I started blogging just a few years ago, as a way to connect to brides and grooms directly, and really offer them my help in real time….not making them wait a year for one of my wedding books to come out. I became a wedding writer and author because I believe so strongly that weddings are family events…not just a day to put on a gorgeous, expensive gown and carry lovely flowers (although that’s pretty fabulous, too!) So the first blog I started was focused on helping brides work with their family members – namely, parents who were paying for the wedding and thus had a lot to say about the big day’s theme, décor, and pretty much everything else. I wanted brides to have a safe way to vent to someone who’s in the business, get realistic advice and help on what to say and how to say it, and get everyone working together harmoniously again. So I’d say my blog was more about the relationships between everyone than the napkin colors, as they say.

I love to share my favorite finds, like Envirosax totes that are popular with celebs, and would make great bridal shower gifts. I have a million inspirations a minute, it seems, so my blog is a great way to log on quickly, share what I’ve found, put some of my articles out there right away, and skip the waiting time that is so much a part of book publishing. When you hold a wedding book in your hand, it was written a few months ago, and you’re not always allowed to talk about specific companies. My blog lets me talk about any companies I want! And I get to share my sense of humor about wedding and party planning, all to remind brides to get back in the right mindset of this being fun and about it all being about the relationship, plus an important time for the family. Especially since my Dad passed away – so shortly after my wedding, where he laughed and danced and had his greatest time in life – I’m all about how couples can make this an amazing time for their families and for far-away friends they don’t see often enough.

Discovering new vendors and their inspirations. For instance, I’ve just become close with a fabulous cupcake company’s owner – the company is Bella Cupcake Couture – and I think it’s brilliant that she’s designing pretty cupcake wrappers! I love that entrepreneurial spirit and the creativity to take something we’ve all seen our whole lives and make it extra-special. There’s so much innovation in the wedding industry, from cupcake wrappers to the new world of eco-friendly wedding everything, that I get to see brilliant minds at work. And then there’s that excitement and glow of the newly-engaged bride who’s standing at the start of her plans, ready to have such an amazing time planning a dream wedding. I love to solve problems for her, calm her fears, give her the right words to get her mom off her back J It’s an honor to be invited into someone’s world when they’re creating such an important celebration in their lives. They trust me to inspire them, save them from mistakes, and cheer them up. I love that!

Laugh off the stress that IS the first year of marriage. Remember that ANY kind of change creates stress, even if the big change is that you’re now together all the time, and you have a house to work on, and finances to manage together. Every couple has some kinds of changes to adjust to, and it’s totally normal to freak out a little bit. So instead of giving in to the stress of it, hold hands and laugh at it. My husband and I did. Right after we got married, pretty much everything in the house we bought broke at one time, we found out that there was nothing under the foundation of our house, so a crazy contractor had to come in and pump it full of concrete, my Dad was getting sicker, our Christmas tree fell over right before our first holiday in our new home…it was insane. And we were kind of numb. But once we started laughing at it, we were okay. That’s when we remembered our vows! Better, worse, richer, poorer, no concrete, concrete. Well, the last part wasn’t in there, but we knew we could count on each other for anything. So when the first months of marriage deliver that let-down of the wedding being over and reality hitting, find ways to have FUN together. Get creative, and be sweet to each other in the littlest ways. And re-connect with the friends you didn’t have a lot of time for as you were planning the wedding. It’s SO important to have a full life outside of your marriage, so you stay interesting and don’t become too dependent on each other. The best marriages are made of equals who are fulfilled in themselves, able to give more to each other. Sounds like a Hallmark card, but it’s really true.

Be careful what you write, because it goes out to everyone, forever. And when you’re looking for a job, companies search them to see what your character is. Family, friends, everyone can access what you write down. So make it a rule that you’ll keep your blog on the positive side, and never spiral into using it as a way to ‘smack’ people with thinly veiled complaints about your in-laws or anyone else.

My contests, definitely! I give away a lot of my books, signed and sent for free, just whenever I’m in the mood. So when I post a giveaway and Tweet about it, the site lights up!

Just interesting things I see in my industry, and interesting people I talk to. Honestly, there are some things I wish I could write about…some of the shady things that I’ve heard, but I’m not a gossip, and it does no good to post a judgment on how someone else works their business and their image. I’m a big believer in karma. And when you’re putting good information out there, helping people create an important ritual and celebration, only good can come back at you. And it does. I’m so lucky to get to love my job this much, and do what I love. And getting to know such amazing experts in the industry, like the other Weddzilla Gurus…that’s so amazingly great. And I write about it in my blog.

Wow, I’ve never thought about that! I guess my answer would be that my blogging personality is entirely MY personality. I write how I speak, even if it would make my 6^th grade English teacher squirm. I can definitely throw a little sarcasm zing in there when I’m in a mood. But I stay away from my blog if I’m frustrated or tired or I shouldn’t be immortalizing thoughts in any way while I’m working on a really draining project. I can tell when I’ve written something while tired. It’s quite funny, because I’m all over the place.

Lately, having such a wonderful relationship with my fellow bloggers, especially Ron Ben Israel whom I’ve known for years…and Diane Forden, also my fellow Guru, who gave me my very first writing assignment in a bridal magazine EVER. I was a little star-struck when I met Diane at the Weddzilla launch. I had to compose myself a little!! Ooo, here’s another one…my blog got me booked at Book Expo, the big publishing convention in New York City. I was in the green room, awaiting my time to sign, and a lovely woman walked up to the table next to me. I saw her shoes and said, “Wow, those are really nice shoes!” She smiled, and by the reaction of her bodyguards, I found out that it was Queen Noor of Jordan, also there to sign her book. And this morning, I saw her on GMA….she had on the same Coach heels my husband just bought me for my birthday. How fun is that?! So, my blogging gets me the chance to meet my idols, royalty, supermodels, fans, real brides and grooms…and some unfunny paparazzi who crashed my wedding. All characters, and all really enriching to my life, and to my husband’s!

1. Typos. Seriously, don’t count on spellcheck. Read your stuff before you hit send, read it again, and edit anything that’s not right.

Don’t talk down to your readers. Talk with them, not at them.

Don’t steal. If you’re quoting someone, attribute it. Get permission to use someone’s quote or photo…just about everyone is happy to do so if you give them credit. It helps their SEO, so few people say No unless you’re obviously trying to ride them.

2. Post often. At least 3 times a week.

3. Have a sense of humor!!! There so much serious stuff out there, it’s best for you and for your readers if you’re you!!

I’m walking with my Dad at my wedding. It’s worth a million words to me, since he was so sick with cancer for years before my wedding day, but he was feeling great that day, could eat and dance and had a wonderful last celebration with his siblings, nieces, nephews…and I got to dance with him. I’ll never forget the look on his face when I came down the stairs….he smiled such a great smile, and this was truly a priceless, priceless moment for me. I found the love of my life, and he got to be really close with my Dad before my Dad passed away just a few months after our wedding. Here’s the cool part: my Dad was a structural steel designer, and he designed the terraces of the site where we were married. I love that my Dad’s work lives on forever…

1. The best part of my day is when I’m at my kitchen counter, slicing up fresh veggies and making dinner, and hearing my husband’s key in the door when he comes home from work.

2. I love wearing gorgeous heels, but I’m pretty much always barefoot in my home office, so I can’t wear anything higher than a 2 ½” heel or down I’m going [like I did at a big red carpet event….niiiiiice!]

3. I collect sea glass from each of the places where I vacation with my husband.

I’m very close with most of the other bestselling wedding book authors out there. With rare exceptions, it’s not a brutal, competitive world we’re in, and we support each other’s books even when we have similar titles. That’s been one of the nicest things I’ve found…and getting to know some of my idols and the new big names in wedding book world has been really special. Their opinions mean a lot to me, and it makes my day to get a sweet note from such wonderful, accomplished people in the wedding planning field. That said, there are a few who like to show claws, but there are bad apples in every industry. Karma, baby!