The bouquet; the garter toss; that something blue pinned to your dress: Have you ever taken a second to consider the purpose of all of these deeply instilled wedding traditions? Probably not because you're busy planning a wedding. But since we're wedding fanatics that fall asleep dreaming of napkin rings and invite fonts, we took the liberty to dig around and find 10 fascinating facts about the wedding traditions we've all come to know.

1. Turns out it's your "ring finger" for a reason. Engagement and wedding rings are worn on the fourth finger of the left hand because it was once thought that a vein in that finger led directly to the heart.

2. Queen Victoria is credited with starting the Western world's white wedding dress trend in 1840—before then, brides simply wore their best dress.

3. If your bridesmaids are less than thrilled about matching dresses, tell them they're good luck! The tradition of matching maids dates back to Roman times, when people believed evil spirits would attend the wedding in attempt to curse the bride and groom (how rude). Bridesmaids were required to dress exactly like the bride in order to confuse the spirits and bring luck to the marriage.

4. On a similar note, brides traditionally wear veils because ancient Greeks and Romans believed they protected her from evil spirits.

5. The tradition of a bride wearing "something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue," comes from an Old English rhyme. Something old represents continuity; something new offers optimism for the future; something borrowed symbolizes borrowed happiness; something blue stands for purity, love, and fidelity.

6. The tradition of a wedding cake comes from ancient Rome, where guests broke a loaf of bread over the bride's head for fertility's sake.

7. Ever wondered where the phrase "tying the knot" came from? In many cultures around the world—including Celtic, Hindu and Egyptian weddings—the hands of the bride and groom are literally tied together to demonstrate the couple's commitment to each other and their new bond.

8. If you thought we were over the spirit thing, think again. According to tradition, the groom carries the bride across the threshold to valiantly protect her from evil spirits lurking below.

9. June weddings are not a new thing. The Roman goddess Juno rules over marriage and childbirth, hence the popularity of June weddings.

10. Honeymoons weren't always so luxurious. Ancient Norse bridal couples went into hiding after the wedding, and a family member would bring them a cup of honey wine for 30 days—or one moon—which is how the term "honeymoon" originated.

—Written by Jessica Hagy for Brides

Which of these wedding-tradition origin stories surprised you most?

More from Brides:
*4 Inexpensive Date-Night Ideas You Haven't Tried Yet but Should
*11 Things to Do After Getting Engaged
*50 Ways to Slash Your Wedding Budget

If a white wedding dress doesn’t feel quite right but you don’t want to walk down the aisle in a brightly colored gown, consider one of these seven dresses from Monique Lhuillier’s Bliss line, all of which have just a hint of color.

Wedding Dress 1

Wedding Dress 2

Wedding Dress 3

Wedding Dress 4

Wedding Dress 5

Wedding Dress 6

Wedding Dress 7

Click out here to check out all of the current Bliss offerings, which include all-white wedding dresses.

Would you wear a wedding dress with a touch of color? Which of these wedding dresses is your favorite?

I have to go with 1 or 5. I’m a sucker for a trumpet dress.

P.S. If any of the dresses above look white to you, click on the link above to see them next to dresses that are actually white.

Organizing your wedding registry is overwhelming—there’s just SO much stuff to choose from. So I went ahead and picked a bunch of awesome things at some of the most popular stores where brides and grooms register.

Bathroom by Bed Bath & Beyond

Jill Rosenwald Hampton Links Shower Curtain, from $29.99. Allure Home Creation Travis Pump Set in Chrome, $24.99. Circles Toilet Tissue Reserve, $14.99.

Bedroom by Pottery Barn

Matine Toile Duvet Cover and Sham in Marigold Yellow, from $33. Pearl Embroidered 280-Thread Count Sheet Set, from $28. Herringbone Organic Blanket, from $79. Natural Pillows, from $69.

Kitchen by Williams-Sonoma

Williams-Sonoma Prep Carving Board from $69.95. Williams-Sonoma Open Kitchen Wood Salad Bowl, $39.95. Glass Pitcher, from #39.95. French Porcelain Oil Cruet, $32.95.

Dining Room by Bloomingdale’s

If you don’t want a full set of fancy china, I love the idea of registering for simple everyday dishes plus a few fancy accent pieces (like these salad plates) that you can mix and match with your regular dishes for special occasions. Kate Spade New York Larabee Dot Flutes, $50 for 4. Luigi Bormioli Footed Cake Plate With Dome, $87.50. Thomas for Rosenthal Loft Dinnerware, from $7.Vera Wang Wedgwood Vera Lace Salad Plate, $32.

Family Room by Crate & Barrel

Hendry Wall Frames, from $34.95. Adra Vase, $39.95. Heatherton Yellow Throw, $89.95.

I don’t recommended registering at five stores—I’d say two or three max—but this should give you a good idea of each store's offerings so you can narrow down your faves.

Would you register for any of these home goods? Which gifts would you most love to get?

These two have yet to make a red carpet appearance together, so there are zero glam photos of them.

Will Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher throw a That ’70s-themed wedding? Probably not. (I wish.) But I bet their wedding will have some elements of old-school glam from decades past. Here’s some pretty inspiration if you want your wedding to have a little retro flair too:

Event design by Amorology. Photo by Jessica Claire.

Event Design by Couture Events. Photo by John Schnack.

Event Design by Couture Events. Photo by John Schnack.

Event design by First Pick Planning. Photo by Laurel Isle Photography.

Event Design by Going Lovely. Photo by Jijan Cerda Photography.

Photo by Michelle Gardella.

Bridesmaid dresses by Donna Morgan. Photo by Trent Bailey.

Getting ready robe by Plum Pretty Sugar.

Floral design by The Velvet Garden.

Lautner Hotel wedding venue via The Venue Report. Photo by Jessica Claire.

Thanks, as always, to Inspired by This for rounding up the pretty pics.

Would you throw a wedding infused with retro touches? Or are you planning a thoroughly modern party?

We don’t know which suitor Andi Dorfman chooses on The Bachelorette yet, but I’m pretty sure we know what her new engagement ring looks like. Here’s a picture from the previews:

Of course it's Neil Lane. Looks like an oval-cut center stone, maybe around 2 to 3 carats, in a double halo on a pave band. Quite similar to another new Neil Lane engagement ring: Naya Rivera's new engagement ring, which also features an oval-cut center stone in a double halo on a pave band. (Naya's band is braided and features rose gold though.)

Thoughts on Andi from The Bachelorette’s new engagement ring? Would you want something similar? And who do you think she’s going to wind up with?

Double-halo engagement rings were kind of off my radar, but we’ve seen two on celebs in less than a week, so I feel like they might see a bump in popularity soon. (Check out Naya Rivera’s double-halo engagement ring here, and Andi from The Bachelorette’s double-halo engagement ring here.) Here are six more double-halo engagement rings if you’d like a similar style:

Engagement Ring 1

Kennedy Bay diamond engagement ring from Trumpet & Horn.

Engagement Ring 2

Double-Halo Diamond Engagement Ring from Brilliant Earth, $2,150 (setting only).

Engagement Ring 3

Neil Lane Bridal Diamond Engagement Ring from Kay Jewelers, $5,799.

Engagement Ring 4

Monique Lhuillier Double-Halo Diamond Engagement Ring in Platinum from Blue Nile, $3,030 (setting only).

Engagement Ring 5

Double French-Set Halo Diamond Engagement Ring from Ritani, $3,110 (setting only).

This ring is almost treading into triple-halo territory, but it might be my fave:

Engagement Ring 6

Vera Wang Love Diamond Swirl Engagement Ring, $3,699.99.

Some of these prices definitely seem steep—especially since many don’t include the center stone. The good news is, while the cost of all those itty-bitty diamonds adds up, you can get away with a smaller (read less expensive) center stone, since the setting already has serious sparkle.

Would you want a double-halo engagement ring? Which of these engagement rings is your favorite?

Most brands only show new bridesmaid dresses in the fall, so there weren’t a ton of new offerings this season, but there was still some prettiness among the limited selection. Here are four of my favorite new bridesmaid dresses:

Wedding Dress 1: Occasions

Wedding Dress 2: Watters

Wedding Dress 3: White by Vera Wang

Wedding Dress 4: Alvina Maids

Obviously all of those won’t work for every bridesmaid, but I think there’s at least one option up there most groups of girls could agree on.

Which of these bridesmaid dresses is your favorite?

Based on all those pictures of a bride and groom staging their great wedding escape through a throng of sparkler-waving guests, you might think all the newlyweds have to do post-wedding is light a match and make a run for for it. But here are four end-of-the-wedding tasks you’ll need to take care of—or assign to a trustworthy guest ahead of time.

1. Get your gifts out of there. Your venue might set your gifts aside in a locked room overnight, but don’t count on it. If you have a pile of gifts after the party’s over, you’re going to need to figure out how to get them back to your home or hotel room.

2. Round up your flowers, decor, guest book, etc. If there’s an event at your venue the next day, anything you leave behind might get tossed in the trash. If you want to send your guests off with centerpieces, ask your band leader or DJ to make an announcement. And if there are things you brought in (like framed family pictures) that you need to get out, make sure you make arrangements ahead of time. (Or have a big box on hand if you’re carrying ’em out yourself.)

3. Track down the top layer of your wedding cake. If you asked your caterer to save the top layer of your wedding cake, make sure you know where she plans to stow it—before the cake’s whisked away to be cut. And take it with you that night, so it’s not lost in the post-wedding caterer cleanup.

4. Round up lost-and-found items. If you won’t be able to get back to your venue the next morning, ask your caterer to do a quick sweep for forgotten phones or dropped earrings. Your guests will thank you in the A.M.

Did I forget anything?

We totally forgot about gift transport after our wedding! I had to have a friend who drove haul everything back to the hotel. Oops.

No marijuana was used in the making of this wedding bouquet. But some of the leaves made me do a double-take. Photo by: Mint Photography on Magnolia Rouge via Lover.ly

So much for baby’s breath: Now that buying marijuana is legal in Colorado and Washington State, it seems like cannabis leaves are the hot new bouquet-filler. No joke. The New York Times has pics from a Colorado wedding where marijuana buds and leaves featured prominently in the wedding party’s boutonnieres, bride’s bouquet, and floral arrangements. Plus, the groom’s three dogs wore collars made of cannabis buds, eucalyptus leaves, and pink ribbons.

And that’s not all: Instead of the usual welcome-bag filler—forget water and a mini bag of chips—guests at this wedding got a canvas bag with a rolled joint, a lighter, and lip balm infused with mango butter and cannabis, along with this note: “We wanted to show you some of the things we love the best.” At the reception, escort cards were attached to potted baby pot plants, and the tables were named after different strains of marijuana: Blue Dream, Sour Diesel, Skywalker.

The article mentions other weed-friendly weddings “where joints, bongs, vaporizers, e-pens, or hookahs are passed around.” And let’s not forget about edible marijuana: caramels, lollipops, chocolates, or “Dixie Elixirs’ THC-infused sparkling beverages that come in trendy flavors like pomegranate or watermelon cream.”

Read the full story here.

It’s kind of a lot to wrap your brain around—there’s a whole new world of weedy weddings out there—and I get all the “con” arguments: Obviously you don’t want someone inadvertently handing grandma a pot brownie. (Unless she has glaucoma, of course.) And you can’t have wedding guests with a bad case of the munchies huddled in the corner sneaking swipes of your wedding cake frosting. But a lot of the other negatives, like guests passing out or acting stupid, will happen if you have plain old booze at your wedding, too. And if you liken a few passed joints to a hookah room or a cigar bar, it’s not like you’d need to whitewall your venue for the guests who wanted to to partake.

Thoughts on weed at weddings?

I guess it’s not exactly the wedding I would plan, but I’m kind of interested to see where all this goes as marijuana legalization broadens.

Whitney Port—who’s busy planning her own wedding—has also been busy designing wedding invitations for your wedding. The former reality star has been working with Wedding Paper Divas on a collection of wedding stationery that perfectly capture’s Whit’s free-spirited style. Here’s a sneak peek from the launch party last night:

That's all six invitations in the collection, which also features matching RSVP cards, thank-you notes, save-the-dates, and such. Everything comes in a bunch of colors, so you can find something pretty that matches your palette. (Or use an invite to dictate your palette. Pink + navy + turquoise—like the invite on the bottom right—would be so great!) Here’s more from the event, since I don’t think my pic is really doing the collection justice:

Thoughts on Whitney Port’s collection for Wedding Paper Divas? Which invite is your favorite?

I’m really loving the horizontal one in the middle in my pic, which is also in the bottom Instagram photo. (The backs of the invites are all really cute patterns, too. I forgot to take pics, so I’ll show you when the official photos are in!)

If you’re taking an extended honeymoon, you might not have room in your luggage for sexy negligees and lace teddies. Sure, they’re small, but I’d pack an extra pair of shoes over blink-and-you’ll-miss-it peignoirs any day. Instead of a separate honeymoon boudoir wardrobe, why not pack these lacy little somethings from ThirdLove? They’re pretty enough to serve as eye candy for your new husband, and they work as your everyday honeymoon undergarments.

Lace Balconet in Ivory with Grey Straps & Bow, $64. Lace Thong in Ivory, $13. Mesh Demi in Black with Black Lace Trim, $59. Mesh Boyshort in Black, $15.

The bras come in several colors, and you can change up the color of trim for contrast, or if you want something a little more sassy. (Think: bright pink and turquoise.) And I haven’t even gotten to the best part: ThirdLove has an iPhone app that can tell you your perfect bra size. (You know, for those of use who have been guessing for the past 20 or so years, because who wants to ask a saleswoman to whip out her measuring tape in a lingerie shop while you stand there awkwardly with your arms in the air, stick—’em-up style?) AND the bras come in half—cup-sizes, which means a more personalized fit. This video will give you an idea of how the app works, but it basically just involves taking two pictures of yourself, and using your phone for scale:

It took me about two minutes to find out I’m a 34B1/2 and place an order from my phone—the app even scans your credit card so you don’t have to type all those numbers—and I’m happy to report that the bras fit beautifully. Makes sense, since I’d been wearing slightly baggy C cups or too-tight B cups my whole life.

What are you packing, lingerie-wise, for your honeymoon? Would you try a bra-sizing app?

North Carolina's Biltmore Estate is the largest private residence ever built stateside. (No. 2 is New York's Oheka Castle.)

So you’re not marrying royalty? Damn it. Well, you can still have a royally awesome wedding at any of these nine castles, all located in the United States—and all available for weddings. All cater to brides and grooms looking for the “fairy-tale” wedding experience, and some go the extra royal mile, with amenities like horse-drawn carriage rides.

• Biltmore Estate, Asheville, N.C.
• Fonthill Castle, Doylestown, Pa.
• Thornewood Castle, Lakewood, Wash.
• Belcourt Castle, Newport, R.I.
• Falkenstein Castle, Burnet, Texas
• The Mansion on Forsyth Park, Savannah, Ga.
• Oheka Castle Hotel and Estate, Huntington, N.Y. Kevin and Danielle Jonas were married here!
• Pythian Castle, Springfield, Mo.
• Rosecliff Mansion, Newport, R.I.

Would you get married in a castle? Or are you looking for a venue that’s a little more low-key?

If there's a wedding on your calendar for the coming weeks—and especially if it's your own—I'm sure you're already sweatin' how the summer heat is going to play into your makeup strategy for the big day. (How's a girl supposed to conceal those blemishes when the makeup's going to melt right off after an hour of under-tent dancing?) Just in the nick of time, I got some fabulous tips from celebrity makeup artist Matin about how to keep your skin looking great without going greasy or overly made-up/matte.

1. Start with a mattifying moisturizer“The best way to combat super-shiny skin in the summer without making it look dead and completely flat is by using a moisturizer that helps to keep shine away, like Juara Sweet Black Tea & Ginger Mattefying Moisturizer," Matin syas. "What it basically does is take away existing shine and control oil, but at the same time gives skin the moisture it needs and the kind of nutrients a good night sleep would. It really wakes up your skin as if it’s gotten a good sleep."

2. Finish with a skin perfector "A great product that I always use is Talika Skin Retouch," Matin says. "You use it on top of makeup as the very last step, tap it on top of the makeup on the T-zone or nose to touch up and get rid of excess shine that you don’t want. This is a great product if you don’t want any more texture or coverage and is really great on bare skin that’s just been moisturized."

"If you do want more texture or coverage and a more velvety look, I would recommend Votre Vu’s Zone Out powder, which is so lightweight. It doesn’t feel cakey like a lot of powders can, and when you put it on the face it’s really light."

3. Don't forget to stash this in your clutch "I also recommend carrying around blotting papers in your purse. Neutrogena has blotting papers without powder, or you can opt for the ones with powder like Shiseido has," Matin notes. "Before you put anything additional on (like the Skin Retouch or Zone Out), it’s always best to remove excess oil so that the look doesn’t get too heavy."

4. Factor in your face wash "Cleansing the skin is really important in the summer," Matin says. "I prefer lighter washes, something foaming like Jurlique Soothing Foaming Cleanser, which is great for all skin types, especially sensitive skin. It balances out the skin without overdrying it. We don’t treat our skin enough in the summer and usually people will overcleanse, but this foaming cleanser does just enough without leaving you dry. The Jurlique Rosewater Balancing Mist is also great to prep the skin before you put on the Juara moisturizer."

What are your favorite tricks for achieving (and maintaining) skin perfection at sweaty summer events?

If you’re the type of girl who dreams about wedding dresses, anyway, these five brand-new gowns from Sarah Janks Glasshouse Collection might just put you over the edge. They're just SO romantic.

Wedding Dress 1

Wedding Dress 2

Wedding Dress 3

Wedding Dress 4

Wedding Dress 5

Which of those wedding dresses is your favorite?

I guess when a guy proposes with a 14-carat engagement ring, the traditional one-year anniversary gift—paper—seems a little anticlimactic. So Avril Lavigne’s husband, Chad Kroeger, celebrated one year with a massive new diamond. A 17-carat emerald-cut diamond, to be exact.

I still can't believe my 1 year anniversary gift. 17 carat emerald cut. Wow. I love my hubby. pic.twitter.com/hOdMxy5uEA

— Avril Lavigne (@AvrilLavigne) July 31, 2014

Still totally blurry up close, but that's possibly because it has its own solar system.

Thoughts on Avril Lavigne’s HUGE upgraded engagement ring?

It’s a bit, um, much for my taste. But happy anniversary, kids!

”Who you callin’ a crazy b*tch?” (I have no indication that the bride picture was at all crazy. In fact, with a dog like that, I’m sure she's lovely.) Photo by: Christina Diane on Wedding Chicks via Lover.ly

What better way to wrap up our week than with another edition of Batsh*t Crazy Brides?

Writes Save the Date reader Priscilla:

My best friend of six years lives out of state, but we’ve maintained our friendship, so when she got engaged and asked me to be her maid of honor, I happily said yes. Soon after, I wished I hadn’t. Our phone calls quickly turned into hours-long conversations about nothing but her wedding. At first, it was fun when she wanted my opinions about flowers, photographers, and cakes, and I gave them happily.

But then she began asking me to call vendors on her behalf, since she lives out of state. I ended up pricing out chairs, salons, wedding dresses, cupcakes, photographers, florists, and wedding DJs. All this planning had me overwhelmed—and it wasn’t even my wedding. It was especially frustrating when I’d call her with my findings and she’d dismiss them with, “No, that’s too expensive.” or “I don’t want to do anything the traditional way.” After hearing the florists’ prices, in fact, she declared she was going to have each bridesmaid carry $5.99 Walmart bouquet.

During one of our many conversations, she asked me to grow out my hair so I’d “be pretty, like before!”

And then she dropped this bomb: She wanted me to tell the rest of the bridesmaids to give her money as a wedding gift—and to give it before the wedding, because she was “too broke” to afford her wedding flowers. She also expected her bridesmaids to buy personalized garters to match hers—and attend a cruise for her honeymoon. (Yes, honeymoon.)

I actually agreed to all of this, and still managed to get myself kicked out of the wedding party when the bride called a week later with more wedding woes. She had hired a friend of a friend to make her wedding cupcakes and a former co-worker (a college student) to be here DJ. She was pissed of at both of them (the DJ, for one, wasn’t returning her calls) and needed to vent. I simply said, “You cannot expect professional services when you hired rookies to do the job.” That was the end of that conversation, and I didn’t hear from her for two weeks, when she called to say not only was I not her maid of honor any more, I was kicked out the wedding party entirely. In fact, I wasn’t even invited to the wedding any more. But she still wanted to be friends. I asked if she wanted to talk about why she was upset, and she said no. And that was the last I heard from her.

Here are my thoughts:

Um, good riddance? I guess I’ll give the bride points for her DIY spirit, in regard to the bridesmaid bouquets. But other than that, she get’s a no (making friends call vendors) and a no (asking for money—ahead of the wedding) and a “Oh, HELL no” (telling your friends they have to join you on your honeymoon).

Thoughts on today’s badly behaved bride?

Just no. No, no, no, honey.

We still have a month left of summer weddings, so to celebrate sultry hot-weather affairs here are five wedding dresses that won’t weigh you down. (Technically four wedding dresses—and one wedding jumpsuit!) Normally I choose dresses from a bunch of brands for a round-up like this one, but Watters kind of knocked short wedding dresses out of the park with the latest frocks in their Encore line, so that’s where all of these picks are from.

Wedding Dress 1

Wedding Dress 2

Wedding Dress 3

Wedding Dress 4

Wedding Dress—er, Jumpsuit—5

If you don’t want a short wedding dress, some of these would be cute for your bachelorette party, bridal shower, or rehearsal dinner, no?

Click here to check out everything in Watters’ Encore line.

Would you wear a short wedding dress? Which of these wedding dresses is your favorite?

p.s. Barring any breaking celebrity news, I’ll be on vacation until August 11. Woo hoo! But don't worry, there are a bunch of people lined up to keep the awesome wedding-y content coming in my absence.

Peace out, suckers! (You can call me a sucker when 10 celebs get married this Saturday night and I’m right back here. Deal? xoxo)

Everyone obsesses over the engagement ring, but what about the wedding band? I love a simple gold band (it's so Kate Middleton!) and appreciate the sheer sparkle of a pavé band, but I also adore seeing a bride pick something really different. A wedding band is so personal and can turn a classic diamond set into something that's a statement piece on its own. Here are some stunning options I love.

Jennie Kwon Equilibrium Pearl Ring, $455, catbirdnyc.com

Sundari Gems Light Pink Sapphire Rose Gold Wedding Band, $350, etsy.com

Anna Sheffield Hammer Texture Band, $450, annasheffield.com

Zales Diamond Accent Contour Wedding Band, $269, zales.com

Gemvara Modern Sculpture Ring, $500, gemvara.com

Blue Nile Twist Diamond Band, $475, bluenile.com

AKV Jewelry Handmade Gold Ring, $385, etsy.com

If you're a bride-to-be, have you already picked out your wedding band? What does it look like?

Because every Monday, no matter how sunny, can always take some good news, I cheered out loud when I saw these pretty things pop into my inbox. The brand new: Dannijo's just-launched bridal collection, with pieces for the lady in white and her attendants. All that sparkly goodness is followed up by the latest chic wedding collection from Reformation, just in time for fall weddings.

Clockwise from left: Dannijo Juno Necklace, $318, Dannijo Ariel Earrings, $295, Dannijo Tenley Earrings, $145, Dannijo Sadie Earrings, $270

The Dannijo offerings include bold statement necklaces, earrings, and bracelets in the shapes we expect from the designing sisters, but toned down a touch for the aisle in clear Swarovski crystals and pearls. There's blue too, including that beyond-amazing pair of earrings that I might want for my own big day in October. If you're likewise in love, good news: There are discounts offered for purchasing more than six pieces and a certain percent off if you snap up something that designer Jodie Snyder Morel wore for her own recent wedding.

Reformation wedding and bridesmaid dresses fills a nice niche in the market, perfect for girls who love flowing dresses for the romantic, fairy-princess type (not the ball-skirt-loving Disney princess). The fall 2014 lineup has more of the same, including some gorgeous printed options for a bridal party that would look so unique. Shop them here.

Which are you more excited about, the dresses or the jewels?

DJ KISS has lent her musical talents to some of the most chic events around the world, having spun for the likes of Prince, Naomi Campbell, Alexander Wang, and more. This means that she definitely knows how to get the party started (and what more memorable party will you have in your life than your wedding reception?). We tapped KISS for her best tips on how to make your reception the party of the year.

1. Choose an upbeat entrance song to start your reception off on the right foot.
Your entrance song should be a reflection of you and your spouse and is completely a matter of preference. With that being said, DJ KISS adds: “Your wedding day is one of the happiest days of your life, so it's great to come out to a happy or joyous tune to set the tone for the reception and most importantly your marriage!”

2. Don’t be afraid to dive into unusual sources of inspiration when searching for a first dance song.
For your first dance, you should select a song that holds some kind of meaning to you and your relationship. “It could be anything from a song you heard on the radio during your first date, to your mutual favorite song from your favorite artist, or even a song with heartfelt lyrics that match how the bride and groom feel about each other”, says DJ KISS.

3. You’ll most likely only wear your wedding dress once in your lifetime, so party in it all night long.
Changing into something shorter and more comfortable is a big trend these days, but DJ KISS is a fan of keeping the gown on all through the reception. “I think your wedding dress just looks much more significant in the photos—even a white cocktail dress almost looks like you're just a guest”, she says. “Also, you've probably spent a ton of money on your wedding dress and it's the only time in your life you'll ever wear it, so why not get your money's worth?”

4. Keep your heel height low, so you can dance and mingle in comfort.
“All brands can be comfortable, but I would advise keeping the heel between 3 and 4 inches if you plan on wearing the same pair of shoes all night,” says DJ KISS. You won’t need to worry about sporting a pair of 5 inch stilettos due to the fact that your wedding dress will mostly cover your shoes.

5. Hear your DJ play before you sign a contract.
DJ KISS suggests getting an idea of your prospective DJ’s specialties and style by listening to his/her Soundcloud page, or (better yet) by going to hear the DJ play at a live gig. Whether you want your music to be modern or a traditional wedding mix of 70’s and 80’s tunes, you must make sure to let the DJ know exactly what kind of vibe you are going for.

6. Make a list of songs the DJ must and must not play.
A list of “must play” and “do not play” tunes should be provided to the DJ by the couple. “Music is so personal that someone might love a song that you kind of hate, so it's best to let it be known since it's your big day”, says DJ KISS.

7. And, of course: be sure to give the deejay direction on taking requests!
“After guests have a few drinks, they sometimes start to want to hijack the musical direction. Let the DJ know in advance that they can either be open to requests or that they should inform guests that the bride and groom prefer you to not take them.”

Have anything to add? What songs would make it onto your Must Play or Do Not Play lists?