Wedding Wednesdays: Four Ways to Feel Better When It Comes to Wedding Planning

Wedding stress got you overwhelmed? Planning your nuptials can be one of the most exciting times of your life, but it can also be accompanied by sentiments of pressure. While you're balancing finding your ideal venue to finalizing seating arrangement charts, it's easy to get overwhelmed by your never-ending to-do list.

Lucky for you and your partner, there are plenty of resources available to help you manage wedding planning stress. The Knot has teamed with a psychotherapist and Head of Therapy at Lasting, the number one couples counseling app, whom works with clients to identify the best strategy to combat this common issue—and found that it all comes down to knowing your limits and practicing regular self-care.

If you’re feeling tense as you mark off your checklist, these three tips for managing wedding stress are for you!

Ask for Help
Practice letting other people help you. This might be easier said than done, especially when you're planning something as monumental as your wedding. But if your family and friends offer their involvement, let them assist.

Set Realistic Expectations
Most people have a general idea of what they imagine their wedding day to look and feel like, but it's important to set realistic expectations. Determine which factors are most important to you while also taking into account things like your finances, the location of your wedding and the time of year you'll be getting married.

From there, determine what is and what isn't possible. Focus your energy on the things you can control (like decorations for your venue), but try not to dwell on factors that are out of your hands (like the day-of weather). Once you set realistic expectations for yourself, you'll be able to manage stress that arises from circumstances that are beyond your control.

Take Breaks
It's important to plan time to actively discuss your wedding plans with your partner. Be intentional about the moments when you can talk about things like bridal party colors, décor and food. However, it's also necessary to set aside time to discuss other unrelated topics, like your career or The Office.

You need time to step away from the intensity of planning a wedding. Not only is this necessary for your mental health, it's also healthy for your relationship with your partner. Schedule dates where you both promise to leave the wedding talk behind and decompress with an activity you both love.

Take a deep breath, you got this! Keep calm and devour the details of wedding planning with help from The Knot!

It's a Whole New World...of Candy That Is!

According to Boston.com, Sukker & Sweet, which opened on Oct. 30 at The Street Chestnut Hill, goes beyond your standard supply of gummy worms and Skittles. The boutique sweet shop is home to more than 250 varieties of candy from across the world, giving guests the chance to experience a global sugar high. International indulgence? Count us in!

Owned by married couple Greer and Michael Missouri, the saccharine newcomer is stocked with delicacies like licorice skull gummies from Sweden, strawberry puffs from Italy, and chocolate truffles from Belgium, as well as bean-to-bar chocolate from Fossa, a Singaporean chocolate company. And we're drooling! Not even Halloween could satisfy our sweet tooth. We must go to Sukker & Sweet - stat!

Chestnut Hill interior designer Amanda Reid gave the space a clean, bright feel, utilizing see-through acrylic bins to display all the candy, and a custom photo booth is available for posing with your haul (as long as you don't crush it all before heading for the door)!

Sukker & Sweet joins another sugar-drenched newcomer at The Street: OddFellows Ice Cream Co., which recently debuted its boozy ice cream menu. The Chestnut Hill shopping complex is also home to Chilacates, Chef Ronsky’s, Juice Press, Shake Shack, and more. So if a candy buzz just doesn't cut it, you've got plenty of other options!

Don't ignore your sweet tooth any longer! Head to Sukker & Sweet and devour the details of a true global treat today!

Monday Mashups: Master Chef or Master Meeting Planner, You Decide

There are any number of ways to show off new F&B offerings at a resort property. Following its $320 million renovation, the JW Marriott Marco Island Beach Resort devised a four-city mobile tour that doubled as a cooking competition and reality show for its social media channels.

According to BizBash, he idea behind the Man vs. Chef tour—which stopped in Atlanta, Washington, New York, and finally, Chicago on October 15—was to show off the culinary offerings in an ultra-creative way after the massive renovation. In each city, a chef from Marco Island went head-to-head with the show's host and West Hollywood-based comedian, Pete Giovine (the “man”) to prepare a dish inspired by the host city. For the challenge, Giovine cooked from a food trailer that had driven up from the southwest Florida resort and had help from a local chef who served as his mentor.

The trailer―usually a spot for beach fare at the resort―was a big hit on the road. Its fully equipped kitchen includes a six-burner stove, grill, salamander oven, a flat top, a kegerator system, fryers, and a freezer and cooler. For the tour kickoff in Atlanta, Giovine made Atlanta-style fried chicken with a chili honey glaze under the direction of Westin Peachtree Plaza chef Chris Chadwick. In Washington, the featured dish was Maryland-style crab cakes and in New York, a hearty lasagna was the entrée. All in all, the “man” won the culinary challenges in Atlanta and D.C., while JW Marriott chefs won in New York and Chicago.

In Chicago, the resort invited meeting planners and other V.I.P.s to an indoor/outdoor event at Soldier Field. Guests took in the final competition, were a part of the live filming of the reality show (a first during the tour), and sampled the winning dish. Chicago Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile’s executive chef Frank Sanchez mentored Giovine in the competition vs. Ario’s chef de cuisine Gerald Sombright. As judged by celebrity chef Kevin Hickey, Sombright's winning dish was a variation on the classic Italian beef sandwich. Chicago-style hotdogs and potato wedges with truffle aioli, gold-dusted bonito flakes topped with caviar, chives, and sea salt was also served.

Past episodes of the reality show played on several screens during the event which is also displayed through the JW Marriott’s social media channels, expanding the message further through Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. This gave viewers the opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes look at their culinary team. Fans that follow the show had the chance to vote on ManvsChef.com from October 21 to 23 for their favorite chef and dish.

The event ultimately showed how planners can elevate their own food and beverage experiences when planning their own functions and showcases how the brand works together across the network of hotels.

Man vs. Chef culminated at the JW Marriott Marco Island Beach Resort on October 25 with a ticketed event that was open to the public. The $85-per-person dinner included a cocktail reception, samples of the winning dishes, highlights from the reality show, a chance to meet the chefs, and a concert by country music artist Phil Vassar. Giovine also was on hand to crown the winning chef based on the votes. All proceeds benefited the Harry Chapin Food Bank of Southwest Florida whose food supply was diminished after sending supplies to the Bahamas after Hurricane Dorian.

What a unique way to promote new offerings and get both chefs and meeting planners together outside of work. We're inspired! Let's all learn from the JW Marriott and devour the details of master chefs and master meeting planners joining forces to hold epic events.