Posted by Maureen

Posted by Naima at 10:25 a.m.

Is post-bridal depression real? Yes, post-bridal depression is very real. While getting engaged and planning a wedding are very exciting, it brings emotions to another level. When it’s all over, some brides are left feeling like there’s a void in their lives. Here are my answers to some questions you may have about post-bridal depression:

How common is it?

It's a lot more common than you would think. Most of the time you might say these emotions are just because you have too much on your plate. We tend to put a lot of pressure on ourselves to make this day perfect. Everyone has her own idea of what perfection means. Some take it to another level and allow every little task to be a priority. They cannot focus on anything else but the wedding. This becomes very unhealthy and can lead to horrible anxiety and depression, especially if things are not going the way they feel they should. With emotions running high and low on a daily basis, you can certainly develop a chemical breakdown in your system, especially with hormones and endorphins running in every direction.

Why might one experience it?

A new bride might experience this if she has been on a high from the planning and attention that has been given throughout the experience. When she has what I would call "Bridal Coma," she is in a place where nothing matters except the upcoming wedding. She may be obsessed with the wedding to the point that she cannot focus on anything else. Once the wedding is over and all attention goes by the wayside, it's a pretty quiet time. It may come as a shock to her system and make her feel like there must be something wrong with the relationship because that excitement is gone. While some brides are thankful that the planning is over and they can focus on their new lives, others may feel something is missing.

Here's a lovely idea: Win a Ketubah! If you're Jewish, you probably know what a Ketubah is (it's a traditional marriage contract) that the bridal couple signs in the rabbi's study. Nowadays some non-Jewish couples are also opting to have one. These contracts are really quite beautiful, and come in many styles and in any number of renditions of the traditional text. After the wedding, couples usually choose to display their Ketubah in their home and may pass it down as a family keepsake.

Go to Ketubah.com, where the Ketubah people will be giving away one a week for 14 weeks beginning on May 11, 2010.

To the winner: Mazel tov!

Posted by Susan at 3:12 p.m.

The other day I received a package from Shutterfly with information about everything they have for today’s bride and even her bridesmaids. As I was looking at the fun goodies, flipping through their nice little Wedding Solutions book and searching their site, I discovered some new things I had no idea Shutterfly offered. A few of my friends have created photo books on their site and I knew they offered stationery, but what surprised me was all the different ways you could incorporate these things (and your photos) into your wedding. Here are a few of my favorite features and ideas:

WINK PHOTOSTRIPS: This is something I thought was pretty cool because I love photo booths and think that photostrips are so fun. When I was younger I used to drag my friends into one and take goofy pictures. Well, since there isn’t always a photo booth nearby, Shutterfly has a new service that lets you create photostrips using your pictures and then print them on high-quality photo printer. If you have an iPhone, you can even download an app and do it all from your phone! I love the idea of sending these as save-the-dates, thank-you cards or engagement and wedding announcements.