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Bridal july 2014

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Page 1: Bridal july 2014

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Fall2014Bridal world

Page 2: Bridal july 2014

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2 Ludington Daily News/Bridal

Wacky wedding facts to know

(MS) — According to TheKnot.com, the un-official experts on all things weddings, there are some things that may surprise the average person about weddings across the country. Here are some facts to consider.

• Weddings in Iowa and Nebraska are the big-gest, averaging 200 guests.

• Most brides have one do-it-yourself element, such as favors or escort cards.

• “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” and “Lady in Red” are the two most popular first dance songs (even though 87 percent of brides wear white). Only 19 percent of couples rely on a wedding plan-ner.

• Ancient Romans broke a cake over the bride’s head to symbolize fertility. Today, brides must be fortunate to have only a little cake smashed in their faces!

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Ludington Daily News/Bridal 3

Getting engaged is just the beginning ... now what?MS — Have you recently gotten en-

gaged? This is the time for you and your soon-to-be to get everything you ever wanted — whether you’re starting from scratch, upgrading, expanding or replacing. Turn a whole bunch of mis-matched mine and yours into a lifetime of ours.

“When it comes to registering, relax, take your time and have fun,” recom-mends Audrey Stavish, a Bridal and Gift Registry expert at Bed Bath & Beyond. “Most brides update their registries on-line and go into the stores many times. There aren’t any rules that you must fol-low. Choose items that are right for you and your soon-to-be. Go through the registry process together and have fun!”

Here are some additional tips to make wedding planning a breeze:

• Plan Ahead: Start a bridal regis-try as soon as you say “yes.” That way guests will have lots of options for en-gagement gifts and showers. Periodical-ly update your registry by adding more products if you need to, even after the wedding. Be kind to procrastinators.

• Do the Math: Experts advise regis-

tering for 2-3 items times the number of guests you plan to have. Close friends and family will rely on your registry for special events leading up to the wed-ding — such as engagement parties, bridal showers, and holidays! Your guests will appreciate having lots of choices when they shop for you. Be sure to refresh your list regularly as gifts get purchased.

• Register Now, Because You Won’t Buy it Later: You may think you will ... but you won’t. Now is the time to let others get you the stuff you’d never buy yourself. Your friends and family might even get together to purchase a higher priced “group gift.”

• Dream Big: Register for gifts in a range of prices and categories. This will give guests and group givers lots of op-tions to choose from.

• Remember the Rule of Three: When it comes to setting your table, if you choose bold patterns for your china and flatware, pick a more simple style of glassware. Prefer intricate stemware? Pair it with simpler patterns of china and flatware. So, it’s bold/bold/simple

or simple/simple/bold.• Visit a Store: It’s in YOUR best in-

terest to visit a store and schedule an appointment with an expert consul-tant who can help you with your gift se-lections and share great tips like “The Rule of Three,” what cookware you will need to prepare your favorite dish, what knife to use when and much more. When making your selections, it’s im-portant to touch the towels, heft the flatware, see everything in person!

• C’mon Back: Most couples don’t make all their selections in a single spree. Plan on making multiple visits.

Once you’ve set up your registry, take advantage of Bed Bath & Beyond’s Brid-al Toolkit(R), the complimentary wed-ding planning tools available at bed-bathandbeyond.com, including your own Personal Wedding Web site, bud-geter, task manager, guest list manager, gift tracker and even a seating arranger. This way, all of your information can be stored in one convenient place.

Congratulations and best wishes on your engagement. Now get registering and let the gift-giving begin.

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Shirley & Colton GregoryCarrying on the family tradition

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4 Ludington Daily News/Bridal

Pack an emergency wedding day kit(MS) — Brides- and grooms-to-be hope

and pray their wedding day will go off without a hitch. After a year or more of planning and writing checks for so many things, couples hope that it all comes to-gether in the end. For most it does. Oth-ers may need a little help keeping things on track.

Although the idea is to hope for the best, being prepared for a few obstacles along the way can ensure the day goes smoothly. Many couples find it wise to pack an emergency kit, stocked with items to make repairs or handle tie ups with ease.

Brides and grooms can use this check-list to compile a wedding day kit that meets their needs and customize with any speciality items.

• needle and thread in white, black and the color of bridesmaid gowns

• extra pairs of pantyhose

• pain reliever pills• antacid• quick-clean detergent stick• bandages• powder• deodorant• double-sided tape• black buttons• sanitary pads• mints/gum• makeup for touch-ups• extra cash• slippers or a change of shoes• umbrellas• hairspray• hair pins• names and phone numbers of all

wedding vendors• static cling spray• hair dryer• contact lens solution/eye drops• nail file

• nail clipper• straws (to sip drinks without ruining

lipstick)• safety pins• black socks• earring backs

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Ludington Daily News/Bridal 5

Technology may transform the future of weddings

(MS) — Imagine sending out personalized, colorful e-vites inviting guests to a wedding ceremony and re-ception. Or plugging in an MP3 player with a pre-set wedding music playlist to get people dancing. How about recording the festivities on handheld video cameras and uploading data instantly to a social networking site? Some or all of these techno-logical conveniences are al-ready growing in popularity, revolutionizing the way cou-ples plan and carry through with wedding plans along the way.

Many couples are choos-ing to eschew the formalities and traditions associated with weddings for the con-venience that many digital or technological advancements can provide. Electronic wed-ding invitations are just one of the many aspects of the

wedding that have begun to embrace the digital age.

There are several advan-tages to enlisting the help of technology to execute a wed-ding. First and foremost is the cost factor. The number of items that couples can do themselves will greatly cut down on the expenses of hir-ing professional vendors. Budget-conscious couples may seriously want to con-sider sending e-vites, which can save several hundreds of dollars on printing costs and postage.

Another advantage is that technology might be more environmentally respon-sible. Eliminating wedding stationery or hiring individu-als who have to travel to and from the ceremony and re-ception, as is the case with a band or photographer, re-duces carbon emissions and further energy.

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6 Ludington Daily News/Bridal

Lyndsey Wessendorf

and Szymon Zahel take a moment for a photo on their wed-

ding day on Ludington’s

north breakwall.

DENYSE BRIGGS

PHOTOGRAPHY

Page 7: Bridal july 2014

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Ludington Daily News/Bridal 7

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8 Ludington Daily News/Bridal

(MS) — There’s no getting around the fact that weddings can be expensive.

For many couples, they’re the first of the larg-est expenses they will make together. It’s quite easy for individuals to go over budget on their wedding day if they do not carefully keep track of what has been spent on all the elements of the big day.

Use this budget planner to keep all of the costs associated with the wedding in one easy-to-man-age place.

Wedding Items _____________Budgeted Amount ___________Amount Spent ______________Venue and rentals ____________Food and service _____________Beverages _________________Cake ____________________Miscellaneous fees ____________Gown and alterations ___________Headpiece and veil ____________Accessories _______________Makeup and Hair _____________Groom’s tux or suit ___________ Groom’s accessories ___________Floral arrangements ___________Bouquets _________________

Ring pillow ________________Boutonnieres _______________Corsages _________________Reception decorations _________Lighting _________________Ceremony musicians __________Reception musicians __________Photography _______________Videography _______________Transportation ______________Favors ___________________Ceremony fee______________Invitations _________________Stationery_________________Wedding rings ______________Honeymoon _______________Other expenses _____________

Make a budget, stick to it

________________________ ________________________ ________________________

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Ludington Daily News/Bridal 9

(MS) — Environmentally friendly ideals are now per-meating all aspects of daily living. Many people want to take the concept further and ensure their nuptials — and subsequent reception — are good for the planet as well.

Although there are no firm statistics on the number of green weddings being held each year, emerging trends point to the growing inter-est in eco-conscious wed-dings. Individuals who already do their best to re-cycle, reuse and reduce want to employ those same values on their wedding day.

There are many ways to employ a green mindset to wedding planning and ex-ecution. Largely the carbon footprint of a wedding can be reduced simply by scal-ing back and avoiding over-consumption. Here are some ideas to think about.

1. Reduce travel. Research indicates that more than two-thirds of emissions in the U.S. are produced by energy consumption and transpor-tation. By reducing guests’ need to travel far for a wed-ding or offering transporta-tion that can accommodate several people at once (like a bus), carbon emissions will be reduced.

2. Home is where the heart is. Keeping weddings close to home is helpful. Those with big backyards or a park nearby can host the event at home or in a nearby park and reduce dependence on large reception halls that use up large amounts of en-ergy to operate. A home wed-

ding also gives couples the opportunity to shop around for locally produced, organic foods.

3. Shop for floral alterna-tives. Flowers would seem “green” in themselves. How-ever, many blooms available at florist shops are grown in hothouses with the use of pesticides and chemical fer-tilizers, something that is not very good for the envi-ronment at all. Brides opting for something more eco-con-scious could consider alter-native options, such as bou-quets made of sustainable

succulent plants and center-pieces full of organic fruits and wildflowers.

4. Choose an open regis-try. Instead of fine china that may never be used, many couples are opting for open registries that enable guests to gift everything from eco-friendly housewares to chari-table donations to cash for down payments on a home.

5. Opt for mixed seat-ing arrangements: Instead of formal escort cards indi-cating firm seating arrange-ments, couples are saving paper by allowing guests to

choose their own seats from mix-matched options, such as long, communal benches and comfy sofas.

6. Go with something old. Recycled gowns and gently used items are good alter-natives for eco-conscious brides. Many Web sites will match up brides with others looking to swap items at low or no cost.

7. Skip the paper. Though etiquette experts frown on abandoning paper invita-tions for electronic ones, many couples are doing just that. For those who still pre-fer paper, print invitations on recycled paper. Reduce other wedding stationery needs by posting informa-tion on a wedding Web site shared with family and friends.

8. Go small scale. Instead of inviting every last cousin and distant uncle, couples are opting for more inti-mate affairs, including only the people they are closest to, which saves on cost and helps the environment.

9. Trim some of the wed-ding day fat. Some couples opt for an all-you-can-eat buffet and then a subsequent dessert bar later on in the evening. Stuffed guests may end up wasting more food than eating it. Instead of all-you-can, go for a more tradi-tional meal.

10. Choose a charitable party favor. Instead of a par-ty favor that collects dust on a shelf, couples are choosing to gift with organic products or a donation to a charitable organization in the guests’ names.

10 trends for ‘green’ weddings

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10 Ludington Daily News/Bridal

Couples are faced with many deci-sions when planning a wedding. One often overlooked decision concerns the guest list.

Ideally, couples would love to invite all their friends and family to share in their special day. Realistically, how-ever, budget often dictates just how many guests a couple can invite.

That reality has led to a disagree-ment or two over the years, as both the bride-to-be and her future hus-band make their case for who makes the cut.

To help avoid such disagreements, couples should consider the following tips when paring down their guest list.

MAKE A MASTER LIST AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE It’s impossible to pare down a guest

list if there’s no list to begin with. Once the planning process begins, couples should separately write down all the guests they would like to invite. Once each is finished with their list, the hard work of paring that list down can begin.

CONSIDER WHO’S FOOTING THE BILLIf Mom and Dad are paying for the

wedding, then their suggestions for the guest list should carry most of the weight. Weddings are very expensive, and if Mom and Dad are paying they should have a significant say who will be in attendance.

The same principle can be applied if the couple is paying for their own wed-ding. If the costs are being split down the middle, then both the groom- and bride-to-be should be allowed to invite the same number of guests.

ASK THAT KIDS STAY HOMEMany couples request that their

guests leave the kids at home. While nieces and nephews might make the cut, it’s perfectly acceptable for couples to state their preference that children not attend.

This can be noted on the invitation,

addressing friends as “Mr. John Doe and guest” or “Mr. and Mrs. John Doe.” Guests should take the hint, but if any RSVPs with their kids, be sure to call them immediately and explain the situ-ation. Friends and family should under-stand the preference, particularly in the current economic climate.

IT’S NOT A REUNIONCouples are often tempted to invite

long-lost friends to their wedding. But cost-conscious couples must recognize their wedding is not a reunion.

If the goal is to keep the guest list un-der control, only invite close friends and family members who have kept in touch with over the years.

STICK TO YOUR GUNSCouples vary greatly with what they

want out of their wedding. Some want a grandiose affair they can share with

their whole family and all of their friends. Other couples want a more laid-back affair with only those closest to them in attendance.

Whatever their preference, couples should remain firm and not feel guilty no matter how many guests they choose to invite or not invite.

CUT BACK IN OTHER AREAS. If it’s proving simply impossible to

agree on a reduced guest list, consid-er inviting everyone and cutting back in other areas. Before signing any con-tracts, closely examine each one for items that can be removed without drastically changing the ceremony and celebration.

Chances are there are savings to be had, and those savings might make the difference between inviting and not in-viting another friend or family member.

Making the guest list — helpful tips

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Ludington Daily News/Bridal 11

PHOTOGRAPHY BY SUE BROWN

Whitney Petersen and Todd McIntosh enjoy the statues at Waterfront Park after their wedding at St. Simon’s Church June 7, 2014.

Page 12: Bridal july 2014

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12 Ludington Daily News/Bridal

Say ‘I Do’ to beautiful color(MS) — “Gems are the flowers of the

mineral kingdom and the fancy colored diamond is the orchid.” — Rene Just Hauey, crystallographer

Engagements, weddings, anniver-saries — these are the moments in our lives that make up so many of our stron-gest memories. Part of the reason these special occasions are so memorable is due to the lengths we go to set them apart from others — including the traditions and gifts used to mark the events.

Jewelry is an integral part of rela-tionship ceremonies and celebrations. We seek the brightest and the best in gems as a testament to our love and devotion. However, in the quest for something unique and breathtaking, many couples or gift-givers overlook the one truly priceless item they can purchase ... natural colored diamonds.

White diamonds are often the gem-stone of choice in engagement rings or

anniversary bands, but there’s some-thing rarer that can make the ultimate statement: Natural colored diamonds.

According to historians, natural colored diamonds have been prized throughout the years for their rarity and appeal.

Natural colored diamonds are born in different diamond mines around the world. Their hues are formed by stray atoms present at the time of for-mation. Colors can range from very rare blues to pinks to yellows to choc-olates

Incorporating natural colored dia-monds into a jewelry collection is as easy as using your imagination. Plus, you can obtain a little help from “Col-or Man,” Arthur Langerman and his daughter Natacha, colored diamond expert gemologists. Here are Nata-cha’s tips for gifting and using natural colored diamonds:

• Propose with a colored diamond. Tie it

into her favorite childhood color or even the color of her eyes.

• Make the “something blue” at your wedding a beautiful pendant necklace or earrings adorned with a rare, blue hued diamond.

• Tie a jewelry gift into his or her heri-tage. Irish eyes will be smiling with a green colored diamond. Or tell your loved one you consider him or her to be royalty with a regal purple diamond.

• Celebrate traditional anniversary mile-stones with colored diamonds. For ex-ample, “leather” on the 3rd anniversary can be a chocolate colored diamond, while “candy” on the 6th anniversary can be ex-emplified by a cotton candy pink colored diamond.

• Show her how much you care on your anniversary by offering colored diamonds that coordinate with the birthstones of your children.

• Gift him with a diamond ring or cufflinks that feature the colors of his favorite sports

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Ludington Daily News/Bridal 13

Wardrobe options for second-time brides(MS) — Remarriage rates

continue to increase, and many vendors are now cater-ing specifically to couples en-tering second marriages.

A bride getting married for the second or third time has just as many attire options as she did for her first wed-ding.

Research indicates that more than half of all mar-riages end in divorce. The silver lining to that cloud is that 54 percent of divorced women remarry within 5

years, according to the Na-tional Center for Health Statistics. Furthermore, 75 percent of divorced wom-en remarry within 10 years. These statistics show that the need for bridal gowns for women entering a new mar-riage remains strong.

When choosing a gown for a second wedding, brides-to-be can use their discretion.

Gone is the stigma of wearing white. However, brides still may want to choose an alternative color

to bright white to be more complementary to their skin tones. Off-white, pale yellow and pale pink can be flatter-ing shades.

If second brides do choose to wear white, they may want to avoid a flat white color. In-stead, they can opt to wear a shimmery shade of white and a gown with a little more pizzazz.

The gown — just as with first-time weddings — should be as formal or as casual as the wedding itself. At after-

noon weddings it may be ac-ceptable to wear a tea-length gown or even a cocktail dress.

Enhance beachside or casu-al affairs with less elaborate gowns. Formal second wed-dings should still feature a gown that is formal in nature.

A more mature bride may feel more comfortable wear-ing a well-tailored pantsuit rather than a gown.

Again, the choice is up to the bride regarding what she wants to wear.

Buying ‘the dress’(MS) — For most brides-to-be, the

choice of a dress is among the first and most important decisions in planning a wedding.

With thousands of choices in every price range, finding the perfect wed-ding dress can be a difficult and time-consuming process. But by making some decisions before setting foot in a store, the search will be both easier and a whole lot more enjoyable.

FIRST THINGS FIRSTStart by knowing your limits. To avoid disappointment down the

line, determine the maximum amount that you can spend on a dress — and don’t forget to include all the little ex-tras, such as undergarments, shoes, jewelry, veil, and/or hair ornaments. Next, take an inventory of your personal style. If you know that you’re not com-fortable in strapless or sleeveless dress-es, for example, you can immediately eliminate these options. The trick is to rule out a few style options before hit-ting the magazines or stores and then be open to all other options.

FIRM YET FLEXIBLEThere will be no shortage of opinions

— from mothers, sisters, friends, and store personnel — about your choice of a wedding dress, but the decision, ulti-mately, is the bride’s alone.

GO FOR A FLATTERING FITRemember: Your goal is to find a

dress that flatters your body and ex-presses your personal style — not to fit into a particular size.

If you look ghostly in white, feel free to choose a creamier shade or a dress that has decorative accents of a differ-ent color near your neck, shoulders and face.

COMFORT IS KEYStyle and fit may be the two most im-

portant factors in choosing a wedding dress, but comfort should be a close third.

Ask yourself if you will be comfort-able in a particular dress given the set-ting in which your wedding will take place.

For instance, if you’ve always dreamed of an outdoor wedding, you may want forego a dress with a long, trailing train that could trip you up on your walk to or down the aisle.

Even if you’re planning an indoor event, having a dress and shoes that are as comfortable as they are beautiful will greatly increase your odds of enjoying your special day to the fullest.

Staying true to your style while finding your dream gown

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14 Ludington Daily News/Bridal

Origins of popular bridal customs(MS) — Chances are those who have

attended a wedding have witnessed some popular traditions take place.

The bride wears a veil, a court of wed-ding attendants accompanies the bride and groom, and birdseed, rice or flow-er petals are tossed. But have you ever wondered why? The wedding customs are ripe with tradition and harken back to days when superstition and myth of-ten ruled the day.

• Throwing rice: Today it has become de rigueur to blow bubbles, toss bird-seed or release doves when the bride and groom leave the house of worship newly betrothed.

That’s because savvy individuals found that raw rice can pose a hazard to birds pecking in the area. However, rice throwing is an old custom that dates back to the Middle Ages, when wheat or rice where thrown to symbolize fertility for the couple.

• Bouquet: Nowadays, the bride car-

ries a beautiful bouquet of flowers. But the purpose of the bouquet held differ-ent meanings in the past. Saracen brides carried orange blossoms for fertility. Others carried a combination of herbs and flowers to ward off evil spirits with their aroma. Bouquets of dill were often carried, again for fertility reasons, and after the ceremony, the dill was eaten to encourage lust.

• Bridesmaids: There may be argu-ments over dresses and how many bridesmaids to have in a wedding par-ty now, but in ancient times it was “the more the merrier.” That’s because bridesmaids were another measure to keep the bride safe against evil spirits.

• Wedding rings: Wearing of wedding rings dates back to ancient Egypt. The round shape of a ring symbolizes eter-nal love. The ring is worn on the fourth finger of the left hand because it is be-lieved this finger has a blood vessel that goes directly to the heart.

• Wedding cake: The traditional wed-ding cake evolved from Roman times when the cake was originally made from wheat. It was broken over the bride’s head to ensure fertility.

All of the guests eat a piece for good luck. Single women used to place a piece of wedding cake under their pil-lows in the hopes of finding their own husbands.

• Father accompanying the bride: This tradition symbolizes that the bride’s father endorses the choice in husbands and is presenting his daugh-ter as a pure bride to that man.

• Kissing the bride: In older times, a kiss symbolized a legal bond. There-fore, the bride and groom kissed to seal the deal on their betrothal.

There are many traditions surround-ing a wedding that people simply ac-cept. But understanding their origins can make the ceremony more meaning-ful.

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Ludington Daily News/Bridal 15

Getting married during the holidaysAlthough prime wedding season

runs from May through October, many brides- and grooms-to-be choose to tie the knot during the winter, with the hol-idays providing a popular backdrop to the wedding festivities.

Holiday weddings are often joyous affairs. People are jolly, decorations abound, and there’s a chance that some snowfall can make your picturesque photo dreams come true. And consider-ing most churches and reception sites are already trimmed in seasonal decor to accommodate various holiday par-ties, chances are you can save a little money on floral arrangements and ex-tra accessories.

Having a wedding during the holidays also makes it easier to plan out themes and color schemes. For those who have difficulty deciding on bubblegum pink bridesmaids gowns or teal table linens, working with the colors of the winter season makes planning simple. Choose

among burgundy, berry red, forest green, gold, silver, cream, and light blue to set the mood of the event.

Because the holidays are already a busy time of the year, there are a few other considerations couples should heed when planning their weddings.

• Push up the dates you do all of your meetings with vendors. The sea-son is awash in parties and other fes-tive events; therefore, reception sites, caterers, florists, limousine services, and disc jockeys may book quickly. Try to secure as many vendors as pos-sible as soon as you set your wedding date.

• Consult with a clergy member to discuss having a religious wedding during the holiday season. Certain dates may be restricted due to liturgi-cal requirements or simply because of special church-related events.

• Wedding guests are likely to be busy themselves during the holiday

season, so be sure to send out save-the-date cards to advertise your wed-ding well in advance of sending out the actual invitations.

• Flowers may be more expensive this time of the year, so spread a tight budget by including candles, green-ery (like evergreen branches or holly) or simple poinsettia plants with other more traditional flowers.

• Be sure to factor weather into the planning. If gowns will not have sleeves, be sure to select shrugs or capes that can be worn for warmth.

• Get creative with wedding cakes to tie into the theme.

• Also keep in mind that this is a busy travel season. Therefore you may want to wait until well after New Year’s before embarking on your honeymoon.

A wedding during the holiday season can be magical and something that adds even more sentimental value to an al-ready joyous time of year.

Page 16: Bridal july 2014

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16 Ludington Daily News/Bridal


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