WHITE SAND TRAVEL

Planning a wedding is a series of endless details that cause both frustration and elation. To be sure, there is one detail your feet don't want you to overlook -- your shoes! Though some say it is more important to think function over fashion when picking your wedding shoes, we recommend you find a happy middle ground. With the myriad of wedding shoe options, that should be easier to execute than your rehearsal dinner seating chart.

For The Bride: The first thing to think about is comfort. Remember that you will be standing on your feet most of the affair. The last thing you want to have to deal with is pain that limits your mobility and enjoyment.Some experts recommend that all brides have two pairs of shoes -- one formal pair for the ceremony, receiving line, pictures, and arrival at the reception, then another comfortable and more casual pair for the rest of the night.

Ballet slipper-type shoes are a popular reception choice for a reception night that will be heavy on dancing and your feet.Be sure to pick a shoe that complements your dress and your own style. After all, you'll be seeing them in pictures and maybe even video for the rest of your life.Consider the fabric of your dress. Some say to match silk and satin gowns to satin shoes. Sandals, slippers, pumps, and strap heels are all appropriate footwear on your big day.Very important -- take your shoes to your fitting so the hem is accurate. Trying the shoe with your actual dress is the only real way to be sure you'll love them. Elaborate dresses do not require elaborate shoes, while more simple dresses are greatly enhanced by ornate shoes.

For The Attendants: Many questions arise when considering shoe options for the attendants. Should their shoes be the same style or just the same color? Should there be different heel heights to even out the bridesmaids? Can each woman pick the type and color of shoe that most suits her taste and style?All of these questions are for the bride to decide. Take into account where members of your bridal party live. If you can all get together and order shoes on one fun trip, do it. This is more difficult to execute if the attendants are from various corners of the globe.

Whatever you decide, keep in mind that should stretch their shoes to insure that a nasty blister doesn't pop up 10 minutes into the ceremony. Think comfort first and then style.

Whether you are seasoned travelers or first-time cruisers, these tips can ensure that your cruise experience is everything it should be:

1. Arrive A Day Early: Unless you live within two or three hours of the pier, it's advisable to spend the night before your departure at a hotel close to the pier. That way, you take away the risk of missing the ship.

2. Inside Or Outside Room: Rooms on board the ship come in many different shapes, sizes, and locations, some even include a balcony. Your budget will dictate in large part the type of room you choose.

3. Location Of The Room: The location of the room (meaning the front, middle, or the back of the ship) can make a difference in the amount of movement you experience while in your room. If you suffer from sea sickness, you'll do much better if you book a room towards the middle. The same is true for choosing a room lower in the boat as opposed to on one of the higher levels. To be safe, pack Dramamine.

4. Carry-On Luggage: A porter will greet you at the pier in some cases before you check in and take your luggage. Carry a small bag with you with for personal items . A small variety of toiletries that would enable you to freshen up, such as deodorant, toothbrush and toothpaste, hairbrush and hairspray, etc. is advisable.
5. Shore Excursions: The cruise ship will offer you rates for excursions at each of your destinations. Excursions will range from guided tours to scuba diving to swimming with dolphins.

6. Soft Drink Cards: Although the price of your cruise includes all of your food, soft drinks are extra.
7.Credit Cards: Be sure you have a credit card for check-in. A hold will be placed on the card for any incidental expenses you incur during the cruise.

Enjoy your experience onboard your favorite cruiseliner.

On January 12, 2009, I received a phone call from one of my clients who had just returned from his 6 night honeymoon at the Maroma Resort & Spa. His voice was very mellow as he said, "Judith, I just wanted to thank you for arranging the most amazing honeymoon we could have experienced". He told me all about their trip and then when I asked him what would he have changed about his trip and he said "Nothing".

Jason and I worked collaboratively to design and create their perfect honeymoon - the Maroma Resort and Spa. So what is so special about Maroma Resort and Spa? You don't have to imagine it. You can experience the magic and the beauty of an eternal paradise located in a breathtaking corner of the Yucatan jungle on the Riviera Maya. The natural harmony and the spiritual relationship between land and sea comes together at Maroma Resort & Spa. Here every delight has its secret language, a name and a sound breathed ritually from the heart.

The 2008 Travel and Leisure Worlds Best Awards have rated Maroma Resort and Spa as the best Hotel Spa in Latin America. Ranking them overall the fifth best Hotel Spa in the world. This list is a compendium of the best hotels as chosen by Travel + Leisure readers in their annual World's Best Awards survey. Maroma Resort & Spa was noted for their "An unwavering commitment to preserving Mayan culture," and their Kinan Spa with traditional Mayan treatments.

Maroma Resort & Spa offers a wide variety of leisure choices on and off-site. Enjoy the use of the three swimming pools, Cultural Palapa, or for something a little more active why not try diving, sport fishing, kayaking, parasailing, sailing, swimming with dolphins, or golf. The fabulous reefs surrounding Maroma invite you to see the huge variety of corals, colorful fish and extraordinary creatures that live just under the surface in our backyard.

Could this be your dream honeymoon?

Congratulations on your engagement! So, now you will hire a platoon of vendors to help you plan and execute the flawless event. Have you given any thought to where you will honeymoon? Very often, a lot of couples concentrate on the wedding and leave the honeymoon plans for later. But, we know that most couples want their honeymoon to be just as flawless as their wedding. They want to start their new life together without any hassles. Basically, we believe they want a honeymoon where they can just show up and have the time of their lives. And who could blame them. They have spent months making various decisions and attending to even the tiniest of detail about this awesome event.

Take the trivia challenge below to see what may be a good destination fit for you.

Wedding and Honeymoon Trivia

a) If your honeymoon was primarily for Romance, where would you go?
b) Which destinations are you most likely to find affordable honeymoon or destination wedding packages?
c) You are a diving or snorkeling enthusiast, where are the best conditions for your water sports?
d) Where would you go to enjoy the night life that you love so much – dancing until the wee hours of the morning?
e) Which honeymoon destination caters to your discriminating taste buds?
f) You yen for the diversity in cultures…where would you go for that experience?

Answers

a) Romance is definitely tops in Tahiti, Italy and Hawaii
b) Mexico, Las Vegas and Dominican Republic are your most affordable honeymoon or destination wedding choices
c) Your best bet for diving and/or snorkeling is Belize, Grand Cayman or Australia
d) Pack your bags for Las Vegas, New York for Brazil and have the time of your life
e) Italy, France and New York
f) Experience the culture of Italy, France and Greece

After months of wedding planning, many couples focus on finding a luxurious resort that will cater to their every need, while others search for a unique escape from their everyday world.

Resorts are the most popular honeymoon destinations because they take you into another world for a miraculous escape from the daily hustle and bustle. Often set in the most picturesque places in the world, they include pools, private beaches and golf courses, as well as culinary delights and relaxing spas.

Started in Jamaica and but spread throughout the Caribbean and Mexico and into some other regions as well, the all-inclusive vacation is becoming ever more popular with honeymooners - and their families. They streamline the enjoyment process by including everything — your room, transfers, recreational facilities, meals and drinks — all in one price. Without the worries of wondering how much everything little thing will cost, you are free to live the high life and experience everything you want as often as you want it. If an all-inclusive resort sounds tempting but too stationary, consider taking a cruise. Cruises are floating resorts that whisk you away to one exotic port after another.

Luxury and exotic honeymoons are still within your grasp. Plan wisely. Use a Honeymoon Registry to help you afford the luxuries you desire. Your family and friends will be glad to use the honeymoon registry and contribute to this important event in your life.

As a native of Jamaica, I was surrounded by the beautiful scenery and absolutely stunning views of the lofty mountains and beautiful fauna. At an early age, I developed an appreciation for the exotic, unique and the out-of-the-ordinary hide-away. I loved the diversity of the Jamaica culture where many different races produced quite the melting pot that Jamaica is today. As a young adult, my dream was to see as much of the world as possible.

After immigrating to the United States, we would plan one elaborate family vacation every summer with my son and a couple of his friends and then a couple mini vacations for long weekends or special occasions. I would browse through various travel magazines, study the hotel ratings and amenities and make our vacation decisions. My home became a storage area for various travel magazines, brochures etc and our photo albums were always filled with gorgeous pictures of our many vacations.

I decided to go back to college and pursue more specialized skills and earned a degree in Hospitality Management and I completed internships at hotels to gain more knowledge of the business as well as volunteer at travel agencies.

When my son got married and I helped to plan so much of the details of the wedding and rehearsal dinner, I realized that I was missing what I liked to do best – planning exciting and exotic events. I made a decision to follow my heart and deliver what I have a passion for - amazing honeymoon experiences.

I recognize that many couple have compelling needs and urgent desires and it is my job to help them uncover those needs and desires and collaborate with them to create and design the honeymoon experience that will be a manifestation of their dream. As a fun-loving, passionate, energetic and positive person, I tend to attract couples with like qualities and we have fun as we become creators of the wonderful dream of their first days together as husband and wife.

What an honor!

Honeymoon Registry is one of the hottest trends for couples getting married today. It provides an incredible opportunity for the couple to take the trip of a lifetime and have their friends and family help pay for it as a part of their wedding gift! They offer a great option for couples who already have most of the traditional items but still need wedding gifts and ideas from family members and friends. Most honeymoon registries offer a free honeymoon planner, a free website and even shower games. It works very well because more and more couples are paying for their own wedding and want to take longer and more exotic and luxurious honeymoons. Often times the couples are not able to afford these luxury honeymoons and the honeymoon registry gives the couple the option to get gifts towards their trip.

A honeymoon registry generally works just like a traditional bridal registry by allowing a couple to select elements of their honeymoon (airfare, hotel nights, meals, tours, sports, spa treatments, admissions, spending cash) that friends and family may buy for them in increments as wedding gifts.

PAMPERED CHEF
Not every couple start off their new life together having all the linen, pots, pans and rolling pins they want. Traditional wedding registries still have a place for many couples. Because quality is everything, you'll want to get first rate household gifts that will last just as long as the incredible memories of your wedding and honeymoon. So, register first with Pampered Chef for great kitchen tools and accessories!


Pampered Chef has an Exclusive product line that offers incomparable quality and superior function that you won't find at department and specialty stores. Plus, their wedding registry features personalized service and unique Registry Rewards. It is more than a registry. You get
personalized attention from a Consultant assigned to your registry.Your Consultant will answer any questions you may have, help you choose the products that are right for you, and assist you in managing your registry.

You can even arrange to have an in-home cooking show to get a close up look at how the products perform. Call today - Carolyn Fraser at 678.571.0127 or online at www.pamperedchef.biz/carolynscuisine