To Have and To Hold

Carry all

Courtesy of Stephanie Johnson

It's very important that the morning of the wedding the bride has all of her beauty essentials—brushes and blushes, shadows and sprays—in one convenient place. Don't just throw your beauty tools in a shopping bag, organize them so you can find everything with ease. There's no need for extra stress on your big day, right?

Pick up a stylish toiletry bag and prepare it the week before (not the morning of or the night before) the wedding with everything you know you'll need and some extra just-in-case items. We recommed the ML Traveler bag by Stephanie Johnson. In addition to being extremely stylish, it contains several clear pouches and sections so you can easily organize all of your beauty supplies and see them too! The design featured here is Tribeca, but the ML Traveler is available in several patterns. —Anne Chertoff

Wedding Wisdom: If you're leaving for the airport directly from the wedding, ask your wedding planner or a bridesmaid to toss your cosmetic/toiletry bag in your carry-on or luggage when you're done with it and you can use the bag, and what's inside, on your honeymoon.

I Will/I Won't

Would you ever fire a bridesmaid?

Isabel Garcia

Still searching for the perfect bridesmaid dress for your 'maids? View hundreds of designs in our Bridesmaid Dress Photo Gallery

Celebrity Insider

Bull's eye

Not everyone walked away with a medal at this summer's Olympics. Some athletes walked away with a fiance too.

South Korea's top male and female archers announced that they've been struck by Cupid's arrow. Medal winners Park Kyung-mo and Park Sung-hyun, who led the women's team to a gold medal, announced their engagement just as the games were coming to an end. The two met while training for the Olympics and surprised coaches and team mates at a local Beijing restaurant. —Anne Chertoff

To Have and to Hold

Double duty

Courtesy of Bakerella

You've heard of saving time and money by having centerpieces double as wedding favors, so why not do the same at your bridal shower? Having a favor act as a decoration is a great way for your bridesmaids to simplify the shower planning. These cupcakes will make your bridal shower decorations really pop—the delicious treats double as a centerpiece and dessert. Created by Angie Dudley of Bakerella, the miniature cupcakes are surprisingly easy to make. On her blog, Angie gives a step by step account of how she shapes the balls with a cookie cutter and then dips them in two candy coating colors. "The lollipops sticks send them over the edge of cuteness," Angie says. Check out bakerella.com for more versions of her whimsical cupcake pops. —Kathryn Papanek

To Have and to Hold

Gifts for the girls

Courtesy of Debra Sephard

I saw these Debra Shepard earrings at a gift show last week and immediately thought that they would make ideal bridesmaid presents. Created with Swarovski crystals, the "threader" earrings are designed to be light and comfortable. Instead of a post backing, each earring has a thin chain threads through your piecing. The result? Playful, fun earrings that your bridesmaids will definitely wear again. Best of all, you don't have to break the bank to give your girls great gifts: the earrings range from about $50 to $100 at debrashepard.com. —Kathryn Papanek

Wedding Wisdom: Your bridesmaid gift does not have to be something to wear on your wedding day. You can buy each 'maid a personal gift that you think each one will appreciate. If you do decide to get everyone the same item, you can easily personalize it by monogramming it with their initials.

To Have and to Hold

Take-home treats

Courtesy of Godiva

Go-to cake connoisseur, Sylvia Weinstock, and luxury chocolate giant, Godiva, have teamed up to create the ultimate in individual wedding cakes that your guests can take home as favors. These new absolutely delicious (and entirely adorable) milk chocolate confections are filled with chocolate and vanilla ganache and are topped with a flower design. Packaged in an elegant box, these mini desserts would make perfect favors for an elegant shower, and with Sylvia Weinstock's trademark eyeglasses as the box's seal of approval, it is sure to be a favorite for all of your guests. $20 for a set of four, godiva.com. —Cari Wolfert

Wedding Wisdom: If you are having your party outside in warm weather, make sure to keep these treats, or any other meltable favor, indoors before giving them out to your guests.

To Have and to Hold

Pillow talk

Courtesy of Anna Whitford

We love these ring cushions (pillows) from Anna Whitford, and had the hardest time picking just one style to run with this post. They are all so lovely. Anna, a British fashion and interior designer, just launched this new line and can customize the colors of both the pillow and flower to fit your wedding's color palette. Because they are made and shipped from the UK, they retail for about $100.

The design featured here is named Cream Primrose and is made from soft faux suede hand sculpted on a matching cream silk dupion. The underlying petals are made from soft pink felt and the rings are tied in the center with a coordinating satin ribbon. Click here to see Anna's complete ring pillow collection. —Anne Chertoff

5 Questions with...

Michael Shettel of Alfred Angelo

Courtesy of Alfred Angelo

Style, color and trends—Alfred Angelo designer Michael Shettel shares his best wedding fashion tips for brides and bridesmaids. —Cari Wolfert

As a bridesmaid, how can you show your individual style when you are wearing the same dress as the rest of the wedding party?

First and foremost the day is all about the bride so try to keep your personality and flair under wraps. If you want to show some of your own individuality, sport a sexy bra and panties, or wear your own signature scent. This is a time to celebrate a good friend and share this amazing moment of her life.

What is the most popular color in bridesmaid dresses? Why do you think it is that color?

Navy, black and espresso are our top selling colors. These colors create an elegant and formal feel, plus they are simple and classic which means they can absolutely can be worn again...read the full entry

Brides are Talking

If you could change one thing about your wedding...

...what would it be? This week in our Brides.com Forums brides who have already said their "I dos" talk about what they wished they had done differently. Take a look at what brides are saying now:

Some brides wished they trusted their instincts. "I never would have let my cousin make-up my face!" says RanAway2Maine. "I don't wear make-up and immediately after the ceremony and before the pictures, I ran to the ladies' room and removed all of it."

Others thought they should have taken more time to enjoy their celebrations. "I would have eaten. I spent days picking out a delicious menu and didn't get to eat any of it," says Nocturnius. "Not even a chocolate dipped strawberry."

And some brides had no regrets. "My wedding was everything I wanted. The only things I would have changed were very superficial and unimportant," says Fitzer. "I didn't stress out about the little things."

Save the Date

Bid for a $47,500 wedding on eBay

Courtesy of GLAAD

Want to celebrate your marriage in style while helping couples everywhere? The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) is teaming up with vendors across San Francisco to auction a $47,500 wedding package to benefit the organization's work toward marriage equality. The package includes a ceremony for up to 100 guests at the artistic Contemporary Jewish Museum, wedding bands from Shreve & Co. and a cake by star chef Elizabeth Falkner. You'll also receive an over-the-top honeymoon in Napa, with two night's stay at a cottage at The Carneros Inn, a private tasting at a local winery and more. Check out the complete wedding details and place your bid on eBay today through August 25. —Kathryn Papanek