Weekly Wedding Tip
brought to you by bridalguide.com

"The month before your wedding is not the time to experiment with a drastic haircut or color change. Instead, start about six months out so you can fine-tune your 'do' before the big day."

For me, whenever I've had a new look, it always seems to take at least 2 weeks before it starts to look ok. Either a little too much hair was cut and/or it takes that long me for to get acquainted to styling the new look, etc.

Also, don't forget to take into consideration how you would like to wear your hair on your wedding day if you plan to change your hairstyle. Here's a couple of fun sites I found if you're looking for a new hairstyle or need tips for the perfect wedding hairdo.

All images courtesy of Wedding HairStyles Den

Weekly Wedding Tip
brought to you by bridalguide.com

"When you order your gown, be sure to get a written contract or receipt that describes the dress you ordered in detail, your alterations agreement, any special services and the date your dress will be delivered."

Additionally, you might like to take digital photos (if allowed) of the dress(es), gown swatches, etc so that you don't go by just your memory or written documentation on what you expect things to be in the end.

I recently caught an episode of Say Yes to the Dress on TLC where a bride was saying that the color of her custom dress was not what she had chosen when designing the gown with Pnina Tornai. Luckily everything worked out and the bride did end up getting a gown she liked (although if I remember correctly, the original gown she created was not the one she ended up with).

Featured Gowns (left to right):
Style 2008 from Alfred Angelo
Yaling from Catherine Langlois (Toronto based)
Arabella from Caroline Parkes (UK based)
Harlow from Maggie Sotero

Weekly Wedding Tip
brought to you by bridalguide.com

"Do you have close friends or family members who didn't make the bridesmaid list? Tell them the reasoning behind your decision personally, privately, and before you spread the word about who you did select."

For those that didn't make the list - why not ask your friends or family members to do something special either on your wedding day or in the preparation process so they can still be involved? Some examples:

Wedding Day Tasks:
1. ask them to do a reading at your ceremony
2. maybe they could even officiate your wedding
3. they could serve as a greeter at the ceremony and hand out programs
4. maybe you have a friend or relative that can sing at your ceremony or reception

Pre-Wedding Tasks:
1. they can accompany you when trying on wedding dresses
2. they can help with either favor or invitation assembly
3. maybe they have ideas of places to hold your reception

Anybody have more ideas to share?

Above Image Courtesy of Scarlett Lillian
I love this image, but I'm also a bit partial to pink and parasols :)

Weekly Wedding Tip
brought to you by bridalguide.com 

"When picking a photographer, be sure to view complete albums of several weddings that he shot and assembled. That will help you judge the consistency of his work, as well as his ability to tell the complete story of the wedding."

In addition to seeing the complete wedding album - you will also want to look at the album style as each photographer has their own unique way of presenting the photos to showcase the wedding. I recently wrote an article on How to Find the Right Wedding Photographer For You after attending the NJ Wedding Salon that mentioned this. Below is an excerpt from the article and you can see the entire article here.

View the Album Styles
At the show, each photographer had albums on display to give you an idea of how they look when finished. It's great to be able to see all the different options as you visit each photographers booth. There are many different album styles out there, but one that stood out to me at the NJ Wedding Salon was from Romeo Creations. They offer the option to have a one of a kind wedding album that features a handmade metal cover. The album cover images range from landscape to floral to the abstract. An absolutely stunning presentation.

Above Images courtesy of White Wedding Album

Weekly Wedding Tip
brought to you by bridalguide.com

"Bring a traveling outfit. Although you may think you'll never want to remove that wedding gown, after a long day of eating, drinking, and making merry, you'll probably want to slip into something more comfortable for your departure."

Above are two of the many dresses I saw at Bluefly that you might like to change into for your departure, plus you can wear them again after your big day. Even if you aren't necessarily departing and you are staying at the location of your wedding locale, you might want to consider a change of clothing.

Here's a little story from my own wedding night as neither myself or my husband brought a traveling outfit. Our wedding was on the grounds of an historic inn, so we stayed there the first night. I remember my husband and I were hungry after the festivities wore down. We ventured out into the small town, but the only restaurant that was open was a sub/pizza shop. We walked in and ordered while still in our wedding gown and tux :) When we returned to our room and started eating I ended up dripping some tomato juice with seeds onto my dress - definitely not a good thing. But, a quick trip to the bathroom for cold water actually removed the tomato spot - thank goodness. Had we changed into something a bit more comfortable, it would definitely have been easier to eat without worries. But, then again - we did make history that night in a small town in upstate NY (and, no it's not what you're thinking). When we returned to that same shop about 2 years later, the owner actually recognized us as being the couple that came in to order in our wedding attire. Nobody else had ever done that before.

Above Dresses (left/right):
BCBGMAXAZRIA - lavender watercolor chiffon strapless dress
Nanette Lepore - teal floral silk 'Cleopatra Slip' dress