5 ways a bride can dress her best on her big day

Written by: Rabbi Melinda Bracha Bernstein

www.melindabernstein.com

Every so often my mother and I go through her memory albums and books. Whenever I take out her wedding album, she gets very upset.  My parents were happily married for 64 ½ years until my father passed in 2015. According to her, the wedding album didn’t capture their first moments as husband and wife very well and she adamantly refuses to allow me to share her wedding album.  She does like one photo and allowed me to share it with you. It’s sad for me because when I look at her wedding album, I see her beauty.  Of course she’s my mother and I am immediately biased, however I truly honor her emotions and disappointment.

I don’t want this to happen to you and that is why I am writing to share a few things that will help you be sure you won’t. First of all, it’s important to share a bit of my childhood experiences so you can appreciate these tips.  When I was growing up the place my mom took me to the most was the 163rdstreet mall in North Miami Beach.  Not only were there several big stores for her to fill her desire to shop, there was an outdoor playground with a train ride for her to take my brothers and I on before the travel home.  All of my life my mother has taught me the art of thrift and the value of coordination so I guess I have her to thank for this advice.  Thanks Mom!

Before I give you the 5 tips, what does dress big mean to you?  For myself, dressing big is an art form that reveals a natural essence and intrinsic beauty of the bride.  With the wedding “paparazzi” ready to snap away and share their excitement, dressing big will enable even the amateur to capture and accentuate the you inside your dress and under your makeup and hairdo.  Ok, now that I’ve gotten that out there, here are the 5 ways a bride can dress her best on her big day!

1. Choose colors that will aesthetically enhance your wedding theme. If you are going for a seasonal theme, then make sure those colors blend with you and your beloveds skin tones. If you don’t know your skin tones, google has lots of charts to help you.

2. Make sure your venue has color or existing décor that compliments your ideal colors. If you’re already in contract with a venue and didn’t consider the colors, you may have to modify your vision and use their colors to determine your wedding theme. There are plenty of ways to not let this be an obstacle though.

3. Beauty is not just skin deep, it is soul deep and you deserve to indulge your soul at every turn before your wedding. Plan early so your wedding flows with greater ease. Even if you love to organize and/or have budget constraints, find a friend who is knowledgeable about wedding planning and has the time to help out. Or better yet, HIRE a wedding planner. (more blogging on this later)

4. Make sure your wedding officiant is able to follow your vision or share with you their talents and skills so your ceremony is well remembered with exuberance and joy. This stands true for all your other vendors too. I suggest you make a list of your desires and if you’re unclear, ask each vendor what makes them stand out and choose according to what your heart feels.

5. Speaking of standing out and what your heart feels, get your wedding officiant and guests to dress in a complimentary style as you. Think about your future pictures and what you want to see. When I work with couples I always give them a questionnaire to fill out so that our consultations are efficient. I’m looking to see your colors, your theme and your level of religiosity (if any). Most of the time people don’t even think about coordinating with their officiant, but I can assure you, I do. Thanks mom!

Whether I am flown out of the South Florida area for a wedding or stand with a couple in the areas of Miami, Ft. Lauderdale or Palm Beach, South Florida, for a wedding; I want to help my brides dress their best!

An artisan bride and all around colorful couple, Brandon & Lindsay. Their wedding was outdoors at Benvenuto Restaurant.  Lindsay and Brandon have a special flair and it stood out the moment we met in person.  When I arrived at the wedding, I noticed the creativity of their colors on many of their guests.  I chose to wear my handmade Tibetan prayer shawl over a sleek and unique white dress.  This shawl has been with me since my days in California but never had I worn it for a wedding.  I had also never seen so many guests with hair dyed in lilac to match the wedding colors either.

Aww, I do Look Like That

Engagement and Couple Sessions

As a photographer, I am part of hundreds of groups on Facebook. I get to see beautiful photos of love and gorgeous places all day. It's a wonderful and fulfilling career, but I do see a lot of the same sessions. Engagement sessions are mostly the same. You either head to a beautiful location or stay at home and enjoy your session in the comfort of your own home. Now, don't get me wrong, I also love these because you get gorgeous images and it's fun! These two types of sessions are extremely popular but I always like switching things up a bit. 

Michelle and I came up with a cool theme to do for their session. This is the beginning.

Love <3

I posted on a forum asking who would be interested in a Family Session. Michelle responded and we sort of switched up the idea from a typical family session to this. The idea was to draw what your partner's face looks like when they are in that state of emotion. For the photo on the right, Michelle drew what Dan's face looks like when he is head over heels with her. The kissy face emoji, ladies and gentlemen. 

The heart eyes that Dan made...absolutely perfect.

It was an absolutely Florida kind of day, which means that there was a ton of humidity and a light drizzle. That didn't stop these champs from doing an awesome job at their session. I mean c'mon, how cute!

---

Towards the end of the hour that we were there, we grabbed a special someone to get in front of the camera as well. Jax is awwweeesome and in the end, I definitely was able to get an awesome family photo <3

7 TIPS FOR GETTING INTO WEDDING SHAPE | Part 2

Hey everyone! He is the continuation of "7 TIPS FOR GETTING INTO WEDDING SHAPE" for you to enjoy! If you missed Part 1, it's in an earlier blog post. Enjoy the read!

4: Hold yourself accountable:

Make sure when you start any new diet and exercise program that you keep track of your progress and keep up with writing in your fitness journal if you start one. Keep track as to what you eat every day. They even have apps for these things now, but I like the idea of writing notes in my phone or on paper. There’s no need to download another app that’ll take up space on my phone and it gets the job done. Remember, holding yourself accountable means acknowledging when you have an “off day.” If you ate an extra slice of pizza or drank a soda when you knew you shouldn’t keep track of that. If your goal is to look and feel your best know that the power is in your hands. Whether you lose 5 pounds or 50 lbs. before your wedding mental clarity is important. Know that you hold the key to a healthier life, and your success depends on yourself at the end of the day.

5: Don’t be afraid to ask for support:  

You are responsible for your own weight loss journey, but when you join a group or work out with a friend it does help the process for many people. Your friends and family may have the same reservations as you do when it comes to starting a new routine. Find someone you trust to workout with you and help each other achieve goals. Sometimes having someone in your corner helps the process. Better yet, see if your significant other wants to join a program with you. It could be a way to get even closer before the big day!

6: Don’t be afraid of failure:

Stick to your diet as much as possible. Eat vegetables daily and eat lean meats or go vegetarian temporarily if you can. Never beat yourself up about the occasional cheat day. We all have our moments. You might be surprised to learn that the body does well when put into shock every occasionally. If you’re eating a strict diet of nothing but vegetables and lean meat and you have a night where you eat a cup of low fat ice cream it’s not the end of the world. In fact, it may give you a small boost in your metabolism. Just do not let that one night a week be an everyday habit.

7: Get a trainer if you can:

Sometimes having a workout buddy is good for motivation but when you get closer to the big day you may need a little extra help to get down those extra pounds. When working out on your home or with a friend isn’t enough you may need the assistance of a professional. Finding a trainer may seem like a difficult task, but I find that word of mouth is the best thing. Make posts on Facebook, check websites, or go to your local gym for the perfect trainer. Many will offer your first session for free or half off so deciding on who will work best with you is mostly affordable and easy!

Remember, trainer or not muscle is denser than fat, so you've most likely turned some fat into lean muscle (no matter what the scale says)b by your wedding day, if you’ve stuck with some workout regime. Visualize yourself coming down the aisle in the best shape ever and don't give up! Even if you haven't lost weight, you should be seeing some results in your muscle tone by the time you get to your big day.  

Thank you, Katrina, for the amazing information! For those interested in contacting Katrina, her information is listed below :)

---

Katrina Tecxido

www.fanfitgo.com

www.facebook.com/fanfitgo

www.instagram.com/fanfitgo_katrina

Are you stress free about your wedding day?

Awesome Wedding Intro!

Ladies and gentlemen, if I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times. YOUR WEDDING DAY IS SUPPOSED TO BE FUN! Will it be hectic, hell yeah. and you should be ready for that. Prepare. Take some yoga and relaxation classes. Get your pilates on. Should it be stressful? Hell no. You know how people get these gorgeous, smiling photographs on the craziest and most hectic day of their lives? Besides downing a bottle or so of wine, half a bottle of whiskey, a pack of Yuengling, and taking a Xanax bar or two, they remember they get to spend the rest of their life with the person they love. You've spent months and/or years planning this day to be perfect, but the honest truth is that who knows how the weather will turn out, how traffic will be...damn you I4, or what will happen that is out of your control. You can only control how you perceive the day. Fact, you will be surrounded by people you love, people who you admire and who admire you. People who want the best for you and want you to be happy. These are the truths that make your wedding day stress free and wonderful. Have fun with your friends, soon, you'll be marrying your best one!  

Who else would you be able to do fun stuff like this with? Your best friend ;)

3 Considerations You Need to Make Before Choosing Your Wedding Photographer

There a ton of photographers in the world that produce beautiful work. The amazing aspect about this is that each individual has their own style. A certain facet about their artistry that they possess that makes it their own. Each creator has a distinct personality which drives them to that design. A different way of thinking. How their upbringing was. Who taught them, and how they practiced mastering the craft. 

The same goes for the future brides/grooms. You both have certain tastes when it comes to art, music, and photography and getting down on the dance floor. We all know you know how to Walk it Out. With this knowledge, one of the main ingredients to choosing your wedding photographer, is their style.

A photographer molds their style over time. They do so by shooting different subjects, angles, events, and then taking them into a photo editing program and playing around with everything they can touch. They are like a kid in a candy store that just ate everything he could without his mom seeing. This includes the highlights in an image, the shadows, contrast, clarity, how sharp the image looks, how sharp the eyes are, the list goes on and on. I want non-photographers to know this information so they know how to choose and understand what we go through as artists to get to the point we're at. Some photographers go with a light and airy touch while some enjoy a darker direction. My personal style is bold and vibrant with a connection to human emotion. I love when colors stand out in a photograph. To me, it just seems like it's taking a life of its own.   

L'chaiM!

The second ingredient to deciding on what photographer you should choose for your wedding is cost. Now, I may be biased but I think you should splurge ;) Seriously though, it's one of the biggest days of your lives and you should kinda remember it. There's going to be an open bar and who knows how much ya'll drank before the ceremony. Make sure you budget properly with your vendors. Your sought after photographer most likely has a tier of sexy looking options that all look good. Their most expensive collection will give you the most bang for your buck and you will remember the hell out of your wedding. I'm not saying spring for that if you don't have the means. Your photos will keep your heart and mind warm and fuzzy but if you are living on the street, it's not a sound investment.  

The last ingredient is a double-header. I'd like to mix these ingredients to finish off the cake. Wow I want cake now. The last two are what they shoot, which goes back to style in a way, and their personality. Would you look at that, we've come full circle! As wedding photographers, we know most of what you want before you do. Each photographer has a different way of going about the day. While some take a more photojournalistic approach, others are more traditional classic and pose each shot. I don't like to limit myself so I lean more towards an illustrative side and do both, photojournalistic and traditional. The photojournalistic style allows photographers to capture those special candid moments. The latter part to this double wammy is your photographer's personality. First ask yourself, what kind of person would I like to spend the entire day with? Are they someone I can grab a drink with? Do they like beer or wine? Shots? I love shots. Are they strong enough to speak out and give people direction? You will say to yourself, "Oh man...my uncle is crazy, I hope he listens." Your uncle isn't going to want to ruin one of the greatest days of your life, so we make him listen. We got your back.

This is why we do it :D

Those are the 3.5ish considerations I feel that any couple getting married should ponder about when deciding on a wedding photographer. I'd like to hear what you have to say, comment down below!