Annual Bridal Event Coming Up

Okay ladies. Grab your friends, bring your camping gear (if you want to be first in line, you’ll camp out overnight) and head over to Filene’s Basement’s annual Running of the Brides being held at their Rockville, Maryland location on Friday, April 3.

You know how crazy it is. You’ve seen it on TV. But where else do you have the chance to find your dream designer wedding gown for under $700?

According to Filene’s, there will be 1500 – 3000 gowns to choose from and are priced at $249, $499 and $699. Their original prices were $900 - $9,000 plus! Some gowns that were purchased from other retailers have the original price tag attached, so you will see your savings instantly.

Check out their Web site for more details at www.filenesbasement.com/bridal/

So, get your running shoes on and go!

Simple, Yet Delicious!

Okay. So, this post has nothing to do with weddings. But, it does have to do with something else I love and that is – chocolate! Yes, I confess I am a chocoholic. It’s a disease I have lived with as long as I can remember. I am not looking for a cure anytime soon. I live, breathe and eat chocolate 24/7. Well, maybe not that much because I can’t while I’m sleeping, but almost. I do, at least, have some form of chocolate everyday.

A friend of mine e-mailed me the other day with a chocolate cake recipe that you can make and be eating, literally, in five minutes! No lie. Little did she know I would go nuts over it. Maybe you’ve heard of it already. It’s called “5 Minute Chocolate Mug Cake.” Recipe follows at the end of this post.

As soon as I read the recipe and saw how easy it was, I immediately made it and made two because I wanted to share it with my family later that night for dessert. I had a large mug that when I cut the cake in half, it was still a generous portion to serve. I actually could have eaten the whole mug of cake myself, but I wanted my family to indulge my disease with me that night. I didn’t have any icing on hand, so I just drizzled chocolate syrup over it. Mmmmmm! It’s not “Death by Chocolate” good, but it is certainly good enough to satisfy my chocolate fix for the day or, at least, for that moment.

For all my fellow chocoholics, I wanted to share this recipe with you, so you could have your chocolate fix for the day, too.

I was going to take a picture to show you, but I ate it too fast.

So, what are you waiting for? It’s only five minutes away!

5 MINUTE CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE

4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)
A small splash of vanilla extract
1 large coffee mug

Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well.
Add the egg and mix thoroughly.
Pour in the milk and oil and mix well.
Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla extract, and mix again.
Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts.
The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed!
Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired.
EAT!
(this can serve 2 if you want to share)

New Ideas for Bridesmaids and Groomsmen Gifts

So, I was just surfing the zappos.com site just to look for inspiration and new ideas for bridesmaids and groomsmen gifts and I found these wonderful things.

How about giving your “princesses” aka bridesmaids a little “Princess” fragrance gift pack from Vera Wang? These were designed “for a modern princess with a unique sense of style and total zest for life.” Doesn’t that describe the ladies standing up for you at your upcoming wedding? They sell for $78 and zappos.com is offering FREE shipping. How can you pass that up?

If that’s not appealing to you, how about a beautiful satin clutch from Jessica McClintock? These particular ones come in five different colors: pink, champ, silver, sage and ivory. There are also other styles and colors available. The one I have pictured is only $36.

For the guys, how about “Black” by Kenneth Cole? “Black is bold. Black is masculine. Black is timeless.” This set goes for $65.

Or, another choice for the guys is Vera Wang for Men. It “…exudes the seductive and masculine aura of oriental aromatics for the man of impeccable taste and refinement.” The price is $72.



Again, all these items from zappos.com includes FREE shipping. Check it out!

Postage Rates Going Up Again

In case you are not up on the latest USPS news, they are once again raising the price for a first-class postage stamp from $0.42 to $0.44 effective May 11, 2009. Envelopes weighing 1oz – 2oz will be increased from $0.59 to $0.61.

What does this mean for you as a bride? It means if you are planning to mail your invitations after May 11 or your response date is after May 11 (you will be putting postage on your response envelopes, right?), you will need to either purchase the “Forever” stamps now to keep your postage at $0.42 or you will need to purchase stamps at the new rate of $0.44.

If you don’t want your invitations to be mailed with a Liberty Bell as your stamp, (not very “weddingish,” is it?) the USPS is releasing two new wedding stamps in the designs pictured below. The wedding rings will be available at the new rate of $0.44 intended to use for your response cards or very light invitations. The wedding cake will be available at the new rate of $0.61 intended to use for the heavier weight of invitations or oversized cards.



So, make sure you plan accordingly and always take a completed wedding invitation to the post office first to weigh it to ensure you do purchase the correct postage.

Happy stamping!

Must See! Bethesda North Marriott

A couple of weeks ago, I went on another site visit – this time to the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center located at 5701 Marinelli Road, Bethesda, Maryland. They held a tasting/tour event for area wedding planners.

I was greeted by Kristin Montalbano with New Media Strategies hired by Marriott Hotels. They specialize in social media marketing. Olaf Leikvoll, Director of Catering Sales and Katie Kulp, Catering Sales Executive for Bethesda North Marriott gave us the tour of their new additions which included a Presidential Suite for $1,750 per night. We also saw one of their conference hospitality suites and a standard suite. They were all beautifully decorated and included every amenity you could think of. Luxurious!

After the tour, we then went back down to a section of the Grand Ballroom where the Executive Chef, David Creamer, showed off some of their new specialty menu items. We didn’t get to sample those, but we did get to sample the desserts, which were delicious! Beautiful presentations on all the food – almost looked too good to eat. I just wish I had remembered to bring my camera. Ugh!


The Grand Ballroom is 23,500 square feet and can sit 1,000- 1,200 people, including a large dance floor. If your wedding isn’t quite that large, the Grand Ballroom does break down to smaller rooms.

Prior to the ceremony, the hotel provides a dressing area for the wedding party with a complementary bottle of champagne.

The Bethesda North Marriott’s typical wedding reception package includes the following:

Five Hours of Top Shelf Bar Service
***
Selections of Hors D’oeuvres Elegantly Displayed and
Passed Butler Style during the Cocktail Hour
***
Five Course Dinner
Including Appetizer, Salad, Intermezzo, Entrée, and Dessert
***
Wine Service with Dinner
***
Wedding Cake
***
Champagne Toast
***
White Floor Length Tablecloths
Centerpiece Mirrors and Votive Candles
***
Extra Large Dance Floor
***
Private VIP Reception Room for the Bridal Party
***
Complimentary Overnight Accommodations for the Bride and Groom
With Turn Down Service, Champagne and Breakfast in Bed for Two
***
Discounted Sleeping Room Rates for Your Guests

So, if you are still looking for that perfect reception site, why not try the Bethesda North Marriott?