10 Public Transportation Etiquette Tips

This is the time of year when it’s cold, you have to wear many layers, and then cram yourself onto a hot bus or train. To make your commute, more pleasurable please remember these ten tips.

1. Your bags don’t need a seat.

Honestly if you pick up your bag and put it under your feet more people will have seats. Wouldn’t you hate getting on the train/bus that is overly crowded and come to find out there was a seat available but someone decided to use it for their bag!

2. Use your inside voice.

I know it’s really hard to wait to call your friend and tell them how great things are in your life. So if you are going to talk on your cell phone, please use your inside voice, you don’t have to shout.

3. Throw Away Your Trash!

Your mother doesn’t live on public transportation and won’t walk after you to pick your mess. There are lots of trash cans every five feet when you got off the train. Pick up your trash, take it with you, and throw it away.

4. Turn down your music.

Honestly I don’t care what you are listening to, nor do I care how loud your really cool MP3 player can go. Turn it down!

5. Bad Mood?

Don’t let it show. If you do, you might end up ruining someone else’s day.

6. Wait for others to get off the train before you get on. Get off the train to let other people exit.

Enough said.

7. Smile!

It could possibly cause a domino effect and make someone else’s day better.

8. Men and women, chivalry isn’t dead.

If you see an elderly person or a pregnant woman standing, give up your seat. If you see someone have a problem getting a stroller onto a bus, help them.

9. Try soap.

It works and it’s cheap.

10. Have a cold? Bring tissues and sneeze or cough into the tissue.

And then throw it away.

If you have any tips you would like to add please comment below, I would love to hear them.

Social Media Hotel of New York City

Close to 1 month ago, I reached out to my friends on Twitter, asking them if they could recommend a hotel bar in New York City near Grand Central to host a tweetup. Not even 20 minutes later I received a reply telling me to contact The Roger Smith Hotel at @RShotel. Because this hotel had a Twitter handle I was able to do some research them on search.twitter.com before contacting them. I found out that the bar had great drinks and a lot of people have enjoyed staying at the hotel. So I reached out to them, got an immediate response, and booked the tweetup pretty much all through twitter.

Since I needed to stay near Grand Central overnight I said, what the "hay", let me try out this hotel. I made the right decision.

Not only was my room inexpensive but guest services was really friendly booking over the phone. When I arrived at the hotel I was happy to find that parking was only $35 a night, score #1. Score #2 were the 2 computer monitors on each side of the check-in desk allowing people to check their email or do anything else that they need to do, such as check in for a flight. When I got to my room I was blown away with the size! The room was like an apartment, I had a bed, a couch, a desk, coffee table, dresser, and of course a good sized bed. The air conditioning was on and pumping full speed, if you have been to NYC in the summer you would know how appreciated this is. And the biggest bestest (that is right I said bestest) score of all #4, was free wi-fi! Oh yeah all I had to do was turn my laptop and hop on the internet. No logging in, typing in my room #, and receiving an internet charge of $19.99 for 24 hours of access. Yes it is sad that I appreciate free wifi but if you have traveled as much as I have this past year, you would think it's pretty awesome too!

Score #5 was walking into the bathroom, finding I forgot my toothpaste, and seeing it right in the complimentary toiletries basket. I was fully prepared and ready to go for the tweetup that night. Oh yeah and the bathroom was clean, with robes in the closet.

If you find yourself bored in the room, which is hard to do in NYC, they have a huge list of DVDs that you can select from and ask them to bring to your room. That in my book is very convenient. And if you feel like staying in for the night, the drinks at the bar were magnificent. The bartender wowed me with a Roasted Onion and Garlic Bloody Marry and was very gracious in keeping me company while I waited for the rest of the attendees for the Tweetup to arrive. At the end of the night I slept really well with no noisy hotel neighbors. That was definetly score #6!

In conclusion, I will definetly be staying at the Roger Smith Hotel the next time I'm in New York City.

2 Great Events in One Week

Ever since Boston Tweetup was created, I have found my calendar filling up really fast. Some people might not enjoy a full calendar but I really love it. Although I don't go to every event that I find or throw into my calendar, I try my hardest to attend them all. To tell you truth I don't know how Joseline Mane (@JoselinMane) and Rachel Levy (@BostonMarketer), creators of Boston Tweetup, are able to attend all the events!

Last week I attended 2 well hosted events, Mass Innovations Nights and a panel on Integrating Social Media Across the Big Brand hosted by Social Media Club Boston and Hill Holiday. Although they were two different types of events they had one thing in common, good networking.

Mass Innovation Night is held once a month at the Charles River Museum of Industry & Innovation in Waltham, MA. This location is easy to access coming from Cambridge and there is inexpensive parking. MassInno night gives Massachusetts-based innovators the opportunity to showcase their products. The innovators this month were, AllFocus, Blitz Innovations, Inc., Clickhealth, IBM/Lotus, Hubunity, Mixandmeet, Nexiwave, Pixily, and WherePhone. These companies innovations were all very different from a social network available for school communities by Hubnity to a phone conversation transcription service by Nexiwave. One innovation that blew my mind was Clickhealth. This company provides cell phones to doctors in 3rd world countries allowing them to take photos of infections or conditions that they are unable to diagnose, upload the photo and information to a message board, where doctors who have Internet access and resources can provide consultation. Having been to an orphanage in South Africa, I have seen first hand the limited resources that doctors in these countries have, and I can see how this will be useful to them. I have a few questions for the company, I'm hoping to speak them shortly to do a longer blog post about this great idea. Check back here soon for it!


The night after Mass Innovation Night, the Social Media Club of Boston organized a panel on Integrating Social Media Across the Big Brand hosted by Hill Holiday. There were 5 panelists: Terry Lozoff – President, Street Attack, Ken Peters – Vice President, Text 100 Public Relations, Vicki Rellas – CMO, Mom Central, Mike Spataro – Vice President, Client Strategy & Channel Partners – Visible Technologies, and Sean Corcoran - Analyst, Forrester Research. The night started off with networking, presentations by the panelists, pre-written questions, and questions from the audience. A few takeaways from the panelists were, "mistakes in social media with big brands are really public and costly, this needs to be understood" and "to understand social you need everyone involved." "Are brands better off working with companies who specialize in social media marketing or with integrated agencies that have social media capabilities?" was a really good pre-written question, asked by panel moderator by Mike Proulx, Vice President, Interactive for Hill Holliday. The best panelist comment of the night was, "Social media is A1 sauce not the steak. It's a supplement not a substitute."

If you missed these events, don't worry, you can attend new ones, next month thanks to Social Media Club Boston and Mass Innovation Nights. Looking for other upcoming events? Check out the often updated calendar by Boston Tweetup.

The Best Restaurant Outside of Boston (for special occasions)

Two times a year in Boston and outer Boston, restaurants offer three-course prix-fixe lunches and dinners for less than $35 per person. The best restaurants to eat at are the expensive restaurants that you would never think to visit.

During Restaurant Week last year my fellow and I dined at Bistro 5 in West Medford, Massachusetts. After we sat down we were waited on hand and foot by an entertaining sever, Angus (not the meat that was his name). When Angus told us that everything on the menu was made from scratch, we knew we were in for a treat. We were allowed to try some of the wines from the extensive list before we were pulled a generous glass or two. I started my 3 course menu off with a melt in your mouth black lobster ravioli, followed by mouth watering salmon, ending with a pot of warm hot chocolate mouse. My counter part at dinner was able to soak up every last drop of his Muscles with their home made bread and dip his bread in the red wine reduction from his steak. Each course came out on time and the glasses on the table were never empty.

Last but not least that I would like to comment on is the ambiance in the restaurant. It was extremely romantic and beautiful. The walls are dark red with Jester art, dark chairs, metal butcher tables, and candles lit everywhere. The restaurant is not loud, allowing you to have a private conversation with the person sitting right across from you.

One tip I do have is don't try to dine here without a reservation, you will either wait or while or have to sit at the bar. The other tip I have is dine here! You will receive great service, great food, and a romantic dining experience. We loved it so much that this year my Birthday surprise was another night at this restaurant.

Better Late Than Never

I am finally getting myself together to do this blog post. I apologize for the delay....

This year was the first time I was able to attend to SXSW Interactive, and let me tell you, what an experience! Not only did I meet amazing people but I learned so much that it just blew me away. I have to thank two people for helping me get to SXSW, Jeremiah Owyang and Hugh Forrest. I would not be there without you so thank you!

So here is what I experienced...

The first day I arrived in Austin I was so excited and overwhelmed at the same time. Austin was beautiful and everyone there was just so nice. As soon as I arrived at the convention center I was able to attend my first of many keynotes. The first keynote was Groundswell co-author and Former Forrester Analyst Charlene Li. It was an great pleasure to see her on stage again. The topic of Charlene's keynote was "The Future of Social Networking." She talked about 3 things that can make Social Networks like Air: 1) Identity 2) Your contacts 3) Activities. If you achieve any of these 3 things in your Social Networks it can be the life supply to every person using that network. She also said that if you are able to help manage friendships in Social Networking then you are way ahead of the game!

The Is Spec Work Evil panel was intense thanks to the following panelists; Mike Samson - crowdspring.com, Jeff Howe Editor - Wired Magazine, Jeffrey Kalmikoff, Chief Creative Officer - skinnyCorp/Threadless, Jeremiah Owyang Analyst - Forrester, David Carson - davidcarsondesign, and Lydia Mann - AIGA. I walked into the panel not knowing which side I wanted to side with, still pretty much in the grey area. And of course the first person who sat down next to me was the CTO of Threadless.com, Harper Reed who asked me right away, "So are you for or against spec work?" I had no idea who he was so I honestly admitted, "I don't know yet."

Well let me tell you at the end of the session I strongly felt that Spec Work is another area that allows designers and customers more options. David Carson did throw out a few zingers at Mike Samson Crowdspring.com causing a few people suck in their breath. Although no general agreement was reached by the panel itself it was good seeing the passion people had for this topic. So Mr. Reed my decision has been made: I think on Crowdspring.com does give designers the opportunity to grow, communicate, and design to its customers needs and wants. It also allows them to practice their abilities, share their expertise, and show what they can do while building their portfolio.

I also went to many more panels, core conversations, and got a chance to hang out at the Blogger Lounge. All in all, SXSW was an amazing, and hopefully not a once-in-a-lifetime experience!

Photos from SXSWi

I just returned from a really great trip to Austin, Texas to attend SXSW Interactive. While I was there I took a lot of photos. So here they are, enjoy!

SXSWi Part 1

Microsoft BizSpark Accelerator at SXSWi

SXSWi Part 2

And the winners are!

After a very long day at Microsoft BizSpark Accelerator, the winners have been announced. Every presentation was well done and all the ideas were innovative and unique.

And the winners in each category are:

Online Music-Related Technologies

Popcuts - Berkeley, CA

Online Video-Related Technologies

Tubemogul - Emeryville, CA

Social Networking Applications

Weardrobe - Palo Alto, CA

Innovative Web Technologies

Ribbit.com - Mountain View, CA

Online Music-Related Technologies

Echodio - San Francisco, CA

This painless music manager sits in iTunes, allowing music fans to sync their tracks and backing up their music while on the go. To use this in iTunes, users just drag and drop their music into the Echodia playlist which automatically provides a backup. It also stores ratings, playlists, and tags, giving the music fan the whole package when backed up.

Gigotron- Los Angeles, CA

Gigotron’s presentation addressed one problem right off the bat: live music does not have one central location where everyone can find out about where bands are performing. This iPhone application lets users know what events are scheduled on a certain night, who is playing, and why they may not be able to find this information easily. Gigotron says this application for the iPhone “helps you get in touch with your music.”

A panelist asked, “How is this different from SongKic?” Gigotron responded “We have 40% more concert data than SongKick.”

Mugasha - Portland, OR

Magusha caters to dance music fans, allowing them to browse and stream DJ sets. Dance music fans can also rate the tracks and buy the tracks with little loading time. They work with smaller artists who allow them to do this, which helps avoid potential legal issues. The only problem that the judges commnted on was that users can see every music genre in the display list, and there is no filter for which music is available to stream.

Popcuts - Berkeley, CA

Popcuts says that they “Make music more like a relationship.” Users can look up Popcuts and find smaller artists and buy their music. If you buy a smaller artist’s music and they become a hit, you receive store credit and street cred. The panelists brought up that this sounded like a ponzi scheme, but Popcuts countered with “The real ponzei scheme is when the money floats to the top and the little guy gets nothing.”

Online Video-Related Technologies

The third category of presentations at Microsoft BizSpark Accelerator, Online Video-Related Technologies, has finished.

Here is a quick overview of who presented and their "big idea":

MotionNotes - Houston, TX

MotionNotes began their presentation by stating that “email is good for some things and bad for other things.” Their product does not replace traditional media, but enhances it. With MotionNotes users can create a site people can visit for sharing personalized media. Users can do multiple things with this web-based platform, including making online reservations, personalized Christmas cards, and image slideshows.

The main concern with the judges was that this presentation did state that the product is “…sometimes a replacement for email – sometimes.” The lack of clarity therefore confused the judges and could possibly confuse users.

PortalVideo - Wellesley, MA

PortalVideo rough-cut edits over the internet to cut digital editing time in half. Drag and drop methods allow users to take transcripts and video cuts and place them where they would want them to be in a film strip. Realtime plays are also available to users.

“What problem do you solve?” asked one judge. PortalVideo said they solve the problem of not having to use an edit suite to figure out what clips you want to use while shuffling around loads of paper.

Tubemogul

Emeryville, CA

Tubemogel allows content creators to upload their videos, and share them with all top video sharing sites. It also provides syndication, aggregated analytics, promotion and guaranteed viewership. Users can get rich audience analytics side by side with their syndicated analytics. The free product allows people to see reviews and ratings of their video, and the subscription allows them to see the deep gritty of analytics.

As mentioned, Tubemogel offers a guaranteed viewership, which can be done through a cost-per-view program. TubeMogel sends a video to featured spots; if the video is clicked on to be viewed, people pay each time it is viewed.

Spawn Labs

Austin, TX

Spawn Labs allows a gamer toplay their console games via a Internet-connected computer. This also provides game developers access to dev kits in real time. Users can plug the game controller into their computer, log onto their site, access their consoles and play straight from their computer. Users can also access your favorite television show if someone is hogging the TV.

Social Networking Applications

The second category of presentations at Microsoft BizSpark Accelerator, Social Networking Applications, has finished.

Here is a quick overview of who presented and their "big idea":

Cubeless - Southlake, TX

Cubeless desribes themlseves as a practical social network for businesses that allows people to collaborate with one another about work. Sabre uses Cubeless for its employees, allowing them to network and communicate with one another. They target their media to large companies. Employees of a company that uses Cubeless can post questions to get real time answers, collaborate on upcoming projects, and create profiles.

The judges did recommend that Cubeless work with HR to get incentives in place. They also wanted information about how people are sharing this information right now to make it possible for them to move from the current networking area they use to this new networking area for employees.

HourVille - Austin, TX

HourVille started their presentation by using a masseuse (aka - a persona) to show how she is struggling to get clients, book massages, and charge clients. HourVille went on to mention how they can help her with these problems. HourVille allows service providers to create their own site, offer a book schedule with booking, and allow clients to pay for the service offered to them online.

The many questions that the judges rapid-fired at HourVille resulted in a better understanding of their product by many. This is pretty much a virtual, easy to use shop. HourVille focuses on the individual worker who charges hourly and needs to get their name out there.

Wakoopa - Amsterdam, the Netherlands

Wakoopa is a downloadable application that shows you what applications you use and how long you use them, and also allows you to share your applications with your friends. It promotes unknown applications to people who might be interested in them. You can also get recommendations while sharing what you think.

The recurring question from the panel was “How will you make money?” The answer given was that the data on application usage can be bundled and sold to software companies so they can generate usage patterns.

Weardrobe

Palo Alto, CA

Weardrobe, a social networking tool based around how people wear their clothing differently, really got the attention of the judges. To give an example of how Weardrobe works: If someone saw a great T-shirt, but weren’t sure how its going to look on someone, they can go to this website, search for that t-shirt, and see how other girls are wearing it (as opposed to seeing it displayed on a model or mannequin).

This site at the moment is only for girls. Also, brands can help “drive the buying decision” by seeing how their clothing is being worn. For clothing brands, this is a deep look into what your customer does with your clothing the moment they put it on. This site did impress the judges, and they gave good recommendations to Weardrobe.

Innovative Web Technologies Category

The first category of presentations Microsoft BizSpark Accelerator at SXSW, Innovative Web Technologies, has just wrapped up. Hats off to all of the presenters for their rapid fire presentations in under two minutes! And kudos to them as well for fielding some tough, but pointed questions from the panel, including: What is your business model? How are you going to make money? And, How are you different from other competitors out there? Great questions!

Here is a quick overview of who presented and their "big idea":

klout.net - Los Angeles, CA

Klout.net wants to measure a person or company's influence on the web, and try to make it more effective. Klout.net helps people understand a person’s true reach. Joe Fernandez, CEO and Founder, for Klout.net said, “Understanding overall how influential someone is only half the battle. Klout.net is there to help you with this battle."

“So how do you make money?” asked one panelist. Joe responded that they make money by providing an API to companies that pay for the integration into their CRM and customization. Then Klout.net analyzes the data, “...to find indicators of influence and then provide you with innovative tools to interact with and interpret the data.”

OtherInbox - Austin, TX

The first interaction that Other Inbox took when they got onto stage was, “Raise your hand if you have multiple inboxes,” which resulted in a lot of raised hands. Other Inbox works to help people organize their inboxes, enabling them to better keep up with their email. This product helps the marketer and the consumer control their campaigns and the campaigns coming to them. Guy Kawasaki said "My problem is not filtering emails - it is responding to emails."

Piryx - Austin, TX

Piryx is taking a very different approach to Innovative Web Technologies - an approach through politics. taken from their website “Empowering Democracy Through Technology," Piryx based their presentation on how President Barack Obama used technology to help win the election. Piryx hopes to help other politicians in similar ways.

The three products that they offer are Piryx Compliance, Pyrix Fundraising, and Piryx Clerk Portal. Politicians can use these products to raise campaign funds online, stay current with election regulations in their area, and enable clerks to file electronically.

RingLight - Austin, TX

RingLight, a peer-to-peer social company, was represented by Brandon Wiley. He stated that RingLight is everything you need in a web browser, allowing you to share files through social media, and organize through tagging, search, and comments. They launched an Alpha test in November and are getting ready to launch Beta version soon.

A panelist asked “How is this different from DropBox?” Brandon responded to this question with “Ringlight integrates with everything that you use.” He also stated that users are able to get their files all the time and make them available for everyone to get their own files.

Ribbit.com - Mountain View, CA

Ribbit calls themselves “Silicon Valley's First Phone Company,” because they feel that the world needs a new kind of phone company. Ribbit is an open platform that allows for multi-protocol communication. It is an “ecosystem” of developers who can market and sell their applications.

The panel's reaction to Ribbit.com is best demonstrated in this tweet:

elieljohnson: Accelerator pannel @ sxsw is helping the Ribbit guy refine his pitch - it went from confusing to clear! #sxsw

See more live tweets from this conference.

YouData - Houston, TX

The general feeling was that YouData's presentation was not as clear and defined as some of the others. Some audience members were left asking the question, “So what does YouData do?" YouData allows advertisers to pay viewers to watch their advertisement. They do say that a consumer won't get rich doing this, but that the costs can be offset. This also allows the ads to be more applicable to the consumers.

Thrive - New York, NY

Thrive states that they are “Advancing financial literacy." A user can go to the web based application, import their financial information via their current online bank accounts, and receive a full report on where their finances lie by receiving a financial health score developed by a consultant. They can also decide when, where, and how they should spend their bank account money.

The panel asked “How are you different from Mint.com?" Thrive responded with “We focus on providing actions and advice.” The twitter stream did comment on how nice the UI of this website is.

Zoomorama - Paris, France

Unfortunately, I was unable to see the Zoomorama presentation because my laptop power died, so I’m basing this off of what the Twitter stream has said, and what Zoomorama’s website can tell me about them. Zoomorama allows you to convey emotions via layouts that no other magazine can imitate.

SxSW Bound! (tomorrow, tomorrow, I love yah tomorrow)

On Saturday I will heading to Austin, Texas for South By South West. SxSW is a 10 day conference for Interactive Professionals, Filmmakers, and Musicians. I will be attending the Interactive Festival for four days; jam packed with educational panels, awards, core conversations, book readings, networking parties, tweetups, and much much more!

Not only am I excited to attend SxSW but it will be my first time in Austin, Texas. I have heard so many things about how great Austin is, from food to music.

The panels I'm looking forward to attending are:

Saturday, March 14th
2:00	Profit By Mobilizing Your Online Community or Marketplace at 10
3:30	The Future Of Social Networks at A
5:00	Suxorz '09: The Ten Worst Social Media Campaigns at 12AB
Sunday, March 15th
10:00	Is Spec Work Evil? The Online Creative Community Speaks at A
11:30	Can Social Media End Racism? at 8
02:00	Sunday Keynote Interview at A
03:30	From Flickr and Beyond: Lessons in Community Management at A
05:00	Twitter for Marketers: Is It Still Social Media? at 5B
06:00	SXSW Web Awards Pre-Party at Downtown Hilton Hotel, 6th Floor Foyer
07:00 PM	Adobe 12th Annual SXSW Web Awards Ceremony - Presented by Adobe at Downtown Hilton Hotel, 6th Floor
Monday, March 16th
10:00	Microsoft BizSpark Accelerator at SXSW at Downtown Hilton Hotel, 6th Floor
05:00	Kick Ass or Suck - Escaping Internet Mediocrity at 7
09:30	Mashable Party at Six Lounge
Tuesday, March 17th
10:00	Collabotition: Can Companies Work With Their Competitors? at A
11:30	Designers and Developers: Why Can't We All Just Get Along? at 8
11:30	UR Blog Sux and Print is Dead at 18BCD
12:15	Chris Anderson at Day Stage Cafe - Austin Convention Center
12:30	The Sheikh's Batmobile; In Pursuit of American Pop Culture in the Muslim World at Day Stage
02:00	Tuesday Keynote Interview at A

I have heard from a couple of SxSWi veterans that the parties are must attends, so of course I will be attending a few.
Saturday -SXSW Opening Happy Hour sponsored by Razorfish, The Bigg Digg Shindigg - Now with 100% More Diggnation!
Sunday - Austin Geek Breakfast, Austin Tweetup during SxSWi, Social Media Club presents: Pool 2.0, Mobile Social SXSW BBQ, and many others!
Monday - Mashable + Blurb SX Bash

I am open to suggestions if you think I should attend any other panels, keynotes, parties, tweetups, meetups, and/or anything else. You can follow my #SxSWi updates during the entire 4 days via Twitter.

Oh annnddd before I forget! I will be live Blogging from the Microsoft BizSpark Accelerator at SXSW on Monday 3/16. If you are unable to attend and you would like to know how the Finalist presentations went and who won, you can read my blog to find out!

8 Tips for Attending a Tweetup

After hosting and attending last night's Forrester Winter Tweetup, I have decided to write tips for attending a Tweetup. The reason being someone asked me this question last night, do you have any Tweetup tips? So here we go:

1. Ask for the hash tag for the event before you attend, so you can tweet about it.
2. On your name tag write your First Name, Last Name (Company or Title) and Twitter handle.
3. Bring business cards
4. If you see someone at the Tweetup standing by themselves introduce yourself. Why bother attending if you aren't going to talk to anyone?
5. Blog about it. If you don't have a blog, create one. They are cheap and easy to set up.
6. Take pictures
7. Talk about something else other than Social Media
8. Smile and have fun!

If you have any other tips, suggestions, or ideas for attending Tweetups I would love to hear from you, http://www.twitter.com/akarlin.

Guide to East End St.Thomas, USVI

So this is the time of year people begin to ask me the best places to go on St.Thomas. I have found that a lot of people are choosing to stay on the East End of the Island, which is a wise choice. So this quick guide breaks down places to go on the East End and on St.John. Please feel free to critique and criticize. Thanks!!!


St. Thomas Restaurants - don't walk at night, take a cab
Caribbean Saloon - pasta, burgers, and beers - sports bar - tell Bartenders Alexis says hi - $
SopChoppy's - pizza and beers - $
XO Bistro - Classy wine bar with good food- - $
East End Cafe - Italian - mmmm - $
Shin Sin - Sushi - far cab ride but worth the drive
DO NOT GO TO MOLLY MALONE'S - stomache ache city

Bar Hangouts - DO NOT EAT just drink
Duffies Love Shack
Fat Boys - Pool Tables

St. Thomas Great Beaches
Lindquist beach - no bar nothing bring own drinks and food
Magens Bay - go to the bar and get a BushWacker
Secret Harbor Beach - bar, food, drinks
Sapphire Beach - bar, food, drinks

St. John Great Beaches
Trunk Bay - bar, food, drinks
Cinnamon Bay - bar, food, drinks

St. John Restaurants
Lime Tree Inn- romantic dinner $$$
Mongoose Junction Deli - Lunch - $
Happy Fish - good sushi - $$

88 Things You Need to Know Before Attending a Wedding

In June, my Best Friend is getting married. She has been planning this wedding for 2 years so I know she has been doing a lot of research on flowers, etiquette, color schemes, etc. She found this post and I have to say it is so good that I am ripping this straight from this blog, because it is such a good post.

I will though give credit where credit is due, http://styledforsuccess.com/2008/05/wedding-etiquette-tips/. So thank you, Monica O'Brien for writing this post so people will understand how much time and work my friend is putting into her wedding and what they should and shouldn't do, before, during, and after the weddings that they attend this summer.


Invitations

1. Invitations are not like Evites - you can’t forward them to your friends. Covet your invite because you were chosen, not mass emailed to.
2. The invitation tells you exactly how many people you can bring in addition to yourself, so pay attention!
3. Your name “and family” means you and your kids/spouse.
4. Your name “and guest” means you and ONE guest.
5. Your name only means you are lucky to have gotten an invite to begin with.
6. Don’t RSVP your children unless they are explicitly invited. Hire a sitter instead.
7. Don’t assume you can bring your baby because the couple doesn’t have to buy a dinner plate. Some weddings are purposely designated adult only.
8. You must always send an RSVP, even if you aren’t attending. RSVP’s are not just for affirmative responses, and if you don’t send an RSVP the bride and groom have no idea if you are going to just show up.
9. When sending an RSVP, follow the bride and groom’s process. Don’t email them if they’ve included a response card in your invitation - it just adds extra stress for them to keep track of multiple communication channels.
10. RSVP’s must be mailed ahead and reach their destination by the deadline. Having them postmarked by the deadline is not good enough.
11. RSVP’s must actually give the correct number of attendees. Do your best to give an accurate figure at the time of RSVP.
12. If your plans change before the RSVP date, let the bride and groom know ASAP.
13. If your plans change after the RSVP date, you should give a gift equivalent to your original RSVP.
14. Don’t ask your mutual friends if they’ve received an invite. Choosing who to invite to your wedding is a difficult task, and people get cut for cost reasons.
15. If you do ask a mutual friend and they were not invited, you will put stress on the relationship between the bride/groom and the mutual friend. So just don’t ask.
16. Invitation time is the best time to notify the bride and groom of any dietary restrictions you or your guests may have.
17. Note that I wrote “dietary restrictions,” not “food preferences.” Don’t add extra tasks for the bride and groom unless necessary!

Gifts

1. If you receive an invitation you must send a gift! Even if you don’t attend.
2. If you can’t attend the wedding, you should send your gift before the wedding with a card expressing your regrets about not being able to attend.
3. The gift should be worth at least the # of people you’ve RSVP’ed x the cost of one person’s plate for the reception.
4. The exception to this is when a couple chooses *really expensive* plates.
5. *Really expensive* depends on your geographical area, not your preferences. Nice try though.
6. If you don’t know what a wedding plate costs, call the reception hall and investigate. This will at least get you in the ballpark.
7. The gift should be monetary or come from the bride and groom’s registry.
8. The wedding registry will not be listed in the invitation unless the couple is very tacky. You are supposed to call the maid-of-honor (MOH)/mother of the bride (MOB) to find out where the couple is registered.
9. Anyone in the family or wedding party is appropriate if the MOH/MOB cannot be reached.
10. Don’t get the couple something they didn’t ask for! It’s not clever and/or original, it’s annoying.
11. Money should come in a wedding card.
12. Gift cards are like throwing money away, so don’t give them.
13. If you insist on giving a gift card it should come only from a store where the couple is registered.
14. Don’t get the couple something they didn’t ask for! It’s not clever and/or original, it’s annoying.
15. Gifts should be removed from the registry to avoid the headaches of double gifts. Ask for help from a store assistant if you are confused.
16. Gifts should come wrapped in wedding paper with a wedding card.
17. Don’t get the couple something they didn’t ask for! It’s not clever and/or original, it’s annoying.
18. It’s nice to give the couple more than what covers your dinner plates, if you can and want to.

What to Wear

1. Dress attire may be specified in the invitation. Pay attention and look at the details of the invite.
2. The ceremony determines whether the wedding is daytime or evening, as receptions are usually in the evening.
3. For men, daytime formal dress means a suit in neutral colors like black, brown, or gray.
4. For men, daytime informal/semi-formal dress means a dress shirt and pants.
5. For women, daytime formal dress means a cocktail dress.
6. For women, daytime informal/semi-formal dress means a nice floral printed dress or a business suit.
7. For men, evening formal dress means a tux. Preferably black, with a white shirt.
8. For men, evening informal/semi-formal dress means a suit in neutral colors like black, brown, or gray.
9. Betsey Johnson black metallic brocade cocktail dressFor women, evening formal dress means a formal gown or a cocktail dress.
10. For women, evening informal/semi-formal dress means a cocktail dress. If in doubt, a little black Betsey Johnson dress works beautifully, or any solid colored dress in cool colors will do.
11. Rules are meant to be broken, but do not step too far outside these guidelines unless it’s a themed wedding.
12. In the case of a themed or destination wedding, all bets are off.
13. If dress attire is not specified, you can take hints from the websites of the church and reception hall.
14. Do not wear anything too revealing, particularly to the ceremony.
15. If you are still unsure of how to dress, you can call the MOH/MOB to ask what is appropriate.
16. For women, do not wear white! White is reserved for the bride, even if she doesn’t wear it.
17. If purchasing your clothing in advance, consider the season.
18. Try not to wear the same colors as the bridal party. You can find out the wedding colors in advance by speaking with the MOH/MOB.
19. Consider your shoe choices carefully. Because you may be wearing these shoes for a good portion of the day as well as the night, choose something comfortable, yet stylish.
20. Do not call your friends to see what they are wearing! Unless you know for a fact they were invited.

Before You Leave

1. Make sure you have directions to both the wedding and reception sites.
2. With any large gathering, parking can be an issue. Make sure you are clear on where to park, and consider carpooling if parking is limited.
3. Check the weather and traffic patterns, and plan accordingly.
4. If you are attending a religious ceremony, get a brief overview of how a traditional wedding plays out in that religion. This will help you to be a respectful guest at the reception, even if you do not share the same beliefs.
5. If there is a gap between the wedding and reception, have a plan to occupy yourself and your guests.
6. If you have dietary preferences, make sure you pack some snacks, just in case. Or have a plan to eat something before the reception.
7. Perform a checklist before you leave: make sure you have directions, addresses, gifts, snacks, and an extra pair of shoes just in case.

At the Ceremony

1. First and foremost: Turn your cell phone off!
2. If you have any other devices that might make noise, turn those off too.
3. Don’t even consider vibrate. Vibrate is for people who plan to leave the ceremony if they get an important call. And yes, everyone can still hear your phone vibrating, so don’t be one of those people!
4. Arrive 30 minutes early.
5. If you normally arrive late to events, arrive an hour early.
6. If you arrive late to the ceremony despite careful planning, find an usher to seat you.
7. If you can’t find an usher, sit in the first empty row from the front. Quietly.
8. Be respectful of any religious customs you may see at the ceremony.
9. If in doubt, follow the family’s lead for standing, sitting, kneeling, singing, and praying.
10. Unless asked, do not take pictures at the ceremony. There may be rules against it, or it may ruin the ambiance of the ceremony.

At the Reception

1. It is appropriate to speak to the bride and groom, but do not monopolize the their time. Unless it is a small wedding, they have a lot of people to thank throughout the night.
2. One picture with the bride and groom is enough. Honestly. Most weddings will have a photographer who will take more than enough photos that you can purchase at a later date.
3. Do not give your gift directly to the bride and groom.
4. Most weddings will have a gift table where you can place your gift.
5. If there is no gift table, politely ask a member of the family or bridal party where to put your gift.
6. If you are worried that your gift will not reach the bride and groom, stop. You will know your gift made it when you receive their Thank You card.
Image Credit: Manassas Cakery via FlickR
Manassas Cakery Wedding Cake
7. When the DJ announces the bride and groom doing any task (ie: cutting the cake, first dance, etc) it is appropriate to watch.
8. Remember this is their day, not yours. Curb your Wedding Crashers urge to steal the spotlight.
9. Only request a song from the DJ if he or she announces that you can. (The bride and groom may have pre-selected their playlist.)
10. If the dinner is buffet, wait for the DJ to announce a second round. Same goes for getting a second piece of cake.
11. Open bar does not mean you should get drunk. Please do not make the bride and groom regret inviting you to their wedding by making a scene.
12. If you forgot to tell the bride and groom about your dietary restrictions with your RSVP, do not bring them up now. Go without eating or discuss the matter with the MOH/MOB in private to find a suitable solution.
13. Don’t worry about saying goodbye to the bride and groom if they are busy when you leave. They understand and will appreciate your attendance.

After the Big Day

1. Do not call the bride and groom for at least a month, unless you are family or a member of the bridal party. A new marriage requires a lot of transition, and that takes time past the honeymoon.
2. Expect a Thank You card within 3 months of the wedding.
3. If you don’t receive a Thank You card in this time period you should inquire about your gift. But always frame it as “Did you receive my gift?” and not as “I didn’t receive your Thank You card.”
4. If you want to purchase pictures or a video, ask the MOB/MOH to notify you when they are available. But be prepared to wait, as these items take between 3 months and a year to become available!