Page b1Cortland news - February 6, 2016 - Bridal

honeymoon 101By Jessica Herron, Travel Planner

Congratulations-you’re engaged! Welcome to one of the most exciting, yet stressful times of your lives. With the ring comes wedding planning and endless expectations. Planning your honeymoon, the “reward” for all of that planning, should be the fun part. After years of assisting clients with honeymoons, here are some of the top honeymoon planning tips.

1. Book early. Many of the top resorts and best flight schedules fill quickly. Considering a special suite with in-room Jacuzzi, swim-out directly into the pool, butler or concierge service, oceanfront, private pool? Those book months in advance, particularly during the busy honeymoon season May-October. The “last-minute deal” is mostly a myth and not a good plan for a honeymoon. The recommended timeframe is 6-12 months out, depending on your destination, resort, and suite choice.

2. Make a features list. Both bride and groom need to sit down and create a list of their must-haves. All inclusive? Adults only? Resort size? View? Beach or pool? Suite amenities? Off-site excursions? Food/beverage preferences? There are so many factors that come into play when choosing a destination and resort.

3. Determine your budget. Be sure it is realistic based on the features list you have made. If this is your first major vacation, you may not even be aware of typical pricing. This is when a simple internet search can be handy to determine if you are in the ballpark or if you need to adjust your expectations. Speaking of the internet…

4. Be wary of the internet. As a rule, if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. The internet can be a wealth of good information, but it is also full of inaccuracies and misinformation. Resorts pay big bucks to make their pictures look a certain way. Review sites are full of reviewers who are paid to write both positive and negative reviews. That “great deal” that you think you scored? It could be a timeshare scam, two stop overnight flights, a sold out room that results in you being moved to a different property 20 miles away upon arrival, a shady hotel desperately in need of a renovation (or wrecking ball), arriving to find there’s no record of your paid in full reservation…the possibilities are endless and most are not so great.

5. Consider a honeymoon registry. Today’s couples are often already established before getting married. You may find little need for more home items, but would love to register for room upgrades, spa treatments, or offsite excursions for your honeymoon. Your family and friends want to give you something you will use and are happy to make a contribution on your honeymoon registry.

6. Use a travel planner. Most travel agents do not charge a planning fee and will find you the best value for your budget. The travel community also has access to honeymoon packages and bonus amenities you may not even know exist. Ask friends and family for referrals and find one you feel understands your wants and needs. A knowledgeable and skilled planner

saying ‘i do’ and enJoying it too

For many brides, the quest to plan the perfect day can quickly turn into a nightmare trip down the aisle. Here are a few tips to keep your wedding day bliss from turning into the honeymoon blues.

* Marriage Planning 101: Once the ring goes on, the race to plan the perfect wedding begins, giving couples little time to think about the marriage itself or how their wedding spending decisions could affect their future. But smart couples are now setting aside time to address pre-wedding issues such as what they will do when it comes to financial planning, spending money, raising children and family politics.

With nearly half of all newlyweds taking on debt to finance their “big day,” couples should take every opportunity to make their wedding-related and everyday spending count toward their future.

One unique new rewards program, uTANGO.com, offers couples $10,000, $100,000 and even $1 million in cash rewards to stay married and shop with uTANGO’s 250-plus merchants such as Expedia, Target.com, Nordstrom.com and BlueNile.

In addition to helping couples save for their future, uTANGO.com offers free advice from wedding, financial and relationship experts. By taking a proactive approach, couples can leverage their wedding spending to ease financial worries and start building toward their future.

* Destination USA: While destination weddings, especially to international locales, continue to be one of the hottest wedding trends in recent years, they can also present challenges such as increased costs, security concerns, language barriers and unreliable vendors.

A less expensive alternative is to pick a centrally located U.S. city like Chicago, known for fantastic wedding and party venues, choice accommodations and activities to suit any taste and budget. It may not be as exotic as Tahiti, but couples often find that more family and friends can attend

and planning challenges are drastically reduced when the nuptials stay stateside.

* Managing wedding expectations: For many brides, planning the perfect wedding is a major life event decades in the making. With this in mind, it’s easy to see how wedding expectations can get out of hand in a hurry.

With wedding euphoria taking over, busy brides and grooms can quickly lose sight of spending, causing the perfect wedding to turn into fights over money. By managing expectations of what a “dream” wedding should be, it is still possible to have a lovely and elegant wedding without breaking the bank.

* Bridezilla-free zone: The term “Bridezilla” has been used to describe a difficult, unpleasant, perfectionist bride whose obsession with planning the perfect wedding day leaves frustrated family, friends, bridal vendors and even her groom distraught in her wake.

Belligerent Bridezillas beware: Horror stories of fist fights, hair pulling, kicking and screaming from out of control brides-to-be have put wedding planners, vendors and bridesmaids on the offensive. Some wedding vendors now go as far as to include language in their contracts reserving the right to cancel if the bride’s behavior is determined to be “out of control or abusive.” So, whether you hit the gym or hit the spa, have a plan in place to handle wedding-related stress and keep Bridezilla at bay.

* Just say “no”: Brides place such demands on their bridesmaids these days that it is not uncommon for them to decline, even when it’s one of their best friends. Not only is the financial responsibility of being a bridesmaid staggering, but the time commitment demanded by some brides is also daunting.

The massive to-do lists handed out by brides, coupled with the obligatory appearances for shopping, parties and showers, can leave bridesmaids feeling

See Honeymoon on page B2See I Do on page B3

Page b2 Cortland news - February 6, 2016 - Bridal

the perFeCt wedding dress

One of the most remarkable moments before the wedding day is the choice of the bride’s dress. It is extremely important not to buy some dress in a hurry because it might have to be replaced by another one later one!

Don’t buy a dress just because your mother, fiancé or friend loves it, choose a dress that you love and that is as beautiful as comfortable.

You should go to, at least, four different shops so that your choice is sufficiently diversified.

Even if you think that certain dresses’ colors, shapes or designs might not have anything to do with your personality, or if you think they are not adequate to the tone of your skin, you should try them on! Dresses in a coat hanger or in your hand look very different than they do in your body, really!

Ask yourself some questions about the adequate dress for your kind of ceremony and reception. Which is the formality level of your wedding, in what season is it going to happen, at what time of the day and where is it going to take place? Will it be in the open air or in a closed space?

Make sure the fabric is adequate to the season, for example silk can be damaged in moist environments.

By the time you choose your wedding dress, you must pay attention to the fact that you will be wearing it for a whole day. So, you should really try it on: stand up, raise your arms, and make it spin… these are all gestures that you will certainly do on your wedding day.

Don’t buy a smaller dress intending to lose some weight to fit on it. You will feel better in a dress that fits you good.

Choose a dress according to your silhouette. Dresses cut in A shape, or princess style (instead of having the waist above the hips, have it bellow the arms) fit best women who are a bit more chubby.

The secret for choosing an ideal dress for your body type is to choose a dress that helps people look away from the problematical areas, like very broad hips, very big busts, short legs, etc. For example: a bow at the end of your back will not disguise a big bottom, it will, on the contrary, attract the attention to it. A dress with no neckline, very close to the bride’s neck, or a very wavy one will make a big bust look even bigger.

If you want to emphasize your curves, choose fabrics that are malleable and not

very stiff, that stick to the body. If you wish to mold or disguise your curves, choose stiff and little malleable fabrics.

For a “pear like” silhouette (part of the hips and legs bigger that the body) dresses cut in a column or very tightened should not be an option. Choose princess like dresses cut in A shape, they tend to shrink your hips!

To elongate your trunk or to diminish a broad waist, choose a dress with a bodice with a V silhouette, this will take away all the attention from your waist and also elongate your trunk.

Simple types, without many trimmings, fit shorter women best.

Combine your veil with your dress. Dresses in column with no sleeves and tightened dresses match long cathedral veils. Wide dresses and ballerina like dresses match short veils or veils up to the waist. Basically, the more elaborate and ornamented the dress is, the simpler the veil should be.

Consider the color type that best suits you, check to see if the tone of your skin matches the color of your dress. Don’t forget that the light at the shop is not the same that there will be on your wedding day.

Meet a bride’s dresses seamstress to find out which cut fits you best.

Don’t focus only on the dress, there are certain accessories you should not forget, such as: the gloves, the veil, the bouquet, the jewelry and the hair ornaments. You must think about all this accessories along with the dress, so that you won’t get an extremely exaggerated mixture! Choose everything in consonance.

Never let yourself be pressured by the person who is selling the dress, any dress takes a maximum of two months to be made. If that person tells you that it might be sold meanwhile, don’t worry about it. Buy it some time before and don’t give in to pressures.

A bride’s dress doesn’t always have to be a “bride’s dress.” A light colored cocktail dress, along with a bouquet and a veil is an example of an excellent choice. Another alternative is to ask your mother for her wedding dress and adapt it to your style.

In what concerns shoes, you should not buy very high heeled shoes and you should wear them at home for a few weeks before your wedding day. You might even consider buying two pairs, one of them of your size and the other one with a slightly bigger size, for when you feel really tired.

Courtesy of stylishweddingideas.com

can quickly and efficiently help you wade through the abundance of choices to narrow it down to a handful that are a good fit for you. Just because someone else loved a resort doesn’t mean it is your match, but your match is out there. We are also your advocate while you travel and there’s no price tag on piece of mind.

7. Enjoy the honeymoon planning process. No really, this is the fun part of wedding planning. This is how you will spend the first week of marriage, just the two of you. This is when you get away, explore a new destination, be pampered, enjoy each other’s company, and relax before returning to the real world. Your honeymoon is once in a lifetime-enjoy!

Jessica Herron is a Cortland-based travel planner at Sunny Day Travels specializing in Destination Weddings and Honeymoons. She can be reached at 216-990-8546 or jessica@sunnydaytravels.com.

Honeymoon from page B1

Page b3Cortland news - February 6, 2016 - Bridal

how to organize a wedding with less stress

Planning a wedding from start to finish is definitely not an easy task and can bring with it many moments of exhaustion and stress. As any bride and groom will tell you, planning a wedding involves decisions, responsibility for those decisions, each of which has their own cost of course. So, how to get away from all this responsibility and take a breather? How do you get through the process of planning a wedding without going crazy with all the details? Sometimes you just have to take a step back and get away from it all so that you can return calmer, renewed and with all the energy necessary to embrace the challenge that is planning a wedding. Here are some suggestions that will help you relax and de-stress during the entire process.

Go out to dinner with the girls/guysThere’s nothing like a night out with the

girls or the guys to forget about wedding planning and simply laugh and talk about good old girl and guy stuff. Before heading out to dinner, tell your friends that the word wedding is totally off limits and if anyone forgets and initiates a conversation about it, they have to buy a round of drinks for everyone else!

Plan a weekend where the topic “wedding” is forbidden

For an entire weekend, just be a couple – a boyfriend and a girlfriend who have not yet decided to get married. Reminisce about the first weeks and months you dated, flirt with each other, be lovers… and not a thought or word about weddings or wedding plans.

Go for a driveHold hands and head out for a drive to

the beach or to a local park or garden: once there, go for a romantic walk and talk about everything under the sun, except your impending wedding. Celebrate the fact that you can get away from it all, relax and enjoy each other’s company… continue sharing and making memorable moments.

Plan a game nightForget wedding planning for one night

and have some fun! Set up a game night with your favorite PlayStation, Wii, card or board games and just have a ball. Whoever loses has to be the other person’s slave for a day… doing what? Well, that’s entirely up to you…

Set up a sexy dateMake reservations at a great restaurant

and book a room at a fancy hotel – if possible with a romantic view! Get all dressed up, have a wonderful and elegant dinner, stop at a bar for a delicious cocktail, go for a moonlit walk and then top the night off at a luxurious hotel. Celebrate your love… you deserve it!

Work outIf you don’t have gym memberships

than get outside! If neither of you enjoy jogging, than go for a nice brisk walk, enjoy the outdoors and each other’s company – a perfect way to relax and forget all the wedding stress. If you do have gym memberships, than head on over there and get in a great workout: there’s nothing like getting the adrenaline pumping to forget all your worries.

Enjoy a romantic dinner at home If you both enjoy cooking or just want

to try out a new recipe together, than plan a night where you can do just that. Go shopping together for the ingredients: buy a bottle of champagne to enjoy with dinner, plan a sexy and easy to make recipe (so you don’t have to spend all night in the kitchen) and have fun preparing it. Then, set the mood with some candles, soft music and enjoy your romantic dinner, free of wedding talk.

Remember that your wedding day is only one day, so planning it should be a process that although may be difficult and stressful at times, should also be something fun, something that will help you grow closer, something that you’ll want to remember as a couple. During the entire wedding planning process, never forget what is most important: each other.

Courtesy of stylishweddingideas.com

underappreciated, overworked and broke after the wedding is over.Brides should be upfront about both time and financial expectations with their friends

when asking them to join their wedding party and understand if the answer is no.Martie Duncan is a nationally renowned wedding expert who has worked in the bridal

industry for more than 20 years. Duncan has consulted on episodes of “The Oprah Winfrey Show” and the film “My Best Friend’s Wedding” and is currently editor in chief of the uTANGO.com LifeMatters e-magazine (www.utango.com/LifeMatters).

Content courtesy of NewsUSA

I Do from page B1

Page b4 Cortland news - February 6, 2016 - Bridal

6 tips For planning your wedding photoslike a pro

With everything that goes into your wedding day, those once-in-a-lifetime moments will go by in a blur, which is why hiring a professional wedding photographer is a must. After all, the last thing you should be worrying about is whether your photographer will be able to capture your big day.

The key? Prepare yourself so that you can accurately evaluate the “right” photographer for you.

“The best photographer will take the time to build a rapport with you and use his or her experience and creativity to capture the mood, personality, ambiance and even the geography of your wedding,” says PPA (Professional Photographers of America) photographer Berit Bizjak. “The finest wedding photography is more than a series of still pictures. It’s physical poetry -- it tells the story of the day and portrays the essence of both people and place.”

To this end, PPA, the largest international nonprofit association created by professional photographers, has taken the guesswork out of the process by offering six tips to help you plan your wedding photos like a pro:

1. Book far in advance. The best photographers get booked quickly -- sometimes as much as a year in advance -- so don’t wait until the last minute to book your photographer.

2. Show them the money. Now is not the time to skimp on your photo budget. Call around and get a price range for services, and remember: after the cake is long gone, and the dress is stored away, your wedding photos will be the only things left to share and enjoy for years to come, so don’t cut too many corners on your photography budget -- you’ll end up regretting it.

3. Make sure your photographer is a real pro. Only hire someone who has liability insurance, experience taking

the style of photos you want, backup equipment and a plan for when things go south. Ideally, he or she is a PPA photographer. PPA photographers do more than just snap pictures. They have the technical expertise and artistry to make you look your best and bring your vision to life. They also abide by a strict code of ethics that makes a real difference. Watch this (video) to see real married couples share their stories.

4. Request to see a full gallery of real weddings. Look at full wedding coverage (not just a small selection of each wedding’s best moments) to see a photographer’s true style and get a sense of how he or she might tell your “story.” Do you prefer more artistic or traditional poses? Would you rather have a photojournalist approach or a mix of all styles?

5. Work with your photographer to create a detailed shot list. PPA wedding photographers can also help you create that shot list, as they know what key moments tell a wedding story and can prepare for those. But talk about your must-haves, and walk through the entire program with your photographer ahead of time. Share your expectations ahead of time to ensure that he or she captures the key shots, while remaining attentive and available to catch the best candid moments.

6. Plan your post-wedding photo strategy• ahead of time! Almost as soon as the festivities are over, you’ll be eager to look at the photos so you can relive your big day over and over again. Ask your photographer for teasers or a “sneak peek” and a timeline for when the rest of the pictures will be available. Will they give you an online gallery for family and friends to choose the images they want? Again, knowing these things ahead of time will make things easy on the back end, sparing you any heartache.

Content courtesy of NewsUSA

beFore you marry, meld and merge a perFeCtly aCCessorized home

Some brides-to-be might find it hard to think beyond the intense planning that a wedding requires. But beyond the pomp and circumstance of the big day, it’s important to think ahead to mergers -- not the corporate kind, but the merging of styles and décor to set up a home the bride and groom will both love.

Forget Mars and Venus. Men are from the planet of mismatched furniture and floor coverings, while women accessorize their home with as much care and finesse as they do their wardrobes. Ideally, decorating a first home together begins with the furniture and accessories near and dear to both the bride and groom.

But if a bride-to-be can’t live with her fiancé’s 1970s thrift store coffee table and orange bean bag chair, chances are he won’t be thrilled with her antique oak hope chest and ornately carved sleigh

bed. Can these two conflicting schemes co-exist after the couple has crossed the threshold?

Designer Home collections make it easier than ever to meld female and male sensibilities in home décor by offering products to suit a variety of styles. Bedding, furniture, fabrics, area rugs, flooring, storage accessories, table linens and window coverings are all designed to work in traditional and more updated settings. Here, florals and neutrals work remarkably well together, and tactile fabrics add depth, style and colorful nuance. No matter which room is the newlyweds’ favorite, bedrooms, baths and living rooms all can be decked out in style.

* Setting the tone. Choose a color scheme together, and creatively arrange furniture and accessories around it. Find a neutral ground to meld his love of earth tones, for example, with her love of soft fabrics. A mélange of colors and fabrics -- on everything from comforters to window valances -- will inspire looks ideal for both Mr. and Mrs.

* Splish, splash. Create an understated, clean look in the bath for him, but add accessories with a dash of color to satisfy a bride-to-be’s lively outlook. Bold shower curtains, wastebaskets and vanity items inject freshness and personality.

* Boudoir basics. Usher in a new home with a fresh set of bedding; couples can look for a variety of styles and colors designed to be dressed up or left as is for a classic look. Decorative pillows, shams, coverlets and throws complete the look and are a great way for wedding guests to add to the couple’s cozy love nest.

* Staples of style. If he loves a more modern style, but she wants a retro feel, furniture options in leather, fine fabrics, hardwood and wicker can readily mesh both personalities.

* Merging moods. She’s a homebody; he likes beaches and picnics. For bedrooms and living rooms, couples can combine sensibilities with bedding and furniture lines that bring the outside in, and vice versa. Try mixing a table from one line with a chair from another -- mixing it up is a playful way to punch up the personality of a room.

Just like in the corporate world, mergers can either run smoothly or be a headache. By considering the sensibilities the bride and groom share -- rather than just the differences -- creating a first home together can be one merger full of fringe benefits.

Content courtesy of NewsUSA

tips For brides on budgets

Between the thrilling proposal and the pre-wedding whirlwind; setting the date, finding the perfect wedding dress, planning the honeymoon; weddings should feel joyous and romantic.

But after the wedding, couples should enjoy their newly wedded bliss; not panic about digging themselves out of debt.

According to the Association for Wedding Professionals International, the average wedding costs between $18,000 and $21,000.

In these difficult economic times, couples might need to minimize the cost of their wedding. But brides on budgets do not need to whittle their guest list from 200

to 10. Here are some affordable and tasteful

measures couples can take to stay within their budget.

What eats up wedding cash? Wedding receptions usually account for half of a wedding’s cost. Dinner and drinks add up, especially if couples pay for a full or open bar.

To save money on the bubbly, couples should nix the mixed drinks. Soon-to-be-marrieds can serve champagne during the toast, then offer beer and wine for the rest of the evening. Give clumsier guests white wine, not red, and the evening should progress with fewer mishaps at a lower cost.

For dinner, couples should think outside the catering-company box. Local restaurants might make better deals. Classy catering can come from unexpected places.

After the reception, photography and videography are the second largest budget-breakers. Couples can hire a photographer and videographer for the ceremony, then leave reception photographs to friends, family and digital cameras.

To avoid the cost of a live band, brides and grooms can opt for MP3 playlists, customized CDs and speaker rentals over pricey bands.

Finally, hiring a wedding coordinator can save time, manage stress and get better deals.

So, here’s a toast to tweaking old traditions to make a dream wedding financially attainable and to save enough money for a long, relaxing honeymoon. Cheers!

Content courtesy of NewsUSA