Instagramming that ring

I stumbled across this Cosmo article this morning claiming the nine things that engaged women do wrong. Quite frankly, the author sounds bitter. Not only does Anna Breslaw claim that engaged couples think the world is theirs entirely and shared with only other engaged couples, but she claims that when a woman Instagrams or posts a picture of her engagement ring that everyone is judging her and the diamond. If it's not a diamond, Breslaw claims, the woman is criticized for trying to be "different."

Every person in this world has a right to post what they want. If they want to share their happy or sad moments with their social networks, let them. Of course after that proposal and the shiny ring is on your finger, you want to share it with your friends and family. You can't call everyone. That would take a lot of hours and a lot of phone minutes. Even if you call, people want to see your ring. So what's easier than just posting it and sharing it?

There's nothing wrong with wanting to post pictures. Actually, a lot of people enjoy them. I get super excited when I see someone on my newsfeed is engaged and has posted a picture. If they haven't, they get swamped with requests to see the ring.

Breslaw, I don't know your relationship status, but it may be time to rethink some of the bitterness. Maybe it's not your time yet, but I can probably guarantee that when she's engaged herself, she'll fall into some of her self declared pitfalls. Should a newly engaged woman still take everything in grace and attempt to be humble? Of course! However it's also an exciting time and couples are just looking for someone to share the happiness with along with their new fiance.

Spring/Summer 2014 The Connecticut Bride

The Spring/Summer 2014 issue of the Connecticut Bride recently took to the magazine racks and included in that is my first published bridal pieces. In the magazine, you can find advice on not making all of your bridesmaids dresses necessarily 100 percent match, but use the same color palette to allow for different styles for different body types, but a cohesive look. You can also find tips on the fun of signature drinks, morning-after activities for your long-distance guests that have flown in and the necessity of transportation and making sure there's enough of it for not only you and your new spouse, but your guests as well.

Upcoming bridal fashion show in Middletown, CT

I'm quite excited for the upcoming bridal fashion show at the Wadsworth Manion on Feb. 9. The mansion, which also doubles as a wedding venue, is hosting Mariella's Creations for a fashion show focusing solely on bridal beauty. Unlike other wedding expos, the event is supposed to be less overwhelming and in your face than your typical expo. Beside wedding dresses, special occasion dresses and bridesmaids dresses will be shown. For the girls just starting their wedding planning and who may not know what's out there for dresses, the event will be a great way to take a small taste of the bridal world, enjoy some champagne and kick back with the girls.

The Wonders of Engagement Season

If your Facebook news feed looks something like this, then it's probably because it's engagement season. Helped by the marketing for De Beer diamonds, "engagement season" grew more popular because of the span between Thanksgiving and Valentine's Day. Filled with family focused, gift giving holidays, the winter season is prime time for proposals. While some aspects of engagement season are just corny, some are practical.

The corny is everyone getting engaged at the same time. Single people can feel overwhelmed at the amount of "I said yes!" and "We're engaged!" on their news feed and in their social networks. Proposals by the Christmas tree are still sweet, as all proposals are, but are becoming more and more cliche especially when you have flash mobs and all kinds of things hitting the Internet. 

Now it's not to say that all engagement season proposals are a bad idea. Actually it can prove practical for a couple's timeline. It also can be a great way to celebrate an engagement with family. The holidays bring families together that may only see each other once a year. It's a big family event and should be celebrated!

Just be prepared to share the joy with a lot of other couples in your social circle. It's almost guaranteed you won't be the only one getting a shiny ring over the holidays. Congratulate everyone and share in the excitement. Chat about your proposals with other newly engaged ladies. Just don't bombard your single friends too much. They'll get a bit tired of talking about wedding dresses and the color of the year a bit quicker than others that will also be soon planning their nuptials. 

Issues with Maids

There's a couple issues with bridesmaids that seem to come up consistently. Whether it be a disconnected maid, dealing with an underage maid and a bachelorette, or choosing too early, it's tough to navigate maids or matrons or junior maids.

Q: What do I do if one of my maids is just not interested in the wedding and won't help?

You pick your bridesmaids not because you want them as your personal slaves. Your maids are chosen to stand up next to you and show their support. There's a difference in a maid not showing their support and encouragement for your upcoming marriage and not wanting to sit assembling DIY favors all weekend. As a bride, you also need to keep in mind your bridesmaids' lives. Maybe one of them just lost a family member or has a huge work deadline coming up a few months before your wedding. Consider their feelings and at the very least, talk to them concerning the issues.

Q: I really want my younger sister to be part of my wedding, but she'll only be 18. Does that mean I can't have the kind of fun we want during the bachelorette?

Just because a maid is under the legal drinking age doesn't mean you all can't have fun. Maybe split your bachelorette. Do one night that's a crazy drinking night at a bar and another that's a calm, spa day or a nice dinner with some kind of activity after that you can all enjoy. You can also consider going to a place that serves alcohol, but doesn't card everyone in your party. Think smart, but also think of your maid and how she may feel about it.

Q: I just got engaged and am so excited to pick my maids! But I know I'm going to have a long engagement (1+ years). What do I do?

It's going to be the hardest thing to do, but wait. You really shouldn't pick your maids until at the most 11 months before the wedding. Relationships are going to change. Depending on the length of your engagement, it could be awhile until your wedding. Your best friend now may move across the country and not be as close in a few months. I know it's very difficult not to jump the gun, but breathe, enjoy the just engaged phase and don't worry about it!

If you have any wedding questions that you would like answered, please leave a comment and I'll get back to you as soon as I can!

Utilize your social media

When it comes to planning and enjoying a wedding, have fun with your Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Vine, Pinterest. You name it, it's out there. Some brides love a good, old fashioned glossy bridal magazine in their hands. I'll admit, I'm addicted to them just as much as any other girl. However, websites like The Knot and websites for the bridal magazines themselves offer a lot of their content on their sites. It's not the same as ripping pages out and putting them into a binder for future planning, but you can learn a lot about etiquette, planning and timelines that can help.

Sites like Pinterest are never ending sources of ideas and inspiration. From DIY projects to bridesmaid dresses and color palettes, tons of good can come from scrolling through some pages and pinning the ideas to a board or two. Organize away and make a few boards. It'll help once it comes time to hire vendors and pick your dresses with your girls!

The sources and information don't stop once the wedding day is here. Don't be afraid to make a Twitter/Instagram hashtag for your wedding. Put it on your invites or on a sign when guests walk in. Guests love to take photos and with the social media and smartphone era, they take a lot of them. However, without a hashtag, it can be difficult to corral all the photos in one place. Many times, smartphone photos are taking over for the disposable camera idea. Use the hashtag so after the honeymoon, you can have them collected in an easy way and be able to enjoy or scrapbook them.

Also during the wedding, utilize Vine to have guests take quick, easy videos of their crazy dancing or the cake cutting or even guests just enjoying the party! What photos can't show, videos can.

Last but not least, use Facebook openly. With the upcoming ability on Facebook to collaborate on photo albums, you can again get all the photos easy in one place to keep track of for the future.

Set priorities

You can't have it all in your wedding. Your budget (well except if maybe you're a millionaire) cannot cover a beautiful $10,000 designer dress, a fantastic venue, mouth savoring food, exotic flowers and the best of the best bands. It comes down to deciding what the most important things are in your wedding.

Some people are going to spend more money on their attire or their focus will be the food. Maybe they splurged for a drop dead venue or a vintage Rolls Royce? Before even beginning the planning craziness, sit down with your fiance and discuss what the most important things are to you. Maybe you want to take it a step back on the invitations or maybe you aren't so picky about what flowers you have as long as they're in the right color. Make some budget compromises. In the end, it will be a wonderful day because your loved one and you are getting hitched!

All the weddings!

There comes a time in your life when all of your friends are also getting engaged and/or married around the same time as you. You may start bumping into date conflicts, arguing over vendors, playing tug of war with wedding dresses...just stop. None of that is necessary.

We are not a sequel of "Bride Wars." We won't all have a June wedding at the Plaza. Actually, it's quite the opposite. You may get lucky like I might when your friends are looking at different lengths of engagements. I know for a fact if my boy proposed, we would have a long engagement to make sure we were financially comfortable enough to throw the wedding we want. I know another friend looking at a short engagement so that the friends they have now can be there.

It comes down to communication. Talk with your other serious relationship, engaged or almost married friends. Discuss timing of weddings, bachelorettes, bridal showers and engagement parties before setting dates. If you really want another friend there and she's important, work together to make sure everyone can make the big bash. You don't have to end up walking down the aisle to a video of spring break or having your hair dyed blue. It can actually be a painless process with a little planning.