Cruising Together

Over the past couple years, cruising has definitely become my absolute favorite way to travel. For one thing, it lets you visit tons of different places without the hassle of unpacking, repacking and hopping a plane each time. Instead, you’re free to simply relax while the ship carries you on to the next port. The all-inclusive food, great options for excursions and fun things to do onboard don’t hurt either!

So far, we’ve cruised to Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama and the Hawaiian Islands. Though we’re cutting back on travel somewhat this year, both to save money and because of my hectic year-round class schedule, it hasn’t stopped me from dreaming about the next two regions I want to cruise – Alaska and the Mediterranean.

The Alaskan cruise I've got my eye on is a weeklong trip aboard Norwegian Cruise Lines. It starts and ends in Seattle, stopping at different Alaskan ports and cruising Glacier Bay throughout the week. Excursions include whale watching and other fun nature or wildlife-focused activities.

The Mediterranean cruise is a longer 14-night Royal Caribbean trip, starting in Barcelona and stopping at gorgeous ports in Sicily, Greece, Turkey, Egypt, Malta and Spain. This list majorly excites me, especially since I've always wanted to see the pyramids and visit Athens.

Which do you think sounds the most fun? I just may have to choose between these two for my graduation celebration next year, and right now, I’m leaning toward going all out with the Mediterranean trip!

How do you like to travel, and where do you hope to head next?

(Photo Credit: Personal Library)

Tossing The Bouquet & Garter

With our first anniversary quickly approaching in June, I’m determined to get through a few more fun wedding recaps before then! While I know some bloggers prefer to post their recaps chronologically, going through them all at once, I’ve really enjoyed jumping around, sharing a piece here and there, remembering and reliving our amazing wedding each time.

Today, I want to share a couple stories and photos from our garter and bouquet tosses, one of which didn’t go exactly as planned, and the other which we almost skipped altogether!



Those of you who have been reading for a while may remember that Stephen and I went back and forth about whether or not to do a garter toss, especially since neither of us was comfortable with the whole over-the-top groom-removes-garter-with-his-teeth idea.

In the end, rather than skip it altogether, we toned things down and did it in a way that worked for us. While our DJ played the Beatles’ “All You Need Is Love,” which is one of our favorites, Stephen kneeled down, kissed my hand, and removed my garter by hand. After that, he tossed it to all the eligible guys at the party, who got so into it that one of them even tripped and went tumbling to the ground!



The bouquet toss was just as fun, although my original plan of doing it as a “good luck” toss for all the ladies at the party went awry when the DJ announced that only the single ladies should head to the floor. I was having too much fun to care, though, and it actually worked out great, since one of my bridesmaids was incredibly excited to snag the bouquet, allowing for lots of fun pictures, hugs and laughter!



Are you doing a bouquet or garter toss? How will you make them unique?

(Photo Credits: Alex Neumann Photography & Personal Library)

Celebrity Bride DeAnna Pappas Obsessed With Weddzilla’s Weddmark App!

As editor of the Weddzilla Blog, I love getting great feedback from brides and readers about both the blog and the wedding planning tools Weddzilla offers.

This week, I especially loved reading our celebrity bride DeAnna Pappas’ fabulous post about all the ways Weddzilla's Weddmark app is simplifying her wedding planning, allowing her to easily share ideas and inspiration with family members and friends, even though she’s constantly busy and on-the-go!

Check out what DeAnna has to say by reading her blog post, where she shares exactly why she's obsessed with the Weddmark and why she thinks other brides-to-be will love it, too. You can also visit our Weddmark site to learn more about the app and web browser tools.

Have you tried the Weddmark? Are there other apps or planning tools you love? Let me know what you think by commenting below!

Carded At 27

People always say that when you stop being carded, you’ll be disappointed. Maybe they’re right, but at 27, almost 28, I find it incredibly hilarious that just about everywhere I go, be it a restaurant, vineyard or anywhere else alcohol is served, I typically still get carded!

I guess being petite and having a high voice doesn’t help any, and while I understand the need for businesses to be careful, it still makes me feel a bit silly. I mean, do I really look like I’m under 21, which is how old my seven-year younger sister will be this year? Do I, someone who has been a working professional for years, is now married, and is working her way through grad school, really look young enough to still be an undergrad?



I guess so, because with every passing year, though I always think people will finally stop asking, it continues to happen. This past weekend, while visiting two wineries with Stephen and my sister-in-law, staffers took one look at me and asked us to all whip out our ID cards.

In this case, I felt even sillier than usual, because not only did Stephen, who’s already 28, have to pull out his ID, but so did my sister-in-law, who is in her 30s! The staffer who looked at Stephen’s ID even made a point in announcing, “He’s been getting carded for a long time!” “We all have,” I answered back, shaking my head and laughing in disbelief.

If you’re over 21, do you find that you still get carded frequently, or find that people take you to be younger than you really are?

(Photo Credit: winelist.com)

Personalized Wedding Memories

Being almost a year out from our wedding, I thought my days of buying wedding-related products had just about come to a close. After all, I’d already completed my photo albums and ordered blowup prints of my favorite images. But when I was asked by the team at Personalized for Weddings to be a part of a focus group for brides and newlyweds, I jumped at the chance.

Why? Because this site is awesome! As a part of the program, I was able to choose two products from the site’s array of personalized stationary, jewelry, photo canvases, laptop skins, albums and more. My two picks, a water bottle featuring three of our wedding photos and a framed canvas of my favorite bridal portrait, were easy to create and of high-quality when they arrived.



Plus, even though I got my items for free as a part of the focus group, the pricing for the products seemed very reasonable. The personalized water bottle would normally cost just under $25, and a 20 x 30 framed canvas would come in at just under $123.

So, if you’re looking to buy products for yourself, family members or your wedding party, I’d definitely recommend checking this site out. If you’re like me, the hardest part will be deciding what to choose!

Did you create any personalized products using your wedding or engagement photos?

(Photo Credits: Personal Library; Water Bottle Images: Alex Neumann Photography; Bridal Portrait: Damien Smith Photography)