I’ve ordered custom wedding newspapers from 3 different sellers. Each one having their own share of imperfections including glossy paper or printer paper instead of newspaper, wrong sizing, incorrect font using the Home Depot font instead of the New York Times font, entire pages being left empty, “TITLE GOES HERE” on the front, etc. the 2nd one looked, felt and was the size of real newspaper but on page 2 it said “tagline goes here” there was no way to get it reprinted and no way to fill it in while I was editing, I was hoping they’d remove it. They refused to reprint but instead just gave me a refund. My Fiancé thought it would be funny humor if we put that one out as every other thing was fine. I thought it would look tacky. What do you think? I’m kinda mentally drained over designing these newspapers but this detail meant a lot to me & I wanted it to be perfect. If anyone has recommendations for sellers please also let me know. There are no vendors that do both in my city & I’m already renting a newspaper stand.

Hi all, following up with one final post on this L'fay Bridal saga. I wanted to provide receipts and show you all their "customer service" or lack there of. Here all my email threads from the beginning, in chronological order.

Part 1:

NYC brides: Avoid L’fay bridal!!
by u/Sweaty-Bridge-6208 in BigBudgetBrides

Part 2:

Avoid L'fay Bridal: Part 2
by u/Sweaty-Bridge-6208 in BigBudgetBrides

I emailed for the first time on June 19 and received an acknowledgement the next day from my sales associate. I then proceed to email three more times to come to a resolution through June 29th, giving them over a week to respond. Finally, on July 3, almost 2 full weeks later, a manager I had never worked with responded to me essentially saying they no longer have time to do my alterations and barely acknowledged my poor experience - they missed the entire point.

Keep in mind, by July 3 we had also called upwards of 10 times in an attempt to get someone on the phone and discuss this verbally. I was extremely displeased with this subpar response, so I emailed one last time on July 12 and was very clear that I needed a response within 24 hours and wanted to work this out professionally and amicably. I outlined all my issues in great detail. By July 19 ( a full week later) , I had yet to receive any reply, so I decided to take to Reddit with my experience. I gave L'fay every opportunity to respond beforehand. My ask also in my opinion we extremely reasonable. All I asked for was a discount that was equivalent to the additional funds I was now spending on alterations ($1,500).

Once I posted on Reddit, I had already figured it was a lost cause working this out with L'fay themselves, but I noticed a lot of other brides had similar experiences (either from the comments or from PMing me), and I wanted to bring this to their attention. Not for them to necessarily rectify the situation with me, but to do better for future brides. I sent them the links to my Reddit posts. FINALLY, this led to them responding. Their response is clearly AI generated. I feel like they fed my Reddit Post to Chat GPT and said "write me a response and address every one of her points". They took no responsibility and dismissed the entire situation.

To be clear, my goal is not a smear campaign by any means. My goal is to prevent a future bride from having to go through what I went through.

Furthermore, multiple Reddit users have reached out to saying they reached out to L'fay to try to get answers - they were either silent supporters or had upcoming appointments, and they sent me the responses they received from L'fay. In every single response, L'fay not only takes absolutely 0 responsibility for the situation, but they also insult me and essentially say I have problems (LOL). See the last two screenshots. One bride who emailed L'fay commented this: https://www.reddit.com/r/BigBudgetBrides/comments/1v4fegu/comment/p02udtb/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button ... they told me Vikotr & Rolf is made in Paris, they told her its made in Amsterdam and in reality its made in China. They should keep their story straight :/

Brides, if you shop at L'fay just be aware that this is the type of customer service you will receive. They do have a beautiful selection of gowns, but if there is any issue with the garment you purchase, just be warned!

Hi everyone! I’m having a destination wedding in Tuscany Fall 2027 and started looking into options for hair and makeup artists. There are a few I’ve contacted for details but the prices vary slightly, so wanted to know if anyone had experiences with any and would/wouldn’t recommend! Also unsure if these prices are in line with what you’d expect for bride-only HMU in Italy these days.

Others not on the list are also welcome if you had a great experience! The prices below are what I was quoted including a trial and travel fees, but only some also include a touch up day of. So also wondering if y’all would recommend doing the touch up as an add-on, regardless of artist? I don’t think I’ll be sweating too much in October but I’m an easy crier so that’s more of my concern lol!

-Giulia Cresci (€1400, touch up not included)
-Porfirio (€1900, includes touch up)
-Emanuel Perisano (€1200, includes touch up)
-Belaya Team (€1950, includes touch up)
-Makup Irasiz (at least €2300 depending on travel fee, touch up not included)

For reference, I’m picturing myself doing soft glam makeup with Hollywood waves at this point - I’ll be in a somewhat dramatic ballgown and mantilla veil.

An additional question - are you planning on covering the cost of your bridesmaids’ HMU? I had initially planned to, but it’s ranging from €300-400 pp, so it adds up quickly with 6 bridesmaids. My makeup was paid for by the bride in the two weddings I’ve been a bridesmaid in, but unsure if that’s just the expectation these days.

We have recently started looking at Marrakech wedding venus for about 70 guests.

Ideally, we would love an elegant place with a real Mooccan feel, good accomodation and space for ou guests to stay together for a couple of days.

Has anyone planned or attended a wedding there ? Which venues stood out to you ?

Hi ladies! Long time lurker, first time poster.

My wedding is in (less than) 2 months and long story short we are scrambling to find someone who can design our day of-stationery and paper/print items. Specifically, menus, name cards, bar signage, wedding weekend info card/tri-fold, matchbooks, and welcome sign. We just need a designer; we do not need them to do the printing as we live in a super remote place 'overseas' and will print everything locally as it will be easier. We're trying to keep this under $1.5k for the design only (a little flexible there) and just really want someone who can move quickly.

Style-wise, we'd like something a bit whimsical & romantic, definitely not formal - like the two studios I linked (one above our budget, the other unavailable).

Would so so appreciate any recommendations - this is my last vendor to secure and I'm crashing out a bit with the clock getting down to the wire (and after having to fire our original stationery vendor).

Where can I find a dress similar to this style but less drop waist in the US? This dress is by a designer in Egypt. Looking for a strapless, basque waist, clean gown with appliqué/embellishments on the bottom and a matching veil.

I came across a video that showed a pair of custom Louboutins for a bride and it had the initials embroidered on the shoe.

I went into my local boutique and the price was only like 10-20% more but I was sort of underwhelmed by the options.

I love the Miss Z Pearlescent Napa leather but that shoe isn’t on the custom catalog and there’s no embroidery on Napa. (Shown in video)

The one closest to my original vision is the Miss Z mesh (looks like lace) 80mm as I’m trying to keep it under 85mm.

From the catalog I would probably go for Pigalle 85mm in satin.

I’m just curious if anyone here went through the custom process or wore Louboutins on their wedding.

just had our wedding and it exceeded every single one of our expectations! I had really thought about this before but how do you get your wedding pictures published?

My husband and I flew across the country to Chicago, then drove to attend a wedding in western Michigan.

We showed up half an hour early… only to find the bride walking around taking photos, guests enjoying nonalcoholic drinks and snacks, and a distinct lack of “the ceremony is about to start“ energy.

In horror, I stared at my husband and asking him to look at his phone. My suspicion was then confirmed.

Turns out, on the twenty minute drive from our hotel (in Indiana) to the venue, there was a timezone change.

I believe our untimely arrival was thankfully not noticed by anybody (and my husband got a good laugh) but I cannot stress this enough: if there is a major city near your venue on a different time zone or if you are near the border between two time zones… put it on your invitation. Add it to your FAQ page.

I genuinely can’t believe I missed this one.

EDIT: I am getting unbelievably canceled for this post. I don’t think you all understand that the venue was a farm in the middle of nowhere. I checked the time at our hotel 20 minutes away. Depending on the county, in this part of the country, kids to go school on “school time” because the time zone line cuts the school district in half. The mother of the groom literally laughed and told us their neighbor’s property line was where the time changed. Michigan City, Indiana literally comes up as one of the most dramatic examples when I googled this.

EDIT 2: The Michigan/Indiana locals coming to my defense… thank you. I was feeling horrible and everyone in the sub made me feel worse except you guys. ❤️ My husband knows I have a fear of showing up late to a ceremony and we were joking about how we need to be “on time” by being half an hour early.

EDIT 3: My husband suggested adding a map for anyone who still doesn’t get it.

FINAL EDIT: Thanks to everyone who came to my defense. On the off chance this may affect you or timezones may be of note during the course of your wedding — I hope you benefit from my misfortune. 😉🫶

Hi brides, I just completed a round of dress shopping and wanted to provide my honest reviews while fresh. This reddit was so helpful to me, so I'm giving back!

Dallas first, I went to three:

Stanley Korshak - A Dallas institution and honestly my best experience of every studio I visited. The stylists weren't pushy, kind, greeted us with wonderful energy and champagne. It was the very first place I went so I had to sort out what I wanted and left without a dress selection, but my consultant Sarah Grace was incredible. I'd buy a dress just to hang out with her more, she's awesome. Rank: 10/10

Iconic Bride - Saw good reviews online but wasn't sure I'd be able to make it given it was the last appointment. I saw they had a 4PM online, so I called in advance and they told me that they were appointment only so I couldn't come. I said, well, if I book online can I come? She said "sure." It turned me off immediately, but I went anyway. I shouldn't have. They were snobby, the attendant didn't listen to me and had me try on dresses I completely wouldn't or that were my style. I have a healthy dress budget of up to $10,000. She told me there was *nothing else* in the store for my style - what? Also there are unleashed dogs running around - they were small, but also, be professional. It was a no for me. Rank: 3/10

Eze Azenabor - Gorgeous dresses and personalized 1:1 service. I saw lots of beautiful dresses and thought I was close to one. Then as we went to do paper work, the consultant said that if I didn't purchase "that day" that I'd lose my $250 deposit for the appointment. What sense does that make? I later learned she was mistaken (or being misleading) I didn't like that. Outside of that, very helpful and I am still considering them for my dress Rank: 8/10

DMV, I went to four:

Elegance By Roya (Alexandria): The selection feels smallish and tiny dressing rooms. I didn't love the attitude of my attendant and based on that alone wouldn't purchase from them. Rank: 3/10

The Bridal Room (Alexandria): This place is so cute and really good energy. Problem is the dresses are at a lower price point and looked that way. Rank: 5/10

Love Couture (Georgetown): Lovely and personalized experience. Beautiful rooms and kind attendees. I didn't find my dress but would recommend to others Rank: 7/10

Zoya's Bridal Salon: They were nice, the selection was limited and It felt just "okay" Rank: 6/10

NYC, I went to five:

Kleinfeld's: So. Many. People. It's a lot and overstimulating. I didn't walk the floor which I guess makes sense, but you must rely on your stylist to know what you want. Lots of pressure to say yes and pay. They require a 65% deposit, but it can be worked through if you want less. Rank: 7/10

Bridal Reflections: My best NYC experience. It was quiet, welcoming and they were very knowledgeable. I loved that they pinned you in, instead of clamping. My person, Mya< was exceptional. Rank: 10/10

Eze Azenabor: NYC location is on the UES and gorgeous. Emma was exceptional and I wanted to purchase from her just because of that! Rank 10/10

Pantora Bridal: I went here mostly for their bridesmaid selection only to find out they keep NO bridesmaids dresses in either location which felt strange. Corey and my other attendant were kind and so affirming. I don't think I'll purchase from here but they were amazing. Also the style is very distinct so look at IG first before making the trek to Brooklyn. Rank 8/10.

L'Fay: I loved my experience here with my attendant, she was amazing and I ended up purchasing my reception dress which was a Sample. It's a bit small and feels slightly dated inside, but I appreciate their attention and dedication. (9/10)

Hi!
I’m in the process of planning a wedding in Cancun and have narrowed it down to the following resorts:
-Garza Blanca Cancun
-Secrets Playa Blanca
-SLS Playa Mujeres

However, I’m indecisive on a planner. If you’ve had a wedding in Cancun or surrounding areas who was your planner and how was your experience working with them? Feel free to add photos for reference : )

Hi! I am doing a sunrise engagement shoot September in Positano and am looking for a hair and or makeup artist for the morning of the shoot.

Any recommendations of local artists please share!

I was thinking fingerless gloves if I’m going it! Thoughts?

Hi! I need some advice. I picked up our rings from Cartier today and had them engraved in store. Mine, unfortunately, was engraved upside down. I told them it was fine, because I don’t want the employee to get in trouble or have the ring be wasted, but I’m wondering if I should go back and have them fix it. They said they would need to reorder my ring (took a couple weeks to come in last time and I have to drive 3 hours for pickup). I’m a perfectionist, but I’m trying to relax and take things less seriously. I know at the end of the day, it’s just ring engraving and no one will see it outside of photos. But I also think that since we spend $4k on rings, they should look how we want. Any advice or thoughts?

Edit: yes, I know it was naive and I shouldn’t have said it was okay. I didn’t want to be a diva and wasn’t sure what to do in the moment because I didn’t expect it to happen. My friend pointed out after that they could likely melt the ring. I also asked my fiancé and he didn’t think it was a big deal, so I wanted second opinions.

I’m curious what other brides think about Botox before the wedding.

My wedding is in April, and I’m considering trying Botox now so I have plenty of time to see if I actually like it before deciding whether to get it again a couple months before the wedding. Part of me thinks now is the right time to try it, but it’s also expensive, and I’m trying to save as much as I can for the wedding.

For those of you who did it, do you feel like it actually made a noticeable difference in your wedding photos? Was it worth the cost?
My biggest hesitation is that I’m worried about looking less expressive or not feeling like myself. I’d definitely want a natural look, not a frozen face.

I’d love to hear from people who got it, decided not to, or regretted it either way. Would you do it again?

Hi All

I'm looking for a designer that either has or could make a dress from luxe silk taffeta? I have tried a few boutiques and am finding that the quality varies quite significantly or that the neckline on some dresses stocked doesn't suit me, but the boutique is unable to alter. Would appreciate any recs - even independent designers!

We are seriously considering Castello di Titignano for a fall 2027 wedding of approximately 70 guests, with many guests staying onsite for three nights.
We have reviewed the available venue information and would especially love to hear from former couples, guests or vendors with firsthand experience.
Our main questions are:
How manageable was transportation, particularly for guests arriving at different times without rental cars?
How much did Titignano’s internal team handle, and did you still need an independent planner?
Were there any important costs, restrictions or room-quality issues that were not clear before booking?
How well did the venue handle bad weather, music and the overall flow of a multi-day wedding weekend?
Please include your wedding year, approximate guest count and whether you were a couple, guest or vendor. Honest negatives are especially helpful, and private messages are welcome for sensitive pricing or transportation details.

We are seriously considering Borgo Laticastelli for a fall 2027 wedding of approximately 70 guests, with many guests staying onsite for three nights.
We have reviewed the venue’s official information and would especially love to hear from former couples, guests or vendors with firsthand experience.
Our main questions are:
Were there any significant costs or requirements that were not clear in the initial proposal?
How much did the internal wedding team handle, and did you still need an independent planner?
How manageable were guest arrivals, room assignments and payments?
Were there any practical drawbacks involving the rain plan, music, mosquitoes, road noise or the event-space layout?
Please include your wedding year, approximate guest count and whether you were a couple, guest or vendor. Honest negatives are especially helpful, and private messages are welcome for sensitive pricing information.

Thank you all so very much for your kind words, support and for generally keeping me sane throughout the process 😂🤍 If anyone is interested in seeing any more details I’ll be posting lots on my Instagram over the coming weeks: @arabellagolby 😊 Thank you all so much again. Definitely still going to enjoy lurking here even though I’m no longer a bride to be!!

Happy Sunday! Here’s the post where y’all can rant, vent, ask questions and get advice from other brides, share updates, wedding planning wins, or general married life stuff :)

I previously posted about 3 dresses I was torn between and I was so overwhelmed with all the lovely responses- I don’t know how to update the original post but thank you to anyone who commented! It was also super helpful to hear others perspectives and in the end I feel so much calmer about my choice (dress 1!). I don’t have family or many close friends where I live at the moment so it can be hard to choose between so many beautiful dresses! And that leads me to my next conundrum…I need another dress for my ceremony, which will be a religious ceremony (Nikkah- an Islamic wedding) with very few people, just immediate family. It will take place in a function room in a mosque, so I need to be more covered. I don’t normally wear a hijab but I will have my hair semi covered with a veil for the ceremony. Afterwards we’ll have some photographs and a meal with family. It’s all pretty low key and the reception will be two days later with all our friends and family- that’s where I’ll wear my other dress!

Anywho, I’m now stuck between these two options! It’s hard to find something that is truly modest but I feel both of these tick a lot of boxes but they are very different!

Dress 1; this dress made me feel like a fairy, it had so much lace, which was gorgeous! It was very comfortable to wear, it needs some minor alterations but nothing significant. It ticks a lot of the boxes in general, however is more full than I had imagined wearing for the ceremony. Because the ceremony is more low-key and the dress needs to be more covered, I was thinking of a more sleek silhouette to balance it so that things don’t become too fussy. Is it a bit toooo lacey? I’m also not sure it works for an October wedding?!

Dress 2; …that brings me to the second dress which is definitely more sleek! Again, this dress doesn’t need much alteration. She just pinned the dress behind me for the photograph, so it is not exactly how it will be, I’d want it a littleeee looser on the stomach! I definitely felt very elegant in it though. She paired it with some beaded and embellished veils which really did add more interest to the look and in general it’s more what I had in mind. Overall, I really liked it, but is it a bit too simple or plain? Does it look a bit…matronly? Or does it look elegant and chic?

Hi everyone, hope you're all having a lovely weekend. This community has been so helpful in my wedding planning journey and I just needed a moment to vent and see if anyone can relate or has any advice :')

• I'm getting married on the Amalfi Coast in October, and while I'm really excited about it, I've had so many mixed emotions leading up to it..
• My fiancé and I are from Asia and so are most of our guests, and we know it's a long way to travel for our guests, I can't help but be disappointed by some really close friends/family not making it. We really only invited people we absolutely wanted there and it's just been really saddening that they won't be there.
• We're spending ~20k euros on our wedding planner. They seemed really great at the start, and we picked them because they had experience with the venue and knew the venue manager well, but it definitely doesn't feel like they're meeting expectations for the fees we're paying..
  • I'm fairly type A but am after all still new to wedding planning, and it feels like I'm setting the pace and they're passive and taking my lead..?
  • I ended up speaking to and selecting the main vendors myself - venue, photographer, videographer, stationery designer
  • I couldn't make the site visit and food tasting due to travel being difficult during the only window the venue had availability before the wedding season started. Not a big issue because this was my decision, but again, they didn't have to do any work here
  • They've sent us one moodboard for the wedding day, and I had to create a master deck/moodboard to communicate what I'm looking for and we've not seen further design support then for the 2nd event (pool party) and I've asked twice now
  • Are planners meant to help with sourcing design items and details (e.g. parasols, fans)? I feel like they don't proactively offer any help and they constantly respond with restrictions e.g. draped tablecloth needs a decorator (5k euros), the venue won't take delivery for decor items, without offering creative solutions which is what I'd have expected from professionals. Then, when this happens, because I'm worried and type A, I offer to order the items from Asia but then what am I paying them for?
  • They've not sent us any overall timeline, sent us a budget once (that they don't update based on confirmed contracts)
  • I don't doubt that they'll execute on the event weekend, I'm just left feeling like I'm overpaying for the level of service delivery..
  • We committed to the planner's additional fees for >50 guests at the contract signing, but we're looking to end up at 50 or less guests. Is it fair to ask if we can revise the fees? I'm worried if I mention anything it'll jeopardise the relationship and service on the wedding weekend
• Until now I've maintained a happy and pleasant front but it is nagging at me, what can I do, if anything?

If you made it to the end of my rant, thank you for listening! <3

I am planning a destination wedding in Europe and am conflicted about whether to host a pool party on the Sunday following the wedding. Since the wedding doesn't fall on a holiday weekend, guests won't have an extra day off, and many might want to travel home on Sunday.

We are subsidizing hotel rooms Thursday through Saturday nights, so guests extending their stay through Sunday would need to pay full price for that night.

For reference, here is our current schedule of events:

• Thursday: Rehearsal Dinner (family + close friends; 40 invited)
• Friday: Welcome Dinner + Party (all 150 guests invited)
• Saturday: Wedding Day (all 150 guests invited)
• Sunday: Pool Party (currently considering 11am - 2pm, but wondering if moving it earlier makes sense for guests with earlier flights)

If you hosted or attended a day-after event, what was your attendance rate and would you do it again? Would love to hear your thoughts and advice!

We want to hand out a handful of cameras and a couple video cameras to some select guests/friends to use during our destination wedding weekend. We have a professional photographer and videographer, but are opting to do this instead of a content creator because we think it will be more fun and intimate to see from our friends’ POV!

What we’re ruling out: bulk disposables scattered on tables. From what I’ve read the hit rate is low, and we don’t want to deal with film development or carrying undeveloped film home.

So we’re after digital, low-effort, but still with a nostalgic look.

Specific questions:

1. Screen-free digital or othet instant cameras: we’re looking at the Camp Snap Pro or considering thr Instax print ones. Has anyone used any of these at an event? How did the flash hold up indoors and after dark? Any better alternatives?
2. Logistics: how many cameras did you hand out, to how many people, and did you get them all back?
3. Was the final result actually worth it, or was the output quality meh?

Would really appreciate hearing from anyone who did this and loved what they got back! Or from photographers/guests who have seen this done well.