Honor Guests at Your Engagement Party (and Avoid Offending Non-Invitees!)
When I first got engaged, everyone (squealing aunts, girlfriends, neighbors, heck, even Facebook friends I haven't seen in 10 years) who heard the happy news reacted in one of three ways: "Let me see your ring!", "When's the big day?" and "I can't wait to celebrate at your engagement party!" The first two I expected and prepared for by getting a French mani and preparing the we're-just-enjoying-being-engaged speech while trying not to hyperventilate about searching for a venue. However, the last one really took me off-guard simply because so many people who said it weren't on my invite list. Ideally, Jason and I would have wanted every special person who has made an impact on us since childhood to be able to attend, but we both come from super-sized families (Jason has 15+ first cousins alone!) and couldn't justify having my parents (there's mom and dad, giving us a toast, pictured above) throw us a mini wedding when we're already spending so much for the main event. BG brides, I'm sure many of you have had the same dilemma—what are you supposed to say and do to avoid hurting well-intentioned non-guests?
While we're firm believers that you should never send out a wedding invitation or thank you note via email, it's perfectly acceptable to email the invites for your rehearsal dinner or bachelorette party. But you don't have to send out a boring old email—now you can purchase an adorable template from 
As it turns out, even BG staffers are known to suffer from wedding-planning overload sometimes! We've been so busy adding exciting new features to BridalGuide.com—let us know what you think of our redesign in the comments box below—that we haven't had the chance to update you on all of my latest adventures. Good news: I've officially checked off "book a venue," "host an engagement party," and "select a bridal party," off of my to-do list, which as any bride knows is a huge relief. Check back for behind-the-scenes photos and savvy budget secrets that I've learned while completing each of those tasks, including: what to expect when signing that iron-clad venue contract, how to throw a celebratory shindig with your nearest and dearest for less (without offending those you couldn't afford to invite), and the save-the-date cards we found that you're going to want to steal ASAP. (Hint: The photo above is a sneak peek of what's to come.) Also stay tuned for future posts about the next phase of Jason and Stef's Wedding Extravaganza: booking vendors! As always, thank you for reading and be sure to share your luxe-for-less wedding tips with us on 
Music can really make or break your video—if you don’t like the songs, you’re not going to want to watch the video. So before you send over your music selections to your videographer, read our quick tips:
