For some couples, choosing the right style and theme for the wedding day is a simple task. You might know exactly what you want right off the bat. For other couples, however, this might not be the case. The theme you choose for your wedding day will set the tone for the entire day and will make an impact on the style of the decor you use throughout your event. It can be hard to narrow down wedding colors, design features, and messages you want to convey, especially when you and your partner share different tastes or have a different theme in mind.

To make the task of choosing the right style and theme for your wedding day a little easier, use the following tips:

Write it down—First things first—write it all down! Sit and make a list of the very first things that come to mind, including colors you like, your favorite flowers, the time of year you’d like to get married, and more. This will give you an idea of the style elements and preferences you naturally gravitate toward and can start pointing you in the right direction.

Browse style magazines—Another helpful tip is to browse your favorite style and fashion magazines. Whether you love reading about home decor, architecture, or couture fashion, grab your favorite magazines and cut out pictures of anything you like. File the images away into an organizer and keep them handy as you begin choosing the right style and theme for your wedding day. Nothing helps more than putting together a physical visual for inspiration.

Consider comfort—When you’re choosing the right style and theme for your wedding day, comfort is important. Consider the formality and tone you’d prefer. Do you want a lavish, formal affair? Or do you want something low key and semi-formal? Considering these factors can help you in choosing the right style and theme for your wedding day.

Wedding reception style must-haves are style accents that have the power to transform the look of your reception and bring it from drab to fab. Failure to use certain style accents for your reception decor can leave your event lacking. No matter how large or small your wedding, appealing decor is a must if you want it to be memorable and to look great in your photos.

The following decor accents are wedding reception style must-haves:

Appealing wedding favors—Wedding favors are small details, but they pack a lot of punch when it comes to reception table style. Be sure to choose stylish favors that enhance your decor theme and color scheme, and present them next to your table place settings to achieve the full effect. Your guests will notice them the minute they sit down upon their arrival.

Complementary linens—Whether you’re using natural, vintage-looking picnic tables or formal round tables fit for a queen, complementary linens are a must. You don’t have to choose tablecloths that cover the entire table if you don’t want to. The important thing is to select layered or textured linens that complement your decor colors and that enhance the theme.

Well-placed floral arrangements—Floral arrangements that are strategically placed are also wedding reception style must-haves. In fact, they can alter the entire look of the room if placed just right. Work with your coordinator to explore the shape and layout of the reception space to find out which positions work best for your floral arrangements. Consider bringing in additional foliage to add a warmer, lush feel to the room. This especially helps if you’re having an evening reception or using an Old World, romantic theme of some sort.

All of these style aspects are party decorations that are essentials for any wedding reception. Utilize these wedding reception style must-haves to make the look and feel of your reception really stand out.

Also known as wedding day fashion faux pas, wedding day style mishaps can creep up on even the most style-conscious bride. There are certain wedding day style mishaps that can wreak havoc on a bride’s ensemble if she’s not careful. Never fear, bride-to-be. We have some suggestions right here to help you spot those common wedding day style mishaps and tips for preventing them before they even happen!

Style Mishap #1: Too Much Jewelry

One of the biggest wedding fashion faux pas brides commit is wearing too much jewelry. Loading yourself up with too many accessories instead of balancing your accessories is a common wedding day style mishap and one that should be avoided at all costs! To prevent this style mishap, choose jewelry that will proportion your ensemble instead of overwhelm it.

Style Mishap #2: Too Much Makeup

Many brides don’t give a second thought to how their makeup can impact the way they look on their wedding day. However, too much makeup can make a big difference in your wedding day style and is a common wedding day style mishap that every bride-to-be should watch out for. Don’t cake it on or choose eye shadow or lip colors that stick out like a sore thumb. Consult with your makeup artist to choose shades that complement your skin tone, and go light on the foundation and powder.

Style Mishap #3: Inconsistency

Another wedding day style mishap to avoid is wearing accessories that are inconsistent with the look and tone of your wedding gown. For example, if your gown is a modern, formal style, don’t choose a veil or shoe style that is too casual. If you’re wearing a vintage, retro look, don’t pair your old-fashioned gown with modern jewelry, unless you’ve found a way to combine old with new in a trendy way. Make sure the tone and style of your ensemble pieces are consistent and that they complement, not distract.

Keep these wedding day style mishaps in mind as you put together your wedding ensemble and avoid them as best as you can.

Music-loving couples have many options when choosing to incorporate a music theme at their wedding reception, but some of those options are too over the top or clash with other subtle themes or color schemes you having going on. Here are three easy tips for working in a music theme without overpowering your entire event:

Personalized playlists—One of the best ways to incorporate a music theme at your wedding reception is to make a personalized music playlist for your guests. You can set the CDs next to each place setting and request the DJ to play each song on the list during the party. This gives you a way to gift your guests and give them something to remember your occasion by, while enhancing your reception’s ambience at the same time.

Music-themed wedding favors—Using music-themed wedding favors is an easy, affordable, fun way to incorporate a music theme at your wedding reception. There are tons of great music-themed favors out there to choose from, including candles, key chains, and more. If you want to go all out, you can even find napkin sets with keyboard designs or napkin rings that can be personalized with song lyrics of your choice.

Karaoke segment—No, you don’t have to have an all-out karaoke party at your wedding reception, but you can introduce a timed karaoke segment, just as you would the cake cutting session or first dance. Have each member of your bridal party sing a song, or set up a time for a few of your guests to pick a song of their choice and give their inner performer a shot. Don’t worry, not everyone has to be the next Celine Dion. In fact, the worse they are, the more entertaining the reception will be! Your guests are sure to love it when you use this tip to incorporate a music theme at your wedding reception.

Every couple wants to avoid wedding planning nightmares, but in reality, they can sneak up at any time during the planning process. Some planning flubs might not classify as full-blown catastrophes, but they can still throw a wrench in your plans. To make sure your wedding planning process runs as smoothly as possible, keep the following tips in mind as you arrange plans for your big day:

Invest in professional coordinating services—It’s not uncommon for couples to try and bypass the expense of a professional wedding coordinator. While it’s true you can do much of the planning on your own, a professional wedding planner really is a must no matter how large or small your wedding will be. Why? Because they can handle and organize your plans in ways you cannot, and they have all of the resources you need at their fingertips, making booking appointments and finding the best deals much easier on you. Although a wedding planner is an additional expense, it’s one of the best you can make for your wedding day.

Be proactive—The number one tip for avoiding wedding planning nightmares is to be proactive. Whatever you do, don’t procrastinate—especially when it comes to the small tasks! Those small tasks turn into big responsibilities when you’re down to the wire and have a huge list of to-dos to take care of at the last minute. Plan ahead, take care of the small details as soon as you can, and try to streamline your task list to avoid missing important details.

Know when to say no—Much of the stress and frustration that brides deal with as the big day approaches stems from taking on too much during the planning process. Don’t stretch yourself thin. If you load up your schedule too much, you’ll end up cutting corners or forgetting key wedding planning elements. Managing your time well while you plan your wedding is crucial to avoid wedding planning nightmares.

Whether you’re working with a full-service wedding coordinator or decorating your wedding reception yourself, there are some top wedding reception decor faux pas to avoid. Some of these faux pas can clash with the overall look of your reception, and some can downright ruin the entire theme if you’re not careful.

Avoid the following top wedding reception decor faux pas with these tips:

Not enough foliage—Even if you’re having a modern reception and plan on using non-floral, abstract centerpieces and table accents, it’s important to include at least some foliage around the reception area. Whether you use potted plants in the corners of the rooms or add some greenery to the chandelier or candelabra holders, add some foliage to give the area a warm, inviting ambience.

Busy tables—No matter how large or small, your reception tables shouldn’t be too busy. Avoid having too much clutter around your place settings and your centerpieces. While you need to make room to accommodate essentials like linens, favors, dinnerware, and your centerpieces, placing items that are too big or clunky on your too-small tables will throw everything off balance. The key is to keep everything in proportion so you’re not bogging down any elbow room. You don’t want guests bumping into things and knocking things over when they are trying to eat.

Clashing colors—While experimenting with colors and trying the latest trends in wedding reception decor is fun and encouraged, choosing color schemes that clash and cause an eyesore at the reception isn’t such a good idea. Talk to your wedding coordinator about complementary color palettes for your decor theme and choose them accordingly. Stay away from tones that do not enhance one another and don’t use too many colors or the look will be too overwhelming. This is one of the top wedding reception decor faux pas to avoid.

When couples think of easy ways to make the wedding day memorable, they immediately think of typical services like photography and videography. While a professional photographer and videographer can certainly capture those once-in-a-lifetime moments through video and pictures, there are other ways to make your wedding day memorable. If you have the cash for those services, by all means—take advantage of them! However, here are three simple, additional ways to preserve your wedding day memories and make your wedding day memorable:

Time Capsule Keepsake Boxes—The time capsule trend has been around for a while and is used by employers, teams, and scientists around the globe to store goods or certain communication pieces that are to be opened years later and shared with later generations. To make your wedding day memorable, save some items from your wedding day and create your own time capsule when the reception is over. Seal it up and then set a date to reopen it in five or ten years (whenever you’d like) to relive the memories.

Music Playlists—Making a music playlist from your reception and ceremony is a quick, easy way to hang on to memories from your special day. Speak to your live band or DJ beforehand to go over the list of songs that will be played during your event, and then make a compilation CD of all the songs. You can listen to them in the car on the way to work or pop the tunes on for a romantic dinner after you’re married.

Gown and Tux Preservation—Paying to have your gown and tux preserved is one of the easiest ways to make your wedding day memorable. It is relatively inexpensive and can keep your wedding wardrobe from fading or tearing over the years.

Try these three easy ways to make your wedding day memorable if you want to keep the wedding spirit alive and strong!

Every bride needs to know a few wedding day ensemble quick fixes. Let’s face it—not everything always goes according to plan. That’s life, right? All of those tips you’ve heard over the years about carrying clear nail polish and drinking plenty of water on your wedding day didn’t originate from nowhere. There are some wedding day ensemble quick fixes that have been around for centuries and they still ring true today.

To catch those wedding day wardrobe malfunctions and last-minute problems that sneak up before they get worse, use the following wedding day ensemble quick fixes:

On-hand compact for runny mascara—Chances are you’ll be wearing waterproof mascara, but even some of the best mascaras can turn runny after tears are shed or sweat and oils interfere. Keep a powder compact on hand to cover up any black marks and smear the smudges away.

Fixes for bustle trouble—Not many wedding gowns come with detachable trains nowadays, but if you have enough time to have your dress customized, this is a viable option to avoid bustle trouble on your big day. Bustle attachments can break or end up dragging your train across the floor, and the last thing you want is to lug all that material around and risk damaging your gown. You can also have safety pins on hand to tackle any bustle trouble. Be sure to stock up on the large, heavy-duty pins and keep them with you at the reception. And yes, they do have white safety pins!

Fixes for gown snags—If you’re wearing a gown with very delicate lacing or material that easily snags, first avoid any chunky bracelets or ring accessories. Keep a small sewing kit on hand in case a snag occurs. Use a small pair of sewing scissors or tweezers to gently unhook and loosen the snag. Whatever you do, don’t rip it because you’re in a rush, or you’ll wind up with an even worse snag.

Use these wedding day ensemble quick fixes to tackle any inconvenient wardrobe or style problems on your big day.

Creating your wedding website may sound intimidating, especially if you’ve never set up a website or blog. But wedding websites are actually rather simple to make. Many of them are free and most of them are user friendly. So, whether you’ve never heard of wedding websites before or are just looking for information on creating your wedding website, we can help.

Why Wedding Websites are Trending

Wedding websites provide many benefits for couples and guests alike. You can share pre-planning phases with your guests, keep them posted on updates on the wedding, and even provide them with honeymoon photos after the wedding is over. This saves you a tremendous amount of time. No more calling or writing each guest when things change suddenly. And guests are sure to appreciate the fact that they can visit your site at any time to find the information they want and need about your wedding. So what are you waiting for? Start creating your wedding website today!

Steps for Creating Your Wedding Website

The first step to creating your wedding website is choosing a vendor. Many on-line sites for brides now offer free wedding websites, but they are all a little different. Try to find one that looks user friendly, but don’t opt for one that seems too simple because the features may be limited. If all else fails, choose one from your favorite wedding resource site.

Once you have selected your wedding website vendor, it’s time to input the information. You will need to create a user name, select a password, and provide an e-mail address. You should then type in your names and physical locations. You then need to select a theme. When first creating your wedding website, try not to focus too much on your theme just yet; you can always change it later.

Once you have selected your theme, it is time to start adding in all of the smaller details: location and date of the wedding, wedding attire, colors of your wedding, etc. You can add buttons by copying and pasting codes into your site. Most of the sections should be drag and drop, making creating your wedding website very user friendly.

Not sure of how to find your wedding style? Feeling stuck by not knowing what works for you? Don’t worry! Every bride has a style and you are sure to find yours. Here we’ll review some of the various wedding styles and show you how to channel those styles into a wedding that suits you and your personality. Be sure to examine your favorite clothing, music choices, and what makes you “you” in general to find your signature look.

The Casually Elegant Bride

You’re elegant, but in a natural way. To you, the most beautiful things in the world can’t be bought. You’d like nothing more than to have a wedding by a beach, in a botanical garden, or at a national park. You gravitate towards browns and greens and the dresses that appeal to you most are simple but beautiful—simply beautiful.

Sound like you? Then it sounds like you didn’t have to work hard at learning how to find your wedding style. Now you just need to channel it. Set your wedding in a natural location. Avoid listening to friends or family members (as well as their intentions may be) when they tell you something is too simple or plain. Just remember to add a touch of bright color to your wedding, such as using colors that occur in nature but are brighter than your rich earthy tones.

The City Bride

Shopping, fine dining, spas, and lush surroundings excite you more than anything. Your dress is sleek but highly sophisticated. You’re attracted to shiny, bright colors – even your hair accessories are shiny. A wedding location overlooking the city lights would take your breath away.

If this sounds like you, then you’ve found your wedding style. The problem is putting it all together. For you, dear bride, the city is your scene, so why not indulge? Just be careful to not get too carried away. Features in your wedding may be a little costly. If you plan a budget and stick to it, though, you should be fine.

Still don’t know your style? That’s okay! Now that you know how to find your wedding style, you can investigate a little more and find that perfect wedding style you’ve been dreaming of.