Wedding Etiquette and websites that can help!

How long can I wait to send out Thank-You notes for wedding gifts?

Who pays for the entertainment at the wedding?

We are sure you brides are thinking about some of these same questions!

Just relax(If you need help with that look at our last blog!)

It's a Bridal Thing is here to help!

Here are some recommendations of some of our favorite Wedding Etiquette websites and books.

• Emily Post Weddings- This is the Queen of all etiquette. If she doesn't know no one will. Everything from "I don't like my ring, should I tell him?" to "I am a bridesmaid but I can't afford it. What do I do?" is covered by this maven!
• The Knot: Ask Carley- The Knot has charged their Editor-In-Chief Carley Roney to answer your wedding questions. She has full Q&A list for topics like planning, reception issues and the best way to incorporate your families traditions and customs.
• Brides.com Wedding Etiquette and Guests- The classic go to for anyone getting married! They have their own compendium of etiquette. Their guide even covers cake and food.
• Wedding Etiquette Hell: The Brides Bible to Avoiding Everlasting Damnation- The blurb says: "Hamilton, a wedding consultant and creator of EtiquetteHell.com, lays out basic etiquette rules in chapters arranged by topic (e.g., attendants, invitations, and showers) and then illustrates them with hilarious, real-life stories that drive the points home."
• The Everything Wedding Etiquette Book- Covers every part of the wedding process from engagement to should you hyphenate your name. This book truly has Everything!

Just a few snippets from the tons of available resources!

But, let's go a bit further. If you don't have time to read or research, let us help you!

Send us your Wedding Etiquette questions for us to answer on the blog.
E-mail us at leah@itsabridalthing.com  and we'll try our best to help you and others out in the web wedding world!

How to have a Stress-Free Wedding Day

The big day is almost here and the stress has almost pushed you over the edge.
You have confirmed the food, flowers, band, location and officiant.
After much wrangling, everyone has gotten fitted, altered and has their wedding attire.
You made sure that the dinner seating doesn't have Uncle Carl next to your soon to be Father-In-Law because you remember the fireworks at Thanksgiving.
The rings have been fitted, purchased and given to the best man.

The stress of planning a wedding can be monumental. All of the little details that need to be checked and double checked, to insure a perfect day.
Here are some great suggestions to make your day stress-less!

Candy Freeman from the Younique Boutique suggests:
" Pack and bring along a bride's emergency kit which includes, extra panty hose, clear nail polish for runs, Kleenex, aspirin, spot remover, static cling spray, hemming tape, band-aids, a sewing kit with safety pins. For the groom's kit include: mouthwash, breath mints, razor, cologne and comb. They sell these kits already made online as well." Side Note: Clubwedd at Target.com has a great list of things needed for a Wedding Day Survival Kit.

Linda Pergola, from the TLC show, Masters of Reception says:
"Make sure all your vendors are paid well in advance. You don't want to be carrying around money the day of your wedding."

Rachel West of Rachel West Designs suggests:
"Assign a special person who will act as the main person to go to should any member of the bridal entourage have any questions. Make sure that everyone knows who this person is. He/she could be a friend, a family member or even a member of the bridal entourage.
Whoever you choose should be able to make the decisions on your behalf. As he/she is going to be responsible for your big day, make sure that he/she knows what your idea of a perfect wedding day is so he/she can make the decisions accordingly."

Lisa Barr, Bridal writer for the New York Examiner says:
"You’ve already packed your suitcase so this isn’t something you have to worry about. Let me say it again...if at all possible at least two weeks before your wedding (earlier if you can), pack what you need for your honeymoon. Leave your suitcase at the ready so this is one thing you won't have to worry about, days before the wedding when you will have other things to do. Believe me, there is nothing like getting to your honeymoon and realizing you forgot something (extra contact lenses, a tooth brush or paste, 1 shoe - I could go on)!! Also, make sure after your wedding that your best man has the grooms tux (if applicable), your maid of honor has your dress (again, if applicable) so all you have to worry about is each other."

Finally, your friends here at It's a Bridal Thing suggest:

• Make sure you have done a Wedding Dress run through with shoes. Just to insure that you feel comfortable moving around in your dress!
• Assign a relative beforehand to be in charge of your wedding gifts on the day. Make them a copy of your house key so they can take them home after the reception.
• If you aren't using a wedding planner, ask a friend(who's not in the wedding party) to be the "Stage Manager" for the wedding. They can help to make sure the wedding party enters in the correct order, keep you posted about seating progress in the ceremony area and open the doors for you to make your walk down the aisle.
• Make sure you eat and drink! Assign a member of the wedding party to stock up on snacks(the good and bad kinds) and drinks(Gatorade, juice, sodas and WATER). The last thing you want to do on your big day is pass out!

Hopefully, these tips will help you make sure that your wedding day is a stress free celebration.

If there is anything we here at, It's a Bridal Thing can do to help you plan your
celebration we are just a call away!

Going Green!

In this age of reduce, reuse and recycle, most of us want to be Green.

It can be an overwhelming task when thinking about how do do that when planning a wedding.

Take a look at some of these great resources we have found to give you a hand!

Planet Green has a wonderful article called Top Green Wedding Tips. My favorite one on their list is trying to source all of your wedding needs locally. Try getting fruits and vegetables from a local farm or beer for the reception at a local brewery.

If you haven't signed up on The Knot.com it is a must! Not only do they have wonderful wedding planning tools they have a whole section devoted to Green Weddings. Articles like 6 Eco-Friendly Wedding Reception Ideas and Your Eco Friendly Wedding Guide will give you a great start to going green.

The Green Bride Guide is an all encompassing site with sections on learning about green weddings, planning a green wedding and where you can go on a green honeymoon!

Martha Stewart Weddings has a go to guide for Eco-Friendly Wedding Planning. Everything from a guide of Eco-Friendly products to use for your big day to where you can source Eco-Friendly products.

We hope this list of sites gives you a start on planning your eco-friendly wedding celebration!

Get that look for less!

We are gearing up for the Fall/Winter season here at It's A Bridal Thing!

Picking your gown can often be the best and most overwhelming part of planning for your big day. You spend hours gawking over the Vera Wang, Monique Lhuiller and Amsale gowns. All the ruffles, all the lace and ALL THAT MONEY!

Don’t worry! The experts at It’s A Bridal Thing are at your service.

We have taken a look at some Bridal Couture collections for Spring 2011 and found some comparable gowns made by Bonny.

These gowns still have all the glam without breaking the bank. Even better they are all available to be ordered here at It's A Bridal Thing!

Let us help you make your walk down the aisle, like a walk down the runway.

On the left are the couture gowns from Monique Lhuiller, Priscilla of Boston, Vera Wang and Amsale, respectively. On the right are the goregous pairings by Bonny.