Blogs

I mailed out my wedding invitations recently (hooray!) and the responses have been trickling or pouring in, depending on the day. Now that the big reveal is over with most of my guests, I'm excited to unveil the design to my fellow BG brides as well. The photo below doesn't do the invite justice — it was printed in gold glitter ink that shimmers in the light. I worked on it with Arlene Segal, the talented owner of Arlene Segal Designs in Miami, FL, and the style name is "Somewhere in Time," in case anyone is interested in using the same design for their own wedding.

"Somewhere in Time" Wedding Invitation (Style #BW-130)

As a general rule of thumb, it's recommended that brides start shopping for their invitations about five to six months before they wed. Like many other aspects of planning, this process took far longer than I had anticipated; the amount of paperie options is truly staggering and so is the cost of wedding invitations. Between selecting the printing method, font, paper stock, wording and method of addressing envelopes, it all took a great deal of thought. That didn't even include the time spent assembling them!

When I first got engaged, I immediately bought a humongous binder (which I still own) containing worksheets on how to help novice brides like myself plan their wedding with organized glee. I filled out many of the pages and felt like I had just passed a final exam — until I got to the transportation section. How do I get my guests from Point A to Point B and map out our itinerary? Who do we include, who do we not include and where on Earth are we all going?! The whole concept was starting to sound more like a lecture from my algebra teacher (a class that I failed in school).

So I did what any obsessive-compulsive bride in my situation would do: I Googled as much info as I could find until finally, I developed a game plan. If you're anything like me and are overwhelmed by the logistics of transporting yourself (and your bridal party) to and fro on the wedding day, you've come to the right place. Here are some basic guidelines for tackling all of your transportation conundums.

Photo by: Artful Weddings via The Bridal Detective

1. Timeline

When Joe Pagani proposed to Emily Pavis last year, he gave her an amazing custom-designed engagement ring inspired by R2-D2 from Star Wars (see the ring here!). And on their wedding day, Joe got his own Star Wars ring — a C-3PO wedding band (for non-Star Wars fans, C-3PO is a golden robot who is R2-D2's best friend):

Photo courtesy of CustomMade

Photo Credit: Ryan Richardson

For "self-proclaimed geeks" Joe and Emily, their Star Wars wedding rings bring them back to childhood — both loved watching the movies while growing up. Working with the same CustomMade designer who made the R2-D2 engagement ring, Paul Bierker of Paul Michael Design, they created their perfect droid duo. The couple eloped at the Race Point Beach lighthouse in Cape Cod, MA, and one of their best friends officiated the intimate ceremony.

Photo Credit: Avava/iStockPhoto

One of the more annoying parts about changing your last name is finding a new personal email address to reflect it. With more than 425 million active users on Gmail and 281 million on Yahoo, there's a pretty good chance that your name is already taken. 

Back when Gmail was just a baby, I thought about registering for a second email address — my first name with my husband's last name. But since that was at least three years before he'd even proposed, I decided I'd better not jinx myself. I'm kicking myself now, though! When I tried registering for a new email address after the wedding, I basically had two options: add some numbers on the end, or make up some combination of my first, maiden, and last names.

But there's good news for Yahoo brides — they're purging unused accounts, meaning that your new name might become available! Sign up here to be put on the waiting list for your desired name. You can request up to five names and, if you're first in line for any of them, you'll receive an email to claim it in mid-August.

Tell us: Did you pre-register your new email address before the wedding?

—Kristen O'Gorman Klein

Welcome to our big 3-in-1 issue! You'll not only find fabulous wedding fashions, beauty, reception and planning news in our September/October magazine...

Get a behind-the-scenes look at our cover shoot here:

...but on the flipside, you’ll discover a special “Your Home” section:

Bonus: All of these registry-perfect products from Kohl’s are available for you to win, along with a honeymoon in Aruba, so be sure to enter our sweepstakes at bridalguide.com/winkohls!

And speaking of honeymoons, you’ll also find a separate Honeymoon Guide magazine with this issue:

Scratch Weddings is the nation's leader with the best wedding DJs at affordable prices. This week's post comes from DJ Kuato, whose unique blend of feel-good music has extended from New York to London and beyond.

Wedding bells are ringing for Halle Berry and new husband, Olivier Martinez! The happy couple exchanged vows in a private ceremony at Chateau des Conde in France, according to Us Weekly.

Though she told InStyle that she would “never, never get married again,” in 2007, the surprise nuptials mark the third marriage for Berry, 46, and first for Martinez, 47.

Rumors of the wedding began swirling on Tuesday when the couple was spotted at LAX with Berry’s daughter, Nahla, 5. The three boarded a plane to Martinez’s native Paris where many imagined their ceremony would take place. Though wedding details were kept quiet, several sources told People that the couple had their hearts set on a summer wedding.

The two began dating on the set of their film Dark Tide in 2010 and announced their engagement in March of 2012. Martinez proposed in Paris with an emerald-and-diamond ring from Gurhan.

The engagement came as a surprise not only to Berry's fan, but to the actress herself. "Who knew? I swore it off, right? Never say never, people," Berry told Extra.

Photo Credit: Michael Jung/iStock

Q: What's the most tactful way to ask both sets of parents if they will help pay for the wedding?

A: Asking parents if they intend to help out with wedding costs should not be a scary thing. But for a lot of couples, broaching the subject can be a bit uncomfortable, especially if their parents have not said a word about making any contributions. Naturally, you do not want to be in limbo wondering how much you will be able to spend on your wedding, so the sooner you do ask, the easier it will be to start your planning.

First, discuss with your fiancé the type of wedding you want to have — and be practical. Chances are a guest list of 500 for a wedding in Venice will not fit into your budget! Decide how much you both can afford to spend. Determine a rough estimate for your guest list, the time of year you would like to marry, the day of the week and where you might like to have your reception. All of these factors will determine the expense of the wedding. Next, ask your parents if they can meet for lunch or dinner — you will want the setting to be relaxed and casual — to discuss wedding plans. You and your fiancé may choose to do this together, or you may want to talk with your own parents separately.