Blogs

Guest blogger: Joanne Barken
Joanne Barken is the CEO of The Bach, the first online platform for planning bachelorette parties. Joanne, who lives in New York City — one of the country's top choices for a special night out with the girls — has helped plan over a dozen bachelorette parties before launching The Bach.

Summer is in full swing and bachelorette party season is quickly heating up. While nighttime fun with the girls is a must, a day activity can be a great way to kick off the last fling before the ring. Here are some creative activity ideas for brides who want to have some fun in the sun!

Photo Credit: Chris Simons via Lover.ly

1. Glamping

If the bride is a nature lover, treat her to a weekend in the wilderness with her closest friends. Skip the tents and sleeping on hard rocks, and opt for fully equipped yurts and cabins in some of the country’s most beautiful locations, instead.

Our Picks:

Photo Credit: Elario Photography Inc via Lover.ly

Q: I’m going to have both a matron of honor and a maid of honor. Which one should be paired with the best man for the recessional and first dance?

A: For the recessional, the maid and matron of honor can walk down the aisle together or the best man can escort both women, one on each arm.

There’s no hard and fast rule about the first dance — you can have the maid of honor dance with the best man while the matron of honor dances with a groomsman or vice versa. It’s up to you and your fiancé to decide what you’d like to do.

Plus, check out Wedding Roles and Responsibilites: Who Does What?

—Diane Forden

Loverly is the heart of weddings: a visual inspiration search engine designed to help brides discover ideas, people to hire, and things to buy. Loverly makes finding beautiful wedding inspiration easier than ever! Their images are powered by the best wedding publishers and wedding shopping partners on the web. Find Bridal Guide on Loverly >>

The first dance is a classic wedding tradition, but it gives some couples major anxiety! If you and your sweetheart are not big dancers, or you just don’t like the idea of all eyes on you, try one of these unique alternatives instead.  

1. An all-guest dance
Once you're announced as a married couple, have guests raise a glass to your life together with a first drink. Then have the DJ bring up an upbeat song and invite all your guests to join you on the dance floor to get the party started.

From former reality television star to designing a successful fashion line, Whitney Port can do it all. Now, she is adding another title to her resume — bridal stationery designer!

The bride-to-be has teamed up with Wedding Paper Divas to create an exclusive line of wedding invitations. Port who met her producer fiancé while filming "The City," gave a sneak peak of her collection on July 28th at the Mondrian Soho rooftop in NYC.

Guests sipped on Bellinis (Whitney's fave cocktail) while admiring sweeping views of Manhattan's skyline. There was also a nail art station and a custom calligraphed notebook station set up for attendees to enjoy.

Port's feminine, bohemian style and chic California sensibility can be seen throughout her stationery designs. The six new invitation suites were inspired by current trends like Aztec prints, geometric shapes and multi-dimensional hues. From romantic to unconventional, these eye-catching designs have something that fits every bride's personality!

Guest Blogger: Leila Lewis
Leila Khalil is the founder of Inspired by This, your go-to source for inspiration as you wed, dwell and grow. Are you newly engaged? You’ll love their posts featuring engagement sessions and real weddings to gain insight for your big day! They've also got exclusive home tours to help transform your new place into something incredible, and sweet maternity sessions and nursery inspiration when you're ready to grow your new family. 

If you and your significant other love the outdoors, why not try a camping themed wedding? Use wildflowers and acorns to decorate, and even let your guests roast marshmallows at the end of the night! Whether you host your ceremony at a local park or rent out a summer camp for the weekend, these fun ideas are sure to make your wedding memorable.

The Location:

1. Say your vows beneath the trees — the natural beauty of your surroundings make the best decorations. 

Photo Credit: Jos Studios

Who knew "Bring Your Bride to Work Day" could be so badass? As a member of the Chongqing Armed Police Corps in China, 29-year-old officer Hou Weilin is on call 24 hours a day. Since he couldn't take time off of work to accompany his bride, Li Jinyang, to their traditional pre-wedding photo shoot, they decided to improvise.

With the help of his officers, the soon-to-be-married bride and groom took some snapshots at a SWAT training facility, resulting in some of the most hilarious, sweet, and action-packed wedding photos we've ever seen! Check 'em out:

Holy smokes! The New York Times reports that cannabis-themed weddings are the latest craze on the West Coast. (The sale of marijuana for recreational use is now legal in Colorado and Washington State.)

"Weedings," or weed weddings, incorporate the drug in everything from floral arrangements to favors and edible desserts to joint bars. There are even "budtenders" at dispensaries who will advise newlyweds on which strain they should choose. (Bec Koop of Buds and Blossoms says that "If there are two conflicting families who are not too happy about the wedding, you might want to find a strain that will make them a bit more euphoric.")

Photo Credit: The Hazy Daisy on Instagram

According to proponents, including pot-centric details is no different than newlyweds sharing other pastimes or hobbies that they love with their guests. We're guessing that even a Harry Potter, zombies or some other wacky wedding theme isn't as likely to make Grandma blush or your boss squirm in their seat, though. However, advocates argue just the opposite: Unlike alcohol, marijuana is perfect for weddings because it mellows everyone out and fosters positive emotion.

In the midst of wedding planning and the countless decisions that must be made, it can be easy to forget about the most important thing in your life: your relationship with your fiancé. Date night gets waylaid by DJ interviews, brunch gets bumped by florist visits and suddenly you realize that you haven’t spent quality time together in months. Here are a few ways to stay focused on each other before saying "I Do."

Photo Credit: The McCartneys Photography via Lover.ly

1. Make your relationship the number one priority.
It sounds trite, but explaining what you need and what is bothering you is an essential component of every relationship. If you’re feeling like all of the focus is on your wedding and not on your relationship, tell your fiancé. Let them know that you love them and spend an evening out that has nothing to do with your upcoming wedding. This gives him/her a heads up and the ability to fix the situation before it turns into an argument. 

On July 29, 2012, Nicole Vinciguerra Pagliaro married the love of her life in two stunning dresses. For the ceremony, she wore her aunt's elegant 41-year old dress (which she returned the next day) and during her reception she changed into a stunning ruffled fit-and-flare. 

A few weeks after her nuptials, she took her reception gown to South Beach Cleaners on Staten Island to be preserved. When Hurricane Sandy hit and flooded the dry cleaners with over five feet of water, the new bride thought her dress was lost forever. 

The bride kisses her new husband in her aunt's vintage gown.
Photo via Facebook
Here, we see the beautiful reception dress as the couple pose for photos beneath the Verrazano Bridge.
Photo via Facebook

After the newlyweds tied the knot, they moved into a new house in a different neighborhood. (They were expecting their first child.) A couple days after Superstorm Sandy, the groom, Michael Pagliaro, went back to their old town to check on friends and family that still lived there. The bride was devastated when her husband told her that the shop that had her dress was completely destroyed.

Piper Perabo plays a CIA operative on TV, but in real life, her wedding was anything but a Covert Affair! We can't stop talking about the 37-year-old bride's unconventional, silver Michael Kors dress that she wore when she married Stephan Kay in New York City on July 26th. (P.S. Jennifer Lopez and Naomi Campbell were also spotted in the same sequin animal print style for various appearances.)

Photo Credit: Dave Robbins Photography via People

The Coyote Ugly actress accessorized with a bright yellow veil but we think a more minimalistic approach works best when going for a gown this bedazzled. 

Browse more metallic wedding dress inspiration:

Theia, Style Cameron:

See more gorgeous styles in our wedding gown gallery ►

Theia, Style Aoife: