{Wedding Wednesday} How to Survive the Holidays as a Bride-to-Be (Guest post)

I'm lucky enough today to welcome back Ali from PunkWife.com to Wedding Wednesday! She's always so full of wonderful bridal tips! Click HERE for her previous Wedding Wednesday post! Ali is the author of The Bitch's Bridal Bible, a fabulous, no nonsense guide to being a bride! 

How to Survive the Holidays as a Bride-to-Be

Heading into the holidays as a bride-to-be is exciting! But let’s be realistic: you’re probably also worried about protecting your budget, avoiding a muffin top, and escaping other stressors (family drama or running around like a crazy person, anyone?) But with some planning ahead, and a little care-taking, you can still indulge this season and keep the stress levels down! Consider the following suggestions on how to survive the holidays as a bride-to-be:  

1.     Gifts. Consider letting family know ahead of time that you will be a little more resourceful this year with gift giving, and that you may even DIY your gifts. Just be sure to stay within you limits of crafts-pertise to avoid any stress. (“They are my special Christmas socks I knitted for you little Mary! You just have to hold them up as you walk for them to work. Merry Christmas!”)

2.     Being cornered. Oh, Aunt Bertha, with your Merlot breath and endless questioning. Want to know why I’m having such a long engagement? Because DO YOU WANT TO PAY FOR MY WEDDING? I understand that the price per head in your day was $8.25, but you should really move that decimal point one spot to the right and then add $100. Now give me some of that wine because hearing myself say it out loud like that made me thirsty. (You’re in close corners with family you see maybe twice a year, so there’s not much you can do to escape this other than pull the string on your Chardonnay chute and deal.)

3.     Food. Consider “pre-gaming” before you attend your holiday party – but put down the eggnog you silly bride, you. The phrase takes on a whole new meaning this year. I’m referring to snacking at home first before heading out the door. Going to a holiday party hungry is the equivalent of going grocery shopping hungry. Everything looks amazing, and you are likely to devour it all. I’m not saying this is a bad thing. However, if you are a conscious bride and think you may beat yourself up later on for splurging, think ahead.

My grandma always says that when you have two parties to attend in one day, consider which one always has the best desserts and go there last. If you have multiple stops to make, this is the one year you probably want to play the reverse card and avoid any temptation. You can make up for it next year. 

4.     Skin, hair, nails. Depending on where you live, the holidays can also bring about a wrecking ball of dryness and brittleness to your skin, hair, and nails – coincidentally, all of the things you wish to look beautiful in time for your wedding. There’s no magic product or quick fix for this; the most effective formula here is the following: Moisturize. Get sleep. Be nice to yourself. And avoid stress as much as possible. Which brings me to #5…

5.     Stress. The last thing you need during wedding season is added stress. Numbers 1-4 contribute to the stress issue, and it can be hard to unwind or maintain your inner Zen amongst all the crazy. It may be finances on your mind, work deadlines, or family drama (times two this year, since you are now a part of your husband’s family, as well.) Carve out some time to decompress and relax yourself as you know how, whether it be practicing yoga, pounding the treadmill, or zoning out on the couch catching up with your DVR. And have fun wherever possible, because isn’t that what this time of year is supposed to be about?

Lastly, as you enjoy all the festivities, remember to make some time to enjoy the holidays with your future hubby. Depending how long your engagement is, it may be the only holiday you get to be a glowing bride-to-be. Make memories. Make traditions. But whatever you do, don’t make yourself crazy.

Author Bio: Alessandra Macaluso is author of "The Bitch's Bridal Bible: The Must-Have, Real- Deal Guide for Brides," available on Amazon and Kindle. A creator at heart, she is an avid writer of screenplays, articles, and business/product reviews. She has contributed to Uptown Magazine, Charlotte Magazine, and Yelp.com, among other publications, and was featured in the New York Times “Life and Style” section for her review of Ulta Beauty. Her original screenplay, “Polar Suburbia”, placed as a semi-finalist in the 2009 Moondance Film Festival. To learn more about Alessandra you can visit her blog at www.punkwife.com or visit her Google Author Profile.

That last line is on the money! Don't make yourself crazy! Thank you Ali for another wonderful post!! You're welcome back ANY time! :)

How is being a bride stressing you out more than normal during this holiday season?

Till next time,

Catherine

If you're a fellow blogger and are interested in guest posting for this series, shoot me an e-mail at CatherinePageWood@gmail.com! Or, even if you're not a blogger and would like to share your wedding story or advice, send me an e-mail! I would LOVE to share your stories!

If you liked this post, be sure to check out the other editions of Wedding Wednesday!

• Getting Started on Wedding Planning
• My Tips for Less Stressful Wedding Planning
• Choosing a Photographer
• How to Survive a Wedding Expo
• Mirror, Mirror - Why Big Mirrors Are a Must!
• Save the Dates - Yay or Nay? 
• Easily Overlooked Details
• The Top 10 Crazy Characters You'll Face During Wedding Planning (and How to Deal With Them)

{Wedding Wednesday} How to Survive a Wedding Expo

Welcome to another Wedding Wednesday! It's quickly become my favorite day of the week! I absolutely LOVE going back through my wedding planning materials and reliving it all!

Today I want to go over my advice for surviving a wedding expo. Bridal show, wedding showcase, bridal expo, wedding expo, whatever it's called, it can be extremely overwhelming. Depending on the size of the show, you could be faced with anywhere from 20 to 200 vendors! And all of them want your business. 

So without further ado, here's my advice for how to make the most of your bridal show experience!

Go to several and go early!

I went to 3 different bridal shows way before my wedding date. You want to go pretty much as early as you can. Even if you're on the verge of engaged and there's a show coming up, go to it! I went to the 2nd Forever Yours Dream Wedding Showcase on February 21, 2010, the Richmond Bridal Showcase on January 9, 2011 and the Richmond Wedding Expo on June 26, 2011. We didn't get married until March 24, 2012! Each time it was just my mom and I that went. Bringing more than 1-2 other people can just get crazy. Bringing your fiance is not required and he will probably thank you for not dragging him along. If he wants to be involved, by all means, he can come! But honestly, it's more of a bride/girl thing and chances are he won't have much fun. 

Also, "go early" means to get to the show early. If it's on from 12pn-4pm, don't wait until 2pm! You want to get there early so you have enough time to go through the booths at least once, preferably twice. It's a lot to take in, a lot to see, do and there are tons of vendors to talk to. Plus, many expos will have exhibitions going on throughout the day. It could be a runway show of bridal party attire, wedding dresses, photographer slideshows or even a DJ or band performing. Check the schedule on the expo's website ahead of time to get an idea of who and what you want to be sure to see! 

If you like a vendor then take their info!

Don't assume you'll remember the company name or website. Even if they're out of business cards, write. it. down. Even if it's a service you're not sure you'll use (like a limo company or a wedding planner), err on the side of caution and take the info. Later on you can filter through and decide what you'll need and what you won't.


Take your time

Like I said before, give yourself plenty of time to visit every booth. You don't want to miss anything. Go early and plan to stay for a few hours. It can be exhausting but you want to be thorough. Plus, if the door prizes are must-be-present-to-win, you don't want to miss out!



Be prepared

Bring your planner, a pen or pencil, a tote bag and a water bottle. Sometimes vendors or the show will have these things for attendants but don't count on it. Be ready to write your name, fiance's name, phone number and e-mail address about a hundred times. Oh and don't eat a big meal before going, but do eat something. Very often, caterers and bakers will have samples available to try so you don't want to be too full to try them! And don't stress about your "wedding diet," just eat the tiny square of cake and be happy.


Enter any and all giveaways

Unless the prize is something you know you'd never use or couldn't give to a friend, enter them all! The show will most likely be hosting some giveaways/door prizes as well as many of the vendors. Vendors will also do their own giveaways. Some will have raffles, some will have spinner wheels and some will just be offering discounts for anyone who books with them at the show. Think carefully before signing up for those, though. You don't want to get stuck with a vendor you're not sure about.

Get Organized

When you get home from the show, kick back and take a breather. Then, get yourself organized. If you haven't already, get a 3 ring binder and sort all of your goodies. Creating a wedding organizer will be a whole separate post but it's something you should definitely do! Sort your brochures, pamphlets, business cards and price lists by category and make an initial "toss" pile. Again, there will probably be some info you take from vendors you really don't think you'll use so feel free to toss them. If there's a photographer you liked but is waaay out of your budget, toss it. There's no need to bum yourself out over something you can't have. 

Budget it

If you've already established a wedding budget, factor in the bridal shows. It counts. 

Enjoy it!

Last but not least, as always, enjoy it! Breathe, smile, eat, laugh. Meet other brides, meet vendors, don't stress. 

And there you have it, my advice for making the most of wedding expos! If you are in the Virginia/D.C./Maryland area, then keep an eye out for expos all the time. Richmond and D.C. have multiple shows each year and they are top notch! To find wedding expos near you, simply Google it. Don't exclude nearby large cities, that's probably where most will be held. 

Have you been to a wedding expo yet? If you have, what was your favorite part about it?

Till next time,

Catherine

If you're a fellow blogger and are interested in guest posting for this series, shoot me an e-mail at CatherinePageWood@gmail.com! Or, even if you're not a blogger and would like to share your wedding story or advice, send me an e-mail! I would LOVE to share your stories!

If you liked this post, be sure to check out the other editions of Wedding Wednesday!

• Getting Started on Wedding Planning
• My Tips for Less Stressful Wedding Planning
• Choosing a Photographer
• How to Survive a Wedding Expo
• Mirror, Mirror - Why Big Mirrors Are a Must!

DIY: Greeting Card Binder

OK are you prepared for this?

Gather your sweet and lovely cards from your wedding, your baby shower, past birthdays, whatever you want.

Dust off your hole puncher.

Buy binder clips from Target (about $3 for an assorted pack of 8) in the office supply section.

Now get to work. 

I don't really need to give a tutorial for this do I? 

What a "Duh!" moment on how easy this is and what a great solution for all those cards you can't toss! I did this with all the cards from my bridal shower and wedding. I also cut cardboard to fit in the front and back as covers but haven't gotten around to doing anything cute with them. Maybe I'll glue some cute scrapbooking paper over it or even Mod Podge some pretty fabric. 

Another cool aspect of this project is that you can always unclip the rings and add more cards as time goes on! 

What would you do to make it look cute and decorative?

Till next time,

Catherine