Helpful Advice For Coping With Your Wedding Anxiety

Let’s face it – most brides and grooms going into their wedding day feel a lot of nerves and are prone to anxiety attacks. It’s a stressful time! Anxiety is one of those things that we all have to deal with. The difference for some people is that it has a bigger physical and emotional impact than it does for others. Managing the anxiety levels you face on a daily basis can severely change the amount of time you spend dealing with your anxiety symptoms.  This guide is meant to provide a few good tips to allow you to cope with stress and by no means definitive mental health advice, for that please seek a licensed therapist or even consult with your primary care physician.

Focus your attention on the place where the anxiety is stemming from. You may feel this physically, and concentrating on it can reduce or eliminate it completely. If your attention starts to stray, just refocus yourself back to the place that is causing you anxiety for several minutes. If you do not put some type of positive interaction in between you and your anxiety, it will continue to grow. No matter what you decide to do, when an anxiety attack occurs, try remaining positive about everything that goes through your mind. When something negative occurs, turn it into something positive.

Becoming a busybody is a great way to get your anxiety levels back under control. Sitting around for the whole day causes you to think about your anxiety more. Simple things, such as cleaning the house or washing your car can really help. Stay busy; the more you have to do, the less time you will have to think about what might be bothering you in your life. You will be able to then set some time aside to figure out your issues, without constantly having to worry about them throughout the day.

Exercise is a great way to reduce your anxiety. When you work up a sweat at the gym or outdoors you just feel better about yourself. The more you get in shape, the less anxiety you’re prone to have as well. Consult with a doctor to see if your body can take some exercise, and then, get to it. Educate yourself on different types of beverages that can help you cope with anxiety. Some people report that chamomile tea is perfect for de-stressing. Try that kind of tea and see if it helps you de-stress.

If you start to have an anxiety attack while you are trying to sleep, respond immediately. Getting up and moving around, drinking a glass of water, eating an apple, or watching some television can help. Walking and moving around will make you feel tired and read for a good night of sleep. Learn to feel the anxiety in your body. Focus on where it is located, such as a tight chest feeling, and stay focused on it until the feeling dissolves. This may seem difficult at first, but with just a bit of practice you will be able to release anxious feelings within seconds or a few minutes.

Just follow some of the tips in this article and you would be surprised how quickly your mind will adapt. Remember, the wedding is a joyous occasion where you are celebrating your love and should not be looked at with dread. Be happy, be wise, and relax!

Six Things Every Bride Should Know About Wedding Dress Shopping

Fact: I love wedding gowns and all things bridal.  Yes, bridal gowns and all the accessories are pretty and lovely to shop for, and us girls, love to shop, but when it comes to shopping for your wedding gown, there are some helpful tips to make your shopping experience a good one. That is why today, we have asked Owner Ramona Southard of Love and Lace Bridal Salon to share with us all the things a bride should know before she starts to search for her perfect wedding gown.
First of all, congratulations on your engagement and upcoming wedding! It is easily one of the most exciting times in your life, and who doesn’t enjoy having all this attention on them?? Now that reality has sunk in about your engagement, perhaps you have booked a venue and it is time to start looking for a wedding dress! Allow me to share some pearls of wisdom that I have accumulated over time, after having met and worked with numerous brides at my salon.
1. Plan ahead – wedding dresses in general take approximately 5-6 months to arrive, from the time you order. Then allow about 1-2 months for alterations. Which means you should start looking, and purchase, your dress about 8 months before your wedding. This is not said to rush you into buying, but to give you a realistic timeframe about wedding dress shopping. Each dress is custom-made to your measurements, so it takes time.
2. Realize what type of personality you have, prior to wedding dress shopping. Do you make decisions easy? Do you need outside input before you make big decisions? Do you constantly feel that “there is something better” and don’t want to settle? All of these personality traits play a role in your wedding dress shopping. If you make decisions easy, go with your gut and once you like a dress, be done. If you need input from others, bring a trusted friend or family member and let them help you with your decision.
3. Be careful who you bring with you- As fun as wedding dress shopping is, bring only close family or friends. You don’t need the opinion of everyone, just those that matter. Also, it’s ok if you go by yourself and make the decision. It’s your dress, after all, and you should love it. Remember, the more people you bring with you, the more different opinions you will get. Which will NOT help you, but will confuse you more. Less is more in this case.
4. Wedding Dress shopping is not a party! Be respectful of the salon owners, and don’t turn your appointment time into a party, with lots of loud people and yelling. There is a time and place for your bachelorette party, for your bridal shower, for time with your girlfriends. A bridal salon is not really that place. You are there to make an important decision, and you should focus solely on that. Also, remember you are not the only bride they have that day. Realize that others are scheduled before, during, and after you.
5. It’s YOUR dress! Every mom, sister, cousin, grandma, best friend has an opinion. And it’s most likely different than yours. And that’s ok. YOU, and only you, should love your dress. The wedding is about you and your fiancée. Stop trying to please everyone in your life. You will surely drive yourself crazy. So if you find a dress that you love, it makes you feel happy, sexy, bridal-y, beautiful and special, GET it! There is a very slim chance that you will ever find a dress that your mom grandma, sister, cousin, best friend, neighbor will ALL approve of.
6. It’s just a dress. Yes, it’s an important dress and probably the most expensive article of clothing you will ever buy. But it is only a dress. It does not have magical powers, even if it costs $10,000. It will not automatically make you lose 30 pounds, will not make your future mother-in-law love/hate you, will not guarantee you a stress-free wedding and will certainly not guarantee you a happy and successful marriage. You know why not? Because it’s just a dress. So stop overthinking it. Get one that makes you feel beautiful, and one that you know will make his heart skip a beat and a tear in his eye. Once you find that one, stop looking. Please.
I hope that these little tie-bits of advice will ease your mind just a bit about wedding dress shopping. It should be fun, it should be relaxing, it should be intimate and it should be all about you! So grab a couple of people (no more than two!) and head down to your favorite bridal salon to buy a dress! Then you can cross that off your list, and move on to the million other details you have to take care of!

A Recap of the Bridal Showcase by Wedding Salon

Wedding Wednesday is about to get gorgeous and super pretty! The Wedding Salon recently had their annual bridal showcase at the SOFITEL Los Angeles at Beverly Hills, California with over 600 guests. What did these 600 guests enjoy that evening? Fabulous and amazing wedding trends, which we LOVE of course. It was a lovely event, and today we are excited that we get to share some of the fantastic features from the event. See all the trends, wedding vendors, and gorgeous details from this amazing wedding event.   So, now it is time to pour yourself a cup of coffee or tea, get real comfortable, and get ready to be inspired!

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Couples were able to enjoy couture gown previews by designers Nicole MillerWinnie Couture, and shop Mon Amie Bridal, with live models and mannequin displays.  

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Beauty makeovers were provided by local salons Assembly Salon and Juan Juan Salon to provide visuals to brides before their big day.

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Photography by Focus Photography

About The Wedding Salon

The Wedding Salon, the nation’s #1 premier luxury bridal showcase is the ultimate resource for wedding planning needs. Founded by celebrity wedding planner, Tatiana Byron, the Wedding Salon features luxury wedding vendors and award winning service providers showcasing the year’s must-have products and newest trends in the industry. The bridal showcase is a one-day event, designed to look and feel like a luxurious wedding catering to the affluent bride, engaged couples, celebrities and socialites. Since launching in 2004, The Wedding Salon has expanded its events to five markets across the country including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington D.C. and Miami.

Disneyland Anniversary Photo Session from White Rabbit Photo Boutique

When a bride and groom love Disneyland as much as I do, I am totally hooked. That is exactly what happened when I received the lovely images from a fabulous photographer, (who also loves Disney!), White Rabbit Photo Boutique.  Each and every image that popped up on my computer screen had me smiling bigger and bigger with each one.  I could not help myself! This couple is so cute, and you can not but fall in love with them. Their love story is a good one, and of course is all about the Disney details. Married at Disney World, and almost 5 years later, across the country, sharing their love at Disneyland in the most magical of ways. Browse through these fun and amazing images, and when you read about their wedding day, you will see why this couple has the perfect “happily ever after” ending.

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From Nicola (the bride)…

Andrew and I got married March 23, 2009 at Walt Disney World in Orlando FL. We had a small family only wedding at the Wedding Pavilion that was perfect for us. We planned a trip to Disneyland in CA for October 2013 about 5 months before our 5th anniversary. I had seen Jenna’s work from some of my Disney bride friends that had used her for their weddings and loved her work. I decided to see if she was available while we where in town. Luckily she was and we had a great time taking pictures around Disneyland and California Adventure with her. We was a lot of fun to work with and she even got my shy husband to enjoy himself.

 

From White Rabbit Photo Boutique

Nicola and Andrew were so sweet together, they still had that newlywed feeling about them. They chose to wear bright and cheerful colors for their session and it fit their relationship perfectly. They wanted to show their fun side, and take photos with balloons, the fun wheel, and toon town. We had a great time running all over the place and talking all things Disney and weddings. :)

Five Ways to Bring Luck to Your Wedding

We hope you’re wearing green, because it’s St. Patrick’s day! Happy St. Patrick’s day on behalf of all of us at Bridal Hot List. Even if you’re not Irish, there’s no reason to not be sharing the luck around today. In honor of St. Patrick’s day, we’ve got a few of our favorite good luck charms to incorporate in your wedding (besides dancing all night to “Get Lucky”).

A Touch of Green

You can skip the something blue in favor of something green!  If green isn’t already part of your wedding palette, do tiny touches here and there. Have a small shamrock painted into your pedicure for luck or let your bouquets have long green stems. Green can symbolize money and prosperity in cultures, and that’s always something great to have in a new marriage

Spread the Luck

Hand out scratchers to all the singles at your wedding with the note “we got lucky, now it’s your turn!”. Since you were lucky enough to find the love of your life, hopefully that luck will rub off on to one of your unhitched friends! Scratchers are fun, easy, and can put an immediate smile on someone’s face. Plus, if they win it’ll score you some serious positive karma.

Be Charming

This one’s for the girls: make charm bracelets for your bridal party to wear at the wedding. It’s a sweet trinket that they’ll be able to wear afterwards. You can get cute charms that represent each of their personalities, and a few to remind her of the wedding! A high heel charm would work for your fearless fashionistas, and a diamond shaped charm would represent the wedding. Plus, you can throw a shamrock on there for good luck going forward.

Lucky Underoos

Everyone has a pair, don’t lie. Don’t feel pressured to spring for super expensive wedding lingerie- wear what you love! If you have a lucky pair of underwear, go for it. While you may not need luck (seeing as you’ve already met your other half), any boost you can get can help! This is your day and you should feel fantastic and ready to take on the day. That goes double for any lucky jewelry or makeup you may have on hand. Extra luck can’t hurt, right?

Stay Traditional

Some wedding traditions that are meant to be lucky include saving a slice of your wedding cake for your one year anniversary. Go for it! If your culture has any traditions for bringing luck to your marriage, look into it and participate. This could also be a great chance to learn about your roots as well as the culture of your new family.

 

Five Guilt-Free Bridal Shower Snacks

Bridal beauties and maids of honors- it’s time to start planning your bachelorette party events! If it’s time for you to start gathering your girls together, plan for some serious snacking. Since you all have this big event in common coming up, you may be looking for leaner options. Don’t worry, we have a bunch of tasty snacks in mind for your next bridal gathering that won’t leave you hungry.Hummus.jpg.jpg

Hummus & Pita

It’s the healthy version of chips and dip, if that’s your snacking style. You can pick up a few different tubs at any grocery store, but more specialty stores like Trader Joe’s may have more diverse flavors. We love sea salt pita chips and organic hummus any time- and so will your bridesmaids!

Dark Chocolate & Fruit

Dark chocolate has been proven to have antioxidants that are great for you- plus it’s chocolate! Who can resist? If you don’t have a taste for the bitter stuff, opt for a lower percentage (65%-72%) and pair it with fruit. We love orange rinds with dark chocolate or strawberries dipped in dark chocolate. It’s decadent and rich without weighing you down. Yogurt.jpg.jpg

Yogurt Bar

For something more fun, get a few tubs of a low fat plain yogurt and put them into a big bowl. Put out fresh chopped fruit like blueberries and strawberries for your girls to mix into their yogurt. To make it a heavier snack, put out granola or opt for a greek yogurt. It’s a great snack for a morning wedding meeting.

Fresh Sushi

You can get crafty and make your own sushi rolls with your girls, or you can go to a nearby sushi bar. Sushi is a great food that is light and offers a lot of necessary vitamins and healthy fishy fats for your body. Plus, sushi is an easier food to get made fresh without any deep-fried, over sugared, unnecessary fats.

Smoothie Stations

Bust out the ice tray and start making some smoothies with your girls! Dust off the blender and get yourself some fresh fruit, yogurts, ice, milk, and anything else you’d want in a smoothie. Instead of making one big batch for everyone, let people pick what they’d like. You can make it a game and vote on your favorite smoothie and have an official bachelorette party smoothie recipe!

 

Four Wedding Traditions to Leave in the Past

Wedding traditions are a beautiful thing- the men in suits, the cake, the beautiful venue, it’s all in good fun. However, over the years a few go-to’s have become outdated and sometimes just plain silly. While we do adore classic traditional weddings just as much as we love modern progressive weddings, we do have a few traditions we don’t love. Here’s our hit list of our wedding don’t’s.

Super-Tanning

Yes your skin will pop if it’s tan against your white dress, but that’s not always the best thing. A nice glow is, well, nice but a burned bride is no bueno. Tanning beds and laying out is bad for your skin, and by now you should know this! And spray tanning? Are you wearing white? Then don’t do it! Don’t risk a streaky look that could ruin your clothes or melt under the pressure. If you do want a glow, opt for a golden toned bronzer on the big day instead. Save your skin, your clothes, and your time by using the magic of makeup.

Hyper Dieting

Enjoy yourself! Don’t sweat the small stuff, particularly if those small things are covered in chocolate. We’re fans of healthy living, but not extremes. If you’re used to burgers and fries don’t feel pressured to cut down to just lettuce and carrots. Diets can be a good thing, as long as you do it right. Take small steps that work for you to slim down gently. Don’t completely banish your favorite snacks- just take steps towards healthy portions of them. You’re engaged and you deserve to enjoy it- don’t torture yourself with tiny portions of kale.

Throwing Rice

One fun tradition from way back in the day is having wedding guests throw rice at the newlyweds. What? No thank you! Save the rice for dinner, and opt for getting doused in rosepetals (or gift cards!). Plus, throwing rice outside can harm the natural environment around you- some small birds and animals have been known to choke on bits of rice. If you were planning doing it inside, just imagine cleaning all that rice up. Yikes!

Smashing the Cake

You spent so much money and time getting the perfect cake for the big day- enjoy it don’t destroy it! While it can be a cute few pictures, do you really want cake smeared in your face on the most photographed day of your life? Can you justify wasting good cake? Instead of covering your husband in cake, cover him in kisses. He’ll like that much more.

Sneak Peek of TLC’s “Say Yes to the Dress” Season 11

We love Fridays! Fridays means that we are one day away from the weekend, and it also means it is time for a new  episode of  TLC’s  SAY YES TO THE DRESS .So, its a pretty good day today. We love all things  bridal, and when it comes to brides and shopping for their perfect dress, we are totally obsessed. That is why we are so love with Fridays!

If you are a SYTTD (SAY YES TO THE DRESS.) newbie, then let us tell you a little bit about this amazingly fun wedding TV show. The show all takes place at the gorgeous bridal salon, Kleinfeld Bridal in NYC. The show  goes behind-the-scenes  and uncovers the various obstacles every staff member faces to make each bride utterly happy and pleased on what may be the  most important day of her life. The show features not only bridal experts, but emotional brides, opinionated entourages, and dream bridal dresses. At the end of each appointment, the bridal consultant will ask one very important question, “Are you saying Yes to the Dress?”. The answer to this question? You will have to tune in each week to find out.

On tonight’s episode:

This episode features  a bride who lost 100-lbs and wants to find a sexy wedding dress to show off her new look! Bride, Christina is looking for a traditional white gown for her renewal ceremony.  Then there is bride, Lisa who has tried on 100 gowns already, and is still looking for her dream bridal gown. Will she find the dress and not have to look any further? You will have to tune in tonight and find out!

“Say Yes To The Dress” premieres  tonight at 9/8c. So set your DVR’s, or watch it live tonight!

Special Preview

 

 

Wedding Insurance – Yes, It’s a Real Thing

These days, anyone and anything can get insurance on it. Many non-pet owners are surprised that you can get health benefits through your employer for your cat or dog. It should then come as no surprise that wedding insurance is indeed a real thing and that a lot of couples these days are looking into it. With the average cost of a wedding in the United States ranging from $25,000 to $30,000 it makes a lot of sense to take out a policy. Many people insure items that have a lesser monetary value, such as a ring, computer equipment, or even a car. Why not your wedding?

A growing number of insurance companies are offering a wide range of policies that cater to the wedding industry and specifically to couples about to tie the knot. Now, for those of you worried about people insuring against the groom getting scared or a runaway bride, don’t worry, most of the policies actual center around disasters nobody can see coming.

Specifically, insurance against inclement weather is the most popular insurance policy to get for weddings. This is especially important in the Southeast United States in certain months where tropical storms or even hurricanes can derail any wedding plans, even ones indoors. While not everyone might live in perfect weather like in Southern California, even weddings in Maui and Honolulu can easily be subject to a severe storm that can seriously ruin what should be a magical day.

Some policies blanket just about anything that can go wrong. If one of your vendors fails to show up, then you can claim that on your policy. Anything break, fail to appear, or the whole event cancelled for any number of reasons? Covered! It just makes good sense, even if it adds $500 to $750 to your budget, to cover weddings. For destination weddings in the Pacific (Hawaii), or in the Bahamas, or in a foreign country, it’s practically a must.

Be sure to check with your insurance company to see if they offer wedding insurance and talk to an agent about covering your big day. In fact, just a random Google search for “wedding insurance” will bring up more than ten people specifically advertising for this keyword! There are also dozens of pages of relevant links to companies that insure weddings.

While some brides and industry insiders already know this information, many brides (and especially grooms and parents!) aren’t aware – so be sure to share this link!

Wedding Promotion from Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach, California

We’ve got something perfect for Wedding Wednesday.  Some fabulous news from a gorgeous and luxurious resort located on the shores of Southern California. We love the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort and Spa and all that if offers for couples and their guests. As we have mentioned before, it offers offers award-winning restaurants, a full-service salon, pool side luxury, a phenomenal spa, a state-of-the-art fitness center, and many more extraordinary services.  Oh and of course it provides stunning ceremony and reception  sites perfect for any couple who loves breathtaking ocean views. So, if you are getting married this summer and want to really soak in the Summer weather and those incredible ocean views, then you will want to check out the Summer Perks that  this lovely beach front resort offers! Yep, they’ve got a pretty sweet deal going on right now. Weddings at Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort and Spa  just got even more gorgeous!

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