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As any bride-to-be will tell you, planning a wedding is no cakewalk! According to a recent survey of BG brides, 40% of couples spend between 13 and 18 months planning their wedding, and over 90% opt to create and organize their big day without the help of coordinators or planners.

Although couples are certainly devoting the time and energy to turn their dream days into realities, occasional planning fiascos are bound to occur. Between juggling countless vendors, appointments, and schedules — along with their everyday priorities — couples are spread paper-thin. We reached out to brides about the challenges they faced and how they powered through to have their perfect weddings.

1. Disappearing Baker

Theresa Roma searched for a local baker who could create her ideal wedding cake. She received quotes averaging $750 until she met a relatively new baker who offered to provide the cake for $400.

"She was young and just beginning," Roma says. "But her pictures were beautiful, she was willing to be flexible and do what we wanted, and she provided samples of her cake." She signed a contract that day (November 10) and put down a $200 deposit.

But when Roma's mother tried to contact the baker in April to order a cake for the bridal shower, all of the phone numbers they had were disconnected, and both the website and the storefront were gone. All emails to the vendor went unanswered.

Loverly is the heart of weddings: a visual inspiration search engine designed to help brides discover ideas, people to hire, and things to buy. Loverly makes finding beautiful wedding inspiration easier than ever! Their images are powered by the best wedding publishers and wedding shopping partners on the web. Find Bridal Guide on Loverly >>

Move over, plain white card stock, and make way for the new trends in wedding stationery! These days, couples are opting for bold colors and eclectic fonts, throwing their own personality into their entire invitation suite. Today, we’re sharing a few of our favorites and giving you tons of inspiration to make your wedding day one to remember — right from the very beginning!

1. Forget the standard A7 size paper and use any shape you want!

It's Fashion Week here in NYC — and it's getting us so pumped for the bridal runway shows next month! So when we spotted photos from Badgley Mischka's spring 2014 collection, we couldn't help but think that so many of them would be perfect for weddings. Here, check out a few of our favorites.

We love the embellishments on these gowns:

A bateau neckline and minimal appliques gives this gown such a sophisticated feel:  

So chic! We love the cascading peplum:

For the boho bride:

You'll sparkle as you walk down the aisle in this gown:

As a Penn State grad (and the daughter, granddaughter and niece of PSU alumni), I’ve been to my fair share of weddings that showcase Penn State pride.

My freshman-year roommate, Kim, married a guy she met at a frat party during our junior year. Since she was originally from New York and he was from Pittsburgh, they opted for a Penn State wedding. After a ceremony at a nearby Catholic church, we traipsed around campus for photos and then went to an inn on campus for the reception. The couple came in to the fight song. And, in addition to cake, they served ice cream from the campus Creamery (Ben and Jerry learned to make ice cream there).

As I plan my own wedding, I’ve been thinking back to Kim’s wedding, as well as a few others, to brainstorm ways to incorporate Gray’s and my alma maters into our wedding day festivities. (For the record, Gray went to University of Central Florida.)

1. Play Your Fight Song(s)
Kim and her now-husband Craig aren’t the only friends I know who came into their reception to the sounds of their fight song. My friends Kelsey and Steve played the Florida State one and walked in doing the FSU chop. But if you aren’t marrying someone who shares your scholastic history, consider playing the fight song at a different moment — you could even work it into a father-daughter or mother-son dance.

If you're a die-hard football fan, then you probably can't imagine missing a game — even if it's to do something pretty major like, say, getting married. 

One pair of Tennessee Vols fans confronted the problem head-on this weekend; rather than waiting until after football season ended to tie the knot, they exchanged vows while tailgating! 

Photo via @PeddiVOL

Photo via @JohnMarxism

Photo via @PeddiVOL

Then, they headed into the game with their loved ones and, luckily, celebrated their team's win over the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers.

—Kristen O'Gorman Klein

Labor Day Weekend went by so quickly! I definitely ate and drank way more than I should have. Saturday, Rene and I went to our friend’s house for a BBQ party. We ate ribs, burgers, hot dogs, and salad, and we drank vodka, fireball shots, Jell-O shots, and beer. We partied like rock stars... but we definitely did not feel like rock stars the next day. We had a great time, but Sunday, we spent most of the day laying around and eating like crap. Not a good weekend to have when you’re trying to lose weight!

Monday, September 2

Thankfully, we had a training session with Bonne Marcus this morning — it was much needed. She had us do a workout today called "The Hundreds Workout." We started with a medicine ball pass 10 times, held a 10 second plank, and then mountain climbed for 10 seconds. We had to get through this 10 times total. Then, we moved on to 25 kettle bell swings and squats, 25 tricep-extensions with the kettle bell, and 25 bicep curls with the band, four times through. After that, we did another set, which consisted of 10 push-ups and 10 more tricep-extensions lying down, but this time, we only had to get through four sets (thank god!).

Here’s a genius idea for those of you who had (or will have) a destination, lake or beachside wedding or plan to honeymoon at a beach resort — jewelry designed with sand from those destinations. Dune Jewelry, founded by Holly Daniels Christensen — who is originally from Cape Cod and a bona fide beach lover — features uniquely-designed collections made with sand from just about anywhere in the world. Prices range from $40 to $184, and you can choose from an array of rings, bracelets, charms, necklaces, earrings, cuff links and key chains. I love this idea: It’s sweet, sentimental and very romantic, and whenever you wear the jewelry, you’ll be happily reminded of your wedding day or honeymoon. Here’s a sampling of some of the gorgeous pieces from Dune Jewelry.

The Island Necklace, $140, with sand from Laguna Beach, CA, left, and Siesta Key, FL on the right:

The Island Ring, $58, with sand from Jobson Bay, Bermuda:

The Sandbead Bracelet, $120, featuring sand from Seven Mile Beach, Grand Cayman:

The Traveler’s Bracelet, $150, featuring sand from Reykjavik, Iceland, can be made with up to seven different sands:

Groom Jordan Strauss and his bride, Andrea, made an unforgettable entrance to their wedding! At the start of the ceremony, Jordan — a guitar teacher  — pulled out an electric guitar and began playing Pachelbel's "Canon in D" with one of his groomsmen.

When Andrea made her grand entrance, she was also carrying a guitar and joined in!

Jordan taught Andrea how to play guitar just for the big day, intentionally keeping her part simple. "I wanted to make sure that she could focus on walking and being in the moment and not have to play something super complicated," he told the New York Daily News. "She was an easy student to teach. She's a natural. I told her that from day one," he added.

There might be a happy ending for Jackie and Kelso after all! 

Kelso's proposal to Jackie on That '70s Show. Let's hope he traded the balloon for a ring in real life!

Mila Kunis was spotted wearing a simple gold band on her left hand earlier today, sparking rumors that she and Ashton Kutcher — who she's been dating since April of last year — may be engaged.

The couple has yet to confirm the news, but a source close to the couple revealed to People that Kutcher had discussed proposing to Kunis around her 30th birthday (August 14). "He knows what they have is amazing and special... he's been thinking about proposing for a long time," said the source.

The pair first found love on screen as Jackie and Kelso in That '70s Show, though they didn't start dating in real life until Kutcher's separation from Demi Moore in 2011 (their divorce has not yet been finalized). 

"They are clearly very much in love, in tune with each other and so comfortable," another source revealed. "In some ways, it's like they're married already."

Crossing our fingers that the news is true!