Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

Hope you have a blessed Thanksgiving!!! Don't eat to much...remember you have a wedding dress to get into.

Wedding Tip of the Week: Custom Drinks--Drink of the Week II

Champagne Apricato

Apricot and gin put a sophisticated spin on the modern mimosa.
- 1 oz. Tanqueray Gin

- 1 oz. Marie Brizard Apry (apricot liqueur)

- ¾ oz. fresh lemon juice- ¾ oz. simple syrup

- 2 oz. premium champagne

- Apricot slice

- Edible flower (for garnish)

To make simple syrup, bring 2 cups of sugar and 1 cup of water to a boil. Once the sugar has dissolved, remove from heat. Let cool to room temperature. Combine gin, liqueur, lemon juice and simple syrup with ice in a cocktail shaker, and shake well. Strain into a flared glass; top off with champagne. Add apricot, and garnish.

Cocktail created by Audrey Saunders, the Pegu Club, NYC.

Recipe from here

How to Have a Rockin Reception

I have attended a few weddings in my time and it seems that the same thing always happens...people eat, cake comes out, people get some and leave. After spending all of this time planning a wedding you really want your guest to have a really good time and not just to eat and leave. So what are you doing to keep things lively and keep the party going at your reception? Share your thoughts!!

Garter Giveaway Still Going On!!!!

Hello, fellow blogger brides. I still have the Julianne Smith garter giveaway going on until December 10, 2008. Click here for all the details. Good luck!!!!

Wedding Tip of the Week: Custom Drinks--Drink of the Week

The whole new rage is to have a custom drink at your wedding. Keep looking out for the next couple of Wednesdays for a "Drink of the Week".

This weeks "Drink of the Week" is a

Strawberry Watermelon Mojito

- 1½ oz. Smirnoff Strawberry Vodka

- ½ oz. fresh lime juice

- ½ oz. mint-infused simple syrup

- 1 cup fresh seedless watermelon, cubed and chilled

- 1 bunch fresh mint leaves- Club soda

To make mint syrup, bring 2 cups of sugar and 1 cup of water to a boil. Once the sugar has dissolved, remove from heat and add 8 to 10 mint leaves. Let cool for 30 minutes. Strain. Combine vodka, lime juice, simple syrup, ½ cup of watermelon and about 10 mint leaves in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake for 10 seconds. Strain into a glass with ice and remaining watermelon. Top with club soda. Garnish with additional mint leaf.

This drink was originally created at the Four Season Resort in Pair Beach, Florida.

Recipe found from Brides

"Honey...What am I suppose to be doing?"

Has you fiance asked you in the last several months what they need to do for the wedding? Is your groom confused? Direct them to the GroomGroove website. This website is especially for the guy who ready to say "I Do". There are sections on the website varying from "The Engagement" to "Wedding 101". Check it out with your special someone, it might relieve some stress and questions.

N.C. Here We Come!!!

The honeymoon is booked. Hooray!!! I had a few requirement for my honeymoon, beach and water. My fiance had some as well...something that did not include a plane or a boat. I want to thank you all of my fellow bloggers that gave me some suggestions on places to go, it was quite helpful. We are going to Emerald Isle, North Carolina to stay in a condo on the beach for 5 days. You know the Internet is a wonderful, I found the rental agency that we are using there. It seems like a real place to just relax. The location that we are staying at states that it is just up the street from local shopping and restaurants. I am looking forward to just sitting on the beach with a book and my Ipod soaking up the sun and of course spending time with my husband (which he will be be on this trip). The best part of the whole trip is that is under $600.00 for the whole week. The broomjumpinggroom and I will have lots of bonding time in the car on our 11 hour, 11 minute trip across the states to our relaxing place.

A Perfect Pair Wedding Gig

Well, my friend and I are doing a wedding today with my friend Chevon as a part of our, A Perfect Pair wedding and event planning business. We are actually assisting with some of the technical things like videography with this family. It will be a long day but fun. I am looking forward to seeing the bride and the groom on their special day. Hopefully, I will have some pictures to share next week. If you are looking for a planner, check us out here.

Wedding Time in 09

It is November ladies and the holidays are soon upon us. In reading several blogs, 2009 is going to be another big year for weddings.Some of us are in the midst of planning, others are just beginning and so many more ( I am sure) after Christmas will be joining us in the planning process. I was wondering with all of this planning going on, what month is everyone getting married? Let your fellow blogging brides know, "What month are you getting married in?

More and More Flowers

On Saturday I went shopping with my mom and Mrs Herron, the person doing my flowers, went to the Flower Factory to look at flowers and other items for the wedding. There were flowers everywhere. I would pull one thing and Mrs. Herron would say that they were the wrong color for the wedding or they were two big. There was so much stuff there that my eyes started to glaze over and I began to get distracted by all of the holiday stuff. After being in the store over 2 hours, I gave up. I began to feel very overwhelmed. Ms. Herron said that it was alright and that it was just the beginning. What do you mean it was just the beginning? I have to come back and look again. Ugh!!! Well, the trip was not a total bust. I did get some flowers and even found my wedding invitations ( I will post about that later). If you have a Flower Factory near you check it out, it has a nice selection of wedding items at really good prices.

Wedding tip of the Week: Top 10 Money Mistakes II

With times the way that they are, saving a buck really essential. A couple of weeks ago I posted about the Top 10 Wedding Mistakes. Here are the 1-5 top wedding mistakes.

5. Getting stuck on the "shoulds"

- The "shoulds" are all of the extras that so many people think that they need at wedding, such as favors and fancy linens. What you need to look at is it something that you really care about or it will be something that you will be upset about.

4. Leap before looking

-Do not walk in to the first place reception place that you see and book immediately, (This did not really work for me since this what I did) and then find out a week later about a place that you like even more and is more budget friendly. Take some time and do research. Weigh your options and look at what is most important to you for your wedding.

3. Falling prey to peer pressure

-You went to a wedding where your friends had 6 champagne fountains and enough chocolate cover strawberries to last a lifetime. If all of that is not in your budget, do not do to keep up with the Jones. Make your day special, your way even if it does mean that you have a fountain filled with Kool-aid.

2. Not reading the fine print

-Do not skip the fine print. Read every contract and know exactly what you are getting into. You need to know when balances are due and what deposits are owed. Make sure that you know all of the unknowns. Make sure that you ask questions. If you do not ask questions, you might be paying for a $400.00 cake with a $500.00 cake cutting fee.

The number 1 wedding money mistake is.......(I feel like David Letterman)

1. Not setting budget priorities

-I know that you do not want to think about priorities when you are thinking about Cinderella dreams. Setting up a budget and setting what priorities that are important for your wedding will allow for you to have things that you want within a budget that you can live with.

Jon and Kate Plus 8 Get Married

Well, Jon and Kate are already married, but this season they are renewing their vows with their children in Hawaii. I had wondered what Kate was doing when I saw her on the TV show Say Yes to the Dress a couple of weeks ago, in Kleinfields picking out a wedding dress. This is the dress that she decided on with her sales associate Keisha. I really like her headpiece. I think it goes well with her haircut and the style of the dress. This past Monday and next Monday you can see them in their Aloha special. Happy viewing.

Julianne Smith Garter Contest

Something old, something new win a garter just for you. In this contest you can win a beautiful custom garter with a toss garter to go with it. The rules of the contest are as follows:

• Describe your wedding using the word GARTER.


• Make your submission by December 10, 2008.


• A winner will be selected by December 13, 2008 and contacted and announced on my blog by December 15, 2008.

Please be mindful when entering the contest that with the contest ending right before the holidays and it being a custom garter, delivery of the garter may not occur until the beginning of the year.

To see more of what Julianne had to offer please click here. Good luck ladies..I can not wait to see what you come up with.

Save the Dates

Time is winding up towards by wedding ( as my mom keeps telling me) and I figured last night would be a good night as any to order my save the dates. I did not want to make them and I could not afford to get magnets, so I made postcards. I went to Vistaprint and made postcards to send out as my save the dates. I added one of our engagement pictures on the front of the postcard and added a holiday motif on the back ( a two for one). I also added Happy Holidays and save the date information on the back. I think that they will be really nice. I order 250 and got them for $19.99 plus $6.00 for shipping. I know that I probably will not need that many of them but I figured that if I mess up on someones address, I had a few extras to work with. They should be here in about a week or so, just in time for me to address them and mail them out right after Thanksgiving. Now I just need to update my guest list with addresses within the next two weeks. The best thing about them is that I can purchase postcard stamps for them (saves me some money). Check ....another item off of the list.

Are you doing save the dates? If so, what are you doing?

Get Blingy With It

Well, my friend wanted something blingy to wear with a suit to celebrate the election of Barack Obama. We both looked on line for a blingy shirt and both decided that paying $25.99 or more for a tank top or t-shirt with rhinestones on it was a bit silly. So since I think that I am the "Black Martha Stewart", I thought that I could give it a try at making one. Here is what I came up with. Even though it was a little bit time consuming, it was actually fun to make. I think it really looks good on her. Here is what I created.

After making this shirt, I thought why could I not make one for me stating, future Mrs. J or ones for my bridal party as part of their gifts. If you want to get blingy with it for your wedding contact me and I can make you one.

Our Dream Has Been Realized

I have cried. I have worked. I have hoped. My dream and the dream of so many others has come true. Congratulations.. Senator oops I mean.. President Elect Barack Obama. Thank you for allow us to realize our dreams through you!!!

Khadija=Monograms

Here are the monograms that were created by Khadija from Sweet Chic Designs from the contest that I won. If you want more information on her designs or want her to create some for you please contact her at here or on her blog. I can not wait to start using them.

Wedding Revisions

David Tutera has 2 bridal shows on We TV. One is My Fair Wedding and the other is Get Married. He also has a website full of party planning ideas, books and wedding planning. I really like both of these shows and TiVo them often. Watch the shows and look at the websites for ideas and inspirations.

Lisandra and Aaron Part II

Here are more photos from Aaron and Lisandra's wedding. The photos are from Jen Huang Photography. For more information click here.

Jen Huang=Lisandra and Aaron Part I

Jen from Jen Huang photography contacted me to share some her wedding photos that she has taken. These pictures are from Aaron and Lisandra wedding. Lisandra and Aaron met at their church. Lisandra also had this to say about her big day for other brides and grooms, "I thought it was very beautiful: Don't forget that you're planning and preparing for a lifetime with each other, and that should be the most important thing to the both of you, more than the flowers, caterer, dress..etc. Don't get married for the wedding, but get married for love. Love will not always 'feel' like butterflies and warm kisses, but unconditional love will help to sustain the both of you no matter what comes your way."

If you would like to see more of Jen photography, please click here or contact her here.