Holiday Gifts For The Bride from the Practical to the Ridiculous

OK, I'm on my third cup of coffee and my mind is racing. I'm not ready for the holidays and I have to find a gift for a bride to be. So here's some ideas I've come up with and maybe while I'm brainstorming with my virtual world friends, I'll find the perfect gift.

The usual culprits: A gift card for the couple from their registry store. They get to choose what they want or what they need. Simple to pick up a gift card, not very imaginative, but very useful.

A frilly sexy nightie for the honeymoon.

A spa day if she's all stressed out.


Bridal Party Tees for a personalized tee shirt telling the world she's about to wed.

If the bride and groom have a great sense of humor:
a cake topper called the Love Pinch. From the front, its a traditional wedding
cake topper, from the back, woo hoo! I love it! This might be THE
gift.




Run for the hills when she opens this gift: A portable
Stripper Pole! Who knew you could actually buy something like this online? Cross that idea off my list, but I'm bookmarking the site because you never know. ;)

Wedding Blog of the Week

Just discovered a way cool wedding blog with a fresh perspective written by a friend. I am thrilled that Kerrie is sharing her finds and trends with all of us so please visit her blog. Kerrie has a knack for finding and ID-ing trends before they happen. How does she do it? I don't know. Where DID she find that?

Bridal Gown Blog has a cool slant on weddings. Not only is Kerrie a wedding industry pro, but she's a recent bride who had a fab, elegant, trendy, fun wedding!

Kerrie's managed to find the most fun, outrageous accessories that made her wedding freaking ah-mazing. She did a black and white polka dot theme with hot pink accents. She had a candy bar with personalized cookies using chinese take out containers. Yum. Ate the candy all the flight home...the plane hit turbulence, you could hear the black and pink candy jangling under the seat. The flight attendant had to come and check it out, we ended up sharing with everyone around us and still had candy stashed for later.

Kerrie also did a monogramed aisle cloth that was light years ahead of its time. And she wore three wedding dresses...well, one and a combo of two dresses. Read her story here: Confessions of A Three Dress Bride. What she didn't tell you is that the the designer of one of the dresses was a guest at her wedding. Actually, she designed the top of the tea length dress. When asked which dress she designed...she answered....I think the top of the reception dress. Don't hate me for spilling your secrets!
Go read Kerrie's blog. You'll love her.

Buy Your Wedding Dress in December and Save Money!

Now is the time to buy that wedding dress if you want to save
yourself a lot of cash. December is the doldrums in the bridal
industry. Bridal shops are willing to make a deal and eBay
has deals on CURRENT, NAME BRAND wedding dresses
at a fraction of retail.

Bridal shops have to make room for new inventory, pay
year end taxes and make payroll. Ask for a discount,
nicely, of course. Don't expect to get a wedding dress
for three grand for a hundred bucks, but make a
reasonable offer.They may offer to throw in some
freebies that you need like
a veil, tiara, crinoline or bra. Free is good, its money
in the bank in savings. Ask them "Is this the best you
can do on this dress? What if I take the sample on
the rack and pay today?" Smile, smile, smile!
Most will be willing to negotiate in this economy.
You'll have your dress, they'll have some cash flow.
Win/win situation.

eBay has great deals on wedding dresses just make
sure you are not buying a knock off from China.
If the deal is too good to be true, it probably
is...you can't buy a wedding dress for 97 cents.
Geeze, you can't buy a tee shirt for 97 cents. But
now is the time to snag that deal on a bargain
wedding dress.

Here are two sellers that I know personally that
are selling name brand dresses at a steal!
I can personally vouch for them both:

Name brand wedding dresses at a discount!
Casablanca current styles at below retail, other
famous name wedding dresses starting at $90!

Wedding dresses from $99.00. This seller has
a lot of couture dresses at give away prices.

Holiday Diet Tips & Fitting Into Your Wedding Dress

Dear Weddingzilla,

I am getting married in February. How
can I get through the holidays and not gain
weight? I'm freaking out that my wedding dress
won't fit!!
Abbie

Dear Abby,
We took your question to our diet guru, Eileen.
I would tell you to have fun and have your dress
let out, but Eileen has the inside scoop..so here
goes:

Abby: The number one diet busters at the holidays
are alcohol and sweets. If you avoid both of them,
you'll avoid large weight gains. But its not easy to
do, so here are some suggestions.

• Eat healthy low calorie foods before the party so you aren't tempted to over indulge.
• Nibble on fresh veggies at the party and avoid "over dipping" because the dips are laden with calories.
• Drink soda water, diet drinks or cut a glass of wine with club soda or diet soda like Sprite or 7Up. Less calories and you still get to enjoy a wine cooler.
  
• Pass on dishes with heavy creams, cheeses and heavy butter.
• Take smaller portions of whatever is tempting you at that moment so you won't feel deprived and over indulge later on.
• Have fresh fruit for desert.
  
• Exercise! Take a walk, ride a bike, hit the gym to work off any extra calories. Or get physical and play the Wii, some of the games give you a decent workout!

Easy weight loss that works! Eat FREE for 3 weeks!


Thanks Eileen... its Weddingzilla again.
Now here's my tip: It will cost you a lot
of $$$ and stress if your dress doesn't fit
as the wedding nears. Avoid the stress by
following Eileen's tips. If you fall off the
wagon at a holiday party, don't beat yourself
up, just don't repeat! Happy holidays!

Go Green: Recycle a Bridesmaid Dress Into a Holiday Dress

Its holiday time and you need a party dress
for the holidays and your budget is busted.
Join the crowd! Your closet can be your friend
and its easier than you think! Grab a bridesmaid
dress and think of how it can be redesigned
to fit the occasion. Dark colored dresses or
holiday colors are the best bets. Nix the
poofed rouched skirts, you'll never wear them
again except for a Halloween costume.

First, remove everything on the dress that looks
like a bridesmaid dress...get rid of the bows
and the streamers. Put the dress on and look
at how it would look shortened. Tuck it up or
get help from a friend to see how it would
look shortened. If you sew or someone you know
does, shorten it yourself. If you are afraid
to tackle it, take it to a seamstress. Its
a lot less expensive to pay for a hem than
to buy a new dress.

Does it have spaghetti straps?
Will it stay up without them? Remove them or
add straps to give it a different look.

Add great accessories! Lots of chain necklaces
or a bold necklace from your own collection,
a belt in place of the ribbon at the waistline,
cool shoes and bag. Voila...recycling, saving
a lot of money and you'll look like a million.

Weird Strange Wedding Dress, Its See Through!

I see England, I see France,
I see the brides under pants!
OMG, just when you think you've seen
it all, a designer from Spain designs
a completely see through wedding dress.
I love the interplay of sweet ruffles and
the bib on the front of the dress,
the virginal puffed sleeves and then
its completely see through!!!
I thought it was a costume from the Follies
Bergere can can scene...where the ladies
get naughty with their skirts. But, nooooo,
its a wedding dress!

Are you kidding me? You think you'll ever
see anything like this on the rack at the
bridal salon? Think it will ever be
mass produced?

I can picture the mother of the grooms face
just before she drops on the floor screaming.
Or the face of the officiant as the bride
walks down the aisle. Or the grooms face
as she prances down the aisle in front of
his grandmother and his buddies. This dress
won't pass muster even in granny panties and
granny's bra. Its ridiculous.

Line the damn thing and sell it to some
chick who set the clock back 20 years.
Those hi neck ruffly confections went out
with the 80's. Its a complete head
smacker! And now we know why the
model looks so pissed off....

Great Personalized Gifts For Him and the Groomsmen

Looking for an unusual gift for your man
or for the men in your life? What about
the groomsmen? We got turned on to this
web site called A Gift Personalized
that has the coolest, most unusual
gifts that are personalized and affordable.
I've ordered some for the men on my gift
list...none of them want ANOTHER sweater
or shirt and I am tired of beating my
head against the wall looking for ideas.
When I found this site, it was like Woo Hoo!
Here's a coupon to get you started:
Save $10 on engraved gifts when you spend $75. Use coupon 10off75.

Personalized Biker Bar Sign

Your biker buddies will appreciate this cruiser inspired personalized sign. Makes the perfect personalized gift for anyone who owns a bike or just wishes they did. Each design is printed directly onto the wood base for lasting quality. Measures 9" x 12". Personalized with first name, last name and year established.

Buy Now

Personalized Roadhouse Pub Sign

This roadhouse pub sign lets your guests know they can enjoy some rockin' music at your all-American establishment. Suitable for home or place of business, this colorful vintage sign on an imitation brick background includes name of owner and date. Measures 9" x 12". Personalized with first name, last name and year established.

Buy Now

NFL Shot Glass

Here's a new way to honor your favorite team! Shots taste great in this officially licensed NFL shot glass, available with all 32 NFL team logos imprinted on front. On the back of the heavy-duty glass, you'll find plenty of room for a name and a proclamation of his devotion to the team. Holds 2 ounces. Personalized with two lines of up to 15 characters per line.

Buy Now

Groomsmen Gifts. Free engraving, fast shipping, huge selection.