New Jersey Bride and 'The Bachelor' wedding gown

My editor Molly Tully at New Jersey Bride has just posted a very fun blog about the wedding gowns that could potentially be worn by The Bachelor's pick. Read it here and join the discussion about what his Bride might select!

Embattled Bridesmaids, Sylvia Weinstock, Preston Bailey and Colin Cowie

Whew! It's been quite a day! I invite you to visit www.getmarried.com to see my segment that aired this morning -- all about smart booking of your wedding day transportation...and while you're viewing the show, check out my 'opening act' of Sylvia Weinstock, Ron Ben-Israel, Preson Bailey and Colin Cowie and their latest masterpieces.

Since you'll be working closely with your bridesmaids, check out my interview on Irene Levine's blog Fractured Friendships, to make sure that you don't wreck the harmony between you and your friends. This is Part2 of my discussion with Irene, so be sure to check out Part 1 as you peruse her phenomenal site!

Catch me on Get Married!

This is just one of my recent appearances on Get Married with Colin Cowie. Tune in on the 18th and the 25th of this month to see my newest segments, and keep an eye on my website to catch my past appearances.

We're building a new Sharon Naylor on TV page that will be up shortly, so you'll see plenty more of my appearances on Get Married there!

Combat wedding stress with some Love Bets!

Laughter makes all the wedding stress go away...and so does reminding yourselves how much fun you both have together when your world isn't full of Wedding To-Do's, envious friends and pushy parents. I wrote this book to bring some laughs back into your life, to give you tame, romantic and racy things to 'win' from each other, laugh at yourself, show your skills (and by that, I mean tennis or bowling! But you can interpret that however you'd like!) and generally just show your 'awesome side' to your partner again...instead of being miserable, tense and stressed-out by the wedding plans.

Look at this book as an investment in keeping the two of you close during this busy time...and good luck with your bets! Write to me through my website to share your Love Bets stories. I may just include YOU and your bets in the 2nd edition of this book!

Get your copy of Love Bets here.

Show Me Some Roses

Your floral designer can best create your dream wedding flowers when you have photos to show...and I have a great resource for you: the White Flower Farm Catalog, which is gorgeous, filled with detailed photos of classic and new varietals of roses, dahlias, lilies, orchids, lavender...any type of flowers you'd like to incorporate into your wedding decor.

As an added perk, the catalog will serve you well if you're going to plan a garden, some borders or container plants together. Joe and I have an amazing area mapped out for a shade garden, and I can't get enough of the suggestions in this catalog. So look at this handy catalog as a great tool for Now and Later!

Etta James/ Beyonce versions of 'At Last'

Okay, normally I don't get involved in celebrity catfights, but since we're talking about the #1 First Dance song at weddings, I have to speak up about the Etta James/Beyonce clash reported here.

I can TOTALLY understand Etta James's displeasure at not being given the chance to sing her own song at the momentous occasion. This is her song. She sings it at every concert and -- in my opinion -- knocks it out of the park with pitch-pure tones and a voice that brings her faithful fans to tears. I was a MESS at her concert. I was BLISSED-OUT dancing to "At Last" at my own wedding.

There's no denying Beyonce is a tremendous talent, and her presence at the inaugural festivities was a crowd-pleaser.

I'm not going to justify, defend or otherwise comment on reported remarks by Ms. James, because no one ever knows the real story. I just would have LOVED to see BOTH women perform the song for the Obamas. It would have been amazing.

So when the Team Etta and Team Beyonce shirts hit the market in a few hours, it will be interesting to get reports from professional deejays on the percentages of brides and grooms who request Etta's version and Beyonce's version of the song for their wedding playlists.

Bouquet Chic is a Bride's Must-Have!

My review of 'Bouquet Chic' by Kimberly Aurora Kapur:

I must have said 'Wow!' twenty times *before* page 20! This book is visually stunning, well-written, and inspiring in a way that few other bridal floral books have achieved. At once modern and fashionable, the looks are achievable no matter where you stand on the Chic Scale. This is THE book you want to buy for the best images to show your own floral designer, and THE book you want to flip through for a boost on days when wedding planning is stressful. It's impossible to be tense when you're looking at vibrant orange bouquets and romantic sage green and white cascades. The text is brilliant, the production quality brilliant, and you'll even find inspiration for your wedding PHOTOS...surely, you'll open this book in front of your photographer and say "I want a shot like THIS!" Bouquet Chic is a must-have!

Get my #1 Amazon Bestselling Bridal Shower Book

This just in: My book The Ultimate Bridal Shower Idea Book is #1 on the Amazon.com list of bestselling bridal shower books! Get your copy today, and find out how to throw an amazing shower on a budget, with fun themes, games, menus, and favors your guests will love.

Warning! Postage Stamp Rates Going Up!

I just heard on the news that postage stamp rates are going to be increasing in May, so be VERY careful about buying the right Love or personally-designed stamps for your wedding invitations that will be valid at the time of your wedding. You don't want to buy 42-cent Love stamps now and then have to supplement with a random 2-cent stamp later nor have all of your invitations bounce back to you for insufficient postage. Then you'd have to order new envelopes, address them all, buy new stamps, etc. Huge nightmare!

Think about your wedding date and invitation mailing date (6-8 weeks before a hometown wedding, 12 weeks at least for a destination wedding) -- and the same for your Save the Dates if that's where you're at in your planning -- and make sure your purchase and sending timing is spot-on!

For more info, visit www.usps.gov.

A top, trendy gift for junior bridesmaids

Junior bridesmaids LOVE getting Teen Vogue subscriptions as their 'thank you for being in the wedding' gift. It's the gift that keeps on giving, a regular reminder of what a cool aunt or sister you are...and the magazine often gives out free totes and other fun swag just for subscribing.

Looking at this mag: were WE this stylish and phenomenal when we were their ages? ;)

Have a Haunted Honeymoon

It doesn't have to be Halloween for all things ghostly to be a part of your big getaway. Some of the most notable and luxurious hotels in the world are home to ghosts who just don't want to leave -- and can you blame them? Joe and I stayed at The Logan Inn, one of the haunted hotels in this article, and we heard several ghostly sounds during our stay. I've stayed at the Roosevelt, pictured above, and it's wildly haunted...but in a good way.

If you'd like to stay at a haunted hotel, or close enough just to tour one, check out this great starter article. and know that just like your wedding, your honeymoon is going to be unlike anyone else's in your circle of friends!

Sharon Naylor Wedding Books new slideshow

Are you missing out on free help from me?

Thousands of brides are getting free, insider information from me, and personalized solutions to their wedding problems at my iVillage Weddings Ask The Wedding Expert: Budgets and More message board. Come join in the conversation, and get your wedding-planning and budget questions answered by me.

I'm looking forward to hearing from you!

This is a CAKE!

How amazing is this? The wonderful, talented folks at Hansen's Cakes worked some magic with this one, and their Golden Globes Cake is a stunner as well. Visit their blog for more inspiring, amazing images and hopefully you'll be among the lucky brides who get a Hansen Cake for your wedding!

I just don't get it...wedding flowers in a flash-freeze

I have to admit....I just don't get the allure of freeze-dried flower petals and freeze-dried flowers in bouquets, centerpieces and as decor. With so many inexpensive fresh flowers out there, ones that won't bust your budget, why would you choose drier-looking flash-frozen flowers and petals for your big day?

I've seen a lot of freeze-dried options out there, and I miss the silkiness of a fresh flower petal, the scent, the softness...if you have a preference for freeze-dried blooms, please do e-mail me and share your perspective because I'd really love a fresh look at this bountiful product in wedding floral world.

Check out 'Style Me Pretty' -- a Don't Miss wedding blog

It's just too gorgeous for words, and Abby is a style inspiration genius. RSS this one and don't miss it for one single day! www.stylemepretty.com.

Check out the new invitation Pochettes by Mountaincow!

I think these are absolutely adorable! Pretty, fold-outs perfect for invitations, Save the Dates, thank you notes for your bridal party, even love letters between the bride and groom (hide one in a suitcase, place one on the pillowcase, and so on for the kind of sweet romance that keeps you close during wedding planning.

Check them out here:

And look at these colors!


white

cinnamon

black

pink lemonade

magenta

deep red

mandarin orange

dark yellow

margarita

green

aqua

sky

twilight

violet
ecru

chocolate

slate

deep pink

scarlet

coral

bright orange

yellow

avocado

clover

teal

dusty blue

lavender

purple
ivory

dark chocolate

pewter

blush

candy apple

deep orange

saffron

celery

bright green

sage

midnight

powder blue

fuchsia

Should you worry when a wedding expert doesn't have a 'package?'

No, don't worry. It's the new trend for more and more wedding experts, such as florists, photographers, caterers and wedding cordinators, to customize the details and plans they'll put together for your wedding. In past years, you'd see the Budget Package with just the basics, the Gold Package with lots of perks in addition to the basics, and then the Platinum Package that would blow your mind and budget. Now, wedding pros know that you want to create your own package of their goods and services, according to your own budget. And your wedding won't be similar to any other friends or relatives who had their weddings at the same place. So don't be afraid of the no-package pro. Just interview them with the same careful questioning you use for all of your experts and see what you might be able to create with them.

My new book on Amazon's Hot New Wedding Books list!

Seems like every bride wants to find out how to avoid some of the biggest mistakes possible! Amazon.com has included my newest book The Bride's Survival Guide in their list of the best new wedding books!

See my Recession-Proof Your Wedding tips every day at Bridal Guide!

I'm SO excited to start my Recession-Proof Your Wedding tip-a-day program with Bridal Guide, in which you'll get an insider secret money-saver every day. Just go to Bridal Guide for more information. Here's the article to get you started!