Bridal University's Blog » Wedding Planning for Your Head!

Bon Bini! Aruba!

Wednesday, November 16, 2011 Posted in Island Bridal

Aruba is 13 miles North of Venezuela, with 365 days of sunshine J It’s part of the “ABC Islands” of Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao, far South in the Caribbean.

Southern Caribbean cruise routes stop in Aruba for great shopping and shallow wrecks, perfect for snuba-ing, scuba and snorkeling.

Flight schedules are also very handsome from the Midwest, however – great for land based vacations.

The island is also famous for casinos, nightlife, restaurants and miles of fabulous powdery white sand.

You can rent a car on the small island and drive the whole thing in a day. The best part is that they drive on our side of the road, it’s very slow paced and easy to navigate, and there are no dangerous areas, where you may feel uncomfortable on your own. The car rental companies hand out self-drive tour guides and maps upon rental. The rugged East side is gorgeous, but my favorite stop is at baby beach, for excellent self-guided snorkeling and scuba.

I have experienced almost every resort on the island, and there are no “dive’s.” There are certainly resorts geared toward specific clientele, such as adult only, quiet and boutique, metro, and family friendly.
Arubans are among the most educated people in the world, speaking English, Spanish, Dutch and Papiamento fluently. Many also speak French and German. And the most friendly!
“Bon Bini!” It means “Welcome” …On the island of Aruba, you truly are.

by JWayland

no comments

add a comment

link to this post

email a friend

Allerton Park Wedding Gets Published on Style Me Pretty Blog

Friday, October 28, 2011 Posted in Announcements, Mark Romine Photography

We are both happy and excited to announce that our September 3rd wedding from Allerton Park has just been published on the Style Me Pretty (SMP) wedding blog this morning! Congrats to Katie and Jared and Katie’s mother for all the hard work that they put into creating such a gorgeous unforgettable wedding! Jess and I feel honored to have been given the opportunity to be part of such a beautiful event. It is hard to come away from a wedding like this without bringing home some great photos. So thanks to Katie and Jared for making our job so much fun. Thanks ever so much to my great helper Jess, she did a great job, as always! Here is the link to the blog post SMP: Katie and Jared Please feel free to leave a comment on the blog post about the wedding and/or photos. We love hearing your comments.

mark

by admin

no comments

add a comment

link to this post

email a friend

Romance: Restaurants with a View

Wednesday, August 10, 2011 Posted in Island Bridal

A typical view at the Seven Glaciers restaurant in Girdwood, Alaska.

In Phoenix, you can find dramatic city views at the Compass Arizona Grill. It’s the state’s only revolving rooftop restaurant. The Compass Arizona Grill is located atop the Hyatt Regency hotel. It’s one of two hotel restaurants in Phoenix to make OpenTable’s Top 50 “most scenic restaurants” list.

Also in Phoenix, the restaurant Different Pointe of View lets diners eat 1,800 feet above the Valley of the Sun.

In Indianapolis, the Eagle’s Nest restaurant at the Hyatt Regency hotel has 360-degree city views.

Soak up San Francisco’s iconic views at Grandviews atop the Grand Hyatt hotel. Look for the San Francisco Bay, the Golden Gate Bridge, Coit Tower, Alcatraz and more from the 36th floor windows

In Atlanta, Nikolai’s Roof offers views from the 30th floor of the Hilton Hotel.

Phoenix Revolving

by JWayland

no comments

add a comment

link to this post

email a friend

Gift Bags for Out-of-Town Guests

Wednesday, May 25, 2011 Posted in Hilton Garden Inn

Many people travel to attend weddings. For those who are traveling, it is a nice gesture to create welcome bags for those guests. As these guests are from out of town, they may need a map of the area and some suggestions on what to do in town. If they are attending the entire weekend, it may be helpful to note where the best restaurants are, hot spot to visit while in town, or even where the nearest convenience store is in case they have last minute needs.

A schedule of the weekend’s events is also nice to put in a welcome bag. With the schedule, your guests can plan accordingly for anything extra that they may want to do while in town. If they know that they have a 2 hour window, they may want to go shopping or do something to relax. Having a schedule will also let people know when you want them at specific places and it reduces your stress of getting everyone in one place. Of course, people will always be a little tardy to wedding events, so bump up those times about 15 minutes to assure that everyone arrives in a timely manner.

A map for the out-of-town guests is also a helpful piece of information to include in a welcome bag. At the minimum if you can put in a map to the ceremony and then to the reception, many guests would appreciate that. You may also be able to talk to the local convention and visitor’s bureau and get local maps for the entire town. If that is true, you could highlight the ceremony and reception areas on the map.

Besides schedules and maps, it is very nice to add in snack foods that your guests can enjoy. Bottles of water, bags of chips, candy bars, and hard candies are always nice additions to welcome bags. Maybe you want to give a $5 gift card to a local restaurant for breakfast or a coffee shop. Giving your guests anything is an extra nicety. You can determine your budget and a theme, so be as creative as you would like. If you do not want to put a lot of money into a welcome bag, a note personally thanking your guest for traveling is always a great touch.

no comments

Great Places in Spring!

Wednesday, February 23, 2011 Posted in Island Bridal

Spring is a great time to travel to Costa Rica! November-April is dry season (peak season.) May-November is rainy season. Manuel Antonio National Park is one of the Country’s best beaches. You can view monkeys, iguanas, and birds from the sand while avoiding the partying spring break crowd.