Getting engaged and planning a wedding is one of the most exciting things you’ll ever do in your life. And if all the wedding planning isn't enough to be doing and thinking about, when your wedding day nears, you’ll need to make special plans for your hairstyle and makeup needs.

How you look on your wedding day will be the single most important thing people will remember. Photographs and videos will freeze in time how you looked on your special day. If you take time now to plan ahead, your hairstyle and makeup will help you have that radiant look you’ll always be proud of when you look back over time at your pictures.

With all of your wedding plans where you are relying on professionals to make you day perfect, what do you do if you are having a wedding out of town and you don’t have access to your regular stylist?

Below are 5 tips from professional hair stylist Tara Gentleman of Body Utopia Organic Salon located in Murrells Inlet (just outside of Myrtle Beach). Helping brides from out of town who are getting married in the Myrtle Beach area is one of Tara’s specialties and these 5 tips have helped all of her brides.

• Tip #1 - Always do a practice up-do with your stylist before the day of the wedding. In fact, it is ideal to have a practice session at least one week in advance so you can remove the stress from your mind about your hairstyle and makeup for your wedding day.
  
  
• Tip #2 - If you end up not liking the practice up-do and makeup, schedule for another practice to make sure you get what you want.
  
  
• Tip #3 - Always take a picture of every up-do, whether it is the bride, bridesmaids, or anyone else getting their hair done that day. Most stylists put the bride’s veil into place for the practice up-do. This way you get to see what your hair looks before the "Big Day" and you will also know if the hairstyle fits the style of your dress. Pictures also help the stylist truly remember what they did for each style since minor details of the up-do might be forgotten.
  
  
• Tip #4 - Never come to the salon with wet hair the day of your wedding unless the stylist specifies otherwise during the practice run through. This will throw the stylist’s time off in getting everyone’s hair done on time for the wedding.
  
  
• Tip #5 - Most wedding days are pretty chaotic, so budget more time than what it took during the practice session, just for precautions and to keep stress levels down.
  
  

Putting your hairstyle and makeup into the hands of a professional will reduce your stress and help guarantee your wedding pictures will be as beautiful as you have imagined. If you have any questions about selecting a hair and makeup stylist, contact Tera Gentleman, or visit Body Utopia Organic Salon. Once you have arranged for your hair and makeup, if you’re still shopping for the perfect wedding band, make sure the diamond clarity is similar to your engagement ring so there is a similar sparkle.

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Your wedding photographer is going to be one of the primary keys to success for the most important day of your life and you will either love or regret the decision you make in selecting your wedding photographer since their work will help you relive that special day for the rest of your life. Your photographer will be there for your engagement pictures, rehearsal dinner pictures, wedding day picture, reception pictures, and even you after-session pictures. You’ll be relying on their personality, their professionalism, their photographic style and even their choice of picture printers.

It will be worth the investment of your time to review each photographer’s wesbite in your area to see examples of their work and see if their style matches yours. Go heads and use their contact form and ask for an example picture so you can see the quality of the final product for yourself and compare them side by side with others.

Once you have completed your intial reviews, make an appointment to meet several photographers and see if you feel comfortable with them and if they make you feel relaxed and assured that they will handle your wedding day with the utmost care and professional service.

Most photographers will have the cost of wedding packages on their website which will give you an initial assessment including the prices for each stage of the wedding, wedding albums, prints in various sizes, wall portraits, and online slideshows. Be sure to ask if you will receive a copy of the actual digital files or if those remain the property of the photographer.

If you have any questions about selecting a wedding photographer, visit Tammy Bevins Photography.

Personal wedding websites are a necessity for today's Brides. Creating a wedding website is the quickest and easiest way to keep family and friends informed of your big day.

But with so many free options available, why pay for a wedding website?

As with any free service, features are limited. Free sites only give Brides a taste of what a great wedding website can be, with many limitations such as the amount of photos you can upload, which pages are available, and many other key features that are essential in completing a personal wedding website. WeddingWindow.com gives Brides these options. Here are just a few of the must have features for your personal wedding website:

Online RSVP - Save time, money and stress by allowing guests to RSVP right on your own site.

Offer Directions - Setup a page on your wedding website to outline all the events and gatherings. Provide directions to your events and you could even upload maps or provide links to an online map service to assure no one gets lost.

Organization - Using a full featured wedding website helps organize and relieve some of the stress of your wedding planning. Family and friends can now just visit your website to get the details on all your events, registries and more. You can easily include your web address with your wedding invitations to get the word out. Plus, having your own site is most impressive! Start by creating a free wedding website today at WeddingWindow.com.

Wedding cakes are rooted in a tradition that dates back to early Roman times when cake was served at marriage feasts. A piece of specially prepared cake was broken over the bride’s head as a symbolic gesture. The cake, made from flour, salt and water, was seen as a sign of good-fortune.

Wedding Cake Size, Shape and Flavor - The wedding cake is likely to attract attention at the reception and should reflect your personal taste and compliment your wedding theme. The shape, size and flavor of the cake are some of the first decisions you’ll have to make.

Square and round cakes are very popular because they are easy to cut into uniform slices, but if your wedding has a distinct theme like hearts, butterflies or horseshoes, you may want the cake shape to follow suit. Chocolate, sponge, cream cake or angel food cake can make a wonderful show. Today, towers of cupcakes are popular with modern brides and are easy to serve, especially at large weddings.

Meet with the Cake Decorator - If you are having your cake professionally made, set up an appointment to see the wedding cake designer at least four to six months in advance. Take along some drawings or a picture of the cake you have in mind. You may want to duplicate the flowers from your bouquet on the cake. Professional sugar-artists can make exquisite replicas.

At the Wedding Reception - Cutting the wedding cake is one of the highlights at a wedding celebration, and it’s probably going to be the first joint-venture you will undertake with your new husband. Visit your reception venue and plan the cake’s exact location. It should be easily assessable from the main table and in clear view of the guests. Ask the caterers to make sure a sharp cutting knife is placed on the table.

If you are serving slices of cake to guests, have someone on hand to take over the actual cutting once you’ve made the first cut and taken a bite with your groom. This will enable you to pose for photographs before you begin greeting guests at the tables.

Flowers help define your wedding and can help reinforce the overall atomosphere of your wedding. Consider these top recommendations for selecting florals for your wedding.

1. Get recommendations from friends, attend bridal shows where you can meet florists, and study websites of local florists.
2. Call and make appointments to interview at least three florists before settling on the one that you feel most comfortable with.
3. Bring the following items with you as you interview each florist:
   • A picture of the wedding dress.
   • Swatches of fabric for bridesmaids dress.
   • A list with the number of bridesmaids, flower girls, groomsmen, fathers, mothers, and grandparents. This list will determine the number of bouquets, corsages, and boutonnieres that are needed.
   • Have an approximate number of tables being used at the reception.
4. Explain your budget to the florist and what priorities you have for wedding party, attendants, and reception facility.

Selecting a wedding gown is one of the bride’s biggest decisions and the process does not have to be difficult. Below are 9 steps to selecting the right wedding dress for you.

Step 1 - Purchase several bridal magazines 9 months to a year before the date and search for the wedding gown styles that you like the most.

Step 2 - Have a price range in mind before you head out to the bridal shops. This will give you a better idea of what type of dress you should look for and help to narrow down your search.

Step 3 - Call bridal shops in your area and make appointments to come in and try on dresses. Be sure to allow for at least an hour at each shop, because you'll be trying on many different gowns!

Step 4 - Bring several of your bridesmaids along with you for input on your dress. Have one of your friends bring along a camera, small notebook and a pen to take pictures of you in the different gowns and make notes about the styles and designers you like best.

Step 5 - Try on as many gowns as you can, and let your bridesmaids give input as well. This way, you will give yourself more opportunities to find that perfect dress.

Step 6 - Narrow down your selections by looking for styles that flatter your unique figure and curves. Be sure to ask your consultant about undergarment options to assist you in getting the perfect silhouette.

Step 7 - Know the alteration regulations at the store where you will purchase your dress. Give yourself a cushion of several months (4-6) for alterations to be completed.

Step 8 - Understand that you may need to pay as much as 50% of the cost of the gown as a down payment at time of purchase, and plan accordingly.

Step 9 - Use pictures of yourself in your dress to pick out coordinating shoes and other accessories.