#bride advice

It may be hard to believe, but spring is right around the corner in the South, and you might as well start stocking up on allergy medicine and car wash points. But with the spring comes something else: a bunch of weddings.

It’s easy to see why people pull the trigger on spring weddings: the weather is nice, it’s not hot, everything is starting to bloom, people can take time off, it’s not hot… did we mention it’s not hot? But much like how you can count on the winter to fade and spring to arrive, you can count on new spring wedding trends. Luckily, we keep up with this kind of stuff and do our best to make it easier for you to stay in tune.

Here are a few spring wedding trends that you should keep an eye on if you’re planning a wedding in the next couple of months:

Non-Wedding Wedding Dresses

This is a pretty cool trend if you’re into the non-traditional. Wedding dresses are in high demand, so that means there are a ton of options. So it makes sense that some brides would choose the path less travelled and go with something, well, not so white-wedding.

A more practical purpose is these dresses can be used for most wedding events: rehearsal dinner, wedding, reception, and the after party. So, if you’re looking to make a splash this spring with your wedding dress, maybe think of a not-so-wedding wedding dress.

Get Your Food On

Food is historically a highlight at weddings, but in recent years couples have a stepped up their game when it comes to keeping their guests fed. A trend that’s seen some love in a few weddings that will likely take off this summer is interactive food stations.

With the bloom of “foodie” couples and guests, it’s increasingly important to have some “Instagrammable” food -- or, in other words, food that can be the centerpiece to a conversation. Maybe it’s a hot sauce station or a taco bar or an “ice” your own doughnut table. Whatever it is, guests are blown away by the creativity of these stations.

Ease Up on the ‘Cuteness’

A lot of blogs give you great advice on what to do, but sometimes leave out something equally as important: what not to do. We’re here to help.

While it may seem attractive to come up with clever hashtags and themes, at some point you have to draw the line. That’s not to say we’re anti-hashtag -- no, we say go for it. What we’re saying is maybe you should draw the line at naming your wedding drink after yourself. Looking at you, Ashleyrita.

Groomsmen are easy to say “thanks for being in my wedding” to: just hand them a flask with some whisky or take them golfing (yes, we’re stereotyping a bit here... it's cool) and they’re good to go. The ladies, however, have a ton more room for creativity, so we think you should embrace your creative side and wow your bridesmaid. So take our advice and think beyond the letter necklace or monogrammed bag.

That being said, here are few examples of some really awesome, creative bridesmaids gifts you can give your wedding crew. Trust us, they’ll be pretty stoked to get any of these.

Give them an Experience

While we all like receiving gifts, sometimes material gifts have a short shelf life. Giving experiences, however, have the power to create a memory that will last forever. That’s pretty sweet if you ask us.

Ideas for experiences are basically endless. Do you have a band that you and your wedding party are super into? Buy everyone tickets to the show and go together. Love college football? Plan a tailgate and surprise everyone with tickets to the game. Want to see “The Nutcracker” at The Fox this winter? Go with your girls! Your bridesmaids will appreciate the thought and it’ll give them something else to look forward to.

Plus, memories based on group experiences make for great conversations at future dinner.

A Curated ‘wedding Survival’ pack

This borders on stereotypical, but hear us out. Imagine a really awesome clutch filled with a wedding day “survival” kit: a tiny map of the grounds, an airplane bottle of champagne or gin, nail polish, roll-on perfume, mints, etc. Yes, we know that this is a pretty standard bridesmaids gift, but there is an easy to spice it up.

Instead of picking the same clutch for everyone, or monogramming one for each of your bridesmaids, what if you went shopping together? That’s right, go on a shopping excursion, filled with lunch and drinks and everyone can pick whatever clutch they want (as long as it goes with the dress and is in the budget range).

Not only does this give you a chance to hang out with your ladies (you could also do this one-on-one), but everyone gets what they want.

Be a part of the club

We agree that this is the most expensive of the three options, but a year subscription to a monthly club is the a great way to show your closest how much you care. Clubs send things like flowers, dog toys, vinyl records, clothes, or wine, so you can tailor each subscription to your bridesmaid depending on their interests.

Not only will they be super stoked up front, but with each monthly package they’ll smile and remember how awesome you are. Can you pass that up? We thought not.

My beautiful wedding dress was off the rack and I am by no means ashamed to admit it. I bought my wedding dress on my first day of looking and it was about the 8th I tried on and second shop I has been to. I didn’t really plan to buy off the rack, the first shop I went to was a boutique for example, but the second was a sample store and that’s where I ended up finding the dress I loved. I have…

It may be the first thing you do after you get engaged and for a lot of people, the most important task in planning a wedding. That’s right, picking out the flavor of cake (or pie) you’re going to serve at the reception.

Just kidding (we know we’re hilarious). Choosing who, and how many, makes the cut for your wedding party is a huge decision that can be difficult for people. If you find yourself currently in this position, then maybe you’re asking yourself: “How many people in a wedding party is too little or too much?”

The answer: there is no hardline answer, but our research has lead to a not-so-scientific thinking that it’s OK to have none. (Disclaimer: we totally dig wedding parties, but we totally dig your right to choose.)

Yes, you read that correctly. Picking a wedding party may feel like you’re picking teams in a pickup basketball game with all of your friends: you want the best team, but don’t want to hurt the feelings of those who are great cheerleaders, but not so good at basketball. And maybe the teams would be lopsided and unfair (think USA basketball in the Olympics). So, it’s totally cool (and kind of chic) to have no one in your wedding party.

Now hear us out. We’re not saying you should skip asking your close friends and family to support you during the ceremony. In fact, you can ask more of them to. Instead of wanting some of your friends to wear the same dress or spend hundreds of dollars on a rental, why not set aside a row for them front and center and plan some cool stuff to do as groups leading up to the wedding.

Not only does this ease the stress for your party (and prevents your immature friend from not renting a suit in time), but it keeps you from having to limit your choices. Imagine a wedding where you don’t have to decide who is in your party, but one where all of your friends can feel like they have a part.  

That being said, if it’s really important for you to have a right hand woman or man, then maybe just pick a best man and maid of honor and have only one person stand with you. It’s a pretty minimalistic way to go about a wedding and minimalism is cool.

Q. Not a virgin, Mom: I’m a 25-year-old woman getting married in the summer. My mother is very old-fashioned and proper, and does not believe in sex before marriage. She also believes that my husband and I are virgins and will remain that way until our wedding night. Both of us have been sexually active since high school! My older sister told me that my mom is planning on giving me a sex talk and explaining how everything works and “how to please a man” before my wedding. I would like nothing less than to listen to my mother explain sex to me, but I’m worried she’ll be angry if I tell her I’m not a virgin. What should I do?

Dear Bride,

So, is your mom blind or just willfully stupid?

Look, something like 90% of the purity ball people have fucked way before marriage, so if that’s their number, pretty much everyone else is fucking before marriage and lying their asses off about it.

Make jokes about buying the cow and getting the milk for free all you want, but I want to know if that milk is sour, baby. 

Getting married as a virgin is stupid.  Sorry, but it’s dumbest thing in the world you can do, especially as a girl.  Sex can be painful, you really want that to be your wedding night memory?  “I’m tired, my feet hurt, my husband sucks, I didn’t cum, my vagina is paining, and now I have to pay to bleach the bedsheets I just bled on.  Happy fucking wedding night.”

Your mom is willfully stupid here, she probably knows but has to delude herself on some level for outdated “reasons,” (I’m not calling them morals, because they aren’t).  If she tries to give you the talk, just tell her you learned all you need to know from school, cable tv, and existing in the world.  Oh, and you know that the penis goes in the vagina, at least, if you want kids.

Post-Wedding Blues Bringing You Down?

Weddings are such a busy time—so full of stress, so full of highs and so full of joy. Then you’re off on your honeymoon to relax and unwind from the big day and enjoy each other’s company. Honeymoons are wonderful days often unlike everyday life because you are newlyweds and being treated like royalty from everyone around you on your trip. What happens when you get back to normal life? No matter…

Step 1 Don’t alienate or annoy your friends by posting about it incessantly on facebook. Remember when you were single and saw all those oodles of "exciting" wedding planning posts? They made you want to vom. Don't turn it around now just because you're in the bridal seat. Alternatively, as an engaged person, how does it make you feel when all that mushy stuff pops up in your news feed? Yes, I do want to know every detail about the wedding plans of my closest friends, but I am hearing about them anyway because we gchat all day at work. However, when "that girl I knew in college who only dated the douchiest guys on campus" starts posting every day about her wedding ups and downs, I still wanna vom.

I posted an engagement pic and then pretty much pretended it wasn't happening. Anyone who wants to know more can ask, or I’ll be talking to them about it anyway cause they’re my bffs.

  Step 2 Start a blog to share your thoughts instead. Make it snarky, and don't hold anything back.