Eight Tips for Purging the Pre-Wedding Stress

The last several weeks before the wedding can be the most stressful time period of the entire wedding planning process. Sure, the big items are all taken care of. The dress has been ordered, as have the flowers, photography, and the cake. But there are a ton of details that need to be wrapped up. Things like figuring out the seating plan at the reception. Like picking out your wedding cake jewelry or your bridesmaids gifts. And don’t forget arranging someone to pick up aunt Georgina at the airport after your cousin bailed on you.

And that’s assuming that your florist’s shop doesn’t burn down two weeks before your wedding… The whole thing can get to be a little bit overwhelming.

You can’t avoid the pre-wedding stress entirely - no, not even if you have enough money to afford to hire a full service wedding planning service that claims all you have to do is show up.
You can’t avoid it, but you can take some steps to help yourself survive. So here are Eight tips to help you purge the pre-wedding stress:

Read Eight Tips for Purging the Pre-Wedding Stress

Celebrity Fall Wedding?

I saw a news report speculating that country music superstar, Jo Dee Messina, is planning a fall wedding. Can anyone confirm this? I'd post the link, but I was trying to post it when my computer crashed and now I can't find the report. Go figure.

So why do we care? It's a fall wedding. If you are planning one it looks like you might have competition.

Tasteful Fall Wedding Color Schemes?

On my way to one wedding I passed another wedding last autumn with a color scheme I couldn't believe. It was an outdoor wedding on an idyllic fall day. The leaves were at the peak of their color reflecting an abundance of reds, yellows, oranges, and greens. The golden sun glowed warmly on the wedding party which was dressed in ... an array of pink and baby blues. I couldn't believe it. It was not a color scheme I would recommend for a fall wedding - especially after seeing it in action.

Now maybe that couple had a specific purpose for choosing that color scheme for their fall wedding. If they did, more power to them.

My experience tells me, however, that the chances are that the color scheme was chosen because the bride has always dreamed of a wedding in those colors. Maybe she made such a choice because when she was a little girl she attended a wedding in those colors and that has always been in her mind the pinnacle of wedding beauty.

The problem is twofold. First... (continue Fall Wedding Color Schemes)

Weight Loss Health Diet for Brides

The best weight loss health diet for brides is one that will ensure you are getting balanced nutrition in the food you are eating.

If you're not getting sufficient nutrition from your food then it might be crucial to supplement your food with vitamins and minerals that will make certain that your weight loss health diet will be working optimally.

The difficulty with many brides when they go on specific weight loss health starts as they are lacking essential vitamins and minerals and essentially their health deteriorates so while they might be losing weight they are becoming less healthy at the same time and this has a injurious effect on the body.

Any weight loss health diet should not only help you to lose weight but it should also help to maintain or even increase your overall levels of health. Certainly reducing the fat in your body will improve your health but it is possible to become the nutritionally deficient quite fast. And you want, not only to fit into that beautiful wedding dress, but to be healthy enough to enjoy your wedding day and the honeymoon afterwards. Don't you?

It is essential therefore that you follow the guidelines of a good nutritional expert when following any weight loss health program.

Finding Fall Wedding Theme Opportunities

When the average young girl thinks of a fall wedding, no doubt she usually thinks of a reception decorated with cornucopias, corn stalks, pumpkins, and fallen leaves. So is it any wonder that autumn weddings are less popular than spring and summer weddings where opportunity for variety in wedding themes abounds? Not that there is anything wrong with any of those things. They have their place. But unless that particular young girl loves cornucopias and their symbolism she often will choose another season for her wedding.

That's too bad.

It's too bad because the autumn season is full of opportunities for special celebrations for your big day.

Masquerade Ball Themed Wedding: The month of October is a natural time to turn your wedding reception into a formal masquerade ball. Create...

More Fall Wedding Theme Ideas

Fall Wedding Cake Designs: A Study in Opportunity

The key to building the decor of your wedding reception is found in choosing the right wedding cake design, and this is equally true for a fall wedding. The cake stands as the visual focal point of the reception hall. It is usually the largest single decoration for your reception hall and it is what your guests will see first when they enter your reception hall. As a result, you want to choose a fall wedding cake design that will develop your theme.

Depending on the theme you are trying to develop there are any number of fall wedding cake designs you could pursue, but a bright red cake adorned with daffodils or a light green design with daisy's are probably out. Instead, the autumn season is a great time to employ a rich chocolate colored cake (most bakeries will allow you to put any flavor of cake inside that you want and if your pastry chef is any good no one will be able to tell until the cake is cut) accented with deep and / or shaded blues, greens, or reds.

Indeed, a wedding cake iced in a rich chocolate ganache with chocolate roses or white chocolate roses and accented with high quality fresh fruit can be a stunning work of art that harkens to the traditional fall decor while maintaining a distinctly modern touch.

Continue with Fall Wedding Cake Designs: A Study in Opportunity

Finding Fall Wedding Venues to Make Your Celebration One of a Kind

Choosing a venue for a fall wedding is an exercise in vision. A winning choice of locations for an autumn nuptial will reward the bride with memories and wedding photography that should make any bride beam.

The standard, over-used, modern wedding venues such as hotel ballrooms and golf courses are fine for brides who want a wedding just like every other wedding they've attended in their life. But for the bride courageous enough to plan a wedding that sits outside the traditional wedding season, just what every other bride is doing is not enough.

Instead, choose a location for your wedding which will pay dividends for you, your wedding photography, and your guests by rewarding you with a sweeping view of the magnificence of the fall season.

Fortunately, there are many ways to attain such a lofty objective. If you live in or near the countryside some of my favorite fall wedding venue options are as follows:

Read Fall Wedding Venue Options List:

Why Choose a Fall Wedding?

The Autumn is often overlooked as a potential wedding season and that's too bad. True, in many parts of the country it doesn't have the reliably warm weather of the summer but that's not all bad for your wedding as we will see below. Besides, you can always hop a plane and head toward warmer weather for your honeymoon.

Over the course of the next few posts I will be talking about the advantages and opportunities that the fall wedding season provides - but here is a brief overview.

Fall weddings in many ways offer the best of all worlds:

• After the craziness of summer people turn back to the ones they love… and everyone loves a good wedding celebration.



• Fall weddings give you the opportunity to leave the hum-drum, been-there-done-that venue choices behind and choose a location with drama.



• Clothing choices for a wedding at the changing of the season are wider and generally more filled with opportunity.



• The turning of the leaves of autumn provides a stunning backdrop and color palate for your wedding decor.



• The season allows for more dramatic choices in reception themes and often rewards you with less expensive decor.



• As the air turns cooler, society moves indoors, but in many locations the daytime temperatures are such that a mid-day outdoor wedding in not out of the question leaving you with a wide range of possibilities.



• Lower demand for wedding venues and services during the autumn can often translate into lower prices.



• Even better, the fall wedding season comes as the overall wedding season slows; giving you a better shot at getting the wedding professionals you want.



• Most of all the choice of an autumn nuptial celebration means that the “it’s too hot, don’t touch me season” has passed and the snuggling season is just beginning.

Stay tuned. The fall wedding season is fun.

Embracing Fall Weddings

Autumn weddings present an excellent opportunity to celebrate your marriage and your new life as husband and wife. With the craziness of summer behind you the fall season brings with it new opportunities for gathering friends and family together for a wedding celebration that you will remember for many years to come.

Fall Weddings Provide Unique Wedding Design Opportunities

Furthermore, an autumn wedding not only looks and feels different from your run of the mill June wedding, but because the very differences of an autumn wedding have the potential to make your wedding party spectacular. The rich yet understated colors of autumn, for example, give the florist the opportunity to create the warm, inviting, and even elegant wedding atmosphere that every bride dreams of.

Imagine the reflection of a roaring fire dancing in the crystal and silver on your reception tables. Add a cornucopia if you like or accent your tables with a maple leaf favors to highlight the hope you have for an abundant and beautiful future together.

I love candles, and fall weddings are a perfect opportunity to go crazy with candles in your fall wedding decor. Build a centerpiece for your head table by renting a cake set of cake stands (obviously not one that puts the cakes directly over each other - rather one that when covered with a white cloth will resemble an ascending series of plateau mountains) and covering it with candles that match your design theme. That done, accent each of your reception tables with a candle as a focal point and then choose candle wedding favors to send your guests home with warm memories of your wedding day.

Of course, there are many other decor opportunities to make your autumn wedding pop. Stay tuned...

2008 Wedding Dresses

July 7th, 2007 (07/07/07) is nearly upon us and on that day two things are likely to happen. The first the entire western world knows about - there will be a ton of weddings. They are in the final stages of planning right now.

The second thing that is likely to happen on that day is that a lot of couples will get engaged on that day. It just makes sense. For relationships that have progressed since the window for reasonably planning a wedding on July 7th closed, choosing that day to pop the question only makes sense because it is memeorable.

If you are a young woman who anticipates the possibility of being in that second category and you live in Boston, MA (one of my favorite cities in the world) or are planning to be in Boston this weekend (June 14- 16th) then it would be worth your while to check out Vera Wang's trunk show (Vera Wang Boston) to see the unveiling of the 2008 line of wedding dresses. The shows are by private appointment only so call, 617-424-1060 to set up a time.

Of course, it's never too early to start looking for wedding favors that will truly express your appreciation for your guests and help build your decor at the same time.

Dusting, Painting, and Sculpting - Oh My!

Your wedding cake is so much more than dessert. It is a work of art designed to be the aesthetic focal point of your wedding reception. So why do so many brides choose essentially the same wedding cake design?

In many cases, I'm sure, it's because they don't know what the options are so here are the basics (I say basics because, I'm sure there is a talented person out there who does something outside the following list) to get you started:

• Sculpting: This option can range from the handmade icing flowers that are often found on traditional wedding cakes to... well, just about anything. I have seen pastry chefs who have created nearly life like babies out of marzipan. Really just about anything is an option.


• Fresh Flowers: Again, this is one of the more common options. It is worth mentioning though because it can be less expensive than paying a pastry chef to create flowers by hand - especially if all you really want is loose flower petals as often grocery stores will part with flowers that are past their prime (but would yield fine loose petals) at a greatly reduced price.


• Painting: In the hands of a real artist, the wedding cake can become a true work of art. Choose to use a solution made from icing color for an effect that becomes part of the cake or choose a pipping gel for a more 3-D effect on the cake.


• Dusting: This is a little more tricky to work with because ... well because you are essentially working with edible dust (sound's horrible, it's not) and we all know how hard dust is to work with. However, a skilled pastry chef can use the dusting technique to create dramatic works.

Of course, don't think you have to choose just one option. In reality you could easily choose as many of these options as you wanted to create your dream wedding cake. Combining the sculpting of flowers with dusting is actually a fairly common practice and goes a long way toward making the coloring of the flowers look much more realistic. Painting is a less common practice but combined with some of the other techniques (or even by itself if you have a true artist) can create a wedding scene that is reminiscent of any of the great artworks. Imagine what kind of cake you could have if you had Thomas Kincaid paint your wedding cake!

Be sure, as you consider your wedding cake design options that you consider too what you want to pair with your cake. Are there going to be elegant silver candleabras flanking the cake? Do you have your heart set on a lighthearted or themed cake topper? Make sure they will compliment each other. Perhaps you would prefer cake jewelry. What you choose is your decision. Just be sure that you consider all your choices in advance so you actually do end up with the wedding cake of your dreams.

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Fall Wedding Reception Centerpiece Ideas

Far too often I see brides turning their nose up at the idea of a fall wedding for the sole reason that they don't like the old fashion cornucopia. My response? Don't use a cornucopia. Use your imagination instead in taking advantage of the many advantages of a fall wedding.

Instead of the classic cornucopia, decorate your reception tables with candles. A single candle in a champagne glass or a Merlot wine gel candle with a wine charm on the base makes a simple yet tasteful centerpiece for a fall wedding. Or choose a taller gel candle with a smaller bouquet of your wedding flowers to surround its base.

Or consider using a ceramic tea pot warmed with a tea light as your fall wedding reception centerpiece with an assortment of tea's adding fragrance to your reception and warmth to your guests. Of course, if you choose this route, don't forget to send your guests home with tea favors. As a matter of fact, a great combination would be to choose loose tea (they will give you the best fragrance because they are the freshest) and then provide all of your guests a silken tea infuser!

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Weight Loss for Brides

Sometimes a bride finds herself in the position of needing to loose weight through little or no fault of her own.

The parties...

The rich foods that come with the parties...

The stress...

All of these things conspire to make it difficult for a bride to loose or even maintain a proper weight.

Truly, despite what Hollywood would have us believe, the months leading up to your wedding are not the time to plan to lose weight.

But sometimes brides find themselves without a choice. It's either lose weight or go out and buy another wedding dress - and who has the money for that?

Solution? You need a specific plan designed to fit your situation - the busy bride.

Check out this bridal weight loss program and see what you think. Yes, it's not a magic bullet. You won't take a pill and magically be two sizes smaller. As a matter of fact you will have to change some of your habits. But this program is designed specifically for to help brides lose weight.

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Bridezilla Warning Signs

There is a bridezilla in every bride - there was one in me when I was getting married - the only question is whether it is controlled or not. The first step toward controlling it is recognizing the warning signs of the wedding disaster that has been named "Bridezilla".

The reason any bride can turn from sweet to a monster is simple: Every bride cares about her wedding day. But like anything, her focus can get twisted and the young woman who just wanted to create a perfect celebration of the love that she shares with her future husband can turn on the people she loves and before she knows it, she has missed the warning signs and bridezilla rears its fearsome mug.

Some bridezilla warning signs are subtle, giving the bride a flashing yellow light that the bride needs to slow down and regroup. A wise young lady will then take the opportunity to put everything back into perspective, refocusing on the people she loves and whom are working so hard to help her mount the celebration.

Other warning signs are anything but subtle. They are reality slapping you in the face announcing that you missed the subtle signs entirely and went straight to bridezilla. If you see yourself in any of the warning signs of this category it's time to hit your knees and make it right – because the dirty little secret is that a bridezilla ultimately ruins her own wedding.

Read the Bridezilla Warning Signs

2007 Wedding Trend

Some wedding trends are obvious. Like the big hair of the nineteen eighties. Like the trend away from all white wedding cakes to cakes full of color. Or this year's trend toward accessorizing the cake with cake jewelry. Like personalizing a wedding cake iced in white fondant by having it delivered a day early (this will cost you in freshness) and hiring an artist whose work you admire to paint directly on the white fondant (using edible paints of course which can be obtained through a baking supply store). These are obvious trends in the world of weddings.

Some wedding trends are a little less obvious. For example, for years despite the fact that most couples chose to marry on a Saturday there have always been a few who would choose to marry on other days.

My husband's grandparents, for example, chose to marry on a Sunday right after church. Instead of dismissing the congregation at the end of the service, the pastor simply announced they would be having a wedding and asked the bride to step down out of the choir loft as the groom stepped to the front. It was simple. It was green wedding (since no one wasted extra fuel to get there), whatever other opinion we might have about the option.

But this year there have been a marked increase in weddings held on days other than Saturday. Why this wedding trend? I can only speculate. I know that many wedding venues offer greatly reduced fees on days other than Saturdays. I know this is one of the reasons. I've seen websites that advocate getting married on Friday night to save money on the wedding. But do you really? In some situations you might, but such a choice almost limits you to the bigger, more expensive florists, photographers, planners, and pastry chefs because the individuals who intentionally limit their practice to what they can do outside a day job to preserve the joy of the craft are quite often unavailable do to the need to make a living at a different job.

Another cost of this trend of non-Saturday wedding is the simple fact that not only do some professionals intentionally limit their practice and have to work - but most, if not all, of your guests do to and if anyone has to travel a wedding anytime other than Saturday might not be practical for them to be able to get to and from your wedding

I know that people often have their own personal reason for choosing the date - like the desire to share an anniversary date with a parent or sibling. And if your reason is personal, go for it. Just recognize that every choice has it's cost and you are better off weighing all the costs before you make your choice.

When Wedding DIY Spells Stress!

We all know that do it yourself projects are a great way to save money on your wedding celebration and personalize your wedding at the same time. By doing some of the work yourself you can be certain that no one has the exact same wedding reception decorations in the chapel or reception hall.

But...

Do-it-yourself means more of your time in a period of your life that is already time challenged. As a result, what seemed like a good idea for a way to save money or make your wedding stand out (or both) often becomes a nightmare of stress as you race to get everything done.

Your engagement period and ensuing wedding is supposed to be a happy celebration, not the reason you lost your hair.

So, if you want, choose one or two DIY items (like your own chocolate wedding favors), do them early in your wedding planning process if possible (you don't want to be up until 3 the night before your wedding making hair jewelry for your bridal party), and have the rest done for you. It will save you a lot of stress.

Help for Your Groom

I hope this finds you doing well on your wedding planning!

I thought I'd tell you about one thing today that just might keep a lot of hair in your head as your big day approaches.

You see, as we've discussed before, weddings are generally considered to be a woman's world. Right or wrong, this presents a problem... The problem is that weddings demand a groom - and in most cases that means a man.

If the wedding is a woman's world (whether we like it or not - and I don't) then your man is going to need some help to know not only how to survive, but to thrive.

Fortunately you can help him and yourself by getting your groom a book that prepares him to graciously meet the demands of the wedding day. This book is essentially a leather bound 'cheat sheet' to help him be the courteous groom you've always dreamed of throughout the wedding planning process and especially on the big day.

It's called, "The Grooms Guide," by Marguerita Smolen and it's available now on the wedding essentials page of our website.