Jun 29

If there’s one way of saving money on anything, it’s by doing it yourself. Your wedding day is no exception (um … with the exception of the minister. You can’t actually marry yourselves). But when it comes to invitations, flowers, favors, decorations, food and music, a DIY couple can add invaluable personalized touches to their big day without shelling out a down-payment on a house. “The DIY Wedding: Celebrate Your Day Your Way” (Chronicle Books, $14.95) is all about that. Written by Tango magazine editor and Modern Bride writer Kelly Bare, this resource is chock-full of how-tos and tips for every aspect of your wedding.

Here are a few highlights:

  • Amateurs can often do things just as well as the professionals.

    • Jun 29

    (WTOL) - Spending a lot of money on a wedding these days is unrealistic for many brides, and, besides, when the big day’s over, they’re left with an expensive dress they will have worn only once.

    That’s not a problem for one local bride who’s looking to recuperate some money and help out others on a budget.

    Carrie Smith was married just three months ago. She knows she won’t be using her wedding gown again, so she decided to sell it through a website called bravobride.com, where once-worn wedding gowns go for a fraction of the cost.

    “The dress is selling for $425. Initially, I purchased it for $575,” Smith said.

    The trend is catching on. Sites like preownedweddingdresses.com and oncewed.com take the stage as budget-conscious brides look to save a few bucks.

    According to The Wedding Report, couples, on average, are expected to spend $1,416 less on a wedding this year compared to last year.

    And for those who’ve already tied the knot, sites like these can help to recover money already spent.

    Jun 29

    Dear Annie: Two weeks ago, on the spur of the moment, I went to Las Vegas and married my boyfriend. I can’t tell you how much I regret it. I’m not sure whether it’s because I’ve only known him a month or because the wedding ring looks like gold dice.

    I am in my 30s and ready to settle down again (this was my third wedding), but even I believe this was too impulsive. My new husband is really committed, but I don’t think I can do this. How can I let him down easy and make him understand it was a mistake?

    — What Happens in Vegas Should Stay in Vegas

    Dear Vegas: You entered this union in haste, but please take the time to see if there is something worth saving. This guy is willing to stick by you and deserves that much consideration. You might discover that one secret to lasting relationships is the willingness to work through problems when things get tough. If you decide, however, that the marriage cannot possibly be successful, you should be able to get an annulment, telling your husband that you both deserve an opportunity to get to know each other better before making this kind of commitment.

    Dear Annie: I read the letter from “Total Loss,” whose son dropped out of college, played video games all day and gave up on everything he loved.

    My son was very successful in high school, active in the church youth group and was an Eagle Scout. When he went to college, he could not get it together. He missed classes and spent days in his dorm room. When he came home he was violent. Our doctor diagnosed him with “situational depression.” Two universities and another year later, he was diagnosed with Adult Attention Deficit Disorder through the wonderful university counseling center. He just graduated with honors and has applied for graduate school. He has grown into everything I expected he could be. Tell that family to never give up.

    — Proud Mother

    Dear Proud: Your son is lucky to have loving parents who obviously encouraged him to get the help he so desperately needed. And congratulations to him for having the courage and strength to seek assistance.

    Dear Annie: I have a close friend who “forgets” to pay for the items in the bottom of her grocery cart and allows her infant son to play with toys in the store and then walks out as if they belong to him. I have warned “Nicole” about this practice, but so far, she has not been caught. To add to that, Nicole and her husband intend to file for bankruptcy, so they are maxing out their credit cards on jewelry, sporting events, restaurants, etc., because they know they won’t have to repay the debt.

    I’m not sure why I am so upset. Am I jealous because Nicole gets these expensive items for “free” and I am going through difficult times right now? I have taken a second job to help make ends meet, while Nicole continues to steal from stores, driving up the prices for all of us. What should I do?

    — Indiana

    Dear Indiana: Nicole is a cheat and a thief, and that is reason enough to be upset with her. We’d cross her off our friend list because she is not a person of integrity. As for the pre-bankruptcy profligacy, federal law denies the benefits of bankruptcy to anyone who is shown to have gone on a credit card spending spree during the 90 days leading up to a bankruptcy filing. Credit card companies are on the lookout for just this type of situation. Even if the credit card companies don’t take legal action against her, it is likely that Nicole will still have to pay a portion of those charges from future earnings. She’s not as clever as she thinks

    Please e-mail your questions to anniesmailbox@comcast.net, or write to: Annie’s Mailbox, P.O. Box 118190, Chicago, IL 60611.

    Jun 29

    TUSCALOOSA | Willard Forward walked his daughter down the aisle at her wedding Saturday at the Battle-Friedman House. He shared a father-daughter dance with her at the reception.

     

    And then the wedding celebration took an unexpected turn.

    Around 8:45 p.m. Saturday, Forward was loading tables and chairs into his truck outside the Battle-Friedman House in the 900 block of Greensboro Avenue when a light colored truck or SUV struck his vehicle and then hit him, launching him into the air and into the road, said his daughter, Victoria Forward Fason.

    The driver left the scene and is being sought be police.

    ‘We had an absolutely gorgeous wedding. My father got to walk me down the aisle, he got to dance with me my first dance, but it all went downhill later,’ she said. ‘We were still on cloud nine about being married, because he’s my best friend. It was a very joyful event, but our joy turned to sorrow real quick.’

    Forward broke bones in both his thighs, his eye socket, a vertebrae and three ribs. His two front teeth were knocked out. Police and paramedics arrived within a minute of the 911 calls.

    Forward spent several hours in surgery Sunday and is recovering at DCH, Fason said. But it will be four to six weeks before he can put any weight on his legs and another four to six months to completely recover.

    ‘They thought it was a head injury because there was a pool of blood,’ she said. ‘His legs were wrapped like a pretzel.’

    Fason and her new husband Brad had left their wedding reception about 8:15 p.m. and Alexis Forward, Fason’s sister, called her while in the ambulance with their father.

    ‘My husband and I were taking a tour around Tuscaloosa in a horse-drawn carriage and I got a call from my sister, and I simultaneously heard ambulances,’ Fason said.

    Alexis Forward considered not telling her sister about the accident until she realized the extent of his injuries.

    ‘It was her wedding night, and if I could have let them enjoy their wedding night, I would have,’ Alexis Forward said.

    She did not see the accident, but called emergency personnel afterward.

    ‘I was inside picking up after the reception and somebody comes yelling in the door, ‘Quick, call 911, someone been hit by a car.’ So I called 911,’ said Alexis Forward, who was the maid of honor. ‘Then I stepped outside and my aunt says it’s my dad.’

    Alexis Forward talked to her father before emergency personnel arrived, to try to keep him calm. A paramedic and two nurses who were attending the wedding also came to his aid.

    ‘I said, ‘Dad we’re here, I love you.’ I was asking him when he was born, if he remembered his name, if he remembered the wedding, to see how cognizant he was,’ she said.

    Alexis Forward said her father didn’t remember the accident. ‘The last thing he remembers is reaching into his truck to get a Diet Coke. He immediately started asking about his front teeth, because he could tell by talking that he didn’t have his front teeth,’ she said.

    Police are still searching for the driver who hit Willard Forward and suspect the vehicle may have damage to the right front tire and rim and possibly a broken, amber corner or side-marker lens. The Tuscaloosa Police’s hit-and-run division is investigating the accident.

    Jun 29

    Wedding vows were exchanged by Laura Derleth and Alan Leong in a May 9 ceremony in The Isabella Ballroom at the Davenport Hotel.

    Thomas and Carol Derleth, Bellingham, Wash., are parents of the bride. The groom is the son of Gail Leong, Spokane, and the late Daniel Leong.

    A reception at the Davenport followed the ceremony. The couple are living in Spokane after a honeymoon in the Bahamas.

    The bride, a graduate of both Whitman College and Boston University, is a physical therapist at Sacred Heart Medical Center. The groom, a graduate of Washington State University, is a pharmacist at Sacred Heart Medical Center.

    Jun 21

    Englishwoman Lynnette Coxall and her Spanish fiance Eric Shroder, who are both 30 and based in Cork, made contact a few years ago in an internet chat room and they “hit it off overnight”. Within three months, Lynnette had moved from England to Cork to move in with Eric.

    Fiona Hagensen, who will be maid of honour at the couple’s wedding next week, said the pair had a blissful few years together until tragedy struck last December when Eric became sick. What he first assumed was a stomach bug turned out to be bowel cancer.

    He underwent surgery and the prognosis was very positive. However, Fiona says his condition deteriorated and they were told the cancer was terminal.

    “He started chemo 10 weeks ago and he never responded well. But we did not think it was a terminal illness. On Tuesday, he was readmitted to the South Infirmary and he was operated on. [Thursday] evening, we (Lynnette and Fiona) got the phone call to come down and the consultant met with us and had to break the news that the operation was very unsuccessful and the tumour had spread. The consultant had to break the news that it is terminal and it is very short term, possibly between two weeks and one month to live.”

    Fiona said Lynnette and Eric got engaged “quite a while ago” and planned to get married in Majorca in April or May of next year.

    Eric has been unable to keep down food for the last months and has lost more than three stone but he “knows his dream” and has vowed to get married next week.

    “They have the best relationship. Eric’s wish is for them to become officially husband and wife. He wants his wedding to be a celebration and not a place to mourn. He knows very clearly what he wants and we are waiting for family to come over from Spain and England,” Fiona said.

    Peter Kelly of Weddings by Franc fame contacted 96FM offering his services.

    Meanwhile, The Baldy Barbers offered to go to the hospital to tend to Eric’s grooming needs, RSVP magazine said they would pay for the photography and offered the use of a Rolls Royce car, while taxi companies offered to pick up family from Cork Airport for the wedding.

    Beauticians and hairdressers also called Fiona offering assistance with hair and make-up, with Shandon Flowers among a number of florists who promised to provide Lynnette’s favourite flowers, peonies.

    Tux ’r’ Us phoned to say they would provide suits for the wedding while the Roaring Forties band and Natural Gas were among numerous offers of music for the wedding reception.

    A magician offered his services for the reception, while one anonymous donor walked in to the 96FM studios in Cork city with a cheque of an unspecified amount for the wedding.

    Soprano Cara O’Sullivan said she is willing to sing at the church on the day. “The bottom line is they are going to have the best day of their lives. They might pick something nice in Spanish. I am happy to do it,” she said.

    The couple plan to keep the venue of the wedding and reception private.

    “Eric has asked me to stress one thing. This is not begging. It is a time issue. The time element is what is crucial. On behalf of Eric and Lynnette we just want to say thank you so so much. We want this to be their dream come true.”

     

    This story appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Saturday, June 20, 2009

    Jun 21
    MARGAO - In a tragic accident at Banda in Assolna, a bus and a wedding car collided head on claiming the lives of two occupants of the car and injuring four others on Saturday evening. The car was proceeding towards the church for the nuptials with the bride, the bridesmaid and others.
    The Cuncolim police informed that the bus was coming towards Margao from Assolna, while the car was proceeding towards Cuncolim, when the accident took place at around 4 p.m.
    The names of the deceased were disclosed as Gregario Dias (39), a resident of Assolna, who was driving the car and Brenda Rodrigues (24), a resident of Pedda, Margao, who was the bridesmaid. The police said that Gregario died on the way to the Hospicio Hospital, Margao, in a 108 ambulance, while Brenda was declared dead on arrival at the same hospital. Brenda was initially taken to the NUSI hospital in Cuncolim, but later moved to the Hospicio Hospital as she had sustained serious injuries, the police said.
    The police informed that the injured are Ms Emmie Fernandes, who is the bride, a resident of Benaulim, her mother, Ms Elvera Fernandes, Ms Maria and Rachelf (7), who are the neighbours. All were first rushed to the NUSI hospital and later moved to the Hospicio Hospital where they are undergoing treatment.
    The bride, who suffered minor injuries, was later discharged from the NUSI hospital, and was married at the Cuncolim church.
    The police took the bus driver into custody. His name was disclosed as Muktam from Margao. The police are recording statements in the accident.
    Jun 21

    NEW YORK – In Michigan, one of the states hit hardest by the recession, Wendy Higgins has reluctantly told a favorite niece she might not have enough money for her wedding present in August. Higgins’ disability checks have stopped, and her husband was laid off in December. They fear they could even lose their home.

     

    But Higgins wouldn’t miss the wedding.

     

    “My niece said the most important thing is just for me to be there,” said Higgins, 53. “And she’s marrying the nicest boy. I’ll wait until things get better, and send a check when we can.”

     

    An Associated Press-Brides.com poll shows that the rituals of attending weddings and giving the couple gifts, while not totally recession-proof, are still deeply important to family and friends, and pretty resistant to the economy’s meltdown.

     

    Only 3 percent of Americans said they’d declined an invitation to attend a wedding in the past two years for financial reasons. And 90 percent of those who’d attended a wedding recently said they’d bought a gift for the couple.

     

    But that doesn’t mean couples should assume they’re getting one: The survey, conducted by GfK, showed that only 28 percent of Americans feel couples should expect a gift.

     

    “I just think it’s rude to assume people will give you something,” said Higgins, of Marine City, Mich.

     

    Liz Collins of Savannah, Ga. agreed, “A present is something people should give if they are so moved,” says Collins, 31.

     

    And yet most Americans feel obliged to give gifts nonetheless – including those who know they can’t really afford it.

     

    Like Kellie Turpin, who was laid off from her job in car sales a year ago. At a wedding, she’d give the same kind of gift she gave before losing her job: cash or gift card, in the $75 range, or her own handmade crafts.

     

    Turpin would also send a gift – maybe $50 in cash, or a gift certificate – even if she wasn’t attending the wedding. Many Americans would do the same: Fully 63 percent said they’d feel obliged to do so.

     

    But men and women do not necessarily think alike on such matters.

     

    For example, although few people said they’d be likely to attend the wedding and forgo a gift entirely if they couldn’t afford it, men, especially younger men, were more likely to do so. Only 20 percent of women of any age said they were likely to do so, compared to 50 percent of men younger than 35, and 23 percent of men older than 35.

     

    The median price people paid for wedding gifts in the past two years was $80, though 10 percent said $300 or more.

    Jun 21
    CHICAGO, June 19 (UPI) — A Chicago couple diagnosed with swine flu only 48 hours before their wedding said they went through with their plans — in latex gloves and surgical masks. 

    Jeremy Fierstien and Ilana Jackson, both 26, said they were concerned about being diagnosed with H1N1, better known as swine flu, but they were determined to go forward with the ceremony at North Suburban Synagogue Beth El in Highland Park, Ill., the Chicago Tribune reported Friday.

    “The doctor said: ‘It’s not going to be the wedding you wanted. You tested positive for swine flu. Give me a call if you have any questions,’” Fierstien said after the wedding, which featured both bride and groom in latex gloves and surgical masks to protect their guests.

    The couple also remained at least 10 feet from their guests at all times during the wedding and reception and abstained from dancing.

    “We were determined to make the most of a bad situation,” Fierstien said.

    Jackson said her friends and family told her she will be laughing about the wedding later.

    “I’m, like, give me a few weeks,” she said. “Was it unfortunate? Yes. Disappointing? Yes. But we’ve had a really good attitude about it.”

    Jun 21

    Tradition dictates that not just the bride and groom receive gifts on their special day. The supporting cast of bridesmaids and groomsmen are also honored by the happy couple with a token of the nuptials.

    Coming up with meaningful, memorable gifts doesn’t have to be another stressful thing to cross off the to-do list. Instead, couples will wow their friends by using a little imagination.

    Make it personal

    Monogramming is big —- on everything. Go the extra mile and have initials or a name carved onto barware, tote bags, stationery, cutting boards, bathing suits and more. Christie Harper, owner of the DabberDoo gift shop in Virginia-Highland, encourages her brides to add the touch to towels, travel bags, nut bowls —- even pink leather flasks. For groomsmen, go for a set of monogrammed highball or wine glasses and pair them with a favorite beverage.

    “Monogramming is great because there are so many ways to do it,” she said. “If you have one friend who’s athletic and another who’s a girly-girl, you can do a different style of monogram for each and it adds personal value to the gift.”

    At Sid Mashburn on the city’s Westside, $115 monogrammed pocket knives have been popular gifts for the guys. “It’s definitely the coolest gift we’ve ever done,” said store rep Matt Lambert. “With monogramming, it’s one of those things that make you realize the person put some thought into it.”

    Pampering packages

    Friends and supporters get stressed out, too.

    Assemble a basket or tote filled with a variety of treats: aromatic candles, bath gels, spa headbands, oils, exfoliating products, scented moisturizers and bubble baths are a good start. Toss in a spa gift certificate for friends to use after the festivities are over.

    Be unique

    There are several ways that brides and grooms can give one-of-a-kind gifts.

    At Paisley Umbrella in Buckhead, shoppers can work with a perfumer to create an individual scent and give small bottles of it to their friends for $50 to $75 each.

    Store owner Katriesa Raines can also direct couples to a local jewelry artist who will create specialized pieces to wear.

    “You can pick your stones to customize everything from rings to earrings —- which are common gifts but can be special when you put together a different piece for each of your girls,” Raines said.

    Long-life gifts

    April Milliken Trigg, owner of the Eventologie events company in Grant Park, gave her bridesmaids a purse, earrings and a soft wrap that could be put to good use after the wedding day.

    “I knew that when I was a bridesmaid, I liked things that were personal to me, not the wedding,” she said. “I really liked getting a monogrammed bathrobe that I could use anytime.”

    Green gifts

    Eco-conscious couples may want to check out smartglassjewelry.com where a wealth of recycled ideas await.

    Turn ordinary glass into jewelry mementos for both men and women. “One of my brides now is collecting bottles from her bachelorette party and having them made into jewelry for her bridesmaids,” Trigg said. “She’s also doing cufflinks for the groomsmen.”

    Monogrammed stationery made from recycled paper is another thoughtful eco-gift. Another green option is to forgo traditional gifts completely and plant a tree in each friend’s name.

    Fit the theme

    Having a beach wedding? Consider gifts that fit the setting: bathing suits, flip-flops, beach towels, tote bags. For those destination events, pack up travel-sized toiletries, neck rests, eyeshades and reading material.

    For the guys

    Make the men in your wedding party happy with a cooler and sports chair, sets of grilling tools, specialty cigars, deluxe shaving kits and the time-honored hip flask. “Some things just don’t change a lot and liquor flasks are still very big,” said Gillian Harte, publisher of “Perfect Wedding Guide.”

    Buyer’s Edge

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