Always a Blogsmaid

Random Gift Idea for Bridesmaids

Lately, for some reason, I've been totally coveting personalized stationary for my office.  I've had something in mind that involves my name embossed along the bottom of the card, but I'm too cheap to splurge on myself....

BUT, it did get me thinking of what a great gift that would be for bridesmaids, because it's at once uniform, utilitarian and personalized.  I like the classics, but these very cool and super fun stationary sets from Design Her Gals  are pretty awesome. You basically can design a lady who mimics the characteristics of your bridesmaids and order away.

My new calling?

So, last night I decided to push my fitness limits a little bit and took my very first ever Pole Dancing Class!    We had been contacted by Smart Workout  to give their gym a try since they offer a very special Wedding Workout package.  The premise of the gym is a cool one- all classes are semi-privates, 4 or 5 people at most, and the set up feels like you are working out at someone's really nice home gym. 

Mayra signed me up for Pilates, since if you read this blog, you know I'm addicted.  After Pilates she joined me for our turn around the pole.  Where do I begin except to start by saying that I have a new found respect for Pole Dancers. You won't believe the Upper Body strength that this takes! 

We learned a routine and did some cool pole tricks, and they equipped the scene with what I can only imagine was their "stripper mix"- it involved a lot of version of "fever", various Pussy Cat Doll songs and, surprisingly, Evanescence?? Anyway, the biggest challenge, frankly, was not the moves, but looking sexy.  Neither of us succeeded.  I imagined how different the "Bada Bing" would have seemed if the girls all looked like they were about to giggle or had intense looks of concentration on their faces.  Kim, our instructor, was an excellent sport amidst all of our wisecracks!

So, overall, POLE DANCING- AWESOME workout!  I can't lift my arms today and my abs are KILLING me.  AND they do private parties for up to 10 girls (2 hours on the pole!)  Not only is the Smart Workout a great deal for brides to be, but you can learn a few sexy moves for your special someone while you're at it.

Next week I go back for Cheerleading class!

Out on the Town!

So, a week or two ago, I got some information about something I thought was really cool, this service called Bride's Night Out (BNO). They take the chore out of bachelorette planning and set up an entire night out on the town! They even assign you a Party Consultant to take care of all the details. They'll get you out into clubs, into the limo, outfit you with a blow up doll, and start popping the bubbly. And they can do this service Nationwide! It's like Mary Kay for Bachelorette parties.

I thought it was so cool, I took some time to chat with founder Pamela Yager about what the service does, and how to get the prudish bridesmaid to "let her hair down".

What's a typical bride's night out?

While every party is unique and shows the personality of the Bride and her guests, the most popular Bride's Night Out party is the VIP Party on the town. This includes a BNO Party Consultant to take care of the details, a BNO Party Guide who takes the girls out, plays games, makes the bride feel special and keeps the action going for all the guests. Party clients really appreciate having a complete package which takes all the work out of their hands from sending invites to booking the limo, and buying gifts to creation of games.

I had a MOH pull the plug on a night out at a Burlesque show b/c she got freaked out. What advice do you give for the prude bridesmaid or the girl who has a hard time "letting it go"?

If she hasn't already loosened up after the official toast with our own BNO Bubbly, then the Party Guide is there to help everyone get involved in the games. If they just join in then suddenly they find themselves having fun. Brides Night Out parties are designed to be either mild or wild. We take into consideration who will be attending which has included co-workers and even the future mother-in-law. The key is that the Party Guide is trained to know their audience, work the crowd and keep the party going no matter what. We find that everyone loosens up at their own speed and if they're going to have fun then it's at a bachelorette party (although they may not share the details).

What motivated you to set up BNO?
There are several motivating factors inspiring me to launch Bride’s Night Out, Inc. parties and most recently the BNO Party Consultant Program.

First, I have been a comedian for over 20 years and since the birth of bachelorette parties in the U.S., I’ve performed stand-up comedy at in-home parties. With my educational background in sex and marital therapy, interest in women’s traditions, and experience with bachelorette groups, I became passionate about the bachelorette industry and providing brides and their guests with more creative, fun, and memorable events. Over many years, I have paid attention to my clients and wanted to provide them with a slew of entertainment options. I continue to create party packages, personalized details, and planning services that will help them. As we say, “We manage the details, you have the fun.”

Since 2001, I have been approached by party attendees, wedding professionals, and aspiring party planners, who ask me how they can do what I do. In addition, I realize I can not be in all places at the same time and provide services to everyone that is interested. In an effort to reach an expanding group of bachelorette parties, I developed the Party Consultant program which allows individuals to become a part of the business, be their own boss, receive training and support, and expand our team.

How large and small are the parties able to be?

While the average party is 12 girls, we've prepared them for groups as small as 5 and as large as Jessica Simpson's with 50. We can plan for groups larger than that but it just takes some extra details to ensure everyone's having fun and not just lost in the crowd.

Things I'm Loving Now, Wedding and Non 4

It's been a while since I've posted one of these, but here we go! (I'm updating this on 5/30, because it's been a great week of fabulous finds!)

1. Estelle.  I'm totally obsessed with American Boy as one of my summer songs, but in truth the entire album is fantastic!  Substitute lover is pretty amazing...... It's like the best of R & B, reggae and Lily Allen...  Annoyingly for everyone in the office, the songs are so catchy, I'm already singing everything.

2. ENGAGAGEMENT SHOTS.  I've long been a believer in engagement sessions as a way to get to know your photographer, but lately, thanks to some sessions that my clients have had with Christian Oth and his photographers, I've realized that they are the perfect way to let your personality shine through- you can incorporate locations, pets and more that just aren't really that easy to incorporate on wedding days.

3.  The WestSide Loft.  I constantly sing the praises of Studio 450, but Jim Brady's original space, the WestSide loft is truly spectacular for a romantic party.  I personally prefer a centralized dancefloor in the main dining room, but a number of things would work in this stunningly maintained space.  We recently did a wedding there that I CAN"T wait to post photos of!  Unfortunately, at the end of the night our delivery guys thought that some columns that were there belonged to us, so we accidentally stole some furniture, but I PROMISE, we returned it promptly on Monday!
4. Murakami.  If you are in New York you must check out the show at the Brooklyn Museum, it may be one of the coolest art exhibitions I've ever seen.  And For you Louis Vuitton collectors, it's equipped with a boutique IN THE MIDDLE OF THE EXHIBITION! 

5. DJ Jimmy JVC.  He's our secret wedding DJ weapon!  I'm always reluctant to give out my favorite secrets, but he's just so wonderful, I'm happy to spread the news about his musical genius.  He can spin anything.  A quick google search will send you to his contact info- perfect for the ecclectic couple that wants to dance!

6. Bottino.  This may be the most perfect place for a wedding shower.  Not only are the prices reasonable, but this Chelsea gallery hot spot, is what most NY brides imagine when they imagine their shower.  I've been singing their praises for years, but have been so happy with the way they've helped us with one of our clients, I have to spread the news.

7. In the Heights.  YOU MUST GO AND SEE THIS PLAY! YOU MUST! The best entertainment money you'll spend. It is a seminal work of American Theatre.  REALLY TRULY. It is fun, it is exciting, it is amazingly original and it's really, truly authentically a New Yorkers native experience living and growing up in the city. It's just a blast.  On a lark, I decided to go the other night and I haven't stopped thinking about it since.  As a Latina, it's amazingly true in music and script, but it's appeal was MORE than Latin.  The ENTIRE diverse audience was on their feet, crying and laughing and thoroughly amazed by this revolutionary theatrical experience.  From traditional musical numbers to work that will make you feel like you are right at the club, it's just creative and exciting and something that we should all experience before they make a cheesy movie version of it.  With 13 Tony Nominations (all of them deserved) I suggest you get tickets NOW before they sweep the award show circuit and you won't be able to snag them.

7. Mel Barlow Photography    I met Mel a while back through Josh  at  Elan Artists.  We hit it off immediately, but could never seem to get to work together.  I loved her so much, I got prints to decorate our office with of random weddings that I just loved! Finally we were able to get together and work with our client Raquel. Mel is one of the hardest working women in the biz and she has JUST relocated to New York.  Her amazing talent is now even more available for New York City brides (prior she would have to travel in) and we couldn't be happier.  Below, engagement shots she did for our bride, Raquel.   I can't wait to see the shots from the wedding.                        

Sexy 10

Several years ago, we had a birthday party for Mayra at the then recently opened Stone Rose lounge at the Time Warner Center.  The music was great, the drinks were overpriced, the view was priceless and the people around us were better looking than we were.  Our friend Corey, who loves sexy, new things, deemed it a "Sexy 10".  Later that night, we decided (wrongly) to keep it moving and headed crosstown to a place I won't name, but let's just say that The music was horrible, the drinks were well and the people around us had drank even more than we had!  I looked at Corey and he says "We went from Sexy 10, to Sexy -2".  The Sexy Scale was born.  So, we don't use "sexy" in relation to weddings much, but there is so much out there that is NEW, Chic, and a little, well, "sexy" that I thought I'd post a Sexy 10.

1. A Tiny Wedding at the Suite at the Soho Grand Hotel   Please take a look at how sexy this place is.  The roof can be  tented, but you can imagine if it wasn't.  The Soho grand offers a basic, all inclusive package for around 20K, which includes the suite itself and then food and beverage for a reception.  It's unconventional, but it sure is sexy!  Ask for Yvonne in group sales for specific info.

2. The Chameleon Chair. This is "The New Hotness" for chairs.  Many girls at the New York Magazine Weddings showcase were quite literally DROOLING over our chameleons.  Previously they were only available on the west coast, and were used at the Govenor's Ball and various Oscar parties and exclusive events.  They are now available here in New York through Classic Party Rentals.  I'm attaching some footage of our table from the NY mag event so you can see them in action, but if you are into it, budget between $12 and $20 a chair and give Julia Dash a call!

3. Cameo and Black.  As a color combo, I'm in love. It's feminine, yet sexy.  We had planned on doing this for our table at NY Magazine, when we got our new issue of Martha Stewart Weddings and found that it was their pallete choice as well.  Here you can see how we did it up, with poor photography,  and check out the Chameleon chair as well.

4. Alex Woo Jewelry!  Woo HOO! I love it!!  This is the cutest, but sexiest jewelry line I've seen in ages.  Her little numbers and letters are adorable, and she carries little symbols like ace of spades, etc, I'm showing her little diamonds, but she has sterling from $130 and some great brushed gold.

5. Nicole Miller's Bridesmaids Dresses These are only carried in the soho location, but I was blown away by these flirty dresses. I wanted some for myself!!!  Here is a peek of a sexy red number. I can't tell you how many times i've had to wear red bridesmaids dresses and hated it, but somehow this looks sooo fresh to me!

6. Gemma Redux Jewelry.  Full disclosure, this is a company owned by one of our former clients.  I knew she had this jewelry line, but after the wedding she was sweet enough to send over a few pieces as a thank you for our hard work. (thank you!) and I was blown away.  I can imagine something bold pieces like these for a gal with a simple, j.crew strapless gown- and making it super spicy with this amazingly bold necklace.

7. Boudoir Photos.  I'm a prude, but this is the NEW thing in wedding photography- or I should say PRE-wedding photography.  I can't post anyone's photos up here, but I should say that Mel Barlow does amazing boudoir photos!  If you don't know what they are, basically you do sort of a lingerie shoot for your hubby to be prior to the wedding day and they make a wonderfully sexy present.

8. Small Plates.  Ever since Stanton Social opened here in NY, the small plate rage has been going and going.    It's basically small portions and dinners of many courses.  More and more it's been something we've been doing for weddings- offer guests 3 or 4 items of your favorite foods instead of sticking to one huge entree!

9.  Water Taxi Beach.  Have a get together with your bridesmaids and groomsmen at this amazing New York Treasure.  Water Taxi Beach is the out of this world oasis located in Long Island City and overlooking the East Side of Manhattan.  Hop on the Water Taxi and get some of the best burgers and snacks in town.  If you want to reserve a table, you can do so with all you can eat food and beers for about 4 hours at a time. They usually have some amazing DJs and there is always a volleyball game going on.

10. The Paloma.  This is the GREATEST signature drink for you summer brides out there.  And it will certainly loosen your guests up!  The Paloma is a mexican wedding favorite and Mayra and I have taken it on as our summer cocktail:  tequila with grapefruit soda (a.k.a. squirt, or for more authenticity a Grapefruit Jarrito).  Think margarita without the sour!

BONUS:  Tim Russert.  This has nothing to do with weddings, but all the election talk has me  crushing on Timmy.  I love how they always say  he's been crunching numbers all night.   Maybe he has, I don't know..... But he always seems knowledgeable.  And he wrote Big Russ and Me.

Valen-Tee's

In honor of Valentine's day, I wanted to show you guys some of the cutest things that I've seen in relation to Bridal Wear, or general, just romantic love attire.  One of our clients put us on to this site after I saw her "I Heart Josh" tee and thought it was both fashionable and sweet.  After I went online to Custom Girl and saw the actual VARIETY of their Boyfriend t-shirts I was IMPRESSED.  Each of these tee's can be customized with the name of your betrothed! I think it's pretty awesome.
        My own husband is actually PRETTY shy, to the point where he might find going out with me in these shirts slightly uncomfortable.  Because that Idea entertains me, I'm contemplating buying an entire weeks' work.  His name is pretty normal (there are so many, many Mike's out there) but luckily for me, Custom Girl offers and entire line of shirts that include first AND last name- to avoid any confusion!
    They have a slew of other cute things, that might not make in home in time for valentine's, but can definitely get here in time for the wedding weekend!

Cupcakes for a Cause

I get tons of questions about cupcakes vs. cakes, so for all of your New York City bride's I thought I'd put you on to the MOST WONDERFUL discovery that we've made (or that was introduced to us) that will give your wedding cupcakes a cause!

Sweet Things Bakeshop is a business venture started by the Lower East Side Girls Club that is just an amazing thing.  More than just a place to get your carb fix, this bake shop teaches entrepreneurship, marketing and, of course, baking to the girls who comprise the Club's membership.  Staffed by 30 of the club's members as well as neighborhood mom's the bakeshop has received orders from "O" Magazine, among other corporate clients.  While all the girls help bake the goods, the club also runs a 10 week "Cookie Academy" where some of the older girls learn about various facets of the culinary world. 

Sweet Things offers cupcakes and sugar cookies  for showers, weddings and other social functions as well as tins of brownies and blondies (oooh, Favors, anybody?).  They have beautiful, customizable cupcake trees too!  But, most importantly, they are REALLY tasty!  And all of the money from the Sweet Things shop goes BACK into the Girls Club.  Brides helping girls, isn't that cool?

For orders email [email protected] and to stop by the shop you can check them out at 136 Avenue C, New York, NY

The Future Mrs.

The Q: I'm not sure how I go about changing my name or what my options are? Am I going to have trouble using my passport for my honeymoon?

The A: The main "change" comes when you fill in your marriage license, so when you go to tackle that, that's when you'll need to decide in what format, if any, you'll be the Future Mrs. Blank. I remember when I got married, having a total freak out at City Hall because I found out that I couldn't just take my maiden name as a middle name, I'd have to (legally speaking) hyphenate. The 10 minute errand turned into a two hour hyperventilation episode. Not cute. So, check out what's legal and not legal.

Luckily, because your license is sent out to be truly "legal" AFTER your officiant signs it, you are in the clear for your honeymoon and can use your same old, single self passport. (Unless you take a honeymoon several months after your wedding!)

However, once you get back, the TEDIOUS TEDIOUS task of name change is ALL YOURS. Not having legally changed my last name, I escaped a lot of this work, but I've heard horror stories. BUT HORROR NO MORE. There is a GREAT new site called MaidenNameChange.com that will do the work for you! A totally secure, Hacker safe site, they gather relevant information and do the leg work for you. Started by Pam Sherman and her husband after they were totally overwhelmed by HER name change, it's a project of passion that already has helped brides all across the country. At $29 per bride, I urge you ladies looking to become the Future Mrs. Wonderful to check it out!

Gracious Giving: Cool Donations in Lieu of Favors

The Q: "We're contemplating making a donation in lieu of favors. What are some good ways to let people know about the donation? Are there any do's and don'ts with this kind of thing?"- Jessica

The A: This is actually a question from one of our clients from a while ago, but in the spirit of the holidays, I thought it would be good to post this and update our answer!

First, let me just say that as my friend Mo would say donations in lieu of favors is "The New Hotness". It's chic, it's not wasteful (making it somewhat green) and it's a way, in the midst of doing something extravagent for yourselves to do something nice for others.

The basic "nice" way to do it is to simply reference it with a page in program, or as an endnote to the menu. But, nice is also sometimes boring, and it's nice to add whimsy/ specificity if your design scheme can handle it.

So,for instance, if you wanted to donate to The American Cancer Society or to The National Breast Cancer Foundation instead of simply including a line on your menu card, you could have a small card at each guests setting affixed with a Breast Cancer stamp and a description of the donation with info about the charity.

Or, a great charity that was just sent to me by a former client is Operation Iraqi Children started by actor Gary Sinise. This charity essentially looks to get school supplies into the hands of the needy children in Iraq trying to go to school. Gifts of money OR supplies can be sent, but I thought it would be soo cool to give out personalized pencils with your name and wedding date affixed to a card that tells people about your donation!

The Starlight Foundation helps seriously ill children in the United States by providing entertainment to the children and their families to brighten their days. This organization is very committed to the cause of really helping children and their families and has a 4 star charity award. If you were doing a destination wedding, it could be cute to affix info tags to starfish, or something cool like that as a token and a way to do things.

We've even seen couples have a "donation board" where couples would put out several pretty glass cars labeled with various charities and the guests could place a river rock in the jar of their choice charity.

In any case, the only "Don't"s are that I would avoid are overly political items that might alienate guests or inspire "impolite" discussions.

Things I'm Loving Right Now: Wedding and Non

As it's the slow season here at Always a Bridesmaid, I've had a little bit of time between weddings to catch up on things in the wedding world and outside of it and I thought I'd tell you all about some of the wonderful things that I've been finding!!!  I love to share when I see, hear about or get to do awesome stuff, so I hope you don't mind.  I think I'll try and do this once a month, so note the new category.

Cool Bridal Wear:  I got some info about this site the other day and it's the best! I'm getting a little tired of the "Future Mrs...." sweatsuits and I thought this was a fresh take on the old ideas. The ladies at Rock Star Bride have re-invented pre wedding lounge wear and the fun boy shorts too! It's sooo Carmen Elektra!  http://www.rockstar-bride.com/Rock Star Bride!

Amazing Invites!:  Ok, one of our clients is getting married this summer and we wanted to do something really special for her invites.  I had been meaning to get in touch with Rachel at Rock Paper Scissors for some time, but hadn't had the occassion.  She has the MOST elegant, detailed custom invitations I've seen! You must check her out, even if it's just to browse! Anyway, the best part about her is probably that she is so wonderfully responsive and on top of it, which  is such a plus to everyone! http://www.rockpaperscissorsdesign.com/Rock Paper Scissors


My WORKOUT!  So, I'm not going to lie, the last few months have taken a toll on my workouts and I've fallen off my pilates wagon.  Yes, I needed a new instructor and YES, maybe I take pilates too seriously and YES I was weird enough to write a letter to potential instructors telling them that I was looking for someone to make pilates fun again. But, I worked out with Shonda at Pilates Co-op in Brooklyn yesterday and today it hurts to laugh, and carry my purse and walk. And I LOVE IT!!!! She was awesome and so nice as she made me practically want to vomit with hard work! If you are in Brooklyn, you should definitely give her a call! 

Venues: During the busy season, I did have the chance to do  several walk throughs of amazing venues in the city that I think are a bit underused for weddings.  These aren't locations for everyone, nor are they really necessarily bargains, but they are exquisite and not overdone.  We did a walk through of the Xchange, which is an event space on the West Side with amazing views and a roof deck. Much more minimal than Studio 450 (one of my favorite venues in the city) but for a downtown kind of couple, it's terrific and can easily do seated for 175. If you are looking for a loft with nighttime drama, this might be the place for you! http://www.go-xchange.com/Check them out!

Back in June I went to check out a party at the SoHo Grand up in the penthouse suite.  Ok, yes it rents for 5,000 a night but if you wanted it for a wedding reception the suite, it's terrace with amazing views and the food and beverage can be yours for around 20K ++.  About 75- 85 people could join you for a terrace ceremony and then party it up inside and out in this swanky pad! Or if you are really looking to live it up, you could host a rehearsal dinner here! At the party we went to they had a champagne bar in one of the giant restrooms and had the champagne chilling in this. I think it was one of the sexiest things I've ever seen!


Books: O My Goodness, I've gotten to read again! It's the most exciting thing that has happened to me in ages!  Anyway, I read this really wonderful book called The Bad Girl by Mario Vargas Llosa. It is a modern version of Madame Bovary one of my favorite books from my college Comparative Lit. days. It's about a romance centered around a very capitalistic minded young woman!

Movies: Speaking of Capitalism, I went to see 2 (yes 2!!!) movies this weekend and I thoroughly enjoyed them both.  It's such a thrill to have a Friday night off that I was so excited to go to the movies!!! I saw American Gangster on Friday and Before the Devil Knows Your Dead on Sunday.  Everyone has been talking about American Gangster and I thought it totally lived up to the hype, but I love Scarface, etc, so I wasn't surprised. What was surprising though was Before the Devil, which is simply put, some of the best acting ever.  But it's an awful, horrible, pessimistic take on human nature and greed and money and I don't know if it's for everyone! I also got to check out Lars and the Real Girl which a lot of my girlfriends had told me I MUST SEE.  Mayra and I ran out to check it out after work last week and I thought it was sweet and Ryan Gosling charming as usual, but it didn't do it for me....

Gift Basket Items: We are putting together our holiday baskets and I have to tell you Camille in our office found some amazing stuff. I tasted today *Doh! There goes the pilates benefits!. But we got these amazing Brownies from Mari's here in the city (but they ship everwhere) The packaging was amazing and the taste was divine! I thought it would be fantastic for a hotel basket or Favors.

If you have recommendations of stuff you've seen and loved, please send them my way!  Thanks everyone!