While the bride and groom are obviously the stars of their wedding day, the third most visible role belongs to the father of the bride: he often escorts the bride down the aisle, gives a speech at the reception, and shares a dance with his daughter while everyone looks on. The irony? In the lead-up… Continue reading Ask a Real Bride: Ways to Honor Your Mom at Your Wedding
Category: Wedding Planning/Ideas
Preserving Your Wedding Day Memories
Your wedding day will feel like one you’ll never forget, but there are plenty of ways to keep the memories alive for your marriage years ahead. The day after your wedding is often full of stories from the night before, fresh in your memory from less than 24 hours earlier. If you close your eyes,… Continue reading Preserving Your Wedding Day Memories
5 Fresh Summer Bridal Shower Themes
The weather is heating up. It’s summertime and we have some fresh and fun bridal shower ideas to celebrate your beautiful bride-to-be. 1. Ice Cream Bridal Shower Summer is the perfect season for an ice cream social! Use a color palette of pastels (think “mint chocolate chip” green, “strawberry” pink, and “French Vanilla” yellow) to… Continue reading 5 Fresh Summer Bridal Shower Themes
How to Address Wedding Invitations
You’ve invested time, money, and care into choosing wedding invitations that reflect your personal style and tone of the wedding. The final step: addressing the envelopes! It seems straightforward: title, name, address. But as you scan your guest list, you may find yourself with questions. We’re here to help! Read on for guidelines for every… Continue reading How to Address Wedding Invitations
Ask a Real Bride: What Are Honorary Bridesmaids, Hypemaids, and Something Blue Crews?
One of the most frequently discussed topics on our @askarealbride Instagram page is bridesmaids. I hear variations of these questions all the time: How do I choose my bridesmaids? What if I don’t want the chaos of a huge bridal party? Will my friends be disappointed if they aren’t asked to be in the wedding?… Continue reading Ask a Real Bride: What Are Honorary Bridesmaids, Hypemaids, and Something Blue Crews?
7 Creative Ways to Include Your Dog In Your Wedding Day
Your wedding is one of your life’s most special and memorable days, and you want everything to be perfect. For many couples, this means including their four-legged best friend! Incorporating your pup into your wedding can add a unique touch that will make it even more special. How do you include them without making it… Continue reading 7 Creative Ways to Include Your Dog In Your Wedding Day
Who Gets a Gift from the Bride and Groom?
Your wedding is an opportunity to show appreciation for close friends and family through thoughtful gifts. Pop quiz time! Question: Who should get a wedding gift from the happy couple? Answer: If you picked A or B, I wouldn’t be surprised. But, the answer is actually D. Which I know is semi-ambiguous, but bear with… Continue reading Who Gets a Gift from the Bride and Groom?
How to Write a (Non-Cringey) Wedding Toast
Having the chance to give a wedding toast can be exciting — it’s an opportunity to speak from the heart and impart wisdom on the happy couple. But, it can feel overwhelming to get up in front of a bunch of people (some of whom you’ve probably never met before) and talk about such big… Continue reading How to Write a (Non-Cringey) Wedding Toast
Your Ultimate Wedding Day Emergency Kit
You won’t have to worry about a thing when you’re prepared for anything with a wedding day emergency kit! Don’t get me wrong — no one wants something to go sideways on their wedding day. But let’s be honest, those who show up unprepared usually wind up wishing they were. In the hopes that it… Continue reading Your Ultimate Wedding Day Emergency Kit
Wedding Etiquette Question: What Costs Should the Bride Cover for Her Bridesmaids?
Being asked to be a bridesmaid for a friend’s wedding is exciting. But when the questions of travel, lodging, the bachelorette party, and the wedding day itself arise, the bridesmaid may wonder, “Am I supposed to pay for that?” Money conversations are always awkward, but before you say yes to the honor of being a… Continue reading Wedding Etiquette Question: What Costs Should the Bride Cover for Her Bridesmaids?
Ask a Real Bride: Should I Ask a Friend to Officiate?
Couples are always looking for ways to make their weddings unique and unforgettable. One of the most popular ways to do that? Choosing an officiant you know and love! While many of the brides I surveyed via Instagram (@askarealbride) chose a professional officiant, like a pastor, priest, or judge, a whopping 40% of brides tell… Continue reading Ask a Real Bride: Should I Ask a Friend to Officiate?
Ask a Real Bride: Planning Your Wedding Guest List
Deciding who to invite to your wedding can be more complicated than you think — here’s a step-by-step guide with helpful tips from real brides who have been there! 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… Continue reading Ask a Real Bride: Planning Your Wedding Guest List
The Ultimate Guide to Creating Your Wedding Registry
The first few weeks after your engagement can feel like a blur: your to-do list is a mile long, with items like, “set wedding date,” “book venue,” “find vendors,” and “order a dress.” Making those big decisions can take a month or two, but once you’ve nailed down a date, dress, venue, and vendors, there’s… Continue reading The Ultimate Guide to Creating Your Wedding Registry
Ask a Real Bride: The Pros and Cons of Registering Completely Online
We’ve gotten used to doing pretty much everything from the comfort of our own homes on our computers and devices. Wedding registries are no exception! Years ago, choosing items for your registry meant going to a store, being handed a scan gun, and manually picking items to add. Not any longer! With just a few… Continue reading Ask a Real Bride: The Pros and Cons of Registering Completely Online
Ask a Real Bride: Sweet Ways to Honor Your Future In-Laws
As your wedding day approaches, you might be coming to a new realization: you’re about to become someone’s wife AND someone’s new daughter. What’s the best way to start building this new relationship with your future in-laws? Our real brides are here to help. I took to Instagram (come join our Ask a Real Bride… Continue reading Ask a Real Bride: Sweet Ways to Honor Your Future In-Laws
Ask a Real Bride: What to do When Wedding Guests Behave Badly
While most of your wedding is under your control, there’s a large element of the day you can’t always plan for: the behavior of your guests. Among any large gathering, there is bound to be some less-than-ideal behavior. And with the added emotions of a wedding and the sky-high expectations of the bride and groom,… Continue reading Ask a Real Bride: What to do When Wedding Guests Behave Badly