€. There are two words you'll utter long before you get to the "I do's€VbCrLf: wedding invitations. Steal a secret from the stars - choose a great photograph of you and your future hubby, take it to Kinkos, and move on with your planning! Courteney Cox and David Arquette did just that. Ever the yin and yang of goofiness, the pair donned costumes - he in a squirrel outfit, she in a blonde wig - had their picture taken, and slapped it onto the front of their invites with the line "We're nuts about each other.€VbCrLf Carmen Electra and Dave Navarro went goth rather than goofy for their invitation; in keeping with their edgy image the couple posed nude in a morgue.
€. You might get consumed finding the perfect shoe for your wedding day. But what if it was one less thing you had to worry about? Timeless beauty Faith Hill went barefoot down the aisle. As wedding costs soar, and the opulence starts to get away from you, forget Trista and think Faith: Pick one thing to simplify.
€. As a celebrity, you get to have two weddings ... to the same person. If, for instance, family issues dictate separate ceremonies, as was the case for Liv Tyler and Royston Langdon, or you just want to get married on both sides of the pond, as Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale chose to do for their nuptials (first at a 17th century church in London, then in L.A. soon after).
€. The ceremony is the culmination of months of hard work and planning, and it's over before you know it. If two weddings aren't on your agenda, slow down the actual nuptials by following Julia Roberts' lead: Get married at midnight.
By its nature, this wedding is destined to be a smaller affair - think fewer fussy babies and a more uninhibited party for the adults directly afterward. Guests at Julia's wedding danced all night long under the stars. And no matter how far in advance you plan, a wedding long after the sun has set maintains an air of spontaneity.
Marry Like Melania
She wore a Dior dress, shipped in her all-white flowers and flashed more than a little bling. Those details aside, there are tons of tidbits you can pull from model Melania Knauss' luxe nuptials to Donald Trump.
1. In lieu of a bouquet, carry something with special meaning to you. Melania walked down the aisle bearing just a rosary (and her 60-pound dress).
2. Get a really big veil. We can't all have couture, but splurge on a super long, super gorgeous veil or an extended train. Mrs. Trump's train checked in at 13 feet, and her veil was a whopping 16 feet.
3. Have fun fulfilling the traditions. Melania wore blue lingerie as her "something blue€VbCrLf on the big day.
4. The menu at the Trump-Knauss wedding was nothing short of stunning. Caviar with gold leaf, foie gras, filet mignon and Cristal were just a few elements. How to translate? Add one touch of decadence to your menu, whether that means meeting with a Heinen's pastry chef to price out a couple of appetizers, or making sure there's Guinness on tap.
5. Look to the classics, and you'll never go wrong. Melania's wedding was inspired by the magic of the Kennedys and their golden decade of Camelot.