Choosing the Perfect Bridesmaid Gift

Your bridal party has been there for you throughout the entire wedding planning process, for better or for worse. These are some of your closest friends and dearest loved ones. Show your appreciation with thoughtful, high-quality bridesmaid gifts that they’ll actually enjoy, use and treasure for years to come.

Tips for choosing gifts for your bridesmaids:

1. Choose from exquisite accessories, fun barware or an amazing choice of personalized gifts. Lots of retailers have entire catalogs of bridesmaid gifts to choose from.
2. Gift cards aren’t in poor taste and in fact may be perfect for those hard-to-please ladies.
3. If you are having a destination wedding, a personalized travel gift in your bridesmaid’s favorite color is a beautiful idea.
4. For a more personal touch, select picture frames or an album showcasing your friendship.

Ring in Your Marriage Right With the Perfect Wedding Band

Your wedding ring is one of the most important wedding-related decisions. Whatever you choose, it has to stand the test of time, while also standing the test of your wallet. Ensure your wedding ring choice sparkles with these simple rules from theknot.com.

1. Have a basic idea of what you want before you head to the jewelry store.
2. Set your budget before going shopping.
3. Select a ring based on your lifestyle.
4. Inspect the band for quality.
5. Choose a style that will remain timeless.
6. Your bands don’t have to match. They should reflect each of your styles and tastes.
7. Size it right. The best time to size your wedding ring is when you are calm and your body temperature is normal. Ask your salesperson what styles can be resized just in case your size changes down the road.

Read the entire article from theknot.com.

Try Non-traditional for Your Wedding Flowers

When you think of a wedding, you think of flowers. But that doesn't mean you have to stick with tradition. You can have a unique bridal bouquet by putting a twist on traditional wedding flowers.


Theknot.com has some ideas for your flower arrangements that break from tradition. A few of our favorites:

1. Instead of bouquets, have delicate wreaths created for your bridesmaids to wear in their hair.
2. Furnish guests with pretty paper cones or teeny baskets filled with rose petals to throw instead of rice or confetti.
3. Exotic boutonnieres are bold and sexy and will complement most tuxedos.
4. Silk flowers offer an exquisite post-wedding keepsake that won't fade or dry up.
5. Show a little stem. Ribbon-tied bouquets are very popular right now.
6. For the reception, try decorating free-standing tables (bar, cake table, buffet, or guest book table) with different arrangements.
7. Honor a family member by incorporating their meaningful flowers into your bouquets and arrangements.

Visit theknot.com to read more great ideas for your wedding flowers.

He Proposed! Now What?

He proposed! Now what? There is a lot of planning that goes into your big day. Limit the stress, maybe even make the planning fun and memorable by planning ahead.

Tips to plan ahead:

1. Stay on task — Create a checklist of projects. Use this checklist from theknot.com to help you get started.
2. Date & Venue — Choosing your wedding date and your venue may go hand in hand. Be sure to start searching for your venue early as many will already be booked more than a year in advance.
3. Budget — Set a budget early so you can make sure you know what you can spend before you start talking to vendors.

There are many free resources to help you plan, such as theknot.com, perfectweddingguide.com, and brides.com. Plan ahead to make your wedding day the one you’ve always dreamed about!

Look Your Best on Your Wedding Day

From your gown, to your hair, to your makeup, you want to look your most beautiful on your wedding day!

Get Married spoke with Martine Aerts-Niddam, Fashion and Beauty Creative Director for Inside Weddings magazine, for tips on looking your most gorgeous on your special day.

Some tips from the article:

1. See the kinds of dresses brides are wearing and select a style..
2. When selecting a wedding dress, make sure it’s one you are comfortable in, and suits your own taste (not someone elses).
3. Do a trial run on hair and makeup prior to your big day.
4. When selecting a veil, be sure it complements your dress. A more simple veil typically works well with an elaborate dress; a more elaborate veil usually complements a simple dress.

To read the full article, visit Get Married.

Wedding Colors No Problem at MEET

The choice of color is very important and personal to a bride. From the color of dresses and vests to even the flowers chosen, there is no doubt most brides want to incorporate a very specific color scheme for their special day.

One of the great advantages of MEET is that it can easily incorporate any multitude of colors into a ceremony and reception using built-in specialty lighting. Imagine as guests enter MEET’s 4th Street Lobby, the walls are fully washed in her signature color, while guests mingle and sign in at the guestbook table. The bride’s color will continue into other areas of MEET as a perfect accent while the evening progresses. The showroom floor can be bathed in her choice of color, accented on specific areas or be programmed to specific points in the evening such as her entrance, special dance and as the evening ends. As the sun sets, the exterior of MEET will also reflect the bride’s style with a solid wash or with a cross fade of her color choices. Truly, nearly endless color choices ensure a wedding more beautiful than the bride dreamed.

All this can be achieved easily at MEET. Come pick your color.

Brides have “Royal Fever”

The recent wedding of Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton was the most watched wedding in decades. How will the iconic wedding impact planning in 2011 and on? Read how the wedding will change the look of weddings with five trends to look out for from Biz Bash.

What did the experts think of the Royal Wedding? See wedding planners thoughts on the wedding event of the year.

For a look at some of the trendy weddings at MEET, visit MEET’s wedding photos.