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My husband Mike and I were married on June 27, 2014, in Aberdeen, SD. It was a wonderful, awesome day — we had a blast celebrating with our families and friends at an amazing venue. Our big day went off without a hitch, hiccup or snafu in sight, but it was only after I conquered my deep-rooted fear of dress shopping.

After I got engaged, I was thrilled at the prospect of finding my dream dress. For three months, I searched through wedding magazines and websites until I fell in love with a tea-length satin style that had a beautiful bow and purple crinolines to match my vintage theme. It was glorious! That is, until I tried on a similar dress that my friend had, and I quickly realized that this hemline on me just wasn't going to fly. I wanted to cry at the thought of having to choose a gown all over again.

I had heard disheartening tales of plus-size brides' shopping experiences. "If you aren't under a size 10, good luck." "My sister broke down bawling at one store because they had ZERO dresses that fit her." "The lady at the shop we went to told my cousin to drop 30 pounds when they did her first fitting." Whoa. Scary, right? I hoped those stories weren't true, but in the back of my mind, I was panicking. I wear a size 18 in regular clothes and I knew that bridal sizes ran even smaller — I was prepared for that. What I wasn't prepared for was how insecure I was going to feel.

Like any other flower girl, all Annabelle Earl wanted was to wear a pint-sized princess dress and drop petals down the aisle. The only problem? There was no one in this four-year-old's immediate family or parents' circle of friends getting married.

NBC News reports that Annabelle's mom, Kim, didn't realize how much the wedding milestone meant to her daughter until they visited Yoko Ono's "Wishing Tree" at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. The precocious little girl walked up to the tree and wished for a pet unicorn (wouldn't we all?). When mom broke the news to her that this wasn't an option, she settled for a suitable back-up plan: to be a flower girl.

Undeterred by the lack of festivities in their foreseeable future, the Brooklyn mom took her daughter to the City Clerk's office in Manhattan to fulfill her dream. Despite a few rejections, they finally found a couple who was willing to "hire" Annabelle as their flower girl. "She was too adorable to say no to, and we thought it would be fun to make her day as well as ours," the bride tells NBC (she declined to be identified).

Photo courtesy of Kim Earl via NBC News

In a twist of fate, Annabelle ended up getting scared and mom had to hold her. So sweet! Naturally, she had more important things on her mind (at the conclusion of the ceremony, she asked if there would be cake). The pair went to a bakery and texted the couple a snapshot, wishing them a sweet future together. 

Weddings are about love and the joining of two lives but they’re also about you as a couple. With all of the resources available for wedding planning today, there is absolutely no reason to have a run-of-the-mill wedding that doesn’t suit you. Dreaming of a unique and personalized wedding but you're not sure where to start? Get inspired by these five tips. 

Photo Credit: Ty Boyce of Disney Fine Art Photography and Video

1. Incorporate Your Hobbies
If you both love touring local wineries, consider throwing a wine-themed wedding. This can be done by simply choosing a winery as your wedding venue, or you can incorporate wine in other ways. Personalize your reception with wine bottles serving as table numbers, giving out bottles of wine for the favors or even by adding grapes to your floral arrangements and bouquets. Wine is just one example; the more unique the hobby, the more memorable the wedding becomes.

Excited about the idea of incorporating your hobby, but want to do something more subtle? You could showcase your shared love of horseback riding with a saddle-shaped groom’s cake and a photo booth filled with props such as helmets, riding crops, red coats, etc. Check out 25 of the most unique wedding themes we've ever seen ►

Get ready to enjoy our special "Color Issue" filled with amazing ideas on how to choose and use pretty palettes throughout your wedding.

Have an iPad? Be sure to check out our digital edition! Get one issue for $5.99 or a one-year subscription (six issues) for just $9.99. Click here to download the Bridal Guide Magazine app from the App Store. 

Plus, you’ll find three magazines in one! On the flip side is our "Your Home" section featuring the hottest tabletop trends and gift ideas for your registry.

And you’ll get a separate "Honeymoon & Destination Wedding Guide" packed with the perfect getaways.

But first, here’s a sneak peek at some of the fabulous color-themed stories in the issue from bridal gowns in soft, romantic hues

Photo Credit: MangoRed on Bride and Breakfast via Lover.ly

Q. How can we keep the guest list under control?

A. The size of your guest list is an important issue because it will largely affect the total cost of your wedding. In most cases, you, your fiancé and both of your families will each have his or her own idea about who should be invited.

To get off on the right foot, have everyone involved submit a list of the people they’d like to attend. They should rank the names in order of importance, starting at the top. Then you and your fiancé can compare the lists and cross off any duplications. Add up the numbers that are left to determine how close you are to your estimated guest count and figure out how many more people you may need to eliminate (or, if you’re lucky, who you can add!). Then, have each of the parties involved cut an assigned number of names, starting from the bottom of his or her personal list. This way, both families are treated fairly, while you manage to keep control over the size of the guest list.

It was a typical work day at KWES TV for Alexa Williams until the story she was covering turned out to be her own marriage proposal!

The Texas-based news anchor began reading the script, which stated that "An Odessa woman is about to get the surprise of her life, and eventually a last name." She was barely able to finish her sentence as her boyfriend, Wayne Dunson, appeared on the set with a bouquet of roses and a ring.

Watch the surprise proposal here:

Williams, 23, was in disbelief even as Dunson told her that he wanted to love her for the rest of his life. Then, with all of Williams's co-workers eagerly looking on, the real estate broker got down on one knee and asked, "I just wanted to know, will you love me for the rest of yours?"

The answer was a resounding "yes!" and the bride-to-be was so happy that she almost forgot to put on the ring. After the proposal, she posted on Facebook that "Working on the 4th of July turned into the best day of my life!" 

Congratulations to the happy couple! Plus, check out 48 Heartwarming Proposal Stories.

— Mary Gillen 

Trying to lose weight amid all of the celebrations that come along with getting married is no easy task. From your wedding shower to your bachelorette party there are so many temptations that can throw a healthy diet off track. 

I recently celebrated round one of my two planned bachelorette parties and it was one of the best weekends of my life. The only downfall of my getaway was the extra weight I packed on during it. 

Here's how I spent my weekend and what I did to regain control of my weight-loss: 

My girlfriends rented a house in Narraganset, a small town right outside of Newport, Rode Island and it was so cute and perfect for the seven of us. A great advantange of renting a house is you can cook for yourself, alowing you to save money on dining out and you can prepare heathier meals than you would get at a restaurant!

Tip: If you’re looking for bachelorette party ideas I would highly recommend looking into renting a house in a cool beach town like Newport. You can look for house rentals on websites such as VRBO.com or Airbnb.com.

When you are traveling with a large group of people, renting a house can be cheaper and has less restrictions than staying in individual hotel rooms. My bridesmaids decorated the entire house and made personalized shirts and wine glasses. 

The emotional pinnacle of any wedding is the bride's walk down the aisle and the parent spotlight dances are a close second. Many of us take these special moments with our parents for granted, but for 25-year-old bride Lindsay Nieto, performing them at her nuptials on July 5 in Rancho Palos Verdes, California was nothing short of a miracle. 

Lindsay's 56-year-old father, Augie, has battled amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, Lou Gehrig's Disease), for the past decade. This progressive neurodegenerative disease affects nerve cells to the brain and spinal cord, which may lead to total paralysis in later stages. Approximately 5,600 people in the U.S. are diagnosed each year.

Augie lost the use of his arms and legs, and he also underwent a trachetomy that rendered him unable to speak. After seeing her dad suffer for so long, the bride opened up to BG that she had given up hope that he would be able to participate in escorting her down the aisle. It was an incredible testament to his hard work and dedication to train throughout the past year. 

"It was the most important walk I had ever taken with my dad by my side and my husband Chris waiting at the end of the aisle. I felt overwhelmed by the love shared by our joined families as they supported Chris and I. We all laughed and cried together," she says.

In a role reversal, this father was determined to make his youngest child proud: "She made me feel loved and that no matter what I did, it would be okay and I was a success! What a wonderful way to take the pressure off," he tells us. Augie was able to mouth "I love you, and I'm so proud of you" to Lindsay during the ceremony.

Check out the first photos of Jessica Simpson's wedding gown, courtesy of People! This issue hits newsstands this Friday. Pick up a copy for all of the full details about her unique Great Expectations-themed nuptials on July 5 with Eric Johnson.

After waiting four years to get married — and having two kids together — Simpson yearned for a wedding that was anything but traditional, and her dress was no exception. The fashion-mogul bride wore a custom couture Carolina Herrera champagne gown with delicate gold embroidery, describing her wedding-day look as "romantic, ethereal and chic."

Scan from the July 21, 2014 issue of People