“Oh, how we danced on the night we were wed
We vowed our true love though a word wasn’t said
The world was in bloom, there were stars in the skies
Except for the few that were there in your eyes.
The night seemed to fade into blossoming dawn
The sun shone anew but the dance lingered on
Could we but relive that sweet moment sublime
We’d find that our love is unaltered by time.”
~ lyrics to “The Anniversary Waltz,” composed by Dubin/Frankl
You will never imagine my surprise when Vera Wang recently debuted her Fall 2012 Bridal Collection at New York’s Bridal Fashion Week and 9 of the gowns were BLACK. Yep, you read correctly – black! Seems Ms. Vera has yielded unto her dark side with a fascinating collection of her signature tulle, silk, organza and chiffon dresses in shades of jet black, nude and caramel. Is it possible that the traditional innocence of ivory wedding gowns is being put to rest by its sinister sister? She’s definitely just as beautiful and elegant but also mysterious. Take a look at some of the dresses from the collection and then tell us, would you wear a black dress on your wedding day?
So, interesting fact I learned over the weekend…not all men know how to tie a tie. Go figure! I’ll refrain from my personal tirade of why I think this is but I couldn’t help but see it as the perfect opportunity to share Tim Ferriss’ step-by-step visual guide on tying the perfect Windsor knot. Of all of the various tie styles, the Windsor knot (also known as the full Windsor or double Windsor) is my favorite – possibly because I spent so much of my childhood watching my father tie it perfectly around the neck of a crisp white shirt. Or maybe because Tim Ferriss is just too darn cute. Regardless, it’s simple, clean and timeless – not to mention an absolute must in your [man’s] formal wedding details. So gentlemen, if you are unfamiliar with this particular knot style, consider this your lucky day. And ladies, if you suspect, even for a second, that your beau hasn’t a clue press play on the video below and enjoy the eye candy. Oh, and then pass along to your hubby-to-be and his groomsmen. *wink*
It only takes one conversation with NJ native, now Atlanta resident, and designer, Natt Taylor to know that fashion is truly her passion. And you need only attend one trunk show to know that this dynamic woman knows her stuff — and that you want to wear it all! At least, that’s how I felt after attending her Summer trunk show in Englewood, NJ. Lights shone upon brightly colored fabrics, delicately feminine embellishments and flirty pleats and just about every woman in the room looked like she had just arrived at ready-to-wear custom-design heaven. And then when I learned of her company name, I knew she had to be EXPOSED. So without further adieu, please meet the very fashionable Ms. Natt Taylor.
General Information
What is your company name and when were you established? DESTINI by Natt Taylor, established in 2004
Reflections
Hometown: Irvington, NJDiversions
Playing Favorites
Hotel: Borgata / Atlantic CityFantasies Become Reality
On the Net
The summer is a time for warm weather, vacation, family reunions and weddings. Many couples plan their wedding during the summer and fall months. Planning a wedding can bring a lot of stress and drama to the couple. From deciding when and where to get married, to working on the guest list and to figuring out how you will pay for the wedding. Stress and drama can also come from what other people want for your wedding and from handling major conflicts such as faith, money or where to live after the wedding. It is possible to get the wedding you want and not have any drama, even with all the possibilities leading up to the wedding.
Here are 5 steps to getting the Wedding you want with no Drama. For more on each step, check out my interview on how to have a Perfect Wedding, No Drama.
1) Design the Wedding Together – Discuss with your fiancé what you want and what he or she wants in a wedding. Before you bring other people in the discussion, talk it over with your partner. Get an understanding of what you both are looking for, design how you plan to make it happen and go after your vision.
2) Define and Discuss Boundaries – Once you know what type of wedding you both want, you can now discuss potential pitfalls and set boundaries. A pitfall could be people who can’t make it to the wedding who you want to be there, the overall cost, or family traditions that you like and dislike. Setting boundaries together helps to set limits on what will and will not happen in your wedding and in the process of planning the wedding.
3) Keep your Autonomy & Include your Family – Family members, especially parents, are excited and want to be a part of the wedding planning process. At times, family members want the wedding to be their vision and not your vision. It’s important that you keep your autonomy by sticking to your vision. You can make adjustments, include suggestions, but at the end of the day it should still be the vision you and your partner came up with.
4) Work through Major Conflicts – Major conflicts will come up, how you handle them can determine if you have drama or not. One major conflict could be around money, such as does giving money equal influence. If your parents are contributing to the wedding does that mean they get the final say on the guest list or style of the wedding? What role will faith play in the ceremony, especially if you are not of the same faith as your parents or partner?
5) Develop Healthy Ways to Handle Stress – Are you still having fun, going on dates or even smiling? What are you doing to handle your stress? Having someone you can talk to as a couple can be helpful in handling the many stressors of the process. Pre-marital counseling can be helpful with navigating the stress of the planning process as well as equip you with the skills necessary for a healthy marriage.
George James is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist and CEO of George Talks, LLC. For more on this and other topics, please visit www.GeorgeTalks.com
Twitter: @GeorgeTalksLLC
Email: GeorgeTalksLLC@gmail.com
A kiss is a lovely trick designed by nature to stop speech when words become superfluous.
~Ingrid Bergman
Though currently on hiatus, Cynthia Furey’s foodie blog, FureyandtheFeast, still features some of her most treasured dishes. That’s where I found a recipe for Strawberry Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, a sweet variation of the all-american grilled cheese classic . Brie takes the place of American cheddar cheese, balsamic strawberries sweeten the deal and angel food cake stands in for regular bread. Now you know I’m all about cooking short cuts so save yourself some time and buy the angel food cake pre-made from your local supermarket – they’ll never know the difference. Lol.
STRAWBERRY GRILLED CHEESE
The Ingredients
The Raw Materials
The Instructions
Experiment with different fruits or serve a medley of fruit infused grilled cheese sandwiches at your next brunch, baby shower, or tea party. Bon apetit!
The world of wedding stationery can be a confusing one, so here’s a breakdown of the most common components of your wedding stationery, including an overview of their purpose, importance, and timing.
Wedding Announcement/Save the Dates
Some couples choose to send Save the Dates as a pre announcement and invitation to the actual wedding. It’s only been in recent years that they’ve become a standard item on the stationery list but I really only recommend them as a Must-Have if you’re having a destination wedding. Otherwise, only include them if your budget allows.
The Invitation Suite
For most couples, Invitations are just the tip of the iceberg on the stationery wish list – after all, guests must know who is getting married and where and what time to arrive to the celebration. You should plan to order invitations approximately 3 months ahead of time (cushion in an additional 3 – 4 weeks if you plan to hire a graphic designer to design a customized monogram or design) and distribute to guests 8 weeks before your wedding. Oh and just in case I have to state the obvious, these are a definite Stationery Need To Have.
Just as important as your wedding invitation is the RSVP/Reply Card. It accompanies the Invitation but serves the purpose of allowing guests to tell you whether they intend to attend your wedding. They also include meal choices and a date for return which brings me to another point. Always, self-address the envelope they will be returned with and ALWAYS include a stamp. You will want to give yourself enough time to gather your final headcount for your venue and caterer, so a general rule of thumb is to make the RSVP date approximately 3 weeks before the wedding.
If you’re reception will be taking place at a location different from the ceremony, you may want to consider including a Reception Card. It only serves the purpose of telling guests when and where the reception will occur and is only a requirement if you are having a black tie event. These tend to get bundled with wedding invitations, though we will say they aren’t strictly necessary.
Just as optional as the reception card is the Wedding Map which gives exact directions from your ceremony to the reception venue but with all of the recent technologies in GPS, it’s safe to say most of your guests will know how to get there.
Your Wedding Ceremony and Reception
The easiest way for your guests to follow along with the wedding itinerary is to include a Wedding Program. The key details on your wedding program should include:
The readings, the source or author, and the first and last name of the person who will be reading itYou may also wish to honor those who have passed or could not join you by including a memorial. Wedding programs should be ordered as soon as you know all of the information you want included
Pew cards, although not commonly used, are appropriate for super-formal weddings (e.g., with celebrities and dignitaries) and are used to indicate to special guests that they have signed seating. They are usually enclosed with the invites or mailed once their reservation has been received to ensure the appropriate number of seats. Guests would hand these cards to the usher before they are seated so the usher will be sure to seat the guest in the proper spot
Once the ceremony and cocktail hour has concluded, guests will need to know where they are seated for the reception. This is the job of your Escort & Place Cards. In an earlier post called: Placed Cards vs. Escorts Cards we covered the major differences between the two pieces (escort cards allow guests to quickly find their tables and place cards tell guests which chair to sit in once at the table) but depending on your table layout and seating arrangements, these cards may not always be necessary. If you do, however, include them in your wedding stationery, you will most likely want to have them printed with your invitations.
Next up are the Menu Cards. I file these under the Nice To Have list because you can typically eliminate the need by including your menu choices on the RSVP card. However, if dinner is being served buffet-style it may be a good idea to include one table Menu and labels next to each food item at the buffet.
When it’s all said and done, you’ll want to be sure to send a Thank You Card to each guest who participated in your wedding day. Handwritten cards are ideal and in my opinion, are the only true way to express sincere gratitude and thanks. Wedding gifts that arrive before your wedding date should be acknowledged immediately while thank you’s for any gifts received during or after the wedding should be sent within two weeks after returning from the honeymoon.
Your wedding stationery is the perfect way to tie details together. From the save the date to the escort cards, invitations to thank you notes, customized stationery carries the theme throughout the day. There are, of course, other pieces you may want or need to include in your own wedding stationery suite, but this is a basic list of items to help you begin the fun & exciting process of your wedding invitations!
A Special Events and Lifestyle Marketing Boutique 