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Congratulations on your wedding engagement!
A wedding is a wonderful time in a family’s life. A newly engaged couple will be excited to begin the wedding planning process, however it can quickly become overwhelming! So many decisions – a wedding date, your dream venue, save the date cards, picking key vendors, a preliminary guest list – the to-do list can quickly become a thing of anxiety. Take a deep breath and read on, we’ve got you with our wedding planning guides!
The best way to start planning your dream wedding is to learn how to do it. But where to you start?
How is by reading and researching everything you can before making decisions. Where is right here! Darianna® Bridal & Tuxedo is pleased to offer expert advice in our step-by-step wedding planning guides. These are incredible resources including:
- Brides Guides
- Grooms Guides
- Mother of the Bride/Groom Guides
- Father’s Guide
- Ring Bearer’s Guide
- Bridal Designer Guides
- AI Planning Assistance
- Gown Bustling
- Alternatives To the Traditional Guest Book
- Choosing the Right Destination Wedding Dress, Planning For Rain, Wedding Gown Preservation, and more
Read our wedding planning guides to help you in the process!
Bride’s Guides
- The first thing to start with is the Darianna® Bride Guide. This guide is designed to equip you with everything you need for a stress-free bridal experience including what to expect, bridal lingo, FAQs, and more. The dress shopping process is one of the best things to do in the planning process and the more you know beforehand the more fun and exciting the shopping trip will be!
- Next is very important. Our Bride’s Guide: 5 Things To Consider When Choosing A Bridal Shop. This guide discusses everything from reviews to responsiveness, services to pricing when wedding dress shopping. This is a must read before booking with bridal shops so you can be comfortable even before you get there in person. For instance: if you have a large bridal party or extra family members attending, do they have the space for it?
- Once you have your appointment(s) set, we have The Ultimate Guide: Things To Do Before Your Wedding Dress Appointment. This includes help with your budget, research (on designers, price range of their wedding dresses, and bridal salon requirements), and what to bring. A read of this before bridal shopping will put your mind at ease knowing you are prepared.
Groom’s Wedding Planning Guides
After the dress comes the Tuxedos/Suits!
- Our Groom’s Guide To Renting a Tuxedo or Suit is a step-by-step guide of how to select and rent your attire (and your wedding party) so you know what to expect.
- The Groom’s Guide: 4 Decisions To Choose Wedding Attire asks questions about preferences, colors, and wedding venue that makes takes the selection process from overwhelming to a snap! This one includes the best advice on how to narrow the choices of groom fashion from the classic black to the latest trends This will help you find the perfect look.
- Don’t forget about the Ring Bearer. Read our guide on What Should a Ring Bearer Wear to a Wedding. Ring bearers also tend to be growing young men so read our guide on When Should a Ring Bearer Get Measured for a Tuxedo to help the parents of the ring bearer better manage their time!
Mother’s Wedding Planning Guides
It would not be complete without including our Mothers of the Bride and Groom!
- They get their very own Mother of the Bride/Groom Survival Guide! The most helpful read for mothers including a timeline of all the wedding planning, setting the wedding budget, helping the couple with choosing the right wedding vendors, and of course when she needs to begin shopping for her perfect dress for her child’s big day.
- Wedding Planning From A Mother Of The Bride Perspective was written by yours truly earlier this year after planning our own wedding – Daria was married on New Year’s Eve, 2024! Not a spoiler alert, however it really was the best time, the perfect venue, vendor team, the whole wedding was just perfection. This blog tells you why.
- Once they know the timeline, it’s time to read our Mother’s Guide: How To Find The Best Mother of the Bride or Groom Dresses. This comprehensive guide discusses seasons, formality, venues, wedding colors, preferences, etc. Mom needs a stress-free experience when choosing her dress. This guide will get her started thinking about her personal style and encourage keeping an open mind when searching for her perfect mother of the bride or groom dress.
Father’s Guides
One of our most widely read blogs is called “What Should the Father’s of the Bride and Groom Wear to the Wedding” with great advice for the Dads! This guide discusses trends, ways to make dad look and feel special and confident, and understanding his special role in the day.
More Wedding Planning Guides and Blogs
Don’t forget to use AI to assist you in planning! Stay organized with a wedding checklist including the big and little details like booking your engagement photos, the wedding guest list, gift registry, wedding invitations, applying for your marriage license, your wedding venue floor plans, and seating chart.
This quick guide gives ten fun and unique alternatives to the traditional Guest Book!
One of the most popular is our Bride’s Guide: How To Bustle Your Wedding Dress. This one is not only verbally explanatory on what they are and how to bustle different dresses, but also includes photos and videos!
One of our most requested designers for years has been Madi Lane and it’s no surprise that the Bride’s Guide to Madi Lane Wedding Dresses is so popular. Darianna® Bridal & Tuxedo is proud to be the largest retailer of her gowns in the entire Philadelphia region. If you love Madi Lane or are not familiar with her dresses, read this one!
We have a Bride’s Guide to Essense of Australia Dresses – an extremely popular addition to our wedding dress gallery. In this guide we feature dresses for every different style of bride: from Bohemian to Traditional and everything in between! Read this one to see if Essense has the right dress for your personality.
Another very popular and helpful guide is our Bride’s Guide: How To Plan For Rain On Your Wedding Day. The potential for wedding day rain causes so much anxiety for brides. This guide explains how to take the stress of inclement weather out of the equation and actually embrace it with pre-planning, hair and make up, photography, accessories, and more!
Planning a destination wedding? Learn how to choose and pack the right wedding dress.
This one helps with the entertainment choice between a live band or Deejay.
When the wedding is over, we have a Bride’s Guide: Wedding Gown Preservation to give all the whys and hows on preserving your perfect wedding dress for the future.
We even have The Ultimate Guide To Renting A Tuxedo Or Suit For Prom!
Darianna® Bridal & Tuxedo has over a decade of expertise in dressing brides, grooms, mothers and fathers for the wedding day. Whether the wedding theme is black tie or the dress code is beach attire, the most important thing about planning a wedding is to make it exactly what you want.
Wedding Planning Tips
- The first step is to learn all you can before starting out!
- Take advantage of AI Planning Tools like how to plan activities for out-of-town guests, and the wedding website builder.
- Make your Pinterest boards. This is a complete vision board of wedding ideas right on your phone. It is a great way to keep your wedding details and color palette on theme.
- It is a good idea to consider whether a professional wedding planner or a point person is needed to keep the wedding day timeline on track and ensure a stress-free celebration.
- It is best to give yourself ample time to plan a wedding, however, this can be done quickly. The right vendors and planning team can make your special day the perfect lifetime memory.
Your wedding plans – from the engagement party to the wedding reception – will be incredibly exciting and stressful at the same time. You may start to worry and second guess your choices and ideas. Make sure to ask immediate family members and close friends for help anytime you need it. They are happy for you and will be there every step of the way to make sure the important details and final decisions are taken care of.
Chances are you have been imagining the wedding of your dreams for a long time. With some guidance and thoughtful planning, you will have an unforgettable wedding night!
About Us
Darianna® Bridal & Tuxedo is owned by Franco and Wendy Salerno. We founded the store in January, 2013 with a mission of running an honest, kind, and family-oriented bridal and tuxedo business. The name is a combination of our two daughters, Daria and Deanna. Today, our business is a Bucks County staple and the go-to place for wedding attire. Our long-time employees are kind, genuine, and truly part of the family. The lasting relationships we have made with customers, vendors, and designers are something we are truly grateful for.
Our store received national recognition in July, 2025 on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. In 2024, Darianna® Bridal & Tuxedo was named a Top 100 Small Business in America by the US Chamber of Commerce. We have been featured by Apple.com, ABC National News, TLC’s “Say Yes: Wedding SOS”, the Wall Street Journal, Square, and Axios. We are approaching 1,000 Google reviews with a 4.9 rating, and listed in the Knot’s “Hall of Fame”.
Locally, we are active members of the Central Bucks Chamber of Commerce, Eastern Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce, and the Lower Bucks County Chamber of Commerce serving on committees and as board members. Franco was Treasurer, Executive Committee member and a Board member of the Lower Bucks Chamber of Commerce and their 2024 Mitchell-Conner award winner. He was also a board member of the Central Bucks Chamber of Commerce for many years. Wendy is an active participant in the Central Bucks Chamber of Commerce Women In Business and a former Chair of the Lower Bucks Chamber of Commerce Women In Business. She was awarded Entrepreneur of the Year in 2023, and named a 2025 Woman of Influence. Our daughter Daria is a former wish granter for the Make-A-Wish® foundation. We proudly partner with St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, Angel Gowns, Wish Upon A Wedding, and donate to local schools and community band, choir, and theater programs.