A Bride's Best Friend

No, I'm not talking about Spanx, Foot Petals, or Waterproof Eyeliner. I'm not talking about your fiancee, your dog, or your mom, either. For me, one of the absolute most invaluable pieces in my wedding planning puzzle has been my Garmin Nuvi 250 GPS.


Mr. Cupcake and I have birthdays that are just a week apart (although he's two years older than me... that I will never let him forget), and for our birthdays last summer Momma Cupcake and now Stepdad Cupcake got us a portable Garmin to use in either of our cars. Within about three and a half seconds of beginning to use it, we were addicted. We even named it. ("It" is actually a "she" — her name is Nancy. That's Navigational Nancy, to you.) We often have custody disputes over Nancy, because we both love her so. And we totally refer to her as a "her" when we talk about her. I'm not gonna lie, it's a little weird.

I was not, by any means, blessed with a sense of direction when I was born. For years I have depended on printed Mapquest directions when driving to a new destination.... which has usually resulted in me being lost, frustrated, crying, or all of the above. I would always feel frazzled, stressed, and nervous venturing out without really knowing where I was going.

These days, I am always sure to bring Nancy along when trekking somewhere unfamiliar, especially when I'm zipping around the Philadelphia area to find a vendor. The day my mom and I attempted to hit up four bridal salons in one day (all in different towns)? Never would have been possible without Nancy (my mom has even less of a sense of direction than I do). The hair trial I traveled to in a residential neighborhood of Wilmington, Delaware? I would have totally ended up in New Jersey without Nancy.

Not only does Nancy tell me where to go, but she tells me when I'll get there, how to take a detour if a particular road is closed, and where to turn around if I miss my turn. You can even give her a British accent, which is a little friendlier than her American accent. (We also made her speak German once. That was fun for about 2 minutes.) Nancy has been a serious blessing in making at least one aspect of all of this wedding craziness much less stressful.

If you are a sense-of-direction-less bride like me, or you're planning a wedding in a new city or a foreign destination, I highly recommend that you invest in a Nancy all your own. Ours runs about $250, and although we didn't buy it, I know that it is worth. every. penny.

Happy travels!