If you love your pet, you may be interested in having them be a part of your wedding. Fortunately, there are plenty of businesses that sell products that cater to pet owners who want their pets to play an important part in your wedding, from tuxedos for your dogs to all kinds of ring pillows for dogs.

If your dog is very well trained, and can complete the walk down the aisle in rehearsal with distractions several times, he or she can walk down the aisle by themselves. If  you have any doubts about your dog’s ability to walk down the aisle without help, assign someone in your family or group of friends to walk with your pet’s leash (cats can be ring bearers, too!) You can shop online, or check at your local wedding boutique for ring bearer pillow designed for your pet, or make one yourself if you’re crafty!

Cheap doesn’t have to mean boring. If you don’t have a high budget for the little details like wedding favors, then consider something like popcorn balls. You can buy professionally made balls, like the one shown here from The Popcorn Factory, or you can make your own with a recipe you find online. Popcorn balls are tasty and fun, and can be individualized with something as simple as a piece of colorful cellophane, a ribbon, and a marker. Write guests’ names, your wedding dates, a personal message, or just leave the wrapping blank and let the colorful wrapping convey the message of joy for you.

Wedding pictures hold some of the happiest memories of a lifetime, so be sure you consider all the angles when preparing to be photographed on the big day.

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 microdermabrasion or chemical peels within at least a month of the event, depending on the exact type of laser or peel. Laser resurfacing “heals within days and normal color returns within a few weeks- if that long” according to Dr. Edward Lack (Chicago liposuction). Even a simple facial shouldn’t be considered in the last few days leading up. 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.

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Content provided by Sarah Logan on behalf of ASI (beauty schools, NY). It offers aesthetic certification classes and specialized coursework in microdermabrasion certification and paramedical esthetics.

When you are planning your wedding, it is very important to take your budget into consideration before you spend a single cent. As tempting as it can be to shop early for those perfect invitations or those gorgeous shoes, splurging now could mean missing out later on something you want more.

To get started with your wedding budget, figure out what you have to spend, whether this means consulting with parents or going over your own finances. Set that money aside, and start thinking about what is most important to you. You will want to spend more money on something important, and keep an eye out for discounts or cheap ideas for areas that don’t matter so much to you. For example, if you don’t need a ton of flowers but you must have a designer gown, work with your florist to minimize expenses so that you can shop for a fantastic dress.

While there are plenty of places to save money, from nice but inexpensive centerpieces instead of flowers to plain shoes instead of designer ones, but one area you should not skimp is photography. Asking a friend might seem like a good idea at the time, but a professional photographer can bring a completely magic touch to your ceremony, and you are working so hard to make it worth remembering anyway – make it easy to remember with great photography.

The two most basic forms of reception meal are formal plates, which are fixed and delivered to the guests, and buffet style dining, in which guests fix their own plates from the food available and take it to their own seats.

If you are planning on a buffet style meal, you are probably trying to think of a way to please everyone with the offerings, up to and including providing meat and cheese plates and bread so that people can fix their own sandwiches. Instead of making them do all of the work, give them choices and variety in the form of several different kinds of mini sandwiches. These are fun to eat, often no more than a couple of bites, and you can offer many different twists  on flavor for guests to pick and choose, mix and match.

The mini sandwiches are more visually appealing than a tray full of ingredients, and kids will absolutely love sandwiches that seem to be sized for little hands. Talk to your caterer about the options!

Sometimes, when you order wedding invitations online, you just get a jumble of materials in the mail and have no idea what goes where or how to make them look the way they appeared when you ordered them. Luckily, we have found a wedding invitation website that takes care of all of that – Invitations by David’s Bridal.

After ordering your invitations with your favorite font and color, you get a special assembly package sent right to your doorstep. These packages include pre-cut,  perfectly-sized ribbons and even a visual instruction guide to show you exactly how to make your invitations look the ones you saw online. Not only that, but this site even offers a how-to video to ensure your success, as well as an online assembly guide.

If you are having trouble deciding exactly which invitations would be best for you, this site also provides a stationary trends video to give you some great ideas. You can even shop by color, design or price and the site offers a stationary tutorial and inspiration ideas.

Every heard of the Money Dance? Is it right for you? While some people might not feel comfortable asking their family and friends for money, the Money Dance is a respected tradition in some cultures, and people all over are adopting it for their own.

During the dance, attendants hand pins to people wishing to dance with the bride and groom. The people then approach and pin the money to the bride or groom, usually on a special sash, veil, or vest to protect their clothing. They then dance for a short time, and the attendant or the DJ will let the dancers know when to make way for the next person.

The Money Dance is a great way to spend individual time with the guests during the reception, since you will be able to dance with anyone who participates for a short time. It is also a great way for the guests to wish the bride and groom well, and also a good way for guests to help them get started on the right foot in their lives together.

Plan ahead for a Money Dance with your DJ, who may be able to offer suggestions, and have him or her read a bit about the symbolism and history of the Money Dance before you get started to help guests understand what is going on. Kids especially love handing over their dollar to dance with the bride and groom.

Anyone who has been married before knows that the joys of the bedroom on the wedding night are often exaggerated, especially as the lavishness of the ceremonies grows and grows over time. While the wedding night can be full of lovely explorations of each other and beautiful lovemaking, this will all likely happen after the nearly inevitable nap.

No matter how energetic you feel when you wake up on your wedding day, or how excited you are, it is a physically and emotionally rigorous day. For the absolute best results, plan at least a couple of hours after the reception before you have to do anything, including head to the airport for the honeymoon (no, not a couple hours before you get on the plane, a couple hours before you have to LEAVE TOWN!) The both of you will feel better after some rest, and even if you don’t take the time to nap, you will appreciate the down time in an otherwise non-stop day.

The decision about whether to welcome kids to the wedding is a personal one for every bride and groom, and one that will vary in importance from wedding to wedding. If few of your relatives even have children, it is not a hard decision to keep the wedding a purely “grown up” affair. On the other hand, it is hard to exclude kids when everyone in your wedding party has one or two.

If you decide to exclude children from the wedding, it is important to make sure that that fact is clear up front, since not everyone knows what the “rules” are. Tactfully work in wording about an “adult only” ceremony and reception if there are a number of children peppered throughout the family and friends. If there are not many people with children, or is someone with kids tends to ignore tactful hints, give them a call at least a month out and let them know that while you love their kids, you are planning an adult party and wanted to give them a heads up in plenty of time for them to get a sitter.

Some people may get argumentative, but it is your decision, once you make it, don’t let anyone make you feel bad for your choice.

Considering his and hers wine or champagne glasses for your wedding (like these stemless wine glasses from The Tipsy Grape)? Wine or champagne glasses can provide a sweet touch, and can be used or displayed for years to come. You can get them personalized with just your names, or add in your wedding date, a motto or phrase that is meaningful to both of you, or nearly anything else you might want. One great option: have the inscription from your ring etched into the glasses, too.