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Win a pair of Nokia phones and a Honeymoon!

Announcing my new position as the Bridal Spokesperson for Nokia's new Intrigue!

With wedding season around the corner and brides looking to simplify the planning process, technology tools are taking the place of the personal wedding planner for a new generation.


Sharon Naylor, bridal expert and author of more than 35 wedding books – including 'Home From the Honeymoon' to be released in May – is available for in-person or phone interviews. Sharon has partnered with Nokia to help brides use technology to plan the wedding of their dreams, without the stress! From keeping in touch with far away bridesmaids to avoiding late fees, Sharon will show consumers how to use technology to make the entire planning process a breeze!

Wedding Planning Tips

Share Updates: Allow long-distance friends and relatives to get in on the fun wedding details by posting quick and easy updates to Twitter or Facebook right from your mobile phone.
Stay Organized: Organization is key to saving money and limiting wedding stress! Your phone can be your ultimate wedding organizer. For example, with the Nokia 7205 Intrigue, available at Verizon Wireless, you can lose the big, heavy wedding binder and access all of your important phone numbers, calendar and images of your dress, your venue and your dream flowers in one light device.
Map it Out: Use free online mapping sites such www.weddingmapper.com to create your wedding map. This handy tool allows you to create a personalized map of your ceremony, reception, hotels, etc for out of town guests.
Create your Virtual You to Save Time: Build a virtual model of yourself online at My Virtual Model (MVM.com) to try on your outfits for every bridal occasion. Invite your wedding party including bridesmaids and mother of the bride to do the same. Doing it all online instead of traveling to stores saves time and budget.
Streamline Your Guest List: Skip the traditional reply cards and invite your guests to R.S.V.P. online through your personal wedding web site at The Knot.com. Your guest list will be easy to manage and you can check for updates anytime from your mobile device or at home!

Nokia is also hosting a Tech Savvy Bride Sweepstakes for one lucky bride to win a seven-night honeymoon package and a pair of Nokia 7205 Intrigues to share with her groom. Click here for more information: http://www.techsavvybride.com.

Please let me know if you are interested in scheduling an interview.

Have a smaller more intimate wedding!

I love that my fellow wedding authors are such wonderful people -- not at all agressively competitive, but so willing to partner up and work together well...which is why so many of the 'generous in spirit' pros skyrocket to the top!

Today, I'm recommending my colleague Christina's wonderful book Intimate Weddings. Here's more info on her terrific book:

Small weddings rock. In fact, thanks to the economy, small weddings are one of the biggest trends of 2009.

If you are one of the thousands of brides planning a small wedding, check out Christina Friedrichsen’s Intimate Weddings: Planning a Small Wedding that Fits Your Budget and Style.

In Intimate Weddings: Planning a Small Wedding that Fits Your Budget and Style , Christina Friedrichsen shows you how to plan a wedding that is small in scale but full of your personality and style. Inside you will find:

* Inspiring stories and advice from couples who have planned small and intimate weddings

* Creative location, ceremony and reception ideas for throwing a wedding that matches your personality

* Inventive ways to get loved ones involved with wedding planning and the wedding day events.

* realistic wedding budgets from real-life couples.

It's time to think outside the "big wedding" box and explore the possibilities of a small and intimate wedding. Before you walk down the aisle, consult the guide that shares your perspective: Intimate is ultimate! And don’t forget to check out www.intimateweddings.com which lists more than 1,300 small wedding venues throughout North America. The website also has a blog (www.intimateweddings.com/blog) with heaps of helpful information on planning a small wedding.

Get your copy at the website now!

What have YOU won with 'Love Bets'?

My book 'Love Bets' has people winning great things! And enjoying *losing* bets to their partner, when the payout is something they really, really want to do.

My publisher and I would love to hear what YOU'VE won from your partner in the 'Love Bets' you've made while using the book. When The Today Show and Good Morning America plan their segments on this book, we just might bring you along to share your story!

Get your copy of the book here.

SmartMoney's hot destinations

Looking for a great deal on a destination wedding or honeymoon hotspot? SmartMoney.com has just released its exciting, exotic list of destinations where the dollar is strong and the scenery spectacular for your smart wedding site shopping: www.smartmoney.com/Spending/Travel/6-Vacation-Spots-to-Stretch-Your-Dollar/.

Dream big. Spend small. Travel wisely.

Check out my budget-saving books at www.sharonnaylor.net/books.htm

Set aside an emergency fund!

With the wedding plans in full swing, you might be looking at your bank account and credit cards, maybe your tax refund check, as your All-Wedding-Access-Cash. But be careful...

Take a bunch of your money and put it away, safely in an emergency fund. There's no protective bubble that forms around brides and grooms the minute you get engaged. Since we live in a world where anything can happen, you have to make sure that you have a nice chunk of change available to use if any emergencies come up.

Right now, I'm sitting in a tarped-off room while plumbers jackhammer my foyer floor away, looking for a pipe problem under the house. If this had hapened last year, while my husband and I were planning our wedding, we would have lost our minds.

An emergency doesn't have to involve plumbers. It could be a new tire that you have to get for your car to replace a flat. A co-pay at the doctor's office for an antibiotic. Your dog's vet bill. Small or large, you need that money set aside so that you have peace of mind as well, and are not fighting with your groom-to-be about money.

So stash some cash away, and if you have it leftover when the wedding arrives, that's Play Money for the Honeymoon (or a smart start on your married life emergency fund.)

Get your copy of The Bride's Survival Guide to find out how else you can save your wedding, your sanity and your relationship!

My new logo! And Sharon's white tee shirt contest!

The Sharon Naylor brand gets a makeover today, as I select the winner of my brand logo competition...and here it is! So my new brand logo is official, and VistaPrint is working on my letterhead, business cards, presentation folders, and very cute tee shirts that you will be able to order through my site very soon.

So this starts Contest #2: please share your ideas for the tee shirt wording! I'm looking for funny or sweet -- nothing Bridezilla-ish.

Listen to something better than the news

Image courtesy of Caneel Bay on St. John.


How much more scary news can we take? Immersing yourself in the downer of the day is only going to depress you, so find a more soothing voice to listen to. In my world, it's Kerstin Sjoquist, who has created beautiful meditation CDs and downloads on her site.

You'll also find a little something on her site that she worked on with me, so check it out!

Oh, and I'm newly on Twitter, so follow me at @sharonnaylorwed.