Wedding season is officially here and while the bride and groom have their gown and tux lined up months in advance, it’s not always a piece of cake for guests. From tropical destination weddings to local vineyards, you’ll most likely encounter outdoor venues for ceremonies and receptions this summer.

Many outdoor weddings are on lawns or golf courses. Some of this season’s most popular dress choices are pastel hues, any shade of lace, and opt for wedges or flats at those country club nuptials. The only thing more annoying to a greenskeeper than a pesky gopher is 50 women in four inch stilettos.

If you’re attending a beach wedding, opt for a flowy printed maxi dress, flats or sandals. Men can dress more casual in lightweight tops and a linen pants. A black tie wedding requires more planning and prep and it’s best for women to wear a formal gown and a tux for men.

For the majority of weddings, women’s go-to option is a classic tea length dress. I usually look for colorful patterns or a bright solid shade with a contrasting statement necklace.

Of course, the only woman in white should be the bride and always pay special attention to the invitation for notes about a specific dress code or theme. Save any Vegas style dress for actual weddings in Sin City. Club attire just isn’t appropriate for weddings even if the DJ’s playlist…………… continues on What to wear to an outdoor wedding – Ukiah Daily Journal

Lawrence Kasdan  was once among the most promising talents in American filmmaking. The guy wrote “The Empire Strikes Back”  and “Raiders of the Lost Ark,”  and the first three films he directed were “Body Heat,”  “The Big Chill,”  and “Silverado.”  Not a bad resume for a 36-year-old. Now, though, with “Darling Companion,”  his first film in nine years, Kasdan confirms that the storytelling gifts which served him so well in the 1980s are no longer his to command.

Though the fur on the movie’s titular canine isn’t very long, this is still one hummer of a shaggy dog story. When Beth (Diane Keaton)  finds a stray pooch along the roadside, she keeps him, despite hubby Joseph’s (Kevin Kline)  reservations, and names him Freeway  (which, an informed source tells me, was also the name of the dog on “Hart to Hart”  for the same reason). Flash-forward a year: While the family is gathered in th…………… continues on OregonLive.com

ItsHot.com has introduced a stunning range of Diamond Wedding Bands at wholesale prices. The stunning pieces of jewelry are available in 14K and 18K rose, yellow and white gold, platinum and sterling silver.

New York (PRWEB) May 16, 2012

ItsHot.com has introduced a stunning range of Diamond Wedding Bands at wholesale prices. The stunning pieces of jewelry are available in 14K and 18K rose, yellow and white gold, platinum and sterling silver. The extensive collection of diamond jewelry is masterfully crafted by seasoned artisans following exact standards of precision.

Diamond wedding Bands have an allure of their own. A wedding band is the most important piece of jewelry that is worn by both the bride and the groom as a symbol of their commitment to each other. Diamond Wedding Bands offer sophisticated touch of elegance to one’s wedding day and beyond. They are always considered as symbols of love and commitment. These scintillating pieces of jewelry have an attraction of their own. They are considered to be a class apart. They are available in m…………… continues on Virtual-Strategy Magazine

City: Any City

State: National

NOW CASTING… A major cable network brings you a new docu-series about modern-day women in their quest to make their wedding dreams come true.

Have you started planning your perfect wedding but are still looking for your perfect guy? Have you started shopping for the perfect dress, or your favorite cake? …even designing your invitations or pricing out venues?

Whether you’ve completed your vision board with images of flowers and table settings, or you’re already meeting with consultants and planners, we invite you to share your journey!

We are seeking dynamic, ambitious, outgoing, single women who are planning their special day, while still searching for that special guy!

Let us follow you on your journey to happiness!!!

TOKYO (Reuters) – Like many Japanese women, Koyuki Higashi adores Tokyo Disneyland. So it was only natural that she would want to hold her wedding there, as many other couples have done.

“My partner and I just love going to Disneyland, so when we saw a pamphlet advertising wedding receptions by the Cinderella Castle in Tokyo Disneyland we called and asked if we could hold our wedding there,” Higashi told Reuters in a telephone interview.

But Higashi is openly lesbian and her upcoming commitment ceremony is being characterised in the media as the first “gay wedding” to be held at Japan’s Magic Kingdom.

While U.S. President Barack Obama came out in favour of same-sex weddings last week, such a political stance remains a distant dream in Japan, where civil unions are not legally allowed and simply being openly gay remains taboo for many, even though there are no laws against h…………… continues on Reuters

May 15, 2012 12:09 am

By Mary Ann Wellener

DEAR MARY ANN: I have a friend who married in New York City recently after dating her new spouse for about six months. The wedding was fairly spontaneous; they spread the word informally via their respective public Facebook statuses (no paper invitations or personal messages) a couple of weeks prior for the ceremony in the city and dinner to follow at a nearby restaurant. I was asked to be in her bridal party, but I live several hours away from Pittsburgh and was unable to gather the time and money for an impromptu trip home, let alone to New York. I expressed my regrets for being unavailable and was told to be prepared for word about a reception to be scheduled later for family and friends.

The bride [recently] took to Facebook once more to spread the word about a bridal shower — which she is throwing herself — to take place in two months. They are also still planning a traditional ceremony and reception here at home sometime next year, where wedding gif…………… continues on Pittsburgh Post Gazette

It’s not every day that Morag Stewart and Kevin Eggan plan a covert operation. But on a recent morning in Breckenridge, Colo., the pair put together a series of mysterious directions — take the lift to the top of the mountain, look for the guy in the red jacket — that ultimately led 80 of their friends and family to a clearing in the glades. It was a logistical nightmare, but the payoff was big: It was their wedding.

Have you been to a wedding in the woods lately? Or watched a couple tie the knot in the middle of a shopping mall? A small but growing group of intrepid couples are ditching the dulce de leche cake filling and glitzy chandeliers for something a bit more, well, impromptu. They’re paying an officiant $ 300 to marry them in front of a prized painting at an art museum or asking a photographer to capture them whispering “I do” in a botanical garden before the security guards come running. The trend, once limited to a few postrecession penny-pinchers, is now flowering into its own full-fledged wedding-industry niche. Mary Beaty, an officiant in New York, says inquiries for these so-called elopements or guerrilla-style weddings have doubled in the past few years, while Jerry Schwehm, a minister in New Orleans, is now performing three times as many as he did five years ago. “Many of my clients run aw…………… continues on Smartmoney.com

My Hot Electronics announced on Monday that they will begin to carry wedding-related items including dresses, rings and wedding favors from top manufacturers

Detroit, Michigan (PRWEB) May 15, 2012

My Hot Electronics announced on Monday that the company will begin to carry wedding dresses and other items that are associated with the wedding process including bridal sets, wedding albums, engagement rings, wedding bands and more.

Why expand into the wedding industry? According to DaVaughn Lucas, Owner of My Hot Electronics, the correlations between wedding planning and the ceremony and electronics shopping is very visible.

“Many couples look to streamline the wedding and engagement process as much as possible, especially in today’s very busy world. Almost everyone in the world uses a form of electronics, and just as many people are either planning on becoming engaged, dating someone that could turn into a serious relationship, beginning a new marriage, or have been many years of wedding bliss. We want to make the customer’s life and daily activities easier and by expanding our brand into this arena, it not only accomplishes that feat, but it makes the search proc…………… continues on Midland Daily News

By April MacIntyre May 15, 2012, 13:54 GMT

Virginal until the wedding night, completely in the dark as to what to expect, Gypsy families protect and promote this antiquated ritual generation to generation for their teen daughters.

They�re quirky, sassy, blinged-out, complex, sometimes odd and tacky, sometimes intricate and beautiful, but always one of a kind. Most importantly, they steal the show on TLC�s newest hit series My Big FatAmerican Gypsy Wedding�and we aren’t talking about the over-the-top brides.

Dresses, actually monster ball gowns, infinite trains, blinding rhinestones, and sometimes matching accessories and pre-wedding outfits (yes, even bikinis). These designs, the genius behind Boston clothing designer Sondra Celli, make any gypsy bride�s dreams come true.

The process behind creating and fitting these rare dresses is fascinating and part of a subculture that most Americans know very little about. The series, which airs on Sundays at 10 PM ET/PT, offers unprecedented access into the lives of…………… continues on Monsters and Critics.com

Planning a wedding? A new Web app lets the bride- and groom-to-be create a social website that connects guests with each other before the big day.

Called Weduary, the app provides a simple way to create a modern-looking wedding website, and allows the couple to invite guests using Facebook. The site tells guests which of their Facebook friends will also be attending and points out people at the event who may have common interests and mutual friends.

If a guest is attending alone, the flirt section of the site shows other singles who will be there.

Each guest also gets their own profile. In addition to connecting guests, the site provides details about the date and time of the wedding, hotel information, and a link to the couple’s registry. – Reuters

Countdown to the Big Day: How to Hire a Personal Trainer

You’re hiring a caterer, florist, and wedding planner, so why not also enlist the expertise of a personal trainer? If you’re trying to lose weight for your wedding, having a trainer can be one of the best ways to help you reach your goals. But since you’re on a timeline, it’s important to ensure you’re getting what you need from your training sessions. Here’s how to hire the right personal trainer before you walk down the aisle.

1. Start early: Personal trainers can help you get results fast, but they’re not miracle workers. Waiting too late to lose the weight can add unwanted pressure, which can make workouts stressful and ineffective. To ensure you have enough time to lose weight the healthy way, celebrity trainer Tracy Anderson recommends that future brides start shopping for a trainer at the beginning stages of their wedding planning (like when you start looking for the venue).
2. Know your goals: Your personal-training package will start with an initial assessment of your fitness level,…………… continues on FitSugar.com

Stacey Solomon’s got a lot on her plate at the moment. Not only did she give birth to her second son Leighton last week, but she’s also planning her upcoming wedding to fiancé Aaron Barham.

Stacey’s taking her time with arrangements for the big day, but one thing she’s sure she wants is plenty of foliage.

“I know I want loads of flowers at the wedding — I know they just die, but I love them,” Stacey told The Sun.

But it’s not just in vases, bouquets or table decorations where Stacey wants them.

“And I want my dress to be made out of flowers. That’s the only thing I’ve decided so far.”

We hope no-one’s got hayfever…

The proposal

X Factor star and presenter of Sky Living’s Love Machine Stacey admits that she was flabbergasted when Aaron proposed to her on a romantic trip to New York at Christmas. The couple haven’t disclosed when the wedding will take place.

“It’s so funny because I’d just done an interview saying, ‘Aaron is never going to propose to me’, then he did it that weekend.

“He was there when I did the interview but obviously he couldn’t say anything. They must have thought I was a right liar but I didn’t see it coming in a million years.

“He’s…………… continues on heatworld

Question: My parents recently went through a very ugly divorce. My mother cheated on my father, and a year later he’s still angry about it.

While their marriage was falling apart, I was being proposed to by my soon-to-be husband. Wedding planning has been challenging. I am doing much on my own and am constantly worried about how my parents’ families will behave at the wedding.

My mother and I don’t really have much of a relationship, but we are working on rebuilding. Recently, my father asked me if I would be inviting her to the wedding (I haven’t made up my mind on that just yet). I explained to him that it’s a possibility.

He responded by telling me that if she comes he won’t be attending, which seems pretty selfish and unfair. I’m not asking him to sit at the same table with her; in fact, we plan to keep families separated as much as possible. I explained this to him but he doesn’t seem to care.

He keeps saying this is “his problem” but fails to realize the impact it has on me (therefore being my problem also). What to do?

Answer: I’m sorry your happy…………… continues on Arizona Republic