Bicoastal_Bride

What do you think about taking pictures with your fiance before the wedding? Some brides believe in the superstition that it's bad luck, but others relish in the moment...

Like many couples who get married in the Catholic Church, we initially didn’t plan to see each other before the ceremony. I’m no believer in superstition, but I did want that special moment when I would start down the aisle and Stephen would see me for the first time that day. Or did I?

Actually, maybe not. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that this would mean I’d spend half the wedding day without the most important person sharing it with me – my groom! So, instead of waiting for the big reveal, we decided to do a “first look” at Gardens of the World, the site where my sister snapped our first set of engagement photos last spring.

 The First Look We Almost Skipped
Looking back, I can honestly say that seeing each other beforehand is one of the best decisions we made about the entire wedding. It was such a special, unforgettable moment – much more memorable than his seeing me from the end of a long aisle while standing before a church full of guests.

We got to hug and talk, and were then able to capture some of the best photos from the day pre-ceremony, while my makeup was fresh and before things got crazy. Seeing each other also did wonders for our nerves, since we were both more nervous than we thought we’d be.

Here, a few of our favorite still shots. The video footage will be ready soon, too!

 The First Look We Almost Skipped
 The First Look We Almost Skipped
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Vonda_July2010

This question is for the newlyweds out there, what do you love so far about being married? …..and/or Why Did You Get Married?

~I’ve only been married now for 2 ½ weeks and I’ve already been asked, what do I like most about being married and why did I get married from my very single friend who refuses to get married.

She tells me that she doesn’t see the need for couples’ to get married if they’ve been living together and everything has been working out just fine. I’m amazed at how many people actually feel this way and degrade marriage to just being a piece of paper. To me, she just has no understanding of what a good marriage really is, but it wasn’t my job to change her mind on her views, however I had no problem at all answering her question as it affects me.

I let my friend know 1st off that marriage is so much more than just a “piece of paper”. Marriage is a life-style and a total commitment to one another.
The companionship, the unwavering support, and having a best friend that I also get to live with=AWESOME!!

manning1152 600x400 What do you like most about being married?

As a wife I commit to it all; building, dreaming and growing with my husband. I took the vow to love and cherish, love thru sickness and in health, thru the good and the bad, and for richer or for poorer. When you’re just dating, you’re not under that obligation.

For me, being Jon’s wife is rewarding and gives me a sense of purpose like no other. I love waking up with Jon in the mornings and going to sleep with him wrapped around me at night.
I like being respected and loved. It’s such a great feeling and so comforting to hear him pull in the garage at the end of the day. I love knowing that his is coming home to me.

I also like the feeling of taking care of him. Many people don’t understand that we need to be needed. Just like we need food, water, love and encouragement we have a need to
Feel like we are needed. He is quick to tell me that he needs me, that I’m the air he breathes and I’m his rib. I’m telling you that feels great.

I also feel that to understand marriage and what it takes to make it work, one must also respect the sanctity of it. I informed her once again that I was beginning to think or feel that my Mr. Right was never going to come along but sure enough he did. I didn’t look for him, but I did pray for him. So you should never say never b/c when you’re least expecting it Prince Charming could be right around the corner. You’ll be amazed what you feel when the “true love of your life” comes along.

So ladies, for you newlyweds out there, what do you love so far about being married?
…..and/or Why Did You Get Married?

*personal images*

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vincy

The stress of wedding planning can really affect some brides. Today this busy bride-to-be shares her wedding planning panic moment...

I think I had my first break down today..
I just cried out loud when I realised there were all these demands around me and it took my FH’s stress and sickness plus his demands to topple me over..
I had it all held in before..

I think I just needed some breathing space..
So I went and cried – it was only for half a minute..
But that moment really helped me release my stress and tension.
I was better afterward.

I’m glad I have learnt it’s ok for us girls to cry in the last few years.
I wouldn’t know how else I’d cope otherwise I think..
Sigh..
Take care you brides out there too! :)

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NotYourTypicalBride

The moral of this story? Don't judge a dress by it's picture! This bride-to-be ended up with a wedding dress that's the opposite of what she envisioned herself in...and is totally in love!

I didn’t believe it until I experienced it myself, but everything they say about shopping for a wedding gown is true: First, try on everything, because you just don’t know what you’re going to like until you see it on. Second, it really is fun, even if you don’t have a perfect figure. (I was particularly skeptical about this claim!) And above all… when you know, you know!

I had spent weeks looking at (literally) thousands of dresses online. Studying designers, fabrics and cuts. Researching price ranges so I wouldn’t accidentally fall in love with a $5,000 dress. And I had lots of preconceived notions about what would and wouldn’t look good on me. I was convinced I wanted an informal “destination” gown made of softly flowing chiffon, unstructured and comfortable for my beach wedding, and probably a v-neck (because a strapless isn’t as flattering on my full figure). I was going to try on dresses at a fancy salon, but then I was going to find a great deal on the same or similar dress elsewhere to a save a few bucks.

I was wrong. So, so wrong. On every count.

My experience started – and ended – at a very nice bridal salon across town. I originally scheduled the appointment there because I thought they carried the Eden Bridals line, and I had my sights set on this flowy chiffon, v-necked destination dress:

EdenGown 198x300 My Dress!!! (Or: A Corset Is a Girls Best Friend)

Turns out they don’t carry that line anymore, but I kept the appointment anyway. The salon has a great reputation, and I wanted to enjoy the full experience of trying on lots of styles. Plus, they carry the Pronovias line, which I had fallen in love with while browsing online. I didn’t expect I would end up with a Pronovias gown (and I didn’t), but I salivated at the thought of trying on two or three!

(Read More…)

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Bicoastal_Bride

What happens when the groom's on the other side of the camera lens? Beautiful, natural shots of his bride!

I’ve already described how fun and imaginative our photographer Alex was, and one the best things we learned is that his creativity continues even when he’s not the one behind the camera!

How did he manage this? During our sunset photo session, he handed a camera off to Stephen so that he could snap a few fun shots of me! Having the groom take control really helped me loosen up, and I had a blast laughing, blowing kisses, and shimmying around in my dress.

Of course, ever the pro, Alex took advantage of this and captured the entire shoot from the sidelines. Here, a few our favorites, including a couple shot by my very own husband.

 When The Groom Becomes The Photographer
 When The Groom Becomes The Photographer
 When The Groom Becomes The Photographer
 When The Groom Becomes The Photographer
Did your photographer have any unique tricks up his or her sleeve, either during the wedding or at your engagement shoot? What about any other vendor?

(Photo Credits: Alex Neumann Photography)

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GM Deals Steals Giveaways

Celebrate the Fall issue of Get Married Magazine by sharing your fave snapshots of the cover...and you could WIN BIG!

Exciting news! The Fall issue of Get Married magazine officially hits newsstands TODAY (although we’ve heard some have arrived early), and we want you to get creative and get snapping {pix of the new Fall cover}, for your chance to win a free year’s subscription (or a free ad listing, wedding pros)!

Picture 1 Get Shopping + Start Snapping to WIN BIG!

Here’s How:

(1) SHOP: Pick up your Fall issue of Get Married (available at Barnes & Noble, Borders, Target, CVS, Kroger, A&P, Waldenbooks, Book World, Hasting, Books-A-Million and more)  , featuring…

  • Bridal trends and this season’s hottest colors to fit every bridal style
  • Real wedding stories
 from real brides
  • Sultry Beach Getaways (with a chance to win a honeymoon!)
  • Celebrity spotlight: Television personality Bethenny Frankel and former Miss America Katie Stam

(2) SNAP: The most creative, fun, outlandish shot of our cover that you can dream up!

(3) SHARE: Tweet your favorite, most creative picture of our Fall cover to @GetMarried (you must include #getmarriedcontest in your tweet) or post your picture on our Facebook wall (CLICK HERE to become a fan, if you aren’t already!)

(4) WIN:

Brides: A one-year subscription to Get Married

Vendors: A free local ad listing!

Submit your picture by August 30, 2010 for your chance to WIN!

Continue to check back with Blogger Brides, as we’ll be sharing our favorite entries through August 30th!

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Daily Wedding Dish

Test your bridal brains with some celebrity trivia on today's Wedding Dish! We've got the wedding entertainment you are looking for...

Check out our celeb style pick of the week! Plus we reveal our featured Blogger Bride and test your celebrity trivia skills! Get it all on today’s Wedding Dish!

Post your answer’s to today’s Brides Talk Back below.

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caitlin1122

This bride-to-be waited for a sale and scored the perfect wedding shoes for her bridesmaids!

I love the way heels look. I don’t love the way heels feel. at all. So I’ve kind of always known I wouldn’t wear heels on my wedding day. and the fact that all of my bridesmaids are taller than the groomsmen, means I didn’t want them wearing heels either-especially if they were walking on grass. They’d sink right in! So there are flipflops from Ann Taylor I have been eying for the girls but they were $58 each! Yeah right. So the other night I see that they are on sale for $19.88 each with free shipping on all orders! So I frantically started messaging and calling my BM’s to find out shoe sizes! They just arrived today and I am so excited I was able to get them. They’ll also make great additions to their BM gifts :)

Picture 2 300x176 shoes for the bridesmaids

Photo from Anntaylor.com

Now I just need to find shoes for me… I found a pair of sandals but I just don’t like the way it looks with the dress so I am thinking a simple ballet flat/slipper. Now just have to find a pair!

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Born to be Mrs. Beever

Another wedding recap from Born to be Mrs. Beever! This one features her fabulous wedding dresses (and the corset that almost made her faint).

If you don’t remember, I shared in this post about my fear pre-wedding that I would pass out on my wedding day or even worse, at the altar!  Then in this post I did a recap of what the morning of the wedding was like for me and how whenever there was ‘down time’ during the day of the wedding where I was just sitting with nothing to do, I would truly feel nauseous and like I was going to pass out.

Please understand, this was not a feeling of being anxious or nervous.  No, I think what was really causing me to feel this way was that I was lacking oxygen!

I truly did love this gorgeous little number:

20100416 StaceyJohn 0596 Wed Recap:  I feel like Im suffocating!
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Stacie Francombe

Blogger Brides is going mobile! Forget sitting at a desk all day, now you'll never be without your Blogger Bride buddies, so long as you've got a smart phone.

Being a bride is no easy task!  You’ve got about a million tasks to check off your “to-do” list, plus there’s that other thing that existed pre-wedding planning, your life!  To make things a little easier on you, Get Married is proud to introduce our mobile edition of Blogger Brides.  Compatible with your iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch, Android Phone, BlackBerry9500, BlackBerry9530 or webOS device,  Blogger Brides’ mobile edition is here to provide brides with the wedding inspiration you need-no matter where you are.

Tell us all about where you’re going with Blogger Brides by your side!

BloggerBrides Icon 072010 Blogger Brides is On the Go!

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