March 12th

Photo by: Courtney Stockton Photography on Desiree Hartsock via Lover.ly

Tip of the Day: When applying wedding-day makeup, moisturizer comes first, and then a layer of primer — not just on your face but on your eye area as well. Eye shadow primer helps your gorgeous eye makeup application stay in place, smudge-free, and look fresh and natural for hours.

Plus, find The Perfect Makeup for Your Skin Tone. Visit sharonnaylor.net for more great wedding tips and advice.

Get Personal: Ribbon-Ready DIY Projects

Rejoice, DIY brides! Personalizing your wedding has just become even more fun and creative thanks to the Epson LabelWorks Printable Ribbon Kit ($69.99).

epson labelworks printable ribbon kit

This nifty new product comes in a compact carrying case that holds the printer, two ribbon cartridges, six AAA batteries and an optional AC adapter (batteries and adapter not included.)

I love its versatility: You can make one-of-a-kind creations for a variety of wedding items by printing names and messages directly onto satin ribbons in different fonts, colors and styles. It’s ideal for gifts and guest favors:

wedding favors

and for labeling the candies and treats on your dessert table:

wedding candy buffet

At the bridal shower (or reception), use a printed ribbon with the guest book:

Garden Gorgeous: Floral-Embellished Gowns

Bridal's perennial favorite accessory: the flower. We're swooning over these floral-embellished gowns, perfect for the garden wedding. Floral accents have a super feminine feel, which works wonderful for bridal. We love the soft texture flowers imbue to any gown. This style is ideal for a spring or summer wedding. Here, a few faves from White by Vera Wang, Reem Acra, and Mia Solano.

floral embellished wedding dresses

—Naima DiFranco

50% of Women Would Prefer This Over an Engagement Ring

Forget sparkling diamonds — the most grand proposal gesture of all might also be the most practical!

ERA Real Estate surveyed 1,000 people in committed relationships and found that 50% of female respondents in their 20s would rather forgo a diamond engagement ring and put that cash towards a down payment on a house. (In fact, 18 percent of participants said they had already skipped getting a ring for this very reason.) Interestingly, there appears to be a generational gap with this perception: only eight percent of women in their 50s and two percent of women in their 60s agreed.

new home owners
Photo Credit: iStock

Furthermore, from those surveyed in the ERA study, 89 percent said their love bond was strengthened by buying a home together. With rising housing costs, socking away every little bit counts — according to U.S. Census data, the median sales price of new homes sold in the U.S. was $260,100 in January 2014Factor in an unstable job market, student debt, and another potentially huge purchase to save up for — the wedding! — and our dollars are stretched now more than ever before. 

You'll Never Believe How This Woman Got Her Wedding Dress

Oprah Winfrey's generosity is legendary — we're still kicking ourselves that we never got a chance to visit her talk show in Chicago (who could forget when her entire audience received new cars?). Now she's outdone herself once again by gifting the dress off her back to one lucky Twitter fan from Atlanta!

oprah essence magazine cover

Brandi (who goes by the name @snobabi23) sent a funny tweet to the media mogul gushing over the stunning Brian Bennier dress that she wore on Essence Magazine's cover. Ask and ye shall receive:

oprah gives away dress to lucky fan

To her surprise, a package arrived in the mail just one week later:

We can't wait to see a photo of Brandi on her big day! Props to her for scoring a wedding gown with such fascinating history.

snobaby28
Photo Credit: Twitter

Plus, read about another unbelievable wedding dream that came true recently.

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