Montoursville graduate has wedding fit for a movie star - Sun

2
Williamsport Sun-Gazette, Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Bridal guide directory
What’s inside
Planning a wedding online
3
LIFESTYLE EDITOR
Dana Borick
[email protected]
ADVERTISING DIRECTOR
John Leeser
[email protected]
Brides incorporate blue into look
4
ASSISTANT LIFESTYLE EDITOR
Adrienne Wertz
[email protected]
PUBLISHER
Robert O. Rolley Jr.
[email protected]
Bachelor parties can test relationships
5
Tips for kids at destination weddings
6
“Trash the dress” photo shoots now popular
7
Vera Wang style for brides
8
Couples update anniversary gift list
9
Hollywood-style wedding for local graduate
10
Creating floral fantasy on a budget
14
The case for the well-balanced wardrobe
15
Zodiac as matchmaker?
On The Cover
16
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LAS VEGAS — My wedding
felt like a blind date.
Not with my groom, of
course — that part looked
familiar. But the rest — the village church with the bright
orange walls, the better-thanthe-pictures flowers, the 1960sera organ — they were all nearly as new to me as they were to
the 50 Americans I had persuaded to come to Scotland for
the event.
I planned my wedding
entirely online and lived to tell
about it.
In fact, I’d recommend it.
Not that it was perfect. Had
I known about the orange walls,
I might not have gone for purple kilts. But planning online,
with a mix of shrewd, targeted
research and aimless Googling,
forced me to accept something
many brides don’t realize until
crunch time: Perfection is overrated.
Couples spent nearly $10
billion on ‘‘destination weddings’’ last year, according to
Mintel, a market research firm
in Chicago. No doubt much of
ASSOCIATED PRESS
This photo provided by William W. Cameron shows
Kathleen Hennessey, center, and her husband Bill Carroll,
second from right, on their wedding day in Scotland.
this expense was justified with
phrases like ‘‘you only do it
once’’ and ‘‘most important day
of my life.’’
Still, these same people, like
me, take sizable risks with the
day and the cash. Many don’t
see the venue beforehand, and
depend on online brochures for
information. Forty-three per-
cent rated wedding Web sites as
influential in helping them pick
a destination, Mintel found.
More than 20 percent used
social networking sites, like
MySpace, and blogs.
Theresa DiMasi, editor-inchief
of
Conde
Nast’s
Brides.com, said many of the 1
million visitors who come to
Elegant
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for every
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that online site each month are
looking for inspiration and stay
for research and community.
‘‘I think the Internet gives
you much more opportunity
and accessibility to information. You’re a savvier shopper.
You can hear what other people
have said about a vendor, or see
people who have negotiated
deals and learn from awful
experiences other brides have
had,’’ DiMasi said, adding that
most people leave the virtual
world before cutting a real
check.
My fiance and I would have
if we could have. There are
5,000 miles and a wallet-busting 2-to-1 exchange rate
between us in Las Vegas and
his childhood home, Glasgow,
our destination of choice. A
planning expedition would
have blown the budget.
So my mother in Minnesota,
my partner in planning, and I
turned immediately to the
Internet.
We started with long sessions on the phone, each at our
respective computers, e-mailing
links back and forth. A search
for ‘‘Scotland wedding venue’’
would lead to a link to
‘‘Inverness castles.’’ We stopped
only when we wandered onto
sites with pictures of men
dressed as William Wallace.
Her neck started to hurt. My
cell phone bill skyrocketed. I
taught her how to use Instant
Messenger. (Eventually, I
(See PLANNING, Page 17)
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Williamsport Sun-Gazette, Wednesday, October 8, 2008
By KATHLEEN
HENNESSEY
Associated Press Writer
3
Planning a wedding entirely online
means giving up perfectionism
4
Williamsport Sun-Gazette, Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Brides can seamlessly incorporate blue into their look
By SAMANTHA CRITCHELL
AP Fashion Writer
NEW YORK — Brides probably don’t
know exactly why they’re wearing something blue on their wedding day, but
they’ve been doing it for so long few
want to break with tradition.
Research traces an early printed version of the good-luck poem, ‘‘Something
old, something new, something borrowed, something blue,’’ back to at least
1883. (Back then, there was another line
attached to the end: ‘‘And a sixpence in
her shoe.’’)
Superstition, yes, but why take a risk
on such an important day?
‘‘I guess I do believe in it — I did it,’’
said Theresa DiMasi, editor-in-chief of
Brides.com, who wore blue toenail polish
at her wedding. ‘‘There’s something that
feels sort of solid about it. But I also
believe it’s a personal thing — you can
do it your way or not do it all.’’
The most common way to add blue
these days is a blue garter, DiMasi said,
but there are more options than one
might think: makeup, flowers, jewelry, a
sash, or a little blue lace around the
dress’ hem, she suggested.
At the most recent round of bridal
(See BRIDES, Page 18)
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ASSOCIATED PRESS
Models walk the runway during the presentation of Reem Acra Bridal fashion collection
in New York last October. This season, adding blue into the wedding day is as simple as
adding a dress accent such as a sash or flower.
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As the big day draws near,
some brides have more on their
mind than seating charts, centerpieces and last-minute
checklists. They’re worried
about strippers and lap dances.
On Web sites and chat
rooms, brides-to-be fret about
whether the groom will get
drunk and do something unforgivable at his bachelor party.
They speculate about whether
his friends are the type to pressure him into doing something
he regrets.
‘‘Things can go wrong if you
add booze and sex and guys
that don’t get out that often,’’
said David Boyer, author or
‘‘Bachelor Party Confidential.’’
Most bachelor parties, however, are run-of-the-mill gettogethers where guys drink
beer, play poker or hang out,
Boyer said.
Gayle Cole thinks her
fiance’s party got out of hand
because he was showing off for
his best friend.
‘‘He wanted to impress him,
not let him down,’’ said Cole, of
Los Angeles.
When her fiance came back
a few days before their wedding, she sensed something was
wrong. He confessed to taking
part in a show that three strippers put on in a hotel for him
and his friends. She considered
canceling the wedding.
Cole, 36, said she had
believed him when he said the
evening’s main attraction
would be a poker game, and she
didn’t think to share her
thoughts about strippers.
‘‘I wasn’t worried,’’ she said.
‘‘He was a nice guy. He was
sweet. He could cook.’’
It never hurts to communicate your feelings with your significant other, said Sara
Myden, a wedding consultant
in Los Angeles.
‘‘That’s the sign of a healthy
relationship,’’ she said.
Communicating expectations is critical, agreed etiquette expert Anna Post, great
great granddaughter of Emily
Post. She offers alternatives to
a ‘‘night of debauchery’’ in her
book ‘‘Emily Post’s Wedding
Parties’’ (Collins, 2007).
‘‘Weddings are not the best
time for surprises,’’ she said.
‘‘Bachelor and bachelorette par-
ties sometimes include surprises.’’
Such discussions are especially important when bachelor
parties turn into weekend-long
events in vacation destinations.
Peter Feinstein, managing
partner of Sapphire Gentleman’s Club in Las Vegas, said
his club hosts as many as 50
bachelor parties a weekend.
Melissa Detloff, 25, of
Minneapolis, trusted that her
fiance would not go to a strip
club for his bachelor party, but
she made sure to tell him how
strongly she felt.
‘‘My vote was, not at all,’’ she
said. ‘‘It was nonnegotiable.’’
Her fiance, James ‘‘J.D.’’
Seger, respected her position. ‘‘I
sat down with all my groomsmen and said, ‘I know it’s kind
of expected to have strippers at
a bachelor party but I don’t
want any. I hope you’ll respect
that.’ ’’
Instead, his friends planned
a weekend of golfing in Palm
Springs, Calif.
‘‘Everybody had an awesome
time,’’ said Seger, 28.
The planning for Matt
Ominsky’s bachelor party is
still in the works. But his
fiancee, Amanda Smerak, said
she’s sure it will include strip-
pers. That’s OK with her, as
‘‘long as we can tell each other
what we did,’’ said the 22-yearold from Hartford, Conn.
John Phillip Beyel opted to
have a party with his fiancee
and their friends. The 24-yearold from Syracuse, N.Y., who
married Michelle Lohf last
year, said he was more interested in spending quality time
with the wedding party than
celebrating some last night of
freedom.
‘‘I didn’t look at it like that,’’
he said. ‘‘Michelle and I had
been dating for two and a half
years.’’
When Tavis Sveto of San
Francisco and his pals plan a
bachelor party, strippers are
part of the package, he said.
He’s attended bachelor parties
in Hawaii, Las Vegas and
Canada, and while a night at
the strip club always is on the
itinerary, the guys also like the
chance to spend time talking
and partying. So far, none of the
brides-to-be have objected, said
Sveto, 33.
The group keeps a close eye
on the groom, he said. They
always hold the parties at strip
clubs, which have strict rules
about contact between dancers
and patrons, rather than hiring
dancers in a hotel room.
‘‘This is not something that
would end a marriage or end
someone’s engagement,’’ he
said.
In Cole’s case, it did. She
went through with the 1997
wedding but could not forgive
her husband for his actions and
for lying.
She felt betrayed, and eventually had the wedding
annulled.
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Williamsport Sun-Gazette, Wednesday, October 8, 2008
By MELISSA KOSSLER
DUTTON
For The Associated Press
5
Bachelor parties gone bad can test relationships
might just RSVP ‘‘no’’ to a faroff wedding because of expensive or complicated travel
arrangements. Amy Swedberg
and Michael Hagen of
Minneapolis found that many
of their invitees — including
Swedberg’s sister — couldn’t
(See TIPS, Page 19)
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As the bride and groom
turned toward each other to say
their vows, the ocean sparkled
in the background and white
sand warmed the guests’ feet.
The moment was interrupted
only by a toddler — mine —
yelling, ‘‘I want to sit in
Mommy’s lap!’’
I scooped him up, only to
knock the pacifier out of my 2month-old’s mouth. Her lips
quivered, preparing for a fullblown wail. I popped it back in
just in time.
Double meltdown averted.
Still, the ceremony was a harrowing half hour for me.
Bringing the kids along to
‘‘destination weddings’’ — those
that require travel to exotic
locales — has become a priority
and a challenge for many bridal
couples and their guests.
Brides and grooms who
invite kids to faraway weddings
must consider everything from
properly addressing invitations
to bedtimes to custody issues.
‘‘If you’re asking guests to
travel and including children,
you have to be doing some
research ahead of time,’’ said
Jeanne Hamilton, author of
‘‘Wedding Etiquette Hell’’ (St.
Martin’s Press, 2005). ‘‘The
bride’s responsibility is making
sure guests are comfortable. If
you’re including kids, then you
should ensure the experience
for kids is just as pleasurable as
it is for adults.’’
As for parents, it’s up to
them to make sure kids behave.
It can add up to one sticky
situation — in some cases, quite
literally, said Hamilton, who
more than once has seen the
frosting get licked off the cake
before it’s served.
Whether to invite kids is
completely up to the bride and
groom, she said.
Stephanie Clarke, a wedding
planner at the resort we stayed
at, the Sheraton Grand
Bahama Island Our Lucaya,
recommended going for the fullfamily affair if the location calls
for it.
‘‘It’s an island atmosphere
with sand, sun and sea, and it’s
not just about the wedding,’’ she
said. ‘‘It’s about relaxation and
fun for the kids too.’’
Many guests with kids
Levinson’s
By SHEILA
MULROONEY ELDRED
For The Associated Press
Tanning Special
6
Williamsport Sun-Gazette, Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Family affair: Tips to make it easier for kids
— and grownups — at destination weddings
7
‘Trash the dress’ photo shoots
By KATHY HANRAHAN
Associated Press Writer
VICKSBURG, Miss. —
Dustin Sanders of Ruston, La.,
loads his weapon with pink,
orange and yellow paintballs,
takes aim and fires. His target:
a $500 partially beaded wedding gown worn by his bride of
four months, Jessica.
As the paint blasts onto her
gown, Jessica, 26, screams.
Then she holds up a paintball
gun and fires back, leaving her
groom bruised and painted
pink.
A wedding photographer
captures it all, then follows the
couple as they wash off in a
fountain.
‘‘It’s different, and we’re
pretty unconventional,’’ said
Jessica, adding that she and
her new husband didn’t want to
destroy the dress — just capture some unusual pictures
that reflect their sense of fun.
‘‘Trash The Dress’’ photo
shoots like this have become an
offbeat phenomenon across the
country. In many, brides in
white gowns simply pose where
they’re bound to get wet or
dirty: in the surf, in trees, in
cornfields, on horses, in trashstrewn city alleys, on boxcars,
on tractors.
Photographers say most
such shoots aren’t necessarily
about destroying or damaging
the dress.
‘‘It is just taking it in a place
that you wouldn’t normally go.
Not worrying about it too
much,’’ said photographer
Adam Hudson of Ridgeland,
Miss., who has shot recent
dress-trashes in the mud and at
the State Fair.
‘‘I think that a lot of brides
are getting tired of the standin-front-of-the-altar shots,’’ he
said.
Racheal Hollowell, who shot
the Sanders’ paintball adventure with her husband, Eddie
Hollowell, agreed.
‘‘ ‘Trash the dress’ is such a
harsh term,’’ she said, adding
that most brides opt for just a
dip in a swimming pool, and the
dresses usually are salvageable.
A year ago, Louisiana-based
photographer Mark Eric created a Web site devoted to the
Trash the Dress trend. ‘‘It’s
about creation, not destruction,’’
declares the site, which has led
to two sister sites: Trash the
Dress Europe and Trash the
Dress Australia.
The U.S. site features pages
of photos from around the country. David Baxter of Ohana
Photography in San Diego
wrote on the site that such
shoots are ‘‘about letting a bride
express her beauty in the dress
she has dreamt of wearing for
so long, but will put away all too
quickly.’’
Limelight Photography in
Tampa, Fla., started offering
‘‘Trash the Dress’’ shoots four
months ago at a bride’s request,
said owner Rebecca Zoumberos.
That shoot was on the beach
and ended with the couple having a sand fight. Since then,
Limelight has shot four ‘‘trash’’
shoots and plans a dozen more.
Zoumberos likened trashing
a wedding gown to bra-burning.
(See TRASH, Page 19)
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Jessica Sanders posed
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gown” in a paintball battle
in Vicksburg, Miss. Later,
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Williamsport Sun-Gazette, Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Try something new
8
Williamsport Sun-Gazette, Wednesday, October 8, 2008
How to publish a free
wedding announcement
To submit a free wedding or engagement, contact the
Lifestyle department at 326-1551 or visit www.
sungazette.com to receive a form. All announcements will
be published on Sundays. Forms must be received at least
10 days prior to the print date.
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These photos provided by Vera Wang show models walk down the runway during the
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New for 2009 ~
Vera Wang likes the look of
yesteryear for today’s brides
By SAMANTHA
CRITCHELL
AP Fashion Writer
NEW YORK — To talk about
bridal fashion trends is almost
moot: Yes, there are subtle differences from season to season
but, in the end, the gowns are
almost always white, feminine
and pretty.
A subtle shift away from
floaty, ethereal gowns toward
more fitted, glamorous ones —
as in Vera Wang’s newest collection — actually is a notable
change.
‘‘The shape I was feeling for
was extremely fitted. It’s not
something I’ve been doing a lot
of,’’ Wang said.
A slinky, sexy silhouette is
often easier to pull off in bridal
than in everyday clothes or
even eveningwear because the
market for show-stopping wedding gowns tends to be a specific demographic: youthful
women eager to have all eyes on
themselves.
‘‘It’s a finite group,’’ the
designer said. ‘‘In ready-to-
wear, it’s from my daughters all
the way up to someone who is
60 — and I’m headed in that
direction myself.’’
(Wang, 58, won the Council
of Fashion Designers of
America award as the industry’s top womenswear designer
for her ready-to-wear collections in 2005.)
If the silhouette was going to
hug the body, Wang said, it
became important to her to
make the surface details,
including cabbage-rose corsages, interesting. That led to a
look that seemed rooted in the
1950s and early ’60s on the
Upper East Side of Manhattan,
though modern enough to be
worn by the granddaughters of
that era’s famed socialites.
‘‘Once I saw a little Jackie
Kennedy in it, I knew we were
heading in a very sophisticated
direction. It reminded me of
women who were the predecessors of Jackie: Babe Paley and
the other women Truman
Capote ran with,’’ Wang said.
‘‘That formality looks very new
to me. The glamour was fresh to
me.’’
It’s also a classic American
look, noted Wang.
‘‘It’s sweet and racy. ... The
women from the ’40s to the
early ’60s had a polish and a
thoroughbred good look. They
were just to me what American
glamour was about.’’
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When Laura and Bob
Robertson-Boyd sold their
home several years ago, one
condition was nonnegotiable:
The lilac bush in back of the
house would move with them to
their new home in Bexley, Ohio.
‘‘It’s not a bush, it’s my fifth
anniversary present,’’ Laura
said.
The bush was her husband’s
romantic interpretation of
‘‘wood,’’ the traditional fifthyear anniversary present. The
couple, who celebrated their
10th anniversary in September,
uses the list as a guideline for
gift exchanges.
‘‘It takes much more planning and it requires thought,’’
said Bob, 40. ‘‘The care and special attention reinforces the
original idea of putting the
other person first.’’
The idea of attaching symbolic presents to particular
anniversaries is centuries old,
and in modern times has been
adapted as a marketing gimmick by retailers.
Many couples still consult
the list in a nod to tradition, for
a sense of whimsy, or simply out
of desperation when they can’t
come up with a gift idea.
The practice of giving silver
for the 25th anniversary originated in medieval Germany.
The wood anniversary traces
back to a 17th century Celtic
tradition of giving a carved
wooden spoon as a token of
affection.
In the United States, a list of
gift ideas for the first 15 years
and every five years after that
was compiled in 1937 by the
American National Retail
Jewelers’ Association. Paper
(first year), copper (seventh)
and tin (10th) are a few of the
designated gifts.
Since then, an updated list
adding jewelry and more highticket items also has been created. Clocks join paper for year
No. 1, for instance.
It’s not uncommon for newlyweds to start a tradition of following the list, said Sheri
Stritof, a marriage educator
who writes about anniversaries
for the Web site About.com. She
and her husband, Bob, regularly field e-mails from readers
looking for gift suggestions. ‘‘It’s
a real popular topic,’’ she said.
Chris Moyer pulled up the
list on the Internet as his first
anniversary drew near. He
thought it would appeal to his
wife’s traditional and romantic
side, and ended up sending
paper roses.
His wife, Elizabeth, was
impressed, he said. He figures
he’ll use the list next year, too.
‘‘It’s handy for me because
I’m horrible at giving gifts,’’ said
Moyer, who lives outside
Hartford, Conn.
The list gives guidance while
still requiring creativity, said
Frank Zbacnik, 44, and his
wife, Becky Moehring, 42, of
Columbus, Ohio.
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Laura made the same year, a copper sculpture they
picked out for the seventh and a piece of pottery Bob
bought for the eighth.
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Williamsport Sun-Gazette, Wednesday, October 8, 2008
By MELISSA
KOSSLER DUTTON
For The Associated Press
9
Couples find yearly gift help in updated list
10
Williamsport Sun-Gazette, Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Williamsport Sun-Gazette, Wednesday, October 8, 2008
11
Montoursville graduate has
wedding fit for a movie star
By A.M. WERTZ
[email protected]
Photography by Christopher Fay, West Palm Beach, Fla. - e/m: [email protected].
Lauren Welteroth, former Montoursville resident, and the daughter of
Lauri and Gregory Welteroth, Palm Beach and Montoursville, married
Alejo MoSun in Palm Beach, Fla., earlier this year. The couple met at a
film industry event and are the owners of MWM, a media company. Their
wedding was observed with several celebrations, including a Moroccanthemed party at the Palm Beach estate of the bride’s mother and father.
The wedding party included several local residents and family members
of the bride.
When Lauren Welteroth, 27, former
Montoursville resident, headed to California to
pursue a career in entertainment, she not only
landed her own media company, MoSun
Welteroth Media, but also stumbed upon something much more — love.
Welteroth is the daughter of Lauri and
Gregory Welteroth, Palm Beach and
Montoursville. She graduated from Montoursville
Area High School in 2000 and received a degree
in theater from New York University, New York
City, in 2004.
Alejo MoSun, a world-renowned martial artist
in seven various styles, found himself in
California when a contract with Barryman Films
opened the door to various film studios in the
state.
MoSun, born in Humberg, Germany, is the son
of Sam MoSun and the nephew of Brigitta and
Sol MoSun. Raised in Toronto, Canada, after the
age of 5, he graduated from Kipling Collegiate,
Toronto, Canada, in 1989 and received a degree in
political science and commerce from the
University of Toronto. The 36-year-old is the executive vice president of Route 66 Productions and
recently developed Mo-Sun James, a motion picture development company. He is the co-founder
of MWM — which is currently developing five feature films — and MWMla.com, and is the founder
of Hidef.com and HDDVDs.com. MoSun has
starred in various films and television shows and
also is the youngest conflict resolution specialist
hired by the Anvil Group.
The two, following the stars on a journey in the
film and media industry, met at an industry event
in Hollywood.
And their Sunday, May 4, 2008, wedding story
is one for the ages ...
Moroccan festivities welcomed guests Friday
night at Bel Sueno, Welteroth’s Palm Beach landmark estate, that included authentic decor
shipped in directly from Morocco, Moroccan
musicians with traditional instruments and
belly dancers who concluded the evening with
a theatrical fire dance.
According to event planner James S. Rota
of Dazzle Creative Event Producers, West
Palm Beach, Fla., guests were given the
chance to partake in one of six hookahs that
were strategically placed around the area to
ensure that guests could truly experience a
Moroccan evening under the stars.
“As world travelers, it was very important
to the family to be genuine. Layers of carpets,
elegantly draped fabrics, luxurious silk tassels,
Moroccan sofas, tables, lanterns and colorful
pillows filled the tent and surrounding courtyard,” Rota said.
The wedding, held at the Mara-A-Lago
Club in Palm Beach, Fla., was named “ABC’s
Wedding of the Year.”
“We wanted to combine Old Hollywood elegance with the ideas brought about by the
glam of Coco Chanel,” Welteroth said.
According to Rota, special requests for the big
day, which took 18 months to plan, included keeping everything elegant, along with fireworks and
a cake that delivered the “WOW!” factor.
“During cocktails, guests watched Grucii
Fireworks light up the night sky, creating a dramatic backdrop for one of the most romantic wedding portraits I have ever seen,” Rota said. “Now
let’s talk about the cake — all 5 1/2 feet. It towered over our bride and groom and was elegantly
adorned with over 3,000 fresh floral blooms.”
The second cake was a two-tier Chocolate
Blackout groom’s cake.
Working with Lauri, Lauren and Alejo was the
best part about planning this wedding, Rota
added.
“Each of them has an amazing sense of style,
an understanding of the process and sees the
importance of even the tiniest of details and how
they fit together to make a flawless event,” he
said. “They take nothing for granted, appreciate
hard work and nurture creativity. We have a special bond with the Welteroth family as Dazzle has
been designing their events exclusively for years
and we know how passionate they are about
entertaining. So, special attention was given to
each other and every aspect of the planning
process, including selecting flowers to scent the
air, opulent fabrics chosen for textures and contrasts, epicurean selections that would appeal to
the diverse pallets of their guests, as well as making sure that even the tiniest of details had an
importance and meaning to the couple.”
About 250 people attended the wedding,
including family from around the world, Jaid
Barrymore, Adrian Paul (of the Hilander television series) and various producers and actors
from Los Angeles.
The couple chose to combine a Bah’ai ceremony — a teaching of the absolute equality of the
sexes and the oneness of mankind, a belief that
(See MONTOURSVILLE, Page 12)
12
Williamsport Sun-Gazette, Wednesday, October 8, 2008
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The couple chose to combine a Bah’ai ceremony — a teaching of the absolute equality of
the sexes and the oneness of mankind, a belief
that the couple takes very seriously — with a
traditional Catholic ceremony and wrote their
own vows.
Although he has created magical weddings
for countless prominent couples, Rota said that
each of the brides and grooms are superstars to
his team.
“Each of them is starting the journey down
the aisle with a vision and a promise. Their big
day should represent who and what they are
and the love they share. This wedding was so
special for us. The moment we met Lauri
Welteroth and her amazing family, we knew
they were very special people. When you plan
for people you love, it makes the process far
more rewarding. This was a planner’s dream
come true.”
Photographer Christopher Fay of West Palm
Beach couldn’t agree more.
“Lauren and Alejo are just the kindest and
most dynamic couple you would ever want to
meet. Both of them have that special ‘StarPower’ you can feel when they walk into a
room,” he said.
The evening that followed the ceremony
included a reception in the club’s grand ballroom, adorned with fresh flowers and dining
tables set with toppers of silk dupioni.
A 15-piece orchestra invited guests to the
dance floor.
Fay, who was accompanied by photographers
Paulette and Amy Martin of Precious Moments,
Boynton Beach, Fla., said that he appreciated
the couple’s patience in working with everyone
at the ceremony to make such a great event for
those in attendance.
It wasn’t just focused on them,” he said.
“They spent most of the day making sure that
everyone was having a great time and even ‘performing’ with dances they rehearsed for the
reception that were really quite extraordinary.”
This also was a noted highlight for the bride.
The best part, she said, was watching her husband dance with her grandmother, Letty
Welteroth, who recently died.
Welteroth said it’s Letty’s advice — paired
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By The Associated Press
A partial list of traditional and
modern gifts for wedding anniversaries. This list was compiled by
librarians at the Chicago Public
Library’s Information Center
Sources.
The traditional gift is listed first
(with alternatives in parentheses), and the modern gift is second.
1st - Paper - Clocks
2nd - Cotton - China
3rd - Leather - Crystal, Glass
4th - Linen (Silk) - Appliances
5th - Wood - Silverware
6th - Iron - Wood objects
7th - Wool (Copper) - Desk
sets
8th - Bronze - Linens, Lace
9th - Pottery (China) - Leather
goods
10th - Tin-Aluminum Diamond
11th - Steel - Fashion jewelry
12th - Silk - Pearls, Colored
gems
13th - Lace - Textiles, Furs
14th - Ivory - Gold jewelry
15th - Crystal - Watches
20th - China - Platinum
25th - Silver - Sterling silver
30th - Pearl - Diamond
35th - Coral (Jade) - Jade
40th - Ruby - Ruby
45th - Sapphire - Sapphire
50th - Gold - Gold
55th - Emerald - Emerald
60th - Diamond - Diamond
75th - diamonds-diamondlike
stones-gold
The library cites its sources
as: Anderson, Charles, ‘‘The
Exchange,’’ RQ 25, 1985; The
World Almanac and Books of
Facts, Mahwah, N.J.: World
Almanac Books, 1997; World
Book Encyclopedia, 1997.
(From Page 9)
‘‘It’s kind of fun,’’ said
Zbacnik. ‘‘I’m not as good as my
wife is in coming up with gifts.’’
Although they never discussed the list, they presented
each other with paper gifts on
their first anniversary, in 2004.
She wrote him a poem. He gave
her a copy of one of their wedding pictures that had been
artistically altered.
Other gifts since then have
included clothing, a wall hanging and a big-screen television.
(Cotton and leather are for
years two and three, respectively. The modern fourth-anniversary gift? Appliances.)
Making the list an anniversary tradition is a wonderful
way to celebrate your relationship, said Robyn Freedman
Spizman, author of ‘‘Make it
Memorable’’ (St. Martin’s Press,
2004).
‘‘The tradition perpetuates
your relationship, your values,’’
she said.
Laura
Robertson-Boyd
agreed, saying the list also
lends itself to inexpensive,
handmade gifts or special
splurges.
She and her husband have
done both. On their first
anniversary, they made each
other paper gifts. But for their
The Sun-Gazette seeks stories about unusual
weddings or couples who have an interesting
story to tell about their engagement or wedding.
To submit a couple for consideration, call the Lifestyle
Department at 326-1551 or e-mail [email protected]
seventh anniversary, they went
together and bought a piece of
copper artwork for their garden.
‘‘Following the traditional
list gives you more freedom to
think, ‘What does my partner
like? What would my partner
enjoy?’ ’’ she said. ‘‘It allows you
to be more romantic.’’
Williamsport Sun-Gazette, Wednesday, October 8, 2008
A list of traditional
and modern
anniversary gifts
by year
13
Couples find yearly gift help in updated list
14
Williamsport Sun-Gazette, Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Tips on creating a floral fantasy on a budget
By REBECCA BOONE
Associated Press Writer
It’s easy to get caught up in pre-wedding daydreams: hundreds of flowers
draped over chairs and pews, sprouting
from napkin rings, cascading off buffet
tables, and filling the arms of the bride
and bridesmaids.
But for many people planning a wedding, budgets get in the way of floral fantasies. ‘‘I love orchids: exotic, beautiful
orchids,’’ said Laurie Kuther, who got
married in Twin Falls, Idaho, last year.
‘‘But we were trying to work on a budget, and so, honestly, they were the last
thing on my mind.’’
Instead, Kuther bought gerbera
daisies and ranunculus from discount
stores and online retailers, and recruited
a sister-in-law to put together the bouquets, corsages, boutonnieres and table
centerpieces.
‘‘I could not be happier about how it
all turned out. The colors of the gerbera
daisies were incredible,’’ Kuther said.
‘‘We saved hundred of dollars.’’
More and more brides are dabbling in
do-it-yourself flowers, said Leanne
Kesler, president of the Floral Design
Institute Learning Center in Portland,
Ore. But she and other floral experts
warn there’s a right way and a wrong
way to take on the task.
‘‘Doing it yourself is always grand
except for when it gets to the moment
and you’re swamped and crazy,’’ Kesler
said. ‘‘It’s better to consider doing part of
it, and then use a trusted florist for the
rest instead of ruining your manicure
the night before the wedding.’’
If a bride has always dreamed of
making her own bridal bouquet, then
she absolutely should, Kesler said.
‘‘But most people haven’t dreamed of
making all the corsages. Those are
things that can be defaulted to a florist.’’
So how to add a personal touch and
save money?
Don’t try to fill the hall with flowers
The room will be full of smiling
friends, tables and chairs, and wedding
gifts, all of which contribute to the overall visual impact, said Tom Simmons,
president-elect of the American
Institute of Floral Designers and owner
of Three Bunch Palms Productions, a
special-event company in Los Angeles.
Add one distinctive
signature to remember
Make the bouquets out of inexpensive flowers — hardy and fragrant carnations, for instance — and add a little
bling to make them special.
‘‘Ornamentation is hot,’’ Kesler said.
‘‘I say, go to the local junk store and find
really cool costume jewelry and cut it
apart. Bumblebee pins and such
attached to a bouquet are lovely and
fun.’’ Leftover holiday garlands or beads
strung on sprigs of twisted wire also can
give extra punch.
in-law, Kandace Lee, who arranges flowers as a hobby.
‘‘It’s so simple and classy and you can
substitute lilies or anything if you want
a different look for the bridesmaids.’’
Stay in season
Go nontraditional
Roses, normally an inexpensive
choice, can be outrageously overpriced
around Valentine’s Day. Ranunculus are
a spring bloom, harder to find in the fall
or winter. The best values are things
that are regionally available and locally
grown.
Bunches of fall leaves, blooming twigs
from a cherry tree, or bowls of citrus
fruits can make beautiful and inexpensive centerpieces.
‘‘A basket of apples is gorgeous. Try
grapes or nuts with fresh flowers, or
huge flowering plum branches dropped
in clear glass cylinders,’’ said Kesler.
Consider flowers from
wholesalers or discount stores
‘‘We’ve tested a lot of the big-box
stores to see the quality, and we’ve had
good luck,’’ Kesler said. ‘‘But you really
need to be prepared because you get raw
product and you’re going to spend more
time prepping your flowers before you
can arrange them.’’
Keep it simple
Ask about bulk discounts for large
quantities of one or two flowers, instead
of smaller purchases of several different
blooms. ‘‘My favorite bouquet is a cluster
of 14 single-colored roses with a ribbon
around the bunch,’’ said Kuther’s sister-
Montoursville graduate has
wedding fit for a movie star
(From Page 12)
with faith through a combination of the Bah’ai teaching and
Sunday attendance at St.
Monica’s Parish — that keeps
the couple grounded with each
other.
Letty would say: “Nothing in
this life truly matters but your
family;” “Your husband and children are the best friends you
will ever have;” and “Enjoy
every moment, because when
your loved ones are gone, the
only regret you want to have is
that you didn’t have more time,”
Lauren told the Sun-Gazette.
The couple combined work
with vacation for a honeymoon
that included the Cannes Film
Festival and three weeks in
France, Italy and England.
Lauren and Alejo have
made a home in the Pacific
Palisades, Calif.
Think this wedding makes
for a priceless combination of
picture-perfect love and
abounding beauty? Just wait
until the couple’s expected
baby girl joins brother Alejo
Gregory Tyger Mo-Sun II
sometime in February — a
true Hollywood ending that
just keeps getting better and
better.
Everything but the dress, for less!
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Focus on the most
important floral displays
Flowers tied to the cake knife and
champagne flutes may look pretty, but
those details aren’t nearly as important
as the bridal bouquet, which will show
up in many of the wedding photos.
‘‘Think about what will mean the most
when you look back in 15 years,’’
Simmons said.
Pick a few things that can be done in
the last days before the wedding, such as
simple centerpieces, and enlist help.
‘‘The Wednesday before the wedding,
have a bridesmaid’s luncheon and floral
design party,’’ Kesler suggested. ‘‘Focus
on the peripheral flowers.”
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NEW YORK — To call sexiness an exact science is a
stretch, but there is certainly a
formula, said fashion designer
Bradley Bayou.
Measurements have nothing
to do with it. It’s about symmetry.
‘‘What we are attracted to,
what we find sexy, are things
that are symmetrical. Research
backs that up,’’ explained
Bayou, who has written a book
called ‘‘The Science of Sexy’’
(Gotham Books).
‘‘Women try to force their figures into fads and trends, even
if they’re not flattering to them,
because they think they’re
‘sexy.’ ... But it’s really all about
balancing the body.’’
Short hourglass shapes
might consider jackets that fit
snugly at the waist, perhaps
adorned with a peplum, and
skirts with either semicircles or
A-lines. Tall boyish shapes
would be better served by open
necklines, such as a V or a
scoop, and a pleated skirt or
straight-leg pants with angled
pockets, Bayou suggests.
‘‘Everywhere you look in
nature, it’s always balanced. A
tree is balanced, even looking,
even though it’s not exactly the
same on both sides. Yes, you’ll
have imperfections, but if you
pull it all together, they’ll be
balanced.’’
That makes sense to Randy
Thornhill, a biology professor at
the University of New Mexico
who has studied the link
between symmetry and physical attraction.
‘‘The bottom line is developmental health. The general
finding for animals — not just
humans — is that as the individual begins development,
optimal development is bilateral symmetry. Most don’t
achieve it,’’ he explained.
Symmetry, whether most of
us realize it or not, may signal
that an individual can be a
strong, healthy mate capable of
producing healthy offspring,
Thornhill said. It indicates an
ability to deal with any environmental problems encountered in the person’s life.
Thornhill’s original research
focused on facial symmetry, but,
he said, further research has
found the same thing with
Bradley Bayou’s 10 rules for looking sexy
By The Associated Press
In an 18-year couture career, Bradley
Bayou has maintained that a woman
needs to dress for her own body, not
according to fads. That said, he has
developed 10 ‘‘commandments’’ that he
says apply to every woman who wants to
look her sexiest. They’re included in his
book ‘‘The Science of Sexy’’ (Gotham):
• Choose the right undergarments.
• Choose the highest quality fabrics
you can afford — they hold their shape
better.
• Don’t force your figure into every
style.
• Use your skin to advantage — a peek
of flesh can instantly draw the eye to the
spot you’re showing off.
• Don’t buy big-ticket trendy items.
breasts, buttocks and thighs.
‘‘With women, bodily symmetry is conveyed in the face
but also how she mobilizes —
how she walks, a more attractive gait. When dancing, symmetrical people are more
attractive when they dance. It
comes out in the grace and
movement,’’ he said.
That means the structure of
your genes are more important
than the size of your jeans.
Bayou, formerly the creative
director at Halston, is known as
a source of red-carpet gowns for
Oprah Winfrey, Queen Latifah,
Salma Hayek and Eva
Longoria — women of varying
body types.
‘‘All these women are sexy
and they’re all different. The
one thing in common, though, is
that they’re not emaciated. If
that’s what magazines say is
sexy, they’re wrong.’’
He added: ‘‘Every body is
unique, and there are different
pieces that will work on them.’’
Bayou’s book aims to help
women find the styles that
work for them. He offers suggestions based on 12 basic body
types, accounting for shape,
height and weight. He tells you
what to wear and what not to
wear: Overt plunging necklines
and micro minis usually fall
into that second category.
The one thing that does look
good on just about everyone is a
wrap dress. ‘‘Thank God for
Diane von Furstenberg,’’ said
Bayou. (Von Furstenberg first
introduced that silhouette to
the fashion world in early
1970s, got it on the cover of
Time magazine in 1976, and
has included it in every variation imaginable in her collections ever since.)
How to accessorize it? With
confidence.
‘‘I find that most women —
99 percent, I’d say — are insecure about their bodies, and I’m
talking about drop-dead gorgeous women. What I find sexy
is self confidence. I’m trying to
give those women confidence
about their body. You can’t
change your body overnight but
you can change the way you
dress.’’
Other things to wear with
pride are kindness and a sense
of humor.
‘‘I think everybody agrees
that sexy comes from within,’’
Bayou added. ‘‘A runway model
might not be sexy, but a size 10
or 12 shapely woman can be so
sexy. She’ll get more attention
in the end if she’s confident and
funny.’’
Women spend too much time
stressing about the little stuff,
he said, not realizing that men
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• Learn to make fabrics and cuts work
for you; they can appear to add or subtract weight.
• Ignore the size on the tag and concentrate on fit.
• Worship accessories.
• Prints and accessories must be in
scale with the body.
• Wear the V-neck shape that looks
good on every woman.
can usually find something
sexy about almost anyone.
‘‘Women think you need it all,
but you really only need one
part and make the most of it. ...
People aren’t born perfect.’’
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Williamsport Sun-Gazette, Wednesday, October 8, 2008
By SAMANTHA
CRITCHELL
AP Fashion Writer
15
The case for a well-balanced wardrobe
16
Williamsport Sun-Gazette, Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Zodiac as matchmaker?
By JOSH L. DICKEY
Associated Press Writer
NEW YORK — I am a
Sagittarius. My wife is a
Scorpio. By most accounts, we
are the Zodiacal equivalent of
vinegar and baking soda.
One needn’t dig deep to find
stern warnings against this
highly volatile, messy and
apparently doomed astrological
pairing:
‘‘While Sagittarius may get
fed up with Scorpio’s stubbornness and inflexibility,’’ said the
Web site www.astrology.com,
‘‘Scorpio could be thinking their
Sagittarius mate is just a little
too hotheaded.’’
Got that right.
‘‘Entering this relationship
will be like trying to french-kiss
a spitting cobra — extremely
dangerous!’’ predicted www.
crazyhoroscopes.com, offering
this rationale: ‘‘The Scorpio
female is an emotional person
who has a tendency to be jealous, whereas the Sagittarius
male is the kind of guy who is
outgoing, social and carefree.’’
Check, and double-check.
www.crazy
horoscopes.com
‘‘The two of you are so different,’’ mused www.skyviewzone.com, ‘‘that it will take a lot
of compassion and understanding for you to be together for
any length of time.’’
Ha!
Well, if eight years (five of
those with rings on) qualifies as
any length of time, then my lifelong skepticism toward astrology would seem to be warranted.
We did flinch a bit when a
preliminary background check
on our Sun signs revealed the
WORST match possible. Even
so, I’ve never paid much attention to the alignment of galactic
bodies as a means to deciphering life’s big mysteries, and neither has my wife. We’ve forged
ahead through the years, she
the serious, focused and passionate scorpion; me the lighthearted, scatterbrained and
aloof centaur.
Sure, she gets positively possessive when I’m chatting up a
comely co-worker at a party.
And maybe I get a little more
wistful for my days of touring
with the Grateful Dead than a
grown man should.
But our marriage, at least as
of this writing, has been a roaring success. So forgive me for
wondering: Are we the glaring
exception to the rule, or evidence that horoscopes are the
highest form of hokum?
As it turns out, the devil —
or in our case, the guardian
angel — was in the details all
along.
‘‘I am actually quite pleased
to inform you,’’ said sex columnist and love astrology expert
Jenni Kosarin, ‘‘that you are a
very good match.’’
Kosarin, whose book ‘‘He’s
Just Not in the Stars: Wicked
Astrology and Uncensored
Advice for Getting the (Almost)
Perfect
Guy’’
(Harper
Entertainment) came out last
year, agreed to take a closer
look at our charts, and — my
stars! — liked what she saw.
‘‘The problem is that people
go out and get these astrology
books and they say, ‘Oh,
Sagittarius doesn’t go with
(See ZODIAC, Page 18)
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are filled largely with paid
advertisers in the United
States — an obvious limitation
for the bride wanting to go to an
overseas or out-of-the-mainstream location.
Lacey Collins, a 24-year-old
new bride from Sawyer, N.D.,
said she scanned Web sites for
photographs and tips for traveling brides, but relied on a
friend’s recommendation when
picking a hotel for her wedding
in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
‘‘I really trust this friend,’’
she said less than two weeks
before the day. Still, she found
herself combing the hotel
review site Tripadvisor.com
‘‘probably weekly’’ for possible
bad reviews or horror stories.
‘‘I keep thinking, is it really
that perfect? Or are these people just coming off this great
time and writing great things?’’
Collins said. ‘‘How can it be this
perfect?’’
I know the feeling. When we
found our venue — a country
ASSOCIATED PRESS
This photo provided by William W. Cameron shows
Kathleen Hennessey, center, and her husband, Bill
Carroll, right, during their wedding in Scotland.
estate with just enough rooms
to hold the Americans and
within easy driving distance of
the Scottish relatives — I
ramped into reporter mode.
Trust, but verify.
I asked for more photos of
the grounds, and got 37 back,
with names and phone numbers of references. A good sign. I
trolled a British wedding Web
site — Confetti.co.uk — for
reviews of my potential venue.
Nothing. I happily discovered
Indiebride.com, a site for anyone vaguely uncomfortable
with the wedding industry. I
was amused by the advice on
how to tell your family you’re
eloping, and relieved to see that
no one mentioned my Scottish
estate on the site’s chat page,
‘‘Kvetch.’’
Feeling 70 percent assured
that I knew all I was going to
know, and 30 percent desperate
to make the decision and move
on, we booked it.
And so went my planning.
We relied heavily on the staff at
the venue for recommendations, and then followed up
with our own research.
A recommended wedding
singer sounded lovely on the
mp3 on her Web site, but we
still asked her to sing a few
selections a cappela into the
telephone before we sent a
check.
The florist and I landed on
my bouquet through exchanges
of photos by e-mail. (So that’s
what a thistle is!) We chose the
wine from a list sent by the distributor, much of which I couldn’t find in our local store. Sans
tasting, we took a leap.
There were times, and that
was one of them, when we felt
we were missing out on some of
the fun.
And there were times when
the curiosity nearly killed me.
I would have paid too much
for a photo of the interior of the
church that generously opened
its doors to American strangers
on a busy Saturday. The only
one online was black and white.
The Internet had its limits.
But had I found one, it might
only have allowed me to believe
that the church decor really
mattered. Orange paint, it
turns out, looks pretty good as a
backdrop for photos.
Aside from the night I met
my husband, it was the best
blind date I’ve ever had.
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Williamsport Sun-Gazette, Wednesday, October 8, 2008
(From Page 3)
taught her to use the space
bar.)
It was slow. If something
looked promising we would email the venue, and often not
hear back for days. We could
discuss a site for hours, without
having any idea about fees or
availability.
There is another way,
though I’m not convinced it’s a
better one.
Online wedding clearinghouses such as TheKnot.com
and Brides.com, offer a mix of
planning tools, articles, and
lists of ideas, registry help and
vendor directories. Both sites
have budget trackers that are
far easier than an Excel spreadsheet and are accessible to anyone who knows your password,
making it easy to share with,
say, your mom. The scores of
photos of dresses, flowers and
place settings on these sites can
be habit-forming.
But the vendor directories
17
Planning a wedding entirely online
means giving up perfectionism
18
Williamsport Sun-Gazette, Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Brides can seamlessly incorporate blue into their look
(From Page 4)
fashion shows, there were some
lovely pale blue dresses that
have a hint of color but maintain the cool look of a true
white.
DiMasi particularly liked
the Reem Acra blue gowns, but
she also acknowledges that it’s
easier to incorporate just a
splash of blue.
Bianca Alexander, director of
makeup artistry for MAC
Cosmetics, would reach for blue
eye shadow. (Yes, blue eye shadow!)
A powder-blue matte shadow works well for a 1960sinspired, doe-eyed look, she
said, and will photograph nicely whether the pictures are in
color or black and white. ‘‘It’ll
just be a pop of color on the lid.’’
The rest of the bride’s makeup should be natural and neutral, with just a light color on
the cheeks and lips and a coat
of mascara — not blue mascara.
A more glamorous look
would be a pewter-colored
shadow with a blue tone to it.
That, she said, could have a
bit of shimmer, but a matte
shadow with a similar grayblue eye liner is a safer bet if
you’re not used to wearing blue
yet still want intense color.
Many women still treat blue
eye shadow as taboo, but
Alexander said they needn’t.
‘‘Blues that don’t work is any
blue that screams ‘trend,’ especially for a wedding,’’ she said.
‘‘For spring, acrylic colors are so
hot in spring fashion, but I’d
stay away from things that
could look so dated in the
future. If it looks like true blue
on, it will look really blue in a
photograph.’’
She added: ‘‘Think dark
denim blue.’’
Bright blue is OK, though, if
we’re talking about jewelry.
Mixing diamonds with glistening colored gemstones has
become more popular for
engagement rings and wedding
bands. And if blue doesn’t make
it to the rings, there are still
necklaces,
earrings
and
bracelets.
Zodiac as matchmaker?
(From Page 16)
Scorpio,’ ’’ Kosarin said. ‘‘But I
don’t do that.’’
What she did do was a little
beyond my ability to grasp completely, but it goes something
like this: The Sun sign — the
one in your daily horoscope —
is only a tiny fraction of a person’s whole astrological picture.
The Venus sign, she said, is
where it’s at when factoring a
love connection.
‘‘Your Venus is in Scorpio,’’
she said. ‘‘So the way you define
love, and the way you love, is
not like a Sagittarius at all —
it’s like a Scorpio.’’
And the plot thickened from
there.
‘‘What’s interesting is that
her Venus is in Libra. If it were
in Sagittarius, you two would
be perfect. You would be soul
mates,’’ she said, then adds,
with a hint of apprehension:
‘‘But that might be so intense
as to scare you away.’’
(The very word ‘‘intense’’
scares me away all by itself.)
OK, so far, I’m buying this.
But I’m also betting that a
second opinion will bring forth
the bunkum, so I turn over our
birthdates-times-places
to
Diana Brownstone, a certified
astrologer in New York. Surely
a different perspective on the
vagaries of our vast star-charts
will yield the gloomy result I
was expecting?
‘‘Interestingly, when I looked
at the charts for you and your
wife, a major link is that you
each have several key ‘relationship’ planets in each others’
Sun sign or rising sign,’’
Brownstone said.
‘‘This would make for
smooth compatibility, and
negate the other compatibility
issues that are typically associated with a fire sign
(Sagittarius) and a water sign
(Scorpio) together in a relationship.’’
Fire and water, together at
last, eh? Now my head is really
spinning.
Truth is, the more I learn,
the better we start to sound:
Brownstone said I have other
traits in Scorpio besides the
Venus that Kosarin mentioned:
Mars
(sexuality),
moon
(women-instincts) and Mercury
(mind-communication).
And it works both ways.
‘‘In her chart, she has Mars
(men), Uranus (excitement)
and Venus (love) all in the sign
of your rising sign: Libra.’’
We’re good, it seems, after
all.
Besides, Kosarin said, ‘‘I
don’t believe in predestination.
I believe in free will. But astrology influences the way you filter things — it’s the way you’re
born to filter things.’’
The way I filter the world
changed the most on the day
my future wife came into my
orbit. Which, to the utter dismay of my skeptical side, only
serves to drive home Kosarin’s
most salient point:
‘‘Sag likes adventure, new
experiences, other cultures, language, music ... but when they
find the right person, they truly
settle down.’’
Detra Segar, vice president
and general manager of Tiffany
& Co., which has its own signature blue box, suggested sapphires, tanzanite, blue tourmaline and aquamarine.
‘‘These colorful blue gems
are combined with brilliant
Tiffany diamonds in Tiffany
Celebration rings,’’ she said.
For those unwilling to invest
so heavily in a superstition,
there are the disposable and
more affordable blue flowers.
DiMasi herself carried a
blue hydrangea in her bouquet
simply because she liked the
look. She has seen other brides
put a blue flower in their hair,
wrap a satin ribbon around
flower stems or tuck a little
blue crystal in the bouquet.
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Jessica
Sanders
looks to
“shoot” her
husband
after her
gown was
repeatedly
hit in a
paintball
battle.
assistant manager at a fast-food
restaurant and an avid paintball
player. So the method of destruction
was obvious to the couple once they
decided, soon after their August wedding in Vicksburg, to trash Jessica’s
dress.
Jessica, an employee at Louisiana
Tech University, enjoyed having an
excuse to wear the gown again. She
said it would end up hanging in the
closet regardless of whether it was
covered in paint.
After the paintball shoot, the couple cleaned up at a water park. They
were soon water-logged and nearly
paint free, except for the dress’ beading.
‘‘I’m glad we did it,’’ Jessica said.
Tips for children at destination weddings
(From Page 6)
attend their wedding in the
Bahamas.
‘‘I’m going to be 37, and all
my friends had babies recently,’’
Swedberg said. ‘‘Three years
ago, it would have been one big
party.’’
The couple is planning a
reception at home to accommodate friends — kids included —
who can’t make the trip.
Since many guests do, however, agree to come with kids in
tow, here are some suggestions
for brides and grooms trying to
make them feel welcome:
• Invitations: Etiquette
says envelopes should be
addressed to everyone invited,
children included, said Cindy
Post Senning, co-author of
‘‘Guide to Good Manners for
Kids.’’
Swedberg and Hagen sent
invitations by e-mail, which
they realized later might have
been a mistake, in part because
it wasn’t clear whether kids
were welcome.
• Baby-sitting: Hamilton
suggests providing professional
sitting services during the ceremony and the later hours of the
reception.
• Diversions: Consider setting tables with paper placemats and crayons, stocking a
table with games during the
dancing, and leaving gift bags
with small toys and snacks on
toddlers’ seats during the ceremony.
• Think twice about including children in the ceremony,
Senning said. ‘‘They could
freeze — or have a tantrum.
Some adults almost pass out
from the anxiety of being in a
wedding, so it’s no wonder that
kids will have screaming fits.’’
Parents should be prepared
to walk down the aisle with
their child, if need be.
And even if kids aren’t
directly involved in the event,
it’s parents’ responsibility to
make sure they don’t wreck it,
Senning says.
Some advice for parents:
• Plan an escape route: Sit
near an exit and be prepared to
use it.
• Designate an adult companion for each child: Especially
if you’re in the wedding party,
make sure your child has a
trusted adult with whom to sit,
and play, if need be. Hand the
friend a bag of small (quiet!)
treats, like Cheerios or hard
candy, with instructions to dole
them out slowly.
• Or, find a baby sitter.
Kristin
Benson
of
Minneapolis left her toddler at
home with grandparents when
she and her husband attended
a
friend’s
wedding
in
Charleston, S.C.
As for me, after my son’s out-
burst at the Bahamas wedding,
my
2-month-old
sobbed
through most of the dinner.
Still, watching the toddlers
running through the sand and
dancing with abandon at the
reception, I was grateful kids
were included in the invitation.
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Williamsport Sun-Gazette, Wednesday, October 8, 2008
(From Page 7)
‘‘For the brides, it is really liberating,’’ she said.
And potentially costly. In 2007,
the research group The Wedding
Report said the average bride spends
$1,564 on her gown, and another
$285 on veils and headpieces.
Jessica Sanders said her parents
bought her dress, and her mother
‘‘wasn’t thrilled’’ with the idea of
trashing it. But her father, John
Toney, of Tallulah, La., showed up to
help.
‘‘This is going to open up a whole
new thing for people when they see
all they can do,’’ Toney said.
The groom, Dustin Sanders, is an
19
‘Trash the dress’ photo shoots
20
Williamsport Sun-Gazette, Wednesday, October 8, 2008
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