Bride to Be

A Scent to remember

Laura Norman — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 22:59:51 +0000

It is said that the strongest memories are those of scents. Whenever you smell that certain scent, you will remember that specific moment. It is for this very reason that many women spend hours searching out the perfect scents to enhance the mood and forever capture the memories of their wedding day.

When considering different scents, it is important to remember what your significant other likes. Although you may love a specific scent, he may hate it. Don’t even consider a perfume that your hubby to be won’t appreciate. That will only put a damper on things. Instead, try to remember certain scents he’s liked on you before. Maybe you can compare them and find a perfume that has similar features. Perhaps you can wear the scent you wore when you first met to remind him of how it all began.

Another thing to consider is that you want the scents that you both are going to wear to compliment each other and not conflict with each other. An easy way to do this is to choose the same type of scents, like cool scents or warm scents.

A very simple way of ensuring that your scents compliment each other is by choosing his & hers matching scents. These are slightly different from their counterpart, yet they were made to go together.

If you choose to do this, you can always decide to try to match the mood of your special day. For a cool summery wedding his & hers Cool Water may be appropriate. To match your moods you could choose his & hers Romance by Ralph Lauren, or Happy by Clinique. Whatever scent you choose, you want to be sure to leave your fiance love struck by your scent alone.

After you choose your scent, you should consider whether or not you want to avoid wearing it so that his senses don’t become too used to it by the time you are to be wed. You can either choose to not wear it at all, or perhaps a far better idea, only wear it for those very special romantic moments. That way the second he catches a whiff of your alluring scent he will immediately remember all those special times you’ve had together and fall in love with you all over again.

If you’re worried the smell may fade away too quickly, you could always invest in the body lotion or the body wash if the maker sells it. That way the scent is sure to stick with you throughout the whole day. Just be sure you don’t go over board and make it seem as if you bathed in it.

The fragrances that I’ve chosen for Greg and I are his & her versions of Reaction by Kenneth Cole. Greg simply smells irresistible when he wears it and he adores the scent on me.

Reaction for her description:

This scent possesses a blend of Grapefruit Zest, Wet Mandarin, Watermelon, Violet Leaf, Yellow Poppies, Lily Of The Valley, Hydroponic White Orchid, Sweet Pea, Vetiver Mist, Warm Musk, Sexy White Amber, and Cotton Wood.

Reaction for him descrition:

This fragrance possesses a blend of mandarin, grapefruit and green apple, the energy of muguet and crisp melon rind, and the texture of warm musk, patchouli and creamy sandalwood.

Reversal of roles: A man of honor and a best lady

Laura Norman — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 22:07:06 +0000

As my fiance, Greg and me slowly plan for our wedding, we have come to planning the wedding party. Although I have pretty much always had a good idea of who my bridesmaids would be, he has had some considerable difficulty in choosing his groomsmen. After much thought, he has decided that he wants one of his groomsmen to be one of our mutual friends that just so happens to a woman. Surprisingly, I’m totally okay with the idea and I’m almost excited about the quirkiness of it. We’ve asked her, and she is extremely excited and honored as well. In fact, she and her significant other are beginning to plan nuptials of their own, and have considered Greg for the position of Maid of Honor. Very exciting business indeed.

So as this is a completely new concept to me, in which the only knowledge I know of this sort of thing is from the movie Maid Of Honor, I have gone to the interwebs to see how other couples have arranged these unusual situations.

As A Simple LDS Wedding stated, it is becoming increasingly popular to have males in a bridal party or females in the grooms party. Often times the males are referred to as “male of honor”, “man of honor”, or “bridesman” and the ladies are referred to as “groomswoman”, “groomslady”, or “best lady”. A Simple LDS Wedding suggests that the males wear a suit that matches the bridesmaids colors, and the females wear a boutonniere on their gown where the men where theirs so that they match, but don’t have to cross dress.

Good House Keeping also had a good short article on the subject. It suggests that they could be called “honor attendant”. When it’s time for the bride to hand her bouquet to the maid of honor, then the man of honor can in turn hand it to the brides mother in the front pew. Also, upon exiting the chapel, instead of going arm in arm, the best man and man of honor could walk down the aisle solo.

The Columbia News Service has an excellent story of a man of honor and all the duties he fulfilled. It explains how men of honor are fulfilling their responsibilities in different ways, but are still able to partake in much of the experience and help the bride. Also, it has some great images that help show how the ceremony played out with such an unusual bridal party.

This new reversal of roles is nontraditional, yes, but very acceptable. The most important thing on your wedding day is to be around those you love to share in your immense joy. Wedding parties were just created for the appearance of everything and to keep everyone organized. I think having the opposite sex in your party can add some interest to your wedding and will most certainly make it a bit more memorable. Just make sure your significant other is alright with it.

The year for engagements

Laura Norman — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 19:29:44 +0000

Over Thanksgiving break I found out that some more of my friends had gotten engaged. Then I started to realize that a large majority of my really close friends and family are engaged. How exciting is that?
Here’s the list as of today (who knows who will get engaged before the years up?!)
-Greg and I (We’ll have been engaged for 3 years on Jan. 28!)
-Nicole & Cody (My best friend)
-Curtis & Niki (Greg’s best friend)
-Philip & Christina (My brother)
-George & Wendy (My cousin)
-Sarah & Robbie (Both of whom are mutually our best friends)

Photo taken by Joshua Hennings

Wow. I’m really looking forward to going to all of their weddings. I think it should be interesting to see how different they all are since I know them all so well. Does anyone else know of a bunch of people who are engaged? Last year was supposed to be the year of the babies, so perhaps this year is the year for engagements.

Ties to tie the knot in

Laura Norman — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 17:42:03 +0000

Instead of wearing a simple tie for your ceremony, you could opt for one that will most definitely be remembered. A talented Etsy creator by the name of toybreaker has made some astonishing hand-screened silky microfiber neck ties.

They have a wide range of designs as well as colors to choose from. From snow flakes to wind turbines, they have a truly unique collection.

There color choices are: Black, Charcoal, Silver Grey, Sky Blue, Khaki, Medium brown, Chocolate Brown, Lavender, Sage, Olive Green, Burgundy, Blood Red, Baby Pink, Pink, Rust, Electric Blue, Navy, Blue Aster (Medium Blue), and White.

With Ink choices of: Silver, White, Black, or Gold.

If you’re unsure of what the colors may look like, they have photos of them on flickr.

They even do custom orders for weddings, with a discounted price. The last photo is of a custom order, where you can see the ink is a special color not normally offered.

My Favorites would have to be these:

The name change game

Laura Norman — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 16:02:45 +0000

Everyone knows the hadest part of getting married is changing your last name afterwards. There are several different places that you have to submit your name change request at, and many have different forms. As if that’s not bad enough, it’s hard to remember all the random places that you need to change your name at, like your dentist’s office which if you’re anything like me, you only go to when you have a cavity.

Lucky for us, there are some companies that are willing to do all the grunt work for you for a small convenience fee. MsnowMrs.com, BrideKit.com, and NameBirdie.com are all available to make your life easier. The last one, NameBirdie, was actually created by a bride after she had to go through the painstaking process of changing her own name.

For those of you who enjoy a challenge you can always do it yourself. Just make sure that you try to change your name everywhere around the same time. If not, you could run into some consequences along the way. If you change your drivers license first, but forget to change your credit card until a few months later, you may not be able to use it at most stores that check for identification.

Here’s a quick list of places that you will need to change your name at:

DMV (Drivers License), Social Security Card, Voter’s Registration, Company that you work with( For your Checks & Records), Car Title, Car Insurance, Health Insurance, Bank Accounts, All Credit Cards, Dentist’s Office, Doctor’s Office, Home title or Apartment Lease, Phone Company, Electric Company, All Loans you may have (School or home loans)

There’s probably more, but that’s all I can think of at the moment. Don’t forget to also change your name at the small places like Blockbuster and Best Buy (If you have a warranty on something with them).

As a side note, be sure to book your honeymoon reservations with your maiden name since your drivers license and passport won’t reflect your new name yet.

Perhaps one day the governent will create an easy way for newlyweds to change their name everywhere it counts, but until then I hope this is helpful.

Finding the dress to say yes to

Laura Norman — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 23:46:00 +0000

Usually the hardest part about planning a wedding is finding the dress. There are so many different styles, and not all of them are flattering to every body type. It helps to do some research online and in magazines to help narrow down the styles you like. That way when you hit the shops you can jump right in instead of spending hours discussing your preferences with the shop attendants.

One of the first things to consider is where and when you will be having the wedding. If you’re having a destination wedding to Fiji, then you will probably want a less formal, shorter dress. However, if you’re getting married inside of a church you may want a very traditional gown with a chapel length train.

There are many different styles of wedding gowns to choose from

Silhouette Options

Empire

Empire gowns have a raised waistline that starts just below the bust and flows into a skirt that skims the hips and flairs out to the floor. This type of silhouette is flattering to most body types, especially women with smaller breasts since it accents them nicely. It is also a favored pick of the bride with a little bit of a baby bump showing.

A Line

A line gowns flow from the shoulders down to a flared skirt, creating an “A” shape. This silhouette is excellent for every body type, and is a good choice for women who carry their weight in their middle as it will help conceal it.

Sheath

Sheath gowns have a very slim shape that flows straight down from shoulders to feet. These types of gowns are best for thin brides as they don’t hide any body flaws. They also have the ability of elongated a slightly shorter bride.

Mermaid

Mermaid gowns are very form fitting on the upper part of the body, but then flair out around the knees, looking sort of like a mermaid tail. They look excellent on brides with excellent figures, however it is not recommended for most body types. You must really be comfortable with your body to pull this one off.

Ball Gown

Looks like a gown straight out of a fairy tale. This silhouette is complimentary of any body type as it is fitted at the bodice and the skirt is very full. It does an excellent job at hiding large hips and thighs.

On top of having different silhouettes, there are also a variety of different necklines and trains

Popular Necklines

Halter

Wraps around the back of the neck with the back exposed

Sweetheart

Shaped like the top half of a heart and emphasizes the breasts

Strapless

Form fitted at the bust with no straps

Off The Shoulder

Has the straps off the shoulder, emphasizes the shoulders and collarbone

V neck

Dips in front creating a v shape and emphasizes cleavage

Most common types of trains

Sweep Train

Is the shortest train you can get. It barely comes out behind the bride maybe half a foot and sweeps the floor. Gives the gown enough elegance without the weight of the longer trains. Is ideal for a destination wedding or a park wedding and it looks great on more modern flowy gowns.

Chapel Length Train

Is currently one of the most popular becuase it has the elegance of a full train with out the hassle of having to carry around so much fabric. It extends a few feet behind the bride and is often what is seen in movies being carried by one of the bridesmaids or flower girls. It is a nice traditional style and would look fabulous in a traditional wedding.

Choosing the perfect colors for your day

Laura Norman — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 17:12:47 +0000

In the past there were limited colors to choose from when it came to wedding decorations. Now however, there are so many to choose from that the sky is the limit. It’s hard enough to choose an idea of what you want, but when you have a zillion different colors, it makes it almost daunting. Just choosing a color isn’t enough anymore, you have to then choose between the different hues of that color: Sea foam green , jade, lime green, emerald… the list goes on.

To help limit things down, first consider the season in which you will be getting married. Often time’s that can help limit your options down tremendously. For instance, you probably don’t want to have hot pink and lime green as your colors if you’re getting married near Christmas. Another thing to consider is the time of day you’re getting married. If you’re having a night time wedding, you can have more rich tones like golds and silvers. Where as a daytime wedding may need softer tones.

After narrowing down some specifics, you can then go on to looking at some wonderful swatches to help you finalize your decision.

Here are some tools that can help you narrow down the perfect colors.

Color Schemer is an excellent website that lets you search user created palettes with a large variety of colors. You can also search by keywords like “beach” ,”garden” ,”winter”,”sunset”, etc. It will definitely help you to minimize your choices.

Palette Generator can take any photograph and automatically generate a palette of colors that go wonderfuly together. It does all the work for you, all you have to do is find an image that has beautiful hues, and then you’re set.

Once you have a good idea of the different colors that you might would like, create a mood board with the different color swatches and themes together and look at them from time to time over a few weeks and reflect back on which ones you find to be your favorites.

Here are some examples of great mood boards dealing with purple

Where to put the engagement ring while you’re getting hitched

Laura Norman — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 16:09:04 +0000

There is often much confusion met with this concept. It is tradition for the wedding band to go on first, making it “closest to the heart”, with the engagement ring on the outside towards the fingertip. However, when it comes to the wedding ceremony it can become quite tricky to elegantly get the rings in order.

Many people will take off their engagement ring and put it onto their right hand during the ceremony, switching it over right before the reception. While this works rather well, it just seems to take out the special meaning of the engagement ring during the ceremony. If your fiance spent the time and money to get you a beautiful engagement ring, then I think it should be shown as such during the ceremony. By putting it on your right hand, it just looks like a right hand ring, thus removing its meaning.

Another way that many people have adopted is to give the engagement ring to their bridesmaid during the ceremony. I think this is a terrible idea. It removes the ring from the ceremony completely, as well as giving your bridesmaid way more responsibility than she should ever have to deal with. At my friends wedding most recently, she gave her engagement ring to the Maid of Honor who slipped it into her pocket during the ceremony. She didn’t lose it or anything, but had both of them forgotten about it for a little while, it could have easily turned into a disaster. It just seems a bit disrespectful to just give your engagement ring to someone else to hold for a while. Not to mention that some bridesmaids may think it’s a good idea to just slip it on their finger so that they don’t lose it. While they may think they’re helping you, your ring should never be on another woman’s finger.

The best way to have an elegant ring ceremony without disrespecting your fiance would be to just put the wedding band over the engagement ring during the ceremony. Then on the way over to the reception, simply switch it. This way it looks beautiful and no one’s wondering where’s the engagement ring the whole time you’re getting hitched.

Ways to destress before the big day

Laura Norman — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 03:31:30 +0000

Many brides tend to stress themselves out with all the details of planning their perfect day. This only leads to less sleep, more pimples, and a really crabby bride. Instead of constantly focusing on how to make everything perfect, take some time to destress with your soon to be hubby. Taking some time out for yourselves will help you connect with one another and refocus your attention so that you can enjoy everything going on rather than dreading it.

Here are some excellent ways to destress with your soon to be hubby

Strengthen your body and soul with couples Yoga

Couples yoga is great for keeping each other in shape and in tune with each others minds. It will help stretch out tense muscles, tone your body and help you come to a more peaceful state of mind.

Take a stroll in the park

Perhaps you can reminisce on shared moments of bliss as you hold hands. Fresh air will help your mind and body ease into relaxation and the stories will help bring the happiness of wedding planning back into your life.

Go for a couples pedicure

Or perhaps if your fiance is too shy, give each other one to help relax. You can also give each other massages with aromatherapy oils or take hot bath together. This helps ease stress and helps strengthen the connection between the two of you.

Create a collage together from some old photos

It’ll help you both remember why you fell in love as well as bring laughter and joy to your heart. It will also make a neat conversation starter for the reception dinner.

Photo collage created by Adrian Klein Photography

Capture your wedding without the cost

Laura Norman — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 03:04:49 +0000

Have you seen the price of wedding photographers lately? It’s ghastly! You’ll be lucky if you have a leg to dance on your wedding night after they’re through with you.

Although every bride wants amazing photos of her wedding day, they don’t have to come at a premium price. With the advancement of technology, cameras have become increasingly inexpensive as well as more intelligent. The photographer merely has to point and click; the camera does the rest.

With such excellent technology, there’s no reason not to skip the professionals and enlist some help from your friends and family. There are also several websites that give excellent tips on how to take a photo like a pro.

Some great websites for wedding photography tips are:

21tips for the amateur wedding photographer

Great tips for candid shots

Not everyone has the same perspective when it comes to taking photographs. You should put that to good use! Having a wide range of different kinds of shots can make for a really interesting wedding album. In the past, people have used disposable cameras for this purpose by giving one to all of their guests to take photos. However, disposable cameras are not very eco-friendly, and often times they don’t take the best quality images. But in today’s modern age there are now websites that will rent out digital cameras to fill the same purpose. YouShoot, PictureItYourself, and CameraRenter are just a few of the websites that you can rent out cameras from. I Most of them will upload the images to a free album on their website.

There are even cameras for the little one’s who definitely have a different point of view of things. This cute kid safe camera is covered with a squishy gel to help keep it from breaking, and is reloadable so that it can be used again and again. They’re very affordable, and would help make some interesting images in your photo album.

If your guests brought their own cameras to the wedding, Shutterfly and Wedding Lens are both photo sharing sites where your guests can upload the images that they captured, creating one giant photo album. Shutterfly even allows your guests to buy prints or wedding books of the images as well.

Once you have a album of all the images from your wedding, you can use Totally Rad to touch up your photos using any of their multiple photoshop filters to make your images look like they were taken by a pro. They have some very traditional filters as well as some artistic ones. Be sure to go to their website to check out their samples page where they let you play around with the filters. Too fun!

With all your touched up images ready, you can go to Lulu to make your own wedding book for a very reasonable price.

With so many resources available, it almost seems ridiculous to even consider hiring a top photographer. So do some research on great photography tips and print them out for all your guests, and relax as you save hundreds and get memories for a lifetime.