Brides have been known to ask bridesmaids for help planning their wedding, with the small and big details. Anything from helping them to pick out a wedding dress to hand addressing wedding invitations. Some bridesmaids or maid of honor may feel at times just as overwhelmed as the bride, even though this is not “their day.” But they know they want their friend or family member’s day to be as special and as magical as she hopes it will be.

Say “Thank You” to your hardworking bridesmaids or maid of honor during wedding planning and also after the wedding. Don’t worry if your wedding budget is stretched to the limit: you can still offer a heartfelt, meaningful “Thank You” that they will appreciate. Here are some of our favorite tips to say “Thank You” to these wonderful women who’ve helped with your wedding day.

Hold a Thank You lunch or dinner for their bridesmaids and maid of honor. You can hold this before the wedding or even after the wedding, when you are back from your honeymoon. But if you hold the Thank You lunch after your wedding, it’s important to say “Thank You” before your wedding day to each of your bridesmaids and maid of honor. Make the lunch special and all about your bridesmaids and maid of honor. Don’t talk about the wedding; this is a day to celebrate your gal pals. A lovely gift for your bridesmaids and maid of honor on this day is a framed picture of all of you; it can be a casual or formal picture.

Thank You letter. There’s something special about a letter, in this day and age they have become even more rare. People often send emails or a quick cell phone call. A wonderful way to say “Thank You” to your bridesmaids and maid of honor is to write a Thank You letter to each of them. Don’t worry about being a great writer, just speak from the heart. Tell them how special they are to you and how helpful they have been in making your wedding a wonderful day. Don’t worry about how long or how short your letter is, this is not a homework assignment! Focus on saying “Thank You” and sending a personalized letter to each of them.

Get Personal with a thoughtful gift. You can find many personalized gifts for bridesmaids when you visit wedding favor stores, online or brick and mortar stores. There are hundreds, if not dozens of choices for you. Whether you choose a tote bag, sterling silver picture frame, beach towel, jewelry or other lovely gift – we’ll let you in on the biggest secret of them all. The very best personalized gift for bridesmaids and your maid of honor that you can give to say “Thank You” is not necessarily the exact same one to each of them, or one that focuses on the theme of your wedding. The best gift is one that you think that specific bridesmaid or maid of honor will enjoy the most. If you know that bridesmaid loves the beach, then choose the beach towel. If another bridesmaid takes dozens of photos with her digital camera, choose the sterling silver photo frame. You see? The right gift for the right bridesmaid or maid of honor, personalize it by thinking of them personally, individually.

Thank You! to all the wonderful, helpful bridesmaids and maid of honors who’ve made the bride’s day so special!

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1. Creative Maid of Honor Speeches
2. 15 Things I Learned from Being a Bridesmaid
3. Thoughtful Bridesmaids’ Gifts That Don’t Break the Bank!

Here are 15 things I learned as a bridesmaid veteran of five weddings:

1. Remember it’s not your day!  The bride is the center of attention and it is her big day so be prepared to cater for her every whim.  After all, as bridesmaid you only have to deal with Little Miss’ tantrums and spats for a few rehearsals and the day of the wedding, after that the poor guy she’s marrying has to deal with her for life;
2. While you may not be the center of attention as far as the wedding is concerned, you can be assured of being the center of attention for lots of guys!  I should know because I met my husband when I was a bridesmaid for the 4^th time but be careful if you are thinking this will be a great way to find a catch because:
3. Never, and I mean NEVER! Let a guy open the door and escort you if he calls you “Sugar”, “Babe” or worse, “Sugarbabe!”;
4. Do not let a bride convince you to wear grapevine as headgear.  Yes you can still find it, on a remote hillside in South Carolina on property owned by a gun toting hillbilly aged 72 and related to Jed Clampett as both his brother and second uncle;
5. Wearing woven grapevine leaves marks, both physical and emotional, which last for up to 6 months, if you have the choice, wear a crown of thorns instead;
6. Glue guns are a great invention for people who want to stick things and are not worried about whether they will explode or not – just remember that glue guns do overheat and will overheat because they are going to get a lot of use and as bridesmaid, you have to pitch in;
7. Brides want everyone to wear matching ear rings so be prepared to get your ears pierced if you haven’t already done so;
8. If you are asked to write a speech, do not retell the time when your “Best Friend”, who is getting married, was violently ill after drinking too much and ended the evening clinging to the toilet, swearing the world was ending and she couldn’t let it go because there was an earthquake (we lived in Ohio at the time);
9. If you are serious about catching the bouquet when the bride throws it, make sure you are wearing an outfit which will hold you in, as falling out of the top of your dress while stretching for the flowers can be very revealing resulting in more guys calling you “Sugar”, “Babe” etc;
10. Do NOT get drunk at the reception!;
11. The old saying, “Always a bridesmaid and never a bride!” is simply not true, I’m happily married to my husband whom I met when serving as a bridesmaid at wedding number 4;
12. Do everything you can to convince the bride that bridesmaid can get out of their dresses and into practical dress as soon as possible for the evening.  If she won’t budge on this, make sure the bridesmaids dresses are comfortable and practical if you have to spend the day in them;
13. The same applies to shoes!
14. Buying gifts for the bride and groom should really be about getting them things they will enjoy – people buy the most boring and unoriginal gifts which cost a fortune but the ones that make an impression are the ones where a lot of thought has gone into them;
15. Being a bridesmaid for five friends I am not interested in repeating the experience unless by new baby girl really wants me to do it for her !

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1. How to Choose a Bridesmaid Dress Video
2. Worst Bridesmaid Dresses
3. Say Thank You to Your Bridesmaids

One thing you shouldn’t have to think about is how YOU feel on your special day.  Sure, it is the most important day of your life.  Of course, it is the day you want to look more beautiful than any other day.  The thing is, it’s also a very long day, and you should take certain precautions so that nothing distracts you from being your radiant, beautiful, happy self.   Here are some practical suggestions that other people might be too tactful to share with you.

photo by Inchka

The Shoes.  You shoes should certainly be the shoes of your dreams.  Princess Shoes.  Fairy Princess Shoes.  Shoes that make your feet feel light as air.  Shoes that do not cause permanent toe damage.  Shoes that won’t make you snap at your elderly relatives.  There is a line between comfort and fashion.  We all know that.  Trust me when I tell you that you will enjoy your special day so much more if your feet aren’t killing you.  Just say no to foot torture devices.

photo by Susan_1981

Allow me to mention the subject of your unmentionables.  Of course you want to be pretty from head to toe on your wedding day.   Of course you should wear underwear that makes you feel pretty.  You should not wear underwear that will cause you to dance prematurely up the aisle.  I doubt very seriously that you want a shot of you picking a wedgie in your photo album.  Nor do you want your maid of honor’s duty to include reattaching your stocking to your garter.  Have a test run of your wedding skivvies – if not the actual pieces then very similar or identical – so that you can be sure it will be comfy and stay put during your nuptials.

Follow these words of advice, from me, Wedding Gal’s trusted and beloved Cousin Betty.  I’ve been to too many weddings (and a part of too many weddings) to steer you wrong.

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“Does this mean my mother in law will take over my wedding plans?” Hopefully not! What we’re suggesting is that you invite her to some of the fun wedding planning activities where she can enjoy the experience, without expecting her to make any big decisions. Invite her to one of your wedding dress fittings, so she can see your wedding dress. Invite her to the wedding cake tasting, where you try different types of wedding cake to select your wedding cake.

The best way to do this is to know a bit about your mother in law’s personality and tastes. If your mother in law loves fashion, then talking about your wedding dress and the bridesmaids’ dresses is the ideal topic to connect with her. If she loves food, then bringing her to sample wedding food or wedding cake is perfect. Match the fun activity to her personality and her tastes, and you’ll have a real winner.

You do, however, truly want to avoid a sticky situation. If your mother in law loves to gossip, you don’t want to show her your wedding dress. You don’t want to have her let your fiancé know what your wedding dress looks like before you walk down the aisle. If she has a weight problem, you won’t want to invite her to a wedding cake tasting. If she has expensive tastes and is a bit of a snob at times, you probably are going to want to keep her away from your vendors because you won’t want her to make expensive choices on your flowers, food, wine and other things you’ve already decided on. If she’s very opinionated and “has” to be right, then try to select an activity where the choice has already been made, like bringing her to a wedding dress fitting. So the wedding dress has already been picked out and she can just enjoy seeing the wedding dress. Be the adult and be proactive about managing your mother in law. But do involve her in the process in some way that will be fun for her, because it will help to develop your relationship with her.

You’ll find that most mother in law’s stay rather quiet about their opinions about the wedding. Some think this tradition comes from the bride’s family paying for the wedding, so if the mother in law does not have any financial power, she probably does not feel confident making a decision. But inviting her to see what you’ve picked out, to enjoy something fun and enjoy the excitement of your upcoming wedding is something she certainly won’t want to miss out on. She’ll be thrilled by your joy and probably very touched that you thought to share this moment with her.

Your relationship with your mother in law will very likely last a lifetime, if not the lifetime of the marriage. It makes practical sense to start out on the right foot and develop a good, loving relationship with her. You can probably think of 1 or 2 fun wedding related activities you can invite her to that she would enjoy….why not do it!

Image: http://www.dailyweddingplanningtip.com/

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Rule #1:  Don’t.  I repeat DO NOT get your eyebrows waxed or attempt to wax your own eyebrows the day before your wedding.  Don’t do it.  I’m serious.

photo by ladybug_3777

Do this, and any other drastic hair removal, a good week before the big day.  If you have a straggler or two, remove them CAREFULLY with tweezers.  If you forget altogether (like I did), for all that is sacred and holy LET YOUR BROWS BE BUSHY.  Do not try to tweeze off a few months worth of eyebrow growth the day before the wedding and DON’T wax or even go to a salon to get waxed.  Trust me, a few stray eyebrow hairs beats the heck out of burned eyelids, bumpy forehead, or, in extreme cases, the loss of a part of your eyebrow.

Same goes for leg waxing, bikini waxing, getting a haircut, changing your hair color, getting a spray tan, getting a facial, exfoliating vigorously, and any type of plastic surgery.  Don’t go all crazy and end up looking like a freakazoid in your wedding pictures.  You’ll thank me for this one day.

Rule #2:  Don’t get plastered.  Don’t get drizzunk.  Don’t get hammered.  Trust me.

photo by chairman moneko

It’s natural to feel nervous about your big day.  A lot of folks calm their nerves with a drink or two.  A drink or two is just fine.  A drink or twelve is not.  Not only does getting drunk the night before your wedding lead to things like drunk dialing, vomiting, bad decisions and hangovers, it also dehydrates your body, making you look all bloated and puffy the next day.  So even if you think you can keep your head about you, think about how your head will look the next day with puffy, bloodshot eyes and bad breath.  Don’t do it.

Rule #3:  Don’t sleep with the best man, your friend from high school, your ex boyfriend, your second cousin (ew!) or anybody you don’t plan to walk down the aisle with the next day.

photo by Pere Nadal

It happens all the time in movies.  It’s the person’s “last night of freedom” and they decide to have a “final hurrah” before the big day.  Notice that in movies it never works out in the favor of the people who are getting married.  There’s a reason for that.  If you’re inclined to do it with somebody else, you shouldn’t be getting married.  No matter how badly you broke Rule #2.  Keep it in your pants until the honeymoon.

There.  Don’t you feel better now that you have some guidelines?  Here are a few more.  Also do not:

• Eat Taco Bell
• Borrow a large sum of money (it’s bad to start a marriage with debt)
• Gamble your honeymoon money away
• Decide to confess all your dirty secrets to your fiance (you should have done that months ago, yo)
• Go do “Amateur Night” at the local strip joint
• Do hallucinogenic drugs
• Kill anybody
• Drag race
• Skydive
• Swim with sharks

Common sense is key in any situation.  If you don’t have any of your own, you can borrow mine.  If you have any doubt about what you should or should not do before your wedding, leave a comment and I’ll answer it.  Hey, I’m a people person!

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The wedding favours were little figurines that were boxed as matching pairs. Chad found an amusing way of playing with these little bubble bottoms; using them to head butt each other. We found 2 minutes of pleasure in this.

To a new bride and groom, wedding guests are special. Each guest has been painstakingly selected based on love, friendship, family dynamics and ‘other reasons’ that maybe only the marrying couple is aware of. For the invited guests, a memento or two can be a nice reminder of that special day.

Matchbook covers, candies, as well as other traditional items have been offered in the past; and brides often spend hours and hours poring over magazines and then selecting large quantities of these trinkets…usually out of exasperation, and then quickly start placing orders without a moment’s hesitation. Why? Well…because it is expected of them. Many of the items, although cute…can be quite useless; and many end up in boxes and junk drawers. Over the last few years, the selections have changed considerably, and there are quite a number of different types of wedding favors to choose from these days.

For example: Wine stoppers, small digital clocks, personalized golf balls, miniature manicure sets, sewing kits, coasters, and book marks can be wonderful alternatives to candy and salt shakers. These items can be selected based on budget, and then personalized and packaged in ways that fit in beautifully with the wedding’s theme and personalities of the bride and groom.

Many of these gifts, although high-tech, can be surprisingly inexpensive. Mercifully, items of more practical use can now be given to the honored guests. Please keep in mind: Wedding favors are usually different than bridal shower favors, in that they are less “frou-frou”, and have a much broader guest appeal. This ultimately requires that a wedding couple recognize the difference between them; and make their selections accordingly. And so, if enough thought is given to choosing of your special wedding favors; your guests can be both…grateful , as well as delighted!

Photo by Sifu Renka

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Bride to Bride Secret #1

Remember the 24 Hour Rule. Now there may be other 24 hour rules, but this one is so important for brides. Your wedding day is an exciting, very memorable day. You’ll probably celebrate all day and night, dancing well into the wee hours of the next morning with friends and family. The only challenge with this is that you’re getting up at 6am to catch that 9am flight to Bora Bora for your wonderful honeymoon! It’s the savvy brides who actually plan 24 hours between their wedding and leaving for their honeymoon to relax and enjoy every moment of this experience. This is a far better choice than missing your flight or rushing through everything sleep deprived, a sure recipe for starting your honeymoon as “the Bickersons” couple!

Bride to Bride Secret #2

Plan ahead. It’s no surprise that 99.9% of the brides we know are totally focused on the wedding. They just don’t think that much about the honeymoon. Brides are far too busy, thinking about bridesmaids’ dresses, the perfect flowers and finding that great band. But you do need to plan ahead for your honeymoon and get every detail taken care of, just as you do for your wedding. Get your passport or other travel details organized well in advance. Take care of other practical travel details like packing sun block or suntan lotion.

Bride to Bride Secret #3

Be sure to budget. Your honeymoon is a once in a lifetime experience, and you’ll want to enjoy every moment. Before you go is the time to plan for all of the special and fun things you want to do, instead of giving your credit card a real workout. Most often you can get approximate costs of the activities you would like from visiting the hotel and location’s website, these can help you budget. Our tip: don’t forget to include gratuities (tips!) when these will apply!

Bride to Bride Secret #4

Learn one of the easiest ways to make your new husband happy. We’re about to let you in on one of the easiest, simplest ways to make your new husband happy. Ready to learn? It’s all about packing a suitcase, and traveling lighter instead of bringing two or three pairs of shoes for every whim. Even if hubby isn’t carrying your suitcase, somehow most men tend to fuss over too many suitcases brought on a trip. And every additional suitcase is an additional charge as you travel with most airlines today.

Bride to Bride Secret #5

Romance appears in unexpected moments. This is something every bride learns about the honeymoon, and its one of the loveliest things. Romance does appear in the most unexpected moments. You don’t always have to plan for that candlelight dinner or roses and champagne. It can be that moment of laughter that you share or a shared experience on your honeymoon. And it’s the perfect way to start your marriage, the biggest romance of them all!

Photo credit

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1. Create a bridal binder to gather all vital information. Purchase a large binder at a stationary store and keep every detail regarding the wedding in this binder. Add sections related to the wedding such as “reception,” “formal wear,” “honeymoon,” “flowers,” and so on. Each section will help you stay more organized and able to reach information quickly. The trick is to not have dozens of sections – but simply enough to keep the information well organized so you don’t have everything stacked together. Tip: if it takes you longer than five minutes to find something, you need to redo your sections to make them work for you.
2. Put an envelope in your purse or briefcase to keep all wedding related receipts. It’s an old habit and some of us are “savers” and others are “tossers” by nature. If you are a receipt saver then you’ll find this a bit easier than the tossers will. Fortunately this is an easier habit to develop than some. You just need to make it simple and convenient for yourself. Make sure the envelope is large and sturdy and always well within reach. Don’t let receipts wind up all over the place – every receipt related to the wedding during daily life goes into the envelope and at the end of the day you transfer it to your bridal binder. It’s actually that easy!
3. Keep your cell phone (with photo ability) or digital camera on hand for wedding errands at all times. Brides today do a lot of comparison shopping. There’s also the challenge that you need to confer with the groom and each other’s families about some of the things you’ll want to do. So if you want to show your future mother in law how beautiful the flowers will be, be sure to snap a photo of them while you are at the florist’s. No one should mind your taking a few photos while you are running errands and this can also help you make up your mind about which vendor to choose as you do your comparisons of them later on.
4. Delegate wedding related chores wisely. It can be tempting to drop any chore on literally anyone offering to help. But DON’T! This sometimes can cause you double work in the end as you have to redo something they have done. A wedding is a very personal and intimate event. Even your mother or mother-in-law truly might not understand your exact tastes. Having them select something could also cause a frustrating misunderstanding when you go to reselect something on your own – as they will then be offended with your new choice. Delegate only what you can accept with someone else making a choice or where you have done some of the original legwork for them. For example don’t ask your mother-in-law to choose your invitations. You could ask her to get information from three different companies about a particular style of invitation and how quickly they could be printed and delivered. Notice YOU are making all of the important decisions there. Your mother-in-law is not selecting the invitation in any way. Keep all wedding related chores smooth and simple for everyone concerned.

Every moment of your wedding is special. Good organization helps you enjoy this once-in-a-lifetime event all the more!

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Want to get buff for your wedding? Many brides – even those with that “perfect 10” figure want to amp up their workouts a bit the weeks before their wedding. There are many workouts you can do at home to get buff for that walk down the aisle. Don’t worry about adding gym fees to your wedding budget – or getting to the gym in time for a class when you’ve got all of that wedding planning to do. Here are some of our favorites. So whether you are just getting started with exercise or are a true athlete, you’ll find something you’ll enjoy.

 The Bollywood Dance Workout with Hemalayaa $14.99

Bollywood films are full of expressive music and great dance. You’ll enjoy this energetic and fun cardio dance workout that engages your entire body. It’s ideal for the beginner or anyone who enjoys dance. The Bollywood Dance Workout with Hemalayaa includes cardio, sculpting and stretching – so your workout is complete. Best of all you may pick up a few new dance moves for the wedding reception dance floor!

Jillian Michaels – 30 Day Shred

Jillian Michaels is known for her success as a no-nonsense trainer on The Big Loser. If you’ve been impressed with her on the TV show, get ready to see what she can do to get you ready for your Big Day with her 30 Day Shred! This is a workout for those who are already exercising regularly and expect it to push you to the limit. But Michaels’ encourages you to stick to her routine to see great weight loss and toning results.

Bellydance Fitness for Beginners – Arms, Abs, Hips, Buns & Thighs

This belly dance DVD features twin sisters Veena and Neena who lead you through a fun belly dance routine. Even if you’ve never belly danced before, you’ll find this fun and easy to follow. Best of all, you’ll work out all of those bridal “trouble zones” we all stress about for that wedding dress. If you like this DVD, the twin sisters have several others so you can keep belly dancing till you say, “I do!”

The Firm Calorie Explosion

The Firm workout DVDs are known for their tough workouts so you can expect to get a great workout from their Calorie Explosion. On this DVD you can choose the workout you’d like to do – choose from 4 great workouts. This is a workout with weights so you’ll get both cardio and toning. Ideal for someone who has been doing some regular exercise. The Firm has many exercise videos so if you like this one, try their other great workouts before your Big Day to be a buff bride!

Zumba Fitness Latin Workout Routine 4 DVDs Box Set

Many have fallen in love with Zumba – for a high calorie burning workout that’s lots of fun. 4 DVDs are in this set and you can start with the Beginners DVD to help learn all about Zumba. Don’t worry about learning all of the steps from the beginning; you’ll catch on the fun Zumba moves before you know it! Then try Abs, Buns and Thighs or the Advanced DVD or Power DVD for a great workout. A great way to burn calories and get ready to dance all day (and night) on that wedding reception dance floor as a buff bride!

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Wedding veils are a hot topic these days. Brides of your mother’s time can remember the moment when their groom would lift their veil to reveal their face for the first time as a married woman to have that kiss as man and wife. Some contemporary brides are choosing to say “I don’t” when it comes to a wedding veil. Others are adding wedding veils to their bridal ensemble to look more beautiful than ever.

Brides who wear wedding veils can count on them for a dramatic look. This is one of the biggest arguments bride-to-be’s make when it comes to staying contemporary and selecting a wedding veil. These brides will say their wedding veil is a true showstopper look and going without it makes their bridal ensemble look “incomplete.”

But brides who choose to go without a veil can often get a stunning look with other accessories. A rhinestone or gemstone tiara for example, glitters and shines and is an ideal accent. A headdress created from fresh flowers is a beautiful look that doesn’t have to be limited to Spring or Summer weddings. Talk to your florist about creating a lovely Winter or Fall themed bridal headdress. Wraps such as faux or real fur are another attention grabber at a wedding that can make guests completely forget you are veil-less.

For many contemporary brides the choice to wear a veil is not simply about fashion – it is a traditional choice. These brides remember being little girls playing “bride” with their pillowcases and looking at Mommy’s picture in her wedding dress with her lovely veil. The veil to them means “bride” in every sense of the word. To not have a veil would be missing out on something very special. This bride puts on her wedding veil with her mother, grandmother and great-grandmother in her heart on her wedding day.

But other brides don’t like some of the old wedding traditions and want to be seen as a completely contemporary bride. They see wearing a wedding veil as putting themselves in a traditional mold they long to break out of. This contemporary bride may not even wear a classic white wedding dress or have a unique wedding bouquet of wildflowers or other flowers not usually seen. The contemporary bride of today has many more choices than her mother or grandmother. She chooses to exercise these choices in every way – especially when it comes to her wedding veil.

Many know that the wedding veil traditionally covers the bride’s face. This custom comes from the times when many couples did not actually meet until their wedding day. As hard or unusual as this may seem to so many of us, these weddings happened all the time. Some wonder if the wedding veil was meant to mask the bride – it was more meant to reveal her face to her husband as a new bride at that very moment – just to his eyes.

Whether you choose to keep the wedding veil or to go veil-less, know that you will be a beautiful bride on your wedding day!

Photo by aprillynn77

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