Online Flowers That Don’t Measure Up

Like any bride, Durham’s Emma Lumley wanted her wedding day to be perfect and unique.

She ordered custom cake toppers and a really cool cake. Her father picked out her wedding gown and bought it before she saw it.

“I thought it was absolutely stunning,” she recalled.

She thought she had made a smart choice with her flowers, too. To cut costs, she ordered them online. She paid nearly $470 for calla lilies, orchids, rose petals filler and a “hydration kit.”

“I’d say we saved $500,” she thought – until her order arrived, late and wilted…

http://www.wral.com/5onyourside/story/3375211/

See also homemade wedding centerpiece ideas

Olympic Volleyball Star Gets Wedding Ring Back

Kerri Walsh found one sure way to go for the gold at the Beijing Olympics – use a metal detector.

The American beach volleyball star lost her wedding band during a Sunday morning match as she went up for a block against Japan’s Mika Saiki and Chiaki Kusuhara, the Associated Press reports.

Although a metal detector could indicate where the ring was lost in the sand, the particles shifted considerably from the time of Walsh’s 9 a.m. match to the 3 p.m. search for the ring. Still, volunteer Song Zhendong dug up the ring after about 20 minutes of looking – and was due to return it to Walsh on Monday.

“It’s a plain gold band,” said Peter Paul Hreszczuk, the FIVB official manning the metal detector, “but obviously very precious…

http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20218317,00.html

Also see Sayings to Engrave on a Wedding Ring

Invitation to a Star Wars Wedding

Rebecca D’Madeiros and Bill Duda were married in their backyard in Portland, Oregon in June, and requested their friends and family dressed as characters from the films.

The couple, who are both 36, spent nine months planning the intergalactic celebration.

“Rebecca and I are massive fans of the films and when were were planning the wedding we thought why not Star Wars?”, said Mr Duda, a school teacher. “It was a lot of fun – after all, it’s not everyday you get to be married by Yoda.”

Dressed as the characters Mon Mothma and Admiral Ackbar from the Star Wars series, the bride and groom were led out from their house into the garden by a line of Imperial Stomtroopers.

“The wedding was so informal at the start but obviously when the actual ceremony took place people became at bit more respectful,” says Justin Winokur, 33, who was there to photograph the event…

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/2539466/Star-Wars-fans-have-themed-wedding-with-Yoda-presiding.html

Also see wedding program wording

Book Devoted to Ethnic Wedding Cakes

After years of scouring the bookshelves for books relevant to African American brides, this owner of NY’s only dessert delivery company decided to write her own. The result is “Taking the Cake” the Ultimate Wedding Cake Guide for the Ethnic Bride.

Although the wedding industry is a multi-billion dollar industry, very little of it is geared towards women of color. The popular wedding magazines never feature a black bride, and only occasionally feature one as a bridesmaid. The expensive wedding books written by Martha Stewart and others contain fabulous weddings featuring Caucasian couples, and never address issues that might be found within the black community.
Regina McRae began Grandma’s Secrets 15 years ago with $10 and $9 pies at the urging of others who tasted her desserts and urged her to go into business.

As the business grew, she diversified from pies and traditional cakes into custom cakes, and eventually wedding cakes. While helping the brides design their cakes, she constantly encountered the same lack of information and dearth of available designs. “Even the beautiful cakes in the magazines featured flavors that we do not traditionally eat, such as wasabi infused ganache, and walnut genoise with key lime filling” she laments. Even when able to find resource guides for ethnic weddings, she found that they devoted no more than a few chapters to the cake…

http://www.newswiretoday.com/news/38207/

See also wedding cake stands

Princess Diana’s Wedding Cake for Auction

A big slice of Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s wedding cake is set to sell for more than £2,000 at auction. The 27-year-old cake – decorated with the royal coat of arms – was given to Moyra Smith, a cleaner at Clarence House, by a royal chef in 1981…

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2008/08/13/news-115875-20695290/

See also directions to make a wedding cake

Cruise Ship Wedding

Tamara Nicole Neal and Warren Keith Bostic were united in marriage at 1 p.m. on Sunday, July 6, 2008 in a double-ring ceremony aboard the Carnival Conquest cruise ship in Galveston Harbor. A reception followed onboard in Vincent’s Jazz Lounge.

The onboard reception featured a live jazz band, hot and cold hors d’oeuvres, champagne toasts, and an ice sculpture of two doves.

Following their honeymoon cruise to Jamaica, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel, Mexico, the bride’s parents hosted a reception at Caney Creek Lodge in Teague on July 19. Guests enjoyed a dinner of unique fondues, a three-tiered wedding cake, and an Italian cream groom’s cake…

http://www.tricountyleader.com/news/2008/0731/Social/016.html

Also see honeymoon cruise deals

Personal Touches Add To Weddings

You’ve turned heads and dazzled in your gown or tux, exchanged your vows and struck a pose for your photos – now you’re ready for the party.

But not all newlyweds are leaving the entertainment on their big day solely to a DJ or live band – some are getting in on the action themselves.

Whether it’s the first steps into the hall or onto the dance floor, some just-married couples are sprinkling an added dash of personal flair to the festivities, incorporating everything from choreographed dancing to pyrotechnics designed to wow their wedding reception guests.

Natasha Horrelt knew she wanted to find a way to infuse her South African heritage into her July wedding in Edmonton while leaving a lasting impression on the guests – and her husband, Kevin, was game.

As guests took their seats awaiting the couple’s arrival, they had no idea the reception would kick off with a bang – literally…

http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5gxd5zOaJKyIOAVe-6m0S06MsO5Nw

Couples Spend Less On Weddings

Ahhh, the big day — when wedding dreams come true with flowing champagne, live music and the perfect dress by Vera Wang.

This year, add to that list soaring gas prices, job insecurity, foreclosures and a depressed dollar.

These unromantic downers are forcing couples to take a hard look at what they’re spending on their special day. In many cases, the new economic reality means downsized ambitions. Couples are scaling back on their guest lists, replacing filet mignon with chicken and crossing out honeymoon plans to Italy because of the sinking value of the dollar. Some are choosing exotic destination weddings instead of hometown fetes to keep their guest numbers low. Others are making small cuts where they can: getting professionals to print invitations but stuffing envelopes themselves or replacing expensive peonies with cheaper roses.

 

 

“Every time I pump gas into my car, I think, ‘That’s $60 I could have put into better invitations or another guest,’ ” said Arielle Etienne, a soon-to-be bride in Woodbridge, Va., who is looking for corners to cut to save on her October wedding.

Richard Markel, director of the Association for Wedding Professionals International, estimates that couples are spending $1,500 less this year on the average $28,000 wedding…

http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/Business/Headlines/bizBIZ01080608.htm

Engagement Rings in 2008 May Be Smaller

A year ago, Blue Nile was a Wall Street darling as its stock traded above $80 and U.S. consumers, seemingly oblivious to signs of a slowing economy, shelled out thousands of dollars for diamond-engagement rings.

Now, Blue Nile’s stock is below $40, and consumers no longer are oblivious: In a conference call with analysts Tuesday, Blue Nile executives said consumers are trading down to less-expensive jewelry on its Web site amid tough economic conditions.

“Customers in the second quarter of 2008 on average bought smaller carat stones compared to a year ago,” said Chief Financial Officer Marc Stolzman…

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2008094431_bluenile060.html

See also antique replica wedding rings

Weddings Going Green

Carlsbad wedding expert Pamela Noxon is on a mission to show brides that in planning an environmentally conscious ceremony, they don’t have to plan on schlepping down the aisle in Birkenstocks and an itchy hemp dress. A bride and groom can say yes to the planet while saying “I do” to each other with style and elegance, she said.

Based on a growing interest Noxon has seen in eco-friendly weddings, she will hold her first green bridal show March 8 at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront Hotel.

“Not only is it the zeitgeist — it’s really what’s happening with every business,” said Noxon, owner of Sandiegowedding.com and The Wedding Party Bridal Show. “A bridal show, the actual production of it, I think is a relatively easy business to evolve into a more green company…

http://www.todayslocalnews.com/?sect=tln&p=5566

See also wedding dresses for Hawaii weddings