IDWN Vol. 1 Iss. 4 by I Do Wedding Network

THANK YOU to our friends and amazing contributors

Pac Lorefield Editor-in-Chief IDWN Founder

Hitcher Post

Creative Director IDWN Manager

Now Hiring

Contributor Editor IDWN Manger

Serbon Cobalt

Advertising Director IDWN Manager

Now Hiring

Circulation Editor IDWN Member

Marla Marx

Fashion Director IDWN Co-Founder

Now Hiring

Copy Editor IDWN Member

CONTENTS

marcH & aPriL | VoLumE 1 | no. 4

8 11 14 17 23 25 31

On the cover from left to right: Male Model - Gunthor Allen | Female Model - Saddie Westminster A special thank you to Image Essentials for the use of their location. Dress featured is *HPC* Lovely Pearl Wedding Dress.

A Letter from the Editor

Let the twitterpation begin! It would seem that the worst of winter is behind us. The snow is melting and hearts are warming up. This is the time of the year that Second Life Wedding Planners wait for! Everyone is in love and ready to declare it with lavish weddings. Brides arrive with dreams and grooms arrive with wallets. Although this peak time can drive us to madness, many emerge from hibernation with new venues, packages, and designs. We thrive on the ability to give lovebirds the weddings of their SL dreams. To showcase the new trends this Spring, we themed our hunt “Splash of Color.” Sponsors and Vendors create their latest designs in Pantone’s 2013 Spring Colors. Vibrant and daring, hunters will be amazed at the variety of creativity with the hunt items this round. For exciting news, the I Do Wedding Network is gearing up for its second annual SL Wedding Expo which will run May 26th through June 6th. Attendees can look forward to great exhibits by the best of SL’s Wedding industry, entertainment, prizes, and

The Great Hitchening. Be sure to follow and watch the IDWN blog for information on how you can participate as a sponsor or vendor as well as see the calendar of events. We currently are seeking new team members for the magazine and the group. Positions include copy editor, circulation editor, contribution editor, and freelance articles. If you are interested in helping us grow and gaining creative experience make sure you hit me up in-world. Thanks to everyone who continues to support IDWN. We can’t do this with out you! Pac Lorefield, founder of IDWN I dedicate this issue to one of my biggest cheerleaders, Elizabeth Shepherd35, who gives the best “cheeze its” ever! <3

This issue IDWN Creative Director and *HP C* co-owner, HitcherPost, answers:

“What are some tips for running a successful wedding busness in Second Life?” One of the great things about SL, is that it allows us to be and do whatever we dream up. Starting a business seems to be on the top of alot of dream lists. The good news is weddings, handfasts, partner ceremonies, etc... will always be relevant in Second Life, so the demand for planners and businesses geared towards this need will always be there. The hard stuff is funding your business, creating product, marketing, and standing out from the competition. One common denominator that should be prevalent in any SL business is dedication. I’ve notice most businesses that don’t succeed in SL fail because the owner becomes frustrated and even bored when they open the doors and no one walks through. As in real life, success comes to those you pursue and follow through. So if you want to start a business, especially a wedding business, make sure you have the passion to back it. Other tips: Have a plan - Is your business a hobby to past time or to generate income to support yourself in game and/or out of game. Know your competition - This doesn’t mean copying what they have or undercutting them. It means know enough about them to set yourself apart. What makes you different. Stand out! Keep within your means - If you can only afford a 2048 sqm plot or a small office that’s ok. You can expand when you begin to get a regular flow of customers. Network - Get out and meet new people but do not spam! Use your profile for marketing - People are naturally nosey and will perve your profile to learn about you. Make sure you have information about your business for people to find. Customer Service is King - Make sure you are approachable to your customers and available. These are just a few tips we have used at *HPC* that has helped us continue to grow. For more business tips and advice keep an eye on notices for future classes that IDWN will be providing this summer!

You’re getting married…now what? If you’re feeling a bit lost in the wide world of wedding planning, you’ve come to the right place for tips for grooms. Bone Knows... will be an exclusive feature for grooms that will give advice from choosing your groomsmen to figuring out what to wear. This is where you’ll find all the help for the groom you could ever want. First, don’t be afraid to share your opinion -- there are a ton of decisions that need to be made while planning a wedding, so your fiance will definitely appreciate the input. To narrow things down, pick what matters to you most (The Colours? The Style? The music? The venue?) and offer to help. If you are one of those guys who couldn’t care less about a lot of the wedding details, there are still ways for you to help take pressure off of your fiance. Give her a night off from planning, and make her the centre of attention for the night. Take her to see her favorite live singer, a hunt like the Splash of Colour Hunt or even her favorite movie on SL. Acknowledging the hard work she’s putting into planning will go a long way, so don’t forget to make room in the schedule for a few dates. One last piece of advice for the groom: On your wedding day, send her a gift, flowers, or a note to read while she gets ready. Trust me -- the extra effort will make her even more psyched to marry you in a few hours. Remember... Bone knows!

Marla Marx dishes on all the “must have” trends of the Spring!

s the ground thaws out and the sweet scent of blooms start to fill the air, we transition into Spring. The time for new growth, new starts and, of course, the many blissful joining of two lives into one. Even though the decision to marry is one of emotion and feelings, couples also want to express that same feeling with family and friends by having a wondrous wedding. Publicly expressing there love for one another and beginning a new chapter in their lives. Spring’s brides and bridesmaids are letting their hair down with breezy curls and decorative braids. This is a perfect opportunity to put a pretty clip in the hair, or flowers. With the vast shopping opportunities in Second Life finding the perfect addition shouldn’t be hard to find or make.

Another trend this season are the use of candles and chandeliers. This touch can be done inside or outside. Lining the walkways or hanging from above in trees or ceilings sending out an extra warm glow to the day. Garden weddings with a estate style are in, the natural look is out. Soft roses in gold vases give a lush, languorous tone.

Flowers cascading or flowing down aisles using full flower bouquets fill the rooms. Expect to see lots of green this year in the flower bouquets it is after all the Pantone color of the year. For cakes this season, they are more than just a simple white. Brides want the same floral patterns found in dresses on their cakes. They want the same lace patterns found on their dresses making for a beautiful fancy cake.

This season looks to be one of lush, full elegance busting with a splash of color. Embrace it and fall in love with the beauty it can bring to your day. Marla is co-owner of *HPC* as well as a builder and clothing designer.

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Visit Us In-World Today!

Head over Hues Springâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s swoon-worthy shades

Leave a lasting impression with these 10 colors that are beautiful alone - but knockouts together. The Pantone 2013 Spring Colors create playful and pretty combinations that will brighten up any Spring nuptials. Leave a lasting impression with these 10 colors that are beautiful alone - but knockouts together. Photos Top Row: *HPC* Dusky Blue Place Setting / *HPC* Something Blue Cake Second Row: *HPC* Violet Swag Wedding Cake / Charisma Design Sorbet Dress and Tux Third Row: *HPC* Spring Fling Brides Maid Dresses / Secret Garden Wedding Venue

IDWN Sweethearts Who would have betted this would turn into love?

The Story of the Meeting of Emma and Cue (from Emma’s perspective) Feeling so fortunate to have found the elusive black and white skelecat that I had sought after for so many untold days, I placed a bid on a bid board that I had hoped would hold out. There was still quite a bit of time to go, but the bid was at a fairly and surprisingly low price and I was feeling tingles of excitement. Coming back many hours later to watch over my bid on the cat that I desired so much, I was more than thrilled to see that my bid had held and the owner was right there so not only would I get my cat, but I would get it as soon as the auction was over. The owner and I chat as we idly watch the timer counting down the remaining minutes, both seemingly taking for granted that I had wrapped up the winning bid on the cat. With less than a minute to go, a man nearby suddenly outbids me on the cat just as I’d IM’d to a friend that I had it in the bag. Thinking that less than a minute to go on the bid board wasn’t bad and that I could probably outbid his still rather low bid, I again bid on the cat. However, he had set a high bid that was kicking in. I had to continue to bid and finally had outbid him and was relieved thinking surely the time must have finished by then. Looking at the timer, realization took hold as I observed the time was still at close to a minute. It must have been broken. Then it occurred to me I’d seen it changing with each bid and comprehended that the timer reset to a minute each time!

He continued to bid and I continued to wage war to take home MY cat. Alas, as the minutes began to add up over and over, I began to realize he was not going to give up and I was not going to be able to part with enough lindens to continue at his pace. I was already over the maximum Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d decided I could part with. Thus, I let the bidding war over the elusive cat go. My only satisfaction was derived from the fact that I had at least bid it up. I congratulated him and the owner and then poofed from the site and went home feeling quite miffed at this man that had stolen my cat out from under me. A few days later I decided to reignite my search for another skelecat to add to my collection. Searching high and low I came across a man standing at a cabin where my path had led me as I wandered through areas of cats for sale. Feeling the name was familiar I thought it over and suddenly realized this was the man that had outbid me for the cat.

A few days later I decided to reignite my search for another skelecat to add to my collection. Searching high and low I came across a man standing at a cabin where my path had led me as I wandered through areas of cats for sale. Feeling the name was familiar I thought it over and suddenly realized this was the man that had outbid me for the cat. Wanting to prove to myself that I was over the loss of the cat, I said hello. He responded in kind and we began to talk a bit. By the end of the conversation, we friended. I felt better knowing that he was actually a friendly sort and I was proud of myself for not being angry. We began to see one another around at auctions and would talk. Before you know it, we became and item and now the rest is history. We partnered recently and cannot live without one another. The skelecat, which had eluded me and become his, is now ours and holds an honored spot in our lives together and I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even have to pay for it! LOL And we live happily ever after...with skelecat!

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intimateLife

Shh! itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a Secret

MCM

Splash of Color Hints 1. *HPC*: Breathe in the scent of Spring! 2. Eternal Hearts: Wedding rings and pretty things. I sit where you can see. 3. Charisma Design: Spring is in the air & romance blooms 4. Demise of Flight: “Come on baby light my fire” 5. X-clusive Animations: The time has come / To splash colours about / What sort of gift Will this hunt herald / In BEDROOMS, please / Don’t scream and shout / Just look for a HUD / That is EMERALD 6. IntimateLife: Kiss a butterfly and find the gift ! 7. MCM Combat Operations: Up to the brains of the beast, where your path is chartered. 8. Eversong Wedding: Flowers for the bride! 9. Dreamscape Wedding Design: Find a box, look behind. A bit of colour is what you’ll find. 10. Shh! It’s a Secret: I’m not big, I’m not small, I’m Just right 11. VIPS Creations: She is the best gift for you!!!You can find her with a lot Ribbons!!! 12. Under the desk 13. PDN’s Potpourri: Come inside and have a seat, Look up. down, above and under. 14. Paisley Daisey: Isn’t the gold shiny on that suit!?!

if you would like to advertise in our next issue please contact Serbon Cobalt or Pac Lorefield in Second Life. You can also email us at www.idoweddingnetworksl@gmail.com