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Although I love a holiday centered around love, be sure to tell your love ones that you love them not just today but everyday!

I loved the shots we got of Brody, he was so good for us.
Photos: Henry Photography

Linens: Connie Duglin

Poms: Pom Love

Prepare to get really festive and bring out you creative side with some of these fun-filled ideas:

Little Sprout Creations

1. Okay, let’s start with the two teams: New England Patriots and New York Giants. So, why not plan your food and drinks around the Superbowl contestants?

New England: Cape Cod, Boston Tea Party, and clam chowder. . .some of this may ring a bell!

Stuffed Lobster Rolls- these take a bit of prep but they’re worth it!

Thick and Creamy New England Clam Chowder- this can cook while you’re making the lobster rolls!

Whoopie Pies- famous in the state of Maine, these will fill your sugar craving for sure!

Samuel Adams Boston Lager- the name says it all. . .a true New England drink!

New York: Times Square, the Statue of Liberty, and Central Park. . .and the list goes on!

New York Style Pizza- don’t go for delivery or settle for frozen pizza. . .channel your inner Italian and start rolling some dough!

Baked Buffalo Wings- by being baked and not fried, these wings are healthy AND have a quick prep time!

Chocolate Cannoli- cool your mouth off from those wings with these savory chocolate snacks!

The New Yorker- not a beer fan? Try this fresh cocktail!

2. Got some downtime before the game? Challenge your guests with some Superbowl trivia! Before the party begins:

-Research and print out some Superbowl facts

-Cut them into strips of paper and put them in a bowl

-Have your guests take a piece of paper out of the bowl as they arrive

3. Another fun Superbowl party game is buy a small gift (maybe a giftcard) and have your own version of a raffle. Have your guests write down their guess of the game’s final score and whoever has the closest score, wins the gift!

4. For decorations, get creative! Here are some fun ideas

Hostess with the Mostess

Photo: Julie Mulligan

Wants and Wishes 

Seating arrangements. Some of you may think it’s one of the most stressful parts of wedding planning but I wanted to offer you some helpful hints on creating a stress-free seating plan that will please you and your guests:

1. The most basic question in wedding planning: assigned or unassigned seating? Unassigned seating sounds better and simpler for your guests and you but it actually causes more stress than sitting down and organizing a seating chart. A February 2006 study by YouGov found that about 83% of wedding guests would rather have assigned seats or assigned tables. Nobody wants to feel like the unpopular kid not being able to find a seat in the lunchroom so let your guests’ find their name card or assigned table.

2. Next question: assigned seats or assigned tables? Both of these arrangements have great features so this choice is really up to you. Assigned tables are more popular and a lot less work for the organizer.

Marta Stewart has a nice seating chart tool. You can sign-up here and click on Wedding Tools.

3. Now, who goes where?! Again, this is all up to you. It’s important to add some variety to your guests’ tables:

-Keep families and co-workers together

-Mix up the ages a little bit but not too much. People tend to get along better if they  have similar interests and/or similar ages. But don’t go crazy and seat your crazy college cousin with your great grandma!

-Remember to keep your tables balanced when it comes to the male-female ratio. Traditionally, most brides do male-female-male-female.

4. Your guests will need to know where they’re going once they arrive at the reception. Get creative on displaying your cards and/or table numbers

 -If you decided on assigned seats, you’ll need a seating chart for your venue, cards with table numbers, and place cards.

-If you decided on assigned tables, you’ll just need a seating chart and table number cards.

**In all honesty I had trouble with my own seating chart. My best advice would be to start early, do not try to complete it all at once, and try to not let it stress you out too much.

Photo: Elisabeth Perotin Photography

1. Make your own photo booth–this is very easy to do, super inexpensive, and so much fun! All you need is a digital or Polaroid camera, a tripod stand, and a blank bed sheet. Decorate the bed sheet however you like and set your camera to a timer and snap away!

2. Another thing that livens up a boring bash is throwing an elephant in the room. . .White Elephant that is! White Elephant parties are super cheap and always put a smile on everyone’s face. White Elephant parties usually go something like this:

Set a price limit, like $10–usually White Elephant parties involve simple gag gifts. Everyone randomly picks a number out of a bowl–to decide what order each person grabs a gift from the pile. Here’s where the fun comes into play: the second person up to get their gift has the choice to pick a random gift from the pile or steal the gift person #1 unwrapped which applies to everyone thereafter.

Wacky gift idea: pretty much anything from Skymall, pajama jeans, the shake weight. Its always fun to add a good gift too (everyone will be fighting over it)

3. The Jackson 5, I Dream of Genie, Fun Dip, PacMan. . .some childhood favorites! We definitely don’t see these things around anymore and it’s a darn shame! So why not bring them back? One party planning idea is to throw a childhood bash. Here’s how:

Photo: The cupcake blog

Food and Drink: this is really easy to do thanks to Hometown Favorites, an old-fashioned online food store.

Entertainment/TV: If you’re like me and you have your old Nintendo 64 buried in storage, whip that sucker out and get your Super Mario on!

Music: Pull out the ipod, put it on your old school library (we all have one), and bust a move.

These are just some suggestions but also tell your guests to bring any childhood toys or games to get more reminiscent juices pumping!

Whichever suggestion you decide on or create yourself, I’m sure your party will have a great playful flare and make your guests not want to leave! Remember that party planning is supposed to be fun first and stressful second.

This sexy slickback popped up repeatedly at the Golden Globes and is simple to do. Check out this video for helpful tips and tricks on slicking back your hair!

I absolutely LOVE Mila Kunis’ undone bun! You can wear this bun straight back or on the side, either way it looks flawless and fun. Hair stylist Leo Bancroft shows how to get this look in less than 2 minutes!

This sideswept look is probably the most simple look to achieve but also looks the most glamorous. Whether you keep it straight or curly, this is your chance to show off your silky, shiny hair! To achieve this sexy look, check out this video and see how LolaMarie7 does it all herself!