TripAdvisor's Dirtiest Hotels of 2009

Yuck! I just got this email from TripAdvisor (my favorite travel review site ever) and I had to share!

If you are booking hotels for your guests, getting married near these places, or planning a trip to any of these cities, be sure to stay away from these hotels!

Dirtiest Hotels - United States
(based on TripAdvisor traveler reviews)
1.Hotel Carter, New York City, New York
2.Continental Bayside Hotel, Miami Beach, Florida
3.New York Inn, New York City, New York
4.Eden Roc Motel, Wildwood, New Jersey
5.Days Inn Cleveland Airport, Brook Park, Ohio
6.Days Inn Airport / Stadium Tampa, Tampa, Florida
7.Travelodge Bangor, Bangor, Maine
8.Velda Rose Resort Hotel, Hot Springs, Arkansas
9.Ramada Plaza Hotel JFK International Airport, Jamaica, New York
10.Days Inn & Suites Gatlinburg, Gatlinburg, Tennessee

Luckily for me, there aren't any AZ hotels on this list. Seems like NY is on there quite a few times! Ewww!

Baby shower ideas from Rachael Ray

Need some inspiration for a baby shower you are hosting? Finding these pictures on Rachael Ray made me cross my fingers that someone is in need of a baby shower soon. If you are, please call me! How adorable!

Scatter alphabet blocks on the tables. Use pastel colored trays to hold drinks and snacks.


A fun game that also adds to the decor is to hang a baby picture of each of the guests and have everyone guess who is who.


Use diaper pins as napkin rings.


Use baby bottles and baby food jars as vases for flowers.


Use baby food jars for favors.


Finish off presents with babys breath or cover baby bottles with burp cloths and colorful ribbons.

All photos courtesy of Rachael Ray Mag

How cute and easy does this baby shower look? What is your favorite baby shower idea?

DIY Place Settings and Centerpieces

Just because the economy is bad doesn't mean you can't have a beautiful and personalized tablesetting! These quick and easy place settings and centerpieces from Real Simple use basic items from around the house-and if you don't already have them I guarantee you can find them for super cheap!

1. Centerpiece-place votives or tea lights inside terra cotta pots, mix in some glass votives, and arrange them all on a serving tray


2. Place setting-use parchment paper or wax paper to wrap around your place setting. Use some basic string, ribbon, or yarn to tie the whole thing together.


3. Place setting-handwrite place cards and stick them between the prongs of the forks at each plate. Get creative by drawing a flower, design, or symbol next to each guest's name


4. Place setting-use chalkboard place mats or black construction paper for each place setting. Set a small votive holder with different colored chalk at each place setting. Don't forget to write each guests' name on their colored paper as well.

5. Centerpiece-cut strips of colored paper using some fancy scissors and wrap it around your basic clear votive holders.

6. Place card-grab some fruit, some toothpicks and some paper. Cut small strips of paper, write a name on each one, fold in half over a toothpick and secure with glue or tape. Voila-easy place card.

7. Place setting/place card-use colorful stickers to secure your napkins. Take it a step further and write each guest's name on the sticker. Don't have stickers? Get out your craft paper and cut out some fun shapes!

8. Centerpiece-use clear vases in varying heights and stack them with fruit, candles, or other bright objects.

9. Place setting-place colorful notebooks at each seat. Apply a sticker with the name of each guest. Don't have stickers? Use coordinating scrapbook paper.

All photos courtesy of Real Simple

What's your "go-to" table decor idea?

Free Drink Calculator for your next Party

How much alcohol should you serve? This is always a tough question for me because you can never know just how much all of your guests will drink at your party. For weddings, it's a little difficult because you may not know the drinking style of your "+ guest" or extended family members.

Evite has an awesome drink calculator where you can input your party duration, guest count, and what you'll be serving and it will give you a personalized count of how much beer, wine, and liquour you'll need.



I especially like that you can select light, average, or heavy drinkers since Grandma is probably not going to drink as much as say, your brother and his college buddies!

Check it out here: Free Drink Calculator

Chocolate Dipped Marshmallows from Real Simple

Here's another quick and easy recipe to satisfy your sweet tooth from Real Simple. This would be great for a romantic dinner for two, add a couple strawberries and apple slices to the mix and you're sure to wow your significant other. Now if only my hubby would read this post :)

Chocolate Dipped Marshmallows


Ingredients
12 marshmallows
2 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted
3 tablespoons toppings (such as chopped pistachios, shredded coconut, and crumbled graham crackers)

Instructions
Dip half of each marshmallow in the melted chocolate, letting the excess drip off, then sprinkle with your desired toppings. Serve immediately or chill until firm, about 20 minutes.

Picture & Recipe from Real Simple

What is your favorite romantic dessert?

Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies from Our Best Bites

These peanut butter sandwich cookies from Our Best Bites would be great for a bridal shower or birthday party. Don't these pictures just make you drool?




Head over to Our Best Bites for the recipe.

If you make them, let me know how they turn out!

Sarah Houston Wedding Gowns at Mariee this Weekend

What a coincidence! I was looking through Sarah Houston's wedding gowns and she is actually having a trunk show this weekend (2/13-2/15) at Mariee in Scottsdale. This is Sarah Houston's big valley debut and you will love her romantic "bohemian vintage" style dresses. They are gorgeous. Here are a few from her website:









Here are two from her maternity collection that will also be at Mariee.


If you like what you see, be sure to call Mariee to make an appointment. They are the only store in the state that will have her dresses this weekend!

Affordable Table Runners and Linens

Looking for affordable linens for your big event? If you don't account for this expense up front, you might be surprised by how expensive fancy linens can be.

Well-your search can stop here! I stumbled across Tablecloths Factory and found chair covers and satin table runners for sale for only $2.99. Not to mention all their other affordable items.

Satin Chair Sashes, $.99


Satin Overlays, $5.99-9.99

Organza Chair Sashes, $.79


Linen Napkins, 5 pack for $2.99


Chair Covers, $2.99


Satin Table Runners, $2.99



I know you may not need 20 turquoise or chartreuse satin table runners, but you can definitely keep a few, give some to friends who like to host parties, or resell them on The Knot or She Just Got Married. Would you trust buying your wedding day or big event linens on-line?

Happy shopping!

Magnet Street Weddings Giveaway!!!

From 2/9 until 2/15/09, the Truly Engaging wedding blog is celebrating its one year anniversary by giving away a coordinating ensemble of wedding stationery, just for you!


Source

Check out the rules on their site. All you have to do is find your favorite invitation ensemble and post a comment on their giveaway post. AND you can post a comment once a day!

Here are a few of my favorites from their site:





Also, be sure to add their their blog to your reader-they've got lots of great posts and ideas!

Good luck!

Wedding Cake Martini

I came across this drink on Evite's blog and thought I'd share.
It's supposed to taste like cake and according to the review on Evite's post it actually does!

Wedding Cake Martini

• 2 ounces vanilla vodka
• 2 ounces pineapple juice
• 2 ounces sweet and sour mix

Combine in a shaker with ice and shake vigorously. Strain and pour into a raw sugar-rimmed martini glass.

Serves 1

I don't know how many of these I could drink but they could be fun for a bridal shower or girls night in!

Wedding Day Hairstyles

I'm thinking about changing up my hair (I think it's called the "post-wedding chop") so I was browsing through celebrity hairstyles today and found the Celeb Salon on SheKnows and thought I'd share some great wedding day hairstyles with you.

Click here for updo hairstyles. Here are a few of my favorite updos from the site:




Click here for half up half down hairstyles. Here are a few of my favorite half up half down styles:


Click here for an entire collection of wedding day hairstyles from Celeb Salon.

How are you wearing your hair for your wedding? Did you copy a celeb look?