Love Knot

www.theknot.com offers some tips for picking that perfect mother of the bride dress:

Mom plays a huge role in her daughter’s big day, and with so many hip options to choose from, now she can look just as spectacular as the woman in white. We talked to experts for the scoop on this year’s hottest trends in color and cut. Watch out Dad, Mom’s never looked so marvelous.

Bring Out the Champagne (the color, not the bubbly!)

The hot color this year? According to Yolanda Carita, sales manager for Mon Cheri, it’s champagne, hands down. Although light shades such as ice pink and lavender are popular in spring and darker hues pop up in fall, champagne transcends seasons. We love how it looks in pictures against a white or ivory wedding gown.

Hot Mamas

Today’s mother of the bride is “younger looking and sexier than ever, and she wants to dress that way,” says Carmen Marc Valvo, designer extraordinaire for celebs like Katie Couric and Beyonce. To help Moms look their foxiest, Valvo creates everything from sexy halter styles to bias-cut spaghetti strap gowns. He also works in a little extra help for Mom: Valvo designs strapless gowns that feature built-in corsets for added shaping and oomph. And if your mom has something grand in mind, realize that 25 to 30 percent of mothers still don the classic ball gown.

Dress Lightly

Sure, moms should feel comfortable baring a shoulder or two, but they definitely don’t have to show skin to be in this year. Instead we’re seeing gowns with lots of coverage but in softer, lighter fabrics such as chiffon and micro-crape. Carita of Mon Cheri also notes that burnouts in light-as-air velvet are big this year.

Not Your Mother’s Lace, Or Is It?

Lace is hot, hot, hot when it comes to wedding gowns, and mother of the bride designers have taken notice. Used just on the bodice, to accent sweet straps, or as an allover effect — these days, chantilly, alencon, and other variations of this beautiful threadwork ramp up the romance for both the bride and her mom.

Suit Up

With destination and casual weddings more popular than ever, we’re seeing lots of attention focused on the short suit. Dressed up with a fabulous hat or an heirloom brooch, moms love the idea of getting to wear that special outfit again after the wedding is over. MOBs can choose one that plays up foxy features (got great gams? Opt for a shorter style) and downplays others (well-endowed ladies may want to avoid the double-breasted jacket).

– Kim Sunshine, Senior Fashion Editor

Kaboodle is a really cool Web site that makes the entire wedding planning process much, much simpler! The best part about it is it’s FREE!!!! You can keep track of your favorites–from anywhere on the web–Wedding gowns, reception locations, bridesmaid dresses, photographers, bands, décor, guest hotels and more. You can get input from others; your fiancé, bridesmaids, family or wedding coordinator can vote and add comments. You can also get input and advice from other brides-to-be in Kaboodle.
It takes less than two minutes to sign up and only one click of a button to add an item to your list.

A wedding scrapbook is a must–it’s a wonderful way to store all your wonderful wedding memories in a cute way. It can get expensive, but it’s worth the money! Hobby Lobby has plenty of unique things like stickers, pages and cutouts to make your scrapbook all that you want it to be and more. Pick out your favorite pictures after the wedding, and don’t forget to take lots of pictures throughout the planning process–planning the wedding is half the fun!

To keep everything in order, keeping a check list so that you know what all has been done and what needs to be done will help tremendously in the wedding planning process. It makes any event, especially the most important day of your life thus far, go a lot more smoothly.
Also, don’t forget the thank you notes. Make sure to keep a list of who helped with the wedding and, of course, who bought you what at the wedding. Thank you notes are much appreciated by your guests.

What shoes you wear on your wedding day is almost as important as the dress itself! You should choose a pair of shoes that complement your gown and, most importantly, that don’t hurt your feet. You’re going to be in the shoes all night, so remember to choose wisely! Wearing the shoes around the house and outside a couple of months before the wedding is a great way to break them in for your big day.

Don’t forget about the nails!!! Having a nice mani/pedi before your wedding day helps you relax and makes a nice addition to your bridal couture. I like the traditional french manicure on both toes and nails.

Although you can make your wedding “look” romantic with flowers and candles, true romance lies in the hearts of the bride and groom. Writing a letter to your groom the night before your wedding is a special way to make the big day even more glorious. You will keep the letter forever, as a memento and keepsake.

I have a book that I started writing to my future husband, (if he ever gets the ball rolling and asks me! haha) when I first fell in love with him. I have written in it as often as I can, in place of my journal I used to write in as a child. It’s sort of a story of our life together. I have decided that I will give that to him on our wedding day.

Another cool idea is to get a list of all of your favorite love quotes and poems, print them on unique paper that matches your wedding theme with your names on the top with the wedding date. Then, punch a hole in them and tie them to each guest’s wine or champagne glass with a ribbon that matches your wedding theme. This will make a great keepsake for your guests!

The eve of your big day can be exciting, stressful and full of scattered emotions. Frazzled nerves can get the best of us during such amazing moments like these. But, there are many things you can do to relieve your stress level and calm those nerves:

Eat breakfast!

Drink lots of water.

Talk things out if you’re frustrated.

Turn to a friend.

Remember to breathe.

Get lots of rest.

Exercise!

Try aromatherapy.

Take a bubble bath.

Your wedding day is your greatest red carpet moment. As soon as you select a date, you should begin selecting a hairstyle.
As you look through bridal magazines for dresses, pay attention to hairstyles and save the pages of those you like. This will help you communicate with your stylist, even if in one photo it is the style you like and in another it may be the texture or veil placement.
Choose a stylist that you feel comfortable with and that knows your hair. If your regular stylist doesn’t feel comfortable doing “wedding hair” have him/her recommend a stylist who works well with your hair type.
When choosing your style you should take many things into consideration, such as weather, climate of location, as well as the style of your dress. For example if you have naturally curly hair that tends to frizz and you’re having a summer wedding outside, choose a style that works with the humidity. If your dress has an old Hollywood flair you may want to experiment with high glamour!
Remember that you will look back at these memories for the rest of you life. Your wedding hair should be timeless and modern but not trendy. You should also be very comfortable with your style…remember confidence equals beauty.
Don’t forget about the bridesmaids. A wedding is like a mini fashion show. One thing that helps fashion shows look so spectacular is that there is a common theme to all the models’ hair. For example Jessica Simpson’s wedding hair was romantic, so she chose a “wavy, romantic texture” for all of her bridesmaids, but styled them all differently to express their special uniqueness. Having this common element helps keep the look of the wedding chic and elegant.

My favorite celebrity’s hair is Jessica Simpson’s. Her hair is gorgeous whether it is short or long.

Jessica’s Wedding Day

This is a picture of her hair at an event, but it’s still my ideal hairstyle for a wedding.

Her hair is also great at a shorter length, and this would look great on your big wedding day if you have shorter hair.

Deciding what you want to have as your first “married” meal is sometimes as stressful as choosing the right date and place.  There are two ways to go with your menu–you can either choose a formal, sit-down dinner, which usually means more sophisticated meal offerings, or a less-expensive, well-planned buffet with lots of different offerings. 

It can be extremely difficult to choose a menu that will please everyone, so a buffet is the ideal for bigger weddings.  My favorite idea is a mashed potato and meat buffet.  Choose different kinds of mashed potatoes, like cheese, regular and garlic, and then choose two kinds of meat, like grilled steak strips and grilled chicken strips.  Another one of my favorite ideas is to serve the mashed potatoes and meat in oversized martini glasses. www.greatbigstuff.com has some great big martini glasses for about $29 a piece.

 www.martinimart.com also has oversized martini glasses for about $26 a piece.

For those on a smaller budget, like I will definitely be, www.nextag.com  has some 7.5 oz plastic martini glasses for only $7.95 for 20.