wedding dress blog

Send a request for an announcement form, along with a stamped, self-addressed envelope, to Weddings and Engagements Desk, Journal Inquirer, 306 Progress Drive, Box 510, Manchester, CT 06045-0510. The charge is $49 for standard wedding and engagement announcements, with or without photographs. Announcements appear Friday.

Police were called to the Portuguese Club on John Street, where the reception was taking place, at 1:53 a.m. for a reported fight in progress, Lt. John Casey said. They arrived to find the 20-year-old victim, whose shirt was saturated with blood from a stab wound.

The victim told police he was dancing when he felt a sharp pain on the left side of his ribcage, Casey said. He pointed out his cousin, Manuel Marin, who then told officers the victim had punched him in the face to provoke the stabbing.

Police found the knife, a 4-inch folding blade, and arrested Marin.

The 22-year-old was charged with aggravated assault and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose. He was taken to the Middlesex County Adult Correction Center in North Brunswick in lieu of $50,000 bail, with no 10-percent cash option.

The victim, a Freehold man, was taken to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick by the South River Rescue Squad. His injuries were not considered life-threatening, Casey said.

 BRIDGEPORT, Conn. —  A Connecticut newlywed in her wedding gown is being credited with helping save a family from a Bridgeport house fire.

Officials say that Georgette Clemons had just left her wedding reception Sunday evening when she spotted smoke coming from a home on West McKinley Avenue.

Clemons got out of the car she was riding in and ran into the home. She says a woman was yelling about her animals and didn’t want to get out so she had to pull her out.

As firefighters arrived and battled the blaze after members of the Eitelberg family were rescued, Clemons was nearby folding her blackened wedding dress.

Clemons says she messed up her shoes, but says that’s no big deal because the people inside the burning home are safe.

BRIDGEPORT, Conn., June 1 (UPI) — A Connecticut bride who spotted a house on fire rushed into the home in her wedding dress and helped the family inside escape, witnesses said.

Hanifah Bost said she was driving new bride Georgette Clemons, of Bridgeport, from the Testo’s restaurant that hosted the reception for her wedding just before 5:30 p.m. Sunday when Clemons yelled for her to stop the car, the Connecticut Post of Bridgeport reported Monday.

“There was smoke coming from this house and as soon as I stopped the car, Georgette got out in her wedding dress and ran toward the front door,” said Bost, who followed Clemons into the house.

Clemons said one of the home’s occupants, a woman, refused to leave.

“The woman was yelling about her animals and didn’t want to get out so I had to pull her out,” Clemons said.

The bride said all of the house’s occupants, including two dogs and two ferrets, left the home safely.

Assistant Fire Chief Christopher Martin said no one was hurt in the fire.

“The right side of the house appears to have total damage. The people were out when we arrived, and fortunately there were no injuries,” he said.

(ARA) - Wedding album, videos and a carefully preserved gown — your wedding mementoes are meant to be precious reminders of your special day. But you may find yourself cringing with shame when you look at your album years down the road if you choose trendy over traditional style for the look of your wedding.

It’s easy to tell the difference between a look that’s trendy and a more classic style. Think of the bell bottoms and love beads from the ’70s and big hair and “Dynasty”-style gowns of the ’80s — looks that were “hot” at one time, but that years later elicit an eye-roll and a “what was I thinking” attitude from women who wore them.

Now consider the elegance, grace and demure femininity of icons like Grace Kelly, Ingrid Bergman and Audrey Hepburn. Their style was classic and timeless — and one that today’s smart bride mimics to ensure she’ll love the look of her wedding as much in 20 years as she does the day she walks down the aisle.

Today’s bride knows that choosing fabrics, silhouettes and accessories borrowed from the classic era — the 1940s through the 1960s — will give her wedding and gown timeless appeal. No dated looks from easy-to-identify fashion fads for her. The classic look also plays well with the growing trend to achieve less with more by accenting the basics with luxurious finishing touches.

Here’s how to achieve that classic look for your spring wedding:

The Dress

Avoid large, modern swags of fabrics in favor of silhouettes that emphasize an hourglass figure. Nipped-in waists, or waistlines defined with belts and sashes, often in a color that slightly contrasts with the dress, create an elegant, eternal style. You can draw your classic style from the ’40s, ’50s and even ’60s.

Designers offer charming gowns that evoke the look of 1950s prom dresses with fitted bodices and full skirts in tulle, lace and appliqué. For a 1960s look, a shorter, sophisticated frock with a gathered waist and narrow skirt will be reminiscent of the classic ’60s cocktail dress.

The Accessories

A veil is essential for classic bridal style, and birdcage veils with large netting that falls at cheekbone length epitomize the look. These simple veils frame the bride’s glowing face and highlight special jewelry. Ladylike wrist-length gloves are the perfect complement to vintage bridal looks.

The classic bridal look is a perfect match with a simple and elegant pair of pearl stud earrings and a lustrous 16-inch strand of cultured pearls around the bride’s neck. Pearls have long been associated with the essence of sophisticated womanhood in American pop culture.

“The Hindu Lord Krishna is said to have offered pearls to his daughter as a wedding gift, which is where pearls and weddings were first married,” says Jeremy Shepherd of PearlParadise.com, the world’s largest online pearl company. “Pearls are considered a symbol of purity, making them the perfect fit with a bride’s white dress.”

Shepherd recommends white akoya pearls, a saltwater pearl that grows primarily in the coastal areas of Japan and China. Considered to be the classic pearls for jewelry, akoya pearls are prized for their perfect round shape, mirror-like luster and soft, neutral colors.

Visit www.PearlParadise.com for more ideas and classic bridal pearls.

The Look

Tie a classic dress and accessories together with a polished hairstyle such as a bun or chignon and keep makeup understated. Dark brown or black eyeliner extended slightly past the end of the eyelid, a touch of black mascara and a shade of red lipstick perfectly matched to the bride’s complexion are all that’s necessary to complete the perfect, classic Hollywood face.

(ARA) - Engaged couples long for a wedding day that will be unique and memorable, but in these tough economic times many are becoming more cautious about how they plan and spend their budget.

According to The Wedding Report, a research company that tracks wedding spending in the United States, the average cost of a wedding in 2008 was $21,814. That is a 24 percent decline over the 2007 average of $28,704. This decline doesn’t mean you can’t have exactly what you want on your big day to create your dream wedding.

“You can rent almost anything you need to make your wedding match your vision,” says Christine Wehrman, executive vice president and chief executive officer of the American Rental Association (ARA), the global trade association for the rental industry. “By renting items for your wedding, you have access to products that may have otherwise been too expensive in large quantities. You can get exactly what you want at a price that meets your budget.”

Choose linens that match your wedding colors, or go for classic white to offset the color of your centerpieces. Linens can be rented in a variety of colors and textiles, and add a touch of elegance to every space. Create drama without adding cost by creating a monochromatic design for your table.

Centerpieces can be elegant or casual, depending on your style. Mix tall and short clear vases to add depth to your table and save money on large floral arrangements. Or choose a variety of candleholders to create a vintage-inspired look and a romantic, low-light atmosphere.

Planning an outdoor wedding? Tents can transform any setting into striking surroundings for your big day. ARA member rental businesses have a variety of tents to create the venue, as well as everything you need to make it beautiful and comfortable.

Large tents and elegant canopies come in a variety of colors and styles. Many come with cathedral ceilings, windows or even clear tops — allowing guests to catch a glimpse of a dramatic sunset or a sparkling night sky.

Many ARA member rental stores offer personalized service through their Certified Event Rental Professionals (CERPs) who are specially trained to help you choose the right rentals to make your dream wedding come to fruition. Most offer on-site support the day of your wedding, and that’s a day you’ll be looking for all the support you can get!

You can also rely on the expertise of your ARA member rental store professionals before you book your venue. They can help you assess the potential site for things like power accessibility, ground water issues or overhead power lines that may interfere with your vision of a tall tent, among other situations.

The wonderful experience and memories of your wedding day will be yours to own forever. And everything else? Well, that you can rent! To find your local ARA member rental store, visit www.RentalHQ.com, the world’s largest rental store locator. You can search by geographic location and by the specific type of equipment you are looking to rent.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

HEALTH officials are trying to locate at least 50 people who attended a wedding with a 30-year-old Taiwanese woman and her five-year-old daughter before they tested positive for swine flu.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque said the mother and her daughter attended a wedding in Zambales and got sick after returning to Taiwan last week.

He said health workers were trying to trace the people who had been exposed to the pair to have them tested for swine flu.

The wedding guests aside, they were also looking for passengers who had sat near the pair on the flight that brought them to the Philippines on May 15.

Duque said the woman developed symptoms—sore throat, body weakness and headaches—before boarding the plane from Manila to Taipei on May 20. The following day, she consulted a clinic and both mother and daughter were confirmed to have the flu.

Duque said the woman had probably brought the flu from Taiwan, but he would not rule out the possibility that she got the infection here.

“More likely, she brought it here, but we have to prove that,” Duque said.

“It’s possible she got it here.”

Duque said the Health Department was coordinating with the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control, which reported yesterday that both mother and daughter had fully recovered.

Since May 1, health officials have monitored 113 cases of flu, and of which two proved positive for swine flu. The first was a 10-year-old girl who came from the United States and Canada with her parents. The second was a 50-year-old returning Filipino from Chicago. Both have recovered.

People with whom the two had come in contact, including airline passengers and household members, have all tested negative for the H1N1 influenza virus.

The Education Department yesterday ruled out postponing the start of classes, but advised students returning from abroad to stay home for 10 days before going to school to prevent the possible spread of the virus.

“Our advice is for them to go on self-quarantine for 10 days, especially those enrolled in private schools,” Education Secretary Jesli Lapus said.

Senator Edgardo Angara has urged the government to postpone the opening of classes as a precaution, a move that would affect 43,000 schools.

The Labor Department yesterday issued guidelines on preventing swine flu in workplaces.

The agency urged companies to provide information on the disease regularly and asked employers to monitor their workers, particularly those with fever and those who have traveled abroad. With Joel Zurbano, Fel V. Maragay, Joyce Pangco Pañares, AP

After nine long years of dating, MediaCorp love birds Christopher Lee and Fann Wong finally became a lawful pair on the 16th this month. Although the couple had already “rehearsed” their wedding in their movie The Wedding Game, Wong revealed that to “perform” without a script during the real wedding would still be nerve wrecking.

During the solemnization, some guests at the registry of marriage could not help but shed tears of joy as they witnessed the matrimony of a couple who had came a long way. Upon hearing guests calling her “Mrs Lee”, Wong leaned on Lee’s shoulders, trying to hide her blushing cheeks.

During an interview with xin.sg, Wong revealed her good mood, “I’m glad that I’m finally Mrs Lee. I’ve been really busy with work, being able to remove my identity as a celebrity and be his wife today makes me feel really happy.”

On the day at the registry, Lee could not help but display his huge grin throughout the ceremony. Having won the hand of this fair maiden was definitely not an easy feat. Lee recalled his proposal, which was delayed time and again due to Wong’s busy schedule. Fortunately, on the second day of the Lunar New Year, Lee finally proposed to Wong successfully, with the help of his friends.

The preparation of the customary wedding ceremony later will fall into Lee’s hands, who proved to be more the more meticulous one. Wong is very assured that he will do a good job. Lee kept his relationship with Wong from his family for three years before he finally announced their love affair. Lee’s younger brother said that he only got to know about their relationship when the media reported their rumoured affair, his brother refused to reveal anything.

“It’s not that I did not want my family to know about our relationship at that time, it’s just that our relationship was not stable yet,” Lee explained.

As for Wong’s family, they knew about their relationship at an earlier stage. Wong brought Lee home to meet her family when they started out, causing Lee much jitters, and Wong’s mother also certified that Lee was very shy when they first met.

After registering their marriage, Lee did not immediately get use to his new status, and kept calling Wong’s father “Uncle”, drawing much laughter from the audience. Although many have already regarded them as a wedded pair, the couple thinks that their new status will still bring little surprises to their daily lives.