I have another addiction: Hair. And makeup.  And creme brulee.  Ok. Well I have a lot, but that, my friends, is besides the point.

 In the quest to pull off the ultimate “real life” Heidi Klum pregnancy (I almost got it right), I have been trying to pick the perfect “hospital look” (trust me…it seems trivial…but you wait until 40 of your closest family and friends are bombarding your room with digital and instant cameras wanting to shoot pics of you after you’ve just pushed another human being through your body.  You will be begging someone to shoot you with something else.  Bibi gun…morphine drip….Pick your poison).  As such, most recently, I have channeled my inner Beyonce and went blonde.  Again.  (Feria, by the way, ROCKS)

I came across some great sites that I loved when I was doing my channeling. One that I loved was The Hairstyler .  Why do I heart it? Not only does it have several red carpet and celebrity styles and bridal ideas, BUT you can also upload your picture and see these styles on your face.  Talk about virtual hair trial!  That rocks! Remember you can always build volume, height and length by adding extensions. Talk to your stylists and have a pre-wedding trial to see if it is something you can acclimate yourself. to.

Before I moved back to the area, I was at my stylist weekly for deep conditioning treatments and styles.  My stylists were from the Dominican Republic, so they used a lot of Dominican products.  The absolute BEST  for your hair, especially for women of color.  I am so in love with the Alter Ego Garlic Hot Oil Treatment. The name may sound crazy, but I can assure you, it doesn’t smell bad at all and your hair will thank you.  Also, try Silicon Mix.   Both can be purchased at Blue Beez.  Since there are no Dominican salons in this area, I do it all at home with my trust ionic dryer and round brush!

 Enjoy the Rapunzel Effect!

Perhaps a nicer title would have been “You Can Stop Stressing Over ______”.

Following along the premise of yesterday’s post about brides on a budget, I would like to quell some fears.  I even discussed this with a few industry buddies, just to add some clarity and variety.  Here we go!

1. Non-Edible Favors–Skip the seashells or swans full of dinner mints and wrapped in tulle.  It’s waste.  You can also do away with the photo frames and place card holders.  You will find a majority are going to be left on your table.  Another thing, if it is has your name on it, it will probably be abandoned.  This includes personalized CDs (copyright issues), jars, candles, etc.  I can remember years ago going to a baby shower and receiving an angel figurine with the baby’s name on it.  I thought, “Ok. What am I going to do with this?” Your guests will be thinking the same thing. Honestly,  I have no need for a 2×3 frame.  And ONE place card holder.  No. No use at all.  Instead, opt for little things, with style.  Candy, dessert and popcorn bars are a great way to show your appreciation and are a hit. Better yet, give a donation in the name of your wedding or guests. Leave a nice bookmark or card on the place setting to say that it has been done. Just don’t say how much you donated.
2. Those 1983 Gold Imprinted Cocktail Napkins— I haven’t seen these in forever, but as long as they are selling them in the back of wedding invitation catalogs, someone is buying them (unfortunately).  No one will miss these. No one is looking for them.  Spend your money somewhere else.
3. The Groom’s Cake—  Don’t get me wrong, the sentiment is really sweet. If you have the money and want to honor your hubby-to-be, go for it. However, if you don’t, don’t sweat it. I have been to some of the most beautiful weddings and there is wedding cake left over for days.  Can you imagine how upset you would be if you had TWO cakes that no one touched? 
4. Champagne–Yep, unless you’re Puff Daddy, I think it’s perfectly fine to skip the bubbly.  I know, I know, it’s a wedding.  But…a lot of people don’t even like champagne. So you save yourself the pain and angst of buying it by the bottles only for people to take a sip and sit it down.  People can toast with what they have at hand, or shoot for the Italian prosecco that is more cost effective.
5. Bathroom Baskets— Again, sweet in sentiment, but unnecessary.  Your guests are only there for four hours.  Save your money and put it somewhere else. 
6. Ceremony Programs— If you have the money to spend on them, fine. Knock yourself out.  In some cultures it is customary to honor certain individuals.  But I will tell you, a majority of the people don’t care about what your flower girl’s name is or what song the grandmothers are being seated to.  If we leave or hand out 100 programs, 50 to 75 of them are left in the seats or the baskets. Put your money some where else.

I heart my bank. Yes, good ole Bank of America. We are notorious for gently encouraging clients to set up a  separate bank account for their wedding. It makes things so much easier to keep track of.  For example, you are issued a separate VISA debit card to make your purchases (uber smart to pay your vendors with or to make your online purchases).  But, my darlings, did you know that you can get your charges rounded to the nearest dollar and put into a separate savings account?  YES! And for the next three months, Bank of America will match your savings 100% and put it in your savings account!

 Ok, while it may not be enough to cover your reception, it is good to see some of that money build up for you later. Perhaps for the honeymoon?  🙂

A lot of times, I will get to a wedding where things have slipped the poor bride’s mind (even if I remind her).  So here is just a gentle reminder of things to take note of (or give to someone else so they can remember for you).

 Guestbook Pens–These have to be the number one most forgotten things in the history of time.  Depending on what you are using for a guestbook, make sure you are using the right type of writing utensil for your medium.  For example, this could include Sharpies for polaroids, acid-free pens for photo mats and scrapbooks, etc.  For the classic guestbooks, try to avoid the regular Bic pen on your table.  You’ve spent thousands on your wedding, splurge a little more on the pen (LOL you say, “Terrica, I have splurged! That’s why I’m using a Bic pen!”).  You can do something that the MOB did at my last wedding– she dressed up her pens as gorgeous flowers in the wedding colors to sit in a vase by the guestbook (similar to the photo at the right).

The picture-  I wish I could put exclamation marks next to that one.  I have seen so many couples who love to do the signature photo mat, but seriously– they put an empty frame up at the reception. It’s almost like the Sopranos finale (LOL, I know I keep bringing that up): when guests get to the frame and it’s empty. Big letdown.  If you want them to write nice sentiments to you or about you, give them some motivation with your picture!