They say that her wedding day is the best day of a woman’s life. This cliché holds true to most women. What more if you are a celebrity and can spend as much as you want for that one day where all eyes are on you and Mr. Right waiting for you by the altar.

Because they can afford it, celebrities often approach acclaimed designers to create their bridal gowns.

During the 90s, Vera Wang was often celebs’ best friend on their wedding day.

Vera Wang worked as a Fashion Director for Vogue magazine and a design director for Ralph Lauren. That was when she realized that there was no fashion when it comes to the bridal business. All dresses were traditional that didn’t have the style and sophistication she was looking for. To resolve this, she created a bridal line of her very own.

Vera Wang’s salon opened in 1990 which showed off her bridal collection. The freshness of detail and the exuberance of elegance quickly gained her recognition the world over.

Celebrities who have donned Vera Wang wedding dresses are Jennifer Lopez (off-shoulder lacey ruffled dress), Jessica Simpson (meringue color) and Sharon Stone (light pink chiffon.) Other celebrities who wore Vera Wang on their special day are Mariah Carey, Uma Thurman, Holly Hunter and Karenna Gore.

Remaining true to Paris haute fashion, Vera Wang uses fabrics that are luxurious and rich to detail such as beading. Combining modern style to traditional touches, Vera Wang wedding dresses include sweet bows and tulle dresses. Her creations convey that brides can be seductive.

A Vera Wang wedding dress ranges from as cheap as $2000 to as expensive as $7000. These can be obtained at her bridal salon and department stores like Neiman Marcus, Barney’s and Saks Fifth Avenue.

But lately, another designer-to-the-stars is making a name for herself when it comes to creating wedding dresses.

Monique Lhuiller is of French, Spanish and Filipino heritage. She grew up in the Philippines. Because of her mom’s glamorous style and her family’s usual traveling, Monique’s influence led her to dream of becoming a fashion designer.

She graduated from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising. Afterwards, she worked at a small French firm. By designing her own wedding, her vision of her own firm was concretized. By 1996, she launched her first-ever bridal collection.

Celebrities have strutted the red carpet and are featured in editorial spreads wearing Monique Lhuillier creations. But it is her wedding dresses that have been featured more.

Celebrities who have worn Monique Lhuillier’s wedding dresses include singer Pink (in an ivory and black Monique Lhuillier creation), “Lost” star Emilie de Ravin (in a lacey long gown), and “Eve” star Ali Landry.

But it is when she designed wedding dresses for two high-profile celebrity weddings that placed her creations on the A-Listers’ wedding brochures. She designed Christine Baumgartner’s wedding dress for her fall 2004 wedding to hubby director and actor Kevin Costner. Prior to that, she designed Britney Spears’ two wedding dresses to hubby (now her ex) dancer and aspiring singer-actor Kevin Federline.

Monique Lhuillier also designed the five burgundy silk crepe dresses for the bridesmaids. As well as the wedding dresses of the bride’s mom and groom’s mom.

She has also designed the wedding dresses of Debbie Metenopoulos, Charlotte Ross and Natalie Imbruglia. She was selected by 300,000 “Today Show” viewers to take part on their “Today Throws a Destination Wedding 2004” series.

She also designed gowns for the red-carpet, worn by Allison Janney, Jamie-Lynn Discala, Megan Mullaly, Famke Janssen and Teri Hatcher.

Lhuillier’s wedding dress designs are quite feminine. Its trademark is the exquisite workmanship and the extravagant fabrics used. Very few of which have sleeves but a majority are like full skirts with a flair for drama.

Most importantly, Lhuillier’s wedding dresses have a stylish and modern feel. Perhaps this is the reason why her creations are in demand for celebrities walking down the aisle. At the same time, they still have the traditional sentiment of romance.

A Monique Lhuillier wedding dress has a price range from $2000 to $10,000 dollars. Her wedding dresses can be found in boutiques such as Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus.

Her wedding is truly any woman’s special day. With a Vera Wang and Monique Lhuillier dress, these are only icing to the wedding cake!

An engagement ring sparkles on your finger. Family and friends are now impatiently raving and waiting for an invitation that will serve as their ticket for that hefty meal and cherished memorable experience. They simply know that this will probably be better than any Hanukkah.

While you need a wedding planner to keep everything organized and to keep you from stress before the “I do’s”, you need to browse on some of the important traditions of your faith to ensure a lifetime of great Jewish wedding memories. Outlined below are the steps and some must-know terms on how to make that dream wedding of yours come true.

• STEP 1: Choose Where you want to hold the wedding. Wherever that is, just make sure that the Rabbi and the guests can access it. Remember to make reservations ahead of time.

• STEP 2: Prepare a ketubbah.
A ketubbah is known as the marriage contract. This contains the detailed rights and resonsibilities of the married couple to each other. The chatan or groom’s principal obligations are to provide food, shelter and clothing for his wife, and to be attentive to her emotional needs. Until this contract has been prepared, the marriage may not be solemnized. So if you don’t want any delays, better prepare one ahead.

The kallah or wife has the ketubbah for keeping and she has access to it throughout their marriage. This binding legal document signed by two witnesses is often written amidst beautiful artwork and displayed at home.
The Ketubah is read between the first part of the ceremony or the Kiddushin (betrothal), and the latter part or Nissuin (marriage).

• STEP 3: Invite all the important people in your lives to attend your wedding and that includes your family and would-be family.

• STEP 4: Setup a huppah.
A huppah is a wedding canopy where the couples exchange their vows.
Under a beautiful quilt, the couple experiences betrothal and marriage. It is not only used asan important ceremonial symbol, it serves a decorative purpose as well.

• STEP 5: Allot extra yarmulke for guests who forgot to bring their own.
A kippah or yarmulke is a special head covering worn by Jewish men as a symbol of religious piety. Its English translation is skullcap, as it usually covers only the top of the skull.

• STEP 6: Give enough time before the veiling ritual or badeken where the groom puts the veil over the face of the bride once he has affirmed that she is the woman he intends to marry. The veil symbolizes that beyond the physical attraction the soul and character are paramount to marriage.

• STEP 7: Choose a plain gold ring without any engravings or ornamentation. This is done in the hopes that marriage will be as simple and as beautiful.

In placing the ring, the groom puts the ring in his hand before two witnesses, and then he declares to his bride his allegiance. The chatan then places the ring on the right hand forefinger of the bride, which is from to Jewish law an act that highlights the marriage and makes the marriage official.

• STEP 8: Request the guests to read out loud the seven blessings.
The Seven Blessings, said over the second cup of wedding wine, links the couple to their faith in God as the world’s Creator, Provider of love and joy, and the greatest Savior.

After reciting the seven blessings, the kallah and chatan again drink some wine.

• STEP 9: Place a glass on the floor which the groom will break at the end of the ceremony as an indication that the Jewsih wedding ceremony is over. This is to remind the people about the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple. It is also a reminder that life and relationships are.fragile and needs utmost care.

• STEP 10: After the ceremony, the newly-wed couple are escorted to another room where they are left to be alone and to eat some food before joining their loveones and guests at the wedding feast. This moment signifies the union of the couple and their right to live together under one roof as husband and wife. This is called the yihud.

• STEP 11: It’s now time to party. So be sure you have a lot of room for dancing and partying in the reception. Usually, the guests provide entertainment by juggling and doing acrobat.

Couples who want to get married want to have the perfect wedding celebration that they will treasure forever. It has to be perfect as a celebration of love and the life that they will share together.

As such, marrying couples have the freedom to choose the theme and details of their wedding. They can choose any program that will satisfy the desires of their hearts.

One of the best choices for wedding themes is the Asian wedding style.

The Asian Wedding Theme

The brides and grooms who love anything Asian can enjoy their own Asian wedding. It can let one have the feel of the ethnic traditions and oriental culture.

An Asian wedding is perfect for anyone who wants to have a taste of the culture of Asians. It can also allow one to enjoy the simplicity of a Zen-like environment while maintaining the elegance in the ceremony.

Asian-themed weddings will put emphasis more on the simple and solemn celebration of the ceremony. It also has due regard to environment and nature. It can make the wedding as pure as the love that the marrying couple shares.

How to Enjoy Your Own Asian-themed Wedding?

Once you have finally decided that you will have your own Asian wedding to celebrate about, it is only proper that you take the necessary preparations to stage this wonderful event.

Here are some of the points to consider for that special wedding day.

1. Japanese or Chinese

There are many Asian countries in the East whose wedding traditions you can copy on your own. However, the Japanese and Chinese cultures are the more popular ones.

You can easily look for decorations, materials and details that will go about with the traditions of these two countries, considering that the Western world has embraced the elements of these oriental cultures.

2. Have Fun with the Colors

Once you have opted to take on an Oriental wedding, then you can freely consider wonderful colors in your wedding day.

Generally speaking, white is not the best choice for a gown in an Asian wedding. In the oriental culture, white is the color of death. It is not wise to stick with white if you are going all out oriental.

Red is the lucky color, together with black. These two colors are believed to bring the marrying couple luck and prosperity in the days to come. So it will be great to consider these color schemes and experiment on the new choices that you have.

You can actually consider surveying your local community for designers that have knowledge of the Asian styles. The online community also gives a lot of choices for providing ideas when it comes to genuine Oriental apparel.

3. Simplicity and Elegance

An Asian bride will naturally display her beauty by exuding elegance in her simplicity.

This means that you have to seek for a gown with simple lines and not too many embellishments. Use fabrics that are truly reflective of Oriental style. Choose for footwear strappy sandals that will complement the elegant gown.

The best detail that an Asian bride focuses on is her hairstyle. It must not be wavy or curly or let loose. The hair must be styled with a dramatic flair to complement the simple gown.

4. Wedding Details

There is a wide range of choices when it comes to details.

You can have paper lanterns, origami or pottery decorations. You can also put up a small pond with the koi fish swimming in it.

Orchids and lilies are wonderful options for the flowers. You can also put small fishbowls in the center of the table with white and black stones in it.

Just consult your wedding planner for a more coordinated scheme of your choices.

5. Wedding Favors

You can have fun too with the wedding favors that you will give to your guests.

One of the popular choices couples do is to give out fortune cookies. Guests have fun in reading some predictions.

It is also a tradition to give out seed packets that can be grown by the guests in their households. This is a symbolism of the love of the couple that will continue to grow.

For a more practical choice, you can have some of your wedding favors become the decoration itself in the wedding tables.

Bamboo stalks are used to signify good luck. The guests can simply pick it up after the celebration as a wonderful memento.

Conclusion

Consider the tips and notes provided above and you will definitely enjoy a delightful Oriental celebration on your wedding day.