Last weekend, we heard about thousands of weddings being cancelled due to Hurricane Irene. My heart goes out to these couples — when planning my own wedding, a weather-related cancellation was one of my top wedding worries. Why? I took a huge risk and planned a winter wedding in New Jersey.

      See the snow in the background?

As soon as Adam and I began talking about dates, we knew we weren't going to plan a summer wedding. Neither of us were crazy about the idea of sweating on our wedding day. Plus, everyone gets married in the summer — we wanted to do something different. I've always loved winter, so I started daydreaming about a winter wonderland theme. The added bonus: We saved thousands of dollars by hosting our wedding in the off-season. 

They married before 400 of their nearest and dearest. The bride wore three wedding gowns and appeared on the cover of People magazine. And last night, newlyweds Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries were fêted at a fabulous party at Capitale hosted by Jason Binn and wedding planner extraordinaire Colin Cowie. The party was billed as a “night of style and glamour” to welcome the media stars to New York City. Naturally, Bridal Guide was right there, keeping up with those Kardashians and taking in all the action and revelry. Here I am with Stefania Sainato, BG’s Web Producer (left) and Kristen O’Gorman Klein, our Online Editor (right).

When we arrived, there were barricades in front of the venue, lots of paparazzi (and police on standby for crowd control) as well as a loooong line of invited guests waiting to get in. The doors soon opened and the glammed-up crowd entered a spacious room that was surrounded by tall white urns filled with black and white feathers.

This just in: After nearly 65 years, iconic wedding dress designer Priscilla of Boston will be shutting down 19 salons and discontinuing all of its labels by December 31, 2011. 

Labels that fall under the PoB brand include: Priscilla of Boston, Platinum by Priscilla of Boston, The Dress by Priscilla of Boston, Jewel by Priscilla of Boston, Melissa Sweet, Reverie by Melissa Sweet, and the Vineyard Collection.

An official statement released by David's Bridal said: "We are grateful to have had the opportunity to help women across the country look their best on one of the most important days of their lives."

Brian Beitler, the CEO of David's, added that, "At the end of the day, the decision is really based on looking at our resources and capital investments and looking to invest in Priscilla's sister division, David's Bridal."

Deciding the décor for your wedding is such an exciting process since the options are limitless — but that can quickly become frustrating, too. Some brides-to-be are very decisive, having known since childhood that their bridal bouquet would be filled with flowers in shades of lavender and ivory, while others (myself included) can become overwhelmed by the various ideas that are floating around in their heads.

Although you may feel as if you will never be able to decide on your color scheme, centerpieces and bridesmaid dresses, don’t fret! I've got great advice to help organize your thoughts and create your own wedding-day style.

1. Choose an Inspiration Piece

Find one item that truly inspires you. Whether you love its color, shape, or details, use this piece to guide your planning. For me, inspiration came in the form of my engagement ring. Michael had my ring custom made and the jeweler hand carved the leaf detail on my setting (pictured below). This small detail had a huge impact on my planning.

In honor of Bella and Edward's wedding, the BG editors found two swoon-worthy photo shoots that would earn the approval of both human Bella and her vampire counterpart.

1. If Your Twilight Style is Rustic & Ethereal...

The first tablescape was a collaboration between wedding planners Lina Wallace at A Stunning Affair and Heather Ham (Events by Heather Ham).  Their interpretation is very true to the book: "We've seen other inspirations that are very gothic and dark using reds and blacks, but we wanted to show our interpretation of what their wedding would really look like," said the event design duo.

For the bouquet they used peonies, roses, lisianthus, dusty miller, and bluporum. The arrangement was tied with a simple white ribbon, inscribed with the famous Twilight quote: "so the lion fell in love with the lamb" by Calligraphy Katrina. Another fun idea is to incorporate your favorite Twilight saying into your ceremony program or even stitch it into the inside of your wedding dress or the back of the groom's tie.

Ok, I’m being a total travel dork right now by going preemptively gaga over the new PanAm show on ABC this fall.

Maybe it is because I enjoy most things vintage, but really I think it is because I long for a day when air travel was glam in all classes. Pan American World Airways was one of our country’s first international carriers. It started in the 20s and brought passengers to what was then the hotspot of all hotspots—Havana. Throughout its storied tenure, the carrier became known as the “Ritz-Carlton of airlines” (as coined by the guy who inspired the movie Catch Me If You Can) for its impeccable service and extensive flight routes (and it made quite a few appearances in a number of Bond Films). 

In the 60s, PanAm beat Virgin Airlines to the space race and established a waiting list for intergalactic tourist trips. Gas prices and other pressures ultimately lead to PanAm’s downfall, so it will be exciting to see the glammed-up days when pilots and stewardess were hotties, wore gloves and smiled in the friendly skies.

I love hearing from all you wonderful brides, and this email from BG reader Kristina Marie certainly warmed my heart:

My name is Kristina and I love Bridal Guide and used it sooo much for the planning of our wedding!! We got married in May and I got such a reaction from the hand-painted signs we made that I thought I'd set up a shop on etsy and offer them to brides like myself that love that sweet and charming feel of the signs. I was wondering if it's possible to get them featured? Let me know what you think! Thanks so much!

Well, wonder no more, Kristina, because I love these signs, and I'm sure other brides will, too. And how great is it that this DIY wedding project turned into an online business? Take a look at some of Kristina's goods below, and check out more of her signs on etsy.com/shop/sweetweddingdetails. And let me know what DIY projects you're taking on for your own wedding. I applaud your fabulous creativity and can-do spirit!

E! News has revealed that two of Kim's wedding gowns will be re-created by Vera Wang for her collection with David's Bridal, White by Vera Wang! The dresses will hit stores after February 2012 and are expected to retail for below $1,600. Here at BG, we're huge fans of White by Vera Wang (have you seen the gorgeous bridesmaids dresses?), so we can't wait to see how Kim's gowns, reported to cost $25,000 each, will be re-created for this line.

Check out this behind-the-scenes video from E! News of the photo shoot!

SPOILER ALERT! 

Look away if you don't want to see photos from the upcoming Breaking Dawn film! Still reading? Scroll down for all the juicy deets Twihards can expect to see when the fourth installment in the beloved series hits movie theaters on November 18.

Here, Alice and Rosalie prep Bella for her big day. "Is this really necessary? I'm going to look plain next to him no matter what," said Bella in the novel. "No one will dare to call you plain when I'm through with you," retorts Alice. Bella naps while soon-to-be-sister-in-law Alice masks, buffs, and polishes her from head to toe. 

In a surprising moment of tenderness, Rosalie—who clearly doesn't approve of Bella's decision to marry Edward and become immortal, a choice she never had—creates the bride's intricate, braided updo and places the veil underneath.

Bella is shocked when Edward forces her to look into a mirrored surface at the wedding reception—"her skin was cream and roses, her eyes were huge with excitement and framed with thick lashes." Since this natural beauty's idea of dolling up consists of raking a brush through her hair and throwing on flip-flops and a hoodie, we can't wait to see Alice work her magic in the movie!

Photo courtesy of Erica Ferrone Photography

A new study by home insurance firm LV reveals almost two-thirds of grooms are paying less than a month's salary for their fiancée's engagement ring. In the past, they traditionally saved up to three month's salary towards this purchase. Most of the women surveyed said they expected their husband-to-be to spend a minimum of one month's salary on their sparkler, so there's some discrepancy here.