Category: Off Beat

Ah, your bridesmaids…those girls who have been there for you for years, living through all your boy-drama and, lately, all your wedding-planning drama. They’re shelling out hundreds to be in your wedding and you’re supposed to give them a gift at the event to show your thanks. My problem is that so often those “attendant” gifts are just…lame.

As the Location Scout for Here Comes The Guide, I’m always on the lookout for really intriguing or unusual places where brides or meeting planners can hold their weddings or events. Going to the free concerts at Rancho La Patera & Stow House seems like a wonderful way to check out an event site. If you make it to any of these concerts at the Ranch or have visited this property, let us know what you think of the place. Should we include them in our next book or on our website?

Maybe it’s just me, but I’ve always found the ringbearer’s pillow a bit “precious”, if you know what I mean. A little too soft, a little too satin for my clean, modern sensibility.

Not everyone has the luxury of shopping for their wedding dress in an upscale boutique, flattered and pampered by friends and admiring salespeople. You think trying to find a parking place within a mile of that chic downtown salon is tough? Read what former bride Lisa Haines (now Mrs. Haines-Betteinger) wrote to me:

In this day and age, why should a woman wait for a man to propose? If you don’t think your guy will feel threatened by you popping this all-important question (and why would he?), then plan your approach, pick your moment, and gather your courage. I know one brave woman who recently did just that.