• Consider your fiancé. How long have you been together? Do you know him well enough? Are there any specific things about him that you absolutely cannot get past? Is there something in the relationship that has been wrong, not dealt with, and brushed off? These are some things to consider.
• Are you going through with the wedding because you are embarrassed that you’ve already invested so much time and money and invited everyone you know? That happens to many brides and grooms. But going through with a wedding when you know it isn’t right is worse than any embarrassment you might feel at calling it off last minute. You may have lost deposits, and guests will return their wedding gifts, but it will cost you more in money and emotions to go through a divorce.
• Do you differ in religion and are not addressing it? Do you secretly think or hope your fiancé will convert to your religion once you are married? Have you planned to raise any children in your own religion regardless of what your fiancé says? These are signs you might be making a mistake. You need to talk to your partner about these serious issues.
• Have you talked about having kids and come to no conclusion? Does one of you want kids while the other doesn’t? This is a huge issue that’s not just going to work out by itself. This needs to be addressed before the wedding takes place.
• Are you running away from something? Do you not want to live at home anymore so you’ve chosen to get married? Are you afraid of being alone? Do you think you’re getting too old to be single, so you figure you’ll just get married to the guy you’re with? Dangerous territory. Examine your motives and talk to someone you trust about these feelings.
• Has your future spouse ever hit you or verbally abused you? Does either one of you have a drinking or drug problem that you’re hiding or not addressing? Has either of you been unfaithful for any reason?
• If one or both of you have children from another marriage, do you know each other’s children well? Have you spent enough time with them? Are they comfortable about the marriage?
• Is either of you in any financial trouble that you have not openly talked about? Dishonesty in any area can lead to disaster.
• Do you just get a sinking feeling that you are making a mistake? Has it lasted more than just a few minutes? Has it been haunting you? Examine what you’re feeling now.

If any of the above has caused you to consider your decision, don’t lose heart. It just means you’re taking a good look at the relationship before it becomes etched in stone. Talk to family, friends, clergy, mentors, or others you trust. It doesn’t necessarily mean your relationship is over. It just means you need to pause and think more about what you’re doing.

More Wedding Planning Tips:

What To Include in the Wedding Programs

How To Set Up A Wedding Dessert Bar

Hold your luncheon as close to the date of the wedding as you like. If all bridesmaids are local and there’s no traveling involved, have it a few weeks before the wedding. If a few of the bridesmaids have to travel, you should have it no more than one day before the wedding. The afternoon before the wedding is a great time to host a bridesmaid’s lunch because everyone will already be there and they will have nothing to fill their time before the rehearsal dinner.

Keep the theme of your bridesmaid luncheon focused on pampering your bridesmaids. You can have it at a spa which includes lunch with its manicures, massages or pedicures. Just be mindful that some of your bridal party may have already gotten their nails done at home for the wedding, so offer a facial, massage, or make up application as options.

Another place you might host your luncheon is at a mall. Find a restaurant that won’t be overly crowded at the time you want to have your lunch. The anchor chain restaurants often have enough room to accommodate your whole party in a private area. Ask and book well in advance. You don’t want everyone standing in line the day of the party.

Have fun with your luncheon. Include shopping around the mall for last minute items the girls may need or just for window shopping relaxation. The girls will love it. Some brides like to include their mom as well as the mother of the groom in the bridal party luncheon. It just makes it more cozy and inclusive, especially if the groomsmen and dads are off playing golf or having their own afternoon party, the moms will have somewhere to go.

Try not to plan anything too strenuous as the guests have to be perky for the night’s rehearsal dinner.  Also, try not to force everyone onto the beach or out into the sun for the luncheon. They may get sunburned and then not only be in pain, but they won’t be happy with their lobster red appearance in the wedding photos.

Some other ideas include having the party at someone’s home. It can be at your mom’s or your own home if you have the room. You can do spa facials or just hang out and read magazines or watch funny movies. It’s girl time and you should serve yummy treats. If it’s the day before your wedding, don’t stress yourself by trying to make all the food. Hire a caterer to bring food in or visit a warehouse store that specializes in party platters and cakes. You can buy everything you need the morning of the party or the day before.

Have little gifts on hand to thank your bridesmaids. You can provide bridesmaid gifts or treat bags that have bottled water and little snacks for the hotel room, or you can give them earrings that they can wear at the wedding or a nice bracelet.

For more bridesmaid gift ideas, try:

• Monogrammed Bridal Party Gifts
• Personalized Bridesmaids Gift Ideas
• Bridesmaid Gifts on a Budget

You probably aren’t going to be able to preserve your wedding gown yourself. The best you will be able to do is store it wrapped in a white sheet and hang it in your closet. This will not keep it preserved but will prevent it from getting damaged any further. It may have invisible stains such as perspiration, deodorant, champagne, or frosting which can all eat away at your beautiful dress and lead to set in yellowing.

That’s why you want to get your dress to the dry cleaner’s as fast as you can. Assign a family member to take your dress the very next morning to the cleaner for preservation. This means, you will have to choose your preservationist long before the wedding. Ask the bridal shop where you bought your dress who they recommend. Also ask fellow brides where they had their dress preserved. Ask dry cleaners if they have much experience preserving wedding gowns. Most will say they do, but ask how many they typically do in a year. If it’s up near 100 or so, you can be sure they are experts. If they have only done 20 in a year, go elsewhere.

As far as stain removal, don’t try to do it yourself, but you will want to point out to the dry cleaner where the stains are that you know. If you aren’t sure there are any stains, there still may be. Under the arms of your gown may have invisible perspiration and deodorant residue and you may have spilled something you can’t see.

Tell the dry cleaner about any tears you noticed or any loose beads or sequins. That way she can repair them before she archives the dress. Remove any sashes or wedding jewelry that is removable and store it at home.

Have your friend or family member transport your dress in the original bag to the dry cleaner’s for preservation. Don’t wrap it in plastic as this can cause mold to grow. Also, get it there no more than a few days after the wedding so stains can be taken care of right away.

Your dress will likely come back in an archival, acid free box. The box will be big, so plan on having a place to store it. Under the bed works best. Don’t store it any place you would not be comfortable with the temperature. The attic is too hot and the basement is too damp and cold. So keep it somewhere in your living space.

A good dress preservation can run anywhere from $150 and on up. The more ornate your gown, the more expensive it will be to preserve it. So, consider that when factoring wedding costs. You want to have enough money left over after your honeymoon to be able to pick your dress up from the cleaner’s, after all! Your dress will stay beautiful for years and your daughter may choose to wear it one day (I  get teary-eyed just thinking about it!)

For more on wedding dresses, check out some of these articles:

• Wedding Gown Trend - Inspired by Lady Gaga?
• 10 Steps to Choosing the Best Wedding Dress
• How To Sew Your Own Wedding Gown

Outdoors, you can go big and bold with your arch and wedding reception decorations. Think about the setting. Is it on the beach? Bring your arch down to the sand and set it up. Have palm fronds decorating it or pick your favorite flowers to drape over it. Just secure the flowers with floral twine so they don’t blow away in the wind. That goes for any arch. Secure the flowers even if they are indoors so they don’t get bumped and knocked over.

You can find lightweight arches at just about any home supply store. They come disassembled so they are easy to carry and transport. You set them up at the reception most times by screwing poles together.

Cover your arch completely with swags of either silk or real flowers. Or leave some of the metal exposed and drape tulle around it for a glowing, gossamer feel. You may want to drape ornate hanging flowers so that you look like you’re standing under something that would be found in a magical fairy woodland. Your florist can help you decide on a design.

Your arch may be part of the landscape already in place at a reception hall. In that case, ask the hall what they typically use to decorate it. They may have seasonal flowers or lights and you’ll save yourself some expense and time running around.

If your arch is indoors, you can set it up so that as people enter the ballroom or dance area they pass under it. You can do this with satin and lights or flowers in your theme colors. The indoor arch need not be as fancy as the outdoor one as you are going to have your tables and other wedding centerpieces to accent the room as well. Sometimes all you need is a drape of fabric and a few swags of flowers.

Consider having an arch as your photo station if you are offering wedding photos. Sometimes couples set up a digital camera on a tripod or have a photographer set up near an arch to take guests’ photos (kind of like at the prom). You can do this, too, with a simple arch decorated in your wedding colors.

Incorporate a small, fabric draped table under an arch for your guest book. Guests will wander over to see what it is and you’ll be sure to get lots of signatures. Or you could house your gift box there. Guests can drop their gift cards into a slotted, decorated box that’s on a table under an arch. It’s a pretty way to discreetly place your box. While guests are marveling at the beauty of the arch, they’ll remember to drop off their card.

There’s no saying arches have to be made of any certain material. Have one made of bamboo or evergreens or wood wrapped in fabric. Have one entirely made of topiary bushes cut to form the arch. Go with a square shape or round, it’s up to you.

Think outside the traditional when going with an arch. It’s your day so make your arch unique and personal.

More decorating tips:

• How to Decorate a Barn for a Country Wedding
• Winter Wedding Ideas
• Planning a Cherry Blossom Wedding
• Eco-Friendly Wedding Tips and Ideas
• Outdoor Wedding Decorations
• Planning A Beach Wedding

UPDATED 9-21-2010

If you're on the West Coast and Chicago: Spa week was SEPTEMBER 13-19. However, there was so much interest and calls made to the salons that some of the spas on the West coast have decided to extend Spa Week for their customers! Check out the details and see salons in you neck of the woods here: SpaWeek.com

If you're in the East Coast, Midwest and Toronto: Spa week is OCTOBER 11-17. Yesterday was the first day you could BOOK your $50 appointments for Spa Week.

So what is Spa Week?

Spa Week was created and founded by Cheryl Reid, who hails from successful careers within the luxury spa industry and publishing spheres. Joining Spa Week again for the Fall 2010 Event, sponsors include Dove Deodorant: Title Sponsor; Allure Magazine: National Media Sponsor; Bare Escentuals: Exclusive Cosmetic Sponsor; Dole: Exclusive Food Sponsor; Rioja: Exclusive Wine Sponsor; The Wedding Channel; Exclusive Wedding Sponsor; Daily Front Row: Exclusive Fashion Sponsor; and ISPA: Exclusive Spa Association Partner.

Since 2004, the signature $50 price point has afforded consumers nationwide the ability to try different treatment types at different spas, putting an end to the old myth that the spa lifestyle can only be afforded by the rich and famous.

What should I look into having done during Spa Week?

• A massage to soothe the pre-nup nerves
• A facial to get your skin in perfect condition and bring out your head-over-heels-in-love glow
• A body scrub to make your body its softest for your first married moments
• A mani-pedi that will indulge your extremities while taking care of business
• A luxury hair appointment to get your locks looking their best as the big day approaches

Check out www.spaweek.com for more details and to see what local salon and spas are participating near you.

We know that planning a wedding can be stressful so we've teamed up with some of the best industry experts to bring you tips on how to create the wedding that you've always dreamed of.  Our contributors will help you save money, find great vendors, avoid etiquette faux-pauxs, select a wedding venue, choose a color scheme and theme that reflect your style and personality, and so much more!

So if you are recently engaged, we hope that you join us on our quest to become the best wedding blog ever.  The ring is just the beginning of the dream...