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

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

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

Alyssa Fraser is getting married in June, but she’s already planning her second big day, when she wears her wedding dress again just for the hell of it. Fraser will be surrounded by friends wearing their wedding dresses, too. “We’re having a brunch in August, in the Distillery District, with cupcakes and that wine with the stiletto on the label,” said Fraser, 25, a Toronto public relations professional and proud owner of a $ 3,400 organza and silk dress by Canadian designer Lea-Ann Belter. “Four of my girlfriends are getting married this summer and we’re all obsessed with the idea of wearing our dresses again. We’re even hiring a photographer for the brunch.”

Teacher Elizabeth Anne Crisolago is organizing a Wear Your Wedding Dress Again party in October. “Why would you spend so much money on something and only wear it once?” said Crisolago, 25, an Italian-Canadian from Toronto who is appalled by the trash-your-dress movement, where brides wreck their wedding dresses during photo sessions. “I could never destroy something so special.” She chose her $ 1,400 dream dress from the Disney Fairy Tale Weddings & Honeymoons bridal collection by Alfre…………… continues on Macleans.ca

Wow, wow, and wow.  I didn’t think it would happen, but it looks like all the discord with Basketball Wives may be coming to a head.  There is a petition circulating to have the show taken off the air, and there is rarely an episode that doesn’t end in a violent smack down.  Bullying abounds.  The women act like fools while preaching to their “friends” how they take the high road.  Y’all know…you’ve seen it!  Well, in a recent interview with TheDailyBeast.com, Tanya Young Williams of Basketball Wives:LA, shares her experience on the show…which she describes as hellish.  While she says she’s never watched the original ladies of Miami, she reveals that her time working for Shed Media was horrific.  Highlights of that interview are below, but you can read the whole thing here.

CLICK THE CON…………… continues on Reality Tea

LOS ANGELES (CNN) -

Born and raised in the Philippines to a businessman and a socialite model, Monique Lhuillier is today one of LA’s most celebrated fashion designers, with a clientele that includes Gwyneth Paltrow, Kristen Stewart, Reese Witherspoon, and Scarlett Johansson.

A graduate of LA’s Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising, Lhuillier began designing wedding gowns while shopping for one for herself. She launched her first bridal collection in 1996 and today, her atelier also produces ready-to-wear evenin…………… continues on KESQ

Lisa DeJong/Plain Dealer What to do with a dress you can’t wash or dry clean? How about using it for prom dress rugby?

Q. I took my daughter, Rachel, to Henri’s Cloud Nine in Columbus to buy a prom dress. She found a dress she loved, but the skirt fabric kept bunching because of static. The sales clerk said she could ship us another dress, and she promised it would be in perfect condition.

When the dress arrived at our house, it had the same static cling problem. The store manager said I could bring it back to be treated, but all sales are final.

This is a $ 400 dress, my daughter saved up her own money to buy it, and it is not wearable. I think the store should let us return it.

– Denise Gill, Fairview Park

A. With prom time upon us and wedding season right on its heels, it’s a great time to talk about special occasion clothing and some of the challenges they pose for consumers.

But first, let’s look at your issue.

The Sherri Hill dress you ordered is made of silk with a silk net overlay, and the two fabric layers are fighting with ea…………… continues on Plain Dealer

Nowadays, most chiffon wedding dress designs are inspired from ancient Greco-Roman chic…………… continues on 1WeddingSource

A new exhibit called “Somewhere in Time” at the Iowa Genealogical Society highlights some historical wedding wear. You may’ve seen some of the shows on TV that follow harried brides as they agonize over the selection and cost of their wedding dresses.

The Genealogical Society takes a more toned down approach that looks the history of heirloom wedding dresses from across the state. While today’s dresses are predominately white with all the lace and frills, society spokesperson, Alice Veen, says you’ll see dresses in this exhibit that are more practical.

Veen says white was not the popular color for wedding dresses until Queen Victoria wore that color in her wedding in the mid-1800′s.

She says even after that, brides couldn’t afford to buy a white gown and wear it only once. Veen says her grandmother for example, was married in 1919 and wore a blue wedding dress that she could later wear on the job as a teacher.

The exhibit includes vintage photos and wedding stories along with the dresses. The oldest dress dates back to 1863 from a woman who was married in Massachusetts.

Basketball Wives star Evelyn Lozada may be the subject of a boycotting campaign to get her off the air, but she isn’t letting it faze her one bit. She is busy planning her summer wedding to New England Patriots star Chad Ochocinco, as he proposed to her last year after meeting her on Twitter. Well, the feisty star is going full throttle when it comes to planning, including finding the perfect wedding dress for the nuptials. Even if Ev & Ocho gets pulled from the VH1 network, she is still getting married.

Well, Evelyn went shopping with The Insider, so she can see what wedding dresses are available to her. She has already decided on the designer, Ines DiSanto, and she isn’t going on any drastic diets before the day. In other words, the wedding designer must create a gown that fits Basketball Wives star Evelyn Lozada’s current figure.

“You know, I don’t have a bridal diet. I’m a Presbyterian, so I don’t eat too many th…………… continues on Gather Celebs News Channel

CIUDAD JUÁREZ, Mexico — The crowd toasted with beers as first-time models strutted the makeshift catwalk in princess wedding dresses and Tarahumara Indian-inspired flower-print jumpers, all produced by local fashion designers bent on showing the world that their troubled border city is as much about hemlines as homicides.

“The city has hope now,” said Eli Valle, one of the designers presenting her collection during a fashion show in Ciudad Juárez last month. “Businesses are opening. People have shed their fear.”

This is still a terribly violent city — at least eight people were killed over the weekend, including a man bound and left in the street with plastic bags covering his face. But over all, homicide rates have decreased significantly from their peak in 2010, and young people in particular are stepping out, joining art collectives around town and even partying after dark at reopened nightclubs.

The organizers of the fashion show, a group called Amor por Juárez (“Love for Juárez”), which has loosely based its efforts on the “I Love New York” campaign, are planning to open a clothing boutique…………… continues on New York Times

As soon as new brides receive their dowry, they start planning for their big day. Some decide to make it an extravagant event, while others prefer to make it an intimate affair with just close friends and family members. 

The demand for wedding dresses rises at holiday periods and especially during summer, the wedding season. “The high season for weddings is June and July; most hair salons and tailors are busy in this period of time,” said Sorayya Ahmed, owner of Farawla salon and tailoring. “We receive many orders during that particular period from brides who wish to look their best on their big night,” she added.

“Many brides cannot afford to pay big money for all the services salons provide, aside from all the money she has to pay for her wedding dress, which could cost her around SR10,000.”

Many brides feel that paying that much money for a dress that they will only wear for one night is a waste of money. “I would never pay this much for a wedding dress, knowing that people will only see me for four hours,” said Eman Youssef, 26-year-old bride-to-be. “I also think that it’s ridiculous to buy a dress that a brid…………… continues on Arab News

Artist Rhonda Corley has always been drawn to the lines and movement of fashion illustration. Her artwork translates real-life gowns into vibrant, elongated, color-saturated sketches that capture the character of clothing, the flow of fabric in a dress made for dancing, for example, or the sweet insouciance of a kitten-heeled pump.

A painting by Rhonda Corley

Corley, a graduate of McDonogh High School in New Orleans and the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, has been fascinated by fashion since she was a child. “When I was young, I used to sit in class and scribble and sketch dresses and gowns,” she said.

After graduating from FIT, she was working as an art director when she received her first commission. The patron never picked up the work — titled “Confidence” — but the order gave Corley enough of it to strike out as an artist.

Now, the focal point of her business is commissioned sketches of bridal gowns, ordered by brides as personal keepsakes or by friends or family as a wedding gift.

John McCusker / The Times-Picayune Rhonda Corley, an artist who does beautiful custom illustrations of clients’ wedding gow…………… continues on NOLA.com

Jennifer Hyman knows that a fashionable wedding can mean financial pains.

Nuptials are the No. 1 occasion that prompt women – both brides and guests – to visit Rent the Runway, the online shop she and business partner Jennifer Fleiss started in 2009 that lets women borrow expensive designer clothing for a more modest price.

Now, they’ve launched a new Weddings Boutique section on the website that helps brides, bridesmaids and guests rent all the garments and accessories needed for a wedding – save for the bridal gown.

“There’s nothing a woman hates more than buying a bridesmaid dress,” Hyman says. “A woman can buy eight or 10 bridesmaids dresses that she may never wear again.”

Instead of asking friends to shell out hundreds of dollars for one-time formalwear, she says, brides-to-be can choose styles for their bridesmaids by designers such as Nina Ricci, Issa and Diane Von Furstenberg for about $ 75 a dress. They can also search through a variety of curated styles for all the events that lead up to the wedding – showers, photo shoots, bridal luncheons.

Other sites also are trying on the rental model.

While planning her wedding last year, Jaqueline Courtney couldn’t help thinking about her experience as a fashion publicist.

“You have all these A-list celebrities borrowing 90 percent of what they wear on the red carpet,” Cou…………… continues on Fort Wayne Journal Gazette