My Little Advice Shop? The Planner Is In – we’ll give our 5 cents. Just ask!

Phew! End of a busy week, start of a busy weekend. We’re gonna stand still for a minute. Literally. Start your stopwatch. A minute here, a minute there, we have to grab the calm moments when they come. That goes for brides as well as wedding pros!

So – what does a person do to relax in the middle of the whirlwind?  Good question, and one we get a lot from brides and grooms.  We always share our go-to advice that applies to literally every question we are asked (except maybe ‘how do I tranquilize my mother?’). It fits the how to relax question well:

Breathe, stand up straight, and enjoy your moment.

  • Breathing deeply  and slowly in and out ten times is a lifesaver. This can be accomplished in the car, a department store dressing room, or the produce department at Ralph’s – just do it.
  • Standing up straight (or sitting up straight or adjusting your posture while lying down) gives you a moment to reconnect with yourself.  You’ll look better and feel better.
  • Last, enjoying your moment in this situation means fully embracing that this is a break, and not a time to create a meeting agenda in your head, or think about your seating chart.  You’ve been given a gift of 5, 10, 15 minutes, honor it and yourself and you will feel renewed.

Keep practicing as you plan for the big day and you’ll be an expert when it’s time to breathe, stand up straight, and enjoy your moment as you walk down the aisle.

pretty flowers - always relaxing.



The Ultimate Second Banana Wedding – bless her heart

The Daily Mail reports that Prince William’s cousin Zara Phillips is giving herself a new royal title: Lady Banana of Matrimony II.  Zara is engaged to marry her longtime rugby star boyfriend.  She’s beautiful, blonde, and will no doubt have a flawless wedding. BUT, you see, she’s managed to schedule it a few months after Wills and Kate’s to-do, therefore, the court graphic design team is very busy developing a new family crest featuring two majestically yellow pieces of fruit.  According to palace insiders, several designs have already been discarded as “too Tommy Bahama.”

After all, being 12th in line to the throne is very serious business, indeed.

From the ever-breathless People magazine…

Prince William’s Cousin Zara Phillips Sets Her Wedding Date

By Simon Perry

Wednesday March 09, 2011 04:00 PM EST

Prince William's Cousin Zara Phillips Sets Her Wedding Date 

Mike Tindall and Zara Phillips

Dave M. Benett/Getty

Pencil in another royal wedding on your calendar.

After much speculation about the date, Prince William‘s cousin Zara Phillips and her fiancé, rugby player Mike Tindall, have decided to marry on July 30 in Edinburgh, Scotland.
A simple statement was issued by the press secretary to Queen Elizabeth, Zara’s grandmother, on Wednesday. “Miss Zara Phillips and Mr. Mike Tindall will be married at the Canongate Kirk, Edinburgh, on Saturday, 30th July,” it read.

Phillips, 29, the daughter of William’s aunt, Princess Anne, is 12th in line to the throne. She and Tindall announced their engagement in December.Like William and Kate Middleton, who will wed April 29, Phillips and Tindall will have their post-nuptial reception at a palace – in their case, the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh.

Congratulations Zara…it’s all in good fun my dear.  Jolly good fun.

Arianna can get herself all in a Huff, but Emily will always be the Post with the Most.

Emily would actually have quite liked Arianna. She’s spunky, and, we imagine, never dull at a dinner party.  The same description applies to Peggy Post, the current Post holding the family post. Peggy has started answering etiquette questions in the New York Times, spicing up the online weddings section. We will be sharing some of them here from time to time.  “But wait,” you might be thinking, “you guys answer etiquette questions on the blog, isn’t she competition?” The answer is no, and here’s why. We freely admit that we don’t know how to properly greet the Queen of Norway. Peggy does.  She also is an enclyclopedia of knowledge about weddings, because it’s her full time job. Resources are always a positive. We liked this question and superb answer because it drilled down into a specific issue about guest lists which we discussed recently. So without further ado…

Q&A: The Well-Mannered Wedding

By PEGGY POST
Published: March 4, 2011
 

Your Wedding Questions Answered

Planning or attending a wedding, but not sure of the proper way to go about it? In the Well-Mannered Wedding. Peggy Post, a director of the Emily Post Institute and the great-granddaughter-in-law of its namesake, answers readers’ questions.

Who Deserves Plus-One Status?  

My boyfriend and I have had several heated discussions regarding the etiquette of inviting guests with a plus-one. He thinks everyone should get a plus-one, all other factors aside. I think that only guests in a serious relationship (i.e. long term, living together) should warrant a plus-one invitation. Can you settle the debate?

Monica A., Berkeley, Calif.

Let’s avoid sending either one of you to the etiquette penalty box. Today’s standard plus-one is someone who is married to, engaged to, living with and, yes, in a long-term relationship with the invited wedding guest. Beyond these “must invites,” your plus-one decisions will be based on budget and consistency. If it’s only a few and it’s not a budget buster, you might consider asking them all. But if that’s not the case (and let’s be realistic here), come up with a clear parameter. Even so, without a plus-one invitation, some of your single guests may not want to attend. In the end, that’s their choice.

Note to guests: You didn’t get a plus-one invitation and you have a new boyfriend? Be empathetic and don’t take offense. Be happy that you’re one of the “must be there” people on the bride and bridegroom’s guest list.

Can I get an Amen? Thanks Peggy and NYT!