Blogs

We recently had our office holiday party, which had me thinking about wine, and that led me to recall a meeting I had awhile back with the people from Wine.com, visiting us in New York from San Francisco. See how one thing leads inevitably to another? Anyway, at the time I was quite impressed with the quality of the company’s wares—of course I test-drove the wine for you!—as well as with the services they offer to brides. But did I ever tell you guys about them? No! Sometimes good things fall through the cracks. Anyway, as I cleaned off my desk for the coming New Year, I rediscovered this nice company. What I liked is that couples can get advice, at no extra charge, from staff wine specialists about what to serve not only at your wedding (email [email protected]) but also at your bachelorette party, your rehearsal dinner and any other wedding-related bash.

Nowadays, high-rated wines can be quite wallet-friendly, so see what these experts can do for you. It CAN pay in both substance and style to supply your own wine instead of using your venue’s list. (P.S. Ask about their wine registry too while you’re at it.)

Happy holidays!

Posted by Susan at 9:22 a.m.

travel tips:

Who doesn’t love kissing boys? It’s super fun and can be totally magical, especially when the boy is just sooo dreamy and you’ve got a perfect setting like a balcony for him to secretly climb up and kiss you (Juliet fantasies anyone? Yeah, hand raised up high over here.) The not so fun part of this scenario? Worrying that your Romeo is going to fall flat on his trespassing behind after getting a whiff of your breath.

Enter from stage right the DentaBurst Brush and Go. It’s a single use tooth cleaner that fits on your finger. The individual packages are thin and flat, making concealment in a purse or pocket easy as pie. They’re perfect for brides needing quick teeth touch ups for photos or after appetizers. New hubby isn’t going to be too pleased when you sidle up for your first dance reeking of tuna tartare or goat cheese!

The blue textured pad fits right onto your index finger and is dusted with powdered toothpaste, a plus opposed to similar products with just mint-flavored paper. Rubbing in circular motions releases the mint flavor and cleans plaque from your teeth. After only a minute your teeth are shiny and smooth, while your breath is mint-tastic! Because let’s be honest, who wants to see an unsightly roll of breath mints sticking out of your jeans or taking up too much room in your handbag? It ruins your whole look

Having a DentaBurst handy is going to make spontaneous kissing that much more pleasant. You won’t have to worry what to do with your chewing gum or whether your man is choking on the scent of your last meal. These cleaners give you the confidence to pucker up and dive in! Happy smooching!

Posted by Jenna at 9:16 a.m.

guest blogger: Mara Berkoff, Bridal Guide Intern

If the coming of the cold weather is making all you brides-to-be ache for beaches and bikinis, Tahiti Tourisme has the solution to guarantee a honeymoon that is truly fun in the sun. If the expense of a destination honeymoon has been plaguing you since he slipped the ring on your finger, head to the luxurious island of Bora Bora for a seven-night stay, costing you—the happy couple—no more than $1899, including airfare!

One of the most romantic islands in the world will warm you with its valleys of hibiscus flowers, white-sand beaches and lagoons surrounded by palm trees. You’ll be treated to roundtrip airfare from Los Angeles (LAX) on Air Tahiti Nui with a one-night stay at the InterContinental Tahiti Resort, six nights at Le Maitai Polynesia Bora Bora (with an ocean view!), and daily American-style breakfasts. Visit tahiti-tourisme.com for more information.

Posted by Mara at 6:07 p.m.

Did you know that 19% of Americans will get engaged between Thanksgiving and New Year’s?

There are so many great ways one can propose—while skydiving, on the beach under the moonlight, in a hot-air balloon (make sure you have a good grasp on that ring) or possibly on a canoe in the middle of the river. The media doesn't really focus on how the silver screen folks pop the question, so I thought I’d share a few of my favorite celebrity proposals with you!

Let's start with Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones. The evening of the countdown to the millennium was their special date. Michael's home in Aspen was the perfect setting for a New Year’s proposal. After the couple celebrated with friends, Michael privately presented Catherine with an antique 10-carat marquise-cut diamond ring. Obviously she said yes, and the couple announced their engagement the next day.

Tom Cruise proposed to Katie Holmes while vacationing in Paris with a 5-carat diamond in 2005. This was a shortly after they began dating—2 months! I guess when it feels right, it's right. Tom popped the question very early in the morning while they were on top of the Eiffel Tower. This may sound a bit much, but you have to admit the Paris landmark is an extremely romantic setting for a proposal. To top it off, Tom proposed again after they had a fabulous, private candlelit meal at the Tower’s restaurant, Le Jules Verne.

Can't figure out what to get the girl who has everything this Christmas? A true fashionista can never have too many pieces of bling, so hurry down to Ben Amun's annual sample sale for the best-of-the-best designer fashion jewelry at wholesale prices!

When: Tuesday, Dec. 15 through Thursday, Dec. 17 from 12-7pm
Where: 246 West 38th Street (between 7th and 8th Aves.), Suite 12, New York, NY 10018

Happy Shopping!

Posted by Maureen at 6:19 p.m.

We all want to believe that nothing bad will ever happen in our lives…especially when planning such a joyous occasion as a wedding. But all too often, a real-life crisis occurs that can throw everything into a tailspin. I was reminded of that this week when I received an e-mail from a reader who had been happily planning her wedding, due to take place next year, when her father suddenly passed away. “So here I am trying to continue planning when a part of me doesn’t even care about it right now,” she wrote. She and her dad were very close and he had been excited about her big day. He loved talking to her about what he would wear and who would be on the guest list. Now, it’s hard for her to think about wedding details and she’s also worried that she won’t be able to enjoy the day without him there. What should be one of the happiest times in her life is now anything but that.

Well, my heart goes out to this bride-to-be and to any of you who are suddenly faced with an unexpected turn of events that can shake you to the core. My advice to her was to think of how much her father would want her to be happy and how much he would want her to have a beautiful wedding. She should also lean on her fiancé for his love and support and share her sorrow and feelings with other family members and friends. It always helps to talk things through and to seek out any help or advice from others. Day by day it may become a bit easier for her.

A cool new book called The Tax-Deductible Wedding by Sabrina Rivers just crossed my desk, and I found something intriguing to share.

Good old bartering is back! Resourceful couples are getting down to budget business by figuring out what they can offer in exchange, for, say, flowers or photography. Rivers suggests going to BigDayBarter.com, and see what’s up there. She notes that it’s like a “matchmaking” service: You post services or products that you can offer businesses in exchange for their services. Rivers notes: “Make sure the person you’re bartering with agrees on what the barter exchange includes. For example, if you’re going to cook dinner for your florist, make sure of exactly what you’ll get from her, and of course, get all the details in writing.”

Note: Also check out craigslist.org; uexchange.com and internationalbarterexchange.net.

The other day while listening to the radio, I heard a report stating that according to a recent nationwide survey, 70% of Americans believe that a woman should change her last name to her husband’s after marrying, and 50% believe it should be the law! OK, now that’s going a little too far. Whatever happened to personal choice? Freedom of expression?

Of course, name changing is not as big a deal as it was years ago in the aftermath of the feminist movement. Back then many just-married ladies opted not to change their names in the interest of making a statement about preserving their own independence and identity. But today, most brides consider it a non-issue and can’t wait to be called Mrs.

I’m curious, though, how many of you plan to keep your current name professionally? I know quite a few women who have done so, and it seems to make things easier for them not to have to notify hundreds who know them professionally by their pre-marriage name. Other married career women have tried hyphenating their last names with their husband’s and then eventually just adopted his last name as more business associates became familiar with it.

Since most of you will be changing your last name I thought I’d offer some helpful tips on just what you need to do. It’s amazing how many places need to be notified of a name change so here we go:

Love is in the air! Bridal Guide’s very own IT Manager, Jeremy Bucovetsky, is counting the days, hours and minutes before he walks down the aisle with his lovely fiancée, Elizabeth Blake, this Saturday. In fact, Jeremy and Liz first met five years ago at Bridal Guide when Liz was our Assistant Home Design Editor. Theirs was an office romance that started as a friendship. You might want to check out their terrific website, lizandjer.com, to learn more about their romance and wedding plans.

But before Jeremy heads off to wedding land I wanted to discover just what was on his mind right before the big day and ask him about the planning process in general. After all, it’s fun to hear the guy’s side, too! So here’s our little desk side Q&A:

How are you feeling right now, Jeremy, just days away from the wedding?
It’s the calm after the storm. Last week was pretty intense. You plan things a certain way and when it comes to crunch time if just one thing goes awry, it’s frustrating. But after you get over the hump it’s all on cruise control.

Is everything together? Any last-minute details?
Right now I’m working on the transportation. My lovely B-to-B decided on marrying at a church 40 minutes west of the hotel where most of our guests are staying and the reception is 10 minutes away from the hotel so it’s logistically challenging. But we’ve booked these great old-school San Francisco–style trolleys to take our guests back and forth and make it easier for them.

News Flash! The November/December issue hit the newsstands a couple of weeks ago, and in case you haven’t yet seen it, be sure to pick up a copy.

The issue is chock full of fantastic ideas for your wedding—you’ll find everything you need from gorgeous gowns to the perfect honeymoon destination. In one of my favorite features “Taming The Big Bad Budget,” you’ll discover invaluable tips on how to plan a beautiful wedding without spending a fortune. Now doesn’t that sound intriguing?

We also know how overwhelming wedding planning can be (hmmm, who should be on the guest list, how many bridesmaids should I have, when do I send out invitations) so we put together “The A to Z Planning Guide” and a “Countdown Calendar”. Trust me, you will be so glad to have all the details spelled out for you.

If you’re still dress shopping, take a look at the incredible fashions in “Summer of Love” and “Some Like It Hot”: