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LIMITED Weddings 2016

COVER STORY

04 Floral and fauna fantasies

A publication of the Herald & Review

Weddings don't have to feature flowers alone. With a little creativity and inspiration, nonfloral elements can be incorporated into bouquets and centerpieces, making them unique for that special day.

601 E. William St. Decatur, IL 62523

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PUBLISHER

Julie Bechtel HERALD & REVIEW EDITOR/GENERAL MANAGER

Gary Sawyer ADVERTISING DIRECTOR

Joel Fletcher Editor

Jeana Matherly LAYOUT ARTIST

Table of Contents

Jill Koehl

FEATURES The entire contents of this publication may not be reproduced in any manner, either in whole or in part, without permission of the publisher. Advertisements are not endorsements by the publisher.

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To advertise or ask questions regarding advertising: 217.421.6920 To submit story ideas: email: jeana.matherly@lee.net. © 2016

by Lee Enterprises Inc. Any editorial content or advertising published is the property of Lee Enterprises Inc.

08 Get us to the courthouse For couples wanting to save money and time, the appeal of a courthouse wedding is hard to resist.

10 Memories remain For many couples, their wedding just isn't complete without remembering a special loved one who is deceased. For Jacoby Duckworth and Macklin Andrick, married on the porch of Duckworth's grandmother's 100-year-old farmhouse, a tree on the property provided the perfect place for a memorial.

12 Pet project Some couples just can't imagine their special day without their nonhuman best friends. For bride Gabbrielle (Ippoliti) Thomas, wedding photos that included her dog, Cinnamon, have proven especially treasured when her pet died suddenly after the wedding.

16 Mood music The right melodies can set the stage for the perfect wedding or reception.

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08 04 18 Out with the old Weddings have long been fraught with tradition and superstitions. Today, however, it seems that many of these conventions are evolving or being thrown by the wayside.

20 Preserving the memories You spent hours searching for the perfect wedding dress, and on the big day, your gown served you well. Now, it's time to make sure it’s well-preserved.

22 Making a case for it A Decatur man proposes to his co-worker girlfriend with a little help from the Macon County Sheriff's Office.

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J

Let your

CREATIVITY blossom

Bouquet, boutonnieres and centerpieces don't have to be flowers only

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By NICOLE HARBOUR For the Herald & Review

J

ennifer (Sanders) Beck of Jacksonville has always considered herself a creative person, so when she began planning her Nov. 14, 2015, wedding to her Andrew Beck, 29, of Havana, she knew she wanted to take a hands-on approach to one of the more costly components of their big day: the flowers.

“It all kind of started with me making flowers around three or four years ago,” explained Beck, 28, a diet clerk at St. John’s Hospital in Springfield. “I like to think of myself as a crafty person, so I got bored one night searching the Internet and I ended up finding the idea on YouTube about how to make duct tape flowers.”

Intrigued by the idea, Beck began creating the flowers for fun, and when Andrew proposed to her in 2013, she had enough flower-making experience to tackle the construction of the groomsmen’s boutonnieres and the reception centerpieces.

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“The cost of flowers is kind of pricey,” her wedding day.

“I was happy with how they turned she said, which made the idea of creating some of her own a little more appealing. out,” she said. “I think the flowers added “But my mom also helped me decide to do it because she thought that the (centerpieces could also double) as wedding favors.”

With a color scheme of light purple, dark purple and camouflage, Beck crafted boutonnieres for her groom and his four groomsmen, in addition to 30 centerpieces.

“I made the guys’ boutonnieres, which were a single duct tape rose with a pin glued to them so the guys could pin them to their tuxes, and I used three to four duct tape flowers in a Mason jar as centerpieces. We had around 15 tables at the reception, with two centerpieces per table.”

Beck worked on the boutonnieres and centerpieces for the Andrew Beck wears a duct tape boutonniere his wife, Jennifer, made better part of a year and was for their Nov. 14, 2015 wedding. Photo courtesy of Lauren WestrIch proud of her accomplishment on Photography.

A pine cone winter bridesmaid bouquet created at the Secret Garden Florist.

Bride Tori Cass chose to incorporate pine cones and wax flowers into her bridal bouquet for her Dec. 12, 2015, wedding to Corey Tatum. Lori Barrett, co-owner of The Secret Garden, constructed Cass' bouquet.

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Hannah Way holds her all-brooch bouquet. Photo courtesy of Lauren Westrich Photography.

a unique touch to our wedding and I got a lot of compliments on them.”

When it came to her Dec. 12, 2015, wedding to groom Corey Tatum of Decatur, bride Tori Cass, a native of Chestnut, also opted to lend her talents to her reception centerpieces.

“I’m a very DIY, or do it yourself, person,” said Cass, “and I don’t like to spend a whole lot of money or expect my parents to pay for the really expensive things in our wedding, so I started looking at Pinterest and I saw that a lot of people had pine cones (in their wedding bouquets and centerpieces) for winter weddings.”

Knowing she wanted a December wedding but not necessarily a Christmas-themed event, Cass decided to make pine cones the star of her table arrange6 ♥ LIMITED WEDDINGS ♥ 2016

ments.

“The centerpieces were taller candles, and I used the material coffee cup sleeves are made from and wrapped that around the candles and hot-glued pine cones to that,” she explained, noting that the candles sat on top of round, dinner plate-sized pieces of wood. She also incorporated greenery into the centerpieces.

The pine cone theme extended to her bouquet, the bridesmaids’ flowers and even the groomsmen’s boutonnieres, which were created by Lori Barrett of The Secret Garden in Decatur.

“It’s very minimal flowers,” Barrett said in November of Cass’ bouquets and boutonnieres. “It’s mostly pine cones and winter greens. It’s going to be really cool.”

Cass, whose bouquet consisted mostly of lavender and purple flowers with pine cone accents, was excited in the week leading up to her wedding and said she couldn’t wait to see how everything came together.

“I purposely looked for things I could do at home (for the wedding),” she said.

“I wanted a rustic look but I didn’t want to pay a lot for it, and I also wanted to be involved in my own wedding.”

Lauren Kay, senior style editor at The Knot, said while flowers are still very present in weddings, it’s becoming more common for couples to pick increasingly unique flowers or to intersperse more natural elements like berries, greenery and even produce with their flowers.

“I think flowers still play a very big role in weddings and that they’ll always be a big component,” said Kay in a November phone interview. “I also think in the sense of bouquets, flowers are still probably the front-runner in terms of what people are carrying down the aisle, but there certainly are ways to incorporate other things.

“What we’ve been seeing is just a combination of them, almost like hybrid bouquets, so there are flowers present but we’re seeing a lot of other things, like vegetables or fruits that have been included in the bouquet, or cool branches and rustic greenery.”

Another trend that has become more popular the last couple years is creating different textures in bouquets and centerpieces, Kay said.

“Bouquets have become more of a loose arrangement of flowers and playing up textures and using some of those nonfloral elements,” she continued. “So maybe it’s an artichoke or adding some kale or cabbage in lieu of filler greenery.

A lot of people like to add berries to give a nice texture and color. Depending on the season, too, in spring weddings you can see anything from asparagus and squash in the arrangement, and certainly in the centerpieces, too.”

Besides adding a unique touch to wedding flowers and reception centerpieces, Kay said an added bonus of incorporating more nonfloral elements into bouquets and wedding flowers is that it can sometimes save money.

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“Flowers are very expensive and a big line item on your wedding budget, and I think if there’s ways to save and still achieve the look you want, that’s a bonus, and I also think people are really looking for something different,” Kay said. “We went from having these very uniform church weddings and ballroom receptions to people getting married on farms, in lofts, and all different kinds of places, and I think going along with that is the idea of wanting something a little different.

“I think this idea of incorporating natural elements kind of speaks to what Millennials are looking to do and just kind of gives a little shakeup to the traditional roses or things we’ve been seeing in bouquets for a long time.”

For Hannah (Hoover) Way, 30, of Chatham, creating a meaningful bouquet she could keep forever inspired her to carry an all-brooch bouquet for her June 20, 2015, wedding to groom Chad Way. “I wanted to do a brooch bouquet because I couldn’t imagine paying so much money for flowers just to throw them all

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away,” said Way, a procedure writer at Wells Fargo. “I kept thinking, why would I want to spend all of this money on a bouquet I can’t even keep? And that was the bigger part of it: I wanted to have something I could keep from my wedding day that I could set up in my home and keep forever, or potentially pass something like that on.”

Composed of brooches she and her sisters purchased at local flea markets and antique stores, as well as a brooch of her grandmother’s, Way said her bouquet made her wedding day that much more special and helped memorialize her mother and grandmothers.

“My mom passed away (in November 2014) and so she missed the wedding, and my younger grandma passed away a couple years ago, and my grandma (whose brooch I used) passed away, and so it was kind of nice to have that something up there with me,” Way said. “I felt like they were a part of that day.”

Way, who has her bouquet displayed in her home, said she couldn’t have been happier with her decision. “I love it, and I love looking at it now, too.”

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Judge Thomas Little officiated the courthouse wedding of Monica Duran and Julio Matos Durand.

Courtroom ceremonies Quiet and simple can still create a moment

By DONNETTE BECKETT H&R Staff Writer

L

as Vegas has a certain appeal, so does the courthouse. Wherever a wedding is performed, the couple just wants to enjoy the day.

Some may want to avoid the high cost of a wedding. Some may want to focus on the ceremony. Others just don't want all the fan-fare.

Monica Duran and Julio Matos Durand were one of those couples. The couple decided to exchange vows in the Macon County Courthouse on a Monday afternoon in Courtroom 5A. 8 ♥ LIMITED WEDDINGS ♥ 2016

The bride wore a beautiful, off-white, full-length gown with lace accents when she wed her groom. He wore a blue-gray suit with matching tie.

“This is the best moment of your lives,” said the groom. “So you need to give them the best-dressed.”

Although the couple felt it was important to wear the proper attire for their wedding, they didn't spend any more money on the occasion.

And they wouldn't have had it any other way.

Eloping can appeal to many couples.

According to bridal magazine The Knot, the average price of a full wedding can cost over $30,000. When they factor in

the cost of invitations, music, flowers, food, reception hall and clothing, the couple could spend as much as a down payment on a house.

As well as wanting to save money, Judge Scott Diamond understands other reasons why couples ask him to marry them. For many, their families live too far away or they have religious conflicts.

“I never ask,” he said. “But I do wonder.”

This is the second marriage for both Duran and Matos Durand. Their first weddings were not large, nor did they want this one to be. “I'm not a person that needs a lot of fluffing,” Duran said.

“Just a little glamour.”

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The couple learned early where to set their priorities. Instead of spending money on a big, fancy wedding, they wanted to concentrate on the moment.

“I wanted to enjoy it,” the bride said. “I know it's only a few minutes.”

Judge Thomas Little performed the ceremony. The Macon County judge has been marrying couples in his courtroom for 16 years.

“Occasionally we will do the ceremony outside the courthouse,” he said. “But there's not much to see.”

The simple ceremony is performed in approximately five minutes. But the couple prepares the day before. They must obtain the marriage license at the county clerk's office. A background check is performed on both the bride and groom for orders of protection or criminal activities.

The couple must wait a day before they can marry. “This gives them a cooling off period or time to clear their heads,” said Judge Jim Coryell.

The couple and any loved-ones they

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have invited arrive 15 minutes before the ceremony. A judge recites typical wedding vows. Within a few minutes, the couple is united in matrimony. The total cost is $10. Contrary to traditional beliefs, witnesses are not needed, nor are wedding rings.

Macon County judges have married all types of couples using the courthouse for their weddings. “I've seen them young and wide-eyed or maybe it is their eighth and ninth marriage,” said Coryell.

Although Duran and Matos Durand decided to wear wedding clothes, many couples will dress more casual. “Some will dress nicely and some in blue jeans,” Diamond said. “But I tell people, 'You will be just as married if I marry you'.”

And Duran just wants to spend her life with her new husband. The bride planned for a stress-free day. “It gives flexibility for imperfections, which life is full of,” she said. “And in the end, it's two people wanting to spend the rest of their lives together.”

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Gone, but NEVER FORGOTTEN Memorials play a big part in modern wedding ceremonies

By DONNETTE BECKETT H&R Staff Writer

A

popular poem often read at funerals and in sympathy cards begins with the heart-felt line “Those we love never go away...”

Those words are also heard at weddings to honor loved ones who have passed.

For many couples, their wedding just isn't complete without that special someone. They still want them to be part of the wedding.

Jacoby Duckworth posted the poem with the memorials during her wedding to Macklin Andrick. But her wedding tree was the most touching remembrance. Duckworth and Andrick, both of Nashville, Tenn., were married on the front porch of her grandmother's home.

The September wedding was decorated with the natural beauty of the 100-yearold farmhouse in Decatur. “Since it was outdoors, we used the tree and the yard,” Duckworth said.

When the guests approached the home, they could see the tree adorned

Jacoby Duckworth and Macklin Andrick honored their families in a memorial tree during their outdoor wedding.

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with photos of deceased grandparents and great-grandparents. One grandpa was killed in Vietnam. The groom had never met his ancestor, but knew it was important to recognize him.

“His memory has always lived on,” Duckworth said.

Acknowledging loved ones during the special day has become part of many wedding ceremonies. According to Angela Burgener, owner of Elaburg Weddings and Events in Moweaqua, each family has its own ideas for memorials.

“Some will think it is morbid,” she said.

“Others find it reassuring.”

Common tributes can include simple gestures, such as a lit candle, a poem in the entryway or a special locket worn by the bride. Others have something more visual during the ceremony, such as an empty seat with a picture or photos on the altar.

“Some will have something at ceremony, but not reception,” Burgener said.

The remembrances often reflect the personalities of the couple. When

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Rachael Sapp, of Tuscola, began planning her wedding, she wanted something more than just pictures to honor her family and those of her groom, Patrick Ward of Taylorville.

“I'm in the museum field,” she said.

“So I started with just the wedding dresses, then it just snow balled.”

Sapp currently has four dresses to display at her July 2015 wedding reception. “We have the mothers' and both mothers' mothers' dresses,” she said.

Each dress will be displayed on mannequins along with a photos of the couples and a brief description of their lives and how long they have been married.

“I'm dedicating a huge portion to that,” Sapp said.

For Duckworth, she chose the location of her wedding ceremony because of its past and the memories it holds.

“My cousins spent so much time on that porch,” Duckworth said. “It's a very special place for all of us.”

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Lovelove me,my PET Owners say wedding day wouldn't be the same without them

By NICOLE HARBOUR For the Herald & Review

D

ogs are often referred to as “man’s best friend,” and for Gabbrielle (Ippoliti) Thomas, that title so aptly described her dog, Cinnamon.

“She was the first pet I’d ever had,” recalled Thomas, 35, who got the lovable Boxer nearly nine years ago from a couple who’d just had a baby. “I was just obsessed with her from the moment I got her.”

Through the good and bad times over the next several years, Cinnamon was by Thomas’ side, and in April 2013, when Thomas became engaged to thenboyfriend Jeff, there was one wedding detail she knew she couldn’t live without.

“I knew, always, that I would have her (Cinnamon) in some of my wedding pictures,” said Thomas, a director massage therapist at BJ Grand Salon and Spa in

Kirstie and Jason Brown steal a kiss as their dog, Tucker, steals the show. Photo courtesy of Kate Spencer Photography.

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Springfield. “I couldn’t imagine not – she was my baby, so there’s no way I couldn’t have her in pictures with me. I just loved her so much; she was everything to me.”

On July 26, 2014, Gabbrielle and Jeff, 44, were married at United Methodist Church of Pawnee, and just as Gabbrielle had planned, Cinnamon joined her for some pictures before the ceremony.

“We have four acres of land at our house in Pawnee, so most of our wedding pictures were taken there, and as our photographer (Kate Spencer) started taking pictures of me and Cinnamon, it actually started raining, so we only got a couple pictures.”

Those pictures, which helped make the Thomases’ wedding day even more memorable and special, proved to be even more important to Thomas when Cinnamon unexpectedly passed away Nov. 1, 2015.

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“Cinnamon was always kind of a finicky eater with a sensitive stomach, so she stopped eating – which she’d done before – and I took her in (to the veterinarian’s office) and they did tests, checked her liver and gave me some antibiotics to give her,” Thomas explained, recalling the days leading up to Nov. 1.

A few days after Cinnamon was put on antibiotics, she still wasn’t eating, so Thomas took her in for more tests, an x-ray, an abdominal ultrasound and an exploratory abdominal surgery, but they yielded no answers.

After bringing Cinnamon home on Oct. 31, the Thomases knew something was still wrong.

“She (Cinnamon) was just pacing and would flop down, get up, pant and whine,” recalled Thomas. “She was in pain, so I followed her everywhere she went and laid down with her, petting her … She finally kind of stopped whining (late at night) and I fell

Kirstie and Jason Brown pose with their dog, Tucker, on their wedding day.

The 5-year-old Maltese helped walk Kirstie down the aisle on Oct., 10, 2015, in Champaign. Photo courtesy of Kate Spencer Photography.

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asleep around 12:30 a.m., and when I years to get a dog,” Brown recalled, but woke up at 2 a.m., she was gone. it wasn’t until 2010, when she and her “It was just a total shock, and it was parents discovered Tucker, that her parawful,” Thomas continued. “It’s one of ents agreed to her request. “A stipulathe hardest things I’ve ever gone tion for getting him, per my parents, through, and we later learned, from was that I would have to take Tucker biopsies the veterinarians sent off, that when I moved out. But after a weekend she had lymphoma of her small inteswith him, my parents fell in love, so tine.”

Thomas said she couldn’t be more grateful that she was by Cinnamon’s side when she passed away, and that she has wedding pictures with her furry companion.

“The pictures are just priceless, especially now that I don’t have (Cinnamon),” said Thomas, her voice breaking. “I lost her kind of suddenly, so it means everything to me that she was there for (our wedding). It wouldn’t have been the same without her.”

Like the Thomases, high school sweethearts Kirstie (Ruthstrom) Brown and Jason Brown of Urbana couldn’t have imagined their special day without Kirstie’s dog, Tucker. “(Tucker) had to be a part of our wedding,” Kirstie Brown, 24, explained. “It was just a no-brainer. My brother and his wife got married while I was in high school and they had their dog at their wedding. It was never really a question of Tucker being in our wedding, we just knew he was going to be in our wedding.”

Part of Brown’s strong stance on Tucker came from a hard-fought batGabbrielle Thomas plays with her dog, Cinnamo. Cinnatle with her parents to mon passed away from lymphoma of the small intestine Nov. 1, 2015, making this picture even more special for get a dog.

Gabbrielle. Photo courtesy of Kate Spencer Photography.

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now Jason and I share joint custody of Tucker with my parents.”

Marrying at the Orpheum Children’s Science Museum in Champaign on Oct. 10 of last year, Brown was walked down the aisle not only by her dad, but by Tucker.

“The general excitement of seeing

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Tucker walk down the aisle was one of my favorite parts of having him in the wedding,” Brown said, laughing. “People knew he was going to be there, but he just strutted down the aisle like it was no big thing.”

Adorned with a black and white bowtie, Tucker not only walked Kirstie down the aisle, but also remained in the arms of Jason’s twin brother, Justin, for the rest of the ceremony.

“He’s a really good dog,” Brown said.

“He’s our baby, and Jason loves him just as much. It was a really big deal, I’d wanted a dog my entire life and my parents would never get one, and we found out about him when he was about a year and a half old. We found out about him on a Sunday, met him on a Tuesday and we had him by Saturday. So within six days, we had a dog, and I’d tried for 20plus years to get a dog and couldn’t get one.”

Kate Spencer, owner of Kate Spencer Photography, photographed both the Thomases and Browns with their dogs and said including their pets made the

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couples’ special days even more memorable.

“My favorite part of photographing couples with their dogs is just the interaction between them and their pets,” she said. “They always have genuine smiles … and including pets seems to be a growing trend because a lot of dog lovers think of their pets as their children.”

With pets holding such a special place in people’s hearts, both Brown and Thomas said they would advise couples who feel strongly about their animals to consider including them in their big day.

“Definitely,” said Brown. “Your pets are part of the family and animals are such good stress-relievers. I wasn’t nervous that day, but having Tucker around was great.”

“Pets are such a huge part of your life,” Thomas agreed. “You see them more than your partner because when you’re home, (your pets) are always there. Cinnamon was my best friend, and I’m so grateful and thankful I have those pictures.”

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Setting the

MOOD

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Music can be most enjoyable part of day

By DONNETTE BECKETT H&R Staff Writer

P

recious and Few,” “When I'm 64,” “YMCA,” are all songs popular with wedding crowds. But as music comes and goes, couples are having fun with easy entertainment.

Music is often used to create a mood.

Whether it is romance, excitement or nostalgia, music can set the tone. For many brides and grooms, the songs are the last item to check off the list when planning their wedding, but it can be the most enjoyable.

Most of the money spent on the wedding is eaten up by the reception. Food, decorations, venue and the entertainment can cost thousands of dollars.

The DJ is usually in the business of providing a party, not just a reception.

They can take away most of the stress.

They provide additions such as special lighting or a photo booth. All of which add to the bill.

But if the music is not appropriate for the guests, it can send them home before the cake is cut.

Few couples take the time to choose specific songs for the reception. So the music is often provided by the hired entertainment. Although most have a general song list, the band or DJ will need some basic information.

The Ceremony Couples have been giving most of their attention and budget to the reception. Because of this the ceremony music is often kept simple. The songs are played by a single instrument or family members. Some DJs will provide sound support for ceremony, but for an extra charge. The bride will choose songs that are personal to her, the families or the couple's relationship. “Nobody wants the same as everybody else,” said Matt Vest, co-owner of V&M Digital DJs in Decatur. “But you can still hear the traditional 'Here Comes the Bride'.”

The Party What type of atmosphere best describes the couple? Is it simple or all the frills? Of course, with more amenities comes more money. Those lights and sounds aren't cheap. “They need to think about how important the entertainment is to them,” Vest said.

A theme can reflect the couple and their families. The grand entrance can set the tone for the event. The songs usually relate to the couple. According to Stevie Ray Kelton, owner of Stevie Ray Kelton-oke Entertainment in Decatur, couples may want something humorous, such as “Another One Bites the Dust” by Queen or a party anthem, such as “Let's Get It Started” by the Black Eyed Peas.

“That is a way to get the party started,” he said. “You are bringing together two families.”

As a bartender and host at Decatur's Knights of Columbus, Amanda Tuttle has seen the bride and groom start the festivities with their various introductions. “They have funny music like the ‘Rocky’ theme or enter with golfing moves,” she said. “The announcements are now funny instead of formal.”

Many formal traditions are slowly going away, such as the cake cutting display. “They still cut it, but party doesn't stop,” Tuttle said. “The music keeps going.”

The Music Vest reminds couples to be considerate of their guests when choosing music.

“Some guests will dance all night; others will just socialize,” he said. “So think about the personality they want managing their event.”

According to Vest, one of the last songs chosen is the emotional fatherdaughter dance. “When it comes to the dance,” he said, “the bride has thought of everything but that.”

A few of the popular songs played have been “My Little Girl” by Tim Mc-

Graw, “Butterfly Kisses” by Bob Carlisle, and “I Loved Her First” by Heartland.

“The father-daughter dance is now always a slow dance,” Tuttle said. “A slow R&B or a country song.”

Different styles of music can be played throughout the reception. During social time, such as the meal and before the couple arrive, softer music is heard. “I play happy music,” Kelton said, “love songs and '60s songs. It keeps everybody in happy mood.”

Kelton has played in various bands throughout Central Illinois. He has seen the popularity of local bands at weddings fade. “The band only knows about three hours of music,” he said. “And they don't have the variety.”

For the guests, the entertainment should have a diverse song list. “It should be happy time,” Kelton said.

“You don't want fights breaking out.”

The Dance According to Kelton, DJs became popular approximately 20 years ago.

“When line dance and rap was taking over,” he said. “With bands, they would free-style dance.”

But DJs have found the songs from decades ago still bring guests to their feet. “Even with the younger crowd, we are still '80s and '90s,” Vest said. “That's what fills the dance floor.”

Guests will still see the traditional wedding dances during the reception.

The couple’s first dance, the fatherdaughter dance, the mother-son dance and the dollar dance are still popular.

“But some are going away, such as YMCA,” Tuttle said. “Instead we have ‘The Cha Cha Slide,’ ‘Cupid Shuffle’ and “The Wobble” are new ones.”

Some DJs aren't above playing songs everyone can dance to, such as “The Hokey Pokey.”

“You get old kids and young kids out there,” Kelton said.

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Out with the old Modern couples abandon old superstitions, traditions

By NICOLE HARBOUR For the Herald & Review

W

eddings have long been fraught with tradition and superstitions.

The ancient Romans believed that a bride needed to wear a veil down the aisle to ward off evil spirits. And the

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idea that it was bad luck for the bride and groom to see each other before the wedding ceremony was born from a time when arranged marriages were common and the father of the bride feared if the groom saw his daughter before the wedding ceremony, he’d change his mind.

Today, however, as more couples live together before they marry and as men

and women choose to tie the knot at an older age, many of these traditions and superstitions are evolving or being thrown by the wayside.

That was the case for Hannah (Hoover) Way, 30, and Chad Way, 29.

From seeing each other before the ceremony and skipping the bouquet toss, garter toss and cake cutting, to having a

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friend marry them, providing a horseshoe bar for their guests and auctioning off Hannah’s first dance during the dollar dance, the Ways’ June 20, 2015, wedding may not have been traditional, but it was perfect for them.

“We made our wedding a little more about us,” said Hannah Way, a procedure writer at Wells Fargo. “I think more couples are doing that now.”

When it comes to creating their own traditions and disregarding ancient wedding superstitions, the Ways are not alone said Lauren Kay, senior style editor at The Knot.

“I think couples now, especially Millennials, are looking to incorporate traditions into their ceremony, whether it be their own traditions from their families or cultural moments,” Kay said.

“Lots of different couples are getting married and coming from different religious backgrounds and cultures, so they’re creating these kind of hybrid ceremonies and weddings.”

Kay noted that one of the biggest wedding superstitions couples have begun to disregard over the years is the idea that seeing each other before the wedding ceremony is bad luck.

“I think (not seeing each other) used to be a really big thing beforehand, but I think nowadays, couples are realizing that you’re still going to have that excitement and anticipation whether you see each other for the first time at the ceremony or before the ceremony,” she said. “A lot of brides and grooms want to either have that moment (of seeing each other for the first time) just the two of them, where they have a private moment, or they recognize that there’s

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going to be a lot happening from the second they say I do. So a lot of people are opting for first looks, and they’re becoming more and more popular, so much so that I don’t think that newer couples are even thinking about that tradition anymore.”

Many couples are now opting to skip the garter and bouquet tosses altogether.

Those traditions were born of medieval times and evolved into the superstition that whoever caught the garter and bouquet would be the next ones to be married. And while most grooms have also discarded the Roman superstition of carrying the bride over the threshold so she avoids evil spirits, Kay said there are other wedding traditions and superstitions that have stuck or simply evolved.

“I think many people still enjoy the concept of ‘something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue,’ ” Kay said of the Victorian rhyme and ancient tradition that helped bring good luck to the bride. “I think it can be an outlet to celebrate your own traditions. Maybe your something borrowed is wearing your mother’s wedding dress or maybe it’s something small, like using your grandmother’s handkerchief, so I think there is still a moment of that happening, not so much as a superstition but just the idea of it being a tradition and a way for couples to get even more of themselves and personalized details into their day.”

This was true for Way, who carried a bouquet constructed entirely of old brooches.

“One of the brooches was my ‘something borrowed,’ and it was my grandmother’s brooch,” Way explained. “She

passed away about two years ago, but she’d given it to my sister, so I borrowed it from her, and all of the rest of the brooches we found at local flea markets or antique stores.”

Kay added that whatever decisions a couple makes for their wedding, they need to do what feels right to them.

“You have to go with your gut and do what feels appropriate for you,” she said.

Way agreed.

“Looking back on our wedding, I am so happy that I didn’t do a bouquet toss or a garter toss, or the cake cutting and all of those things because they just weren’t that important to me,” said Way. “They didn’t seem like something I needed to do to make my day special or memorable. I thought not doing those things made it memorable because the wedding just kept moving and I was able to get into the social aspect of the wedding more quickly, and that’s the part that I wanted to remember. I didn’t want to be on a constant schedule … I just wanted to kind of coast my way through my wedding.”

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PRESERVE more than memories Make sure your wedding dress is cleaned and stored properly

By NICOLE HARBOUR For the Herald & Review ou spent hours searching for the perfect wedding dress, and on the big day, your dress served you well. You walked down the aisle, laughed, cried, posed for pictures and danced the night away in it. And now that the wedding is over, what’s the best thing you can do for the dress you wore on one of the most important days of your life?

Making sure it’s well preserved in a timely manner.

Y

“The earlier you can bring your wedding dress in to be preserved, the better,” said Jackie Stewart, a customer service representative specialist with Peerless Cleaning and Restoration Services’ dry cleaning plant, noting that the sooner the dress is cleaned and preserved, the easier it is to get the stains out.

Chris Johns, owner of Pride Cleaners and Launderers, agreed.

“Get the wedding dress to us as soon as you can,” he said.

“Brides will spill champagne on their dresses and things like that, and those things don’t

show on the dress but they crystalize, so those stains need to be removed as soon as possible.

Most dresses are also pretty dirty along the bottom.”

Once the dress is brought in to be preserved, the cleaning method and amount of time it takes to preserve it will vary.

“It usually takes about two to four weeks for a dress to be preserved and it costs about $180,” said Denae Fane, a mark in specialist with Peerless. “But we do all of the cleaning and preservation in-house, and that really makes us stand out.

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“I know a lot of brides come in and are worried because they don’t want their dress to get sent out for preservation or lost, but we keep it right here in the plant with us and it doesn’t go anywhere,” she said. “You don’t have to worry about it being lost somewhere during shipping or damaged.”

Although Pride Cleaners does not do wedding dress preservation in-house, Johns relies on dress preservation spe-

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cialists in St. Louis and has always been happy with the job they do.

“It takes about two weeks for wedding dress preservation here,” said Johns. “It’s kind of an expert thing to do, to preserve wedding dresses, so we send the dresses out. We could do (wedding dress preservation here), but I think it’s better to have an expert do it.”

The service costs about $160 at Pride Cleaners.

“After the dress is cleaned, it’s put in a low-acid box with a viewing window and the veil and some accessories can also be put in there,” said Johns. “And the ($160) includes the cleaning and everything. If the dress has a huge train, there may be an extra charge, but the ($160) is about it. There are also no shipping charges because our specialists in St. Louis come and pick up the dresses here and bring them back.”

Once a dress receives a detailed cleaning at Peerless, it is wrapped in acid-free tissue paper and put in a keepsake box, as well.

And while it’s best for brides to bring their dresses in as soon as they can, Peerless also offers restoration services that can restore dresses that have caramelized or discolored due to old stains.

“My wedding dress sat for 23 years and we were able to restore it,” said Stewart.

For more information, contact Peerless Cleaners and Restoration Services at (217) 423-7703, and Pride Cleaners at (217) 875-7188.

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Macon County Sheriff's helps manto pop the You have a office right …question

propose

Macon County Sheriff's office helps man pop the question

By DONNETTE BECKETT H&R Staff Writer

amie Hanlon knew her groom was a prankster before she agreed to marry him. But when Marshall Edwards got the police involved in the proposal, he was able to fool even his future bride.

The groom had always planned on asking his fianceé to marry him in a memorable way. “I didn't want to do the typical proposal or engagement at a restaurant,” he said. “That's not me.”

But he needed a little help.

The couple both work at Miles Chevrolet – Edwards is a salesman and Hanlon works in the service department.

Because they work for the same business, he knew he would have to keep everyone quiet.

Edwards instead called upon the help of a few other friends. “I know a lot of cops in town,” he said.

The groom contacted Macon County Sheriff Tom Schneider for suggestions.

Edwards wanted a specific police officer, one that could play along with his plan.

He had known Lt. Antonio Brown for more than five years. The two agreed Brown was appropriate for the job. “But on his vacation time,” Edwards said.

“And he couldn't use a squad car.”

The two men contacted to each other to set up the proposal. Brown even agreed to put on his old police uniform.

“I'm lucky it fit.” he said.

The officer entered the business and immediately asked for Edwards. “I told

J

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him I needed to speak with him,” Brown said remembering his part in the ruse.

Edwards requested Hanlon join them in a private office. “He's saying I might be going to jail,” Edwards said to his thengirlfriend. “You might have to take my wallet, my keys, my phone.”

Her face went white. “What did you do now?” she asked. “Where has he been?”

Hanlon also worried their co-workers and customers were able to see him getting arrested. “I was a nervous wreck,” she said.

The three entered a room where Brown proceeded to explain that a complaint had been made against Edwards.

“He said 'I will need to pat you down to make sure you don't have any weapons',” Edwards remembers.

The two men stayed in character while Hanlon shook uncontrollably.

During the pat down, Brown found something in the groom's pocket. He

asked him in the authoritative voice.

“What is your pocket?” Edwards then pulled out the engagement ring.

During the interrogation, Hanlon was wondering what to do. “How much will this cost? Who do I call? What did he do?”

As Edward retrieved the small box from his pocket, he turned toward Hanlon, instead of the the police officer, and dropped to one knee.

Although she was relieved Edwards wasn't going to jail, not even the smile on the police officer or her groom could stop her shaking. “I was a nervous wreck,” Hanlon said. “I was almost in tears.”

The couple is planning a September 2016 wedding. The guest list will contain a few special friends.

“Antonio Brown and few of the other sheriff's (deputies) will be there,” Edwards said. “I'm sure.”

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