Congratulations to all newly-engaged and soon-to-be-engaged brides-to-be! We know you’re over the moon and super-excited about marrying the love of your life. We also know that many of you may be feeling just a teeny bit overwhelmed right now (OK, maybe a lot). After all, you hope to find the perfect dress, plan the best wedding, determine your favorite honeymoon spot and not go broke in the process! Relax. Our January/February 2014 issue addresses all of your fashion, planning, budget and honeymoon needs.

Plus, as an extra bonus, you’ll get a free Destination Wedding planner!

Everything you need to know about marrying away is in this handy guide, from a step-by-step planning calendar and answers to your etiquette questions to tips for your guests and budget advice. Your dream of exchanging vows on a romantic, tropical beach can come true!

Speaking of exotic locales, you’ll also love the destination-perfect dresses featured in this issue. These chic, sexy styles are ideal not only for weddings away but also for celebrations close to home.

Whether you're the bride or the bridesmaid, planning a bachelorette party isn't always easy. As a bride, you want to give your girls the freedom to plan a surprise for you — while still setting boundaries to make sure that you have a great time. And as a bridesmaid, you not only need to worry about making the bride happy, but you need to make sure you're keeping the party within a budget that everyone can afford, you're choosing a date that works for everyone, and you're inviting (and not inviting) the right guests. We checked in with Joanne Barken, founder of The Bach, an online platform that makes planning a bachelorette party so much easier, for the top dos and don'ts when it comes to planning your ladies' night out.

For the Bride:

Do discuss with your bridesmaids any concerns you have about the bachelorette party. If you want it to stay within a certain price range so that everyone can attend, or you want to avoid having a stripper show up, be sure to let them know so that you are comfortable with the event.

Don't take over all of the planning or micro-manage the festivities. Your friends likely want to include some fun surprises to make the bachelorette party feel special, and you don’t want to miss out on that!

Guest blogger: Dana LaRue, creator of thebrokeassbride.com.
Dana LaRue is the creator of The Broke-Ass Bride, helping brides use creativity as currency to rock bad-ass weddings without breaking the bank. Her sassy, savvy approach to weddings and money delivers entertaining and informative outside-the-box planning inspiration. Because it’s not about how much you spend, its how you spend it!

I’ve been a wedding blogger for nigh on five years now, and I’ve seen more "wedding tips" and "helpful wedding advice" than you can shake a stick at. Some pointers are in fact, extremely helpful, while others are almost criminally misleading. Here are five wedding planning tips that I really believe should come embossed on the inside of your engagement ring, and five that you should avoid.

The Best Advice:

1. Don’t forget that it’s just one day.
You can spend YEARS planning your wedding, you can agonize over every single detail for hours, you can lose all sense of time and trip into a Pinterest wedding pic rabbit hole for months on end — but your wedding day will whiz by just like any other. It’s tragic, but it’s true.

When wedding planning stress is totally getting to you, use this as your mantra: "It’s just one day." Whether your wedding planning journey seems crazy hectic, or sublimely perfect, just remind yourself to breathe (frequently), and take it all as it comes.