Tips for Wedding Dress Shopping

On the biggest shopping day of the year (Black Friday!) I thought it would be appropriate to share some shopping tips! One of the biggest and most important purchases you'll make for your wedding is your wedding dress...."THE" dress. There's a lot of factors to take in and consider when shopping for your dress, so here are some tips from the pros!


J'Aton Couture

Tips from TheKnot:

Research which salons are most appropriate for your budget.
While the average salon carries lines in the under-$1,000 category, there are others in which the dresses start at $3,000. Save yourself -- and the salons -- time by asking before you make an appointment.

Have a general idea of the formality of your wedding before you shop.
Write down six adjectives that best describe how you want to look and feel on your wedding day. Some examples: princess, sexy, sophisticated, over-the-top, classic, boho. This will help your bridal salon attendant pull the most appropriate dresses for you to try on.

When you finally step into that fitting room, keep an open mind.
If the salesperson brings you something she says you must try, try it -- even if you detest the way it looks on the hanger. And while certain styles work best on certain body types, it helps to try on all different kinds of dresses, and then decide what shape and style suits you best.

Kenneth Pool

Tips from FrugalBride.com:

Before shopping in person, look at all the designer websites & bridal magazines. They have excellent photographs of all their current styles. Consider what style gown you would like for your wedding day.....A-line? Princess Tulle cut? Sheath? Do you desire sleeves, strapless, spaghetti straps?

Reem Acra

Tips from Stardust Celebrations Bridal Salon:

Click to see a video of their Top 5 Dress Shopping Tips.


Pnina Tornai

The photos in this post are from TLC's Say Yes to the Dress. If you haven't watched the show, put it on your to-do list! The bridal consultants at Kleinfeld's really give some great advice on buying bridal gowns.


Platinum for Priscilla of Boston

Thanksgiving @ The Nixon's

My husband's birthday fell on Thanksgiving this year, so I combined the two...and it turned out wonderful! I started cooking early in the morning, pies first then on to the dinner.





While the turkey was cooking, we had mimosas (my favorite) and Great Lakes Christmas Ale (his favorite). I also surprised him with a pumpkin pie (another of his favorites) with birthday candles.





Then sometime between the football and Christmas movies, we had our Thanksgiving dinner and desserts.

Adorable Holiday Cupcakes!

I stumbled upon a blog today where I saw the most adorable cupcakes ever! It was the holiday cupcakes that first caught my eye, but as I browsed through the blog I saw so many other creative and amazing designs. I'm in cupcake-love now! ♥

Cupcakes Take The Cake










BONUS! Twilight cupcakes. ♥

DIY Napkin Projects

Here are a few DIY napkin projects to embellish your dinner party table! These aren't limited to dinner parties though...use them for other parties and events where you want to add a little "wow" to the table. The first project from PurlBee.com gives detailed instructions on how to create (sew) your own napkins. If sewing isn't up your alley, try the Preston Bailey DIY project to spruce up plain napkins of any kind.


Molly's Handmade Napkins - PurlBee.com


Preston Bailey's Napkin Decor

Creative Fall Tablescapes

Tonight I was thinking about making our Thanksgiving dinner in a few days. I can't believe it's that time already! For me, it's more than just making the dinner....it's all about the presentation. So, as always, I turned to my favorite blogs for some inspiration! Check out these gorgeous fall tablescapes from some of my favorite bloggers!


Amy Atlas Events


All Things Lovely


100 Layer Cake

GetMarried Magazine

Happy Monday!! Hope everyone had a great weekend! We recently received a big supply of the new GetMarried magazine! We're handing them out to all brides who have a free consult with us, along with a few other goodies. This is the first issue of the the magazine for Fall 2009, and I have to say it's one of my favorites already!



View the online version here.

Featured on BridalTweet.com!

This week one of our weddings is featured on BridalTweet.com! A photo from Katie & Tyson's wedding was chosen as a featured photo of the week.




Photo by Z Media

Trunk Sale! :: This Weekend in Akron/Canton...

WHEN:
Three Days Only!
November 13-15, 2009
11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

WHERE:
Vacant Value City across from Chapel Hill Mall
1886 Buchholzer Rd.
Akron, OH 44310


Bridal Cents LLC is hosting an amazing Akron/Canton Bridal Gown Trunk Sale. You will be able to select your dream wedding gown from 100's of dresses including top designers and designer-inspired. Our gowns start at a ridiculous $79. You can buy off-the-rack or order and still save big. Seamstress plus other vendors on-site.

For more information, call Sharon at (440) 315-0607, visit the website or send an email to bridalcents@gmail.com.

Wedding dress shopping? There's an app for that.

Brought to you by BRIDES Magazine, Brides Dressing Room is the first-ever digital shopping concierge for brides on the go.

From your iPhone, you can browse both wedding dresses and bridesmaids dresses from all the famous names you have come to trust in wedding attire. When you find something you like, we’ll track it down at a store near you, and make an appointment for you to try on the dress of your dreams.

Features Include:
•Browse the latest fashions by silhouette, brand and price or search by your style parameters
•Expanded descriptions
•Zoom in and out of selected products
•Location awareness to find nearby stores within 50 miles
•Concierge stock check within 10 minutes (during store business hours), and e-mail (or text) confirmation
•Store maps to nearby locations carrying the products

Download the app here. Here are a few screen shots:

Katie & Tyson's Photos :: Z Media

Save-The-Date Widget

Widgets, widgets everywhere! Now there's a widget that will allow your guests to "save" your wedding date to their calendars. Click the link below to create your own Save The Date widget for Blog, Myspace, etc...


Bridal Guide

Love This Photo!

Monique Studios

Inspiration Board :: Sunshine + Sunflowers

Sunflowers are so cheery, happy and bright, it's hard not to have good thoughts when you see them! They always remind me of one of my best friends from high school, Lisa (I remember her bedroom having sunflowers everywhere). Sunflowers just bring back warm cozy memories for me.



Top Row: TheKnot, The Wedding Information Site, Snippet and Ink, TheKnot, Cheap Wedding Success Middle Row: Design Dawgs, Pacific Weddings, Snippet and Ink, TheKnot Bottom Row: Invitation, The Wedding Decorator, Preston Bailey

I ♥ Parasols

I have recently fallen in love with wedding parasols! There are so many ways to incorporate these into photos and even the ceremony. Here are a few of my faves I've seen so far...



Z Media


Lambert Photographs


Pamelas Parasols


Pamelas Parasols


Snippet & Ink

Inspiration Board :: Fall Colors

I love fall colors! Chocolate brown, scarlet red, brilliant orange, gold and bronze... it's a color combination like no other! Fall is my absolute favorite time of year (maybe that's why I had my own wedding in the fall!). Let the colors of the season inspire you!



Top Row: Milan Villa, Gold Events Planning, Zazzle.com, Monique Studios Middle Row: Five Star Floral, Davi Weddings, TheKnot Bottom Row: Amy Nixon Events, TheKnot, Etsy, Something Borrowed Something Blue

Congratulations Nadra & Rami

Nadra & Rami ~ October 25, 2009
DeLuca's Place in the Park in Lorain

















Exposure Photography


Exposure Photography

A Fall Pumpkin Proposal

Sweet marriage proposals always bring a tear to my eye! I stumbled across one story today that is perfect for a fall proposal, along with being completely unique and over the top! A thousand pumpkins in a field spelled out the big question! Congratulations to this lucky bride-to-be, and kudos to the groom for a job well done!



Read more from the article here.