Fish Leong to have wedding dinner in KL

Taiwan-based Malaysian songbird Fish Leong will have her wedding dinner in Kuala Lumpur on the sixth day of Chinese New Year.

The daily reported that Leong would also invite Malaysian media, which witnessed her rise in the industry.

Her close friends had already been informed of the big event by Leong through her Facebook, said the daily.

The daily added Leong chose to have her wedding dresses at that time as most of her friends and relatives would be around to celebrate the Lunar New Year.
Their big day turned into a big embarrassment.

All because of a power outage at the Hotel Royal@Queens in Bras Basah, where Mr and Mrs Lin were supposed to hold their wedding dinner on Saturday.

Some of the 200 guests who arrived early waited up to two hours in the dark and stuffy Chinese restaurant, before they were diverted to the affiliated Hotel Royal on Newton Road.

There, a buffet replaced the original multi-course dinner as the kitchen staff were unable to cook up a storm, given the short notice.

Shark’s fin was on the original menu.

But fried e-fu noodles was served in the end.

"It is impressive how many different designs are available," said Tarek Zagha, a German who was shopping with his Chinese fiance for a tuxedo and dress for their upcoming wedding. "We just want to find something that fits us."

Sin Jie marries Oxide Pang in pink wedding

Kedah-born actress Angelica Lee Sin Jie will marry film director and producer Oxide Pang Chun in a pink-themed wedding reception at the luxurious Pangkor Laut Resort Saturday.

It will be a private ceremony to be attended by relatives, family members and close friends.

A close friend of the actress confirmed that Sin Jie is not pregnant as rumoured.

Among the Hong Kong celeb friends who arrived in Malaysia Friday for the wedding dresses are Aaron Kwok, Gigi Leung, Charlie Yeung and director Sylvia Chang.

Angelica Lee, 34, who had been with Pang Chun for the past seven years decided to get married after he proposed to her last year. Both of them went to Alor Setar to seek the permission of Shin Jie’s parents a few weeks ago.

Angelica Lee is the youngest daughter in the family - she has three brothers.

She left Alor Setar in 1995 at the age of 19 to pursue a career in entertainment in Taiwan.

She won the Best Newcomer Award at the Berlin Film Festival in 2001, Best Actress at the Golden Horse Award in 2002 for hit horror movie ‘The Eye” and Best Actress at the Golden Bauhinia Film Award in 2003.

It is understood she got to know Oxide Pang while acting in “The Eye” which was directed by Oxide Pang and his twin-brother Danny in 2002.

Her mother Ooi Yean Lee, 54, said,”Sin Jie informed me and his father about her plan to get married last year and a date was fixed but it was postponed due to their tight schedules.

Wedding dinner woes

Q I am a 25-year-old woman and will be attending a wedding dressesdinner in a few months' time. What kind of clothes will be appropriate for the occasion?

A You don't have to splurge on a dress in order to look like a million dollars. Actress Joanne Peh proved that last October when she attended Fann Wong's wedding in an electric blue knee-length toga dress from Topshop.

If you want to recreate her youthful yet evening-friendly look, electric blue cocktail dresses in a variety of styles, starting at $29, are available from Hula & Co.

If you want to invest in a pricier piece, check out Karen Millen's cobalt blue leopard print dress (above), priced at $589.

A little black or navy dress for the evening would also be appropriate and versatile enough for all kinds of functions in the future. Hula & Co offers a netted bodycon version in both colours for $29 each and a deep V-neck cocktail mini in black for $35.

Add glamour with sequined accessories such as drop earrings, a clutch bag and high peep-toe heels.

High-street label Forever 21 offers jewelled bracelets from $13, while New Look has satin-like clutch bags in jewel tones for $20. Jewelled cocktail rings and sparkly earrings can also be found at Topshop for between $20 and $30.

Just remember to avoid white for wedding parties because that suggests you are competing with the bride.

Overtly sexy styles with plunging necklines and sheer fabrics generally don't belong at a wedding either. If you have to ask if it's appropriate, it probably isn't.

Happily after wedding

“Where is the florist,” he complains, shooing away a swarm of mosquitoes. “She was supposed to be here at noon and what time is it now? 3pm?”

According to the muffled voice on the other line, some miscommunication has occurred and the offending vendor is “stuck somewhere”. He heaves a dramatic sigh: “All these stories and excuses, I’ve heard them before.”

The minutes are ticking by. All the prep work needs to be completed by 5pm, in time for vows to be exchanged between operations manager Hena Yeo, 31, and new media firm boss Ang Chonglai, 34.

After the solemnisation ceremony, a 10-course Chinese dinner will take place under a specially constructed marquee.

Nuptials aside, you are tuned into The Sherwin Lee Show. Calling the shots is the 31-year-old executive director of DoWed, an “experiential weddings” company – as he describes it – that he started four years ago as a creative response to soporific ballroom affairs with cheesy slideshows and unexciting menus.

The boisterous bachelor says: “I hate boring wedding dresses. Cut cake, change gowns, that’s it. I like to do something different each time, no matter what the budget.”

This wedding, which costs about $25,000 for about 200 people, is a simple affair by his standards. His most lavish project to date cost around $100,000. A wealthy Chinese couple had flown him to London to organise a bash at the Ritz-Carlton there.

Wedding planning services, he says, are getting wedding increasingly popular among Singaporeans, many of whom are marrying later and have more money to spend on professionally tailored weddings. Becoming a wedding planner requires no official accreditation.

One bride who behaved unreasonably all the time revealed, in a fit of tears, that she did so because she felt inferior to her husband’s family. Another would ring him at 2am to ask if she was “making the right decision”.

Deal with wedding, marriage with maturity

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I recently got married and, while I am happy that I got married, I find myself crying great big sobbing tears at the very mention of the wedding. I can’t help feeling it was completely ruined by discourteous people.

The maid of honor dropped out five days before, and our photographer’s car blew up (not an act of discourtesy, but it did add to the overall disaster). A wonderful friend found herself a seamstress who would do alterations overnight and a photographer.

My hair dresser didn’t show up, and my niece (God love her for trying) made a mess of my hair. Our videographer moved an elective laser eye surgery up (not his doctor’s decision) so that he would miss our wedding.

My brother cursed at me as we waited to go down the aisle because he didn’t think the bride was supposed to go last, and then pulled me along so fast I nearly tripped. I tried tugging on his sleeve but it only made him walk faster.

The meal I wanted wasn’t in our budget, so I ordered what we could afford for 60 people, and only 30 showed up. Some people who hadn’t even been invited did show up. They wore baseball caps during the ceremony.

The guests not only started eating while we were taking photos (which I found very offensive, as I was always taught that its not proper to serve yourself until the host and/or hostess has at least joined the room), but all took double portions and left the wedding party with very little.

I don’t even feel like this was my wedding. I feel like it was a wedding where I got married. I hate that I feel that way, but don’t know how to change.

My mother had no interest in planning, paying or participating in my wedding. My mother-in-law really worked, helping, asking what I wanted rather than trying to take over the entire affair. She and my father-in-law paid to rent the hall. I appreciate all of that very much. But she wants pictures, and I very honestly do not want pictures to exist of this day.

Can you tell me how to choke that back and lie through my teeth? Because I cannot find a polite way to tell her that even though she worked really hard and I really am grateful, the wedding was lousy and it makes my heart sad to think about it.

GENTLE READER: Madam, please! You are hysterical. Get a grip on yourself.

You have a new husband, a wonderful and resourceful friend, and generous and tactful parents-in-law.

And yet you are carrying on, sobbing about your wedding dresses? What does your poor husband think about your behavior?

Because weddings are complicated events involving many people and variables, things rarely go exactly as planned. Mature people take this in stride and recount it later, laughing rather than sobbing, which is a good thing because marriage requires maturity. Miss Manners can only hope, for the sake of your husband, that you are able to grow up quickly.

The perfect wedding

Last Saturday afternoon, I found myself bouncing around in the seat of a packed MPV on a bumpy, narrow road in the Balinese rainforest.

'You would have thought that if these luxury resorts are charging an arm and a leg for their accommodation, the least they could do is pave the roads,' grumbled the guy in front of me, holding on for dear life.

That little vignette stuck with me all week. In life, you often have to endure all sorts of ups and downs before reaching a happy ending. And all that turbulence along the way makes the outcome even sweeter, I guess.

So it was with this little trip, which had taken me more than a thousand miles over land and sea, just to be there when T. ties the knot.

T. and her husband-to-be, A., are both Singaporean, so almost all of their guests were making similar journeys. A. used to be a peacekeeper in the United Nations, so some of his friends were travelling from hot spots such as Timor Leste and Afghanistan.

Was it all worth it? You bet.

In fact, it was the most beautiful wedding I had ever been to in my entire life.

The MPV finally stopped in a quiet little driveway surrounded by buildings that looked traditional but on closer inspection housed state-of-the-art computers, gym equipment and toilets within their floor-to-ceiling glass walls.

We walked down a little path to one of them, which served as the reception area. Once we registered, we came out the other end of the house and into the resort proper.

What we saw took our breath away.

All that driving had taken us to the edge of a cliff, on the southernmost tip of Bali. Ahead of us was the massive expanse of the Indian Ocean with waves crashing on the rocks and sand hundreds of feet below where we were standing.

Just behind us loomed six huge Javanese antique wooden houses that apparently used to house the region's noblemen, but now served as the resort's villas.

Later that night, I toured one of them and found not just that there were handcarved panels on the ceiling of the king-sized wooden bed dating from God knows when, but that the bathtub actually floated in the middle of a pond, beside the villa's private waterfall and garden.

After taking about a million photographs of the place, the 40 or so guests eventually gathered at one of the highest points in the resort to wait for the couple's entrance.

It was a simple ceremony, presided over by the wedding planner.

The bride wore Jimmy Choos but the groom was barefoot. Me? It was the first time I had worn flip-flops to a wedding.

Her two younger sisters kicked things off by giving two readings. The first was a delightful passage from Winnie The Pooh, about the bear's love for Piglet.

The second reading turned out to be the lyrics of the Adam Sandler song I Wanna Grow Old With You, from the movie The wedding dresses Singer.

'I'll miss you, kiss you, give you my coat when you are cold,' the goofy song goes. 'Need you, feed you, even let you hold the remote control.'

Then, the couple were exchanging wedding vows and kissing under a simple bamboo arch in front of a perfect sunset.

I turned to my travelling companion to say something only to find that he was tearing, even though he had never met the couple before.

That was not the end, of course. We went on to have a lovely buffet dinner in a garden by candlelight and later were entertained by a rare performance that tourists reportedly queue for hours to see at temples.

The kecak dance is performed by a circle of 70 or 80 performers who repeatedly shout 'Cak!' as the story of the Ramayana is told through actors in costumes.

According to Wikipedia, it has its roots in sanghyang, a trance-inducing exorcism dance.

Indeed, the winds blew fiercely as the slightly spooky performance reached its climax. And even the two spookier-looking 'raincatchers' - who had successfully chanted away rainclouds for most of 12 hours - could not keep away a drizzle.

At some point in the evening, I went up to T. and hugged her.

I was so happy to see her so happy. And it was then that I realised that even without the perfect venue, ceremony, clothes and table settings, this wedding would have been perfect anyway.

Her friends know that just a few years ago, T. was going through a very dark time.

She had a number of difficult relationships after getting a divorce from her first husband and things at work were also not going well. We spent hours talking about the curveballs that life was throwing her, in between frenzied shopping trips in Orchard Road to chase away the gloom.

Wedding season: Tips for gift-buying

NEW YORK -- Holidays, birthdays and other family celebrations often generate concerns about giving presents. But when it comes to gift-giving anxiety, nothing tops a wedding.

Where are they registered? Is it OK to give cash? Do I have to cover the cost of my plate at the reception? What if I can't fit that into my budget?

"There are all kinds of myths out there," said Peggy Post, director of the Emily Post Institute. It's easy to stumble over what's acceptable, especially because many brides and grooms themselves don't know the rules, and can misfire with gift requests.

The first rule the happy couple should follow is to avoid bringing up the topic, Post said.

"Most people like to receive a wedding invitation, but don't like to have a card fall out that says, 'Here's where we're registered,'" she said. Some retailers provide those cards and encourage inserting them in invitations, but Post said that's bad advice. "A lot of people feel that it's putting too much emphasis on a gift."

Instead, she said, wait for the guest to ask what type of gift is desired. "Then it's certainly appropriate," Post said.

Cultural traditions can add to the confusion.

When Alejandra Ramos and Eugene Smolenskiy first started dating, they attended the wedding of one of his family members. "I asked him where they were registered," she recalled. He had no idea what she was talking about, because in his family, cash is the typical gift.

"I had always just done gifts off the registry," Ramos said. As they started planning their own wedding, scheduled for January 2011, the issue came up again. She had to explain to her fiance the concept behind picking items for a registry and sharing the list with family and friends.

Ramos said the idea of registering appeals to her, because it can result in items that will last a lifetime and remind her of her special day. "I love the idea of looking back 10 years from now when I'm making dinner and remembering that this is the pot my aunt gave me for my wedding," she said.

Tradition also plays a part. Julia Tyson and Tyler Santerre are planning their wedding for September 2011 in Vermont, and while they prefer cash because they're trying to save for a house, she said they'll also register.

"There's some more traditional guests, especially on my side of the family, that are not going to want to give money," she said. She knows, for instance, that her grandmother plans to give her china. "I can't imagine her writing a check."

While it's certainly appropriate for couples to request cash gifts, some people do feel uncomfortable about giving them, because the amount they're giving is plain to see, Post said.

That could drive some to give more than fits their budget, especially if there is a close relationship with the couple.

"Weddings are so wrapped in emotion," said Pat Seaman of the National Endowment for Financial Education. Many guests may feel an impulse to demonstrate their feelings toward the couple with a lavish gift, whether or not they can afford it.

WHEN it comes to the wedding day, your bride is the star and, technically, you are the leading man. But you don’t need that much time to get ready, since most of the work would be done for you. So here is the six-day plan for you (tongue in cheek of course).

Seaman pointed out that being wedding dresses guest can become an expensive proposition. The celebration of a marriage often includes an engagement party, a bridal shower, a bachelor or bachelorette party and a rehearsal dinner, in addition to the actual ceremony and reception. Parents of young children might also have to pay for child care expenses -- sometimes more than once. The growing popularity of destination weddings can add even more costs.

These expenses, from travel to clothing to gifts, must be planned ahead. "Think about weddings as a budgetable expense, just like groceries and utilities and special occasions and budgeting for Thanksgiving dinner," Seaman said.

That includes dismissing the worry about whether you should give as much to the couple as they are spending to host you at their reception.

"I don't think that's the best way to think about a wedding," Seaman said. "It's not a financial transaction."

Ramos said she's heard people mention that concern, but as a bride, she doesn't expect guests to consider what she's spending.

"If I throw a dinner party and someone brings a bottle of wine, I don't expect them to cover the price of (what) I'm serving," she said. "They're not buying a ticket to the wedding, they're coming to share in the moment."

A wedding worth waiting for

It was a wedding worth waiting for as newspaper columnist and editor Sumiko Tan married her junior-college crush Quek Suan Shiau.

The wedding of a lifetime. Sumiko Tan weds her former crush "Hurricane", Quek Suan Shiau at the Four Seasons on Sunday. There was a simple solemnization ceremony followed by a lunch for family and friends.
Planning a wedding dresses can be time consuming but many soon-to-be brides are using company time to arrange their big day, according to a new poll.

Almost nine out of 10 women who took part in the survey confessed to using some company time to make wedding plans, but only a third believed that their work was negatively affected by it.

"Everybody loves a wedding and so as long as people aren't overwhelmingly distracted, people are willing to put up with a little bit of a small hit to productivity for love," said Carley Roney, editor-in-chief of TheKnot.com, a wedding planning website.

The survey of 1,000 women by TheKnot.com, wedding Channel.com and ForbesWoman.com also showed that women spend about 10 hours a week planning their wedding and nearly 30 percent of it is done at work.

Twenty percent of women admitted that more than half of their wedding dresses arrangements were done at work and 41 percent said they did it whenever they could. But only 15 percent said that someone at work had commented about it.

Most women also thought they did more work on the wedding than their partner.

"I bet nine out of 10 brides think they're pulling far more of the wedding planning weight, but in reality they're probably not willing to give up control," said Roney.

And despite the time they spent on planning, 38 percent of the women questioned think being engaged and married has a positive impact on how they are perceived at work.

Roney said lunch time and Mondays are particularly busy times on her website.

"Monday is our peak day of the week. People are getting back from their weekends and diving not only into their work, but into their wedding planning," she explained.

Although planning the wedding may distract them from their work, Roney believes after the wedding women are more focused on their jobs.

"Post wedding, people become much more serious and focused. They are saving for homes, so they're not in the mind of changing jobs as much because they're very focused on what their goals are ahead," said Roney. "There's a new seriousness in which they engage with the business of their life which I think makes them more serious about their work as well."

More than half of the women said that their married or engaged co-workers were more supportive than single colleagues about their wedding planning.

Wedding leads to numerous police reports

An event that was supposed to be filled with celebration and wedded bliss Saturday led to several run-ins with police.

Three domestic abuse calls, one battery at a tavern and a hit-and-run that resulted in a trip to the emergency room are connected to a wedding dresses that took place Saturday at Lakeside Park, said Fond du Lac Police Department Lt. Rob Duveneck.

The day started simply enough with a reception for the happy couple at Fond du Lac’s crowning park on the south end of Lake Winnebago.

But as the night wore on, the gloves came off.

“It started with a noise complaint,” Duveneck said.

A short time later, police received a report of a domestic dispute on Merrill Avenue, he said. The people involved in the dispute were connected to the wedding, Duveneck said.

A few blocks further south — at Forest and Main streets — and a few hours later, another domestic dispute was reported. Again, the people involved were connected to the wedding, he said.

The final domestic call was reported a bit later near Ninth and Morris streets, again related to the wedding, Duveneck said.

Police also received a report of a battery at Big O’s Bar and Grill, 11 E. Second St. The people involved in the battery also had connections to the wedding, he said.

The evening ended with a report of a car striking a house on 11th Street near Linden Street, Duveneck said. Hank Sheinkopf, a consultant who worked on President Clinton's 1996 re-election bid, explained, "It is dangerous to presume closeness to people in power, and it is very rare when there are real, unbreakable friendships.

The driver fled on foot and a woman in the car was taken to St. Agnes Hospital emergency room with head injuries.

While police were investigating the crash, a bystander — this time someone not connected to the wedding — was arrested for obstructing police.

Chelsea Clinton's wedding in upstate New York is turning out to be a much more private affair than some people had hoped. Donors and A-listers hoping for invitations to Chelsea Clinton's event are learning it is not a state affair.

The people involved in the incidents, Duveneck said, were not the bride and groom, but were all somehow connected to the wedding in the park.

Rudolph-Vogel wedding a beautiful event

Congratulations to Constance Rudolph, daughter of Don and Donna, and to Jason Vogel, son of Sheriff Terry and Kim (Schartner) Vogel, who were married July 17. The huge tent on the Rudolph farm on Whitefish Bay Road last weekend was the scene for their wedding reception. Because of the size of the families and with 400 replies, the decision was made to have an outside setting.

Rudolph home-raised beef provided the prime rib and meatballs prepared by Chef Adam Haen, with assistance from mother Mariellen and family members. The flowers were homegrown and carefully arranged by Susie Schartner and Ann Tanck, with contributions from Janice Petersilka's beautiful gardens. Elizabeth Gigstead helped with lights and decorating.

The front porch of the remodeled farmhouse invited guests to "sit a spell" and several generations of wedding dresses lined the stairway to bring back memories of years gone by. DJ Chris Long provided music throughout the evening.

William (Bill) and Lou Vann Shaw of Victoria celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on June 26, 2010, with a dinner hosted by Sandra, Gary Pruitt and Pamela Shaw. The dinner was attended by family members.

Lou Vann Squyres married William (Bill) Shaw on July 2, 1960, at Progress Baptist Church in Terryville, south of Yoakum. The late Rev. Rufus Ramsey officiated.

The couple have two daughters, Sandra (Gary) Pruitt and Pamela Shaw of Victoria. They have three living grandchildren, Jason (Tracy) Pruitt and Wendy and Amber Venglar. A great-grandson Gage Majefski. Deceased grandson is Michael Pruitt and great-grandson Zayne Majefski.

Bill retired from Union Carbide in 1999. He enjoys fishing and gardening. Lou Vann retired early. She enjoys sewing wedding dress for Franklin Graham Shoe Box Ministry and also embroidering.

Wedding Clothes and Customs Explored in Exhibition at Sudley House

wedding dress and train, silk crepe-de-chine with glass beads, made by De Jong et Cie, Bold Street, Liverpool, 1927.

LIVERPOOL.- This summer, during the height of the UK wedding season, Sudley House opens an exhibition of wedding outfits that reveals the changing face of marriage over the last 150 years.

"Hitched: Wedding Clothes and Customs" is on display from 23 July 2010 until Spring 2011.

From an elegant 19th century white silk taffeta wedding dress to the sharp suits of a 21st century civil partnership, "Hitched: Wedding Clothes and Customs" explores how, despite significant changes in society, marriage continues to play an important role in many people's lives.

Every cultural group around the world has its own dress code and customs linked to the wedding ceremony. This exhibition looks at wedding dress and customs of different communities including the Jewish, Chinese and Travelling communities.

When Dixie, her husband of 38 years, died a year-and-a-half ago, after a six-month battle with cancer, 65-year-old Diana Airey’s world fell apart. “I miss him dreadfully,” she wrote. “I know life has to go on, but I have lost all my confidence. Dixie was a fabulous man. He was great at choosing my clothes and he would always tell me how great I looked. Since his death, I haven’t been able to summon up any interest in what I wear; I hardly go shopping. I’ve just been feeling low.”

What Diana, or Di, as her friends in the Oxfordshire village of Warborough call her, needed was a kick-start. “I reached the point where I was starting to think, do I carry on with my life, waiting to see what happens or do I give myself a little nudge,” she said.

Curator of costume and textiles Pauline Rushton says: “Despite the number of people getting married actually falling, the average cost of weddings continues to rise and now stands at almost £20,000. This tells us something about the importance still placed on an institution which has been part of our society for thousands of years.”

"Hitched: Wedding Clothes and Customs" brings together items from National Museums Liverpool’s own costume collection and private loans to build up a picture of weddings from Victorian times to the present day.

"Hitched: Wedding Clothes and Customs" will tour to other venues in the region during 2011.

a dream wedding

A dream wedding has turned into a holiday from hell after three bridesmaids have been forced to pull out due to the Goldtrail travel crash.
Chief bridesmaid Vicki, 31, was due to fly to Turkey with husband Candost, 35, and their five children aged 11 to seven weeks for Ellen's wedding on August 4.

They were set to stay in a villa along with Vicki's mum, stepdad and his daughter,but all ten have lost their flights and say they cannot afford to rebook.

Two of Vicki's children Kira, 11, and Leyla, four, were also going to be bridesmaids and had dresses specially made for the big day.

Vicki, of North Parkway, Seacroft, said: "It's awful. The original wedding party was 24 and now it's ten."

I had saved and saved for flights and we booked last Wednesday.

"We have had dress fittings and Ellen had to have my daughters' specially made. She's bought everything, it's cost Ellen a lot of money and now she's three bridesmaids down."

Vicki says the villa the ten of them were going to share has also gone as the owner has allowed the current residents an extended stay due to the flights being cancelled.

Ellen, 32, lives over the road from the best friend she describes as "a sister" after they met through work ten years ago.

Ellen said: "She was only going to come for a week because that's all they could afford. I've got all the dresses and everything but there's nothing I can do.

"I really want her there. We are like sisters. I just feel absolutely gutted."

Vicki, who works in an opticians, and Candost, a chef, both met and married in Turkey in 2004 which gave Ellen and Stephen Barrow, 34, the idea.

The couple have been planning the wedding for the last 18 months and although the wedding will go ahead, Ellen is devastated .

The exhibition features around 20 dresses and accessories. Highlights include:

• A glass beaded silk crepe-de-chine wedding dress and train from the 1920s
• A wool cashmere and gold brocade wedding dress in the style of French designer Paul Poiret, 1913
• A beaded and sequined red satin wedding dress worn by a bride from Liverpool's Chinese community, 1966
• A crystal-beaded wedding dress worn by a bride from Liverpool’s Traveller community, 2010

Alongside the outfits and accessories are photographs and ephemera revealing the many and varied traditions of weddings from food, transport, venue and even the stag and hen "dos".

Goldtrail has appointed administrators Begbies Traynor and a dedicated website at www.goldtrail-insolvency.com has been set up to provide updates.

Chelsea Clinton Wedding List: Obama, Oprah, Babs

President Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey and Barbra Streisand are on the A list of guests to watch Chelsea Clinton say "I do" at her July 31 wedding to longtime beau Marc Mezvinsky, according to the local newspaper's big scoop.

The hunsum also reports that former campaign aides Harold Ickes and Terry McAuliffe have received invitations to the 500-person event in Rhinebeck, N.Y., along with Steven Spielberg, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Ted Turner and former British Prime Minister John Major.
The much-anticipated nuptials will take place at Astor Court, the former estate of John Jacob Astor, a tycoon who died aboard the Titanic. Chelsea, 30, is the only child of former President Bill Clinton and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. She is a graduate student at the Columbia University School of Public Health.

Mestads is pleased to announce the opening of its newest store in the Southdale Mall, Edina. This location is focused on Prom Gowns and Tuxedos for both Prom and wedding dress alike. There is also a selection of beautiful Special Occasion gowns to shop from. We invite you to visit our stores and experience the difference that is Mestads. See for yourself why we have won many prestigious awards like: The DEBI award for the 2008 “Bridal Retailer of the Year”, The Knot 2008 and 2009 “Best of Weddings” award, and a nomination for the Twin City Bridal Association’s 2008 ICON award. We are passionate about excellent customer service and look forward to seeing you soon. Appointments are strongly encouraged.

The guest list for Chelsea Clinton's wedding to Marc Mezvinsky reportedly includes talk show queen Oprah Winfrey and singer-actress-director Barbra Streisand.

Mezvinsky, 32, an investment banker, is also from a Democratic political family. He is the son of former Pennsylvania Rep. Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky and former Iowa Rep. Ed Mezvinsky. The couple met as teenagers in Washington, D.C., and attended Stanford University together.

Clinton's Wedding Isn't in Rhinebeck

If Chelsea Clinton is getting married in Rhinebeck, N.Y., in two weeks, few people in the Hudson River town seem to know much about it.

So says The Wall Street Journal, which reports today that some residents think the daughter of the former president might be saying "I do" to Marc Mezvinsky somewhere else.
The mayor told the Journal he hasn't been contacted by the Clinton camp or its wedding planners for any July 31 event. The owner of the inn where guests were thought to be staying said he hasn't heard anything. And some wonder if all the secrecy is a smokescreen.

With hundreds of different wedding gowns to choose from, you are sure to find just the style you have been searching for. From moderate to Couture Wedding Gowns, we have a wedding gown to fit the needs of every brides wedding. We also carry numerous bridesmaids lines for your attendants. We have several hundred bridesmaid dresses to choose from which means you can find the perfect complement to your gown. But that is not all!

For your convenience, you can finalize all your wedding attire in one place: Wedding Dresses, Reception Gowns, Veils, Tiaras, Jewelry, Bridesmaid Dresses, Flower Girl Dresses, Mother's Gowns and Tuxedos for the groom and his men. From January to May, we also carry thousands of Prom Gowns – many of them exclusive to our store Mestads offers oversized fitting rooms for your comfort, a professional in-store alterations department*, and a knowledgeable sales staff to answer all your questions.

"My wife thinks this is a decoy location, and the wedding dresswill be held on Martha's Vineyard," Rhinebeck police officer Steven Hanaburgh told the Journal, referring to a theory floated last summer.

Of course, many in Rhinebeck seem plenty proud that the Clintons may have chosen their town and may simply be tight-lipped about the wedding out of respect for the Clintons' privacy.

Read more at The Wall Street Journal.

Wedding bells in the air

Amelia Johnson of Albany models a wedding gown Sunday from Georgio’s Bridal and Formalwear during the Temple Daily Telegram’s Bridal Showcase at the Frank W. Mayborn Civic and Convention Center. Rusty Schramm/Telegram

wedding growns take center stage at Bridal Showcase

Brides, bouquets and bustiers - for wedding gowns that is - were hot topics at the Temple Daily Telegram's fourth annual Bridal Showcase on Sunday.

Hundreds of brides, grooms, family and friends sampled from more than 40 booths catering to every new bride or groom's needs wedding dress at the Frank W. Mayborn Civic and Convention Center.

Services on display included bridal shops, photographers, wedding planners, caterers and bakers, salons, fitness center, wedding sites and a lawyer.

Chelsea Clinton, 30, a graduate student at Columbia University's School of Public Health (better known as the only child of a certain power couple, is set to marry 32-year-old Goldman Sachs investment banker Marc Mezvinsky on July 31. Though the wedding was supposed to be a hush-hush affair, the media has had other ideas. Here's what we know so far.

How did Clinton and Mezvinsky meet?
Chelsea Clinton and Marc Mezvinsky have known each other for 14 years. The then 16-year-old Clinton and 18-year-old Mezvinsky met at a Young Democrats retreat. Both chose Stanford University and studied history. Finally, in 2005, they crossed the friendship line, Post reported. Mezvinsky popped the question on Thanksgiving Day in New York, where they reside. Friends and family found out via e-mail.

Who are the parents?
Chelsea's, you've obviously heard of. Marc Mezvinsky is one of 10 children of former Iowa Congressman and convicted felon Edward Mezvinsky (for wire and bank fraud) and former NBC reporter and Congresswoman Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky. The Clintons and Mezvinskys have been longtime friends.

Who's the wedding planner?
Bostonian Bryan Rafanelli. He's done events for Hillary Rodham Clinton and produced inaugural balls for President Barack Obama, The New York Times reports.

Who will officiate the wedding?
Since Clinton is Christian and Mezvinsky is Jewish, they could be married by a priest, a rabbi or both, or have no religious officiates. The Clintons attended Foundry United Methodist Church in Washington, D.C., during Bill Clinton's presidency, and Mezvinsky's parents used to go to Har Zion Temple, a conservative Jewish synagogue in Pennsylvania. There have been no confirmed reports of clergy from either congregations doing the honors.

Following traditional Jewish law, weddings are forbidden on the Jewish Sabbath, which lasts from sundown Friday night to nightfall Saturday night. But certain rabbis may be willing to officiate during the Sabbath.

wedding dresses

With the average wedding ringing up at more than $28,000 in 2010, brides want advice, advice and more advice.

So when over-the-top wedding planner David Tutera came to the Mall of Louisiana, the brides couldn’t ask enough questions.

Tutera, host of WE tv’s “My Fair Wedding,” worked the crowd like a game show host. He was up on the stage and down in the aisle, sweating in his suit, gray with a faint wedding dresswhite stripe, under the 90-plus degree sun streaming in through the mall’s windowed roof.

“Isn’t it warm in here? It’s like 1,000 percent humidity,” said Tutera, mopping his brow and shedding his suit coat.

With humor and just a touch of cattiness, Tutera made snap recommendations to anyone who asked.

“Your colors are turquoise and orange? Sounds like school colors to me,” he told one bride, before offering some advice: “You need a third color in the brown or khaki family to break up those colors.”

Should the groom wear all white?

“Is he delivering ice cream?” Tutera asked. “I like a white dinner jacket, but I don’t like all white.”

And, he added, grooms should never, ever take off their jackets during the reception.

“Once the jacket comes off, it’s downhill from there,” Tutera said.

To keep guests engaged, he suggested “doing something different” every 30 minutes or so.

“You might change the music or the food, or move locations,” said Tutera. “Give them (guests) something to look forward to.”

Is there anything too big when it comes to creating an anniversary celebration?

And drama is certainly something Tutera knows. On his show, Tutera swoops in three weeks before a couple’s wedding and changes everything a bride might have planned for her pirate or cowboy wedding.

Of course, he always gives her the wedding of her dreams.

WEDDING TIPS
In addition to hosting “My Fair Wedding” on WE tv, David Tutera also has written “The Big White Book of Weddings; The How-To Guide for the Savvy, Stylish Bride.”