Key West Luxury Village at Beaches Turks and Caicos

It's time for a Vacay!!!

Get you family and friends together and get ready to go to the all new Beaches property in Turks and Caicos. The Key West Village Beaches property there combines the laid back lifestyle that this island paradise is known for with the Beaches/Sandals Luxury-Included amenities and impeccable service. The charm and casual elegance, along with the magnificent views of white sand beaches and azure waters, make this the perfect destination to relax and let all your worries slip away.

Be sure to contact your "Go to Girl" to book your vacation - arlene@designsbycornelia.com or call (407) 674-7921.

Fun Things For Guest To Do At Your Wedding Reception

Have a station set up at your cocktail hour or reception dinner where guests can choose a card with a question and and write their answer, such as "What should we name our kids? What is the most romantic place we should visit? What is the best marriage advice you have ever received? What is your favorite memory of us? Where do you see us in 25 years? When did you know we were meant for each other?"

 You can also have a fancy notebook where there is a different question listed on the top of each page. You can create a cute little sign for the table inviting guests to take a moment to answer one of the questions.

Questions You Should Ask Before Marriage

Tonight, sit down with your fiancé and discuss the questions below. These questions will spark a conversation that can set a really solid foundation for your marriage. Your answers will not necessarily mean that you should or should not be together, but will open the lines of communication for you and your future spouse to openly and honestly discuss what is expected in a marriage and what is truly important to the both of you. So take a moment to sit back, relax, perhaps sip on a glass of wine and openly and honestly discuss your answers.

Honestly these questions are great for those who may not even be considering marriage at the moment but find themselves head over heels in love. These questions can really help you decide whether you are in the right relationship for "you".

These questions were originally found on the following blog:

 http://www.lovethegrows.com/2012/11/questions-you-should-ask-before-marriage.html

CLICK HERE FOR A PRINTABLE VERSION OF THESE QUESTIONS


Sex/Romance/Love

If we eliminated physical attraction from our relationship, what would be left?

What is the best way for me to show that I love you?

If I put on weight, will it affect our sexual relationship? How?

Is it important for you to know that I'm a virgin? Why or why not?

What do I do that causes you to question my love?

What turns you off sexually?

How would our relationship be affected if for medical reasons we could not have children?

Do you think being in love means: (1) Never having to say you're sorry, (2) Always having to say you're sorry, (3) Knowing when to say you're sorry, or (4) Being the first to say I'm sorry?

The Past

Which childhood experiences influence your behavior and attitude the most?

Could any feelings of affection and romance be revived if you met a previous boyfriend/girlfriend even though you feel strongly committed to me?

Is there anything in your past I should be aware of?

What did you dislike the most about your previous partners?

If your past boyfriends/girlfriends listed your most negative characteristics, what would they be?

Do you keep letters and memorabilia from past relationships? Why or why not?

Are you comfortable continuing this relationship if there are things in my past that I am not willing to share with you?

Have you ever been involved in any criminal activities? What were they?

Did your mother or father abuse each other or you in any way- sexually, emotionally, or physically?

Have you ever been able to overcome a bad habit? What was it?

Have you ever been violent in past relationships?

Trust

Have there been times when you were uncomfortable with the way I behaved with the opposite sex? If so, when and what did I do?

What do I do now or what could I do in the future that would make you mistrust me?

Would you be comfortable transferring all your money into my bank account?

Who comes first, your spouse or your children?

Is trust automatic until something occurs that takes it away, or does it evolve over time?

Do you trust me with money?

Is it permissible for us to open each other's mail?

The Future

How are we different? Could this be a source of future conflict? Do our differences complement each other?

Do you anticipate maintaining your single lifestyle after we are married? That is, will you spend just as much time with your friends, family and work colleagues? Why or why not?

How did your family resolve conflicts when you were growing up? Do you approve or disapprove of that method? what will you change or not change to resolve conflicts in your future family?

Is there anything about marriage that frightens you?

Would you prefer to live in the city, the country, or by the beach? Why?

If I wanted to move away from our families for work, would you support me?

How would it affect you if I travel on my own frequently to (1) visit family, (2) earn income, (3) pursue a hobby, or (4) deal with stress?

Suppose we are experiencing trouble in our marriage. In what order will you seek help from the following to resolve our conflicts: (1) divorce lawyer, (2) your parents, (3) a brother or sister (4) a marriage counselor, (5) me, (6) a church leader? Why?

How will you support my hobbies?

How do you feel about having our parents come to live with us if the need arises?

Is there anything you would regret not being able to do or accomplish if you married me?

How will we schedule holidays with our families?

Children
Do you want children?

If we are unable to have children, should we adopt?

Do you anticipate raising our children (1) the same way you were raised (2) completely differently from the way you were raised (3) a mixture of both?

How long would you like to wait before having children?

Other than formal schooling, what types of education will our children get and how will they receive them?

When we have children, who will change the diapers, heat the bottles, prepare the meals, do the housework, bathe the child, get up in the middle of the night when a child is crying, take the child to the doctor, buy clothing, and dress the child?

What types of discipline would you implement to correct a child's or a teenager's behavior? Were these practices you experiences or are they new ones you have developed on your own?

Annoyances

If I had bad breath or body odor or wear dirty clothes, will you tell me? Should I tell you? Why or why not? How should we do it?

What is nagging? Do I nag? How does it make you feel?

DO you approve without reservation of the way I dress?

What does my family do that annoys you?

Would it bother you if I made body noises all the time, like passing gas or burping?

Is there anything you do in your line of work that I would disapprove of or that would hurt me?

Do you believe that you should stick with a marriage if you are unhappy all the time?

When do you need space away from me?

Communication

Whenever we have difficult feelings about each other, should we (1) remain silent, (2) say something as soon as the difficult feelings arise, (3) wait a certain amount of time before raising the issue, or (4) do something else? If so, what?
If you always say you are going to do something but never do it, what is the most effective way to bring this problem to your attention?
What did you admire about the way your mother and father treated each other?
What is the best way for me to communicate difficult feelings about you so that you are not offended?
Who should know bout the arguments we have?
What makes you not want to talk to me?
Do you feel you could communicate with me under any circumstance and about any subject?

Finance
What justifies going into debt?
What are all your current personal debts?
Do you feel stress when facing financial problems? How do you deal with that stress?
How often do you use credit cards, and what do you buy with them?
How should we prepare for a financial emergency?
Do you feel that lack of money is a good reason not to have children?
When our child is born, will he or she go to daycare or will one of us stay home to take care of the child? Who will it be?
Will we have a budget?
Who will pay the bills?
How do you feel about helping me pay my debts?
What are your feelings about saving money?
Do you prefer separate bank accounts or assets in different names? Why?

Miscellaneous
How would you rank all the priorities in your life: work, school, family, spouse, friends, hobbies, and chuch? Does your ranking reflect the amount of time you spend on each?
Are you closer to your mother or father? Why?
Do you prefer a set daily work schedule or flexible work activities and timetables?
What do you fear?
What influence, if any, do you believe my family should have on our relationship?
Do you believe that our parents should know our financial condition, whether good or bad, just because they want to? How far should this go?
What are your views on pornography?
How would you react if our son or daughter told us they were gay?
Do you harbor any racial prejudice?
How do you feel about having guns in our home?
Is there anyone close to you who feels we should not get married? Why? Should we discuss this?
What health problems do you have?
Have you ever had any psychological problems?
When you are in a bad mood, how should I deal with it?
Do you like pets?

Speach Pointers for Maid/Matron of Honor

To all of the Maid of Honors out there trying to figure out what to say for your Big Speech at the wedding reception, here are a few ideas:

•    Story relating to her friendship with the bride
•    Congratulations to the happy couple
•    Story relating to the groom
•    Comment on how great the groomsmen were today
•    Toast the couple
•    Comments/advice for the happy couple or the groom or the bride

Sandals La Source Grenada!

Sandals has a new resort, Sandals La Source Grenada, which will be opening for arrivals on December 12, 2013; bookings commence on March 23, 2013.

This will be the penultimate resort in their collection, with rooms and suites never seen before!

A few of the highlights:
o    231 rooms and suites
o    3 villages: Pink Gin Village, Tahiti Village, and Italian Village
o    Just minutes from the airport
o    9 restaurants including a world class steakhouse restaurant – Butch’s Chophouse
o    3 pools plus 2 river pools
o    State of the art fitness center and spa
o    Meeting facilities
o    75 butler suites including millionaires suites, rondovals and skypool suites
o    Romantic soaking tubs in all rooms and suites in the Tahiti and Italian villages

I absolutely cannot wait!!!! Be sure to contact your "Go to Girl" to book your vacation - arlene@designsbycornelia.com or call (407) 674-7921.

Feeding Your Vendors

Per my contract, I do require that my clients provide a vendor meal for all vendors that will be working for at least four hours during the wedding reception.

Many of your vendors will also require this in their contracts. Now mind you, your vendors do not have to receive the same plated meal as your guests.

Be sure to discuss vendor meal options with your caterer or hotel banquet manager, they will go over options with you that are typically at a significantly lower cost than your guest meals.

Another thing to consider is where your vendors will dine. When I coordinate wedding receptions, under no circumstance do the vendors dine with the guests. Find out if there is a small adjacent room equipped with a table and chairs for your vendors to eat. If you have a wedding planner they will coordinate eating times for the vendors to make sure they have adequate time to eat and perform their respective duties.

Happy Planning!!!

Sandals is for Lovers!!!

For couples wanting to experience the Caribbean, Sandals is the way to go. What impresses me most about Sandals properties is how friendly and accommodating the staff is and the fact that everything is ALL INCLUSIVE. And when I say ALL INCLUSIVE, I mean ALL INCLUSIVE. All of your alcoholic beverages are included and all fine dining as well. I ate lobster, and that was included. Even your room comes stocked with champagne, wine, and a few different other cordials. If you finish off a bottle, they replace it!

What a great way to spend your honeymoon! And guess what... all of the honeymoon add-on's are complimentary, you don't even have to be a Designs by Cornelia client. Call me at (407) 674-7921 or e-mail me at arlene@designsbycornelia.com so we can get started.

P.S. You don't have to be married to experience a Sandals vacation. If you and your sweetie want to take a getaway, I have you covered. You can even grab a few friends and have them bring their significant others and plan a group trip to one of the Beaches properties. Designs by Cornelia will take care of all details for you...complimentary.

How to Pee In Your Wedding Dress

Recently I came across the cutest blog post on the Style By Design blog... Enjoy!!!

How to Pee in Your Wedding Dress........Yes. I. Did.

I would say that this is a pretty relevant blog topic.  Especially if you plan on drinking or eating anything within the 8-10 hours that you will be in your dress....

The below directions were taken directly from Project Wedding.  The whole sitting backwards on the toilet thing works...and if you have personal space issues like me, it's definitely a winner because you don't need friends around helping you pee.  So, read and take notes. Don't forget to wash your hands.

On arrival at your venue

• Open the door of the ladies' room and look in. If the floor is not clean, call the venue staff and ask to have it cleaned.
• If the floor is clean, walk into the ladies' room and open the door of the handicapped stall. If the floor of the handicapped stall is not clean, call the venue staff and ask to have it cleaned.

This ensures that you will not later get the train/back of the dress dirty just by having it touch the floor.

When you need to go

• Walk into the handicapped stall. Remove (don't just pull down) your underpants.
• Facing the toilet, pull up the front of your dress to your waist.
• Walk straight forward, so you are straddling the toilet, and sit down that way. The train/back of your dress will now be away from the toilet, so you won't get them wet or dirty.
• Lean forward before peeing. That way, even if you drop the front of the dress onto the seat, you will not pee in its direction.

Special tips for hoop skirts/crinolines

• When lifting your skirt, make sure that you grab all of the hoops together. this can be done by reaching under the bottom flounce and pulling straight up. If you are wearing an under-petticoat, don't forget to grab it too. This can be, and has been, a very bad thing to forget.
• Once you have a good handle on the hoops, swing the whole thing to the rear, as if you are preparing to hula-hoop with your dress. This will move the whole contraption behind you and out of the 'danger zone'. It will also slightly lift a shorter train off the floor which is a plus
• When you are done, drop the hoop straight to the floor and give a little circular hip-shimmy. This will help you to get your dress hem back over the bottom hoop. It is always a good idea to have a friend do a 360 of the hem to make sure nothing is showing that shouldn't be.

And in case no one has told you this yet, never ever under any circumstances step straight backward while in a hoop. You will step on it, and you will fall over, and this will give a free show to anyone standing in front of you. Not directly related, but one of the top tips for wearing a hoop.

 

Preparing For Your Engagement Shoot

Recently I had an opportunity to ask Victoria Angela from Victoria Angela Photography what she considered to be the three most important items to consider when preparing for your engagement photo session... hair/makeup, props and clothes she stated.

VictoriaAngela.com

Victoria Advises:

 When it comes to selecting outfits, stay away from anything with writing on it (Old Navy, Abercrombie) so it doesn't look like an advertisement. White sneakers and thick stripes (not pinstripes) stick out like a sore thumb and tend to be a distraction in your photos. Try to keep your outfit changes to one dressy and one casual so you make the most out of your engagement session.

When it comes to makeup, don't be afraid of fake eyelashes or lash extensions. The long eyelashes will make your eyes pop and it is important to have them done professionally so you won't have to worry about them falling off or applying the wrong kind. Keep clear lip gloss and blotting papers handy for touch-ups. Unless you are planning a themed engagement session, have your hair lightly styled as if you and your fiance are going out for dinner and a movie. You don't want to have an up-do or style that you wouldn't normally have everyday.

VictoriaAngela.com

VictoriaAngela.com

If you are interested in including props such as signs, banners, chalk or even your pet(s), you must inform your photographer ahead of time so you can prep for these photos. Some of the props will take time to set up and others must be watched. If you are including your pet in some photos, it is important to have a friend or family member watch them while you finish the rest of your engagement session.

VictoriaAngela.com

Happy Planning!!!