The Not-So Traditional Valentine's Day

The Not-So Traditional Valentine’s Day
By: Morgan N. Scott, CEP

Valentine’s Day, or so affectionately called by men, “The Woman’s Holiday”, is right around the corner and every year men get antsy as to what to buy, how to surprise, or how to distinguish this year’s special day from last year, and of course top themselves in the process.

Ladies, how about let’s spin the tables a bit in 2011 and do something extra special and spicy for your beau, to show him how much he is appreciated. There are many things that we can do for our Valentine, that can tickle the fancy of a man.
While we love being showered with gifts of chocolate covered strawberries, dining in the city’s hot spots by candlelight, or even romantic dinners at home, we all know these can be a tad cliché for our men. For most men, the key to their heart is food…..and sports! Why not surprise him with tickets to your local NBA team ‘s home game, if not on Valentine’s day, close to it? After the game, what’s wrong with hoping to an open bar and have some drinks? It doesn’t have to be an early night, let your hair down and have a great time and I’m sure he will appreciate the fact that you thought about him on this “Couple’s Day.”

Now of course, this can be two-fold, because you may hate basketball and your idea of a fun time might not be downing Henn and Coke like you’re one of the guys, so the something spicy can be a Couple’s day at the spa for His and Her massages the next day. Life gets us all a little tense, so there is nothing wrong with a little winding down to take the stress of life off and just enjoy each other’s company in the process.

Whatever you do this Valentine’s Day, make it extra special for your extra special love!



Morgan N. Scott is the Owner and Creative Director of ENVI Consulting & Associates, Inc., a boutique Event Management and Consulting Firm specializing in Weddings and Special Event planning in the metro Atlanta area. She has over 10 years of Event Planning experience and loves creating wedding masterpieces for her clients, while sharing her money saving tips and tricks of the trade. Visit her online at www.enviconsulting.com and http://enviconsulting.blogspot.com

Cummerbunds and Tails???

Recently I was posed with a question over what is acceptable attire for a specific social event. I was sitting with the Best Man of an upcoming wedding and was looking at the tux that was chosen for the groomsmen. To my surprise, it was a tux with tails....


I immediately asked him, well what time is the wedding scheduled for? He wasn't sure, so we headed to the wedding website of the couple and found out that it is scheduled for 2 pm. Do we continue to focus on the social stigma of semi-formal, after five, formal, white / black tie....OR for our events and the accompanying attire matter simply on what we like and want?

If we are focusing on what is 'correct' attire for the occasion, then tails on a tux at 2pm in the summertime would be ALL WRONG! For a daytime wedding, even though a wedding is a formal event and you should ALWAYS be in Sunday's best, you would be ok in wearing a tailored suit, light or dark colored, and the tails, cummerbund, bow tie isn't necessary.

However, there are daytime formal weddings, which would incorporate tails or other formal dress such as long bridesmaid dresses and a formal wedding gown.

For guests, what would you wear or what is acceptable attire to such an occasion? In order to determine the formality of the wedding or special event, the first place to start is to consider the invitation. If the invitation is on heavy card stock, with calligraphy, then you can expect at least a semi-formal affair. If you are receiving an invitation via Evite, then it screams casual.

Whatever you do, make sure that you research the formality and are prepared for the occasion. If you have questions about do's and dont's for attire you can reference this site.