FROM Yahoo News

By Renata Espinosa

Monique Lhuiller

New York – The Spring 2011 Monique Lhuillier Bride collection, titled “A Field of Dreams,” was all about bringing the garden party indoors.

Shown in the lofty heights of an airy two-level penthouse in the London Hotel on Sunday, April 11, in New York, models stood alongside picture windows with stunning Manhattan views in equally jaw-dropping gowns, where elements of nature added whimsical details to the dresses.

FWD101 Model presents a design at the Monique Lhuillier Spring 2011 bridal show in New York on Sunday, April 11, 2010.

Romantic embellishments like butterflies, branches, twigs, wheat stalks and feathers were woven into soft layers of tulle and organza and floral embroideries were appliqued onto sheer corsets.

“I thought this season it was about showing your figure off,” said Lhuillier after the presentation.

To that end, Lhuillier introduced some shorter dress lengths, one of which was a convertible dress that could go from long to short.

“Instead of changing dresses, why not have one dress?” said Lhuillier, noting that more and more her customer was asking for an all-purpose wedding ceremony and reception option.

A lean trumpet silhouette also dominated this season, “bringing out the diva-ness of the girls,” said Lhuillier.

Trumpet gowns “accentuate your curves,” explained Lhuillier. “They’re best for hourglass figures. Also if you’re petite, it elongates your silhouette.”

By Rebecca Garland  Special to NWsource

“Have you ever wondered if you should have been born in a different era?”  That’s the question curator Laurie Kearney and photographer Rosemary Wagner are asking local brides who are on a budget yet looking to infuse their wedding with a shot of nostalgia, glamour, classic design and “Hollywood era” styling.

Your Vintage Wedding Fair will be held on Saturday, March 20, from noon to 6 p.m.  Hosted by Kearney and Wagner of Gossamer Collective, a group of five Seattle-based artists who collaborate to organize and host events that promote and inspire art and music in the community, the fair will be held in the Gossamer Collective space in the Central District.

For an $8 entrance fee paid at the door, guests will receive complimentary champagne, light appetizers and the opportunity to meet with a select group of local vendors who can offer unique and affordable options for the wedding day. The first 24 guests at the event will receive goodie bags, which will include a copy of either Seattle Bride magazine or Seattle Metropolitan Bride & Groom magazine, hair and skin-care samples from Stylus Salon  and discount cards from the participating vendors. If you can’t get there early, there will also be a table set up where guests can pick up vendor samples and discount cards.

Vendors are comprised of photographers, designers and stylists, including: event host Rosemary Wagner, a wedding photographer with a vintage styling and imaging niche who provides a variety of wedding photography packages; Jennifer Witsil Creative, an invitation designer who creates custom designs in a sophisticated, feminine vintage style through fonts and colors; Rebekah J Designs, who creates custom jewelry for weddings and special events, including bridesmaid and groomsmen gifts; Jenny Bowker, a makeup artist who can do a wide range of vintage makeup styles, including Hollywood glamour, classic and retro; Orange Twist Cards, a letterpress invitation designer who creates a vintage look as well as custom, hand-illustrated images; Odd Duck Designs, a letterpress invitation designer who works with vintage textiles for a unique look; April Brimer of PrettyLittlePhotos.com , a photographer who creates custom photo-booth portraiture with backdrops designed according to the theme of the wedding; Stylus Salon , a hair-styling and nail salon which has a staff trained to accommodate a variety of styling requests, including vintage and classic; and TerraBella Flowers , a Greenwood florist with a friendly staff who can recreate vintage floral styles. Tables will be set up around the front and back of the Gossamer Collective space in a market-stall feel, allowing brides to easily peruse the vendors.

“All of the vendors offer reasonably priced services with a specialized style,” said Kearney and Wagner, who hope to make this a regular happening at Gossamer. They also stress that the atmosphere will be relaxed, with no two-hour lines or competitive or aggressive sales behavior by vendors.

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.

Heidi and Scott Komorouski

From New Richmond News

Once upon a time, a young River Falls couple entered a contest to win a fairytale wedding.

Three weeks ago, 22-year-old Heidi Foster and 24-year-old Scott Komorouski learned — on live TV — they’d won the $18,000 package that includes everything from clothes, flowers and cake to rings, a honeymoon suite and the coolest of venues.

The couple weds on live TV at the Minnesota State Fair Friday, Aug. 28 during the 3-4 p.m. KSTP/5 Eyewitness News show, “Twin Cities Live.”

“Our first official date was at the State Fair,” said Komorouski.

Their history with the fair was one thing that swayed contest judges to pick their application over the other 199 received. Their wedding planner, Gretchen Culver, helped judge the contest.

She said judges looked for 1) a good State Fair story, 2) someone who would appreciate the opportunity and 3) true love and excitement about a life together.

Their application was one of only two submitted by a husband-to-be.

Foster saw the contest online and told Komorouski about it. She said he completed and sent the form with essay questions.

He found out they won on a Wednesday — two days before they were scheduled to appear on TCL as contest finalists. Keeping the secret, he went shopping at Wedding Day Diamonds to pick a ring that would replace the 50-cent gumball-machine plastic piece he’d given his love nearly two years before.

The excitement nearly swept Foster off her interview chair as she sat on live TV, found out they’d won and got a new ring to replace the plastic one.

“He proposed to me on the show on Aug. 7,” Foster said.           

Komorouski said he was just praying as he got on a bent knee that he wouldn’t fall off the tall stool while getting in position to pop the question.

Theirs will be the only wedding taking place at the fair this year, according to the TV station KSTP (5 Eyewitness News). As far as Foster and Komorouski know, it’s the first time a couple has wed during a live TV broadcast from the fair. It’s also the first time the 1-year-old TCL show has held the contest.

Dream wedding details

As the beaming couple approaches the big day, they describe a whirlwind two weeks of dress and tux shopping, cake tasting and lots of meetings with Culver, who they frequently characterize as “awesome.” Both say despite the short time frame, planning has gone smoothly and easily for them.

They say planners have focused on their preferences during the entire process.

Foster said her two bridesmaids will dress in fuchsia-colored dresses. She found herself a beautiful gown at Pearls & Lace too but won’t reveal too many details.

As of last week, they said the only outstanding detail is to take dance lessons. The honeymooners will also spend their wedding night in Minneapolis at the Hotel Ivy.

The couple’s parents live in New Richmond and, along with other family and friends, will come to the fair for the ceremony and a reception afterward. The bride and groom were given a small number of admission tickets to offer guests.

She said about their loved ones, “They’re really excited.”

Foster and Komorouski met four years ago through mutual friends introducing them. They began dating about two years ago.

They’d planned on marrying but never made it any more official than Valentine’s promises made on the plastic ring.

The two moved to River Falls from New Richmond in the last few years. She just graduated UW-RF with a degree in communications and works as a marketing coordinator in Inver Grove Heights.

He says a small layoff at former employer O’Keefe left him between jobs and thinking about returning to school.

Foster and Komorouski say the whole FAIRytale wedding experience feels surreal, like a dream. They’re excited and welcome everyone to share in their joy by watching the broadcast or joining them live at the fair for the wedding.

He said, “Everyone’s invited.”

She said, “We’re making history here!”

The FAIRytale wedding comes to Foster and Komorouski courtesy of KSTP/TCL, Bellagala, Wedding Day Diamonds, Pearls & Lace Bridal and Formalwear, Men’s Wearhouse and the Hotel Ivy.