Posts Tagged bride
October 6, 2009 at 7:41 pm
· Filed under Advice and Tips, Business, Culture, Economy, Entertainment, Money, Weddings, wedding planning, women ·Tagged bridal, bride, bride magazine, brides, conde nast, cookie magazine, elegant bride, get married, get married magazine, GetMarried.com, gourmet magazine, magazine, magazines, modern bride, periodicals, wedding, wedding advice, Wedding Fashion, wedding ideas, wedding magazine, wedding planning, wedding tips, wedding website
Condé Nast, a major magazine publisher has decided to permanently shut the doors of four of their magazines including Gourmet magazine, parenting magazine Cookie, and 2 bridal magazines Modern Bride and Elegant Bride. The unfortunate demise of printed media has sunk its talons into newspapers around the country and now taking many magazines into the abyss with them.
In an almost bizarre coincidence, wedding website Get Married launches their premiere issue of their wedding magazine Get Married. With what some may see as a bold move to enter into a crumbling industry, Get Married took many tremendous strides to insure that the magazine vaulted onto the scene with sure footing.
They set up a solid foundation starting with naming Stephanie Davis Executive Editor of the new publication who has written for GQ, Self, Brides and the now foiled Gourmet magazine which had been on news stands since 1941.
Then to solidify the positioning, Get Married entered into the technology arena by being the first bridal publication to incorporate Microsoft tags into its magazine so that readers can take a photo of the tag and watch more in depth content on products and other items of interest right on their camera phones.
Regardless of how you view Get Married’s risky venture into the territory, the overall plan was very well executed and very timely in order to pick up the scattered brides left by Condé Nast’s unfortunate decision to shut its doors on 4 of its more prestigious titles.
Brides are even being offered a free issue of the new wedding magazine at http://www.getmarried.com/magazine to take it out for a trial run.
Permalink
August 24, 2009 at 8:15 pm
· Filed under Celebrities, Culture, Divorce, Entertainment, Gossip, Love, Movies, Politics, Relationships, Romance, Weddings, wedding planning, women ·Tagged Bradley Cooper, bridal, bride, brides, bridesmaid, bridesmaids, Case 39, David Letterman, engagement, Engagements, Jennifer Esposito, Kenny Chesney, Late Night with David Letterman, marriage, Movies, Renee Zelwegger, TV, wedding, wedding dress, wedding planning, Weddings, weding dresses
Renee Zellweger, 40 and Bradley Cooper 34 have been spotted in several occasions (outside of the United States) spending quality time together in various locales including Barcelona, Spain recently. The couple who are appearing together in a horror movie called Case 39 have been doing everything to cover up their romance and keep it private, but reports from Glamorati indicate that Bradley took Renee up to his hometown in Pennsylvania to introduce her to his parents and that the engagement is very real.
Zellweger was also seen wearing an engagement ring, but managed to take it off when she appeared on Late Night with David Letterman on August 20th. As for picking out any wedding dresses, the couple still isn’t talking even though a source close to the couple indicates that it’s indeed true.
This will be Renee’s second marriage. She was married to country music star Kenny Chesney from May to December of 2005. He also had the “under one year” marriage to actress Jennifer Esposito from December of 2006 to April 2007 and was officially divorced as of November of 2007.
Permalink
July 28, 2009 at 3:53 pm
· Filed under Celebrities, Culture, Divorce, Entertainment, Family, Fashion, Gossip, Jewelry, Life, Love, Money, Movies, People, Relationships, Wedding Fashion, Weddings, wedding planning, women ·Tagged bobby brown, breaking bonaduce, bridal, bride, brides, britney spears, carmen electra, chaotic, child custody, child support, danny bonaduce, dave navarro, Divorce, Eddie Cibrian, engagement rings, gretchen bonaduce, Hamptons, Hogan Knows Best, Hulk Hogan, jessica simpson, Jewelry, jon and kate plus 8, Jon Gosselin, Kate Gosselin, kevin federline, LeAnn Rimes, lindsay lohan, meet the barkers, Movies, newlyweds, nick lachey, Reality Television, Reality TV, Relationships, Shanna Moakler, Television, til death do us part, travis barker, wedding, wedding bands, wedding ring, wedding rings, Weddings, whitney houston
Wedding rings aren’t cheap and they signify something a tad more important than just being jewelry. While Jon Gosselin is off partying with Lindsay Lohan’s father in the Hamptons for some reason, his wife Kate has put her ring back on. Apparently Kate is trying to keep herself together and her kids heads on straight. She is the only glue in these kids lives, so why she’s still wearing the ring is a mystery.
On the flip side, LeeAnn Rimes who was caught in a scandalous affair with costar Eddie Cibrian has separated from her husband and has decided to finally take her wedding band off. As a result, Cibrian’s wife has apparently decided to take a marital break also since the affair was uncovered by the press.
While divorce seems to be the hip new trend in Hollywood, many people have begun to notice that when you invite cameras into your home, divorce is closely behind. Just ask Jon and Kate (Jon and Kate Plus Eight), Hulk Hogan (Hogan Knows Best), Nick and Jessica (Newlyweds), Carmen Electra and Dave Navarro (Til Death Do Us Part), Britney and Kevin (Chaotic), Travis and Shanna (Meet The Barkers), Whitney and Bobby (Being Bobby Brown), and Danny and Gretchen (Breaking Bonaduce). There are very few marriages that have withstood the glare of the lights and walked away unscathed. Hail Snoop!
While Americans have an insatiable appetite for reality television that invades the lives of interesting characters, at what cost is enough too much? Is it necessary that we see how celebrities live, what they eat, what brand of toilet paper they use, and to see every argument and failure? Is it to prove to ourselves that they are just like us by watching them fail in various aspects of their lives? Is it to live vicariously through them by following them on shopping sprees, drinking binges and temper tantrums? What is the fascination that keeps the ratings skyrocketing and ruining lives and marriages one after the other? While to some degree TV and movie stars are “asking for it” and give up their privacy to some extent when they sign on for the job, where is the line to be drawn and will we ever be able to draw it?
Permalink
July 22, 2009 at 7:58 pm
· Filed under Advice and Tips, Business, Culture, Economy, Entertainment, Family, Money, Music, People, Wedding Ceremony, Wedding Party, Wedding Reception, Weddings, wedding planning ·Tagged bridal, bridal party, bride, brides, bridesmaid, dj, ipod wedding, ipod weddings, Music, wedding, wedding bands, wedding dj, wedding dj's, wedding music, wedding planning, wedding professionals, Wedding Reception, wedding receptions, Weddings
Ok, I’m about over it. I’ve heard multiple suggestions on multiple budget wedding tip articles (even including ones posted here) about various ways to cut corners during the wedding ceremony. And ALL of them, not just some of them, but ALL of them put the wedding music on the list as things you should cut corners on. And ALL of them threw out the suggestion of using a Ipod instead of a band or DJ. Let me tell you how bad of an idea that is on all accounts.
While I’m sure there are some stories of success using this method, they are few and far between and their expectations were very low to start with. As a professional vocalist and also the owner of a Georgia DJ company, you probably would guess that I’m very biased and shouldn’t even be allowed to talk about it, but let’s get real. Nothing can match the personal touch of a wedding band or wedding DJ when it comes to managing the flow and feel of the wedding reception.
There’s a great video posted by on Youtube that is the perfect reason as to why this is a bad idea. You can watch it here. Now granted, this wedding is primarily a disaster because there was apparently no rehearsal or planning with a dash of total disorganization, but the use of the Ipod and friends and family as your MC’s/sound/videographers, etc is just a bad idea. Bands and DJ’s handle most of the announcing, music, and everything is thought out in advance.
Do you really want to take the chance of your cousin starting up “Shook Me All Night Long” during the Daddy/Daughter dance? If you want memories that last a lifetime, that’s definitely the way to do it. You can find affordable DJ’s (and even bands) for under a grand without even looking hard. Now granted, you take a chance if you get too low on your pricing, but doing your homework and using directories of wedding professionals will give you multiple options. I’m sure there are dozens of horror stories from Ipod weddings and I insure you that you do not want to be one of them.
Please share your disaster (or even success stories) here for all to see.
Permalink
July 15, 2009 at 6:54 pm
· Filed under Culture, Entertainment, Family, Life, People, Relationships, Wedding Ceremony, Wedding Party, Wedding Reception, Weddings, wedding planning, women ·Tagged bouquet toss, bridal, bridal party, bride, bride bouquet, brides, hostel, Italy, plane, plane crash, planes, toss the bouquet, wedding, wedding bouquet, Wedding Ceremony, wedding flowers, Wedding Reception, wedding receptions, Weddings
Ah, the bridal bouquet toss. A sweet gesture from a bride to her bridesmaids that sometimes turns out plain ugly. We’ve all heard about people getting bloody noses, broken bones, getting knocked out, etc. But now for the first time ever, a bride’s bouquet has caused a plane crash. No, it wasn’t because it was tossed too high. The exact opposite actually. What started as a good idea discussed during the wedding planning actually became the idea that made it the wedding to remember.
An Italian couple had just gotten married and thought that it would be a neat idea to have a light plane fly overhead and drop the bouquet instead of the normal over the shoulder toss. A 44 year old man named Isidoro Pensieri simply had to open the door and toss out the bouquet at the right time. Isidoro couldn’t handle that task and instead failed to throw it far enough away from the plane. The result? The bouquet was sucked into the plane’s engine causing the engine to catch fire and then explode. The pilot Luciano Nannelli then lost control of the plane as the plane went into a steep plummet to earth and then slammed into a busy hostel near Montioni Park.
The pilot and all 50 of the hostel residents got away unscathed, but Isidoro (the bouquet tosser) was hospitalized with a head injury and multiple fractures. Talk about a wedding to talk about.
Permalink
June 18, 2009 at 3:35 pm
· Filed under Advice and Tips, Culture, Economy, Family, Fashion, Life, Love, Relationships, Wedding Cakes, Wedding Ceremony, Wedding Fashion, Wedding Party, Wedding Reception, Weddings, wedding planning, women ·Tagged bridal, bride, free wedding planner, party planning, plan a wedding, planning a wedding, wedding, wedding favors, wedding planner, wedding planning, wedding planning guide, wedding shop, Weddings
Choosing a wedding planner is one of the most important decisions to make on your checklist of things to do for your big day. They can be invaluable, and make your event more amazing than you could have imagined (and most importantly, more stress free!). So when selecting your second most important partner in the wedding, know the answers to ten important questions. Ask before hiring and feel that much more confident that this is a marriage made in heaven.
1. What do you get for your price?
Make sure you know exactly what you’re getting for your money: what is included; different package options; how they bill (hourly, deposits, payment plans, billing, etc). This will help to ensure that there are no surprising costs that will pop up unexpectedly during or after the wedding planning process. Perhaps you don’t need help with every little element, or you have an hour cap that you need to keep in mind. Does the fee include the cost of assistants on the wedding day, and how many? Know what you are paying for.
2. Do you understand my vision?
A planner could have done every celebrity and high-end wedding in the world, but if they don’t share your understanding of the style and vision, you might be unhappy with the final outcome. Some planners can create one fabulous look, but if that look isn’t you, then be sure their portfolio reflects many styles – look for the personality of the couple to shine through in the events, not the same likes of the planner over and over again. Talk with your planner and bounce ideas off each other to make sure you’re on the same page before you begin.
3. Referrals
As obvious as it may seem, make sure to ask for and check your planner’s references. Know their experience level, how long they have been in business, the size, scope, and budgets of the weddings they have done to make sure they have enough experience in the type of wedding you want and can afford. Check with past clients they refer you to, but also do your web and chat room research. Make sure there are no outstanding issues out there.
4. Are they familiar with your venue and vendors?
Most wedding planners are well connected with other professionals in the wedding industry, and can help give you reliable options that they know of or have worked with before. If, however, you chose some of your own vendors, make sure they are willing and able to work together so that everything goes smoothly on the day of and egos stay out of the way. Ask if the event planner takes a referral fee from vendors and if so, be sure you’re seeing the selection you want. If one company is heavily pushed on you over all others, that can be a sign of a backend financial agreement. This is very common and often industry standard, so don’t be too put off by it, just be smart about your selection.
5. How involved will you both be?
Find out how often you will meet, if they will come to your vendor meetings, how much planning you will do on your own. Think of things that you really would want to do on your own, if any. Make sure both of your jobs are clearly discussed and understood.
6. How busy are they?
See how often your planner has a wedding on a calendar, especially for the month, week, and even your same day. If you feel like they are trying to overbook there is a good chance that you won’t get the personal attention that you need and deserve. You want to be the only bride she or he tends to that day. You might also ask if wedding planning is their full time job or if it is a side hobby as that can also lead to scheduling conflicts.
7. Emergency situations
Although hopefully you won’t have any last minute emergencies to deal with, such things do happen and you need to be prepared. Ask what would happen if your wedding planner was suddenly not able to make the wedding, if someone in the wedding party got sick, bad weather affecting out of town arrivals and the event itself, etc. Find out if they have had any situations like this in the past, and how they did, or would, deal with them – in case of an unforeseen occurrence, does the planner have staff and/or a backup plan if they cannot make the day.
8. Budget?
This may be an assumed task for the wedding planner to oversee, but you can never be too cautious. A wedding can quickly go over budget, so make sure you find a planner who makes your budget limit their top priority.
9. Is it a real business?
Ask your planner if they have a business license, insurance, education. See if they belong to a professional organization like the ABC, ACPWC, Weddings Beautiful, June Weddings, WIPA and ISES, all of which are respectable bridal consultant groups. Also ask if the group they belong to requires them to have training every year or simply pay an annual fee.
10. Honeymoon!
Don’t forget that after the party is over, you want to have an amazing relaxing honeymoon with your new spouse! Ask if your wedding planner has travel contacts or resources for you to use. Perhaps they can even help to plan your special vacation or destination wedding.
But above all the rules, paperwork, and fine print, most of all, make sure you really like your wedding planner, because you will be spending a lot of time together in the coming months!
Permalink
June 9, 2009 at 3:26 pm
· Filed under Advice and Tips, Culture, Economy, Entertainment, Family, Fashion, Life, Love, Money, People, Relationships, Wedding Cakes, Wedding Ceremony, Wedding Fashion, Wedding Party, Wedding Reception, Weddings, wedding planning, women ·Tagged bad advice, bridal, bride, brides, bridesmaid, bridesmaids, get married, GetMarried.com, getting married, maid of honor, plan a wedding, planning a wedding, The Knot, TheKnot.com, wedding, wedding advice, wedding planners, wedding planning, wedding professionals, wedding pros, wedding tips, Weddings
Photo by Graham Minchkin and obtained via Flickr
I’m pretty sure that we’re all familiar with TheKnot.com and its many branches of government. However, it appears that The Knot has been on a downward spiral with brides and now wedding professionals. Their release of “The Knot’s Best of Wedding Guide 2009″ had some major issues and it became glaringly obvious that it wasn’t based on feedback, but greenbacks. The Knot’s Editors Pick of DJ companies was a company that had 50 complaints on Ripoff.com, multiple complaints filed against them from the Better Business Bureau who also graded them with an F, and additionally had a few negative news stories on them on television including Inside Edition. Great advice, Knottie. Just wow.
Then to make matters worse, posts ordained by The Knot informed people to not choose local bakers over the venue’s in-house bakers to avoid cake cutting costs. Really? This along with other suggestions that kick the local vendors to the curb entirely. Not to mention their wealth of bad advice that people seem to be getting downright agitated about.
Truth be told, it appears as The Knot has become a victim of themselves and appear to have lost focus. Either that or they don’t have time to properly manage their resources which has been consistently sending out bad advice pretty much all of 2009. And with the presence of competitors on the horizon like Get Married at GetMarried.com that just announced a wedding magazine to further compliment their online presence and their already popular daily television show on Lifetime, The Knot may be a little too comfortable with their lead.
Brides are a fickle bunch and once you give them bad information, you’re hard pressed to get a second chance with the amount of resources available to them online. I’ll be very curious to see how GetMarried’s offerings align with The Knot’s efforts once the Get Married magazine launches in September and especially since there are major changes that are sure to come with it. Maybe The Knot should start looking for a good moat digger.
Permalink
April 17, 2009 at 6:18 pm
· Filed under Advice and Tips, Economy, Love, Money, Relationships, Wedding Ceremony, Wedding Fashion, Wedding Party, Wedding Reception, Weddings, wedding planning ·Tagged bridal, bride, brides, budget wedding, budget weddings, cheap wedding, cheap wedding ideas, cutting corners, Economy, economy wedding, inexpensive weddings, wedding, wedding advice, wedding tips, Weddings
Planning a wedding is extremely stressful, but add monetary constraints caused by economic woes can make it even more stressful. Try these 6 budget tips to cut some corners.
Select a special and cost-saving locale
Most churches and chapels decorate for the holidays, spring and winter especially. Take advantage of these beautiful decorations in a house of worship (that’s appropriate for you of course), and schedule your wedding close to a religious holiday and omit floral costs for the ceremony space.
Set the date in the off season
Consider tying the knot when your friends won’t be bored by yet another wedding. The smaller demand for events in late fall and winter allow for more options, availability, and often better venue and vendor pricing. Still want a summer wedding? Then consider a Friday or Sunday instead.
Narrow down your guest list
With each additional guest you invite, the total cost of your wedding increases. Not just because of the additional food costs, but adding guests means more centerpieces, invitations themselves, rentals, cake, and all the other trimmings. So while you may think that the guest list should include everyone and at work and so on, consider scaling down and hosting a more intimate affair. Try to keep it to those who are closest to you and your fiancé only. If the parents are paying and have other ideas, then perhaps say no to children. You won’t have to plan for a special table, offer them party favors or include kid-friendly food. Try Get Married’s Guest List Manager also to help with this task.
Cut invitation corners
Today many couples are reaping the benefits of wedding websites (and doing the environment a favor too). While sending out an email invitation isn’t exactly appropriate, including additional information via the web can cut down the cost of your paper invitations. When it comes to printing your invitations, the most expensive printing is letterpress or engraving, so if you can live without, consider the more affordable options of offset printing or thermography.
Selecting your gown
In this department a little extra effort can go a long way. Take the time to shop sample sales and shop around. Remember dresses can be altered to fit (but keep in mind the alteration costs). And if nearly new is okay by you, consider shops and websites that offer new and/or nearly new couture at a fraction of the price.
Note: When shopping for fashion online, be careful to read the fine print and find shops like Encore Bridal that allow for returns and guarantee the gowns you get.
Select your menu wisely
Don’t spring for the lobster and don’t overdo it on the hors d’oeuvres. Cutting just one or two items from the cocktail hour can save you cash and your guests will never notice anything missing. Work with your caterer and allow them to guide you to dishes that are seasonal and often less expensive but still flavorful. And beware of buffets; they tend to be more expensive than a seated meal because the caterer has to prepare enough food for each guest to try everything in abundance.
For more tips to keeping your costs down and your dollar on budget, check out the Budget Manager Tool on GetMarried.com.
Permalink
April 13, 2009 at 8:08 pm
· Filed under Advice and Tips, Jewelry, Life, Love, Relationships, Romance, Weddings, wedding planning ·Tagged bridal, bride, bride to be, engagement, getting engaged, how to propose, proposal, propose, proposing, weddig planning, wedding, wedding proposal, Weddings
Every little girl dreams of that special moment where her man gets down on one knee. But as girls grow up, they tend to wish for something a bit more creative, something unique to share with friends and family and remember for a lifetime. Here are a few bright ideas for that big moment (in case he’s reading):
Tie your proposal into a holiday
Although the major holidays have passed and are a bit passe, there is still Valentine’s Day! Too expected, too easy? Wait for Easter and give her an Easter egg hunt that she’s never forget – one with the ring at the end. Did you meet in a bar? Are you Irish? Drop the ring into the bottom of a stein of green beer for St Patrick’s Day. Do you get dressed up at Halloween? Give her a treat she’ll never forget! An unexpected holiday gift (on a date that doesn’t traditionally involve a gift exchange) can be a sweet surprise!
Make your own holiday
Any woman would LOVE to be swept off her feet and taken to a romantic destination. Relax and enjoy for a few days, then a day or so before you leave plan an excursion and pop the question on location – and you still have time to celebrate!
Creative note
Spell out the big question somewhere she would never expect it: on the bathroom mirror when she gets ready for a night out together; glow in the dark stars on the bedroom ceiling; take one of her favorite weekly magazines and slip in a fake page for your proposal. Even plan ahead with an art gallery to place a special work of art into a room for her to see – the question becomes a keepsake. Find a place you know she’ll go and pop the question.
Take a trip down memory lane
Take your significant other to the place where you met, had your first date, kiss, or another location that has special meaning to you as a couple and recreate that first moment. Express your feelings from start to finish and take your courtship full circle.
Surprise her
Though it may seem spur-of-the-moment, pick a spot where you can completely catch her off guard. Maybe in a photo booth so you have pictures of her response, as an announcement in a public place, or slip it in the advertisements before a movie you are seeing.
Spy Cameras
No matter where you ask, ask someone to capture it on film. Videography companies now offer proposal packages that allow you to capture the moment, her reaction, and answer on camera. They will hide out, blend in, and not be seen by your bride-to-be until the moment has past and you’ve got a keepsake to keep for a lifetime.
No matter what you do, be creative and make sure it’s right for her! If she’s shy, don’t make a big scene at a ballpark; if she’s the outdoors type, consider an adventure; if she’s a Disney fan, take her to where her fairytale can unfold. Think of your soon-to-be fiancé when planning and the answer will surely be “yes!”
And once you get the hard part done, it’s time for the wedding planning and that’s where the real fun begins….
Permalink
April 10, 2009 at 5:23 pm
· Filed under Advice and Tips, Economy, Life, Wedding Ceremony, Wedding Fashion, Wedding Party, Wedding Reception, Weddings, wedding planning ·Tagged bridal, bridal tips, bride, brides, bridesmaid, bridesmaids, flower girl, flower girls, flowergirl, flowergirls, wedding, wedding ideas, wedding tips, Weddings
Jo Gartin, the Los Angeles-based celebrity wedding designer who’s known for her anything-but-over-the-top, simply charming weddings, has this advice for brides coping with not-so-cooperative flower girls–“fairy dust”. Actually a small bottle of glitter, Jo’s found that the power of suggestion, and a liberal dusting of the sparkly stuff, is all it takes to turn cranky little girls into small angels.
“The fairy dust is a crowd pleaser and, if you sprinkle a little bit of ‘dust’ on them, they tend to be a little bit more compliant so I always carry that in my bride emergency kit.” It’s those small but fabulous touches that have made Jo a much sought after wedding designer in a city known more for weddings with big budgets rather than beautiful moments. So what’s her favorite way to make a little flower girl look her best as well as behave her best? “I love butterflies. Things like that make me smile. I’ve put them in flower girls’ hair and glued them to their ballet slippers.” We think that’s an idea that would bring smiles to everyone.
Click here to watch Jo Gartin on the Get Married TV show.
For more of Jo’s great wedding tips and inspirations, check out her book Jo Gartins’ Weddings, published by Rodale Inc., available at amazon.com.
Permalink
Wedding Blog
Wedding Planning
