The Awful Bridesmaid Dress has taken on a fabled life of its own. You could fill a library with the number of horror stories about them, each attempting to “one up” the other with ghastly tales of color and styles gone awry.

If the bride is lucky, she has chosen her bridesmaids with care and consideration. She has chosen friends and family members that bravely denounce her questionable choices, especially when they realize she’s been struck with that terrible malady, TBG, Tasteless Bridesmaid’s Gown disease. Shouldn’t someone have developed a vaccine for that by now?

Do your bridesmaids a huge favor and realize that:

1. That “adorable” pink flouncy gown is really a perfect Pepto-Bismol flavored nightmare.
2. That oh so patriotic red, white and blue evening gown can’t possibly be worn ever again - no, not ever!
3. And that particular floral makes most derrieres look like a rather large meadow, yes, even your cousin with the size 2 bottom.

Have a talk with your wedding party, invite them to do some window shopping and discuss how certain looks and colors will work for them and you. Maybe that long ruffled confection really works for you all and suits the theme of your wedding. Perhaps a softer choice in separates makes more sense for the bridesmaid watching her budget? Are you being fashionable or a fashionista? Yes, it’s your day, but don’t you want everyone concentrating on YOU and not the neon organza fluff bunny brigade you created?

Don’t keep the maids in waiting! Involve them!

The maker of iPod and Mac computers, Apple is now offering free workshops for Wedding and Event Photographers around the country. Attendees will get a first hand look at the amazing software program, Aperture. Aperture is helping professional photographers bring their best work to light, and this workshop will show you how. See the most powerful end-to-end post-production software in action. Hear other pros talk about how Aperture has simplified their lives. And take Aperture for a test drive.

You can read more about the workshop, see workshop schedules, register and even sign-up for a free 30 day trial of Aperture at:

Wedding and Event Photographer Workshops

Upcoming cities include:

• February 20, Las Vegas (Henderson), Nevada
• February 22, Boston (Newton), Massachusetts
• February 26, Kahului Maui, Hawaii
• March 1, Miami, Florida
• March 1, Honolulu Oahu, Hawaii
• March 5, Long Island (Uniondale), New York
• March 13, Los Angeles, California
• March 13, Dallas, Texas
• March 15, Atlanta, Georgia

If you’re almost at the end of wrangling wedding plans, haranguing over honeymoon locals, and generally becoming Queen of Bridezillas (ok, ok, maybe not the Queen, maybe just the duchess…), the bride to be might take a breather and slip away for an evening with another man. No, no! I mean your dad!

A short time before the big day, mark an evening out of your calendar and invite your father to dinner. (It might be a good night for the groom to take his mom to dinner too!) It could be at home and you could make his favorite meal. It could be out on the town at his favorite type of restaurant. Pick something you know he enjoys and make it time for the two of you.

I’ll bet even if he’s complaining about the wedding bills (or the groom hehe), he’s also been thinking about his little girl. I bet he’s been thinking about her first day of school, her first missing tooth, her first formal dance or her first broken heart; just to name a few. I bet he’s wondering where the time went and how it happened that that little girl is no longer playing with Bridal Barbie, but is the bride herself.

While we all know one dinner isn’t even close to saying thank you for everything he’s done, the gesture will speak volumes. Let him know even though there’s another man in your life, you still love him and no matter how grown up you get, you’re still his girl, even if you aren’t little anymore.

Here’s to my Dad - the first man I ever loved and the only man with a heart big enough to let me love the “other man” in my life.