With two youngsters in tow, the pair jogged past more than 1,000 racers and supporters through the finish line and could only celebrate as their more than three-mile journey had come to an end.

Despite being among the last to cross the line, both insisted the race wasn’t about winning.
“The children is what it’s all about,” said Tutor.

Having been with the organization for four years, Tutor said watching as racers wind their way through the course to raise funds for the home is gratifying.

Tutor ran the course with two of the youngest children at St. Charles and said while it may have been a challenge, it was still well worth it.

“We were walking, running, skipping and looking for sticks on the side of the road, but they made it,” joked Tutor.

While admitting that wearing a habit or robe can be a bit much during a 5K, Tutor said racers were blessed with good weather on Monday.

“The wind was blowing so God was merciful on to us,” he said.

For Tara and Ken Swist of Raymond, the event was about helping make their dream of having a big family come true.

“St. Charles and all of the St. Charles runners have supported all of those people who cannot have a family to finally have their dream,” said Tara Swist. “All of these people have helped to support our family.”

Unable to have children on their own, the Swist’s adopted five children, ages six through 13, with the help of the state and St. Charles.

“We’ve been blessed,” she said.

With their five children in two, the Swist’s completed the race in just under an hour on Monday.
Sister Mary Rose said the race has been held on Labor Day going on for 14 years now and was created as a way of finding healthy ways for children to release anger and negative emotions.

“Our kids, because of the situation they’ve been in the past, tend to have a lot of anger and sadness,” said Rose. “This is a very good way to channel their energy in a positive way.”
Rose said the sisters and children run four miles each day and participate in local 5k road races during the year.

Sisters of St. Charles Children’s Home have staffed the Rochester home since 1968. The Children’s Home accepts children who have been removed from their family by court order and are under the protection of the Division of Welfare.

Currently the group home has 18 children, said Rose.

The race has grown exponentially over the years, and has raised more than $155,000 for the home.

This year’s race featured 998 participants, said Rose.

With customizable options, LED Party Floors are appropriate for corporate events, marketing tours, fundraisers and fashion shows, in addition to weddings and private parties. Photo courtesy of Robert Chapman, Sound Mind Events.

A fun dance floor is a surefire way to get a party started. And today’s colorful, customizable options are a great choice for all kinds of tented events. Got a corporate logo? Put it on a dance floor. Have a product to highlight? Use an LED floor. Need to get guests into the action? Try an interactive option that will lure even the shiest party-goers.

Sue Crimm, operations manager for Sound Mind Events, McKinney, Texas, says her company’s dance floor division, LED Party Floors, has seen a big increase in requests for multilevel dance floors this season.

“[The floor] not only allows you to highlight specific things such as dancers, merchandise or the bride and groom, but also gives a great custom LED color block look with the color shining through the sides,” she says. “We can also incorporate solid decking into the floor at different heights if you need a stage or tables—and save you money.”

LED Party Floors can be used indoors or outdoors and can be set up over rough terrain or inclines, Crimm says.

“Because of this, they are a great way to floor a tent and give the event planner another decorating option,” she says. “The floor can create soft ambient lighting to create warmth, a border for corporate events or multicolor kinetic lighting for a rave-type party. We can color match to coordinate with corporate logos or weddings and have even matched the color of orchids for a tropical event.”

California Portable Dance Floor Co., Camarillo, Calif., offers traditional dance floors and two specialty floors—the interactive Liquid Lava Portable Dance Floor, and the customizable Versa Portable Dance Floor.

“The Liquid Lava Floor can come in many colors,” says Sue DiGennaro. “It is two pieces of acrylic fused together with the liquid inside. When you walk on the floor, the liquid moves around. It is sort of like the old lava lamps.”

The Versa Floor can be customized by printing anything you desire and inserting the images into individual floor sections, “from pictures of brides and grooms to corporate logos to colors,” DiGennaro says. “You can have your guests dancing in the clouds—just have pictures of clouds printed and insert those into each floor section.”

Another option is to leave the holographic material in each section and light it from above, which gives it the look of an illuminated floor—without the need for electricity for the floor itself, she says.

“And because all our floors interconnect with each other, a very hotlook can be [achieved by] sprinkling Versa Floor sections with the holographic material here and there throughout your floor while using our Black Vinyl Floor,” DiGennaro says. “Or use a few pieces of the Versa floor with a bride and groom picture in the middle of our White Vinyl Floor.”

As CEO of Exeter Rent-All, I have begun the initiative to lower our carbon footprint.  Here are some definitive steps we have committed to.

1. We have made the commitment to print our rental contract and letterhead on recycled paper.
2. We have rented a cardboard recycling bin for waste cardboard
3.  We recycle our waste oil from our trucks
4.  We participated in a program with Unitel to retrofit both our store and our warehouse  with high efficiency lighting
5.  We have hired Ecolab to convert our dishwasher chemicals to environmentally safe products      
6. Rather than disposing of our older tents we are donating them to non-profits.
7. We are donating our old silverware and plates to non-profits and charities rather than filling the land fill.
8. We are working with our suppliers to change our tent washing soaps to more friendly products
9. Our new sailcloth tents use wood sides and center poles which have a safer footprint than traditional aluminum.

I plan to continue our quest to lower Exeter Events carbon footprint.  I welcome any suggestions our readers may have..

Sgt Andrew Cote Nicol  at 23 years old gave his life for our freedom, he will be buried tomorrow.  God bless Andrew, his family and a country that inspires those men and women to stand up with pride, protect and if necessary offer the supreme sacrifice on the altar of freedom. It is one of these warrior heroes that we honor tomorrow for he realized more than any of us that it takes duty, honor and courage to protect that most precious of all American gifts… the fragile gift of our freedom.  Sgt Andrew Cote Nicol was many things; one of them was Army Airborne. So may I send you home to your fellow brothers in arms with a motto from one of those great divisions the 101. Curahee! For those who do not know it is a Cherokee term that means stand-alone.

His obituary is below.

ENSINGTON, N.H. — Sergeant Andrew Cote Nicol died on Sunday, Aug. 8, 2010 from wounds sustained from an improvised explosive device.

Sgt. Nicol was leading a team of several U.S. Army Rangers during a tactical mission in Southern Afghanistan near the town of Kandahar when the device detonated, killing him and another American soldier. He was 23 years old. Sgt. Nicol had been living in Fort Mitchell, Ala. while assigned to the 3rd Battalion of the 75th Ranger Regiment at Fort Benning, Georgia but grew up in Kensington, N.H.

He was a 2006 graduate of Exeter High School where he excelled at wrestling, placing 6th in the state championships his junior year. He was also active in the Boy Scouts and motocross competitions.

Sgt. Nicol entered the United States Army immediately after high school and completed basic training at Fort Benning, Georgia. He successfully completed both Airborne school and Ranger school and became part of the elite Army Rangers. During his tenure with the Rangers, he completed four deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan prior to his most recent tour in Afghanistan. In 2009 Sgt. Nicol was awarded the Bronze Star with V device for Valor and heroism during a raid in Iraq in which his unit killed six insurgents, including the number two leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq.

Due to his proficiency in combat, he rose to the position of team leader within the Rangers, leading up to 40 soldiers on tactical missions to hunt down enemy weapons caches and kill or capture enemy combatants threatening U.S. Forces and Afghan civilians. He was serving in this capacity when he died.

His awards and decorations include the Ranger Tab, the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Expert Infantryman Badge, and the Parachutist Badge. Nicol was also awarded the Bronze Star Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal with Combat Star, Iraq Campaign Medal with Combat Star, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Non-Commissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon and Overseas Service Ribbon. He was posthumously awarded his second Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, and Purple Heart.

Sgt. Nicol is survived by his parents, Roland and Patricia Nicol of Kensington, N.H.; his siblings, Roland and Alaina Nicol of Kensington, N.H,,and Lauren Zabierek of Arlington, Va.; his grandfather, Pasquale Emiro of Haverhill; and his grandmother, Marianne Nicol of Amesbury. He is also survived by many aunts, uncles, and cousins residing in New Hampshire, Vermont, and Massachusetts.

His family will remember him as a dedicated and brave young man who gave his life for his country, family, and fellow Rangers without regard for himself.

ARRANGEMENTS: Sgt. Nicol will be buried at the National Cemetery in Boscawen, N.H. Calling hours for Sgt. Nicol will be held on Tuesday, Aug. 17 from 4 to 8 p.m. in the Holy Family Parish Church, 2 School St. in Amesbury. His funeral Mass will be celebrated on Wednesday, Aug. 18 at 10 a.m. also at Holy Family Parish Church. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made and payable to: Wounded Warriors Project and sent to WWP National Processing Center, P.O. Box 758516 Topeka, KN 66675. Arrangements are by, and correspondence can be sent to E.V. Jutras & Sons, 118 Friend St., Amesbury, MA 01913. evjutrasfh@comcast.net.

By Nicole Baute   Living Reporter

Jewish wedding is a celebration of love, and love for food

The Couple

The bride:

Miriam Streiman, 30

Chef who has worked extensively with food and media; involved in the slow food movement

The groom:

Neil Epstein, 31

High school teacher who grew up with a family farm as his second home

The goal:

A traditional Jewish wedding ceremony with an upbeat, country vibe, and a celebration of food

Even the Rabbi knows this wedding is as much about food as it is about love.

He is standing with Miriam Streiman and Neil Epstein under a canopy in front of a pond that flows into the Don River. The bride’s grandfather’s prayer shawl and cattails from the couple’s new farm are draped on top of the chuppah.

Today, Rabbi Ed Elkin says, is a celebration of Streiman and Epstein’s commitment and love for each other, but also of “food that is delicious, healthy and good for the environment.”

The guests smile. A few chuckle softly. Streiman, 30, and Epstein, 31, love food. There really is no overstating that.

And so, their wedding is about fresh, local food, country living, family, and the Jewish faith, perfectly packaged together in an old industrial building at the Evergreen Brick Works, along the Don Valley.

Birds chirp and bees buzz at the old brickyard, which has been turned into a community environment centre but still has faded bricks and shattered windows. Fruits trees and tomato plants are tagged for sale nearby.

The ceremony begins with a rollicking stroll down the aisle to an alt-bluegrass band playing Johnny Cash’s Ring of Fire, the wedding party a lively crew of mismatched brothers, sisters, cousins and babies.

It ends with a smashed glass, shouts of “Mazel Tov!” and a long, luscious kiss.

While the bride and groom slip away for photos, the guests direct their attention to the food. They mingle over bread, cured beef and duck, sheep’s milk cheeses and fruit laid out on tables covered in burlap sacks. They sip beer and water out of mason jars that will later be used for canning.

Streiman, who studied culinary management at George Brown and Epstein, a high school teacher with an engineering degree, met on blind date in Montreal five years ago.

Food has always been a central part of their relationship.

Streiman says Epstein wooed her with raspberries and award-winning garlic from his family farm in Pefferlaw, Ont. And she describes, in sensual detail, pulling beets and carrots out of the earth in preparation for one of their first meals together on that farm, soil clinging to the vegetables and their hands.

Streiman, a chef, cooks using instinct, touch and feeling. Epstein has more of a scientific connection to food – he’s eager to figure out precisely how to tap maple trees or churn his own butter.

“Cooking together, and sharing a table together, is how we show love,” Streiman says.

She has worked as a food stylist and in recipe development with television programs on the Food Network, TVO and CBC. She also helps coordinate events for Slow Food Toronto, and organized her wedding in much the same way, bringing together local farmers, chefs and community.

Last December, the couple bought a 40-hectare farm in Maple Valley, not far from renowned chef Michael Stadtlander’s Eigensinn Farm and the town of Creemore. They plan to open a bed and breakfast called Mad Maple Farm, with comfortable suites, farm-to-table brunches, cooking classes and foraging expeditions.

Their urban wedding is the beginning of their foray into the country.

While a klezmer band plays the hora and the new husband and wife are lifted up on purple chairs, roughly 20 chefs are preparing an incredible meal at five stations set up in plain view of the guests.

These are rising stars in Toronto’s restaurant industry, and close friends of Streiman’s, who knows where every ingredient in this feast has come from.

The fish was caught the day before the wedding, by Akiwenzie’s Fish & More, a small First Nations fishing company in Georgian Bay. The rainbow carrots, beets, salad greens, fennel, eggs and duck came from a co-op of 20 farms called the Kawartha Ecological Growers, as did the 128 chickens, raised just for today.

The fruit is from Niagara and the water, the Niagara escarpment. The artisanal breads were made at St. John’s bakery, part of St. John’s mission in Toronto. The cheese is from Monforte Dairy in Stratford. The beer from the Steam Whistle brewery. The list could go on.

Luis Valenzuela, chef at Torito in Kensington market, admits he pulled an all-nighter because the fresh lamb and baby chickens arrived just before the wedding. “Everything was so fresh!” he says. “So, so fresh.”

Weddings aren’t really part of the repertoire for these busy chefs, including Fabio Bondi of Parkdale’s Local Kitchen and Wine Bar, who prepared the charcuterie, starting three months before the wedding (he also grilled whitefish with salsa verde and salmoriglio sauce).

By the time dinner arrives, its sights and smells have been wafting over the crowd for a few hours.

Just before the 230 guests tuck in for the dinner of a lifetime, “roaming freelancer” and chef Joshna Maharaj leans over the roasted beet salad with an explanation.

“We are all here because we love Miriam.”

A ring with history When Epstein proposed to Streiman, in one of their favorite parks in Montreal, he told her a story she had never heard before:

Before the Holocaust, Epstein’s great-grandparents and some of their children were living in Poland, in a town called Rypin. (Epstein’s grandfather and one of his brothers were already living in New York City.)

Epstein’s great-grandfather knew the mayor, who warned him that the Nazis were coming and that they should get out of town.

The family put all their valuables in a glass jar and buried it in the dirt floor of the basement, tucking it safely away under a wall.

Epstein’s great-grandparents stayed in Rypin and were later shipped to the Warsaw ghetto, where they perished. But because they were young and healthy, the children fled to Russia. They were sent to a labour camp because they didn’t want to give up their Polish citizenship.

By the end of the war, only Epstein’s grandfather’s sister, Channa, and her husband, Barruch, survived. They had to go back to Rypin for the glass jar.

Barruch’s brother had been in the Russian army during the First World War, so the brothers went to the town wearing his old army uniforms. Posing as officers, they entered the house and retrieved the jar.

They smashed it open in an abandoned building near the old family house; they took the money and other valuables, and went back to Channa.

But Channa told them something was missing. Inside the jar there had been rings, one for each of the siblings, wrapped in candy wrappers. They had to go back.

When they returned, they found the candy wrappers in the rubble.

When he finished his story, Epstein gave Streiman the ring that was later given to his grandfather, Ben Gorman.

White and yellow gold with a diamond, it is now on Streiman’s finger.

Gulf oil spill has brides canceling beach weddings

The bride wore white, her bridesmaids’ watermelon pink. The groom dressed in khaki pants and a casual white shirt. And all went barefoot despite the risk of stepping on tar balls.

Michael Spooneybarger, The Associated PressGidget and Rion Bowers of Tucson, Ariz., walk along Pensacola Beach after being married June 12. The couple was determined to exchange vows with the backdrop of a soft, pink beach sunset and turquoise waters, even with the outer edges of the Gulf oil spill lurking offshore.

Rion and Gidget Bowers were determined to exchange vows with the backdrop of a soft, pink beach sunset and turquoise waters — even with the outer edges of the Gulf oil spill lurking just offshore.

It’s another ripple effect of the disaster in the Gulf oozing oil square in the middle of wedding season: Fewer and fewer couples are willing to risk holding their weddings in this stretch of Panhandle sometimes called “the Las Vegas of beach weddings”.

Millions of dollars are at stake because the ceremonies bring thousands of visitors annually to the area. Some businesses say their bookings have been cut in half.

“It’s not just me hurting: it’s the DJs, caterers, photographers, everyone involved,” wedding planner Darrin Land said. He said he’s lost $12,000 since news of the oil threat began in late April. “Sixty percent of my beach weddings are canceling. This is worse than a hurricane because we don’t know what is going to happen.”

Those in the wedding business say they, too, are suffering along with the oil workers, shrimpers, fishermen, hoteliers and restaurateurs whose jobs and businesses have been undercut by the spill.

“It’s hurting everyone from the ministers to the people who put the chairs out on the beach,” said June Watkins, a non-denominational minister.

Watkins normally does 40 weddings a year, mostly in the summer and early fall. She has no reservations through July and none for the fall. “They are talking about fisherman — and that’s huge — but our wedding business along the Gulf Coast has been growing for years.”

It’s easy to see why couples from throughout the country get married on the Panhandle’s beaches. The powdery white sand, vivid turquoise water and pastel sunsets are breathtaking. The many quaint, beach-front homes for rent on crowd-free beaches are the perfect honeymoon getaway.

So far, workers have been able to quickly clean from the sand the tar balls and sheen that’s washed ashore here.

“I have a saying that it is God’s church when were are out there on the beach with the Gulf of Mexico in the background. Every time I go out on the beach I am struck by the beauty. You know it had to have been made by a creator,” Watkins said.

Associated PressWedding planner Darrin Land, of Legacy Event Design of Pensacola, says 60 percent of his beach weddings are canceling.

But with the oil spill, some couples worry that their day will be ruined. Even when the ceremony isn’t canceled the spill can cause headaches for organizers.

Land held a beach wedding for a Mississippi couple and 40 guests in early June, but the bride waited until just two days before the event to make sure the beach would be tar-free. She had planned to move the wedding to a bay-front site away from the beach if the oil was a problem.

The last-minute setup is tricky.

“It’s nerve-racking — do you have all the guests in the right spot, how do you notify everyone if it changes at the last minute? Do you have enough time to secure a beach spot where there aren’t people in bikinis in the backdrop of the photos,” Land said.

An arched trellis on the sand overlooking the gulf? “Totally out of the question because there isn’t time to set them up,” Land said.

But some couples are refusing to surrender to the spill.

Lindsay Catalano and Jon Lacey of Atlanta plan to marry Sept. 5 on a secluded beach between Destin and Panama City, no matter what. She’ll wear Vera Wang and her seven bridesmaids will wear raspberry pink and orange gowns. A string quartet will play The Beatles’ classic “All You Need is Love,” as the couple walks the beach before exchanging vows.

Between 200 and 250 guests are expected — the couple is asking them to donate money to help those hurt by the spill.

“The oil, it just adds to the meaning of it all,” said Catalano, who has vacationed in the area since she was a child and has long dreamed of having a beach wedding.

If the beach is too messy to have the wedding, the wedding will move to a grassy spot near the beach.

Pam Thompson, wedding manager for Carillon Beach resort where the wedding will be held, cried when the couple e-mailed her their firm intentions. The resort normally hosts 40 weddings a year, but this year she is expecting 20 because of the spill.

“If I could have reached through the phone and hugged them, I would have,” she said.

The Bowers were among those determined to stay the course. The Tucson, Ariz.-couple, love Pensacola Beach’s famous white sands, where they got engaged last September.

“There was a little bit of trepidation because we learned the beaches were possibly going to be covered with tar and oil,” Rion Bowers said. But the rough surf that brought the first oil to the beach days earlier subsided and their dream ceremony went off without a hitch — or a single tar ball on anyone’s bare foot.

They now joke that the spill gave them a wedding to remember.

“My biggest concern was one hour before the wedding when I looked out on the beach and a hazmat crew had set up near our site,” Gidget said with a laugh. “I have pictures of our wedding trellis and the hazmat team.”

How to Negotiate with Your Wedding Vendors

We’re pretty sure you’ve been told to negotiate with your vendors to get a good price. So we thought we might investigate how to do this successfully. We went straight to the source, wedding vendors, to find out what works—and what works against you.

By: Kim Forrest |

Photo: Karen Wise

The Approach: Starting the relationship the right way will help you save.

You can’t begin to think about negotiating if you’re even slightly unsure of how much you want to spend. “Instead of looking around at vendors and then deciding what your budget is, solidify your budget and then look for vendors with rates that fit in,” says Chad Michael Peters, a floral designer and wedding planner in Massachusetts.

You’ll need to do a bit of research to figure out how much you can afford to spend on each vendor. Call or write those you could really see yourself hiring to find out their package pricing, and use this information to divvy up your budget. “It’s good to shop around for vendors,” says Jim Skipper of Black Tie Video, in Maryland. “It’s not offensive to ask for rates, but that can’t be the only thing in your e-mail. Tell me you like my work, but you have budget issues. We would like to be considered for our work, not just our price.”

“I once got a call from a bride who gave me some really flowery flattery then told me she had a budget of $1,500, which is way below what we normally work with. But because she was so cool, we were able to make it happen.”

And don’t be discouraged if a vendor you love is way out of your price range. “If a potential client contacts me, then realizes they can’t afford my rate, I am happy to refer them to others in the business,” says California photographer Bret Cole. While you’re collecting various starting prices, be sure you’re comparing apples to apples. For example, one package may include an album, while others may not.

Your approach and personality style have a lot to do with whether or not a vendor will be willing to lower a price.”I once got a call from a bride who gave me some really flowery flattery then told me she had a budget of $1,500, which is way below what we normally work with,” says Chad Michael Peters. “But because she was so cool, we were able to make it happen.”

“Play on vendors’ sympathies and emotions,” says New Jersey wedding planner Jenny Orsini of Pampered Bride Weddings. “Say ‘I really love your work, I would really appreciate this rate, anything you can do for us would make our day that much more special.’”

On the flip side, don’t be aggressive or threatening (it happens more often than you’d think). “One girl kept telling me: ‘This is all I have, if you can’t do it, I’m using an iPod,’” says Jeff Donovan of DJ on Demand, in Colorado. “You have to meet vendors halfway.”

It’s important to maintain a good relationship with your vendors—you want them to be as excited to work with you as you are with them. So be sure that your negotiations are handled as calmly and politely as possible. If your vendor is already providing you a reasonable deal, don’t ask for more. “You may be able to get a small discount, 10 percent for example, but don’t expect a huge bargain,” says San Francisco wedding planner Amy Nichols. “Be respectful of the vendor—it would be insulting if you asked them for 50 percent off, especially if they’re already working with you to fit in your budget.”

Two weeks ago, over 100 riders took to the roads of southern New Hampshire to participate in the 8th annual Granite State Quest – A ride to conquer cancer.  I am pleased to report that it was a wonder and successful day.  You may recall that July 10th was during one of those hot spells, not to be confused with the hot weather of the past few days.  In addition to the heat, there were some pretty good rain storms throughout the day.  Thanks to Exeter Rent – All with its generous donation of 3 tents the riders were able to find shade or get out of the rain when they circled back to Timberland after each of the 3 loops they rode throughout the seacoast.  Without the tents, our post ride barbeque for riders, volunteers, friends and family would not have been as enjoyable, as the rain returned on a few occasions during the celebration. 

Exeter Rent- All has been a wonderful supporter every year and thanks to your in kind donation and that of other local business, we are thankful and proud that 100% of the funds raised by the riders go directly to pediatric cancer research and patient care at The Massachusetts General Hospital.  Our fund raising efforts thus far have totaled $75,137 and we are hopeful to reach $100,000 which will result in an eight year total of over three quarters of a million dollars.

Thanks again and please extend our appreciation to the entire Exeter Rent-All team. 

Bruce Taylor
Co-Founder – The Granite State Quest

I loved what I was doing, I love to sell! 

I was CEO of the company and spent 90% of my time selling and a minimal amount of time on operations.  Selling to me was  where the action is.

Well heaven became hell.   We were hitting the wall and I had to make a change in my career.  We were heading down a negative production spiral to failure.   Our production department was not developing in an acceptable fashion.   We were servicing a more discriminating buyer.  We were turning more transactions.  We were running into cost overruns, slow turnaround times and bloated labor costs.  Our product was not being maintained, cleaned, stored or shipped the way I wanted.

What is crazy is that new sales still were growing even in a recession.  

I knew for years what I should do but either did not have the guts or I wanted to do what I liked best rather than what the business needed most.

I did the about face in my career on May 4 2010.   I did not plan to do it that day but was forced to.  An emergency forced my hand. I took my computer, moved two miles down the street to my warehouse facility.  My daughter Ashley took over running the Party Sales department and all other operations at the main office. 

It is now three month since the move.  The transition has not been seamless.  Sparing detail I have bullet pointed the early results

1. Most Warehouse personnel welcomed the change
2.  The situation was worse than I thought
3. There was a production surprise  every corner  and every day
4. We were six months  behind in prep for the season
5. It’s a lot of work to instill core values of quality, process, procedure and personal responsibility  for your action
6. It won’t happen overnight     
7. The owner(me) can make faster, crisper decisions than a salaried manager

The real reason I did not do this earlier is I did not want to get out of my comfort zone.  A lack of guts on my part?

The major regret I have is that I didn’t do it sooner.    

Feel free to email me with any advice, support or questions

The secret to staging a perfect seaside ceremony
By —Dinah Gold |
Photos by Photographer: Luca Trovato

Picture the most relaxed, romantic setting you can imagine. There’s a very good chance it’s a beach—a tropical shoreline framed by lush palm trees or a rocky coast where foaming waves rush to meet dramatic jetties. If you think this is paradise, why not get married here? Below, what to know when planning seaside I dos.

Timing and Weather

While no one can guarantee a beautiful day, you can increase your chances for sunny skies by researching your site’s seasonal patterns before booking a date (contact the town’s chamber of commerce or log on theweatherchannel.com). If possible, pick a month when the weather is most consistently temperate.

Find out about other weather-driven factors, such as how windy the beach gets at different times of the day; you can then plan accordingly (for example, using decorative mesh screens behind you during the vow exchange to shield everyone from overzealous breezes). If you’re determined to get hitched at sunset, visit the Navy’s Web site at usno.navy.mil.com to fine-tune your timing. Pay attention to the ocean’s cycles, too, so you know when the tide comes in.

Getting There

During high season, beach traffic can be heavy, and during the off-season detours are common, so send guests instructions listing several possible driving routes, including one from the nearest airport, suggests Jeffrey Jacobs, banquet manager of Gurney’s Inn, a seaside resort in Montauk, New York. Parking can be tricky, too, if your ceremony is taking place far from the reception (which is best held indoors, not directly on the beach).

Call the chamber of commerce even before you book your date to ask about reserving parking spaces and applying for any permits. If the lot is far from your wedding site, you may want to provide a shuttle bus or van for guests. At the very least, post markers along the route. Balloons tied to a post may blow away, so try something sturdier—for example, a trail of well-placed, tulle-decorated buckets weighted down with heavy rocks.

Your Look

Let guests know the wedding will be right on the beach so they can dress appropriately. Word your invitation accordingly, with a phrase like “beachside ceremony” or “ceremony on the sand.” High heels and a heavy, elaborate gown with a long train will look stiff and formal; instead, consider marrying in a gown of a simpler design made of an airy, lightweight fabric like organza, chiffon, charmeuse, or crepe (avoid silk, which can make you perspire).

Go barefoot or wear flat, dressy sandals; flip-flops are too adolescent. Flowers in your hair are a safer choice than a veil, especially if there may be wind. “If you do want to wear a veil, make sure it’s weighted at the bottom with beads or fabric flowers, so it doesn’t flap or go airborne,” warns Kevin Tobey, social catering director at the Four Seasons Palm Beach in Florida. One word about panty hose: Don’t!

The groom’s outfit should match the formality of yours: a white dinner jacket for a dressy wedding; a blazer, khakis, and a white or light-colored shirt if it’s informal. So you glow rather than burn, apply sunscreen under your makeup.