The annual Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show is something every girl looks forward to and one show we don’t have to plead with our fiance to watch with us (I’m sure it’s just because they love us so much and want to spend time with us, right.) SO in honor of the show tonight, you may be interested to know that Victoria’s Secret sells bridesmaid dresses.

These girly, inexpensive dresses are perfectly suited for a casual, destination wedding. Not only will you love the dresses, but your bridesmaids will love how these jersey dresses flatter each of their individual body types. Not to mention how comfy and cool these stylish VS bridesmaid dresses are!

Don’t worry- VS didn’t forget the beautiful bride. While you’re at VS, or on their Web site, picking out bridesmaid dresses, you’ll find it hard not to pick out a few honeymoon outfits for yourself (in addition to THOSE kinds of outfits, that is- they have some great beach honeymoon dresses/outfits in their line of casual wear!)

Tonight, while you’re still on a glamourous high from the show tonight, here’s a good place to start looking for bridesmaid dresses from Victoria’s Secret.

Vintage/Antique Lady

Interested in having a unique engagement ring & wedding band?  Why not consider vintage or antique wedding rings?  “A diamond is forever” right, so an engagement ring from the early 1900’s or from the 1950’s will look as beautiful as one you can buy new today!

There are many “antique-style” rings available in stores today - new rings that have a vintage look or show off the intricate designs of rings in the past.  But if you’re looking for a genuine antique, there are a variety of options you have to find “the” ring for you, many of which are quite affordable!

One website that has a stunning selection of antique rings and bands is www.thewaywewere.com.  There are white and yellow gold rings, men’s and ladies - and each ring lists detailed information.  Size, age, diamond information and sometimes even a history of the ring are available.  Each ring can also be resized at a reasonable cost.  Rings come in a gorgeous burgundy velvet box and can be returned to be resized if needed.  Wonderful customer service and guaranteed authentic antiques.  I highly recommend this website!

If you don’t find what you need at The Way We Were, don’t be afraid to search online on sites like ebay or go to antique shows in your area.  Of course you need to be careful buying an antique on ebay, but if you look carefully, you might find the perfect antique or vintage ring at a great price!  Going to local antique stores or antique yard sales is a fun option, because you can usually learn more about the history of the rings available.

Whichever option you choose to find your vintage or antique ring, it is always exciting to know that you will be wearing a unique ring for the rest of your life, perhaps even a one of a kind beauty.

A slide show of old images of you and your honey can be just marvelous. You can go about making your montage in a couple ways. One way is to compile old photos and showcase them at your wedding, or you can always mix photos from the wedding into your slide show and feature the montage on your wedding Web site post-wedding. A third option if your reception wasn’t enough of a party for you, is to host a post-Honeymoon party and invite the bridal party to come enjoy the images taken on your wedding day.

The ideal wedding montage shouldn’t be more than 12 minutes, but less than eight minutes may be too short. Your guests are sure to be captivated with your montage, so don’t subject them to an extremely long show. Using a variety of photos will also grab AND keep your guests attention.

Select only the best quality photos for this project. A good rule of thumb is that if the photo looks good printed, it will probably look just as great when projected.

To mix things up with your slide show, throw in a 10-15 second video clip in the middle of your show. Guests will appreciate the way a variety of medias enhance the presentation.

Oh, and to guarantee your montage goes off without a hitch, make sure you work out all the kinks before showing it off to guests.

The final touch to ensure your montage comes across romantic and soft, a table with candles and flowers are a great way to frame the projection screen.

Not only will a photo montage marvel your guests, but by preserving your photos on DVD, you can keep them as memories for years to come.

The most popular guest book alternative right now is a tray of pewter or sterling silver that guests sign using a special, non-mechanical pen.

A tray or platter signed by your bridal party and wedding guests is sure to serve up a lifelong helping of warm, wonderful memories. 

For the practical bride who can’t think of a good use for a traditional guest book after the wedding (we all know that bride and may even be that bride), a signature tray can be used for entertaining or decorating. A signature tray is sure to serve as an elegant, every day reminder of your special wedding day and a sentimental conversation piece for entertaining.

Now, for the details- signature trays can accommodate upwards of 150 signatures and most come with an engraving scribe for guests to sign the platter with. Platters come in numerous sizes, shapes and materials, so there is, without a doubt, a platter to complement your unique wedding style- whatever it may be.

This discussion wouldn’t be complete without a side of wise advice to go with that helping of unique memories. First, don’t forget the signing tray when you head off to the rehearsal dinner. It’s the perfect environment to make sure that the bridal party and special family and friends get a chance to sign. You should also be advised to have a second, back-up plate on hand at the wedding. If the plate were to be dropped or break, you’ll be glad you have a back-up!  The last bit of advice to accompany this great guest book alternative is to have spare markers/pens on hand at the wedding just in case one runs out or breaks.

When choosing a signature tray as a guest book alternative, the bride and groom can be confident that they’re creating their first family heirloom that can be handed down for generations. 

With the vast advances in camera technology of the past ten years and the popularization of digital cameras (even grandparents are uploading photos to the web), the once quirky and fun practice of putting disposable cameras on the guest tables can seem a bit wasteful. Who wants to develop hundreds of low quality photos only to discover half of them are too blurry to decipher who- or what- you’re looking at? Besides, chances are most of your guests will naturally email you a link to the photos they took on your special day anyway.

wedding photo booth

For roughly the same price of buying and developing film, how about renting a photo booth for a few hours during the reception instead? You can even do away with favors by letting the guests keep their pictures, while also saving a copy for your wedding album.

Another option is setting up a small background (perhaps in the theme of your wedding) where guests can get their pictures taken as they enter the reception. Although it might seem a tad reminiscent of prom, most guests secretly love having their picture taken- after all, they dressed up too! You can print them during the reception and have the guests pick up their picture as they leave, or send the photo along with your thank you cards. If you’re interested in saving even more money, simply post them along with your wedding photos.

Your guests, your wallet and your planet will all be grateful!

GOBO.

Not to be confused with the equally as exciting BOGO sale (for all the shoppers among us.) In case the term is foreign to you, a GOBO is a template cut into a circular plate used to make patterns of projected light.

classic monogram gobo

GOBOs are commonly used on dance floors or walls at receptions to add a personal touch as your guests dance the night away. The template can be anything you’d like, perhaps your monogram or initials. A couple can spend as much as they’d like, but attractive custom black and white GOBOS for around $100 can also easily be found. For most brides, less expensive plastic GOBOs are the preferable route. If you decide to go with a plastic GOBO, make sure a cooling element is used, so the plastic doesn’t burn (Don’t say you weren’t warned!) You’ll also need a projector, but most DJs have projectors for rent, so finding a projector shouldn’t be a problem.

One really neat thing about using a GOBO for your wedding is that it can be saved and dusted off for a later anniversary party or any occasion you see fit to remember your wedding. So, if you plan on using it in the years to come, think of a GOBO as an investment. That should make you feel better about shelling out the dough for a GOBO!

First, the disclaimer about this post. This topic isn’t exactly about planning a wedding, but as a bride eyeball deep in wedding planning, sometimes cute, non-wedding ceremony or reception related topics mixed in are welcomed in the thick midst of wedding blogs. That said, let this fun, well-intentioned gift idea be a small breath of fresh air! 

The Little Pink Card is a perfect “sussy” (as my mother likes to call little, neat surprises) for your groom. It’s an oh-so stylish way for you to give special details to the man in your life. It fits in his wallet for convenient access the next time he’s thinking of you and wants to make a surprise purchase with you in mind!

The best part for us ladies is, our boys have no excuses once armed with the confidence of The Little Pink Card. We know the men in our lives would rather gift us with our favorite perfume or a new pair of shoes that fit just right instead of a store-bought teddy bear and flowers, right? They can thank us later for this Little Pink Life Saver! 

The bustle & buzz of your wedding day is finally winding down and the time for your grand exit is soon approaching. But, before you go, maybe all you want is a quiet, intimate moment with your new spouse. So, take it! It is YOUR day, remember?

Cue a special song just for the two of you to dance to once you’ve asked all your guests and vendors to assemble outside the main reception area for your grand exit and take a few romantic minutes to yourselves. No photographers, no DJs, no wait staff, no guests- just you two lovebirds.

This last dance may be your first private memory as husband and wife, so take your time and enjoy it. The two of you will never again have the chance to share a final, encore last dance at your wedding and it’s sure to be one of the most memorable moments of your wedding.

Mr. Sinatra puts the encore last dance sentiments perfectly with his words, “It’s the last dance, we’ve come to the last dance.
They’re dimming the lights down, they’re hoping we’ll go.
It’s obvious they’re aware of us, the pair of us.
Alone on the floor.
Still I want to hold you like this forever and more.”

Trashing the Dress- while your mother would murder you, it may be just the thing for you! 

For the history buff brides, this not-so-traditional tradition is rumored to have been started by Meg Cummins (remember her from the show Sunset Beach?) when her wedding was interrupted and she hauled off into the ocean, wedding dress and all (GASP, I know!)

Some brides may opt to preserve their dress, but other brides relish in the opportunity to turn their never-to-be-worn again dress into a memorable photograph.

If “getting trashed” (the dress, not you, of course!) after your wedding sounds like fun to you, listen up- the instructions are simple. After the ceremony, put your dress back on and have a photographer take candid photos of you in some unusual settings. Whatever locations you can dream up will work for this creative photo shoot- be it amusement park, beach, football field or wherever you so desire (as long as it’s messy of course!) While a lake or ocean is an obvious choice setting for this one-of-a-kind wedding photo, the possibilities for where you can trash your dress are as endless as the number of beautiful dresses out there!

And if anyone asks what’s gotten into you, just explain to them “It’s creation- not destruction!” Or you can always just send the doubtful to www.trashthedress.com.

A wedding wouldn’t be complete without some fancy drinks right? If you are looking for some signature drinks for your wedding, or just a little something special to add as a treat for the occasion, you might try one of the following.

The Fiancé Cocktail
Created by Jonathan Pogash

Ingredients needed.

• 2 ounce Hendrick’s gin
• 1/2 ounce Darbo Elderflower Syrup
• Splash of Moët et Chandon Nectar Impérial Champagne
• Rose petal for garnish

Stir the Hendrick’s gin and Darbo Elderflower syrup in a metal cocktail shaker. Strain into a chilled Champagne glass and top with Champagne. Garnish with rose petal.

Blue Lagoon

Pour vodka and curacao over ice in a highball glass. Fill with lemonade, top with the cherry, and serve.

Ingredients needed.

• 1 oz vodka
• 1 oz Blue Curacao liqueur
• lemonade
• 1 cherry

There are also some great mixers all ready for you to buy if you have an idea in mind and want to make your own signature concoction.