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Veils have been among the traditional stuff that brides are wearing for thousands of years, but are something that still popular to most brides today. And just like wedding gowns, veils also evolve to meet the requirements of trendy brides. They are available in many different trendy styles and details that can be accentuated with trendy head accessories.

There is something special about a veil, that is why even the most contemporary brides still opt to wear one, at least just for their wedding ceremony. Sure, one can never go wrong with a plain tulle which is a classic type of bridal veil, but many designers these days also offer unique veils that feature attractive details and touches.

Wedding veil can be very expensive, that is why some brides prefer to make their bridal veil. It is actually quite easy to make one for yourself. Adding a trim or ornament, for example, to a simple gathered piece of tulle makes a dramatic effect. If you wish to make a nice finishing touch, you can simply add a decorative border to your veil’s outer edge. Although ribbon borders are among the most classic types of veil edges, but you may opt for a bit more contemporary style. There are now several new types of edges for bridal veils. You may consider three narrow pieces of ribbon to create a more modern and dynamic touch to the edge of your veil, or you can use colored ribbon instead of white or ivory which are both very common.

Some modern alternatives to traditional ribbon-edge veils are soft sheer ruffle and pleat. These are used to create a more architectural detail on the veil. For today’s romantic and less-formal wedding gowns, a ruffle- or pleat-bordered bridal veil makes a beautiful choice.

Other trendy ideas for today’s bridal veils feature some details that are used throughout weddings. For example, having monograms onto your wedding veil. Monograms have been a used in creating a unique theme to a wedding, from including them to the invitations, decorations, favors, and of course to the veil of the bride. If you opt to have your monograms be included to your veil, you can order a customized one with the personalized detail you wish. Many brides love this because they want to make their veil a great wedding keepsake.

Today, another trendy way to embellish bridal veils is to add Swarovski crystals. Crystals have been very popular to bridal jewelry and event to bouquets. If a bride cannot get enough sparkle, a veil with some Swarovski crystals makes a good solution to her problem. These tiny crystals can be attached to the body of the veil, or used to the veil’s edge. These crystals gives a perfect sparkle especially when caught by the light.

Bridal veils can also be ordered online. If you can’t make your own or just tired of looking at them in malls or local bridal shops, you can just simply go online and browse a much wider selection. Visit online bridal websites that usually offers such wedding necessity and other bridal accessories, bridal jewelry, and etc.

Jnet is an author for a variety of lifestyle issues and topics including weddings. If you’re looking for cake toppers, visit the website Americanbridal.com and browse their extensive collection. Find wedding centerpieces to make your wedding extra special!

The long, beautiful train that makes your wedding gown so gorgeous as you walk down the aisle can be a bit of a nuisance during the reception. After all, it is not so easy to dance with a cathedral length train dragging behind you on the dance floor! From bustles to detachable trains to convertible gowns, these are some of the ways to manage your train for the wedding reception.

Most brides will end up bustling the trains of their bridal gowns for the reception. Even if you only have a little sweep train on your gown, it is important to get it up off the floor. Otherwise, the first time you take a step backwards, you are liable to catch your shoe in it and rip the fabric. That is one of the worst sounds a bride can hear! The ideal bustle style will depend on the length and shape of your train.

For a classic A-line with a medium train, a French bustle tends to work well. The fabric is gathered underneath the dress around knee height, which looks very graceful and avoids the dreaded “bubble butt” effect of some bustles. If the bridal gown has a cathedral length train, a double French bustle works well. Small sweep trains can often be bustled with a single tie to the outside of the dress. Make sure any visible bustle fastenings are attractive. One lovely option is a tiny toggle and loop fastener made from decorative items like pearls or crystals which complement the bridal jewelry. It looks a lot better than a random button in the middle of the back of the gown’s skirt.

Detachable trains were huge during the 1960s and can still be found on some gowns today. Usually the gown itself is fairly slender and the train is just a little wider. The fabric for the train attaches at either the waistline of the gown or up near the shoulders, which is called a Watteau train. As with an outside bustle, it is important that the place where the detachable train attaches to the gown looks natural. It should look pretty when the extra piece is on, and just as pretty when it has been removed. Hooks on the train and nearly invisible thread eyes on the gown are an unobtrusive fastening system. If a little more support is needed, a row of buttons can go on the gown, with coordinating loops on the train. Pearl buttons are especially pretty if the bride will be wearing pearl bridal jewelry.

These days it is very popular for the bride to have a fresh new look for the reception. For those brides who do not plan to purchase two separate gowns, there is the convertible bridal gown. It is a style which has a flounce, ruffle, or pleat on the skirt below the knee. After the ceremony, the lower portion of the gown’s skirt is removed, including the train. What remains is a knee length or tea length party dress which is perfect for the reception.

Brides who have very long or heavy trains might wish to consider embracing the trend of a second dress for the wedding reception. Yes, you can bustle a cathedral length train, but dragging all those yards of heavy satin around all night can be pretty cumbersome. If your reception style will be elegant and formal and you do not plan to dance a whole lot, it might be fine; however if you have hired the hottest d.j. in town to spin the latest dance songs at your reception, you don’t want your gown’s train to hold you back.

Bridget Mora writes for Silverland Jewelry about weddings, fashion, and trends. Treat yourself to bridal jewelry from http://silverlandjewelry.com/ for your special day and receive complimentary shipping on your jewelry order over $99.

Champagne is a festive part of any celebration. However, not every wedding budget includes an allotment for cases of Dom Perignon or Cristal. Don’t give up on the idea of a champagne toast for your wedding! Check out these great ways to save money on your wedding bubbly.

When you shop for your bridal jewelry, you know that is is smart to shop around for the best deal on fine quality bridal jewelry sets. The same is true for your wedding champagne. Don’t just buy it from your local liquor store without going online and making a few phone calls to search out the best value. You may well find a better price at an online retailer, large warehouse, or even at a store in a neighboring state (for instance, brides from all over New England head to New Hampshire for tax free champagne and liquor for their receptions). Ordering champagne by the case will yield you a better price than purchasing single bottles.

There are a couple of things to check out when bringing in your own reception bubbly. First of all, make sure that your venue permits you to bring in your own champagne, as not all do. Also find out if there is a corkage fee charged by your venue or caterer; if it is very high, it might end up offsetting your savings. Be aware that not all states permit online sales of alcohol, so ordering your wedding champagne over the Internet might not be feasible for all couples. For many couples, though, the savings can be substantial.

When the budget for drinks is limited, you can also limit how much champagne is offered at your wedding reception. It is very common for champagne to be offered only at the time of the first toast. A simple tip to save on how much bubbly is poured is to have the waiters come around with glasses of champagne at the time of the toast, rather than having glasses of champagne set out for guests to pick up when they enter the reception. The reason is that by the time guests are seated at their tables, they may well already have another drink, and many people are just as happy to raise a toast with the drink they have and will decline the champagne.

Money can also be saved by choosing your bubbly wisely. If French champagne is a budget-buster, serve an alternative bubbly drink. Sparkling wine from California is a popular alternative to imported champagne. The Italian sparkling wine called prosecco is a very chic champagne substitute which many people really enjoy. It is a good idea to have a little taste test to select a sparkling wine which will taste appealing and not cheap. The key to picking a decent inexpensive bubbly is to select one which is not sweet tasting.

While it is not appropriate for the bride and groom to obviously enjoy a luxury they deny their guests, this is not to say that the newlyweds could not splurge on a vintage bottle of champagne while serving a tasty but affordable alternative form of bubbly to everyone else. Discretion is the name of the game. Do not ostentatiously display a bottle of Veuve Cliqot on the head table while serving a California sparkling wine to your guests (some of them are sure to realize that the bubbly in their glasses is not the same as the brand on display!). However, the waiter for the head table could certainly bring flutes of the newlyweds’ favorite champagne to their places while serving a more affordable brand to the other tables.

Toasting with champagne is an important part of a wedding celebration. With one of these ideas, you can enjoy that time-honored ritual while still staying on budget. Cheers!

Bridget Mora writes for Silverland Jewelry about weddings, style, and society. Treat yourself to beautiful bridal jewelry from http://silverlandjewelry.com/. All jewelry orders over $99 receive free shipping.

There is an old saying that a proper lady should have her name in the newspaper only three times in her life: when she is born, when she is married, and when she dies. No woman will have control over the first and last of those, but when it comes to the happy occasion of your marriage, you will get to be the one to make sure the announcement appears in the paper. This is how to put a wedding announcement in the newspaper to share the news of your wedding with the world.

Each newspaper has their own policies when it comes to wedding announcements. In some papers, all announcements are accepted, while in the pages of the prestigious New York Times wedding announcements, only a select few are chosen to run. One of the first steps is for the bride to decide in which papers she would like to place her announcement. It is traditional to have it run in her hometown paper (assuming her parents still live there, even if the bride no longer does). Often, the bride may also wish to have another announcement run in the newspaper that is local to where she and her fiance currently reside. Of course, the groom’s parents may also opt to place an announcement in their local paper too.

The size of the wedding announcement will be the next thing to decide. Most papers charge a fee based on the size of the announcement, so that is often the deciding factor. You will also have to decide if you wish to include a photograph, or simply run a brief paragraph. The photo may be a bridal portrait of just the bride in her wedding gown and bridal jewelry, or it may be a wedding day photo of the happy couple. Some of it depends on how soon after your wedding the announcement will be run. If you plan to use a traditional bridal portrait, gather your wedding gown, bridal jewelry, and veil for a photo session about two weeks before your wedding date.

A good place to begin sorting out the details is your local newspaper’s website. In some cases, all of the forms needed to place a wedding announcement are available online, and you may even be able to submit your photographs electronically as well. Other papers still prefer to receive submissions via fax or mail. When photos are mailed in or dropped off, the newspaper will probably not return them, so be sure to give them only a copy of your precious wedding photos. Take a careful look at the deadlines for payments, written information, and pictures for each paper in which you plan to run a wedding announcement so that you do not miss any important dates.

Then there is the information to include in your announcement. The basics are the names of the bride and groom, their parents, the date of the wedding, and the location. It is also customary to include some biographical information about the couple, such as where they attended college and their professions. The names of the attendants, details about the bridal party (or at least the names and hometowns of the best man and maid of honor) may also be included. If space permits, include a brief description of the bridal gown, which is always fun to read about. Finally, conclude with the name of the honeymoon destination and the town in which the newlyweds will reside.

That’s it! All that is left is to let your friends and family know when your wedding announcement will run in the newspaper so they can pick up a copy on that day. And of course the bride and groom will want to have a few copies of their own wedding announcement; one for the wedding scrapbook, and possibly one to frame and display in their new home.

Bridget Mora writes for Silverland Jewelry about weddings, society, and etiquette. Treat yourself to bridal jewelry from http://silverlandjewelry.com/ and receive complimentary shipping on your jewelry order over $99.

If you are planning to get married in the next six to twelve months, this is the perfect time to start shopping! Why? Because when you start early, you can track down some really good deals on the items that you will need and want to make your day beautiful. These are the things that a bride should plan to buy now for a wedding next year.

The bridal gown. About twice a year, bridal shops have huge sales to clear out the samples from previous seasons and to make room for new arrivals. By shopping ahead, a bride can often find a gorgeous discontinued sample gown at a deep discount. Finding just the right gown that way can take a bit of extra time and perseverance, which is why it is smart to get shopping right away. The great news is that designers are already showing their latest styles for next year, so you can easily go online and see which trends will continue and which ones will have gone by the wayside by next year. Among the clearance gowns will always be many styles which will look just as chic in a year as they do right now.

The bridal jewelry. Bridal jewelry designs tend to be very classic, so anything that looks stylish this year will still be fabulous next year. Look for classic designs in quality materials like sterling silver, Swarovski crystals, and freshwater pearls to ensure that your bridal jewelry has a timeless elegance. Even if you do not find the wedding jewelry set of your dreams on sale, when starting this far ahead, you can buy it one piece at a time. A lot of brides also ask for their wedding accessories for their birthday or for Christmas.

Candles. Every wedding needs lots and lots of romantic candles, and the end of the summer is a fantastic time to find them on clearance. As stores make way for back-to-school and fall merchandise, you can scoop up tons of candles in pretty summer colors to use for your wedding next year. This is also a great time to get citronella candles and tiki torches on sale. Store in a climate controlled space; if you stash your candles in your attic, for instance, they will be nothing but puddles of wax by next summer!

Outdoor cushions and decorations. A huge trend in weddings is the lounge area. No longer a novelty, this is a trend that is here to stay. Large colorful outdoor cushions are ideal for designing a lounge area for a summer reception, indoors or outdoors. You might also wish to grab a few outdoor area rugs to enhance your summery reception hang-out space while summer decor is on clearance. The best part is that after your wedding, you will have everything you need to decorate your porch or patio.

Silk flowers. Personally, I am not crazy for faux flowers, but many brides do like to use them for diy wedding centerpieces and other decorations. If you are going to use silk flowers, it is important to buy the very best quality available. To bring the finest faux flowers into a diy budget, shop around to find the end-of-summer sales. While not all of the most popular varieties will be discounted, the craft shops need to make space for fall and holiday florals, so some of the summery colors will be on sale. Sweeten the deal by watching your local paper for coupons to craft stores like Michael’s or A.C. Moore. Many craft stores will also send out coupons to people who sign up for their mailing lists, and some may even offer free or low-cost seminars on diy wedding decorations.

With all of this shopping done so early, you will be able to relax over the fall and winter months. And then when the spring and summer come around next year, you will be sitting pretty with all of your gorgeous wedding finds scored at excellent bargain prices. Planning ahead is a great way to get everything you want for your wedding without going over your budget.

Bridget Mora writes for Silverland Jewelry about wedding planning, fashion, and diy ideas. At http://silverlandjewelry.com/ we carry a fabulous selection of bridal jewelry to suit any style and budget. All jewelry orders over $99 receive free shipping, so visit today!

Shopping for a wedding gown is fun and exciting. It is also somewhat serious, as you are shopping for the most important dress you will ever wear…not to mention the most expensive. Do bridal gown shopping right with these seven things to remember while shopping for a wedding gown.

One. Wear underwear. Seriously, ladies. The bridal salon cannot legally let you try on wedding gowns if you show up without your undies, so even if you never wear them, stash a pair of panties in your purse before heading out. Bonus points for wearing a good fitting strapless bra.

Two. Don’t bring the whole entourage. It is impossible to please everyone, so don’t even try. Bring your mom and one or two trusted friends, max. Your chances of finding a wedding gown proportionally decrease for every additional person who tags along, so if you are serious about finding your dream gown, limit yourself to a very small group of shoppers.

Three. Know your budget. There are two kinds of wedding gown budgets. The first number is what you would like to spend, and the second is what you actually would spend if it meant finding the wedding gown of your dreams. For many brides, those two numbers are quite far apart! Start by looking at wedding gowns that fit the first category, but be prepared to up the ante if need be.

Four. Do your research. You know all those hours you used to waste at work looking at facebook? Devote them to perusing wedding gowns instead. Before you hit the shops, it is incredibly useful to have some sense of your likes and dislikes, as well as which designers really appeal to you. Bring pictures to your appointment to give the bridal consultant an idea of your style. That said, it also pays to keep an open mind; once you start trying things on, you may discover that the dresses that looked good in pictures do nothing for you and the ones with no hanger appeal look amazing when worn.

Five. Have your wedding date and venue booked before you start shopping. Yes, it is natural to want to hit the bridal shops the day after you get the ring, but you will not be able to make a decision until you have a sense of the general form of your wedding. The slinky dress that would look so hot for a loft wedding just won’t strike the right note at a rustic barn or an English garden, after all. The organza dress you loved for a summer wedding might not be quite right when you finally set a date and it is for mid-October. Spare yourself a lot of confusion by waiting until you know the when and where of your wedding before shopping.

Six. Bring any sentimental accessories to your gown appointments. If you plan to wear your mother’s Belgian lace veil or her bridal jewelry, it is very helpful to have it there when you select your gown. Or maybe you have a special brooch from your grandmother that you would like to pin to the waist of your wedding gown; be sure to have it on hand when trying on dresses and bridal jewelry to ensure that everything works beautifully together.

Seven. Be prepared to buy. If you find a gown that really knocks your socks off, jump on it! Waiting can result in a price increase, or worse, a gown becoming discontinued. Have the confidence to trust your taste. And once you do find that perfect wedding gown, stop shopping. Your wedding gown is just like your fiance – once you find the right one, you stop looking!

Bridget Mora has worked with brides for years helping them will all of their dream wedding details. Treat yourself to bridal jewelry from http://silverlandjewelry.com/ and receive free shipping on your jewelry order over $99.

Most little girls grow up dreaming of a beautiful wedding will all the trimmings. By the time you actually meet your Prince Charming, however, you have probably started to realize that a lavish wedding comes with a substantial price tag. Lately, I have been hearing about brides considering to have fundraisers to round up enough cash to plan their dream weddings. That brings us to this question: are wedding fundraisers a good idea or a bad idea?

Think, for a moment, about what most fundraisers are raising funds to finance. Schools, animal shelters, cancer research, and that sort of thing. In other words, big issues that affect large numbers of people (or animals). Although your wedding might be in the forefront of your life right now, if you are honest about it, it is probably not all that huge a deal to most of the other people in your life, besides your fiance. So, it is okay to have a fundraiser like you might for a charitable cause to raise money for your wedding? In a word, no. Sorry, brides!

Another type of wedding fundraiser is the dollar dance or wishing well, which is done at the reception itself. This is often used as a pool of cash for either the honeymoon trip or to give the newlyweds a little nest egg to start their new life together. While everyone would like a nice honeymoon and we would all like a pile of cash to put in the bank, it is not the responsibility of your wedding guests to provide it! While the dollar dance may be a custom in certain cultures, by and large it is a really bad idea, and puts your guests in a very awkward position. If they want to give you cash for a wedding gift, they will; just don’t demand it publicly.

The cash bar could actually fall under the category of being a form of wedding fundraiser, and it also is in poor taste. You cannot legitimately invite someone to be a guest at your wedding and then expect them to pay for their own refreshments. When money is tight, the host should serve what they can afford graciously, not ask their guests to take over their responsibility. Cutting the guest list is the quickest and easiest way to bring down the cost of your wedding food and drinks. Another tried and true trick is to have a wedding brunch instead of a dinner, which will dramatically slash the bill for refreshments.

Of course, couples do need to find a way to pay for their weddings, and there are respectable ways to do so. The key point is that the bride and groom should never use social blackmail to get money out of their friends and relations, but find ways to raise the money themselves. Setting up an automatic savings plan is a simple way to begin saving. You could also have a yard sale, take on a part time job, or drop your cable service. Start eating at home instead of going out to dinner every weekend, and make your own coffee instead of hitting Starbucks on the way to work each day. These small lifestyle changes can add up to a lot more cash in your wedding fund. They will also help you to prioritize; when you are paying all the bills yourself, it becomes a lot easier to separate wants from needs.

Don’t overlook the many ways to lower the bills of your wedding, as well as trying to raise more money for it. Investigate beautiful but low-cost sites like state parks, shop online for things like bridal jewelry and wedding decorations, and forget about the extras like custom lighting. Also look for things that you can use again, so they will not be just one day expenses, such as jewelry that goes will many things besides your bridal gown or cloth napkins on clearance that will cost less than rentals. It may require a shift in your vision of the perfect wedding, but with a bit of ingenuity, you will find that it is possible to have a lovely wedding that is within your reach, no fundraiser required!

Bridget Mora writes for Silverland Jewelry about weddings, style, and etiquette. Treat yourself to beautiful bridal jewelry from http://silverlandjewelry.com/ and receive free shipping on your jewelry order over $99.

You only get one chance to get the best photographs from your wedding, so it is important to plan ahead to get the most beautiful images possible. There is much more to planning for your wedding pictures than merely making up a list of your “must have” shots. Take a look at these tips for getting great wedding photographs.

Pre-wedding photography has become quite popular. Rather than having the wedding album start with images of the ceremony, brides often have their photographer start by capturing the moments leading up to the start of the event. These are often pictures of the bride and her attendants getting ready for the wedding, and they can be some of the loveliest images in any wedding album. Consider your background carefully if you plan to have pre-wedding pictures taken. If your bedroom or living room is cluttered, the background will distract from the beauty of the moment as captured by the photographer. Brides who live in cramped apartments may even wish to consider getting dressed before the ceremony at a more spacious location, such as the home of a friend or a hotel room. This will allow the photographer room to step back and get full length pictures of your gown, veil, and bridal jewelry.

Of course every bride wants to look her best on her wedding day, but many do not realize how valuable the services of a professional makeup artist and hair stylist can be. No matter how low key your wedding may be, to get that flawless bridal look in your pictures, it is best to turn to the experts for your beauty care. Many brides think that they can do their own makeup, or that they do not need to wear makeup at all, but it is important to have good makeup when you are being photographed. The pros know how to apply cosmetics with staying power so that you look just as beautiful in the cake cutting photos late in the wedding as you did in the beginning of the ceremony. It is also important to know how boldly to apply your makeup for your wedding day. The usual natural look will tend to look washed out in pictures, so most makeup artists will use colors which are just a hint brighter than your everyday style (don’t worry, you won’t look like a clown!).

You know how unflattering some lighting can be? Good lighting will have the opposite effect, making everyone look more attractive. Nix the harsh overhead lights which will cast strong shadows in your wedding pictures. Softer light will make for more beautiful photos…as long as the room does not end up too dim. Since a lot of the action at a wedding reception takes place on the dance floor, do not overlook that pivotal area when designing your wedding lighting scheme. Photographers also recommend that the newlyweds dance their entire first dance alone before inviting guests to join them on the dance floor. This allows your photographer more opportunities to capture a few stunning images of that memorable moment.

Finally, be sure to let your photographer know that what you really want is for him to capture the excitement of the wedding day and the personalities of everyone there. Although most couples will still want some of the traditional posed group shots, candids are much better in telling the story of your wedding day in pictures. All those images of laughing, dancing, and smiling people will make your wedding album a pleasure to look through year after year.

Bridget Mora writes for Silverland Jewelry about weddings, style, and etiquette. Treat yourself to beautiful bridal jewelry from http://silverlandjewelry.com/ and receive free shipping on your jewelry order over $99.

Summer is a very popular time of year for a wedding, but it is not without its own unique considerations. Chief among those is how to make sure that everyone stays cool and comfortable, even as temperatures rise. These are some great tips on dealing with summer wedding heat.

The bride should be sure to think about the weather when selecting her attire, especially for an outdoor wedding. Lightweight fabrics like tulle, chiffon, and organza will feel more comfortable than heavy satin. Natural fibers such as silk, cotton, and linen breathe much better than artificial materials like polyester or acetate. Of course, if your wedding gown is too lightweight, it may end up being overly transparent in the bright summer sun, so be careful to try it on in a strong light before purchasing. The right accessories will also help you to feel more comfortable, including your shoes, undergarments, and bridal jewelry. Dressy sandals in leather or silk will let feet breathe, airy bridal jewelry styles like tin cup necklaces will feel lighter than very heavy pieces, and going without stockings will surely be more comfy on a hot day.

The bridal party should plan their hair and makeup carefully for a summer wedding. You will be much cooler with long hair pulled up away from your neck. An updo will also help your hair survive a humid day without frizzing as much. Besides, what bride wants to have her hair hanging sweaty down her neck on her wedding day? There are many updos which are suitable for informal weddings, if yours is to be a relaxed type of event. Always do a trial run with your wedding makeup to see if it will melt, smear, or run in high heat. A good makeup artist can guide you to the oil-free products that will fare the best on a hot summer day. Be sure to keep blotting tissues handy to freshen up during the reception so that you will look cool and collected in the wedding photos.

It would not do to have your guests sweaty and miserable at your wedding, so make plans for their comfort too. If any part of your wedding will be held outdoors, shade is a must. Put up tents, set up the ceremony in the shade of a grand old tree, do whatever is necessary to get guests out of the direct summer sun. A great idea is to print your wedding programs on paper fans that guests can use, both for outside ceremonies and those held in non-air conditioned churches. A stand with fresh squeezed lemonade, iced tea, and bottled water is a thoughtful way to welcome your guests to a summer wedding. Keep in mind that on a very hot day, the interior of a tent can get uncomfortably warm and stuffy, so it may be necessary to rent portable air conditioning units for climate control.

For an outdoor wedding, food needs to be kept comfortable as well. Set up the wedding cake in a shady spot in the tent out of direct sunlight. Fondant will hold up better than buttercream when the mercury rises. On a very hot day, no cake should be left out for hours, so you may need to have your wedding cake kept in the refrigerator and presented close to the cake cutting time. Foods such as shrimp, crab legs, and lobster are all favorites of wedding guests, but can spoil very quickly, so they must be kept in the shade and served on ice to keep them fresh and delicious.

No one wants to sit down to a big heavy meal on a hot afternoon, so keep this in mind when planning your summer wedding menu. Chilled soups in shot glasses would be fun for the cocktail hour. There are many elegant cold dishes that would be nice for a summer wedding. Try a fancy take on pasta salad, such as angle hair, brie, and roasted asparagus served cold for a side dish. Grilled salmon or a citrusy chicken would make a better main course than a piece of beef with a rich Bernaise sauce. Offer your guests plenty of choices so that they can fill up, but keep everything light and summery so that they feel like dancing after dinner.

Bridget Mora writes for Silverland Jewelry about wedding planning, fashion, and etiquette. Let the friendly staff at http://silverlandjewelry.com/ help you select the perfect bridal jewelry for your wedding. As our gift to you, all jewelry orders over $99 receive complimentary shipping.

One of the most fun parts of getting ready for a wedding is shopping for the bridal gown. For some brides, however, they can’t seem to stop shopping, even after they have fallen in love with a dress. Before you start hitting the bridal shops, take a moment to read this guide to help you know when to stop shopping for your wedding gown.

Stop shopping, you may ask? But I haven’t even started yet, and besides trying on wedding gowns is so much fun! Believe it or not, there actually can be too much of a good thing when it comes to wedding gown shopping, and many a bride has continued on long past the point where she should have ordered a gown and moved on to the next things on her list.

You may wonder what the harm could be in shopping, and shopping, and shopping for your wedding gown. After all, it needs to be the most fabulous dress you will ever wear. There are several reasons why it is important to know when to call it quits. The absolute number one reason is stop shopping when you find a gown that you love is because you will confuse yourself if you keep looking, just in case there is “something better”. It’s just like picking your groom: once you find your perfect guy, you stop looking, and the same should be true of your gown. Trying on dozens more gowns when you have found a gorgeous dress is really like torturing yourself, and with every additional gown tried, you will find your confidence in your own taste and judgment fading.

There are also some very good practical reasons to stop trying on gowns once you have fallen in love with one. These are the things that can come of waiting to order a dress that you adore: the price can increase, a friend may purchase it for her own wedding, or worst of all, the style could become discontinued without warning. None of these things are good! After a point, it also becomes questionable wedding gown shopping etiquette to waste the time of both your entourage and the bridal salons trying on countless additional bridal gowns when you know in your heart which one you want.

So, how can you tell that the time has come to commit to a wedding gown? If you can hardly bear to take it off, that is an excellent sign. Another big clue is if you compare every other gown you try to the favorite and find that nothing compares. Still unsure? Ask yourself this question: if you came back in a few weeks to order the gown and it was no longer available, would you be crushed? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, it is time to buy your gown!

Don’t worry that all the fun of shopping will stop once you have purchased your wedding gown. After all, you still need all the fabulous accessories to complete your dream dress, such as bridal jewelry, a headpiece, a veil, and shoes. You may even be able to try on your wedding gown to play with all the different beautiful sets of bridal jewelry, veils, and so on until you decide on the perfect combination. Think of it this way: once you finally stop shopping for your wedding gown, you will get to start shopping for all sorts of other wonderful things.

Bridget Mora writes for Silverland Jewelry about weddings, style, and etiquette. Treat yourself to beautiful bridal jewelry from http://silverlandjewelry.com/ and receive free shipping on your jewelry order over $99.