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A few weeks ago this pretty great book, The DIY Bride Crafty Countdown by Khris Cochran (The Taunton Press, 2009), found it’s way onto my desk. It’s filled with all these super-easy DIY projects that will save you money and make your wedding an event to remember.

What’s so great about this book, other than the fantastic ideas, is that it’s organized in a way that keeps you on track with your wedding timeline. There’s a checklist and a project-planning sheet to help keep you organized, and the projects are broken down according to how far in advance you should complete each one. For example, engagement invites, save-the-dates and thank-yous should be done 12 to 9 months before the wedding while your simple DIY bouquet can be put together a mere six hours before the big event. Yes, she makes it that easy!

Log on to sephora.com, evecare.com, guerlain.com and lancome-usa.com for more information.

Posted by Maureen at 12:01 p.m.

Guest Blogger: Christina Laurenti

If you’re looking for a gorgeous set of crystal champagne flutes, for your home or the wedding toast, I did a little scouting and found some great options. Here are my top three faves:

1) Celebration Champagne Flutes—Set of 6 at Horchow, $60

Toast in six different languages! The languages featured on these cylinder- shaped flutes are Chinese, German, French, English, Italian and Japanese.

2) Bodum Manhattan Double-Wall Thermo Champagne Glasses—Amazon.com, $25.99 (sold individually)

Weddzilla.com. Remember that name because this innovative new website is sure to make your wedding planning a whole lot easier—along with bridalguide.com, of course!—and fun. Why? It’s the first online social wedding platform that combines the planning process with social networking and will enable you to plan, shop and connect with vendors nationwide. It’s a really neat concept and the brainchild of Aaron and Kristen Hall who, when she was engaged, wondered why there wasn’t one website that could help her connect with the type of vendors she was looking for.

Well, needless to say her question soon became an idea, then a work in progress and now a fantastic new site for busy brides like you. One of the site’s many features is a Wedding Guru Panel of industry pros who will offer advice and share experiences with you. I am very excited to be Weddzilla’s Wedding Etiquette Guru. And, in the coming months, look for our new blog section “Bride to Bride,” which will include content by Weddzilla bride bloggers. We’ll be sharing lots more interactive features such as bridalguide.com’s “Wedding Inspiration Boards,” which will also be found on Weddzilla.

To celebrate the launch of their site, the Weddzilla team threw a grand opening party on February 25, 2010, at the National Museum for Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C. I headed down on the train from NYC (good thing as we were hit with two feet of snow that day and all airports were shut down!) along with bridalguide.com’s General Manager, Jennifer Lazarus, and Managing Editor, Lori Francisco. Luckily in D.C. there wasn’t a flake of snow and nearly a thousand people turned out for this “Rock the Launch” party. Here, invited guests line up to register:

To Boston brides who were scammed! Members of Bridal Show Producers International (BSPI) are offering free tickets to four legitimate bridal shows in your area! Call 800-422-3976, ext. 5078.

When the Big Boston Bridal Scam came to light this week, we went straight to Bill Heaton, CEO of The Great Bridal Expo Group (GBE), for his advice on how to avoid getting taken for a ride in the future by some very sophisticated scammers. (FYI, GBE and Bridal Guide have a long-standing relationship.) For those of you who haven’t heard what happened, here’s a rundown: A website called The Boston 411 recently appeared, advertising a bridal show billed as the “biggest and most extravagant” and invited brides and vendors to a Spring Home and Bridal Show at the Hynes Convention Center. Brides paid $10–$15 to pre-register, and vendors paid up to $4,000 to participate. Unfortunately for a lot of people, there was no bridal show.

Bill Heaton’s words to the wise:

Visit pourlavictoire.com for more information.

Posted by Maureen at 9:43 a.m.

Guest Blogger: Christina Laurenti

What is there to do when you're snowed in? Easy answer: Mix yourself a cocktail…after all, you’re not going anywhere! So pay close attention brides, I’ve got the most delectable drink recipe that will sure to please your taste buds. It’s called Passion and the vibrant ruby color looks juicy, rich and luscious. Who knows, you may even make it your wedding’s signature cocktail!

First, I would like to introduce the main ingredient, sparkling wine. Now I know some of you are probably asking, “Isn’t that the same thing as Champagne?” Realistically, yes, but technically, no. Champagne can only be produced from Champagne, France, just like Italian sparkling is known as Prosecco, Spain produces Cava, etc. Essentially it is the same thing, carbonated wine. I suggest using Domaine Saint Vincent or Gruet Brut, which are both excellent sparklings for the price.

You'll also need Fragoli Wild Strawberry Liqueur. Fragoli is a sweet Italian liqueur made from whole wild strawberries, which are floating in the bottle! I purchased mine from Laurentiwines.com.

In T-minus thirty-something hours, I’m—in the words of Willie Nelson—on the road again. That’s right kids, after a solid six weeks in one city, I’m packing up for another romantic jaunt (by myself) all in the name of reporting the best for you!

So in between lunching with the folks at Aruba, cocktailing with someone from a safari company, editing a story on Hawaii, selecting the best beaches in Mexico and watching the Biggest Loser, I’ve got to dig out some work-slash-beach-appropriate wear and toss it in a carry-on, wrinkle-free. I also should be a spend-thrift and pull together some TSA-approved beautifiers, especially sunscreen to protect my winterized skin from the hot Bahamian sun, but I feel like I don’t have the time to organize little jars and measure out 3 ounces of the good stuff.

As a guest on the Crown Princess two weeks ago, I discovered many fantastic pluses about cruising. First, it’s so easy…it’s like an all-inclusive at sea where once you’re onboard, you really don’t have to worry about anything—it’s all taken care of for you. Of course, there are extra things you’ll need to pay for such as spa treatments, drinks and excursions on shore, so make sure you’re fully aware of what’s covered and what’s not. The crew and staff were incredibly helpful and friendly. They didn’t hesitate to ask if we needed assistance especially during one of the many times we stood there looking dazed and confused trying to find a particular restaurant or lounge area (we got better by the end of the week!). The attention and special treatment was addictive and definitely one of the highlights of the cruise. And, as honeymooners, you’ll love so many of the amenities offered like a private dinner for two on your stateroom balcony (five courses with wine or champagne), Movies Under the Stars, the adults-only pool and The Sanctuary, couples’ massages and so much more. For additional information about Princess Cruises, visit their website at princess.com or call 1-800-PRINCESS.

I also loved the stops at the different islands we visited along the way such as Grand Cayman; Roatan, Honduras; Cozumel, Mexico and Princess Cay in the Bahamas. How else can you experience the beauty and diversity of each island in just one week? Also, take advantage of shore excursions. We signed up for the Sting Ray swim in Grand Cayman and the Dolphin swim in Cozumel…both are well worth it! Others we spoke to also enjoyed their excursions—from touring Maya ruins in Mexico to snorkeling, scuba diving, fishing and a myriad of other activities.

To find these lovely dresses, go to aimee.it, verawang.com, nicolemiller.com.

Posted by Naima at 12:41 p.m.