Well folks, the honeymoon to Ecuador and Peru was phenomenal, save for one minor mishap, which I'll detail in a minute. Thankfully, the mishap did not include anything to do with the husband (husband! A new word in my daily vocabulary) although the two times I called my parents, my mother kept asking us in her half-joking way, "Are you fighting yet?"

In fact we did start scraping a bit -- nitpicky arguments about dumb things like luggage tags and directions. It's almost like, well, we're family now, we're not going anywhere, so we can let it all hang out.  In his vows, Husband told me, "I'm the best 'me' in your presence." (Which is, of course, where we both lost it).

During the honeymoon he added, laughing, "You know, actually, I think I'm the worst me in your presence too." When you can be yourself, the good and the bad, well isn't that true love?

So, without further ado, here are 10 Highlights from the Honeymoon -- the good and the bad.

1. Snoozed with sea lions on the Galapagos Islands.

2.  At Cicciolina’s, Husband tried "Cui" aka guinea pig, a very popular dish in Peru. I tried to forget about Frisky, Peanut and Rocky, my sister's childhood pets. When it's chopped up, marinated and lumped over polenta it becomes a lot more appetizing.

3. While touring cathedrals and cobble-stoned streets in Quito, Ecuador we somehow acquired George, a man who claimed to be from New Jersey, likes the Yankees, calls my husband (who happens to be African American) "Obama," and of course wanted $80 at the end of our "tour."

4. Orchids in Machu Picchu

5. Machu Picchu. It was bigger and more awe-inspiring than I'd imagined.

6. The train ride back from Machu Picchu on Peru Rail included a dancing clown and a fashion show. Yes, inexplicably, the man and woman who were once our conductors swapped their uniforms (in the cramped bathroom) for alpaca sweaters. With the Pet Shop Boys and Abba wheezing through the train's sound system, they walked like supermodels up and down the aisle, showcasing Peru's finest knits. Bizarre and awesome. Amtrak, take note.

Here's a quick clip:

7. On the Galapagos Islands I fell off a bike. We'd barely started a rainy-day tour of the lava tunnels when I crashed into a ditch and flew over the handlebars into a pile of rocks.  Thankfully I only scraped up my forearm and bruised my left leg. And now I know what the emergency room on the Galapagos Islands looks like -- not as bad as you'd think. Two lovely women cleaned my wounds and bandaged my arm while a doctor prescribed antibiotics and ibuprofen. Thanks to them (and another doctor who reexamined me in Lima) I enjoyed the rest of my trip.

Exhibit A, the muddied clothes:

8. Inca Kola. Strangely delicious, albeit in an unappealing shade of yellow.

9. Dining at Casa Hacienda Orihuela in Pisac. The Orihuela's, a family of art collectors (think Incan and colonial artifacts) offer up their luxurious home to tourists for lunch.

10. The people (and llamas) of Peru

And just because I'm hitched doesn't mean I'm going to fade away like an old, wine-soaked wedding gown. While I'll be passing the bouquet to our forthcoming "Nearly Wed" scribes, I'll be chiming in once in a while. Stay tuned for further recaps, a little "behind the scenes" with some of my vendors and a few insights on being "Newly Wed."

-The Mrs.

I know it's silly, and that there's NOTHING I can do about it, but I'm totally freaking about the weather for Saturday, my wedding day!

Yes, the wedding is planned to take place outdoors.
Yes, we can scuttle into the dance tent or the restaurant if necessary.
No, that's not my first choice, as a big part of the loveliness of the location is the Hudson River views, the trees, the grounds, the patio where cocktails are 'sposed to take place!

And yes, I know that it will be lovely no matter what...and yet, and yet, here I am, four days before the wedding, obsessively refreshing weather.com and accuweather.com for zip code 10567.  (And yes, my fiancé, mother, friends and colleagues are surely already tired of this endless discussion.)

So far the forecast calls for upper 80s, with scattered thunderstorms. Chance of rain 40%. The weather is notoriously hard to predict and fickle this time of year so honestly I think I'd be tense even if the report called for 100% clear-blue skies. Storms seem to pop in and out of nowwhere.

Here's hoping they at least hold of for 2 hours on Saturday evening.

Can anyone 'talk me down' off my meteorological ledge—to just help me somehow relax about it all?--Liz

While my mom bought her wedding outfit several months ago and modeled it for me then, she hasn't pulled it off the hanger since then. But the other day a friend advised her to do a "dry run" with the whole look, and that was a wise choice.

Problem: She realized that her bra strap was showing and needed to be tacked to the top.
Solution: Special double-sided fabric tape to tack the strap to the shirt, i.e. Hollywood Fashion Tape. Another good option: Braza Strap Keepers.

Problem: She took note of the fact that she'd shed a few pounds since she bought the pants, making them rather unattractively blousy in the rear and hips.
Solution: A last-minute trip back to the tailor to have a few seams taken in.

So, ladies (and gentlemen, too!) even if you don't think you need to, try on your dress, with the shoes and undergarments you're planning on wearing. You just may catch a stray button, thread, strap, seam or something else that you can fix ahead of time—not the day of the wedding!—Liz

So, with 12 days to go until I get hitched, I've clearly chosen to become obsessed with one thing I feel like I can control. (i.e. Programs are being created by my cousin in Seattle, my fiancé is in charge of transportation for guests, the seamstress is tasked with making sure my dress stays up...all important things that are now out of my hands.)

But the fact that I have a bit of a "farmer's tan" (read: white patches where my tank top sits) is all my own doing, and I'm frantically trying to undo it so that I don't look wacky in my strapless wedding dress.

I'm normally a big sunscreen-wearer and avid shade-sitter, since my skin is fair and slightly freckly, and moreover, I don't really care for sunbathing. (It's boring and it's totally bad for you, of course) But now I've succumbed to vanity and even my vigilance earlier this summer is nothing against the summer sun during a midday run in a tank top.

My solution is two-pronged:
1. I walked around the city all day yesterday in this strapless dress, which isn't totally my style but certainly fits the bill.
2. One of our lovely beauty editors, Sarah, gave me a daily body lotion that has a touch of self-tanner, leftover from the Self Tanner Road test from the May issue. 

So, let's just hope for a bit of sun next weekend and that my fiancé doesn't mind slathering up my back with the lotion. -- Liz

Photo from Flickr

A: It depends on how bad you start out. In my case, when all is said and done, my fiancé and I will have had 5.5 hours of dance lessons. That's 330 minutes over six appointments, in which we have learned to...do the box step. Yes, that's it: one simple waltz! All that time, so that during the approximately two minutes we are alone on the dance floor, with all eyes on us, we'll be able to do something other than the old hug-and-sway.

Obviously, we started out in a rather remedial state, since you'd think that with all that time (over six lessons) we'd have progressed to Dancing With the Stars-like moves. Not quite.

So, was it worth it? Definitely—because during those 330 minutes we've had many laughs, a few sweet moments, and learned a small skill that (hopefully) we won't forget and can use at weddings for years to come. Oh, and the Brazilian dance instructor, Diego, is adorable, so that was really fun—at least for me!

One of the funniest moments came in lesson #2, when Diego asked us, "So, what kind of an entrance do you want to choreograph?" Let me remind you: it has taken nearly six hours for us to master a box step. And not only are we incapable of doing any sort of fancy-pants entrance, the idea of that sort of pomp-and-circumstance and look-at-us-taking-it-sooo-seriously had me in hysterics.

So to show Diego what I had in mind for the moment we step on the dance floor as a married couple, I just grabbed my fiancé's hand, put one foot in front of the other, and gave a big grin. Simple, authentic, and very much our style.—Liz

Did you take dance lessons? Were they worth it?

Photo (of some other coordinated couple!) from Flickr

Take the long-haired cat to the vet for a "lion cut"

It keeps her cool in the summer heat. She loves it, I swear! She just won't look in the mirror.

(Ok now I'm really signing off. Ciao friends!)

We did it!

We're headed off to our honeymoon, but here's a quick post to say we sealed the deal, tied the knot, jumped the broom (no, not a mop) and I am now a married woman.

I'm on hiatus for the next two weeks; in the meantime our lovely "Nearly Wed" Liz Krieger will be sharing her own wedding wisdom. When I return I'll share more goodies and stories from a truly spectacular day (I am a bit biased). For now, here are some snaps:

Hotel breakdancing.

An old married couple...

See you in a few weeks!

-Margit

Hi! I'm Liz—I normally blog about health and fitness over in Life & Soul, and my own wedding is just 19 days away. With Margit no longer "Nearly Wed" and now very happily, very newly-wed (and on her South American honeymoon!), I thought I'd pop in and offer another bride's perspective.

And just this weekend it struck me that in some small ways, preparing for a wedding is like preparing to have a baby.

You register for gifts, your eyes widen at the impending (and sometimes insane) cost of it all, you fantasize and freak out about the big day, you get in a few tussles with your guy over some silly decisions (i.e. invitation colors...nursery paint colors...)...and you pack a bag!

Meaning: right around the end of the eighth or ninth month, most moms-to-be pack a suitcase full of things they'll need in the hospital (PJs, receiving blankets, lucky charms), just in case the baby comes early or they just don't want to have to pack in a hurry.

And me? With less than three weeks to go, I've already started to think I should just toss all the items I have to bring to the wedding site with me into one bag as I think of them—so that I am not running around on the morning of my wedding, trying to remember to bring the safety pins, the breath mints, the Spanx, the poems and place cards, and the other 20 or so small (but ever-so vital) items on my list.

So, what's in your big bridal-day bag?

Diaper bag photo by Flickr

FOUR days to go! I think this is where the cranky bridezilla might enter the picture.

Fiance and I keep getting random questions that we haven't "captured" (to use a particular corporate parlance) in our list of remaining wedding tasks and doo-dads. Here are a few:

1. From the band: "How do you want us to dress? Generally, clients most often ask us to wear black suits, shirts, and ties, but of course we can dress however you prefer." For about five full seconds I ponder numerous possibilities... khakis and pink polo shirts...bowler hats and suspenders...tie-dye t-shirts... Suits it is.

2. From a guest: "Do you mind if I wear a white dress?"

3. From our wedding coordinator at the restaurant: "Do yo know who will be making toasts?" Now how do you politely sleuth this one?

"Dear guests, can you please let us know if you'll be making any pronouncements of how fabulous we are? Thanks."

4. From our officiant: "So where will you get the broom?" Our officiant was referring to the broom we'll use to "jump the broom." We hadn't thought about that. You would think it would be easy to find a basic nice wooden broom? Oh no. Either they're overly bedazzled (which just isn't our style) or they're like the plastic broom we use to actually sweep:

"We have a pretty nice mop? We could use our mop?"

(I won't tell you which one of us said that.)

We finally found one at a Michael's Arts & Crafts store, however I can't find the actual broom online.

And finally...

5. From our baker: Will you be having a cupcake cutting ceremony and do you want a GIANT cupcake?
The answer? Heck, yeah.

Shoe #1.

Thank you for all your votes and, um, soleful comments. With 29 votes for the Naturalizer pair (although Julie, Jordan and Amanda seemed a bit torn!) and only one solid vote for the Taryn Rose wedgies, I think I must go with the majority. Even my mom weighed in ("wedges aren't appropriate" -- sheesh mom).

I'll show you a snapshot of the shoes in action as soon as I get a pedicure.