96 Years - Happy Birthday To USA's National Parks

Having traveled most of the United States and a great deal in California, our United States National Parks System is a crowing glory to those who desire an exceptional destination wedding area.  The dynamic park systems are in all states across this great nation, preserved for us to enjoy a multitude of ways.  We are so thankful for those who preserved and continue to take care of these great places from the Olympic Park to the East Coast Lighthouses.

We have experienced; magnificent water falls, forests of every magnitude, come to understand desert life and walked and swum in beautiful beaches and unique mountain parks. We have hiked in Bryce and Zion, camped in the snow at Yosemite and enjoyed everything in between in various states.

Join The Blog - Let Us Know Your Favorite National Park!!!

Many do not realize the Washington DC moments are part of the National Parks System.  Some of our favorite days were spent frolicking on the beaches and savoring moments no one can take away from us. Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!!!

 Photo by Hughes-Photography.com

Many of these lovely areas are available for wedding planning. Our website links the national parks .com,  a state parks .com for every state, county parks and city parks plus community  recreation center .coms in our WeddingLinks.com  

Donations of funds and your volunteer hours are always welcome to continue these inspiring areas. 

Bridal Shows & Wedding Fairs To Meet Los Angeles to Miami Wedding Venues, Services & Travel

Brides attend local bridal shows for a variety of reasons. The colorful wedding fairs are highly publicized on radio, TV and in the media, plus now on the web and Facebook.  It is fun to attend and can get you in the mood to begin your planning.  The shows offer many exciting prizes, booth prizes and discounts if you book the wedding vendor at the show.  Most have inspiring bridal fashion shows with the recent designs, tuxedos and bridal attendant ideas.  There are workshops at some and speakers who nail specific subjects for couples. Looking for a bridal show in your region - Look to BridalShowInfo and WeddingLinks.com for current dates and places.

 Table Linens by DUphotography.com

Often the wedding shows are held in lovely hotels and wedding locations where the site manager can introduce couples to their venue and tour them through the setting. We occasionally see wedding shows held in shopping malls.  There is also a variety of price tags on the entry fees ranging from free to $25. 

Many couples have never planned a wedding before and in our recent economy, their combined funds are paying for the wedding celebration. Couples need to set their budgets and find out what the local price ranges are in the vicinity of where they plan to be married.  Though grooms do not always want to attend, we do meet many more of these wonderful guys at the shows now. 

                                                     Photo by JR Moore - The Wedding Coach

Through the years, and hundreds of bridal shows we have attended, people ask me if it is better to attend a very large show or a boutique style show.  The larger, over-crowed shows do not give time to speak with the booth vendors.  You might gain some brochures and hardly talk to the owner or representative.  Lets face it you have questions for the wedding photographers, the florist, the party rental company and the various services. Most services discuss their various packages and bring their appointment books.

Here are a few good tips and find current show dates on  WeddingLinks.CO 
(The Web address gives you California to New York, Canada & Worldwide Bridal Shows, Wedding Venues & Services Links - We link businesses with a history of five or more years in business.)
TIPS ...

• Bring your groom or a friend to bounce the information off of later
• You want to hire businesses that have been around for several years and worked on many weddings and/or receptions
• Wear comfortable shoes
• Sign up for the door prizes - winning a prize can off-set your budget in great ways.
• You do not have to contract with anyone without checking their references first
• Take a pen to note on a brochure when you want to call a person or price quotes
• Most shows give you a bag, but sort it out when you get home for people you want to call for appointments. 
• Understand when you call these venues and services, they consider Monday and Tuesdays their off work days – whereby you have Saturday and Sunday off.
• Use your smart phone to store photos, names of businesses you want to contact in the future and find now that more businesses can be accessed through your smart phones.
• Look for unique ideas, themes, party linen ideas and reception table possibilities.

Please ask permission before you take photos of dresses or the displays. Those are considered creative ideas.


Best Wish

Wedding Planning, Wedding Classes and Online Webinar For Do-It-Yourself Brides

 There is so much information on the web today and a great deal of misinformation. When it comes to wedding planning you may want quick tips or elaborate details that can be gained from your pc with a webinar, a good book, or web articles.  It all takes time and an outstanding timeline, management skills and budget to see you through the process.

Engagement Photo by DUphotography.com

For the do-it-yourself bride, planning solutions to wedding day dynamics and management concerns are often what couples search for on the web. When you are thinking about learning more on the subject you may want to consider checking the background of the person who created the articles and class you are about to consider gospel.  Sometimes it is what is not written in the instructions or article description that leaves brides in a lurch on their wedding day. 

Judith Rivers-Moore has a background in wedding and event management, taught wedding coordination/planning at several certified California University extended education sessions and has written seven titles on the subject of wedding planning. Judith understands what brides want.

Her WeddingLinks.com website has thousands of wedding venues, wedding reception services plus a one stop area planning menu to complete all the wedding and honeymoon details. She has a number of articles on WeddingLinks.com, her blog and facebook plus she is considered an authority on wedding planning.  Many of the articles cover:

• How To Interview The Various Wedding Services
• Themes and Wedding Venue Ideas
• Honeymoon Ideas

Judith provides couples with a free access web portal called WeddingLinks.com. The site offers a creative and free 90 minute online Wedding Class (Webinar) at SuperStarWedding.com.  Take the class at your leisure, repeat it if you want to and enjoy the great management forms, budgets, timelines, part of a photo enhanced book and audio clips - all downloaded to your computer. Right - Free. You can pass it on to your bridesmaids or family to enjoy.

Day Of The Wedding - Photo by Hughes-Photography.com

There are three more classes, but the first 90 minutes are free and funny with the cartoons providing a humorous slant on weddings. We loved the beautiful photos in the book portion we downloaded.  If you decide to take the rest of the classes, they are reasonably priced, (around $30 each). So many brides stated they got their wedding plans rolling with this one class. Personally, the classes lowered my stress levels and really helped me and my fiance’(now husband) get our wedding plans completed easily.

If you decide to request the remaining classes, call the J.R. Publications Inc. hotline 1-800-233-3850 toll free. The sessions open from an e-mail sent to your e-address.

Guest Contributor,

Jennifer Stanley

Catering Questions For Wedding Receptions & Events

Photo by DUphotography.com Everyone enjoys a wedding reception, party and business event from different viewpoints.  Some guests love the flowers, food presentation and decor, while others comment on the food and service.  While most people host their event with the attitude of having a great and memorable time, we have found the choice for the right caterer comes with hundreds of questions. Would love to have your input and your questions in our Blog. Join us. There are a variety of catering services: Pick-up catering Full Service catering – complete with linens, bar, meal, deserts Location – in-house catering or banquet departments BBQ catering Full Service with a number of reception locations to offer Church or membership halls with food and serving committee Location’s selected vendor list of independent caterers to choose from Lovely locations find themselves dismissed from the bride’s list because the caterer/chef has a poor reputation or same old menu for every wedding. Even a backyard wedding can create space, access and function concerns for food being prepped and served. Photo by DUphotography.com Quick Tips: Tip:  When you choose an event location where all the party rentals, tables and linens, dishes are rented, you will spend as much or more on these items than on the food and catering services. (backyard parties - home events) Tip:  A buffet can be more expensive than a seated dinner Tip:  Saving money – eliminate the canapés (they are labor intensive) Tip:  Request two boxed meals for after the wedding with plastic forks etc. for the bride and groom – include some dessert also. Tip:  When a friends or family gifts you the catering, it may not mean they are also giving you the food nor the services required with staff, please get clear and qualify any charges you will need to cover. Tip:  If you have paid the bartender for services and included a tip in his check, you should not allow a tips jar on their counter Judith's Suggestions: Do not hire a caterer prior to selecting your location.  Many event locations want you to use their selected caterers list or their on-site chef. Couples are challenged by many of the following concerns and ask if the caterer can: provide ethnic style recipes or kosher kitchens health department licensing bring a wait staff to serve the food to seated guests set the buffet display in a quality presentation serve and staff the reception with trained personnel provide adequate food for the number of guests offer extended services such as party rental selection and setup, bartending, cake cutting or valet service Most caterers offer you websites and photo albums, plus printed menus to assist in making your decisions. If there are specific food requests the catering choice may revolve around various ethic foods and menus and service. Circumventing problems is twofold. Knowing the questions to ask  when you interview (sit down with the caterer) and calling their references to make certain their reputation is good. Most important questions to ask their references are: Did the caterer provide the items and menu you requested? Was the food fresh, good and ample? Was the food well presented and displayed? Was the wait staff attentive to the guest needs? Would you hire this person again? Once you have decided you require a caterer, select three. Request interview dates and if you like them during the interview ask for a bid.  Usually they will give you two price points with the option of including items or red-lining them. If a bid comes in higher from your very favorite caterer, then ask them to review the bid with you and see if there are methods where you can lower your costs and still achieve your favored caterer.    Find favorite caterers in your chosen region on WeddingLinks.com  Photo by DUphotography.com With caterers and their staff, the final bill will include tax, tips and often cake cutting charges and corkage fees for opening your wines.  Please ask to see the fees with all items included in the bid.  You don’t want any surprises.  Each catering company has their own policy and contract  to indicate charges and payment structure but generally 50% is requested for the reservation. Most caterers want to know the number of guests attending in the week prior to the wedding day so they may order the food, etc. Most caterers expect the final payment on the quoted price prior to the date of the event/reception. There may be additional charges because of corkage and bar bills. Please place someone in charge of this payment at the end of the event - this can be the wedding planner who reviews the bill, a parent or designated person.  Other questions you may want to ask: Who does the clean up? What happens to the leftover food? What are some lesser priced alternatives? UA-36897602-8

Cocktail & Bar Set Up For Parties and Wedding Receptions

                                           Cocktail Parties, Martinis and blended drinks are in-style. 

Your  wedding reception, special event or cocktail party may begin or evolve in a room set aside, or the entry space prior to entering the reception room.  Some hosts set the bar up in the main reception room.  Couples set up a wine bar or spritzer bar with soft drinks for the youth.  Some couples create an entry area for their reception with soft music, and bar service to create a inviting area of luxury prior to their arrival after their photographs. There are trained bar staff services that will mix the "couple's cocktail" drinks created and named after the bride and groom. But the mixed bar that also serves wine ... is often more appreciated.

Love to have your input on this subject....new ideas are helpful. Join us on the blog.

Responsible hosts are moving away from the wine bottles on the tables for two reasons.  One, it is a waste of good wine with many open wine bottles at the end of an event and Two, some people drink way to much – reaching for bottles from other tables. We are seeing small individual bottles with personalized labels as favors and people getting up from their table to have a glass refilled or wait staff serving the alcohol and water.

Two Types Of Bar Setup

The FREE/hosted Bar is taken care of by the host or hostess and drinks are free to guests.  A tips jar is not allowed on the counter at these paid bars, the tip is part of the bill paid by the host/hostess provides.

The PAID No-Host Bar - or Public Bar  is where drinks are paid for by the individual guest.  A tips jar is allowed at this type of bar. 

Clubs and associations and most hotels have their own bartenders with alcohol purchased and do put up a tips jar. 

WISDOM - It pays (insurance wise) to have a bar tending service that practices Responsible Hospitality.
WISDOM - If children are invited - please understand parents get busy drinking and socializing and a good baby sitter or children's entertainment area is very helpful.

Bar Set Up

If planning a winery wedding - you likely will be serving their wines and they will have their

servers on hand to do this. 

If you are outfitting your own bar, we suggest speaking with the in-know people at a specialized liquor store, large warehouse-type beverage companies or a chain store (grocer) with staff who know alcohol serving and beverages. They can guide you.  Please understand if you are serving alcohol to a public group, you probably are required to have an ABC license in your city/county/state.  When you hire a bartending service, they generally come with this ABC license. Please check to see that the date is current on this license when hiring.

To outfit a general bar, understand people like to drink various things.  Water and ice are primary, beer depends on your crowd, wines are often the mainstay and hard alcohol or mixed drinks or special cocktails can be part of the bar setup.  If you do not want the expense of providing all these selections, then make it either or…a cocktail bar, beer bar, wine bar, margarita bar, sangria bar, etc….

Find LOCAL links to all types of vintners, alcohol and beverage stores and bar tending services on WeddingLinks.com and our mobile friendly WeddingLinks.co

Hors d’ oeuvres For Cocktails & Wine and Foods Served With Beer

 Appearances for the (hors d’ oeuvres) one-bite delectable go far beyond the chips and dips with beer, or cheese and crackers served with wines. Hours of prep time go into these adorable and tasty nibbles served on unique plates, stone surfaces, large leaves and unique cups or tiny glassware. The cocktails require specific bar glasses and a very talented bartender or two who know the rules on responsible hospitality. They usually come outfitted to set up in a specific space you designate.  People mingle around some exciting displays or servers bring the trays of hors d’ oeuvres. Attitude LUXURY, Fussy, Fabulous and Caloric are words to describe.  The caterer’s preparation-time is intensive, very tasty and sometimes just as costly as a seated dinner. They do lend elegance to a gathering and are a welcome surprise at the beginning of a dinner party or focus of a grand event. 

Top Twelve Beach Wedding Areas In The World, From California To The Caribbean Islands

 Photo by Judith Rivers-Moore
Find Exciting Beach Wedding Venues from Puhket Thailand to Virginia Beach and San Diego

Along with garden weddings and wine country weddings we find many couples choose to have a beach wedding. Many of these are destination locations, hotels and resorts near the ocean or nearby lakeside settings. There is a tranquility and peace to hosting your ceremony at a beach, and fun quality to having a wedding reception with a beach party atmosphere. Since this is the way women shop for an event site…  You will find a variety of beach wedding venues on WeddingLinks.com with ocean or lake settings. We have linked thousands of amazing beach wedding sites throughout the USA and the world. Mobile Access on WeddingLinks.co

Review the TOP 12 Best Beach Wedding Locations Below
Love your input on the blog - What beach area or resort are you considering?

There are a few management concerns I wanted to tip you off about prior to booking your beach wedding site.  Best use time is important. Blistering heat or early morning fog, when the winds come up, high tide, low tide, dangers to children and public access can be major concerns.

We suggest – when selecting a beach wedding venue…

Pacific Sunset - Photo by Judith Rivers-Moore

• Ask the site management which part of the day offers the best use time. Listening to the management regarding best time of year to plan and best part of the day is a very good idea. They know their event location.
• If they seem sketchy, look for articles and complaints on Google regarding the location. If it is nearby, visit a few times to understand the beach location and look up the tide times for the specific date.
• Ask what the policies are for set up and break down of the ceremony and how you get to the ceremony site in your wedding dress.
• If a beach reception, you will want to know how things can be set up, water and power concerns, and lighting the way back to cars as the sun sets.
• Certain beaches have “invaders” protected by environmental agencies.  Many of us do not want the “wonder sea crabs” crawling through our wedding ceremony.
• Setting your ceremony area to close to the tides, can be a disaster as it rolls in.
• Our ever-changing earth gives a variety of sunset times. I find many couples want their vows at sunset. Beautiful yes and very photogenic with western sunsets.
• All state and most city beaches require wedding permits. You will find links to state beaches on our WeddingLinks
• Consider the difficulty of getting the chairs to the ceremony area and out later. The dynamics of this is time consuming and a struggle in the sand.

Creative Beach Wedding Ideas

Tahitian Theme Wedding - Photo by, Judith Rivers-Moore

• No high-heels.  Have a basket of flip-flops for guests
• Umbrellas for the guests to protect from the sun or fun sun hats as favors.
• Sun block available for the guests.
• When it is a beach party reception find someone to attend the children for their safety. Water is an attraction to little ones and parents may not notice their child wandering toward the water.  A play tent outfitted with fun games and a nanny may help the situation.
• There are fun tents and colorful awnings you can rent at the party rentals.
• I love the favors for beach weddings and found BeauCou.com has many ideas.
• Some resorts along the beach have transportation (golf carts) to the beach event for the elderly. Walking through sand is a struggle.
• There are catering companies that specialize in “beach parties” offering bbqs, themes and entertainment with wedding planners to help you complete the details.

TOP 12 Beach Wedding Locations For Weddings

WeddingLinks.com/Hawaii 
WeddingLinks.com/Pacific Islands  -  Tahiti
WeddingLinks.com/Caribbean Islands
WeddingLinks.com/Florida   -    both coasts and the Keys
WeddingLinks.com/San Diego
WeddingLinks.com/Orange
WeddingLinks.com/Virginia
WeddingLinks.com/Indonesia
WeddingLinks.com/New York - Long Island
WeddingLinks.com/Texas           -  Galveston
WeddingLinks.com/South Carolina
WeddingLinks.com/Thaiiland   -  Phuket

Also Consider Beautiful Lake Beach Areas Worldwide:
Lake Tahoe in California, Lake Louise in Canada, Lucerne Lake in Switzerland, Great Lakes in Michcigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, Lake Como in Italy, etc.

Copyright © Judith Rivers-Moore, JRPublications 2012-14-15, Santa Rosa, California,
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Hotels For Wedding Venues, Destination Weddings and Honeymoon Resorts

Hotels and lodging are an integral part of wedding planning. We find brides and grooms want a hotel for a stunning ballroom as their wedding venue. Crystal chandeliers and regal settings plus the nearby housing of the wedding guests make the hotel venues very popular. Hotel lodging for your wedding guests and the rehearsal dinner at the hotel often works well. Many hotels have lovely banquet rooms, terraces by the pool and beachside spaces for dining. The hotel suites give you an excellent setting for wedding preparation and later your honeymoon suite.   Mobile Access to great hotels worldwide on  HoneymoonLinks.co  and our WeddingLinks.co

Our readers love to know your favorite hotel and why you booked that hotel on this blog.

 Honolulu Hotel by Judith Rivers-Moore

Resort hotels are perfect for destination weddings. They often have a staff person to assist with the wedding planning details for your ceremony and reception. Hotels can give you group reservations rates.  Some hotels are all-inclusive with food, drinks, beach toys and some unique area tours included.

Major hotel chains and boutique hotels cater to honeymooners with special packages. These romantic honeymoon resorts are often in spectacular settings on beautiful beaches and near snow ski runs, African safari jungle adventures and adventure sports hotels with the ocean at their doorstep with reefs for scuba diving and rain forests for hiking. Many couples love the resorts near Disneyland and Disney World for another type of adventure.

Hotel poolside by Judith Rivers-Moore

 Weddinglinks.com  and our mobile friendly WeddingLinks.co offers a vast array of hotel links throughout the USA and the world. Many have amazing spa facilities and unique features with tours and experiences found in their region of the world.  We have reviewed many of the United States National Park’s lodging and find them beautifully maintained in their awe inspiring environments. The USA’s standards for beautiful hotel resorts finds couples enjoying exciting getaways and honeymoons through out the states and Hawaii.

 Maui Westin by Judith Rivers-Moore

In our searches, we discovered the United Kingdom and Europe offer a number of castle hotels and India has ornate palaces to choose from. The Italian countryside and Venice canals offer charming villas and romantic hotels.  The Caribbean Islands, Tahiti and Fiji prove there is sugar white sand and black sand on beaches just waiting for your feet. We have been writing articles on HoneymoonLinks.co regarding travel. Trust you will take a few minutes to discover those faraway places.  


Copyright © Judith Rivers-Moore, JRPublications 2013-14-15, Santa Rosa, California,
UA-36897602-8