I know, I know, I know! You've got the list, and you've checked it twice! However, in all the morning of chaos, running on Red Bulls, you still forgot it!! Below is a list of the Top 10 things Brides Forget: Go Pack them now! LOL 1. Cash/I.D. - for tips/perhaps an after party run to the club? 2. Flats - Your feet will hurt! 3. Marriage License - Most officiants will NOT marry you without this! 4. Fancy Hangers - NO WIRE HANGERS for Photos 5. Invitation Suite - The Photographer will likely do Detailed Photos 6. Cake Topper/Cutting Knives - Check with venue, sometimes they have extras! 7. Guest Book Pen - Let's not have the ugly pen on the sign in table! 8. Blue Tooth Speaker - For getting dressed - fun music gets the vibe going! 9. Snacks! - Don't even think of drinking Mimosas all day on an empty stomach! 10. Plates/napkins/forks/straws for snacks - And make them fun, because there will be selfies!

We hired Gigi’s Gourmet Kitchen (gigisgourmetkitchen.com) for my daughter’s wedding, and the experience was extremely disappointing. Here’s what happened: - Cocktail Hour Appetizers: Only one tray each of meatballs and eggrolls were served initially — and only after I asked staff to begin circulating. Once those trays were gone, there was a 30‑minute gap with no food. Eventually, one more tray of each item appeared, and that was all that was served for over 100 guests. My grandson and I even had to step in to distribute charcuterie cups ourselves. - - Dinner Service: While the food had flavor, it was served cold. Guests were discouraged from requesting both shrimp and chicken, even though this was never communicated as a limitation. Caesar salads were barely distributed (only about 10–15 guests received one), and asparagus — which was part of the agreed menu — was never served at all. And she admitted they forgot the asparagus! - - Cake Service: We paid for four servers who were contracted to cut and serve the cake, yet no staff assisted. The coordinator had to bring the cake back herself, and my husband and I ended up passing slices to guests. The mother and father of the bride! - - Agreed Details Ignored: To‑go boxes and cake shooters, which we discussed at length beforehand, were not provided. I even shipped the boxes to her location, per her request to have them ready for that night ! and not one was provided. - . At the end of the night, six large trays of food were left over, despite many guests not receiving items during service. As this was a destination wedding, we had no way to store or transport them, and they went to waste. - - Response Afterward: When these issues were raised, the caterer refused to make things right ! She actually has admitted to these mistakes and yet even though she charged me $425.00 in gratuity - which she took the liberty of adding onto the last invoice - has not refunded one penny.

With winter around the corner, how fun would it be to have a Hot Chocolate bar at your reception? This could be a great addition if you're having a non-alcohol reception or even if you just wanted something sweet for the kiddos! Pro tip: Ask the venue if you could provide this yourself. It could save $$ if you don't have to pay the venue for this ...sweeten the deal by offering to set it all up! What are some other unique beverage ideas you've seen at weddings or are you planning something special?

If you had the choice to go on an extravagant honeymoon or down payment on a starter home, which would you pick? Im just curious to see where the world is with this?

Let's all welcome @Beth Macleod to our group! Beth hails from the UK, and is a Celebrant for weddings. She has introduced herself in the Start Here Category. I've asked her to give us a micro lesson on what a Celebrant actually does as I'm not familiar with that job....you can find it in the NEW Guest Pros Category! More on that later as I'm running out the door!