Archive for the ‘Wedding Party’ Category
Financing for Weddings
Saturday, February 13th, 2010
Scott Almeida
Wedding Payment Plan Founder: Scott Almeida
A wedding is one of the most important days of your life. It can also be one of the most expensive, running $28,000 on average, according to some estimates. For those who don’t have that much, there’s a new company out of Norwell, Mass., that could help: Wedding Payment Plan will finance your wedding.
Scott Almeida, 35, says he got the idea from watching a family friend succeed at financing orthodontia and Lasik eye and cosmetic surgery. “My first thought wasn’t weddings; it was funerals,” he laughs. “But weddings are a lot more fun.” He wrote up a business plan as a nighttime MBA student at Babson College and began raising money from family and friends. He also tapped $100,000 from an account that he and nine former classmates had set up to back whoever came up with the best startup idea.
In 2007, he left his day job as a venture capitalist to work full-time on Wedding Payment Plan. The average loan runs about $10,000 with a fixed 9.9% interest rate paid back over five years. The company hasn’t yet financed 500 weddings, but in the last year applications have jumped 333%. Almeida is raising $500,000 to go national and says the lending venture could turn profitable as early as mid-2009.
Marilyn Manson engaged to Evan Rachel Wood
Thursday, January 7th, 2010
Evan Rachel Wood and Marilyn Manson
From People.com
Marilyn Manson and Evan Rachel Wood are engaged, a source confirms to PEOPLE.
The shock-rocker reportedly proposed to the True Blood actress while he was performing on stage in Paris on Monday, according to reports. Rumors have been swirling for days about the famously on-again, off-again couple’s engagement.
Reps for both Manson and Wood have remained mum on the subject.
Manson, 41, began dating Wood, 22, in 2006 but the couple broke up in 2008. They briefly reconciled, then split again before getting back together.
Last year, Manson revealed that he was so devastated over his breakup with Wood that he obsessed about the actress and called her incessantly. After they worked things out, Manson was quoted by the Herald Sun as saying that Wood has helped him be a better person.
“Me being me at my best is what I need to be,” he said at the time. “That really paid off because I’m back with Evan.”
Wood, for her part, described Mason to Elle magazine in 2007 as a “lovely, really human and just amazing. It may surprise you just how healthy and loving our relationship is.”
Manson was previously married to burlesque dancer Dita Von Teese.
Disney Fairy Tale Wedding for $198K
Sunday, November 15th, 2009
ORLANDO, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) – Disney is offering a wedding custom designed for Sam’s Club members at Walt Disney World Resort. As part of the package, you will receive celebrity wedding planner David Tutera, a “once-in-a-lifetime” Magic Kingdom ceremony, reception, photographer/videographer and four nights’ deluxe accommodations at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa.
It can all be yours for the price of $198,000. One wedding package is available for 50 guests.
Your package for two includes:
- A Two (2) Day Planning Session with dedicated Disney’s Fairy Tale Wedding Wedding Planner and a meeting with David Tutera for the Bride and Groom
- Four (4) nights deluxe accommodations at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa for the Bride and Groom, to be used during the wedding event
- Four (4) days Royal Treatment with Disney’s Special Activity Host/Hostess for 8 hours per day, to be used during the Wedding event
- Transportation for the Bride and Groom and Wedding Guests the day of the Wedding for the Ceremony and Reception
- Photography and Videography package for the Wedding Ceremony and Reception from Disney Fine Art Photography
- Save-the-Date and Wedding Invitations
- Custom-designed Ceremony, Dinner Reception and Dessert Party for 50 Guests to include floral, décor, entertainment and menus
Ceremony Details:
- Once-in-a-lifetime wedding ceremony inside Magic Kingdom® Park during park hours with Cinderella Castle as your backdrop
- Everything begins at Swan Boat Landing where draped chiffon, flowers and ribbons create a lovely space. In this charming spot within the Magic Kingdom® Park, with Cinderella Castle as your backdrop, your ceremony is staged.
- Draped chiffon fabric and flower balls grace your ceremony space while swaged chiffon and flower balls adorn the railings. More chiffon and garlands wrap the poles, finishing off the look.
- An alter piece or unity arrangement adorns the ceremony area and topiaries grace either side of the water railing
- Chiavari chairs, decorated with flower balls and trailing ribbons await your Guests. -A “Just Married” sign and flower garland hangs from the back of the landeau coach marketing this momentous occasion
Reception Details:
- Custom-designed dinner reception in a secret location, surrounded by Disney magic
- Set in the mysterious backstage area of Magic Kingdom® Park, your reception will delight and amaze your family and friends. Here, everyone enjoys dinner surrounded by Disney’s magical Parade Floats. Then, to cap it all off, you experience a private viewing of Wishes Nighttime Spectacular!
- The Bride and Groom arrive on a float adorned with parade dancers
- The dancers perform a parade-style musical number created just for the Bride and Groom
- A delicious dinner is prepared by our award-winning Disney Chefs is served backstage at the Magic Kingdom® Park Parade Float Area
- Following dinner, Guests will dance the night away among the Parade Floats
- From the Parade Float Garage, the Bride and Groom, along with their Guests, will be able to step outside to see “Wishes” Fireworks Spectacular from this backstage vantage point!
The wedding package is available, beginning November 18 exclusively for Sam’s Club members.
Choosing Your Wedding Colors
Saturday, November 7th, 2009
Choosing wedding colors to add romance to your special day.
Invitations are another aspect to consider. When your guests receive their invitations, it is their first clue as to what kind of wedding they’ll be attending. Think about graphic elements you’ll be using on your invitations. For instance, if you’re planning on having a tree printed on the cards, will you want a pink background, or ivory?
Seasonal Colors
Next you’ll want to think about which season you’re getting married. Spring suggests soft, gentle colors. Planning a summer wedding? Try bright, bold colors. Fall weddings are the perfect time to embrace harvest hues, and winter weddings are beautiful when centered around rich reds, silver, deep blues and burgundy. Another direction to go when choosing your wedding colors is to consider the meanings behind individual colors:
Red represents beauty, strength, passion, celebration and luck.
Light blue in your wedding suggests health, happiness, patience and creativity.
Yellow symbolizes intellect, friendship and cooperation.
Green is the color of fertility, nature, peace and harmony.
Pink is the hue of love and friendship.
Orange stimulates, creates energy and is the color or knowledge.
Purple represents royalty, mystery, spirituality and growth.
White reflects peace, protection, purity and fairness.
Written by: WeddingDNA
5 fun movies with a honeymoon theme
Saturday, November 7th, 2009
Suzie Rodriguez – Examiner.com
Mention honeymoon travel, and almost everybody starts thinking about tropical islands, romantic cities, luxury cruises, national parks gifted with nature’s wonders, and all the world’s other fabulous destinations.Right?
So tell me why it’s nearly impossible to find a honeymoon movie that takes place in a gorgeous locale. Most of the time the destination isn’t even identifiable. Not to mention you wouldn’t want to spend your honeymoon or any other moments of your life around some of the deranged characters (ax murderers, for instance) found in many of these films.
The Internet Movie Database lists more than 200 movies about honeymoons. Here are a few highlights of the good, the bad, and the downright horrible:
Honeymoon in Vegas (1992): A comedy with James Caan, Nicolas Cage, and Sarah Jessica Parker. Honeymoon Locale: Las Vegas. Very funny, with lots of comedic twists and turns—who can forget the Flying Elvises? Caan, Cage, and Parker are all at their considerable comedic best. Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Definitely one of the better honeymoon movies to be found.
Once upon a Honeymoon (1942): A war-time drama/romance with Cary Grant and Ginger Rogers. Honeymoon Locale: Europe. Grant is a radio correspondent in 1938 Europe, when he meets and falls in love with Rogers—who is married to an Austrian Baron (who, unknown to her, is a Nazi spy). Grant tries to expose the Baron, and complications ensue. These two superstars from the past are something to watch.
What Happens in Vegas… (2008): A comedy starring Ashton Kutcher and Cameron Diaz. Honeymoon Locale: Las Vegas. Two strangers vacationing in Vegas get drunk and wake up married—and totally disliking each other. A judge refuses a quickie annulment, ruling that they live together for 6 months before splitting the huge jackpot they won the night before (which precipitated their big drunk to begin with)…and the plot, such as it is, thickens. As one reviewer put it, “…the filmmakers assume everyone in the audience has both attention deficit disorder and dementia.”
The Honeymoon Killers (1970): A thriller starring Tony Lo Bianco and Shirley Stoler. Honeymoon Locale: Various seedy spots in the USA. When a womanizing con man and a no-nonsense nurse fall in love, they travel across the country as brother and sister. Their goal: to swindle and kill, in increasingly bloody fashion, the lonely women he marries. Based on the 1940s real-life “Lonely Hearts Murders,” the black-and-white film has a gritty reality and deserves a wider audience. New Wave French film director Francois Truffaut supposedly called this his favorite American film.
Haunted Honeymoon (1986): A comedy-thriller starring Gene Wilder, Gilda Radner, and Dom Deluise. Honeymoon locale: Who knows? A genius of a comedy trio! Wilder & Radner are caught in his aunt’s big, spooky house out in the country with lots of wacky/scary people—and a werewolf on the loose. Wilder also directed.
Picking Your Wedding Flowers
Sunday, October 11th, 2009
From Elegala.com
Hiring a Florist
Hold the baby’s breath and filler flowers; look no further than a skilled wedding florist for sophisticated and stylish arrangements
Even if you plan to create and arrange your own wedding flowers, consulting with a florist first is still a good idea. A florist’s first-hand knowledge and years of experience can prove extremely useful, ensuring you don’t overlook small but important details and that your floral scheme matches your wedding style.
Don’t know the first thing about hiring a florist? We’re here to help. Follow these steps, and you will be sure to find the florist that suits you.
Do Your Research
It is never too soon to begin exploring your options. If you don’t already have a favorite florist, research and find local florists. Your wedding facility coordinator or recently married friends are a great place to start. Once you have a list of local florists, make appointments to review their work and discuss your floral vision.
Meet with Potential Florists
Plan to review portfolios and discuss your overall vision during your first appointments with potential florists. His/her previous work should match that vision. Remember that these portfolios showcase their best work, so if you don’t like what you see, continue shopping. When potential florists follow-up with proposals for your wedding based on your discussion, you should be able to make a decision on which best suits both your vision and wedding budget.
Determine the Details – Pick your wedding flowers
Now that you have selected your florist, schedule planning meetings at the ceremony and reception locations to determine the wedding flowers you’ll use and their placement (or provide photos so that the florist will have an idea of what the locations look like) Consider your wedding facility as a blank canvas upon which your florist will create his/her work of art. The look and feel of the setting will lead your discussions, determining both the wedding flowers you choose and where they will be placed.
Celebrity Wedding First Dance Songs
Sunday, October 11th, 2009Sara Brady – YourTango.com
What will your favorite star couples dance to on their big days?
We haven’t attended a whole lot of famous people’s weddings, but we imagine they are fantastic affairs with peacocks wandering around and ice sculptures of the happy couple and passed hors d’oeuvres that are never too small or too messy. And of course, given that the famous people are often trained performers, we expect a lot out of their reception dancing. Surely they can do better than that couple from Minnesota! But not every famous couple can be Khlodom, slow-dancing their way into a lifetime of bliss to the dulcet strains of Lionel Richie and Diana Ross singing “Endless Love.” Here are some couples and what we’d like to see them play at their lavish destination weddings.
Madonna & Jesus Luz
Jesus Luz and Madonna
The twice-married Madge has said she’ll never tie the knot again, but if she did make an honest man out of her boytoy, model Jesus Luz, we imagine their reception playlist would go a little something like this:
“Cradle of Love,” Billy Idol
“Grown Woman,” Mary J. Blige
“What Child Is This,” Sarah McLachlan (but only if they get married in December)
“Like a Prayer,” by the blushing bride herself
Justin Timberlake & Rihanna
Justin Timberlake and Rihanna
Justin has dated a basketball team’s worth of beautiful women, and now that he’s moved on from Jessica Biel to Rihanna (um, maybe), we’re wondering if the Bahamian beauty could be the one. Their nuptials would blend blue-eyed soul with reggaeton in a particularly odd way.
“What Goes Around,” J.Tim (we didn’t write the song, he did!)
“On to the Next One,” Jay-Z
“Better Be Good to Me,” Tina Turner
“Southern Man,” Neil Young
Kirstie Alley & Jamie Foxx
Kirstie Alley and Jamie Foxx
Kirstie spent the week tweeting frantically about her torrid affair with Jamie Foxx, which makes us feel weird in ways we cannot explain. Come on, that is a strange pairing. Stranger than Ted Danson and Whoopi Goldberg. But, you know, we wish them the best, and that Jamie would also take to social media to express his feelings for all the world to see. Their wedding songs would all have titles 140 characters long or fewer.
“Fat Bottomed Girls,” Queen (Kirstie would think it’s funny)
“Digital Girl,” remixed by the groom
“Black or White,” Michael Jackson
Kristen Stewart & Robert Pattinson
Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson
Look, it’s been on the cover of OK!, so obviously the Twilight lovers will be getting hitched any day now. We’re sure that out of deference to their many passionate fans, they’ll choreograph the wedding itself to match every detail so lovingly set down by Stephenie Meyer, right down to the part where Kristen gives birth to a telepathic vampire baby six weeks later. And also, Kristen will ride to the ceremony in a Popemobile in case some addled Twihard takes a shot at her. But before all that nonsense, they’ll dance like the precious undead butterflies they are.
Everything ever written by Vampire Weekend and Muse
“Go All the Way (Into the Twilight),” Perry Farrell
“My Boyfriend’s Back,” The Angels
“Pocketful of Sunshine,” Natasha Bedingfield
“Delilah,” Tom Jones
Kevin Jonas & Danielle Deleasa
Kevin Jonas and Danielle Deleasa
These two actually are getting married, and we’re pretty sure they’re the kind of Christians who wear promise rings but don’t ban all pop music and dancing. (That would be ironic, right?) One thing you can bank on: The reception probably won’t include anything by Miley Cyrus. Or Taylor Swift.
“Like a Virgin,” Madonna
“White Wedding,” Billy Idol
“When You Say Nothing at All,” Allison Krauss
“I’d Rather Dance With You,” Kings of Convenience
STARS ARE EXPENSIVE WEDDING SINGERS
Sunday, September 6th, 2009
(Reuters Life!) – Want to blow your guests away with the music at your wedding? Hire the Rolling Stones who are bound to make a big impression on your family and friends — as well as on your bank manager.
The veteran British band has topped a list of the 12 most expensive music acts to perform at weddings that was compiled by Britain’s Living TV. They charge about US$8 million to perform but only agree to private shows if they are already on tour.
Here is the list of the world’s 12 most expensive wedding acts as compiled by Living TV, a unit of Virgin Media Television. Reuters has not endorsed this list.
1. Rolling Stones
2. Elton John is the second most expensive, charging over $2 million for private performances although all earnings from his private concerts go to his charity, the Elton John AIDS Foundation
2. Australian popster Kylie Minogue also charges about $2 million
3. U.S. singer Christine Aguilera charges up to $2 million
4. British pop star George Michael charges almost $2 million
5. George Michael: $2 million
6. Amy Winehouse: $1.5 million
7. Paul McCartney: $1.5 million
8. Leona Lewis: $1.5 million list
9. Jennifer Lopez: $1.5 million
10. Barry Manilow: $1 million
11. Rod Stewart: $1 million
12. Duran Duran: $1 million
How to Have a Fairytale Wedding for Cheap
Sunday, August 30th, 2009
from TheDailyGreen.com
Your wedding is supposed to be one of the most memorable events in your life. However, in the current economic situation, you are probably cutting back on expenses for your special day.
That’s why Minoo Hersini, creative director of Au Ciel Design Studio, has some tips on how to respect your budget while still having that fairytale wedding you always dreamed of:
- Invite fewer guests. Limit attendees to your close family and friends.
- Look into unusual spaces such as barns, galleries, studios, rooftops. Also, consider the use of your home and your friends’ and families’ homes.
- Choose a location that is in a close vicinity to your guests.
- Create a more casual environment by sampling food dishes.
- Create your own cocktail. Find an original name to reflect your wedding.
- Use the most creative people in order to give you the simple solutions for decor.
- A great DJ is the way to go instead of live music.
- Encourage your guests to donate to a specific charity of your choice.
Wedding goes awry but reaction takes the cake
Saturday, August 29th, 2009
By TOMMY TOMLINSON
McClatchy Newspapers
They had been married five minutes when they found out.
Samantha Hicks and Richard Houser had started dating in high school, broke it off, then got back together three years ago. Now they were 21 and in love and they had just told the world.
The wedding had lined up just the way they wanted. They had 125 friends and family in the house. They wore their special wedding shoes Richard’s red Converse sneakers, Samantha’s red ballet slippers with the white polka dots. And they had stashed their secret wedding-cake topper salt and pepper shakers glued together. They’d seen it in a movie called “Fireproof,” as a symbol of a couple that would never part. Samantha’s shaker wore a veil. Richard’s had a cowboy hat.
The newlyweds had said their vows and were in a back room, waiting to be officially announced as man and wife. Then Samantha’s aunt walked in with the news. The caterer didn’t show.
No food. No drinks. No wedding cake.
This, of course, was a Bridezilla moment. Imagine your own wedding day, 125 people expecting to be fed, and you haven’t got a crumb. This is when couples melt into tears, when they invent new profanities, when they grab the Yellow Pages and turn straight to Lawyers.
Here is what happened at Samantha and Richard’s wedding:
“We were all kind of freaked out for about two minutes,” she says. “And then people started figuring out what to do.”
The best man and the guitarist and a bridesmaid jumped in a car and took off for Food Lion. The other groomsmen went ahead with their plan to “kidnap” Samantha; they told the crowd they’d have to pay a ransom to see her. Everybody chipped in for the new couple, and Samantha was released to the custody of her husband.
Then, imagine this, everyone just stood around and talked, and nobody griped.
“We pretty much had the attitude before the wedding that if it didn’t get done, it wasn’t going to get done,” Richard says. “We didn’t expect this to not get done. But our friends really stepped it up.”
It wasn’t that long before the crew came back from the store, bearing fruit trays, soft drinks, cheese and crackers. The crowd dug in and everything was fine.
It turns out the caterer got overwhelmed some of his help bailed on him, and he fell too far behind, and he was so embarrassed he didn’t answer his phone. He has promised to refund his fee and pay for the food the couple’s friends bought.
Nobody’s suing. Nobody’s even angry. Samantha giggles about the whole thing as she describes the wedding over the phone.
“The flower girl wouldn’t go down the aisle,” she says. “I didn’t have the recessional music ready until that morning, and my dad and I walked down the aisle too early. So everybody made some mistakes.”
And the cake? Well, you don’t buy a wedding cake for 125 people at the last minute. Then again, maybe a wedding cake is meant for two. Samantha and Richard got out their salt-and-pepper shakers bound together for life and placed them on the tiny Food Lion cake.
They were a perfect fit.
Tommy Tomlinson has written a local column for the Charlotte Observer since 1997. He was a finalist for the 2005 Pulitzer Prize in commentary.
