The 5 Doctors You Need to See Before Your Wedding Day

Doctors to See Before Your Wedding

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When you’re getting close to the end of your pre-wedding to-do list and you find yourself wondering what else you should do before its time to walk down the aisle, you may want to consider heading to a few of your favorite (or not so favorite) doctors. Even if you’re feeling as good as could be, seeing your doctors for check-ups and even pre-wedding advice, might be a good way to feel even more healthy and anxiety-free before the big day comes around. Here are the five doctors you could consider booking an appointment with before your wedding day.

1. Dermatologist
If you’re wondering what you can do to get your skin looking good before the wedding, book an appointment with your dermatologist who may be able to set you up with a proper pre-wedding regime. They may even be able to give you a quick fix for any day-of breakouts.

2. Allergist
If your wedding is mid-allergy season or even outdoors, head to your allergist for a game plan of how to get through the day without coughing and sneezing.

3. Gynecologist
If you’re planning on changing your contraceptive method when you get married, whether that means going on the pill or off the bill, or trying something new, it may be a good idea to visit your gynecologist and talk through this with them.

4. Dentist
Visiting your dentist should be a top priority, whether it’s for a routine cleaning or for a teeth-whitening appointment. You may need dental work that could take a couple of appointments to do, so book this appointment as early as you can.

See More: BRIDES’ 30-Day Wedding Shape-Up Challenge

5. General Practitioner
You may also want to consider adding a General Practitioner to the top of your list to talk about any health concerns or questions that you have. You can also consult with them about any specialists you’d like to see before your wedding.

Jen Glantz is a “Professional Bridesmaid” and the founder of Bridesmaid for Hire. She’s the author of All My Friends Are Engaged and frequently wears old bridesmaid dresses to the grocery store and on first dates.

Um, Someone's Phone Rang During Our Wedding Ceremony. Now What?

You’ve planned every single detail, but there’s always one thing about a wedding that you can’t control: Your guests. From telling them what to wear to letting them know when to arrive, all you can really do is hope they’ll read your website! That goes for your unplugged ceremony, too. Even with your officiant asking guests to silence their phones before your unplugged ceremony, there’s a chance someone wasn’t listening. If a cell phone rings during the proceedings, what’s a couple to do? Our experts break it down for you.

If someone’s phone rings during your wedding ceremony and they’re able to quickly silence it, proceed as if nothing happened. Your officiant may pause briefly to regain everyone’s attention, or begin their sentence again, but you shouldn’t need to address the interruption in any way. In fact, there’s a good chance you’ll be so enthralled in the moment that you won’t even notice the slight interruption!

Of course, there are a few other scenarios that are less easy to deal with. If the phone rings again, your guest may step away from the ceremony to take the call (especially if he or she is a doctor or has kids at home with a babysitter). Hopefully they’ll do so quickly and quietly, so it won’t be too distracting. Your officiant may pause and ask guests to confirm that their phones are off before you proceed — especially if you haven’t gotten to your vows yet. There could also be a little bustle amongst your guests as they check to make sure their phones won’t cause the same interruption, but it will be short-lived.

The moment to be wary of is if a phone rings during your vows or a reading. If the interruption flusters you, ask your officiant to start over, or to repeat the phrase you were in the middle of. It’s hard enough repeating an entire sentence, without buzzing or jingles disrupting your flow! And if you’ve got a friend or family member doing a reading, they can heed the same advice and either start the sentence over, or if it’s a particularly moving passage, start the section over again so the gravity and meaning isn’t lost.

This Couple's New Year's Eve Wedding Was an Epic Party

Looking for some major inspiration for your big day? Then look no further than our real weddings video channel, packed with tons of beautiful celebrations and countless ideas to steal for your own wedding ceremony and wedding reception. Each week we look inside one of our favorite new love stories, and today we’re taking you behind the scenes of Lauren and Ben’s New Year’s Eve wedding.

That’s right, this pair planned to ring in the new year in a really big day: With their wedding. Lucky for us, MPA Videography was there to capture every unique moment of their nuptials at Virginia’s Taubman Art Museum. With such a modern venue, it’s no surprise that this couple pulled off one of the prettiest New Year’s celebrations we’ve seen yet.

To welcome 2016 (and their newly-minted married status), Lauren and Ben invited guests to join them for a black-tie wedding complete with every New Year’s Eve must-have. Glittering details, a photo booth with plenty of props, noisemakers, hats, and clocks set to 12 p.m. made this fun-filled bash an evening to remember. By the looks of it, their guests had an incredible time. And how could they not, consider this couple has been together for 13 years?

See More: 17 Ideas for a Harvest-Inspired Wedding Tablescape

Like any good New Year’s Eve party, the bride and groom made sure to plan a midnight countdown so they and all of their loved ones could usher in 2016. At the stroke of midnight, everyone hit the dance floor with champagne in hand. The party didn’t end there, though. Guests danced the night away with the newlyweds before sending them off through a tunnel of waving streamers.

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5 Skills You Must Have For a Successful Romantic Relationship

successful relationship tips

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You’ve got skills, we know. You’re strong, competent, and communicative, to name a few. But, “while these are all important foundational skills for living a successful and happy life, they need to be built on in order to help an individual transition to a successful and happy partnership,” explains psychotherapist and marriage coach Toni Coleman.

Enter: Couple skills, next-level expertise we need for successful relationships. But don’t worry, they’re not too hard to grasp. Here, our experts give you five to start.

1. You’ve got to have empathy.
According to Lesli Doares, marriage coach and author of Blueprint For A Lasting Marriage, empathy is the ability to see things from your partner’s perspective, and it’s a huge plus in your relationship. “No two people experience life in the same way and this leads to viewing the same event differently,” she explains. “Being empathetic and understanding and seeing this as legitimate differences, not in terms of one of you being right and the other wrong, is key for success.”

2. You have to be able to think “we,” not “I.”
You know what you need, and how to get it. “But when someone is part of a couple, he or she needs to view each need as it impacts ‘us’ as a couple, and not just him or her as an individual,” says Coleman. “Keeping a ‘we’ perspective will help a couple to make sure both of their needs are priorities for them as a couple, which helps create a balance and maintain a sense of oneness.”

See More: 5 Couples Define What a “Happy Marriage” Means to Them

3. You have to be able to regulate your emotions.
That anger that bubbles up when you see your spouse left the house in disarray? You’ve got to be able to put it in check, Doares says. “Each of you is responsible for managing your own emotions and having a plan for what to do when things get hot to minimize damage to your relationship,” she says. “If one of you can remain calm and implement that plan, then there will be no escalation and no need for repair.”

4. You need to be able to communicate well.
Good communication skills include active listening, not interrupting, asking good follow-up questions, reflection, and avoiding jumping to conclusions, among other traits, says Coleman. “There are a number of skills for couples to learn in order to be good communicators, but these are not difficult and if used consistently, can make or break a relationship,” she says.

5. You’ve got to have good negotiation skills.
All communication skills are valuable in a relationship. “But the ability to negotiate a solution you both can support and implement is the key to being willing tackle the hard stuff that inevitably crops up,” says Doares. Plus, she adds, negotiation keeps resentment at bay. “When you can successfully negotiate, there is no manipulation or giving in and that keeps resentment from taking hold,” she explains.

BRIDES New Jersey: Unique Treats to Serve at Your NJ Wedding

NJ Sweets

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Sure, the Garden State is known for producing some of the freshest fruits and veggies on the east coast — but it can sure hold it’s own when it comes to sweets, too. Delectable cupcakes, candy, popcorn, doughnuts — you name it — we’ve got it. So, if you’re looking for some uniquely New Jersey items to be a part of your big day, look no further than our favorite NJ sweet treats.

Jaret’s Stuffed Cupcakes (Above)
With three locations in NJ and one in NY, Jaret’s Stuffed Cupcakes evolved from what first began as a café, to now expanding into four cupcake bakeries. Combining a love for dessert with a unique twist, their decision to “stuff” cupcakes has (of course) begun to take NJ by storm. With favors including the Bada Bing (chocolate cupcake stuffed with mascarpone, espresso custard and topped with amaretto whipped cream and a cherry) and the Conor’s Dream (vanilla M&M cupcake stuffed with M&M caramel custard topped with chocolate whipped cream and sprinkles) Jaret’s combines traditional dessert and candy flavors in an untraditional way — because the only thing better than a cupcake, is a stuffed one! Read real brides’ reviews here!

Rainbow Cookie Donuts
You may have seen these making their way around the Internet after going viral for their new Rainbow Cookie doughnut (for obvious reason.) Glaze Donuts in New Milford, NJ specializes in artisan doughnuts, created and made fresh each day. Never cooking with preservatives, high fructose corn syrup or artificial coloring, the Rainbow Cookie doughnut is inspired by the traditional 7-layer cookie that hails from Italian bakeries, but in doughnut form, smothered in a chocolate glaze, with chocolate sprinkles. You’re wedding guests are sure to flip over these doughnuts.

See More: Still on the looking for a Wedding DJ? Check Out New Jersey’s Top DJs Here, Guaranteed to Get Keep the Party Going!

Saltwater Taffy
Nothing is more Jersey than saltwater taffy from the Jersey Shore. First becoming poplar on the Atlantic City boardwalk, this candy is created with a mixture of water, butter, salt, sugar, cornstarch, and corn syrup and coloring that results in chewy, sweet goodness. To add a touch of the Jersey Shore to your wedding, you can choose colors and flavors to compliment your color palate, gift boxed taffy as favors, or even include it in guest welcome bags. For the original, you can order from Fralinger’s, though many New Jersey candy shops sell their versions, too.

Johnson’s Popcorn
Another coastal favorite, Johnson’s Caramel Popcorn is a staple of boardwalk grub that your wedding guests are sure to love. Since 1940, Johnson’s has been hand-mixing popcorn right off the sand, filling the Ocean City boardwalks with the sweet smells of sugary goodness. If you can’t make it to Ocean City to stock up for your big day, their online ordering system couldn’t be easier. (Be sure to order some extra to enjoy for yourselves!) Read real brides’ reviews here!

Want more goodies to help cherish memories of your big day? Browse for ideas on our New Jersey local favors page.

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