Since my engagement, I’ve been taking full advantage of my new role as bride-to-be, wearing white to every wedding-related event. Our engagement party? Searching for our venue? Shopping for my wedding gown? You guessed it — I showed up to each occasion decked out in ivory. I plan on continuing this tradition at my bridal shower next year…with an unexpected twist. 

Each week, we'll feature wedding music recommendations from Scratch Weddings, the nation's leader with the best wedding DJs at affordable prices. This week's post comes from DJ Stefanie Nava, a native New Yorker who currently DJs at some of New York City's notable nightlife venues, such as APT and Le Poisson Rouge, and has residencies at 205 club and Sutra Lounge. At the heart of it all, Stefanie has a love for music, is a romantic, and enjoys combining these traits when spinning weddings. She feels it’s a privilege to be a part of what is such a tremendous event for the couple and their loved ones. Here, Stefanie's tips for choosing your cocktail hour music.

Photo Credit: Leigh Skaggs Photography

Let's face it, sometimes the only parts of his outfit the groom gets to choose are his socks and his skivvies. No, we're not going to show you pictures of grooms in their skivvies (sorry). We want to show you the socks! We love when a groom shows off his personality through his footwear—and sometimes lets the groomsmen in on the fun, too.

Some of our favorites:

                                                                                                                                           Photo Credit: Erica Velasco Photographers
These colorful socks complemented the couple's orange and turquoise color scheme.

(Pictured above: Book cover)

When the time came for Carney Haberman to throw her daughter a bridal shower, she wanted to gift her something special that would endure throughout the years — past the pots and pans, stand mixers and flatware sets. Inspired by the buffet-style Sunday dinners that her late mother used to throw for the entire family (a group of 21!), she came up with the idea to create a bound cookbook with secret family recipes.

However, this wasn't your standard cookbook composed of ripped-out looseleaf sheets: She included the backstory of recipes, personal photos of the relatives who created them, and, in some cases, even the original handwriting itself.

(Pictured above: Book jacket)

Following the success of their Design Your Own shoes, NinaBridal has launched a collection of Design Your Own jewelry with Swarovski Elements. 

How it works: Choose one of four styles (shown below), including round, square, and teardrop. Then, select your plating (gold or silver) and stones. You can choose from 11 colors of genuine Swarovski crystals for your earrings, making it easy to match the jewelry to your color scheme. The earrings cost $50-$85.

Check out a few samples:

BG brides, you all loved the celeb-inspired save the date and wedding video we blogged about a couple of weeks ago. Now, the newest trend for grooms is to hire a paparazzo to take snapshots while they pop the question — all without their new fiancé knowing!

Here's how it works: Guys contact a service like Pap the Question (run by celeb-chaser-cum-proposal-maker James Ambler) to plan the proposal, so that the photog knows exactly where the couple will be positioned and can document them without being spotted. Then they edit the photos and send the prints (along with a DVD) a few weeks later to the unsuspecting, elated bride-to-be. 

James Ambler recently told The Today Show that, "The beauty of having pictures taken without being seen is that you're capturing raw emotion."

Your engagement day is so emotional that it often passes by in a blur — we love the idea of capturing this moment on film forever. Plus, if he proposes in private, your Mom and best friend can share in the joy afterwards by watching how the scene unfolded (or you can just look through them every day yourself for an instant pick-me-up any time you're feeling down!) 

First anniversary is paper, 25th is silver, 50th is... billboard? That's what Colorado resident Lee Bolin did to mark his 50th anniversary with his beloved wife, Mickey. 

                                Photo courtesy of Adweek

To unveil the billboard, Lee blindfolded Mickey and drove her to the location. She was completely surprised and says it's one of the best gifts he's ever given her. 

Check out the video!

—Kristen O'Gorman Klein