Though the couple featured in Modern Bride's article on wedding theming had a lovely time at their "snowball wedding": the invitations looked like Christmas cards, the bride wore marabou and the happy couple travelled to the reception in a horse-drawn carriage where they were serenaded by carol singers.Jane Anderson, features editor of You and Your Wedding magazine, believes the Winslet marriage hit the right note because of its simplicity "She just looked so in love and really happy. She seemed like a real person, her nose was all red with crying through the ceremony. It wasn't a prima donna showbiz affair, it was a family day." This, says Ms Anderson, is a genuinely attainable goal for any bride. "Some brides take on too much, the wedding becomes this big stressful event. People think there are rules about guest numbers and what you have to provide. But if you use your imagination you can come up with something that can be a lot cheaper and a lot more charming."THE WEDDING GUIDEFor weddings, while pretentious is pretentious, naff remains oddly acceptable...Avoid:Any form of transport that isn't a car, including pony and trap, coach and four, hot-air balloon, sedan chair, sled pulled by huskies etc.

Conversely, an enormous white Rolls-Royce, while ludicrously over-the-top for anything else, is fine: leather seats, walnut dash, built-in drinks cabinet, the lot.Avoid:Any form of theming. The bunny-girl usherettes or teddy-boy best man may seem wildly amusing for a bit but are unlikely to stand the test of time; likewise the music-hall singalong, the Lizzie Bennet/Mr Darcy reconstruction or the medieval banquets where all the guests have to seek out doublet and hose and/or wench gear. Theming can add 10 to 20 per cent to wedding costs; spend it on more champagne.Avoid:Strange dances that mean dragging everyone onto the floor and shouting at them. Some swear by barn dances ("the ultimate ice-breaker!") and others may try to coax their wedding guests into line dancing.

But this is the time when a Seventies disco complete with mirror balls and coloured flashing lights is just so right.. Forget about going the Full Monty This season everyone's going the Full Naomi. Everyone in New York, that is, who can get an appointment at a beauty salon called J. Sisters International, to undergo the trendy but seriously painful practice of pubic hair waxing Seriously. Whether you want the "pornstar" rectangular strip look, or a wax trip right back to your pre-pubescence, these girls can deliver the goods. Oh, and in case you are curious about the impact on you sex life, know this. Devotees swear your man will be so turned on by your Lolita persona he can easily dispense with the Viagra. Diplomatically called the "Brazilian" bikini wax, and favoured by supermodel Naomi Campbell among other high wattage celebrities, (Naomi was in the salon the day the Independent on Sunday called), the Brazilian wax has superseded the standard bikini wax by about 10,000 hairs and has New York women clamouring for appointments."The Brazilian wax is a great wax because it cleans everything away," Campbell said last week in the New York Observer.