Weddings are crazy. If you let them, they can cause undue stress in your life, turning what was once a magical affair into something at which the mere thought causes you to break out in hives. There’s so much that goes into a wedding and the coordination of all those details can get really overwhelming. Wedding dresses, bridesmaid dresses, flowers, food, drink, venue, photographer, videographer, table assignments – all these elements come with their own set of stresses before you even begin to coordinate. Here are some tips to keep yourself from going bananas and alienating your friends and family because you’ve turned into Bridezilla.

One, take it step by step. There’s a definite pecking order that will help you coordinate the elements properly. First, the venue. Second, the bridal gown. Third, the flowers, at least the colors. Fourth, the bridal dresses, specifically in this order: bridesmaid dresses, flower girl dresses, mother of the bride and mother of the groom dresses. Fifth, the rest of your floral arrangements. Sixth, food and drink. Seventh, photographer, videographer, and music in any order.

Two, work out a budget and stick to it. It’s very important that you and your fiancé come up with an agreed upon budget and that you stay within said budget at all times. Once you start going over budget, the stress level invariably increases.

Three, use trusted vendors/suppliers. Word of mouth is a great way to determine which florist, caterer, etc. to use. Also, be sure to ask for samples from all your vendors. When choosing a photographer/videographer, it’s recommended to meet with them in person so you can get a feel for how you vibe together. After all, you and your new husband will spend more time with them than anyone else at your wedding.

Four, buy a wedding planner to help you coordinate all the above details. Keep everything pertaining to your wedding in that one binder/book so you can easily find all important documents. Record everything.

Five, never lose sight of what this planning is all about. It is a celebration of you and your husband-to-be and your love for each other. It is the day the two of you commit yourselves to each other for the rest of your lives. Don’t forget that.

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Finding the wedding dress that’s perfect for you, while fun, can seem a daunting task. This is largely due to three things: First, you’ve been dreaming about wedding dresses and your big day since you first knew what it meant to have a wedding. In other words, the expectation is high. Second, this is probably one of the most important days of your life and something you plan on happening only once, making what you wear to the occasion of the utmost importance. In other words, the expectation is high. Third, the bride is the centerpiece of the whole production of a wedding. All eyes are on you. In other words, the expectation is high. Just in case you didn’t get it, I’ll say it again. The expectation is high.

Ideally, the wedding dress you choose should be an expression of your personal style on a larger scale. So, if, for instance, you are not one for girly frills and other such details, don’t feel it’s necessary to choose a dress with any of those elements either. Basically, it should be the best version of you, not you trying to be the best version of someone else. Also, it is vital to keep your venue in mind when choosing a wedding dress or any other bridal dresses for that matter. For example, if you are having your wedding in a grand ballroom and it is going to be a formal affair, that will inform your choice of dress. Conversely, if you are having a beach wedding, that will also inform your choice of dress, albeit in a drastically different way.

All women need to take note of their body types as well when searching for their perfect dress. (This is an important section to read for your bridesmaid dresses as well.) Brides, like all women, come in all different shapes and sizes. For every body type, there is a dress out there to flatter it. It’s simply a matter of knowing which ones flatter you specifically. If you have an hourglass figure, an A-line style would be great on you but you should avoid ball gown or empire waist silhouettes. If you are petite, empire cuts and certain A-line styles work best, but you should avoid heavy detailing and fabrics or any kind of dress with too much poof as it will drown and overwhelm you. If you are pear shaped, choose a bodice that slopes down to a V to accentuate your waist and a full skirt to hide your hips. If you are tall and slender, you can either play it up with a long dress that skims your body, or choose a full-skirted dress that will help create the illusion of curves. If you are full figured, it’s best to choose a dress that helps create the illusion of a small waist to give you more of an hourglass look. Also, it’s good to invest in a bodice that will help that illusion as well.

Last, but not least, pick a dress you are comfortable in! You will be doing a lot of posing and mingling for your wedding. It’s important that you feel comfortable or it will be a very long night!

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Most brides-to-be forget about the mother of the bride dress until her mother reminds her, of course. We’re too busy concerning ourselves with the wedding dress and bridesmaid dresses. Fact of the matter is, though, that the mother of the bride dress is just as important as the other bridal dresses. After all, just because your mother isn’t standing up with you along with the rest of your bridal party doesn’t mean she does not stand out among your guests. The mother of the bride is usually the last to be escorted down the aisle to her seat by one of the groomsmen before the bridal party starts the procession. Also, she will be announced and have to make an entrance at your reception. And even if you plan on skipping all of that, she will be featured prominently in all your pictures I’m sure. So, it’s very important that you communicate with your mother while she is choosing her dress.

It is imperative that your mother starts shopping as soon as possible, but not until you’ve chosen your bridal gown and the bridesmaid dresses. A great resource is the Internet. There are many great websites that sell wedding dresses and other bridal dresses at great prices you can’t find anywhere else. Many brides wonder how much they can dictate when it comes to their mother’s dress. Ideally you should dictate color, which should complement the bridesmaid dresses and flower girl dresses, as well as formality. If, for instance, your own wedding dress is less formal than wedding dresses traditionally are, your mother should not wear an evening gown type of dress. It will look out of place. Also, it is customary for the mother of the bride to wear a corsage that matches the bridal bouquet so she should keep that in mind as well. You may be asking, what about the mother of the groom? Customarily, the mother of the bride chooses her dress first and then the mother of the groom picks a dress that is complementary, but again not matching, to the mother of the bride and the rest of the bridal party.

In the end, it is a lot of dresses to coordinate. That’s why getting the pecking order down is so important. First, your dress and flowers. Second, the bridesmaid dresses and flower girl dresses. Third, the mother of the bride dress. And last, the mother of the groom dress.

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Just the other week I read this article that featured a bride’s worst nightmare: A bridal salon that totally messes up your dress order. This particular bridal salon in Newburgh, NY seemed to have done just that to countless brides. One bride’s dress came in so late, she had to have it altered by someone else and it wasn’t finished until 10 PM the night before. Apparently, the bride and her mother called the salon numerous times but their phone calls were never returned. Their bridesmaid dresses were also delayed and the whole debacle cost them more than $1000 in alterations alone. Also, the bride was missing her wedding veil that never came in at all. Totally crazy! Another poor bride had ordered all her bridal dresses through this salon a full year in advance. Plenty of time, right? Unfortunately, no. After repeatedly calling the salon when the dresses were due in with no return phone call, the mother of the bride demanded a refund and ordered all her dresses elsewhere, which cost her a bundle of money; much more than she was originally planning to spend. Still another bride, with a wedding just weeks away, was found in the corner of the store sobbing by a fellow bride, who was also there that day in search of her MIA wedding dresses. The poor girl was so upset because none of her bridesmaid dresses had come in yet and her wedding was only a few weeks away.

These are the horror stories every bride has nightmares about starting from the moment she puts that deposit down. Sometimes, it’s really hard to tell what you’re walking into with those mom and pop stores. That’s why I used an online bridal shop for my bridal dresses. First, the prices were better. I could get the same dress I saw in my local wedding shop for hundreds less online. But also, I was able to do a thorough background check on the online resource before utilizing it. I checked to see if they were registered with the Better Business Bureau online. I checked if they were listed on the designer’s authorized dealers list if it was a designer whose line they offered. I also searched for any other third party online chatter about the company as well as thoroughly looked into the testimonials they had posted on their site. The site I ended up using had extensive testimonials complete with wedding albums of the girls showing off their wedding dresses and bridesmaid dresses.

Bottom line, when it comes to your wedding, it’s better to be safe than sorry. The last thing you want is to be sobbing in the corner of a store just a few weeks before your big day.

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So many women mistakenly think that if your budget is bigger, then your wedding is automatically going to be better. Conversely, they mistakenly think that if you have a small budget to work with it means your wedding isn’t going to be as nice. I was recently at two weddings where it was exactly the opposite case. For the sake of non-disclosure, we’ll cal the big budget wedding “Wedding A” and the small budget one “Wedding B.”

First, let’s talk about the wedding dresses. Both brides looked absolutely beautiful in their wedding dress. Bride A’s wedding dress cost her a couple grand, while Bride B’s cost only a few hundred. However, they were equally beautiful. (Bride B was smart and got all her bridal dresses from an online bridal shop. She saved a ton of money that way. She was able to get a dress she normally wouldn’t have been able to afford for much less.) Next, the bridesmaid dresses. Bride A’s bridesmaid dresses were not so cute unfortunately. They were expensive but they did not work well with the bridal gown, nor did they flatter her bridesmaids that well. Bride B also got her bridesmaid dresses from the online source, so she not only saved her bridal party money but she also managed to choose dresses that both complemented her and looked fabulous on them.

As for the food, Bride A did the traditional sit down dinner, which was very good by the way. But Bride B had greater success with her passed trays and her two food stations because it kept people mingling and dancing. Bride A had a better bar, I’ll admit, because she had every liquor you could possibly imagine as a selection. However, I did not hear a single complaint about the bar at Bride B’s wedding. As long as you have the standards, you’re golden really. As far as the music, Bride A hired a DJ for her wedding, but to be honest, he was rather obnoxious. Mostly, he just got on everyone’s nerves. Bride B developed a variety of play lists through her ipod and commissioned one of her bridesmaids’ fiancé to be in charge of the music. She had a ceremony play list, a cocktail hour play list, etc. The music was awesome and there was no annoying DJ shouting at you on his mic every two seconds because he was in love with the sound of his own voice. For the flowers, Bride A had these beautiful, enormous and elaborate centerpieces. They were perfect and fit the size and style of her venue well. Bride B was able to choose much simpler floral arrangements because she smartly chose a venue that helped her make those kind of budgetary choices naturally. Her flowers didn’t look “cheap;”they just looked like they fit, if you know what I mean.

As you can see, money does not guarantee a great wedding nor does lack of money necessarily mean a bad wedding. Sometimes strict budgets lead to great creativity.

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Weddings are normally associated with the spring and summer seasons; a spring bride is the more traditional bride as the weather is nice and accommodating for such an event. But there are those who prefer - or choose because of scheduling - a winter wedding which can be just as lovely. I, for one, was a winter bride; I got married against a backdrop of twinkling holiday lights and the decor of the season. The reception was warm and personal; as if I had gathered my family and friends around a crackling winter fire which ushered in the spirit of the season.

No matter when you choose to get married, however, wedding dresses should be first on the list of priorities. Of course, bridal dresses are styled to fit the season and so winter brides should look for wedding dresses that align with the winter months. Expect heavier fabrics, more ornate detail, and muted ivories. The season opens up many new options in terms of bridesmaid dresses as well. Winter brides may choose to outfit their bridesmaids in holiday colors, crushed velvet fabrics, and include accessories such as shawls or gloves.

Being a winter brides does not mean that you have to give up your dreams of traditional wedding dresses. Ultimately you should chose those bridal dresses that speak to you in terms of style and that - most importantly - accentuate your body type and make you feel absolutely beautiful. Do be sure to try on as many wedding dresses as you can and do not skimp when it comes to finding exactly what you want. With the Internet at our disposal, there are more options than ever!

A winter wedding can be magical and something your guests will remember for years to come. After all, it is a time when you can welcome the coming holidays and incorporate the magic of the season into the details of your wedding day.

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“Buff Brides” is this great, inspirational reality show on Fit TV. Basically, it follows brides-to-be as they try to get in better shape for their wedding. I think all of us brides-to-be can relate to this and it’s something we all go through to a certain extent. Actually, come to think of it, all women in the entire bridal party can relate to it. For instance, I am sure at least half of your bridesmaids will diet and exercise to look better in their bridesmaid dresses. Fact of the matter is, you and the women in your life will all be on display on the day of your wedding, so naturally we all want to put our best foot forward.

Thankfully, bridal dresses lend themselves to making this process possible, whether they are wedding dresses or bridesmaid dresses or mother of the bride/groom dresses, because they are designed to be altered. The rule of thumb when ordering any of these bridal dresses is to order them at least one size larger than you actually are so that the seamstress will have enough fabric to work with as they are fitting the dress to your body. If you schedule your last fitting a couple of days before your wedding, you can be losing weight and inches all the way up to that point without fear of not fitting in your dress day of.

Please note, ladies, do not – I repeat do not – order your dress at the exact size you are, banking on losing enough weight to go down at least a whole size. This is not because I don’t think you can do it, or that I want you to go into it thinking you won’t be able to do it, or even that I want you to take a “better safe than sorry” approach to losing the inches you desire. Fact of the matter is, if you follow the guidelines set forth in health magazines and shows like “Buff Brides” you will lose the weight and inches you set out to, no doubt. It’s just that weddings are stressful, particularly the planning of it, and there is no need to add extra stress to your life (which is actually proven to hinder weight loss) by putting that type of pressure on yourself. It’s no harder for a seamstress to take a dress in two sizes than it is to take in a dress one size.

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I recently read of an event held by a local department store dubbed “Running of the Brides” which I guess is a play on running of the bull. Basically, it’s a shopping event for brides to purchase discounted wedding dresses. Apparently, there was a line around the block for this event. Brides come in teams, usually consisting of their mother, bridesmaids, etc. Once inside, it’s pure bedlam. The dresses are not organized in any way, shape or form – not by size, style, anything. It’s a total free-for-all. I’m getting stressed just thinking about it. (I do not like crowds of frantic, pushy people.) I would not do well in that type of situation. And I certainly don’t want that to be my experience of choosing my wedding dress. A mob of brides rushing a store, tearing wedding dresses off the racks? Sorting through piles of wedding dresses strewn all over the floor? Fighting and shouting and pushing and pulling? No, thanks.

If you share my aversion for this type of event, let me direct you to something called the Internet. Yes, ladies, you can find discount bridal dresses of all kinds from the comfort and privacy of your own home. There’s no need to line up overnight, organize “teams”, or create strategies of any kind for snagging your perfect dress. You can also find the accessories you need for your dress online. Bridesmaids? You can get their bridesmaid dresses from the same site – at discount prices! Times are hard; they’ll appreciate the discounted cost just as much as you.

So, leave the running of the bull (or bride) scenario to the crazies. That’s what I would do. With the choice between being irritated, hot, sweaty, hassled and rushed and being calm, comfortable, cool, unhassled, and unrushed, I choose the latter. Wouldn’t you?

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A wedding is an expensive proposition. There are numerous details that go into the total cost and they all play their part. Today’s faltering economy does not lend itself to extravagant weddings for the average bride. Many recently engaged women are forced to factor in cost and budget in a more significant way than before. So, the question is, what to cut back on?

One thing’s for sure and that is most brides are reluctant to cut back on the cost of their wedding dress. After all, wedding dresses are paramount to the affair. They set the tone, determine the style, and are the centerpiece of the night, along with the bride. More than that, most brides have dreamt of their wedding dress on and off since age 10 or 11. Face it, girls, when we dream of our wedding, it’s not about the flowers or the band or the bar package. We dream ourselves walking down the aisle, all eyes on us, in our beautiful dress.

The overall cost of a wedding is pretty much a cumulative affair. It’s the extra $10 a head for the fondue dessert fountain, choosing the expensive flowers for your bouquets and centerpieces, choosing premium liquor for your bar package – these are the ways wedding costs add up and skyrocket. So, if you want to cut back on your wedding, start with these areas.

As far as prices for wedding dresses, if you want to scale back without sacrificing your “dream dress,” I would look online. There are many great online resources that sell all types of bridal dresses at costs you just won’t see in your local bridal shop. These online wedding shops are wonderful because you can purchase almost all your wedding dresses there, including bridesmaid dresses, flower girl dresses, even mother of the bride/groom dresses, as well as shoes and other accessories.

While I can understand not wanting to sacrifice, you should still always have a budget range for your wedding dress. Stick to looking at wedding dresses that fall within that range; otherwise you may be tempted to unnecessarily blow your whole budget on a dress which, while important, you do only wear once. There are many beautiful dresses at all different price levels. Rest assured, you will be able to find “your” dress within your range.

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So, you’ve spend the past however many months searching for the perfect bridal dresses for your big day – the wedding dress, the bridesmaid dresses, etc. – and now they’ve arrived and it’s time for the alterations. The first fitting for your wedding dress should probably occur about six to eight weeks before your wedding. Wedding dresses take a good bit of skill to alter, so it’s best to do diligent research when searching for a tailor. Be sure to check references. I advise asking each tailor for the phone numbers of the last three brides whose wedding dresses he/she altered.

During your fittings, be sure to live up to the bridezilla reputation of brides everywhere. This is the time for you to be demanding! It may be one of the only dresses you ever get to fit your body exactly right, so take advantage of it. Also, this is the most important dress you will ever wear, as well as being one of the most expensive, so do everything in your power to make sure it gets done just the way you want it. As you are being fitted, watch closely how the dress material falls and moves around your body and how the chest area in particular fits. If there is something that looks off, be sure to address it with your tailor.

At your second fitting, it’s always important to bring all your accessories with you – the veil, the shoes, the lingerie, even the jewelry. It’s the only way to get an accurate reading on how well the dress fits you. Remember, take your time. Do not let the tailor make you feel rushed. This is your big day, you’ve paid a lot of money for this dress, and you deserve the perfect fit.

At your final fitting, it’s always good to bring your maid of honor and maybe one other bridesmaid with you. This way, they can be there as a second and third pair of eyes, which always helps. Also, if your dress is complicated, they will need to learn about it. For instance, they may need to learn how it bustles. You will want to bring your accessories at this fitting as well. Remember – and I can’t stress this enough – allow yourself to be demanding, even if it goes against your nature. In this one instance, it’s called for.

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