The Bridal Survival Kit

From weather woes to cake delivery delays and other last minute wedding hiccups, brides certainly have a lot to worry about. And there's no time to sweat the small stuff on your big day. The key is to be well-equipped with a “bridal survival” kit to combat any fashion or beauty crisis with a quick fix. Simply stock a cosmetic bag with these travel sized must-haves to get you through any disaster, stress free. And then make your MOH carry it around as part of her wedding day duties. That’s what she’s there for, right?

Dental Essentials
A bride's smile needs to be picture perfect at all times. And those delicious spinach hors d’oeurves could be dangerous. Pack a small travel toothbrush, toothpaste, floss and breath mints to keep your pout sparkling clean.

Cures for Common Ailments
Sure, you'll be floating on cloud 9 all day, but nervous jitters and being too busy schmoozing with your guests to eat can lead to headaches and upset stomachs. Be sure to have a pain reliever and antacid on hand.

Grooming Gear
Between your photographers, family and friends... all eyes are on you. And they still will be long after the wedding, thanks to Facebook! From hair to makeup, be prepared to do some touch-ups throughout the day. Don't be without your lipstick or gloss. Most makeup artists will give you the tube or a sample size so you can reapply after they work their magic. Throw in blotting papers to reduce shine on oily trouble zones, cover-up for any skin sneak-attacks, deodorant (a perfectly put together bride can’t have pit stains!), bobby pins to keep up-dos in place, a hair brush, hair spray, hand lotion, a nail file, and a small compact mirror.

The Fixers
An uncooperative zipper or busted heel can cause any bride to spiral into a state of panic. Safety pins, double sided tape, stain remover and super glue will keep wardrobe malfunctions under wraps.

To get started on your very own bridal survival kit —  select a great makeup or cosmetic bag like this pretty pink style from Target. Then hit up the drugstore and start stocking! If you don't have the time to craft your own bag o' bridal essentials, check out this adorable Wedding Day Survival Kit from Ms. & Mrs. It's packed with products for the big day and beyond. (PS - it makes a really cute bachelorette or bridal shower gift!) The Mindy Weiss Bridal Emergency Kit is also fun and functional. It has a fabulous built-in organizing system, and is perfect for travel... especially that long awaited honeymoon!

While these products can help you out in a pinch, don’t spend too much time focusing on the what-ifs and the what-could-go-wrongs. Your wedding day is a once in a life time event and it’s perfectly OK if everything doesn’t go exactly according to your grand plan. A broken stiletto heel never stopped a bride from boogying down. Who needs shoes when you have everything else you could ever want?

This post was originally written for WEtv.com. Click here to check it out!

The Breakfast of Champions

I love Trader Joe's for countless reasons -- yummy samples, those tiny cups of coffee, pop-up sponges, white bean hummus, pita bite crackers, cheap/delicious wine ... and especially that aisle of chocolate covered everything. Now, thanks to a tip from my friend Steph, Frozen Steelcut Oatmeal has skyrocketed to the top of my list of TJ faves.

Normally, oatmeal is nothing to freak out about. But this version my friends, is breakfast changing. Serious Eats even goes so far as to say, "Trader Joe's Steelcut Oatmeal Might Change Your Life." Woah.

As someone who only makes the instant kind, I'm not too familiar with the superior Steelcut. But it sounds like it's something that involves wearing an apron and possibly distilling your own oats. And most of us don't have that spare time to devote to oatmeal.

So here's the deal: Go to the freezer section of Trader Joe's. Look for a box labeled Frozen Steelcut Oatmeal. Put it in your cart.

It's just $1.59 for 2 servings -- which breaks down to an 80 cent breakfast that's healthy, filling and ready in about 3 minutes. It's sweetened with a touch of brown sugar and maple syrup. And you can doctor it up with walnuts, apples, dried cranberries ... whatever floats your breakfast boat.

Job Etiquette for Brides

Unless you work in a dark cave with no Internet or phone service, every bride-to-be becomes an expert at tackling her wedding to-do list on the sly during office hours. Thanks to the real stress of wedding planning, when your boss passes by your desk, he’ll assume that pained look on your face is because you’re hard at work on the memo you owe him (not from updating your budget spreadsheet). Scouring bridal blogs and comparing airfares to Greece for the honeymoon can easily pass for intently working on a job-related report. Plus, you know the guy that sits next to you checks sports scores all day long. What’s the difference?

While you’re convinced it’s multi-tasking at its finest, spending too much time in wedding world at the office can really hurt your career if you’re not careful.

Tip 1: Remember, you’re not getting paid to pick flowers
Taking advantage of your company’s resources for big day prep is a major no-no. If your boss knew she was paying you to obsessively Google “peony bouquets” all day, you would probably find yourself with lots of free time for researching…at home, sans benefits, office and paycheck.

Celebrity wedding planner and My Fair Wedding host, David Tutera says avoiding wedding-related tasks on the job will help your productivity and your sanity! “Taking a quick call or running an errand during lunch or on your own personal time is one thing, but everything else should be done after work or on the weekends. This differentiation will help you stay focused while you are at work, and probably give you a much needed break from planning every day anyway!”


Click here to get more tips from my article on WEtv.com!

New! The Savvy Source

Whether you're a lawyer or a writer, every gal can benefit from some good, solid career advice. And who better to hear it from, than ladies in similar (or sometimes cuter) shoes? So, today is the launch of a new feature, where rock star women working in the real world, share everything from their favorite afternoon snack to advice that's saved their booties from the wrath of clients, bosses and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.

(Thanks to one of my BFF's, Franny for kindly offering to be my guinea pig.)

Franny, age 30, Account Supervisor at Siren PR

What's the best career advice you've been given?
Always be on your best game when it comes to work and represent yourself in an intelligent, professional and knowledgeable manner. So many times paths will cross in business, and you want those you meet to remember you and your company in the absolute best light. I can’t express how many times being friendly and buttoned up in one meeting or even by way of email has paid off – whether it’s being recognized internally, making my job easier in securing coverage for one of my clients or securing a new business opportunity.



Be passionate and knowledgeable about your field and the world! Read and take the opportunity to absorb information when sitting in on meetings, speaking to others about what they do, etc. It all will help set you apart from others and show you are interested in what you are doing.

 A positive attitude and good work ethic goes a long way. Take pride in your work and go that extra mile. It truly pays off. 



And, be on time. I'm big on that! It’s so easy and shows you take your job seriously, yet not enough people do it! It’s kind of a pet peeve of mine.

How did you learn a lesson the hard way?
If you are not an attorney you shouldn’t be signing lucrative contracts! 

The first year on my job I signed a contract without understanding the terms or running it by my client, or anyone else for that matter. Being that I am an attorney’s daughter and the fact that I’m now engaged to an attorney, I’m not sure where my head was during this incident. Lesson learned: Contracts should be signed by those paying them out – not be a first year PR girl.

Aruba: The Land of Sand, Rain, Sun and Chelsea Handler

To celebrate our one year anniversary, the husband and I jetted off to Aruba, a.k.a "One Happy Island". Everyone raves about Aruba -- the weather's always perfect, the restaurants are fab, and Joran van der Sloot is locked away in a Peruvian jail. What could be better?

But of course, when we landed in paradise, it was raining. No sweat! The palm trees need water. Duh. But as our cab got closer to the hotel, it started coming down in buckets. The roads literally filled up with feet of rain. Water looked like it would start seeping into Rocky Donker's van. (Yes, the cab driver's name is really that awesome.) Rocky said he'd never seen flooding like this in 40 years. Crap.

We made it to the resort, and spent the next two days watching the rain fall and eating nachos under a tiki hut. Being the nutcase that I am, I grew convinced that we were involved in some Aruban form of "Lost" and that I'd have to paddle boat to Venezuela (just 19 miles away) to escape. Luckily for my husband, my insanity stopped when the sun came out. And the next 5 days were filled with sun and afternoon pina coladas.

Every morning we parked it at the pool, where a man in a purple Speedo always sat approximately 3 chairs away from us. Everyday. Ugh. To distract myself from his thong, I read 2 of the Chelsea Handler books. If you do anything with your life, read these: My Horizontal Life and Are You There Vodka, It's Me Chelsea. I'd do anything to be her best friend. She drinks a lot though. Not sure I can keep up. And that says something.

Click over to see pics of the trip and Speedo Guy.