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With just 3 days left to enter our Pantone Inspiration Board Design Contest for your chance to win $500 in Dessy Swag, I wanted to leave you this week with some of the amazing boards from our styleboard gallery. Now, get going and create your own board to upload to our Facebook page for your chance to win big! 

Amy Mason!! Congratulations to you Amy for being the randomly selected winner of $75 from Beau-coup Wedding Favors! Amy listed the yummy brownie pops and monogrammed petit fours as her top favors. Have fun shopping Amy! I'll be in touch soon with the details of how to claim your prize. And thanks to Beau-coup Wedding Favors for giving me the opportunity to host this cool contest!

The Most Loved Wedding Inspiration Board Contest has its first two winners! Congrats to Kaleisha and Brittany Dawn for your most loved boards! They are gorgeous and truly inspirational. Both winners have received:

• The Pantone Wedding Color Guide valued at $35.00

• $60.00 worth of Pantone Swatch Cards

• A quilted clutch worth $15

• $90 worth of fabric in their chosen colors

Check out Kaleisha's inspiration board using a palette of blues, purples, gray and yellow. Lovely!
Brittany Dawn's winning board uses aqua and red accented by pink, gold, green and ivory. Beautiful!
There are still 3 more chances to win! To enter go to the Dessy Website, create your inspiration style board using a minimum of 5 PANTONE colors, and one Dessy product. Then, visit Perfect Palette and leave a comment including the link to your board, your email, and a brief explanation of the colors you chose and the vision behind your inspiration board.

Winners will need to be in the 'most loved' category in the Dessy Gallery so we encourage you to use the share on Facebook feature to show your board some love. For more details go to Perfect Palette. A winner will be chosen every Friday for the next 3 weeks.

Home to some of the best wedding invites, save the dates and more, Wedding Paper Divas has a new contest that is truly phenomenal! They have paired with Beaucoup and us here at The Dessy Group to offer a fabulous $1700 Wedding Style package that includes:

• $500 gift certificate from Wedding Paper Divas

• $200 gift certificate from Beau-coup

• $1,000 gift certificate from The Dessy Group

Use the $500 from Wedding Paper Divas to find your ideal wedding invitations; the $200 from Beau-coup wedding and bridal shower favors and bridal party gifts; and the $1,000 from The Dessy Group to choose up to 5 styles or combination of styles from the spring 2010 Dessy Collection.

To enter, you get to create an inspiration style board that includes a photo of you and your love, your fave colors, and your love story. All of the luscious details can be found at Wedding Paper Divas. A new winner will be chosen once per month through June 2010. $1700!! Get going!

We have a special surprise for you! Beau-coup Favors is offering a $75 gift card to one lucky winner toward anything on their site! Talk about a sweet Valentine's Day gift to yourself. I know all of you hard working brides to be deserve some self pampering so listen up. Beau-coup carries everything from wedding favors, to baby shower favors, and party favors for all occasions including items for the most romantic time of the year--Valentine's Day.
Images:personalized mint tins, mini glass candy jars, heart glass photo coasters, personalized silk fans, cherry blossom glass coasters

Announce your upcoming wedding with some photo save-the-date magnets, and if you're hosting an engagement party be sure to pay tribute to your latest piece of jewelry by adding diamond ring accents to your party. Beau-coup's diamond ring keychains make elegant favors that will keep your guests in a loving mood.
Images: heart whisks, diamond ring keychain, diamond ring wine stopper, personalized hand lotion, photo save-the-date magnets

Some heart-shaped wedding favors would be perfect for a Valentine's Day wedding. Your guests will be smitten with the heart shaped sugar cubes or do it yourself and hand out some heart shaped cookies with the help of Beau-coup's heart shaped cookie cutters!
Images: heart tea infusers, sugar in a tube, personalized chocolate lollipops, mini vanilla heart candles, heart shaped cookie cutters

HOW TO ENTER

• Post a comment here under this blog telling me which item(s) from the Beau-coup Favors website you'd love to get if you win! Be sure to include your email in your comment.

• Giveaway ends Thursday, February 18th at midnight PST. Winner will be chosen randomly and announced on Friday, February 19th. Good Luck everyone!

Dessy + Perfect Palette= Love! The Perfect Palette has teamed up with Dessy to offer you the 'Most Loved' Wedding Inspiration Board Contest. And there are 4 more chances to win!! Just as exciting as the prizes is the opportunity to share your inspiration style board in the new style board gallery. Every week for the next 4 weeks Perfect Palette will be choosing one lucky winner who'll receive $200 in Dessy essentials.

Winners will receive:

• The Pantone Wedding Color Guide valued at $35.00. Use the guide to help coordinate your perfect wedding color palette

• $60.00 worth of Pantone Swatch Cards

• $90.00 worth of fabric in your chosen colors

• And we're throwing in a quilted clutch worth $15 

To enter simply go to the Dessy website and create your own inspiration style board using a minimum of 5 PANTONE colors, and one Dessy product. Once you're finished, visit Perfect Palette and leave a comment including the link to your board, your email, and a brief explanation of the colors you chose, and the vision behind your inspiration board.

Winners will need to be in the 'most loved' category in the Dessy Gallery so we encourage you to use the share on Facebook feature to show your board some love. For more details go to Perfect Palette. A winner will be chosen every Friday for the next 4 weeks.

Confessions of a huge flower child here. It is hard for me to not post about flowers each and every day. So I'll settle for doing it as often as I can. I have a home full of flower scarves, jewelry, tapestry, paintings, and my newest obsession? Fabric flowers. Beyond all that I can fit in my home :), they are absolutely perfect for your wedding day. For Bouquets, decor, boutonnieres, you name it-fabric flowers are the thing. Best of all they last forever!

A few of my favorite fabric flower creators are on Etsy. I found and fell in love with these beauties at Milkpod Studio. The colors, the textures..swoon!

I found these on Funky Fabric Flowers. I am digging the ribbons and frays and of course the adorable buttons.
These inspiring bright, lacy button creations I found at Kreated by Kelly.
If you're the DIY type and want to give a go at creating your own fabulous fabric flowers visit I Do Take U  where you can find the entire tutorial for this beauty below.

Another DIY tutorial from Green Upgrader will inspire you with these colorful fabrics and lacy details.

If you are planning to have fabulous fabric flowers at your wedding, comment here and show me some of your faves. I always have room for more!

Wedding invitations, bridal shower invitations, save the date cards and lots more of essentials for your wedding planning-Wedding Paper Divas has it all! I recently spent some time browsing their website for perfectly gorgeous invites and found perfectly gorgeous stationary, menus, place cards, favors and the list goes on.  I insist you have a look for yourself. Their featured designers and wedding planning services will make you upset you hadn't found their site sooner! Here are some samples of their lovely offerings:

One of my favorite wedding essentials at Wedding Paper Divas is their selection of ideas for what to do with your big day photos. You can create wall art, a gallery wrapped canvas, mounted prints, and custom photo gifts like these photo albums. Love it!

Another feature to be sure not to miss is their free custom wedding website service. You can match your website design with your save the date cards and invites, add music, an online RSVP, photos and a blog. Now, of all special moments in your life-it's time to be a Diva!

Dessy + Perfect Palette=Love! The Perfect Palette has teamed up with Dessy to offer you the 'Most Loved' Wedding Inspiration Board Contest.  What's even more exciting than the fun of creating your own board and sharing it in the new style board gallery, are the prizes! For the next 5 weeks Perfect Palette will be choosing one lucky winner who'll receive $200 in Dessy essentials.

Winners will receive:

• The PANTONE WEDDING Color Guide valued at $35.00. Use the guide to help coordinate your perfect wedding color palette. It's small enough to fit in your purse and makes it so easy to match your bridesmaid's dresses, flower girl dresses, accessories, menswear, flowers, invitations and all of your decor.
• Winners will receive $60.00 worth of Pantone Swatch Cards.
• $90.00 worth of fabric in your chosen colors
• And we're throwing in a quilted clutch worth $15

How to enter you ask? Simply go to the Dessy website and create your own inspiration style board using a minimum of 5 PANTONE colors, and one Dessy product. Once you're finished visit Perfect Palette and leave a comment including the link to your board, your email, and a brief explanation of the colors you chose, and the vision behind your inspiration board.

Winners will need to be in the 'most loved' category in the Dessy Gallery so we encourage you to use the share on Facebook feature to show your board some love :) For more details go to The Perfect Palette. A winner will be chosen every Friday for 5 weeks beginning February 5. Go and create, I can't wait to see your inspiring styles!

When it comes to outfitting the littlest members of your wedding party, the cuteness is in the details!  I wanted to share this adorable boys clip bow tie and this little man bella satin zip neck tie from Dessy. So sweet!

  Your cute little man also has a very important job. When he presents your sparkle why not do it uniquely? I found this great DIY ring bearer pillow made from fluffy green mums at mydiywedding.com.

  Another unique presentation from MyJeanM.com is this silver rose ring box. Love it!

And these custom made pillows from The You*Nique Boutique are hand sewn using your selections of satin fabrics, ribbons, flowers and details.

  Don't forget to thank your little helper after the big day. Some great gift ideas can be found at goweddinggifts.com. They have everything from personalized baseball bats to harmonicas and piggy banks. Have fun thanking and decking out your little man!

Join Dessy Group on Facebook!

The Dessy Group has a new fan page and we want you! Become a fan and enter to receive a free DESSY PANTONE WEDDING color eco-tote. Due to popular demand we have just extended our offer to include the first 1000 fans. Click here for the tote offer.

As a fan be prepared for new contests in the new year!

Also, check out the new Pantone Wedding 2010 Color Guide, the essential wedding color planning tool, now available for pre-order at $35 (includes a free color promotional tote while supplies last.)

Need more inspiration for your wedding? Visit PANTONE WEDDING where you can make your own free digital inspiration board, and share your designs with friends & family.

If you're lucky enough to have a Christmas wedding coming up or are planning one for next year, well, I'm jealous! There is so much you can do to make a winter holiday wedding absolutely gorgeous, and the best part is you may already have some of the decorations in your holiday storage closet!

For your wedding and reception venue pull out your festive wreaths and decorate with twinkling white lights and soft fluffy red bows.

 photo by Maurice Photo

Decorate your tables with tiny Christmas ornaments along with wrapping your wedding favors in tiny adorable gift boxes. And for your wedding bouquet? Vibrant poinsettias of course!

I found these absolutely amazing Christmas and winter themed wedding cakes at Colettes Cakes. Almost too good to eat!

For wedding and bridesmaid dresses that will bring out the season try a faux fur shrug over these After Six, Dessy, and Sandals Destinations dresses from Dessy. You can mix and match the colors to get the perfect mix of red and green or any combination that says 'My Christmas Wedding!' to you.

Need more ideas? Instead of clinking glasses, your guests could hold up mistletoe; put flickering candles surrounded by sprigs of holly on your tables; use favorite Christmas carols for your wedding music; give candy canes wrapped in ribbons with your names on them.

Bottom line with a Christmas wedding? Have fun, be creative and don't be shy with bright colors and traditional decorations-everyone loves them! 

If you're having a holiday wedding leave a comment with your decorating ideas!

Christmas wedding reception photos by Nonantum Resort

Today is the last day to enter the Dessy Group $500 giveaway! All you have to do is create your own wedding inspiration style board with the help of Dessy and Pantone. Get those creative juices flowing and be sure to use at least one Dessy product. See the last winning inspiration board above to get some great ideas. How do you enter you ask? Quickly go to weddingchicks.com for all the details and links to enter your fine board. Hurry! 

Ideal as a gift for Mother's Day, hostesses, and summer bridal parties, the travel bag designed exclusively for Beauty.com is a sophisticated cosmetic and toiletry bag. The Lela Rose encore design features wide stripes in fresh neutral shades from her current color palette with a convenient top zipper offering a pop of nautical navy. The Spring 2009 bag has a roomy collapsible shape, cotton canvas exterior, and multiple interior pockets, making it a quintessential accessory for both daily use and travel.

Valued at $150, the classic cosmetic bag comes filled with 15 hair, makeup, and skin care samples, the most full-and sample-sized products ever to be included in a designer gift with purchase bag on Beauty.com. Customers may receive all this for free with a $100 purchase on Beauty.com.

    1. Urban Decay Big Fatty Mascara, Black
    2. Laura Geller Blush-n-Brighten Compact, Golden Apricot 
    3. POP Beauty Eye Magnet Primer, No.1 Airbrushed
    4. It Cosmetics My Youthful Smile Duo, Signature Blue
    5. Nuxe Tonific Fermete Intensive Firming Cream
    6. Bliss Best of Skintentions with SPF15
    7. Borghese Piede Vitale Foot Creme
    8. ARCONA Papaya Enzyme Gel, Rejuvenate PM
    9. BVLGARI Omnia Amethyste Body Lotion
    10. Nick Chavez Beverly Hills Angel Wings Ultra-Light Styling Paste
    11. Rene Furterer Fioravanti Shine Enhancing Detangling Cream Rinse
    12. Jonathan Product Straightening Lotion
    13. CLARISONIC Gentle Hydro Cleanser, All/Sensitive Skin
    14. PHYTO Phytojoba Intense Hydrating Shampoo
    15. Stila Eye Shadow Pan, Shore

Beauty.com has been a backstage partner to Lela Rose during New York Fashion Week for the past two years. The behind-the-scenes beauty tutorial videos from these seasons are some of the most viewed in the Beauty.com video library.

Since then, Lela Rose and Beauty.com have continued their collaborations, creating last May's travel case -- widely featured in the press and extremely popular with customers, as well as the 'Stila Backstage with Lela Rose' which continues to be a top-selling gift set on Beauty.com.

"As always, Lela has designed a stylish and on-trend makeup bag that any woman would love to carry in her handbag," says Kathleen McNeill, president of Beauty.com. "Inside the bag, our customers will find an exciting assortment of beauty products from some of the most coveted brands in the industry. It's a fun way for our customers to experiment with some of their favorite brands as well as discovering some new ones."

Bridesmaid.com is the official blog of the Dessy Group.

Our designer, Vivian Diamond, is also a fan of Stila and has recently created a special bridesmaid's gift set, which includes a quilted color satin matching clutch bag.

The last thing on any bride's mind is what to give to other people, when the focus is on herself! The bridal party usually receives gifts from the bride and groom, ranging from jewelry to monogrammed tote bags, but keep in mind you want something personal and memorable that the bridesmaid or groomsman can use for years to come.

Here are some ideas for bridal party gifts:

• Gift certificates - personalize them for each person. These will save a lot of time and guarantee that each person gets something they will really use.
• Destination gifts - if your wedding is in a memorable destination, give them something they can use there. If you are having a beach wedding, consider an assortment of beach related items (towel, flip-flops, coverlet, etc.) If having a nice tan is something your bridesmaid/groomsman likes consider paying for a few tanning sessions that they can use when they get home to keep their sun-kissed look fresh. 
• Edible gifts - a good bottle of wine with glasses makes a nice gift for anyone. Print out labels or find a winemaker that will customize labels, to add a personal touch. For non-drinkers, do the same with a sparkling cider (or other drink in a nice bottle) or order a customized pack of Jones Soda (they print a photo of your choice on the label.)
• Homemade items - this can be more time consuming but shows that you are making an effort to say thank you. Soaps, candles, scrapbooks and jewelry are all easy and fun gifts to make.
• Pay for some of their expenses - paying for the dress/tux, shoes, accessories or hotel room can make a huge difference for many bridal party members. In some customs, this is the traditional bridal party gift.
  

There are so many options to what to give your bridesmaids and groomsmen, but make sure you figure this out early. You don't want to be scrambling at the last minute to get gifts for everyone when stress levels are at their highest!

Wedding favors are traditionally given to guests at the wedding ceremony as a thank you, but have we moved on from jordan almonds and customized matchbooks?

Wedding favors can come in all shapes and sizes and price ranges. Think about your guests. Are most of them flying in? If so, most liquids and flammable materials are out given the current airline restrictions. If you are having your wedding in a city or location that is famous for something, think local. If your wedding is in Maine, how about something with Blueberries or if it's in Florida, how about oranges? Guests, especially those that have never been to the area, will appreciate something with local flavor. Farmers markets are a great place to find locally prepared items, or at least get ideas. Go green with your favors. Edible favors are always a great idea since they will get used up with less waste. Customized cookies are a fun idea since they can be in any shape and size, and you don't have to do any of the work! Homemade soaps and lotions are also a green idea. What about giving a little customized packet of your favorite flower seeds. A wedding favor should remind the guests of you, so think about what you like and want to share. Whatever you choose, if it has to be wrapped, make sure to always use recycled packaging.

Some brides and grooms, however, are going a different route and not giving favors at all. That is perfectly fine too! Spend the extra money you save on favors on making the wedding more special for your guests. In the end, your guests will remember the event, not the little bag of candy they took home.

If you're ready to find the perfect diamond, you probably already know that you're going to have to spend a lot of time researching.  While this may not be a mystery at all, how to go about doing this research can certainly be mind-boggling.

Not sure where to start?  Here are some tips.  

Know Your Budget

Sure, we all wish we could have P-Diddy's budget for diamonds, but the fact of the matter is that most of us don't (and god bless your heart if you do).  What you need to do instead is find a way to pinpoint the finest diamond that your budget can afford.  The price of a diamond is going to depend on the combination it has of the four Cs:  Cut, Color, Clarity, and Carat.  The good news?  Diamonds don't depreciate, so your investment will be lasting.

Know The Facts

Most couples tend to spend around $2,000 on a diamond engagement ring.  However, few of them are educated in the four Cs.  Make sure that you know all about these diamond characteristics before you make your purchase.  

Know Your Style

The style of a diamond should certainly express your personality.  After all, there are so many different styles of diamonds to choose from, you should be able to find something that you truly connect with.  Make sure the ring is tried on before purchase.

Note to grooms to be:  You may not want to be quick to buy a ring.  Consider proposing without a ring, all romance aside.  Lets face it, most women can pick items like jewelry out for themselves much better than you can.  You don't want to spend loads of time trying to find the perfect ring and then be wrong, do you?

Also:

*Buy from only reputable jewelers! 

*Get the ring appraised to verify all facts on your bill of sale.  

If marriages are made in heaven, then a wedding at Sandals is like heaven on earth because no other resorts are so dedicated to couples in love. A Sandals WeddingMoon® is the perfect start to a perfect marriage, because they say that happily ever after begins there. Of course if you are going to have a beach wedding, a Sandals Destination Wedding dress is the ideal way to be in sync with any island resort. Right now Sandals bridal retailers are offering a free pair of wedding flip flops to brides just for viewing the collection. These tatami wedding sandals are just like the colored matching bridesmaids flip flops by Dessy Group everybody is raving about.

If the soon-to-be bride in your life is a vegan, you may be wondering about what your safest bets are for gift giving. After all, the last thing you want to do is give her something that she can't really use because it has got some sort of animal product involved in it that you had no idea about. It can be a touchy subject to bring up and an awkward moment if you do end up giving a gift that isn't welcomed. If you've got a vegan friend getting married, try some of these options for you gift:

YakPak makes some great vegan bags, check them out!

Juniper makes some very cute vegan boots that might make a nice gift.

Vegan cookbooks are always sure to make vegans in your life happy, too.

Gift baskets filled with vegan snacks are always warmly welcomed.

Beauty Without Cruelty is a cosmetics company that makes great products that are totally vegan.

These are just a few ideas. Make sure that you do consider them if you're looking to buy for a vegan!

It's easy to stress out about what to get the bride for the big day. However, it doesn't have to be as complicated as you probably think that it has to be. Many people actually prefer homemade gifts over bought gifts. After all, it's pretty easy to get a bought gift wrong but it's hard to get something you make yourself wrong. Why? Well, people appreciate the thought and effort of course! If you're torn about what to get the bride for the big day, why not make her a cosmetics set? Tons of cosmetics items can be easily made from home. I know this because I make many of them myself. With some simple internet research and the items you might already have lying around your house, you could whip up a cosmetics set for the bride as a gift that could include the following items:

Eye Shadow
Lip Gloss
Body Scrub
Perfume
Lotion
Lipstick
Shampoo
Conditioner

All of these items are easily made! Think about it.

Weddings inherently bring in gifts. There are gifts for the bride and gifts for the groom. Heck, there are usually gifts for the best man and maid of honor, too. However, when little kids are on great behavior when participating in a wedding, they deserve to have a part in the gift giving, as well!

I'm talking about flower girls in particular. They work so hard on the big day to be pretty and well-behaved. Not only do I think they deserve a gift on the big day so they can share in the enthusiasm, but this gift can serve as a souvenir for years.

When the girl works so hard to dress up as nicely as a doll, I feel as though a doll is a great gift for her to commemorate the big day. You can get doll dresses in the same fabrics and colors to match the bridesmaids or flower girl dress. They make the perfect gift when matched with a beautiful doll. Dessy makes them and they are fabulous.

If you're considering finding a gift for a little flower girl in your life, consider this!

When you're a close friend of a soon-to-be bride, you feel a bit more pressure than most other people to give her just the right wedding present. After all, you, above so many other people, know her deepest secrets and understand parts of her personality that others easily may not understand. The pressure can be thick, so I think there are some key ingredients that make up a great gift that you should keep in mind so that you can be sure to give her a gift that she'll love.

HANDMADE
Even if the whole gift isn't handmade, adding some personal touch will surely show the bride how much you care about her.

THOUGHT
Make sure you put a lot of thought into whatever you're giving her. It should make her think of positive memories or be relevant to a positive part of her.

FINANCIAL INVESTMENT?
I'm not convinced that a great present needs to cost a lot of money. However, your time and thoughts are worth money. With that said, I think the idea counts a whole lot more than how much money you spent on it.

AN IDEA
Here is something I made one of my best friends when she got married. I collected pictures from landscapes of places that she really liked...the town where we grew up, the island on which she met her husband, etc. I got the images screen printed onto lots of pieces of fabric. (Honestly, if you're careful, you could just print these off with your color printer as long as you lightly glue the edges of the fabric to a thicker piece of printer paper). I used these pieces of fabric with these special images to create a patchwork quilt that she'll never forget. Just an idea!

You'll flip for Dessy's new wedding flip flops!

Flip Flops in Bridesmaid Colors! Choose white for bridal flip flops or custom colors for the bridesmaids for a perfect match with your wedding theme. Ideal for beach weddings, they'll be fun at your bachelorette party or the wedding dance, too.

Don't limit your thinking to the wedding. Fashion savvy gals will want a pair to match every swimsuit they own. The flip flops will pack small in your beach bag to protect tender feet from hot sand and look adorable every step of the way. Order a matching fabric flower for your beach hat while you're at it!

The flip flops come in a beautifully made chiffon pouch with a matching satin drawstring. It's a delightful extra touch, and the pouch is so elegant that mine will likely do duty as a lingerie bag when I travel.

The flip flops have nonslip rubber soles and are made with Dessy's own matte satin in a rainbow of colors to match bridesmaid colors by Dessy, After Six and Alfred Sung. They'll make fun bridesmaid gifts, especially if you pair them with Dessy's matching satin totebags.

Note that you'll need to think ahead and order early. The flip flops are made to order in the custom colors you specify so you'll need to plan on eight to ten weeks for delivery.

With all this fuss over bridesmaids' gifts and wedding favors, it is important to remember the VIP of the wedding party gift list: none other than the MOB, aka Mother of the Bride. When you got into that hair-pulling squabble over bridesmaids' dresses, it was mom who gently intervened. When you quarreled with your fiancée or got a case of cold feet, mom was right there with your favorite fuzzy slippers from junior high.

For acting as equal parts Wedding Planner, Seamstress and Psychiatrist, get mom a truly special Mother of the Bride gift. Gorgeous sparkling jewelry should help your rejection of her offer to live in the basement go down a little easier....

A beekeeper outfit. A taffeta hammock. A matador cape. Over the years, we at bridesmaid.com have done our best to provide you with creative recycling uses for your bridesmaids’ dresses, but we have to say these side-splitting suggestions from the book101 Uses For A Bridesmaids' Dress take the wedding cake. For truly cathartic bridesmaids’ gifts, look no further than this book of outrageously inventive solutions for what to do with the dress they’ll never wear again.

Despite their love for beef jerky, Jackass, and wine in the box, you know deep down your bridesmaids are classy chicks. Just look at the elegant bridesmaids' dresses they selected for your Big Day!

But somehow you're a bit worried your girls' inner Grace Kelly might not show through in the wedding photos. Never fear, Bridesmaid.com has the perfect answer to transform your girls from cheap to chic quicker than a tattoo cover up kit. The answer, dear darlings, is pearls. From pearl earrings to elegant necklaces that would look perfect at a beach wedding, these baubles will have your bridesmaids looking precious as kittens with one simple clasp.

Just remember to keep those claws in...

The thing that gets to me these days is boring bridesmaid dresses. All this hubbub is created over the bride having a super-exciting, special, interesting dress (which she inevitably walks down looking like a frilly astronaut, anyways) and the bridesmaids are still stuck in the same boring satin matchy-matchy dresses, albeit in choose-your-own style. To add a bit of distinction to bridesmaid dresses, I recommend Dessy's line of bridesmaid accessories. These cool baubles include brooches, pearls, pretty clutches and fashion totes, all easy and economical ways to brighten up your bridesmaid dress without rocking the bridal boat.

They make a great bridesmaid gift too... hint, hint.

Personally, I cry when I stomp a spider. Now, I do it anyway - they're nasty little critters. An arachnid the size of my fist once jumped from the ceiling to my pillow at 6 AM, with a THUD that woke me up from a sound sleep - I made a noise not heard since the last sabretooth grabbed a hapless cave dweller.

But I digress. Throw rice at a wedding, and birds eat it and explode (apparently - as teenagers my brothers tried this for weeks, to no avail). Throw birdseed and you're liable to get covered in bird poop.

But no one's found anything wrong with wedding bubbles yet. Get your guests puffing away at bubbles after your ceremony and the worst that'll happen is they'll all hyperventilate. Keep an ambulance standing by.

It's minutes before the wedding. Your bridesmaids are close to rioting as they try to get their hair in order. Chaos threatens. Groom starts to get nervous. Future in-laws and relatives begin glancing for the doorway, wondering if you've taken a flier.

But it's just the hair. What to do?

For an easy way to add sparkle to bridesmaid hairstyles, check out the Wedding Hair Jewels from Weddingstar. They simply twist into most hairstyles. Choose classic pearls or Swarovski crystals in colors to complement the bridesmaid dresses.

Last night I watched 24 and realized they're bringing back President Palmer. Which means that Jack Bauer's terminally vapid, annoying daughter can't be far behind. In a fit of depression I ate a quart of New York Super Fudge Chunk, wrecking my Atkins diet and giving me a fierce sugar hangover.

Here's a more guilt-free alternative, if you're on a protein binge: Buy a pound of Jordan Almonds for you -- uh, for your bridesmaids. Sure, they're candy-coated, but that doesn't mean they're not good for you.

What makes any lousy day a little better? Or any good day, for that matter? Jewelry, of course. A nice triple-strand necklace with pearls and crystals should do the trick. I don't know who the heck Swarovski is, but if you like crystal, his should work. Or hers. I dunno....

The Wedding Day Essentials Kit is a nifty must-have. Especially if you're 2 months from the Big Day and already waking up screaming from that nightmare. You know the one - where you're walking down the aisle with hair askew because you couldn't find any hair spray. Or your dress ripped and you don't have any way to fix it. Or your parents show up in bermuda shorts... Wait, skip that last one.