bridal feb 2014

Spring2014Bridal world

1

A special publication of the

Ludington Daily News

(MS) — As weddings have become less regimented and more expensive, the tradi-tional bridal party is often pared down to a best man and a bridesmaid or two.

Their roles, however, have remained constant through the years. Whether the wed-ding you’ve got in mind is large or small, formal or ca-sual, conventional or origi-nal, it’s helpful to have a sense of the roles that bridal party members have played through the years.

Maid of honor

Usually the closest friend of the bride and sometimes a relative. A married, di-vorced, widowed, or older woman might be called the matron of honor.

She assists with the de-tails of the wedding plans, like shopping for the bridal gown, addressing invitations and choosing flowers. She ar-ranges the bridal shower in conjunction with the bride’s family, is in charge of coordi-nating the bridesmaids and organizing fittings, and typi-cally signs the couple’s certif-icate of marriage or wedding license as a legal witness. At the reception, she should stand immediately after the groom in the receiving line.

Best manCommonly the groom’s

best friend, relative or not, the best man is in charge of instructing the ushers and coordinating the groom’s transportation to the cere-mony.

He usually holds the rings until the ceremony and will also sign the marriage cer-tificate as a legal witness. At the reception, he holds a place of honor, escorting the maid of honor in the receiv-ing line and in all other wed-ding party activities. He’s also the toastmaster, offer-ing the first toast to the cou-ple.

Bridesmaids and ushers Typically friends or rela-

tives of the bride, brides-maids may be asked to coor-dinate special details during the ceremony preparations or at the reception, and as-sist the bride and the maid of honor.

Ushers (sometimes also known as groomsmen) should be prepared for an early arrival at the ceremo-ny to escort female guests to their seats. During the cer-emony, they will escort the bridesmaids down the aisle. They may also be asked to coordinate the guests’ trip from the ceremony to the re-

ception as well as assist the groom and the best man.

Flower girl and ring bearer

The flower girl carries a basket of flower petals to sprinkle down the aisle, or flowers to be passed out to the women seated near the aisle.

The ring bearer may either escort the flower girl down the aisle, or follow her, with the rings on a pillow.

Father of the brideHis most conspicuous

duty is giving away the bride at the ceremony. He might also fulfill numerous rolls, such as coordinating transportation, dancing and toasting. Traditionally, he and the mother of the bride have paid for the wedding and reception but today it is common for expenses to be shared by both fami-lies along with the bride and groom themselves.

2

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2 Ludington Daily News/Bridal

COVER PHOTO: Mercelle LeGalle and Drew Howard are shown after their wedding ceremony on Ludington’s beach.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY SUE BROWN INC.

BY MICHAEL MELIAASSOCIATED PRESS

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Worried about the groom getting cold feet? There’s an insurance policy for that.

With the cost of the av-erage American wedding reaching about $26,000, in-surers have been selling a growing number of policies to protect against losses from extreme weather, ill-ness and, in one firm’s case, even a sudden change of heart.

Cheryl Winter spent $500 for Hartford-based Trav-elers Cos. Inc. to cover her daughter’s $50,000 destina-tion wedding last October in New Orleans, where her big-gest concern was a poten-tial hurricane. The weather cooperated, but the limou-sine never showed up. Her daughter took a taxi cab to the church, and they used the insurance policy to claim the deposit money they couldn’t get back from the limo driver.

“No one wants to be walk-ing in the French Quarter in a long gown and high heels,” said Winter, who lives in the Houston area.

The insurance is offered

by a small number of U.S. companies. Insurers de-clined to provide data on the number of custom-ers beyond saying they are growing steadily. It can cov-er losses from issues rang-ing from bankrupt wed-ding halls to cancellations forced by unexpected mili-tary deployments. Travel-ers says issues with vendors account for about a quarter of the claims, with most of those related to issues with photographers or videogra-phers.

For parents concerned about a relationship sour-ing before the exchange of

vows, Fireman’s Fund Insur-ance Co. offers change of heart insurance. It’s been available since 2007, but the program administrator said

the fraud rate soared in the early years as policies were bought for couples who were known to be fighting. That coverage now applies only if the bride or groom calls off the wedding more than nine months beforehand.

“Coverage does not exist once you hit the altar,” said administrator Rob Nuccio of R.V. Nuccio & Associates.

Kyle Brown, director of the Bakersfield, Calif.-based Brid-al Association of America, said he recommends wed-ding insurance, but he esti-mates policies are taken out for less than half of 1 percent of the more than 2 million weddings held annually in the U.S.

“Nobody likes to think about the bad side,” he said.

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AP PHOTO

In this photo provided by Cheryl Winter, Shannon and Justin Peach ride in a carriage after their wedding in New Orleans. The couple’s limo did not show up, so the insurance policy helped with the carriage.

Ludington Daily News/Bridal 3

Helpful hints to make the job easier(MS) — Weddings are filled

with many emotions: happi-ness, excitement and antici-pation, to name a few. With all of the positive emotions a wedding may drum up, in the mix there may be a few nega-tive ones, including feelings of being overwhelmed at all the details that need to be completed on a deadline.

One aspect of wedding planning that tends to send people into panic is wedding reception seating arrange-ments.

The thought of having 200 friends and family members together under one roof — and then attempting to seat them next to an acceptable group of people — can cause some couples to hyperventi-late.

Every family has its ups and downs, and there are certain people who get along well and a few who clash. Ensur-ing that a wedding is memo-rable for all the right reasons (and not for the brawl at ta-ble 3) is why seating arrange-ments are so important.

Many couples can use a little advice when seating guests, while others would love another person to han-dle the seating arrangements for them. Here are some guidelines for setting up re-ception seating arrange-ments.

• Place yourselves, as well as the bridal party, at a sep-

arate table that is in a prime location in the room. Be sure to allow the spouses or dates of bridal party members at the same table so couples re-main together.

• Some couples choose to seat both sets of parents at one table together — the parents’ table. Grandpar-ents may also be seated at this table, depending on the number of people each table can accommodate.

• If children under the age of 7 are invited, they should be seated with their parents. Children between ages 7 and 14 can be seated at a sepa-rate kids’ table.

• Be mindful of guests with disabilities or mobility issues. Seat them close to the door, bathrooms or food station.

• Instead of separating the bride and the groom’s family to separate sides, in-termingle the tables to pro-mote conversation.

• Consider arranging guests by common interests at each table, seating busi-

ness associates or parents’ friends together.

• Take into consideration people who have relation-ship rifts and try to seat them separately. But don’t stress about this too much because it won’t be possible to accommodate everyone. You’ll have to hope that at your wedding a certain level

of decorum will preside.• It’s not unheard of to let

guests seat themselves. This takes the pressure of find-ing a seat for everyone off of you as a couple and enables you to think about the other tasks at hand.

This can take place at a buffet wedding or a smaller affair.

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Seating your wedding guests


Ensuring that a wedding is memorable for all the right reasons (and not for the brawl at table 3) is why seating arrangements are so important.

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(MS) — Many brides-to-be look forward to the day when they visit a bridal salon and are able to try on gowns for the first time.

There are certain tips that can make the day go much more smoothly and potentially re-duce the amount of time it may take to find the perfect gown.

• Wear a supportive, well constructed strapless bra or corset in your correct size. If you will be wearing a petticoat, also have the right size avail-able.

• Go without face makeup when trying on gowns so they remain clean.

• Try to wear your hair sim-ilar to the style you have in mind for your wedding.

• Note that the size of the wedding gown you will wear is typically one to two sizes larger than your day-to-day

clothes. Proper measurements can be matched to designers’ size charts.

• It’s best to limit the num-ber of people with whom you shop to one or two trusted friends or family members. An entourage can be confusing.

• It’s always better to order a slightly larger gown and leave room for alterations if you are between sizes.

Almost as long as there have been bridal gowns, white or ivo-ry have been the colors of choice for first-time brides. These light hues represent the purity and innocence of the bride.

Although a few brides-to-be choose to forego wedding white for something a bit more flashy — like pink or yellow gowns — a popular trend today is to wear gowns with accents of black or other deep colors to add dimen-sion to the white canvas.


Tips for wedding gown shopping

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(MS) — There’s no getting around the fact that wed-dings can be expensive.

For many couples, they’re the first of the largest expenses they will make together. It’s quite easy for individuals to go over budget on their wedding day if they do not carefully keep track of what has been spent on all the elements of the big day.

Use this budget planner to keep all of the costs as-sociated with the wedding in one easy-to-manage place.

Wedding Items ________________Budgeted Amount _____________Amount Spent ________________Venue and rentals ______________Food and service _______________Beverages ___________________Cake ______________________Miscellaneous fees ______________Gown and alterations ____________Headpiece and veil ______________Accessories __________________Makeup and Hair _______________Groom’s tux or suit ______________ Groom’s accessories _____________Floral arrangements _____________Bouquets ___________________Ring pillow __________________Boutonnieres _________________

Corsages ___________________Reception decorations ___________Lighting ___________________Ceremony musicians ____________Reception musicians ____________Photography _________________Videography _________________Transportation ________________Favors _____________________Ceremony fees ________________Invitations ___________________Stationery ___________________Wedding rings ________________Honeymoon _________________Other expenses _______________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________

Make a budget, stick to it6 Ludington Daily News/Bridal

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your wedding apart(MS) — Over the course of their life-

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During the height of wedding sea-son, weddings can run into one an-other, as the format and the festivi-ties are similar at various ceremonies.

Couples interested in setting their nuptials apart may want to enhance the wedding reception with a few unique ideas.

Here are several ideas you can intro-duce into your wedding to add some-thing special to the reception.

• Skip the big entrance. Those who were kind enough to attend the cer-emony have already been introduced

to the newly minted happy couple. In-stead of spending the cocktail hour in the isolation of the wedding suite, mingle with your guests from start to finish.

So much time is spent posing for pictures or being out of touch with guests, the cocktail hour can be a great time to sit and chat. Being with guests during the cocktail hour means you don’t have to make that big entrance from behind closed doors. Guests will have all eyes on you when you step on the dance floor for your first dance together.

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• Dance to an upbeat num-ber. Guests are expecting a slow, sappy tune. What they may not expect is an upbeat song that shows you are will-ing to have a little fun.

• Encourage couples to dance together. It’s often cus-tomary for the bridal party to join the bride and groom on the dance floor midway through the first dance. How-ever, that leaves spouses or significant others waiting in the wings while their dates tango with groomsmen or bridesmaids. Instead, don’t have assigned partners. Rath-er, encourage your bridal par-ty members to dance with whomever they choose.

• Swap the garter/bouquet toss for something more meaningful. If you’re part of a couple who feels the garter and bouquet toss has become trite, there are other ways to create special moments in your celebration. Use this time to present a small gift or token of your affection to someone on the guest list who has served as a mentor or source of inspiration.

• Choose one special com-ponent as an extra goodie for guests. Some couples feel the more they offer the bet-ter guests will view their wed-ding. Spending more mon-ey doesn’t necessarily mean guests will have a better time. If you want to go above and beyond the ordinary, find one thing that you absolutely love and offer that at the party. It could be a chocolate or can-dy bar, a carving station with your all-time favorite food (even if that’s PB&J), or photo booth.

• Hire a live performer. Al-though it’s hard to beat the performance quality of your wedding song being per-formed by the original artist, unless you’re cousins with Celine Dion, chances are she

won’t be available to sing at your reception. However, a live band adds a certain level of excitement that a disk jock-ey may not be able to provide.

• Let them eat ... cookies? Some people just don’t like cake. Therefore, why should a couple have to cut a seven-tiered white confection? Tow-ers of different types of treats can be created and serve as the perfect backdrop for that classic cake-cutting photo. A pyramid of cream puffs, stacks of brownies, a cookie castle, or cereal-cake concoc-tions can work.

• Stage a costume switch. Let’s face it, dancing all night in a long gown takes some stamina. As the bride, have a more comfortable cocktail dress available to switch into for the latter part of the re-ception. It will also add some variety to your wedding pho-tos.

Some couples feel the more they offer, the better guests will view their wedding. Spending more money doesn’t necessarily mean guests will have a better time.

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As mother of the bride or groom(MS) — Whether you’re the

mother of the bride or the groom, it goes without say-ing that you want to look your best on your child’s wedding day.

While tradition offers guidelines for choosing ap-propriate wedding attire for mothers of brides and grooms, choices abound.

Follow the leadersThe most important rule of

thumb for mothers is to fol-low the couple’s cues about the style and tone of their nuptials.

Before purchasing an en-

semble for the big day, talk with the bride and groom about their vision for the wedding. It’s also a good idea for mothers to postpone pur-chasing their own wedding attire until the bride has se-lected her wedding dress and those of her attendants. It may also be useful to know if the couple has selected a col-or scheme for their wedding.

Don’t be a matchmakerMothers’ dresses should

complement the attire of the wedding party, but do not have to match the brides-maids, the wedding colors or each other. In fact, the only color that is off limits is white, which is reserved for the bride. In general, moth-

er-of-the-bride and -groom dresses tend to be solid col-ors rather than intricate prints, which can be distract-ing and look out of place in photos.

Timing is everythingTraditionally, the mother

of the bride selects her dress first, and the mother of the groom then chooses some-thing similar in style. If either mother has questions about their choice of wedding at-tire, they should consult the bride. Clear communication between the mothers or be-tween each mother and the bride will not only make shopping both pleasant and productive, but will ensure that one mother doesn’t

“outdo” or overshadow the other.

Know your style, your placeWhen looking for that

perfect dress, whether it’s a floor-length gown or a flow-ing cocktail dress, stick with styles that flatter your figure and enhance your best fea-tures. Since wedding photos will be viewed for many years to come, choose a style that photographs well and a col-or that works well with your skin tone. Also, keep in mind that while you will be one of the leading ladies at the wedding, your attire should never compete with or draw attention away from the per-son with the starring role in the production, the bride.

Choosing what to wear for the big day10 Ludington Daily News/Bridal

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BY LISA A. FLAMASSOCIATED PRESS

Jillian Mackey had seen wed-ding favors that seemed like an afterthought, and she knew she did not want to give one of those — an impractical trinket that would likely get tossed in the trash or thrown in a draw-er.

So during her year-long en-gagement to Jason Simms, the couple picked blackber-ries, strawberries and rhubarb in Oregon, where they lived;

gathered cactus pears in New Mexico, where he grew up; and plucked blueberries and apri-cots when they relocated to her home state, Connecticut. By the time they married on Aug. 2 in New Haven, Conn., the bride, who learned to make jam as a girl, had turned their bounty into dozens of jars of jam for their 135 wedding guests.

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really feel came from us as a couple, that we had actually put time and effort into,” Jil-lian Simms said.

The wedding favor — that little thank-you-for-com-ing gift — has risen to new heights.

“It’s not just Jordan al-monds and chocolate truf-fles anymore,” said Jenni-fer Condon, wedding style and registry director for Brides magazine.

With so many choices, made even more numerous with personalization and online inspiration, favors have become more specif-ic to the couple, their wed-ding theme or the venue.

Great favors nowadays

include food and photos — things that guests can en-joy immediately and that aren’t “going to clutter their house,” said Frugoli, who also co-owns a sweets company.

When the party is over, guests can find bags and containers to fill with dec-orated cookies, candy from a colorful buffet, popcorn in fun flavors or the fixings for s’mores.

“It goes back to a nos-talgia thing,” said Frugoli. “People are looking for a lot of comfort food and fun things.”

Baked goods — cake pops, pie pops and cup-cakes — can be decorat-ed to fit a theme or color scheme.

Foodie couples may give a gourmet gift, such as an herb-infused salt or a small bottle of wine, or vinegar or olive oil in a distinctive fla-vor.

Instant gratification also comes by way of the pho-to favor, a strip of pic-tures from a photo booth, an instant photo that gets popped into a frame.

The bridal couple often gets a copy of the imag-es too. “They get to see ev-erybody, like Grandma in a moustache and glasses,” said Frugoli.

A favor can also do double duty.

“Instead of one large cen-terpiece, a bride will do eight tiny little vases that create a centerpiece togeth-

er, and each person takes one home as a favor,” Con-don said. Or there might be picture frames holding the table numbers.

Couples have grown “braver,” more willing to give what feels right to them. Those with an out-door ceremony might give fleece blankets; others might hand out hangover kits with mints and pain re-liever. Or they can custom-ize a drink cozy or tin of tea.

“The result is phenome-nal,” Frugoli said. “They feel happy giving those things out because it has a pur-pose. The guests are hap-py because they are getting something fun, cool and unique.”

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(MS) — Couples often fret over what to serve their guests at the recep-tion, and rightfully so.

Here are some ideas of what not to serve:

• Exotic cuisine - You may be a risk taker when it comes to cuisine, but oth-ers may not.

• Anything on fire - Why risk an accident for a spec-tacle?

• Raw food - Clams on the halfshell or sushi-grade tuna may seem like good ideas, but keep in mind that it is hard to en-sure quality when feeding 200 people at the same time.

• Anything too elabo-rate - The faster servers can get food out to guests the better.

• Fast food - This is your

wedding, and you want the food to fit with the scale of the day. A formal wedding generally includes a for-mal meal. Although it may be alright to include some fast food inspired dishes at the cocktail buffet, steer clear of burgers and fries for the main meal.

• Themed food - Don’t dye that baked potato pur-ple because you want the wedding to be a plum-col-ored affair.

• No food at all - Wheth-er your wedding is small or grand in scale, guests will expect some sort of food. Be sure to have some hors d’oeuvres or some well-placed pickings for guests to grab while mingling. After all, they will need something to provide en-ergy to mingle and dance.

What not to serve at a wedding

Wedding cake trends to consider

(MS) — The multi-tiered cake that is a favorite wed-ding tradition is often pre-sented at the end of the night. The happy couple takes a slice and enjoys the first piece.

In recent years, wedding cakes have become more of an artistic centerpiece than just a confectionary treat.

Although many catering halls or reception sites will include the wedding cake in a package deal, many cou-ples choose to order their cake elsewhere.

If television trends are any indication, many people are opting to spend more mon-ey on a customized wedding cake.

These fondant and butter-cream creations may be elab-orate in nature, so much so they’ll likely need to be or-

dered several months in ad-vance.

Couples looking for some-thing a bit different for their upcoming nuptials, may want to consider these trends in wedding cakes.

• 3-D accents on the cake, such as graphic appliques.

• A black-and-white motif that gives the cake a simplis-tic, yet trendy appeal.

• A lot of bold color in the cake, instead of just white or ivory.

• Dramatic monograms that can add class to the cake.

• Cakes that mirror the style of the wedding gown, including fondant ruffles and appliques.

Many couples still opt for the traditional, and that is always in style.


BY LISA A. FLAMASSOCIATED PRESS

(AP) — Of Tiffany Schutt’s 250 wedding guests, one surely stood out.

Not only was she not in-vited, but the young guest, a relative with whom the cou-ple wasn’t particularly close, turned up in a white dress — and a short and sexy one at that.

In fact, she was one of five uninvited relatives whose names were added to invit-ed guests’ response cards. Schutt, who married in In-dianapolis, was flattered but also in disbelief that they so badly wanted to attend.

“We are very laid-back, thankfully, so that day I took it in stride,” she said. “It just seemed not to be the best eti-quette.”

When it comes to manners, experts say wedding guests do well overall but are still causing headaches on a few fronts.

“The No. 1 thing that I hear about from frustrated brides is guests not RSVPing, not RSVPing on time or RSVPing for more than one person,” said Anna Post, great-great-granddaughter of Emily Post and co-author of the up-coming new edition of “Em-ily Post’s Wedding Etiquette” (William Morrow). “It’s all about the RSVP.”

Blame it on the relaxed cul-ture, busy lives or the hope of a better Saturday night offer, but some people just can’t get it together to mail the response card back. And don’t get brides started on the guests who say they will attend, only to end up as no-shows.

“People have gotten casual about this,” Post says. “When it comes to the wedding they think, it’s not a big deal. I’m just one person, it’ll be fine. And it’s really not. It’s a lot of money and a lot of stress for the couple.”

New York wedding planner Marcy Blum suggests adding an enclosure with the invita-tion listing an email address people can use to RSVP or ask questions.

Brides put thought into ad-dressing their invitations, which spell out exactly who is invited. When guests treat the RSVP card like a write-in ballot, a phone call is in or-der, Post said, so they under-stand that their date or child was not invited.

Besides RSVPs, anoth-er etiquette trouble spot is smartphones — in particu-lar, those guests who crowd the aisle to take pictures and then post the images online before the ceremony is even over, scooping the couple’s wedding photographer.

“A bride is very particular about how she looks at her wedding, and she does not want the photo that isn’t the most possible flattering pho-to to be all over Facebook be-fore she gets to look at her wedding shots,” Blum said.

Photos aside, phones de-tract from the solemnity of the ceremony.

“If you’re so busy tweeting and Instagraming, you’re not paying attention,” Blum said.

Keeping guests from snap-ping away at the reception, though, may be a losing fight, Post says, though cou-ples can ask guests to refrain from posting the photos on-line.

“I would pick and choose your battles,” she said. “The ceremony is the right place to focus.”

Other do’s and don’ts for guests:

DressDon’t be too informal,

but avoid wearing anything that’s too sexy, too over-the-top or too white. Blum notes a resurgence of women wear-ing white to weddings, and says brides don’t appreciate that on their big day in white.

GiftsSome regional traditions

may call for bringing the gift to the wedding, but experts say that in general they are best sent ahead of time.

BehaviorArrive early, and stay to

dance, mingle and converse at dinner.

“Being social and engaged is one of the best ways to be a good guest, along with not getting too drunk, or drunk period,” Post says.

ToastsToasts to the couples can

get out of hand if guests, sometimes tipsy ones, start asking for the microphone.

Guests should not speak unless they are asked or re-ceive permission.

Blum says guests do seem better behaved at weddings today, as couples create their guest lists with great care.

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(MS) — Every couple wants their wedding to be memo-rable.

The goal of planning a wed-ding is to create an experi-ence that everyone will re-member for years to come. For some couples, a theme wedding is the best way to accomplish just that.

When it comes time to se-lect a theme, the day the wedding takes place may dic-tate the theme. For example, if the wedding takes place on Halloween, the ideas for the theme are easy. Many other couples choose a theme that highlights a specific interest.

Here is a look at some themes:

• Holiday - The Christmas season lends itself well to

wedding planning. The col-ors (red, green, gold) are al-ready established, and most churches and buildings are already decked out in holi-day finery, cutting down on decorations.

• Vegas - Couples who want to tie the knot in Las Ve-gas but want to ensure their loved ones can attend can recreate the magic of Vegas wherever they may be. Casi-no-inspired games and big

buffet meals make guests feel like they have stepped into a casino on the famed Vegas strip.

• Fairytale - Many men and women envision a fairytale wedding complete with horse-drawn carriage and the “happily ever after.”

This is what makes Disney properties as well as the vari-ous castles around the world popular backdrops for wed-ding events. Those planning

a fairytale wedding need only look to favorite stories or movies for their inspiration.

• Interest or passion - Love to climb mountains? Avid about scuba diving? Couples who share a particular inter-est can include elements of this sport or hobby into their wedding.

Invitations and decor can hint at the theme, and then special activities can further enhance it. Fish bowls as cen-terpieces may call to mind underwater adventures, while surfboard-shaped in-vites may set the scene for a beachside party.

Theme weddings can add an extra spice to the festivi-ties — making it even more special.

Wedding themes can add extra fun16 Ludington Daily News/Bridal

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