New Hope Soap Blog

You've found the groom, the venue, and your perfect wedding dress--but now don't forget to dress the ladies who will be standing by your side on the big day. Bridesmaid dresses can be tricky, and sometimes the prospect of picking out a dress that fits the wedding and your bridesmaids can be overwhelming. Don't panic: if follow the suggestions below, both you and your bridesmaids should be happy with the result.  

1. Be budget-minded

You can't expect your bridesmaids to break the bank on a dress that--let's be honest--they probably won't have an opportunity to wear again. When you're first going dress shopping, decide on a reasonable price per dress and stick to it. 

2. Stick to a timeline 

You should begin looking for your bridesmaid dresses six-to-eight months before the wedding. This leaves plenty of time for you to pick the perfect dress, have fittings, and get alterations done, and doesn't leave you stressing for time at the last minute. 

3. Complement your style

You don't want the bridesmaid dresses to clash with your dress--or even worse, overshadow your dress completely. You also want to keep in mind the colors, theme, and location of your wedding. A short, flashy dress may not fit seamlessly with a traditional church wedding, and a taffeta gown probably won't complement a boho beach wedding. 

Have you discovered Etsy yet! Originally started as a site to sell handmade arts and crafts items, it has grown to be so much more! Now Etsy is an online  shopping destination that is home to everything from best friend bracelets and infinity scarves to antique tea cups and colorful hobo bags, Etsy appears to have everything and anything you could ever want, while still staying true to its origins, lots of handcrafted products for sale by the artisans who so lovingly and artfully practice their crafts.

Let's face it - something happened and your woman wants absolutely nothing to do with you. The specifics don't matter at this point, you just need to find a way to make her smile and gain her confidence again. Sure you could apologize, but it won't hurt to put a little icing on that gesture. Here are 10 ideas that will get you out of the dog house with your woman.

1. Keeping it Traditional: There is no more natural way to say "I'm sorry," than picking up a beautiful bundle of flowers. Make sure you consider a bouquet containing her favorite blossom. Or if you want to show that you made an extra effort, take a stroll and pick some wild flowers while you think of how you will set the stage for you apology. 
2. Get Artistic: Maybe you have a knack for creativity and want your significant other to interpret your apology, you could consider pulling together a masterpiece. Paint her a picture that shows how much you care. Write a poem that expresses how much she really means to you. For those who are less creative, pull together a playlist that defines your love - don't forget to pick a song that says you truly are apologetic.
   
   

Resources that could make your wedding planning less stressful and more productive!

Ah, weddings!  Love and romance fills the air while dreams of a future together occupy the heart and mind.  The wedding plans themselves, however; can frustrate and sap the energy of even the most excited bride-to-be.  To keep you from biting your nails over the plethora of decisions that must be made, take a look at these wedding planning resources created for helping a bride plan her own wedding.

Staying within your budget is important

This should be the first thing to consider.  From choosing the venue to bridesmaid’s gifts, before you know it, you’ve over-spent your wedding allowance.  See Bridal Guide, The Simple Dollar, and The Knot, for budget-friendly advice.

Organizee your ideas

To keep your ideas together, especially if you are playing around with more than one theme idea, a wedding journal comes in handy.  Zazzle offers an array of notebooks just for the occasion that range in price from $5 to $50 with a variety of subject and design options.  Of course, if you’re a super-organizer, any pad of paper will do.  For the computer savvy, there are web sites that offer online planning software to organize your thoughts and ideas.  The Knot offers iPhone apps such as a planning checklist, wedding budgeter, and guest list manager, as well as personalized wedding websites to help organize details and showcase your ideas to family and friends.

Almost anything can be used as a wedding favor, as long as it's heart-shaped, or you tie a cute saying to it, or label it with "Mr. and Mrs. John Smith, August 2014," or whatever you want to say about your wedding day. Here are 100 wacky and fun wedding favor ideas that people have actually used! Check out this Pinterest Pin Board.

Wedding Favors - Hygiene

1. Nail files
2. Chap stick
3. Sunscreen
4. Lotion
5. Wet wipes
6. Hand soap
7. Shaped soap
8. Hand sanitizer

By Linda Hilliard - Author of the Book
E-mail Your Weight Away - Diet Dialoges for Women

What is it about “I’m going on vacation” that becomes “I’m on vacation, I’m going to eat what I want.” Why do we go on vacation? To get away, relax and refresh, change of scenery. Most people do not set out on vacation thinking “I plan to gain 10 pounds this week” (cruise ships not withstanding!)

Just because you’re sitting on the beach or looking at the mountains, it doesn’t mean that you should throw out your diet commitment and eat everything in sight. But a lot of people do that- they struggle for a year to lose 20 pounds and blow it all in a week of eating abandon.

By Linda Hilliard - Author of the Book
E-mail Your Weight Away - Diet Dialoges for Women

Someone asked me to write about an experience she had while visiting with a friend. Both women are faithful to their diets. They support one another’s efforts and always try hard to choose wisely at every meal.

But every so often, the friendship reward/sabotage mentality slipped in. Knowing her friend loves ice cream, one asks the innocent question: “Do you want to get an ice cream?” The other thinks, “Well, I don’t need an ice cream, but since she is asking, she must want to have one.” So she responds: “Well, I’ll have on if you have one.”

While shopping for a unique wedding presents, make sure that it is something that they will always cherish. For example, if you're a photographer, utilize your expertise to frame a black and white picture of an abstract part of the special day, like a picture of the chapel of the church. These will hold true meanings. Alternatively, you can also create a painting from a picture that you may have seen in their social media accounts. If you know the couple particularly well, you can also create a scrapbook showcasing their relationships with their friends and family.

1. Match the wedding dress without outshining it. Make the dresses a similar style, but more plain and simple.
2. Don’t limit yourself to bridal stores. You just might find the perfect dresses at a prom store or a department store, or even online.
3. Don’t even look at dresses outside the price range. It just creates problems. If you are paying for them yourself, don’t let your bridesmaids talk you into extravagant dresses. If your bridesmaids are pitching in, keep in mind their limited budgets, too.
4. If the maid of honor has a different dress…
5. Keep in mind the different body types. Some dresses work better with bustier bridesmaids, while some work better with the long and thin girls. Look for dresses that will be flattering on all of your bridesmaids.
   

By Linda Hilliard - Author of the Book
E-mail Your Weight Away - Diet Dialoges for Women

This piece was going to be entitled “Twelve Things I HATE About Sticking to My Diet,” but, shish, what would be original about that? There isn’t an overweight person who couldn’t write easily make it a list of 100++ things to hate about a diet commitment.