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A guide to choosing two wedding dresses for the big day

The wedding dress you choose as a bride, plays a remarkable role in determining whether you look sexy and sophisticated or feminine and elegant. Choosing a different gown may change your look entirely.

It is in fact, not easy to determine a single look that will be perfect for your wedding day. In certain cases, it is better to consider two gowns instead of one. Let us look at few reasons why this is a better option than limiting yourself to just one dress.

Two looks for more impact

Your wedding day is the one occasion when you want all eyes to be on you. While you can amaze everyone with your wedding ensemble when you walk down the aisle, this interest may dwindle by the time of the reception. The best way to recreate this impact is by wearing another stunning dress for the reception and you can be certain that your guests will be amazed once again!

For practical purposes

Let us face it, layers of organza or tulle in a ball gown skirt with an elaborate and flowing train look fantastic at a traditional ceremony, but it may get in the way of dancing comfortably during the reception.

Stunning wedding dresses that look classic and elegant may not be practical for a fun and action-packed reception. A bustled train is still heavy, and can impede your chances to jiggle to the fun tunes at the ceremony. This is why more brides are opting for shorter and lighter dresses for the reception. This allows them to move freely and not feel restricted.

To match the ambiance of the venues

You may like to consider two different wedding dresses to match your appearance to the décor and ambiance of the venues where each function will be taking place. If you are getting married outdoors, on the beach or in a garden and then proceed to an indoor venue for the reception, the ambiance of each venue is entirely different. Hence, the light weight romantic wedding dress for the outdoor venue could give way to a more poufy or fashionable wedding dress for the ball room.

When you decide to go for the two-dress look, an obvious question is when do you change dresses? A good idea is to do so during the cocktail hour, or before you cut the cake. This way, you will have sufficient time to photograph for portraits in your ceremonial dress, and your guests won’t miss you as they mingle and meet each other.

If you are pressed for time or cannot afford two entirely different dresses, you can also consider a convertible gown such as the Mori Lee 5316, which incorporates two looks into a single dress.

With the tulle over-skirt, you obtain a classic A-line silhouette for the ceremony, and when you remove the over-skirt you are left with a stylish mermaid gown for the reception.

For more wedding tips and ideas, as well as to find the perfect wedding dresses for your big day, visit Best for bride.

Posted on by Olga Pomeransky — 1 Comment

Online Wedding Dress Fraud

When browsing photographs of brides sharing their online wedding dress horror stories, I couldn’t help but repeatedly utter, “Oh, wow.” It seemed as though each bride’s nightmare was worse than the last. In these cases, what the bride saw on the pages of the online bridal shop was a stunning wedding dress at an unbelievably low price. What was delivered to the bride resembled a completely different dress. In some of the worst cases, bride’s received dresses that resembled cheap Halloween costumes with gaudy colors and plastic embellishments.

Several disappointed brides received dresses that were different than what was advertised. In all the cases that I have seen, the online wedding dress store offered wedding dresses that appeared to be high quality, stylish dresses. However, what the women actually received were cheaply made knockoffs of the pictured gown. The websites often offer cheap versions of designers gowns. The actual dresses that are delivered are unusable.

Garish colors are one of the many problems with the gowns. The photograph on the website shows a white dress, but an awful green one is delivered. Another woman ordered a pale dusty pink gown and received a bright bubble gum pink dress. Bright fuchsia has been substituted for peach.

How can brides avoid wedding dress fraud online? News reports of the scams pointed out that most of the companies that are delivering cheaply made dresses while showing gorgeous gowns on their websites are headquartered in China. Some of these websites avoid mentioning their locations, or they post a United States or London phone number.

One way brides can avoid wedding dress scams is to contact the company. If the contact information is missing or misleading, that’s a definite sign that something is wrong. Many of the top, trustworthy online bridal stores also have brick and mortar stores where brides can browse a selection of gowns and get a proper fitting.

If the price is too good to be true, it probably is. This is an old saying that is still relevant today. Quality dresses cost money. If you see a website that is offering gowns at extremely low prices, beware of the possible danger. Many brides order dresses through these bargain wedding dress websites and either don’t receive any dresses or receive a dress that is not what was ordered.

Brides who can’t afford to buy the dress of their dreams may want to consider renting a quality wedding dress. The bride will know that she will have that perfect dress on her wedding day for a fraction of the cost of buying it.

For more ways to make the most of your wedding budget without falling prey to scams, browse the Best for Bride blog. There you’ll find many great tips for planning a wedding on a budget.

Posted on by Olga Pomeransky — 2 Comments

The 5 Do’s of wedding registry

There are definite advantages of registering for gifts. It allows your guests to buy you something that you value and appreciate and also saves you the trouble of worrying over what to do with all those wedding gifts you didn’t want.

To help you make the most of your wedding registry, here are the top 5 Do’s that will make sure you do not break any etiquette rules, while getting most or all the right things that will be useful to you.

Register at a few select stores only

Rather than registering at all the stores you can think of, stick to a few select ones. Take time to research your options and go with places that allow guests to also purchase online. This will make it convenient for them. When choosing the stores, make sure you check with them about their shipping and delivery options, exchange and return policies and also any discount or offer programs that you can make use of.

Don’t put your registry on your invitation card

Putting registry information on your wedding invite is considered a breach of etiquette. So, refrain from it. If you have a wedding website, put the information there. This will allow guests to locate it easily. Register early, before you send out your invitations, so your registry information is available to your guests when they seek it. Also pass on the information to your family and close circle of friends, so they can share it with those who ask them.

Register for a variety of gifts and with various price ranges

Remember to register for plenty of gifts, so your guests have enough to choose from based on their budget. One way to do this is to register for more gifts than there are guests. While including expensive items on your list, remember that you should provide affordable options too, so your guests do not find it difficult to find a gift. Else, they may end up buying outside the registry, and it may be something that isn’t useful or you would like displaying in your home.

Keep updating your registry

Make sure that you keep track of what is going on with your registry, from the time it is open to your guests. If a gift has been purchased, make sure that you know about it, and take it off the list. If the store doesn’t do this automatically you should continuously review your registry. Also update it with more options, so that the guests who buy late still have enough options.

Think long-term when registering for gifts

Your wedding is the occasion to receive some really valuable gifts, so plan your list sensibly. Rather than going with what you want now, think of how your life will be 5 or 10 years from now, and what gifts will last that long and serve you well. Think of the special occasions or family get-togethers you will host, and what will be useful when you do. Put these items down in your registry.

Once you are blissfully married and have received all your wedding gifts, don’t forget to thank every guest filled your house with the stuff you wanted. Personally written thank you notes will make sure your guests feel appreciated and happy in return.

For more wedding tips and advice, visit us at Best for Bride.

Posted on by Olga Pomeransky — 2 Comments

Planning a Wedding on a $5000 Budget

Weddings are expensive, but they don’t always have to be. If you have an extremely small budget of $5000, there are still some fantastic ideas that will allow you to have the wedding of your dreams without going way over budget. Try out some of these tricks below so that you can have a beautiful wedding on a $5000 budget.

Your Wedding Gown

While this is one area that you will probably want to splurge on, you can easily find a beautiful gown at a discounted price. Instead of looking for fully priced options, try looking at the discount racks at your local bridal store instead. You will be able to find beautiful options that won’t break the bank.

Décor

Décor can easily eat up a huge portion of your wedding day budget. However, you can also make some fantastic choices simply by making the decorations on your own. There are many ideas posted online that will help you and you can find tutorials on them as well. Supplies can be bought at any art supply store. Don’t forget to check out the clearance sections in these stores as well.

Invitations

Ordering wedding invitations can be extremely expensive and can cost up to $1000 just by themselves. You should always look for discounted options or consider making your own invitations instead. There are many fantastic designs that you can print yourself using fancy cardstock and your printer. To find the cost savings, calculate the price that it will cost you to print them at home; including the price for ink, and compare that to the price you would pay to order them instead.

Reception

The reception is another place that can take a huge chunk of your budget. However, with some smart choices, you can easily knock down the amount of money that is taken up here. Consider having a simple reception where only cake and punch is served. If you are going for a full meal option, think about finger foods instead. For larger meal options, choose dishes that are made with chicken rather than steak because they are more affordable.

When deciding on drinks for your reception, you can also save money in this area as well. Instead of going for an open bar that will allow you to go way over budget, try some alternatives instead. By offering alcohol only during certain times, like the wedding toast, you will be able to save a great deal of money. Just make sure that you have some other options, like water and tea, prepared instead.

Entertainment

Another thing to keep in mind is the entertainment that you choose. While you can book a DJ for around $500, an entire band will cost closer to $1000. Making smart choices when planning your wedding, can allow you to have a beautiful wedding at a fraction of the average cost.

Don’t forget to stop by Best for Bride for all of your wedding day planning options. From discounted wedding gowns to the perfect décor, you will be able to find it all here.