The Main Event by Memory Makers Event Planning, LLC

H&M's wedding gown Swedish retailer H & M, a favorite of teen girls and college students, recently announced the first gown in what is expected to be a collection of budget wedding dresses. The modest ivory gown with ruching at the waist flatters most figures. Priced at $99 and made from recycled material, the dress is perfect for a casual wedding, including a beach wedding. The versatile style can also be worn as a cocktail dress by shortening the skirt. H & M is not the first budget retailer to offer a wedding dress. Target has offered two styles for several years, both for less than $100. Target's most popular gown, a sleeveless bias cut gown available in both white and dark ivory (closer to pale Target's gown  peach, actually), is best worn by a slender bride, as the style reveals every curve. Target's other style is a simple straight-lined gown with cap sleeves. If you are planning a casual wedding and don't want to spend hundreds on a ...

The area's largest wedding show, attended by over 800 brides, occurred two weeks ago. Many of the brides became engaged during the holidays and one of the first things they will do is begin shopping for that special wedding gown. Choosing just the right gown can be fun or it can be stressful, depending on how it is approached. The following tips will help make the most of the experience without causing the bride to feel overwhelmed. Begin by looking through magazines and at web sites to get ideas of styles and to decide what features you do and don’t like. Don’t zero in on a particular style, however, until you try on a few gowns and know what looks best with your figure. You might be surprised. Limit the number of people who go shopping with you, at least initially. Too many people create distractions, take extra time, and each has her own opinion, making decisions difficult. Though in-put from others is importan...

Brides Against Breast Cancer is a unique organization dedicated to granting wishes for women suffering from late stage breast cancer. The wishes are funded through the sale of new and gently used wedding gowns. Wedding gown designers, manufacturers, and bridal shops donate their excess stock to the program and individuals can donate their gowns after their wedding. The gowns are sold at special sales held all over the U.S. in cities such as Cleveland, Seattle, Atlanta, Indianapolis, Boston, Ft. Lauderdale, Washington DC and other locations. Most gowns sell for $99 to $799 and may originally have cost as much as $8,000 or more. This is the 32nd year for the sales. Pre-registration is required to attend a sale and attendance is limited. To register, visit http://bridesagainstbreastcancer.org/ Through the years, the program has received over 50,000 donated gowns with a value of more than $4 million. Currently, the program is in need of donations of newer gowns (2000 or newer), slips...

Want to add a bit of pizazz to your wedding photos and you don't mind damaging your gown? If so, you might consider taking "trash the dress" photos. This is a new fad created by wedding photographers to create unique, once in a lifetime, photos. When a bride is willing to get her dress wet or dirty, she may be photographed wading in the ocean or a lake, jumping into a pool or lake, sitting on a mountainside or on the beach, riding a motorcycle, rolling in the mud, or in other unconventional situations or positions that can harm her dress. This summer one of my brides was photographed playing in the fountain at the Grove Plaza in downtown Boise while wearing her gown, though she was careful not to get too wet. A photographer told me about shooting a bride who jumped into a swimming pool at a country club in her gown. The groom and several of the groomsmen then joined her. (If they were wearing rented tuxes, they now own them.) Another bride told me about her wedding in ...