Xochitl Gonzalez

A funny trend has emerged in the wedding world: as the cost of weddings has increased, so have the number etiquette breaches as related to guests and the sticky issue of "Plus Ones". These aren't just faux pas committed by guests, as I've chronicled on this site before;...

A few weeks ago a study on the most stressful jobs in America was released and, surprise surprise, one of the jobs topping the list -- filled with positions such as EMT and fireman -- was "Event Coordinator". As the co-owner of not one, but two, wedding-related businesses...

Hello Mother of the Bride! Congratulations: Your daughter in engaged! If you are like most moms out there, you've been dreaming of this day since your daughter was a little girl. Perhaps imagining her gorgeous white ball gown or her first dance with her father or her tossing the bouquet...

Working in the wedding business in New York, one of the hardest parts of my job is telling couples who may call for information and tell me about their dream wedding, that their budget is not large enough to make their particular dream come true. The national average for wedding...

Friday night I turned on ABC, and was momentarily confused: there was Chris Harrison surrounded by beautiful, intelligent, fiercely competitive women in swimsuits and cocktail attire. I thought to myself "What was "The Bachelor" doing airing on a Friday"? Then, I quickly noticed that actually, they were all wearing sashes...

Last night I lost my virginity to a guy named Ben... my "Bachelor" virginity that is. After managing to avoid the show for all 15 previous seasons, I was asked to watch and respond with "lessons learned" from this current season. Frankly, when given my mission, I chose to accept...

Happy New Year, Bride to Be! Chances are, in addition to being happy, you are likely a little overwhelmed as planning a wedding adds a whole lot of new tasks to your plate that is probably already pretty full.

As you start a new year as the...

If you didn't know it, we are in the midst of Engagement Season. The majority of wedding proposals in America take place between Thanksgiving and New Year's Eve meaning that there are a lot of people about to "put a ring on it" in the next couple of weeks. Some...

It's your first Christmas together as a married couple, what could be sweeter? The joys of decorating your tree, curling up together and watching "It's a Wonderful Life" and strolling the streets admiring neighbors' twinkle lights... or, not.

The truth is, in a typical year the holidays bring a...

Two days after my business partner, Mayra, got engaged, after the good news was shared and a proper manicure was had, she had an anxiety attack and burst into tears. After eight years of working with brides, the only thing surprising about this was that it happened so soon; if...

As a newlywed (or To-Be-Wed), there are few things as exciting and potentially stressful as hosting your first Thanksgiving. On the one hand, there is the excitement of feeling like real "adults" and having a holiday on your own terms; there is something empowering about playing host to your families...

Years ago, when I was just getting started in the wedding industry, one of my best friends got engaged. The plan was to have her sister as her Maid of Honor and her brother-in-law as the Best Man, nice and simple. Then, a few months before the wedding she called...

Kim Kardashian, I am mad at you! No, not because you made a mockery of marriage by turning it into a publicity stunt. And no, not because you spent tons of money on a lavish wedding to someone you knew it wouldn't work out with. I'm not even angry with...

I have been to a lot of weddings. I calculated and I think I've attended more than 200 weddings in a professional capacity over the last decade. What I've learned is that while they are always lovely, inevitably, when the time comes for toasts, I find myself looking for a...

We are coming off of one of the biggest weekends for the wedding industry: Bridal Market a.k.a. Bridal Fashion Week. Taking place in New York bi-annually, it attracts buyers, editors, bloggers, event designers and planners and showcases the most glamorous designs the bridal world has to offer.

A week or so ago, we posted a quiz on our blog called "Are you a Bad Guest?", because year on year we see brides and grooms deal with so much drama that has nothing to do with planning the wedding and everything to do with guests who...