__My Day__ sat down with Andrea Facchinato, half of the creative duo behind Milan-based Domo Adami, to learn about the inspiration behind their craft and to discover the true meaning of couture. **MD: How can a bride choose the gown that’s best for her, both for her shape and for her personality?**

Few efforts are more fulfilling than adding personal touches to your wedding. Whether you’re dramatizing every detail or adding a simple homemade touch to just one area, putting your very own spin on your day pays off: you’re creating memories to last a lifetime.

How to Avoid the Dreaded Rubber Chicken Not so long ago, wedding food carried a horrible stigma…just think “rubber chicken.” Guests would gorge themselves on delectable finger food during the cocktail hour and then eat sparingly of the mediocre-at-best main course, consoling themselves with the thought that at least they would have room for cake.

The tux rental is a wedding-disaster cliché: stories of high-water pants, missing buttons, and mismatched accessories abound. What's a groom to do?

Consider a custom-tailored tuxedo instead. Custom tailoring ensures high quality, a perfect fit, and excellent personal service--all sorely lacking at the tuxedo rental place in the mall.

"Only a small percentage of guys can find the perfect look off the rack," says Christopher A'Hern, owner of Baltimore's Jack Christopher Custom Clothing. "Our work is for the man who wants something better."

Carrying "something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue" on the big day is a time-honored wedding tradition embraced by almost every bride. It probably became fashionable in the Victorian era, as the idea of weddings as special events became popular with Queen Victoria's marriage to Prince Albert. (Queen Victoria was also the first woman of "modern" times to wear a white wedding dress.)

Years from now, some of your most treasured wedding keepsakes will be the warm wishes and thoughtful words from the friends and family who shared your joy that day. Give these memories a fitting backdrop with these clever and creative guest book ideas that will inspire guests to write more than just their names. * Instant-camera picture album

Leave the dresses and flowers to the ladies--what today's newly married guy wants is a little horsepower. Because when it's time to make the grand wedding getaway, driving once-in-a-lifetime wheels is a groom's dream come true. Men don't have much that truly represents them at weddings, says Jennifer Adeli of Pure Exotics Dream Car Rentals in Tysons Corner, VA. According to her, "A car is one way to give the groom something special that reflects his personality."

For most brides, one of the most important--and worry-inducing--items on the wedding registry is fine china. China occupies a place of honor in many dining rooms, but many of modern brides view picking a pattern with trepidation. Some eschew china altogther, relying instead on more casual "everyday" place settings and serving pieces. While "everyday" certainly has its place as the workhorse family staple, it shouldn't completely supplant fine china--in the dining room or on the wedding registry. Each is necessary, and each has its place.

A dazzling cake is one of the most familiar and best-loved wedding icons. But don't feel wedded to the traditional white icing and bride-and-groom figurines; today's bakers and brides conjure up confections that reflect personality and style--pleasing to the eyes and to the palate!

Walking in a Wedding Wonderland

Imagine strolling through miles of beautiful displays brimming with all manner of wedding experts, ideas, and inspirations. If this sounds like your vision of heaven, you can't afford to miss your area's next bridal show, where you’ll find absolutely everything that's new, hot, and happening in the world of weddings.