Hello, and welcome to Brideorama. Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Kelley Lynn, and I have been asked by the good folks here at Brideorama to be a staff Blogger. I am honored and excited to do so.

So, since Brideorama is all about Real Brides helping Brides, the first thing you should know about me is that I am in fact a "Real" Bride. Now you may ask yourself: "Self, what exactly IS a "real" bride?" Fear not fellow Brides, for I have your answer. A real bride is someone who represents the everyday woman out there who is engaged, planning her wedding, or is now a newlywed. A real bride understands your issues, your dilemmas, your emotions, and what you value. Honestly ladies, what it means is that I am probably a lot like you. I struggle with my weight. For about a two week period during wedding planning, we lived on Ramen Noodles and peanut butter sandwiches so we could pay off our videographer. I am more comfortable going to JC Penny or Target than I am talking about famous fashion or gown designers. I buy my shoes at Payless. I watch wedding reality shows like "Bridezillas" and "Platinum Weddings" because I like the idea of escaping into their fantasy for a moment; not because I can relate to the people. Bottom line is this: planning a wedding is one of the strangest times of your life. It can be an emotional rollercoaster. I'm here to help.

I was married on October 27 of last year. I did all of the wedding planning details myself. My parents helped me a lot toward the end, but we live in different states, so I was the one who met with the vendors, kept contact, and took care of all the little things that turn into big things and start to stress you out. We had a beautiful wedding. It was a Christmas theme, and I included a lot of personal touches throughout the evening. Our evening was intimate, elegant, and felt like home. Most importantly, everyone had a wonderful time, including myself. Sometimes the Bride and Groom don't get to have any fun at their own wedding. They are too busy and too stressed and too exhausted. I made sure that wouldn't happen to me. I made vows to myself that I would enjoy every second; create moments with my guests, and leave there with zero regrets. I will give you all more details about my wedding as we go along. We have plenty of time. I would like to cover a broad range of topics that come up during wedding planning. The serious. The funny. All of it. In the coming weeks and months, I will be blogging about everything from etiquette, wedding registries, the dreaded seating chart, and anything else you can think of. I hope you will join me on this rollercoaster ride that we simply call ... your wedding.

In addition to the blogs, I will also be answering your questions. On the top of the homepage site, click on the GET ADVICE tab and ask your question in the comments section. I will try to reply to as many questions as possible, so please be patient.

I hope you will all check out my first "real" blog which will follow this one. The topic is Reception Music ...
To Be Continued ....


Kelley Lynn is a comedic actress and Adjunct Professor for Adelphi University. She resides in Northern Jersey with her husband. Kelley will be launching her business as a Wedding Coordinator by January of '08.
kelleyiskelley@gmail.com