Brides'
Scrounge Up Wedding Gifts
By
TARA JACKSON, Ottawa Sun
Seventeen women, most of whom tied the
knot years ago, squeezed back into their wedding dresses in Nepean,
Ontario on Saturday Aug.26.
(CP PHOTO/Ottawa Sun-Jeff Basett)
Just what kind of wedding anniversary
involves a giggling group of already married brides and some tacky wedding
gifts? "It's the best kind of wedding," said Moira Browne,
one of the brides attending a bridal gown revival party yesterday in
Nepean. "There's no men."
The idea to have old girlfriends gather for a wedding dress party came
from Claire Gray, 39, who has been married for seven years.
|
Gray was tired of having her wedding dress sit in her closet, so she
decided to make up an excuse to wear it. She called on 16 of her closest
friends and organized a party where the women could wear their old dresses
to remember and celebrate their wedding day.
"It really started because you spend so much money on a wedding dress
and just never wear it again," said Gray. "Initially I thought
of having a few women around to wear their dresses at a garden tea party.
But it took on a life of its own and now we're having a full-fledged
girls' weekend."
The brides, some of them on second marriages, some divorced and one never
married at all, spent yesterday afternoon competing in a scavenger hunt in
and around the city. A formal dinner followed and some off-key karaoke, an
unwanted wedding gift exchange and a sleep-over topped off the
celebration.
For most of the brides yesterday marked the first time they had worn their
dress since the big day. Some needed the help of safety pins or Velcro,
while others had their original flowers and headpieces.
"It's almost like the real thing, except we all drove here in our
station wagons with car seats in the back," said Helene Reid.
"It's a heck of a lot cheaper than the real thing, too, and no one is
worried about the honeymoon." |
|
|
|
|
A Wedding Website Will Reduce Stress
Personal Wedding Websites are becoming a necessity for
every wedding for many reasons. Including important information
eliminates questions that accompanied weddings in the pre - internet
era. The stress reducing effect is as beneficial for the guests as it
is for the couple.
Take for example, the gift registry. It is considered inappropriate to
tell guests where one is registered in the invitation. This results in
many phone calls by guests attempting to discover where the couple's
gift registry is located. If the guest is not close to the immediate
family, they will not know who to call to find out what stores the
couple has selected to receive their gifts. This results in another
bowl or serving piece that the couple will have to return the day
after the wedding.
To avoid this stressful situation for the couple and the guests,
couples can include their wedding website address in the invitation
(which is completely acceptable according to all wedding etiquette
experts). When guests visit the website to see their story, pictures,
details, and other important information, they can easily find direct
links to their online registries.
Another example of making life easier on the couple and their guests
is having the details and maps posted directly on the wedding website
where guests can access them anytime worldwide. Without a website, the
couple will receive many phone calls about where and when each event
is, as well as, "what's the best way to get there". The couple can
also avoid including extra notes in the invitation to tell out of town
guests where hotel arrangements have been made, if they have a wedding
website.
Some guests seem to take their time returning the RSVP card that
usually accompanies the invitation. Not many weddings go by without
the need to call some guests directly to see whether they are planning
to attend or not. Having a wedding website can reduce this pursuit.
When guests visit the website to see all kinds of information and
pictures they can RSVP at the click of a button.
The benefits of a personal wedding website are plentiful, including
sharing pictures and stories with friends and family. Thanks to the
advancements in technology, one can create a beautiful website without
any knowledge of programming whatsoever.
www.weddings.myevent.com makes it as easy as filling in forms.
Your information is fed into a beautiful design template of your
choice. There is a 7 day Free Trial with no credit card required.
Creating a website will make life easier for you and your guests and
as a bonus you will have a lot of Fun doing it.
|
|
Even a Computer Novice Should Get a Wedding
Website.
So you just got engaged. You have read in many places that a wedding website
is something cool your guests will really appreciate, but you're not a
computer expert. You know how to surf the web and get your email but you're
definitely not ready to build a website - or so you may think.
The truth is if you can surf the web, you can create an incredible website
in literally 30 seconds on
www.weddings.myevent.com. It really is that easy - YOU ARE JUST FILLING
IN FORMS ! Today's software makes it so easy that you don't need to know
anything about programming whatsoever. You don't need to download any
software either. Just go to
www.weddings.myevent.com and fill in your information and click a few
submit buttons and presto, your website is live on the Internet. Gathering
your information, and filling in the forms will vary with how much stuff you
want to put on your website. But the actual creation of the site will take
less than a minute, and then you just add details and pictures whenever you
want.
Don't be afraid about uploading pictures either. If you have digital
pictures, it's a matter of a couple of clicks and the pictures automatically
get uploaded onto your website. If you have actual photos, you can scan them
onto your computer or get them scanned at any print shop.
If you have not heard why wedding websites are as essential as an
invitation, you can take your pick from any of the top 10 reasons below.
www.weddings.myevent.com has professional designs that cost under $100.
You may just find that it's the best money you spent on your big day. There
is 7 day a free trial so you can try it for free before having to pay for
it. What more could you ask for ?
- Make the details and maps accessible 24/7 from all over
the world.
- Introduce the new couple to all your guests with photos
and stories.
- Allow your guests to RSVP online.
- Link directly to your registries online.
- Provide Info for guests from out of town.
- Share the big event with friends worldwide who couldn't
make it.
- Entertain your guests with polls and quizzes.
- Reduce your stress level, by making everything
available online.
- Plan and track everything with great planning tools.
- Enjoy the Guestbook entries that your guests will leave
for you.
- Thank your vendors or your parents for all their help.
|
|
|
|
Canine
Ring Bearer Prepares for Wedding By
Eric Gustafson, Winona Post
Carol Szuminski, of Goodview, confided in her pastor that her wedding ceremony might have to be moved outdoors.
"Why?" asked Rev. William Flesch. "Because I really want to have my dog in the wedding," said
Szuminski. "So, what's the problem?" Flesch asked. Szuminski laughs as she relates the dialogue. "Call me crazy, but I love my dog!"
As ring-bearer, Precious Esther Lila could steal the stage at Szuminski's marriage to Jack Schultz next weekend at Redeemer Lutheran Church.
Szuminski's mother, Virginia, told her daughter she's "more excited about seeing Precious march down the aisle" than the other ceremonial goings-on.
Szuminski is an avowed animal lover, having developed the passion at a young age. "Growing up, my family had a cottage on the river," which she says afforded the opportunity to find many wild critters. When her dogs caught and injured snakes, Szuminski was fast at hand to heal the serpents' wounds.
|
"We went through a lot of Band-aids from fixing the hurt snakes," she recalls.
More recently, Szuminski hosted a one-year birthday party for Precious and her siblings, pups who went off to their own homes last spring.
"The dogs and their owners came back for a reunion. There were six dogs, nine children and ten adults, and we all had a blast," she explains. The celebration was complete with cake, ice cream, sloppy joes and games.
"We just had fun, and that's what it's all about," says Szuminski. "These dogs brought us all together to be good friends."
Precious and the two other dogs in the Szuminski home line up every morning to see her off as she heads to work at St. Anne's Hospice.
"There they are, in the morning, and they line up to give me a kiss. It's a wonderful way to start the day."
Flesch says that, during his tenure at Redeemer, he isn't aware of other instances of animal participation in liturgical services. "No, there has never been another animal involved with the liturgy, except at the Blessing of the Animals," an annual service conducted in the fall.
"And that's held outdoors," he assures. Szuminski says Schultz didn't protest the idea: "He said, 'That's fine.' He's used to me being crazy, I guess. We couldn't find another ring-bearer, anyway."
Meanwhile, Precious is practicing her ring-bearing duties. She has already been a student at obedience school, but the bride-to-be insists, "She could use some more work."
"We originally planned to have the real rings in Precious' pillow, but then we saw a dog on TV eat rings like that, and we changed our minds," says
Szuminski. She concedes that Precious isn't above eating rings. Szuminski has already made Precious a special leash of pansies for the occasion. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
