Finally my A to Z Wedding Series is complete! I had so much fun writing them all,and hearing your comments on each one!! Thank you so much for the feedback, it made the series more interesting!!

A :: Apple Green

B :: Blusher

C :: Chinese Parasol

D :: Dogs

E :: Engagement Pictures

F :: Fruit

G :: Guestbook

H :: Help

I :: Ice Cream Bar

J :: Jumping

K :: Kids

L :: Lace

M :: Mini Dress

N :: Napkins

O :: Oh No!  When Things Don’t Go As Planned

P :: Polka Dots

Q :: Quirky

R :: Rain

S :: Sparklers

T :: Trash the Dress

U :: Urban Chic Wedding

V :: Vintage Wedding

W :: Wine Themed Weddings

X :: X-ercise

Y :: Yellow Weddings

Z :: Zebra Theme Wedding

Which posts were your favorites?!

An easy detail to introduce this pattern with is your shoes!  Something that is mostly hidden, but when it peeks through, your personality will shine with your fabulous choice of shoes!!

Introduce the pattern from the beginning with your invitations.  Don’t be afraid to have fun with it, adding colors such as red seen below!

Table decorations can be as simple as zebra escort cards…

Or as elaborate as full zebra linens and fun centerpieces to enhance the experience…

Add this pattern to other small details in order to help your guests see your wild side while maintaining a level of elegance throughout the wedding.

I have changed my way of thinking when it comes to animal prints being used in weddings!  I want to hear what you all think about this theme … Is it appropriate at a wedding?

Sources: Epherera Blog, 888 Bridal, Paperlicious, Hostess Blog, Le Cupcake, Pink Cake Box

These bouquets tie in with the black using ribbons around the stems and small black roses throughout the bouquet.  The black allows the yellow to stand out, not overwhelming it but adding to it.

These cakes from Josefs Vienna Bakery are yummy examples of a modern black and yellow and a softer pastel and pearls wedding cake.

All of these J. Crew dresses offer a different style but the same happy shade of yellow.  Let your bridesmaids choose a style that they feel comfortable in, while keeping the material consistent.  My favorite is the last dress shown that has a yellow and grey pattern.  I think this year we will see a lot more brides breaking the norm, and choosing dresses that have patterns for their bridal party.  Another idea would be to let your maid of honor sport the pattern dress while your bridesmaids wear the solids, allowing another way for your maid of honor to stand out!!

One detail that is not always seen by your guests, but makes your pictures look fantastic is when you are able to find fun colored shoes to help complete your style.  Either of these shoes would look fantastic under your dress.  If your bridesmaids are wearing black cocktail dresses, consider having them wear yellow pumps to add a pop of color.

Yellow weddings are über trendy right now!  You will find a lot of inspiration boards for yellow and grey which look fabulous together and are hot colors for 2009.  So many combinations can be put together with this cheerful color! It will brighten your event and hopefully bring sunshine to your wedding day

Source: Charmingly Chic, Next Exit, J. Crew, Smart Bride Blog, Josef’s Vienna Bakery

Since I am encouraging you to keep eating a regular diet, and I am guessing, like most brides, you still want to possibly lose a few pounds, I am highly recommending exercise!!  Trust me, I know most of you avoid exercise like the plague, and hate the mere thought of having to run in place on a treadmill for over 10 minutes.  The key to exercise is finding what activities you enjoy and focusing on those.  First determine if you enjoy group activities such as yoga and cycling or if you prefer to work out alone on the treadmill and free weights.

Every magazine, blog or website will share a different “bridal bootcamp” to get you into shape. Pick what works best for you, don’t overdo it and remember that your fiance thinks you are beautiful both inside and out no matter what workout/diet you do.

Here are a couple of really great ways I have found that help keep track of your progress:

Wii Fit

Wii Fit offers a range of activities from relaxing yoga, to fun balancing games, to serious strength exercise.  I think one of the best opportunities is the daily body test.  It gives you a consistent record of your BMI and body weight with finally giving you a Wii Fit age.  Knowing that on any given day your weight will fluctuate for whatever reason, if you continue this long term you will begin to see trends.  It is constant reminder of eating healthy including interesting tips on how to continually improve your health.  Highlights for me are the 10 minute hula hoop (you will be surprised at the ab work that you do!) and the free run.  Instead of sitting on the couch I will turn on the 30 minute free run and then switch over to my favorite TV shows and jog in the living room while watching.  It beats sitting on the couch all night!

Lose It

Lose It is an iPhone application that allows you to input your weight goals and then allocates how many calories a day you should eat to reach those goals at a healthy rate.  You are able to put in all of the food you eat during the day and the exercise you do!  The great thing about this application is in most situations you always have your phone with you.  So after breakfast, lunch and dinner it is simple to quickly input the food and not have to think about it the rest of the day!

CAVEAT:  You do not need to go out and buy wii fit if your wedding is in 8 months or purchase an iPhone to keep track of your calorie intake.  These are ways that I have found and use that are fun and work for me.  Find what you will remember to do consistently!

Here are a few articles I found on brides, dieting and exercise. Enjoy!!  Do what you need to do to look and feel FABULOUS on your wedding day, but please do it in a healthy way!!

Why Some Brides Go to Extremes

Slimming Down for your Big Day

These water pictures are beautiful, their dresses spread out and seem weightless.

If you aren’t looking to trash your dress alone, get your new husband involved and have fun ruining your wedding clothes together!

I think it would be fun when all of your close group of friends are married to have a “Trash the Dress” party and all chip in on a top photographer to take pictures trashing your dresses together!

Many photographers are really beginning to embrace these trash the dress photo sessions.  They allow you to really dig deep and pull out your personality and creativity! Check with your photographer, even if they have never had a trash the dress session before, maybe he or she will do it for a discount to help build their portfolio.  You never know until you ask

What are your thoughts on trashing your wedding dress? Would you be willing to wear it into the ocean?

Sources: Wed Pix, Indigo Charlotte, The Knot

At night these sparklers create such a dramatic effect leaving you with breathtaking pictures!  I suggest informing your photographer that you plan on using sparklers for your exit so they can come prepared with the proper night gear and flash that they need to get the best possible picture.  A great idea to help save money in your budget is to also use these as your favors!  I would suggest tying up five or so sparklers with a cute lighter and leaving it at each place setting.  After they use the one for your exit, they can take the rest home with the lighter!

Make sure you plan the exit in a large enough area to fit all of your guests comfortably with still leaving a wide enough aisle for you and your dress to make it safely through the sparks!  Although sparklers are simple fireworks you still have to be careful while celebrating that you aren’t waving the sparkler around when you are close to other guests!  These are still potentially dangerous so make sure kids are watched while using them and you keep them away from all flammable materials!  When your reception venue tells you they don’t allow rice or rose petals get creative…and consider using sparklers to celebrate you big day!!

Sources: The Knot, Dallas Brides, Sparkle

My outlook on rain is that it is one of the few things you have no control over, so don’t let it stress you out.  I admit: I was one of the many brides who checked the weather once a day, every day, two weeks prior to the wedding (OK, so maybe it was three times a day).  But considering it stormed all morning on my wedding day and cleared up to be hot and humid for the ceremony- I learned my lesson well!

There are two things that can help prepare you for rain on your wedding day: an adorable umbrella and unique rainboots.  My opinion is, if it is going to rain, you might as well remember it with great pictures!! Here are a few examples of how brides kept a positive attitude on their rainy wedding day!!

The red umbrella creates a picture-perfect opportunity on a rainy day!

Why let the rain ruin your day? Just soak it up!!

Don’t let it figuratively rain on your day!  Always remember, when the day is over, you will be married and on your way to your honeymoon—hopefully somewhere sunny and warm!!!

To help you plan for rain, check out these two great sites:

I love the umbrellas at Bella Umbrella and the rain boots at What a Pair.

You have one day for your wedding…don’t let a little water make it anything less than unforgettable!!

Sources: Adrienne Maples Photography, Bride Net, Elizabeth Anne Designs

Rock n’ Roll Bride is a blog I read that truly highlights brides’ and grooms’ individual styles.  The weddings featured here show these quirky aspects of weddings and how much fun you can have when you get creative with the details of your day!  I love reading this blog and am inspired daily to think outside of the box from the typical weddings I’ve seen.

I think it is easy to see pictures and attend weddings that creates a picture of what a wedding is “supposed” to be like.  There is a lot of talk about tradition that surrounds weddings and everyone wants to do it the correct way.  I strongly believe that there is no such thing as a “right” wedding, which is why i adore Rock n’ Roll bride so much!  It encourages not sticking with the status quo and bringing your own ideas into your day. For example, every groomsman I have worked with has complained about the shoes that come with the tux… why put yourself through pain… check out these fun shoes the group decided to wear!!

These are a few of the many unconventional pictures you can find at Rock n’ Roll Bride’s blog that is proof of how getting away from the norm can create a wedding that belongs to just you! Send me picture of your details that made your wedding unforgettably yours!

Source  Rock n’ Roll Bride

I believe you can create a theme around polka dots for your wedding, just be careful not to overdue it!  I think you will have the best results by first choosing a main color scheme, and then adding in polka dot patterns in details where it isn’t expected!  Examples of this is finding shoes that sport the pattern or have your fiancee wear a tie as shown below.

I love when florists use polka dot ribbon to wrap the bouquet, another simple but eye catching addition to your wedding!

If you want to make a more dramatic statement with your polka dot theme you can have the bridesmaid dresses, cake and invitations covered with cheerful dots! I adore this pink J. Crew polka dot dress I saw at DC Nearlyweds!

As I mentioned earlier, this theme is playful and exciting for your guests.  Plan out the details that you want to add polka dots to and have fun with it!

I can not finish a blog on polka dots without mentioning Australia’s Polka Dot Bride!  Her blog is not only inspirational but it will give you so many ideas for stylish additions to your wedding!

Sources: Apple Cellar Bakery, Amy Carroll Photography, Katie and Ryan’s Wedding, Bizarre Wedding Flowers, Huckleberry Karen Blog, Favor Studio, DC Nearlyweds

Worst case scenario— You are in the middle of saying your beautifully written out vows, and you feel everyone looking at you. The outside heat of the hot June day is finally getting to you…and you faint! I promise, at the end of the day, you will still be married. (I am speaking from first-hand experience!)  I think my favorite comment was “You looked so graceful falling into your dress”! Let’s be honest, I scared 250 of my friends and family to death.  I could have very easily let my embarrassment get the best of me and let my wedding day be ruined, but I didn’t.  I came to, made a joke about it, and continued on with the ceremony. I was determined to make it to the final kiss, (whether I remembered the ceremony or not!)  My friends’ comments that night consisted of “that was the most exciting wedding I have ever been to” (from the male guests of course), and “I can’t believe how well you handled the situation”.

That’s the key to this story: dealing with obstacles when they don’t go as planned on your wedding day… It is all about how you handle the situation!  In every couple’s wedding I have coordinated, something unplanned has happened (whether the bride and groom know about it or not).  You either realize that at the end of the day you will still be married despite the mishaps, or you join the “bridezilla” club and let it rain on your parade.  I would guarantee that the majority of brides you ask will have their own horror story to tell and they all lived through it.  Someone will show up late because of traffic, it will rain, the guys’ tuxes won’t fit, or the cake will melt due to the heat. Deep breaths…

Ideas to help you relax during the planning process and when the big day finally arrives:

1. Always remember the goal of the day: To marry the man of your dreams
2. Plan what you can, Prepare for the worst
3. Go on dates with your fiancee – enjoy the love you share
4. Hang up your cell phone…or give it away to someone you trust
5. Learn and practice Yoga
6. Ask for Help!!!