One of the best yet most stressful parts of being engaged is inheriting a new family. Holidays are bifurcated into dinner with one side, dessert with the other, birthdays, Sweet 16s and bar mitzvahs with both. I often now find myself balancing two family events in one night, with rarely any excuse to opt out.

It’s no surprise that my motto lately has been, Sharing and caring. In fact, one of my favorite words as a young child was share, pronounced more like, “sheeeeer.” Though I still love to share, it’s been tough trying to fit it all in.

My mom called me on a recent holiday to let me know I didn't have to attend the usual Kornberg dinner. That way, she figured, I wouldn't have to drive across town to celebrate with both families. She started to cry as she let me off the hook, mainly because in that moment she realized my life is now different with a future husband involved.

They were happy tears, mostly, and she swore she’d do anything to keep both of our families together in the same place in the future.

Can you imagine if we weren't both from L.A.? Do you think it would be harder or easier? The good news is, at least, both of our families want us around :)

Have you had similar adjustment challenges? Do you think things change once you’re married? I want to hear your thoughts in Comments!

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One of my best friends got married this weekend. She carried off the whole affair with blithe aplomb and looked like a true angel.

Up until the wedding, we called each other Bride Squared—and I'm happily nervous about what that means for me now. Sniff. I’m bride single...but I’m next! Thank goodness for all of you out there, I don’t feel as alone! You have me, too, always and forever.

Time really flies in wedding planning. My friend told me on her wedding day to cherish every moment before it slips away. Right indeed! I’ve learned a lot from watching her plan her wedding. Here are some tips I’ve gathered, courtesy of Bride Squared:

• If You're Speaking, Prepare Far in Advance: This can do no harm, trust me. The maid of honor started hers nine months before the wedding. I was a bridesmaid and started mine a few months prior. By the time I went up to the mike, I didn’t need to refer to my notes at all, even though I thought I’d forgotten everything. Hallelujah!

• Listen to the Bride: Bride Squared's wedding day started at 7:45 a.m. She had each of us assigned to a time for hair and makeup for the 6:30 p.m. nuptials. And don’t be late—no one wants to freak out a bride on her big day. Besides, the hours go by quickly, so have fun!

• Go All Out on Hair and Makeup: Bride Squared’s team was phenom! Even a full night of dancing couldn’t outlast the curls or fake eyelashes. Kristin Deasy and Natalie Elkinawy of Beverly Hills' Glitz—pictured above with me—did our makeup. The studio offers everything from waxing to gel mani and pedis. Adeena Sternlieb and Milena Guerrero of Blush Salon & Spa in Woodland Hills did our hair.

• Add a Personal Touch: To close the night, the groom had a genius idea: Get everyone still there to hold hands in a friendship circle while the DJ plays “That’s What Friends Are For.” No, really. We did that...see exhibit A.

Keep smilin'! Keep shinin' !

Congrats to the happy couple,

XO,
Allison

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What would you do if you were a bride stuck in a love triangle with your best friend and fiancé that implodes the night before your wedding?

Ask Lila (played by Anna Paquin), an uptight bride-to-be in The Romantics whose fiancé, Tom (Josh Duhamel), electrically reconnects with his ex and Lila’s BFF/maid of honor, Laura (Katie Holmes), at the rehearsal dinner. Yikes!

You'll have to see the movie for the denouement--I'm not into spoiling--but I will say I walked away from it with a heightened awareness of gut feelings. Sexy, I know.   READ MORE >

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Planning a wedding requires a woman to wear many proverbial hats: bride-to-be, fiancée, scheduler, leader, supporter, motivator, hardliner, negotiator...But what about wearing a literal one atop your head on your wedding day?

My aunt recently posed this question to me over lunch. She wasn’t too thrilled with the Angel Sanchez wedding dress that won your votes and thought the accessory might gussy things up. My immediate response: Oh, heck no. Still, the thought of a hat spurred my interest. After all, the Duchess of Windsor, Rita Hayworth and Grace Kelly were all fans—who am I to scoff?

So I asked our fashion assistant Brandon Palas for his opinion, and he said, “A bridal hat should only be worn if the bride intends to wear a wedding jacket and knee-length skirt as separates. It's something to be worn to city hall, not down the aisle.”

Carrie Bradshaw, where was your hat when you married Mr. Big at city hall?!

So, what do you think—to chapeau or not to chapeau? Sound off in Comments.

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Okay, so I got a reminder from The Knot to get going on my save-the-date invitations! Eight months in advance sounds a little eager to me, but apparently that’s the way it’s done. The real invites go out about two and three months prior to the big event.

So yet again, it is time for you to put hand to mouse and vote. I am including save-the-date options from Wedding Paper Divas, Get Married, and Cocodot (an e-option, to whom I owe a special thanks for taking the time to customize this invite option for us, A & R initials and all).

Keep in mind that the rest of the cards will need to be personalized, but we can play around with different colors! Vote, and then sound off on the specifics in Comments.

Choice 1

Choice 2

Choice 3

Choice 4

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Although navy and red’s took the spotlight at the 62nd Primetime Emmys last night, I have to take a moment to give it up to my ladies in white. Yes, you Kim Kardashian, Julie Benz (my fave!), Rose Byrne, Eva La Rue, Amber Riley and Brooke Burke. “All these white dresses on the red carpet are getting me excited :),” I tweeted during the preshow.

So true!

The watermarks of my journey to the altar, like most brides, are painted in white. I think that's why I take note of the shade more than ever now, even though you’re more likely to find me in black than white any day. (Yup, I just checked my outfit, and lo and behold—black jeans and a black top.) In a way, I think that makes me even more excited to don my bridal attire.

So here's my love letter to the aforementioned celebs: Thank you for setting the red carpet ablaze in your heavenly hue. You stood out just like any star should on her big day!

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Many people would be surprised to learn that I have a big mouth. Okay, what I mean is I’m too honest about everything, and I don’t always keep my thoughts to myself when I really should. Anyone with me, here? For instance, I’ll say straight to the Fiancé as we’re walking down the street, “That guy’s hot.” Who does that?! If he was saying that to me about another girl, I wouldn’t feel hot at all.

My typical punishment for these acts of hole-digging blabber is a fake slap from the Fiancé. I make sure to tell him that whenever I refer to another guy as “hot/cute/sexy” I am judging them in comparison to him—the hottest/cutest/sexiest man I know. It’s true! Before meeting him, I had a hard time with relationships. Somehow I’d always try to sabotage them one way or another. I once even had to create a code word for the guy to use when I was being too tough or hurtful. The word? Broccoli.

Now I realize I was holding out for the Fiancé. Sure, he takes a lot of flack from me about blog this, blog that, and save up for this and save up for that, but he puts me in place from time to time by stabbing me in the foot with his toenail. (Think I'm kidding? He actually did that this past weekend, and it was gushing blood—but it was totally accidental). No really, I love him because he encourages me and my big honest mouth for all it’s worth.

A therapist once told me a man’s biggest challenge in a relationship is communication. The Fiancé has that down pat. How did I ever get so lucky?

I love you so much, Groom-to-Be.

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Oh, the begrudged bridesmaid’s dress. Though some sweet peas may not admit it, this is the queen bee of subjects that has B-maids everywhere on pins and needles, hoping that, just maybe, the bride demands they wear a dress that flatters. Or, dare I say, one they’d even wear again? Let’s face it: The bride deserves to pick whatever she sees fit for her wedding. It’s her time, and depending on whether or not you have a sadist on your left shoulder, you’ll return the favor when it’s your turn.

My bridesmaids and maid of honor are awesome for coming with me on this Plan My Wedding journey. I know it’s not always easy for them when their voices aren’t any louder than yours. Plus, they couldn’t cajole me to put them in a dress different than the one you choose, even if they tried. I’m that committed (I know—some of you probably think mentally!).

Not all of my five ladies made it to KTLA this morning (a good friend, Jennifer Chan, filled in—thanks Jenn!), but don’t worry, they’re still letting you choose what style they’ll wear on the big day! To provide you with sumptuous options, we brought back designer Joanna August. August and I clicked from the beginning. She loves to experiment and think outside the box while keeping things classy. When I met with her last, we came up with a color palette for each of my ’maids, pictured here, perfectly in sync with the color theme you chose for the wedding.

So, let's get to voting on what style my bridesmaids should wear, shall we? Note: These aren’t the exact colors. Refer to the palette instead, and imagine all five lined up next to me in their respective colors (the blue is for my twin sis and maid of honor!).

Jae Long

Sandra Long

Nikki

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Preparing for one's own nuptials is anything but rational. It's emotional, harried and complicated. Rarely do people take time to step back and assess the situation from a neutral point of view. The latter is what I am attempting to do today, starting with the letter above I have written to myself. You’re welcome.

The letter stems from a book my colleague gave to me, titled Occasional Therapy for the Wedding: 9 Sessions for Your Sanity and Survival, by Dr. Ellyn Gamberg. It's about managing the smorgasbord of fires a wedding throws at you. “The ‘type’ of bride you are may also have a lot to do with how you are handling your new roles and responsibilities lately,” Gamberg writes. “Each bride type usually feels conflicted and confused as a result of the amount of interaction they have with their families, their unique style and their traditional (or not so traditional) beliefs.”

She lists three types of brides:

• Traditional princess bride: A (usually) young woman with parents active in the planning and financing of a once-in-a-lifetime, fairy-tale wedding.

• Traditional independent bride: Financially independent, she plans her own wedding (often with the groom’s help). The independent bride respects tradition but adds her own unique style.

• Nontraditional independent bride: Typically marries later in life—or was married before. Usually plans a small, nontraditional wedding. These brides are very common in second marriages and blended families.

Which bride are you going to be—or have been? Tell me in Comments, and even if you don’t fit any of these categories, give me your alternate bridal identity.

Bride of Frankenstein, anyone? Anyone? It's okay, there's only love here.

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