Tuesdays with Ty - Planning the Honeymoon

On these cold, snowy days in Kentucky I am longing for tropical breezes and sunshine!  What better time to plan our honeymoon??!! 

Since we were pretty much snowed in yesterday, Brandon and I started researching honeymoon spots and weighing our pros and cons for each location.  Where do you begin, you may ask??  We started with deciding what kind of trip we want...a relaxing, tropical get-away where we can lay on the beach with a few good books and not worry about anything other than what fruity daiquiri to try next or where to eat that night.   There are lots of options out there depending on what type honeymoon you want.  We won't have more than a week due to his work schedule and mine with Twirl, so somewhere far, far away isn't ideal for us.  We are sticking with somewhere within a 4-5 hour flight so the relaxation can begin right away!  That being said, we will end up in either Mexico or the Caribbean!

There are TONS of great options out there for helping you plan if you are doing it on your own.  You can always go the Sandals All-Inclusive route - they have tons of great locations and know how to treat honeymooners.  My best friend just went to Sandals St. Lucia and loved every minute of it.  There are usually local representatives you can speak with about different options and they will help tailor your trip to exactly what you want.

Travelzoois another great website for deals on trips.  Yesterday I found a trip to Playa del Carmen Mexico to a great resort for a heck of a deal!  I also found a 6 day trip to the Amalfi coast of Italy for an unbelievable price.  If we had more time, believe me we would be in Italy!  My suggestion if you find any hotel on a deal website like this is to look it up on TripAdvisor and read the traveler reviews on everything.  You can usually get a good feel of how the resort will treat you, how the food is, etc.  That way you can make an informed decision on your trip.  Expedia and Orbitz usually are a big help when looking for deals as well.

In the end, it just comes down to what you and your fiance want out of the Honeymoon experience.  You can make any budget work and have a fabulous trip!

Bridesmaid Tip:  Sign up for Travelzoo or other travel website "Deals of the Week" to keep your eyes open for deals to send your bride for her honeymoon.  Any little bit of help is welcomed when trying to plan everything.

Tuesdays with Ty - Starting your Wedding Registry

Now that you have all of the big things done...chosen your bridal gown and picked out the cutest bridesmaid dresses from Twirl...now you get to make your wish list for wedding gifts!  This is the only time in your life that you can pick out gifts and friends will ask where they can buy them for you!  To make the most of it, I suggest asking your bridesmaids their advice!

Since we both have had our own houses, Brandon and I took an assessment of our top priorities for the registry.  We decided to be traditional and register for nice China and stemware because we do like to entertain and it will be useful in the future.   We also decided to find flatware that will be appropriate for everyday use and nice enough to use with our China.  I also wanted to select new everyday use dishes that will last through the years and not become dated after using them for a while.  So after thinking long and hard about what we wanted, we chose to register at the following places and why:

• Macy's - Great selection of China, Flatware, Stemware, Towels, Cookware.  Always having a sale!  They also do fun "Sip and Scans" in the evenings where you can enjoy appetizers and drinks and socialize with other couples.  Macy's also offers rewards back to the couple on their Macy's card for everything purchased off your registry.
• Bed Bath and Beyond - Great selection of the same China, Kitchen Gadgets and Bakeware.  They are always sending out 20% off coupons so that makes it nice and more affordable for guests as well!
• Pottery Barn - I LOVE Pottery Barn - everyday dishes, glassware, serveware.  It was a must for me.  Classic style that will last for years.
• Lowe's - This one was Brandon's request.  Do you know how many trips you make to Lowe's when you are working on a house project??

Tips from my bridesmaids:

• Nancy: "Register not just for items for today but things you may want to use 5, 10 or 20 years down the road. I love my china and silver I registered for even though I don't have a dining room now to use it, I know I will one day!"
• Deanna: "Just relax and have fun.....register for everything that you think that you might want, you can always take it back."
• Katherine:  "Let your man take the scanning gun.  I apparently “stole” the gun from Les, and I still hear about it to this day!  You can always go online and make adjustments afterward, so let them have their fun!" 
• Hillary:  "Don’t hold back…this is the time to register for those things that you never buy for yourself!  And.. My mother always says every girl has to have at least one thing from Tiffany’s for a wedding gift!"
• Jodi:  "When I registered for dinnerware, I registered for something that I could use current day.  Six years later, the set no longer matches the decor in my kitchen.  I wish I would have registered for china that I could have passed down to my daughter when she was married - something plain, classic, and something you only bring out for special occasions."

Happy Shopping!

- Ty