Blogs

Moda Operandi, the luxury e-tailer known for its runway ready-clothing, has officially opened its bridal trunkshow. Get inspired by high fashion looks from Oscar de la Renta, Monique Lhuillier, Zuhair Murad, and Naeem Khan. Alongside the high fashion looks, Moda Operandi is offering a selection of chic bridal accessories, lingerie and linens perfect for the bride to be.  

It’s going to be an incredible year for weddings! In our January/February 2016 issue, we reveal the hottest new trends guaranteed to get you revved up for your own celebration. 

I still follow the tradition of counting my blessings each year on Turkey Day (my Pre-K teacher would be proud). This Thanksgiving, I'm grateful to be marrying the love of my life in less than a year. I'm also thankful to have supportive family, friends, vendors, and guests—it takes an army to plan a wedding!

In the spirit of the season, we've gathered some fun ways to give thanks before, during, and after your big day.

Before the Wedding...

1. Keep a gratitude journal. Unlike a regular diary, which requires daily upkeep, jot down quick thoughts about your planning "highs" (e.g. what you felt like when you bought your dress) whenever you have the time. Also, use it to store fun mementos (like your gown consultant's business card).

2. Spend quality time with your maid of honor and best man. Before my friend's wedding (where I was a MOH), we had a beauty-prep day where we got massages and mani-pedis. We capped it off with lunch at one of our favorite restaurants. I loved getting quality time with her before wedding chaos took over.

Photo Credit: J. Wiley Photography

Photo Credit: Jacilyn M.

A few weeks before my wedding, I was surprised when the hot topic of conversation became "to shave or not to shave?" amongst my groom, Jason, and his groomsmen. To be honest, I kind of assumed a clean-shave (or five-o'clock shadow at the most) was a given since Jason always buzzed up for special events, nevermind the most important and highly photographed day of our lives. Besides, he doesn't grow much facial hair to begin with. 

What I never considered at the time was that almost every other groomsman was rocking some sort of beard ranging from David Beckham to Zach Galifianakis status, plus a few guys were growing their hair out. Thus, a debate ensued amongst the men about whether Jason would stick out in a bad way. (In contrast, I was shocked I didn't get as many questions from the bridesmaids, despite the fact that we all went with updos and a few of them had never worn their hair up before!) They assured me they wouldn't look like Lord of the Rings extras and each guy did their own thing. Don't they look handsome?

Photo by: Josh Lynn Photography

In honor of Movember — which raises awareness and funds for prostate cancer and other male cancers — I've gathered some photos of grooms who rocked facial hair at their wedding, from barely-there to the whole shebang.

It was originally my husband Ian's idea to get married at our home in Arizona because he thought it would save us money. (Our house had no particular sentimental meaning and is nothing fancy; we just happen to have a decent yard.) At first, I thought he was crazy! It would be hard to pull off, it'd create more work for us, and it wouldn't look perfect... so many things could go wrong. We estimated we'd have around 130 guests, which isn't a huge wedding but isn't small either.

While some couples encourage their friends and family to snap as many photos as possible throughout the day (they're even signing up for apps that make it easier to compile everyone's photos in one place!), others are asking their guests to shut off their cameras for the day. There are strong arguments on both sides — there's something so special about seeing your wedding day unfold from your guests' perspectives, but photographers have noted that "guest photographers" often compromise your professional pictures. Photographer Corey Ann, an international award-winning photographer based in Northeast Ohio, shares why you might want to ask your guests to put aside their cameras for the night.

Last year, one of my friends got married, and I was so thrilled to be her photographer that day. What was even more amazing was that she had an “Unplugged Wedding,” after seeing pictures and reading my rants over the years about well-meaning guests whom have inadvertently (or heck, even completely on purpose) ruined images.

With weddings becoming more and more expensive — according to CostofWedding.com, U.S. couples spend an average of $25,656 on their big day, and that figure doesn't include the cost of a honeymoon — brides are constantly looking for ways to achieve their dream day for less.

Although weddings can be super pricey, there are always ways, big and small, to save a few dollars. We asked money-savvy brides to spill their best tips!

How to Save on Your Ceremony and Reception

1. Marry during the off-season.
Venues and hotels usually lower their rates during the off-season (which is from November through April), so planning your wedding during this time could help you cut major costs, like it did for Melissa Phillips from New Milford, NJ, who's getting married on January 18th.

Plus, this gives you the opportunity to play up the colder weather and feature unique wedding details that wouldn't be possible during warmer months, like a hot chocolate bar complete with marshmallows and whipped cream!

2. Take advantage of the holidays.
If you marry during the holiday season, you could benefit from beautiful churches and venues that are pre-decorated with flowers, lights and holiday sparkle, keeping out-of-pocket décor costs down to a minimum.

"I always dreamt of getting married during Christmas, with the church ablaze with red poinsettas and my bridesmaids in red and green velvet dresses," says New York City bride Samuella Becker-Maltese.