–Ask a Real Bride–
– Ask a Real Bride – Planning Your Wedding Guest List
January 16, 2025
When I got engaged, I just about instantly began planning my wedding: the venue, the atmosphere, the music, and, of course, the guests. Little did I know, I’d be accommodating the wishes of my in-laws and my own parents and managing expectations from extended family and opinionated friends. Planning my guest list was more overwhelming […]
– Ask a Real Bride – Should My Parents’ Names Appear on My Wedding Invitations?
December 17, 2024
Note: Featured image provided by Caitlin Elizabeth Photography. Caitlin Elizabeth Photography has all the tips for creating a beautiful flat lay featuring your wedding invitation! If you’re not yet part of the Ask a Real Bride Instagram community, you have to join us: brides to be, mothers of the bride and groom, bridesmaids, and anyone […]
6 Do’s and Don’ts for Choosing Your Bridesmaids
December 3, 2024
Choosing your bridal party can feel like solidifying your inner circle: it’s a big decision that carries symbolic weight, as well as real-life responsibilities. Your bridesmaids are your best friends, but they’ll also be your advisors, party planners, personal assistants, and more in the months leading up to the wedding. So how’s a bride to […]
– Ask a Real Bride – Is it Okay to Have a Wedding B-List?
November 21, 2024
For many engaged couples, the guest list is the first step in wedding planning: many factors, including the budget, overall vision, and venue capacity can make determining who gets the invite a difficult decision. One solution for trying to include as many of your loved ones as possible? Creating a “B-List.” What’s a “B-List?” A […]
– Ask A Real Bride – Destination Wedding Etiquette FAQ’s
October 17, 2024
Destination weddings seem to become more popular every year. With the ease of planning online and snagging great travel deals, why not have your wedding weekend double as a vacation for family and friends? Yet a wedding that involves travel may also lead you into uncharted etiquette territory–and we’re here to help! Read on for […]
– Ask a Real Bride – Help! My In-Laws Keep Adding Wedding Guests!
September 19, 2024
The trickiest part of planning a wedding is often the guest list. Determining who gets an invitation is often a collaborative process between the couple and their parents, and when one set of parents is paying, that collaborative process becomes a very delicate dance. This month’s wedding etiquette question comes from a bride trying to […]
– Ask a Real Bride – Where are the Wedding Gifts? Why Some Guests Aren’t Giving–And What You Can Do About It
August 29, 2024
The Ask a Real Bride Instagram page is growing, and we would love to see you there, too! Every week, we discuss wedding etiquette topics like plus ones, dress codes, gift registries, and thank-you notes. And while there are many guidelines for hosting, gifting, and expressing gratitude, there’s one wedding topic that almost no one […]
– Ask a Real Bride – The Truth About Mismatched Bridesmaid Dresses
June 20, 2024
Wedding planning comes with lots of decisions and questions, and sometimes, finding an answer requires some crowdsourcing. That’s how the Ask a Real Bride Instagram account came to be, and this month’s question is the perfect example of women coming together to help each other in the wedding planning process! A Real Bride asks: “Hi! […]
– Ask a Real Bride – Should the Mother of the Bride Host a Shower?
May 23, 2024
Throughout the wedding planning process, the mother of the bride takes on many roles: she often plays the part of organizer, budgeter, coordinator, counselor, and confidante. But is “shower hostess” a title that should be taken on by the MOB? With the help of our Ask a Real Bride Instagram audience, let’s explore the traditional […]
– Ask a Real Bride – Can I Tell Guests It’s Too Late to RSVP?
April 9, 2024
Once you mail your wedding invitations, it all starts to feel “real:” after months of planning, the word is finally out, and you can’t wait for guests to open their envelopes and enthusiastically and promptly send in their replies! But it doesn’t always happen that way. Unfortunately, there will always be a few guests who […]
– Ask a Real Bride – What Should I Write on My Wedding Website?
March 21, 2024
In the past decade, wedding websites have become an essential information hub for the couple and their guests. In a recent survey on our @askarealbride Instagram page, 86% of brides reported that they’ve already built out a website for their upcoming wedding. If you’re in the 14%, don’t stress–we have you covered! Over 500 amazing […]
– Ask a Real Bride – How to Write Wedding Thank You Notes
February 15, 2024
Every week, the etiquette inbox at Ask a Real Bride is filled with questions about thank-you notes: when should I send them? What should I say? What about giftless guests and group gifts? I’m compiling all of my answers into one resource I hope will help you overcome any writer’s block and graciously express your […]
– Ask a Real Bride – 6 Bachelorette Party Do’s and Don’ts
January 18, 2024
In the midst of wedding planning, a weekend getaway with your best friends sounds like the perfect break from all the stress. But in order to keep your bachelorette weekend truly stress-free, there are a few things brides may want to keep in mind. My favorite source for wedding-related wisdom? Our @Ask a Real Bride […]
– Ask a Real Bride – How Much Can I Ask My Bridesmaids to Spend?
December 21, 2023
We’ve all heard the joke, “Always a bridesmaid, never a bride.” So when it’s finally your turn to be the one in white, you may struggle with two conflicting feelings: Brides juggling those conflicting emotions reach out to me week after week on our @askarealbride Instagram page with questions like this: The key to answering […]
– Ask a Real Bride – 5 Bridesmaid Getting Ready Outfits Your Girls Will Love
November 21, 2023
The morning of your wedding is a special time: the months of anticipation and planning are finally coming together, and it’s time to soak it all in and enjoy! The best part of the morning is sharing it with your best girls, and one way to make them feel special is to coordinate your bridesmaids’ […]
– Ask a Real Bride – Your Wedding Photography Questions, Answered!
October 19, 2023
Do you know who you’ll spend the most time with on your wedding day? If you think the answer is your fiance or maid of honor, think again–it’s your photographer! That means it’s worth taking the time to learn how to build a great relationship with your photographer, from the very first email to the […]
