Pocket Square How-To

Start with a handkerchief that is 15 inches square. For best results, iron it just before folding.  The thicker the fabric, the more billowy your finished pocket square will be. For silk squares, aim for a puffy look. Linen and cotton fabrics will result in a crisper fold.

1. Lay the square flat with the right side down. Fold the square in half by bringing the top point down to meet the bottom point, so it forms a triangle.
2. Fold the left point of the triangle down so it meets the bottom point.
3. Fold the right side down in the same manner.
4. Fold the left point of the diamond shape over so that the point touches the middle of the folded fabric.
5. Fold the right point over to the middle in the same way.
6. Fold the bottom point up to cover the other points by about an inch, hold in place so it doesn’t unfold, and carefully tuck the folded handkerchief into the left-side jacket pocket, exposing about 3 inches of your lovely pocket square!

Viola!

Check out this great 3-minute video:

feature image by Anne Ruthmann via Polka Dot Bride

Who is right? The bride or the unhappy groomsman’s wife?

While we totally understand wanting to sit with your husband at a wedding, according to traditional wedding etiquette, the bride is doing nothing wrong. At least in the U.S., the people will sit at the head table are the bride and groom and their attendants (maid of honor, best man, bridesmaids, groomsmen/ushers). Even the bride’s parents and grandparents sit at a nearby table and not at the head table!

In the end of the day, it’s just one dinner that you have to sit through without your spouse/mom/favorite cousin (and there’s plenty of time to mingle, dance, and celebrate besides for the sit-down dinner).

This is, of course, if you plan on being traditional. If you want to have your parents sit with you, or accommodate anyone else who you’re close with, or who’s feelings might be hurt, you can feel free to arrange your head table any way you want to. Or you can forget about a head table altogether, and group your bridal party, friends, and family members at tables where they’d be most comfortable!

Good luck and happy planning!

Feature image credit

Guests laughing: Photo from Sweet Caroline Photos

But wouldn’t it be nice to really hit it off with this table-full of strangers, to get to know them a bit better and enjoy their company, and the wedding, that much more? That’s where the “wedding ice breaker” comes into play! If you’re planning a wedding, wouldn’t you rather see your guest comfortably chatting away, rather than stuck in awkward chit chat?

Here are some ideas to get you fired up! Your guests will love them!

Guess who!

Although this one is time consuming to prepare, it’s great fun (especially if you’re from California, like I am)!  Put pictures of celebrities that look like the guest on their place card. You can turn it into a game like the popular kids game of the same name. However you play it, it’s sure to get  the guests around the table talking, like it did at the wedding Nicky, from Cheap Wedding Success, attended.  Her celeb look-a-like was Natalie Portman.  How complementary!

Fun Facts

There are a few ways you can play this game. Here are some options, but you can work it any way you’d like to!

• Write an interesting fact about each person on their neighbor’s place card. For example, “Marcy is a brilliant mathematician who enjoys Salsa dancing on the weekends.” With these snippets of information, you’ll definitely provide enough material to strike up a conversation between your guests.
• Write 3 facts about each guest on their placecard. 2 are truth and 1 is not. The other guests at the table have to guess which fact is NOT true. (If you don’t have enough interesting facts about each guest, you could ask them to provide a couple on the RSVP.)
• Provide a list of questions starting with, “Have you ever…” and have the guests go around the table asking each other these questions.
• Cootie catchers (paper fortune tellers) are cute ways to ask questions and glean interesting facts from each guest.

Penny for Your Thoughts

Get cute little favor boxes like the one below and put a few coins inside (2000 Dollar Wedding suggests looking in collectors’ shops and online for vintage coins). Each guest opens his or her favor box, then shares with the table an important event that corresponds to the year on each coin (e.g., “In 1996, I was named best-dressed in high school”).

photo via Martha Stewart Wedding

Jelly Belly Game

Games centering around food are always a blast! This game was invented by I Love Weddings and is sure to be a hit with your guests! Jelly Belly jelly beans come in a variety of delicious and interesting flavors, such as root beer, orange sherbet, pina colada, buttered popcorn, etc. Each table gets a number of different flavored beans, and the guests need to taste each one to figure out what the flavor is.  The table that gets the most flavors right wins!

Fortune Fish

Are you independent? Are you fickle? Are you in love? See what the Fortune Telling Fish has to say about you! Little winter bride thought the fortune fish would be the perfect creative ice breaker to spark conversation. “And guess what?” she says, “It worked! Everyone LOVED it! it was hilarious.”

Do you have any creative ideas for fun and funny wedding ice breakers? Please share them with us in the comment section below!

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OK, so you want to do tin cans. They can still be classy if you do it like this! The bridesmaids decorated this cream-colored Chrysler PT Cruiser convertible with a hand-painted “Just Married” sign and white spray-painted soup cans tied on with satin ribbon.

Magnetic letters are a a clever (and non-messy) take on letting the world know you’ve just tied the knot!

Here’s an old ice wagon that the groom learned to drive, so he could take the bride to the place where they had shared their first kiss. Mom decorated the wagon with a “Just Married” sign. Now that’s romantic!

A horse-drawn wagon is also a good choice if you’re looking for transportation with minimal environmental impact.

Transportation to this garden wedding was provided by a trolley company in Stillwater, Mn.  A trolley… how jolly!

You don’t have to break the bank (or your head, trying to get creative) when it comes to wedding transportation. This bicycle, dressed up with purple and white flowers, makes your exit both sweet and playful.

Then again, if you DO want to be extravagant, try topping this! When guests at one New Orleans wedding exited the ceremony, they were surprised to see real Mardi Gras floats ready to take them to the reception! The bride and groom even arranged for the police to block off some of the streets for the processional!

Sail away to your wedding reception like this bridal party, who boarded pontoon boats that took them to the reception.

More fun on the water with this elegant Venetian-style gondola. Love the bride’s black-and-white parasol and the bright cushions and pillows! As a sweet touch, guests lined the bridge overhead to shower them with pink rose petals.

Remember how much fun you used to have on those bus rides to school field trips? Capture those carefree days again– hire a school bus to transport the wedding party to and from the church and reception.

Getting married on the green (grass)? Use golf carts to whisk the wedding party away, like they did at this wedding that took place on a farm.

After this ceremony in San Francisco, guests stepped onto three cable cars and were given an hour-long city tour while sipping champagne.

See more fun and unique wedding transportation ideas at the Knot.

Here are some of our favorites!

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Glamorous Up-do’s

Maggie Gyllenhaal at the 2010 Academy Awards

Jennifer Morrison at the 2010 Golden Globes

Courtney Cox Arquette at the 2010 Golden Globes

Lea Michele at the 2010 Golden Globes

Jessica Gilsig at the 2010 Screen Actors Guild Awards

Anna Kendrick at the 2010 Golden Globes

Gorgeous Down-do’s

Sandra Bullock at the 2010 Academy Awards

Kate Winslet at the 2010 Academy Awards

Anna Paquin at the 2010 Screen Actors Guild Awards

Penelope Cruz at the 2010 Screen Actors Guild Awards

Dianna Agron at the 2010 Screen Actors Guild Awards

See more beautiful stars and their hair at Brides.com’s photo gallery of Red Carpet Wedding Hairstyles.

In the weeks and months leading up to the wedding…

Plan your procedures ahead- it’s easy to get caught up in the craziness of tastings, fittings and appointments and forget to schedule facial treatments until the last minute. Don’t be tempted to get cosmetic lasering or chemical peels within 10 days to a month of the event, depending on the exact type of laser or peel. Even something as simple as a facial should be given a solid week for skin to normalize, especially if any extractions will be performed. Call well ahead of time and discuss this with the technician.

Practice good skin health- stay hydrated and eat healthfully leading up to the event. Don’t try new skincare products, or anything that may irritate your skin. Anticipate your skin’s history, and treat it accordingly depending on changes your skin may experience in the climate or weather that’s expected at the venue.

For the big day…

Start with a good base- be sure that your foundation is the right color and formulation for your skin. You may feel like you should use a heavy cream or stick foundation since you’re being photographed, but heavier formulas will look caked on and are more likely leave a line of demarcation around the neck and hairline that’s tougher to blend away. Just stick with the liquid or powder that works for you, and be sure it’s properly matched to your color. No one wants to look washed out, but it can also age you a bit if your base is too dark for you. Color correcting concealers, like green or yellow for redness, and peach or yellow for undereye circles are a much better choice than simply layering on more makeup. Remember that redness will be easily picked up in photographs so take care to balance that out, and stay away from more pink based foundations.

Avoid the shiny look- glitter will reflect too much on camera, and shouldn’t be worn to a nice event like a wedding anyway. Radiance-enhancing or shimmery foundations make faces look too slick and shiny for photos, so if you must, only keep the sheen on cheekbones and the cupid’s bow for highlighting purposes. Always finish the t-zone with powder, which is especially important to balance any highlighting applied. If you know you’re more oily, pop pressed powder in your bag so that you stay shine free.

The eyes have it- keep in mind that darker eyeshadows and heavy liner make eyes look smaller. A matte or pearl shadow formula will be universally flattering and especially in warm, earthy tones. To keep eyes looking big and bright, highlight the inner corners and brow bone with an off-white, light pink or pale gold shadow or crayon. The older you are, the more important it is to stay fast to the no shimmer rule, as it tends to bring attention to fine lines. Black eyeliner can also look too harsh for older women (same goes for liquid liner) and fair blondes are more suited for eyeliner and mascara in the brown tones. Don’t forget to make sure brows are properly framing the face- everyone looks better and younger with defined brows. Fill the arches with powder or if using a pencil, blend with a brush. Brow color and size are important considerations here, so don’t forget to use a light hand and blend.

Consider your venue and lighting- do take the time to stop and think about if the event/ photos will be taking place indoors or out, and at what time of day. Indoor photos will be taken with flash, so it’s important to use powder to combat shine and to also be sure foundation is matched well. If outdoors, soften makeup a bit as it can easily look too heavy or harsh. Also adjust your makeup look for more formal locations, and later times in the evening. When considering these factors, you will want to use more color and definition over simply adding more makeup.

Keeping these ideas in mind, remember its always most important to look like yourself and feel comfortable on your wedding day. These techniques will help ensure you look flawless both in person and in photographs for years to come.

Content provided by Sarah Logan on behalf of ASI, which is an aesthetics school offering classes in waxing, facial treatments, cosmetic laser training, and medical aesthetics

feature image from Bridal Wave: Beauty, Hair, Makeup

Leave it to the “Knotties” to test-drive and rate waterproof mascaras for you. They’re sharing the wisdom on the Knot, and here are the top 5 road-tested waterproof mascaras:

1. Definicils Waterproof High Definition Mascara by Lancome ($24)

2. Lash Injection Mascara by Too Faced ($20)

3. Ooh-La-Lash! Mascara by VMV Hypoallergenics ($23)

4. One Coat Nourishing Mascara by Almay ($6)

5. Tarte — Lights, Camera, Splashes! by Tarte Cosmetics ($18)

Longer, thicker lashes… here we come!  Three cheers for mascara that stays on all day, won’t clump or smear or flake, and won’t run when you cry or perspire!

For more bridal beauty secrets, visit The Knot!

1. Don’t drink wine or eat dark-colored foods like berries.

You should avoid foods that can tint your pearly whites, or you may end up with a stained smile. For really dazzling teeth, invest in a professional teeth-whitening service, or do-it-yourself with Crest Whitestrips. “Start any whitening regime about one month before the wedding,” says Melissa Roshan of Make-Up by Melissa Roshan in Columbus, Ohio.

2. Don’t tan.

A slightly sun-kissed glow is lovely, but a too-dark tan can look unnatural in wedding photos…. especially if it’s a spray tan gone wrong. “Nothing says Jersey Shore more than an orange bride in a white dress,” says Hingham, Massachusetts, makeup artist Kelly O’Keefe of Blush. “This is one of the worst looks, and it’s not fixable!”

3. Don’t get your first-ever bikini wax just before your wedding.

If you plan to wax your bikini line, begin the process at least three months beforehand — or face the consequences. “Waxing that area becomes less painful each time, and you’ll avoid major pain, swelling, and irritation on your wedding night,” says Houston makeup artist Jen Marine.

4. Don’t change your birth control, skin-care program, washing detergent, etc., less than six weeks before the wedding.

The fabric softener might be on sale, but the rash you get from it will NOT be a sweet deal. “You don’t want to introduce new products because you don’t know how your skin will react,” says Los Angeles-based makeup artist Elle Leary.

5. Don’t get a facial, get your brows waxed, or cut or color your hair two days or less before your wedding.

“Get these services done a week or so beforehand,” says Atlanta-based makeup artist Raney O’Keefe. “Then you have plenty of time to remedy any ‘oopsie-daisies’ that may happen!”

6. Don’t ingest excess sodium the week before the wedding.

If you’re concerned about fitting into your dress, avoid salty foods, sauces, dressings, and deli meats. Instead, choose low- or no-sodium everything starting at least seven days before the wedding. “Sodium holds 50 times its weight in water, so you can shed two to five pounds the week before the wedding just by doing this!” says Liz DiAlto of Fit, Healthy and Beautiful in New York City.

7. Don’t flat-iron your hair if you want curls on your big day.

“If you’re aiming for soft, romantic curls on your wedding day, you need to have fresh hair,” says Samara Binder of Bridal Beauty Chicago. “That means if you flat-iron your hair the night before, make sure to wash it out!”

8. Don’t wear a bra with straps the morning of your wedding.

This is the best way to avoid those unsightly pink indents on your back and shoulders, which you want to avoid if you’re wearing a strapless dress!  Makeup artist and hair stylist Nicole Francavilla, of Beauty by Nicole in Orange County, New York, has a second tip: If you plan to wear an updo, take an Advil with breakfast to eliminate the possibility of an “updo headache.”

9. For glowing skin, don’t skimp on water!

Double up on your water intake for at least one month prior to the wedding to keep your skin clear and glowing. You should also limit the toasting at your prewedding parties. “During the rehearsal dinner, try to switch back and forth between alcohol and a glass of water,” says makeup artist Adriana Fontes of Adriana Fontes Makeup Design in Chandler, Arizona.

10. Don’t forget your beauty emergency kit.

Trust us — and hair and makeup expert Megan Garmers (MG Hair and Makeup) — when we say this will be a lifesaver. Include different sized safety pins, double-sided sticky tape, a small sewing kit, a small pair of scissors, a bleach pen, bobby pins, hair spray, blotting papers, gum or mints, a razor, deodorant, Band-Aids, a small packs of tissue, nail polish remover, clear nail polish, an emery board, a nail clipper, makeup remover wipes, tampons, and anything else you think you might need. Now you’re prepared for anything!

11. Don’t forget to touch up!

It’s okay to be a little high-maintenance — bring a touch-up bag and actually use the products at the reception. “You may have hired the best makeup and hair professionals you could find, but if you’re cutting a rug on the dance floor and drinking Champagne like France is going dry, chances are you’ll break a little sweat and your lip color will wear off,” says Chicago-based makeup artist Adriana Aude.

12. Don’t cry off all your beautiful makeup!

Tears will happen, so it’s important to know how to weep correctly. “Hold a tissue in each hand. Then press the tissues in the tear duct and let the tears run into the tissue — and keep changing the tissue,” says Catherine Sullivan of Fresh Face Chicago. “This keeps you from rubbing your face and eyes and ruining your beautiful face.” (Takes the fun out of crying, but at least you’ll still look good!)

13. Don’t forget your makeup artist or hair stylist!

Trust us, they want to see how beautiful you looked! “Remember to send at least one picture to your makeup artist,” says Stephanie McKenzie of Stephanie M. Make-Up in the DC metro area. “Doing so enables your makeup artist to build a fantastic portfolio and, more importantly, your beauty will be showcased for all to see.”

For more bridal beauty secrets, visit the bridal beauty section at The Knot!

• Choose an outgoing officiant who can take over the major speaking parts of the ceremony, and absorb the stage fright.

• Keep your vows short and sweet. You can have your officiant do “repeat after me” vows, or just read off a paper.  No one will really mind if all you say is, “I do.”

• After the ceremony: You may want to schedule some alone time for just the two of you immediately after the ceremony.  Or, conversely, if you want to eliminate a grand entrance into your reception, you can slip right in there together with your guests.

• Limit the toasts: Avoid making formalized speeches, and do what you can to keep the number of toasts low.

• Use the “The I Love You Break.” Here’s how it works:

Decide on a secret signal with your fiance: an ear tug, scratch of the nose, squeeze of the hand, whatever. Stick close to each other for the entire day, and whenever one of you starts get getting overwhelmed or anxious, give the signal.Then, the other partner should politely step in and say “Excuse us for a moment” or gently place a hand on the other’s cheek. Then just stare into each other’s eyes and both whisper “I love you I love you I love you” for as long as it takes to calm down a bit.

• Don’t be afraid to cut out attention-grabbing scenes, such as a first dance, cake cutting ceremony, or bouquet/garter toss. You don’t have to do anything that makes you uncomfortable, especially if it doesn’t have that much meaning to you anyway.

Here are some mental exercises that you can practice in order to stay calm on the big day, provided by IntimateWeddings:

• Practice a technique called Grounding. It’s about maintaining composure, being aware of sensations, and proper breathing. Read more about it here.

• Practice a technique called Visualization. This one is about imagining a time beyond the wedding, when you can be relaxed and look back at all the wonderful memories you’ve created.

• Practice a technique called “welcoming people with your eyes.” If greeting everyone individually seems daunting to you, you can practice welcoming others silently with the warmth of you eyes.  Avoiding eye contact at your wedding creates tension and prevents you from being in the moment.

And just remember, if the feeling that all eyes are upon you is unnerving, just think about how much everyone loves you, and how they are there to support you and wish you well! Do you have any other tips for brides and grooms who don’t love the spotlight? Please share them in the comment section!!

feature photo from weddingslimmer