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WEDDINGS
2 | Saturday, June 26, 2010
New Britain Herald | The Bristol Press
Something old, something new in the wedding trends of 2010 By JAKE RESETARITS CORRESPONDENT
Warm weather means the start of wedding season, and a lot of new trends are springing up this year that are changing some of the more traditional aspects of the wedding ceremony. Angelo Colella, who has run Formalware by Debonaire at 705 Farmington Avenue in New Britain for 40 years, says men this year are favoring the “classic” single-breasted black tuxedo with two buttons. However, long ties have replaced bowties as the neckwear of choice, and more relaxed shirts are favored over fancier, wing-tip ones. “It’s what Obama wears,” Colella said, explaining his reasoning for the emergence of this relaxed style of tuxedo. Bridal gowns have not differed in style much, but Sandra Giangrave of Beautiful Bride Boutique at 322 East Street in Plainville says she’s noticed this year that women tend to be shying away from beaded dresses that were popular in years past. Barbara Stasiak of Bridal Bells Boutique at 114 Mill Street in Berlin said that fitted gowns continued to be popular, and also that
Mothers of the bride or groom are nor longer wearing matronly gowns.
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Mill Street in Berlin, lime green has become an increasingly popular color for flowers. This bright color is typically favored by younger brides who want to add some color to their ceremony. The size of weddings has decreased according to retailers, with wedding parties shrunk from nine or ten in years past to around five or six now. Many believe that this is an effect of the recession, and that large weddings are just not something people are able to afford anymore. One thing people have been shelling out for, though, is dance lessons. Recently, men have decided to do something about their lack of rhythm to make sure that their first dance goes smoothly. These lessons range from once a week for as little as four weeks to full-blown choreographers who will plan out every move of your first dance as a married couple. Amid all this change, the time for weddings has remained constant. Mike Orazzi | Staff The span from May to October A mother-of-the-bride gown on display at Beautiful Bride Boutique at 322 remains the most popular time of East St. in Plainville. the year for tying the knot.
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gowns with a “bubble” at the bottom were especially big this year. She also said that brides have become much more conscious of how much they spend on a dress, which is a change from even two years ago. Women tend to spend $800-$900 on a dress as opposed to the $2000 that was once customary. The higher end dresses no longer sell well and are worn by very few brides. However, Stasiak says the biggest change she’s seen this year has nothing to do with brides or grooms, but rather the woman who raised them. “A lot of mothers of the bride or groom are younger than they have been in the past,” says Stasiak, “and that means that a lot of them are forgoing the more matronly gowns that mothers used to wear.” Instead, she says, they’re wearing fitted, strapless dresses that were formerly only for bridesmaids. As far as flowers are concerned, lilies and hydrangeas are popular this year. According to Sharon Elizabeth’s Floral Designs at 202
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Q: Is it a bad idea to post pictures of my engagement ring on Facebook? A: It may look like you’re showing off, but let’s face it: Your friends will want to see pictures of your ring! For most, the easiest way to share something like that is on Facebook or Twitter. If you feel weird about it, don’t do it — or at least change your privacy settings so only your inner circle can check it out, and not all 400 of your friends, ex-boyfriends and hookups. Carley Roney, co-founder and editor in chief of The Knot, www.theknot.com
WEDDINGS
New Britain Herald| The Bristol Press
Saturday, June 26, 2010 | 3
And now, touch-screen gown shopping By CAROLYNE ZINKO SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
Oh, the agony of shopping for a bridal gown. Magazine pictures can’t tell you how the dress will move while you’re wearing it. And who wants to spend hours going snow-blind, looking at racks of white dresses on hangers, then trying them on only to find you don’t like how they look? Bridalwear retailer Priscilla of Boston has teamed with Hewlett-Packard Co. for a 21stcentury approach to shopping: TouchSmart screens that show shoppers pictures of models in the gowns, and with the touch of a finger, videos of those models walking a runway.
Brides and bridesmaids start by selecting qualities they want in a dress, using categories such as neckline, silhouette, fabric, price and brand. Neckline options alone include off-the-shoulder, V-neck, strapless, tank, spaghetti strap, oneshoulder and sweetheart. Fabric choices include net/tulle, shantung, chiffon, organza, georgette, satin and so on. The criteria selected by the shopper are cross-referenced against the store’s 250 dress options, with the matches pulled up on a video screen. Bridesmaids have the added benefit of seeing any dress in more than a dozen colors. Priscilla of Boston in San Jose, Calif., is the chain’s first store on the West Coast to offer the technology, which has cut the
‘We want to be efficient instead of spending hours looking at dresses.’
Mike Orazzi | Staff
A wedding gown on display at Beautiful Bride Boutique at 322 East Street in Plainville.
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duration of appointments by about 30 minutes on average, store officials say. “Our brides are busy -- they’re coming on lunch breaks, after work or making before-hours appointments,� said Krista Neighbours, manager of the bridal salon. “On weekends, we have moms flying in from out of town. We want to be efficient instead of spending hours looking at dresses.�
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WEDDINGS
4 | Saturday, June 26, 2010
New Britain Herald | The Bristol Press
Wedding season mantra: Till prenup do us part
By DAVE CARPENTER ,ASSOCIATED PRESS
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CHICAGO — You’re young, you’re in love, you trust each other. No need for a prenuptial agreement before you tie the knot, right? Not so fast, you with the rosecolored glasses. As wedding season gears up, it may be time for some unsentimental planning before you walk down the aisle. Demand for prenups is increasing nationwide as more people become aware that they’re not just for the rich and famous. Roughly 40 percent of marriages fail, after all, so there’s nothing disloyal or cold-hearted about preparing for contingencies. “If close to half of all marriages are going to end in divorce, it makes sense to plan for it,” says Marlene Eskind Moses, president of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. A prenuptial agreement is simply a legal document that describes how property and assets brought into and acquired during a marriage will be treated if there’s a divorce. It isn’t essential for everyone. A couple entering a first marriage with few assets, debts or other extenuating circumstances can generally forego the expense. With two lawyers recommended
I S P L AN
Wedding rings lay on a tray during a wedding ceremony in Germany.
— one for each person — even an uncomplicated prenup can run $2,000 to $3,000 or more. The cost goes a long way toward explaining why still only 3 percent to 5 percent of married couples have prenups. They are most popular with baby boomers in the 40-to-60 age range, who have more money and can afford to pay for adequate protection. Yet it can pay off in the long run. “It has the potential to save a tremendous amount of legal fees” in the event of divorce, says Robert Maloney, a financial planner in Holderness, N.H. While awareness of prenups has grown because of high-profile celebrity divorces, it remains the touchiest of subjects for couples to discuss. If one partner mentions a
AP
prenup, the other’s reaction is inevitably “You don’t love me!”, says Carol Ann Wilson, a financial adviser specializing in divorce in Longmont, Colo. People need to view it as a routine part of the business of getting married, she says, along with planning for budgets, spending and children. “It’s just a piece of paper that sits in a drawer and protects them in case they don’t have a happy marriage,” Wilson says. To broach the subject in a nonconfrontational way, one partner might propose scheduling a financial discussion for, say, 7 to 9 p.m. one evening, followed by a romantic date afterward. The business chat can include talk about what kind of budget they’re going to have, whether they need separate checking accounts, savings goals, spending limits and,
yes, a prenup. So who really must have one? Here are seven situations in which a prenup is advisable: ■ When significant assets are involved, such as a home, stock or retirement funds. Both sides need protection from the consequences of any breakdown of the marriage in this instance. ■ When there are children from previous marriages. Any time children are involved, there’s an extra incentive to protect their interests. Most states will give the surviving spouse up to half of an estate, leaving the children no say. That could be at least partially avoided by using a prenup. ■ When one partner owns all or part of a business. In a breakup, the attorney for the other partner will likely go after a share of the “family”
business. ■ When one partner is much wealthier than the other. A one-sided money situation can easily be cause for jealousy or, later, legal dispute. ■ When one spouse-to-be is much older. The older partner may not be able to recover to provide for his or her retirement if assets are split 50-50. ■ When one partner will be supporting the other while he or she pursues a degree. A $100,000 debt for grad school could easily outlast the marriage. ■ When an inheritance is expected. Even without big money involved, some see a prenup as critical for any marriage that’s not the first for either side. “In any second or third marriage, I believe it should be required,” Maloney says.
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WEDDINGS
New Britain Herald| The Bristol Press
Saturday, June 26, 2010 | 5
Cake, crickets and other foods bring good luck to couples Brides and grooms hoping to add some good fortune to their marriages have some interesting options when planning a wedding feast. Many cultures around the globe have identified foods for newlyweds that supposedly will bring good luck, fertility or other blessings. The foods range from fried crickets to candied almonds to fish. Attaching symbolism to food is a common practice throughout the world, said Amy Bentley, associate professor of food studies at New York University. “All rituals and holidays and celebrations involve food,” she said. “This is somewhat universal.” In Mexico, brides and grooms sometimes dine on fried crickets, lentil soup, and a bean, rice and agave dish, said Beatriz Mejia, director of celebrations at One and Only Palmilla resort in Los Cabos, Mexico. The crickets and the rice dish are said to bring fertility and good luck, and the soup is associated with good luck and good fortune, she said. The resort has seen growing interest from couples outside of Mexico in the foods and traditions of the region, she said. “Couples today are seeking a more personalized and authentic experience when they host a destination wedding that is reflected in both the food and venue,” she said. Brides and grooms discussing their celebrations on the wedding website TheKnot.com also seem more interested than before in incorporating traditional elements into their plans, said Rebecca Dolgin, an executive editor for the site. “Couples reaching into their own culture is more popular now,” she said. “Incorporating culture is creating a buzz on the message boards.” Often, foods are considered lucky because of shape, color or taste, Dolgin explained. Italians serve almonds at weddings because their bittersweet taste represents life, she said. The almonds are sugarcoated to wish the couple more sweetness than bitterness.
Common at a Chinese wedding is whole fish, because the Chinese word for fish sounds similar to the word for abundance, Dolgin said. “The Chinese also believe that eating spring rolls will bring wealth and prosperity,” she said. “Due to its color and size, it is also thought to resemble gold bars.” Moroccan couples also eat fish because it’s an ancient symbol of fertility, she said. Fish appears on the menu at many weddings, added Pam Frese, a professor of anthropology at the College of Wooster in Ohio. Fish and other white meats, such as turkey and chicken, are common wedding foods because of old beliefs that women had whiter blood than men, she said. White meats were thought to strengthen women’s blood, so they were served at weddings to energize the bride. “It was extra strength to her on her wedding night so she can become a mother,” Frese said. In Caribbean countries, special attention is paid to the groom’s sexual performance on the wedding night, said Caitlin Austin, a spokeswoman for Grace Bay Club in the Turks and Caicos. Grooms are encouraged to eat the pistil of a conch “to increase their drive,” she said. “The conch’s pistil is viewed by locals as nature’s Viagra.” Conch meat also is commonly served to wedding guests because islanders believe it’s an aphrodisiac, she said. Wedding cake, one of the oldest
elements of a wedding banquet, also has connections to luck and fertility. “The traditionally accepted practice is for the bride to have the first bite; otherwise, she’d be childless and barren,” Dolgin said. Early English cakes were fruit cakes, and brides used to count the number of raisins in their piece of cake to see how many children they would bear, Frese said. “The cake has power,” she said. “It promises reproductivity.” Wedding cakes changed in texture and appearance in the 1920s, when lighter cakes with fluffy, creamy frosting became more popular. But the symbolism remained, Dolgin said. The white cake represented the bride’s purity. The decorations of flowers and other signs of spring are meant to represent birth and new life, she said. “It’s this little bubble of nature in the middle of a wedding,” Frese said. “It’s the promise of fertility that’s embedded in spring.”
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These undated photos provided by One&Only Resorts showOne&Only Palmilla in Los Cabos, Mexico. Brides and grooms hoping to add some good fortune to their marriages have some interesting options to consider when planning a wedding feast.
Maynard’s Bridal Corner
003729
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
126957
By MELISSA KOSSLER DUTTON
WEDDINGS
6 | Saturday, June 26, 2010
ASK CARLEY Don’t pick all bridesmaids two years out
Q: Our wedding isn’t for two years. Is it too soon to ask people to be a part of the bridal party, or is it the sooner the better? A: It’s not too soon to ask your sister or your best friend since third grade. But that co-worker — the one you’re kind of close with, but not really? Better to hold off on that one until no more than a year before. Then you’ll have a clearer idea of whom you want to stand up for you. Plus, you may end up wanting fewer bridesmaids once you plan your budget. For creative ways to ask your bridesmaids, go to TheKnot.com/ bridesmaids.
Consider having an unhosted after-party
Q: Do we have to host an after-party, or can it be pay-your-own-way at a bar near our hotel? A: Un-hosted after-parties are actually more common than ones paid for by the couple. Just make sure everyone knows where to go -and that it’s on their own tab. Get creative and make a sign to put by the exit (it can say “Join us for drinks at Star Bar in the hotel. Cocktails are only $15!”) or just have your DJ announce it toward the end of the night. For more planning tips, go to TheKnot.com/planning. Carley Roney is co-founder and editor in chief of The Knot, www.theknot. com “What greater thing is there for two human souls than to feel that they are joined together to strengthen each other in all labor, to minister to each other in all sorrow, to share with each other in all gladness, to be one with each other in the silent unspoken memories?” George Eliot
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New Britain Herald | The Bristol Press
The bridal ‘do’ for the big day By SAMANTHA CRITCHELL ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK — Maybe that first call a bride-to-be makes after finding her fairy-tale wedding gown shouldn’t be to her mother. Maybe it should be to her hairdresser. The process for perfect tresses can take six months, says stylist Ted Gibson. “Six months means you can do whatever you want. You can grow it, cut it, grow it out again if you don’t like it,” he says. But, he adds, there’s no point in having the hair conversation with your stylist until the dress is selected. The neckline matters most, but so does the overall silhouette, as well as the formality of the gown, explains Gibson, who has namesake salons in Manhattan and Washington. Giovanni Giuntoli of Redken says he also likes to get in on the selection of the veil or other head piece. “A busy dress, you want simple hair. A simple dress, you want more dramatic hair,” says Prive founder Laurent Dufourg. “You want to complement the mood, but be opposite too. An elegant dress should have elegant hair, and a sexy dress, sexy hair.” Dufourg says brides certainly should step up their look, but never stray from what they feel comfortable with. They’re the ones, after all, who have to live with the photos for many years. The Associated Press asked Gibson, hair guru of TLC’s “What Not to Wear,” Giuntoli, known as Redken’s bridal expert, and celebrity stylist Dufourg to suggest specific
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hairstyles based on three specific gowns from the new spring 2011 collections. ■ Dufourg on St. Pucchi’s elaborate, frothy strapless gown with tiers of tulle and a bouquet of fabric roses and ribbons on the back at the waist: “This is an amazing dress,” he says. “You can wear your hair up or all back. The perfect look for this dress is to slick the hair back and do a beautiful braid on the side, maybe you could even put flowers in the braid.” That braid is a very youthful look, he adds. An alternative would be to wear a neat, high chignon — like a ballerina bun. He suggests that only brides with very thin, oily hair wash their hair on the day of the wedding. For everyone else, the hair will be smoother and stay in place better if it’s shampooed the day before. ■ Gibson on Oscar de la Renta’s sweetheart-neck, corset-bodice gown with a flared, embroidered skirt: This dress begs for the bride to show off her decollete, shoulders and the back of her neck.
That bareness, Gibson says, is feminine and sexy but still elegant and respectful. A relaxed ponytail with sideswept bangs would work for long or even medium-length hair; it’s OK if there are a few pieces hanging down — that just adds to the romantic look, he says. What you don’t want are tight “sausage” curls, he adds: “Sausage curls over your head — which women somehow think is fine for formal occasions — are never appropriate for a bride.” 3. Giuntoli on Reem Acra’s highneck, slim, draped gown with the bodice swathed in tulle and decorated at the bustline with fabric petals and a small black bow: This dress can take a statement hairstyle, says Giuntoli. “This dress is interesting enough to allow the bride and the hairstylist to be a little more boastful with their styling choices.” He’d also go for an updo, but it would be voluminous, not sleek. The bow on the dress also could be a starting point, incorporating a similar ribbon, or at least ribbon of a similar color, into the hair.
WEDDINGS
New Britain Herald| The Bristol Press
Saturday, June 26, 2010 | 7
The pressure is on for grooms with two left feet her toes or something.” Then take private instruction to Dance lessons helped calm work on a specific routine or dance. Jeremy Gorelick, 30, when he got Jackie Horner, who was Gorelick’s married in April at Johns Hopkins instructor, often teaches whole wedUniversity, where he met his wife. ding parties how to dance. While He has always women, too, can enjoyed dancbe dance-chaling in clubs, but lenged, men are slow dancing was often more ner“THE worry of vous because they the wedding for must also learn both of us.” how to lead, she They took lessaid. sons together, but “I say to them, he often practiced CRISTA THARP dancing is just on his own with wedding planned walking to music,” a broom. That, Horner said. “I Gorelick said, was have them walk a misstep because it wasn’t at all around the room for me to just like leading his bride on the dance feel the music a little bit, because floor. there are men who do not have any “A broom will do whatever you rhythm at all. Usually it’s a little do, so it was actually an exercise in easier than they thought.” futility and probably did more damGorelick said beginners should age,” said Gorelick, of New York advocate for a short song. He and City and White Sulphur Springs, his wife chose “The Way I Am” N.Y. by Ingrid Michaelson after their Start taking lessons well in instructor steered them away from advance of the big day to make your a longer tune, “based on the fact movements more instinctive and that I seemed so tense. She didn’t less dependent on shaky, short-term want me to be out there for an memory, instructors recommend. eternity, which is sort of what it Beginning at least six months ahead felt like.” of a wedding is ideal, but six weeks James Joseph, who wrote the would suffice, so long as at least four book “Every Man’s Survival Guide lessons are involved. to Ballroom Dancing” (BlueChip, Start with group lessons, many 2010), said taking lessons is fine if suggest, to get comfortable on a couples have the time, money and dance floor and boost confidence. inclination. For those in dance-floor
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Looking silly — or worse — during the first dance as a married couple rates way up there on the scale of wedding stress for grooms who are terrified of anything fancier than the high school prom sway. “It’s not Emily Post’s dance anymore,” said Crista Tharp, a wedding planner in Kokomo, Ind. “Some are doing rap, hip-hop, break dancing in little snippets. Most grooms would probably nix the dance, but they’re not given that option.” For those who can’t dance — but will be singled out by cameras and watching guests — setting a clear goal is a good place to begin, dance instructors suggest. Are you merely looking to survive with a few basic steps, or are you going all-in with dance sequences put together with help from an instructor or a wedding choreographer? Groom-to-be Jerry Karran, 28, a video editor in New York City, decided on regular lessons at a dance studio ahead of his wedding in July with 400 invited guests. He tried watching instructional videos online, but they left him confused. “I’m very nervous,” he said. “I’m not nervous about anything else concerning the wedding but that. I can’t dance, like, at all. Everybody’s looking at you. I don’t want to look stupid messing up, or stepping on
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survival mode, try embellishing the basic side step with a simple change of footwork, a slow rotation or some underarm turns. “If anyone asks, tell them it’s a foxtrot,” he said. Change steps when the music changes, from verse to chorus, for instance, to avoid getting lost. Making four or five changes, with a dip in the middle and at the end, can look more difficult than it really is. Working with a choreographer, Joseph said, may be more trouble than it’s worth. “If you work with a teacher, there’s a temptation to add choreography that you might not be able to handle,” he said. “Don’t get in over your head.” Practicing in wedding clothes, including shoes, also helps lessen anxiety, said Joseph, a former twoleft-footer who lives in Jackson Hole, Wyo. Videotape a practice session to see what needs work — and practice, practice, practice. Grooms aren’t the only front-andcenter wedding participants who may be jittery about big dances. In 2006, at age 62, bawdy TV personality Jerry Springer brought tears to the set of “Dancing with the Stars” with an on-air kiss for his daughter Katie after a waltz he learned so he could dance at her wedding that December. “I’ve never really danced,”
AP
Michael Drazin, left, and Shelley Kapitulik take a dance lesson in preparation for their June wedding at the Arthur Murray Dance Studios in Greenwich.
Springer, now 66, said in an interview. “So the night of the wedding, it’s time for the big father-daughter dance. In the middle of it, Katie looks up at me and says, ‘Dad, nobody can see our feet.’ They were covered by her big gown. My advice to dads unsure if they can dance for their daughter’s wedding is to make sure they have a big gown. Then you can get by doing anything.”
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DANCE LESSONS US Dance Club 38 New Britain Ave. Rocky Hill, CT (860) 529-2888 usdc@um.att.com http://usdance.tripod.com
DISC JOCKEYS A-Sharp Wedding Disc Jockeys of CT, LLC
(860) 673-3578 Cell: (860) 558-4505 juliawalas@msn.com Member of the Justice of the Peace Association
Chancey Joy Delaney
229 Stony Mill Lane East Berlin, CT 06023 (860) 828-5055 Cell: (860) 810-4489 lprocopion@comcast.net
246 Lake Avenue Bristol, CT 860-582-0516
(860) 426-0682 info@chanceyjoyladen.com chanceyjoyladen.com
The Flower Girl
Marzi Florist
Maneeley's Banquet & Catering 65 Rye Street South Windsor, CT (860) 528-6622 www.maneeleys.com
Jeske’s Catering, LLC
380 Main Street Kensington, CT 06037 (860) 829-7766 Fax: (860) 829-1965 www.jeskescatering.com jeskescatering@yahoo.com
CEREMONY & RECEPTION SITE CT Old State House 800 Main St. Hartford, Ct 06103 860-522-6766 ctoldstatehouse.org
Wickham Park
1329 West Middle Tpke. Manchester, CT 06040 860-528-0856 email: info@wickhampark.org website: www.wickhampark.org
New Britain Museum of American Art 56 Lexington Street New Britain, CT 860-229-0257 ext 209 www.nbmaa.org
CHAIR COVERS & LINEN RENTALS Away To Go Designs 943 Silas Deane Hwy. 2nd flr. #3 Wethersfield, CT 06109 Diane Johnson www.awaytogodesigns.com
Berlin, CT cyrnvolz@sbcglobal.net (860) 828-1377 Cell: (860) 306-0821
FLORAL DESIGN Artificial Flower Shop
Irene's Culinary Corner
349 West Main Street New Britain, CT 860-223-7340 www.angelosmarket.com
JUSTICE OF THE PEACE Nancy L. M. Cyr
Cami Rosenberg-Dews
1237 Shuttle Meadow Rd. Southington/Plainville line 860-793-9424
CATERING Angelo's Market & Catering
Wedding Directory 2010
434 Berlin Rd. Southington (860) 426-1985 www.asharpdj.com email: info@asharpdj.com
84 Farmington Ave. Bristol, CT 589-8000 www.theharvestbakery.com 2 East Main St. Forestville, CT 06010 (860) 589-5085 www.ireneslingerie.com
New Britain Herald | The Bristol Press
Still serving all your flower needs since 1932
33 Fern Street New Britain, CT 06053 860-229-1331
Weber's Nursery & Florist 33 Charles St. New Britain (on Newington line) (860) 223-7887
GIFTS Patrick Baker & Sons, Inc.
1650 West Street Southington, CT 06489 860-628-5566
GOWNS Bridal Bells Boutique, LLC
114 Mill St. Berlin, CT (860) 828-8462 www.bridalbellsboutique.com
Maynards Bridal Rt. 44 West Main St. Avon, CT (860) 677-1135
HAIR SALONS TruColours Full Service Salon 92 Whiting St Plainville, Ct 06062 860-747-1091
JEWELRY DBK Jewelers
41 East St. Plainville, Ct 06062 860-747-3374
Polumbo’s Jewelers 438 East Street New Britain, CT 860-223-8886
Shannon's Diamonds and Fine Jewelry, Inc. 74 Farmington Avenue Bristol, CT 06010 860-582-8858
info@queenofideas.com www.queenofideas.com
Julia Massolin-Walas
Lois Procopion
Paul LaFlamme
http://paullaflamme.webs.com pala1952@sbcglobal.net (860) 516-4496
Samuel D. Chester
38 Daventry Hill Road Avon, CT (860) 675-1740 Schester6@sbcglobal.net
Thomas F. Carey (860) 523-0530 (860) 539-6355
PHOTOGRAPHY Bob Hennessy Photography (860) 635-3382 www.radialarts.com
Premiere Portrait 260 East St. Plainville, CT (860) 410-4303 www.radialarts.com
TRANSPORT Valley Cab Co.
24 Hour Service (860) 793-0300
Wollenberg's/ TLC Limousine
436 Main St. Terryville, CT (860) 585-LIMO (5466) www.tlclimousine.net
TRAVEL Scully Travel
580 Wolcott Rd. Wolcott, CT (203) 879-2593 scullytravel@aol.com
Off to Neverland Travel Robert Mosback 76 Medford St., Bristol 1-888-305-6522 robertmosback@ offtoneverland.com
TUXEDOS J. T. Ghamo
The Tuxedo Place 496 Farmington Ave. Hartford 3275 Berlin Tpke. Newington 304 W. Main St. Avon 981C Farmington Ave, W. Hartford 888-224-4441 www.jtghamo.com
WEDDING PLANNING & COORDINATION Jordan Caterers Design Event Planners
1718 Highland Ave., Cheshire, CT 203-272-8213 www.jordancaterers.com
Unique Reflections Photography
(203) 578-0377 www.urphotography.com
RECEPTION & BANQUET The Lily Lake Inn 66 Central Ave. Wolcott, CT 06717 (203) 879-7000 www.LilyLakeInn.com
RENTALS Maneeley's Rental Services 65 Rye Street South Windsor, CT (860) 52-PARTY www.maneeleys.com
Party Plus/ Taylor Rental Center 346 East Street Plainville, CT 06062 (860) 747-6073 www.taylor-rentals.com
Events by Superior
20 Putnam Place, Cheshire, CT Off Rte. 322, Southington (203) 250-6600 Toll Free (888) 5EVENTS www.EventsBySuperior.com
To BE INCLUDED in this Directory in the future please CALL 860-225-4601 ext. 281 ask for Gary Curran, Mgr.
New Britain Herald| The Bristol Press
WEDDINGS
Saturday, June 26, 2010 | 9
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WEDDINGS
10 | Saturday, June 26, 2010
New Britain Herald | The Bristol Press
Planner helps keep rehearsal dinner running smoothly
SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
The rehearsal dinner has potential to be even more fraught with peril than the wedding reception. It is the one opportunity for the groom’s family to get revenge on all the perceived slights inflicted by the bride’s family over the course of the long engagement season. Kathy Goodman, 34, offers a service to keep things smooth and apolitical. She runs Well Rehearsed (www.wellrehearsed.com). The wedding season is just now heating up, but she found time to clarify the duties of a rehearsal-
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dinner planner, a consultant category she created. Q: What do you do? A: I take the event from simply a sit-down dinner and elevate it and bring some personality to it. I don’t get involved with the food preparation. I’m not a caterer. I will get involved with menu selection and finding the appropriate place to hold the event. Then I go into a custom design that really helps them tell a story that is unique that kicks off the wedding that is going to happen the next day. Q: How did rehearsal dinners get started in the first place? A: That’s a good question. I should know that. It’s definitely an American tradition. I don’t know when or why. My assumption is that it’s a way for the groom’s side to be involved with the wedding celebration, because traditionally it is the bride’s family that pays for the wedding. Q: Who contacts you, the bride or the groom? A: Both, or the mom of the groom. Q: What is it that they want? A: They want a memorable experience that first night when all of their friends and family are together. Sometimes it is the first time the families are meeting, so it’s a really important night. The
rehearsal dinner is sort of where also planned the wedding. the toasts and roasts from family Q: Why didn’t your husband members and friends can come plan your rehearsal dinner? out. A: Because I wouldn’t let him. Q: Do you coach the bride and (Laughs) I’m an event planner, so groom on how to act? I wanted to plan it all. A: I absoQ: How did lutely coach you go about them and walk that? them through A: I took a the evening look at the and the time rehearsal-dinframe. There ner event that is a cocktail was paid for by reception as my husband’s people are family and they arriving for the needed help. event and then They were ready going through to host a dinner. the evening. KATHY GOODMAN I looked at the There will be rehearsal dinner planner event and said, toasts, and a lot “Let’s make of times they have put together a this night about him.” I designed slide show. It’s not as complicated the event around his hobby, which as the wedding. I always recom- is woodworking. Everything from mend that couples do some sort the invitations to 2-by-4s runof seating arrangement. ning down the table was about Q: What is the No. 1 thing not him. When the guests arrived, to do at a rehearsal dinner? automatically they knew it was A: Get too drunk. about Dan. The groom’s cake was Q: What qualifies you as an shaped like a 2-by-4, and it was expert on rehearsal dinners? displayed on a real miter saw. A: My business has organically Q: You didn’t use the saw to cut grown because of how I planned the cake? my rehearsal dinner in 2004. That A: No. That would have been a was the start of my business. Not bit much. only did I plan it, but it was actuQ: How far in advance do peoally a surprise for my husband. I ple contact you?
“I haven’t worked with any families that have too much friction. Or if there has been friction, it’s dissipated before that.”
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A: Weddings are planned a year in advance. Rehearsal dinners, I like to think, are planned three to six months out, but I like to think it is a little closer than that. People sort of forget about it, then they think, “Oh, my gosh, we’re hosting 40 or 60 people, what are we going to do with them?” Then they contact me. Q: What are your fees? A: I have a full service and partial service. The full-servicedesign package starts at $1,750. My venue selection starts at $400 and the event-design packages start at $750. Since each client has different needs, I customize my packages to their unique event. Q: How do you prevent friction between the two sides? A: I always ask if there is anything I need to worry about because of so many families having divorced parents. I haven’t worked with any families that have too much friction. Or if there has been friction, it’s dissipated before that. Q: Do you do any matchmaking? A: No, that’s not part of the deal. You have to come already matched. Q: Has anybody become unmatched after they started planning it? A: Nope. All my couples are still happily married. I’m 15 for 15. 128507
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New Britain Herald| The Bristol Press
WEDDINGS
Saturday, June 26, 2010 | 11
Getting creative: Break out the hot-glue gun
‘...people want to put their own unique spin on their wedding.’
■ Instead of a photo slideshow during the reception, we hung photos on long pieces of twine with clothes pins to create a more homey feel. I also made a sign that said “LOVE” to hang in the middle, using a fancy font I found for free online and flower-shaped cardboard cutouts. ■ We decided to print our invitations and save-the-date cards at home, so we had a designer from PrintablePress.com create them and send us the PDF. We gussied up the envelopes with tree and bird stamps from Etsy and Target. ($175 for the design, $50 for paper supplies and $45 for stamps.) ■ I wanted our guests to fill out notes of advice to us, so I used a set of typewriter-style stamps to make little note cards from our leftover card stock saying things like “wishes” and “thoughts” and “blessings” at the top. ■ Instead of a traditional guest book, we had a photo booth where guests could don pirate hats, sunglasses and feather boas. Guests got to keep one copy, and the other they glued into our guest book, where they could write notes. (About $1,400 for six hours of booth rental, which includes an attendant, unlimited photos, two sets of prints, a scrapbook and a digital CD of every photo taken. We provided the basket of costume pieces ourselves to save $400.) ■ John, a musician by hobby, wrote and recorded two processionals, for the wedding party and for me, on the cello. No need to hire a string quartet. Not everything that can be DIY at a wedding should be, though. There are some things best left to the experts. Dolgin recommends that brides — even the most frugal ones
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want to put their own unique spin on their wedding,” said Rebecca Dolgin, executive editor of After the I dos and ’til death do TheKnot.com. “They want it to be us parts, they’re the two little words different from someone else’s, and every bride waits to hear on her these DIY details really make that wedding day: “How creative!” happen.” At least, that’s what I wanted Here’s how I crafted my own to hear after I got married last handmade wedding: ■ I hired Etsy artists to create September before 90 guests in an outdoor ceremony at an antebellum boutonnieres and corsages for the wedding party and our families — mansion in downtown Memphis. Artsy to the core, I longed to something more permanent (and create the perfect handmade wed- cheaper) than flowers that they ding, with clever details that my could take home with them. The boutonnieres guests wouldn’t were roses see anywhere made from else. I wanted folded roadto highlight my maps, and the personal style corsages were and undying flowers created love for being from brown crafty and gluing REBECCA DOLGIN and green stuff together. organza and And with executive editor, TheKnot.com brown pearls. a budget of (Corsages, $10,000, I want$15 apiece. ed to save a little Boutonnieres, $8 apiece.) cash. ■ I asked a friend who is a Already an avid shopper at the online artists marketplace Etsy.com, graphic artist to design our program I knew when my beau, John, pro- based on a wedding invitation I had posed that it was the first place to found online. It read like a story start looking for unique items, and rather than the traditional order of to get ideas for what I could make ceremony, and it drew more comments than any other item at our myself. Etsy sales have risen quickly wedding. (“Here’s how it’s going since it began in 2005, reaching to go:...” the program read near the $180 million last year thanks in part top.) We printed the programs at to a burgeoning wedding section home on recycled card stock and with thousands of handmade wares, used a paper cutter from a craft said spokesman Adam Brown. store to round off the edges. ■ After searching for nearly three Brides can peruse everything from typewriter-key cufflinks to a per- months for the perfect cake topper, I realized I’d have to spend more than sonalized ring-bearer pillow. Wedding blogs such as 100 $100 and probably still wouldn’t get Layer Cake, Style Me Pretty and exactly what I wanted. So, I turned Etsy Wedding also promote hand- a pair of bird-shaped salt and pepmade wedding fare and artsy style. per shakers into a little bride and Online bridal message boards light groom and mounted them on an up with suggestions when brides- antique letterpress stamp with the to-be ask about how to make their word “September.” I used polymer own table numbers, or craft lanterns clay to create the groom’s top hat out of baby food jars and tea light and shoes, and I recycled tulle and pearls from my mom’s wedding candles. Do-it-yourself wedding decora- dress to decorate the bride bird. tions and favors have become so (About $25 total.) ■ Favors for our guests were CDs popular that TheKnot.com and Martha Stewart Weddings — the of songs written by my fiance and arbiters in all things bridal — now his fellow songwriter friends as part have sections dedicated to brides of his proposal (he’s the creative looking to break out the hot-glue type too). We designed the CD cover and label and assembled them gun. “In generations past, weddings ourselves at home, spending about were very similar, but now people $60 on the whole project. By DORIE TURNER
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WEDDINGS
12 | Saturday, June 26, 2010
New Britain Herald | The Bristol Press
Let me upgrade you: Wives look to ratchet up rings Carol Brodie, who was the communications director for the prestigious Harry Winston and is now curator of Rarities Fine Jewelry for HSN. “It didn’t necessarily mean bigger, it didn’t necessarily mean better — trading up means more about lifestyle.” But sometimes it is about bigger, better — and more fashionable. While gold bands were standards for decades, today many women wear white gold, platinum or other metals; and cuts and settings change too. “I think it’s natural to want something different,” said Megan Flynn of M. Flynn Accessories, which custom designs engagement and wedding rings. “Rings do go out of style. A lot of women want that vintage look, with the diamond in the center and the small diamonds
around it.” Some stores even promote the idea of an upgrade when a ring is purchased, offering trade-in value for the original ring for something more spectacular. There is also the idea of the “pushing present” — getting a new diamond for giving birth to a child. Annie Loughead, married for three years, got her ring upgrade in the past few weeks, right after the birth of her daughter. Loughead said she had designs on a new design for her ring, however, almost as soon as it landed on her finger. Like Brown, she got a solitaire diamond; hers was a classic, Tiffanycut, 2.1-carat ring. As a wedding band, she actually got two rings with small diamonds all around them, to sandwich her solitaire. “I really loved it, but what
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happened was that now that I have a baby ... it’s a pain to have three different rings,” Loughead said. “And I kind of did always want my engagement ring to have diamonds all the way around, but my husband, at the time he couldn’t afford it.” Now, Loughead has just one diamond ring, but it’s 3 carats — her original diamond with smaller diamonds all around the band. She initially was hesitant to broach the subject with her husband: “I was afraid it was going to hurt his feelings, and he was like, ‘No, get whatever makes you happy.”’ Brodie said that sometimes it’s the man who actually makes the first move. “When people are trading up, I’ve often seen the man coming in,” she said. “Then they bring the woman back with them to narrow down the decision-making, and then the man comes back and makes the purchase.” Newlywed Mike DiScala upgraded his wife’s ring even before the marriage. “The first ring I got her was quarter-carat, because the funds were not there, and then I splurged on her and I got her a 1.5 carat,” he said. He’s already planning on another upgrade at the five-year mark, to 2 carats.
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NEW YORK (AP) — When Elizabeth Robichaux Brown got married nine years ago, she made a vow to love her husband, for better or for worse, until their dying days. She did not make that same kind of commitment to her ring. So, a few months ago, she did what more and more women are doing: She gave her original engagement ring an upgrade, placing two stones — which she calls “the twins” — on each side of her solitaire diamond.
“When I first got my ring, it was like, ‘OK, I like this ring.’ But I knew that eventually I would make it a different type of ring,” she said. “I got a carat and a half pear when I got married, but I always knew I wanted two pears on the side.” While Brown added on, some women are trading in their original engagement rings and wedding bands for something else. No longer seen as a symbol to be worn for an eternity, rings are being upgraded like some people trade in cars or remodel an aging kitchen. “I started hearing it about a decade ago,” said jewelry designer
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WEDDINGS
New Britain Herald| The Bristol Press
Saturday, June 26, 2010 | 13
Oil spill has brides canceling beach weddings By MELISSA NELSON ASSOCIATED PRESS
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have been undercut by the spill. “It’s hurting everyone from the ministers to the people who put the chairs out on the beach,” said June Watkins, a non-denominational minister. Watkins normally does 40 weddings a year, mostly in the summer and early fall. She has no reservations through July and none for the fall. “They are talking about fisherman — and that’s huge — but our wedding business along the Gulf Coast has been growing for years.” It’s easy to see why couples from throughout the country get married on the Panhandle’s beaches. The powdery white sand, vivid turquoise water and pastel sunsets are breathtaking. The many quaint, beach-front homes for rent on crowd-free beaches are the perfect honeymoon getaway. So far, workers have been able
AP
to quickly clean from the sand the tar balls and sheen that’s washed ashore here. “I have a saying that it is God’s church when were are out there on the beach with the Gulf of Mexico in the background. Every time I go out on the beach I am struck by the beauty. You know it had to have been made by a creator,” Watkins said. But with the oil spill, some couples worry that their day will be ruined. Even when the ceremony isn’t canceled the spill can cause headaches for organizers. Land held a beach wedding for a Mississippi couple and 40 guests in early June, but the bride waited until just two days before the event to make sure the beach would be tar-free. She had planned to move the wedding to a bay-front site away from the beach if the oil was a problem.
have the wedding, the wedding will move to a grassy spot near the beach. Pam Thompson, wedding manager for Carillon Beach resort where the wedding will be held, cried when the couple e-mailed her their firm intentions. The resort normally hosts 40 weddings a year, but this year she is expecting 20 because of the spill. “If I could have reached through the phone and hugged them, I would have,” she said. The Bowers were among those determined to stay the course. The Tucson, Ariz.-couple, love Pensacola Beach’s famous white sands, where they got engaged last September. “There was a little bit of trepidation because we learned the beaches were possibly going to be covered with tar and oil,” Rion Bowers said. But the rough surf that brought the first oil to the beach days earlier subsided and their dream ceremony went off without a hitch — or a single tar ball on anyone’s bare foot. They now joke that the spill gave them a wedding to remember. “My biggest concern was one hour before the wedding when I looked out on the beach and a hazmat crew had set up near our site,” Gidget said with a laugh. “I have pictures of our wedding trellis and the hazmat team.”
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Rion Bowers, right, and Gidget Miller of Tucson Ariz., stand on the beach after being married June 12, 2010, in Pensacola Beach, Fla. Bowers and Miller were determined to exchange vows on Pensacola Beach even with the outer edges of the Gulf oil spill lurking just offshore.
The Perfect Place For Your Special Day 003263
PENSACOLA BEACH, Fla. — The bride wore white, her bridesmaids watermelon pink. The groom dressed in khaki pants and a casual white shirt. And all went barefoot despite the risk of stepping on tar balls. Rion and Gidget Bowers were determined to exchange vows with the backdrop of a soft, pink beach sunset and turquoise waters — even with the outer edges of the Gulf oil spill lurking just offshore. It’s another ripple effect of the disaster in the Gulf oozing oil square in the middle of wedding season: Fewer and fewer couples are willing to risk holding their weddings in this stretch of Panhandle sometimes called “the Las Vegas of beach weddings.” Millions of dollars are at stake because the ceremonies bring thousands of visitors annually to the area. Some businesses say their bookings have been cut in half. “It’s not just me hurting: it’s the DJs, caterers, photographers, everyone involved,” wedding planner Darrin Land said. He said he’s lost $12,000 since news of the oil threat began in late April. “Sixty percent of my beach weddings are canceling. This is worse than a hurricane because we don’t know what is going to happen.” Those in the wedding business say they, too, are suffering along with the oil workers, shrimpers, fishermen, hoteliers and restaurateurs whose jobs and businesses
The last-minute setup is tricky. “It’s nerve-racking — do you have all the guests in the right spot, how do you notify everyone if it changes at the last minute? Do you have enough time to secure a beach spot where there aren’t people in bikinis in the backdrop of the photos,” Land said. An arched trellis on the sand overlooking the gulf? “Totally out of the question because there isn’t time to set them up,” Land said. But some couples are refusing to surrender to the spill. Lindsay Catalano and Jon Lacey of Atlanta plan to marry Sept. 5 on a secluded beach between Destin and Panama City, no matter what. She’ll wear Vera Wang and her seven bridesmaids will wear raspberry pink and orange gowns. A string quartet will play The Beatles’ classic “All You Need is Love,” as the couple walks the beach before exchanging vows. Between 200 and 250 guests are expected — the couple is asking them to donate money to help those hurt by the spill. “The oil, it just adds to the meaning of it all,” said Catalano, who has vacationed in the area since she was a child and has long dreamed of having a beach wedding. If the beach is too messy to
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WEDDINGS
14 | Saturday, June 26, 2010
New Britain Herald | The Bristol Press
Few women popping the question It’s that time of year again. Wedding season. Much has changed about modern nuptials, including the size, the extravagance, the bride and groom partying late into the night with guests instead of leaving the reception after the cake is cut. But one thing hasn’t changed at all. It’s still the fellow who actually asks the girl to marry him. Any other way would be ... a little horrifying. Any doubts? Just imagine attending a wedding in June where the blushing groom gets up and gushes about how happy he was the day his girlfriend “popped the question” over champagne in an oh-so-romantic setting — and he finally decided to relent and say “yes.” Ick. Wince. Yuck. Maybe the current state of affairs is a little ironic considering that our culture naturally assumes today that women should be CEOs, fight alongside men on the battlefront and that he had better be willing to change an equal share of diapers on the home front. “Anything you can do I can do better; I can do anything better than you” — or so go the lyrics of the Irving Berlin classic in “Annie Get Your Gun.” But not, apparently, when it comes to wedding proposals.
Sally Kilbridge is deputy editor of Brides magazine. She told me that men are still almost exclusively the ones to propose, and may actually be getting more extravagant than ever in their proposals. Of course, this isn’t to suggest that a woman who wants marriage shouldn’t make it clear that she is interested in a wedding in general — and to her beau in particular. In fact, go ahead and talk about it with him. If he turns tail and runs, you’ve got the information you need. This fits with what Kilbridge has observed. She noted to me that, at one time, a serious dating relationship naturally implied movement toward marriage, but that it’s no longer the case. (That’s a different column, too.) So couples do tend to talk more than in the past about whether they plan to marry. “For one thing,” Kilbridge said, “he doesn’t want to get rejected.” But for her to actually pop the question? Few women or men are budging on that cultural norm. I once had a dear fellow whom I dated tell me that no matter how crazy he was about a woman, if she actually took the initiative to propose marriage to him that he’d feel emasculated and would probably end the relationship. I admit I found that rather manly. Just in case, I decided to ask my
open-minded, man-about-town Manhattan friend, Larry, what he would think of a girlfriend asking him outright to marry her. He thought for a moment. “Well, I guess I’d think it was weird. If I were ready to marry her, I’d ask her to get married.” Unscientific poll, I know. But there you go. A woman responding to this very question on Essence.com rejected the idea that a girlfriend should propose marriage to the boyfriend. She wrote, “Men are the natural hunters, and nothing good comes from a woman trying to make a man do something Mike Orazzi | Staff before he is ready.” Not much different from what Kara Bergeron of Bristol models a dress at Beautiful Bride in Plainville. is celebrating her one-year wedding anniversary today. She was my mother wrote in her diary Bergeron at the store with friend Melissa Soucy, who is getting married next year. about my dad. As she put it when she was only 19 and newly engaged, “I let him chase me until I caught him.” Some things really Q: How can I cut the cost of rentals for my outdoor wedding? haven’t changed. A: Look for outdoor venues that provide the necessities like In the end, we as a society can tables and chairs. Some even have the lighting covered (think: a alter a whole lot of window dresslantern-lit garden). Otherwise, you’ll have to bring in everything. ing. But when it comes down As far as details go, consider borrowing things like tablecloths, to the most basic dance of “girl serving trays and vases for centerpieces, or buy ones that you’d meets boy,” something still tells us actually use in your home. that manly men take the lead, and For more budget tips, go to TheKnot.com/budget. that women want it that way. And I’ll happily raise my glass Q: Two friends I want in my wedding don’t like each other. to that. What do I do? A: It’s safe to assume that even if two people in your wedding Betsy Hart is the author of “It Takes a party hate each other, they’ll suck it up for you and deal with Parent: How the Culture of Pushover having to look at each other for a day. Even though they’d both Parenting is Hurting our Kids — be bridesmaids, it should be easy enough for them to ignore each And What to do About It.” other while keeping busy making sure the day runs smoothly — separate parts of it, of course. Just make sure each has other friends to hang with for the night so neither feels uncomfortable.
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New Britain Herald| The Bristol Press
LOCAL
Saturday, June 26, 2010 | 15
Layoff dims but doesn’t doom one bride’s wedding ASSOCIATED PRESS
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Ten weeks before my wedding, I put 140 invitations — beautifully letter-pressed on Crane lettra paper with silver ink — into the mail, eagerly anticipating the flood of RSVP cards marked yes. Two days later, my soon-tobe-husband got laid off from his newspaper job. I went from sorrow to anguish to rage to worry: We’d just invited 300 of our nearest and dearest to eat and drink on our dime, and it was too late to postpone the festivities without paying hefty cancellation fees. After a one-day pity party that involved a two-hour wait at the unemployment office and a bloody Mary brunch afterward, we set about reworking our wedding in a way that would be a little easier on the wallet without sacrificing the elements of a very special day. The first casualty: the pro videographer that I’d booked months before. I forfeited the $100 deposit and recruited a college friend who’d majored in broadcasting to record the ceremony. Then I sold my beloved Kate Spade wedding shoes online (via the great message boards on WeddingBee.com) and picked up a more practical pair of silver flats on eBay that I knew I’d wear again. What happened to us isn’t uncommon. Weddings, typically one of the most recession-proof industries, are getting smaller as the economy struggles. The average price of a wedding was $28,385 in 2009, down 3 percent from 2008’s average of $29,334, according to the 2009 Real Weddings Study by TheKnot. com and WeddingChannel.com. Brides are cutting back, most heavily in favors, rehearsal dinner costs and catering, the study said. “There’s still merriment. It’s not something that’s going to deplete your bank account, but there are definitely ways around it to still have your dream wedding,” said Sharon Stimpfle, deputy site director of WeddingChannel.com.
The easiest fix? Trimming your guest list, Stimpfle advises. And rethink the traditional Saturday night wedding; Friday and Sunday weddings are significantly cheaper, as are daytime events, she said. Even before Jake lost his job, we tried to be thoughtful about how to spend money on our wedding, picking certain areas to splurge and others to save. We knew we’d spend the most on food and drinks at a great reception spot, as well as on a talented photographer and an unbelievable honeymoon. Everything else, we tried to do on the cheap. THE ATTIRE I nearly gave up on finding a dress after many fruitless visits to bridal shops. I refused to buy a dress if the shop cut out the label, and I wasn’t loving anything I’d tried on with the label, either. One afternoon, I lazily browsed pre-owned dresses on eBay, more out of boredom than anything else. One seller offered an ivory Anne Barge sample in my size from a few seasons back. It retailed for more than $3,000, and I impulsively made an offer of $500, thinking it would never be accepted. I stepped away from the computer, ran a couple errands, and when I came back I’d received the congratulatory email. The gorgeous silk-satin strapless dress was mine (and luckily, thankfully, wonderfully, it fit!). And post wedding, I got a tax deduction by donating my dress, veil and slip to Brides Against Breast Cancer (directions available at BridesAgainstBreastCancer. org). For my five bridesmaids, I selected gray chiffon dresses from Watters & Watters and ordered them from NetBride.com to save at least 40 percent on each dress. We also skipped the bridal shop for my flower girl’s dress, opting instead for the affordable online retailer PinkPrincess.com.
THE PAPER STUFF I got all my paper goods — invitations, save the dates, programs, maps, everything — from sellers on Etsy.com. Sure, the thriftiest thing is to DIY all paper stuff, but I didn’t have the skill, time or patience to do that. However, paying individual artists throughout the country to craft our paper
items made me feel a little bit better than dropping $5 a set at the local wedding shop. We customized our invitations to keep them within our budget (we used only one color of ink for the letterpress, skipped the reception card and used an RSVP postcard) and we got a lot of bang for our buck. Likewise, we also used Etsy for our wedding programs — although totally optional, I wanted them — and got them for less than $1 each.
THE DECOR Decorating isn’t my thing. The idea of elaborate, expensive centerpieces didn’t appeal to me even before Jake was out of work. Another thing that didn’t merit a lot of excitement was a big, traditional wedding cake, so we killed two birds with one stone by putting three-tiered stands filled with cupcakes at every table. Bada bing, bada boom, done. We used stands from Martha Stewart’s craft line f rom Walmart, though thrift stores
AP
This photo provided by Lane Hickenbottom shows Jake Bleed, left, and Jill Zeman Bleed during their wedding in Omaha, Neb., May 16, 2008.
would have been another good place to look for vintage cake stands. As for the dumb things we did — it’s easy to get too excited about things at the beginning. Had I known we’d be a oneincome household come wedding day, I wouldn’t have dropped $100 on a customized wedding website. Mywedding.com has
fantastic, free sites that look just as good as the paid ones. I’d have also skipped the wedding-day transportation — we got a 22-seat trolley to drive six blocks — and saved $500. But still, regrets are few. We had a sunny, 65-degree day, good f riends and family with us and an open bar. We didn’t notice a single cutback.
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16 | Saturday, June 26, 2010
New Britain Herald | The Bristol Press
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