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.

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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.