Have a Wine-Country-Themed-Wedding Anywhere!

Let Napa Valley come to you. With a little help from your wedding planner and wedding designer you can create a vineyard-like setting in any venue. Incorporate an outside reception and it’ll be even better. Here are some ideas and tips:

• Integrate the color of your favorite wine in the colors of your wedding (blush, red, greens, white, cream, and beige).
• Get your guests wine bottle openers or wine bottle stoppers or bottles of your favorite wine as favors. These days you can find vineyards that can custom print the labels for your wine bottle.
• Because a vineyard themed wedding is more laid back, you might want to try a linen suit on your fiancé.
• Try sparklers for a super romantic touch and pizzazz to your photographs.
• Have a wine tasting counter at your wedding.
• Set up little areas with food that compliments different wines.
o Veggie Pizzas, Mini Desserts, Assorted Breads and Cheeses, Antipasti Platters, Pasta Station, Breadsticks with Dipping Oils
• Use wine barrels to display food or your guest book
• Set up an outdoor dance floor where guests can dance under the stars
• String Italian bulb string lights across the trees to add an iridescent light to your evening reception
• Use square tables with wine bottles as candle holders to illuminate your table scape.
• Try using a wooden arch to be married under with vines intertwined throughout the wood.

Give us some of your vineyard-inspired ideas!

Ever Thought of Asking Him???

Things are a lot different today than they were when we were young, however…if you want to take that “leap”…this year is your year! Ask him!

Believe it or not, according to folk tradition, women are allowed to take that breathtaking leap and “ask him” for his hand in marriage on leap day! This tradition dates back to the late 1200’s. Queen Margaret of Scotland passed a rule/law that on leap day, if a girl asks a guy to marry her…well, frankly he can’t refuse. Literally! If he did refuse the girl, he would have to pay a fine! Can you imagine what it would be like if more women asked men to marry them, especially on a day the man couldn’t refuse? I know some of us would take charge and make that man ours before he could make you his. Just think about this in a couple of years…say 2012!?! It’s up to you ladies to take matters into your own hands! We want to know what you think!

A Do For Your "I Do"

I came across a website that carries a vast selection of hairpieces, www.haircomesthebride.com. If you’re having an outside beach wedding, hairpieces are perfect. They hold back the perfect amount of hair while adding that extra something. Wedding companies these days even make fake flowers that attach to an updo so that they won’t be falling from your ear all night. You could even use your grandmothers beautiful vintage brooch to incorporate “something old or borrowed”.

A Do For Your "I Do"

I came across a website that carries a vast selection of hairpieces, www.haircomesthebride.com. If you’re having an outside beach wedding, hairpieces are perfect. They hold back the perfect amount of hair while adding that extra something. Wedding companies these days even make fake flowers that attach to an updo so that they won’t be falling from your ear all night. You could even use your grandmothers beautiful vintage brooch to incorporate “something old or borrowed”.

Awesome Idea

Hey Ladies! I thought you might appreciate these pictures of weddings by wedding designer Preston Bailey!

Getting In Shape

Hey all you brides out there! I think that time is finally here! It’s looking like Spring outside. The birds are chirping, the sun is shining and best of all…I think we’ll be hanging up our winter coats for the season.

I’m sure one thing we can all relate to during this time of the year is shaping up for the Summer - especially with a wedding coming up, and going to have that final dress fitting! We all usually make this “get-in-shape” commitment during the New Year’s Resolution time…however, we won’t all be spring chickens forever. There’s no better time than now to get working on those curves and disciplining yourself with tactics that will stay with you for the rest of your life. Here are some easy tips.

Today, there’s a McDonalds around every corner, a Taco Bell every block, and mountains of Baskin Robins even in your neighborhood grocery freezer. These options are cheap and oh so convenient but don’t flatter a brides figure. The moral of the story is to burn more calories than you eat. I’ve started keeping a diary of all the things I eat so that I know when I can or can’t splurge. Remember though…it’s always nice to treat yourself, that’s why they’re called treats.

Also, when you’re scanning the shelves of the grocery store don’t be afraid to try those “reduced fat” items. For instance reduced fat peanut butter, which is high in protein and great for cutting back. It even tastes the same as regular peanut butter. Reduced fat cheez-it’s and low sodium pretzels are also great to nosh on in between meals. Another great way to keep your body in check is to keep water around. I know that if I sit a large glass of water on my desk when I start work in the morning, I’m going to end up drinking it between phone calls. It’s like when someone puts that large cookie platter in front of you….if it sits there long enough – you’ll probably indulge.

Eating out is another biggie. There’s a wonderful website called CalorieKing.com. They have almost every restaurant you could ever think of in their database. Go to their website, type in where you are going to eat, choose something from the menu, and BAM…it tells you all the nutritional facts. The neat thing about CalorieKing.com is that it includes how much exercise needed to burn off the calories from what you’re about to eat. Believe me ladies….I didn’t think it would be much fun starting my 2008 workout regime, but I can already tell that it’s paying off, and it’s kinda fun to keep up with calories and knowing that I’m putting “good stuff” in my body instead of garbage. One thing you can count on is that you’ll definitely start feeling better and you’ll have more energy to plan that gorgeous wedding coming up.