Blog Posts by Bridal Guide

The real deal on what was worth the extra dough and what wasn't.

Read this before you determine your wedding budget.

Worth the Splurge

• "I thought that the dress and flowers were worth spending a little extra on. I got to feel like the beautiful, perfect bride!" -Karen, Oakmont, PA
• "Instead of buying favors, we made a donation to the American Heart Association in honor of my husband's father who died from a heart attack five years ago. No one seemed to care that there weren't any favors, and I can't think of a better way to spend money than to give it to a good cause." -Beth, Pittsburgh, PA
• "We paid to extend the reception an extra hour. The added time with our family and friends was well worth it. And everyone was still in full party spirit up until the very last song was played!" -Emily, Pittsburgh, PA
• "I think it's worth splurging on a photographer and videographer who produce high-quality work. After the day is over, the photos and video are what you'll have to remember it. Nothing else lasts!"

Is Brad Pitt a groomzilla?

Everyone says wedding planning is a team effort. But Brad Pitt seems to disagree-he's taking charge of every aspect of Brangelina's wedding.

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie will reportedly marry this summer at a private chapel in the Chateau Miraval, the home in southern France they leased back in 2010, according to the New York Daily News.

Pitt seems serious about tying the knot so soon, having already spent 10 million pounds (that's roughly $16.2 million!) in order to restore the estate for the ceremony. The Moneyball star is also planning for an intimate and private setting. "He's even trying to organize an airplane landing site in the grounds for guests to come in by private jet, but that's proving to be tricky, what with permits and no-fly zones," says a source.

But Pitt won't stop there. "Brad's been tasting and looking up French dishes for weeks. He wants the perfect menu and, of course, the perfect wine to accompany it," says the source.

Pitt even asked

Finally, alone at last! Top experts offer their best tips for keeping your relationship hot and exciting long after the honeymoon!

One of the fabulous things about marrying your soul mate is experiencing a unique connection and level of familiarity. But when things are too comfortable in the bedroom, it can cause problems. "Before you're married, your sex life has little competition in your relationship," explains Debra Macleod, coauthor of Lube Jobs: A Woman's Guide to Great Maintenance Sex. "But after you're married, sex has to compete with conflicting schedules, money concerns, in-laws and eventually children. It takes a toll on your sex life, especially when compounded by the increase in sexual familiarity and the decrease in honeymoon hormones flowing through your veins!"

Though it's important to recognize that your love life will change over time, there's a lot you can do to maintain that spark. Here, tips for keeping things hot long past the honeymoon.

1. Reach Out

When you're a newlywed, sex is…how can we put it…really hot. But chances are that "we-can't-take-our-hands-off-each-other" feeling isn't going to be there at all times throughout your marriage. Just as there are natural ebbs and flows in life, your sex life will likely also experience ups and downs.

Now, don't panic! Just because the two of you might not always feel the same intensity as you did when you were first married doesn't necessarily mean you're no longer in love, or that sex will never be as satisfying again. In fact, the truth is quite the opposite, say relationship experts. These transitions are normal, even healthy, because they force couples to take stock of their union, and to make adjustments and changes that ultimately strengthen their sexual bond-and the marriage as a whole.

We've put together this "road map" for your sex life to help you ensure a fabulously satisfying sex life through your golden anniversary - and beyond.

Milestone: One Year

A good marriage requires a little bit of work. Experts report on love, intimacy and tricks to maintaining a balanced relationship.

Love Thy Body

A study reported in the Journal of Sex Research found that having a good body image may be the most powerful influence on your sex life. Women who perceive themselves as attractive are likelier to show an "increase in sexual response or activity" than women who don't, according to the researchers. And it doesn't seem to matter whether you're overweight, as long as you feel good about yourself. Are you inclined to be critical about your body? Forget about it-and you may end up initiating sex more frequently and getting more pleasure out of it, too. After all, you're marrying someone who finds you the sexiest thing ever, so you might as well agree with him and enjoy yourself to the max.

Marriage Myth

Women push for marriage, while guys drag their feet, right? Nope. A study at the Centers for Disease Control and

For many brides, the transition from "I" to "we" doesn't come naturally. So we consulted the experts for ways to steady yourself as you make the leap. Their advice: See your engagement period as a "trial run" for adjusting to your new status.

Of course, becoming a "Mrs." doesn't mean you will abandon your independence completely. You will still be an individual, with your own career, interests and relationships. But in your new role as a partner in marriage, your husband's needs and desires will factor into almost everything you do. Part of building a successful marriage is recognizing, appreciating and embracing this new role without losing touch with the single woman you were before. It's a balancing act.

Here, 5 ways to have a happy marriage without losing yourself.

Prepare to Share

"The first step in all of this is beginning to feel married," says Judith Coché, Ph.D., a marriage and family therapist and director of The Coché Center in Philadelphia. And that

As much as I love hearing (and playing) the hottest tracks of today, there's a timeless element to the classic songs that came out in the 1950s & '60s that a lot of modern music lacks. Growing up as an 80s baby, I was exposed to a lot of this older music when they were reprised in movies and TV shows that I enjoyed as a kid. I had no idea who Tom Jones was until Carlton Banks broke out his now infamous "Carlton Dance" to "It's Not Unusual" on "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air". Nor did I know at the time that Eddie Murphy's Prince Akeem character in "Coming to America" was singing a real song as he roamed the streets of New York madly in love. My inner music nerd later did some research and found out that there was a guy named Jackie Wilson who sang that same awesome song "To Be Loved" in the 1950s.

My appreciation for these older classics can add a nice touch to any wedding, for young and old alike. With these classic retro songs, the older guests can reminisce to when they were

Kazzie Emrich's wedding was perfect from start to finish, and she was thrilled to begin a new chapter of her life with her husband, Bill. "But once we got home from our honeymoon, I began to feel an overwhelming sadness that this amazing event I'd spent almost a year planning was over," says the Chicago resident. "It was especially hard for me to attend weddings, showers and bachelorette parties, which I did a lot during my first year of marriage. Just seeing the giddiness of the brides made me feel sad-and envious. I even thought about my own mortality. As a girl, I had dreamed about my wedding and seen that day as a major life event that would happen way in the future. But now that it was over, it felt like an ending. The worst of the sadness lasted six months, but even now, three years later, I still haven't thrown away my unused invitations, and my bouquet is still hanging in the kitchen, where I had placed it to dry out."

These feelings-you can call them the "bridal blues"-are