This past weekend was my bachelorette party in Chicago and we had a GREAT time! Thirteen of my closest girlfriends were in town to help me say sayonara to my single-dom with some dancing, drinks and a little drag (don’t even ask!).

I wanted to get my ladies all something little as a token of my thanks for helping me celebrate. I wanted the favors to be personal, something they’ll actually use and not something that would bust my bank.

Last week I was pondering what to get them while getting my nails done when I came up with the idea of buying Essie nail polish’s with names that match each girl’s personality.

I love Essie because their nailpolish names are so inventive and there are a ton to choose from. Here are some of my favs:

One of a Kind – for your friend who is unique and has a style all her own.

Eternal Optimist- for the girl who always has a smile on her face.

Jackie Oh My - for your friend with a classic style.

Hard to Get -for the girl who loves being single and playing the field.

There are so many great names to choose from! I found ones that PERFECTLY matched my friend’s personalities, which I think everyone loved. Plus it was super easy to throw the polish in their purses for a night out.

Thanks again to all my wonderful friends who came out with us to celebrate!

My mom sent me a forward this week with tips for living with luck. Typically I delete forwards (sorry mom!) but for some reason I stopped to read this one. I’m glad I did, because it has some valuable lessons that are especially relevant to brides.

The forward said I had to send it to six of my friends or I’ll be cursed with bad luck, but I figure at least six of my readers will enjoy this so maybe I will avoid being cursed. :)

Take a peek and let me know what you think about the Lotus Touts!

ONE. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.

TWO. Marry a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get older, their conversational skills will be as important as any other.

THREE. Don’t believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want.

FOUR. When you say, ‘I love you,’ mean it.

FIVE. When you say, ‘I’m sorry,’ look the person in the eye.

SIX. Be engaged at least six months before you get married.

SEVEN. Believe in love at first sight.

EIGHT. Never laugh at anyone’s dreams. People who don’t have dreams don’t have much.

NINE. Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it’s the only way to live life completely.

TEN.. In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling.

ELEVEN. Don’t judge people by their relatives.

TWELVE. Talk slowly but think quickly.

THIRTEEN! .. When someone asks you a question you don’t want to answer, smile and ask, ‘Why do you want to know?’

FOURTEEN. Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.

FIFTEEN. Say ‘bless you’ when you hear someone sneeze.

SIXTEEN. When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.

SEVENTEEN. Remember the three R’s: Respect for self; Respect for others; and Responsibility for all your actions.

EIGHTEEN. Don’t let a little dispute injure a great friendship.

NINETEEN. When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.

TWENTY. Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in your voice.

TWENTY- ONE. Spend some time alone.

Hey everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful Valentine’s Day spent with those you love, whether thats your significant other, family, friends or even your pet.

Luke and I had a wonderful day from start to finish. All week leading up to Sunday Luke had me guessing as to what we were doing. “It’s a surprise” he’d say as I questioned him endlessly. I’m pretty surprised he was able to keep mum all week given my prodding.

We kicked the day off by jumping in a cab near my apartment and heading out to Bucktown. I still had no idea where we were going at the time.

When we arrived at our destination I was super excited to see that we were outside my favorite restaurant Hot Chocolate.

This place is my favorite for many reasons – including of course their amazing hot chocolate. I had never been for brunch before, so I was excited to see what was on the menu.

We started out with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on whole wheat oatmeal bread and a shot of organic milk.

Then we moved on to lamb hash with winter vegetables and poached eggs and scrambled eggs with giardiniera peppers and salami. We topped it off with blueberry and pineapple/passionfruit smoothies.

It was such a delicious way to start Valentine’s Day and definitely reaffirmed my love of Hot Chocolate.

Our next activity was “within walking distance” according to Luke and I couldn’t help but wonder if it was massages at Asha Spa across the street. Luke’s never had a massage before and I’ve been telling him about how amazing they are for awhile.

My suspicions were right! Luke had made appointments for us both to get one-hour massages and they were soooo relaxing.

If you’ve never had a professional massage before, trust me you’re missing OUT! A professional can soothe and relax your muscles in a way you can’t imagine. They are well worth every penny spent.

I felt so spoiled and special after the surprise day Luke had planned for me. To return the love, that evening I made homemade pizza and gave Luke a box of dark chocolate truffles from Voges.

It was a perfect Valentine’s Day spent with my future husband.

How did you spend your Valentine’s Day?

Hi all -

I’m one of Liz’s soon-to-be-a-bride friends guest posting this week.

Now, I myself don’t have any great words of wisdom for the wedding bound since I’m just about to walk down the aisle, but thought I’d share a cute idea and some advice from family and friends that I’ve received so far.

For my bridal shower a few weeks ago, all the ladies created a chainlink countdown (you know, like this one, ala grade school crafts —>).  

Each person wrote a note about me and my fiance, marriage or advice. Each day since the shower, we’ve been removing a link, and it’s been a fun thing to look forward to each night (especially when the RSVPs start to slow down – you know, there’s a boom at the beginning when you send out and then they slowly trickle in). I highly recommend this to anyone who has to throw a shower!

So here are some of the Words of Wisdom I’ve opened so far and have stuck in my mind -

• Those who cook together stay together
• Always have something to look forward to
• Never go to bed angry and always kiss goodnight

And of course a few funny ones -

• If you don’t get something you want, CRY, and then you’ll get it
• Avoid wearing oversized T-shirts (suited for the gym) to bed
• Remember, just because you’re married doesn’t mean you have to let him win

Enjoy!