Last week I attended the best wedding I’ve ever been to hands down. Now, I know what you’re probably thinking. “Sure it was fabulous! It was more than likely your daughter’s wedding and you footed the bill!” Wrong. This was actually the wedding of the son of a business associate of mine, so I had no real connection to anyone. I was an objective guest, if there is such a thing and it was the most fabulous wedding I’ve ever attended.

First, the wedding dresses were absolutely beautiful, especially the bride’s gown. I know how hard it can be to choose bridal dresses and let me tell you, this bride got it just right. Even the bridesmaid dresses were perfect. Every single girl up there looked good in her dress and it complemented the bridal gown and flowers perfectly. That’s not an easy feat. (The groom and groomsmen looked wonderful too, but that’s a little easier to accomplish.) Second, the ceremony was beautiful and touching and just the right length. Have you ever been to a wedding where the ceremony happens so quick, you almost don’t realize it happened at all? Or conversely, those awfully long ceremonies that drag on forever and ever, causing the entire guest list to rush the bar as soon as the cocktail party begins? This one was like the Goldilocks of ceremonies: it was “just right.” Third, the reception was a blast! It looked beautiful too; not so done up where it makes you feel like you can’t let loose, but breathtaking all the same. The food was excellent and the bride opted for stations rather than sit down, which I always prefer because it keeps everyone up and about and mingling and dancing. The drinks were plentiful and easy to get to as well. The bride was smart in making sure there were an adequate number of bars in the room so that no line was ever too long. Also, the music was really great; a perfect blend of classic oldies and contemporary music that really got the crowd going. I don’t think there was ever a significant period of time when the dance floor was not full of people.

More than anything, I’d say, the whole affair was a perfect reflection of the couple getting married. They both looked like they were having a wonderful time and were truly in love.

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When planning a wedding, it’s so easy to get caught up in the various advice given by well-intentioned friends, family, magazines, internet and other sources that cause you to stray from what your original vision of your wedding was. This happened to my fiancé and I more than once. Thankfully we were engaged for a pretty long time, which enabled us to change our minds a couple times without incurring any consequences. Not all brides-to-be have that luxury. In fact most do not. The majority of couples are married within a year or so of their engagement. Being that the recommendation is to book a place one year out, you can find yourself very easily locked into a venue or wedding dress or whatever that maybe you realize too late you didn’t really want.

As we all know, wedding dresses are so important to the overall affair. In my opinion, the two most important decisions you’ll make as bride-to-be are your bridal dresses (that includes bridal gown and bridesmaid dresses) and the venue. They are also the very first decisions you will make. That’s why it is imperative that you follow only your own voice and vision and not let yourself get sucked into anyone else’s, no matter how well intentioned.

Just such a thing happened to a friend of mine. I went to her wedding last week and I’ll tell you, it was a bittersweet affair. Of course, she was happy because she loves her husband and can’t wait to spend the rest of her life with him. But, there was a palpable feeling of regret residing in her because she succumbed to the pressures of her family and what they thought a wedding should be. For instance, the wedding dresses she was originally drawn to were simple and wistful and romantic. The wedding venues were along the same lines. Her mother, however, kept pushing her to consider grander types of venues and bridal dresses in both subtle and not so subtle ways. My friend acquiesced and before she knew it, she had put a deposit down on this huge ballroom type venue and ordered a Cinderella-looking wedding gown. Needless to say, the wedding pleased her mother much more than it pleased her.

So, girls, the lesson to take away from this is to listen to your voice and your fiancé’s voice and nothing else, especially when it comes to bridal dresses and wedding venues. If you have flowers your mom liked better than you did, that won’t make or break your day. But if you go against your vision with those two key elements, you’ll regret it. Your wedding is too important to regret.

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As a wedding planner, I have a golden rule I’ve been preaching to my clients for as long as I’ve been planning weddings. It’s an invaluable tip my mentor taught me way back when. “Wedding dresses come first.” When planning a wedding, there is a definite pecking order as far as what to do when. Each new choice is informed by and built upon the previous choice. For instance, unless you want your flowers to inform the color of your bridesmaid dresses, I suggest picking them out first so that instead, the color of the bridesmaid dresses informs the flowers. Even within the “bridal dresses” category there is a best pecking order: bridal gown, bridesmaid dresses, flower girl dress, mother of the bride dress, and last, mother of the groom dress.

So, back to the golden rule. Some women argue that it’s the wedding venue that comes first. My answer to that is that it is really not necessary to know the exact venue in order to pick your wedding dress, rather just the type of venue. For instance, if you know you’re going to have a beach wedding, that will inform your choice of dress, but you don’t necessarily need to know the exact beach where you’re going to have the ceremony. From experience I would say that more often than not, these two decisions – wedding dress and venue – happen simultaneously.

The bridal gown is the centerpiece of the wedding around which all else revolves. It informs how formal/informal the wedding is, plus overall style. If the bride picks a gown that is very wistful and romantic, I will plan all other elements with that in mind. The same goes if the bride picks a very modern and chic type of wedding dress. As I’ve said, I’ve been preaching this golden rule for years, but it sunk in differently and more profoundly when it came to planning my own wedding. At the moment I am in the process of choosing my wedding venue and wedding dress. My parameters for the venue are outdoors and relaxed, so naturally that is informing my choice of bridal dresses. Yesterday, I found my perfect wedding dress and as soon as that fell into place, everything else crystallized. My vision for my wedding is so much clearer now. It’s even going to help me decide on a venue. I always stood by my golden rule because I knew it to be true from experience. But now I know it to my bones in a much more significant way. So remember ladies, wedding dresses come first.

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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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When I got married, I purchased all my bridal dresses from an online bridal salon. I remember my mother looking at me like I had grown a second head when I told her I was planning to do that. My mother is like most people in that she has a hard time trusting any store that is not your traditional bricks and mortar store. I can definitely understand her worry. I, myself, was a little apprehensive going into it and might not have if it weren’t for two factors. One, the bridal salon I was originally planning to purchase my wedding dress with made a big mistake on my friend’s bridesmaid dresses she ordered. All of a sudden, my unquestioning faith in the integrity of a bricks and mortar salon faltered quite a bit. On top of the fact that they made such a huge mistake, they weren’t very nice about fixing it after the fact either. They tried to make it out to be my friend’s fault.

Second factor was my budget. I was on a very strict budget when it came to my wedding because my fiancé and I were financing it all on our own. Every dollar I could save was an extra dollar I could spend on our honeymoon. One day, after trying on a couple of wedding dresses at another bricks and mortar bridal shop, I took note of a couple of the style numbers of the particular bridal dresses I was looking at. When I did a comparison with the price of those same wedding dresses with the online store, I realized I could save quite a bit of money were I to order my dress that way.

Of course, it’s very important that you give this matter due diligence and properly research any online bridal salon you plan to utilize. After all, we are all aware that there are many scams of all colors and flavors floating around out there in the big worldwide web. The first place my research took me was the Better Business Bureau online. I refused to use any business that was not listed as a member. Second bit of research I conducted was to verify that the online bridal shop was listed as an authorized dealer on the various designers’ websites whose dresses they offered. If your online shop is not listed in these lists, do not buy. You are getting a knockoff and that great price you think you’re paying is actually a rip off because the dress is a fake. The last bit of research I did was to read the testimonials on each bridal shop website I found, as well as search for third party chatter.

In the end, I had not a single problem with any of the wedding dresses I ordered. I was super happy with the company, the dresses, and the service.

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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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An engagement is a wonderful thing; the personal story attached to the event, the ring, and the wedding plans to follow. Still reeling from an overwhelming experience, a bride-to-be may quickly find herself already ensconced in another overwhelming activity – looking for wedding dresses. For many reasons, wedding dresses are step one in the process of planning a wedding. For one, wedding dresses are one of those items that need quite a few months with regard to shopping, sizing, ordering, and altering; it is not advisable to make shopping for wedding dresses a last minute affair. Secondly, wedding dresses tend to set the tone for the entirety of the wedding, as counterintuitive as that may seem. This is because brides fall in love with an actual dress; not just an idea of a dress. And, while she may have pictured herself in a full skirt ball gown, she may find that she looks phenomenal in a fitted sheath; and the details of the wedding ceremony and reception follow.

Make shopping for wedding dresses your number one priority in terms of wedding planning. Look through bridal magazines to get an idea of the styles that most appeal to you or the designers to which you are drawn. Schedule full days during which you and your bridesmaids (or whoever you choose to bring along on this special journey) will have time to really browse around, take your time, and have fun. Be sure to be prepared for the process, however; wear shoes with a heal about the height that you would like to wear on your wedding day, wear easy to remove clothing to make the try-on process easier, and just enjoy the experience of trying on as many wedding dresses as you please.

Once you find that perfect dress you will be called upon for many fittings in the months ahead during which your dress will be fit perfectly to your body; making it, for most women, the single most luxurious dress they will ever wear.

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