The Perfect Wedding is the One Everyone Remembers
for All the Right Reasons

Brides-to-be have long checklists for planning their big day. Dress, flowers, venue, vows, will there be a sit-down dinner or hors d'oeuvres and crudités? Who will be in the wedding party?

"Every bride wants her wedding to be perfect and by that, many mean that they want the event itself and themselves to be absolutely beautiful," says Eric Gulbrandson, a wedding photographer and author of the new book, "Dream Wedding Secrets: The All Important G.S.F," (www.dreamweddingsecrets.com).

"But a perfect wedding is also one that people remember months and years later as a wonderful event where they thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Think about it - no bride wants her wedding remembered as a disaster!"

The secret is to put a high priority on what Gulbrandson calls the G.S.F. - Guest Satisfaction Factor.

"It's how others perceive your wedding," he says. "Most brides do want their guests to be able to enjoy their wedding, but they overlook the G.S.F. because all the advice is geared toward beauty and budgets."

Gulbrandson interviewed hundreds of wedding guests and compiled more than 200 do's and don'ts for brides-to-be for ensuring a high G.S.F. Among them:

•  If you invite children, arrange a supervised activity area for them. Couples often include children on their guest list because they contribute to the family atmosphere and celebration, but weddings are not child-centered events. Kids get bored; the wedding day is often a long one with extended periods of sitting quietly and an abundance of adults consuming alcohol. Help parents and children enjoy the event by arranging for a supervised activity area on the outskirts of the reception. A couple of teenaged relatives may appreciate earning some money for overseeing arts and crafts projects and games.  Hiring relatives for this job will help keep the costs reasonable.

•  Don't make costumes a requirement for your themed wedding. Whether you've got your heart set on a Renaissance faire or zombie nuptials, don't require your guests to shell out money buying or renting costumes! Yes, you can ease any financial burden by requesting they wear costumes in lieu of buying gifts, but that doesn't address the potential for physical and emotional discomfort. Sure, all your friends may be LARPers, but if Uncle Howard and Aunt Betty are not, they may not enjoy wearing capes and carrying swords to your ceremony.

•  Don't plan your wedding for a holiday weekend. Occasionally, brides plan their wedding for a three-day holiday weekend thinking it will help out-of-towners who want to attend. However, it also boosts the odds of local guests being out of town! Given that most working people have only two guaranteed three-day weekends a year, many plan ahead for them. Additionally, hotel and rental car prices tend to go up during holidays, and traffic doubles. Play it safe by avoiding calendar holidays and, of course, Super Bowl Sunday.

•  With food and drink, if you have to choose between quantity and quality, choose quantity. Nobody will mind if the chicken skewers aren't the best they ever had, but they will if you run out of them! While taste and presentation are important, having enough food and drink available throughout the event is more important than a glamorous presentation. If you have children at your wedding, you can keep costs down -- and make them happy -- by planning a separate menu of, say, chicken nuggets and macaroni-and-cheese.

•  When it's all said and done, don't ruin your perfect wedding by failing to follow through with that time-honored (for good reason) custom of sending thank-you notes. "Technically, accepted protocol allows guests a year after the wedding to send a gift, so you may be on the receiving end for quite some time!" Gulbrandson says. "Keep a list and send handwritten thank-you's as quickly as you can. Most guests and experts agree that one to three months after the wedding is fine, but my advice is to get on it quickly!"

About Eric Gulbrandson

Eric Gulbrandson is a longtime wedding photographer who began compiling interviews for "Dream Wedding Secrets: The All-Important G.S.F.," (www.dreamweddingsecrets.com), in 2009. As a wedding photographer, he heard many happy guests - and many unhappy ones - and realized that most publications offering wedding advice focused on either making the bride and wedding more beautiful, or planning the wedding on a limited budget. When interviewing guests, he asked one primary question, "What makes a wedding great or not so great for you as a guest?"  He compiled thousands of stories and responses to derive consensus opinions on essential Guest Satisfaction Factors.

New Law Makes Lottery Process Transparent and Helps Prevent Conflicts of Interest

CHICAGO - Governor Pat Quinn today signed legislation to improve fairness and accountability in the student selection process, governance and funding of charter schools throughout Illinois. The reform legislation sets new standards of transparency for charter schools, which receive public funds but operate independently. Today's action is part of Governor Quinn's agenda to give every child the opportunity for a high quality education and also make Illinois' government more accountable, transparent and effective.

"Every child deserves access to a good school," Governor Quinn said. "With this new law, the public will now have more information and more say in how charter schools operate and spend public funds."

House Bill 3232, sponsored by State Representative Emanuel Chris Welch (D-Hillside) and State Senator Jacqueline Collins (D-Chicago), helps to improve transparency and accountability in Illinois' charter schools. Under the new law, when more students apply to a charter school than the school has available spots, a lottery will be held to select which students may enroll. The new law requires the lottery process to be videotaped and made publicly available. It also requires the local governing body, usually the school district, to be involved in the process to strengthen accountability. Charter schools must also now submit quarterly financial statements and their waiting lists of students hoping to enroll.

The bill also requires that a governing board, independent of the organization that manages the school, be established to oversee each charter school. This provision is intended to prevent any potential conflicts of interest in the operation of the charter school. The law also includes new protections of public funds, including the return of any unspent funds and remaining property to the local school district or the State Board of Education if a charter school closes. In addition, charter and traditional schools must now include a disclaimer when public funds are used for marketing purposes. The new law is effective for the 2015-2016 school year.

"I am glad we were able to bring the proponents and opponents of the bill to the table and strike an agreement in order to provide a better educational environment for parents, students and taxpayers," Representative Welch said. "This legislation is about accountability and ensuring that public resources are used in a responsible manner. This bill helps to guarantee that the state resources earmarked for the classroom are protected and spent in the classroom, so our investments are best serving education in Illinois."

"Inaccessible procedures, ethically questionable activities and policies that limit families' fair access to taxpayer-funded schools have no place in public education," Senator Collins said. "Innovation in education does not require secrecy. I am pleased to stand with those in the charter school movement who understand and embrace their responsibility to the public."

In 2011, Governor Quinn signed legislation that established an independent charter school commission that is dedicated to school reform and has the power to authorize, regulate and increase academic and financial accountability of charter schools throughout the state. Also in 2011, the Governor worked to pass a landmark education reform package that has made Illinois a model for the nation. In 2012, Governor Quinn signed a law that empowers parents by providing them with a detailed report card on their children's school and school district.

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On Saturday morning 2nd,3rd and 4th Streets will be closed for the race. River Drive to the East and West will be open.  From the north come down Western or Gaines and park right in our Lots.

You know the Market is fresh and nutritious when local chefs shop the market.

You can find it all here at the Freight House Farmers Market. Be sure to bring your best 4-legged friend, for all of those great locally made pet treats!

CLARKSVILLE, TN (07/24/2014)(readMedia)-- Austin Peay State University is pleased to announce that Brooke Morales of Davenport has been awarded the APSU Provost's Out-of-State Scholarship.

Academic scholarships to APSU are awarded for scholarly achievement, high class rank and qualifying scores on national assessment testing.

The application for admissions to APSU is the application for these awards. To receive priority consideration for these renewable scholarships, high school students should apply for admission at www.apsu.edu/apply by Nov. 15.