Swizz Beatz in a very open interview to OK Magazine recently dispelled rumors that the couple is getting married this weekend, but says that it’s coming and coming pretty fast. As for wedding planning, Swizz makes sure that he’s not going to just “show up”, but that he’s going to have a big hand in planning the festivities.
“Yeah, you know, I’m a planner! I like getting into the detail of things. I’m inspired by fashion, I’m inspired by art, I’m inspired by architectural things so [I like] being involved with the wedding. I’m not the person who sits back and goes, okay, well I’ll just show up. I’m actually spearheading certain plans but it’s a nice blend, a nice partnership.”
While this may have some women swooning over how he’s such a “perfect” guy, let’s not lose sight of his wife and kids that he kicked to the curb to be with Alicia. No one is perfect, but let’s not get caught up in romance. I’m happy for them, but it seems a little too quick to be a fairy tale story. We all love happy endings, but one very positive thing is that he’s keeping the kids at bay and doing his best to keep the environment positive around the kids from both women at all times. Congratulations, but slow the train for your own mental health.
This past weekend was a tad strange because there must have been some deal on wedding favors or something because the celebrities ran to the altar to hitch the wagon in droves. Among them were;
Martin Lawrence and Shamicka Gibbs
Martin Lawrence, 45 tied the knot with longtime girlfriend Shamicka Gibbs, 35, this weekend. This couple has been together for over a decade which is amazing. Considering that Martin has been in tough relationships before, it was probably a very scary move for him. The couple decided to hold the ceremony in his backyard and in attendance were some very notable guests such as Eddie Murphy, Denzel Washington and others. The couples 3 daughters were all flower girls including 9 year old Amara, 7 year old Iyana and 14 year old Jasmine from Lawrence’s previous marriage. They kept it very intimate and held the reception on the Beverly Hills property as well.
John Krasinski and Emily Blunt
In a much more extravagant wedding, John Krasinski (from The Office), 30, and Emily Blunt (from The Devil Wears Prada), 27, exchanged vows in Villa D’este in Como, Italy. The bride adorned a 3 carat Edwardian and platinum diamond ring that costs somewhere in the vicinity of $100,000. According to UsMagazine, she wore a “cream, chiffon, sweetheart-draped Marchesa gown with embroidered detail.” Unlike the Lawrence’s above, this couple have only known each other since 2008, but they’ve been a couple ever since. They have apparently been holed up in George Clooney’s villa in Italy since the 4th of July weekend getting all of the arrangements together. George and John shared the screen in Leatherheads and he was also in attendance at the wedding with his girlfriend Elisabetta Canalis. John noted that the wedding on The Office was a great way to have a practice run through of the real thing.
Carrie Underwood and Mike Fisher
Top 40 Grammy winning country megastar Carrie Underwood, 27, said “I Do” to Ottawa Senators hockey player Mike Fisher, 30, in a ceremony in Greensboro, Georgia. The event that apparently cost somewhere in the vicinity of a half a million dollars took place under a lakeside tent. Probably doesn’t matter though since People magazine was rumored to have paid $2 million dollars to have exclusive access to the event. Guess we know what the next cover will be for People magazine. The wedding took place in Greensboro, GA at Reynolds Plantation. Carrie was said to have worn a Chantilly lace Monique Lhuillier gown and Monique also designed the bridesmaid dresses as well. The couple was spotted at LAX for their honeymoon that is to take place in Bora Bora and Tahiti.
Carmelo Anthony and LaLa Vazquez
The names may not be familiar to some, but sports fans definitely know Carmelo Anthony,26, as one of the many stars from the Denver Nuggets. LaLa Vasquez, 31, has been in many film and TV roles including Soul Plane and You Got Served, but was also on many TV shows like Charm School with Ricki Lake, Flava Of Love, I Love New York 2, etc. Yeah, those shows. The wedding took place in Manhattan and was heavily attended by many NBA players including LeBron James who was boo’ed when he arrived. But the stars were out as also in attendance were Justin Timberlake, Spike Lee, Kim Kardashian (with hubbie Lamar Odom), Serena Williams, Ludacris and many others. According to CBS News, the wedding “featured towering marble columns and chandeliers, and was decorated using red tablecloths, centerpieces of red Ecuadorian roses, hundreds of candles and thousands of red roses hanging from the high ceiling.” And if that doesn’t seem over the top, the couple, who have been engaged since 2004, sent out red and gold invitations that were decorated with Swarovski crystals and delivered in a black box featuring their initials. Good God.
Many people are scrambling to make their wedding dates as memorable as possible. It’s no surprise that the wedding date trend started and got firey hot back in 2007 when the planets aligned on July 7th, 2007 (aka the 7-7-7 wedding). The wedding favor market fell into absolute bliss and brides scrambled for their Vegas themed favors and internet marketers everywhere screamed with glee. Newlywed husbands were also ecstatic since it was improbable that they’d forget their anniversary. For now. Well, it’s that time again.
Now the planets are aligned again (kind of) as brides that would like to marry on a memorable date have a Sunday wedding to look forward to on October 10th, 2010 (aka the 10-10-10 wedding). Since 10 is the perfect number and it’s also a great opportunity for brides to get a good deal on a wedding ceremony since Saturdays are a more typical day to hold weddings. Churches will be out though since they will normally be in session (except Seventh Day Adventists), so there may be yet another opportunity for brides to push their agenda on the upcoming special day.
Too soon or is Sunday not a good day for you? You have another shot coming up next year on January 1st, 2011 (aka the 1-1-11 wedding) and that falls on a Saturday. Or if you like Sunday weddings, but 10-10-10 is too close, hold out until February 2, 2022 (aka the 2-2-22 wedding). That’s only 12 years away. He should be ready to commit by then. Or if they’re a couple of computer geeks, they could always have a chuckle and get married on Saturday October 1st, 2011 (10-01-11). Get it? A bunch of zeros and ones…. forget it.
My personal wedding date is a bit of a bizarre emotional rollercoaster. We got married on 9/11/1999. Two years later on 9/11, there was that fateful day and ever since then, we see the “Never Forget” signs everywhere. It definitely makes my anniversary hard to forget, but to make matters even crazier for us, we gave birth to my now 7 year old daughter on, wait for it,…. 9/11/2002. So, 9/11 is definitely a strange day for my household. A time of remembrance, an anniversary and a birthday all on the same day.
Do you have any unusual stories surrounding your wedding dates? Share them!
Fall is a very popular time for weddings. primarily because of the weather and that nature masterfully weaves its color palette into stunning displays of oranges, yellows, reds and browns. It’s natures best color coordinated season of the year. Brides simply love this season and here are some great ideas to accentuate your fall wedding planning.
1) Location
Make sure that wherever you host your wedding, that it’s somewhere that is accented by the natural beauty of the season. A quiet Victorian style church surrounded by trees in their fall colors makes for some incredibly brilliant wedding photo opportunities. Mountain settings are simply stunning if you can get your location reserved before that other bride does!
2) Set the Tone
It’s good to plan ahead and make your guests aware of your fall themed wedding in advance. This may help to steer them in their choice of fashion accessories such as maple leaf broaches or autumn color handkerchiefs. Set the pace by sending our leaf save the date cards or wedding invitations with a fall or autumn feel to them. There are tons of wedding invitations places online including Rexcraft, Invitations By Dawn, Get Married and many more.
3) Fall decorations
It’s also important to make sure that your guests can enjoy the seasonal colors whether they are inside or out by decorating the tables with centerpieces that use colorful leaves, straw, dried flowers, and pumpkin colors. Keeping within the brown and yellow spectrum of colors will be eye catching. Small details like using a Leaf Guestbook or maple leaf place card holders make very dramatic statements. Handmade tablecloths and doilies also give a small town feel that adds a nice touch.
4) Fall wedding favors
Give your guests fall wedding favors that will help them to remember the occasion. They may not remember details, but when they get to take home fall themed wedding favors like copper leaf bottle stoppers, place card holders, or simply any of the many ideas that are available out there, you give them a point of reference to remember the occasion. If leaves or pumpkin type gifts aren’t your style, at least try and manage to stick to your color palette.
5) Dress Color
In some people’s eyes, the only potential downside to a fall wedding is the dress color. An off white wedding dress is normally a safer bet with fall weddings. primarily because a bright white dress can clash with your fall motif. Be sure to stick to the color coordination since you are the focal point of the day. If you’ve inherited a white dress or refuse to walk down the aisle in anything but white, it won’t ruin the day, but it’s that attention to detail that will set the bar. Also ensure that the wedding party and especially bridesmaid dresses will help to support your color choices.
6) Food
Your fall wedding menu should highlight food of the autumn season with selections like pumpkin pie, pecan pie, squash, zucchini, and apple cider with cinnamon sticks. Don’t forget your vegetarian guests as well. Likewise your wedding cake should also have fall colors and decorations incorporated into layers or decorations. Placing the cake on a light brown or dust yellow tablecloth surrounded by leafs would be a great eye catcher.
7) Everyone knows
Out of all of the great fall wedding tips that are available out there, be sure that you keep the color coordination on the top of everyone’s mind. Let your wedding planner know your plans so that they can inform all of the right people and monitor the situation for you. The caterer needs to know that you want your menu seasonal so that they can plan accordingly. It’s just very important that everyone is aware of your autumn motif to make sure that they don’t add something to the mix to clash with your flow and feel of fall.
8) Lighting
Make sure that whoever is in charge of decorating, that they keep the lighting subdued and not bright white. All of your colors can get washed away in bright white light. Keep lighting off-white or yellow to keep the ambiance flowing even in the air. If the DJ will be supplying lighting as well, be sure that they know of your color plans so that their “disco lights” don’t ruin everything you worked so hard to create. But more importantly, be sure to let your wedding photographer know about the yellow lighting since yellow plays havoc on white balance. It’s best they know as far in advance as possible.
Have more great fall wedding tips or things you’ve learned from your own fall wedding? Share them here!
Megan Fox and Brian Austin Green rushed off to Hawaii to make it official in a small ceremony of friends and family. This is not a typical Hollywood or L.A. relationship though since the two have been together since 2004 which is like a decade in Tinseltown years. They dated and stayed together for over 6 years which is very impressive and shockingly normal. They met on the set of the show Hope and Faith and even years later still look to be blissfully happy together. This is the first marriage for both of them, but Brian has a child with his ex-girlfriend Vanessa Marcil.
TMZ just posted photos of the couple finally showing off their wedding rings on a beach excursion (shown here). There are some Hollywood relationships that seem doomed from the start, but considering that the couple have stayed in a healthy relationship for years before hitching the wagon is a fantastic jumpstart. All I can say is congratulations. Where the heck are the wedding photos?
Sometimes a couple is together for so long that you simply just can’t see them with anyone else. Such is the case with Valerie Bertinelli and Eddie Van Halen who were married for over 25 years until their official divorce in 2007 even though the papers were filed two years prior in 2005. The demise was primarily due to Eddie’s addiction to Coke which was the ultimatum set by Valerie. Eddie chose the Coke.
While Eddie wrestled his demons, Valerie had begun a relationship with her financial planner Tom Vitale in 2004. A disturbingly convenient person to have on your side during a divorce for sure. The relationship blossomed and as of yesterday during a trip to Florence, Italy, Tom proposed and Valerie accepted. Valerie told the press, “We’d talked about getting married, but I was still shocked. It was sweet when he asked me, because he was so scared. I was like, ‘Are you kidding me?’”
Tom will do the wedding planning since apparently he even has specific ideas about what type of bells should ring during the ceremony. Now that is a man in touch with his feminine side for sure. He was deathly nervous about asking her stating that, “If the time wasn’t right, I wouldn’t have asked. We’re both still a little afraid of commitment, but then we were over there, and it was like our souls were calibrated.” So ladies and gentlemen, a big congratulations are in order because Valerie, you deserve it!
This started as a tips for creating the best wedding toast tips, but I thought it would be much more fun to give you some examples of things that you simply should not say that Icame up with. The main tip I can give you is that this is not your wedding and even if you don’t like the bride or groom, it’s not about you. Here are some things that you should not say;
Worst Toast Clip #10
“Frank is lucky to have found someone that likes him for his personality and not his looks.”
Worst Toast Clip #9
“Yeah, I just don’t see this. But hey! That’s why you’re there at that table and I’m over here.”
Worst Toast Clip #8
“I know to say this is bad, but I just have to go on record to say that this is the worst mistake ever.”
Worst Toast Clip #7
“I still don’t understand why she’s wearing white, but that’s none of my business, I guess.”
Worst Toast Clip #6
“The good thing is that you’re starting out on the lower end of the ‘for better or worse‘ thing, so it’s only up from here.”
Worst Toast Clip #5
“I am so glad to see you together. I could have sworn he was gay. So either I was really wrong or you’re in for one heck of a ride.”
Worst Toast Clip #4
“This is good. Cutting it close though. What are you, like 5 months pregnant now?”
Worst Toast Clip #3
“They say that three times the charm, right?”
Worst Toast Clip #2
“Most of you don’t know that Tess is a dancer which is how these two met. At least now she won’t have to pay bills with a wad of singles anymore.”
Worst Toast Clip #1
“Even though she was with me first, you obviously saw something in her that I didn’t.”
I’m sure that you have some great wedding toasts to share also. If you already have something written down for a toast and there’s anything even remotely close to these, start over.
After watching 3 separate beach weddings occur in one day, I had a lot to comment about in regards to certain aspects such as using Ipods, guest considerations, weather, etc. It dawned on me as I watched 2 of the 3 beach weddings make the exact same mistakes, that there are many things that brides simply don’t think about. I won’t go into detail about the basic wedding elements such as food to serve, seating arrangements and items like that, but these are things that you may not have considered for beach weddings in particular.
Bride Tide One of the tricks to holding a beach wedding is timing it properly with the tides. It will make the difference as to whether you’ll hold the wedding on tight packed wet sand or the soft white sand of the dunes. Consider the tide tables and make note of when the tide is normally in or out for the particular beach where you’ll be holding your wedding. While there is normally a lot of variance from day to day, there is some consistency that you can base your service around.
Weather the Weather
It’s best to avoid hurricane seasons which can cause all types of unpredictability with not only the weather, but also the aforementioned tides. But because you’re close to the ocean, you should always have an alternate plan if it gets rained out. It’s a worse case scenario, but you need to know that if it can go wrong, it probably will. It may also be smart to spend time in the area beforehand to see if the area is prone to sand flies or if the section of beach you’re using is windy. Gusts of sand blowing in the eyes of your guests and the wedding party can quickly ruin the day.
Audio
As I mentioned in my Ipod wedding post, the ocean is the only place on earth that is both loud and relaxing at the same time. It’s a strange anomaly and it’s the relaxing part that has people forgetting about the loud ocean part altogether. The crashing waves can make it almost impossible to hear much being said. Make sure that your music is being pushed through a PA system and most importantly, that your pastor/priest/minister is also miked through that PA as well. Even the most booming natural voice won’t be able to be heard over Mother Nature. I watched two weddings where the minister wasn’t miked. The first had to yell over the ocean and it made it very unromantic when it got to the “I Do” portions of the wedding. The second was a woman pastor who simply could not be heard at all. Microphone everyone that will be talking.
Footwear
Consider what footwear your wedding party is going to be wearing and have them dress accordingly. I was surprised how many women came to a beach wedding in high heels. Make sure that your wedding party has the right type of footwear for a beach wedding and that your guests also know to plan accordingly with either flip flops or sandals.
Parents/Grandparents
Take into consideration that your parents and grandparents will have to walk the beach to their seating. If you have any relatives that require the use of canes, walkers or that have any physical disabilities that make trudging through sand difficult, you should account for extra time getting them seated or possibly even seating them beforehand.
Distract The Kids
The second children hit the beach, you can expect them to be distracted easily. Make it easier on yourself and simply accommodate that distraction by providing kids in attendance with beach themed wedding favors or even providing them with a small shovel or bucket. Maybe even set aside an area off to the side where they can play quietly making sand castles instead of having their parents managing their fidgeting instead of enjoying your big day.
Uninvited Guests If you haven’t acquired a private beach, you should expect onlookers and in some cases additional noises. Public access beaches will have your wedding surrounded by half naked adults and screaming kids complete with frisbees, dogs, and surfers. This is something to consider for potential interruptions. Most people are polite and will keep the distractions to a minimum when they see the wedding taking place, but on public beaches, you’re sharing the area with people who weren’t invited and you should anticipate the possibility of distractions.
Arranging to have your wedding on a private beach is easier than you think. In North Carolina’s Crystal Coast, you can contact major players for beach rental properties such as Emerald Isle Realty that can get you a section of the beach to call your own for the weekend to avoid all of the possible extra hub bub. They can also give you access to lodging such as huge beautiful beach houses that can comfortably accommodate 6-8 couples in one beach home for under $2500 for an entire week. Imagine the convenience of having lodging, a private beach for your wedding and also a place to hold your reception afterward and all without the need to travel from one location to the other.
Power to the People
As I mentioned with the audio issue above, you should have a PA for the music to play through including the pastor, any ceremony musicians and ceremony music as well. So it’s pretty important that you should consider that most beaches do not have electrical outlets. Be prepared to supply power to the DJ for the PA or any other items that may require some juice. You may have to be inventive with super long electrical cords running from nearby homes. And if there simply is none, think of something else because doing a beach wedding without a PA will be disastrous.
Seating
Check the sturdiness of any seating you supply. There’s nothing worse than your grandmother taking a fall when the chair legs sink into the sand behind her. Benches are typically a good idea because of their broader feet which are less susceptible to sinking into the sand once someone sits in them. It’s also best to preset each chair into the sand to make sure that any further sinking is minimal.
Aisle Be Back
The aisle where the bride will be walking towards the altar is going to be messy. If you can arrange for there to be a walkway, that would preferably be ideal, but most likely improbable. Cloth aisle runners will sink into the sand once they get stepped on by your guests and then your wedding party. Thinking outside of the box to keep the aisle still “picture worthy” will be tricky. Some ideas may include having the flowergirl use an excessive amount of flowers to cover the center aisle with a lot of flowers to partially cover up the trampled sand. It looks much nicer than an crumpled up, stepped on, sandy aisle runner that makes it almost impossible for a nice center aisle shot.
Wedding Favors
Beach themed wedding favors are a great touch for a beach wedding obviously, but do it yourself (DIY) wedding favors such as hand painted seashells or sand dollars are a nice touch and can save you tons of money. The aforementioned North Carolina Crystal Coast, and especially in the Emerald Isle area of the Crystal Coast, there are nice sized seashells virtually everywhere. Grab a few dozen and hand paint names, dates, personal notes and glitter them up for a fantastic and frugal wedding favor idea.
So those are some things that I saw many beach weddings do wrong and that you should add to your consideration pile when you’re planning a beach wedding. If you have any more great tips, be sure to add them below in the comment area. I’d love to hear them!
As a groom, I don’t know if this is a bad sign of things to come when during the wedding reception your cousin gets hit in the head with a brick, all mayhem breaks loose, your father is curled up on the ground guarding his face and someone has got your grandmother in a chokehold. Maybe your first thought is, “I better never forget our anniversary.” After you rescue your grandma, of course.
The details of this outright brawl is even more confusing, so leave it to us to sort it all out for you. On November 8th, 2009, Tasha Johnson and Markeith Brown exchanged nuptials at the Rusty Pelican restaurant in Tampa, FL. That should be a red flag right there, but this is where the story begins. The reception took place at the same location and during the reception, the groom was throwing money onto the dance floor and letting the children scurry to get the cash. The bride’s family didn’t like that at all. A few stiff comments than turned into a physical altercation with about 30 to 40 people involved which then spilled from the restaurant out into the parking lot where a man was hit in the head with a brick. Police were called in and they broke up the altercation and sent everyone on their way which at this point was the Residence Inn where most of the guests were staying and that is where the fun begins.
Enter Sandra Felicia Dean, a woman with 4 previous felony convictions and the cousin of the man who was hit with the brick. She was at her house babysitting when she heard about her cousin and immediately came out to the scene at the hotel to get more info. Nothing was said about who was watching the kids once she left, but doesn’t matter. When she arrived, she heard the groom mouthing off about the situation and she took to remedying the scenario by charging him. In her path was the 78 year old grandma who was greeted with a shove and a, “Get out of the way, old lady.” Once she reached Thompson (that’s the groom. stay with me folks), she hit him in the nose with her car keys.
The grandmother than said her peace about the situation chatting about how barbaric this had become and was met with a choke hold from Dean as she yelled in her ear, “Momma, I’m a choke you out.” Police arrived shortly thereafter when Dean finally let go. Dean and the person who arrived with her were both arrested. The groom was not arrested even though there was the brick incident that apparently no one would admit happened, but that some mumble was the groom’s doing.
Fast forward to April 2010 and Dean’s trial just finished. It took the jury less than 16 minutes to convict Dean of her 5th felony of assault on a person over 65. The judge is aiming for a stiffer sentence since Dean is obviously a career felon. As for grandma, she’s just happy about the conviction and that Dean never got a chance to choke her out. Yeah, we agree. No one should choke a granny out. It affects what’s referred to as cookie karma and it’s not pretty.
Word is that pop superstar Carrie Underwood is way too busy to do the whole beautiful wedding cake shtick and so she does what all brides in her position would do. No, dont buy the wedding cake from Publix, you do something that’s even MORE time consuming than a cake. Cupcakes! Where you have to make dozens of little cakes instead of one big one. Yes, that makes sense. Much more time efficient. However, some are saying it has nothing to do with time. It’s just what she wants to do.
Carrie has been with her fiance, hockey player Mike Fisher, since 2008. She initially shared some details about the wedding when she stated, “I‘m Southern. I like big hair and eyeliner. I want my wedding to be me, so I’ll probably be rocking some big hair and eyeliner… I want the dress to be pretty traditional. I think I want flowers on it – not real flowers. The designer will probably be someone I’ve worked with before.”
We know that the wedding will most likely be Fall or Winter themed since Carrie is currently on tour until the end of July. So, we have cupcakes for the reception, a wedding dress from a designer she’s worked with before that will have fake flowers on it, and that will most likely take place in Fall or Winter. We’re going to call Fall, because as a Georgian, there isn’t any place more beautiful in the fall than the Georgia mountains.
Swizz Beatz in a very open interview to OK Magazine recently dispelled rumors that the couple is getting married this weekend, but says that it’s coming and coming pretty fast. As for wedding planning, Swizz makes sure that he’s not going to just “show up”, but that he’s going to have a big hand in planning the festivities.
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