Sign Andy & Angela's guestbook

We're getting ready for an unforgettable wedding at The Office! Sign the guestbook here.

Halloween weddings

That's right, they're more popular than ever! Wedding couples who want to do something different, or those -- like us -- who just *love* the holiday can now custom-design their own pumpkin carving patterns using this great tool at Better Homes and Gardens. Or go to the home page to find their lineup of very cool pumpkin patterns (I'm thinking of doing the Drippy Face pattern on my own pumpkin this year.)

With centerpieces being so expensive (over $150 for some floral arrangements), imagine the budget victory when you find a bunch of $10 pumpkins and invite your bridal party over a day or two before the wedding to carve all kinds of creative pumpkins for your centerpieces and decor. Put on some fondue or order pizzas, make some pumpkin bread and warm up some apple cider for a great night...perhaps even an even greater night if you took everyone to a family farm for locally-grown pumpkins and gourds.

Save hundreds of dollars and have fun with this design tool to make your Halloween or fall wedding extra-special! And browse through their many galleries to get fun new ideas on accessorizing pumpkins with veggies, branches, paint, etc. Some examples are amazing and some are cheesy, but you'll certainly get some fantastic inspiration for your DIY decor plans.

My upcoming books...

...are available for pre-order on Amazon. So far, I have *three* new ones launching in the first half of the new year, so I'm just about to lap my age in published books! I think that calls for a celebration at our favorite jazz club (http://www.shanghaijazz.com/).

Check out my new 'babies':

1001 Ways to Save Money...and Still Have a Dazzling Wedding:

http://www.amazon.com/1001-Money-Still-Dazzling-Wedding/dp/0071611452/ref=reader_req_dp

The Bride's Survival Guide:
http://www.amazon.com/Brides-Survival-Guide-Mistakes-Perfect/dp/1598698176/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1224078767&sr=1-8

In May, we celebrate the launch of my upcoming book "Home From the Honeymoon," so keep an eye out for your essential guide to what happens after the wedding!

Did J-Lo use my book?

E! reports that Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony renewed their wedding vows in Las Vegas this past weekend, with just two witnesses in attendance. I wonder if they used my book Renewing Your Wedding Vows? Whether or not J-Lo and Marc-Ant were inspired by my book, they show the new, big trend in renewing your wedding vows after the babies are settled into the nursery. Late-night feedings. Diaper changes. Who's getting up in the middle of the night. The nurturing of a newborn or two definitely inspires some nurturing of your spouse. So get ready for a big Renewing Your Wedding Vows boom, as new parents take a moment to reaffirm their vows and show appreciation for one another. This is exactly why I wrote this book -- to bring couples closer -- and I couldn't be more thrilled.

'Green' your wedding beauty preps

Going green has never been easier, especially with authors like Sophie Uliano providing us with great resources! As we prep for our weddings, we're trying out skin creams and tooth whiteners, new shampoos and conditioners...all in our attempts to look and feel our best, and some of these new products we're trying might contain insanely bad-for-you ingredients! You can't be the radiant bride if you're full of toxins! Do you really want a bad case of dandruff right before the wedding day because you're using a so-called botanical shampoo that has an unpronounceable ingredient that shreds your scalp? The answers are in this book! Download their Cheat Sheet as well, to look out for ingredients in the products you own as well as the products you're looking for to look your best.

I have to confess. I originally bought this book as a Christmas gift for my friend Jen, but I couldn't stay away from it, and now Joe and I are clearing out a lot of our toxin-filled ingredients in the ol' medicine cabinet and our shower. Let's just say we're going to be buying a LOT of Burt's Bees replacement items today.

They're not kidding when they say you look and feel good from the inside out, but slapping on creams and lotions is part of our ingrained beauty rituals! Check out this book and the book's website www.gorgeouslygreen.com to 'clean up your act,' be radiant on your wedding day, and give your bridesmaids a fantastic bridal party gift in the form of this book!

Not Just Any Old Day

Here's a find! Jewelry that marks a special day!

"NOT JUST ANY OLD DAY calendar charm keepsakes are a lovely new way of remembering, cherishing and celebrating a special occasion in your life. Designed to identify a significant month and day in the life of the person who wears it, the NOT JUST ANY OLD DAY solid sterling silver calendar charm (approximately ¾ inches by ¾ inches) is marked with a genuine Swarovski crystal stone on the date that holds a special meaning.NOT JUST ANY OLD DAY is designed to appeal to everyone, and with an extensive collection of necklaces, bracelets, key rings, money clips and letter openers, these charming trinkets make the perfect gift for men and women from 9 to 99. Whether it's for a birthday, anniversary, birth of a child, or any other significant date, they're wonderful for all occasions! The Not Just Any Old Day collection ranges from $98-$258 and is available at www.NotJustAnyOldDay.com.

The most innovative photo-sharing service I've seen yet!

You HAVE to check this website out! SeeYouThen.com provides a fabulous new service where all of your guests can upload their digital photos from all of your wedding events in *one organized place* for great photo-sharing opportunities. This is the most innovative program I've ever seen for photo-sharing, and I'm so pleased to have connected with them.

When Joe and I got married, we were quite fortunate to have many of our friends and family take terrific digital photos on our wedding day (our awesome professional photographer Rich was beyond superb, but one man can't be everywhere at once!). Each of our loved ones e-mailed us their photo collections, so we had a ton of separate websites to go to in order to see these snapshots. We had to sign in, create accounts, etc. With SeeYouThen.com, you and your guests get to see everything in one place! And here's the kicker: the site reminds your guests before the wedding to make sure their date and time stamps are accurate on their cameras, so that you can go into the website and request to see all of the photos from the cocktail party, or from the ceremony, from the first dance, etc. This program *collates* all of the many photos coming your way! Super-organized! I *wish* we had this for our wedding!

There are a ton of other features, from themed layouts, easy 1-minute creation of a personal website, and more. So go check it out, sign up, and spread the word. This site is a fantastic timesaver, and they'll even send you a DVD or USB stick with all of your images on it! I'm very impressed, and I know you will be too!

My "Bride's Diplomacy Guide" in Martha Stewart Weddings

Having 'People Problems' with your wedding? I was interviewed, along with Karen Bussen and Peggy Post, for a fabulous roundup of etiquette questions in this month's Martha Stewart Weddings. I'm very thrilled to see my Bride's Diplomacy Guide included in the story, since good diplomacy is at the center of diffusing people problems, and I wrote this book to help you with your stickiest wedding dilemmas. Wedding coordinators and florists tell me they're recommending my book to their clients [perhaps so *they* don't have to play mediator anymore!] -- so get your copy today through my website www.sharonnaylor.net or through the link in this Martha Stewart Weddings story.

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.

Win a trip to Fiji!

Now through 17 November 2008, submit your favorite travel story using my Budget Travel’s unique Travel Journal tool and get a once-in-a-lifetime chance to win roundtrip airfare and seven nights at beachfront accommodations in Fiji from Air Pacific and Sonaisali Island Resort. Journals will be rated by BudgetTravel.com’s diverse online community—from the web site’s editors to your closest peers—and the Grand Prize, Fiji trip-winner will be hand-picked from the journals which score highest. In addition, the best photo and video submissions with high ratings will each win $500 gift cards. So grab a pen, camera, or camcorder and spread the word to family and friends! The more votes in your favor, the better your chances will be! To enter the contest and/or for rules and regulations, please visit www.budgettravel.com/fijicontest

My newest book on its way to you!

My newest book will be out soon! Take a look at product description here and get ready to save your own wedding by avoiding 150 of the top wedding mistakes: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1598698176/ref=s9int_c1_at1-rfc_g1-3215_g1-3102_g3?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-1&pf_rd_r=1JKJKNXQSBZ2NEPQWZ4M&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=371408601&pf_rd_i=507846

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!

When did the Tooth Fairy hit the pole?

As part of my procrastination, I'm searching online for a Tooth Fairy costume for Halloween. I had found the perfect one, but the message arrived today that it has been discontinued. Must have been too wholesome, I'm imagining, since the existing fairy costumes out there all seem to be designed for pole dancers. I may better off with a Marilyn Monroe dress and just slap on some wings. I was thinking about how to incorporate some teeth to the outfit, but somehow glue-gunning faux teeth to the sash just seems creepy. :)

Cheers!

Since one of the top ways to personalize your wedding is creating a drink and/or naming a cocktail after yourselves, visit Cocktail.com for details on the top mixed drinks and coolers. Can't find the perfect drink to suit your shower or wedding theme? The site has an in-house Q&A expert, in their feature Ask Miss Cocktail. I featured this site in several of my books, most notably my Ultimate Bridal Shower Idea Book, and I highly recommend that you let your circle of party-planning friends and relatives know about it, too. Three cheers to that site for helping us pair drinks to the party decor colors.

Vote for the Green Business of the Year

In wedding world, we LOVE companies with environmentally- and socially-responsible business practices. So here's your chance to vote for your favorite from among the top 10 finalists...and perhaps find the perfect resource for some of your wedding elements! Here are the finalists, and you can vote here:

Meet the Top 10 Nominees(Listed in alphabetical order.)
1. Alter Eco San Francisco, CA www.altereco-usa.com"They are 100 percent committed to Fair Trade, and use responsible practices throughout their company, like employing disabled workers to package products, and running a green office." --Carlota O., Dallas, TX
2. Babyworks Portland, OR www.babyworks.com "They provide a wonderful assortment of cloth diapers and organic baby clothes. They also have wonderful toys that are not made of plastic, not to mention the fantastic service that you recieve from them." --Mari W., Vancouver, WA
3. Frontier Natural Products Co-op Norway, IA www.frontiercoop.com"They are a cooperative committed to helping the planet and its people through renewable energy, carbon neutral shipping of their organic products, and their commitment to educating their custormers and the public through their Tall Grass Prairie Project." --Carol M., Sioux Falls, SD
4. Gaiam, Inc. Boulder, CO www.gaiam.com"This company offers responsible choices in many areas-- from cleaning products to linens to solar and wind power systems. Even their own green buildings promote responsibility to our earth." --Ellen R., Wilmington, DE
5. Kate's Caring Gifts Fremont, CA www.katescaringgifts.com"Kate, who owns the business, is one of the most sincere and selfless people I know. She gives so much more to the community with little thought of gain to herself. I truly respect her and what she is accomplishing with her green business!"--Lin-Lin O., San Jose, CA
6. Mountain Rose Herbs Eugene, OR www.mountainroseherbs.com"All herbs are organic or ethically wildcrafted, they support students with a 10 percent discount, their products hold to the highest standard, and their customer service is amazing!" --Julie C., Madison, WI
7. Mountains of the MoonChicago, IL www.mountainsofthemoon.com"Not only do they provide eco-friendly and organic hemp clothing, but it's sophisticated and wearable in the real world! I get so many compliments from non-green people, and that opens up the conversation on the benefits of going green!" --Druanne M., Elkins Park, PA
8. Pizza Fusion Fort Lauderdale, FL www.pizzafusion.com"They practice what they preach! As he first franchise restaurant to be totally green, they cook organic, recycle, and drive hybrids to deliver. Their slogan, 'saving the world one pizza at a time,' is right on the money." --Lisa N., Thompson Station, TN
9. We Add Up Mentor, OH www.weaddup.com"We Add Up has continued to support the green rebuilding in New Orleans, and promotes education on the everyday things that we can all do to turn the tide on climate change. Tthey are social greentrepreneurs with heart!." --Cristal W., Slidell, LA
10. West Paw Design Bozeman, MT www.westpawdesign.com"Great and innovative dog products using recycled/reclaimed materials. All products show great durability and design and they are made in the US with fair labor practices." --Beth F., Indianapolis, IN

My Wishpot Favorite Things list

View my wish list on Wishpot »

Check out my lists of Favorite Things, Gift Ideas, Fabulous Finds and especially my Top Registry Items list at this fabulous new website!

SO fun for personalized weddings!

My brilliant brother-in-law Adam just sent this over to me -- it's a site where you can order custom Pez dispensers and action figures in your own likeness. If Joe and I had only known about this for our wedding! Visit www.herobuilders.com to check it out.

Signature cocktails at your wedding

Have a little fun with your bar menu by dreaming up your own signature cocktail for your wedding. You might name it after yourself, such as 'Renee's Rum Punch' or you could get even more creative by naming it 'Maui Sunset' or some other image that's sentimental to you. Check out this article in InStyle Weddings for a few celebrity-inspired cocktails.

Page proofs

Over the past few weeks, I've received the page proofs for two of my upcoming books. Page proofs are the layout versions of what the book pages will look like when you buy it, with any color, graphics, sidebars all put in place by the publisher. It's my first look at what the book will look like, as opposed to the basic manuscript I turned in. When you see boxed text in a book, the author probably submitted it looking something like this:

BEGIN SIDEBAR
Did You Know?
The average amount spent on wedding favors is over $300.
END SIDEBAR

When that is coded and placed in a book, well, you know what that turns out like. So this process is fine-tooth-combing the page proofs for any typos and cut-and-paste errors, and this is when we also chop out any extra text to fit the page number spacing. When the text is converted into the final font and sidebars are created, that takes up some pages. So out go a lot of the extras, paragraphs are cut down, segments are chopped. But in the end, we've got a perfect fit.

I'm thrilled to have these two books into production -- especially since one set of page proofs had been delivered to the wrong house, and we thought they were lost until a kind neighbor drove it over here! -- and focus fully on the book I'm working on now, which includes a topic I've been wanting to tackle for a long time. But first, the dishwasher needs emptying, the counter needs cleaning...all the usual distractions faced by everyone who works from a home office. At least I don't have a parade of workers ringing the doorbell this week -- we wisely requested that our township mark where our water, sewer and gas lines are under our lawn...and wouldn't you know -- our water line runs EXACTLY where we were planning to plant our new dogwood tree. THAT would have been fun. The lines are marked, the house is quiet, and I get to --- wait, there's the doorbell. The fun never ends....I'll get to writing at some point.

Are you ready for some football?

Sports-themed pre-wedding parties are a top trend right now, as couples look to their shared passion for sports teams as a great foundation for their party plans. Since tonight starts the NFL season, now's the perfect time for me to suggest a sportsfan-friendly focus if you want to do something a little bit different for a co-ed bridal shower, wedding weekend event or even the rehearsal dinner. For any party that takes place during the sports season, just design your own themed invitations using the software and papers at http://www.mountaincow.com/, and let your guests know to wear blue for your Giants'-themed party, or -- if they dare -- the color of their favorite team. If you have a wide mix of sportsfans, just make it an NFL party and have guests wear their choices of pro player jerseys or team shirts. Decor is easy, tailgate party food is a breeze, microbrew beers can take the place of a keg if you're not the kegtapping types, and somebody in your circle of friends has that CD of stadium songs. Now let's say your party takes place on the weekend of a big playoff game....many of your guests will be far happier to attend your bash and not miss the action.

Of course I'm using the NFL as an example here because I'm a football fan, but you can do the same with your alma mater football team colors, baseball, basketball, whatever you'd like.

It's a fun way to put a new twist on a wedding celebration party.

Want more party theme ideas? Check out my book The Ultimate Bridal Shower Idea Book.