You get what you pay for...

When you spend a month's paycheck on your wedding dress you want it to look AH-Mazing. Not just good, but great. Not just okay, but fabulous.

Please don't go searchin' for the most affordable alterations that you can find. Hasn't your mother told you that you always get what you pay for. When it comes to altering a wedding gown, it takes a very special person. A special person who pays attention to the details.

Yes, wedding dresses are gorgeous. So gorgeous. If I could wear a wedding dress everyday of my life, I would be one happy woman. The people around me might want to get me help but I would be a happy gal!

The fit is almost as important as the dress itself. How many of you have been to a wedding where the bride is constantly pulling up that strapless gown of hers (everyone raise your hand)? The reason is because it doesn't fit her right!

When searching for your perfect love-of-your-life seamstress check out a few local websites to give you the low-down. The knot is great for real time opinions from future brides and a few brides that wish that they could do it all over again. You can then click on "community" at the top of the page and then select your city to see the local chat boards. You can ask your question and those ladies will respond within an hour...no joke.

Then there is always Wedding Wire. You can read reviews of the business and even see a portfolio of their work.

Again, when you pay a whole month's paycheck for a dress you are going to wear once, why go to the drycleaners down the street to have it altered. Come on now, make your mother proud.

I will be back!

I hope to have some new and exciting tips coming in the near future!

Stay tuned!!

You can just shorten it and wear it again....really?!!

Bridesmaid dresses. Where do we even begin?! I feel that I am a "specialist" when it comes to bridesmaids dresses (just one of my many talents!). After working in a bridal boutique for over a year, I really gained an appreciation for bridesmaids!

Number 1. Your bridesmaids are not going to wear the dress again. Never. Not in a million years. They will not shorten it or wear it to a holiday party or dress it up or down for that matter. They aren't going to wear it again so just stop saying it!

Solution: Explain to your bridesmaids that you know that they are spending a lot of money and that you appreciate everything that they are doing for you. Don't say, "you can definitely wear that again!". It just adds salt to their wounds.

Number 2. Not everyone looks good in strapless (or halters, sweetheart or backless). Keep in mind that all of your ladies are built differently and that each has a different level of modesty.

Solution: As the bride you have a vision. Keep your vision alive by picking the same color scheme but letting your BM's choose their own dress. There are so many great options to choose from and it lets each of the ladies express themselves while sticking to your vision.





Number 3. Salmon taffeta will not work for everyone. Would you want to be stuffed into an unflattering color for all to see?!

Solution: Think about skin color and hair color when choosing your dress colors. If you are set on salmon then look for a shade that will be the most flattering for each of your ladies.

Number 4. These dresses are not cheap! Most bridesmaids dresses need alterations. It is just the way things work. These dresses are produced in very large quantities so fit is not the number one priority.

Solution: Look at your options. If you have a large bridal party check with the bridal store to see if you can get a discount because you are buying them all form their store. So many other stores have started carrying bridesmaids dresses that actually fit well! Check out J. Crew and Ann Taylor to view some great styles!

Number 5. Let your girl's be individuals. They are all in your wedding party for a reason and each of them is different. Why not let them show their individual style with accessories.

Solution: No matchy-matchy shoes and jewelry. Have each of the ladies choose their own shoes in the same color. This is one less thing that they will have to spend extra money on if they already have a suitable pair or if they buy something they can wear again. Do you really think that they will wear salmon satin shoes again?!


The moral of the story is, have fun! You do want to be friends with these ladies after the wedding, right?!

Save-The-Date...not mine!

To save-the-date or not?!

To me, save the dates are the fun part of the invitation! It gives the couple a chance to express themselves in a fun way no matter the theme of your wedding! The question is, who do I send save-the-dates to?

My answer is...everyone that is on your guest list. If you decide to send save-the-dates, which I always recommend, then why would you leave some people out?! It gives the guests a head's up to take off work, make travel arrangements, save money, look for a dress:) or find a babysitter. It is always better to plan ahead so why not let everyone know. Yes, of course you have told your best friends and family what the date will be but they HAVE to be there no matter what!

When do I send them? I would suggest about 6 months before the wedding. This will give out of town guests plenty of time to get on board!!

Always remember that you can't take back a Save-the-date. If there are a few guests that you are unsure if they will make the "cut" then don't send them one and if they get added to the list you can send them the formal invite later. You would rather add people on then have unwanted people invited!!

This can also up your budget by a couple hundred dollars so get creative!! There are many ways that you can make your own for pennies each...you just have to think really hard!

Rich Bride, Poor Bride...

Let me start by saying that there is no right or wrong answer to this madness! I am simply giving my opinion in the hopes that it will help in your decision making :)!

What does the bride pay for when it comes to her wedding party? Dresses, shoes, jewelry, hair, makeup, nails...and the list goes on! There are many different ways to look at this somewhat difficult decision.

Let's start with the dress and shoes. When you ask your bridesmaids to be a part of your big day some are thinking how exciting it is while others are thinking about all the money they have to spend...try to make it balanced! You should work within a price range that you know your bridesmaids can afford. For instance, if you are getting married and some of your BM's are still paying their way through college then don't choose a $300 BM dress and expect them to pay for it! If you have your heart set on an expensive dress then you should split the cost with them so that they don't try to ruin your wedding behind your back...

Now onto the beauty of it all! If you asked your ladies to join you for the day-of beauty routine don't expect them all to agree. Some of the ladies are not going to want to spend hundreds of dollars when they can do it themselves for much less. If you are suggesting (aka forcing) them to have their hair and/or makeup done with your stylists then I believe that it is your duty to pay for it or split the cost with them.

Think how you would feel in every situation!

What to do when you get engaged...

Don't forget about your blog!! I have been a little lazy over the past week and I will make sure to post something good today or tomorrow! Who knew that getting engaged makes you forget things?!?!

This amazing picture is from the very talented Sally Brewer. You can also check out her blog here.

Hair and Makeup Follow-up!

So we have the timing of when we book our hair and makeup but do we all know the next step??? I know you all think that I am crazy for telling you to book your beauty services so far in advance but trust me, you will thank me in the end when you look AMAZING on your big day!

The next step will be to pull pictures of styles that you like and even better, styles that you do not like. We all have the vision in our heads of what looks best on us (up vs. down) but it is a stylist's job to help you understand what really flatters you best. It is great to bring the pictures of styles that you like so the stylist can get a sense of what you are looking for and cater that look to your face shape. It is equally important to show pictures of things that you don't like so the stylist can cross that off of the list of things to try! If you know that you HATE your hair parted in the center then when try it for your wedding?!?! This is equally important for your makeup. If you love the dramatic eye makeup then find a picture that is close to the look that you are going for. Your idea of dramatic and the makeup artist's idea can be completely different if you don't have a picture!

As a side note...even though you are bringing pictures to show the stylists/makeup artist's, you have to understand that each person has different hair texture and different skin. It is hard to replicate the exact same look from a magazine unless you have the EXACT same hair or the same skin.

Go get those bridal magazines...or look online! I think the best place to look for hair and makeup styles are in the gossip magazines! They always have celebrities going to events so why not take the red carpet look for your wedding!!!

Happy Hair and Makeup!!