Renting: it’s not just for tuxes anymore. Check it out on line: you can rent a wedding dress. Actually you can rent really nice wedding dresses and most cost between $55-150. That’s down a bit from what most people pay for their bridal gown!.

Now not every bride is going to go for a rental wedding gown. But if you’re cutting corners? Or if you’re really not all that into the dress, would like something lovely, but don’t need to own it? This is a great option. It works better if you’re a rather standard size, but as long as you don’t cut anything, you can re-stitch (I’d use basting stitches so they held but came out easily, however!).

I was amazed at how many sites there are. (Why am I amazed, can’t you get everything on the web?) But the variety of dresses was what really amazed me. And let’s remember that there are some cultures where this is the norm. If someone is going to have a religious celebration in Japan, they will often rent several of the many wedding kimonos involved. (and P.S. Japan town can be a great place to purchase a used wedding kimono. They’re fabulous. One of my brides did, and wore it as a coat over her incredible purple gown. That way she paid homage to her heritage and wore a dress she wanted. And she looked amazing!)

• Bridal Stores: Some of the bigger bridal stores have rentals. These are great because you can go there, try it on and rent it. That way you know what the fabric looks like and you’re likely to get the right size for you. Which is fairly important.
• On Line Bridal/Wedding Supply: Most of these stores have dozens of styles and dozens of sizes. They even have a limited supply of period dresses. And some of the dresses were Designer gowns. Who knew?
• Costume Shops and Sites: They were onto this possibility early! Wanna be married as Marie Antoinette? They’ve got the gown for you. Anne Boleyn a little more your style? They can find it. (though she’s probably not your luckiest bride, it’s still a pretty wonderful look!)
• Ethnic Stores and Sites: If you want a traditional wedding dress to celebrate your heritage there are stores and on-line sites where you can get wedding garments from many different traditions.

Just a thought: If I were going to rent a gown from online, I would want to try it out once. Providing you can make room in your budget. You don’t want to get your gown and hate it. Even brides who don’t care loads about their wedding dresses don’t want to look less than fabulous on their wedding day. I’d also want to spend a fair amount of time determining what kind of gown I looked best in. If you’re not good at that, ask a friend or family member whose judgment you trust. This is a best-friend deal only if your best friend has a sense of style that will help you look beautiful on your wedding day.

But what a great idea! You wear it and then you ship it back and they dry clean it! And they already have the facilities to do that. Doesn’t have to be preserved for years, so you’re off the hook on where to store it.

Rent a gown and spend your energy somewhere else. Worry about the wedding ceremony and your wedding vows. Make plans for a wonderful life together in your happily ever after marriage. And have a wonderful wedding knowing that you looked fabulous for your beloved. Have a wonderful wedding knowing you don’t need to worry about your dress!

Sure, you could have the same old white wedding that brides have been doing forever, but why not try something a little more unique? For summertime, in particular, bright splashy colors are all the rage. One of the most dynamic color combinations that you can use for your wedding is fuchsia and orange.

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Fuchsia and orange are both bold and bright colors, and they pair very well. They create a look that is fun, festive, and a little spicy. Choosing such a vivid color palette for your wedding is a great way to add some personality to your event. It is a color that makes a statement about the bride and groom: it says that you are a fun-loving, stylish, and creative couple.

There are many ways to use orange and fuchsia in combination. A great place to begin is with the wedding invitations. For a romantic and luxe look, choose letterpress stationary that has a fuchsia and orange floral design pressed into a heavy cream cardstock. Have the writing done over the floral design in a deep espresso brown. For brides who prefer a cutting edge look, choose stationary in the hot fuchsia color, bordered by the orange. For the lettering, use a modern san-serif font in the espresso. A square invitation would add to the modern edge.

The bridesmaids are always a key part of the color scheme of any wedding. If your colors are fuchsia and orange, there are some very hot dresses that you can choose for your attendants. A wonderful summer look would be a breezy chiffon or organza knee length dress with spaghetti straps. You can choose one of the colors for the body of the dress, and use the other as an accent for sashes at the waist, or for borders along the hem. Whichever color you use for your accent would also be a terrific idea for the bridesmaid jewelry. You can have sets of bridesmaid jewelry custom made in your wedding colors using sparkling Swarovksi crystals.

The wedding flowers are another place to feature your palette. There are some fantastic flowers available in both the orange and the fuchsia. The two colors work very well together in the bouquets for the brides and her bridesmaids.For the groom and his attendants, create boutonnieres that feature a flower in one color, with the stem wrapped in a ribbon in the other color as an accent. You can also think about mixing in a sprig of berries in the accent color.

For the centerpieces, there are a few different approaches that you can take. You can do the linens in one color, such as the orange, and all of the flowers in the fuchsia. Or, you can choose a more neutral color for the tablecloths, and let all of the color come from the centerpieces. It would look fantastic to combine the fuchsia and orange in each floral display. Another option is to alternate having all-orange centerpieces on one table, and all-fuchsia flowers on the next. This is a very chic and modern effect.

Don’t be afraid to use strong colors in your wedding. They will add such style and individuality to your ceremony and reception. One of the most vivid and striking color palettes that you can choose for your wedding is fuchsia and orange.

The shoes you wear on your wedding day will affect not only your overall look – but your comfort level as well – so choose wedding shoes with care.

Here are four steps to finding the right wedding shoes.

1) Choose Your Shoe Fabric
While most bridal shoes are made from cloth (usually white satin or silk that can be dyed to match their gowns), there isn’t any rule that says brides have to wear cloth shoes. You can also wear leather, as long as it fits with the look of your gown.

2) Choose Your Color
White wedding shoes are the most common, as brides traditionally wear shoes to match their gowns, which are usually some shade of white. Some brides, however, opt to be a bit more original with their footwear, choosing a metallic shade that matches an accessory or embellishment. Some brides even don blue kicks as their “something blue.”

Don’t obsess about finding an exact match to the color of your gown. Again, you should seek to complement, not perfectly match your getup. Combining slightly different shades of whites or neutrals is not only perfectly acceptable – it also makes for a richer, more compelling look.

3) Get Comfortable Shoes
As you walk down the aisle, those 4 inch stiletto heels may look adorable. But 5 hours and 10 dances later, cute may morph into acute pain with every step. Avoid the blisters with some chicken soup for your sole:

• Forego “Something New” – Don’t leave it up to your soles to be your “something new.” If you are not used to wearing 3 inch heels, or you’ve never dared bare your toes in strappy sandals, your wedding day is not the best arena to try out these styles.
• Go Designer – If comfort is important to you, consider investing in a high end brand. Although you’ll pay for the high quality fabric and fine craftsmanship, you’ll enjoy better a better fit and greater comfort.
• Add Pads – Shoe pads can help prevent slipping and chafing so that you can keep dancing all night. In fact – here’s a little secret – shoe pads can actually make your feet look better by preventing your toes from hanging over the edge of the shoe. You can find a collection of shoe pads made especially for bridal shoes and heels at My Glass Slipper.
• Break ‘Em In – A few weeks before the wedding, start wearing your wedding shoes inside for an hour or two at a time. This will break in the fabric, and help you get used to wearing them.
• Go Goody Two Shoes- If you find a shoe that pleases the eye, but kills the feet, bring two pairs of shoes. Wear those killer heels for the ceremony and photos, and change into the comfortable pair for dancing and mingling.

4) Choose Your Wedding Shoes Style
Seek to complement these four aspects, and your kicks will be a perfect shoe-in:

• The Season – Traditional fashion rules dictate closed toe shoes are appropriate for winter months. However, this rule has relaxed somewhat, especially in warmer climates.
• The Formality of Your Wedding Day – A closed toe pump provides most classic and formal look; added embellishments also make a shoe more formal. On the other hand, low sandals, ballet slippers and even jewel studded flip flops complement a more casual event.
• Your Dress – Bridal shoes can be adorned with a number of embellishments, such as crystal, rhinestone, bows, beading, and embroidery, so choose ornamentation that complements those on your gown or other accessories. Also consider your hemline; a decorated hemline calls for a simpler shoe style, while embellished shoes can dress up a plain hemline.
• Your Venue – If your ceremony or reception takes place on a lawn, beach, or other soft surface, avoid stiletto heels, as they tend to sink into soft ground and sand. Instead look for a wide heel or flat.

Other Style Tips for Wedding Shoes

• Avoid any hosiery with open-toed shoes – as the line across the toe should never show.
• Remember that higher heels will make your legs look more toned (keeping your calves flexed), and they’ll also ensure better posture.
• Make sure you’ve found your shoes before your first fitting, as you’ll need to try them on with the gown so it can be adjusted to the proper length

This complete guide to wedding accessories has even more advice on bridal shoes, veils, gloves, and headpieces.

Imagination and resources are greatly challenged when you’re looking for wedding reception decorating ideas that work on a tight budget, but rest assured that they are indeed possible…if you take the time to think about it!

1. The first thing to keep in mind when looking for budget wedding reception decorating ideas is to never discard your preferences. Weddings are once in a lifetime occasions so make the most out of it!

2. Affordable wedding reception decorating ideas are more possible if you reserve and pay early for the venue. Earlier payment usually puts the venue owner into a better mood and might give way to concessions like extra hours for preparation or free extension for the wedding reception itself.

3. Why fix something when it’s not broken? If you’re looking for the cheapest wedding reception decorating ideas, then here’s something to delight you: book your reception either in a hotel or a public garden. These places usually offer beautiful surroundings with no need for further adornment and thus allowing you to save money on decorations.

4. Wedding reception decorating ideas don’t have to be equated to purchases all the time. If wedding attire – even for the bride and the groom – can be rented then why not rent the decoration as well? If you’re going to rent, just make sure that you can return them in their original condition. Make sure that you don’t lose anything either. If either happens, you might as well have paid for it.

5. Another way to reduce expenses for wedding reception decorating ideas is to time your wedding near a holiday. Most places have holiday decorations, allowing you to enjoy an expense-free occasion with regard to the décor. Of course, do make sure that the decorations in the first place are tasteful, sufficient and applicable for your wedding ceremony.

6. Lastly, make sure that you convey all your wedding reception decorating ideas to your planner and suppliers so that they’ll understand every penny counts. Delay causes not only time but money, too. Let them know that you won’t be prepared to pay for delayed deliveries!

How do you tell the difference between one wedding photographer and the next? Searching through the sea of wedding photographers can be a big task. When I got married, I was given the task of selecting our wedding photographer, and I looked at websites of many different photographers. Some were more expensive and some were less expensive, but often I couldn’t tell the difference between the actual pictures. If I could tell that I liked one photographer’s work better, I didn’t know why. This left me with very little confidence in selecting a wedding photographer.

I want you to be able to choose a wedding photographer with confidence. So let’s answer the basic questions.

Why can’t I tell the difference?

The reason that you and I could not tell the difference, is that most of the work that is put online is the best work of the photographer. All of the photos you see on websites are great photographs. If they weren’t, they would not make it on the website. If you had a camera and went out to shoot a thousand pictures one day, I am sure you could take at least 1 good picture.

This is exactly what some photographers do. They shoot weddings and come up with 2 or 3 good pictures from the wedding. These are the photographs that are posted on their website. You will never see the other photographs. A poor photographer will only be able to take 1-10 good photographs from your day. A good photographer will be able to shoot 30-70 great photographs from your wedding day. A great photographer may be able to shoot 50-100 great photographs.

Real weddings?

Another trick that photographers use to build up their online portfolio is to use fake wedding shots. Some photographers will hire some models and go to a beautiful location and spend a whole day taking photos. They will put these shots on their website and while the shots are great shots, they aren’t from real weddings. The photographer gets the opportunity to spend half an hour perfecting each shot. They may fiddle with the pose. They may take the shot and realize that there’s something distracting in the background. They will not have this much time on your wedding day. You will not get any photos that look like these on your wedding day.

Some photographers may even go to a workshop where another professional photographer teaches them on how to take great photos. In these cases, the teacher is the one who actually poses the model and sets up the lighting. Will your photographer actually be able to create those shots themselves?

Ask to see an entire wedding of photos

So don’t select a photographer merely by looking at the online portfolio. All photographers should have a great online portfolio. (If they don’t, definitely beware.) Meet with the photographer and ask to see photographs from an entire wedding. The photographer should show you 200 or so photographs from an entire wedding and see how many of these photographs you think are great shots. Not all of them will be great. Even the best photographers will have mediocre shots, but if there is a large number that are great shots, you know you have a good photographer.

Know the great photographers

Another way to be able to distinguish the good photographers from the bad ones, is by being familiar with the great photographers. There may be one or two great photographers in your area that charge over $10000 per wedding. You may not be able to afford that, but by looking at their photographs you can realize what good photography really is. Then look for those elements in other photographers. Some of the great wedding photographers are Joe Buissink, Jeff Ascough, Jessica Claire, Nate and Jaclyn Kaiser from The Image is Found, Jesh de Rox and others. Look up those names and peruse their photographs. You will get a sense of what great photography and as a result, you will be able to more easily differentiate the good photographers from the mediocre ones.