Summer Hair Brooch Wedding Trends That Work Great for Every Hairstyle

Posted on March 28, 2012 by Andrea

Hair brooches have been some of the most popular wedding accessories for the past few years now, but this summer, there are some styles in particular that are making waves in the bridal world.

If you’re looking for information on summer hair brooch wedding trends that will work great with just about any hairstyle, then you’ve come to the right place! Hair brooches make any wedding ensemble instantly more elegant, and they can be worn in place of a veil if you wish to forego the hassle of a traditional headpiece.

Here are some popular brooch trends this summer:

Family Brooches

Brooches that are passed down in the family can be made into hair brooches (if they’re not designed for the hair already), or you can use certain stones or jewels from a family member’s jewelry to make your own brooch. Family brooches bring a touch of nostalgia and intimacy to your wedding ensemble.

Vintage Brooches

As many brides are aware, vintage is back and it looks like it’s here to stay! Brooches with dark, antique silver accents or designs inspired by Art Deco are especially popular, as are brooches mixed with French or Russian netting and flapper feathers.

Sea-Themed Brooches

If you’re getting married by a lake, on a seashore, or at the beach, opt for sea-themed brooches, which are all the rage this summer. Many are modern styles, made with glistening rhinestones and pearls, and they are mixed with seashell, starfish, or dolphin accents.

Remember to bring the trendy brooch of your choice to your salon appointment so that your hairdresser can play with your brooch and your wedding day hairstyle. Fortunately, as stated earlier, the brooch styles mentioned here are not only in vogue this summer, but they are versatile, too. Whether your hair is long or short or worn up or down, any of these styles will accentuate and enhance your look.

Hollywood beauties, runway divas, and worldwide fashionistas are all wearing hair brooches, so take your time and research these summer hair brooch wedding trends to find one that will work with whichever hair style you have in mind for your big day.

Posted in Hair & Beauty, Hair Brooch, Wedding Ceremony, Wedding Ensemble, Wedding Looks, Wedding Trends | Leave a comment

The Essential Bridal Boutique Shopping Checklist

Posted on March 22, 2012 by Andrea

Once you’ve chosen the bridal boutique for your wedding day attire needs, what next? What else do you need besides your gown? Use this essential shopping checklist when you visit the bridal shop to ensure you have everything you need for your big day.

Choosing a bridal shop for your special day is a big decision, and having an essential bridal boutique shopping checklist on hand can help ensure you get the very most out of your visit. You’ll be visiting the shop of your choice more than once, so you’ll have multiple opportunities to get what you need, but it’s still important to have a bridal boutique shopping checklist prepared beforehand so you don’t forget anything.

The following items should be on your bridal boutique shopping checklist:

Shape wear—Shape wear will be one of the most important items needed for your bridal ensemble. It will help smooth out your figure and provide a better fit for your gown. There are all kinds of shape wear options, so talk to your seamstress and bridal consultant to select the best kind for your needs.

Shoes—Can’t forget the shoes! Many bridal shops carry a shoe selection to make your bridal ensemble shopping task more convenient. Try on all kinds of styles, and be sure to select a heel height you’re comfortable with, as well as a height that will suit the look of your gown.

Veil and jewelry—Accessories are essential on any bridal boutique shopping checklist. Even if you don’t like a lot of fuss, don’t forget to select at least one main jewelry piece and a veil, if you’d like to wear one. There are plenty of informal veil styles if you’re not crazy about the long, traditional tulle styles.

Slip/hoop—If you’re wearing a gown with a full skirt, you’ll need a hoop or slip to fill out the skirt. Your seamstress can help you select the proper hoop or slip for your gown, and if you’re wearing a gown with a straight skirt style, all you’ll need is a traditional bridal slip.

Familiarize yourself with these bridal boutique shopping checklist necessities before you visit your bridal shop, and you’ll be good to go!

Posted in Bridal Party, Veils, Wedding Accessories, Wedding Budget, Wedding Ceremony, Wedding Decor, Wedding Gowns, Wedding Looks, Wedding Planner, Wedding Planning, Wedding Reception, Wedding Shoes, Wedding Trends | Leave a comment

North American Honeymoon Ideas to Fit Your Budget

Posted on March 19, 2012 by Andrea

If you have a limited budget for your honeymoon, you may be a little discouraged that you can’t travel abroad. Never fear, though! These North American honeymoon ideas are romantic and are designed to fit a modest budget.

North American honeymoon ideas to fit your budget may not sound like much, but there are actually some really amazing, romantic ideas to consider. Places all across the country offer couples a romantic retreat, a luxury getaway for less, and even provide you with adventures you never even knew were right in your own backyard. If you are having a hard time finding a honeymoon getaway on a limited budget, then these North American honeymoon ideas to fit your budget are exactly what you need.

New Orleans

If you want a romantic getaway that is full of culture, zest for life, and excitement, then New Orleans is the best location on the list of North American honeymoon ideas to fit your budget. Enjoy the weather in the spring and fall or enjoy the best prices in the summer and around the Christmas holiday. Get lost in the French Quarter shops and dance in the street to the diverse sound of local street musicians. Head over to the local Creole eateries and enjoy a flavor like no other. By night, hit the town for some toe-tapping blues and Dixieland jazz, and don’t forget the haunted ghost tours!

Nantucket Island

Want something a little more relaxed and nostalgic? Then Nantucket Island is the best location on the list of North American honeymoon ideas to fit your budget. For the best weather, head out from June to September. For the best prices, go in early spring, late fall, or in the winter. Take a whaling excursion on the open sea and enjoy the relaxing momentum of the ocean, or take romantic walks along the seaside or nature walks to enjoy the outdoors. Before you go, make sure this location’s activities are open during the down seasons.

Montreal

If you have always dreamed of a honeymoon in France but can’t foot the bill for it, then Montreal is your second best bet. A location with a mixture of culture and history, this French/English city is best traveled for weather from May to October. Best prices can be found from mid-October on into April, with the exclusion of the week of Christmas. Sidewalk cafes, beautiful bistros, and international cuisine from all over the world to tantalize your taste buds are just a glimpse of what this North American honeymoon idea has to offer to fit your budget.

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How to Format Your Wedding Program

Posted on March 12, 2012 by Andrea

A wedding program is not essential for all weddings, but for couples that want one, it may be difficult to find information on formatting the program correctly. Here are some tips that will help you format your wedding program effectively and with style.

Not sure how to format your wedding program? You’re not alone. There are many couples who are unsure of how to format their wedding program correctly, and finding information on wedding program etiquette can be difficult. If you’re struggling with proper formatting for your wedding program, these tips can help.

Classy Covers

The old saying may tell you that you can’t judge a book by its cover, but most people do, so when deciding on how to format your wedding program, it is important to create a classy and attractive cover. Monogrammed covers are extremely popular because they are simple, elegant, and inexpensive. However, if you want to put more information on the cover and don’t mind the extra expense, stick to the main details – the couple’s name, wedding location, a photo, and maybe a couple of details that fall in line with your overall wedding theme.

Inside Cover

The inside cover is where most of the information about your wedding should be found. To appropriately format your wedding program, make sure that you include the important events of the day, in order. A few options can include:

Processional music

Officiate greeting

Special readings

Vow exchange

Ring exchange

Candle lighting, special song, communion, prayer, or any other special/religious event

Marriage pronouncement

Recessional music

Wedding Party

Often, the bride and groom’s family and friends are still strangers. Because of this, the next page of your wedding program should include the important members of your wedding party. Be sure to include the person marrying you, parents of the bride and groom, maid of honor, best man, bridesmaids, groomsmen, and any other special family members you want recognized, like grandparents or step-parents. However, while deciding how to format your wedding program, it is important to remember that you only have limited space to work with, so stick to only the most important people involved with your wedding.

Posted in Bridal Party, Wedding Budget, Wedding Ceremony, Wedding Decor, Wedding Etiquette, Wedding Location, Wedding Planning, Wedding Trends | Leave a comment

Need to Bond with Your Girlfriends Before You Tie the Knot?

Posted on March 9, 2012 by Andrea

Many brides are concerned about bonding with their girlfriends before they tie the knot and run away with their Prince Charming. Here are some tips for sneaking in that girl time before the big day and why it’s so important.

Much like having a baby, tying the knot is often associated with a woman losing part of her identity, which is why the need to bond with your girlfriends before you get married is so important. In reality, having a baby or getting married doesn’t actually mean the end of friendships or the loss of identity, though some women truly do struggle with this. These common misconceptions usually stem from stories of women who have in some way lost touch with their support system or have gotten so wrapped up in their new marriage or child that they lose sight of who they are and lose their friendships along with it.

Relax, it’s natural.

This is perfectly natural and it can be avoided with some effort and simply by being aware. However, that doesn’t change the fact that the need to bond with your girlfriends before you tie the knot is important! In fact, it can be downright healthy and good for the soul. Even though you’re still the same woman when the honeymoon is over, you might see less of your girlfriends because you’re married and they’re not. Or maybe you’re moving or settling down to have a child. Marriage definitely triggers other life changes that can inevitably get in the way of nurturing and maintaining friendships.

What Can You Do?

Revisit the roots of your friendship. Start by acknowledging why you and your girlfriends are friends in the first place. How did you meet? How have you both made efforts over the years to stay in touch? Friendships works both ways, and if you’ve both made the effort to stay in touch thus far, chances are you’ll have no problem continuing the trend. In the meantime, though, before you walk the aisle, arrange a road trip or a weekend getaway to the beach for some strict girl time.

Tell your BFF how important it is to you to stay in touch and to remain in each other’s lives. Communicate and remind her why you appreciate her. This will make you and your closest friends feel better and more assured before you tie the knot and get busy with your new, married life. Bond with your girlfriends before you tie the knot and you’ll end up creating memories that last a lifetime.

Posted in Bachelorette Party, Bridal Shower, Wedding Websites | Leave a comment

Managing Stress Before Your Wedding

Posted on February 27, 2012 by Andrea

Planning a wedding is stressful. There is so much to do and it seems there is so little time to do it all! “Bridezillas” are often born from too much stress. Learn how to manage your stress so that you can fully enjoy your special day.

Managing stress before your wedding may not sound difficult in the early planning phase, but as the big day draws nearer, it’s very easy to go from the blissful bride to a monster bride. But managing your stress isn’t just about avoiding the “monster bride” in you. Managing your stress helps you maintain important friendships and relationships during the whole planning process. You can reduce your risk to adverse health problems that can come from experiencing too much stress, and managing it will even allow you to enjoy your special day so that you can look back and cherish those moments in the years to come.

Remember to Eat and Make it Count

As your wedding day gets closer, finding time to nourish your body with the right foods isn’t easy. For many brides, just finding time to eat at all can be next to impossible. But your body needs good, healthy foods to function properly. Food can help keep your energy up and even help stabilize your mood. This makes remembering to eat healthy a very important part of managing stress before your wedding day.

Remember to Find Time for Relaxation

While it may be easier said than done, finding time to relax is another essential item for managing stress before your wedding day. Whether it’s a bubble bath, some meditation, a walk, or even just a good book or funny movie, you need to find time for yourself that isn’t focused on wedding planning.

Find Time for Your Friends (and Your Groom-to-Be)

Among all of the wedding planning and coordination, it can be difficult to schedule time with your friends and even the groom-to-be—time that doesn’t involve wedding planning, that is. But science has proven that social people are generally happier. You have to throw your wedding plans out the door, but meeting a close friend for coffee once a week or spending some time watching a flick with your man should be sufficient to help you manage stress before your wedding day.

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Why You Should Consider a Honeymoon Registry

Posted on February 23, 2012 by Andrea

For some couples, it seems impossible to receive the perfect wedding gift. Why not use a honeymoon registry to tell your guests exactly what you want?

For a variety of reasons, many couples decide to enroll in a honeymoon registry. For some couples, they wouldn’t be able to afford the full cost of a honeymoon. For others, they have already been living together and don’t really need anything to start their new lives together. These are only a few reasons that you should consider a honeymoon registry for your registry choice.

What is it?

A honeymoon registry works just like a regular wedding registry, except it is just for your honeymoon. When you really want money for your honeymoon more than anything else, how cool is that? Your guests can log on to your honeymoon registry and pay for parts of your honeymoon or even the entire thing.

This can make affording your honeymoon much easier, or it can at least give you some spending money. Guests may even be able to add items to your honeymoon that you had hoped for but would have skipped, had you paid for it yourself. This is one of the biggest reasons you should consider a honeymoon registry for your wedding.

What Can Your Guests Buy?

Guests can purchase anything you have requested for your honeymoon registry. Whether it is a night in your honeymoon suite or part of your airfare, guests will know exactly where you are going and what it is you are hoping for by logging on to your honeymoon registry. This can also help ease your mind when you are trying to decide whether or not you can afford certain things for your honeymoon trip.

How Your Guests Can Keep You Informed

Once your guests purchase a gift for your honeymoon, they have the option to print out a customized gift card. This gift card can be given in lieu of a traditional wedding gift. This way, your guests don’t have to feel like they are attending your wedding empty-handed. This is another wonderful benefit of deciding to enroll in a honeymoon registry for your wedding!

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3 Tips to Avoid Wedding Planning Burnout

Posted on February 20, 2012 by Andrea

The wedding planning process can often feel like a whirlwind. No matter how large or small your occasion might be, putting it all together can be downright overwhelming, and it can lead to bridal burnout in a flash. Use these three essential tips to avoid burning the candle at both ends.

It’s bound to happen to even the most organized bride—wedding planning burnout. Even brides who have a wedding planner at their disposal experience wedding planning burnout, and even the smallest wedding events can wreak havoc on your stress levels and peace of mind. Between securing vendors and preparing for family visits, there are a number of time-consuming wedding planning tasks that can bog you down.

It’s easy to get wrapped up in the wedding planning process, and before you know it, you’re completely exhausted. Running yourself down is never a good idea, especially if you want to feel and look your best on your big day and if you want your event to run smoothly from start to finish.

To avoid wedding planning burnout, use these three tips:

Delegate—Even if you have a wedding planner helping you manage all of your wedding planning tasks, it’s still important to turn to friends and family members to help you relieve some of the wedding planning burden. Friends can help you with simple tasks, such as making additional phone calls or giving you a ride to a cake tasting. Every little bit helps, and you’ll definitely feel the difference as the big day draws near!

Get ahead of the game—Whether you have three months or a year to plan your wedding, one of the best ways to avoid wedding planning burnout is to not only start planning early, but to put together an organized to-do list. Make sure it’s as specific as possible, and start checking tasks off the list as soon as you can. Whatever you do, don’t procrastinate. Putting off tasks or tackling them all at the last minute will lead to wedding planning burnout.

Don’t forget downtime—One reason many brides face wedding planning burnout is because they forget to take time to relax during the wedding planning process. Make it a priority to work some downtime into your schedule as you plan your wedding, and you have a much better chance at avoiding wedding planning burnout.

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Go Cupcake Crazy on Your Wedding Day

Posted on February 16, 2012 by Andrea

Are you looking for decor or theme inspiration for your wedding day? Using sweet treats such as cupcakes is a great way to incorporate fun, feminine touches into your decor, dessert, and more. Here are some reasons to consider going cupcake crazy on your wedding day.

Whether you have a sweet tooth or you simply love to bake, if you’re looking for a fun, colorful theme for your wedding day, using cupcakes is a great way to enhance your wedding’s decor and please your guests’ taste buds. Cupcake decor items are everywhere when it comes to wedding decor. From favors and cupcake-themed wedding cakes to candy shop retro themes, cupcake accents can be used for a number of things on your wedding day.

Here are a few ways you can go cupcake crazy on your wedding day:

Cupcake bars—One popular way to incorporate these sweet treats into your wedding is to have a full-service cupcake bar. You can hire your caterer or baker to set this up according to your needs, and some vendors even provide this as a specialty service. Each guest can help themselves at the “bar” by choosing their own kind of icing, toppings, and cake flavor, much like an ice cream parlor. One thing to keep in mind with this option is price—it can be a hefty, additional expense depending on how elaborate of a setup you choose.

Personalized cupcake favors—An easy way to share something sweet with your guests is to send them home with personalized cupcake favors. This is a fun way to incorporate cupcakes on your wedding day that doesn’t require you to have an all-out cupcake theme. You can simply use cupcake favors to complement your wedding theme or color schemes. Choose wedding favor boxes that can be customized with designs and messages of your choice, and package miniature or full-size cupcakes in the boxes for your guests to take home.

Faux cupcakes—There are plenty of great ways to incorporate a little cupcake madness on your wedding day that don’t involve any calories! Try using accents such as the Sweet Little Cupcake Design Lip Gloss favors, Cupcake Place Card Holders, or Cupcake Candle favors. These items can dress up your reception tables and gift your guests at the same time, giving everyone a chance to go cupcake crazy on your wedding day!

wedding favors

Sweet Little Cupcake Design Lip Gloss Favors

cupcake favors

Cupcake Placecard Holders

wedding favor ideas

Yummy! Cupcake Candle Favors

Posted in Bridal Shower, Wedding Cakes, Wedding Etiquette, Wedding Favors, Wedding Trends | Leave a comment

Choosing the Right Bridal Boutique

Posted on February 14, 2012 by Andrea

Not sure where to buy your gown and accessories? Having a hard time choosing the best bridal shop in town? Here are some tips for what to look for in a bridal boutique.

Choosing the right bridal boutique for your big day can be a challenge, no matter how fun it is to shop for your special day’s gown and accessories. You’ll be visiting the shop you choose many times during your wedding planning process, so it’s important to choose a store you like and one you feel comfortable visiting. From your initial gown selection to your fitting appointments, the bridal boutique, if chosen well, will be your one-stop shop for all of your bridal attire needs.

Here are some things to look for in a good bridal boutique:

Attentive staff—No matter what shop you visit or how much money you spend there, the staff will not always be able to shower you with love and compliments. However, you should expect a realistic level of attentiveness when deciding on a bridal boutique. The staff should be able to answer all of your questions, or direct you to someone who can, and shouldn’t make you feel rushed or pressured into anything.

Style that suits your personality—While most bridal shops will carry an array of gown styles, some of them cater to very specific tastes. If you’re after something very modern and trendy, it’s probably not worth the time or trip to visit the vintage-style shop up the road. Before you spend the time and gas money to visit each shop on your list, call around and ask about the styles of gowns each store carries, and don’t forget to visit their websites. Many bridal shops list the designers they carry on their sites and some even have full-blown photo galleries to check out.

Accessory selection—Some bridal shops carry more accessory options than others. If you want to make assembling your outfit more convenient, look for a shop that offers everything from shoes and tiaras to jewelry and veils. This is an important part of choosing the right bridal boutique if you want to avoid any extra hassle.

Wedding Websites available at www.eWedding.com

Posted in Bridal Party, Bridesmaids Dresses, Dress Trains, Hair & Beauty, Veils, Wedding Accessories, Wedding Budget, Wedding Decor, Wedding Gowns, Wedding Looks, Wedding Shoes, Wedding Trends, Wedding Websites | Leave a comment