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Rachel Wolf's father/daughter dance on Saturday, July 20th was everything she hoped it would be  — the only thing missing was a groom to watch on.

Her dad, Dr. John Wolf, is losing his battle with terminal pancreatic cancer, but that didn't stop the determined 25-year-old from Auburn, California from making their wedding wish come true. Regretting that he would never get to take part in her big day — yet not wanting to pressure her current boyfriend to propose — she came up with the idea to host a special dance now that she can record and play at her future nuptials someday.

"My greatest sadness of you not being here is that you won't get to walk me down the aisle or have a special father/daughter dance," she told him through tears in a video posted online by News10/KXTV.  "So I'm inviting you to my 'wedding.'"

In an interview with The Today Show, her "ultimate hero" reveals just how much the staged event meant to him: "Each and every day, we have a choice. We have a choice to either love that person that's in front of us or not. It's the relationships that you build over the years that is the most important thing in life."

One of the prettiest sights to see at a wedding (other than the décor, flowers and beautiful bride, of course!) is the dazzling dessert table. I recently came across some gorgeous tables featuring an array of yummy treats created by Alexis Streets, a Washington D.C.-based dessert and table stylist (clients include Spike Lee and the Washington Redskins). All of her food items are not only custom-made and handcrafted, but Alexis also designs the table décor. This talented entrepreneur definitely knows how to turn a negative into a positive, too: She started her business creating gift baskets while on bed rest after a car accident, and today, after just five years, her company has evolved into a highly successful business. Love that positive spirit!

Now, back to dessert tables: If you’re thinking of having one at your wedding, Alexis recommends that you “consider your own personal taste and style, your wedding colors and the needs of your guests.” And, for upcoming fall weddings, some of Alexis’ favorite choices include chocolate-covered strawberries infused with wine, candy apples, spiced cupcakes and her custom 14k-gold candies. “Our cake pops are always a year-round favorite, too, as they can be customized to look like brides and grooms!” says Alexis. For inspiration, take a look at some of her sensational tables and eye-catching goodies, and visit Alexis Streets and discover more delicious treats:

Clockwise from top left: Chocolate strawberries, gourmet pretzels, gourmet krispy treats, pecan turtles, cake pops, and gourmet strawberry shortcakes.

Photographer Joshua Watson and his wife Rachel, a film and television producer, infused both of their passions in their ingenious wedding invitations. With the help of photographer friend Jordan Nakamura, the pair re-created a selection of movie posters; then, they made DVD invites for friends and family, using the images as covers on the DVD cases. "We tried to choose a variety of films that we both enjoy," said Watson. "We also wanted to choose posters we felt had iconic designs." Take a look!

Inspiration: Inception

Inspiration: Casablanca

Inspiration: An Education

After a series of four harrowing hair trials, I'd love to share my experience with BG brides in case anyone is going through the same thing (you're not alone!) or in the process of scheduling their beauty appointments for the big day. This is my story about the connection between hair and self-image — including a few hard-earned lessons I learned along the way. 

I looked into the mirror and saw an imposter staring back at me in a haze of hairspray. I recognized the wide Katy Perry-like eyes, but everything else about her was foreign. She had a retro bouffant ‘do warped from the ‘50s, with boho braids wrapped around the sides of her head. I could barely make out the sparkling headpiece on top because it was drowning in a nest of curls.

This wasn't exactly what I had in mind when I showed the hairstylist my inspiration photo of Kate Middleton (my fashion hero!) at a royal gala, looking resplendent with her updo and amazing Jenny Packham dress. This hairdo looked like the Duchess of Cambridge got into a tussle with a pin-up and a flower child, and there was no clear winner. Would my fiancé Jason even recognize this bride coming towards him down the aisle, with her Medusa tendrils?

Photo Credit: Lucky Me Photography on Lela via Lover.ly

Q: I was surprised to receive an invitation to a friend’s wedding that only had my name on it. She knows I’m engaged and has met my fiancé a few times. Shouldn’t his name be on the invitation as well? 

The bouquet and garter toss are time-honored traditions, but these days, more than half of BG brides skip at least one of the tosses.

One couple decided to put a new twist on the tradition that was anything but stale — Natasha and Jake Johnson launched themselves in a human slingshot before making their tosses! Their venue, Hobble Creek Lodge, already had the slingshot on premises; after taking turns going up in it the night before the wedding with their bridesmaids and groomsmen, they decided to do it during the wedding as well. 

"Jake and I joked around about me doing the human slingshot in my wedding dress but I thought, 'No way, it will ruin my dress,'" Natasha told HuffPost Weddings. "Well, I changed my mind the night before the wedding and said, 'Why not!'" 

Really, should we even have to tell you this? But in a trash-the-dress session taken too far, one bride willingly lit her dress on fire before running into the ocean to extinguish it, all in an attempt to capture a memorable photo. 

The bride was not harmed in this video, but this so easily could've gone terribly, terribly wrong. Natural fibers — like cotton and silk — are extremely flammable, and the flame can travel much faster than you'd think.

Bottom line: If you want a photo of your dress on fire, add some flames in Photoshop. Don't put your life at risk for the sake of a picture.

—Kristen O'Gorman Klein

I mailed out my wedding invitations recently (hooray!) and the responses have been trickling or pouring in, depending on the day. Now that the big reveal is over with most of my guests, I'm excited to unveil the design to my fellow BG brides as well. The photo below doesn't do the invite justice — it was printed in gold glitter ink that shimmers in the light. I worked on it with Arlene Segal, the talented owner of Arlene Segal Designs in Miami, FL, and the style name is "Somewhere in Time," in case anyone is interested in using the same design for their own wedding.

"Somewhere in Time" Wedding Invitation (Style #BW-130)

As a general rule of thumb, it's recommended that brides start shopping for their invitations about five to six months before they wed. Like many other aspects of planning, this process took far longer than I had anticipated; the amount of paperie options is truly staggering and so is the cost of wedding invitations. Between selecting the printing method, font, paper stock, wording and method of addressing envelopes, it all took a great deal of thought. That didn't even include the time spent assembling them!

When I first got engaged, I immediately bought a humongous binder (which I still own) containing worksheets on how to help novice brides like myself plan their wedding with organized glee. I filled out many of the pages and felt like I had just passed a final exam — until I got to the transportation section. How do I get my guests from Point A to Point B and map out our itinerary? Who do we include, who do we not include and where on Earth are we all going?! The whole concept was starting to sound more like a lecture from my algebra teacher (a class that I failed in school).

So I did what any obsessive-compulsive bride in my situation would do: I Googled as much info as I could find until finally, I developed a game plan. If you're anything like me and are overwhelmed by the logistics of transporting yourself (and your bridal party) to and fro on the wedding day, you've come to the right place. Here are some basic guidelines for tackling all of your transportation conundums.

Photo by: Artful Weddings via The Bridal Detective

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