What a great New Jersey wedding Ceremony!

make lemonade. I officiated at a very cool wedding in Princeton that was handled by indefatigable Kate from the Koru Wedding Shop, one of our favorite links. It was a hot hot hot HOT (did I mention that?) day, and Kate thought to have a beautifully trimmed lemonade station to greet the guests as they entered. It was a touch of hospitality and grace that was appreciated by all, including their New Jersey Wedding Officiant (okay, okay, shameless plug alert) who wasn’t afraid that her lips would stick together during the beautiful lakeside ceremony!

If you are having your ceremony or reception at a site that is a little out of the way, you might want to consider this. Some of your guests will travel early so they don’t get lost, and that first cup of kindness goes a long way!

Thanks to Ken Grooms for his beautiful photo.

Lie. You heard it here first. Lie to everyone, lie like a dog in the road, but just a little. Tell everyone who has to do ANYTHING wedding related that they need to be in place by 15 minutes before you want them there. This isn’t actually as mean as you think; when they get there and realize that they have some breathing room, they’ll be thankful, you’ll be less stressed out, and your day can progress with a good start.

Oh, and don’t let them see this post or they’ll catch on…….

Today is National Popcorn Day, so in honor of that auspicious occasion, I had some for breakfast (thankfully it wasn’t National Vodka Gimlet Day, or there would be no posting at all……). Popcorn is wonderful stuff; everyone loves it, it just looks like fun, and a gourmet variety would make a wonderful addition to your cocktail hour. We make a mix of popcorn, pignoli nuts or toasted almonds, little pretzels and Oriental rice crackers. Toss that all with melted butter, a little kosher or rough cut salt, pepper and throw it in big silver bowls on the bar. Yum Yum. When I’m at home, in my jammies, I add chunks of fresh mozzarella, sliced sun dried tomatoes and roasted garlic, and pan fried garbanzo beans. Wash it all down with a Gimlet (but not for breakfast, okay?)

And often, there is too darn much of it. Ask your banquet hall or caterer if they work with organizations like “Table to Table” or “Second Harvest”, where they can donate the leftovers for those who need them the most. WWW. Secondharvest.org

if you’re looking for inspiration for signature drinks and cool bar offerings, you can’t go wrong with www.cocktailtimes.com. They have recipes for stylish and colorful drinks, information on how much to buy for how many guests, and all kinds of ideas for personalizing your bar. Definately worth a look!

Peridot cocktails, anyone?

Karen is my “go to girl” for our tie-dye shower parties, and she does a great presentation. I hope some of you will have a chance to check her out tonight. This is the press release for her event, graciously hosted by the Allendale Garden Club.

The Allendale Garden Club meets at

The Brighton Gardens 5 Boroline road in Saddle River, NJ

Wednesday, January 17, 2007 7:30PM

Free Admission

“Creative Entertaining” by Karen Skoglund

Karen will entertain you with a power point presentation on how to give your next party that professional flair that will amaze and delight your guests. You will be inspired to create your own unique party starting with the invitations and ending with the goodie bags. She will show you how to set a beautiful table using ordinary household items. Karen has catered her own theme parties for many years and worked with the artists for their opening receptions at the Paterson Museum. A resource list will be given out.

Karen Skoglund is the owner of Karens Kreations

* Professional Personal Party Service & Creative Entertaining

* Unique Tie-Dye Parties and Events

* Private & Group Sewing Lessons

*Custom Wearable-Art Clothing

For more information:

Karen Skoglund 201-689-1376 kreation@optonline.net

first in a series of periodic ideas for First Dances.

Unforgettable; Nat King Cole
The One ; Elton John
I Can’t Help Falling in Love with You; Elvis (okay, you KNEW there would be ONE Elvis on the list…..)
Some Enchanted Evening; South Pacific
True Companion; Marc Cohen
Funny Valentine; any and all versions
Isn’t it Romantic; Michael Feinstein
Wee Small Hours of the Morning; Frank Sinatra
Change in My Life; Rockapella

To be continued!

And I don’t mean eyeshadow. Nope nope nope. At some point between NOW and your wedding, you’ll want to perfect the makeup you’ll be wearing that day. You’ll probably be wearing white or ivory, and those colors make everything you put on look stronger. Less is definately more in the eyes, cheeks, lips department.

So do this; put on a white sweatshirt and experiement with colors. Not crazy ones; colors that look like you; colors that go with your skin, your hair and your personality. You’re gorgeous already, so keep it all simple, and your photos will actually look like YOU’RE in them.

This is not the day to reinvent yourself; it’s a day to feel comfortable in your skin, to bask in the glow of your natural beauty, to know that the relationship you’re entering into enhances you and enriches you in a way that nothing in a bottle or jar can. And that is beautiful.

Rehearsals are good; they let everyone know where they need to be during the ceremony. Why not start with the end first? Your banquet hall director, wedding coordinator or officiant will probably be running your rehearsal. Start by placing the entire bridal party, including kids, dogs, pot belly pigs, ferrets, in the places that they will end up as they await your arrival at the ceremony focal point,(could be an altar, a table, a gazebo). This way, they can all see what the ceremony tableau would be like in a perfect world; they will see the bigger picture,and their part in it. They will know what to do, and this will be relaxing. Relaxed bridal parties are wonderful things.

Your maid or matron of honor will need to be close enough to take your bouquet when you enter into the ring vows. The best man needs to be close enough to hand you or your officiant the rings, which should be in his pocket, NOT in a box; this minimized fumbling at a moment that is key to the flow of the ceremony. (I prefer to have the rings handed directly to the couple; if one of them drops a ring, it’s funny and memorable; if I drop one, it’s unprofessional.) You want everyone close enough to you and each other that the photos will get capture everyone

After that, rehearse their departure down the aisle; this is a detail that is often overlooked; the grace of the recessional is just as important as the organization of your entrance.

A nice touch that one of my clients incorporated was to have the two sets of parents accompany them as they recessed down the aisle with the bridal party. It was an intentional and heartfelt gesture of respect for their part in the lives of the bride and groom.

Why not get married on a Monday? You’ll get an amazing price on the reception, and your New Jersey wedding celebrant (okay, I have my shameless promotion moments…) will be thrilled to officiate. There was a wonderful article in the New York Times a bit back pointing out that the theatres were dark on Mondays, so it was the perfect day for actors to get married. What a great idea!

There is also something philosophically renewing about Monday; it’s the day we all start diets, clean the house, start anew; what better backdrop for a wedding!