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Five brides are competing to be the Modern Bride of the Year and grace the cover of Modern Bride magazine. Not a finalist? You still have a chance to win something: how about a $2,000 Macy's gift card?

That would certainly help with your wedding budget. Five ways you could spend a $2,000 gift card at Macy's:

1. Your dress - Macy's offers a nice selection of affordable wedding dresses.
2. Wedding party gifts - You could buy some nice "thank you" gifts for your brides maids.
3. Groom's gift - Surprise your groom with a thoughtful item just for him.
4. Housewares - Think of the great home or kitchen gadgets you could get.
5. Honeymoon - Buy yourself a nice honeymoon wardrobe.

We're certain there are many more ways to enjoy $2,000 at Macy's. So go ahead and enter the contest. Maybe you'll be a lucky winner!

Have you ever wanted to grace the cover of a bridal magazine? One bride will get to do just that when CBS and Modern Bride announce the winner of the Modern Bride of the Year contest.

Almost 2,500 women entered the contest, and now it's down to five finalists. Antonia Van der Meer, editor of Modern Bride, says the magazine is looking for a cover-worthy bride, someone who exemplifies the modern bride.

The Early Show announces the winner today. And if you'd like to see the five finalists, take a look at the video (below) where Harry Smith, Lara Spencer and Antonia Van der Meer introduce the women and showcase five different wedding looks.

The contest winner will be featured on the December/January issue of Modern Bride magazine.

This week we brought you Do It Yourself (DIY) weddings. One of the great things about doing it yourself is the money you can save. And who else knows what you want better than you do? Here are the things we found for you:

Picture your wedding for a moment. You and your groom, standing in front of friends and family, repeating heartfelt vows to each other. Suddenly, the back of your dress drops out and you're exposed for the whole audience to see. Sounds like a bridal nightmare doesn't it?

That exact scenario happened to an Italian bride, and now she's suing the dress designer. Her $4,000 dress fell apart, embarrassing her in front of everyone she knew. The suit she's bringing includes moral and financial damages, totaling almost $40,000.

Are you getting a dress made for your wedding? Here's how you can avoid a scene like that.

1. Get recommendations. Find out who else has used your seamstress. Ask for references and see if they were happy with the end product.
2. Watch out for cheap products. If the price is too-good-to-be-true, it probably is. You want affordable, not cheap. A cheap dress with shoddy workmanship can only spell trouble.
3. Examine prior work. Ask to see some of the work they've done previously. Look closely at the stitching, especially in stress areas. Give the seams a light tug (don't yank the item, just give a gentle pull). Are the seams and stitching nice and snug? Is the stitching neat and tidy? Attention to detail means your seamstress takes pride in her work.
4. Get a final fitting. Make sure you get that final fitting on your dress and look closely at the work. It should be pretty obvious if something's not right, like such poor stitching that the back of the dress could fall out!

We're not really sure how the bride didn't notice such poor work that her dress fell apart. But with some simple precautions on your part, you should be able to avoid the same fate and truly enjoy your day.

Image: copyright Becky Scott

Of course you want to have music at your reception. Who doesn't? The biggest question is whether you want to have a live band, or a DJ. Which will it be?

A live band is great. It can provide a sophisticated, upscale feel at your reception. Who doesn't love a live band? But be careful. Ask yourself the following:

• Do they play the type of music you and your guests will like?
• Do they have a large enough repertoire to satisfy you and your guests?
• Is your reception venue big enough to accommodate a band?
• Will a band fit your budget?

A DJ can provide great entertainment, too. And with the right DJ, you'll have a wider range of music than with a band. Can a band go from country to funk to soul, if that's what you want? A DJ can. But before you decide, think about these things:

• Do you want a DJ who just plays music and that's it, or do you want a "personality" to entertain the guests?
• Will a DJ play the music you want, or just what he likes?
• Will a DJ fit your budget?
• If you tell her NOT to play the chicken dance, will she listen?

There is no wrong choice when it comes to a band vs. a DJ. It just comes down to what works for you.

Image: tanjazz (CC)

Are you a fan of elves and fairy tales and epic fantasy adventures? If you're thinking of having a fantasy wedding then we found some great jewelry just for you.

While perusing Etsy, as we are wont to do, we saw some exquisite handmade jewelry. Okay, when haven't we found gorgeous things on Etsy? But we immediately fell in love with the items in Thyme2dream's shop. It's easy to see that she's a big fan of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Her interpretations of elven and fairy jewelry are simply beautiful.

We grabbed some examples for you, including some tiaras and circlets, ear cuffs, and hair combs. You must see the detail to understand how gorgeous her work is. And all of her items are extremely affordable. Even if you're on a tight budget you can find something to suit your needs. Go on, check it out!



Items mentioned in this post can be purchased at Thyme2dream.etsy.com.

This week it was all about the theme wedding. Renaissance weddings, to be exact. Let's take a look at what we've found for you:

Staying true to a theme can sometimes be hard, especially when there's a lot of varying information about what's authentic for the time period. Jewelry has changed so much over the centuries, it's not easy to find accurate information. But we think you can come pretty close to historical accuracy, if you so choose.

To find Renaissance-period jewelry, look for a local Ren Faire. While not everything there will be exact replicas of the era's jewelry, you can find some pieces that will appear close - at least close enough for your guests not to know the difference.

If you use a search engine to find retailers, try searching for "Renaissance wedding jewelry" for the best results. And we found a few companies that might suit your jewelry needs as well:

• Sapphire & Sage
• Unique Creations
• Sapphire Lane
• Renstore.com

If you are planning an authentic Renaissance wedding, you'll want to think about the food you'll serve at the reception.

Foods at a Renaissance wedding feast would have included goose, venison, quail, fish, mutton, roasted boar, tarts and custards, cheeses, nuts, and fruits (those found wild like pears, quinces, and strawberries). Drinks included ale, mead, water, beer, and wine.

If you want to stay close to your theme, think about serving some of these items. Of course, if you really want to be genuine, your guests will have to eat with their fingers, and you'll want to provide finger bowls so they can clean their hands before and after eating. You might want to warn your guests if you're going to be that authentic, though.

San Diego is not only a perfect wedding city, it's great for your honeymoon, too. With great weather, gorgeous sandy beaches, and lots of great places to visit, you can't go wrong. If you're into trendy places and want a sophisticated, elegant venue, take a look at the Ivy Hotel.

Featured in Condé Nast Traveler's 2008 "Hot List," the Ivy has what you need to plan your wedding. Their rooftop area has city and ocean views. You can use their wedding planner to help get things in order for your big day. And when you book a room for your wedding night, they'll provide you a butler.

The trendy night club, Envy, can host your bachelorette party. If you really want to go crazy, though, the Star Suite has king-sized bunk beds, a group-sized shower, and a performance pole. You know, for all of the crazy pole dancing you'll be doing. And if you seriously want to dance, well, they even offer pole dancing lessons.

If you view the last days before your wedding as a time to let loose, then some of that crazy stuff may be right for you. But if you prefer to keep it more mellow, you can still take advantage of their ballrooms or use the rooftop for its amazing views.

Take a look at the gallery for a few pictures and ideas.

Sometimes it's hard to remember whether contrasting colors are okay or which colors are complimentary. And which colors sit opposite each other on the color wheel? What colors are on the color wheel, anyway? If you need a little help, take a look at the Color Studio at Brides.com.

A spin of the color wheel will yield you a sample color combo. Spin again and again to find different ideas. You can restrict the color choices to a particular palette if, say, you know you want blues. It's like a video game - keep spinning until you see something you like!

It's a great way to play with several different color combinations. But it is definitely random. You can't tell it to choose two colors to complement the red you found, unless you want to keep spinning the wheel until it comes up. So while it does have a few minor imperfections, it's still a great place to start, especially if you're not even sure what colors you want for your reception.

We sat down with Jonathon Morgan from Styledash to talk about his recent adventures in getting ordained. His close friend, Tim, asked him to preside over Tim's wedding to Jenny. Jonathon was honored, yet a little surprised. He researched online ordination, got ordained, and performed the ceremony for his friends. He wrote about the before and after on his site, and later we talked a bit more about the experience.

We read your blog about when Tim asked you to preside over his wedding. Did you ever find out if he knew you weren't ordained when he asked you?

Oh he knew. We're pretty close friends, and I'm sure he assumed I wouldn't be a representative of any spiritual organization that took itself very seriously. :)

It sounds like it took you a bit by surprise - had he given you any inkling at all?

No, not in the slightest. I knew the ceremony was happening, but up until that point had understood it was only for immediate family.

Just about any bride who has dreamed of a designer dress has heard of Vera Wang. She is one of the top wedding gown designers. And for good reason - her designs are full of interesting details.

Many of us can't afford a Vera Wang gown for our weddings. But if you could hear her take on things like wedding accessories, gowns, and registries, wouldn't you want to? Well, you can.

This week, Vera Wang is guest blogging at Brides.com. She's introducing her new site, Vera Wang on Weddings. It's designed to "replicate a bridal boutique experience with an online bridal registry, unique content, gown and maid's gallery, and interactive wedding planning."

Make sure you check out Vera's posts. Here are links to Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Then, check out her new site. We'd love to hear what you think.

Some of us are, well, color-challenged. We know what colors we like, but we're not always sure that this color goes with that one. There's a tool that proposes to help you with that.

Over at My Eco Chic Wedding, we mentioned that they have a lot of wedding planning tools available. And they just added one more with the Wedding Color Selector.


You can choose a palette of complementary or contrasting colors, and even a triad (with base and two complimentary colors). It allows you to vary the shade of your base color and the degree of contrast with others. It's worth taking a look. And if you need help using it, they have a handy instruction page, too.

If you're color-challenged, you should take a look. It can give you some great color ideas.

You're just a couple of weeks away from your wedding. Everything is going perfectly until "it" happens. Your bridesmaid breaks her leg and has to drop out. What do you do?

First, don't panic. It may seem like a big deal when you first hear about it, but it won't ruin your wedding. Promise.

You have several options. If you have another friend who can fill in, go ahead and ask. Will she be able to get a dress in time? You'll need to consider whether she can (and whether she'll be happy you asked or upset that she wasn't asked in the first place).

You could ask your fiance to drop a groomsman, but tread carefully here. Does he have a buddy who wouldn't mind dropping out too? If you don't want to hurt anyone's feelings, consider the next option.

Let the parties be uneven. Yes, you read that right. It's perfectly okay to have one more guy. It doesn't have to be a big deal. It's your wedding after all, and you can have any number that you'd like in your wedding party. Even an odd number.

So tell us, what option would you prefer?



Image: SimonShaw (creative commons attribution on Flickr)