How to Shop Bridal Shower Gifts

By Olaoluwa Olowu




Your friend’s big day is just around the corner, and she’s just invited you to her bridal shower. Of course, you’re excited for her but more than that, you want to get her a gift to celebrate the occasion appropriately. However, picking the right gift can often be a difficult task.

Most brides usually have a wedding gift registry for the wedding gifts they plan to receive which makes it easier to pick a wedding gift. This can be very helpful in selecting something to give her. Conversely, you may be more inclined to give the bride – who may be a close friend – something a little more personal and thoughtful. Wedding registries are often filled with functional gifts that are beneficial to the couple and may not provide options that have high sentimental value.

You can even get a little more creative with it by organizing a combination gift, such that the bridal shower gift works in conjunction with eventual wedding gift. For example, you might purchase a new set of pots & pans for the bridal shower that you then follow up with an oven.



Speaking of themes, some brides today are throwing themed bridal showers. In situations like these, brides often ask that guests bring gifts that are tied to a central theme. A bride might want only lingerie gifts, or only items for her new kitchen. She might even ask for items that are all in her favorite color. The hostess of the shower should be able to furnish you with any details you need about theme or etiquette.

Shopping for the perfect bridal shower gift can be made easy in these simple steps. Just follow them and you’ll have yourself a great gift that your host won’t soon forget.

1. Check for a registry
The first step in shopping for a wedding or bridal shower gift is to check if the bride has got a gift registry. If the bride has got a bridal shower registry, it’s pretty straightforward to pick out a gift for her. Just check the list for something that’s within your price range and go to a store where you can purchase it. It’s always a good idea to stick to the registry as they reflect the gifts the bride would most appreciate at that given time.



2. Consider your relationship with the bride
If she doesn’t have a registry or you wanna spice things up a notch by not selecting something from her registry, you can still ensure that you’re absolutely getting her something interesting and noteworthy.

Picking out something that’s not off a registry or predetermined list requires understanding your relationship with the bride. You want a gift that’s just right in that sweet spot between “I didn’t put much thought into this” and “I overdid it”. How much you should spend on a gift will intentionally or unintentionally reflect what you think of the bride as well as your relationship with her.

The personality of your gift as well as the cost will ultimately depend on the kind of relationship you and the bride have. If you’re best friends with the bride, you have a lot more leeway in terms of how off-brand or quirky you can make your gift. However, if you’re simply an office acquaintance, opting for the simple, classic gift is a great idea.

Lastly, the bride is expecting the best gifts from the people closest to her. Even if you mean well, upstaging her friends with your gift may very well not sit right with them. Get her something nice without giving off the impression you’re trying to steal her friends’ thunder.

3. Take a look at your budget
How much you should spend and how much you have to spend are in reality, two very different things. Make sure you have no reason to get into debt in trying to get the perfect gift.

If you’re low on funds, rather than borrowing to purchase the gift you have in mind, take time to really scour for something that has great sentimental value but low monetary cost.

4. Find out if there’s a theme
Bridal shower themes often mean a lot to the brides and getting a gift outside the theme is sure to indicate that you couldn’t care less about what you got her.

Reach out to the bride and find out if she’s going with a theme and what the theme is if she is. Once, you’ve gotten all the necessary details you need to understand the theme, get creative with your gifts and channel the spirit of the themed party.

5. Keep it simple
A bridal shower gift is usually a prelude to the main wedding gift. You want to save the best gift for last and most people expect you to give a better wedding gift.



Once you know what you wedding gift is, shop for a bridal shower gift that’s plays up your main gift even while still being an excellent gift in itself.

Shopping for gifts is an art that many have not mastered nor will ever master. Yet, with these tips in mind, you can shop for an excellent gift without breaking the bank. So, next time you’re invited for a bridal shower and need to get a gift, you’ll be ready!



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How to Design Your Own Wedding Dress


By Olaoluwa Olowu


Just like a bride in a fairy-tale, you deserve to wear a perfect wedding dress of your own dreams.

So what better way can you do this? You can design your own wedding dress all by yourself!

You don’t have the experience right?

Here’s the good news, you can customize your own wedding dress to your own unique taste, all the way from start to finish, even though you are not a dress maker.

You can simply begin by finding out what details you would love and types of dresses that you know will flatter your figure.

Besides, designing your own wedding dress can be a really fun idea. All hail to the existence of computers and the internet, designing your own wedding dress have been made less a hassle – even if you have no first-hand idea of dress making.

More so, if you've never designed a dress, it's wise that you work with someone who is skilled and experienced.

So, if you are you a bride-to be that will love to customize every detail of her big day, we are willing to take you through the steps of designing your own dress. They are easy.

These days, many online wedding dress design websites have started surfacing, so you are spoilt for countless options.

Also, don't be afraid to ask for help or suggestions from friends and families.

Interestingly, the process is fun, meaningful, and really cool all the way! Here’s how you begin:

Search for wedding-dress inspiration
Gather the details and information on what you would love on your wedding dress like your favorite embellishments, patterns, and fabrics.

Also, check out some wedding dress look book for inspiration to help you with your design so that you can start the process without a hitch.



Explore the Internet
Secondly, all you have to do is explore the internet, find out how you can design your own wedding dress by yourself. Thank goodness we have tons of bridal websites where you can select different icons to design your own wedding dress to your own very taste.

Be sure to experiment with as many designs as you like so you can have tons to choose from. Remember to narrow your search down to your best two you

Work around the Icons

There are many icons to choose from that will assist you in designing that perfect wedding dress of your dreams. You are likely to find icons like these;

- bodice

- skirt

- Neckline

- Fabric

- Silhouette

- Sash

- Embellishments

However, because these icons are separate features, you’ll be able to get a see how you can mix and match these items before having to make the big decision of which design to settle for.

 Save your design after that
Once you’ve played around with mixing and matching them to your satisfaction – and have gotten your choice, saved the combinations you prefer.

Your final choice can be saved aside or ordered when you finalise your wedding dress choice.
Make your purchase
So, after you’ve designed your dream dress and saved it, decide whether you want your completed design to be a dress or left as an inspiration for your own use. If you intend to purchase, make a payment and order your request.

In all, you can make any necessary changes to the design as much as you want so that at the end of it all, you'll have a truly unique and special wedding dress that will suit you.

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How to Choose a Wedding Dress

By Olaoluwa Olowu





It’s the one thing most brides obsess over above all else – the perfect wedding dress. The right dress is a childhood dream made manifest. If you intend to make a custom wedding dress from a designer or by yourself, it’s easier to execute the image in your mind’s eye. However, if you have to choose from the rack of a store, then there are a few things you need to know to ensure you get exactly what you want or the closest thing to it.

Your dress should make you happy, it’s a second groom of sorts, something that fits you just right every way rather than something you had to settle for. Here are a few tips on how to choose the wedding dress of your dreams;

1. Set a Budget
It all starts with how much you’re willing to spend to get your wedding dress. Make sure your budget is pragmatic; at the end of the day, a wedding dress is often a one-time thing. Don’t overspend yet maintain enough financial flexibility to purchase a slightly pricey dress that’s perfect.

2. Do Research
The internet is your best friend at this point. Find ideas on Pinterest and familiarize yourself with the right term. It’s important that you’re not a complete novice about wedding dresses and dress-speak.

3. Focus on the basics
Begin with the basics. All wedding dresses can be broadly classified into different gown silhouettes and finding which one works best for your figure is key to not only getting an amazing dress but pulling it off as well.

The silhouettes are in 6 main categories: ball gown, empire, A-line, sheath, fit-and-flare, and mermaid. Choosing the basic category which works for you means going to a store to try them out and making sure, you look both stylish and feel glamorous in your gown.

The devil is in the details but a solid understanding of the basics is the basis for an elegant wedding dress.

 4. Pick the right top
Most wedding photos often feature the bride up to her waist and getting a dress with the perfect top portion is immensely important. The top of your dress should feature your favorite parts of any dress as well as its most appealing details.

A frilly hemline on a ball gown is nice but your guests are very likely see very little of it at the wedding and neither will you in the wedding photos.

5. Keep it classic
Trendy outfits are nice for when you’re picking out a summer outfit or beachwear. Photos of your dress will last more than even just your lifetime and you want to pick something that you’ll love looking at 20, 30 years down the line. Keep it classic and timeless – trends may come and go but a wedding dress is forever.



 6. Try, try, and try again
The biggest secret to getting the dress you desire? Trying out a lot of dresses and then narrowing down your selection until you have “the one”. At the end of the day, there’s no substitute for actually going into stores to try out the dresses you’re interested in.

However, avoid trying out too many to the point where you have decision fatigue. Once you find a decent number of options you like, start the process of whittling it down to just one.

 7. Bring your accessories
Whatever accessories you intend to wear on the wedding day should be carried along with you whenever you’re going to try out the final few dresses so you can consider how well they match with the dress.

 8. Snap pictures as much as you can
As long as the store allows you use your phones within the changing area, then take as many pictures as you can from all sorts of angles with different levels of lighting. How well your dress photographs is just as important as how well it fits you.

9. Consult extra eyes
“Two heads are better than one,” or in this case; two eyes. Take a small entourage with you to the store and have them offer their take on dress styles, fit and anything else. Make sure they’re people who are familiar with you and your taste – it’s still your wedding after all, and you don’t want a constant difference in opinion with your escorts.

10. Ask away
Got questions about the dresses, styles, accessories? Don’t be shy to ask right away from the store assistant who’s helping you with your shopping. Make sure you have all the information you need before making any decisions.

11. Don’t freak out about sizing
Wedding dress sizes often slightly differ from ready-to-wear sizes but that isn’t a problem at all. If you can find your perfect size, you can always get something just a little bigger and then have it adjusted.

It’s not advisable to pick a size just below in the hopes of losing the extra weight so you can fit in. Pick something that you’d be able to get into right there at the store.

12. Keep an open mind
Everyone’s least favorite part about shopping for their wedding dress is not being able to get the dress you had in mind for some reason or the other.



It’s always good to keep an open mind and be willing to try out styles you didn’t previously consider as well as assessing each dress without bias.

13. Try and get a bargain
There are a lot of bridal wear sales all year round and if you can find what you’d like at a bargain price, that’s amazing. It may be somewhat oversized or slightly worn or samples that the store is getting rid of, but if you don’t mind all these – and trust me they shouldn’t matter all that much – then you have a great dress that will leave incredible memories without breaking the bank.

 14. Take your time
Bridal wear purchases (including accessories) are often final so it’s essential that you take your time with making your decision. Ensure you’re absolutely certain about the dress you want and then go out and get it.

 15. The dress is about you
Finally, and most importantly, choosing a dress is about you. It’s about your personality, your tastes and capturing an embodiment of you in a fabric. Whether it’s something as small as detail work or even something as striking as choosing a different colour; your dress should ultimately reflect you.

Choosing a dress shouldn’t have to be nerve-wracking. You deserve to enjoy stress-free wedding preparations and getting the right dress shouldn’t change that.





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