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Traditional Versus Digital Wedding Planning

29 April 2011 By

Increasingly, couples are choosing more modern methods of arranging their perfect wedding – the trend is turning away from the traditional formalities and traditions in favour of the convenience of current digital technology.

Couples are sending out colourful personalised invites via email rather than post, using mp3 devices to play preset wedding music rather than hiring a DJ and in addition to hiring a professional video service they’re creating lots of extra footage with handheld video cameras and other devices.

Shopping for the event online also makes costs easier to account for and manage, without the need for receipts to be kept due to an electronic paper trail.

By embracing the digital age in this way, couples are dramatically reducing the cost of their wedding day, with the elimination of wedding stationary saving hundreds of pounds alone as well as the expenses involved in hiring event planners or music professionals.

There are other advantages too, with E-cards being a lot more environmentally friendly and saving the waste on paper products that would otherwise be used on the wedding invitations.

Not everyone is so keen on the advancements though, with some detractors feeling that modern technology is an improper way to arrange such an important event and falls short of proper etiquette.

Filed Under: Planning, Wedding Finance & Insurance, Wedding Planners, Wedding Tips & Trends Tagged With: , ,

Kareena Kapoor Dazzles at Wedding Carnival

27 April 2011 By

Kareena Kapoor looked spectacular in a sheer pink sari at Mumbai’s Hotel President on April 7to celebrate the launch of The Great Indian Wedding Carnival.

The 30 year old Bollywood actress paired her sari with a sequined mini halter blouse and accessorised with diamond jewels, chandelier earrings and a bracelet on her right arm.

She wore striking eye makeup, with thick eyeliner on her eyelids and pink sparkling eye shadow as well as lipstick. Her long dark brown hair was styled straight with a middle parting and a jewelled bindi rounded off her festive look.

‘The Great Indian Wedding Carnival’  is a large shopping festival organised by India’s leading jewellery brands, including Nakshatra, Gili, Asmi, D’damas, Sangini, Diya and Menz.  Running from April 8to May 5 this year, it has been launched to coincide with the Indian marriage season.

In a press statement endorsing the festival, Ms Kapoor said: “Today’s Indian bride is showing an increasing preference for jewellery that integrates an international diamond look into traditional wedding jewellery designs.”

Kapoor remained tight-lipped about her own upcoming wedding plans and avoided questions from the attendant media crowd, revealing no new information.

Filed Under: Asian weddings, Celebrity Brides, Culture, Hindu weddings, Indian weddings, Wedding Dresses, Wedding Exhibitions & Events, Wedding Jewellery, Wedding Themes, Wedding Venues Tagged With: , , ,

Latest Shift in Wedding Destination Trends

25 April 2011 By

MarryAbroad.co.uk has unveiled figures which show the newest location trends chosen by couples tying the knot abroad.

Canada has topped the list of most popular countries for British couples – marking the first non-European country to reach this status in three years.

Other popular wedding destinations, France, Greece and Cyprus, remain in the middle of the list and Sri Lanka has made a noteworthy debut at number two.

India has also made an appearance at number ten, while Italy has dropped to third place, Australia has dropped to ninth and Thailand has disappeared from the list.

Marry Abroad’s Charlotte Hand commented: “It’s always interesting to see which countries grow in popularity over the years. The usual countries will remain attractive to UK couples due to their close proximity and good weather, but we have been surprised by some of the changes.”

She added: “Canada has progressed steadily over the years and now claims the top spot, possibly thanks to its reasonable costs and attractive venues. Though previous favourites Thailand and Australia have dipped, the rise of Sri Lanka and India testifies that couples are being more adventurous in their choice of wedding destination, perhaps fuelled by the desire to avoid expensive European venues.”

Filed Under: Destination Weddings, Planning, Wedding Finance & Insurance, Wedding Planners, Wedding Tips & Trends Tagged With:

Wedding of the Year Competition worth £10,000 Launched Today

22 April 2011 By

The Daily Post and Llandudno’s Cae Môr Hotel in North Wales have partnered to create an exciting wedding competition worth over £10,000.

The winning couple will be provided with everything they could want for their special occasion.  The bride will even be given a hen night previous to the big day which will include a limo to a VIP party at a Llandudno nightclub.

For the wedding itself, both the bride and groom will be dressed in style. The venue will be held at the Cae Môr Hotel on Llandudno’s sea front, with cars, photography and rings provided.

In addition, the lucky winners will receive all the extras, such as wedding invitations, a will-writing service, balloons, flowers and colour co-ordinated chair covers, not to mention cake, wine and a magnum of champagne for the top table.

They will also be treated to a wedding breakfast for 50 people and for the evening a disco with buffet at Cae Môr for up to 70 guests.

Everybody who enters the competition will receive a 10% discount on a Cae Môr wedding. When the winning couple is chosen on May 22, there will be a further 50% discount for the runner-up and 25% for three other couples.

Since 10am today, the Wedding of the Year Competition can be entered by visiting www.dailypost.co.uk/mydailypost.

Filed Under: Planning, Wedding Exhibitions & Events, Wedding Finance & Insurance Tagged With: ,

Absolute Radio and BT Offer Chance for Couple to Get Married Live On-Air

20 April 2011 By

BT and Absolute Radio have joined forces to offer the public a chance to get married live on-air during the3 Christian O’Connell Breakfast Show.

Absolute Radio listeners can enter the competition online, after which three couples will be chosen to compete for the winning place. Those who enter will also be given the chance to win a wedding breakfast and honeymoon.

The competition opens on 11 April and ends four days later. The winning couple will be married on-air during Christian O’Connell’s Breakfast Show on 15 April. The special occasion will be broadcast from London Zoo and the presenter himself will act as witness.

Absolute Radio is to launch a campaign site dedicated to the promotion of the competition and will use its Facebook page to drive users to it.

This latest collaboration between BT and Absolute Radio forms the newest part of BT’s Adam and Jane TV campaign, which began earlier this month. The wider campaign calls for the public to vote on Facebook for how the winning couple should plan their wedding. The option with the most votes will be used in their next ad, which is due to air in April to coincide with the Royal Wedding.

Filed Under: Planning, Unusual, Wedding Venues, Weird weddings Tagged With: ,

Reese Witherspoon Chooses Wedding Gown Designer

18 April 2011 By

Actress Reese Witherspoon has announced the designer for her wedding dress – it will be custom made by Monique Lhuillier.

Ms Witherspoon has been engaged to CAA agent Jim Toth for three months. The special day is planned to be an intimate, low key occasion at her ranch in Ojai, California on March 26th.

Sources have confirmed the marriage will not be a huge Hollywood star-studded event – only close friends and family are expected to be invited, numbering slightly less than 100 guests. The small ceremony will be organised by Yifat Oren and the nuptials will be held in the early evening in one of the fields behind the house.

Speculation has already begun as to what type of Monique Lhuillier design Reese Witherspoon will choose. She is said to be shaping up for the big day with exercise and 75-minute sessions of Vinyasa yoga.

The couple began dating in January 2010 and announced their engagement in December. This will be the first marriage for 40-year-old Jim Toth, and second for Reese Witherspoon, who has two children with ex-husband Ryan Phillippe.

Filed Under: Celebrity Brides, Celebrity Weddings, Extravagant, Style, Wedding Dresses Tagged With: , ,

Lara Dutta’s Fabulous Wedding Jewellery Announced

14 April 2011 By

Lara Dutta, who will soon be marrying tennis star Mahesh Bhupathi, will be celebrating her wedding complete with a stunning diamond necklace designed especially for the occasion.

As the main feature of her wedding jewellery, the necklace set will feature uncut diamonds studded with vilandis, rose-cut diamonds, round diamonds, emeralds, rubies and pearls with maang-tika.

Even though Lara Dutta has been the official brand ambassador of the famous D’damas diamond jewellery brand for some time now, she has chosen to have her wedding jewellery designed by Anmol Jewellers from Mumbai.

Her wedding to Mahesh Bhupathi is set to be one of the most high profile weddings of this year and promises to be a mixture of Bollywood glamour and sports chique.

The Sangeet ceremony is scheduled for the evening of the 19th at the five-star Candolim in Goa. It is there Lara will be wearing the striking necklace. A seaside party will follow, attended only by close friends and family.

The following day, the couple will have a Christian-style Victorian wedding where Lara will wear an elegant diamond necklace with matching earrings.

Filed Under: Asian weddings, Celebrity Brides, Celebrity Weddings, Culture, Extravagant, Hindu weddings, Indian weddings, Style, Unusual, Wedding Jewellery Tagged With: , , ,

Benefits Fraud Uncovered By Facebook Wedding Photos

11 April 2011 By

The Barbados wedding pictures that Hazel Cunningham posted on her Facebook page have landed her a jail sentence for the benefits fraud of falsely claiming thousands of pounds.

The 47-year-old Ashford resident was unveiled as a benefits cheat by her local authority’s fraud investigation team, which discovered she was enjoying holidays to Turkey up to three times a year at the same time as claiming an average of £170 per week for council tax benefit, income support, and housing benefit.

Mrs Cunningham must now repay all the money she falsely claimed, amounting to just under £15 000. She has also been sentenced at Folkestone Magistrates Court in Kent to 120 days in jail after pleading guilty to four charges of making false statements and one of failing to notify a change in circumstance.

She had further claimed she was a single mother when she was actually living with her husband and neglected to tell the authorities about maternity pay she was receiving from her employer.

An Ashford Council spokeswoman said: “Our investigators use Facebook as a routine tool when looking at someone’s claim that they are single and not married.”

Peter Wood, Leader of the Ashford Council, commented: “The message is clear: people who commit benefit fraud will be caught.”

Filed Under: Extravagant, Mishaps, Planning, Unusual, Wedding Finance & Insurance Tagged With: ,

KFC Chosen As Wedding Reception Venue By Happy Couple

7 April 2011 By

The bride and groom Kalli Buchan and Gareth Pritchard celebrated their wedding reception at a KFC in Bristol recently. They have explained their unusual choice as a family tradition.

In 1989, Kalli’s mother and father, Davy and Madalene Buchan, were married in a Bristol Registry Office and then had their reception celebration at the local McDonalds. When it came time for Kalli and Gareth to start planning their wedding day, they joked about having the reception at a Burger King.

The couple warmed to the “cool idea” of a fast food venue for their post-wedding celebration and eventually settled on the KFC, since it is their favourite.

When staff at the Bristol KFC were approached by the couple with the idea, they were excited at the prospect and eager to help. Wedding guests however when told about the reception plan initially thought it was a joke.

Kalli and Gareth were adamant about their unconventional plan – after the official registry, the newlyweds and their 30 wedding guests made their way to the KFC restaurant to celebrate the special occasion. The happy couple were also congratulated by surprised diners.

Filed Under: Planning, Unusual, Wedding Venues, Weird weddings Tagged With: , ,

Michael Buble Weds TV Actress in Argentina

4 April 2011 By

Popular Canadian singer Michael Buble has married 23 year old Argentinean actress Luisana Lopilato in front of 300 family and friends.

The marriage begins as a civil ceremony with the couple signing a marriage register in Buenos Aires. A second wedding has been planned for his side of the family in Vancouver in about a month, which he calls “an unwedding”.

Mr Buble commented: “It’s not like a wedding … it’s like a big party”. He was however reportedly asked by his Television actress and soap star wife not to sing on their big day.

The special occasion was marked by an “anti-Hollywood” walk down the aisle, with an emphasis on family and friends rather than security and other celebrity trappings.

The star, who has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide, wore a grey suit whilst the bride chose a purple gown, complete with a small bouquet that was later tossed into the crowd of well wishers.

A religious ceremony was later held outside the city of Canuelas, 80km from the Argentine capital.

The couple originally met in November 2008 after one of his concerts.

Filed Under: Celebrity Grooms, Celebrity Weddings, Extravagant, Groom Style, Wedding Tips & Trends Tagged With: ,
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