Casting a wider net than our small world of holiday parties, I see people adopting families to give them a Christmas they would otherwise never have been able to afford.  I see people giving generously of their time.  I see people seizing the opportunity to change themselves for the better.

I for one can’t help but look around me and smile.

Sidenote:  Have you noticed a pattern?  I have.  And I apologize.  It would appear that in late August / early September some of my other obligations become a bit more pressing* and my blog falls by the wayside** for a few months.  I know all three of my loyal readers have missed me dearly.

*By “become a bit more pressing”, I mean “morph into a neverending list of to-dos that multiply at thrice the rate at which any mortal could possibly cross them off”.

** By “my blog falls by the wayside”, I mean “I forget that such a thing as a blog exists, let alone that I am responsible for producing mildly entertaining content for one”.

Kleinfeld’s is almost like a mythical beast, a bridal shop in the sky that one can only dream of visiting.  Most likely because I had never heard of it before the show, and TV has magical powers of escalating relatively normal things into superstars (see:  reality TV).  But Bridals by Lori I’ve heard of.  I’ve even known people who’ve bought dresses there.  Which doesn’t quite make me famous yet, but it’s pretty close.  If I ever have a bride on the show, then I’ll definitely be a celebrity event planner.

Point being, most things are a little more exciting when you feel a personal connection.  And I for one am super excited to see how Atlanta measures up to Manhattan on the new Say Yes to the Dress!

Back to the point…  This year’s mascot comes with a special bonus:  a BABY mascot!  If there’s one thing that makes any living being more adorable, it’s being tiny.  This was the best shot I could get chasing after two turkeys in the parking lot first thing in the morning:

Mom and poult (fancy speak for baby turkey) are doing well, but we don’t know what to call them.  So let’s have a baby naming contest.  Winner gets the satisfaction of being immortalized by a baby turkey.  At least until next year when we get our new mascot.  Hopefully with twins.

Side note:  when searching for the official name for a baby turkey, I found this mildly disturbing recipe for Baby Turkey Burgers from Elmo and Cookie Monster’s new cookbook.  In my day we did not cook baby turkeys on Sesame Street.  (In their defense, “baby” refers to the size of the burger, not the age of the turkey.  But still.)

So let’s apply the same concept to your next party – fashion the perfect last bite for your guests.  Always a fan of late night breakfast foods, I heartily endorse the coffee / donut / NYTimes last bite.  Perhaps a cinnamon hot chocolate and a churro?  Chai latte and bacon donut?  (Yes.  THAT one for me, please.)  Maybe we could go savory with some sliders, mini sub sandwiches, or bite size dim sum served in a Chinese take out box.  Or back to basics with sweets – cheesecake truffles rolled in dark chocolate, mini chocolate chip cookies, or just some beautiful fresh fruit.

Whatever it is, last impressions are almost as important as first, so don’t let the presentation or the tie-in to the theme slide.  And don’t forget about the soundtrack to the last bite.  Pick your band or DJ’s last song carefully, and don’t let them forget to play some background music as guests make their way out.

What great takeaways have YOU seen?

They almost had me.  Almost.  I was ready to admit that marriage was an outdated notion.  And then I read this line:  “Which means that when we do tie the knot, we do it for love.”  Well there you have it.  In proving their point, they just talked me back into the idea of marriage.  None of the practical reasons for marriage had really crossed my mind prior to this article.  Maybe because my mother’s uber-feminist, maybe just because I grew up in a society where, like they said, the practical reasons for marriage are no longer that important, but I have never considered marrying for any reason other than love.  As Carrie Bradshaw put it, “I’m looking for love.  Real love.  Ridiculous, inconvenient, consuming, can’t-live-without-each-other love.”  And on top of that I’d also like a best friend, a true partner in every aspect of life.  I will get married for nothing short of that.

So I concede to the article’s authors:  marriage is no longer sociologically necessary.  That doesn’t mean I’m taking it off the table.  Just the opposite, I think that means it will be even more meaningful when the time comes.

So how do we keep the candy bar exciting and new?  My latest idea is an M&M tasting.  They have so many fun new flavors now it gives you a good variety while maintaining a consistent theme.  And we all know how important consistency is to me.  We have the classics – milk chocolate and peanut.  We now have dark chocolate and dark chocolate peanut as well.  There’s almond, for those nuts who don’t like peanuts.  My personal favorite is peanut butter.  Coconut is apparently “back”, although I had no idea that it had ever been here at all, let alone left and came back.  And their newest creation – pretzel.  Yum.  That’s seven thematically valid options before you even get into the minis or the premiums.  If you’re really feeling adventurous (and the candy bar won’t be up for an extended period of time) throw some M&M Chipwiches on there too.

If you’re not a chocoholic, no worries – try it with Skittles.  Choose from original, sour, tropical, wild berry, crazy cores, and the newest fizz.  Or Starbursts, or any other candy that comes in lots of varieties.  I’m not picky.

Just remember – about 8 ounces per person should do just fine, and like Goldilocks make sure your baggies are not too big and not too small.  Juuuuusst right!

Heaven, I’m in Heaven

And my heart beats so that I can hardly speak

And I seem to find the happiness I seek

When we’re out together dancing cheek to cheek

I mean really, who wouldn’t want to be a professional ballroom dancer?  Right?  So thanks to a fabulous groupon we made our debut at the critically acclaimed Daza Dance Studio last Monday.  Forty-five minutes later we won Dancing with the Stars.  Or we knew the basic steps to the salsa and the East Coast Swing.  You decide.  In any case, it was a lot of fun and we’re going back for our next lesson this Saturday.  The nice people at the studio seemed a little surprised that we weren’t taking the lessons in preparation for any specific special event, but I think that makes it even more fun.  BUT for those of you who might be preparing for, say, a first dance at a wedding or impressing your friends at a black tie gala, lessons can make a world of difference.  (Remember when Daphne and Niles tangoed at a gala to show Maris he had moved on?  Pretty steamy.  That could be you.)

I’ve seen some great wedding dances and some painful wedding dances.  The painful ones were when you could see the couple thinking about the steps and focusing more on remembering what comes next than enjoying the dance.  (I’m allowed to say this because that is how I currently dance).  It’s the same problem the judges on SYTYD pointed out over and over – if you notice the dancers preparing for the big lift, the big lift becomes exponentially less impressive.  So even totally professional reality tv contestants have the same problem you do.  The key?  Confidence.  Everyone has rhythm, it just takes some people longer to find it than others.  So if you haven’t found your rhythm yet, start your classes extra early so you have more time to learn and practice.  Practice practice practice, fake it till you make it, and all of a sudden one day your feet will go where they should without you realizing what happened!  But if you don’t give yourself that time, you’re better off just swaying middle school style and throwing in a few spins.

Some of the best wedding dances I’ve seen have been father-daughter dances – dads who grew up in a time when they were expected to know the steps to classic dances.  And when a guy doesn’t just know the steps but also knows how to lead, any girl can follow.

Going through some old boxes at my grandmother’s house last month I happened on this amazing pamphlet for a dance studio.  Can you imagine what wedding dance floors looked like in the ’40s and ’50s?  Definitely born in the wrong era.  Here are some of my favorite tips (ok, they’re not actually tips.  But they’re funny…):

“One of the keys to “HOW TO BE POPULAR” is to learn to be a good dancing partner.”

“Like birds that soar in the sky, [good dancers] move easily over the floor with no thought of technique.”

“She should appear as attractive as possible at all times and look as though she were enjoying herself.”  (From the “Advice to Girls” section)

Contrary to popular belief, apparently liquor does NOT make you a better dancer.  Or so says Albert Ing.

My internship here at The Metropolitan Club has been such a fantastic experience! I’ve learned more than I ever could truly imagine. I have gained knowledge not only related to simple event planning, but also in regard to finance, time management, interior decorating, and food production. Surprisingly, some of the most important things I’ve learned from Ariane have to do with the smallest details of events. For example, there is a definite art of avoiding lines. When it comes to buffets it’s extremely important to avoid lengthy lines out the door and create an even flow of people. The Met has this down to a science through creating various food station locations and having really long meetings concerning the movement of people for each individual event. Long lines and hungry people can ultimately ruin the experience of an event; therefore, the smallest details can have the biggest impact on an occasion.

The Metropolitan Club has also greatly influenced my ability to communicate with others at a professional level. I never thought I would learn a whole lot by answering phones, but the truth is I have. How you converse with clients over the phone or in person is so essential to creating a positive image for you and the company. Over the course of this internship I feel that my interactions with my advisors, the staff, and clients has tremendously improved. There were a couple of bumps and bruises along the way, but because of these mistakes I have developed in so many more ways than one.

I can confidently say that I am more prepared for college and the real world than I was before my internship with Ariane, John, and Lara. They have been so incredibly welcoming to me ever since I first walked through their doors 3 months ago. It’s not an easy thing to accept a high school intern, and because they did, it reflects their compassionate characters. I’m so happy to have been a small part of The Metropolitan Club during my senior year. I will always remember the time I spent here and the people that helped me grow.

Thanks Micki – best of luck in all your future endeavors!

And a trip to Cancun doesn’t hurt either.  We only have NINE Saturday evenings left in 2009, and we’d love to be able to sell out the year.  So to make short-term wedding planning a little more appealing, we’ll plan the honeymoon for you.  Well… not really.  But we will enter your name to win an all-inclusive Cancun honeymoon.  The only people entered in the drawing are the people who book one of those nine Saturdays in 2009, so if you’re the only one, you win!  If all nine dates book up, you’ve still got a one in nine chance of winning, which isn’t too shabby.  Oh, and we’ll give you a $1000 gift certificate to use toward your wedding here too, regardless of whether you win the honeymoon.

Lee, the owner of The Metropolitan Club, scouted this resort out for us last month and has given her full approval.  (I’m still not sure why I wasn’t sent on this mission – I am a fantastic beach resort critic).  The resort is oceanfront, and when we say all-inclusive, we really mean it.  All activities, food, and beverage (yes, adult beverages too) are included.  Transportation, however, is not.

Check us out here, and give us a call (678.527.2000) to talk about available dates!