Joplin Metro Magazine, Fairy Tale Wedding, January 2014 by Joplin Metro Magazine

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<;@KFI Kevin McClintock Phone: 417.627.7279 Fax: 417.623.8598 E-Mail: kmcclintock@joplinglobe.com D8>8Q@E< NI@K<I Ryan Richardson :FEKI@9LK@E> NI@K<IJ Bobbie Pottorff Michael Coonrod Brad Belk

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GI<J@;<EK 8E; GL9C@J?<I Mike Beatty Phone: 417.627.7291 Fax: 417.623.8450 E-Mail: mbeatty@joplinglobe.com

J8C<J D8E8><I Janette Cooper Phone: 417.627.7236 Fax: 417.623.8550 E-Mail: jcooper@joplinglobe.com

<;@KFI Carol Stark Phone: 417.627.7278 Fax: 417.623.8598 E-Mail: cstark@joplinglobe.com

:@I:LC8K@FE ;@I<:KFI Jack Kaminsky Phone: 417.627.7341 Fax: 417.623.8450 E-Mail: jkaminsky@joplinglobe.com

;@I<:KFI F= 8;M<IK@J@E> Brent Powers Phone: 417.627.7233 E-Mail: bpowers@joplinglobe.com

;@I<:KFI F= D8>8Q@E<J Julie Damer Phone: 417.627.7323 Fax: 417.623.8450 E-Mail: jdamer@joplinglobe.com

Joplin Metro Magazine is a publication of Newspaper Holdings Inc. and is published monthly. All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission from the publisher. The publisher reserves the right to accept or reject any editorial or advertising matter. The publisher assumes no responsibilty for return of unsolicited materials.

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2014

After that, we have excellent stories covering just about everything you’d need for a successful wedding: 2014 wedding trends, local wedding venues, local honeymoon destination spots, how to give a proper toast, hiring a wedding planner, signature drinks found at receptions and features on the Historic Phelps House in Carthage and Lavern’s Wedding Chapel in Miami, Okla.

Kevin McClintock Editor, Joplin Metro Magazine

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We start off with an intimate look at a wedding by local resident Rachel Heisten, with some excellent photos from professional photographer Aaron DuRall.

As always, you can reach us here at kmcclintock@joplinglobe.com, by mail at Joplin Metro Magazine, 117 E. Fourth St., Joplin, Mo., 64801, call us at 417.627.7279 or ﬁnd us on Facebook.

But I believe we were the exception to the rule, really. A good majority of weddings are huge enterprises, evoking memories that last a lifetime. To that end, we are presenting our ﬁrst-ever bridal guide.

You will also read in our history section about Murwin Mosler, one of Joplin’s renowned wedding photographers. You will also read about the unique and charitable relationship which has spanned 114 years between the Joplin Lodge No. 501 of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and St. John’s Regional Medical Center. Cancer prevention tips are provided in our new Health section, and you can read up about a new and talented band, “Signals,” in our popular Music to the Ear section.

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hen I married my wife Katy 10 years ago, we wanted it to be “short and sweet” wedding (my words). Nothing too extravagant. We had only family attend the actual ceremony inside our church, the First United Methodist Church here in Joplin. The reception was held immediately after in the basement below. We spent the weekend in Fayetteville, Ark. — my home when Katy and I ﬁrst began dating. There, we dined at Noodles, our favorite Italian restaurant, the place where I proposed to her the year before. I couldn’t tell you the overall cost of the wedding, but it wasn’t very hefty, which of course was planned.

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DICKENSFEST PHOTOGRAPHY BY B.W. SHEPHERD

Isabella Wood, 4, of Oronogo, is all smiles as she sits on St. Nickâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lap during DickensFest activities at historic Murphysburg in Joplin.

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Dream Theatre Company volunteers (l-r) Rachel Mobley, Seth Dixon, Harley Lang, Michael Seaman and Will Mobley participate in the live Nativity Scene.

Emma Brown, 4, of Joplin, gingerly feeds a baby donkey a scoop of food with the help from her mother, Lacy.

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VINTAGE PHO TOS BY BRAD BELK PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF THE JOPLIN MUSEUM COMPLEX

Image Taker

Murwin Mosler

This reluctant groom preferred to remain (wisely!) anonymous.

urwin Mosler had a most proliﬁc career as a photographer recording life’s special moments.

In fact, the man behind the camera was also responsible for recording much of Joplin’s past. Including its weddings. Mosler was extremely well known for his wedding pictures. He did hundreds and hundreds of weddings. The recording of weddings was one of his favorite duties. He fondly recalls that weddings were such beautiful occasions because they were, “so very special to record and everyone was in such a good mood.” Mosler treated all weddings and wedding parties the same. It never mattered to him the site or extravagance of the occasion. His work philosophy was very simple: “Give them the best every time.”

New bride Susan Riggs poses on the stairs at the home of her parents, Karl and June Madden, in Carterville.

Lynn Belk on her wedding day.

When asked what a photograph means to him, he responded, “A photograph is a period of time and a special memory preserved.”

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Very few people will ever be given the opportunity to record such ordinary and extraordinary daily events as Mosler. Because of this unique opportunity, he feels very blessed to be a part of the Joplin community and its history.

On yet another occasion, a Webb City couple did not want to be followed after the ceremony, so they jumped into an ambulance and sped off at full speed with the siren blasting.

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At another wedding, the bride’s veil caught ﬁre as she was going down the aisle. A quick-thinking wedding attendee doused the veil, and the wedding ceremony continued as planned.

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Through the years there were many humorous moments that took place during and after the wedding ceremonies. Once, during a ceremony at a (local) Catholic church, a groomsman passed out. The other groomsman merely slid him aside as the ceremony progressed, not missing a beat. Mosler recalls the priest continued as if nothing had happened. Of course the groomsman was quickly revived, merely catching up where he had dozed off.

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HONEYMOON LOCATIONS BY DAVE WOODS AND KEVIN MCCLINTOCK

Top Local Wedding/Honeymoon Destinations

hile Southwest Missouri is home to several top-notch wedding venues perfect for either the ceremony or reception afterwards, most local honeymoon destinations reside in Branson or south of the border in Eureka Springs, Ark. With the exception of Joplin’s No. 1 entertainment spot, that is. Downstream Casino Resort, with its opulence and pampering customer service, is a very popular destination for honeymooners, says Bob Bergquist, vice president of resort operations.

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“We don’t always know when certain guests are newlyweds, but when we do know, we always take extra steps to make it special for them,” he says. “We like to spread rose petals across the bed and pillows, put some chocolates in the room,” he says. “We enjoy doing that sort of thing.”

Big Cedar Lodge: It’s hard to imagine a more beautiful setting for a wedding than Big Cedar Lodge near Branson. From the rehearsal dinner, ceremony and reception down to the farewell brunch, Big Cedar Lodge provides wedding and culinary teams who handle all the details that make the biggest day of a bride and groom’s life memorable. Choose from intimate patios, charming chapels and a grand ballroom or manicured lawn all overlooking Table Rock Lake.

Red Oak Steakhouse, of course, is Downstream’s preferred dining room for honeymooners, thanks in part to its ﬁne dining options and upscale atmosphere. “Oh, we like putting on the romance,” Red Oak Manager Duke Walter says with a grin. “We try to put them at a more secluded table, leave the lights low and use candles. It’s always a pleasure to make it special and memorable because that is a very special time in those people’s lives.” For couples hoping to honeymoon within a day’s travel of Southwest Missouri, here are 10 spots we suggest for that special day.

Titanic Museum Attraction: Couples can now celebrate their big day in “turn-ofthe-century” splendor at the World’s Largest Titanic Museum Attraction. Titanic is the perfect choice for couples seeking an experience of pure romance, beauty and elegance. Here, the Gilded Age of magniﬁcent excess lives again as bride and groom take their vows standing on the Grand Staircase or at the water’s edge.

Inspiration Tower: Looking for a unique wedding that towers above all the rest? Look into a ceremony atop the 230-foot-tall Inspiration tower at Shepherd of the Hills in Branson. Set on the land that inspired Herald Bell Wright’s historic novel, the tower and observation deck provides a 360-degreeview of the Ozarks.

Crescent Hotel: Eureka Springs is the wedding capital of Arkansas, and rightfully so. The 1886 Crescent Hotel sits atop an Ozark mountain on 15 acres of land. Some of that land has been left pristine for brides planning a smaller wedding and wanting a more natural setting. Areas closest to the historic hotel near the fountain garden can accommodate 350 guests. The east lawn is for smaller events. A block of Crescent rooms can be set aside speciﬁcally for your wedding party, including a family cottage.

The Ketter Center: At College of the Ozarks at Point Lookout near Hollister, the center is a little-known Ozarks treasure. The students work their way through school by mastering banquets, decorating wedding cakes and making happy couples wedding dreams come true. Decorations, catering, DJ services, live music, ﬂoral and other services are available.

Thorncrown Chapel: Since 1980, people have come from all over the world to get married at this beautiful glass cathedral set deep in the woods in Eureka Springs, Ark. Surrounded by beautiful rock formations and a canopy of trees, the 100-seat chapel provides an unforgettable setting for your wedding ceremony.

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Copper Run Distillery: Located 10 miles north of Branson, Copper Run Distillery would be a great place for the right couple to exchange their vows. This intimate micro distillery offers catering options, a quaint cabin-like feel, and -- well, moonshine. Not every couple wants champaign or sparkling wine for their wedding toast, right? Copper Run offers a couple of rustic porches, a ﬁre pit and is close enough to Branson or Springﬁeld that post-ceremony transportation won’t be an issue.

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Chateau on the Lake: A fairytale wedding more your style... or lifelong dream? Branson’s Chateau on the Lake Resort Hotel offers a castle-like setting perched atop Table Rock Lake. Chateau offers multiple settings for the ceremony and spa and salon services for the happy couple and wedding party.

Landing Princess: Want to get married on a 100-foot long yacht? Main Street Cruises on Branson Landing offers several options for ﬂoating nuptials. Their professional wedding planners and staff can make your wedding a unique Branson experience set on Lake Taneycomo, especially with the Landing’s Fire and Water show as the dramatic backdrop for your celebration. Services include planning assistance, engagement and rehearsal dinners, bachelor and bachelorette parties and everything but the rings for the big event.

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Zip Line Weddings: Feeling adventurous? The Branson area offers several different zip line experiences. Get hitched atop a 100-foot-tower and zip into wedded bliss along a half-mile journey through the Ozarks wilderness at Branson Zipline Canopy Tours at Wolf Creek Preserve. Want nighttime nuptials with a view of the Branson Strip’s glittering lights? Adventure Zip Lines of Branson offers night zipping.

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A BRIDE’S TALE

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BY BOBBIE POTTORFF PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY DURALL PHOTOGRAPHY

BGuide ridal 2014

E verything you will need to plan that perfect fairy tale wedding.

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A BRIDE’S TALE

A Bride’s Tale A

s a little girl, Rachel Heisten pictured her wedding as something similar to Maria’s wedding to Captain Von Trapp in “The Sound of Music.” The huge, stained-glass, color-splashed ceremony, white gown with train, the ringing bells at the conclusion of the ceremony. Those were the images she thought about as a child. As Rachel matured, she began picturing a more traditional ceremony; one with a homespun feel to it and held on the grounds of the Newton County farm where she grew up.

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She imagined “Getting up at dawn in my childhood bed at home; picking flowers in the early morning rain with my mom, sisters and friends; having a few rare moments to talk to my best friend while we’re getting ready, and just catching up on life — thinking about Jake as I put on the earrings he had given me the night before as a wedding gift.” Those were the dreams that finally came true on the morning of her wedding. It was the culmination of months of planning and hard work. Rachel and her mom, Georgiana McGriff, took the team approach to wedding planning. And on their team, there was no bench-warming. Every player was as important as the next. There was something for every member of the team to do, and for Rachel and fiancé Jake, this team was filled with first-round draft picks. Not once did the couple ever consider hiring a wedding planner. 14

“We felt very conﬁdent that we could plan it ourselves,” Rachel says. “Because we knew we would have as much help as we needed from our families and friends. Plus, we knew we wouldn’t have room in the budget for that kind of additional cost.”

“My mom was hugely instrumental in executing the plan,” says Rachel of Georgiana. “She really took charge. And I could not have done it without family and friends.”

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With approximately 400 people invited to this wedding, planning, budgeting and execution were paramount.

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“He was right by my side all the time,” she says.

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And Rachel pointed out that Jake helped with everything, except her dress.

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A BRIDE’S TALE

day a truly special one. Rachel distinctly remembers “driving through the field to the reception, amazed at how beautiful it was, all lit up in the dark; being surprised by a fireworks show as we left, courtesy of my parents... but most of all, driving away from the reception in a tractor-drawn wagon with Jake. I’ll never forget that chilly drive under the light of a full harvest moon, tired but high on happiness.” She continues, “it was much more exhausting than we thought it would be. I always thought it would be hard to find someone I wanted to marry, but it would be easy to organize a wedding. It was quite the opposite.” The couple planned to be married at St. Ann’s Catholic Church in Carthage. Their reception was held, just as she’d imagined it, at her parent’s farm.

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To make the latter happen, extensive work was necessary: chopping down trees, burning brush piles, electrical work, pouring a concrete pad, building a dance ﬂoor, planting ﬂowers, planting and mowing grass, and painting a house, a barn and what seemed to be about a halfmile of wooden fence. Family, friends, neighbors and even the children of those friends and neighbors all chipped in to make their wedding the epitome of love.

Rachel met Jake on a blind date. It was a set-up by some mutual friends who just instinctively knew the two should meet.

recalls Rachel. “But we both knew just a few months in that we wanted to get married.”

“We exchanged a few e-mails, set up a date and were engaged 10 months later,”

From that point forward, the two families worked tirelessly to make their wedding

“It’s a beautiful place, but there were so many things to do,” recalls Rachel. “In early May, I put together a list of things we needed to do before the wedding, and ﬁve months and 15 pages later (front and back!) we ﬁnally got it all done.” One aspect of the wedding she didn’t

have to worry about was the dress. Buried in her late grandmother’s basement was a gown her grandmother had worn when she married in 1951. It was a frail looking and faded pink satin ball gown, discolored and spotted from years of exposure to the elements. In addition, the dress was a bit too small and sported a rather dated lace collar. At the time, Rachel never thought the dress could be saved, let alone used. She did some research and ended up taking the dress to Arrow Fabricare in Kansas City. “It spent almost two months undergoing every kind of chemical bleaching treatment in existence,” says Rachel. “Finally, after a few setbacks, it was ready. A faded greenish pink gown was now candlelight ivory, practically brand new.” The dress was also altered by adding fabric to the bodice and a tulle hem for length. 17

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A BRIDE’S TALE

The vintage, yellow dress chosen by her sister was the inspiration for all of the colors used in the wedding. “I knew I wanted natural colors that worked with a late summer wedding, but when it came to ﬂowers, dresses, and décor, anything worked. The others chose colors to coordinate — yellow, blush/ taupe, navy blue and bright coral rounded out the dresses, and I loved them all!” With the choice of the family farm for their reception and the use of the vintage dresses and the lace from her late grandmother’s dress, Rachel and Jake’s wedding included meaningful, traditional details that made their wedding day even more special. Adding to the traditional nature of their wedding, Georgiana made the ﬂower girl dresses as well as the ring bearer pillow. She made the pillow from antique quilt squares sewn together by Rachel’s late grandmother, complete with vintage buttons and lace. To round out the mix and match theme, they used her grandmother’s handmade quilts.

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Like most couples, wedding preparations often interfered with their daily lives.

The lace that was removed from the collar was saved and wrapped around Rachel’s bouquet.

“It turned out better than I could have imagined, and I was so happy I could wear my grandma’s dress,” she says.

“The biggest challenge was ﬁnding time to just do the everyday things in life that keep you on track,” Rachel says. “Staying on top of your job when you’re distracted with wedding details; spending an evening with your ﬁancé that doesn’t revolve around wedding details; having family time that’s not consumed with being outdoors until the last possible second of daylight to get something done.”

Rachel’s sister, Maggie, was recently engaged and Rachel is conﬁdent that everything she learned putting together her own wedding will help her with her maidof-honor duties for Maggie’s wedding.

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“Given the number of details that went perfectly, these were just minor glitches that were hardly noticed and just laughed about later,” Rachel chuckles.

“My dad asked me that very question during our dance at the reception,” she recalls. “It was more than I had imagined — so beautiful and special.”

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It wasn’t until after the ceremony that Rachel and Jake found out about a few of the things that had gone wrong. Things like the ring bearer losing her ring 30 minutes before the ceremony. The groom’s mother and sister went into full panic mode and found the ring behind a door just a few minutes before the ceremony started. Before that, someone forgot to unlock the church, so once inside they scrambled to get everything into place.

So — looking back at it all, was it everything she’d dreamed of?

“I appreciated the help so much, but I didn’t like feeling that way,” she says. “It was unlike anything we had ever done before, but just as most challenging things do, it brought us closer as a family and Jake and I closer as a couple.”

After the wedding, the bride’s parents were locked out of the Phelps House in Carthage and couldn’t retrieve the items they had left inside. There was also some missing silverware, no corkscrews for the wine bottles, a trip to a local department store, a midnight run to retrieve the groom’s forgotten wallet and keys, and the bride’s misplaced antique beaded purse (found, thankfully, after the reception).

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Rachel says there were occasional tears and feelings of guilt because everyone was doing so much for her.

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2 014 W E D D I N G T R E N D S BY BOBBIE POTTORFF

Latest Bridal

rends T of

2014 T

he temperatures outside may be frigid, but planning for spring and summer weddings is already heating up. “Every season seems to be a little different, and every part of the country is different,” says wedding coordinator Bethany Halstead regarding the hot bridal trends for 2014. Halstead, who owns Bethany Anne Weddings, suggests people steer clear of a New York-style wedding here in Joplin, due to the difference in the trends seen on the East Coast, as compared to those here in the center of the country.

Whitney Holland, owner of Classy Pearl Events, says whatever theme or style a couple chooses, communication is absolutely key. “You have to be able to communicate with your vendors, planner, or whoever is helping you plan, what you are wanting and what your expectations are,” she says.

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“But that’s the greatest part of weddings – whatever you want goes,” she says. “There are no rules; the wedding is all about the bride.”

The following are some of the trends, along with a few ideas, that Halstead and Holland predict could be popular in the new year.

And remember, the wedding planners say there is no such thing as an “average” wedding. It’s all about personal taste, having a budget, hiring or having all the help you need. Most of all, it’s about the love and the memories.

right down to the napkin holders and centerpieces. Holland says DIY decor is, most of the time, just as expensive, more timeconsuming and more stressful than hiring a professional.

2014 WEDDING TRENDS

x Bridal March music — Many brides are choosing to dance down the aisle to modern music. “I went to a wedding recently where the bride walked in to the Bridal March — ‘Here comes the bride, all fat and wide’ — and people loved it,” Halstead says.

x DIY décor — Handmade everything, from the invitations and decorations

“I don’t understand it,” Halstead says. “I’m a classic white dress lover myself. But I have seen lots of colored sashes.”

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“I love how creative brides get with some of these ideas,” Holland says. “Something old, pinning a piece of mom’s old wedding dress to theirs, or something blue, using blue shoes, blue undergarments, etc.”

x Vintage décor — Everyone loves the Old World feel of Vintage-themed weddings.

x Using color on the wedding dress — Colored sashes or even blush-colored dresses is big, especially in springtime weddings.

x Traditional everything — Princess dresses, red roses, “Here Comes the Bride,” and the old reliable something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue, are still extremely popular.

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x High tech ceremonies — With so many different ways to involve social media, it’s sure to be a trend that will continue.

x Paint the dress — Throwing washable paint on the bride’s wedding dress after the ceremony and pomp is said and done.

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“Look at the pros and cons,” she warns. x Rustic elegance — Barn weddings, vines, ﬂower crowns, burlap table cloths, bird cages and wood in the décor.

wedding

HIRING A WEDDING PLANNER BY BOBBIE POTTORFF

Call in the Professionals Wedding planners help save on stress

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hen planning a wedding, where do you start? How do you sort through all of the details from wellmeaning friends who always seem to have another great Pinterest idea?

In fact, the job they do is best illustrated in an exchange of dialogue at the beginning of the 2004 comedy, “Along Came Polly,” when Ben Stiller’s character complains about a wet floor to the woman hired to plan his big day.

Whitney Holland, owner of Classy Pearl Events, specializes in wedding planning, consulting and coordinating. The No. 1 problem a bride-to-be encounters when trying to plan her own wedding, she says, is that dreaded “S” word — stress.

“I don’t want anyone breaking a hip,” he tells her.

“The issue is that it’s so easy to get overwhelmed with literally thousands of wedding vendors and not knowing where to even begin.” One of the first, most critical decisions in the bridal equation is whether or not to hire a wedding planner. That’s key, because the sole job of the wedding planner is to shoulder as much stress as possible from the bride and her family.

“I’m gonna take care of it,” she says. “I analyze risk for a living,” he informs her. “It’s my job to worry.” “Okay, let me do the worrying,” the wedding planner says, “‘cause you gotta get married.” Weddings are both similar and different from those seen in the movies, says Bethany Halstead, owner of Bethany Anne Weddings.

DIY Wedding Planning Going Lone Wolf Courtesy of DuRall Photography

By Bobbie Pottorff

Georgiana McGriff adjusts the dress worn by her daughter, Rachel Heisten, on her wedding day. McGriff shouldered the wedding planning duties for her daughter’s wedding.

Many people plan their own weddings because they can’t afford a wedding planner. But some, like Seneca resident Georgiana McGriff, choose to plan their children’s weddings because it brings families closer together. McGriff has three daughters and a son. Recently, her son and one of her daughters were married; another daughter is engaged to be married this June. McGriff says they never considered hiring a wedding planner.

“It’s the most special day of your daughter’s life,” McGriff says. “It’s the day when they are truly a princess and you do this because it’s your daughter and it’s their day.”

Halstead gives free consultations when discussing the details of a wedding, and to get a sense of what a bride wants for that magical day. Her services run as low as $200 and as high as $2,000, depending on the size of the wedding. “I am very flexible to work with the bride’s budget and what she needs for her big day,” Halstead says. Holland always asks her brides during the consultation what are the three most important things they view about their wedding. She then asks them what aspects of their wedding they want to remember 10 years down the road.

“I can be honest with you and say it was hard and we were exhausted,” says McGriff, “but it was just like this thing you just did because it was your daughter. “It was very moving to be able to do that for my daughter,” McGriff says about shouldering the planning of her wedding. She tears up as she speaks. “It was so moving; so invigorating. That’s all we did for six months.” It was, she says, the best six months of her life. And now she’s preparing to do it again; she’s in the process of making another fairy tale wedding happen for another one of her girls.

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“I do all the work. The bride just tells me what she wants, where and when, and I do all of her scheduling, budget making and phone calling.”

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And just like a mom, Holland’s No. 1 priority is to make the bride happy.

But she admits it’s a difficult process. There were a few times they had to just breathe slowly and walk away from each other. However, McGriff and her daughters made a pact that they would not fight, and that line was never crossed.

Just like a mom, the wedding planner wears many hats. They are traffic directors, executive chefs, chauffeurs, personal attendants and master planners.

“I also have very good friends who we couldn’t have done it without,” says McGriff. “I’m also blessed to have three daughters who are just, ‘wow!’”

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“Without the proper coordinator, everyone could very well end up at each other’s throats by the time the bride gets to the aisle,” she says.

McGriff and her daughters are lucky because they have a strong support system, are very creative and talented, and according to McGriff, work together like a well-oiled machine.

“One of the best things about this is the memories,” she says. “It’s really about creating the memories.” 23

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HIRING A WEDDING PLANNER

of piles for the handouts you receive from the bridal shows. Keep a list of the first, second and third choices, in case something is not available or is not in your price range. “I would suggest scheduling consultations with several different florists, cake makers, decorators, etc… to compare pricing and personalities,” says Halstead. “If it’s something that you’re interested in, put it in one pile and if it’s not, put it in another pile,” Holland adds. “Don’t throw ‘the other pile’ away quite yet, unless you’re absolutely positive it’s a vendor you don’t want to work with.” One detail Holland stresses is of upmost importance is a great photographer. “Don’t try and save money on a ‘cheap’ photographer,” she says. “I have never had a bride regret spending money on a good photographer.”

“This really gives me an idea of what’s important to them and really what direction to go in starting the planning process,” she says. Even before the dress, even before where the wedding should be held, Halstead says a bride should come up with a guest list. After that, it’s not a bad idea to do some scouting at one or several bridal shows. “Do your homework beforehand so you know exactly what you want and how much you are willing to spend,” Halstead says. Adds Holland, “it’s a great way to meet a lot of vendors at one time.”

“Honestly, a lot depends on the availability of the vendors they are wanting,” Holland says in agreement. “Theoretically, I could plan an entire wedding in a few days, but most brides choose to be engaged a minimum of six months so they can enjoy the planning process.” Creating lasting memories is what a wedding planner does best. They do everything in their power to get the bride what she wants and to turn her dream into a reality. “They manage your vendors, provide a wedding weekend agenda, a day-of timeline, a newsletter to your bridesmaids and groomsmen and they ensure your processional and recessional are executed correctly,” says Holland. “And most importantly, they are there for you the day of the wedding.”

CATERING NEEDS

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Both wedding planners says it’s a good idea to sort through the vendor information quickly while it is still fresh. Make a couple

Six months is just about what Halstead says would be the timeframe to plan a large wedding for about 350 guests.

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By the Numbers

BY Y KE K KEVIN EV E VIN MC MCCLINTOCK

x Average Wedding Budget = $28,427 (excludes honeymoon) x Most Expensive Place to Get Married = Manhattan, $76,678 average spent x Least Expensive Place to Get Married = Alaska, $15,504 average spent x Average spent on a Wedding Dress = $1,211 x Average spent on the Engagement Ring = $5,431 x Average spent on the Groom’s Tuxedo = $230 x Average spent on the Wedding Cake = $560 x Average spent on Invitations = $453 x Average spent on the Rehearsal Dinner = $1,135 x Average spent on Catering (price per person) = $63 x Average spent per Reception Guest = $196 x Average Marrying Age = Bride, 29; Groom, 31 x Average Number of Guests = 139 x Average Number of Bridesmaids = 5 x Average Number of Groomsmen = 5 x Most Popular Month to Get Engaged = December (16 percent) x Average Length of Engagement = 14 months x Most Popular Month to Get Married = June (17 percent) x Popular Wedding Colors = Blue (33 percent), Purple (26

x Price of a Venue (reception hall) = $12,905 x Average Price of a Wedding Photographer = $2,379 x Average Price of a Wedding/event Planner = $1,847

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x Percentage of Destination Weddings = 24 percent

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percent), Green (23 percent), Metallics (23 percent)

x Average Price of a Reception Band = $3,084 x Average Price of a Reception DJ = $988 x Average Price of a Florist/Decor = $1,997

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ccording to a 2013 survey from “The Knot,” couples are doing more with less. Overall wedding spending has decreased slightly, but there are more events surrounding weddings (double-digit increases for wedding weekends, destination wedding, engagement parties and bachelorette parties). The wedding itself incorporates more elements and more personalization than ever before.

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BY THE NUMBERS

x Average Price of a Videographer = $1,619 25

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SELECTING THE DRESS WRITTEN AND PHOTOGRAPHED BY RYAN RICHARDSON

Dressed in White

Selecting the perfect wedding gown

here are so many facets to deal with when preparing for a successful wedding.

“Come dress yourself in love, let the journey begin.” — Francesca da Rimini

From setting a date to mailing out invitations to planning a large reception, many of the weddingrelated tasks can be quite daunting. One of the most overwhelming decisions for brides-to-be involves selecting that all-important wedding dress. As cable television programs such as The Learning Channel’s “Say Yes to the Dress” clearly show, selecting the right bridal wear is never taken lightly or for granted. Finding that perfect wedding dress is a commitment best suited for a small group, says Roanna Rose, owner of TJ Formal.

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“We want to encourage them to ﬁnd their dream dress and it can be really frustrating to the bride when they are bogged down with a large crowd assisting them,” Rose says. “Sometimes, it is a better experience for one or two people that are well trusted (by the bride) for their opinions. It all comes down to buying the dress they want and what will make (the bride) happy in the end.”

According to TJ Formal store manager Melinda Stout, the bride-to-be usually brings with her just one member of her wedding party and one family member, almost always the mother. “A bride-to-be usually has a good idea what she wants, but it is always great to have another (trusted) opinion,” Stout says. “But when the mother starts crying after seeing her daughter in the dress she will be married in, it usually is a great sign.”

Rose encourages brides to make an appointment to sample dresses that will last at least two hours. In that time, Rose or Stout can help narrow down selections based on gown types, accessories and accompanying bridesmaid dresses.

spend more than they are comfortable with and we match their price range to what they want in a dress.

“We have a good idea on what would accent someone when we ﬁrst meet them,” Rose says, “but we have them try out the four mail silhouettes: A-line, mermaid, ball gown and sheath.

“We try and get to know them in our time together so that they leave happy with what we can achieve together.”

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“A lot of our shoppers in the Joplin area are very price conscious and we try to stock our dresses accordingly with our prices generally falling between $600 and $1,300 for the bride’s dress,” Stout says. “We don’t want to encourage someone to

“We are very focused on paying attention to their body language and how they react,” Stout says. “A woman knows when she has found the (right) dress. There is a glow to a girl when they have the right dress on.”

But there are additional factors to consider aside from the size and shape of the gown — namely, the price tag.

But once the selection process starts, that’s when the magic happens.

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“Certain types of dresses are ﬂattering to different types of ﬁgures and we want the bride to see what they would be the most comfortable with. They usually have a good, general idea of what they want, but sometimes they aren’t sure how to get there.”

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MOST EXPENSIVE DRESS STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY KEVIN MCCLINTOCK

Princess Diana’s “Dress”

Most expensive wedding dresses of all time

“beautiful butterﬂy emerging from a chrysalis” — that’s how Elizabeth Emanuel described Princess Diana when she was ﬁrst seen decked out in her one-of-a-kind wedding

albums, home videos — viewing these lovely things was a bittersweet experience, because of... how it all turned out in the end.”

gown.

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It was Emanuel, along with her husband, David, who designed the dress that helped transform the 20-year-old nursery school teacher into a much-beloved princess.

That dress — complete with its 10,000 pearls sewn into the fabric and 25-foot train — is still considered the most expensive wedding gown ever made. It debuted to a breathless, worldwide audience (two billion people is the current estimate) on July 29, 1981. The gown was on display inside Kansas City’s Union Station in the summer of 2011. “I enjoyed the exhibit tremendously, and of course, couldn’t wait to actually view ‘The Dress’ with my own eyes,” said former Joplin High School graduate Lee Ann Campbell, who now lives in Liberty, Mo. “What surprised me was the room with mementos from Diana’s childhood; letters she wrote to her parents, her tap shoes, a school uniform, personal photo

Like most wedding dresses, Diana’s version included lace, silk, sequins and taffeta. Unlike most wedding dresses, “The Dress” also had 10,000 pearls sewn directly into the material. Oh, and the lace in the dress had belonged to Queen Mary, who was crowned in 1911. And let’s not leave out “something blue” on the wedding day, which in this case was a bow the color of a cloudless sky sewn discretely into the dress’s waistband. But the gown’s most prominent feature was the 25-foot train trailing behind as Diana walked down the aisle. Interestingly, Princess Diana endured ﬁve months of ﬁttings and had to “learn” to walk with the heavy train tugging from behind. Aside from the one-of-a-kind Princess Diana dress, the following are some of the most expensive wedding dresses ever made, purchased and subsequently worn. x The Helen Rose gown made for Hollywood actress Grace Kelly is 50 years old but still elegant, with yards of silk net, silk

taffeta and antique Brussels rose-point lace. The dress had a ďŹ tted bodice, round collar at the top and full ďŹ&#x201A;air down at the bottom. Heck, it even came with a pearl-studded prayer book!

x Designer duo Martin Katz and Renee Strauss made a dress sporting 150 carats of diamonds intricately tied into the lace. Due to the jewelery, it had a price tag of $12 million.

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x A dress made by Danasha Luxury in 2010 was a one-of-a-kind wedding dress comprised of Peacock feathers, expensive heavy diamonds and gold. Its price tag was $1.5 million.

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x Melania Knauss wore a custom dress made of 300 feet of tulle and studded with 1,500 rhinestones.

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x Actress Catherine Zeta Jones not only had one of the most expensive weddings in history, but wore one of the most expensive wedding gowns ever made. Sporting a six-foot train, the dress featured a V-neck and sleeveless sides, diamonds and silk threads.

TOP WEDDING DRESS DESIGNERS SARAH BURTON is widely tipped among the British press to be Katherine Middleton’s dress designer. The designer has dressed Cate Blanchett, Lady Gaga and Gwyneth Paltrow.

ALICE TEMPERLEY is known for her Bohemian designs that use traditional embroideries and intricate embellishments, Temperley makes bridal gowns that are ethereal and vintageinspired. JASPER CONRAN’s trademark style is clean and understated, and his bridal line is dominated by regal, modern silhouettes. Conran, known as one of Princess Diana’s favored designers, made the wedding gown of Princess Margaret’s daughter Lady Sarah Chatto in 1994 as well as heiress and model Jasmine Guinness’s wedding dress in 2006.

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PHILLIPA LEPLEY is a luxury bridal fashion designer and is known for her romantic, classic style.

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BRUCE OLDFIELD is one of Princess Diana’s favorite designers, Oldﬁeld is best known for his couture evening dresses and bridal wear. He counts Queen Rania of Jordan, Jerry Hall, Barbra Streisand and Catherine Zeta-Jones among his celebrated clients.

SOPHIE CRANSTON won the Designer of the Year award at Graduate Fashion Week in 1999 and then went on to work with Alice Temperley and Alexander McQueen before founding her own label, Libelula (“dragonﬂy”) in Spain. AMANDA WAKELEY is a self-taught designer, launched her label in 1990 and has since dressed celebrities including Scarlett Johansson, Demi Moore, Kate Beckinsdale and Dita Von Teese. JENNY PACKHAM is another designer with a vintage-inspired bridal line, Packham’s wedding dresses are often unstructured sheaths that dip low in the front and back. DANIELLA ISSA HELAYEL founded her label Issa in 2001. She has dressed Hollywood stars from Madonna to Sharon Stone and is known for soft silk jersey dresses in bright, tropical colors. CAROLINE CASTIGLIANO, a popular bridal designer with six boutiques throughout Britain, set up her ﬁrst bespoke bridal boutique in Surrey in 1991, specializing in contemporary wedding dresses.

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MARRIAGE VENUES

BY RYAN RICHARDSON

Perfect Venue for that Perfect Wedding

One of the new venues in the Joplin area is the Civil War Ranch in Carthage. Since hosting their ﬁrst wedding last July, owners Christine and Bruce Westwood have found their location in great demand.

“We are set up to accommodate both with our indoor pole barn seating 150 people because of the two-story layout,” Christine

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Located at 11838 Civil War Rd., the location offers two barns that can be used to host indoor weddings. Nestled on the grounds is a pond, complete with a dock and an expansive open area, ringed by trees, for an outdoor wedding or reception.

But to have that union, there needs to be a venue to hold the event. Luckily, Joplin residents looking to tie that proverbial knot have a solid list of uniquely beautiful locations to choose from.

“We have weddings all over the place out here because we offer so many different choices and it’s a friendly environment with so many different possibilities,” Christine said. “Everyone that comes through here sees something different to do and to put their own unique spin on each wedding. We want to accommodate them.”

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wedding is a celebration of the union of two people in holy matrimony, a moment they will remember for the rest of their days.

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Area wedding venues offer unique experience

Springhouse Gardens For four years, Roger Filzetti has given a bit of a country spin to weddings in the Joplin area. As part owner of Springhouse Gardens, located on 2957 Greenwood Drive, he has seen his venue become a popular outdoor location for a host of weddings. “We’re in a gorgeous valley with hills on each side, so that has really helped us. We’re in a beautiful setting that reminds people of a Napa Valley type of venue. We hosted 63 outdoor weddings in 2013, and that was mainly outside of the summer months. Since we are outdoors, our busiest months are the early summer and fall months.”

said. “If it’s outside, we can host so many more. We’ve had 200plus people outdoors, which went ﬁne.” Crowds should be about 60 people less than that during inclement weather.

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While the Civil War Ranch may be the newest venue, it certainly isn’t the only venue found in Southwest Missouri. The following are some other popular wedding locations:

Filzetti believes outdoor and destination-type weddings have continued to grow as people look to ﬁnd something to uniquely call their own. “The popularity for outdoor weddings has really grown over the past 10 years and we have been helped by being located right by Joplin. With a city so close by, you have great hotel accommodations nearby to house family for the event. We still give them an opportunity to have an outdoor wedding without trotting off to somewhere remote.” The White Rose Winery and Bed and Breakfast For a truly unique experience, the White Rose Winery and Bed and Breakfast is a vintage home in Carthage that has grown into a truly one-of-a-kind destination.

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VENUE

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“It behooved us to start hosting weddings here and we found out

Additional wedding venues include: ÝÛCedar Meadows Wedding Chapel, 6271 W. Cedar Meadows ÝÛSilver Creek Park Wedding Chapel, 3925 S. Range Line Road

Owner Jan O’Haro said that over the past 15 years, she has helped bring the destination back to its roots as a wedding venue, which she describes as a place with “comfortable elegance.”

that there were private weddings going back to WWII here. It is a given when you look at the place because it is perfect for it. We can do both indoor and outdoor weddings and we usually average 150 people on a normal wedding, with our front porch holding 100 people alone.”

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The 5,000 square-foot, three-story, early 1900s-era home also hosts an onsite winery in addition to an antique-ﬁlled location offering a cozy place to stay for newlyweds.

n\[[`e^ CHAPEL OF L OVE BY KEVIN MCCLINTOCK

Chapel of

ace it. Weddings are expensive, and costs are rising each year.

According to a recent survey conducted by The Knot, the average cost of a wedding in the United States sits at $28,500. And that’s not including the honeymoon.

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Love

But weddings don’t have to be expensive, says Patricia Jones. Nestled in the heart of Miami, Okla., sitting within shouting distance of the Ottawa County Courthouse, is an institution that has married more than 100,000 couples since 1954. And it can do it for less than $125.

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Miami-based “institution” has married more than 100,000 couples in love since 1950s

So it’s little wonder that wedding costs are the biggest stress a couple in love faces when planning that most important day of their lives.

“A lot of our (guests) have planned for a big wedding, but at

the last minute they decided just to run off and elope and get married, and they did it here,â&#x20AC;? says Jones. Lavernâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Wedding Chapel was once known as the â&#x20AC;&#x153;wedding capital of Oklahoma,â&#x20AC;? and up until 2004 or so, Jones says they were averaging 200 marriages a week. Despite a wheezy economy, business remains brisk. Michelle Broderick and her husband, John, of Olathe, Kan., drove three-plus hours to Miami to get married at Lavernâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It actually seemed quite romantic and... we were quite pleased with our spur-of-the-moment, low-cost wedding,â&#x20AC;? Broderick says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The entire (wedding) took less than an hour.â&#x20AC;? Yep â&#x20AC;&#x201D; not only are the marriages at Lavernâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s inexpensive, but the ceremony is quick, which is perfect for those planning a wedding on the ďŹ&#x201A;y.

A wedding inside the chapel on weekdays will set a couple back $60; $80 if it happens during the weekend or on a holiday, such as Valentineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day. A marriage license is required, of course, which can be purchased at the nearby courthouse for $50. A bride can spend a little extra more for a bouquet ($10), corsage ($4), a garter ($4) or a wedding sign ($1). Couples range from bright-eyed 16-year-olds (with a legal parentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s consent, of course) to men and women in their mid-80s. Two professional clowns once exchanged vows inside the chapel, Jones remembers. Another time, a dressed-up Frankenstein proposed to his wife, dressed as the Bride of Frankenstein, complete with streaks of white through the hair. Another time, two Oklahoma football fans â&#x20AC;&#x201D; faces painted red for OU and orange for OSU â&#x20AC;&#x201D; were married; family members cheered with appropriate-colored pompoms.

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve pretty much seen it all,â&#x20AC;? Jones says with a laugh.

Hwy 60, 1/4 mile east of Fairland, OK

Frances: 918-676-3979 Audrey: 918-676-3025 417-499-2997 918-848-0222 www.audreysweddingchappel.com

from the Oklahoma Marriage License to beautiful bouquets and flowers, our staff will assist the bride and groom in making their day extra special.

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WEDDINGS / RECEPTIONS / PARTIES

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Audreyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Wedding Chapel ' % &% . (! . / , %!% ) " % ) % # &#! . . ''&!%*$ %* / +)* . () & , , #! / & !,&( ' % !%

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DJ & MUSIC WRITTEN BY RYAN RICHARDSON

Wedding DJs

Key to Memorable Wedding Receptions “Hey, buddy, I’m not paying you to hear your thoughts on life. I’m paying you to sing.” — Quote from the 1998 ﬁlm “The Wedding Singer”

ou’ve got the wedding dress. The rings are safe. The reception is booked. The ﬂowers are ordered. The cake is being delivered and — oh no. You forgot about the music. One of the biggest facets of wedding planning that most people put off until the last moment is booking the entertainment for the reception.

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Some will consider booking a wedding band, while others will opt for the ambiance of a string quartet. But the most popular option still lies with the mobile DJ. It’s the DJ and his or her equipment who can turn a wedding reception into an interactive party that stays fun for all ages.

Though many DJs will stick with classic line dances and top-40 hits from the past three decades, a growing trend has seen the integration of the standard wedding music mixed with karaoke. While the latter may sound like a strange blend for a wedding reception, a Springﬁeldbased woman has found the pairing to be an exciting way to breath new life into wedding entertainment. “It is something that appeals to all age groups,” says Chanon Sharp, who launched Electric Mayhem Entertainment three years ago. “I’ve done karaoke receptions (for couples in their 20s) on up (those) in their 60s. There isn’t a

generation gap on who it appeals to. A lot of people actually get excited about the prospect of doing karaoke at a wedding. It’s a chance where you can have the normal reception music, but it also gives them an added dimension to sing, cut loose and have fun.” Sharp says by offering her services, it has made her privy to what makes for successful entertainment at a wedding.

Sharp will continue to expand her business to meet the increased needs of weddings throughout the area. “When you ﬁnd something you truly enjoy doing, you want for that feeling to continue and this has been one of the best experiences of my life,” Sharp says. “I will go anywhere throughout Missouri and Kansas to help share that experience.”

“As the entertainment, you basically turn into the wedding coordinator once the reception starts rolling. Any time I work with a couple leading up to their day, I make sure they are happy with what they need to have done. You’re running the bouquet toss, the garter toss and the entrance music. That all has to be arranged ahead of time so it becomes seamless.” Communication is key for this relationship to work. “I always hold an interview with the couple ahead of time to let them know what services I offer and to plan out the itinerary to their standards,” Sharp says. “If you are interviewing entertainment and they aren’t asking the questions of how you want this day to go, then you need to go in a different direction quickly. The last thing you want to have is someone who is breaking the ﬂow of your reception. This day is about what you want and our job is to help you make that happen.” 37

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S YMBOL S OF L OVE BY KEVIN MCCLINTOCK

‘Married in blue, your lover is true’ History behind wedding symbols

ver wonder why the bride stands to the left of the groom, or why the wedding ring is worn on the third ﬁnger of the left hand?

The origins and meaning behind some of our most cherished wedding traditions may surprise you. There are, of course, multiple explanations for each piece of wedding lore, and few can be deﬁnitively traced back to their roots.

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Below are some of the more common and popular stories behind these traditions.

Tossing the Bouquet Tossing the bouquet is a tradition that stems from England. Women used to try to rip pieces of the bride’s dress and ﬂowers in order to obtain some of her good luck. To escape from the crowd, the bride would toss her bouquet and run away. Today, the bouquet is tossed to single women with the belief that whoever catches it will be the next to marry. Giving Away the Bride The tradition of the father giving away his daughter has its roots in the days of arranged marriages. Daughters in those times were considered their father’s property. It was the father’s right to give his child to the groom, usually for a price. Today a father giving away his daughter is a symbol of his blessing of the marriage.

The Wedding Ring The wedding ring has been worn on the third finger of the left hand since Roman times. The Romans believed that the vein in that finger runs directly to the heart. The wedding ring is a never-ending circle, which symbolizes everlasting love. The Wedding Dress Bridal outfits are extremely important, none more so than the wedding dress. Wedding dresses date back to ancient Egypt, where the bride wore a dress of sheer silk that clung to her body and concealed nothing. Since then, more and more layers were gradually added, mainly for modesty reasons. Married in white, you have chosen all right, Married in green, ashamed to be seen, Married in grey, you’ll go far away, Married in red, you’ll wish yourself dead, Married in blue, your lover is true, Married in yellow, ashamed of your fellow, Married in black, you’ll wish yourself back, Married in pink, of you he’ll think, Married in brown, you’ll live out of town. The Best Man In ancient times, men sometimes captured women to make them their brides. A man would take along his strongest and most trusted friend to help him fight resistance from the woman’s family. This friend, therefore, was considered the best

man among his friends. In Anglo-Saxon England, the best man accompanied the groom up the aisle to help defend the bride.

is another example of sympathetic magic.

Bride on Groom’s Left Because grooms in Anglo-Saxon England often had to defend their brides, the bride would stand to the left of her groom so that his sword arm was free.

Bridesmaids The bridal party is a tradition that has been established for many centuries. For a long time, the purpose of the bridal party was to fool evil spirits. The bride’s friends dressed similarly to her in order to confuse any virulent presences that might be lurking about. Today, bridesmaids are there to support the bride in the stressful times during the wedding.

The ribbons around the ﬂowers are believed to bring good luck. There should also be knots, known as “lover’s knots,” at the end of each ribbon. These symbolize unity and wholeness. Throwing the bouquet is a recent innovation. Whoever catches it will supposedly be the next bride. The Bridal Veil The bridal veil has long been a symbol of youth, modesty, and virginity and was used to ward off evil. Some brides like to wear the bridal veil of a friend or relative who is happily married. This

Horseshoe A horseshoe is considered a protective amulet against the evil eye. This probably derives from the fact that the horseshoe protects the horse. However, the crescent shape of a horseshoe reminded people of the moon, and this encouraged other symbolism. Horseshoes can be hung with their prongs pointing either up or down. Masculine energy is produced if the prongs point upward, and female energy if they point down. Either way provides good luck. 2014

A Wedding Bouquet Flowers are incorporated into the wedding ceremony as a symbol of fertility. The ﬁrst bouquets consisted of herbs and, later, orange blossoms.

Carrying the Bride Across the Threshold The origins of this practice are no longer known. However, it is possibly related to the old practice of marriage by capture. Another possibility is that by carrying the bride over the threshold, she cannot stumble, as stumbling is considered a bad omen.

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The bride cuts the ﬁrst slice of cake to provide good fortune in the marriage. Nowadays, her groom helps in this task to ensure that he shares the good fortune. This also shows they will share all their worldly goods in the future.

Honeymoon The word “honeymoon” comes from the ancient Teuton practice of drinking mead, a wine made from honey, for a month (or one moon’s cycle) after the wedding. Apparently, Attila the Hun drank so much mead on his honeymoon that he suffocated and died. The honeymoon itself goes back to the time when a groom captured his bride by force and had to keep well away until the bride’s relatives had ceased looking for her. It was a diplomatic move on the new husband’s part to bring gifts for his in-laws when he brought his wife home.

The Tiered Wedding Cake The origin of the tiered wedding cake also lies in Anglo-Saxon times. Guests would bring small cakes to the wedding and stack them on top of each other. Later, a clever French baker created a cake in the shape of the small cakes and covered it in frosting. It is now known as the tiered cake.

Rice Throwing Rice throwing is an ancient custom. It possibly began in the Orient, where rice is a symbol of fertility, prosperity, and health. Consequently, throwing rice over the happy couple was an effective way to wish these qualities on the marriage.

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Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue, and a Sixpence in Your Shoe “Something old” represents the bride’s link to her family and the past. The bride may choose to wear a piece of family jewelry or her mother or grandmother’s wedding gown. “Something new” represents hope for good fortune and success in the future. The bride often chooses the wedding gown to represent the new item. “Something borrowed” usually comes from a happily married woman and is thought to lend some of her good fortune and joy to the new bride. “Something blue” is a symbol of love, ﬁdelity, and purity of the bride. A “sixpence in her shoe” is to wish the bride wealth in her future life.

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G I V I NG TOA S T S BY KEVIN MCCLINTOCK

CHEERS!

Webster’s Dictionary deﬁnes ‘wedding’ as the fusing of two metals with a hot torch. Well, you know something? I think you guys are two metals. Gold metals.’”

But for the rest of us, overcoming those sweaty palms and knocking knees takes a good amount of planning and practice in front of a full-length mirror.

The speech rambles without direction, has no structure, possesses way too many opening lines and teeters on the edge of becoming a full-ﬂedged roast, which of course is the complete opposite of a toast.

Michael Scott, the hapless leader of NBC’s “The Ofﬁce,” probably gave one of the all-time worst wedding speeches when he stood up in front of a roomful of strangers to speak about the bride, Dunder-Mifﬂin employee Phyllis Lapin.

These are all traits that a good wedding or graduation toast should not have, says Willy Crane, president of the Greater Joplin Toastmasters.

“Hi,” Steve Carrell’s character says. “I’m Michael Scott, and for the next forty minutes I’m going to be your tour guide through the (life of Phyllis), one of the great, seemingly impossible, love stories of our time.

“If you’re at a wedding, it’s a very special time for at least two people, possibly a lot more, so don’t spoil that,” says Crane. “Don’t break out the dating war stories at somebody’s wedding. Respect the people. Deliver something that honors that person,

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nly a very small percentage of people can stand up in front of strangers and pull off a toast striking the perfect balance between humility and humor.

so they can remember you as caring enough about them to say something nice.” Time is key. If you’re a guest of honor — a best friend, say, or brother — you should speak for no longer than three to four minutes, tops. “That’s appropriate,” Crane says. If you happen to be the groom’s second cousin, however, than maybe a minute, tops, is most appropriate. Or maybe you shouldn’t be standing, champagne glass in hand, at all, unless speciﬁcally asked. In most traditionally large weddings, the Best Man gives the ﬁrst toast, followed by the fathers, the groom, the bride, the mothers and then family friends, though no order is set in stone, of course. Regardless, such toasts — whether calling for good health and happiness for the bride, the groom or the maids of honor — should last no longer than a couple of minutes. “Five minutes, tops,” Crane says. “No one should go further than that. I would have to say that even as the person of honor, you don’t want to put people to sleep. Make sure they are still paying attention. Otherwise, it’s just you rambling on.” One of the big keys to remember is to plan out what you’re going to say.

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“Because few people can speak effectively on the ﬂy,” says Crane. So don’t try to off-the-cuff speak it. Write it out and practice that killer opening joke or that soulful forgotten story in front of a mirror. And for the other speaking points, make you sure you bullet point them so glancing down at a card will help you remember them and avoid those awkward “um” and “ah” moments.

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“Most of us can easily tell a story” about someone, Crane says. “It’s very simple for us to do that. But the idea is to not be so formal that you sound like you’re reading from a script, like an Oscar acceptance speech. If you try to remember everything word for word, you will get ﬂustered. And if you’re ﬂustered, you will stumble. The area’s most preferred cremation provider

“Having the theme of it, and knowing the concept you’re trying to deliver” is the key.

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B AC H E L O R PA R T Y BY KEVIN MCCLINTOCK

However, despite what the Tom Hanks movie “Bachelor Party” will lead you to believe, such get-togethers aren’t just about booze and women hiding inside enormous birthday cakes. Some groups of guys organize two-day hunting, for example, or whitewater rafting trips. Others blow off a weekend in the City of Sin. Still others hit the beach for a few days of sun and sand. Remember, if you’re the groom’s best man, you’re doing the party organizing. WHAT TO DO: x Plan the evening in advance. First, make sure you know who the groom wants at the party and make sure those people are there.

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h, the bachelor party: an evening of debauchery with the boys. Ever since the sixth century BC, when Spartan soldiers ate and drank to a comrade the night before his wedding day, men have been blowing off steam before tying the knot.

x If you’re going out to dinner, reserve a private room.

x Collect everyone’s money beforehand in order to open tabs at the bar you’re going to.

x Tip your bartender well, as well as any entertainers (including the nice lady popping out of the cake). x Best of all, have fun. WHAT NOT TO DO: x Don’t have a bachelor party the night before the wedding (i.e. — don’t do what they did in the ﬁrst “Hangover” movie). The groom will look like he’s been run over by a train, which doesn’t bode well for the wedding pictures. x Don’t play anything that might offend the bride. The groom will let you know if his better half is the type to laugh off a night with... um... the ladies who take off their clothes for entertainment, or if that’s something she doesn’t like and has forbidden. A bachelor party is not the time for the groom to get into a situation that’s going to derail his relationship with his wife-to-be. x If you’re going to invite one person from the groom’s ofﬁce, invite them all. But it’s not a good idea to invite people the groom doesn’t know too well. You want him to be comfortable and relaxed. And it’s not a good idea to invite people related to the bride.

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ENGAGEMENT RING

BY JMAG STAFF

Cut

E ngagement R ings

Cut doesn’t refer to the shape of the diamond, but rather the angles and proportions of the stone. While nature determines the other three C’s, the diamond’s cut is determined by a cutter. A well-cut diamond reflects light from one facet to another and projects the light through the top of the stone. This is what gives a diamond its sparkle. Diamonds cut too deep or too shallow leak light through the bottom or the side of the stone, resulting in a lackluster appearance. Of the four C’s, cut is the most important. Even if you have the perfect color, clarity and carat, if the cut isn’t right, the diamond won’t have that fiery brilliance that your fiancee’ will show off to her friends.

Rules of Engagement

or many men, purchasing a diamond can seem like a daunting task, but with a bit of knowledge, you can walk out of a jewelry store with a stone your ﬁancee’ will be dying to show off to her friends. When selecting a diamond, you’ll want to take into account the “4 C’s” — cut, color, clarity and carat weight. All four of these factors determine the quality and cost of the diamond.

Color

To many men’s surprise, diamonds come in a variety of colors. Diamond color is graded on a scale that ranges from D (colorless) to Z (light yellow). Truly colorless diamonds are the most rare and most expensive. White color diamonds are the most popular. But when it gets down to it, diamond color is all about preference. Look back at your notes from your ring reconnaissance to see what your lady prefers.

Carat refers to the weight of a diamond. The heavier the stone, the more you’re going to pay. However, there’s no need to get too caught up on the carat weight. Through proper mounting and shaping, a master jeweler can make a diamond appear larger than its carat weight might suggest.

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Carat Weight

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The fewer imperfections a diamond has, the more clear, and consequently, more expensive it is. When the jeweler starts discussing the clarity of the diamond, he or she will probably mention the diamond’s “inclusions.” Inclusions are other minerals or tiny fractures in the diamond. The fewer inclusions, the better. Like color, clarity is measured on a scale. SI1 and SI2 are slightly included, but you won’t be able to see the imperfection with the naked eye. Try to ﬁnd a diamond in this range. When looking at a diamond, avoid stones with inclusions on the top and in the middle, as this can impact the dispersion of light, making it less brilliant.

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Clarity

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PROPOSAL IDEAS

M arriageProposals: Romantic Ways to Propose

x Send her on a treasure hunt, seeking clue after clue, which leads to the ring and a sign that reads: “Will you marry me?” x Meet with the stage manager and propose after a marriage-themed play after the cast’s curtain call. x Hire a skywriter to smoke the proposal among the clouds. x Have a street artist “draw” your proposal on the canvas. x Replace her regular favorite ring with the engagement ring inside her jewelry box. x Take out a full-page ad in a newspaper. x Slip on the ring while she’s sleeping and wake her up with strawberries and champagne. x Spell out your proposal in glow-in-the-dark stickers or ink on the ceiling inside the bedroom. x At your favorite club, ask the DJ or bandleader to pass you the mic so you can dedicate a favorite song and, after the dance, pop the question. x Ask a theater owner to put up an ad created just for you with that famed question right there on the Silver Screen. x Ask a ﬂight attendant to utilize the plane’s loudspeaker system and propose at 30,000 feet. (Joining the mile-high club on the same plane ﬂight, however, is the subject of an entirely different magazine). x Turn out the lights and circle the ring in its box with candles. x Ask your friends to wear T-shirts with the words “Will You Marry Me?” and let the clothing propose for you. x Create your own podcast proposal for her iPod or a video she can view on YouTube. x Create a web site for the sole purpose of your proposal. x Put together a basket of her favorite foods and snacks and, at the bottom, place the boxed ring.

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x Ask a pastry chef to write “Will you marry me?” in chocolate sauce at your favorite restaurant. x Create a personalized fortune cookie with its own proposal message baked inside. x Work in the proposal inside a crossword puzzle. x Write “Will you marry me?” on the underside of a kite and ﬂy it one warm, breezy afternoon.

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x Scratch your proposal into the frost on her car’s windshield.

x Buy a pet that she’s always wanted (bunny, kitten, puppy) and loosely tie the ring around its neck.

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Reception Reminders

RECEPTION REMINDERS

Beverages x 3-4 beers per person x Two glasses of champagne per person (mostly for toasts) x Three quarters of a bottle of wine per person (one bottle equals seven glasses) x Three servings of soft drinks per person. A two-liter jug holds seven to nine servings. Napkins x Two-to-three cocktail napkins per guest for the bar area x One cocktail-sized napkin per guest for the cake table x One and a half dinner or luncheon napkins per guest at the meal table. So, if you have 100 guests, plan for 150 napkins.

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Food x Serve cocktails or hors d’oeuvres an hour to 90 minutes before the main course. Estimate three hors d’oeuvres per person, per hour. If there is no main food course, increase servings to 12 pieces per guest. x For the wedding cake, have the baker portion the size linked to the number of wedding guests. It’s a good idea, however, to estimate additional servings in case some want seconds or a last-minute invite is done.

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The following are some tips to remember when it comes to receptions:

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eceptions are sometimes referred to as the ugly stepchild of the entire wedding experience. Time and money (and sweat, and blood, and tears) have been shed on the wedding ceremony, the cake, the wedding dress, the invitations, the honeymoon and so many other details that turn clumps of hair grey in a matter of minutes. All too often, the reception is thrown together at the last minute, sometimes to disastrous results.

living

PHELPS HOUSE WRITTEN AND PHOTOGRAPHED BY KEVIN MCCLINTOCK

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A Step Back into

Jake and Rachel Heisten kiss on the front lawn of the Historic Phelps Home just minutes after their wedding. Photograph courtesy DuRall Photography

Yesteryear A look up at the staircases leading up to the third floor and the Grand Ballroom at the top.

cores of men and women have come together in holy matrimony inside a cherished Carthage home that’s more than 100 years

old.

The grandest of days inside the grandest of homes

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“There have been some beautiful weddings held inside here.”

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“This is a very special house,” says Judy Hill, who serves as the event coordinator for the Carthage Historic Preservation Inc.

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The timeless atmosphere of the Historic Phelps House in the heart of Carthage creates an elegant backdrop for that special, once-in-a-lifetime occasion.

The appropriately-named “Great Hall” is often the venue for wedding ceremonies. Brides, bathed in white, descend the grand staircase, forming up near the piano and making their way across the room flanked by family and friends on either side.

Brides dress inside the “White Room” on the second floor, sharing those special, quiet moments with their attendants. When the moment comes, when the chords of the organ rise from the home’s ground floor, the bride makes her way down the grand staircase to the vast, wood-paneled Great Hall. Moving across a white rug splashed with fresh rose petals, she makes her way to the entrance of the home’s sun room. Standing there, bathed in natural sunlight, is the groom and his waiting hand.

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Just as many weddings take place outside the Phelp’s House, with vows exchanged on the sweeping front steps of the wrap-around porch. Brides, Hill says, have been brought to the home via antique car or horsedrawn open carriage.

Receptions can be held outdoors in tents, inside the parlor and library rooms or on the third floor beneath painted stars and the cosmos, inside the Grand Ballroom. Col. William Phelps built the landmark Historic Phelps House at 1146 Grand Ave. in 1895, mingling Beaux Arts and Romanesque details. Inside, there are original lighting fixtures, wall coverings, a hand-painted women’s parlor, Italian tile fireplaces and polished maple, cherry and walnut woodwork. The house also features hand-painted wallpaper, combination gas/ electric chandeliers, a functioning dumbwaiter and a heated cloak closet. In all, the home features 10 fireplaces, five bedrooms and four bathrooms.

The White Room, located on the home’s second floor, where the bride comes together with family and attendees to prepare for the wedding ceremony below. The room’s soft colors have soothed more than a few bride’s nervous jitters.

The Phelps family crest, featured near the ceiling of the historical home’s library room.

The sun room, one of the home’s most popular areas. It’s here, in this doorway, where the bride meets the groom, they are pronounced man and wife.

The beautiful details of Col. William Phelps’ beloved work desk, which is located in the center of the library, one of several spacious rooms found in the home’s bottom floor. Phelps was the principal attorney for the Missouri-Pacific Railroad and served three terms in the Missouri General Assembly as a representative.

One of 10 fireplaces found inside this large, three-story home. Here, intricate tiling can be found with this masterpiece located in the parlor room. It was here that ladies, after dinner, would come to relax and sip cups of tea.

To reserve your date please call Judy Hill 358-9688. Phelps House 1146 Grand Ave Carthage, MO

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Available for weddings, meetings, and other social events.

An elegant, romantic setting... Gorgeous grounds for photos and outdoor/indoor ceremonies... Choose the reception venue that has it all for your wedding day. At Phelps House, we go above and beyond to ensure you and your guests enjoy a truely extraordinary celebration.

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Your Wedding Day Our Specialty

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One of the most awe-inspiring rooms found anywhere in Jasper County: the star-studded ceiling of the Grand Ballroom, which takes up a majority of the entire third floor of the house. The floor still echoes of two-step dances while the walls sing of past piano and violin notes.

417-358-9688 phelpshouse.org

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WEDDING DRESSES

style

DRESSES AVAILABLE AT TJ FORMAL IN JOPLIN

Brand: Mori Lee Voyage Bridal (6772) Price: $599 Details: Strapless sweetheart neckline, pleated bodice, full skirt, high low hemline (show off shoes or boots), crystal beaded belt at natural waist Made of organza fabric Colors: White or Ivory

style

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PA R T Y AT T I R E

Brand: Mori Lee Voyage Bridal (6778) Price: $575.00 Details: Beaded lace bodice with V-neckline and sheer straps, low V-back with detachable back drape and covered buttons, A-line long skirt with train, Made of Alencon lace on chiffon fabric Colors: White or Ivory

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WEDDING DRESSES

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Brand: Mori Lee Bridal (2614) Price: $1100.00 Details: Strapless sweetheart bodice with crystal beaded edging, satin waist band with beaded applique, full ball gown skirt with lace appliques Made of tulle fabric with embroidered lace appliques Colors: White/Silver or Ivory/Silver

style

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WEDDING DRESSES

Brand: Mori Lee Bridal (2620) Price: $1300 Details: Sheer lace applique wide scoop neckline with cap sleeves, sweetheart neckline below, crystal beaded band at empire waist, mermaid skirt with lace detailing, train Available in 3 different lengths (to help avoid alterations) Made of alencon lace on net fabric Colors: White / Silver or Ivory / Silver

d e v r e s s s n k ptio n i r e d c e n r o g m din m Co t wed a p u taste

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SIGNATURE DRINK S

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SIGNATURE DRINK S

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CASUAL ELEGANCE

for a perfectly enjoyable wedding day

Our intimate gallery is the perfect place to celebrate your wedding day with close ﬁrends and family. We offer a variety of service options to accommodate your preferences.

s Reception Space s Beverage Service Available s Banquet Table s Musical Entertainment & Chairs s & much more

Cherry’s Gallery

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3 -AIN s #ARTHAGE -/ s

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Call today to discuss your wedding plans and preferred booking date.

gif]`c\ ELKLAND

Joplin Elks

WRITTEN AND PHOTOGRAPHED BY RYAN RICHARDSON

A long philanthropical history

St. John’s Hospital

n 1899, 25 Joplin men gathered together to form the Joplin Lodge No. 501 of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks.

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For 114 years, the Elks have maintained an important role in supporting local organizations with charitable donations while maintaining a stalwart record developing lasting social growth throughout the Joplin metro area.

Members of the Elkland Committee includes (l-r) Brad Belk, manager of the Joplin Museum Complex; Kathy Cowley, an RN with Mercy and OB manager; Wayne Johnson, Joyce Davis, an RN with Mercy and the Pediatrics Unit manager; and Dave Cooke.

One of their biggest beneﬁciaries is Joplin’s St. John’s Regional Medical Center. The Joplin Elks were there on April 17, 1900, holding a reception and ball as a fundraiser for the newlyconstructed hospital at 22nd Street and Connor Avenue.

St. John’s Regional Medical Center was severely damaged by the 2011 tornado, eventually resulting in the building’s demolition. Before that sad day, however, the men and women who worked at Elkland treated local children afﬂicted with polio and eventually other childhood diseases. When the pediatric unit was moved to the seventh ﬂoor’s west wing, the Elks lodge was there to provide DVD players, toys, games, pediatric wheelchairs and rocking chairs for moms to rock their newborns.

By the 1950s, that relationship had cemented even further as Elks’ members took up the ﬁght against polio by launching one of their biggest philanthropy projects in their local history.

While a new hospital is currently under construction, Exalter Ruler of the Joplin Elks, Jake Skouby, says he’s unsure of how Elkland’s memory will live on at the new hospital.

While Elks’ historian Jim Willis wasn’t around for the founding of the wing of the hospital that eventually would be dubbed “Elkland,” the 46-year Elks member said that project was one he fondly remembers the most.

“We hope to continue our relationship with Mercy, but nothing is concrete just yet because they are in the rebuilding process,” he says. “But whenever there has been a charitable need in Joplin, we have tried to be there, and we look forward to helping them in the future.”

“We had a great relationship with the hospital and there were so many of our members who contributed their time, money and efforts to (that place),” Willis says. “That was a relationship we held close to us.”

The organization has also faced its own rebuilding process since the tornado. Their long lasting location, 1802 W. 26th St., was leveled by the May 22 tornado, leaving them without a home for the ﬁrst time in their history. It took 20 months for them

St. John’s Ambulances

to build a new home. During that interval, they held meetings in Webb City, inside a local bowling alley.

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“We relied on other lodges for help during that time, especially the Webb City Elks,” Skouby says. “We had 60 to 70 members out of their homes after the tornado, and they were right there helping us to get through that time. Elks from all over the country stepped up to help us and because of that, we were able to keep going.”

| Joplin Elks historian Jim Willis looks through a cabinet at the Elks lodge containing over 100 years of Elks memorabilia. Though many items at the lodge were lost in the May 22, 2011 tornado, Willis brought much of his own personal collection to display at the lodge as the chapter continues to rebuild.

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“We have grown by 200 members since then to 757 total,” Skouby says. “We’ve grown stronger and a lot of that has come from the dedication of our new members. We’re focused and we will continue to get into Joplin to help whereever we are needed.”

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Last January, they re-opened their doors at the same location as the old one. The 19,000 square-foot facility has helped them facilitate more growth in the past year.

music to the ears SIGNALS

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WRITTEN AND PHOTOGRAPHED BY RYAN RICHARDSON

Singer and guitarist Aaron DuRall leads the band through the first song of their opening set for Wichita, Kan. basedband The Travel Guide at The Blackthorn Pub in Joplin.

he five-member collective known as Signals may not be the most road-tested band in Joplin, but the band can still pack solid a local venue.

Signals is comprised of lead singer and guitarist Aaron DuRall, guitarist and vocalist Nate Pugh, guitarist Pat Walkup, bassist Wil Kimbrel and dummer Jess Carey. Originally forming in 2011 as the band Whist, the five

musicians have played gigs in both Springfield and Joplin, though road-weariness led to a mutual decision by band members not to pursue a touring band lifestyle. Thanks to that decision, Signals is a gift that music-loving Joplin residents can keep as their own. As a reminder, Signals will play live on Jan. 26 as part of a three-band bill with Third Party and Archbuilder at Joplinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Blackthorn Pub.

J: Your band is one that we have been really excited to feature in the magazine. When I first moved here, Signals was one of the first bands that I heard of from other friends. You guys don’t play a lot of shows though.

J: A lot of bands have that really long history of members jumping from one band to another and it seems like you guys have had the same thing happen. How did the band come together from all of your previous efforts?

Aaron DuRall: We’re not an aspirational band; we’re not trying to break through. We have all grown up and that dream of piling into a van for a month isn’t appealing to us anymore. We all love playing music, but we don’t have the ability to just run off and do shows all over the place. You don’t want to play your own hometown three times a month because you just can’t burnout in the same place that much. We do well here and we try to make it an event.

AD: Our previous bands fell apart in 2009, and we went through two years of trying to make other bands work in general and nothing came together. There was Pat, who I have played music with a long time, Nate, Jess, R.J, our old bass player, who all grew up in the local scene in different bands. I had started demoing new material in GarageBand and we (Pat and Aaron) started talking to Nate and he was into it. We had three guitars in place, which was ideal for what we wanted to do. Jess came into place and it just fell together.

AD: We want to be post-hardcore. The guitars are atmospheric sounding at times, and it goes to that indie side. We’ve got a lot of background in our previous, more aggressive bands. We’ve got a lot of shoe-gazing influence, but we still want to keep an edge. You see those influences and those previous bands come through, but we keep this different. Its something we grapple with because it makes it hard to book when you have to describe it with a lot of different genres.

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Bassist Wil Kimbrel joined the band late, coming on board in late 2012 after the band’s original bassist departed. He is the only lineup change to date for the band.

AD: Yes, and we are in the process of accruing funds to do another EP. It took us about $2,000 for “Endless Divide,” and we are halfway to our goal for our next one. Our choice to not go on the road isn’t a sign of us not taking this seriously. We love the music and we did that touring with other bands before. This is something else for us as a whole and we are comfortable doing it our own way. We still have music we want to get out there.

J: So what is your goal, sound wise?

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J: But that hasn’t slowed you from recording. You already have one release out, correct?

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C A N C E R AWA R E N E S S M O N T H BY MICHAEL COONROD

Waging the War Against Cancer How to prevent one of mankind’s worst killers

ne of every three people will be diagnosed with cancer in his or her lifetime. That’s one in three women and one of every two men. The National Cancer Institute estimates that more than 1.6 million new cases were diagnosed in 2013, with more than 580,000 deaths from cancer.

FACTS ABOUT BREAST CANCER ÝÛ8hhjgpaeYl]dqÛ~ Ûh]j[]flÛ of men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer at some point during their lifetime. ÝÛ8hhjgpaeYl]dqÛ~ Ûh]j[]flÛg^Û women will be diagnosed with breast cancer at some point during their lifetime. ÝÛ8hhjgpaeYl]dqÛ Ûh]j[]flÛg^Ûe]fÛ and women will be diagnosed with lung and bronchus cancer at some point during their lifetime. ÝÛ8hhjgpaeYl]dqÛ Ûh]j[]flÛg^Ûe]fÛ and women will be diagnosed with colon and rectum cancer at some point during their lifetime. — Based on National Cancer Institute data

The positive side is that two out of three people now survive this disease. This means millions of people are now living with, or have survived, cancer. While this is good news for patients, most health organizations agree that prevention is the best approach. Cancer isn’t a single disease, despite its all-encompassing name. There are more than 100 different types of cancer, usually named for the organ or cell where they start. “People need to know that there are many different subtypes of cancers,” says Atman Shah, MD, a board-certiﬁed physician specializing in oncology and hematology at Freeman Cancer Institute. “Just the fact that you have a diagnosis of cancer does not mean it cannot be cured. The prognosis depends on the cancer pathology, the genetic makeup of the cancer and the stage and type of cancer.

Additionally, the chemotherapeutic or immune therapeutic agents available at the time of diagnosis also play a role in the prognosis.” For example, Dr. Shah continues, “there may be a breast cancer, such as DCIS, for which we do not usually give chemotherapy. An invasive breast cancer, depending on the stage, may require chemotherapy with other added therapies. Some rare subtypes of lung cancers can be treated with only a pill form of chemotherapy.” So what’s the best way to avoid cancer? For starter’s, conducting regular self-examinations and screenings can be a true lifesaver, says Donna Hood, a cancer survivor. “I remind all the ladies that I work with, and all my friends, to do self-exams. I say to them, ‘You guys have got to get this screening; you’ve got to do your selfexamination.’ The year I was diagnosed, I was a little bit late in getting my mammogram. It had been a crazy year. I normally did it in January, but I had actually put it off a couple weeks because I just got so darn busy.” Hood was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1997, just seven years after losing her mother to colon cancer. “It just pretty much knocked me off my feet. I try to be healthy. I try to take care of

THE MAYO CLINIC lists several lifestyle changes that will lessen one’s risks: ÝÛ=ajklÛYf\Û^gj]egklÛakÛfglÛmkaf_ÛYfqÛ^gjeÛg^Û tobacco. If you use it now, talk with your doctor about ways you can quit. ÝÛ<Ylaf_ÛYÛ`]Ydl`qÛ\a]l Ûxdd]\Ûoal`Û^jmalkÛYf\Û vegetables and limiting fat and alcohol intake. ÝÛ9]af_Ûh`qka[YddqÛY[lan]ÛYf\ÛeYaflYafaf_ÛYÛ`]Ydl`qÛ weight may help lower your risks of several types of cancer. ÝÛGjgl][laf_ÛqgmjÛkcafÛ^jgeÛl`]ÛkmfÛ[YfÛ`]dhÛoal`Û one of the most preventable types of cancer.

There’s hope that, in the future, cancer can be “controlled,” much like chronic hypertension or diabetes is done today, says Dr. Shah. “The goal will be to keep the disease controlled, and, as oncologists, we would be using chemotherapeutics, immune modulators and endocrine therapies to do this.” JANUARYÛÛ ~

Her surgery took place two days prior to her daughter’s 21st birthday. “I remember getting a birthday card and writing some stuff in there for her and thinking, ‘I hope I’m here for her 22nd birthday.’” She made it, of course, though there were some low points. Maintaining a positive attitude is key, particularly when the side effects of the chemotherapy treatments make the body and spirit bone-weary.

“I tell them that it’s a magnificent organization. Through their funding, they are going to find a cure for cancer. The money they raise goes for education and for research. They are working hard to find a cure, so people do not have to go through this dreaded disease in any form.”

myself. I had so much left to do with my family and my children, and I’m thinking, ‘Is that all going to be cut off? What’s going to happen there?’ It was pretty devastating; I think I walked around in a daze for a few days.”

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ÝÛ>]llaf_Ûaeemfar]\ÛY_YafklÛ?]hYlalakÛ9ÛYf\Ûl`]Û Human papillomavirus (HPV) can help decrease your chances of contracting liver and cervical cancers respectively.

“There were days when I sat and cried and I thought, ‘Okay, just try to get this out of your system and go on; you just have to stay positive.’ I know it’s a healing process and I know God does a lot of it, but I just think your state of mind (must remain) positive.” Hood and her mother had been involved with the American Cancer Society since before either of them were diagnosed. The organization has spent the last 100 years ﬁghting this disease.

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The

Lisk:

THE FIVE MOST EXPENSIVE WEDDINGS OF ALL TIME

eddings aren’t cheap. On average, couples here in the United States spend $25,656 for their wedding, a range of between $19,000 and $32,000.

And that doesn’t even include the honeymoon. But if you think those numbers above are expensive, read on. Below are some of the most expensive weddings the world has ever seen. In this day and age of rising taxes and a recession, the numbers are simply mind-boggling.

In 2005, Amit Bhatia, the owner of Swordfish Investments and the sixth richest man in the world, married Vanisha Mittal, the daughter of Lakshimi Mittal, whose net worth is valued at $31.1 billion. The wedding included five-star hotel rooms, a performance by Kylie Minogue and fireworks at the Eiffel Tower. Price tag: $80 million.

If you’re the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, money is unlimited. The year of 1981 was a banner year for big weddings. It was the third most expensive wedding of all time and the No. 1 wedding when Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan married Princess Salama in 1981. The Sheikh’s family even built a 20,000-seat stadium just to hold the week-long event. Price tag: $100 million.

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When Lady Diana married the Prince of Wales in 1981, the ceremony attracted a worldwide viewing audience of 750 million people. The whole thing cost $48 million in 1981 (roughly $70 million adjusted for inﬂation today). It was a fairy tale event that captivated the planet. Aside from a dress with a 25-foot train, there were also 27 wedding cakes. Price tag: $70 million.

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Hotelier Vikram Chatwal’s marriage to Indian model Priya Sachdev in 2006 was a 10-day affair featuring 600 guests ﬂown around different cities in India. Price tag: $20 million.

When Russian billionaire Andrey Melnichenko married Serbian model and former Miss Yugoslavia Aleksandra Nikolic in 2005, the wedding featured performances by Christina Aguilera, Whitney Houston and Julio and Enrique Iglesias. The ceremony took place in the French Riviera and attracted worldwide media attention. Price tag: $30 million.

parting shot

FOGGY MORNING

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PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANDRA STEFANONI

A frigid, foggy morning in Southwest Missouri. Is it summer yet?