July 9th, 2007

The Real Bride: 4 Days to Go!

Wow! After over a YEAR of planning, my “big day” in 4 days away!

Some very random thoughts…

If I had a nickel for every time I said “I will never do that when I am a bride” and then I went ahead and did it, I wouldn’t have any worries about paying for this wedding. While I don’t think I have hit bridezilla territory (I really haven’t!) I have had what I will call “bridal madness”–things that normally would not freak me out at all–are freaking me out–big time…. Read more…

June 12th, 2007

The Real Bride: One month to go!

I cannot believe it! After over a year of planning and budgeting and arguing with just about everyone I have ever known–I am down to the the final 30 days before my wedding…and now the real fun begins!

My invitations have been out for 3 weeks–all delivered safe and sound to their intended recipients without a “return to sender” amongst them–and within 24 hours the RSVP’s began coming in–and they are still, a couple every day. And it so much fun to get the daily update that tells me who is coming and who is not… Read more…

May 22nd, 2007

The Real Bride: Invitation Danger!

So, I go down to the Post Office yesterday afternoon to mail my invitations, big box in hand, and as I stand in line, I see a young woman also with a box, talking to one of the Postal workers. I glance over to see that she has a stack of ivory envelopes with addresses in beautiful calligraphy on the front. Also on the front is bright red stamps and writing that says “Postage Due”. Apparently, she did not weigh her invites prior to putting stamps on them and mailing them out, so they all came back to her. So now she has to restamp all of them as is, or re- envelope and stamp all of them. Wow, how sucky is that? Read more…

May 16th, 2007

The Real Bride: More Registry Tips

With my bridal shower less than a week away, I have some more advice with regard to registering–Make sure you don’t do it all online, or, make sure you have a good mix of things that can be purchased in the stores, as well as online.

Of the 3 I have, I set all of them up online, and did most of my choosing there as well. The honeymoon registry, obviously, there is no other option, but with the other 2 I have, Macy’s and Target, only in Macy’s did I actually actually go to the store and scan things. And my fiancé and I only did that once. It seems, though, that more of the stuff on my registry at Macy’s is also available at the store. Read more…

April 27th, 2007

A Day in the Life of an NEPA Wedding Coordinator

I pull up to the fire hall and meet my client. We make our introductions and proceed into the building. I walk into Bingo night with a dingy room full of smoke and meet with a representative of the association for my tour of the facility. My first thought is you’ve got to be kidding me! The kitchen area is clean and the bar is functional, however, this is not my ideal location for a wedding. I ask my routine questions and continue out the door to speak with my bride to be. She is on a budget but does that mean she must settle for this? Not in my book. A good coordinator can make any average room impressive but I tell my client this is no average room. Would she mind driving five minutes down the road for an impromptu visit to another fire hall I am familiar with? Of course not. Read more…

April 24th, 2007

The Real Bride: Registries–Some Tips…

One of the biggest questions you will be asked, right after “Have you set a date” is: “Where are you registered?” So I thought I would talk about my experiences registering, and offer some tips to make it easy and enjoyable.

Best tip I can give you is START EARLY. My fiancé and I started the registration process back in August for our upcoming July wedding. Now, before you think I am totally off my rocker, let me explain: Based on our calculation of 150 wedding guests, it is recommended that we register for 200 gifts in various price ranges (under $25.00, $25.00-50.00, $50.00-100.00 and over $100.00) Two hundred gifts! ohhhh Boy…. Read more…