I’m  hoping to revive a very “old skool” etiquette to our Chicago weddings. This week we will talk about a few forgotten wedding etiquette rules. Hoping that some of you brides and grooms will teach your guests a few things here and there.

Would you like to do something extra special for your VIP guests at your wedding? Your close cousin, your friend that means the world to you?…Then insert a “within the ribbon” card in their invitation. What exactly is a “within the ribbon” card? Pews are cordoned off with a ribbon or with discreetly placed reserved signs. Your VIP guests will bring the “within the ribbon” cards to the ceremony, which enables the ushers to seat them in the appropriate section. This section will be closest to you towards the first rows at the ceremony.

I was finally able to meet the duo behind Foodie Registry last week. They started what in my view is the best registry ever! It is especially useful for couples who live together already therefore don’t really need to register for new glasses, new towels, pots or pans. Enter Foodie Registry!

Foodie Registry is a gift registry for some of Chicago most amazing restaurants. What exactly does a registry for restaurants do? Well, maybe your best friend knows you don’t need an new waffle maker and but would like to treat you to a date night out, especially since she knows you are not the best cook in town. All you have to do is give her your registry URL which Foodie Registry provides  you once you register. Or better yet, you can also order inserts for your bridal shower invitations which you can ask your host to insert and your best friend can get the hint!

It took me all of four minutes to create a registry and they have quite a few of the best restaurants in Chicago. In the spirit that someone is getting ready for the holidays in July…. just wanted to let you all know I’m registered!

There is much talk of bridal party and wedding party. There is a difference between the two of these.

Bridal Party consist of the bride, bridesmaids, flower girls and junior bridesmaids (if they are any in the party). So remember Bridal Party means…. the ladies within the wedding party!

Wedding Party includes everyone…. bride, groom, bridesmaids, groomsmen, flower girls, ring bearers, junior bridesmaids and junior groomsmen.

My assistants call me the “time nazi” at weddings and vendors that work with me know I do my darnest to stay on time and if we are off track for some strange reason we get back on track…. and quickly. So why should you stay on time on the day of your wedding and avoid being late? Well the simple answer to this question is “time is money”. When you are running late, it will literally cost you money. Here are a few of the things that can happen when you lose track of time and start running late for everything.  Let’s say you get to the ceremony 30 minutes late. That is really late by the way… you will have a few annoyed guests.

A. The church coordinator may have to boot you from the church early to make way for the wedding ceremony right after yours. Impacting your family pictures at the altar. Your Mom may not be so happy she didn’t get a picture of the entire family in front of the altar.

B. The limo driver has waited an extra 30 minutes because he arrived on time to pick you up but you weren’t ready. Clock is ticking when he arrives not when they start driving around. Imagine if you are stuck in traffic….

C. The videographer that you hired for 10 hours now has to stay longer to capture your  best man speech and and the photographer has to stay longer to take pictures of the bouquet toss…. and afterwards the first dance. They definitely can’t leave without taking pictures of your first dance.

D. The caterer cannot start plating the first course on time which could lead to slightly overcooked steaks for your entree.

E. You end up paying the band to just sit there vs. letting them play the rock & roll tunes that you want to hear right after the first dance. This also means your dancing time will be cut short.

These are a few of the things that impact your wedding day when you are late. Staying on time should be a big priority for you. Make sure you assign someone the job of keeping you on time and on task. Keep in mind that if you have a bridal party with you (and later on the full wedding party) that means that you are moving as fast as the slowest person. So when you are getting ready give yourself plenty of time.

Six-month old nonprofit organization Wish Upon a Wedding announced today that it will broaden its scope of services, in order to assist more couples in need. Although its primary focus continues to provide weddings for terminally ill individuals regardless of sexual orientation, the organization will soon help those faced with other personal burdens, such as serious emotional, physical or other debilitating issues.

Due to a significant number of requests, Wish Upon a Wedding will now provide a limited number of weddings to inspirational couples that have experienced these catastrophic life-altering circumstances.

Beginning July 22, 2010, the nonprofit will grant these wishes on a case-by-case basis. Applicants will undergo a detailed screening process, and will be required to provide medical proof of their situation.  Because the organization is new and still in growth mode, Wish Upon a Wedding will only be able to grant a limited number of wishes per year, at chapter discretion, and only the most compelling cases as determined by chapter boards will be considered.

“By partnering with Wish Upon a Wedding, Get Married’s goal is to help connect talented, local wedding professionals in order to offer couples in their communities with a dream wedding and turn tragedy into triumph,” said Stacie Francombe, national public relations chair and founder of Get Married Media.  “By opening up new doors to more deserving couples with a variety of life-changing challenges, the wedding industry is sharing their commitment to their profession, to these individuals and to the idea that dreams do come true for any couple in love.”

Until now, the 501(c) 3 nonprofit has provided weddings for individuals diagnosed with less than three years’ prognosis. That stipulation has been adjusted to a five year diagnosis. The organization will also allow couples seeking vow renewal celebrations to apply for wishes.

Wish Upon a Wedding is looking forward to this change and believes this will have a positive impact on hundreds of lives, by providing the opportunity for a celebration of life and love with those most important to them.

Wish Upon a Wedding is now accepting applications from:

* Couples where at least one individual has terminal diagnosis of less than FIVE years to live

* Couples faced with situations that have caused serious emotional, physical or financial stress (approved on case by case basis)

* Married couples seeking vow renewals, who have faced serious life-altering circumstances including but not limited to terminal illness (approved on a case by case basis)

All applicants must be over the age of 18 and legal U.S. Citizens

Mission Statement:
Wish Upon a Wedding is the world’s first nonprofit wish granting organization, providing weddings and vow renewals for couples facing terminal illness and life altering circumstances, regardless of sexual orientation.

To fill out an application, click this link:
http://www.formstack.com/forms/?982045-mrBk8ziGiK

With 12 active chapters and 2,500 Wish Granters, we are ready to grant wishes today!

Contact Information
Liz Guthrie, Founder cwo@wishuponawedding.org
877-305-WISH

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Another recipe to use during your cocktail hour during those summer months. Cucumber Mint Martinis are refreshing and absolutely delicious.

You will need to make a few of the mixers in the recipe beforehand, however it’s well worth it.

1  1/2 of vodka.

1/2 ounce of lemon juice

1 cup of water

1 ounce of cucumber juice. Easily done by blending a peeled cucumber and making sure you get rid of the seeds

1 handful of mint

1 cup of sugar

Bring water, sugar and mint to a boil. Let it cool. Shake the vodka, lemon juice, cucumber juice and 1/2 ounce of the mint syrup in a martini shaker with ice. Strain into glass, garnish with a few slices of cucumber and enjoy!

I bet you haven’t heard about this one! But it’s a nice way to say thank you to your guests the day after the wedding.

Create a door tag for the guests staying at the hotel  which can be hung on the door during the wedding reception. You will need someone to take on this task during the wedding reception and a copy of the rooming list from the hotel with the room numbers. Have your planner assemble these towards the end of the reception as many of these items are perishable. Once the baskets are done, give the hotel front desk instructions on how to distribute them upon guests requesting them.

On the door tag write  ” We hope you had fun at our wedding, get some rest for a little breakfast treat awaits you at front desk in the morning”

Assuming there are two guests per hotel room, add the following:

2 Muffins

2 Water Bottles

2 Pieces of Fruit

1 Tea Bag or 2 Instant Coffee Mini Packets (Starbucks makes a perfect one). If money allows substitute this for a Starbucks card loaded with $5. It will be enough for two coffees.

It is a nice way to say thank you for sharing our wedding day and traveling to join us. Any guests that have to leave on their first flight out will appreciate this and of course, anyone moving slower the day after will do so too.

Summer is in full swing and this is the perfect signature drink for those summer weddings.

We use this one a lot at our weddings. It’s called the Vodka Lollipop.

2 ounces of vodka

5 ounces of tonic water

Top it off with one jolly rancher lollipop

Eventually the lollipop will start dissolving and the cocktail will take on a slight taste of the jolly rancher.

Enjoy!

As I’m working a wedding today out in Pittsburgh, I have to pause and be thankful for living in this great country. As many of you know I’m originally from Puerto Rico, and in case you didn’t know Puerto Rico is a commonwealth of the United States which makes me ….an american citizen. Woo Hoo!

I can only remember growing up in Puerto Rico and longing to one day live in the United States. It was truly one of my life’s dreams to be here. So when I got to pack all my belongings in a few boxes and move  to the US to attend a school in the middle of a cornfield in Indiana…. I was deliriously happy.  As I wish you all a Happy 4th of July, I wanted to remind you that this day is a about a lot more than grilling, eating and blowing up fireworks til your hearts content.  It’s a day to be thankful that you live in the home of the free. Remember it’s not that way everywhere in this world. Nor are the many opportunities that living in this great country affords you, so remember to be thankful and not to take it for granted.

Happy and safe 4th of July weekend!

Yes you guessed it right. I read blogs just about every single day. There is enough wedding eye candy to go around in these blogs to fill up a year’s worth of candy bars! So let me tell you a little about a few of my favorites.

Snippet and Ink ~ Katherine creates on a daily basis what I like to call… Inspiration Board Nirvana. She does a great job mixing colors, themes and details.

Style Me Pretty ~ Abby Larson gives you lots and lots of bridal inspiration. She has a countless number of real weddings, DIY (Do-It-Yourself) projects and a fashion look book. This blog is an eye candy bonanza!

Wedding Chicks ~ They rock! I really like their templates section.  They are incredibly easy to download if you are not infused with that “techy” gene that only a few posses.

Clover & Bee ~ Last but not least, Clover and Bee created for midwestern weddings.

The best way to get ideas for your wedding is to look at blogs, see what others are doing. Ask yourself do I like this detail? Do I like that color combo? Plus,  what is there not to like about the Real Weddings sections on any of these blogs. A few of them feature some of our venues and hotels in Chicago. You can get a good idea what would work well in the space because someone else has tried it before. So while you are flipping the pages on those bridal magazine, don’t forget to read a few blogs to get inspired.