Meeting your future in-laws for the first time is always a stressful occasion — but the pressure increases tenfold if you're meeting them for the first time at a holiday gathering with the whole gang. You want to make a good first impression — without looking like you’re trying too hard. Start with the perfect host and hostess gift! 

Send-Ahead Flowers
The problem with bringing flowers to a holiday party is that your hostess then has to scramble to find a vase and a place to display them. If you send the flowers ahead of time, though, she can find the perfect spot for them when she’s not also busy worrying about refilling drinks and dishing out appetizers. We love this cheerful arrangement from 1-800-Flowers:

Joyful Lights, from $44.99, 1800Flowers.com

Breakfast
After all of the cooking, baking, prepping, and cleaning required for a holiday party, your hostess is going to be pretty exhausted the following day. Make her life a little easier by with a breakfast basket:

The day after our wedding in Indianapolis, I woke up next to my husband Corey for the first time. That in itself was a wonderful feeling, but what made it even more exciting was the anticipation of departing for our Mexican honeymoon later that day! Check out some highlights from our romantic trip, below. 

Why we chose Mexico...
Corey and I had traveled to Mexico before and we loved it there, so we knew we wanted to go back for our honeymoon. We stayed at the Riu Palace Riviera Maya, an all-inclusive resort situated on the soft, sandy beaches of Riviera Maya, near Playa del Carmen. We chose a hotel chain that we were familiar with (we'd stayed at Riu's Cabo location before), so we knew exactly what to expect. Plus, the weather in Riviera Maya is beautiful, the flight is short (from where we live in Indianapolis), and the trip fit into our budget.

Plus, get more information on Where to Stay in Cancun and Riviera Maya.

Are you feeling sluggish and worn out in the final days leading up to your nuptials? Do you find yourself in a state of sheer panic over your inability to ban the bloat? Here, a last-minute fix to your final-stretch funk.

BluePrint Cleanse is the first 100% USDA certified organic juice cleanse and offers a wide array of nutritious and delicious fruits and veggies blended down into a lusciously liquefied confection. They offer three different degrees of intensity — so whether you’re someone who counts French fries towards your daily intake of vegetables or you’re a true juicing junkie, there is a program that caters to everybody. I chose the beginner level, Renovation:

Whether you’re planning a cozy dinner-for-two, a chic New Year’s Eve party or just want a unique look for your reception tables, you’ll love these super-cool paper shades from dipotter.com. Not only do they look fantastic, they’re also economical (six shades for $22). Simply put a battery-operated tea light (six for $15) in a wine or champagne glass, and place the appropriately sized shade over the glass for a soft, dreamy glow.

You can choose from silver, white, gray and parchment tones to graphic black and white shades:

 You can even have them monogrammed:

Why buy a generic ornament to mark your first wedded Christmas when you can create one that is truly unique to you? These Wedding Invitation Ornaments from our blogger friend Jen at SomethingTurquoise.com are quick, easy, and inexpensive to make; they'll showcase a couple's love for years to come. Grab a pair of scissors and start creating some holiday magic!

Materials:

• Wedding invitation
• Large 4'' globe ornament
• Your choice of glitter or paint (you can also use both)
• Ribbon
• Mod Podge
• Scissors
• Paper trimmer
• Paint brush

​Option 1: Glitter-Glam Ornament

Step 1: Assemble the Paper Strips

• Gather your invite card, RSVP card, and map card (if you have one).