Top Five Tips for Writing Your Own Vows

Writing your own vows has become more and more popular over the last few years, and with reason! It’s a great way to express how you feel and what your relationship is like in a personal, honest way. It can also be one of the most challenging, important tasks you can take on while organizing a wedding. Don’t let this task be daunting though, it’s completely doable! We know it can be hard to express how you feel, and we’re here to help.

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Look Back Before You Move Forward

Before you even start drafting, go through photo albums (aka, Facebook for most of you!) of adventures the two of you have taken. Look back at your favorite times together, look back at your engagement photos. What made those times special? Were your favorite times together when you were doing something daring, like exploring a new city? Or was it something creative, like painting or building something together? Zero in on what moments in your relationship made you really fall in love with each other. Take notes on when you felt most in love and connected to your special someone. This will be the basis for your vows.

Find Your Theme

Once you’ve gone through your favorite times together, go from there. Think about what kind of couple you are together. Where your best moments romantic?  Adventurous? Silly? Daring? Whatever it is, keep that word in mind while you write. This will be the key theme in your vows. Every couple is different, so it’s good to play to what makes you special as a couple.

Think Big and Narrow it Down

Once you have a vow, write it down and write different key examples down underneath it. It can help to write out specific stories under that word. Of course, keep it to G-rated and non-embarrassing stories (your parents will hear it- keep it family friendly!). From the stories, think about those special moments when you looked over and realized this was the person you were going to marry. Those special, intimate moments are the ones that make or break a couple and are a great source for your vows. Think back to them and think about what specifically you felt and what made you feel that way (are you feeling warm and fuzzy yet?).

Get Organized

Now that you have a love theme and some special moments to back it up, throw it all together! It can help to type things out as bullet points. If everything is typed, you can move sentences and bullet points around without having to cross things out, erase things, or get out more paper. Remember to open by addressing the vows, then go into the relationship. You can go into what your fiance means to you, what your love means, how you make each other feel, how you’ve changed each other’s lives, etc. Figure out what’s most important to you and work from there. Organize all your bullet points in order of what flow you feel would work best. Do you want to tell a story, then go into its’ impact on your life? Do you want to start with a generality then go into what you mean to each other? Go with what feels right until it sounds right to you.

Focus and Make it Count

Just remember if you’re feeling overwhelmed- this is all a labor of love (literally!). It can be very easy to be overwhelmed when you’re sharing something as intimate and personal with not only your partner, but with your friends and family. If you need help, look up some vows online or watch videos of ceremonies for inspiration. Read as many love letters as you can. Just keep it all about love and if you get frustrated, take breaks. Something as special and personal as vows deserve time and care. Keep it focused and don’t cut corners. This matters and it’ll be the most important love letter you ever write- make it count!

 

Five Ways to Bond With Other Bridesmaids

Yay for wedding parties! Now that you’re officially a bridesmaid, it’s time to get excited for the big day. Just remember, there’s more people involved than just the bride- you’re part of a whole party of bridesmaids (they don’t call it a bridal party for nothing!). You all need to be able to work together to help throw the best party ever. If you aren’t close with the other bridesmaids, or if you don’t know they just yet, you’re in luck! We’ve got some awesome ideas on how to bond with the bridal party and make this wedding one of the best times of your life. Who knows, you might bond well enough to have them be bridesmaids at your wedding too!

Start Talking

Find the other bridesmaids on facebook and shoot them a message. Say something quick and friendly mentioning that you’ll both be bridesmaids. You can even do a group message with all the bridesmaids so the whole group can get to know each other. Start by talking about how excited you are for the wedding, or how happy you are for the bride. It’s common ground for everyone!

Start Slow

Starting new friendships is similar to starting a new relationship. Sometimes it’s good to just start with coffee before you dive in for dinner! Do a quick after-work happy hour or some Saturday morning coffee to chat and discuss the wedding. Have some sort of agenda so you don’t all get there and not say anything. You can use this day to start initial brainstorming for the bachelorette party.

Get Moving

Another great activity for bridesmaids to do to bond is working out. It can be something like bikram yoga or even a crossfit bootcamp. Getting your blood flowing is a surefire way to get bonding. If you can find a groupon, or even a free class to crash invite the bridesmaids! Weddings tend to make people more aware of being fit, so it’s the perfect chance. Towards the beginning of the month, gyms and studios tend to do more free classes so do some research and start stretching.

Do Test Runs

As it gets closer to the wedding, arrange for a makeup test run. Call up a makeup counter and let them know you’re coming in ahead of time. The  bride will most likely have her own makeup artist reserved for the day, but you should all be covered too! Go out and ask for a makeup artist to give you tips and tricks and teach you how to do your wedding look. You’ll all be able to help each other and learn a few awesome makeup tips while you’re at it!

Plan Surprises

A long-standing tradition is for the bridal party to decorate the honeymoon suite, or whatever room the bride and groom will be sleeping in right after the wedding. Go all out and plan this in advance. Do balloons, rosepetals, silly pictures, maybe even some snacks or champagne. You’ll all get to be creative and work on a fun project together to surprise the bride.

 

Top Five Ways to Save on Wedding Favors

One thing everyone’s going to be secretly exciting for during your wedding? The fun wedding favors, of course! This expense may be daunting (especially if you’re budgeting), but it doesn’t have to be. We’ve got some great tips to help you save some money and still give away some awesome favors.

Start Big

An easy way to have favors set up is to buy one thing in bulk and to separate it into individual gifts. You can do candy, trinkets, anything really. You may be able to save money by buying one big thing in bulk rather than buying pre-packaged. It may take some time, but it’s a labor of love.

Double Up

If you’re doing assigned seating, create a name tag or placeholder that is also a great wedding favor. Use customizable bracelets or make your own trinkets with names on them. Guests will be able to find their seats and love that they get a favor to play with immediately when they sit down.

Reuse What you Can

If you decked out your ceremony hall with flowers, bring them to the reception and cut them down to take home. It’s a beautiful favor that gives your flowers new life with one of your guests. It may be a bit chaotic, but if you have the right team to cut and re-prepare the flowers for distribution it’s a great favor. It will be a reminder of what a good time your guests had at the wedding and fill their house with fresh scents and love.

Ask for Freebies

If you have your heart set on one specific product, email the company and ask for samples, freebies, or a discount. It’s always worth a shot! Explain that you love the product and want to be able to share the product with your wedding guests. Most companies are able to assist, sponsor, or at least offer discounts in special circumstances like weddings and events. Don’t be offended if you don’t get anything off the bat, just keep trying. Remember, any bit helps when you’re on a budget.

Have your Cake (and Eat it Too)

Over order the sweets and send your guests home with some extra dessert! You may be able to strike up a deal with your bakers. See if you can do cookies or brownies or anything at all with your baker as favors. You can sell them on the added publicity as well. Bakers may be able to work with your budget and sweeten the deal for you.

 

Top Five Social Media Tips for Your Wedding

The wedding’s coming up- you’ve got to be excited! One of the best ways to share that excitement is via social media. Let’s be honest- you are probably in the majority of people who are involved in facebook, twitter, and instagram. Why not use it to your advantage and get all your loved ones amped on your wedding? We’ve got the top five tips to using social media for your wedding, and we’re sure you’ll ‘like’ them all.

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#YourWeddingHere

Create a hashtag and stick to it! Something as simple as #JohnsonWedding2014 on instagram and twitter can create a following, and gives your friends a way to both follow and participate in the wedding countdown. Use the hashtag in your save the dates and invites to really create a following. Use the hashtag when you do wedding things, like creating favors or cake tasting.

Handle It

Back up your wedding’s hashtag with its’ own social media handle! Put your personal account on hold and upload wedding pictures via an account dedicated solely to your wedding. Use it to retweet your friend’s updates on the wedding (if your bridesmaids post pictures of them doing wedding errands, share it!), keep all your wedding ideas together, and connect with vendors. It’s a great way to keep your social media organized.

Tag- You’re It!

Don’t forget to tag! Connect your account and hashtag with your guests and vendors to keep everyone involved. This creates a great community and gets everyone involved. Follow the bridal party so you have a great way of keeping in contact to discuss wedding elements. You can also tag and follow all of your vendors to stay connected to them. Many vendors are big on social media, and showing them a little extra love is always good karma.

Make Your Event an Event

After your invites are out, create a facebook event for it! If you want to use it as your rsvp page, go for it! If you want more formal rsvps, emphasize that the page is only to share wedding information. Update the page with a countdown, link your wedding tweets and instagrams to the facebook page, let people connect before the wedding. You can even take polls on what songs should play (or be banned!) to get the conversation going! For bonus points, have people connect to carpool to the ceremony. You’ll be helping your wedding party bond and get to the party!

Keep an ‘i’ on It

Be sure that you monitor what is posted, tagged, and out there for the world to see! For example, you shouldn’t post pictures of you in your wedding gown until after the wedding. Save the big reveal for big day! You also should be careful with posting your personal address and information on the internet (as you always should be!). You should follow the general rules of being safe on the internet for yourself and the safety of your guests. If you notice anyone is saying not-so-nice things on your pages, go ahead and block them. Keep the negativity out and let the good times roll.

 

Top Five Tips for a Drama-Free Bridal Party

If it’s your big day, you shouldn’t have to stress over anything at all. Unfortunately, one big stress some brides have is drama within the bridal party. We don’t want you to have to go through any unnecessary drama though! We’ve got tips on keeping the peace between your girls so you can have a peaceful wedding.

Bond When You Can

If there’s any awkward tension in the group, do what you can to diffuse it with some good old fashioned quality time. Do a Sunday bridal party brunch with manis and pedis, or wake up early to take a hike together. Group activities can create new, fun memories that diffuse awkward vibes. The more time your bridal party spends together, the more time they have to forge new friendships!

Create Conversations

As much as we’d all love to be social butterflies and float effortlessly through conversation, it’s a difficult skill to master! Give your girls a hand by creating conversations for everyone to participate in. If you have everyone over and spend the whole night talking office gossip, your college friends and hometown BFF’s may not feel included. An easy way to create conversation is to go see a movie, then go out for drinks and dessert afterward. Everyone will be able to participate and stay on the same page.

One on One

If you’re noticing any tension between any of your bridesmaids, pull them aside. If you see something, say something. Talk to each person one on one to try and see where any issues may lie. It may be a little much to go straight into a sit down confrontation, so create a safe environment where no one feels judged. Explain your needs and that you don’t want any tension on your special day, and emphasize that you want everyone to have a great time.

Call Rank

If you’re still seeing anyone butting heads after having a sit down, step up and remind them who’s getting married. It is your day, and you deserve everything you want. Tell everyone straight up that you don’t want any drama and to put their egos aside for the sake of the party. There’s nothing wrong with asking this of your friends- if they really are your friends, they’ll listen.

Ask your Maid of Honor

Still getting nowhere? Don’t have time to actually take care of any egos that may not be meshing well? Get your maid of honor on it. She’s your right-hand lady for a reason, afterall! Be gentle when you’re handling other people’s feelings, but be firm. This will affect your special day, so you should have final say. Trust her to de-tense any weird feelings and keep the peace between the bridesmaids.

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Follow our five tips, and pretty soon your whole bridal party will be fast friends!

 

Five Tips on Writing Wedding Invites

Your save the dates are out and you’re all set on a venue- you’re ready to send out invites! But where do you start? We’ve got five big tips on writing out the most important invitations you’ll ever send out.

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Do Research

Check out other invitations before you start yours- it’ll definitely give you ideas! You can find out what you like and what you don’t like which will give you lots of direction. Check out invites online, or any that your friends have from previous weddings. While you’re doing research, write down what you like and what you don’t like. It can be as vague as liking couple pictures in the invite to as specific as the size of the font of the return labels. Just figure out what you like and don’t, and work from there.

Collaborate

They’re not just your invites afterall- they’re your fiance’s as well! You should both be involved in writing your invitations.  Proofreading verbiage with another person can be a great way to workshop. Both of you should read your invitations out loud to each other so you can catch any sentences that sound off. Be open to any criticism or critique too; it could be the difference between an awesome and an awkward invite.

Be Specific

While there is some leeway with verbiage, there are a few sections of the invite that need to be specific. Explicitly state the address (not just the landmark/venue), time, and dress code. You don’t want your nephew to show up at your black tie wedding in shorts and sandals. It’s important to specify the exact addresses and not just the venue name or cross-streets. It’ll help you avoid getting frantic calls from out of town relatives who are lost somewhere in your city. Be sure that the address is easy to read (i.e., save the fancy cursive for later) and the address works in google maps.

Personalize

Each card should have the guest’s name(s) explicitly stated. It’s ok if the name part is handwritten, just make sure each invite is personalized. On the other end, write your invites with your couple personality in mind. If you’re both jokesters, make it cute and light to reflect that. If you’re a power couple, focus on how awesome your upcoming union will be. Including pictures from your engagement shoot or generally sweet photos of you two being adorable is a great way to hype up guests for the wedding.

Guide your Guests

Your guests may need some loose ideas on what to bring- give them some guidance! State where you’re registered, or if you’d prefer something instead of a gift off your list. Many couples are requesting donations be made to charities in their honor in lieu of a traditional wedding gift lately, which is an awesome trend and way to give back. You will also want to put in your preferred method of R.S.V.P.. If you have a wedding e-mail address setup (which we suggest!), route any questions or R.S.V.P.’s that way. This way you don’t get your personal (or even worse-work) phone blown up asking questions on what shoes would be appropriate.

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.

 

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.

Five NYE Looks for Wedding Events

Weddings aren’t the only time we get to stay up late and celebrate with champagne. New Year’s Eve is a time of celebrating your accomplishments and looking forward to a brand new year. It’s a time of reflection as well as a time of hope for the upcoming year. Whether you’re heading downtown to watch the ball drop, partying with some friends, or even staying at home for a romantic night, you’ll want to look extra fun for the occasion. We’ve got the goods for you to look your best and start your new year off right, and how to keep these looks rolling through to your next wedding event.

 

Bling it on

Glitter and sparkle is a NYE staple. The key is to look glamorous, and not like a disco ball. Skip the body glitter as well as any glitter in your blush or bronzer and go straight for the eyes. Put on a creamy primer (like MAC’s cream colour base in Hush, $20, MAC counters), contour your favorite shadows over, and give a few swipes of Urban Decay’s Heavy Metal liner ($19, Sephora) all over it. It’s buildable, so you have the freedom to be as bright as you want to be.  We like the shade ‘Baked’ for a golden eye that will be remembered from the new year and through the reception. This will be perfect for bachelorette parties and more non-traditional weddings.

 

Lustrous Lips

Line your lips with a wax-based liner to keep them in place, and pick a color you love. Red is classic and timeless (we LOVE ‘F-Bomb’ by Urban Decay, $22, Sephora) and always a great staple to have in your back pocket. Use that liner to keep your lips together through champagne toasts on any night of the year.

 

Color-Correcting Primer

Do you fall victim to cocktail flush? Does a martini give you a natural blush? Fight back with a color correcting primer under your foundation that leaves the blushing to the bride. Even the medium to heavy coverage foundations can let some redness through after a few cocktails. The Clinique redness solutions primer ($21 , Clinique Counters) is fantastic, lightweight, and keeps us glowing the right way.

 

Baby-Doll Lashes

Lashes may be too much for the office, but they’re perfect for nights out. Look for lashes that are fuller towards the outside to give a rounding, full effect. This is fun for NYE, or any time out with your bachelorettes. If you’re not super comfortable tossing your lashes on, do a bold black eyeliner on your upper lid first. Get your falsies as close to your natural lash line as possible, and if they don’t line up perfectly use more black liner to cover any mistakes. Many people learn how to apply false lashes using this method. We love Ardell’s false lashes in ‘Wispies’ ($3-$4, drugstores).

 

Powder for Pictures

There’s going to be flashing lights all night, and it won’t all be from fireworks or the dancefloor. Weddings and holidays are always highly photographed, and you want to be sure you look your best for both. Skip dewy looks that will look greasy for matte looks that will look polished. Have a pressed powder on hand for any oily patches, and dust your face with an HD powder before you head out for the night.

 

Five Winter Maid of Honor Must-Haves

A good maid of honor is a prepared maid of honor, no matter how cold it is. If you’re in for a winter wedding, it’s best to keep some cold-weather supplies on hand for the blushing bride. Here at Bridal Hot List, we don’t let anything stop us from looking fabulous, not even a little chill. Pack your clutch with these must haves and you’ll be ready for a white wedding.

A Super Hydrating Lip Balm

The Jack Black hydrating lip balm ($7.50, beauty specialty stores) goes on clear and keeps our lips soft and smooth no matter how harsh the cold gets. If you’d like a little more color though, the Maybelline Baby Lips lip balms ($3-$4, drugstores) are absolutely fabulous. Remind the bride to swipe some on before she goes to sleep so she wakes up with beautiful soft, hydrated lips. Those deep berry colors are beautiful this time of year, but they will look crispy if your lips are chapped and cracking.

Spray Primer

We’re longtime fans of MAC’s Fix + spray ($21, MAC counters) for hydrating our skin in any situation. The last think you want your bride to be worried about is her skin being too dry, damaged, or dull due to the weather. Spray primers are naturally hydrating and go on super light. Creams can feel heavy this time of year when your skin may be more sensitive. Urban Decay also has a fantastic primer spray ($33, beauty specialty stores) infused with vitamins.

Spare Memory Cards

Do you always delete your old vacation pictures right after you upload them? It’s okay, that’s why we plan ahead. People may have snapped more shots than they realized over the summer, fall, and holidays and filled up their cameras. You need to make sure that everyone still has space for the perfect picture, so it’s handy to bring a spare memory card. Grab one of the freebies you picked up during Black Friday and stick it in your purse-just in case.

Body Balm

Dry hand and elbows? No thank you. Pack a travel sized lotion in your clutch just in case your bride starts to get dry. Philosophy’s lotions work wonders, but the smaller sizes are harder to come by. For something compact and super hydrating, we like Burt’s Bees Res-Q Ointment ($6, drugstores). It’s small but extremely powerful. One small pot of this stuff will last you forever- or at the very least, through the winter wedding season.

Emergen-C

We swear by it. Seriously. Replace one cup of your morning coffee with a glass of Emergen-C ($10-$11, drugstores) and your immune system will thank you. If you don’t love the flavor, pair it with lemonade or a juice. A personal favorite is the raspberry Emergen-C pack with a half glass of organic lemonade. Taking your vitamins is crucial this time of year, and by super-boosting your Vitamin C intake you’re sure to get through the season without so much as a sniffle. Keep a few extras on handy in case any of your fellow bridesmaids start to get sneeze-y.