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Last weekend, I visited San Diego with my fiancé Chris to check out some potential wedding locations. We saw six venues in two days, which made for a whirlwind experience. It was so much fun! In fact, I could get used to all of this shopping around, but we need to book our date soon so that guests have nine months to plan for our out-of-state destination wedding.

The trip had extra-special significance to me because we also attended a remembrance ceremony in honor of my late grandmother who passed away one year ago. She lived in La Jolla since 1979 and I would visit her every chance I got. Visiting wedding venues there brought back great memories of walking along the shoreline with her and having gelato. I always told her how much I wanted her to be at my wedding. In true granny style, she would throw up her hands and laugh. "I took too long!" she'd say. Granny, you'll still be there in spirit, looking over us from your ocean-view room.

The author pictured at left with her late grandmother

Check out our venue photo diary, along with some tips we learned along the way!

Venue Option #1: Tom Ham's Lighthouse

Tom Ham’s Lighthouse was GORGEOUS! A good friend of mine in Sacramento told me to check it out because she knew we wanted an ocean view. And at that place, we sure got one. With huge floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking downtown San Diego, Chris and I almost felt as if we were on a boat.

Starting your wedding registry soon? Karin Sun, co-founder of Crane & Canopy, shares the most common mistakes couples make when choosing their bedding. 

Mistake #1: Choosing bedding with the highest thread count.
Most people think the higher the tread count, the better the sheets. But Sun warns that thread count doesn't give you the entire picture. "There are only three things I look for in my bedding choice to get that optimum soft, silky, and smooth feel — the fabrics are between 300 and 450 thread count, made from extra-long staple single-ply cotton, and in a sateen weave," she said. 

Mistake #2: Thinking you need to choose "grown-up" colors. 
"Don’t shop for bedding like you would your formal china," recommended Sun. "The look of luxury does not mean your linens need to be white." Instead, add some personality to your bedroom with pops of colors and patterns. 

Photo Credit: Erin Johnson on Bridal Musings via Lover.ly

Israel-born actress Natalie Portman and French choreographer Benjamin Millepied tied the knot in a private Jewish ceremony back in 2012. Now, the parents to two-year-old Aleph are living in Israel while Portman works on her directorial debut, an adaptation of A Tale of Love and Darkness by Amos Oz. After "falling in love with the country," Millepied has reportedly decided to convert to Judaism. 

When I met Jake, I never would have guessed that we'd eventually become husband and wife. In 2011, we both made the terrifying decision to move to Los Angeles to work for a motivational media company, which required us to speak to hundreds of students every day. When I picked him up at the airport, I was greeted with a half-awake, rather cranky individual.

Later that same day, I heard someone playing my favorite Coldplay song ("The Scientist") on the piano by the girls dorm, and I looked over at my bunkmate and said, "I'm going to marry whoever is playing that!" I was being sarcastic but lo and behold, I found out the musician was that same crabby traveler I had just met. I giggled and didn't think much of it...until I married him two years later on September 21st, 2013 in a very glittery, purple, rustic outdoor wedding.

I come from a family that isn’t what you would call close. We all keep to ourselves and only meet up about once a year for the holidays. I'm also an only child. So, when I found out that my boyfriend had a tight-knit family and multiple siblings, I was beyond excited and couldn't wait to join a family who invested in each other.

Soon after meeting the man I knew I was going to marry, I flew to his parents' house for Thanksgiving. I never thought anything could go wrong but I still had this weird, nervous feeling in my gut. I rationalized that I was getting frazzled because of the fact that these people would be my future in-laws — forever. My boyfriend at the time was also a bit nervous because I was the first woman he had ever dated and brought home to meet his parents.

Photo by: Serendipity Corner Photography on Polka-Dot Bride via Lover.ly

Photo Credit: Kristilee Parish Photography on Wedding Chicks via Lover.ly

You’ve been putting work into your fitness plan since that engagement ring slid onto your finger. Now comes the big night before the big day that threatens to set back all that progress: the bachelorette party. Of course, you want one that’s memorable, but for all the right reasons. Drop some hints to your bridal party about how to have a fit and fun gathering with some of the theme ideas below — or just hand over this article!

Au Naturale
Go as a group to a yoga class, then get massages or have a masseuse come to the host’s house. Too much stress can have negative effects on your body, behavior, and mood. You can also set up one or two stations where guests can make massage oils and scented soaps or candles from scratch. And have all the attendees bring a raw food dish made from a vegetable or fruit that has “aphrodisiac” benefits, along with the recipe, so you can have them for future reference. As a game, have attendees write down what they think the ‘sexy’ benefit is and read them aloud.

Valentine's Day is right around the corner — and the holiday marks the unofficial end to the unofficial "engagement season" (the most popular time to pop the question is between Thanksgiving and Valentine's Day).

Hoping for a ring on Valentine's Day? There's a good chance it may resemble one of these stunners — Josh Holland from Blue Nile tells us that these rings have been flying off their shelves in January. 

1. Petite Pavé Diamond Engagement Ring in Platinum 
A classic solitaire gets some extra bling from a half circle of pavé diamonds.

2. Monique Lhuillier Twist Halo Engagement Ring in Platinum 
We're loving this unique twisted band!

In The Emily Post Institute's latest book, Emily Post’s Wedding Etiquette: 6th Edition, Emily's great-great-granddaughters Anna and Lizzie Post tackle modern-day wedding questions that the original etiquette expert never could've dreamed about, from how to use (wisely) use technology, the rules for same-sex weddings, and much more. Here, the fourth generation of Posts discuss the most common bridal shower games and traditions.

Photo Credit: Day 7 Photography on DIY Bride via Lover.ly

Party games for bridal showers are greeted with groans or giggles. It’s all in good fun, and even if party games aren’t your thing, as the guest of honor, be a good sport and go along with what your hosts have planned. Here are some of the more popular, time-tested traditions and entertainment.

The Ribbon Bouquet
The bridesmaids collect all the ribbons from the bride’s shower presents and gather them into a bouquet for the bride to carry at the wedding rehearsal. (My grandmother remembers doing this at her bridal showers!).

Winter weddings are growing in popularity — December is now the #3 wedding month for BG brides, behind May and June — and with good reason. Harriette Rose Katz, a top wedding planner in New York City, breaks down the top 10 reasons why winter weddings rock.

Photo courtesy of Harriette Rose Katz

1. Seasonal Décor Gives Your Wedding a Unique Touch 
A winter wedding allows you to experiment with a themed décor. An easy way to incorporate this is with natural components, such as frosted pinecones, pine leaves, snowflakes, or holiday lights to enhance your winter wedding wonderland.

Photo courtesy of Harriette Rose Katz

Photo via Los Angeles Times

The 56th Grammy Awards will air live tonight, and we won't just be tuning in for the red carpet fashion — The New York Times just revealed that a mass wedding will take place tonight during Macklemore & Ryan Lewis's performance! As the hip hop duo perform their Grammy-nominated marriage equality anthem, "Same Love," 34 couples of various ages, races, and sexual orientations will join the pair and exchange vows. And as you'd expect at a star-studded event, a few other celebrities will join in on the fun: Queen Latifah will be officiating, and Madonna will join the performance. The weddings “will be, in our minds, the ultimate statement of equality, that all the couples are entitled to the same exact thing," said Lewis.

The idea arose after Grammy producer Ken Ehrlich learned from his daughter that couples often propose onstage during Macklemore & Ryan Lewis concerts. So when the producer met with the musicians to discuss their upcoming performance, they decided to celebrate all kinds of love with a mass wedding. A casting agency then began searching for the real-life couples who would join in on this one-in-a-lifetime experience. At the time, the couples just knew that the wedding would occur on live television; they learned a few weeks ago that it'd be on music's biggest night of the year.