Beach Baubles: Jewelry with a Sentimental Flair

Here’s a genius idea for those of you who had (or will have) a destination, lake or beachside wedding or plan to honeymoon at a beach resort — jewelry designed with sand from those destinations. Dune Jewelry, founded by Holly Daniels Christensen — who is originally from Cape Cod and a bona fide beach lover — features uniquely-designed collections made with sand from just about anywhere in the world. Prices range from $40 to $184, and you can choose from an array of rings, bracelets, charms, necklaces, earrings, cuff links and key chains. I love this idea: It’s sweet, sentimental and very romantic, and whenever you wear the jewelry, you’ll be happily reminded of your wedding day or honeymoon. Here’s a sampling of some of the gorgeous pieces from Dune Jewelry.

The Island Necklace, $140, with sand from Laguna Beach, CA, left, and Siesta Key, FL on the right:

island necklace

The Island Ring, $58, with sand from Jobson Bay, Bermuda:

island ring

The Sandbead Bracelet, $120, featuring sand from Seven Mile Beach, Grand Cayman:

sand bead bracelet

The Traveler’s Bracelet, $150, featuring sand from Reykjavik, Iceland, can be made with up to seven different sands:

Amazing Entrance! Bride and Groom Play Guitar Down the Aisle

Groom Jordan Strauss and his bride, Andrea, made an unforgettable entrance to their wedding! At the start of the ceremony, Jordan — a guitar teacher  — pulled out an electric guitar and began playing Pachelbel's "Canon in D" with one of his groomsmen.

groom playing guitar during wedding ceremony

When Andrea made her grand entrance, she was also carrying a guitar and joined in!

bride playing guitar down the aisle

Jordan taught Andrea how to play guitar just for the big day, intentionally keeping her part simple. "I wanted to make sure that she could focus on walking and being in the moment and not have to play something super complicated," he told the New York Daily News. "She was an easy student to teach. She's a natural. I told her that from day one," he added.

bride and groom playing guitar

Wedding Bells for Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher?

There might be a happy ending for Jackie and Kelso after all! 

ashton kutcher and mila kunis that 70s show
Kelso's proposal to Jackie on That '70s Show. Let's hope he traded the balloon for a ring in real life!

Mila Kunis was spotted wearing a simple gold band on her left hand earlier today, sparking rumors that she and Ashton Kutcher — who she's been dating since April of last year — may be engaged.

The couple has yet to confirm the news, but a source close to the couple revealed to People that Kutcher had discussed proposing to Kunis around her 30th birthday (August 14). "He knows what they have is amazing and special... he's been thinking about proposing for a long time," said the source.

The pair first found love on screen as Jackie and Kelso in That '70s Show, though they didn't start dating in real life until Kutcher's separation from Demi Moore in 2011 (their divorce has not yet been finalized). 

"They are clearly very much in love, in tune with each other and so comfortable," another source revealed. "In some ways, it's like they're married already."

Crossing our fingers that the news is true! 

September 5th

Photo by: Luke and Cat on Third Floor Strings via Lover.ly

Tip of the Day: Delight your wedding guests by hiring a violinist or cellist to play during cocktail hour. Have him/her stationed outdoors if your venue has gardens or walkways. If your musician will be performing indoors, consider renting an elevated platform for him/her to stand on, which creates a wow-worthy first impression when guests enter the ballroom.

Plus, check out The Complete Guide to Wedding Music. Visit sharonnaylor.net for more tips and advice.

September 4th

Photo by: Craig Paulson Photography via Lover.ly

Tip of the Day: A ketubah is a traditional Jewish marriage contract that the bridal couple signs in the rabbi's study. Nowadays some non-Jewish couples are also opting to have one. Ketubah designs are incredibly elaborate and a lovely way to personalize yours is to ask an artistic friend to create one for you, as their wedding gift to you. You both get a budget break and your treasured ketubah is even more precious because it came from a person you love.

Plus, check out Our Favorite Jewish Weddings. Visit sharonnaylor.net for more tips and advice.

Tips for Picking a First Dance Song

Choosing a first dance song seems like it should be one of the easiest wedding-planning decisions. But once couples realize how many great options are out there, the pressure can start to mount. After all, whichever song you pick will be the one that you define as "yours" for the rest of your lives together. 

But don't worry! With the help of real brides, we've compiled a few guidelines to ensure that your tune is worth replaying in 50 years. 

1. Find A Common Musical Interest

Sometimes, opposites really do attract, so it's possible that you and your fiancé don't share the same taste in music. Narrow down the selection by focusing on one genre you both do like.

Jenna Guarneri began her search for the perfect wedding song by identifying a shared interest with her then-fiancé — country music. After listening to various country albums, she heard a Lady Antebellum duet ("When You Got a Good Thing") on the radio that encompassed everything she had been searching for. 

"I played it for my husband afterward, and he had never heard of it either," says Guarneri. "He loved it just as much as I did and said that it was definitely 'the one!'"

Wedding Weight-Loss: New Exercises and More Weight-Loss Success

Saturday morning, Rene and I had an early morning session with our trainer, Bonne Marcus. Before we began the workout, we got on the scale, and I’m proud to say I am down another five pounds, and Rene is down four! I guess after the bad week we had of the party, last week’s intense training and diet really helped! The workout was really hard this week. I should have known that after not doing any strength training for three weeks, it was going to be tough. She had us doing a lot of old moves combined with some new ones.

bicep curls

There was one new one called the “Prisoner Get-ups,” and they killed me! You put your hands behind your ears with your arms to the side, go down on one knee, bring the other knee down, come up with one knee, and then stand with the other. I had to do 20 starting on each leg. It’s an amazing exercise because it’s working your arms, your core, and your legs, but it was not easy!

prisioners exerise

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