OmniBride™ & TWC: New Beginnings & Fond Farewells
The Wedding Chat has been a labor of love and a launching pad to something new and exciting for the entire online wedding community. You see we discovered a black hole…
As bloggers in the wedding industry we adore the vast blogosphere but, for a while, have felt such a deep void when attempting to research and find great content. Oh, we know it’s out there. In fact we take pride in the topics we’ve covered. But think about it-when you try to find something it’s often a time-consuming, hit-or-miss experience. There is so much valuable information out there and searching is like drifting aimlessly out in space.
Well, our frustration turned into opportunity. We connected with some tech virtuosos to help us create OmniBride, the first search-find-share destination solely for the wedding industry.
Our mission was to bring the entire online wedding community together so none of us has to wander aimlessly through the Internet to find great ideas, inspirations and resources.
We are just beginning to officially launch OmniBride and say a fond farewell to The Wedding Chat. We are sad for TWC to end as it has been steadily growing in popularity but feel our mission to bring together the entire online wedding community is the best use of our energies. We felt it even more when blogger Kelly Gribben, Keg Design, landed on us while she was randomly checking her site meter…”I discovered OmniBride as a referring site and one that is solely devoted to wedding-related things. What a cool concept! It’s definitely something the online wedding community can use.” We hope you think so too!
For brides: You’ll find that OmniBride is the most comprehensive destination for researching and planning your wedding.
For bloggers: Your voices will be heard by an exponentially greater audience. If the community loves your content, your stats will grow—and so will your fan base.
For industry: You have the opportunity to find out what the online wedding community is saying (or not saying) about your goods and services. You can engage in the community dialogues.
For journalists: This is your tool for researching and uncovering the latest buzz and resources.
You have the power to rate the value of a search result by either “loving” or “trashing” it so, unlike a general search engine, the community determines what rises to the top. So participate often and let your voice be heard throughout the wedding universe!
But there’s more to OmniBride—check out our feeds for the daily news and the most current wedding-related contests and giveaways. And if it’s being talked about—we’ll find it!
You may have noticed that this is a BETA version of OmniBride. This means that Version 1 is ready for take-off. But our vision doesn’t end here—count on an explosion of features and functions in the near future. For now, enjoy your exploration…and let us know about your experiences of finding it in the wedding cosmos.
Cruise out of your single life – Bachelorette Cruise
Looking for something different to do as a destination bachelorette party? Here is one that is sure to please everyone on your invite list, especially the bride-to-be: a cruise with the girls. I had my bachelorette party on a 4-day cruise to Mexico…and it was a BLAST!
The best thing about having a bachelorette party on a cruise is that no matter who attends, there is something that everyone will want to do! And to top it off, depending on the time of year and schedules, the prices are extremely reasonable. All food, lodging, onboard activities, and onboard entertainment are included in the price. That can save you not only money, but also the agonizing decision making each day and night on where to eat and what to do.
Not all cruise lines are the same, and I say this from personal experience. If you want a young, party atmosphere, then CARNIVAL is the way to go. Other cruise lines are great, but depending on your destination, you may find yourself with more families and couples and not as many groups of girls out for the final night of single life!
The bachelorette party I attended departed from California to Mexico for four days. Ah, I can still smell the sun screen! And once the crew and guests found out we were on a final single fling, they catered to us continually. The bride felt like royalty! We ate great food, saw some great dance and comedy shows, participated in some crazy poolside activities and contests, and had more drinks with umbrellas than I can remember.
Bringing up an important point, your drinks are NOT included in your package price. So before you keep asking for one more round, remember that you have to settle your bar bill at the end of the cruise.
Along with the great food, activities onboard, shows, mini-golf course, and discos for dancing the night away, there are other great activities for everyone. Say you have a friend who is not a sit-by- the-pool-and-lounge person or they cannot be in the sun. No problem, there is a casino onboard, trivia games, bingo, and the spa. Oh, the spa! Make sure you reserve your spa appointment as soon as you get on the boat, especially if you are only doing one of the shorter cruises because the appointments fill up fast. I had a refreshing facial and relaxing hot stone massage…my first. You will pay for your spa treatments by using your onboard card and make sure you leave a tip, as well.
Even if you remember to bring your camera, most ships have photo stations and roaming photographers who will take photos of your party that you can purchase later. This was great for our formal dinner night because all the girls were dressed to the nines, and it made for a great keepsake.
But the best thing about a cruise is you cannot lose anyone because they are on the boat. Of course, you get great food, lots of entertainment, and time to relax with your girls before you walk down the aisle, too. Hasta! –TAG
View CARNIVAL CRUISE Online Brochures.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Tina Allen Gallo
Tina Allen Gallo is a freelance writer, stand-up comedienne, and recent bride. Tina has been a bridesmaid 9 times and has thrown over a dozen bachelorette parties. She is the TWC Bachelorette Butterfly and has great ideas, plans and suggestions for all sorts of brides-to-be and those who will plan her last celebration of the single life!
Be a blissful bride and plan a yoga bridal party!
…or a private pilates session to bring together your bridesmaids; or better yet, have a Yoga Bachelorette Party! This is the perfect alternative for the health-conscious bride who isn’t very interested in the traditional barhopping bachelorette bash.
The flirty illustration above is by Stacie Tamaki.
To begin finding a location for a ‘blissed out’ party, I suggest starting with local boutique studios, because it is likely they will be able to offer the most flexibility and privacy…much needed to create a personalized class for you and your girls! A perfect example here in the San Francisco Bay Area is the well-known private studio in Los Altos called KATHY KLEIN CORE FITNESS. Kathy Klein is a local favorite who teaches yoga and pilates regularly in her own studio (as well as other prestigious locations, such as Stanford University, Apple Computers, and Equinox of Palo Alto). Below you can see her in action!
Of course, the perfect gift for your soon-to-be-blissed-out bridal girls is a custom-monogrammed yoga bag. This bag can be found through the premier online favor retailer, BEAU-COUP , and it comes in a variety of colors.
While I am on the subject of BEAU-COUP FINE FAVORS, which is one of my favorite online favor resources…I want to take a moment to thank them for selecting The Wedding Chat for a LUV-LY Blog Award! What a surprise! As you may recall from a previous post in which I was ‘tagged’ into telling the truth, I admitted one of my guilty pleasures is regularly reading Us Weekly Magazine. So, it is no wonder that Celebrity Wednesday on the BEAU-COUP WEDDING BLOG is one of my favorite days to stop in to learn what’s the latest dish! Check it out!
Scratch & Win…The Bachelorette Lotto!
Attention: Bachelorette & Bridal Shower Planners!
Looking for outrageous fun for the next party? These scratch & win games, formatted after lottery tickets and made by PARTY SCRATCHERS™, will keep your guests very busy guessing what lies behind the square, or should I say…SHEETS!
I had a chance to play the “Between The Sheets” PARTY SCRATCHER game at a recent bachelorette party. Everyone had tons of fun comparing what others had. And as for the winner, she wasn’t the bride, but she SURE was blushing! There were fun illustrated surprises under each scratch-off area (such as “where’s the beef,” “got Viagra?” “too pooped to party”…You get the idea!). This game is for those who enjoy a little adult entertainment. If you are looking for a G-Rated alternative, then visit their site to see the “Total Hunk” who is ready to come out for “Bachelorette’s Last Night Out!”
Another popular PARTY SCRATCHER created for Bridal Showers is called “Ring Bling.” The winner will win a prize for revealing the REAL “Engagement Ring.” As for the losing scratchers, illustrations of an Onion Ring, Key Ring, and Coffee Ring, just to name a few, are sure to get a laugh!
Visit www.partyscratchers.com to see their complete selection of fun scratch & win games for all parties!
Candies Gone Wild!
Could you ever imagine that one of those candies you ate as a kid, the Candy Necklace…
would be made into a pair of panties! Well, that day has come and they have officially GONE WILD!
Recently, I was invited to an all girls dinner to offer a toast to the bride. We were asked to bring a pair of panties to play a game called, “Whose Panties?”, aka “Whose Underwear?”
How To Play – The game begins with asking each guest to bring a pair of panties to the party (fun, sexy, large briefs, etc). As the guests arrive, they hang their panties on a clothesline strung across the room. The bride has to guess who brought which pair. If she guesses correctly, she gets to keep that pair. After she has gone through the line-up once, then the other guests have a chance to guess and win a pair.
Alternative Scenario – Since we were in a restaurant, the panties were put in a bag, and she pulled them out one at a time. Of course, the last pair were the candy panties and being a candyaholic, I am not sure whether my eyes lit up because I wanted to immediately eat the yummy candies, or just from the sheer shock that they were made into a G-string! Nonetheless, it was fun to see the bride trying to guess who brought what and as goofy as it all sounds…what would any bachelorette party be without a little sweet & sexy fun?
To learn more about candy panties, candy bras, candy belly chains, or candy garters, visit www.bubblesofrockport.com or visit www.amazon.com
