Ok, girls … what did you do when you were younger when you had a piece of paper and a pen handy? Write a note? Scribble a drawing? Make a cootie catcher? I can be accused of doing all three, but I can remember loving it when one of my friends would come up with a fun cootie catcher … there were always fun surprises laying under the flaps. (If you need a schooling in the world of what on earth I am talking about, there is a great explanation here.)

When I saw these cute catchers from Darling Girl Paper on Etsy, I did a “no way” because not only did they remind me of grade school, BUT I also think that they are one of the most clever, fun ideas!!! I hope that you will agree. These would be so entertaining at a reception! A table can play together, or just a few people can join in on the fun.

There are several different kinds to choose from, and I am just highlighting a few of Darling Girl Paper‘s creative ideas. I also included the links (highlighted) so that you can read more details about what exactly is inside of each catcher.

Lucky in love! This wedding program is sure to keep your guests happy before the wedding no matter how early they arrive. The center of the catcher reveals the order of events for the wedding. How cute to be able to pass these out as guests arrive!

What a creative way to thank your guests. Leave these on the table, and when they play the inside is opened to reveal a sweet note of thanks.

This one is a photo scavenger hunt catcher. It asks all sorts of questions about the bride and groom, and then the guests can have fun taking the requested photos.

Here is one that doubles as a place card … what a creative idea!! I can just picture guests milling around together, or someone can even play the game by themselves as this one gives all sorts of personalized information about the bride and groom. What a great way to test the knowledge of your guests and have them on a quest to find out trivia about you.

See? Adorable, aren’t they? These are completely customized, and Darling Girl Paper is able to offer choices of both font and color in addition to adding the personalized questions and text inside. What a unique thing to have at your wedding! Also, when you place on order for a catcher you will receive a PDF, so it is up to you if you print off one per table or one per guest. That is part of the beauty of it!

Be sure to check out Darling Girl Paper because that is one of the requirements of this contest. Your first comment must be about your favorite cootie catcher (or set of catchers). And speaking of the contest, we are giving away one PDF design, so browse through the catchers freely … if you win, the single design of your choice is yours (sorry the multiple catchers are not included)!!

Have fun, and here is how to enter …

You can enter multiple times if you follow the guidelines below (be sure to post separate comments each time you do one of the instructions):

1. Go to Darling Girl Paper‘s website, find your favorite catcher, and then come back and comment on this post telling us what your favorite one is!

2. Tweet the link to this post.

3. Follow Hill City Bride on Twitter.

4. Put the link to this post on facebook.

5. Fan HCB on facebook.

6. If you have a blog, blog about this post, and then come back and comment along with leaving the link to your blog post.

7. Subscribe to the RSS feed.

8. Subscribe to HCB via email.

9. Click on one of HCB’s wonderful vendors, and come back to tell me who you clicked on and why … fun!!

10. If you have another cool way to get the word out about this post, feel free to do so!

You have until to enter so that I can announce the winner. Do you have to be a bride to enter? NO!! I just want to spread the word about Darling Girl Paper and Hill City Bride, so anyone is welcomed to enter … have fun.

Again, a big thanks goes out to Darling Girl Paper for hosting this great giveaway. Be sure to check out her other great designs on Etsy! You have until 11:59 EST on Sunday, September 26th to enter so that I can announce the winner on the 27th. Have fun!!

“Talk It Out”

I watch super hero movies through the skeptical eyes of a realist. The ability to fly? Nonsense! Teleportation? Yeah right! While I roll my eyes at these mythical characters and their abilities, there is one ability that for a long time I believed was perfectly attainable by every male specimen: mind reading. Every guy should know that when I say, “I don’t care,” I really mean, “I want to watch 27 Dresses, not Saving Private Ryan, and you better agree!” Duh!

But ladies, as much as we would love for our guys to be mind readers, they never will be. They need us to express what we want and need, and they hate guessing games! So instead of waiting for your fiancé to develop super-human abilities, try incorporating these tips:

• Tell him exactly what you want. Men are usually blunt, honest people, and they find it refreshing when a woman is forthright. So instead of saying, “I’m so tired of doing the dishes. If only someone else could do them …” try “Honey, would you please do the dishes?”
• Speak the truth in love. Just because you are being honest does not mean you have to be hurtful or rude. Avoid critical, name-calling statements like, “Stop being so lazy and help me!” Instead, you could say, “I sometimes feel resentful when I end up doing most of the housework. It would mean so much if you could help me by taking out the trash.”

• Be receptive and responsive. Healthy communication goes both ways, and men need to know that they can express how they feel without repercussions. For example, I used to battle a terrible habit of formulating a “right” response in my head. If my husband said what I wanted to hear, he was safe. If not, game over. Because of this, my husband would try to figure out what I wanted to hear instead of telling me what he truly thought. Now I try to listen to him without deciding what he should say. If we disagree, that does not mean he is wrong.

• Address unhealthy beliefs about communication. Unfortunately, many couples do not clearly communicate because they have false beliefs about their feelings. In the book “Simple Secrets of a Great Marriage” Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend state that “many people have been taught that their wants don’t matter, are selfish, or have little or no chance of being fulfilled. So they shut down from feeling those things and communicating them.” If there is something you are longing to share with your fiancé, reflect on why you have refrained from doing so. Is it because you are afraid of his response? Perhaps your fiancé has not expressed something because he feels it is unimportant. Tell your significant other about any fears or hesitations you are experiencing, and encourage him to do the same. Assure him that his thoughts and feelings are important to you.

While your guy may never be able to shoot spider webs or travel at the speed of light, he still needs to know that he is your superman, and healthy communication affirms that. So what are you waiting for? Talk it out!

I thank Rachael again for her sage advice. The days after the wedding are so important, and so is communicating! If you would like to read other entries by Rachael, click here to view the other “Newly Wed” articles. I would also encourage you to check out The Corset Corner in downtown Lynchburg … they have absolutely everything you need from beautiful lingerie to the foundations you need under your dress. Tell Susan that Hill City Bride sent you … hmm, I may just need to make a stop in there and pick up a little special something soon, too.

Also, enter this week’s giveaway … it is just too cute to pass up on!! Click here to find out more.

Love definitely is in the air when planning a wedding, so why not incorporate a company of the same name? Linda Loveleen Williams Hall and Mary Love are the team that is behind the company that can give you it all … Love Is in the Air does cakes, decor, catering and more! I also love the story of two friends and their humble beginnings, which has quickly turned into a successful event company that is in tune with today’s trends.

*Image courtesy of Crystal George Studios*

All of the photographs in this post are of work that this duo has done for recent weddings Enjoy the eye candy, and I am proud to introduce you to Love Is in the Air in the words of Linda herself …

I am a wife with a son, a step-daughter, three grandchildren and one great grandchild. I grew up in Lynchburg. This is something I have always wanted to do. For many years I have hosted parties and made cakes and prepared dishes for other people. I retired from the United States Bankruptcy Court in 1999 and have been taking care of my mother, my father, my husband’s business and my son’s business since then. Now, my time has arrived.

*Images courtesy of Visions by Heather taken at City View in Downtown Lynchburg*

After having an opportunity to do a wedding and reception for my niece, I finally decided I wanted to do this in a big way. Little did I know what was about to happen!

*Images courtesy of Stone Blue Productions*

Mary and I were friends, and I had actually hired her to do a surprise birthday party for my husband. When I was preparing for Ally & Michael’s wedding, I asked her to help me. We made such a terrific team … it was like a match made in heaven! With “love” in both our names, a love of all things beautiful, and love in our hearts, “Love Is In The Air” was born.

*Images courtesy of Crystal George Studios*

We soon discovered that between the two of us, we had many talents that we could combine to make our business successful. Mary is an expert seamstress, floral decorator, and cake decorator who also has a very creative mind. I am a floral decorator, cake decorator, and calligrapher. Ideas just seem to flow when someone starts talking about a wedding or reception – or any other kind of event. It just nourishes my soul to create something beautiful.

*Image courtesy of Visions by Heather photographed at City View in Downtown Lynchburg*

When Mary and I are together, we are on the very same wave length. When our individual creativity is blended together, it becomes so much bigger than the both of us. We are constantly planning and looking at what is available – what the latest trends are – ways to set our events apart from the ordinary. We always try to add a little of the unexpected into our work – a surprise for the happy couple – something to make them go “Awwww, look at that!”

*Images courtesy of Crystal George Studios*

We have lots of our own things, such as linens, chair covers, chair sashes, vases, uplighting, branches, crystals, draping fabric, candelabra, chandeliers, catering equipment – and the list goes on – to help us create a dream.

*Image courtesy of Stone Blue Productions*

This is so much fun, and I just pinch myself sometimes to make sure that it is real and that I am not still dreaming the dream – I am living the dream!

*Image courtesy of Visions by Heather taken at Downtown Lynchburg’s City View Venue*

I am proud to have Love Is in the Air as one of the advertisers on Hill City Bride, and I have personally seen how they can transform a venue into the wedding of a bride’s dreams! Please check out their other work on their facebook page by clicking here.

Also, I am VERY thrilled about part two of this posting coming out NEXT Friday. You will be both wowed and thrilled by what you will see …  I know I was. This duo of Love Is in the Air is pretty amazing! Have a great weekend everyone.

Ok, I simply must admit it. I am TIRED!! I am hosting a “girly” baby shower (yay!) at my house tomorrow coupled with getting the kids ready for school to start on Monday. We have been trying to have as much fun as possible during the last week of their freedom before we are put on a set schedule.

Oh, yes this is about weddings, I know, but after weddings come babies and those babies grow up and go to school eventually, right? That is one thing about Hill City Bride that I love. I want you to have the best wedding EVER … have fun planning and making your day a celebration of you and your love while also having your tastes and style completely reflected. I also enjoy giving you some tidbits for after the wedding day, hence columns like Newly Wed and posts like first time home buying tips.

I have had a great week (which is probably why I am so worn out!!), and I will be posting some new vendors along with hosting some very fun giveaways over the next few weeks … I can NOT wait to share some of the things with you. Have a wonderful weekend, and I am leaving you with a beautiful bouquet photographed by Sabrena Deal of S Carter Studios. Enjoy!

Weddings are a big motivation for brides and grooms (and others!) to get into shape and be fit, but many spouses-to-be do not even know where to begin. Fad diets? Starvation? Exercising like crazy? We all know these are not solutions to being healthy, but where do you begin?

Eating sensibly is a great place to start, so we are introducing our new monthly column, For Better, which will teach all of us (and by “us” I mean everyone … we can all use tips on eating!) how to prepare not only for one day but also how to have an overall healthy eating style.

I would like to introduce you to a long time friend of mine, Tonya Price, who is a Registered Dietitian and the owner of TCP Nutrition Management. She will be writing For Better, and Tonya has been working in the nutrition field for 14 years, before branching out on her own to start TCP Nutrition.

Here are a few things that Tonya has to say about TCP Nutrition Management …

I love to assist my clients become more health-conscious, and I provide many services related to nutrition including services for brides to feel radiant and look back on their wedding day with fond memories, not regret, based on how they looked.

I also enjoy showing my clients that they can reach their fitness and health goals. It is easy to look at the proverbial “mountain” and think losing weight or getting fit is impossible. I believe that changing one health-related behavior at a time, dealing with setbacks, and planning for future success can get my clients the results they want … a beautiful, healthy figure for their dream wedding day.

TCP Nutrition has an experienced staff that is ready to meet your needs, and they are great at putting together a program that is based on your specific needs. I am thrilled to have someone as qualified as Tonya writing a monthly column for Hill City Bride! For Better makes its debut on September 15th and will continue on the 3rd Wednesday of each month. I am looking forward to hearing Tonya’s ideas for healthy living both before AND after the wedding.