“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, recently I was reading up about the new fall trends for wedding dresses in fall ’08. Here’s the lowdown. Apparently, black is in (at least in Europe). Here in America, designers are showing black detail, such as sashes and belts. These give the bridal dresses a very sophisticated look, so if that’s the type of dress you want (and you’re a fearless woman unafraid to wear black at your wedding), I say go for it. Another trend is blue and metallic wedding dresses. (Sometimes I wonder about these trends. We brides grew up dreaming of ourselves in white. I, personally, will save the blue, minus the metallic, for my bridesmaid dresses.) The toga dress is one of the top trends for women’s dresses this year and it’s crept its way into the fall wedding dresses collections. With the right setting, this look can be very romantic and old-worldly. Another trend – and this is more a long-standing tradition that keeps coming back – is brocade embellishments. Brocade embellishments on wedding dresses are particularly suited for fall/winter weddings because they work best on those thicker materials meant for the colder weather. Brocade just doesn’t work well on the light and airy dresses you see in the spring and summer. The final trend I read about was jewel-toned wedding dresses, which basically means colored wedding dresses. This is a great option for the daring bride, the outside of the box bride, second (or third) time brides, and all women who don’t like white.

Here’s the thing, ladies. Trends are important to follow in everyday wear. Of course, your closet needs the certain “classic” attire that never goes out of style, but each season it’s good to buy a few things to stay current and of the moment. Your wedding dress, on the other hand, should reflect your taste more than the trend, even if this means going against the trend. Don’t sweat it. Wedding dresses do not simply encapsulate the time; they encapsulate you, the bride, first and foremost. Your dress should fit you, both literally and figuratively. So, look to the trends for inspiration, but don’t let yourself be ruled by them.

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OK, so recently I was in a dilemma. I felt like I was standing in the middle of a four way intersection – scratch that, an eight way roundabout – with no idea which way to go. I had no idea where to have my reception or even what kind of ceremony/reception I wanted. Whenever I looked for a reception site, I found myself jumping around to all different types- from a garden setting to a beach setting to a traditional church setting with a large ballroom type reception to a backyard wedding. And all seemed equally attractive and equally unattractive. I was having a hard time picturing myself at any of the places I was researching. That’s when it struck me. I couldn’t picture myself anywhere properly because I couldn’t picture myself properly. I had no idea what type of wedding dress I wanted. Wedding dresses come in all sorts of flavors. There are some that are very modern and chic, some that are sleek and sophisticated, some that are soft and romantic, some that are Cinderella and ball-like, and some that are meant to be more informal and relaxed, like for the beach. I realized I would never be able to choose a wedding venue until I had at least narrowed it down to the style of wedding dress I wanted. Everything stems from the dress.

So, I started to do some research. I went online and plugged in “wedding dresses.” Within seconds I was on this fabulous website with thousands of choices to look at. It had everything from wedding dresses to bridesmaid dresses to the flower girl dresses- even mother of the bride and mother of the groom dresses. For the next week, I devoured all the information I could about bridal dresses. I looked at every designer under the sun, plus utilized things like the forum this website had and the tips they provided. I literally flooded myself with information and images. It was “my process.” I knew I needed to determine what kind of bride I was meant to be so I approached it creatively. I figured that would give me my best results. I felt it would be a more organic decision if it came from a creative, intuitive place, rather than a judging, thinking place.

After a week of deluging my brain with wedding dresses, I spent the next three days actively not thinking about it all. I just tried to let all those images and information roll around in my brain without me “thinking” about them. And then, after three days, I had a dream. I dreamed myself walking down the aisle in my wedding dress. It was wistful and romantic. The sun was behind my head and my hair was soft and upswept. I was outside surrounded by green and next to a lake. I felt such peace and contentment when I awoke; I knew that was what I wanted. This time when I went to research weddings, I researched only those venues that fit the criteria I imagined. We booked with the third place we went to visit. I am so excited and can’t wait for the big day.

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So, you’re getting married and you’re on a budget. Most brides are. As you might be starting to understand, wedding costs are a cumulative affair. It’s not one thing versus another that breaks the bank; it’s all the little things that add up. That’s why I find it best to approach a wedding like you would the restaurant business. You see, I grew up working in the restaurants my father owned, so I know a little something about it. Restaurants are a penny-pinching business. Saving five cents on the cost of a single French onion soup will add up to thousands by the end of the year. Conversely, shaving a couple of dollars off your cost per head, for instance, will save you hundreds or thousands, depending on the size of your reception. So, basically, with all items, getting the best bang out of your buck should be your motto. Every little bit counts.

This brings me to wedding dresses. I can feel all you brides cringing already. Nobody wants to “skimp” on her wedding dress. Maybe the bridesmaid dresses or the other bridal dresses you will need, but when it comes to the wedding dress, brides do not want to feel like they sacrificed. And rightfully so. It is the most important dress you will ever wear. Believe it or not, you can purchase wedding dresses that are affordable without feeling cheated. “How?” you might be asking. Simple: go online. There are some great websites out there with literally hundreds upon thousands of wedding dresses to choose from and they are all at great prices. So essentially you get the exact same wedding dresses you fell in love with in the magazine or at the local wedding shop for hundreds less. You can’t beat it!

So, remember girls, pinch those pennies and you will have a great wedding that won’t put you in a hole. It all adds up.

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More and more brides today are choosing informal wedding dresses for their big day, rather than the traditional “ball” type gown. They are looking for bridal dresses that are comfortable and casual, but still manage to be elegant and gorgeous at the same time. This is because more and more brides are opting for a more simple, streamlined wedding. In keeping with that feel, they long for a dress that fits the affair – bridal, but not Cinderella bridal. I, myself, am such a bride.

Sometimes these types of wedding dresses can be hard to find. It is a relatively new trend. However, I have recently found many options on the Internet, which is nice. I found this great site with literally thousands of bridal dresses to choose from, including bridesmaid dresses, mother of the bride/groom dresses, flower girl dresses, etc. I had been having a hard time finding a suitable dress previously because I was shopping in the local wedding shops in my area and they would have no more than a few of the type of informal dress I was hoping for. I tried shopping for just regular white dresses as well, but they seemed to casual; not bridal looking, if that makes any sense.

Thankfully a friend pointed out this wonderful website and within one afternoon, I had looked at numerous wedding dresses that fit the look I was going for. All of a sudden I had lots of choices! Moreover, the prices were much more competitive than the wedding shops I had been visiting. Also, I got to look at all the bridesmaid dresses at the same time, which I narrowed down to two selections for the girls to choose from. All of this in one day! I had been looking for weeks with no luck before.

So, my fellow brides, fear not. The elusive informal wedding dresses of your dreams are just a few clicks away!

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The answer to the question above is simple: as early as you possibly can. The same goes for all other bridal dresses- bridesmaid dresses, flower girls dresses, mother of the bride and mother of the groom dresses – but especially wedding dresses. Number one reason? Alterations!

I have heard some alteration horror stories, let me tell you. My own sister had an alteration horror story. My sister, Susan, got married almost exactly three years ago. She got all her bridal dresses the traditional way, using a local wedding shop. She tells me she would do that differently were she getting married today. Last year, she was a bridesmaid in her friend’s wedding who purchased all her bridal dresses, including her bridal gown, from an online resource. It saved her a bundle of money and a good deal of headaches. Anyway, my sister ended up using a seamstress recommended by the wedding shop. She was also the same seamstress another friend of Susan’s had used the previous year, so she came on good recommendation from two sources. Unfortunately for my sister, she flaked out on her wedding.

The signs came early. First, soon after the dresses came in, the seamstress’s phone was mysteriously disconnected and Susan couldn’t reach her for five days. Then, soon after our first fitting, she disappeared again, this time for three whole weeks. It would have been bad enough if we hadn’t already had the fitting, but now not only was the seamstress MIA but all our dresses were MIA along with her. Finally, my sister managed to track her down. She had some excuse for where she had been, I don’t remember exactly what, but my sister took pity on her and gave her a second chance.

After the three-week incident, it was smooth sailing up until about a week before the wedding. We had two bridesmaids who lived out of state, so they came in a week early and had their first fittings then. Two days before the wedding, at their second fitting, we all realized the seamstress had made a huge mistake. She had altered the wrong dress for the wrong girl! She had mixed up their sizes and measurements! (Each bridesmaid in my sister’s wedding had a different color dress.) It was a mess. It all turned out OK in the end, thank goodness, but it was not a smooth and pleasant ride.

Moral of the story: Even if someone comes to you on good recommendation, nothing is a sure thing. Be prepared and order all your wedding dresses ASAP!

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Have you ever paid an exorbitant amount of money for something and then found it elsewhere for much much less? It’s not a fun feeling is it? It’s even worse when it’s expensive - like wedding dresses and bridesmaid dresses for example. Have you ever noticed that most wedding shops rip the tags out of their gowns? (This is illegal by the way.) They do this because they don’t want you to get a hold of the manufacturer’s name and style number. And why don’t they want you to have that information? Because they know that armed with that and the Internet, you’ll find a much better bargain for the exact same dress.

The fact of the matter is, there are some great sites on the Internet that sell all types of bridal dresses at great prices. The stronghold your local wedding shop has over the market is no longer. That’s why they resort to illegally ripping the tags out of their dresses. If you have ever asked a sales associate at one of these shops the manufacturer and style number of the dress you want, then you have witnessed first hand a total personality change. Where the sales associate was once all sugar and spice, she has now turned into the wicked witch of the west.

If I were looking for wedding dresses now, I would start first with magazines. They are a great way to begin to get a sense of the kind of dress you want. Next, I would go to an online source armed with my magazines. If the online site is a good one, there will be some sort of customer service representative who can help you find the dress you want- even the exact one you earmarked in that bridal magazine. It is important to note here that it would be in your best interest to do some sort of background check on the site you will be using to purchase your bridal dresses. It’s too important of an occasion not to and there are some bogus sites out there unfortunately. A good place to start is the online Better Business Bureau. If they are a member, that is a good sign. If not, steer clear. Next, once you know the designer manufacturer who makes the exact dress you want, go to their website and make sure the resource you are using is listed as an authorized reseller. If they are not, it probably means they are trying to sell you an imitation dress at the price of the real thing- not really what you want when purchasing your wedding dresses or bridesmaid dresses.

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Let me state right off the bat, that title is tongue in cheek. I am not casting for a reality series based on the movie “27 Dresses” (although, let’s face it, if I were, it would not be a very hard show to cast. I think all of us, at one point or another, have experienced the bridesmaid hell, complete with empty wallets, ugly bridesmaid dresses, and Godzilla brides.) However, I am here to talk to those women who have literally tried on 27 wedding dresses and have yet to find “their” wedding dress.

We’ve all dreamed about it. We’ve all pictured it, fantasized ourselves in it, but when it comes down to the actual purchasing time, we all seem to be masters of indecision. There are two main reasons for this: importance and selection. The wedding dress is probably the single most important piece of clothing you will ever purchase. It is how your husband will remember you whenever he thinks back on your wedding day. You will be immortalized in it by the hundreds of pictures taken of you wearing it and these pictures will be distributed to all who attended the event and more. All your family and friends will watch you walk down the aisle in it – all seeing you in your dress for the very first time. And above all, how you feel about yourself in your wedding dress when you look in the mirror that one last time will be something you carry with you for the rest of your life.

As far as selection goes, there are boundless numbers of bridal dresses available for purchase these days. They come in all sorts of shapes, sizes and styles- from the supremely elegant to the softly romantic to the casual chic. Most brides begin by flipping through magazines and earmarking the wedding dresses they like. This is often overwhelming. Bridal magazines just keep getting fatter and fatter each year with more and more choices. Then, you get into the store and all of a sudden your problem isn’t too much to choose from, it’s not enough selection. Soon you find yourself running around like a maniac in search of your perfect dress. The good news is there are online resources with extensive inventories of wedding dresses (as well as bridesmaid dresses and other bridal dresses) available for purchase. So you can cease all that running around stuff.

In closing, let me say this: You’ll know it when you see it. Every single former bride walking the earth says the same thing about the wedding dresses they have picked. Let’s just hope for your sake it’s dress #28 and not #128!

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