Be one of the first to have the opportunity to shop the heavily discounted, drop dead gorgeous wedding gowns offered at the Brides Against Breast Cancer Gown Tour!! Onewed has **free**  tickets for VIP nights and power hours for upcoming June, July and August Brides.(tickets can normally cost up to $40 per bride). Many of the dresses are new and have been donated by stores or designers, and you won’t want to miss this!
Register now at OneWed and win these tickets by doing either of the following things:

1) Leave a message on the BABC Facebook Page saying:
I want OneWed to send me to the BABC event in (name of city), make sure to include a link to this story (you can use this tiny link to make it easier: http://bit.ly/8YpFJh). Once you’ve done that, come back here, tell us you did it and leave a comment letting us know your name, your email and what city you want to go to.

OR

2) Send a tweet saying: I want @onewed to send me to the @babctour in (name your city) #breastcancer http://bit.ly/8YpFJh then come back here tell us you did it and leave a comment letting us know your name, email and what city you want to go to.

You have to do this at least 2 days before the sale so that we can make sure to get you on the list!

The first TEN (10) brides to respond for each city win a free ticket for themselves and a friend!

Here are the upcoming June, July and August tour VIP dates, more info can be found on their site.

Lincoln, RI: June 25 at 6 PM Twin River Casino
Houston, TX: June 25 at 6 PM Renaissance Houston Greenway Plaza Hotel

Austin, TX: July 2 at 10 AM, Renaissance Austin Hotel (Power Hour)
Charleston, WV: July 11 at 10 AM, Marriott Charleston Town Center (Power Hour)
Syracuse, NY: July 16 at 6 PM, Renaissance Syracuse Hotel
Dallas, TX: July 23 at 10 AM, Hilton Arlington (Power Hours)
Jacksonville, FL: July 23 at 6 PM, Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront
San Antonio, TX: July 31 at 10 AM, JW Marriott San Antonio (Power Hours)

Tulsa, OK: August 6 at 10 AM, The Mayo Hotel (Power Hours)
St. Louis, MO: August 14 at 10 AM, St. Louis Union Station Marriott (Power Hours)
Kansas City, MO: August 19 at 6 PM, Evergreen Events in Paola
Pittsburgh, PA: August 20 at 6 PM, The Fez Banquet and Events Center
Ft. Lauderdale, FL: August 28 at 11 AM, Hilton Deerfield Beach (VIP Champagne Brunch)

I am officially unplugging for the weekend to go home and celebrate Easter with my family.  I hope every bride always remembers they need to take some time off to relax, or the stresses of planning will overwhelm you!   Get out and enjoy the weather – I will see you all Monday!

source: Chicago Tribune

Source: Comedy Central Presents

Jake choose Vienna in last nights finale… I have no comments on where I think that relationship will go.

But next week we will be lucky to experience Jason and Molly’s wedding from a previous season wed.  We watched them as they fell in love and went through their ups and downs on reality TV, so it seems only right for us to tune in next Monday, March 8th.

My personal favorite is to see the details of the day, the color combinations, flowers and attire of the bridal party.  I am not proud that I still shamelessly watch Bachelor, but I am secretly looking forward to next Monday.

Do you think Jake and Vienna will be the next to get married on TV?

Even though the honeymoon may be over, who says you can’t relive the excitement and passion every year?  Plan either a weekend getaway or a week long adventure with you and your husband to remember why you fell in love in the beginning.  Laugh about your ups and downs and dream about the exciting memories you have yet to come!

Source: Onewed

A year a half ago my sister wrote me a letter before my wedding and posted it on her blog.  This is her way of expressing herself and it was her speech to me and everyone who will read it, of what she would want me to know before I married Josh that day (We both ended up marrying Josh’s).  Today is her birthday and I want to celebrate all sisters, especially mine!  As a sister you are there no matter what to love and support the other, no matter how different you are or what the situation may be.  I have learned that is the funny thing about family, you stop asking why or how and you love blindly and unconditionally.  My sister was lucky to find her Josh who I know loves her and takes care of her every day.  Her hobbies and interests couldn’t be further from mine which makes them all the more interesting to me.  She is able to manipulate coupons to save money and harvest, can and cook with her own vegetables from her garden.  She will be programming a computer during the day and go home and cook a 4 course meal without any recipes.   I still have a lot to learn from her but am happy to be celebrating with her today! Happy 26th!

Speaking in front of a crowd is always nerve wrecking – if your sister’s or brother’s wedding is coming up make it personal and write them a letter… Mine Did!

Dear Caroline,

Four days.

In four days, you’ll be married. A lot will happen between now and then. Your friends and family will arrive in town. You’ll be whisked from place to place for all the dinners and luncheons leading up to the Big Day. Much giggling and anticipation and primping will go on, and this day you’ve waited years and years for will finally arrive, and you and Josh will be married.

Two years ago today, June 3rd, 2006, I married my Josh. The event was very different than all you have planned- but we’ve always known we are different. Our events reflect ourselves and the relationship we’re celebrating. I wouldn’t have changed one thing about our day, and I’m sure you’ll feel the same about yours! (Well, unless it rains.)

I challenge you for a moment, in the midst of the chaos and social events and preparations, to think of what YOUR next two years will look like. You’ve watched Josh and I, and we both know you and your Josh will have different adventures over the next two years. We moved to the suburbs less than half an hour from both our parents- you guys are headed to the Big City a few hours away, living the high life in a high rise. We chose to settle down in our psuedo-farm, and you guys will be jet-setting all over the country. Our lives will continue to be different, as they always have been.

As different as our circumstances will look, however, you will face many of the same things we have over the last two years. You’ll have to figure out how to manage your newfound salaries. You’ll have to learn to pay bills, deal with insurance, and make spending decisions together. You’ll have to decide what church to attend in the new area. You’ll have to decide together how to decorate the new place. You’ll have to cook. You’ll have to both figure out how to balance Couple Time with New Job time. You’ll have to figure out what chores each of you are good at or don’t mind doing and share responsibility in the home. These are all experiences every new couple has, and you guys will get comfortable with your own “groove”.

Figuring out who takes out the trash or who cooks dinner or who sends the check to the electric company will all fall into place- as long as you guys communicate often and well. Communication, frequently and respectfully, has been the biggest part of making us a Team. When we listen to each other, feelings don’t get hurt, no one gets misunderstood, and problems get solved better and faster. It will be especially critical for you guys, if Josh ends up traveling a good part of the time. Keeping up with each other, taking time each evening to reflect on your day and be a part of each other’s lives each evening after the rush and stress of work will be so important.

This morning Josh said to me, “I need you. That’s what I’ve learned over the past two years.” I can wholeheartedly agree. At my first anniversary, I looked back and saw that Josh had allowed me to blossom- to become more of who I am. This year, I look back and see how we’ve spent the last two years becoming one. We’re more a team today than we ever have been, and I know we will continue this mystical becoming-one, team-making process for the rest of our lives. We need each other more than ever before. We work together and alongside each other to get mutual and individual goals accomplished, and it is a joy to serve one another. On your wedding day, Caroline, you’ll be starry-eyed, head-over-heels in love with your Josh, absolutely certain the two of you could never be more in love. And then! After the wedding day! During the following months, you’ll be amazed (as I was) how you can become even more in love than you are right now. 

Marriage is great. I highly recommend it. I’m excited for you.

Love, 
Your big sister

The note you write your sister/brother won’t be forgotten, it will be saved and re-read later on.

Happy Birthday Joanna!

2009 took me

… through my first year of marriage

… on a cruise in the middle of a swine flu scare

… All over Manhattan

… On an exciting adventure with Bubbly Bride Blog

… Supporting my husband through his CPA degree

… Only two trips to the emergency room (all for the husband)

… Rocked out in the Rock and Roll Mini Marathon

… On a rigorous attempt to get healthy with much more cooking and many more lunges

… To seven friends weddings.. all uniquely fabulous

… Found my dream apartment looking over the Chicago River & Wrigley Building

… Started my Project 365 – taking a photo a day and documenting my year

… Successfully hosted my 2nd Family Thankgiving and proudly did not burn the turkey

… Upgraded our TV to a 50 inch… Now I can never go back!

… Created a bucket list which left a lot of exciting thing to cross off

… Reaching over 100% of my sales goals in a down economy

These are only 15 of the amazing memories I have from 2009… BRING ON 2010!!

Head to the closest Target, Walmart, Meijer or even Macy’s.  The more upscale the store, the more of a challenge you will have staying within your budget.  Give each other a $10 limit to spend and a 25 – 30 minute time frame.  Split up and spend time shopping for a small gift for the other person.  You will be surprised with a small budget how creative you can get with a gift, and who doesn’t love getting gifts:).  My boyfriend and I have done this and end up laughing so hard sometimes at what we end up with!  You can create rules around the gift such as it has to begin with a certain letter or be in the others favorite color-  or you can just let loose in the store and see what the other person ends up with.

Many guys have the same first reaction ‘I hate shopping, what kind of fun date is that’?  My two responses to that are 1. You will love the smile on your girlfriends/wife’s face when you bring her back even the smallest of gift and 2. This isn’t just shopping, this is shopping with a mission!  You have one goal to accomplish and it is to find something that will surprise, excite and make your girl smile!

One suggestion is set the rule that the $10 gift has to be something that you ‘can do together for the evening’.  You would be surprised how many things under $10 you can find at Target.. I wont leave you with any hints but you can go in many directions with this

What are other budget dates you and yours have been on?!