You spend a lot of time and money on your wedding and you’ll want to remember it forever! Choosing a photographer is not a simple decision to make. Consider the following tips when booking your photographer for your wedding in Worcester MA.

Don’t rely on friends or family!
First and foremost, do not ask a guest to be your photographer. Capturing your wedding is a big responsibility, and assigning this duty to a cousin or best friend won’t allow them to properly enjoy the occasion. Just because your friend owns a camera does not make him or her a professional photographer. It’s great if your guests want to share their photos with you afterwards, but don’t depend on them to be your photographer.

Determine your budget.
Wedding photography prices vary from a few hundred to thousands of dollars, depending on the quality of work and what the package includes. Some photographers simply show up and take photos at the wedding, while others will include engagement sessions, a 20-page album, etc. Determine what you can afford and what you expect to have at the end of the day. Remember: A low price may also mean low quality work.

If you can’t afford an experienced photographer, ask around for an inexpensive amateur photographer who is looking for some professional experience. It’s a bit risky, but it’s better than not having a photographer at all.

What’s your style?
Do you prefer traditional photos or more playful and light-hearted photos? Do you want to go vintage or artsy? Determine what style you want before searching for a photographer. You can also browse wedding photos online if you’re not sure what you want.

Start your search immediately.
Hiring a photographer is not a last-minute detail. In fact, you should start your search immediately after deciding on a wedding date. The best photographers book their schedules a year in advance, especially on Saturdays in the spring during peak wedding season. You can never book too early, but you can certainly be too late.

Ask around.
Ask around for great wedding photographers—family, friends, bridal shops, your venue’s coordinator, your wedding planner, etc. Browse wedding websites for photographers who work in your area.

Research!
Once you have created a list of potential photographers, peruse their websites and eliminate options that do not suit your budget or style. Keep in mind what their specialties are. If your wedding is in a hotel, eliminate photographers who are accustomed to shooting outdoors.

After you’ve narrowed your list to a few choices, schedule interviews with each photographer to further discuss what they offer. During the interview, ask to see samples of past work, including an entire wedding from start to finish. Pay attention to the style and quality of the photos. Ask each photographer how many weddings they have done. Don’t be afraid to ask too many questions. Do they use digital or film? What equipment do they bring? Do they have an assistant? What is included in the package?

Feel confident in your decision.
If you like the photographer’s work but do not click with their personality, it’s okay to cross them off your list. They will essentially be a guest at your wedding, so choose someone you won’t mind being around all day—when you’re happy, overtired, getting ready to walk down the aisle. The best photographer will capture your wedding precisely as you planned without distracting you from your big day.

Find more wedding tips in our blog by the Beechwood Hotel, a premier wedding venue in Worcester.

Recently, a movement has emerged calling for people to buy more locally grown food. Many people are familiar with this movement, but do you really know why locally grown food is better?

Locally Grown Food Tastes Better

The first reason that locally grown food proves to be a better option is perhaps the most obvious… it tastes better! As food is stored, it loses flavor. Natural sugars in fruits and vegetables turn to starches as produce sits in warehouses, trucks, and grocery stores.

Locally Grown Food is Better for You

Locally grown food is also better for your health and well-being. Fresher produce retain more nutrition. You will get more vitamins and nutrients from locally grown fruits and vegetables which have been harvested more recently.

Locally Grown Food Supports Genetic Diversity

Foods which are mass produced by large farm corporations are usually comprised of one or two genetic compilations. Companies do this because only certain hybrid breeds can stand up to the packaging and transport processes required to service widespread grocers. On the other hand, locally grown food has more genetic variety due to the natural passing and altering of genes from generation to generation. Genetic diversity is important to protect food sources and food species.

Locally Grown Food is Better for the Environment

Locally grown food is also good for the environment. In the United States, 15% of fossil fuels are wasted in agricultural transportation. Buying food locally uses less gas. Local farmland also provides more open space. This means that less residential areas are built and destroying greenery.

Locally Grown Food Supports Endangered Farming Industry

Less than 1% of the United States population holds a farming occupation. Buying locally grown food supports the farming industry. The local food movement, in turn, helps to ensure that farmland and farms will continue to be a part of the local community for future generations.

Locally Grown Food Helps Lower Taxes

As farms maintain open space, they slow the rate of residential growth. The government spends almost double the amount on residential areas as farming areas. Through buying locally grown food, you are helping to keep your tax rate lower.

Ceres Bistro strives to make delicious dished with locally grown foods, so we work to support our local community by buying from local purveyors as much as possible. If you would like to taste the difference yourself, come make a reservation at our restaurant in Worcester. We are happy to serve you one of our locally grown dishes!

Do you buy locally grown food? Do you have any special recipes for locally grown food?

Your wedding is about you—but don’t forget about the people who are standing beside you at your wedding in Worcester MA. Bridesmaids deserve to be thanked for everything they’ve done to support you in the past and on one of the most important days of your life. Consider these three rules when brainstorming bridesmaids’ gifts.

Work around your budget.
Everyone—your friends, family, random people on the internet—will try to give you advice on every aspect of your wedding. Some may be led to believe you can afford lavish gifts for your bridesmaids. Chances are that you won’t be able to gift each of your five bridesmaids with a brand new Rolex—and that’s okay! Determine your budget for bridesmaids’ gifts and work around it. Keep in mind everything they’ve done to make you feel special on your day (and how much they’ve spent from their own pockets.)

Don’t make it about you.
Many brides gift their bridesmaids with the jewelry to wear on the wedding day. While it seems like a great idea, this gift is more about the bride and less about the bridesmaids. This same concept applies to anything for the wedding—mani-pedis, salon visits, facials, etc. If you’d like to pay for their jewelry, take the extra step and thank them with another gift as well. The entire day is about you. Make the gift about them.

Make it personal.
Your bridesmaids are individuals. Try to put some thought into each gift instead of purchasing or making the same gift for everyone. Many websites sell inexpensive monogrammed gifts, such as tote bags, frames, or bath towels. But you don’t have to monogram something to make it personal. Gift ideas are endless! If one bridesmaid loves to cook, find a nice cookbook. If another loves theater, buy her tickets to a show. If you’d prefer to give your bridesmaids something more similar, try to put a little twist on each gift to make it personal. With a more limited budget, make your bridesmaids something special like personalized jewelry, scarves, a piece of art, or a scrapbook.

Find more creative wedding tips in our blog by the Beechwood Hotel, a premier MA wedding venue.

There are also personal goals to consider. If you’re looking to escape every ounce of home life and routines, you may not want to merge your exercise and travel routines. If you’re looking to eat indulgently, you may wish to incorporate some form of exercise into your trip in order to burn those extra calories. And if you’re very serious about your fitness goals and want to continue improving upon what you’ve started, then there are many ways to blend exercise and travel.

Our favorite type of “travel exercise” is that which is natural and fun. For instance, when you visit the Beechwood Hotel in Worcester, Massachusetts, your travel and exercise routine may include hiking the nature trails, skiing the slopes, or bicycling on the Blackstone Valley bike paths. Exercise and travel go hand-in-hand when you simply incorporate it into your day’s activities in this way.

But what about if you’re traveling for business and have a tight itinerary? Or the climate doesn’t lend itself to safe outdoor exercise? Must you give up exercise for the sake of travel? Absolutely not! There are quick and easy ways to merge exercise and travel, even if they’re not the full routine you’re used to.

What are some tried and true fixes for fitting exercise into your travel itinerary?

Jump ropes pack easily and skipping rope can be done in the hallway, as long as you don’t disturb your neighbors.

Good old calisthenics can be done anywhere. Take along some resistance bands for extra mileage.

Strengthening your core is perhaps the easiest exercise and travel combination to pull off. There is essentially no equipment required. Just a little self-discipline.

Google a few “prison-style” workouts that can be done in tight spaces before you hit the road. Then, if your room is exceptionally small, you will still be able to exercise in spite of the travel.

And don’t forget speed-walking or jogging for some cardio. It’s a great way to explore your new surroundings.

Keep in mind that exercise and travel, while they can be blended to achieve results, are still not the same as your regular routine. At the Beechwood Hotel in Worcester, Massachusetts, we’re happy when our guests are happy.

Be gentle with yourself. Slip in a few exercises in the morning, a few more before you retire, and if you’re able, squeeze in a few more during the day. Exercising while on the road often requires willpower. Celebrate the success of any exercise and travel combination that you pull off, no matter how small.

Do you have any tips of your own for merging exercise and travel? What are your favorite exercises when traveling?

1.  A picture is worth a thousand words.
To put a fun twist on the typical guest book, set up a photo booth that prints two strips of photos: one for the bride and groom, another for the guests to take home. Display a book with place holders for the photos with room for written messages. A Polaroid camera works too!

2.  Create a memory quilt.
Provide squares of fabric for guests to sign. After the wedding, piece the fabric together in a memory quote.

3.  Think outside the box.
Choose an object that relates to the theme of the wedding or your relationship, such as a pair of skis or a rocking chair for guests to sign. Afterwards, display it in your home where you can always look back on the memorable day.

4.  Piece together memories.
Get a custom-made puzzle of the bride and groom. Place a bowl of pieces on each table for guests to sign. Once the wedding’s over, keep the pieces in a jar or put them together on your anniversary.

5.  Guest Book Jar
Instead of a typical book, place a guest book jar on a table. Fill the jar with seashells, flower petals, etc. and ask guests to place their messages in the jar.

6.  Sign with a thumbprint.
Find of an interesting way to use the guests’ thumbprints. For example, as tree branches or part of a picture that relates to the theme of the wedding. Allow them to write messages as well.

7.  Paint a masterpiece.
Set up a blank canvas and instruct guests to paint messages and pictures for the bride and groom. If they visit your home in the future, they’ll love to see their work displayed on your wall.

8.  Ask a question!
Place a different open-ended question on each table, such as “What should we do on date nights?” Have fun read the variety of answers after the wedding.

9.  Mail a message.
In place of the guest book, provide a stack of addressed postcards featuring places special to the couple. Ask a friend to mail them after the wedding, or have the guests send them anytime throughout the first year of marriage.

10.  Write on a bottle of champagne.
Ask guests to sign a bottle of champagne and open it on a pre-determined anniversary. After the bottle is empty, you can continue to display it in your home.

11.  Make it your own.
If you would rather stick to a typical guest book, try creating one to match your style or theme. Start with a blank journal and decorate any way you desire by picking up supplies from a local craft store.

Continue to check our blog for more tips from our top wedding planners at the Beechwood, a premier MA wedding venue.

How does one manage to pack so lightly? The following packing tips go into more depth about how to fit all of one’s belongings into a small, carry-on piece of luggage.

• Plan

The first of these packing tips is to make a list and check it twice. After creating the original list, scan through it again. Imagine yourself at your destination without each item. If you believe your future self would be able to manage without it, then don’t pack it. Chances are, once you have reached your destination you will care less about being a fashionista and more about experiencing all of the sights. Consider if re-wearing or laundering is a possibility. If you can follow these packing tips and make do without something, then you will cut down on a lot of space.

It is a best practice of packing tips to check the weather forecast for your destination before packing. Allow for a little bit of leeway in this area—if a jacket seems unnecessary, you may still want to consider packing a sweatshirt should the area become colder at night. However, packing with layers in mind will allow for more room.

• Pack Neatly

As one can imagine, throwing a bunch of clothes into a suitcase and then attempting to shut it is a difficult task. Take these packing tips even further by learning the best tricks for taking up the smallest amount of space.

Among these packing tips is the idea of rolling clothes. Take a shirt or other clothing item, fold it in half, and then roll. This will make the article of clothing more compact and will also help prevent against wrinkles. Bundling clothes around bigger objects (such as hair dryers or toiletry bags) is another great packing tip to conserve space.

• Bring Mini Everything

Sure, it may be easier just to grab a full tube of toothpaste and the entire medicine cabinet when packing, but purchasing mini versions of all toiletries will save a lot of space. Repurpose old hotel shampoo bottles if the brands you use aren’t available in the travel section of your local drugstore. If a computer is necessary on your trip, consider bringing an iPad or Netbook instead of your full-sized laptop.

With these packing tips in mind, a week’s worth of luggage should be able to fit into a carry-on sized bag. It is important to check your specific airline for the correct size and weight of a carry-on bag before completing these packing tips.

Whether you are packing light or have a lot of luggage, Beechwood Hotel in Worcester, MA is happy to accommodate you in any manner that you may require. Please contact us to learn more about how we can assist you in making your trip as comfortable as possible.

Picturesque Central Massachusetts is home to a number of parks that can provide the perfect backdrop to a romantic picnic.

The following is a list of the best places in Worcester for a romantic picnic date.

Elm Park

Elm Park is the most renowned historic park in Worcester, and the perfect spot for a romantic picnic. The most defining feature of Elm Park is its historic bridges. Many would consider this romantic picnic destination as the best place for a date on this list, as it is the site of many wedding ceremonies. Therefore, a romantic picnic will definitely be in store at your visit.

Worcester Common

Worcester Common is centrally located, so it’s the perfect choice for city dwellers that would prefer a less remote yet romantic picnic setting. On the west end of the Worcester Common sits the recently updated City Hall building, along with a variety of beautiful fountains and historical statues. Worcester Common is a favorite among local workers and students, thanks to the abundance of park benches and areas conducive to romantic picnics.

Green Hill Park

Green Hill Park is the largest public park in Worcester. Located off Route 9 on Belmont Street, Green Hill Park houses two sprawling ponds that can act as an excellent view for your romantic picnic. Green Hill Park is also home to a farm that is free to the public, so you can build a visit to the farm into your romantic picnic date.

Ecotarium

The Ecotarium is a unique science museum that houses both indoor and outdoor exhibits. Included in the Ecotarium admission fee is the chance to explore their 55 acres worth of nature trails, and even a tree canopy walkway. Surely at some point during your outdoor adventure you and your date will become hungry, so you may choose any one of the scenic areas on their 55 acres for your romantic picnic. With the Ecotarium, you have the ability to explore a museum and learn about science and nature as well as host a romantic picnic date.

Lake Park

Enjoy a portion of the four mile-long Lake Quinsigamond during your romantic picnic at Quinsigamond State Park. The park offers facilities such as fishing, swimming, sailing, and of course, picnicking. With a backdrop of boats sailing on the water, Lake Park is just the romantic picnic area for the nautically-inclined.

Please contact us at Beechwood Hotel to learn more about things to do around Worcester, MA during your stay.

Do you have a favorite spot in Worcester for having a romantic picnic?

Despite an inability to fully digest processed corn, a majority of beef cattle in the United States are raised on a grain diet. Grain fed cattle are trapped in tight quarters where disease can easily spread, on feed lots also known as Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs). Not only are these cattle administered artificial growth hormones and antibiotics in order to increase the speed and size of their meat output, but their excessive amounts of concentrated waste poses a threat to the environment.

Grass fed beef is leaner, because the cattle grow at a normal rate and are not injected with artificial growth hormones. Plus, the manure of cattle living in grass pastures can be recycled into the ground as a fertilizer, rather than emitting toxic methane gases into the environment. Therefore, grass fed beef holds a much greater health benefit.

Even some so-called “grass fed beef” animals, however, spend the ladder part of their lives in CAFOs. Oftentimes, beef producers will label their meat as “grass fed”, because the animal spent the beginning of its life freely eating grass, until it was brought to a feed lot to be boosted with hormones. It is important for consumers to watch out for these marketing tricks and seek out beef that is 100% grass fed in order to ensure their health and the well-being of the environment.

Del Terruño grass fed beef is a special kind of meat, in that its producers are fully dedicated to the quality and treatment of its animals. In fact, Del Terruño prides itself on a traceability program that allows the consumer to follow their animal through the raising, packing, distribution, and purchase processes. Consumers of Del Terruño beef hail its tender and delicious taste that can only come from the best breeding and a grass fed diet.

Interested in sampling some of Del Terruño’s grass fed beef on your own? Ceres Bistro, located in Worcester, MA, was the first restaurant in New England to serve Del Terruño beef, and they still continue to use nothing but the best today. Stop by for a Del Terruño 100% Grass Fed Rib-eye, and not only will you be blown away by the taste, but you can also walk away feeling that you did your part to help yourself, be a part of the ethical treatment of animals, and make an impact the environment!

It’s time to make your travel packing easy.  Just because you can fit everything you own into your rolling suitcase doesn’t mean you should try.  (Your back agrees with us.)   It can also be tough to keep up with the changing security rules and regulations at airports if you are flying.   With the help of About.com and Forbes Travel Guide, we’ve compiled a list of travel packing tips sure to make your vacation preparation smarter and less stressful.  As a bonus, you’ll also avoid receiving the evil eye from fellow travelers who don’t have time for you to heft a whole 5-piece luggage set onto the airport shuttle.

Travel Packing Tips for Airline Travelers

Not all airlines have the same size requirements for carry-on luggage.  As part of your travel packing prep, check your airline’s website to find their restrictions.

When you plan your travel packing for carry-on only, remember that carry-on baggage is one small piece of luggage you take on the plane, and you can also take one small personal item in addition.  This one personal item is not to be the same size as the carry-on.  Instead, examples of personal items are laptops or camera cases, purses or small backpacks, and briefcases.

Don’t over-pack your luggage when travel packing.  As sure as you do, Murphy’s Law says that’s probably when an airport security screener will need to check your bags.  If there’s only one exact way to fit all 150 items back in that suitcase, you will be left to put the puzzle back together.  There are also weight limitations, so be careful about how much you cram.  It can cost you big in fees.

When planning your travel packing, put personal belongings in clear plastic bags so a Transportation Security Administration (TSA)  screener will only have to look at the bag and not delve into your things.

Follow the TSA 3-1-1 rule when travel packing:  3.4 ounce bottle or less; 1 quart-sized, clear plastic, zip-top bag; 1 bag per passenger can be put in the screening bin.  Each passenger can only bring one quart-sized bag.  There are a few exceptions to the 3-1-1 rule and they can be found here.

Pack footwear on top of your other luggage contents to make it easier for security to check it.

If you are taking gifts with you, wait until you get to your destination to wrap them.  TSA is not required to unwrap them, but if a bag sets off an alarm, security officers may have to unwrap the gift to take a closer look.

Travel Packing Tips to Save on Space and Stress

Look for unused nooks and crannies when you are travel packing.  The pockets in your luggage aren’t the only way to maximize and organize your storage space.  Your shoes are just containers that normally hold your feet.  Instead, let them hold rolled up socks or underwear.

Speaking of shoes, pare down your selection.  Travel packing is all about planning ahead, so you can’t take every pair of shoes “just in case.”  When it comes down to it, a dressy pair and a comfortable, casual pair (tennis shoes, perhaps) are generally all you will need.

As Ivanka Trump shared with Forbes, “Instead of packing things as they come to mind, I pack for each day.  That way I can take a more mindful approach to organizing my bag and crossing off things I don’t need.”  Organizing your travel packing by day ensures you’re more mindful of what’s necessary instead of packing your whole closet and then picking out your wardrobe when you get where you’re going.

Forbes Travel Guide correspondent Melanie Nayer learned this important travel packing tip from a flight attendant friend: “Bulkier items (sweaters, jackets, etc.) should be folded flat at the bottom of your luggage, then roll everything else.”

Probably the greatest key to travel packing is acknowledging the versatility of jeans.  These days jeans are appropriate almost anywhere, even in very nice restaurants, as long as they are paired with dressier shirts and shoes.  Why pack three pairs of pants or two pairs and a dress, when jeans will do for every occasion?

Remember that it is ok to recycle what you are wearing.  Shirts and pants can be worn more than once as long as you are not a messy eater.  But seriously, no one will notice if you are wearing the same thing you wore three days ago.  They’re more worried about their own wardrobe and whether anyone has noticed that they wore the same shirt the day before yesterday.  A five day trip doesn’t mean your travel packing must include five different shirts and pairs of pants (although we still endorse taking five pairs of underwear).

When travel packing, choose a simple color palette and stick with it, whether it’s black, brown, navy, or even pastels.  As long as the color family is the same, you can mix and match more readily and won’t have to take so many different items of clothing.  This even narrows down the jewelry that would be packed.

Smart travel packing is an important part of having a fun and stress-free vacation.  While it’s true that many hotels, such as The Beechwood Hotel, offer toiletries and a few other often-forgotten items, they can’t replace the favorite sweater or necklace you meant to bring or didn’t have room to pack.  Take the time to be methodical about your travel packing and it will pay off in the long run.

Contact us at the Beechwood Hotel in Worcester, Massachusetts, to plan your next vacation.  We can also answer questions about the items we keep on hand in case you forget them.  What are the best travel packing tips you’ve ever used?  Join us in the comments section below and let’s discuss the best ways to make travel packing easy!

Sign Up for Emails

Months before you plan a trip, it’s a good idea to sign up for promotional emails with the hotels, airlines, and travel sites you expect to use.  If you sign up for them months in advance, you may find that the deals come to you via email without even having to search for them.  That way, you’re almost letting someone else plan a trip for you.

Read Reviews Online

Short of that, fire up your computer, because it will be your best friend as you plan a trip.   You may still be looking for inspiration when it comes to deciding where you want to go, and the Internet can offer thousands of ideas when you plan a trip.  The Boston Globe published and article about how to plan a trip online with your smartphone, and it mentioned,

“Some sites are designed to whet your appetite for specific destinations, properties, or activities. For example, a new site called triptuner.com — with a home page resembling a slot machine — helps you choose and design a trip uniquely suited to your tastes and interests. Vayable.com operates like a matchmaker, picking local guides who provide unique ‘insider’ tours and experiences for travelers.”

Now that you’ve found your inspiration to plan a trip, online is where you will find the truth about the places you’re considering visiting.  Reviewers on the World Wide Web have no other motivation than to rave about a place they loved or warn potential guests against a place that was disappointing, and that honesty can come in handy when you plan a trip.  Tripadvisor.com is still one of the most trafficked review sites and is a great place to start.  When you plan a trip, you may think you know what you want, but getting the real deal from actual customers will help you narrow down your options.

Figure Out When You Need To Go

Once you’ve decided on your destination, the next step when you plan a trip is to find out which travel dates are going to be the best deal.  Depending on the season (or even how soon you want to travel), you can find incredible discounts on hotel rooms, cruises, and flights.  If your travel dates are flexible, travel auction sites can be the best way to plan a trip.  Travel + Leisure published an article about the savings one can experience if you plan a trip through a travel auction site.  Priceline, Inspirato, Jetsetter, Vacationist, and LuxuryLink are just a few of the popular travel auction sites to visit when you plan a trip.  Travel + Leisure also has these tips when you plan a trip with a travel auction site:

• Do read the fine print and know what you’re signing on for prior to bidding or booking.

• Make sure you look closely at the valid travel dates for the package you are bidding on and have the dates you want to travel in mind.

• Check for flight availability during your ideal time frame and call the hotel or try the hotel website in advance for availability; it might help you avoid disappointment, especially during high season.

• Auctions are non-refundable, but there is a “Buy Now” option that costs slightly more if you want to lock in a rate and have more flexibility on making date changes.

• Trust your instincts. If a deal seems too good to be true, that may very well be the case.

Call the Hotel

Finally, a good tip to know when you plan a trip is that calling a hotel directly can sometimes lead to a better deal than one you would find online.  Much the same way an accountant can find deductibles you didn’t know about, the person helping you at the hotel will be happy to answer your questions about special discounts they may have, be they AAA, AARP, or corporate.  Hotels also sometimes have discounts for local residents, so if you’re looking to plan a trip that is a staycation, you wouldn’t know about these discounts without calling.

The Beechwood Hotel in Worcester, Massachusetts, is an AAA Four Diamond Award winner whose stellar service and assistance is extended to all guests.  If you want to plan a trip to central Massachusetts to experience the beauty of New England, the knowledgeable staff at the Beechwood is always more than happy to assist you.  Call us with questions about attractions in the area, specials we’re offering, and events you can include in your trip.  We want to help you plan a trip to last a lifetime (or at least until the next time you visit us.)

Join us in the comments section below and let us know the best tips you have to plan a trip on your own.  What has worked well for you in the past?