Wednesday, February 29, 2012

How Can I Ensure We Don’t Slip on Our Way Down the Aisle Or On the Dance Floor?

Scoring your shoes is a must for both brides and grooms. And if your parents and bridal party are wearing new shoes to the wedding I suggest you show them how to score theirs too. It’s very easy: Take a scissor, ice pick or unserrated knife and draw a lot of lines in every direction on the soles. You should also make an “x” on the heel.

For your ceremony aisle consider skipping flower petals in the decor or limit them to the edge of the aisle because you can easily slip on them.

Remember that if you are wearing new shoes on your wedding day you should break them in in the weeks before the big day. In addition to avoiding any slips and falls you want to be conformable in them and avoid getting any blisters, especially if they’re too tight. There’s no superstition about the groom not seeing the bride’s shoes before the wedding so feel free to wear them around the house.

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

What Are Some Ways to Dress Up the Groom’s Wedding-Day Look?

I love seeing guys in a colorful or printed tie or bow tie to put some personality into their suit or tuxedo. You can find a wide range of color and fabric options for ties, bow ties, vents and cummerbunds at the men’s store or rental shop, but you may also want to shop at specialty stores or craft your own.

TieCrafters.com can custom make any of these items in a fabric of your choosing. You’ll see a lot of their work in Martha Stewart Weddings magazine.

Other accessories to dress up his look include: Colorful or patterned socks (you've seen the shoe/sock shot in a lot of real weddings), great shoes and cufflinks.  All of these items can be worn after the wedding and the cufflinks can be a great gift you or parents can gift the groom.

I’d skip a suit in a wild color -- remember the powdered blue ones from the ‘70s -- because you want your pictures to look timeless.

Monday, February 27, 2012

How to Avoid a Bra Blunder on Your Wedding Day

It’s very important you make sure your wedding dress’ undergarments give you both the support and coverage you need. A sexy dress should expose some skin but not bare all, especially in front of your future in-laws and grandma.

When trying on wedding dresses make sure you feel comfortable with a low V or other revealing neckline. Don’t be afraid to ask the salesperson and a seamstress from the store what they can do to make sure your girls stay hidden and you don’t have a J. Lo moment on your big day. (If you missed it, one of her nipples popped out on stage at the Oscars in her stunning, but quite revealing gown.)

The best person to help you find the right bra or bra alternate is the bridal salon seamstress, so don’t be shy about asking questions. There are a number of foundation options you may have -- sewing cups into the dress, strapless, convertible, stickers to keep fabric from moving. It’s important that you get the proper support you need so you’re not pulling the neckline of the gown on your wedding day.

Take the months before the first fitting appointment to visit several lingerie stores and try on, and purchase, multiple styles. Bring everything with you to the fitting -- and leave the tags on -- to try on what really will work best. After you have found the right bra you can return the other items.

Friday, February 24, 2012

Shameless Promotion: Download the Vera Wang Weddings App Because It’s Fabulous

If you follow me on Twitter (@annechertoff) you will have seen my tweets about the new Vera Wang on Weddings app. This must-have app is both informational (100+ planning articles) and inspirational (1000+ photos of dresses, cakes, flowers and real weddings). And there are some really cool tools: An Inspiration Board, Guest List Manager and Wedding Task List, that pre-populates your to-do’s based on your wedding date!

The app is free through the end of the month and then the price goes up to $9.99 on March 1st. Click here to download it now and save $10 you can spend on another wedding detail!

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Will Having a Destination Wedding Discourage People From Coming to Our Wedding?

Not necessarily. If you're planning a destination wedding because you don’t want to have a lot of people then don’t invite a lot of people to your wedding.
If pressure from your parents is causing you to grow the guest list offer this compromise: A small wedding ceremony and reception then go on your honeymoon and allow your parents to host a post-wedding reception bash in your honor when you're back. You can also have a small ceremony in your hometown and then a few days (or weeks) later have a reception with the larger guest list.

The bottom line: Only invite the people (or number of people) you want to celebrate with you. Never assume people won’t come. Everyone loves a wedding, especially if it's at a fabulous location.

P.S. Remember that couple who invited 200 people to their wedding in Barbados I wrote about. They thought maybe 80 people would fly Mother’s Day weekend to their wedding and in the end 180 RSVP’d yes. Everyone had a wonderful time, but the couple’s budget ended up being a lot bigger than they had planned.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Who Gets Invited to the Post-Wedding Brunch?

The bridal party and your immediate families should receive an invite and so should guests who have travelled from out of town. When you know there are guests staying at a local hotel the night of your wedding I recommend inviting them to the post-wedding brunch. It’s the polite thing to do.

If somehow they find out there’s a brunch and they weren’t invited they may be insulted and now you’ve turned the wonderful memory of your wedding into an awkward/uncomforable situation.

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Do We Have to Walk Down the Aisle?

It’s tradition but if you don’t feel like it then don’t do it. Talk to your officiant and ceremony venue manager about other options based on the location -- is there a side entrance near the altar you can walk in from? Is there a trap door you can pop out of? (I'm kidding, unless of course you're into theatrics.)

I would also ask yourself what is it about walking down the aisle you don’t like or want to avoid. If it’s the attention then skip the wedding and elope because as the bride (and groom) all eyes will be on you all night long.

There are ways to make the processional simpler: skip the large bridal party, don’t adorn the aisle with a lot of decor, play a light song.

As for walking up the aisle after the ceremony I would do it and not slink out the side door. Your guests want to celebrate this wonderful moment with you so take your time making your way up the aisle and acknowledge their cheers and best wishes.

Monday, February 20, 2012

How Many People Should Give a Toast at Our Wedding?

I suggest limiting the toasts to three or four -- father of the bride (especially if he’s hosting), the best man, maid of honor and the bride and groom together. And all toasts should be kept to a few minutes in length.

A wedding reception tends to include a list of traditional elements: first dance, parent dances, blessing over the food, cultural dance (such as the hora), bouquet and garter tosses, cake cutting ceremony, plus toasts. Cutting the toast list down is one way to ensure that your guests have time on the dance floor as well as time to speak with each other and the bride and groom. I would also suggest cutting the bouquet and garter tosses if you want more dancing time.

If you have other relatives and friends who want to say something, and especially if their speech is more of a roast than a toast, I would ask them to speak at the rehearsal dinner.

Tuesday, February 07, 2012

Looking for something to do on Sunday? Check out Williamsbrides!

How about spending time at Williamsbrides, a unique wedding event at The Space at Fifty North Third in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Starting at 11am VIP ticket holders ($50/couple) can attend a panel discussion with some of New York’s top wedding vendors moderated by me - so you know the questions will be good, I even fit one in on pigs in a blanket!

After the panel, doors open to the public at 1pm ($25/per or $40/couple) to meet and greet dozens of wedding vendors including photographers, planners, entertainers, musicians, stationers, locations/venues and more!

Visit williamsbrides.com for more information and to order tickets -- the price is higher if you wait to get them at the door on Sunday. After the event you can wander around Williamsburg, one of the city's hippest neighborhoods, or nabes if you're really cool.

And don’t forget to stop me and say hi -- I’ll tell you why I’ve been MIA for the last month -- you’re gonna love the new app I’ve been working on. Whoops, did I say too much?

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