of notes or emails about your site, more likely than not, they are checking it.  Sometimes they can’t get to a phone, don’t feel like talking, or it is late– whatever the reason, your wedding website is a 24 hour portal into everything Dick and Jane or Kevin and Alicia or whatever your names may be 🙂

I know! There are so many out there.  You have those offered at sites like The Knot or Wedding Channel, to those offered by private companies like Wedding Window (our favorite) and WeddSites.  How do you choose the Free Wedding Website that is right for you?  FINALLY there is someone who heard our cries and actually assists couples in picking the right type of website. Wedding Websites is a great information portal that allows you to compare all of the wedding websites in terms of price, benefits, and design.  So no more running from site to site trying to make a decision! You can read it all in one place.  What’s more, you also have the opportunity to read reviews from other real couples as to what worked for them for their site. This is priceless information when getting started. 

Here are a few other tips to help you get started:

• Start early.  You’re still excited and you have the energy to talk about everything wedding.  These details will help your guests, trust me.
• Include pertinent information:  ceremony and reception locations, maps, directions, hotel room blocks and nearby airport information. 
• Make it personal:  Put in funny stories and pictures. Remember, some guests know both of you, but a majority will only know one of you.  Wedding websites really help you communicate your personalities before meeting.
• Don’t leave them stranded:  Some guests may choose to make a vacation out of your event.  Use sites like Wedding Mapper to plug in all the fun activities they can do in their downtime (restaurants, movie theatres, sports, arts, etc.). 
• Include your bridal party:  If you want your bridal party to know something, do it through your website. It’s easy, fast and fun.