Finally!  We've broken through the winter/spring rut of groggy days and murky weather to beautiful sunshine and warm temps...REALLY warm temps!  Yesterday, my (non-airconditioned) office thermostat let me know that it was a lovely 87 degrees.  While us summer brides may love the warmth, our guests may have mixed feelings about traveling or sitting outside on a summer day.  And while the day IS in fact for the bride and groom, ya gotta keep those guests happy as well.  Children, pregnant woman, or elderly guests can are more easily affected by extreme temps as well. 

Here are some tips to keep those guests cool and happy...

1) Alert your guests to the fact that your wedding is outside, if that is the case.  Knowing ahead of time that they will be sitting outside in July will give guests a chance to make appropriate outfit choices.

2) Consider portable shelters or air conditioning.  It's amazing how far venue supply rentals have come.  You can rent tents that have misters or even air conditioning units to keep the cool air flowing. 

3) Avoid metal.  Some rental companies offer metal chairs which could burn someone if left out in the sunny weather.  Opt for plastic or wooden chairs if possible.  Heat can easily scorch someone's bare skin or even go through some lighter clothing. 

4) Give out "cool" favors such as sunscreen, blotting papers, handkerchiefs, fans, parasols, or water bottles. 

5) Keep the cool drinks flowing.  Iced beverages taste especially nice on a hot day.

So this is just a start... There are tons of other things that you can do to keep your guests happy!  Remember - happy guests equal great photographs, good groove on the dance floor, and fantastic memories of your wedding day! 

You're engaged!  Congrats!  Now what?  The euphoria of the moment when the ring slid on your finger has calmed down a bit, and now you're looking around you trying to figure out how he's going to get from being on one knee to standing next to you at the altar.  How do we get from point A to B?  Well buckle up, my darling little newbie, because you have quite the daunting adventure in front of you. 

Here are seven to-do's to get you started on your way to your wedding day:

1) Tell everyone!  When looking at your close family and friends, none of them will want to be the last to know, especially if the news comes from someone other than you.  So take an afternoon go through your contacts whether it's via phone, email, or social networking site, and spread the news!  Now, there is a school of thought that insists that the news come in person or by a phone call, but in this day and age where time seems to be flying at a higher rate, I think it's perfectly acceptable to write a lovely worded email to send to your friends and family.  Be sure to include a picture of your ring and/or of the two of you on that day! 

2) Take care of the ring!  Make sure that ring is sized correctly.  According to my jeweler, you should be able to "walk" your ring off of your finger with slight resistance at your knuckle.  If you can wave hello to someone and your ring feels like it could come off, it's time to get it resized so that you dont' say "goodbye" to your ring!  And remember, our blood vessels contract when we are cold, so maybe do the wave test when you're outside in the cold or after sticking your hand in a cool water bath for a few moments.  While you're at your jewelers, you should also have your ring insured if you haven't already done so.  Peace of mind is worth the upfront cost, if you ask me.  You will also want to check your homeowner's policy to make sure your ring is covered in case of theft, fire, or other disaster.

3) Set the date!  Even if you end up changing it in the end, start to pick out some potential dates or even just pin point a month.  It helps to put things in perspective such as budgeting and scheduling, and you will also have an answer for the 1001 people who will ask you, "When's the date??".

4) Do your homework!  There are so many great planning resources out there, and the cool part is most of them are really inexpensive or free!  You do not need to purchase a subscription to every bridal magazine on the market, nor do you need to buy out the entire wedding section at Barnes and Noble.  The internet is chock full of websites, guides, blogs, and message boards (including our own) where you can find a Bible's worth of information.  Use your local library if you'd rather have the information in your physical hands.  The library has a subscription to any or all of your favorite mags and certainly has a ton of books on planning a wedding.

5) Get organized!  You are going to come across a lot of information in these next months, and if you don't find a way to store it, you will go bonkers.  You need some sort of accordion file, date book, or personal assistant to stay on track of the ten bakeries you interviewed this month, for example. 

6) Start saving!  After having some conversations with parents and your fiance, you'll need to start some sort of savings account or what not to make sure that the money is there for the wedding when you'll need it.  You'll have deposit costs that come up front when you book a vendor, but you'll also have needs for cash up through the day of the wedding and sometimes after.  Know where your money is, and having a seperate wedding account at your bank will ensure that you don't forgo groceries so that you have the perfect napkins on the day of the wedding!

7) Make a guest list!  The group of people who will end up at your wedding may not exactly match the list that you'll make now, but it is definitely good to start writing down names of people who are important to you, your fiance, and both your families.  Often people under or over estimate how many people they think will be at the big day, so start thinking about this now so that you can plan accordingly. 

Remember - if you are at the beginning of your engagement, you most likely have a lot of time to get this done.  Plan for getting one task done per week, and your wedding planning won't over take your life.  And remember to share the planning experiences with your fiance and to have fun!  You are planning one of the most special days of your life!  Now, take a deep breath, and dive in! 

Let me start off by saying that I love my wedding dress.  LOVE it.  I wish it was socially appropriate to wear wedding gowns around town because I would rock it at the grocery store, on the bike path, and at the doctor's office.  But alas, I'm pretty convinced that I will never don the frock again.  So what is the future going to hold for the dress of my dreams?  Currently, it is sitting in the same state that it was when I took it off at the end of our wedding day - needing a good dry clean and stuffed in a garmet bag crammed into a closet. 

Photo by Giraffe Photography

So what are my options?  I could shell out the cash to get it drycleaned and professionally boxed for safe-keeping or maybe I want to sell it.  I've gone back and forth so many times on this issue that my head is spinninng, and I may need you, precious readers, to weigh in and give me some advice.

Arguments in favor of keeping the dress:

 - It has huge sentimental value.  So much that when I mentioned to my husband that I was considering selling it, he had a shocked and almost hurt look on his face.  I am still reeling in a guilt complex over that moment...

- A future family member may delight in wearing a then "vintage" family heirloom.  That would be neato.

Arguments in favor of selling the dress:

- I have gorgeous pictures and countless memories to last me a lifetime of looking at the dress.  I personally would be okay with not having the physical dress anymore.

- The chances of a future family member being the same size, having the same taste, and wanting to wear the dress are pretty slim. 

- Getting some extra cash these days would be awesome as we have lots of plans in store for a new house, babies, puppies, etc... In any case, extra money is great. 

- I like the idea of my dress "living on" and making someone else happy.  It's a beautiful dress - should it be locked up and hidden away forever?

- I am not an evil unfeeling person for considering selling.  Check out these two awesome sites that have used wedding dresses for sale: Once Wed and Weddingbee.

HELP!  What do you think?  Please weigh in on the message board.  Would you sell your dress?  Would you keep it?  Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

 

Rain is lucky on your wedding day, correct?  Hmm...who came up with that cliche'd omen?  Probably some mother or wedding planner who was trying to console a bride on the verge of tears as her outside alter washed away in the rain. 

Anyhoo, today is our wedding day!  I was going to write this weather post yesterday, but it would have been a bitter, bitter thing, and this is a happy place.  So I waited until I had come to terms with the onset of rain drops.

Mother Nature really played me for a fool this past week.  With a wedding day full of outside activities, I happy stalked the 10 day forcast for the past 10 days.  Here's a recap of the forcast for today on each of the ten days:  sunny, sunny, sunny, sunny, cloudy, rain, rain. 

Eeks!  So what's a girl to do? 

First of all, I think it's necessary to say that when you plan an outdoor wedding, you need to have a back up location on site like a building or something unless you are totally cool with the moisture.  Maybe a covered tent would work as well...  We have a location on site and a fantastic site coordinator with TPC Deere Run, so we knew we could take the weather gamble.

Second of all, don't stalk the ten day forcast.  Until three days out, it was totally incorrect about what I am seeing now that we are here.  Just ignore it.  Pretend it doesn't exist.  Find something else to obsess over like the seating arrangement or your nails.

Third of all, even if you have a freak thunderstorm that melts your makeup and blows your ceremony to smithereens, realize that this is your wedding day.  It's not about the rain.  It's about your love and about opening a new chapter in your life.  Enjoy the day no matter what.  

And rain drenched brides and grooms make for hot and amazing pictures, so let your photog play up the moment and smile.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go repowder my nose and check the status of my rain poncho.  :)