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I was never the kind of little girl who dreamed about her wedding day. But once my best friend asked me to marry him, I dove head-first into the world of wedding planning. I quickly discovered the joy of jaw-dropping couture gowns—they never fail to make me weak in the knees! Here, I've rounded up photos from my gown inspiration binder in the hopes that they inspire other brides out there. Get your "pinning" finger ready to add these to Pinterest...

Gown Inspiration: Then

I love every wedding gown style and silhouette to a fault. The first wedding gown I ever fell in love with was a Lazaro fit-and-flare. When I first laid eyes on it, I immediately tore it out of the magazine and insisted it was "The One."

Lazaro Dress, Style 3766

Over the next five years, my sense of style changed drastically, proof that you should never set your sights on a dress too far in advance. I've found a new gown by Marchesa that's swept me off my Louboutin-loving feet, and I'm beyond excited to try it on in New York this spring!

Gown Inspiration: Now

Marchesa
Marchesa blends traditional elements with whimsical designs. All of her creations leave me with sensory overload!

White by Vera Wang just added two new web-exclusive styles to the latest collection, and we're in love. These flirty dresses are perfect for a casual wedding or for changing into for your reception. 

Style VW351126

Strapless dress with Garza tiers and a satin sash ($628, available excusively at davidsbridal.com). 

Style VW351165

One-shoulder draped tulle dress with bubble hem ($728, exclusively at davidsbridal.com).

Tell us, which would you consider wearing?

See more new dresses from White by Vera Wang for David's Bridal in our gown gallery!

—Kristen O'Gorman Klein

Wedding and event planners Jodi Cohen and Sarah Lowy, co-founders and owners of LA-based JOWY Productions, have produced gorgeous weddings and celebrations for clients around the world. From a royal wedding in Qatar to Oprah Winfrey’s Leadership Academy Opening in South Africa, these two lovely ladies have delighted clients and guests with their uniquely elegant and creative style. For 2013, Jodi and Sarah put together a list the hottest wedding trends. Here, their top picks:

Pattern
We are going to see a lot more patterns and prints being incorporated into wedding décor, invites, tablecloths and bridesmaid dresses. Chevron and stripes were big last year, but we think more whimsical prints are going to start to make an appearance in 2013; think polka dots, florals and maybe even some gingham.

Small, Intimate Guests Lists
There seems to be a move away from large wedding parties to a more intimate, smaller guest list. Couples are having weddings with just family and close friends. Big receptions are being replaced with dinner parties. We have a handful of weddings this year that are 60 guests or less.

Most of our wedding-planning tasks have been exciting and fun; however, one area we've struggled with is our guest list. Both Rigo and I come from huge families and have a close group of friends. We both work at the same hospital, so we have many co-workers that we consider to be pals, too. (They've indicated that they're "expecting" an invitation to the wedding—some have mentioned this subtly, while others were quite forward.) Our large circle of loved ones became even bigger when we factored in all of their children.

These contributing factors raised the following questions: How many people should we invite total? Can we invite some-coworkers and not others? How do we ensure that the reception doesn't turn into a daycare center? Can we prevent invited guests from bringing "extra" guests with them? With some planning, research, and creativity, here's how we dealt with all of these challenges.

Photo Credit: Photography by Jen Philips

Do the Math to Come Up with a Reasonable Limit

Each week, we feature music recommendations from Scratch Weddings, the nation's leader with the best wedding DJs at affordable prices. This week's post comes from DJ Kraff, a Brooklyn native who rocks dancefloors with his impressive skill and charms guests with his infectious smile. Kraff learned at a very young age the timeless value of great music, drawing inspiration from his father's extensive collection of raggae vinyl. "I find it fun to play for a wide variety guests at a wedding. The best is when you look out in the crowd and see people in their 80s dancing with people in their teens."

Photo Credit: Shawna Yarbrough & Damion Hamilton

The post-wedding brunch is usually the last event of the wedding festivities (sniff). With close friends and family surrounding the newly married couple, it’s a moment to rehash, relive and reflect on all those wonderful moments from the wedding itself. Please and soothe all age groups with a playlist built around love and togetherness. Music is the perfect cure for the figurative (and for many guests, literal) wedding hangover!

It's incredible how the most amazing day of my life went by in the blink of an eye. On July 1st, Michael and I exchanged vows at our Staten Island parish church, Our Lady Queen of Peace. Afterwards, we held a reception with 120 guests at the Lighthouse in Chelsea Piers, Manhattan. Our wedding was steeped in tradition, yet it also reflected our personal style: modern romance. Watch a trailer from our wedding video here!

After another overwhelming (but fun!) round of gown shopping, I am one step closer to making a final decision on what I'll wear on my wedding day. (Catch up on my first salon visit here!) Being surrounded by thousands of gowns can either be a bride's dream or a bit of a nightmare. My best advice is to have some idea of what you like before you shop. Browsing our gown gallery and the pages of Bridal Guide helped narrow my focus. Moral support is also essential! Here, my fellow BG fashionistas report on our experience at RK Bridal in New York City.

The search continues…since BG fashion experts advise visiting more than one bridal salon, we headed to NYC landmark RK Bridal. RK is known for their huge selection of designers (they carry over 12,000 gowns) at a variety of price points—including Casablanca, Mori Lee, Justin Alexander, and Enzoani.

RK Bridal had lots of knowledgeable consultants on hand to help the influx of brides on that busy Friday afternoon. Amy navigated through racks and racks of gorgeous gowns and cherry-picked a few contenders. From her previous shopping experience, Amy knew she wanted to explore different necklines, new colors, and other fabrics.

Here were some of our top picks:

Guest blogger: Kate Harrison, creator of greenbrideguide.com.
After planning her own green wedding in 2007, Kate wrote the best-selling green wedding book, The Green Bride Guide: How to Plan an Earth-Friendly Wedding on Any Budget (Sourcebooks, 2008). In 2009, she founded greenbrideguide.com to help couples use their weddings to promote social and environmental change while supporting the local green economy. Kate has a JD in Environmental Law and a Master's from Yale in Environmental Policy.

Dessert is a time to spoil yourself — not to spoil an otherwise green wedding. Check out these five fun, easy and eco-friendly treats. Each idea can help reduce costs and excess waste that become a big burden after your wedding. Encourage guests to take home leftovers, and provide them with plenty of recycled paper bags or boxes for easy on-the-go bites.

Tower of Treats
Create a cake-shaped tower of treats. These can be anything from gourmet powdered truffles to kitschy Ho-Hos. You can also display cupcakes on tiered trays for a similar effect. Towers of treats are a bit more interesting than a regular cake: Choose your favorite items, and it’s even more fun to take home the extras.

Guest blogger: Lindsey Buchholz, a member of H&R Block’s Tax Institute. H&R Block is the world's leading tax service provider and is home to the best tax professionals in the industry, who are available to do whatever it takes to meet your needs—whether you file in the office or do your own taxes. For more financial advice and tips, visit their blog, Block Talk.

Filing tax returns was probably one thing you never gave much thought to when you got married. But, guess what: marriage can make taxes more complicated. Instead of making decisions just for yourself, you now have to consider your spouse’s income and potential deductions and credits too, so you can make smart financial decisions that won’t have you overpaying taxes. Here, some facts to keep in mind.

Photo Credit: iStock

Pick any filing status—as long as it’s married. When you get married, you are no longer able to file as a single individual. Instead, you will file either as married filing jointly or married filing separately. The IRS determines your filing status as of the last day of the year. So even if you got married at 11:59 pm on December 31st, for tax purposes you are married for the whole year. 

Want to see some knockout gowns? Get expert planning advice? And find the perfect spot for your honeymoon? Look no further than our March/April 2013 issue, on the newsstands now.

You’ll find dresses to suit your style, whether you fancy a romantic ballgown:

A sexy mermaid:

Or something short ‘n chic:

We also showcase the hottest trends fresh from the runway:

And must-have accessories for the big day: