Be a Beautiful and Confident Bride

Wedding Dress Considerations

When he first pops the question, most women immediately have a vision in their minds of how they'll look as they stride down the aisle.  You may have planned your dream wedding dress since you were five - or maybe you're panicked thinking about what to wear now that the day has finally arrived! 

If you're not a celebrity in Hollywood, then your wedding dress will probably be the most expensive piece of clothing you ever own - unless you take the budget route and cut costs on your gown.

Making this decision requires careful consideration.  The wedding dress industry is booming with competitors who want your business - so you'll have plenty of wedding dresses to choose from - from Cinderella gowns to trendy colorful wedding dresses that part from traditional gowns. 

Before you even go shopping, ask yourself what the single most important factor is when shopping for your wedding dress.  Is it cost?  Quality?  Designer status?  Fit?  Or sheer availability? 

When considering which wedding dress to buy, you have to also think about what season you'll be married in.  And if it's too soon for a custom-made gown, then you may have to buy something off-the-rack. 

The average cost of a wedding dress is $700.  But it's safe to say you can find used wedding dresses for much less - or pay thousands of dollars for your dream dress if you want to.  Donald Trump's wife, Melania, spent $200,000 on her dream dress! 

After you set a budget for your wedding dress, think about the style and fit that you want.  Is it going to be a formal affair or a casual family-only ceremony?  

The level of formality will usually dictate how ornate your wedding dress is - but remember that it's your day - so even if you have haystacks and a Bar-B-Q in the backyard for your wedding, if you want to wear a decorative wedding dress with a 10-foot train, you should!

Why Women Love David's Bridal

David's Bridal is synonymous with wedding gowns and other apparel, and they have become known as the most successful retailer of bridal wears in America.

David's Bridal was started in the 1950s and now commands over 250 stores throughout the country.  The reason why David's Bridal has been so successful is because of the revolutionary style of supplying many different designer gowns and holding all sizes in stock.

This has now become an everyday must for all high street bridal retailers but David's Bridal has already captured the crown due to their innovation and are now a household name.

A new innovation that David's Bridal now offers is the ability to make your shopping experience a one stop affair by providing full clothing lines from head to toe, alterations made on site so you don't have wait while your gown is sent away and, because of its size, they also offer finance options so you don't have to worry about the financial implications of buying that expensive designer gown.

Many women from across the United States have found a great deal at David's Bridal and will recommend them to their friends when their friends choose to get married. If you ever have the chance to visit a David's Bridal store, you'll see many women in there all searching for the gown of their dreams for that special day.

There is a website for David's Bridal should you not live in an area where there is a store.  If you're looking for ideas on a gown or want to find the gown of your dreams, then this is a great place to start.

Many brides are fans of David's Bridal because they understand that while everyday women want to look like a princess in a special designer gown on their day, they also want a reasonable price, exceptional customer service and the convenience of not having to take regular trips to the bridal shop while their gown keeps getting altered.

One word of warning, though - don't get lost in the wide range of wedding gowns and forget about all the other aspects of your wedding day that you need to take care of.  Remember - your dress is only a small fraction of the planning you have to do, but David's Bridal can help make it a little easier.

Picking the Perfect Bridal Jewelry

You picked out your gown, you've decided on your shoes and hairstyle, but what you now need is the bridal jewelry to finish off the whole outfit off.  What kind of bridal jewelry should you choose?

Being the final touches to your look, the bridal jewelry you choose can make or break the look you are wanting for your special day.  Many brides want to be adorned with diamonds or pearls but with many new gowns having stones of different types all over them, so you need to make sure the bridal jewelry you choose complements the gown you have.

Follow the theme of your gown. The last thing you want to do is plaster yourself in bridal jewelry with pearls when your dress is covered in beautiful crystals.  Find that which complements you.

You want people to be drawn to your best features as well as the gorgeous dress you will wear on the day. If you believe that your eyes are your best feature, then there is no reason to wear a beautiful eye-catching bracelet that draws everyone's eyes away from your face and to the bridal jewelry resting on your wrist.

If you choose a tiara, make sure it suits the rest of your bridal jewelry, because there's nothing worse than a bride wearing a tiara that overpowers the rest of the items worn. Many brides wear beautiful, delicate bridal jewelry but pair it with a big, heavy tiara, ruining the look they were trying to achieve.

Bridal jewelry doesn't just have to be on the gown and the accessories - don't forget your shoes. While extra care has to be taken so you don't ruin the look of the shoes, you can put some jewels on your shoes to give them that extra sparkle.

Another piece of advice for choosing bridal jewelry is to not overdo it.  Don't bog yourself down with too much.  If you put too much bridal jewelry on yourself and your clothing, you may look too "glitzy." Most bridal gowns and accessories are beautiful enough that you don't need to adorn yourself with an overdose of jewels.

Wedding Diets: How Far Should You Go to Try to Fit into Your Wedding Dress?

There's a common problem many brides have when the engagement has happened and it's time to get ready for the big day - dieting.  You may be a seasoned pro at dieting, or a novice, but one thing's for certain - nobody likes wedding diets. 

Eating healthy may make you feel better physically, but let's get real here - who really eats healthy when they're dieting for a due date? Instead, you probably put it off until the last minute (or never fully commit until you're panicked) and then you follow some insane crash wedding diets that have you feeling weak, irritable, and unable to concentrate on all that you have to do.

In a perfect world, brides wouldn't have to worry about fitting into that teeny tiny wedding dress.  But this is your one day to be a princess, and all eyes will be on you, so you want to look gorgeous - even if it means going on dozens of insane wedding diets. 

Before you start eating cabbage soup for a month or living on a combination of water with pepper and honey, get real about what you can reasonably achieve before your big day with wedding diets.  

You don't want to cut your calorie intake too drastically or deprive yourself of all things good because the planning process should be fun, not hazardous to your health or detrimental to your mood like many wedding diets can cause.

Some brides have quite a few pounds to lose, so they start wedding diets where they're eating no more than 800 calories a day, and are running 5 miles and strength training. They get depressed and start snapping at everyone.

Then one day they call their wedding planner in tears because their fiancé has had enough - saying if she doesn't quit these wedding diets, they'll be through.  Their dress is already ordered and is still a size smaller than what they are at that moment.

If wedding diets have done this to you, find a good seamstress who works with the material and let it out so that you can fit into it as is.  No, you won't lose the weight on your wedding diets, but you'll gain a marriage and many women would envy having a husband who was that supportive in wanting you to take care of yourself and not pressuring you to look like Barbie.

Don't overdo it on the wedding diets.  If you simply must achieve an unrealistic goal, then push your wedding date back so that you can do it without hurting your mind, body, and spirit. If you insist on ignoring this advice, then make sure you add a ton of pampering for yourself to combat the side effects of wedding diets.