A few wedding planner friends and I were joking around about what could possibly be the worst song you could pick for your first dance.  We had such a good time laughing about these…

1. “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” by U2
2. “What’s Love Got to Do With It?” by Tina Turner
3. “I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor
4. “Love the One You’re With” by Luther Vandross
5. “Dontcha” , “Buttons” , “Beep” by Pussycat Dolls
6. “”Tonight’s the Night” by Rod Stewart
7. “Trapped in the Closet” by R. Kelly (anything by R. Kelly for that matter)
8. “If You Think You’re Lonely Now” by Bobby Womack
9. “It’s Cheaper To Keep Her” by Johnnie Taylor
10. “Another One Bites the Dust” by Queen

Somehow, “Dontcha wish your girlfriend was hot like me…dontcha wish your girlfriend was a freak like me” only works if you invite your ex.

Basically, anything that requires you to back that thang up, remove some article of clothing, offends your grandmother, her sister and two of their bridge partners.

If you haven’t taken your mini-moon yet, and you still have some time before your wedding, TAKE YOUR MINI-MOON!

“But Terrica“, you say, “What in the world is a mini-moon?”

Hold on to your engagement rings, because you are going to heart this. Instead of a honeymoon, you take a mini-moon during your planning period. Why? Well just like in all big times in life, you need a break. Planning a wedding, just like the long arduous process or buying a home or the incubating period of a pregnancy, can put quite a strain on a relationship. Don’t get me wrong, these are happy events that we are working towards. But because it’s in our nature to want everything to be perfect, we stress about little details, incorporations, etc.

Now, enter the Mini-Moon.

The mini-moon is a quick getaway for the bride and groom: 48 hours or more to a great place. This great place can be a vacation getaway or even the privacy of your own home. The deal is to not discuss anything wedding related for that 48 hours! That’s right– not one mention of your dress, six thousand bridesmaids, the peonies imported from New Delhi or the 700 buttercream roses which will adorn the cake.

Instead, you focus on what got you engaged in the first place– the two of you. If you take your mini-moon at home be sure to tell people you’re going a way. Nine times out of ten, people will call you, unaware of your wedding planning hiatus, and will want to talk shop. Lock up your wedding magazines, contracts, etc. Really make an effort to put the focus back on the relationship and not the wedding. After all, the wedding is only one day. The two of you are forever.

Your wedding day is going to be full of laughter and smiles, and more smiles, and even more smiles (you get the picture). 

In getting the brightest smile ever, your dental maintenance should begin at least 4-weeks prior to your wedding. 

In addition to a general cleaning, there is also the matter of getting those teeth
pearly white.  There are over thirty tooth whitening systems on the market and
sold over the counter. 

With the influx of so many choices, you no longer have to spend from
$300 – $1500 to get your teeth their whitest and brightest – it can cost you
as low as $20! 

Most whitening strips cost between $20 (store brand) to $40 (name brand).
You can also option for whitening gels ($25) or brush-on liquids ($20).

I’ve tried a few of the systems listed and, although they worked to some extent,
I wasn’t completely satisfied.  I realized that to get the whitest teeth possible, I’d
have to pay my dentist several hundred dollars and hope for the best until…

I purchased a system which activated using an “infrared” lighting piece. 

The instructions were so simple:
– Add the enclosed gels to the light piece
– Insert the piece into your mouth (your teeth will hold it in place)
– Activate the light for 2-miutes (the light is auto set for 2-minutes)
– Remove light piece, swish remaining gel swish for 5 minutes and rinse
  (you must do this process 3x as a first time user)

21-minutes later the coffee/tea stains and dullness were 75% gone and my teeth were (honestly, I can’t kid you on this), 3 shades brighter!!!!

The light whitening systems costs between $20 and $40.  I spent $30 and
21-minutes and am absolutely sold on this method!

Maintain the look by using the gels/light once a month and a whitening spray once a week.

Oh, what a beautiful smile!  🙂

Dear Brides:

We’ve discussed the importance of reassigning various elements of the plans to your wedding coordinator as a major approach to alleviate stress.  At The “O”, we strive to provide a stress-free event from beginning to end.

Taking time out for yourself is imperative to allow full enjoyment as you continue planning your wedding day. You are in high demand by many people – caterers, cake designers, bridal shops, florists and most importantly, family and friends. 

With only 24-hours in a day, it is vital that you devote at least one of those hours to yourself (and your fiancée). 

Today, we’ll give you tips on how to lessen your stress levels and elevate the enjoyment every day with quick and easy relaxation techniques.  

In 60-minutes you can:

• Watch a movie
• Take a brisk walk
• Sip a soothing cup of tea
• Read a magazine/book which is non-wedding 🙂 related
• Schedule a manicure/pedicure (yes, couples do this!)
• Watch (and use) the Pilates/Yoga cd you bought months ago
• Ride your bike
• Sitting on the floor with your feet touching your fiancee’s, hold hands and gently pull each other into a full body relaxing stretch
• Take a couple’s walk through a favorite part of the city
• Go dancing!
  or (this is my favorite)â??¦
  
• Sit and do absolutely nothing! 

Thanks for joining us and if you have tips to share, please do! :) 

Enjoy your day and visit us again tomorrow for another D-Stress tip…

You are one day closer to your wedding day…

You’re making the lists and checking them once, twice, thrice! 

With the many stages of planning involved for your special day, you will forget what “Timeout!” means.

While you won’t totally eliminate the “wedding planning stresses”, there are ways to ease the stress levels. 

Through Saturday (June 10), we’ll offer tips to “D-Stress” yourself. 
Your personal suggestions, tips and comments are, as always, welcomed.  🙂

D-Stress #1
Allow your wedding consultant to what she does best – coordinate your wedding!