Choosing a wedding dress

1-Go au naturel Don't wear anything other than moisturiser. You don't want to leave lipstick orfoundation marks on any expensive frocks! 

2-Bring a pair of heels
You'll need comfortable shoes on for shopping, but take a pair of heels with you so you can try them on with the dresses. You need to see where the hemline will be and how the dress will hang.

3-Bring your friends
It's difficult to form an objective opinion on your own, so take one or two close friends along with you. Ask them to be honest and take note of their positives and negatives as you try each dress on. 

4-Bring a notebookGiven that you'll be trying on miles of tulle and silk, you could easily end up forgetting what 's what. Make detailed notes including the name of the shop, the model you tried on, and what you did and didn't like about it. Once you get back home, you'll have clearer ideas to help you narrow the list down.

5-Dance! 
You need to be able to move in your dress. Try out a few dance moves and try taking long strides in the shop. You need room to move: it would be a shame not to be able to boogie away on your wedding day because you can't move or you're worried about ripping your dress!

6-Check the lighting.
In the shop lights a white dress will look immaculate, but ask if you can go out into the natural light to check that it dosn't look yellowish in the daylight. And think about how see-through skimpy materials are going to be: if it's sunny on your big day, you don't want to reveal too much!  

7-Imagine the photos.
Faced with all that choice, you could be so lost you end up falling for a real no-no that's just totally inappropriate. To stay focused and avoid buying a dress with violet feathers, imagine how you want to look in your wedding photos!

8-Accept your body for what it is.
Don't plan on going on a miracle diet to squeeze into the dress you want. Buy a dress that fit, and if you do happen to lose a few pounds before your bid day (through stress, for example), adjustments can always be made.

How to choose your bridal party

Decisions, Decisions: Choosing your bridal party

Choosing your bridal party can be one of the most exciting parts of planning your wedding, but it can also be one of the most stressful. If you choose pink flowers instead of purple, the purple flowers will get over it. However, if you pick one of your best friends to be a bridesmaid, but not the other, it can lead to hurt feelings. The group you choose should represent your closest friends, family members or loved ones who will be there for support, guidance and help plan for the big day. Here are some helpful tips to consider when selecting your bridal party:

Think long-term

Heavily weigh the importance of the people who have been in your life for a long time. It’s probably best not to pick somebody you like to gossip with at the gym or your favorite barista unless you see your relationship evolving into something more meaningful. It’s important to select people who have played an important role in your life leading up to your wedding and that will remain just as important in the future. Who will you choose to be your baby’s godmother or will you invite to celebrate your 50^th birthday? Facebook allows you to classify your contacts into groups. Do you consider the person to be a ‘close friend’ or just an ‘acquaintance’? Play it safe and choose from the ‘close friends’ list. Keep in mind that the people you choose will forever remain in the photos from your wedding day. Don’t let yourself open your wedding album in twenty years and ask…”what was her name again?”

Leave out the drama

With women involved in a wedding it’s likely that drama will arise at one point or another. As a bride, the best way to avoid unnecessary drama is to exclude those that create it! You may want to re-think including those who can’t hold their liquor, are on bad terms with their ex-boyfriend (the best man) or refuse to wear the lovely shade of pink you selected for their bridal gowns. The biggest blunder would be to choose somebody who disapproves of the upcoming marriage. The bride and groom’s love for one another is the entire reason the wedding is happening. A saboteur has no place in your bridal party.

All or nothing

If you are a bride with a large family and group of friends, you may be feeling pressured to squeeze everyone into your bridal party. This doesn’t have to be the case. There are plenty of ways to ensure that your loved ones can be involved in your wedding day. For example, if you have a large group of friends and cannot have them all in your bridal party, why not find another role for them such as giving a reading or handing out booklets at the ceremony? If anyone is musically inclined you can even invite them to sing during the celebration. Regardless of how you decide to incorporate friends into the planning, remember that ultimately it is your day and you should be able to choose who and how they will be involved. There are plenty of other opportunities to make others feel included in the details of your big day such as holding an engagement party, inviting them to your bachelorette party or even just having a dinner date with a few friends to celebrate your engagement.

Family matters

Since family is forever (both your own and your new family to be!) it is likely that their presence will be most important to you on your wedding day. When two families are joined, it can often result in a bridal party comprised mainly of brothers and sisters (depending on how large the immediate families are). If you have a large group of siblings, you can either include some or all of them, but avoid singling out one person (this is where feelings get hurt and issues arise). While a bride and groom may make independent decisions about whom they choose for their bridesmaids and groomsmen, if they are including family members in the wedding party, those decisions should be made together.

Since it is common to choose a sibling to be your maid/matron of honor or best man, it should be noted that there’s no rule against having more than one. If you are a bride with two sisters, why not have two maids of honor? Additionally, if you are a bride and have no sisters, rather only a brother or a close male friend, it is perfectly acceptable to make them your “man” of honor. Hey, Patrick Dempsey did it (or at least tried to)! The same works for the groom. Regardless of the situation, gender should not be a deciding factor.

What about kids? As with other members of the bridal party, deciding on whether children should be included in a wedding should be something that the bride and groom discuss together. As a couple you may have nieces and nephews or children of close family friends of age to serve as ring bearers and flower girls. However, do not feel obligated to include kids in your wedding if it does not meet your plans. Children who are an important part of your life can still be invited to celebrate your wedding.

Hens Night Planning

Hens Night Planning Checklist

Maids, bust out your calendars. Here’s a timeline to help you prepare for the bride’s naughty night on the town.

by Amy Elliott

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Maid of honour, are you ready to rock? Whether you’re mellowing out or whooping it up, here’s a checklist to help you and the bridesmaids prepare for this infamous night. Feel free to adjust the timeframes according to your celebration style.

3+ Months Before

• Ask the bride what she wants (or doesn’t want) in terms of  a hens party. Will it be a night of craziness on the town, complete with Tequilla shots and dancers? A quiet weekend getaway? Martinis at a fun cocktail bar? A living room lingerie exchange? Pizza and and drinks at her favourite bar? Karaoke? Casino?
• Establish her comfort levels. If she wants G-rated instead of G-string, review your options together. If she does want to walk on the wild side? Get her to define exactly what that means. Remember, while you want her to cut loose, you don’t want to mortally embarrass her, or worse, totally freak her out.
• Set the date — shoot for a weekend night at least two weeks before the wedding. (If members of the bridal party are from all over and can only convene a few days before, that timing works, too.)
• Create the guest list.

2 Months Before

• Send out a casual “save the date” email to see if there are any major conflicts among invitees. If you’re partying far away, include specific details.
• Brainstorm possible game plans and party stunts with the maids (make it a surprise for the bride).
• If the party will be at a hot spot or out of town (a popular tapas bar, a cabaret theatre, a comedy show, a rock concert, someone’s beach house with hunky waitstaff…), make reservations, order tickets, and deal with lodging and transportation details.
• No matter what the format, alcohol and hens revelry usually go hand in hand. Be responsible. Start thinking about transportation arrangements — many ladies opt for booking a chauffeured limo or bus for the evening. Call around to compare rates.
• Research and book any talent that might make an appearance at the soiree.

SEE: 10 New Hens Party Ideas

1 Month Before

• Send invitations. Emailing and calling is okay, too. Make sure your invitation politely informs guests that a contribution to the festivities will be expected and name the price.
• If you’re going with the standard pub crawl, devise the itinerary. Start out with dinner at a rowdy restaurant (you don’t want to drink on an empty stomach) and map out all the establishments you want to hit plus what time you’ll be popping in. Planning it out this way will help you book your transportation for the proper length of time, and it limits the carousing so that you don’t overdo it or spend too much cash. Make all necessary reservations, even at bars. Ask about drink specials and special hens party freebies.
• Make your transportation reservation(s). Do it earlier if you live in a metropolitan area, are partying during Year 12 or Year 10 formal season, or in the summer, when the number of pre-wedding parties tends to peak.
• If you’re partying at home, help the hostess plan snacks, refreshments and activities. Make a shopping list. Divide up to-dos among bridesmaids: games, decorations, booze-buying, stereo and/or karaoke set-up, iPod playlists duty, etc.

1 Week Before

• Buy any hens accessories such as the novelty veil or tiara, a bride-to-be sash,  and other naughty props.
• Make a list of the games you want to play, with rules and how-tos, lest you forget after too many margaritas. Keep it handy.
• Confirm RSVPs
• Confirm transportation arrangements
• Confirm the at-home entertainment

SEE: 10 Hens Party Game Ideas

1 Day Before

• Debrief the bride (it’s okay to keep some of the details a surprise).
• Remind guests of the meeting place and time, reiterating the address. If there are several stops planned, name the second address, too, for latecomers.
• Re-confirm all reservations.
• Get plenty of sleep.

Colour Magic...

Color Correspondences in Magic

 Black - protection, repelling negativity, binding, shapeshifting, divination, banishing

 Blue - good fortune, opening blocked communications, wisdom, protection, spiritual inspiration, calm, reassurance, gently moving, element of water, creativity, truth, tranquility, hope, honor, change, psychic ability

 Brown - influence friendships, special favors, stability, integrity, justice, sensuality, endurance, animals, concentration, grounding

 Copper - passion, money goals, professional growth, fertility in business, career maneuvers

 Gold - he God, wealth, promote winning, safety and power of male, happiness, playful humor, vitality, strength, success, action, courage, confidence

 Green - Earth Mother, physical healing, monetary success, abundance, fertility, tree and planet magick, growth, element of earth, personal goals, prosperity, empowerment, luck, jealousy

 Grey - vision, neutrality, absorbs negativity

 Indigo - insight, vision, change, flexibility, psychic abilities

 Magenta - intuition, change, spiritual healing, vitality

 Orange - business goals, property deals, ambition, career goals, general success, justice, legal matters, selling, action, courage, pride, ambition, enthusiasm, energy, friendship, communication, opportunities

 Pink - romantic love, planetary good will, healing of emotions, peace, affection, romance, partnerships of emotional maturity, caring, nurturing, compassion, tenderness, harmony, love, spiritual healing

 Purple - influencing people in high places, third eye, psychic ability, spiritual power, self assurance, hidden knowledge, growth, self-esteem, insight, inspiration, spirituality, success in business, strong healing power

 Red - energy, strength, passion, courage, element of fire, career goals, fast action, lust, blood of the moon, vibrancy, driving force, love, survival, sexual love, will power, anger

 Silver - the Goddess, telepathy, clairvoyance, clairaudience, psychometry, intuition, dreams, astral energies, female power, communication, spiritual truth, receptivity, psychic ability, stability, balance

 Turquoise - creativity, discipline, self-knowledge, honor, idealism

 Violet - success, intuition, self-improvement, spiritual awareness

 White - the Goddess, spirituality, peace, higher self purity, virginity, cleansing, protection, healing, divination, tranquility, substitute for any other color

 Yellow - the sun, intelligence, accelerated learning, memory, logical imagination, breaking mental blocks, selling yourself, joy, vitality, study, persuasion, charm, creativity, communication