A pretty, shiny, chip-free manicure that last two weeks? Is that possible?

Yes —- thanks to Shellac, a relatively new polish only available in certain salons.

Why do I love it? Because it helps me not bite my nails. After three Shellac manicures (with two weeks in between each), my nails are strong and looking picture-perfect.

How it works: Basically you get several coats of this polish, and a UV light sets the color between each coat.

Downsides? It’s costing me $30 every two weeks, because I’m addicted. And I have to soak my nails in a bowl of acetone to get the polish off. I’ve only had the polish removed in the salon, so I don’t know what this would be like at home.

Colors: The colors are bit limited, but the company says it’s rolling out some new hues this March (and again, these are only available to salon professionals). So far, I’ve tried Fedora, a deep blackish brown (what my sister calls “The Hills” nails) … and Romantique, a pale pink. You can get two coats of one color, or mix and match the polishes for different shades (the salon should have a display that explains how). I prefer the neutral shades because you can squeeze more life out of your manicure … with the darker polish, my new nail growth at the cuticles was more obvious after about a week.

Bonus: Because the polish sets almost instantly, you don’t have to worry about smudging your freshly painted nails. This makes it MUCH easier to get an express manicure during a workday. I’ve been taking advantage of one Roanoke salon’s Tuesday discounts. I set my appointments during my lunch breaks … oh so convenient and relaxing.

Man, I was proud of my clever wedding favor idea: A colorful Halloween candy buffet, complete with scoops and clear baggies for everyone to fill to their hearts’ content.

It was nostalgic, playful, tasty and interactive —- I thought for sure it would be a hit.

But, no.

We ended up trucking pounds of uneaten M&Ms, Hot Tamales and jellybeans back home at the end of the reception. I don’t think more than a few guests actually indulged in the buffet.

Why was this sure-fire favor idea a flop?

I can only guess it was the buffet placement —- in a corner, next to the exit doors.

Perhaps no one saw it?

Or was everyone too busy talking and dancing and eating cake?

Or did the bottle of hand sanitizer placed front-and-center remind everyone that swine flu was on the loose?

My original idea was to put a different candy display at each table of 8, with the hope that it would get guests mingling — and “trick-or-treating” from table to table.

But the venue pushed us to use the single tablescape.

Would I do it again? Absolutely not.

It just wasn’t worth the trip to Sam’s to buy the bulk candy, a few trips to Michael’s for the ginormous glass containers (that I have yet to find a good use for), two trips to Walmart to find the perfect plastic baggies, not to mention the time and effort of my family members who graciously set it up and carted most of it back home.

I’m not so sure I would go through the trouble of throw-away favors at all.

I do believe we brides obsess over details that few actually care about —- and I put wedding favors at the top of the list.

So think twice before you sink your creative energy and hundreds of dollars into similar projects — and stay true to your party’s priorities!

And if you happen to have a wedding favor success story to share, please pass along your amazing idea!

If you’re pulling together some welcome baskets for out-of-towners, steal this Halloween wedding idea:

THE BIG WELCOME:

I filled some cheap, black, witches’ cauldrons (available at any drug store or Walmart this time of year) with a bunch of sweet and salty snacks and a few bottles of water and beer. I just dropped them off at the hotel’s front desk, and they made sure each guest got their welcome gift when they checked in. You could add maps of your city or other information that would be helpful, too.

But a warning: I visited Roanoke’s convention and tourism office for promotional literature and maps and was told that they severely limit their handouts (apparently they get wedding requests all of the time).

AND THANK-YOU!

When we mailed thank-you notes about a month after our wedding, Forrest and I included a CD loaded with music from our Big Day [learn how to design your wedding with music here … and some ideas for Halloween soundtrack].

Sending the CDs AFTER the wedding (instead of handing them out as favors, as I’ve witnessed at other weddings) will allow you to include songs that will remind guests of the best moments of your reception.

For example, my sister Sarah and dear friend Wendy engaged in a playful dance-off to Michael Jackson’ “Billie Jean” during our reception. So we were thrilled to include that song (and its significance) on our thank-you CDs.

Don’t forget to print CD labels that explain the meaning of each song … that should help create memories long after your celebration.

Coming next: What I Wish I Had Been Told Months Before My Halloween Wedding: My Ultimate Waste of Time, Money and Stress

Hiring a live band was one of our best wedding decisions. But don’t forget about what to play during their breaks!

Knowing how music can set the tone of any event (and how meaningful music can be), I carefully selected playlists for our ceremony and reception.

(And if you hire a live band for your reception, don’t forget about their breaks! Silence is a party killer!)

Think strategically about your event —- and its various stages.

Ours broke down like this:

1. Guests arrive at ceremony site to mingle

We chose a light, jazzy mix peppered with recordings of my late grandmother playing the piano.


2. The ceremony itself

Ours was super small, so we didn’t arrange any live music. However, I did want particular songs (on a CD) to serve as cues: I chose the mystical, instrumental Harry Potter theme song as a signal to move guests from inside the suite to the outdoor terrace, where are ceremony was performed.

My “walking down the aisle” song was “Crystal” by Stevie Nicks —- a gorgeous song from the “Practical Magic” soundtrack.

And I told you about my great hopes for playing Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo during our sparklers portion (and why hiring a day-of wedding coordinator is a good idea).


3. Post-ceremony cocktail hour

While we had our photos taken immediately following the ceremony (and after our champagne toast), we played more light Big Band songs from a CD to help prime guests for the reception to come. I chose romantic, joyful songs that picked up the tempo a bit (like “The Best is Yet to Come” by Michael Buble).


4. Early reception

We wanted guests to walk into the reception site with the live Big Band blaring —- and we worked with our band to choose specific songs to play throughout the evening. If we had a formal, sit-down dinner, we would have chosen lighter music to start the evening. But since there were food stations and bar servers constantly on the prowl, we chose to get folks snapping their fingers early.


5. Band break No. 1: Cake cutting

A little over an hour into the reception, we planned to combine the band’s first break with the cake-cutting ceremony, which started with a brief thank-you speech from yours truly.

While this may seem a bit early, it worked out well, especially because of our food station set-up. Guests love cake … and the earlier they can eat a piece (and then another!), the happier they will be. Trust me on this one.

As for the music … I chose the old Billie Holiday song “Sugar” to be playing while we actually cut the cake (romantic, vintage, classic), immediately followed by a few guest-suggested songs (we asked for these in the months before the wedding). The most memorable tune was the Halloween- and wedding-appropriate “Magic” by Robin Thicke.
 

6. First dance

We wanted to get folks on the dance floor as soon as the band came back from their first break. So the band played Glenn Miller’s ultimate romantic song “Moonlight Serenade” for Forrest and I (halfway through, we invited more couples to the floor). Then came our peppy Halloween wedding theme song: “Fly Me to the Moon.”


7. Band break No. 2

Now that some guests have warmed up with tasteful Big Band dancing (and enjoyed a cocktail or two), we picked up the pace even more and played a second CD with some of our favorite dance songs, many with a Halloween twist: Shakira’s “She Wolf,” Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” Bee Gee’s “Stayin’ Alive.” These definitely got folks moving.


8. Post-band
By the time our live band called it night toward the end of the reception, guests were heading to their cars to bring their favorite CDs to play —- too much fun. We even witnessed a playful dance-off to Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean.” Classic.


The mix of live jazz and recorded music (both meaningful and dance-tastic) really worked well for us. We even created CDs of our wedding soundtrack to send with our thank-you notes a month later.

Guests still rave about how fun the live band was —- so definitely consider the entertainment value before you dismiss the idea as too expensive.

We ordered an old-world cookie mold — symbolizing bounty and beauty — for our cake: Now we can make cookies to remind us of our special day.

When Forrest and I were in the infant stages of our wedding planning, I remember asking ourselves the deep, philosophical questions about the whole shebang.

Really, what is the point of the expense — the drama! — the time! — of planning a wedding?

This got to the root of our relationship — about what we wanted as a couple. And we knew that while our wedding would be special day, it was only the beginning of a wild journey.

Sure, we could have saved the $$ and eloped to a private destination, since this is all about the couple’s commitment, right?

But then I remembered how much I enjoyed flipping through photo albums of my parents’ wedding as a kid. And I realized it wasn’t just about making fun of their strange 70s-era ruffled shirts and bow ties and floppy bridesmaid hats.

The album documented the beginning of our family’s story, before my sisters and I came along … before we made the big move from Texas to Virginia … before dear relatives passed away.

My parents and their families were celebrating the root of our branch —- and I felt it was important to do the same for our future children.

So I kept the meaning of the celebration and of our relationship front and center as I planned our Big Day.

We wanted to honor where we came from and surround ourselves with the same family and friends who would support us in the future.

So beyond the “duhs” — the ceremony vows, the toasts, the heirloom jewelry — I came up with a few details to honor that meaning (many of which thrilled our guests, too):

— First, I always reminded myself that while weddings are filled with traditions, we could customize as we wanted. So we kept some (cake cutting ceremony, first dance) and threw out others (garter, bouquet toss). While weddings are based on age-old religious and cultural traditions, don’t be afraid to personalize your own.

— Our rehearsal dinner was a casual affair at the same Mexican restaurant where Forrest and I visited on our first date.

— My bridal bouquet roses were orange, the same color as the rose Forrest greeted me with on our first date.

— As our guests mingled before the ceremony, we played a CD of background music, which included recordings of my late grandmother’s piano playing (and I’m eternally grateful for cousin Christine’s forethought to record her music more than a decade ago).

— Months before the wedding, we asked guests to submit their music requests for our reception via a wedding website. We used our iPod to play most of these songs while the live band took breaks. Read more about how to stage your wedding with music here.

— Stealing another Martha Stewart wedding idea, I ordered a German springerle cookie mold (showing a bride and groom bringing bounty and beauty to their union) to create the central design for our cake. Now we can make cookies to remind us of our special day.

— Instead of setting up framed photos on a side table during the reception, we projected an ongoing slideshow of 150ish photos from both sides of our families on a big screen throughout the evening (see photo below). Luckily our venue provided the A/V capabilities at no extra charge. We were thrilled to hear bursts of cheers and laughter as our guests saw familiar faces growing up through the years. Not only was this entertaining — and a wonderful way to get folks reminiscing — but it was symbolic of our families blending together … and it honored all of those who could only be there in spirit. Pulling this slideshow together took some time, but it was well worth it. And it paid off again as we were deciding what to give our parents. At the rehearsal dinner, we presented them with digital frames pre-loaded with the slideshow (we expect them to keep adding over the years!).

— It was all well and good to add these symbolic touches to our wedding, but we wanted to tell our guests about them, too. So we created programs including all of this meaningful trivia — an archive for future generations about the story behind my engagement ring, the pearl earrings, the cake, and all of those other details that meant so much to us both.

Below: Forrest and I dance as our slideshow plays in the background. This was a monster hit with our guests, who cheered, laughed and teared up as they watched familiar faces growing up through the years. Turn it into sentimental wedding party gifts by uploading to digital frames.

When I first met with our fantastic photographer — a  Roanoke Times colleague, photojournalist Jeanna Duerscherl — she suggested I give her a list of must-have shots from the ceremony and reception.

Sure, there would be the “I Dos” and the cake cutting and the first dance —- all of the classic moments.

But she encouraged me to think up more visually stunning opportunities.

A few playful “extras” (all of which turned out to be my favorite photos):

— We planned our ceremony on the Hotel Roanoke penthouse terrace with picturesque views of downtown Roanoke and the Mill Mountain star

— My Wicked Witch of the Southeast surprise

— Jeanna snapped photos of Forrest and I as we walked between our ceremony at the hotel and our reception a few blocks away. I wanted to get that downtown Roanoke flavor in these spontaneous shots.

— Guests were encouraged to wear semi-formal costumes — Jeanna made sure to get portraits of them.

— My absolute favorite photo was inspired by another couple that Jeanna mentioned in our meeting.

For their Fourth of July wedding, they had their guests line up and down a path in a country field, each of them holding sparklers as the bride and groom took their first steps as a married couple.

Loved the sparklers idea — that would make a great photo! — but would it work for Halloween?

A-ha! Sure …. they could be like magic wands, right?

So I Googled wedding sparklers and found longer versions (especially suited for these sort of celebrations) available to order online.

Initially, I had grand plans: Sparklers and low-lying fog on the terrace to set the mystical mood.

We were forced to scrap the fog idea because it would have been too complicated —- I didn’t think to hire a day-of coordinator to manage this ceremony like a theater production.

I also planned to coordinate the sparkler lighting (immediately following our ceremony) with music playing in the background. I found the perfect song: A jazzy, upbeat “Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo” by an obscure Italian group called the Boop Sisters (another sophisticated combo of Big Band and Halloween).

I loved the idea of guests playfully waving their magic wands to the song made famous by Walt Disney’s “Cinderella.”

But, alas —- the Boop Sisters never got played. Another victim of improper task delegation. I didn’t want to saddle too many responsibilities on family and friends, who were caught up in the moment themselves.

(I ended up adding the song to our wedding soundtrack — CDs we mailed out with thank-you notes. More on that in a future post).

As much as I wanted to direct this party, I just couldn’t do it while being the bride (control freak, right?!).  If I could do this all over again, I would definitely try to hire someone to manage these A/V cues. Not an expensive wedding planner in the traditional sense —- but a one-day bridal assistant to oversee the many details.

Luckily, we did get those amazing photos and our guests seemed like they were having fun, which was the whole point. We tried to capture that playful spirit from the Halloweens of our childhood — and I think the sparklers definitely helped.

Carve out the expensive floral arrangements and focus instead on magical table lighting.

Decorating for a Halloween wedding doesn’t have to mean Goth … or tacky … or cliche orange and black.
 
I’ve shown how I combined by vintage, sophisticated style with Halloween.

Now you can do the same with a Halloween (or harvest-themed) wedding.

Years ago, I wrote a newspaper column about the importance of lighting for setting the mood at parties (along with other lessons I applied to my own wedding): “A Tale of Two Weddings,” The Roanoke Times, PDF

So I chose to bypass expensive floral centerpieces and instead focused on creating a magical glow at each table.

Luckily, our reception venue (Schaal’s Metamorphosis in Roanoke, Va.) provided tall table centerpieces and black velvety tablecloths at no extra cost. We complemented these centerpieces — tall lamps filled with harvest flowers —- with pumpkin votives shown above.

I stole the votive idea from Martha Stewart (detailed instructions here). Basically you just take fresh, mini pumpkins (we bought bags of them about a week before the wedding) and use a drill with a 1.5-inch paddle bit to create tealight-sized holes. Voila — inexpensive, chic, natural lighting. Want more strategies for saving money at your wedding? Check out my Top 5 ideas

We displayed a mix of orange and ivory pumpkins at tables throughout the venue, along with a few special jack-o-lanterns … Recognize our wedding theme carved into the one below?

Thanks for the expert carving, Tony!

I had originally envisioned a group pumpkin carving party the night before our wedding, but it just got too crazy. I also toyed with the idea of using only ivory pumpkins, but those were not as easily available as the traditional orange versions.

Here’s another colorful candle idea from Ladies’ Home Journal: Take clear glass votive holders, fill with candy corn and top with a tealight.

We were able to splurge for the swanky penthouse suite at Hotel Roanoke by cutting costs on the details that weren’t priorities. Above, you see my $400 dream dress … recycled little black dresses for sister-bridesmaids Erin (left) and Sarah … and bouquets made with $10-per-dozen roses from Kroger.

I’m a born bargain hunter — lover of Big Lots, Marshall’s and Tuesday Morning — so I approached our wedding with the same shopping savvy.

Here are my Top 5 creative strategies for saving money on your wedding:

1. Visualize what you want

You’ve settled on a budget, right?

Now take all of those ideas swirling in your head and write them down — no need to edit just yet. Just free write: Colors, atmosphere, fabrics, flavors, locales.

It might help to play your perfect wedding like a movie in your head: Is there a live rock band playing? Are you outside in a garden? Is it more of a nighttime cocktail vibe?

Write down what you see: A formal sit-down dinner? Open bar? Kick-ass honeymoon?

Our list had everything from Mexican food and a frozen margarita machine to a lakeside soiree with stringed bulb lights to a live Big Band.

Totally random, right?

Just get all of your fantasies on paper, then …

2. Prioritize, prioritize, prioritze

Now make some hard decisions. If you could pick only 3 things on your list, what would they be?

We settled on an evening, uptown Halloween vibe [see previous post about branding our wedding with a Vintage Halloween Luxe theme ] and picked our priorities from there.

(We didn’t have to throw out our Mexican ideas, however —- our rehearsal/welcome dinner was held at an El Rodeo Mexican restaurant, the site of our first date.)

Forrest and I wanted to keep our wedding small (50ish) and spend our money on what we thought guests would enjoy most: Yummy food (we did food stations featuring a menu of hearty fall-inspired appetizers, keeping with the theme), an open bar and live Big Band music.

Picking your priorities is key, especially when you’re tempted to go all out on EVERY detail of your Big Day. And you will be tempted by a well-oiled, culturally juiced Wedding Industrial Complex full of glossy magazines, sales-hungry vendors and unrealistic expectations.

Stay strong —- spend what you’re comfortable with on your absolute priorities — and get creative with everything else to help keep the budget under control.

The view from the Governor’s Suite rooftop terrace at the Hotel Roanoke.

3. We combined our ceremony site with a luxury first-night honeymoon

I thank Kathleen Kennedy and her book “Priceless Weddings for Under $5,000” and the “2000 Dollar Wedding” blog for the many helpful ideas I collected during the planning process.

One of Kennedy’s ingenious ideas turned on my light bulb: She suggested booking the penthouse at a fancy hotel and using that as the site for a small family wedding.

We stole that idea and applied it this way:

We booked the historic Governor’s Suite at the Hotel Roanoke, which was a whopping $700 for one-night’s stay. But I knew this penthouse suite had a private outdoor terrace with amazing views of downtown Roanoke and the Mill Mountain star: A picturesque spot for a small gathering of 20ish people.

How did we pull it off? Our actual wedding ceremony was witnessed by family and lifelong friends only. We invited more casual friends to our cocktail reception at Schaal’s Metamorphosis, just blocks away from the hotel.

The suite worked very well because I could dress there comfortably (two bedrooms, two bathrooms, living room w/ fireplace, dining room, kitchen), and Forrest and I spent our first night as a married couple there.

It also helped set the swanky tone for the rest of the evening.

4. We skimped on formal wear

Not only did I find my wedding dress on clearance at Amrhein’s in Roanoke ($400 … and saleswoman Jane was like a fairy godmother!) —- and Forrest bought a dapper suit intended for future special events —- but I also wanted to save my sisters Sarah and Erin from spending money on bridesmaid dresses they would never wear again.

Since we were going for a sophisticated evening vibe, I asked them to wear their favorite black cocktail dress … and they picked out whatever shoes they wanted (they chose to go with retro-looking pumps to match our theme).  I went all Wicked Witch of the Southeast.

My bridesmaid gifts helped swank up their outfits: Vintage-looking jewelry and handbags.

They saved money —- and looked (and felt) fantastic in their fabulous little black dresses.

Another priceless tip: Sarah and Erin have found the most amazing wedding dress source ever: I thought I lucked out finding my dream dress for $400, but they both ordered their designer knock-offs direct from Chinese dressmakers via eBay. Both of them spent under $200 (and most of that was shipping). One of those dresses needed extensive tailoring to make the fit more flattering, but don’t most wedding gowns?

5. Craft projects! Get creative with flowers and table centerpieces

I was lucky to have a brother-in-law with a talent for floral arranging and pumpkin carving (Tony, you rock).

So we bought roses in bulk at Kroger for $10 per dozen and made our own simple bouquets and boutineers the day before the wedding.

Note: Special-order roses at Kroger are ridiculously expensive … I believe it was $3 per stem at the time. So in order to get the $10 price, we were at the mercy of their color selection that week. We chose to go with orange roses for my bouquet (a sentimental choice, because Forrest greeted me with an orange rose on our first date) and ivory roses for bridesmaids and ‘boots.

As for the table centerpieces, we took real pumpkins and created inexpensive votive holders and jack-o-lanterns —- more about those in a future post.