Published on Monday, May 4, 2009 by Fran Hansen How many times have you received a gift and thought to yourself, "what on earth am I going to do with this?" OR, "I wonder who I can give THIS to next Christmas?" I know, I’ve been there and when the person giving you the gift is in your life on a regular basis, it’s hard to not use the item where it can been seen by them, lest they feel you weren’t appreciat...

Published on Monday, March 2, 2009 by Fran Hansen DON'T! WARNING - Do not wash a silk wedding gown! Only allow a professional to clean your silk or natural fiber wedding gown.  Unbelievable but true - I accidentally washed a $10,000 wedding gown!  I ruined it... I have personally cleaned thousands of wedding gowns in my home washing machine!  And you know, to be honest, I have cleaned a few silk gowns… but...

Published on Wednesday, February 18, 2009 by Ask Fran Encourage your flower girl to wear her latest special occasion dress!    If you plan your wedding far enough in advance be sure the dual use gown is purchased in white which can then later be accessorized with the appropriate ribbon sash to match your wedding colors.  Of course, a colored gown is perfect for your flower girl if the color is complementary to y...

Published on Monday, February 2, 2009 by Fran Hansen Sometimes called a junior bridesmaid, a child some may consider too old to be a “flower girl” can still be invited to be an attendant and walk down the aisle in place of, or instead of a young child who quite likely will make a scene anyway! After assisting in hundreds of weddings, the majority with young children included in the processional, I can tell you tha...