Wedding, new horse, birthday highlight week

The sun is shining bringing a little warmth with the chilly weather. Our mercury on the thermometer dipped down all the way to 35 degrees this morning. Brrr! Without heat in the house it felt good to wear a sweater.
Even Izzy (Elizabeth's Yorkie) is trying to find a spot to lie where the sun is shining into the house. This is the second day of this cool weather. I'm hoping the rest of the week will be warmer as we would like to put the rest of my garden out.
Today is Elizabeth's last day of work at the factory until June 1. They get Friday and next week off and tomorrow she is taking the day off to go to her friend Linda's wedding. Timothy and Elizabeth will be evening servers at the wedding. Elizabeth has to wear mint green and Timothy a white shirt with black pants and vest.
Next week is nephew John's wedding and Elizabeth and Verena's teal colored dresses have to be cut out and sewn yet. Timothy also needs to wear a teal color shirt for this wedding. Elizabeth will sew all three outfits so I'm so glad she gets some time off.
The wedding of nephew Levi and Barbara is now history. We arrived home around 11 p.m. A little over four hours later my husband Joe had to get up to go work at the factory. Needless to say, he was ready for an early bedtime Friday evening.
It was a nice, cool and sunny day for the wedding. Fried chicken was on the menu so the cool weather made it easier on the cooks that had to fry the chicken. My job was to help with the mashed potatoes. They had more than 50 cooks so it didn't seem like I had too much to do that day. Daughter Verena was a table waiter and had to wear light blue. The cooks all wore royal blue.
All eight of us siblings were at the wedding. Brother Amos had a 3-year-old horse at the wedding that he trained and was going to sell. Joe and I decided to buy him as we are in need of another horse. His name is Mighty and is a very gentle horse. Nieces Elizabeth and Emma's special friends, Menno and Manuel, brought Mighty along up with them to our house on Friday evening. It was greatly appreciated.
Joe and I took Mighty to town on Saturday to get groceries. He's so calm around the traffic and the farm equipment. That means a lot to have a horse who handles traffic well, keeping us safe and sound.
Daughter Lovina had her eleventh birthday on Monday May 18. She wanted to make her own cake. She used a heart-shaped pan. I helped her decorate it. We had grilled hamburgers and macaroni and cheese along with the cake and ice cream in honor of her birthday. Joseph, 12, and Lovina made cheddar and sour cream popcorn for Lovina to take to school to treat her classmates. Some of her classmates asked her to bring the popcorn that she makes for a birthday treat.
On Friday evening, Mose (Susan's friend) brought brats and grilled them for our supper. Then on Saturday Timothy (Elizabeth's friend) deep-fried blue gill fish for our supper. Elizabeth made French fries to go with the fish. I appreciated getting out of the cooking several nights.

Friday, Rhoda (a friend of our daughters), brought lunch for the men working here on our pole building. Her boyfriend Nate works with the crew and she wanted to surprise him. She served ranch potatoes, sloppy joe sandwiches, pork and beans, ice cream, and cake. I'll share her recipe for ranch potatoes.

Houses dressed up for wedding season

Whether it’s the fashion aspect, feelings of nostalgia or the romance associated with the big day, people can’t seem to satisfy their fascination with weddings. According to Google, there are about 114,000,000 websites containing the term “wedding dress.”
The Livingston County Historical Society recently announced a special weddings theme would be on display in Pontiac at the Jones House at 314 E. Madison St., and the Catharine V. Yost Museum, 298 W. Water St.
The homes will display their wedding themes from 1 to 4 p.m. during Heritage Days on Saturday. Volunteers hope people visit the homes and learn a little bit about Livingston County culture through the clothing.
“We want people to like history,” Thompson said. “History isn’t just dates and politics. It’s about real people and how they lived their lives. I hope that people will look at these dresses and try to imagine how it might be to live in a different time.”
Almost every room in each house will feature wedding attire ranging in period and style from the 1800s to today. What has surprised the decorators — JoEllen Murphy for the Yost house and Brenda Thompson for the Jones House — is the amount of color in early dresses.
“People are amazed when I show them some of the wedding dresses because women at the time didn’t want to walk through a dusty town wearing white and they didn’t make a dress just to wear it once,” Thompson said. “It had to be practical because it was worn not only at church, but also a big parties or festivities, too.”
Another reason white wasn’t practical is because it was difficult to keep clean and the chemicals needed to attain pure white clothing weren’t around. An informational sheet near one of the Yost House dresses reads, “The white wedding dress did not really become expected until about 1800. Deep colors were popular with brides because they could be worn often after the wedding and were suitable for honeymoon destinations.” It goes on to say that gold, yellow and blue were symbols of fidelity at the time.
Both Murphy and Thompson agreed, what makes the dresses so interesting is how different they are. Murphy said this is the first time the wedding clothing has been put on display. When the Yost family left the house to the historical society, it left everything.

“They had three children and none of them married, so when the last one died the family willed the house to the city and left everything,” Murphy said. “Not all the clothing on display is from the Yost family. I tried to keep the older clothing downstairs and the newer examples upstairs. We have about seven or eight dresses to display, but we also have a bunch of flower girl dresses and men’s clothing, too.”

Consumer Alert: Make sure a scam does not ruin your wedding

Summer weddings are common in Arkansas, and brides and grooms are currently making final preparations. However, couples need to take proper precautions to avoid having their big day turn into a big pay day for con artists posing as vendors.
Reports of these types of scams have surfaced across the country. Recently, a Colorado couple purchased their honeymoon online, only to have their plans cancelled when the booking company disappeared. More than 80 Massachusetts couples were victims of a videographer who never provided their video footage. Another scammer victimized 73 Missouri couples promising them a renovated historic venue for their wedding but he did not acquire the proper permits to update the property, then kept the couples' money.
Attorney General Leslie Rutledge issued today's consumer alert to help Arkansas consumers avoid being taken advantage of by wedding scammers.
"A wedding day is a cause for celebration," said Attorney General Rutledge. "But consumers need to know about the potential of wedding vendor fraud. A photographer, baker or florist could take the order and money, then never deliver services."
Attorney General Rutledge released the following tips for brides, grooms and families who are booking wedding vendors to ensure they are working with reputable and experienced merchants:
· Research and compare vendors, get multiple estimates and check references for all.
· Pay with a credit card because it is a more secure form of payment than cash or check.
· Avoid paying in full before receiving services.
· Get everything in writing and make sure contracts include dates, times, promised services, details, cancellation charges and overtime charges.
· Establish a timeline of when the vendor is expected to show up and perform the job.
· Stay in contact with vendors throughout the planning process.
· Consider consulting with a professional, reputable wedding planner.
· Consider purchasing wedding insurance that would mitigate problems if a vendor does not show up and cover cancellations due to weather or sickness.

· Read each contract in full and look for hidden costs like cake cutting, corking fees, additional taxes and gratuities, and employee overtime.

Afghan weddings: bigger, fatter and hard to tame

With a burst of confetti, dancers clap and twirl around a garland-bedecked groom as Afghanistan's wedding season kicks into high gear, but lawmakers pushing for austerity are bent on taming out-of-control guest lists.
Kabul wedding halls with Las Vegas-style razzle dazzle are busy as Afghans rush to get hitched before next month's Ramadan fasting begins, in a colourful contrast to the Taliban era when musical revelry and dancing were banned.
Hundreds of people -- not counting the ubiquitous wedding crashers -- typically attend celebrations in these halls segregated by gender, with a bulging guest list seen both as a social obligation and a totem of affluence.
"In Afghanistan you invite the whole village, the whole tribe, everyone who ever invited you to their wedding -- and they bring their own guests," Akbar Sabawoon said over the din of drumbeats in Qasr-e-Paris (Paris Palace), a neon-spangled hall with a huge replica of the Eiffel Tower in the forecourt.
"If you invite 1,000 people, be ready to entertain 1,500," the cousin of the bride told AFP as a traditional Attan folk dance erupted behind him.
But in a hugely contentious move lawmakers recently passed a bill aimed at taming Afghanistan's Wild West wedding culture, limiting the number of guests to 500 and capping the catering bill per head at 400 Afghanis ($7).
The bill seeks to relieve the huge financial strain weddings pose on grooms, who usually pay for everything from the banquet feast to bride price, a kind of reverse dowry presented to the girl's family in the form of cash, goods or livestock.
Thousands of dollars are typically splurged on weddings, a small fortune in a country wracked by poverty and war, driving families into massive debts and forcing young men to delay marriage, lawmakers say.
But the bill, awaiting presidential approval, has sparked protest from wedding hall owners who worry the move could devastate their flourishing business -- a rare bright spot in a nose-diving economy as international aid fast evaporates after 13 years of war.
"Narrow-minded MPs are picking on this issue to distract attention from real problems such as worsening security," said Hajji Ghulam Siddique, the owner of Uranus, one of the biggest of nearly three dozen wedding halls in Kabul.
"Even the Taliban want to kill extravagance. What's the difference between us and the Taliban?"
Lavish weddings, a post-Taliban phenomenon, are not only entertainment but also a source of momentary escapism from a wrenching conflict, adding a splash of colour in the lives of war-weary Afghans.
Outside Kabul's glitzy wedding halls is a city that appears on the verge of a nervous breakdown, awash with snipers, checkpoints, and post traumatic stress disorder.
Inside, over-the-top revelry offers a comforting illusion that the war is taking place in another realm.
"As is the case with most Afghan laws, no one will obey this new legislation," said government employee Shoaib Khaksari as guests at Qasr-e-Paris hunched over platters of roast chicken, Kabuli lamb pilaf, fried eggplant, yogurt and fresh fruit.
"Marriages need to be lavish as they are a one-time event. In conservative Afghanistan people don't commonly have extra-marital affairs."
But many Afghans concede some merit in the legislation.
When Khushal Nabizada, a 34-year-old doctor of internal medicine, got hitched three years ago he was forced to spend $25,000 on the wedding party, eroding his hard-earned savings in a single night.
"I wanted smaller celebrations, fewer ceremonies but the bride's family were unforgiving," he said. "My wife and I now look back and think what an epic waste it was."
Some budget-conscious Afghans have found a canny way of trim the guest list: mixed weddings -- a relatively rare celebration in which guests are not segregated by gender.
It's a self-imposed red line for many Afghans who voluntarily decline to attend, unwilling to expose their women to a crowd full of strangers.
Marriage is often the only outlet for sexual frustration pervasive in a conservative nation where dating or any social commingling of the sexes can be misinterpreted as a sign of perversion.
Nabizada said he routinely fields queries from his young unmarried male Afghan patients torn between their sexual cravings and their desire to be religious puritans.
"Young, wife-less men grapple with hormonal rage," he said.
"Marriage is their only salvation -- and many cannot afford it."
Back in Qasr-e-Paris, the seven-member orchestra perched at the edge of the ceiling-high wooden partition separating the men from the women launched into a folk melody announcing the arrival of the bride.
"Walk slowly my shining moon," the lyrics slurred in Dari as a hush of anticipation descended on the groom's side.
"Walk slowly like a flower in full bloom."
The lyrical feast grew louder as the groom arrived, with beads of sweat rolling off his forehead.
"He must be nervous about the wedding expenses," a guest snorted.

"He should have waited until the wedding law," another said, provoking a loud ripple of titters.

Macon bride and wedding planner clash at reception

When the bride and the wedding planner clashed, there was trouble at the reception. The gathering was at an apartment complex on Masseyville Road in east Macon. It was just after 8 p.m. on May 2 when the apartment manager asked a Bibb County sheriff’s deputy to shut down the party. The deputy told everyone to leave. When he did, according to his report, the bride, 35, “started to be disorderly” toward the wedding planner, a 50-year-old woman. After that, the deputy’s write-up added, the bride “became disorderly to me.” He was about to arrest the bride when the groom “begged me not to do so on his wedding day.” Another report of the matter noted that “due to conflicting stories and no unbiased parties being present, no arrests were made.” The second report mentioned that, according to the wedding planner, the bride smashed a couple of vases and threatened her. During the wedding, the planner said, the bride “walked up to her and stated, ‘(Expletive), I’m going to (expletive) you up, (expletive), (expletive).” The bride, according to the report, said the planner had changed things the bride wanted done during the wedding. The bride said the planner “also tried to jump her,” the report said. “Eventually, the (reception) was dissolved and both parties were escorted off the property.”
While a Bibb sheriff’s deputy was on his way to a theft-in-progress call, a dispatcher radioed an update. A guy dressed in a tan jacket and “colorful” pajama pants had run out of Moon’s Wings Deli at 946 First St. The man had dashed away with $6.40 worth of cake he had not paid for, a report of the incident noted. When the deputy arrived, the man, 26, was sitting on a sidewalk in front of the restaurant. According to the deputy’s write-up of the April 29 episode, the guy was “eating what appeared to be a red velvet cake.” After handcuffing the man, who was charged with theft and disorderly conduct, the deputy went inside the restaurant. An employee said the guy had come in, snatched two cakes -- the red velvet and a key lime cake -- and cussed at the employee. “I’m getting these cakes,” the thief said, “and if you call the police that’s your life.”
It was almost 2 o’clock in the morning when a Bibb deputy saw a man peering through a window in front of El Sombrero restaurant on North Avenue. When the deputy asked the man his name, the man said “Lucifer.” He also gave a last name, but the deputy could not find any record of such a Lucifer existing. “While going through ‘Lucifer’s’ backpack,” the deputy noted in his report of the May 11 incident, the deputy also found an ID card. The name on it was not Lucifer. The man, 24, was jailed for giving false information.
Dispatches: Someone at the Medical Center, Navicent Health, in downtown Macon reported that a man stole a fountain drink from a cafeteria there on May 3. The man, 57, had been seen doing the same thing once before. He picked a cup from a trash can and filled it with soda. The man told a sheriff’s deputy who was called to the hospital, “I’m not going to lie to you. I got the cup out of the trash and filled it up.” The man offered to pay for the $1.44 drink, but when he went to the cashier he didn’t have enough money. The man was jailed for loitering. ... On the evening of May 1, there was a shrub fire at some apartments in the 3500 block of Williamson Road. Someone there told a Bibb deputy that the blaze was started by marijuana smokers who had, according to a report, “thrown down a ‘roach.’” ... Someone broke into a house on Ashland Drive in southwest Macon on May 13 and stole a .22-caliber rifle and a diamond ring. The culprit left a mess. “The suspect,” a sheriff’s deputy’s report said, “had a bowel movement on the bathroom floor and all over the toilet seat. I was unable to obtain fingerprints due to the surface conditions.”

A Wedding And A Challenge: Lebanese Couples Fight For Civil Marriage

Like lots of young married couples, Kholoud Succariyeh and Nidal Darwish love to show their wedding video. They go all misty-eyed remembering that day two years ago.
"Very beautiful," says Succariyeh. "Everything is nice."
Their wedding was special, not only as a personal milestone for the couple. It was a political milestone, as well.
Darwish says their union was a challenge to the state: It was Lebanon's first civil marriage.
No one ever said marriage was easy, but in Lebanon, it's even harder. That's because the country has 18 different religions and sects and almost as many sets of marriage laws for each — 15 in total.
The laws — along with those governing divorce and inheritance — are determined by 15 different religious courts.
Succariyeh explains that any dispute in a Muslim marriage — she and Darwish are both Muslim — has to be adjudicated by Islamic judges.
"Actually, Lebanon is a sectarian regime," she says. "For me as a woman, I don't accept to be submitting to the religious men in the religious courts."
A Human Rights Watch report this year found all Lebanon's religious courts — Christian, Muslim and others — enforced laws that were unfair to women. Mixed-religion marriages are legal, but all religious authorities apply a tangle of conditions to them.
"For this reason, I wanted to be independent," Succariyeh says. She wanted equality, to be the master of her family alongside her husband. "For this reason we chose civil marriage."
A Trailblazing Wedding
She first met Darwish when he was a student of hers.
"I was teaching him English," she says, laughing. "And then we fell in love."
Succariyeh and Darwish are the same age. They both come from conservative families, but aren't big on old traditions.
"Actually I kissed him the first time," she says. "Nobody knows this, it's a new idea I gave him a French kiss for the first time."
This on their first date, before they even had dinner! So they started talking marriage. And although there hadn't been a civil marriage in Lebanon in living memory, that's what they wanted.
"From that point, we worked on this," she says.
A lawyer friend studied an old law and found that for people who aren't affiliated with a sect, civil marriage is allowed. So Succariyeh and Darwish struck their sect from their official records. They had a Muslim cleric officiate at a wedding and their lawyer write the first civil marriage certificate, which the interior ministry legalized.
"We're so happy we did this, and really re-believed that whenever you work hard, you get what you want," Succariyeh says.
They were trailblazers; after that, dozens of couples had civil marriages.
There was a downside, though. A leading Muslim cleric denounced them. The couple even got death threats. And last year, a new interior minister took office and the ministry hasn't authorized a civil marriage since.
A Proposal For Civil Marriage — Watered Down
Some people just go abroad for a civil marriage, but others want a new, clear law.
Serge Torsakissian, a member of parliment from Beirut, sees the different rules for different religions as a compromise, enabling historically hostile groups to live alongside each other. A pragmatist, Torsakissian calls it "confessionalism."
"I'm with the confessional system as it is in Lebanon," he says. "I'm not against it."
Torsakissian thinks a civil marriage law will only pass if there's buy-in from all the sects. He has proposed a law that would have people keep their sect and get permission for civil marriage from their religious community — essentially, a watered-down civil marriage.
"It's adapting confessionalism, because we still have the bond with the church or mosque," he says. "Because we can't cut with the religious atmosphere that's still in Lebanon."
But religious leaders are still skeptical. Father Abdou Abu Kassem, director of the Catholic Center for information, says marriage is a sacrament within the church, not a legal contract. He says Lebanon's not a secular state.

But activists calling for civil marriage have not given up. They protested in Beirut in March, and plan more actions in the future.

‘Real Housewives’ Wedding: Monty Brison Won’t Attend Brooke’s Wedding With Kim Richards

The Real Housewives wedding of Kim Richards’ daughter, Brooke Brinson, to her future husband, Thayer Weiderhorn, will not be attended by Richards’ ex-husband, Monty Brinson. On May 20, Monty confirmed he would not be attending his daughter’s upcoming Real Housewives wedding in Mexico with an elaborate post on Instagram.
“My daughter is getting married on Saturday, her dream wedding on the beaches of Cabo. Everyone left this morning but unfortunately for me for health reasons I wasn’t able to attend, but I’ve still been blessed that I was able to walk her down the aisle in August.”
In August of last year, Brooke’s first Real Housewives wedding took place at the home of Kathy Hilton, her aunt, and Richards’ older sister. In attendance were Richards, her sister, Kyle, the Hilton family, and a few friends. The wedding was intimate, and served as a way for Monty to walk his daughter down the aisle since he was not expected to be able to make Brooke’s bigger Real Housewives wedding on Saturday.
“As everyone knows last May I was given a few months to live, but guess what I’m a fighter and its a year later, still not giving up. All the family and friends will be there but I will to in spirit. Anybody that knows me I know I like a good party lol. But it’s better for me to stay here and get better so I can be around my family and children a long time. My prayers have been answered with my daughter having her dream wedding what more could a father ask for. I will miss everyone of you and will see you when you get back.”
For weeks, Kyle’s possible invite to the Real Housewives wedding has been a hot topic among fans of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. On the show, it was mentioned that she may have been uninvited because of her ongoing feud with Richards, but by now, it is possible the pair may have reconciled.
That said, Kyle was seen, as the Inquisitr reported, out in Los Angeles last night. And, if she was heading to Mexico first thing in the morning, it’s hard to say whether or not she’d want to be having a night out with friends just hours before.
Continuing on about the Real Housewives wedding, Monty teased of his possible surprise appearance at Brooke’s nuptials this weekend.
“I know I’m crazy but I do have a private plane at my disposal and might surprise everyone if I show up Sat. I don’t think my dr would like that but I can be stubborn sometimes.”

The Real Housewives wedding is not expected to air on the Bravo show.

3 Things Wedding Vendors Wish They Could Tell You, But Will Probably Never Say To Your Face

There are many conversations that go down between engaged couples and their wedding vendors, although those usually don’t include talk about the shocking cost of wedding services, best ways to communicate, and (ugh) tipping. Unfortunately, these are among the things wedding vendors wish they could tell you, but usually don’t. Couples and vendors alike avoid these topics because… well, it’s downright awkward for everyone. But if we’re being honest, everyone is thinking about these things. When I was a bride, I remember being floored by the costs of vendors, annoyed by how long it took to get responses, and totally perplexed about who to tip and how much. But then I became a day-of coordinator, and that all changed.
Now I have a bit of an inside scoop on the aspects of working with vendors that confused me most in the months leading up to my wedding, and I’ve made it my goal to share these insights with the couples I work with. There’s no need for wedding services that are shrouded in mystery: the clearer and more open everyone is with each other, the easier it is for couples and vendors to happily work together. For this reason, I’m sharing a few things I’ve learned from a vendor’s perspective that are important to keep in mind whendealing with wedding vendors. I promise they will help you have a better, more comfortable relationship with your vendors, and that’s what you ultimately want to ensure a smooth wedding day.
1. “That sticker price is not what I’m taking home — promise!”
People frequently assume that because weddings are expensive events, vendors mark up their prices just because they can. The truth is most of them aren’t. For instance, photographers generally spend just as much time editing photos after the wedding as the time they spend at the wedding itself. Right there, you divide a photographer’s total fee in half to start determining their hourly rate. Then deduct the cost of travel and an assistant if applicable. Next, deduct business expenses like buying insurance, owning and tuning up expensive equipment, maintaining a website, and offering online viewing platforms for client pictures. Then deduct marketing costs for attending wedding shows, advertising, and more. Oh, and don’t forget to deduct state and federal income taxes. Now their hourly wage is looking very different than it was before. The same math can be done for all wedding vendors. So if a vendor says that they can’t wiggle on price, then it’s because they truly can’t and still be a profitable business.
2. “You’re not the only person I’m working with right now.”
Wedding vendors love to make you feel like you’re the only couple in their world, because they love what they do and they love helping you. In fact, what brings me an incredible amount of job satisfaction is making couples feel like they have a right-hand woman they can turn to at any point in their wedding-planning process. However, despite their best efforts to make you feel like you’re their only client, the reality is vendors are working with a number of clients and juggling multiple priorities. When emailing with vendors, it’s always helpful to group your questions into one or two emails rather than sending a number of one-off emails or texts. Sending dozens of emails makes it more difficult for a vendor to file all your emails away in a safe place, and keep track of all your information.
Another helpful piece of advice from wedding vendors is to include your full name, your partner’s name, wedding date, and wedding location when emailing vendors initially. This helps them to keep all of your information organized right off the bat, and allows them to respond to you much sooner. When you remember vendors have a bunch of other emails coming into their inboxes in addition to yours, the easier you make it for them to be able to help you quickly and effectively.
3. “Yes, we accept tips.”
Most vendors will say that tips are never expected, but always appreciated, and that is definitely true in many cases. However, it’s important to learn which vendors to tip at a wedding. Waitstaff, bartenders, hairstylists, and makeup artists fall into a unique category, because it is standard to tip for these services no matter what the event or circumstance. If a gratuity is not explicitly included in the contract, then you should be prepared to tip on the day of the wedding. The one caveat to this is business owners who provide the service do not expect to be tipped (for example, the owner of a salon would not expect to be tipped, while a hairstylist working at the salon would). For all vendors, it is up to you to decide whether the vendor went above and beyond what was expected, decide on how much you want to tip, and then dole out your tips from there.
Wedding vendors generally won’t tell you these things because no one wants to talk about these super awkward topics, but by keeping these in mind, you are much more likely to have an awesome relationship with your vendors. They’ll be your A-team and will see you right through your wedding from the months leading up to the day until the very last glass of champagne is downed on the dance floor.
There are many conversations that go down between engaged couples and their wedding vendors, although those usually don’t include talk about the shocking cost of wedding services, best ways to communicate, and (ugh) tipping. Unfortunately, these are among the things wedding vendors wish they could tell you, but usually don’t. Couples and vendors alike avoid these topics because… well, it’s downright awkward for everyone. But if we’re being honest, everyone is thinking about these things. When I was a bride, I remember being floored by the costs of vendors, annoyed by how long it took to get responses, and totally perplexed about who to tip and how much. But then I became a day-of coordinator, and that all changed.
Now I have a bit of an inside scoop on the aspects of working with vendors that confused me most in the months leading up to my wedding, and I’ve made it my goal to share these insights with the couples I work with. There’s no need for wedding services that are shrouded in mystery: the clearer and more open everyone is with each other, the easier it is for couples and vendors to happily work together. For this reason, I’m sharing a few things I’ve learned from a vendor’s perspective that are important to keep in mind whendealing with wedding vendors. I promise they will help you have a better, more comfortable relationship with your vendors, and that’s what you ultimately want to ensure a smooth wedding day.
1. “That sticker price is not what I’m taking home — promise!”
People frequently assume that because weddings are expensive events, vendors mark up their prices just because they can. The truth is most of them aren’t. For instance, photographers generally spend just as much time editing photos after the wedding as the time they spend at the wedding itself. Right there, you divide a photographer’s total fee in half to start determining their hourly rate. Then deduct the cost of travel and an assistant if applicable. Next, deduct business expenses like buying insurance, owning and tuning up expensive equipment, maintaining a website, and offering online viewing platforms for client pictures. Then deduct marketing costs for attending wedding shows, advertising, and more. Oh, and don’t forget to deduct state and federal income taxes. Now their hourly wage is looking very different than it was before. The same math can be done for all wedding vendors. So if a vendor says that they can’t wiggle on price, then it’s because they truly can’t and still be a profitable business.
2. “You’re not the only person I’m working with right now.”
Wedding vendors love to make you feel like you’re the only couple in their world, because they love what they do and they love helping you. In fact, what brings me an incredible amount of job satisfaction is making couples feel like they have a right-hand woman they can turn to at any point in their wedding-planning process. However, despite their best efforts to make you feel like you’re their only client, the reality is vendors are working with a number of clients and juggling multiple priorities. When emailing with vendors, it’s always helpful to group your questions into one or two emails rather than sending a number of one-off emails or texts. Sending dozens of emails makes it more difficult for a vendor to file all your emails away in a safe place, and keep track of all your information.
Another helpful piece of advice from wedding vendors is to include your full name, your partner’s name, wedding date, and wedding location when emailing vendors initially. This helps them to keep all of your information organized right off the bat, and allows them to respond to you much sooner. When you remember vendors have a bunch of other emails coming into their inboxes in addition to yours, the easier you make it for them to be able to help you quickly and effectively.
3. “Yes, we accept tips.”
Most vendors will say that tips are never expected, but always appreciated, and that is definitely true in many cases. However, it’s important to learn which vendors to tip at a wedding. Waitstaff, bartenders, hairstylists, and makeup artists fall into a unique category, because it is standard to tip for these services no matter what the event or circumstance. If a gratuity is not explicitly included in the contract, then you should be prepared to tip on the day of the wedding. The one caveat to this is business owners who provide the service do not expect to be tipped (for example, the owner of a salon would not expect to be tipped, while a hairstylist working at the salon would). For all vendors, it is up to you to decide whether the vendor went above and beyond what was expected, decide on how much you want to tip, and then dole out your tips from there.

Wedding vendors generally won’t tell you these things because no one wants to talk about these super awkward topics, but by keeping these in mind, you are much more likely to have an awesome relationship with your vendors. They’ll be your A-team and will see you right through your wedding from the months leading up to the day until the very last glass of champagne is downed on the dance floor.

Why did Bristol Palin call off wedding at last minute?

Did Bristol Palin get cold feet or is there another reason behind her decision to call off her planned weekend wedding to U.S. Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer?
Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the mother of the almost bride-to-be, announced Monday on Facebook that the wedding is off.
"Bristol and Dakota couldn't be more thankful for the love and support of family and friends over the past months while preparing for their wedding," Palin wrote. "They have informed loved ones that unfortunately the announced celebration planned for May 23 will not be held."
No reason was given for canceling the nuptials. But Palin also included a note from her daughter, dismissing recent allegations that Meyer had never secured a divorce from a secret marriage.
"Regarding salacious headlines in recent days about 'secret wives,' Dakota and I discussed our past relationships prior to our engagement," Bristol wrote via her mother's post. "Dakota was legally divorced years ago, as any good reporter could and should have disclosed to readers. As usual, false stories and dramaticallywritten headlines begging controversy should be disregarded, and we have faith that our privacy will be respected at this time by those with decency."
The elder Palin also included a photo of a poster that reads, "Trust in God's timing. It's better to wait awhile and have things fall into place than to rush and have things fall apart."
"Rush" seemed to be the right word to describe the whirlwind engagement, which the couple announced in March, USA Today reports.

In addition to being Palin's daughter, Bristol is well known for her third-place finish on "Dancing With the Stars" and for starring in the Lifetime reality show, "Bristol Palin: Life's a Tripp."

Catelynn Lowell’s Wedding Dress Is Four Sizes Too Small: ‘Teen Mom OG’ Sneak Peek

Catelynn Lowell is scheduled to marry her fiance, Tyler Baltierra, in August, but unfortunately, the reality star has run into a major hitch. In a sneak peek at tonight’s new episode of Teen Mom OG, via PEOPLE Magazine on May 18, Catelynn Lowell discovers she will need to lose four sizes in order to fit into her wedding dress.
In the clip, Catelynn Lowell attempts to step into the dress, but after seeing that she won’t be able to pull it completely up, she then tries to put the gown on over her head. Still, it simply won’t fit.
“I think that’s as far as we are going to be able to get it to go,” a wedding shop employee tells Catelynn Lowell after attempting to slide the dress down. “Like you said, you just had a baby two months ago, so you can’t be surprised.”
The employee then tells her, “You’ll probably have to go down, like, four sizes.”
Later in the sneak peek, Catelynn Lowell arrives home to Baltierra, and lets him know how things went at the fitting.
“It went good, the only places it didn’t fit was my a– and my boobs.”
Catelynn Lowell and her soon-to-be husband go on to discuss what needs to be done, and Lowell tells Baltierra she plans to start working on her arms by lifting weights.
As the Inquisitr previously reported, Baltierra has been gushing over Catelynn Lowell in the months leading up to their summer wedding, and in February, shared the following message with his fans on Instagram.
“I cant wait to make this beautiful womam my bride in 6 months. I’m the luckiest man in the world to have such an incredible god sent angel by my side. @catelynnmtv you will never know what a blessing you have been to my life, so it looks like I will be spending the rest of my days proving it to you as your husband #MyBaby #SrongestWomanIKnow #PureAngel #BrideToBe.”

Catelynn Lowell and Baltierra have been featured on MTV for the last six years and shared tons of their relationship milestones with fans. They even let fans go inside their deepest issues on Couples Therapy, but when it comes to a Teen Mom OG wedding, nothing has yet been confirmed.

Inviting coworkers to your wedding is risky business

Dear Amy: I am wondering if you have some advice for me regarding a coworker and my upcoming wedding. She and I worked together for a year and now work in the same place but in different grade levels. There was a time last year when this coworker's spouse berated me via e-mail and phone call when the coworker's child received points off on an assignment (we work in a school).
Other situations here and there occurred over the year, but we ended the year civilly. The coworker and I have an OK relationship at work.
Later on this year, I will be getting married. The news spread fast and the coworker has made hints about being at the wedding. It also came up that the coworker had unfriended me on a social media site and then "refriended" me after finding out that I was inviting some of my other coworkers. I know that seems kind of silly but it still bothered me.
My fiancé stated that it's no big deal if we invite this person. He says let's just celebrate our big day. The spouse would be included on the invitation, which makes me kind of cringe. I don't know what to do.
I don't want to upset the coworker and strain the relationship. It's also hard because other team members will be in attendance. Should I include this coworker? Am I making a mountain out of a molehill? — Torn
Dear Torn: First of all, there are no "rules" for whom you must invite to your wedding. The idea is that this incredibly special day should be reserved only for those nearest and dearest.
However — and this is a big however — weddings don't always work that way. You end up being pressured into inviting your dad's bowling buddies or your Aunt Sue's second husband's youngest daughter's boyfriend.
If you think NOT including this coworker would cause personal problems, work problems, tension or guilt for you after the fact, and if you can afford to host her and her spouse — in the name of "rising above it," you should invite them. However, if you visualize yourself at your wedding and the thought of seeing her and her spouse there gives you hives, definitely do not. If it were me, I would not invite her — and prepare myself for some blowback.
This sort of scenario is made much worse by Facebook. Be judicious and discreet in your postings.
Dear Amy: I pointedly did NOT invite a coworker to my wedding, but she showed up anyway. She came as a guest of another coworker she conned into taking her. Since the invitations were mailed to the invitees and "guest," she persuaded the coworker to take her along. She showed up and flaunted the fact that she was able to thwart our attempts not to invite her, drank too much and was out of control. The coworker who brought her was asked to take her home, but outside of a police escort, this was not going to happen. Needless to say, I found another job and quit.
My message is don't invite any coworkers, unless they are part of the wedding. Oh, and hire a bouncer. — Still Have Flashbacks
Dear Flashbacks: I hope the marriage is more peaceful than your wedding.
Dear Amy: I have to take issue with your response to "Confused," the letter writer who received a thank-you note for the wrong wedding gift and felt compelled to correct the error.
In my opinion, this reeks of materialism and unnecessary self-aggrandizement. Why embarrass a new bride over such pettiness?
The fact that a nice thank-you note was sent should have been sufficient, both in terms of etiquette and satisfaction that the attendee's gift was received and appreciated. —Thank-you Note is Enough

Dear Enough: I agree that the marrying couple has done (almost) everything right. But the reason to discreetly correct someone is because not only one note was incorrect — at least two "thank-yous" (and possibly more) went to the wrong recipients. After this simple "heads-up," no other action is necessary — the couple should not be expected to write and send another note.

5 Common Mistakes to Avoid While Planning Your Wedding

There is nothing more frustrating to me as a wedding planner than a client not taking my advice. As the expert, when giving a suggestion or advice, I back everything up with stories from previous clients who didn't listen. I'm not saying that I know everything. I am saying that I know more about planning weddings than your sister's friend's mother's aunt's cousin who "does events" in her spare time. I know this seems harsh but it needs to be said.
These are the five most common mistakes that couples make during the planning process and how to avoid them:
1. The on-site coordinator at your venue is not a wedding planner/coordinator. Often times a venue will add in a "wedding coordinator" as an incentive for you to book your wedding. What they don't tell you is that they don't do the same things that an independent wedding planner/coordinator does. They won't call your vendors to finalize payments and when you realize that you forgot to get a garter two hours before you walk down the aisle, they aren't hopping in their car to buy one for you. It's a huge pet peeve because it is incredibly misleading. Brides normally find out how different the on-site coordinator is from an actual wedding planner when it's too late.
I had a client a few years ago who called in hysterics because the on-site coordinator told her two days before the wedding that she wasn't going to be at her wedding. She told the bride as if it was obvious that she wouldn't be there. They had worked together for over a year. I stepped in two days before the wedding because of this very reason.
2. DIY doesn't always mean cheaper. Pinterest has fooled brides into thinking that they can do anything just by looking at a pretty picture. If you weren't crafty before your wedding, you're probably not crafty now. There is nothing worse than seeing a bunch of DIY projects strewn throughout your reception that look like your 5 year old neighbor put them together for a pack of gum. If you can't afford exactly what you want, find another alternative.
3. Stop trying to replicate someone else's wedding. Make your wedding YOUR wedding. A few years ago I had a client whose wedding everyone dreamed of having. From the bridesmaid's gowns to the centerpieces, this wedding was in high demand. I don't discuss client's budgets with anyone so they didn't know how expensive everything was. One of my clients printed out pictures from my Instagram account and brought them to our design meetings. I gently would tell her that those particular centerpieces were extremely expensive and I'd present a few alternatives. Determined to have those exact centerpieces, she and her family put them together themselves. Once she saw them in the room, she had me remove them from each table and asked me to put the flowers directly on the table. I'm not an "I told you so" person but...
4. Just because someone has a "nice" camera, doesn't make them a photographer. This is one of the biggest challenges that I face when it comes to my client's booking a photographer. I cringe every time I hear, "my cousin has a nice camera so she'll be taking our pictures." Why would you spend thousands of dollars on the most important day of your life but not invest in the photos that will last forever? I'm not saying that you have to break the bank but if you're spending more money on your invitations than your photographer, there is a problem.

5. Don't lie about your budget. If your budget is $60,000 but you'd like to stick to around $50,000, tell your planner that. Whenever a client gives me their initial budget, I ask them if that's the actual budget or if that's the number that they want to stay close to. Believe it or not, knowing how much we have to work with in the beginning will possibly save you money in the end. Weddings are expensive and most people don't know exactly how costly they are.

Couple planning community wedding event

Anthony Davalos and Nikki Arden are getting married in September, but they're doing things a bit differently.
Their wedding will be held in Black Eagle Park, and it will be the culmination of months of community events, all supporting local organizations.
They kicked it off with a Princess for a Day event in early May and on June 6, will host a park cleanup day in Black Eagle.
They're looking for volunteers to help make any necessary repairs to park structures, paint the swing set and merry-go-round and mow the grass. They're also hoping people will donate paint and bring lawn mowers and weed eaters to help out, Davalos said.
Arden has volunteer shirts for the first 15 people who show up in the park.
Davalos is active-duty Air Force assigned to Malmstrom Air Force Base, and Arden works with several local organizations.
The couple is also coordinating a "No Cold Feet" sock drive and a food drive around town, as well as placing donation jars at various locations. The socks will go to the Great Falls Rescue Mission, the food to the Great Falls Receiving Home and the jars will benefit several different local charities, Davalos said.
On July 8, they're hosting a fundraiser at Buffalo Wild Wings for Together We Rise, a nonprofit that supports foster children.
For the main event, their wedding on Sept. 13, the couple has organized a 5K fun run, benefiting the Young Parents Education Center.
"The wedding is kind of like the finale of this whole thing," Davalos said. "I like to run and she likes to put on events."
Davalos and Arden will be wed just before the race, and for $75, other couples can also get married, have a decorated table and cupcakes at the event. Of each marriage, $30 goes to the Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art.
On the couple's wedding site, Arden wrote: "Our wedding run 'Let's run away together' is our ultimate way of uniting our love by helping worthy community causes and encouraging others to share this moment with us and to be inspired by whatever brings you happiness."
At the wedding event, they'll have the results of their charitable efforts and also have awards like tackiest outfit for the race, Davalos said.
They'll have live music from The Uproots, a band donating its time, and are working on getting a dance floor set up in the park.
"We're trying to get local businesses involved," Davalos said, and many items for the wedding have been donated.
They're working with local food vendors for the event, and part of what they make during the wedding event will also go to charity.

Veterans of Foreign War Post 1087 will serve drinks, and the couple is asking that friends and family who want to give a wedding gift donate to charity instead.

My Mother's Lesbian Jewish Wiccan Wedding Is a Delightful, Grounded Rom-Com

My Mother's Lesbian Jewish Wiccan Wedding is not what you think it is. Oh, sure, the title's a mouthful that promises a great deal of proselytizing and earnestness, but it's just a way to get your attention. No, David Hein and Irene Sankoff's musical (based on Hein's own mothers' courtship) is in fact a romantic comedy with a twist: Instead of watching two twentysomethings fumble through a romance only to save it in the end, here we see a mature, thoughtful love story about a middle-aged woman finally coming to terms with herself.
Our heroine is Claire (Laura Ackermann), newly divorced and starting life over in her forties. This second start entails leaving her son, David, behind in Nebraska with her ex-husband while she heads to Ottawa for a new job and new scenery.
David is played by Pierce Hastings as a young man and Ben Nordstrom as an adult. Nordstrom also serves as the narrator, a role that's tailor-made for the actor. He's genial and charming as always, but he also gets to act; watch him as he sits on the bandstand and sees his life play out again. Nordstrom has a persistent half-smile that gives way to embarrassed grimaces when life gets wobbly. Armed with a guitar, he also joins the band in many of the songs, which hew closely to folk and classic country, with the occasional foray into pop.
But as charming as both Davids are, this is Claire's story. Adrift in the Great White North, Claire finds a roommate (Anna Skidis) who sings in a politically active lesbian choir. Practice is held in their front room, and in short order Claire meets Jane (Deborah Sharn), who is the Wiccan of the title. The pair become great friends, and on a walking tour of the city they share their first kiss.
Sharn and Ackermann make a fantastic couple. The duo create sparks when singing their first song, and their relationship proceeds naturally toward a love so true it can survive an awkward dinner at Hooters with David and his first serious girlfriend, Irene (Jennifer Theby-Quinn). The moms are unflappable as they grill Irene about her birth-control choices and sing of pleasurable sex that doesn't involve a penis. (A gentleman in the front row actually did the "hands-on-cheeks, mouth-wide-open" face fromHome Alone when "You Don't Need a Penis" started, then burst out laughing.) It's awkward, but riotously funny.
At some point in any rom-com, there's a senseless argument or an overheard comment that forces the two lovers apart. Or perhaps the conflict will be that Claire is not sure she likes Jane "that way"? This play is far smarter than that. Claire has no doubts about her feelings for Jane, and because she's a psychologist and Jane's a social worker, the two have no misunderstanding they can't talk their way through. Their greatest obstacle as a couple is Jane's own self doubt: How can she truly love Jane if she doesn't love herself?
This personal conflict is bound up in Jane's feelings about her forceful Jewish mother and her own lapsed faith. Again, what makes the script so effective is how it deals with Jane's inner turmoil. There's no quick solution, no moment of epiphany that frees her; instead there are years of talking and loving, of shared experiences and slow movements toward self-realization. Ultimately, Jane's unstinting love helps Claire on the path to freedom. When Claire reaches that point, it feels true because it's hard-won. Life is never as easy as a rom-com, and My Mother's Lesbian Jewish Wiccan Wedding is grounded in real life.
There is a great deal of story crammed in the play's 90 minutes, but director Edward Coffield still allows everything room to breathe. In the latter third of the show, the focus shifts toward the effort to legalize gay marriage in Canada, which is ushered in by the anthemic "Legalize Love." This is as political as things get, and as rousing as the song is, the message is sung rather than shouted.

And anyway, what's wrong with a little more love in the world? It's love that brings Claire and Jane together, it's love that finally heals Claire's wounded spirit, and it's love that brings everybody together for the wedding we've long been promised. You can write a sharp script that subverts every expectation and cliché, but you still have to include a wedding. Not even the Supreme Court can change that.

I’m a florist, but I refused to do flowers for my gay friend’s wedding

I’ve been a florist in Richmond, Wash., for more than 30 years. In that time, I’ve developed close relationships with many of my clients.
One of my favorites was Rob Ingersoll. Ingersoll came in often and we’d talk. Like me, he had an artistic eye. I’d try to create really special arrangements for him. I knew he was gay, but it didn’t matter — I enjoyed his company and his creativity.
Then he asked me to create the floral arrangements for his wedding. I love Rob, and I’d always been happy to design for his special days. But there’s something different about a wedding.
Every person in the creative professions regularly has to make decisions about where they lend their artistic talents and which events they will participate in. For me, it’s never about the person who walks into the shop, but about the message I’m communicating when someone asks me to “say it with flowers.”
I was raised Christian. In my religious tradition, marriage is a sacred religious ceremony between a man, a woman and Christ. It’s a covenant with the church. To participate in a wedding that violates those principles violates the core of my faith.
When Rob asked me, I thought about it carefully. I talked over the decision with my husband, and I prayed. But ultimately I know I had to stay true to my faith. I couldn’t do it.
When I told Rob, I felt terrible that I couldn’t share this day with him, as I’d shared so many with him before. I took his hands and said, “I’m sorry I can’t do your wedding because of my relationship with Jesus Christ.” Rob said he understood, and that he hoped his mom would walk him down the aisle, but he wasn’t sure. We talked about how he got engaged and why they decided to get married after all these years. He asked me for the names of other flower shops. I gave him the names of three floral artists that I knew would do a good job, because I knew he would want something very special. We hugged and he left.
I never imagined what would happen next. Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson sued me after hearing in the media what had happened. That was shocking. Even more surprising, Rob and his partner Curt, with their ACLU attorneys, filed suit shortly thereafter. A judge ruled against me, but this week, with the help of the Alliance Defending Freedom, I appealed.
We’ve always heard that same-sex marriage would never affect anyone aside from the same-sex couples who wanted to be married. But a judge recently told me that my freedom to live and work according to my beliefs about marriage expired the day same-sex marriage became the law in my state.
Our government is supposed to protect our First Amendment rights — freedom of religion and expression. But the government is telling me I can only be a faithful Christian within the four walls of my church. That’s impossible and it’s unjust. What would Rob and Curt say if the government told them they could only be who they are in their own homes?
This isn’t about bigotry. I’ve had gay and lesbian employees and friends. And it’s important to remember that Rob was a long-time customer and friend despite our different beliefs about marriage. When I had to refer him for this one event, I did everything I could to avoid hurting his feelings and I believed we would remain friends when he left the shop. He got enough offers after this situation became public to do about 20 weddings.
In Washington, Rob and Curt have the right to get a marriage license. But that doesn’t mean that the state should be able to force people in the creative professions like myself to create expression celebrating the ceremonies. We all have different viewpoints about how to live our lives. One thing I’ve loved about our country is that we protect the freedom of artistic expression and the right to disagree over these kinds of issues without one side being threatened by the government over it.

But whatever the state says and however they want to try to punish me, they can’t change my faith. What happens in my business or my life is in God’s hands. Having a clear conscience means much more to me than any amount of money or my business. Rob and Curt have their beliefs about marriage and aren’t being stopped by the state from living them out. I only ask for the same freedom.

VCs Put A Ring On Wedding Companies

Venture capitalists love markets where consumers spend exorbitantly for services that are extortionately priced, and no market exemplifies that better than the wedding market.
In 2014, the average American wedding cost $31K, according to a report compiled by TheKnot— that’s the engagement ring, the wedding dress, and all event-related expenses combined. The global wedding market is a $300 billion industry, and the U.S. wedding market accounts for $55 billion of that total.
The millennial generation driving today’s wedding spending is more dependent on tech than ever. Last year, 61 percent of engaged couples used their phones to access wedding planning sites on the go. Wedding registry startup Zola even launched an Apple Watch app last month after passing a million swipes on its Tinder-style mobile app.
“This generation of couples is getting married at an older age than before — they’re professionals and they have busy lives, so they want tools and services that are easy to use on mobile and online,” says Zola founder Shan-Lyn Ma.
Ma started Zola in 2013 with a team of Gilt Groupe execs after they realized that the wedding industry wasn’t catering to the evolving needs of consumers. Since the majority of couples today are living together before marriage — 80 percent of Zola’s 70K users fall into this category — the old-fashioned wedding registry just doesn’t cut it anymore.
“Whereas before couples were setting up their first homes and really needing the basics, now they’re looking to upgrade to things they can’t afford themselves, or they want cash for honeymoon funds,” Ma says.
Zola raised $5.8 million from Thrive Capital to build an all-encompassing registry site — and they’re just one of the 44 startups in the wedding industry that raised venture funding in 2014.
This year, venture investments in wedding-related tech are at an all-time high, with $189 million in capital committed in the first four months of 2015. This is a significant pickup over the $128 million raised last year and the $85 million tracked in 2013.
Honeybook, an invite-only event-planning portal, closed one of the largest rounds this year — a $22 million Series B led by NVP to expand to all major U.S. cities.
But event planning is only one segment of this market. Ritani, a tech-enabled jewelry brand, has pulled in $15 million from Cantor Ventures to bring engagement ring shopping into the 21st century.
“Over the last 10 years, over a third of all existing independent retailers in the jewelry industry have gone out of business. The reality is that this millennial customer is coming of age and has a driving need that’s different,” says Brian Watkins, Ritani’s CEO.
Using Ritani’s online platform, customers can virtually build engagement rings specific to style and price point. Instead of purchasing the ring immediately, users can have it shipped to a local retailer, free of charge, to examine in person.
“This is an industry where the product has a certain level of touch,” says Jed Kleckner of Cantor Ventures.
“Even though online has advantages, it will never replace certain elements of offline, like service, cleaning, and the trust and reputation factor that a local vendor provides,” Kleckner says.
Ritani has partnered with over 200 local jewelry retailers, which are happy to showcase Ritani products so they can tap into the online-focused customer base.
“After buying an engagement ring, 50 percent of the time that consumer buys their wedding band from the same store — so you have an immediate follow-up purchase,” says Watkins.
“And quite frankly, most guys are pretty lazy, so they’ll go back to the same store for each anniversary,” he says.

If a customer decides not to purchase the ring, Ritani sends the diamond back to its manufacturing facility and melts down the metal — a minimal cost compared to the profit margins on engagement rings averaging $8K. Ritani brought in $50 million in sales in 2014, and they’re up 100 percent through Q1 of this year.

Weddings are solemn events - until the reception

It seems everyone loves a wedding. Unless, of course, the ones paying for it, which at this point in time may reach the starting salary of a National Football League first-round draft pick.
Still, it is an exciting day and one which may be just around the corner as we head into the wedding season. Come on, who would miss the opportunity to see two reasonable families coming together to witness a couple participating in a meaningful ceremony which will culminate at the end of a long day in a food fight, with chicken wings flying across the tables? It can resemble a legislative session in the Venezuelan assembly.
If that’s not enough, it might be your last chance to hear the most nauseating lyrics in history, as guests groan during the first dance to, “Precious and few are the moments we two can share….”
But if you are involved in planning a wedding, let’s get the biggest headache over with, the guest list. No document in the history of mankind has been so contentious as this piece of paper that will be crossed out, inked over, shredded and spit upon like a common criminal. Well, maybe the congressional record. Prozac was invented just for these types of occasions.
Oh, it starts out reasonably enough. You know, the families split the numbers down the middle. There are so many guests allotted for the bride’s side and so many guests for the groom’s side. This is the A List. Family comes first, but when you get into the bio mom, the stepmom, the stepdad, the test tube mom, the sperm donor dad, the odd uncle who can’t stop jingling loose change in his pocket, and the aunt who hasn’t spoken to anyone since she filed a police report claiming someone poisoned her hot dog at the annual family reunion, well, it gets a bit tricky.
Then there is the category if you invite one person then you have to invite the other people in your family lest they feel slighted, which incidentally was the real cause of a falling out and a restraining order.
Now there’s the B List, which would be considered the fillers; these are people to be called upon if someone declines an invitation.
You wouldn’t want an empty church, after all. This is never a problem since these people will attend anything at a drop of a hat, if there is free food and alcohol. I know this from personal experience and have learned to have a ready-for-wedding outfit at the back of my closet. Also there are plenty of folks out on the highway you can just corral into the church.
But once all reason has gone by the wayside, there is the actual ceremony itself. Well, that and a few other things like the caterer, florists, engravers, tailors, dresses, people who make the little figures on top of the cake, the band, the napkin people, and we can’t forget the wedding planner. Yeah, Las Vegas looks pretty good. All you need is the right vending machine and you are just a package of rice away from the I do’s.
Anyway, that big day finally arrives when the couple stands in front of their family and friends to exchange a lifetime commitment to each other.
It’s a sobering occasion. Well, at least until the reception.
I know the groom’s family sits down front on one side of the aisle.
Most of them are awestruck by the solemn, intimate details; they are prepared to focus on stuff like the one long strand of hair sticking out from the side of the bride’s neck.
And of course the bride’s family is just as overwhelmed, mostly by the fact that she was able to find the only deadbeat to wed in the county.
Yet it’s not all as bad as I paint it to be. But still Las Vegas might just be the refund you are looking for.

For whatever happens in Vegas stays in Vegas - or not.

'Freedom of Conscience' bill would allow some Minnesota businesses to refuse same-sex wedding services

State Sen. Paul Gazelka on Thursday unveiled a “Freedom of Conscience” bill that would allow some businesses to refuse marriage-related services to same-sex couples based on their religious beliefs, but maintains it's intended to compromise, not discriminate.
Gazelka, R-Nisswa, whose proposal comes in the waning weeks of the session, said he knows it won't pass this year. He called the bill’s specific language “a surgical approach” by pertaining only to weddings. The language states that no clergy member or business must provide goods or services “if that action would cause the individual or business to violate a sincerely held belief regarding whether marriage is only the union of one man or one woman.”
The bill only applies to businesses with 20 or fewer employees, and businesses may not refuse service if it presents “substantial hardship” to potential customers.
Gazelka, who co-sponsored a failed constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage in Minnesota, and voted against legalizing same-sex marriage the following year, maintains that his bill is not intended to discriminate against gays and lesbians, or end same-sex marriage. He said that he has long believed that gays and lesbians should be able to live as they choose.
“Now I’m simply asking that Christians and people of faith be able to live as they choose, without the threat of punishment from the government.” He said.
Gazelka referenced a 2014 case where Rice Creek Lodge refused to rent a lodge for a wedding service to a gay couple, and following a complaint and settlement through the Minnesota Department of Human Rights, agreed to pick up the tab for the wedding and reception they initially turned away.
“I don’t think that’s right,” Gazelka said. “It’s not right to deny anyone services simply because of who they are, but it’s also not right to force someone to celebrate a gay wedding if they think it’s wrong. These opposing worldviews have crashed head-on, and the only way for our dividing culture to move forward is for both sides to live as they please. Both sides have to leave a little room for the other side to disagree.”
Gazelka said he has reached out to the gay community, including GLBT advocacy organization OutFront Minnesota, but has not received support.
“They have an open door to my office, they always will,” he said. “I think they recognized the problem but are not supportive of the solution.”
OutFront Executive Director Monica Meyer said that although the organization appreciates Gazelka’s open door policy, the majority of Minnesotans have expressed support for same-sex marriage.
“We realize there are some people who don’t,” she said. “Commercial business owners don’t have to support the decisions of their customers, but we just know that our country works best when nobody is discriminated against, and we’re not actually providing these legal avenues for discrimination.”
On the other side, Gazelka said he consulted with conservative groups like the Minnesota Family Council, but said he intentionally didn’t want them around as he unveiled the bill “because we want to bring both sides together.” He said they support the bill, although they may want something more broad.
Gazelka co-authored the bill with Republican Sens. Warren Limmer of Maple Grove, Michelle Benson, of Ham Lake, Mary Kiffmeyer of Big Lake and Dan Hall of Burnsville. Gazelka said he reached out to his DFL counterparts, and said that while some were supportive, none were willing to put their names on the bill. Republican Rep. Tim Miller, R-Prinsburg, said he supports the measure, but has decided not to file a companion bill because he’s interested in a conversation starter, but “dropping a bill at this time was not in my interests.”
Both Gazelka and Miller said their respective leaderships were aware of the bill, and while not actively supporting it, they weren’t actively opposed either.
The bill comes in the wake of Indiana’s “Religious Freedom Restoration Act,” which drew backlash from across the country, including Minnesota, after it purported to discriminate against gays and lesbians. Indiana’s governor since amended the bill.

Gazelka said his bill is unique from other controversial bills because it is marriage-focused, where he said he sees the most conflict. Gazelka said he doesn’t know whether his bill would clash with Minnesota’s Human Rights law. Although state law provides exemptions for religious entities, businesses are not exempt.

Why You Should Stop Buying Wedding Gifts

Some people love planning their lives around weddings. But for most of us, that beige embossed invite spurs dread: How much is this thing going to cost me?According to the Houston Chronicle, the answer, on average, is somewhere around $700. With wedding season now in full swing, Esquire tapped three pros for money-saving tips for wedding guests: Jen Doll, a serial wedding guest who detailed her hilarious (and often mortifying) experiences in her new-to-paperback memoir Save the Date; Luke Landes, the personal finance pro behind the popular blog Consumerism Commentary, and Ginger Dean, a finance blogger who's traveled around for a fair share of weddings. Here's what they told us.
1. Skip the gift."This is potentially bad or controversial, but I don't really give a gift all the time," Doll admits. "The way we go to weddings now is so much more diverse than the way that it used to be. People are getting married at way different ages, and it's not like you need to give someone their first kitchen appliance—they already own it." If your friends are already set for adulthood and you're paying a lot to attend, skip the gift. Chances are the couple won't notice.
2. Give something small.If guilt gets to you, it's perfectly fine to give something small, says Doll, even if it's not on the registry. "It's not like you have to give the dollar amount on the gift," she says. "Give something appropriate to what you can afford." Dean agrees: "Get a gift on the lower end of the registry," she says, or simply send the couple a card wishing them well. Landes recommends jumping on the registry game early, as guests tend to snatch the cheapest gifts quickly.
3. Wear the same outfit.Don't make each formal event an excuse to buy a new outfit, Doll warns. "Presumably, there will be different people at all of [the weddings]," she says, so no one will notice a wardrobe repeat. And if you do feel compelled to go shopping, at least "make sure you buy something you can wear again," says Dean. "Don't buy something for just the occasion." (Our wear-it-wedding-season-round pick: Hudson's lightweight cotton stunner in navy.)
4. Pick a party.
Do you really need to attend the engagement dinner, bachelor party, and ceremony? Odds are good the answer is negative. Choose the event that means the most to you and let the couple know you'll be missing the others, Doll says. Do not feel the need to apologize.5. Skimp on lodging.
If the wedding is out of town, don't succumb to peer pressure and stay where the couple is staying. Instead, rent an Airbnb or something cheaper nearby. You may even opt to share a room with a friend. "Everything related to travel tends to be the biggest expense," says Landes, especially for destination weddings where the bride and groom want things extra special.6. Just say no.

Sadly, the best way to get out of paying to attend a wedding is by not attending at all. "Sometimes it makes sense to say no," says Landes, especially if you just can't afford it. Put yourself first and the savings will follow. And if a friend doesn't understand, they're not much of a friend.

Ian Somerhalder and Nikki Reed Wedding News: Couple Enjoys Honeymoon in Mexico and Brazil

Love is definitely heating up the summer as newlyweds Ian Somerhalder and Nikki Reed hit the beaches for their cross-country honeymoon after their sweet sunset and private wedding. The two Hollywood married actors were just in Mexico last Saturday and now apparently the two are enjoying the heat of the sun in Brazil.
It is indeed an A-list honeymoon as the 'Vampire Diaries' star Somerhalder and the 'Twilight' actress Reed went on a quite expensive romantic vacation in Mexico which Reed perfectly captured in her recent Instagram post showing her and her new husband in a PDA-filled honeymoon.
Well, there was sand, the sun and kisses for the newlyweds offered by a resort in Mexico that Reed just shared on her Instagram writing, "Salty...sandy...sticky...sunburned. The best," she shared in a caption showing her giving a big smile while sitting on a shaded area by the beach with her man.
It was definitely her man now as she is officially married to the famous actor who was quite sweet with her in the photo as he hugged Reed and planted a huge kiss on her cheek. "I love this human. My human," Reed added.
The two surprised everybody upon being reported to be already married last week in Santa Monica, California. They reportedly said their "I Do's" during a sunset ceremony with only their closest family and friends in attendance.
Some photos from the wedding's photo booths were posted via their social media later on which showed Somerhalder's co-star in the hit Vampire series Kat Graham attending the memorable event.
Meanwhile, as many are already wondering what Reed wore on her wedding day, reports have confirmed that The ivory lace design of her dress was found at Claire Pettibone's Los Angeles salon.
Not only that, the Bride wanted an "Elizabeth" mermaid gown which was Ecru and Chantilly beaded according to reports. Right now, the newlyweds are reported to have moved from Mexico to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to continue their honeymoon getaway.

It has been reported that they were joined by Somerhalder's Vampire Diaries co-star Paul Wesley with Phoebe Tonkin.

Sofia Vergara Talks Nick Loeb Frozen Embryo Battle: 'Obviously, He Has a Problem With Me'

Sofia Vergara is speaking out for the first time about the controversial lawsuitbrought against her by her former fiance, Nick Loeb.
Loeb is suing the 42-year-old Modern Family actress over two frozen embryosthat were created using his sperm and her eggs while the two were still in a relationship. In the wake of their breakup last May, Loeb is suing his ex -- who is now engaged to Magic Mike XXL's Joe Manganiello -- claiming that the actress wishes to have to embryos destroyed, whereas he wants the legal right to attempt to bring the embryos to life via surrogate.
In a new interview with Howard Stern on his SiriusXM channel, Vergara says Loeb has no case since he signed a contract.
VIDEO: Nick Loeb Pens Op-Ed About Sofia Vergara Frozen Embryo Battle
"There is a contract that he can't do anything," she says. "We wrote what we wanted at the time. It's not like a contract [where] they give [it to] you right there the moment they're gonna take the eggs out -- no, they give you this in advance. You see it, you review it, and not only that, we did it two times. ... Two times and suddenly you want to change your mind?"
"What judge is going to say OK?" she later adds. "Even if it's life or not life, it's not what he signed at the moment. You know, you should have thought about all of that."
In the candid interview, the Hot Pursuit star also gives a reason why having a child with her ex would be far from ideal.
"More than a mother, [a child] needs a loving relationship of parents that you know, get along, that don't hate each other,” she says.”I don't hate him but obviously he has a problem with me. … I wouldn't imagine anyone saying to bring to the world kids that already have everything set up wrong for them. It'd be so selfish."
Her lawyer Fred Silberberg told ET last month that Loeb's case has "no merit."
"Vergara has never suggested that she wished to have the embryos destroyed," Silberberg said. "She has always maintained that they be kept frozen, a fact of which Loeb and his counsel have always been aware, despite Loeb's statements to the contrary."
And is all of the lawsuit drama affecting her relationship with Manganiello?
"We try not to even talk about it," she shares. "We have lawyers and we're having so much fun right now. We're moving to our new house ... we're planning our wedding."
Speaking of their wedding, Sofia spills some romantic details about their proposal in Hawaii last December.
"It was a surprise when we got engaged, we had only been going six months," she recalls, also dishing that her massive engagement ring is about seven carats and worth over $100,000. "So he gave me the ring and I'm like, 'Oh my God, yeah, of course.' I'm obsessed with him, super in love."
She also reveals the super-sweet gesture that is sure to have all his Magic Mikefans swooning over him even more.

"He proposed in Spanish, can you believe that?" she laughs. "He did really good. It wasn't just two words, it was like, a whole thing."

Vogue features its first transgender model Andreja Pejic

As an internationally recognised inspiration to many women, American Vogue has announced that it will put its first transgender model in the pages of the glossy May issue.
Andreja Pejic will be featured in a four page spread, with an accompanying editorial, shot by legendary photographer Patrick Demarchelier. In the upcoming issue, entitled The New World, Vogue brings to light the issues surrounding “trans America” and gender fluidity within the fashion world, especially on the runways.
Pejic was born in Bosnia and Herzegovina. However, shortly after the 1999 NATO bombing of Serbia, Andreja and her family emigrated to Australia where she flourished academically. At the age of 16 she was scouted; her androgynous look enabled her to model for both male and female clothing.
In the Paris fashion shows of January 2011, she wore men’s and women’s clothes for Jean-Paul Gaultier and men’s products for Marc Jacobs. As her career blossomed, Andreja walked for both the masculine and feminine outfits from Michalsky at the Stylenite in 2011. In the following year she modelled bridal creations by Spanish designer Rosa Clara at Barcelona’s Bridal Week, 2013.
In 2014 Andreja underwent her sex reassignment surgery which ultimately changed her life for the better, as quoted in People magazine: “I was proud of my gender nonconforming career. But my biggest dream was to be comfortable in my own body. I have to be true to myself and the career is just going to have to fit around that.”
Gender identity issues are no strangers to the fashion world. On their 2014 winter runways, Gucci, Proenza Schouler and Chanel switched it up and sent gorgeous men to model womenswear collections. Givenchy, Giorgio Armani, Saint Laurent, Raf Simons, and Moschino also changed things around by casting women in menswear shows.

As the world moves forward and more people embrace who they are, though androgyny and cross-dressing are not the same as being trans, their prominence on the catwalk represents a beacon of acceptance for the community. Andreja Pejic’s success is a celebration of this progressiveness and hopefully an inspiration for designers and fashion companies to encourage more gender-fluid models into the fashion world.