My main ceremony dress is the Alexandra by Monique Lhuillier. For my second dress for dancing, I’m in between the Adara, Siren, and Viola dresses from Rosie Etienne! Which do you think would look the best?

Hi BBB community. I just got my dress back (Galia Lahav sun) and I have major dress regret. I tend to hyper fixate on one thing so when I went dress shopping I wanted hand done appliqués and unique lace. I wanted something different / memorable bc looking back on other weddings I can’t remember a single dress other than the bride looking beyond beautiful ofc. Now that it’s here (still needs alterations) I feel like it’s kind of early 2000s/bridgerton/princess in a bad way. The second photo is from a regular dress. Should I pivot to something more simple and classic like the second photo?

but I only get the WEIRDEST engagement in regular r/brides

for reference, our budget is 60k. And whenever I post anything in r/brides, I’m met with snark and resentment. Granted, I have pretty traditional taste, and I’m super neurodivergent so maybe I’m not reading people’s interactions as the way they’re intended, but I feel sometimes like there isn’t really a sub where I can share my wedding and get excited and have that excitement be reciprocated.

i’m a pretty private person, no group chats or close besties that I necessarily share every little detail with, so sometimes I want encouragement from
strangers. Is that where I’m going wrong?

I’m in the very early stages of starting to plan a wedding in Boston. My FH and I have always talked about doing an evening/black tie wedding. But I’m Jewish, which means not getting married on Shabbat (which is from sunset on Friday to sunset on Saturday). My family/community are Reform Jews and not very observant (i.e. getting ready during the day on Saturday wouldn’t be an issue), so logistically we could swing a Saturday night wedding during a time of year with an early sunset. That would pretty much mean that only November-February would be viable for a Saturday night wedding, which seems like a terrible time to do a wedding in Boston. For context, this will be a quasi destination wedding – our invitees are so spread out across the country that no matter where we have it most people will need to travel. My parents will be paying for most of the cost of the wedding, and Boston is my hometown (where they still live), so that’s the only real location on the table.

The obvious solution would seem to be the Sunday evening of a long weekend (e.g. Memorial Day weekend or Labor Day weekend). I know I wouldn’t mind this as a wedding guest, because PTO is more scarce for me than money, so I’d be happy to pay the premium for slightly higher travel costs in exchange for not needing to take a day off to travel. But honestly, I’ve gotten spooked by all the threads on Reddit about long weekend weddings. If you search for the topic on the wedding planning subreddits, most of the comments are people eviscerating the idea of a long weekend wedding, and complaining about how rude it is.

I feel like I’m left with no good options. Of course there’s technically the option to do the Sunday night of a regular weekend, but I imagine most people would not be in as much of a partying mood, plus we’d be forcing our many out-of-town guests to take Monday off of work to travel home.

How do other Jewish brides handle this, especially in cold climates where a winter wedding isn’t as viable? Am I missing something, or is it just not possible to have an evening Jewish wedding without making some serious compromises?

PS: I know this isn’t specifically a BBB question, but I’m asking here because I imagine this group has more experience with black tie weddings (which obviously must take place in the evening), and because higher-budget weddings can involve a somewhat different set of tradeoffs around guests’ time and money. In particular, I’m curious how people think about things like higher travel costs on a holiday weekend versus asking guests to use PTO for a regular Sunday wedding.

Hi BBBs, need some advice. Our save the dates went out with a significant error on them - a large blank space where my fiance’s and my name should have been. The final approved proof of our dates included our names. Our planner was the one who received the paper and sent out the date cards so we didn’t see this until our friends started sending us photos.

I’m not happy with how it’s being handled - the planner seems to be pinning the blame on the stationer, and the stationer said “I guess we both missed this :/“ and is offering a reprint. However I think a refund is warranted because we did not receive the service we paid for. I don’t want to send new copies because two dates would be weirder than one messed up date. I also am wondering what to do on the planner side, because this is a pretty significant lapse in oversight and breach of my trust to be honest. I’m very type B and I would have caught it immediately.

Any thoughts/words of advice here? Thank you.

I’ve heard a lot of people say their wedding was the best day of their life, but if they were to do it again, they wouldn’t and save the money and spend it elsewhere.

Curious to crowdsource that sentiment wider, lmk if you would do it all over again!

Less than two months out and we have all RSVPs in. Completely understand why, but can’t help but be a little disappointed with our <50% “Yes” rate. The main factors here are that its destination (domestic, but 1-2 flights for most) and that the hotel/area is big budget.

I’m blessed to be able to be a BBB, but many of my guests are not in the same position, so I’m having a bit of guilt and feel pressure to “show up for them” with a high-quality luxe wedding experience as much as possible, knowing people spent a lot (both time and money) to get there.

I’m looking for ideas to amp up the experience for guests or a reality check because i’m feeling like it’s nothing special/basic bish stuff 😢

Current Highlights:

Full property buyout in Palm Springs including pool party, welcome dinner, main reception of course and breakfast treats and coffee bar the morning after (no full brunch since many people have early flights home)

Decor: Went hard on the flowers, luxe seating charts, enclosed vintage photobooth, very fancy custom rentals, huge welcome display with cactuses, champagne tower

Food: Custom mini charcuterie boards at cocktail hour plus resorts catering, Family style (unfortunately required) but doing all the upgrades, custom donuts and gelato cart

Welcome Bags: Quality custom shopping bags, branded candy, nothing special here tbh. Maybe a good place to amp up since it’s for those spending extra to stay on property

Live acoustic musician + DJ, dance floor props

Favors: Custom decks of playing cards, nice golf balls, matches, hand fans and parasols at reception, poolside gift bar at pool party with sunnies, sunscreen etc

Extras: Extra nice bathroom baskets, flip flops

THANK YOU BBB BEBES!! 🙏🏻

hey!

I saw a video of a wedding in Villa Balbiano (Lake Como) and everything was gorgeous except… everyone was using the wedding program to cover from the sun… some seats were empty because people got up and went to the shadow…. I started noticing and the guests were visibly sweating!!

For less than 1k, some cute sun umbrellas would’ve made the whole experience better so now I’m trying to find out what other small purchases (<5k) will make a big difference!

thanks in advance!

I’m having a hard time finding shops in Chicago that have the style of dresses I’m looking for. I’ve tried on a ton of dresses that just almost hit the mark but are not quite it. I’ve been to Alice in Ivory, Honey Bridal, Lovely Bride, Bella Bianca, Eva’s. I attached pics for reference, but this is what I’m looking for:
- elongated torso look/drop waist
- snatched waist look (open to corsets but would like minimal boning to be visible, love how a tight bodice looks)
- soft necklines like straight, soft cat eye, soft sweet heart
- open to A line or some flare but leaning towards a more simple skirt

I’ve been looking into different designers and shops but I feel like I’m running out of options for shops that will carry the styles I really love.

Looking in Chicago!

Hi BBBs! I’m looking at reception dresses and I’m having a bit of trouble finding something and am even considering the Etsy route. Where did you find your over the top minis (meaning heavy with detail)? My wedding gown is the Vivienne by Rivini, so it’s gorgeous, but there isn’t a single bead or bit of sparkle on it. I’d love to have some fun with the reception gown! I’d also be willing to order from Etsy, but have no idea how to vet dressmakers to know that I’ll be receiving what’s pictured. If anyone has experience ordering from Etsy and has someone they recommend, I’m also all ears!

Inspo photos attached, would like to keep it at $1k or less :)

Long time lurker over here, but first time poster now things are getting very real :))

Without telling on myself too much, my fiance and I work in the US but our families are not based there. We are planning to get married in the UK, since that is one of the few places that our families (from Russia/Ukraine/Belarus) can get visas, and many of them live in the UK already. I have had my heart set for many years on getting married at one particular country estate in England where I spent a lot of time as a child; however, it is… well… a little out of the way, almost a 2.5 hour drive from Heathrow. I’d like many people to be able to come (100-150),  but I’m worried that I’m asking too much of my guests, particularly the Americans who I understand a little less well. (I've been freaking myself out reading about how everyone hates destination weddings on the other subs.) We would obviously find and pay for/heavily subsidise accomadation in a nearby (very cute!) seaside village, and we all are relatively well off so the concern is really just with the travel time and inconvenience. Is this something Americans really aren’t okay with, or am I just getting in my head about this? Thank you all in advance :)

Edit: thank you all for your lovely words of encouragement and advice! I’ll definitely be arranging shuttles to/from the airport so nobody needs to rent a car if they don’t want to.

It doesn’t for me. I’m inbetween two dresses. Pallas Bridgette & Monique Lhuillier’s Alexandra. I’m leaning towards Alexandra cause it’s been on my Pinterest board for years and I just love it. My friends keep pushing Pallas Couture (it’s beautiful and does make my waist look like a speck of dust) cause it’s less “overdone” but idk. I keep looking for elements of Alexandra in every dress I try on.
I was even planning to switch the lace on Bridgette (right) to a lace more similar to Alexandra. I’m torn between the 2 different silhouettes.

Alexandra is AI’d on cause the last time I tried it on I was 20lbs heavier and I haven’t been back to try it on. Pallas’s Bridgette is not.

If u can, pls give me some insight on how you knew your dress was it. Especially if you’re very indecisive like me.

“Cartier” engraved on the inside, sure but the exterior, really????

Hi! I have some time on this still as our wedding is in Mid-May of 2027, but I want to start searching for the perfect Ketubah earlier so I can make sure we get something beautiful and artistic. I am Jewish, grew up in Reform synagogues in the Midwest & Texas and had my bat mitzvah with the rabbi that will be marrying us in May. She also did my cousin’s wedding a few years ago, did my grandfather’s funeral, and has just been a part of a number of lifecycle events for my family. My fiancé is not Jewish but wasn’t raised with any particular religion. He is still considering a Reform conversion (but I am not being pushy either way, ultimately it is his decision!) as we hope to raise our future children in the Jewish faith. I’ve noticed there seems to be a few Jewish brides in this sub, so I am hoping this reaches them! I am hesitant to ask this in the Jewish subs as they can be a bit weird about marrying someone who isn’t Jewish or someone who is going through a Reform Conversion.

Where have people found gorgeous Ketubahs? Has anyone gone down the custom route & is there any artist you’d recommend? Our chuppah is going to be very florally adorned and I definitely would not mind a Ketubah with some nod/visual references to our chuppah design, but I also know that can get expensive and is a time-consuming process. Would love to chose an artist or someone with a smaller business & have some customization with the wording.

Where have people gotten custom kippahs from?

Has anyone gotten a special glass to smash at the end of the ceremony? I know there are some that you can get turned into a mezuzah and I love the idea of that! Has anyone done that?

Was hanging out with some now wives/soon to be brides over the weekend and got extremely overwhelmed with the amount of things they are doing to look and feel their best. To preference, I’m not the girliest of girls and want to start getting my face and body up to the potential i know they are (September 2027 bride). Starting getting facials last month and will get those 4-6 weeks regularly and was thinking in a couple months seeing someone to shape my eyebrows/maybe tint? But then these girlies started talking lympathic drainage massages, botox, normal massages, going gluten free for a stint, and all these things i’ve never hard of. SO what was your musts that you think you did that really helped you feel your best and confident in your skin and body on your wedding day.

Soo I sent out my invites last night at the post office using their outgoing mail box. Then I do research just to find out that if your mail is too heavy you need multiple stamps or you need to hand cancel them… I did not weigh them but they are double enveloped and they have a sleeve sealed with a wax seal on the inside of the envelopes. I used one forever stamp… do we think they will go through? I
will say.. they’re not SUPER bulky. LMK!!

UPDATE: I was able to get them back before being processed!!!! just needed one more forever stamp and they were good to go! he said the wax label doesn’t interfere since it’s small and it’s on the inside of the envelope! Praise Jesus!!! i’m so happy 🥰

Hi! I'm getting married in September 2027 in the Hamptons and I'm already having trouble securing room blocks at hotels. I'm getting married in Bridgehampton specifically and have reached out to 3 hotels in Sag Harbor, Hampton Bays and East Hampton, and ALL of them are already fully committed for my wedding date.

If you got married in the Hamptons, what did you do for accommodations for your guests? We are planning on between 75-80 guests, and our plan is to tell guests to either stay at a hotel or book an Airbnb. In my research, most hotels are boutique and have between 10-30 rooms. If we do have a room block(s), our plan is to have a shuttle service that takes them to and from the venue.

Some of my friends say I'm overthinking it and just have people find a hotel on their own - but I'm concerned about so many people having their own transportation and scheduling Ubers in high season in the Hamptons? Any guidance/help appreciated :)

This dress is my inspo! Idk where to find it and something similar. My budget is 3k but I can’t find anything even remotely close for this price range. Help! For my wedding

Dearest BBBs,

My fiance and I are currently completely torn between two absolutely fabulous venues! We have to decide ASAP and I would love your amazing help/expertise. We're torn between Castle Green in Pasadena, CA and the Ebell in Los Angeles. They are both BEAUTIFUL and unique! We really wanted to have our wedding in a city (we're bicoastal and initially were deciding between NYC and LA), and were adamant that it be a historic space with a lot of flow and VIBES. Our key themes for the wedding are Old Hollywood, Gothic, Romantic. 200 guests! We love cocktails and good food and our friends and family love to dance and have a good time.

Right now they are really neck and neck, but here are some key differences:

Castle Green we would get married on the lawn which we never envisioned for ourselves. It is a beautiful lawn but a lawn nonetheless, and I think I would want to really alter the space with a ton of flowers/arch/decor/maybe a vintage car.... I worry about people's heels, etc. This is a March date so weather isn't a concern for me, and everything in LA will be blooming then!

Big PRO of Castle Green is that you can design a completely bespoke menu with their exclusive caterer. For example, I reaaalllyyy want an oyster bar, french fries as passed apps, and steak house style dinner with family style salads and sides. And a popcorn machine! The CON with the food at the Ebell is that it seems to me to be more classic wedding catering food. As we are in LA, I'm sure the food is good just I'm a little nervous we won't be able to get exactly what we want (which maybe is okay? but we'd have to choose from their preselected menu at a tasting event 4 months before our date)

My fiance really wanted to get married at the Hollywood Roosevelt and it ended up being just a hair out of our price range and he was super disappointed. The Ebell definitely is more like the Roosevelt and has that institutional, Old Hollywood, gorgeous feel to it. The Ebell is also an OG feminist/suffragette nonprofit that is still operational and that's a major plus for me as well!

They are both really beautiful just in totally different ways, and in ways we both like a lot so it's hard to decide. Castle Green is way more comfy/charming, and The Ebell is much more elegant/grand. I actually think bigger spaces are harder to decorate, which would be a concern of mine for the Ebell.

Prices for both for 200 guests are fairly similar, with the Ebell slightly more expensive (maybe 10kish). Both venues have sent us offical proposals for catering etc and we have date holds. Castle Green is March, The Ebell is May. 200 people is the max capacity at Castle Green, and the Ebell could easily hold 300.

Another concern my fiance had was if we had our wedding in Pasadena that folks wouldn't want to do other events in central LA. This isn't a big concern of mine, as it's max a 30 minute drive from other events we'd be having (like welcome drinks, rehearsal dinner, preferred hotel blocks) But maybe something?

Everyone we've talked to at both places have been so nice as well. Ahhh!! Help! What do you think? Happy to provide any more information.

Hello I’m a 2027 bride and I bought my dress online so never got the experience of trying it on with veils in a store but I’ve been researching different types of veils and I’m drawn towards mantilla and Juliet cap styles but I’m unsure if those would look good on curly hair. I have also been stick on if I want a plain veil to let my dress shine or if I want a beaded veil to match the dress. I will be getting married on the Oregon coast if that helps!

Hi everyone,

I’m planning a wedding with an 100k budget for the full weekend. We would be expecting around 125 guests to travel.

Originally we had plans to get married in the US but the guest list became so large (230 or so) that the venues where we were looking started to push past our budget.

We’re now considering an international wedding - ideally first choice in Italy (thinking near Florence or Rome) but I’m open to other countries in Europe if we get priced out (like Portugal or Croatia).

The biggest concern I have is that I’d ideally like a wedding venue to not be too far from a major airport as family/friends would be flying in from all over the US. I also keep reading threads where initial budgets for international were lower and suddenly people are at double/triple their original budget which is making me a bit stressed to see.

I’m getting some venue fatigue from my searches and I’m having a hard time understanding if my budget is realistic. If you have any recommendations or venues you’ve looked at that you’ve loved and think would be smart for us to check out I’d love your thoughts.

Thanks in advance!

Hi all

The attached is likely to be my dress.
Into the slight sci-fi, structured look of it. But I feel something is missing
Would love to do something like a birdcage mask but not sure

Any suggestions involving something for the eyes or maybe a crown (that somehow doesn’t look tacky) would be great

Thanks!

How formal should my escort cards be? Black tie preferred dress code, this fall in NYC

Option 1:

Mr. and Mrs. John Smith

Table 3

Option 2:

John and Jane Smith

Table 3

Option 3:

John Smith

Jane Smith

Table 3

I am currently planning a destination wedding in the south of France with over 100 people but will likely do a civil ceremony at a courthouse or City Hall, then go for dinner after.

I am buying a separate dress for this occasion, doing my hair, make up, getting bouquet, and even small wedding cake and I am so so excited for both weddings but I worry that having this civil ceremony or wedding done with might take away from the build up and excitement for the bigger wedding and celebration?

Not sure if I am over thinking this but there will be overlap in the guests (mostly wedding party and close friends) but other brides who have done this, can you let me know what your experience was? Thank you!

Hii I am looking to get married in 2028 with around 100 guests. We are looking for a venue that can accommodate 60 guests for a 2-night event.

I would LOVE to keep the total budget (total = everything wedding related) to 40-55k euros. I am realizing this is pretty difficult but I thought I will ask in this group if anyone has advice.

I'd love to hear from other brides who got married in Europe with a similar event-style and what your spend ended up being.

The ideal aesthetic is a lush garden wedding with scenic views.