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You spend months planning for your perfect wedding day, but what you don’t count on is all the little things that are a key part of getting your special moment just right. Here are a few helpful tips to put down on your check list, in order to have the best possible experience for your special day and that special gown.

Alterations

When choosing your wedding gown, keep in mind you may be a year out from your wedding day. Most brides under the stress of planning the wedding are in-between sizes, so you may need alterations. Give yourself at least 6 to 8 weeks from your wedding date to start altering your gown. To ensure the best fit of your gown always take with you to every fitting exactly what your are going to wear the day of such as bra, corset, Spanx, petticoat and shoes. If at any point during your alterations you change these items it can drastically change the fit of your wedding gown.

 *Keep in mind that alterations can be pricey.

Bustle

If your wedding gown has a long train, it is important to have a bustle added to your dress. The purpose of a bustle is to lift your train from the floor to prevent any rips and damage to your gown which can happen when you’re mingling with your guest or dancing during your reception. Wedding gowns are not made with bustle attach. There are several types of bustles for wedding dress’s such as French which is ribbons on the inside of the gown and classic American which are  hook or  buttons on the outside of the dress. In some cases it is necessary to have both styles on a gown depending on the material. If your gown is chiffon you do not want to put the weight of your satin lining on your delicate fabric it will have irreparable snags and rips, but not to worry you have options. Your professional seamstress can add two separate bustles one on the satin layer and one on the chiffon.

Bridal Portraits

You do not realize when taking your bridal portraits it can heavily soil your gown from exiting the car walking across the parking lot, sitting, posing and so on. Here are a few helpful ways to keep your bridal gown clean. When dressing cover your face with a tissue paper to prevent any lipstick or make up from transferring on to your gown. When exiting your dressing area take a large sheet to wrap around you as you walk from place to place this will help from your wedding gown rubbing against anything that can dirty it. Bouquets are usually bright with beautiful colors just keep in mind the petals can bleed on to your gown if you hold it too closely against you.  With these few helpful tips your bridal portraits should come out flawless with your mind at ease.

Day of Emergency Bridal Gown Care Kit

Always expect the unexpected, be sure to have a back up plan. All too often someone unexpectedly steps on your wedding dress or a bustle can bust during the reception. Here are some items to take with you on your wedding day safety pins, tissue box, thread, needle, bottle water, scissors, hanger, feminine product and hand steamer for those last minute touch ups. In some cases your dressing area may not always have a proper place to hang a wedding gown.  No problem just takes a wreath hanger that you can hook on to any door.  It is a perfect solution for your wedding gown to be hung high and fluffed out while you’re dressing. So rest assured your day will go smoothly.

 The Day After

Congratulations!  You are now Mrs. The wedding day has come and gone, it is easy to forget about your wedding gown at this point, but not to worry you can plan ahead and arrange for your local wedding gown specialists to pick up your gown from the venue. This is very important because you spend so much time planning your whole wedding day around your beautiful gown you want to keep your memory preserved forever. It is best to do the cleaning sooner then later because over time stains set in and can cause irreversible damage.

To ensure that you have the opportunity to keep your gown in the best condition as possible you can have your wedding gown specialists take your bridal gown to be professionally cleaned and heirloom.

Greening

If you are a “green bride” look up your local wedding gown professional who provides a carbon free and organic professional cleaning and preservation on your wedding gown.

Pictureclique, in a nutshell,  is an app that allows you to create an event app, provide that app to your guests, then allows them to take photos using their existing camera phones and upload them to a centralized location. For a nominal, one time per event fee, this powerful app embraces the idea that all of your friends and families are already taking their own photos with their phones, so why not turn them into a productive, massive army of wedding day paparazzi.

Other features include:

• Real-time sharing
• Simple Guest Participation
• Unlimited Guests Use
• Unlimited Photo Storage
• Private and Secure
• Ad-free
• Customizable
• Great Organization
• Live Slide Show
• DVD Option

More than just a photo sharing app, Picture Clique enables you to share important wedding or special event information with your friends and family…your “clique”. A custom welcome message on app launch, detailed information such as directions, maps, phone numbers, event details, hotels, and more.

So say goodbye to disposable cameras for candid photos. You no longer have to worry about collecting those cameras, processing them, and trying to decide what is the best way to organize everything.

And as a techie item, it might be a fun way to get the future hubs involved in the planning process. If he is in any way a gadget person, he might really enjoy figuring out all the cool features for the wedding.

Here is a short demo video to get a better idea of what this app can do.

If you are now further intrigued by this new technology, and decide to use it for your wedding, let use know how it worked out for you.

We often scrub the internet looking for inspiring wedding stories and ideas to share with our audience and while doing so today, we ran across this video.  Needless to say, we were inspired.

From Ben to Emma (Sweetest Wedding Gift Ever)

The exchanging of gifts between a bride and groom is nothing new. It is usually a low-key situation, a moment stolen after the rehearsal dinner or the best man and maid of honor acting as official exchangers in the corridors of the church as the other adds the finishing touches to their attire before the walk down the aisle. But whenever and whoever aids in the gift giving, the important thing to remember is the symbolism behind it.

Ultimately, it is the thought that counts. And it is nice if you do have an unlimited budget for an exquisite piece of jewelry for your bride to pass on to your daughter some day or an heirloom pocketwatch that a son will one day cherish, but some of the most thoughtful gifts don’t require a lot of money…just a lot of thought,  good planning and flawless execution. The more personal it is for the other, provides for years of epic storytelling.

One man we heard of gave his bride a beautiful restored bicycle built for two. Not only did it not break the bank, the gift was incredibly creative and romantic (they love to bicycle). Think of what is meaningful to the two of you — photography, music, scuba diving? Gestures that cost absolutely nothing — such as a love letter — also make heartfelt gifts. The following are some non-traditional gift ideas to inspire the perfect gift for your beloved.

FOR HER

• An antique hair ornament
• A pretty journal

FOR HIM

• A vintage smoking jacket
• An exquisite fountain pen

FOR EITHER

• A bi-plane ride for two, complete with old fashioned goggles
• A special photograph in a frame
• A love letter written on a beautiful card
• An original poem or love song
• A tree sapling (traditional in Bermuda and the Netherlands)
• Joint personalized stationery
• A book of love poetry, inscribed
• Tickets to your favorite opera or sports event
• A CD compiled of favorite love songs
• A picnic basket filled with favorite wines and goodies

So whether you are a “Ben” giving his “Emma” the sweetest little video ever, or a bicycle built for two, wedding gifts between the bride and groom don’t have to follow tradition, nor must they cost a fortune; they need only be personal, and come from the heart. In the end, the greatest gift of all will be the love and commitment you give each other through the years.

On the male side, it is actually believed that the ancient Spartans were the first to celebrate the groom’s last night as a single man.  The soldiers would hold a dinner and toast the groom.  Since then, bachelor parties have evolved and become a little more racy and worthy of a hit movie or two.

The meaning of the term bachelor used to be a young knight or a student with a bachelor’s degree, Geofffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales first used it in reference to an unmarried man in the 14th Century.  It wasn’t until 1922 that the world saw the term Bachelor Party  in a Scottish publication. It was used to describe a ‘jolly old’ party (Time Magazine).  It was also thought of that in the 1800s gentlemen of the Victorian Era wanted a night to say goodbye to friends that would not be allowed to come over to the house once the bride has moved in (Oakland Tribune).  The more recent traditions of humiliation, hazing and debauchery come from a bunch of comedies like the The Hangover.

As for the Bachelorette Parties, they came about in the 1960s in the time of bra burning feminists, women wanting to play drinking games, dance on table tops and have male strippers – it wasn’t all about tea parties and showers anymore.  And not to be outdone by the men, we ladies have a couple of our own movies to lay claim to in the way of  single girl silliness. Last summer’s hit Bridesmaids and the soon to be released movie this week Magic Mike. (Our whole office is planning our own investigative research on this important film later this week.) The wedding industry didn’t take an interest in giving brides advice in planning their bachelorette party until the mid nineties, but now that we have, we have all kinds of slightly scandalous “hen parties” like our very own Bride’s Night Out.

The next evolution seems to be something called “Jack and Jill” couples parties.  Usually they’re tired of the debauchery of the traditional party types or realized what fun a big group of boys & girls can have.  Some popular types of “Jack and Jill” gatherings revolve around cooking dinner parties, high adventure ropes course and team competitions. And any event where you can pin boys versus girls are bound to be a  big hit.

That being said, the main goal of a bachelor party or bachelorette party is to honor friendships, saying goodbye to being single, and relieving some of those pre-wedding jitters – a great excuse to bond with friends and party whatever your style is.

So make sure to check our website and Facebook page for the next Bride’s Night Out event.

Information courtesy of Firefly

So the big wedding celebration is officially planned and you’ve scratched it off your list.  Now what about your honeymoon planning? Whether it is you (the bride) or the soon-to-be hubs that is taking care of the planning, you might want to also think about the morsels to nosh on whilst in the bridal chamber.

Your honeymoon should be about pampering all of your senses, at least for the first few days of your marriage, if not longer. We found some lovely aphrodisiacs that you might want to consider incorporating in that first evening or well into the planned getaway trip over the course of many meals.

Through our research, we’ve found many foods that are just “old wives tales”  because of mere shape association, but in terms of accuracy or effectiveness, the list below does have legitimate documentation as to why they are effective for increasing arousal.  And ultimately what we discovered is that if testosterone levels are increased in both parties, well…it should be a great honeymoon.

Champagne (aka alcohol)

Champagne hopefully was already introduced during the wedding toast already. Make sure the honeymoon suite has another bottle chilled, or if you’re not a champagne drinker, have the fixings for your favorite cocktails.

Alcohol, in general, is considered an aphrodisiac. It relaxes the body and reduces inhibition. In other words, alcohol makes you do things you normally wouldn’t do in a sobered state. It doesn’t really enhance the libido; it just changes one’s perception of things.

Oysters

One thing that brings credibility to the oyster myth is the fact that these slippery critters are full of zinc. Zinc controls progesterone levels, which have a positive effect on the libido. Zinc deficiency can cause impotence in men, so any food rich in zinc is considered an aphrodisiac in that respect, and oysters happen to be loaded with the mineral.

Chocolate

Chocolate is often associated with romance and passion, but does it really have any sexual properties? Well, the jury is still out on that one, but here’s some credible evidence that having some sort of chocolate around is a good idea.

Two doctors once discovered that chocolate contains phenylethylamine, a chemical that releases “feel good” endorphins. But later studies have proven that even though chocolate has this ability, it does not significantly affect the brain in any way. Luckily for the myth, chocolate also contains caffeine, so it can give you the impression that you are aroused by waking you up a bit.

Celery

For a long time, people believed that celery’s aphrodisiac properties were a myth. Today we know that it contains androsterone, a hormone naturally produced in males that stimulates sexual arousal in females. Whether or not this hormone found in celery actually affects the body is still unclear. But hey, the vegetable has it so it’s a plus, and further studies are being conducted in the matter.

Honey

In medieval times, people drank mead, a fermented drink made from honey, to promote sexual desire. In ancient Persia, couples drank mead every day for a month (known as the “honey month” — a.k.a. “honeymoon”) after they married in order to get in the right frame of mind for a successful marriage. Honey is rich in B vitamins (needed for testosterone production) as well as boron (helps the body metabolize and use estrogen). Some studies have suggested that it may also enhance blood levels of testosterone.

Don’t forget, you don’t have to wait for the honeymoon to start thinking about ways to ignite your senses. Think about a pre-wedding bridal party nosh in the bridal suite, selecting a few aphrodisiac inspired appetizers during your wedding cocktail hour, and even some well chosen items for your dessert bar.  You wedding planner and caterer will be happy to discuss these items with you during your consultations.

Photos by Josh Huskin

Chances are, that with the summer heat comes thoughts of ways to stay cool.  A frosty beverage or two cannot be too far off your radar, and with the progression wedding planning, eventually you will start to discuss reception hour cocktails. Lovely chilled fruity colored quenching cocktails are a perfect way to keep your guests not rueing the day you decided to have a summer wedding outdoors in the unforgiving Texas heat.

Recently, some Texas concoctions were featured in an article and we picked out a few of our favorites to highlight as possible wedding signature drinks for your big day. We were thrilled to see that either Texas liquors or Texas eateries and bars were the focus of these refreshing libations.

Red Honeysuckle

(Enchanted Rock Vodka)

Recipe
1 ½ ounces Enchanted Rock Vodka
½ ounce St. Germain
½ ounce local honey syrup*
½ ounce lime juice
3 raspberries
1 mint leaf

Preparation
Combine ingredients, shake over ice, and strain into martini glass. Garnish with mint leaf.

*Create local honey syrup by boiling equal parts local honey and water. Bring to boil and let cool.

Stephany’s Spiked Lemonade

(Stephany Gordon, SoHo in San Antonio)

Recipe
6 slices fresh strawberries
juice from 1 lemon
2 teaspoons simple syrup or sugar water
1 ounce Ciroc Berry Vodka
1 ounce Kettle 1 Citron Vodka
1 cup ice
club soda
lemon-lime soda

Preparation
Muddle (smash) strawberries in bar shaker. Add remaining ingredients, and shake vigorously. Pour into Collins or pint glass and top with equal parts club and lemon-lime sodas. You can substitute any berry or citrus vodka for this recipe. Quadruple the recipe and mix in a pitcher for a great summer party drink.

Southtown

(Jeret Peña, Esquire Tavern in San Antonio)

Recipe
1 ½ ounces gin
½ ounce lemon juice
½ ounce simple syrup
3 cucumber slices
5 mint leaves
ginger beer
cracked pepper

Preparation
Add all ingredients except ginger beer into a shaking tin and muddle mint and cucumber. Add ice and shake. Pour contents into a Collins glass filled with ice. Top with cracked black pepper and add ginger beer. Top with additional cracked pepper and garnish with a cucumber slice and mint sprig.

By Brogan Lozano

One of the hottest trends that we continue to see gaining momentum year after year  is the art of the “Green” wedding. Going green is important in almost every area of life including weddings. Couples near and far have chosen to sport an eco-wedding this year, and the numbers just keep going up. If you and your groom already support the Go Green movement or are interested in an environmentally friendly ceremony then we have a few ideas for you to be able to incorporate this eco-conscious trend.

A few good places to start green-ing up your wedding would be at the invitations. There are many options today for partially recycled, 100% recycled, or completely tree free papers from wedding invitation suppliers. Why stop at the invitations? You can also extend your “greenery” to the ceremony programs, place cards, menu cards, thank you notes, and much more! Many brides are also sending out invitations electronically to cut down on paper and waste.

Green themed centerpieces can look both bright and bold or elegant and classic. Consider using small perennials or baby bushes that can be planted by your guests later. Vases made from recycled glass and bamboo bowls are very popular amongst brides today and make for great additions to the décor of the wedding.

Want to make a more dramatic pledge to the Go Green movement? A “green” wedding dress is the ultimate statement. It’s okay ladies, I don’t literally mean you should walk down the aisle in a parsley colored gown. No, rather, re-use a dress. Don your mother’s dress, purchase a vintage gown, or rent a dress even. If having a new dress is important to you, consider earth friendly fabrics such as hemp, organic cotton, linen, tinsel and silk. If you do decide to buy a non-green gown you can still go green by donating your dress to a charitable organization afterwards – the ultimate form of recycling.

Whatever elements  you choose to “green” up at your wedding, remember the sentiment to be expressed with this trend is the idea of being a little kinder to our environment, and what better occasion to be kind than at your own wedding.

Planning on carrying a bouquet down the aisle on your wedding day? How about tossing it at the reception venue? And for the grooms: wonder why you have to carry your beloved over the “threshold?” Or perhaps what exactly a “honeymoon” is? All of these traditions came from somewhere, so here are a few stories to explain why these fun activities have made it into the hearts of newlyweds and their guests for centuries.

The origin of a wedding bouquet dates back to ancient Greek and Roman times. Just like every other wedding tradition, it was thought that carrying this lucky arrangement of flowers, herbs, and grains would ward off evil spirits. Along with the usual, hilariously enough, brides can also attribute carrying gorgeous flowers to their not-so gorgeous stench. In ancient Greece and Rome, baths were not apart of the daily routine, so in order to mask the odor and shield the groom and guests from the funk, the bride was encouraged to carry a bouquet of flowers.

Those beautiful buds conjured up their second claim to wedding fame in France in the 14^th century. Along with the bouquet, the wedding gown itself was considered incredibly lucky. Wedding guests often chased the bride around after the ceremony, hoping to tear off a piece of her lucky gown. Brides, no longer wanting to be harassed or even injured at their own weddings opted to come up with a way to distract the unruly crowd of wedding guests. When it came time to decide between the dress and the flowers, they chose the dress. And thus, tossing the bouquet was born. Now brides happily toss their bouquets into the crowd of party-goers for the sake of looking fabulous in their precious dress.

Don’t think we left the gentlemen out! The groom has important traditional duties too! Carrying his bride over the threshold has been around for centuries, originating from ancient Germanic tribes. Some of the earliest marriages usually involved a groom, his “Bridesmen/Bridesknights,” and an unsuspecting bride. After kidnapping a woman from another tribe, the groom and his fellow conspirators would then have to fight off the bride’s family and tribe (it’s said that swords were held in their right hands and the groom held the bride in his left hand, which is the origin for why a bride stands on the left side of the groom at a wedding). Once the battle was done, the groom would cross the “threshold” out of her tribe and back into his with his new wife still in hand.

Now for the fun part: the honeymoon! The word “honeymoon” was created to describe the activities that would take place after the marriage. After a successful capture of his bride, the groom would hide her away for one month in hopes of propagating a family before her tribe found her. During this month the couple would drink plenty of mead, which was a honey-sweetened alcoholic brew that was thought to increase the acidity of the womb and thus aid in fertility.

These traditions continue to stand the test of time and prove to just be plain old fun even in a modern wedding. Whether you’re throwing a bouquet, stuffing a penny in your shoe, crossing the threshold, or tossing the garter, be sure to remember one thing: have a blast on your special day! Chances are with all these traditions in play; “evil spirits” will choose not to be in attendance.

For those of you that do not know how we are situated here at the Wedding Guide, our offices are uniquely setup.  For the most part, half of our office space is for the Wedding Guide and the other half is for our sister venue business, Granberry Hills.

We, in the Wedding Guide offices are always prive to a multitude of eager couples as they plan their nuptials and take tours of our property. Eventually, the rehearsal for the wedding and then the wedding day follows for all of these couples and we get to witness some pretty amazing (and often funny) stories.  Such was the case last Friday when a slightly frazzled groom entered our offices.  Luckily, we were able to have a hand in making their day as special as possible.

photo provided by My Wedding Shoppe

While sitting in the web department of Wedding Guide last week, finishing up some routine paperwork, a “Granberry Girl” walks in with what seemed to be a distressed groom at her side. She went on to explain that his wedding was to be held at Granberry that very night, and he needed a little help with the music. With one glance we knew that “overwhelmed” was an understatement. “I need help,” he remarked, “I’ve been trying to burn a CD for the wedding and everything keeps going wrong.”

 

Monica, the head of our web department, warmly extended her services and asked how she could help. “Well, I have the music on my phone, and I need to somehow transfer them to a CD…I can’t figure it out… can you please, just, help me?” The look of desperation on his face sent us into action. Monica grabbed the phone, and a few moments later she had it connected to the computer and the songs ready to download.

 

The rest of the “webbies” offered their congratulations, a Kit-Kat, and a cold drink of water to soothe the frantic groom. “I really hope this works out,” he joked, “because I have gone through so much today.” One by one the different tracks popped onto the computer screen. “Can we listen to them? Just to make sure they work?” He asked. Monica pressed play. For the next few minutes our web department listened to the soundtrack of this couple. In the midst of Train’s “Marry Me” the once anxiety-ridden groom softened and became lost within the song. With glassy eyes he uttered his sudden realization. “Wow, this just got real.”

 

As the music came to a close our groom explained lovingly, “I just wanted to keep all the drama away from her today. I know she’s gone through a lot to make me happy. I just want everything to be perfect for her. I want it to be special.”

 

And on that note the disc had finished burning. He grabbed the treasured tunes and held it to his heart with tears in his eyes. He thanked the entire web department for being so supportive and gave his closing words with the CD still glued to his heart, “I’m going to go have a moment now.”

Don’t forget to submit your Love Story to possibly be featured on an upcoming blog.