Her Royal Highness

As you may have heard last year, when Kate Middleton married Prince William she applied her own makeup for her wedding day. She looked absolutely stunning, as always. You can too, without the extra cost of $100+ and the fear of looking like a the Joker.

I've posted a video below that demonstrates the techniques that Kate used for her wedding make up. Obviously, if you're going to do this you'll want to do a few trials with different colours before the wedding and use different foundations to see how your skin reacts.

The video is only 10 minutes long and can teach you some really lovely techniques. Enjoy!

Pinterest

If you haven't already become addicted, Pinterest.com is a social network that allows you "pin" ideas, pictures, quotes, etc that you like onto online "boards". It's a great tool for keeping track of the things you find online that you don't necessarily need at the moment or don't have time to look over at that time. It has taken the wedding industry by storm.

Women all over the world that are engaged, or in long term relationships, or don't have a significant other whatsoever but love weddings and the idea of planning one have taken to Pinterest to plan their weddings.

It is an exceptional tool for DIY ideas, ways to save money, company reviews (is that cake really worth $2000?), engagement photo poses without the fancy photographer and how to plan a wedding in general.  It is a lot of fun and is extremely addictive - I'm warning you now.

The statistics down the side of the page are an example of what you might find on Pinterest. Great advice and very helpful.

Something new?

Asides from the ring, the next big thing for the bride is the dress. While yes, every woman wants the "ouh" and "ahh" experience when she walks out of the dressing room for the first time in a beautiful white gown, not every one can afford that experience. I have a solution for you.

Go to the bridal salons, try on gowns, figure out what you want, what size you are, etc... then go on http://www.preownedweddingdresses.com/. There are other pre-owned gown websites out there, however I like this one best. And here's the best part: most of the dresses are brand new with tags - at 60-85% off!

I'm quite taken by a Amelia Carrara dress (pictured below) that usually retails for $9000, give or take a few bucks. I found on this website a while back in my size, and for my tall height (which is rare to find anything in) for $2000! The only thing that held be back (other than not even having a boyfriend at the time) was not having the closet space to store it for God knows how many years.

It won't hurt to take a look... I don't think you'll be disappointed!

DJ? What DJ?

I just came across this great iPhone/iPod app... For $2 you can design and play your wedding playlist from your device - no DJ required! The app is called "My WeddingDJ".

It lets you make out an entire wedding "music plan" that includes multiple songs and playlists for everything. There's reccommended playlists such as pre-ceremony, bride's walk down the aisle, recessional, dinner, first dance, father-daughter dance, going away, etc... or you can make your own.

It fades, takes breaks when you enter them, and can even take requests! And the best part - it's guaranteed all of your favourites will be played!

The reviews for it are fantastic, and if used, it will save you hundreds of dollars. Now all you need is an MC!

Check it out in the iTunes store here:

http://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/my-weddingdj/id383243064?mt=8

Save the date!

Most couples have the vision of their ideal wedding in their heads years before they get engaged or even meet their fiance. However, if you don't and you're open to ideas, the wedding "off-season" (November to April) is a great option. Not only is it significantly less money, it will be a heck of a lot easier on you. There's a 99.9% chance everything you want from the venue, the florist, the photographer, to the DJ will not only be available but also offer you reduced rates in order to secure your business.

Don't be discouraged if you're picturing a dreary, blah, cold setting. Winter weddings can be wonderfully romantic - if you do it right. Look into it; I promise you won't be disappointed.

Check out this video from the Vintage Hotels in Niagara-on-the-Lake.

http://vintage-hotels.com/winterweddings.htm