If you’re a bride currently planning her bachelorette weekend, this is your sign to step back, take a deep breath, and honestly ask yourself: am I planning a girls’ trip or a guilt trip? Since I’ve been writing about weddings for nearly 8 years, people love to tell me their wedding stories–and I love hearing… Continue reading Ask a Real Bride: How to Plan a Bachelorette Weekend, Not a Guilt Trip
Author: Christina Peterson
12 years and 3 kids later, Christina still counts her wedding day as the best day of her life. Maybe that’s why she loves connecting with brides, mothers of the bride and groom, and bridesmaids: she wants everyone to love their wedding season! Over the past year, Christina has cultivated an active, helpful Instagram community called @askarealbride, filled with daily etiquette Q+A’s, planning tips, and some occasional humor. Though planning can be stressful, Christina enjoys helping brides find the joy and face etiquette dilemmas with kindness, clarity, and grace.
What Should I Write in a Wedding Card?
Ideas for what to write in the card for a wedding or bridal shower gift Part of being a perfect wedding guest is finding the perfect wedding gift. But once you’ve found it, an important task looms ahead: writing a note to go along with your gift. If you’re shopping online, the limited space adds… Continue reading What Should I Write in a Wedding Card?
Ask a Real Mom: When Your Mom Wants to Help with the New Baby
Labor and delivery are some of the most intense experiences of your life, and those first few days of motherhood are both physically grueling and emotionally draining. Naturally, moms and mothers-in-law want to swoop in and offer their support and help, and of course, enjoy their new grandbaby. But too many times, those good intentions… Continue reading Ask a Real Mom: When Your Mom Wants to Help with the New Baby
Ask a Real Bride: Are Wedding Programs Worth It, or a Waste?
Is a wedding program worth the time and cost, or should couples save by skipping them? Our real brides help you decide! Wedding blogs, Instagram accounts, and Pinterest pages are filled with “must have” items to achieve the perfect wedding, but all of those great ideas can quickly become overwhelming for brides-to-be. It’s a challenge… Continue reading Ask a Real Bride: Are Wedding Programs Worth It, or a Waste?
Ask a Real Bride: Should We Give a Speech at our Wedding?
When you think through your reception timeline, you’re probably carving out time for speeches by the father of the bride, the best man, and maid of honor. But recently, I’ve noticed that more and more couples seem to be hopping on the mic themselves! Is the bride and groom speech something you should consider for… Continue reading Ask a Real Bride: Should We Give a Speech at our Wedding?
A Guide to Thank-You Notes
One of the most popular complaints I hear from brides and mothers-to-be following their weddings or baby showers is the looming task of writing thank-you notes. And while I can see how sitting down to write hundreds of hand-written notes seems daunting, I’m here to tell you that expressing gratitude for a gift is really… Continue reading A Guide to Thank-You Notes
Ask a Real Bride: Where’s The Wedding Gift?
We all know the saying, “tis better to give than to receive.” But both givers and receivers have run into the awkward situation of what I call “the missing gift:” for brides, that means not receiving a gift, and for givers, not receiving an acknowledgement of a gift they’ve given, leaving them wondering if the… Continue reading Ask a Real Bride: Where’s The Wedding Gift?
Ask a Real Bride: How to Avoid a Wedding Rehearsal Meltdown
The wedding countdown is down to one: your out-of-town guests have begun to arrive, you’ve finished the last-minute errands and pickups, and there’s just one thing left to do: rehearse! The wedding rehearsal is meant to ensure that your ceremony runs smoothly. But this practice session has become a notorious venue for meltdowns, misunderstandings, and… Continue reading Ask a Real Bride: How to Avoid a Wedding Rehearsal Meltdown
Ask a Real Bride: What Your Wedding Guests Wish You Knew
Each month, we ask real brides for their opinions on everything from wedding budgets to wedding blunders, but today, we’re turning the tables: a more appropriate title for this month’s edition might be “Tell a Real Bride,” because we’re gathering intel from guests! While there is no doubt the day belongs to the bride and… Continue reading Ask a Real Bride: What Your Wedding Guests Wish You Knew
Ask a Real Bride: Should I Do a First Look?
Is it just me, or have you noticed that weddings have recently tended to be less traditional? I don’t mean that negatively: I love how couples are personalizing their weddings to suit their style in everything from the ceremony to the dress code, resulting in unique, one-of-a-kind weddings! One of the most popular tradition-breakers I’ve… Continue reading Ask a Real Bride: Should I Do a First Look?
Ask a Real Bride: How to Enjoy Your Own Wedding
When it comes to wedding movies, Father of the Bride will always be my #1. But have you ever noticed that we spend almost 2 hours watching Steve Martin and his family agonize over the planning (and paying) for the wedding, but the actual wedding scenes themselves only take up a few minutes? And most… Continue reading Ask a Real Bride: How to Enjoy Your Own Wedding
Ask a Real Bride: Do I Have to Wear a Veil?
Are veils a mandatory requirement for brides? Real brides share their advice to help you decide if you should say, “I do” or “I don’t” to a veil! Nothing makes me happier than helping brides problem-solve, and so I’m delighted to share a recent text I received from a bride who will be married in… Continue reading Ask a Real Bride: Do I Have to Wear a Veil?
Ask a Real Bride: Five Tips for Including Kids in Your Wedding
Almost two and half years ago, I kicked off the “Ask a Real Bride” series with the topic of kids and weddings, and I was blown away by the strong opinions and emotions on both sides of the issue. You can read the full debate on kids and weddings here, and know this: no matter… Continue reading Ask a Real Bride: Five Tips for Including Kids in Your Wedding
Ask a Real Bride: How To Decode the Wedding Dress Code
Week after week, our inbox is filled with questions regarding what to wear to weddings. While black tie, formal, and semiformal have always been common dress codes, some couples are getting more unique and specific, in effect requesting that their guests’ attire become an extension of the wedding theme. So what’s a guest to wear?… Continue reading Ask a Real Bride: How To Decode the Wedding Dress Code
Plan a Patriotic Baby Shower
We all love red, white, and blue…and babies too! Summer is the perfect time to throw an All-American baby shower, with lots of patriotic holidays filling the calendar, and the warm weather calling for casual, outdoor events. A patriotic theme is perfect for any crowd, whether it’s a coed shower or a traditional one, and… Continue reading Plan a Patriotic Baby Shower
Belk’s Top Bridal Registry Gifts
If you’re just starting to create your wedding registry, chances are you have a lot of questions. I can totally relate, because right after I got engaged, I was suddenly extremely curious about things I had never wondered about: things like stainless steel vs. nonstick cookware, and down comforters vs. quilts. I often wished I… Continue reading Belk’s Top Bridal Registry Gifts