Are you using your bridal luck?

Consider yourself lucky! All throughout time, brides have been thought to possess an extra dash of good luck -- and it is that good luck that has to be protected in all of those superstitions we put in our wedding days. Guests wanted to tear off a piece of the bride's lucky dress, so they would dive at her to rip a piece of fabric from her gown...and we made that one safer by having her throw her bouquet. The lucky sixpence in your shoe became a lucky penny, or a saint medallion sewn into the handle of your bouquet. Something Borrowed, Something Blue.

We could go on and on, but what I'm suggesting is that you made great use of your bridal luck by...oh....say... winning the HGTV Dream House! Or a new elliptical machine! Or a laundry room makeover! Or a free honeymoon! $2,000 off of your photography! A trip to the Golden Door spa for you and your bridesmaids as the world's best bachelorette party!

Entering giveaways is supremely easy, and I start my own day by logging on to HGTV to put in my daily entry for that Dream Home. They're so awesome over there, it's an auto-enter...you just fill out the form once, and then each day you fill in your e-mail address and it fills in the rest. Simple. Done. Consider me one step closer to that house in New Mexico with the awesome views, the 12 cool housewarming gifts, the eco-friendly everything, the fab furniture and chef's kitchen. I'm dreaming of winning that baby. And entering every morning starts my day with a dash of optimism and hope, the time to sip on my Dunkin Donuts coffee and imagine living in my new house in New Mexico. Not a bad way to start the day.

So add a few sites to your Favorites list so that you can enter to win some pretty amazing stuff for your home, for you, and for your wedding [right now, BHG.com has a contest going for $1,500 gift cards to Staples -- that would pay for your invitations, ink, programs, place cards, thank you notes, and so much more!]

Check out the Sweepstakes pages at:
HGTV.com
Better Homes and Gardens [Scroll to the bottom to get to the Sweepstakes link]
Fitness magazine
DIY Network
And at your favorite bridal websites, where they're always running amazing sweepstakes for free honeymoons and girls' getaways, destination weddings, and more

And go to bridal shows. Not just for the free champagne and hot appetizers. You could win some pretty fabulous stuff IF the prize comes from a reputable vendor and free doesn't mean a cheapo prize. You've got to compare and shop smartly. Awful, free tuxes are still awful tuxes!

Sweepstakes and contests for the bride!

Since so many wedding traditions are all about Luck (tossing the bouquet, the first dance, the old, new, borrowed and blue, etc.), you can consider yourself lucky that you have so many opportunities to WIN so many amazing things for your wedding and for your future together!

At every bridal show you attend, you could win a free honeymoon, free photography, free hair and makeup services, and more. Some couples win free receptions! Not bad for an hour on Sunday browsing through the bridal expo at the Ramada!

If you're the contest-entering type, now is a VERY good time for you. The top bridal sites offer plenty of contests, and you'll find amazing contests at your favorite magazines' websites. Here is one that's going on right now...the chance to win a free Prius from Better Homes and Gardens. I've signed on to their site so that I get access to all kinds of national contests, and with an easy click, it signs me up for my daily entry. Piece of cake. Right now, I'm trying to win an elliptical, which would be an amazing addition to our home gym.

Where else will you find great contests for life after the wedding? Go straight to HGTV, and get connected to their awesome contests, as well as to those at DIY Network and Fine Living.

In this economy, you're going to find bigger and better contest prizes out there, and it costs nothing to sign on. Just make sure you're being smart and not giving out your SS# or other personal data that could get your identity stolen. I find that sweepstakes endorsed by these major media websites are usually safe, but I still read the fine print.

Good luck to you!

Win a set of my wedding-planning books

I'm participating in a blog carnival, in which lots of different bloggers offer their products as contest prizes. So here's mine...

Win a copy of my books 1000 Best Wedding Bargains and 1000 Best Secrets For Your Perfect Wedding, just by going to my website and e-mailing me with 'Blog Carnival' in the subject line.

These two books will help you save thousands of dollars on your wedding plans, and personalize your Big Day. They'll also help protect you from some of the biggest wedding-planning mistakes out there.

If you're a winner, I'll autograph the books to you and send them for free.

Good luck in this drawing, and in all the others you find at the Blog Carnival.

Win some shoes!

A girl's gotta have great shoes, so sign on for Steve Madden's daily shoe giveaway, from now until December 18th: http://www.stevemadden.com/. I'm a big proponent of contests and sweeps, and I've won some pretty fantastic things. So I'm going to start sharing my favorite sweeps sites with you in future posts. Don't miss out on your chance to win cash for the wedding, vacations, home furnishings and decor, and of course, shoes! Come back often for Sharon's Sweeps!