Hacienda Siesta Alegre

During my recent site inspections in Puerto Rico I had the good fortune to visit Hacienda Siesta Alegre the most spectacular and unique venues in all of Puerto Rico. It's actually a race horse training and breeding ranch but also the home to Linda and Greg Jackson, the owners who moved to Puerto Rico in 1981.

What makes it spectacular? The view is incredible...it's located high atop a mountain and smack dab in the middle of thick, lush natural vegetation with views that reach the ocean located miles away. What makes it unique? Besides being a working ranch, its the home to the owners and the entire space can be rented out for events.

In addition, two movies out of Hollywood were shot there this summer which was a thrill for Norma Perez, the General Manager of Hacienda Siesta Alegre. Here are a few photos but you really have to visit the property to truly appreciate what a fabulous venue this is to provide a 100% Puerto Rican experience.

Luxury Shame

For everyone catering to the high-end luxury business, whether it's weddings, real estate or consumerism this is a must read article published recently in Newsweek - Luxury Shame
I think it's long overdue no matter the reason.

El Yunque Rain Forest

What could be more natural and beautiful than a rain forest?

I had the good fortune to visit El Yunque Rain Forest on the eastern side of Puerto Rico last May. Here's some images from my unprofessional perspective. The scenery is so lush and thick I couldn't help but feel very small and insignificant compared to all the wonders in the world. Just another reason to protect what we are so blessed to have.

I'll be back in Puerto Rico next week and will have to make a point of visiting this glorious area again.

Sustainable Gift Giving

I found this article on Angie's List and wanted to share tips for sustainable gift giving.

Apply the three R’s to decorating and gift-giving

by Ellen Goff

Facing the holidays doesn’t have to drain your energy, emotions or budget. This year, consider a different approach that’s more thoughtful and sustainable and less about the stuff. Here are some fresh ideas.

Reduce

Most people could reduce their overall volume of decorations, lights and gift wrap without hardly noticing that anything is missing.

Use energy wisely. Convert some of your traditional light strings to LED-type holiday lights. Remember to turn all display lights off — both inside and out — before you go to bed.

Cut back on packaging — don’t insist on a box for every gift. Use gift bags or wrap a gift with a gift, like folding a scarf over a pair of gloves and securing it with a ribbon.

Reuse

Give gifts that have more than one life.

A basket of herb plants can be welcome greenery at your window during the winter, flavor your cooking in the spring, then flourish out in your garden all summer.

Blooming bulbs like amaryllis or narcissus stay in bloom for weeks. In the spring, plant them outside to rebloom another year.

Recycle

Although there are more leftovers to deal with in December, you should still salvage as much as possible.

Collect gift packaging, paper boxes and other recyclable materials and either store away for next holiday season or recycle it.

Recycle your Christmas tree, either through municipal collection or by having it ground up into garden mulch (available in some areas). Or, cut the branches off yourself and place them around your shrubbery and planting beds as an added layer of protection against weather extremes.

A Fresh Tree

If you’re concerned about enjoying a live tree and being environmentally responsible, relax! Christmas trees protect watersheds and stabilize soil while preserving agricultural land, open space and wildlife habitat. The cut trees are replanted each year. And, when the holidays are over, real trees can be recycled. If you want to weigh the merits of a live tree vs. an artificial one, visit the National Christmas Tree Association website at christmastree.org for a point-by-point comparison.

Ellen Goff is a master gardener and environmental advocate. Aside from writing about and photographing plants, Ellen tends to a 3-acre landscape she shares with her husband, cat and border collie on the shores of Lake Wylie, S.C.

Smart Ideas for Wedding Planning = Substantial Savings

I was asked to write an article about how couples can save money while planning their wedding. This advice applies to couples with substantial budgets as well as those with limited budgets. Good advice is universal, so here are my favorite tips:

• Cutting the guest list is going to provide the most substantial savings – for example, if you haven’t seen someone, yes even relatives, in over a year and etiquette is clear on this, no need to extend the invitation. Many times those relatives and acquaintances are relieved not to have to make the decision to attend. At a minimum, couples will save $100 per person which includes cost of invitations, décor, floral, food and beverage and entertainment. As I mentioned that's just the minimum, many times depending on the design and location of the wedding savings can amount to $500 per person or more so choose your guest list wisely.

• Hiring a professional wedding consultant is the single best money spent/saved – they can recommend the very best professionals for the budget and will negotiate discounts or complimentary upgrades. These same deals cannot be obtained by couples alone and many times the savings covers the cost of the consultant. Consultants will also save the couples hundreds of hours of time looking and interviewing wedding professionals.

• Regarding favors, my recommendation is save yourself money by not providing them…guests really do not care about taking home a favor and in most cases they are thrown away at the end of the night. Rather than a favor consider donating the dollars you would spend to a charitable organization near and dear to your heart.

• Lighting is a dramatic and cost-effective way to transform the look of your wedding – consider hiring a lighting expert to up light walls in dramatic colors or points of interest such as windows or columns or down light areas of the room or shine the couples initials or logo on the dance floor. Great lighting is simple and dramatic and will save hundreds of dollars over dramatic centerpieces or linens.

• Bridal gowns can be purchased at dramatic discounts at consignment boutiques or look for samples that have been on the rack for several months. Do not be afraid to ask to see samples that have been in inventory for a long time and if you find one you like, ask for their best price. I had a bride who purchased her gown on eBay and it was perfect for her.

• To save substantial dollars on flowers, re-use ceremony flowers at the reception. One or two large ceremony displays can be moved to the reception and placed in significant locations such as near the head table or the dance floor. Consider a variety of centerpieces such as florals for 1/3 of the tables, dramatic candles for 1/3 and a smaller combination of flowers and candles for the remaining tables. Large dramatic centerpieces can cost $500 or more so imagine having 20 tables…the cost exceeds $10,000 however if the remaining tables each cost $150 the total is $5450, Guests will walk into the reception and focus on the large dramatic look first. There should be continuity between the two or three centerpiece designs so it doesn’t look haphazard. At the end of the night, give the flowers to guests or donate to hospitals or nursing homes so they can continue to be enjoyed rather than discarded.

• Use Centerpiece cakes for an environmentally friendly approach rather than reception flowers by providing four of five different flavored cakes on every table. There is no waste at the end of the night and guests love to get up and sample other flavors. Centerpiece cakes range from $35 to $100 each which provides huge savings over a one-time-use floral display.

• For entertainment save money by hiring local cover bands. Depending on your area, many cover bands can be hired for four hours at the same prices as a DJ. Speaking of DJ's, I do not recommend trying to save money by using your iPod - after spending thousands of dollars to make your day perfect, why would you rely on one little device to keep your party rocking into the midnight hour? What if something goes wrong...don't tempt Murphy's Law.

• Food saving ideas include providing one main entrée to your guests rather than offering multiple choices – caterers and venues charge extra to manage the additional labor involved. Ask for childrens menus and pricing because this can save 50% or more off adult menu pricing. Offer two or three different hors d'oeuvres during cocktail hour rather than five or seven. Guests will eat what they are offered and the more that is offered the more they fill up. Offer a plated meal rather than buffet. These days buffets costs more per person because the caterer or venue does not want to run out of food and because they have no way to gauge guest consumption, they overstock and thus overcharge.
  

• Save on beverages by hosting kegs of beer rather than individual bottled beer – most times guests are happy with whatever is hosted and a keg of beer will provide approximately 163 glasses for about $350. 163 bottles of beer will cost approximately $815. Many venues offer package pricing for beverages, however I do not feel this is a savings to couples. For example, 200 guests can be charged a four hour package price of $30 per person for a total of $6000. However statistically 1/3 of the guests leave right after dinner, so unfortunately the couple has paid for two to three hours for guests who have gone home. At least 10% of guests do not drink alcoholic beverages however all guests are charged the package price regardless of their beverage preference. Some venues even charge the package price to minors.
  

• For invitations, consider DIY – do it yourself is fairly simple with all the design programs available and if you are not necessarily creative go to a local paper supplier or stationery store for ideas and see if they offer complimentary classes. If DIY isn't your thing, there are many great websites for stock stationery which can be customized with design and color choices for less than $1 each.

Thankfully, people continue to get married and fortunately that is the one constant in this very scary, unpredictable economy we're faced with so why not protect what assets we do have.
Good luck and if you have other time or money saving tips, post them in the comments section and I'll be sure to post them as well.

The Ultimate Recycling

During my recent visit to Puerto Vallarta I was invited to dine at the family owned restaurant, El Palomar de los Gonzales. Although this is not a restaurant review, I have to give the entire experience a 5 star rating.

The restaurant is located on the side of one of the many mountains overlooking old Puerto Vallarta with views of the bay.

My gracious hosts, Juan Gonzales, his mother Senora Gonzales and sister Maripepa Gonzales entertained me the entire evening with fascinating stories about the history of their restaurant. Apparently over forty years ago their father purchased property on the mountain, long before anyone else did. In fact, when he brought his wife to see the land, she shook her head and asked, "what, you buy me air?" The slope is very steep and not friendly to building, but this did not deter Senor Gonzales.

The only request of Senora Gonzales was she wanted a one story home...well forty years later the entire building is home to the restaurant, a jewelry store, banquet facility for up to 100 guests, a bar, two outdoor terraces, swimming pool and the private residence of Juan Gonzales and his family and a separate residence for his mother. All built by hand over the spance of twenty years by Senor Gonzales. Did I mention the structure is seven stories perched high on the side of a mountain? No wonder its views are amazing.

Juan Gonzales did not want to see his boyhood home leave his family, so when his parents were ready to sell, he made arrangements to purchase the home and convert it into the restaurant. Twenty two years later, the restaurant is as popular as ever. I invite visitors to make a special trip to El Palomar for an unforgettable dining experience.

Here are a few photos of the restaurant along with living areas just as they were when the Gonzales children were growing up.

I can't think of a more original form of recycling than this. Oh and did I mention they grow most of their own ingredients on their family farm. The seafood is locally caught and the beef and chicken are raised on another family farm. This is one impressive family. I wonder if they ever fight?

Make A Wish Foundation

The Make a Wish Foundation is near and dear to my heart. In case you haven't heard, they grant wishes to children living with debilitating or life-threatening diseases.

It all started in 1980 with one little boy's wish - Christopher James Greicius dreamed of becoming a police officer but at the age of seven years was battling leukemia. The rest comes directly from the Home Page of Make A Wish Foundation.

"U.S. Customs Officer Tommy Austin had befriended Chris and his mother, Linda Bergendahl-Pauling. He also promised Chris a ride in a police helicopter. When Chris’ health worsened, Austin contacted Ron Cox, an Arizona Department of Public Safety officer, and planned a day that would lift Chris’ spirits.

On April 29, 1980, Austin and a caring group of DPS personnel started Chris’ day with a tour of the city in a department helicopter, which also flew him to headquarters. Three cruisers and a motorcycle officer greeted him before his meeting with the DPS command staff. There, Chris was sworn in as the first honorary DPS patrolman in state history.

But his experience didn’t stop there. Cox contacted John’s Uniforms, which agreed to make a custom-tailored DPS uniform for Chris. The store owner and two seamstresses worked through the night to finish it. The officers presented the official uniform to Chris on May 1 and arranged a motorcycle proficiency test so he could earn wings to pin on his uniform. Needless to say, Chris passed the test with flying colors on his battery-operated motorcycle.

On May 2, Chris was back in the hospital. He asked to arrange the room so he could always see his uniform, his motorcycle helmet and his “Smokey Bear”-style campaign hat. DPS motor officer Frank Shankwitz presented Chris with his motorcycle wings. He accepted them with a smile that lit up the room.

The following day, Chris passed away, but not before seeing his dream come true and experiencing the hope, strength and joy that came from receiving his wish."

One of the commitments I am making on behalf of I Do Vow To is donate my time, skills and energy to this benevolant organization and to sponsor a wish on behalf of every couple I work with in 2009.

Ethical Weddings

I came across Ethical Weddings, a planner in West Sussex, England who helps couples with all aspects of "ethical wedding planning". In other words, their commitment to fair trade, green, organic, local, eco-friendly, cruelty-free and recycled...the same commitment as I D0 Vow To.

Take a look at all the great tips and ideas for having a fabulous wedding and savings in more ways than one. For example, I'm not a big fan of wedding favors. In my experience, unless the favor is edible, many are simply trashed at the end of the night. Who wants to bring home more clutter? Trust me, the favor may have meaning to the happy couple, but it means more junk for the guests. I like this idea however, seed packets - who doesn't love to see the fruits of their labor sprout after a long cold winter?

World's Best Photographer

Biff Ulm of VADA Photography is my all time favorite photographer on this planet. That might sound like an exaggeration but its not - he keeps pushing all photographic boundaries and just when I think he can't possibly go further, he rockets into the next gallaxy.

Biff is also one of the most kind and humble gentlemen I've ever had the pleasure to meet. He works quietly behind the scenes and if I didn't see his amazing images I would think he wasn't even in attendance.

I was fortunate to work with him at Mark and Lynn's wedding and Joan and John's three-day wedding this summer. I'll be posting their photos on the updated gallery of my website, Fete Perfection just after thanksgiving.

Biff is so widely sought after, I have a hard time finding dates he is available. Check out his images on his blog Vada-Voom. Oh and by the way, his real name is Biff.

Adopt a White Tiger or Two?

This has absolutely nothing to do with weddings, but I love the photos so wanted to share. The story is, these white tigers were separated from their mother when hurricane Hannah hit this summer. The tigers were moved to a location in South Carolina and immediately adopted by Anjana, the chimp who apparently has done this many times, adopting other large cats when their mothers were unavailable. She appears to love it and so do the cubs.