Finding Hope in a Wedding That Represented All of Israel

“This is Am Yisrael,” she said, pointing to the enormous crowd.
Noa Litman whispered these words in my ear on Thursday night, in the midst of her daughter’s wedding.
I couldn’t believe it. Just days before, Rabbi Yaakov and Netanel Litman — her husband and son — had been murdered by terrorists. Noa and her family were driving to a pre-wedding party. She had witnessed this murder and had been wounded.
Released from the hospital, she joined her children for the week of shiva and mourning; the wedding — planned for that week — was postponed.
And now, here she was at the rescheduled wedding of her radiant daughter, Sara Techiya Litman. With dignity and courage, she was speaking to scores of guests, with a beaming smile, and a receptive heart.
“This is Am Yisrael.” My mind couldn’t stop echoing Noa’s words. As I looked around at the thousands of people who came together to celebrate her family’s joy, the profundity of her message became glaringly clear. She was right. If there is a face to our nation, this was it.
This wedding spoke to the unwavering resolve at the heart of our nation. Indeed, we are a nation that knows that life is more powerful than death, that love is mightier than hate, that hope is greater than despair. We are a nation that has lived by the words of the Haggadah: “In each and every generation, they rise against us to annihilate us, but the Holy One Blessed Be He saves us from their hand.”
An Unforgettable Exchange
The ceremony began with joyous singing and dancing. The bride and the groom approached one another with a palpable intensity of emotion. The world stood still.
The bride and groom asked me to deliver this message: “Tell Jews in Arizona and everywhere that we are one, and since we share the same collective soul, no one can ever separate us. We promise to do our part to nurture our small part of this collective Jewish soul, but we ask everyone in your community and beyond to nurture their individual parts of our collective soul too.”
I came to celebrate with the Litmans, but I left having learned two life-changing lessons:
Lesson One: Thinking of Others
Here was a couple that found the courage to celebrate after sudden tragedy. They found a way to transform sorrow into joy, tears into triumph, and death into life.
How could they be so brave? It may be because they were not focused on their own needs. Were they experiencing unimaginable pain? Sure. Were they tempted to fall into melancholy and depression? No doubt. But they believed that they were born to be bastions of hope and beacons of light for their families, and, so unexpectedly, for our nation too. They knew that our nation needed them to “nurture their part of the Jewish soul.”
Every day we have the chance to touch someone’s life, to serve, to comfort, to listen, to smile. Yet how often do we overlook what is in front of us? How often do we ignore the cries of our those who are yearning for support and direction? How often do we say that it’s too tough to change the world?
Lesson Two: Ignite A Light of Goodness Today
During the chupah, a speaker evoked the Talmudic statement: “Our father Yaakov, Jacob, did not die. As his descendants are alive, so too he is alive.” But he was referring, of course, to the bride’s father, Yaakov. Although he had been ruthlessly murdered just days before, he too was still alive, in his family members, and through their mitzvot and kindness.
Sara Techiya and Ariel, the bride and groom, were right. They are doing their part in nurturing their souls. But we too must do our part to keep Jacob our forefather, the bride’s father, Rabbi Yaakov, and our ancestors of all generations, alive and well.
Now it is up to us to nurture the individual parts of our united Jewish soul. Let us take upon ourselves a new mitzvah, and ignite a light of goodness today, in our lives, and in our world, one mitzvah at a time.

Our nation, our very “Am Yisrael,” will then undoubtedly remain alive and robust. To eternity.

12 Things I Wish I Knew Before I Became a Wedding Planner

1. You need to understand what really goes into a wedding before you can plan one. When I started my business seven years ago, I got in touch with vendors that I either knew through school or through friends, and said, "Hey, I'm starting this business, would you mind if I would tag along one day to see what you do?" I spent a day with a DJ to see what he deals with, went to a couple of halls to make connections and to get an idea for layouts, watched a wedding from start to finish, and I followed a photographer around for the day. I wanted to learn what the vendors did so when I created a full timeline of a wedding weekend, it would help me estimate how much time would be needed for everything — how much time the DJ needs for the first dance, how long it takes for a venue to serve guests, how long it takes a photographer to take family photos. We can do flowers, decorations, linens, and the coordination and the planning aspect of weddings, so we need to be able to work well with outside vendors so they want to work with us.​
2. Every wedding will be different, from the details to the time spent planning.​ When I'm meeting with a client, I'm constantly writing notes. If you miss that one little thing, like if a client says they want gold and you mark down silver, that's a big difference. Or if they say they want off-white and not ivory, you call it off-white even though it's the same thing. We have some clients who want us to plan from start to finish, and we have some clients who want us to just decorate a little bit and coordinate [things on the day]. If someone has us plan and coordinate their wedding, it's probably 40 to 50 hours for the whole thing. But very few clients have us do everything. I think on average, our clients have us spend between 20 to 25 hours on their wedding. Some days I'm working on two or three weddings, and some days I'm working on 16, depending on what's coming up.
3. ​On the wedding day, you will be a personal assistant, pet sitter, and everything in between. In between a ceremony and reception, I've had to go to a client's house and let their dog out. For one client, I had to pick up the grandmother from the salon and take her to the church with me. I have had quite a few clients that have had their pets in their wedding, usually their dog, but there was a rabbit at one wedding. After that animal gets down the aisle, then it's my responsibility to contain it until after the ceremony. There have been times that I have had to hold babies because Mom or Dad has to dance. There was a wedding I did where the bartender was an hour and a half late for the reception so I had to bartend.​
4. ​People will think you're making a lot of money doing easy work. Everybody always says, "Oh, you're a wedding planner like Jennifer Lopez." Absolutely not. I don't know about other wedding planners, but we're not enjoying the day. We're on our feet from the time we start to the time we end. You're constantly looking out for if the bride needs something, if her mom's OK, if the groom is drunk and we have to find him. We're lucky if we get to eat dinner, so you have to keeps snacks in your pocket.
5. ​Your hours are rarely 9 to 5. I have meetings as early as 8 a.m. and as late as 8:30 p.m. There might be a week that I'm working Monday through Sunday. In my eyes, you really can't be closed. On the day of a wedding, I could work a 22-hour day.
6. ​Unless you schedule it, free time is nonexistent. I literally have to schedule nights out with my friends or my husband at least four to six weeks in advance. My husband always asks if I can schedule him in, and I tell him "after season," which is usually mid-April to mid-October or November. My calendar is back-to-back with meetings, taking my kids to the sitter, appointments, traveling to see a client in a different city. Three weeks after one of my children was born, I traveled with her, my husband, and our 2-year-old to do a wedding. I do take vacations, but I usually work for most of it. I do tell my clients weeks in advance that I'm going on vacation and they're usually fine with it. Unfortunately, I did have one client last year who was mad that I went on vacation, so I pretty much had to be at her beck and call for five days when I was gone. ​
7. ​You'll need to stop family drama before it happens. Fortunately I've dealt with a lot of great families, but about 10 or 12 times a year, we get a family who is going through a bitter divorce, or somebody is remarried to a much younger wife or a much younger husband, or somebody has had multiple boyfriends or girlfriends. I ask my clients right away if they have any bad family history, if they have any relatives who are going to show up that they don't want there, or if they have a bad experience with an ex that we need to look out for, since we don't want them to come and ruin the wedding. If it's an issue with the parents, I'll approach the mother and the father at rehearsal, and tell them I'm there for their daughter, and I would really appreciate if they're courteous to one another just for 24 hours.
8. ​You'll deal with controlling mothers more than bridezillas. We've really seen an upswing in mothers who don't really care for us or just can't understand that we're there for the bride, and they should relax. So there are times that I just have to remind them that their daughter hired us. And if that doesn't work, there are times when I may have to go to the father and ask him to pull her away from us, and the dad is usually like, "No problem, I can handle it."
9. ​Being selective about the brides you work with will make your life so much easier. I think the reason we've only had one bridezilla this year is because I've gotten to the point where I sort of interview the clients before I book them. If we feel like they're going to be a handful and they are going to be a bridezilla, we just politely tell them it isn't going to work, and give them the names of other planners or coordinators in the area. We'll turn them down if they have a bad reputation working with vendors or off their demeanor during the first meeting. I had a meeting where a woman came in drunk and her sister/maid of honor was drunk. Last year, we had just under a hundred weddings, and this year, having a little over 130, we can be a little more selective. I've learned from my personality what I can take during a wedding, and I've learned from my other coordinators what they can handle and what they can take.
10. ​You'll need to become an expert at crisis management. I had a wedding cake almost fall over at a wedding. It was a four-tier cake, and the third layer pretty much smashed. Luckily I was there, so I scooped the entire third layer into the garbage abd put the second layer onto the fourth. There was a little bit of a difference, so I went to one of the centerpieces, grabbed a couple of flowers, and filled them in. The client never knew until the end of the night when I told her that I called her baker and she'll have a full refund. Usually brides will tell me not to tell them if anything comes up the day of the wedding, just to take care of it. But if it's something she has to know about, like a groomsman not showing up for the wedding, I don't really give her a lot of options, I just [tell her] what's best to do. If it's a few days before the wedding, I arrange a face-to-face meeting or phone call as quickly as possible, and we go over a couple of options of what we can do. Usually it's a problem with the vendor, so I'll give her my recommendations and a few other options, and then ask her if she wants me to take over and do whatever I need to do, or if she wants to handle it.
11. ​Pinterest creates unrealistic expectations, and that can make your job harder. There are a lot of things on Pinterest that aren't real and we just can't do. Regardless of if we're in Toledo or New York or California, it's just not possible. But when you go to brides and say you can't do their idea, they're like, "Why not?" And I'm like, "This flower isn't in season or this backdrop just isn't possible." Or maybe it's not possible to do in the venue they chose. So unfortunately, I do probably shatter some dreams when people come in, but that's the reality of it. People see a vase on Pinterest and say they have to have it and aren't OK with something similar. Or they want peonies because every bride has a peony bouquet, but I can only get them for about six to eight weeks a year. Sometimes people want a flower wall because of Kim Kardashian, but why do you want to spend $6,000 for a 20-minute ceremony? I try to have them do something that's more personal; otherwise people are going to walk into their wedding and go, "It's a Pinterest wedding." I've heard that many times.

12. ​You'll like some weddings more than others, but each will be rewarding in its own way. I will say that at probably 90 percent of my weddings, I cry when the bride walks down the aisle.​ I still get caught up in that moment. Of course, there are weddings that I walk into where I'm like, I just did this same decor and look last week. But then there are weddings I walk into and I think to myself,This is mine, I really did this. I still get this feeling of amazement and accomplishment like, Wow, this is really what I do for a living. And at the end of the night when my clients are on the dance floor, smiling, laughing, having a great time, and throughout the day when they're saying, "Thanks, April, we couldn't have done it without you," my tiredness and soreness just goes away.

Sofia Vergara Scores by Sharing Wedding Photos on Instagram

Newlyweds Sofia Vergara and Joe Manganiello might have cashed in by selling their wedding photos to a celebrity magazine, but instead they posted the pictures online, and the benefits could be priceless.
Vergara shared 55 photos from her wedding weekend on Instagram, from the romantic, flower-filled setting to her first dance with her new husband. There are shots of her co-workers — "Modern Family" stars Eric Stonestreet, Ty Burrell and Jesse Tyler Ferguson — and a snap of the couple cutting their cake. It's like an extended magazine layout without the magazine.
By sharing the photos via social media, Vergara was able to "give fans the best perspective on her special day: her own," said Instagram exec Charlton Gholson.
She not only controls the narrative, she cultivates an image of accessibility, which could have an even bigger payoff.
Marketing consultant Dorie Clark said the move sends "a clear branding signal that you are of the people."
"Just because magazines want to pay you tons of money for your photos, you're not succumbing to that," she said. "You're a regular gal and you're releasing photos on Instagram the way your friends do. You're not a spoiled Hollywood starlet. You're of the people."
That kind of image is more fan-friendly — and almost expected in the era of reality-TV, said Bonnie Fuller, editor-in-chief of celebrity site HollywoodLife.com. Such accessibility also fits Vergara's character on "Modern Family," Fuller said.
"People who tune into the show love to see her being so happy and love to see her love story that she found true love with Joe Manganiello," she said. "She looks so beautiful and she's so excited, and you like her even better and you can't wait to see her back on her show."
Other stars have skipped traditional publications to bring their personal photos straight to the people. Beyoncé and Jay Z posted the first pictures of daughter Blue Ivy on their personal websites. Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel used Instagram to publicly share the first shots of their son, Silas.
"I think we're going to see more stars doing this, not less," said Fuller, who notes that magazine publishers don't have the budgets they once did. "Social media has given such a forum to celebrities."

Ultimately, Vergara and Manganiello making their wedding pictures widely available could lead to even more coverage in celebrity media, Clark said: "You might get more publicity value than in cash value had you sold the rights exclusively."

Diaspora Jews raise money to attend terrorism orphan’s wedding

Representatives of Jewish communities around the world will be sending special representatives to celebrate with a young Israeli woman, who had to postpone her wedding after her father and brother were shot to death by a Palestinian terrorist near Hebron two weeks ago.
The murders of Rabbi Yaakov Litman, 40, and his 18-year-old son, Netanel, forced Sarah Techiya Litman to push off her wedding to Ariel Beigle for a week in order to sit shiva. Instead of opting for a small wedding, however, Litman announced that she was inviting the public to attend what she is calling a “million person wedding” at Jerusalem’s International Convention Center.
“Do not rejoice over me, my enemy, for I have fallen but I have gotten up,” the couple quoted from the Prophet Micah in their public invitation.
At least seven Chabad houses and campus centers in the United States, Canada and Australia are raffling off tickets to Israel in order to send representatives to the wedding.
“This initiative presents our community with a tangible and meaningful way to express our solidarity, love and support with the people of Israel,” Rabbi Aaron Slonim, the Chabad emissary at Binghamton University told chabad.org.
“Beyond that, we join in the deep resolve of this couple that terror not define our lives, and that goodness and kindness and joy fight the wave of darkness and despair that seems so overwhelming.”
“In just two days, over 150 people entered the raffle, and many others just chose to donate,” said Rabbi Dovid Gutnik of Chabad in East Melbourne said.
“Despite the current and historical challenges and tragedies, we are an unbreakable family. And when we are united, we will prevail and we will thrive. That is the lesson of history, and that is what we are doing now.”
According to Rabbi Mark Fishman of Congregation Beth Tikvah of Dollard des Ormeaux, Quebec, after announcing his intention to fly in for the wedding, several congregants decided to join him as well and that in the end a 12-person delegation would attend.
“I spoke in synagogue this last Shabbat and told those attending that I would be flying out to Israel to dance at this wedding and be a part of the epic saga that is Jewish destiny. Since that time we as a community have been blessed by individuals who have stepped up and wish to join. We are truly fortunate to have such leadership,” Fishman wrote in an email to congregants, adding that he will be giving the couple a gift from the congregation’s Torah Fund.
“We read this and we knew – one of us had to attend this wedding,” Fishman’s wife Sarah explained.
“Why? Because those of us living outside of Israel do not bear the tremendous task of protecting our homeland.
That responsibility is entrusted to those 18-yearold men and women who serve in the IDF. Because we, who live outside of Israel, do not bear the weight on our shoulders on a daily basis of what route to take as we drive our kids to school, what supermarket to shop at today, and far too often lately, what funeral to attend.
That weight is carried on the shoulders of Israelis. So why go to the wedding? Because OUR role in the history of the Jewish people is to ensure that those who DO live in our homeland truly know that we support them, that we appreciate all they do so that we too can have the ‘zchut’ [merit] of calling Israel ‘OUR’ homeland from so far away.”
Aside from sending people, Diaspora Jews have also taken to the Internet to crowd-fund for the couple.

On Tuesday OnlySimchas.com, an orthodox web platform used for announcing weddings, engagements and other life-cycle events, announced that it had started a GoFundMe campaign to give them “a beautiful wedding gift from Jews across the world who are unable to be at the wedding but are definitely with them in their hearts.”

17 Ideas for Marketing Your Wedding Photography in the Off-Season

Weddings are a seasonal thing. They really pick up in spring, roll on at a steady pace through summer and then spike into the fall. But then comes November, when the frenzy of peak wedding season slows down, it can be tempting to hibernate until spring. If you’ve had a particularly busy year, it may actually be necessary for you to cool your heels for a minute.
But once you pause to catch your breath, don’t succumb to the temptation to binge on Netflix and chill with your business. The off-season is your golden moment! This is your time to out-pace your competition and really build momentum for your business.
Here are 17 off-season wedding photography marketing ideas. You’re probably already doing some of these. Some won’t work for you. And some are things you should be doing, and promised yourself you’d do last year. So let’s get to it!
Category: Content Marketing
#1. Blog Your Shoots
Blog your weddings on your blog! This sounds obvious, and maybe it is. That’s why we’re putting it first. If you have weddings you haven’t blogged yet, pick out your favorites and get them prepped and ready for the blog. Schedule them to post at even intervals off into the future. If that’s one a week, great. If one a month, also great. Get your work out there on your blog, you won’t regret it. You’re creating a beautiful portfolio as well as a giant Google-sucking traffic magnet. It’s a win/win.
#2. Get Re-Blogged
Get another blog to blog your blog on their blog. This isn’t as hard as it sounds. Just look around at the wedding blogs you love, and see which of your weddings fits what they love. Then, you know, send it to them! If you don’t want to do it the hard way, you can also use Two Bright Lights.
#3. Contribute a Guest Blog
Have a friend with a cool blog? Reach out and ask if you could contribute a guest blog. Surely there’s a topic you’re savvy on that they could use. Blogs always love a guest post, as it takes a bit of the work off their shoulders and builds credibility. And for you, it positions you as an industry expert and gives you something to talk/post/tweet about!
#4. Create a Guide
As a frequent wedding-goer, you have a far greater grasp of the things that should be done and the things that must be avoided. Aggregate your knowledge into a helpful resource guide. Ten Wedding Shoes to Avoid at All Costs, Top Five People Not To Invite To Your Wedding, How To Look Amazing On Your Wedding Day… stuff like that. Make sure the images are all yours and ready to be shared. Share it on your blog, on your social networks, and then send it to industry blogs.
Category: Social Networking
#5. Tag All The Things
Do you have un-tagged photos of clients out there in the wild? One easy marketing trick is to go through all your previously posted photos and make sure every possible person is tagged. Reach out to old clients and encourage them to tag-it-up! Any new tag will cause your photos to show up in feeds around the world, which is always a good soft-marketing move.
#6. Instagram
Is your Insta-game on lock down? Review the photos you’ve posted in the past and nix the ones that don’t represent your brand today. Remember, any photo that isn’t a great photo does not need to be in your visible portfolio. This isn’t technically marketing, but it is defensive marketing, protecting future clients from old photos that might turn them off. And for every old photo you nix, add a new, shiny one that you love!
#7. Snapchat, maybe?
Honestly, we don’t know what to tell you about this. We’ve heard it’s all the rage with the kids nowadays, and talented wedding photographers use it, so it can’t be all bad.
Category: Actual Networking
#8. Woo a Venue
What are three cool venues where you’d love to shoot more? Often, a venue will have a relationship with a photographer they love. Why isn’t that you? If they knew you—and your work—they’d definitely love you, and probably refer you. So get out there and say hello. Stop in and ask if you can scope out the space because you’ve never shot there, but you’d like to be prepared when the time comes. Take a little tour, shoot a few photos of the space, make a friend! And when you get home, edit a few of the more unique photos and email them to the venue as a thank you for their time.
#9. Shoot a Planner
Do you know a planner who is planning a lot of weddings, but is not using you as their exclusive, go-to photographer referral? Call them up! One great way to make friends with a planner is to give them a complimentary headshot session. They get a great headshot for their marketing, they get to know you a little better, and get to experience the joy of sitting in front of your camera. At the end of the session, you will be better friends and you might have yourself a new referral source!
#10. Side Kick your Heroes
Some weekends, you won’t have a wedding. And some weekends, your photo-hero probably will. Reach out to a photographer whose work you admire and let them know that you’d love to second shoot with them some time, if you’re free and they have a need. Three benefits: a little extra income from second shooting, the experience of working with a hero, and building a relationship with a high-end photographer who could become a potential referral source!
Category: Friends and Relations
#11. Save the Date
Take a look at next year’s calendar. See all those empty dates, the ones with no wedding to shoot? Create a nice image that shows the dates that are already booked. Say something like, “next year is really booking up – if you have a friend getting married on any of these other dates, I’d love to meet them!” Share this on the socials and maybe email your past clients, just letting them know that you’d love a referral!
#12. Ask for referrals
This is one we debated even mentioning, but some of our more introverted photogs could use the reminder. Your friends, family and past clients may not immediately think of your name when a wedding is in the works. They must be conditioned to think of you! Don’t spam people, but it never hurts to share a request for referrals on social and by email. Say something tactful but firm: “Know of a couple getting married? I’d love the opportunity to be their photographer. Please make an introduction!”
#13. Incentivize the Referral
This one can go either way. Some feel that it is in bad form to bribe people to send you a referral. Others firmly believe it is good and right to reward anybody who sends you business. How do you feel about it? If you’re pro-incentive and willing to reward, make a plan and let people know! What is your reward? Is it a lovely gift? Is it a portrait session? Make it something that is appealing enough to keep you in their mind!
Category: Do Other Things
#14. Volunteer
Is there a non-profit organization whose vision you support? Volunteer to shoot an event, or their staff. This is a great way to get connected to people in your community, and potentially get future clients. Be careful, though. If you are volunteering your photography services for a good cause, it’s okay to work for free. But be sure you provide your best work, and when you are asked about a for-pay shoot, quote your standard prices.
#15. Shoot a Directory
Many churches have a need for good directory photos. Reach out to churches in your area and offer your services. You can charge a flat rate for a single day, and in the process meet dozens of potential future clients. You may not want to be a church directory photographer, but you can’t deny the value of having 200 people knowing and loving your work. Don’t be smarmy, but also don’t hesitate to hand a business card to each church member that you photograph.
#16. Create a Creative Project
The Internet loves a creative photo project. From Dogs Shaking Water to Humans of New York, there is a constant demand for clever and beautiful image-driven content. What drives you? What intrigues you? What do you want to shoot? Do you live in Akron and love acorns? Shoot a series of Acorns of Akron! It provides great experience, allows you to be more creative than normal, and potentially becomes a fun blog post. And if you play it right, it can garner wider exposure for your business!
#17. Never Stop Marketing

Whatever you do in the off-season, be marketing your business. That’s kind of the key. There are a thousand other ideas to help grow your tribe, increase your brand awareness, market more effectively to your target brides, and generally increase your bookings. Find the ideas that work best for you and get to work!

N.Y. farm appeals $13,000 fine for refusing lesbian couple's wedding

The owners of an upstate New York wedding venue who were fined $13,000 after refusing to host a lesbian wedding are appealing the ruling.
The owners of Liberty Ridge Farm north of Albany refused to host the 2013 wedding of Melisa and Jennie McCarthy, citing their Christian beliefs that marriage is between a man and a woman. The state's Division of Human Rights ruled that business owned by Robert and Cynthia Gifford violated New York's anti-discrimination law.
“The policy to not allow same-sex marriage ceremonies on Liberty Ridge Farm is a denial of access to a place of public accommodation,” Judge Migdalia Pares wrote in her decision in August 2014.
Pares fined Liberty Ridge Farm $10,000 for violating the state’s non-discrimination law, and ordered Gifford to pay an additional $3,000 to the couple for “mental anguish each suffered as a result of respondents’ unlawfully discriminatory conduct.”
The Giffords' lawyer, James Trainor, said at the time of the initial ruling that he was surprised the judge did not incorporate the U.S. Supreme Court's recent Hobby Lobby decision, in which justices said a closely-held company could deny some forms of contraception to its employees because they conflicted with the religious beliefs of its owners.
“We're disappointed that neither the judge nor the commissioner even mentioned the Gifford's … First Amendment rights, including the right not to be compelled to participate in a religious ceremony which violates their own religious beliefs,” Trainor wrote in an email, reported Capital New York. He said the monetary penalty is a “significant burden” to the family that is “disproportionate to the single interaction between the parties - a telephone call of several minutes duration.”
Lawyers for the Giffords will argue before a mid-level appeals court Monday in Albany. The couple's lawyers contend they were exercising their constitutional rights.
The New York Civil Liberties Union represented the McCarthys in their civil rights complaint. The NYCLU says the Giffords didn't have the right to discriminate against the couple. . “This ruling sets an important precedent protecting the rights of LGBT New Yorkers, and will help ensure that businesses understand New York law and treat all patrons with the dignity and respect they deserve,” according to Capital New York.
In Oregon, the owners of a bakery were fined $135,000 for refusing to bake a wedding cake for a same-sex couple more than two years ago.
Labor Commissioner Brad Avakian awarded the damages in July for emotional suffering, saying the owners had violated the women's civil rights by discriminating on the basis of their sexual orientation.

But the owners of Sweet Cakes by Melissa are refusing to pay the fine. The Kleins have filed an appeal of the ruling and are defying the order to pay. They're claiming financial hardship although crowdfunding efforts have brought in over $500,000 on their behalf, The Oregonian reported.

Bride and groom (in a wheelchair) surprise wedding guests with their first dance

If marriage is, in the long run, a complicated dance, then newlyweds Corey Longley and John Palmer may have a leg – or perhaps a wheel – up on us all.
Not only did the Holt, Michigan-based couple take five private ballroom dance lessons to prepare for the first dance at their wedding reception, in hopes of surprising their 200 guests on Saturday night; they'd also struggled to find a dance studio that could accommodate them, since a 1996 diving accident left Palmer paralyzed.
"I called 20 dance studios in the Lansing area, and some of them were willing to try (wheelchair dancing), but nobody had any experience with it," said Longley. "This was just not a time when we wanted to fumble through things with somebody who was doing it for the first time."
Palmer initially came up with the idea, having found footage of wheelchair dancing online.
"Most people – even when neither of them are in a wheelchair – just stand there and sway back and forth," Palmer said of first dances at weddings. "Usually it's nothing fancy. ... And people are probably thinking (Corey) will just ride around in my lap."
"I will not do that," Longley added, emphatically.
"That's kind of what's expected," said Palmer. "But now we have this skill we'll be using the rest of our lives. Now we can go to other people's weddings and feel comfortable out on the dance floor."
LEARNING TO ENJOY THE (LONG) JOURNEY
Longley and Palmer eventually stumbled upon the Fred Astaire Dance Studio, the only studio in Michigan with an established "Dance Mobility" program that teaches ballroom dancing to people with disabilities.
One problem: the studio's located in Bloomfield Hills, so Palmer and Longley's round trip drive (from the East Lansing area) for each lesson, scheduled every other week, would be in excess of three hours.
"At first, we were dreading the drive," said John. "But it became nothing. We'd just get talking and talking, and it became no big deal."
Their first dance lesson was scheduled shortly after Labor Day, and according to Longley, the couple "left with a smile on our faces." (International Latin Ballroom Champion Sergio Sanchez and his wheelchair dance partner Cheryl Angelell were the couple's instructors.)
"During the first lesson, we were fumbling all over, and I think we both thought, 'How are we going to do this?'" said Palmer. " ... We were always worried about me running over her wedding dress or her foot, but when you do the spins and turns – it's not an issue when you understand the way the chair moves, and how you can play off each other."
But the long drives to the dance studio sometimes made it hard for the couple to keep their efforts a secret.
"Sometimes our parents would call us when we were in the car, and we'd just say, 'We're going to a wedding thing,'" said Palmer. "We just didn't say what, specifically."
Plus, they've used their garage as a dance practice space; but because it has a storm water drain, the floor is tilted, adding an extra layer of challenge.
"I keep telling Corey that when we're on a level floor, we're going to end up walking sideways," said Palmer.
Yet this wouldn't be the first time Palmer felt like his world was tilting.
A LIFE-CHANGING ACCIDENT
In August 1996, two weeks before he was scheduled to start classes at Michigan State University on a swimming scholarship, Palmer – who grew up in Dexter - had been "messing around" at the Ann Arbor Country Club pool, where he worked as a lifeguard. When he dove into five and a half feet of water, he hit the top of his head, fracturing his C-7 vertebrae (but not causing him to lose consciousness).
The next morning at U-M Hospital, Palmer had surgery to fuse vertebrae C5, C6, and C7, and surgeons used both bone from Palmer's hip, as well as titanium, to achieve this end.
Palmer's recovery was greatly accelerated, thanks to the upper body strength he'd developed as an All State and All American swimmer.
"I spent the next three months at U-M," said Palmer, referring to the Hospital's inpatient rehabilitation program for those with spinal cord injuries. "I really had to start over from scratch. I was classified as a quadriplegic – my right hand was really, really weak – so I had to learn how to feed myself, dress myself, work up the energy to work the wheelchair. ... But in 1996, you'd usually be in the hospital at least 6 months, and I got out in 3."
Even so, Palmer's life suddenly looked nothing like the one he'd expected to have.
"I'd been a swimmer, so I was active, and the kind of guy who'd drop anything to help someone out, and I'd never asked anyone for help," Palmer said. "It was about a year before it really hit me. I'd been down in the dumps a lot, and I just realized that this is not the person I am. I made a conscious decision not to let it get me down anymore. ... I've got my scuba license, I still swim, I go snowmobiling – anything I can get my hands on. But yeah, that first year was pretty rough. I attribute my recovery to my family and friends, who dragged me out to things, whether I wanted to go or not."
After 3 months of in-hospital rehab, Palmer took some classes at Washtenaw Community College, but in the fall, he finally got to MSU's campus, initially studying engineering before changing his major to telecommunications and computer networking. (Palmer, 37, now works as a software developer.)
He initially worried about his wheelchair putting a damper on his romantic prospects, but "I kind of blossomed when I got to college," Palmer said. "I dated around a little bit."
A SPARTAN LOVE STORY
Longley, who grew up in Tecumseh, attended MSU when Palmer did, but their paths didn't cross until they checked out each other's profile on Match.com. (Longley, 35, works in development at MSU.)
"I got a text message a day or two before our first date, and it said, 'You noticed I'm in a wheelchair, right?'" said Longley.
"Not everybody does," said Palmer. "You'd be surprised."
"I didn't think twice about it," said Longley. "He's lived a great, fulfilled life. There was never a moment of hesitation for me. John's got a great outlook, he's happy, he's positive, so it's a non-issue. It would be different if he was miserable and complaining all the time. I honestly don't even think about it anymore."
Though the couple lives near East Lansing, Longley lived in Ann Arbor (and worked at U-M) for several years and loves the town, so when Palmer proposed at home in April – with the help of his dog, who delivered Longley's ring – Longley wanted to have the ceremony in her former church, and the reception at the University of Michigan Museum of Art.
That's where they were Saturday night, when friends and family braved the snow to see the couple execute the dance moves they'd worked so hard to learn while Ed Sheeran's "Thinking Out Loud" played in the museum. ("It was always on the radio when we were dating, and we liked it," said Longley of the song choice.)
Both families had been very involved in the wedding planning process, so Longley and Palmer maintained the mystery as a means of giving them a gift.
But underlying all the secret lessons and garage dance rehearsals is the couple's promise to love and stick by each other, no matter what else life could possibly throw their way – including several inches of snow falling on their wedding day.
This sudden blast of winter, though, only seemed to make the reception's atmosphere all the warmer, as guests stood in a crowd around the dancing couple.

"We're very similar people," said Longley. "It's like, he's the male version of me, and I'm the female version of him. We really are like two peas in a pod."

Watson – Matter united in marriage

Jessica Lauren Watson, daughter of Kenny & Kim Mason and Rodger & Polly Watson of Athens, Louisiana and Nicholas James Matter, son of Chester & Alicia Gilliam of North Carolina were married on August 1, 2015.
The wedding was shabby chic with a rustic flair and a dash of Disney (both previously worked in Culinary at Walt Disney World). The ceremony was held on the front lawn of Grace Estate Bed & Breakfast in Minden with bales of hay used for guest seating and the Rev. Jeff Ramsey officiating the ceremony.
The bride was given in marriage by her father, stepfather and grandfather (Rodger Watson, Kenny Mason and Donnie Robinson), the bride was attended by Stephanie Joslin as Matron of Honor with sister of the bride Taylre Watson serving as Maid of Honor. Bridesmaids included Charleigh Jo Hall, cousin of the bride and Harley Fontenot, sister of the bride. Toni Grace Hall greeted guest as they signed the wedding book.
The best man was Tyler Harper, best friend of the groom, groomsman were Dusty Steverson and Gordon Tanga, friends of the groom and Jacob Gilliam, brother of the groom. Gavin and Garrett Hall served as ushers. Everyone in the bridal party wore Converse tennis shoes to match their tux or dress as requested by the bride.
Due the good ‘ol southern heat and humidity, the couple had a brief but beautiful double ring ceremony on the front porch. The bride wore a wedding gown by Amori Lee. It was a mermaid style gown with a ruched bodice and accented with a custom silk organza bolero. The dress was worn with tiffany blue converse tennis shoes chosen by the bride.
After the exchanging of vows, everyone retreated to the back lawn with gardens overflowing with flowers and greenery & huge shade trees, which provided the perfect backdrop for the reception filled with everyone’s favorite picnic foods.
The menu was chosen by the bride and included all of her favorites; mini chicken & waffles served with maple syrup, hamburger sliders with a variety of cheeses, BBQ pork sliders, mini hot dogs, cowboy baked beans, her mama’s potato salad and French fries topped off with the grooms favorite peach drink loaded with fresh peaches and sweet tea, a southern classic.

After a seven day Eastern Carribean cruise; the couple made their home in Athens.

Inside Sofia Vergara’s big wedding weekend at The Breakers Palm Beach

What does a glamorous bride need most, besides an adorably hunky husband-to-be?
A beautiful location in which to tie the knot.
Put a check in both boxes for Sofia Vergara, who will marry fiance and “Magic Mike XL” star Joe ManganielloSunday at the history-laden Breakers in Palm Beach. Fairy tale doesn’t come close to describing the wedding extravaganzas the 140-acre oceanfront resort creates against a backdrop of tropical luxury.
Although neither Colombian-born Vergara nor Manganiello have confirmed their wedding location, a copy of the wedding invitation was leaked by Hello! Online earlier this week.
The hotel is sold out Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights, which is unusual for the weekend before Thanksgiving.
The invitation says the formal wedding will take place Sunday at 6 p.m., with dinner and dancing to follow.
“It’s a Latin party, we go until late,” the bride earlier told E! News. “There’s a party and an after party.”
The approximately 400 guests are requested to wear “gowns and tuxedos.”
On Saturday at 9 p.m., the bride, a self-professed sweets lover, and her groom will host a “desserts and cocktails” party at the resort.
Vergara has said she wanted a wedding location that was closer to Colombia than Los Angeles, where she and Manganiello live. Miami is a four-hour direct flight from Bogota and an hour-and-a-half drive from Palm Beach. The bride’s best friends from her childhood in Barranquilla are said to be arriving for the celebration.
Vergara has said her guest list includes the cast of Vergara’s hit TV show, “Modern Family” and “about 200” of Vergara’s friends and family members from South America.
Hello! Online also says Arnold Schwarzenegger, a friend of Manganiello’s, and Ellen DeGeneres are among the celebrities invited.
The resort in which Vergara, 43, and Manganiello, 38, will celebrate their wedding was originally built by Henry Flagler in 1896. The present building opened in 1926 after two previous incarnations burned down. Constructed in less than a year in a pastiche of various Italian Renaissance styles, the resort is frescoed, tapestried and gilded with historical antecedents. The magnificent barrel-vaulted lobby is a replica of the great hall in a Genovese palazzo.
For years the scene of Palm Beach galas and charity balls, The Breakers is accustomed to accommodating crowds as well as the security expected at the wedding of the actress Forbes says is television’s most highly-paid.
Here’s a peek at some of the rooms where the nuptials might take place.
Mediterranean Ballroom:
Although the Ponce de Leon ballroom is The Breakers’ largest, the Italian Renaissance-style Mediterranean ballroom is the prettiest. This popular spot for large weddings is wrapped in painted walls lit by huge chandeliers and the light from arched 15-foot windows overlooking the Atlantic.
The room should be an ornate backdrop for Vergara’s wedding dress, said to be a curve-hugging gown from Zuhair Murad, designer of many of the star’s va-va-voom red carpet looks.
Circle Ballroom:
If we were Vergara’s wedding planner, we’d plan the rehearsal dinner or maybe the dessert party in this circular room whose decoration is nearly as voluptuous as the bride. A curved wall lined with tall windows leads upward past frescoes of Italian Renaissance scenes to a domed 30-foot ceiling crowned with a gigantic chandelier.
The Gold Room:
Portraits of New World explorers ring the carved gold ceiling in this room, which glitters as brightly as Vergara’s career. It would make a perfect bride’s room for the 10 hair and make-up artists Vergara has reportedly booked to help her get ready for her nuptials, as well as a convenient spot to change into any reception dresses.
Imperial Suite:

Where will Vergara and Manganiello stay? Perhaps in the premier Imperial Suite, a luxurious 1,700-square-foot one-bedroom suite designed by fashion star Badgley Mischka, with full kitchen, dining area, living room and balconies overlooking the ocean, which comes with a personal concierge and a $4,250-a-night hotel bill.

Same-sex marriage prompted $813million wedding spend in the US this summer

Since the US Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage at the end of June, paving the way for marriage ceremonies to take place across the US, some 96,000 couples have taken advantage of the legislation to tie the knot in the first four months.
They and they’re guests (i.e. out-of-state visitors booking hotels, etc) have spent approximately $813million (€764million) on their associated wedding costs, according to a report issued Thursday by the Williams Institute, the think tank at UCLA School of Law that carries out statistical research of LGBT rights and the cost of discrimination.
Between beginning of July and end of October 2015, those marriages have also generated $52million (€49millions) in state and local sales tax revenue, which could support an estimated 9,700 jobs for one full year.
The study, Estimating the Economic Impact of Marriage for Same-sex Couples after Obergefell, was co-authored by Christy Mallory, Senior Counsel and Anna M. Curren, Fellow, who say that the study demonstrates how businesses and government have benefited economically from the legislation of marriage.
The 96,000 couples who married constitute an estimated 11% of all marriages to take place in the US in that four-month period, and 20% of all currently married same-sex couples.
If anything, the authors say that their report may be conservative in its estimates.
They note that average wedding spend in the US is $26,444 (€24,852), but that, ‘Same-sex couples may receive less financial support from their parents and other family members to cover wedding costs due to persistent stigma, resulting in less spending than their heterosexual counterparts.
‘Taking these factors into account … we estimate that same-sex couples spend one-quarter of the amount that different-sex couples spend on wedding arrangements.’

An earlier report by the Williams Institute estimated that the legalization of same-sex marriage across the US could lead to a spending boom of $2.6billion (€2.4billion) in the first three years following such a ruling.

Wedding painter captures life as it happens

If a picture is worth a thousand words, what value do you put on a painting?
For Alex Madden, the answer would be priceless.
Her parents’ wedding gift to her and newlywed husband Matt was a piece of art depicting their wedding reception painted on site by local artist Meredith Piper.
Called live event painting, the practice is catching on across the country for birthday parties, reunions, vow renewals and, especially, weddings.
“A live event painting was one of the things I was most excited about when it came to my wedding day,” Madden said. “I have never been into pictures very much, but I have always admired and had a love of original art. So, obviously, this was a perfect solution to how I wanted to remember such a special day that I would be able to hang with pride and give to my children one day.”
Piper, who grew up in Shreveport and has a degree in art from Louisiana Tech, began booking live art events this summer and has done several weddings.
Her decision to dive into live event painting grew out of a desire to become a full-time professional artist. Previously, she taught art in both Bossier and Caddo parish schools and spent three years leading classes at Painting With a Twist – all experiences that helped prepare her for painting while interacting with people.
“In 2015, some doors opened up. I really prayed about it and I thought I think I can do this full time. It’s a little crazy from our cultural standards, it’s not a very conventional job,” said Piper, who also started doing private lessons this summer as well as her own work and commissions. “I’m kind of piecing together this artist’s life.
“We don’t have kids. Now is the time we can take a risk and take a chance and give it all I got. That was our thought. Now is a chance to give it 100 percent because I won’t ever know if I don’t give it everything.”
Still, the idea of attempting to paint a couple’s special day was daunting.
“I was being asked to paint at weddings, but I thought, oh, no, that’s too stressful. It’s someone’s perfect day and I was kind of was a little nervous and apprehensive. I turned down a few events at the beginning and then I really started to think about it when I was painting at the house or painting outside live. And I was like, wait, I’ve been doing this my whole life, this is kind of what I’ve been trained for in college. I have the experience at Painting With a Twist of painting on a stage. I can do this. And then I just started to book.”
And while she can’t say her nerves have totally disappeared, she’s learned to use them and says it’s more like excitement jitters now than worry.
‘After the first one, it was just so much fun, I’m able to turn that anxiety into energy to just keep going and pushing through.”
Piper said she does a consultation with the bride and groom before the ceremony about the feel and scene they want. Most ask for a reception scene, although she’s booked for a ceremony next year.
“I wanted my wedding and the mood of my painting to simply reflect such a fun and exciting day where we were surrounded by our closest friends and family,” Madden said. “I wanted it to reflect a sense of happiness and contentment, which was exactly what Meredith was able to do.”
Piper arrives on the scene about four hours beforehand so she can set up and paint in the still aspects, such as the architecture and tables. She usually waits to start adding people until the bride and groom get there. She’ll watch their first dance and the cake cutting, noticing how the light hits the dress and other details.
“Once I have them blocked in, I can start adding. Some people say get as many as you can in there and some paintings I have 35, almost 40 people. Of course, you don’t see eyes and teeth. It’s very color blocked in the faces, very abstracted, but it’s recognizable. Then some people care more about getting the bridal party in there and mom and dad. They’re more focused on that.”
Because the scene changes constantly, she or her husband will take a few photographs to use as references, but the beauty of a painting is being able to edit in elements that wouldn’t be seen in a single photograph.
Not that Piper is advising against having a wedding photographer.
“You definitely need a photographer. My stuff is not photo realistic, so it’s not going to give you the true form and detail and lines that a photograph has. This is a different vision. It kind of captures the emotion of the night and the colors and it’s a little more whimsical.”
Piper says she usually finished about the time the reception ends, but doesn’t rush out as soon as she’s done.
“I stay and keep painting, touching up details, painting the sides of the canvas, just to make sure to see the bride and the groom off. I’ve been hired as entertainment.”
And she says guests love it.
“They will come back every 10 minutes and check. It’s just fun because they feel a part of it, they’ve been a part of this creating of a piece of art.”
Madden said her guests enjoyed watching and talking with Piper.
“The live event painting is such a dynamic and interactive part of the wedding reception. So many people were able to watch it come to life, and I’ve had countless people comment on what a cool idea and wanted to see pictures of the final project. I feel certain it will be a great conversation piece in my home as people come to visit.
“I think as the years go by this will mean so much to me for several reasons. One, it was the wedding gift my mom and dad gave to Matt and me, so I know in the future I will never be able to look at it without thinking of them. Secondly, the painting will symbolize a time when we chose to no longer be two but one. It will serve as a joyful reminder of the commitment we made to one another.”
Piper considers it a privilege to play a part in such a joyous occasion.

“There’s just something really special about being there in the environment with these people creating something. The experience is very different from being at home and painting from a commission. I feel very blessed to be a part of such a special day for someone. I jokingly say it’s the happiest work environment I’ve ever been in when I’m painting live at a wedding because I’m feeling so happy and there’s cake!”

Hilarious 'Wedding Secrets' at Pasture Prime Players

Regional playwright Joe Starzyk knows a thing or two about crafting a romantic comedy, and his amusingly complicated “Wedding Secrets” fits quite snuggly into Pasture Prime Players’ desire to bring something fresh to the local community theater scene.
Pasture Prime Players’ founder Don Konopacki has known Starzyk since the second grade, and what better way to salute that lifelong friendship than brightening the Charlton Arts & Activities Center with an engagingly realized production of “Wedding Secrets.” Starzyk was in attendance at Saturday evening’s performance, which may have raised the anxiety level of the cast, eager to impress the author, but despite the occasional lapse in line readings, he had to be pleased with what he saw and heard.
There are a multitude of secrets abounding in “Wedding Secrets,” revealed with strategic parlance as Starzyk’s cleverly constructed machinations snowball into a flurry of domestic misunderstandings. What can be disclosed without harm is that the young couple, Bill (Steve Caputo) and Susan Devlin (Rose Gage), around whom everyone else in this comedy of family matters revolves, have rushed into matrimony, after a brief, breathless courtship.
It’s a secret they hide from Bill’s parents, Robert (Bobby Hunt) and Betty Devlin (Marie Woodman Daley), and Susan’s parents, Dan (David Vilandre) and Joan Thompson (Laurie Jakoboski). Rather than stun their parents with such out of the blue news, Bill and Susan connive to formally announce their “engagement” at Robert and Betty’s home during a weekend visit.
It’s a deception that ripples outward into a lively assortment of misgivings and revelations, touching upon such topics as financial straits, menopause, sexual anxiety, rebellious teenagers and a very strange Uncle Joey (Eric Hart) living in the Devlin’s basement. Konopacki directs it all with a light, convivial touch that makes one give a smiling pass to even the most incredulous late-inning disclosures.
The cast does a very credible job of walking the fine line between the farcical and the recognizable. Caputo and Gage portray Bill and Susan with believable young couple tension and emotion. One aspect of “Wedding Secrets” that separates it from the pure farce category is the simmering acrimony that Betty feels toward Susan, the mother afraid of losing her son and scheming ways to undermine his marriage. Without giving away any details, Bill and Susan begin to have second thoughts about rushing into things. What’s especially noteworthy about Daley’s take on Betty is that she makes her motives understandable, portraying her with seriocomic insecurity that saves her from being merely the mother-in-law-from hell.
Hunt slips comfortably into the role of Robert with a casual, natural performance defined with paternal benevolence and marital frustration. The same can be said for Vilandre’s sympathetic turn as Dan. The heart-to-heart between Hunt and Vilandre is one of the show’s most empathetic scenes. Jakoboski plays Joan with fine, nervy, motherly protectiveness.
Hart is an outlandish marvel as Uncle Joey, the cellar dweller who immerses himself in so much TV that he becomes the characters he’s watching, including his hilariously spot-on impersonation of Kelsey Grammer’s Frazier. There are a couple of secrets of his own that Uncle Joey is harboring, each connected to the other, one absurdly funny, the other absurdly fortuitous.
Kenny Allard is blushingly endearing as Jake Keller, the Devlins' lawn boy, whose heartstrings are tortured by Mia Caseday’s nicely impetuous take on Susan’s younger sister, Samantha. Rounding out the cast in lively style are Joan’s sister, Aunt Grace (Susan B. Callahan), Hooker #1 (Joni Metras), Hooker #2 (Dawn George), Lynn Boucher’s caterer Millie, and Carol Helander’s Sally, the Devins' maid who can’t help stealing a bottle of liquor when no one is looking. Considering all the chaos she’s surrounded by, who can blame her.

Worth noting too are Konopacki’s plushy living room set, and his soothing musical playlist, including Frank Sinatra’s rendition of “I’ve Got You Under My Skin.” If only Ol’ Blue Eyes could hear Uncle Joey’s cover of that romantic ballad. Maybe he can’t, but you can, and are encouraged to.

Shawn Johnson Dishes on Planning Her 'Quirky, Informal' Wedding – And What She Wants in a Dress

When Shawn Johnson's football player boyfriend popped the question in front of a crowd at Chicago's Wrigley Field this summer, the gold medal-winning gymnast says he scored big with her.
"He's the most humble and not showy person," Johnson tells PEOPLE of fiancé Andrew East. "He went way out of his comfort zone and that was a big statement."
Their wedding, however, will remain squarely in the couple's comfort zone, says Johnson, who's partnering withWeddingWire to launch the website's #justsaidyes campaign celebrating other couples' engagement stories. "It's going to be informal and quirky rather than it being a grand affair," the former Olympian (and Dancing With the Stars season 8 winner) says of their springtime ceremony. "We don't envision the Cinderella story at all."
Except, she notes, for one important detail: "I was never one of those little kids who dreamed of every wedding detail but I did dream of my Prince Charming." And East, a former kicker with the Kansas City Chiefs who is trying out for a new NFL team, fits the bill.
"He's got the biggest heart and he's perfect!" the Iowa native says. "Throughout my career in gymnastics and on Dancing With The Stars it seemed like every guy I met was more interested in that world than who I really am, but Andrew is just about as traditional and old school as you get. From the first day I met him he genuinely wanted to know who I was and not what the world had made of me."
The couple, who have been together for three years after meeting through a fellow athlete, are planning an outdoor wedding with a casual, country feel near their home in Nashville.
"We're going to have fried chicken and waffles and tacos and really fun, different stuff," she says of the menu. "We're not formal people at all. We both live in that world where we're always going to grand receptions or walking a carpet or being at very proper events so for us to just be able to relax on our day and not really care about eating with our pinkies up is important."
Johnson says she's seeking simplicity in her dress as well. "I'm not even 5 feet tall so I didn't want anything overwhelming or revealing," says the gymnast, who is working with Nashville designer Olia Zavozina on creating her wedding look.

"I wanted something on the traditional, modest side. And no bows or rhinestones. I loved every costume I wore on Dancing but I think I just bejeweled-out there!"

5 Reasons We Can't Wait for My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2

Grab the Windex! Round two of everyone's favorite "big fat Greek" family is set with an official release date of My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 for March 2016! The awaited trailer of the follow-up to the classic 2002 comedy (see below!) was first released yesterday on Today, picking up 15 years after being first introduced to the hilarious Portokalos family. Because there's nothing we love more than a wedding movie — especially one as hilarious as My Big Fat Greek Wedding — we've complied five of our most anticipated reasons we can't wait to go see the "Greekquel!"
1. We are reunited with the hysterical original cast.
Even our favorite N'Syncer is back for some laughs! Boy band superstar, Joey Fatone, who attended former band mate, Lance Bass's star studded nuptials last December, reunites with the original cast of our favorite Greek movie family as Toula's hilarious cousin Angelo to bring us another story of family loving antics! The returning all-star cast, which includes Toula's parents, Maria and Gus Portokalos, played by Lainie Kazan and Michael Constantine, as well as Toula's brother Nick (Louis Mandylor), join newcomers John Stamos and Rita Wilson, who's Oscar-winning husband, Tom Hanks, co-produced both movies, E! reports.
2. There's a plot twist that involves another "Big Fat Greek Wedding!"
After watching Toula, played by actress Nia Vardalos, tie the knot to her scandalous non-Greek fiancé Ian Miller, played by actor John Corbett, in the millennial comedy that started it all, we're introduced to another pair in the close knit family who's planning to walk down the aisle, except this time, they've already been married for decades! It turns out that the doting Portokalos parents, played by Lainie Kazan, and Michael Constantine, forgot to have the priest sign the marriage contract that would signify proof of their matrimony. Whoops! But take note, brides-to-be, because it's easy to forget one of the simplest parts of your big daydue to the excitement surrounding all of the other celebratory details, especially in such a big family!
See more: The Best Movie Wedding Dresses
3. We get to see Toula and Ian Miller as parents.
The timeline of the anticipated follow-up picks up with Toula and Ian's college-aged daughter, Paris, played by Elena Kampouris, showcasing her rebellion toward her giant Greek family, by applying to non-Greek colleges, and experiencing every drama in between. The film's original single leading lady, Vardalos, who wrote the screenplay for both movies, nicknamed the anticipated sequel "the Greekquel" to Today's Savannah Guthrie, and confessed her hesitation to start filming the awaited "part two" of the $241 million-grossing comedy. "At the end of the first one, I had written that we were parents — and in reality, I was not a parent. Even though I make stuff up, I couldn't write from a place of emotions that I didn't know," she toldToday. Her parental views changed when she, and real life husband, actor Ian Gomez, adopted a daughter in 2008.
4. The Miller's marriage is stronger than ever.
Hilarious hints from the sequel's first trailer prove that Toula and Ian have successfully survived their first year of marriage — and the 14 years after that! Last we saw the married couple, they were starting their lives together after initially meeting at Toula's family restaurant, where the world was first introduced to her loveable, large Greek family. Vardalos's co-star hubby, John Corbett, applauded his onscreen wife by saying how, "[Nia] did a great job with really putting herself in there and kind of mixing things up and sitting back and taking 15 years to write the script," he told US Weekly. "I think it all paid off. I think it's going to be really good."
5. There's the hint of a "threequel!"

Shots of the youngest female lead hint at what could possibly become a third "Big Fat Greek Wedding" by showing Toula and Ian's daughter Paris, wearing what seems to be a very white, fitted gown — could this be foreshadowing a third bride in the Portokalos squad? We can only hope!

Watch Andrea Bocelli Go Undercover to Surprise Bride With a Wedding Serenade

Famed Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli has performed around the world but it was in New Jersey that he gave one unsuspecting bride the surprise of her life on her wedding day.
Bocelli went undercover with “Good Morning America” to deliver the surprise.
“I like to do these things,” Bocelli told “GMA” prior to the surprise. “I like to give my voice like a present because my voice is a present from God to share.”
This past Halloween, Bocelli traveled to Mahwah, N.J., where Michele Walsh and Ales Dolinar were preparing to tie the knot in an afternoon ceremony.
Dolinar was aware that Bocelli was about to surprise the love of his life, adding to his jitters early on his wedding day.
“Keeping the secret was probably the worst part about getting married right now,” Dolinar said.
Only the groom, the priest, the wedding photographer and the bride's mother knew that Bocelli would be performing at the wedding.
The couple’s priest, Fr. Kevin of the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Mahwah, told “GMA” he was skeptical when Dolinar told him that Bocelli would be dropping in on the wedding.
“I said, ‘Ales, I’m kinda thinking this is a scam,’” he told “GMA.”
It was the couple's wedding photographer, Brian Delia, who identified Walsh as the bride who would be perfect for Bocelli to serenade. Walsh's family is Italian and she, like Bocelli, is an accomplished flutist.
While Delia had his camera zoomed in on Walsh to catch her reaction, Bocelli walked into the church at the end of the ceremony, to shocked reactions from the guests and wedding party.
Bocelli sang the couple a song from his new album, "Cinema." The song, "Sorridi Amore Vai," was used in the 1997 movie, "Life Is Beautiful," with Roberto Benigni, which happened to be one of the couple's favorite movies.
"As soon as I heard his voice, there’s no mistaking who that is and I was just shocked and surprised," Walsh said. "I think I’m still in awe. It was amazing."

"It was the best wedding ever," she said.

Trying to call truce with stepmom for brother’s wedding

Dear Carolyn: My stepmother has been in my life for 20-plus years, since I was a high school junior. She and I have never gotten along well and have had some really terrible fights. I love my dad, but he’s exceedingly conflict-avoidant and says only, “I don’t want to take sides.” So we realized many years ago that we cannot really be around each other much, and I see my dad solo only.
My brother is getting married in a few weeks. My stepmother contacted me to ask whether we could agree not to fight at this wedding. If we pull it off, it will be the first time in years that we have been in the same room without raising our voices.
I have not responded yet because I’m not sure what I’m promising or whether it’s achievable. My dad considers the silent treatment just as hostile as fighting, so not saying anything to each other might backfire.
What are some ways I can be in the same (small, intimate) venue with someone I despise, when pretty much everything she does makes us get into fights?
— Wedding Armistice
Dear Armistice: She “makes us get into fights”? No.
She could be evil incarnate and still, a fight with her involves some degree of choice on your part — to react to her, to engage with her, to raise your voice. You can’t let a remark go unchallenged? Craft a few neutral responses? Force yourself to, if not sympathize, understand Stepmom a little? Bite on a stick? For your brother’s sake?
Getting along isn’t luck, it’s a skill.
Some people require more of our skills than others, and some even prove themselves unworthy of our best efforts. But if there’s someone around whom you must behave yourself occasionally, then there are basic, mature ways to do it — which means that if you can’t do it, then the issue is some combination of your not wanting to and not knowing how.
So here’s my advice. Part 1, for the wedding, pack a whole lot of want-to. You can choose the basics from what I listed above — particularly a few neutral phrases when she says or does things that trigger you, like “Huh, I hadn’t thought of that” or “Interesting.” You can also excuse yourself to get some air or a refill or to say hi to Whatserface over there. And you can hear a trigger from her, breathe deeeeeply, and deflect. “So, Dad, how’s the whatever coming along?”
Part 2, maybe to start pre-wedding but really for the future, please devote focused attention — even counseling — to the difference between reacting based on your emotions and acting based on empathy and boundaries. Understand what is and isn’t your business, and engage/disengage accordingly.

Your laying everything at your stepmother’s feet betrays a basic misunderstanding of such lines. Please trace this enmity, both her contributions and yours, even if yours is merely reacting to her. Then, identify choices you can make differently so this doesn’t own you anymore. Aren’t two decades of rancor enough?

How I Handled Aunt Harriet’s Cake Shot as a Wedding Photographer

It was a wedding like many others. The bride and groom were all smiles the entire day and excited for the ceremony. That semi-chaotic buzz of electricity was in the air as tasked bridesmaids went from place to place working on a variety of details before the ceremony. And after a brief portrait session, the bride was ready to take her father’s arm in their walk down the aisle.
And then it happened. In an all too familiar scenario, Aunt Harriet emerged in the back of the church with camera in hand. While not ideal, the resolution to this was to move over to the other side of the aisle as well as using the bridal party walking down to cover her up. With no signs of anyone with an iPad getting ready to lean into the aisle we were ready to rock and roll!
I can’t lie and say that I wasn’t mildly frustrated at this point, but I simply told myself that at the end of the day it’s not my wedding nor my memories. So I relaxed and was right back into the swing of things.
It was much later at the reception that I saw Aunt Harriet again. She made her way into the room before the guests were to be let in and I saw her trying to work around the cake to capture a photo of it. It was pretty dark in the room and not the ideal conditions to handhold a cake photo using nothing but ambient light.
I watched as she attempted to hold very steady while keeping her finger over the pop-up flash to keep off the harsh light in photo after photo, but clearly she wasn’t getting the shot. After a minute or so, I made my way over and asked “Working on shooting the cake?” She said “Yes, but it just keeps coming out blurry!” I told her “Yea this is a tough one in this light. Let’s see what we can do here.”
While this could be a fun moment to watch as someone who had earlier interrupted my flow flounders in trying to capture a photo, I decided to approach it differently. I called out to my assistant and asked her to bring me two lights, softbox, warm gel and a couple Pocket Wizards. As we set up the lights around the cake, I explained a bit about what we were doing and why. Once set, I removed the trigger from my own camera and had Aunt Harriet put it on hers.
We only had a few minutes so I told her the settings to use. She focused, captured the photo and said “holy cow what a difference!” I smiled and said “Yup, sadly no one told me when buying a camera that most of the work happens outside of the camera.” She thanked me and was on her way.
This wasn’t the first time I helped out a guest when I had a moment free, and I thought nothing of it.
Fast forward a few months later. I’m now sitting in my studio with a couple and discussing their wedding plans. One of my usual questions is “How did you hear about us?” The groom responds “You were working a wedding a few months ago and my mom was there. You helped her take a photo of the cake or something like that and she was thrilled about it, so we got your name from the couple and here we are.”

I’ve got to say that I certainly wasn’t expecting anything from the two minutes I spent helping someone capture a standard wedding image nor has anything like this happened before. But I guess the reaffirming lesson to myself is that it doesn’t hurt to be nice. An extra wedding booked for two minutes of my time is a great thing. It’s so easy for us to get mad, frustrated or even ask a guest to get out of the way, but it can be much more rewarding to help them out.

East Jordan barn proves popular as wedding venue

After fixing up their barn to host their son’s and daughter-in-law’s wedding, Scott and Cheri Scheer discovered they had a product with wider demand.
In 2012, the Scheers acquired a 13-acre farm, more than a century old, along M-66 just south of East Jordan, intending to spend their retirement there and perhaps raise a few animals. In the years since, they’ve gradually renovated the site’s 4,400-square-foot barn to host more weddings and other special events, dubbing it the Jordan Valley Barn.
Since opening for the 2015 season in mid-May, Scott, a long-time pastor, said the barn has hosted 26 weddings, with the season winding down this weekend. For the 2016 season, Cheri, who’s retired from a career teaching in Christian schools, said the large majority of weekend slots are already booked.
This year, the website camoringsdirect.com — which offers camouflage-decorated wedding rings geared toward outdoor enthusiasts — named the Scheers’ barn to a list of the “Best Country Wedding Venues of 2015,” which includes two properties from each U.S. state.
When making plans to wed the Scheers’ son, James, in 2013, their now-daughter-in-law, Jordan, decided she’d like to have a barn wedding. After checking out other venues, “we said we like ours better, so we fixed our own barn up,” Cheri said.
While attending the event, some of James’ and Jordan’s wedding guests expressed interest in having their own weddings at the barn, Cheri noted. Eventually, the Scheers made the site available for public bookings, and can accommodate up to 275 people in the barn.
The original portion of the Scheers’ barn dates back to 1887. It was built by Oscar Blair, a steamship captain from Chicago who often visited Northern Michigan to pick up loads of logs, and came to love the area. An addition to the barn, along with an adjacent farmhouse, took shape soon after the turn of the 20th century.
The barn retains its hand-hewn support timbers with mortise and tenon joints. As part of the early preparations for wedding use, the Scheers cleaned the barn extensively by pressure washing, removed old haylofts and improved the flooring.
“We’re trying to keep the old rustic flavor,” Scott said.
Upgrades also have included construction of a stage, bar area, modern restrooms and lounges with comfortable seating, as well as exterior painting of the barn. The wiring and septic system also have been upgraded to meet commercial codes.
The Jordan Valley Barn offers a choice of round or longer, banquet-style tables to accommodate guests in the barn’s reception area. Toward the rear of the property is an outdoor ceremony area, with other outdoor seating for guests available near the barn as well.
Having gutted and renovated the farmhouse, the Scheers live there part-time. But when wedding parties are interested, the Scheers shift to a travel trailer nearby and offer them use of the house as an option.
Cheri believes the on-site availability of many wedding and reception needs, including table linens and decorative string lighting, contributes to the barn’s popularity.
“It’s totally decorated,” she said. “You could come here and have a wedding and not have to decorate.”
Cheri offers clients assistance in planning weddings at the barn. While she can recommend a few catering and bartending services, she said couples can choose any such providers they wish.
A sizable share of the barn’s bookings have come from out-of-town clients planning a destination wedding, Cheri noted. She added that the popularity of rustic wedding venues seems to extend well beyond her own barn. James and Jordan, for example, are readying their own such venue, the Blue Sky Barn near Elmira, for 2016 events, and have already received numerous bookings.

Weddings aren’t the only sort of event that the Jordan Valley Barn can accommodate. For example, the Scheers have hosted a baby shower, an East Jordan Area Chamber of Commerce networking event and a local Christian school’s Christmas programs.

Wattpad on Seventeen: I Crashed Niall Horan's Brother's Wedding and It Changed My Life

"Were you invited, love? I don't think we've met," a blonde boy -- whom I'd recognized as the best man -- skeptically asked, looking as if he was seconds away from escorting me out of the ethereal-looking church.
"Of course we have. We're, uh, second cousins," I tripped over the first lie I could fabricate, damning myself for being so unprepared.
Usually, I had my story perfectly straight, never looking as if I didn't belong within the crowd of stiffly dressed loved ones with tear-stained cheeks, clutching their soggy hankies.
I didn't exactly enjoy my job -- it was cruel and unusual, which I was not -- but it paid the student loans and overdue rent I was drowning in (not that my shoebox apartment seemed worthy enough of rent). And honestly, that was all the incentive I needed to willingly ruin holy matrimony.
I, Finley Castle, was a wedding crasher; an excellent one, at that.Though, I preferred to consider myself a 'wedding hit-man', as that's what it felt like; murdering a couple's sacred day by someone else's request, without so much as giving it a second thought. Bitter exes, desperate parents, and unrequited lovers alike called upon me with names, basic information, and a decent amount of money. Then, off I went; no turning back.
I suppose I'm a bad person, but we can't all be angels.
"I don't have any second cousins, and your accent is painfully fake," the boy countered in a low growl, catching me off guard.
I thought for certain I'd nailed my Irish accent.
"Look," I spat, gritting my teeth and dropping my painfully fake Irish accent. Bearing my wits about me, I continued, "just do us both a favor and forget about this, okay, blondie? You don't want to make this any messier than it needs to be."
I couldn't believe I'd been caught. In two years of business, I hadn't once been speculated as a fraud before the big reveal, let alone caught, and I sure as hell hadn't let anyone in on what I was doing.
"You better leave before I call security. I don't want to, but I have no choice. You girls are amazingly dedicated and all, but this is my brother's wedding. You sneaking in to see me makes me feel like absolute shit. This is his day, not mine," he rambled, emoting with his hands.
"Sneaking in to see you? Babe, I'm here for them, and them only," I corrected.
After pointing at the bride and groom, I pushed past the nosey boy, treating him as no more than an afterthought. Then, I found my way to my designated pew, sitting beside an emotionally unstable old woman who was clenching a paisley handkerchief for dear life.
Who does he think he is? I reeled.
Knocking his amazingly clear, blue eyes from my thoughts, my mind ran only through my specified instructions. Nonchalantly, I sat back to watch the Greg Horan wedding unfold. As things droned on, I silently wished that my cue would arrive sooner. That blonde boy seemed to have crawled into my head like an earwig, making me feel anxious for once, despite knowing I was doing what I did best.

Putting all other thoughts to rest, I stayed focused. It was just another day on the job, after all.

How to Solve the Top Wedding-Day Disasters

You wedding will be amazing no matter what. "But," says Kelly Heyn, owner of SociaLife Event Planning in New Jersey, "it's important to keep in mind that even after the months of planning something will go wrong." Keep disasters from ruining your big day with these expert-approved action plans.
Bad weather
No one wants rain on her wedding day. "But should there be a thunderstorm," says Heyn, "be prepared with your Plan B." And make it a plan, she advises, that you love just as much as you would love sunshine and blue skies on your wedding day. Check on cost, too, as many venues charge for a back-up space, says Amy Nichols, owner of Amy Nichols Special Events and co-founder of The Poppy Group. "Tents are surprisingly expensive, and you usually need to make the decision if whether to use it by the Wednesday before a wedding," she adds
Come prepared to your venue with extra umbrellas, Heyn implores, "so you can keep your wedding party dry. Pair some funky, photograph-ready rain gear "with a couple of rain boots and even the ducks will be jealous," Heyn says. And in case of cold weather, "have your bridal party bring coats or even wearing leggings under their dresses," advises Heyn. They're easy to slip on and off between posed photos, she says, and the added, momentary warmth "will keep everyone happy and minimize the complaints."
See More: Three Brides Dish on Their Wedding Day Disasters
Wardrobe malfunctions
A split seam, a popped button, a stain that takes hold center-stage on your otherwise pristine white wedding gown — these are all obstacles brides and their wedding parties face on the wedding day. So keep by your side a kit filled with a steamer, stain remover, small sewing kit, scissors, fashion tape, safety pins, baby powder, and white chalk, both Heyn and Nichols suggest. Nichols adds that it's a good idea to reach out before the wedding day to see who has sewing skills and could be at-the-ready to repair clothing items.
It's also smart to ask the men of your wedding party to pack an extra shirt — "they usually get sweaty," Heyn explains — and a tie, because someone will inevitably forget his. "Pack everything the week before the wedding as if it were the actual day," she says. "Even if it means trying everything on one last time. Keep everything together and properly labeled.
People problems
"It's inevitable that someone will go missing during the important family portraits," Heyn says. So "make sure you put someone in charge on both sides of the family — someone who can keep track of the people included in the photos." And you know that trick you use to get always late friends to show up on time? You can use it with your family, too. "If an aunt is notoriously late to events, tell her to arrive 15-minutes early to be safe," Heyn says.

But it's not just family members who could cause problems. "Uninvited guests showing up to a wedding is always a possibility," says Nichols. Have your caterer make a few extra meals and your rental company store a few extra place settings and seating options in case someone shows up with a plus-one for whom you weren't prepared. The money you'll pay is worth the cost of your sanity!

Brittany Weinstein and Justin Pattner’s Quintessential California Wedding in Santa Barbara

“He was wearing borderline bell-bottom jeans the first time we met!” jokes Brittany Weinstein, the head of collaborations and special projects at Goop, about KKR & Co. real estate investor Justin Pattner. “I fell for him three years later.” The initial encounter took place at a dinner shortly after their two best friends started dating. “Justin’s best friend is now married to my best friend,” explains Brittany. “[Justin] liked me back then, but I had no interest. But three years later, at his best friend’s 30th birthday party in Los Angeles—where I lived at the time—I was suddenly into him, and I guess I made it pretty clear. We spent most of the night chatting, which turned into pretty regular talks on the phone once Justin was back in New York. I flew to visit him over Labor Day weekend a few months later. We went to Amagansett in the Hamptons with a big group of our friends, and it was after that weekend—a now magical weekend—that our relationship really started.”
The couple dated while living in Los Angeles, New York, and London—and then eventually got engaged in January 2014. “Justin proposed in Big Sur, a special place in general and a particularly special place to us. It was a pseudo-surprise—I can make it incredibly tough to surprise me—but what he had in store for me was completely unexpected. He orchestrated a whole celebration in Los Angeles with both of our families and best friends. He planned a beautiful dinner for everyone to celebrate at Giorgio Baldi, which is where we went on one of our first Los Angeles dates. It was an incredible, special evening.”
Then, the planning commenced. “We considered a lot of options—Manhattan, where we would be starting our life together; the Hamptons, where we fell in love; Big Sur, where we got engaged—but ultimately, we settled on Santa Barbara, the first trip we took together,” says Brittany. “We wanted to get married somewhere we could and would be excited to go back to over the years. Plus, Santa Barbara felt like the perfect place to bring friends and family together for the weekend.”
Many of their guests were coming from the East Coast, and since Santa Barbara is quintessentially “California,” they decided to really play that up throughout the entire planning process. There was the welcome bag: a tote for the beach or pool that included some sunscreen, a printed Goop guide to Santa Barbara, and a few of their favorite snacks from California. Then there was Friday night’s locally inspired menu and, of course, the jaw-dropping views of the Santa Barbara mountains at the ceremony. Everything got the California treatment.
Brittany worked with stylist Elizabeth Saltzman on her wedding day look. “She enlisted Antonio Berardi to custom-make my dress and veil,” says Brittany. “I wanted something chic and a little sexy but also classic, a dress I would look back on 50 years from now and think, Yeah, that was a good dress. I wish I could take credit for it, but it really was all Elizabeth and Antonio. They had the vision. We met in London to review the different laces and embroidery options, which was a surreal experience. The beading on the dress was so intricate and extensive that I kept my jewelry simple. I just wore a pair of delicate diamond slice earrings by Loriann Stevenson and my engagement ring. Elizabeth made the good point that when I look back at my wedding photos, I won’t want to look at the accessories I was wearing, but rather how happy I was on that day.”
Brittany wore her hair in a tidy low bun for the ceremony, but took it down afterward. The reception was on the ocean, and she wanted great beach hair at the reception. “I loved the idea of this exquisite gown and rough-and-tumble, beachy hair,” she says. “It felt very California to me.” She kept her makeup simple, as she typically doesn’t wear much day to day. “I wanted to always feel like me—like a slightly more dressed-up version, but still like me. And I did!”
The couple put a lot of thought into the ceremony, which took place on a big, beautiful green lawn at the Four Seasons, overlooking the Santa Barbara mountains. “It was about tradition, the people that we love, and, most important, each other,” explains Brittany. “We had a Jewish ceremony—however, we spent a lot of time beforehand really trying to understand the different components, and only chose the ones that really meant something to us. Justin’s mom and uncle and my aunt each read passages they had prepared for us, and Justin and I wrote our own vows.”
Afterward, guests moved to the Coral Casino Beach and Cabana Club across the street from the hotel. Cocktails and hors d’oeuvres were passed on the terrace while a jazz band played. They served Santa Barbara oysters on the half shell, potato chips with crème fraîche and caviar, blistered local shishito peppers, mini Santa Barbara lobster rolls, Santa Barbara shrimp tempura, and mini crab cakes with salsa verde. “Our wedding planner extraordinaire, Stefanie Cove, created a cocktail menu not to be messed with,” says Brittany. “They were some of the best I’ve ever had!”
Post-drinks, the group moved inside for a four-course seated dinner inspired by local California flavors: cool pea puree soup followed by a bright and beautiful fresh citrus salad with fennel and watermelon radishes. Guests had the choice of steak frites or miso-glazed black cod and were seated at long tables of 30 to 50. “We kept the florals—created by Maurice Harris from Bloom & Plume—low so people could see and talk to each other,” explains Brittany. The band played Frank Sinatra during dinner. “We wanted the dinner to feel incredibly intimate, like a dinner party we would have had at our apartment,” she says. “Toasts were given from each guest’s place at the table rather than in the middle of the dance floor—again, creating the feeling that you were at a dinner party.” The tables were covered in an exaggerated lace overlay, and the flowers were in a palette of white and nude. The only light in the room came from hundreds of candles on the tables and floodlights they used to light the ocean. The light from the candles made the silver metallic, hand-painted palm-leaf wallpaper shimmer.
While dinner was served, the terrace was transformed into a seaside lounge. “The idea was to make it feel like the terrace of a beautiful beach house,” explains Brittany. Outdoor lounges and couches with crisp white cushions were arranged with cozy blankets. Fire pits were lit, and big hurricane lanterns were placed throughout to create a really romantic light. “We opened all the doors of the dining room to create an indoor/outdoor feeling,” says Brittany. “After dinner and toasts, the craziest dance party started,” she recalls. “The 14-piece band played a little Motown, a little Van Morrison, a bit of Beyoncé—Justin sweated through four shirts! We could have danced all night.”

At some point, around 2:00 a.m., the newlyweds and some of their friends made their way back to the cottage where they were staying. “Stefanie had laid out a spread in the dining room that included every late-night food you could ever want,” remembers Brittany. “The dance party picked up again, and the night ended with the front desk calling our room at around 5:00 a.m.”

As costs skyrocket, wedding loans becoming more common

You may be familiar with home loans, car loans, and even student loans.
But a wedding loan? Is that even a thing?
It is. Traditional weddings are hugely expensive and, with couples waiting later in life to tie the knot, many brides' parents are ignoring the tradition of paying for a daughter's wedding.
So if the young couple wants a big wedding, they have to come up with the big check.
If you Google “wedding loan” you will find no shortage of lenders willing to finance the big event. For example, SAFE Credit Union says its wedding loans “are designed to help relieve the stress that comes with wedding and honeymoon expenses. With an unsecured Wedding Loan, you can buy what you need now for the big day and pay off the balance with flexible terms.”
About the same as a credit card
Couples can borrow up to $10,000 with up to three years to repay. Interest rates vary between 9.9% and 17.90% – about the same as credit card interest.
In a report on the rise of wedding loans, Credit.com notes that there is nothing that separates a wedding loan from any other type of personal loan. They can range from as little as $2,000 to as much as $35,000.
But are they even remotely a good idea? In weighing the pros and cons, the Credit.com report suggested couples could get the wedding of their dreams without having to empty their savings.
Maybe, but the debt doesn't magically disappear after the honeymoon. It has to be repaid, and if one or both of the new spouses have student loans – well, that's a lot of debt.
Bruce McClary, spokesman for the National Foundation for Credit Counseling, says starting life together by going into debt to pay for a one-day event is not exactly getting off on the right foot.
Source of tension
“Debt is a significant source of tension for many couples and can be even more toxic when there is lingering regret about overspending for a wedding,” McClary told ConsumerAffairs. “Building equity in the relationship can be accomplished without going deeper in debt.”
Financial website TheStreet.com is even more blunt, calling a wedding loan "the biggest financial mistake a couple can make."
An alternative is to find creative ways to get married without running up a huge bill. That's not always easy, since anything having to do with weddings seems to add a hefty sum to the bill.

According to Money Crashers, the average U.S. wedding now costs around $20,000, but there are plenty of cheaper alternatives. Among it's budget-cutting tips – don't get married on a Saturday. Wedding venues and services charge a premium on that day.