I don't know what's in the water, but everyone seems to be taking the choreographed first dance trend one step further.

I know I've shared with you the Thriller wedding dance, the Dirty Dancing first dance and other favorites, but I think this first dance to - should I ruin the surprise? Lets just say this bride's got back - is tied with Thriller as one of my favorite wedding first dances of all time!

What do you think? Would you surprise your guests with an untraditional first dance?

Whether you’re having a black tie affair in a ballroom, or something more casual, if you are having a cocktail hour with hors d’oeuvres you should – I want to say must – but you should consider serving pigs-in-a-blanket. It’s the one cocktail food that kids and adults enjoy.

Pigs-in-a-blanket may not sound so stylish – or even look elegant – but many caterers are doing variations of this favorite mini-food and you should find out what your options are – size of the “pigs”, type of dough and most importantly the type of mustard used for dipping.

You CANNOT serve pigs-in-a-blanket with a mayo-based fancy mustard. You need a real mustard – like what you would put on a hot dog at a barbeque.

I went to a wedding a few weeks ago and was so excited to see the waiter with the pigs-in-a-blanket tray, but when I dipped it in the light yellow sauce, I knew it wasn’t going to be good – in fact I think I spit it out. My father went to a wedding last weekend and of all the things he remembered to tell me about it, he mentioned the weird mustard for the pigs-in-a-blanket.

Now I know I’m getting carried away, but I feel very passionate about this issue. So tell me what do you think?



Pigs-in-a-Blanket: Update Part I

Pigs-in-a-Blanket: Update Part II

One of the first things you should do when you get engaged is figure out your wedding budget. How much you and your fiancé want to – and can afford to – spend on your wedding, as well as finding out if any relatives want to contribute to your wedding piggy bank.

While you're talking about your wedding budget, you and your fiancé should also talk about your non-wedding finances so you can save for a home, retirement, kids, etc…

I spoke with Judi Rosenthal a Senior Financial Advisor with Ameriprise Financial and I got 5 great tips on marrying your finances. Along with Judi's tip, I'll add a wedding budget one to help you stick to it. Here’s the first one:

Map out Your Financial Goals Together: Don’t start your life together without a plan. While couples often share social, political and religious values, financial values tend to get overlooked. Take time to discuss your personal views and aspirations for saving, spending and sharing money. Then, establish some mutual financial goals and develop a plan to help you achieve them as a team. Putting your plan in writing can also help. It’s a great way to hold both of you accountable, and keep you headed in the right direction...even if the road gets bumpy.

Wedding Budget Tip: While the general breakdown of how much you "should" spend on your wedding is helpful - 10% on your dress, 10% on music, 30% on the menu – you need to decide which elements are important to you and your groom. Do you want a designer wedding gown? Are the flowers more important than the cake? Do you want the best band? Once you have a better idea of what your priorities are, you can breakdown how much you want – and can afford – to spend in each area.

Here are the rest of tips in this series:

• Divide & Conquer


• Just in Case


• A Helping Hand


• Help Yourself

Dave and I just got back from a week in LA. We went to a beautiful wedding, which I’ll tell you all about later this week. While we were in town I visited a number of shops and came across the Bead Boutique on 3rd Street.

My mother and sister have been going there for years, and now I know why. The shop is filled with beautiful beads, charms and chains and the customer can design their own necklaces, earrings and bracelets.

The store has a number of designs to help inspire you, or you can buy one the creations made by the store's owners, Pamela and Francesca.

In addition to making something for yourself – I made a double gold chain necklace with amethyst stones – you can take a class on how to make jewelry.

For brides looking to create something special for each of their bridesmaids, I recommend making custom jewelry for each of your girls. If you don’t live in Southern California, call the store and tell them what you want to do and they can help you create something special that your ‘maids are sure to wear again and again.

And while you're there, make something to wear on your honeymoon - there's no rule that you can't buy yourself a a wedding present.

Choosing the right photographer is very important. After your wedding, your photographs will be one of the few tangible items from your wedding day. Before signing a contract do a lot of research and hire someone whose work you love and whose personality you get along with.

I asked wedding photographer Adrienne Page for her tips on what to look for when hiring a photographer. Over the next few weeks I’ll post her advice, as well as some of the beautiful pictures she’s captured at recent weddings.

Style: There are many different styles of photographers and finding one that best fits your individual style can be daunting. Some may be described as soft & romantic, fun or funky while they all categorize themselves as a photojournalistic photographer. Even though he or she is categorized as “photojournalistic”, every photographer sees the world differently through their lens.

Always review a potential photographer’s portfolio and be sure that you love the feeling you get by looking at their images. Additionally, ask to see a complete wedding to get a better sense of their style once you have narrowed it down to a few photographers. Finding somebody that you trust to capture your event and to interpret the day is important.

Click one of the links below to read another tip from Adrienne:

Why the photographer's personality matters
Learn about different wedding packages
Digital vs. film photography
Working within your photography budget

Photo Credit: Adrienne Page

One of the things I would change from my wedding was my hairstyle. I didn’t want a tiara and ended up wearing my hair half-up with a ribbon trimmed Cathedral veil. I wore the veil through the cocktail hour and wrapped the excess tulle around my arm, but when it came time to eat and dance, I removed it so it didn’t tear or get pulled out of my hair leaving a very messy look.

I wish I had taken the time to find either a comb or hair pins to place in my hair after the veil was removed, because looking back at my pictures, I think I needed something there. My face was all made-up and I had this beautiful ball gown on and then my brown hair – nothing special.

Whether or not you end up putting something in your hair, definitely try a few options during your hair trial so you get an idea of what may work well for you.

The image above is from Kelly Spence, a UK designer that makes beautiful wedding day jewelry, tiaras, hairpins and veils. Based across the pond, Kelly does not charge a shipping fee for orders placed in the States. After selecting one of Kelly's necklaces for an upcoming story, she told us that for the months of August and September she will offer readers of the From “I Will” to “I Do” blog an additional 10% off their order – just include the following promotional code on your order form - IVW0710.

The moment you've all been waiting for...the bridal party photo from Elissa's wedding!

Elissa chose blue and white for her colors and we wore teal mermaid gowns by Jim Hjelm and carried white rose and blue hydrangea bouquets.

Unfortunately, I don’t know where I’m wearing this dress again, so I’ve decided to donate it to a charity. I’ve been researching organizations that take bridesmaid dresses to give to high school seniors who can’t afford a prom dress.

The Princess Project, in California, is one organization I came across that accepts formal dresses. Because you're making a donation to a charity, you can get a receipt to submit to the IRS – a tax deduction - and recoup some of the cost.

There are similar organizations around the country - I’m still trying to find one in New York - here’s a link to charities across the country where you can donate your old bridesmaid dresses, or encourage your ‘maids to send theirs.

If you know of a great charity where you can donate an old prom dress, please post them here.

I'm a bridesmaid at my friend's wedding this Sunday. I've talked about her shower and her bachelorette party, and next week I'll tell you all about her wedding.

As a bridesmaid, we are responsible for throwing the bridal shower and bachlorette party, help the bride with her plans and most importantly be her lady in waiting on the wedding day. And because we do our jobs so well, we get a beautiful thank you gift from the bride. But what is a good bridesmaid gift?

Some brides get jewelry to go with the gown. Other brides give each girl something personal, which I think is a much better option.

If you're looking for the perfect gift for your girls, Red Envelope carries a large line of great gifts for bridesmaids – including jewelry – and most of the items can be monogrammed with the ‘maids initial or name. If you don’t find what you’re looking for in the bridesmaid section, take a look around the site – they have great gifts for the home, travel and bath. If you're not sure how much to spend I suggest planning to spend a minimum of $25-30 per gift.

And by the way, Red Envelope also has great gifts for the groomsmen, so send this link to your groom so he doesn't forget to pick something up for his friends.

A colleague e-mailed me Monday's Dear Abby column entitled: GREEDY COUPLE CASHES IN AFTER THEIR WEDDING SHOWER. This I had to read.

Basically a couple invited to a wedding, after replying yes, decided they didn't want to attend the wedding after witnessing horribly rude behavoir by the bride and groom at dinner one night. The soon-to-be weds explained that they were registering for things only to return the gifts for cash back from the stores, and insulted the gift given to them by the couple they were eating with.

They wanted to get out of going to the wedding and weren't sure what to do.

Read the article here, and let us know what you would do in this situation.

With all the pictures that will be taken of you on your wedding day, you'll want to make sure your pearly whites are bright white, right?

I went to an Arm & Hammer event a few weeks and go and picked up a tube of their toothpaste. My husband noticed that the stains on my teeth - I love tea - were gone. I couldn't believe it. I didn't use trays or lasers, just brushed them twice a day, OK once a day, but I also flossed, and in weeks my teeth are sparkling.

Whether your wedding date is around the corner or a few months away I highly recommend picking up a box at the drugstore and brush away. You can get one for your fiancé so his smile will be just as bright as yours.

They also told me about a rinse you can use to get your teeth cleaner and whiter. I asked them to send the recipe and I'll post it next week.

Commenting on a comment from yesterday's post: If you are going to wear a tank or tee with "Bridezilla" spelled out in crystals, lets clarify the term and who should really be wearing it.

A Bridezilla is someone who is mean and rude and abnormally demanding to her fiancé, vendors and family. The term has been used so much, you’d think every woman who wants her wedding to have a specific look is a bridezilla, and that’s not the case at all.

I personally believe that if you are mean and rude to people while planning your wedding, you’re probably like that in other parts of your life. Being a bride does not give you the right to treat others disrespectfully, and the truth is people aren’t going to want to help you if you’re not nice to them.

So, wherever you are in the planning process dust off those moody blues (they are not a something blue) and put a smile on your face when talking with vendors and especially with your parents and fiancé. After all, you wouldn’t have a wedding to plan without him, right?

To help you stay calm, cool and collected, read these articles for planning tips:

• Don't Be a Bridezilla: 8 Ways to Treat Your Bridesmaids
  
• What’s Your Wedding Style?


• Who’s Footing the Bill?


• Create a Wedding Day Emergency Kit

And for those brides who like being called a Bridezilla, talk with fellow ‘zillas at the Bridezillas Unite! Message Board.

Over the years I've learned quite a bit about wedding planning. Since 1999, I've worked as an assistant at Modern Bride, an editor at Martha Stewart Weddings and owned a wedding service business. I also planned my own wedding.

This blog was created to guide you, a future bride, through the wedding planning process including: my picks for top vendors, must-have products, wedding and honeymoon locations as well as words of wisdom.

From "I Will" to "I Do" will give you inside tips starting from the moment he slips that ring on your finger to beginning your new life together.

I'm very excited to take that journey with you.