October 2008 Archives

I ended up getting one of the Bridesmaids Gift Totes from Dessy.com. I have to admit to you...I wasn't getting it for a wedding. I got the bag because I liked it for day to day use and I have bee using it for months now. Not only has it totally stayed sturdy, but its colors have stayed brilliant. But I no longer have the bag. My sister came to visit me a few weeks ago and she fell in love with my hot pink gift tote. Turns out she wants to use the bag for day to day use, too. Being the awesome big sister that I am...I let her have it. The moral of this story? These bags are remarkably practical and fashionable, regardless of whether you're using them for a wedding or not. The plus? You can easily use them for a wedding and continue to use them long after. Seriously. I miss mine already!

If you have a pet, you probably adore your pet. The same thing probably applies to your partner. Dealing with where to put your pet(s) on the big day can certainly be a point of stress. On one hand, it might seem as though bringing your pet to the wedding is absolutely taboo and not acceptable because of the possible damage a pet could cause to a venue, clothing, guests, etc.

But, and this may come to your surprise, pets are being incorporated into weddings more and more these days.

It makes sense though, right? If your dog is part of your life (and family), it makes sense that you would want the dog to be present during the wedding. A common trend lately is to let the ring bearer take care of the dog. The dog usually is dressed up with the pillow tied around his neck and the ring secured into the pillow. Most dogs are totally able to do this - even under pressure!

Some churches and other venues will not be okay with this. Make sure that you check beforehand and if you need to, have an outdoor wedding to include your pet!

The key to any great wedding often seems to be a well executed wedding rehearsal. If you're considering skipping your wedding rehearsal, I would certainly advise against this. Rehearsals help to put everything in tact for the ceremony and loosen a lot of nerves that the participants may be having.

If you're planning your wedding rehearsal, you probably have a few questions. Here are some tips:

1. Only invite your immediate family and the participants to the wedding rehearsal. The wedding ceremony should be kept sacred for everyone else who will be attending.

2. Don't freak out. If something doesn't go the way you want it to during the rehearsal, don't assume that it will be as messy during the actual ceremony.

3. Keep your focus. The whole point of the wedding is to celebrate your love for your partner. Don't let the details distract you too much.

4. Socialize. Your wedding rehearsal is a great way to socialize with your closest family members. You may not have a chance to talk to them all as in depth on the day of the actual ceremony.

5. Don't act too crazy! Don't jeopardize the things you have worked hard on, your appearance, your car, etc. for the sake of having a crazy wedding rehearsal. Keep it calm and collected and go all out after the actual wedding.

If you're stressing out about a wedding cake for an upcoming wedding, you should know that you are not the only person in the history of weddings who has stressed out about this. In fact, there are probably a lot of people worrying about the same thing that you're worrying about: the cake.

Not only is it complicated to try to find an affordable, delicious, and beautiful cake, but trying to imagine how messy things get when the cake cutting begins is another bit of anxiety to throw fuel on the fire. There is, however, a simple solution to the stress that tends to accompany wedding cakes.

The cupcake wedding cake.

Not only are cupcake wedding cakes something that you can make on your own if you're in the business of making your own wedding cake, but they make the cake experience easier on the guests, too.

Cupcake wedding cakes can be just as colorful, unique, and fancy as regular wedding cakes. With a cupcake wedding cake, however, you don't have to cut slices of a cake at the reception. Instead, everyone can just take the individual cupcakes from the cake. This makes it all much easier, right? Above is a picture of a cupcake wedding cake, and if this sparks your interest, I encourage you to do some research on these sorts of cakes. They're brilliant!

Wedding themes are incredibly popular. After all, what better way is there for you to choose a distinct group of colors or type of decoration than to choose a specific theme? A lot of people have come to this same conclusion over time and have decided to have themed weddings.

If you're one of those people helping to plan a wedding, you might be wondering exactly what kind of themes you should be considering. Here are some themes that have proven to be popular that you might want to take some hints from.

1. Beach.
Beach weddings are popular. From having the ceremony on the actual beach to decorating the tables at the reception with things like shells and starfish, beach wedding themes provide lots of room for creativity.

2. Floral.
Some people make their entire wedding themes floral. They pick a few different types of flowers and colors and go from there. Floral weddings can be incredibly beautiful if done correctly.

3. Autumn.
Autumn weddings are also popular. Intertwining autumn colors and objects into a wedding makes it easier to plan. From colored leaves decorating the aisle to pumpkin flavored cake, this theme can definitely be a winner.

4. Gothic/Medieval.
A lot of girls dream of being a princess in a wedding one day and choosing a gothic/medieval wedding theme is a sure way to capture the royal mood.

Of course there are plenty of other themes and some are much more specific than these. The idea, however, is to bring a cohesive idea to the table and run with it. Plus it makes the whole process a lot easier if you only have a few colors to work with.

As a bridesmaid or a maid of honor at a wedding, your ultimate objective in the wedding and the wedding planning should be to help the bride in every way possible. You'd be surprised how many women forget their important role and focus more on themselves during the wedding process than they do the bride. It's an easy trap to fall into, but it's one that you should try to get out of immediately should you find yourself falling into it. In order to help keep your attention on the bride, here are some ways in which you can really help the bride out before the wedding and on the wedding day in order to be a bigger help than even she may have expected you to be.

1. Address and mail all invitations.
2. Handle all of the phone calls involved in the planning.
3. Take her to a beauty salon/spa before the wedding.
4. Make yourself known to the guests so they can ask you the questions that they shouldn't be asking the bride.
5. Help out the family. If the family knows they can depend on you for answers, the bride won't be so stressed out.
6. Find out what kind of music she wants and book it yourself. Have all dealings with the musicians be through you.
7. Arrange for the wedding day transportation. This includes to the airport for the honeymoon.
8. Speaking of honeymoon, consider helping the bride pack for the getaway.
9. Give the groom tips on how to calm down or flatter the bride. Trust me, he doesn't always know.
10. Help to make sure things run on time. If something is running late, you should be the one to go the extra mile and talk to the priest, managers of the venue, DJ, etc.

Certain topics at weddings should be avoided at all costs. There's absolutely nothing that you can do to make sure that your wedding runs as smoothly and flawlessly as you would like to think that it can, but there are certainly things that you can do to help prevent big blowouts. One of those things is to make sure you (and your best friends and family members) steer the conversations on the big day away from topics that can be controversial. A lot of times, it can be perceived as rude to suddenly change the topic of a conversation at hand, but when it comes down to weddings, I beg to differ. It's totally okay to change the topic of conversation at a wedding if the topic is bound to stir an argument. Nothing is more unwanted at a wedding than an argument, so here are some topics to try to avoid at all costs.

1. Religion
2. Politics
3. Sex
4. Money
5. Past Arguments
6. Diet Choices
7. Lifestyle Choices

Avoid these 7 deadly conversation topics, and you should be a lot more clear on your path toward a happy wedding for all.

I think a lot of girls dream of having a huge wedding one day. They swell with ideas of what their dress will look like. They grow ecstatic just thinking of what kind of flowers they'll have ornament the wedding aisle and they start planning the sort of meal they want served at their reception long before it's even remotely appropriate. For a lot of girls, part of this elaborate fantasy is also the idea of a huge crowd of people at the wedding. After all, the more the merrier, right? Well, you could be wrong about this.

Before deciding to invite everyone you have ever known to your wedding, here are some things you should consider about having a gigantic wedding.

More people simply cost more money. This isn't just about the extra food and drinks. This is also about the space. If you have a ton of people, you're going to have to rent out a larger space for your wedding and reception and bigger spaces typically cost more money.

More potential for problems. The more people you invite to your wedding, the more you need to be prepared for uncalled for drama and other unforeseeable issues. Each person comes to a wedding equipped with their own share of potential accidents-keep that in mind.

Less time for your close family and friends. The more people you have to attend to at your wedding, the less chance there is that you'll have the opportunity to spend any quality time with those who you are closest with.

So ask yourself before you start mailing off hundreds of invitations, do you really need a huge wedding?

A lot of people understand that a white wedding dress is simply traditional. In fact, a lot of women steer away from choosing a dress that is actually their favorite color simply because they'd rather adhere to tradition by having a white dress. While this is all fine and good, I think it would suit us all to know a bit more background about the white dress, don't you?

So here are some facts about the white wedding dress that you may not have known before.

Mary Queen of Scots was one of the first women to wear white at her wedding. She wore it when she married Franois II of France.

White did not truly become a popular color for wedding dresses until 1840. The marriage of Queen Victoria and Albert of Saxe-Coburg is what made it popular during this time.

Prior to this time, it was always acceptable for a bride to have a colored dress. In fact, brides typically dressed in all colors with the exception of black and red.

Blue was the color that initially denoted virginity and purity, not white.

Now that you know a bit more of the background of the white dress, you shouldn't fee so crazy if you want to choose a wedding dress that is a color different than white.

Getting softer hair is a goal that many ladies have. Soft hair is easy to manage and looks great, too. But how do you get soft hair on your own? A simple answer, of course, could be to use a lot more product. From excess conditioner to certain mousses, products can make your hair a lot softer than you'd probably think. Here are some products that you probably have around your house that you can use in your hair in order to make it softer. The best part? They're totally natural and don't involve loads of chemicals that could damage your hair in the end.

1. Eggs.
Eggs have long been a great source of vitamins for human hair and leaving them in your hair for ten minutes or so will work as a conditioner.

2. Olive Oil.
You don't need much olive oil in your hair in order to see a significant difference. Just a teaspoon or two will soften your hair almost instantly.

3. Avocado/Banana.
There's this conditioner I make for myself that is really simple: 1 avocado mashed with 1 banana. I use a blender and add just a little bit of water. Leaving this in your hair for about ten minutes will not only make it softer, but it will also make it smell great.

Having soft hair on your wedding day is not impossible. However, trying to achieve softness can really be complicated if you use more chemicals than your hair is used to. Try natural ingredients instead!

Getting your hair cut before a wedding can certainly seem like a big event. In fact, I'd go as far to say that it is. You have an array of things to consider when making a move like this and doing one thing the wrong way could truly be a disaster. Here are some tips for cutting your hair before your upcoming wedding.

1. Don't go too bold.
Sure, you want people to notice that you've got a different kind of hairstyle, but if you do something too crazy, you might be sorry. What do I mean by crazy? For instance, if you've had long hair your whole life, don't get a buzz cut before the wedding.

2. Consider your face shape.
A lot of girls see haircuts on celebrities and decide that a certain hairstyle is for them when it is not. You have to look at the shape of a face in determining the appropriate haircut.

3. Make it manageable.
The last thing you want to do before a wedding is get a complicated cut. You want something that is going to look good without effort, right?

There are just some things to consider, keep them in mind!