Put down that color wheel and crystal ball... end your wondering about what hue your future holds! Pantone, the color authority, declares Turquoise (PANTONE 15-5519), an "inviting, luminous hue, as the [2010] Color of the Year."

The company picked the gorgeous gold Mimosa (PANTONE 14-0848)
last year and we saw it show up in the pages of all the bridal mags, paired with silver and even black. The rich yellow created a warm, fun vibe for weddings in 2009.

In the new year, turquoise can be featured as the bridesmaid dress color -- for the full dress or just an accent sash. The bride could also choose to give her attendants turquoise jewelry to wear, which would be a fresh change from traditional pearl or glass jewelry.

Here are some other tips from the Pantone news release for using turquoise to make your '10 wedding a perfect 10: "For brides wanting a flattering choice for attendant apparel and accessories on their big day, Turquoise is now one of the nearly 200 PANTONE WEDDING Colors available from Dessy, a leading manufacturer of bridesmaid, social occasion and flower girl dresses, as well as destination wedding gowns under the labels Dessy Collection, After Six, Alfred Sung, Lela Rose Bridesmaid and Sandals Destination Wedding Dresses. PANTONE WEDDING exclusively from Dessy provides a collection of color tools to make it easy for brides to achieve perfectly color-coordinated weddings -- from inspiration to 'I do.'"

@myPANTONE

Bridesmaids are as unique as a pearl -- really one of a kind! So why get gifts for them that came out of a factory? You can find the perfect present that was more likely made around a kitchen table.

The beautiful freshwater pearl earrings (at left) are just one of thousands of beautiful handmade items for sale at etsy.com. It's an online community of sellers -- like ebay for crafters -- and you can get lost in all of the one-of-a-kind jewelry sets, hair clips, and purses... plus much more.

If you're looking for that exact "something" and don't find it, you can even ask one of the etsy marketplace artisans to create it for you!

Everyone's trying to save money and trim budgets wherever possible. The same holds for brides and their wedding budget.

Here's a way to save on the bridesmaids' bouquets: buy flowers in season. Pay less green & BE green: those blooms won't have to be imported!

The bride and her gals can get up on the morning of the wedding (or afternoon before the ceremony) and head over to the local farmer's market. Big bunches of flowers are available at a fraction of the cost and the ladies can spend some fun time together channeling Martha Stewart to create gorgeous bouquets in hues that compliment the bridesmaid dresses. Money saved... and time enjoyed!

Are you a maid of honor looking for a memorable gift for the bride? If she loves tradition, the bride would definitely like a custom garter. Check out Julianne Smith Wedding Garters for her ready-made and custom "chic, modern" garters.

Here's a sampling of her great gift ideas: Julianne makes garters in animal prints for the wild child bride and patriotic garters for a military bride. Of course she has traditional garters and those that would count as the bride's "something blue." But Julianne also thinks "green," as in environmentally friendly. She created the first-ever, green garters which are made from recycled plastic bottles. They're perfect for your eco-chic bride!

@GarterGirl

Have you seen the incredible "entrance" made by a Minnesota couple?? If you haven't, then you must be burying your nose in a wedding magazine... because millions of people have seen Jill & Kevin's wedding dance video online.

But like anything that breaks from tradition -- especially when we're talking about weddings! -- this is drawing lots of varying opinions. Check out this Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota Star Tribune newspaper article about the concern some ministers are having about brides & grooms copycatting the outrageous entrance.

Whether you think this an amazing way for the bride & groom to show off the fabulously unique wedding party members and "personalize" their nuptials... or you're on the other end of the argument and think it makes a circus of the wedding ceremony... Jill and Kevin are using all the crushing attention to do some good.

"We hope to direct this positivity to a good cause," write the couple on their web site. They're encouraging people who see the video to make a donation to a cause that's important to the couple: The Sheila Wellstone Institute.

"Due to the circumstances surrounding the song in our wedding video, we have chosen the Sheila Wellstone Institute," the couple write. "Sheila Wellstone was an advocate, organizer, and national champion in the effort to end domestic violence in our communities."

What do you think? Leave a comment below!

If your bride prefers a glass of wine to... well, anything else... then we have the best shower idea to keep her glass -- and heart -- full.

You can host a Wine To Water wine tasting to raise money to provide clean water to needy people around the world. All the details to throw a wonderful wine-filled event can be found on the WineToWater.org web site.

A bash that involves tasty wines and benefits a great cause... cheers to that!

@wine_to_water

Since it's June, it's a good bet you'll be spending at least one weekend walking down the aisle... for someone else's wedding. At one time, June was the month to get married, but now couples are tying the knot every month of the year. So there's a good chance bridesmaids are looking ahead to an August or September wedding and that could mean hosting a bridal shower now.

If your recipe collection consists of instructions for making a grilled cheese sandwich or boiling pasta, then it's time to branch out a bit into some "big girl" menus. The fantastic magazine Southern Living has some yummy recipes for salads, spreads, and other fresh food ideas. Get all the fabulous ideas to throw a spring affair to remember to impress the guests (and bride) without burning down your house.

@Southern_Living