How To Choose The Perfect Wedding Dress

Congratulations, bride-to-be, on your engagement! As you begin your journey towards becoming husband and wife, close your eyes and envision how you want to look on your wedding day. Long traditional bridal gown with cascading train? Knee-length strapless dress with short silk veil? Every little girl dreams about getting married someday and walking down the aisle in a beautiful dress.

Here are a variety of tips and suggestions for selecting the perfect bridal gown that are sure to make things easier.

1) Ask your trusted friends and family about where they purchased their wedding dresses.

2) Ask to look at photographs of friends, family and co-workers wedding dresses to gather some new ideas.

3)Look at and research wedding dresses online. Ask friends and family to recommend bridal websites they have used.

4) Purchase subscriptions to several good quality wedding magazines to search for ideas. Pay attention to the specific styles, fabrics, and colors that appeal to you. Cut out photos of wedding dresses that you like and place them in a notebook or scrapbook that you can take with you when you shop.

5) Have your mother and/or bridesmaids accompany you to various wedding boutiques. Try on various dresses. Avoid settling for first or second dress you try on. Don’t settle shopping in just one boutique, check as many as you can find.

6) Consider putting several possible dresses on hold and return to the wedding boutique several days later to try on the dresses again with a fresh perspective. This will help you have the time needed to properly take everything in and avoid making an impulsive decision.

7) Consider the style that you want:

• with straps
• with long sleeves
• with short sleeves
• high-waist
• low-waist

8) Consider the length that best suits your needs and fits the theme of your wedding:

• floor length dress with long train
• floor length dress with short train
• floor length dress with no train
• ankle length dress with or without train
• knee-length dress

9) Think about the head-piece that you desire:

• long veil
• short veil
• no veil
• tiara

10) Think about the color that you would like:

• shades of white
• shades of ivory
• shade of cream

11) Consider the material/ fabric that you would feel most comfortable in:

• silk
• satin
• lace
• chiffon
• brocade
• organza
• taffeta
• velvet

12) Consider your body type and what dress style best flatters your figure.

13) Consider the month of your wedding and the typical weather at that time.

14) Consider the destination of your wedding:

• local wedding – traditional theme – cold or warm
• destination wedding – casual theme – tropical or cool

15) Consider any cultural or familial traditions that you want to uphold.

16) Try on your bridal shoes with your gown:

• flats
• small heel
• high heel
• sandals

17) Purchase jewelry that compliments your body type, face and your wedding dress.

18) Practice good time management. Begin looking for your dress shortly after getting engaged, so that you allow for plenty of time to shop at various boutiques and getting necessary fittings and alterations.

You'll be beautiful in your dream dress!

How to prevent wedding day disasters

You can be the most prepared bride in the world and still drinks get spilled, buttons pop, heels break, and foreheads get shiny— very shiny. Today we reveal the contents of our tried and true wedding emergency kit. Keep one on hand on your big day and you’ll be ready to deal with any wardrobe malfunction or fashion disaster that might come up.

Believe it or not, the following can all fit into a tiny makeup bag. Most items are inexpensive and available at your standard drug store or dollar store. Pack one for yourself and your bridesmaids. A fully stocked kit makes a fantastic bridal shower gift!

* A tiny mirror… small and portable so you can peek at your look

* A handkerchief… for tears, of course

* Bobby pins and a travel-sized bottle of hairspray… to keep that hairstyle in tact

* A small comb… to smooth back flyaways

* Lipstain… it lasts and won’t get on your teeth

* Band-aids… clear ones, for the inevitable blisters

* A Tide to Go pen… for unforeseen spills

* Blotting papers…for shine-free photos

* Dental floss… also necessary for those photos

* An emory board… to smooth out rough parts on nails that snag delicate dresses

* Krazy Glue… for shoe heels, clothing jewels or other adornments that come off

* Extra pantyhose… in case of a run

* Clear nail polish…in case there’s no time to change stockings

* White chalk… to cover up marks on your gown

* Topstick toupee tape… the best double-sided tape there is

* Extra earring backs… hopefully, you’re wearing screw-ins, but just in case you’re not

* A mini sewing kit… tiny scissors for loose threads, a needle and thread for mending and extra buttons because someone will lose one

* Safety pins… a quick fix for rips

* Travel-size perfume… to keep that great scent all day long

* Mints… think of all those people you need to talk to

* Eye drops… happy tears make for red eyes

* Aspirin… for that annoying headache

* Straws… so you stay hydrated without smearing your lipstick!

It's Your Day, Your Way!

Make your day about the two of you, not about the third party guest lists, not about the most convenient location, and not about a something-for-everyone buffet. It may sound romantic to proclaim your love in front of hundreds of people but how meaningful is it when these people are made up of your mother in law's friends, your partner's boss, your cousin's date, or the neighbors?

Your wedding can be personalized, original, out of the box. Or at the very least, not catered to everyone else besides you. Imagine your own backyard or dream destination as the setting; neither of those are too likely with a full set of RSVP's. Speaking of guests, imagine just the two of you committing your lives to each other in the sanctity of each others company or in front of the few people who mean the most to you. An elopement doesn't have to be totally exclusive; it's just that you actually own the guest list.

There are as many ways to personalize your wedding day as there are ways to get married. Ponder getting married on the top of a beautiful hill, in a cave, in a beautiful southern mansion, on a gorgeous mountain, or at a surprise party in your own home.

So stop the thought of hiring the meat carver when you're both vegetarians. Getting married is surely one of the best days in your life. Make it the day you want and not the day that your mother in law, parents, bridesmaids, buffet zombie guests, and last but not least, the wedding industry insist upon.

Unusal Wedding Chapels!

I love unusual wedding chapels! I wouldn't want to get married in one, I probably wouldn't recommend them to my clients, but oh how they make me smile!

How about an Inflatable Church?
Visit: www.inflatablechurch.com


Or maybe you'd like the chapel to come to you?
Visit: www.bestweddingchapel.com


Perhaps you'd rather get married in a floating chapel? This is a whole new view of getting married at the beach! Visit: www.weddingsonwater.com

These are great, innovative ideas for the couple who wants to have a wedding ceremony that's non-traditional, and bordering on wacky. As I tell all of my clients, there are no rules to the perfect ceremony. This is your wedding, have fun!

I Do! Take Two

Family Medallion Ceremony
If a parent gets remarried after a divorce or the death of their spouse, they may decide to have a family medallion ceremony. After the couple exchange wedding rings, their children join them at the altar. The bride and groom will then place a medal "medallion" around the neck of each child and pledge their love to them.

Family Medallions were created to assist with "family weddings" and to recognize a family commitment. The Family Medallion symbol includes three equally merged circles. Two circles represent the marriage union while the third symbolizes the importance of children within the family. All Family Medallions come with a copy of the "Celebrating The New Family" ceremony.
Visit www.lovenotesweddings.com