You Don’t Need a ‘Big, Gay Wedding’

Posted on by
Reply

You may be legally married in a particular state, but remember that in the eyes of the federal government, you are treated as a single person. This was a recurring message at Wednesday night’s LGBT Marriage Forum in New York City, an event organized by an alliance of wedding professionals to equip the LGBT community with tangible information about planning not just a wedding but a lasting marriage.

Here are a few highlights shared at the event:

1. “In some states we’ve reached a high level of equality, and [New York] offers us a warm embrace, but we must keep our eye on full marriage equality,” said Cathy Marino-Thomas, Co-President of the Board of Marriage Equality USA. The work for the LGBT community and its allies will not be done until the federal government recognizes LGBT marriages as marriages and extends to LGBT married couples the same rights and benefits it already extends to heterosexual married couples. Marino urged the community to stay engaged in this issue as it makes its way through the legal system. On Sept. 24 the United States Supreme Court Justices will decide whether to take up several same-sex marriage cases, including the California Proposition 8 case (Hollingsworth v. Perry) and the lawsuit brought by a New York woman seeking to avoid having to pay federal estate taxes on the estate of her now-deceased wife (Windsor v. United States).

2. The laws of estate planning, adoption, and property ownership can be especially complex for LGBT couples, who are still getting a handle on the ins and outs of a fairly new body of rules and regulations that vary from state to state. Before you tie the knot, consult a lawyer and an accountant, advised the two lawyers speaking at the Marriage Forum, Christopher Goeken of the Law Office of Christopher S. Goeken and Gregory Matalon of Cappell Barnett Matalon Schoenfeld LLP. Whether you’re dealing with assumption of student loans or adopting the child your spouse is carrying, the smartest thing you can do is get informed, so that you’re not hit later with unpleasant surprises.

3. The key to a lasting relationship is open communication, and too many couples fall into the trap of waiting too long to seek help when they encounter “rough spots” in their relationship, said psychotherapist Irna Gadd, a board member with the Association of Lesbian and Gay Affirmative Psychotherapists (ALGAP). “Asking for help is a sign of strength, and it doesn’t mean something is wrong with you,” she said. “If you’re having problems, don’t wait until they’re insurmountable before you talk to someone about it.” Too often, people say they don’t want to go to couples counseling because the result is inevitably a breakup. “That’s much more likely to be the case if you’ve waited too long,” Gadd said. Her advice? Keep your ears open, and listen very carefully to yourself and to your partner.

4. Explore all your parenting options, and get yourself fully informed before you start, advised the three founders of It’s Conceivable, a website dedicated to helping LGBT couples navigate their way through the mazes of insemination, surrogacy, and adoption. Kendra Eash, Diana Jerman, and Hannah Fishman lamented that when they first started thinking of building a family, there wasn’t any one single place that they could visit to get all their questions answered. You need to know your rights, what agencies are known to be gay-friendly, and what it’s been like for couples who have gone before you, they said.

5. Observe Wedding-Free Wednesdays! Brian Edwards is a newlywed who encouraged engaged couples to take time off from wedding planning to simply enjoy being engaged. “Go on a date,” he said. “And don’t talk about caterers, wedding invitations, or florists.” And remember: Don’t fall into the trap of thinking your wedding has to be outrageously unique just because you’re gay. “There seems to be this expectation of gay couples that we all must have a ‘big, gay wedding,’” Edwards said. “But there’s no similar expectation of every straight wedding.” It’s just a wedding, he said. Make it what you want it to be. Edwards and his husband made national news when one of their engagement photos was used in anti-gay ads in Colorado. They are exploring their legal options with the aid of the Southern Poverty Law Center.

The LGBT Marriage Forum was organized by AFTER “I DO,” an alliance of wedding professionals thinking beyond the wedding day, including the people behind prequels.net (the author of this article), commongroundceremonies.com, falloncarterweddings.com, and violetandverde.com. The MC for the evening was Charlie the Matchmaker.

PHOTOS:

Loading Slideshow

  • em(Photo by a href=”http://www.stevenrosenphotography.com” target=”_hplink”Steven Rosen/a)/em

  • em(Photo by a href=”http://www.stevenrosenphotography.com” target=”_hplink”Steven Rosen/a)/em

  • em(Photo by a href=”http://www.stevenrosenphotography.com” target=”_hplink”Steven Rosen/a)/em

  • em(Photo by a href=”http://www.stevenrosenphotography.com” target=”_hplink”Steven Rosen/a)/em

  • a href=”http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brian-edwards/” target=”_hplink”Brian Edwards/a

    em(Photo by a href=”http://www.stevenrosenphotography.com” target=”_hplink”Steven Rosen/a)/em

  • a href=”http://www.huffingtonpost.com/charlie-maffei/” target=”_hplink”Charlie the Matchmaker/a

    em(Photo by a href=”http://www.stevenrosenphotography.com” target=”_hplink”Steven Rosen/a)/em

  • Cathy Marino-Thomas, Co-President of the Board of Marriage Equality USA

    em(Photo by a href=”http://www.stevenrosenphotography.com” target=”_hplink”Steven Rosen/a)/em

  • a href=”http://www.violetandverde.com/” target=”_hplink”Bridget Reale/a, a href=”http://www.commongroundceremonies.com/” target=”_hplink”Rev. Samora Smith/a, and a href=”http://www.falloncarterweddings.com/” target=”_hplink”Fallon Carter/a

    em(Photo by a href=”http://www.stevenrosenphotography.com” target=”_hplink”Steven Rosen/a)/em

  • a href=”http://prequels.net/” target=”_hplink”Denise Oliveira/a

    em(Photo by a href=”http://www.stevenrosenphotography.com” target=”_hplink”Steven Rosen/a)/em



Follow Denise Oliveira on Twitter:

www.twitter.com/PrequelsWedding

Tweaking the Tradition Whimsical, modern designs are outweighing the formal …

Posted on by
Reply

By Rebecca Rolwing

When it comes to wedding stationary these days, even the most strait-laced couples are venturing into new territories.

With a rainbow array of colors and endless modern designs and typography styles, wedding invitations are no longer confined to the world of black script fonts and ecru colored paper.

“The days of plain, rectangle shaped, formal invitations are long gone,” said Beth Mungle, marketing director at MTI Printing in Cape Girardeau. Couples are now using everything from vibrant color schemes, unique fonts and whimsical designs, to even incorporating photographs to add their own personal touches to their invitations.

“There is a new freedom with wedding invitations that allows every couple to let their personality and style shine through,” Mungle said.

This year, she said, MTI has seen a big trend with bright color schemes including yellow and gray, hot pink and navy, and tangerine and turquoise with bold uses of fun and whimsical typographies. A new, popular trend at MTI for invitations is the use of Quick Response (QR) codes.

“Couples are using the codes to send guests to RSVP websites and even as a way to automatically add the ceremony to guests’ electronic calendar,” she said.

Cheryl Sullivan, sales/customer service representative at Concord Printing in Cape Girardeau, said couples want their invitations to be unique and offer guests a sneak peak of what’s to come.

“The invitation is your first glance of what to expect at the wedding,” she said. “If it’s beach theme, pool party or a country/cowboy theme, even the color of ink that is chosen — it all tells the tone of the wedding.”

Sullivan said a trending invitation at Concord is the Seal-N-Send, an invitation with the RSVP card attached by a perforation.

“The invited guests fills out the card, tears it off and sends it back,” she said. “This means no envelope for returning the RSVP card as well as less postage because the card is postcard regulation size.”

Pocket invitations, which include three staggered cards often used for directions, RSVP card and hotel reservation information along with the invitation, is another popular invitation choice at Concord.

Mungle said MTI recently worked with a couple to design a custom, oversized invitation that narrated the story of how the couple met, fell in love and got engaged in addition to the necessary wedding day information. It was “by far one of the most unique and memorable invitations we’ve produced,” she said.

Along with invitations, Mungle said MTI has also seen a lot of new trends with save the dates. Interactive save the dates with lottery style scratch cards are among some of the most popular trends. Photograph and magnet save the dates are a popular choice and the use of QR codes that direct guests to a wedding website are also becoming very popular on save the dates.

Sullivan said having a running theme throughout the entire wedding stationary is something couples generally like to do.

“They correlate the save the date cards, the shower invitations, the wedding invitations as well as the thank-you cards,” she said. “It seems the bride and groom pick a theme, color scheme, etc., and it follows through the entire adventure.”

Al Fresco Anniversary

Posted on by
Reply

This weekend Big City Bride is remembering a favorite Chicago wedding from 6 years ago. Kelly and Jeff asked Big City Bride to transform their new backyard into the ultimate outdoor wedding in Chicago and we did so in just a few months of Chicago wedding planning!

They are such wonderful people and we still look back on their planning and their wedding day with nothing but great memories. Their Chicago wedding was absolutely magical and the Chicago wedding photography we have captures the al fresco wedding dream that is so hard to pull off in Chicago.

In honor of their 6th anniversary we thought we’d share a little eye candy for the day! Chandeliers and drapery hanging from the trees, dripping floral, luscious linens, and a dance floor below the stars…this wedding was timeless and absolutely perfect.

Happy Anniversary to this great couple! We hope you celebrate well!

 

Stocking and storage ideas for newlywed kitchens

Posted on by
Reply

By Lori Trepasso

When you’re registering for wedding gifts or sharing “wish lists” with friends and family before the wedding, it’s tempting to want everything a kitchen can hold, and then some!

But what items will you really need and use after the I do’s are said?

“I always encourage (couples-to-be) to focus on the real “work-horses” of their kitchen such as knives, cutting boards, and cookware,” says Gina Gramarosso, a team leader in Naperville, Ill., for The Pampered Chef.

“There are very few meals that are prepared without cutting or chopping!”

Investing in high-quality knives makes kitchen work more time efficient and safe.

“A high-quality knife makes meal preparation go so much faster, and a sharp knife is actually safer than a dull one,” says Gramarosso.

When choosing a cutting board, size and material can make a difference.

“Avoid glass or wooden cutting boards and (instead) use ones made of materials such as poly-urethane,” says Gramarosso.

“Glass boards can dull and damage your knife blades, and wooden boards can absorb liquids and food particles.”

Gramarosso recommends investing in a large, grooved cutting board that can hold a lot of liquid for large jobs like cutting a watermelon or slicing a large roast.

Color coded cutting boards (i.e., green for vegetables, yellow for fruit, red for meats) are also popular choices.

Cookware is the most important choice when stocking a new kitchen.

“Quality cookware (pots and pans) makes all of your dishes turn out better because it cooks the food evenly and makes clean up much quicker,” says Gramarosso.

Some other “must haves” for the newlywed kitchen include:

measuring cups and spoons

prep bowls with lids

mixing bowls

scrapers in all shapes and sizes

specialty cutting tools such as a vegetable peeler, zester, and food chopper

New trends for the kitchen are items that are both functional and attractive such as glass containers, bamboo serving pieces and towels, and ‘cool and serve trays’ complete with ice inserts to keep veggies and dips cold.

So, once you accumulate a fabulous array of kitchen items and gadgets, how do you store them and keep them organized?

“If you use the item every day, keep it close at hand such as on the counter or in a nearby cabinet,” says Cathy Dietl, a professional organizer. “If you only use the item periodically, store it in an out of the way place like the top of your pantry or in a nearby closet.

Dietl also recommends purging your collection of kitchen gadgets periodically.

“Get rid of things that you really don’t use or that you have duplicates of as that’s what can really add to the clutter,” says Dietl.

A counter-top caddy can help keep a kitchen organized and minimize clutter as well.

“Register for, or invest in, a nice counter-top caddy for kitchen gadgets and tools,” says Gramarosso. “Ten years down the road, you can turn that old kitchen caddy into an art supply caddy for your kids! 0They are great for holding pencils, rulers, scissors, and markers.”

The kitchen pantry often becomes a ‘catch-all’ for all types of items and can easily become disorganized.

“I recommend using storage bins in the pantry, and storing like items together,” says Dietl.

Like the gadget drawer, the pantry needs to be cleaned out frequently.

“I recommend that people scan through their pantry about every three months and throw out old or expired items,” says Dietl. “Then, about every six months, go through and give it a thorough cleaning.”

Saving original containers for larger items can help with storage issues as well.

“Keep the original boxes for larger serving pieces and appliances because it keeps them dust free and makes them easier to stack in extra closets,” says Gramarosso.

Moving Past Traditional to the Science Fictional

Posted on by
Reply

As the officiant concluded the ceremony, she introduced the couple, who are both in their late 20s, as “Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds,” and proclaimed, “No power in the verse can stop them!”

Another couple, Matt and Michelle Marovich, agreed to love each other in sickness and in health, but also swore that “in the event of an apocalypse, human, vampire, zombie or otherwise, I promise to fight and die by your side.”

In the same way that couples of the 1960s and 1970s began looking outside religion to contemporary culture and music as inspiration for their vows, some couples today are influenced by the misty (and perhaps invented) past, the fictional future and even lurid apocalyptic fantasy.

For instance, the 2008 wedding of Mr. and Ms. Marovich in San Pablo, Calif., details of which were later posted to Offbeatbride.com, was not the first to contain references to zombies. But it highlighted something of a trend among a certain subset of couples who are looking outside (sometimes way outside) accepted custom.

Ms. Marovich, 35, said she received several e-mails from people who wanted to copy her vows, and the Offbeatbride site has since featured dozens of zombie-themed weddings. So many that the site’s founder and publisher, Ariel Meadow Stallings, said she recently cut back on them, for fear of overexposure.

“It’s being used in ceremonies in ways that aren’t just gimmicky,” she said. “It’s actually kind of a powerful cultural metaphor that people are tapping into.”

The zombie reference was not meant to be trendy, said Ms. Marovich, who for the ceremony wore a red silk gown trimmed in white lace, hardly a “Night of the Living Dead” wardrobe. What appealed to her, she added, was the idea that “if the world was ending and every social structure crumbled, our marriage would still be the most important thing.”

The couple’s officiant, Leslie Light, brought that idea a little closer to home. “They vow not to allow the other to become a zombie when they aren’t looking: slipping into apathy, numbness and a maddening hunger,” Ms. Light said.

The wording for traditional marriage vows can be traced to religious texts of the Middle Ages. The Sarum Missal, translated from Latin in the 11th century, has some of the earliest recorded vows in English, said Dr. Ruth Karras, a history professor at the University of Minnesota and the author of “Unmarriages: Women, Men and Sexual Unions in the Middle Ages.”

Vows from that period were as simple as, “I take you as my husband, and I take you as my wife,” Dr. Karras said.

The Rev. Jonipher Kupono Kwong, pastor of the First Unitarian Church of Honolulu, said that people who consider themselves solidly secular still yearn for the transcendent, particularly in a wedding, and sometimes find it in science fiction.  

“This has a way of giving them the bigger picture and seeing the universe as one that supports them,” said Mr. Kwong, who once presided at a wedding with a “Star Trek” theme. “It’s a more universal way of showing what it means to make a commitment in front of something bigger than you,” he said. “It’s spiritual in that sense.”

And some ceremonies that are said to have their origins in remote antiquity, like handfasting or stone oaths, have no prescribed vows or strong ties to a particular faith and can be molded or reimagined to fit many points of view. That perhaps is one reason wedding officiants and planners are also seeing new interest in them.

Jamie James liked the oath stone idea and went to the New River in North Carolina, near where she grew up, to find the proper rock. “I’m only 4-foot-9, so I was having to bob,” said Ms. James, now 41. “My foot came across one that I kept tiptoeing on. I immediately knew it was the one.”

Avril has designs on a wedding dress

Posted on by
3

NEW YORK – Pop star Avril Lavigne, the designer, is making big plans for her wedding dress when she marries rocker Chad Kroeger. “Either it’s something I’m going to design, or partner up with, collaborate with another designer,” she told reporters Monday after presenting the spring collection of her Abbey Dawn clothing line at New York’s Fashion Week.

Of the Nickelback frontman’s proposal after a whirlwind romance, Lavigne said: “It was really natural, and we met in the studio and were friends for a while, and one of our last days in the studio was when he proposed, and it was super romantic and it had a lot of meaning behind it.” Lavigne, 27, was mum on the subject of her ex, Brody Jenner. She had one of his sisters, 15-year-old Kylie Jenner, to open and close her downtown runway show.

Lavigne debuted Abbey Road in 2008 and also sells signature perfumes. Her rocked-out clothes for spring include human skeletons in black on the front of stretchy striped dresses and in white on others.

New faces on SNL

When “Saturday Night Live” returns this weekend for its 38th season, there will be some familiar faces missing, but there will also be three new hopefuls in the cast. They are Aidy Bryant, Tim Robinson and Cecily Strong, who all hail from Chicago, where they have sketch and improv backgrounds. The trio will round out a cast that saw two of its biggest stars, Kristen Wiig and Andy Samberg, depart at the end of last season. Additionally, Abby Elliott, daughter of “SNL” alum Chris Elliott, left the show over the summer. The season premiere will be hosted by Seth MacFarlane, above left, with Frank Ocean as musical guest.

ULTRA FIT: Two Twin Cities residents prevailed among dozens of ultra-fit men and women from all over the country who tested their athleticism and strength in a timed competition for the titles Alpha Male and Alpha Female. Brandon Schwartz, 31, of Chanhassen, and Jen Nordic, 37, of Excelsior, won their respective National Alpha Showdowns on Saturday at the Life Time Fitness center in Colorado Springs. The athletes ran through three challenging gauntlets in tests of power, strength and endurance. Schwartz and Nordic received more than $1,000 in prize money and promotional items for the victories.

Jennifer Aniston’s Destination Wedding

Posted on by
Reply

Email

By Hillary Mullen – September 14, 2012

EventNow reports Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux’s destination wedding that just got revealed to the press. We just have to say that we are not surprised that the happy couple is taking that route.

In the past, there has been many speculation and rumors about this couple breaking up, getting back together, expecting a stork visit, eloping, etc. but the couple decided to take the time and confirm their wedding plans.

The couple which just recently got engaged is already planning their nuptials. As many happy couples, once they get engaged, they want their wedding to be memorable and they plan a destination wedding like to a tropical island with just their immediate family and closest friends attending. This happy couple is doing just that, but instead of a tropical island, they are planning on getting married in December in Kenya.

The couple has planned a week-long vacation to beautiful Kenya filled with safari, and somewhere in between they will be holding a spiritual ceremony and tying the knot there. We do not know if any of their family and friends will be attending, but we are certain that someone close to them will be there to witness their union.

There has also been talk that once the couple returns from the vacation, they will be hosting a wedding ceremony and reception for the guests who were not able to attend their destination nuptials. For once, the bride’s mother (who just recently reconciled with her daughter after years of feuding) is excited as she has health issues and will not be able to travel.

We are psyched that the couple has already started their wedding planning and cannot wait to see pictures of their upcoming nuptials in Kenya and here.

Email

Related posts:

  1. Jennifer Aniston Tying The Knot!
  2. Jennifer Aniston Is A Fantastic Party Planner!
  3. Jennifer Aniston Hosts A Farewell Party

This entry was posted
on Friday, September 14th, 2012 at 11:06 and is filed under Events News, User Feature.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

Both comments and pings are currently closed.

Grace Kelly: Bridal ideas from the princess that inspires 30 years on

Posted on by
Reply

Thirty years after her death on September 14, 1982 the Hollywood actress turned Princess of Monaco continues to enamour the world. 

Grace Kelly‘s sense of timeless elegance and beauty is something every bride aspires to.

Her own wedding dress, designed by Helen Rose with vintage lace, that she wore to marry Prince Rainier of Monaco in 1956, is known to have inspired the likes of Kate Middleton, Nicole Richie and many more.

Take a look at these stunning shots of the luminous beauty both on and off set to get ideas for bridal perfection. 

Keeping things delivate, Grace made everything look effortlessly feminine with flowers, gloves and petite handbags. For those looking at an Autumn/Winter wedding cover up, look at Grace’s choice of lavish, oversized coats to keep you warm before you head up the isle

 

‘;
for(i = 0; i ‘ +
google_ads[i].line1 + ‘

‘ +
google_ads[i].line2 + ‘ ‘ +
google_ads[i].line3 + ‘

‘ +
google_ads[i].visible_url + ‘‘;
}
}
document.write(s);
return;
}
google_ad_client = ‘pub-4504953094998606′;
google_ad_channel = ’12345678′;
google_ad_output = ‘js’;
google_max_num_ads = ’3′;
google_ad_type = ‘text’;
//google_image_size = ’728×90′;
google_feedback = ‘on’;
// –

REVEALED: Everything You Wanted To Know About Blake Lively And Ryan …

Posted on by
Reply

Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds have done a Natalie Portman (read: got hitched in secret) and left us all desperate for more details on their super-mysterious wedding. Thank goodness for gossipy inside sources, eh?

We’re only a teeny bit jealous about the fact that Ryan and Blake, who have been dating for about a year since meeting on the set of ‘Green Lantern’, didn’t invite us to their secret wedding.

Although, when people like Blake’s brother Jason start bragging about how amazing it was to The News, we can’t help but turn green with envy:

“It was amazing… I traveled all around the country and rented cars from out of state to keep it under wraps. I think they did a good job. It was spectacular.”

We get it Jason; it was amazing and we weren’t there. Tell us something we don’t know!

At least we’ve got all of your need-to-know wedding questions covered.

THE DRESS:

First up, the Gossip Girl actress walked down the aisle in a one-of-a-kind Marchesa bridal ballgown designed by friends Georgina Chapman and Keren Craig. Sources for the firm have revealed that the gown featured a hand-draped silk tulle bodice (luxe!), covered with custom crystal and rose gold embroidery.

THE BRIDESMAIDS:

When you’re as gorgeous as Blake Lively, you don’t need to worry about your bridesmaids upstaging you, which is why she chose to put them in some drop-dead gorgeous Marchesa gowns. Think  blush silk chiffon with crystal embroidered detail.

THE GROOM:

Ryan Reynolds may be the face of Marks Spencer, but he didn’t opt for one of their suits on his big day – thank goodness. Instead, the handsome actor opted for custom-made Burberry suits with leather suspenders. How very Mr Darcy of him!

THE RINGS:

Apparently the couple exchanged wedding rings by New York jeweler Lorraine Schwartz, a source previously told The News. 

THE CAKE:

Marie Antoinette would have ADORED the Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds $3,000 wedding cake. Baked by Maggie Austin Cakes in Maryland, it was driven eight hours across three state lines, according to sources at The News.

THE PARTY:

Sources have claimed that the pair enjoyed an ntimate, personalized party at a rustic barn in Charleston, South Carolina – and the lucky guests of Ryan and Blake were treated to a “fun-filled carnival hour” and elegant reception. Not to mention a live performance by Florence Welch of Florence and the Machine, if reports at People are to be believed.

It sounds spectacular, doesn’t it? We wish we could have been there…

DAAP grad opens bridal boutique in Hyde Park

Posted on by
Reply

Amanda's Hyde Park Bridal

Amanda’s Hyde Park Bridal opened Sept. 8 in Hyde Park.







A University of Cincinnati DAAP graduate opened a new bridal boutique this week in Hyde Park.

Amanda Topits opened Amanda’s Hyde Park Bridal, located at 3319 Erie Ave. The store offers a variety of exclusively designed wedding gowns with appointment-only personal service for brides and their guests. The store also sells bridesmaid dresses, flower girl dresses, veils and bridal accessories.

“We are focused on offering our bride the best possible experience while helping her find her dream dress,” Topits said in a news release. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that every bride deserves.”

Wedding gowns at Amanda’s Hyde Park Bridal range from $1,500 to $9,000. The designers featured at the store include Alvina Valenta, Blue Willow and Tara Keely.

After graduating from UC’s College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning, Topits worked for Glamour and Elle magazines, various fashion groups, and bridal stores in California and Cincinnati before opening her own boutique.



Follow Your Favorites with My News

My News is a way to create a customized news feed based on companies and industries that matter to you.