A. Celebrity weddings are the most publicized weddings in the world, so it's no wonder that the details tend to translate quickly into wedding trends. Discover the famous fads that are working their way into weddings across the country.

Destination Weddings
Star couples are fond of marrying in faraway places, taking advantage of the most breathtaking wedding locations in the word. Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes held their famous ceremony among 150 guests  in Italy, and Eva Longoria and Tony Parker threw a spectacular event in Paris.

However, a destination wedding isn’t just reserved for the rich and famous. In fact, this type of celebration can turn out to be more cost effective than a wedding at home. You’ll have fewer guests to entertain, which means you’ll spend less on everything from food to flowers, plus you can save on your honeymoon by staying at an all-inclusive resort. The most popular type of site for stars marrying abroad? A castle! Tom and Katie wed in Odelscalchi castle; Eva and Tony held their reception at Vaux-Le-Vicomte; and Madonna wed Guy Richie at Skibo castle in Scotland.

Personal Entourage
Celebrities often have a team of experts -- hairstylists, makeup artists, clothing stylists, etc. -- to help them look picture perfect on and off camera, and that same entourage of experts is employed to make them look fabulous at their weddings. Brides across the country are borrowing this idea and hiring their own team to help them look their best for the Big Day. Having your hair and makeup professionally done is practically a must, and many brides are taking it a step further by tapping personal trainers, nutritionists, and dermatologists to put them on programs for maximum beauty results.

Wedding-Eve Dinners
Celebrity couples are maximizing their rehearsal dinners by expanding their guest lists and throwing a pre-wedding party. The Gore family hosted a dinner for 75 friends and family members the night before Sarah's wedding that included a six-course tasting menu, while Grey's Anatomy actress Kate Walsh shared a pre-ceremony meal with her guests in addition to her rehearsal dinner. Many couples are including out-of-town guests at their rehearsal dinners (although they are not obligated by etiquette to do so), making it a larger celebration. A destination wedding is often the site for several celebrations, including a wedding-eve dinner beneath the stars or a poolside barbecue.

Unique Attendants
It seems that more is better when it comes to celebrity wedding attendants. Marcia Cross and Mariska Hargitay both opted to employ a swarm of little girls for aisle duty rather than select a single flower girl. Other celebrities with pets in their lives worked their furry family members into their wedding celebrations. Adam Sandler included his two bulldogs in his wedding party, and Gavin Rossdale was escorted down the aisle by his sheepdog Winston. Pets can carry the rings, hold a basket of flowers, or serve as a sentry outside the ceremony site. If you want your precious pet to be part of your celebration, just make sure your venue is pet-friendly and that your pet is comfortable as well as appropriately trained. 

Gowns With Sleeves
Although the strapless dress has been in vogue for more than a decade, celebrity brides such as Katie Holmes and Nicole Kidman have resurrected the look of sleeves. Cap sleeves are the most common style, both for their elegance and versatility. You can wear them so that they just barely cover the arm, or with an off-the-shoulder neckline. Illusion sleeves -- made of sheer material and enhanced with lace embroidery or bead detailing -- are popular for mixing modesty with style.

Tall Cakes
Celebrities are taking their cakes to new proportions, choosing to build up rather than out. Actress Mariska Hargitay treated her guests to a seven-foot tall cake, including six tiered layers and a Swarovski crystal monogram topper. Donald  Trump’s grand marnier cake was also massive, standing five-feet tall and weighing fifty pounds.

Chances are you won’t need such a large cake. However, you can still stand tall by requesting a cake with a smaller diameter and having four or five slim tiers. You can also create the illusion of height by including fresh flowers between each tier and adding a fancy cake topper.

Going Green
Celebrities know that saving the earth is important. and they’ve chosen to reflect this in their weddings. Alicia Silverstone and Christopher Jarecki headed to Lake Tahoe for their all-natural, earth-friendly, organic wedding. Their invitations were printed on recycled paper (and embedded with seeds so they could be planted later); a trend that can be easily had by non-celebrities. You can also do your part by serving fresh food from local producers, and adding your favorite green charity to your registry. There are also plenty of caterers and event-planning companies that specialize in environmentally friendly events. They can help you choose the right centerpieces, table linens, and even a hybrid limo.

Trend #1: Centerpieces that go beyond flowers to feature unusual rustic elements. Sure, we’ve seen deep green artichokes, shiny purple eggplants and even wheat grass decorating tables in the past, to great success—but mushrooms?? Sorry, but this takes “dare to be different” just one step too far. I don’t think a crimini can compete with an orchid as eye-candy, and I’d rather eat my portabellos than stare at them during polite conversation.

Trend #2: The comeback of dramatic veils, also worn during the reception. So a music diva wants to dance the night away in her cathedral-length Chantilly lace topper? Good for her. But it won’t appeal to every bride. At the last wedding I attended, the new Mrs. couldn’t wait to get out of her cumbersome gown, and before the dancing had even started, she’d already changed into something casual and comfortable. My prediction: This trend will fizzle fast.

Trend #3: Serving a groom’s cake. I’m surprised at this “trend,” as we’ve been noting the popularity of ultra-personalized groom’s cakes for some time now. (See Hottest Cakes for Northern California Brides, Not Your Grandmother’s Wedding Cake, and Rethinking Rehearsal Dinners for some inspiration). Cool idea? Yes. New idea? Uh, no. Where have you been, InStyle?

Trend #4: Global-inspired wedding favors, like Mexican chocolate truffles or specialty chopsticks. Love this one, especially when the choices reflect a family’s heritage. But chocolate covered matzo? I mean, is it even kosher?

Trend #5: Formal first dance. Blame Dancing with the Stars for raising the bar on first dance expectations. While I wholeheartedly endorse dance lessons to help you and your hubby-to-be sway smoothly in front of the crowd, you don’t have to feel pressured to choreograph a show-stopping number…unless of course you can move like Fred and Ginger. Then by all means, I’ll give you a 9 myself!

When it comes to wedding day eye makeup, there's no room for error. Focus on the facts with our list of dos and don'ts.

DO

• Think seriously about hiring a makeup artist; everyday makeup is different from your wedding day needs.


• Take time to try a few different makeup artists and choose one who understands your personal tastes.


• Use eye drops if your eyes look red or tired on the day of (but stick with a brand you've used before to avoid unwelcome surprises).


• Get as much sleep as possible the night before the big day.


• Apply concealer to banish dark circles under your eyes.


• Use matte eye shadows (they won't reflect light or look too shiny).


• Use an off-white matte shadow along your brow bone if you have light skin, or peach if you have dark skin, to illuminate your eyes even more.


• Blend well, especially at the corners of your eyes, since cameras pick up visible makeup lines.


• Define your brows with a pencil or powder that matches your hair color.


• Wear at least two layers of mascara.


• Use an eyelash curler before and after applying your first coat of mascara.


• Prevent makeup meltdowns by using a smudge-proof or waterproof mascara. (If you really don't like its look or feel, use one coat of regular mascara overlaid with a light coat of waterproof mascara.)


• Buy a new mascara for your wedding day, but test it a few days before the wedding if it's a new brand.

• Wear too much eye makeup: You'll look like a drag queen.


• Change your eye color with colored lenses (unless you always wear them).


• Try to be too trendy (that glitzy silver shadow may look silly ten years from now).


• Use an under-eye concealer that's too light for your skin tone (you'll look like a deer caught in headlights).


• Experiment with eye products you haven't tried before.


• Wear dark shadows like charcoal or dark brown (you'll look like you've been punched).


• Wear frosted, shiny, sparkly shadow (It creases easily and will reflect camera flashes).


• Forget about your eyebrows.


• Tweeze your brows at the last minute on your wedding morning.


• Wear false eyelashes if they're not 100% comfortable and you're not 200% confident they won't fall off.

Two final tips: DO have a fabulous wedding. DON'T forget how gorgeous you are.

Brides with rounder faces should choose styles with their hair up high. So consider a topknot or a cascade of curls piled on top of the head which will have the effect of making your face look shapelier. That being said, long, sleek hairstyles will also suit. Brides with heart-shaped faces will look less angular with styles that create width at the chin such as well-cut bobs or soft waves that curl around the jaw-line, whilst brides with long faces need styles that add width and volume to the sides of their faces. Try bringing forward some wisps of hair to sit just in front of your ears. Experienced and talented hair stylists like Sarah from Melbourne's Designed for Brides, can adapt most wedding hairstyles to suit the shape of your face.

Choose the Right Makeup for your Complexion

Basically there are two colour palettes when considering wedding makeup– warm and cool. Warm colours of plum, cream, taupe and copper complement brunettes. Blue-grey, teal, white, pink and lavender suit cool blondes whilst terracotta, peach, moss-green and grey shades look great on redheads. If in doubt, go straight to a professional makeup artist such as Kristy Nuttall, stylist to the stars who will recommend the best colours for you.

Waterproof Mascara is a Bride's Best Friend

You'd be surprised at just how many brides get a little teary and emotional on their wedding day. To look like a princess rather than a panda don't leave home without that essential piece of makeup.

Use Foundation, Concealer and Powder

Even if you don't normally use these products, make them a part of your wedding day routine because they will even out your skin tone and give you a smooth complexion. Make sure the products match your skin tone as naturally as possible and blend, blend, blend. If foundation isn't your forte and blending is too heart-rending, trial airbrush makeup. Magical Makeovers specialise in airbrushing with makeup, a new technique that produces the flawless skin that you often see on movie-stars - and it's guaranteed to last too!

Don't get a Facial the Week Before

Unless you have them on a regular basis, a facial will just pull the impurities to the surface and cause you to breakout. Don't make any changes to your skincare products or makeup in the weeks leading up to the event either if you want to look as flawless as possible.

Visit Bride Online via the links below to find wedding hair and make up artists that specialise in hairstyles and accessories – including the latest in wedding makeup.<

Wedding day make-up lesson by Chanel

From golden sand beaches to the verdant vision of a manicured lawn, nature has provided a romantic backdrop for many luminaries in love. As we near the end of 2007, Lovetripper takes a look back at the celebrities who chose to say "I do" in the great outdoors over the past year.

1) Rebecca Romijn and Jerry O'Connell-- After exchanging vow during a 15-minute ceremony held on the grounds of their Calabasas, California ranch, a gospel choir belted out the Milk and Sugar tune "Sunshine" as the bride and groom playfully skipped past the 100 guests who would soon join the pair for a down home reception.

2) Ioan Gruffudd and Alice Evans-- The bride's diaphanous veil billowed in the breeze as she stood beneath a fabric-draped arbor and pledged her love to her "102 Dalmatians" co-star on the golden sands outside of the One & Only Palmilla Hotel in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

3) Scott Foley and Marika Dominczyk-- As the Pacific Ocean extinguished the last rays of the setting sun, its rushing waves seemed to applaud its approval as a blast from a conch shell heralded the arrival of the bride to a cliff top on the Manele Golf Course at Hawaii's Four Seasons Resort Lana'i.

4) Brandon Routh and Courtney Ford-- Married life for Superman began with a magical moment usually seen only in the movies. Fountains sprang to life when the star kissed his new bride for the first time as her husband at the conclusion of a ceremony held at El Capitan Ranch, a horse riding facility in Santa Barbara, California.

5) Lisa Ling-- Linking arms with both her father and mother, the National Geographic Channel correspondent walked toward oncologist Paul Song on the red brick courtyard outside of Union Station, a Los Angeles landmark which has been immortalized on the big screen in such hits as Can't Hardly Wait, Pearl Harbor and My Best <span style="font-style:italic;">Friend's Wedding.

6) Montel Williams-- An ocean breeze gently tugged at Tara Fowler's off-white Badgley Mischka wedding dress as she stood by the TV talk show host's side and watched Mr. Max, their toy poodle, bring her wedding band down the aisle during a ceremony held on the pink sands at Tucker's Point Club in Bermuda.

7) Jeri Ryan-- Donning Vera Wang bridal attire, the former Star Trek: Voyager star enjoyed an out of this world wedding to French chef Christophe Eme in the garden of Chateau de Noirieux, a 15th century manor in the Loire Valley.

8) Laila Ali and Curtis Conway-- Held in the rose garden at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Marina Del Rey, the fragrance of the botanical beauties perfumed the air as the former Dancing with the Stars contestant and the NFL great said "I do" in front of a wrought-iron gazebo.

9) Sarah Thompson-- Wedding guests, including Lost executive producer Damon Lindelof and The Bachelor's Charlie O'Connell, dined on filet mignon and Alaskan sea bass after watching the former 7th Heaven star exchange vows with screenwriter Brad Kane on the lawn of the Bacara Resort & Spa in Santa Barbara, California.

10) Harry Knowles-- Amid a gathering of fireflies that illuminated the evening sky over the live music capital of the world, the movie critic pledged his love to Patricia Jones on the grounds of Green Pastures, an elegant Austin, Texas eatery, as actor Elijah Wood, director Eli Roth and 150 relatives and friends looked on.