Why Go to a Bride Show?

January is approaching and along with freezing temperatures and department store white sales, bride show season begins.  If you are in the process of planning a wedding a bride show is an excellent resource.  Being a tech savvy gal, you may wonder why bother going to a show.  You have checked out the wedding websites, read the reviews and "tweets", what more do you need to do?  Think about it this way, the wedding professionals you select will be intimately with you throughout your entire day.  Do you really want to pick a person you have never interacted with.  How else will you find out if they are as dynamic as you hoped, and if they get you and your style, other than good old fashion conversation.  And that is why bride shows are so great!  You have the opportunity to make sure your DJ represents you and the groom with his style and music selections, and make sure the photographer is cool enough to hang with you and your family and your groom and his family for an entire day.  While the web tools are a great way to narrow your search, a bride show is the best place to have access to wedding professionals, allowing you to confidently finalize your decisions. Besides, it is a great excuse to hang out with your friends and family and check out some potentially new ideas.  Food, music, fashion, all under one roof, what more could a girl ask for!

Now You Are Engaged!

So ladies, you've found the love of your life, got the rock, set the date, what's next? The practical bride gets the venue for the ceremony and reception scheduled. Right? But realistically, the first thing we want to do is start dress shopping! We grab all the wedding magazines we can get our hands on, and the search begins. The selection of wedding gown styles is endless, and there is a dress for every style and taste. How do you decide? My best advice is to stick with who you are and stay true to yourself and your style. For example, if you love streamlined suits and are more conservative you probably want to stay away from a cinderella dress; while if your taste is more boho, a beaded mermaid gown probably won't cut it. We all look and feel our best when we wear something we are comfortable in and we love. Also, don't confuse appreciation of a look with a look that works for you. I love the whole cascading toile gowns, but my style is more chic and less elegant so a long fitted off white satin gown would suite me better. A bonus to knowing what your look is and what works for you, is that if you know going into the shop what style you want, the sales professionals will stick with gowns in that category, allowing you to make the most of your choices. And if you have trouble defining your look, ask your bridesmaides, that's what friends are for!

Cavanaugh's Launches Cavanaugh's Bridal Party!

Cavanaugh's Bride Show and Wedding Planner Keepsake are essential planning tools for brides.   To expand our connection with you the bride, we have launched Cavanaugh's Bridal Party as an additional source of inspiration.  As Cavanaugh's Senior Wedding Editor, I will keep you abreast on everything wedding!  Some regular features you can look for is our Cavanaugh's In the Know, where we will inform you of any special events on the wedding scene and Deann's Picks, that's me, where I will keep you up to date on new wedding trends and super cool finds!  Additionally we will feature wedding experts that will contribute insight and ideas and will be available on Expert Insight Thursdays.  Finally, you can look to us for the occasional inspirational piece to keep you focused on the relationship you are celebrating with our For a Day and Forever component.  I look forward to being your guide and providing you with information to help make your wedding one of the most memorable and "fun" moments of your life.