Grooming the Groomsmen

Your wedding day is coming up and you are making final preparations. You and your bridesmaids are going to go and get manicures and pedicures the day before your wedding and the day of the wedding you will be pampered with getting your hair and makeup done…maybe even a massage.
But what about the groom?

Yes many of our lovely grooms are manly and rugged and do not feel the need to be pampered on their special day….or so they say. I believe, that deep down inside they want to be treated just like their bride does. So where does one go for such an affair in Milwaukee?

I came across this place called Groom For Men. It is known as Milwaukee’s premier male hair salon. Their website is great because it gives a list of prices for their services, however there wasn’t much about weddings packages so I gave them a call.
A delightful lady answered the phone and told me that they definitely do have wedding packages for the grooms and groomsmen. On the Saturday or whatever day your wedding is, they will close down the shop except for your party only. They have a great hospitality lounge that will have food and drink of your choice in there. The price was definitely reasonable. While relaxing the men can get waxed, shaved, a man mani and pedi, haircut, or anything else from their extensive list of services.

This could be a great gift to give your grooms to help relieve all the stress of a wedding! It would also be a great groomsmen gift as well!

Check out the website!


Has anyone had any experience with something like this?

Stress Reliever

So are any of you brides just done with planning your wedding right now. The drama has come and gone, the food has been picked out, your dress has been altered, reception card have been counted … except for a couple of your fiancé’s friends that you know you just are never going to receive them.

Now all you are waiting for is for your wedding day to be here so you can enjoy the party and be on your way to the relaxing honeymoon.


So many of us have been there before and know this exact feeling.


Stress management can be maintained in so many different ways. I specifically remember how I handled it for my wedding. Some people will run, some will work out, some will eat, some will just zone out….I on the other hand, played penguin baseball. My all time high score was 612 (it must have been a bad day) Anyways, I just thought I would share this with you in case it is helpful to relieve some stress and get re-excited about all the wedding planning!
Enjoy!

Reasonable Bridesmaid Gowns!

Thanks to twitter once more…I have come across a GREAT website for those brides who are having trouble finding reasonable priced bridesmaids gowns. If you go to the website: http://www.cocomyles.com/ you will be pleasantly surprised with being able to create your own unique bridesmaids dress! You are able to choose the style, color, sash color, material, and even what kind of beading you want.
…and the best part…it’s almost impossible to have each dress be more than $200! AND THERE IS FREE SHIPPING!!!!!

I tried to paste a couple of pictures of dresses that I created, but this website is so hacker safe that I couldn't get it on my blog.

One thing that you always have to consider when buying from online is if you are really getting the quality that you pay for. Coco Myles has some great testimonials and is the 2009 winner of Wedding Wire's Bridal Choice Awards, which give it some credibility. However, I went online and searched for other reviews on them and read nothing but great things, so I definitely would consider this for a bridesmaid gown alternative.

Maybe take a look at the site and if nothing else just have fun designing a dress!

Wedding Insurance???

I have entered the crazy world of Twitter. I haven’t become twitter obsessed yet but check it often (you can follow me at www.twitter.com/binksbrides). I am following a bunch of people in the wedding industry world and am finding out so much new and interesting things…for example: did you know that you can get wedding insurance?
Yes Sir/Ma’am it’s true! You can insure your wedding for bad weather, venue or vendor cancellations and in case you are just not sure if you actually want to marry your fiancé and call off the wedding (which we hope is not the case).

I went to this website: http://www.wedsafe.com/ and did a quote. I said I was going to have 160 people attending the wedding, and I wanted the cheapest wedding insurance that had alcohol coverage. It would cost me $239 for wedding insurance for one day. This is with a $500.000 coverage amount. Now I am no insurance expert…but I think that if I was to cancel my “wedding” with having wedding insurance I would receive around $15,000 in compensation back.
The nice thing about this website is that it give you a really quick quote.

So…for those of you who are interested or just merely curious check out the wedsafe website

Nut and Bolt Wedding Rings

I’m not sure what to even write about with this…nut and bolt wedding ring….is this the newest trend? Should I trade my and my husbands ring in for a pair of these babies?

I will admit that these unique wedding bands are not my cup of tea…but hey, what I have learned is that it takes all kinds to make this world go around!

So if you want a unique wedding band for you and the fiancé…try looking into these! Apparently they are perfectly matched for each other!

Check out the website...it will give you all different unique do-it-yourself ring ideas:-) Enjoy!

What are your thoughts on this?

This is the view from my office. Pretty rough isn’t it…I’m not trying to brag but more promote how beautiful it is here at the War Memorial!
With Lake Michigan looking the way it was today I had to go outside and take some pictures. I thought that it would be a nice touch, especially for my out-of-town brides to see some different views on how your ceremony can be held here.

This is the most common view…straight out facing the lake. It’s nice of course of with the beautiful backdrop but you also get a little green from the nicely kept Veterans Park.

Or you can have your ceremony facing the southeast corner. This will give you mostly the lake view.

Another alternative is to have your ceremony underneath the overhang. You still get a glimpse of the lake but also the exquisite architect of the Milwaukee Art Museum behind you. This is also nice if you want to be in the shade or for inclement weather.

Anyway that your ceremony is facing, with a backdrop like this it will be amazing!

Getting Those Darn Wedding Addresses

My wonderful cousin just gave me the classic email for those brides-to-be, “What is your address and do you have your brothers address as well.” One of the more frustrating parts of planning a wedding is the details of where people are living.
My family moves around a lot…a lot a lot (we have been accused of being in the witness protection program:-) So there are times I don’t know where some of my family members even are! When someone wants and address it’s usually a headache to find. These are my suggestions on how to get and keep these addresses:

1. Make a spreadsheet once you have them to keep yourself organized. Make a column that you can check off for when you have sent the save the dates, bridal shower thank you note, actual wedding invitation, and gift thank you.
   
2. To get your addresses contact your friends/family on facebook or myspace. A lot of people have those hooked up to their phone or check their personal pages more than they check their email.
   
3. Ask your parents or in-laws to assume this task with their side of the family.
   
4. Everyone who has planned a wedding knows of this fiascal…so feel free to ask certain people for help (i.e. have your maid of honor get the address for all of your friends or cousins).
   
5. Start buying stamps right away! They can get expensive and if you start buying them now, it will help in the long run. Just remember that you need a different stamp for your actual wedding invitation because they tend to weigh more.
   

The key is to be organized. I have a spreadsheet made up already for anyone who would like me to email them the shell of it! (abink@warmemorialcenter.org)
Take care!

July 3rd Fireworks

Alright...I am about to do something I told myself I wouldn't do, which was to make this blog"commerical." HOWEVER... I can justify this with the fact that I'm letting you all know what a great deal the War Memorial is having on July 3, 2009.. :-)

Every year we have a party on our plaza on July 3rd for the downtown fireworks and it's such a great time! Food, drinks, music, fireworks...all for $40 or less per person! It's a deal. This could be a really neat thing to bring your future in-laws to, or even your bridal party to show your appreciation or just for a good time. Here is the info!

July 3rd Fireworks at the War Memorial Center

Join us for a fabulous evening of food, live music and the best seats in the city for the lakefront fireworks on July 3!


$300/Table of eight
$380/Table of ten
$340/Table of 9
$40/individual ticket

Ticket prices include:

¬ Picnic-style buffet including burgers, brats, hotdogs and BBQ shredded pork
¬ Corn on the cob, pasta salad, chips, pickles, fresh fruit
¬ Dessert consists of brownies and mini-cream puffs.
¬ Beverages include: Beer, Wine, Soda & Water
¬ Live entertainment by Dante’s Bop


6:00 p.m. Doors Open

6 – 8:00 p.m. Dinner

6 – 9:15 p.m. Live Music by Dante’s Bop

9:25 p.m. Fireworks

TICKETS AVAILABLE NOW:Monday – Friday 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.War Memorial Center (Suite 315)
Call 414-273-5533 for more information

Linens have gone to Spandex!!

I am all for a little spandex in my jeans....and can even handle it for those serious bicyclers out there, but I haven't quite made up my mind yet if I like spandex on my table.

This picture has been quite the buzz around the office lately (yes...we are that lame and yes...we should be working on other things than talking about spandex). There is a divide in our office on if we like this new concept or not.

I would love to hear any one's else thought on this new trend!