by Brides
Want to save money on your party without skimping on style? Serve a couple of signature cocktails instead of stocking a full bar. They look gorgeous-and it's another amazing way to infuse your party with thematic details. We asked the pros at Pinch Food Design to create six concoctions to ignite your party and impress the foodie crowd. Hosting a chic, countryside affair? Try a Bacon-Maple Manhattan. A Latin-inspired fête? Shake up a Tipsy Horchata. Cheers!
Why not get your daily workout done at home? These 10 fitness DVDs will help you strengthen, tone, improve flexibility, and slim down your body-most in as few as 20 minutes a day. Whether you want to dance, lift weights, or tackle Pilates for the first time, we've found a great way for you to get in amazing shape.
More from Brides:
Modern Lace Wedding Dresses
Our Favorite Celebrity Engagement Rings
25 Wedding Hairstyles Inspired by Celebrities
The Most Beautiful Cakes in America
Courtesy of Kate Bosworth via Twitter
by Phillip B. Crook, Brides
Actress Kate Bosworth announced via Twitter on Tuesday that she is engaged to Michael Polish, the 41-year-old director she began dating a year ago. "This photo was taken by my husband-to-be!," Bosworth, 29, tweeted in reference to the black-and-white shot above. "Thank you all for the wonderful engagement wishes... We feel truly blessed."
Related: 11 Things You Should Never Do Before Your Wedding
Front and center in the photo is the vintage-inspired engagement ring Bosworth had been sporting on her right hand since calling Polish "my fiance" in a travel blog she penned for Vogue.com-so it's likely that Polish popped the question while they vacationed in Seoul, South Korea. The two met while working together on Polish's forthcoming movie "Big Sur," which tells the story of Beat poet and novelist Jack Kerouac's three brief trips to a cabin in California.
More from Brides:
Modern Lace Wedding Dresses
Our Favorite Celebrity Engagement Rings
Beauty blunders are a major hassle, but on your wedding day they can lead to complete chaos. What do you do if you wake up with puffy eyes? What happens if you snag a run in your stocking on the way to the ceremony? What do you do if your engagement ring gets stuck on the wrong hand? Not to worry. We asked several noted wedding planners to weigh in on how to solve 15 of the most common wedding-day beauty emergencies. Their answers range from genius quick fixes (who knew safety pins were so handy?) to solutions a bit more complicated.
More from Brides:
Modern Lace Wedding Dresses
Our Favorite Celebrity Engagement Rings
25 Wedding Hairstyles Inspired by Celebrities
The Most Beautiful Cakes in America
Whether they're trailing yards of roses or framed by a cloud of blue tulle, these wedding dresses bring the romance of the garden inside. Captured at an abandoned mansion in Hudson, New York (after two rained-out photo shoots!), the ethereal, floral-inspired gowns are proof that you can create a sense of springtime whimsy wherever you hold your wedding-even when the weather is less than obliging.
More from Brides:
Modern Lace Wedding Dresses
Our Favorite Celebrity Engagement Rings
25 Wedding Hairstyles Inspired by Celebrities
The Most Beautiful Cakes in America
Getty Imagesby Lisa Birnbach, Brides
We asked The Official Preppy Handbook's Lisa Birnbach to field your bridal dilemmas about wedding gift registry.
Related: 11 Things You Should Never Do Before Your Wedding
My fiancé and I already live together and own all of the things that a bride and groom would typically ask for. Can we ask guests for money to put toward our honeymoon instead of gifts? -Megan E. of Traverse City, Mich., via Facebook
Related: The Top 20 Honeymoon Resorts in the US
Dear Megan,
Registering for gifts is de rigueur, so you probably should register for a few items (surely you can use another carafe or picture frame?), just to give your guests the option. Wanting cash is fine, but banks don't offer cash registries yet, as far as I know. Instead, have friends direct your guests to sites like honeyfund.com and honeymoonwishes.com, which allow you to register for your big trip. Don't forget to share pictures when you return!
More from Brides:
Fairchild Archiveby the editors of Brides
Given the recent bad behavior of one Miss Taylor Swift and her Kennedy beau, Connor, we asked the editors at Brides how to best handle an unwanted wedding guest.
Related: 11 Things You Should Never Do Before Your Wedding
Deciding how best to handle wedding crashers begins with determining what kind of crashers you're dealing with:
Are they Taylor Swift and Conor Kennedy?
The adorable country chanteuse and her boyfriend recently crashed Kyle Kennedy's wedding. (Not cool, T-Swizzle, not cool.) Turns out Conor had been invited but had never RSVP'd nor been allotted a plus one-instead he texted Victoria Gifford Kennedy, the mother of the bride, an hour before the ceremony asking if he and his new superstar girlfriend could come. She said no-but the pair showed up anyway.
Considering the circumstances, we think the way Victoria handled things (i.e., asking them to leave) was appropriate. But if a delinquent RSVPer or an uninvited plus
Read More »from What is the Best Way to Handle a Wedding Crasher?
KT Merry
by Lisa Birnbach, Brides
We asked The Official Preppy Handbook's Lisa Birnbach to field your bridal dilemmas. Listen up, ladies. Her tips will help you keep your sanity-and your friendships-intact.
Related: 11 Things You Should Never Do Before Your Wedding
Is it okay to have a maid and matron of honor? Would they need to have different gowns from the bridesmaids and/or each other? -Breanna S. of Pelham, N.Y.
Related: The Top 20 Honeymoon Resorts in the US
Dear Breanna,
I was a maid of honor for my college roommate, and her older, married sister was her matron of honor. I was extremely honored by her designation. We wore matching dresses, identical to the other bridesmaids', and that was-and is-perfectly fine. Your idea will make both ladies feel important-and they can share responsibility for planning your bachelorette party. Win-win!
by Dana Wood, Brides
Lots of people want a touch of just-back-from-Ibiza radiance. But while a spray tan can be fraught with peril (streaks! spots! pumpkin-colored palms!), liquid and powder bronzers put you firmly in control of your beauty destiny.
More from Brides:
Modern Lace Wedding Dresses
Our Favorite Celebrity Engagement Rings
25 Wedding Hairstyles Inspired by Celebrities
The Most Beautiful Cakes in America
This fall, the Musée d'Orsay in Paris celebrates "Impressionism and Fashion," and we're inspired! The romantic pastel hues and soft, visible brushstrokes of Renoir, Manet, and Cézanne translate perfectly to a thousand wedding details. Our mood board channels the art movement with hand-painted place cards, mini cakes modeled after Monet's Water Lilies, and a wedding gown that evokes Degas' ballerinas. The effect? Pure genius.
