COOKIES!!!!

I *love* Cheryl & Co's frosted cookies. Love 'em, love 'em, love 'em! These are fantastic for bridal shower desserts, as shower favors, as wedding favors (especially the fall flavors for fall weddings) and as additions to guest welcome baskets.

Check out their 30% off sale going on right now

Help with your registry choices

Do you really understand the differences between thread counts for sheets and blankets? Do you know the qualities of a *good* vacuum cleaner? Can you tell the different kinds of china apart? Check out the Product Guides at Bed, Bath & Beyond for glossaries and buyers' guides -- and yes, point-outs of their top registry items. It's Don't-Miss information for your best registry choices:

Product Guides
Air Purifiers
Gourmet Gadgets
Baby Monitors
Grooming
Bakeware
Heaters
Beauty
Humidifiers
Blankets
Irons
Blenders
Lamps
Breast Pumps
Luggage
Car Seats
Massagers
Child-Proofing
Mattress Pads
Closet Storage
Pillows
Coffeemakers
Safety Gates
Cookware
Scales
Cutlery
Sheets
Dental
Stand Mixers
Dinnerware
Strollers
Down Comforters
Tablecloths
Duvet Covers
Toasters
Espresso Machines
Top of the Bed
Feeding
Towels
Flatware
Vacuums
Food Processors
Water Filters
Furniture Covers
Window Treatments
Glassware

Go to the BB&B site for additional primers on china, stemware and other fun bridal shopping spree categories.

Best Bridal Party Gifts

Find fantastic bridal party gifts at Things Remembered. If you're looking at bracelets, though, be extra-careful about the circumference when it comes to your child attendants. I bought two bracelets for my flowergirls and they were WAY too big. Ths silver lining of today's shaky economy is that you'll find really nice sales at a lot of the retail stores for essential wedding purchases. Plus, we're headed for a holiday weekend, so that means more sales out there! Shop wisely, but know that you can get far better gift items for all of your bridal party members for far less than you might expect!

$9.99 bridesmaids' gifts!!

Since the average amount spent on a bridesmaid gift is in the range of $40 to $70 nationwide, I *had* to let you know about the limited-time-offer at ThingsRemembered.com. Check out these very cute bridesmaid and junior bridesmaid gifts for just $9.99! Engraving is extra, of course, but this is a great start!

How adorable are these?

These "Mint To Be" wedding mints were a big hit at our wedding! We had them placed in the restrooms, and guests were stuffing their purses and pockets with them! Joe gets credit for spotting these on the Kate Aspen wedding favors site, which I strongly encourage you to explore for the best, cutest, most useful and best-priced wedding favors on the market. Check out the destination wedding favors, and keep this site in mind for your family's additional upcoming parties, too!