y ou’ve found a darling spot to host your commingling, be it a snug maritime inn, dreamy uptown terrace or big-ticket hotel, but before signing your savings away, set up a little Q and A session with your site of choice. Know your needs going into the meeting, shedding all remnants of a flighty bride, sure of your desire for a band, open bar or set of twinklers. Flexibility and realism is still e

u nless you’re confident she’s the next Leibovitz, hiring your sister to snap photos on her digi-cam is a great way to commemorate your husband and her thumb standing regally at the altar. Go with a pro and they’ll capture the fun and elegance you never want to forget, and the things your wedding-fever made you miss- all in one slick package. This doesn’t mean just any professional photogra

w edding cakes and their symbolic properties haven’t always had such an elegant go of it. In medieval England, spiced buns filled with oysters, sweetbreads and other things we don’t want to know about were piled high, one on top of the other. If, and only if, the couple could kiss over the soaring stack would they be granted a life of good fortune. In the seventeenth century, cakes were broken

t he wedding bouquet speaks volumes of your personality and style; the same sort of symposium you’d expect from your dress and pumps and ‘do. Flowers add a feminine touch without necessarily crossing over into girly, because delicate as they appear, they connote an earthy, sensual romance. Their aromas and good looks are going to top off the mood of your day, which is why choosing a florist to

y our bridal look need not be hard-won. Firstly, toilsome tresses are a thing of a fuddy-duddy past and makeup has been reacquainted with light textures and natural shades. This isn’t to say you shouldn’t let color and be-jewelry pop with wide-eyed glee, as getting dolled up should be good girlish fun. But it’s when you take the pleasure from that glitter and lip-smacker era and combine it wi