Carrie Underwood, LaLa Vazquez & Carmelo Anthony, Fat Bridesmaids in Demand: the Wedding Roundup
Today Show Opens Wedding Contest to Gay Couples
“NBC will change the application process for the “Today†show’s “Modern Day Wedding Contest†so that same-sex couples are permitted to participate, the network said Thursday. The change was announced after a campaign by Glaad, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, and a meeting between the organization’s representatives and the “Today†executive producer in New York.” {New York Times}
Scott Stringer & Elyse Buxbaum
“In a personal act of protest against New York’s stance on same-sex marriages, Manhattan BP Scott Stringer and fiancee Elyse Buxbaum will get hitched in Connecticut. He told the Times he “can’t imagine not being in this city,” but his anger over the state’s rejected same-sex marriage bill is enough for him to take his vows elsewhere.” {Gothamist}
Beach Weddings are Down Thanks to the Oil Spill
“Rion and Gidget Bowers were determined to exchange vows with the backdrop of a soft, pink beach sunset — even with the outer edges of the gulf oil spill lurking just offshore.
It’s another ripple effect of the disaster in the gulf square in the middle of wedding season: Fewer couples are willing to risk holding their weddings in this stretch of the Panhandle sometimes called “the Las Vegas of beach weddings.” {Detroit Free Press}
Military Brides Offered Free Vera Wang Gowns
“Castle for Brides from July 13 to 16 will be giving away wedding gowns for those engaged to an active duty soldier or who are an active duty soldier as part of the Brides across America program, a Massachusetts-based nonprofit that has given out more than 3,000 gowns nationwide since the program started in 2007.
The shop is one of three in California and the only location giving gowns away in Orange County.
Designers who have participated in Brides Across America include Vera Wang, Maggie Sottero and Simone Carvalli, among others. Twenty-two bridal shops nationwide are participating in the giveaway.” {Orange County Register}
Other participating stores include Chevy Chase Bridal near Washington, DC {Washingtonian}, L’Amour Bridal Shop in Barrington, IL {Daily Herald}, Charlotte’s Bridal in La Crosse, WI {LaCrosse Tribune} and Bustle in Del Mar, CA {SignOn SanDiego}
Home Depot & Taco Bell Weddings
“Instead of getting married in a church or banquet hall, more couples are choosing their favorite retail spots as the backdrop for their special day. The shops range from T.J. Maxx to Taco Bell, and they all combine the couple’s love for a brand with a desire to have a wedding with a personal twist, says Rebecca Dolgin, executive editor of theknot.com.
Later this month Lisa Satayut and her fiancé, Drew Ellis, will be the first couple to get married in a T.J. Maxx when they walk down the size 8 shoe aisle of the Mount Pleasant, Mich., store in front of friends, family and shoppers.”
That’s not the most… original location though. Home Depot has been the location for 6 weddings, according to a spokeswoman. Most of the materials used — like orange buckets and plywood for pews — are put back on the shelves after the ceremony. Cold Stone Creamery was the wedding location for two employees at an Ohio location in June. Taco Bell also played host to one Illinois couple last January. A spokesman said the restaurant typically hosts about one wedding per year. While we’re not sure about kicking off wedded bliss amongst tacos and chalupas, on the economical side Taco Bell doesn’t charge for the ceremonies. {USA Today}
Insecure Brides are Choosing Big Bridesmaids
“One in three engaged British women admitted that they would choose an overweight friend to be their bridesmaid in order to make them look comparatively slimmer.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/7873868/Insecure-brides-recruit-fat-bridesmaids-to-make-themselves-look-good.htmlDespite this many brides still profess themselves unhappy with their appearance in their wedding pictures, with two in five saying they felt insecure alongside slimmer guests.” {Telegraph}
