Thursday, June 23, 2016
www.winchesterstar.com
—SUMMER 2016—
Bridal GUIDE
2 — Thursday, June 23, 2016
The Winchester Star
2016 Summer Bridal Guide
For some, weddings are a pet project By JESSICA WIANT
For couples whose pets are a big part of the family having them be at the ceremony can make for a special and entertaining touch.
Special to The Winchester Star
WINCHESTER — No wedding ceremony would be right without that perfect someone with whom to share it. They have to be special — your soul mate. For some brides and grooms, that perfect someone just happens to be the family dog. “He has been and continues to be such a big part of our lives and family,” said Kate DeBord-Peter of her terrier mix, Duncan. DeBord-Peter and her now husband, Chris, currently of Front Royal, met at Shenandoah University and later adopted Duncan from a local shelter. “He was a scraggly, wire-haired terrier mix with a funny half-tail and a little fuzzy silver tuft of hair on the top of his head like a mohawk. He was so funny-looking and endearing, and he has the sweetest and most soulful big, brown eyes,” she said. When her wedding day arrived in October 2009, Duncan wore a boutonniere that coordinated with the rest of the wedding party and ser ved as the ring bearer during the ceremony at Goodson Chapel on Shenandoah University’s campus. “Duncan pranced down the aisle and came right up to us at the altar. We got the rings, decoys just in case something happened, and we got to give him a hug and a pet before he turned and scampered back up the aisle to my friend and his treat. Everybody laughed and clapped. He did a great job,” she said. “He needed to be there with
Photo courtesy of Stephanie Leigh Photo & Design
When Nadine Pottinga got married in April 2013 she chose to have cherished pets by her side during the ceremony — and coincidentally they were both named Harley. us on our big day, and we were so proud of him.” DeBord-Peter’s family has grown to two shelter dogs since then, plus one daughter and a baby on the way. Duncan, though, continues to hold a special place in the family.
“He is my special boy, a best friend, and will always be my soulmate dog, long after we’re all gone,” she said. While the hassle of keeping up with a dog during a wedding might sound like too much, for the couples whose pets are a big
part of the family having them be at the ceremony can make for a special and entertaining touch. Area wedding photographer Stephanie Timmerman of Stephanie Leigh Photography & Design has photographed at least two weddings where putting a pet in the spotlight turned out to be a success. “I love when my couples want to involve their pets in the wedding,” she said. “It is so sweet and fun. When the guests see the furry friends walk down the aisle there are always extra bright smiles throughout the ceremony.” As a photographer, Timmerman said she appreciates the added opportunities for candid shots of licks and tail wags. The key to pulling it off? Leigh said to have a game plan. First, Leigh said, make sure your venue will be dog-friendly. DeBord-Peter brought Duncan to the location ahead of time to practice so that he
See Pets, Page 3
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Pets
2016 Summer Bridal Guide
from Page 2 was comfortable with the place. She also had a trusted family friend serve on Duncan duty so the rest of the wedding party could trust that he was well cared for. When Beth and Kyle McChesney were married at Cloverdale Barn on Cedar Creek Grade last July, their 1-year-old Dachshund spent time in the bridal suite and took frequent air-conditioned breaks to escape the heat. The also didn’t have him stay through the ceremony to keep him from barking. “It was a gorgeous wedding and Alfred the Dachshund kinda stole the show!” Timmerman said. Beyond making sure the pet is safe throughout the day, TImmerman says to have fun with it. “Adding a pet to the wedding can really lead to some candid and fun photos, so don’t over-plan out what your pet will do. Just let them be their funny and goofy selves.” Alfred, by the way, wore a special, mini tuxedo. When Nadine Pottinga and Jonathan Bullock were married in April 2013, they had not one, but two cherished pets by their side during the ceremony — and coincidentally they were both named Harley. Pottinga said the dogs were both older, which made it easier for them to behave. “The pug Harley was 7 years old at the time of our wedding. Before I met my husband Harley was really all I had. I’d moved to Washington, D.C., when Harley was 6 months old. I was in a new city all on my own and he was really my companion,” she said. “The boxer Harley, who we renamed Hog, was 8 at the time of the wedding. Like my pug and I, Hog and my husband were inseparable.” “I wouldn’t suggest having puppies or dogs that aren’t well trained in the wedding, and if your dog isn’t good around people or kids it’s probably not a good idea,” Pottinga said. “Lastly, have a backup plan. Have someone who will take your dog home if it’s overwhelmed or anxious.”
Photo courtesy of Stephanie Leigh Photo & Design
Beth McChesney included her 1-yearold dachshund Arnold in her wedding festivities. Arnold spent time in the bridal suite and took frequent air-conditioned breaks to escape the heat. All things considered, Pottinga says having the pets in the wedding was something they’d do again. “We look back at the pictures and smile, and I know it’s something we will cherish for a really long time,” she said. “Hog is almost 12 now and when I think of him passing away I’m just so grateful we have those pictures.” Timmerman offers one last piece of advice for brides-to-be who want their dogs to be part of the wedding: “LOTS OF TREATS, that’ll get you the best photos!”
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The Winchester Star
2016 Summer Bridal Guide
Grooms stick with tuxedos and suits The Winchester Star
WINCHESTER — Modern-day brides may choose to walk down the aisle wearing a trendy pantsuit or a gown that reveals their bare midriff. But grooms tend to stick with the tried and true. Even though rustic-themed weddings have been popular for the past several years, tuxedos and suits still remain popular for local grooms. Kevin Murphy, general manager of Classic Tuxedos & Suits in Harrisonburg, says he is seeing an emphasis on formality in men’s formal wear. “We experienced the rustic weddings as a trend over the past four to five years, but our bookings are indicating a preference for more of a black-tie sort of look,” he said recently. Classic Tuxedo also has a store in Winchester at 2512 S. Pleasant Valley Road. More grooms and their groomsmen are renting the full tuxedo, including the jacket. The groom will later take the jacket off for pictures, he said. Some grooms will keep the jacket on for some pictures and take it off for others “so they can have pictures both ways.” And for some dandy grooms, one outfit is not enough. They require a change of clothes to go from ceremony to reception. “We have, however, seen a demand for a secondary outfit for the groom in more and more occasions,” Murphy said. “Some of these gentlemen are asking for a dinner jacket for this switch, or sometimes a colorful alternative like a navy or burgundy option.” Grooms are choosing black, white, ivory and various shades of gray for their formal wear, he said. Groomsmen are wearing neu-
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We experienced the rustic weddings as a trend over the past four to five years, but our bookings are indicating a preference for more of a black-tie sort of look. — Kevin Murphy general manager of Classic Tuxedos and Suits in Harrisonburg
tral color vests with bow ties or neck ties and pocket squares to complement the colors worn by the bridesmaids. Murphy added that color is becoming a popular choice for some grooms, with bright colors such as royal blue and red offsetting their attire. “As gentlemen overall are becoming more and more interested in dressing nicely, we have had most grooms opting for tuxedos in varying colors with a big emphasis on fit,” Murphy said. Slim-fit tuxedos and suits are the most popular, he said. Designers for Classic Tuxedo have begun to release ultra-slim fit suits and are creating similar options for 2017, he noted. Depending on a wedding’s setting, a summer suit in a neutral tan or pearl gray or even a nice blue is an option for grooms, said Stephen Shendow of Bell’s Fine Clothing on the Loudoun Street in Winchester. Bell’s rents and sells tuxedos, Shendow said.
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By MAKENZIE ROSE
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The Winchester Star
2016 Summer Bridal Guide
Are you the only single guest at a wedding? Here’s how to live it up By JEN GLANTZ Special To The Washington Post
It first happened to me at age 25. Somewher e between galloping to Gangnam Style and stepping for ward and back to the Electric Slide, I heard Beyoncé come on the speakers and call out to all the single ladies. I had been to eight weddings in eight months, and that song had become my signal to get on the dance floor and catch the bouquet. I put my fork back down in my cheesecake and assumed my usual position. I’m not a hopeless romantic; I’m just really good at following directions. I knew if I wasn’t on that dance floor, pronto, someone would grab the microphone and shriek: Where’s Jen? She’s always single! We can’t start this without her. Some women hate the bouquet toss and refuse to include the tradition. But I’ve been at plenty of weddings where it’s taken as seriously as a semi-annual clearance sale at Victoria’s Secret. I’ve been bitten, knocked in the face, tripped, and even bribed to get the heck out of the way. But this time something felt different. There was nobody else on the dance floor. I was the only single woman at this wedding. I grabbed the bundle of peonies straight from the bride’s hands and walked back to
If you find yourself alone on the dance floor, with the bouquet being tossed at you at full speed, stick your arms out and grab it. table number 17, where I sat down next to the bride’s second cousins, uncle twice removed and her work friends from two jobs ago. People were whispering: “How is she the only single one in this place?” “I feel so bad for her.” Or: “I have a grandson who would love to take her for a spin around the block.” By my mid-20s, weddings stopped being post-college reunions with sorority sisters and started to feel like opportunities for everyone to ask why I was single and then ask if I would date someone they knew. As more save the dates flew into my mailbox, I realized I had one choice: I had to save my own wedding experience; it could no longer feel like a trip to a matchmaker’s office. Here’s how I learned to enjoy being the only single guest at a wedding:
See Singles, Page 6
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2016 Summer Bridal Guide
from Page 5 1. Splurge on seconds Without a date by your side, no one will notice when you go grab a second piece of raspberry chocolate wedding cake or another piece of filet mignon.
2. Take over the dance floor
I’ve been at plenty of weddings where the bouquet toss is taken as seriously as a semi-annual clearance sale at Victoria’s Secret.
Bust out your favorite moves and stay on the dance floor until your polyester dress is soaked in sweat. Pretend you’re back in Zumba class. Pretend you’re at the club. Pretend you’re anywhere but a wedding. And when a slow song comes on, that’s your cue to hit the open bar.
perience. Introduce yourself to everyone. Start an impromptu conga line. Or play a quick game of charades while waiting for your turn at the open bar.
3. Make up a story
5. Realize that going to a wedding alone, as the single one, has perks
Come up with a reason — any reason! — for when people ask why you’re still single. Giggle over the “still� part, as if there’s some kind of deadline you need to meet. Tell them you are “still� single because you are “still� tr ying to figure out how to marry Jake Gyllenhaal.
4. Shake hands with everyone there Even if there are no eligible bachelors walking the halls of the reception, making new friends will improve your wedding ex-
So when the bride whispers that she has someone dashing for you to meet, smile, shake their hand, and know that half the people there, nursing their drunk-by-9 p.m. husbands, are envying you, your choices, your freedom, your life, just a little bit. If you find yourself alone on the dance floor, with the bouquet being tossed at you at full speed, stick your arms out and grab it, as if there’s a floor full of people wanting it. Just because you can.
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16 Rosemont Manor Lane, Berryville, VA 22611 www.rosemont1811.com weddings@rosemont1811.com 540-955-2834
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2016 Summer Bridal Guide
Thursday, June 23, 2016 — 7
New shop sells wedding gowns on consignment By ROBYN FONTES TAYLOR The Winchester Star
WINCHESTER — Weddings are expensive, but a new downtown store can help brides save money on their gowns as well as dresses for members of their wedding party. She Said Yes consignment shop at 218 S. Loudoun St. specializes in formal wear for women including wedding gowns. The store also stocks mother-of-the-bride dresses, bridesmaid dresses and flower girl dresses. “We’re super excited to be downtown,” said Nanette Gar ver of Stephens City who co-owns the business with her husband, Lance. The store opened April 29 and
already has more than 1,000 dresses in stock including 100 wedding gowns. Savvy brides will be able to pick up a beautiful gown for a fraction of the price the dress would cost in a retail store. Some of the gowns have never been worn. Some have been worn once. Some gowns are the latest fashion while others have a more vintage flair. Gar ver has dresses that are priced as low as $80 or $90. The most expensive wedding gown in stock is $2,000 with most gowns averaging about $200 to $300. “I even have new gowns that
See She Said Yes, Page 8
GINGER PERRY/The Winchester Star
Saige Garver prepares to hang a flower girl dress at her mother’s business, She Said Yes consignment boutique on South Loudoun Street in Winchester. The boutique sells women and girls formal wear, including wedding gowns, mother of the bride, bridemaids and flower girl dresses.
8 — Thursday, June 23, 2016
Nanette Garver, owner of She Said Yes consignment boutique, holds a beaded lace wedding dress. The formal wear consignment boutique is located at 218 S. Loudoun St. in downtown Winchester. “We’re excited to be downtown,” Garver said. GINGER PERRY/The Winchester Star
The Winchester Star
2016 Summer Bridal Guide
She Said Yes from Page 7 have never been worn — for whatever reason,” she said. And she has heard the reasons. Garver said she likes to hear brides (or would-be brides) tell their tales. Some of the stories are sad, but many are funny stories about crazy things that happened during the wedding. She also enjoys finding out about different wedding themes and helping brides find the perfect attire — whether it’s a black gown for a Halloween-theme wedding or a beautiful dress for a fairy-themed event. “It’s fun to hear the adventurous things
people are doing with their wedding,” she said. A teacher by training, Garver has experience in retail sales. She owned the Little Thinkers toy store in the Creekside shopping center about eight years ago. “I come from a long line of entreprenuers,” she said. Garver said she got the idea for a formal wear consignment store from a friend in Indiana who owns a similar-type store. The friend gave Garver several bags of dresses to try and sell. Within days, Garver had sold 17 dresses
See She Said Yes, Page 9
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2016 Summer Bridal Guide
GINGER PERRY/The Winchester Star
She Said Yes consignment boutique sells shoes for formal events. It also sells other shoes for less formal occasions as well as some handbags.
She Said Yes from Page 8 for Homecoming dances just through word of mouth. She knew she was on to something and that Winchester could use such a consignment shop. Garver accepts clean gowns and dresses with no tears or stains. Items are displayed at the store for 120 days. If the dress sells, the consignor gets 40 percent of the sale. Setting the price can be a bit of negotiation, she said. Brides are often emotionally attached to their gown. And many have made a hefty financial commitment to the dress and want to get as much money as they can. To set the price, Garver does research on
line, and she tries to find out what the dress sells for at full, retail price. She tries to make the bride happy, but she wants to realistic about the price. The shop sells some shoes and handbags now, and Garver hopes to offer more accessories soon. Eventually, she’d like to offer centerpieces and other one-time-only items. She Said Yes is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, noon to 8 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. The shop is closed Sunday and Monday. Other times by appointment. The phone number for She Said Yes is 844-800-3737.
Union Jack Pub & Restaurant
features a third floor perfect for wedding rehearsal dinners and
intimate receptions up to 60 people with a private bar and lounge.
Full restaurant rental also available for larger parties.
www.theunionjackpub.com 540.722.0506
Thursday, June 23, 2016 — 9
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2016 Summer Bridal Guide
The Winchester Star
L’Auberge specializes in ‘country chic’ events By JESSICA WIANT Special to The Winchester Star
WHITE POST — When couples choose L’Auberge Provencale as the site of their wedding, they’re choosing the right place for the “country chic” ceremony that so many people want. That’s according to Celeste Borel, who has co-owned the French bed and breakfast and on-site farm-to-table restaurant, La Table Provencale, with her husband Chef Alain Borel for more than three decades. There’s just one rule: “You want to get married here? You’ve got to stay married,” she says. Celeste Borel takes a personal interest in making wedding day — and marriage — perfect for each couple. And by choosing L’Auberge as the location for their wedding, couples get Borel’s 35 years of experience planning weddings without having to hire a wedding planner, she says. Borel and her team are able to take care of every detail, from customized menus to a Plan B in case of rain, so that the bride and groom are able to focus only on the commitment they’re about to make to each other. “I really emphasize that to my brides … and after that, it’s a party,” Borel says. “And This is one of the dining rooms at L’Auberge Provencale. The inn and restaurant can offer sophisticated dinner weddings, cocktail receptions, luncheons and more. An elopement package can include everything from accommodations to flowers and photography.
we do parties.” Between the inn and its sister site in Boyce, The Villa La Campagnette, which they have had since 1998, Borel and her team are able to accommodate anything from a simple elopement with no guests at all to parties of 70 or more. They can do sophisticated dinner weddings, cocktail receptions, luncheons and more. An elopement package can include everything from accommodations to flowers and photography. And for anything that isn’t available onsite — such as photographers or deejays — they have a well-vetted list of recommended vendors, everything priced fairly, she notes. “You come here, we’re going to make it as little stress as possible,” she says. “I don’t want my brides to worry about anything.” The true niche they fill, however, is a “garden party” style wedding, with sweeping country views and a more elegant, understated feel than a huge hotel ballroom blowout. That’s why most couples who come to L’Auberge for a wedding are professionals, 28 years old or older, and are paying for the wedding themselves, she says of the typical
See L’Auberge, Page 11
SCOTT MASON/The Winchester Star
L’Auberge Provencale chef Steve Ferrell stands in the new bar and lounge.
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L’Auberge
2016 Summer Bridal Guide
from Page 10 customers. The most popular weddings are daytime affairs with 30 or fewer guests, with the couples choosing their most cherished friends and family over a room stuffed with strangers. “We really encourage people to do that,” she says. “If you want to do a wedding out in the country, you really want people to experience the country.” That said, no two weddings are ever alike. Sometimes the bride and groom exit in a horse and carriage, and sometimes they set off for their honeymoon in a hot air balloon. For one wedding, they planned and executed the entire ceremony and reception for 45 with only four hours notice. L’Auberge hosts 50 to 60 weddings every year, never more than one per day. The busy season runs from spring through the fall, according to Borel.
“All my weddings are dif ferent,” she says. “There’s not one that’s ever alike. It’s not a cookie-cutter wedding.” After all this time doing weddings, that certainly helps keep things interesting for Borel, but that’s not the only reason. “You know what?” she says. “People are happy. Ever ybody’s happy at a wedding. I love them for that reason.” As for her rule of staying married? The inn is a popular spot for brides and grooms on their anniversaries. “I know they’re still married,” she says. v L’Auberge Provencale 540-837-1375 http://www.laubergeprovencale.com Directions: From Winchester, take U.S. 50 East for approximately 7 miles until you reach the intersection of U.S. 50 and U.S. 340. Make a right on U.S. 340 South. L’Auberge is one mile on the right.
SCOTT MASON/The Winchester Star
L’Auberge Provencale‘s busy season runs from spring through the fall.
Thursday, June 23, 2016 — 11
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The Winchester Star
Here comes the bride, down go the phones Couple cracks down on use of cell phones during key moments By MARLEY JAY Associated Press
NEW YORK — In a phone-toting, social media-mad age, you might think trying to keep your wedding offline would be crazy. Yet we did just that. We asked our guests to stay off their phones during our ceremony and other key moments. In doing so, we were hoping to make the celebration more enjoyable for everyone. As fun as smartphones, Facebook and Instagram are, they’ve turned us into part-time documentarians. We think about how to photograph something as soon as we see it. And we distance ourselves from the feelings that go along with these moments. “Ever yone is kind of watching your entire big moment in life through a little 5-inch screen,” says Lizzie Post, a great-great-granddaughter of etiquette expert Emily Post and president of the Emily Post Institute. “We’re not really in the mo-
ment. We’re recording the moment.” That’s why my then-fiancée Amber Marlow knew what she wanted: an unplugged wedding, in which you ask guests to put away their phones for all or part of the festivities. She’s a wedding photographer, and she’s been recommending that clients go unplugged for years. The fact that “put your phones away” is a style of wedding instead of an obvious point shows how much mobile phones have altered even the most emotional moments of our lives. And as we worked to spread the word and plan our wedding, we learned even more about our relationship with technology — ‘til death or logging out do us part. Smartphones have become an all-or-nothing phenomenon: When one person at the table pulls out a phone, everyone else takes it as permission to do the same. Sometimes
See Phones, Page 13
RUSSELL BRAMMER/rbphotobooth.com via AP
In this Sept. 26, 2015, groom Marley Jay gets hoisted by his friends after his wedding, in Stone Ridge, N.Y. When Jay and his wife nixed cell phone photos for part of their wedding, they decided a photo booth would liven things up.
The Winchester Star
Thursday, June 23, 2016 — 13
2016 Summer Bridal Guide
Five things that cost as much Phones as the average U.S. wedding
from Page 12
By LISA BONOS © 2016 The Washington Post
As you know, weddings can be incredibly expensive to throw - and the costs are rising every year. The average price of a U.S. wedding held in 2015 was $32,641, according to a survey of nearly 18,000 brides conducted by the Knot. This is an increase of more than $5,500, or 20 percent, in the past five years. Of course that’s only an average — plenty of people spend more or less. And the cost varies greatly by location. The average cost in Manhattan, for example, tops the Knot’s list at $82,299. Chicago comes in second at $61,265. And the Washington, D.C. area, which includes Northern Virginia and suburban Maryland, comes in 21st on the Knot’s lists of most expensive places to get hitched, at $37,034. The most affordable wedding spots, according to the Knot, are Alaska, South Dakota and West Texas. Whether you decide to throw yourselves a wedding or not, here are five ideas for how to spend $32,000 that don’t involve a fancy dress, swanky venue or $2,000 in flowers.
1. A boat: $32,340 Instead of tying the knot, you could get nautical on this 2000 cruiser for sale on BoatTrader.com. Take whatever your wedding hashtag would’ve been and emblazon it on this baby. It boasts a full-service galley and is advertised as “perfect for on-the-water entertaining.” Which means that you’re going to have to promise the in-laws lots of boat days to make up for foregoing your Big Day. But the bonus here is: You can’t fit an entire extended family on the boat at once.
2. Trek around the world: Under $32,000 You could skip the wedding and go all out on the honeymoon. According to AirTreks.com, the typical round-the-world trip costs about $25,000 per person. However, one couple together spent about that amount in 2009 on a nine-month trip to 11 countries; they cut costs by opting for land transportation instead of flying. Among other adventures, they photographed blue-footed boobies in Ecuador, hiked the Inca trail in Machu Picchu and visited Angkor Wat in Cambodia. Just think: Instead of stuffing goodie bags for guests or planning things for out-of-towners to do while traveling for your special day, you could focus on your own itineraries.
3. Two years of graduate school tuition: $32,000-plus Instead of studying seating charts and all the names and details of your fiance’s
extended family, you could put that time and dough into continuing your education. While program costs vary, the U.S. Education Department put the average cost of one year of graduate school tuition and fees at $16,435 for 2012 to 2013.
4. One year of college, including room and board, for 10 women in Africa: $30,000 Already been to grad school? (Probably, as the average marrying ages in the Knot’s survey were 29 years old for brides and 31 for grooms.) According to Aid for Africa, $3,000 will cover a year in college, including room and board, for one young woman in East Africa. For the full price of a wedding, you could cover a year of college for 10 women.
5. 82,000 meals for people in the Washington area: $32,000 The Knot’s sur vey put the average catering price at $68 per guest for a wedding in 2015 (and the average number of guests at 139). The average rehearsal dinner cost $1,296 and the wedding cake added another $575. According to the Capital Area Food Bank, for example, $32,000 would cover more than 82,000 meals for needy families, children and seniors in the Washington area.
people star t giving advice and tech support. The next thing you know, everyone is checking texts and social media. Not to mention those horrible photos we regret the next morning. It’s incredibly easy to take photos with your phone, which means it’s incredibly easy to shoot subjects looking terrible, utterly intoxicated or twice their actual age. And because of Amber’s professional experience, we both knew what we didn’t want to see in our wedding photos: guests glued to their screens as we walked down the aisle or holding up iPads to record the first dance. Phones can take good photos, but with their distracting glow, they don’t make for good photos. Because we didn’t want to annoy or inconvenience guests, we nixed phones only for our 15-minute ceremony, first dance and cake-cutting. We allowed phones during cocktail hour and the rest of the reception, and we told our guests they could take all the selfies they wanted. But we asked them not to post any photos of us online. We did hire a professional photographer to capture the evening for us, including the ceremony. We made our request gently, but often. Maybe a little more often than we needed to. We mentioned the unplugged-ness of our wedding in our invitations and explained it on our wedding website. But we were careful not to make threats or demands, and we never thought about asking people to hand over their phones. A funny pattern emerged: Our 20- and
30-something friends, the supposedly tech-addicted millennials, thought ditching phones was a great idea. “I don’t like them controlling my life,” says our friend Katie Morse, a social media professional. It was a tougher sell for my mom and my aunt, both in their 60s and relatively new to technology. They just wanted to show us off on Facebook. Dorian D’Angelo, who works in marketing for a financial firm in New York, had a different reason for banning smartphones at her wedding in 2010: She and her husband weren’t able to invite all their friends and didn’t want anyone to feel hurt when they see party photos on social media. “They would wonder ‘Why were they invited and I wasn’t?’” she says. Figuring that our guests wouldn’t feel the need to take selfies if they had a chance to take better pictures, we set up a photo booth with a beautiful backdrop. It was busy all night. There’s a photo of some of my friends carrying me sideways. While D’Angelo had to confront one guest who ignored the ban, but agreed to delete the posted photo, our guests honored our requests. A lot of them even abandoned phones for the entire party, even when they didn’t have to. Later, they thanked us and said that made the day more enjoyable. Freed of the urge to reflexively document everything they did, they soaked up the event itself and appreciated the work we had put into it. The dance floor was packed for most of the night.
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The Winchester Star
Ignore trends and choose the flowers you really love By JESSICA WIANT Special to The Winchester Star
WINCHESTER — Brides these days have more than enough resources for finding the wedding flowers of their dreams. From bridal magazines to Pinterest, the sources of inspiration are almost limitless. Three Winchester florists who stay busy doing wedding arrangements recently offered their advice for balancing what’s popular with what you can afford. First? Fads aren’t always desirable or achievable. A bride looking at her wedding photos 20 years later shouldn’t think, ‘‘ ‘Look at those roses, they were so trendy when we got married,’” said Elisa Scott, owner of Bluebells, 6 W. Boscawen St. in downtown Winchester. “She should think, ‘I really love those roses.’ ” Magazines are the go-to source for keeping up with trends and color scheme ideas, but Scott said it’s more important for a bride to choose the things that she likes the most — “not because they are or are not trendy, but because she likes those things!” Pinterest, the website and app that lets users scroll through millions of pictures and “pin” their favorites in almost any imaginable category from recipes to bouquets, has been a great resource for helping brides find inspiration for their wedding day and provides a starting point for talking to their chosen florist, according to Stephanie Tierney of Winchester Floral, 1939 Valley Ave., Winchester. Often, thanks to Pinterest, brides now have at least an idea of the look they want, she said. Scott does caution against letting the options on Pinterest get too overwhelming. “Pinterest can be a good planning tool, but it can also be like going down a rabbit hole in that there is an overload of ideas, each idea leading to dozens more, and can actually make wedding planning more confusing,” she said. “Sometimes keeping it simple is better, it just really depends on the bride since they are all so different.” Another reason to be wary of the hottest trends is the price tag. An exact replica of the bouquet on the cover of the latest magazine might not be within reach, according to Andrea Harrison Mongold, manager of Flowers By Snellings, 23 N. Braddock St., Winchester. “The floral industry is very much supply and demand,” she said. Baby’s breath, for example, now costs much more than it used to. “Be honest with your florist about your budget,” she said, and they’ll try to achieve the look you want within that budget. Sometimes substituting similar, but more wallet-friendly flowers, is an easy solution. Hydrangeas and South American roses are more affordable than some other very pricey large-blooming flowers like peonies and garden roses, according to Mongold. “Brides fall in love with something on a magazine, but
See Flowers, Page 15
SCOTT MASON/The Winchester Star
Elisa Scott arranges peonies at Bluebells Flowers and Gifts. Peonies are a popular flower to use in weddings. Scott says a bride shouldn’t concentrate on trendy color schemes, but instead choose flowers she loves.
SCOTT MASON/The Winchester Star
ABOVE: This wedding arrangement was created by Bluebells Flowers and Gifts. Peaches, corals, pink and gold are popular color schemes now. LEFT: A floral arrangement by Winchester Floral is contained in a traditional vase. But interesting containers such as milk glass or metallic tones give brides an easy way to create a custom look.
The Winchester Star
Thursday, June 23, 2016 — 15
2016 Summer Bridal Guide
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SCOTT MASON/The Winchester Star
Stephanie Tierney holds a bridal headband at Winchester Floral.
that’s not real life,” she said. Mongold says brides should plan to spend 10 to 15 percent of their wedding budget on flowers. All three florists agreed that trying to plan at least 6 and even as far as 12 months in advance with a florist is ideal, but they all have last-minute customers, too. Before flowers can be selected a color scheme must be selected. Mongold said the time to call the florist is after the bridesmaids dresses are ordered, since the No. 1 deciding factor when it comes to flowers is that they coordinate with the colors of the wedding. For brides who can’t resist knowing the latest trends, local florists share a few: •• Fresh flowers are definitely in, including classics like hydrangea, peonies and garden roses. •• Peaches, corals, pink and gold are notable color schemes. ••Teal dresses remain popular, Mongold said, but in the absence of teal flowers, brides choose complementary tones in flowers including yellows and corals. ••For centerpieces, local florists said interesting containers such as milk glass or metallic tones give brides an easy way to create a custom look.
Photo provided by Flowers by Snellings
This arrangement was created by Flowers by Snellings. Be honest with the florist about your budget, advises Andrea Harrison Mongold, manager of Flowers By Snellings, Mason jars are still popular as well. Recently, Scott said a bride’s teapot collection made fun, unique containers for centerpieces. “Most people use our containers,” she said. “We have all sorts of container options including mercur y glass, gold compotes, clear glass, and then more rustic containers like barn wood boxes and birch bark pots. “The teapot wedding was fun and stood out in my head because all of the teapots were different
and it was fun to coordinate the flowers with the teapots,” she said. For brides looking for something unique, the best way can be to give the florist a little room to get creative. Tierney said fun, pretty texture can come from items that aren’t flowers at all — things like artichokes, kale and pods. At one recent wedding, she got to do just that. “That’s when it’s really great,” she said. “When [we’re] given freedom, they like it even more.”
Wild, natural and local: trends in floral centerpieces By KATHERINE ROTH Associated Press
Whether designing with flowers for a huge formal event or a small casual affair, the trend is toward a more wild and natural look, according to floral designer Ariella Chezar of the FlowerSchool in New York. That can include blooms, branches, fruit and foraged materials, like rosemar y and jasmine, she said. And the best place to start is with your local flower farmer or farmer’s market. “It’s important to consider the setting before deciding on the arrangement. Mason jars are great, but they wouldn’t work at the Waldorf,” said Chezar, who has designed floral arrangements for hundreds of weddings as well as for the White House. She is co-author with Julie Michaels of the new “The Flower Workshop” (Ten Speed Press, March 2016), which has tips on everything from textures and colors to foliage and con-
tainers. It includes step-by-step instructions for more than 45 floral projects. Another impor tant factor in selecting flowers and arrangements is which colors suit the bride, Chezar said in an inter view from her home in upstate New York. “It seems like 90 percent of the blond brides choose pastels and 90 percent of brunettes opt for jewel tones, since people tend to be drawn to the colors they look best in,” Chezar said. But the most crucial element is finding out what flowers are in season in the vicinity of the wedding, said Chezar, who is also a flower grower. “About 80 percent of the flowers used in the U.S. come from abroad, and there’s a real interest now in using locally grown flowers,” she said. “Just as there is a ‘slow food’ movement, there is also a ‘slow flowers’ movement,” she explained, and local or foraged varieties are “ver y much the look du jour pretty much
anywhere you go.” Slowflowers.com is a directory of more than 700 flower growers in ever y state except North Dakota, she said. Debra Prinzing of Seattle, who launched the site two years ago, said: “Farmers who sell to the public are an incredibly useful resource for brides, a real repository of knowledge. And the ethos of local, or at least U.S. sourcing is something brides really want
See Centerpieces, Page 16
A bouquet designed by Debra Prinzing shows a tag sharing details about each flower she included in this arrangement. She wrote the tag for a bride as a way to personalize the connection between celebration flowers and the local farmers who grew each bloom. Photo provided by Debra Prinzing of Slowflowers.com
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Centerpieces
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2016 Summer Bridal Guide
from Page 15 these days.” Farmers know what’s in season, and having a story behind the flowers at your wedding — a sort of provenance — adds to the event, said Prinzing, who adds stationer y tags to centerpieces for local weddings telling where the flowers were grown and what variety they are. “It’s a cultural pivot toward local sourcing for all things. And in terms of the aesthetic, it’s a mindset of looking for all things seasonal and natural,” she said. Chezar says that look can be attained through a generous use of foliage, branches and vines, as opposed to “just stuffing the flowers together tightly. People don’t necessarily think about the foliage, but it’s what breaks up and highlights the flowers and gives them a more natural look.” Containers are also important. “The idea is to let things extend beyond the edge of a vase, to give a sense of movement and direction. Cylindrical vases are the least friendly to this because they are too vertical. Urns or bowls or anything that allows flowers to extend outward is much more wonderful to work with,” Chezar says. Besides flower growers and farmers markets, she said, “another great resource is nurseries. If you don’t want to deal with cut flowers, you can have a mass of pansies in a pot. Nice containers elevate even humble plants to something more elegant, and a plant is almost always cheaper than cut flowers, plus it lasts.” She warned, however, that those trying to make their own wedding centerpieces should think carefully before deciding to do so. “Nobody realizes how much work it takes to do your own flowers,” she said. “Don’t think you can do it the last week. You need to plan way ahead, do some research to get a sense of what’s going to be available when you’ll be needing it, put together an
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TEN SPEED PRESS/via AP
This undated photo provided by Ten Speed Press shows the cover of “The Flower Workshop” by Ariella Chezar. The book has tips on everything from texture to colors to foliage and containers. It includes stepby-step instructions for more than 45 floral projects. idea board of varieties and colors, and practice doing it ahead of the event itself.” For those who do opt for creative homemade arrangements, there are infinite options. “I’ve found wild grapevines contorted in shapes I could never reproduce, fiddlehead ferns unfurling with the day, and spiky chestnuts still green on the tree. Take advantage of generous gifts like these,” Chezar writes in her book. “They are nothing you can plan, but they can make all the difference between an ordinary arrangement and one that turns heads.”
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2016 Summer Bridal Guide
Thursday, June 23, 2016 — 17
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The Winchester Star
Unusual guest books are signs of the time By LISA A. FLAM Associated Press
Alexis and John Roulette don’t have to look far to remember the love that friends and relatives showered upon them on their wedding day. The 7-foot-long sur fboard mounted above their living room couch says it all. In silver Sharpie, guests wrote messages of love, congratulations and advice on the board that the couple used as a guest book at their wedding in Huntington Beach, California, last summer. “It’s a constant reminder of our special day and the love we had around us,” says Alexis Roulette, 30. As weddings have become highly personalized, the guest book, too, has come a long way. What was once a traditional white bound book has become elaborate and creative, often taking the shape of something that reflects the couple’s personalities or wedding theme. “What it’s morphed into is more of a way of delivering messages and notes and keepsakes for the bride and groom, while at the same time it’s become more interactive and creative in its display,” says Darcy Miller, editor at large of Martha Stewart Weddings. Guests might sign a giant wine bottle, a piece of sporting equipment, seashells or stones, maps, artwork, or fabric squares that get stitched together to form a quilt. Miller has seen a vintage typewriter dis-
played for guests to peck out messages, a dictionar y in which guests circled words relevant to the couple, and a globe on which guests signed near places they felt the couple should visit. “If you love to ski, it’s signing vintage skis,” she says. “If you’re into boating and the nautical theme, then it’s a buoy.” Guests might snap an instant photo and leave it behind with a message, to be compiled in a scrapbook. Or a couple might offer a published book for guests to sign, Miller says, such as a book on birds for a nature-inspired event. Because guest books are so individualized, they often become part of the couple’s home. “It becomes personalized decor you live with,” Miller says. “These are no longer things getting stuck in a box and never looked at ever again.” The Roulettes’ surfboard guest book fit the laidback feeling of their beach-themed wedding at Don The Beachcomber. “It’s a really nice piece that I appreciate that we have and can admire,” Roulette says. “I like that we can see it ever y day rather than a book. Any guest book, you normally put it away and won’t see it.” Jane Kernen, a wedding planner with Austin Busy Brides in Texas, specializes in events held in nontraditional venues. Most of her couples shy away from the traditional guest book, she says.
See Guests, Page 19
CHARLI GROEN/Kharisma Photography/Austin Busy Brides via AP
In this Aug. 31, 2014, photo provided by Austin Busy Brides, a bridal couple who are pilots were married in an airport hangar and used a propeller as a wedding guest book. They hung the propeller over the mantel in their home.
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2016 Summer Bridal Guide
from Page 18 And while traditional guest books were often set out in church, her couples tend to display their alternative guest books during cocktails. “Couples want something for people to talk about and an activity during the cocktail hour,” she says. The nontraditional sign-ins also help guests get to know the couple better. Kernan once worked with a pair of pilots who were married in an airplane hangar; they asked guests to sign a propeller that was later hung over their mantel. A couple who married at a botanical garden put out self-addressed, stamped postcards featuring botanical prints, on which guests could write well wishes and marital advice. Such alternatives to guest books can become “a keepsake of something that’s personal to you, but made that much more personal because it’s been touched and signed by people you love,” Miller says. This October 2014 photo shows a 3L size bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon that was used as a guest book for a wedding in Austin, Texas. After the attendees signed the bottle, it was engraved and painted over on the signatures to preserve it. JUSTIN GRIFFIN/Personal Wine via AP
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The Winchester Star
Is it time to tame the bachelorette party? By PAULINA COMBOW Special to The Washington Post
If you’ve been to a bar or restaurant on a weekend, you’ve probably run into a bachelorette party. They’re not hard to spot. Just look for the group of 10 to 12 inebriated women stumbling arm-in-arm like a search party in the woods — except instead of looking for a dead body, they’re tr ying not to leave one behind. They greet each other with shrill squeals of victor y ever y time one of them returns safely to the group from the bathroom. In the center is the bride-to-be, adorned with a veil, sash and accessories resembling a certain part of the male anatomy. What makes bachelorette parties so obnoxious is that they take over any venue they enter. They feed on attention. Bachelorette partiers want you to know they are there. Unsolicited, they will come up and ask you to help them complete a “dare” such as “Sit on a stranger’s lap and give him a kiss” or “Get a stranger to trade shirts with you.” Just do what they say, and they will move on. They want free drinks; they want the DJ to play their song requests.
This tradition of parading around your soon-to-be married girlfriend in phallic paraphernalia is relatively new. It started in the 1980s as a way to rival men’s bachelor parties. Women used to throw each other sophisticated showers with crustless cucumber sandwiches; now we have the same “last night of freedom” that men have. I’ve been to my share of bachelorette parties. I’ve performed karaoke to “Don’t Stop Believin’” with a stage full of tone-deaf gal pals. I’ve finished of f a tray of shots, and danced like a feral woman on sticky bar tops while barely being able to keep my balance. But by the time I turned 30, I thought those days were behind me. Recently, though, when one of my best friends announced she was getting married in Las Vegas, I found myself excitedly planning a secret bachelorette party with a dozen of her closest girlfriends. Even though we’re all north of 30, there was something thrilling about this party we were throwing for our friend who expected nothing. She was having a small ceremony in a Vegas chapel that only held 50 people. She didn’t send out invitations or even register
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for gifts. Since we were unburdened from all the other commitments that normally come with a close friend’s wedding, we were eager to go big on the bachelorette. Chipping in for the party bus, Cirque de Soleil tickets, cases of champagne and decorations seemed like more of a privilege than a burden. We threw our friend the stereotypical modern woman’s bachelorette party without ruining innocent bystanders’ nights in the process. We gave the bride lingerie, played games, did shots and took 10,000 selfies — all without leaving our hotel suite. From there, we walked to a restaurant for dinner. They tucked us away, in our own room where their other customers didn’t have to see or hear us. We had our own server who we made sure was well-compensated for dealing with two dozen drunken women who are so excited their best friend is getting married! The next time you’re part of a bachelorette party, remember: Even though this is an extraordinary night for you and your party, it’s just another night of work for your server, bartender, cab driver. Don’t make them hate you. Yes, they are used to dealing with
drunk, loud and annoying people. But they don’t do it because they’re excited for you, they do it for money. However drunk and obnoxious you are, make sure it’s reflected in their tip. Consider assigning a few designated wranglers, about one per every six women. These should be women who can handle their liquor and will wrangle your guests when they start getting out of hand. Stacy from work is going table to table asking guys to fill up her shot-glass necklace? Lasso that situation immediately. If you decide to include entertainment, make sure it’s something where it’s OK to be rowdy and a part of the show. As a standup comedian, I’ll tell you — it’s our worst nightmare to be informed there’s a bachelorette party in the crowd. They always talk during the show, yell things out and try to be the center of attention. The bachelorette party doesn’t have to ruin ever yone else’s night. We can share spaces peacefully, as bachelorette parties and noncombatants alike. And if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. The next time you’re out with friends and a bachelorette party walks in, ask them for one of those dirty dare cards and get in on the fun.
The Winchester Star
2016 Summer Bridal Guide
Thursday, June 23, 2016 — 21
Tips on choosing, working with your photographer By JONATHAN ELDERFIELD Associated Press
Your wedding is fast approaching and you have an un-blissfully long to-do list, from finalizing your flower selection to choosing your menu to deciding on your dress. Near the top of that list you might want to put “select photographer.” That way, one of the most important parts of your wedding — the memories — will be preserved. Think about booking your photographer soon after you have selected your venue, and make sure he or she is a good fit with your personality. As a photographer with more than 25 years of experience, including more than 50 weddings, I know the importance of selecting the right person. Not only will you be spending your entire day together, but the resulting photos will influence how you remember your wedding. Look at potential photographers’ electronic portfolios, pricing and availability, and plan to meet several candidates to gauge their sensibility. Below are five tips on choosing and working with a wedding photographer:
1. Look for depth Ask to see a complete portfolio from beginning to end for at least one or two weddings. You don’t want to see only a few “best” photos. “It’s easy to show a bunch of terrific single images taken at many weddings,” says Radhika Chalasani, “but a great wedding photographer has to capture an entire wedding beautifully from start to finish.” The New York-based Chalasani has been photographing weddings since 2004. Looking at portfolios will ensure that the photographer wasn’t just an assistant or a guest with a camera. You can see how the photographer handles all parts of the wedding, including the preparations, ceremony, cocktails, portraits, speeches, dancing and cake-cutting.
2. Get a contract A wedding photographer without a contract (and without liability insurance) is likely not a professional. The contract should spell out what the photog-
See Photographer, Page 22
JONATHAN ELDERFIELD/Jonathan Elderfield Photography via AP
Bicia Milioto and Nick Trivigno celebrate their marriage just moments after the wedding ceremony at The Liberty House in Jersey City, N.J.
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pher who exudes energy. On the other hand, if you want a subtle documentar y photographer who will capture impor tant moments without being intrusive, go for someone who won’t talk loudly over you when you first meet, and who seems cool and composed. The right photographer, says Warga, is someone who leaves you thinking, “it’d be nice to have that person as a guest at my wedding.”
from Page 21 rapher will provide, and whether the pictures will be on DVDs, an online gallery, a finished album, etc. It will include the hours worked, and what happens if you ask the photographer to work longer. In addition, you want to know how things will be handled if the photographer becomes unable to work on the wedding day due to illness or injur y. He or she should have a back-up. The contract also should spell out the cost, the amount of any deposit and when the balance must be paid. Small, casual weddings might not seem to require a contact, but having one will protect both you and the photographer.
3. Don’t be shy about what you want “There’s no harm in being specific,” says Chicago wedding photographer Candice C. Cusic, a photojournalist for 15 years and a teacher at Northwestern University. Tell the photographer what the most important aspects of the day are to you, whether it’s exchanging rings or walking down the aisle. “Brides should be realistic about their day and make every possible effort to help their photographer capture great imagery,” Cusic says. A bride or groom getting ready inside a messy hotel room, for instance, will not make for strong pictures, she notes.
4. Make sure your personalities jib Other than your significant other, the
The Winchester Star
5. Sweat some details
When you hire a photographer, be sure to tell him or her what the most important aspects of the day are to you, whether it’s exchanging rings or walking down the aisle. person with whom you’ll spend the most time on your wedding day might well be your photographer. He or she will be with you as you get ready and as you go through the emotional highs of the day. The photographer might guide you and your family through a portrait session, walk backward as you process up the aisle, and hang close by during your first dance. So this person’s personality — sense of humor, demeanor, even appearance — should be a good fit with both of you. Craig Warga, a New York-based wedding photographer, says “good photography happens when you can get close to your sub-
jects, and they feel completely comfortable being natural and themselves in front of your lens. If you don’t like someone, you’re not going to have that level of comfort in front of them, and it will affect the pictures.” If you like a sassy personality who will add some color to your day, then by all means hire a vibrant, outgoing photogra-
Ask if the photographer has a full set of equipment: multiple bodies and lenses with back-ups. Will he or she be working with an assistant or second photographer? If so, what is the additional cost and does that person need to be there all day? If your venue will be dark, can the photographer handle it? Is the photographer able to work in adverse conditions such as rain? Finally, make provisions for your photographer to eat; it’s hard to be “on” for eight to 10 hours straight. A 15-minute meal break might just be the best thing you do for the photographer.
The Winchester Star
Thursday, June 23, 2016 — 23
2016 Summer Bridal Guide
Brides embracing the bare-midriff , jumpsuit trends BY LEANNE ITALIE Associated Press
NEW YORK — Andie Potamkin Blackmore’s approach to life is creative and non-traditional, so why should her wedding “gown” have been any different? The 27-year-old gallery space co-owner, art dealer and fashion lover married hair stylist Jordan Blackmore last November in an outdoor ceremony at the Utah desert resort Amangiri. The Williamsburg, Brooklyn, couple loved the location, and the bride wanted her outfit to reflect the sandy, arid landscape as well as her personality. She wore a tiny bra top with a skirt she had a designer make using loose tubes of chif fon in gradient colors, from creamy white to peach and blush, with touches of gold and a train. Underneath, she wore cowboy boots. “It seamlessly transitioned into the des-
ert. I wanted it to look like I was growing out of the deser t,” Potamkin Blackmore laughed. “I wanted to look like a really cool, weird, desert, alien princess.” Her desires played right into a trend that has been building for several years: the anything-goes bride who chooses to bare a little midriff in two pieces or rock her wedding in a jumpsuit or menswear-inspired tuxedo look done in bridal white, ivory, Champagne or equally soft wedding tones. “It’s definitely something in the air,” said Jane Keltner de Valle, Glamour’s fashion news director. “In general, when you’re getting married, you’re typically in the best shape of your life. You’re working out like crazy. A lot of brides feel like they want to show off those hardearned abs.” There’s no danger that two-piece looks will topple more traditional gowns in popu-
See Jumpsuits, Page 24
ELIZABETH VIGGIANO/via AP
Sara Cody Lanard and Jeff Lanard renewed their wedding vows in a ceremony on the campus of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. The bride wore a jumpsuit from Anthropologie’s wedding collection, BHLDN. She is among the brides looking to personalize their walks down the aisle by wearing non-traditional jumpsuits.
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24 — Thursday, June 23, 2016
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2016 Summer Bridal Guide
Jumpsuits
from Page 23
AP PHOTO/Luca Bruno, File
ABOVE: In this Sept. 29, 2014, file photo, George Clooney, with his wife Amal Alamuddin, arrives at the Cavalli Palace for a civil marriage ceremony in Venice, Italy. Alamuddin wore a white, short-sleeve, two-piece trouser suit with black accents when she wed Clooney. More brides are choosing non-traditional looks such as suits, jumpsuits and midriff-baring skirt outfits in white or blush tones to reflect their personal style. LEFT: This April 18, 2016, photo shows a white suit from Christian Siriano’s bridal collection. AP PHOTO/Bebeto Matthews
larity any time soon. According to a 2015 survey of brides who used the wedding resource site TheKnot.com, fit-and-flare dresses, also known as mermaid or trumpet styles, were most popular, with 40 percent, while just 1 percent said they picked two-piece outfits. When it comes to baring midriff, bridal trendsetter Vera Wang is on board for brides who know they’ll feel good wearing them. “I think anyone can wear it if she feels confident, but I do say that it’s very important to have it cut properly,” she said in a February interview during New York Fashion Week. The same goes for jumpsuits, the flipside of showing off the abs but also a trendy alternative to traditional bridal dressing. Sara Cody Lanard, 28, in Boston wore a flowy white jumpsuit last October from Anthropologie’s wedding collection, BHLDN, for her vow-renewal ceremony and party a year after getting hitched in a short dress during a civil ceremony. She and her groom, Jeff Lanard, chose as their venue the building where they met, the campus center at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
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We wanted it to be fun and lighthearted. A gown felt too over the top. — Sara Cody Lanard who wore a flowy white jumpsuit as her wedding “gown”
“I wanted to feel like a bride, but not so bridal,” she said. “We wanted it to be fun and lighthearted. A gown felt too over the top.” With brides celebrating in more than one outfit — one for the ceremony, one for the reception, for example — those who might feel uneasy about trousers, jumpsuits or bare midriffs walking down the aisle have plenty of other opportunities to wear those looks. “The two-piece trend is definitely something that is catching on, and it doesn’t have to be scandalous,” said Shelley Brown, associate fashion and beauty editor at The Knot.
See Jumpsuits, Page 25
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Thursday, June 23, 2016 — 25
Wedding invitations ask for honeymoon cash By JOSEPH PISANI AP Business Writer
NEW YORK — Before they say “I do,” soonto-be newlyweds are increasingly going online to ask, “Will you pay for our honeymoon?” Crowdfunding websites such as Honeyfund, GoFundMe and Honeymoon Wishes make it easy to raise cash from family and friends for a post-wedding getaway. The sites charge fees for their ser vices — as much as 10 percent of the total collected — but people are warming up to the idea, despite the cost. As couples increasingly live together first and marry later, they already have toasters and towels, so traditional gift registries don’t make as much sense. Honeymoon registries also provide a polite way of hinting to guests to give money instead, without breaking wedding etiquette. “I didn’t feel right saying, ‘Hey, give me cash,’” says Nicole DePinto, who raised $2,900 on GoFundMe for an Icelandic honeymoon with her husband Anthony in December. Sites that help couples raise cash for honeymoons have seen their popularity soar recently. Honeyfund users, for example, raised
Jumpsuits
Crowdfunding websites such as Honeyfund, GoFundMe and Honeymoon Wishes make it easy to raise cash from family and friends for a post-wedding getaway. $90 million last year, a 50 percent jump from the year before, says co-founder and CEO Sara Margulis. Last year, 22 percent of people using the Knot, a wedding planning site, said they also used honeymoon registries, according to a survey of 6,500 customers. That’s the same as the year before, but up from 17 percent in 2013 and 13 percent in 2012. The DePintos even crowdsourced the destination of their honeymoon, asking the 100 guests at their travel-themed October wedding reception to vote on Greece, Iceland or Japan. The save-the-dates came on postcards and the party favors were luggage tags. “We did everything outside of the box,” she said. They loved the natural beauty of the icy island in winter, and besides: “They’re all places we wanted to go eventually.” Most guests gave the couple cash-stuffed
from Page 24 “Brides more and more want to feel that their weddings are personalized and reflect their style.” More bridal designers are offering twopiece options, along with jumpsuits, she said. Keltner de Valle urged brides to be sure before committing to either style. “If you aren’t confident about your stomach, you’re going to be shifting around or self-conscious about it all night. Another important thing to keep in mind is setting. If you’re getting married in a traditional church ceremony, perhaps wearing a crop top might not be the most appropriate thing,” she said.
Showing just a sliver of skin instead of a lot is a safe choice, Keltner de Valle said. “Another thing to keep in mind is that you’re going to be photographed all night from every angle, so you want to make sure that it’s flattering in different situations — when you sit down, when you’re dancing, when you’re leaning over to cut the cake.” Getting more use for the dollar is another consideration. “A white ball gown is pretty much a oneuse-only type of thing, whereas a white jumpsuit is something you could totally wear again and again,” Keltner de Valle said. She suggested staying close to traditional tones. “You don’t want to push the envelope on everything all at once,” she said.
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envelopes at the wedding, but the 14 donations they got online covered their hotel and airline tickets, even after GoFundMe kept more than $230 in fees. The Union City, New Jersey, couple also had a registr y at Target, but asked for just a few things there since they had lived together for three years. “In that time we’ve acquired tons of pots, plates, towels, throw pillows and bedding,” they explained on their GoFundMe page. Asking for cash in the invitation is a wedding faux pas, says Kristen Maxwell Cooper, deputy editor at The Knot. But passing around a link to a honeymoon registr y works, because couples can explain to guests exactly where the money will be spent, she says. Couples have a few options to turn to. Crowdfunding site GoFundMe has collected $2 billion to date for all sorts of personal campaigns, raising money for medical emergencies, crime victims and other lo-
cal causes. But the site does have a weddings and honeymoons section where users have raised $4 million since GoFundMe was launched six years ago, says media director Kelsea Little. Anyone can see a GoFundMe campaign, but don’t expect strangers to hand over cash — only friends and family will likely donate, says Little. “It’s a common misconception,” she says. Honeyfund, meanwhile, is more focused on honeymoons. Couples can list exactly what the cash will pay for, from hotel rooms to sightseeing tours to massages. Major resorts and cruise lines are jumping in, using Honeymoon Wishes to power honeymoon registries built into their sites. At Carnival Cruise Line, for example, couples can ask wedding guests to pay for scuba diving excursions or horseback rides. The money goes straight to Carnival and couples can redeem the gifts on board, says Nancy Williams, the business development director at Honeymoon Wishes. Couples can also go to Honeymoon Wishes and build their own honeymoon, without being attached to a certain resort. “It’s now socially acceptable,” says Williams.
26 — Thursday, June 23, 2016
2016 Summer Bridal Guide
The Winchester Star
Summer-camp weddings offer mix of nostalgia and outdoor adventure By TRACEE M. HERBAUGH Associated Press
Hiking boots, bug spray, long underwear — not your typical packing list for a wedding. Unless it’s a summer-camp wedding, a hot new twist on the destination wedding. Such nuptials are increasingly popular, wedding planners say, and offer a mix of nostalgia and adventure. “I was never that girl who grew up dreaming about her wedding dress, about her wedding day,” said Lorelle Binder, who got married last year at Camp Highlander in Horse Shoe, North Carolina. Instead of engaging in the quintessential hotel or ballroom revelry, Binder’s guests spent the weekend doing traditional camp activities, including a color war. “Everyone there was able to relive their childhood, and that was something we could give to our guests,” Binder said. This September 2015 photo provided by Mandee Morgan shows guests of Mandee and Thor Morgan waiting their turn on a zip line platform during the wedding reception at Camp Highlander in Horse Shoe, N.C. AMY MARTIN PHOTOGRAPHY Mandee Morgan via AP
There are many reasons for the summer-camp wedding, but couples often choose it because they love the outdoors. “It’s one of the newer trends, and I don’t think it’s going anywhere,” said Tonia Adleta, a Philadelphia wedding planner. Destination weddings accounted for 1 out of every 4 nuptial ceremonies, according to a 2014 report from The Knot, which studies industr y trends. Summer-camp weddings can capture the same appeal as a far-flung destination, but in a low-key and often lowcost way. “What happens is that the wedding weekend turns into a family reunion, or it’s a time for the families from both sides to really get to know each other,” said Drew Taylor, who co-owns the 120-acre Kingsley Pines Camp in Raymond, Maine. Taylor said the camp has hosted about 10 weddings a year in recent years, and the
See Summer camps, Page 27
AMY MARTIN PHOTOGRAPHY/Mandee Morgan via AP)
This September 2015 photo provided by Mandee Morgan shows Mandee and Thor Morgan during their wedding reception at Camp Highlander in Horse Shoe, N.C. The couple met while they were working at the camp.
The Winchester Star
Thursday, June 23, 2016 — 27
2016 Summer Bridal Guide
Summer camps from Page 26 number has been growing. Extended families typically “come in on Friday and stay all weekend,” she said. “Their meals and activities are provided.” David Blacker, who got married in 2009 at a camp called Club Getaway in Kent, Connecticut, said he saved money: “The cabin was a fraction of the price a hotel would have been.” Mandee and Thor Morgan, who now live in Denver, met while working as counselors at Camp Highlander. They got married at the camp for sentimental reasons, and also because it let them incorporate their outdoorsy lifestyle into the big day. “The biggest draw for us was that it wouldn’t be a quick night when we wouldn’t get to see anyone for more than a couple seconds,” Thor Morgan said. “It was a long weekend where people could do activities they had never done before and all in an outdoors setting.” A summer camp also can offer some relief from the typical pre-wedding frenzy. “What camp allowed us to do was to forget about the little tiny details, such as the table settings, signs, lighting, and focus more on our friends, family and the beau-
RYAN SCHIAVO/Alison Bartolone via AP
This 2013 photo provided by Alison Bartolone shows bride Bartolone on her wedding day in Conneaut, Ohio. Alison and her husband Sam Bartolone were married at Sheldon Calvary Camp. Summer-camp weddings are a hot new twist on the destination wedding.
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What camp allowed us to do was to forget about the little tiny details, such as the table settings, signs, lighting, and focus more on our friends, family and the beauty of Maine. — Emily Tong, who got married at Camp-O-At-Ka in Sebago, Maine
ty of Maine,” said Emily Tong, who married Cory Elowe in 2014 at Camp-O-At-Ka in Sebago, Maine. Of course, camp weddings aren’t for everyone. Bad weather can cast a pall, especially if you insist on wearing stiletto heels through the mud. “If you’re the type of couple that wants to be at the Ritz or the Four Seasons, a camp wedding is definitely not going to work for you,” said Adleta. “It’s a completely different animal.”
28 — Thursday, June 23, 2016
2016 Summer Bridal Guide
The Winchester Star