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Gold table setting ideas: Elizabeth Ann Designs

Gold Torrent Drops: Anthropologie $48

Golden vessels bearing silver number stickers+ smaller gold-leaf votives: Marthat Stewart Weddings

Metallic Crepe Paper flowers: Creative Jewish Mom

Gold hair comb: Etsy $98

Elephant Card Holders: American Bridal $21 for set of 12

Hershey‘s Hugs and Kisses via Firehow

Glittery accessories: Martha Stewart Weddings

Long gold dress: Trina Turk $298; Short sequined dress Nordstrom $158

Blake Long Faceted Necklace: Revolve Clothing $149

Armani Gold tie: Nordstrom $145; Elie Tahari silver tie: BlueFly $59

Wedding cake via Pretty Little Things

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All photos and ideas from Martha Stewart Weddings.

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Escort-Card Posies: All you need are fabric flowers, map pins, and glue to bring your seating assignments into bloom. Would look great with little multicolored fall leaves, too!  Click here for the  How-To!

Blossoming Backdrop: A string of white lights, vellum and card stock, hole punches, and glue!  Click here for the How-To!

Paper Links:Vellum and double sided tape make paper chains chic! Mix-n-match colors to get the perfect look. Click here for the How-To (as if you really need it!)

Wooden Seating Cards: Paper-thin wood veneer, craft punches, and calligraphy pens make these distintive place cards! Get the How-To Here!

Flower Girl Cardigan: Sequins and fabric glue make it fun!  Works wonders for all sorts of other things too, including shoes, sashes, bouquets, headbands, and favors.

Poster Guest Book: Instead of having your loved ones write messages in a book, put out a poster on which they can sign their names. You can download the editable (and free!) clip art here, send the file to a printer, and it’s done! Or put together your own poster using stencils, paint, ribbon, and anything else you fancy! Get the How-To here!

Seasonal Fruit Favor: You’ll need fruit, tissue paper, and rubber stamps for this one! For personalized stamps, have an office-supply store make a rubber stamp with your names, wedding date, and  illustration. Get the How-To here!

Harvest Wedding Centerpieces: The beauty of these is that they can be made weeks in advance!  Wheat, grains, and other dried grasses (available at crafts stores), tied with a luxurious satin bow. Get the how-to here!

Mini Candied Apples: For these dainty nibbles, embellish candied apples with a paper leaf. You’ll need a leaf-shaped craft punch, glue, and short skewers. You can hand-write, stamp, or print “Enjoy” on each leaf. Get the Candy Apple recipe here!

Flower Girl Basket: For this charming look, get yourself a pretty basket, some cotton fabric, silk ribbon, and leaves. You can order pressed leaves if you don’t have any real ones in your area! Get the how-to here!

Fall Wedding Boutonnieres: Incorporate the shades and symbols of autumn into festive boutonnieres. Get the How-to here!

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With this in mind, a perfect wedding day breakfast would include some of the following good-for-you foods:

• Blueberries and orange juice: rich in vitamin C, which has been shown to reduce stress
• Yogurt: the live cultures in it can help settle an upset stomach
• Whole-wheat toast: full of vitamin B, which helps ease anxiety
• Chamomile tea: promotes relaxation.
• Bananas: Contain Vitamin B6,  are easy to digest and have been shown to produce digestive-enhancing mucous, helping to protect your stomach against acid.
• Applesauce: Easy to digest, will provide for a quick boost of fructose sugar that can boost your mood.
• Vanilla Bean: Soothing, calming and relaxing. Vanilla has an intense smell that seeps into your bones and makes you feel good.
• Dark Chocolate: Chocolate contains a neurotransmitter known as anandamide that has the ability to alter dopamine levels in the brain, causing a sense of peace and relaxation.
• Oatmeal with milk: Eating complex carbohydrates such as oatmeal with a protein source such as milk helps to boost serotonin levels in the brain which can reduce anxiety.

Sources: Martha Stewart, LunchBox, Natural Medicine

Besides, braids are one of today’s hottest bridal trends, so you’ll be chic, stylish and beautiful on your big day!

feature image: The Knot

Ballerina Twist: The ballerina twist up-do is a soft and romantic  hairstyle for the classic bride. This one’s got a little braided action going on!  (via One Wed.com)

Long and Loose: Nicole Kidman shows us how a long, loose braid paired with side-swept bangs can be classic yet current. (via iVillage)

Beach hair: Braids are great for a relaxed, casual wedding, when you wear them in a loose and unfussy style. (via HubPages)

Sophisticated Updo: Adding some tiny braids into upswept hair turns a regular updo into something special. Take a cue from Jessica Alba! (via WooInfo)

Embellished Braid: The look of  a braid, without any actual braiding! Unusual and elegant at the same time. (via The Knot)

Textured hair: Lots of texture makes this hairstyle stand out from the crowd (a la Blake Lively)! (via iVillage)

Fishtail Braid: Another causal look that’s great for an outdoor wedding! (via The Knot)

Soft Sweep: Seven loose braids are brought together and secured with pins. The rest of the hair flows naturally for a pretty half-up-half-down do. (via Martha Stewart Weddings)

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Below: This gown mixes soft tulle with a vibrant skirt of ostrich feathers, silk flowers, and crystals. (Ines di Santo via Martha Stewart Weddings)

Below: The skirt of this ball gown is made up of a mixture of frayed organza and feather embroidery. (Legend, Monique Lhuillier via Martha Stewart Weddings)

Below: Italian tulle and silk organza gown with feathered tulle skirt. (Style 4888)  Strapless gown with hand-beaded drop torso with full skirt in tulle and silk organza. (Style 4879) Liancarlo.com via Weddingish

Below: Dimensional flower petals and fanciful feathers bloom from the waistline of this romantic tulle gown. (Going to the Chapel, Matthew Christopher via Martha Stewart Weddings)

Below: V-neck dress with full feathery skirt by Reem Acra

Below: (L) Douglas Hannant gown. (R) Feathered one-shoulder gown by Ines Di Santo (via firstVIEW via weddingish).

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Unfortunately, instead of keeping it private, one zealous friend spread it all over the internet where it became a public sensation. Needless to say, this has not improved relations between Heidi and her mother-in-law. It has erupted into a major feud, and taste, manners, and humor seems to be lacking on everyone’s account.

No doubt the original email was harsh, but don’t you think it would have been more prudent to keep in under wraps? Share it with your best friend, by all means, but don’t get your parents involved (especially as the email is attacking them as well). I don’t think anything productive is gained by fostering anger between people in the same wedding party.

Instead, Heidi could have ignored it, or sent back a cold but polite email, asking that her mother-in-law refrain from criticizing her in such a way in the future. Decent people can manage to swallow constructive criticism if it is coming from a place of caring, but this was obviously not the case. With a mother-in-law like this, the best case scenario is to keep your distance and adopt the attitude that “it’s not about me.”

Here is some wise advice from Aish.com regarding abusive mother-in-laws: “Instead of seeing in your mother-in-law a person who is maliciously trying to hurt you, you might see a very threatened and insecure individual. It might be an insecurity resulting from aging, ill health, lack of fulfillment or a myriad of other factors and causes.”

Bottom line is that words can hurt, but only if you let them. You are in charge of your thoughts and you know when someone’s criticism of you is baseless.  Brush it off and get on with your life. As Eleanor Roosevelt said: “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.”

And if you are the mother-in-law, searching to keep the peace, here is some great advice for you too (also from Aish.com). The choice is yours whether to love and accept your daughter-in-law as she is. Try thinking along these lines: “This is my child’s choice so I’m going to blindly like them. I’m not going to look for flaws or weaknesses. I’m going to only notice their strengths. I’m going to ignore the petty and the trivial and focus on what really counts. I’m going to like them and give to them and in doing so I will them come to love them.”

More good advice: In-Law Protection

Kitty Cake Topper by Helyn

If you have seen any great toppers, we’d love to hear about them! Please let us know in the comment section below.

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I love the vintage vibe of this one, including the sweet verse printed on the bride’s skirts (via cake today)

Is that one a bit too sweet for you? Give your guests a laugh with these ball-and-chain or cell-phone-fanatic toppers!

Firefighter groom? Oh yeah! Check out eBay for more ideas, via HubPages.

Are you a cop? Do you love pizza? And your dog? Then this one’s for you! Otherwise, you can have a hand-sculpted cake toppers made just for you, via Custom Wedding Cake Toppers.

Is the bride expecting? How hilarious would it be to break the news to family and friends with this delicious cake topper? (All Wedding AZ)

The next 4 toppers are from Offbeat Bride (Toppers that won’t make you cringe!) Well, some might cringe at the bride jumping the groom in public, but the little love-fishies and dragons are just sweet as can be!

Offbeat Bride also had the brilliant idea of using salt-and-pepper shakers as cake toppers… aside from being totally adorable, they’re great because you can reuse them on a daily basis!

As your wedding looms closer, dad my start to exhibit strange behavior, whether he’s more distant, short-tempered, distracted, or anxious. This is because thoughts of your marriage may trigger separation anxiety, qualms about entrusting his daughter to another man, and personal fears about aging (think midlife crises!).

Fatherhood is a large part of many men’s identity, so that when their daughter becomes engaged, they may feel that their job as a father is done, thus loosing an essential part of themselves. This may be perceived as a loss of control, triggering emotions such as fear, sadness, loss, and even anger.

Dr. Meeker points out that fathers tend to feel the “empty nest syndrome” at their children’s weddings, not necessarily when they leave home (the time when mom’s may feel their main role of mothering is done). And if dad is feeling any grief over this lost chapter in life, he may be having a hard time expressing it properly. Instead, he may “withdraw from you and the whole wedding-planning process, or even to lash out in anger.”

So what can I do about it?

We don’t want a sad dad, especially at such a joyous time! Talk about it, if you can, letting him know how important he is, and that no one will ever take his place.  Maybe you can spend some quality time together (with our without your fiance)

, or try to get him involved in some aspect of the wedding planning. Ask him if there are any family traditions that he’d like to include, making a toast at the dinner, even what he’s going to wear– anything that will get him more  involved!

And if you are wary of talking feelings with your dad, maybe mom can clue him in on why he’s feeling so moody!

Read more at Brides.com!

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Antioxidants

Glowing Skin! Antioxidants keep your skin healthy by blocking out cell-damaging free radicals from pollution and UV exposure.  Aim for one serving of antioxidant-rich foods a day.

For example: 1 cup of berries, 20 pecans, a few cups of green tea. Also good: kiwifruits, prunes, artichokes, and pinto beans.

Beta-carotene

Silky Skin! The vitamin C helps produce skin-smoothing collagen.  Plus, beta-carotene is converted into vitamin A, which keeps your eyes and immune system strong. Aim for about 15 mg per day.

For example: 1 cup of mashed sweet potatoes.  Also good: carrots, winter squash, spinach, and kale.

Calcium

Strong nails, teeth, hair, and bones! Aim for 1,000 mg of calcium into your diet each day.

For example: 3 cups of milk. Also good: low-fat dairy products like yogurt, and cheese. Go organic to avoid added hormones or antibiotics.

Healthy Fats

Supple skin & Shiny Hair! You’ll like the effects of consuming these essential fatty acids, particularly omega-3.  Healthy fats will give you a radiant complexion, shiny hair, and also decrease inflammation in the body.

For example: 1 tablespoon of flaxseed oil a day. Also good: salmon, walnuts, avocado, and olive oil.

Here’s a little interesting history about aisle runners (thanks to the Knot)!  Once upon a time, when roads were unpaved, wedding guests would arrive at the wedding and track in dirt or mud from the streets. No bride wanted to risk dragging the hem of her dress in the mud, so the aisle runner was invented as a handy way to protect her gown. While we don’t really have this problem today, many brides maintain this wedding tradition anyway.  A runner certainly lends a regal touch to the ceremony!

Personalized Aisle Runers

Sometimes, it’s the little things that count. A personalized runner adds heaps of charm, with a monogram or design that match your wedding theme. These autumn leaves and snowflake runners– complete with the bride and groom’s name and wedding date– are perfect for a fall or winter wedding!

In case this moment is not tear-jerking enough, you can add even more romance with these sweet designs of perched love birds or linked hearts!

And nothing says “classy” like a simple monogram!

Aisle Runner Safety!

• Although we love the look of a runner, they can also be a bit of a hazard. You definitely don’t want the bride or any other member of the wedding party getting tripped up by a poorly secured aisle runner. You also don’t want to have a crooked runner stealing attention in your photos. A runner with adhesive backing is a good idea!
• Any runner that’s laid over fresh grass should be backed by plywood or something solid. This will prevent the bride and her maids’ heels from going right through it into the soft ground, and hopefully avoid any nasty accidents that could happen, such as tripping and twisted ankles!

Visit American Bridal for more aisle runner styles and designs!