The BIG DAY is almost here!!!  Essentials?  What essentials?  You’ve got your dress, shoes, hair and make-up all under control.  Which means you’re just about set  . . . but there are a few things you’re going to want to have with you during the actual celebration to make sure that you’re picture perfect for every shot.

1. A beautiful clutch bag to carry your essentials in.  I’m partial to sparkly, but choose one that makes your heart sing.  It could be the color of your dress or possibly the color that your bridesmaids wear.
2. Pressed Blotting Powder.  Shiny is not what you want to be on your wedding day.  Emotions will be running high and your internal furnance may choose to kick in.  Minimize your shine with MAC ’s pressed blotting powder.
3. Lip Gloss.  Sheer lips are the way to go, MAC lip glass will keep a little bit of color on your lips and it’s so darn easy to apply!
4. Lip Balm. Rosebud Lip Balm is my favorite – it’s great for dry lips, perfect under your lip gloss and it will even give your Groom’s lips a nice moisturized look for photos.
5. Mints. Altoids, Altoids, Altoids.  They’re curiously strong for a reason! (I love the Ginger ones).
6. Blotting Paper.  They’re easy to store and use; ALSO, you can hand them out to your Groom, Attendants and anyone else who get’s a little shiny.  I’ve used Papier Poudre forever and a day.
7. A Handkerchief.  I cry at other people’s weddings, so I knew the faucet would be turned on at my own wedding! A pretty hankie is the best thing to have tucked away in your clutch or bossom to dry those eyes.
8. A Camera.  You’ve hired a photographer to shoot the wedding so that you don’t have to worry about trying to capture the moment, but you’re not going to get those pictures back for months!  Pack a little digital camera in your purse and give it to one of your bridesmaids or good friends and ask them to take photos for you – you’re wedding day will be a blur to you. Everyone says it goes by in a flash, and it really truly does.  Having photos on your own camera to look at the day after with your hubby is one of the best gifts you can receive!

If you’re lucky enough to be going to a wedding in the Caribbean or on the Cape, you know you’ll be spending a lot of time at the beach.  You want to be able to go from breakfast at the resort, or in town, to the beach in one fell swoop. Be sure to pack your sunscreen!  You’re sure to be stylish in a great cover-up, a chic bathing suit,  the perfect pair of sandals and a fabulous sun hat. Top off your look with a straw beach tote filled with a cool towel, a good beach read and your ipod.

Here’s the skinny on the items pictured above:  Ombre Floppy Sun Hat, $38, Miraclesuit Barcelona Swimsuit, $138, Mexican Embroidered Maxi Dress, $31.50, Vera Bradley Beach Towel, $34, Jack Rogers Navajo Sandals, $94.99, Moroccan Straw Summer Beach, $38, Apple iPod touch (3rd Generation), $179.99 and Jane Green’s “The Beach House,” $10.20.

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Rain, rain go away . . .

The old nursery school rhyme is one many brides cry when it comes to their wedding days, but, believe it or not, rain on your wedding day is actually good luck.  Some say that this belief dates back to Hindu culture where a part of the wedding ceremony is the traditional tying of the knot; Hindus believe that a wet knot is harder to untie.

Many cultures subscribe to the belief that rain on your wedding day is good luck. Why?  Rain was viewed a symbol of fertility in agricultural societies because it restored and maintained the wellness of crops. And in these societies, crops were the main source of stability and income so, it was thought than rain on your wedding day was a guarantee of a long and happy marriage.

So, what’s a Bride to do?  Have a Plan B.  Most resorts and hotels will insist that you have a Plan B if you are planning an outdoor wedding ceremony, just in case it rains or looks like rain.  Here’s the thing to remember if rain is predicted on your wedding day – the hotel or venue is going to ask you to make the call (Plan A or Plan B) a few hours before your ceremony.  If it’s raining cats and dogs, the call  is easy.  If it just looks like rain, you’ve got a more difficult decision to make.  Either way, you’ll be fine and your wedding ceremony will be wonderful.  You’re marrying the man of your dreams, rain or shine!

As the French say, Mariage Pluviex, Mariage Heurex, which when translated means ”A happy marriage is the result of a wet wedding.”  And the Italians believe that a wet bride is a happy bride, Sposa bagnata, sposa fortunata!

Here’s to rain on your wedding day!

Some friends of mine are getting married this Fall and their wedding website is to die for!  They had it professionally done and it’s really really nice.  The Bride is an aesthete and she’s left no stone unturned up to this point.  She’s also a foodie and the pictures of the food (yes, food) on her wedding website are mouthwatering. The Bride and Groom have  invited their guests to join them in Honolulu, the Bride’s hometown, for a Tropical Affair that will be replete with all sorts of local delicacies.  I’m so happy for them and very excited to go to Hawaii to celebrate their nuptials.  What makes each wedding unique really is the fact that it’s a reflection of the two individuals tying the knot.  Some couples are more laid-back, while others are much more traditional.  Flowers may be important to one while food and wine to another.  Seeing how each couple expresses their uniqueness is part of what makes weddings so much fun.  It’s an honor to be a wedding guest and get a glimpse into the Bridal couple’s intimate world of family and friends, and oh yeah the special touches they employ to make their day theirs and theirs alone.

I came across these escort cards the other day and marveled at how cool they are.  I am a sucker for a monogram and these roses monogrammed with the Bridal couple’s initials are really pretty unique.  Just a little something to contemplate as you plan for your BIG DAY!

Oh, and in case you’re mired in wedding details and are having trouble seeing the forest for the trees (I know I was as things got down to the wire!), Escort Cards are the cards used to inform your guests of their assigned table whereas Place Cards are used to let your guest know of their assigned seat at a table.  Do many couples have one card that acts as both?  Yes.  Do whatever works best for you.

If you’re incorporating a special touch into your BIG DAY that you’d like to share or if you went to a wedding and saw a really cool special touch that we must know about, please e-mail kalyn@kalynjohnson.com with Wedding Day Special Touch in the subject line.

• Hotel/resort site visits set-up? Check.
• Food tastings set-up? Check.
• Wine tastings set-up?  Check.
• Wedding Notebook? Check.
• List of questions for each hotel/resort? Check.
• Camera? Check.
• Cellphone? Check (make sure you’ve got international calling capabilities if traveling abroad).

As you prepare for a site visit to your destination of choice, use the list above as a handy guide to help with travel preparations.  If your fiance is unable to go on the site visit with you, bring your wedding planner if you are using one or ask a trusted friend or relative to join you.

Site visits are a great way to explore your potential wedding destination, but they’re by no means a vacation.  Keep your eyes and ears open from the moment you land at the airport in your city or country of choice.  Whatever you experience at the airport, in the rental car line or with the shuttle service is likely what your guests are going to experience.  Go into your meetings with hotel/resort personnel alert and filled with questions.  Site visits can be grueling – you’re going to be on your feet, walking the property, meeting with staff and taking in lots of information.  Hopefully, you’ll have a moment or two to unwind on the beach or at the spa, but it you don’t you won’t be the first who traveled to paradise and never set foot on the beach!

Your site visit is probably your one shot to get a good sense of where you are going to say I DO.  Take note of how you feel walking into the hotel/resort for the first time, imagine your friends and family upon their arrival. Will they love it, be disappointed or annoyed because the people at the reception desk are unfriendly? As much as your BIG DAY is about you and your fiance, it’s also about the people who are traveling to celebrate with you.

Take loads and loads of pictures.  You can’t have too many – hotels/resorts will start to look the same and memories will begin to fade the moment you board your flight to head home.  Having pictures of everything from the reception area to the guest rooms will help you make a cogent decision about which hotel/resort is right for you and your wedding.

If possible, try to narrow down your choices while you’re there.  If you’re doing site visits at 4 resorts in 3 days, the goal should be to narrow it down to 2 before you head home. It will be much easier to choose between 2 resorts than 4.  The law of averages dictates that out of the 4 there are probably 2 that will rise to the top for you.  It may be that the minimum amount required at the resort you thought you were going to love is higher than you’d budgeted for.  Or, although you really click with the Wedding Coordinator at one of the resorts, you don’t like anything else about the resort.

And lastly, before you leave, make sure to ask the Wedding Coordinators at each hotel/resort for the names and phone numbers of a few of the brides they’ve worked with to get a better sense of what your experience might be like at a particular venue.  Brides love to talk about their weddings, so don’t be shy about calling and asking the hard questions.

Good luck with your planning!  And enjoy your site visit – let me know how it goes.

So you’ve decided you want to have a destination wedding because the  flexibility, freedom and fun associated with destination weddings appeals to you and your fiance.  And despite, the potential hidden costs, you’re game to keep your budget in check and your eyes on the prize.  You’re thinking a destination wedding is right for you and your intended because you guys (choose as many as apply):

• Like to travel,
• Hope to have an intimate wedding,
• Would like to celebrate your nuptials in an unusual setting,
• Would like to create your own wedding tradition,
• Have family and friends who live all over the country (or possibly all over the world), and
• Can focus on the big picture and are ok with not being completely hands-on during the planning process.

If this is all sounding good to you, then a destination wedding may be the way to go.  Now the work begins – finding the right locale.  A destination wedding is one that you and most of your guests will have to travel to, whether it’s in your hometown, Napa Valley or the Swiss Alps.  Finding the right destination is a three-part process.  First you have to choose your destination, then you have to find a hotel or resort and lastly, you have to choose a site (or sites) at the resort for your ceremony and reception.  There are a million ways to go about finding the right destination for your wedding – here are a few tips to help you narrow down your options as you do your recognaissance.

1. Research the locales you’re interested in online. Play around with sites like Orbitz or Kayak to get an idea of whether or not your family and friends will be able to get there easily without spending an arm and a leg.
2. Choose one or two locales to focus your efforts on and research the resorts and hotels in the area.  Narrow your choices down to 3 – 5 resorts/hotels per locale (city/country).
3. Find out if each resort/hotel has a Wedding Coordinator/Planner and what this person’s role will be at your wedding.
4. Review the resort/hotel’s Wedding Package and jot down any questions you may have.  If the package isn’t available online, call to request it.  The catering menu, along with the beverages menu, should be included in the package.  A good package will clearly spell out what is and is not included in the cost of the ceremony – flowers, officiant and the like.  It’s not the end of the world if a package is light on information – this may mean that you’ll have some flexibility in the planning process.
5. Then call or email the resort/hotel to:

• Get an understanding of the resort/hotel’s Room Block policy.
• Find out where the resort/hotel typically has rehearsal dinners, wedding ceremonies and receptions.  Ask the resort/hotel to send you pictures of weddings held at the resort.
• Find out if the resort/hotel can accommodate a wedding like the one you’re envisioning.
• Find out if your wedding date is available.

Keep detailed notes of your impressions and conversations with the resorts/hotels in your Wedding Notebook (I guarantee you that your Groom-to-Be will ask you about a 1000 times, “didn’t you write that down?!?!”, so write it down).  Narrow down your choices; sometimes the decisions are made for you because the resort you have fallen in love with is going to be closed for renovations during your time-frame, the hotel is booked on your date or while you thought it would be a great place to get married, the cost to get married there exceeds your budget.

Now it’s time to call the resorts and hotels you’ve chosen to set up your site visits. A word to the wise, while you may be going to paradise or one of the most fabulous cities in the world for a long weekend, a site visit is work. Three resorts/hotels in 2.5  days is a bit dizzying, but can be done!   More on destination weddings next week …. Stay tuned.

Where are you thinking about tying the knot?

[image from Luvtrip]