JC and Laura's Wedding

MARRIED!!!

2007-09-25T20:45:00.000-07:00

Our wedding was perfect! The honeymoon was amazing (7 days on the beach in Maui). I have so many people to thank, stories to tell, and pictures to share. I will have more in the upcoming days but I wanted to post some of the pictures from our wedding day.

Let's Do It...

2007-09-13T10:35:00.000-07:00

Here we go!!!! All of our family is town, my tuxedo has been picked up, Laura is getting her dress today, everything that needs to be dropped off at Wynn is done. I am ready to go! I will talk to you on the other side - marriage here I come!

PS: I will be posting plenty of videos and pictures of the wedding once I get back from the honeymoon.

Tipping...

2007-09-10T04:24:00.000-07:00

Everyone I have talked to has given me different answers when it comes to tipping on the big day. The list of people I want to tip is endless. I don't want to disappoint anyone including the photgrapher(s), videographers, DJ, limo drivers, wait staff, the entire wedding team at Wynn, house cleaning staff, hairstylist, and makeup artist. I am turning to Christine, Catering Manager at Wynn Las Vegas, for the answers. She has been honest and up front with me since day one. So Christine what is the proper etiquette?

As always you have asked an excellent and quite frankly important question! The subject of appreciation and gratuity is one that is seriously overlooked in today’s society. Culturally we have lost our way when it comes to manners and saying thanks appropriately. Here in Las Vegas we are the quintessential example of, “I did my job so you should automatically tip me.” In my book, wrong answer. Your wedding is one of the most personal moments you will ever have and it’s so important to approach gratefulness with a plan like you did putting the big day together. So here are my rules of thumb….

First say thank you to everyone. Next, tip those who are doing a personnel service for you: the photographer/videographer who will capture your memories, the DJ who worked with you on creating the mood and the hairstylist/makeup artist who will give you your wedding day look. The tip doesn’t have to be enormous just a respectable amount to say thanks. Never hand these folks cash. Place the monetary gift in an envelope with a short note and give them that personally or ask your best man to do it. For the wait staff, a gratuity is built into your price point and it is sufficient. If there is a particular waiter that really stood out and went above and beyond, you can certainly give them an extra $20 and a handshake. Housekeepers are an often forgotten lot and quite frankly they are saints! It’s always nice to leave a little note on the hotel stationary sharing your appreciation. Of course if there was a $20 attached to that as well, it would make their day. When service staff/front line employees have done an above and beyond job it’s even better to write a note to “the boss” and share your thoughts.

As for the Wedding Salon and Catering Team, we love what we do. I have never come to expect anything above and beyond what I get paid. We’re the folks that have spent the most time with you. We’ve nurtured your event, kept you on track, listened to your frustrations, at times been a shoulder to cry on, always a “therapist” and in general the new family members you inherit through the process. I have had the pleasure of many amazing monetary gifts over the years. I’ve never said no because that’s insulting to the couple. It is perfectly acceptable to show financial gratitude toward the “primary” players. However, my favorite thank you’s have been those from the heart that truly meant something to the bride and groom or their parents. I have a container that has traveled with me all over the world that’s filled with the beautiful notes of appreciation from the newlyweds. Those I can always look back at and reflect on the event and have as a constant reminder that I had the fortunate privilege of taking care of people’s most tender moments. A non-money gift is always delightful too as long as there is a note attached. Never give a paperweight, pen or something for the office. That’s not very creative and says, “I felt compelled to buy you ‘something’ and it’s what I found at the 99 cents store.”

The last and most important thing…WRITE THANK YOU NOTES!!!!!! It is your wedding and if someone took the time to come to your wedding or purchase you a gift, you sit down in a chair with a proper pen and note cards and actually hand write a note. EMAILS OR PRE-TYPED CARDS ARE NOT AN ACCEPTABLE WAY TO SEND YOUR APPREICATION WHEN IT COMES TO THESE THINGS!!!!!!!!!! Okay Doll, I think that covers it. I appreciate your time, business and questions…

Marriage License...

2007-09-08T07:16:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Laura and I got our marriage license and it was a pretty interesting experience. We parked at the corner of Third and Clark and as soon as we got out of our car a couple of guys came up to us and asked us if we were getting our marriage license. I thought these guys were greeters for the Marriage Bureau so I eagerly announced “Yes we are.” Well, before I even finished the word yes they were handing us materials on chapels to get married in. We must have been solicited at least 5 times by guys trying to sell us on drive thru chapels. It was like the guys who hand out the adult material on the strip, funny, but also bazaar.

Once inside, we waited in line for about 30 minutes and it literally took 5 minutes to get the license completed. While in line we were surround by couples who were dressed in the tuxes and wedding gowns - ready to grab their license and get married in the next 30 minutes. The entire line had this feeling of excitement that we were waiting to make it official with our significant others.

One week to go!!!!!!!

Wedding Favors....

2007-09-07T07:59:00.000-07:00

In the past I have always waited till the last minute to RSVP to a wedding, I even cancelled days prior to a wedding (sorry Todd and Erin). Knowing what goes into planning a wedding I will always be the first to RSVP and never cancel at the last minute (at least not within the last 72 hours). Seating charts, food count, booze count, flowers, and gifts…so much goes into planning a wedding. When a friend would tell me that they are busy planning their wedding or stressed about wedding issues I never understood why. "Dude, it's just a wedding how hard could it be?" I have learned so much about weddings and the one thing I was not aware of when it came to planning a wedding was the wedding favor. I have been to weddings in the past and never really paid that much attention to the favors that we received. Laura and I went back and forth on this and Laura actually came up with a great idea - Cupcakes. At the end of the night all of our guests will receive a cupcake that they can take home and enjoy. Or, if after the four hour open bar they can throw them at each other in a drunken rage. Either way it will be an enjoyable gift.

I checked in with Christine, Catering Manager at Wynn Las Vegas, to get her thoughts on wedding favors.

Favors…This has become one of the most innovative segments of our industry. The days of candy coated almonds and bubbles are so over! You can buy everything from custom label wines to miniature wedding cakes and anything in between. The idea behind favors is two fold: to give a little something to remember the occasion and to say thanks for being part of our lives and special day. I love it when favors are a personal statement from the bride and groom. I had a couple on the 4th of July who didn’t have a huge budget but some creativity. They took regular chocolate bars and attached a series of 10 different photos they had printed on their home printers. The snaps were of the bride and groom either in their youth or as a couple. One type of each photo was placed at each setting. Everyone swapped to get a look and compare stories. It was very sweet. The idea of cupcakes are fun as they are a way to take a little of the celebration home with you. I had a client in Texas who made a donation in their guests name to a local charity. A common thing here in Vegas is to give a $5 poker chip from the casino where the ceremony/reception is held. Guests can either gamble with them or keep them as a souvenir. No matter what the gift, make it fun, personal and acceptable for a guest to carry back home in their luggage.

Laura and I are getting our cupcakes from The Cupcakery located here in Las Vegas. I checked in with Pamela, from The Cupcakery, to see why cupcakes make a good wedding favor.

People are really into the individually wrapped cupcakes as favors. They can be personalized with messages and names, which is a great perk for the couple. The boxes can even have messages or names printed on the label, which is pretty cool too. I think they are better than a traditional favor, because the guest will actually remember something like an individually wrapped cupcake. They have a little something to go home and snack on when the booze munchies finally kick in after the wedding.

Check out the list of celebs that are into giving cupcakes as gifts - George Maloof, Shaquille Oneal, Vince Neil, Joey Fatone, and Lance Bass. Woo hoo. For more info click HERE.

Working On My Checklist...

2007-09-06T04:52:00.000-07:00

I got a few of the smaller things done yesterday.

Got my ring.

Groomsmen gifts are done. Just need to pick them up.

Met with the DJ, all the music is done.

My checklist is getting shorter, and shorter.

Wedding Day Hair...

2007-09-05T10:54:00.000-07:00

One thing that is pretty simple for me is hair. Not much thought will go into the hair planning process for me on my wedding day. I have been doing my hair this way for the past ten years so I am not too worried. Laura on the other hand is a different story. For the past year she has been cutting out hairstyle pictures and sending them to her stylist, Amber, at Evolve Salon. I will have to blog on what happened the day Laura thought I tossed out her wedding hair folder - yikes, that was a long night.

Well, I figured I would check in with Amber and get her thoughts on wedding hairstyles, and some basic wedding hair do's and dont's.

Do you see any new trends coming up in wedding hair fashions?

The new trends in wedding hair fashions are from the 1930's - 1940's era. Very elegant and classy with beautiful soft waves or curls. Many new brides are wearing their hair down and curly. By doing this, some choose to wear a small jeweled headband or tiara instead of the traditional veil.

Do you recommend that a bride try something new for her wedding? Or should she stick to what style she is use to?

I wouldn't recommend that a bride try something new as far as hair color goes. It will be a huge shock. I do recommend that the bride sticks with what she is used to. You can do that by having a simple classic style, even if it is an up do.

How far in advance should a bride do a "test run" of her wedding day hair?

I would recommend a test run 3 to 4 weeks before the wedding. This gives you the opportunity to make the hair absolutely perfect. If you don't like something you have time to work with your stylist on something new.

Laura told me she is getting hair extensions to add fullness…is it a hard process?

Adding hair extensions is not a hard process at all. It is very fast and easy. The greatest part about it is that the extensions are non damaging to your hair. If you chooses to wear your hair down, the added fullness from the extensions is amazing. You can add extensions for fullness or length. I have several pictures on my website for people to check out if they are interested.

As far as guys hair, do you recommend they get it cut the day before or give it a few days to grow in?

Guys should get their hair cut one week before the wedding. That way it will look perfect for the big day. The night before the wedding have your bride clean up your neck with a quick shave.

Below is a picture from a wedding that Amber worked on last weekend. GREAT HAIR!

You can contact Amber direct by CLICKING HERE.

Less Than Two Weeks...

2007-09-04T10:22:00.000-07:00

Less than two weeks to go. WOW!

Anytime I have a big event coming up in my life, I find that I can only focus on that big event. That should make these next 10 days pretty interesting (and maybe that's why I have been light on the blog entries). I also find myself making a list of all the little things that I have to get done (pick up my ring, get extra house keys made for family members, buy fancy stamps for our thank you cards). I then only focus on getting these items on the list done and nothing else.

Laura and I attended our friends Brandi and Dave’s beautiful wedding this Sunday and let me tell you, it made us even more excited for our big day! Dave's best man gave a great speech; I wish I could get a copy and send it over to my best man. It is amazing how all of your planning comes down to one day... I can't imagine the nerves we will have on the morning of September 15th.

We still have not gotten our marriage license. The plan was to go a couple of weeks ago, but we got sidetracked. We’re planning on getting it this Friday.

Saturday night we picked out all of our music. Laura and I spent three hours on iTunes picking it out. I am meeting with the DJ tomorrow to go over some final music selections.

A listener gave me a home run gift idea for my groomsmen. So in theory, that is done.

Okay, I am off to work on my daily wedding checklist.

More Random Thoughts...

2007-08-28T22:05:00.000-07:00

Laura and I have decided NOT to have a sweetheart table. We have decided that we have the rest of our lives to enjoy with each other, the wedding night we will be eating with close friends and loved ones.

Saturday night is going to be song night for Laura and me. We are locking ourselves in the house with a couple bottles of wine and we are going through all of our CD’s. We will get this song situation ironed out because we are meeting with the DJ Mike Fox on Wednesday of next week.

What is everyone’s thought on the “money dance”? Part of me thinks it’s great to get that instance cash for the honeymoon, part of me realizes how much people are already giving and I would not feel comfortable asking for more.

The final head count is in! Laura worked out the seating chart over the weekend. The place cards are also done.

We took in Spamalot over the weekend. This was part of our Mix 94.1 Bachelor/ Bachelorette party. Monty Python fan or not, this is hysterical show. John O’Hurley is fantastic. Here is a picture below.

Greg, the guy on the far right, is standing on his tippy toes trying to look taller. Dork.

The Sweetheart Table...

2007-08-24T04:12:00.000-07:00

Here is an e-mail that I received from Christine Spalding, Catering Manager at Wynn Las Vegas.

Have you guys decided how you want to arrange the table you’ll be sitting at for the dinner portion of your reception? The other guests will be at 60” squares with 2 folks on each side. Do you want to have yourselves, the best man & guest, maid of honor & guest and one other couple at your table? Or do we need to do a large rectangle (seating of all sides) for the head table to accommodate more folks? Let me know so I can finalize the linen order for you and room diagram.

My Response: Laura and I are leaning towards doing the sweetheart table, just the two of us. I think our bridal party is too big to sit at one table (16 people plus dates). Plus we do not want any family members to be upset with us for not sitting with them. What are your thoughts and suggestions? I think I will blog on this one.

Christine’s response:

Only because I love you guys will I get over the sweetheart table request. If you want one, I will with all the lip biting in my body, make sure you have it. As I was typing JC sent me the blog question. Let me share…

When you get married you ask two people who are very special to you, to share as “officials” in your ceremony. Even in the smallest of weddings there is always a best man and maid of honor. That’s why you hear the phrase the official wedding party. As well, in most cases, you have asked your parents to give you away or to pay for the big day. The short and sweet of it is this…You have asked these people to be part of the actual ceremony but now you are relegating them to share your day but not with you. For my money and that of etiquette, style and just plain courtesy I always have the bride & groom, best man & spouse/guest, maid of honor & spouse/guest as well as B & G’s parents at the VIP table. My husband and I would be crushed if we weren’t allowed to share in my daughter’s first meal as a married gal. A sweetheart table doesn’t allow you to do what a reception is intended for, celebration with those you have invited. Think of it this way, you will have the rest of your lives together to sit alone in your PJ’s at your dining room table feeding each other yummy things. Your wedding reception should be inclusive, not exclusive.

As Always Lots of Hugs,

Christine

Another decision for us to make. Your (you the reader of this blog) thoughts? JC@mix941.fm

It's Too Easy...

2007-08-23T15:14:00.000-07:00

What is easier to fill out? An application for a marriage license or an application to attend UNLV? The answer is both! Both are one page long, now mind you I filled out my application to attend UNLV back in September of 1994 so I am sure they are a little bit longer nowadays. It’s just way too easy to get a marriage license, “ID MAY be required.” I love this town!

Well, tomorrow morning Laura and I will be stopping by the Las Vegas Marriage Bureau to fill out our application. I hope they accept ours.

PS: The fee is $55.00 and if you are in the mood to get married just CLICK HERE to fill out the application. It will take you 22 seconds to complete it.

Wedding Photograph Suggestions...

2007-08-21T14:38:00.000-07:00

Thank you all for the wedding photograph suggestions. I also turned to the wedding planing team at Wynn Las Vegas for some advice. I asked them for some suggestions on fun pictures and what are some of the places at Wynn that we should have our picture taken in front of?

Christine Spalding, Catering Manager at Wynn Las Vegas, wrote the following:

My favorite photos from any party, especially a wedding, are the unscripted snaps. I love it when a photographer manages to catch a peaceful pre-wedding embrace between guests/family, the flower girl flipping her skirt around, the shot from behind with the father of the groom & groom in a mini life speech moment, guests laughing at the silliest thing during the reception, the father of the bride clutching his daughter’s hand at the reception, joyful unscheduled photographs.

For a suggestion…Do you remember how I had you & Laura take off your shoes and walk in the grass on the golf course? I think you should have everyone take off their shoes, roll up their pant legs/hold up the bottom of their dress so their feet show and get a group shot on the lawn! With the trees and gorgeous green grass in the photo no one will ever believe that you celebrated in Las Vegas. We’re just a few weeks away and we are all so excited about your big day. No matter what pictures you get, the memories will be magical.

Jacquie Montoya, Director of Wedding Salons, wrote the following:

Photography is one of my favorite details of the wedding, as the memories are captured so intimately in little snapshots of the moment. Images of the bride finishing the last touches of her make up or as she slides on her shoes ~ with all of her attendants assisting and the air filled with energy and excitement …or as the groom walks halfway up the aisle to hold his bride’s hand because he is too excited to wait for her….or your first dance with the anticipation of the life ahead of you. These are the moments that will remain alive forever through your wedding photos.

My favorite areas around Wynn Las Vegas that are incredible for wedding photos are of course the waterfalls both the more private ones inside the resort as well as the 18th hole of our signature golf course with its dramatic cascading falls, even with the shimmering crystals that hang just inside of Bartolotta’s, or the contemporary chartreuse settees that decorate our guest walkways, to the atrium filled with hand laid tiles and stunning flowers and finally with the grand staircase in Alex. I have to say too that Christine’s suggestion for a group photo with everyone’s shoes off on our golf course would be really fun and unique!

I have so enjoyed your questions and your listener’s suggestions! After the next 25 days, I will be missing these great insights into planning a wedding… Hmm – maybe we need to do a honeymoon blog (ok… just kidding).

Not a bad idea on the honeymoon blog. I will actually write it out now. Day 1: Woke up went to the beach, went to the pool, ate sushi for dinner. Day 2: Woke up went to the beach, went to the pool, ate sushi for dinner. Day 3: Woke up went to the beach, went to the pool, ate sushi for dinner. Day 4: Woke up went to the beach, went to the pool, ate sushi for dinner. Day 5: Woke up went to the beach, went to the pool, ate sushi for dinner. Day 6: Woke up went to the beach, went to the pool, ate sushi for dinner. Day 7: Woke up went to the beach, went to the pool, ate sushi for dinner.

PS: The picture above is of former WWE Star Chris Jericho's wedding. Don't ask how I got it.

Wedding Day Photos...

2007-08-20T17:04:00.000-07:00

Laura and I have to get together a list of types of pictures we want taken on our wedding day and I was given the duty of doing just that. To that I say, HUH? Snap some pictures of her and I before hand, pictures of the bridal party and pictures of our families. Am I missing something here? Anyone have creative wedding picture ideas? E-mail me, jc@mix941.fm

I was searching the web and found some of these suggestions.

1. The mother of the groom pinching her son’s cheeks.
WHAT? My mom never pinched my cheeks. When I was four years old she used to take a napkin, lick it, and wipe the mustard off my face.

2. The children in the wedding striking a fun pose.
Ooops, no kids in the wedding.

3. The bride being carried off or kissed by the groomsmen while groom looks on.
What the????? Seven guys kissing Laura - no way Jose.

4. The groom being kissed or admired by the bridesmaids.
I like this one.

5. The bride and groom face to face with their eyes closed and heads bowed
And until we accidentally bang heads and Laura gets a black eye and all of our photos are ruined.

Weekend Recap...

2007-08-19T17:28:00.000-07:00

Not much wedding planning happened this weekend. Being the good fiancee that I am, I attended the Hilary Duff concert with Laura (see picture on the left). Other than that I just enjoyed hearing all the winners on Mix that will be attending our Mix 94.1 bachelor/ bachelorette party next weekend.

For those of you that have won, you will get to enjoy either Spamalot or La Reve at Wynn. Then, after the show we will all head over to Tryst for some cocktails! It should be a great time and I am looking forward to seeing everyone on Saturday. (Anyone can come to Tryst - if you are interested in joining us I will get the start time and post it here later this week).

PS: A big thank you to all of you who sent over song suggestions for Laura and me (see blog below). We should have a song picked out by later this week. Here are a few of the songs that have come in with links to watch the video.

Harry Connick Jr, "It Had to Be You." CLICK HERE for the video

Aqualung, "Brighter Than Sunshine." CLICK HERE for the video.

Newsboys, "Something Beautiful." CLICK HERE for the video.

U2, "Beautiful Day." CLICK HERE for the video.

U2, "All I Want Is You." CLICK HERE for the video.

U2, "Elevation." CLICK HERE for the video.

U2, "Unchained Melody." CLICK HERE for the video.

Bono w/ Frank Sinatra, "Under My Skin." CLICK HERE for video.

We Have A Situation...

2007-08-15T22:00:00.000-07:00

One month to go, and Laura and I have a small situation on our hands. We can not agree on what song should be playing when we are introduced during the ceremony. We came close to picking a song last night - we both agreed on a U2 song. The only problem is Laura wants to play “Mysterious Ways.” Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s a great song. My only problem is with the hook, “she moves in mysterious ways.” The song would be a perfect if Laura was walking out by herself, but she’s not. I want song that grabs the attention of the room when we are announced as a couple for the first time. Any suggestions? Please e-mail me jc@mix941.fm

CLICK HERE to watch the “Mysterious Ways” video.

PS: Last Friday was my birthday. Double digits- 33. The pictures below are from birthday dinner at Pink Taco.

JC and Laura.

Greg (groomsman) and Sara

Mike (groomsman) and Jen

Ben (groomsman) and Kristen

One Month To Go...

2007-08-14T13:38:00.000-07:00

Laura came into my office this morning in a panic, she was almost hyperventilating! I asked her what was wrong, and her response was, "we are one month away from the wedding!" I then assured her that there is nothing to worry about, we are all set. Everything is planned and locked in. At least I think so! I am turning to the team at Wynn Las Vegas with a couple of questions. Are we all set? Is Laura panicking for no reason?

Christine Spalding (catering manager) wrote the following:

So it seems as if you are starting to get the pre-wedding stress complex…Please know that you are in the best hands and you have done all the right planning. You have asked good questions and made smart decisions. Your guests are coming to see you get hitched. All the other great details you’ve put together are just icing on the wedding cake. It will be a beautiful day and you will be the happiest couple. You guys have done an incredible job. Give each other a hug and know that we will give you nothing less than World Class Wynn Wedding Wonderment!

Jacquie Montoya (director of wedding salons) wrote the following:

Take Laura to a nice lunch and let her relax. It is normal to be under a lot of stress the last month prior to such a wonderful, memorable and important event. Remember, Laura (and you too) have saved for this and thought about and discussed over and over every nuance of this event. Truly, your lives have probably centered around the plans for this day for almost a year now.

However, everything is in place and perfect. I met with Mildred about your event yesterday and every detail is done. Give Laura a huge hug and know we are on top of everything.

It looks like we can reset easy for the next month. Besides we have more than one month; we have a month and a day till the wedding.

My Bachelor Party...

2007-08-13T10:30:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday was my Bachelor Party! My best man, Gil, did a great job planning the event. Here is how the day paned out:

11:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.: We spent the day out at Bare, at The Mirage. For those of you not familiar with Bare, it is a topless pool. There was about seven of us out at the pool enjoying our cabana and plenty of cocktails. This was my first time at a topless pool – I always had this vision of hairy European men and women sitting around the pool. Bare was the exact opposite - first class and beautiful women.

4:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.: We then made our way over to the Treasure Island where we had a suite all set up for us. We then spent some time down at the bar where these two female tourists, who had been married for 15 years, proceed to give me 60 minutes worth of marriage advice. After a couple more cocktails, it was time to get ready for dinner.

8:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.: We had dinner at Café Ba Ba Reeba. At this point in the evening our group of seven guys had turned into about twenty-five guys. It was a regular old Sigma Chi reunion. Dinner was great – cocktails, sangria, and shots.

10:00 p.m. – midnight: We made our way over to Cheetahs. It’s not what you think, Cheetahs has a wiffle ball league. Yes, a wiffle ball league. So we all went over to get more information on the league and sign up. There was no lap dances! Come on, what kind of group of guys do you think I hang out with???

Midnight till ???: We wrapped up the night with a booth at Tangerine.

I truly enjoyed my “last night of freedom.” No regrets and no embarrassing stories. The more I think about the days events the more it looks like a regular Saturday here in Vegas.

PS: I would post pictures from the event but all cameras and camera phones were banned from the day’s events (smart, very smart!).

Post Wedding Blues...

2007-08-09T21:01:00.000-07:00

WOW. I'm Glad to know that I'm not alone on the "post wedding blues." I am posting some of the GREAT responses that I have received via e-mail (jc@mx941.fm).

Kayla wrote:

I just read some of your wedding blog and wanted to reassure you that it's okay if you have some post wedding blues. You're totally right, for the last year you've been planning a wedding and it's very exciting. And once you're back from your honeymoon and the family/guests are gone, etc. etc., there's nothing quite as exciting to plan or do (this is after all one of the biggest days of your life).

I experienced some depression when my husband and I got back from our honeymoon. I even felt some guilt over it because it wasn't like I was totally thrilled to be married to him (because I was). But over time, the depression went away and there were other things to look forward to. One thing that helped me was to always have a fun trip planned - to get away together to relax and just enjoy each other.

Congratulations and have a blast!

Tiffany wrote:

JC,

I went through this big time when we got married. I wouldn't call it depression though. For the last year you have put so much time, effort and love into planning the perfect day that when you get back from the honeymoon, sort through the gifts and send out your thank yous, you're done. What do you do with all of you time? It is very much like you said, a void. The problem is not that you can't find something to do but that you are so used to having to do something that you keep trying to remember what you have forgotten to do, when there really was nothing. (did that make sense? ) I am not sure that I have much advise other than to try and stay busy and you adjust to the new schedule and married life. Good Luck!

And Erin wrote:

Hey, JC, it fun to be part of your wedding plans and read your thoughts on your upcoming wedding. You recently mentioned the, "day after the wedding letdown, etc., etc., etc." How about planning the next 52 (at least) weeks "dates" for the 2 of you. Hiking and a picnic; hot tubbing/spa nite; dancing Salsa at the South Point (or someplace else); enrolling in a gourmet cooking class; all kinds of different things you can start planning for your lives together AFTER the big day. Make it a surprise or plan "date nites" together.

Thank you to all of you who write me e-mails and call the show and offer your wedding advice. We are just about a month till show time and it is very helpful!

Tuxedo...

2007-08-09T17:43:00.000-07:00

I tried on my tuxedo today. Just a few adjustments to it and we are all set. The tuxedo is all black (think Johnny Cash) and I am going with a regular tie instead of the traditional bow tie. My groomsmen will have the same black tuxedo but they will have a white shirt, vest and tie.

Random wedding thoughts....

2007-08-08T15:47:00.000-07:00

My tuxedo has arrived. Laura and I will head over tomorrow so I can try it on and we can also make any changes if needed. I told all of my groomsmen last week to make sure that they get their measurements taken - we will see if any of them have gotten this done. THANK YOU to all of you who have sent groomsmen gift suggestions - you have been very helpful.

Here is another question for you; did anyone enter a post wedding depression? For the past year Laura and I have been planning this grand event taking place on September 15th. I have been so focused on this day that I am forgetting that September 16th will be here soon enough. Vows will have been said, first dances will have been danced, the wedding cake will be cut, and the best man speech will thankfully be over (can you tell I am stressed out about what stories Gil is going to tell). Maybe depression is not the right word to use because September 16th will be the first day as Laura’s husband and I can not wait for that moment. But there will be this little void in our lives because the past year has been all about planning the wedding. Sure, there has been wedding planning stresses and guest list dilemma’s, but this has been a FANTASTIC experience! Does this make sense?????? E-mail if you have some thoughts jc@mix941.fm

One more thing, this morning we talked about a new phenomenon in weddings called "MOG-zillas." I am proud to say that I do not have a "MOG-Zilla" but it is very interesting to read about them. CLICK HERE for the full story.

Wearing White...

2007-08-06T13:51:00.001-07:00

It’s funny the things you learn about weddings while you are planning one. I never knew that the rule is that the bride is the only lady allowed to wear white. Well, apparently the lady at CVS did not know this rule either. Let me explain: it was Saturday afternoon and Laura and I were waiting in line at CVS when the customer in front of us turned around and asked Laura if the panty hose she had would match the white dress she was wearing. Laura told her they would look great – that is when the customer in the white dress explained to us that she is so excited because she was on her way to a wedding and she had not been to a wedding in years. Laura then hesitantly pointed out to the customer that the rule of weddings is that only the bride should be wearing white. The customer then had a look of panic – “What am I going to do? This is my only dress.” Laura noticing the customers concerns told her that she would probably be ok, and not to worry. “Oh my gosh, I do not have any other dress” explained the customer. Just when we thought everything was okay the cashier at CVS chimed in and told the customer, “She’s right, you can’t wear white to a wedding.” The panic was back on the customer’s face. Panic was also setting in on my face - time for us to go! I then paid for our red bull and OK Magazine and left. Was Laura in the wrong for telling this stranger the "white dress" rule? Is there really such a thing as a white dress rule? I wonder if the customer stopped and bought a new dress on the way to the wedding? I wonder if the bride was upset? These are questions that will never be answered.

We talked about all of this on the show this morning and everyone agreed on the “white dress rule.” Christine, Catering Manager at Wynn Las Vegas, was listening this morning and sent me her thoughts:

I would absolutely tell a stranger. Knowing Laura, she was very sweet to the white attired inappropriately dressed gal. A girl should always have a wardrobe plan B! Every bride can wear white on her wedding, never ever ever another guest! The tradition of white on a bride has to do with the purity and chastity of the girl getting married. It is assumed even if a woman has been married before and has children, she is pure in heart for her betrothed.

Later in the morning Christine sent me this note:

One more thing, I was invited to a wedding in Bermuda wear the bride and groom wanted everyone in whites/cottons. Only at the request of the bride and groom should you wear white.

CLICK HERE to listen to the on-air discussion from this morning.

Gifts...

2007-08-06T10:30:00.000-07:00

Thank you to everyone who has sent me e-mails on my questions that I've posted on my blog. Here is another question for you - what should I get my groomsmen for their groomsmen gift? The majority of them have been in a few weddings over the past couple of years and one man can only have so many flask with his initials on it. I few ideas but want to hear yours - e-mail me - jc@mix941.fm with your suggestions. THANKS!!!

What's Your Theme???

2007-08-02T11:06:00.000-07:00

I was talking to a high school friend who I have not spoken to since 1993, (he noticed me on Myspace) and I was telling him about our upcoming wedding and our plans for the big day. My friend Matt then asked me what our theme is. I told him the wedding was going to have a black and white theme. Matt’s response, "Oh, it's not an Elvis theme?" I then explained to him how traditional weddings do happen out here in Las Vegas. This is actually the second person from back East to assume that since its Las Vegas, it has to have a crazy theme. So, I turn to Christine, Catering Manger at Wynn, and Jacquie, Director of Weddings at Wynn, with a couple of questions. Have you ever hosted outrageously themed weddings? And, I have to imagine that you have seen some strange request over the years; any real bizarre ones?

Christine writes:

Theme weddings are really a regional thing, mostly in the southern parts of the US and for couples that are maybe having wedding number two or are over 50. During the 70’s, 80’s & 90’s themes were more prevalent. The industry has become very sophisticated and savvy. Appealing to elegance is the way to increase profits. Let’s face it, scrumptious linens, imported European flowers, haute cuisine and beautiful décor smack more of $$$$ than Elvis and diner food.

The neatest theme wedding I have ever planned/catered was when a pilot married a flight attendant. We took over this entire aviation museum and designed everything around their industry. The ceremony was done in the main lobby of the museum. I got a friend who is the chief of maintenance for a major carrier to “lend” me 200 airplane seats for the ceremony. The wedding arch was the steel cockpit structure. All the guests had “In-Flight” cards in the seat pockets that listed the key players and music selections. All the staff wore a sort of 1950’s flight attendant uniform. The center pieces were my favorite part. I made 4,000 sugar cookies shaped like clouds and 4 varieties of airplanes that had a hole, pre cut in the tops. We iced the clouds in white and the planes in 8 shades of blues and silvers. Each cookie had a gorgeous silk ribbon strung through it. Then each cookie was hung from a sort of wooden tree my husband (the aerospace guru) made to create the effect of flying in the clouds. The centerpiece in the middle of the room was 12 feet tall and had 350 clouds and plane cookies dangling from it. The base of the structures had a beautiful fine mesh toile wrapped around it so the planes looked like they were flying out of the clouds into more clouds. The groom’s cake was a Gulfstream V taking off in flight! We passed hors d’ oeuvres off of aircraft service carts and as a take away gave little bags of peanuts with a gift card for 1,000 frequent flyer miles. The guests loved it and I had such a fun time putting it together. To bad the couple divorced 5 months later!!!! At least they threw one great party together….

Jacquie writes:

I saw Christine’s response and I think she just about said it all. Weddings (and the following reception) should be whatever the bride and groom want. From a colorful Balinese theme (with lavish peonies in tangerine and fuchsia, purple orchids accented throughout, a canopy swathed in abundant silk fabrics overflowing with shimmering gold and copper accents and candles everywhere) to a wedding where the bride and groom played “dueling pianos” during their ceremony… We are honored to be apart of this very special and intimate day and are committed to doing whatever it takes to make the dream not only a reality – but a perfect reality.

Maybe Laura and I should have done a WWE themed wedding. We would get married in a wrestling ring and instead of wearing rings we could wear championship belts. I love it!

Music Selection...

2007-07-31T15:35:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Laura and I had a meeting with the team over at Wynn. The focus of the meeting was on our music selection. Laura will not be walking down the aisle to the traditional wedding march song, everyone will have to wait for the big day to hear what she has selected. I will be coming down the aisle to a song that has personal meaning to me and to my family. Again, you will have to wait for the wedding to hear my selection.

One new addition to the ceremony that Laura and I decided on is the Unity Candle. One thing we did not decide on is what music to play during the lighting of the unity candle. We are at a standstill - Laura actually wanted us to play (Everything I Do) I Do It For You by Bryan Adams. EWW! We then agreed on Love Me Tender by Elvis Presley. Well at least I thought we agreed on it, Laura had changed her mind on it this morning. I will keep you posted on this issue. In the meantime CLICK HERE for your Bryan Adams fix.

PS: Thank you to all of you who e-mailed me on my questions below!!! E-mail me anytime jc@mix941.fm

Random Weekend Update...

2007-07-29T13:42:00.000-07:00

I picked out my tuxedo this weekend. The groom really does have it easy. Laura spent so much time going back and forth looking at dresses. She bought magazine after magazine for suggestions and ideas. For me, it was the complete opposite. Saturday we went to All About You Bridal. We arrived at 2:00 p.m. and we were back in my car by 2:20 pm. I will be in a all black tuxedo for the wedding and my seven groomsmen will have the same tuxedo, except they will be wearing white shirts.

We also got all of our linens taken care of this weekend. I really don’t know what I would do with out the “wedding dream team” over at Wynn Las Vegas. I called on the linens last week and was completely confused with the “linen lingo.” Do we need 130" or 90" table clothes? And what is a chiavari chair? I called Christine, catering manager at Wynn Las Vegas, and she told me she would handle everything. That she did - I just received the e-mail that we are all set.

The only two big things that we still have to take care of is getting my wedding band and the wedding programs. I think we will knock both of those out this week.

A Few Questions...

2007-07-28T10:15:00.000-07:00

Here are a few questions that have been running through my mind:

What music should the wedding party walk out to?

Do I really want a bachelor party?

Should I be worried about my best man's speech?

What if I faint during the wedding? What if Laura faints?

What if I start to laugh?

What is going to be the one embarrassing story from our wedding? Every wedding has one. Remember when Bob jumped on the horse then got bucked off and broke his arm? That actually happened to a co-worker of mine.

If you have any thoughts on these please drop me an email: jc@mix941.fm

Open Bar...

2007-07-25T14:45:00.000-07:00

Whenever I tell someone that we are going to have a four hour open bar the reaction I get is "you better watch out, people are going to get crazy." Some people have even told us to cut back on the length of the open bar. I thought most people would be excited about this? Well, Laura and I have no intentions of cutting back on the length of the open bar but my question is do people really get that drunk and crazy at weddings? I have heard stories, but I have never seen things first hand. What if “Dr. Shots” gets out of hand? Will Wynn security take care of him? (That would be funny). So I turn to Christine, catering manger at Wynn Las Vegas, for her thoughts.

Having catered events in 98 different countries I can tell you some wedding reception stories that would make a best seller! Remind me to tell you the story of the palm tree, the thong panties and the groom’s mistress, legendary tale. As good as the US Navy pilots wedding where guests did carrier landings with shaving cream on the bar story….

Depending on the part of the World/America you live in and the tone of the event people will react accordingly. The height of being a good host is providing for your guests every need during your reception. The pinnacle of being a great guest is honoring the event being celebrated in an appropriate way. Just being inside Wynn makes people feel a bit more elegant and polished so they tend to act the way they feel. Of course we insist on good behavior all the time so if for some reason one of your guests is found bat hanging naked off the Margaux Balcony howling at the moon, someone from our team in a professional way will help them to an exit then a taxi!

Now who would be bat hanging naked off the balcony? Gil? Mike? Greg? Ben? Mark or Mercedes? Most likely it will be my lovely bride! Just don't ask her to do the bull!

The Furniture Is Done...

2007-07-23T16:14:00.000-07:00

Laura and I picked out the furniture that we are using for the reception. The reception is taking place in the Margaux Ballroom and it has a spacious patio that overlooks the golf course (check out the picture below).

During the evening we will have a bar outside for all of our guest to enjoy so we wanted the patio to have a relaxed lounge feel. We looked at a lot of furniture suppliers in town and then we discovered Somers Furniture. They had exactly what we were looking for! I have attached another picture below (and just so you know the color scheme for our wedding is black and white).

The furniture looks fantastic now but fast forward to 5 hours after the wedding and I envision half of my wedding party passed out on the couches. Well, at least they are comfortable.

Look for more blogs this week. Including the shoe blog, and the open bar dilemma.

Instant RSVP...

2007-07-23T13:28:00.000-07:00

Right now I have two wedding websites. I have my blog which you are reading now and Laura and I also have another website that has information for our guest that are flying in from out of town. It has a timeline of events for everyone as well as some pictures that we are sharing (family stuff). A great feature of the site is that guest can RSVP via this website. They simply go the site, log in and hit RSVP. They can tell us how many people are coming and also pick out their entree. The really cool thing is that as soon as someone RSVP's we get an e-mail. Instant notification. It is exciting to get that e-mail and it is exciting to see who is coming to the wedding. After everyone has RSVP'd it will print out an excel spreadsheet of who is coming and what meal they want. I am told that this will make the process of setting up the seating chart much easier. You can get more information on these wedding websites by checking out theknot.com

A question about tradition...

2007-07-18T20:22:00.000-07:00

The question I have today is about tradition. Tradition says that I should not see Laura on our wedding day until she walks down the aisle. Well, on our wedding day we will be throwing out that tradition. Laura and I plan on having the majority of our pictures taken before the ceremony. Wynn has so many beautiful locations to have your picture taken in front off that we want to get this done before the ceremony. Once the ceremony is over we do not want to take off for an hour to get our pictures taken. People I have spoken to in the past have mixed feelings about this. Some couples have told us that this is the best way to do it because for one, Laura’s hair and make up will be perfect for all of the pictures. Others say you can't break tradition. So I turn to Christine (catering manager) and Jacquie (director of wedding salons) at Wynn Las Vegas for more advice on this question.

Christine’s response:

A little history about the wedding day “hide the bride” issue…A long time ago in a land far away (Europe), the bride and the groom didn’t see one another until the absolute last minute because sometimes clans/rivalries didn’t agree with the pairing that had been made. The bride was kept hidden until just before the ceremony started to prevent her from being kidnaped or even worse, bumped off. Today in Germany it is still traditional for the best man to kidnap the bride before the ceremony. The groom has to pay a “ransom” for her return. Normally this means some sort of silly prize like a boot of beer. Over time, the banning the bride from the grooms eyes became very Victorian. To see your betrothed before the wedding was not proper and according to social graces. Now, the world has become such a diverse place with so much blending of old world/new world, east and west. I say do what makes you happy. You only have this one day to call the first day of the rest of your life together. Plan a few quiet moments to hug each other, profess your love and best wishes then get in there and get the job done!

Very interesting. I am very concerned that if my best man, Gil, decides to kidnap Laura he will charge a very, very high ransom (see picture below).

Jacquie’s response:

We kind of feel that based on the bride and groom, sometimes “the traditions” need tweaking.

With many destination weddings, Brides and Grooms may find themselves making adjustments to the schedule to allow more time with their guests who have traveled quite far to be with them on this very special day. And that is ok! You can still create a very intimate and special moment for the first time you see each other – even though it may not be at the time of Laura’s processional. We have had guests designate 30 minutes prior to the photography time as their “moment”. They meet in a very private and intimate location – like The Wedding Salons Courtyard. We have had music playing softly and the guests will even sometimes like to capture that moment on film by having their photographer present. In a way, this is even more personal because you can really enjoy each other during this time – rather than have the wedding jitters on your mind.

Jamie Johnson, Assistant Manager of Weddings and her husband Marty actually did something similar. They met privately prior to the photography session, exchanged a wedding day gift to each other and really appreciated a romantic moment before the excitement and fun of the day got started. They both said that it was one of the highlights of their day!

Excellent advice and I think Laura and I will stick to doing the photography before the wedding. And if it involves exchanging presents Laura is definitely onboard.

Lily The 7th Bridesmaid...

2007-07-16T14:05:00.000-07:00

Laura and I are the proud owners of a 4.5 lb Chihuahua named Lily (picture on the left). Laura and I got Lily within weeks of moving to Las Vegas. Needless to say she is a big part of our lives. Everyone keeps asking us if we are going to have Lily in the wedding. As of now we do not have any flower girls, or ring bearers so do we allow our Chihuahua to fill one of these roles? And our (well at least my) answer is no. I just see it turning into a disaster. The odds of Lily walking down the aisle without causing a scene are 100 to 1. Then who is going to pick her up and take her to the wedding? To me it just spells trouble. So I turned to Jacquie (director of wedding salons at Wynn) for some advice. Here is her response:

We actually love the idea personally because it is just another opportunity for the bride and groom to have their wedding include details that are personal and important to them. However, being in a resort minimizes the number of requests for this. We actually had a guest request to have an elephant carry the bride in – which unfortunately did not materialize (I was looking forward to it). And we have had a number of requests for the family dog to act as the ring bearer.

In a recent event the ring bearer was a beautiful (and extremely well trained)golden retriever. She had a custom made collar that also held the ring pillow. And believe it or not, she did an incredible job. She walked down perfectly on queue, went directly to the groom and stood by him the whole time – then stepped forward with the ring when she was called!

The cute detail about having animals involved is you need to have a personal “pooper” assistant on hand.

Luckily, we have the Primrose Courtyard as an option for hosting outdoor events, so the guests that do request their dogs to be involved, are able to do so without worrying about the resort’s dog policy.

Hmm, maybe we will include Lily in the wedding. Now who could be her personal “pooper” assistant???

The USPS Moves Fast...

2007-07-16T13:42:00.000-07:00

I dropped the invitations in the mail on Friday around 3:00 pm. Friends here in Las Vegas received their invitations on Saturday. Laura’s mom (back in PA) received her invitation today! The USPS moves fast. People are already RSVP’ing - the wedding is coming together and the big day moves closer, and closer. Laura and I are actually going to get our marriage license on Monday.

Picture note: The above picture was taken last Thursday at Wynn's Holiday Preview Party. Laura and I walked in and it felt like we were in a winter wonderland. Fake snow and Santa's elf's were everywhere. The best drink of the night was the "Hot Apple Pie Martini." It was great seeing the ballroom all dressed up - Laura and I looked around in excitement knowing our big day was going to be held here in two months.

81 cents...

2007-07-12T17:02:00.000-07:00

81 cents. That's what the postage cost to mail out our wedding invitations. Laura loved every minute of the invitation selection process. To me it was fun, but also a bit stressful. You start off by looking at books and books of sample invitations. We looked at invitations for over an hour, we narrowed it down to five, then out of those five we selected the winning invitation.

Soon after picking our invitations we received the "proofs." We must have read over them at least two dozen times. If you do not catch the errors on your proofs then you are stuck with errors on your invitations (yes you can reorder but it just takes up time). So you triple check everything - yes our wedding starts at 5:30 p.m. Did they spell our names right? Did they put the correct hotel? Actually the lady who did our invitations was great so the invitations were flawless.

The stress came when I had to put the address labels on the envelopes and then seal them. You have to make sure the labels are centered and when it came to sealing them I used this fancy liquid glue stick that is suppose to make things easy. Well I found myself either putting on too much glue (those that get the invitations that are impossible to open will know what I mean) or too little and the invitations would pop open ten minutes later. Now since it cost 81 cents to mail them I needed to put two stamps on the envelopes - even more stress lining up the stamps. Probably for most of you reading this it would be an easy process. Me? I have no arts and crafts skills so it was no walk in the park.

Well all of that is behind us and the invitations are all set to go out. I look forward to seeing everyone at the wedding.

The Wedding Cake...

2007-07-10T19:50:00.000-07:00

In 2004 Laura was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis. I am not going to get into all of the details of this condition but I will tell you that it limits her diet, including no dairy. We are not talking about a little stomach ache if she has dairy, we are talking about a 24 hour visit to the hospital. So when it came to our wedding cake we were concerned about being able to get a non dairy one. When we first started talking to hotels about this they all said it could not be done. One catering manager told Laura that they could not do it but that it's no big deal because "everyone else can eat it and we can get you a fruit platter." It was stating to get very frustrating - this is going to be our day and I want Laura to be able to eat HER wedding cake.

Early on in our talks with the Wynn we asked the question about the wedding cake - they told us "it should not be a problem." Upon hearing this news we were estatic. The chef's at the Wynn worked on a couple of recipes and soon Christine, the catering manager, called us and said they were ready to do a cake tasting for us. Christine had Laura's non-dairy cake ready to go and when Laura took her first bite it looked like she died and went to heaven. I asked Christine (Wynn Catering Manager) if food allergies were a common issue at weddings and how difficult it was to make a non-dairy cake. Here is her response -

I always find that folks who laugh at a special request aren't very adventurous or talented. It's the creative genius of folks like Chef Fredric Robert and Chef Pierre Gatel that push pastry to the next level. Food allergies are becoming more common. However, most folks don't even think to ask because like you guys they've been laughed at or discouraged. Making a non-dairy cake isn't hard, making it taste good is the trick. When you have a James Beard award winner like Fredric Robert on the job who is passionate about presentation, taste and customer enjoyment you will have a sweet success every time!

The non-dairy portion of the cake is going to be just for Laura. Everyone else will have the regular cake. Since Laura can not have dairy it was my job to taste and sample all of these cakes. OMG! Guys if you are getting married and your finacee says that you have to go to a cake tasting - GO! I sat down for one hour and ate cake - amazing cake. They bring out piece after piece. Funny though, I guess you are just suppose to take a sample of each peace. I went to town, devouring every piece in sight. Needless to say I hit the stair machine for 45 minutes after the fact.

Our Song...

2007-07-08T18:01:00.000-07:00

Laura and I started dating in the summer of 2003 and in the summer of 2004 we were in Las Vegas for a vacation and decided to drive out to LA to visit a friend (my best man Gil). We went to Best Buy and loaded up on some new CD’s. At the time “The OC” was a huge show, and yes we were both huge fans. “The OC” soundtrack was out, and since this was Laura’s first time to California, we could not have thought of a better soundtrack. We heard a song on the cd called “Honey and the Moon.” It really move us. So we played it over and over again on the ride back to Las Vegas. This became our song until one night we were told by a friend of ours that the song was about suicide. Oops, who knew? I guess we didn’t really listen to the words that closely.

Long story short, we discovered a new artist that summer, JEM. She had a hit that year called “Just a Ride.” We bought her CD, “Finally Woken,” and discovered track 11 - “Flying High.” Once again we fell in love with another song, this time we listen to the words closely and we found our new song!

Click HERE to hear the song “Flying High” set to scenes from Grey’s Anatomy. Cheesy but good.

PS: The picture above is us in LA - 2004. And below is a picture of Gil (my best man) and me at the Standard in LA summer of 2004.

Why the Wynn Hotel...

2007-07-08T16:30:00.000-07:00

Within in a week of getting engaged, Laura and I started looking at hotels to hold our ceremony and reception. I won’t lie, it was very tiresome. The overall feeling I kept getting from most of the hotels that we looked at is that we were just a number to them. No one was really interested in hearing the story of how we met, or the story of our recent engagement. It felt more like we were trying to book a conference, not a wedding. This was going to be our special day and it was not feeling very special.

Then in early October of 2006 Laura and I visited the Wynn Hotel. Upon walking into the hotel we immediately fell in love with the wedding salon. We sat down with Jacquie (director of wedding salons), Mildred (our wedding consultant and she is Wynn's senior wedding consultant), Jamie (wedding salons assistant manager) and Christine (catering manager) and the first thing they asked us was our story. I was so happy to see that they were interested in us, and wanted to learn about how we met, how we came to Las Vegas, they asked all about our engagement – they made us feel special. After the introductions and our story was told we got the tour. From the Lavender Salon to the Primrose Courtyard (the picture above is us in the courtyard) the hotel is first class. When you walk out to the courtyard you have no idea that you are on strip – it’s private and secluded. Well my words can not do the hotel any justice – you have to visit the Wynn Website by clicking HERE.

A Brief History...

2007-07-08T15:34:00.000-07:00

I won’t bore you with details about my childhood (because I figure most of you reading this already know the basics about me, and this blog is about my wedding). I moved to Las Vegas in January of 1995, to finish up my schooling at UNLV. After graduation in 1997 (with a degree in Hotel/ Restaurant Management), I decided to pursue my passion, which was radio. I started working at Mix 94.1 in August of 1997, and for Mark and Mercedes on May 1, 1998. In January of 2001, I moved to Washington DC, to take a position at WWZZ/ Z104 radio. Soon after my arrival in Washington DC, I realized that Vegas was home for me. I missed working with Mark and Mercedes, I missed my college friends, and I missed this great city. But there was a reason for me being in Washington, DC, because that is where I met my soulmate – Laura.
Here is a brief history of Laura and me (written by my fiancee, Laura).

"I met J.C. when I interviewed for the Morning Show Intern position at Z104 radio station in Washington, DC, the summer after my sophomore year in college. As soon as I walked in and met him, my heart started racing because of how attracted to him I was!Not knowing then that he felt the same way, J.C. told me later that he kept repeating the same thing over and over again, because he was so nervous. The funny thing was that we discovered that we grew up in the same area, Bucks County, PA, and went to rival high schools! The only difference was that when I was riding a bike he was driving a car (we're eight years apart)! So I ended up getting the job, and we spent several months flirting until I thought of the perfect scheme to get him alone... One day I decided that asking him to help me with a car problem would be my best bet; so I called him up saying my car was overheating, and I thought it was going to blow up (I am blonde), and I needed him to bring me stuff that would cool my car down. Hecame over to my apartment with coolant and then took me to dinner, and I was in love. The rest is history...

In September 2005 Laura and I decided to move to Las Vegas. I can tell you that I am enjoying every minute that I am back in town. Labor Day weekend 2006, is when Laura and I got engaged. It was a weekend trip out to Huntington Beach. We were on the pier when I ask Laura to marry me. Here is how Laura described it:

"Since I had never been to the Pacific Ocean, J.C. and I decided to go to Huntington Beach, CA, Labor Day Weekend. e arrived at our hotel Friday afternoon and immediately went for a walk on the beach with our dog Lily. That evening we had a dinner reservation at Duke's, right on the pier. Before dinner, J.C. and I went for a walk on the pier to check out the view. He was acting so weirdly and almost shaking a little bit. I started having butterflies in my stomach and feeling that "something" was going to happen. Next thing I knew he was telling me that I was his soulmate and his life, while he was†bending down on one knee. All of a sudden he opened the ring box containing the most beautiful diamond ring I had ever seen and asked me to marry him and be his wife! I was so surprised that I said, "Are you doing this now?" Then, of course, I snapped back to reality and said,"Yes!" We both started crying and kissing, and I felt with my whole being that he was the one: my prince!

If you want to see exactly where we got engaged, visit this website - http://www.hbonline.com/surfcams.htm I actually proposed to Laura directly below the Huntington Beach Surf Cam. I would like to say that I did this so her family could watch the proposal on-line, but it was pure coincidence.

So there you go; a brief history of my life and my life with my fiancee Laura in it. More to come!!!!