Destination doesn’t always have to be on the beach... a destination is just somewhere that's not home. More and more brides are opting out of the traditional wedding with 200 guests and going for a small and intimate seaside affair. Most destination venues come with a wedding planner ...now the only thing that they provide is the site, the decor, and the officiant. I suggest that if you having a destination wedding that you may want to hire a wedding planner that is where you are , here’s why they will be in direct contact with travel agent so that all your guest can arrive and leave on the same flight, they will also handle the details that has to be taken care of before you leave: invitations, RSVP, hotel accommodation and they will plan fun activities for you and your guest upon arrival at the hotel. I love destination weddings.... if they are done right! Here are a few tips to insure that your destination wedding goes off without a hitch:

·         Plan Plan Plan ahead!!!! Once you have decided that this is what you want get you location booked!
·         Send out Save the dates ...give your guest ample amount of time to plan. Sometimes destination weddings can be just as costly, you want to let them know all important information ... hotel, Date, and travel agent handling the accommodations ASAP.
·         Be realistic... if you are having your wedding outside of the US...Most likely your guest list will be smaller! Try not to get upset if some people can’t attend.
·         Research! Some countries require different things before you can get married there i.e Jamaica you have to be in that country 3 days prior to obtain a marriage certificate.
·         Consider Favors: Favors are something in addition to everything else you’re packing... So consider that before setting your heart on something.
·         Check with the hotel and see if you can ship items beforehand... This might help with the previous tip.
·         Lastly ... WELCOME BAGS!!! These are so important ... they not only tell the guest what to expect it tells them what they can do while visiting. Also don’t forget your thank you note and a little treat :)

I hope that you have safe travels and a Blessed Marriage!!!!!!

# Living2plan

There can be only one …. Champion that is!  I am not a huge boxing fan but it seems that every time Floyd Mayweather puts on those boxing gloves I am glued to the TV. So this fight night my husband has decided to kick me out of the living room and invite some of his friends to gather around the TV to eat, drink and cheer. So what kind of wife /event planner would I be if I didn’t decorate and cook to and help him cheer on his favorite boxer? So here goes …. In this special edition of “THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE” I will show you how to set up your space and I will share some of my favorite party foods that you can prepare for your guest … I ensure you that this blog will be a “TKO”.

First up is decor:

·         You don’t have to do much ... put up a few balloons and maybe hang some boxing gloves around the house /space and really that is all you need. Believe me as long as you have a TV your guest will be well entertained.

 Next up is Games:

·         Sometimes the undercards are not that exciting and people want something else to do while waiting for the main event …so here are two fun ideas that will help pass the time by.....
o   Tell your guest to arrive in certain colors for the boxer they project to win... predetermine the colors i.e. red = boxer #1 and white = boxer #2. Believe me this will cause some chatter.
o     Have your guest project the winner and have everyone put their answers in a fish bowl and at the end of the night the name pulled out of the bowl will win a prize ( as long as they projected the right winner ).

 Next up is my favorite.....Food and Cocktails:

 Here are a few of my favorite things

"Knock Out" Punch

·         1 Bottle of your favorite Vodka
·           1 Bottle of your favorite coconut rum
·         Orange Juice
·          Pineapple Juice

Served Chilled and as an added touch add some fresh fruit!

Jell-O "Jab" Shots

·         Your Favorite Jell-O( follow the recipe on the box )
·         1 cup of your favorite vodka
·           refrigerate and enjoy

"Below-the-belt" Buffalo Chicken Dip

 Ingredients:

·         1 pkg. (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese or shredded mozzarella cheese (about 2 ounces)
·          1/2 cup blue cheese salad dressing or ranch salad dressing
·         2 cans (12.5 ounces each) Swanson® Premium Chunk Chicken Breast in Water, drained
·         1/2 cup any flavor FRANK'S® RedHot® sauce
·          

Directions:

 1. Heat the oven to 350° F.

 2. Stir the cream cheese in a 9-inch deep dish pie plate with a fork or whisk until it's smooth.

 3. Stir in the dressing, pepper sauce and blue cheese. Mix in the chicken.

 4. Bake for 20 minutes or until the chicken mixture is hot and bubbling.

"Pound For Pound" Pizza

Of course, you could just order out, but nothing beats a homemade pizza....

Ingredients:

·         1 tablespoon olive oil
·         1 (12 ounce) bag Birds Eye® Recipe Ready Pizza Supreme Blend
·         1 (10 ounce) pre-baked whole wheat or regular pizza crust
·         1 cup prepared pizza sauce
·         1 ounce sliced pepperoni
·         1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

2. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and cook Recipe Ready Pizza Supreme Blend, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes or until vegetables are softened and any liquid is absorbed.

3. Arrange pizza crust on baking sheet and evenly spread with pizza sauce. Top with vegetable mixture and pepperoni. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Weigh In" Wings

Ingredients:

·         3/4 cup all-purpose flour
·         1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
·         1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
·         1/2 teaspoon salt
·         20 chicken wings
·         1/2 cup melted butter
·         1/2 cup hot pepper sauce (such as Frank's RedHot®)

Directions

1. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, and lightly grease with cooking spray. Place the flour, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, and salt into a resalable plastic bag, and shake to mix.

2. Add the chicken wings, seal, and toss until well coated with the flour mixture. Place the wings onto the prepared baking sheet, and place into the refrigerator. Refrigerate at least 1 hour.

3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

4. Whisk together the melted butter and hot sauce in a small bowl. Dip the wings into the butter mixture, and place back on the baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven until the chicken is no longer pink in the center, and crispy on the outside, about 45 minutes. Turn the wings over halfway during cooking so they cook evenly.

I hope that your fight night is a WIN!!!!#living2plan

It’s all about the bling bling baby …. It’s all about the bling bling baby …. It’s all about the bling bling baby …. And we are not talking about your ring.

Lol at my little song... But it’s so true all of my recent brides have had one thing in common … the need for bling!

So this week’s blog is dedicated to my bling-ful brides, we will show you how to incorporate blinged items into your attire, your flowers and your décor. The thing about bling is that you should always keep it classy not trashy!

First: Your Attire:

Some brides love bling on their dresses and others want it only on their accessory pieces. No matter what you choose bling makes a statement. I suggest that if you are looking for a dress with bling you must know a few things:

·       It will be heavy

·       It will be pricey

·       It will be gorgeous !!!!!

Second:  Your flowers

I think when it comes to “bling” flowers are the easiest thing to accessorize. It’s simple:

·       Buy flower clip on’s that your florist can add to the arrangements

·       Buy a rhinestone cuff … instead of using ribbon use rhinestones. Here’s a tip go to your local craft store and buy the rhinestone ribbon and take it to your florist so that they can “bling” out your bouquet.

·       Here’s a new trend: some people like to save everything from their wedding but they can’t save the flowers... until now get a “Blinged Bouquet” a blinged bouquet is made out of broaches... and pins … they are super cute!!!!! as an added touch after the wedding take the bouquet apart and give a piece to all the special people in your life.

Third Your Décor:

The best way to incorporate bling into your décor would be to use bling ascents at your reception. I wouldn’t do much at the ceremony but for the reception I would go all out and here’s are our favorite two ideas :

·       Option # 1:Have a crystal tree : The tree will be silver branches and on each branch have crystals hanging from them

·       Option # 2: Have the flower arrangement on each table but as an added touch have the base of each vase covered in bling!

We hope that you enjoyed today’s edition of a “blinged wedding “

Be sure to follow us on Instagram so that you can see a few of our blinged favorites!

Happy Wedding Wednesday!!!! # living2plan

School starts in a few days and what better way to get your kids ready other than to have a back to school bash???? Every day when I wake up my son he  asks me “mom where are we going?” I laugh because he already knows and then when I say school he looks surprised. I can’t take full credit for this idea because my husband decided to something special for our kids to get them pumped for the new school year. So rally up your car pool moms and dads and plan a party so awesome that your kids will be pumped for the year ahead… here’s what you need to do:

·         Create a flyer or an invite…be sure to make it colorful and for an added touch add school themed clip art.
·         Go to your local dollar store or teachers supply store and buy classroom décor … believe me it will set the tone for your party
·         As a favor you could do a few thing's
o   Book bags
o   School Supplies ( small items that can fit in a pencil case)
o   Gift Cards... not much but every little bit helps
o   Or maybe create little favor boxes filled with after school snacks

I hope that your party be fun and your school year be filled with nothing but success!!!!!

#living2plan