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!!!

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

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

Hi, Carolyn:
What is your opinion of married men who refuse to wear a wedding ring? My husband of many years took his off a few years ago, after we started having problems, and has steadfastly refused to put it back on even though I’ve stated plainly and repeatedly that it would mean a lot to me if he would wear it again.

My gut says he’s either cheating on me (physically or emotionally), or looking for the opportunity to cheat.
– Mine’s On

Or, he’s holding on to some spite from a few years ago and knows it chaps you that he won’t wear his ring. Or it doesn’t fit comfortably anymore and he’s embarrassed. Or, fill in the blank.

My opinion of married men who refuse to wear rings is as varied as the men themselves are, but here’s my opinion of fidelity between couples who don’t communicate: hollow victory.
It’s so tempting to look at problems in romantic relationships as binary, “cheating or not cheating,” and try either to gotcha or reassure away any uncomfortable doubts.

It’s also a distraction, and so self-defeating. Let’s say your husband isn’t cheating and has no plans to cheat. Doesn’t that still leave you with the fundamental problem, that you neither trust nor understand your own husband?

Please consider that the real source of your distress isn’t that your husband goe…………… continues on Seattle Post Intelligencer

Wedding photography packages are available now in every U.S. city from WeddingPhotographyQuotes.com. Top wedding photographers from around the country can be contacted quickly online through this wedding website and deliver accurate quotes for wedding photos and related services.

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) May 13, 2012

Wedding photography can be hit or miss for many brides-to-be when planning their big day. The traditional way to obtain a wedding photographer was to use phonebook directories or get referrals from friends and family. The use of digital cameras in wedding photography is now commonplace and many photographers are able to distribute portfolios of their work and the approximate cost of photography services completely online. The wedding resource website, http://www.weddingphotographyquotes.com, has removed the hassles and issues that can happen when fiancés want to hire a professional photographer to take wedding photos. Top photographers from around the U.S. are available through this wedding photo quotes website to help provide affordable wedding photo packages to brides-to-be.

While many photographers continue to use 35mm film for photographs, some wedding photographers have upgraded their equipment with the latest DSLR digital cameras and a…………… continues on Seattle Post Intelligencer

Hi, Carolyn: What is your opinion of married men who refuse to wear a wedding ring? My husband of many years took his off a few years ago, after we started having problems, and has steadfastly refused to put it back on even though I’ve stated plainly and repeatedly that it would mean a lot to me if he would wear it again.

My gut says he’s either cheating on me (physically or emotionally), or looking for the opportunity to cheat. — Mine’s On

In Los Angeles, red carpet treatment is not just for celebrities. Here, mere mortals can find specialists — medical concierges, cat whisperers, image consultants — for almost everything.

And that includes experts who are hired to help families prepare for their newest members.

Enter the baby planner.

Before the advent of the current expert culture, it was a role that used to be filled by mothers, grandmothers and best friends, doling out advice, shopping lists and favors. But in the last few years, professionals have stepped in to grab the attention — and money — of busy, freaked-out mothers-to-be. They are referred to as baby planners or baby concierges or maternity consultants. And if you doubt that baby planning is truly an industry, just remember that Bravo’s “Pregnant in Heels,” a “docu-drama,” follows “maternity concierge, fashion designer and pregnancy guru Rosie Pope as she guides expecting mothers through the joys and perils of preparing to have a baby.” (The show returns for its second season Tuesday.)

S…………… continues on Los Angeles Times

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., May 10, 2012 – /PRNewswire-iReach/ — Short engagements are on the rise and BrideRush.com is the only place for tools and solutions that make fast wedding planning an affordable breeze. In the last month, brides have saved an average of 60% on wedding vendor and venue bookings by using the site’s novel deal search.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120510/CG04384)

BrideRush specializes in exclusive, date-specific deals on wedding vendors and venues around the country. Since the site’s national launch in early March, brides have snapped up savings on wedding photobooths, venues, DJs and photographers. It is the only tool that focuses on date-specific wedding deals, making the process work for both brides and vendors.

If a bride likes a deal but her wedding date isn’t listed, she can request it.

BrideRush brides say “I Do” to savings with just a $ 25 commitment. To secure any date/deal listed on the site, the bride pays $ 25. She then receives a voucher entitling her to the deal on her wedding date.

For upcoming summer weddings, there are currently

The Big Bang Theory exec producer Chuck Lorre is fond of saying that the show isn’t Lost — there’s no grand plan in place building to a revelatory event at the end of the season. Be that as it may, the fifth season of Big Bang has been leading directly to tonight’s finale: the wedding of Howard Wolowitz (Simon Helberg) and Bernadette Rostenkowski (Melissa Rauch), and Howard’s on-again, off-again, on-again mission to the International Space Station. Both of those events converge tonight, and the question is: Will the wedding happen? Will Howard go through with the mission? Will there be a massive cliffhanger like last season’s ohmigod, did Penny and Raj-just get horizontal?! bombshell? We rang up Big Bang EP Bill Prady to grill him for answers: 

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: How have you felt about season 5?
BILL PRADY: My favorite so far, I would have to say. We started out in a weird, cool place, because we’d boxed ourselves into a corner at the end of season 4, as we often do. We found a way out in I think one of the best episodes we’ve done that started the season. And my God, this season has included

CALENDAR

FAIRS, FESTIVALS & MORE

Sarasota Downtown Wedding Showcase: L. Spa, 556 Pineapple Ave., Sarasota

Meet the wedding planning experts and have a chance to see the top wedding trends 6-8 p.m. May 10 at the Downtown Wedding Showcase featuring light hors d’oeuvres and refreshments, mini manicures, skin care consultants, etiquette advice, gift bags and much more. Reservations are required at nicole@nkproductions.net.

“Weird Science” Film Fridays Series: Bishop Planetarium Theater, South Florida Museum, 201 10th St. W., Bradenton

The Museum will screen the following of cinema’s finest offerings on the subject of freaky phenomena, strange scientific escapades and the outer limits of explorations as part of the “Weird Science” Film Fridays Series: “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari” May 11, “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” May 18, “Moon” May 25, “The Manchurian Candidate” June 1, “Cave of Forgotten Dreams” June 8, “Primer” June 15, and “The Thing” June 22. All movie time are 6 p.m.. Tickets: $ 3 members, $ 5 nonmembers. Seating is limited and reservations are strongly recommended. Information: 941-746-4131, ext. 11.

Gem, Jewelry and Bead Show and Sale: Sarasota Municipal Auditorium, 801 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota

A Gem, Jewelry, and Bead Show and Sale will be 10 a.m.-5 p.m. May 11-13 featuring n=local, regional, and na…………… continues on Bradenton Herald

Courtesy Chanel

Brad Pitt is keeping busy amidst all the wedding planning — the actor was just announced as the new face of Chanel No. 5. The French fashion house confirmed the news to PEOPLE earlier this morning.

The Academy Award-nominated star is reportedly shooting his first ad in London sometime this week, according to E! News.

It’s the first time in history that the house has chosen a man to represent the fragrance. Pitt joins the likes of Nicole Kidman, Vanessa Paradis, Audrey Tautou, Ali MacGraw and Lauren Hutton.

According to reports, Pitt will be paid seven figures for his work; his ad will be released overseas later this year.

–Jennifer Cress, with reporting by Peter Mikelbank

SHOP STARS’ FAVORITE BEAUTY PRODUCTS

• …………… continues on People Magazine

So, the initial glow of engagement has worn off. Maybe that’s because you started discussing wedding budgets, guest lists and catering options. To make matters worse, you’re starting to view Pinterest not as a frilly paradise of inspiration, but as a barrage of nuptial media.

Step back from the edge, my friend, and consider our suggestions below. They’ll help put a little fun back in the process, and maybe even save your sanity.

If you’ve been holding back from Pinterest, fear not. It’s a great place to share ideas with your family and friends, and our tips can help you avoid pantone-color-swatch-tulle-induced madness.

And remember, social media should improve your life, not give you one more thing to obsess over. Committing the rest of your life to someone is stressful enough.

1. Cull Your Following List

No, you do not need to follow every old high school Facebook acquaintance who repinned your bouquet idea. If you do, you’ll end up with 50 of the same repins in your feed, or a million pins from boards you have absolutely no interest in.

If you’re still in the general idea phase, stick with people or brands that…………… continues on Mashable