When we think of centerpieces at a wedding, flowers pretty much top the list of what we expect to see when we enter a reception. But if you’re looking to do something to wow your guests, give ‘em some eye candy with edible décor!

Ok, so I don’t mean your guests will literally lean over the table and take a bite out of your centerpiece if they’re craving a treat during the first dance, but there are lots of fun ways to incorporate food into more than just your buffet! Fruit has become a big trend in wedding décor, adding a natural, rustic feel to the wedding while also supplying some sweet scents (without adding a lot of dollars and cents to your budget!). For summer weddings, adding lemons to the floral centerpieces or using lemons on their own stacked in a vintage crystal bowl or vase are the perfect complement to a yellow themed wedding, and you can fill all the guests’ glasses with lemonade to further your theme! Kumquats are also a fab fruit to bring into a wedding centerpiece – their bright orange color and small size allow them to bring just the right amount of pop and a vintage feel when added to floral centerpieces.

For a fall wedding, apples add that perfect autumn feel to a wedding scattered around the table or piled in a basket, and can even be used as the place cards for the reception! You can add tags around the stems of the apple with the guests’ name and table number for a fun and unexpected fruit element in your wedding. Fruit and even veggies can also be used in the wedding décor as candles – simply slice a piece out of a lemon or remove the center of an artichoke, insert a votive, and voila! DIY décor that’s creative and fun!

For a whimsical wedding, create sweet centerpieces using candies, filling different sized glass or crystal jars and vases with candies that match your color theme, or add lollipops that the guests can later take home as edible favors! Chocolate is a delicious way to dazzle your guests – have them salivating for dinner with a menu literally made out of chocolate – good for a nibble as they wait for their entrée! You can also bring in chocolate fountains for an interactive edible décor piece. Chocolate fountains are just that – literally fountains flowing with chocolate (they can come in dark, milk or white chocolate to fit your tastes!). Supply bite size pieces of fruits, marshmellows, whatever you fancy with sticks that the guests can place under the fountain and delight in a delectable chocolate treat. Definitely a crowd pleaser!

So if you’ve always been chastised for playing with your food, use your wedding as an excuse to play with food in a totally legit and fun way to add to your décor. You just may never look at an apple the same way again!

OK ladies – your wedding pics aren’t going to be limited to your album and framed photos on the mantel. These days, your wedding photos will be plastered all over on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and even your photographer’s blog, which means putting your best face forward is more important than ever! But, as technology has advanced the way we share our most important moments, it’s also advanced in helping us look flawless for all of those moments with airbrush makeup. Sure, we’ve all heard of the celebs getting airbrushed on the covers of magazines to make them look like even better versions of themselves, but now you can look just as red carpet worthy on your wedding day with airbrushing that happens before the photos are taken!

Airbrush makeup is the perf way to get the look you want without looking made up, and is a fab option for weddings – it will last all night without having to be touched up, is sweat-proof (get all of your besties airbrushed as an awesome summer wedding favor!) and it won’t come off on your own wedding dress or on your guests’ clothing when they all hug you to give their congrats! Plus, this makeup is much lighter than a liquid foundation and won’t clog your pores the way a liquid makeup can. Airbrush makeup is literally misted onto your face using a nifty airbrush gun, almost resting on top of the skin as opposed to seeping into your skin, and it’s so thin and light and natural-looking that even you freckled-faced beauties can still show off your fave feature!

But airbrush makeup isn’t limited to your face – in fact, if you’ve gotten yourself some tan lines and want to even them out, skip the trip to the tanning salon and have the tan lines airbrushed! You can even enhance your bust line (sorry ladies, it’s just an illusion!) with airbrush makeup, cover tattoos and hide varicose veins on your legs! Airbrush makeup blends so well that it looks perfectly natural all over your body, making it ideal for that man of yours as well if he’s sporting an unsightly blemish on the big day. Plus, just like a liquid foundation, you can find airbrush makeup to match any skin tone, and it will even out any skin type, oily or dry, giving every bride a flawless, glowing look. So stop airing your grievances over your problem skin or that unsightly sunburn and treat yourself to airbrush makeup for your wedding day!

When it comes to finding THE perfect look for your wedding day, there’s something you need to consider in addition to the fab gown itself and all the gorge accessories – what’s going on beneath it all! Your undergarments on your wedding day are key to making sure your dress looks its best and that you feel your best in it.

So, what do you need to consider when it comes to bridal undergarments? Well, lucky for you there are a lot of options – and one of your best bets is going to be arguably the greatest invention since the wheel, and every woman’s saving grace – the one and only Spanx. If you haven’t heard of Spanx then you probably haven’t been looking your most slim and trim, because Spanx sucks you in and smooths you out to ensure all the lumps and bumps disappear in even the most unforgiving satin bridesmaids gowns (hint: a great wedding favor to give your your gals that I guarantee they will wear again and again!). You can find Spanx to help smooth out your problem areas whatever they might be, from a bit of a tummy to some jiggle in your thighs – they’ll help your dress lay better on your bod and will improve your confidence as your strut your stuff on the wedding day.

You also need to consider your bra for the wedding dress. If you’re going with one of the hot trends in bridal fashions – the backless gown, see about having a bra literally sewn into the front of the wedding gown. Or, there are several corsets that are not only created with super-low backs to coordinate with your gown, but you can even have corsets customized and tailored to meet your wedding gown needs. If you have a full ballgown, you can wear any type of underwear you’re comfy in, but if you’re showing off those curves in a figure-hugging gown, avoid the dreaded panty-lines and opt for a pretty white thong.

But, one thing to remember – after you narrow down your gown options, you should actually purchase your undergarments before you purchase your dress, or at least before you get it altered. The undergarments will change and improve the way your gown lays on you, but that also affects the alterations (helpful hint: bring your wedding shoes to the alterations as well so you know how short to make your gown – heel height matters!).

Of course, these types of undergarments may not be the sexiest for your wedding night, so you may just want to have a little something stashed away in your honeymoon suite so that you can slip into something “a little more comfortable” later on in the evening!

If you’ve been taking note of what you’ve seen at weddings lately, then you will not be surprised to discover that purple reigns supreme! Makes sense if you think about it – purple is the color of royalty, and every girl wants to feel like a princess on her big day! But really, purple is the perf color for weddings for so many reasons that it’s not hard to see why couples the country over are incorporating purple into the wedding day, and why you may be too!

First of all, purple pairs perfectly with so many different colors – you can opt for jewel tones and go for a deeper purple paired with deep reds or blues, funkier brides can choose a bright purple to pair with a bright green or yellow (a fab summertime option!) or you can go with one of the big trends for 2012 – pastels, and pair lavender with any number of pastel shades for a pretty and delightful look.

When it comes to your look, purple is making a play in weddings in more ways than one. There’s always the purple sash option to literally tie your wedding colors into your dress, but some gown designers are taking it even further with some of the latest gowns to hit the runways! OK, maybe they’re not exactly purple, but pretty darn close! Wedding Dress Designer Vera Wang filled her collection with deep purpley-red burgundy toned gowns, so if you’re getting married in wine country, these may just be the perfect fit! Purple is also a pretty shade for all you brown-eyed girls out there, so you may want to look into a purple eye-shadow to make your eyes pop in all those pics. You can even find purpley-pink and purpely-red lipstick colors for a more dramatic pout. Of course, if you want a funky look without wearing it right on your face, pretty purple pumps under your gown add just the right touch of fun and class.

When it comes to your wedding bouquet and centerpieces, you’ll be happy to discover that there are literally gardens full of options for purple flowers, allowing you to find darker or lighter lavender shades, different price ranges to maximize your budget and several different types of flowers to suit your tastes and style. You can find purple roses, carnations, orchids, daisies and phlox just to name a few of the more popular wedding flowers, or you can go with the obvious choice – violets! And if you weren’t sure just how pretty green and purple are together, you can look to Mother Nature to realize this pairing is only natural!

Purple will certainly add a pop to your tables, so you’ll want to make sure not to do everything in purple – pick a few items on your reception tables that you want to stand out, and bring the purple into those! Have purple floral arrangements in clear, crystal vases, have purple napkins on dark, rustic wooden tables, or add pretty purple favor boxes to the tables filled with purple candies for all of your guests (everyone loves a yummy edible favor!).

So, if you’ve been considering bringing purple into your wedding day, go for it! It’s a flattering color that can work any season, pairs perfectly with so many other colors, and there are tons of ways to bring purple into your wedding in classy, stylish ways.

When it comes to the BIG day, there is more than just the main event. On the evening before your wedding day it is tradition to have a rehearsal dinner. Not sure what a rehearsal dinner is, or maybe you’ve heard about them but never been to one before? Well, I’m gonna give you the deets on the rehearsal dinner so that when it comes to planning yours, you’ll be well rehearsed!

Now, a rehearsal dinner is by no means mandatory, and every couple can decide what works best for their wedding weekend, but rehearsal dinners are often gatherings of the family, the wedding party and out of town guests the night before the wedding day. And, they often follow the rehearsal! You and your bridesmaids and groomsmen and your father and everyone else in the wedding party will have a rehearsal of the ceremony the day before the wedding so that everyone will know where and when to do what. Then comes the fun!

Rehearsal dinners are the perf time for your friends and the future hubbs’ friends to meet one another if they haven’t before, and for the members from each side of your fams to finally meet! Often, in an effort to motivate the mingling, rehearsal dinners are a bit more informal and many times have themes that reflect the location or the couple’s backgrounds. Think luau, western BBQ or authentic Italian just like mama used to make! Heck, mom can even make it for a budget-friendly meal at home. But, many couples do opt for a restaurant or venue that will provide tables, chairs and the dinner so that it’s one less thing to have to worry about on the to do list!

That being said, you will want to discuss the rehearsal dinner with that handsome soon-to-be husband of yours, as the groom’s family usually flips the bill for the rehearsal dinner, which also means that they may want a larger say in planning it. Just make sure to sit down and have a convo to hammer out all the details to make sure you and your mother-in-law start out on the best foot possible!

When you’re having a destination wedding, many couples choose to have everyone attend the rehearsal dinner, as everyone is considered an out-of-towner. But when you’re having the wedding closer to home, you’ll want to send the rehearsal dinner invitation separately from the wedding invite so that it only goes to those invited. You can of course invite anybody and everybody, but traditionally it is for the family, the peeps who made the trip from out of town, and the wedding party that was at the prior rehearsal.

In addition to mingling and munching, rehearsal dinners are a fab time to have the toasts (and sometimes roasts) of the bride and groom, particularly if you want to limit the number of toasts at your reception the next day. It’s also a wonderful time to honor and thank the wedding party with personalized favors, and to of course thank mom and dad! If you like the idea of a groom’s cake but don’t love the thought of having the more eclectic cake at the wedding, roll it out at the rehearsal and surprise your man with something made to suit his taste!

When it comes to making your wedding day oh-so-fab, there are several things you have total control over – you can fill out place cards to make sure your feuding aunt and unc don’t bring their decade-old probs to your reception, and you can make sure to have plenty of veggie dishes for all of your meat-avoidant friends. However, one thing you cannot control are the wedding day toasts. Scary, I know. So, in that vein, I have offered a guideline for you to share with your champagne flute raising pals in hopes of having wedding day toasts you can cheer for!

• Practice  And practice and practice. And then practice some more. Practice makes perfect – there’s a reason your music teacher preached those words, and that’s because they’re true. Don’t just write a few lines down and then decide to say what feels right “in the moment.” Sure, emotion is a heart-warming addition to any wedding speech, but stuttering and “ummm”s and excessive glistening (due to sheer panic) are not.

• Write it Down   This goes with the above. Sure, you may be your company’s go-to gal when it comes to pitching a deal to a client, but not all speeches are created equal. Write down your thoughts so that you make the most of the few moments when all eyes are on you, and you have the chance to tell your besties how much you love them – eloquently.
• Avoid the Bubbly    Nothing makes a toast go awry than a drunk best man or maid of honor, so even if you’re nervous, try to save the alcohol until after you make your speech. A drunkenly slurred speech with the occasional hiccup will certainly be memorable, but not for the right reasons.

• What Happened in Vegas   That’s right, stays in Vegas. You may have a ridiculously hilarious story involving the bride or groom that is perf for the bachelor and bachelorette parties, but if remembering that the bride’s father is in attendance makes you think twice about a story, nix it.
• Keep it Short   Think about 4 minutes max. Chances are you aren’t the only one giving a toast at the wedding, and the audience is going to be hungry (as traditionally, the toasts are made before the meal).  So write down your thoughts (see above) and time them out to avoid the dreaded never-ending speech that stands between the guests and their dinner. Not a good place to be, my friend.

• Bring Supplies    You love your best friend, and you’re so happy for her, and…you…swore…you…wouldn’t…cry… Read: waterproof mascara and a travel size package of tissues in your adorable clutch – guaranteed to get you through your speech, makeup intact.

There’s one very mega-important decision when it comes to getting married, and that’s the thing that sets the whole “till death to us part” gig off in the first place – your engagement ring! He likes it, so he’s gonna put a ring on it! Now, you may need to “accidentally” leave this up on your computer for when your future fiancé comes home so that he can learn a thing or two about engagement rings (ahem, hint, hint…), but chances are that you’re going to talk about what you would like in an engagement ring or may even go try rings on together. So, you’re going to need to know a thing or two about engagement rings too! And when it comes to choosing your diamond, you’re going to need to understand the 4 “C”s.

Carat is the size or weight of your diamond – engagement rings are usually around ¾ to 1 carat – the bigger the carat, the bigger the cost (usually).

Clarity will also affect the cost of the diamond – the clearer the diamond, the more it will cost. There is a GIA (Gemological Institute of America) clarity chart that your jeweler will discuss with you to better understand clarity, but basically the range is from the diamond having some visible flaws to being absolutely flawless.

Color will also play a factor in the overall quality of the diamond and cost, with the most pure, colorless diamonds (D,E,F) being a higher quality and cost than diamonds with color, or a yellowish tint.

Finally, there’s Cut, which is the shape of your diamond. There are several different cuts that you may want to try on to determine which you like the best on your hand, and certain cuts will also be more sparkly than others. For example, a princess, square or round diamond will be very sparkly because it has several different surfaces for light to shine off of, whereas an emerald diamond will be less sparkly (but still super gorge!)

And don’t forget – we’re just talking about the center stone here! The type of metal your band is, whether your want pave diamonds around your center stone (to make it look even bigger!) or if you want side stones on your ring will all play a factor in the overall cost and look of your engagement ring.

But hey, you don’t have to be the only lucky lady at your wedding to have a bright, shiny stunner – send your guests home with adorable diamond ring wine stopper favors so they can have their own bling for the evening! Diamonds and wine – sounds like a pretty darn good combo to me.

We’ve all seen the gorgeous weddings in ballrooms, gardens and of course, houses of worship. But if the typical isn’t quite typical for your style, you may be wondering where you can have your wedding to make your personality shine. So, I thought I’d share some fun ideas for alternative venues for a bit more of an out of the box wedding!

The Aquarium    The wonders of the deep blue sea never cease to amaze, and a wedding at an aquarium will bring that feeling of awe and wonder right into your wedding day. Talk about a whale of a good time! (sorry, couldn’t help it…). A fun idea is to see if you can get your guests a private viewing at the aquarium during your cocktail hour or before the wedding even begins. Some aquariums, like the newer Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, even have ballrooms with large windows into the tanks, which bring life under the water right into your wedding! While you’re at it, why not bring the theme into every aspect of your day by sending your guests home with unforgettable nautical wedding favors, like a dolphin bottle opener or a starfish candle?! And just think about it – how many wedding photos have you seen featuring a bride, a groom and some super-cute penguins??

The Theater    Drama lovers will love the drama that a theater can bring into the wedding day. Just think – you become the stars of your very own show! Many theaters have separate ballrooms where the wedding itself can take place, or, have your wedding right on the main stage with the guests viewing from the audience (guaranteed to garner some rave reviews). Historic theaters can make for some absolutely beautiful pics, and often times the theater will literally put your names in lights on the marquee!

Sports Arenas    For the couple that believes that the couple who plays (sports) together stays together, a sport’s arena might just be the perfect place for you to say “I do!” Racing enthusiasts can get married out on the track right in the winner’s circle with the checkered flag as your backdrop, or exchange your vows in an oversized suite overlooking a baseball field, or if you can swing it, you may just be able to get married on the 50-yard line of your fave football team’s field. Every stadium is different, but many do offer options for weddings, so if you’re intrigued, check out the stadium’s website or give ‘em a call!

Art Gallery    Talk about amazing décor! Art aficionados and creative couples alike will delight in a wedding attended by Picasso, Warhol or Matisse. Art galleries give your guests a lot to look at during the cocktail hour and reception, and will give your wedding a modern and eclectic vibe. Since most art galleries are closed at night, many of them will allow private parties and weddings, giving you a state-of-the-art wedding day unlike any other!

When it comes to the wedding day, most of the focus tends to be on the ceremony and the reception, and for good reason! The reception is the big party for your evening, and the ceremony is one of the most important moments of your entire life. But, that being said, you don’t want to forget about the cocktail hour!

The cocktail hour usually takes place immediately following the ceremony, giving the bride and groom time to take pics together (especially if they didn’t want to see each other pre-walk down the aisle) and to take pics with the wedding party and family members. There are instances where folks have the cocktail hour prior to the ceremony, but that tends to be much less common. Either way, you want to make sure to plan a fun and enjoyable cocktail party for all of your guests!

Signature cocktails are a super fab way to bring some personality into the drink mix. You can each have your fave cocktails pre-made and ready to be picked up by your guests, or you can decide on one type of cocktail that goes with the theme of your wedding, such as a blue-tini for a blue themed wedding! (cute little names for your drinks are a definite do!) Signature drinks can also be a great way to keep some of those budgeted bills in your pockets – you can offer wine, beer and the signature drink as the only options at the cocktail hour, and save the full bar for the reception. Of course, you do need to have champagne as well – it’s a great idea to have waiters standing with trays full of champagne flutes awaiting the guests as they arrive to the cocktail hour to toast your new and happy life!

You also want to think about food for your guests, as it may be a while before they eat the main meal at the reception. Finger foods passed around on trays or easy-to-eat foods buffet-style are great for the cocktail hour, such as mini hot-dogs, egg rolls or sushi. The idea is to choose foods that are not only fun and that fit your wedding and personality (southern wedding, opt for southern apps!), but also to choose foods that your guests can eat standing up as a drink occupies the other hand! You also may want to consider adding a few tall tables to the cocktail hour for the guests to stand around as they eat, and some chairs for older friends and family that may have trouble standing for a long period of time.

The cocktail hour is also the perfect time to have your guests sign the guest book and to find their place cards, so make sure to create a prominent and pretty guest book table and place card table that match the theme of your day. You don’t have to add a ton of money into these tables, but a few candles or linens that match the reception linen will help draw the guests’ attention. You may even consider having centerpieces from the reception on these tables during the cocktail hour for some décor that doesn’t cost any extra!

The cocktail hour also provides you with an opportunity to add some more personality into your wedding. Have a caricature artist or a photo booth available, or bring in dancers that reflect your heritage and where you’re from! Your guests will love the entertainment, and you may just want to cut your wedding pics short to join in on all the fun!

You’re getting married! Now, the very first things you need to check off your to do list are choosing a venue and deciding on a date. Once those are confirmed and you’ve finally finished the grueling task of deciding on the guest list, you want to make sure that all your faves can attend your big day! The way to do that is by sending a “Save the Date.”

A “save the date” card is pretty much like it sounds – it’s something that you send to everyone you want to attend your wedding to give them a heads up. They can mark the dates on their calendar and if necessary, start looking for flights to attend your wedding in another city. But, and this is a BIG but, even if some of your friends or fam tell you that they can’t attend your wedding after receiving the save the date, it’s still proper etiquette to send them an invitation so they can formally decline, or hey, maybe their plans will change!

So, what information goes into a save the date? You’ll want to be sure to include the date of the wedding itself, the location of the wedding and of course, your names! Additional information is optional but can certainly be helpful, such as including your wedding website where you can provide even more detailed information about the wedding plans, and putting a list of hotels where you have a block of rooms at a special discounted rate for your wedding guests. This way, if your guests know they can attend, they can go ahead and book a room at a lower cost, and guests always appreciate a bride and groom that saves them some money! It can sometimes also be helpful to include “Formal Invitation to Follow” on the save the date, so that some of your guests don’t confuse it as being the actual invitation itself.

One of the best parts about the save the date card is that unlike the invite, it doesn’t have to follow the theme of your wedding. If you’re a creative, quirky couple, send save the dates that let your personality show! I’ve seen everything from save the dates that arrived as puzzle pieces that guests had to assemble to cds with an original song featuring the save the date info! Another fun option is to send a save the date magnet that your guests can put on the fridge (a great way to keep them from losing it and constantly calling you to be reminded about the info!). Save the dates are also the perfect place to use those amazing engagement pics you took. If you do like the idea of a cohesive wedding day theme from the get-go, it can be nice to start your theme at your save the date. For example, for a black and white themed wedding, you can bring the theme from the save the dates (add a black and white photo of you and your future hubbs!) all the way through to the end of the wedding when you send the guests home with black and white favors.

For most weddings, you’ll want to send the save the date about 6 months in advance of the wedding (with the invite arriving 6-8 weeks prior to the wedding date), but if you’re having a destination wedding, it’s helpful to send your save the dates 8 months in advance in order to give your guests more time to plan.