"Princess for a Day" translation "That will be a Million Dollars Please!"

Interesting article from http://www.aisledash.com/:

Every bride wants to look and feel like a princess on her wedding day. And who better to help make that happen than an actual princess ... or in this case, a principessa? The Rome Cavalieri, the Waldorf Astoria Collection, a five-star deluxe hotel, is launching what they call their destination-wedding "Something Borrowed" program. Have your wedding ceremony and reception at the Rome Cavalieri and you can borrow jewelry designed by Italian princesses Lucia Odescalchi and Grazia Borghese -- whose pieces range from $1,350 to $135,200 in retails stores such as Barneys New York -- for no charge.

You'll work closely with the hotel and the princesses' studios to make your selection from their striking signature collection, constructed from luxurious (though, in some cases, unconventional) materials like mabè pearls, bronze, fossils, diamonds, wood and 18K gold. Their collections includes earrings, necklaces, bracelets, brooches and more. When you arrive in the Eternal City, you'll visit the studio of your choice for a viewing and to make any additional requests or changes. The baubles will then be yours for 48 hours, so you're sure to shine when you walk down the aisle.

The Rome Cavalieri, the Waldorf Astoria Collection, set in a lush 15-acre Mediterranean park overlooking the rooftops of Rome and St. Peter's Basilica, offers one of the city's most opulent wedding backdrops. Couples can choose from one of several stylish reception rooms, including the Salone dei Cavalieri, which recently underwent a $10 million renovation. Contact the hotel's events office via e-mail at events.rome@hilton.com or phone +39 06 3509 2000 for more information.

According to the hotel website, "for the bride and groom there is a private jet to Rome, the palatial Penthouse suite with panoramic roof terrace and "his and hers" monogrammed linens, and a horse-drawn carriage to one of Rome's famous churches".

All this for the measly sum of $1 MILLION DOLLARS!!!! As outrageous as it may seem The Rome Cavalieri is pretty spectacular.

 

Running of the Bride - Boston style

Ever heard of the Running of the Bride? It's a little thing that happens twice a year in Boston and annually in many other cities. Department store, Filene’s Basement, buys up designer Bridal Gowns from all over the US and Europe and puts them on sale in one central place and brides from far and wide come to shop for a bargain. The Bride assembles a team to snatch and grab off the rack. Why you ask - to save hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars on a designer wedding dress. Prices range from $250 - $700. 

So, my sister-in-law Ena decided this was a good thing and corralled a group of gals and off we went. We arrived at the Boston Convention Center in the very , very early frigid morning to wait. Even at that time there were hundreds of women in line before us. I thought it would be organized chaos but I was NOT ready for what was about to develop. When the clock struck 8am and the doors flew open I can only say that I was ill prepared for the frenzy of screaming adult women pushing me from behind into a sea of white frocks on racks. It was Crazy!

After gaining my composure off I went, grabbing at just about anything I could get my hands on. Whatever I could find, I took. Tensions were high but team Ena was on a mission. When I say we had a pile about 6 feet high of dress in every size and color I am not kidding. Now, this is where you need to know a little bit about my Ena. She is TINY, like a size 0/2 tiny. Needless to say most of the dresses were way too big. After literally hours of dress swappin we thought we found the one. It was pretty in a “oh, that’s nice” and “aren’t I saving lots of money” kind of way. As we were starting to wrap up someone found a pile of dresses we had missed and picked up a huge handful of satin. Nothing much to speak of UNTIL, she put it on. Gasp... Everyone got quite and still. Not just Team Ena but all the ladies close to us. Now THIS was the dress. It was perfection! I think every woman looking at Ena was spitting chips of envy. She looked phenomenal. We had our dress. 

The moral of the story – a little effort goes a long way. Ena got her dress for 10% of the original price. You couldn’t have bought the fabric alone for what she paid for her dress. 
So ladies, if you are up for it you should check out "Filene's Basement World-Famous Bridal Event”. You might just get the deal of a lifetime, Ena did.  See for yourself.

Pandora - Custom Radio Online

Want a custom radio station then Pandora is the place to go. Register for free, search your favorite songs or artist and create your very own radio station. To start just give a genre and Pandora will stream a station to you. You then have a "thumbs up" or "thumbs down" feature so that Pandora will play more or less of those songs and will get to understand your taste in that category. It takes all the hard work out of looking for new artists.

You can also create different stations for different moods. I like to have a couple of options for different times of the day. It really helps me if I am lagging to have upbeat music or more chill if I need to concentrate. 
 
Best of all you get 40 hours of Pandora FREE per month. If you go over your limit it’s only $0.99 to get unlimited listening hours for the rest of the month. Bargain if you ask me. No more iTunes for me.
 
For those brides thinking about using an iPod or DJ on your wedding day, consider Pandora for a music trial run. It is a great way to test drive some of the songs you think you might want to play but don't have on hand or haven't heard in a while.
 
Make sure when the time comes you adhere to any Pandora terms and conditions as the service is only for personal use. I am not sure if they would consider a wedding personal or commercial so you should check it out.

How about a good read, chick-lit anyone?

Having a bad day,wedding planning stressing you out? Then pick up a purely frivolous book. Emily Giffin is a New York Times best seller and knows how to do chick lit. According to Bookreporter.com her work "is similar to The Devil Wears Prada and Sex in the City". I recently read "Something Borrowed" and "Something Blue" and really enjoyed them.

“A debut novel…that is so meant for the beach it should have been packaged with suntan lotion. ‘Something Borrowed’ is seductively flavored by its Manhattan setting and spiced by its mean girl Darcy. In all, it’s a fine summer dish.”
—New York Daily News  

“What kind of self-described ‘nice girl’ would sleep with her best friend’s fiancé? One who’s seriously flawed, like this delightful debut novel’s heroine, but also surprisingly winning and real.”
—Glamour

Review:  http://www.bookreporter.com/reviews2/031232118X.asp

 

“Highly entertaining…Despite a happy ending, Giffin raises thorny questions. A long friendship can (like marriage) turn claustrophobic or abusive. Is infidelity the solution? And why are pretty girls so easily taken in by scheming Plain Janes?”
—Boston Globe

Review  http://www.bookreporter.com/reviews2/0312323859.asp