Stress Reduction Tips for Brides

Exercise can be one of the best ways for a bride to manage the stress of wedding planning. Whatever you enjoy, whether it is yoga, running, cycling, or swimming will help to melt away the stress of the day. It can also be a great chance to spend some time with your fiance doing things together which are not wedding related. Regular exercise will not only make you feel better on the inside, but it will make your body look better on the outside. That will help to alleviate another source of wedding stress: the fit of the bridal gown.

Laughter is always a great stress-buster. When the strain of the wedding starts to get to you, take a break from wedding planning and head to a funny movie with your fiance or your best friend. If there is nothing great in the theaters, plan a movie night at home. Rent a great old movie that always makes you laugh, dim, the lights, pop some popcorn, and laugh your cares away. This can be a fun activity for the bride and her bridesmaids to do together, kind of like a slumber party for grown-ups. It would be a nice time for the bride to give her friends their bridesmaid gifts as well.

For some women, nothing is more relaxing than a day at the spa. The bride could get a long massage at her favorite spa at the end of a trying week. Or make it more of an event by planning a whole afternoon or all day at a spa with a companion. It would be a great quiet time that the bride and her mother could take to unwind before the wedding. Another idea is to get all the bridesmaids together for a pedicure party instead of a standard bridesmaids’ luncheon. The bride can treat her girls to some pre-wedding pampering as part of her bridesmaid gift to them. Add in a bridesmaid gift that the attendants can keep, such as a monogrammed cosmetic bag with a pair of crystal earrings inside.

How can anyone be stressed out when they are getting down on the dance floor? When the wedding planning drama is really bearing down on you, gather up your friends and head to a hot nightclub. Dance, sip some drinks, laugh, and just unwind in the company of good friends. There is no need to wait for your bachelorette party to hit the clubs for a night of dancing. Call up your pals, have your fiance call his, and get a whole group out together for a great night. With the stress under control, you will be better able to enjoy all the fun parts about planning a beautiful wedding.

Wedding Planning for Beginners

So you have just become engaged – congratulations! Now it is time to start planning your wedding. It is a big job, but can also be a lot of fun if you know what you are doing. Get off to a great start with this guide to wedding planning for beginners.

Step one is to set a date for your wedding. You cannot do anything else until you know when you wish to tie the knot. Once your wedding date is official, you can move on to finding the vendors who will put your wedding together. If you want a wedding coordinator, pick one right away. After that, the caterer (if not provided by the reception venue), the florist, and the photographer should be your first priorities.  Expect to put down deposits and sign contracts with all wedding vendors along they way; this is as much for your protection as theirs.

The next batch of wedding professionals to seek are the baker, musicians, stationer, and transportation. The reason you can wait a little longer on these is that bakeries and stationers can handle more jobs simultaneously than the other vendors can, and there are lots of great musicians available. Nonetheless, once you get through booking the first wave of wedding professionals, there is no reason to delay on the next batch. The earlier you look, the more choices you will have.

Choosing the attire for the wedding is often one of the most fun parts of the planning process. As soon as you have signed with your venue, you can start shopping for your wedding gown and accessories. A year in advance is not too early, and anything less than six months in advance is actually cutting it a little close, believe it or not. Some bridal gowns can take five or more months just to arrive at the salon after being ordered, and then you need time for alterations as well. Also, not every bride finds her dream gown her first time out shopping, so that can add some time to the process as well. When it comes to the bridesmaid dresses, ordering them at least six months in advance is ideal, although you can probably get away with a shorter time frame if you are willing to buy off the rack or pay rush fees. The smaller accessories like the bridesmaid gifts (jewelry tends to be the most popular bridesmaid gifts), veil, bridal jewelry, and shoes can wait longer than the bridal gown and bridesmaid dresses. Don’t forget to pick out attire for the men in the wedding too!

Bridesmaid Gift Ideas, From Classic to Contemporary

The most traditional bridesmaid gifts are timeless, feminine, and gracious. If it is small, silver, and engravable, it is sure to be a hit with your friends with classic taste. This could mean a monogrammed silver compact, a mint julep cup engraved with her name, or a small silver jewelry box personalized with initials. Little touches can make your traditional bridesmaid gifts extra special. Place the monogrammed compact into a beautiful velvet pouch, present the mint julep cup filled with pink peonies cut from your garden, or tuck a beautiful pair of pearl earrings into the silver jewelry box. These are the types of gifts that your friends will keep and cherish forever.

Your bridesmaid gifts should try to be in keeping with the interests of your friends. If your pals are a very sporty group, the silver compacts may not be so much in keeping with their lifestyle. A pair of tickets to a hot sporting event, a set of personalized golf balls for the golf enthusiast, or a great coffee table book showing breathtaking pictures of skiers, gymnasts, or another favorite sport would be ideal. Just remember that bridesmaid gifts should always have lasting value; a new pair of running shoes might be a practical gift for the marathoner in your bridal party, but it would not be an appropriate keepsake from your wedding.

If your bridesmaids appreciate gourmet food and wine, this can give you some great options for bridesmaid gifts they will love. A vintage bottle of Champagne, a basket of imported cheeses, or a cookbook with gorgeous illustrations would all be good possibilities. The nice thing about gourmet gifts is that you can easily pick something different which is tailored to the specific interests of each bridesmaid, all while staying within the same price range and general theme. Your bridesmaids will definitely appreciate the thought and care that you put into selecting each individual gift.

Jewelry is one of the most popular bridesmaid gifts, and with good reason. It is a timeless keepsake, beautiful, feminine, and can be designed to suit any taste. Brides also like giving bridesmaid jewelry because they can give fabulous gifts while working within their budget, whatever that may happen to be. The neat thing about jewelry is that it can be classic or contemporary, depending on the particular necklaces, earrings, or bracelets which you select. By all means, feel free to pick out different pieces for each attendant that suit her particular taste.

The Mix and Match Wedding Trend

Brides these days are moving away from the type of wedding where everything is perfectly coordinated. Instead, a natural and colorful trend is on the rise that is all about creating a festive and relaxed atmosphere. Get inspired by the mix and match wedding trend when planning your own celebration.

Bridesmaid dresses are one of the top things that are being mixed up lately.  Nowadays, even the color coordination is being tossed out, in favor of exuberant bridal parties full of lively colors. Kelly green, fuchsia, cobalt blue, you name it, the colors can be put together for the bridesmaids. The unifying theme is that all the colors are equally vibrant (or all equally pale and delicate, if you prefer). To give your group of bridesmaids a sense of cohesiveness, give them all similar bridesmaid jewelry gifts.

A really fun way to give your reception space a funky appeal is to mix and match chair colors.  For instance, a sorbet palette of pale watermelon, cantaloupe, and honeydew would be fabulous for a spring wedding. Or opt for sophisticated tones such as chocolate, moss green, and taupe for a fall celebration. The concept works equally well for slipcovered chairs, chairs with cushions, or even wood laminate seating in fun colors.

Centerpieces are another wonderful idea for mix and match wedding design. Who says that every table has to be decorated with the same flowers or even the same colors? You can absolutely have pink tulips on one table, deep red roses on the next one, and ivory peonies on the one next to that. The key is to have something about your centerpieces that is common for all of them. Choose similar vases, a general color family, or centerpieces with a similar fullness and height. The style of the blossoms should make sense together, especially in terms of formality. Gerbera daisies paired with orchids simply would not flow well, whereas Gerbera daisies and wildflowers would be charming together for mix and match centerpieces.

Shopping Online for Your Wedding

Most brides are busy enough without running from store to store trying to round up everything they need for their weddings. The great news is that these days you can get almost everything you need online. With a few clicks of your mouse, all you have to do is sit back and wait for your package to be delivered right to your house. These are some tips for shopping online for your wedding.

You would be amazed at how many of your wedding supplies can be found on the Internet. It is an especially wonderful resource for the bride who wants to make some of her own decorations. Starting with the wedding flowers, you can get all the supplies you need to make stunning DIY centerpieces and bouquets online. The prices are much lower than those of a retail florist, the selection is broad, and you can have your blossoms delivered fresh to your door a couple of days before your wedding.

Another thing which is great to buy online are your bridesmaid jewelry gifts. You can get customized sets of jewelry handcrafted from stunning Swarovski crystals or pearls in colors to coordinate with the bridesmaid dresses. Not only is it super convenient to have your gifts of bridesmaid jewelry delivered right to your door, but chances are the prices will be far more affordable than what you see in a traditional bridal salon. While you are at it, order a set of bridal jewelry and headpiece for yourself too. If you choose the right online retailer, you may even be able to score free shipping!

Speaking of free shipping, why not order your wedding shoes from a website like Zappos? Any of the shoe websites which offer free shipping both ways are an ideal source for your bridal shoes. The selection will be far superior to what you can find in any one regular store, and searching for shoes on the Internet allows you to do it at a time which is convenient to you, rather than battling the crowds in the shoe stores on a Saturday afternoon. From favors to candles to the guest book, almost everything you need for your wedding can be easily found on the Internet.

Countdown to 10-10-10 Weddings

If you have chosen the exciting date of October 10, 2010 for your wedding, it will be here before you know it! The final weeks before a wedding are always a time of great anticipation and also a time to get a million last minute things done. This is what you need to get accomplished during the countdown to your 10-10-10 wedding.

At this point, you should have all of the attire selected for the wedding party, including tuxedo rentals (if using) for the men. What may still remain is to select the accessories. Wedding jewelry makes beautiful bridesmaid gifts. While selecting your bridesmaid gifts, make sure to pick up your own bridal jewelry and headpiece, if you have not yet done so. Begin your bridal gown fittings, with the final fitting scheduled one to two weeks before you need to pick up your gown.

It is time to work out the final details for your wedding ceremony now for your 10-10-10 wedding. Make your final selections for readings and songs and get them to the necessary people. If you plan to write your own wedding vows, get started right away – don’t leave it to the night before the wedding! Check on the laws in the jurisdiction where you will be getting married to find out when and how to apply for a marriage license (in some states, marriage licenses expire after 30 days, yet others may have a waiting period before the license can be used, so timing is everything).

Keep in touch with your vendors. Remember to get the final head count in to the caterer by his deadline! Once you have the guest list finalized, get started on your seating chart. Before crunch time, also get a list of desired photographs into your photographer and discuss details with your videographer, if using one. It is also a very good idea to get your play list to your band or d.j. soon – both the songs you do want and those which are forbidden. Be sure to order or make your wedding favors by about four weeks out, if that job is still pending. Add to that pre-wedding parties like the ladies’ luncheon and rehearsal dinner, and the countdown to an October 10, 2010 wedding promises to be a very busy and exciting time!

Tips on Getting Organized for Your Wedding

Some people are natural born planners, while others…not so much. Whichever your planning style, when you are trying to pull together a wedding, you will have many details which you will need to stay on top of. These are some tips on getting organized for your wedding so that nothing falls through the cracks.

A great wedding planning book is a must for any bride. The timeline tool is one of the most important keys to keeping on track. After all, if you have never planned a wedding before, you may have no idea that you need to order your bridal gown at least six months in advance or that the most popular reception venues often book one to two years in advance. The other really useful thing about a wedding timeline is that it breaks the planning process down into more manageable bites.

Checklists are another key organizational tool that every bride needs. It can be so easy to overlook details when your to-do list is about a mile long. Any good planning book will have checklists for you to fill in once you have finished a task. Bridesmaid gifts selected – check, honeymoon booked – check, programs ordered – check. Keep your checklists organized by setting up a computer program with monthly, weekly, possibly even daily lists. Some of the items on your list will be big picture stuff “hire a caterer”, while others will be more of the little details “remind fiance to buy dress socks”.

You will also want a way to keep all of your wedding materials organized and at your fingertips. If you a bride who actually enjoys sorting and organizing, you will find that a three ring binder is your best friend for wedding planning. Customize it in a way that makes sense to you. Some brides prefer to store most of their wedding planning details electronically. It is a very accurate way to keep track of things like the R.s.v.p.s, due dates for vendor payments, and items which have been ordered along with their delivery dates. Just be sure not to have any photos of your wedding gown in a computer program where your fiance must stumble across them!

The Fine Art of Wedding Etiquette

Sometimes when you first start planning a wedding, the etiquette can seem overwhelming and perhaps even a little bewildering. However, following proper etiquette is a very important part of planning a wedding; it is about much more than style or appearances – good etiquette ensures that everyone feels respected and enjoys the event. This is a look at the fine art of wedding etiquette.

For those who do not know an invitation from an announcement, a great place to start is with one of the soup-to-nuts etiquette book, such as Emily Post’s. A comprehensive etiquette book not only covers things like how to write a proper thank you note, but will offer guidelines about many practical aspects as well. You can learn what sorts of items make appropriate bridesmaid gifts, how many appetizers to order per guest, and the order of the ceremony processional.

It also helps to have an understanding about the reasons behind some of the seemingly arcane bits of wedding etiquette. Why go to the trouble of creating a seating chart for the reception? It is because a good host takes care to put together dinner tables with a mix of people who will enjoy one another’s company and carry on lively conversation.  It also allows the bride and groom to make sure that honored guests, such as parents and grandparents, are assigned seats at the head tables, and it can even allow the bride the chance to try her hand at a little discreet matchmaking among the couple’s single friends.

Another great reason to brush up on your Emily Post is to make sure that you are a) making you guests feel appreciated and b) avoiding causing any offense. This is where thank you notes come into play. Dashing off a few words of personal appreciation on pretty stationery is nothing compared to the effort (not to mention the expense) that goes into shopping for, purchasing, wrapping, and shipping a wedding present. To neglect this most basic bridal duty is to both show a distinct lack of appreciation and to offend the giver at the same time. Knowing the proper etiquette, on the other hand, will make a fine impression on all of your wedding guests…including the friends of your in-laws, who are sure to comment to your mother-in-law about what a thoughtful, polite woman her son was lucky enough to marry.

Beach Wedding Hair Jewelry and Veils

Naturally the bride will want something fabulous to adorn her hair on her wedding day. As a beach wedding tends to be more relaxed, it is best to choose a headpiece which is not overly formal. Rather than a tall tiara, for instance, try a double headband beaded with crystals and pearls. The gems will make it beautiful enough for a wedding, but the headband style will look more appropriate on the beach. Select a headband which complements your bridal jewelry set. Another great thing about a headband is that if you opt to wear your hair down, it will keep the ocean breeze from blowing your hair in your face during the ceremony.

A beach theme hair ornament can be a wonderful accessory for a wedding by the ocean. A starfish pin in your hair makes a lovely alternative to a fresh flower, and as a bonus it will not wilt in the hot sun. Small starfish clips or pins would also be fun for the bridesmaids. They would make a nice add on to the bridesmaid jewelry sets that the bride gives as gifts. Tie a pretty starfish clip to the jewelry box with an organza ribbon for a nice addition to the bridesmaid gifts that will also make the box extra special.

Pearls are a natural choice by the ocean. A cluster of pearl hairpins would be an elegant addition to a simple updo. Low buns are very chic and are un-fussy enough for the beach. They are also a classic staple to have in your jewelry box for future special occasions after the wedding. Wear your pearl hairpins with pearl bridal jewelry, such as a drop pendant or a unique keshi pearl necklace. Add some coordinating earrings, and you will be ready to walk down the aisle in style.

A veil on the beach can be a bit tricky, but any bride who wants one should definitely wear one. For a wedding outdoors, the veil should always be shorter than floor length. The last thing you need is to have your delicate veil catch on a wooden boardwalk or deck and tear. Nor do you want to have a long veil dragging behind you on the sand picking up seaweed and other beach debris from the sand! A calf length veil gives the effect of a long veil with none of the potential perils. Fingertip veils also work well, but be careful about choosing a very short veil, as it will fly around your face with the slightest breeze; in fact, the shortest veils are actually called “flyaways”.

Beach weddings are always beautiful, and with the perfect accessories, you can be sure to look absolutely stunning. From headbands to pins to special veils, there is a combination of beach wedding accessories that will be perfect for any wedding and to match any bridal gown.

Jack and Jill Wedding Showers

A co-ed Jack and Jill shower has many things in common with a standard all-female shower. You will need invitations, food, decorations, and of course, presents. However, all of these things should be planned with a much less feminine flair than they would for a shower without the guys. Start with invitations; instead of something pink and frilly, choose a more gender neutral party invitation (it need not be specifically a bridal shower invitation, as those are likely to be very girly), such as one in green or blue instead of pink or purple. You don’t want the invitation to scare off the men you invite, after all!

Next, think about the decorations for your Jack and Jill party. Opt for a more modern and streamlined design than you might for a traditional shower. Pick a theme which is equally appealing to men and women; instead of the Victorian tea party, go for the backyard barbeque or cocktail party. Skip the lace tablecloths and wedding bells in favor of linens in an elegant dupioni (for a more formal party) or a casual print (for a very relaxed party). Create chic floral arrangements in shades of green and cream, versus pink, pink, and more pink. Attending a wedding shower will be a first time event for many of the men present, and you want to make sure that they do not feel like they accidentally stumbled into a “hen party”.

Many traditional bridal showers have games, such as making a “bridal gown” out of toilet paper or doing word scrambles with the names of kitchen tools. These games are frankly not appealing to many women, and they are certainly out of the question for a co-ed shower. A wedding party does not actually need games at all, but if you really want to include them, limit yourself to just one or two, and make them fun for everyone. The best choice is a questionnaire with questions about the bride and groom; whoever gets the most right answers wins a small prize. This is a fun game because it can spark a lot of funny answers and bring up a lot of silly old memories.

One thing that is absolutely the same for any wedding shower is that the guest of honor must thank their host appropriately. A small gift and a heartfelt letter of thanks from the bride and groom would be lovely after the Jack and Jill shower. If the hosts are bridesmaids, remember that you should get them a separate thank you gift apart from the bridesmaid jewelry you give them to thank them for being in your wedding. While bridesmaid jewelry is a wonderfully personal gift from the bride to her attendants, the hostess gift which is a joint present from the bride and groom should be a little less personal, such as a fine bottle of wine with a personalized bottle opener or a pair of theater tickets. It is a very gracious way to show your appreciation for the Jack and Jill wedding shower.