From the moment you step onto the aisle until your final dip on the dance floor, you'll ask a lot of your wedding shoes beyond looking beautiful. Thought you've bought dozens (or is it hundreds?) of shoes before, picking a pair for this event requires some special considerations: the style and length of your gown, how tall you'd like to appear b...
Wedding Decorations
Centerpieces
Fresh flowers are natural table decorations for any wedding reception. Think of your favorites first. Then consider how the flowers can enhance the mood of the party. Arrangements of elegant roses or painterly calla lilies in silver vessels may dress the tables at a formal wedding, while a cluster of potted zinn...
Wedding Invitations, Stationary & Thank-You Cards
There's more to wedding stationery than the requisite invitations. Before those are sent out, you may want to mail engagement announcements and save-the-date cards. For your wedding day, you will likely have printed programs, menu cards, seating cards, and other decorative accents. And after the event, there are thank-you notes and announcements...
Wedding Registry Basics
Wedding gifts are intended to be substantial and long-lasting. By putting items on a gift registry, you help narrow the field of choices for your guests. Best of all, registering for gifts means that you will receive items that you really want and, in some cases, really need.
The Wedding Reception
Choosing the Site
If your ceremony and reception will not be at the same location, try to choose places that are no more than a half-hour drive apart. If you are getting married in a church or synagogue, for example, you might take a look at the facilities there; some have a stately room on the ground that could meet your nee...
Wedding Music
Ceremony Music
Choosing the music for your wedding can seem like a daunting task. To make the prospect less overwhelming, think in terms of audio "snapshots": what kind of music would you like when your guests arrive for the ceremony? What song will best capture your emotions as you walk down the aisle toward you future spous...
Wedding Video
A video preserves the moments you miss as well as the ones you're in the midst of. Intrusive bright lights and cables are a thing of the past. New equipment lets videographers move about unnoticed.
As With photography, there are many styles. Straight-cut format is the predominant style; characterized by minimal or no editi...
Hiring a Wedding Photographer
The photographer you will entrust with preserving your wedding-day memories should be one of the first people you hire: Start searching at least six months ahead of time. Solicit referrals from friends and wedding professionals, and try to interview at least three photographers. With large studios, insist on meeting the person who will actually ...
Buying a Wedding Dress
Most brides find their wedding dress at bridal salons, but you can also look in vintage-clothing stores, consignment shops, and outlet stores. Customarily, a bridal salon will require an appointment to ensure that you get expert personal attention. Take someone with you, but not an entourage; too many opinions detract from the most important one...
Wedding Favors
Giving a favor is a joyful gesture, expressive of your gratitude and happiness for your guests' presence on this special occasion. The best wedding favors are exercises in elegant simplicity, beautiful things that are not too taxing to plan, make, or fit into the budget. They are among the wedding's most appealing elements and one of the easiest...