July 30, 2010
Posted by Cara Sullivan
So I have an idea for your bachelorette party: Why don't you and your bridesmaids check into Spa V, at the Hotel Victor in Miami, and treat yourselves to a round of Evian baths (yes, that's right. A bath in Evian mineral water. 350 gallons of Evian mineral water, to be precise). It would be a great bonding experience, and totally reasonable, too -- each bath costs $5,000.
OK, back to reality -- please don't do that. Can you imagine? A $5,000 bath? In what world? Spa bachelorette trips (the reasonable, do-able, mini-splurge versions) are really amazing, and I highly recommend them. Cushy robes and slippers, healthy food and champagne, and a treatment or two to boot—what could be better?
If you can't afford to hit up a spa, do the next best thing: hire a massage therapist or manicurist to come to your house, and have the girls over for a night of treatments and wine. I did it when one of my friends was getting married, and it was so much fun.
What are you planning on doing for your bachelorette party? I want to hear all about it!
Tags: bachelorette party, beauty, spas
Posted on July 30, 2010 in Fashion & Beauty | direct link to this entry |
July 30, 2010
Posted by Talley Sue Hohlfeld
According to my newspaper yesterday morning (The Daily News), there is one other person who didn't make the guest list for the nuptials of Marc Mezvinsky and Chelsea Clinton: the groom's uncle.
The rift between them began last year and is apparently still fresh enough that no invitation arrived at Norton Mezvinsky's NYC home. And it's a little hard for Marc to claim the classic "it's a small wedding" as an excuse.
If they'd asked me, I'd have said they should have invited him and simply seat him a little farther away; with 400+ other guests, it wouldn't be hard to simply ignore him. Our culture places a huge emphasis on inviting family members to weddings. So this is a serious message that Marc and Chelsea are sending.
Does Uncle Norton deserve it? Who knows? But it's very public within the family. (And thanks to the Daily News, it's now very public to all the rest of us.)
Are you wrestling with a rift in your family? How are you handling it?
Tags: Chelsea Wedding Watch, family, family politics, guest list, guests
Posted on July 30, 2010 in Chelsea Wedding Watch, Etiquette & Advice | direct link to this entry |
July 30, 2010
Posted by Darcy Miller
Everyone asks "What's the most important thing to consider for your wedding?" Of course, the most important thing is whom you are going to marry (obviously -- and don't forget it), but after that there are 1,000s of other decisions to make. I think that next to whom you are going to marry, the location is really the biggest factor. It can determine so many other things like style, geography, costs, the feeling of the wedding, how much or little you have to do (for example a hotel already has bathrooms for all the guests unlike a private home -- in case you have not seen all the estimates for Chelsea Clinton's wedding, the estimate for the portable bathrooms is around $15,000).
I've been thinking about location a lot as there has been so much talk about Chelsea's wedding tomorrow night. I am in no way judging what Chelsea is spending (or Bill and Hillary), but in addition to the wedding being big (and all costs are incremental and Chelsea is the daughter of the Secretary of State and a former President of the U.S.) it's just something to think about when you have a wedding at a private home or somewhere that is not set up already for events. Forget the cost of the dress, flowers, and cake -- you'll have those anywhere -- but the tent, generators for power, kitchens that need to be set up by the caterer, bathrooms (as I mentioned), parking, rentals, flooring, etc., etc. It's just so important you consider all the costs in your budget before you commit to a location that is not set up for events. Not to say that weddings at home are not super special, very personal, and like no one else's -- but it's just something to consider. Are you the bride who wants to plan/pay for all those details -- to create a unique space of your own -- or would you rather be somewhere that “has done this before?"
It's funny because usually destination weddings can be the opposite (fly away with your best friends to Bermuda, pick a beautiful resort, and don’t worry about all the details (there aren't three tastings or you're not going to interview five florists, but it will be an amazing couple of days). As I've worked on our Sandals Weddings by Martha Stewart program I am always thinking to myself how lucky couples are that everything is already organized (of course they still have options of style/cakes/menus etc., but they are not investigating porta potty rentals). Either way both kinds of weddings can be great -- it's just a matter of what kind of planning you want, what kind of wedding you want, and what kind of budget you have? Where do you fit in here?
Tags: at home weddings, destination weddings, location
Posted on July 30, 2010 in Chelsea Wedding Watch, Event Planning | direct link to this entry |
