Many brides choose to have a bridal portrait session prior to the wedding, and during this time, their dress can pick up a little bit of dirt and grime.  So what should they do about it?

First and foremost, do not attempt to clean your dress yourself.  Dresses are made out of a variety of materials and some react well to usual cleaning methods and some do not. Some dresses will stain just from water, so you must be careful!  Some dirt can be softly brushed from the dress, but do not try to wash it with any type of liquid or spot remover.

Second, find a trusted dry cleaner.  It’s a great idea to do this before the wedding anyway so you know who to take the dress to after the wedding.  Cleaning can be expensive, but please don’t choose the dry cleaner just off price.  They need to be experienced and some will offer great packages if you use them to preserve the dress as well.  For example, Andrea Porter with Circle Park Bridal recommends Pinstripe Cleaners located in Denton, Texas.  While they are a little expensive, they do an amazing job on hard to clean gowns.  A perk to using Pinstripe Cleaners?  They include a free cleaning between the bridal portrait and the wedding if you get their preservation package.

Speaking of preservation, most dry cleaners and bridal gown stores offer preservation services.  For gowns that are relatively clean, this gown preservation service is a great option and relatively inexpensive.  The dress is shipped off to a cleaner and preservation specialist and shipped back to you in see through box so you can see your preserved gown.  This allows you to keep your dress for future generations if you choose.

Happy Planning!

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Maybe it’s the fact that I watch way too many wedding related movies, or maybe it’s because I’ve been a bridesmaid um… more times than I want to admit? But nothing strikes terror in my heart like a bride saying, “I’ve found the CUTEST bridesmaid dresses!”

I can remember my first bridesmaid dress. It was my oldest sister’s wedding and bless her heart, but it was teal taffeta {I know} and it had a lace collar {I’m totally serious}.  I was 11 and even I knew it was terrible. But don’t judge too hard, it was the 90’s.

Or how about the bride who put me in a yellow dress, she told me I looked like Belle.  I, however, still believe I looked like a half melted stick of butter.

Remember, your bridesmaids should be important people in your life. They can be your lifesavers, they help you dream up ideas and plan the little details and they put up with irrational emotional outbursts {don’t lie. Everyone has them.}.  Why not make them happy in a dress they love?

Here are my five favorite qualities in a bridesmaid dress:

1) Pockets. I’m not talking jean-like pockets but big enough to give you a place to stash some lip gloss and a camera.

2) Straps. Especially if one of your bridesmaids is blessed with curves, strapless dresses can cause some issues. You don’t want your bridesmaid to be pulling her dress up in every candid photo.

3) Tailoring.  Your bridesmaids will look better and more comfortable with a dress tailored to their bodies.

4) Wearable Fabric. Itchy, stiff or easily wrinkled dresses will leave your bridesmaids counting down the minutes till it’s over when they can ditch the dress and throw on those sweats they have stored away in the hotel suite.

5) Their own input! Yes it is your day, and your bridesmaids will be willing to wear whatever makes you happy but nothing will make her as comfortable in her dress than if she had a say in the final decision. Have them pick out a dress in a certain color, or invite them to come along and select their favorites from a few preselected favorites of yours.  Here are a few of my favorites:

Happy Planning!

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Provided by The Wedding Report, Inc.

Let me first say that while this is an interesting statistic it is NO HELP when planning your budget.  For one reason, most brides tend to purchase hair and makeup services from the same person, so this price is usually lumped together.  Thus, I wouldn’t start assuming when you see this graph that a hair and makeup artist is going to charge you$63.  Second, I’ve not seen anything this inexpensive lately.  One of my favorite artists charges $95 per person for makeup or hair only, or $139 for hair AND makeup.  This is also misleading for budget purposes though, because there are other factors, such as a travel fee for the artist if they are coming to you, or perhaps a discount if you are paying for the entire set of bridesmaids. 

So where do you start?  First, find out how many women you will be providing hair and makeup services for.  For example, if you have 3 bridesmaids, it may be a total of 6 women:  you, your mom, your future mother-in-law, and the bridesmaids.  Then, think about what services you need, whether you just need hair for the ladies, but hair and makeup for yourself, or if touch ups are needed, or if you want to provide everything.  If you are not paying for anyone else, you might want to find out if anyone else would like the services of a hair and makeup artist, so you can all purchase together and possibly receive a discount.  Once you know how many and what type of services will be needed, you can start to evaluate if you need to allocate this in your budget and start sourcing an artist and looking at prices.

Good luck!

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Last week I spent time with Andrea Porter at Circle Park Bridal to learn more about wedding dresses and what all options are out there. Surprisingly enough, I actually learned more about alterations than anything else as they are so important to the overall dress purchase. Here are a few facts I picked up while picking Andrea’s brain:

• Alterations for one wedding dress ON AVERAGE are around $300.  This is purely a rough average based on what Andrea has seen, but when using her recommended seamstress, she sees that this typically includes everything the bride usually needs.
• To cut back on expenses, try to use a seamstress recommended by the bridal salon you purchased your dress at, but not someone operating “in house”.  This cuts back on the mark up the bridal salon is adding to your alterations bill.
• Standard alterations include adding bra cups to the dress, shortening or lengthening the hem, taking in side areas or letting them out, shortening straps and adding a bustle.
• Most dresses do not come with a bustle “built in”.
• Some items to watch for in a good seamstress include making sure the new hemline “bleeds” into the train (in other words there is not a jump in the edge where the hem meets the trim, but a smooth transition) and when sewing bra cups in, the seamstress should add them within the lining, not just attach them directly to the inside of the dress.

Thank you to Andrea who taught me a wealth of info, not just on alterations, but dress trends and even the care and maintenance of your dress.  Brides, if you are still looking for your dress, go visit this amazing and caring store owner at Circle Park Bridal.  She truly has your best interests at heart.  And remember to budget for those alterations, no matter where you purchase your dress!

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Many times I ask my brides if they would like a recommendation for a hair & makeup artist, and this is the question I get in return.  Yes, I know you can do your own hair & makeup.  Yes, your girls can do theirs too.  My reason for recommending an artist is not because I feel like you are deficient in being able to take care of this yourself.

On your wedding day, it will probably be the only day you will have your own personal papparazzi follow you everywhere you go.  (Unless you’re a big movie star or someone else who attracts that crazy attention.)  Because of this, you will have more pictures taken of yourself than any other day in your life.  With this in mind, you obviously want to look your best in all those moments.  To look best on camera means a different level of makeup and hair artistry. 

Not only does your hair have to look good when your done, but it has to maintain that look through the entire day, usually at least 8 hours.  This means while you can certainly use a huge can of hair spray, you may not want it to be completely crusty and shiny.  A hair stylist will know how to create and maintain a look for you without all that crusty hair spray and make sure it will last throughout the day, whether you are planning on being outdoors or in. 

Same goes for your makeup.  Will the brand of makeup you are using create that flawless look and not need to be constantly touched up throughout the day?  Do you know how dark to put on your eyeliner so it will look great under the camera?  How will you know until you get back your pictures of the day?

The other reason I recommend a hair & makeup artist is to REDUCE stress.  It can be frustrating for any woman when their hair won’t do exactly what they want.  But what if it doesn’t react the way you like on your big day?  This just helps take the pressure off as you know the professional you hired can make your hair do what you want and you don’t have to worry.  Having a professional there for your bridesmaids can also take the pressure off of worrying if everyone will be ready on time.  A professional will have a schedule for all of this and can budget time appropriately.  It takes stress off mom’s shoulders too. 

While you are completely capable of handling this yourself, hiring a hair & makeup artist just has so many pros to it, that I always recommend one to my brides.  Of course it is their option whether to hire one, but I can say from experience that I’ve never had one regret hiring a professional to help with their big day.

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As I tend to work quite a few non-traditional weddings, I often get asked what can guys wear that’s a little different from the standard black tuxedo?  Well, first, there is no longer JUST the standard black tuxedo.  Most tux shops carry complete lines of black, pinstripe, white and even gray tuxedos.  Some of the cool new options though include a brown tuxedo, or even just tuxedo coats of navy to ivory and every color in between.  For a fun website that shows some of these options, check out www.aftersix.com.  They have some great lines of tuxedos, coats and suits that will fit any formal affiar, but have that twist of something different.

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Vegas was most wonderful!  I had so much fun with the hubby checking out the Strip and seeing tons of shows.  Our absolute fave was The Blue Man Group, which I HIGHLY recommend to anyone.  I had no idea it would be 3 solid of hours of laughing and being amazed.  What fun!

The thing you cannot avoid in Vegas is the huge amount of walking you must do to get anywhere.  I mean, seriously folks, these casinos are huge and if you want to explore even one of them, you’re going to walk for a while.  I had been told and I did wear comfortable shoes…most of the time.  Twice I wanted to dress up and look cute and wear the cute shoes, but I soon learned that was a VERY stupid mistake.  I would take a picture and show you, but that’s just gross, so just believe me when I tell you that I ended up with at least 4 bandages on each foot due to blisters and sores caused by my “pretty” shoes.  Never again!  I quickly learned the trick of wearing comfortable shoes til I got where I wanted to go, and quickly switching to the pretty pair once I was there.  (Yes, a medium to large purse is required for this.) 

Shoes are always a great topic though, and what do I find when I get back?  Nearly Wed has posted about some wonderful places she found in her search for the perfect wedding shoe.  I get asked all the time where to shop and I just adore the list she came up with.  Some of my faves she listed are Bluefly, J. Crew and I now love Stu. 

I found this beauty on the Bluefly site.  As Carrie Bradshaw would say, “Hello, lover.”  I bet they would hurt though…

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Well now you can borrow your way to the fancy stuff!  Check out www.bagborroworsteal.com to find a little wowzer for your day.  You can borrow anything from rings, bracelets, jewelry and even some fabuloso bags for as long as you’d like.  The rental price is quite nice and you can start with a week or maybe a month and keep renting as long as you need to.  It’s first come, first serve though, so make sure to rent yours in time for wedding or other special occasion!  I would recommend renting a piece for a month ahead of time so you can make sure your fave is avaialble.

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Sorry I’ve been tardy in posts folks.  I promise to make up for it over the next week.  Keep an eye out!  In the meantime, if you haven’t found a gown yet, here’s some very important info passed on by Dallas Wedding Planner: 

Sponsored by Making Memories and Brides Against Breast Cancer, Brides Against Breast Cancer is having their annual wedding gown sale. Prices for the gowns range from $89 to $799, including hundreds of beautiful, new, name brand and designer gowns valued up to $4,000. A few designer and couture gowns are priced slightly higher range from 25% to 75% off. This is a very unique opportunity for brides-to-be to find one-of-a-kind gowns at fabulous prices and help grant a wish for a woman or man with terminal breast cancer. Brides Against Breast Cancer will accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express and debit card.

Here are the specifics on the upcoming event in the Dallas area:

Event held at Las Colinas Country Club
4400 North O’Connor Blvd. Irving, TX 75062-2796

Thursday, October 18, 6:30 pm – 9 pm VIP NIGHT

VIP NIGHT – Tickets available at door – Bride and one guest $25, Additional tickets $10
First Choice of incredible designer gowns – Racks restocked throughout event.

Friday, October 19, 9 am – 8 pm FREE ADMISSION
Saturday, October 20, 8 am – 3 pm FREE ADMISSION

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