The (Gorgeous!) Bridesmaid Gift That Gives Back

beach wedding dress

High-end jewelry designer to the stars Joan Hornig (some of her clients include Cameron Diaz, Katherine Heigl, and Kristin Chenoweth), has partnered with The Knot to create a line of gorgeous wedding party in wedding dress 2012 gifts that benefit a group of 30 charities.

How it Works
It's more than just a statement-making jewelry collection -- it's your chance to help out a charity you feel strongly about.
For each one of these bridesmaid gifts you purchase, you'll choose a charity to donate 100 percent of the profits to.
Each piece includes custom gift packaging and a note about the charity donation.
With 30 major charities to choose from, you can be sure your donation is going to a cause that's both meaningful and personal. (Learn more about the charities.)

The Back Story
Joan Hornig, owner of the jewelry design company Philanthropy is Beautiful®, made a promise to herself on her wedding(gowns for debut) day that if her life turned out the way she expected by the time she was 50, she would dedicate herself to giving back. After earning a degree in fine arts at Harvard College and a master's degree in business administration from Columbia Business School (and spending many years working as a consultant for hedge funds), Joan is making good on her promise through her company, which donates 100 percent of the profits from each purchase to the charity of the purchaser's choice.

Get Involved!
Joan's work has currently resulted in over $1 million donated to charity, and now Knottie brides can contribute to causes they care about easily through their bridesmaid gifts and wedding accessories.

Ushers: Their Duties in Detail

flora gown

Do you have 12 first cousins, 4 brothers, 3 soon-to-be brother-in-laws, and 5 best male pals? Sounds like you have a groomsman overload problem. But not to worry -- even if you can't have 20 groomsmen (a logistical nightmare), you can designate several male pals as ushers. As a rule of thumb, look to have one usher to seat every 50 guests.

As a rule of thumb, look to have one usher to seat every 50 guests.

Duties
Ushers escort guests to their seats before the ceremony (guiding female guests by the arm), roll out the aisle runner (if you have one), and act as general guest guides. Designating friends and family members as ushers is a great way to include more people in your wedding(wedding dress 2012) day fun without overdosing on groomsmen. After all, if you have too many people traipsing up and down the aisle, your ceremony may drag on a bit.

Junior Ushers
If you want to include your 16-year-old brother or cousin in your wedding, make him a junior usher. He can wear a tux and accompany the older ushers, seating guests as they arrive.